Before they headed out, Cas and Dean spent ample time relaxing at their campsite. They had yet to pack anything. Cas had the fire going around midday while Dean was doing his best to catch a fish for them.
Cas lay in the grass with his egg cradled in his arms, watching Dean wade through the river, still nude (as was Cas). It was a nice day with fair weather. Dean had a makeshift fishing line that was dangling in the water.
"You know," he called out over his shoulder to his mate, "I've been thinking, and I've got an idea. We should take some of that gold and buy better weapons and stuff for the rest of the pack, then bring it to them."
"That's very corteous of you, Dean," said Cas. "I like that idea. I think we should also buy items for our child, too."
"Well, yeah. We can do that, too. Where'd they find it, by the way?"
"They told me it was 'from the mines,' but nothing more."
"Huh. Okay."
"Why?"
"There's gold in the land, o'course. But if they found it in a reliable source, there's bound to be more, yeah?"
Dean suddenly jumped. His fishing line was being tugged on! He yanked it from the water and displayed a large fish, wiggling about on his hook.
"Ohoho!" he laughed in great triumph.
Cas watched with pride in Dean's hunting prowess. That made him feel safe.
"Look at this guy!"
Dean immediately came trudging out of the water with the fish in one hand. He squat down by the fire, picked up his knife and began prepping the soon-to-be-meal.
Cas would probably never be too happy to watch the beheading, skinning, deboning and gutting process, but he tolerated in nonetheless and kept the cauldron ready for the meat. One by one, large chunks of plump, white fish came splashing into the boiling water. Cas gave them a stir.
"It looks wonderful," Cas noted.
"Some catch, right?" Dean laughed. "This river's amazing. Maybe we should just ditch the city and the pack and live here instead. Right here."
Cas looked up from his cooking and stared at Dean with narrow, pensive eyes.
"We could," he said, "And it would be nice, wouldn't it?"
They both examined the land before them, paying attention to its great beauty. To one side there were the mountains—tall, gray and cool. The rocky terrain bled down and met with the soft grass they now rested on. There came the fresh river that blossomed somewhere up in the mountains and then ran out and curved in the open plains, curving through the foot hills.
The grassy expanse went on endlessly, as far as Dean and Cas could tell. In the distance there stood the city of Lawrence, nothing more than a hazy stone fortress from their view.
"We can't raise our child here," Cas said at last, chuckling very softly.
"You're right."
Dean took his attention off of the grand view and tipped his eyes down into the pot. A delightful smell was coming as the fish began to firm and cook. Dean touched Cas on the arm, just to remind him of his presence.
"We should see the city anyway, huh?"
"I think so," the beta agreed. "We've come this far and we have the gold to spend. It would be a shame to turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity. We can always find more pastures to live in."
Dean smirked.
"Yeah."
They dined and rested. Cas recounted stories from his grand adventure. He told Dean about the eccentric Ash, king of the fairies, and the one that he befriended, Charlie. They discussed the prospects of Meg and Charlie together, which Dean was quite pleased to hear.
"You know she wanted you, right?"
"What?!"
"Yeah, but instead of fighting, she saw that we were meant to be and let me have you without so much as an argument."
Cas' cheeks turned pink.
"I had no idea!"
Starting the next length of their journey that late in the day would be a poor decision, so they agreed upon one more night in the foothills before leaving first thing in the morning.
Another night of caressing their egg, sharing kisses and making sweet love together soon turned to dawn. They prepared to leave.
Riding on Ammy with Dean at the front, their egg on his chest and Cas' arms around Dean's waist proved to be the perfect way to travel. Cas couldn't be happier. Better yet, they had been blessed with overcast skies, which created the ideal shield from the sun to venture out into the grassy plains under. Despite the cart lugging behind, Ammy, too, seemed happy to have Dean on their back once more.
As they traversed the plains, still through slight foothills, they noticed herds of strange, deer-like creatures that neither of them had seen prior.
"Do you know what those are?" Cas asked, his lips pressed against Dean's hard shoulder.
"Deer?" was Dean's best guess.
They did resemble deer an awful lot, except some had two longs horns that curved backwards and then pointed up. This gave them a bizarre appearance.
"Can they be hunted?" asked Cas.
Dean sucked his teeth.
"I don't know if hunting and eating an animal I know nothing about is very smart."
"Yes…I suppose you have a point. We have food, anyway. I hope we make it to Lawrence before sundown."
As they passed the animals, the herds bolted, scattering at first but then gathering into the group once more. They went further and further away until they found a comfortable-enough distance to start grazing again. Considering Cas' comments, Dean pondered the usefulness of their horns, but left them alone anyway.
As they neared the city of Lawrence, Cas wondered if they would find the troupe of guards that he had met earlier, before he had gone into the mountains. With his eyes closely fixed on the horizon, watching for others, there came a point in the late afternoon that they saw a wagon heading over the foothills.
A bubble of excitement welled up in Cas' chest when the considered the slim possibility of the three remaining members of his herd being on the approaching wagon.
