Chapter 9: Sapphire and Jade


Castiel paced in the snow near the medical tent, still worried hours after Steve had been taken in there. The boy had been pale from blood loss, but Anna had jumped on Khan and ridden back to the rest of the soldiers to grab the medic. Ishim and Inias had managed to gather up the rest of the horses that fled the avalanche, calming them and tying them together near the makeshift camp while Cas hadn't been able to do anything except wrap Steve in his red cloak to protect him from the wintery chill. Charlie had removed some of Steve's bloodstained armor and wrapped some makeshift bandages over the sword slice on his side, but it was clear the injury continued down his leg though it was shallower lower down. She kept pressure on the wound and reassured her captain that the boy would be alright, which Cas allowed himself to believe. He couldn't lose Steve, not after everything they had been through. Somehow this green-eyed child of the great John Winchester had come to mean too much to the prince.

Charlie, Anna, Balthazar, and Benny hovered nearby, having found some logs and dried wood further up the path to create a fire and a sitting area. When the main army finally caught up with them, they raided the carts for warmer cloaks, Cas's younger brother wrapping one around his shoulders as he urged the captain to sit. He didn't, but he was grateful for the concern. As usual, Metatron complained loudly about the cold and the delay, little caring that the boy who had saved Cas's life was bleeding out in the medical tent, and it took every ounce of control the alpha possessed not to wring his cowardly neck.

The medic, an older beta who had been attached to the Imperial Family for years, came out of the tent at last, concern etched in his ancient features but not reflected in his scent. Medics were known to wear scent-blockers so their own worries did not upset their patients, but Cas was pretty sure that this medic just had an unnatural level of control over his own scent. He leaned forward and whispered something in Cas's ear, the captain straightening in shock before walking toward the tent. There was no way that what he had just heard was true.

Steve was lying on a mat in the center of the room, a light blanket covering the lower half of his body, the bandages wrapped around his middle continuing down one leg. He was pale but no longer deathly white, stirring awake as the scent of Cas's shock reached him. The boy squinted up at the captain for a moment, opening his eyes fully when he recognized his visitor, and those eyes . . . those were the darkest jade eyes Cas had ever seen, no longer gray and muddied but bright and clear and so damn familiar. He caught the boy's scent and started shaking his head, unwilling to believe what his alpha was screaming at him, so he leaned down, grabbed the edge of the blanket, and pulled it back.

Omega.

"No," Cas whispered, finally realizing the boy's true subgender as the medic had removed his pants to treat the gash on his thigh. Pale skin, small testicles, narrow waist . . . this was no alpha. This was the omega son of John Winchester, his firstborn and the last person Cas would have expected to see in an army camp.

Dean grabbed at the blanket to cover himself, his smile gone as bitter omega fear filled the tent. "I can explain."

The tent flap flew open again as Metatron entered the small space, taking a single sniff and glaring at the boy on the mat. "So it's true."

Cas spun around and stomped out of the tent, Dean reaching for him and calling his name. "Cas!" Metatron sneered and grabbed Dean's arm, the boy struggling to wrap the blanket around his waist as he was hauled bodily out of the tent and tossed onto the snow.

"I knew there was something wrong with you!" Metatron ripped one side of the blanket free, revealing the undeniable proof of Dean's omeganess, the physicality he had been so desperate to hide the day he bathed in the lake. "An omega," he spit, stepping away as Dean wrapped himself in the blanket again. The other soldiers stepped back in shock, unable to understand what they were seeing and smelling, but the omega's fear was palpable in the air. "Treacherous snake!"

Dean, kneeling on the ground with only the thin blanket protecting him from the freezing air, looked up at Cas, mentally begging the alpha to turn around and look at him. "My name is Dean. I did it to save my brother." Cas, remembering his own brothers dead on the battlefield near that small village, turned his head slightly, knowing that John did have an alpha son but no one had ever heard anything about him. If that was true, he certainly couldn't be a warrior but Dean was as fine a fighter as his illustrious sire had ever been.

