Soon after Nathaniel appears in the room, Castiel and I break our gaze. It feels like an eternity I have spent staring at Castiel's face again, I seem to do that often and for some reason I feel like laughing.

"Can I lay down the plan of action or is everyone still half asleep and possibly recovering from last night's hangover?" Nate laughs as he practically downs the cup of coffee, Zedd sheepishly grins, raising his hand.

"Go ahead." I find myself saying, "at least you know I'll be listening."

"Hey, you developed a voice," Nate jokes, "and the hair is new. You must have poor, little Cas begging for you at night."

I laugh, "unfortunately not, Nathaniel. I'm not too interested in that."

I think he picks up on my hint, and nods, "right. I'm an idiot, sorry." He laughs sheepishly, and then recovers, "so, plan. Michael and Eloise are just preparing the car downstairs and as soon as Castiel decides to freshen up and possibly wake up, we'll put it in action. We'll be transporting you two back to Dema, and you'll arrive by around lunch, maybe four-ish, depending on how the roads look and how the position of the sun is, but nonetheless you'll get there. Eloise has some make-up in her bag, which she'll use to make you look dirty and maybe a bit scruffy to make the affair all the more realistic, you still following?" He says, mainly to Castiel, who does seem a bit distant this morning, but he nods slowly, not facing Nate, "okay. And then all you two need to do is make it seem like you were actually abducted. I'm assuming Anaise is pretty good at that." Nate finishes with a knowing smile, and then Zedd pipes in.

"Right! Then we're set, Cas, darling, get a move on. We're leaving in an hour." He says, looking straight at Castiel.

Rolling his eyes playfully, Castiel gives a brief nod, and kisses me on the side of my head, leaving the room. I can see Nate and Zedd giggling like two schoolgirls at Castiel's sudden display of affection. I wonder if he's had an epiphany like I have.

"God, I wish I was that in love." Zedd says after Castiel is out of earshot.

"Impossible. You're married to the Alliance." Nate says jokingly, Zedd only shrugs in defeat.

"True." He counters, "but really. What you and Cas have is special. I mean, you two should see yourselves, you're practically married."

I find myself blushing, "I don't really know what to say."

"Just tell him you love him already." Nate practically groans.

"Truth is, I don't know if I do. I've never loved anyone before, I can't just say I love Castiel if I don't. It's a strong word, and besides, I've got bigger things to worry about, and so do you. My so-called crush on Castiel should not be the biggest thing on your minds." I reply swiftly.

"We're just saying, anyone can see you two are in love." Zedd says with a knowing grin.

"Again, love, strong term. But I think I'm starting to love him. It's going way past care now, I don't just care about him anymore. I suppose now I'm willing to do more, earlier I know I would've protected Castiel if I knew he was in trouble but now I think I would be willing to give anything if it meant he was okay," I'm still blushing as I aimlessly ramble about my feelings, "I don't know if that makes sense. I'm terrible at voicing my emotions."

"You're whipped, Princess." Nate says, smiling.

"In way too deep, darling." Zedd adds and though I'm not too sure what they mean, I'm pretty sure right now I'm both those things, and I don't mind a bit.

When everything finally falls into place, Castiel and I are in the back seat of some truck, with Michael and Eloise happily grinning in front. Michael seems to have taken the wheel, and Eloise is holding a tablet in her hands, mapping out our root. I take a look around the car, and wonder how it came about, I heard long ago that we drained all our fuel sources, so how is this car going to run?

"How does this thing run?" I find myself asking no one in particular.

"Solar power," Michael answers, "well, sort of. The car draws energy from the sun which is made into electrical energy and then finally transmitted into chemical energy which acts as a fuel." I find it very interesting and smile as Michael explains everything.

"That's interesting." I say, and lean back in my seat. Castiel is awfully quiet as the ride begins, he's generally reserved but more so today, I take it as him being nervous. I think he's quite nervous seeing Christophe again after what happened, and also about keeping the secret. Earlier the plan was all theory and now it's happening, I think that scares him, but then again it scares me and I don't think Castiel is as feint-hearted as I am. I take his hand, rubbing circles on his palm, he takes notice of me, and gives me a half-smile.

"Hey," he says softly.

"Hi." I reply sheepishly, too focused on his hand to face his powder blue eyes, and with his free hand he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his Mp3 player and a couple of earphones, I smile.

"Figured it might come in handy." He says, his grin enlarging by a fraction, as he pops one into my ear, and one into his. I lean against his shoulder as the drumbeat fades into my ear, and then the soothing voice of a man I've grown so used to.

"Is this My Chemical Romance?" I ask, because it sounds familiar.

"Close," Castiel smiles knowingly, "it's their lead singer's solo album, it's called How It's Going To Be."

"It's nice." I say, and he nods. And it is, not just the song, but Castiel and the car ride. Even though I know what's approaching, I get lost in the music again and try not to think too much about what the near future holds. Right now I'm just a dumb princess, lying against a muscular boy with the wispiest hair and the palest of eyes, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, really.

Time flies when Castiel and I are together, or maybe time flies when I fall asleep on his shoulder. When I open my eyes, I see the forest surrounding the Dome and it's usual electrical gleam. I sit up, watching the Castle twinkle by. Michael opts for a stop relatively hidden in the forest but still with a view of the Castle. I hear Zedd's voice in my ear, since Nate gave all of us microscopic hearing devices to follow the plan, "Eloise, do you read?"

