How Things Should Be

Part XII

This night, Blaine didn't hide out in the library. He hadn't seen much of Sebastian since his husband had been called to Lord Smythe – he hadn't missed him, either. All day, he had felt so much lighter than he had in over a year, maybe even longer. He couldn't care about the spectacle Sebastian had made of his birthday feast, or of that servant boy – who really was only one among dozens – and he didn't care, either, on how the Smythe family and their servants talked about him. It didn't matter, because now he had somebody in his corner, somebody who cared about him.

It wasn't that he felt invincible, but he felt good, and that was already more than he thought he could expect.

Kurt wouldn't have to work too much for the first two weeks so he could get used to the new place. Blaine couldn't show him much that he hadn't already seen, so they had spent the day talking, drinking tea, and walking over the castle grounds. The last few days had been amazing enough, but now it was even better. Before, he couldn't have forgotten that Kurt was going to leave soon. Now, his friend was going to stay.

When Blaine retired this evening, he felt like there was a warm glow inside of him. They had shared some dinner at the library, away from prying eyes in a relaxed atmosphere, and Kurt had told him more stories from the north, and of his family – Cooper, mostly. It had been relaxing, calming... As Blaine climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over himself, he could just lie back and let the darkness wash over him.

He was almost asleep when the door was thrown open with a bang. Sebastian had stepped inside, and one look in his face told Blaine that he was furious. He gulped, and tried to tell himself that the rapid pounding of his heart wasn't fear.

But then, Sebastian looked up and saw him. The anger started to fade from his face, even though he still didn't look exactly happy.

"You're here," he said, his voice almost incredulous, and maybe slightly hopeful.

"I am," Blaine said, not sure what to say.

"I thought..." Sebastian shook his head "No, it's stupid. Of course you're not."

"What are you talking about? What would I be?" Blaine asked.

"Nothing," Sebastian said, "It's just... it's been a long day, and Hunter is just too good at getting under my skin." He came closer, slowly discarding his clothes as he walked to the bed. He didn't say anything else until he slipped under the covers, but as soon as he did, he turned to his side. His hand stroked Blaine's cheek, then wandered down his neck over his chest.

With a sigh, Blaine turned away from him. "Don't," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper.

There was a moment of hesitation, and when Sebastian spoke, there were already the first traces of irritation in his voice. "Why not?"

"Maybe because yesterday you publicly kissed someone else, and I can only assume took them to bed afterwards. This bed, which is mine too, so... That's why not."

"I apologized! Do you have any idea how much I paid for that book for you?" Sebastian asked, getting louder now.

"It's your father's money, anyway," Blaine said, unimpressed. "And I thought it was my birthday gift, not an apology. Or was it your plan to disrespect me like this – on my birthday?"

"That's completely ridiculous. Why do you have to be like this?" Sebastian asked, now completely irritated, and maybe on his way to angry.

"Me?" Blaine turned around again, unable to keep in his outrage. "You don't get it, do you? You keep cheating on me, you keep betraying me, and then you turn around and say I'm the one at fault?"

"I said I was sorry!" Sebastian hissed. "And we wouldn't be in this situation if you weren't so damn distant!"

"I'm distant because you keep doing this," Blaine replied, trying to keep his voice in check, "and I'm distant because I can't trust you."

Sebastian's hand closed around Blaine's arm like a vice. "You're mine!"

He was almost shouting now, and Blaine felt all his muscles go rigid. He shouldn't have come here, he shouldn't be...

Sebastian stared at him, and all of a sudden, the anger faded, his grip around Blaine's arm loosened.

"You're mine," he repeated softly, as if he was speaking to himself. "You're my husband. I don't want to fight all the time. But we do, and if we're not fighting, we're avoiding each other." He frowned, and for a moment, Blaine could have felt sorry for him – if the last year hadn't happened, if Sebastian had stood up for him to his family, if Sebastian hadn't hurt him, or didn't scare him sometimes. "Where did we go wrong? Why can't we be happy?"

Blaine didn't answer, unsure what he should say. Maybe he could have felt more compassion for Sebastian if this had been the first time they had a conversation like this. But even that had run stale.

"You're mine," Sebastian said again, now more insistent, as if saying it could compel Blaine to obey. "You promised to be mine. You made a vow!"

Blaine could hardly remember what he had vowed during the ceremony of their union. When he thought back, all he could remember was the panic of these few days that had turned his life upside down. "I made a lot of vows that day," he said softly, "and so did you. I believe you've broken all of them."

