First thing, thank you so much for everyone who took the time to review, favorite or follow this story. You made my day a lot better :) Since English isn't my first language, and I studied it by myself, to read that you people think my prose is good... well, let's say I grinned like an idiot for all day! Thank you, thank you so much!.

Have fun ;)

Chapter two: A Man is no Star

'Man is no star, but a quick coal of mortal fire: who blows if not, nor doth control a faint desire' - George Herbert

The two brothers walked. And walked. And then walked some more. Sun rose, and they were still walking.

Things were different, this side of the Wall. They felt different, the colors almost too bright, too new, like a pretty painting too perfect to be real. Sam wondered if it was maybe something in the air, some substance they were breathing.

"We should have taken Impala." Dean muttered, clicking his tongue against his teeth. It was an annoying habit of his, and Sam rolled his eyes.

"That horse is a nightmare from Hell, Dean." he drawled. "She bites everyone but you."

Impala was a young mare John had bought at the market. Strong legs and lean neck, her mane was deep black and her eyes dark and intelligent. Everyone in Wall agreed that she was a thing of beauty, but sadly she had got an attitude that, as Garth from the bakery had once put, was 'even worse than John's". Despite this, or maybe because of this, Dean and the horse had bonded and adored each other 'more than some married couples', to use Bobby's words.

"Hell yeah." Dean smirked, pumping his fist in the air. "My baby knows cool people."

"Whatever." Sam huffed, an easy smile curving his lips. "She kicked Dad once."

"Dad had forgotten to water her."

"She tried to bite Mo-"

Sam's voice trailed off, words suddenly heavy between them.

They kept walking. Around them, everything was green and flat – not a tree, not a house. Insects and bees buzzed on some wild flowers here and there, minding their business, and sometimes some bird darted across the sky above the brothers' heads. It was all very relaxing.

"Isn't it weird we haven't found a village yet?" Dean asked after some time. He had considerably slowed his pace, his cloak askew on one shoulder and his forehead damp with sweat. Sam wiped his own forehead, licking his cracked lips.

"I dunno. I need water." he answered. Dean waved aimlessly his hand. From his wrist was hanging the leather band his mother had given him for his birthday, and it gave Sam's heart a little pang.

"I think that's a spring." Dean said, pointing somewhere in front of him, where something was shining and dancing under the sun, like water under the light. "Let's check out."

They didn't take too much time to reach the water. It was actually a little pond of clear, crystalline water. Stones slick with water and musk shone in the sun, and the waves washed tiredly the shore. A eerie calm descended around them. Not even the insects could be heard anymore. Sam shook his head, feeling something like cocoon muffling his thoughts. His mouth and throat were suddenly very dry. He opened his lips to call Dean, feeling that something was not right here, but all that came out was a strangled grunt.

Dean knelt down and dunked his hands on the clean water, cupping the water and taking hungry sips. The water dripped from his chin to his clothes and his shoes, but he didn't seem to care and splashed his face with a satisfied sound.

"Oh, aren't they cute, April?"

Sam jerked his head up and stared at what he was seeing with his mouth hanging. Three women were lying in the water. Their long hair were soaked with water, and Sam felt a blush rising to his cheeks when he saw their shoulders and chests were naked. They were incredibly beautiful, with perfect skin covered with salty drops and lovely smiles dancing on their lips. But what was incredible was the lower part of their bodies: where the legs should have been, long, shining tails moved sluggishly just above the water.

The reddish haired mermaid, because they were mermaids, there was no doubt on that, chuckled.

"Sure they are, Carmen." she said to the dark haired one. "What do you think, Lydia?"

The blonde one dived in the water and came up to the surface at a breath from Dean. The older Winchester was still kneeling down, completely entranced by the mermaids, his mouth slightly opened and his hands still dripping with water. The mermaid smiled at him and patted his cheek, causing a swift intake of air.

"I'd like this one." the mermaid chirped. "My little Emma would like him, what do you think?"

