"Clause twenty-six. The Magical Guardian shall not use his powers to artificially influence the economy of the realm of Aldern, or any of the neighboring realms of Edgebrook, Lochdale, Rivergate..." Sebastian stifled a yawn behind his hand and blinked three times in quick succession to subtly try and wake himself up. They had been in this tiny, windowless room for hours now, and Sebastian was seriously struggling to comprehend how one contract could possibly contain so much information, and so much of it completely irrelevant. Honestly, did it really need to be documented that "in the month preceding the winter designation ceremony, both Magical Guardian and Political Consort shall embark on a tour of the estates of Aldern, stopping for no less than three days in each location," or that "during this tour, the Consort will offer gifts to each of the holdings, and the Guardian will showcase the magical skills used to keep the realm safe in an exhibit for all residents to attend." Surely the intricacies of every single political outing they might ever face could be discussed in a slightly less formal setting than this? It was inane, bordering on the completely ridiculous, and he was pretty sure he had stopped listening about two hours ago.
Casting a furtive glance to his left he was shocked to see that Blaine was still listening attentively to everything the royal steward was saying. Blaine had his hands on the table in front of him, back perfectly straight, and Sebastian could have sworn he was actually leaning into the one-sided conversation. How on earth did he do it? There was nothing even vaguely interesting being discussed.
On his right, the crown prince was practically a mirror image of Blaine, nodding along as the steward described in great and painful detail that "on the day of the summer solstice the Magical Guardian will fill the town square with daisies and peonies for the local townspeople to collect and display in their windows for the coming fortnight, as a symbol of gratitude from the Crown to its subjects." Either they were both the world's greatest actors, or Sebastian was seriously missing something.
The next time the steward paused for breath, Sebastian seized his chance for a brief respite from the seemingly endless tedium. "Excuse me, Your Royal Highness, might we take a short interlude before the next clause? It might do us all a bit of good to freshen up, stretch our legs and the like?"
Prince Kurt looked genuinely surprised at the suggestion, his brow creasing into a small frown as he turned to look at Sebastian. "I suppose we could do that, if you and Blaine think it would help. Although, it does seem a shame to stop now when we're so close to the end, don't you think?"
"If you recall, Master, there is only one more point of interest left," Blaine's voice, quiet and placating came from next to him, and Sebastian turned in surprise to look at his sub. Blaine's expression was open and pleading, as if he were trying to tell Sebastian something more than what he was actually saying.
"You've already read the contract, Blaine?" Sebastian asked, genuinely confused.
"You haven't?" Sebastian twisted back to focus once more on the prince. Prince Kurt's expression had now taken a turn for the incredulous, and finally, finally, things were starting to click into place for Sebastian. That big stack of documents that had arrived at the Worthington Castle last week, along with the official request for Sebastian to accept the role of political consort to the crown. Sebastian had taken one look at the mountain of paperwork and decided to deal with it some other time when he wasn't doing battle with a winter designation ceremony. So this was what must have been in there; the contract for him to go over before the actual signing. Well, okay then.
"Forgive me, Your Royal Highness, of course I have been over it in great and precise detail. I was merely surprised that Blaine had also taken the initiative to read through the contract prior to today; he isn't usually one to concern himself with day-to-day minutiae such as this. Isn't that right Blaine?" Sebastian grinned widely at Blaine, hoping his sub would play along with the charade. Blaine's brow crinkled into a frown for just a second, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived, and Sebastian allowed himself a small sigh of relief. "My apologies for the interruption, Your Royal Highness. If you'll allow me to pour myself a drink of water, then we can continue straight onward." Sebastian reached forward and grabbed at the pitcher of water in the middle of the round table they were all seated at. Taking a couple of deep breaths he slowly poured himself a glass of water, and just as slowly sipped at it as he tried to compose himself again after being caught so horribly off guard. It was okay, really. He knew the general gist of what was required of him in the role, and nothing in the contract had seemed that out of the ordinary, as far as he could remember at least.
Besides, if there was anything awful in there Blaine would have mentioned it. Wouldn't he?
Placing his glass back on the table he nodded at the steward to continue. The old lady, who seemed entirely unfazed by the interruptions, continued from exactly where she had left off in exactly the same monotone. Sebastian held back a shudder. Just one more point, one more point and then they were done.
"Clause thirty-three. In exchange for the position of power bequeathed to them by the Crown, the Political Consort shall sacrifice all their material possessions to the Magical Guardian, as a token of gratitude for this opportunity, and to ensure that the interests of the Consort align with the interests of the Crown. These material possessions include but are not limited to, land, holdings, weaponry, heirlooms and artefacts. In addition, the Political Consort shall offer their own person to the Magical Guardian as a symbol of absolute loyalty, as well as any submissive or Dominant persons they have currently claimed or will claim in the future."
