Summary:
Despite his size and his father's expectations, Dean presented as an omega. Infertile, male omegas have no rights in Rome, so John arranges to sell him to the son of the Emperor in an attempt to provide his alpha son, Sam, a better life. Sam joins the army under General Gabriel's expert tutelage, swearing to become a warrior famous enough to buy his brother back. Dean accepts his place in the prince's harem, but he's about to stumble upon the biggest secret in Rome, one that has kept hundreds of thousands of male omegas enslaved for almost eight hundred years. The secret will either push Rome into an age of peace and prosperity or it will shatter one of the greatest empires in the ancient world.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Characters: Chuck Shurley, Naomi (Supernatural), Hannah (Supernatural), Michael (Supernatural), Lucifer (Supernatural), Anna Milton, John Winchester, Meg Masters, Hester (Supernatural), Kevin Tran, Inias (Supernatural)
Additional Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bad Parent John Winchester, Alpha Castiel/Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Sam Winchester, Alpha Gabriel (Supernatural), Alpha Gabriel/Alpha Sam Winchester, Alpha/Alpha pairing, Alternate Universe - Ancient Rome, BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), BAMF Gabriel (Supernatural)
Chapter 1: Sold
"I'll mate a beta male! I'll never have children and to hell with his damn lineage!"
"Sam," his older brother soothed, hiding his own fury and fear as he tried to calm the barely-presented boy. By Roman law, his presentation made him a man, but he was still a gangly youth, nowhere near his final height and size. "You can't do that to Dad."
"Why not?! He's selling you, Dean, like one would sell a prized mare! You're a person, you're his son, and you deserve better than slavery!"
Dean dropped his brother's gaze and shook his head gently, his apple blossom and cinnamon scent souring as he lost control of his emotions for just a moment. "Sam, you've known this was coming for four years. I'm an omega, and male omegas don't have any rights in Rome. We can't have children, and our heats are considered deceitful. No one will take a barren man as a mate, and I certainly can't inherit Dad's lands or titles. You can, and you must join the army, find a mate, and take your place in society."
Sam growled and turned away, his eyes flashing red as he struggled to control his alpha. "I'm only twelve, Dean; I'm too young to worry about finding a nice girl."
"Some of your friends were mated as soon as they presented, Sam. Be glad that Dad is giving you the chance to choose."
Sam sniffed softly, clearly fighting his tears as the brothers counted down the last few hours they would have together. "I'd be glad if he let you stay. If you can't have pups anyway, what does it matter if you live here or in Caesar's house?"
"Dad is getting lands, wealth, and a title for selling me to Caesar," Dean replied softly. "Those will go to you and your mate, and you will need those to support your own sons."
"You're selling yourself to preserve a family that our own father is ejecting you from?"
"I can't do anything myself to grow our family, but I can ensure that you will have the chance. Please, Sam, promise that you won't cause a scene at the palace today. Promise me that you will stay with Dad and be a good son, take a mate as soon as you find someone worthy, and that you will protect our family name."
"Dean . . ."
"Promise me!" Dean grabbed his brother's shoulder, ignoring the faint waver in the kid's voice. "You're an alpha now, Sam, and you have to be strong. I don't know if I'll ever be allowed to see you again."
"I never wanted to be an alpha," the long-haired brunet whispered, tears filling his dark hazel eyes. "I wanted to present as a beta."
"And I never wanted to be an omega," Dean replied softly. "I thought I was going to be an alpha, like Dad. But, we can't do anything about that now. All we can do is get ready for our trip to the palace."
"This is ridiculous."
Castiel, never one to speak out against his father, silently agreed with his older half-brother. The tall blond with pale blue eyes stormed across the hall, explaining to the emperor in great detail what he thought of the visit planned for the day. When their father didn't answer, Lucifer continued his tirade. "He's barely noble; I don't know why you cater to him so."
