The journey into Humaear had been uneventful overall, to Castiel's great relief. The relief didn't last long, however, as Queen Charlotte rode out to greet them and her expression was one that could have sent grown men, trembling, to their knees.
"Prince Castiel," she greeted stiffly, looking around at the men surrounding him.
"Queen Charlotte." He looked around at his men as well. "Um, could you all give us some privacy?" He looked to Humaear's queen. "I assume you have somewhere you'd like them to be?"
She nodded and gestured for the man who had accompanied her to meet them to step forward and take over. "Walk with me, Castiel," she said.
Castiel didn't think it would be wise to point out that they were riding, not walking. They left the Edengardian soldiers behind them, and once they were safely out of hearing distance Queen Charlotte began to speak.
"Your brother sent you here to assure me that he is doing everything he can to help Humaear, since we're getting the brunt of the attack from Purgavai."
Castiel wasn't certain if it had been intended as a question, but he nodded anyway. "That's right, your majesty."
She snorted. "And have you come to lie for him, to tell me the truth, or to prove that you're stupid enough to believe him yourself?"
That was a kick to the stomach. If Queen Charlotte had suspicions about what Michael was doing as well - and by the sound of it she had a lot more than suspicions - then maybe Castiel hadn't been wrong about it after all.
"I was actually hoping you'd tell me everything was going just as planned and I was wrong about my brother."
Queen Charlotte looked a little thrown by that answer, her face softening. Castiel felt miserable. Lucifer had been bad enough, was he really going to have to go through everything all over again with Michael?
"So you do know what he's doing."
"I've been suspicious recently. Some of the things he's said don't seem to match up with certain other things he's said or paperwork I've seen."
"Well, it's not matching up here either. Apparently your brother thinks I've lost every ounce of intelligence I've ever had, if he thought I wasn't going to realize something was going on. Now my only question is why?"
Castiel couldn't do anything besides shrug helplessly. "I don't - Balthazar said something about Michael's beliefs not being so different from Lucifer's after all."
"He wants to wipe us out along with Hellacia and Purgavai."
"I wish I could say no. But… I suppose it's beginning to look that way, isn't it?"
Charlotte looked sympathetic. "It's been a rough time for you Novaks, hasn't it?"
"Seems as though we haven't had a chance to properly breathe in eons now. And apparently I'm now the only sibling that Michael feels is both useful and can be trusted, which means I've done more work for the crown in the last six months than I had in my entire life."
Charlotte laughed. "Not much fun, is it? Not nearly as glamorous as people like to say."
"That's for sure." Castiel shook his head. "If you know that Michael's been lying to you, I assume that means you have some sort of plan already?"
Charlotte nodded. "And I would appreciate your input, Castiel."
"Whatever I can do to help. I'd like this entire thing to end as soon as possible."
"So would I. So we'd best get to work."
It had been a week since Castiel had left for Humaear, which meant he was there by now but still wasn't going to be home for awhile, and it meant that it had been a week since Dean's baby brother had been dragged into a jail cell. For destruction of castle property, he'd since found out, although nobody seemed able to say what it was Sam had supposedly destroyed. Not that it mattered much. The king could throw someone in jail with no reason at all if he wanted to.
He hadn't even been allowed to see him. Dean couldn't sleep at night and couldn't work during the day, mind filled with images of Sam, hungry and dirty and scared, sitting alone in a dark and damp cell, wondering what he'd done wrong. Dean couldn't even tell him that it was his fault and apologize.
Michael had been smart about it. If Dean had known anything he would have told the king in a heartbeat, just hoping that he'd be allowed to take his brother and leave, or at least take his place. But, try as he might, he couldn't think of anything that might appease the king. Castiel never talked about politics with him, really. Especially after Gabriel and Kali had been caught together.
He put his face in his hands and rubbed at his temples. He'd been in tight spots before, but this was different, this was Sam.
What sort of person screwed with someone's family like this anyway? Michael had gone to war because of his little brother - unless that had just been him taking an opportunity. Maybe both. Either way, Dean had a constant headache, bags forming under his eyes, and his stomach was twisting so much that it was starting to hurt, and he had no idea what to do about any of it.
