The dark and humid stone room was void of emotion and warmth. Torches alight with flames provided the only visibility, so that Dean could see just beyond the bars he was trapped behind. A short stumpy guard stood before him, helmet removed and balanced between his arm and his hip, his chubby fingers gripping it at the bottom. The guard had been watching him with suspicion in his eyes since Dean had been thrown unceremoniously into his cell by the two brutes that had captured him, but not speaking. The silence was uncomfortable.

Dean was sitting on the only semi-soft surface that came with the cell – a bed strung to the walls by chains that featured a very clumpy and ruffled mattress, thinking his situation over. He was sure they wouldn't hang them for wandering the castle, he could make up an excuse. Say that Gabriel had asked for him or something. Gabriel was always good at playing along when he had to. He just had to convince them to let his friend attest for him – shouldn't be that hard, right? But then again, the guards never exactly trusted Gabriel to begin with. A fact that is mostly down to the fact that Gabriel frequently pulled borderline psychotic and sometimes downright evil pranks throughout the castle – a feat that earned him the nickname, 'The Trickster'.

Wrapping his arms around himself a little tighter for heat, Dean listened to the nearby clumping of armour – most likely relief for the creepy guy who was still staring at him with intense concentration, as though he was trying to figure out Dean's life story by the shape of his eyebrows.

As the clinking grew louder, an armoured figure emerged from the shadows, stepping into the mild light of the flame.

Shit.

Michael was a lanky guy, short black hair and a face that looked as though it had been carefully sculpted. There was something there that always reminded Dean of a Winchester. Of course, the guy was a 'great big bag of dicks' as Dean fondly recalled Gabriel telling him one late night in The Roadhouse, as they threw back copious amounts of booze while trying to keep themselves from tumbling to the floor.

"Come to gloat, Mikey?" Dean mocked with a forced smirk, rising from the bed so that he was on the same level as the other man. If he was going to feel uncomfortable, he was sure as hell dragging his nemesis down with him.

"Dean," replied the man, not even bothering with his usual attempt at correcting Dean's patronising nickname. His face was drawn in stern contemplation, and he was stepping closer and closer to the bars which held Dean captive. "Well, well. This is an embarassment, isn't it?" Michael chuckled softly, his eyes darting to the guard beside him. "You may go, Fabio. I'll take over for now. Balthazar will be along any moment now."

"Yes sir," the chubby guard was saying, his chin wavering as he spoke for the first time since he had been around Dean. His voice was more nasally than expected. With a swift nod to his captain, the man waddled away with clinks and clunks that echoed around the dungeons, disappearing out of sight. Shorty after, Dean heard the creak of a heavy door being opened, then a slam as it closed over again.

"What do you want?" Dean asked horsely, dropping the act of calmness that he had been attempting previously. "Wanna braid each other's hair and talk about about cute boys for the rest of the night, or are you going to just sit there and eye me up from afar?"

Michael's tight lips curved upwards, but he didn't speak. Clearly he was going for the second option, then.

The buzzing of incessant chatter filled the room around him, but Castiel paid no heed to the men and women surrounding him. Being careful to escape the attention of Princess Naomi, who was momentarily distracted as a short balding man with a top hat and monocle was waving his arms around enthusiastically, evidently telling the princess about something in which he was very passionate about. He slid between two couples who were dancing in the centre of the room, glancing around wildly.

Gabriel had told him he would be back in time for the start of the dancing, so Castiel was sure to find him lurking about somewhere. Of course, he hadn't expected him to be locked in a heated conversation with Raphael. Castiel felt a pang of anger in his chest, but he didn't proceed to talk to the Captain's right hand man. That would just magnify matters immensely. So he waited until the shorter man left his side, seemingly panicking, a worried expression fixed on his face, not noticing Castiel until the prince was tugging his shirt, motioning for him to follow with his head. They could not talk here – someone was likely to overhear. Thankfully Raphael was now locked in a discussion with Princess Meg, who was no longer smiling, but looked positively disgusted at whatever the man was saying to her.

