Ice of Oblivion Chapter 2
Title: Ice of Oblivion Chapter 2/?
Author: zoomzoomzoomzoo
Fandom/Genre: SPN AU Romance, Drama, Action
Pairing (s): Dean/Castiel
Rating: T
Word Count: ~82,000
Warnings: Underage, Mild Sexual Situation, Violence
Chapter 2
John stared at the five angels standing in the middle of his Great Hall with unrestrained amazement. Though they had formed many alliances with each other, before and during John’s reigns as King, John had never seen them in person. The sight was spectacular.
To the untrained eye, the five brothers seemed no different than any human in Inim. Some old some young, some darker and some lighter, some with blue eyes, some green, some brown. All dressed as humans do; all stood as humans do, all walked as humans do and all spoke as humans do.
But in all of that, their eyes, their stance, their speech, John could see their years, their wisdom and most of all their power.
The oldest, most powerful and the unofficial leader of the group stood in the very middle, his name was Michael.
To the immediate left of him stood Zachariah, powerful in his own right and known for his flawless manipulation of others, he was an air of confidence.
To Michael’s right, there was Uriel, he was known more or less for his brute power and merciless spirit, rather than choosing to spare enemies he has been known to blast them to oblivion with one nod of his head.
Beside Uriel, was Gabriel or better known as the trickster, in Inim and Himmel alike. Except for relying on strength and fortitude like his siblings, Gabriel used his extreme intelligence, manipulation and illusionary abilities to trick foes into submission; hell he even messed with his own brothers.
And, last but certainly not least was Castiel, who stood beside Zachariah. Castiel was not as powerful as his brothers, though his powers dwarfed that of every other angel who was not his sibling, but Castiel had speed and unlike his brothers he had the power of observation on his side, knowing much more about the world around him than the other four.
John sunk back in his chair, but did not recoil at the sight of these domineering figures. This was not the time for insecurities, his wife was in an overfilled infirmary along with every other dead body found throughout the palace and his son’s… well, they were still missing.
“John Winchester,” Michael stated in greeting.
John bowed his head, tired eyes scanning the five people in his room. “Thank you for getting here so quickly.” They truly had gotten there quick; John sent a messenger at midnight and here it was only six hours later and here they were.
The one of the far left, Castiel, stepped forward and with a blank face he said, “We’re sorry to hear about your wife.”
John flinched at the mention of his wife, though he still could not get the image of her still simmering red body out of his head and the smell of sulfur clung to his nose like a vice, the mere mention of his wife’s unfortunate fate still riled his insides.
When he did not answer, Castiel moved back in line. John eyed the blank faced one critically; he heard a lot about Castiel, most people seemed to favor him above the other four. They say his concentration is concrete and he actually seems like he cares for humans; but if anyone told John that today he would beg to differ. The angel seemed distracted today, not as concentrated, as he was famous for.
“Look, let’s cut to the chase here. I need your help.”
Michael nodded and with a self-deprecating smile, he said, “We need your help too.”
John was surprised to say the least. These five, in John’s mind, were supreme beings, equal to Gods in Inim ideology; those five needing help was like a giant needing a ladder: improbable. John straightened up in his chair, suddenly curious and interested.
“My help…?”
Michael walked closer to John, moving out of the line, and folded his arms over his chest. “Unfortunately yes, it seems we will have to remain in your debt for a while longer.”
“Whatever you need, as long as you help me get vengeance on the demon’s who killed my people.”
Uriel clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Vengeance… Do you really think we’re going to help you with that attitude?”
A smirk grew on John’s face. “No,” He said. “But, if I you don’t then I won’t help you either.”
“Touché,” Uriel replied, a smirk now his face as well.
“Do you remember the angel that we had you build a hex for two years ago?” Michael asked.
John remembered it like yesterday. He’s received an urgent message from Michael; he was practically offering up all of Himmel to John if he built a hex for him; one that could hold an angel for at least a couple of months. John, figuring that it was the least he could do for these powerful entities, worked tirelessly for days on the hex, along with his close friend and advisor Bobby and his high priestess Missouri. Mary was pissed, but John barely paid attention to her and in three days he built the hex and sent it off to the angels.
As for the angel who the hex was for, John only managed to squeeze a few details out of the angel who sent the message, details that included: Angry, deceitful, jealous and most importantly dangerous. He even managed to get a name.
“Lucifer?”
Michael nodded with sad eyes and his arms dropped to his side. “It seems he was not fully healed when we extracted him from your hex.”
“What do you mean not fully healed,” John snapped. “You told me you were going to kill him!”
None of the angels so much as flinched at John’s harsh tones and Michael continued on. “I wanted Lucifer trapped; I never said anything about killing him. Although, sending him back to father probably would have been a better choice.”
“Dear old Michael was convinced Lucifer would be fine after a couple months of rehabilitation,” Zachariah mocked. “Not that I did not warn him that he was making a mistake; he just had all the faith in the world in his dear old little brother-“
“He’s your brother too, Zachariah,” Michael replied, just as calm and collected as when he first walked in.
