He had dark, tousled hair that would never be neat; he had kissable lips and a deep, gravelly voice that was both intimidating and soft. His skin was fair and without blemishes. Some people claimed that he seemed to glow faintly under the light of the moon. However, it was his eyes that were the most captivating part of him. If people thought his skin glowed, then there was no way to say that his eyes didn’t shine. They were the bluest eyes anyone had seen, bright and wide and filled with honesty. They captivated nearly everyone.
Word of Castiel’s beauty spread like wildfire. All across the country, both men and women spoke of it in hushed words, about how he had been found inside a tree by a woodcutter and how, after he was taken in, the man found a nugget of gold in every tree he cut. It was a miracle, or maybe simply a story. Who knew?
Castiel had been in the middle of a fascinating book when the sound of hooves roused the sleepy town he lived in. His brow furrowed, wondering what was causing such a commotion. The expression deepened when there was knocking on his door, causing both his foster parents to look up at the source. Chuck frowned, quickly getting to feet. With a nearly inaudible squeak, the door swung open and in pushed four finely dressed men and a woman in a long, silken dress. Chuck’s eyes widened at the sight of them, his natural nervousness kicking in. Castiel could laugh at his skittishness, but he didn’t laugh. He never laughed.
“Fair Castiel,” one of them began, their voice a drawl filled with insincerity, “we’ve all come to ask for your hand in marriage.”
“Except, you know, not all at the same time, man. Totally not cool.” Another one piped, his green eyes glaring at the one who had spoken before him. This male was tall with long, shaggy hair. “You boys are way out of your league,” the only girl spoke, a smirk on her face, “I think we all know who the obvious choice here is.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, if I were you, Meg.” A man clad in dark muted colors spat, a scowl across his face.
Castiel’s blue gaze flickered to the last male, who shrank back at the gaze. His brown eyes flickered all across the room, refusing to settle on the man he came to woo. It would have been adorable if the situation wasn’t so bothersome.
“I’m afraid I don’t know who any of you are.”
Four pairs of eyes landed on him, the youngest of them still avoiding Castiel. They all seemed to become speechless, unsure of how to proceed. Finally, the tallest one stepped forward, a friendly smile on his face. “Uh, hi. I’m Sam, this is my brother Dean,” he gestured to the scowling man, his arms now crossed over his chest. “and we were, uh, hoping we could, um...”
Sam seemed to suddenly become awkward, his face flushing red. One of his hands rubbed the back of his neck, the man suddenly unable to continue. Meg snorted, her lips pursed in a sneer.
“Cat got your tongue, boy?” She turned her head to look directly at Castiel, her sneer switching into a mischievous smile immediately. “What Sammy here means is that We want to marry you. Of course, you’re going to have to choose, Clarence. So which one are you gonna pick?”
Castiel’s frown deepened as he regarded all of them. Dean looked displeased, Sam looked sheepish, the youngest looked like all he wanted to do was leave, the last man was inspecting his nails without a care and Meg had her arms crossed, tapping her finger on her arm. All in all, they didn’t make it seem like marriage was really important. Actually, it was almost as if they were looking for an excuse to be better than the others.
Chuck opened his mouth, though his words died on his tongue when his foster son raised a hand. The five somewhat redirected their attention to him, all fidgeting and waiting for his answer. A sigh left his lips, his blue eyes moving from one face to the other. “I will give you each a task to complete. The first one to finish it will be the person I marry.”
“Oh really, now?” The first one who had spoken first had a smirk on his face, an eerie glint in his eye. It immediately put Castiel on guard, the dark-haired male’s jaw clenching in weariness. “The name’s Crowley.”
“Crowley, your task is to acquire a pound of flesh without spilling a drop of blood.” The man seemed to freeze at this request, his eyes narrowing.
“And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?”
Castiel shrugged, turning to face Meg. She seemed to have become a bit weary, a frown threatening to take over her face. “Meg, I wish for you to acquire the coloured jewel from a dragon’s neck.”
Her eyes widened, unconsciously taking a step back. Crowley and her locked gazes, both of them, to Castiel’s content, becoming tense. Slowly, they both looked back at the dark-haired male before nodding stiffly, as if they couldn’t imagine someone completing tasks like those.
They weren’t meant to be passable, after all.
“Sam, you are to fill a wheat basket with water blessed by a holy creature .” The tallest man’s jaw clenched, but his expression settled into determination.. “Dean, your task acquire flowers that grow at the bottom of a moonlit lake.”
The youngest man was shaking at this point, his brown eyes wide with uncertainty. Castiel tilted his head, making the boy shiver. He really was just a boy, at least a decade younger than the others in the room.
