Author's notes: First of all, thank you to all who have been reading and especially to those who have reviewed this story. You have no idea how greatly it's been appreciated.
I do not own Glee, or any of the characters in this story except for my OC's. I am simply borrowing these wonderful people for our mutual enjoyment. I solemnly promise to put them back where I found them when finished.
Warnings for this chapter: Male on male sex, Paganism. If you are offended, please hit the back button.
Once again, I want to thank my wonderful beta reader, the fabulous Ash Knight. Without his able assistance and encouragement I would have never started this project.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Beltaine – Part one
Saturday morning found the young lovers tiredly strolling into the kitchen to find a happy Druid putting the finishing touches on a massive breakfast. Eggs, waffles, fruit and juice already set with festively decorated plates and glasses, coffee just being poured.
"Well now. I see you horny bucks actually managed to roll out of bed on time." Ronan remarked cheerfully. With a playful wink at the others, he added "I do hope you'll have enough energy to get through the day. Can't imagine how, considering the activities I could hear all night."
Kurt's blush was so dark he looked like one of the strawberries on his plate. Noah actually looked torn between thrusting out his chest in pride and hiding under a rock.
"Dude! How...?"
"Really need to work on the insulation between the rooms today. The walls aren't completely sound proof around this place. Kurt, why don't you help me with that, while Noah is busy with the wet-scape and attending Temple with his family. Wouldn't want your dad to overhear you guys the next time he decides to sleep over, now would we?"
"I'm so sorry, Ronan. I didn't think we were that loud..." Kurt began.
"Relax, little cousin. Where is the fun of being single for me if I can't tease you two love-birds. And no, I didn't hear a thing, but if you think I can't see how you're walking this morning, you are seriously needing more mirror time."
"Dude, not cool. I... I mean Kurt was so panicked." Noah stammered. Ronan just laughed at that remark.
"Still, there is a good deal of work to be done today. Kurt, I will need at least one good shopping partner. I have a list of things we'll need for the weekend, and some minor redecorating that I'd like your opinions on. Noah, I have an envelope with plenty of cash for you to purchase any supplies you'll need, my mobile number is on the flap if you have any questions or if you need more money than that."
Scene
Driving through town toward the mall, Ronan reflected happily on how far Kurt had come over a single day of positive input and the presence of a genuinely loving and devoted Noah Puckerman. Such a pity, he thought to himself, that Burt Hummel still had such difficulty in seeing his son as a young man rather than the daughter he had so desperately wanted. With a glance at his cousin, Ronan could only sigh at the pain that wilful blindness had wrought in the younger teen.
"Any thoughts on your birthday, little cousin? As I recall, it's in just over a month. Would you like a pool party, a weekend trip with your boyfriend, or perhaps a trip to Broadway for a show?"
"I hadn't really thought about it, Ronan. There's one thing I've been trying not to ask. You throw around a lot of money, and your house is amazing. What exactly do you do for all that? Or should I not be asking?"
"Kurt, has your father never told you about your trust fund? I know you have a lot of very expensive clothes, and I understand you spent time at a private school. Didn't Uncle Burt tell you where that money came from?"
"Wait, what trust fund? And Dad paid for Dalton with his honeymoon money. Two weeks in Waikiki for a term at Dalton."
"Cousin, I have no idea where your father planned on staying in Hawaii, but I can assure you, a single term at a private school such as Dalton Boy's Academy costs far more than a family trip to the islands. That term was nearly fifty thousand dollars. My da is one of your trustees, and he told me all about your time there. He actually considered sending me to Dalton to meet an acceptable mate, but as I'm already of age, it's not as though he can simply command my instant obedience.
As to what I do, I'm your mentor, I will be attending senior year at McKinley with you and Noah, and I plan on simply enjoying myself for the first time in quite a while, not having to be drilled in history and tradition every morning before breakfast.
Now, your trust fund that I mentioned is currently valued at approximately thirty-seven million dollars, U.S. Each member of our family receives his or her inheritance on the eighteenth birthday. Until that date, your parents or guardian has access to it for your necessary expenses. Clothing, transportation, tuition, and so forth. Thus, in just a little over a month, you will be quite wealthy. In fact, with the careful management our family has with money, that will more than likely grow considerably in a few years' time."
