A Clash of Faiths

Cas, wherever you are, you've gotta come now, buddy. Wherever the hell we're going, it can't be without you.

Dean could hear the desperation in his mind as he prayed, and didn't know why he was afraid. They had guns, they had each other. There was rarely a time when they didn't have knowledge. So they needed protection. And Crowley, being Crowley, had said nothing of the sort. That son of a bitch. Then he heard the voice.

"Hello, Dean." There he was. The weary, dark face and the filthy coat gave Castiel a distinctive edge wherever he went.

"Have you seen Crowley?" Cas asked. Dean did a double take.

"You know about this crazy ass mission he's pulled us into?"

"More than that. I've seen this Westeros. It is a barren land of countryside and foulness."

"Yeah okay skip the poetry, Cas, just tell me. Will you come with us? We can't go to this place without protection."

"You will need more than protection in a country as corrupt as this one, Dean. The people of Westeros are divided by civil war. Cersei Lannister barely has a grip on the country after the War of the Five Kings and her eldest son was poisoned at his own Wedding. Crowley wants you to act in her favour, but Daenerys has her own reasons for wanting to take the Seven Kingdoms. Every player of this game has their own sides of good and bad. Don't trust Crowley to listen to just one."

"Come on Cas," Dean replied, "When have we ever really trusted Crowley?"

"Regardless, there are more than just these two women to be weary of. Dozens of sides and stories are all playing their own part in what they call the Game of Thrones. I think you should see all of them before making your choice of who to fight for."

Cas had told them he would show them all those worth meeting in Westeros, but this was a lie. Even just remembering the red eyes made him shudder. He could see them before him, when she had moved close to him.

"There is much fear in you, Castiel," She had spoken, her voice dangerously soft. She raised a palm and cupped his cheek. "You should burn it away. Give yourself to R'hllor. The Lord of Light loves his children much more than any false God can ever claim to."

"You have no power over this body, Melisandre," Castiel's voice was like stone. The name was like an incantation, as if Dean were speaking in Latin releasing a demon.

Think of Dean, he had told himself, think of him. Think of his eyes.

Melisandre gave him a smile so well veiled he doubted himself.

"You are right, I do not," She said calmly, "The Lord merely uses me as a tool for his voice. We are all pieces on his board. You cannot hope to outrun him. R'hllor sees all, Castiel. You do not have faith like you did when you first began on your road."

"What road?" Castiel snapped. He knew what she would say. Before you met Dean.

"The path the Lord has laid out for you."

"There is only one God, Priestess, and he does not corrupt helpless innocents the way you do. I have seen what your King Stannis has become under your influence. The Holy Father would never let this happen."

He might do, I don't know. I have never met him, and she knows it. She knows I doubt his existence.

"There are two Gods, Castiel," Melisandre declared in a whisper, "A God of life and light and joy, and the Other. We do not speak his name."

"My Faith is not afraid to call our God by his name, at least," Castiel gave her a cynical look. She stepped closer to him. He could feel heat coming from her body, and then there was the Ruby at her throat. It pulsated in the light, like blood in her veins.

"Your Angels cannot stand against his fire. You need the light, Castiel. These brothers you are sending beyond Valyria cannot hope to survive without the Lord's fire. You need this." She took his face in her hands, and he could not refuse her, no matter how much he tried to think of Dean,

"For the Night is Dark and Full of Terrors."