AN: And so begins the little fic I've been dreaming of for the past few months. So much different than West Side Klaine as I'm forgoing gang violence and harsh city streets for magic and a sprawling Scandinavian- esque landscape. Fantasy and fairy tale are my true loves so it was natural for me to write in the genre. I will warn that though things start out nice and fluffy this fic will have its dark elements and sometimes violent or sexual imagery. Please let me know what you think! Give me all your delicious reviews! Thank you!

The Wolf of Aldyr

~1~

The Prince

His young muscles trembled and his little eight year old fingers struggled to keep hold of both the bow string and the feathered end of the arrow as he pulled them back and tried to aim. He watched as the rabbit in his sights munched intently on a leaf and Kurt silently begged it to stay still.

Kurt couldn't get the arrow to point right and it tapped against the wood of the bow as he failed to keep it steady, but the weight of the bow was becoming too much, so he took a deep breath and let the string go. The arrow sailed through the air straight for its target...

… and landed a foot short.

The rabbit, alarmed by the arrow, hurried off into the bushes and Kurt was left to sulk over to where the shaft stuck out of the ground, kicking tufts of grass as he went. When he reached it he tried to tug the thing out of the dirt without breaking it and finally managed to, but not without falling on his own behind.

Frustrated, Kurt placed the small bow around himself to carry it and began to walk once more as he cleaned off the arrow head, hoping to find another chance to use it. He was heading higher, up away from the city, and he had to lean forward to compensate for the slope. He was still polishing the head of the arrow with his thumb when when something besides his pursuit of target practice caught his attention.

It was so faint that for a moment Kurt thought he might have imagined the sound. He stilled and listened until it became clear that there really was a voice drifting through the air. He followed unthinkingly. As he wound through the trees he realized he was approaching something very very large. A wall made of huge stone blocks. He looked up and side to side but as far as he could see the wall stretched on.

He knew where he was. This had to be the wall surrounding Aldyrgard Castle, which Kurt had only ever seen from afar, towering over the city. Kurt reached out a hand, placed it carefully against the cold stone, and felt a thrill run through his skin. He'd never been this close before.

Kurt started to follow the wall, keeping his hand on it as he went. Ten minutes went by before he approached a part of the wall that was different from the rest. It was cracked, making an opening right at the bottom. It was small, but as Kurt crouched to look at it he thought that maybe he could get through it.

Kurt's heart pounded. He was so curious to see the other side, but he knew if he was caught he could get both him and his father into serious trouble.

Just for a second, he thought. I just want to see.

Kurt left his bow and arrow behind, hidden in some tall grass. Then he squeezed his way through the crack, feeling the edges of the stone pulling on his clothes and scratching against his skin. He made it to the other side, only to find himself in a tangle of bushes. He twisted and got down to crawl until he was able to poke his head through the foliage. He let out a gasp.

It was so beautiful. He was in a huge garden, but not like any garden Kurt had ever seen. The trees were trimmed, clumped together tastefully, and all around them were hedges surrounding bed upon bed of colorful flowers. Birds sang and flitted around the branches as butterflies hovered over the buds on the ground. Beyond all of this, up on a higher tier, stood the castle. Kurt had seen it just about every day of his life from his very own window, but to be standing here on this side of the wall was awe inspiring.

It was a long time before Kurt remembered himself and looked around to make sure there was no one who could see him. But the garden seemed abandoned, so Kurt pushed himself the rest of the way out of the bushes and straightened up. He began to explore the beautiful place, drinking in every incredible sight, sound, and smell. It was like discovering a whole new world.

Then he heard the voice again and suddenly he remembered why he had come this way in the first place. It was clearer now and as Kurt listened he could start to make out the soft and bitter melody of a lullaby.

Kurt began to follow the sound once again but stopped when he realized that whoever was singing might do something terrible to him. He was trespassing, after all. But the sound was so pretty that Kurt couldn't help but want to see who was making it. He stood torn for a moment before giving in to his curiosity once again. He crept forward, following the singing as it lead him into a thick group of trees. His eyes darted around expecting the singer to appear behind one of the trunks. But Kurt couldn't find anyone.

Then the singing stopped.

"Who are you?" the voice came from above and Kurt jumped and turned to see a curly head poking through the branches of a tree. It took him a moment to realize that the head belonged to a boy. Was he Kurt's age? He seemed like it, though he was rather high up and Kurt couldn't see him very well. Still, Kurt was relived to see that the voice was another kid. Surely that meant Kurt wasn't going to be in trouble. "Who are you?" the kid asked again.

