A/N: I just wanted to give a special thanks to Brandon and Mariana, who were probably more excited about this fic to be completed than I was. Mary, if you're reading this, just know that you are too good for me.

I also want to thank my artist jaelijn for all the amazing artwork! Art Masterpost: |x|

You can also read it on LiveJournal and Ao3

And to everyone who's reading this, I hope you enjoy. Comments are always appreciated!

"Can you tell us a story?" The little girl looked expectantly at her mother as she nestled deeper into her quilts.

Her mother smiled fondly. "I think we have time for one. What kind would you like?"

The girl quickly sat up "A love story!"

"Eww, that's gross!" The girl's younger brother complained from the opposite side of the queen-sized bed. "I want an adventure story."

Their mother settled her young children before they became completely unwrapped from their blankets. The kids, still young enough to sleep beside one another in bed, eagerly waited for a story before sleep could take a hold of them. The mother didn't mind at all; it gave her the chance to spend some much needed time with her only children after a long stressful day.

"Now, don't move or no one will take you two to the festival tomorrow." She leaned over and kissed her children's foreheads, her long, dark blonde hair tickling their cheeks. "And don't worry. I know the perfect story."

The woman sat back up and cleared her throat. She was quite attached to this particular story and was glad to have the chance to tell it to her children.

"Most would say the Second Revolution started with the efforts of our fearless leaders. Others would say it was a combination of many factors, or destined to happen from the beginning. Those people were not entirely wrong, but for the select few that knew the truth, the catalyst for biggest revolution in the history of mankind started with an ordinary man on an ordinary day."


Castiel was starting grow comfortable in his life. The same people doing the same things at the same time every day. He didn't have a reason to complain. Living with his sister, Anna, in the Countryside was indefinitely better than trying to live with his father and other siblings in the overstimulated Capital. He never wanted to bother Anna with the complaints he did have though, since his sister seemed to be unnaturally stressed in the last few always tried to kept to himself and stay out of the way, dividing his spare time between studying and riding his horse around the various farms near town.

But he never actually went into the town or socialized with the people in it. Anna was the one who like to be around strangers; she would begged Castiel to make a friend or two every time she came back from a shopping trip. Castiel found friends complicated and required effort that he could be using to solidify his chances at graduating from Academy and becoming an Officer. The few times he had ventured into the village, Castiel stayed away from everyone, always keeping to the shadows around the edges of the square.

Every time Castiel found himself getting too close to someone that wasn't his sister, he pushed everyone away. He even distanced himself from his peers at the Academy. It was a place for training, not friendship.

Anna would joke that his people skills would start to rust if he didn't practice. The statement flustered Castiel and Anna always found it amusing.

Still Castiel didn't have any reason to complain. Things were a lot simpler in the Countryside. It was easier to see the black and white in life rather than the constant grayness of the Capital. The air in the Capital was a perpetually smoggy haze that cloaked the entire area, while the sky above the miles of farms was always a clear blue and had a vague scent of pine from the distant forest. It made it easier to think.

Anna's tiny two bedroom house sat in a grassy meadow just far enough away from the town and farms that they had plenty of privacy. Their little house felt more like home than any other place Castiel had lived, including his father's enormous penthouse that sat at the top of one of the tallest buildings constructed in the Capital. At his sister's house, Castiel could study in peace. The Capital always held too many distractions for him.

After another routine day, Castiel came home to Anna cooking dinner earlier than normal. Unlike Castiel, Anna didn't like set routines, it was one of the reasons she had a falling out with their father.

Castiel went to bathroom before talking to his sister. She couldn't stand when Castiel came back from riding, smelling like the stable and tracking dirt everywhere. He was fairly certain he had never done any of those things but didn't care to argue. Anna tended to win a majority of their fights.

Even from the bathroom, the aromas wafted in from the kitchen. Castiel had chosen to skip lunch in favor of spending more time in his work. His exams were coming up fast, and he didn't want to disappoint his father by not becoming a Union Officer. In fact, in Castiel's mind, not pleasing his father was far worse than not doing well on his test. It wasn't a secret how much effort his father had but into Castiel to get him to succeed. By the time Castiel had cleaned himself up, he was beyond ready to eat.

He entered the kitchen silently.

"Hey Castiel."

"Hello."

Anna didn't turn around from her place at the stove.

"How was your day?"

Every day she asked him the same question and everyday Castiel answered with the same answer. This time though, he felt like saying something different.

"It was just the same as any other day, Anna," He sat down in his normal seat at the table off to the side of the kitchen. "Do you think it's going to change?"

"Of course things change, that's just how they work. And since you're asking, I think things are going to change for the better pretty soon."

Castiel assumed she was talking about his Academy training. If he continued on track as he had been, Castiel would graduate by the end of the year.

"I also talked to Father today." The moment the words left her mouth, Castiel's attention was focused on his sister. Anna did whatever she could to evade talking to their father. "As soon as I picked up, I was reprimanded for not answering any of his other calls. Then, he informed me that he wouldn't be able to see you when you passed the exam and graduated. Apparently there are rumors of revolts in a few outlining cities. He did mention that he was proud of you and something about sending Michael in his place."

"No, I don't want Michael to come." Anger flared out inside Castiel at the mention of his oldest brother.

Everything Anna said sounded exactly like their father. He always made promises he couldn't keep, but he still said he was proud. Not to mention the fact that there was always a constant threat of uprisings and revolts, although no one knew if they were even true or not.

Anna turned around and flashed a smile at him. "Good. I don't think I could handle being in Michael presence for more than a few minutes."

