A/N: Readers, thank you once again for your absolutely PHENOMENAL support and responses. I have to deeply apologize for this delay - I basically encountered the worst writer's block I've ever experienced in my life. I had an idea of what I wanted from this chapter, but I couldn't get it out. The amount of times I started only to delete I everything I wrote is simply obscene. So I apologize again, and hopefully this final chapter will make up for it. (*author's sobbing that this story is over*)

Also an important note here - I have kept it T rated for now. There is a scene at the end of this chapter that I consider a hard T rating, but if anyone thinks that I have misjudged and it needs to be boosted to a M rating, please let me know via PM (or review) and I'll rectify it. I have left the rating as is for now because I genuinely don't think it's explicit or that mature, but I don't want anyone to accidentally read something they don't want to see. So if I've got it wrong, please let me know!

Onwards!

7

Blissful weeks passed by rapidly as they have a tendency to do. Kurt and Blaine's courtship was filled with laughter and happiness, especially after the anxiety of announcing it had passed. Kurt had felt particularly nervous about the council's reaction to the news, afraid that some would accuse him of taking advantage of the King, of trying to manipulate his way to a higher position. But when Blaine informed the council that the search for his spouse was over a week after he and Kurt had made up, they were taken aback by the lack of surprise. Instead, they were met with knowing smiles and immediate congratulations.

"How could you think that we didn't know after the way you two have carried on for the past week?" the councilors playfully chided.

After the shock of this realization wore off, the council went on to strategize about how the courtship was to be announced to the subjects publicly. Confidence boosted by the good wishes thus far, Blaine felt more at ease about the public announcement. What could possibly go wrong? He was a popular monarch, and Kurt a popular aide. In fact, Blaine was certain that many would deem it to be a perfect match. A few days later, his feelings were vindicated as positive letters and words of congratulations reached the castle.

With the last of the hurdles and burdens removed, Blaine and Kurt resumed their courtship, dedicating each moment to being together. They met at the breakfast table each morning, spent the afternoons in conversation around the castle or grounds, and, weather permitting, spent the evenings under the stars in the rose garden. Neither had ever felt such blissful happiness. But there was security that made it all the sweeter; while they lived each day like their first and last, they could still part at night with the knowledge that they would meet again at the breakfast table in the morning, as they always did.

The two men grew even closer, if that were possible. Blaine had assumed that he already knew everything about Kurt, but under the stars he heard stories about Kurt's parents, his childhood memories, his loves and annoyances. He found himself falling a little bit more in love with each passing day. Kurt experienced something similar, and some of his happiest moments were of Blaine talking into the night about life and his hopes. It was intimate and exquisite. Neither of them ever wanted it to end.

But of course, it would have to end in certain respects, but in the best manner possible. They couldn't court forever, and the day would come when they committed and promised something more binding. It was not a difficult decision; two months after beginning their courtship, Blaine knew that he was going to spend the rest of his life with Kurt. And there was no question in his mind about Kurt's commitment, because he only had to look at Kurt's happy expression every day to know that the other man felt the same. So the King, after two months of waiting, finally took the next step.

It was another humid evening beneath the stars, and Kurt had come to rest his head on Blaine's chest, savouring the feeling of warmth seeping into his body. Being able to touch Blaine, the closeness to him had not lost its novelty. The King had been uncharacteristically quiet that evening, although Kurt didn't mind and he followed suit, happy in the knowledge that the two men could be together without having to verbally communicate at every moment.

Kurt nearly drifted off to sleep because of the sultry night and Blaine beside him. It was only Blaine's soft voice, the first time he had spoken in an hour, that roused him.

"Kurt? You are not asleep yet, are you?"

Kurt blinked blearily, regaining coherency. "No, Blaine."

Blaine chuckled. "I suspect that you were on the verge of it. You know, I still love the sound of my name coming from your lips. I like that only you are permitted to use it."

"And I like saying it," Kurt returned with a smile.

"Are you happy?" Blaine asked suddenly.

"Happy?"

"Yes, happy. I – I know how you feel for me, but with our courtship drawing more pressure and attention to you, has it made you unhappy in any manner?"

"No," Kurt said softly. "Nothing about our courtship has given me any pain. And even if it did, it would be worth it because I am with you." Kurt felt a little fluttering in his stomach, intuition telling him that Blaine may be asking him the question.

"Good. I would never intentionally cause you pain, Kurt."

"I know. I wouldn't be here if I thought otherwise."

Blaine sat up slowly, crossed his legs, and raised Kurt up with him. He linked their fingers together, and looked down at their clasped hands for a moment, seemingly reflective, like he was attempting to recollect a speech.

"I - I love you."

"I know," Kurt replied, feeling almost bemused.

"But I, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone," Blaine continued anxiously. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me?"

There was a beat of silence before Blaine started to look abashed. "That – I had planned to put it more eloquently than that. I excited myself excessively."

Kurt laughed, a melodic pleasant sound, and he squeezed Blaine's fingers compassionately. "I would prefer that the idea excited you, than for you to sound too collected. Otherwise, I would think that you weren't passionate about it," Kurt teased. "And you already know my answer. You've known it for a long time."

