King Robert's meeting room was crowded with soldiers. Men from both, Winstow and Davon gathered around each of their princes as they went over different plans to try and locate Kurt and Jeff. King Burt and King Robert watched the scene in front of them with worried eyes. It had been almost a week since the ambush occurred and they still didn't have a clue as to where they could be.

Blaine kept pinching his nose with his index and thumb, getting a hand through his hair, biting his nails. He looked drained, with big, dark circles under his eyes and a few pounds thinner. Finn, although not looking quite as played out, was just as stressed. The Winstow prince had arrived with King Burt two days after Kurt had been kidnapped. Blaine had almost burst into tears at the sight of them, remembering that this was not the way it should have happened; that Blaine would have gotten to see them again in a much happier scenario, asking for Kurt's hand in marriage. But he had failed them, he had let someone take Kurt away and now he could be anywhere and the guilt consumed Blaine everyday, even when Burt's first words were no reprimand, but words of love and support.

Upon arrival, Finn teamed up with Blaine and both of them had been working themselves to exhaustion, neither willing to surrender to unimportant things, like sleep or hunger. Robert worried for his son and so he took a step forward and placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder, with a strong grip to make him turn to face him, and not just brush him off like he'd done numerous times already.

"Son, you should get some rest." Blaine looked at him briefly before turning his attention to the maps displayed in front of him, shaking his head.

"I'm fine, father."

"No, you're not. You need to sleep, eat, clear your head –"

"I'm not taken a second to rest until I get Kurt back!" Blaine yelled and the whole room went dead silent. Blaine closed his eyes and bit his lip as he felt his bottled up frustration reach its boiling point.

"I'm sorry," Blaine whispered. He took a deep breath and waited for his father's words.

"Wearing yourself out, starving to death won't make Kurt come back home any faster. You are of no use to him like this, Blaine." Robert whispered and felt Blaine's shoulders slump down in defeat.

"But I can't – He's… We need to get him back…" he whispered with a broken voice. Finn lowered his gaze at Blaine's tone, feeling the pressure in his eyes building.

"And we will. But I think Kurt would appreciate to have you still alive when we do." responded King Robert decidedly.

"The King is right, Blaine. Get some sleep. We'll carry on meanwhile." Finn stated gently. He had been just as intense and concentrated on getting his brother back. But no matter how much he tried, he could never fully understand what Blaine was going through. He would never fully understand Blaine's pain, because Blaine blamed himself for everything. And no matter how hard they tried to make him see it truly wasn't, Blaine would still hate himself for allowing Kurt to be taken away. For not protecting him enough. For failing him.

"You know I want him back just as much as you do. I'm as scared as you are but you need to rest… Leave it to me for a couple of hours." Finn finished with a comforting hand on Blaine's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Blaine, you can trust us." Sebastian added. Blaine turned to look at him. Sebastian had turned up after days missing just in time to help. Blaine found it suspicious, but couldn't really bother to care. Not when Kurt's life was at risk.

He sighed. He knew his father and Finn were both right but sleep and rest and food, they all seemed so unnecessary when the love of his life was in danger. Still, he gave in and placed his hand above his father's for a brief, loving moment before leaving the papers in the table and walking out the door to try and get some sleep, even if he knew that he would end up dreaming of those blue eyes and the porcelain skin.

Finn watched him until Blaine's figure disappeared around the corner. He cleared his throat and turned to the men in the room.

"Let's keep going. We need to find my brother."

A young knight hurried along the halls of the Winstow castle. His heart was thumping in his chest and he could feel the icy drops of sweat in his forehead as he ran to the Queen's chambers. He could hear the faint sounds of the other knights arming up and the horses huffing in the distance. When he finally reached the door he was looking for, he knocked insistently until one of the maidens opened the door.

"What is it? Her Majesty is getting ready for bed."

"I know, and I'm sorry but I must see her. Is she decent?"

"Wait here," said the maiden and disappeared back into the room. The knight stood outside, waiting impatiently. A couple of minutes later, Queen Carole stepped outside, carrying a candle in her hand.

"Good evening, milady, I'm sorry for coming like this but there is an emergency."

"What is it?" asked Carole, heart jumping in her chest. Her mind immediately flew to her family, to Burt and Finn in Davon and to Kurt, trapped somewhere unknown.

"David has escaped custody."

Carole could feel hear heart stopping for a moment and she gasped.

"Send a message to Davon. Immediately!"

"Yes, milady." And with that, the knight ran out of her sight. She started breathing with difficulty and one of her maidens came out to pull her back inside, placing a supportive hand on her waist. Carole could feel the entire room spinning.

Her worst fear had come true. And she was certain David wasn't alone in his scheming this time.

After ten long hours of sleep, Blaine woke up ready to continue the search. He realized his father had been right about him needing to rest, since he felt stronger and his head was cleared. He had a feeling he would soon discover something that would lead them to Kurt's location.