She set down plates and went back for the rest of the meal.

"Anna, he's our brother."

"I know Castiel, but he doesn't feel our brother. He's more like another one of Father's Officers than our brother."

His sister sat in the seat across from Castiel. He knew how Anna felt about their family, and she never tried to hide her resentment towards them. She was only close to her mother, Castiel, and another one of their brothers, Gabriel. But neither Anna nor Castiel had seen Gabriel since he had run away from home a few years before. Somehow Anna remained hopeful that he would return one day, Castiel never told her that he disagreed.

She placed the last pot in the middle of the table, and then lifted the lid. Castiel looked at all the food on the table, it was enough to feed the two of them for a week. It must have also cost his sister a fortune.

"Why did you make so much food?." Even though he was concerned, Castiel's stomach growled in anticipation.

Anna shrugged. "I couldn't decide what to make. Now eat something before it gets cold."

Castiel took a moment before adding a bit of each dish to his empty plate.

Thinking about Michael and the rest his family brought a question to Castiel's mind. Something that had been nagging at him for a long time. "Anna, why did Father never send you to Academy to become an Officer?"

His sister's face fell subtly. She placed her fork on the table and swallowed before she spoke. "I did go to Academy at first. Just like all our other siblings. But I hated it and Father knew I hated it. Then once Gabriel left, Father didn't want to fight me anymore and allowed me to live with Mother. That's why you also had to leave and go back to live with Father in the Capital earlier than expected. Believe it or not, but Father really does love you, and he didn't want to risk an outside influence on you."

Castiel wasn't satisfied with the answer. "If he's afraid of me rebelling against him, then why am I here and not with him in the Capital?"

"He knows that in time you will do great things, and I know that too. The fact that he still allows you to live with me must show how much he wants you to succeed." Anna sighed. "Now enough talk about family. You really do need to eat before the food gets cold, you also need to get a haircut before the Fall Harvest."

"Okay then, we'll go at the end of the week." His older sister's smile returned. "And please, eat. I don't want all my hard work to go to waste."

Castiel took a bite after loading his plate full of more food. The siblings ate in relative silence. With the talk of their complicated family behind them, they only spoke of the latest gossip swirling around town, and the fact that the local farmers were having a hard time keeping up with the increasing demands for more crops.

Anna believed the people of the Western Federation wouldn't have to worry too much longer. She spoke as if she knew what was going to happen in the future. With ever changing Union laws and the constant threat of either a revolt or war a between nations, Castiel wonder how Anna she could be so sure in something that might never happen.

When they finished eating, Anna left Castiel to clean the kitchen. As Anna walked up the stairs, she told Castiel that she was tired and wanted to go to bed early.

Half way through washing the pots and dishes, Castiel heard the water running for a bath. Up until a few months beforehand, everyone who lived in an outlining city or town had water restrictions. The extra rainfall in the earlier spring and few out of season storms had helped to restore the water levels and relax some of the restrictions.

Water wasn't the only thing being controlled. Sometimes, there was a constraint on electricity, and since Castiel moved out of the Capital, there was always some kind of restriction food. A first it was a challenge for Castiel to work around the restrictions on water or other things, but he quickly adapted. Whatever the reasons for the restrictions, the Union was most likely doing its job: watching out for the good of all the people.

Castiel finished quickly and decided to retire to bed early himself. He planned to read over some material on his Academy issued tablet before sleeping, but the moment Castiel's head hit his pillow, he was out cold.

A loud crash startled Castiel awake. He sat up in a panic before he remembered that he'd been in the middle of a dream.

Castiel never dreamed.

But he could remember every detail of it vividly as if he had witnessed the events while awake.

He dreamt of standing next to a man, whose face he couldn't see, as they watched the fiery sun set across a crystal blue lake, then Castiel was in the middle of a grand ball. Women in elegant ball gowns and men in midnight black tuxedos twirled around together as they waltzed across the ballroom floor.

It was just like the stories Anna made up as bedtime stories, but the scene was almost too elaborate to be conjured from a child's imagination.

And even though Castiel knew it was a dream, it made him feel warm and nervous and happy. He could still feel the emotions coursing through his body and his heart fluttering strangely.

Castiel made a promise himself to tell Anna about the dream in the morning.

After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Castiel assumed the noise had come from an animal near the barn and eventually fell back to sleep.

Castiel didn't dream the rest of the night.

...

Castiel woke to a quiet house. He couldn't hear creaking floor boards or the sounds of his sister cooking breakfast. Castiel wasn't the type of person to sleep in, but Anna was always awake before him. She was always waiting for him.

He rubbed his eyes and struggled to tame his dark unruly hair after getting out of his bed. There was no point for Castiel to change out of his sleep wear right away. It was the one day of the week that he wasn't required to attend Academy and he planned to spend the day getting ahead on his work.

On his way to the kitchen, Castiel peeked into Anna's bedroom and saw she wasn't in the room. The bed was neatly made; all the pillows were lined up straight, the corners of the bedspread were tucked in, and the quilt her mother made was folded along the bottom of the bed. The curtains were drawn back letting the warm, morning sunlight into the small room. Castiel noticed one of the windows beside the bed was cracked open, and he entered the room to close it. As Castiel walked over to the opened window, something flashed in the sunlight and caught his attention.

It was his sister's ring, a gift from their mother when Anna was officially considered an adult.

Anna never took the ring off and was often cryptic when Castiel asked about its history. All he knew was that the ring belonged to the oldest daughter in every generation, spanning as far back as the Great War, hundreds of years before Castiel's birth. Anna would have never left it sitting out in the open on her vanity's ledge.