"Sure thing!" one of the others, April, replied. She smiled, showing pointed little teeth, and waved her red tail toward Sam. "What about you, pretty? Aren't you thirsty?"

"He is shy, I think." Carmen yawned, rubbing at her yellow scales. Her nails were very long -more claws than nails, actually. She tilted her head to stare at him. "You don't need to be afraid, cutie. We aren't dangerous."

Lydia had somehow managed to get on the shore, and was now caressing slowly Dean's arms. Dean still didn't move, like under some kind of spell. Sam felt panic building inside his chest. He moved a step back, smiling nervously.

"Uhm, no thanks." he answered. "We... we got work to do, isn't it right, Dean?"

Dean didn't answer, even if he did slowly blinked. Lydia was now petting his chest, and his eyes were dark and out focus. Carmen splashed some water around and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh, Lydia, April, look!" she said in a high pitched voice, pointing at Sam. "He has dimples! I definitely want this one! Pleasepleaseplease?"

Sam swallowed and took another step toward his brother.

"No, seriously, we really really need to go..." he insisted, clenching his hand on the hilt on his short sword.

It was the wrong move.

Lydia's eyes darted to Sam's hand and they flashed red. She growled, showing her sharp teeth, and her fins angrily flared behind her back.

"He has a weapon!" she hissed, and she grabbed a handful of Dean's hair to shove him in the water. The impact with the cold pool, or the pain and the surprise, were enough to snap the older brother out of his stupor. He yelped and hit Lydia's nose with his elbow, floundering wildly in the water.

"Let me go, you bitch!" he snarled, trying to push her away. "Run, Sam!" She hissed angrily and clawed at his face, drawing out blood. He spat and punched her straight in the face, and the mermaid fell into the water with a splash. Carmen cried in anger and threw all her weight on Dean just in the moment Sam jumped in the water, his short sword in hand.

Sam ran toward his brother, who was desperately trying to breathe while Carmen kept his head firmly under the water. April snarled and darted in the water, sinking her claws in Sam's leg. Sam cursed and aimed with the sword for her chest, but she dived under the water, dragging him with her. Lydia resurfaced, her face a mask of blood, and hissed as she closed her hand around Sam's ankle. She was deceptively strong, and Sam could only scream as the two creatures managed to push him under the water. It was cold, and it entered inside his mouth and nose. His lungs screamed for oxygen, and his throat was in fire. Sam tried to fight the bodies that kept him still, but his strength was quickly leaving him along with the few bubbles of air that ran out of his lips. A dull pain pulsed inside his head as dark spots began to dance in the corner of his eyes.

Then, the hands and tails that forced him down disappeared. He broke the surface, coughing and panting hardly. Air filled his chest, and he tried to breathe it so quickly that it was almost painful. The water around him was muddled with dirt and his blood.

A thin hand covered in a leather clove grabbed his elbow and forced him on his feet. Sam let himself be dragged to the shore, where he fell with a dull sound. Dean was laying on his elbows, panting hardly, three angry marks bleeding on his face where Lydia had tried to claw his eyes out. He turned slightly his head and a little smile quirked his lips.

"You alright, Sammy?" he asked breathlessly. Sam nodded, and managed to sit up to stare at their savior. The read-head young girl stared at them with a completely unimpressed expression.

"Hi." she said to them. "Not exactly your brightest moment, there. What were you thinking, going near a mermaids' nest without some protective charm? You're lucky I've got charms enough to save your sorry butts."

She couldn't be much older than Dean, with a short coat and pants instead of a more traditional gown, and a dark red cloak barely brushing the grass behind her feet. On her chest, there was emblazoned a half moon with a red crown upon it. For one foolish moment, Sam wondered if Jo could have liked to dress like that.

Dean coughed a little more water and sat up with a grunt.

"Didn't know about that." he muttered, scratching awkwardly the back of his neck. "I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam. Thank you."

