Fun Fact: There are 4 kingdoms in the story, each one is based off a different season. The main kingdom (Castiel's and his brothers' kingdom) is Spring, the southern kingdom (Meg's) is fall, the eastern kingdom (Kali's) is Summer and the last kingdom that hasn't showed up yet (the western kingdom) is Winter.
Castiel stared down at Meg's body. She was rested on her bed waiting for burial. Castiel found that their believes about death and funerals were much different than his own kingdoms, and as much as he wanted to have her buried as soon as possible he knew he had to allow the proper rituals to be performed. He could hardly understand why Dean would do something like this. It hurt him more that Dean killed Meg more than her actual death. He had to remind himself that it wasn't just Meg that had been killed but also their unborn child. He reminded himself this whenever he felt worry for Dean.
He had cried for hours. At first it was for Meg and his unborn child but soon it was for Dean and Castiel's growing worry for him. He could blame it on them being mates, that it was just his alpha side that was worrying for his omega. It didn't matter to his alpha side that Dean had killed Meg, it only mattered that his mate was safe and he couldn't know that for sure if he was or not.
Meg's body had been washed, her hair fixed and she was in a simple white death gown as it was tradition. Her burial was the next day and all the windows and doors were open. When Castiel inquired about it Missouri had informed him it was an old legend that stated it was so Death himself could check to see if the body was prepared properly before burial. If the body wasn't he would have the soul return to the body and have it rise from the grave, not quiet alive but not quiet dead as well.
Castiel didn't believe in the stories, but since everyone else in the castle seemed very superstitious he played along. He wondered if he had been wrong about Dean, that maybe Dean was only after power and wealth. He had wanted to believe Dean did love him and looked beyond his title. His guards had come in a few hours before to let him know they had lost Dean somewhere in the wilderness and he had to admit he was thankful for this. If it was a choice between Dean escaping back to his own kingdom and him being executed, Cas would want to know at least Dean was alive.
Castiel had lost one love, he didn't want the other dead too. It had taken him the entire night to calm down and when he had he realized how rash he had acted but if he hadn't and allowed Dean to stay they surely both would have been in danger. The people only liked Castiel because he was to marry their princess but now that Castiel's own lover had killed Meg...they would of revolted if he hadn't threatened to kill him.
Still, he could feel it in the air. The servants talked among themselves. Castiel could feel their glares on his back. But no one said anything to his face, he was the king after all and even if they hated him, he did nothing wrong. The only time a servant had come to talk to him was when he had asked for any information on what had happened on the stairs.
The servant had approached him, informing him that he saw Dean pushed Meg. Castiel was unsure about this information, seeing as it was almost like the servant had just repeated a story to him and was expecting a reward. Almost like a hunting dog. Castiel didn't want to believe Dean had done something like this, but at the same time with what he saw and what the servants talked about...it was hard to believe that Dean hadn't killed Meg.
Castiel stood, leaving Meg's body. He knew that nothing would happen to it. Everyone in the castle respected the ancient traditions and wouldn't dare disturb the body unless it was important. He straightened his clothing, trying to make himself appear more well put together than he actually was. His mind was still reeling, his emotions scattered all over the place.
His shoulders slumped from the emotional strain and he could barely keep his head up. It felt almost like his crown was too heavy for his head, pushing down on him. He gave one last look to Meg before leaving the room, ignoring the servant he had almost ran over on his way out. Castiel couldn't even look at any of the servants, he didn't want to see the judgment they had laid upon him.
As soon as Castiel made it downstairs he just stood outside the throne room, not entering and his head resting against the wall. He took several deep breaths to calm himself. He needed to keep his composure no matter how badly his heart hurt or how much it felt like he was being torn apart slowly by some unseen force. His body shook with him trying to keep his emotions in control. Castiel took one more breath before entering the throne room to do his job, ruling the kingdom.
Sam woke up when he felt someone poking at him. Ellen and Jo were kind enough to allow the three betas to stay with them for a while. It was unnerving due to the fact the king's guards were still after the escaped betas. They had to stay inside at all times out of fear of being spotted by passing searches. Jesse was growing uneasy even after a few short days, while Charlie helped the best she could. It seemed Charlie got along better with Ellen and Jo than either Sam or Jesse did.
They had never talked about it but Sam wondered if Charlie had family. She seemed to fit in so well with them, and Sam hated to think that she would leave to go to a lonely life once everything was over. He knew Jesse probably would be alright, someone would take him in but Sam...he spent most of his time worried about Dean and Robert, they were his only family.