He slipped the ring into the pocket of his nightshirt and headed back to the kitchen to give it to Anna.

Cas found his sister wasn't in the kitchen either. There wasn't even a fresh pot of coffee brewing on the counter, or breakfast waiting for Castiel on the table like there was normally.

Now he knew something wasn't right. Castiel's mind worked quickly for an explanation as to why Anna was missing. All his thoughts focused on something bad.

When he sat down at the kitchen table, his arm brushed across a piece of paper he hadn't noticed before. It was a note left for him. The dread that had been building slowly dissipated when Castiel recognized Anna's familiar handwriting.

Dear Castiel,

If you found this note, it means I didn't come back last

night. Please don't worry about me or try to look for me.

I had to meet with a very important person, but something

must have prevented me from returning. And as I said

before, don't worry about me, carry on as you normally

would, concentrate on your training. I'm doing this for you

and everyone else we love. I love you and I'm so proud of

all the things you've done and will do.

-With love, Anna

The awful feeling that something terrible had happened crept back into the pit of his stomach. Anna had a tendency to be vague or unclear, but it was never like this. Still, he trusted his sister and hoped she would be home soon. Then they could have a quiet breakfast together like they did every Sunday morning, and everything would be back to normal.

But Castiel's appetite had left him, and chose instead to wander out of the kitchen and into the tiny living room. It was one of the few rooms in the house not regularly used. They rarely had guests over.

Castiel sat in one of the plush chairs, curling his arms around his legs pulled up close to his chest. He stayed still, testing his patience, waiting for the distinct sound of someone approaching the house along the gravel driveway. He was fairly good at keeping calm and waiting. After a while he took a deep breath and felt his throat constrict just a bit tighter in fear of Anna never coming home to him. He wanted to obey his sister's commands, but he couldn't stop his mind from exploring the possible consequences of him not searching.

He thought about turning on the television to help pass the ticking minutes, and then thought better of it. The only thing ever on air was the regional news and weather. Sometimes they showed special live events, like a broadcast given by a representative of the Winchester family under orders from the Union. Castiel never liked to watch any of it.

He didn't know exactly how long he sat waiting until he finally made a decision.

The sun was hanging low in the sky and filled the room with an even richer gold than the morning light. Castiel stood and changed into comfortable clothes to ride his horse: a pair of dark riding pants, a loose cotton shirt, and leather boots. He slipped Anna's ring onto a chain and wore it around his neck. It hung close to his heart.

Castiel didn't bother packing anything in a satchel, he only planned to look for Anna until nightfall. If need be, he would wake up early the next morning to search again. He then wrote a short note to Anna and placed it on her bed in the chance that she arrived home while he was out looking for her.

He hurried to the small barn outside that housed his horse, Grace. The days were growing shorter and night would fall quickly. In the Capital, the lights never stopped shining, causing the sky to glow orange and yellow when it should have been pitch black. Castiel could never see the stars there.

Since Castiel was running out of daylight, he chose ride to town first. If Anna was planning to meet someone, she would have gone to the town's square or brought them to the house. The next closest large city was over a day's travel by horse, and almost triple that by foot. Other than that there was nothing but miles and miles of farms and forest.

Castiel saddled his horse before adding a bridle. He didn't hoist himself up immediately, instead he ran back to the house to make sure it was properly locked up and to grab his forgotten cloak. It was trivial little thing, but it was full of memories. The cloak had been a sixteenth birthday present from his brother Gabriel. Castiel wore the gift at first because Anna hated it, but he quickly grew attached to the stupid thing. In some spots the dark blue, almost black, velvet was thinning from usage, and the embroider silver and gold constellations along the edges threatened to unravel. Castiel hadn't been able to wear it during the warmer seasons, but now the night was beginning to threaten chiller nights

Once Castiel knew he had everything ready, he rode east towards town on the only road that passed through it. When he reached the town limits, Castiel slowed to an easy trot, then tied Grace to an unused post. He stopped by the few produce stalls still open at the market in the center of town. Most of the time, the stalls were owned by the families of local farmers selling whatever they had left, after the Union took its share of the crops and farmers had enough food for their families.

Castiel searched the entire square, but never spotted his sister's familiar form. He didn't even see a wisp of her vibrant red hair.

He found himself stopped in front of a table of unsold apples being cleared off by a young girl and boy; Castiel recognized the boy from the group of first years at the Academy. And when the children noticed him, Castiel asked them if they had seen Anna at any point in the day.

The children replied they hadn't seen her and apologized for not being able to help more. They said they were at their farm in the morning and hadn't come to town till the late afternoon. Castiel then asked if the two of them knew of anyone that might have been around earlier. The children claimed everyone knew had already gone back home. Castiel thanked them and left them to finish packing up their table.

The sun started to edge closer to the horizon casting rays of orange, yellow, and pink across the sky. By this time, the entire town was wrapping up for the night. Shopkeepers locked their doors, turned off their lights, and headed to their apartments above their stores. Children and teenagers began the journey home, eager for dinner but dreading heading for Academy or work the next day. Castiel walked past the closed shops, heading back to his horse when the young girl from the apple stall before ran up beside him. She couldn't have been older than six, and when she jumped to a stop, her long brown hair, neatly braided in two, swung around her shoulders.

"I really am sorry me and Jim couldn't help more." The little girl played with the faded sleeve of her pale green shirt. "Mama wouldn't let us help our sister, Missy, at the market until we'd finished helpin' her with the garden. Then Missy had to go back home to help Mama take care of the babies."