Wait...what? Sebastian replayed the sentence over in his brain, tracing over each individual letter until he could truly comprehend what he had just heard. He had known that part of the agreement would involve him handing his claim on Blaine over to the crown prince. That was a necessary sacrifice, and one he had made his peace with back when he had originally been considering the role. Besides, he knew that the crown prince wouldn't, couldn't give Blaine what he needed, not really. Only Sebastian, Blaine's Master, could do that. He wasn't going to lose his sub, no matter what a piece of paper said.
But he hadn't known about this other part of the agreement, that he would be handing himself over to the prince as well. Did this mean that the prince was a submissive? Well wouldn't that be a nice turn of events; he'd be able to keep Blaine to himself and get a hot piece of royal ass to Dominate as well. Very nice indeed.
The idea of the crown prince being a sub didn't seem to sit quite right in Sebastian's head though. Surely there would have been more court gossip if their prince had received a submissive designation, that sort of thing wouldn't have simply been ignored by the ever-hungry rumour mills would it? Maybe the royal family had covered up his designation to avoid scandal - could they do that?
"Is everything okay, Sebastian?" Sebastian realized that he was sitting rigid in his chair, and he forced himself to relax. Unfortunately it seemed his reaction to the last clause hadn't gone unnoticed, and he guiltily looked up to face the prince, who was once again looking at him with confusion etched across his features. Okay, he needed to play this one right. Not least because he was supposed to have already read this damn contract, and this additional point should really not be coming as a surprise to him now.
"I was just curious, Your Royal Highness," Sebastian began, choosing his words carefully. "How that last point would apply if both the magical guardian and the political consort were to have a Dominant designation, as is the case in our situation?"
Prince Kurt raised an eyebrow at Sebastian, as if skeptical at the idea of them both being Dominants. Maybe Sebastian had been right about a coverup after all. "Well, the clause only specifies that we can be…" Kurt paused to clear his throat, and Sebastian had to suppress a grin at the crown prince's obvious discomfort. "It only specifies that we can be intimate, not that we should. There have been many guardian-consort pairs throughout history that have been completely platonic, and just as successful - my father and his consort, for example. And then I suppose there really aren't any rules against two Dominants…being together, whether it be simply as equals, or with a third, submissive party." Sebastian was pretty sure he heard a small whimper from Blaine at Prince Kurt's last statement, and he turned with a grin to see his sub fiercely biting his lip, the hot red flush of arousal already starting to creep up his neck from underneath the collar of tunic.
"I think Blaine likes the idea of that, Your Royal Highness," Sebastian replied, not entirely managing to keep the leer out of his voice.
Prince Kurt gave the smallest of frowns, eyes flicking to Blaine and then back to Sebastian, before firmly looking down at his hands as he smoothed non-existent wrinkles out of his clothing. "Yes, well. Shall we continue?"
The royal steward shuffled her papers, her actions now laced with just a hint of indignation at being interrupted yet again in such a short space of time - maybe she was human after all. "All parties involved in said contract shall provide a list of hard and soft limits, to be specified under Appendix G. These documents can be amended at any time, but are considered binding as they appear in the contract at any given point. The Safeword system specified in Appendix H - where applicable - shall be observed at all times. In the absence of personal safewords, the commonly-accepted Elements System - red to stop, blue to slow down, and brown to continue - shall be observed."
Prince Kurt turned to look at Sebastian and Blaine, "What have you two been using up until now?"
Sebastian shrugged. "We've been using the Elements System, but Blaine has never had to safeword."
Prince Kurt frowned again, obviously not appreciating Sebastian's cavalier attitude on the subject. "Then I'm happy to continue using that system, unless you would like to use something else?"
"Elements is fine with us." Sebastian replied, and once more he was treated to that furrowed brow of disapproval from the prince. Why did that bother him so much?
"Blaine, are you okay with using the Elements system?" The prince asked, very pointedly ignoring Sebastian. Blaine flushed under the sudden attention, suddenly not quite knowing what to do with his hands as he folded them into his lap and then brought them straight back out to rest palm-down on the table in front of him.
"Elements is fine, Your Royal Highness," he practically whispered, eyes fixed on the table.
