Samandriel's initial excitement over Benny returning - Castiel had talked to Gabriel, who had cleared him and both of the Winchesters - was beginning to shift to trepidation and anger. For all that Benny had had good intentions, the fact remained that Samandriel had trusted him and had been stabbed in the back. He understood why Benny hadn't told him what was going on, but that didn't mean he couldn't be mad about it. It had hurt, and Benny wasn't going to get off just like that.

But now he was beginning to worry that Benny wasn't going to come back at all. Which was a stupid thing to think, he kept telling himself, because the Winchesters hadn't returned yet either and Castiel didn't seem to have any doubts at all about Dean returning, but the thought insisted on resurfacing again and again all the same.

After all, it wasn't as though he had much to offer the man, he thought as he began pacing around his room. Especially now. Things with Purgavai and Hellacia were still tense, but Gabriel wanted to talk peace and, God help him, he was going to talk peace, which meant there was a good chance that Benny would be allowed to go home soon, if he wanted. The idea of him leaving twisted Samandriel's stomach. If he was just going to go back to Purgavai once he could, Samandriel would rather he not return to Edengar at all.

Or so he kept telling himself.

There was a knock at the door, and Samandriel stopped pacing and turned to face it so suddenly that he almost fell over. He recovered himself and pulled it open.

To find none other than Benjamin Lafitte standing on the other side, slouched down with his hands awkwardly fidgeting at his sides, looking ashamed.

"Benny." Samandriel was too surprised to manage anything else. He couldn't even decide which of the many emotions running through him was the most important right now.

Benny gave him a nervous smile. "Hi, little bird." Samandriel's heart skipped a beat at the nickname, despite his attempt to keep himself under control. Benny looked around. "Can I - Can I come in?"

It was only then that Samandriel realized he was blocking the doorway. He stepped aside without saying anything and shut the door behind them once Benny was inside.

"Samandriel, I-" Benny began, at the exact second Samandriel said, "Listen, Benny-"

They each stopped, looked at each other, and smiled, more genuinely this time. "You go first," Samandriel said generously, still trying to decide what he wanted to say.

Benny nodded, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and started again. "Samandriel, I am so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. I was just-"

"Trying to help your friend, I know. I understand why you did it, I do. I just-" He shrugged helplessly, not sure how to put the myriad of feelings he was experiencing into words.

Benny nodded though, and Samandriel remembered how easily Benny seemed to be able to tell what he was thinking.

"I know."

And Benny did know, Samandriel was certain of it, and the knowledge made his anger win out over everything else.

"You know? You know how you let me think you lied to me? How I thought you didn't-" Samandriel's words caught in his throat, but he forced his way past them. "How I thought you didn't care? How I spent days sitting here thinking you were using me? You know about that? You bastard." He wasn't entirely certain he really was angry, or if he just wanted to cry and have Benny tell him everything was okay and promise to never leave again. Either way, the outburst had felt good.

Benny, to his credit, looked appropriately upset. "I know, and I am so sorry. And I'll find a way to make it up to you, if you'll let me. The king said I could return to my job as your bodyguard, if you wanted."

Thinking of Gabriel as the king was still strange. As was the fact that Gabriel apparently still wanted him to have a bodyguard. Gabriel hadn't seemed to hold onto the same idea as Michael, that Samandriel was helpless. His brother had actually decided that Samandriel would make an excellent military advisor and could help train the soldiers as well, even if he couldn't grasp a sword any longer. He still knew everything he needed to, in theory at least. Unless Gabriel knew about Samandriel and Benny... Samandriel smiled to himself. Gabriel was probably more perceptive than he let on.

Samandriel struggled to glare, but he couldn't manage to put any heat behind it. "I'm not saying you're forgiven. But…I think I could be all right with that, if you want to stay," Samandriel said, looking up at Benny expectantly.

Benny smiled and leaned down to kiss him. "I'd love to stay."

Across the castle, Dean Winchester told his brother goodnight and stepped into his smithy with a content and relieved sigh. He'd set his things down and see if he could find Castiel without drawing too much attention to himself. It was good to be back, he thought, and even better to know that Michael wouldn't be breathing down his neck anymore. He imagined King Gabriel would be much easier to deal with.

He already seemed better. Dean hadn't ever talked to Gabriel much, before, but he'd always struck Dean as not being the sort you would want in charge of anything. Now, however, he seemed to be taking to his role wonderfully. He'd even come to personally greet Dean, Sam, and Benny when they'd returned, and to apologize personally.

Afterwards, Benny had taken off to see Samandriel like he thought the prince was in some sort of mortal peril. Gabriel had smiled like he knew something, and Sam and Dean just exchanged shrugs. A suspicion had begun to form in Dean's mind, however. If he was right, good for Benny. He couldn't begin to imagine what Benny saw in Samandriel, but most people couldn't figure out what Dean saw in Castiel, so maybe that was just the way love worked.

Dean began making his way out, but the door to the smithy banged open before he was halfway down the stairs leading away from his bedroom, and then his arms were filled with a prince who seemed to be simultaneously trying to say his name and kiss him until they both passed out, and Dean was kissing back without thinking and trying not to fall over, and they were both clenching their hands into the other one's shirt and saying each other's names again and again, like they were the last things left in the entire world.

Dean held onto Castiel so hard that it hurt his hands, but it meant that Cas was there, that he was back, that he was home, and that meant that nothing else mattered.

And, across the castle again, King Gabriel Novak stood out on his balcony, looking at the same view he'd seen his father looking out on countless times, and breathed a sigh of contentment. Things weren't all worked out with Hellacia and Purgavai yet, but it was getting there. Stability was gradually returning to Edengar.

Hellacia was still scrambling to find a new ruler after Lilith's death. Right now, rumor had it that Crowley was the favorite for the position. Gabriel didn't like the man, by any means, especially after what had happened with Samandriel, but he thought the former ambassador would probably be intelligent enough to not launch the country into another war. As long as he stayed behind his own borders, Gabriel would be willing to leave him be.

Purgavai was sulking and licking their wounds, but they'd sent Kali back to Edengar and seemed willing to go back to how things had been before. Without Hellacia egging them on, Kali promised that King Richard would behave himself. He wasn't an idiot, at least. He knew how to pick his battles.

Humaear, because Queen Charlotte was apparently a goddess in disguise, had no intentions of holding the lies Michael had told them against Edengar, so, all-in-all, it seemed likely that they'd weathered the storm.

And thank God it was over. The most difficult stretch of it, anyway. Gabriel was ready to fall into bed and sleep for a week. Impossible for a king, but at least now he could possibly sleep for a few hours.

An arm slid around his waist and warm breath hit his ear. "It's late, Gabriel. Come back to bed." Kali didn't wait for a response before she began pulling him backwards.

Sleep was overrated anyway.