"Hello, Dean," a voice greeted, and Dean jumped. He really must have been out of it, he hadn't heard the smithy door open. He'd been keeping it shut more often than not now, not wanting anyone to see his distress without giving him some morning.
It was Benny, and he looked at Dean with serious concern once he caught glimpse of his face. "You don't look so good, Dean. What's going on?"
He very nearly said it was nothing, just a long day and a bad night's sleep, but he stopped before he could form the words. Benny had said he was getting close to Samandriel. Close enough for Samandriel to value his opinions, maybe? Or at least listen to his requests?
Requests such as letting Dean's brother out of prison?
"Can I trust you?"
Benny's confusion visibly increased at the question. "Of course."
Dean took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Long story short? The king had my little brother thrown in jail so he could use him as leverage against me to try and get me to inform on Castiel to him, but I have nothing to inform him about, so there's nothing I can do, and I would really appreciate it if you could talk to Prince Samandriel and see if he can possibly get my brother released." He finished the entire explanation in one breath and then waited.
Benny just blinked at him. "'Fraid I'm going to need the long version, Dean."
The long version really wasn't all that long, as it turned out, just full of things Dean hadn't really wanted to talk about. It was worth it though, because at the end of it Benny nodded.
"I don't know if Samandriel can do anything; the king's pretty much taken away all of his authority lately, but I'll do what I can. I promise."
And even with the caution that it may not do any good, Dean heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Benny."
"Don't mention it. He's your family. He shouldn't be used against you like that." Benny got up and made to leave. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can, okay?"
Dean nodded. "Thank you, again." If Samandriel could, in fact, get Sam released, Dean would take him and they'd get out of the capitol. He'd work out how to contact Castiel about it later. Maybe he could have Benny deliver a message.
First, however, they had to find out if Samandriel could even help.
"Wait a moment, you know who ordered the ambush on Samandriel's patrol?" Castiel got more than a few glares at having interrupted Queen Charlotte, but he didn't pay them any mind.
"No. We do know that the order came from Hellacia, however. And if Samandriel is correct about Ambassador Crowley having been present I think it's safe to say the order came from very up Hellacia's social ladder. Possibly even from Queen Lilith herself."
"But how would she even have known-"
"She wouldn't have had to know. If enough border skirmishes took place the king would send one of his siblings out to investigate eventually. They simply had to wait until they saw him to attack as a large group."
The idea of someone sitting in wait for Samandriel was sickening, even if the knowledge that they'd targeted him was nothing new. "Are you saying Hellacia wanted this war?"
Queen Charlotte smiled a little. "It does sound a bit ridiculous, doesn't it? Nonetheless, it's the theory that makes the most sense."
That was disconcerting. Responding to something the way your enemy wanted you to respond was never a good thing, Castiel knew that much at least. Surely that meant Hellacia had some trick up their sleeve they hadn't revealed yet. He swallowed nervously and was silent again, listening to Queen Charlotte and her advisors talk.
He didn't really have much to contribute save for when someone asked him about Michael, and even then he felt woefully unprepared. Samandriel would have been much better suited for this, he thought. He understood military tactics better than some soldiers. A pity that Michael thought that knowledge had vanished once he couldn't hold a sword anymore.
Once the meeting ended, Castiel started to walk back to the room he was staying in and was quickly joined by Charlotte. "Thank you for your help, Castiel. I'll be honest, I expected more of a fight."
"I just want everything to be over. I want to stop worrying about whether my friends and family are going to make it home every time they leave the city. If Michael is keeping that from happening…"
Charlotte put a hand on his shoulder. "It must be difficult, I know. He is your brother, after all."
Castiel sighed, feeling as though his chest was going to cave in under all the stress he was feeling. "He banished Lucifer without a second thought. As far as he's concerned, family isn't always worth the trouble they come with."
He sounded bitter, even to his own ears, which was a strange feeling. He didn't like being bitter. He didn't like a lot of the things he'd been feeling recently. Bitter, angry, frustrated, and just wanting to grab Michael by the collar, shake him, and scream 'What the hell do you think you're doing?' in his face.
