Chapter Text
"You're kidding right? An arranged marriage? Me?"
"Darling, we know it's a lot to take in, but it's vitally important. Not just for us, for your country."
"Why me? We have Adam and Sam too!" Sitting in his office chair, the king snorted. Dean quickly glanced at him. He didn't look very happy about this either. Maybe he would have an ally.
Queen Mary's face grew a little exasperated, then settled into its usual calm demeanor. "Honey, Adam is only fourteen and Sam, as you know, is already plenty infatuated with Princess Jessica of Aldonia."
Dean rolled his eyes and scowled. However, he did soften a bit when he thought of the way Sammy looked at her. Talk about kids in love.
The King and Queen could see he was weakening, and once he made the mistake of looking at his mother's pleading eyes he caved. "For the love of-Fine! Fine!" Sighing, he regained his composure. "So...who's the lucky princess?"
King John groaned loudly and Mary whacked his arm.
"What?" Dean asked, looking back and forth questioningly between them.
"Well..They're not exactly a princess."
"So a duchess then?"
"No, no, they're royalty. They come from a very rich country."
"But what? It's royalty but not a princess. I know I'm not going to marry the fu-” He stopped, trying to make a concerted effort not to curse in front of his mother. “-Freaking king.”
Dean heard Sam and Adam burst into laughter outside the door. Dirty little eavesdroppers.
"Honey, I want you to be open to this idea. I've already run it past everybody."
John's complaining.
Sam's laughter.
Oh no.
"If we're being specific about this, the royalty we will be receiving is a prince." She said the words very slow. "Prince Castiel of The Hemel Region."
Oh.
So that's why they were laughing.
"Wait what. What. What the f-"
"Darling, calm down-"
"Don't darling calm down me!"
"Hey watch your tone!" It was the first time King John had spoken up, and despite his warning, he didn't seem to like the idea any more than Dean.
"Dad, seriously? A prince? I'm not-"
"I've already told your mother that, she seems to think otherwise."
They both sent a glance towards Mary, half-pleading, half-are-you-out-of-your-mind? Instead of responding however, her cool eyes crystallized and they both knew that look. She wasn't changing her mind. John might be king, but Mary was the one who had married him. The queen called the final on all shots. Yet as she stared at Dean, her resolve lessened a tiny bit.
"Look-" She stopped and sighed in frustration, "We can't dis-invite him! We're already treading dangerously with the king!" She pursed her lips and quickly made a decision.
"We have to house him for at least two months. If in that time you're still against the idea, then we'll work something out."
If that was the best he was going to get..."Okay, fine. Deal."
The Queen's grin returned. "He arrives in a week. You can retire to your room to think about this." She gave him a kind smile and turned back to John.
Dean slowly walked until he reached the door. Traveling lightly, he gently grabbed the handle. Suddenly swinging it open, Dean watched in amusement as Sam and Adam fell unto the office floor. He smirked, stepping over the laughing bodies and made his way to his room, leaving his two siblings in front of their parents to hastily explain their presence.
Later that night, Sam-and only Sam-sat with Dean in his room, talking animatedly about what would happen. Dean loved both his siblings dearly, but he had a slightly stronger connection with Sam. Adam was still too young to comprehend all the thoughts flying through his head.
"You're just going to have to make the best of it." Sam was saying. Dean snorted, "Easy for you to say. You don't have anything to worry about. Not with Princess Jessica around." Sam's face grew rosy at the thought of her, and Dean laughed out loud. "Look at you! Head over heels!"
Sam quickly snapped out of it and rolled his eyes, "And what's wrong with that? By the end of the two months, I bet you'll be stricken with love."
"Yeah maybe, except for the fact that I'm STRAIGHT!" Dean cursed and tried to lower his voice.
Now it was Sam's turn to laugh. "You're about as straight as a pretzel. What about that teenage duke? Were you straight then?"
Dean's face grew slightly red, He didn't think anyone had found out about that.
"This may be a palace, but it sure has thin walls." Sam continued, which made Dean blush even brighter. "Why do you think mom is doing this? Aside from the alliance? She wouldn't go through with it unless she firmly believed you were straight."
