He watched as Lucifer rebelled. He watched as his brothers fell. He watched, unable to do anything else. It was his duty. He watched, and reported, and could change nothing.
Is it wrong to want change?
Samyaza is portrayed as the leader of the Watchers, and he in fact was their leader in rebellion. However, there was one who was stationed above him. The one who watches the Watchers.
Zerachiel, the angel residing over the domain of the sun, was also the angelic prince overseeing the angels tasked with watching over humanity.
He watched the humans go about their lives, some following their creator's word while others rejected Him as his brother Lucifer had. Thinking about his brother always saddened him, but he was about to have another reason to be pained.
Samyaza proposed a radical idea to his brothers. If God loved humanity so much, beings that could reject him in the same breath as accepting him, the would not going to live amongst them be just an extension of his love? Showing they too, as his creations, bore the free will to make the choice to reject Him?
Zerachiel had heard this before. The words and perhaps even the motivation was different, but it was the same. He'd already seen where this led. However... maybe. Just maybe. Maybe he could stop this.
That's why he didn't report their behavior. Instead, he watched them as the exercised their free will, approaching them time and again to cease this foolishness. He watched as they ignored him and encouraged the humans to indulge in their evil and baser urges. He watched and pleaded with them as the immersed themselves in pleasure and violence and pain and hate, espousing their love of their freedom. He watched his brothers bear children by humans, creating a new race he had not expected. The Nephilim.
His heart ached the more he watched, ached more as his pleas fell on deaf ears, and ached further for what he had to do.
He reported their actions to God, begging forgiveness for his actions and mercy for his brothers and their children. The Lord forgave him, knowing his intentions were pure, but told him their actions were far too great and damaging to be ignored.
And so, he watched again as his brothers were rounded up and placed on trial. Once more, he asked the Lord's forgiveness as the Watchers begged for mercy. That is, all except Samyaza who, believing he'd done nothing wrong nor willing to bow to his creator any longer out of pride and foolish indignance, remained silent as he watched his friend Enoch decide his fate.
Zerachiel had known the result that would fall on the Watchers. He had prepared himself for that. What he had not prepared for was the Flood. What he had not prepared for was the death of all the Nephilim currently roaming the Earth. What he had not prepared for was residing on the Sun, now alone because his brothers had rejected their God just as Lucifer had.
Once more, he had lost family to their own foolishness. And they still thought the humans were different.
And so, he did as he had done before. He watched. He watched humanity recover from this ordeal. Watched as the grew, using their free will to divide and choose their own paths as they spread across the world. He watched, and was reminded of his own family. He watched... and felt lonely.
He watched his other brothers and sisters interacting with humanity, some even bearing other Nephilim children, but in great rarity. He watched them, and often felt pride, then sadness with how many rejected God. Still, this only made him feel even lonelier as each reminded him of his failure to redeem his brothers.
Finally, perhaps just like his brothers, Zerachiel reached a breaking point. When he next reported to his Lord, he told him he needed a change. He needed to do something else that wasn't simply watching others. Just standing by and watching others and being unable to change anything.
The Lord considered his request. After a moment, he gave Zerachiel an answer. Seven Years. For seven years, in recognition of his millennia of service, Zerachiel could do anything he desires short of sinning. His only other requirement is that he never reveal his angelic nature to anyone.
Zerachiel was stunned. Seven years to do anything he wanted?
What should he do? Now that he had the possibility, he didn't know what to do. There had to be somewhere he could do something. Act instead of watch.
But he already had his answer, didn't he? Somewhere that not only had humans of great power, but ones that had already called his attention by merit of being under one of his domains, meaning the children of sinful parents. The fact that they happened to be one in the same was just coincidence.
And so, he descended on Britain, taking on a form based off one of the knights of the king. The irony of his choice would only become apparent to him later.
And the rest is history. Trading one King for another, Zerachiel was finally able to act and fix the injustices he saw instead of standing by and watching others do so. It's no wonder he took to it with such enthusiasm.
But, all things must come to an end, and an angel is more than aware how quickly seven years can pass. After Lancelot "killed" him, he returned to his duties.
And so, He was once again placed to watch over humanity.
He watched as his friends and brothers in arms fractured more and more. Watched the kingdom he'd fought and protected crumble. Watched as those he loved fought and died. Watched the woman he'd respected even before he'd met her despair at her failure.
He watched just as he always had. Watched, and smiled, and knew why he watched. Why he acted.
Watched, and waited for another day he could walk alongside them.