Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

DEAN

    The new recruitments had arrived around noon that day. Their armour was shinier, but otherwise were exactly the same as the guards they had had before. As Dean watched Fergus and thirty one other guards march out, he felt the urge to wave cheerfully. Despite how nervous he was about tonight, he couldn’t be anything but happy about seeing him go. That was until it was announced throughout all eleven tunnels that tomorrow morning some special punishments would be dealt out. Dean knew what that meant.

    Now, Dean was digging out what he believed to be a diamond, while thinking that this was probably the last gem he would mine. Dean flinched as the horn sounded signaling the end of the day. His nerves were drawn tight and that sound just pulled them tighter. He needed to get his head in the game. He had a part to play. He hurried ahead of everyone else as they trudged towards the sleeping quarters. Some glanced up at Dean with worry, some with hope. Others only looked annoyed. Dean could guess that those few were the people who were against the escape, but were too outnumbered to do anything about it.

    Dean made it to the front of the line and fell into step with the others. He was coming from tunnel 5, so he wasn’t very familiar with these people from tunnel 2 who were alongside him in the front of the line. He couldn’t look to them for support. Not that he needed to. He could handle this. All he had to do was distract the guards while Ellen, Jo’s mother, and a few other women handed out the loaded blankets.

    As they made the turn into the sleeping quarters, Dean met Ellen’s eyes and she gave him a slight nod. Dean’s shoulders tensed and he turned around and faced the two guards actively guarding the entrance. He wanted to fight them, but needed something that would last longer as a distraction and wouldn’t land him in a cell.These two were not new, so they were already prepared for Dean to do something crazy. They were not prepared for him to fall to his knees and beg for his life.

   “Please spare me!! I swear I’ll be good. I won’t steal extra rations anymore. I won’t touch any of you. I won’t even talk back to Sir Alastair. Just don’t execute me!!”

    Dean pretended to sob into his hands as he watched the guards eyes focus on him. Good. They looked surprised, but not like they saw through his farce. Dean was thankful for the announcement; it made this act of his believable.

    “I know that I’m the one receiving ‘special punishment’. I’ve been very rebellious. I’m sorry. There are rules for a reason. I understand that now!”

    Dean saw that one of the guards was about to talk back and probably demand he be quiet. Dean couldn’t have that. He needed to make this last as long as possible. Shoving his pride back even farther than it already was, he threw himself on the guard’s feet and grabbed one foot on each guard.

     “Just don’t kill me! I’ll take a whipping or anything, just not death. I’ll double my work effort! I’ll even convince everyone to behave. You know I have sway with them. Please! Tell me you won’t kill me!!”

    Dean estimated that half of the slaves had received their blankets and entered the cave by now. He could babble forever, but the guards were just about done taking it. He had to think up something new and quick. Just as he was thinking this, one of the feet he was holding came up in a swift kick under his jaw. He saw stars for a moment as he jerked up into a sitting position.

    “Stop your snivelling. What you get is what you get. Frankly, you deserve whatever they deal out in the Justice Ring tomorrow.” The guard who had kicked him sneered.

    “Fine. Maybe I do.” Dean sobered up.  His mind was blank, no change of tactic was coming to mind. He knew he had thought of what to say if this happened, but… nothing. He faked it.

    “At least let Jo get off easy. I told her to do everything. It wasn’t her fault.” The guards were still returning their attention to the line of people marching into the sleeping quarters. Suddenly, Dean remembered his plan. Just as he had with Fergus, he gathered all the information he had on these two men. He was lucky that Gordon and Marv were the ones on duty tonight. He had juicy material to work with.

    “Okay. I’ll change my tack. Make sure Jo and I are spared and I won’t tell Alastair anything about you.” Dean instantly had the attention of both men.

   “You don’t know shit.” Gordon scoffed, worry plain on his face.

    Marv, the one who had kicked him, let the fear on his face trickle into his voice, “What do you think you know, boy?”

    Dean smiled; this was his favourite part, “Well, Gordon, I wonder how your Captain would react if he knew what happened to your sister and that you are a fugitive from your own village. And, Marv. You know how Alastair feels about his religious beliefs. How do you think he’d take to the particular way you swing?” Dean raised his eyebrows and smirked as the two stared at him with open mouths. They shut their mouths almost in unison and darted nervous glances at each other.

    “Well… I don’t know about you Marv, but I don’t have a clue as to what young Winchester is referring to.” Gordon swallowed loudly.

