Klaine Advent 2018 Day 14: Negligence

Dimension twelve: Royals

Someone rings a bell and Kurt groans. The bed is too comfortable to get up.

“Get up, get up, today is the big day!”

“… dad?” Kurt reluctantly opens his eyes and his dad is standing in his room. He’s wearing regal clothing and there’s a lavish crown on his head.

Kurt is in a royal dimension, and he is the royal.

His dad looks like a king, so that makes Kurt the prince. His dad seems a bit impatient Kurt climbs out of his huge bed.

“Kurt, what did I tell you about oversleeping?” his dad says sternly, “You cannot oversleep on a day like this. The carriages will arrive soonly.”

“Uhm, yes father.”

Kurt’s not used to using such formal tone while speaking to his dad, but Kurt has to remind himself that this is not his dad. It seems impossible, but maybe they aren’t close in every dimension.

But then Burt Hummel smiles and he spreads his arms so that Kurt can hug him.

“I am so excited for you, kid,” he says and Kurt instantly feels better. He does have a good relationship with his dad. “You’re going to make it better for a lot of people. The moment you will marry the prince of Dalton, our two kingdoms will be reunited, and there will be peace.”

Kurt smiles at the thought of him marrying the prince of Dalton. So, he’s going to find Blaine, they’re going to find the book and the objects, and they can go on.

“I am really excited as well, dad,” Kurt says.

“Good, then you should get dressed, because the carriages to Dalton could get here any minute!”

Kurt’s never worn clothes this fancy before. He’s also wearing a crown. It’s not as lavish as his dad’s crown, but it is still beautifully decorated with a couple of sapphires and diamonds.

Kurt’s never met the prince of Dalton before, or they all think, so everyone shares story about the illustrious prince of Dalton during the trip.

“I hear he’s got a brave heart,” Carole says dreamingly, “He’s saved locals several times from criminals.”

“Well, I hear he’s the smartest prince Dalton’s ever seen,” Burt says, “He’s the main reason why there’s finally a chance at peace. He came up with the plan to marry Kurt.”

“I can’t wait till the war is over,” Carole sighs, “The kingdoms of McKinley and Dalton have been at war for so long. No one can even remember why there’s a war. It’s just always been there.”

“Not for long,” Burt pats Kurt on the back, “Kurt will save us all.”

His dad and Carole continue speaking highly about Blaine and Kurt is very excited. Apart from the superhero dimension, this will be the first time that he’ll be led to Blaine. There’s no need to go through an unnecessary searching period.

Since his dad insists on giving the horses enough rest, it takes them more than a day to arrive in Dalton. Kurt doesn’t like that he had to spend the night in this dimension, but it will all be worth it. They arrive at the palace in the morning.

There are soldiers greeting them and music is being played. Civilians are cheering for them and they’re waving when Kurt steps out of the carriage. It looks like everyone’s longing for peace.

The porters open the door of the castle. Kurt, Burt, and Carole enter the throne room and Kurt’s ready to greet Blaine, but…

“Welcome,” an unfamiliar man says and his wife bows.

The third person is not unfamiliar to Kurt. Sebastian Smythe is sitting between his parents and he’s wearing a crown. He stands up when he sees Kurt and he bows in front of him. He takes Kurt’s hand and he places a kiss on it.

It feels wrong.

Sebastian is the prince of Dalton, not Blaine.

This is very, very wrong.

His parents greet the king and queen of Dalton and everyone celebrates the engagement. Sebastian smiles around Kurt and Kurt tries to smile back, to hold up an appearance, but he feels sick. He can’t be engaged to Sebastian. He simply can’t be!

Yet, Sebastian is wearing the crown.

Kurt gulps and thinks: I have to find Blaine as soon as possible.

Sebastian leads Kurt around the castle, or as Sebastian calls it, Kurt’s future home. Kurt hasn’t been this eager to continue his dimension hopping since the apocalypse dimension. Kurt smiles politely and he answers Sebastian’s questions, so that he doesn’t raise suspicion.

Then again, he can’t imagine ever agreeing to this.