Zachariah exhaled a soft laugh and with a cocky smile he shrugged. “If it was up to me, none of this would have ever happened.”
Though John was fading out for a while during the family feud, that last thing Zachariah said caught his attention. What did Lucifer, an angel, have to do with what a group of demons did?
“Are any of you going to tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”
Michael turned away from his brother and back to John with an apologetic expression; dipping his head in pardons he clenched his hands together. “It started thousands of years ago when demons were spawned from the carcasses of millions of dead snakes and spiders. Our father called us to his temple immediately and warned us of a prophecy, one that was only confirmed with the rise of the mysterious and deadly creatures known as Dämons.
‘Through the mists of happiness and virtue, an angel will fall into the arms of Dämons and that affair will bring only darkness to all lands of Mamot. The End will come with the rise of two mortals; they will fight to the death and the victor will rule.’”
Michael completed his tale with his face finally marred by emotion, one that exhibited only sadness. “We always thought that there was a possibility that it would be Lucifer who would fall. He was the only angel who consistently stepped out of line and periodically questioned father and his rules,” Michael said, regret present in his speech and mannerisms.
“Why didn’t you do something before this, huh?” John was fuming inside; they knew what could happen! They all knew that Lucifer was going to do something like this and it could have been prevented a hell of a long time ago if they had just killed him. But they didn’t and why didn’t they?
Michael released that same self-deprecating laugh from before and shrugged. “I didn’t want it to be my brother.”
“Highly understandable, Big Bro,” Gabriel said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.
John launched himself from his throne, almost forgetting that he was dealing with five of the most powerful creatures in the world, and stalked toward the five men with his fists clenched. He could see some of his guards standing at attention and moving in closer as well, John stopped then. If he did so much as threaten the men in front of him he would be disintegrated on the spot and his guards had no choice but to try to defend him, which would lead to more unnecessary deaths. He couldn’t do it; he was not going to add to the very long list of grieving widows.
John moved back to his throne and stiffly sat down. After taking a couple of minutes to recollect himself, John continued talking with a clenched jaw, “Why me, huh? There are thousands of smaller provinces in Inim that they could have attacked, ones that would have shrunk back without countering like we did. Hell, why didn’t they attack you? The war is supposed to be with Angels and Demons. What the hell do my people have to do with that?”
Michael was silent for a while with his jaw set and his frown deep. He stepped back into line, obviously struggling with what he wanted to say; at that point, John had the chance to watch those five. Castiel still seemed distracted and seemed way too shifty for an angel; Gabriel and Uriel looked like he was holding back a chuckle while Zachariah looked like he was about throttle Michael. Staring at them this time around, John noted with disgust and also mild amusement they did not seem as divine as John always thought they were; they seemed almost human with their squabbles and uncertainties.
“John,” Michael said, snapping John out of his trance. “Lucifer sent them here for a reason.”
“Which was?”
“In the prophecy it mentioned two beings who would fight to the death. We’ve had inklings that at least one of the warriors would be in the royal family for years now. It was only six months ago that we were sure that your son Dean was it ; Lucifer must have found out too.”
John choked and beat his fists on his chest. His child was going to fight Lucifer? The Winchester bloodline was too strong, it had been there for centuries; if Dean and Sam were killed than that whole legacy was destroyed. Why his children? Why them?
“Lucifer sent hordes of his demons here to kidnap them. I have no idea what he planned to do, but we figure he means to kill them.”
John sat speechless on his throne with his fingers digging into the leather flesh of the arms. It was all too much. Everything was happening too fast. If Mary were here, she would know how to handle this. But John didn’t. He didn’t know what to do or how to fix this. He was losing everything. All John could do to prevent an absolute break down was get back into King Mode; if he acted like a detached ruler he could survive this.
“My son’s are missing. They disappeared last night during the attack.”
Michael nodded and looked backwards to the giant window that sat at the very end of the room. “They must have taken them last night. We have to get moving soon if we plan to catch up to them and return your children before one of them is killed,” Michael stated. “But, of course, there is always the trouble of future protection for your sons. We cannot ensure their future safety for too long, especially not amongst humans. If we want them to survive to the final battle there are things we must do.”
John nodded. “I’ll do anything, make any alliance, and give up any amount of land just to get my sons back. Please bring them back. “
Michael smiled. It was a scary smile, one that did not seem completely full or welcoming. He knew that he was going to get his sons back and when they got back home, John was going to do anything to make sure that it was not his sons on the battlefield when the time came.
“Do you feel that?”
All eyes in the room snapped to Castiel, the shifty angel with the blue eyes and the ever present scowl. Gabriel freed a long-suffering sigh and crossed his arm, glaring at Castiel.
“What are you talking about, Castiel?”
“This light, it’s so beautiful and warm. I’ve felt it since I set foot on this land, I can’t take it anymore. I’m going find it.” Even with the passion of the words, Castiel’s voice was steady and bland almost as if he was offering false condolences again. Without excusing himself, Castiel rushed out of the room, finally looking concentrated on one thing and one thing only.