"That's okay..." Castiel waited for the girl to state her name. He found it a little awkward talking to the young child alone; he barely even spent time with his own younger siblings.

She smiled showing a missing front tooth and making the dimples on freckled cheeks visible. "Mary Anne. My name's Mary Anne Thompson."

"Thank you, Mary Anne." Castiel smiled too. "You and your brother helped me enough."

Mary Anne looked down for a moment, her tiny hands moving to a frayed edge of her denim coveralls. "Is Miss Anna your real sister? You don't look like brother and sister."

Castiel nodded. He didn't look like any of his siblings.

"Oh, she's really nice, and really really pretty too. Miss Anna visits our table at the market all the time and she even gave me this ribbon to make bows for my pigtails." Mary Anne pointed out the pink ribbon tied to the ends of her braids. "I'm sad that you can't find her."

Castiel sighed and looked down at the girl. Her head barely reached his hips. "I'm sad too, but I know I will find her. I just have to look harder."

"Well, I know all the stores are closed, but the pub is still open. I'm not supposed to know about it, but I do. I also know it's open all the time, so someone might've seen her this morning." Her brother, Jim, called the girl back over to the table so they could leave.

Mary Anne waved goodbye and walked towards her brother. After a few steps she turned around, ran straight to Castiel, and hugged him. It was quick, a simple squeeze of her arms around his legs, and then she let go.

"You're nice like Miss Anna. And you're pretty like her too, even if you don't really look the same."

The fading sun prevented any straggling people on the street from seeing the blush that crept onto his face.

...

The pub was easy to find. Located on the southern side of the town, away from the market and shops, the low building stood like a poor forgotten outcast in a group of weathered friends. The pub's walls were built from wood that had become splintered and warped with weather and age. A dulled light shined out of dirty windows and barely contrasted against the drab grays and faded browns of the surrounding buildings. Even the sky was drained of color, casting everything in a dark twilight. Castiel's hands tightened on Grace's reigns as they came closer, and with every step the smell of old alcohol and salted fish grew stronger. A young man, about the same age as Castiel, opened the pub's door with a bang, the hinges squeaking in protest. He hauled his stumbling father out behind him. The boy gave Castiel a curt nod and continued pulling his father along.

Castiel tied his horse to the railing, among other bonier horses tired of standing all day, and walked up the few creaky steps to the door. Before Castiel could think of a reason to turn around and go back home, he straighten his back and shoulder in a semblance to courage and marched in.

He had to remind himself that he was doing thing for his sister.

The smell of sweaty, unwashed men mingled into the previous scents making the mixture even more pungent. Some men stood at high tables in twos and threes talking to each other in low grumbles. Others tried to hide themselves in dark corners of booths against the walls. Burnt out light bulbs bathed the space in an orangey glow. Only a few solitary men sitting at the bar looked up as Castiel entered, and after a short stare they all gazed back down at their half-empty pints like the answer to their problems would be found at the bottom of the glass.

Castiel paused a moment unsure what to do. He took a risk and strode over the bar standing across the high wooden counter from a petite woman. As far as Castiel could tell she was the only female in the whole establishment. She would be considered attractive to any male standards with long dark brown hair slightly curled, full lips, and large brown eyes. She wore a tight purple shirt and even tighter denim jeans with a black leather jacket. The woman didn't look like she belonged in the small farming town

There was something about the way she was looking at him that made Castiel's stomach flip uncomfortably.

"Looking for someone?" The woman asked. Her rich voice floated above the low grumbles from the rest of the people in the bar.

Castiel fidgeted with his hands and swallowed, the woman smirked. She leaned forward to crossed her arms along the polished countertop.

"Yes. I'm looking for my sister, she went missing this morning. I was hoping someone here might have seen her." Castiel looked straight at the woman. He tried to control his emotions before they gave away his nervousness.

She raised a thin sculpted eyebrow.

"That's not exactly what I thought you were going to say," she looked mockingly defeated. "but I do think I can help an adorable little guy like you. The name's Meg by the way."

Meg walked around the end of the wooden counter and sauntered up next to Castiel. Now he could see that she was also wearing grey high-heeled boots; it was definitely not people wore in the Countryside area. Men wore overalls and flannel shirts while working, women had aprons and wore linen sundresses when it was warm, and children ran around in hand-stitched clothing or hand-me-downs from older siblings. Leather and high-heels were for people in cities, not farmers and their wives.

Meg gripped the cuff of his shirt and tugged him away from the bar. Up close Castiel could smell her perfume. The strongly floral scent overpowered the dirtiness of the pub, but the sweetness clung to his body and stuffed up his nose. It made him wish for fresh air and the chance to scratch at his skin.

She pointed out a table in the back. "Those two have been in and out of here since I opened this morning. If anyone saw your sister, it would be one of them."

Meg left Castiel with a wink, returning to refill an almost comatose man's previous order.

Castiel thought back over their conversation. He assumed Meg had tried to flirt with him, but there was still something unsettling about her that Castiel didn't like.

The noise increased as Castiel made his way to the back of the building. A few odd looks made their way over to him, but no one said anything. He waded through thick cigarette smoke and narrowly missed a bearded man falling out of his chair from passing out drunk on route to the table Meg had pointed out to him.

Unfortunately, if Castiel saw little Mary Anne again, he would have to thank her. Even though most patrons of the pub drank themselves into a stupor, they always seemed to know every little thing that happened around the farming town. Anna had once mentioned that the men in the pub gossiped more than a knitting circle filled with elderly women.

