Blaine couldn’t stop staring. He’d heard the gruesome rumors about this man, but none of them ever described how stunning he was. Kurt’s face was pale and innocent, and his eyes could be compared to that of a clear summers day. But, it was his hair that astonished Blaine the most. It stood on his head like a flag in mid-wave. 

Focusing, he climbed onto his bay horse, glancing sadly at his favorite, a grey mare. He knew that he would need a horse that blended in, so he kept his complaint to himself. Marcy would be a fine horse. 

******

Kurt checked over his supplies before mounting. His armor was all elf made, gifts he had received while training. His thin, long sword hung on his left, its scabbard was black with silver elvish design. His favorite weapon, however, was his bow, a beautiful thing made with osage wood from the Fenway Forest. He slung that over his quiver of arrows and then jumped onto Serio’s back. With a nod, Prince Blaine and his escort were of. 

A saddle had been put on Serio so that he may carry a few bags of food. This however, had no effect on the connection between Kurt and his mount. They moved swiftly through the village just outside the castle. With a watchful eye, Kurt made sure that the less experienced rider stayed close behind. 

******

“We’re going to go into the Forest of Boden now,” Blaine looked up in surprise as Kurt addressed him. “We need to get out of sight.”

“But I need to stay within view of the castle,” he protested, knowing that if Cooper won the battle, it would be safe for him to come home. 

“We aren’t going to argue this point, I’m on strict orders and I intend to follow them,” with that, Kurt had turned abruptly to the right, grabbed the reins of the smaller, brown horse, and they took off for the woods. 

Blaine was astonished. No one disobeyed a prince. Holding onto Marcy’s mane, he begrudgingly gave into the dangerous trek through the forest. 

With a smile at Prince Blaine’s defeat, Kurt tossed him back his reins and continued. 

*****

They traveled until nightfall, when both Blaine and Marcy were exhausted. Serio had been on edge and light on his feet. Kurt looked a little cautious as well. It was unnerving for Blaine, to say the least, seeing this dangerous man glance around, like the woods might explode at any minute.  Blaine started to speak, but was immediately hushed. They moved forward at a walk, making each step more carefully than the last. 

Branched cracking, heads turning, they saw the beast that had been following them. In a flash, Kurt had his arrow aimed at the wolf’s face. Blaine leapt from his horse, and threw himself in front of the giant, white animal. “Stop!”

“What in the King’s name are you doing?” Kurt dropped his aim. With teeth bared and a growl growing in his throat, the wolf stood, looking like a savage hunter. Arrow raised again, Kurt commanded, “Move away from the animal, Prince Blaine.”

“Regis! Sit!” Blaine told the strong creature. His ears went straight up, he sat down, and shut his mouth, becoming docile. His gaze was one of respect and love for Blaine. Laughing, Blaine looked up at Kurt, who had nearly dropped his arrow, flabbergasted. “This is Cooper’s pet. They must have sent him to find us and bring us home!” Blaine’s voice was filled with hope and he grabbed Regis in an embrace, and the animal pressed his face against Blaine’s back, as if returning the hug. 

Kurt’s eyes filled with realization. He saw black smoke cover the starry sky. Reassessing the wolf, he noticed dark, reddish-brown on the animal’s snowy pelt. 

“Blaine,” Kurt dismounted slowly, weighted down by the information he held. “You aren’t going home any time soon.”

*****

The world seemed to stop. When Blaine opened his eyes, they were filled with tears. A sea off smoke had grown above him, and he realized it was over. Throwing himself onto his horse, he took off. 

Kurt, cursing under his breath, swung up into the saddle. He had caught up to Blaine in a matter of second. Kurt threw himself on Blaine, pulling them both to the ground. Fists were flying. Blaine was punching Kurt as if he was the one who destroyed his life. Kurt wasted no time and grabbed Blaine’s wrists. He slumped down and Kurt hugged him. Blaine didn’t return the gesture, and Kurt felt a little uncomfortable, but the embrace allowed Blaine to sob silently and calm himself down. 

Helping the young prince up, Kurt glanced around. Regis had followed them, sitting nearby. “We really need to travel some more tonight. Especially if they decide to come looking for you.” Blaine nodded in agreement and they took off. The two horse and rider pairs were trailed by a white wolf and through the woods they ran.