Kurt's eyes widened as he tried to remain calm. Prince David was staring at him eagerly, waiting for his answer. When Kurt didn't immediately say yes, he frowned and his eyes turned ice cold, making Kurt want to flinch. There was absolutely no way he would ever be able to accept marrying such a man but he needed to handle it with care. Prince David wasn't known for his cool, calm demeanor after all.

"Oh! Well," Kurt laughed nervously. "I-I don't know what to say!"

He caught sight of his father who was staring at him with an almost scared expression. His father could feel the tension and nervousness oozing from him. David didn't though.

"A yes would suffice," David said a little forcefully and Burt shot him a glare he didn't notice.

"Um, Prince David, I-I really –" he cleared his throat. "I am honored by your proposal…"

David's face lit immediately as Kurt continued talking.

"… but I'm afraid I can't accept."

"Why?" David said loudly, making Burt get out of his seat and Finn's hand to fly to his sheathed sword.

Kurt's eyes were wide with fear but he responded firmly.

"Because I want to marry someone I love and I do not love you."

He had his chin up but his knees were trembling. Slowly and almost unnoticeably, Finn walked to stand behind his brother, his hand still on his sword, just in case things started to go the wrong way. Kurt would have to remember to thank him for that.

"But I love you! And that should be enough! I'm sure you can – you can grow to love me!" David was practically begging.

"I'm sorry, but I won't."

David seemed completely taken aback, like if a 'No' wasn't part of his plan. His eyes darted everywhere and he was wearing such a crazed expression, it looked like he would have a breakdown right there.

First, he was confused…

"But we've known each other for a long time. We've grown up together! Am I to believe that all this time you didn't feel anything?"

"Well I-I… N-no, I'm sorry," Kurt said bowing his head. Even if Prince David scared him whenever they were alone, he didn't want to hurt him by being too blunt about his lack of feelings towards him.

"I will not accept that! I know you can learn to love me!"

"Prince David," Burt interfered. "I'm sorry this situation is not what you expected but I believe my son has already answered your question."

"No, this can't be… It wasn't supposed to go like this! I will have you, Kurt! And you will love me!"

Kurt just shook his head. "No."

David started breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating. He clenched his teeth and his hands curled into fists at his sides.

"You will be mine!" he roared walking towards Kurt in an attempt to grab him.

Kurt stumbled back and in a heartbeat, Finn stood between them, his sword drawn and stopping David from taking another step.

"I believe the answer was no," Finn said slowly, narrowing his eyes.

"Prince David, I think it'd be best if you leave," Carole tried to say calmly but her voice was shaking.

David turned to see her and noticed that some of the guards were already around them along with Finn and Kurt's knights, Sam and Puck, who had also drawn their swords and were ready to attack him if necessary. He couldn't take them all so he just stepped back and raised his arms in surrender. He began to walk backwards, his eyes leaving Kurt.

"Please understand me, David," Kurt said softly.

"I'm not letting this go, Prince Kurt. You will hear from me soon enough."

And with that, he turned around and walked out of the Hall.

Kurt let out the breath he was holding and closed his eyes. Finn put away his sword, turning to nod at his knights so they'd do the same. Burt and Carole shared a worried look and approached Kurt.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Carole asked him, placing a gentle hand in his cheek.

He nodded and gave her a small smile. His father was giving him a weird look and he knew he was worried David had scared him too much. He had been scared but it wasn't so bad.

"I'm okay. Dad, Carole, I really am okay."

"I think we should place two more knights for your protection, Kurt." His father commented.

"What? Don't be silly, it's alright! Prince David was just being dramatic, I'm sure once he's calmed down he will forget this and I'll never have to see him again."

"But Kurt, didn't you listen to his words? Didn't you see the look in his eyes? He is not going to forget about this."

"Sure he is he just needs time. He got his pride hurt so he's obviously angry now. He'll get over it. It'll be okay!"

"Kurt…"

"Look, if it really worries you that much, I'll just stick to Finn's side. He won't let anything happen to me, okay?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I'll take care of him."

"See? Everything's fine," Kurt patted his father's arm and left the room with Finn, Sam and Puck following close behind.

