A Hunter's Legacy - Part Five

[mangacat201]

Part Four

“Dean, this is a stupid plan.”

“…”

“It’s a really, really stupid plan.”

“…”

“You can’t honestly consider traipsing into a court of the Sidhe, weaselling your way into the bed of a Queen, stealing her most prized possession and blackmailing her into freeing your son from his bond. And thinking she'll let you walk away afterwards.”

“…”

Ben and Bobby kept looking from one brother to the other, like they were watching a tennis match, Sam spewing profanities down from Brigid’s back where he was perched precariously, to Dean, who stood, held the horse and answered by raising his eyebrow just so. Ben had had a mind to intercept them about half a dozen times already, mainly because they made Brigid nervous, but after a couple of futile tries, he had given up together and now just threw longsuffering looks at Bobby, who shrugged his shoulders in a way that would mean anything from ‘Idjits’ to ‘damn stubborn Winchesters’. After another two weeks of the constant bickering that had followed Dean’s suggestion, they both had agreed to keep out of the process that was the brothers learning to ride and hunt from horseback as much as possible and let them deal with it between themselves. Unsurprisingly, Dean had taken to hunting with a bow and swordcraft like a duck to water, even though he'd had little time to adjust to idea of moving with a horse as a partner and was finding it hard. Sam on the other hand – once instructed with the basics – had ridden like he was fused to the horse’s back right from the very beginning. It was the bow-hunting that posed a bit of a problem. All in all Sam was a mediocre shot at best – good only if the target decided not to move anywhere fast as hunted animals were wont to do. All told, Ben was rather fascinated, as the brothers seemed to represent each other’s strengths and weaknesses like two sides of a coin. At the same time though, they behaved like poles apart, each one on the other side of a very large scale. He looked over at Bobby again and nearly had a heart attack when he found they were no longer alone, and that Castiel had materialized out of thin air, right next to the man in the wheelchair. Bobby glanced up from the corner of his eye, seeming completely unfazed, but he chuckled at Ben’s involuntary reaction.

“How long have they been at it now?”

“’bout an hour, give or take. You know Sam, boy’s got more stamina than is good for him if he’s arguing a point. At least they haven’t broken into a hands-on squabble this time… yet.”

The angel nodded with his serious, indifferent expression undisturbed – except that anyone watching him more closely would see the edges of a smile tugging faintly at his mouth.

“I think I have found something useful.”

He hadn’t said it with a voice any louder than before, but suddenly the words rang through a vast silence, and both Winchester brothers swivelled around to zero in on Cas immediately.

“What?”

“It’s a spell tying you to this reality in a way that leaves you unaffected by most of the capricious conditions of the Netherworld. It will not let food or drink from the Fey cloud your judgement, or let you forget where you come from, and what you want to do. It also causes time to pass in the measure of this reality. That means you will be not unfortunate enough to step back out of the Netherworld and find that years might have passed.”

Everyone around piped up their opinion about such a nifty spell, and Dean of course asked why they hadn’t found anything thing like that before.

“Well, as it stands, you need power of angelic descent to make it work, and last time I checked neither of you were too keen to have that. But there’s one extra that will be the core part of the spell. As the caster, the tie leads to me, and, if you concentrate on me very strongly, I will be able to find you in the Netherworld. Just be aware that it’ll only work once, since THAT is definitely going to draw a lot of attention.”

“Ok, so we’re spell-proofed and you’ll be our get-away? I think that’s best news we’ve had so far.”

Sam, beside him, scowled but then proceeded to grill Cas for the details of the spell, and everyone let out a small sigh of relief at the fact that Sam was apparently coming to terms with their ramshackle – what’s new – but, for the lack of alternatives, only plan.

 

They all spent the night in relative solitude in different corners of the place, preparing themselves for the feat they were about to attempt, none of them really interested in sleep. Dean was out tinkering with the engine of the Impala, getting her ready to spend some time tarped and protected in Bobby’s garage, constantly whispering apologies about how he was always going to prefer steel over fur, but that she couldn’t come with them on this journey. Sam was poring over the books once again, though he didn’t read much of what was actually on the pages or in his notes, eyes staring sightlessly in the obvious trance of deep thought. Ben was outside, tending to Brigid, touching up her saddle and bridle with adornments worthy of a triumphant return. If he was to come back to the court after leaving without ever having explained his absence, there would have to be something to justify his welcome, and he'd have to sell it, for the Queen to believe. And she was dangerous, old, and wise and would see through any charade that wasn’t set up perfectly in a heartbeat. Castiel sat out in the courtyard among the skeleton cars and meditated to gather his power for the ritual he was to perform in the morning, right before they left. Bobby had retired to his room under the pretence of going to sleep, but instead he sat at the window and observed the yard through the age-worn curtains, preparing to watch and wait.

