Destined

Chapter 9

  Dean and I didn't talk to each other over the next few days, but I could feel him watching me when we were in the same room. I wished he would stop, it made me uncomfortable and Hannah was the one he should be paying his attentions to anyway. Hannah herself either didn't notice or didn't care about Dean's apparent indifference towards her, spending most of her time with Charlie.

  "Dean and I are very different anyway. We would both be bored out of our minds trying to spend a lot of time together," Hannah said one afternoon as we were walking on the castle grounds. I hadn't told her what had happened between Dean and I. I didn't think it necessary to bother her with something like that.

  "I just can't help but wonder if that's a wise way to think. You're going to marry him," I said. Hannah twisted one of the rings on her fingers, a nervous habit she had.

  "I know. The King and Queen have already set a date," she said. I looked over at her.

  "When?" I asked.

  "In a month."

  "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Hannah stopped walking and I stopped beside her.

  "Please don't ask me that," she said. I hadn't heard her give any misgivings about the marriage since we'd met Dean, and I was wondering what changed. Or perhaps I was simply too blind to have noticed what was happening.

  "Did he do something to you? Hannah, if something's wrong, tell me," I said, my concern rising.

  "No, no, of course not, Dean's been nothing but polite to me this whole time. I just don't know if I'm ready for this. But I'll be fine, I'm just nervous. Don't worry about me, Castiel, I really will be fine," Hannah said. I let out a small laugh.

  "Don't worry? Me?" Hannah laughed and swatted my arm. 

  "Really, Castiel. I'll feel a lot better if you promise me you won't worry," she said. I nodded. 

  "Okay. I'll try not to worry," I said. Hannah beamed and started walking again, her conversation moving on from the wedding and to something amusing that Charlie had told her the other day. I continued walking with her, smiling at her. I promised her I would try not to worry, but I didn't think I was going to be able to keep that promise. I was her brother, after all, and I meant to protect her, no matter what.

*** 

  The next afternoon, an hour after I'd finished my last book, I'd taken the knives Dean had given me out to the training field and I was in the middle of slashing at one of the dummies that was there when I heard a voice from behind me.

  "Hey Cas." I turned around, lowering my knives, to see Dean standing there, a twinkle in his eye. "I didn't take you for someone who would practice fighting a lot," he said.

  "I ran out of books," I said. Dean smiled.

  "I can show you the library if you'd like," he said. "I don't spend much time there myself, but it's pretty impressive." I wiped my forehead with the back of my sleeve. I hadn't known the castle had a library, although I should have guessed.

  "That's very kind of you, thank you. I-" I cut myself off as I saw someone walking across the field towards us. Even at a distance, I recognized him.  "Excuse me," I said, pardoning myself to Dean, before starting to walk out to meet the man I'd recognized as Eli, a highly esteemed servant in my father's household. 

  "Greetings, Eli! What brings you to Terren?" I asked, feeling Dean's eyes on me but ignoring them. I was glad to see another familiar face here, but that gladness fell away when I saw the look on his face. He was grieving. 

  "Your Highness..." 

  "Eli, what is it? What's happened?" I asked, my fear mounting with every second.

  "Your mother, Your Highness. She... She has passed." The words settled in my gut like a stone, and I was silent for a moment, still and staring, unable to comprehend what I'd just heard, before I felt a hole tear at my chest and my knees gave out, leaving me sitting on the ground.

  "No..." I whispered, staring into nothing, not believing what I was hearing. Mother couldn't be... she just couldn't.

  "An illness came upon her suddenly, mere days ago, there was nothing any of the healers could do. I'm sorry, Your Highness. Your mother was a great woman, and the kingdom feels her loss painfully." Eli's words barely registered with me. I heard Dean's voice, sounding like it was a million miles away, but didn't care to understand the words. My mother. The woman who'd loved me, The one person who had stayed by my side after my accident when all others abandoned me, just gone? It couldn't be true. I hadn't been prepared to never see her again when I left, I'd thought... I'd thought when Hannah was settled - My head snapped up suddenly as a thought occurred to me.

  "Where's Hannah? Has she been told?" I asked. Dean and Eli both looked at me from where they'd been talking to each other.

  "She's in the castle. I already told her," Eli said. I stood up. I needed to go to Hannah, I...

  "Cas..." I ignored Dean, heading towards the castle, my brain a whirlwind of thoughts that I couldn't sort out. I needed to find Hannah, I needed my little sister and she needed me.

  That was my last coherent thought as I searched the castle. I found Hannah in her room, lying on her bed, crying, with Charlie kneeling next to her, holding her hand. As soon as Hannah saw me she jumped up and ran into my arms, her sobs building in intensity. I wrapped my arms and wings around her, resting my cheek on her head. I took a deep breath, feeling tears of my own rise to my eyes and fighting them back, pushing everything from my mind. I had to be there for Hannah, I couldn't fall apart in front of her.

  "Oh Castiel, wh-why this h-h-happen to her?" Hannah asked brokenly through her sobs. I hugged her a little tighter.

  "I don't know..." I said quietly. "I just don't know."