Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any character from the show, Supernatural. They belong to Kripke and crew. I also do not own the Renaissance Faire, Renaissance Festival, or Faire and am not connected to them in any way. They too belong to some one else, besides me. I'm also not getting any financial benefits, by posting this story. No copyright infringement is intended. All errors regarding what goes on at a Faire are all mine and are due to my imagination.
/SN/
"Good morrow to you, sir! How many you wish to buy?" The young lass asked, as she watched the strikingly handsome man before her pull out his money.
"Two", he replied, with a twinkle in his eye as his gaze moved from her face to her low cut blouse.
After paying for the tickets, the young man returned to his comrade and gave him one of the tickets. Together they approached the gate and handed the tickets over to another young lass, who hungrily eyed them from head to toe.
Without a word, the young men entered the Faire and looked around them. With experienced eyes, they took in their surroundings and looked for anything amiss. The eldest of the two took a deep breath and identified the smells of smoked meat, bread, straw, and fallen leaves. His stomach growled, to remind him that he hadn't eaten in a while. The younger of the two took in the people and the stands that sold a variety of wares. Based on how some were dressed, he easily identified people's place in society and knew the level of respect they expected from others.
"Oh man, take a look at those legs," the eldest stated.
"Dean!" Sam rolled his eyes and looked over at his brother.
"What?!" Dean innocently replied. He slightly raised his one hand and pointed in the direction that he was looking. "You can't tell me that that doesn't look good to you." He challenged his brother.
Sam looked in the direction his brother indicated and shook his head. "I don't think she would appreciate your comment. Just because she's in costume, doesn't mean that she wants a guy to remark on her looks."
"Dude, what are you talking about?" Dean looked at Sam, as though his young brother had grown a third eye on his forehead. "We've haven't eaten since this morning and I'm starved. I'm thinking that one of those turkey legs, some fries, and a beer would really hit the spot. I don't see why we have to start this hunt on an empty stomach." Dean continued to look at Sam, as though he was waiting for Sam to explain his earlier remark.
Under his brother's scrutiny, Sam felt himself blush a bit. "Uh, sure. That sounds like a good idea. We can grab some food and figure out how to tackle this. I'll… uh, grab the food, while you get the drinks?" Sam fidgeted a bit, under Dean's continued scrutiny.
Dean raised an eyebrow, as he considered Sam's question. "Yeah, that sounds fine by me." Dean watched as Sam quickly turned and walked away. An evil smile appeared on Dean's face, as he thought about Sam's remarks and Sam's reaction to Dean's stare. Dean's attention turned back to the lady who held two large turkey legs, one in each hand. The girl was dressed as a bar wench. Her leather corset dress did much to show her figure and little to cover her legs, since it ended several inches above her knees. While she did wear leather boots which reached up to her knees, her boots seemed to simply accentuate her legs even more. Dean admitted to himself that he had noticed both, the turkey legs and the girl's legs. But, he saw no reason to let Sam know that he had been half right with where Dean's eyes had been looking.
/SN/
Dean got himself a beer and a bottle of water for Sam. Eyeing his brother trying to juggle two turkey legs and a container of fries, Dean quickly moved to assist his younger sibling. Finding a table to sit at, the two brothers sat down and began to eat. Dean savored the smoky, salty taste of the turkey, as he resumed looking at his surroundings. For several minutes, the two ate in silence, while they enjoyed their meals and the atmosphere.
Having finished his turkey leg, Dean decided to settle down to business, as he finished eating the fries. "So, tell me again why we had to come here?"
Sam took a sip of his water, before answering his brother's question. The turkey leg had been a nice change from their usual roadside diet. The meat had been well cooked and had easily fallen off the bone and dissolved in Sam's mouth. Sam tended to veer towards healthier foods and never consumed the quantity of meat that his brother did. But, Sam admitted to himself that the turkey leg had been quite a delicacy, even though it hadn't been served on a plate.
"Seems as though there's been a steady stream of deaths that have followed wherever the Faire goes. Within a few days after the Faire closes, dead bodies are found at the Faire site. The bodies belong to people who were working at the Faire. Strange part is that the people were never reported missing. Their families all assumed that they simply moved on with the Faire to the next site and were helping to set it up. The bodies had a variety of injuries and they didn't all die from the same thing. Various talismans were found near the bodies. But since the Faire sells talismans on their jewelry and other memorabilia, the police were never certain if there was a connection between the amulets and the deaths." Sam took a sip of water.
