There was once a time in the lands where everything was lush and green. There was no cell phones or college exams. There was no internet or McDonald's. Scattered throughout each kingdom were little shops and food markets that were filled with fresh food on a daily basis. The children played with their toys in the streets and kingdom wide dances were the new rage, bringing smiles to every villager who attended. People worked for what they had and never took a single thing for granted. It was a simplier time, but it wasn't free from dangers. Dragons soared through the East Forests and trolls offered riddles or death to anyone who pass over their bridge. The fires of the wicked witch still burned in the deserts of the west and sometimes when you walked through the snowy passages in the far North at night, you could hear the snow banshee's cries in the wind. All of that danger was countered by the good in the kingdoms, though, and the Hummel family was at the top of that.

For centuries, the Hummel family had been in control of the Kingdom of Limera and were known as one of the most well loved monarch families in all of the kingdoms. To this day, they still remains the best. Being ruled over by King Burt and his new bride Queen Carole, the Kingdom of Limera was having the most prosperous year it had ever had. The crops were flourishing and, most importantly, the people were happy. Everything really seemed to be working in their favor. Well, everything except the first in line for the throne.

In some aspects, Kurt hated being a prince. He loved getting to wear nice clothes and helping villagers out when he needed to, but sometimes, that was outweighed by the pressure to always be perfect. From day one, Prince Kurt was different from all of the other boys and princes that had come before him. Instead of being traditional and looking for a princess, Prince Kurt didn't want that. He wanted a prince to stand by his side and his father supported him after a little convincing. Most people in the kingdom were shocked by all of it, but Kurt never faultered and stood by his decision, knowing that he would never be able to rule the kingdom if he wasn't completely happy. Now at the tender age of twenty, Kurt still had not found a prince to rule alongside of him and his father was starting to get weary. And that is where our story begins.

Fiddling with his fork, the only sound that echoed through the dining room was the clanking of cutlery against porcelain. The air was thick with tension and Kurt knew that his father wanted to say something to him, he could feel it, but King Burt never looked up at the young prince. It only took a few minutes before Kurt cleared his throat. "Dad? What's going on?" he asked.

It was then when Burt looked up and studied his son. "What do you mean, Kurt? Nothing's going on."

"Oh, okay," Kurt murmured as he picked at his food all over again. He didn't have much of an appetite as of late. It was the feeling of something impending that got him thinking more than he should. He knew that he was getting to the age where he would soon be considered 'too old' to marry and he also knew that his father was getting worried about that. "I was thinking about going into the village tomorrow for a visit." At this point, Kurt was just trying to strike up some kind of a conversation to break the awkward silence, but he wasn't sure if it was working or not.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Burt said and it caused Kurt to lift up his head and turn his bright, blue eyes to face his father. "I've been meaning to ask you, I was thinking that we could have a ball. Like we did on your last birthday, but this time, for another reason."

Kurt felt his stomach doing flip flops. He knew where his father was going with this and it made him feel so uneasy, he wanted to just run away. "Dad," Kurt whispered, taking his lower lip between his teeth and shaking his head.

"Just hear me out. What would it hurt? We could have all of the eligable men come to celebrate-"

"So, you want to put me on display for everyone to gawk at? Is that it? Poor Prince Kurt, he's turning into an old, lonely man in front of all of our eyes," Kurt said, cutting off his father and mocking what he felt the people would say. "When it comes to love, I want it to find me. I don't want to set out looking for it. You always told me how you met mom and I know how you met Carole. Neither of them were as desperate as bringing all of the men in the kingdom here and you picking from them like a best of show competition."

"That's not what this is. I'm just saying, it could be a really good oppurtunity for you to meet the men in our kingdom that you could possibly marry. There will be nothing in the summons about it being a, what did you call it, a best of show competition?" Burt stated, cringing at the words. "Just one ball, that's all I ask. One ball and if you find someone, great. If you don't, oh well. Will you agree to that?"

Kurt was torn. He didn't want to agree to what his father had suggested, but at the same time, he also felt like it might work for his benefit. Besides, he could hang around his friends from the village if they came. "Fine. But I want Mercedes and Rachel here," he agreed as he got to his feet. "Now, I'd like to be excused." Once he saw the nod from his father, Kurt pushed in his chair and headed off into his chambers. This was going to be a long next few days.