Dean tried to roll his eyes but ultimately failed.
"And stop pacing, you're going to burn a hole in the carpet." He hadn't even realized he was, but immediately stopped when Sam mentioned it.
"The citizens are still going to love you, Dean." That was another problem, Dean was the favorite royal sibling, and his soon-to-be subjects opinions on gay kings ranged from John to Mary.
John more or less thought they were pansies.
Mary was in support of them.
Dean didn't know how he felt.
As Sam rose to leave, Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I know you're nervous, but honestly don't worry." He offered up a kind smile. "It's going to turn out fine."
He left the room without seeing Dean's grimace.
Fine for who exactly?
Today was the day. Prince Castiel would arrive at precisely 9:00 a.m, directly after breakfast. The palace had undergone changes since the news. Gardenias, (tinged baby blue courtesy of the royal gardeners) had been set up everywhere. Apparently, that was the prince's favorite flower, (Seriously? What dude has a favorite flower?) and the palace reeked of it.
The arriving prince's own room was set up, complete with freshly made curtains, bedspreads, orient carpets, nothing was left out.
At breakfast Queen Mary was the very image of calm. Sam and Adam kept nudging each other and chuckling. King John sat there grumbling and Dean didn't even touch his food. He tried to convince himself it wasn't nerves. Prince Castiel was probably devastatingly ugly, or was as rude and obnoxious as most of the other royals he had met. Mary would see it wasn't going to work out and they'd all be on their way.
The Winchester royals sat in silence after the servants had cleared their dishes away. Dean fiddled with the long, silk, tablecloth that covered their oak dining table, idly wondering how their palace compared with The Region of Hemel's.
It wasn't nothing that was for sure. The ceilings were absolutely colossal with gold arches directly in the middle.Tapestries covered almost every inch of the walls, depicting the Royal family, the queen alone in some, the king in others. A magnificent gold, chandelier, presided over their table and even the chairs were ornately carved. Detailed lion paws on every end. And this was one of the less extravagant rooms.
Dean quickly glanced at his mother who looked like she wanted to say something, but as soon as it seemed lthe silence would be broken, the arrival trumpets begin to blare loudly.
He was here.
The moment had come.
Everyone quickly rose from their chairs-well everyone but John, he was taking more than his fair amount of time-and briskly walked to the front of the castle.
They were all dressed in their finest.
For the queen, it was a gauzy purple gown that extended to her shins and had sleeves that cut off at the elbows. The king was fitted in a royal blue suit, with white pants and his crown fixed firmly on his head.
The three young Winchesters looked positively dashing. Dean was in a completely white suit and a forest green sash that complimented his eyes. Sam was dressed in a warm brown suit and creamy white pants, his kaleidoscope eyes twinkling with general happiness. Adam looked like he was five seconds away from bursting out laughing-but then again he always looked like that- His suit was deep red, and made a nice contrast with his pale viridescent eyes.
While they all looked beautifully dressed, only Dean had a small sheen of sweat across his neck. Why was he so nervous? Things would go nothing but smooth.
Soon enough however, his train of thought trailed off and crashed into a hill as he took in the sight of the entering Castiel.
Dean stood completely still as Prince Castiel walked through the wide doors. He was dressed in a nicely-fitting beige suit, and instead of a sash, he wore a dark blue tie. While the combination might have looked bland on anyone else, it only aided in making his eyes pop.
As he stepped into the castle, Queen Mary rushed forward to meet him and the others soon followed suit. All except Dean, who stood transfixed on the spot.
He just couldn't stop staring, Prince Castiel was nothing like he imagined. Well to be fair, he had imagined the worst, but even this beat his best expectations. His hair was jet-black, and even from here looked silky and smooth. His frame lean and slight. He looked agile, but no one would be able to deny the slight bulge of fabric in his arms.
Obviously that boy had muscle.
Dean could have gone on and on but was abruptly startled by the Queen loudly clearing her throat. Everyone was staring at him expectedly as he stood frozen on the spot.
Blushing beet-red, he made his way down the stairs and stood in front of the prince. "Prince Castiel." He choked out, "It's an honor to meet you."
