The group of men had started to head back to the kingdom. Mike was riding up ahead and the other knight was riding behind Kurt and Blaine, so they had a bit of privacy. For this reason, Blaine kept trying to strike up a conversation with Kurt, but he refused to talk to the prince. It was like getting attached to a pig before you killed it to make bacon, except in this example Kurt is the pig.

"What's your name? We've been chasing you for this long and I've simply been calling you The Thief." Blaine asked. Kurt held his ground and stayed completely silent. No way was he going to give into the prince. "Do you read?" Blaine was asking now and Kurt rolled his eyes. He wanted to tell Blaine that he never learned to read, because the only people who can afford tutors are those who live in the palace, but that would mean talking to him. "I love to read. My favourite story is The Princess and The Frog, are you familiar with it?" Blaine asked and Kurt once again stayed silent. "Okay, I'll tell it to you..." Kurt tried to shut out the prince's voice and focus his attention somewhere else. He was looking around to see if he could find something interesting, when he saw a light blue fabric poking out of one of the bags on the side of Blaine's horse. When Kurt realized what it was he gasped.

"Why do you have my mother's cloak?" He broke his silence and yanked it out of the bag.

"Oh right! I found it in the palace after you escaped the ball." Blaine explained.

"And so you just decided to keep it?" Kurt asked feeling his anger rising. "Of course you would, you're a royal so you're probably used to just taking whatever you want."

"Hey, that's not true." Blaine said sounding offended. "I brought that with me to give to you, anyone else would of had it burned." Kurt didn't say anything. This time it was because he knew Blaine was right, and for the first time on their trip together Blaine was silent.

"Thank you." Kurt said, swallowing his pride.

"I'm not as horrible as you think." Blaine said. "You treat me like I'm the most evil person in the world, but I honestly care about people. Why do you hate us royals so much anyway?"

"When I was eight my mom died." Kurt admitted. Blaine looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected Kurt to answer, but he didn't say anything so Kurt took it as a sign to continue. "My dad's business hadn't been going so well. We didn't have enough money for food, and this is back when food was still affordable, so we were basically dirt poor." Kurt took a deep breathe before he continued, he'd never actually told anyone this story before. "My mom would always give me her dinner or lunch, so that I wasn't hungry. Her body became pretty malnourished and she got sick very easily. Then one winter she got pneumonia, and we took her to the castle to try to get her help. She was dying and we just wanted her to see a doctor, or even just have a cup of soup. Instead they slammed the door in our face and she died a few days later. This cloak was the last thing she gave to me." Kurt kept all emotion out of his voice, but his heart felt like it had dropped into his boots. "You royals were up there eating and drinking to your hearts content around a roaring fire, while I was helping my dad bury my mom. No eight year old should go through that." He finished his story and wrapped the cloak around his shoulders. It wasn't cold, but he could feel his mother's arms embracing him when he wore it.

"I'm very sorry." Blaine said. "It's just-" The prince was struggling to find words. "Everything is so unfair and I wish I could help everybody. I wish no one had to die!" He exclaimed, he sounded choked up and Kurt could see he was getting visibly emotional. The thief reached out and gently rested his hand on the prince's shoulder.

"Life's unfair and everyone dies." He said softly. "The best thing we can hope for is to find people who we love and who love us in return before our time is up."

Blaine turned his torso around, slowing the horse down. He looked a Kurt thoughtfully for a minute before a teary smile broke through. Kurt slowly returned the smile, feeling a little unsure but trusting something in his gut that told him Blaine was more than he thought.

The men had been riding too slow to reach the palace by sundown, so they stopped to set up camp for overnight. The knights had gone off looking for firewood, while Blaine stayed behind with the thief who's ankle was still injured. Once again, Blaine found himself left alone with this boy and he felt the impulse to get to know him.

"Were you close with your mother?" He asked softly. The thief gave him a surprised look but answered the question none the less.

"Very." He said with a small smile creeping onto his face. "She used to sing to me every night before I went to sleep. When I lost her, life just wasn't the same." The thief seemed distant after that, as if he was lost in the memories of him and his mother.

"What about you?" The thief asked. "Are you close with your parents?"

"Not particularly, but we love each other." Blaine answered with a shrug.

"Who are you close to then?" The thief asked casually, but it catches Blaine off guard and he really has to think about it.

"Quinn, I suppose." He said. "I mean, we've been best friends since we were little so..." He trailed off.

"Well that's good, since you're marrying her." The thief teased and Blaine let out an uncomfortable laugh.

"It is I guess. I mean, that's what everyone keeps telling me." Blaine said.

"Do you want to marry her? If it had nothing to do with politics, or helping your kingdom, or pleasing your parents, would you still marry her?" The thief asked and this time Blaine knew the answer right away.

"No." He admitted. "I really do love her, but not in that way."

"That's sad. I'm sorry." The thief said. It felt odd to Blaine, someone who had far less feeling sorry for him.

"So where were you hiding?" Blaine asked, trying to change the subject.

"In a cottage with two women." The thief answered.

"Sisters?" Blaine asked. The thief shook his head.

"Lovers." He answered.

"Do you mean your lovers?" Blaine asked trying to make sense of the situation.

"No, I mean they were in love with each other." Kurt said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Blaine pondered that thought for a minute. He had never heard of such a thing, but he didn't see how it could not be possible.

"That's very nice." He said and the thief nodded his head.

"It is."

The two men were quiet for a long while. The question the thief had asked had got him thinking, if politics and parents didn't matter who would he he have chosen to marry? Blaine couldn't think of a single girl he knew that he felt he could spend his life with. In fact, he couldn't think of a single girl that he would want to be romantically involved with for any amount of time. The other knights were always pointing out girls they thought were good looking, but Blaine had never participated in this. He had figured it was simply because he was more mature and didn't want to be shallow, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Kurt." The thief said suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Pardon me?" Blaine asked.

"Kurt." The thief answered.

"I don't know a Kurt, sorry." Blaine replied, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

"No," The thief said with a laugh. It was the first time he has laughed since Blaine had met him and Blaine couldn't help but smile at the sound, even though he had no idea what was funny. "My name is Kurt. Kurt Hummel." The thief– Kurt– explained.

"Oh." Blaine said, feeling a bit stupid. "It's nice to meet you Kurt."

"Likewise." Kurt said with a smile. Blaine smiled back, and for a second he could pretend that this new friend would not be executed as soon as they returned to the castle. It was just for a second, but Blaine was happier in that second than he had been in a long time.