Into the Woods Chapter 1: The Way is Dark, the Light is Dim, a supernatural fanfic

Crossposting a bit from my AO3 account. This was originally written for the Megstiel Big Bang in 2015.

Warnings for this fic include: Body horror, gore, minor character death, and mild sexual content. There will be specific warnings for a few of the chapters.

The cover art was done by the ever wonderful, patient, and talented msdoomandgloom over on tumblr.

Castiel was convinced that there was nothing in the world that made people light up like a wedding. There were other celebrations that made people happy, holidays and birthdays and pregnancy announcements, but Castiel loved weddings most of all. Holidays were nice, but always cloaked with official business. When he was younger, birthdays were clouded with the sadness of knowing that his father or siblings were aging, and one year closer to leaving home to start their own families or dying. Pregnancy announcements and childbirths always had a faint air of sadness around them, doubly so after his mother had died birthing his youngest sister, Hannah.

But weddings meant new beginnings, meant joining with a person you loved, or would hopefully grow to love, and working toward something together. He'd loved watching his older siblings get married, loved seeing the joy in their eyes as they stood at the altar and joined hands with their intended. He loved the moment when the groom lifted the bride's veil and the moment the rings were slid onto their fingers. Most of all, he loved seeing the joy in their faces after they had their first kiss as man and wife.

He'd longed fiercely for his own wedding day ever since he'd been betrothed. And now it was finally here.

Well, almost. Today, he and his brother and sisters would begin the two week journey to his intended's home, where they would marry and begin their new life together in her country, Ennom. There was a small tinge of sadness at leaving his family's home in Araboth, but he had known his bride since they were children, and had been aware of their engagement since he was twelve and she was ten, so he was not afraid. He knew her family as well as he knew his own.

In two week's time he would be at her home. Two days after that, Prince Castiel Novak would wed Princess Megan Masters, joining their two kingdoms together in an alliance that would last throughout the ages.

At least, that was the official version. For Castiel, it meant that he would marry the girl he'd grown up falling in love with.

"Someone's got that dreamy look on his face that means he's naming his future children again," said a happy male voice. Turning away from the window, where he'd been watching as the servants loading the wagon, Castiel saw his elder brother and king, Gabriel, striding toward him.

"No, not this time," Castiel told him. "Just thinking."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "You know, if it were up to me, I would've married you two ages ago, if only to get you out of my hair."

"Too bad Azazel wouldn't consent to that," Castiel grumbled. Meg's father, Azazel, was staunch in his decision not to have his daughter marry until she turned eighteen, Ennom's official age of majority. He'd also been willing to break their engagement at any time Meg wished, insisting that she should have a say in choosing her husband. His father had never offered such a deal to him, and neither had Gabriel.

But Meg had chosen to go forward with the marriage. She had pulled him aside during the celebration of her eighteenth birthday and kissed him moments before her father had dragged them out of their hiding place, shoved them to the front of the party, and announced that their engagement had been confirmed.

"He has his reasons," Gabriel told him, moving to run his fingers through his long, dirty blonde hair and sighed. "Their laws are… different."

Castiel nodded. He knew that well. In Meg's land, the firstborn inherited, regardless of gender. In fact, Meg had a twin brother, Tom, who was younger than her by ten minutes, meaning that she would be the one to take the throne when Azazel died.

Which meant that, despite being a sixth son with no hope of sitting on his father's throne, he would be a king.

In addition, because he was marrying into Meg's family and not the other way around, he would be shedding his name and taking hers. He would leave his home as Castiel Novak to become Castiel Masters.

"That doesn't mean I've liked the wait," Castiel said. "We've been betrothed since we were children. Father and Azazel could've easily married us then, and simply waited until we were old enough for the marriage to be consummated."

Gabriel shrugged. "Azazel's mind is hard to change. Meg is the heir to his throne, and he loves her. I never forced any of our siblings to marry, either, after our father passed."

Castiel glanced over at his brother, remembering that Gabriel had not been born to kingship, either. Their eldest brother, Raphael, had perished in the cradle, setting up their other brother, Lucifer, for kingship. Their parent's third son, Michael, had joined the faith, believing that he had received a calling from the Lord himself. Gabriel's twin, Anna, was female, and therefore unable to inherit when Lucifer had been killed in the same hunting accident that had taken their father shortly before Hannah had been born, leaving the kingdom to Gabriel.

