12/30/2010
A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews! They truly inspire me to keep writing, so thank you! Also, sorry for the wait. . .I have a long commute to work every day, which just zaps my energy. So don't give up . . .updates will be coming, they just may be a bit few and far between.
As a general rule, there are three things that Kurt hates more than anything in the world: peasant's burlap masquerading as fine clothing; a badly drawn bath; and melees. The first two are an inevitable part of life, though he tries to avoid them as much as possible, and has nearly eradicated their existence within the castle by issuing poisonous barbs at servants, and the third he has avoided since he was seven years old. This year, the king had entered his room at dawn, thrown open the drapes, and insisted that it would be a grave affront to the foreign nobility if every member of the Hudmel royal family did not attend.
That doesn't mean that Kurt is happy about it.
In fact, nobody seems to be in a particularly good mood. His mother and father continue to mutter nervously about the quest – evidently, during the betrothal negotiations (over two years in the making, really) it had been decided that the quest would be foregone, as usual. Meanwhile, Sebastian and Mercedes are bickering over their bet.
"You spent the night in Jesse's room, Britt saw you leaving this morning," Mercedes says, stabbing one finger into the middle of Sebastian's chest. "Don't try and pretend that you got it in with the squire."
"I'm a virile young man," Sebastian insists innocently. "I can't be tied down."
"Don't give me that," Mercedes says. "Jesse was limping for a week the last time you were with him, and surprise surprise, he practically needs a cane today. The fine young squire, however, seems to be having no difficulties. Now pay up, you sugar-footed dandy."
"Fine," Sebastian admits finally. "He shut me out last night, not even a word of thanks for my troubles in escorting him to his bedchamber."
"I don't care about your troubles," Mercedes says. "I care about my gold pieces. Now pay up."
"Double or nothing," Sebastian says. Mercedes just rolls her eyes and holds out her hand. "Seriously. Blaine is still the hottest ass in the castle right now, and I'm not going to give up."
"Has anybody told you that you're disgusting?"
"My mother does, daily. Now, what do you say?"
Mercedes considers. Kurt sees her glance at him out of the side of her eyes. "Kurt, will you witness?"
"This is beneath my dignity," Kurt says, lifting his nose. Then he shrugs. "I'll still witness."
Sebastian lets out a whoop and swiftly departs from the stands, no doubt to go find the squire. Kurt sighs and redirects his gaze toward the carnage on the field. It's all so senseless, men beating one another until they're bruised and bloody, and for no purpose other than a kind word from a king and a place of honor at a feast. There's no gallantry in it – blunt weapons, flying hands, maces and shields, broken noses and lost teeth – it has none of the chivalry of the tourney. He glances over at his father, wondering if he could maybe sneak away without anybody noticing. But King Burt is staring right back at him. With a heavy sigh, Kurt plops his chin back into his hand and redirects his eyes toward the field.
At least he can console himself with the sight of Sir Cooper. The knight is right in the thick of everything, armed only with a practice sword. There's no heavy armor allowed in the melee, so his hair is glinting in the sun, his blue eyes dancing. He's smiling – laughing, actually – as he lays into another man. Kurt sighs. Sir Cooper isn't so much fighting as he is dancing. Blows seem to glance off him, leaving him undamaged and unharmed. Where other men are clutching at stomachs, are holding damaged arms close to their core or are limping on bruised legs, Sir Cooper is hopping over fallen men, and turns aside sword strikes as though they're nothing.
"He's amazing," Kurt whispers.
"No, kidding," Mercedes says, shaking her head. "I can't believe he's trying to put the moves on in the middle of the melee!"
Kurt follows her line of sight. Sure enough, Sebastian has slunk over the fence separating the squires and attendants from the bloodbath. It takes him a moment to get his bearings, but Kurt can tell the exact minute that his friend lays sight of his target. Sebastian is always determined, but when he's in search of a conquest he becomes so single-minded that it can be almost terrifying.