The day of the ball finally arrived and Kurt was anything but thrilled. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and let out a heavy sigh. He was tall and thin with pale skin that was littered with freckles on his shoulders, cheeks, and torso. His eyes were a blue color that almost seemed grey when he wore certain clothes. His hair was another story. It was a chesnut brown color and had been styled to perfection in preparation for the ball. His outfit looked like something that had been taken straight from one of the paintings in the halls of the palace. It was extravagent and white with gold, red, and blue accents. For the first time in a long time, he really looked like he was royalty. "You can do this, Kurt. It's just a stupid ball and you might actually have some fun," he told himself. He didn't feel like himself when he was dressed up like this, but that all went along with being a prince. He could do this.

"Prince Kurt?" The sound of someone being there scared him a little. He hadn't been expecting company, but when he turned around and saw his handmaiden, he smiled. "They're ready. People from all over the kingdom are here. It's so exciting, isn't it?"

Kurt shrugged his shoulders and walked a little closer to his handmaiden. "I guess. It's kind of overwhelming. I know my father said that this isn't about finding a husband, but I know better than that. I feel like I've got the weight of the world on my shoulders for tonight and if I mess up, I'll disgrace the family or something."

"Don't say that, Prince Kurt. You're not going to disgrace the family. Just go out and have some fun. I promise, you won't regret it." Kurt felt his smile grow even wider at the kind words of the handmaiden and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Thank you. I guess I can't keep them waiting any longer, can I?" Kurt muttered as he pulled back from her and straightened himself up once more time. "Here goes nothing."

As usual, Kurt made his appearance unannounced. He was never one to make a huge entrance at parties like this and today was no different. The ballroom looked amazing. The high ceilings had streamers and paper lanterns hanging from them and the entire floor seemed to sparkle. One of the magical touches of the kingdom was the decorating. If Kurt didn't know any better, he would had said that the entire room seemed to be enchanted to look as prestine as it did. There was a table covered in finger foods and punch on the other side of room and people crowded around the dance floor. It was customary that King Burt and Queen Carole have the first dance, along with Kurt's awkward and tall step brother Finn and his lover, Lady Rachel, who just so happened to be one of Kurt's best friends. Kurt was supposed to take part in that first dance, too, but he was tired of being paired with young men he had no interest in like Lord Adam or Prince Sebastian from a neighboring kingdom.

"Oh, Kurt! Look who's here." Kurt could hear those works coming from somewhere behind him, but he didn't want to look. He knew that it was his father and he knew that his father was trying to set him up with someone.

Putting on a smile, Kurt turned and headed over to his father. "Hello, Prince Sebastian. It's nice to see you again," Kurt said. Kurt didn't like Prince Sebastain in the slightest bit. He was handsome and had strong, attractive features, but it was his personality that got under Kurt's skin. He was vain and materialistic, caring more about hooking up with stablehands than actually forming relationships with people.

"We were just talking about you. Prince Sebastian was saying how he was looking forward to seeing you," Burt said in Kurt's direction, practically beaming as Kurt just shook his head and hid his disgust with a fake smile. "In fact, he was wondering if you would be interested in doing the first dance with him?"

Kurt felt his stomach bottom out of his body. He didn't want to be around Sebastian, let alone dance with him. He knew he had to make up a lie and quick. He looked around the ballroom and then let his eyes lay on his father and Sebastian. "Actually, I've already promised someone else the first dance. Sorry to disappoint you, Prince," Kurt said, a smug nature about his words coming out. He turned on his heels and quickly let his eyes scan around the ballroom. He needed to find someone to dance with and he needed to find them quick. There were plenty of men around, but not one of them were what Kurt was looking for. It was then when he saw a man stagger in late. Kurt's interest was instantly peaked and when he saw the other man, he felt like time had stood still. It only took him a split second to realize that he had seen not only a handsome newcomer, but also his soulmate.

Kurt couldn't take his eyes off of the young man and as he got closer, the more drawn he felt to him. He was shorter than Kurt, but he looked very strong, like he spent his days working outside somewhere. His skin was tanned and his hair was gelled up into a style that Kurt had never seen before. He was wearing a simple suit that was accentuated with a glittering bow tie that seemed to be made out of glass. Getting close enough to see his eyes, Kurt got lost in the beautiful caramel color that they were. It hit Kurt and it hit him hard. This was the man he had been looking for forever.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Kurt was already approaching the young man and clearing his throat. "Um, excuse me?" he said, his voice much softer and lighter than it usually was, probably because that was how he felt. He felt lighter and happier being around this young man. "I was wondering, may I have this dance?" The mysterious young man's face lit up at Kurt's words and he felt the butterflies in his own stomach grow. This was perfect, this young man was perfect.

