People were dancing happily all around Kurt but he couldn't join in their gleeful spirit. He was bored. Every single prince, duke, lord or nobleman that had approached him so far was just the same as the one before, too self-absorbed and in love with himself to actually pay any attention to him. Their conversations were dull and uninteresting and Kurt's feet were hurting already from all the dancing he'd done.

This was not how he'd picture this night would go.

From the moment the event had started, he had focused on the door. He had paid close attention to every presentation as the guests arrived, waiting to hear the arrival of the mysterious Prince of Davon. The man had been stuck inside his head ever since his father had mentioned him earlier that afternoon and he couldn't wait to meet him – or, well, meet him again. But when the time for presentations ended and people began dancing and asking him to dance and there was still no sign of the Prince, Kurt had given up. His father had said that he could come, not that it was absolutely certain he would.

So he let it go and attempted to have some fun. It was all for him, after all. Him and Finn. He turned his head around, trying to find his brother. Finn was currently waltzing around the room with a very pretty girl but he could see his brother wasn't really into it either. He sighed.

At least Prince David hadn't shown up yet.

He was dancing not-so-merrily with yet another duke from a land he didn't even know existed when he heard some chatter nearby. He turned to see a pretty brunette girl greeting some other noble ladies.

But that wasn't what got his attention to the point where he almost stopped dancing.

It was him. Behind the girl he'd noticed arriving, there was a young man. A gorgeous young man. He was dressed rather well, Kurt noted, his dark blue robes fashionable enough to satisfy him. They brought up the color in his eyes, hazel-green orbs that scanned the room quickly, looking for something… or someone, Kurt secretly hoped.

Could he – was he the Prince of Davon?

Kurt certainly hoped he was. He noticed how he started to make his way through the crowd, determined to get to whatever destination he had set up for himself. Kurt wanted nothing more than to follow him but he was trapped in a dance far too boring to be healthy.

As he twirled around the dance floor, his eyes never left this beautiful man. Kurt realized where he was headed; the gardens. He stopped to say hello to some people before stepping out into the night.

The dance piece ended and Kurt tried his best to remain calm and composed as he tried to reach the garden doors. His heart was beating fast and – why on Earth was he so nervous? He didn't even know this man! Neither did he know whether he was the Prince that Kurt was waiting for or not. He took a deep breath to calm himself and just when he was just a few feet away from the door…

"Your Highness, may I have this dance?"

He turned around to see a young, strawberry blond man staring eagerly at him. He tried his very best to suppress the eye roll and the exasperated sigh. Instead, a fake smile covered his features.

"Of course."

Blaine filled his lungs with the fresh air that surrounded him. Yes, this was infinitely better than spending his time inside the castle walls. He looked around; taking in the beautiful sight these gardens offered him. He must admit, whoever had set out to decorate the castle and its surroundings had done a marvelous job.

There were red and white roses everywhere he turned. After walking quite a bit through the gardens, he discovered two big bushy walls. They made a passageway that urged him to go in. He walked through the green walls and when he reached the end, he was greeted with a beautiful, round clearing that had a white fountain in the middle. All around it, there were white lilies. The moonlight hit the fountain directly, giving it an almost mystical glow.

Blaine walked slowly towards it, in awe at the beauty of the entire scene in front of him. He sat on the edge of the fountain, dipping his fingers in the water thoughtfully. It had been years since the last time he had thought of his childhood friend. He didn't remember much, or better yet, anything at all but he had been struck by the feeling he had to find him.

He was deeply bitter at the fact that he'd forgotten about this boy but he couldn't exactly blame himself for doing it either. He had gone through more than enough pain to last a lifetime. Probably more pain and sorrow than any nineteen year old young man should have to go through. He had been just six when his uncle was brutally killed. He was seven when the war broke down and he had to see dead bodies being carried around the city, people starving to death in front of him and little boys being sent off to fight when the volunteers grew scarce.

And he was fifteen when he lost his mother.

