A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I decided not to make you wait too long after that cliffy last chapter, so here you go! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
By the time Brittany caught up with me, I was searching the stables wildly for our horses, about to throw my hands in the air and steal a pair from King Andrew himself.
"Kurt, I'm so sorry." Brittany was crying. "I wanted to dance with Santana so badly, and she convinced me to come inside, and Dave and this tall smirky man saw me-"
"Never mind that!" I cried out. "Just help me find the horses. We must leave now!"
She sniffled but took my hand and we ran to the horses.
"You're only wearing one shoe," she told me as I helped her onto her horse.
"I tripped in my haste; I must have lost the other," I told her, my shaky hands gripping the saddle as I swung myself up onto my horse. I could feel tears stinging in my eyes. "Now quickly, Brittany! We cannot stay a moment longer!"
We rode the horses hard and fast back to Ryerson estate. I jumped down and helped Brittany, even though I felt as though my knees would give out at any second. I could scarcely breathe for the lump in my throat.
"He was calling for you," she told me, her blue eyes wide, her mouth trembling, "he told a knight to fetch his horse."
He was coming here. I knew it before she told me that he would. Blaine would come here, because he was not one to let things go. He would not simply let me leave.
"Take the horses; I haven't much time," I told her, handing her the reigns and dashing inside.
I paid no mind to my fine clothes once I reached my room, tearing them off and throwing them on my bed. I pulled on my servant's garb, pausing only to furiously wipe at the tears trickling down my cheeks. I was a fool. A weak, selfish fool. I had tempted fate, and She had answered my call in the odious form of one David Ryerson.
I hurried down to the kitchens. I could hear the bell chiming throughout the manor as I ran, the bell that summoned all servants to assemble in the main foyer.
I burst through the door.
"Kurt!" Carol exclaimed, pressing her hands to her chest. "Why are you back so soon? What is going on?"
"Blaine's coming here," I told her, pushing past her to the fireplace, "or he's here already." I stuffed my shaking hands into the coals and grasped fistfuls of the cold ashes. "He-he saw me. He knows I'm Kurt…that Christopher is me," I rambled as I rubbed the soot on my face and arms and neck, "D-Dave. He pulled my mask off when I was dancing with Blaine, and Blaine saw me and stared and I-"
I choked back a sob and Carol tried to pull me into her arms. I pushed away. "No there isn't time," I said, wiping my tears and then running my dirty hands through my hair, flattening it against my head. "We all must go to the foyer. I want to get there quickly so I'm simply one of the crowd." I pressed my lips together tightly, thinking of how Blaine's face had lit up when his eyes had roamed over my special outfit.
"Alright, Kurt, let's go." Carol did not argue or try to soothe me.
When we arrived, the hall was filled with servants chattering, their murmurs curious and speculative. Brittany was on the other side of the room, back in her maid's uniform and hugging an enormous grey cat. It appeared the infamous Lord Tubbington had decided to emerge from wherever he dwelled to witness my life crashing down around me.
I slipped in between a stable boy and the chimney sweep, tilting my head down, and pulling the collar of my tunic up to stick it in my mouth, as though I was a simpleton who liked to chew on clothing. I affected a dull, vacant expression, a cross between Finn, Brittany, and my centaur colt, Apple.
The main doors swung open and the chatter rose in volume only to fade away quickly when Blaine walked in, followed by Dave, Finn, Rachel, Sir Sandy, and several of Blaine's Warblers. A hush fell over the crowd of servants at the sight of their crown prince.
"Hello," Blaine called. He was not smiling, and his tone was polite but strained. "I apologize for disturbing you all this evening. I am looking for a young man by the name of Kurt. He has brown hair and blue eyes."
I could feel the gazes of several people nearby flit over to me, but apparently everyone had received instructions not to say a word. I looked up a little, past Blaine. Sir Sandy looked murderous, Finn confused, and Dave looked chastised, his head lowered meekly. Rachel was searching the crowd with hopeful, shining eyes.
"You see, Your Highness," Sir Sandy bellowed in his grating nasal voice, "I am afraid you are quite mistaken. There is no one named Kurt living under this roof. Is that not correct, David?"
"Yes," Dave mumbled, "Kurt doesn't live here anymore."
Blaine ignored them and began walking down the rows of servants. My breaths were coming short and shallow now. I tilted my head down further and stared stupidly at the floor as he drew closer.
And then he was standing in front of me. It was as though all sound dropped away, and all I could hear was the erratic thud of my heart, trying to burst from my ribcage and end my misery. He tucked to fingers under my chin. I wished he would not touch my dirty face with his clean, lovely hands. He tiled my head up, but I refused to meet his eyes, even as tears began to fall on my cheeks, leaving trails through the grime and ash.
