" Pain, anguish and suffering in human life are always in proportion to the strength with which a man is endowed." - Alexandre Dumas, The man in the iron mask (The D'Artagnan romances, #3,4)
The omega actually seemed to be relieved at being dismissed like that. He sighed in relief, dropping down to his hands and slowly crawling into a corner of the room and Castiel felt like vomiting again. There had been some dried blood on the omega's body, but when he turned to crawl away, Castiel could see so much more of it around his anus and trails of it down his thighs, and the mere thought of what this omega, this person went through was sickening.
The man curled in his corner, his back pressed against the wall, probably some sort of attempt to minimize his vulnerability and hid his head in his arms, blocking out the setting sun, while the heavy chains pooled around and atop of his body.
Castiel ran to the door, swung it open, and as soon as he spotted Benjamin, he asked him to go fetch one of the elder musketeers. The guard first made sure everything was okay before obliging Castiel's request, throwing worried glances back at him as he walked away. It took ten minutes, but finally, there was a knock on his door.
Forgetting himself, Castiel swung the door open, wide-eyed and upset, meeting the hazel gaze of Gabriel's, before inviting him inside.
"Oh, boy…" was Gabriel's first reaction when Castiel motioned at the omega in the corner. Gabriel swallowed hard, his eyes lingering on the man curled up in a fetal position, pity and sorrow written all over the musketeer's face.
"What is this?" Castiel whispered, sounding so broken and filled with disbelief. Logically, he knew some omegas, male ones especially, would be used as slaves, he had heard stories in the dungeons, though he had never seen an omega before. But he would never imagine his brother, someone of royal descent, would keep an omega like this and use him for his own personal pleasure.
"I heard about these… situations, but I…" Gabriel tried, and trailed off, looking back at the poor omega. He sighed, then turned towards Castiel, speaking quietly so that the omega wouldn't hear them. "I suppose the prince took a slave, though I can't imagine why. Not that it matters right now. We can't help him, we need to hold appearances." He said regretfully, dodging Castiel's gaze, and lastly adding "I'm sorry."
"You… you're… you're sorry? What… what am I supposed to do with that?" Castiel sputtered.
"We can try and save him later, but… " Gabriel glanced at the little form in the corner, letting out another deep sigh. "Honestly, if you were to send him away, Lord only knows where he might end up, and considering his state… We could try and bring him to the house, but I doubt he would stay there and… If he ran off, someone might find him, and… Castiel, he is best to remain here." Gabriel said, and he had a point. The mere thought of this omega alone out in the streets brought out something dark and deep from within Castiel, a mixture of protectiveness and possessiveness, one admirable, the other despicable. Still, the omega was best to stay where he was.
"Alright." Castiel eventually agreed, and Gabriel expressed his regret for this situation once again before leaving Castiel alone with the omega. For a good few minutes, Castiel just stood there, just staring at the omega before his body began to protest and proceed to remind him it had been a long day, so he slowly dragged himself to the bed.
The musketeers insisted he used the bed instead of the floor when they managed to secure his place in the palace as prince James, but as Castiel lay there, his eyes unwilling to close, unwilling to leave the sight of the trembling omega, he couldn't help but feel as if the soft mattress was in fact filled with gravel. He was not comfortable.
An hour passed and sleep would not come. He was tired, drained with thoughts and concerns about their undertaking, his treacherous mind kept circling back to the small bundle in the corner. He tried to turn away, he tried lying on his back, yet his eyes would always return to the omega. Finally, he gave up, took the sheet that was underneath him and began to lower himself to the floor, right next to the bed. The omega twitched as if he had sensed movement, but did not do anything beyond that. Castiel's eyes fell back on him, and refused to close.
For hours he stared at him, wondering who he was, what brought him here, how he ended up being a pleasure slave to the prince. Castiel hadn't seen much of his face as it was cast in the shadows of his submission, but he must have been pretty for the prince to take him. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Castiel scolded himself. Pretty felt like such a condescending word, one more likely to be used by his brother than him. Yet, the idea that the omega had attractive facial features remained, so Castiel's eyes focused on trying to see more of it. Alas, the omega's arm was covering his head, a small attempt to conceal his vulnerability or perhaps his tears, and Castiel felt his heart ache even more.
The forearm had a healing yellowish bruise in the form of the chain he was bound with and above it, a few newer bruises too. His shoulder was curved inward, and from beyond that, only the hair could be seen. It was dirty, stuck together by dried blood and what Castiel hoped was mud, much like the rest of his body.
