That's A Real Life Bronze Age Priestess Sammy

Chapter 5

"I'm glad you're here, man."

Cas started to leave, but turned back around to face Dean once again and said, "Hey, maybe you should um ... take some time before you get back to work. Allow yourself to heal. It's, uh ... I don't know. The timing might be right. Heaven and Hell - they seem reasonably back in order. It's quiet out there."

"Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Really good idea. Pretty sure Sam isn't going to have any complains in that department. Can't even remember when was the last time we took some time off for ourselves. Wanna join us?"

"Thank you for asking but no, I still have several things to take of. Primarily one being finding a more permanent solution to my depleting grace." Castiel was once again proceeded to leave the room but once again turned around to ask, "Dean, how did she end up here with you guys? How did the two of you even find Muwatti? Don't know why I would even be surprised. If anyone was going to find the lost Hittite princess, it would be the Winchesters."

Oh yeah, that's still a thing. She is still a thing. I mean, she isn't a thing. She's a person. It's just that the thing is the thing. Great. He's talking like Muwatti now.

"You know what," replied Dean, "They are very good questions and have very good and lengthy answers that can wait till the next morning, if you don't mind. Because I would like a get at least some rest before we get into that…thing."

"Understandable."

"Where is she by the way?"

"She seemed tired, so I put her up in one of the empty rooms, at the end of the corridor. She's sleeping now."

"Good. A month of being surrounded by demons is not good for anyone."

With that Castiel finally left the room and Dean was finally alone with his thoughts once again and closed his eyes. Truly his worst companions. He tried to kill Sam, his little brother. How could even hope to be forgiven? He finally managed to calm down the maelstrom inside his mind and found himself in a stone corridor illuminated by fire braziers. He could swear he could even feel the heat radiating off of them. He touched the wall closest to him, and they certainly felt real. Cold and real. Real stone.

"How did you get here?" He turned towards the voice and came face to face with Muwatti. She looked different. Or rather she looked exactly like she did when he first saw her that night in the museum. She was in similar clothes and jewellery, like the ones still in Baby's trunk. He looked around a few more times before he asked her where were they.

"Hattusa." she replied.

"Hattusa? Your home? Your home from the past, you mean? We were just in the Bunker. How can we be in Hattusa?" This was beyond even their usual level of weird.

"Because I'm dreaming of it. I've been dreaming of it ever since I was freed. Come here." With that she grabbed his hands and dragged him towards a giant window. "We are on one of the hundred towers surrounding the upper city, and from here you have the best view of the lower city." They had reached the window's edge and were now overlooking the ancient city. The ancient dead city. There were thousands and thousands of people on the streets. He could hear music, he could smell food being cooked, he could hear the people talking. All those people who have been dead for thousands of years.

"There are so many people out." he amazed.

Dean saw that she was smiling. But it wasn't a happy one. "The army is back in the city. Atti has just come back after defeating the kingdoms of Arzawa and Babylon on the western front. This is their welcoming celebration. Not that they were a match for our military anyways but when you're the ones in power, always over-exaggerate your accomplishments. Can't have the peasants doubting their 21.5% in taxes are not being well spent. After performing a few rituals to thank the gods and goddesses for their safe return and glorious victory, it is going to a night full of alcohol and debauchery for the whole capital."

"Sign me up for that party."

"Atti has also come back with a new wife, the Babylonian princess, Malignal. All part of this new alliance. True sign of old age, you starts craving peace with your lifelong enemies." she said sardonically. "And a week after Malignal enters the palace, anni disappears. This was the last time we would be in the same room at the same time, all together."

"You think she was behind it?" he asked.

She looked straight into Dean's eyes and calmly said, "She had the most to gain. We would realise only later that her father had already bribed most of the influential nobles in our court, who will soon after start demanding that Malignal should be made the new Tawananna. Only a simpleton would think that would be a coincidence." She turned around and looked down at the city once again. "We're a theocratical monarchy, the political leaders and religious leader are one and the same. The emperor and the Tawananna are - were -" she corrected herself before continuing, "meant to be co-rulers. She was his chief adviser and the head of his counsel of nobles. In the absence of the emperor she ruled as the regent. Her word was the same as those of the emperor. Not to mention her position was absolute and was for life and thus many times the previous emperor's chief priestess continues on with the new emperor. Pissed off his empress without a doubt."

Dean let out a nervous chuckle and whispered, "I have to honest with you, history wasn't my favourite subject even as a child." Maybe she didn't hear him or maybe she wasn't bothered, it was her dream after all, and continued on as if he hadn't spoken a single word. He was still concerned with how did he ended up in her dream of all things.