"High treason!" Metatron continued, speaking to the gathered soldiers but refusing to look at the omega trembling on the ground at his feet.

"I didn't mean for it to go this far."

"Ultimate dishonor," Metatron sneered in Dean's face as he winced away.

"It was the only way," Dean continued, watching as Cas, now half-turned toward him, closed his eyes and dropped his head. "Please believe me," he begged.

Metatron snorted and walked over to Cas, the alpha turned away again. "Hmph, Captain?"

Cas looked back at Dean before forcing his feelings aside and walking over to Dean's horse, pulling the sword out of the scabbard attached to the strap around the black stallion's chest. Khan reared up in protest, but Metatron's "restrain him" called three soldiers forward to grab the stallion's reins. The four soldiers who had befriended Dean ran forward as Cas turned toward the omega with John's sword in his hand, unwilling to let their friend be killed. Metatron raised one hand and stopped them. "You know the law," he declared, turning to watch with his arms crossed over his chest.

Cas reached Dean with the sword half-raised, looking down at the trembling man as he tried to forget their friendship or the nights the boy had spent huddled in his tent. This was an omega who had broken the law, who deserved nothing but dishonor and death, and not the finest warrior China had ever seen, not the man who had wiped out the entire Hun army, not the man who had risked his life to ride through an avalanche and save his captain's life. Hard sapphire eyes met bright but terrified jade, and Cas paused as a memory washed over him.


"Prince Castiel, you are going to be late."

"I don't want to go," the raven-haired child replied cheekily.

Rowena, the flame-haired beauty who currently served as the Emperor's matchmaker, smiled in that odd, secretive way she had as she finished buttoning the boy's formal coat and straightening his hat. "You will want to be there today, I can promise you."

"What, to see another Naming Ceremony? Five of Father's generals have pupped their mates this year, I don't care to see each brat produced."

"This is not just any general," a voice interjected, Castiel's oldest half-brother entering the room. Zachariah was a member of the army, though a very young one, and had only seen one battle against the Huns before they were driven back across the border. He planned to serve in the army for the rest of his life, and the Emperor had promised to make him Grand Commandant, in charge of the entire Chinese Army when he was experienced enough. They looked similar, both with dark hair and their father's engaging smile, but Zachariah had his mother's muddy colored eyes while Cas's were bright blue. Zachariah also had a receding hairline, one that would become more prominent with age, but since he had no intention of mating as the son of a concubine, he never cared much about his appearance outside of official Imperial functions.

"Who is it this time?"

"This is John Winchester, the greatest warrior China has ever seen. I fought under him at the last battle against the Huns. His mate has birthed a son, and we are throwing them the biggest party you have ever seen for the Naming."

Castiel, who was still known to be petulant at ten years old, sighed and nodded, following his brother to the door. "I suppose this is more important than the others."

The trio headed toward the great landing overlooking the gathered crowd, moving to stand with the other Imperials as they waited for the General and his mate to emerge. As a full son of the Emperor, Castiel stood with his siblings, thirteen-year-old Michael the heir, twelve-year-old Lucifer, seven-year-old Balthazar, and four-year-old Anna. The girl grabbed Cas's hand as they waited, as always uncomfortable at big events. They had a baby brother, too, but Gadreel was only a toddler and stayed with his nannies in the palace.

Emperor Chuck and his mate Empress Naomi joined the pups, walking regally toward their spot. Naomi was pregnant again, having promised her mate eight pups as it was an auspicious number and her family was more in tune with signs and portents than the Imperials tended to be. A flock of guards surrounded the Imperials at all times, Rowena joining the group with her teenage son in tow. He was an omega, a grouchy thing named Fergus, but he made all of the pups call him Crowley, and nearing his presentation. He had no plans to mate and settle down like a proper omega, having decided to follow in his mother's footsteps and become a Matchmaker. Castiel thought that sounded pretty lonely, but the kid was super prickly so maybe he preferred to be alone. The prince straightened his back as his mother caught his eye, determined not to do anything that might dishonor his family at this event.