"Besides working for the Faire, did the people have anything else in common?" Dean asked.
"None that the police could find." Dean rolled his eyes at Sam's reply and Sam simply shrugged his shoulders. They both knew that the police didn't tend to look for a supernatural connection and could have easily overlooked something. "One thing the police did notice was that the people didn't die at the same time. After finding the bodies at a site, the coroner checked and determined that either they died at separate times or he was unable to conclude when they were killed."
Dean gave Sam a questioning look. "Unable to determine when they were killed?"
"Well, one time a body was found in ice and a few others were burned so badly that time of death couldn't be determined." Sam clarified.
"So, what makes you think this is up our alley and isn't some whacked out serial killer?" Dean asked.
"Every body had at least one talisman with it. And, there was always a bad electrical storm on the last day of the Faire." Sam watched Dean react to the last tidbit about the weather.
"Storm, huh?" Dean glanced around and easily spotted several craft stands that sold items, which had talismans incorporated into their products. "Anything special about the talismans?"
"I still need to do a little more digging on what each talisman was. The reports mainly say that they found various amulets on and near the bodies; but, the reports failed to say what the things represented. I'm hoping to find a few crime scene photos of the talismans and can then, go from there."
Out of his pocket, Dean pulled out a map of the Faire, which he had picked up as he had entered the grounds. Placing the map on the table, Dean looked at Sam. "Do all the Faires have the same layout?"
"Not all the Faires had their maps on the net. But, the ones that did did have similar layouts. They all have a main entrance and a place for jousting. They also have places for various shows, food stands, and shops. To me, it looked as though how things were laid out was influenced by what the area was like. Some places have creeks and other places are on small hills. From what I saw, the places tend to be on farms or old farmland."
"The bodies… were they all found around certain areas of the Faire?"
Sam paused, before answering Dean's question. "I'm not sure. When I look into the talismans, I'll also look into where exactly the bodies were found."
"Before we head to a hotel, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look around." Dean said, as he stood up and threw his trash into a can. Sam followed Dean's example and then, the two began to wonder around the Faire.
The Faire was busy with people. There were those who were attending the Faire and were busy enjoying everything the Faire had to offer. From food, to shops, to shows, the Faire's visitors had a variety of things to choose from. And then, there were those who were working at the Faire. They were easy to pick out, since they were all in costume and spoke Elizabethan. Sam was amazed by how thorough the workers were with their outfits. From head to toe, the people were dressed in Renaissance attire, from wenches and peasants to ladies and knights. Sam was fascinated by their attention to detail with their outfits. They all looked as though they had just stepped off the page of a Shakespearean novel.
Dean was amazed with how fanatic the workers were with their outfits. No one could pay him enough to don one of those costumes. He did admire the leather corsets that many of the women wore. The weather was a bit warm for fall and Dean wondered how some of the women, who had many layers to their outfits, were managing to stay cool in the hot sun.
Dean had nonchalantly turned on the EMF meter and kept it in his pocket. Like the other visitors, he strolled in and out of each shop. But instead of looking for something to buy, he was looking for any signs of something supernatural. But, upon entering the blacksmith's area, Dean's eyes roamed longingly over the various hand-crafted weapons that were for sale. Swords and daggers of various sizes and designs were on display. Dean noticed the intricate work that had gone into all the pieces and found himself wondering the price of some of the items. With a small shake of his head, Dean re-focused his attention and moved on to the next shop.
While walking from one shop to another, Dean caught a whiff of something. Before he knew it, he was remembering his time in hell. Dean's heart began to race, as memories of horrific pain sent chills through his body. Dean took a quick breath and was back at the Faire. Casting a quick glance in Sam's direction, Dean saw that his brother hadn't noticed Dean's brief walk down memory lane. Dean looked around and was unable to determine what had caused him to think of hell and his experience there. Taking another whiff of the air, Dean noticed nothing unusual and was not bombarded with more memories from his time down below. Since the EMF meter didn't even bleep and he could see nothing that appeared out of place, Dean remained silent about his experience and continued to investigate with his brother.