A rare disease took over her body after the war ended. After seven years of what seemed like an endless fight, he thought the pain was over. He was wrong. His mother started having strong headaches that could make her faint sometimes. Then she started vomiting blood. And in the end, she couldn't even leaver her bed.

His father had tried everything but nothing worked. No doctor from the kingdom or outside of it could ever identify what it was. But it consumed her. It was a horrible thing to see, his mother slowly slipping away from his grasp. On her last days, the three of them, Blaine, his father and Rachel, never left her side.

She had been strong, even in the end. She smiled at them and told them to be strong and brave. She told him to look after Rachel always. He promised he'd do exactly that. The pain he felt during the war and even after the assassination of his uncle was nothing compared to the pain he felt when his mother died.

And it wasn't just his pain he felt. He was devastated to see Rachel lose a beloved one once again. She had never known her own mother, for she had died giving birth to her. Her father was all she had and he was brutally taken away from her.

And then, years later she would lose someone else again. Her only mother figure, the woman that had taught her how to braid her hair and dress herself. The woman that was supposed to give her talks about boys and make up. The woman that became her mother and loved her as her own was gone in a blink of an eye.

Rachel just had him now. Him and his father. He promised himself he'd do everything he could to prevent her from suffering any further for as long as he lived. And with that, once again, Blaine was forced to grow up quicker than he should have.

Yes, his life had been tough.

Which was why he couldn't blame himself for not remembering something that had happened when he was so young. Such a long time ago, when not a single care invaded his mind.

But that didn't stop him from getting frustrated. Or made him stop wanting to find that boy. He searched through his memories, trying to remember something. But nothing came.

He sighed and turned to see the moon above.

"Where are you, my friend?"

Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He felt he was suffocating. It was all too stressful – trying to appear interested in the men's stories about themselves and how wonderful and perfect they were. Not a single person had asked him how he was or what he liked or if he was having a good time. No one cared. So when the chance came and he could get away, he did.

He immediately stepped out into the gardens and looked for the handsome man – prince? Kurt didn't even know what his title was. Or his name, for that matter. He walked around and after a few minutes of walking and not finding him, he decided to go to the small pond on the east end of the gardens.

It was his favorite spot because it was always so calm and beautiful and it made him relax whenever he was stressed out or worried about something. Singing also helped. And this was the type of situation where he would need every single relaxing activity. He started humming. For some reason, he had a melody stuck in his brain for the past couple of days. It was screaming to be sung or written down but he wasn't a musical man. He could play the piano but never get the notes written down. That was a talent his mother had possessed. She would write beautiful music and then teach Kurt how to play it.

He sighed. How he missed his mother. Even if Carole had done a marvelous job as his step-mother, he still felt a small void in his heart. He had requested that his mother's dresser be put in his room, where he could smell her perfume and just close his eyes and pretend she was right there next to him. That was his way to keep her memory close, since so many others had slowly slipped his mind after her death.

He also remembered her clearly whenever he sang. He could see her gentle, beautiful face sitting by the piano and looking adoringly at him as she taught him how to play.

So he started humming his little creation, smiling slightly at the image of his mother. He had been singing that melody from time to time to keep it in his mind. He was scared he might forget it at some point and it just felt right, like something beautiful could potentially come out of it. If he could only write the notes down, of course.

He walked around the pond and he felt his body slowly begin to relax. Yes, this was exactly what he needed. He had hoped this night would be magical and just like the fairytales his parents used to read him at night when he was younger. But so far, it had been a complete disaster. He wasn't enjoying himself and from what he had noticed before stepping out, neither was his brother. He felt like they were both offered as pieces of meat and everyone wanted a bite.

He looked up at the moon and in that moment, with its faint light hitting his face in the dark night and the wind blowing softly through the leaves of the trees, the melody in his brain grew lyrics of its own. He let them out, singing them softly with his beautiful voice when the image of his mother faded slowly, replaced by the faceless image of a handsome prince and a long lost friend.

