Things after that moment were slow and blurred. Dean could remember what happened, but it was strange, as if there was a veil over his mind. Cas's feelings were purer and more distinguishable than his own, and it scared Dean. Sam collapsed into his arms once Jes unlocked the cell door. Lucifer crawled out next, dragging Michael's whimpering form after him. Cas, after making sure Dean could take care of Sam's sobbing body, took his brothers into an embrace. Dean watched in awe and surprise.

Before Dean knew what was happening, Jes was taking Sam from him and wrapping him in her cloak. Dean couldn't even move, only watch with his arms held out. There as a small surge in Dean's head as Cas used his grace to heal his brothers. He intended to heal Sam next, but Crowley growled and began pulling against the chains Cas had passed off to Gilda. Gilda yanked them back.

"Let go of me you disgusting piece of filth! I am a king!"

"And a piss poor one at that," Cas growled back. "Take it from someone who actually cares about his kingdom."

With a nod to Gilda, Cas let her know she could exact her revenge. She shoved him much harder than her small frame should have allowed, and he stumbled into the cell. The chain around his neck clattered noisily, covering his protests.

"The prisoner has been secured," Gilda hissed out at their party. "We have no more business here."

And with that quiet comment, she turned on her heel and began walking towards the exit. Jeska quickly locked the cell door and turned to follow, still holding Sam against her shoulder. Dean felt a heavy weight on his own side and realized Cas was handing him Michael. The eldest prince looked haggard and exhausted, his eyes glazed over with more than sleepiness. Charlie was hollering at them to hurry up from the other end of the hall. Lucifer was draped over both of Cas's shoulders like a yolk, and looked as awful as Sam and Michael, but he was speaking. It was only mutters, but there were words Dean could pick out like "mistake," and "sorry". They hurried as best they could with their new-found weights. Crowley screamed at them to come back, damn it! But they ignored him easily. Finally catching up to the rest of their party, they slammed the door to the evil menagerie shut with a loud bang.

Cas didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky as to have Dean in his life. He kept the thought hidden from his husband, mainly because he knew Dean would vehemently deny it and glare at him from his kneeling position. At the moment, Dean was playfully joking with one of the farming children. They made sure to take weekly rounds of their kingdom together, Cas on Ford and Dean on Baby. It turned out that Cas was right; Baby was too good a horse for the Deman stable hands to just get rid of. Apparently, the same went with Ford. And funny enough, the Demans had studded Baby out to their best horses. She'd had a filly, which Sam had named Mustang in his daze after getting out of the castle that night. Cas sighed in his saddle as he watched Dean toss the girl into the air playfully. He almost regretted their decision not to adopt, the way he felt Dean's happiness on these quiet trips around the kingdom.

Baby's other foal, a colt, now belonged to Charlie and Gilda who traversed the various kingdoms of the world. They brought home all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs for the Kings and their dumb brothers. The girls were due back from an Eastern kingdom in about a week, and Castiel looked forward to seeing them again. Dean mounted Baby and tossed a quick smile back at his husband to let him know he was ready to head back to the castle. And Cas knew it would be a race. A race which he would inevitably loose.

Dean still insisted on taking care of Baby himself, even though the stable hands assured him it was unnecessary. Dean maintained that Baby was a special horse and therefore needed special care. Cas had given up that fight about a year and a half ago. Meg would no doubt be calling them soon for more negotiations. She was currently working on improving the Deman economy and the orphan exchange program. Maybe Cas could convince Dean to adopt after all. He certainly had a soft spot for abandoned children, and if they began accepting Deman orphans then Cas was sure he could probably drop enough hints…

Sam and Jeska had married about two years after they busted Sam, Michael, and Lucifer out of The Cage. It hadn't been much of a surprise, honestly. The way Sam looked at her was almost so sweet it hurt, and the way she doted on him was undeniably cute. They worked well together, with a trust that rivaled the trust Cas and Dean shared. Even Dean admitted that it was impressive. They'd had a child only a year ago, named Gildara after her godmothers. Dean thought it was a little clichéd to give the child a fairy godmother, but Cas could sense that Dean was secretly happy that Gildara would have sufficient protection. Meg had actually cried when Sam asked her to be the godmother. It was strange, and at the time, dean hadn't known she was capable of anything other than smug indifference. Even Meg herself looked shocked at the water streaking down her cheeks.