"My name is Kurt," he said. Then as an afterthought he added, "son of a blacksmith."

"Oh, well I'm Blaine." The boy seemed to consider him for a second and then said, "son of a king." Kurt's eyes went round.

"You mean, you live here?" Blaine nodded. Kurt was stuck between amazement and fear. This wasn't just some other kid. "Are you gonna lock me up?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Cause I'm not supposed to be here."

"Oh," Blaine seemed to be thinking again. "Well, I'm not supposed to be out here either. So I'd have to lock us both up." Kurt laughed at the thought of someone locking themselves up. He could hear Blaine laughing too and that put him at ease.

"How did you get up there?" Kurt looked at the tree in front of him but the branches seemed way too high up for him.

"You've got to climb up that one," said Blaine. "That tree on your right. And then jump over to this one."

Kurt looked where Blaine pointed and saw that this tree looked a lot easier to climb. He'd never really climbed trees before and the thought of being so high up was a bit scary. But he didn't want this new boy to know he was scared. So he latched on to the lowest branch and began to climb up. It was hard at first. He had trouble getting his footing on the bark and a couple of times he thought he was about to fall. But finally, with encouragements and directions shouted at him from Blaine, Kurt managed to get to the right branch.

He looked across to where the curly haired boy was waving him over. "Come on. You have to jump."

Kurt thought he'd much rather stay where he was, but slowly he pushed himself into a crouched position, balancing on the branch before launching himself forward. As he felt another branch come up beneath him he clung to it with all his might.

"You can open your eyes now." Kurt hadn't even realized that he'd closed them. He opened them and was delighted to see that he had made it! Blaine was also now directly in front of him and, much like the castle, Blaine was so much nicer up close with his big bright eyes and goofy grin.

"Do you do this all the time?" Kurt asked, looking down and feeling a bit dizzy seeing his distance from the ground.

"Yeah," said Blaine. "What's that?"

"Do you ever fall?" Kurt was still worried about the height.

"No. What's that on your arm?" Kurt tore his eyes away from the ground and looked to see that Blaine was pointing at the twisted iron band on his wrist. Kurt held it up. "It's a bracelet. I made it."

"You made it?" asked Blaine in disbelief.

"Yeah," Kurt said proudly, "I make them all the time in my father's shop. But he thinks I should be learning to make proper things."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Like the stuff he does. Pots and horseshoes and weapons."

"Well I like the bracelet. It's pretty,"

Kurt noticed how Blaine had yet to take his eyes off it. "Do you want it?" Kurt asked.

Blaine's eyes snapped up to Kurt's. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kurt removed the band from his own wrist and held it out to Blaine. "I can make more."

Blaine held out his arm eagerly and Kurt slipped it on, happy to see that it fit. Blaine looked down at it like it was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen in his life.

Kurt laughed. "Haven't you ever seen a bracelet before?"

Blaine blushed and put his arm down. "Yes... I just really like this one. Thank you." He smiled at Kurt and Kurt smiled back.

"No problem."

"BLAINE!" Both boys jumped at the sound of an older woman calling out.

Blaine groaned, "It's Nana. Quick! We have to get higher up!"

"Higher?" Kurt asked reluctantly. He didn't have any time to protest though since Blaine was already tugging him up to the next branch of the tree. Kurt did his best to follow along and not think about how high up they were getting. The woman kept calling and each time Blaine made them move faster. Then they came to a crook in the tree where Blaine had the two of them huddle down.

"Don't move," said Blaine. Kurt didn't think he could move if he tried. He just clung to Blaine's shirt and waited for the voice to pass. When it did Blaine breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at Kurt. "How did you get here?" he asked.

"There's a crack in the wall," said Kurt. This seemed to interest Blaine.

"Can you show me?"

Kurt shook his head. Showing Blaine the wall meant getting down from the tree and Kurt didn't think he could do that.

"Are you scared?" Kurt didn't want to admit that he was. He wanted to be brave. He shook his head again. Blaine frowned and looked down to the ground and then back at Kurt. "You're scared of falling?"

"No," Kurt squeaked. Blaine smiled at him and took his hand. "Just hold on to me and there's nothing to be scared of."