    “Me either, Gordon. But… we don’t want Alastair to get any wrong ideas. Maybe we should take care of this.” Marv licked his lips.

    “Good point.” Gordon drew his sword and pointed it at Dean. Yes, Dean knew this was a possibility. He had decided the risk was worth it. Dean backed up and glanced behind him. There were three people left in the line.

    “You know, I guess you're right. I don’t know anything after all, I’ll just head over to bed. Sorry to bother you.” Before either of them could react, Dean had grabbed a blanket and darted into the room. He heard frustrated noises behind him, but ignored them. He could only hope that neither Gordon nor Marv would follow him into the room. He held his breath for a few moments until it was obvious they weren’t coming in.

    Dean spread his blanket on the ground and stared at the chisel he had received as a weapon. Not his first choice, but it was something. He looked to his left as someone snapped out their blanket in midair as they spread it out. Jo sat down on the blanket and placed a large hammer across her knees. Dean smiled to himself. She would be well-protected with that. Someone put out all the torches but one and it became hard to distinguish the details of Jo’s face, but her blonde hair still managed to catch flashes of the torchlight.

    Jo laid down as close to Dean as possible while still remaining on her own blanket. Dean glanced around the room to make sure that Garth was keeping watch. Dean saw his thin form leaning against the far wall. He gave Garth a thumbs up which Garth returned and Dean laid down, facing Jo.

    “You nervous?” Jo’s voice was barely a whisper in the room.

    Dean briefly considered being truthful, but decided Jo needed a confidence boost. “Nah. I’m cool as a cucumber.” He smiled and winked at her, not caring if she could see or not.

    “Great. Because I’m confident too.” Dean imagined Jo’s face set in determined lines. He smiled at her bravado, “Hey, Dean. Can we talk about what happened this morning?”

    “After we’re out we can talk about that as much as you want. For now, we need as much sleep as we can get.” Dean adjusted and got ready to roll over. He liked Jo, he really did, he was just way too focused on what would be happening in a few hours to even think about it.

    “It’s a date.” Jo’s voice indicated she was smiling, “Goodnight.”

    “Goodnight, Jo.” Dean rolled over and closed his eyes. He was asleep in moments.

    “Dean. Wake up! It’s your turn.” Jody shook his shoulder and her sharp whisper slid into his sleep fogged brain. As soon as he comprehended her words, he sat up. He was awake . More awake than he could remember being in a long while. He had chosen the last hour as his hour to keep watch. In an hour he would be waking everyone up and they would be getting out of here.

    As he stood up, grabbing his chisel, Jody took his place and settled down to attempt one extra hour of sleep. He carefully navigated the mess of bodies on the floor. He spotted Sam next to Bobby and John. He knew that he should let Sam get a little extra sleep, but he wanted to give his brother a few extra bits of advice.

    Dean gripped Sam’s shoulder and shook slightly. Sam rolled over a bit and squinted at Dean, “Is it time?”

    “No, in an hour. Come sit with me.” Dean went the rest of the way to the far wall and slid to the floor. Sam shook the sleep from his head and crawled over to Dean.

    “Why’d you wake me?” Sam yawned as he settled next to Dean.

    “I couldn’t let you go into a fight without preparing you.” Dean grinned at his brother and put his hand on his shoulder, “Besides, do you know how boring keeping watch is? I needed your annoying voice to keep me awake.”

    Sam scoffed, “Dean, if you wanted company you could’ve just said so.”
    “I didn’t though, did I?” Dean refused to believe that he had woken his brother just for some company, even though it was probably true that Dean wanted Sam to calm his nervous edges.

    Dean could hear Sam’s eyes rolling, “So, what’s this ‘preparation’ I need?”

    “What weapon did you get?” Dean would forcibly make someone trade with Sam if he had gotten something shitty.

    Sam held up a pickaxe, “I got a good one. How about you?” Dean could barely make out Sam’s features, but he knew Sam’s expressions well enough to recognize worry when he saw it.

    “I got a hammer. I left it by my blanket.” Dean lied as his chisel dug into the small of his back where he had stuck it into his pants.

    “That’s good. We can’t have our leader without a proper weapon.”

    “I’m hardly your leader. I’m just the first one who came up with a plan. And I didn’t do it alone. Jo helped. Hell, she probably could have done it all without me.” Dean looked at the floor.

