Destined

Chapter 6

  The next morning over breakfast, I was a little tired, having been plagued by nightmares of Hannah's death and unable to sleep until the sun shone through my window and I began to dress. I didn't speak much at all over breakfast, leaving that to everyone else. At one point I noticed Dean looking at me, his eyes filled with worry, and I instantly made an effort to appear more alert. The last thing I needed was Dean Winchester thinking I needed to be worried over. We had bigger problems.

  "...And do you have any plans for how you will spend your day, Hannah?" the Queen asked, smiling kindly. I looked at Hannah, watching as she smiled.

  "Lady Charlie offered to take me to the shops the High Town this afternoon. She tells me they're great fun," Hannah said. I straightened.

  "You cannot possibly be thinking of going into Lebanon again, not after what happened yesterday," I said. Everyone looked around at me, looking surprised that I'd spoken.

  "I shall be perfectly safe, Castiel. Dean has promised to accompany us, along with several other guardsmen. I would rather they not be troubled, but Dean insisted," Hannah told me.

  "You cannot..." but I trailed off, the look on my sister's face telling me that she could, and she would. "Fine," I relented. "But I'm coming too."

  "Really, Castiel, it is not necessary-"

  "I'm coming," I said, my voice on the edge of a growl. Hannah sighed, clearly exasperated.

  "Fine. But do not blame me when you realize how boring shopping will be for you. I know you would much rather be reading your books." I didn't respond, simply staring at my food until the Queen spoke again, asking Adam something about his fighting skills to break the silence. When I looked back up, I made eye contact with Dean, who'd been watching me. He quickly looked away, but not before I saw a glimpse of something almost akin to hunger lurking behind his green eyes. I dismissed it, not wishing to add another mystery to my thoughts, which were full enough as it was.

  I didn't join in any more of the breakfast conversation, and left promptly when it was over, going back to my room and waiting there until Dean arrived, telling me everyone was prepared to go into the city. On the way to join the rest of the party, Dean pulled something wrapped in cloth from somewhere within the cloak he wore.

  "Here. I thought you'd like these. You have more use for them than anyone here," he said, holding the thing - or things - out to me. I unwrapped the cloth, slowing to a halt when I saw the glinting daggers I'd used that day Dean and I had trained together.

  "No, I cannot possibly take these, Dean, they... They must have taken so much work..." I trailed off, entranced by the beauty of the twin blades shining in the sunlight pouring through a nearby window.

  "Of course you can take them. Really, no one else fights with daggers like those. Not nearly as well as you do, at least. You deserve them," Dean said, the corner of his mouth tilting up. I couldn't help the smile creeping across my own face, or the slight fluttering of my wings as I thanked Dean and tucked the daggers into my belt, the two of us continuing to walk.

  "How is your shoulder?" I asked after a moment of silence. Dean glanced down at his left arm, which was in a sling.

  "It's fine. I'm ready to ditch the sling, though," he said. I nodded. Dean was definitely not the sort of man to have an abundance of patience for injuries. We didn't talk any more as we continued walking until we reached the rest of the party, which consisted of Charlie, Hannah, and two young men I didn't recognize, all standing in the courtyard in front of the castle. 

  "Cas, Hannah, these are Christian and Mark Campbell, two of the finest guardsmen we have here," Dean said. The Campbell brothers nodded to me and I nodded back. Hannah gave them a polite smile.

  "Great, now that we're all introduced, let's go!" Charlie exclaimed. Hannah's smile widened and we all started walking towards the open gate leading to the streets of Lebanon.

  "I still don't understand why we have to walk, though. What's wrong with riding, I ask you?" Charlie said. I felt my face grow hot with shame, my wings shrinking  against my back.

  "But it's such a lovely day for walking, Charlie, I'm sure we'll enjoy it more this way," Hannah said after a quick glance at me. Charlie shrugged, quickly moving on to a different subject. I glanced around at everyone else. The Campbell brothers weren't paying me any attention, but Dean met my eyes, holding me in his gaze.

  "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

  "I'm fine," I said, tearing my eyes from his, ruffling my wings slightly. Dean didn't seem convinced, but he didn't press it.

  As we made our way through the streets of the High Town of Lebanon, I felt people's eyes on us, watching our every movement. This made me very uncomfortable, but I suppose I brought it upon myself when I decided to accompany Hannah. People were going to stare at us wherever we went, even without the presence of another prince, and I had to get used to that. 

  "So Hannah, I've been meaning to ask you for a while now, but I didn't want to be rude. Do you... Fly frequently?" Charlie asked at one point as they were looking at a street vendor's wares. I had been facing the crowd, standing between Dean and the Campbell brothers, watching for potential threats, but at this question I turned halfway back towards Hannah and Charlie.

  "Sometimes. As a woman I usually only fly during ceremonies and when I need to get somewhere fast. Men fly during battle a lot, as it gives them an advantage over other people," Hannah said. Dean and Charlie both looked at me. 

  "So you fly a lot then, Cas?" Charlie asked. My right wing trembled slightly, and I felt my face pale as my ears rang with my own screams of ten years ago. I blinked.

  "No, I... No, I haven't... Haven't flown in a long time," I said, trying to remain calm, too tired to properly deal with these questions. I'd hoped that Charlie would leave it alone, but of course that was too much to ask for.

  "Really? Why not?" Charlie asked. The Campbell brothers were also watching me now. I shifted my weight from one foot to another, glancing around at all of them. Charlie and the Campbells looked curious, while Hannah looked worried and the look on Dean's face was a combination of curiosity and worry.

  "I would much prefer not to discuss it," I said. This answer did not satisfy Charlie, as I feared it wouldn't.

  "Come on, Cas, give us something," she pressed. I glanced around again, not liking how everyone was staring at me. I felt a bubble of panic building in my chest. I don't like people watching me, I never have, and no one's saying anything, they're all just staring, say something, do something do anything DO SOMETHING!

  I turn around without another word and begin to hurry back towards the castle, leaving the five of them standing there, watching me go. I pushed my way through the crowd of people, quickly leaving Hannah and the rest of them behind me. People turned to watch as I rushed by, but I ignored them, picking up speed until I was flat out running down the streets of Lebanon, and I didn't stop running until I reached my room back at the castle, collapsing onto my bed and staring at the wall. Now that I was away, shame started to wash over me. Was this really how I dealt with problems? My father would be ashamed of me, running away like that. I overreacted, and now there was no taking it back. Everyone would be talking about it. Dean would think I was a coward. God I wanted to go home. I felt tears filling my eyes and blinked them back. I wouldn't cry, warriors don't cry. I closed my eyes, hoping I would go sleep. I knew it was foolish, but I couldn't stop myself from hoping that when I woke up this would all be forgotten.