A few minutes later, drums announced the arrival of John Winchester and his mate, a young blonde beta from a village on the other side of the mountains. Her family was very wealthy and well-connected, and Rowena had arranged the match herself years ago before the Huns invaded. The mating had been delayed due to the war, but clearly it had been a good match if the tiny bundle in Mary's arms was any indication. As the crowd silenced, John took the baby and stepped to the edge of the landing, holding up the boy for the gathered people to see.

"Allow me to introduce my firstborn son, a child we have named Dean after my mate's family. He is an omega and will bring great honor to the Winchester name."

"Greetings to Dean Winchester," the crowd replied in the traditional manner, the Imperials bowing their heads in greeting. Once the formalities were over, the people on the ground were offered food and refreshments from tables around the square, while the Imperials moved to their own tables on the high landing.

Castiel, now somewhat curious about the baby, broke free from his family and inched closer to the general, eyes locked on that bundle. Mary spotted him first, the female having found a chair where she could rest and hold her child. "Hello, Prince Castiel. Would you like to meet him?"

The boy nodded uncertainly, stepping forward and holding out his arms. The table next to Mary was already filled with gifts from the nobles of the Empire, including an exquisite set of jade jewelry that the Emperor had curated personally for the young omega. That would be his mating jewelry one day, the jade marking his favor with the Imperials. Certainly this child would never have trouble finding a mate, Castiel thought, staring down as the baby was carefully placed in his arms. Most infants were born with pale blue eyes, so he had seen with his own siblings, but this boy had eyes the color of darkest jade, the imperial stone and a very uncommon color in any family line. Dean, who had been somewhat fussy a moment earlier, locked his eyes on Cas and just stared, something so intense and soul-piercing that the prince couldn't look away. The baby already had the faintest scent, cinnamon and apple blossom, and Cas let himself learn that aroma and tuck it away in the back of his mind for later.

"They would make a good couple," Rowena commented casually, leaning against a chair near Mary. "Certainly it would be a good match."

Mary chuckled and sipped her drink. "Rowena, the pup is barely a month old, far too young to be standing before the matchmaker. Even Castiel has years of childhood left. Let them decide on their own when they grow up."

"I've never been wrong," the redhead replied cryptically, her foreign accent stronger than usual at that statement. As Cas stared at the tiny baby, some part of him, maybe that alpha thing that his father told him he would have one day, whispered mine.


Staring at the boy kneeling in the snow, Cas could only see those brilliant jade eyes and smell that cinnamon and apple blossom scent that his childhood self had wanted to learn so badly. Recognizing his fate, Dean dropped his gaze and broke the spell, head hanging as he awaited the stroke of the sword. Cas raised the weapon, fully intending to follow through on his father's law and kill this treasonous omega, but all he could see was that tiny pup staring into his soul twenty years ago. Lowering his arm, Cas dropped the sword into the snow in front of Dean.

Dean looked at the weapon then up into Cas's eyes, unable to understand the mercy that the captain was showing him. "A life for a life," the captain murmured, meeting Dean's eyes one last time. "My debt is repaid." He turned around, his cloak snapping with the motion, and headed for his horse. "Move out!"

Metatron, shocked, ran up and grabbed at Cas's arm. "But you can't just . . ."

Cas turned and grabbed Metatron's shirt, pulling the shorter man closer until their faces were inches apart. "I said," he growled, letting his eyes flash red, "move out."

The soldiers returned to their horses and carts, some of them looking back at Dean kneeling in the snow staring at his father's sword but most of them unwilling to turn around. The omega had been one of them, a fine soldier, and he had single-handedly taken out the entire Hun army and now they had to shun him as dishonored, leave him behind to make his own way out of the mountains. Cas's alpha growled and scratched and howled in the back of his mind, but he kept facing forward as he swung himself onto his stallion and pulled Claire up behind him. The girl did look back as the group rode away, wanting nothing more than to go comfort her friend, no matter his designation, but she knew that her father had no choice. At least Cas hadn't killed the boy; Claire wasn't sure she would have been able to look her father in the eye after that.