"Thank you, Blaine," the prince replied fondly, his voice approving. Blaine's eyes flicked up to meet the prince's gaze, and Sebastian saw a hint of a smile tease at the corner of his sub's mouth as the two of them locked eyes. Kurt's expression was openly tender, and Sebastian could see the tension in Blaine's shoulders start to unwind under the prince's affection. For a single, horrifying second Sebastian felt like he was intruding on some sort of private moment, but the next instant the prince turned back to the steward, snapping right back to business, and the moment passed as quickly as it had arrived. "You need not add an extra set of safewords to the contract, Daphne, thank you."
After that, all that was left was for first Kurt, then Sebastian, then Steward Daphne to sign and seal the document, and all of a sudden everything was official
Sebastian made sure to take his time cleaning all the wax off his seal, focusing a little too intently on getting the damp cloth into every single one of the little crevices that made up the Smythe family crest. His heart was hammering violently in his chest, threatening to burst right out of it if he wasn't careful. It was such a tiny thing, a quick scrawl of ink and then a hot press of wax, but all of a sudden it was all just a bit too much. He had finally, truly made it,and he couldn't even begin to process what 'it' might actually entail. Glancing up he saw that Blaine was still sitting at the table, determinedly not making eye-contact with either Dominant in the room, while the prince was staring down at the three signatures on the contract as if they were about to jump off the page and attack him.
A loud thump made Sebastian jump, and he turned to see Steward Daphne packing up her belongings at the far end of the table, completely oblivious to the sudden awkwardness between the three boys in the room. It was enough to shake Sebastian out of his funk, and he threw a wry grin in the prince's direction.
"I have to say," Sebastian commented lightly, trying to break the tension in the air. "Given your reputation I was sort of expecting a lot more pomp and circumstance surrounding this affair, Your Royal Highness."
The prince looked up from the document in surprise, and for a second the unaccommodating silence was back again. Then a wicked grin spread across his features, and Sebastian could see the enthusiasm dancing once more behind the prince's eyes. "Just you wait until the claiming banquet this evening; you haven't seen anything yet."
Prince Kurt certainly hadn't been exaggerating. Sebastian had never seen anything to even vaguely rival the extravagance of the scene in front of him as he walked into the claiming banquet that evening on the prince's right-hand side.
At the far end of the royal hall the raised dais - which was usually home to the royal throne - was sporting a great long table, draped with the royal colours of cerulean and gold. At regular intervals along the table there were high-stemmed vases overflowing with flowers of dazzling shades of the same colour scheme. The rest of the hall was filled with smaller, circular tables that were either sporting blue or yellow accompaniments individually. The tables had been strategically placed around the edges of the hall so that a large space in the centre of the room was left clear for the night's entertainment. A fire-breather was warming up in the corner, multi-coloured flames erupting from his lips, and Sebastian could see two stilt-walkers roaming between the tables, the tops of their towering hats just barely brushing the roof of the hall. Casting his gaze skyward Sebastian noticed that the long oak beams spanning the length of the roof had been covered with intricately braided fabrics. Sebastian was momentarily stunned at how the effect had been achieved before remembering - of course - magic. This was certainly going to take some getting used to.
"This, this truly is a sight, Your Royal Highness" Sebastian breathed, completely sacrificing his usual cavalier attitude when confronted by such a breathtaking scene.
Next to him, the prince gave a satisfied smile. "I always think that if I hadn't been born crown prince then banquet-planning would have been a perfect career choice for me. And I think now that we are officially bonded we can forego some of the formalities now don't you? Just Kurt is fine."
And there it was - Sebastian Smythe on first-name acquaintances with the Crown Prince of Aldern. Sebastian leaned slightly forward to grin at Blaine, who was standing on Kurt's left side looking more than a little overwhelmed.
Kurt nodded toward the dais. "Shall we take our places? Our guests will be arriving at any moment."
The three of them cut through the middle of the room until they reached the far end of the hall. As Sebastian climbed the short set of steps to the top of the dais he had a chance to fully appreciate the three high-backed chairs situated in pride of place at the center of the table. On first glance from all the way across the other side of the hall he had briefly been confused that there were three of the ornate chairs rather than just two - for him and the crown prince - but then had simply assumed that the third chair would be for King Burt. Now that he was standing right in front of them though, and could inspect them more closely, he saw that the center chair was draped with the royal colors. The chair on the right was the purple of the Smythe holding, and the chair on the left...why on earth was the chair on the left sporting Anderson red?
"Who will be joining us at the head of the table?" Sebastian asked, thoroughly confused. Surely Lord Anderson would have told him if he had been planning on attending the ceremony?