"You don't think he'll actually succeed, do you?" Mercedes asks, a little breathless. "In all truth, I don't have thirty gold pieces to squander."
Kurt squints in the morning sunlight, trying to find the short squire in the press of people. He spots him finally, pressed up tight against the fence, hazel eyes wide and unblinking. He seems fixated on the figure of Sir Cooper, his lips moving rapidly and silently.
"I don't think so," Kurt says. "He's an apprentice. Don't they take vows of chastity?"
"Not until the oath-making, when they become maege's," Mercedes says, biting her lips nervously. "I mean, Sebastian really is very good-looking, isn't he?"
Kurt shrugs. He prefers not to look at his friends in that light, in particular his male friends. Homosexuality isn't outlawed in the kingdom – hasn't been since King Burt took the throne – but it still isn't exactly greeted with open arms by most of his countrymen. And, of course, after a year in which Sebastian hit on every other man in the keep and studiously ignored both Kurt and his brother Finn, he'd decided that the young lordling was not all that attractive anyway.
Kurt continued to watch the melee – it was beginning to die down, now, as men fell and were pulled off the field by squires or friends. Perhaps a dozen men remained, now slammed together in the center of the tourney field. Sir Cooper was in the middle of it, his sword a gleaming beacon as it swung, parried, and thrust against his opponents. Behind Kurt, the Princess Quinn watches the battle impassively, while Finn twitches on her right. That causes a bit of a grin to dance across Kurt's face – his loutish brother would no doubt prefer to fight than be caged along with the nobility.
He chances another look at Sebastian, who has a defeated look on his face. Blaine is still intently watching the melee, thick eyebrows drawn low over his eyes. Mercedes is chortling at her success. On the field, a massive knight swings at Sir Cooper, who dances under it and nicks the other soldier's neck. Kurt sucks in a quick breath when another man comes up behind Sir Cooper, but razorsharp the knight turns and deflects another blow. Where the other men fighting in the melee lumber, Sir Cooper seems to almost anticipate every attack. Kurt's heart begins to beat faster.
"Oh, Gods, no!" Mercedes shocked breath pulls Kurt's attention away from the carnage on the field. He looks at her first, before following her eyes to where Sebastian and Blaine stand. The two were locked together, both of Sebastian's hands firmly cupping the apprentice's cheeks, their lips fused. "That's cheating," Mercedes hisses. There's a cry from behind him, Princess Quinn sounding shocked and scared while Finn seems almost joyous. When Kurt looks to the field again, he notices that Sir Cooper has taken a blow, and lies on the ground.
It's a funny thing that happens next. The crowd is going wild as the handsome knight scurries beneath men's trampling feet, and the crash of the swords on shields and wood creates a loud roar. A lone thunderclap cuts through it all, however, and the next thing that Kurt realizes, Sebastian is lying on the ground with a red handprint outlined on his cheek, and Blaine has jumped the fence and is striding directly into the melee.
"What is he doing?" the princess gasps, at the same time as the King Fabray stands and begins yelling "stop!" and Finn cries "he doesn't even have a sword!"
They can't be heard over the crowd however – not far enough to make a difference, at least. Blaine, not wearing the hard-boiled leather of the other squires nor carrying a shield simply walks around a man bearing a mace, ducks below one of the knight's flying morningstars, grabs Sir Cooper by both armpits and proceeds to drag him off the field. It's an almost comical sight, Blaine shorter than the smallest knight by nearly a foot, dragging the heavily muscled, extremely handsome Sir Cooper in the least dignified manner possible. The knight, meanwhile, appears to be lecturing the young apprentice.
Mercedes giggles, and as much as Kurt wants to shush her and demand some respect for the knight, he can't help but join in a bit. It's not long after Sir Cooper's unglorious retreat that the melee ends, won by the massive man still baring a bruise and a nick from Sir Cooper's wooden sword. He walks forward and receives King Burt's blessing, and a wreath of flowers from Queen Carole. Finn obediently invites the man to sup with them at the high table. With that done, the royal family stands to leave. Kurt, however, remains behind.