Benny, whose horse was near the back of the group, surreptitiously dropped a bag of food and supplies behind a nearby rock, hopping up and trotting after the rest of the group. He let his alpha take in one last sniff of Dean's gentle scent before clamping down on his emotions and rejoining the other soldiers, refusing to meet Balthazar's searching gaze. He felt sorry for the omega boy they were leaving behind, someone that Benny had been happy to call his friend. Dean had only wanted to save his brother, probably a boy that never learned to fight like an alpha child was expected to. Benny had known plenty of young alphas who were poor fighters, but they made it through basic training and joined the army just to die at the wall. Dean had been willing to die in his brother's place, but now he would have to live with that dishonor for the rest of his life.

Dean wasn't sure how long he knelt in the snow, but Kevin and a silent Cri-Kee were sitting on the edge of his blanket when he finally moved. The fire that Benny had started was still crackling near the tent, so Dean grabbed some clothes from the bag tied to Khan's strap and dressed quickly to hopefully warm himself up. His armor was damaged and bloody, but the medic had tied it up into a neat bundle that Dean grabbed and placed near the fire, spotting the supplies that Benny had dropped on the way. He grabbed the pack gratefully, digging through it for a heavier coat and cloak to ward off the winter chill, hoping that the medic's tent would be able to keep him warm enough in the mountains. The sun was nearly set, but the snow was bright enough in the moonlight that he would be able to start his journey back through the mountains that night. Benny's pack also contained food, including some of the dumplings that Kevin was fond of. Taking a seat by the fire, Dean leaned back against Khan as the stallion laid down behind him, creating a very effective wind block and heater.

Kevin stalked around the fire, carrying a broken arrow shaft that he alternately stabbed into the snow and tapped in his own clawed hand. "I was this close, this close to impressing the Ancestors, getting the top shelf, and entourage. Man, all my fine work, pfft." Kevin spotted one of the dumplings in the supply bag and grabbed it, shoving it on the end of his stick so he could hold it out to the fire as he plopped down on the edge of Dean's heavy cloak. "Hi."

Despondent, Dean didn't bother to meet the dragon's eyes, just pulling the cloak tightly around his neck. "I should never have left home."

Kevin, his ears and whiskers still drooping, shook his head. "Eh, come on, you just wanted to save your brother's life. Who knew you'd end up shaming your whole family, disgracing your ancestors, and losing all your friends. You know, you just gotta, you gotta learn the let these things go." He swallowed back his tears and dropped his dumpling onto the snow, not even interested in eating anymore.

Dean sighed and shifted the edges of the cape as he looked up, thinking back to his motivations for leaving his home all those weeks ago. "Maybe I didn't go for my brother. Maybe what I really wanted was to prove I could do things right, so when I looked in the mirror," he picked up a discarded Hun helmet and stared into the reflection, "I'd see someone worthwhile." He stared into his own eyes for a moment and looked away at the first hint of a tear, his voice shaky. "But I was wrong. I see nothing." He tossed the helmet away, fighting back his tears as he pulled the cloak tight again.

Kevin looked at the helmet as it landed beside him, turning his face up toward Dean as he broke free of his own self-pity and realized that he had to cheer the omega up. He grabbed the helmet and breathed on it, his hot dragon breath fogging the metal in seconds. "Now that's because this needs a little polish, that's all. Let me shine this up for you." He wiped the condensation away with his arm and held the helmet up to Dean, offering the best smile he could manage. "I can see you, look at you, you look so lovely." Dean looked away, not in the least bit cheered up.

Kevin dropped his grin and sighed, staring at his reflection for a moment before speaking again. "The truth is, we're both frauds. Your ancestors never sent me, they don't even like me. I mean, you risked your life to help the people you love. I risked your life to help myself. At least you had good intentions." Dean offered the dragon a slight smile at that, too tired and broken to be upset that Kevin had lied to him for weeks. It hardly mattered; Dean had needed help to get into the army and stay on track and the dragon had provided everything he needed. It little mattered now if the Ancestors liked either one of them.