"If she became the new Tawananna, then my brothers and I would have had our throats slit in our sleep the moment she gave birth to a son. All of them thought the moment we lost our mother, we would turn into helpless children, who would not only ignore every wrong being done to them, but also walk away from our birthright and surrender it to the woman who tore apart our family. Which is why it was decided that she would become the new empress certainly, but I would become the new Tawananna. Overnight I became the most powerful woman in the empire, possibly one of the most powerful woman in the whole of Anatolia and Levant. All at the age of fourteen. And years later I would sign Malignal's execution orders myself. I wanted revenge so desperately and for what reason, it's not like my anni came back. She was most certainly dead. And no amount of power or wealth was going to change that."

Dean felt like he was punched in the stomach with a brick. "Yeah, revenge does leave a bitter taste in your mouth. You give it all, convincing yourself it would all worth it, and it is to some point. But then you end asking yourself, now what?"

Once again, she turned to look at him. Quite intensely he might add, like she was seeing him for the first time. He was going to point this out to her, however he realised she truly was seeing him for the first time. First time seeing the human him, at least.

"Whom did you lose?"

"Our mother. Demon. I was four." And then he ended up not only befriending a demon but also fucking became one. She looked like she was going to say something to him, but decided against it. Instead she only said that it was time to wake up.

The stone walls around him melted away. He was surrounded in complete darkness and upon opening his eyes he was back in his room. Immediately he was on his feet and walking briskly towards her room at the end of the corridor. He found her sitting on the bed with her back against the headboard, with a look of pure amazement on her face when she saw him at the door.

"You really were there." she said.

Yes, he was.

Sam was back at the Bunker with the food and alcohol, and joined the angel sitting in the library. "I thought you would have left by now but just saw Naomi waiting outside in the car. She waved at me. You know you can invite her in." He placed all the bags on the library table and stared to empty them out. "Angels and us have never had an easy relationship, but you trust her and she's your friend. What I'm trying to say is that we can trust her as well."

"I appreciate that, Sam." Cas replied. "But at the moment - I mean, it's alright. I'm sure Naomi doesn't mind waiting. Outside." The angel seems to have short-circuited. Did things get awkward between those two. But before he could ask him, Dean and Muwatti walked in the library. With incredibly sombre impressions on their faces.

Seriously. They couldn't even get one fucking night.

These three certainly loved shouting.

"Dean, we all would really like to know what the fuck has exactly happened here. People don't just walk into other people's dream for no goddamn reason."

Shouting seems to be their primarily way of communicating for some reason.

"You think I don't know that dumbass. I have no clue why this thing happened. It just happened. For the first time. She has been falling asleep with no problems this past month, and nothin like this has ever happened."

Or rather they shout when things go wrong, however ever since Muwatti has encountered the elder Winchester brother, can't believe people have two names now, things go wrong. A lot. And so they shout. A lot.

"That can be easily explained. As a demon, Dean was not sleeping. There was no need for that. But this was the first time he was asleep at the same time her, after becoming a human again."

"Yes, that. Cas is right. I never slept as a demon."

The shouting seem to be accompanied by lively facial expressions and even more excited hand gestures.

"Then, I don't know Dean. Did you accidentally eat some African dream root before dozing off?"

Standing also seems to play a big part.

"How does one accidentally eat some dream root, Sammy?"

They had been standing for some time now.

"Also your brother would have also needed to eat her hair along with the dream root. So the question should be when did Dean swallow some of her hair."

This time both of the brothers shouted, "What?"

Every once in a while one of them would pull on the chair in front of them to sit, but angrily push it away and continue standing - is the angel really talking about eating hair - once again.

Speaking of angels.

"What is an angel?" She presented the question to all three of them. Since the two of them had entered the library, Dean had done all the talking. Not that she was complaining. Despite having lived a life full of rituals and ceremonies about appeasing all manners of deities, besides the curse she never had encountered anything remotely supernatural. Safe to say she was in unchartered territories, and wasn't really equipped to deal with any of it. Besides, the brothers and the angel were proving to be quite entertaining to watch and also observe. The Winchesters, seriously when did the second name become such a popular choice, asking the same question at the same time was quickly becoming her favourite part. Was it always a question or did they randomly just say things as well? Would she have liked a second name? No, she already had too many titles.

After hearing her voice, the three of them quieted down and looked towards Muwatti. And continued staring. Did they forget she was there? How? Wasn't her being there the reason they were shouting anyway?

Finally, Castiel decided to put her out of her misery and answer her, "I think the easiest way to explain, would be to give you the Hittite term for it." He paused for a minute. He might not be as bad as the brothers, but he evidently loved the drama as well didn't he?

"Spit it out Cas." exclaimed Dean.

"It's dyewara."

Oh?

Oh!