"John Winchester served well in the recent Gallic Wars," the emperor replied softly. "He has asked us to take a burden from him so that his one heir will be provided for. That boy will join the army later this month, and I have no doubt that he will serve with distinction, as well." There was the faintest hint of an accusation in Chuck's soft voice; Lucifer and his twin brother Michael had not seen any action during their time in the army. They had not distinguished themselves as their youngest half-brother Castiel had done, and no Roman citizen would be likely to follow them if war threatened their borders once more. Castiel, who shared little in common with either man, tended to spend as little time with the twins as possible. Today, being a formal occasion, he had little choice but to sit with them.
Their shared mother, the beta Naomi from one of the northern Roman territories, watched her son pace back and forth without comment. She had been lucky, finding Chuck soon after her first mate died during a skirmish in Britannia, leaving her pregnant and alone in the complicated Roman society. He had taken her in, allowing the woman to serve in his court and keep her newborn pups, eventually mating Naomi and sending her sons to the army where they could serve the empire even without a sire to speak for them. In return, the grateful empress had given her mate children of his own, three who had survived to adulthood including his heir the alpha Castiel. The twins had been adopted by the emperor, but as they were not his by birth their status in Roman society was always uncertain.
The azure-eyed, raven-haired alpha had served as an officer in the Roman Army for more than a decade, finally returning home to learn how to rule from his aging sire. His half-brothers had been a thorn in his side for most of that time, but he could comfort himself with the knowledge that they were unlikely to ever take mates and have pups, as they had no official lands or titles to pass down to their heirs. And, once he was emperor, they would be completely dependent on his good graces to continue living the lives they had become accustomed to.
"Omegas are rare, and the male versions are worth their weight in gold as status symbol," the empress interjected, knowing that she could make her son see reason. "A family who can afford to keep an unbreedable concubine, especially a lovely one, will gain a great deal of respect from the aristocracy of Rome. Besides, a male omega is the safest partner for an alpha during his ruts, since they are sturdier than females and cannot become pregnant. Castiel certainly could not spend his rut with his mate, once he has one, and it is unwise to use a male beta in that position for more than a few years. This will be good for the whole family."
"I suppose no one cares that I don't want another concubine?"
Chuck snorted as Michael chuckled from one of the seats below his dais. "Castiel, don't be ridiculous. You will be emperor one day, and you must have slaves to tend to your needs when your mate is indisposed or with pup. I've seen this boy; he is lovely and will fit in with your harem just fine."
"He must be the last, Father. The rest of your nobles and aspiring merchants must buy your favor with a different coin."
Chuck, from whom his heir had inherited such lovely blue eyes, bowed his head slightly, the gold leaves of his crown catching the sunlight that streamed into the throne room. "Very well, Castiel. This Winchester omega is the last concubine you will be asked to take."
Dean, who had learned in the last four years that his position was no better than a slave's, kept his eyes on the marble floors under his sandaled feet as he followed his father and brother into the emperor's palace. He was peripherally aware of guards and servants lining the halls, all of them pausing to sniff the air as he passed, whispers following the family into the throne room. He was used to being an oddity, being stared at and whispered about, but he knew that Sam wasn't in control of his alpha yet and could react violently to people gossiping about his brother. Dean stepped close enough to Sam to touch the boy, reassuring him that there was nothing to worry about, and certainly no reason to start a fight. By the time they reached the base of the throne, the burnt edge of anger on the alpha's scent had faded.
Dean had seen some very beautiful paintings of the emperor and his family a few years ago when his father took them on a trip to Athenae. He had been amazed at the intensity of the colors in the paint, so much more vivid than anything he had seen before. The noble who owned the painting had gushed about how perfect the dark blue used for the prince's eyes was, but Dean thought he must have been exaggerating. Now, entering the throne room, Dean couldn't help but look at the man who would soon own him, the youngest alpha son of the emperor, and he met the deepest, truest sea blue eyes in Rome. The omega caught himself staring, dropping his gaze before his dad could catch him breaking the rules, but the image of those blue eyes stayed in his mind.
He was painfully aware of the dozens of sets of eyes on him, nobles reclining between the tall marble columns with servants flocking around them, some of them whispering as they caught the sweet, heady scent of a male omega. Omegas were the rarest of the three subgenders, and males made up less than a tenth of that number. Dean had only met two male omegas in his life, so he knew what a rare sight he had become. His dad had kept him indoors since he presented, never letting him leave their modest estate in the southern part of the city, and he had warned Dean about the attention he would receive. Reaching up to rub nervously at the dark leather collar he was required to wear as a male omega, Dean hoped that this meeting would be quick.