"Shouldn't you be off with the other stuffed peacocks?" Sebastian asks snidely when he returns to the stands. Kurt smiles broadly.
"How's the face?" he asks, looking pointedly to the red stain still smearing his friend's left cheek.
"Still looks better than yours," Sebastian says. Mercedes giggles.
Kurt is dressing for dinner when Jacob enters the room. The page is as obsequious and irritating as ever, bowing and scuffling, and refusing to tell Kurt why his father has called him to his chambers.
"I'm not going to be summoned without my hair done," Kurt says. "I have an image to maintain."
"No, no, no," Jacob insists. No time for that. The king says now and he means now. Now means now."
"Now does not. . ." Kurt is absolutely shocked when the tiny, frizzy-haired fool actually grabs him. "I am a prince, unhand me!"
"You may be a prince, but your father is a king, and he told me that I'll regret it if I don't drag you in to him. No offense, Prince Kurt, but you dad is huge and kind of scary and you. . ."
Kurt angrily shrugs his arm off and begins walking toward his father's chambers on his own. "Look like a girl?"
"Yes," Jacob agrees readily enough. Kurt just rolls his eyes.
He's extremely irate when he enters his father's bedchambers. He's half-dressed, his hair is mussed, and he'd been hoping to at least wash the grime off his face before dinner. He knows that his father never understands when he explains the importance of appearance, but even King Burt must recognize that this is simply not acceptable.
He's surprised when he enters the room to see not only his royal father, but also his brother, King Fabray and. . .oh, Dear God, his throat starts to seize up. . .the beautiful Prince Cooper. Who somehow manages to look even more dashing with a bruise darkening his brow and a split lip. All of the rage that had been coursing through Kurt's veins immediately disappears, and one hand flutters up to brush back his unbrushed hair.
"Y-you. ..father. . .sent. . ." He can't even get the words out, his face is turning red, and he can't stop staring at the handsome knight. This is beyond humiliating.
"Oh, Kurt, good," King Burt beams and claps his hands. "As you know, it is the custom of the Fabray's that a man go on a quest before becoming betrothed."
Kurt nods his head, kind of wondering what any of this has to do with him. Burt coughs a little uncomfortably. "Tomorrow we'll be sending out Finn with a retinue of guards. Supposedly there is a troll under the bridge between our two kingdoms –"
"Not supposedly," Sir Cooper interjects. "We definitely saw him. Big ugly thing, covered in warts." Burt stares at him for a moment before continuing.
"Right," he says. "So Finn will be heading out to do that. But this morning a pair of villagers came in from the Mountain Holdfast, claiming that there was a rockslide that damaged their crops."
Kurt's heart starts to sink. Normally Finn handles all of their relations with the townfolk around the castle. His brother likes nothing more than to mount a big, stinky horse and ride around. Kurt's always enjoyed that, being younger and somewhat more. . .effeminate. . .his father has always let him sit in on council meetings instead. But with Finn gone. . .
"I need you to check on the truth of the statement," Burt says. "And you'll bring with you a few of our stonemasons, to help repair the damage. King Fabray has graciously offered to let you use his knights as a personal guard, since Finn will be taking our finest soldiers with him."
Kurt sucks in a quick breath. He darely hopes to dream, and yet. . .
"Sir Cooper will accompany you on the morrow," King Burt finishes. Kurt has to keep from swooning.
A/N: Man, this story needs to pick up a little. All set-up and no action. Don't worry, though, things get a bit more exciting next chapter!
COMING SOON: Finn sets out on his first ever quest, Kurt has to ride a horse, Sir Cooper continues to be dashing, Sebastian continues his pursuit of the apprentice Blaine, and Mercedes continues to just laugh at everyone around her.