Note: The chapter was beta-ed by From_My_Dark_And_Twisted_Mind, AO3.
When Castiel agreed to do this, he was under the assumption that he would be acting a bratty alpha prince who always got his way and didn't have to do anything beside frolic around, not that that wasn't a chore all by itself, since Castiel was more of a silent, reclusive type of a person.
"What now, father?" He whined by King Charles' death bed, his annoyance coming from a real place. It wasn't that he didn't have respect towards a dying man, no matter what they had done in their past, this was when they were the most vulnerable, and more inclined to see the error of their ways.
"I need to know about your progress with the omega." King coarsed, his face contorted with pain, it strained him to speak, yet he did it anyway. All thoughts of possible repentance Castiel had, flew right out of the open window, past the dusty curtains.
"'m making progress." Castiel replied, breathing slowly in and out, admirably controlling his rage. So the king was a part of this despicable ploy as well. Still, there were things Castiel could not understand. What was the rush to make an heir now? The Prince had plenty of opportunities for a mate, for a queen, why not aim for that, and let an heir come naturally? Or was it as Castiel suspected - that the Prince, much like King Charles, was fruitless and they were attempting to use Dean, a highly fertile male omega, to achieve what they could not by normal means. In which case, the prince must have been taking some supplements as well, and for a brief moment, Castiel wondered if those were taken willingly, or were they administered through food? He quickly dismissed the thought, he knew he would have sensed it in his food, nothing like that could escape his superior sense of smell.
"But still, there is no result?!" King Charles hissed, his throat clearly sore as his eyes bore into Castiel, filled with so much anger and disappointment, that for only a second, Castiel felt sorry for his twin brother, before he remembered he not only agreed, but was a willing participant in an abuse of an omega. Of Dean.
"I have been attempting a different approach. Been trying to… Coo the omega, to… seduce him? You know, to placate him." Castiel said, knowing that soon, if not already, the gossip would spread that there were no sexual sounds coming from his room, that the prince was doting on the omega and that the omega didn't have fresh wounds, meaning that he wasn't being punished.
"Oh." the King said, clearly surprised by such an idea, then nodded in agreement. He frowned for a moment, then shook his head, probably considering if this was the prince's idea, but quickly decided that it could not have been. Castiel didn't think he would correct him if the king asked. "Very well. Then you may continue."
"The other issue I wanted to discuss…" the King continued "I am going to need you to familiarize yourself with the country's regular business." He made a dramatic pause, his eyes roaming over Castiel's appearance before he let out a heavy sigh. "I know you're too young and have little to none interest in running the whole country, but if you step aside and allow others to guide it, I am afraid you will be played, fooled and eventually… Assassinated." It almost seemed as if King Charles cared about him, about his son, but he was more interested in his legacy, in his good name keeping the power. As if he would reincarnate down his lineage one day.
"I know Cardinal Zachariah has been more than helpful, and that he was my right hand man for a long time, but I do believe he would eventually attempt to manipulate you as he could not do the same with me…" King Charles went on about what the prince should and shouldn't do, about how he should conduct himself and what decisions to make. To always look out for the court's best interest, for his own best interest, Castiel listened and nodded along, knowing that the future of their country and his rule would be something completely different than what King Charles wished.
Castiel had spent many evenings discussing this with his musketeers, and they had a plan for once he was crowned, but until then, he had to play along. Still, Castiel could not say he wasn't pleased that the King didn't trust the Cardinal completely. Perhaps they would be able to expunge the foul man before the King's passing.
Yet, despite all of that, Castiel's mind kept wandering towards the omega in his room. Was he safe? Was he scared? Was he hungry? Was he bored? Castiel so wished he could go to him, but he had other obligations that seemed to expand by the minute. King Charles, after completing his long speech about trust, told Castiel that he should place his in Michael D'Artagnan, the eldest of the musketeers, instead of Cardinal Zachariah, as he suspected him to be formulating a plot to take over the throne. Castiel agreed that there did seem to be odd occurrences around the court, starting with the attack on his life, behaving like the sniveler his twin brother was, complaining and whining about the littlest things. Lastly, the King summoned Michael, along with other members of the musketeers and made him a Lord, entrusting his son's life in his hand.
The rest of the day Castiel spent in long conversations with Lord Arthur and Sir Chase, discussing possible improvements of the court in exchange for small funding, then received various spokesmen and messengers, everyone asking for a piece of his time, to settle a dispute, to help with numerous issues of the Lord houses assimilated with this throne, this court. Castiel listened, nodded, responded, completely uninterested about anything but the man hidden away in his room.