John’s eyes followed the frazzled angel and with a shake of his head he dismissed the man. They were discussing getting his possibly dead sons back and all that angel was worried about was a light. John did, however, pass his behavior off as simply one of those angel quirks that he hears so much about.
“Just ignore him,” Uriel insisted.
Michael looked like he was about to roll his eyes, but stopped himself and with an all-business tone went on with his plan on how to infiltrate the demon’s territory and get the boys back.
~*~*~
Castiel had no idea what it could be; it was all-encompasing and beautiful, perfect. Castiel never felt such light before, when in the presence of his father he was almost crippled with the love and beauty of his glow. But this was different than anything he’d ever felt in Inim, especially not on a day like this one.
From the first moment that they got there, the gloomy atmosphere was evident and heartbreaking. All that Castiel felt when he walked into that place was distress, nothing light or beautiful to be found. And that saddened Castiel; every other time he set foot in this territory, it was always filled with generally happy people with warm lights of their own. After yesterday’s tragedies, though, Castiel doubted Inim would be filled with that happiness again for a very long time.
It could have been the shadows of darkness that made this one light appear brighter than any other, but Castiel did not care. He would find it for no other reason than to find out what it was and to possibly study what made this thing so full of warmth in such a dark time. This would be interesting to make into a book; possibly to uplift the poor miserable people who have been forced to suffer at the hands of demons.
Castiel was not shocked when his search took him outside the castle and he was kind of relieved. He was stopped various times by the very suspicious and paranoid guards, but as soon as they realized who he was they let him go with gruff apologies.
Castiel continued to follow the light but instead of leaving castle walls it just took him deeper into the greenery and eventually into the royal gardens. Castiel felt satisfied.; Of course this would be where the light came from; in the world-renown garden of the Winchesters. From its swaying treetops to its bountiful rose bushes, not to mention the fat red Hyacinths, this was the most beautiful place for miles. Castiel would have liked to leave it at that and agree that the beautiful warmth that’s been nagging him came from this garden, the only thing that was not touched in the attack.
But he knew that it was more concentrated then that and the love was too strong to belong to a simple garden. Castiel felt it strongest in a small, obviously malformed rose bush. With a new air of confidence and excitement Castiel walked to the bush and upon closer inspection he saw that the warmth did not come from the bush itself, but from something encased inside of it.
He peered into the bushes and through the complicated vines and leaves, he made out a human hand that shook and twitched incessantly.
“Interesting…” Castiel murmured.
Moving closer to the bush, Castiel was able to make out, not only a hand but a body, a body that held something in its hands, cradling it like a baby.
Castiel smiled, pleased with himself for seeking this out. Here they were, the princes of Inim, hiding in a malformed rose bush seemingly unharmed and not in the hands of the Lucifer. In any normal circumstance, Castiel would have destroyed the rose bush and brought the boys back to their father within seconds.
But, harming the rose bush seemed barbaric. It, though not as fully grown or delicately groomed as the other bushes, seemed sacred in the eyes of Castiel. This bush shielded the fate of the world inside of its little yellow leaves and barely pink buds; somehow the demons that barreled through there did not so much as glance at it. Leaving the princes, Himmel’s champion and his younger brother, completely unharmed.
And rose bush aside, Castiel would not even think of startling the boys in there; especially not the oldest, the one that wafted so much warmth and beauty. Castiel could feel inside of the very depths of his soul that both boys were special, but in vastly different ways and only one of them was special to Himmel and the angels. And that one was the future king of Imin, Dean Winchester.
When Castiel crept closer to the bush and peered in again he was almost surprised by the wide green eyes that stared at him with fear. He frowned and cocked his head to the side, not understanding how or why anyone who was not a demon would be afraid of him.
“Dean Winchester,” Castiel said as he reached his hand into the bush and pushed it back to reveal the full form of the boy and infant who sat there in each other’s embrace.
Dean moved back until his back was pressed against the wall and turned his face sharply away.
Castiel felt affronted, but he continued to press on, knowing that he had to get these two back to their father before his brothers launched an unnecessary attack on Iad, the place where the demons reside, trying to retrieve the boys who were in no danger.
“Dean, I’m here to help you,” Castiel insisted.
Dean’s only indication that he heard Castiel was his pulling his brother closer to him.
Castiel was beginning to get very frustrated with the young child, and was only able to stifle his attitude when he reminded himself that Dean was still four-year-old boy who was afraid and confused, not the warrior of God that he would one day become.
“I’m here to bring you back to your father.”
That got Dean’s attention. Without missing a beat, Dean’s wide eyes were once again on Castiel, only this time there was no fear only hope.
“My father?”
Castiel nodded and stepped back, allowing Dean space to get out. “This isn’t a trick Dean. He’s been looking for you for hours.”
Dean ambled out of the bush, his brother Samuel still close to his chest and the smallest glimmer of hope still burning strong in his eyes. Castiel frowned when he took in Dean’s appearance. His hair was in disarray some of it sticking to his cheeks and neck while the rest stuck up in various different places; there were red lines underneath his youthful eyes either from crying or lack of sleep, Castiel figured it was probably both. He was shirtless and his chest was covered in lines of mud and dirt, marring his pale skin. His knuckles and fingers were red and covered in various small cuts as was his face. The baby, Samuel, on the other hand appeared unscratched and completely unfazed by the events of the previous day. He was sleeping soundly.