Castiel hated formal affairs, and they were ten times worse when his older brother was away at the front. Gabriel was an ass and an incorrigible trickster, but he was Castiel's best friend and the only sibling that the raven-haired alpha truly liked. Gabriel had long ago informed their father in no uncertain words that he refused to be Caesar, so the potential title had passed to Castiel as the only other available male alpha. He wanted to hate his brother for putting him in that position, but Gabriel would have fought with Chuck far more, maybe even running away to the edge of the empire instead of taking a post defending the border from the wild Germanic tribes to the north. Gabriel would probably have killed Lucifer by now, but Castiel had learned to tolerate his abrasive half-brother.
The murmur of the gathered nobles was Castiel's cue to start paying attention again, and he looked up to meet the startled emerald eyes of a gorgeous young man with hair somewhere between light brown and sandy blonde and freckles dusted across his nose. He had sculpted features more common in Greece than Rome, though his eye color hinted at a more northern ancestry, and his scent slowly filled the room and filtered up to the emperor's dais. Castiel had learned years ago to control his reactions to appealing aromas, but it was all he could do to keep his eyes from flashing red as his alpha's interest was piqued. Damn, he hated when his father was right. He was going to like this one.
"John, it is good to see you again," Chuck greeted, waving one arm expansively. He tended toward the theatric when he had someone to impress, and a number of nobles had shown up this morning to see this male omega. "How was Sam's presentation?"
"It went well, Excellency, thank you for asking." John, a grizzled alpha with bright blue eyes and a beard that was more gray than brown now, pulled his gangly younger son forward, the boy's mop of messy brown hair covering his eyes. Castiel hated this part of politics, the useless banter back and forth before cutting to the chase. Obviously Sam had survived his rut as he was standing right there looking healthy enough for his age. He was pretty tall for twelve, actually, and he would likely make it past six feet before he stopped growing. Male pups hit a growth spurt right after their presentation, needing tons of food to keep up with their bodies' demands, which was one of the reasons that they tended to be sent off to the army as soon as that started. It was a perfect time to teach these boys how to fight, how to control their alphas, and how to be a useful member of Roman society. Sam should do well.
"Forgive me for missing his announcement; we only just returned from Abyssinia a week or so ago." Chuck wouldn't have gone, of course; John was a noble, but a minor one and he didn't rate a visit from the Emperor at the party celebrating his son's presentation. Still, this was all theatrics, and Chuck knew how to play a crowd.
"You were greatly missed, Excellency." John subtly adjusted the dark green cloth draped over his son's left side, the color evoking wealth and nobility. Until he presented, Sam would not have been allowed to wear anything other than common white linen, but now that he was a man he would be expected to dress to his station. The other son, the tall omega waiting silently behind his father, was still dressed in a simple white tunic with no embroidery, the mark of a slave. As a male omega, he did not have the full rights of a Roman citizen, though as he had been born inside the empire he could not be sold as a slave to anyone other than a Roman. In that, at least, the blood of Rome was protected.
"You are preparing to send Sam off to join the Roman Army?"
John bowed his head slightly in agreement. "I profited greatly from my time there, and I know that he will, as well. As it is, he's already eating me out of house and home!"
Chuck grinned and gestured for Sam to walk closer, blue eyes examining the child. He was growing too fast for his body to keep up, arms longer than expected and legs not coordinated yet. "I have four alpha sons; I completely understand your plight. My son Gabriel, general of the Seventh Legion, will be in town in four days to pick up new recruits. Have Sam at the training camp north of the city by then and he will be accepted as an officer in training."
John's eyes widened, and Sam even looked up in shock. Gabriel was a legend, nearly as well loved as his younger brother by the soldiers, and to be trained by one of the emperor's General sons was the greatest honor that could be bestowed on the boy. "Excellency . . ."
