Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living, dead, or otherwise is purely coincidental. Italics are set in the Enchanted Forest, regular text is in Storybrooke. I do not own any of the associated characters, properties, etc. I make no profit from this. This story is not friendly to Blaine Anderson or the Kurt/Blaine pairing. This story contains blood, magic, a same sex relationship, death, violence, and horror elements. You have been warned. Now, without further ado…

A Raven's Knight

Sir Adan stood at his vigil, at the edge of one of the fields of a minor village. His company had been sent there for the night of this festival and so far the most exciting thing that has happened was watching Sir Malcolm fall off his horse from drink. Although he was far from the town center, he heard the peels of laughter, the crackling of the fires, and the occasional moan of a couple lost in passion. Tonight the village celebrated and was unbound. Granted, the curate did not approve of this, but the smaller villages remembered. Sometimes nights like this were needed. Sometimes the Dark had to be acknowledged.

He felt the lust, the throes of passion on the night's breeze. His hands rested on his belt and he turned his eyes from the central bonfire. His eyes turned towards the lake and he fingers the small token his mother gave him before he was deployed. He looked up and all he saw was the moon dark in the sky and behind a heavy veil of clouds. Even if it was not the wolf's time, there were still other things moving in the night. He wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword as he walked at a brisk pace.

The figure near the lake was hard to distinguish, even with the light of the fires burning. Adan all but ran as he saw the figure seemingly vanish only to reappear within moments. On this night, he wondered who would be fool enough to swim. While the distance between the town and the small hut on the lake was not great, it was a barren one with only the road and no other houses. He had not asked about it when he had come in and hadn't heard anything from the other men of his company. The closer he got to the small hut, the longer the figure seemed to vanish.

Adan lost his footing for a moment as the hard ground began to shift to sand. He looked around and saw only the hut many yards up further on the shores and no figure, he wondered if he had dreamed it all. Magic ran free tonight, he thought to himself, and it was entirely possible he had been fooled. Looking around one last time he turned and began to walk back towards the center of the village when a breeze wrapped itself around his hair. He turned his eyes to the road from the forest when it hit him.

It was like the time he had visited the sea as a child, and been towed under by a wave. His father had saved him from drowning, but Adan had always remembered the sensation of spinning beneath the waters. The sensation of being powerless, of being tossed as a die, of being weighed down upon, all of those were on him instantly and he spun backwards. His mother's favor token from his arm and glowed for a second. Whatever had assaulted him swirled around the token while his head wrung. His left leg and arm were numb the area beneath his ribcage on his right side was an inferno of pain. Each breath pulled daggers through his chest. The world was dim save for the flickering light around the small charm his mother had gifted him.

"Ask me to help you," a high, breathy voice whispered in his ear. Adan wanted to turn his head, wanted to see who had made such a demand of him, wanted to know what sort of being could have such a voice. All he could do though was angle his eyes slightly. In the edge of his vision he caught the frayed edge of an ancient pair of pants and bared feet. Not much to go on for a potential savior the knight thought to himself.

"What?" he managed to croak out.

"We're running out of time. The protections of love won't last long, not against It. If you ask me for help, I might be able to save you."

1,000 questions ran through Adan's mind, but he could feel the power beginning to surge and mass again. The breeze ruffled his hair and he knew he would not be able to survive another strike of whatever It was. "Please, will you help me?" he asked, his voice not much more than a whisper. He didn't hear a response. Instead he watched as the feet moved forward. All of his potential savior that came into his field of vision were calves covered by the pair of pants though. The world stood silent for a moment, and then there was a roar. Light and heat seemed to pour from each blade of grass, from each ant moving silently about its task, and even from his broken body and it flowed to the figure standing before him. A corona of flames seemed to dance around the figure before him, terrible as a sunrise, and then it jumped forth as the nameless force rushed forwards.

Adan had to close his eyes as he felt the waves of an explosion roll over his body. Even with his eyes shielded spots danced in his mind for a moment. On some level, he knew those dancing around the bonfire in the village would not see this. This had not been a contest for them to see. It was power against power, a contest waged in the deepest shadows of reality. Had he not wandered from the protections of the bonfire, he would not have believed such a contest to be going on. How long the waves of force and heat lasted, Adan dared not wager. When the spots ceased dancing and the ringing of his ears ceased he looked again. No breeze stirred his hair, and the pair of legs was still before him.

The feet turned and walked towards him. He saw the legs bend and wanted to tilt his eyes upwards to see his savior. He couldn't even manage that though. Every fiber of his being ached and each breath was labored. Strong fingers threaded their way through his light brown hair. Stillness flooded into him, the night, its sounds and smells became a far distant shore. He felt himself beginning to drift into the deep dreamless sleep made possibly only through the usage of magic. As the world continued to fade away he heard a voice echo in his ears, "Sleep, sleep untroubled by dreams. Sleep until life wakes you."*

…

Adam Crawford walked the halls of Storybrooke High, surrounded by some of his friends from the drama club. They knew they were low on the social totem pole, but could honestly have cared less about their social status. That, and their tendency to travel in packs prevented the worst of the bullying. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Kurt Hummel walked down the hall. Rude jeers echoed around the sophomore and Adam looked on in sympathy. Kurt had a quiet courage Adam never could have hoped to muster. Being out in this place, just wasn't doable for him. Of course, Kurt had his boyfriend, but whenever Adam saw them together it didn't look like a pair of teens in love.

Adam remembered the one time someone had tried to physically assault Kurt, it had been early last year. It had been a player on the football team, the Knights. Adam remembered the sudden transformation that had taken place on Kurt's face. From calm, detached, and almost angelic to icy, wrathful, and a picture of the lower levels of hell. Adam favored his British mother's slang in moments of great passion, and Kurt had been bloody terrifying. The football player had ended up with three broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a shattered kneecap, and (according to rumor) would never be able to have a kid because of the damage Kurt had done before he had been pulled off.