The lights in the pub were dimmed to the point that Castiel couldn't see the men's faces until he stood directly in front of their table. One of the men didn't look like he belonged in such a seedy place. He looked about the same age as his oldest brother, his dark hair neatly trimmed, and his newer looking clothes freshly washed. The only thing not tidy on the man was a light spray of black stubble across his jaw. There was twinge of familiarity in the man's face. When he saw Castiel, he grinned in an uncannily similar way to Meg. On the strange man, the smile was even more unsettling.

The man opposite him was the picture of an old drunk, he could have been anywhere between the age of forty and a hundred. He had patched-up pants and a dirt stained shirt, small beady eyes, wrinkles as deep as old scars which covered the entirety of his face his face, and stringy grey hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Yellow crooked teeth lay behind a squinted sneer.

The younger man spoke first.

"Can I help you?" His voice was smooth and drawn out.

The older one huffed. "More like 'what do you want.'" He had a short coughing fit before continuing. "Well…go on."

Castiel drew his shoulders back a bit more. His father drilled into his head that it was improper to slouch, even in an informal environment. It help in pretending to be brave too.

"I was told you men might be able to help me locate my sister, Anna." He tried ignore their uncomfortable gazes and kept his voice even.

"That depends," muttered the older man. Panic flooded through Castiel's veins, and he tensed up. He never expected them to want anything in return for a small piece of information. He didn't have any money and nothing to trade. "Is this the same Anna with that long red hair and's always wandering around the town?"

Castiel forced his body to relax relaxed.

The younger man spoke up. "Oh, you mean her? I never knew she had a brother. A bit of a prude, that Anna."

Anger replaced Castiel's previous worry.

"All the times I complimented her, and she just brushed me off." The man had the nerve to look offended. "Seems she's too stupid to see the potential. Such a shame, she's quite beautiful."

All logical thoughts left Castiel's head before he surged forward. Castiel gripped the man by his starched collar and heaved him out of his seat. When the man stood his full height, he was almost a half head shorter that Castiel.

Castiel wasn't exactly short nor was he scrawny even for his age. He thanked the years of physical training at Academy for that. Those years had also taught Castiel how to take down a man in one move, and Castiel wasn't afraid to give a demonstration.

"If you say one more thing about my sister, your face will be so bloody and bruised no one will be able to look at you, or even recognize you." Castiel fumed.

He hated when he saw scumbags like the man in front of him terrorize young women. It made Castiel irate to know it happened to his sister.

The man laughed. "Don't worry. She won't be rejecting me for long. Eventually everyone gets a little piece of me."

"He's not worth your energy." he said. The elderly man stopped Castiel before he could do something to harm the dark haired man. Castiel looked away from the man still caught in his tight grasp. The old man was right. The guy in front of him didn't even deserve Castiel's attention. "I know where your sister went."

Castiel looked to the younger man, and with a last surge of anger Castiel shoved him against the solid wall. A crack rung out as the man's skull hit the hard surface. When Castiel let go, the now unconscious man slid down the wall until he laying partially on the floor.

A few other patrons in the pub saw what Castiel did, but no one called him out. Castiel did see Meg smirking from behind her place at the bar. Fights weren't uncommon in the area.

The older man wasn't fazed by Castiel's outburst either. He seemed rather relieved and merely took a drink from his glass after Castiel sat down opposite of him.

"About time someone knocked him down a few pegs." The man coughed again.

Castiel could only smile, which was nothing more than a quick upturn of his lips, in return from the shame and embarrassment that came from the aftermath of him lashing out. Perverts like the black haired man always tainted the goodness in the population around them. Someone had to punish them.

"You know where my sister is?" asked Castiel.

The old man cleared his throat. "Yes, she walked in a little while after I did and-"

"Wait, Anna was at this pub?"

He glared at Castiel.

"Look kid. Like I was sayin' before, your sister walked in after me and sat right over there." He pointed to booth in the darkest corner a few tables away. "She was talkin' to a guy, but I couldn't see his face. She was actin' she knew him. I couldn't hear what they were sayin' either."

Castiel had no idea why Anna would ever enter a place like this just to talk to someone.

"They talked for a good long while too. Got pretty into whatever they were discussing. After a while, some Union people came in with a few Guards and Anna and whoever she was with tried to escape out the back. The Guards caught her, but the man got away."

Castiel's heart fell. Whatever Anna found herself in the middle of, got her captured by an Officer. Nothing good ever happened to those who were taken away.

"Where were the Guards from?" Castiel said quietly.

The man smiled sadly. "From what I could tell, the Winchester Manor."

Now he felt like he was going to be sick. Not only was Anna caught by a Union Officer, but also private Guardsmen to the governing family. The only thing more powerful than the Winchesters was the Union itself. This was not good, really not good.

"Tell me where they took her," demanded Castiel. Time was now running out for his sister

A stern look crossed the man's face. "Don't you get mad at me now. I'm the one trying to help."

Castiel settled in the seat that the unconscious man had occupied. The old man continued.

"A few minutes after the Officer and Guards left, a friend of mine stopped by to pay me a visit. He mentioned seeing a Union car heading up north on the main road. So my best guess? They took her back to the Manor."

Castiel was up before the man could say anything else. He ran out the door and unhitched his horse without looking back.

The sky was now entirely dark; the sun had completely set while he had been inside that dreadful place. Castiel was glad to finally be out of there. The stars high above Castiel's head shined brightly against the night sky like the embroidery on his cloak. Castiel saddled his horse and spurred Grace into action leaving the pub in dust.

