Wow, you guys are all so nice in your reviews, thank you so much! And sorry Alice, I do realize that in many fics where Impala is something other than a car, it's usually a female, I guess it's because people refer to their vehicles as females all the time. Eh. Oh well. Impala will not play a very large role in this story, so hopefully it won't bother you too much ):
And I know, my chapters are pretty short. I'm upset over their length too, and I'm trying my hardest to add more meat to each chapter. More descriptive stuff and filler? Hrm. I'll try my best, ehehe. Also thinking of a high-school AU fic, but I'll probably put it off until Caged is done. As usual, read, enjoy and review! Woohoo!
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When Dean finally managed to blink open his eyes, his first instinct was to jerk up to his feet. Unfortunately, he was bound very tightly to a chair, and he ended up crashing to the ground with a yelp of surprise. He landed on his cheek, hard, and all Dean could see were the legs of shelves and a plain wall. And no sign of Sam. His instincts instantly set on 'find-Sammy' mode, Dean struggled to twist his head around to get a better look at the room.
"Sammy?" He called out. Nearby, Dean could hear his brother moan in reply, as if he was waking up from a deep sleep.
"Unghh… Dean?" Sam groaned. "What happened? Why are we tied to chairs?" Great. Sam's immobilized too.
"How'm I s'posed to know?" Dean grunted, his voice partially muffled by the floor. He had given up his attempt to contort his head, and was now rocking his body back and forth, trying to roll over.
Sam craned his neck over to see the crumpled shape of his brother. "Uhh, why are you on the floor?"
"I fell." Dean mumbled, and he could practically hear his brother rolling his eyes. Sam could be a little bitch at times.
"Oh. You're awake." Said an unfamiliar voice. Sam's head jerked up to see the man, instantly recognizing him as the guy who had whacked Dean in the head with a book. Sam could quickly deduce that he had met the same fate.
"Whu? Who's there?" Dean's rocking became more violent as he struggled to set himself upright.
Suddenly, there was a pair of feet in front of Dean's eyes, and then he was lurched backwards to meet piercing blue eyes. Dean instantly quieted down, staring back at the man. He had a mop of messy black hair, as if he had just rolled out of bed. He dressed plainly enough, in a white shirt and black pants, but what held Dean's attention was his eyes, a shade of gray-blue. Dean had to admit that the guy was undeniably attractive, but he didn't feel like evaluating a total stranger at the moment. The blue eyes continued to peer into green for a good minute before Dean started to feel slightly uncomfortable under the intense gaze.
"Um, dude, personal space." Dean muttered. The man seemed to wake up from his reverie and pulled away from Dean.
"Hmm… Green. Interesting." The hunter could hear him murmur in a low voice before Sam started a barrage of questions.
"Who are you?" His brother demanded, struggling at his confines. "Where are we? Why'd you tie us up? Where are our bags?"
The man never spoke as Sam shouted question after question, bringing up another chair and sitting in front of them. He only spoke once Sam had exhausted himself, looking at the two brothers as if they were a fascinating experiment.
"I am Castiel, and this is my home that you have trespassed upon," He said in an irritatingly calm tone. Sam let out a huff of air. At least this guy wasn't mute.
"Well, Castiel, my brother and I are very sorry for intruding. Just untie us and let us go, and we won't bother you again." Sam said, struggling to keep his voice as calm as the man's.
"It's not like we're dangerous," Dean decided to chime in unhelpfully. Sam threw his brother a death glare. "What? We're just two brothers on a road trip around the country." Dean said, feigning a look of innocent confusion. Sam vowed to sock his brother square on the jaw once they escaped.
"So you two travel?" Castiel asked, making the two snap their attention back to their captor.
"Uhh, yeah, I guess so," Dean replied with a shrug, although his shoulders could barely move under the ropes.
"Do you know anything concerning the lights that appear once a year outside this forest?"
"Huh? You mean that lantern festival thing that kingdom does to celebrate some prince's birthday?" Sam said in confusion, wondering why the man would take such an interest in something like that.
Castiel didn't seem to hear Sam's words. "So they were lanterns," He breathed as his eyes dropped towards the ground and adopted a thoughtful expression. The two brothers could practically see the gears turning in his mind. Seeming to reach some sort of decision, Castiel looked back up at them, a look of steely determination on his face.
"Take me to see the lanterns, and I will promise to free the both of you." He said, hesitantly adding, "Please."
"What? Why would we do that?" Dean asked incredulously. No way was he going back to that kingdom, not when they wanted his head on a pole.
"Because. It's important," Castiel said solemnly, but Dean only rolled his eyes.
"Well, sorry buddy, but we're kind of on a tight schedule, and-"
"And because I will destroy your bags." Castiel cut in. That seemed to catch their attention.
"Hey hey hey, let's not get carried away here!" Dean protested. There were a couple expensive weapons stuffed in those sacks, such as Dean's silver dagger and Sam's bronze sickle. Who knew monsters were such expensive creatures to gank?