The rumor mill had propounded theory after theory about why Kurt hadn't been expelled. The most cringe worthy, in Adam's perspective, involved Kurt having an affair with the mayor. Adam had heard Kurt babysat the mayor's son on a few occasions, but being on good terms with elected officials did not a liaison make. Then again, this was high school. Where on earth was the logic? Adam shook himself out of his reverie and watched as Kurt moved past with downcast eyes. The older boy wanted to say something, anything. He wanted Kurt to look at him. He couldn't say anything though. Those that weren't jeering at Kurt and his boyfriend seemed to be convinced that the two were endgame.

Adam sighed and listened to the rest of Brandon recounting his most recent date with Chelsea. There was a small smile on his lips. While he might not have been happy with the way things were, he only had one more year of this. Soon he would be in Boston, New York, Chicago, or maybe he would go to Chelmsford, Essex, where his mother's family lived. He didn't know that much about the University system in the United Kingdom, and he would have to ask his mother some point soon if he wanted to get serious about those sorts of applications. He didn't see why he shouldn't though. Any place would be better than here. Any place where he wouldn't have to face his own cowardice.

As the drama club began to part ways for their individual classes, Adam walked past the choir room. He dared a glance. Kurt was at the piano, his fingers still on the keyboard while he sang something. Through the din of moving students, Adam couldn't make out the lyrics of the song. He could only hear the melody of the other boy's high, seraphic voice. Adam wanted to go in, wanted to listen. He couldn't though. The glee club was perhaps the only organization in Storybrooke High ranking below the drama club. Besides, adding glee now would look like a desperate attempt to pad his resume before he got serious about his applications.

Adam tore his gaze away, half wondering what it would be like to actually talk to Kurt. He would never know though. At least that was what he told himself.

…

Adan awoke slowly, his eyes heavy. He was dimly aware at first of the heavy blankets pulled around him. It took him longer than he would have cared to admit to come to awareness of his near nudity beneath the coverings of the bed. As he scanned the room, memories slowly came back. Each event, the walk to the lake distant from the village, the treachery of the sand beneath his feet, and then the assault from the nameless darkness, all were clear as portraits in his mind's eye. While his form was still stiff and sore from sleep, he found he could move without too much discomfort. Slowly he began to take in the room. It was simply furnished with an oak slab serving as a table perhaps five paces from where he lay and a fire kindled was a small hearth. Tending the fire was a bear of a man who turned to him with a gruff sound.

"You're finally awake," the man said, leaving his duties.

"What…" Adan began, trying to form words but lacking the strength to finish his sentence.

"My son found you outside on the night of the festival, half dead and mumbling. Your company moved on days ago. We're surprised you survived. Not many survive an encounter with It," the man said as he laid a calloused hand on Adan's shoulder. As he did so, the door opened and in walked a lithe boy. Younger than Adan, but the knight couldn't say by how much. He possessed a dancer's frame, a sharp face, and sea-blue eyes that matched the man leaning over him.

"He finally woke up," the boy commented. Adan knew the voice instantly. It was the voice that had forced him to call for help. It was the voice that had commanded him to sleep. It was the voice that…Adan stopped his thoughts as best he could as he took in the conversation between father and son. They were talking low and quickly. Although the room was not big, they were far enough away for the knight to have difficulty hearing them. Propping himself on his elbows slowly, Adan began to try to lean forwards only for the world to spin more than slightly. Within seconds the boy was tilting a bowl of something hot and soothing to his lips, and Adan drank greedily.

"I'll be back before sundown in two weeks," the man said as he exited the room. The boy nodded and laid down the bowl. Adan's stomach gurgled slightly, but the room no longer spun. For this small mercy at least, he was thankful. He turned his focus on the boy again who seemed to be staring at the closed door as if half expecting his father to return at any moment. The boy eventually raised his hand and made a small gesture. Adan saw the bolt slide home and felt his mouth open slightly.

"My father doesn't know I can use magic," the boy said gently, "and I would prefer to keep it that way."

"But you saved me with magic," Adan said slowly.

"I did, and if I didn't you would have died. Father thinks It spared you because of the protection of love. I would rather him think that. He is a good man. Magic however, is the one thing my mother and I kept secret from him."

"Did your mother…"

"Ensnare him with potions and spells? No. He is no king. He is a metal smith and sells his wares over the waters. She pretended to be a mere weaver. He had no idea of her power and she died leaving me the heir of her secrets and craft."

"But you saved me with magic. Whatever It was … was Dark, so your magic can't be."

The boy laughed, and his face transformed as he looked to Adan. His eyes were gentle and the knight wondered what it would be like to awaken to those eyes each day. The thought was gone almost as quickly as it arose, but had been there none the less. The boy adjusted his position as he turned his gaze back on the fire. Extending slender fingers in the direction of his gaze a spark from the hearth traveled to his fingertips. The fire flickered first at his index finger, then to his thumb, then effortlessly to his middle finger. He waved his hand and the spark of fire turned to smoke.

"What I did was neither Light nor Dark magic. It was older than both. Both the Fairies and the Dark One speak of the Price of Magic, what neither of them will tell you what was the First Magic. It wasn't dreams, it wasn't hate, it wasn't love, and it wasn't fear. It was life itself, blood. And that is what I used to press It back. It had shed your blood and that's what I called to. The first magic, the old magic," the boy explained.

The knight couldn't say anything for a long time. He looked on the boys face and tried to see any sign of the high price he spoke of and saw none. What the boy had described…Adan had heard of only in whispers. Such practices were supposedly long forgotten save by the most powerful of the Fairies and the Dark One. Such magic could supposedly shape the very heart of the world, but doing so required a high price of the caster and others. It was impossible to imagine the handsome youth seated near him practicing such a craft.

"What may I call my rescuer?" the knight finally asked.

"If you must call me anything, Konrad, or Kurt if you prefer the short form."

"I'm Adan."