He couldn't, and he doubted he would have even if Michael was nearby, but entertaining the thought seemed to be somewhat therapeutic. Perhaps Dean hadn't been so wrong about a little violence being all right every now and then after all.
Benny wasn't back yet when Samandriel returned from dinner, but he didn't think much of it. Even if Benny did love him as much as he claimed to - a thought which both delighted Samandriel and baffled him - the man was bound to appreciate having someone else's company. Samandriel would have to remember to give Benny time off to visit Dean more often.
Samandriel was reading about a war his great-grandfather had led when Benny returned, and wondering if Michael would listen if Samandriel suggested that he become a military advisor. His strategic skills had only improved since his abduction and he was getting sick of having nothing to do all day. Benny could only provide distraction for so long.
"Evening, Samandriel."
"Hello, Benny." Samandriel finished the paragraph he was reading, slipped a piece of paper into the book to mark his place, and closed it. "How was dinner with Dean?"
"It was good. Nice." He seemed distracted.
"Is something wrong?"
Benny didn't respond to the question, instead saying, "How much authority do you have these days? I mean, I know your brother has been treating you like you're helpless, but how much does the castle staff listen to you?"
It was an odd thing to ask, but Samandriel trusted that Benny had a reason for it and would explain eventually. "It depends on who I'm talking to," he replied. "I can request things from servants as well as ever, but I don't have any military authority or anything like that anymore. I can't even make suggestions during training." He hoped the subject would be dropped soon, he was starting to feel bitter and resentful again.
With Benny's prompting Samandriel had finally gotten up the nerve to go down to the training yard a few days ago, but he might as well have been a child again for all the respect he got. He was a prince, people acknowledged that much, but all the credit he had built up for himself over his life had vanished. Zachariah probably had something to do with it. He probably enjoyed Samandriel being unable to fight.
"Why did you ask?" Samandriel said before his mind could venture too far down that path.
Benny seemed to hesitate for a minute. "No real reason. Something Dean said made me wonder, that's all."
"Oh." What was the blacksmith doing, talking about him and his authority like it was any of his business? He bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything about it. For all he knew it had been a perfectly valid conversation, and Dean was Benny's friend.
"Sorry I asked," Benny told him, and he kissed Samandriel to prove it.
Samandriel felt his face growing hot. He blushed at the strangest times when Benny was around. "It's not a problem."
Benny hooked an arm around his waist and pulled them together. Samandriel made a pleased sound he'd have been embarrassed to make in front of anyone else and kissed him back.
Samandriel tried to tell himself that it was all in his head, or maybe Benny was just tired, but the other man seemed distant tonight. He was doing all the same things as usual, but it felt to Samandriel that he was just going through the motions. He shoved the thought away and did his best to lose himself in the moment.
Castiel had been steeling himself all day, preparing to talk to Humaear's queen, and he finally caught her as she returned from sending out more soldiers.
"Queen Charlotte?"
"Castiel. What can I do for you?"
Castiel still wasn't certain if she left out his title because she was being friendly or because she was sending him a message about how he didn't have any power in her country. "Can we talk, your majesty?"
"Of course. Come with me, I needed to pick up some paperwork before today's meeting anyway."
Safely locked inside Charlotte's office and away from both prying eyes and listening ears, Castiel felt only marginally reassured.
"You can take a seat if you'd like," Charlotte told him, taking her own behind the desk. It wasn't so different from Michael's office, but it felt a world away. In fact, the difference between Charlotte and Michael couldn't have been greater if they'd been trying.
Castiel did take a seat, but he sat on the edge of it, back straight and still on edge.
"What did you want to talk about, Castiel?"
"What exactly are you expecting me to do once I get home, Charlotte?" he asked, forgoing her title in the hopes that she wanted them to be on friendly terms and it would help her be more honest with him.
"What do you mean?"
"We've spent the last few days establishing that Michael is hoping for Humaear to become a war casualty but will help him defeat Hellacia and Purgavai before that. We don't know what his plans are for after the war, but I think we can all agree that he isn't going to sit back and let everyone build their countries back up over the next few decades. Which means I'm assuming you're letting me take part in the discussions because you're hoping I can help keep Humaear from going under. So what is it you're expecting me to do?"