Though clearly thinned by malnutrition, Castiel could see that the omega once had broad, strong upper body, but narrow hips, now completely covered in fingernail scratches and contusions, from tight grips of the prince's hands. The thought made Castiel sick again so he took a deep breath, swallowing it down. His eyes finally slipped closed, the pain and regret over something he hadn't even done washing over him and making every cell in his body vibrate with anger and pain.
Watching the poor omega in this condition hurt, yet he could not tear his eyes away. Either the air around them cooled down or he was giving out a strong scent, but either way, the omega began to tremble and Castiel could not take it anymore. His inner alpha had been growling at him ever since he spotted the omega and Castiel did a good job keeping it down and under, but the sight of such a small, hurt creature shaking in his presence, while he was able to do something about it, was unacceptable.
Slowly, he rose to his knees, but as stealth and quiet as he was, he could still hear the omega gasp, and he hated it. He took a blanket off his bed and slowly crawled towards the corner. The closer he got, the more suffocating the omega's terrified scent was and Castiel's chest constricted, a lump stuck in his throat. The second he set the blanket on the shivering omega, the poor creature let out a gut wrenching whine, Castiel's inner alpha roared to be set free, while Castiel struggled to breathe, letting his eyes close heavily for only a moment.
The omega calmed a fraction, and curled up under the offered blanket, so Castiel forced himself to exhale and move away. Going back to his sheet on the floor, he lay back down, his eyes still trained on the omega. He watched him for a few more hours and managed to doze off, the deep sleep never quite claiming him.
Castiel was startled awake by movement. Right at the foot of his bed, the omega paused with the blanket in his hands as if he sensed the alpha waking. He must have, his eyes lowered in submission so much so, that Castiel could not see them. The omega paused, and when Castiel hadn't moved, he slowly placed the folded blanket back to its rightful place. Then he slowly retreated towards the door, and lowered himself on his knees, in the exact same position Castiel found him the night before.
With a heavy sigh, Castiel sat up on the floor and regarded the omega. He had no idea what to do. All things considered, this was his brother's slave, the omega clearly feared him and expected the worst, and how could Castiel tell him the truth? The national scandal aside, the omega probably wouldn't even believe him. Yet he knew he couldn't just let him be, not like this.
His contemplation was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and seeing as the omega made no reaction, it must have been a common occurrence. "Your highness, miss Daphne is here for your morning wash." Benjamin declared through the door.
"Come in." Castiel said after a minute, raising to his feet and picking up the sheet to throw it back on the bed. The omega knew where he slept, the others didn't need to. Miss Daphne was a fair lady, a beta, with blue eyes and braided hazel hair, but too young and sweet to be the Prince's washer. She came in carrying a big bowl of steaming water, and Benjamin stepped in behind her, carrying two more buckets, to cool it down.
"Sir Gabriel said to bring your breakfast to your room as well. He excused you from the royal breakfast, commenting that you need your rest after an eventful day." Benjamin added, walking back out into the hall and bringing in a cart filled with fruit, pastries and cheese, along with a jug of water and a jug of wine. "Your usual." Benjamin added and Castiel struggled to keep his frown down. He nodded, but when Benjamin turned to leave, and Miss Daphne had not done the same, Castiel stood confused for a moment.
"May I, my Lord?" She said coming closer, reaching for the hem of his shirt with her slim fingers.
"No." He said with a bit more force than necessary, the omega shuddered behind him, and Castiel hurried to add "That won't be necessary today. You're dismissed." A sigh of relief escaped him when the door shut behind Miss Daphne, realizing too late he should not have allowed the omega to hear it. Oh, well. Not much he could do about it now. Truthfully, he already felt clean, compared to how he had been back in the dungeons. Yet thinking about that, his eyes couldn't help but slide down towards the kneeling omega, a man still covered in filth and blood and semen and Lord knew what else.
With his eyes trained on the poor creature and his mind a complete blank, he brought one of the buckets closer to him, and crouched down to add a bit of that hot water into it. The omega stood still, eyes downcast, probably waiting to be told to clean his master. He gasped when Castiel knelt before him and clearly tried to calm himself, now uncertain of what the prince will do.
Castiel dipped the washcloth into the bowl of warm water and raised it up. He reached for the omega's face, but stopped at the very last second, thinking he would scare him too much. So instead, he reached for his chest, pushed him a bit to make him sit on the heels of his feet and began to wipe his skin clean. The omega gasped upon initial contact, but stood perfectly still, despite his constant hitching breath and his racing heart. Castiel wanted to say something to sooth him, but feared that too might backfire, so he remained silent and worked to clean the omega.