He walked quickly back to the meeting room and found Finn and Sebastian still working hard. He noticed a large group of men were missing. Just then, Finn looked over and spotted him, curling his lips up in a warm smile.

"Glad to have you back. Seems you really needed that long nap."

Blaine smiled back. "Yes, I did. But now I'm ready to find Kurt. Any progress since I was last here?"

"We sent a group of men to search over these lands by the border. Sebastian thinks whoever took Kurt and Jeff was under David's instructions and might have wanted to flee east back to Halstod but could only have gotten so far."

Blaine turned to look at Sebastian, who just shrugged.

"It made sense to me."

"No, you're… right. That could very well be it." Blaine agreed. Somehow, it surprised him that Sebastian was so willing to help but he was thankful for it. Sebastian's military mind would be their greatest asset.

One of the men offered Blaine a glass of water, which he gratefully took as he and the other two men returned to their tasks.

They continued talking about David's possible routes until the doors blasted open, making all of them jump in surprise. A messenger stood by the doors, looking tired but determined. He scanned the room until he spotted King Burt and lunged himself towards him.

"Your Majesty, an urgent message from Davon." King Burt frowned and wuickly took the letter from the messenger's hand, opening it. He read it and the color left his face. King Robert grabbed his shoulder and Finn strode to him, taking the king's hands in his.

"What is it?"

"My boy…" King Burt groaned. He looked Finn straight in the eye. "He… David. David has escaped."

"What? How could that be?"

There was a loud sound of broken crystal behind them and Finn turned around to find Blaine had dropped his glass. His eyes were wide with fear and his mouth was hanging open.

"Blaine?" Sebastian moved closer to him but he paid no attention to him.

"When did this happen?" Blaine asked.

"Yesterday, late at night." King Burt read from the letter.

"God, no." He whimpered. So far, he had gone crazy trying to find Kurt but a part of him knew Kurt was safe because David was nowhere near him, even if it had been his men the ones that had taken him and Jeff. But now that he was out there, free and determined, Kurt was in real danger. Because no matter what David thought, what he felt for Kurt wasn't love, it was obsession. And Blaine knew Kurt was too stubborn and too impulsive. He wouldn't see that the smart move would be to act interested, even if it was just to save his life. No, Kurt would reject him in a heartbeat. And who knew what David would be capable of after that.

"Prepare my horse," he commanded to one of the men in the room.

Finn walked back to him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to search on my own. There's no more time left to plan or think. I need to find him, Finn, before David reaches him."

"Then I'll go with you."

The men in the room started volunteering as well, all talking at once and filling the room with noise.

King Robert grabbed King Burt's hand, gently pulling him to the hall. King Burt quickly followed, and both left the room unseen by everyone in the room.

"What is it?" King Burt asked with a trembling voice when they were away from curious ears.

"You must see David's father and talk things through."

King Burt nodded. "Yes, I-I was thinking the same. I need him to understand that I don't wish to harm his son, I just want to get my boy back."

"I was informed that his father has detached himself from the matter and yet…"

"And yet he is still a parent. A-And parents should do anything to protect their children from harm. Yes, I'm afraid King Paul will be defensive about this, maybe even willing to attack us."

"If this becomes a war, you know you have Davon's full support," King Robert mentioned with a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"And I'll be forever grateful to you, for everything."

"Well, isn't it the way life goes? We put our hands in the fire for our children. Although, in this case, the fire might be more than we can handle."

King Burt sighed at those words. His heart was heavy with worry. "I should get ready to travel to Helstod as soon as possible."

"I'll make arrangements. You can leave as soon as the carriage is ready," King Robert told him, giving him a small nod and then leaving to talk to some of his men, while King Burt rushed back to the guest chambers.

Kurt woke up with a startle. He'd had another nightmare. His body was sweaty and his heart was pounding crazily in his chest. He looked around frantically, squinting his eyes in the darkness.

"Kurt? Kurt, are you alright?" Jeff asked him and Kurt turned his body to face him. Watching the blonde's face made him calm down a little.

"Yes, i-it was just a bad dream." He ran a hand through his face, feeling the sweat in his forehead and sighed. They had been in that cellar for several days, although Kurt could not be sure how many.

Sebastian had just gone to see them once, when they were first captured. Jeff had tried to get up and fight with him but he was still weak and the injury in his head still had him dizzy so there wasn't much to be done. Sebastian had gone then, in the midst of laughing, promising to take good care of Blaine for him. Kurt had thrown himself to the door, cursing and hitting it in desperation, until Jeff had come behind him and made him stop.

Kurt looked at his hands. They were still healing from the hits he gave the door. After that, a woman was the one that visited and brought them food and soft clothes to help heal the wounds. She never spoke to them nor them to her but Kurt had a feeling she was in this reluctantly. She was far too fragile and looked far too kind to be involved because she wanted to, but Kurt was too afraid to talk to her. Jeff had tried to find a way out when he had recovered a little but found absolutely nothing.

