Chapter Warnings – Some Blood

Early January

1290 AD

Dean opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow. He sat up slowly in his bed and rubbed his eyes. It had been only a few months since Castiel had insisted he sleep in his own bed, telling Dean that he was old enough not to have nightmares. The nine year old jumped out of bed and ran quickly to change out of his night clothes as the stone floor was cold against his bare feet. He dressed in a simple tan tunic and leggings knowing that he wouldn't be going outside that day. He figured he could get his chores done and then study near the fire.

Slipping on his boots he ran out of his room and to Castiel's room knocking on the door. He knew his Master was asleep as he usually slept in late into the day. Dean had slowly learned Castiel's sleeping habits, noticing that the man was awake all night and slept in the day and was especially tired when it was sunny out. Days with rain or snowfall was the rare days that Castiel was awake.

Dean entered the room and quickly stumbled out when he realized Castiel wasn't alone in his bed. This wasn't unusual either Dean had learned. Once Dean had started sleeping in his own bed Castiel would sometimes bring home men and women who wouldn't leave until the morning. Dean never asked why they stayed with Castiel, although he was curious of why they were there. Castiel had forbidden him from getting up after bedtime, and Dean knew better than to disobey.

Instead of taking Castiel's clothing to wash he decided to get to work cleaning. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a bucket of water and a rag. Carrying it carefully he nearly splashed all the water as he walked but he managed to reach the dining hall without spilling too much water. He started washing down the large wooden table humming quietly to himself. He thought about what Castiel would do for his birthday later that month. The last couple years that Dean had been there Castiel had celebrated his birthday, giving gifts to Dean and giving him the day off.

The first year Dean had been with Castiel, when Dean turned eight, Castiel had bought him a book. Books were rare and often expensive gifts and even though Dean had only started to learn how to read when he received it he had cherished it greatly. He was still having a hard time reading it but that didn't mean he didn't try. Castiel would often find the boy curled up in some corner of the castle trying to read it.

It was strange to Dean to celebrate his birthday, even though he didn't know the exact day. His parents couldn't afford to get him anything for his birthdays before and they often just gave him a hug and an extra serving of dinner to celebrate. Dean had tried to find out when Castiel's birthday was but the man had told Dean that he was so old that he had forgotten. Dean thought this was strange, Castiel didn't look even older than his parent's.

His thoughts were interrupted as a man Dean had never seen before stumbled into the room his clothing hanging off his body. He was pale and Dean could see blood all over his skin and clothes. The man was young, fit and handsome and Dean recognized him as the man from Castiel's bedroom. Dean felt fear run through him at what this man might do to him as it seemed he wasn't in his right mind. The boy fell back onto the floor and began to scream for Castiel.

Within seconds Castiel was in the room grabbing the man and pulling him away from the frightened boy. Dean watched as Castiel dragged him away back down the hallway. He didn't move even while he heard the screaming coming from the pale man. A few moments later there was silence and Castiel was back in the room. Dean jumped up and ran over to Castiel but stopped short when he saw a small smear of blood across Castiel's bottom lip and chin.

"Are you alright?" Dean asked taking the damp rag and bringing it up to wipe Castiel's face free of the blood. Castiel grabbed his wrist and shook his head.

"I'm fine. Do not worry about me." Castiel ordered pushing the confused boy away. The older man ran his tongue along his lower lip, licking it clean of the blood as he turned and left the room. Dean stood there in shock wondering what exactly had happened. He was scared of why Castiel had blood on him when he didn't have any wounds and he was worried about the man that seemed to have been badly injured. The boy wasn't going to ignore it and he ran after Castiel.

"Master!" Dean called out making Castiel stop. The man sighed and turned back to him raising an eyebrow.

"What is it now?" He asked.

"I was wondering if that man will be okay? He seemed really hurt." Dean asked looking behind Castiel to see if the man was there. Castiel hissed and grabbed Dean by his arm pulling him down the hall. Dean began to panic afraid he had upset Castiel and he tried to escape from him. "I'm sorry Sir!" He cried out, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

Castiel ignored Dean and threw him into his own room. The boy fell against the ground and winced in pain. He looked up to see Castiel slamming the door shut behind them and he was worried that Castiel was going to beat him. He scooted back but was stopped when Castiel grabbed his arm again, this time much more gentle.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." Castiel said, his anger from before dissolving completely. He quickly wiped away Dean's tears and smiled. "You need to know that some things...I can't tell you about. Sometimes it will be simply for your own protection and sometimes it will be because you are too young to know." He explained kneeling down in front of Dean.

