The Fall of the Righteous Man and the Would-be King

Chapter 1: The Plight of Hell

Castiel

My blade cut through demons like a hot wire through ice. Every slash bringing my enemies at my feet. I could sense my angelic grace coursing through every fiber of my being. A majority of the garrison was just a few feet behind me. They were all warring against the onslaught of demons, and soon a pile of dead carcasses erected from victory. We plunged our blades into the hearts of the damned and journeyed deeper into the flaming pits.

Hell was like an empty abyss filled with burning flesh and tortured bodies. I had heard screams off into the distance and knew our goal was well at hand. We reached the epitome of what seemed like an endless chamber of haggard lives thrown up in chains and left to rot.

"Castiel!" Uriel, my liege, called out behind me, "You go on from here, and we'll hold the demons off. If our source is correct, Dean Winchester should be at the bottom of this pit." He went back to exorcising demons, leaving me with my mission.

For centuries I had been tasked with the guardianship of the one Dean Winchester. From the moment he was conceived I had watched over him. He was permanently imprinted in my memory. I memorized every line, every curve. I voyaged into Hell for him, to save him. I didn't realize it at the time, but in some ways I had already felt something for this mortal. It's dangerous for angels to acquire emotions, it constitutes us as human.

"Which we are not, and shall never be." I reminded myself with surprising distaste. I took flight, my wings instantly filling with desecrated air. I plunged into the darkness, searching. The chamber went deep and procured a foul scent. It was if the walls were slowly moving in closer and the lost souls had gained the upper hand. They reached out, clawing and scraping at my sides as I fell through their invisible grasp. The screaming was getting louder until it was deafening. The darkness was closing in, and I could feel the air getting thicker. Suddenly I wasn't flying anymore, I had begun falling.

A frost had begun to build up on my wings. The atmosphere was frigid and all around there was ice. It was searing hot to the touch despite its cool demeanor. I struggled against the cold, fighting the suffocating space. The force of the pressure would not yield and I sensed I was nearing the end.

That was when I saw him…it was as if every part of me faded away. His very being had wrapped around my soul and warmed my heart like milk and honey. My wings cracked as I forced them to open up to fight through the cold. I flew subtly and touched down at Deans limp feet. My spirits dropped when I looked upon his face. He was unconscious with his body hanging just a few inches off the base of the pit. His arms and legs were imbedded with chains and his torso was ripped and torn.

"Oh Dean…" My sorrow voice was just a mere agonized whisper. I couldn't help but reach out and cup his face. I lifted it up and caressed his cheek with my thumb. Dean's eyes opened ever so slightly at the contact, blindly searching. "Sam..?" It was barely audible, and filled with struggle. Dean's voice was raspy as if blood had coagulated in his throat making it hard for him to speak.

"Castiel! We can't hold on much longer! There's too many of them. Quick! Grab him and let's go!" Uriel's voice shattered my trance. I gently let go of Dean's face and summoned all my strength, letting my wings extend to their full span. I grabbed Dean by his shoulder, my hand burned against his mortal flesh. Like a nuclear missile, light exploded from my being breaking the chains encasing Dean's body. Then I leaped into to hallow of Satan's breath and forced my wings to salvation.