The read-head smiled. "I'm Charlie." A little flash of light darted above her head and landed on her shoulder. Sam was sure his mouth had made a snapping sound when it felt open. Charlie patted the light with a fond expression.

"And this is my fairy Glenda." she said, like if it was the most normal thing in the world. Sam and Dean stared at each other. Mermaids, fairies, in what kind of world had they ended?

"The hell?" Dean wheezed. Charlie frowned like if they were the werdos with a sparkling fairy dancing on her shoulder.

"Ok, let's get you bitches some clothes and then I think you'll have to explain me where the cat found you, because I'm willing to bet half my stuff you guys aren't from there."

She turned on her feet and, without a word, Sam and Dean followed.

Around half a hour later, both brothers were tightly wrapped in two dark blankets as Charlie moved around them in her tiny wagon.

Dean had never seen so much stuff hoarded in one single place, not even Bobby's yard back at home. There were swords and cloaks, shields and herbs hanging from the ceiling, books and old scrolls everywhere, feathers and pebbles in every corner, candles and gloves and bulging bags and some things he wasn't even sure he wanted to know. Apparently, according to Charlie (who was kind of a rambling person), that was her work. She studied and looked for magical artefacts, cursed objects and potions' books, and only to think about all that stuff was giving Dean a headache, even if he had to admit Charlie was awesome.

"You are some kind of witch, then?" Sam asked. Charlie laughed.

"Of course no!" she exclaimed, taking out a flask of wine and pouring it in a little pot that was hanging on a brazier. "I'm not good with actual magic, only tricks and books."

"Thanks God." Dean chuckled. "I wasn't looking forward for being changed into a frog."

Charlie pointed a spoon to his chest with a fake menacing expression. "Hey, not all witches are bad. I knew this girl once, Tessa. She was awesome."

Dean laughed nervously and Sam elbowed him.

"So, I figure you came from the other side of the Wall," Charlie went on chatting happily while handing Sam a steaming mug of warm, spicy vine, "because everyone who lives here in Stormhold just knows how to get rid of Mermaids. They aren't dangerous, if you use the right protective charms, but I guess..."

She pushed another mug in Dean's hands, and he took a sip, grateful. The wine was strong, and Charlie's voice became a soft murmur in the background. Glenda the fairy tilted her head and stared at Dean from her perch on a pile of crimson candles. She was a cute little thing, with long dark hair and dragon-fly wings, barely bigger than Dean's hand and with a feeble light coming from her skin. She made a tinkling nose when a blue bird, maybe a sparrow landed next to her. The bird chirped and Glenda patted its head, without stopping to stare at Dean.

"So, where you trying to get to Wall's Market?" Charlie asked. "Because if it's that so, you were going in the wrong direction. You'd have ended up right into the Black Forest, and believe me, you don't want to go there."

Sam shifted uncomfortably on the stool he was sitting on.

"We were... we are looking for a thing." he explained lamely. Charlie put her cheek on her hand and lifted a red eyebrow.

"Here? From England?" she asked. Dean made an attempt to a smile.

"Yeah." he nodded. "For our mom. But we have no idea of where it could be."

Charlie tut-tued, deep into her thoughts. Her sparrow flew right on Sam's hand and pecked his fingers with a chirp.

"Blue, leave the guests alone." Charlie chided the bird, but Sam laughed and the blue creature went to nest on his neck with an happy chirp.

"Ok, listen." Charlie said with her arms crossed on her chest. "I like you kids. So, this is what we'll do. I was going to pass near the market anywhere, so I'll take you there. At the market, go find a man named Loki. They say he can help you to find anything you need. That's good?"

Dean felt his face splitting in a wide grin.

"Seriously?" he asked, putting down his now empty mug. "You'd help us?"

Charlie smiled widely and gave them a wink. "Sure thing! Glenda and Blue like you, and my girls are never wrong about people. C'mon Glenda, go wake up that old horse, we can make it to the market for supper."