"Well, the King and Queen will be sitting next to you on your left, just there, with the current royal consort next to them." Kurt pointed at the three seats next to the purple chair as he spoke. "And then my step-brother and his Dominant will be on our other side." Another hand-wave to the chairs situated to the left of the main three. "And then the rest of the table will be made up of lords and ladies of the court, so we've got Lord and Lady Harrington..."
"But who will be sitting on your right?" Sebastian couldn't help interrupting. The prince stopped talking and turned to look at Sebastian with an expression of utter confusion. "My step-brother Finn, didn't I mention that?"
Sebastian huffed, wondering why Kurt was being so obtuse about the occupant of that third chair. "No, I meant the red chair just there, right next to yours," Sebastian pointed adamantly at the offending article.
"Well of course that's Blaine's chair. Honestly who else did you expect Sebastian?"
For the longest of moments there was simply silence as Sebastian stared incredulously at Kurt, and Kurt started just as incredulously back. Next to them Blaine looked like he was trying to fade into the tablecloth behind him.
"No, absolutely not." Sebastian eventually spluttered.
"Excuse me?" Kurt's voice had suddenly turned incredibly icey, his gaze piercing as he stared Sebastian down.
"Blaine is my submissive, his place at meal times is kneeling by my feet."
"Oh please, that tradition is as outdated as forcing submissives to sleep on the floor." Kurt scowled, as if the very notion of Blaine kneeling during a meal was utterly ridiculous.
"It is an important part of submissive training," Sebastian argued, his brain still struggling to catch up with the concept of Blaine sitting at the table with them. Like equals. They hadn't eaten a meal like that in years.
"There is a time and a place for training, and I hardly think a celebratory banquet constitutes." Kurt shot back, his voice deadly in it's derision. "But in any case, this decision is no longer up to you." The prince turned to face Blaine, his voice suddenly gentle as he addressed the sub. "Blaine, where would you feel more comfortable. We can get you a mat to kneel on if you prefer, or would you rather sit at the table with the rest of us?"
Blaine's expression was panicked as he was suddenly faced with the sole attention of both the prince and his master. His gaze flicked from Kurt, to Sebastian, and then away from both Dominants to scan over the extravagances of the banquet around them. Sebastian could see him processing, taking in his surroundings, where they were and what he was being asked.
"Blaine?" Kurt's voice drew the submissive's attention away from the festivities, and as Blaine turned back to face them Sebastian could see that he was still obviously conflicted. Sebastian couldn't help the pout of indignation that he knew must be etched across his features. This should not be a difficult decision for Blaine, he had trained him better than this.
"Blaine, this is your choice. There's no wrong answer, whatever you choose now is completely up to you." Kurt's voice was lilting and calm, effortlessly controlling the situation, and Sebastian was reminded again of that terrifying moment he had witnessed between the two of them back during the reading of the contract.
Blaine's focus flitted once more to Sebastian, his expression pleading. Sebastian had no idea what he was pleading for, but whatever it was he knew he wasn't okay with it. With a small sigh Blaine dropped his gaze to the ground, breaking eye contact with Sebastian before turning back to the prince.
"If it pleases you, I would like to sit at the table, Sir."
"Well then that settles it," Kurt replied, voice triumphant as he turned back to raise an eyebrow challengingly at Sebastian.
"But...but it's not right." Sebastian persisted, not quite understanding why he insisted on going toe-to-toe with the crown prince like this, but knowing that he simply couldn't just let it lie.
"One more word on the matter, Sebastian, and I will have the pages bring out a mat for you, and you will spend the entirety of the banquet kneeling at my feet." Kurt's voice was suddenly low and controlling, not a hint of anger or aggression but simply pure, unadulterated Domination. Domination of an entirely different kind than that Sebastian had seen him display around Blaine. Sebastian felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him as he all but buckled under the intensity of Kurt's gaze. Without even thinking about it his mouth slammed shut and he dropped his gaze to skim his boots.
"That's better," Kurt continued, his voice still radiating Dominance, and Sebastian had no idea what was going on, what was even happening, but he knew he had never felt like this before in his life. Was this magic? Was the prince using his powers to control him somehow? Sebastian could feel a small bubble of panic welling up inside of him. Whatever was going on, he was sure he didn't like it.
Then all of a sudden the moment passed, and Sebastian felt the tension in the air lift, felt his head clear as he was able to raise his gaze to meet the prince's again. Kurt clapped his hands together, suddenly excitable and eager. "Right, shall we take our places? The kitchen staff will be bringing out the first course any moment now."