She looked surprised. "You're smarter than your brother gives you credit for, Castiel."
"That has nothing to do with what I asked."
"Sure it does. But never mind, it's not important. I was just thinking aloud."
"Are you going to answer my question then?"
"Of course. We'll talk about it more later, of course, but I was hoping you would be an informant for us. When Michael sends out new orders just tell us what he's actually doing so we can compensate."
"Why don't you just back out of the war?"
"It's too late for that, I'm afraid. Hellacia doesn't really pay us much attention, but Purgavai would love an excuse to burn us down. Now they have one. Even if we hadn't allied with Edengar they likely would have attacked us, claiming that crossing into Edengar at our border is easier than crossing the mountains at their own."
It was valid reasoning, Castiel had to admit. Still, he couldn't see how Humaear was going to manage to pull through this war without Edengar properly helping them, whether they knew about it or not. Castiel remembered Samandriel saying that Edengar wouldn't be able to do it, and he knew for a fact that Edengar had the better army.
Charlotte must have read the concern on his face. She smiled at him. "Don't worry so much, Castiel. We'll work it out. We just have to survive a little longer first."
Despite knowing that Benny wouldn't come back until the next day, regardless of what Samandriel said, Dean couldn't manage to get to sleep that night. He kept flashing between being excited and relieved and then being worried and about to be sick as he remembered that maybe Samandriel wouldn't be able to help him after all.
Or just plain wouldn't. Samandriel had always seemed nice enough, and Castiel obviously loved him to death, but that didn't necessarily mean he was going to be willing to help a man escape when his oldest brother and king had expressly ordered that man to be arrested. What if he got angry at Benny for even suggesting it? Dean's insides went icy at the thought. What if he'd just made his friend meet the same fate as his brother?
Those sorts of thoughts just got louder and more insistent and more frantic throughout the night, and by the time morning came Dean was exhausted and nauseous.
To his relief, Benny didn't make him wait very long before bringing the news. Unfortunately, the news wasn't good.
"He can't help?" Dean wasn't sure if he was distraught or resigned. Had he really thought his problem could be solved so easily?
Benny shook his head. "I'm sorry." And he looked like he meant it, for all the good that did Dean. "He isn't respected by much of anyone these days, and especially not by the king. There's no way the guards would let an order from him override one from Michael, even if he lied to them. They might have believed Castiel, if he were here, but not Samandriel."
And it all came down to Castiel being gone again. Which, of course, was why Michael had sent him off to Humaear in the first place, no matter what he'd said about wanting to impress the Humaearan queen and send out his most reliable brother. Bastard.
"But-" Benny began, and Dean looked up, barely daring to be hopeful this time, "I think I may be able to get to a set of keys."
Was he - no, he wouldn't - would he? "Benny, are you suggesting what I think you are?"
Benny nodded.
God, who was this guy? Who offered to risk being arrested for the brother of a man he'd only known for a few months? Well, he supposed, this was the same man who had risked being killed and exiled from his country because he wanted to help out a man he didn't know anything about and who might not have even survived. Apparently, Benjamin Lafitte was secretly a saint.
"I can't ask you to put yourself in danger like that, Benny," Dean told him, trying to ignore the selfish and protective older brother part of himself insisting that he should take him up on the offer.
"You aren't asking. I'm offering. That's different."
"I can't let you-"
Benny held up a hand to silence him. "Do you have any other ideas?"
Dean didn't. This was insane, dangerous, suicidal, but it was also Sam and a horrible option was better than no option at all.
Benny took his silence as agreement. "Well then. I'll do everything I can."
"You're certain you don't need me to stay any longer?" Castiel asked, pleased to be going home but thrown off by the fact that he'd only been in Humaear for a few days.
Queen Charlotte shook her head. "I think we can agree that you'll be more help to us if you're Edengar. Tell your brother we didn't really need you for much, I doubt he'll be too suspicious."