"We've been friends a long time, John," Chuck continued, his voice softer. "I want the best for your sons. If Dean had presented alpha, he would be there, too. As it is, the only thing I can offer for your oldest is a position in Castiel's harem. The position is for life, and as one of the concubines of the future Emperor he will be well provided for. I can promise that he will have as good a life as any slave could want, and he will be allowed to visit with you and Sam once his training is complete. I know that it isn't much, but I wouldn't want him to go to an alpha who isn't kind, who won't treat him like a person, and who might sell him again."
"I won't do that," Castiel chimed in, his deep, gravelly voice catching Dean's attention. The omega teen's eyes flicked up for just a moment, and he smiled gratefully before returning his attention to his sandaled feet. "His training will take some time, as will Sam's, so when they are both a little older and settled into their roles, I will arrange for them to see each other again."
"Thank you, Castiel," John whispered, a thread of joy leaking into his tightly controlled scent. He had known the young alpha since he was a pup, so the prince allowed such informality from the war veteran. John cleared his throat and returned to the more formal address as he reached back and gently nudged his older son forward a few steps. "Highness, I do hereby present my son Dean, a male omega, for your inspection as a potential concubine for your harem."
Castiel nodded at one of the servants fluttering around his throne near his father's dais, the emperor's personal servant Kevin. The boy's mother had traveled to Rome from far to the East, from the kingdom of Seres at the other end of the Silk Road, and had taken a position as the head female house servant while her only son, a toddler when she arrived, was now the most trusted of Chuck's personal servants. Castiel's own personal servants were still cleaning up and organizing the apartments he would be taking over in his father's wing of the palace, ones that belonged to Gabriel before he took up a permanent position with the Seventh Legion.
Kevin, while dressed in the simple white tunic that marked the serving class, had accented his outfit with a rich red sash embroidered by his mother with symbols from his birth language. His position among the palace servants was quite prominent, and he walked with the surely of a man who could stride among nobles with impunity. He reached Dean and cleared his throat, catching the omega's attention as he nodded toward a doorway on the side of the throne room. Chuck had a small meeting room there, and it would do for Castiel's purposes.
"John, I appreciate your offer. I will speak with your son privately for a few minutes and see if his scent and temperament are acceptable to me. If they are, I will send him off to join my harem immediately." Dean's head shot up at that, and he glanced at his kid brother almost out of reflex. John grabbed his son's shoulder and pushed him forward, but Castiel's quick growl froze them both. "He is allowed to bid his brother farewell," the prince scolded, some part of him bristling at the thought of anyone touching Dean roughly.
John nodded jerkily as Dean turned to his brother and engulfed the teen in his arms, the omega whispering something in Sam's ear as the alpha struggled not to cry. Castiel remembered that John's mate had died some eleven years previously in a tragic fire, and he wondered how much Dean had stepped in to fill the role of dam and mother to the boy. They separated and Dean cleared his throat, raising his chin and smiling as Sam straightened, echoing his posture. He was telling the young alpha to be brave, Castiel realized, wanting his brother to have a good life, even if Dean wouldn't be able to look out for him anymore.
Kevin led Dean off to the private room, only a hint of sadness in the omega's scent. Castiel nodded in John's direction before following, knowing that his father would finish the required pleasantries with the noble before sending him on his way. Even if, for some reason, Castiel found that Dean would not be compatible with him, he would keep the boy long enough to find him a suitable owner among the nobles who owed his father or the ones who served with him in the army. He and his father had been in agreement on that point.
Castiel entered the small meeting room to find Dean standing near the back wall, his scent sour as he stared at the floor. "I'm sorry about all of this formality," Castiel murmured, keeping his hands still and his scent calm as he attempted to soothe the boy. "I know that this is not what you imagined for your life."
"Is this what would have happened to you, if you were omega?" Dean's voice, breaking on the first words that Castiel had ever heard him speak, would probably deepen with age. He looked and sounded like a young alpha, the kind of boy who should have been sent off to war, not sold as a slave to the emperor's son. The leather strip of his slave collar was a dark stain against skin that had not seen enough sun in years. John probably kept him indoors after his presentation.
"No," Castiel admitted. "I would have lived as brother of the future emperor, even as my aunt Amara lives here, childless but still a valued member of our family. Her by choice, but still, it would have been the same. My older brother Gabriel was immensely grateful that I presented as an alpha, giving him the ability to renounce his claim to Father's throne and spend his days as far away from Rome as possible."