    “Dean.” Sam was using his ‘serious emotional talk’ voice. Dean prepared himself. “None of this would be happening without you. You are the brains and the brawn behind this. Everyone in this room needs you. Tomorrow, when we’re all free, it will have been because of you. One courageous man who decided to save everyone and not just himself.”

    Dean hadn’t prepared well enough. His nose stung, but no tears fell. If he was being honest with himself, this was why he had woken Sam. He would never in a million years admit it.

    “Sammy, enough with the emotional bullshit.” Dean said. His voice was steady and firm, “I need to know that you’ll take care of yourself tomorrow. Don’t worry about anyone but you, okay?”

    “Everything will be fine, Dean.”

    “Promise me.” Dean refused to back down.
    “Okay. I promise. We’ll all get out of this.” Sam sounded so sure. Dean wished he shared that confidence. Sam yawned and Dean immediately felt guilty for waking him.

    “You should go back to sleep. I shouldn’t have woken you.”

    “No, I’m good.” Sam yawned again and his whole body quaked with it next to Dean.

    “Dude, I’ve got  to get Bobby ready anyway. Go back to sleep.”

    “Okay. Fine,” He grumbled, “Goodnight. See you in a hour.” Sam stood up, tottered over to his blanket, and practically collapsed. Dean adjusted the chisel so it wasn’t digging into his back anymore. He reviewed his part tomorrow. It wasn’t too hard. Just keep everyone organized. Don’t let anyone die. Simple, right?

    Dean waited half an hour before waking Bobby. Bobby was a little harder to wake than Sam and just grumbled something unintelligible when Dean shook his shoulder. So Dean slapped him gently across the cheek. Bobby sat up in a flash and grabbed Dean’s hand. As soon as he understood what was happening, Bobby released Dean and with a muttered idjit stood up.

    Dean went to the corner of the room where there was a small crack. The guards hadn’t noticed it because it looked small, but opened up into a much larger space. This was where they had stored Alastair’s leather and cloth outfit. Now, since his promotion, he wore metal armour, but the rest of the guards still wore the leather. The clothes were a bit small on Bobby, but they fit. Dean stuffed Bobby’s actual clothes into the crack. Bobby turned to face him and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder.

    “Listen to me closely, boy. Save yourself. I know that you’re focused on everyone else, especially your brother, and that’s great. You’ll be a frikkin saint one day, but what I don’t want is for Dean Winchester to be a martyr, understand? Take care of yourself. And don’t be coming back for this old fart.” Bobby was staring into Dean’s eyes this entire time. Dean swallowed and understood what Bobby was saying, even if he didn’t agree. Bobby knew that his role of distracting the guards was a dangerous one and didn’t want Dean to rescue him if he was captured.

    “Bobby, I ain’t gonna let you sacrifice yourself for this. I’m getting you out. I’m getting everyone out. And if I have to be a martyr for that to happen, then I’ll be a fucking martyr.” Dean backed up and his eyes got steely. He couldn’t leave anyone behind. Especially not Bobby.

    “Dean... “ Bobby started but Dean turned away and whistled sharply once. A few people stirred and started waking the others around them. Jo was awake in a moment and walked to the front of the room to stand with Dean.

    Once everyone was up, Dean silenced their whispers by putting both his hands in the air.

    “Okay, so I know most of you don’t know the full plan, but it’s simple. Organize yourselves into your tunnels. One on this side,” Dean pointed to the left side of the room, “through eleven on this side,” Dean gestured to the right,”I promise, this is the last time you’ll be organized as ‘tunnels’. Now, Jo will be leading the odd numbers and I’ll be leading the even numbers. No panicking! Stay with your tunnel. Everyone will get out if we stay organized. When you get out, scatter. Go as far as you can. Find a random village and find a job and live out the rest of your life in peace. Lastly, no talking. Not even whispers. Be as quiet as possible. We want  to keep the element of surprise for as long as possible. Got it?” Dean paused for a response.

    There were nods all round,”Okay, organize yourselves.” Dean turned towards the door as the noise of shuffling bodies erupted in the room. He looked at Bobby who looked pissed from Dean cutting him off earlier. Dean didn’t care. They were doing this. They were doing this!!

    Dean dug his fingernails into the space between the door and the wall. There was no handle on their side. He struggled for a few moments but finally got it and dragged the door slowly open. Two guards were keeping watch, but had their backs to Dean and Bobby. At the sound of the door, however, they turned around.