"Nice to formally meet you, Sir Adan."

…

The rain was pelting down and as Adam tried to start the car, he felt it sputter and die. This had been the third time and the bus had already left. He laid his head on the horn as crack of lightning illumined the sky. Walking back home was out of the question, his phone battery was dead, and all of the drama club had already left. He had stayed late, cleaning up after rehearsal. He could try to go back into the school;, maybe there might be someone in the office. As he lifted his head he heard a blaring of a car horn. He rolled down his window once he saw the black SUV doing the same. The consistent hammering of the rain seemed to quiet of a moment as Kurt Hummel asked, "Car trouble?"

"The bloody thing won't start," Adam confessed holding the key in his hand as he did so. He wasn't aware he had sworn like his mother. He always did when he was truly frustrated. He inserted the key back into the ignition and was going to try starting the car one last time.

"Don't," Kurt commanded. From a distance, Adam heard a rumble of thunder. "You'll most likely flood your engine. I can take you back to my dad's shop and we can get you a tow from there." Adam dropped his head slightly. He had allowed himself to forget that one of the few out people in the entire school was the child of one of the better mechanics in town.

"You sure you don't mind?" Adam asked.

"The storm's only going to get worse, get in," Kurt said. From the passenger's seat, Adam picked up his backpack. He pulled the key from the ignition, shimmied out of his car, locked it, and all but ran into the passenger side of Kurt's vehicle. Before he could even offer thanks, Kurt leaned back and pulled out a small white athletic towel.

"It might not do you much good, but you can at least dry some of that mop you call your hair," Kurt said. Adam nodded his assent. As his hand reached forwards, so did Kurt's. For the briefest of all seconds their fingers touched. In that second time, at least for Adam stood still. He was looking at Kurt and Kurt was looking back at him. There was something all too familiar on the younger boy's face. Adam felt like he had seen that expression once directed at him, although he knew it could not be so. Their fingers rested against each other and then Kurt's phone trilled at the moment was broken. Kurt answered the call quickly with a "Hello?" and then was silent, staring forward, obviously not looking at Adam who was still looking at him.

"I understand, Madam Mayor, I'll be there as soon as I can. Is it ok if a friend comes with me, if only to use your landline? His car won't start," Kurt asked and Adam instantly flashed back to all the rumors he had heard about Kurt and the Mayor, and then to something else. It was fragment of an image, of Kurt wearing simpler clothes talking to the mayor in outlandish fantasy attire in a forest. The image was gone as soon as it came and Adam was too puzzled by it to even listen on the rest of the conversation. Kurt had hung up and started the car rolling by the time Adam cared to pay attention.

"Do you mind helping me with a baby sitting gig? The mayor's stuck in a meeting and she wants me to look after Henry," Kurt said as he turned on the road that would take them from the high school to a quiet, residential neighborhood (not that there was much downtown in Storybrooke). Behind the wheel, Kurt was calm and focused, seemingly paying no mind to the storm outside. Adam shrugged.

"I don't mind too much. It's either baby sit or get soaked in the storm I suppose," Adam said. For a moment silence rested between them as the winds raged, the wipers went about their task, and the rain fell. Adam couldn't help himself from asking "So that's what's between you and the mayor then, you're Henry's baby sitter?"

Kurt chuckled a little. It was small, it was fast, but it was accompanied by something like a genuine smile. Adam's heart fluttered at it. "You're the first person to ask directly. Even my boyfriend is convinced I was the one time teen lover of Mayor Mills. Yes, that's my dirty little secret. I babysit Henry Mills, although the kid's too mature to really need me. Despite some of the things he still believes, he's really grown up in lots of ways," Kurt said as the car stopped in front of a crosswalk. Adam didn't see anybody, but a second later, a tall man in a coat came from the left, struggling against the rain, head downturned. It may have been Dr. Hopper, but Adam wasn't too sure.

"And what does Young Master Mills believe in that he shouldn't?"

"Fairytales, however everyone believes in something. Why not fairytales?"

"Your boyfriend hasn't asked you about this?" Adam said with a smirk. It apparently was the wrong question because the light that had been in Kurt's face flickered and faded instantly.

"No, he hasn't. He prefers his own version of things, no matter what the truth may be. Were I to tell him the truth, I don't think he would believe me."

"That's a little sad."

"It's true for most people. You can show someone something, and they still might not believe it. Blaine might be a little more blinded by his point of view than most, but considering how stuck I can get in my own ways I can be, I think we balance each other out. At least most of the time," Kurt had never taken his eyes off the road and Adam had a feeling the conversation was over, at least for now. He listened to the rain as it fell and for a moment he thought about what Kurt had said. There was at least some truth to it, but it was still sad that Kurt's boyfriend would rather believe rumors.

…

Days had passed, and the knight could feel his strength returning to his body slowly but surely. He no longer had to ask Kurt to accompany him to the outhouse (much to his relief) and had been able to bathe. Kurt had charmed the water to keep it at the temperature he preferred. Adan at first had been overwhelmed by being in the same water Kurt had just been in but eventually had gotten over the sensation to focus on becoming clean as he needed it desperately. Today Kurt was going with him to the forest to get a few herbs he needed for a red dye he was using in his latest weaving project. Kurt had explained that his mother had said if one could manipulate the threads of a loom, then weaving spells would be easy.

The forest near the small village was dense, and the sun's light was defused by layer after layer of foliage. Adan stood against a tree, watching as Kurt bent, stooped, kneeled, and otherwise went about his task of picking small carnelian colored berries. It was only when Kurt turned his head and gave a shy grin that the knight knew he had been smiling at the sight. Adan knew he was flushing and looked down the path they had just came and listened for any birdsong he could. None was to be heard save for the solitary croak of a raven high above them, unseen when Adan turned his head. In the stillness that followed, Adan heard nothing save for the rustling of the wind. The knight turned his head to see Kurt standing perfectly still. "What is it?" Adan asked. Although still too weak to use a sword well, his hand drifted to the place where his sword would have been. Before he could say anything else, Kurt swore, closed the distance, leaned up and kissed him. Harshly.

