At one point The Heavenly Kingdom was said to be one of the most beautiful kingdoms in all the realms. It had a huge open castle made of polished white marble and gold that at noon each day shone like a beacon of hope and security to it's people- the angelic host. The people were mostly tall and said to be exceptionally beautiful with wings of many colors and shapes. They favored jobs as artisans and made some of the finest and most lovely items in all the lands. Even the poor in their kingdom were given places in poor houses that served bread and clean water to them on order of their royalty. Royalty that seemed to hide behind the surreal beauty and keep the peace through lies and deceit.
Their king, King Chuck, had fathered more sons then any of his many wives could have bared and seemed too easy going for a good ruler. That's why his second eldest son, Lucifer, rose against him and stained the white palace floors red with the blood of his own brothers and killed his father hoping to claim the golden throne for his own. Luckily, the love the people had for their king was strong and they drove him out west to the dark mountains in what was known as the Badlands along with all his followers. Before he was even able to mourn his father ad brothers; Chuck's eldest pure born son was forced to take the throne. The people were uncertain of their new King Michael but pledged allegiance anyway hoping he'd bring them back to peaceful times.
To the north was the Kingdom of Man. Not nearly as pristine as their neighbors, this kingdom was based on loyalty and trust. The people were hard workers and while they were often seen as dirty and uncouth, they loved fiercely and put their heart into everything they did. The castle there was made of hard gray stone and surrounded by flat plains for miles until it suddenly became thick forest. They had other castles from previous generations there but the current was more open and seemed to try to mimic the angelic palace to some degree.
King John ruled over this land with his wife Mary, who was the only woman he had ever loved. They had one son who they named Dean after one of his grandmothers and both loved dearly. When he was three they found out they were expecting another son they decided to call Samuel after one of his grandfathers. Unfortunately, he was born during the war going on in the Heavenly Kingdom. Some of the dark angels, known as demons, were fleeing though their land and one managed to sneak into the nursery where Sam was sleeping. It poisoned him with it's blood and Mary walked in at that time to check on her sleeping prince. She lost her life defending her son and John declared war against the host not knowing the difference between demons and angels at that time.
Years passed and the wars continued neither side gaining much ground until finally Michael ordered halt and offered to make peace with John however he could just wanting the fighting to come to an end. By this time both of John's sons were grown into beloved princes and most of Chuck's other sons had grown into men as well. It was Gabriel, the youngest of the pure-born, sons born of Chuck and his first wife, that suggested marrying some of his brothers to John's sons to form an alliance.
That's why Gabriel paced the hall outside the throne room nervously as his eldest brother and king decided his fate. His large golden wings were messy from his constant fluttering and his golden hair nearly as disarrayed. Finally Michael opened the door and frowned at his brother's appearance as Gabriel looked at him worriedly.
"You look a mess brother. That is no way a prince of our kingdom should appear." He berated but Gabriel gave him no mind.
"So what's it going to be? Did he agree to your terms? Brother, please don't leave me to worry about my fate any longer. Am I leaving?" Gabriel asked at rapid fire and Michael put his hands on his younger brother's shoulders and gave Gabriel a sad smile while nodding.
"You are to be wed to Prince Samuel in two weeks in their kingdom to bridge the gab between our kingdoms and stop the warring between us, but... I also had to agree to another wedding. Castiel will be joining you to be wed to Prince Dean when he comes of age. You are both bringing great honor to our kingdom and I will miss you dearly. Take care of Castiel little brother." Michael said and Gabriel straightened up and nodded knowing it was his duty to the kingdom to follow through with this, plus it had been his idea in the first place. A marriage would bind the kingdoms bringing peace between them and Gabriel had been the only son from their father's first marriage that hadn't already been married. Luckily angels were able to get pregnant despite their gender and therefore he was suitable to marry one of King John's sons and still provide an heir for their throne. Castiel was Gabriel's half brother but his mother had been a noble born and therefore he was still considered a high blood unlike their sister Anna whose mother had been a poor farm woman.
"Thank you. I'll go and pack my belongings. I'll miss you too Mikey." Gabriel said hugging Michael tightly despite the fact it wasn't proper etiquette causing Michael to laugh and hug him back.
"Write often. Life will be much less fun without you here Gabey-Bear." Michael admitted before giving the smaller angel a shove. "Go before I get Raphael to help you pack." He ordered and Gabriel chuckled at the thought of his OCD brother trying to help him of all angels pack.
