Heaven and Hell

THREE

S W E E T  N I G H T  A N G E L

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THE STARLIGHT HAD had barely even begun to kiss the skies of Heaven when Lucius had finally made his way back towards his favorite spot in all of the upper world. The breeze was particularly strong that night, causing the long strands of the evergreen grasses to sway about in the wind like a dance to a song. It was enchanting to see the melting of the colors during sunset, witnessing just how magnificently the blues of the day melted with the pinks and oranges of dusk. All too soon, the colors in the palette were reduced to a dark blue.

Lucius heard her before he saw her with his own two eyes. The great thundering flaps of Adelia's strong wings caused quite an orchestra of noise behind him which alerted him of her presence and arrival. There she was, flying to his side wordlessly with her palms facing the sky. Slowly, the silvery grains of starlight ascended into the dark canvas, lighting up the skies with a variety of constellations for as far as the naked eye could see.

All the while, Lucius was not able to tear his eyes away from Adelia. He was entranced by the way in which she worked, for she displayed a sort of passion and vigor towards her task which Lucius had never seen in other angels ever before.

When Adelia was done accessorizing the night sky with the glorious yellowing silver moon and dazzling stars that resembled the light of fairies, she slowly descended to the ground, her feet melting against the grass as she turned towards Lucius with a single raised eyebrow.

"I thought I told you not to come back again." She said her statement in the form of an order rather than an actual question. The hostility in her tone was ignored by Lucius, whom which simply smiled.

"You told me to stay out of the night. But how am I able to stay out of a part of nature itself?"

There was a certain gleeful joy hidden beneath Lucius's words that made Adelia nearly snort in disbelief. How that man could be such an unreasonable brute, she thought she would never know. Regardless, Lucius remained smiling with the joys of infinite lifetimes.

"It is rather great to see you again, Adelia. I promise I have no evil intentions in regards to my presence here after nightfall."

"I am never able to stop you from coming here, am I?" Adelia shook her head. Though she had previously shown much hostility, there was the tiniest ghost of a smile shaping her full lips as she gracefully sat herself down. Gently, she ran her hands against the blades of the grass, caressing them almost absentmindedly. "What do they call you, day angel?"

"Lucius," he said. "I weave the sunlight of day."

"How very befitting." Seemingly deep in thought, Adelia rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she slowly sat herself down on the earth, gazing off into the night sky as if she was in a world of her own. "You are named after the light."

"As far as I know." Lucius shrugged, the edges of his lips quirking into a cheeky grin that proved to be the brightest factor of that night.

"And I suppose you already know my name?" Adelia asked, her head quickly turning back so that she could face Lucius properly. Her feet dangled dangerously over the edge of Heaven, her eyes glittering just as brightly as the thousand stars in which she herself had placed onto the night sky. "Seeing that you were present that other night in which Calvin called out my name."

"Adelia, isn't it? Have I got it right?"

He knew for a fact that there was no possible way in which the beauty that sat before him could be named something else. Lucius had heard Calvin call out Adelia's name as clear as the ringing of crystals. It was an inevitable fact for the angel of light to learn the name of this enchanting woman. Carefully sitting himself down beside Adelia, Lucius was careful not to allow his limbs to hang out too far off the edge of Heaven. Though he was not afraid of the height, he was most certainly afraid of the fall.