With the wagon drawing closer, Dean cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Hey, caravanner!"
"Haaaail!" the wagon called back.
They headed towards each other now, the driver waving erratically. To Cas' disappointment but not surprise, the man appeared to be alone. His wagon was mostly open to one side with wares stacked and hanging from the frame which the canvas was supported on. Baubles and bells tinkled while the two-horse cart trotted up to Cas and Dean. He was no doubt a merchant of sorts, though his style was unlike the travelers that Cas knew back from the Valley.
"Just came back from Braeden," said the merchant. "On my way back home! Got a good load in. You headed home, too?"
"We uh, don't exactly have a home anymore," Cas mumbled.
"Oh! Not natives to Lawrence?"
"No.
"Nope!" said Dean.
"Okay, er…where'd you come from, then?"
Hesitating, Dean just said, "North."
The merchant looked them over.
"Hm. Heard you got hit with some bad weather in the recent past."
Cas gave a sigh. He tightened his grip on Dean's waist.
"A shame, but no matter. Where're you headed now?"
"Lawrence," said Cas. "Our first time."
"Ah, really now?" the merchant said, grinning. His face was quite thin, as was his body, and older than them both. He showed wide teeth. "You ought to make yourselves at home—since you say you don't have a home. Gonna feel like your new home when you enter!"
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Dean said rather dismissively. "What kind of crap are you selling?"
"Crap, huh?" the merchant said, sucking his cheek in. "All sorts of crap. Some gems, some new dowsers!"
"What?" asked Cas.
"Dowsers! Here, come have a look."
The man hopped off his seat at the front of the wagon, came down rickety little stairs and then along the side where the vendor's arrangement opened up. Dean and Cas got off of Ammy, too, and examined his goods with him.
The merchant picked up a formidable natural point of quartz that was wrapped with thin metal wire in such a way that a long chain was hanging from the top. The point faced the ground, able to swing freely.
"One of those Chuck things," the older man described, almost rolling his eyes. "Supposed to answer questions or something so-and-so…I dunno…was never my thing, but popular as Hell in Lawrence. Apparently they come from Arkhmoor. Ahh, you'll find out when you go to the city. So—any interest? Dowser?"
Watching the quarts point swing before him, Cas frowned. He had questions on his mind, now, and acted and courteous as possible.
"I…don't think so. What else might you have?"
"Just picked up a bunch of salt!"
"Ooh, salt!" Dean chimed in, grinning wide. "That's always useful! And we don't have much left now."
"You can buy it at Laaaawrence," the merchant teased, "But it'll cost you moo-ore! I gotta cheap deal right now, only 2 gratz."
"2 what?" asked Cas.
Dean's mouth hung open. He went to their cart and got one of the small pieces of gold, then brandished it to the merchant and asked, "How much can we get for this?"
Not surprisingly, the man nearly shit himself. His clear eyes widened and he took a step closer.
"Well, hot damn!" he hollered. "Where'd you get that?!"
"Secret," Dean said. He smiled at Cas knowingly, with a little shimmer in his eye that said, "I am so impressed with you." But then he turned back to the vendor and asked, "So? How much salt can we get?"
"Man! I could trade you my whole cart for that! I don't take raw gold. You gotta get it changed into gratz. But I'm impressed, either way!"
Cas peeked at Dean and then the merchant.
"How do we change the gold?"
"Go to the banker in Lawrence," the man said. "I'm headed there, too. We can go there together. And hey, I'll keep my deal for 2 gratz, but it's gotta be by nightfall—or else it's going back up to 4!"
"That sounds reasonable," said Cas. "Can we make it by night?"
"Sure! If you don't stop."
Cas and Dean agreed. He seemed safe enough. Everyone loaded back up and they followed the traveler and went on, and on, and on—until they made it to their destination.
Once they were close enough, they could finally get a better look at the city's details. There was a great stone wall of about twenty feet tall that must have surrounded the entire city, save for farmland on the outside. A ways of walking between plots and small homes (made from mud and clay just like the one Cas had built) shed a better light on how these folks lived. The technique for making those houses was so much like the way Cas knew that it made him wonder.
The people of Lawrence were out in their fields, even at dusk to feed their animals and water crops. Dean and Cas had followed the river all the way down into the city, which appeared to run beneath the great stone wall and likely through the city.
Folks waved at the merchant; clearly he was well known in those parts, but they also waved to Cas and Dean. Everyone smiled and greeted them. A few ran up to the traveler and asked what he had for sale.
"I've got dowsers!" he would say, over and over.
He was right about Lawrence being crazy over those little crystals!
"I'll take two, I'll take two!"
"I want one!"
"Any in amethyst?
"Not yet, sorry!"
Cas and Dean watched as the merchant did business with tiny bronze pieces. They weren't close enough to see the detail on them. A very few people used silver pieces, too.
They decided they would go on ahead since the merchant was preoccupied with new orders. They faced a huge wooden gate that had guards all around it. Cas immediately recognized one of them as Uriel. He, apparently, also recognized Cas.