Dean shook his head confused. "I don't understand. My mother and father would sometimes say I was too young to understand things. I'm old enough to know I promise!" Dean said. Castiel let out a small laugh and pulled Dean into a hug.

"Maybe I will tell you when you are older. A young boy like yourself doesn't need to know some of the things I do." Castiel sighed. He didn't want to scare Dean and he knew the boy would figure out what Castiel was eventually, although he was glad the boy didn't understand why there were strangers in Castiel's bed all the time. "Now why don't you finish cleaning and you can have the rest of the day off?" Castiel asked pulling away.

Dean nodded and as soon as Castiel let him go he ran off to finish his work. Castiel watched him go, his body growing weaker at each moment. He stood up and walked back to his room, collapsing onto the bed. The thick black curtains covering his windows were drawn closed and he relaxed as he closed his eyes. The man was taken of care of, it had surprised Castiel that he was even alive and made it downstairs. He realized he had to be much more careful in the future or else Dean would begin to question him more.

A couple weeks later was Dean's birthday and just as he had suspected Castiel once again gave him a gift and let him take the day off. He had given Dean a small necklace which he adored even though it was odd. The main part was a small glass vial, sealed and with a single emerald on the top of it. The chain was silver which wasn't uncommon but what was strange was what was inside the vial. Dean didn't know what it was exactly, but it almost looked like blood. He asked Castiel about it and the man simply said it was a special charm to keep away bad luck.

Dean didn't mind it, and he kept it under his shirt at all times. He could tell Castiel was happy he wore it as the man's eyes would light up whenever he saw Dean with it. The boy didn't understand why it was so important. His birthday passed quickly and he was soon asleep, curled up with his book. Castiel checked up on him and carried him to his bed. He tucked the boy in and set the book aside onto the bedside table. He touched the vial that was around Dean's neck and sighed. Castiel had only given it to him as a sign that the boy was Castiel's but also to protect him in case Castiel lost it completely.

Castiel blew out the candles plunging the room into darkness. He wondered if he should go find someone to share his bed with that night but he decided against it. He didn't want to bring anyone into the home on this day. Even though Dean was still asleep the entire day was still his and that included the night. He decided to lay down next to Dean, the boy holding onto Castiel as he slept. Castiel figured the boy was having a nightmare and he pulled him close.

"It will be alright." He whispered. "It may seem that the world is a strange place and that it is filled with monsters, but you need to know that you will always have someone who will watch over you until the day you die." Castiel said. "I will. You may not know this, but you will someday. You will see that I will never age, that I will be there beside you even when you are an adult and can fend for yourself. There will be times you won't be able to fight for yourself and I will be there to protect you." He promised.

He laid his head against Dean's and closed his eyes. A few flashes of an image came through his mind and he frowned trying to focus on it. The image of a man, maybe no older than his early twenties came into his mind and he realized that it was Dean. The eyes were the same emerald green, the hair a bit of a darker color, and the same splatter of freckles across his face.

Castiel realized what he was seeing and he knew he had to pull away, seeing the future was a dangerous road for his kind. Yet he was intrigued and focused on the figure even more. The scene changed from just an adult version of Dean standing there to him kneeling on the floor, blood running down from his neck. Castiel could almost taste the blood in his mouth, and he could hear this version of Dean calling his name. It sounded like he was out of breath, that he was having trouble controlling his breathing. Castiel realized exactly what was going on and he jerked away from the boy. He stumbled out of the bed and stared at Dean in horror.

He didn't need to see anything more to know what would happen, it was a scene that had played out many times for Castiel by other people. Castiel felt disgust, he knew he had to prevent that from happening at all cost. Dean was just a boy, yet Castiel's mind reminded him that in a few short years he would be almost grown. He realized that in a decade or so he was going to kill Dean or do worst to him. Castiel shook his head and raced out of the room, his heart racing.

The man leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. All he saw at that point was just a small boy he had saved, but he knew that once Dean was an adult there would be choices he would have to make. There was a chance Castiel would slip up and allow the vision he had come true, to make Dean his even for a night. There was also a great chance he would destroy Dean, drain him of his life...or he would make Dean just like him. Castiel cringed at these choices, each one was worst than the last. He could either take Dean's life or make it miserable. He didn't want this, he didn't want Dean to be thrown into this, it was his job to care for the boy. Castiel knew that only time would tell if his vision would come true or not, and that he would be ready when the time came.