    These were new  recruits, so they didn’t recognize Dean. They were about to shoo Dean and Bobby back into the room when they noticed Bobby’s uniform. Their moment of confusion was all Dean needed to run up and knock one of them unconscious with the base of his chisel. The other had recovered by the time Bobby got to him. He was about to shove his spear at Bobby’s midsection when Dean flew into his side and straddled his chest as soon they both collided with the ground. The guard was about to call for help when Dean grabbed his throat and began to choke the man.

    Even though he had never met this man in his life, Dean felt his anger and hurt pride from the years of abuse flow through his arms and into his death grip around the guard’s throat. He blacked out and just kept squeezing harder and harder… and harder, crushing everything that ever hurt him or dared to hurt his family. Bobby touched Dean’s shoulder and suddenly Dean was snapped out of his fog of rage and pain. He let go of the man’s throat, having no idea how long ago he had passed out and whether he was dead or alive. Frankly, he didn’t want to know.

    He let Bobby drag the guard into the main tunnel off to the right. Bobby had already moved the first guard. That must have been why he had taken so long to stop Dean. Dean was a little shaken up by his emotional reaction, but pushed it away. He could be concerned with his mental health later.

    After Bobby had finished, he came over and gave Dean a hug which lasted a little longer than Dean was comfortable with, “Good luck, boy.” Bobby’s voice was gruff.

    “Yeah, you too, Bobby.” Dean patted him on the back, trying to signal him to let go. Eventually Bobby did and jogged off through the small passage that connected the tunnel one (the one they were currently in) with tunnel three. Bobby would take that and loop around to tunnel five.The he would turn onto the main tunnel and start running up it so that he would appear to have run all the way from the rear exit.

    As soon as Dean saw the guards following Bobby back, he would signal for Jo to lead her first group out. They would probably be doing the brunt of the fighting, but Dean wasn’t worried; most of those people could handle themselves.

    So Dean waited impatiently until he saw Bobby running past, towards the guards at the main entrance. That was when he began to listen. Out of breath, Bobby began:

    “The slaves,... rear exit,... help.”

    “Put yourself together, man.” one guard said.

    “What’s going on?” A second replied at the same time.

    There was a pause and then Bobby said, “There was an escape attempt from the slaves. They got weapons somehow. We need backup! Come on you lazy-bones!”

    “We were told to never leave our posts…” Guard two said.

    “Were you told what to do in an emergency? Come on! Hurry it up. This is urgent ya idjits.” Bobby started down the main tunnel and Dean signaled for Jo as soon as the guards who followed had passed out of hearing distance.

    With the first group in tow, Jo silently jogged out of the tunnel and turned left towards the main entrance. As soon as she was out of sight, Dean turned around and entered the sleeping quarters room. He heard a shout and few sounds of metal on metal. His instinct told him to go help Jo, but he had a job and he stuck to it. The people in the room were loosely organized so he began to tease out tunnel 2.

    “Okay, everyone from tunnel two,” he pointed to the left side of the room where they were hopefully gathered,”Come up to the front. You’re up next.” A few people from the right and center of the room came as well. Dean didn’t know if they were actually from tunnel two or if they just wanted to get out sooner; he didn’t care enough to comment.

    “Okay. Everyone have a weapon? Good. Now, remember as soon a ya’ll get out you need to scatter. No sticking together in a large group. I won’t be getting out until the last group, so you’ll have to find your own way.” Dean looked at all the faces and saw fear, determination, anger, and despair mixed throughout the crowd. The dominating expression though was hope. Whatever happened today, life would never be the same.

    Jo appeared behind Dean and he turned around. She had a cut across her forearm, but it wasn’t serious, “They’re almost out. You’re up.” She was slightly out of breath, but steady.

    “Let’s go.” Dean left the tunnel, his group of people following closely. He saw the last few stragglers of tunnel one exiting into the dark night. He couldn’t let the few guards remaining regroup. He broke into a run and let his adrenaline overtake his fears. He wanted to yell or let out the extra energy he had built up somehow, but he didn’t dare wake any more guards.

    The face of one of the new guards stared up at Dean as they realized that more slaves were escaping and that this wasn’t over. Dean noticed a few bodies off to the left and right. He didn’t know if they were slaves or guards and he didn’t have the time to check. The guard who had looked first raised his spear and Dean saw blood on its tip. He faked left and the spear followed him. Dean dove right and slammed into the guard, sending both of them to the ground. Without a second thought, he drove his chisel into the neck beneath his hands.

