Chapter 2 – Kidnapped!
A lot had changed in the five years since Castiel's death. The King of Heaven had disappeared, and in his place, his son Michael led the people for the moment, though he had yet to take the throne. That, however, was not the talk of the kingdom.
The princess, Anael or Anna for short, had decided to take a groom. According to the laws of that land, the oldest could not take the throne unless one of the royal children was married, so Anna had decided to marry the hunter, Dean, who by that time had become famous throughout the kingdom for his unrivaled skills.
Dean did not love Anna. He respected her right to choose anyone for a spouse though, and he couldn't exactly turn down the princess. He consoled himself with the thought that at least she was very attractive.
"You'll love me one day." Anna would reassure him with a smile. Luckily for him, she didn't take offense when Dean snorted.
He knew that he could never love her though. He had already made that mistake, and since then he had hardened his heart. Anna wasn't going to get to him.
Being in the palace made Dean unhappy; he preferred the tranquility and comfort of the forests. Everyday, the hunter would ride out for hours on his beloved horse, Impala, who was the only other being he truly loved. As the wedding day got closer and closer, Dean spent more and more time outside with Impala.
It was as he was riding through the forest a few weeks before the wedding that he came across a group that waved him down. As he slowed, Dean studied the motley crew.
There were three of them. Two of them were fairly short, while the third was a giant. One of the short ones wore a black suit, which wasn't what most people wore, and had thinning black hair. His lips were curled into a scheming smile. Dean had seen that smile enough to know that this man was probably not to be trusted. He was not obviously armed, but the hunter knew better than to assume.
The next one was only slightly taller than the first. His blonde hair curled down, bangs flopping down to frame amber eyes. His eyes held a mischievous glint, but his hand on the hilt on the blade at his side was familiar and easy. He obviously knew how to use the sword. He also appeared to be sucking on a candy as he smirked at Dean.
The giant had long brown hair that reminded Dean of a woman. He had intelligent, hazel eyes that were trained on Dean. He had an odd knife strapped to his thigh, and a pistol on his belt. He looked somewhat uncomfortable and stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Just from his height and weight alone, Dean did not want to tussle with him.
Dean had a bad feeling about this.
"Can I help you?" Dean asked, skepticism coating his voice as he raised an eyebrow at the crew.
"Yes." The shortest guy replied, his British accent now obvious. "We are but humble circus performers: myself, Crowley, and Gabriel and Sam here." He gestured to himself and the other two. Dean smelled a rat, even as Crowley turned to crack a salesman smile at him. "Is there a town nearby where we might earn some money?"
"No. There's nothing for miles." Dean said, tensing up.
Crowley's smile became shark-like. "Then, there will be no one to hear you scream."
Gabriel and Sam came up towards him in a threatening manner.
"Like hell." Dean kicked out and caught Sam in the shoulder.
He winced a bit but he easily dragged Dean off of Impala.
"Hey, watch my baby!" Dean punched out at him. Sam grunted a bit, and punched back but Dean dodged.
He had spent his whole life hunting, so he knew how to hold his own in a fight. This Sam though was just as good and kept up with him punch for punch.
"Not bad." Dean grinned as he landed a kick right in Sam's stomach. He stumbled away, as Dean finished speaking the thought, "But I'm better."
"Not better than me." An impish voice came from behind Dean. Before he could turn around, there was a dull pain in his skull and he collapsed into unconsciousness.
Sam caught Dean as he fell, and in front of him, Gabriel lowered his arm from where he had hit Dean with the hilt of his sword.
"Well," Gabriel said as he sheathed his sword, "that was easy."
"Speak for yourself." Sam grumbled as he picked up the hunter.
"Ah, come on." The swordsman nudged the giant. "You know you love it."
"Boys," Crowley said disdainfully as he picked some lint off of his suit, "time is money, you know. And we are on a schedule."
"Right, boss." The two muttered, as they made their way towards their getaway boat. Gabriel grabbed the reins of the horse and led it behind them.
"Now, put the pretty prince on the ship, and get ready to launch." Crowley took the reins from Gabriel and pulled out a scrap of cloth. On it, there was the visible crest of Hell.
"What are you doing?" Gabriel leaned against the side of the ship, having done all of the preparations that needed to be done.
"This shows the crest of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hell. It's from one of the uniforms of their army officials." Crowley finished placing it, and slapped Impala's rear. The horse bucked and then ran off back in the direction of the castle.
"That doesn't really explain what you're doing." Gabriel said dryly.
"Well, Hell is the sworn enemy of Heaven." Sam commented while making sure their prisoner was relatively comfortable.
Crowley sauntered over to the boat and climbed in. "Once the horse reaches the castle, the fabric will make the prince suspect that the Hellions have abducted his precious sister's lover. When they then find his body in Hell's territory, his suspicions will be confirmed." He smirked.
Sam jerked up at his words. "You never said anything about killing anyone." He growled, a scowl crossing his face.
Crowley sighed. His entire countenance was that of an adult explaining things to a child. "I've hired you to help me start a war." He sniffed and straightened his suit. "It's a prestigious line of work, with a long and glorious tradition."
Sam was still frowning. "I still don't think it's right to kill an innocent man."
"Well, good thing I didn't hire you to think." Crowley threw back.
"I kind of agree with Sammy." Gabriel popped another candy into his mouth. "If he deserved it, then I'd be all for it, but under the circumstances…"
"Enough!" Crowley chopped his hand in front of him, silencing their protests. He turned to Gabriel. "What happens to him is none of your concern. I will kill him. And remember, when I found you, you were so broke, you couldn't even buy a piece of bubblegum. As for you," he rounded on Sam, "do you really want me to send you back where I found you? Unemployed in Greenland? Because that would bring you oh so closer to your dream of going to school."
Neither of his employees could meet his eyes.
"Now, set sail and let's finish this job." Crowley went to go check the prisoner himself.
Gabriel went to man the rudder as Sam unfurled the sail. The giant looked up and saw Gabriel's annoyed expression. He decided to cheer the swordsman up a bit.
"You know Crowley, he can… fuss." He said.
Gabriel's face lit up. "I think he just likes to scream at us." He replied cheekily.
"He probably means no… harm." Sam lead.
"He's really very short on charm." The two of them snickered at that. Gabriel gave a sigh and smiled at giant. "Ah, Sam, you know how to make me smile."
"Well, we have known each other for quite a while." Sam replied with a smirk. They laughed again.
"Shut up! I'm not paying you to tell jokes!" Crowley snapped.
"Yeah, instead we just carry the yoke." Gabriel muttered to Sam.
The giant chuckled and raised his hand to shade his eyes as he looked ahead. Finally, the ship was moving forward. "Gabriel, are there rocks ahead?"
"If there are, then we'll be dead!" Gabriel laughed.
"Agh!" Crowley yelled bracing his hand against his head. He couldn't help but wonder why he hired these two morons in the first place. Unfortunately, he was stuck with them now.
AN: Thank you to those who have decided to favorite or follow this already. If you notice, there are some hints of Sabriel thrown in there. I would probably write a longer note, but I've got to go get ready for my mother's visitation.