But Gabriel had taken to it like a duck to water. He and his wife, a wealthy merchant's daughter named Kali, along with their two children, had thrown themselves into the good of the kingdom together. For a while after Lucifer's death, Castiel had been worried that Gabriel would break his engagement to Meg, but Gabriel had simply shrugged and allowed the agreement to stand, and had even suggested that they marry the two of them early to seal the alliance.

Instead, Castiel had been sent to live with Meg's family for what he considered to be both the best and worst year of his life.

"Well, you only have to wait for two more weeks," Gabriel said. "That's not that long."

"You didn't even have a formal wedding," Castiel reminded him. Gabriel had always been rebellious, and once he and Kali decided that they wanted to marry, he'd gone behind his father's back, snuck out of the castle, and had simply spirited her away. By the time the king had found them, Kali was so swollen with their first child that it would've been impossible to deny their union. It had been a huge scandal.

"Well, I would've had a formal wedding, if our father had allowed it. So now you get one." Gabriel reached out and clapped him on the back. "You ready to leave?"

Castiel nodded, smiling. "I will miss you."

"You'll still see me," Gabriel promised. "Just not as often. Besides, we've got two whole weeks together!" It was true. While Kali, their cousin Balthazar, and the children were not attending Castiel's wedding, Gabriel, Anna, and Castiel's younger sister Hael would be making the journey with him, and would be there to celebrate the beginning of his new life.

As they began the short walk to the courtyard, Castiel noticed that Gabriel was moving slowly, forcing him to slow down. After a few moments of impatiently waiting for his brother to hurry, Castiel realized that Gabriel was giving him time to take the last walk through his home. Giving in, Castiel absorbed every detail; the clean, strong stone that made up the hallways, the high, tinted windows that allowed natural sunlight to flow in, and the rich, red rugs that covered the floor and muffled footsteps. Suddenly, he longed to take a final turn through the gardens where he'd spent so much time playing with his siblings and mother as a child, and even a few times with Meg, when she had visited. The gardens were a place of peace, and comfort.

But he did not have time.

When they finally emerged into the cobblestoned courtyard, Castiel pulled back his shoulder-length hair and bound it so it would not get into his eyes while riding. When they were younger, Meg had suggested that he grow his hair out to match hers, so he had done it. Meg had quickly let her hair grow longer than he was comfortable with wearing, though, nearly past her ribs, but he had found that he enjoyed having longer hair, if only because it meant that Meg would play with it more often, braiding and brushing it for hours while they talked during their visits.

After two failed attempts his sister, Anna, came over and did it for him, tutting all the while. While and Gabriel shared the same round, honest face and the same mischievous twinkles in their eyes, their similarities ended there. Gabriel's eyes were a dark brown, while Anna's were hazel. Anna's hair was a shining, burning copper, and Gabriel's was a dark blonde, nearly brown.

And, unlike Gabriel, Anna had never gone out of her way to prank him. She'd done it to her older brothers plenty of times, slipping spiders into their soups at dinner, placing frogs in their wardrobes, and hiding the laces of their boots, but never to him. She'd always been kind, protective, almost as if she was trying to take over the role of their mother once Naomi had passed.

"Too excited to even do your own hair, brother?" Anna asked him, the corners of her lips twitching as she tried to suppress a smile. "Perhaps I should've sent my maid to you this morning."

Castiel shuddered. Charlie was a lovely young woman, but talkative. Besides, she and Anna seemed to be almost attached at the hip some days, with Anna dragging the girl with her everywhere she went, and he would not want to separate them, if Anna felt so attached to her maid.

However, he kept the suspicion that Charlie was the reason that Anna had never married to himself. Gabriel wasn't one to force his siblings into marriage, and if Anna wanted to grow old with her maid by her side, that was fine with him.

"Don't make fun of me, too," he begged her. "Gabriel's already done it."

Anna patted his head, causing the lace on the sleeves of her forest-green gown to bounce against his hair. "I think it's sweet."

Hael poked her head out of the carriage window, impatient. "Are we going to go or not?"

Anna sighed and reached up to brush her sister's coal-black hair behind her ear. "You'd think it was your wedding you were going to with how eager you are."

Hael narrowed her ice-blue eyes and frowned. "I've never been more than a day's ride from the castle. I'm excited. Besides, I might meet my future husband there."

"You're too young," Anna and Castiel said in unison. Hael rolled her eyes.

"I'm sixteen. Plenty old enough."

