Chapter 21
-oOo-
While Dean's smile faded, Delilah began to smirk and casually walk towards him.
"Well. Look at you. All dressed up like a toy soldier. Where's the other one?"
Dean stayed silent, his hand moving to his sword. The witch gave the door a couple of yards behind Dean a glance, then looked back at him.
"In there, is he?"
Dean considered the two scrolls at his belt, one was a little pointless in this situation, the other, he was reluctant to risk wasting, afraid the witch might destroy it before he had time to finish reading it. Unless she came within range, he wasn't certain he could get to her and put an end to her with the sword before she uttered the words to a spell. A further issue occurred to Dean, one neither he nor Sam had previously considered...He was a gardener. His memories did not include ever having killed anyone before. Neither he nor Sam had given that any thought. Dean resorted to using the only alternative weapon he had. Feigned ignorance.
"I'm sorry, should I know you my Lady? Have we met previously? Maybe at the tavern? Or are you possibly mistaking me for someone else?"
Delilah drew to a halt, carefully out of sword range, as she gave herself a mental slap and turned her smirk to a smile. Idiot! This dream time version of the Hunter has never seen you before, and yet here you are, damn near announcingyourself to him instead of making use of your opportunity!
"Oh dear. You don't recognise me? Yes, I've seen you and your friend at the tavern. You always seem to be together, so I assumed he is here with you?"
Dean surprised himself at how easily he slipped into lying and, as he spoke, he stepped backwards, positioning himself in front of the door to the princess' chambers, standing to attention in the manner of most of the guards, accidentally knocking once against the bottom of the door with the heel of his boot, and then raising his voice somewhat to answer the hag.
"No ma'am. My friend is not on this night's roster...Beg pardon ma'am, you asked for help? I will do my best however, I am not at liberty to leave this post."
-o-
Sam turned away from the window, sure he had heard muffled voices outside the door. He walked over to it as Lady Garritass came out of the princess' bedroom, Sam signalled her to stay silent. He put his ear to the door at the same moment as something knocked against the door bottom, and he heard his brother's voice mention him. Taking Dean's statement as a warning, he made no immediate move to open the door. A female voice answered Dean.
"Oh, don't worry sir. I remember now where I should have turned off. I had better leave you to your duties. My apologies for interrupting you good sir. I see you are guarding our sweet princess?"
There was no reply from Dean.
"Well. I wish you good night sir."
"And good night to you also my Lady."
Still Sam waited, trusting Dean to knock once the female had departed.
-o-
Now waiting impatiently, Sam began a slow, whispered count to one hundred, while Lady Garritass, herself now worried, came to stand alongside him. Hearing Sam counting, she pulled back her loosely tied up hair and put her ear against the door too. Eventually reaching two hundred, Sam straightened up and glanced down at the chief Lady. The woman nodded, signalling that she understood what Sam was about to do but remaining close. Sam tried indicating that he wanted her to move further back, out of sight, but she stubbornly refused, gaining herself an eye roll. Not about to waste time arguing with the woman, Sam quietly unlocked the door, opening it just enough to peer into the hallway outside.
-o-
Anger blazed through Sam at the glimpse of his brother standing placidly alongside the tall poetry critic from the banquet. The woman had one arm casually looped around Dean's waist, while in her other hand she held a long, slender dagger, it's gleaming black blade pressed against his throat. Letting his fear for Dean get the better of him, Sam recklessly yanked the door fully open, drawing his sword while quickly stepping into the hallway and increasing his speed as he closed the distance between himself and the smiling witch. Where so recently there had been silence, the immediate area was instantly transformed into a fast paced series of words, actions and reactions.
"Get away from my...
"Weapon of the smith! Make known to he who wields you, the heat of the fires from which you were born!"
Sam's command and movements were abruptly curtailed by the sudden brilliant crimson glow and the intense heat that manifested itself along the full length of his sword, forcing him to relinquish his hold on the weapon, letting it thump to the floor, where it instantly scorched the area of carpet under and around it. A firm jolt pushed Sam to one side, straight armed by the princess' lady as she swiftly stepped in front of him.
"Seasamh medicine, éisteacht agus labhairt liom!"
-o-
With barely a pause, Lady Garritass ordered Sam "Get your brother" before immediatly continuing to speak in her strange language, her glare fixed on the shocked face of the motionless witch. Without hesitation, Sam raced forward and grabbed Dean by the arm, hauling him away from the witch's grasp, stumbling when his brother unexpectedly began, loose limbed, to head floorward. Surprised by the speed of his own reflexes, Sam arrested Dean's fall and half carried, half dragged the older man through the open door into the princess' chambers. Catching movement in the peripheral of his eye, without stopping what he was doing, Sam barked "Stay in there!" Hearing Brier Rose's bedroom door slam too again and a key turning in the lock, thinking Good girl he got his brother's dead weight onto a couch; and all the while Lady Garritass kept on talking. Glancing back to the Lady, Sam saw she was walking backwards into the chambers, his sword held down at her side. As soon as she was over the threshold, she slammed the door closed, dropping Sam's sword to lock it while at the same time sweeping her free hand across the door itself.
"Coinnigh ar ais ár n-foe."
Turning from the door she gazed at Dean.
"I don't know how long that will hold for...How's he doing?"
The princess' bedroom door slowly opened again, to reveal a frightened young girl, looking much less than her grand total of seventeen years. Seeing Sam hovering over someone, she took a few hesitent steps towards the couch.
"What's happening? Oh! Is that Dean? Please, don't let him be dead! His roses. He hasn't even seen them bloom yet!"
Struggling back to an awareness of what was going on around him, Dean mumbled curiously.
"Oo's bin an' deaded 'ededed mi roses?"
-oOo-
Chick xxx