"What do you mean I marrying him? Dad! He's a he and I'm not gay!" Dean shouted as his father told them the news of the up coming marriages. Sam accepted the fact with silent disapproval but Dean had lost it, surprisingly, since it was often the other way around for them.
"They are different then us. Castiel is known throughout their kingdom as a kind and handsome angel, as well as one of their most skilled warriors. He is also versed in many languages and extremely smart. He will make a fine mate for you Dean and my word has already been given. You will be marrying him once he is of age this winter. Sam is marrying Prince Gabriel next month." John ordered his son and Dean balled his fists looking like he wanted to hit something before huffing and leaving instead. Sam watched his brother and flinched at the slamming of the doors behind him before sighing and looking at his father.
"What is this Prince Gabriel like?" Sam asked curious about the angel he would be spending the rest of his life with and John looked at his younger son tiredly.
"From what King Michael has told me, his youngest full brother is extremely knowledgeable in a great many subjects and languages and he is a very skilled fighter and general. He is also know for his love of humor and pranks. Please Sam try to be an example for your brother and accept Gabriel. It's harder on them coming to our home land to live among strangers, many of which feel bitterly for them due to the wars, than it is for the two of you. Gabriel and Castiel will be arriving tonight and there will be a feast to honor and welcome them to our kingdom. I expect you and your brother will be on nothing less than your best behavior and will make them both feel accepted here." John said before leaving Sam to ponder about his future husband and brother-in-law alone while he made arrangements for them.
Gabriel was nervous but tried to keep himself under control. He was dressed in a white tunic with gold designs along the edges and a golden sun in the center and a pair of white pants to match. His hair had been slicked back so only a few unruly pieces fell onto his forehead. He looked over at where Castiel was sitting across from him looking completely calm as if their whole lives weren't about to change.
"How are you so calm about all this Cassy?" He asked and Castiel gave Gabriel a smile at the nickname. Gabriel and him had always been close and it was comforting they would have each other through everything.
"Our paths have been chosen Gabriel and there is nothing we can do to change them at this point. I will no waste my time worrying over something inevitable. Either Dean will like me... or he won't. We will still be married so, while things will be better if we get along, there is no use in me fretting. I know Samuel and you will get along as long as you try to contain your urge to mess with people. I have heard he is very kind and beloved among his people." Castiel told his older brother comfortingly and Gabriel gave him a semi smile.
"I'm not going to change who I am for someone I've never met. As you said either he will or won't like me. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm more nervous about having to have children. In our kingdom there were enough of us so we weren't all required to have children but here Sam and Dean are the only heirs and they are both going to become kings and need children of their own due to the joint rule King John was telling Michael about. I don't think I'll be a good parent." He admitted as the carriage pulled into the courtyard of the huge stone castle that was going to be their home. Castiel stood straightening his own tunic that looked exactly like Gabriel's except it had blue designs instead of gold.
"You will be a great parent when the time comes Gabriel, I promise. Let's go." He said and Gabriel took a deep breath following his brother out to the beginning of their new lives.
Sam and Dean watched the angels arrive from a window in a upstairs sitting room before Dean turned away pacing as he had been doing since he left the throne room.
"Give him a chance Dean. He's young and might be panicking just as much as you are, plus you know nothing about him. Maybe you two are soul mates. Remember how Adam and Kevin ended up being soul mates even though they hated each other at first? Now they are happily married and they even adopted a child. Castiel can have children just like a woman can and he does look pretty enough... though Gabriel beats him hands down. I forgot how beautiful angels are and Gabriel's wings suit him so nicely. At least we don't have to worry about them being ugly, if nothing else. Come on we need to go introduce ourselves." Sam said forcing Dean to follow him downstairs to meet their future partners.
Gabriel bit his lip as he saw the two princes come down the huge grand staircase recognizing them from descriptions he had gotten from Michael.
"Hello I'm Sam and this jerk is my older brother Dean. Please don't mind him he's really much nicer than he's currently acting. You both just caught him during one of his childish tantrums." Sam introduced and Gabriel and Castiel both bowed deeply in respect causing Sam and even Dean to blush a bit.