Blaine moved his hands to cup Kurt's face, lips inches away from meeting. "All the same," he whispered, "I'd still like to hear it."

Kurt closed the distance and sweetly pressed their lips together for a few seconds. "Yes," he murmured, "yes, I will marry you."

The lips against his quirked up into a smile, and suddenly both men were laughing with happiness, too wrapped up in their own joy to think that the proposal had not been the typical, seamless, romantic one they had both envisaged. And it suited them perfectly.

The next day Blaine gave a ring to Kurt to seal the engagement, and there was no need for an announcement to be made around the castle; the news had already gotten around. Everyone beamed at them and that evening a surprise banquet was held in their honour. They celebrated the King finally finding someone worthy of marrying, and being worthy himself.

The planning of the wedding began. Kurt insisted that he be in charge of the preparations, along with the help of his typical staff and the council. Blaine pleaded that the wedding be as soon as possible, and Kurt set the date for the following month. They could barely contain their excitement.

Each day was progressively busier. They began to be tangled up in their duties. Blaine had regional matters to attend to as, as he had neglected them during the start of his courtship. Kurt in turn had his position as aide to fulfill (which he would not occupy for much longer) and their nuptials to organize. They were not easy tasks, but their relationship did not suffer as a result. They set aside time for each other, where they could relax and lose their tension together. Their happiness grew as the wedding day grew closer.

Blaine was astonishingly calm when the day arrived. He had expected to feel nervous, agonized, plagued with inconsequential and foolish worries. And yet when he woke up that morning, he had never felt more at ease. He was sure that the preparations had paid off, and he knew instinctively that everything would go perfectly.

Two wedding ceremonies had been decided on. The first was a private morning affair, with the latter intended as an official, grand event. Kurt had known that when he said his vows, he wanted it to truly mean something and not just be a show for the entertainment of unknown subjects. After discussing it with Blaine, the decision to have two ceremonies seemed to be the perfect solution.

For the first time, Blaine did not see Kurt for breakfast, breaking their tradition in favour of another, older one. Blaine did not set eyes on Kurt until he entered the rose garden, where the ceremony was to take place, at eleven o'clock sharp. He let out an involuntary gasp on seeing Kurt's radiance, before proceeding to walk down the aisle arm in arm with his soon-to-be husband.

The service was short and simple, acting purely as a celebration of their love around friends and family in the morning light. After exchanging vows, they put on the rings and kissed to much applause.

"Ready to do this again in front of the entire kingdom?" Kurt murmured wryly at the end of the ceremony, his sparkling eyes giving away his genuine elation.

"Absolutely, me dear husband," Blaine replied, "it will be the most illustrious event of the year. Maybe even the century!"

And it was. Several hours later the castle was filled with guests from all around the kingdom, waiting for the royal wedding to take place. It was considerably grander than the morning service, and Blaine was inclined to sigh over the pomposity of it all. However, when he faced Kurt at the top of the room and said his vows for the second time, all else faded away and he realized that he didn't care about his surroundings once he could openly declare his love for the most perfect man he knew.

Shortly afterwards Kurt was crowned co-ruler in coronation ceremony, something Blaine had insisted on, and they both felt almost giddy from the monumental changes the day had brought.

And then the celebrations started.

It was declared a national holiday, glorious mounds of food and barrels of wine kept everyone sated, and the happy couple could not bear to be parted for even a minute of it. The festivities carried on well into the night, no one willing to leave while they had energy left to expend.

But eventually the time came for the happy couple to be alone, and as tradition dictated in Dalton, the evening's festivities would come to a close with their first dance together.

When the time came, Kurt put his arm around Blaine's waist and they walked together to the middle of the dance floor in the ballroom. A hush fell upon the onlookers, and then the orchestra began to play, quiet strings plucking out a waltz.

At first they moved slowly, hardly aware of the music and too lost in each other to think of their surroundings. But once the tempo picked up, they began to spin around the room, and Kurt couldn't help but laugh, feeling like a carefree child. They danced elegantly and smoothly, both having learned to dance proficiently in their youth, and they took turns to lead. They spun round and round until the song wound down to a close. It morphed into a slow dance as they stopped spinning, each man with their arms wrapped around the other.

The music ended and applause filled the room. It took a few seconds for Kurt and Blaine to break apart and bow, blinking almost dazedly. It was so easy to forget that anyone else existed when the two were so absorbed by each other.

The guests dispersed home, and Blaine took Kurt by the hand and dragged him out to the lake and the marble terrace for private time. Blaine looked out at the surface of the water, and Kurt wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his chin on Blaine's shoulder and toying with the ring on Blaine's finger.

"It was here that I think part of me began to realize that I loved you," Blaine said.

"Took you long enough," Kurt teased, before adding, "but I know that I fell a little bit more in love with you when you handled Karofsky so well."

Blaine sighed. "If I ever see him again, it will still be too soon."

"There is little danger of that. But let's not talk of him. Not when I have you in my arms, knowing that no day will ever be as good as this one."

