Blaine sleeps, dreamless and deeply, for nearly two days. He arouses briefly a few times to relieve his body and Kurt is always there with food and drink that he gratefully consumes before tipping back into slumber again. He has a memory of an arm around him, holding him close, as his consciousness drifts towards wakefulness in the early morning of the second night before he submerges again. When he fully awakens, refreshed but slightly disoriented at the long passage of time, the bed is empty with only a slight disarrangement of the comforter to suggest that somebody slumbered beside him.
Blaine stretches on the luxurious bed, relishing the feel of the soft give of the mattress beneath him. Kurt's blankets may have given additional protection from the hard forest floor, but it pales in comparison to the goose-down mattress. For the first time in days, his body moves without aches and kinks.
He lies in bed for a while longer, clearing his mind of the cobwebs and disorientation of the previous days. He's still reeling from the near entrapment into Sue's spell—he shudders at the memory of the sickly, thick sleep that had threatened to drag him down—and then discovering his brother alive and awake with a new family. He admits that he still is bitter that Cooper hadn't thought to at least send word that he was alright, even if he can grudgingly understand why.
And then there was Kurt. Kurt who had saved him and broke the spell. Kurt who—if his memories aren't tainted by the spell—had kissed him and told him that he loved him.
Kurt has been the perfect companion throughout the trip, never complaining while finding ways to make things better for the both of them. He flashes to those days on horseback and the nights by the fire where they talked for hours. How Blaine wished then and now that he could talk to Kurt for the rest of his life, never tiring of his wit and fortitude.
He knows that he's had feelings developing for Kurt. He thinks back on that first moment they met, when Kurt's lilting, clear voice and handsome face made him stumble in the clearing, stirring an unfamiliar attraction. Blaine felt like he found something that had been missing his entire life and that sense of completion has only solidified more in their weeks together. He can finally admit to himself that these feelings have been there since the beginning; he just hadn't allowed himself to consider Kurt as more than a friend, so fixated he has been on finding and rescuing Cooper.
And now, just when he's allowing himself to acknowledge the depth of his attraction, Kurt tells him that he had been cursed as well, forced to come with him. That stings deeply. Kurt hasn't acted like he had been enslaved to Blaine's whims, though, and Blaine's pretty sure that he knows Kurt well enough by now to know that Kurt doesn't do anything that he doesn't want to. Kurt certainly wouldn't have kissed him if he hadn't wanted to, right? Had he imagined that kiss? Maybe he had imagined the conversation with Kurt too.
Blaine shakes himself out of his pensive thoughts. If he's learned anything these last few weeks, it's that he and Kurt connect best when they can be honest with each other. He needs to talk to Kurt, figure out what's developing between them, now that there are no secrets and no quests keeping them apart. His bath with this resolution is quick, but he finds himself slowing to find just the right outfit to impress Kurt. After weeks of alternating between shirts that never got clean enough, Cooper's wardrobe of crisp shirts and pressed trousers gives him options to show off his best assets. He settles on a thin billowy shirt and a waistcoat of burgundy red that complements his dark curls and sets off to search the castle.
Downstairs, he finds Kurt cursing as he faces the mirror in the hall. "Mirror mirror, what is that?! That's not what I asked, you stupid bat!" Kurt yells and pounds on the edge of the mirror.
I'm trying, you should blame Sue. Call me a bat again and I'll give you a talking to.The mirror huffs and turns milky white.
"Mirror, dear, I apologize. With Adayn's mirror, will you synchronize?" Apparently mollified, the mirror changes to spirals of gold as it attempts to make the connection. At Blaine's laugh, Kurt catches Blaine's eye and gives him a slow, delighted smile that makes him weak in the knees. "Blaine! You're awake!"
He fights a lingering yawn. "I am. What did I miss?"
"Not too much really. It's been more challenging that I anticipated making connection with Adayn. Sue hasn't updated any of her equipment in years and it was all in need of repairs. And word has spread across the castle about Sue's capture. The castle is quite buzzing with gossip, let me tell you. Are you feeling better? Did you sleep well?"
