PLEASE NOTE: This was written for DCBB 12 at the livejournal comm. It was alpha'd by anoradh and beta'd by samedestination. If you were following me on livejournal or AO3 you wouldv'e had this a year ago! Warnings for excessive violence, gore, torture, minor character deaths, and mild language.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away there was a legend of two brothers who changed the course of history and brought about the return of the fairytale. To most people, they were just normal boys. They were strong and fiercely independent boys, but for the most part, just normal boys. They never imagined their lives would be any different from the other young men in their town. But they would be proven wrong, very wrong.

In the small town of Lawrence, the fairytale had not been seen for thousands of years. Every year, young men and women who came of age would journey out into the greater world in search of their very own fairytales. Unfortunately, most of them failed; some never returned, others returned defeated. It was written, that one day a young hero would be born of Lawrence who would change the world's fate and bring the return of the fairytale to the people of Earth. This hero would be brave, strong, and righteous.

Part 1

It was a slightly overcast, chilly winter day when Dean Winchester turned twenty and faced the town jury. The church bells rang loudly, echoing throughout the town, bouncing off the small buildings, and ringing in the ears of the bustling townsfolk. They all knew what it meant. There was another young person coming of age and looking to take on the challenge of searching for his/her own fairytale. Many of the townspeople knew him personally; he was Dean Winchester, the absent blacksmith's son. His father, John Winchester, had been the town's finest blacksmith until one fatal night. Dean had been only four years old when a beast from the Other Plains escaped into the town of Lawrence. On that night, Dean's mother, wife of John Winchester, was killed while protecting her youngest son Samuel Winchester. John never got over the death of his wife. Their love was said to be one of the purest, almost a fairytale. After that, John Winchester became obsessed with tracking the beast that killed his wife. When Dean was only ten years old, and his brother Sam six, their father disappeared into the Other Plains in search of the beast. He had never been heard from again. Most people assumed John Winchester to be dead, but his oldest son believed in him and took care of Sam. No one ever tried to separate the two boys or to tell them they had to move out of their home. Dean took on his father's duties, tending to the metalworking of the village and to his brother's upbringing, and nobody questioned it. In many ways he was better at it than John Winchester.

The jury sat before Dean, overlooking the papers he had given them. A tall, balding, older man sat in the middle. He had steely eyes and a crooked nose. He stared down at Dean, unblinking even when his eyes became dry. "So ... you wish to pursue a ... fairytale?" he addressed Dean.

Dean bit his bottom lip. The council didn't frighten him. He knew what was expected of him, he knew what he could and could not handle, he knew the jury would grant him permission to leave. He just did not know if he was ready to. Sammy was only sixteen, older than he had been when their father had left them. But, Sammy was still young, and he liked school. He couldn't give that up to start working. And what if they ran out of money before he got back? And what if he was gone for longer than the summer? And what if he didn't even make it back? His stomach was swirling with anxieties. The head of the jury was staring at him as if he could cut open his head and pour the thoughts out of his mind. "Well? Are you in fact requesting, or ...?" He could sense Dean's hesitation.

As much as Dean was afraid of leaving Sam, he knew this could be his one and only opportunity to have a fairytale; his one chance to leave the town of Lawrence. He nodded his head firmly. "Yes. That is what I'm requesting. Sir." He added the formality as an afterthought, and then grinned devilishly at the older gentleman. The smile was his trademark, one that constantly charmed young women. There was no doubt that Dean would find his fairytale; he had all the charisma for it (if that was all it would take to rescue a damsel in distress or two).

The head jury member nodded his head in affirmation and stamped the papers before wordlessly handing them over to Dean. 'Approved' the papers read.

Dean left the court with a wide grin on his face, colliding with a young brunette woman in his excitement. "Oooaf! Dean!" she yelped at the impact.

Dean barely had time to stop and talk to the pretty brunette as he ran down the street. "I'll talk to you later, Lis. I've been approved, I've got to tell Sam!" The girl, Lisa, congratulated him as he continued his run down the street to the shopfront. When he pulled the door open, a bored looking young boy was standing at the counter tracing ash with his finger into different designs. He had long floppy brown hair that went past his ears, deep brown eyes, and long lashes. He was pouting. Dean threw the papers down in front of him and he startled, looking up, "I've been approved."

The boy immediately jumped over the counter and enveloped his brother in a hug, "Congratulations Dean. I told you that you could do it." He looked up at his bigger brother, frowning suddenly. "Wait, does this mean you'll be leaving?"

