Hey Guys. Here comes chapter 3. I've decided to leave the last as it was. But I'm quite more satisfied with this one.
As always, please enjoy and review.
Chapter 3:
"Hurry, you should be on your way now, Balthazar. You must find the royal necklace with the ruby before your brothers", the archbishop said while hurrying to the table, where Balthazar sat.
"I should like to see you take the throne, the first benevolent king. Stormhold would be a better place under your rule."
Balthazar smiled at the trusting words, but stopped immediately, when his remaining brothers came in.
"Really? Well, that's fascinating, don't you think Michael?", Lucifer said sarcastically.
"Yes, indeed", the older brother added, joining the group of three.
The archbishop stuttered with embarrassment, desperately trying to explain his words, but Lucifer interrupted him.
"Well, since you're all here, won't you join me in a toast?"
A servant brought a tablet with four mugs, handing them over to the four men.
"To the new king of Stormhold", the bishop said, "whichever of you fine fellows it might be."
The others replied in unison 'to the new king of Stormhold', and drank. Right after they had finished their drinks, the archbishop suddenly began choking and squirming with pain. He tried desperately to reach for help, but only a few seconds later he lay on the floor, dead. The princes watched the scenery, shock displaying on their faces, when suddenly Michael choked, too. Again, it took only half a minute and the third brother was stonedead on the ground.
Now it were Lucifer and Balthazar, who watched each other terrified. Just when Balthazar looked at the cup, he still hold in his hands, Lucifer grabbed his throat, shooting his brother a horrified gaze and fell down. Balthazar couldn't believe his eyes. All his brothers were dead just in the glimpse of a second. But then he understood. All his brothers were dead, that made him the new king of Stormhold. 'Forget about the ruby, it was tradition that counts', Balthazar thought to himself.
Right the moment, Balthazar wanted to reach out for the crown, Lucifer stood up again, vitally alive.
"You really thought, that you were king?", he laughed maliciously, patting his brother's back.
"You killed the bishop?", Balthazar asked, terrified.
"Oh no, I think you'll find that you killed the bishop by drinking out of the wrong cup."
Balthazar watched him with disgust, but decided not to fight his brother here and now. He knew Lucifer was too strong and the only way to defeat him, was finding the ruby before he did.
"Oh, look, when you finish wrestling with your conscience, may I suggest you return to your chamber? Leave the quest for the stone to me."With that Lucifer left, still laughing.
In the old, dark castle down in the valley Crowley made himself ready for the journey.
"How have we lived this way all these years?", he asked his fellows, looking at all the dust and dirt around them.
Alastair came over, handing him a tablet with three different shaped, sharp knives, while Azazel put three dark stones, the runes, in Crowley's hand. He chose the thin, peaked knife.
"In my absence, I expect you to make it fit for the kings we are. When I return with our price, all of us shall be strong and powerful again."
Alastair and Azazel watched him leaving, when Crowley turned around one last time.
"Never fear, boys, I will not fail!", he promised confidently.
A hundred miles away in the crater, Dean tried to get some sleep but had no chance with Castiel, the furious star, pulling and scratching on the chain around his wrist.
"God damn, Castiel, don't you ever sleep?", he cursed, pulling on the other side of the chain.
"Not at night, moron. May have escaped your notice, genius, but that's when stars have rather better things to do. They're coming out, shining, that sort of thing", Castiel pointed out sarcastically.
"Yeah, it may have escaped yours, but you're not in the sky anymore. Coming out is off the agenda", Dean replied rather annoyed of his newly found friend. "Shining has been suspended until further notice. Oh, and sleeping during the day is O-U-T. Unless you have some magical ability to sleep while you're walking", he added, pulling the chain back and laid down again.
"Have you not got it into your thick head, yet? I'm not walking with you anywhere. Before I'd help you I'd rather sit here for eternity", Castiel stated matter-of-factly.
That's when Dean decided that he had enough of this bitchy star. "Fine, as you wish. Sit in this crater for eternity. I've had enough of you anyway", he said, attempting to unchain Castiel. "I was gonna help you back in the sky, once we found my brother and I showed you Lisa. But if you prefer sitting on your own in the middle of nowhere, that's fine. You don't help me, so I don't help you."
"You helping me? How?", Castiel answered, his tone thick with irony.
"I find the fastest way to travel is by candlelight", Dean pointed out, showing the rest of the babylon candle.
"You've got a babylon candle?" Suddenly Castiel's interest awakened.
"Yeah, a bubbling candle", Dean agreed. "You mean a babylon candle", the star corrected.
"That's what I said."
"No, you said bubbling candle. You don't even know what power you're holding in your hands and you speak of helping me? I'm a star, a creature more powerful you've ever known, and I shall trust you, a mere human? That's ridiculous."
"Well, it's up to you. You can sit here and wait, if there's coming anybody 'more powerful' or you take your chances with me and I give what's left of the candle to you."