"I'm Gabriel and this is Castiel. It's an honor to meet you both." Gabriel said formally while Dean caught Castiel's eyes thinking he's never seen anything so blue before in his life before frowning and turning away as if uninterested causing Castiel to frown in turn feeling less hopeful than he had in the beginning. Sam however made no move to hide as he examined Gabriel causing the shorter angel to blush dark red especially when Sam smiled brightly at him.
"Your wings are beautiful and I like the way they match your eyes and hair." He complimented honestly while offering Gabriel his arm which the archangel accepted immediately. Dean left to his own room so Castiel followed after them remembering what he had told Gabriel. Their fates were set, no matter how much Castiel wanted to stare into Dean's emerald green eyes again.
"Thank you. I can't say I'm not impressed by you either seeing as I've always had a thing for taller men." Gabriel teased before looking at the ground remembering he wasn't supposed to speak out of turn but Sam's laugh eased his worry.
"I'll take you and Castiel to your rooms so you can get refreshed for tonight since my brother is being pig headed. I promise you Castiel he's just having trouble because he's never been with a man before and it's scaring him. Please forgive his behavior." Sam told them both and Gabriel relaxed thinking marrying the giant prince might not be so bad. Castiel smiled happy that his brother's future mate seemed so kind.
"Of course. I forget that your people often chose their mates based off sex. I do not mind and please do not burden yourself with me. I'm sure one of the guards here can escort me to my room so you and Gabriel can get to know one another. I'll see you tonight." Castiel said bowing again as one on the guards lead him away on Sam's order. Sam tuned back to Gabriel feeling slightly nervous now they were alone.
"So I've been told next to nothing about you and I'm sure you'd like to know a bit more about me..." Sam started as he lead Gabriel toward the gardens.
Castiel examined himself in the mirror in his room, wondering if perhaps Dean would feel better should he take a female form. Angel's were not limited to race and could shift between male or female at will but most identified as one sex or the other and Castiel had always felt more comfortable as a male but relationships often required compromise. Letting his form switch over to that of a female Castiel examined himself again. He was curvy with long black hair and delicate features. Using his grace to fix his outfit to fit his new form. He decided to find his brother and wait with him to be summoned to the feast.
Dean bit his lip feeling bad about the way he had treated Castiel. The angel didn't deserve to suffer just because he wasn't Dean's first choice and those eyes... Dean could probably stare into them for hours and not get tired of that color. He made up his mind and left in search of the angel only to find his brother making out with Gabriel in the gardens. "Hey! You two need to keep it in your pants, at least until your married, sheesh. Talk about PDA." He said causing both of them to jump about a foot apart and blush crimson. Sam glared.
"What do you want jerk?" He demanded angry about getting caught even though he and Gabriel were supposed to be married soon anyway.
"Where'd Cas go bitch? I wanna apologize to him for being an ass. It's not his fault he's a dude." Dean said causing Gabriel to cough and Dean's eyes to snap to him.
"What?" Dean asked while Gabriel averted his gaze to a nearby bush.
"Angels don't have a gender, we choose one ourselves, so technically it is his fault he's a guy but..." Gabriel trailed off as Castiel walked over biting her lip shyly.
"Hello Dean." She said and Dean spun around his jaw dropping at the angel's new look. She was beautiful, something straight from his dreams. Her black hair fell loosely to her waist and her eyes were framed by thick black lashes as she stared innocently at him. Her pale skin looked soft. The only thing that was still the same was the color of her eyes and the shimmering blue-black wings that folded carefully against her back.
"You're drooling Dean." Sam teased his brother scooting closer to Gabriel so he could wrap an arm around the angel.
"I thought you may prefer this form better after Samuel said that my preference of a male body was bothering you and I really wish for us to get along if we are going to live our lives out together." Castiel explained and Dean snapped out of the trance smiling softly at the angel.
"Go back to the way you were before Cas. I'd rather you be comfortable and I was being a snobbish ass. Though I have to admit, you make one hot chick." Dean told the angel and Castiel complied smiling at the nickname as he remembered Gabriel saying nicknames were a sign of affection, soon looking like himself again.
"Thank you Dean." He said kindly and Dean smiled.
"Come on or we're going to be late for the feast and our dad will throw a fit. We can talk, or in their case snog, more later." Dean teased causing Sam and Gabriel to blush again while Castiel nodded and they all went to the main hall to present their future partners to their people.