It took a long while for Sebastian to settle into the swing of things after that. The food was good, conversation light-hearted and witty - even if it was more than a little bit daunting interacting with King Burt, the King Burt, on his left - and the entertainment was absolutely spectacular. But every time Sebastian felt himself loosening up, relaxing into the atmosphere, he would forget where he was and instinctively offer up a morsel of food to the empty space next to his chair. And every time he felt cold air rather than the warm press of Blaine's lips against his fingers everything would shake back out of alignment again, and he'd have to start over.
As the fourth course was being cleared away, Kurt signalled to one of the serving staff behind them, who gave a small nod and moved away to talk to the set of staff organising the night's entertainment. "This is my favourite part of the night," Kurt commented to nobody in particular. Before Sebastian could ask what Kurt had in store for them a group of five musicians shuffled to the front of the room, and started up a lively jig. "Brad and his travelling musicians here are some of the best in the realm." Kurt said with a wide grin, clapping along to the music as the rhythm quickly became apparent.
"Oh, I know this song!" Blaine exclaimed happily, "My brother and I used to dance to it at the local fair each year. It was quite the talking point of the estate." Sebastian turned in surprise to look at Blaine, not quite managing to suppress his incredulous expression. He knew that after everything else that had happened that afternoon, this one simple comment from Blaine should really not shock him as much as it did, but it was just so very unlike Blaine to speak out of turn like that. Honestly, who was this new Blaine, and what on earth had he done with Sebastian's submissive?
"I can imagine, I bet you're an amazing dancer." Kurt replied warmly, and Blaine didn't even try and hide his grin at the overt compliment from the prince. Sebastian couldn't help the small growl of disgruntlement that rumbled in his chest at the obviously flirtatious behaviour between Kurt and his submissive, and before he knew what he was doing he was standing, giving a gracious bow to the prince as he spoke.
"Would Your Royal Highness care to dance?" he asked suavely, every inch the respectable gentleman. Casting his gaze upward he couldn't miss the flash of disappointment that fluttered across the prince's features as he looked from Sebastian, to Blaine, and then back to Sebastian again, but he resolutely put it out of his mind as Kurt graciously rose to standing.
"I would love to, Sebastian." Kurt replied, throwing a wink in Blaine's direction. "You'll have to show me those dance moves later, Blaine." He commented lightly, before leading the way towards the big open space that had cleared in the middle of the room.
As they descended the stairs the tempo of the music changed, segueing effortlessly into a traditional light-hearted ballad. There were already a number of couples taking up their places for the customary dance, with pairs facing one another in two long rows as the introductory strains sprung to life. Sebastian and Kurt joined the middle of each row, with lords and ladies on either side making space for their Crown Prince and his consort.
It was a dance Sebastian knew well, and he barely had to think about the steps as he and the prince bowed to one another, and then stepped forward in time to greet one another, pressing palms together before stepping back in line.
"Are you enjoying yourself, Sebastian?" Kurt asked politely the next time they both stepped forward again, twisting around one another to return to the opposite side from which they came.
"Of course, although I daresay I would be enjoying it more with Blaine at my feet," Sebastian replied, earning himself a disgruntled huff from Kurt the next time they met.
"Don't be childish Sebastian, it doesn't suit you." Kurt chided.
"And there was me thinking that everything suited me," Sebastian joked as they combined with the couples on either side of them to form a six-speared wheel, rotating clockwise with their hands as the axes.
"You know, humility wouldn't be a bad look for you to try either." Kurt replied, but Sebastian was sure he could see a twinkle of light in the prince's eyes as he spoke, and he couldn't help pushing just that little bit further.
"You don't need humility when you're as good as I am, just ask Blaine." Sebastian's gaze was positively wicked as he cast his gaze back toward the dais where Blaine was deep in conversation with Prince Finn. "In fact, don't be too surprised if you can hear him from every room in the castle tonight. I'm going to need to put him through his paces after that little stunt he pulled earlier."
Kurt's footsteps faltered, the usually graceful prince missing the step change as he looked wildly back at Sebastian. "After what?" He asked incredulously, but before Sebastian could ask what was the problem the dance had divided off, and Sebastian and Kurt were drawn away from one another for the rest of the verse. Of course, that didn't stop Kurt from throwing constant glares at Sebastian until they were reunited a couple of minutes later.
"And what exactly…" Kurt practically seethed as they stepped forwards to meet one another once again. "...was that stunt you think Blaine pulled earlier?"
Sebastian gave the prince a small, slightly pitying smile. It was kind of adorable, just how naive Kurt was. Had he ever even had a submissive before? Sebastian wasn't quite sure. Talking slowly, as if to a child, he spelled it out for the crown prince. "He knows that his place during meals is kneeling. He's known that for many years and he still chose to sit at the table with us this evening. He broke the rules and so he needs to be punished. Obviously."