“And you are?”
“K-Kevin, sir! I- My mother sent me here- I, uh...”
“Kevin, your task to collect 1000 crescent shaped stones within the next week.”
Of course, they all failed. Meg died tragically, suffering from many wounds from her journey. Crowley couldn’t not spill blood, eventually giving up on the daunting task. Sam tried many times but water spilled through the sides each time. Dean wasn’t able to find his lake and when he heard both Meg and Crowley had given up, he decided he there wouldn’t be much satisfaction if he completed it. Kevin ended up with nine hundred stones, but relented that he wasn’t able to finish the task. The boy hadn’t wanted to get married, so it wasn’t much of a problem.
Then one day, another stranger came. This time, it was the emperor who rode on his horse. He made a circle around the town, taking the time to greet the people of his empire before finding himself in front of Castiel. The blond seemed speechless for a moment, his mouth opening to say something, though nothing came out.
“Your Lordship?” Castiel bent into a bow, his eyes never leaving the blond’s pale blue ones. Balthazar was the emperor’s name. Many great things were spoken about him and his livelihood. However, here, in the light of the afternoon, he seemed tongue tied and all too humane to be the ruler of their land. There was something about it that tugged at his chest, made the sight almost endearing.
“I- You are Castiel, are you not?”
“I am.”
“The rumours lie. You’re more beautiful than they say.” The emperor heaved a sigh before sliding off the back of the horse. He extended a hand towards Castiel, an easy smile spreading over his face. It was... almost strange. Someone who had come because of the rumours, yet didn’t spend the whole time ogling at him as if he were a china doll on display. It was pleasant to say the least.
They shook hands, the skin on Castiel’s tingling from the touch. The shorter man felt another hand cup his face, a thumb gently stroking his cheek. Their eyes never left each other, and Castiel could feel something inside him swell like a wound. It was a painful reminder that he couldn’t have this.
“You’re so beautiful,” the emperor murmured, slowly leaning his forehead against Castiel’s, gently as if he would otherwise scare him away. “would you marry me if I asked?”
Castiel shook his head, watching that smile fall. He felt his heart twist at the sight, a dull ache settling there from having brought sadness into those pale blue eyes. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t marry someone, no matter how much their eyes seemed to weep for him.
“I’m sorry, your Lordship. I am not of this country. I cannot go to the palace with you.”
“I understand.” The accented voice spoke, the thumb still stroking gently. Was it possible to feel so strongly for someone so quickly? Maybe they had a red string attached to them, binding them together. The blond pulled away reluctantly, his eyes still holding a faint shred of sadness.
The week had the emperor in the village. He conversed with the countrymen, spending time with Castiel every day. Each night, he would ask the dark-haired man if he would marry him. Each night, Castiel would refuse. They fell into that routine, and each day, they would fall for each other a bit more.
They would spend time at the creek, hours in gardens. Balthazar taught Castiel to ride on a horse, beaming when the smaller man laughed from the sheer joyousness that surrounded them. They talked and they walked and made their way around the small village to a point where Balthazar knew the name of every resident.
When the week passed, Balthazar had to leave. The two promised to keep in touch through letters. When the summer started to bloom, he returned, a soft smile on his face as he slipped off his horse once again.
“Cassie, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“It has. Welcome back.”
Balthazar tilted his head back as he settled down on the grass, drinking in the sight of the stars hanging above him. He patted the space beside him, looking back over at Castiel. He smiled when the shorter man settled down beside him, curling up against the emperor as if he were a cold kitten.
"So I heard you sent off some men on impossible tasks so that you wouldn't have to marry them."
"I knew they would fail. They were just going to use me in their petty spat, anyways."
They watched the stars and the full moon shine over them. Balthazar raised a hand to stroke his other man’s cheek, only to reel back in shock when he felt tears on his fingers.
“Cassie? What’s wrong?”
“I belong there,” he murmured softly, leaning closer to the emperor’s warmth. The blond immediately wrapped an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders, bringing him in closer to him, “in the other country of the moon. I was sent here as a punishment for a crime.”
“I won't let them take you away. Not if you want to stay.” Balthazar’s lips placed gentle kisses on the crown of Castiel’s head. Both his hands came up to cup the smaller man’s face, bringing his lips down to his forehead. He gave the dark-haired male a shaky smile.
“Balthazar... I have to go. Tonight. I’m leaving tonight. And I can’t return and I’ll never see you or Chuck or Becky again. I'm sorry.”