Once the two men were back in the the hallways, Castiel led the guard out to the courtyard where more guests swarmed around the beautiful vibrant gardens, lit up with fairy lights strung to the castle surroundings, illuminating the petunias and roses through the blackness of the night. They carried on silently, Gabriel still lost in his own thoughts and Castiel clenching his fists with anxiety. There was no time to waste. The garden path led them to a small cellar door, barred over with iron. With a click, Castiel pulled his key from the lock, pulling Gabriel into the dark mustiness underneath the castle.

"We need to talk," Castiel said finally as he closed the barred door over behind them, turning to Gabriel to meet his perplexed gaze. He continued without even waiting for a reply – they had to move fast if they were to pull this off. "The guards have imprisoned a man by the name of Dean Winchester – do you know him?"

"Yes!" Gabriel grunted, his expression shifting from confused to aggressive – though it wasn't directed towards Castiel – the prince knew that much. Clearly this is what had been on the man's mind since he had found him in the castle. "Your Majesty, he's my friend. He hasn't done anything wrong – it's all my fault. I asked him to come and meet me here. I shouldn't have invited him in, I know I'm not allowed, but-"

"Gabriel," the prince spoke, cutting the guard off. "You're wasting your time. He's there under my mother's orders. I can't get him out by myself. I already tried." He was starting to sound as tired as he felt. His eyes felt heavy below his eyebrows, drooping slightly as he spoke, but he forced himself to concentrate on the mission first, then resting later. Of course, that's assuming it all went to plan and he had somewhere to rest later.

"B-by yourself?" Gabriel asked, taken back. His eyes were widened now.

"I need your help." Castiel clarified. "I need you to relieve whoever is guarding him - tell them that my mother is looking for them, anything to get him to leave. Tell them I sent you. I will then take Dean from here. When you're asked, you tell them I ordered it, and that you didn't know I was going against my mother's orders, do you understand?"

"I understand," Gabriel nodded, folding his arms and staring at the prince with consideration. "But – won't you be punished?"

"No," Castiel replied, folding his own arms unconsciously mirroring Gabriel's stance. "I will be leaving the city as soon as I get Dean. We can't stay here – my mother will catch us and we'll both be hunted - we'll both be killed."

"And you think this is worth dyin' for?" Gabriel asked curiously, but his face betrayed a look of avid admiration.

"Honestly? I barely know this man. I just know that risking my life to escape with him will be more beneficial than staying in this godforsaken place, waiting to be married off to one of those women in there. I'm fighting for free will." Castiel left out the part where Dean had sparked something inside him – he wasn't sure Gabriel would understand. He barely even understood it himself. He just knew that something about Dean was worth saving – worth sacrificing himself for. He just hadn't quite discovered what it was yet.

Gabriel nodded once more, and without further ado he opened the large wooden door, swinging it with a creak as Castiel followed, the door closing with a loud clutter behind them. Taking care to lurk out of sight of the other guard, Castiel slunk into the shadows, draped by darkness and betrayed only ever so slightly by the soft flickering of a weak flame behind him. He ducked behind a nearby statue whose features he couldn't quite make out but for grand pair of wings that cloaked him perfectly.

Raphael was leering at him with a sickening smirk, his arms folded in front of him – his sword glimmering at his side. He seemed to be taking far too much pleasure in Dean's misery, which only sunk Dean's mood lower. There was no way of getting out of this one. He was well and truly fucked. Michael seemed to think so as well.

As the creaking of the door rung through the chamber, both men shifted their determined gazes from each other, attempting to make out the approaching form. He couldn't hear the clunk of armour. So it wasn't another guard coming to take over. He figured he would be stuck with Michael for at least a while longer. The thought of it made Dean sick to his stomach, but he didn't let on. He didn't want to show any weakness – not to his worst enemy.

"Hey, bro!" the familiar voice chimed, directed towards Michael. The guards often thought of themselves as brothers, so the greeting shouldn't have been strange. What was strange was that it was Gabriel – the one guard who Dean was happy to share his time with, the one who often referred to his 'so called brothers' as tedious and foul. Yet here he was, addressing Michael as an old friend – as though his actual friend wasn't standing behind bars beside them. Instinct told Dean to trust him – to play along. Gabriel had never let him down, after all. Sure, he had once convinced Sam that Dean had died in a hilarious fashion – mauled by a tiny dog, Sam had told him making his favourite bitchface – the 'I-am-going-to-smite-him-until-he-dies-painfully' – his left eye twitching with anger. Dean couldn't really blame him – Gabriel had a tendency to overstep the line by proportionate amounts.