"Hail, Cas! Traveler from the west!"
"Hail, Uriel."
"I see—is this your mate? Were you successful?"
"Yes, indeed."
Cas beamed as he nudged at Dean.
"I am pleased," said Uriel. "And even more so to see you in our city. How is your egg?"
"Safe and sound with us," Cas smiled. Dean gave a nod and touched the bundle on his chest.
"I see. I bid you entry into Lawrence."
"Thank you."
Uriel's great big body turned to the side and he called out, "OPEN THE GATES!"
There were guard posts high up on the wall, probably accessible from within the city. They signaled to each other after Uriel's call, and Cas held his breath for a moment. Was that enormous, twenty foot gate going to swing open? But he quickly noticed there was a smaller gate, about half the size, fit within the first. That one opened with ease and Uriel motioned for them to enter.
"Immediately as you enter," the guard said, "Head to your right and you'll find the inn, where you can book a bed or room to rest."
"Um, we actually need to see the banker before any of that."
"The innkeeper had a map that you may use to find your way around."
"Thank you," said Cas.
"I do hope Lawrence is comfortable for you. In the event of any danger, you may find me or one of my guards at the gate or any of the elevated posts in the city."
"Thank you," Cas said once more. His mate responded similarly.
Ammy carried them inside and Cas and Dean then got their first glimpse of Lawrence. As night was falling and the sun barely cast any light into the walled city, people were going about and lighting torches that stood on tall posts, about eight feet in the air.
There was still quite the hustle and bustle. A few mud and clay homes like the ones on the outside but most of the buildings were made from a cool, slate-blue rock. The architecture was incredibly. Neither of them had seen such structures before.
But they couldn't spent all of their time staring at the city. They had plenty of time for that. Instead, they went towards the right and found the large building that they assumed was the inn. There was a stable around the side where Dean left Ammy, but he helped wheel their cart inside.
An older man sat behind a wooden table, presumably the innkeeper, while smaller tables and a few chairs sat off to the side. Candles kept the room lit.
"Evenin'," the innkeeper said, eying the new couple.
"Hey," Dean told him as he approached. "We'll need a room for tonight and probably a few more. But we need to see the banker first. The guards say you have a map?"
"Mmhmm," the keep hummed.
He took a large roll of papyrus out from beneath the table and spread it open. This was clearly a diagram of the city. Cas and Dean stared at it with wide eyes—they had never seen a map before!
"Um, excuse me," Cas muttered softly. "Where is the banker?"
The innkeeper stared at Cas like he spoke a different language.
"Huh? Right where it says 'banker.'"
Cas looked at Dean. He turned back to the innkeeper.
"I don't know how to see those words," he admitted.
The innkeeper frowned more behind his beard.
"You kiddin' me? Where're you two from?"
The couple exchanged a glance.
"North," said Cas, just as Dean had.
"Hm. All right. Welp, the banker is down this lane," he pushed his index finger over a road on the map, "to the left, then a right, and at the end. He'll be open a little bit longer but you'd better hurry."
"Thank you," said Cas.
"Yeah, thanks. We'll be back. Can we leave our horse?"
"Mmhmm."
"Thanks again."
Moving swiftly, Cas and Dean followed the keep's directions and cut through the city. Things were winding down considerably just in those few moments they were looking at the map! But they managed to walk by carts and children and people and animals until they found the banker.
"We need to change gold for—erm—gratz?"
"Yes, sir!" the woman who was presumably the banker beamed. "Got me right in the knick of time! How much gold you got?"
Thinking it would be smart to keep some of it unchanged, Dean only brought out about half. This was still enough to make the banker almost sweat.
"Dear me! Oh, Chuck!" she gasped. "Goodness gracious! I hope I have enough gratz to exchange!"
"You can take less, if that's better," Cas suggested.
The banker laughed.
"I'm fine, thanks though. I'll be right back."
She disappeared into a room in the rear, leaving Cas and Dean completely alone. Dean looked around. The stone was fanciful in candlelight, but that wasn't the only thing.
"Cas, you look—"
The banker returned just as Dean began to speak. She had four sacks in her hands that clinked and chinked loudly with every step. She straight to get them onto the counter.
"Here we are!" she said, gasping. "This outta do it."
"Wow," Dean hummed. He considered that two of those could by a large quantity of salt—salt; a prized commodity!
"May I take the gold now?" the banker asked with a tired grin.
"Yes, please!" Said Cas. "Thank you, very much!"
"My pleasure."
They put their heavy bags of money into the cart and made their way back to the inn. Exhaustion was creeping up quickly.
"All right," Dean said, approaching the innkeeper's counter for the second time. He didn't dare show off the bags of gratz. "How much for one night, one room?"
"Depends on the room. Little one on the ground floor, 4 gratz. Nice one on the second floor, 9 gratz."
Dean smirked at Cas.
"Let's do the 9 gratz."
The innkeeper looked impressed. "Right then." Dean handed him the bronze coins. "Room's number 3."