Castiel certainly hoped she was right. Lying had never been a major skill of his, and he knew that he was exceptionally bad at it when under pressure. If Michael asked too many questions he was bound to realize something wasn't quite right. The only reason he hadn't found out about Castiel's relationship with Dean yet was because he'd never been suspicious enough to ask about it, to Castiel's great relief.
Still, he nodded at Charlotte. "I'll do my best to tell you everything you need to know."
"I know you will. Thank you for all your help, Castiel. I'll admit, I was worried before you got here. I half-thought I was going to push your brother to start another war."
"I don't think Michael would start a war over somebody arguing with me." But really, who could tell with Michael? Apparently their father had been the only thing keeping him from going completely insane before, and now he was intelligent on top of bloodthirsty.
At least Lucifer had always been honest about wanting to kill people. Michael was sneaky about it, and Castiel didn't like being lied to.
He and the queen finished their goodbyes and Castiel went to gather his horse and join the men who would be accompanying him back to Edengar. The group wasn't as large as the one that had escorted him down, and many of them were injured and heading home because of it, but Castiel wasn't too worried. Charlotte had assured him that the route they would be taking was far enough from the Purgavain border that they wouldn't be bothered except, perhaps, by beggars, but they were usually deterred by the mere sight of a weapon.
Castiel was glad to be going home, however worried he was about Michael and whether or not he would be able to help Queen Charlotte as much as she seemed to think he would be. She had heard about Michael, knew him on paper and had listened to reports, but she didn't know him.
Not like Castiel did.
How could she? How could she be expected to know anything? She couldn't know what Castiel did. Couldn't know about Michael helping Castiel learning to ride a horse, helping Samandriel pick out his first sword. She hadn't seen Michael a few years ago, when times were simpler and Michael, Lucifer, and Gabriel would go everywhere together, laughing as though they didn't have a care in the world. She hadn't been there as Michael pretended not to know that Gabriel and Lucifer had given Balthazar more alcohol than he was expecting and just sat back and laughed at them.
It was easy to fight a man when everything you knew about him could use is instead of was.
It had been a few days but Samandriel still couldn't shake the feeling that Benny's thoughts were elsewhere more often than not. He'd asked him about it, but Benny would just smile, tell him not to worry, that everything was fine, and kiss him, as though that could make all the worries just vanish.
Maybe they could be the first time, but now Samandriel was really starting to worry that Benny was going to slip right through his fingers and he was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he didn't even know what it was he'd done wrong.
Benny had said he wanted to go for a walk, get some fresh air, and had gone out while Samandriel was at dinner with his siblings. Try as he might, Samandriel just kept hearing that as 'I need some time away from you.' Which would be fine, Samandriel understood needing time alone, but that on top of Benny feeling so distant all of a sudden just made him want to be sick.
He'd made up his mind while he ate, mostly ignored by his siblings as usual, that he would force Benny to talk about it tonight. The not knowing what was going on was going to drive him insane far more easily than anything Benny could say. At least if Benny said it Samandriel would know.
But then Benny wasn't back when Samandriel returned and he ended up pacing round and round his room until he thought he might wear holes through the floor and Benny still wasn't back. 'How long does it take to go for a walk?' Samandriel thought, throwing himself onto the bed and getting up again almost immediately. He couldn't get comfortable anywhere, feeling like he was jittering out of his own skin.
When someone finally came to Samandriel's room it wasn't Benny and they knocked first. "Prince Samandriel?" a voice called through the door, one Samandriel didn't recognize, though he assumed it belonged to a guard.
He opened the door despite half wanting to tell the man to go away so he could go back to waiting. "What is it?"
"The king says you're needed in the throne room."
"Why?"
"He said someone was caught trying to break into the jail cells and he wants the entire royal family there. He also said he wanted you to be 'properly dressed.'"
The man must have been a new addition to the castle guard, going by how unpracticed he sounded as he recited Michael's orders.
"I'll be there in just a moment then," Samandriel said, and shut the door a little more quickly than was probably polite.
It couldn't have been Benny. The thought had only crossed his mind because he'd been thinking about Benny when he heard. Benny wouldn't have done something like that. He wouldn't have.