Instead of accepting Sebastian's clearly superior Dominant knowledge, however, Kurt seemed further provoked by his response. "So what, for once in his life Blaine gets to be treated like a human being, and you're going to beat it right out of him?"
"Now that's a little harsh," Sebastian replied, affronted at the clear insinuation that he was some sort of Dominant monster. They had both stopped dancing at this point, and were simply standing toe to toe, face to face, in the middle of the dance floor as other couples whirled away around them. "Punishment is about self-improvement, about pushing a submissive to be better…"
"Don't patronize me Sebastian, I know exactly what punishment is for." Kurt practically spat at him, expression positively venomous. "I gave Blaine a choice and he made one, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"But I am Blaine's Dominant-"
"No." Kurt practically shouted as he interrupted Sebastian, earning them both shocked looks from onlookers. With a heavy sigh he forcibly made himself relax, before continuing in a much quieter voice. "No, not any more Sebastian. When you signed that piece of paper earlier you signed Blaine's wellbeing over to me. So when I give Blaine the option to sit, he is doing absolutely nothing wrong by accepting it. Do you understand me?"
For the second time that night Sebastian felt all the air rush out of his body, and he could only nod mutely as Kurt sighed and rubbed at his temples with his fingers. "I think we're done with dancing for the evening," he commented dejectedly, voice completely devoid of all the fire that had previously embodied him. Turning back towards the dais he cut a swathe through the throng of dancers, leaving Sebastian alone, partnerless, in the middle of the great hall as the next song started up.
It took an incredible amount of self-control for Kurt to not stomp back to his seat like a petulant child as he all but fled away from the dance floor, away from Sebastian. His entire body was thrumming with anger as he climbed the steps up to the main table, hands clenching and unclenching at his side seemingly of their own free will. The nerve, the audacity! How on earth could Kurt have been so naive to have not noticed this side of Sebastian during their last meeting? Had he really been so blinded by Blaine that he hadn't noticed what an insufferable ass his Dominant clearly was?
Kurt sat back in his seat with an undignified thump. As he reached across the table for his wine glass he realized with a start of surprise that the cutlery on either side of his plate was vibrating, humming with the same energy he could feel coursing through his veins. Fuck. It had been a long long time since Kurt had lost control over his powers even a little bit, especially in public. How on earth had Sebastian managed to get underneath his skin so much in such a short space of time? He took a couple of deep breaths, hands coming down to smooth at his tunic as he desperately tried to regain his composure.
"Your Royal Highness? Is everything okay?" Blaine's voice was soft and tentative next to him, but Kurt flinched all the same. He hated being caught off guard like this, hated anybody seeing the cracks in his carefully crafted composure.
With a small sigh he forced himself to smile as he turned to face Blaine, "Yes, yes of course it is," he replied, voice overly jovial and just a little forced. Instead of accepting Kurt's platitudes and moving on, though, the crease between Blaine's eyebrows deepened and he tilted his head to the side, silently encouraging Kurt to open up.
With a small huff Kurt rubbed at his eyes."It's just...is he always such an ass?" He questioned, a hint of exasperation clouding his voice.
Blaine gave a small consolatory smile. "Sebastian is certainly a...vivid personality. He can take some getting used to." He offered up another warm smile, and despite himself Kurt couldn't help smiling back. "He really is a good advisor though, you couldn't have picked any better. And I'm not saying that because he's my Dominant... or at least not only because of that!"
Kurt chuckled softly. "Well here's hoping we don't kill one another along the way." Giving a small shake to clear his head, Kurt's next smile at Blaine was much more genuine; just being around the submissive calmed him down better than anyone else he'd ever come across. "But enough of me whining, I'd rather hear more about you."
It quickly became apparent that, despite his submissive designation, Blaine was more than capable of carrying a conversation, pretty much one-sidedly in fact. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, Kurt was treated to numerous stories about Blaine's life prior to his bonding with Sebastian. Blaine seemed to flourish under the undivided attention of the crown prince, and Kurt was more than happy to provide him with it. Blaine was so animated when he talked, all hand gestures and wild voice inflections, and Kurt found himself leaning more and more into the conversation as Blaine regaled him with tales of his best friend and his seemingly most unfortunate courting history.
"...so David is just standing there, covered from head to toe in milk, and Lady Sophie walks in right on cue. And then they're just facing each other, completely silent, not moving a muscle, and I'm sitting in the corner desperately trying not to laugh, because it's not funny, it's not, but really, only David could do quite so badly at organizing a first date". Blaine paused, breathing heavily as the laughter threatened to erupt out of him before he could deliver the punchline. "So eventually Sophie just sighs, turns around and walks straight back out of the room. And David, he turns to me, eyes all hopeful, and says 'Well, it could have gone worse.' No, no David, I'm really not sure it could have."