When the first rays of the sun peeked over the car towers, piercing the desert light and welcoming the new day, all movement around the house ceased for a moment. Then Dean stepped out of the garage, looking from Sam, who had appeared on the porch, to Ben who stood there in full armor gleaming in the first light.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”

 

Dean had to stand still for long moments to wait for his knees to stop shaking. He’d had his fair share of inter-dimensional travel to all corners of the universe, but that didn’t mean his body reacted better now than years ago, the first time Cas had zapped him away through the time-space continuum. And the Fey magic Ben had used to rip open a portal again to grant them access to the Netherworld was a lot different from Angelic Airways, that was for sure. They stood in a place that looked very much like the patch of desert they had started out with, but at the same time, pretty much not. The world around them seemed to be in constant flux. Whenever you focused your eye on something directly it would stay the way your eye might think it was supposed to look, but everything viewed from the corner of the eyes was very much blurred and changing shape in seconds flat. Ben had warned them about it, and that it was really disconcerting for the first couple of hours, until the brain decided to block out the issue and fabricate static natural environments instead that weren’t as maddening to human perception. Sam had nodded with a knowledgeable air, Dean had heard a lot of big words and drew the conclusion that it would not impair his fighting abilities after some adjustment, and that he didn’t need to think about it any more. Sam, beside him, leant against a boulder that stood where they had landed and was catching his breath with big gulps. Ben sat in the saddle, completely unfazed, and had shielded his eyes with his hand to gaze into the wilderness around them. When Sam had caught his breath, he asked the most pressing question: “And how do we find the Queen?”

Ben just turned to them, looking down from horseback before shaking his head with a grim smile.

“We won’t find her.” Once he'd got the words out, the baying of hounds could be heard over the hills, making Dean flinch, and Sam whip around, wide-eyed, “She will find us.”

The sound of bells got added into the mix, and the light suddenly changed to illuminate a figure that emerged on the closest hilltop, wind whipping up around her, and the earth split open around her feet with thunderous cracks, until water poured out in crystal clear rivulets. Ben sighed deeply while he took Brigid’s reins and muttered about dramatic entrances under his breath, before he instructed Sam and Dean to:

“… for the love of all that is holy, stay back and be still whatever happens.”

Ben spurred Brigid on to walk up the hill and braced himself for anything from a big tantrum to sudden death. About two thirds up the hill he stopped the horse and dismounted, making the rest of the way on foot, trepidation rising with every step. Soon he had to pick his way carefully to avoid breaking his legs and rolling back down the hill. When he reached the crest of the hillside, he came to stand next to the Queen, carefully not looking at her and training his eyes onto the ground beside her instead, where the camp was quite literally growing out of the ground. The hunters would arrive soon, following their Queen through the Netherworld at a more sedate pace, and he didn’t want to be comforted by the prospect of familiarity that would come with the Fey court bustling to life in front of him. Still, he couldn’t speak to her without her addressing him first, so he had to wait and observe the Sidhe grove grow and prosper until in a matter of minutes it had become a full-grown forest.

“You have been away without leave for a long time, son.”

Ben just inclined his head and quietly answered: “Yes, my Lady.”

“You ripped a hole in the fabric of two realities and passed through without permission.”

Her tone had an almost imperceptible edge to it, and Ben dared to turn a fraction of an inch to look at her out of the corner of his eye. He had to look down a little, and he knew she’d been irritated ever since he had grown tall enough to do that, but also proud. Now though, the lines on her face were drawn ever so slightly, and he was one of the few that would recognize worry in it.

“Yes, my Lady.”

Without warning she whirled around and slapped him upside the head, fast as lightning. Ben flinched, more from the unexpectedness of the action than the pain, but he looked at her wide-eyed, when the Queen stabbed him in the chest with a very enraged, very pointy finger.

“Don’t you ever, EVER do something that stupid again, do you understand me, child?”

Ben was thoroughly taken aback when she reached up and enclosed his jaw in her slender fingers and drew him down to her.

“You’ve never let me ride with the Hunt through the storms. I was just trying to prove myself worthy.”

“Oh, dear little one, you don’t even know your own strength, do you? What am I going to do with you?”