"If you guys are finished fighting, there's been enough delay. We're ready to go," Gabriel interrupted. "Cas, get in the carriage."

"But-"

"In the carriage. Otherwise you'll ride too far in front of us and we'll lose you."

Grumbling, Castiel held the door open for Anna to slide into the compartment with Hael, preparing to follow himself, when a horn sounded from the top of the wall. Pausing, he turned toward the gate and saw a ragged man atop a chestnut horse heading toward them. Gabriel shouted to the guards in the watchtowers, but after a moment Castiel broke away from the carriage and rushed toward the gate, recognizing the rider.

"Gabriel! It's Tom! Let him through!" Castiel shouted. The men by the gate hesitated, but began to raise the bars when Gabriel nodded to them. Tom didn't slow, but barreled through the entrance, skidding to a stop just as Castiel threw himself out of the way. Tom swung off the horse just before the animal collapsed under him, sides heaving and eyes rolling in its head. Castiel ran toward his future brother in law and seized him before Tom could follow the horse, attempting to steady him.

Tom looked worse than Castiel had ever seen him. Meg's twin was normally well-groomed, his hair neatly trimmed and his face clean-shaven at all times. He immediately sent any torn clothes to a seamstress, and bathed almost every day. Now, he smelled, and looked, as though he'd been riding hard for days without stopping. His tunic was torn in several places, stained with sweat and dirt and blood, and his lower legs were filled with scratches. His beard was heavy on his face, and there were dark circles under his eyes, while dust coated him from head to toe.

"Somebody bring some water!" Castiel bellowed. Softening his voice, he helped Tom over to a bench in the courtyard and sat him down. "What happened?"

"Thank God I got here before you left," Tom gasped. Castiel winced in sympathy when he heard how rough Tom's voice sounded. "Cas, there's been an accident."

Castiel swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"

Charlie ran into the courtyard and held a skin of water in front of Tom's face. Gently cupping the back of his head, Charlie urged him to drink. "Slowly, prince."

Tom allowed Charlie to tilt his head back and slowly pour the water into his mouth, washing away the dust of travel, until he gently pushed her away. "No more. Castiel, there's been an accident. Meg's missing."

Castiel felt his knees go weak. Trembling, he tried to keep his voice calm. "What happened?"

Tom shook his head. "We don't know."

"How can you not know? Did she… did she leave? Willingly, I mean? Did she vanish?"

Tom shook his head again. "We don't think so."

Castiel nodded slowly. "Okay. What happened? Talk slow."

Tom took the water skin from Charlie and took another small sip. "She was hunting. You know about the traditional wedding gifts in our land?"

Castiel nodded. In Meg's kingdom, there were three traditional gifts that could be exchanged between a couple. The first was a locket with a lock of hair or some blood or fingernail clippings from your intended, so the couple would always have a piece of each other with them. Then there was a piece of some animal, usually a fur or stag antler or even a whole stag, to signify that you could provide food for your partner's household. The last gift was some sort of weapon, to show that you could protect the other person. Most people gave one of the gifts, most commonly the locket, but as the princess, Meg would be expected to provide all three.

"A few weeks ago, she and her escorts rode out to hunt. We expected them to be gone a few days. It was her bridal party, you know? It was expected that she would spend the week hunting and camping and drinking with her friends before she rode back. But she didn't. Father thought to give her a few more days, simply thinking that the hunt had either been unlucky, and they were staying to catch something, or the hunt had been very lucky, and it was taking a long time to haul their catches back. Or that they were very hungover and moving slowly."

"That wasn't it," Castiel said flatly.

"No, it wasn't any of those things. Father waited two days before sending a party after her. They didn't find her."

"Her escorts?"

Tom swallowed hard. "We found some of them. What was left of them."

"What do you mean, what was left of them?"

"I mean they were scattered in pieces. There horses were gone, and the men and women… we found the heads, and some of the innards. That's all. Their heads were sitting in a row, right at the edge of the forest."

"Has your father mounted a rescue?"

"It wasn't someone who took her, Cas. It was something."

"What do you mean?"

"We found what was left of Meg's party at the edge of Hangman's Wood."

Castiel's throat suddenly went dry. Hangman's Wood was a seemingly small forest located near an abandoned village in Meg's kingdom. Seemingly small, because the few people who had wandered into it and survived had claimed that the wood was a huge maze that one was unable to escape from, and filled with supernatural horrors. Local legend claimed that it was haunted by the spirits of the men who had been condemned to die in the trees there. People had been known to vanish near the wood, never to be seen again. At one time in a while, travelers who were courageous enough to camp near it claimed that they could hear blood-curdling screams coming from the trees.