"Didn't your mother - Did the empress ever say anything about us?"

"The only thing she told me, repeatedly told me, about the dyewaras, are that they are arrogant creatures drunk on power, yet completely incapable of bringing any sort change, would in fact have no problems burning everything to the ground instead of actually changing or admitting are extremely flawed creations, they were only good for drowning in the vast pools of their vanity, and the whole of existence would be better if their entire species was ruthlessly butchered."

"Oh" said Castiel, who pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I think you hurt his feeling." said Dean.

"It's not a completely inaccurate description though." said Sam

"Why are you so interested in my anni?" she asked him.

"She was an incredibly powerful priestess even at a young age, blessed by the goddess Inara herself. Not to mention she came from a long line of powerful priestesses and that made Heaven particularly invested in her life. I was part of the regiment sent to observe her since the time she was a child -"

"Is that angel-speak for eliminate, Cas?" asked Sam.

The angel was clearly nervous now. "Maybe." he whispered out the reply.

"That definitely explains why her mother had such a high opinion about you guys." said Dean.

"Yes, but when we realised she had no interest in harnessing her powers we stepped back. It became pretty obvious that she only had political ambitions as a human. She used her powers only once, as far we know. One day when we had managed to anger her enough, I guess, and she covered the whole capital with protective sigils and warding that prevented any manner of supernatural beings from even entering Hattusa."

"That does explain why she was so determined that I should never leave Hattusa." she remarked. "Do the angels know anything about what happened to her or to me?"

"Sadly no. I don't know what transpired to either of you. Because of the warding it wasn't easy to see what was happening inside always. We still had to occasionally make checks but could only do it from the outside. It's like, when it came to the Hittite capital, our eyes were only as good as those of a human. The empress was thorough."

That did sound like anni.

"I do know what happened to your twin brother however. Prince Zannanza and his envoy were killed by a group of Egyptian goons just outside of Syria, hired by General Horemheb and Vizier Ay."

Thought as much. Which Egyptian in their right mind would accept a Hittite as their Pharaoh? Why didn't atti listen to her counsel? How could he expect peace with Egypt? Their sworn enemies. His foolish dreams of having Egypt being ruled by his half-Hittite grandchildren resulted in her twin being murdered in the desert. But none of it matters now. They are dead. She's alive and she'd like to stay that way for a while longer. So time to deal with this new mess.

"I don't know anything about magic or angels or demons," she spoke out. "But I think it would be safe to assume that what happened tonight, in fact what started this whole thing, it's all because of the Mark."

"What do you mean?" asked Castiel.

Sam decided to answer him and gave a concise version of how she was released from the accursed tablet and Muwatti showing the duplicate Mark tattoo on her left thigh to the angel. Sam continued on, "Somehow these two very different forms of magic reacted with each other and now these two have, I don't know, bonded with each other, where they now share dreams."

That's not all.

"Actually Sammy," said Dean, recreating her very thoughts. "That's not all that has happened to the two of us. Turns out Demon me didn't hurt her for a very specific reason."

"For the love of god Dean, what now?" asked Sam helplessly.

"It's not that bad. But still a bit bad. And also in some ways a lot bad when you think of it as whole-"

"By the hands of Ishtar. Just tell him Dean."

"I have to do everything she says." Dean blurted out.

"What? How is that possible?"

Hasn't everything that has happened been on the side of impossible Sam? Why aren't you immune to disbelief already?

"I don't know, Sammy." All of them seem to be saying that a lot lately. Dean continued, "However, no matter what she says I end up getting a strong urge to do it and then I end up doing it."

"You're lying." Apparently Sam didn't believe them. "This is a joke. Right?"

"Yes, because this entire day has been such a joy for all us."

She would realise that she had said that part out loud only when she noticed all three men staring at her. Oops. Somehow it felt like all four of them had tacitly and unanimously decided to not speak, least some other unpleasant discovery gets unearthed. However Castiel decided to brave it out and said, "This is not good news."

"You're telling me." said Dean. "I'm the one that turns into a mindless drone following orders."

"Alright. I may not know what a drone is, but I resent the implication that I'm making you do things for solely my entertainment. The only time I ever actually wanted to order you to do something, is when you were still a demon and I ordered you to not hurt me."

"Does Crowley know about this?" asked Sam. Dean replied in the negative and continued, "There was no way demon me would let that piece of information slip out. And if he had suspected anything for even a second, there'd be no way he would have simply let her go with us. Think about it. The only reason he ended up helping you in curing me was because I was too uncontrollable. He already has the First Blade and if he finds out about her," he said while pointing at Muwatti, "and what she can make me do-"

"We will be fucked." concluded Muwatti, Sam, Dean, and Castiel.