He managed a few hushed words with Balthazar and Gabriel, informing them of the progress and asking them if they have learnt more about Dean, about where he came from and if there could be a safe place for him, should they attempt to remove him from the palace. Unfortunately, there was no good news aside from a confirmation of the gossip going around the court of Dean's existence. The poor omega was such a well kept secret that most weren't even sure if he existed, but Castiel suspected some servants were paid to create confusion and spread word of the whole ordeal being one big deception to ruin the prince's good name. Castiel had no idea if King Charles was behind it, or the Cardinal, or both, back when they were on the same side. Did the Cardinal know the King had turned against him?
The evening stretched with dinner, and the courtesans attempting to draw Castiel in conversation, Lady Megan constantly watching him with suspicious eyes, Lady Rubette laughing obnoxiously and clearly trying too hard to get his attention, and Lady Charlotte just trying to hide her amusement of the whole ordeal. They shared a few friendly looks, as if they shared a secret of sorts, both attempting to conceal their laughs as Baron Bartholomew kept talking and yawning after every third word.
By the time Castiel returned to his chambers, Dean was already asleep, curled in his little corner with the chain running over his body, so that his back was fully plastered against the wall, the blanket Castiel presented him with neatly folded on the master bed. A pang of sorrow hit Castiel, as he thought that perhaps he was making progress with the omega, that Dean saw and trusted that Castiel wouldn't hurt him. Benjamin informed him that nobody was in the room, nor did anyone attempt to come inside, and Dean had no reason to fall back to the way he was. With a heavy sigh, Castiel picked the blanket up, covered the omega with it, his eyes lingering on the soft features of his face, the tiny freckles that dusted his nose and cheeks. Dean was gorgeous, with his long lashes and full red lips that seemed to be stuck in a sort of an adorable pout; Castiel's chest ached. He could not comprehend how someone could even consider hurting such a beautiful creature, much less make him into… this. A scared, submissive slave.
Castiel fell asleep that night, curled on his spot on the ground by the bed, eyes trained on Dean and vision blurry from unshed tears.
The following morning, he was practically ushered out of bed and to the dining hall, the Cardinal insisting he be present for breakfast and the morning mass he conducted afterwards. Everyone demanded his attention again much like last night, and Castiel barely managed to excuse himself to his chambers under the pretense that he needed to change his attire before dinner. The whole time he was away, all he could think about was Dean, but it had occurred to him much too late that the omega hadn't eaten anything. Berating himself over that, Castiel stole three apples and a whole buttered bread and brought them to his room.
Dean was once again curled up in the corner, the blanket once again on the bed and just as Castiel was about to speak up, to tell him to come eat and then to make sure he knew he could take the blanket, he was called upon again, this time by Balthazar, who didn't quite seem to care much about the omega. At least not as much as Gabriel and Michael did. He was too focused on their mission, on their task to make Castiel the new King and bring prosperity to their country. To him, the life of one small omega was irrelevant compared to the whole nation, but if Castiel could not help one person, how could he be expected to save them all?
"These are for you." Castiel told Dean, motioning for the food on the small dining table he had in his room, and he was certain the omega heard him and understood. Yet when he came back from the long, boring diner, the apples and the bread were untouched. Castiel's heart broke, but all he could do was cover the sleeping omega with the blanket and attempt to fall asleep with all the sorrow his current position held, determined to change tomorrow.
He did not know that the omega hadn't really been asleep, not this night, not the one before.
When the Cardinal came the next morning, Castiel politely told him that he had other matters to attend to, to which the Cardinal gave a knowing, pleased smirk. Forgoing the compulsion to drive the man through the nearby wall, Castiel turned his attention to the omega. Dean shifted, slowly rising up, uncertain if he should go and kneel by the door as he used to, or remain in his spot, lying down and curled, so he ended up kneeling in his nest.
"Why haven't you eaten anything I brought yesterday?" Castiel asked, stopping by the small table, letting his fingers trail over the soft skin of a big red apple, then over the firm crust of the butter bread. When no answer came, Castiel looked up to see that Dean had slightly hunched inwardly, looking so sad and pitiful.
"I told you the food was for you, did you not understand?" Castiel tried, but Dean only hung his head lower. "Were you scared I'd hurt you? That I would punish you for taking it? Did you think I was trying to trick you?" Castiel let the questions come, each one an answer to the previous, in a way.
"Do you believe I am trying to manipulate you? Is this what you think I have been doing for the past few days? That I am trying to placate you, to… to make you more compliant? So that I might use you?" Castiel asked, his voice wavering, slowly breaking with each spoken word. Was this what the omega thought of him? Was this what he allowed to come to be? How could he earn Dean's trust when he offered none in return, when he still acted like he was Prince James and, even though he hadn't forced himself or hurt the omega, he hadn't done much to show him he never will.
