Arent you somethin to admire?

Kurts eyes were swollen, puffy and red and aching. They itched and felt raw from how much hed cried and how often hed rubbed them, only to start sobbing again. His knees hurt from the cold, hard floor of his tower, where hed been curled in on himself for longer than he could keep track of.

He was devastated by the way his stepmother had stormed into his life once more to ruin his happiness and steal away his hope. It seemed the only thing the evil woman was capable of doing, and Kurt hated her for it.

The tower room felt cold and empty as he dragged himself up to his lonely mattress, settling in the bed as lingering tears slowly slid down his cold, tight cheeks. He sniffled, thinking of his prince. What would happen when the man returned the next day?

If you ever feel alone...

And the glare makes me hard to find...

Kurt tossed and turned fitfully all evening and through the night. He didnt touch the food that he had in his possession for cooking, nor the simpler options of hard cheese and bread and salted meat. He ignored his favorite sweet fruits that Sue was sure to always bring him from the village, and he didnt even wash his face in the basin.

It was a long and lonesome night, which only led to an early morning full of dread. Kurt woke with a start, cleaning himself without his usual care and dressing in a rush, not even bothering with his usual layers or matching colors. He wore simple stockings and a basic frock that he barely managed to tie before rushing to his window, where he tried to avoid the thorns only to prick his fingers and palms every time he dared try to peer out.

I can tell you theres no place we couldnt go...

You just gotta be strong...

Despite the pain, Kurt kept fighting to look for his prince until he was so overwrought with it that he had to fall back and look away with a soft cry. His hands soon found the basin of water and plunged beneath it, turning the clear liquid a deep red.

Kurt bit his lip as he tore an old pair of stockings into strips, wrapping his hands to cover the wounds. Once they were wrapped, he paced the floor of his tower, wondering what he might do.

The call of his prince drew him to the window, though he didnt dare touch the barbs. "Oh, Blaine!" he called, hoping the man might hear him. "There is an evil spell. Please, my prince. Be careful!"

With a silent wish that his warbler might not meet the bite of the thorns, Kurt held his breath and turned the pages. He watched the window as he heard the bird call out to him. He watched as Blaine soared toward the opening, then gasped and cried out as the thorns stretched out to catch him, clawing at his feathers and flesh.

Cause I dont wanna lose you now...

Show me how to fight for now...

The bird sounded a call of distress while Kurt whimpered as if his own heart had been stabbed. He rushed to the window, pain and wounds be damned. Kurt grabbed at the sill, even as the thorns pierced his skin. He stared at the golden eyes of his warbler and saw naught but pain and fear.

Keep your eyes on me,

Baby, keep your eyes on me...

He cried but focused all the same, willing Blaine to see him, to hear him. To know that he loved him. "Blaine, please. You have to spread your wings. Drift to the ground, honey, please," he begged, and the bird blinked weakly.

Kurt watched as the bird stretched out his wings and floated to the ground. It was a faster descent than it might have been should he have been uninjured, but it was slower than the plummet Kurt feared would happen.

He kept his hands in place until Blaine was safely on the ground, then he jerked them up and off the unforgiving thorns, wincing at the intense pain. Turning the pages back, he watched as the injured warbler shifted to an injured man, and Wes and Nick came running to help Blaine as he moaned and twitched on the forest floor.

Judgmental eyes stared up at Kurt in obvious confusion, and he looked down as best he could with clear distress all over his tear-stained face. His prince was injured, his tower was a death trap, and his life might very well be over before it even really began.

You are, you are the love of my life...