Castiel had prayed daily that this day would never come. As expected, those prayers unfortunately remained unanswered.
The suitors had arrived. Prince Castiel could hear the announcement from inside the castle walls, and a pang of uneasiness set across his chest. He was standing on the platform in front of everyone - watching uneasily as the crowd swarmed around the room buzzing with conversation.
He straightened his white gold trimmed jacket, smoothing the edges that sat over his waistband. His tailored outfit was pristine and matching throughout, just like his mother had ordered. Castiel ran a hand through his flatly styled dark brown hair, ruffling it in a small act of defiance.
He hadn't asked for any of this - why would he? All his life, he'd been confined to the castle, only ever venturing into the town whenever Gabriel had been sent to watch over him. Castiel considered Gabriel a good friend. Always willing to look the other way when Castiel wanted to wander the marketplace alone, hidden beneath his cloak, even though he doubted very much that he would be recognised.
His mother, the Queen, would never allow him to socialise with the outside world.
Yet, now she wanted him to marry someone that he'd never met before. All for the sake of keeping up the reputation of the royal family and uniting the lands. Was that really worth Castiel's freedom? Or, what little of it he ever had, anyway.
His mother had often argued that she was doing this for his own good, and that once he took a wife, he would be crowned king of Equiden. Nobody ever asked Castiel what he wanted. Even as King, his mother would still take control of his every move.
The royal court was full to the brim with guests. The usually regal room was cluttered with people dressed in majestic outfits - the men outfitted in clothes of all colours and patterns and the women in dresses of chiffon and silk, most corseted and tight around their waists. The room itself - large enough to fit an entire house - seemed much more confining to him than usual. Of course, Castiel never did enjoy the company of others. Solitude was much more calming.
He glanced to his left, where a crowd of people were gathering in front of the large oak doors that held the entrance and exit to the court room. He found himself longing to pass through them, to escape back into the solitude of the castle - but he couldn't yet. His lack of presence would be picked up on far too quickly.
He focused, instead, on the ceiling. Castiel had always admired the artwork around the castle, from the beautiful tapestries that hung throughout the corridors to the patterns, textures and sculptures fixed to the walls and above. The ceiling in the court room was always his favourite, though. He couldn't explain why. Maybe it was the fact that the pale blue sky painted there brought him peace, calmed his mind. Maybe it was the angels, perched on the clouds and looking down on him with curious gazes. He always longed to join them. They looked serene.
The grand double doors at the entrance opened with ease, the crowd surrounding them parting to make way for the oncoming visitors. Castiel sighed, watching as his future stormed its way into his sanctuary in the shape of three carriages. One green, one black and one blue. His heart hammered unpleasantly, threatening to escape from his chest, and the knot in his stomach tightened. The three women being helped out of them by their servants looked anything but kind.
The brown haired one from the green carriage looked up at him first, and her lips fell into an easy smirk. Castiel nodded in her direction, clasping his hands together in front of him, as though they would stop him from falling apart. There was something sinister about the way she leered at him.
As for the other two - the redhead barely glanced at him with a gaze of mild intrerest, and the jewellery clad woman was staring at him with a look that could only be described as possessive. It made Castiel's insides quiver with discomfort.
His mother took her place to Castiel's left, her hands held out in a welcoming gesture, a warm smile directed to the new guests. An act.
The Queen was wearing a newly tailored outfit, that she had demanded to be made for this night. It was a long red satin number, the tented skirt closing in on her slender hips, meeting the gold laced corset around her waist. Rich and elegant, the way she always wanted to be seen by her subjects. If only they knew of her darker nature.
"Welcome, princesses. Welcome to the Kingdom of Equiden!" Castiel's mother spoke with an air of serenity, quite of which one would expect from the Queen. "Princess Meg of Demanion - how lovely to see you."
The Queen smiled, gesturing for Princess Meg to come forward. The brown haired woman complied, sauntering forward to the raised platform and taking her place to the right of the Queen.
"Princess Anna of Dunkirk!" The Queen's voice rung out. The redhead stepped up. "And Princess Naomi of Havana." The third woman walked forward gracefully, her eyes still focused on Castiel.
Her smile radiated towards the three women beside her, and she lowered her hands to turn to her son. Castiel forced a look of interest towards her.
"My son, Prince Castiel of Equiden, will now invite each of you to dance with him." She turned back to the princesses. "He will also spend ample time with each of you throughout the evening in order to come to an informed decision by midnight, and he will wed the chosen suitor in two days time."
As Castiel felt his whole body tighten more and more as her speech went on. She was speaking to the entire room now, praising this so called "joyous occasion" and giving words of splendour and glory. His gaze returned to the angels on the ceiling - focusing on the soft feathered wings of the angels, thinking about how he longed to just fly away and escape from this reality.
The room was silent now. Castiel flinched, returning his attention to his mother, who was gazing at him expectantly. Castiel stepped forward obediently, as Princess Meg stood before him. Taking her arm, he stepped with her from the platform and onto the dance floor, where the crowd parted to give them space.
The music began - it was a slow brass number that he didn't recognise. He took Princess Meg in his arms and led her around the dance floor with less grace than anyone would have expected from a Prince. The whole ordeal felt very unnatural. If the Princess in his arms had noticed, it wasn't showing in her expression. She was staring Castiel down as they moved around the floor, her lips curled up.