"Like a log." Blaine answers, "and you?"
Kut flushes, "Like a log. Blaine—"
Adayn is on the mirror: can you hear or is this clearer? The gold spiral on the mirror shimmers loudly, interrupting them.
An outline of a woman takes form in the center and solidifies. "Kurt? Kurt? Is that you?"
"Rachel! Is Madame Carmen there? Sue attempted to cast a spell on Blaine and I'm afraid it recoiled on Sue. I need her to check the fey lines to make sure they'll hold."
"You broke a spell? Kurt, that's advanced magic! What were you thinking?"
"I didn't exactly intend for this to happen. That's why I need Madame's help."
"Mr. Hummel." Madame Tibideaux slides into view, studying Kurt intently. "What kind of trouble have you found yourself in now, hmm?"
With Kurt's focus back on the mirror, it's obvious that heartfelt conversations will need to wait until the situation with Sue is settled. His hopes to catch Kurt for a private moment dashed, Blaine turns to find breakfast instead and tries to remind himself that there will be other chances.
After breakfast, however, Blaine finds himself conscripted into carrying crates to carts, as Cooper and Quinn want to leave the castle as quickly as possible now that the curse has been lifted. The castle servants, who had also been enslaved by Sue, are also eager to leave and go back to the families they've left behind and the castle bustles with activity—how he ever thought that the castle was deserted is laughable as he weaves through pockets of people packing crates.
Any opportunity to take Kurt aside quickly vanishes. Lugging the crates does mean that he passes Kurt frequently, who is busy probing the magical tangles with Madame's assistance. Kurt glances up with that sweet, heart-stopping smile every time Blaine crosses the room which burns into Blaine's chest and lightens his load for a few moments.
They all regroup for an early supper, where Cooper dominates the conversation describing his adventures for the past two years which, if he were to be believed, include saving a family from starvation and rescuing a baby rabbit from an attacking hawk. Blaine struggles to catch Kurt's eye but he's engrossed in Cooper's stories, hanging onto every word. Blaine tries squashes his jealousy - he's pretty sure that the scowl gives him away.
Cooper keeps him busy the rest of the day with packing and loading up of the castle. It's grueling work and, not unsurprising given his brother's fondness for extravagance, Cooper wants to pack up everything. Blaine firmly puts his foot down and limits their cargo to two carts behind their pack mules to Cooper's loud protests.
"Let me," Kurt interrupts their bickering. He waves a small wand over one of the carts. Sparks dance and settle on the surface. "There. Rachel created this spell a couple of years ago. It collapses things to a quarter of their size so you can pack more."
"That's why you could carry all those blankets!" Blaine exclaims in answer. "I had wondered."
"It makes packing so much simpler. It really only works on fabrics, though, so I'd leave the other cart for furniture."
Blaine has so many questions. "The campfires? Did you light them with magic?"
"No." Kurt rolls his eyes fondly. "I'm a blacksmith's kid; my da taught me how to light a fire before I was two."
"Aren't fairies allergic to iron?"
"Again, blacksmith's kid. I think it's just a rumor."
"Hunter? Sebastian?" Blaine questions, "Did you spell them?"
"I've taken an oath not to hurt others with my magic. But, I added a slight enchantment that those who meant ill would be drawn to the potion."
"What else did you do? On our trip, I mean."
"Not much, really. I was so nervous that I'd get caught or attract unwanted attention. Fairies… aren't well regarded right now. And I didn't know how any magic would interact with your spell."
The spell. Right. Blaine's been so busy, he had almost forgotten about that last confession. "What did—"
"Blaine!" Cooper calls from another room—Blaine hadn't noticed him leaving. "Can you come grab this end? Hurry!"
He gives an apologetic look to Kurt who laughs. "Go rescue your brother. That's what we came here to do, right?"
