Once Upon a Dream

Chapter three

Dean came back to the cabin looking exhausted much to Rowena's amusement. Dean had looked like he got into a huge fight which made Rowena slightly worried. The kid always found a way into the fight.

"Oh dear, what happened to you lad?" Rowena asked.

"One of Ruby's guards," Dean responded. "They were searching for infants, after sixteen years they think Sam is still a baby," he continued. "I got away from them but Ruby is still trying to find us, we have to take Sam back tonight."

"No, his parents said the day after his birthday," Rowena responded. "Today is too soon."

"No, they said on his birthday," Dean responded. "I am right and you're wrong."

"I am not wrong!" Rowena exclaimed. "I am never wrong, they clearly said after!" To shut him up Rowena made a thunderstorm on Dean until he was soaked.

"Rowena!" Dean yelled, shivering from all the rain. "I'm going to kill you." He spat out the water that had gotten in his mouth while Rowena just laughed, satisfied with her work.

"Oh come on, that's funny." She said "Fine." Rowena snapped her fingers and allowed the thunderstorm to disappear. At the same time, Sam came back with a strange look in his eyes. Rowena and Dean glanced at each other wondering what caught Sam's attention. The two glanced at each other before stepping away, thankfully Rowena had finished the outfit but Dean couldn't make the cake which sucked even though they weren't going to stay in the cottage much longer. At first Dean thought that maybe it was his imagination, but the sparkle in Sam's eyes said that he had found someone.

"Sammy?" Dean said as both he and Rowena followed Sam into the cottage. "What's gotten you so spacey?" Rowena elbowed Dean's arm and frowned at him. "What?"

"You dumbass, he's in love." Rowena said.

"Love?" Dean asked. "Sam, I told you never to talk to strangers!" He was freaking out, whoever Sam met could have been Ruby, plus Sam couldn't be in love with anyone he was betrothed to a princess. Sam rolled his eyes, of course, Dean would always try to make things slightly harder. He never talked to strangers but the girl he spoke with was someone else like someone he was meant to be with.

"Dean, she wasn't a stranger," Sam complained. "I've seen her before, all I did was try to talk to her, she was upset about something and I wanted to make sure that she's okay," he continued. "Besides, what harm could it do? You two always try to keep me shut away. 'Never talk to strangers, stay within the grounds of the cottage.' for once I have a chance to get to know someone instead of stepping away and avoiding them, I'm sixteen years old! I'm not a damn child! I can take care of myself and stop trying to control me!" Sam was tired of them controlling him, especially Dean. Sure Dean cared about him but it was getting claustrophobic.

"Sam I know everything I do seems unfair but I do it for a reason." Dean responded.

"Yeah, to control me," Sam answered. "I'm in love, not that you know what it is, have you not experienced something like that before?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask Lisa oh wait you can't," Dean responded. "Figured you would remember that, or has the angst gone to your brain?" Sam stopped himself, he remembered that Dean had gotten a letter a month ago about Lisa's death, he didn't know what that was all about but he couldn't get the image of Dean's sadness overcoming him it was burned into his brain.

"Dean.. I.." Sam started but Dean ignored him and walked out of the cottage slamming the door behind him. Sam turned toward Rowena wishing that he could somehow apologize to Dean. "I didn't mean it."

"Oh people say a lot of things in anger," Rowena responded. "It's our choice whether or not to listen," she continued. "Give him some space and he'll come around, you two are brothers, but in the meantime, we should discuss something."

***

Sam glanced at Rowena, she had a sorrowful look in her eyes like she was contemplating to say something without him getting mad. Not willing to yell at Rowena and worried that he and Dean had gone down a bumpy path, Sam moved the suit and placed it on the table. He was glad that Rowena had made him something and even though he still felt guilty about the words he said to Dean he remained quiet.

"Do you know what we've told you about your parents Sam?" Rowena asked.

"Yeah, you said that my parents died when I was a baby, I don't really remember much but you and Dean had to take me in and raise me." Sam answered.

"Well we told you that because we had to keep you hidden," Rowena responded. She messed with her hands to prevent her anxiety from showing. "Something happened to you when you were a baby." Sam thought about that briefly and a thought occurred to him, he remembered that three weeks before his sixteenth birthday, he dreamt of something. Something that he thought made him believe.

"Was I cursed?" Sam asked outright.

"I hate to say it but yes," Rowena answered. "The day after you were born an evil Witch cursed you, and your parents were so worried that they asked us to hide you," she explained. "Dean was terrified that the witch would keep looking for you, and she has." Sam was taking all this in and it was hard for him to believe that some witch was after him. There wouldn't have been a reason, he was only a peasant boy after all. Unless there was more to it than he thought.

"But what's all this got to do with my loving a girl?" Sam asked. "I mean that sounds like a silly wives tale."

"Because you were born a prince which means you have to marry a princess," Rowena explained. "You were engaged to Princess Madison when you were born, and tonight Dean and I are taking you back to your parents." Sam stood he wasn't about to get married to some girl that he didn't love, it was wrong, he should have been free to choose who to love and who to marry. With Rowena and Dean talking about taking him back he shook his head in denial.

"No, impossible, I can't marry someone I love. She's coming here tonight, I don't want to be gone and she's coming here to find that we've abandoned this cottage." Rowena felt bad because she could see that Sam was clearly in love, but she promised the King that she would bring Sam back tonight.

"Samuel I can see you're in love, and I hate to tell you this but you can't marry the girl you met," Rowena said. "You have a duty to your father, to your people."

"I won't do it! I can't!" Sam protested and as Rowena was about to say something else, Sam only walked up to his room and slammed the door shut. Dean, who was just outside, stepped back into the cottage after cooling off, when he heard the door slam shut he assumed that Sam found the truth.

"Let me guess," Dean said. "The prince wasn't too happy about hearing the truth?" Rowena narrowed her eyes toward Dean who put his hands up. "I'm just saying, i'm sure he'll get over it, the king and queen have been worried sick for him." Unaware to them, Crowley had appeared by the door and listened in, he heard everything from the betrothal to Sam truly being in the cottage, he had to admit Rowena and Dean were smart, hiding the prince from Ruby all those years ago. It almost worked but they had been careless, with Dean attacking Ruby's men it gave them the opportunity to know that Sam was hidden somewhere in the forest. Knowing that he had done his job, Crowley turned back into a crow and flew toward the Forbidden forest.