The Dreams of Princes

Part II

The ride there went smoothly, and before he knew it, Cas was being unloaded onto a drive in front of an impressive castle. He was a big fan of the architecture, which he thought was rustic and gorgeous. The towers rose in perfect contrast, the stone was colored and textured just right, and everything looked perfectly in its place. Shaking his head, he followed the family inside, realizing that he had completely stopped.

As soon as they got inside, the queen gave directions to the servants, and Cas followed them to his new room. The room was gorgeous and spacious, far larger than Castiel had expected. It was right next to Sam's room, he found out. Not a bad place to be, since Sam seemed rather nice.

The servants packed things away as Cas flopped down and lay on his bed. The guards stayed outside, the servants leaving as soon as their work was completed. Within minutes, there was a knock at the door, and Cas sat up on his elbows.

   "Come in," he called, and Sam opened the door and slipped in.

"Mom told me not to bother you since you might be tired, but I figured I'd at least come say hi and make sure you like the room," Sam said. Cas appreciated Sam quite a bit, and he'd barely known him two hours. His original assumption had been correct: he was sure he and Sam would be great friends.

"Yeah, it's super nice in here," Cas said. "I really love the architecture."

Sam looked around, smiling and rubbing a hand on the back of his neck absentmindedly. Wandering a bit further into the room, he glanced around a bit more.

"I'd never really thought about that, but yeah. It's not bad, huh?" Sam laughed. Cas sat up completely, patting the bed next to him.

"Well, Sam, you seem great, and I might as well make sure I've got a good friend here on my trip. Sit down, we're talking," Cas said, and Sam sat down immediately, that sunshine smile back on his face. Damn him, he seemed so nice.

They talked for hours about anything and everything, ending up in various sitting and laying positions across that time. By the end of it, Cas felt like he'd known Sam forever. Sam was so easy to talk to, and he was hilarious. It was nice to have someone who wasn't family that he could be ridiculous with.

Sam yawned, and Cas checked the time. It was rather late, he noticed. Sam stood, stretching, and looked to Cas.

"I'm gonna turn in," he said. "It was really nice getting to know you. It's going to be a thrill having you here."

   "I'm going to love it," Cas said seriously. "Goodnight, Sam."

Sam waved tiredly, walking out the door and closing it behind him quietly. Cas slid under the covers himself. The trip had been draining, and despite the sleep he had gotten during his travel, he was definitely in need of a nice, deep sleep. Burrowing into his covers, he drifted away into sleep almost instantly.

By the time the next morning rolled around, he was feeling much better and far less exhausted. Standing, he realized he'd slept in his clothes and shook his head. Not feeling bothered to dress up here, since it wasn't his kingdom and he wasn't royalty here, he threw on some jeans and a sweater. The weather was cooler here, since the kingdom was further north, and if there was one thing Cas hated, it was being cold.

He walked out of his room, and a servant directed him to the dining hall, guards on his heels. Finding the room with relative ease, he saw that only Dean and Sam had gotten up so far and were eating. Cas plopped himself into the seat next to Sam, smiling at him as his plate was filled.

"Morning, Sam," Cas said, and Sam shot him a smile back.

"Good morning to you, too, Cas," Sam answered. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great, actually. It may have been better than my own bed," Cas joked. "What are those things made of?"

"Kingdom secret," Dean said, and Cas was startled at hearing his voice again. Dean smiled at him, and Cas felt himself melt on the spot as he and Sam laughed.

"Of course, my apologies," Cas said through laughs, hands raised in mock surrender. Sam snorted, and his mother came into the room.

"Samuel, manners, please. We don't want to embarrass ourselves in front of foreign royalty," she said. Sam jokingly mocked her when she turned away, and Dean laughed and hit his arm as Cas tried not to snort himself.

This family was already a riot. His year would have far more adventure than he had originally thought, and he was not in any way complaining.

After breakfast, Sam and Cas decided to go to town and walk around so Cas could see some of their culture and have some fun. Sam confided in him as they left, "really, I just want out of the castle. Not that I don't care about you, but like, this is all me."

Cas chuckled as they headed out, throwing on sunglasses to shield from the bright weather outside of the castle. You'd think with all of the sun he'd at least get some warmth, but it seemed he would have no such luck. Getting into a car Sam pointed out, the two of them cracked jokes the entire way to town.

Once there, they parked and hopped out, along with a guard each. Somehow they went unnoticed, and Sam laughed and hit Cas on the shoulder, pointing to a big shop with all different kinds of delicacies of the kingdom.

   "That's my favorite place," Sam said, and Cas looked at him, raising a brow.

   "What's in there?" He asked. If Sam liked it, maybe he would too, since they had similar interests. Sam wiggled his own brows, and Cas gave him a look.

   "You'll have to see!" Sam said, laughing, as he tugged Cas towards the shop by the arm. Cas shrieked and laughed, trying to keep up with Sam without getting dragged. They finally reached the door, and Cas stumbled inside as Sam stopped and let go of him.

   Sam walked over to the counter, smiling and immediately striking up conversation with the man working there. Cas was right on his heels, not sure what to do. He decided to stand back and just simply observe.

   "Hey, Sam!" The shopkeeper laughed, hugging the prince over the counter and slapping his back. "Where's Dean at? Not feel up to coming out?"

   "No, he had a meeting with the Braedens," Sam said, mocking the name. Whoever they were, they must not be a big hit. The disgusted look on the shopkeeper's face only furthered his theory. Whoever the Braedens were, they were not earning any popularity points with these two.

   "Ugh. I hoped he had gotten out of that by now," the man said, a frown deepening on his face. He turned to look at Cas, smiling, surprising Cas by the sudden change. "Hey there, I don't know that I've met you. I'm Bobby." He stuck his hand out, and Cas shook it, regaining his composure.

   "Castiel," he introduced himself. Sam grinned and jokingly pushed him as Cas fake glared at him.

   "He's the oldest prince of Haland, the kingdom down south. He's here for a year to study the culture," Sam explained.

   "Well, Castiel, I hope that Brecori is treating you well," Bobby said kindly. "And I hope that Sam here hasn't been too much of an idjit."

   Sam grinned like a little kid, and Cas smiled at Bobby. After a few more minutes of chatting, the two decided that they were both hungry. Sam told Bobby goodbye and they left the shop, walking back into the cool air.

   "I don't even buy much, I just love that grumpy old man," Sam confessed. "I only buy expensive things when I buy anything, so that I can help his business. He's like a second parent to me."

   Cas couldn't agree more. The man seemed so fatherly and kind, if not a bit grumpy. But then again, what dad wasn't grumpy? If anything, it made him more qualified for the position.

   Sam tugged him off to some food place he loved, raving that it was some of the best food the country had to offer. As Cas sat down, he decided to ask the question that had been burning in his mind.

   "So, who are the Braedens?"

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Is this story good? Absolutely not. Is it fun to write? Absolutely. Am I gonna stop? NO