But he knew that Meg paid no mind to such stories. Her escorts, though, would've prevented her hunting there, which made him wonder how exactly she had wound up being dragged into the woods.

"You believe such stories?"

Tom nodded. "I do."

"Did any of her escorts survive?"

"Ruby and Benny. They rode ahead, to set up camp. When Meg and her party did not catch up, they rode back and found the heads. They met Father's party on the road when they fled."

"They did not even try to look for her?"

"Ruby's pregnant. She should not have gone in the first place," Tom growled, defending his half-sister. Ruby was a bastard, true, but Meg and Tom had never thought of her that way, and had always insisted on including her in their games. She'd been raised alongside them in the castle, and Azazel had treated her no differently from his legitimate children.

"I understand. Benny was doing his duty."

Tom relaxed. "Yes. But Meg is still gone, and we've no hope of finding her. Father has been trying to put together a party to go into Hangman's Wood and search for her, to bring her back dead or alive. But he has forbidden me to go. With Meg childless and missing, I am his heir. If something should happen to me, we have no one."

"I have to be with that party," Castiel told him. "I have to."

"I know. That's why I rode out and told you. They've left already, but I thought you'd want to know, or be there when she returned. Meg will want you there, if they find her."

"Stay here and wash, and join me on the road once you've recovered. Gabriel will give you one of our horses so yours can rest. The thing looks half dead."

"It may already be dead. I pushed her too hard, to get here in time." Tom hesitated and looked down at his hands. "This isn't your fight. If you want to stay behind, or call off the wedding, I understand."

"Your sister is my betrothed. I want to find her," Castiel growled, offended.

Tom sighed. "Father said you'd say that."

Gabriel came over then, and knelt in front of them on the bench. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"Meg's missing. They think someone took her, but I understand there's been no ransom demands. I have to go. I need to join the search party that's finding her." Castiel looked over to where Anna and Hael were peering out of the carriage window. "We can't take everyone. I can make the trip faster if I'm alone."

"We'll keep Tom here. The girls can I can take care of him until he's well enough to travel," Gabriel promised. At his signal, Anna and Hael quickly exited the carriage and rushed over. Castiel noticed Hael eying Tom curiously.

"He needs a bath," she declared. "Probably some sleep, too. We'll have Charlie make up a room and some of the servants heat some water."

Tom let himself be handed over to the women without protest, but not before he leaned over and hugged Castiel tightly. "Be careful, brother."

"I will," Castiel promised. Tom nodded once, clapped him on the shoulder, and allowed Hael and Anna to help him toward the castle. Hael did not look back, but Anna did, a slight frown on her face. Castiel turned away from her and grabbed Gabriel's arm.

"I'll need some food, and our fastest horse."

Castiel stumbled toward Meg's home a little over a week later, tugging the horse behind him. Like Tom, he had barely stopped, and was covered in dust from head to foot. His hair hung matted around his face, windblown and tangled and soaked with sweat, and his whiskers had grown shaggy, the wiry black hairs obscuring his upper mouth and strong jaw. He hoped that Azazel would recognize him.

Apparently he did. The king met Castiel in the courtyard, took one look at him, and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, kid," he said gruffly. "They didn't find her."

"The search party's returned, then?"

Azazel shook his head. "Their horses returned. One of them had an arm tied to the saddle. Whatever took her apparently doesn't want to give her back."

"I have to go."

Azazel locked eyes with him, and Castiel had to fight the urge to flinch away. The king's eyes were a strange, pale yellow, and they had frightened Castiel as a child. Even now, when he was a man grown, he was still unnerved by them. There were times when he was convinced that Azazel could see right into a man's soul with those eyes.

"You love my daughter," Azazel said quietly. It wasn't a question, but there was still hesitation in his voice.

"Yes."

Azazel nodded once, and then began to lead Castiel into the castle. "You'll need weapons, and provisions. Son, you might die."

"I won't. I'll find her."

"Something murdered my daughter's hunting party, and something murdered the people I sent after her. My youngest and her lover barely escaped, and only because Benny forcibly dragged Ruby away."

"Ruby wanted to go look for her, then?"