He only stopped one time when he was beyond the town's limits. Turning right would take him to the Winchester Manor and left would eventually bring him back to his bed. Castiel merely paused for a second. He headed north to unknown territory and to unknown dangers. He wasn't quite ready to give up Anna just yet.

...

No one in town had ever been to or seen the Winchester Manor in years, not since the family moved to the Manor permanently. Grand parties had once been held during the summer months when the Winchesters visited. Now no one was ever invited to the Manor.

And the last time anyone saw a member of the Winchester household was at the funeral for Mary Winchester, beloved wife of the Commander. Since then advisers and other high ranking officials close to the Winchesters handled all public affairs and gave orders on their behalf.

Mary Winchester's untimely death left behind a grief-stricken husband, two young motherless sons, and a sorrow filled nation. Castiel could still remember the day the news about the Commander's wife reached him. He had only been thirteen at the time and deeply engrossed in his studies at the Academy.

If there was one specific thing people of the little farming community liked to gossip about the most, it was the Winchesters. The amount of rumors about the ruling family ebbed and flowed like the water in a lake, but there was always someone spreading a new story.

Castiel was always told that Mary was most the beautiful and amiable woman in all of the nations under the Union, and that she often balanced out her husband's rougher qualities. He knew she was greatly loved among all the citizens, but it didn't compare to the love her sons had for her.

Before Mary's passing stories that sifted through the cities about the Winchesters were positive and kind. Now years later, nothing good was ever said about the family. Their once great leader became an unfriendly recluse and had locked his two sons up with him.

Cool night air whipped around Castiel as he galloped down the hard dirt road. If it was any colder, he would've seen his breath fog up in the air. When the road hit the forest, he pulled Grace's reigns to slow her to a stop.

"Whoa there, girl."

She neighed and shook her mane out. Her muscles were tight and her breathing was slightly labored. Grace wasn't use to going such long distances at one time. Castiel patted her strong shoulders and urged her to slowly walk forwards.

Interlocking branches hanging overhead form a netted canopy that prevented any light given off by the stars and moon from reaching the ground. The air surrounding Castiel was filled with the sounds of insects and nocturnal birds. If Castiel wasn't so worried about his sister, he would've found the forest relaxing.

After a few miles he spotted a break in the trees that lined the sides of the dirt road. Castiel expected a black paved private driveway, or even a continuation of more dirt like the road he was currently on, but the path was cleared out just wide enough for a compact Union car to use, and without the obvious tire tracks in the dirt, it could have passed as a well used deer trail.

Castiel felt like he was being watched as he waited at the mouth of the road. A quick glance around revealed nothing but trees. He thought he heard the humming of an engine off in the distance, but Castiel let himself believe it was an insect.

The trail seemed to extend infinitely. It twisted and turned, treading between trees, and at one point the path followed alongside a deep creek. Even with unknown dangers ahead and surrounded by near darkness, Castiel could imagine the beauty. He could imagine a warm summer afternoon when the sun was high in the cloudy blue sky, the trees were bursting full of bright green leaves and life. But it wasn't summer, it was cold, and all the leaves were dead.

When the trail finally straightened out, the forest wasn't as dense as it had been before. In front of Castiel rosea small incline preventing him from seeing any further down the path. Every step upward on the road became looser and rockier. Castiel swung his leg over the back of his horse and dropped to the ground. He figured it wouldn't hurt to give Grace a break since they couldn't have been very far away from the Manor.

Castiel was amazed by what he saw when he reached the top of the hill. In a valley sat a vast lake surrounded by additional wooded areas; the water of the lake was a sea of diamonds in the moonlight. More hills ringed around the top of basin enclosing the region like a crater. The whole valley had to be at least a mile across, if not two. But most impressive thing he saw, though, was the enormous Winchester Manor sitting in the center of the water.

And Castiel had to admit the whole layout was well thought out. It was easy to defend from revolters as well as reporters. The path Castiel was currently on was the sole road, in or out, and where it hit the edge of the lake, it was heavily protected by two Guard posts and a huge iron gate. Beyond the gate, the road stretched on for what looked like a half mile before meeting another Guard station. The road looped around the Manor and ended at what looked to be a huge garden and open lawn area which backed up against the forest.

Even from the distance, Castiel could see some of the larger details. Trimmed evergreen trees lined the stony bridge-like road leading to the Manor and the geometrical shaped island. Curls and coils weaved together to form the gate at the bottom of the hill. The Manor and the grassy lawns surrounding it looked like they were all symmetrical. The Winchester Manor was striking simply bathed in moonlight. Castiel wondered what it looked like up close and in the day.

He ran down the sloped drive into the valley while pulling Grace along behind him. At the bottom, the trees grew thick again and stopped at the rocky waterline of the lake. Castiel dropped the reins and dashed to the closed gate when he reached the shore. Through the wall of iron, Castiel could see the Manor more looked more like a story book castle than a rich family's summer house.

Castiel thought it looked lonely. The unlit windows and dulled colors made it appear uninhabited. Castiel knew Anna was somewhere inside the Manor. But he needed to get past the gate first.

In frustration, Castiel shook the imposing metal bars. The gate didn't even rattle.

"Let me in! I need to see Anna." He yelled out, hoping someone from the Manor would hear him.

He was about to try again when someone stepped out of the shadows along the side of the Guards' station.

"Sir, I going to need you to step away from the gate," commanded the man. He had a strong jaw, closely trimmed hair, and bulging muscles under stone-grey fatigues with the Winchester crest patched onto the sleeve. When Guard spoke, he sounded like he grew up in the South, a place very far away from where they were currently.