"Negative." She jokes and I hear Zedd laughing on the other side and then he clears his throat.

"Michael, do you copy?" He asks.

"Positive." Michael answers.

"Princess, you there?" Zedd asks me, and I smile.

"Yes, Mr. Vinzini." I answer.

"Lobby boy, Castiel, please report." He says and I can't help but laugh a little.

"Withholding the urge to punch you in the face when I get back." Castiel answers smoothly. Michael has climbed up a tree and is working on getting a visual of my father and his entourage.

"We have a visual, King, Robert and Christophe are in position." I hear Michael say as a visual pops up on the computer that Eloise has set up. At the mention of his name I see Castiel tensing up, I don't know how he's going to control himself when we get back into the Castle, because one wrong move could land him back in the isolation chamber.

"Any guards?" Zedd's voice asks unsure.

"I only count five, but there's probably more." Michael remarks as his field of vision moves back to my father. He's dressed crisply in a sapphire coloured shirt and light trousers, his golden locks slicked neatly to the side like it always it. There's a frown etched upon his face and concern in his eyes, but I see past those.

"Has Zedd briefed you on what to do when daddy dearest pursues the matter?" Eloise asks, smiling. She is busy trying to make Castiel and I look dirty, like we have actually been abducted and not recruited. I nod slowly as well as Castiel.

"Michael, how are things up there?" She asks.

"Good, good." He replies.

"And then we are live with the King in three. Two. One." Nate's voice announces, I swallow hard and watch the visual.

"Hello, Your Majesty." Zedd's voice says, but it's lowered almost demonic. I know why, if the King recognizes his voice, Zedd will for sure be Reckoned and then the cause is lost.

"Where is Anaise?" My father demands immediately, and some part of me wishes he actually cared for me, and not just for the unborn child inside of me.

"Calm down, Your Excellency," chuckling, with sarcasm dripping from every word, "all will be revealed in time."

"You damn terrorists better give her back, or so help me God, I will have you all beheaded!" My father spits the words out like their venom, it's quite different to see him like this, makes me think he might still have a heart.

"Don't be rash, Your Majesty. Remember what we have," Zedd's voice goes even lower, sinister almost, "tell you guards their shift is over, we won't be needing them."

"How can I trust you?" My father's voice hinges on nervous, he's never nervous.

"It's not being able to trust us, because if you don't, sweet, naïve Anaise and poor Castiel lose their heads." Zedd says, voice still hinging on sinister.

I watch the guards disappear one by one until my father and the Fjeld's are alone.

Eloise stops what she's doing, and gives me a small smile, "okay, this is it. This is what we are waiting for, with the guards gone and Zedd making the King go wild with his accusations we should we be able to push you two into their field of vision. I'm going to pull a bag over your heads, so you won't be able to see, but it'll only be for a little while," she says this to Castiel, knowing his irrational fear of the dark, "and then you'll be in the arms of the Royals again."

We both nod obediently as she pulls a bag over my head, for a moment I am scared and my breathing speeds up, but then I faintly make out Eloise and Castiel's silhouettes, and calm down.

"Alright, we're set." Eloise's voice goes in my ear.

"Roger," Nate says, "just follow Eloise's lead, she'll get you over there." Nate's voice says, probably to Castiel and I. I see Eloise put on a small mask, resembling something you'd wear to a masquerade ball. She's got a weapon in one of her hands and then she grabs Castiel and I, we've both got our hands tied behind our backs, along with some rag wrapped around our mouths. I can still hear Zedd egging my father and the Fjeld's on as Eloise pushes us forward.

"Look to the West, Your Majesty." Zedd says, "you'll find I keep my promises." And then he's gone, there's a soft static sound going in my ear as Eloise quickly plucks out the earpiece and disappears back into the forest. I don't know how long we stand there but I hear the footsteps and see my father's bulky figure running toward me and snatching the bag off my face. Relief floods his eyes are he embraces me in a tight hug, I make myself cry, smiling through the tears. He takes the rag out of my mouth and then I see the tears staining his rosy cheeks.

"Father!" I exclaim, trying to make my voice sound rougher than usual. Both the families seem to buy into Castiel and I's lie, but I don't celebrate yet because I know what comes next.

"Oh, my darling! Are you okay?" He immediately flies into our native dialect, speaking fluently.

"Nein, Papa." I say quietly, crying into his chest, I don't know what I'm crying for. Maybe it's for the Castle, or for the baby, or for myself. I don't cry but I let it all out on my father, crying for practically everything. I see Christophe lingering around Castiel and sense the thick turmoil between the two. Sir Robert is fussing over Castiel in their native dialect, holding his cheeks up and lathering him in kisses everywhere, then hugging him and saying something in the lines of, "you scared me!"

Christophe's calculating eyes are staring straight at me, they don't soften as he seems me cry, they stay cold and icy as he stares deeper and deeper into me, until he sees almost right through me, I continue crying into my father's chest as he tells me that he loves me and I cry ever harder when he does, because I know he loves what I'm doing, not me myself.