Kurt was laughing so hard it took a good minute for him to notice that Sebastian had silently slipped back into his seat next to them. As soon as he did notice, though, it felt like all of the energy, all of the enthusiasm that had previously surrounded him and Blaine had been sucked out of the air, and Kurt could feel his sour mood returning.
Maybe he was being petty, maybe the magical guardian of the realm of Aldern should be able to rise above such silly emotions, but in that moment Kurt really couldn't have cared less. He had been having fun with Blaine, and he wasn't ready for that to end just yet.
Rising up from his chair he held an arm out for Blaine to take. "I love this song, don't you Blaine? I think it's time I saw these dance moves you were talking about earlier."
He couldn't help but notice that Blaine's eyes immediately flicked across to Sebastian, as if searching for some sort of confirmation, some sort of approval, and he had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying anything. Blaine had been Sebastian's submissive for years, it was only natural that he would defer to him. Still, it didn't mean he had to like it.
He liked it even less, though, when Sebastian pointedly ignored Blaine's silent request, keeping his eyes fixed on the dancers out in the middle of the hall and determinedly away from his submissive. Kurt wanted to yell at him, throw something at that stubborn head of his. How dare he deny his submissive like that. How could he do that to Blaine?
"I'll bring you back in one piece, I promise," he said softly, drawing Blaine's attention back to him. The hurt in Blaine's eyes almost broke his heart, but he forced himself to remain light. "Come on, why don't you show me those incredible moves I know you have?"
Blaine forced a small smile onto his face as he rose from his seat, slipping his arm through Kurt's and stepping slightly closer to him than absolutely necessary, as if he could absorb strength from Kurt simply from being close to him. "Lead the way, Sir."
The song playing by the time they reached the dance floor was much slower than the upbeat ballad that Kurt and Sebastian had danced to. If Kurt had had to describe it he probably would have called it a serenade, and he couldn't have asked for anything more perfect for him and Blaine to dance to.
They took up their set positions, face to face, along with all the other couples, custom dictating that they stood close enough to touch without any of their body parts actually meeting. As the opening strains of the song flowed around them Kurt side-stepped to the left as Blaine moved to the right, their eyes never leaving one another as they moved away from one another, and then back together again.
Round each other they danced, twisting as they stepped so that they were back to back, then face to face. Such was the nature of the dance, any time they moved away from one another they would always be brought back together by the next step. So close but not quite close enough, the ultimate slow burn.
Three steps away, three steps back. The greater distance apart making the pull together that much stronger as they flowed back toward one another. Kurt could feel his breath catch in his throat as Blaine tipped his head upward to keep their eyes locked, the height difference between them so much more pronounced in such close quarters. From this angle his entire neck was on display, long and lean and practically presenting itself to Kurt. He wanted to lick it to see if it tasted as good as it looked. He was almost certain it would.
"Has anybody ever told you what beautiful skin you have?" The words were out of Kurt's mouth before he even realized what he was saying, but he didn't regret it for an instant as Blaine blushed and dipped his gaze in response. His body was so emotive, so vocal. He didn't need to say anything at all for Kurt to know exactly what he was thinking. It was completely beautiful.
"Thank you, Sir." Blaine breathed softly, a small smile twitching at the edges of his lips as they spun around each other once more. They were so close that Kurt would only need to reach out by a hair's amount and they would have been touching. But to do that would be to ruin the moment, ruin the beautiful build up, and Kurt kept his hands firmly to himself.
As Blaine moved once more into view of the dais, Kurt noticed him throw a quick glance up at Sebastian's chair. The small frown of disappointment that flitted across his features had Kurt twisting to see what had drawn Blaine's focus. Sebastian was deep in conversation with Kurt's father, and appeared determinedly uninterested in the actions of Kurt and Blaine on the dance floor. Even when the king paused to take a long swig of wine Sebastian refused to pay any attention whatsoever to the dancers not five yards in front of him. Kurt was almost certain he heard a small sigh from Blaine, but when he turned back to look Blaine's expression had morphed into something completely different from that of the bashful sub Kurt had been dancing with moments earlier.
"I've been told that it looks even better marked up a little." Kurt's footsteps faltered as Blaine spoke, his voice having taken on an entirely new lilt. Blaine's eyes crinkled just slightly as he spun away from Kurt, his face disappearing from view for an instant. By the time he was back facing Kurt he was all seriousness again, but Kurt knew what he had seen, and he was damned if he wasn't going to follow it up.
