Kurt, I am sorry about the next part of this story. I know it is one of your worst memories ever.
It has to be told, Blaine. It is part of the story. You cannot pretend that things went smoothly and everything was perfect. It takes hardships to appreciate the wonderful moments like now.
Thank you. I rode home that night in the snow. I wanted to admire its beauty and purity as it was fresh and the perfect Christmas snow, but I had to focus on Father. The enchanted carriage refused to let me ride straight through the night, though. It seemed Kurt told it to make sure I rested at least a few hours. Since the carriage driver wanted to be sure I could rest safely without risk of hitting a rough patch in the road to wake me, I had to stop and sleep before we could continue. I didn't have pleasant dreams. I saw my father being tortured in the asylum and Kurt falling in love with some pretty young girl who happened upon his castle. I woke with tears staining my cheeks and the seat of the carriage. I called to the driver that I could sleep no longer. He gave me a nod and rode on.
It was about early evening that I arrived home. I hugged Phillipe before I checked the mirror. I saw the owner of the asylum was on the other side of town, but he was at least alone. I hopped on my horse and rode him as fast as I could. I had to take back roads to avoid being seen by anyone who could tell Sebastian I was home. I jumped down as fast I could safely and ran inside.
"Ah! Belle! I hear congratulations will soon be in order. I assume that is why you are here," the owner said with a sly smirk. I forced a smile to cover my features.
"Yes! I am getting married to Gaston in the morning. I came to fetch my father so I could have him help me get ready," I managed to choke out without expelling the contents of my stomach. The owner gestured for me to follow him and led me to the room my father was being held in. He unlocked the doors and I ran in and hugged him.
"Blaine? What are you doing here? You were at the castle with the prince and all of his servants! Why did you leave?" he asked before coughing hard. I carefully helped him to his feet and supported his weight.
"I came to get you. A wedding is not a wedding without the father of the bride being present," I said over loudly to ease the Asylum owner's suspicions. Father looked confused so I whispered to him, "I will tell you when we are home." We slowly made our way outside, Father coughing and wheezing the whole way. I helped him to mount Phillipe and walked our horse home, knowing a ride in Father's health would be unpleasant. It was long after midnight by the time we walked across the fence onto our property. I helped Father into bed before putting Phillipe in his stable. I came back inside and started to warm some water to help keep the chill away for the night. Several days passed as my Father rested and I took care of him. One night, the night before the last day of the year, I carried in his warm water bottle and he stopped me before I could leave to let him sleep.
"Blaine… why did you leave? You cannot tell me you actually agreed to marry Gaston," he whispered, his voice too tired to speak.
"Kurt… Kurt had a magic mirror and I looked in to see where you were so I could invite you to come back and live at the castle with us. When I saw how sick you were and what he had done to you, I had to come and save you. You would have died there had I not wanted to know how you were doing," I said as I placed a cloth covered in cold water to his fevered forehead.
"And you would have been out of this town and away from that lunatic. You would have been safe and happy and with someone who loves you," Father said weakly.
"Y-you knew? You knew he loved me?" I asked softly, finally having the moment to relive Kurt shouting those words to me.
"Blaine, he has loved you since before he ever laid eyes on you. The second I mentioned you, he wanted to learn more. The more I said, the more he wanted to know. He told me he wished he could meet you in person. I could see it in his eyes as we talked. He would listen to me talk about you for hours and never grew tired of it. When you came to the castle, I saw that he was almost angry you were so handsome. I think he found you were already too perfect and then you had to be handsome as well. He told me he would do whatever he could to make you love him," my father said in between his coughs. I thought back to how rude and selfish I had been when we first met and he still loved me through all of that.
"H-he loved me that long…." I whispered.
"Yes, so you need to go back to him in the morning and tell him how you feel," Father said with a smile.
"Y-you can tell…" I said, not as a question, as a realization.
"It is all in your eyes, my Blaine. You love him too. He needs to know," he said.
"Who will take care of you?" I asked.
"I-I think I can," a voice came from behind me. I almost jumped through our short roof in fright. A beautiful woman walked in the room. She had a faint glow about her, and I could almost feel the room grow warmer. "I am Rachel, enchantress of old. I have been watching you, Blaine. Watching you and Prince Kurt. You need to return to him before midnight tomorrow night. The curse will never be broken if he never knows he is loved by that time. To love one and to know you are loved in return. That is what will break the curse. If he does not know you love him, he will forever remain a Beast. I can stay and watch over your father. I have a few healing potions I have kept over my life. I think I can cure him, but you have to trust me. Trust me and trust your love for Kurt and your father. Do you trust, Blaine?" she asked. I thought for a moment, but quickly nodded. I did trust her. I trusted my love. I trusted the love I was given.
"I will leave now!" I said as I grabbed my cloak and the mirror and ran for the stables. I rode as fast as I could, but forgot to avoid the main roads. I rode straight towards Sebastian's returning hunting party.