Damn, Dean never stuttered this much. But the prince waved it away. "And you." He replied, breaking out a tentative smile. Then and there, Dean decided he really liked that smile, and before he could remember he was "straight", he made it a point to get that smile out as often as possible.
"Well, Dean can show you to your room, and we'll leave you to get settled in."
Wait what? Not that Dean minded showing the prince to his room, but that was usually reserved for the servants. As she passed by her son, the queen winked, something only he could see.
Oh.
That's what she was playing at.
Motioning for everyone to clear out, she left the two princes. Alone. In a wide open foyer. "I'll Um-take you to your room. Do you have any luggage?" Prince Castiel shook his head and then, looking like he was reminding himself to talk, "It will come in later."
Hmm. Dean noted that his voice, while polite, was stuff with formalness. Well that was the first thing Dean would change.
The small trip to Prince Castiel's room was uneventful and little was said. "Here you go." Dean said as soon as they reached the door.
"Thank you." Prince Castiel peered inside. "Ah, it's very spacious."
"Yeah well, we try." Dean smiled to show he was kidding, and after a short while, Castiel finally seemed able to get it.
"Uh anyway. Lunch is at 12:15. You can settle down for a little or call up a maid to show you around or something." Castiel nodded and smiled hesitantly. Damn. It was like that smile just lit up everything. "I'm rather tired, I believe I'll just lay down a bit."
"Sounds good." He replied, "See you at lunch." And Dean closed the door on the sight of the prince sitting down on the edge of his bed.
Ah. It felt good to lay down. During the whole ride, Castiel had been stiff and rigid. It wasn't like he was scared to meet the prince who one day might be his...husband. Ugh. He could barely think the word.
Castiel was 99% sure he wasn't ready for this. In fact the king, Raphael, seemed to take pleasure in throwing his fourth child into situations he'd rather not venture into. How could he possibly hate him so much?
But he wouldn't dwell on that, he was here now. The offer could always be refused, it most likely would.
Everything would turn out alright.
"So? How'd it go?"
"What do you mean how'd it go? It was a five minute trip to his room, nothing happened."
"You should have seen yourself on the stairs, making kissy eyes as soon as he walked in." Adam started making kissing noises which in turn made both him and Sam burst out laughing. For God's sake the kid was sixteen, what was he laughing at?
"Glad to see Jessica likes someone so mature."
He didn't hear Sam's quick retort as he shut the door to his room. He was going to need a minute.
Before he knew it, 12:00 rolled around. In fact, had a maid not shyly knocked on the door, Castiel would never have gotten out of bed. "Come in." He mumbled. Inside stepped a young woman who looked the same age as Castiel. Her hair was straight and black, accompanied with startling grey eyes and a small smile.
"It's time for lunch, your highness."
"Ah, just Castiel is fine. What's your name?"
"Hannah..." She paused, musing over something in her mind. "If I may your highness, you're quite a lot like Prince Dean."
"I am? How so?"
"He doesn't like the servants calling him 'your highness' either, and he's on a first name basis with all of us."
That was good, Castiel had seen cruelty to the servants. His father for instance, was really horrible to them. He was glad this kingdom was different.
"Well, I'm glad. Oh, anyway, you said something about lunch?"
"Yes, it's almost time. King John respects punctuality."
"Sounds good." He rose off the edge of the bed and moved to the door, "Show me the way, please." He said with a flourish of his hand.
"Now. Sam, Adam, best behavior. No jokes, pranks, teasing, anything of the sort. Dean, give it a chance. And John, honey. Don't make me excuse you from this table."
The king grumbled good-naturedly, but smiled to show he was kidding. He didn't actually think Dean would like this, but at least he would try.
Dean himself honestly didn't know how they were supposed to initiate conversation. First of all, their dining table was long. Really long. The Queen and King sat at the head of it, Sam and Adam on one side and Dean on the other.
And then, all the way on the other side, supposedly a place of honor, was an empty chair and there would sit Prince Castiel.
At 12:14 a maid come in with Castiel trailing behind. Oh, Hannah. He'd always liked her.