"Of course she did. But if we don't find Meg, and whatever it is comes after Tom as well, Ruby and that baby in her belly are all that's left of my bloodline."

"I thought you forbid Tom from going after her."

"I did. That doesn't mean he'll listen." Azazel sighed heavily as they passed through the open doorway. "Hopefully I'll be able to keep a good enough eye on him. If not…"

"You don't know if she's alive," Castiel realized.

"If she were dead, whatever or whoever took her would've left her head there with the heads of the others. But if they still had her, they would've sent a ransom note by now." Lowering his voice, Azazel leaned closer to Castiel's ear. "Listen to me. Those stories they tell about Hangman's Wood? They're true."

"They're nonsense. There's no such thing as ghosts."

Azazel shook his head and gestured to his eyes. "How do you think this happened? Do you think I was just born lucky? No. I hunted there, when I was a lad, not much older than you. I was one of the lucky ones, though. I got out of there. I was lost in the woods for two weeks with no food, and barely any water. I don't remember much. But that place is dangerous, Castiel. Meg's scrappy, so I've no doubt she'll survive, but I don't think what's in that woods will let her out. Not without a fight."

"You probably hallucinated from lack of food and sleep. There's no such thing as real magic. Not like how you describe it. So-called witches are nothing but healers and people who sell love potions to gullible villagers, or say that they can tell fortunes."

Azazel shook his head. "Cas, you're either dumber than I thought, or just plain rigid in your thinking. But you'll see. I've prepared your usual room for you and I had the manservant lay out fresh clothes. There will be provisions and a fresh horse waiting for you in the yard after you change."

"Weapons?"

Azazel gave Castiel a small smile. "Meg had your wedding present made some time ago. I've already sent a man to fetch it."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to see the gifts before the wedding. Bad luck."

"Not in this case. In fact, it might be considered good luck. Love always trumps any other kind of magic. Even the most evil."

Castiel did not comment, but simply headed for his tower room. Azazel had given it to him when he was thirteen and had spent two weeks visiting with Meg's family. It was just far away from Meg's room to be considered proper, but close enough that the two of them could've snuck out for nighttime visits and playdates if they wished. Meg and Tom's playroom, smack between the two chambers, had given them a place to meet, and they had taken advantage of it often.

He found the fresh clothes in his room, along with some water, a razor, and a small looking glass. He washed quickly, using a damp rag to rid his body of the dust and sweat of travel before he quickly shaved and dressed again. He contemplated cutting his hair for a moment, lest he come across an enemy that could use the handhold, but discarded the idea.

He frowned at the clothing on the bed, but pulled it on, anyway. It was rough, likely homespun, and less rich than he was used to. But, he reasoned, it would help him blend in with the populace. If whoever had Meg was targeting those of noble blood, being dressed as a peasant might help them escape their notice.

Rough as it was, the clothing was still nicer than half the things he had seen the poorest in his kingdom wear. The leggings were made exactly to his measurements, and fit snugly and warmly around his legs. The buff colored tunic was thick and warm as well, and fell nearly to his knees, mostly obscuring the dark trousers that had been provided for him. The belt, while undecorated, was good quality leather that molded perfectly to his body. He had no doubt that Azazel would have a warm cloak waiting for him in the courtyard as well.

Taking the other way out of the castle, he paused by the door to Meg's room, hesitated for a moment, and pushed it open. He'd spent many nights there as a young child, the two of them huddling under Meg's blankets and whispering secrets to each other, but he had not entered her private chambers since he had turned fifteen was almost a man, deeming it improper.

It had not changed much over the years. Her large, four poster bed had been updated to suit her current favorite colors, the blankets having gone from a childish pink to a deep purple, and there were more books in the bookshelf, but other than that, it was exactly the same. Her dolls were still lined up on their shelf in the corner, her wardrobe was the same large, black thing that he had hidden in during games when he was a child, and her writing desk was small, probably too small for her to sit in comfortably.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Castiel jumped and whirled around, prepared to fight, but relaxed when he saw that it was only Ruby. She stepped into the room behind him and gave him a small smile, but he could see the worry in her dark eyes. She looked as though she had not bathed, brushed her hair, or slept well since her sister had gone missing, her long, dark hair falling in tangles around her face and her skin far too pale for her to be halthy. She wore only a dark-red dressing gown, the belt cinched so tight around her waist that he could clearly see the small bump at her stomach.

"Sister," he greeted.

"I'm not your sister."

"Not yet."

