Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. If I did own Glee, it would be called "The Klaine Show", and there would be fluff and smut everywhere.

Rating: I'm hoping to try my hand at writing some smut in the future of this story, so I'm going to go with M for now. Depending on how my smut writing efforts go, it may just be a super safe M for slight language.

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I'd just like to get it out in the open that this is my very first attempt at writing. I've been reading fanfiction obsessively for years, so I finally decided it was time to try my hand at the other side. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, don't be shy *smiles encouragingly*. I'm really interested in improving my writing style and character development. Anyways, this first chapter is a lot of background information. How realistic it is, I'm not entirely sure. Enjoy (and be honest when reviewing). You are going to review, right?

Chapter One

His Royal Highness Kurt Hummel of Kinley sighed as he walked into his lavish palace room and collapsed on his king sized bed. He waved his hand to dismiss the valet who had immediately rushed over to begin removing his shoes; his day had been far too long, and the last thing he wanted was to feel even more like an invalid than he already did. To think that it was only Tuesday.

Kurt picked up his iPhone and sent a text.

To: Mercedes, Britney

From: Kurt

Meet me in my room, need someone to talk to :(

Mercedes and Britney, two girls who worked in the kitchens, were his best friends. Kurt had been close to them ever since he was a child, and he had some serious venting to do.

Kurt stared blankly around his room as he waited for his girls to get there. It was exactly the type of room one would expect of a prince; very elegant and extravagant, with expensive paintings and impressive furniture. To Kurt, it was just stuffy and oppressive. There was absolutely nothing unique about it, anything to let an observer know that the fabulous and modern Kurt Hummel resided there. When he had suggested redecorating to the head of the palace staff, she had immediately been outraged; how could he even consider changing a place of such historical significance? Now, be a good little prince and don't have any more silly ideas. In fact, don't think too much at all.

Story of his life.

There was a knock on the door and Mercedes and Britney burst in before the doorman could formally open it.

"All of you out, now," Mercedes commanded the palace staff. They all looked uneasily at Kurt, and he wearily nodded that they should listen. The girls climbed onto Kurt's bed and sat on either side of him, each taking one of his hands. "Tell us what's wrong, Boo. You wouldn't usually just call us up here."

"And I hate seeing my dolphin sad," Britney added. Kurt smiled sadly at the concerned look on the girl's face.

"Where do I begin? I'm so tired of having expectations thrown on my shoulders. I'm seventeen years old and I feel like I'm growing up and living without really living," Kurt told them, trying to keep his composure, "My whole life, hour by hour, is planned out for me and I'm so tired of being forced to be a certain way just because I was born into this lifestyle."

"I don't know what to say, Kurt," Mercedes said as she handed him a handkerchief, "I wish I could help."

"You're helping just by being here. Thank you for listening to me complain…Britney, what are you doing?" The blonde girl had taken Kurt's hand and begun rubbing his fingertips across her own cheek.

"Your hands are so soft, and my face wanted to feel them too," she told him, "Are all gay boy hands like yours?"

Kurt stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter, the first time he had the opportunity to do so all day. He knew he loved these girls for a reason.

"Well, Brit, I don't know. It's not like I've had any opportunity to even meet any other gay boys, never mind know what their hands feel like," Kurt said with the slightest hint of wistfulness.

That was one of the worst parts of being a prince; despite the fact that he was Capital-G Gay, he was one day expected to marry a woman, become king of his country, and have an heir. Kurt mentally shuddered at the thought of ever having to do…that with a woman. He quickly averted his thoughts from his inevitable, unwanted future experience with the female anatomy.

Homosexuality was perfectly acceptable in the country of Kinley; it was the twenty-first century, after all. It just wasn't acceptable for their future king, at least not openly. So Kurt had to settle for dreams of a romantic Prince Charming that would only ever exist in his mind.

"Aww, one day you'll find someone, Boo," Mercedes said, "They can't do anything about you dating an amazing guy. You're too young to worry about getting married anyways, so for now we should be working on a boyfriend for my favorite prince."

"And how do you suppose I go about that? You know that everything I do is watched. I can't take a shower without the entire royal guard being informed. The only people I ever meet are ancient dignitaries and daughters of important people that I'm supposed to 'court'. It's not like I can just wander out of the palace and start searching for guys," Kurt asserted, still feeling rather hopeless. Those pillows were looking kind of nice… Almost time to end this short, impromptu heart-to-heart and rest up for his next day of oppression. Perhaps he could get away with wearing an Alexander McQueen scarf with his forcibly ordinary (yet still designer) suit tomorrow…

He was snapped back into attention by the devious look on Mercedes' face. He didn't like that look.

"That's a great idea," she stated, "get out there and find someone. You said it yourself, you want to live. Sneak out of here for a day, we'll cover for you. We might even be able to get Sam and Puck in on it."

Kurt just stared at her. He wanted to immediately disagree, tell her to get real and think about the consequences a stunt like that would have if he was found out. However, the seed had been planted. Kurt couldn't even imagine how great it would be to get out, even for just a day. His mind was whirring with possibilities, what he would wear, the people he could meet.

"I'm not sure about this, Mercedes," Kurt said uneasily.

"Kurtie, it's a great idea. Lord Tubbington is always wandering around the town, and he has a great time!" Britney exclaimed, loving that her cat's experiences helped out her baby gay.