Adan's head swirled for a second at the physical sensation of the kiss. Then the taste of iron, weakened and diluted by saliva, but still present. Blood. Blood filled his mouth as Kurt's tongue pushed forwards. It was an unforgiving kiss, but Adan was rooted to the spot as magic raced through his veins and the taste of blood transmuted to cinnamon in his mouth. Adan felt himself be pulled into the kiss and let himself forget the world. Distantly, he was aware of the hoof fall of a powerful horse with an unskilled rider being followed by someone who clearly knew how to sit a mount. The kiss continued, Adan's tongue moving around Kurt's as the hooves grew louder and then eventually dimmer. Only when the echo had faded completely did Kurt break the kiss. Adan, whose eyes had been closed saw the world spin back into focus. Kurt's head was pointed downwards.

"I'm sorry, I needed to cast a cloaking spell and the only thing I could do to keep both of us quiet was kiss you," Kurt apologized, head still tilted downwards.

"Why the need for a cloaking spell?" the knight asked, his head still swirling from the kiss, and not necessarily the magical elements of it.

"You heard the idiot on the horse that was too much for him?" Kurt inquired, his face still tilted down, not needing to see Adan's nod, "that was the second son of a local lord. Before I had full control of my power, I let him save me. Now he seeks to make me another trophy in his collection, a kept bird to sing only for him." Adan's mind spun at that. He had heard there were some provinces where people would openly court anyone of their choosing, but had not been to one.

"Is that the issue, that you are interested in women?"

Kurt laughed, and it was a little more guttural than the usual sounds that Adan associated with Kurt's laughter. Still though, there was something entrancing about it. When he finished laughing, with his face still turned he answered, "No, that's not the issue. Is that too much for you to handle Sir Knight?" the tone was obviously a slightly mocking one, but it also dared Adan to answer.

"It is not too much. Why won't you look at me?" Adan asked resting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. The forest stirred around them, and again, high above them, came the croak of a solitary raven. For Adan, the world was still as he awaited Kurt's answer. He imagined that though the fabric, he could feel the thundering of Kurt's heart, in reality, it was probably his own.

"Because you'd see me now, closer to as I truly am. It is part of the price of blood magic, it always shows the truth of things," Kurt said, his voice trembling slightly. Adan's other hand came up slowly, letting Kurt know that the hand was moving. Eventually the hand reached the face and skin was against skin. Adan tilted the shorter boy's head softly, trying to show through his actions that he was no threat. He saw dark lines on Kurt's face, the beginning of an intricate web of tattoos. The knight saw gold flecks in the once sea blue eyes. Adan saw streaks of ebony in the brown hair. None of these mattered.

Slowly, the knight lowered his face to Kurt's taking his time, trying to give Kurt the chance to say no. Instead Kurt leaned up and pressed his lips against Adan's, gently this time. Their lips met, and the world spun. Still there was the slight after taste of iron, but it mattered not to the knight as their tongues began to dance.

When Henry Mills opened the door he first smiled at Kurt and then looked at Adam with suspicion. Adam felt like a drowned rat and knew he must have looked not far from it. Kurt whispered something to the younger boy that caused him to step back, open the door wider and sweep his arm back in a gesture that anyone in the drama club would have been proud of, or so Adam thought to himself. As soon as he was inside the elegantly appointed home, the door was closed behind him. He saw two pairs of shoes by the door and kicked his own soaked trainers off. Henry took his hand while Kurt moved to a phone. Adam followed the small boy to a closet where he was offered a large towel. Before Adam had a chance to mop the worst of the moisture from his hair Henry was asking him about stage combat and if he rode horses.

As soon as he was dry, Adam began showing Henry a basic fencing sequence. Kurt was off the phone when they were working through the middle of it from the defender's position. From the corner of his eye, Adam saw Kurt looking at him and the mayor's son with an expression Adam couldn't read. Kurt was looking at them, but Adam wondered if he was seeing them. It was what his mother would have called a 1000 meter stare. Adam told Henry to practice on his own as he walked over to Kurt. Kurt's gaze remained focused on Henry, the boy going through footwork that only looked easy. When Adam put his hand on Kurt's shoulder, it took the shorter teen a second to come back to himself.

"Are you doing alright?" Adam asked.

"Just got off the phone with my dad. You're not the only person having issues with the weather. The shop's been slammed with customers needing some minor repair or other. It'll take at least two hours before they can get a tow truck to you, and longer before they can do the repairs. Of all the days to leave my kit at home," Kurt said apologetically. A part of Adam knew this was only half of the truth. There was something Kurt wasn't telling him. He wasn't going to push though. Kurt had a right to keep whatever secrets he might want.

"Why don't you go make sure young Errol Flynn there doesn't break his mother's favorite vase? I'll see what the mayor has in her fridge," Kurt said as he turned with a smile and headed off to what Adam presumed was the kitchen. Adam watched Kurt's retreating back with a smile, but not for too long fortunately. As it turned out, Henry was dangerously close to a side table holding an enormous black and silver patterned vase holding the stems of some tree or other. Adam guided the boy away from the table and proceeded to show him the second part of the fencing sequence. It had been used by the drama club for their recent production of Macbeth. Even the local paper had been impressed by it (but Adam doubted that was saying much). When Henry had gone through both parts of the pattern three or four times, Adam heard Kurt reminding Henry of his homework. Henry got out of the lunge he had been half holding and stuck his tongue out in Kurt's general direction.