    The guard gurgled and blood spurted onto Dean’s chest and then he was dead. Dean knelt there in shock at what he had done until he heard a sharp cry from behind him, louder than all the other noises. He whipped around and saw Garth, knees bent, with a sword impaling his leg. The guard wielding the weapon pulled it out and Garth collapsed. The guard swung the sword above his head, aiming for Garth’s neck. Dean sprung into action and, standing up, swung his leg at the back of the guard’s knees. The guard collapsed and someone else drove a pickaxe into his chest. Dean was grateful he didn’t know who.

    The majority of tunnel two had already made it out. Dean pulled a barely conscious Garth to his feet and helped him limp back to where Jo was waiting. As soon as Jo saw him she left with tunnel three. Dean saw Sam’s face in the crowd. He was set to leave with the next tunnel.

    “Bandage him up.” Dean handed Garth to Sam. Sam immediately complied as Dean gathered tunnel four at the front of the room and gave them the same speech he gave tunnel two.

    “What do I do with him? He can barely walk.” Sam whispered in Dean’s ear, motioning to Garth who was sitting on the ground and moaning in pain.

    “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of him.” Dean was planning to carry him out himself if necessary, but someone else would probably assist Garth. “You remember the plan? They know your face, so we’re gonna have to hide out for a while. You get out and head left, finding the first tree or the largest rock. Hide until I find you.”

    “I can take care of myself.” Sam said fondly, but seriously, and went to join the group. Dean turned around and waited for Jo to show up. He realized he had left his chisel in the guard’s neck and he shuddered at the memory. He didn’t mind. He could fight just as well with his fists.

    The moment he saw Jo, he was off. As they approached the entrance, he saw no guards at all. He allowed the people behind him to stream out as he kept watch. Any moment now he was expecting a whole unit of guards to burst around the corner.

    But they didn’t. Dean watched Sam as he exited the mine for the first time in seven years. Joy bubbled up inside of him. Sam was free. It didn’t matter what happened to him for the rest of the night, Sam was free and never had to see the inside of this hole again. He grinned from ear to ear as he rushed back to get Jo.

    Everything went smoothly until someone in tunnel nine decided it was a good idea to whoop loudly and repeatedly as they ran out of the mine. Dean heard it echo from where he was waiting. He ground his teeth together. Idiot! If they woke too many guards they would all be as good as dead!

    There was a tense moment where everyone held their breath and listened. Then the sound of barked orders and feet beating against the ground threw Dean into action. He barked some orders of his own for the people he had gathered to go through the small tunnel connecting tunnel one to tunnel three. That was the nearest guard room and the one from which the noises were coming. All of the guard rooms had a narrow entrance to prevent slaves from getting in too easily. Dean was planning to use it in reverse: to keep the guards in.

    As those people hurried off, Dean motioned for the remaining people in the sleeping quarters to follow him. He led them out to the main tunnel, but turned right instead of left to the entrance. The guard room had two exits, he had to block both. Unfortunately, a few guards had already left by this other exit and were in tunnel five. Dean and his group blocked them by the end of tunnel five. It wasn’t as strong a position as Dean would have liked, his people were pretty spread out, but he had to allow the rest of the slaves to escape in relative safety.

    Suddenly Dean realized something and cursed himself. Tunnel five connected to tunnel three as a sort of loop. If these guards wanted,they could ignore Dean’s group all together and flank the first group he had sent out. Well, Dean would make himself impossible to ignore. Without a weapon and without a solid plan, Dean charged at the guards, still holding back a yell in the wild hope that this was the only guard room which had been alerted to current events.

    Dean’s group followed him and charged blindly at the still sleepy guards. Some guards raised weapons, some backed into the guard room to their right. Dean’s goal was to get them all back into the guard room where they could contain them with the fewest people. Dean singled out a guard who was only wielding  dagger. He didn’t know if he could handle a sword or a spear without a weapon. At the last moment, he fell to the ground and grappled the guard’s shins. The guard stumbled, but didn’t fall over as Dean had hoped. The guard brought the dagger down, probably aiming for the nape of Dean’s neck. The dagger instead buried itself in the back of Dean’s shoulder. He cried out, unable to hold the noise back.

    The guard ripped the dagger out and pulled it up for another swing. Dean quickly backed up and regained his feet. He couldn’t leave himself in such a vulnerable position. It hadn’t occurred to him that this guard wielded only a dagger because he was a better fighter.