After almost an hour, the boys found themselves back at the main entrance. The EMF meter had remained silent during their walk and neither brother had seen anything unusual. Not having any additional reason to remain there, the brothers left and found a hotel to stay at.
Chapter 2
Several hours later, Sam rubbed his eyes, as he shut his computer down for the night. Upon getting to the hotel, Sam had immediately started to look for additional information about the deaths. He had managed to get into a police database and had seen some of the crime photos and had gotten specifics on where the bodies had been found.
Noticing that Sam was shutting down the computer, Dean shut off the TV and looked at his brother. "Well? Did you find anything?"
"Found out that the bodies were found either at the jousting area, the King's Theater, or near the fortune teller's stand. And, those talismans had one of two meanings. Either they were used for protection or for success in all undertakings." Sam watched, as Dean thought about the new information.
"I wonder why the bodies were found at those three locations. Anything special about them?"
"Not that I could find."
"Ok, all the dead were workers at the Faire. Do we know if those people worked at those locations or did they just happen to be found at those locations?"
Sam's eyes widened, as he realized that he hadn't thought to look at that. Wordlessly, he turned his computer back on and began a new search.
Dean smiled as he watched his brother return to the research. Getting off his bed, Dean grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door. "I'll grab us something to eat, while you work on that." Sam nodded in reply.
Minutes later, Dean returned with some food and set it out on a table in their room. Sam was in the bathroom, while Dean grabbed a plate of food and sat down on his bed. A quick chill ran down Dean's spine and he found himself instantly on alert. Dean cast a furtive glance around the room and saw no reason for the chill. Dean recalled his memories of hell, while at the Faire, and wondered what had made him think of that. Several weeks had passed since he had returned from hell and still it felt as though hell would not let go of him completely. It haunted him as he slept and even while awake, visions of hell managed to come to mind and trouble him. Dean was just glad that Sam wasn't in the room. Dean knew that Sam wanted to help Dean cope with what had happened in hell; but, Dean also knew that nothing Sam said would ever free Dean from his horrific memories, which words failed to describe.
Sam exited the bathroom and found his brother sitting on one of the beds. Sam noticed that Dean's attention appeared to be focused on the plate, which he was holding. However, Sam knew his brother well enough to know that something else was running through Dean's head besides food. Sam let out a small sigh, as he went to grab some food for himself. Dean had that haunted look on his face, which he got whenever he remembered hell. Sam wanted so badly to ease the torment that Dean suffered due to those memories. But, Sam had yet to find some way to do that. He couldn't help but wonder why Castiel hadn't wiped those memories from Dean's mind. After all, Castiel had removed all of Dean's scars and had healed all of Dean's wounds, which the hellhounds had caused. If an angel could do all of that, then why couldn't he also erase those horrific memories of hell from Dean's memory? Was there a reason why his brother had to continue to bear such a burden? Hadn't his brother already paid enough of a price, with all the sacrifices he had made while hunting the supernatural?
With his own plate, in hand, Sam sat down on his bed. After a few bites of food, Sam decided to tell Dean what he had found.
"Ok, we have bodies that were found at the site of three Faires. At the first Faire, four bodies were found. Two were at the jousting area and the other two were at the King's Theater. At the second site, seven bodies were found. Five were found at the fortune teller's stand, one was at the jousting area and one at the King's Theater. At the last site, five bodies were found. Three were located at the fortune teller's stand and two at the jousting area. None of the dead worked at the fortune tells stand. Five of the dead preformed on stage at that the King's Theater. Two of the dead worked in the jousting arena. However, the rest were all workers at the Faire and would have spent time around the Theater and jousting area. Before you ask, they did not all play the same role at the Faire." Sam answered his brother's quizzical look. "They played various roles in the Renaissance society, from knight to peasant and in between. And besides the fact that they were all in costume, I could not find any similarities with their outfits. Some got their clothes from the shops at the Faire, some had made their own and others got theirs online. Now, the talismans were all from the Faire. In fact, they had all been made by the same artisan and he happened to be working at the very Faire that we were at today."
Dean arched an eyebrow at Sam's last tidbit of information. "Same guy, huh? Anything interesting about him?"
"Nothing I could find on the internet. Unlike some of the other artisans from the Faire, he doesn't have his own website and I couldn't find any place online that you can order his stuff from. He seems to only sell his things at the Faire itself." Sam took a few more bites of his food, while his brother thought about what Sam had found.
