Day 18: Reasonable/Making Amends

A/N: A continuation of Day 4: Date/Snow. You'll need to read that first to understand this entry.

The blizzard had raged for three days and three nights after Blaine and Sebastian's arrival at the palace, effectively keeping everyone indoors. Blaine hadn't seen the Snow King (Kurt, his mind corrected him) since their dinner on his first night. Whenever he would nonchalantly ask Marley, the maid assigned to him, about Kurt's whereabouts, she informed him that the King was extremely busy on a matter of great importance. The third time Blaine inquired, he caught her knowing smile.

He really needed to reign in his feelings.

In Kurt's absence, Blaine initially spent his time with Sebastian, but his best friend had quickly taken interest in a certain court advisor named Hunter, leaving Blaine with ample time to explore the castle on his own.

After wandering through room after room, he eventually settled into a pattern of inhabiting one of two places: the conservatory or the library. The conservatory offered the solace and distraction of a gorgeous grand piano, at which Blaine spent several hours each day.

The library, of course, was home to hundreds of volumes. Blaine perused the shelves, awestruck by the breadth of knowledge contained in one room. He was sure he could spend years reading book after book and never finish them all.

Reading, however, was not what drew Blaine to the library. More often than not, he found himself perched on the velvet-cushioned window seat, gazing out of the enormous window at the vista beyond. Even in the snowstorm, when little was visible through the swirling flakes, he peered out toward the distant horizon – due south.

It was no surprise that Blaine was at that same window the morning that the storm had broken. The skies were clear and the wintry sun shone down over the meadows and forest beyond, making the clinging ice crystals sparkle in its glow. Sebastian invited Blaine to go riding that morning to take advantage of the break in the weather. Blaine waved him off, ensuring Sebastian that he would find better entertainment with Hunter than he would with Blaine. Sebastian tried to argue, but Blaine playfully pulled rank and ordered him on his way.

Aside from wanting to encourage Sebastian's happiness, Blaine felt that he needed the morning alone with his thoughts. He stared again out the window to the south, knees pulled up to his chest and a folded letter at his feet. A light knocking sound surprised him and drew his attention to the doorway.

"My apologies for startling you, Blaine," Kurt said in a soft voice. "May I?" he asked, seeking permission to enter his own library, of all things.

Blaine scurried to rise, but was halted by a raised hand. "No, please. Don't move. I know firsthand how comfortable that seat can be," Kurt smiled, crossing the room and approaching him.

"Good morning, Kurt," Blaine greeted with a smile of his own. "It is so nice to see you again. I understand you have been exceedingly busy."

Kurt rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Well, you know, heavy lies the head and all that," he quipped.

Blaine nodded, turning back toward the window with a sigh.

A moment's silence passed between them. Kurt settled himself on the opposite side of the window seat, bringing one knee up and regarding Blaine thoughtfully. "You miss it, don't you? Home?"

Blaine shrugged, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. Did he miss it? How could he miss a place where he had been treated so poorly? Was it really home when the man who ruled had cast him out? It hadn't been all bad, of course. He'd left behind a handful of wonderful friends, and he'd grown to truly care for the well-being of the people of his kingdom. Well, what used to be his kingdom, anyway.

"It's okay to miss it, you know. It's perfectly reasonable." Kurt leaned forward, resting an elbow on his knee. The paper near Blaine's feet caught his attention. Although it was lying face down, the embossed royal seal was clearly visible at the top of the page. "Blaine? Is this…" Kurt trailed off, his voice laced with concern.

"He wants me to come back," Blaine said flatly. "He said he wants to 'make amends,' whatever that means."

Kurt didn't know Blaine well, but the bitter tone in his voice seemed foreign to his personality. "Are you thinking of going?" he asked hesitantly.

Blaine turned to face Kurt, finally, a hard yet saddened look in his eyes. "Never," he answered definitively. "I can never go back, Kurt. I don't want to go back. I won't live somewhere I'm not wanted." He nudged the paper with his foot, sending it fluttering to the hardwood floor below. "Besides," he chuckled mirthlessly, "I probably wouldn't make it five miles past your borders before his army captured me.

"Two," Kurt muttered, biting his lip self-consciously.

"What?"

Kurt sighed, pulling a paper from his coat pocket and handing it to Blaine. "I received this report this morning from my scouts. Small groups of soldiers are stationed at various points about two miles past the boundary of the North. They have instructions to capture you – and Sebastian – should you attempt to cross." He paused, allowing Blaine to read the report for himself. "I'm sorry," he added.

Blaine handed the document back to Kurt, who immediately returned it to his pocket to be out of sight. "I don't, you know," Blaine said softly, glancing out the window briefly and then back at Kurt. "Miss it. It was never really home, after all. Home is where you fit in, and belong, not necessarily where you were born or raised. And now," he continued, the corners of his mouth lifting gently, "I think I finally have a chance to find out what a home can be."

The Snow King reached out his hand in a silent offer. The Prince of the South took it, clasping it firmly in his own. Home, family, safety, love, hope – Blaine felt all of those things in the hand holding his. All of the things that had been denied to him for so long were literally in his grasp. All he had to do was hold on.

"Come on," Kurt encouraged brightly, obviously trying to lighten the moment. He stood and pulled Blaine up beside him, leading him towards the door. "I've heard tales of a prince who plays the piano beautifully, and I'd like to see if it's true."

Blaine followed easily, laughing aloud for the first time in days. Suddenly, the southern view no longer held any interest for him.