"Why did he say he spent his savings and ran up a debt to pay for me to be safe?" Kurt whispered.
"That is a question best put to your father. If I had to make a guess, I would say that he wished to put a burden of guilt on whomever he said that to. I most certainly hope it wasn't you."
"No, it was the father of the boy who threatened to kill me."
Slamming on his brakes, the Druid turned to his cousin in shock. "Burt allowed someone to threaten your life and said nothing to the family? Your father and I need to have a serious talk about his responsibilities to a Campbell! If Da, or worse our grandfather were to hear of this, Burt Hummel would not survive one minute past the discovery." Ronan stated angrily. "As it is, he may not survive when I talk to him, and I'm the calm one of the family. Aunt Elizabeth gave her life for you, and this is how that cuili 1 honours her memory and your legacy?" In his obvious rage, Ronan's accent became more and more pronounced until Kurt could barely understand any of the tirade.
"Ronan, please don't hurt my dad. He's been sick..."
"One, do not make excuses for your father's irresponsibility, Kurt. It truly doesn't help matters, and only serves to make you look weak. Two, while I am admittedly upset about this, I will most certainly calm down considerably before I bring this matter up to that man. And three, from this moment on, at least until you are of age, you are to report any abuses of any kind to someone, preferably me. That way, your life is protected, and I won't have to face Da and Grandfather and explain how I failed to keep the clan's oath to your mother. You may take my word for it, I would far rather die in the most painful manner imaginable than face either of them as an oath-breaker."
"But my dad..."
"If Burt knew that you were in danger, even a suggestion that someone had made a joke about harming you, his duty to you and your mum was to report it at once to the clan elders. IF, he knew or suspected you were hiding such a danger to yourself and covering someone else's threats, then he should have encouraged you to tell him and sent for a protector to keep you safe. Protecting you is my first and last priority, and no one, not Uncle Burt nor your ridiculously hot boyfriend, is going to keep me from carrying out my duty. And Kurt, that means you aren't going to keep me from it either.
So, change of plans. Instead of the mall and design stores, you and I are going to set up a dojo at home. You, little cousin, have just been enrolled in fight school, and by the gods, you are going to learn, or I'm going to burn every last one of your designer clothes until you do!" That earned a shocked gasp from Kurt. "Good to see you're listening, cousin. Things will only get harder from here on out. I have three options here. Train you to protect yourself, while watching out for you and helping you master those gifts you have; hire a squad of goons who would scare off the bloody Secret Service to watch over you 24/7; or ship you off to the clan and let them have the headaches. Option two, while impressive and foreboding, would surely put a crimp in your training and your relationships with Noah as well as your friends and family, and option three would involve breaking a promise I've already made to your father. And don't for one minute think I'm not tempted in spite of all that. I'll take the consequences as a warlock over finding your broken body lying dead on the side of the road in a bloody heartbeat!"
Pulling out his mobile, Ronan quickly entered the things needed and hoped with all his heart to find a martial arts supplier somewhere nearby. Ah, of course it would turn out that the only place available would be on the other side of town from the mall. Lovely. With a nod at Kurt's silent brooding, the Druid turned them around and headed for a place called Tackett's Supply.
Scene
Arriving at the small store, Ronan already had a mental list of what would be needed as well as the dimensions of the basement room they would be using.
Putting a smile on his face and nodding to the sales clerk as they entered the store, Ronan began a whirlwind tour of the facility before approaching the hapless clerk with a stunned and nervous Kurt in tow.
"Good afternoon," looking at the man's name tag, "Robbie. I am setting up a small dojo in my home, and we'll be needing some equipment. Let's see, six inch mats, fifteen by fifteen, rattan swords, ten to start with, I should think, punching bag... Are you not going to write this down?" he asked the man. "Also, do you have a delivery and installation service available? My vehicle probably won't carry most of this. Do close your mouth, Kurt. Gaping like a fish is dreadfully unattractive."
"Sorry, I really wasn't expecting anyone so young to have such a clear idea of what's needed in a dojo. What ranking are you?" the clerk asked respectfully.