    The guard advanced on him and his brain screamed at him to retreat. Dean held his ground, falling into a slight crouch to better ground himself. Dean spotted a fallen guard to his left. He dove towards him and landed in a roll, grabbing something metal as his hand passed over it. As he glanced down at his hand he realized he was slicing open his palm with the blade of a hatchet. He quickly switched his grip to the handle and ignored his blood smearing over it. He fell back into his crouch and faced the dagger guard while baring his teeth.

    The guard flipped his dagger menacingly as a challenge to Dean. Dean narrowed his eyes and tried to find the guard’s weak spot. The arrogant asshole spread his arms open in invitation. Dean took the bait and ran the two steps into the guard’s open arms. He knew that it was a trap,  but he needed to finish this fight so he could move on. Dean’s hatchet buried itself in the guard’s leather armour which covered his waist as the guard’s dagger plunged into Dean’s hip. Their momentum carried them to the tunnel wall where the guard’s back slammed against the uneven stone.

    It was the guard’s turn to cry out as a sharp stone collided with the small of his back. The guard doubled over as his reflexes took over to carry him away from the stone. Dean took the opportunity to replicate the strike the guard had originally attempted on Dean. He buried his hatchet in the back of the guard’s neck and the guard collapsed in a pool of blood. Dean dropped the hatchet, pushing any reaction to what he’d just done from his mind. Dean glanced around him. The tunnel was empty and his people were gathered around the guard room entrance. They had managed to corral all the guards who were still alive back into that room.

    It sounded like no actual fighting was going on anymore and Dean felt a bit useless that he had only managed to take care of one guard. He pushed his way through the crowd until he was practically inside the guard room. He could see his people plugging the other side of the room as well. The guards were standing in a defensive position with weapons in hand. In the center, Dean spotted Alastair. Of course it was just his luck that Alastair had been woken up. Alastair was looking the other way, so he hadn’t noticed Dean yet. Dean melted back into the crowd, wanting to keep it that way.

    “Stay where you are. Don’t let them leave.” Dean whispered over and over again as he made his way through the crowd. He looped around to tunnel three where the other half of the people he still needed to free were waiting for direction. He repeated the message through that crowd as well. Then he went to the main tunnel and turned left, looking for Jo. There she was, heading out of tunnel one, probably searching for him. Dean whistled softly to get her attention. She turned and jogged up to him. She hugged him tightly and then gasped, drawing away. She held up a crimson hand and then used her other hand to turn Dean around sharply.

    “What happened? Did that idiot wake up the guards?” Jo demanded as she inspected Dean’s back. Dean had actually forgotten about his injury with all the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Now it came back with a vengeance. He ground his teeth together as he turned back around and formed an answer for Jo.

    “Yeah. This whole guard room is awake. We have them trapped in there for the moment though.” He looked directly in her eyes, “I need you to start leading them out in small groups so the guards don’t notice. As soon as they think they have the advantage, they’ll strike. I need to go find Bobby.”

    “Okay. I got this.” Jo shouldered her hammer and began to head down tunnel three, “And you,” she pointed at Dean, “take better care of yourself. Don’t be an idiot.” She smiled and continued on her way.

    Dean turned around to head deeper into the mine. He turned down tunnel six. There was a passage to the rear exit through there. He assumed that was where Bobby was. As he walked he wondered how Bobby had kept the guards busy for so long. The only thing that kept him calm was the thought that he would have seen the guards returning if Bobby had been discovered and imprisoned… or worse.

    Dean broke into a jog, eager to get to Bobby. He felt blood slide down his back and leg. He’d get those bandaged later, after everyone was free. By now, he was passing through the end of tunnel ten. He could hear voices though he couldn’t understand them yet. He passed the natural spring on his right and slowed down. He didn’t want to be seen unless it was necessary. He slid along the wall, wishing that the tunnel had some sort of bend where he could hide. He found a small dip in the wall very close to where  a group of guards were gathered around Bobby. Dean could only hope that this hid him well enough. He was finally close enough to understand what was being said.

    “...and as I turned down the tunnel, they jumped out at me, fangs bared!” Bobby was animatedly telling some sort of story as the guards leered at thim from where they were leaning against the walls or sitting on the ground.

    One of them turned to the other and mock whispered,”Yep. This one’s crazy for sure. The stress of the job must have gotten to him after so long down here.” They sniggered to each other and Bobby whipped around to look at them. Dean got a good look at his face and was startled by how well Bobby conveyed insane .

