I hope all of you had a lovely holiday! Here's the next chapter for you, I hope you enjoy. As always, big thanks to GleekMom, my wonderful beta for all her help.
When day dawned on Kurt, he awoke in a bit of a foul mood. He had not slept well, aching to hold Blaine in his arms and hear those three words that had been living in his heart for so long. As the morning wore on and clouds rolled in, Kurt felt Mother Nature was mocking his mood. He decided he needed to get out of his funk and looked about his home for any last minute preparations that needed to be done. Seeing the servants had everything well in hand, Kurt cursed having nothing to occupy his mind and body until Blaine returned. He stalked back to his room, only then noticing a book lying outside his door. He did not recognize it as one of his own, and smiled, realizing that Blaine must have left it for him to keep him company until he could return.
He sat on his balcony, and opened it to the place where Blaine had marked, quickly becoming absorbed in the story of two young men searching for love and finding it in each other. He had never read a book with people like himself who loved the same gender, and smiled at finally having a character he could relate to. Even if the author seemed to have no qualms going into the intimate details of the physical relations between the two men. Kurt blushed, and decided to leave that passage for now, perhaps saving it for him and Blaine to read together, to entice them into furthering their own fledgling relationship. He skimmed the rest of the book, spying many stories of two men falling in love, sometimes joining in wedded bliss, sometimes having families together. Kurt had never thought he would have a child and was unable to entertain such a thought as he was. But as he thought about starting a family with Blaine, he realized he could probably be persuaded into fatherhood quite easily if that was what Blaine wished. But first it was probably wise that he make honest men of himself and Blaine.
He crept along the hallway from his room to the last door, the one that lead to the room his parents had shared during their lives. He had ordered no one disturb it, wishing to preserve their memories for himself alone. The room was stale with no one airing it out, but Kurt could still vaguely smell his mother's perfume, remembering how she would spritz the air with it and dance through the spray to cover herself in the scent of roses. He could faintly hear his father's rough laughter as it rang out when Kurt tried to imitate the move, usually only getting a face full of fragrance. He could see them dancing about the room while Kurt sang some silly song he made up as he went along, and the three of them giggling and smiling. But when he opened his eyes, all he saw was an empty room coated with dust, and he admonished himself for not coming in here to fix that more often. He went to his mother's dresser, picking up the perfume bottle, the liquid near gone, and gave a sad sigh. He could cling to his parents' memory, but he could not live in the past. He put the bottle back and opened the jewellery box his mother favoured, a tiny trickle of music erupting from it, when he spied what he was looking for.
There, nestled amongst the brooches and pearls, were the rings his parents had exchanged when they were wed, as well as the one his mother had worn when she accepted his father's proposal. The wedding bands were simple, each a slim band of silver, his parent's names etched on the insides of the other's ring. But the engagement ring his mother wore, that was what Kurt truly sought. It was again silver, but nestled along the band were several small blue diamonds, something to match his mother's eyes, his father had always claimed. He knew it would not fit Blaine without adjustment, but he wished to perhaps present it to him as a symbol. Spying the silver chain his father always wore round his neck, he looped the ring through the chain and smiled. Perfect. Kurt knew it was soon, knew it was fast, but he also knew that Blaine made him feel safe, made him feel loved, and there was no way he would let go of that. He smiled and placed the chain into the pocket of his tunic before leaving the room, silently letting his parents know that he loved them before closing the door.
He stored the trinket in his nightstand and was halfway down the stairs to plead with Elliot for something to do when a large bang was heard at the door. It burst open and there stood Ken, the groundskeeper, shaking with fear. Kurt sighed, wondering what had happened now. "Ken? What's going on?"
"Sorry to intrude my lord, but it seems Lord Clarington and his men are at the gate and, well, they have the Council there with them, so it won't be long before they break through. I thought he was coming on your name day, but I figured you wouldn't want the Council in, so I locked the gate and came running," Ken stammered.
Kurt ran his paw over his face in exasperation. They were being invaded. "Ken, how many men does he have with him?" he asked.