Mesmerized by the feel of his clean skin and his booming scent, Castiel worked, eager to clean his entire body. Chest and shoulders, down his arms to his fingers. He meticulously cleaned each hand, sliding the pads of his fingers alongside omega's, feeling how soft they were. He cleaned his neck, sorrowful of the bruises and little bites, and extremely careful around his mating gland. At least that part of his skin was still intact, his awful brother too high and mighty to claim him. What a fool that man was.
Omegas like this were meant to be worshipped, not abused.
Castiel continued on, frequently washing the cloth in the warm water, and cleaned the omega's ribcage, his belly, thighs, then moved around him to wash his back, his calves and feet. He circled back, rinsed the cloth and paused. Inhaling deeply, he reached and took the omega's hand, then put the cloth in it, motioning on his crotch. Luckily, the omega took the hint, rising back to the kneeling position and cleaning himself with a few long swipes. Unsure, his hand froze midway towards Castiel, so the alpha helped him, took the washcloth from him, rinsed it again and gave it back, then motioned for his crotch again, unsatisfied with how it was cleaned. The omega actually blushed, but started shaking as he took the offered item, fear seeping into his scent. Yet again, Castiel wished to sooth him with his words, but refrained. After all, actions speak louder than words, and if he wanted this omega to trust him, to believe he won't hurt him, he needed to show him.
When the omega was done, his hand again paused in the air, and Castiel took the washcloth for him, dumped it in the bucket and pushed it aside. Still on his knees, he took the other bucket and added the hot water, then took a clean washcloth. The omega's breath hitched when Castiel neared his face, but he kept his hand steady as he slowly moved across the omega's forehead, leaving behind a wet, but clean trail. Castiel frowned at the state of his hair, but figured he could use the rest of the water to try and wash it a bit once he was done with the omega's face.
Slowly, he moved over the arch of his brows, working as gently as the crusted dirt would allow, then down his temple to the jaw. Gradually, he moved over his cheek bones, and inhaled a silent breath as the trail revealed small little dots, golden as the omega's hair underneath, each one mapping his cheeks and even nose, each one bringing more wonder into Castiel's eyes. Working his way across his nose, Castiel reached the omega's lips, and cleaned the corners thoroughly, before running a clean piece of the cloth over them, revealing them to be just as plump and red as the cherries he used to see out of his window. His cloth covered finger must have lingered on the lower lip a moment too long, and the omega actually dared to peek up for only the tiniest fraction of a second, but it was just enough for Castiel to see the most gorgeous green eyes, the colour of the leaves of that blooming cherry tree.
Castiel's breath hitched and his eyes widened, he was instantly smitten by the sight before him. He suspected the omega was beautiful, but he had no idea he was so breathtaking and so… perfect. Castiel was completely lost in the image that replayed in his head over and over, even if the omega's eyes were long hidden under those long lashes.
Finally snapping out of it, Castiel removed his hand from the omega's face, when suddenly a small movement caught his eyes. Since he was looking away, he couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if the omega's tongue darted out and licked those plump lips, sliding over the bottom one as if his intention was to moist it.
Castiel felt confused. This poor, abused omega acting seductively, what would he hoped to gain? It didn't make any sense. Mechanically, Castiel rewetted the cloth as he considered the omega's actions, then absentmindedly patted his lips when he caught sight of that tongue again, this time over the cloth. What in Heaven's grace...?
Of course! How could he be so foolish?
The omega flinched hard when Castiel jerked away from him, reaching towards the food cart and taking the water jug. The poor thing made a series of silent convulsive gasps, unsure what to do when Castiel pressed the brim of the ceramic jug against his lips, but quickly caught on as the jug tilted and fresh water came into contact with his mouth. Greedily, he gulped it all down, close to half a litre, and Castiel's heart broke over it. The omega was kept thirsty and starved on purpose, maybe fed just enough to survive, and when given a chance, he took as much as he could, not knowing when he would be allowed to drink again. The omega started shaking fearfully after he finished the jug, most likely thinking he would be punished for his greed.
This could not go on.
Castiel took a few deep, calming breaths, pushing down his roaring inner alpha and telling it this served the omega's best interest, for it not to resurface. He had to step aside, to the tall window, and crack it open to take in some fresh air, to clear his head of emotions and his heart of alpha logic. He remained there for a while, just breathing and collecting himself before he turned back towards the omega.
He seemed calmer too, still in that kneeling submissive position, but with slightly more colour to his cheeks. He was stunning and Castiel knew he was forlorn, completely gone over this wondrous creature.