"I have some beautiful candles in my room, a gift from overseas. Every color you can imagine, reds, blues, purples. There's even a gorgeous golden one, the wax is the color of a lion's mane. I can just imagine it on you." They both brought their hands up, so nearly palm to palm, and then back away again. So close to the edge, but not quite there yet. As Kurt brought his hands down he strayed slightly from the normal path, whispering his hands down the front of Blaine's body, mere millimeters away from fabric. He made sure to pass over every point he wanted to explore, to touch and feel, to test whether Blaine would gasp and beg as prettily as he imagined he would. And if the stuttered exhale from Blaine was any indication, it would be oh so pretty.
And now they stepped truly away from one another, Kurt winding through the crowd to his left, while Blaine did the same on his right. A long, deep figure of eight that took them both to the very edges of the dance floor. Kurt's gaze never left Blaine's, he wasn't sure if he could have broken eye contact even if he wanted to. The slow, methodic walk back towards him was one of the most agonizing waits Kurt had ever had to endure, but finally, finally, they were back face to face, for the last time of the dance.
As the music swelled into its final crescendo they both raised their hands once more, palm to palm, exactly like before. Except this time they both pressed forward, fingers twining together in a tight embrace. It was only a single point of contact; much less than what they had already shared together, but it rushed through Kurt's body like electricity. He had danced this dance hundreds of times in the past, but only now did he truly understand what it meant.
The music slowed, before stopping completely, and all the dancers turned toward the band to applaud their fine musical talents. Kurt felt like he was rooted to the spot, fixed to Blaine by the soft press of hands and the fierce passion of his eyes. Eventually he managed to make himself let go, hands coming up to applaud the musicians simply so they could have something to do now that they were bereft of Blaine's contact. Blaine gave him one last small smile, and then turned so that he was also facing the musicians.
Kurt had meant to give both Blaine and Sebastian time to settle into their new surroundings, he really had. Propositioning Blaine had never been part of his plans for how this night would end; it just wasn't how Kurt operated. It could have been due to his station - the last thing he needed was a social climber climbing right into his bed - or it could have simply been Kurt's desire to really know his submissive before he Dominated them, but even with his most casual of flings Kurt had always taken things slow, taken his time to make absolutely sure before making a move. With Blaine it just felt different though. The brief number of hours they had spent together had felt like the most extended of foreplays, and the Dominant inside of him was railing against the very idea of letting Blaine simply walk away. His usual reticence be damned; in that moment the notion of retiring alone that night felt absolutely incomprehensible.
Leaning over Blaine's shoulder, he spoke quietly enough that only Blaine would be able to hear him. "Would you like to spend the night in my quarters?"
Kurt could hear the air in Blaine's throat catch as he took in Kurt's request, his own clapping faltering for just a second as he processed what Kurt was asking. With a slightly shaky smile he twisted his head to look at Kurt, eyes flicking to the floor in a clear sign of deference. "It would be my honour, Sir."
Kurt grinned, and quickly turned to make his way toward the exit. The party was winding down, with a number of guests having already made their excuses, and more still too drunk to even notice whether the crown prince was still in attendance or not. He could be forgiven for slipping out a little early; maybe it was even expected of him, given what extra 'benefits' having a royal consort entailed these days.
Kurt didn't care about any of that, though. All he cared about was Blaine, and what the evening might bring them once they reached the privacy of his room. Nothing else mattered, nothing except…
He caught the eye of one of the pages waiting in the wings. The girl hurried over and gave a quick bow when she reached them. "Your Royal Highness," she said breathlessly, slightly dumbstruck at interacting with the crown prince first hand.
"Please, tell Sebastian Smythe that he may retire to his quarters whenever he desires. Blaine and I shall join him for breakfast at eight tomorrow." The message itself was perfectly civil, but the intent behind them could not have been any more obvious.
The page blushed as she bowed again, eyes fixed firmly on the floor. "Of course, Your Royal Highness. And...congratulations on your claiming." She stammered, as if not quite sure if she was overstepping some sort of boundary.
Kurt gave the girl a warm smile. "Thank you, have a good evening. Oh, and make sure you try some of the cake; I had the kitchen hold some back for the castle staff."
He watched as the girl hurried across to the far end of the great hall to deliver his message, allowing himself one more moment of selfish satisfaction at the reaction it would no doubt incite in his obnoxious consort. Then he firmly put all thoughts of Sebastian out of his head. Tonight, tonight was going to be all about Blaine.