"On the contrary, everyday will be equally as good as this one, I will take pains to ensure it. So I take it you are happy, dear husband?" Blaine asked.

Kurt laughed. "Yes. I can't stop smiling, and I find that I don't want to, even though it almost hurts to feel so happy."

Blaine turned to face Kurt and smiled softly. "I understand. As always, you organized this to perfection. You outdid yourself once again."

"It feels like it's the beginning of something," Kurt confessed, "although I don't know what that might be. All I know is that I've never been happier. I couldn't tear myself away from you today."

Blaine kissed Kurt deeply for a few minutes in reply. "You looked so beautiful this whole day," he said at length when he had pulled away for air. "I wanted, want you all to myself."

They kissed again and pressed closer together, reveling in the complete intimacy that their bond gave them. There was nothing between them now, no sense of obligation, restraint, or social codes to conform to.

It was Blaine who pulled away again, flushed and gasping and looking hungrily at Kurt's mussed hair and blushing face, and whispering, "Let us retire. We've been waiting for a long time."

Kurt led the way back into the castle immediately, without a second thought.

It wasn't long before they were back in Blaine's chambers, pressed against each other again and assured of their privacy. Kurt found that his hands were trembling a little and his heart racing. He felt momentarily embarrassed, but was reassured by Blaine's warm smile.

Blaine took one of Kurt's hands and placed it over his heart, which was similarly beating out a frantic rhythm. "I feel the same," Blaine whispered, "I'm nervous too. We're learning, feeling, together."

Blaine tenderly began to unbutton Kurt's shirt, savouring every inch of pale flesh that came into view with each movement. Eventually his torso was released from the confines of the material and Blaine threw the shirt behind them. He almost expected Kurt to cry out a reproach, to tell him to have more respect for such precious clothing, but Blaine pressed their lips together to prevent any such reprimand.

He heard Kurt hum his approval and similarly dispose of Blaine's shirt, although his nimble fingers, now devoid of shaking, moved much faster. Blaine allowed his body to become pliant as Kurt manoevred him out of his clothes. They fell back onto the bed behind them, and soon were lying together, skin on skin in a delicious entanglement that made them both let out sighs of pleasure. Blaine took the time to admire Kurt's lithe body, Kurt doing the same.

Blaine moved slowly and constantly looked to Kurt while he prepared him to ensure that he felt safe and comfortable. At first they were tentative, and cautious, and Blaine was scared that he might unwittingly hurt his husband. But once Blaine stilled himself momentarily, there was a feeling of 'at last' and intense pleasure that was shared by both. Finally they were equal and one. It was like the ultimate seal of equilibrium, that both men felt the same bond, love and respect for each other as they were no longer ruler and subject, but simply two men in love.

Their passion exceeded their stamina on this first occasion, but neither man cared. The art of making love was new to them, and it had been a beautiful experience. And they had the rest of their lives to practice more. (They began said practice the next morning and for the rest of the following week.)

But on their wedding night when both had regained their awareness and cleaned themselves off, Kurt mumbled, "I love you," into Blaine's neck before he drifted off to sleep. They had said the phrase so many times, particularly in the last hour, but it was the fact that it was the last thing Kurt wanted to say before sleeping at night that struck Blaine hard. He truly realized that every morning Kurt would wake up by his side, and every night they would go to bed together. They would never part again until death, and the profundity of that thought was not lost on Blaine. He pressed Kurt closer to him and absently ran his fingers through Kurt's hair, hearing Kurt repeat, "I love you," in soft, dream filled tones.

Blaine's heart had never felt so full before that moment. He was not sure if his heart would hold up under the strain of such happiness. But his heart bore it somehow, and he continued to live in such felicitous fear for the rest of his days with Kurt, his true, and utterly obvious, love.

A/N: So a few things to close this up:

1/ This is actually the final chapter. I had considering doing an epilogue, but I actually like how and where I ended this, I think it wraps it up neatly.

2/I haven't ruled out future oneshots, though I deem them unlikely for now. I had also considered a sequel, a more dramatic and less fluffy one that explored the problems faced by two monarchs who can't produce offspring to inherit the throne, but honestly I just don't see myself writing it, I don't think I'll have the time.

3/ THANK YOU. To anyone who read, reviewed, alerted this. It means the world to me, it really does. Because otherwise this would all be stuck in the dark confines of my laptop and I'd never really practice and work properly. So thank you, and I owe you dearly. I hope you enjoyed and stuck this through to the end. I would like to also invite you to leave a review now that the story is finally over, because I really would love to hear thoughts about the good, bad and ugly in this story so I can improve. And plus, wouldn't it be super wonderful to get over 100 reviews? It would make me unspeakably happy! :)

4/ I fear I have done the whole 'compromise that pleases no one' RE the love scene. But the fact was that I didn't want to write outright smut, but given the whole wedding night situation, I did want to show the two men taking their relationship to the next level. The above is the medium I found between them, and I hope it didn't disappoint too much. God knows I felt weird writing it, it's a bit of a first for me. :P

5/ Thank you again. Seriously. Thank you.

Much love,

Ivory.