Driven by the impossibility of his decision, because lives did depend on whether he can pull off the ruse, and Dean's life depended on him being honest, and revealing a secret that could send him and the musketeers to the guillotine, Castiel threw himself in the nearby chair. His legs could not hold the weight of it all anymore.
He slumped forth, driving his head in his palms and just trying to breathe, as his chest ached so much, he felt his lungs constricting, this awful feeling choking him.
A sound, something barely audible reached his ear, but Castiel thought he imagined it. But then, a shaky intake of breath, and a long exhale silenced everything around him and for the first time, he heard the omega's voice, so small and so broken and so hopeful it made everything hurt so much more, but felt so liberating at the same time.
"You… You're not… You're not him. Are you?"
It was Castiel's turn to let out a heavy breath before he raised his head, removing his hands from his eyes to lock them with Dean's. He shook his head, indicating that no, he was not him.
"I… But… You look like him." That sweet voice should not be bringing such hurtful words, it was such a heavy punishment that Castiel couldn't help a small whine. His throat closed up on him, his mouth too dry to form any reply, and he simply had to look away, Dean's green eyes were too intense. The lowered his head, feeling ashamed, but it must have helped Dean, because he spoke up again.
"You look like him, but you're not him… I could… I could sense it, I could… feel it. Your scent is so similar, so I thought… I thought I was picking up something different, but I was not… You are different." There was a small pause, but the omega pressed on, spurred by Castiel's lack of reply, the silence of the room and the heavy scent of guilt Castiel could not contain.
"You both… You smell like forests. But his scent… It was like… like from a rainforest, heavy and damp and laced with… rotten tree trunks and mud…"
"But you… with you, it is like a small oak and willow forest in spring… I felt like taking a lungful of it. Of your scent." That admission made Castiel snap his eyes back to Dean, surprised and hopeful, even if Castiel still felt at odds with himself over the deception he caused by not revealing his secret.
The eye contact made the omega braver, his scent blooming in the air around them.
"And then there are those eyes… I stared down at his eyes, spiteful and proud, and not once were they that blue. Like the sky. Without a single rainy cloud. His eyes were much less; bleak in comparison." Dean spoke slowly, carefully, then paused to swallow hard. Castiel knew that once he was forced into submission, beaten and tortured, he dared not look up at James' eyes like that ever again.
"But I… I couldn't know for sure. I… I don't know how long I have been here, but I know it is close to a trimester. I fought. And I got punished for it, so I learned not to fight, but I… I also learned not to hope. So I… I didn't trust my own senses… Even now... I am not sure…" Dean averted his eyes down and Castiel simply could not allow this to continue, this not freely given submission caused by fear, fear of being hurt, vulnerable and exposed.
"I am… my brother's twin." He started, the welfare of the whole country be damned. "I am… I have been isolated, imprisoned most of my life, my face hidden away under an iron mask, so that nobody may know of my existence." Dean slowly raised his eyes to meet Castiel's, and the alpha could not comprehend the remorse he saw in them. As if what happened to Dean was much less.
"I was found, and brought here to replace him, to make this… To make everything right. And the first wrong I came across, I could not make right. I could not set you free, nor could I tell you the truth and it has… it has been killing me."
"I am sorry." Dean said and Castiel huffed.
"No, Dean. I am the one who is sorry. I should have at least told you…"
"I knew." Dean interrupted. "I knew even before I realized I knew. And I didn't want to… I could not hope. I couldn't let myself… That's why I haven't eaten or taken the blanket. I am sorry I made you feel worse." Dean said, and the two remained just watching each other for a few moments.
So badly, Castiel wanted to reach out, comfort him, in any way and tell him it would be alright, but he knew he could not promise him that. Despite appearances, Castiel was trapped here just like Dean was. But at least, he could make sure that Dean never felt threatened by him and his presence.
They were briefly interrupted when Castiel's breakfast arrived, but he quickly dismissed the servants.
"Please stop kneeling." He found himself saying. "Come. Sit with me." He added, motioning for an empty chair. Dean's brows shot up in surprise, but then suddenly his eyes started darting around as if he felt uncomfortable.
"I… I don't… I…" He tried, his hand unintentionally motioning for his bare body. He was without a single piece of attire, probably feeling too bare and exposed. As much as it would delight Castiel to see the omega wear some of his clothes, he knew he could not offer that, since they could be discovered, and it wouldn't be proper for Castiel to engulf Dean into his scent.
"Take a sheet of the bed." Castiel offered instead and was awarded with a small smile that made his heart thud faster. Once Dean wrapped himself up, he took a tentative seat at the chair and gave Castiel an expectant look. "I do not… I do not wish for you to kneel for me ever again, Dean. Nor go hungry or cold. This room… It is ours to share for now, and so is the food and the warmth. Until I find a way to set you free." Dean nodded slowly, a strange sad look in his eyes. Castiel choked on his words, filled with regret.