Samandriel swallowed hard, put on his impassive face that he always wore for court, and changed his clothes quickly. He set his crown on his head before he left and it somehow felt even heavier than it usually did.
The walk to the throne room felt too fast, and he was met on the way by Gabriel, who offered him a weak smile. "Just when we thought we were free of the family for the night, right, Samandriel?"
"That eager to stay away from us?"
"From Michael, anyway. You've seen how he looks at me. Like I'm off killing kittens whenever he's not looking."
Samandriel had seen. Michael didn't care for any of them much these days. Gabriel was the traitor, Balthazar the drunk, Anael the girl, and Samandriel the useless. Castiel had ended up as the favorite just because there was no one left for the role, and even though he knew it wasn't Castiel's fault Samandriel still felt a little upset about it. He hadn't asked for what had happened to him. And it didn't make him useless, whatever Michael said.
After weeks of saying it, Benny had finally gotten Samandriel to the point where he could believe that. Now he just had to hope that Benny still believed it.
Whoever was responsible for them having all been called into the throne room wasn't there, presumably because it looked less impressive to have the royal family trickle in than to have them just standing there, looking proud and emotionless. The guards led him in a few minutes after Samandriel and Gabriel took their places.
It took every ounce of Samandriel's self-control to not cry out or run to him. It was Benny, and his face was bloody and one arm was being held gingerly to his chest and he was squinting out of one eye.
The roar of thoughts and emotions that all began clamoring for Samandriel's attention threw him off balance for a minute, and it took everything in him to keep his face emotionless. He wasn't even sure he was being successful, but it didn't really matter because no one was looking at him. Not even Benny.
Michael was talking now, in that regal king voice he had mastered as a teenager. "Do you deny that you are guilty of what you've been accused of?"
It was a pointless question, Samandriel knew, because they wouldn't have arrested him if he hadn't been caught in the act, and Michael had already made up his mind because he would sooner chop off his own arm than admit to being wrong, but there was still a large part of him hoping that Benny would deny it and give Samandriel some hope that maybe this was all a big misunderstanding.
But Benny didn't say anything.
"Do you have an explanation for what you did?" Michael asked next, and this time it was a valid question and one Samandriel desperately wanted to know the answer to, not least of all because there was a theory forming in the back of his mind and he needed to be told that it was wrong.
But Benny still didn't say anything.
Michael sighed. "You do realize you will be interrogated?"
Benny continued to keep quiet, not even looking at Michael.
'Look at me,' Samandriel thought, wishing there was a way to make Benny hear him without speaking. Why couldn't Benny just look at him, acknowledge him somehow? Just to let him know that Samandriel's suspicion was wrong? Would that really be so hard?
"I'll tell you what I think," Michael went on, clearly not caring if anyone else wanted to know what he thought. He was the king, they had to listen. "I think you're here for the Purgavain prisoners-of-war we have locked up."
And there it was. The ugly, horrific, unthinkable suspicion that Samandriel had been doing his best to not give words to. Michael had thought it too.
But Benny still didn't speak.
Michael took that as a cue to continue. "Were those your orders all along? Stage a rescue to gain our trust, behave docile and calm until we let our guards down? They knew a war would start over Samandriel's capture. You were to stay here until we had a significant number of Purgavains. Then you would help them escape."
Samandriel wanted to jump to Benny, to grab him by the collar, shake him, and scream, "Deny it! Argue, deny it, protest, do something! For me, just deny it! Let me know you didn't do that to me!" But he didn't move, stopped breathing even, and Benny still didn't speak.
"You will be punished for this," Michael went on, as though his youngest brother wasn't having a crisis a few feet away. "What it will be will be decided in good time." He nodded to the guards. "Take him away."
The guards grabbed Benny's arms again and Samandriel saw him wince as they touched the injured one, but he kept right on not making noise and not looking at Samandriel.
They walked out of the throne room and Samandriel's siblings started leaving to go back to their rooms and whatever they'd been doing before.
Not a single one of them checked to see how Samandriel was doing.
Not a single one of them noticed him standing there, feeling as though he'd be crushed under the weight of his crown, trying not to break down where he could still be seen.