"None of you lip young man," Kurt shouted back, still out of site, "Ms. Blanchard won't be happy with you tomorrow if you come in unprepared for that history quiz." Henry grimaced and then ran upstairs. Within a moment he was back with a thick book of talking about life in the early United States. Granted it was filled with more pictures then text, but Adam hadn't remembered learning half this stuff when he had been Henry's age. Soon Adam was quizzing Henry about the American Revolution and he wondered just how often Kurt babysat for Henry. It must be quite often indeed if he was able to sense Henry's attitude from rooms away, Adam figured to himself as he asked Henry just what James Madison was called the father of.

A while later Kurt came in with a sheet of fresh baked cinnamon apples scones and US History was forgotten for a few minutes while the three enjoyed the snack. Adam felt warm, at peace, comfortable, and it had little to do with his surroundings. He looked at Kurt and saw, in eyes that he had always presumed were strictly ocean blue, flecks of gold. Adam blinked and the golden flecks had seemingly vanished as Kurt looked over the study guide Ms. Blanchard had given her students and talked with Henry on the best way to handle multiple choice questions.

When the auto-shop finally called for to let Kurt know Adam's car had been picked up, the mayor had just gotten back. The way she looked at him made Adam shiver in a manner that had nothing to do with his mostly dried clothing. Kurt entered and looked directly at the mayor. She shifted her unyielding gaze from Adam to Kurt and Adam watched what seemed a silent battle of wills. Whatever was going to happen, he wasn't certain if he wanted to be around to witness the conclusion. He took Henry up to his room with some of the books they had been using. When Adam came back down, the mayor and Kurt were talking in low, rapid voices. Adam was tempted to think it was a lover's tryst and that Kurt had been lying to him about being Mayor Mill's teenaged lover. That was until he heard the tone of their voices. Those were not the voices any lovers he knew of would ever use with each other.

"You should have known better Konrad," Adam heard as he pressed himself against the wall, trying to remain still. The mayor's voice was positively arctic. And Konrad? What on earth was up with that?

"I couldn't have left him there," Kurt answered back, his voice as frigid as the mayor's, colder if such a thing were possible.

"You should have. Once you bring him to his car, you're never to speak with him again or I'll…"

"You'll what, Majesty? His heart is safe, and you know you can't harm me."

"Even without my usual methods I can still find ways to make his life difficult."

"How creative. You know I'll fight you any way I can. This life we're living will only last so long. The savior is coming."

"So you say, but until then…"

"Until then silence, Adan will be downstairs soon and the less he hears the better."

"So much concern for him Kurt, one might almost think you had a heart after all. "

"Majesty, I will not hesitate to put the knife to your son's chest. Even in this world, blood always wins. Would you risk the life of the only thing you may have ever truly loved?"

Whatever the mayor answered, Adam didn't hear through the blood that rushed to his ears or the pounding in his head. What Kurt and the Mayor were saying to each other, Adam wasn't sure if he wanted to make sense of it, any of it. Then there was the threat Kurt had made against Henry. He had seen how Henry looked at Kurt. The young boy obviously trusted his baby sitter and through the course of the night, Adam had seen what he thought were those precious genuine smiles on Kurt's lips. Why would he threaten Henry's life? Kurt didn't even know him, Adam thought to himself. And why had been called 'Adan'? What the Hell was going on between the mayor and her son's baby sitter?

Adan snuck kiss after kiss with Kurt on their way back to small cottage where Kurt resided. Once he had started kissing the shorter male, the knight couldn't stop himself. Kurt, far from objecting, had even snuck a few kisses back. Each kiss was something new, some side of Kurt Adan hadn't seen before. He could become drunk off those kisses the knight thought to himself. He probably already was. He was too happy to notice when Kurt stopped nor the dark look that settled over Kurt when Kurt's home was back in view. What did sober Adan was the dark carriage. Adan knew it instantly. Kurt's hand was on his stomach and it was the only thing keeping the knight from instant sickness.

"You didn't tell me you know the queen," the knight said when his stomach had stabilized. The look Kurt shot him was a pained one.

"I had hoped you wouldn't need to know that, I had hoped that you would have healed before…"

"Before what?"

"Before I lost my self control and kissed you."

Despite the gravity of the situation, a smile danced over Adan's lips. The knight saw its mirror on Kurt's face. However it was a brief dance for Kurt. "Was kissing me that bad?" Adan asked wondering if the younger man had been kissing him only because Adan wanted it. Did the kissing serve a magical purpose? Adan had tasted no blood. Before he could go too far into the depths of his despair Kurt's hand was on his face and the knight was looking into sea-blue eyes.

"Kissing you has been the best thing that could have happened to me Adan. No matter what happens, no matter what you may see, know this: I believe in what we can become, and I will fight for it," Kurt said and he leaned up and pressed a quick chaste kiss to the corner of the knight's mouth. Adan hoped the kiss was not a goodbye, no matter how much it may have felt like one. It did not help matters any that he felt as if he was marching in a funeral procession on the way to Kurt's house. Adan would have given his commission gladly to see Kurt's face in this moment, but from where he stood he saw only the way the shorter man carried himself.

When the door to the cabin opened Adan looked at the queen, standing by the table as if she had been there many times before. He knew her guards were about, but they were unseen. Adan felt her eyes rake over him and dismiss him as unimportant. A shiver ran through his body and he did what he could to control the impulse to turn from that gaze. It would do no good, and he did not want to seem weak. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kurt ball one of his hands in a fist, digging his nails into his palm even as he gave a short bow. "Majesty," Kurt said softly.

"Konrad," the queen replied, stepping towards him. The small fire Adan was sure they had banked before they had left leapt and cast distorted shadows on the wall. Kurt's shadow seemed far from human.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kurt asked. From the tone of his voice, the knight knew this was an old dance, a dance that had been done before. Adan didn't want to know how many times, but he had a feeling what he was seeing was something close to a duel, save there would be no flash of metal. This was close to the same sort of contest Kurt had waged against the nameless darkness that would have claimed him on the night when Kurt saved his life. It was a duel to be fought in the twilight, and Adan didn't know how much of it he would see. For all he knew they could be fighting even now.