She eyed him for a moment before she moved around him to sit on Meg's bed, her fingers lightly stroking the blanket. "We used to share a bed, you know, when we were younger. We'd whisper silly secrets to each other, and daydream about our future husbands and lovers, and gossip about the things going on in the castle. Just a few weeks ago the two of us were laying here after the candles were snuffed out, talking about what to name the child."

"I'll bring her back," Castiel promised.

"You'll try," Ruby argued. "That's all I can ask you to do. I'd go with you, but Father and Benny think I should remain here, for the child's sake."

"Your own, too."

"I'm a bastard. I cannot take the throne."

"Your father could easily change that," Castiel pointed out. "A simple document, a signature, the royal seal, and it would be done. I'm surprised he hasn't already."

"I asked him not to, so I would be free to marry whomever I choose."

"But you haven't married."

Ruby glared at him and placed a protective hand on her belly. "And?"

"And nothing."

Relaxing, Ruby nodded again. "Anyway, I have something for you."

"A good luck charm?"

"Something like that." She plunged her hands into the pockets of her robe and threw a fistful of objects on the bedspread. Curious, Castiel leaned forward and watched her sift through dried flower petals, bits of string, candle stubs, and charcoal before she plucked a delicate chain off the blanket and lifted it upward. There was a small pendant attached to the end. Made of scratched, aged wood, it was smooth on one side, and covered with a star surrounded by what looked like flames on the other.

He took it from her when she offered it. "I'm not sure how this will help."

"It's for protection," Ruby explained. "It will not stop you from being killed by a sword or poison or anything that isn't magic, or stop a witch more powerful than I from harming you, but it will help. A death spell will become something else. Lesser spells won't do anything to you at all."

Castiel involuntarily dropped the necklace back onto the bed. "A witch? You're a witch? Witches aren't real."

She nodded. "Yes, they are. I'm one of them." As if to prove it, Ruby held her hand up. A small flame appeared in her palm. Castiel gaped at it, and Ruby closed her fingers over the fire, extinguishing it.

"Since when?"

"Since always. How much do you know about my mother?"

"Not much. She loved both Abaddon and Azazel. She had a gift for growing things. She died young," Castiel answered. Ruby's mother, Violet, had died from some sort of infection mere months after Abaddon had perished. Castiel never knew what the queen had died from, and neither had her children. Azazel had simply told them that something had happened to her head. He'd heard tales when he was younger that said Ruby's had died of a broken heart. But he knew better.

"My mother was the castle healer. She practiced healing arts, mostly, but she dabbled in other things. She taught me the Craft since I could walk. When she passed, I continued my training with a few other friends of hers. My daughter will be the same. Even though witches aren't outlawed here like they are in Araboth, we still have to keep it a secret, for the most part. Even here, most people think that witchcraft is nothing but card readings and fake love potions, and there is a lot of that. Most carnival fortune tellers and roadside physics are nothing but fakes. There are maybe five hundred real witches in the country. You have to be born with a gift for it, my mother said."

"Does your father know?"

Ruby nodded. "Of course. He has a protection amulet, too, and so does Benny."

"Meg?"

Ruby nodded again. "She knows some things, too. She's not as advanced as me, and she isn't as skilled. She doesn't really have a gift for it. But she has some power, and she'll use it to defend herself, wherever she is. The royal family isn't supposed to practice Craft, but I figured she should know some things." She picked up the necklace and held it back out to him. "Put it on. You don't know what's out there."

He obeyed her. "She never told me that she…that she knew about these things. That they were actually real. She always seemed to agree with me when I said such stories were nonsense."

"She wouldn't have told you. Witches are still outlawed in your country, and even if they're not here, it wouldn't do for it to be known that the heir to the throne practices, even a little. She doesn't know any Craft, but she knows a few useful things. Everyday stuff."

Castiel nodded and put the necklace on, tucking it into his tunic. The charm slid down his skin and dangled in the center of his chest to rest near his heart. He still didn't fully believe, but he figured that it couldn't hurt to take the amulet. "Thank you."

To his surprise, Ruby took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "You'll need every advantage you can get. Go."

He squeezed her hand back and left without another word. When he emerged into the courtyard, he saw Azazel waiting for him, standing next to a burly man that held the reigns of two horses in his hands.

