The Castle across the Valley

By Gabby Cassidy

Chapter 3: POV Balthazar

I felt awful for Castiel. This whole situation was just an abomination and I wanted more than anything to help him. It killed me to see my little brother in such distress over this situation and that there was nothing I could do.

This whole wedding was bullshit and my father knew it. But he got some smug satisfaction seeing his sons punished for their rebellions, no matter how little the act had been. However, this particular punishment was particularly ridiculous and harsh. Castiel's ever increasing misery only brought our father more and more pleasure.

So when I saw Castiel one morning had suddenly stopped his brooding, I was surprised. It had been obvious he didn't like Bela. I'm pretty sure that even without the whole arrange marriage situation he still wouldn't have liked her. She even rubbed me the wrong way, and I could deal with most people.

But Castiel was now almost cheery- well cheery by his standards. The Talbots would never have noticed the subtle change in him but my brothers and I did. He was less quiet-brooding and more quiet-content. His usual silence didn't hold an air of hostility towards those around him. On top of that he actually seemed to be spending a little more time with the rest of us.

When I approached Michael about it, his only reply was, "he must have finally realized his fate and decided resisting wasn't worth it anymore." But something in me wasn't convinced. My little brother was never one to give up. So one Friday morning, about a week and a half before the dreaded wedding, I happened to glance out my bedroom window to see Castiel. He was out in his spot by the old ruins. I dropped everything and walk out towards him.

I wasn't surprised when I found him with is nose buried deep in a book. It was nice to see him relaxed enough again to read. My stomach twisted, however, with the fear that what Michael had said may be true.

I took a seat on the ground next to him, drawing my legs into my chest and leaning my chin on my knees. "Hello Balthazar," Castiel greeted in his usual monotone voice without looking up.

"You seem better," I started vaguely. He only nodded and continued reading.

I wracked my brain for a way to ask him what was going on without seeming rude. "What's going on with you lately?" Well so much for that. But it got him to look up so, screw politeness. He had a look of pure innocence in his eyes and his head tilted to the side in a silent question.

"No no no, none of that bullshit," I scowled at him. I don't know why I was so angry all the sudden but I felt some kind of rage in the back of my throat that was coming out now. "You've been acting weird lately and I want to know why!"

Castiel looked away from me and stared out across the landscape before us. I just stared at him, waiting. He placed his bookmark between the worn pages of the novel and gently placed it on the ground next to him. A small, almost inaudible sigh passed through my younger brother's lips, and then he opened his mouth to speak.

When Castiel finally spoke, it was almost a whisper. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?"

This threw me for a loop. "A... a secret?" I echoed. Cas only nodded, his eyes finally meeting mine. "Uh, yeah of course Cassie. You know I can." He met me with a skeptical gaze.

"Oh come on. When have I ever told anyone anything?"

"You told Lucifer I broke his computer after I dropped in down the stairs on accident."

"That is not fair," I countered, defiantly crossing my arms. "That's Lucifer. When he wants information he gets it out of you one way or another."

Cas only chuckled in response, a small smile sliding onto his face and a faraway glimmer in his eyes. In the short amount of time the Talbots had taken residence in the Novak household, I saw nothing but turmoil and despairs in my brothers features- not that I could blame the guy. Yet at this moment, he almost looked peaceful.

"I don't want to get married," he said solemnly.

I stared at him. "Uhh, yeah. We all know that one. You haven't hidden that fact well."

Castiel paused again before responding. "I don't want to get married and there is nothing that I can do about it." He sighed again, darkness settling back into his features, and raised his eyes to meet mine. "Father is on the war path with this one, and mother is too afraid to try and get him to change his mind." There was a hardness set into his face that startled me. "The Talbot's are all horrible people and I can't stand them another minute. I feel like if I stay in this environment for too much longer I'm going to burst." His eyes trailed away from mine and drifted back to look out across the valley.

I followed his gaze. The day was bright and beautiful. Fluffy white clouds were drifting lazily across the blue expanse over our heads. Chipper sounds of winged birds wandered from the forest behind our backs. Down in the valley, I watched the slow grasses wave back and forth in the cool breeze. In the distance I could make out a doe and her fawn grazing. The world felt at peace today.