"Can't I just drop by?"

"When have you ever done so in the past?"

"You know me too well Konrad, I took care of that little duke for you, I think you should at least repay the favor."

"I would have been able to handle Flavius on my own."

"And you would have let the human see you, as you really are?"

"He's already seen more than I've shown you, and he did not run."

"Really?" the queen's eyes were again on Adan and this time he looked back at her. It was a silent contest of wills and Adan stood his ground as best he could, trying not to let all that had been said and unsaid between Kurt and the queen ruffle his feathers too much. The queen chuckled and stepped forwards. Moving quickly, Kurt intercepted her and the shadows cast by the firelight seemed to deepen. Kurt's shadow in particular seemed to spread to fill the space and Adan could almost feel the physical aspects of the shadows.

"Majesty, you should know better than to try any tricks in my nest," Kurt said. His voice was low, guttural, and as final as the grave. Adan wasn't sure he wanted to be here, but he knew he had to be. Adan saw something that was unthinkable, the queen taking a step back with something like fear in her eyes. The darkness in the room was growing ever deeper and Adan saw the fire in the fireplace flicker and die. The silence filling the small cottage weighed heavily and felt like a fourth person. Adan wanted to clear his throat and wanted to stand his own ground. Beyond all this, he wanted them both to know he wasn't some piece in a game. However his words stuck in his throat and the silent contest of wills waged between Kurt and the queen. Eventually, the queen gave a small, half mocking bow and the darkness seemed to relent, although the fire did no spring back to life.

"I will remember, but you shall not always be in your nest, little bird," the queen said with a wolf's smile. She left, carrying herself with pride and pose, and as soon as the door closed behind her Kurt seemed to shrink slightly. Adan hadn't noticed the increase in size until it was gone. With careful footsteps he made his way to the fireplace. Adan followed him with his eyes, sitting on what had been his sick bed.

"What was all of that?" the knight eventually asked.

"The queen is one of the few who know the secrets of my power. How she found out, I don't know. She seeks to bind me to her service, and to use my power to augment her own," Kurt said, not looking up from the fireplace.

"Why? With all her magic…"

"Blood is older than light or dark. Blood is blood, and blood always wins. You can't stay here. She'll hunt you down. The further you are from me, from this place, the safer you'll be," Kurt's voice was tired, resigned. Adan stood and walked over he fell to one knee next to Kurt and turned his face up. Even with the light of the fledgling fire, Adan could see the golden flecks in Kurt's eyes. The knight leaned in for a chaste kiss that was willingly given.

"I'd rather be in danger with you, than safe and alone."

…

The next day, Adam's head swam as he tried to digest implicit differentiation in Calculus and the passive voice in German. None of it seemed real, none of it seemed right. Last night he had heard Kurt explicitly threaten the life of the mayor's son after baking him cinnamon apple scones. Last night, he had seen flecks of gold in ocean blue eyes. Last night he had heard talk of a savior, but Adam had never heard of Kurt Hummel being religious. Last night, he had heard Kurt call the mayor majesty and the mayor use a name that wasn't Kurt's. Or was it? "Konrad," Adam whispered to himself as he got in the queue for whatever the cafeteria was serving. The name was alien on his tongue, but it felt familiar on his lips.

Sometime between AP US History and Chemistry II, Adam saw Kurt walking down the hallways alone. For the first time, Adam paid attention not to the boy, but to the shadow he casts. It was long, unusually dark considering the amount of ambient light, and not at all shaped like a human. When Kurt tilted his head to listen to something his boyfriend said Adam saw the profile in the shadow. It was oblong with what could only be called a canine snout. Adam blinked hard and when he opened his eyes again, Kurt's shadow was more human, but still much darker than it should have been.

Not fully knowing what he was doing or why he was doing it, Adam marched across the commons and towards Kurt. Kurt broke off talking with his boyfriend, Brian or Blaine or whatever, and looked straight back at Adam. There was something in his eyes, perhaps the same flecks of gold he had seen the night before. Adam didn't pause long enough to think about what he was seeing. If he paused, he might second guess himself and stop. Taking Kurt by the bicep, Adam began walking at a fast pace ignoring the whispers and looks following them. He could feel Kurt's eyes upon his neck and knew there would be a mixture of fear and hate. Looking down he saw those emotions, and one more he couldn't or wouldn't pace. Kurt's lips were pursed together, but before he could say a single word Adam looked right at him. "Konrad," Adam said again, the name now almost familiar.

Shock passed quickly through Kurt's body and he bowed his head, and let himself be led by Adam into a classroom that was seldom used. Adam closed the door behind them and let the darkness and the quiet settle around them. Even with the half-light from the windows, Adam knew Kurt's eyes were on him. Turning towards Kurt, Adam tried to think of something to say. Anything. However all that came to his lips was the name. "Konrad," Adam said, not moving. Kurt moved from where he had been standing to the teacher's desk. In a fluid movement, the slighter, younger boy was all but perched on it. One leg was drawn to his chest, the other dangled towards the floor. Adam didn't need to see Kurt's eyes to know the golden flecks would be present.

"How much did you hear Adan?" Kurt, no Konrad, asked. His voice was tired, too tired and too experienced to be the voice of a high school sophomore. The other name, the name that was not his, Adam didn't even flinch as Kurt said it. It wrapped around him and echoed in him. It was a name that had been his in dreams and dreams only, never to be remembered in the world of the waking. Hearing it, knowing it as a waking man, having it addressed to him, under other circumstances it would have made Adam Crawford pause. These weren't other circumstances though. Adam had heard too much and was beginning to see too much to be startled easily anymore.

"Enough," Adam said, hoping what he was saying was the truth. Kurt answered with a low, coarse chuckle. It was different than any chuckle Adam had ever heard, different from any human sound. It sent a shiver running from the base of his spine to the tip of his neck, and he knew each hair on his body was standing on end. The light from the window outside shifted slightly and Kurt's face was half illuminated. Kurt was looking directly at him, eyes unflinching and the smirk left on his lips was a mirthless one. Adam would have shivered, had it not been for the pain in Kurt's eye that he could see. The disconnect between it and the smirk left Adam perfectly still.