"I remember when he announced that he would not accept the throne," Dean murmured. "I read the proclamation a dozen times, proud of him for choosing his own path."
"You can read, then?" Most slaves who had been offered to Castiel as concubines had been both illiterate and unwilling to learn. It would be nice to have a companion who could read the great philosophers and perhaps argue with the prince about the meanings of their words.
"Dad thought we would both be alphas," Dean replied. John would have been willing to pay for tutors for alpha sons, but probably stopped Dean's education when he presented as an omega.
"Most of my concubines enjoy reading, art, music, and dance. If you join the harem, I will be happy to provide tutors in any subject you desire."
"Thank you," Dean whispered, wringing his hands in front of his tunic. "What do . . . how does this work? You said that you would scent me."
"Yes. I'm going to need to get close to you and touch you. Are you alright with that?" Dean nodded, his eyes still cast toward the ground. "Dean, you can look at me when we're alone. I know that slave laws control you out there, but I don't require that you act like that around me."
Dean finally looked up at that, his intensely emerald eyes boring into sea-dark azure. "Can I scent you, too?"
"Of course." Castiel approached the young omega slowly, stopping just close enough to touch as he raised his hands to Dean's arms. The boy was still, but not afraid, and the sour notes were gone from his scent. Castiel leaned closer, burying his nose in the scent gland at the base of Dean's neck, taking a few deep lungfuls of sweet apple blossom and cinnamon aroma. He was very fond of apples and frequently visited orchards in nearby towns when he had free time, and the prince often used cinnamon in his wine or to season dried fruit. It was quite a lovely scent.
Dean had turned his head far enough to catch Castiel's scent, holding himself still as his nose twitched against the prince's throat. He had been told a dozen times that his scent was similar to honey fresh from a bee's hive, sharpened with the bite of fresh ginger, a strong spice as popular and expensive in Rome as cinnamon. Dean clearly approved of the aroma, pulling back slightly and nodding. "Is my scent agreeable to you, Highness?"
"Yes, Dean, I do find it pleasant." Castiel backed away from the omega, bowing his head slightly in approval. "I would like for you to join my harem."
"Thank you, Highness," Dean replied softly, resisting the urge to drop his eyes to the ground. "What happens now?"
"I will summon one of the harem servants and he will escort you to the apartments reserved for their use. I currently have six concubines, all of them betas, though one is a male on contract for my ruts. My ruts are . . . unusually strong and the females do not wish to assist. You will report to April, the head concubine, and she will begin the process of training and preparing you for your new role in the palace. It will take time; normally a concubine is brought in much younger, around twelve or thirteen, and is ready for service around sixteen or seventeen. Since you are already four years past your first heat, it will not take as long for physical maturity, but there are still rules and structures that you must learn. My male beta's contract is only two years old, so you have three years to study before you will be required to take his place during my ruts. Do you have any questions?"
Dean shook his head, dropping his gaze as a door hidden in the corner of the room slid open, admitting a tall, dark-skinned man dressed in a richly embroidered white tunic with dark blue accents. "Highness?"
"Uriel, take Dean to the harem and present him to April. He is my new concubine."
Uriel bowed his head and turned away, expecting Dean to follow him. The omega had already accepted his position as slave in Roman society, so he simply obeyed, hands still clasped in front of his tunic. From what he understood from Castiel's timeline, it could be years before he saw the alpha who owned him again, years before he would be allowed out of the palace, and years before he could ask to see Sam again. He only hoped that he could make friends among the other concubines or his future would be bleak.
Gabriel was one of the most celebrated generals in the history of Rome. He had subdued the rowdy German tribes along the northern border, pushed back barbarians attempting to block the trade route to the Norse lands, crushed the three largest Gaelic tribes to bring the rest under his father's rule, and "negotiated" a treaty with Britannia at the point of a sword. He was known as the Messenger of Rome, carrying his father's law to the farthest reaches of the land and bringing back wealth without measure from the kingdoms that were too much trouble to conquer at the time. He had even taken a band of soldiers across the Silk Road to meet with the leaders of some of the Mongoloid tribes who were threatening the integrity of their trade routes. His soldiers would follow him to death without question, and the new recruits lucky enough to be assigned to his band worshipped him as a god.