"Less than a dozen, most armed with clubs, one or two with pikes. If it's all the same, Lord Hummel, I have no aptitude for fighting, so if you wish me to escort the women or children away I can lead them out the back. Otherwise I will be of no use to you," Ken said, still cowering a bit.
"It's fine Ken, go hide or leave, it is your choice. Thank you for warning me," Kurt replied and was surprised at how fast a man of Ken's girth could run when motivated. He doubted he would ever see the portly man again; however, right now other things worried his mind. He shut the front door, hoping it would keep them out for a bit, and bellowed to the rest of the household to gather in the main hall immediately.
When all were collected, he addressed them. "My loyal friends, Hunter is outside, and he has the Council with them. If you want to hide, do so. I do not know if he will hurt innocent looking objects or not, and as we cannot discuss this curse, I am going to hope that he does not know of it either and we may surprise him. But if you wish to defend this home, then you have free reign. Show Hunter's men that the Hummels and their friends don't get pushed around!" The servants cheered, but Kurt gestured for them to quiet down. "Just let me deal with Hunter on my own. I have no idea why he's decided to attack, especially now. But I am going to put an end to his nonsense, once and for all. Now go either to lay in wait or hide, but prepare for the invaders." With a final shout from his staff, Kurt went up to his room, wishing he knew if Blaine was alright, and hoping that by the end of the night, this all would be over.
By the time Hunter managed to reach the Hummel manor, he was quite vexed to find his guards having trouble getting in. The Mages had informed him that they could not help magically in getting inside, but would aid however they could should Hummel resist. He commanded his men to bust down the gate, the door, and the walls if necessary. Getting past the gate alone involved many damaged clubs and a broken pike, plus one guard dislocating his shoulder. Furious, Hunter banged on the front door and began to holler. "Hummel! Hummel! I know you're in there so come out quietly. I am done with this foolishness!"
He did not expect the door to swing open, so he stumbled through the threshold when it did, causing his men to snigger until he sent them a deathly glare. He noticed the place was in order and clean, proving true the rumour that Kurt was indeed intending to open up court again. There were a few objects out of place, such as a teapot sitting on a side table and a lit candelabra despite it only nearing mid-day. He ushered his men and the Council inside, seeing no indication of any living soul. They crept along the hallway, but when Hunter turned around, he saw the Mages lingering, as if they did not dare enter the home. He was about to question them when a voice shouted out, "Now!"
Sam had never been one to back down from a fight, so when Kurt had informed them all that the manor was under attack, he wasn't going to take that lying down! He gathered those who were capable and willing to fight, and directed them to ideal hiding positions while Hunter and his men struggled with the gates. When the door fell open, he motioned for everyone to stay still, watching as the men moved cautiously along the hall. He also noted that the Mages stayed put in the doorway, as if they knew what was lying in wait for them. Sam had to wonder if they too were forbidden from disclosing the enchantment, or if they had just failed to warn Hunter and his men about it in hopes to seize all power should they be defeated.
Hunter had just taken note of the Mages not following when Sam called out, "Now!" Various pieces of cutlery flung themselves at the guards, the knives doing the most damage, and a few decent cuts caused some guards to flee. Sam blew fire from his candles at a few others. One guard tried to yank the feathers from Brittany but, wearing a ridiculous hat, Elliot brandished a pair of scissors at him and he ran away. Always one to up the theatrics of any occasion, he cackled wildly at his victory. Mercedes was pouring scalding hot tea on the guard who was foolish enough to try using her as a weapon, causing a yelp of pain from him. Mercedes fell from his grip, thankfully caught by Sam who swooped in before she broke. She smiled in thanks as he laid her down, and they looked around to see how the battle was faring.
There were only a few guards left, some being circled by the pitchforks who had come in from the gardens, and others running screaming from the kitchen, terrified of the stove showing off some pyrotechnics. Even Rachel had shimmied her way out of Blaine's room and dropped down from the railing on an unsuspecting guard. He crawled out from under her and she sent a legion of styling tools after him with a cackle as he ran for the door. A sudden loud roar was heard from upstairs causing the remaining men to flee, the Mages nowhere to be seen. Sam looked in the direction of the roar and his blood froze, sharing a worried look with Elliot.
Kurt.