Kurt did what Blaine said, holding tight onto his hand as he started to lead Kurt down the tree. It was slow going and several times Blaine had to yell at Kurt to keep him from looking down and panicking. But then Kurt felt solid ground beneath his foot and he looked to see that they had made it all the way down. He let out a breath of air he didn't know he'd been holding and threw his arms around Blaine in joy. "Thank you!"

Blaine laughed and hugged Kurt back. "Can you show me the crack now?"

Kurt pulled away. "Yeah, it's right over here." Kurt took Blaine's hand again, liking the feel of it in his and led Blaine over to where he'd come through. As soon as Blaine saw the opening he ducked down and began to push through it. Kurt was shocked. He didn't think Blaine meant to actually leave. "Blaine? What are you doing?" But Blaine didn't listen to him. He just kept going. Kurt looked around to make sure no one was watching and then he followed.

When he emerged on the other side he saw Blaine running around and jumping like a puppy dog. He came over to Kurt still jumping up and down. "I've never been on this side of the wall before!" he said. "Kurt! Can you take me to the city? Can you show it to me?"

Kurt shifted nervously. "I don't know if that's a good idea. What if we get in trouble?"

"We won't get in trouble. I won't let anyone see me. Please?" When Kurt didn't answer Blaine stood straight up and furrowed his eyebrows. "As your prince, I order you to take me to the city!"

Kurt looked at him in shock. "That's not fair."

"Do it! Or I'll throw you in the dungeon with the rats!"

Blaine was surely joking, right? He wouldn't really throw Kurt into the dungeon. But Kurt sighed and decided to go ahead and take Blaine with him. Blaine had helped him down from the tree, after all. "Okay. But just for a little bit. Then you have to go home."

Blaine agreed. Kurt found his bow and arrow where he'd left them and started to lead Blaine back down the slope towards Aldyrgard. After a long while the trees thinned and they came upon the first row of houses. Kurt looked at Blaine. If they wanted to walk around without being noticed they had to do something about his clothes. It was a pity since they were so nice. Kurt liked them a lot. He pulled on the latch of a shed and found it was unlocked, before ushering Blaine inside. He found a small blanket and after telling Blaine to stay still Kurt wrapped the cloth around him. Then he took a step back and examined his work.

He was rather proud of himself. He'd managed to make Blaine look stylish while still covering up his royal clothes. He looked around and found a hat which he plopped on Blaine's head to hide those distinctive curls. He found himself wishing he could make a clasp for the front to finish off the look. But this would have to do for now.

"How do I look?" asked Blaine.

"Like you'll fit in," said Kurt happily. They left the shed and made their way through the side streets until they found the market on the far side of the bridge. It took a long time with Blaine stopping to look at every little thing they passed. Things Kurt found very ordinary like pub signs, stray cats, and chickens. He was even worse at the market, stopping at every single stand to look at the food and goods stacked up way above their heads. At one point he reached out to take a strawberry and Kurt had to pull his hand back to stop him. "Don't do that." he said. "You have to pay first."

"Pay?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, with coins." said Kurt. "Don't you know that?" He dug into his pocket to find the few pennies he owned. He held them out to Blaine who examined them curiously.

"Who's head is that?" he asked pointing to the man engraved on the coin.

"It's the king of Aldyr."

"Woah," said Blaine, picking it up and looking closer at it. "Do you think they'll put my head on a coin someday?"

Kurt shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe." He took the penny from Blaine and added it back to the ones in his palm. Then he turned and looked up at the lady running the berry stand. "Excuse me. Can I have two strawberries please?" He held out his hand to show her how much money he had.

She smiled at him. "Sure, kid. Go ahead. You don't have to pay, but just take two, okay?" Kurt nodded gratefully, shoving the coins back into his pocket before picking out the two biggest juiciest looking berries he could find.

"I thought we had to pay?" Blaine asked the lady.

"Well, kid, normally you do, but today I'm having a one time special." Both Kurt and Blaine thanked her several times and skipped over to sit on a stack of boxes to enjoy their treat. They smiled wide at each other as they bit into the berries enjoying the sweet taste in their mouths and licking their lips to find every bit of juice.

Then bells began to ring. And it wasn't the church bells Kurt was used to hearing everyday. These were much louder and harsher and they made both boys freeze where they were. A voice called out over the market.

"The young Prince Blaine has been kidnapped! Everyone is to return home and wait to be searched by order of the King!"