And yet the brightness could not beat out the dull clouds that hung over Castiel and mines hearts.

"I'm going to do something about it," Castiel whispered next to me. I whipped my head to look at him and met deep blue eyes. "I want to tell you, Balthazar, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not father, not mother, not Michael or Lucifer. Not a single soul."

"Cassie…" I started, using the nickname I gave him when we were kids. "What are you talking about?"

There was a fire behind my little brother's eyes that I had never seen before, and to be honest it frightened me. This was not the same Castiel from one week- hell one day ago! There was even a smile on the crazy boys face! Who was this guy and what had he done with my brother?

"Balthy you have to promise first." He held out a pinky towards me. I felt childish doing so, but I wrapped my own pinky around his and gave it a little tug.

I watched a smile melt onto Castiel's face and I couldn't help but smile back. It was so warm and genuine and happy that it shushed away the darkness that had settled into my heart. Castiel looked back at the valley and his shoulders relaxed.

"I'm…. I'm leaving."

The smile dropped of my face. "What?"

He looked at me again. "I'm leaving. Well, I guess running away would be a more accurate term." There was no joking in his tone or facial expression. He was serious. Dead serious.

"What?! Where?!" I sputtered out. My jaw hung limply.

Castiel provided a shrug and a vague wave of his hand. "Not sure. Somewhere that's not here."

I couldn't wrap my head around this. This was Castiel talking. The boy who had barely ever left our home. The boy that spends his days reading old books in Italian and French and sitting alone outside. My little brother who has the survival skills of a newborn infant. Maybe less. The idea that he would be out alone in the world completely on his own was not something I could imagine ending well. An image of his lifeless body on the side of a deserted road flashed through my brain. I had to talk him down.

"A-are you sure about this?" I asked, trying to keep the rising panic from my voice. "I-I mean I'm sure if we tried hard enough we could get the Talbot's to back out of the wedding. J-just… just-" I was cut off by a gentle hand placed on my arm.

Castiel had a gentle look on his face. "Balthazar there is nothing you could possibly say that could convince me otherwise. I've been preparing myself, see?" He picked up the book he had been reading and showed it to me. What I had assumed was Dante's Inferno was in actuality an old boy scouts camping and survival guide from when I was a scout. He had been too but quit after the first camping trip. He was even more antisocial as a kid, so he didn't like having to be around all the other kids. I had almost forgotten I had kept all the stuff from those years.

"I hope you don't mind I took it. I was curious about what it might tell me."

I shook off my initial shock and gave him a nod. We sat there for a little while longer while he read more of the guide and I read it over his shoulder.

POV Castiel

There was no doubt in my mind that I could trust Balthazar. He would not run and tell my parents about my plans, of that I was certain. He was not like Michael in that he would do anything for our father's good graces. I could tell Lucifer, but if he deemed telling my father would benefit him in some way he would be sure to spill. I couldn't risk that. No, Balthazar I could trust.

It felt good to tell someone about it all. Like some weight had lifted from my chest. At least one member of my family won't be frantic. Hopefully.

Balthazar and I eventually had to rejoin the others in the house, but I caught him sneaking glances at me throughout the day. A nagging voice crept into the back of my mind I began to wonder if telling him had been a mistake. But my fears were dispelled.

While I was laying on my bed later that night reading I heard a soft knock and a creak from my door. I looked over to see Balthazar's head leaning in through the crack. "Uh…" He moved the rest of the way in and walked over to me. He held a backpack and thick roll of fabric- one in each of his hands. He placed them both on my bed and said, "I thought you might like these. Just… take care of yourself, ok?" Balthazar mumbled and left without waiting for a response.

Sitting up, I stared at the gifts for a moment then moved to examine them. The roll was a brown thermal sleeping bag. The backpack was sturdy and lightweight. Inside I discovered a flashlight, a rather sharp pocket knife, cored rope, a tent, and a rain poncho. His old camping backpack. I smiled and silently thanked my brother for keeping all this stuff. This took a load off my chest of the things I needed to inconspicuously find. Now all I needed to worry about was food, clothes, and money. I allowed a warm smile to spread across my cheeks. Things were all falling into place.