“Dad’s alive?”
Castiel would have flinched had his vessel been designed like a human’s, he nodded quickly, willing the small child to abandon those thoughts from his head. “Yes Dean, he’s alive.”
The sleepy boy’s face broke into a huge relieved grin and looking at his brother, he huffed out a laugh. When he looked back at Castiel, Castiel was now sure that the light that he’d been searching for was right here in front of him and it was beautiful.
“Can you take me to him, please?”
Castiel nodded while disputing whether or not to bring Dean to his father by simply walking or by flying him himself. He didn’t know how the small boy would react to being suddenly transported to the Great Hall. On the other hand, Castiel did not want to risk this child’s health by making him walk back, he looked exhausted and had fresh cuts from the rose bush. Also, if they walked the guards would definitely stop them and bombard the poor child with questions that he probably did not want to answer.
Castiel pressed his fingers to Dean’s forehead and the other to the sleeping Samuel’s, and after Dean gave him a confused and slightly peeved look, Castiel made his journey.
Within seconds, they were back in the Great Hall and every single head had turned to them. Looking down at Dean, he could see that the child was only looking for one familiar face and when he found it, he was running toward his father with an obvious limp.
“Daddy!”
The look that appeared on John’s face was one that reminded Castiel why he loved humans so much. John jumped from his throne and ran to Dean, tears already springing into his eyes, and within seconds he was scooping his sons into bear sized hugs and twirling them around. When he stilled, his shoulders were shaking and he was on his knees with Dean hugging him on the neck and Samuel now awake and whining from his rest being interrupted.
John took Samuel out of Dean’s hands and held him tightly while, still holding Dean on his body by his hips.
“I- I-“ John murmured to himself before breaking down into pitiful sounding sobs that racked his entire body and seemed to confuse his son. Dean pulled himself out of John’s neck and with shaking hands; he wiped John’s tears from his cheeks and chin.
“Daddy, don’t cry.”
John nodded, but continued to sob openly. He buried his face in Dean’s shoulder and clung to Samuel, his tears escaping his eyes despite his son’s plea. His brothers all looked relieved that the brothers were safe and sound, not in Lucifer’s clutches as they once assumed and possibly a little angry at the guards for not doing their job properly and finding the children before they’d even wasted their time with preparatory actions.
Zachariah turned to Castiel and winked at him. Castiel nodded his head toward him, he could feel that his brothers were happy and that made him happy. He was also happy that one of his little searches actually proved beneficial, usually they only led him to constant dead ends or disappointment in what the light actually had been bugs, rocks, trees and unworthy humans.
It seemed to take forever before John finally let go of his children, Castiel wanted him to stop with the drama immediately so that Dean could get proper medical attention and some rest. Everyone in the room could see the frightful way that Dean swayed on his feet every time his father so much as shifted.
When John did pull away, however he did not let his children move. He just held Sam and looked Dean in the eye and started to do exactly what Castiel was afraid he would do.
“Where were you?”
Dean was silent for a moment before answering his father with slow deliberate words. “Sammy and me were hiding in a bush. We didn’t know where else to go.” Dean sounded almost sorry when he said those words, as if he’d done something wrong.
John exhaled long and slow and then really quickly clapped his son on the shoulder. “You did good Dean, that was good.”
Dean’s frown deepened and he shook his head. “I left mommy.”
Something flashed past John’s eyes at that point, something that not even Castiel could read, but he quickly schooled his expression and a broken smile grew on his lips.
“It’s okay Dean, you did the right thing,” John insisted. The smile disappeared after that, and John became all business once again. “What happened?”
Dean had no hesitation in reporting that, he restated the entire story and Castiel found himself impressed with all that the little boy in front of him went through on the night before, having to leave his mother behind to die, watching his friend get murdered, and climbing down the wall (although he expressed no sadness when talking about that part) was all too much for someone so young to go through. And all to save his little brother; Castiel’s perception of that light only got brighter and brighter as the story went on.
“Daddy,” Dean said.
John, still reeling from what he’d just been told, looked at his son with wide eyes. “Yes, son?”
“I’m tired; can I go to sleep please?”
John nodded and stood on his feet, holding Sam with one hand and holding Dean’s hand with the other and started to walk out of the room. About ten to fifteen guards followed behind him closely and all of them armed and ready after yesterday’s failures.
Without even looking back at the angels, John said, “Are you coming?”
Castiel and all of his brothers frowned, not knowing why they had to come along just for two kids to get put to bed. None of them answered.
John turned in their direction then. “I’m not leaving my sons, so if you want to continue this meeting it’s going to be done somewhere where I can keep an eye on them.”
This time Michael actually did roll his eyes, but he followed in John’s direction and his brothers soon followed. As much as they all detested being told what to do and having to actually follow someone else, they knew that they needed John just as much as John needed them. And as long as John had those boys in his custody they were going to have to deal with it.