"Like you've never broken a vow," Sebastian said bitterly.

"What vow did I break?" Blaine asked.

"You vowed to love me, for example," Sebastian said.

Blaine looked at him in surprise. It wasn't what he had expected. Maybe this was part of the problem, that he didn't understand what Sebastian was thinking, why he acted the way he did. Did Sebastian really want his love, after all that had happened during the last year? Then why did he sleep around? Or maybe he was like a child, just wanting Blaine to be his exclusively, while he himself could go and play with whatever toy he wanted...

"I tried," Blaine said eventually. "I did, but... maybe we just don't have what it takes. Maybe we never could have worked it out."

"It's not over," Sebastian said, "we're still here. You're still mine. Maybe we can make it better."

Blaine sighed. He felt tired in a way he couldn't have explained. "You won't change who you are," he said, "and neither will I. We're stuck here, in this situation and with each other."

Sebastian was looking at him in a way, that once upon a time he might have called heart-broken. Now... he was exhausted.

"Do you love him?" Sebastian asked. "That servant boy. Hunter says you've been sleeping with him." For a second he hesitated, as if afraid to ask. "Have you?"

Blaine looked up, meeting Sebastian's eye directly. "Never," he said, glad that he could answer truthfully, and hoping that Sebastian would forget the first question over it.

For a moment, he thought that Sebastian would ask further, but no inquiry came.

"We're not over yet," Sebastian said, instead. "I can be better, you know I can."

Blaine had heard it too often to believe it, but he was too tired to discuss it any further. There was no point to it, either.

"We'll see," he said instead.

For a moment, they were silent, and then Sebastian lifted his hand again, stroking it over Blaine's arm.

"No," Blaine said softly, looking directly into Sebastian's eyes. For a moment, the worry flared up again.

Sebastian hesitated, then he turned around, away from him. Blaine lay back down as well, alert for a while, not trusting the peace. But eventually, he turned away from Sebastian, too, and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him. Behind him, he could hear from Sebastian's breathing that he hadn't fallen asleep, either, but neither of them spoke again. He was awake for what felt like hours. By the time dawn broke, he felt more exhausted than before.

The first week of his stay at Smythe castle was almost at an end, allowing Kurt to re-evaluate the impression he had gotten of the place. At first glance, he had immediately disliked it here, even more when he had found just how bad things were for Blaine. But if he had thought that a closer contact to the castle and especially its people would improve his opinion, he was sorely disappointed.

The servants were horrible. Probably they weren't actually bad people if they were considered individually, but the whole castle was filled with a toxic atmosphere. The Smythe family treated their servants like pawns in a game of chess, encouraging them to snitch each other out and work against each other, trying to gain the nobility's favor. And even in this one week he had noticed the gossip. Sure, they had talked a lot at Dalton, too, had shared stories of the noble family, visitors, the other servants... but it had been mostly harmless. The Smythes' servants were simply vicious, and they didn't seem to care much about who heard them, or whether their target was one of their own or one of their masters.

And then, of course, there was the Smythe family themselves. Even with the little contact Kurt had with them, it didn't take him long to realize that he didn't dislike them – he loathed them. He wasn't even sure who was the worst, Lord Smythe with his smug snake attitude, Hunter Smythe, who sneered and taunted Blaine whenever he got the chance, Lady Smythe whose nose was so far up in the air that it was a surprise she even had a sense of smell, or Sebastian Smythe. Well, this was a lie, Sebastian was definitely the worst.

Sebastian's behavior had become erratic, his moods swinging from angry to sad with anything in between. One day, he glared at everything and wouldn't spare even a glance at Blaine. Maybe the same day, he'd start to get clingy, not leaving Blaine's side, and trying to get him to spend more time alone together. In between, he would walk around the castle, brooding and watching, not letting Blaine out of his eyes.

Kurt thought it was unnerving, and more than a bit creepy. Blaine just seemed annoyed, but he didn't protest this behavior. Mostly, when Sebastian was concerned, he seemed weirdly resigned.

"Sometimes he's acting like he's a dragon, locking the princess in a tower," Kurt said.

Today, he and Blaine were taking a walk in the gardens. They were beautiful, sure, but Blaine had mentioned that he didn't spend too much time in them. The knights apparently liked to take their walks here, and Blaine tried to avoid them whenever he could.