    “That’s what Dimitri said, but he was wrong. I showed him in the ring the very next day. I’m as sane all you idjits, I just also happen to be a genius. Yeah. Didn’t know that did ya? I’ll tell ya now, I created all amethysts. Yeah, it’s true….” Bobby continued with his babbling, the guards obviously thinking this was the most amusing thing they’d seen since they got here.

    Dean needed Bobby out of there though. He had no idea how to get him to come without the guards who were supposed to be at the front to come as well. Suddenly, a plan sprung, fully formed, into his mind. He stepped out of the dip in the wall and strode up to the group. Bobby saw him first and stuttered to a stop, obviously surprised. Acting as if he had an important purpose, Dean began to speak.

    “Sir Alastair is very displeased with you. He requests that all of you who abandoned your posts at the front make your way to the justice ring to await the appropriate punishment per code 112. As for you,” Dean gestured at Bobby, “I believe he wants to speak privately with you.” Dean stared at all the guards, daring them to disobey an order from their captain, “Follow me.” He turned around and strode off as if he absolutely believed that they would follow. Luckily, they did, muttering among themselves about what was going to happen.

    Bobby joined Dean at the front and gave him an odd look. Dean didn’t know what to call it, but he couldn’t ask right now. Dean led them back the way he had come, stopping in tunnel eight to drop the guards off in the justice ring, warning them not to leave under pain of increased punishment ‘per code 213’. The way they were staring nervously at the column and the noose were enough to give Dean confidence that they would obey.

   As soon as he and Bobby were alone, Bobby took his shoulder and said,”Boy, that was a damn stupid thing to do. I told you not to come back for me.”

    “I never told you I would listen.” Dean had always intended to go back for Bobby.

    Bobby humphed and changed tack, “In that case, don’t ever speak of what was happening back there. Ever. Not even to Sam.”

    Dean smiled. Bobby had a right to his pride,”Alright, Bobby. I promise.” Dean popped out into the main tunnel and saw Jo and a small group of seven others making their way towards the exit, “Go with them Bobby.”

    “Have you gone soft in the head? I ain’t leavin’ you.” Bobby seemed insulted that Dean would even consider that.

    “Then at least take off the guard costume. I don’t want anyone getting confused.”

    “Fine. I’ll be in the sleeping quarters getting changed. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.” Bobby walked off without looking back. Why did everyone think he was going to do something stupid? Dean threw his hands in the air, and instantly regretted it, his shoulder screaming at him. His nose stung and tears wanted to form in his eyes, but he held them back. Real men didn’t cry at pain.

    Dean looked at both groups guarding the guard room and saw that the one in tunnel three was larger. Dean went to them and held up five fingers. Six people peeled off from the group to follow him. Dean gestured for one of them to go back, but they all refused. Dean shrugged and began to walk lead them into the main tunnel. One more person wouldn’t make that big of a difference. Briefly Dean wondered where his father was. He had been in one of Jo’s groups so he hadn’t seen him at all. He hoped he had made it out safely.

    They saw the entrance and the people broke into a run, desperate for the open air. Dean couldn’t remember what a breeze felt like or how it felt to have the sun beat against his back. For half a moment, he contemplated stepping out for just a taste of free air, but he knew that once he had left, he would never want to go back in. No, he would be the last person to leave this cursed mine.

    As Dean turned around to pick up another group,  he tried to ignore the bodies littered along the floor. There weren’t that many, but he knew they weren’t all guards. Dean didn’t want to know which of his people he had failed. Then he heard the sounds he had been dreading: metal on metal. The guards had noticed the reduction in their ranks.

    Dean broke into a run, passing a group of slaves who had decided that a last minute break for it was the only option left to them. They were probably right. Dean rounded the corner into tunnel one just in time to see Alastair plunge his sword into Jo’s stomach. For a moment Dean froze as his brain tried to process what it was seeing. But as Alastair let Jo’s limp body fall to the floor, Dean became a wave of pure rage which crashed down upon Alastair. He had no weapon, but that didn’t keep him from being dangerous.

    Before Alastair could react, Dean gripped the blade of his sword with both hands and twisted it out of his hands. Dean hardly even noticed the way it created a second slice deep in the palm of his hand. He transferred his grip to the hilt of Alastair’s sword and began to hammer a series of blows upon the small shield Alastair had held up.  Eventually, the blade made it past the shield and dug into flesh. Alastair dropped the shield to clutch at his arm which was bleeding profusely. He backed up against the side of the tunnel.