Next
Author: zoomzoomzoomzoo
Fandom/Genre: SPN AU Romance, Drama, Action
Pairing (s): Dean/Castiel
Rating: T
Word Count: ~82,000
Warnings: Underage, Mild Sexual Situation, Violence
Chapter 2
John stared at the five angels standing in the middle of his Great Hall with unrestrained amazement. Though they had formed many alliances with each other, before and during John’s reigns as King, John had never seen them in person. The sight was spectacular.
To the untrained eye, the five brothers seemed no different than any human in Inim. Some old some young, some darker and some lighter, some with blue eyes, some green, some brown. All dressed as humans do; all stood as humans do, all walked as humans do and all spoke as humans do.
But in all of that, their eyes, their stance, their speech, John could see their years, their wisdom and most of all their power.
The oldest, most powerful and the unofficial leader of the group stood in the very middle, his name was Michael.
To the immediate left of him stood Zachariah, powerful in his own right and known for his flawless manipulation of others, he was an air of confidence.
To Michael’s right, there was Uriel, he was known more or less for his brute power and merciless spirit, rather than choosing to spare enemies he has been known to blast them to oblivion with one nod of his head.
Beside Uriel, was Gabriel or better known as the trickster, in Inim and Himmel alike. Except for relying on strength and fortitude like his siblings, Gabriel used his extreme intelligence, manipulation and illusionary abilities to trick foes into submission; hell he even messed with his own brothers.
And, last but certainly not least was Castiel, who stood beside Zachariah. Castiel was not as powerful as his brothers, though his powers dwarfed that of every other angel who was not his sibling, but Castiel had speed and unlike his brothers he had the power of observation on his side, knowing much more about the world around him than the other four.
John sunk back in his chair, but did not recoil at the sight of these domineering figures. This was not the time for insecurities, his wife was in an overfilled infirmary along with every other dead body found throughout the palace and his son’s… well, they were still missing.
“John Winchester,” Michael stated in greeting.
John bowed his head, tired eyes scanning the five people in his room. “Thank you for getting here so quickly.” They truly had gotten there quick; John sent a messenger at midnight and here it was only six hours later and here they were.
The one of the far left, Castiel, stepped forward and with a blank face he said, “We’re sorry to hear about your wife.”
John flinched at the mention of his wife, though he still could not get the image of her still simmering red body out of his head and the smell of sulfur clung to his nose like a vice, the mere mention of his wife’s unfortunate fate still riled his insides.
When he did not answer, Castiel moved back in line. John eyed the blank faced one critically; he heard a lot about Castiel, most people seemed to favor him above the other four. They say his concentration is concrete and he actually seems like he cares for humans; but if anyone told John that today he would beg to differ. The angel seemed distracted today, not as concentrated, as he was famous for.
“Look, let’s cut to the chase here. I need your help.”
Michael nodded and with a self-deprecating smile, he said, “We need your help too.”
John was surprised to say the least. These five, in John’s mind, were supreme beings, equal to Gods in Inim ideology; those five needing help was like a giant needing a ladder: improbable. John straightened up in his chair, suddenly curious and interested.
“My help…?”
Michael walked closer to John, moving out of the line, and folded his arms over his chest. “Unfortunately yes, it seems we will have to remain in your debt for a while longer.”
“Whatever you need, as long as you help me get vengeance on the demon’s who killed my people.”
Uriel clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Vengeance… Do you really think we’re going to help you with that attitude?”
A smirk grew on John’s face. “No,” He said. “But, if I you don’t then I won’t help you either.”
“Touché,” Uriel replied, a smirk now his face as well.
“Do you remember the angel that we had you build a hex for two years ago?” Michael asked.
John remembered it like yesterday. He’s received an urgent message from Michael; he was practically offering up all of Himmel to John if he built a hex for him; one that could hold an angel for at least a couple of months. John, figuring that it was the least he could do for these powerful entities, worked tirelessly for days on the hex, along with his close friend and advisor Bobby and his high priestess Missouri. Mary was pissed, but John barely paid attention to her and in three days he built the hex and sent it off to the angels.
As for the angel who the hex was for, John only managed to squeeze a few details out of the angel who sent the message, details that included: Angry, deceitful, jealous and most importantly dangerous. He even managed to get a name.
“Lucifer?”
Michael nodded with sad eyes and his arms dropped to his side. “It seems he was not fully healed when we extracted him from your hex.”
“What do you mean not fully healed,” John snapped. “You told me you were going to kill him!”
None of the angels so much as flinched at John’s harsh tones and Michael continued on. “I wanted Lucifer trapped; I never said anything about killing him. Although, sending him back to father probably would have been a better choice.”
“Dear old Michael was convinced Lucifer would be fine after a couple months of rehabilitation,” Zachariah mocked. “Not that I did not warn him that he was making a mistake; he just had all the faith in the world in his dear old little brother-“
“He’s your brother too, Zachariah,” Michael replied, just as calm and collected as when he first walked in.
Zachariah exhaled a soft laugh and with a cocky smile he shrugged. “If it was up to me, none of this would have ever happened.”