"So, same guy was at all the same Faires. Sounds like we may need to look a little closer at him."
"Maybe and maybe not." Sam's remark got him a quizzical look from Dean. Sam gave a small shrug of his shoulders, as he explained. "Many of the artisans and other Faire workers live like gypsies and follow the Faire wherever it goes during the year. They earn their living by going from one state to another. Some of the artisans further their sales by also selling their merchandise online. But for the most part, they rely on the Faire to earn their living. In general, the people who work as trash collectors and sell tickets and stuff like that are people who live close to where the Faire happens to be at the time. But overall, the workers at the Faire are a mix of locals and people who travel with it." Before Dean had a chance to ask a question, Sam continued with what he had found. "With regards to the dead, they were a pretty even mix of locals and travelers. Whoever or whatever killed these people didn't really seem to care where the victims called home."
"There goes that possibility." Dean sounded disappointed that there wasn't an obvious connection among the dead. But then again, he shouldn't have been surprised, since things were never easy for the Winchesters. "Still sounds as though the talisman artisan would be a good place to start. Even if he isn't behind the deaths, maybe he can explain why his talismans are being found around dead bodies. I don't think something like that is a good selling point." Dean said with a small grin.
Chapter 3
The boys returned to the Faire the next day and headed towards the artisan's shop. Again, Dean had turned on the EMF meter and kept it in his pant's pocket. The brothers passed the blacksmith's stand, and Dean happened to turn to watch the blacksmith show off how he made his iron artwork. Unlike the other on-lookers, Dean's attention wasn't drawn to the blacksmith. Instead, Dean was focused on the hot fire, which the blacksmith was using. Suddenly, he was back in hell. The scorching, oppressive, suffocating heat stole the air from Dean's lungs and left his body gasping for air. While the white and blue flames danced before his eyes, Dean's body cringed at the unbearable heat that surrounded his body. He could feel his blood boiling under his skin. Deprived of air, he was unable to scream and was forced to remain mute and unable to express his anguish. Dean blinked his eyes and was back at the Faire. The onlookers were ignorant of Dean's little jaunt down memory lane and were oohing and ahing over how the blacksmith preformed his craft. With a quick shake of his head, Dean turned back and saw Sam looking at him.
Sam had been leading the way to where the artisan had his stand. After a while, Sam no longer felt his brother behind him. Turning around, Sam was surprised to see Dean watching the blacksmith. At first glance, it looked as though Dean was as equally fascinated by the blacksmith as the other onlookers. But, Sam recognized the look on his brother's face and knew Dean was no longer at the Faire. The temperature was in the seventies and the sun had not had a chance to get too warm; but, Sam noticed some beads of sweat forming on Dean's forehead. Sam was about to head back to Dean, when he saw Dean blink and realized that his brother was now back at the Faire. Sam knew that Dean hadn't been lost in thought for long; but from the look on his brother's face, Sam could tell that Dean felt that he had been gone for an eternity.
Realizing Sam had noticed Dean's little detour from reality; Dean gave a small shrug of his shoulder and then headed towards the artisan's stand. Now was not the time for an improvised therapy session from Sam. And they both knew that there was nothing Sam could say to make the memories stop. So, with squared shoulders and a steady gait, Dean made it clear that they were back to work as usual.
Sam watched Dean walk towards their destination and shook his head. He wanted so much to be able to stop Dean's flashbacks of hell; but, Sam knew that there was no way he could do that. All he could do was be there for Dean and make certain that Dean knew that Sam would always be there for him.
Dean walked up the wooden steps, which lead to the artisan's shop. The word, shop, was a generous description for the place. It was about the size of three out-houses put together and had a roof over it, with shelves lining the walls. The place was constructed of wood and had been made to look rustic. Various metal-work was displayed on the shelves. Book ends, decorative ornaments, necklaces, and other knick-knacks filled the shelves. Almost all of the pieces had some sort of a talisman incorporated into it. Dean's eyes barely registered the wares. Instead, he focused on the man, who was seated at the back of the shop and had a money box on a shelf in front of him. Stepping around a woman, who was looking at a necklace, Dean approached the man.
"You make all these?" Dean asked.