"Hello," he said softly, and I knew his words were meant for my ears alone, even as those around me leaned in closer to hear, "I am desperately searching for a man named Kurt. Is it possible that you are he?"
I shook my head adamantly, squeezing my eyes shut tight.
"No? Are you quite sure? Because you see, I saw him – Kurt – tonight, at a ball thrown in my honor, to help me find a royal consort. And he lost his shoe as he left," Blaine continued as Jeffrey rushed up, placing the offending shoe in Blaine's hands. "It's a rather special shoe, glass, and faerie-made. And I'm told that once it finds a suitable wearer, his is the only foot it will fit, so long as that wearer lives."
"That's ridiculous!" Sir Sandy suddenly cried, rushing forward. "Here, David, try on the shoe. I am sure he'll be able to wear it."
Blaine did not even watch as Dave grunted and huffed, trying to pull on a shoe far too narrow for his fat feet. He simply looked at me, and I felt my face flush with shame at what he must have seen: a poor servant boy, dressed in ugly rags and filthy head-to-toe, covered in grime and soot and dirt.
Sir Sandy beckoned Finn forward when Dave gave up and sat, panting and sweating, on a small couch.
"Father," Finn hesitated, glancing at Blaine and then me, "I don't want to try the shoe on."
"Hush, and listen to your papa," Sir Sandy scolded, handing it over to him.
"But I have no wish to marry the prince…begging your pardon, Your Highness," Finn stammered.
"Think nothing of it," Blaine replied, though he did not look away from my face. It was though he was drinking in the sight of me, but I stubbornly stared at the floor.
Sir Sandy insisted that Finn try on the shoe, but it was pointless. Finn's giant feet were obviously too large for the shoe, and he quickly handed it back to Sir Sandy and returned to stand with Rachel.
"Oh!" Sir Sandy affected a dramatic gasp as he let the shoe slip from his fingers and fall to the floor. Several people gasped, but the shoe only clattered against the tiles, remaining intact.
"Faerie-made," Blaine reminded him as Jeffrey bent to retrieve it and handed it to Blaine once more. "It belongs to Kurt, and so only Kurt will be able to wear it."
And then he knelt at my feet, sending a murmur through the surrounding crowd. Sir Sandy stuttered unintelligibly at the sight of the crown prince, in his magnificent and luxurious finery, kneeling before a dirty servant, but Blaine had resumed ignoring him. I shut my eyes and turned my head to the side as Blaine looked up. I could not look at him.
His fingers rested against my ankle. "May I?"
I said nothing, but he lifted up my foot, sliding the ratty slipper I was wearing off and tossing it to the side. He took the beautiful glass shoe and slid it onto my foot. My hands flew to cover my face and my shoulders shook with sobs as Blaine stood up again. I heard Rachel exclaim my name softly.
I jumped a little when I felt Blaine's hands slide from my elbows to cover my hands. I let him pull them away from my face gently, but shook my head once again.
"I'm not," I murmured, fresh tears falling, "I'm not Kurt. I'm not him."
"Yes, you are," Blaine said urgently, "you're…you're my Kurt, and you're here, and you've been here all along, and I thought I'd be so angry if I ever saw you again, but all I want to do is hold you, and I don't understand anything right now, though I'm sure you can explain it all to me. But none of that matters because I've found you, and it's truly you, and I've…I've fallen in love with you all over while you wore a mask and pretended to be a stranger."
My eyes flew open at this and I finally looked at him. His beautiful golden eyes were brimming with tears, and the corner of his lovely smile quivered with emotion as he held my hands over his heart. "You don't," I protested, "you d-don't love me. You can't!"
"I can, I must, and I do." He knelt before me again. "Kurt, I love you. I always have, and I always will. You have ensnared my soul and I never want to be set free…" My heart ached at the sight of him on bended knee, professing his love as though dozens of people were not watching us and hearing every word. "I've never seen a sight more breath-taking than you right now, covered in soot and wearing rags, but here, here and within my reach, and I never want to live another way again. Would you let me, I would spend forever holding you to my heart and doing everything and anything I could to make you feel happy and loved. Marry me," he said simply, eyes imploring, "marry me, Kurt."
I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop the "yes." I couldn't. I couldn't obey him, not now, not when I wanted to more than anything. Never in my life had I wanted to follow and order so intensely that it caused me emotional pain on top of the physical symptoms of my curse.
The physical symptoms hit me as my mouth strained against my shaking hand. I doubled over as the nausea rolled in my stomach and all my joints seared with pain.
"Kurt? What is it?" Blaine asked, standing up to steady me.
"Do it, Kurt," Dave suddenly urged.
"What?" Sir Sandy squawked.
I gasped at Dave's additional order.
"Do it. Marry Prince Blaine, and take your family to the palace with you."
"Ooohhh yes!" Sir Sandy exclaimed, catching on, "Say yes, Kurt, there's a good boy, say yes to the prince, marry him and we'll all move to the palace together."
