A Part of Us
"And Castiel was cast out of the Winchester's home," Michael explained to the children. "And gates shut on him."
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"Wait," Castiel pleaded with the guards. "I am the lover of Dean Winchester. I know that woman who's with him says otherwise, but he loves me. You can ask him. I was the one who danced for everyone at the ball and everyone loved my dance! The Gods sent me to him! They took me here and they want me to be with him! Tell him I'm here at the gate and I'm waiting for him just as he waited for me to come to him in the first place!"
The guards turned and, rolling their eyes in the process, walked back into the Winchester house. Castiel sunk to the ground and covered his face. He didn't care who saw him weeping at the base of the home of the man he loved. The man he'd refused to kill because of said love. Little did he know Dean himself was watching from the window and feeling a combination of emotions that couldn't be described? He wanted to be angry at Lisa for kicking out his love, but at the same time Castiel had attempted to murder him where he slept. There had been something in the man's eyes though that screamed love even though there was a sharp blunt knife in his hand at the time of his and Dean's eyes meeting each other. Dean turned towards Lisa who was watching his actions and stared at her.
"It had to be done," Lisa's look was of malice and hate. "He was nothing, but trouble from the start. I hope you grow the eyes to see that after this rude awakening."
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"And for two weeks Castiel waited at that gate," Michael continued. "He didn't eat or sleep a wink. He only waited and watched sadly as the grounds of the home were transformed and made even lovelier in preparation for Dean and Lisa's wedding."
"No," Anna looked as though she was about to cry. "They have to be together. Castiel and Dean, that's the way it's supposed to be! He can't be with Lisa he can't!"
"Calm yourself child," Michael patted her head. "There is more to this story. Not soon after those few days passed Dean and Lisa were married. And as superstition dictated for their people they came to the gates of their home to throw coins to the peasants who walked among the city limits. This was so their fortune would multiply and their future would be rich."
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Castiel looked up at the open gates and the pair coming through it. Dean and Lisa looked so happy and Castiel felt a sour taste in his mouth. He felt his chest seize up and he almost couldn't breathe and his hands went clammy. Dean and Lisa were holding coins made of gold and Castiel wasn't alone. There were hordes of city dwelling peasants much like him reaching out to them in hopes of catching a coin. Castiel made eye contact with Dean as they were walking past him. Lisa didn't pay Castiel any mind, but Dean stared at him like he was some far distant memory he couldn't quite recall. Dean bit his lip and Castiel gave him one last forlorn glance hoping to spark something inside of Dean from their past few weeks together. Dean paused a moment telling Lisa to keep walking and she did without even looking back.
Dean wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the words. Castiel tried to choke out words, but couldn't find the courage. Dean shook his head and kept walking and Castiel swallowed a forming lump.
"D-ean..." he finally wheezed out and for Dean heard his name coming out in a trembling heap known as his former lover. He closed his eyes a moment and forced himself to block it out as he caught up to Lisa and walked to their awaiting car for their honeymoon. The other peasants, satisfied with their coins, ran off into the evening and Castiel fell back into his arms and wept once again.
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"The Gods were saddened by Castiel," Michael explained. "They had finally realized their conquests had been misguided and they had cost the heart of a young man in their foolish and petty competition. They all gathered over him as he slept that night and they contemplated what to do next."
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Asaka, Erzulie, Agwe and Papa Ge all gathered around a sleeping Castiel whose cheeks were stained red from tears and whose heart was on its last leg from pain. His malnourishment and lack of sleep hadn't helped his failing heart at all and the Gods all waited for the other to speak.
"We all share blame in this endeavor," Agwe was the first to say anything, his eyes were cloudy, not with weather, but with tears. He'd never intended to hurt anyone in all of this. "We all have to come to a conclusion as to what to do."
"Isn't it obvious?" Papa Ge said. "I won. He goes with me to the other side."
"Have you no heart," Agwe snapped at him, his eyes turning grey as storm clouds. "Have you no shame in what you've done?! What we've all done?! Castiel is dying and it is our fault!"
"Agwe is right," Erzulie stepped forward and laid her hand on Castiel's chest. "His heart cannot take much more of what he's done to himself. Losing Dean has hurt him the worst. I was foolish to think love could conquer all."
"You were not foolish," Papa Ge swallowed hard and touched his friend's shoulder. She looked at him skeptically. "Agwe was right. We all were to blame in this and now it's time we all take our blame and take our stand. I was foolish to think I should win. This was not meant to be a competition. Castiel's heart was on the line and too much heart was always his problem from the start of this journey of his. We must do what is right."
"I believe I can offer a solution," Asaka spoke up all eyes were on her. "Considering I also only got to help Castiel once."
"What do you have in mind?" Agwe asked.
Asaka whispered her idea into all of their ears and they all took a moment to mull over it before all of them agreed on it. Asaka concocted a ball of light above Castiel and threw her magic into it waiting for the others to do the same.
"Love," Erzulie said, adding her magic. "For generations to come and may it never run out and may they never lose sight of it."
"Water," Agwe said, doing the same. "For eternal life and peace."
"Protection," Papa Ge offered his magic as well. "From death and from pestilence and humans."
Asaka rolled it all together into one giant powerful ball of light and sent it into Castiel and the Gods dispersed quickly, hoping their magic would do the trick. Castiel's dreams were filled with anguish, but suddenly they changed. He was standing in his village and everyone was busy as usual, plowing and growing and watering and tending to everything that needed to be done. He walked a little ways and he saw before him his parents Chuck and Rebecca. They were smiling at him.
"Mother," Castiel said with a heavy heart. "Father. I have failed. You were right this was not worth the journey."
He fell to their feet and begun to cry again, but he felt a strong hand on his shoulder and he lifted his head to see his father smiling down at him.
"You have not failed my son," Chuck said. "You have gained the most powerful thing a man can and that is independence. You went out and followed your heart though it broke and you didn't give up, not once. Even now you're not giving up you're just starting anew."
"You will always be a part of us Castiel," Rebecca smiled too, a small tear in her eye. "We will join you one day where you go."
Castiel was shocked. They were proud of him. He felt this surge of happiness all of a sudden and it shrouded him like a warm hug or a blanket on a cold winter's night. He felt airy like nothing could hurt him anymore and he saw light from above. He reached out towards it and it felt like explosions under his skin, but eventually those explosions calmed and Castiel saw nothing, but light and then nothing at all.
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"What happened to him?" Zachariah was genuinely concerned. Anna looked over at him in shock, he hadn't shown this much interest in the story at all.
"Castiel was made anew by the Gods," Michael smiled. "Into something that would change this island forever. It would break all barriers between the rich and peasant world. Way long after Dean and Lisa were both gone and even their children were gone."
"What was it?" all of the children exclaimed, they wanted to know so badly.
"A tree." Michael simply replied.
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Last chapter up next!