The castle is filled with people who bow when they see Kurt and Sebastian. Sebastian talks to some of them. At least Sebastian is not a dick in this dimension.

“Tomorrow, we’ll meet the staff,” Sebastian says, “But tonight we dine and we will celebrate our marriage and the peace.”

“Of course,” Kurt says.

“If you have any inquiries about the castle, just tell me,” Sebastian continues, “We’ll lead the Kingdom of Dalton with pride and joy, so I obviously want your input as well.”

“You do?” Kurt asks, genuinely surprised.

“Of course, my prince, after we wed, this will be your kingdom as well.”

“Hooray,” Kurt says softly and sarcastically. Sebastian doesn’t hear it.

Sebastian continues talking. “I know I maybe shouldn’t speak negatively about my parents, especially if they’re going to be your future in-laws, but the Kingdom of Dalton has suffered too much under their negligence. Our citizens have been rallying for peace for years and so has the Kingdom of McKinley. It took a marriage proposal to seal the deal. My parents weren't even the ones who came up with it, but our royal advisor Gilbert did.”

Sebastian takes Kurt’s hand.

“Now, my prince, accept that I am genuinely happy that you’re here and I would love to marry you, but we both know that we still have to get to know each other.”

Wow. Sebastian really isn’t a dick. Kurt can’t believe he found a dimension where Sebastian is a compassionate and caring man.

“Of course,” Kurt says and he waits for Sebastian to let go of his hand. Sebastian senses his discomfort, so he does.

“First, let me continue our tour!”

Kurt is an actor, so he can play the part of ‘part of a happy couple’ very well. Kurt and Sebastian will get married at the end of the week, but Kurt assumes he’ll be gone by then. He does feel some pity for the actual prince Kurt.

He even feels some pity for Sebastian. He watches Sebastian laugh and eat the royal meals, but after their conversations during the tour, he wonders if Sebastian wants this marriage in the first place.

His dad and Carole are talking to the king and queen of Dalton. Every once in a while, Burt looks over at Kurt, as if he’s asking if Kurt’s okay.

Kurt always smiles brightly when he does.

The evening ends, but the celebration throughout the kingdom doesn’t. The citizens of Dalton are really happy about the end of the war. It’s strange that no one knows what the war’s even about. This decades-long rivalry started so long ago, that it’s almost ingrained in people’s heads that they have to hate each other. It’s pitiful.

Burt and Carole retreat back to a private country home on the castle grounds and Kurt gets his own room. He’s happy that he doesn’t immediately have to share a bed with Sebastian.

Kurt’s not that happy about the fact that he has to spend another night in this dimension, but he’s grown tired of the day. Kurt unpacks his belongings and he finds a dairy.

It’s his diary, but it also technically isn’t really his diary, so he feels bad about wanting to open it. Then again, this way he can finally get to know the Kurt from this dimension. That hasn’t happened before.

He pushes his doubt aside and he starts reading.

After a couple of pages in, Kurt realises that this Kurt is almost the same as him. This Kurt is only a little bit spoiled. The entries start to change when the engagement get announced. They’re very unhappy and they’re basically pleads for help.

The actual prince Kurt is as unhappy about his engagement to prince Sebastian as Kurt.

Kurt wishes he could help him. But what is he supposed to do? Steal a horse and go back to the Kingdom of McKinley? It’s impossible!

The stables of the castle are very badly lit. It’s probably to keep the horses asleep. Kurt has accidentally waken some with his lantern and they didn’t seem happy.

This is a terrible idea.

Kurt had gathered his belongings and he’d gotten dressed.

Now he’s actually in the stables and he once again reminds himself that this is a terrible idea. He’s never interfered with the lives of the other versions of him before. But then again, the Kurt from this version seems really unhappy.

He puts down his lantern. He finds a horse and he tries to set it free, so that he can run away, when he hears someone yell: “Freeze!”

Kurt turns around and Blaine is standing in front of him. His clothes are not as posh as Kurt’s, his curls are out, and he has his trusty bag with him.

Blaine lowers his lantern in shock. “Kurt?”

“Blaine!”