"He'll get over it," Blaine said with a sigh. "Maybe Hunter will take him along when he finally leaves."

"Why is Hunter even still here?" Kurt asked. "Doesn't he have some place to rule? Cooper never stayed at Dalton this long."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Hunter... He wants to stay close whenever he can, just so he can remind his father that he's superior to Sebastian. He has his issues."

"Everybody here has issues," Kurt said.

"It's the south," Blaine said with a shrug.

Kurt tried to hide his smile, or at least not let it show completely. It wasn't a happy subject, but he couldn't help but notice that Blaine sounded lighter, happier when they talked. Everything wasn't alright, he knew that, and it was obvious from the way Blaine tried to avoid spending too much time with his husband. But the young lord seemed to be better than he had been before, and Kurt liked to think that he was part of that change.

It was also nice that his duties at the kitchen were minimal. It was quite obvious that he was mostly seen as Blaine's servant, and nobody expected him to do much actual work beyond that. He certainly didn't mind, and Blaine too, seemed happy with this arrangement.

Sebastian wasn't, but Kurt couldn't have cared less about him if he had tried.

"And speak of the devil," Blaine muttered.

Kurt looked up, and saw Hunter Smythe walking towards them. "What does he want?" he asked quietly.

"Annoy us?" Blaine guessed.

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Hunter asked, stopping in front of them. He wasn't even looking at Kurt. Servants weren't to be seen, after all. Not that the way he looked at Blaine was any more charitable. "My brother's whore found a pet of his own. Heartwarming, really."

Kurt felt his jaw drop. So much for the assumption that having someone from Dalton here would mean people would stay on a better behavior... But that wasn't just Hunter, that was everybody. It made sense, somehow. Before, they were afraid that the servants from Dalton would return north, telling the earl how his son was treated. Kurt was going to stay, so whatever he learned now wasn't as dangerous. Of course, they were ignoring quite obvious methods of communication – like letters.

Blaine was glaring at Hunter, and Kurt could see his fists were clenched. The anger was etched into Blaine's face, but he didn't speak of it.

"What do you want, Hunter?" he asked, the strain clear in his voice.

"Trust me, I'm not here out of my deep desire to spend any time with you," he said. "Father is sending for you. For some reason he wants to talk to you. And tell your pet here that an open mouth is impolite."

Kurt closed his mouth, caught somewhere between self-conscious and furious.

„How about you don't talk about him like that? Or finally learn that you can actually talk to people directly if you want something from them?"Blaine asked.

It felt satisfying, to hear his friend stand up to Hunter, even if it was on such a small matter, and even if Hunter didn't seem exactly impressed.

"And you're even defending him, how cute," Hunter said, rolling his eyes. "Just go see father, he has more important things to do than waste his time waiting for you."

"Unlike you, who seems to have all the time in the world to waste," Blaine said.

Now, Hunter did react, glaring at Blaine in a way that made Kurt uneasy, but that the young lord didn't seem to care about.

Before Hunter could regain control over himself or the situation, Blaine had turned around and started to walk back to the castle. It took Kurt a second to go with the program and follow him, but in that moment, he could definitely appreciate the look on Hunter's face. He wondered whether his was the first time Blaine had talked back to him...

"What do you think he wants?" Kurt asked.

"I'm not sure," Blaine said, "maybe he wants to give me a lecture on 'fraternizing with the servants'. Or maybe he just wants to talk politics. He hasn't done that in a while, but maybe he changed his mind on that again. I just know that I do not like talking to him."

"I can't believe anybody would," Kurt said.

"Me neither," Blaine said.

"I'll go see if there's work in the kitchen," Kurt said, "but I'll go see you later, when you're done with whatever he wants from you?"

Blaine nodded. "It probably won't be too bad," he said, then he turned left and went up the stairs, while Kurt stared to make his way to the kitchens. He had shown a brave face, but he couldn't help but be worried. What could Lord Smythe want?

Lord Smythe was brooding over papers when Blaine entered, and at first didn't even seem to notice him. Blaine wasn't convinced of it. With Lord Smythe, he understood that it was always safer to assume that he as aware of way more than he let on. Still, Blaine took the chance and looked over the paper. It was a letter, and to his surprise he could even recognize the handwriting as the erratic scribblings of Lady Sylvester, one of the most influential rulers of the northern part of the kingdom. Lord Smythe was frowning, clearly not happy with what he was reading.

"It's the taxes," Blaine said, not willing to play along with the charade of not being noticed.