I shook my head silently as I fell to my knees.
"Just say yes," Dave crowed, "Marry him, Kurt. We shall all live…well, like royalty! Say yes!"
"I don't…I don't understand," I heard Blaine say in alarm over the sound of someone sobbing.
I realized it was I who was sobbing, fighting the waves of pain coursing through my body as I slumped over my knees, my forehead pressed against the floor. Blaine fell to his knees beside me.
I cried out, a wordless wail, clawing at the floor as Sir Sandy and Dave threw order after order at me, weighing me down and ripping my insides to shreds. Say yes say yes say yes say yes say yes say yes say yes.
I was sure I was dying and the word I needed to say to end my pain, the word I longed to say more than anything was on the tip of my tongue. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes, my mind chanted, pushing me closer to the edge of respite. I had to say it. There was no other way. I would say yes and marry Blaine and take Sir Sandy and Dave to the palace, where they would eat away at the wealth of the royal family. I would place Blaine and his whole family in constant danger. There was no other way. I was going to say it; I just could not stand it anymore.
"NO!"
Sir Sandy and Dave fell silent.
"Wh-what?" Blaine said.
"No!" I shouted, looking up and glaring right at him. He fell back a little, startled. "No, I will not marry you!" My symptoms were gone, draining away immediately, and I was filled with a warm, soothing sensation, tingling in my fingers and toes. I gasped out a laugh.
"I-"
"No! Do you hear me, Blaine? No, I will not marry you! No, I will not marry him," I yelled at Sir Sandy and Dave, sitting up. "I refuse to marry you," I spoke to Blaine again, "and you cannot make me! No one can!" My head spun, delirious and giddy and whirling drunk with this sudden freedom, this sudden power.
"I wouldn't make you, Kurt, I-"
"You can't tell me what to do," I crowed, "no one can tell me what to do! Rachel!" I called at her – my friend! She was my friend once more! – "Tell me to do something."
She stared at me with wide eyes. "I…come here and give me a hug."
"No! No, I will not do that; I will stay right here on the floor." Rachel's eyes bugged out.
Sir Sandy and Dave were staring at me, slack-jawed, and I laughed wildly at the sight. I was sure I looked like quite the madman.
"Kurt, please, what is happening? I don't understand," Blaine said, confused and clearly hurt, as he reached towards me. I clasped his hand with both of mine.
"No, Blaine, don't you see? I refuse to marry you. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," I exclaimed, pulling him close. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressing my forehead to his and closing my eyes to stop new tears.
"I refuse to marry you," I whispered, "which is exactly why I will."
"You'll…?" Blaine moved his hands to rest tentatively on my hips, his voice rough and deep but completely bewildered.
"I will marry you," I told him softly, opening my eyes to look right into his as he drew back a little in surprise, a smile playing on his lips.
"You will?"
"I will. I love you so." I could not think of the words, the poetry, the adulations he deserved. "I love you. I want to be with you forever. I want to marry you."
He grinned at me as tears spilled over his lashes.
"I promise I will explain everything," I told him, "but first, there is one matter to which I must attend."
I stood up, pulling him up with me, but then let go of his hands and strode over to Dave, who continued to stare at me in amazement. I glared up at him for a moment with disdain, but then took hold of his hand and ripped off the ring on his middle finger.
Father's ring. I gazed at it for a moment before I slid it on to its rightful place. "You will never tell me what to do again," I told him calmly, sparing a glance for Sir Sandy.
I could be apart from my love no longer. I returned to Blaine, thoughts of Dave and Sir Sandy vanishing from my mind.
"Blaine, I must tell you everything," I declared, throwing my arms around his neck and holding him close, melting into his embrace, "You deserve to know and understand it all, from the very beginning."
He ran his hands up and down my back. "I don't care about that right now," he said lowly, "there's only one thing I care about at this moment."
He kept one hand pressed against my lower back while the other snaked up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing against my skin lightly, wiping away the last of my tears. My hands fisted in the material of the back of his jacket as my breathing shallowed. He looked at me for a moment, tender and loving, his eyes asking silent permission. I leaned forward, and he met me halfway.
It was just the two of us – Blaine and I – when our lips met, soft, gentle. He surrounded and engulfed me, swirled all around me and inside my head as I felt his mouth move against mine, felt his strong hand against my back, urging me forward so that our bodies pressed flush against one another. I gasped a little when my chest pressed against his, and he took the opportunity to capture my bottom lip between his and then sucked gently.
I swayed a little as he pulled away, my eyes fluttering open and meeting his. He wrapped both arms around my waist and I slid my hands up to cup his face as we laughed breathlessly.
"Kiss me again," he murmured, leaning in close once more.
"No," I replied, and then smiled and pressed my lips to his.
The end! Stay tuned for the epilogue!