Slowly, Castiel moved back towards the kneeling omega, knelt before him, rinsed the washcloth and got to work on cleaning his hair, thinking one day soon, he would have the servants draw a bath, supposedly for him, but he would let the omega relax in it. Not yet though. The trust forming was still very untenable and Castiel wouldn't risk any rushed or sudden movements, both literal and metaphorical.
Once he was done, Castiel took another moment to admire the sight before quickly scolding himself. The omega didn't need Castiel ogling him on top of everything he had been through. He pushed the bucket out of the way and brought the food cart near, taking the first bowl he could reach. As the omega had his eyes trained down to the ground, he could not see what Castiel was doing, so naturally he gasped as he felt something moist and plump nudging against his lips. The action was sufficient for Castiel to slowly push in one large oval white grape into his mouth.
The omega paused, his mouth ajar for a second or two, before he caught on and started chewing slowly. There was evident surprise on his face, and also some appreciation, either for the food in general or the taste, Castiel couldn't know. He savoured it, and finally swallowed, only to gasp again when another grape caressed his lip. Little by little, Castiel fed him over two dozen grapes, taking every third for himself, and then moved on to the next bowl. It was filled with small cubes of cheese of different varieties, from the soft white to gummy yellow ones. The omega almost squawked at the different taste, and Castiel couldn't contain his amused smile, though he was certain the omega didn't see it. Soon enough, the bowl was finished and Castiel felt full, accustomed to eating small portions.
Since there was no more water, Castiel took the wine and took only two small sips, frowning at the taste. It wasn't that it didn't flow nicely after the cheese, it was just that he wasn't used to the flavour. He offered a sip to the omega, and he took it, not quite reacting the same way Castiel did. He was surprised, but squelched, making a strange, yet adorable sound with his tongue and lips, showing his enjoyment of the offering. A slight blush dusted his cheeks, making those little dots stand out and Castiel felt swept away by the sight.
The moment was broken when Benjamin knocked on the door, announcing a visit from Michael; the knock started Castiel which resulted in the omega flinching as well. Still, he remained on his knees as Castiel quickly stumbled to his feet, after which he remembered himself and told Benjamin through the door that he would allow the visit.
The omega seemed to curl inwards slightly, so before the door opened, Castiel said, as softly and as kindly as he could, that he was "dismissed." He hated having to say it, but after the kindness he had shown today, he thought it would be a bit too much to simply ask the omega to go lie down and rest.
"Your majesty." Michael said with a semi bow, strengthening up as soon as the door closed shut. He took a good long look at Castiel, then nodded, as if he was worried about him and glad to find him fine. His eyes then drifted towards the omega that situated himself in his regular fetal position on the floor, back to the wall, arms over his head and knees to his chest. The musketeer frowned.
Castiel motioned them to step aside to the corner furthest from the omega, and they spoke in whispers and hushed tones so as not to be heard.
"Gabriel informed me of the situation. We did not know about this, in fact, not many people on the court know that Prince James held an omega in his room." Michael started, his eyes sad and slightly apologetic. "And, as much as it pains me to admit it, Gabriel is correct, he has to stay here."
"I refuse to treat him as my brother did." Castiel immediately replied.
"From what I know of Prince James, I highly doubt you would be able to follow in his footsteps regarding this, but I must caution you not to put too much trust in the omega. We don't know who he is or where he came from, and this mission, this country, you, are far too important."
"I understand." Castiel replied, then sighed. He knew this made things that much complicated, and that he would never truly be able to relax, but then again… The omega didn't have a moment of peace either. For him to act like this, submissive and scared, flinching and completely avoiding eye contact, he must have gone through some intense torture.
Yet Castiel knew he would never be able to turn his back on the poor thing, the country be damned.
"Is there anything you managed to learn about him? Perhaps just his name?" Castiel asked. Clearly, he could have asked Benjamin, or the omega himself, but that would create doubt that he was not who he claimed to be, and they did not need that problem.
"I believe it is Dean." Michael replied. Dean. What a peculiar name. Dean. Had a strange, yet warm ring to it. Dean. A short, yet a strong name. Dean. It fitted perfectly.
Michael was speaking again, saying something about him being excused from lunch as well, but that he had to attend the dinner, as everyone wanted to see he was alright after his attack. But Castiel wasn't listening, too busy thinking about Dean, his red, cherry lips and his forest green eyes, knowing even now, he would go to no lengths for this gorgeous omega.
Author's note: Made a Tumblr profile. Come find me at MalicMalic.