Both Kurt and Blaine stood up at the same time. "We've got to get out of here!" cried Kurt. He grabbed Blaine's hand and dragged him down an alley and away from the main street. This was bad. Kurt hadn't kidnapped Blaine, but would the soldiers ever believe him? He'd get locked up for sure! He had to get Blaine back to the castle before they were discovered.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Blaine muttered sadly. "This is all my fault."

But Kurt wasn't listening. He was thinking hard. They had got into the city easy enough, but now that there was an alert out would they be able to get back out the same way they came in? And what about the crack in the wall? Had someone discovered it? Is that why they thought Blaine had been kidnapped?

"Kurt, someone's coming!" Blaine whispered. He was right. Heavy footsteps were coming from the very direction they were heading. To the left Kurt spotted a cellar door. Quickly, he opened it up and he and Blaine scrambled inside before shutting the doors again.

They huddled together and waited as the footsteps passed. It was completely dark down under the doors and Kurt didn't want to end up stuck inside a building just to be caught when the soldiers did their search.

But then a small candlelight shone from inside the cellar. Kurt was ready to flee back out to the alley until the person holding the candle spoke, and he could hear that the voice belonged to a young girl.

"Who are you?" As she approached Kurt could see her face better in the light. She had dark almond eyes and seemed to be foreign. "Why are you hiding in here?"

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other. They didn't know what to say.

The girl held out her candle, examining their faces. Then she gasped. "Is one of you that prince they're looking for?" Kurt shook his head but Blaine spoke up.

"Yes, I am. But I wasn't kidnapped. Kurt didn't kidnap me. We were just having fun."

"Oh," said the girl.

"I need to get back inside the castle. So Kurt doesn't get in trouble."

Kurt put an ear to the crack in the doors. "I think if we go now we can avoid being seen."

"Wait." said the girl. "I might be able to help."

"How?" asked Kurt.

"Just... close your eyes."

"Why? What are you going to do?" He was suspicious. What if she just ran off and got a soldier?

"Kurt, come on, let's just do what she says. Maybe she can help," said Blaine. Kurt hesitated, but if Blaine was okay with it he'd give it a shot. They closed their eyes and Kurt could feel Blaine taking his hand as they waited to see what would happen. At first it seemed like nothing happened, but then Kurt could hear the girl muttering something. Then her thumb pressed against his forehead. It was hot. It almost felt like she was burning him and he flinched away.

"Stay still, please," she said.

Kurt gripped Blaine's hand tighter and forced himself to stay still as the girl traced circles on his forehead with her thumb. Then she moved and Kurt felt Blaine jerk in his hand as she did the same thing to him.

"Okay, open your eyes."

They opened their eyes and looked at each other again. But nothing seemed to have changed.

"I made it so it'll be harder to see you. You won't be completely invisible, but you'll blend into your surroundings better and you should be able to get past everyone without being seen."

They looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and awe. "You put a spell on us?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, but it'll only last for thirty minutes. So you have to go fast."

"But I thought all the witches were gone from Aldyr." said Blaine. "That's what Nana said." Kurt looked between the two of them.

"She's a witch?" He'd heard of the witches. Heard how they were evil men and women who ate children and had to be burned to be killed. But he'd never imagined meeting one, let alone one who was just a little girl. The girl looked uncomfortable at the mention of the title.

"Please don't tell anyone about me," she begged.

Blaine nodded. "You helped us. I won't tell."

"Me neither," agreed Kurt.

"You better go," she said. "Good luck."

They thanked her and snuck out of the cellar before making their way back to the wall. True to the girl's word they were able to get past every single person they came upon without anyone noticing them. Once out of the city they made the long climb up from the valley to where the castle was. They finally reached the crack in the wall and, to Kurt's relief, no one seemed to be guarding it. Maybe they hadn't found it after all. Blaine started to push through but then he looked back at Kurt.

"You should go. I can get back to my room from here."

"What are you going to say?"

"I'll just say I was hiding and fell asleep. I'll be okay."

"Okay," said Kurt.

Blaine smiled up at him. "Thank you. This was the best day I ever had."

Kurt was surprised at this but he smiled back. "Yeah, me too. Goodbye, Blaine."

"Maybe I'll see you again," said Blaine. Kurt wasn't sure about that. He didn't know if he could run from the soldiers every day. But he did want to see Blaine again.

"Yeah, you will."

And with that Blaine disappeared through the wall.