As soon as the prince stepped into the dining room Queen Mary sent him a dazzling smile, and two butlers stepped forward, one pulling out his chair and the other serving him food. For a while, no one was sure what conversation to make. Mary tried on several occasions but they all died out. Dean couldn't blame it on Castiel, the poor guy looked like he was straining to hear. Finally, when another attempt ended unsuccessfully, the queen sent Dean a look. A Well-This-Isn't-My-Relationship-Now-Is-It?- look. Stopping himself from rolling his eyes, Dean practically called across the table, "So how does this compare to the Hemel Region?" What came back was a voiceless reply, even though his mouth had clearly moved.
"Oh for the love of-this isn't going to work out."
Standing up loudly, Dean walked behind his chair, picking it up and brushing away the servants pleads for assisting. He dropped it off next to Castiel. "Uno momento." Dean said with a slight smirk. Walking back, he ignored the five pair of eyes trained on him and picked up his plate of food. Once he reached the prince, he set down and gave him a very satisfied grin. "Now, as I was saying. How does this compare to the Hemel Region?"
Dean was rewarded with a huge smile from Castiel, who hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth and began talking. "It's the same in some aspects, very lavish. But this palace has more of a warm feeling." Like a real home. He was going to say but stopped himself. He blushed slightly, which Dean would have thought he was doing for no reason. What he was actually thinking was that it was only his first day here and he liked it more than his house. The palace he lived in had none of the warmth this one contained. It was cold, and reflected his father. Which is to say not welcoming at all.
"Well I'm glad you find it to your liking."
"So what's your family like?" Dean asked after they ate in silence for a couple of minutes. "Well." Castiel let out a quiet exhale. How to answer this question?
"Well." He repeated, "There's my father, the king. King Raphael. He's very..um stern. And strict." Dean had only seen the king once. He had stayed at the palace while the royals worked out a treaty. The only thing he remembered was Raphael being cold and distant, and young Dean hadn't appreciated him being in their home. "Next in line is Lucifer and Michael. They're twins and both very competitive for the throne. Michael is technically older by basically a minute but Lucifer isn't planning on giving up anytime soon."
That was an understatement Castiel thought.
"Next is Gabriel. He adds some much needed humor to the family, though it's not always...appreciated. But he's in no hurry to head the throne, he's such a..." Castiel paused looking for the right word. "Trickster." He finished letting out a small laugh. "Then there's me." But of course he didn't stay on that topic for very long. Hoping Dean wouldn't notice he hurried on, "Last is Samandriel. We actually call him Alphie, but I'm not even sure how we got that name. Oh and he's five years old."
Dean took note on how Castiel's eyes lit up talking about his baby brother.
"What about your mom?"
Wrong question. The light immediately dimmed.
"Oh she died giving birth to Alphie."
Dean wasn't sure how to respond after that. Losing your mom so young had to be extremely hard, and for Alphie to not have one at all?
“Oh I’m very sorry.”
"No, no it's fine."
After that, a heavy silence ensued, but of course Dean wouldn't let that last very long. "So what about you?""What about me?"
"What are some things about you?" As if Dean didn't notice the way he glossed over himself. "Like favorite color, uh nickname..stuff like that." He was tempted to ask questions like Are you a virgin? Or What's your favorite position? Straightforward sure, but he had to have some idea on what he was walking into.
"Uh.." Castiel never talked about himself much, "My favorite color is green." Well that was a surprise. All the flowers were tinged blue. "And um, well I don't have a nickname." And the way he said it made Dean feel slightly sad.
"Do you mind if I call you Cas?" Dean asked abruptly, "Castiel's kind of a mouthful, not that it's not a nice name-"
"Sure!" Cas cut Deans babbling off with one of his stunning smiles, "I don't mind." And Dean could tell he appreciated the effort. "There we go. Your first nickname, Cas."
Later that night both boys sat in their rooms. Both were contemplating if this could actually work out. Both we’re thinking, Hey, he’s actually not that bad.
Both boys were suddenly excited about the days to come.
Days passed and it was like a spark had been struck between Dean and Cas. Even John had to admit that they were getting along great. He didn’t have to like it however.
