Summary: when Blaine agreed to act as the royal protector for the two princes of the Lima kingdom, he never thought that he would fall for one of his charges. Accompanied by his fellow soldiers Wes, David, Jeff and Nick, Blaine must navigate the tricky waters of loving a boy who can never be his and keeping him alive at the same time. Features Kurt/Blaine, Jeff/Nick and one-sided Sebastian/Blaine. Also betrothed!Finn/Rachel and betrothed Kurt/Quinn.
A/N: this is an AU Klaine fic which will feature boys who are in love with other boys, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, please don't read. But if you DO like that stuff, welcome ^_^ This is part one in what I hope will be a multi-chapter fic. Please R&R!
Chapter One: Assignment
"You've been reassigned."
If Blaine Anderson knew just how much those three small words would change his life, he may have decided to ignore them. He thought wistfully of how different things might have turned out if he had. Instead of sitting astride a very jumpy horse on the way to the royal castle, he could have been sitting around a campfire with his friends, telling stories about battle and the women who had clung to them afterwards. Of course, Blaine wasn't really interested in having any females cling to him, but it was always nice to hear the stories. And when it was his turn to tell one, well, he had gotten pretty inventive over the years.
But his creativity when it came to describing the female form was no longer necessary, because Blaine and four of his friends had been plucked from the battle field. It had happened a week ago – a royal guard had approached their camp, his nose wrinkled in distaste at the sight of the disorganised campsite, the men who were in desperate need of a bath after weeks of violence. The Lima Army was at war with the kingdom of Akron and it had been weeks since the soldiers had seen anyone from the castle. Needless to say, they had been surprised.
The guard hadn't stayed long. He lingered just long enough to gather five men – Blaine, Wesley, David, Nicholas and Jeffrey – and informed them that they were no longer required on the battlefield and their permission was requested at the castle. They were given no further information. They had spent their last night at the camp speculating about what their summons meant. Wes was hopeful that they were being knighted. David thought that they might be sent to a different, more dangerous area of the warzone.
Whatever the reason, Blaine was beginning to have serious doubts. The impressive sight of the Hummel castle loomed on the horizon, stone turrets gleaming blackly in the moonlight. Blaine tugged at the reins of his horse and halted, holding up the line of men following him.
"Blaine," Wes said guardedly. "Keep moving. We have to be there by morning."
"I'd rather turn back," Blaine replied, sounding forlorn. "Don't you miss the camp? And Thad and Trent and all of the others?"
"Of course," Wes said sharply. "But we've been given an assignment, from the king's own lips. We're continuing on to the castle." Blaine huffed and started moving again. Wes gave a laugh. "Try not to look so depressed, Blaine. For all we know, we could be back at the camp within days."
But that wasn't the case.
Just as the red light of dawn was beginning to creep across the sky, Blaine and his men reached the castle. They were greeted by a group of armed guards, who marched alongside them and led them into the courtyard, where they were left waiting for several minutes. Blaine was beginning to grow nervous. He sat straight, however, his back carefully arched and his hands at his sides. After what seemed like an eternity, a trumpet sounded.
Blaine stole a quick glance at Wes, who furrowed his brows slightly. The signal was clear. Blaine was to stand his ground. He reminded himself of his basic training and swallowed hard, lifting his head just in time to see two people walk into the courtyard. He sucked in a breath.
It was the king and queen. The new queen, that is – the first one, the mother of the prince, had died from illness some years ago. There had been murmurs throughout the kingdom that the king had spiralled into a depression after his bride's death, unable to deal with ruling alone. Of course, these murmurs were little more than rumours. The king had taken his loss in stride, keeping a strong face to the public and never faltering in his rulings. Now, he had finally remarried – albeit to a commoner who already had a child from a previous relationship. The scandal the marriage had caused was minor, mainly because of the war. Blaine and everyone else knew that if the times had been peaceful, the uproar would have been much, much greater.
The new queen was small and rotund, the opposite of her predecessor. Queen Elizabeth had been a tall, statuesque beauty, with a slender frame, glasz eyes and pale porcelain skin. Queen Carole, on the other hand, was short and stout, with wiry hair and a firm gaze. Her smile was kind, however, and she directed it at the five soldiers with ease. She reached out to grasp her husband's hand as he cleared his throat.
"Men," he began. "Thank you for travelling to our home. I understand that you were given no clues about what awaited you here. The fact that you chose to make the journey anyway is a testament to your loyalty to the kingdom. For that, you will be rewarded."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Blaine murmured in unison with his comrades. King Burt smiled warmly and continued.