    Dean bared his teeth in a snarl. Every strike Alastair had dealt him or Sam flashed in front of his eyes. In his mind, the smoke behind Sam in The Nightmare cleared and Alastair’s evil smile was exposed. The Alastair in front of him looked nothing like that Alastair in his mind. He looked shrunken and afraid, so very afraid. Dean’s anger applauded at that look. It wanted to preserve it forever. That was until he vividly recalled Jo’s body lying in a broken heap behind him.

    Nearly blind with rage, Dean yelled and drove his sword through Alastair’s chest. Alastair may have tried to say something, but Dean honestly had no idea. Suddenly drained, Dean let go of the sword and Alastair’s body slid down the wall to crumple on the ground. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around with a snarl. It was Bobby. Dean immediately stopped his aggressive reaction and let his shoulders fall.

    He tried to go to Jo’s body, but Bobby stopped him and started to drag him toward the main entrance, “She’s dead, Dean. There’s nothing else you can do for her. Everyone else has left. More guards are coming. We have to leave. Now.” Bobby pulled at Dean and Dean pulled against him, still desperate with the need to confirm that Jo was indeed dead. He heard the tramp of boots as more guards made their way down the tunnel and still he refused to go with Bobby.

    “Dean! We have to leave! Now! Sam is waiting for us.” That snapped Dean back to reason and he fled with Bobby out into the crisp night air.

CAS

    “I don’t know of any money being funnelled to King Lucifer.” Joshua sighed, “But I have been out of the loop for sometime.”

    “Can you see any other plausible reason for the demand of unrequired surplus?” Castiel asked Joshua.

    “No, the reason you’ve come up with seems as good as we’re going to get.” Joshua closed his eyes and breathed out. When he opened them again, he was staring straight at Castiel, “Patience. The proper path will reveal itself in time. Right now, we are to wait, no matter how hard that may be.”

    “You don’t need to worry about me, I can be very patient, if I know the eventual plan. What is that again?” Castiel questioned Joshua.

    “I told you. I need to figure out the remaining components of Lucifer’s original spell and then I can deconstruct it. Then we will reveal the truth.” Joshua looked into the distance.

    “That’s all well and good, but a few details would be appreciated.” Castiel crossed his arms, refusing to leave without an answer.

    Joshua sighed again, “I don’t really have details. That will be up to you when the time comes. You know the castle, Crowley, and these people better than anyone.”

    Taken aback, Castiel responds, “Me? So basically, you do a bit of fancy spellwork and then I have to manage all the rest? And when were you planning on telling me that I needed to be doing some serious thinking?

    “The path will be made clear.” Joshua interlaced his fingers and turned away. Castiel walked out of the room, frustrated. Obviously, this conversation was going nowhere. His conversations were getting shorter and shorter with Joshua and Castiel had begun to realize that Joshua wasn’t the solution he was looking for. Yes, Joshua played a part, but Castiel needed more.

    He had visited Joshua often enough in the past month that he could find his way back to his room without Joshua’s son. As he was walking to his room, he turned a corner and found Ruby standing there, her black hair rolled up in complicated curls atop of her head.

    “Castiel! It’s good to see you. You’ve been so distant recently. Why don’t you have dinner with us, honey?” Ruby smiled at him and held out her hands.

    Barely restraining a shudder, Castiel said, “I’m sorry. Mother , but I’m very busy. Maybe another time.”

    “Of course. Whenever you want, just pop in.” She smiled once more and continued down the hall.

    Castiel hurried back to his room and locked the door, feeling like he was in enemy territory. He sat at the desk and pulled out a few sheets of paper. He dipped a quill in ink and put it over the paper to write. Nothing came. He was trying his best to come up with a plan. Nothing. How would he get rid of Crowley, assassination? Execution? Imprisonment? Banishment? There were too many options for that one. He needed someone with a level head to tell him if his anger was clouding his decisions. It was almost a surreal experience for Castiel to feel the need for help with his emotions .

    He set the pen down, giving up for now. No sooner had he put away the paper than did a knock come at the door. He opened it cautiously, but it was just a messenger.

    “Prince Castiel, you told us to inform you first if anything happened with Starkin Mine. Well… most of the slaves have escaped. But we captured one of their leaders.”

    Castiel pressed his lips together. He had known Alastair was incompetent. Now he had to go deal with a prisoner and a mine without a workforce.

    “Lead the way.” Castiel reluctantly exited his room and followed the servant.

Starkin Mines Map Link