The days were spent however they wanted to. Waking up for breakfast, engaging in countless activities, coming inside from lunch then heading back out. Castiel also grew close to his-now favorite-maid, Hannah. Treating her less like a servant and more like a friend, sometimes he would confide in her how much he was actually enjoying this. Which was surprising because he had never confided in anyone before.
“It’s great because he can actually listen you know? He’s not like the rest of the royals, who are obnoxious or think they’re above everyone else.” Cas was telling her. Hannah let out a quiet snort-he was basically describing himself. “I’m enjoying myself a lot more than I originally thought I would. It’s so much better than my palace.” Abruptly he stopped talking, his father would be furious if he ever found out the prince was talking against the castle. He trusted Hannah though, she wouldn’t say anything…
“Anyway, I better get going it’s time for lunch soon.” Hannah nodded and smiled a bit at him, noticing that his hair was messily ruffled and sticking up on one side. “You should probably do something about your hair.” She said, a bit of the sarcasm she never showed leaking through. Just as quickly though she bit her tongue. You couldn’t talk to royals like that, especially when you were a maid. But as always, Prince Castiel didn’t mind, instead he thanked her and looked himself over in the mirror.
“You know my birthday’s coming up in three days.” He said almost absentmindedly. “Really? You have to talk to The Highness about that, I’m sure he would love to celebrate it.”
“Oh no, I’d rather he didn’t, I’m not big on celebrating.”
“It’d be a shame though if it wasn’t acknowledged.”
Something in Castiel’s eyes turned a little bitter. Oh that only happened every year. But, “Yeah, sure.” was the only thing he said, and soon afterwards he walked out, but not before calling “See you later, Hannah.” to the maid.
She smiled to herself. He was really was the kindest soul she had ever met. Exactly like an angel. She thought.
Later at dinner that night Dean talked excitedly to Cas. Their seats were right next to each other, and by this time Dean didn’t ever have to move it. (Something he did one more time before it was permanently positioned there) “Sooo?”
“So what?”
“I heard your birthday’s coming up!”
“What? Who told you that?”
“A maid whose identity will remain disclosed for as long as you’re angry about it.”
Hannah! That traitor!
“Really.” Castiel tried to dissuade Dean, “I don’t like celebrating my birthday. It’s too big of a deal.” But Dean would not falter. “That’s ridiculous. And if you don’t like big celebrations, we’ll have a small one. Just you and me and...Well the rest of my family.” He said letting out a small chuckle, “The least we can do is get you a cake. And you know as soon as my mom finds out she won’t let your birthday pass without doing something.”
Castiel pretended to roll his eyes but gave Dean a small smile, Queen Mary was the best. She acted like a mother towards everyone and it gave Castiel something he had always craved.
“Okay, okay, okay.” Cas replied giving in, “But I mean it when I say small. Okay?” He asked trying to put some firmness into his sentence, (though ultimately failing.) “But of course. You are the prince after all.” And then they both smiled, though Castiel’s faded pretty quickly when Dean asked the next question.
“Do you want your family to come over for the weekend?”
“Oh…um. Actually, I’d rather not. I mean it’d be great to see Alfie and Gabriel, but I wouldn’t…really want…the whole package. You know?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Dean said reassuring him, not exactly liking the worried crease that appeared in his forehead every time the family was mentioned. Instead he tried to lighten the mood, “In the invitation it can specifically say not for them to come.” Surprisingly, it worked and the worried lines disappeared, a smile replacing them. Things were still a little touchy around the whole marriage thing, but right now…it didn’t seem so bad.
Funny how Cas was thinking the exact same thing.
But neither of them expected the welcome trumpets to be blaring five seconds later announcing the arrival of, “The family of His Royal Highness, Prince Castiel of the Hemel Regions.” as the servant put it. The worried lines came back in an instant and they both turned to the King and Queen who were looking at each other for answers. They all stood staring as King Raphael strolled into the dining room, the two twins Michael and Lucifer strutting in behind. It was something Dean nor Sam nor Adam, Mary, John, or Castiel appreciated.