"Gabriel." Michael nodded to the other guard, a note of suspicion in his tone. "What brings you here?"

"Prince Castiel sent me – Queen Lilith is looking for you, man. She sounds pretty pissed." Gabriel beamed at his superior, hands rested on his hips casually. "You better go – I was told to stand guard in your place."

"You expect me to believe that, Gabriel? From you of all people? You're not even wearing your armour – weren't you attending the ball as a servant tonight?" The suspicion remained in Michael's voice, and the man remained still as a statue, his resistance betrayed only by the subtle bobbing of his Adam's apple, indicating a gulp.

"Scouts honour, Cappy. Don't worry, I'll keep Deano hear company."

"Yes. Because I'm going to trust my most distrusted guardsman, who socialises frequently with the man that's imprisoned." Michael bit out, dripping with sarcasm.

"Aw, come on, Mikey," Gabriel chuckled. "What am I going to do – break Dean out? I'll be killed. You know it. Better not keep our Dearest Majesty waiting, now. You know how impatient she can get. You don't want to be on her bad side like Dean here, do ya?" He still hadn't glanced in Dean's direction. It was difficult to tell if he was making it up – but Dean figured even Gabriel wasn't that stupid - he'd know that to lie about such matters would be an instant death sentence.

"Any foul play – any at all, Gabriel, you will be removed from the guard and if I get my way I will have your head, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!" Gabriel shot back with mock enthusiasm.

Michael furrowed his brow, his scowl still directed at both men. "Very well. Don't think you're standing here all night with your friend here, Gabriel. I will return as soon as Her Majesty sees fit."

Once the man removed himself from Dean's vision, and the tell-tale noise of the door slamming closed behind him, Gabriel turned to his friend, an apologetic look set in his face. "Dean, man, what happened? Jo came back without you, and Ellen is worried sick."

"She's back?" Dean groaned despite his relief. He was glad Jo was safe, but it meant this had all been for nothing – and Dean wasn't going anywhere any time soon. There was no way out of this. He just had to hope that he could come up with a decent excuse – one that would be believed in his trial. A task that seemed almost impossible. It was looking more and more likely that a hanging would be his fate. And it was all for nothing. "Good. Good for her." Dean grunted.

"Listen, man, we need to move fast." Gabriel grasped the key Michael had left behind him, swinging Dean's cell door open hastily and ushering him out.

"Whoa! What are you doing, Gabe? You'll be in deep shit for this!" Dean shot out, panicking. Not that he wasn't grateful – but he wasn't a scarafice-your-friends-for-your-own-needs kind of guy. He would rather be executed himself than live with the knowledge that he had let his closest friend go down in his place. Surely Gabriel knew this.

"Dean."

Dean froze, turning in the direction of the low rumbling voice.

"Uh, Prince Castiel?" Dean asked cautiously, taking care to edge back towards his cell, but Gabriel grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"He's here to help, Dean." His friend told him.

"We need to move – now." The Prince spoke with urgency, grasping onto Dean's upper left arm. Gabriel released his right, stepping back and giving them space. "Remember what we discussed, Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded obediently, saluting the two men standing before him. "Good luck Dean. Your Majesty."

"Castiel will do." The Prince replied, hauling an extremely bewildered Dean to the exit of the chamber – one that Dean hadn't noticed before now, but he could see from beyond the slightly ajar door that there were stairs leading further down into the castle basements, another dimly lit stone passage. He followed his saviour in silence as the hand tightened on his shoulder, strong enough to leave a mark.

Sorry about the constant switching of POVs, I really hadn't planned that, but I do feel the story works better this way. Especially with the boys being separated and having their own individual experiences – it makes the story more rounded, I suppose. Thanks for your reviews so far guys! They really do make me happy, and they inspire me to write more, so keep it up! Next chapter will be up in the next few days.