Ben kept his breath slow and steady, even though his heart beat like a fluttering bird in his chest. He wasn’t really sure what was going on for better or worse, but before he could get his bearings, she let go abruptly and clapped her hands, a playful smile lighting up her eyes in sudden delight. The change of mood was jarring, but certainly not unfamiliar. Freya Huld was known best for her flighty temper, and when she exclaimed: “But you came back and you brought me presents!” Ben wasn’t really all that surprised. The Queen turned around swiftly and bounded down the hillside like a reckless young girl – though there was no doubt about her ever being able to trip or fall or do anything else that was undignified – he just sighed, thanked the Gods for small favors and made to follow her, lest his luck ran out once she actually met Dean.

 

Dean wasn’t really clear on what he had expected the fairy queen to look like, but the person that bounded down the hillside in playful hops certainly wasn’t it. Once she was only a dozen steps away, her feet slowed down, and, suddenly, her stance and posture were as regal as possible, elegant and seductive. She looked fully human in shape, inky black hair cascading freely down her back to the hips and framing her oval face. She was an aquiline beauty, not exactly pretty in the traditional sense, but with an underlying attractiveness of maturity and wisdom – and certainly not a small part of it was due to the fact that she certainly knew how to emphasize all of her assets in the very best way. The burgundy dress was more like a series of bands wrapped around her body in an artistic fashion that left a lot of creamy skin out in the open and little to the imagination. Golden bands spiralled along her bare arms, and little rings with bells hanging from them tinkled around her bare ankles, while her hair was worked through with pearls, and drops of precious gems that reflected the weird, atmospheric light that didn’t seem to have an identifiable source here. And an intricately wrought golden necklace, adorned with one, single, oval ruby rested around her slender neck. It would be easy to forget that she wasn’t human at all and would only play by the rules of humanity as far as it suited her fancy. The only reminder for that was her skin. Whenever hit by light, it lit up glittering reflections, scattering little flecks of light all over the ground around her. The reason for that were swirling lines covering all the visible – and probably also the invisible – skin as if the intricate designs had been inked in with stardust. Dean was sharply elbowed out of his musings by Sam’s whispered “Dean, focus.” and then she was on them and prowling around them like a cat that couldn’t decide whether the mice were prey or play.

 

“You two really are a sight to behold even though you’re dressed in rags, but I don’t see what else would be so special about you. Being handsome is certainly a good trait, but it doesn’t really tell me why my son would think you a good enough compensation to forgive his continued absence.”

Dean barely kept the scowl off his face when he realized that this wasn’t just a beautiful woman, but the creature that was threatening to have his son killed in some sort of twisted ritual, and suddenly his feelings toward her turned less than charming. This moment of truth unfortunately meant that he was too caught up in his own thoughts to answer the Queen. Luckily, Sam had no such qualms and immediately divulged their prepared tale.

“We are hunters, majesty, brothers grown up with the unending awe and adoration your name and deeds inspire. We couldn’t believe our luck at the chance meeting that brought us here before you, to ask for permission to join your court.”

The queen, who was still walking around them in slow circles, while they stayed completely still, raised an inquisitive eyebrow, before she voiced her thoughts.

“Why, Sir Hunter, it is seldom these days that a human comes to us with such an inquiry, but you are rather obviously warriors and therefore belong to the king, so I should give you to him as a sign of goodwill.”

The two brothers didn’t move a muscle while they let her mind work on the matter, and Ben, who had come up behind her, implored them with big eyes to remain that way. The Queen came nearer and let her hand trail over their arms and chests, noting every slight reaction to her touch.

“However, you really are magnificent and I should be loath to lose a pair of men so fine that asked to enter my service willingly. You are lucky, for three days hence, there will be an initiation, and the festivities have just begun. If you prove yourself worthy on the hunt, you will be allowed to join my court. Ben will undoubtedly take care of what you need to know, and please find something less atrocious to dress in. You are to come to the feast tonight.”

With these words she turned around, and before Sam or Dean could blink she was already halfway up the hill throwing mischievous glances over her shoulder before she disappeared from view. Sam, Dean and Ben were left to look at each other, rather dazzled.

“That… went surprisingly well.”

“Oh, believe me, that was the easy part. I’m sure as hell not forgiven for just bailing out on her for almost two months, even though I thought she would do something more… drastic upon my return. We hit a lucky mood I guess, but nonetheless, it’s going to be dangerous. She might find you interesting now, but don’t think she won’t suspect something is up. We'd better get to the camp, before the feast starts.”