Cri-Kee hopped onto the helmet and chirped sadly, breaking out into a sound that resembled tears. Kevin straightened in shock, turning to face the bug. "What?! What do you mean, you're not lucky? You lied to me?" Cri-Kee nodded and Kevin turned to look at Khan's head, the horse pinning his ears back at the action. "And what are you? A sheep?" Khan snorted and offered a low grumbling response, stopping short of headbutting the dragon.

Wrapped in his blanket, Dean watched the fire burn lower, sighing softly. "I'll have to face my father sooner or later. Let's go home." He stood and kicked snow over the remains of the fire, watching for the smoke to vanish before gathering his extra bags of supplies and tying them to Khan's harness. His saddle had been in one of the other carts, but Dean had been riding this horse bareback his entire life and wasn't worried about the journey. They did at least have one heavy saddle blanket, so it should be enough.

Kevin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this ain't gonna be pretty. But, don't you worry, okay? Things'll work out." He hopped from the helmet onto Khan's back as the horse stood, able to meet Dean's eyes at that height. "We started this thing together and that's how we'll finish." Dean reached out and hugged the small dragon, grateful that he still had one friend who would stand by his side, dishonor or not. "I promise."

At the bottom of the pass, separated from Dean's tiny camp by the rocky outcropping that saved the soldiers' lives, a hand burst forth from the snow. Dick Roman, eyes glowing red, pulled himself out of the snow where it had created a large pocket that sheltered him for the past few hours. Nearby, a handful of his top lieutenants also dug themselves free, having been in a safer place on the hillside than the rest of the army when the avalanche hit. He spotted Edgar and Gaines crawling out of one hole, Valente and Chet climbing down from near the mountain where they had been shooting at the Chinese armies before getting caught by the edge of the snow. George, Tarrell, and Pete filled out the group, some of them limping but all of them still able to fight. Dick looked around at his men, all that remained of his great army, and roared his fury into the darkening sky.

Dean looked up from tying the last of his supplies on Khan's back, climbing up to the ridge and carefully peering over the top. He spotted the group of Huns, all that remained of their once great army, walk to the edge of the narrow path overlooking the beautifully lit Imperial City. Dick, glancing around at his men, began the arduous climb down to the mountain. That path was faster, but only usable by people on foot, so the Chinese army had used the wider and easier south path that could accommodate horses and carts, one not visible from the northern one.

Dean moved back from the ridge and ran to his horse, grabbing his sword from the snow where Cas had dropped it and returning it to its sheath on Khan's side. He looked at his smallest supply bag, the one holding the oils and herbs that had allowed him to pass as an alpha for so long, but Dean knew that returning to that façade was not an option. He was Dean and he was an omega, but he was not going to let that stop him from protecting his fellow soldiers and the Emperor from the Huns who had somehow survived the avalanche. Swinging himself onto Khan's back, Dean turned the stallion toward the wide, easy path where the hoofprints, footsteps, and wheel tracks of the main army were still visible, stamped in the crisp snow.

On the ground, glancing quickly between the Pass that led back to the villages west of the mountains and the cliffside path that led to the Imperial City, Kevin cleared his throat. "Uh, home is that way," he offered, pointing the way helpfully.

Dean shook his head, his scent offering an even stronger rejection. "I have to do something."

"Did you see those Huns?! They popped out of the snow, like daisies!"

"Are we in this together, or not?"

Kevin's ears drooped as the omega threw his own words back at him, reminding the dragon guardian of his promise only a few minutes earlier. He looked down at Cri-Kee, the purple cricket raising his antennae and offering a vicious challenge to the enemy, the little insect having learned some truly violent language after their weeks in the training camp. Unwilling to look weak in front of his not-so-lucky cricket friend, Kevin perked up and grinned at Dean. "Well, let's go kick some Hunny buns!" He jumped on Khan's back as the stallion took off at a gallop, Cri-Kee grabbing the tail and climbing up. Below them, most of the lights of the Imperial City had congregated near the great palace, and that was certainly where the Huns would go.