"I'd love that," the young man said. Kurt never took his eyes off of the young man and he held out his hand, leading him onto the ballroom dance floor. It seemed to be alive with all of the glitter that was shimmering from it, but Kurt didn't notice. He was so wrapped up in the company of this stranger, he didn't notice anything.

"You look really handsome. I don't believe I've seen you around here before and that's a shame," Kurt whispered as he swayed with the young man. It seemed all too good to be true.

"I don't really get out much. I'm glad I managed to sneak away tonight, though, fair prince." Kurt felt his cheeks heat up at the words. Fair prince, now, that wasn't something he was called often. He knew that tonight was going to be special.

Kurt spent the entire evening dancing and making small talk with his new partner. It was the most fun he had had at a ball in years and all of that was thanks to the mysterious stranger who had made an appearance. Before he even knew it, it was already going on midnight and he still wasn't ready to say goodbye to his handsome stranger. "I don't think I've had this much fun in ages," Kurt finally said when they took a break from the dancing to grab some punch.

"I haven't, either. Thank you for inviting everyone in the kingdom tonight. I've had the time of my life and I would really-"

The sound of the midnight hour made Kurt's partner stop dead in his tracks. He seemed frantic all of a sudden and it completely changed the mood. "What's wrong?" Kurt asked, but before his partner could say anything, he was already backing up towards the door.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I had a lot of fun, I just- I have to go," the stranger said and the pain that Kurt was feeling in his chest was boiling up. He wasn't ready to say goodbye, not so soon and not before learning his name. The stranger turned on his heels and started to run for the door. It only took a split second for a stunned Kurt to follow after him.

"Wait! Please, wait! I didn't even learn your name," Kurt called out as they reached the stairs. He had been too late, though. Tears started to well up in the young prince's eyes as his heart broke. The one man he wanted to marry, his soul mate, had vanished.

As soon as his partner had fled, Kurt retired to his chambers without as much as a goodnight to anyone. It was the first night he had actually cried himself to sleep over the events from the day, but it was theraputic and it was something that he had desperately needed. When he woke up the next morning, he didn't feel like eating, so, he spent the majority of his time lost in a books tucked away in the library. Finally, around noon, Kurt made an appearance in the royal room with his father. Instantly, Burt could tell just how upset his son was.

"Hey, kiddo. I saw you were having fun last night, what's eating you now?" Burt asked, not even bothering to beat around the bush.

Kurt sighed and looked over at his father and felt the tears starting to well up in his blue eyes all over again. "He left. He just ran away. I didn't even know his name. I mean, I thought things were going so well and I really, really liked him, Dad. So much so, I thought he was my- my soul mate. I could just tell," he said, his voice weak with sadness.

"Don't give up, Kurt. I'm sure you will see him again. Just don't do anything that's too crazy. I know you and I know how you get when you really are passionate about something. I don't want you getting yourself into trouble."

"I won't, don't worry," Kurt stated, rolling his eyes at his father. He shook his head and got an idea. A tiny smile formed on his lips as he left the room, heading to the guard's chambers. If anyone would have seen anything, it would have been them.

The palace he lived in was huge, but Kurt had grown up there and that made things a lot easier when he was navigating around. He knocked on the door to their chambers before opening up the large door and entering the room. "Hello, everyone. I know this might be a strange request, but I was wondering if anyone saw the young man I had been dancing with leave last night?" he said. They all seemed to stare at him blankly and his heart sank. "I guess not. Well, if any of you know anything about that young man, I'd really love it if you would tell me."

Kurt left the guards' chamber with a heavy heart. How was he ever going to find his mysterious companion if no one knew who he was? He slumped in the chair he had been occupying as one of the guards brought an object forward. In his hands was a sparkling and beautiful bowtie. It was unlike anything Kurt had ever seen before with a pattern etched into the glass it was made from and the delicate material just soft enough to be durable and not broken. The blue in Kurt's eyes came out and shined as he looked at the bow tie because, even before the guard spoke, Kurt knew where the object had come from.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is all he left behind. I found it last night after he took off towards the village," the guard said, his voice booming and echoing through the empty chamber. Kurt's disappointment was evident, but as he kept his eyes on the bow tie, he felt his determination growing.

"I'm going to find the young man who this belonged to if it's the last thing I do," Kurt started, a certain triumph ringing out in his words. He ran his finger over the bow tie and brought his head up to look at the guard. "I think I have an idea." And with those words, Kurt was on his feet and running into his chambers. He wasn't going to give up until he found the young man he had danced with the night before and if that meant spending the next week, month, or year traveling throughout the land to find him, then he would do it.