Duty Part 2
Title: Duty Part 2
Author: Gedry
Pairings: Dean/Cas, Sam/Gabriel
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1033
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I am making no profit from this fanfiction.
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Summary: The Winchester’s kingdom has been safe for centuries but when increase pressures from other territories bring about a forced bonding complications arise. For azryk who made some beautiful artwork of Dean being a prince and Castiel being a knight.
Thank you moonofblindness!!
Duty part 2
Dawn comes too soon.
Dean rises with the sun; and readies himself for the trip out to, what he still believes will be, his certain death. It doesn’t take him long. Cas has already set out half of his belongings while he was sleeping; even his clothing. The armor is shining; it gleams in the sunlight blinding Dean momentarily from his dark thoughts.
“So off to see the wizard?” his brother comments from the doorway.
“Good morning to you too Sam,” Dean chuckles. He wonders as he turns to speak to his sibling if Sam will one day grow to be an actual giant. “You’re taller.”
“You’re an ass Dean,” Sam chuckles. “Don’t let anyone tell you any different.”
“Was there a reason for your visit or could you just not stop yourself from eying my stuff,” Dean snorts. “I’m not dead yet you know.”
Sam gives him a horrible look; something like Dean had kicked his most precious baby. “I’m coming with you.”
“The hell you are,” Dean answers immediately.
“You are not going off to die alone in some God forsaken quest for something that probably doesn’t exist,” Sam argues.
“I’m not going alone,” Dean sighs. “Cas was dumb enough to insist he come with me.”
“Cas is a good friend,” Sam says with a nod.
“He’s an idiot that doesn’t know when to duck, and never learned how to yield,” Dean comments.
“He loves you,” Sam blurts.
Dean says nothing.
“You know that right?” Sam presses. “He’s in love with you, and he’s going to go off on this quest with you because of it. He’s probably going to get himself killed in some deluded attempt to prove he’s worthy of your affections, even though he knows you can’t possibly return them. He’s not thinking clearly.”
“No he’s not,” Dean agrees. “But he’s going and you’re not.”
“Why?” Sam snaps.
“Because if I don’t come back you’re going to have to marry the damn princess,” Dean sighs. “Because you’re my brother and I want you safe. That’s why you’re staying.”
“Why is Cas going?” Sam clarifies.
“Because he’s trained for it and I need him,” Dean whispers. “Because I just want a little more time with him before everything changes.”
“Jesus,” Sam says, and Dean can hear the stunned tone of his voice. “You love him too don’t you? All this time I thought you were oblivious but you’re not. You want him as bad as he wants you and neither of you ever said anything.”
“I can’t,” Dean admits in a brittle tone, “and he won’t, and there it is. I love him, I always have, but I don’t get to keep him or even find out one time what it would feel like to hold him. My life isn’t planned out that way. So you better pray I make it back here Sam or you’re going to inherit more than my belongings; you’re going to have to take all of my expectations and responsibilities too.”
“Just run away with him then Dean,” Sam offers. “Let’s just go, and you can have whatever kind of life you want to have.”
“We can’t Sam,” Dean answers sadly.
“Because of our duty to our father?” Sam snarls “Everything with you is always about him and he doesn’t care about us.”
“It’s not about him or us Sammy,” Dean mutters as he grabs his brother’s arm, and drags him to the window pointing out at the city surrounding the castle. “It’s about those people down there who will suffer if I don’t complete this bonding and offer them some protection. They’re what matters and you need to learn that if you ever have to lead.”
After all, what’s the cost of one person’s soul if selling it saves the lives of all those innocent people?
*****
They leave with heavy fanfare though Dean feels anything but joyous.
Michael, Lucifer, Uriel, and Castiel all surrounding him with their swords and armor, as they leave the relative safety of the castle walls for the out stretching countryside.
Dean feels his soul unwind with his first taste of freedom; no matter how brief it might be.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Cas whispers as he looks out over the passing fields and toward the oncoming mountains.
“Yes it is,” Dean breathes but his eyes never waver from his old friend’s face. So much potential there to be thrown away as though it never existed in the first place; it makes his heart ache.
“How far are we going today?” Lucifer questions.
“We’ll ride until the horses tire,” Dean answers. They can’t afford to waste time; the bonding ceremony is set for less than a week away. “We need to arrive at the entrance to the caves in no less than two days time.”
“In that big of a hurry to get us all killed?” Uriel snorts; though he is loyal, the knight is less than friendly and he’s always been suspicious of Cas’ place in Dean’s world.
“We have a duty to carry out Uriel,” Cas warns in a voice that sounds like he’s been chewing the gravel they are riding over. “We’ll carry it out in whatever way we’re directed to do so.”
“Indeed,” Michael comments.
Dean shoots Cas a look of concern at his friend’s aggressive reaction to his fellow knight, but Cas rides on ahead and leaves Dean with his swirling thoughts. He can’t forget about Sam’s suggestion that they just run and never come back. Dean’s ashamed at how much he wants to do just that; Cas would never agree to something so lacking in honor, but the more Dean ponders the idea the more he wishes it was really an option.
Part 3