"Then take me to see the lights."
Sam and Dean exchanged glances, seeming to share some sort of mental agreement. They gave each other resolute nods.
"Fine. We'll take you to see the lights," Sam muttered.
And with that, Castiel abruptly stood up and started to untie Sam. Once the cords hit the ground, Castiel turned his attention to Dean, making his way over to the man and quickly untying his ropes. It was then that Dean decided he did not like to be in close proximity of this guy, and jumped out of his chair as soon as he was freed.
"Right. So, are we off then?" Dean asked, clapping his hands together. Sam nodded, starting to move towards the door.
"Wait." Castiel made the two brothers pause. "There still is the problem of my mother…"
"What, you got a curfew or something?" Dean snorted. Seriously, this guy lived with his mom? Lame.
"She forbade me from leaving this tower." A look of worry crossed Castiel's face, as if he would suffer from some horrible punishment if he disobeyed his mother.
"So then lie," Dean said simply. "Tell her to go away for some time, then she'll never know that you left."
"Would that be wise?" Castiel asked nervously. He had never lied to his mother before. In fact, he had never lied to anyone before. Well, maybe because the only person he saw was his mother... Dean only shrugged as if he couldn't care less.
"Yeah, just go tell her to get some books for you or something. You look like the kind of guy who likes books." Dean could see Castiel visibly tense at the thought of a simple lie. "Hey, Castiel, it's not like she'll gut you alive or something," He said as he patted the man on the shoulder. Dean's face slightly quirked when the man's name rolled off his tongue.
"I have never lied to her before," Mumbled Castiel. Dean shrugged again.
"Well suit yourself." He said. "Guess you're not going to see the lights then, Cas."
Castiel frowned. "My name is Castiel, not Cas." He stated.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, that name's too long, so I think I'll call you Cas from now on," He said. There was look of confusion on Castiel's face. "It's a nickname." Dean explained with a sigh. Seriously, this guy was a real social pariah. He was so not looking forward to the long trek in the forest.
"And by the way, our names are John and Robert Cole." Sam added, gesturing to himself and then to Dean. Their father had instilled the habit of introducing themselves under false aliases years ago, and Sam was not about to break the habit.
The three men were interrupted when a voice sounded from below.
"Castiel, I'm baaack!" It sang.
"It's my mother." Castiel said, walking toward the door. "You two… Stay here until she's gone."
"Uh, okay." The two brothers said in unison.
Feeling a sense of assurance, Castiel took a deep breath and headed toward the floor below, reaching for the rope and throwing it out the window.
"My goodness Castiel, I've missed you!" His mother declared once she hopped through the window, throwing her arms around Castiel. "How long has it been? An hour? Two hours?"
"It's been around two hours, mother." Castiel replied in a deadpanned voice.
"There you go again. My son can't ever take a joke." His mother pulled away and tutted, a smile on her face.
"Yes, well, mother, I have given our previous conversation some thought," Castiel began, but his mother put up a weary hand.
"I thought we discussed this, Castiel," She groaned, humor gone. "The world is a dangerous place, far too dangerous for my little angel!"
"Oh no, it's not about that." Castiel said. His mother perked up at this.
"Then what is it?"
"I… I have decided what I want for my birthday." Castiel said, looking down at the ground. "I… Um… Wouldlikesomebooksfromthatme rchantfromoverseas." The lie quickly tumbled out of his mouth.
"Castiel, that merchant lives practically a kingdom away," His mother sighed. "At least a four day journey!"
"But... I really enjoyed the books he sold." Castiel said with a cringe. Lying was definitely not his forte.
"Fine, but only because it's your birthday." She said, pulling him in for another hug. "Well! I better be off now, I can't afford to miss your birthday!" She gave Castiel a hearty slap on the back and picked up a nearby basket, throwing on her hood and striding towards the window. "I'll see you in four days, my angel!" She called out as Castiel lowered her down.
"I'm no longer a child," Castiel sighed. At least he had managed to trick her into leaving. He looked up toward his room when he heard a door creak.
The two brothers were poking their heads out from behind the door, twin grins plastered on their faces.
"Your mom calls you her 'angel'?" The green-eyed brother – what was it? Robert? – Could barely hide his snigger.
Castiel felt himself flush. "She has been calling me that ever since my birth." He tried to explain, but it didn't seem to hamper Robert's debilitating attempt to suppress his laughter.
"Well, I think that we're off to a great start on our journey, little angel," Robert said with a beam as he made his way down the staircase.
"Please don't call me that," Castiel moaned as he started preparing for their journey.
...
And we're off on an adventure! Personally, I'm glad that this story is finally picking up, and I'm excited to introduce all these monsters and creatures the boys will encounter on their trip! If you people are curious about Cas' mother... Welllll I'll reveal her name later. It's not like her name will be quite important, anyway. And yes she's canon. Thanks again you guys for your wonderful support and reviews, I'll try to update daily!