With a proud smile, the man looked at Dean. "Aye Sir. My hands doth maketh thou most hard metal into somethin' that thou Lady would swoon ov'r. Thou lady perchance even repay thou most Fairest treasure with a treasure of her own, which doth only receivest in thou bed." The man said with a wink of his eye and small grin on his face.
"A simple yes or no would have sufficed." Dean reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a badge. "I'm with the FBI. My partner and I are investigating some murders which seem to follow this little road-show of yours."
"Nay. I doth am a Hawker of metal trinkets and hath now no knowledge of the evil thee speaketh of. If thou desire to talk'st of death, perchance thou shallst seek the executioner. He doth knowest of death and such hideous acts thou mention."
"An executioner does know about death. But, I'm more interested in learning why your talismans were found with the bodies. Is your work so popular that it's on every murderer's must have list?"
"By God's wounds, I doth not know of what thou speaketh of!" The man exclaimed, as he quickly looked to ensure that the other customers had not heard Dean's question. "Prithee leave now, before thou words scareth these fine folk." The man turned pleading eyes towards Dean. "My work is humble an' hath no villainous affair with death. My talismans doth bring good fortune an' luck."
"Aren't they used 'for protection and success in all undertakings'?" Dean quoted Sam's research and stressed the word protection. Dean leaned towards the man and lowered his voice. "What would they need protection from?"
The man leaned back, as Dean's face came closer to his own. "Nay sir. I knoweth not. My talismans perchance protect from sour luck and improve one's chances of succeedin' in life." The man squirmed under Dean's intense stare.
"Obviously, they didn't work for the sixteen people who landed up murdered. Do you happen to offer refunds if the talismans don't live up to their claim?"
The man simply answered by shaking his head no.
Dean continued to stare at the man a few seconds more, as he gauged whether or not the salesperson might be trying to hold back on something. Deciding that the salesperson was being honest, Dean stood back up and stopped his scrutiny of the man. Seeing a business card on the table, which the cash box was on, Dean picked up a card and read it. "Jason Smith."
The man tentatively nodded his head, when Dean read the card aloud.
"You staying with the Faire, while it's in town?"
"Aye sir." The man said sheepishly.
Pocketing the card, Dean said, "Good." Turning around, he saw Sam nearby and with his head, indicated that he was ready to leave. As Dean left the shop, he heard the seller let out a deep sigh of relief.
/SN/
After walking a short distance from the shop, Sam spoke up. "So, he didn't seem to know anything. Where to next?"
Looking back at the shop they had just left, Dean asked, "I wonder what's up with the funny way he was talking? I swear, had I heard another 'aye', 'doth', 'thou' or anything else like that I would have had to hit the guy just for the sake of my own sanity."
Sam grinned. "It's called Elizabethen. The people who work at the Faire are required to speak it. It's supposed to add to the whole Faire experience."
"I don't know. It didn't do anything for me; but make me want to hit the guy. But, it does sound like something right up your alley."
Sam just shook his head and chose not to take the bait. He didn't have a problem with how the seller had spoken and had found it to be an entertaining change of pace. But, Sam knew enough to know to keep that little tidbit to himself.
"I say we get something to eat, before heading over to the fortune teller." Dean said, as he began to walk towards a nearby food stand.
"Why the fortune teller?"
Dean looked at Sam, as though the answer should be obvious. "Fortune tellers are supposed to know all and see all, right? So, who else at the Faire would have a better idea as to why all these murders are taking place?" Dean went up to the food stand and bought some food.
Sitting down on a bench., the brothers began to eat the food. "How cool are these? Not only do you get some good stew; but, you also get to eat the bread that it's contained in and the bread gets a chance to soak up the gravy. Man, this is really cool." Dean remarked, as he ate his bread bowl, which contained a hearty stew.
Sam silently watched as Dean devoured the stew, before eating the bread, which had been hollowed out and then used as a bowl to serve the stew in. Sam smiled, as he watched how much his brother enjoyed the unique cuisine. Realizing that Dean would probably be a little thirsty after the meal, Sam stood up and went to get them something to drink.
Dean watched Sam head over to a drink stand. As Dean's attention returned to his gravy-soaked bread, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. To his surprise, Castiel was seated on the bench, next to him. Dean glanced over at Castiel, before returning his attention to his food.