 

When they scrambled over the ridge of the hill, the grove was fully grown, and the bustling of preparation had died down by a considerable degree. Ben led them down and into the copse of trees confidently, but Sam and Dean couldn’t stop themselves from gaping a little. They had seen a lot in their time, including some very impressive things, but they’d never seen anything quite like this. The trees were mighty oaks and slender alders, weeping willows and birches, rowans and ash, but they all had one thing in common: at the tips of their branches burned little blue flames, illuminating the whole camp with flickering eerie light. Ben brushed by the burning branches unconcerned, and the fire seemed to neither spread nor blister anyone. Dean tested it out, and it felt cool to the touch, just a whispering movement of air instead of heat. The roots of the bigger trees rose out of the ground, forming natural niches and space to set up bedding, some of those were already partitioned by flimsy curtains. Sam and Dean tried to scout the layout of the place, but the best they could do was determine that it had a roughly round shape, focused on a central point. In turn they noticed that the occupants of the place returned their stares somewhat more subtly, but since they’d entered the camp, a low buzz had started to spread, and appeared to await them wherever they were going. Ben got them outfitted with clothes and mail as well as slender bows and hunting knives. Dean felt a lot better once they were armed, but Sam reminded him that they couldn’t under any circumstance whatsoever start a fight with anyone, and was that clear? It made his big brother roll his eyes at him, and Ben looked at them both warily. The other people in the camp, mixed, but mostly men – well, at least they mostly looked like they were on the brink of becoming men - although the brothers knew that image to be treacherous – kept their distance and didn’t interact with them. When Ben had found them a place to sleep, with blankets strewn comfortably between some mighty roots, they agreed to get a couple of hours rest before the feast, since the next couple of days were bound to become somewhat taxing.

 

Sam was up before Dean and talking to Ben in low tones when the older man finally came to. His brother was bent over some tree root with the total attention he would normally only give an ancient tome, and Dean wondered just what the heck Sam had found now that had him so excited about a piece of bark. It turned out that Sam's focus wasn’t just on a piece of bark, indeed, but that the whole tree was covered in sigils and hieroglyphs that looked grown rather then carved in, and Ben was able to supply the information that the whole history of the Fey people, and their knowledge, was recorded in these trees. Freya Huld had a penchant for studying as well as hunting – which was why all her hunters got a good solid education in the arts and crafts as well – and she apparently dragged her whole library around with her, stencilled on the fricking TREES. Sam was all over that, of course, and he  headed all the way to the centre of the grove, stopping and inquiring about various patches, Dean didn’t even ask how Sam could actually read what was written, since once his little brother went all geek, there was no stopping him. Dean preferred to spend the little time they had reacquainting himself with the weight of the mail and the balance of his new weapons. When Dean had asked what kind of metal they were made of, since the Fey couldn’t stand iron and it didn’t look like silver or copper either, Ben answered that it was molten moonlight, formed in the smithies of the Sidhe and impenetrable to just about anything that wasn’t exceptionally powerful Fey magic. Dean wondered if they could keep it, if it was that handy, and Ben only rolled his eyes at the nerve, but didn’t have a chance to answer, for they had arrived at the centre of the grove, where the queen and her court were already engaged in the festivities for the occasion. The central clearing was littered with big, icy blue bonfires that lit everything in a gloomy cold way. The court members were scattered all around them on benches and cushions and they were chattering and eating merrily. The sudden and subsequent whispering that spread out upon their arrival showed that they were the worst kept secret in camp, and the when the Queen turned round from her perch in the very centre to beckon them to her side, a lot of the whispers turned furious. Ben didn’t let himself be deterred though and marched on confidently, until they could find seats in Freya’s inner circle. The queen regarded their new get-up with obvious appreciation and then straightened to address the people in the clearing in a voice that didn’t get any louder, but suddenly carried to the far corners of the camp.

“My dear friends and companions, I have great news for you tonight. At the eve of the great feast, two human men came into our midst to beg I take them into my service. Strong fighters and able hunters who will prove themselves worthy tomorrow. They will join our ranks to make the Hunt as strong as can be and revel in the glory of their queen. We welcome them among us and bid them to enjoy themselves. Tonight we feast, but tomorrow we will Hunt.”

Her last words caused the crowd to break out in great cheer, people standing proud and hollering their approval. The queen tugged Ben down sit to her right and grabbed Dean’s arm, before he could seat himself any further away than was to her liking. Her smoldering gaze stirred something in the back of his mind, and he sat down willingly, albeit warily, to prepare for a long night at the fires of the Wild Hunt.


Part Six + Epilogue