"As you know," he said, "I recently remarried." He shared a glance with his wife before continuing. "This new... union has opened my eyes to the dangers that abound in our little kingdom – during both peace times and war times. I have become aware of just how dangerous it is to raise children in this world, and although we have an excellent team of nannies and caretakers in the castle, that simply isn't enough anymore. I asked my guards to find the five best soldiers of the Lima Army."
The best? Blaine echoed internally. He thought of David's frequent mugs of ale, Wes's near-dictatorial leadership, Nick and Jeff's suspiciously close friendship – his own dark thoughts about his fellow soldiers. He wondered if contradicting the king, even in his mind, was considered treachery.
"I want you to take care of our sons," King Burt finished. He glanced at the queen and his lips twitched in a smile. "My sons. I want the five of you to act as their bodyguards, night and day, watching out for them and ensuring that they don't put themselves in danger. You will be paid handsomely for your troubles, of course – ten gold pieces a month, and you will all be knighted. Gentlemen, there is no price I'm not willing to pay to ensure the safety of my family. Do you accept?"
"We do, your Majesty," the men replied in unison, without a moment of thought. Blaine chimed in with them, although perhaps a little too late – the king's eyes flickered towards his and Blaine tried to hold his gaze, but he could feel a red blush creeping over his cheeks. The king left his wife's side and strode over to Blaine's side, looking comically small beside the huge grey stallion Blaine sat astride.
"Do you accept?" the king repeated, his eyes never leaving Blaine's for a second.
"I do, your Majesty," Blaine said. This time, he did not falter.
The king's face broke into a wide smile and he ordered the soldiers to disembark. Their horses were led to the royal stables, while they were led deep into the bowels of the castle, where they would meet their new charges. They were careful to walk at a respectable distance from the king and queen.
They followed the king and queen into a huge chamber, tiled with white and gold, with white wallpaper covering the walls. It looked far too pristine to be a place where children were allowed, but there they were, two boys, sitting in the centre of the room with their backs to the newcomers. The king cleared his throat and the two boys scrambled to their feet, pivoting to greet their parents – and it was then that Blaine saw, with a jolt, that they weren't boys at all. They were practically men. They couldn't have been more than three years younger than him.
The taller of the two was Queen Carole's son, that much was obvious. His face was rough-hewn like hers, his eyes the same shade of brown. He also looked distinctly uncomfortable in the fancy room and he kept pulling and tugging at his clothes, clearly unused to wearing royal garments. Blaine felt a stab of sympathy for the boy.
"This is Prince Finn," King Burt said, gesturing to the uncomfortable boy. "And this is Prince Kurt."
Blaine's eyes drifted to the other boy. He resembled his mother, just as Finn resembled the queen. He had chestnut coloured hair which stood up on his head in a way that seemed to defy gravity. His skin was the same pale white as his mother's, his cheekbones high and sharp like hers. Blaine wondered if it was difficult for King Burt to look at his son, when he looked so much like the woman he had loved.
The only difference that Blaine could see – despite gender, of course – was that while Queen Elizabeth had always been kind and smiling, her son looked angry. His bottom lip was pushed outwards in a sulky pout, his brows knitted together in frustration. Blaine wondered why exactly he was so furious.
He got his answer a moment later, when Kurt fixed his father with a glare and narrowed his eyes.
"I told you I'm not doing this," he snapped. His voice was as clear and high as a bell. "I'm sixteen years old. I don't need a babysitter. I certainly don't need five."
Sixteen, Blaine thought. So he was wrong. Kurt, at least, was four years younger than him.
"That's quite enough, Kurt," the king said. "We've discussed this. Your mother and I–"
"She's not my mother!" Kurt interrupted icily. He brushed past his father, bumping into Blaine as he stormed out of the room. An awkward silence hung over the room after Kurt's abrupt exit.
King Burt gave a long suffering sigh and turned to face Blaine and the other soldiers. He glanced over all of them before finally settling on Blaine.
"You," he said.
A little late, Blaine realised what he wanted. "Blaine, your Majesty," he said quickly. "Blaine Anderson."
"Sir Anderson, from now on," King Burt replied. "Follow my son. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. As for the rest of you..."
Blaine didn't hear the rest. He was too busy trying to ignore the alarm bells in his head as he went to search for a frustrated runaway prince.
Everybody who reviews gets a free Kurt Hummel. He walks, talks and sings. Once in a lifetime offer ;D