The days that pass after Blaine's return are the hardest Kurt has spent in captivity. At least before, he had his disconnect to escape behind. Now, he plays at doting lover every waking moment. He must not let the prince know his true feelings. When a kiss lasts too long, Kurt cannot pull away in disgust. Each time the prince returns from patrols Kurt must be waiting with an embrace and a smile.

His behavior has the added effect, though. The people around the castle seem to relax around him, exchanging nods and smiles in the hall. Kurt hates them, but they are part of his act. He smiles and nods back to them, lest any word of his behavior reach Blaine. Though some try to talk to him, he politely rebuffs any attempts at conversation.

It's been a week and Kurt has not seen his guard except twice in passing. Both times the man's eyes lingered in a way that would have made Kurt uncomfortable if it had been anyone else. In this man, the look was simply an unspoken way to question Kurt's condition. Kurt had tightened his lips for a moment, allowing the discomfort to show through the facade. In return, the man offered a lopsided smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Somehow, it gives Kurt the strength to continue.

Alone in their chambers, Kurt perches on a chair by the window while Blaine cleans his armor by the fireplace, oiling the leather straps with a pungent smelling oil. "So, how were you while I was gone?"

Kurt tenses, wondering if Blaine already knows about the child. Had Quinn outed him? Had his trust been misplaced? No accusations follow and Kurt forces himself to relax. This is normal conversation.

"Nothing," Kurt says, hand tracing patterns on the window's thick glass. "I...I'm sorry. That was a lie." The words are hard to say and Kurt refuses to look at Blaine as the sound of cloth on leather stops. His shivering isn't an act as he draws his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

"What do you mean, Kurt?" Blaine asks, voice tender. Kurt bites his lips hard enough that he's worried he will draw blood. This is the part of the plan Kurt had fought against, but the guard had insisted. There had to be a reason for Kurt to get his cloak back. A reason that would wipe any hesitation out of Blaine's mind before it could occur.

"I...I was pregnant when you left," he says, voice so quiet that for a long moment he isn't sure Blaine can hear him. He wants to take the words back, recall them from the air as soon as they leave his lips. Beth belongs to him alone. Blaine owns no part of his daughter. "I was going to surprise you when you came back but...but she's gone."

"A….a child? You said she," Blaine sounds torn between pain and excitement and Kurt wants to lash out at him for feeling anything for their perfect child. "We had a daughter? What happened?"

Lying is nothing something that comes easily to Kurt. Never in his life had he needed to lie. Living in a community, everyone knew everyone's business. There were no secrets and no need to keep them anyway. So he takes a breath, quivering with nerves that he hopes are interpreted as pain and fear.

"I lost her," he says, holding his legs close to his body as he remembers the swell of his stomach. "With...without my cloak my body wasn't strong enough. I...I tried to keep her but I wasn't strong enough. It's all my fault."

The tears he sheds are foreign to him and he hates them as they burn tracks down his face. There is a low keening sound that he doesn't realize is coming from his throat as he mourns the loss of his daughter. The grief is real and not an act, although he had sworn he would never let the prince know of it. As long as Blaine believes Beth died before she was born, she is safe.

"I wish you had told me," Blaine said, surprising Kurt with a gentle tone. The arm placed over Kurt's back reminds him of how his true mate would have stood, protective and supportive. It makes his desire to escape stronger. "Is...is it possible again?"

Kurt has to swallow back the bile in his throat at the question. Can he really do this? Is his freedom worth bringing another half blood child into this world? Once, he would have refused, but the chains binding his wings in this body weigh down on him more and more every day. The trade seems appealing, fair. And perhaps he will be able to escape with his child and allow Quinn to raise it in safety.

"Y...yes. But only if I have my cloak. I won't be strong enough otherwise. I can't bear losing another. I won't survive it again." He means every word that he forces out. If this plan fails, Kurt will not be able to live with himself.

"I'm so close to finding your cloak. When I do, you have to promise not to leave me, Kurt. Please. I can't lose you." His words are earnest and his arms tighten around Kurt as if that physical hold will keep Kurt chained once he has his wings. Kurt promises, voice soft and eager. Not for another child, but for the freedom that has so long been denied him.