"Castiel, you remember Benny?" Azazel asked. Castiel nodded, and reached out to shake the man's hand. They'd met each other a few times, and Castiel had always felt a little jealous of the man, because he knew that Meg had harbored a little crush on him for years. While she couldn't marry him, due to a difference in social status, it wasn't uncommon in Meg's kingdom for either gender to keep a paramour, and he'd always had a sneaking suspicion that Meg had her eye on Benny for the position.

At least until he had gotten her younger sister pregnant.

He could see why. Benny was an attractive man. Tall, with broad shoulders and firm muscles and strong, calloused hands, he sported close-cropped hair and a finely trimmed beard, he looked every bit like a young maiden's dream. In addition, he was a good fighter, had been given training with a sword and bow and could ride a horse better than almost any man Castiel had ever met.

"Brother," Benny greeted, tipping his head respectfully. Castiel nodded back.

"Benny will take you to the road that leads to Hangman's Wood," Azazel told him. Reaching out, he patted one of the coal black horses. "You'll take Boots and Button."

Castiel raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment on the horse's names. "Of course."

"You can't take the horses with you into the woods. There aren't any paths large enough for them," Azazel said. "Boots has a bag on him for you to carry. Some food, some skins of water. You'll need them. And I have this for you." Azazel held out his hands, and a servant ran up to present him with a wrapped bundle. Azazel nodded to the boy and took off the cloth to reveal a long, sharp sword. The hilt was plain, and the metal was a deep, dark black. "Meg had it made for you, for your wedding."

Castiel cautiously laid his hand on it and then flinched away. The sword seemed to hum at his touch, and had been warm under his fingers, almost like a living thing. "What is it? It doesn't feel like a normal sword."

"The hilt is made of dragon bone," Azazel said patiently. "The steel itself was made with magic."

"There are no dragon bones left," Castiel whispered, reaching forward to touch the sword again. It hummed slightly, and then quieted when he did not withdraw his touch. He could feel power in the blade, pulsing in the steel like a beating heart. "Dragons died out over two thousand years ago, if they ever existed at all."

"There are some bones left," Azazel said. "She found it. This blade cannot be broken. It will cut through anything spelled. Ropes, trees, cloth. The only thing it cannot cut is iron, which kills all magic."

Taking the offered belt and sheath, Castiel slid the sword inside of it and tightened the belt around his waist. He'd been trained with a sword since he could walk, and he felt better having the weight at his side. Swinging up on Boots, Castiel nodded to Benny when he mounted Button, and then looked down at Azazel.

"I will bring your daughter home," he promised.

"I'll be waiting for you."

"What do you know about Hangman's Wood?" Benny asked later, as they stopped at a small stream to give the horses water. It was nearly sunset, and Benny insisted on camping out for the night, not wanting Castiel to be wandering in the forest in the darkness. The abandoned village next to the woods was in rough shape. The grass was overgrown, moss and vines covered most of the small, stone huts, and weeds poked up through the broken paving stones. But enough of the stone buildings remained to give them shelter for the night. The village's name, if it had ever had one, had been purged from the kingdom's records for so long that no one remembered what it had originally been called. It didn't have a new name, either, as most people in Ennom preferred to pretend that it didn't exist.

"Just the stories I heard growing up, whenever I visited Meg here," Castiel said as they led the horses away and tied them up outside of their chosen building. Benny made a noise of acknowledgement and gestured for Castiel to get inside the home. The floor was covered in dust, and the few furnishings had been destroyed or rotted away long ago, leaving the floor bare.

He lit a fire in the abandoned firepit in the middle of the hut while Benny settled down across from him. "I'm assuming you heard that they used to execute criminals there, right? By hanging?"

Castiel nodded. "Well, that is where the name came from."

"Then you know that they say the woods are haunted. Did you ever hear that one of the men killed there was a witch?"

"No, I hadn't. But witchcraft was never punishable by death in Ennom."

"Witchcraft was never punishable by death, no, but there were arts that were forbidden. Mind control, for one. Using your magic to persuade someone to give up their possessions or wealth, or to exert control over their life, was considered grounds for expulsion not only from your coven, but from human life. Since there was no way for ordinary people to take care of the more powerful, the responsibility usually fell to other witches," Benny explained. "Necromancy is another thing that's outlawed. Whether it be on a human or a beast.

"There's a legend that says that, two hundred years ago, there was a witch who lived in this village. His whole coven was corrupt, and they ruled this village and the surrounding ones through fear, and grew rich and powerful preying on the other peasants here. They only got away with it for so long because the coven leader's son, a man named Fergus Crowley, was the lover of the princess."