So, when the highest-ranked alpha in the Roman army stalked through the camp to view the new recruits, he noticed the one child not staring at him in awe, the boy crying into his lentils with an untouched cup of water by his side. He was tall for his age, though rangy with dark brown hair that desperately needed a cut, and his smoky scent carried a heavy tint of sandalwood, bitter with loneliness and loss. Gabriel raised his hand, freezing the guards walking by his side as he settled onto the log beside the boy. "Hey, kiddo; what's going on?"
The boy placed his bowl on the ground and wiped his eyes, adjusting the dark green cloth over his shoulder as children did when they were used to being scolded by their parents for neglecting their appearance. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't mean to cry," he murmured, bright hazel flicking up to meet Gabriel's warm gold. "I just . . . I miss my brother."
"Your brother?" Gabriel was expecting the boy to miss his mother, which was normal for pups in the army. They were taken very young, around twelve or thirteen, and Gabriel was entrusted with their lives and expected to turn them into productive adult members of society. "I'm not used to that one, kiddo."
"My mother died when I was a baby," the boy explained, either not noticing or not caring about the soldiers standing around them as he talked to the blond alpha. "My older brother pretty much raised me, but Dad sold him to the prince a few days ago and sent me here. I don't know if I'll ever see Dean again."
Oh, now he knew who this boy was. "Your John's son, Sam, right?"
"Yeah," the boy whispered.
"Don't hate your dad, kiddo. He did what he had to. The world isn't fair to male omegas, but he did the best he could for Dean."
"Why did he have to sell him at all? Dean can't have pups, but that doesn't mean he's useless! He could have taken care of me and Dad like he's been doing for years."
"You'll be away at war, Sammy. What would Dean do without you to watch out for him? He needs an alpha, and my baby bro is a good kid. He'll watch out for your brother."
Sam smiled softly, running his hand through his hair. "Dean calls me Sammy. Do you think . . . do you think Castiel will really take care of Dean?"
"Of course he will," Gabriel promised, reaching down for the boy's abandoned meal and handing the bowl back to him. "And I'm going to watch out for you, train you, and make sure that you become the greatest warrior in Rome so you can come back and see your older brother again. You'll make him proud, I promise."
Sam nodded, taking his lentils and his spoon. "You'll really train me? Make me a great warrior? I didn't want to be an alpha, but if I have to be one, I want to be the strongest one I can be."
"I can do that," Gabriel promised, running some quick calculations as he looked Sam up and down. He would easily break six feet, and his frame should broaden nicely. "I'm pretty sure you'll be the biggest soldier in the Roman army in a few years. Sam, I swear on my father's name that I will turn you into a warrior almost as famous as me."
Gabriel winked and Sam grinned, glancing around for the first time. He noticed the gathered generals' rank markings, seeing that the man talking to him had the same ones, but bigger. "Are you Prince Gabriel?"
"Yeah, but you can just call me Gabe. I don't care about that prince nonsense anymore. Being the head honcho in this army is enough for me."
"Gabe," Sam repeated uncertainly. "Ok, Gabe, I want to be a warrior like you."
"I can do that, kiddo."
AN:This is my first attempt at a historical AU, so I will attempt to use the correct ancient Roman names for places (the characters' names are not accurate, for obvious reasons, but I'll have some fun with that at the end of the fic). For example, China was known by the ancient Greeks and Romans as Seres, so that is the name of Kevin's homeland here. I'll put translations in the notes when I mention a new place. Britannia is modern-day England & Wales (not including Scotland or Ireland) ruled by the Roman empire around 110-120 AD (which is when this story takes place). The Gallic Wars Chuck refers to were decades of fighting in England & Wales, including the conquering of the Caledonians in 84, which would have been the battle that won John what noble titles he has now. After serving in that army, he eventually came home to Rome and took a mate. Just a note, this is the first of two Omega Dean fics I have written, as I generally go for Alpha Dean. Let's see how they go!