Burt didn't understand how his sons could take such a threat so lightly but even if Kurt was willing to forget this incident and act like it never happened, he wouldn't. His son's safety had been threatened and even if it turned out Kurt was right and it was just in the heat of the moment, Burt would not take risks.

He needed a plan.

"Blaine?"

"In here!" came a voice from inside the big, old toy room.

Blaine's best friend and personal guard, Wes, stepped inside the room, walking in the direction the voice had just come from. The room was full of Blaine and Rachel's old toys and some things that belonged to Blaine's mother and Rachel's parents. He finally found the prince sitting in front of an old trunk, some toys and papers scattered on the floor around him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm just looking for… something." Blaine said absentmindedly as he read the small parchments in his hand.

Ever since he had come back from the Winstow Ball he could only think of two things: the mysterious, beautiful voice he had heard in the gardens and his old childhood friend. He knew there was no way they were the same person but hearing that voice had made him want to find that friend again. He figured he might be able to find something if he went through his old stuff. The things he had before the war started but so far he had only found old dresses and dolls that belonged to Rachel and some of his own toys, nothing that could tell him something about the mystery friend.

He was getting seriously frustrated. How on Earth could a boy disappear just like that? Sometimes he even thought he had imagined that friend, since Rachel didn't remember much and he couldn't ask his father because he had been busy for the last couple of days. He seemed worried, too. So every time Blaine would try to talk to him, someone would interrupt them, telling his father they had news about the "top secret matter", whatever that meant.

He turned to look at Wes, who was still standing next to him, taking in the piles of old toys and useless paper. Blaine figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Wes?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember the prince that used to visit me before the war? He was my playmate or something…"

Wes narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember. The world as it was before war had taken over Davon seemed centuries away.

"I don't know, Blaine. I wasn't around you much back then. But I think I do remember a boy in a carriage or something of the sort."

Blaine's eyes lightened at his answer. He knew it was a long shot, since his father had not assigned him any knights or guards until the war broke and teenagers had to be trained in order to survive and defend themselves. His knights had been just kids like he was and so they grew up together, going through the same pain and sorrow and growing so close they didn't consider him as someone superior anymore. He was just Blaine and they were just his friends, Wes, David, Nick and Jeff.

"But – but you do remember something? I didn't just imagine it?"

Wes tried not to laugh at the crazy expression on Blaine's face. It was a wonderful thing, to see his prince and friend like this. Whenever he got this excited, his eyes with gleam with hope or happiness and it made him look so innocent, no one would guess the horrible things he had had to go through at such a young age.

"No, you didn't imagine it. Either that or we're both crazy."

Blaine laughed and stood up, shaking the dust off his clothes.

"Aren't you going to clean that up?" Wes said pointing at the mess.

"I'm not finished looking through that trunk so I'll leave it like that. I'll come back here tomo –"

"Blaineeeeee!" they heard Rachel yell from the hallway.

Both men made their way out of the room and into the large hallway where Rachel was still walking, looking for Blaine.

"I'm here, Rachel."

She turned around and ran towards him, forgetting all signs of etiquette before throwing her arms around his neck and tangling her legs around his waist. He stumbled back trying to regain some balance and held his cousin as he turn to look at Wes, who looked as confused and surprised as he felt.

"Um… Rach?"

"He wrote! He wrote!" she chanted happily over and over again as she tightened her grasp on his neck.

"Who's he?" he questioned, feeling the familiar jolt of protective instinct he always had whenever Rachel was involved in something he didn't know about. He couldn't help it; she was like his little sister.

"Prince Finn!" she said excitedly, untangling her legs from his waist and letting him gently lower her to the ground. She raised her hand and showed him a piece of paper, which he took to examine.

It really was a letter from Prince Finn, letting her know he had enjoyed her company at the Ball and that he hoped to see her again. Blaine narrowed his eyes at the handwriting. Prince Finn had looked like an okay fellow from what he'd been able to tell during the scarce moments he was actually present in the ball room but he still felt it was his duty to be wary of him until he knew what the prince's intentions were.

