Duty Part 6
Title: Duty Part 6
Author: Gedry
Pairings: Dean/Cas, Sam/Gabriel
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1164
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 6
“Where’s Uriel?” Cas questions as the four men regain their footing in the darkened slope of caves and passages.
“We lost him in the excitement,” Michael answers.
“He was cut off from us,” Lucifer adds.
“We need to go back,” Dean blurts; struggling to get past the knights to re-enter the previous room and locate their missing party member.
Cas grabs his arm as Lucifer and Michael block his path. “Dean,” his friend whispers. “He’s gone, we have little time, and it’s too dangerous. Uriel knew the risks. If he’s clear of the debris he can make his way back to the entrance, and if not then there is little we can do to help him now.”
“So we just leave him?” Dean snarls. But he knows how it works; he’s been in battles where the kindest thing to do for your men was to end their pain as quickly as possible. But then it was about the wellbeing and protection of his kingdom, his home. Now it’s just about a merger. No one should die so that Dean can mate.
Especially when he won’t be mating out of love but duty; it’s always duty.
They walk for what seems like hours before they enter a room with no exit. The four men check all of the walls, and find the only way in or out of the room is to go back the way they came. But when they finally decide that they have made a wrong turn and go to ease their way back out of the dead end, the stone surrounding the door crumbles after Lucifer slips through leaving Michael, Dean, and Castiel all trapped inside.
Then the water starts pouring in from along the bottom of the wall; freezing and dark along their boots upwards to their knees. There’s no way out.
“What do we do?” Castiel asks as the warmth seems to be sucked from his body as the water continues to rise.
“We wait,” Dean chokes out. “When it’s high enough we swim and we pray there’s a way out up above.”
It only takes a few long moments before the water is high enough that their feet leave the floor. They cling to one another as it comes faster; lifting them toward the ceiling of the room before they really have a chance to see if there’s any escape.
“There!” Michael’s shout snaps the other two men to attention. He’s pointing above their heads at some kind of hatch. When they can reach it Michael yanks it downward revealing a tiny tunnel. They heave Dean inside, but discover that there’s only room for two in the space.
“One of us has to stay behind.” Cas’ voice holds little inflection but Dean’s soul twists and tears prick his eyes because he knows, he knows Cas will choose to send Michael through. It’s always been his friend’s nature to be self sacrificing.
“Get in,” Michael demands; shoving Cas hard into the space even while the smaller man struggles.
“Michael,” Cas gasps. “Not like this.”
“See him through,” Michael orders as water starts to drag along the bottom of the tiny passageway. “Don’t leave his side for anything Castiel. Not even in the end. Promise me. Promise me you’ll stand by his side at the alter no matter what.”
“I promise.” Cas whispers as they touch hands for just a moment before Michael slams the door shut, and Cas and Dean stay huddled together sharing their grief before they force their way through the other side, breaking down the crumbling wall to reveal another passage and continue on their journey.
*****
When Sam comes back to himself it feels like a lifetime has gone by. It’s not exactly an untrue statement; during the course of their bonding Sam has witnessed every moment of Gabriel’s life from his first awareness until now. He’s seen Gabriel’s hopes and dreams change with time, he’s experienced the other man’s first stirrings of love and despair, he’s watched as Gabriel has watched him throughout their lives together.
Sam’s discovered that Gabriel’s prickly barbs and annoying jabs of teasing have really been his way of getting Sam’s attention any way that he could. Gabriel’s wanted Sam for a very long time and Sam had been blind to all of it.
Until now; while his head is nestled against the knight’s chest. The slow, steady thud of Gabriel’s heart beat reassuring Sam that he’s not alone here; Gabriel still lives.
And thrives it seems.
“Well I’ve heard that your life flashes before your eyes when you die,” Gabriel teases breathlessly. “But that was your life I saw, not mine, so I’m a little confused.”
It’s not the truth and Sam knows it now. Underneath the façade Gabriel has firmly in place, Sam can hear the unspoken litany of: mine? Are you mine? Will you reject me? Will you turn me away now? Never wanted me saw that much inside you. Thought I was annoying, wanted me to go away. Never gave me a second thought and now you’re stuck with me. Not supposed to be like this. Should have just let me go.
It’s so disorienting; even though Sam has been warned about the links formed during the bonding process, he’s not prepared for hearing Gabriel’s thoughts and feeling the anxiety that is pouring off of Gabriel’s being right now.
Sam’s only thought is to soothe him. He reaches out with his hands and his thoughts, smoothing over the knight’s battered body hoping to reassure his new bond-mate that this link between them isn’t unwanted. Yours. Yours. Was blind, didn’t know. I’m sorry.
“Sam,” Gabriel whispers tugging on his hair to force Sam to raise his head and meet Gabriel’s eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”
And that much is true; Sam can feel it. Gabriel’s gaze is clear and his smile tentative but bright. He’s still pale and looks weak but his lips aren’t blue and there’s fire back in his eyes. Sam’s relief is immense.
“We bonded,” Sam blurts as if there is some way Gabriel’s unaware of their change in status.
“Yes we did,” Gabriel agrees and the hands he has in Sam’s hair go from holding to stroking; easing through Sam’s locks to bush along his cheeks with a level of affection Sam wasn’t sure Gabriel was capable of. “Are you alright with that?”
“Yeah,” Sam murmurs. “I think I am.”
Part 7