SPN fic: The Unicorn
Title: The Unicorn
Author: drabblewriter
Fandom: Supernatural
Wordcount: 935
Rating: G
Pairing: Sam/Castiel
Prompt(s): "SPN, Sam/Castiel, unicorns are real" by crimson_antics @ comment_fic
Summary: Unicorns only appear to those pure of heart - Sam doesn't believe he fits that description.
When the sound of wingbeats dies down and Castiel lets go of his hand, Sam opens his eyes to see that they’ve landed in the middle of a lush green forest. “Where are we?” Of course he’d known the angel was taking him somewhere, but he trusted him enough not to ask questions when it seemed like he had been in a hurry, even though the angel hadn’t asked Dean to come along, which had seemed a bit strange.
“Roughly two miles north of Gordon, Wisconsin,” Castiel tells him as begins walking.
“Can I ask why?” Sam asks, following curiously.
“There are reports of unicorn sightings in this area,” the angel answers him matter-of-factly.
Sam stops in his tracks, sure he must have heard wrong. “Wait, did you say unicorn? But they’re not-”
“Real? I assure you that they are, Sam. Only incredibly rare. In medieval times, their horns were valued most highly for creating various potions, and they were hunted nearly to extinction. Only a few remain, and they are almost never seen by humans.”
“So, what, we have to hunt it?” Sam asks as they set off again. “How do you even kill a unicorn? Shouldn’t we have brought salt or silver or something?”
Castiel gives him a smile and says, “We are not hunting anything, Sam. Unicorns are benevolent creatures who bring luck to the settlements they dwell near. I only wish to give you the experience of seeing one. As I have said, it is a rare gift.”
Sam is silent as they walk, thinking this over. Of course there were legends about unicorns, but he had never heard of a hunter who had seen one. Everyone said they were just a myth, like bigfoot - nothing but stories. But if Cas said differently…
“There.” The word is soft and accompanied by a hand on his arm, bringing him to a halt.
Sam looks up and sees it standing a dozen yards away at the edge of a small pond. The animal is all dazzling white coat and golden mane and tail, a softly glowing crystal horn extending from its forehead just like in all the stories. It makes his breath catch, the beauty and feeling of innocence surrounding it. There are so few harmless supernatural beings, and this is the first Sam has seen. It’s awe-inspiring.
“Cas-” he chokes.
“Hush,” the angel murmurs. “We don’t want to startle him. If we are careful, he will come to us.” Then he raises his voice slightly, speaks for a few moments in some ancient language Sam isn’t familiar with.
The unicorn gracefully swings it’s head around to look at them, dark eyes shining intelligently. Castiel says something else, speaking to it, and the creature begins to walk toward them. Sam holds his breath as it stops about halfway, ears flicking nervously as it stares right at him.
“He senses the demon blood in your system,” Castiel says softly. “It is making him nervous.”
Sam drops his head in defeat. Of course. Like he’s ever going to get over that. Of course a creature this pure and wonderful doesn’t want to be any nearer to him.
Cas moves to rest a hand on his shoulder. “Relax, Sam. He will come, in time. Unicorns only appear to those who are pure of heart. Regardless of the taint in your blood, you fit that description.”
Sam is about to argue when the creature moves again. It’s still keeping his eyes on him, ready to bolt at any minute, but it doesn’t. The hunter can hardly believe when the unicorn keeps going until it is standing right in front of him. He hardly dares to breathe for fear of scaring it away.
The creatures eyes flick away from Sam as Castiel reaches out to gently run one hand down it’s mane. The creature whinnies and shakes its head slightly, seeming to approve of the gesture. Heart pounding, Sam reaches out and places a hand on its neck, barely touching. It leans into his hand, and Sam can’t help the grin the spreads across his face at the gesture and the wave of acceptance that flows through him from the creature. He can feel Castiel’s satisfied gaze on him as he rubs the unicorn’s neck.
After another few moments, the creature looks off into the distance. It shakes its head, knocking their hands free, and whinnies loudly before turning and running off into the trees.
“Did I-?”
“No, Sam, you did nothing. He senses that he is needed elsewhere. The unicorn is the protector of the forest and has many cares.”
Sam just stares at the place where the beautiful creature disappeared for awhile, letting the experience sink in. It just happened, right in front of him, but it still seems so surreal. Finally, he says, “Thank you for bringing me here, Cas. That was…amazing.”
“It was my pleasure, Sam.” The angel steps closer and raises a hand to the hunter’s cheek before saying, “I know that you have trouble believing it, but I am telling you the truth when I say that the blood running through your veins does not define who you are. God knows it, the unicorn knows it, and I know it. You are a good person, Sam Winchester.”
“Thank you,” is all Sam can manage. He feels overwhelmed. He hadn’t known until this moment how much Castiel really understood him, and having the angel show him this to prove a point… “It - it really means a lot.”
Castiel doesn’t say anything more, just pulls him down into a soft, loving kiss.