"Have you answered back?"

"No, I wanted to show you first! What should I say? How do I respond to something like that?"

"Well, tell him you had a nice time too and that you hope he is doing well and that's it," he shrugged before handing the letter back at her.

"That's it? What about him wanting to see me again, shouldn't I say something about that too?"

"Well, no, you have to play hard to get, little cousin. Don't mention anything and see if he writes back. Many princes are just looking for the perfect opportunity to take advantage of young, innocent girls like you so you have to make sure he isn't like that. If he writes back despite your coldness, then maybe he's not as bad."

"Oh," Rachel considered what he'd told her for a moment before nodding. "You're completely right, I'll do that! Thank you, Blaine! Bye, Wes!"

"Your Highness," Wes said as he bowed slightly and both watched her hop back to her room.

"Sweet, little Rachel, all grown up and exchanging letters with princes." Nick said appearing behind them with Jeff by his side.

Wes laughed and agreed but Blaine remained silent. Hearing Rachel mention the Ball and Prince Finn made him realize he had been so worried about everything else that he didn't even bother to see who Prince Kurt was. He shrugged it off. He didn't think the other Winstow prince was anything special anyway.

He was probably just like the rest.

Two weeks after the incident with Prince David, Finn was true to his word and never let Kurt out of his sight. It had been fun at first, spending more time with his brother but now, Kurt was sick of it. He was never into such things as going hunting or sword training so having to spend his days doing nothing but that was tiring.

This time, though, he had convinced Finn to get some fresh air and ride their horses for a while. Finn had accepted and now they were lying on the clearing by the pond while their horses ate and drank. Finn had his arms behind his head and Kurt was sitting next to him, Indian style. They had been talking about random things when Finn changed the subject suddenly.

"I wrote to the Princess of Davon the other day."

Kurt's heart began to race. Princess of Davon. Davon. Wasn't that the kingdom where his old childhood friend was from? And wasn't this friend a prince and not a princess? Had he heard his father wrong? Had he heard Finn wrong?

"I-I thought Davon had a prince, not a princess," he stuttered, praying his brother wouldn't notice the blush on his cheeks or the nervousness in his voice.

"It does. She's not – I mean, I asked Burt about them. Apparently they are cousins. The king's brother was killed and –"

"And the war broke in the kingdom, yes. I know." His father had already told him about that. It was the reason why the two princes had stopped seeing each other.

"Yeah, well obviously the King adopted his niece so now they are sort of brother and sister. And now she's the Princess of Davon."

"Okay. And… you wrote to her? How do you know her?" Kurt wondered.

"She came to the Ball," Finn replied casually.

Now Kurt was confused. He had been paying close attention to the presentations in the event that the Prince would show up but the name was never heard. How could his brother have met Davon's princess if they were apparently not present?

Besides, he didn't remember seeing his brother interested in anyone during the Ball.

Anyone except…

"Oh god… Was she the small brunette girl that arrived late?"

'Please let it be her, please let it be her. Please.'

"Yes. When we were dancing, I felt something. Something strong. A-and I couldn't forget about her after that so I took a chance and wrote to her."

Kurt tried to listen to what his brother was saying, he truly, truly did. But his mind was still rushing. He felt his heart thumping so hard against his chest he was surprised Finn hadn't heard it yet. It was him. The handsome man that had arrived with Finn's lady interest was his childhood friend. He couldn't believe it. The one man that had caught his eye in that sea of people was actually the friend he couldn't stop thinking about or looking for.

He had found him.

Finally.

"… to do. Kurt? Kurt!"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry! You lost me there," said Kurt dreamily, his attention focusing once more on his brother.

"I could tell. I asked you what I should do. She didn't seem too… interested in the letter she wrote back and I'm scared maybe I was the only one that felt something that night."

"Well, what did she write back?"

Finn proceeded to tell him exactly what she had written back. He had memorized the letter after trying to understand her words. Kurt focused on helping his brother and encouraging him to write to her again, letting her know his intentions were real and sincere.