Just like Charlie had said, not all witches are bad. Some of them are good, and some others used to be good before they became evil.

Fergus Crowley, for example, hadn't always been into Dark Magic. He used to have a son, Gavin, and a wife, Naomi, many, many years before he became Crowley, of course. No one knew how or why he had became a witch, but his name was infamous in all Stormhold, whispered in dark corners and used in stories told around a fire in the middle of winter nights. But, even if he was now considered cruel, he hadn't always been, and maybe he wasn't. He was proud, and dangerous, and hungry for power, but rarely he was unnecessarily cruel.

Such was the man who had taken Castiel from the sky.

Meg Master hadn't always be bad, either. She had become a witch to follow her late father's wishes, and if someone asked her, she wouldn't have been able to explain how she had ended there, working for a witch like Crowley.

Lilith and Ruby, well, they were another thing entirely. Sisters, both blonde and cold like ice, they were there with Crowley only to gain power over the souls who populated Stormhold. Meg deeply disliked them both, but she was careful to not voice her contempt.

Castiel, of course, knew nothing of all of this, and he frankly didn't care. All he knew was that he had been lazily floating in the sky, looking down to some festival in Germany, and suddenly he had been dragged down, down on Earth, a force he didn't know scorching his body and suffocating his light, and he had thought he was going to die.

Right now, he was very much alive, and he was furious.

How dared these... these children to take him from his home, to hurt him and tie him up? He blinked in the light of the sun, slowly taking awareness of his surroundings. He was lying down on the dirt, next to one of those mobile things humans used to travel (carriages, that was their names, he recalled). His wrists had been chained in front of him, and his leg and left side hurt even more than before.

"Roll him over, we have to check if he has hurt his back." Lilith drawled with a bored expression. "He's of no use if he dies for some stupid infection."

Castiel considered asking what use he was going to be, but he decided it wasn't worth to speak. He also had the horrible feeling he already knew. Stars lived forever, where humans were barely passing shadows under the sky. He gritted his teeth, wondering why they hadn't tried to eat his heart and gain eternal life yet.

"Why it's always me the one who get the crappy jobs?" Ruby grumbled, forcing roughly Castiel to move and pushing the slippery cloth he was wearing down his back. Castiel turned abruptly and growled at her, his eyes flashing angrily. His gaze met Meg's dark eyes, and he snarled, showing his teeth.

"Weren't stars supposed to be coy cute little things?" Meg drawled, chewing at a blade of grass. "I mean, he is surely cute, but he kinda looks like he wants to bite our heads off."

Lilith shrugged and took away her eyes from Castiel. Castiel took advantage of their distraction to grab Ruby's wrist with both his hands and pull her down. She screamed as he turned her arm and pushed her away, using her body to stand up.

A burning pain ran from his shoulders to his entire body and he fell again on his knees with a cry. With watery eyes, he watched as Crowley came next to him and pulled Ruby on her feet.

"Is it possible I can't leave you alone for a moment?" he drawled with disgust. "Lilith, put our twinkling star on the carriage. If he try anything, just force him to sleep again."

Castiel let himself be forced to walk inside the carriage, pain bolting across the nerves he wasn't even supposed to have. Lilith shoved her nails in his flesh, and he hated the pitiful sound that was easily dragged out of his throat.

"Bastard broke my wrist." Ruby hissed, holding her hurt arm with the other hand. "I swear I will eat his heart!"

"Charming." Crowley smirked. Meg rolled her eyes and helped Lilith to push Castiel on the carriage.

Castiel didn't listen to any of them.

He remained silent, waiting for the pain to leave his body. When Lilith and Meg retuned out of the carriage to speak with Crowley about some details of their travel, Castiel's mouth arched in an almost imperceptible smile. The knife he had managed to steal from Ruby felt cold in his hand as he pressed it on the rope around his wrists. The smile turned smug. These witches had just no idea of what they had on their hands.

Next chapter, the Winchesters should finally meet Cas!