Adam glanced at Dean before asking, "Sam, do you understand what a geas is?"
"Well yeah, Cú Chulainn had one. Something about dog meat leading him to his death. We haven't run into anyone who's actually had one though." Sam still had a small smile of disbelief.
"Yes, he could not eat dog meat, but also could not refuse the hospitality offered to him. So when a crone offered him a dinner of dog meat, he had to eat it. He was weakened right before a duel with Lugaid Mac Cu Roi. Where he died." Adam was doing his best to convince Sam this was serious and not just an attack on Sam's style.
"Now wait, that's overstating things just a bit. While we haven't run into anyone carrying a geas, I have looked them up when we run into curses. There's different severities, like the Welsh see them as a hurdle to be overcome, or even a blessing. In a fatalistic, could cause your death kind of way." Sam was determined to be right.
Dean let Sam argue with Adam about what the pronouncement could mean and studied Cas' reaction. He appeared to be looking at the air around Sam, almost like he was tracing the flight of a crafty fly.
"See anything interesting?" Dean whispered, Adam currently talking about standing on a goat while getting out of a bath.
Cas' attention snapped to him, paused, and then went back to watching Sam, "When Mistress Mac Ćarthaigh took his hand, a … web sprang from his mouth and wrapped him up. I am looking for a way to cut it off."
Dean tuned back to Sam: "So say I wear any plaid on a Tuesday, I should what? expect all the bad luck I got from the rabbit's foot?"
"Rabbit foot?! You survived an encounter with a real cursed rabbit foot?"
Dean looked back at Cas, "Does the web show a clearer prophecy than what she said, any indication of what happens when he wears plaid, or is it just a plaid shirt with red X through it on a Tuesday?"
"... and then I lost my shoe."
"She translated it well; anything unclear is built into it. It's strange: I should have known this from before."
"Why? It's new and your bosses were dickless wonders who're shit at passing along info." Success! Eye-roll and huff was as good as a surprised laugh from Cas.
"Everything about it reads like it's been there since birth, I would have been able to see it the first time I met him. It feels decades old while being minutes."
Adam pulled back from an account of Mab's treasure vault that had a set of rabbit feet to look at Cas. "You're sure? Shit."
"That means something?"
"Well, it's an effect of why the Morrígan needs you." That had Dean's full attention.
"You need to elaborate."
"The Fomori are injecting more chaos into a system already experiencing a positive feedback loop. More chaos, faster spin, less control. There use to be safeties and people all over whose job was to apply equal force against chaos agents in the system." Adam thought a moment, "Chaos isn't bad, it just is; It helps us avoid stagnation. The Fomori are evil and are currently outside the system. Sam having a brand new geas that is as old as he is, is an effect of too much chaos. It could be random chance that he got it, or he was targeted."
"So if I can fix things, Sam would be okay?" Normal, protect-your-brother endgame, good.
"Maybe. It could just turn into a new geas that he has to obey. But Sam is right, geas are only mostly fatal. There are ways around them if you have the ability."
Sam perked up at that, "Cas is much better than a magical uncle."
"But you can't turn into an eagle," Cas pointed out, "And I might not be able to do anything."
"So we put up big signs in the bunker that say 'Don't' with a plaid shirt nailed to it. You can even hit me with them if you see me going for the plaid." Sam joked, but Dean might just do it. He wished Sam would take threats to his life more seriously.
"Ugh, fine. Don't we need to see Queen Titania before we leave for Winter? I don't think we should keep either of them waiting any longer." They could deal with the geas, along with everything else, when they got back to the real world.
"If you'll follow me," Adam gestured to the main door.
In the eastern solar Queen Titania was attended by several sprites while she collected flowers from the indoor garden. Adam motioned for Cas and Sam to hang back while Dean joined the Queen.
"I am sorry for the distress my presence caused you. It is never easy for a mortal to be in our court, but you have been marvelous, if a bit stubborn." She walked over to one of the many flowering plants and plucked a sprig covered in lavender, bell shaped flowers. Turning, she presented it to Dean, "This is heather. Keep it with you always and it will provide protection. It is my hope that this small gift will help you succeed in your task."
Dean took the sprig with a bow. When he looked closer he saw that instead of being a uniform lavender, the flowers were a twist of purple and white. Probably means something. Everything else seems to. Heh, bet I insulted someone's aunt with how I cough. He looked up when one of the sprites buzzed around his head. The little creature was holding out a silver ivy pin, presumably so he could make a boutonnière out of the heather.
"The pin can only be removed on purpose, so you need not fear accidentally misplacing Summer's Gift." She artfully pinned the heather to his velvet coat. Before she drew back, she cupped his cheeks, "Know that your line's sacrifices are honored every day." She then tilted his head down and kissed his forehead.
Dean stood dazed for a moment, then bowed and returned to Adam. Dean fidgeted with the ivy pin before saying, "Let's go meet the Ice Queen," earning him an elbow from Sam and an eye-roll from Adam.