After a while of talking, they got up and rode back to the castle but Kurt's mind was still fixed on the prince of Davon. He suddenly realized he didn't even know or remember the prince's name. He had forgotten to ask his father about him. It was a funny feeling, having an interest on this man that had surely forgotten all about him. Kurt couldn't blame him, though, since he had also let go of that childhood memory and he hadn't even had to go through half of what his old friend did at such a young age.

Kurt daydreamed of the possibility of reuniting with him, especially now with the prospect of a courtship between Finn and the prince's cousin.

He didn't know the reunion would happen much sooner and under far worse circumstances than what Kurt had hoped for.

Blaine was at the library, reading the final pages of the book on his hand. It was quite late and he was sure everyone else had gone to sleep but that book was so good, he found himself unable to put it down. Finally, he read the last lines and closed it, sighing loudly. He always loved that feeling only a good book could give him. He smiled briefly and closed his eyes, adjusting himself on the couch he was on, the warmth of the fireplace making him sleepy.

Just as he was considering sleeping there, the doors opened up suddenly and Nick came in.

"Blaine, your father wants you. He says it's important."

Blaine frowned and got up the couch. Why would his father summon him this late? He began to feel nervous. This couldn't be good.

Nick and Blaine walked quickly to his father's office, where Nick opened the door for him. Blaine turned to see his friend, who gave him a reassuring smile and gestured him inside. He stepped inside slowly and immediately saw Rachel sitting on one of the chairs in front of his father's desk. They both turned to see him and his father smiled a warm smile that quickly reached his eyes. Blaine relaxed instantly. His father's eyes never lied, if he was about to tell him some terrible news, he would be able to tell by the look on his father's face.

"Blaine, come sit, please." His father offered gently.

Blaine did as he was told.

"What's going on?" he turned to see Rachel who looked just as confused as he was.

"Well," his father began. "You may have noticed that I've been busy these past few weeks."

Blaine and Rachel nodded.

"I had been talking to King Burt of Winstow. It seems like there has been a, well, a delicate situation in the kingdom and they have asked us for our help."

"What? What happened? Is Prince Finn okay?" Rachel asked, her eyes almost leaving their sockets.

King Robert turned to look at her curiously before shaking his head.

"He's okay. This is about his brother."

Kurt was woken abruptly by Quinn and Mercedes, who had scared looks on their faces. They didn't even let him get his robe before making him leave his room and go straight to the hall.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," Mercedes had said as Quinn wiped a small tear from her eye before both of them went to their places next to Carole.

Kurt didn't understand anything but he turned to find his family standing in front of him. His father had a sad look on his face and Carole was crying silently. Finn looked upset, anger threatening to twist his features. Their knights, Sam and Puck, were standing behind him with their eyes fixed on the floor.

"What is this?" he asked in a small voice.

His father came closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kurt, I-I don't know how to say this…"

"Say what?" Kurt was getting extremely nervous now.

"You remember David's reaction to your answer to his proposal?"

"Yes…"

"And you remember me telling you he wouldn't let this go easily."

"Yes, but what –"

"He didn't, son."

Kurt's heart began beating fast.

"What – what do you mean?"

"He tried to break in last night. He… he tried to kidnap you, Kurt."

"What?"

His father explained how David had tried to get into his bedroom with two other men. Fortunately, they got to the wrong room and were stopped before they could go through with it and take Kurt. Unfortunately, the palace guards could only get a hold of one of David's accomplices, while the prince and the other man got away.

"I had a feeling this would happen, which is why, while you took his threat lightly, I didn't. I had to come up with an emergency plan that I hoped I wouldn't get the opportunity to use. As much as I would like to declare war on him for this, his kingdom is much too powerful and I don't think our troops would come out of it victorious. So now, unfortunately, I must make use of my plan. I must keep you safe."

Kurt turned to see his step mother, who was crying more forcefully now. He locked eyes with his brother, who still looked torn between crying and breaking something. His eyes shifted to his friends, both the boys and the girls, who all looked at him hopelessly. Lastly, his eyes fell on his father, whose eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"What are you going to do?" he finally whispered as he felt the tears stream down his face.

"I'm sending you away. You leave for Davon first thing tomorrow morning."