The Seal of Pendragon by frostygossamer
Part 2: The Once And Future Dean
That night King Uther holds an impromptu feast to thank Dean and welcome him to Camelot. Dean loves a feast. Food. Drink. Wenches. What's not to like?
Towards the end of the evening Uther turns to his right and huddles with his son. He suggests that they should ask Dean to become a knight of Camelot.
"Far better of Camelot than elsewhere", Arthur agrees.
Uther leans to his left and speaks to Dean. "Master Winchester", he says. "I and my son are grateful to you for your part in today's victory. I should like to ask you to become one amongst the knights of Camelot".
Dean does a double-take then grins broadly. "You're serious?", he asks.
"Certainly", Uther confirms, rising. "Onto one knee please, my friend". The room falls silent.
Barely able to stifle a laugh, Dean kneels on the floor beside Uther's chair and bows his head. He's seen it done in movies, Robin Hood probably, something like that.
Uther unsheathes his sword dramatically and touches him on each shoulder.
"Arise, Sir Dean", he proclaims and the room erupts with applause and cheering. It's a very popular decision.
ooo
Dean has never had so much female attention. Every maiden in Camelot has their eye on him and many of the ladies too. Although few of them understand Latin, he doesn't let that get in his way. The language of love is universal after all. He begins to like life in Camelot.
Dean is now the new court favourite and wows the whole court every night with his mind-boggling tales of daring adventures fighting the evils of magic.
Everyone at Camelot is very taken with Uther's new knight, even Prince Arthur. That is until the day he catches his secret beloved Guinevere twinkling at him across the dinner table, whilst serving Morgana a helping of rabbit stew.
Dean has those sort of eyes that automatically wink at any pretty girl who comes into his neighbourhood and innocent Guinevere is very susceptible to a handsome knight with a naughty smile.
Arthur shifts in his chair agitated and rattles his spoon in his plate of stew to attract her attention away from the older man.
"This is inappropriate", he thinks. "Sir Dean is a fine addition to my band of knights but Guinevere is not going to end up another notch on his bedpost. Not if I can help it".
Later he accosts Dean in the corridor. "I hope you are enjoying our hospitality here in Camelot, Sir Dean", he declares. "My father and I would like you to feel that you can treat the place as your own".
Dean nods. "Oh Sure! You got a great place here. I like what you've done with the drapes".
"However", Arthur continues, ignoring the comment. "There is one thing of mine which is off limits".
"Really?", Dean asks. "And what is that?".
"Guinevere, Lady Morgana's maidservant", Arthur specifies.
"Oh, the busty coffee-coloured beauty?", Dean smirks. "Enough said. Wouldn't want to step on your toes".
Slightly confused by Dean's terminology, Arthur leaves it at that.
ooo
Out on the knight's training field Arthur puts Dean through his paces. He is pleasantly surprised to find that he excels in all forms of hand-to-hand combat. Unfortunately he prowess in archery has been neglected. But Dean is a fast learner and by the end of the day has a respectable grasp of the basics.
Dean also tries to make a friend of surly Merlin, feeling slightly awkward about having a servant pick up after him. He offers to help Merlin carry some of Arthur's stuff back to the castle, but he catches a disapproving glance from Arthur.
"Something else of yours?", he asks mischievously. Arthur misses the point of that remark entirely.
ooo
As Arthur changes for dinner with his father, he talks about the day's training to Merlin. Merlin tries to talk down Dean's fighting skills and praises Arthur's talents, but Arthur isn't really listening to him.
When dressed, Arthur glances out of his window down into the courtyard and spots Dean talking, and evidently flirting, with his Guinevere. Incensed, he rushes downstairs to accuse him.
Finding the pair standing close and Guinevere with her hands on Dean's biceps, Arthur snatches his secret girlfriend away from him and wallops him in the face with his glove.