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

“My parents are in charge of the castle’s horses. We’re staff. I know you are the prince, but again, what are you doing here in our stables?”

Blaine’s been here all along. He’s been so close by all this time.

“Why didn’t you come and look for me?” Kurt asks, trying not to be hurt.

Blaine shakes his head. “I wanted to, but I wasn’t allowed. But my parents told me that we’d be introduced to you tomorrow, so I decided to look for the book to pass the time. I just got back from the library and I heard someone in our stables. Again, why are you here?”

Blaine holds up his lantern and it lights up the room a bit more. Blaine’s eyes widen when he sees Kurt’s bag and the travel clothes.

“You’re running away?”

“If I’d known that you were here all along, I wouldn’t have even tried, but yes,” Kurt admits.

“Why?”

“Because the actual prince Kurt doesn’t want to marry Sebastian and I decided to help him out. Again, if I’d known you were here, I wouldn’t have even tried. I had hoped to find you in the Kingdom of McKinley.”

“… Kurt, this place is seriously called the Kingdom of Dalton. I thought it was obvious I’d be here.”

Kurt turns red from embarrassment. He hopes that the place is dark enough so that Blaine wouldn’t notice. Blaine is obviously right.

“But did you find the book?” Kurt asks, trying to change the subject.

Blaine gives Kurt the lantern and he opens his bag. Kurt can see that the book is in it.

“Yes!” he yells out and some of the horses make unhappy sounds, so Kurt immediately quiets down and says: “Sorry.”

“I also already put my object on the page,” Blaine says and he takes out the book. He flips it open and Kurt holds the lantern close to it.

“What is it?”

Blaine shrugs. “Some kind of dung fork, or whatever it is called. I woke up and the first thing I notice is my mom putting it in my hands, because I had to clean the stables. She kept yelling about how it had to be absolutely clean for the arrival of the prince of McKinley. That’s how I knew you’d be here. I expected it to be you.”

“I expected you to be the prince of Dalton, but I was gravely mistaken.”

“And we’ll never be royals,” Blaine sings and Kurt hits him playfully.

“Royals!” Kurt sings.

They laugh, until one of the horses makes some unhappy noises. The horses want to sleep.

“Yup, it was a bit of a shock to see Sebastian, wearing a crown, roam around the fields. Speaking of crowns…”

Blaine holds up the book again. It’s pretty obvious that the other object is Kurt’s crown. Kurt has left it in his room, as a sort of symbolic goodbye. That’s what happens in those royal movies. Now he regrets his decision.

Kurt tells him where to find the crown.

“Oh, can we sneak into the castle?” Blaine asks excitedly.

“It’s hardly sneaking in. It’s kind of my castle now.”

“Oh damn, you own a castle.”

The two of them go back to the castle and as expected, they can enter it without a hitch. The guards are a bit confused to see Kurt, since Kurt did have to sneak out, but they let him and Blaine in without questions.

Kurt leads Blaine through the majestic castle and Blaine’s in awe.

“You haven’t seen the inside? We’ve been in this dimension for almost three days.”

“I’m a stable boy, Kurt.”

Thanks to Sebastian’s tour, Kurt knows the way. They easily find Kurt’s room. The crown is lying on his bed, with a small note saying that Kurt’s sorry.

“That thing is gorgeous,” Blaine says and he carefully picks it up. Blaine’s mesmerised by the gemstones. “It’d almost be a shame to give it to the book.”

But Blaine hands it to Kurt anyway. Kurt opens the book and he’s ready to put the crown on the page, but he stops himself. He looks around. What if the actual prince Kurt returns when Kurt leaves? Kurt will trap the actual prince Kurt in this engagement. Even worse, what if the actual prince Kurt is found with the stable boy?

“We have to leave.”

“Yeah?” Blaine says as if it’s obvious, “That’s why we need the crown.”

“No, Blaine, we need to steal a horse and leave this castle immediately.”

Blaine frowns. “Are you suggesting we run away? Kurt, love, may I remind you of the fact that we’re leaving. This is not our dimension.”

“I know that,” Kurt says, a bit agitated, “But you should’ve read the diary, Blaine. I cannot leave the real prince Kurt here. I have to help him.”