"Then you should know I am never to speak with you again. You're putting yourself in danger Adan," Kurt's voice had the same preternatural tones as his chuckle, yet it somehow blended perfectly with the high voice Adam had grown so fond of. Adam instantly knew this was Kurt's true voice and that it hadn't been used in quite sometime. A lifetime perhaps, Adam thought to himself as he felt the room spin slightly.

"You threatened the mayor's son for me. You said you'd…"

"I said I'd what Adan?"

Adam tried to remember. Kurt's threat had been something he had hoped to forget, hoped he would never have to speak of. Adam swallowed once and tried to speak. He swallowed again and found his voice. "You said you'd put a knife to his chest. You said 'even in this world, blood wins' or something like it," Adam said, his voice barely above a whisper. He was afraid if he said those words any louder that they might become true. He kept his gaze on the sad ocean blue eye he could see as Kurt jumped from the desk and strode over towards him. Despite the difference in their height, Adam knew just who the dominant one in the room was. He didn't shrink back though. He found himself standing his ground, although he did not know where his strength was coming from. When Kurt stopped only a pace away from him he looked directly into Adam's eyes. The world stopped for a second and Adam forgot about words, thought, time, and even breath. He wanted to lean in, wanted to close the distance, to feel Kurt's lips against his and…

"Adan, I know you don't remember," Kurt said, his finger against Adam's mouth. Adam hadn't been aware of Kurt's hand moving or that he had leaned into Kurt's space. Adam wanted to shout of course he remembered, he would never bloody forget what he had heard, what he was beginning to see. There was no way in multiple lifetimes that he could forget. The look in Kurt's eye told him to be quiet, to listen, to stand still.

"You may remember what you heard last night, but you don't know why I said what I said. You can't know now. There will come a time though when you will remember. On that day, when the darkness is finally gone, and you remember, find me. I know the day will rise, I know not when. Until that day though, we must be strangers. For your sake, as well as mine,"** Kurt said. He stood on tiptoe as he spoke this, his lips close to Adam's ear, as if he was afraid the world would overhear him. He then pulled away and left the room before Adam had a chance to react to time resuming to the world spinning again. The room spun as the world did, and Adam sat and buried his head in his hands.

…

In the early morning they left, Adan leading Kurt in the quiet light that came with the first stirrings of dawn. Adan had decided to turn in his army commission. Before being a knight, he had been trained working in a stable. The small town where Kurt lived had a public one with an aging stable master. It would be hard work, and there wouldn't be much coin. At least it would be honest though, and he could continue to remain by Kurt's side. The morning was a quiet one, the twittering of birds and stirring of other creatures of the woods was low. The only thing that pierced the silence was a low crowing of a large black bird. Adan couldn't tell if it was a crow or a raven. The call made Kurt stand still for a long moment, drinking in the last of its echoes.

"Why did you pause? You know it's going to take at least half a day to get to the nearest outpost," Adan said, looking over his shoulder with a grin. The look on Kurt's face stopped his grin instantly. Instead he felt fear blossom, like a night blooming flower he had seen in the halls of nobles during his tour of duty. Kurt looked at him and his eyes shone. The look only accelerated the bloom of fear growing within him.

"We have been warned," Kurt said and he pulled a small knife from its sheath and rested the naked metal against his palm as he began moving and quickly.

"Would a cloaking spell help?"

"If it would, I would be kissing you right now."

"What did the warning say?" Adan had never heard of anyone being warned through the croaking of a crow or raven before. Then again, until Kurt, he had thought blood magic only a myth.

"Only that we should be aware, and keep our eyes open," Kurt said and began moving quickly, soon passing Adan. Adan had only donned the lighter leather under armor and followed him quickly. Mostly recovered, Adan didn't want to risk injuring himself by wearing the full suit. He could send his armor back later. Right now he just needed to get the process started. Even with all these thoughts running through his mind, he kept his eyes open, looking around the woods trying to see whatever it was the bird had warned Kurt about. Even in the short time he had known Kurt, Adan had learned not to take what he said lightly.

Time passed and neither of the men spoke. The sun's light couldn't penetrate this deep into the canopy of the forest. It was a little used path and added at least an hour to their journey, but it was safer. Those had been the unspoken words Kurt had made him understand. This deep in the forest, with elms, oaks, and pines all around them, Adan felt like he was in a place no human thing should be. This was a primal world, the first world, but it was the world where Kurt's power came from. This was a place of first magic.

A little further along the path there was a small break in the woods where there was a almost a circle of trees around an ash tree that was as tall as any tree the knight had ever seen. He could feel his breath stop involuntarily as he took it in. This tree was old, it had seen centuries at least. Had he time, he would have listened to the wind pass through its branches to hear its story. Kurt too had paused and was looking at it like he had seen an old friend or a distant relation. For a quiet moment the knight and the young man stood and looked at the ash tree in its clearing. That was mistake. Adan heard the breaking of a twig from a boot and before he could reach for his sword or Kurt could draw the blade across his palm soldiers were surrounding them. One of them had a dagger at his neck and had wretched his arm behind his back.

As he locked his eyes with Kurt, the knight heard the hoof falls of a charger, the same one he had heard the day before, when Kurt and he had first kissed. It was only seconds before he saw the head of a magnificent black horse. The rider on its back was less inspiring. Adam saw instantly he didn't know how to proper handle the animal, and that his stance would lead only to bad things. Even at rest, his face seemed condescending. This was obviously the brat of a lordling that Kurt had let save him once. He dismounted the spirited animal with far too much casualness. It almost reared, until an experienced handler took the reins.

"So my little bird," the boy's voice was as smug as it was cocky, "I finally have you in my cage."