Dean's smile faltered, "Hey, It's okay Sammy. It'll be over the summer, and I'll only be gone a few months. You'll be fine on your own, and you can always go over to Rufus' if there's a problem." With that, Sam smiled again and Dean ruffled his little brother's shaggy hair playfully.

It was several months later when Dean was preparing for his journey, that an old messenger came knocking at the door of his and Sam's cottage. The messenger informed Dean, "Lady Missouri requests your presence." He bowed down and then left off in a hurry. Dean was intrigued by this summoning and quickly pulled his boots on to tread down towards the cottage that the old oracle lived in.

Missouri was an old woman who lived at the far edge of town by herself. She had kind eyes that could see right through you and the ability to read the stars. Everyone would always wonder; if she can see the fates, why can't she just tell us who will be the one to bring back the fairytale? If one were to ask her this question, she would respond that everyone had the ability within them; it was up to them to use it. As it was, she was very selective about whom she saw and did not see. That was why it was a surprise when she called for Dean Winchester the night before his departure.

Dean was greeted by a large, dark-skinned woman with mirth in her eyes. She walked him into the house and manhandled him into a seat in her kitchen. Dean was a little on edge as is with his impending journey, and her actions, which suggested a sense of urgency, were not lessening it. Finally, Missouri came to stand before him, giving him a good look over. "Boy, you look just like your daddy."

Dean jolted from his seat, "You knew my father?"

"Sit back down." was Missouri's reply as she brandished a wooden spoon in his direction. He dutifully sat back in his seat. Missouri ladled some dark liquid into a bowl and sat it before him. Dean would have protested, but one sharp look from Missouri told him that would not be a wise choice. He lifted the bowl to his lips and took a cautious sip from its edge. Pleased, Missouri sat across from him, "Yes, I knew your daddy. He came to see me before leaving in search of the thing that killed your dear mother." Missouri then gave Dean a sympathetic look which made him squirm a bit at its sincerity.

"Is this about my dad? I thought you summoned me because of my journey?"

Missouri gave him a sharp look. "Boy, quit your interrupting and eat. You know I can not give you hints about the journey you're about to make. You must make it on your own without hints." Missouri gave him an appraising look, and then smiled warmly, "He sure picked a handsome one." Before Dean could ask who 'he' was, Missouri rapped him on the back of his hand with her wooden spoon, warning him not to interrupt. She continued, "You have many paths before you Dean, many hard decisions and hardships before you which I do not envy. Just remember you're not alone. You have those who are rooting for you, who wish for you to succeed." Missouri gave him a small nod, as if to say, 'like me, you dumbass'. "But that's not why I called you here. I did, in fact, call you here to discuss your father. Ever since his disappearance I've been putting out lines to the Other Plains in search of your father's soul. As you've probably already guessed, I haven't heard anything in eight years. Then, last night, I got a reply. I know where your father is."

Dean felt his heart beating at a faster pace; he felt it in his ears. His mouth went dry and he coughed, trying to get his voice back. Missouri reached out and surrounded his hand with her own, wordlessly acknowledging his unasked question. "He's about a two weeks ride out. I've got a map for you, drew it up myself. If you want to catch him before he disappears again you'll have to go immediately. I'm sorry, Dean. I know the choice you'll have to make is a hard one."

Dean left Missouri's with a map securely tucked against his torso and his heart heavy, a deep lump in his stomach. If he wanted to find his father, he would have to leave now. He wouldn't be able to go on his journey for his own fairytale. The choice wasn't even a question for him.

"Dean, you have to take me with you," Sammy pleaded, as Dean packed up the rest of his bags on the saddle of his midnight black steed, Impala.

Dean shook his head, pushing his little brother out of the way. "No, Sammy, it's too dangerous, and you're too young. You have to stay here."

"But it's Dad, Dean! You have to let me come!" Dean knew that despite their constant arguing, Sam loved their father just as much as he did. It was probably the angry argument that they had left their relationship off on that caused Sammy to want to see their father and make amends so sorely.

"I'm sorry, Sammy. I know you want to find Dad too, but you have to stay here. Take care of the shop and be good." Dean ruffled his younger brother's hair and smiled softly at him. "Besides, you wouldn't want to leave young Jessica alone with all the other boys for the summer, would you?" he teased his younger brother.