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branchandroot
FILL: Balthazar/Castiel, Kaguya-hime (Team Castiel/Lucifer)
Date: 2012-12-19 06:11 pm (UTC)He had dark, tousled hair that would never be neat; he had kissable lips and a deep, gravelly voice that was both intimidating and soft. His skin was fair and without blemishes. Some people claimed that he seemed to glow faintly under the light of the moon. However, it was his eyes that were the most captivating part of him. If people thought his skin glowed, then there was no way to say that his eyes didn’t shine. They were the bluest eyes anyone had seen, bright and wide and filled with honesty. They captivated nearly everyone.
Word of Castiel’s beauty spread like wildfire. All across the country, both men and women spoke of it in hushed words, about how he had been found inside a tree by a woodcutter and how, after he was taken in, the man found a nugget of gold in every tree he cut. It was a miracle, or maybe simply a story. Who knew?
Castiel had been in the middle of a fascinating book when the sound of hooves roused the sleepy town he lived in. His brow furrowed, wondering what was causing such a commotion. The expression deepened when there was knocking on his door, causing both his foster parents to look up at the source. Chuck frowned, quickly getting to feet. With a nearly inaudible squeak, the door swung open and in pushed four finely dressed men and a woman in a long, silken dress. Chuck’s eyes widened at the sight of them, his natural nervousness kicking in. Castiel could laugh at his skittishness, but he didn’t laugh. He never laughed.
“Fair Castiel,” one of them began, their voice a drawl filled with insincerity, “we’ve all come to ask for your hand in marriage.”
“Except, you know, not all at the same time, man. Totally not cool.” Another one piped, his green eyes glaring at the one who had spoken before him. This male was tall with long, shaggy hair.
“You boys are way out of your league,” the only girl spoke, a smirk on her face, “I think we all know who the obvious choice here is.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, if I were you, Meg.” A man clad in dark muted colors spat, a scowl across his face.
Castiel’s blue gaze flickered to the last male, who shrank back at the gaze. His brown eyes flickered all across the room, refusing to settle on the man he came to woo. It would have been adorable if the situation wasn’t so bothersome.
“I’m afraid I don’t know who any of you are.”
Four pairs of eyes landed on him, the youngest of them still avoiding Castiel. They all seemed to become speechless, unsure of how to proceed. Finally, the tallest one stepped forward, a friendly smile on his face.
“Uh, hi. I’m Sam, this is my brother Dean,” he gestured to the scowling man, his arms now crossed over his chest. “and we were, uh, hoping we could, um...”
Sam seemed to suddenly become awkward, his face flushing red. One of his hands rubbed the back of his neck, the man suddenly unable to continue. Meg snorted, her lips pursed in a sneer.
“Cat got your tongue, boy?” She turned her head to look directly at Castiel, her sneer switching into a mischievous smile immediately. “What Sammy here means is that We want to marry you. Of course, you’re going to have to choose, Clarence. So which one are you gonna pick?”
Castiel’s frown deepened as he regarded all of them. Dean looked displeased, Sam looked sheepish, the youngest looked like all he wanted to do was leave, the last man was inspecting his nails without a care and Meg had her arms crossed, tapping her finger on her arm. All in all, they didn’t make it seem like marriage was really important. Actually, it was almost as if they were looking for an excuse to be better than the others.
Chuck opened his mouth, though his words died on his tongue when his foster son raised a hand. The five somewhat redirected their attention to him, all fidgeting and waiting for his answer. A sigh left his lips, his blue eyes moving from one face to the other. “I will give you each a task to complete. The first one to finish it will be the person I marry.”
“Oh really, now?” The first one who had spoken first had a smirk on his face, an eerie glint in his eye. It immediately put Castiel on guard, the dark-haired male’s jaw clenching in weariness. “The name’s Crowley.”
“Crowley, your task is to acquire a pound of flesh without spilling a drop of blood.” The man seemed to freeze at this request, his eyes narrowing.
“And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that?”
Castiel shrugged, turning to face Meg. She seemed to have become a bit weary, a frown threatening to take over her face. “Meg, I wish for you to acquire the coloured jewel from a dragon’s neck.”
Her eyes widened, unconsciously taking a step back. Crowley and her locked gazes, both of them, to Castiel’s content, becoming tense. Slowly, they both looked back at the dark-haired male before nodding stiffly, as if they couldn’t imagine someone completing tasks like those.
They weren’t meant to be passable, after all.
“Sam, you are to fill a wheat basket with water blessed by a holy creature .” The tallest man’s jaw clenched, but his expression settled into determination.. “Dean, your task acquire flowers that grow at the bottom of a moonlit lake.”