Though John was fading out for a while during the family feud, that last thing Zachariah said caught his attention. What did Lucifer, an angel, have to do with what a group of demons did?
“Are any of you going to tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”
Michael turned away from his brother and back to John with an apologetic expression; dipping his head in pardons he clenched his hands together. “It started thousands of years ago when demons were spawned from the carcasses of millions of dead snakes and spiders. Our father called us to his temple immediately and warned us of a prophecy, one that was only confirmed with the rise of the mysterious and deadly creatures known as Dämons.
‘Through the mists of happiness and virtue, an angel will fall into the arms of Dämons and that affair will bring only darkness to all lands of Mamot. The End will come with the rise of two mortals; they will fight to the death and the victor will rule.’”
Michael completed his tale with his face finally marred by emotion, one that exhibited only sadness. “We always thought that there was a possibility that it would be Lucifer who would fall. He was the only angel who consistently stepped out of line and periodically questioned father and his rules,” Michael said, regret present in his speech and mannerisms.
“Why didn’t you do something before this, huh?” John was fuming inside; they knew what could happen! They all knew that Lucifer was going to do something like this and it could have been prevented a hell of a long time ago if they had just killed him. But they didn’t and why didn’t they?
Michael released that same self-deprecating laugh from before and shrugged. “I didn’t want it to be my brother.”
“Highly understandable, Big Bro,” Gabriel said with sarcasm dripping from his voice.
John launched himself from his throne, almost forgetting that he was dealing with five of the most powerful creatures in the world, and stalked toward the five men with his fists clenched. He could see some of his guards standing at attention and moving in closer as well, John stopped then. If he did so much as threaten the men in front of him he would be disintegrated on the spot and his guards had no choice but to try to defend him, which would lead to more unnecessary deaths. He couldn’t do it; he was not going to add to the very long list of grieving widows.
John moved back to his throne and stiffly sat down. After taking a couple of minutes to recollect himself, John continued talking with a clenched jaw, “Why me, huh? There are thousands of smaller provinces in Inim that they could have attacked, ones that would have shrunk back without countering like we did. Hell, why didn’t they attack you? The war is supposed to be with Angels and Demons. What the hell do my people have to do with that?”
Michael was silent for a while with his jaw set and his frown deep. He stepped back into line, obviously struggling with what he wanted to say; at that point, John had the chance to watch those five. Castiel still seemed distracted and seemed way too shifty for an angel; Gabriel and Uriel looked like he was holding back a chuckle while Zachariah looked like he was about throttle Michael. Staring at them this time around, John noted with disgust and also mild amusement they did not seem as divine as John always thought they were; they seemed almost human with their squabbles and uncertainties.
“John,” Michael said, snapping John out of his trance. “Lucifer sent them here for a reason.”
“Which was?”
“In the prophecy it mentioned two beings who would fight to the death. We’ve had inklings that at least one of the warriors would be in the royal family for years now. It was only six months ago that we were sure that your son Dean was it ; Lucifer must have found out too.”
John choked and beat his fists on his chest. His child was going to fight Lucifer? The Winchester bloodline was too strong, it had been there for centuries; if Dean and Sam were killed than that whole legacy was destroyed. Why his children? Why them?
“Lucifer sent hordes of his demons here to kidnap them. I have no idea what he planned to do, but we figure he means to kill them.”
John sat speechless on his throne with his fingers digging into the leather flesh of the arms. It was all too much. Everything was happening too fast. If Mary were here, she would know how to handle this. But John didn’t. He didn’t know what to do or how to fix this. He was losing everything. All John could do to prevent an absolute break down was get back into King Mode; if he acted like a detached ruler he could survive this.
“My son’s are missing. They disappeared last night during the attack.”
Michael nodded and looked backwards to the giant window that sat at the very end of the room. “They must have taken them last night. We have to get moving soon if we plan to catch up to them and return your children before one of them is killed,” Michael stated. “But, of course, there is always the trouble of future protection for your sons. We cannot ensure their future safety for too long, especially not amongst humans. If we want them to survive to the final battle there are things we must do.”
John nodded. “I’ll do anything, make any alliance, and give up any amount of land just to get my sons back. Please bring them back. “
Michael smiled. It was a scary smile, one that did not seem completely full or welcoming. He knew that he was going to get his sons back and when they got back home, John was going to do anything to make sure that it was not his sons on the battlefield when the time came.
“Do you feel that?”
All eyes in the room snapped to Castiel, the shifty angel with the blue eyes and the ever present scowl. Gabriel freed a long-suffering sigh and crossed his arm, glaring at Castiel.
“What are you talking about, Castiel?”
“This light, it’s so beautiful and warm. I’ve felt it since I set foot on this land, I can’t take it anymore. I’m going find it.” Even with the passion of the words, Castiel’s voice was steady and bland almost as if he was offering false condolences again. Without excusing himself, Castiel rushed out of the room, finally looking concentrated on one thing and one thing only.