Sam was a prince now too. His brother was a king after all. And that made Jeska a princess. Not bad for a handmaid from Dema, she'd joke. Dean and Cas were just happy that they'd been able to be happy. It had taken Sam a long time to be able to talk about what happened to him in The Cage. Cas could still remember the pang of hurt that pierced his chest when Sam pushed Dean away that first time. Sam called for Lucifer of all people, not Dean, not even Jeska, which Dean would have probably accepted a little better. But Lucifer appeared silently and demanded that they not be disturbed.

Nowadays, Lucifer and Sam could still be seen together, as very close friends. It was impossible to discard a bond formed through such terrible times. Dean found it within himself to forgive the two royal brothers for trying to kill Cas, but he still held reservations. Michael would still make some inappropriate comments, usually on accident, but he was much less domineering after his awful ordeal. He listened and wanted to compromise. He became Cas's most important adviser and devoted much of his free time to training as a soldier.

Ana remained much the same. She enjoyed caring for her brothers and planning huge feasts for the less fortunate of the kingdom. At least until Gabriel returned. Then that became his job. That day had been weird, and looking back at it, Cas should have expected Gabe, but he'd almost forgotten his lost brother in his streak of good fortune.

When Cas had woken up that morning, and Dean tried dressing him, they found that all their clothes had been shrunk to comically small sizes. Dean had used it as an excuse for another round in bed, so Cas ignored it willingly. But then the breakfast had been ruined when the chef used salt instead of sugar. Cas chalked it up to craziness in the kitchen. But then Dean had gone to the stable to tend Baby and found that all the hay in the stalls had been replaced with peppermint sticks. And all the horses were overly excited. That had tipped Cas off. Something was obviously wrong, but it wasn't until he walked into the throne room only to find Gabriel lounging in his throne that he really put it together. It had been a great day, and Cas wept over his wayward brother's return. Ana demanded another celebration, and no one tried to stop her.

Cas had been so busy recalling and reviewing the last five years that he hadn't realized how fast they'd been going. The castle was already in sight, and Dean was skidding to a stop in front of the stables. To Cas's surprise, Dean handed the bridle to a hand instead of walking Baby into the stable himself. Responding to Cas's look of confusion, Dean tipped one side of his mouth up in a smirk and jerked his head back towards the castle. Cas dismounted quickly, fumbling over Ford's stirrups.

They made it to their bedroom in record time, Cas chasing his husband up spiral staircases and through echoing corridors. They ran into some maids who tittered or giggled at the two kings' enthusiasm. As soon as their door was closed, Dean grinned evilly.

"You thought you were keeping those feelings to yourself, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cas kept his face neutral and clamped down on their bond to prevent anymore feelings to go through unintentionally.

"Oh you were thinking all sorts of silly sentimental things about me," Dean grinned as he approached his husband. "But I have to wonder if you'll still be thinking those things when I'm plowing you into the mattress." The tone made Cas shiver and lean into Dean's ever-present heat. They made quick work of their clothing, even pulling their waist cinchers off with ease. Dean had finally broken down and begun wearing one when Cas told him all his horseback riding was bruising his kidneys and the stiff support of a waist cincher would prevent that. Cas couldn't deny that it made him smile to remember how Dean had sighed and squirmed when Cas was showing him how to lace it up. It had led to a very awkward but satisfying session of sex.

Dean had pushed his naked body back into the bed and nibbled his neck softly. Cas sighed and let Dean have his way easily. They'd found a dynamic that worked, and it usually involved Cas letting Dean control the foreplay and then taking control when it came time for the actual act of sex. He could feel Dean's hardness against his leg. Sighing, he surged up to meet Dean's lips. This was all he could ask for. It was everything he needed.

~
"What happens after the end of the story?" Cas asked Anael one night. It was a rainy night, but Cas liked the rain. Ana had just finished his favorite story in the book of fairy tales, but Cas had been thinking about it recently.

"What do you mean, Cassie?"

"The princes get married, but what next? Do they find the Wanderer's brother? Where do they end up living? Do they die?"

"That's the best part about stories, Cas," Ana smiled down at the dark-haired boy in her lap. "You get to decide what Happily Ever After means."

And they lived happily ever after.

Even Adam.

A/N: Hahaha so I hope this has been an enjoyable journey for everyone. This is my first novel-sized fanfic, so I'm really excited now that it's all finished up. It's been a really long journey, spanning about nine months, no to mention the countless hours of planning and designing character outfits. It's been a labor of love. See you all soon, I hope! 3