The youngest man was shaking at this point, his brown eyes wide with uncertainty. Castiel tilted his head, making the boy shiver. He really was just a boy, at least a decade younger than the others in the room.
“And you are?”
“K-Kevin, sir! I- My mother sent me here- I, uh...”
“Kevin, your task to collect 1000 crescent shaped stones within the next week.”
Of course, they all failed. Meg died tragically, suffering from many wounds from her journey. Crowley couldn’t not spill blood, eventually giving up on the daunting task. Sam tried many times but water spilled through the sides each time. Dean wasn’t able to find his lake and when he heard both Meg and Crowley had given up, he decided he there wouldn’t be much satisfaction if he completed it. Kevin ended up with nine hundred stones, but relented that he wasn’t able to finish the task. The boy hadn’t wanted to get married, so it wasn’t much of a problem.
Then one day, another stranger came. This time, it was the emperor who rode on his horse. He made a circle around the town, taking the time to greet the people of his empire before finding himself in front of Castiel. The blond seemed speechless for a moment, his mouth opening to say something, though nothing came out.
“Your Lordship?” Castiel bent into a bow, his eyes never leaving the blond’s pale blue ones. Balthazar was the emperor’s name. Many great things were spoken about him and his livelihood. However, here, in the light of the afternoon, he seemed tongue tied and all too humane to be the ruler of their land. There was something about it that tugged at his chest, made the sight almost endearing.
“I- You are Castiel, are you not?”
“I am.”
“The rumours lie. You’re more beautiful than they say.” The emperor heaved a sigh before sliding off the back of the horse. He extended a hand towards Castiel, an easy smile spreading over his face. It was... almost strange. Someone who had come because of the rumours, yet didn’t spend the whole time ogling at him as if he were a china doll on display. It was pleasant to say the least.
They shook hands, the skin on Castiel’s tingling from the touch. The shorter man felt another hand cup his face, a thumb gently stroking his cheek. Their eyes never left each other, and Castiel could feel something inside him swell like a wound. It was a painful reminder that he couldn’t have this.
“You’re so beautiful,” the emperor murmured, slowly leaning his forehead against Castiel’s, gently as if he would otherwise scare him away. “would you marry me if I asked?”
Castiel shook his head, watching that smile fall. He felt his heart twist at the sight, a dull ache settling there from having brought sadness into those pale blue eyes. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t marry someone, no matter how much their eyes seemed to weep for him.
“I’m sorry, your Lordship. I am not of this country. I cannot go to the palace with you.”
“I understand.” The accented voice spoke, the thumb still stroking gently. Was it possible to feel so strongly for someone so quickly? Maybe they had a red string attached to them, binding them together. The blond pulled away reluctantly, his eyes still holding a faint shred of sadness.
The week had the emperor in the village. He conversed with the countrymen, spending time with Castiel every day. Each night, he would ask the dark-haired man if he would marry him. Each night, Castiel would refuse. They fell into that routine, and each day, they would fall for each other a bit more.
They would spend time at the creek, hours in gardens. Balthazar taught Castiel to ride on a horse, beaming when the smaller man laughed from the sheer joyousness that surrounded them. They talked and they walked and made their way around the small village to a point where Balthazar knew the name of every resident.
When the week passed, Balthazar had to leave. The two promised to keep in touch through letters. When the summer started to bloom, he returned, a soft smile on his face as he slipped off his horse once again.
“Cassie, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“It has. Welcome back.”
Balthazar tilted his head back as he settled down on the grass, drinking in the sight of the stars hanging above him. He patted the space beside him, looking back over at Castiel. He smiled when the shorter man settled down beside him, curling up against the emperor as if he were a cold kitten.
"So I heard you sent off some men on impossible tasks so that you wouldn't have to marry them."
"I knew they would fail. They were just going to use me in their petty spat, anyways."
They watched the stars and the full moon shine over them. Balthazar raised a hand to stroke his other man’s cheek, only to reel back in shock when he felt tears on his fingers.
“Cassie? What’s wrong?”
“I belong there,” he murmured softly, leaning closer to the emperor’s warmth. The blond immediately wrapped an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders, bringing him in closer to him, “in the other country of the moon. I was sent here as a punishment for a crime.”
“I won't let them take you away. Not if you want to stay.” Balthazar’s lips placed gentle kisses on the crown of Castiel’s head. Both his hands came up to cup the smaller man’s face, bringing his lips down to his forehead. He gave the dark-haired male a shaky smile.
“Balthazar... I have to go. Tonight. I’m leaving tonight. And I can’t return and I’ll never see you or Chuck or Becky again. I'm sorry.”