John’s eyes followed the frazzled angel and with a shake of his head he dismissed the man. They were discussing getting his possibly dead sons back and all that angel was worried about was a light. John did, however, pass his behavior off as simply one of those angel quirks that he hears so much about.
“Just ignore him,” Uriel insisted.
Michael looked like he was about to roll his eyes, but stopped himself and with an all-business tone went on with his plan on how to infiltrate the demon’s territory and get the boys back.
~*~*~
Castiel had no idea what it could be; it was all-encompasing and beautiful, perfect. Castiel never felt such light before, when in the presence of his father he was almost crippled with the love and beauty of his glow. But this was different than anything he’d ever felt in Inim, especially not on a day like this one.
From the first moment that they got there, the gloomy atmosphere was evident and heartbreaking. All that Castiel felt when he walked into that place was distress, nothing light or beautiful to be found. And that saddened Castiel; every other time he set foot in this territory, it was always filled with generally happy people with warm lights of their own. After yesterday’s tragedies, though, Castiel doubted Inim would be filled with that happiness again for a very long time.
It could have been the shadows of darkness that made this one light appear brighter than any other, but Castiel did not care. He would find it for no other reason than to find out what it was and to possibly study what made this thing so full of warmth in such a dark time. This would be interesting to make into a book; possibly to uplift the poor miserable people who have been forced to suffer at the hands of demons.
Castiel was not shocked when his search took him outside the castle and he was kind of relieved. He was stopped various times by the very suspicious and paranoid guards, but as soon as they realized who he was they let him go with gruff apologies.
Castiel continued to follow the light but instead of leaving castle walls it just took him deeper into the greenery and eventually into the royal gardens. Castiel felt satisfied.; Of course this would be where the light came from; in the world-renown garden of the Winchesters. From its swaying treetops to its bountiful rose bushes, not to mention the fat red Hyacinths, this was the most beautiful place for miles. Castiel would have liked to leave it at that and agree that the beautiful warmth that’s been nagging him came from this garden, the only thing that was not touched in the attack.
But he knew that it was more concentrated then that and the love was too strong to belong to a simple garden. Castiel felt it strongest in a small, obviously malformed rose bush. With a new air of confidence and excitement Castiel walked to the bush and upon closer inspection he saw that the warmth did not come from the bush itself, but from something encased inside of it.
He peered into the bushes and through the complicated vines and leaves, he made out a human hand that shook and twitched incessantly.
“Interesting…” Castiel murmured.
Moving closer to the bush, Castiel was able to make out, not only a hand but a body, a body that held something in its hands, cradling it like a baby.
Castiel smiled, pleased with himself for seeking this out. Here they were, the princes of Inim, hiding in a malformed rose bush seemingly unharmed and not in the hands of the Lucifer. In any normal circumstance, Castiel would have destroyed the rose bush and brought the boys back to their father within seconds.
But, harming the rose bush seemed barbaric. It, though not as fully grown or delicately groomed as the other bushes, seemed sacred in the eyes of Castiel. This bush shielded the fate of the world inside of its little yellow leaves and barely pink buds; somehow the demons that barreled through there did not so much as glance at it. Leaving the princes, Himmel’s champion and his younger brother, completely unharmed.
And rose bush aside, Castiel would not even think of startling the boys in there; especially not the oldest, the one that wafted so much warmth and beauty. Castiel could feel inside of the very depths of his soul that both boys were special, but in vastly different ways and only one of them was special to Himmel and the angels. And that one was the future king of Imin, Dean Winchester.
When Castiel crept closer to the bush and peered in again he was almost surprised by the wide green eyes that stared at him with fear. He frowned and cocked his head to the side, not understanding how or why anyone who was not a demon would be afraid of him.
“Dean Winchester,” Castiel said as he reached his hand into the bush and pushed it back to reveal the full form of the boy and infant who sat there in each other’s embrace.
Dean moved back until his back was pressed against the wall and turned his face sharply away.
Castiel felt affronted, but he continued to press on, knowing that he had to get these two back to their father before his brothers launched an unnecessary attack on Iad, the place where the demons reside, trying to retrieve the boys who were in no danger.
“Dean, I’m here to help you,” Castiel insisted.
Dean’s only indication that he heard Castiel was his pulling his brother closer to him.
Castiel was beginning to get very frustrated with the young child, and was only able to stifle his attitude when he reminded himself that Dean was still four-year-old boy who was afraid and confused, not the warrior of God that he would one day become.
“I’m here to bring you back to your father.”
That got Dean’s attention. Without missing a beat, Dean’s wide eyes were once again on Castiel, only this time there was no fear only hope.
“My father?”
Castiel nodded and stepped back, allowing Dean space to get out. “This isn’t a trick Dean. He’s been looking for you for hours.”
Dean ambled out of the bush, his brother Samuel still close to his chest and the smallest glimmer of hope still burning strong in his eyes. Castiel frowned when he took in Dean’s appearance. His hair was in disarray some of it sticking to his cheeks and neck while the rest stuck up in various different places; there were red lines underneath his youthful eyes either from crying or lack of sleep, Castiel figured it was probably both. He was shirtless and his chest was covered in lines of mud and dirt, marring his pale skin. His knuckles and fingers were red and covered in various small cuts as was his face. The baby, Samuel, on the other hand appeared unscratched and completely unfazed by the events of the previous day. He was sleeping soundly.