"Fifth dan, Tai Kwon Do, sixth in Jujitsu, and third in Ken-do. I'm also a practised swordsman, but I doubt my cousin is ready for an actual blade. Perhaps in a few years."
"Impressive. I'm only a brown in kung fu and second dan black belt in karate. How did you manage so much by what, twenty-one?"
"Eighteen, and my parents and grandparents saw to it that I started training before I could walk. Now back to the requirements... We will also need three sets of protective padding, and gi's would be good too. Two in medium, one large."
"Of course, Sensei. Will there be anything else today? We do have a delivery truck, and I can have your purchases delivered any-time after four tomorrow."
"That will be fine, Robbie. Thank you." Handing over his Centurion card, Ronan turned back to his stunned cousin. Gently shaking the younger man's shoulder, he proceeded to pull Kurt to look over the weapons display while the clerk was ringing up the sale.
"If you see anything you'd like to try, I can probably help you pick up the techniques for it. Just so you know." Ronan mentioned, gently. "I have worked with each and every one of these weapon types over the years. Most are fairly straightforward."
Kurt's eyes were locked on a set of sai swords. "Why, Kurt! Have you ever held the sai?" Seeing the counter-tenor's silent denial, Ronan looked for permission from the clerk before removing the set. "These are sai swords. Nice weapon for defence and moderately good for offence. Another swordsman may say differently, but I find these to be fairly impressive when handled skilfully. As you see, each one has three points, and these are normally kept quite sharp. There is no cutting edge, so they aren't truly considered bladed weapons. However, the manner they are held, lends them to both shielding and stabbing. Also, done correctly, it is quite a simple matter to disarm an opponent wielding a longer blade using just one sai. Here. Hold this one like so, and the other thusly. How does that feel?"
"Strange. Comfortable, but it's really different."
"The sai were made for those with smaller hands. I will get them for you, but you are not to handle them without my presence until you've mastered the basics. Understand?" Upon receiving Kurt's agreement, Ronan proceeded to add the items to his purchases. "If you have a case for these, I'll go ahead and take them now." he stated to the bemused clerk. After getting back his card and signing the bill, Ronan led Kurt off to find lunch.
"In case you are wondering, I included Noah in my plans for training. I can easily see that he is an experienced fighter, so he can help you learn. Plus, if you are still hesitant with fighting me, he can be very helpful keeping you motivated to do your best."
"I just don't understand why I have to learn to fight. It's so undignified and uncivilized." Kurt complained.
"Kurt, what you are refusing to admit, and I am going to call you on it every time, is that what is 'undignified and uncivilized' is having some Neanderthal outweighing you by half again your weight deciding to beat the shite out of you every bloody day. Do you remember your mother? Nice lady, about your size, very pretty? She taught me more about fighting and swordplay than any five of my other trainers. And I can assure you. Auntie Elizabeth was a very refined lady. If she failed to see martial arts training as uncouth or unladylike, then I fail to see why you would refuse to learn."
Sighing, Ronan just continued to drive. "I want you to think very carefully before you say anything else. Druids exist to bring peace, healing and truth to the world. That is a Druid's purpose in life. If someone seeks to destroy, we are there to heal and protect. If one seeks to amuse himself in another's pain and suffering, Druids bring comfort and safety. Who are you, little cousin, to decide you deserve the evils of the world when your place is to bring peace, healing and joy? Does it feel right to you, that evil and stupid men think you are damned for being different, while you could do much to help so many in the world see the truth? Perhaps, you have been told that you are undeserving of any happiness or peace, but from what I've seen over the last few weeks, there is someone very good to you and for you who thinks otherwise. Do we really need to involve Noah in this discussion?"
"No." Kurt sighed. "I just hate violence, but I'll try."
"Good" the Druid replied. "Now let's do something useful and find a decent place to pick up lunch, and supplies for tonight. I'll bet Noah will be quite famished when he returns from Temple."
"Ronan," the slender teen asked. "You mentioned that others besides our family could learn Druidry. Does Noah's religion interfere with that? I know that it's supposed to be against his faith to have other gods."