Sam huffed and stomped into the house, pretending to ignore his older brother, but Dean knew he would get over it. Dean mounted his horse and gave a last wave to the house where he knew Sammy would be sitting by the window watching. As Dean's horse led him down the path that led to the town gates he was met by a tall, dark figure. Dean recognized him as the town council's head elder, the man who had given him permission to start his journey. He was frowning at Dean as he pulled his horse to a stop in front of him. "Boy." For awhile, Dean didn't think he was going to say anything else, he was even expecting a fight, but instead he just stepped aside to clear the path for Dean. "You know what this means, right Dean? If you go now, you'll never have another opportunity to pursue your own fairytale."

Dean pulled a face as he promptly rode past the elder man, "My father is more important." Dean was pleased that no one else made an effort to stop him. Finding his father was more important to him than any personal fairytale. When faced with the choice between his own happiness and fixing his family, he would always choose his family.

After riding for several hours, Dean recognized the signs of someone trailing him. He backtracked a bit and hid low in brush, tying Impala off and brandishing his sword. He waited, on edge, as he heard the clomping of another horse slowly approaching.

Several long minutes later, a shadowy figure appeared in the distance. Dean crept slowly behind it and threw himself at the figure, dislodging it from its mount. The two scuffled and rolled for awhile, Dean trying to get his blade to the man's throat. A familiar "humph!" came from the figure, followed by an equally familiar "Dean!" Dean threw the hood off the figure and glared at his younger brother.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he growled.

"Listen Dean, please, if you'll just get off of me I could explain ..."

"No. No explaining. You're going to get your ass back on that horse and ride back into town. How'd you even get out? Huh? Why'd the elders let you go?"

"Dean, please! I can help! Plus, you scared my horse off! Just let me up Dean!" Dean finally eased off of his brother's chest and peered around to see that his horse had indeed run off in fright. Dean grumbled as he helped pull his brother up.

"Fine, we're going to find your horse, and then you're going to head back into town."

"No, Dean. Would you just listen? Look, I can help you! I want to find Dad too! I have every right ..."

"No, you listen to me. Sammy, you're only sixteen years old! You're not old enough to go wandering out into the Other Plains on your own. When you turn twenty, like me, you'll get your own chance, and not a day before then! Now, we're going to get you back into town ... No, don't give me that look! Look, I know you're upset about how you left it off with Dad, but don't worry Sammy. I'm going to find Dad and bring him home and you can apologize to him then."

Sam glared at his brother and sat on the ground with his arms crossed in silent protest. Dean rolled his eyes and huffed, "Fine. What do you have?"

Sam let out a deep breath and stood again, "Look, I've been training to fight in all my spare time and Rufus has been giving me some tips. I know how to fight, Dean. And, also, I've done research. I know you're not big on reading and stuff, so you probably have no idea what type of creatures are out there. But- I do!" Sam reached for his pack and pulled out a dusty, old leather book, "I took this from the library ..."

Dean interrupted, "You stole a library book?!" Sam looked embarrassed and Dean chuckled, "Maybe you are a Winchester after all ..."

"Dean, would you just listen? Look, this book describes all sorts of creatures you can find in the Other Plains and how to defeat them. I can help, Dean. I've done research!"

Dean twisted his jaw back and forth in thought, silently contemplating his brother's fate. He was all Dean had left in the world and if anything happened to him, Dean would never be able to forgive himself. But, then again, no one could take care of him the way Dean could. "Fine! But you stick close to me and do as I say when I say it. Now, let's go fetch that damn steed of yours." Sam looked smug as the two of them spread out to search for the missing animal.

Dean showed Sam the map that Missouri had given him. When he unrolled it, it looked exactly the way it had when he had last seen it, but Sam studied it intently. "Dean, is this map magic?"

Dean furrowed his brows in confusion, "What are you talking about Sammy?" He grabbed the map from Sam, studying it as if his brother was personally responsible for its failure. "Looks normal to me. Missouri said she drew it herself."

Sam frowned, "No, no. See the light dusting here? I think it's dried ink. And, if you look really carefully, it seems almost like the images are moving."

Dean stared at the map for a long moment before he finally saw what Sam was talking about. The image moved very slightly, but the little black "X" that marked where their father was located wavered slightly back and forth. "Son of a gun." He stared at Sam, bewildered.

"Well, Missouri is a known magic user right?"

"So ... what? It just magically updates itself as Dad moves around?" Dean was very skeptical.

"It would seem so. Well, that's good news, right? So it will lead us right to Dad." Dean grunted in assent. "So, looks like we need to go to the Boulder Sea. You ever sailed a boat before, Dean?"

Dean groaned. "Not boats, anything but boats ..."