"Only for the moment, Flavius," Kurt spat out the name like it was sour milk or some sort of poison. Adan hadn't known such contempt could be shoved into three syllables. He wanted to smile, to give Kurt some sort of reassurance, but the soldier who had his arm-twisted his wrist enough to cause pain to race through him.

"I think not, my little bird. You see, the queen informed me of how much you cared for that," the lordling said with a dismissive gesture at Adan, not even bothering to classify the knight as human, "and if you don't come with me, I promise him a death both slow and painful."

"And if I did come with you?" Kurt asked after a long moment.

"A comparatively quick death. I can't leave my competition alive, can I?" Flavius' questioned not even bothering to look at the man he sentenced to death. In the stillness that followed, Adan's mind raced and he wondered if his life indeed was beginning to flash before his eyes before the headsman had even raised his axe. A story his grandmother had told him as a child came flooding back to him, and instantly the knight knew what he had to do.

"Before I die," Adan announced and all looked at him, "I have just one thing to say."

"Make it quick then," the brat said, his fingers tracing the line of Kurt's jaw, either ignoring or enjoying the rage pouring from him.

"Kurt, I offer this willingly unto you," Adan said deliberately and that got the brat to raise his hand and look towards the knight. Adan was already in motion his foot coming down hard on his captor's and twisting down and with the direction of the blade. He could feel the cool metal graze his skin in a non-fatal place, and the flow of hot blood. From the corner of his eye he saw it leap from his neck to in front of Kurt where it became a perfect sphere, floating in the air. The world held still for a perfect moment, then Chaos erupted.

The sphere broke into five arrows of blood each shooting is a different direction. Adan heard the sound of flesh and bone being split in two and saw one of the blood arrows embedded in the left eye socket of the soldier that had been holding him, pinning him to a tree. The blood flowing from the wound leapt from the corpse to Kurt. On other trees, four other soldiers all hung impaled by in equally fatal places by the blood arrows. Their blood too leapt from them and surrounded Kurt in a protective veil. Kurt made a gesture with one hand and a tendril of blood and stone short from the earth and rammed through the stomach of a soldier near the ancient ash tree. Kurt did not absorb this blood. Adan knew it was an offering.

There was a wolfish grin on Kurt's face when one of the soldiers rushed at him. The blood veil shifted into a long blade and with a swift movement Kurt had cut the man's arm off. His cries were cut short as Kurt moved into his personal space. Kurt's hand rammed into the one-armed soldier's chest and emerged later. He held the glowing heart high and Adan saw arrows turn to ash mid flight.

"Borða bræður mínir, borða vel,"*** Kurt half-growled, half-cawed before he brought the heart to his lips and bit into it with a hunger that had one of the soldiers retching. Adan could smell his sickness, and the fear of the others. Flavius had obviously wet himself and was stumbling back to his horse. The earth shifted and spires of rock jutted forth. One soldier tripped and the erupting black stones shot straight through his chest. Fragments of his spine and lungs glistened as Kurt shot bolt after bolt of blood into nearby soldiers, their blood augmenting Kurt's power.

A brave soul moved towards Kurt in a conservative stance. Flicking his eyes at the man, Kurt didn't even raise a hand as wave of flames cascaded towards him. The man hit the ground, only to be swiftly overwhelmed by a sea of black shapes, somewhere between the sizes of a fox and a wolf. From the trees darks shadows swooped down, heading straight for the eyes, faces, and necks of the soldiers who were to slow or to stupid to have run.

At the center of it all stood Kurt, surrounded in blood and carnage. He looked every inch the noble Flavius had tried to pretend he was. Twin tentacles of blood shot forth and wrapped around a retreating soldier. His screams echoed in Adan's ear as he was dragged towards Kurt. Again, Kurt's hand surged forwards into a chest and emerged covered in blood. As he ate of this heart, Adam noticed Kurt had grown fangs and his hair was a long mane of black feathers. The hand stained by bone fragments, shreds of flesh, and a layer of thick blood seemed half way between a bird's talon and a paw of some large predator. Before he had finished eating, the tentacles pulled the man's body in two. Adan had to turn away and ignore the chorus of screams that continued to echo. When at least the screams died, Adan looked up.

"You're not human," Adan said, staring at the fallen bodies and the blood on Kurt's lips. He stood among them, a conqueror and murderer all rolled into one. Blood clung to his clothes and viscera dripped from his fingers. He looked at Adan and his eyes had lost almost all their blue.

"Half-human," Kurt said, the blood on his face was being absorbed into his tattoos, ˆit's as close as I'll ever get. That's my curse. In the end Adan, my mother's blood won and will always win." Adan stands and looks at the blood stained being.

"Your mother…" Adan doesn't know what to say.

"Didn't know she could have a child by a human. Our kind don't reproduce, not in the way your kind does. We make ourselves, and don't seek to make others like us. We know what we are."

"And that is?"

"Valravn," Kurt said. The word rang as Kurt moved to one of the bodies, still squirming, in the final throws of death. A swift movement of his hand and the soldier was still, his throat slit, blood flowing onto Kurt's hand, into his skin. Adan could not but shudder. Valravns, Adan remembered silently, were the sort of nightmare creatures even goblins, wraiths, and dragons would not lightly contend against. Their hunger was legendary. Kurt stepped towards him and Adan took a step back involuntarily. The legends his mother had told still circled in his mind. There was a small sad smile on Kurt's lips.

"So you've seen what I've done, what I will do to protect you. The question now is, would you love the monster-man?"**** Kurt asked, standing still. The wind echoed and the world waited and Adan had no easy answer.

~Fin~

*Taken from Sandman: Endless Nights

**Taken from "Mundu Eftir Mér" 2012, English Translation

*** Translated into Icelandic using Google translate, translated it reads "Eat my brothers, eat well."

*** Taken from "Would You Love a Monster Man" 2002, Lordi