I have died every day waiting for you…

Darling, don't be afraid…

I have loved you for a thousand years…

I'll love you for a thousand more…

Blaine's head turned so quickly, he was certain he had hurt his neck. That voice. There was a beautiful song filling the air and the voice that was singing it was angelic. He got up and walked towards it but it suddenly faded and turned to humming which made it more difficult to find. He walked fast, his ears trying to catch the faint sound of that captivating voice. Even if it was slightly high-pitched, Blaine was certain it belonged to a man and he was even more intrigued and determined to find the mysterious singer.

Because surely such a voice could not belong to the arrogant faces he'd seen inside, right? This person was different, right?

A voice so beautiful could only come from a being just as wonderful.

Blaine could only hope.

As he walked through the gardens, he saw the moonlight being reflected in what looked like a pond. When he forced his ear to listen closely, he heard the soft humming coming from that place. He quickened his pace and almost ran when the humming abruptly stopped. He stepped into the small clearing and looked around frantically. He saw some bushes moving and approached them.

"Hello?"

No one answered.

"Is there anyone here? I-I didn't mean to scare you!"

Again, no one answered.

He ran a hand through his curls in exasperation. Whoever it was had run away. It didn't make sense, though. He wasn't that noisy when he was walking towards the sound and he was sure that the humming stopped before he even reached the clearing so the singer could not have spotted him until he stepped in.

He sighed and walked back through the road he'd taken, focusing on the sounds of the night and hoping the voice would start singing again.

"Hush… it's okay. I didn't mean to scare you."

Kurt was not scared. He was terrified. A hand had pulled him into the shadows as he hummed to himself. He wanted to scream but a rough hand was placed over his mouth, stopping any cries for help. He turned around his head as much as he could with the hand all over his face to see Prince David standing there. His eyes had widened in terror and he couldn't even try to speak or walk away.

"Shhh…"

Kurt thought he would faint from the fear he was feeling. There was some rustling ahead of them and he turned to see the man from before, the one Kurt had hoped he'd find, stepping into the clearing. He wanted to scream so he could hear his muffled cried for help but he was so afraid he couldn't move an inch. He watched helplessly as he walked near them, his eyes trying to make something out in the shadows.

"Hello?"

The hand pressed his mouth with more force and a second hand curled around his waist possessively. Kurt closed his eyes and hoped the man in front of them would be able to spot them even in their place into the dark.

"Is there anyone here? I-I didn't mean to scare you!"

He wanted to laugh at the irony of both men speaking the same words, with one truly scaring him half to death and the other one, having done nothing wrong, apologizing to someone he couldn't see. Kurt's palms were sweating as he watched the man squint and approach the bushes. He had never prayed this hard in his life. If the man could see them there and the position they were in, surely he would figure out that Kurt was scared and would save him.

But then the man turned around after running a hand through his hair and went back. Kurt's heart broke at the sight. He now had no hope of getting away from Prince Dave easily.

Once they were alone again, Prince David dropped the hand on his mouth but remained attached to Kurt by his other hand on his waist. Kurt took a deep breath and turned to face him. David slowly backed them up and into the clearing again. When they were lit by the moon again, he let go of Kurt's waist.

"Prince David," he acknowledged, willing is voice to sound calm.

"Your Highness," David smiled. It made Kurt cringe.

"I'm sorry I took you by surprise, I just saw you there and I couldn't help myself!"

Kurt laughed faintly.

"Yes, who could resist the opportunity to scare someone to death," he mumbled to himself.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, I said it's quite okay," he faked a smile that David seemed to buy.

"So," David's face turned serious, "did you know that man that came just now?"

'Oh, I wish,' Kurt thought.

"No, I have no idea who that was."

David visibly relaxed and smiled again. Kurt tried to remain calm and not let the panic he felt be seen through his features.

"I'm so glad it's just the two of us here. I've been wanting to ask you something really important."

