Aziraphale hated to see his brother so despondent, especially knowing there was nothing he could really do to truly ease his pain. Only He could do that, and He was not here. The weariness in Castiel's voice and the pain there only served to highlight how useless Aziraphale was when it came to relieving the other angel's pain. What could he possibly say or do to make this any better?
"Orders will only get you so far," he told Castiel. "I've learned that in all the millennia I've been on Earth. Instinct is important. And sometimes we're meant not to follow orders. Everything is in His ineffable plan, even if sometimes it isn't clear." He sighed and put a hand on the other angel's arm. "The archangels have their own agendas. It is unwise to trust them...and Anna is of a different mould all together. What they put you through was unconscionable, and you never should have had to suffer so." He looked down. "They certainly shouldn't have..." he tried to hold back his anger, but couldn't fully suppress it. "they never should have let you come to harm." His tone was sharp with a protective edge. The idea that the archangels had allowed Castiel to be hurt caused a bright spark of righteous indignation to ignite. "I told Anna before, and I'll say it again now. I'm glad that Uriel is dead."
He closed his eyes. "They were fools," he said. "They had no idea what mess they were causing. But you made the right choice, and that is what matters. All we can decide is what we will do in a given set of circumstances, and you made the right choice...I understand that choice better than any of Them." He shook his head. "I rebelled, because it was the right thing, and if things had gone differently, I know I likely would have faced great punishment. But things worked out...and the will for you, somehow. I won't let anything happen to you...not if I can stop it." It was a promise he might not always be able to keep.
"It is not your fault," he said firmly, bringing his hand to Castiel's jaw to make him look up. "Things will come to pass as they are meant to. Those boys will stop Lucifer and seal him up again. And you will be fine. If I have to give Gabriel himself a talking to, you will not be punished for making the right choice." He looked around the flat with concern. "You really shouldn't be alone, Castiel."