Dean recoils, rubbing his bruised face, and fixes Arthur with a squinty eye. "I guess that means you're challenging me to a duel, right?", he says, taken aback.
"Indeed!", declares Arthur. "Tomorrow. At dawn. On the tourney ground. To the death!".
And so saying he flounces away, dragging poor silly Guinevere behind him.
ooo
King Uther and the whole complement of Camelot assemble at the tourney ground at sun-up.
Dean is cocky on the morning of the tourney but he hasn't reckoned with the many years that Arthur has trained to fight dressed in a full suit of armour. This is way too much weight for Dean and he is soon on his back with Arthur's chain-mailed foot on his throat. Luckily, Arthur is a noble and magnanimous victor and spares his life, to rapturous applause.
Assuming that his point has now been well made, Arthur generously accepts Dean publicly as an equal and a brother. Dean shakes Arthur's extended hand and they share a manly hug.
Deeply impressed, Uther, overcome by the moment, declares that he has decided to adopt Sir Dean as a second son and Arthur nods his agreement.
Arthur and Dean are then kitted out in matching Pendragon colours and they both look amazing. Everyone is happy, even Dean for once.
Camelot could be heaven for Dean. Wine, women and song. People to save, things to hunt and victims who are actually freakin' grateful. But he thinks about his baby brother wistfully from time to time.
"Oh, Sam will be OK", he tells himself. "Maybe he can ditch the job and get a life now. He doesn't need me".
ooo
Now Arthur has a new big brother and boon companion. Prince Dean is well-established at Camelot and loving it. The two comrades spend every night in the 'Rising Sun' drinking, carousing and debauching the wenches. Dean has invented a new game that looks suspiciously like pool. And the stick up Arthur's arse is starting to dissolve.
Merlin is worried. Arthur's regal hauteur is fading. He is abandoning his princely pomposity for fun. Merlin is no longer his only real friend and no longer has his ear.
This can't be right. The prophecy will never be fulfilled like this. Merlin decides to consult the dragon.
At the hour of midnight Merlin calls to the Great Dragon, who appears looking distinctly peeved.
Merlin explains the situation and the dragon does his booming laugh.
"Tell me, young sorcerer, what is your problem?", he enquires.
"The new prince, Prince Dean is leading Prince Arthur away from his destiny. He's no longer acting like the noble prat that I have come to know and love. He spends all of his time with his adopted brother and he won't listen to anything I tell him anymore. What should I do?", Merlin pleads.
"You may be right, Merlin", the dragon replies. "And it may be true that Arthur's part in the prophesy has changed".
"What do you mean 'changed'?", Merlin asks in surprise.
"Uther likes his new adopted son, perhaps better than he loves his own. Prince Dean is more vigorous, more hard-nosed, more quick-witted and older than Arthur. Uther sees himself in him", the dragon explains. "When Uther dies who will succeed him? Uther is loyal to his own blood but he is even more loyal to Camelot and its future".
"If the prophecy is to come true and Albion is to be united it may be perhaps not be by Arthur, but by another son of Uther", he concludes.
"Oh no! Not by Prince Dean?", Merlin exclaims incredulously.
"Perhaps so, young sorcerer. Prince Dean is a warrior and a hero. I have no doubt he has the makings of a great king. All may yet be well for Camelot", the dragon reassures him.
Merlin is exasperated. "But that cannot be", he shouts. "Arthur is the Crown Prince of Camelot and my loyalty has always been to him. I cannot stand by and let another man fulfil the prophesy, even for Camelot's sake!"
So saying he turns and storms away. He has to do something about this shambles before it is too late.
ooo
Back in Kansas, Sam has subdued the evil spirit guy and has him lashed to a stout kitchen chair, surrounded by a circle of salt.
"Now what?", the guy says. "You gonna off me or what?".
"Don't think I don't want to, but that's not gonna get me my brother back", Sam replies. "I need a while to think, figure out where he vanished to".