Kurt's heart began to beat faster.

"But I'm sure it can wait! I believe they are expecting me back inside…" He gestured towards the castle.

"It won't take long."

Kurt dropped his hand to his side. There was no way out of this.

"Okay…"

David went to grab his hand and reluctantly, Kurt let him have it. Just when David was about to speak, a voice came to Kurt's rescue.

"Kurt? Where are you? I was told that – "

Quinn, one of Carole's – and sort of Kurt's too – ladies stepped into the clearing. Kurt had never been happier to see her.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I'm interrupting – "

"NO! Uh, no, it's quite okay, Quinn. What is it?"

Quinn saw his face and gave a small, knowing smile.

"Um, well, your brother was looking for you. He asked me to come find you."

"Okay," he turned to face David, "I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I must go."

David looked completely frustrated and angry at Quinn but didn't say anything. Kurt walked quickly towards Quinn and both made their way back to the castle. As they reached the doors, he held her hand tightly.

"Thank you."

Blaine continued to walk around slowly around the gardens. He hadn't heard anything since he left the pond and he was really upset he didn't get to see the person behind the voice that had gone straight through his heart.

He sighed and decided it was probably time to get back to the ball room. He didn't know how long he'd been out there but he was certain it had been at least a couple of hours.

He walked in and saw that it wasn't as crowded as it was when they had arrived. It really was rather late but the fact that there weren't as many people in the room gave him a better opportunity to scan through the guests, trying to figure out if one of them had been who was singing by the pond.

No one seemed to fit the image in his head and he laughed humorlessly. He shook his head. He was certain he didn't imagine it but he could not believe that any of the attendants was who he was looking for.

Suddenly, Rachel grabbed his arm. Her eyes were sparkling and she had a smile so big, she was blinding him.

"Here you are! You will never guess what happened!"

Blaine blinked, "What?"

"Prince Finn danced with me! And we talked and he asked me my name and what I liked and just… he was perfect!"

"Really? That's fantastic! But are you with me now instead of him?"

She sighed.

"Because our valet came, he says it's time to go. It is rather late and it's a long trip back home so it's best if we leave now."

"Okay, then. Let's go."

They made their way to the entrance and as they were stepping out, he turned once more to see the ball room.

"Goodbye lovely singer, whoever you are."

Five days had passed since the Princes' Ball and Kurt could not stop thinking about the man he had seen. As he laid staring at the ceiling, he thought about those black curls and hazel eyes had haunt him in his dreams. It was silly, he knew there was no way he was already be in love with someone he didn't even know but it sure felt that way. He wondered what his name was, his title, how old he was, what he liked to do, what his voice sounded like. It was driving him insane. He had even forgotten about his weird, scary encounter with Prince David.

He would be reminded of it soon enough.

A gentle knock came from his door. He rose and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yes?"

Mercedes peeked in and smiled nervously at him.

"Kurt, your father wants to see you, he's in the Throne Room."

"Okay, 'Cedes. I'll be right there."

He got out of his room and walked down the halls to the room where his father was in. As he stepped in and saw the scene displaying in front of him, he froze. Both King Burt and Queen Carole sat on their thrones. Finn stood next to them. They all looked rather shocked. Carole looked worried. His father had a concerned look on his face. Finn was eyeing Prince David with a cautious look. It was the 'protective brother' look. That only ever came out whenever he felt someone was planning to hurt Kurt or do something he didn't like.

Kurt didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Uh, hello Prince David."

"Your Highness," David bowed.

Kurt turned to face his father slowly.

"… You wanted to see me, father?"

"Kurt," Burt cleared his throat. "Prince David has something he'd – he asked me something that I think would be best if you answered. It is a matter that concerns you and you alone, after all."

"What is it?" he asked warily.

'Please,' Kurt thought desperately, 'don't tell me he's going to –'

"Prince Kurt, I'd like to ask for your hand in marriage."

'God, no.'