Lord Smythe looked up, watching him with a calculating expression. "What is the taxes?" he asked, nodding towards the chair, indicating Blaine should sit. After a second of hesitation, Blaine followed the silent instruction.

"The king's taxing the north way too much," he said. "I know that nobody down here cares much about taxes, but in the north, they're very important. When the north first was assimilated into the kingdom, the taxes were the point that almost made them decline and restart the war. They see taxes as a direct attack on their honor and pride. Every time they're collected, and much more every time they're raised, the north remembers the humiliation of being defeated. There's no easier way to rile them up."

Lord Smythe was watching him now full of interest. It was a look Blaine hadn't seen in a long time. Even before, whenever the Lord had try to pick his mind for a northern perspective on things, he'd usually seemed disappointed or uninterested. Blaine stopped, not sure how to deal with this reaction.

"Keep talking," Lord Smythe said, gesturing for him to continue.

"Well... there's not much more to tell," Blaine said, "I haven't talked to northern lords in some time. But I know that the taxes are an extremely sore spot. If you want to calm this situation, you need to advise the king to lower them."

"That's it then?" Lord Smythe asked. His voice was colored with disbelief. "Taxes? That's their breaking point? That's it?"

"It's not everything," Blaine said quickly. "There's also been a lot of disrespect lately. You can't just treat them like second class citizens and then lower the taxes and think they won't explode eventually. But right now, the taxes are what you have to work on."

"They're the trigger point..." Lord Smythe shook his head. "Unbelievable... It does make sense, though. It explains a lot. That I didn't think of it..." He sighed. "I really should have kept picking your brain, shouldn't I? That would have saved me a lot of useless planning. Taxes... who would have guessed?" He was smirking now, and Blaine couldn't help but shudder at the sight. Whatever was going through Lord Smythe's mind, it surely was nothing good.

"There still has to be better diplomacy," he tried again. It certainly seemed as if the taxes were everything Lord Smythe was focusing on.

But now, Lord Smythe waved, gesturing for him to be silent. "Obviously, they have lots of issues. But the taxes being the key..." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Simple. Elegant. I can't believe I haven't thought of it yet." When he looked up, there was a broad grin on his face. "We'll make a politician out of you yet."

"I'd rather not," Blaine said. He wasn't sure where all this was coming from. For a while, Lord Smythe had tried to meet him regularly, get a northern perspective to the strained diplomatic relationships. But the things Blaine could tell him hadn't made much of an impact with Lord Smythe. It didn't help that he had started to really dislike the way the southerners talked about the north – too much arrogance, not nearly enough honest attempts at real compromises. It had felt wrong to help with their schemes, no matter how small his contributions had been. And even though Dalton was officially a part of the south, even more now, after his union, with everybody calling him a northerner, Blaine was starting to feel like one.

Lord Smythe was watching him closely. "Your father really has missed tons of opportunities with you," he said. "Let me tell you, if it was one of my sons in a position like yours, they'd be immersed into the political proceedings. None of this sitting around in the library, ignoring the events of the world."

"I've been given the impression I'm little more than a pet," Blaine said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "I wasn't aware my participation was wanted."

"You'll never get anywhere if you let that deter you," Lord Smythe said. "Your father is an interesting man. Smart, honorable... and very blind in many aspects. He really put all his hope into his first-born, didn't he? What a curious approach. What if something had happened to your brother? Or what if he had done what you did? Then your father wouldn't have anything left..."

"I'm not sure you're qualified to judge other families' strategies," Blaine said, "just look at your sons. They hate each other. They'd do anything to upstage each other as your favorite."

"Ah, yes, Hunter's and Sebastian's little competition," Lord Smythe said, chuckling. "That is amusing."

"And you're encouraging it, even," Blaine said. "Don't you see what you're doing to them?" He wasn't sure what he was doing himself. He never talked to Lord Smythe like this, always tried to show the necessary respect, or at least never give the impression he was trying to oppose him.

"Of course I can see it. Competition isn't a harmful thing, boy. It allows us to unlock our biggest potentials. And it is amusing to watch them fight over who's my favorite." He hesitated, before he smirked at Blaine. "Do you know? Can you tell who my favorite is?"

Blaine frowned. "You don't have one," he said.

"Oh?" Lord Smythe looked at him in surprise. "Elaborate."

"You don't have a permanent favorite, your priority changes whenever one of them does something you approve or disapprove of strongly," Blaine said. "But that can change within a day. It's nothing permanent. Although..."