"No." Castiel turned around from the Guard and attempted to shake the gate again. "I'm not moving until someone let's me in to see my sister."

Something flashed across the Guard's face but it disappeared in the same second.

"Please. I don't want this situation to get messy. Just follow me, then we can have ourselves a little talk."

Castiel slowly shook his head. The Guard audibly huffed and Castiel could tell he was getting irritated, but he turned his attention away from Castiel at the thud of approaching footsteps.

Two Union Officers with matching black suits and menacing smiles strolled out of the second Guard post, which was closer to the bank of the lake than the iron gate. Both Union officers dwarfed in physical size compared to the Manor Guard.

The shorter of the two Officers spoke first. "Yeah, he's the one."

"Stand down, Gaurd. We have it from here," said the other officer. He walked over and rested a hand on the Guard's shoulder. "Good job keeping him still. Looks you can follow orders after all."

The comment wasn't a compliment.

The shorter Officer sauntered over to Castiel and called over his shoulder to his partner, "What did the boss say to do with him?"

"Chain him up and throw him in the basement." Both Officers were now standing beside the Guard preventing Castiel from trying to get back to Grace. "Boss said he would've been here sooner if not for the little obstacle that delayed him."

Castiel didn't have time to figure out what they were talking about. All he cared about was finding his sister.

"It's settled. Grab him."

The Officers surged forward pinning Castiel against the gate. They tried to take hold of his arms, but Castiel kicked out and threw his one of his elbows up effectively hitting an Officer in the face.

The taller of the two Guards stumbled back clutching his nose; his blood was black as black as ink in the darkness.

Castiel continued to struggle desperately to get away. He might never see Anna again if he got thrown in prison. Every time he pulled away the Officer holding him gripped his arms tighter.

"Well don't just stand there like an idiot. Subdue him. Knock him out or something." The Officer with the bleeding nose barked at the Guard.

The last thing Castiel saw before a fist connected with his head was one of the Officers dodging out of the way when Grace kicked out as he reached for he reigns.

He thought he saw a slightly apologetic look on the Guard's face, but he blacked-out completely.

A thundering bang brought Castiel back to consciousness. He was being hauled a corridor with a floor tiled with marble and a thick, running carpet to dampen their steps. Light from dimly lite sconces attached to plastered walls reflected off the polished floor. Two men in grey Guard uniforms held him up as he was carried down the hall. One of them was the Guard from the gate, and on the opposite side was a younger man who had long hair pulled back into a small ponytail.

They whispered back and forth, as to not attract the attention of the Union officers marching ahead of them.

"And why did you have to punch him again?" asked the younger Guard.

"Just thought it'd be easier."

"Yeah, it's easier when you don't have to carry the kid."

Castiel slide back to unconsciousness when a sharp pain flared up on the side of his face and radiated down his spine. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but even in the low light Castiel felt like he had been staring into the sun for too long.

The second time Castiel woke up, he didn't open his eyes right away. He felt his head being cradled in a soft lap and warm hands stroking his hair. But when he finally did open his eyes, Castiel thought he was dreaming.

"Anna?" His voice was weak.

Anna smiled from her place above him. "Castiel, my stupid, thick-headed, wonderful, little brother, I thought I told you not to look for me?"

A sliver of moonlight streamed in from the window behind his sister's head. It made her look like an angel.

"Did you really expect me not to try to look for you?" Castiel fought through a wave of nausea when he tried to sit up. His head felt sluggish and his mouth was stuffed with cotton.

"Of course I did" As Anna leaned back against a rough stone wall, her smile faltered. "But this time I hoped you'd listen. Everything is going to be fine. Trust me."

Now Castiel was getting angry at Anna, he had just found her and she was treating Castiel like a child. She always said everything would turn out okay and not to worry. How was everything supposed to turn out fine when they were locked in the basement one of the most heavily Guarded buildings in the entire world?

"Trust? How am I supposed to trust you when the outcome doesn't look so favorable right now?" He tried to keep himself from yelling.

"Faith, Castiel. Just have a little faith."

"Faith in wh-"

Castiel was interrupted when the doors of the basement opened. The siblings heard the click of shoes on stone echoing off the walls and held their tongues. When the footsteps hit the bottom of the staircase, they continued at a leisurely pace finally stopping in front of their cell.

"It looks like we meet again. Castiel, was it?"

Instead of angry, Castiel was confused. The disembodied voice belonged to no one that Castiel knew. And whoever owned that voice wasn't from any place close. It sounded similar to the accent of one of his father's oldest friends who lived across the Atlantic Ocean in the Union nation governed by the Britians.

When the man stepped out from the shadows, Castiel thought he was hallucinating from his head injury. It was the man from the pub that Castiel left a dazed mess on the floor.

"You can call me Crowley."

"But…I"

"Wasn't who you were expecting? I'm flattered by the way. And I understand your confusion. I couldn't do a little undercover work with the chance I might be recognized by some pathetic farmer. I think it's the accent." Castiel figured out why Crowley seemed familiar. He was a high ranking Union official who specialized in containment and dispersion of revolts and protests.

It didn't explain why he was here talking to Anna and him.

Anna stood up. "Undercover work? Is that why you've been following me this past week?"