"That, little cousin, is an excellent question. I would say that the answer is 'no'. What we call in English 'gods', are merely powerful beings who exist on another plane. In the ancient dialect, they were called devvos. 2 Yes, non-Druids worshipped them for quite a long time. The Campbell line has from our beginning known them to be individuals who answer to those with an understanding of what they are and how to channel their power. The best answer would have to come from Noah himself. He is the one to make the decision if he wishes to learn. I rather hope that he does, for your sake."
"Mine? Why would it matter if Noah became a Druid?" Kurt asked, perplexed.
Chuckling, Ronan pointed out a pair of doves sitting on the roof of a deli. "He is your soul mate, Kurt. As such, if he does not share in our powers and traditions, he can never enter our realm. Have you never wondered why it was so difficult to reach us at times? Many Druids spend most of their lives in the lands Under Hill. There, we are all but completely cut away from the mortal world and its flow of time."
Scene
Back at the manor, the teens laid out the lunch while waiting for Noah to return from Temple. During their wait, the pair continued to discuss Kurt's training as a Druid.
"I guess what bothers me most," Kurt uttered, "is that it feels like I have to give up all my dreams. I want to be on Broadway, not hidden away Under Hill."
"Kurt, what you're not hearing is that you can have your dreams, and be a Druid. No one is forcing you to do anything you don't want, except for learning to control those powers. Your mum left our realm to find her husband, and then stayed here to marry him and raise a family. What is it that makes you think you would have to leave anything behind or give up what you want from life?"
"But you said Druids live in another realm cut off from the mortal world. That's why you hadn't been around since mum died."
"No, I said many of us live there. And that is true. Some of us choose this world, and we do all we can to make things better for everyone else while we're here. We just have to be careful not to over-extend ourselves. As to why so many left, you have to remember that our people were chased away by evil, close minded fools who saw us as a threat. The Caesars, the Church, rival clans who wanted our power without truly understanding it or its cost. We exist to keep the natural world in balance, and to protect those who would bring light and healing to everyone else."
Looking out at the trees lining the back of his property, Ronan led his cousin outside to the first tree.
"Behold, little cousin. The stately Birch. He is the beginning of our path. His resolve to be first amongst equals made him a chief in the war of the trees. Surely, Aunt Elizabeth taught you the song?" the Druid asked.
"Birch moon you may begin, strengthen my resolves
Sleeping moon and knowing time, as the sacred wheel revolves" 3
Kurt's clear, sweet soprano voice rang through the air.
Ronan took up the next verse, his lilting Irish tenor a beautiful counterpoint to Kurt's counter-tenor.
"Rowan wattles, teach wisdom of the age,
Stone encircled, oracle of wise ones and the mage."
Their voices ringing through the trees as they walked from one to the next, the cousins continued, greeting each tree with it's respective verse.
Sturdy water craft, born of cruel ash Guide my journey across the sea, guard from lightning flash
Alder bark and branch, such a useful tree
Faerie tree in Kore time, Heal the doubt in me
Willow, enchantment moon, Beltaine fires ablaze
Poet and inventors tree, marked by hawk and haze
Night crow takes its flight in the chastity of May
Hawthorne fragrance fills the air, here the four winds stay
Great oak mid-summer tree. Fulfilment of the spring
Sacred hinge and door am I. Solstice fires I bring.
Dark Lord the Holly oak, kills his sacred twin
Moon of the harvest starling flights. The warrior rides within
Wisdom the hazel moon, be wise and desist
Apple, wild immortal tree, Inspiration kissed.
Bacchus God of wine, bless your sacred tree
with Autumn harvest of the vine, we give thanks to thee
Wild boar and whistling swan, the hunting horn does sound
With the ivy and its strength, the harvest bride is bound.
Pan pipes of the sacred reed, warn of winters chill
Slender shafts do arrows make, be doth harm or heal.
Elder a blood red moon, is a tree of waterside
Life in death and death in life in the Elder moon doth hide.