Castiel was still unsure of what he should think about this Dean, but what other choices had he?
"Yeah, whatever, fine", he finally agreed.
Since his leg was still injured from the crash, getting up was really hard, but he had to take this chance of coming home as soon as possible. Being a star in this world of magic, and also dark magic was not really a piece of cake. It was much more dangerous than Dean would have expected.
Somewhere in the middle of nowhere a skinny boy was pulling his goat out of the stable, while he heard his mother screaming from the inside.
"Don't take less than a florin for him, Alfie! You understand?"
"Yes, mother", he replied totally annoyed.
"And don't even think of stopping at the tavern, Alfie, or you'll be sorry", came it from his mother.
The poor boy rolled his eyes and turned around, ready to leave when he met a fine gentleman, wearing a black suit, standing in front of him.
"A florin for your goat, boy", Crowley suggested, displaying his charming smile.
"Oh, he's a bit small to pull your cart", Alfie mentioned shyly.
"Hm...you're quite right", answered Crowley and touched the boy's forehead and immediately, poor Alfie turned into a goat himself.
Smiling and satisfied, that his power was back again, Crowley put the two goats before his cart and went away.
Some time later he passed an old yellow wagon at the roadside, it was the same wagon where John had met Mary. Crowley stopped, recognizing that the lady, the wagon belonged to, was of his kind, a witch. But in contrast to the old lady, John saw twenty years ago, now the owner was a dark-haired woman, young and beautiful.
"Who goes there? What do you want with me, a poor, innocent girl?", the owner asked, when Crowley came closer.
"Oh shut up, witch. I know what you are, and I swear by the ordinances of hell to which we both belong, that I mean you no harm this day. I only wish to share your meal, Ruby."
Ruby shot him another suspicious glance but nodded finally. "You know, one could never be too careful, these days. I'll get you a seat."
She snapped her fingers and a blue bird, which was formerly sitting on the wagon, transformed into the beautiful girl, Mary. She took a stool from the wagon, put it next to Ruby's place and was transformed back into a bird again.
"What's it to be? Heads or tails?", Ruby asked, pointing at the dead animal over the fire.
"Heads", Crowley said, smiling.
"So stranger, where are you headed off to on this fine day?", Ruby started small talk.
"I seek a fallen star. It fell not far from here. And when I find it, I shall take my great knife and cut out its heart while it still lives. And all my power shall be restored." Crowley sensed that there was something wrong. Why did he tell that roadside-witch about his star?
"A fallen star? That's the best news I've had in ages. I could have my power back, too", Ruby cheered with delight.
But Crowley already knew what she did to him, and he wasn't pleased at all.
"Limbus Grass?", he shouted, "You dare to steal truth from my lips by feeding me limbus grass? Do you have any idea what a big mistake you've made, Ruby?"
At first Ruby didn't understand, but when Crowley released his power just to show who he really was, Ruby got it, totally terrified.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't realize who you are, your dark Majesty. I shall not seek the star, I swear. Please...", she begged.
"Seek all you wish. You shall not see the star, touch it, smell or hear it. You will not perceive it, even if it stands before you", Crowley chanted, putting a spell on Ruby. "Pray you never meet me again", he added, then left.
Deep in a forest, Dean and Castiel were on their way, but where it was leading to, nobody knew.
"Oh, right. So let me get this straight. You think you know we're on the right way because...and I quote...'I just do'", Castiel teased, imitating Dean's voice.
"Damn right, I do. I don't know why, but I do. Maybe it's some invisible bond between my brother and me, that's guiding me."
"Oh, come on. Seriously?", Castiel continued.
"Cas, whether you like it or not...".
"Castiel, my name is Castiel. Stop calling me Cas. What am I? Your pet?" Castiel sat down at a tree, rubbing his injured leg.
"Fine, CASTIEL! Look, we're going north. I just have a feeling. And if you look up in the sky, even during the day, you can see the...", Dean stopped there, figuring that the star he was looking at wasn't there anymore.
"You mean the evening star? Yeah, that's really funny", Castiel retorted sarcastically.
"That makes no sense. Where is it?"
"You're serious? Oh my God, how dumb are you?"
"Wait, that was you? Really?", Dean asked, slightly impressed about what he'd just found out, but changed his mind immediately when he realized Castiel sitting down at the tree.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"What does it look like? I'm tired", Castiel said, closing his eyes.
"No, we agreed we'd stop off at the next village to eat and rest", Dean tried to convince the fallen star, but said didn't intend to get up within the next few hours, before he'd get some sleep.
"Dean, seriously, it's midday. I never stay up this late. Just, let me sleep for a while."
Dean thought about it, but decided he had not much of a chance to force Castiel getting up, so he conceded. "All right, fine. You sleep and I'll go and get something to eat."
Before he left, Dean put the chain around the tree. "Hey, what are you doing?", Castiel protested. "What does it look like? I'm making sure you don't run away." Castiel sighed but didn't reply. He was just too tired to start another argument.