A/N: Hello again! I'm just going to warn you right off the bat that this is an extremely AU story. There will be heavy fantasy elements, so don't freak out. Kurt and Blaine will be as IC as possible, but there will be some definite tweaks to their personalities since obviously their circumstances are very different. Ashter will be playing the part of Blaine while Gabriel will serve as Kurt. This is most definitely my favorite out of all the story ideas I have, and I'm very excited to be finally getting it started! Enjoy!

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Prologue

Once upon a time, there was a castle overlooking the sea.

Formidable and large, it stood like a dutiful gargoyle atop a hill, suspended high above the rolling waves. When storms came, the violent water thundered against the cliff face below in a fury but could never touch it, while the wind keened forlornly around four looming towers but could never bend their shape. The twin flags fluttering above the gatehouse, each blue and gold and emblazoned with the image of a lion, were slightly tattered and torn, but their colors stood stark against the drab gray stone, bright and eager.

The prosperous town of Tirallan lay sprawled down the slope just behind the fortress, alive with shops, homes, and taverns. People from all walks of life bustled this way and that along the busy streets and docks. They lived as they wanted and loved as they pleased, from the smallest child to the mightiest warrior.

They were fearless and they were happy, because their prince was fair and true.

Prince Ashter of Tirallan commanded the respect and admiration of all but a handful of his subjects. No older than twenty-two, he was very young considering the authority he possessed, but handled his power with thoughtfulness and compassion. He had soldiers trained and ready only as a precaution rather than a necessity, and his people enjoyed a peaceful, well-protected existence.

Of course, he was also very handsome.

Several women and even some men within the territory had become smitten with the Prince, falling under a spell cast by eyes the color of honey and dark curls. He preferred males, it seemed, and it was rumored that he had taken a fancy to one of his knights, but he was unwed and expressed little desire to change this truth.

All he seemed to want was to spend time in a quiet little cove just west of the castle, where he would sit or lie upon a large, smooth boulder surrounded by calm, shallow waters. Sometimes he would read, carrying the book gingerly in fear of getting it wet. He liked the old Greek myths the best; the isolation of his hiding spot made it easy to forget himself, to imagine he could soar high above the clouds like Icarus or face a creature as fearsome as the Minotaur with as much bravery as Theseus.

Other times he just liked to listen.

It took his breath away sometimes, listening. On warm days, gulls would gather on shore and cry in harsh tones, and he could sometimes overhear the sailors on passing ships shouting at one another. And the sea...

The sea was so rhythmic, so cyclical in its lapping at the shore that it seemed to be a living thing with a pulse, the waves crashing farther out like the deep breathing of a gigantic, sleeping beast. He would sit in silence, wind pulling at his hair and bare toes dipped in the chilly water, trying to match his inhale and exhale with that of the ocean. More often than not it only made him feel small and insignificant, but sometimes, sometimes he could sense a frail connection, as though he belonged here but was missing something. Something important.

It was on those days that he heard it.

The singing.

The first time he noticed it, Ashter had been sure that it was only the wind. But as he continued listening, he realized it had a distinctly human quality. The notes were not just notes. They were words, he was sure, and although they were smooth, flowing, and pleasant to the ear, they were not in any tongue he recognized.

And at the same time, it was completely inhuman.

It came from nowhere, it seemed, and he couldn't tell if it was male or female. It floated faintly in the air around him from a phantasmal source, and stirred a part of him that had been sleeping for a very long time awake. He had heard it before, he knew, but could not remember where or why.

It was indescribably beautiful. The song was always the same, and even though he could not understand the language, there was so much longing in the tone itself that it made his heart ache. He just knew somehow that it was about love, and that made him feel better about not knowing where it was coming from. Whoever – or whatever – it was could not make so pure a sound and have a tainted heart, and he did not feel endangered.

One day, while Ashter lay comfortably on his back and gazed up at the gathering clouds, he heard the beginnings of a familiar tune wisp by. He had half a mind to just close his eyes and listen, but today, it was louder than usual. He sat up, his eyes darting this way and that, hoping to finally, finally see a face belonging to the voice.

No one was there. But it was close, closer than it had ever been before. Questions sudden began to swirl in Ashter's head and he strained his ears, curiosity nearly overwhelming him. Why was today different?

It was definitely a man's voice, he realized, albeit a high one. Why wouldn't he show himself? "Who's there?"

It stopped.

Ashter's heart leaped into his throat and he waited tensely for something, anything to happen. Maybe it was a ghost. He waited for several agonizingly long seconds with no sign of life, every sense alive and alert but without reward for their diligence. Please, he begged silently. I want to know who you are.

Still nothing. Slumping his shoulders, the prince looked sadly at the shifting surface of the water. What if he scared it away? What if it never came back again? He had never tried to speak to it before, even though that seemed like the obvious thing to do. Maybe he should go...

The remnants of the song still whispering in his ears, Ashter went back up the hill.

That night, he dreamed of strange blue eyes.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews and constructive criticism is much appreciated.