Suddenly there's a thump on the roof and the sound of something scraping across the roof tiles. An ear-splitting screech tears the air.
"What the hell?", Sam yells, craning to look up out of the window.
A huge winged shape wheels across his vision. It's some kind of giant bat, no, dragon maybe. "What the freakin' hell?", he swears.
"Well, don't ask me", the guy complains. "I just bought that thing off a dealer. I just wanted something to lose someone's ass. I didn't care to ask where the hell they would go, and he didn't mention anything about a free dino-friggin'-saur!".
"You got it from a dealer?", Sam asks. "Who?".
The guy thinks. "Let me go and I'll tell ya".
"Oh, sure", Sam replies.
The dragon collides with the roof again, angrily.
"I need to call Bobby", Sam thinks, taking out his cell.
Ten minutes later he has part of the answer.
"Bobby thinks that disk was a Celtic Time Seal", he says. "It links here and now with some other time and place. And he thinks Barney out there is probably a griffin and he kinda swapped over with Dean".
He finds a dustpan and brush in a drawer and sweeps up the remains of the red disk.
"It should be possible to use this to reopen the link", he tells his prisoner, like he's interested.
He runs some water into a kitchen bowl and throws the wax fragments in. He recites a short Latin rhyme and the fragments begin to swirl, forming a pattern and then resolving into a picture. And in that picture he can just make out the shadowy figure of a skinny guy with black hair.
ooo
Merlin is in Arthur's bedchamber tidying up Arthur's scattered clothing when he thinks he hears a faint voice coming from the silver water jug beside the bed.
He shakes his head and puts his hands over his ears but when he uncovers them he can still hear it.
He sits on the Arthur's bed and, placing the jug in his lap, he peers inside.
Sure enough a distorted face is visible in the water.
"Hlelo terhe aonyne haer me!", the face gibbers.
"What did you say?", Merlin enquires, in his clearest Latin, "I can't understand you".
"Hello!", the face says, switching to Latin too. "Can you understand me now?". Luckily Sam's Latin is pretty good.
"Y-yes", Merlin replies. "I c-can".
"Great!", the face exclaims. "My name is Sam. What is yours?".
"Merlin", Merlin answers, wondering if he should really be telling his name to this weird apparition.
"Merlin?", Sam asks. "Seriously? You have to be mocking me!". His Latin is a little formal compared with Merlin's.
"No truly, Merlin is my name", Merlin confirms. "What do you want with me, spirit?".
"I am not a spirit, Merlin", Sam insists. "I am just a man... a wizard like you".
Merlin jumps. "How do you know I'm a sorcerer?", he asks suspiciously.
"You are talking to me in a bowl of water are you not?" Sam replies. "It is surely obvious?".
Merlin has to agree.
"I need to ask you", Sam continues. "Has anyone new arrived in... Camelot", Sam muffles a laugh. "Anyone calling himself Dean, probably?".
"You know Prince Dean?", Merlin asks in amazement.
"Oh, thank God", Sam exhales. "Wait, Prince Dean? Handsome fellow? Green eyes? Popular with the damsels?".
"Yes, that's him", Merlin confirms.
"Great!", Sam replies. "Dean is my brother. He does not belong in Camelot. I need to get him back home. I have a griffin problem. It is attacking the roof and I cannot hold it off by myself forever. I cannot get to the Impala. I am stuck here. I have something I need you to do for me".
Merlin likes the sound of this. Prince Dean going home. Perfect. And not a moment too soon!
"You need to find an object bearing this design", Sam says holding up a sketch that he has put together of the complete seal. "You need to find it and destroy it".
"No problem!", Merlin replies doubtfully.
"Great!", exclaims Sam. "Err, over and out", and the watery face in the jug vanishes.
"Well, that's not going to be easy", Merlin thinks. "That drawing looked like King Uther's Royal Seal and he isn't going to be happy about having it destroyed!".
TBC
A/N: Final bit tomorrow.