It's long after dark when Blaine wearily makes his way to the bedroom where he had slept the night before. His candle casts shadows against the wall. The silence is unnerving; he feels acutely that he is currently in the home of a mad woman, who enchanted now or not, had attempted to curse him. Blaine's heart thumps hard as he turns down the blanket, for in the flickering glow, there appears to be a lump on the bed. He leans closer and the glow alights on Kurt's face, eyelashes fanned on his cheek, his mouth slack open with sleep.
Blaine quietly removes his outerwear, blows out the candle, and climbs in the bed beside Kurt. He carefully rolls over, as his eyes adjust to the darkness, so he can just make out the profile of Kurt's pert nose. He can't resist threading his fingers through the silky strands of Kurt's hair that now rests against his forehead. Kurt murmurs slightly in his sleep and flops his arm across Blaine. His breathing evens out again. Blaine curls closer under Kurt's arm, matching his breaths. Soon he follows him into sleep.
Kurt is gone again when Blaine awakens the next morning and, while Blaine is disappointed that whispered confessions while cuddling in bed aren't going to be happening, the lingering memory of being held close by a sleeping Kurt buoys his hopes. They are on the cusp of something life-changing and lasting. If it takes a little longer because of their respective responsibilities, well, Blaine can be an adult and accept that. Grudgingly.
What to do with Sue's menagerie of spelled royalty and knights caught in inanimate sleep or frozen in stone faces the company that morning. Stored in a back room, she appeared to have long forgotten about the dozen unfortunate souls, if the spiderwebs are any clue. Kurt and Blaine manage to drag them all into the great hall, when Quinn reminds them of the enchanted frogs in the solarium. They open the greenhouse door to pandemonium. Blaine wrinkles his nose at the smell and noise.
"I don't think there were that many knights and princesses before. I think they copulated." Quinn remarks.
"Will they remain frogs or turn into children when we break the curse? And what if those baby frogs then had baby frogs?" Cooper wonders. Blaine shudders and tries very hard not to think about it.
The spells that Kurt casts, with the guidance of Madame Carmen through the mirror, have no effect in returning the cursed to wakefulness or to non-amphibian life, so Blaine has to rearrange the carts to find room to transport them to Adayn for further testing. Quinn reassures them that, if all else fails, she knows of a few princesses who would be willing to kiss a sleeping prince or a frog in hopes of making a good marriage match. Blaine shudders again for entirely different reasons.
Sue they leave behind. Kurt worries about the stability of the broken curse without reinforcement during the long trip back and Blaine isn't anxious to confront her again. He and Blaine carefully move her to a room in the center of the castle, where she'll remain after they leave.
Kurt pronounces himself satisfied with the spells that now surround the glowing, sleeping form of Sue. "They're more of a protection for her, a warning system." He explains to Blaine. Now that his secret is out, Kurt's eager to talk about his work with anybody who wants to listen, and Blaine, for his part, hangs onto every word he says. Kurt's passion is more than a little intoxicating.
"She's caught in her hundred year curse - see those lines underneath there? They're reinforcing the spell, so external spells just bounce off. So we created a second spell to lay on top to cushion it a little. It'll sting anybody who has motives to hurt her—I couldn't leave her here to be tormented or raped by some pillaging ruffin. It could all still be broken by one who loves her. Even villains deserve love after all."
Blaine falls a little more in love with that.
They manage to leave the castle at midday despite the setbacks with a sprawling caravan of horses and carts, goats and sheep that wind their way out of the castle yard and into the surrounding forest. The blizzard had disappeared with Sue's defeat, the snow melting in the summer heat, and it's all nearly unrecognizable from their journey just a few days ago.
Kurt rides beside him on Pavarotti in the warm afternoon as they depart. They don't say much but the atmosphere between them is charged and expectant. Kurt, as always, looks composed and light in the saddle, hair perfectly aloft despite the cloying humidity. Blaine can't look away. He coughs as Kurt catches his eye. "You look good. I mean. It's nice having fresh clothes to wear, right?"
Kurt wrinkles his nose. "Not even magic can get rid of the smoke and dirt embedded in my shirts from this journey. But it's such a relief having you know the truth about me being a fairy. Now I can finally wear some of the outfits I packed without worrying that you might question where it came from."