"Part of the reason, I had to make sure you were the person I was looking for. Then I stuck around for a bit at that appalling excuse for a pub waiting to see if your accomplice came back to look for you. It was my lucky day when your darling little brother walked right up to me. It helped that the owner of the place was in need of some money, though I didn't plan on Castiel getting so offended. I would have been here sooner to question you two, but I had needed a wardrobe change." Crowley gestured to his new clothes. His expensive and trimly cut black suit blended into the darkness around him. The Union insignia pinned to his blood red tie gleamed as it caught a ray of light. "And I wasn't lying when I said Anna was beautiful."

Anna had to help Castiel stand. He was too weak to do anything else.

"Unfortunately, you and your brother will be spending the rest of your pathetic lives in prison for crimes against the Union."

The basement doors opened again preventing Castiel from questioning both Anna and Crowley.

Footsteps, lighter and quicker than before bounded down the steps. A blonde haired girl, no younger than Castiel, stood next to Crowley. She wore the grey uniform of the Manor's Guard.

She held a set of large metal keys in her hand. "The Commander wishes to speak to you, Crowley, and the prisoners."

The female Guard had the same apologetic look as the male Guard from the gate. She brushed past Crowley on the way to unlock their prison. Anna braced Castiel up as they left the chilly cell. Castiel's headache had faded some, but walking still made him dizzy.

The two women gave each other undecipherable looks as they crossed paths.

"If you would follow me, please. I'll take you to the study." The Guard turned, made her way through the shadows, and up to the main level of the Manor

Crowley brought up the rear as the small group wound through the Manor. Castiel saw he was right about the place looking sad. Everything was richly furnished and there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt on anything, but it didn't look lived in. There were no marks on the painted walls or scratches on the wooden furniture. Walking through the halls, Castiel felt he was in an old museum rather than someone's home.

The group, with the female Guard still leading, turned at the end of one of the two long wings and walked up a few short flights of rickety steps to the fifth story of the Manor. The blonde haired Guard ushered Crowley and the two siblings down a shorter hallway and into a large circular room. Castiel guessed they were at the top of one of the four towers located at the corners of the Manor.

The only source of light in the room came from a wide window that stretched from the wooden floor to the ceiling. A man's dark outline stood out against the brightness of the moonlight.

Castiel didn't need anyone to tell him that it was Commander John Winchester, the leader of the Western Federation.

His wide shoulders were set firmly and he held his hands behind his back as he faced the window. Thick drapes covered the rest of the windows that lined the walls of the room. The female Guard slipped in line with other grey-clad Guards who stood against the covered windows. The only thing Castiel could make out in the almost darkness was a bulky desk and a high-backed chair behind it. He also saw an older man sitting on one of many plush couches that formed a semicircle in the middle of the room.

"Crowley" The Commander's voice was gravelly and tired sounding.

It must have been well into the night.

Crowley stood a little straighter then took a step forward. "Sir," he didn't sound as nearly as respectful as he should have.

"Thank you for coming, but your services are no longer needed. I suggest you collect your team and leave in the first thing in the morning."

"I think I'll decline that suggestion. I was given orders to-"

"You are not at a Union base at the moment, you are at my home. That means you will follow my orders." The Commander kept his voice even but the intent was clear. "You've done what you came here to do, and I'll personally handle the rest. You're dismissed."

Crowley didn't try to object again. He turned to exit the study.

But before he completely walked through the doorway, Crowley faced the rest of the room and stated, "You know, you can't try to save them all. You're no better than the rest of us"

The Commander didn't move a muscle until a few moments after Crowley had left the room. He tilted his head slightly to address the rest of the room.

"Anna, do you understand what has to happen now?" The man sounded now different, less authoritative and commanding, but still exhausted.

Castiel's sister nodded. "Yes, just promise nothing will happen to my brother."

"I promise he'll be safe."

None of what they were saying was making sense.

"Ash, take two other men besides Benny and Jo and please escort the young man back to his house, but be as discreet as you can. And Jo, take Miss Anna to the room she'll be staying in."

Castiel was sure that Anna had done nothing wrong and wasn't going to let her be falsely accused.

He stumbled a few steps towards the Commander. "No, wait! You can't take her."

The Guard closest to Castiel stepped to him, but Commander Winchester held his hand up.

"My sister has done no wrong, so if you are going to keep someone as your prisoner, take me instead."

Anna grabbed his arm. "No, Castiel. You don't know what you're doing."

"Yes. I do know what I'm doing, Anna. I'm not a child."

The old man on the couch slowly stood up and held a whispered conversation with the Commander at the window. Eventually, the older man sat back down.

Commander Winchester spoke again, "Very well, Castiel. You will be trading your sister's place as my prisoner. Ash, will you now take Anna home."

A Guard next to the door stepped forward and motioned to the two other Guards immediately to his left and right to join him. Anna quickly grabbed onto Castiel before the Guards could touch her.

"You can't do this. Castiel, please. Let them take me." Castiel had never seen his sister look so desperate before.

He hung his head, not able to look anyone in the eyes. "It's your time to have a some faith in me."

The three Guards gently pulled a near hysteric Anna from the room. Castiel stumbled to the closest seat and fell into it, cradling his head in his hands. He didn't see the older man slowly shaking his head, or the remorseful look on the Commander's face. After a few long minutes, someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was the women from the basement, she must have been Jo. Castiel got up and follow her without a single protest.

He made a choice, and he had to stick with it.

Castiel didn't even remember the walk to his newly assigned bedroom. In one heartbeat he was in the study, staring at the back of the man who forbade him from leaving the property of the Winchester Manor and by the next beat, Castiel was alone in a bedroom much larger than the one back at his old house.

He kicked off his shoes then slid under the warm sheets of an unfamiliar bed still fully clothed. In another thump of his aching heart, Castiel was fast asleep.