“We don’t even know for sure if he comes back,” Blaine says.

Kurt nods. “I know, but I can try.”

They pass the guards with ease. Kurt tells them that he’s walking Blaine home. The guards recognise Blaine as a stable boy. Even if they do notice the travelling clothes and the bag hidden underneath his robe, they don’t say a word.

They keep silent. That way, no one notices that they’re not going to the Anderson’s cottage, but to the stables.

At least, that’s what they think.

“Kurt?”

Kurt turns around in shock. Blaine jumps behind him.

Kurt holds up his lantern.

“Dad?” Kurt asks.

His father is wearing a fancy pair of pyjama’s.

“Taking a stroll around the castle grounds, dad?” Kurt asks. After all, he and Carole has a private country home on the castle grounds. Kurt never tried to figure out where the country home was located, but apparently close to the stables.

His father looks at Kurt’s travelling clothes.

“Yes, I decided to walk around to clear my head, but you have bigger plans. You do know that I can see that someone’s hiding behind your back, right?”

Embarrassed, Blaine comes out of hiding.

“What are you doing, Kurt? Are you- are you running away?” his father asks, eyes wide.

Kurt and Blaine look at each other. It’s no use lying. It’s very clear that Kurt is indeed planning on running away, so Kurt takes Blaine’s hand.

“Yes, dad, I am leaving.”

“But what about the peace? What about prince Sebastian?!”

“Dad, you can’t honestly think this is a great idea?” Kurt asks, aghast. He knows this man isn’t really his father, but it is still a version of Burt Hummel, and Kurt strongly believes that his father is a great man in every dimension.

“Kurt-”

“Besides, prince Sebastian doesn’t like it either. You can see it. And he doesn’t need a husband to be a compassionate and great king. After all, he’s already a compassionate and great prince!”

Blaine looks at Kurt in confusion, but then again, he hasn’t met the Sebastian from this dimension, so Kurt complimenting Sebastian looks strange to him.

His father moves towards them and Blaine immediately steps in front of Kurt. Blaine, the protector, as always.

But to their surprise, Burt laughs.

“No worries, I’ll never hurt my son. What is your name?” he asks.

"Blaine," Blaine answers.

“Blaine, very nice to meet you. Now, I know a secret way out,” Burt says.

“We’ve got a plan,” Kurt says quickly.

“What, steal a horse, lower the bridge over the moat, and pass all the guards without raising suspicion?” his father asks.

When his father puts it into words like that, it does sound stupid. They hadn’t even thought about crossing the moat.

“Come on, I know a way out. Carole and I explored the grounds after dinner.”

Kurt and Blaine are still confused, but they follow Burt around the grounds. It’s a ten minute walk, but they arrive at the wall that closes off the castle from the rest of the kingdom. There’s indeed a secret passage in the wall.

“Uhm. Thanks, sire,” Blaine says awkwardly. He bows, but he realises how weird it feels and he freezes mid-bow.

Kurt is still confused. “Why are you helping me run away, dad? You arranged this engagement as well.”

His father sighs. “I suspected you were unhappy, but now I know for sure. Like I just told your partner, I’ll never hurt you. If you marrying Sebastian hurts you, then I will try to stop it. This is me trying to stop it.”

Kurt was right. His father really is amazing in every dimension. Kurt pulls his dad into a hug to say his goodbyes.

“I love you, dad.”

“Love you too, kid.”

Blaine awkwardly bows again and the two of them leave.

They don’t have a horse, like they planned, so the road back to McKinley is long. They won’t go all the way to the Kingdom of McKinley, though. They just want to get far enough. Hopefully, the Kurt and Blaine from this dimension will return and they will continue their journey to somewhere safe.

After hours of walking, they’re exhausted, but they find a spot where they feel safe.

Kurt opens the book and he puts the crown on the page. After it disappears, he flips the page. Once again, three new words have appeared.

“Huh, this is oddly specific as well,” he says and he shows the words to Blaine.

Blaine frowns. “What does ‘vacationers in Iceland’ even mean?”