As the music ended, Castiel bowed and Princess Meg curtseyed, taking her leave to be replaced by Princess Anna.
If Castiel thought that this dance was going to be less awkward, he was sorely mistaken. Princess Anna fixed her gaze on him, but she didn't smile. Her stare was cold and hard. What little chemistry he had with the last Princess was proving to be far much more than this one. Of course, Castiel figured that Princess Anna wanted to be here as much as he did. She curtseyed swiftly at the end of the song, and Princess Naomi was in her place almost immediately.
Castiel had to strain himself from shuddering at the penetrating stare he was receiving. Naomi's bright blue eyes locked into his own, bearing into him. Her grip was a little tighter than the other two, and he winced slightly as she gripped his hand in what could only be described as a manner of holding on for dear life.
The music stopped once more. Castiel parted from the Princess, who flinched as though to reach him again, but seemed to stop herself, instead laying a graceful curtsey before him and taking her leave, her eyes never straying from his. It was very disconcerting.
The crowd poured into the dance floor, the men and women swaying with the music - now more upbeat. Castiel took the opportunity for solitude, slipping through the doorway into the dimly lit stone passages of the castle.
He wasn't even sure where he was going - he just let his feet carry him in a daze of panic. He had to get away. This wasn't right. Surely to marry someone implied that they were in love. How could Castiel love any of these women? Princess Meg was... sinister, to say the least. Princess Anna was cold and absent, and Princess Naomi was... pushy? Possessive? Greedy? It was difficult to pinpoint her motives.
His feet carried him through the lower west wing of the castle, the red carpet below his feet stretching out before him, willing him to climb even further from the court room. He wondered if anyone was looking for him now. He found it difficult to care. He was taking as much time as he could before his mother sent someone to pull him back to his doom.
Castiel was so lost in his thoughts, that he barely noticed when he collided with someone, stumbling to the ground with an ungraceful thump. The other man was on the floor now too, his green eyes penetrating Castiel's blue. The two men froze, locked in a gaze of wonder and awe. They were so close - their chests almost touching - that Castiel should have felt uncomfortable and removed himself instantly. Instead, he was frozen to the spot, taking in the man's appearance.
This man could only be described as beautiful. His eyes reminded Castiel of the greenest grass in the castle gardens - a sanctuary he visited often, partaking in the fantasy of escaping to a far off land. His outfit - a darker shade of green than his eyes - casual and a little rumpled. Not like anyone he had ever encountered within the castle walls. The light freckles on his face complimented him perfectly. What intrigued him most about the man though, was how his forehead was creased with worry, his eyebrows knit together. He seemed elsewhere. He was looking for something - someone? Whatever it was, it seemed to mean a great deal to the man.
"Apologies." Castiel broke the brief silence, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to pull the other man to his feet. "I-"
"He's there!" Castiel heard someone shout as the green-eyed man made to grasp his hand, following with some clinking of armour scattering towards them. The other man's eyes widened, his mouth parted as though he was about to speak, but one of the castle guards hauled him to his feet.
"Dean Winchester." Castiel shuddered as the deep authoritative voice of Raphael rung through the corridor. The right hand to the Guard Captain, Michael. This man was clearly in a lot of trouble.
The man - Dean - scowled at the guards now surrounding him, flinching at their touch. "What, you gonna lock me up for walking?" he growled, his voice sending butterflies to Castiel's stomach.
Raphael barked a chilling laugh, curdling Castiel's stomach. "We're going to do a lot more than lock you up, boy. We've been trying to get our hands on the evasive Dean Winchester for years!" He was circling Dean now, with a mocking smile on his face. "Now now, Dean. Breaking into the castle? Treason worthy of hanging."
"No," Castiel heard himself gasp, unable to stop the word from escaping his mouth.
"Your Highness?" Raphael turned to Castiel, bowing slightly.
"I-" Castiel began. How could he get them to let him go? More to the point, why was this affecting him so much? He had seen people being executed for less. Of course, he'd never been happy about that either, but the thought of that fate awaiting this man that he had just met was sending panic through his entire being. He had to stop it. He had to rescue him. "I command that you let him go. Let him return to the village."
Dean gazed enquiringly at Castiel, who pretended not to notice. He couldn't give himself away. Not now. Three women all competing to win his hand in marriage, and Castiel was more interested in this man who appeared to have all the grace of an elephant. Why? He had to find out. Castiel was always too curious for his own good.
"We can't, your highness." The second guard, whose face Castiel did not recognise, spoke up. His grip remained firmly on Dean. "I apologise profusely. The Queen's orders are to take this man to the dungeon to await trial."
Castiel knew the hidden meaning in these words. Trials were never fair. Once the Queen decides you are guilty, you are as good as dead. If the Queen had already made up her mind on this, then it was final. Dean would be hanged.
Castiel would not allow it.
He watched as the two men clutched Dean, pulling him to the left passage leading to the dungeon, and Castiel waited, a plan forming in his mind. Maybe his prayers had been answered after all. He just needed to play it carefully if he was going to get both himself and Dean out of the castle undetected.
I toyed with telling the whole story from Dean's point of view, but Castiel is such a fun character to write, and I do feel that it gives more depth to the story. Thank you to all that have favourited, followed and reviewed so far. If you are enjoying the story, please do let me know! Reviews are a fanfiction writer's currency, after all! I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.