Kurt looked up to the locked door that kept them prisoners. The mere sight of it sent shivers down his spine, because it was the last person to come see them the one that made him have nightmares at night.

"Was your nightmare about David again?" asked the blond knight as if he had read Kurt's thoughts. Kurt just nodded.

Knowing that Sebastian was behind their abduction had been shocking but Kurt had thought it had something to do with Sebastian wanting Blaine to himself. What he had not expected was to come face to face with the reason he had to leave home in the first place.

"I can understand why. He frightens me, too. But, would you like to tell me your dream? Maybe it'll help you to let it out."

Kurt took a deep breath. "It's always the same, since David came down. I'm back home, out in the gardens, when I suddenly hear Bl-Blaine calling my name. I go after his voice a-and I find him by this fountain that's in the middle of the garden. He's smiling at me and I run to him. But… as I run, Blaine begins to morph until he becomes David and then it's too late. I'm there and he has me in his grasp and I can't get away! A-And I squirm and fight and scream but it's no use… He has me."

He finished with a scared tone and wide eyes, like he was reliving it all. Jeff looked at him worriedly and gently rubbed his hand against Kurt's back, trying to sooth him.

"It was just a dream. Blaine will save us, Kurt. I know it. David won't have you."

Kurt nodded, because he knew Jeff was right. Blaine would save them. He'd get them home.

He had to.

Upstairs, David paced around the room, with Sebastian's sister, Sandra, watching him from her spot near the window. Her presence unnerved him because he could feel, just like Kurt did, that she wasn't convinced of this plan. She could be his downfall if he wasn't careful but he couldn't do much about it yet. Not when she was the one offering him shelter. Besides, she had done nothing that would suggest she could betray him – save from the part where he got caught but that had turned out to be for the sake of the bigger plan. He just hoped she remained as compliant as she had been and didn't interfere with the way things had to go.

Her brother, on the other side, had become a powerful ally. Everything had gone according to Sebastian's plan. David had been doubtful at first, but there was no denying that Sebastian was a great strategist. David still remembered their first conversation together when he was locked up in Winstow's dungeon.

David sat alone in his dark cell. He was fuming, reproaching himself for trusting that damn woman in the woods. He knew he should have continued traveling, that way he wouldn't have been stabbed in the back. Sandra had asked him to gather wood for the fire and he, reluctantly, had accepted. It had been weeks since his almost run in with Finn and his men and he had been certain he was as safe as he could be.

But when he had gone outside, searching for some branches, Finn's men had spotted him, almost as if they had been waiting for him, and took him prisoner. And now, all chances of ever getting to see Kurt again, to finally have him all to himself, were gone. He hit the mattress with his fist and threw the old pillow to the wall in desperation.

The door at the end of the hall opened and David looked up to see a glimpse of light and after hearing people mumble something; he heard the footsteps coming closer. Suspecting it to be the guards bringing down food. What he wasn't expecting was the face of none other than Sebastian Smythe, the reason he was locked up in that cell.

"Coming to rub in my face that you outsmarted me?"

Sebastian laughed. "Oh, no. I've come to set you free."

"Of course." David snorted. "You and your sister ratted me out."

"It was all part of the plan."

David looked up and met Sebastian's gaze. He had a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms.

"What plan?" David asked, not wanting to get his hopes up but carefully picturing where this conversation was going.

"A plan in which both of us get what we want."

"I'm listening."

"You want prince Kurt, I want Blaine. But they have, well, mingled so we need to separate them."

"And how do you plan to do that?" David asked him, raising a brow.

"Kurt should be getting captured right about now."

David rose immediately, holding the bars in his cell. "What?!"

"Don't fret, he will be alright. The point is, if he's captured while you're here, we'll throw them off. Give us a little time."

David considered it for a minute before releasing his hold on the bars. "And then what?"

"Well, first I go check up on your beloved prince. Then, I go back home. I help with the search to keep eyes off me, and then I'll find a chance to get you to leave with Kurt and I'll have Blaine to myself."

"What makes you think this plan of yours will work? For what I hear, this prince of yours is a pretty smart man."

"He is. But fortunately for both of us, there's not a person in this world that knows him better than me." Sebastian looked confident but David still had his doubts.

"I want Kurt because I love him but for some reason, I don't think love is what moves you to do all this."

"I do love Blaine. Perhaps my motives go beyond my feelings for him," Sebastian replied, uncrossing his arms and pretending to remove dust from his armor. "But that concerns only me. Now, are you in?"

David examined the man in front of him, wondering if it was really safe to trust him. There was nothing in the world that David desired most than to have Kurt all to himself, and in that moment the only person who could help him get to the prince was Sebastian. So he nodded.

"I'm in."