He groaned when the person didn't let up bothering him. He threw back his blankets but before he could say anything he was greeted with the worried face of Charlie. Sam looked to his side to see Jesse was missing from where he had been sleeping next to Sam.
"Where's Jesse?" Sam asked getting up.
"I don't know. I went to get some water and I saw that he was gone." Charlie said.
Sam quickly dressed in warm clothing and followed Charlie out of their loft grabbing a torch. He was careful not to wake the sleeping owners of the house, he didn't want to bother Jo or Ellen and worry them. The night was cold and Sam pulled the jacket Ellen had sewn him up closer to his body. He worried that perhaps Jesse hadn't taken a jacket and would be stuck out in the cold.
Sam and Charlie ran out into the forest, splitting up to see if they could find him faster. Sam ran further into the forest where they had come from many days earlier while Charlie searched closer to the roads. He made sure to keep quiet, he knew the forest had many places that the king's guards could hide. Sam was worried for Jesse, scared he had gotten hurt or worst, captured again. He couldn't help Jesse if he was caught, Sam had to worry about himself first.
The forest floor was still damp from previous rain but it wasn't muddy. Sam checked to see if there was any footprints or anything, but it was too dark and the torch created shadows on the ground that weren't there. He grew frustrated with the search and thought about calling out for Jesse but that would of only gotten the attention of everyone else in the nearby forest including the king's guards.
A light shone through the trees and for a second Sam was worried that perhaps he had gone in a circle and was back at Jo and Ellen's. He sighed and hoped that perhaps Charlie had found Jesse, seeing as he hadn't really found any evidence that indicated Jesse had gone the way Sam looked. He grew confused as he got closer to the light. This area of the forest looked nothing like where Ellen's was, if anything the trees grew closer where he was at.
Sam stopped in front of a worn out stone building that the forest was slowly taking back over. He moved his torch closer to the entrance, keeping back in case there was a wild animal residing in there. When nothing moved due to the light he took a tentative step in. As soon as he passed through the doorway the room changed suddenly, and he found himself falling to the floor with a yell of surprise.
He tried to focus on the two shapes that were closing in on him but the room was too bright. He tried grabbing for the torch to use as a weapon but his hand grasped at only air. Sam tried to scream for help but it was cut off when one of the figures uttered something. His vision began to fade and he could hear the sound of two women conversing with each other in a language he didn't understand. He could hear one begin to mutter something that sounded like a spell and as he blacked out he just then realized that they were witches. He had been trapped by witches.
Gabriel hummed to himself as he wandered the palace gardens. He had fled to the eastern kingdom in search of refuge, and after a long debate he finally was able to convince Kali to allow him to stay. She wasn't too pleased that he had come all that way and begged of her to take him in but when she learned of what was happening in Gabriel's own kingdom she finally gave in. Gabriel knew that despite Kali's cruel and cold outer shell she really did care for not only her own people but other kingdom's people as well.
The palace itself was so much different than his own. Everything seemed so much more peaceful, more full of life and livelier. He wondered if it felt this way simply because his home had seemed so cold due to his father and brother. The palace was more open, large cut outs in the ceiling and walls allowed sunlight to enter and often servants could be found lounging around like cats sunbathing. The smell of fruit drifted into the rooms often due to the numerous fruit trees that were on the palace grounds.
Gabriel smiled as he saw Kali approach him. They had grown closer since he arrived, he was sure that Kali would ask, or rather demand, that he be her mate but she hadn't asked yet. Gabriel wasn't going to push her even though they both had been avoiding their connection for years. Gabriel mainly tried to ignore how he felt for her because of his father. Since he was gone now however, Gabriel didn't have anything holding him back from accepting if Kali approached him with the offer.
"We need to talk." Kali growled. Gabriel's smile fell from his face and he suddenly became serious, the playful and lazy feeling he had earlier was gone.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.
"Your brother." Kali shook her head in what seemed to be disbelief. "Michael. That stupid man..."
Gabriel frowned, confused at what Kali was trying to say. It was obvious to him that she was truly upset about something. Even in her most upsetting times she remained stoic and kept the cold mask up. He had learned over the years to tell when something was bothering Kali. He reached out to grab her arms, keeping her still as she began to pace.
"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked once more.
"He declared war!" Kali yelled.
"On who?" Gabriel figured that perhaps Michael had declared war on Castiel, which despite Gabriel caring for his youngest brother he really didn't want to get between them. "On Castiel?"
"No not just Castiel. On all of us. Every single kingdom. He's sending out his army now." Kali whimpered. Gabriel had never heard her make that noise before and his own heart sank at the news. "He's planning to wipe all of us out."