"And thus we come to the Golden Bough of Yule" Ronan said, reverently. "Mistletoe, which our teachings rarely name out of respect for its power." Pulling from his belt a golden sickle, the Druid reached up to cut a small piece from a branch of the elder tree. "Even though some are not actually trees to modern arborists, they remain so in our teachings. These trees have much to teach us, if we are patient and wise."
"Dude, that was beautiful!" Noah announced as he came to join the cousins. "Sorry, Cherub. I heard you guys singing and I just had to come watch." he said, before giving the slender teen a warm hug and kiss.
"The Teaching Song is something that our elders have taught us for many generations. It reminds us who we are and where we came from." Ronan volunteered. "The house and the trees were established here to help teach Kurt about his heritage. Tonight being Beltaine, is very special for many reasons. Normally, we do not share our rituals and ceremonies with outsiders, Noah, but as you are clearly Kurt's true mate, you should attend. Now, back to matters at hand. Lunch is ready in the dining room, and I know you two will want to spend some time making more noise in private before tonight." he said teasingly.
Scene
After lunch, Kurt did indeed take his lover back to his room. The moment the door was closed behind them, the pair threw themselves into a passionate kiss while Kurt was palming Noah's sizable erection through the more muscular teen's jeans. Spinning them about, he shoved the running back against the door while opening the Mohawked boy's fly to release Puckzilla from its denim prison. With his free hand, Kurt silenced any objections by covering Noah's mouth tenderly before lowering himself to face the growing shaft before him. With a happy grin, Kurt allowed his hands to trail down from Noah's face as he placed a kiss on the head of Puckzilla. As his fingers reached Puck's sensitive nipples, he began sucking eagerly on Noah's cock. Fingers lovingly playing with the tanned teen's pectorals, tongue swirling over the cut length, Kurt gave a playful twist to one nipple before swallowing down to Noah's pubes.
"Oh Hell, Cherub! You have all fucking day to stop that!" the Jewish teen uttered.
Lifting off his lover's prong with a lewd popping sound, Kurt looked up at his man with lust blown eyes. "I don't think you could handle all fucking day, Puck." the counter-tenor smirked. Sucking a finger wetly, he quickly went back down on his boyfriend while pushing his slippery digit into Noah's tight hole. Within a moment, his finger found Noah's prostate as his nose hit the tanned boy's pubes once more. With a moan of sheer bliss, the jock came as Kurt swallowed each spurt.
Not missing a beat, Kurt continued probing Noah's sensitive G-spot as he spit shined the man's shaft, reducing his lover to a quivering mass of horny teenager. Without giving Noah much time to recover, Kurt began sucking his man's cock once more. With one hand pleasuring Noah's prostate, and the other fondling the man's swollen balls, Kurt licked and slurped his way up and down on the eleven inches of cut Jewish cock.
Not being able to handle the intense pleasures he was receiving any longer, Noah pulled his lover to stand, sharing a ferocious kiss before sinking to his own knees and returning the favour. Pulling down Kurt's skinny jeans, he managed to take the slim teen's massive twelve inches in a single gulp.
Working his calloused fingertips over Kurt's surprisingly well-toned torso, Noah looked upward to meet his lover's eyes as his mouth continued his ministrations on the teen's long, fat schlong. Both hands busily taunting and teasing his boy's perky nips, Puck sped up his deep throating to be rewarded with those deep growls and moans that his normally high pitched lover only issued during sex. With each time he heard those sounds, his already turgid cock rose and dipped and his puckering hole twitched in excitement and need. With a moan of his own, the tanned running back lifted away from his lover's hard cock, and pulled the pale teen to the bed.
"Cherub, I need you so much! Please?" With a mewl of desire, Noah bent over the edge of the bed and used both strong hands to spread his arse cheeks for Kurt to plunder.
Grinning, Kurt reached into his night stand and pulled out the bottle of Slick and a condom. As he proceeded to tongue fuck his lover's tight, warm love chute, he applied the condom to his own aching member. Hearing the breathy moans and needy sighs Noah was making only served to make his own engorged cock pulse with need. Tempting though it was to simply plunge in and brutally take what was so freely and lovingly offered, Kurt applied a generous amount of the lubricant to his fingers and began the slow process of stretching Noah's arsehole.