"A member of the royal family was involved with this?" Castiel asked, shocked.

"She was a member of their coven as well. That's why it's discouraged for members of the royal family to practice, even all this time later. You've probably even seen a portrait of Lilith somewhere in the castle. She's hidden away, but she's there."

Castiel swallowed. Yes, he remembered the portrait of Princess Lilith. She'd been beautiful, with moon-pale skin, hair the color of spun gold, and a smile that was just a little sly. The old painting was hidden in the corner of one of the castle's western towers that was mainly used to store furniture.

"Eventually, Lilith couldn't hide what was happening any longer, and a neighboring coven found out about what was happening. They swept in and rounded up all the members of Crowley and Rowena's coven, and dragged them out to Hangman's Wood. The king authorized them to do it, but he had no knowledge of his daughter's role, and she was not condemned. She only found out afterward, when her father brought her out there to watch the bodies burn.

"They hung the entire coven at the edge of the woods, and of course they burned the bodies after, to make sure that they could not come back, and to give their souls peace. But Lilith knew her Craft well, and she prevented her lover from burning completely. His corpse was blackened by the time the fire went out, his hair all burned away and his bones showing through his charred flesh, but as long as he was not ash, Lilith could save him. She knew the forbidden art of necromancy, and after the ashes of the others were cleared away, she took her lover's body deep into the woods and raised him. She could put his soul back in his body, but she couldn't fix it, burned as it was. She never walked out of that woods. The king sent out search parties, and they were all found mutilated in the trees. Eventually, he gave up his search, and she was never found. After that, people started disappearing. They'd go hunting in the woods and vanish, or be walking along the road and never make it home. Rumors spread about the place, and eventually the village was abandoned. Men were too afraid to go in there and build, or to even take this road."

"But Meg was not," Castiel said softly.

"We didn't hunt in there. We simply took the shortcut past it. She sent Ruby and I ahead to make camp in the village for the night. Said that she needed rest in her delicate state." Benny shook his head. "That was the only thing that saved us."

Realization dawned on Castiel. "You think that witch is still in the woods."

Benny nodded. "Might be. Might not be. The witches did something, after people started going missing. Don't know what it was, and Ruby won't tell me about it. That's part of their history, not mine, and the covens around here are secretive. But something's in those trees, and it ain't human." Sighing, Benny stretched out on the floor and reached to pull his cap down over his eyes. "Get some sleep, Cas. I'll wake you up at first light."

"Shouldn't one of us keep watch?"

Benny pulled his hat back up. "No one comes here, and whatever's in the woods can't get out. Not this far out, anyway." Pulling the brim of his hat back over his eyes, Benny folded his arms over his chest, clearly ending the conversation.

Castiel tried to imitate him and sleep. The fire crackled merrily, but beyond that, there were no other sounds around him. There was always background noise in his life, castle guards doing nighttime checks, servants or siblings sneaking out at night for a liaison or to pinch food from the castle kitchens, cats meowing and dogs barking, insects humming and owls hooting. But here there was nothing, not even the cheerful chirping of crickets, to break the silence.

Uneasy, he stretched out and rolled onto his side, stuffing the fur-lined cloak that Benny had given him under his head as a pillow, and attempted to get comfortable. It worked for a few minutes, and he found himself starting to drift off to sleep when a short, sharp scream broke the silence.

Sitting up quickly, Castiel reached for his sword and leapt to his feet, eyes darting around the darkened hut. Benny merely pulled his cap up and frowned.

"Sit down," he told Castiel. "I know that voice. It's Ivan."

"Ivan?"

"He was hunting with us."

"If he's screaming, then he's alive out there! We should go get him!" Castiel argued.

Benny shook his head. "He's not alive, Castiel. Ruby and I were the only people to make it out, remember? We found everyone else's heads. That's his ghost screaming out there, not him. Try to ignore it and sleep." Benny scratched his neck. "Although, burning his head should've put his ghost to rest. Guess we need the rest of his body for that. Still, hard to scream without a head." Shrugging, Benny pulled his cap back down over his eyes.

Castiel tried to follow Benny's advice, curling up on his side with one ear pressed deep into the folds of the cloak and one hand over his other ear to block out the screaming, but it didn't work. The screams got louder and louder, new voices being added to the chorus outside. Thankfully, they stopped after about an hour, and he was able to settle down into a restless sleep.