“Dad’s alive?”
Castiel would have flinched had his vessel been designed like a human’s, he nodded quickly, willing the small child to abandon those thoughts from his head. “Yes Dean, he’s alive.”
The sleepy boy’s face broke into a huge relieved grin and looking at his brother, he huffed out a laugh. When he looked back at Castiel, Castiel was now sure that the light that he’d been searching for was right here in front of him and it was beautiful.
“Can you take me to him, please?”
Castiel nodded while disputing whether or not to bring Dean to his father by simply walking or by flying him himself. He didn’t know how the small boy would react to being suddenly transported to the Great Hall. On the other hand, Castiel did not want to risk this child’s health by making him walk back, he looked exhausted and had fresh cuts from the rose bush. Also, if they walked the guards would definitely stop them and bombard the poor child with questions that he probably did not want to answer.
Castiel pressed his fingers to Dean’s forehead and the other to the sleeping Samuel’s, and after Dean gave him a confused and slightly peeved look, Castiel made his journey.
Within seconds, they were back in the Great Hall and every single head had turned to them. Looking down at Dean, he could see that the child was only looking for one familiar face and when he found it, he was running toward his father with an obvious limp.
“Daddy!”
The look that appeared on John’s face was one that reminded Castiel why he loved humans so much. John jumped from his throne and ran to Dean, tears already springing into his eyes, and within seconds he was scooping his sons into bear sized hugs and twirling them around. When he stilled, his shoulders were shaking and he was on his knees with Dean hugging him on the neck and Samuel now awake and whining from his rest being interrupted.
John took Samuel out of Dean’s hands and held him tightly while, still holding Dean on his body by his hips.
“I- I-“ John murmured to himself before breaking down into pitiful sounding sobs that racked his entire body and seemed to confuse his son. Dean pulled himself out of John’s neck and with shaking hands; he wiped John’s tears from his cheeks and chin.
“Daddy, don’t cry.”
John nodded, but continued to sob openly. He buried his face in Dean’s shoulder and clung to Samuel, his tears escaping his eyes despite his son’s plea. His brothers all looked relieved that the brothers were safe and sound, not in Lucifer’s clutches as they once assumed and possibly a little angry at the guards for not doing their job properly and finding the children before they’d even wasted their time with preparatory actions.
Zachariah turned to Castiel and winked at him. Castiel nodded his head toward him, he could feel that his brothers were happy and that made him happy. He was also happy that one of his little searches actually proved beneficial, usually they only led him to constant dead ends or disappointment in what the light actually had been bugs, rocks, trees and unworthy humans.
It seemed to take forever before John finally let go of his children, Castiel wanted him to stop with the drama immediately so that Dean could get proper medical attention and some rest. Everyone in the room could see the frightful way that Dean swayed on his feet every time his father so much as shifted.
When John did pull away, however he did not let his children move. He just held Sam and looked Dean in the eye and started to do exactly what Castiel was afraid he would do.
“Where were you?”
Dean was silent for a moment before answering his father with slow deliberate words. “Sammy and me were hiding in a bush. We didn’t know where else to go.” Dean sounded almost sorry when he said those words, as if he’d done something wrong.
John exhaled long and slow and then really quickly clapped his son on the shoulder. “You did good Dean, that was good.”
Dean’s frown deepened and he shook his head. “I left mommy.”
Something flashed past John’s eyes at that point, something that not even Castiel could read, but he quickly schooled his expression and a broken smile grew on his lips.
“It’s okay Dean, you did the right thing,” John insisted. The smile disappeared after that, and John became all business once again. “What happened?”
Dean had no hesitation in reporting that, he restated the entire story and Castiel found himself impressed with all that the little boy in front of him went through on the night before, having to leave his mother behind to die, watching his friend get murdered, and climbing down the wall (although he expressed no sadness when talking about that part) was all too much for someone so young to go through. And all to save his little brother; Castiel’s perception of that light only got brighter and brighter as the story went on.
“Daddy,” Dean said.
John, still reeling from what he’d just been told, looked at his son with wide eyes. “Yes, son?”
“I’m tired; can I go to sleep please?”
John nodded and stood on his feet, holding Sam with one hand and holding Dean’s hand with the other and started to walk out of the room. About ten to fifteen guards followed behind him closely and all of them armed and ready after yesterday’s failures.
Without even looking back at the angels, John said, “Are you coming?”
Castiel and all of his brothers frowned, not knowing why they had to come along just for two kids to get put to bed. None of them answered.
John turned in their direction then. “I’m not leaving my sons, so if you want to continue this meeting it’s going to be done somewhere where I can keep an eye on them.”
This time Michael actually did roll his eyes, but he followed in John’s direction and his brothers soon followed. As much as they all detested being told what to do and having to actually follow someone else, they knew that they needed John just as much as John needed them. And as long as John had those boys in his custody they were going to have to deal with it.
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