As soon as Noah felt Kurt's fingers reaching his G-spot, his twitching cock erupted. With shaking hands, he grabbed hold of Kurt's wrist and began fucking himself ever more violently with the slender teen's hand.
"Please, Cherub. I'm ready for you" he begged.
Applying even more Slick to Noah's greedy hole, Kurt got up to line himself with the swollen anus before him. Slowly, gently, lovingly, he eased his way in to the tight heat of his tanned lover's muscular arse. As soon as he was balls deep, Kurt stopped for just a few minutes, giving Noah a chance to adjust to girth before pulling back and slamming in. Each thrust lighting another fire of passion and want in Noah's body, Kurt would pull out until just his head remained inside, then ploughed back in with a grunt and groan.
Aiming better, Kurt's massive meat continually worked the larger teen's prostate, causing Noah's spent prong to stiffen yet again. An almost sobbing Puck began bouncing back onto Kurt's shaft, and that was all it took to finally push the counter-tenor over the edge to his own climax. Collapsing bonelessly on his lover's warm back, Kurt nearly lacked the strength to pull his barely softening erection away from that tight heat. Still hard, Kurt gathered his spent lover in his slender, but strong arms, and laid the exhausted teen in bed. Sweetly nuzzling the Jewish teen's neck and shoulder, both males gave in to a deep slumber, wrapped in each other's arms.
Scene
The snoozing couple were awakened late that evening by Ronan's lilting voice calling them from the open door.
"It's nearly time for the Bel fires, gentlemen." Seeing them stir groggily he continued, "You'll want to shower before this. We'll have a late dinner after the ceremony. Also, I'm laying out your attire for the evening, so please don't make a fuss about it." Smiling at the pair, Ronan hurried both young men to the en suite, gesturing them to get a move on.
Once the door was closed, and hearing the shower running, the Druid went to Kurt's large walk in closet and pulled forth the robes he had prepared for the couple. Each teen would be wearing a pure white silk robe with a midnight blue sash. Recognizing that Ohio's spring nights were substantially warmer than those back in Ireland, Ronan added over-robes of broadcloth, tan for Kurt, and pale cream for Noah, rather than the heavy wools he would wear back home.
Moving quickly, but gracefully, the Druid hurried to his own room to don his own robes for the evening's events. Silk robes of deep emerald green, with a black sash and white over-robe, once attired, he went back to Kurt's room to advise his companions on how to properly wear the garments.
Seeing the stubborn set to Noah's face, Ronan quickly went to reassure both teens.
"It is tradition to wear clothing during our rites and ceremonies that are as different as possible to mundane garb. Everyone present tonight will be wearing much the same things." he said.
"Wait. Everyone? Who will be there?" Kurt asked nervously.
"Some cousins who live in state, our grandparents, and a few guests who are long time friends of the clan. We hoped your Inspiration might manifest, so you had people watching over you even before I came to train you."
"Dude, I can't just wear a dress. It's not cool!" Noah complained.
"They are ritual robes, Noah." Kurt tried. "Just think Braveheart and let it be. Besides, we both know you're way hotter than Mel Gibson ever was." Seeing his boyfriend calming down enough to consider the matter, the counter-tenor pressed his advantage. "Just think about how easy it will be later to get out of these."
Grumbling to himself about being whipped by his sexy as hell boyfriend, the Jewish stud finally gave in to pull on his own robes.
Once all three young men were properly dressed for the evening, Ronan led the way out back to the circle of trees. Seeing several other people already present, Puck pulled back for a moment. Looking at Ronan in askance, the Jewish teen hesitated briefly until he heard a familiar voice call their names.
"Puck! Kurt!" a familiar blond haired teen called, excitedly.
Author's notes: Any guesses as to the blond's identity? Next chapter will have the celebration, and identities will be revealed. If I haven't completely chased you away, and you're still enjoying my story, please hit that lovely button below and let me know how I'm doing. Your reviews and comments truly make me a better writer. Thank you.
1 Pronounced (KWI-lee) – loosely translated as bastard
2 Pronounced (Day-woi) – Spirits.
3 Tree Teaching Song – italics Kurt singing bold Ronan singing