"Ah, Squirt!" Cooper rides up beside them, Beth in his lap, wide-eyed as she takes in the new scenery, with Quinn ambling up on her steed behind them. "We are finally on the road, headed back home. I wonder what has changed in my absence."
Blaine is disappointed by the interruption, but he doesn't want to ask Kurt about the magic around his family. Of course, Cooper and Quinn know that Kurt is a fairy, but they aren't aware of Kurt's curse. He shoves the conversation aside again.
Beth reaches out for Blaine as soon as she is close. "Lo there, Niblet. Want to ride with me for a bit?"
"Uh huh." She cuddles up to his chest and Blaine slides an arm around her, keeping her safe. Blaine initially thought that his niece was quiet and shy - that impression had quickly changed once she had warmed up to him. Beth chattered non-stop for the last two days as they packed—he understands three words of a dozen of what she says, but she doesn't seem to mind as long as he pauses and 'mmms' at the right time. She barely left "Unca Aine's" side, except to scamper to Kurt once she saw him doing some magic.
She twists in his arms once she notices Kurt riding beside them. "Unca Kur, make bird!"
Kurt smiles down at his new small friend and that feeling of overwhelming affection blossoms in Blaine's chest again. "Just this once, Beth." He twists his hands and a small black paper bird appears in his hands. It flaps its wings and chirps as he passes it over to Beth. She squeaks in delight.
Cooper looks over at his daughter fondly. "You know, Blaine. Fatherhood has been transformative. Having somebody to love and protect, watching them become a new person—I never thought that that would be me."
"You have done remarkably well, Cooper." Blaine says, sincerely. His brother has taken on the responsibilities of leadership of their small band easily, and it's obvious in his easy interactions with Quinn and Beth that he has been a devoted father and companion - something Blaine never would have expected.
"I want this for you too, Blainey. A wife to provide you companionship and warmth at night, like my Quinnie, and children to bless your union and continue your lineage."
Blaine fidgets in discomfort. He's certainly deflected questions about courtship before but he's acutely aware of Kurt's presence. "Uh, I don't think—"
"Nonsense. The first thing we'll do when we return is throw a ball in your honor. I am sure when the young ladies hear of your valor in rescuing me—"
"But I didn't—"
"They will flock to your side in adoration and you'll have your choice of the most beautiful princesses of the country."
"Excuse me," Kurt states, no longer smiling, "The cart looks unsteady. I, I must help out." He doesn't look at Blaine as he abruptly reigns in the horse and heads back to the other travelers.
Blaine wants to curse, but he holds his tongue for his niece's sake. "I don't need your help, Cooper."
"You've taken on far too many responsibilities because of my absence. It's time for me to take on the duties of Crown Prince and it's time that you get to experience romance. I know a few young ladies who would-"
"You may be a prince, but you are also a fool." Quinn interrupts.
Cooper looks affronted. "My love!"
"You hated those balls that your parents threw you. You told me yourself you felt like a specimen on display, for others to poke and point and judge. And you want that for your brother?"
"I'm only trying to help out!"
"We didn't meet that way and I certainly hope that you won't be entertaining this idea for our daughter someday." Quinn points out.
"My daughter won't ever marry, I'll make sure of that." Cooper protests and Quinn lets out another loud bark.
"Wonderful, you're already trying to control our daughter, just like my parents. May I remind you that we aren't married yet either? Or is that your plan? To throw a ball for Blaine but you'll use it to find yourself a more ideal wife than I and I'll be tossed aside." She sniffs and nudges her horse into a gallop.
Cooper turns his horse to follow her. "Quinnie! How could you say that? We are spiritually wedded, my heart bound to yours! How could you doubt my undying devotion to you, Quinnie? Quinnie!"
Blaine watches them leave, thoroughly discouraged by the turn of the afternoon. Beth seems unaware of the disturbance and she chats to the paper bird that rests and chirps in her hands. "Come on, Niblet, what shall we name it?"