"Leave everything up to us. We're gonna need a day to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Thursday, you are getting out of here!" Mercedes insisted, ignoring Britney.

"I'm not agreeing to this yet! Come back tomorrow when I have enough brain power to actually think about it. For now, I'm going to get ready for bed," Kurt hugged both of his friends and thanked them for talking to him.

After showering and completing his moisturizing routine, Kurt got ready for bed. An hour later, he was still lying under his covers wide awake and staring at his ornate ceiling. His mind was still swirling with thoughts of his potential transgression. Mercedes definitely had a point; he had been out of the palace many times, but never as a normal teenage guy. He might be living in 2012 but sometimes he felt as though he were from medieval times. Perhaps then there would be a knight in shining armor to carry him off into the sunset.

Kurt snorted softly as he thought of this. He really had been reading too many romance novels.

He desperately wanted a romance, though. Someone to share gentle touches of the fingertips and sweet kisses with him, just like the Broadway musicals he so much enjoyed. Puck would tell him that he just needed to get some and find a nice boy to fuck, but Kurt never listened. Most of the things Puck said made him blush furiously and try to change the topic; he definitely didn't want to know about sex.

Kurt almost blushed just thinking about it, even in the privacy of his own room. Sex Education 101 wasn't exactly part of his princely curriculum and was definitely not something he would bring up with his haughty tutor. Kurt was perfectly content to be oblivious about it, thank you very much. A touch of the fingertips, right, he thought.

He forced his sleepy mind back to the issue at hand; Mercedes' plan. What would his father think?

King Burt Hummel was neither a bad man nor a bad father. He was just unbelievably busy, far too busy to pay as much attention to his only son as he would have liked. Once Kurt's mother, Queen Elizabeth, had died, that attention became even less due to the fact that he just didn't know how to relate to the prince. Burt had known about Kurt's sexuality for quite some time, and although he accepted it, he knew that one day Kurt was going to have to put himself second behind his duty to his country. Burt knew how tough his son had it each and every day; Kurt was so incredibly unique. He just didn't know what to do about it.

Kurt thought that maybe, just maybe his father would approve of his little adventure. He knew that Burt wanted him to be happy, at least while he could be.

He also knew that his father, regardless of the fact that he was the king, was not the one calling the shots as far as Kurt's life went. Kinley was a constitutional monarchy, and was technically governed by the young Prime Minister David Karofsky. Kurt grimaced at the thought of him.

In the eyes of the adoring public, Karofsky seemed to be a fair, honest man, dedicated to his country and beliefs. To Kurt, he was just a bully. He seemed determined to control each and every second of the prince's life, whether or not it was technically within his duties as Prime Minister. He also would never even consider repealing the law stating that a man could not be king unless married to a woman who could fulfill the role of queen.

If Kurt's little scheme ever got back to Karofsky, he didn't even want to think of the consequences. Kurt decided that he would go and talk to his father the next morning to get the man's advice.

With this conclusion formed, Kurt finally allowed his mind to slow down and he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The following morning Kurt was on his way down for breakfast when he was stopped by the head of palace staff, Victoria. She had been hired by Karofsky to watch all of the proceedings that went on around the palace, and was one of the most severe women Kurt had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

"Your Highness, what exactly is that abomination?" she asked in a commanding tone, pointing stiffly to an article of clothing. Kurt glanced down at the skull patterned scarf draped perfectly around his neck.

"This happens to be McQueen. I'm sorry you can't seem to appreciate high fashion," he retorted while looking disapprovingly at her dull pant suit.

"Well, no matter what you'd like to call it, it is most definitely not acceptable for the prince. Remove it at once," she snapped. Kurt just sighed and carefully removed the offending item. He knew Victoria would argue with him all day, and he really wanted to see his father. Besides, he'd just put it back on once she left.

Ignoring her smug smile, Kurt simply brushed past her and continued to the informal dining room where he knew he would find King Burt.

"Good morning, dad!" Kurt said cheerily as he entered the room. Burt nodded in greeting before continuing to eat. His kingly manners were not always held up when in the presence of only family. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

Realizing that his full attention was about to be required, Burt said, "Sure, Kurt. What is it?"

"Well, you know I work really hard, right?" Kurt waited for Burt to signify his agreement, "I was just wondering if it would be okay for me to maybe…get out of the palace for a day." Burt stopped to consider.

"What exactly do you mean by that? We go out all the time."

"I meant…alone. Like as just a normal person, not a prince. I just want to be normal for once, to be able to go out and dress how I want and act like a teenager," Kurt rushed out, trying to decipher the look on his father's face. Burt seemed to consider for a moment.

"I know things are hard for you sometimes, Kurt," Burt started, "And I'd love nothing more than for you to have those experiences. The only problem is, no one around here would like it too much if they knew. It could also be dangerous without protection."

"Mercedes and Britney have a plan, no one would ever know. Just one day, Dad, please?"

"This is something you really want, isn't it, kid? I only have two conditions. You have to take either Mercedes or Britney with you, and absolutely no one else can find out. Not even the people around you. I'll get someone reliable and trustworthy to hang around the city, just to make sure you're safe. They won't bother you."

"I can accept that. Thank you so much, Dad, you won't regret this," Kurt hugged his father and ran to find his girls to tell them the news. Prince Kurt was going out on the town.

AN: I already have the next chapter written, I just want to see if there's anyone even interested before I post it. Review please!