"I wish I could simply let you leave, but there would be too many questions and I cannot… If I am discovered, and James was to be returned, then this whole country is doomed. Cardinal Zachariah has his own agendas and I am not sure who the prince was following, him or the King, or perhaps both, and I have to maintain the illusion, which is a lot more difficult than I ever imagined." Castiel spoke, word by word revealing everything to Dean, pouring his trust and sharing his concerns, going from his childhood to the day he was saved and brought into this room.
He told him everything. He told him how they planned to wait until the King passed, for Castiel to be crowned to start making severe changes in how this country was led, and in the meantime, they were just afloat, doing what they could to weed out the bad people such as Cardinal Zachariah. As he spoke, he kept offering Dean food, his inner alpha somewhat sad not to be finger feeding him anymore, but the omega ate, listening carefully and nodding in understanding. Dean seemed to be a lot smarter than Castiel thought, and a bit more sophisticated, as his table manners showed. In fact, there seemed to be things he knew, that neither Castiel nor the musketeers had any idea about.
"Prince James was afraid of his father, and he hated the Cardinal. They disagreed about everything except… well, except my role here. Prince James often talked about how he would dispose of the Cardinal after he was crowned. But I overheard the Cardinal once how he planned on presenting the prince as… Feeble and weak. He planned on dethroning him and making his heir the next king, but as the heir would be a child, the Cardinal would pose himself as a guardian, both of the child and of the throne." Dean informed him, neither of them mentioning that it would have been Dean who would bear the heir.
But no matter how heavy the air around them suddenly grew, Castiel felt somewhat relieved that Dean would not expect to be hurt again, not by Castiel. The omega seemed to want to speak more, but a sudden knock on the door startled them both. Dean froze, what he should do, but Castiel merely held up his hand and asked who was at the door.
"It is thy trusted musketeer, Gabriel. I have come to inform you that we have pressing matters and that your presence is required immediately." Gabriel's voice echoed from beyond, and Castiel shook his head with a light smile, the musketeer always so theatrical.
"I shall be right out." Castiel called back, then turned to Dean, his smile lingering. "I hope you know that I deeply regret that this is all I can offer you right now." He said, motioning for the room, from the remains of the food on the table, to the makeshift nest in the corner of the room. "I cannot give big, but I can at least give. Why don't you rest on the bed? It should be somewhat comfortable, and I have not used it, as you have seen." Dean looked uncertain, and Castiel supposed the bed was where the worst kind of memories were made, but before he could say any more, Dean offered a nod in acceptance. "Very well. I shall return as soon as possible." Castiel said, and turned towards the door, his feet slightly lighter than before.
"Oh. Is there anything you need? Anything at all?" Castiel suddenly asked, pausing at the door, wishing to do more.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Dean said, those vibrant green eyes looking up at him with some unexpected glint in his eyes, but a small smile on his face. "May I have your name, my kind prince?"
Castiel felt fluttering in his stomach, and returned the smile, with a light blush to his cheeks.. "Of course. It is Castiel."
"Well. Until you return, Castiel." Dean bid him farewell and all Castiel could do was nod, the warmth spreading in his chest, however, he scolded his features as much as he could when he exited the room. Gabriel was a few feet away, looking out of the window, and Castiel was just to join him, when a strange scent reached his nose.
Castiel turned, only to see Benjamin in his usual place and nothing else. Still, the scent irked him, and he needed to find out what it was. Coming closer, he realized that it was indeed coming from the alpha guard and Castiel paused for a moment, scenting the air and picking up the subtle differences in the guard's scent.
"You are not Benjamin, are you?" Castiel asked, his tone careful, slightly curious and a bit reserved, uncertain if he should be concerned or not.
"Nothing escapes you anymore, my dear prince." Gabriel said, suddenly appearing right next to Castiel. "Very few can see the difference between Benny and Eli here." The way Gabriel spoke meant he knew both guards, knew about the change in their post and agreed with it, showing Castiel he needn't worry.
"Apologies, Your Majesty." The guard said. "My name is Elias, and I am Benjamin's twin brother. We did not wish to disturb you with something insignificant as my brother's rut, as we often interchange our positions when necessary." Eli said. Castiel could already sense that he was trustworthy, but he was so amused with the fact that his guard had a twin brother as well. Castiel nodded, smiling amused and then allowed Gabriel to drag him away for more court business.
But somehow, despite knowing that it would be yet another dull day filled with bureaucracy and court matters, Castiel's steps were lighter and the sky above without grey clouds, as he no longer had to carry the burden in front of Dean. The omega knew he was safe and he too could breathe a little easier as well. For the first time in the past few days, Castiel felt as if they might rise victorious after all.