"Although what?" Lord Smythe asked.

"I think you like Sebastian better," Blaine said.

"And why is that?"

"Because he's smarter than Hunter, more creative. It's just his temper that takes from his usefulness. Besides... you're never this disappointed in Hunter."

"I don't have to be," Lord Smythe said, "because Hunter doesn't give me any reason to be disappointed. But that's been a nice analysis. You aren't a completely lost case. Although I still believe that you're a mine of wasted potential."

"I assume I'm not here to listen to your insults," Blaine said, trying to reign in his glare.

Lord Smythe frowned and looked up, as if he had to think about why Blaine was here, if there really was a reason for this summoning. It was completely obvious that it was all for show.

"I did want to talk to you," Lord Smythe said, still pretending to think about it. "Has Sebastian apologized for his behavior already?"

"He has," Blaine said carefully, eying Lord Smythe suspiciously. "Why do you care?"

"You're aware of the political connections," Lord Smythe said. "Our alliance with your family is important, and you're an essential part of it. Those visitors from Dalton have reminded me that your treatment here hasn't been the best. That's mostly on Sebastian, of course, but we both know it's more than that. You should be more at home here."

"You only care because there's someone from Dalton staying here," Blaine said, now not caring whether Lord Smythe would see his glare.

Of course, Lord Smythe didn't seem to care, as he continued to speak in a pleasant voice, smiling again. It did nothing to make Blaine relax. Like all of Lord Smythe's smiles it looked just a tad bit too cold to be real. "Your servant, yes. I hope he's arranging himself well?"

"He has no complaints," Blaine said. He hadn't been off his guard before, but now he felt even more worried. He wasn't sure what his father by law wanted with Kurt, but there was no way he'd say anything that would put his friend further into Lord Smythe's focus.

"I assume it's nice for you, having a familiar face around," Lord Smythe said. "Someone you knew from your former home."

"It is," Blaine said. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he had no doubts that he wouldn't like it.

"Hunter believes the boy is in love with you."

And there it was. Blaine felt cold all over. He had to think back to how he had felt at the capitol, when Lord Smythe had revealed his secret to everyone, to his father. But this time it wasn't him that would be in trouble. This time, Kurt was the target, and he couldn't possibly allow that. He had once admired actors. Now he'd have to act his heart out, anything to keep Kurt out of Lord Smythe's attention.

"Hunter is delusional," he said, praying silently that he sounded believable.

"Funny, that's what Sebastian said when we discussed this," Lord Smythe said. "I haven't had much opportunity to make my own judgment in this matter, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. After all, the boy was quite insistent on staying here, with you."

"We've been friends," Blaine said. "I know you have a different relationship to your servants down here in the south, but at Dalton, it's not that unusual."

"Your friend... how sweet," Lord Smythe said. "Your lover as well?"

"Really?" Blaine asked. "You actually dare to ask me if I have any lovers? It's Sebastian who's sleeping his way through the servants' quarters."

"Believe me, I am perfectly aware of that," Lord Smythe said, his face darkening. "But that is not why you're here."

Blaine shook his head, and he could feel his hands were shaking slightly. He couldn't lose this, he had to stop this.

"I don't have any lovers, and I'm not planning on taking any," he said. "Kurt is my friend, nothing more." The last sentence felt like fire on his tongue, even as he spoke the lie. Of course, Kurt was more – he was the one bright spot in Blaine's life. But he couldn't risk exposing his feelings to Lord Smythe, not that he would ever disrespect Kurt by turning him into an affair...

"I'm not here to interrogate you," Lord Smythe said, rolling his eyes. "I'm here to give you a piece of advice, that you may or may not perceive as a warning. It's very simple, boy, and I hope you'll show more sense than Sebastian and actually heed it." He paused for dramatic effect, then he smiled, almost making it look genuine and friendly. It only scared Blaine more.

"What... what advice?" he asked.

Lord Smythe fixed him with his eyes, making him feel like a mouse in front of a cat. "You can fuck whoever you want. Just make sure you're being discreet."

Blaine stared, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Lord Smythe said. "Clearly, that union of yours exists mostly on paper – and that's enough, as long as the alliance is perceived as strong. Now Sebastian... I'm afraid, he's a lost cause. Everybody knows what he's getting up to. Everybody has known that for years. By now, nobody cares about it anymore. If you on the other hand were to be seen with others... that might shake confidence into our alliance. And we can't have that."

"But I'm not-"

"I don't care. You can do whatever you want with the boy, but not in public. That's what I hired him for, after all."

"What!?" Blaine's eyes were so wide now that he feared hey might fall out. This was not what he had expected from this conversation.

"You're aware of how fragile the political situation is at the moment," Lord Smythe said, "and this is your opportunity to have some enjoyment for yourself without endangering it any further. The boy is here for you. There might be gossip about the two of you, but there's always gossip. We can weather that, as long as you don't do anything to fuel it. Do what you want – but you better keep it a secret, whatever it is. As long as you're discreet, I couldn't care less."

Blaine felt vaguely dizzy as the words sank in. Maybe it did make sense to Lord Smythe, but he didn't know how to handle it.

"Does Sebastian know about this?" he asked.

"Maybe he'll figure it out," Lord Smythe said, "or maybe Hunter will clue him in. It doesn't matter. But you might want to make sure that he – like the rest of the world – doesn't find out what you get up to with that boy. We wouldn't want him to lose his temper, would we?"

Blaine nodded. He could not imagine how Sebastian would react if he though...

"You may go now," Lord Smythe said, dismissing him with a nod.

Blaine stood up, wanting to get out of here as fast as possible.

He was already at the door, when Lord Smythe spoke up again.

"One more thing."

Blaine turned, fearing what would come next.

"If you slip up, and someone finds out – then I'll have the boy killed. Do you understand?"

Blaine felt his throat close up, but he nodded.

"Good. You're dismissed."

Blaine wasn't sure how he managed to move his legs and leave the room. Even though it was a lovely day, there were shudders running down his spine, and the shaking in his hand was extremely obvious now. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to think about this. He had never wanted to put Kurt into this situation, to treat him like an affair that had to be hidden way. Getting Lord Smythe's blessing to that just made it even worse. But even ignoring the fact that he didn't want to have an affair...

Lord Smythe had threatened Kurt, and even if the conditions wouldn't occur, it told Blaine something else. It told him that his father by law wouldn't hesitate to go through with his threat. Kurt wasn't safe here, now he was completely at the mercy of Lord Smythe's whim. Blaine had been so focused on what it would mean for him to have somebody here in his corner, that he hadn't considered what kind of danger Kurt was in now.

He wasn't even sure where his feet were carrying him. All he knew was that he found himself at the stables once more, and before he could even think about what he was doing, he had saddled Caverra and started riding, not knowing or caring where he was going as long as it was away from here.

Blaine rarely had that impulse, and he had only followed it once before. He couldn't have said how long he was out before he stopped, let the horse walk more slowly, and allowed himself to think.

"I'll have the boy killed..."

Lord Smythe would not shy away from using Kurt as a threat against him. Maybe he had even meant what he had said, that Blaine could do whatever he wanted as long as he was discreet. It wasn't completely unfeasible. But the threat underneath was too strong to ignore. But it started to make sense, more than the obvious message Lord Smythe had delivered.

Sebastian had acted appallingly, and if Dalton would decide to break the alliance over his behavior, there'd be enough understanding. Maybe the king would even put the blame on Sebastian. Blaine doubted that his father would care, but maybe Lord Smythe wasn't as convinced. But no matter what Earl Anderson or anybody at Dalton would do, the alliance wouldn't break unless Blaine insisted on it.

And if he did, Kurt would be the one to pay for it.

Simple, efficient, ruthless, just as Lord Smythe liked it. He probably thought he had Blaine trapped here completely, and therefore nailed down the Dalton alliance.

But he had been trapped before, even if his father by law hadn't realized it. The threat was intimidating, but Blaine hadn't planned to position himself against Lord Smythe anyway. It still was dangerous for Kurt to be here – but the degree of the danger rested completely on Blaine's shoulders, on his own behavior. And he would listen, would obey better than Sebastian. He would be on his absolute best behavior, wouldn't give Lord Smythe the slightest inclination to move against him. Sometimes knowing about a danger was enough to avoid it.

Of course, he'd have to warn Kurt. If his friend wanted to leave, he would do anything in his power to make it possible. If not... well, then he would be able to deal with it.

They would be able to deal with it.

"We'll make it," he said, letting his hands stroke through Caverra's mane. "Somehow, we'll make it. And if not... then you'll take him far, far away from here, girl."

He would keep Kurt safe. It might be too late for himself, either way, but Kurt was not going down with him.