The next day, the trip towards the west is mostly silent. Blaine didn’t sleep a lot, and he’s clearly tired, but Kurt doesn’t mention it. They reach another town to stay overnight.

Once they’re in the room at the local inn, Kurt tries to talk to him, but Blaine fakes going to sleep. He thinks Kurt knows, but Kurt respects Blaine’s boundaries.

The next day, they arrive in one of the most western towns of Daltonia. Once again, Kurt and Blaine ask around, but it’s more difficult. This time, the sergeant didn’t leave any clues about the whereabouts of the books. Not only that, but they may be far off. The western part of Daltonia is huge.

It’s nice, though. This mission keeps their minds preoccupied, and Blaine realises that he missed talking to Kurt during the previous day.

Still, Kurt and Blaine split up to cover more ground and meet each other in front of the town plaza later to share their findings. Blaine has nothing.

Kurt, on the other hand, has a lead.

“I did ask around at the tailoring shop, and someone actually mentioned an interesting titbit,” Kurt says excitedly. Of course Kurt visited the tailor.

“What was it?”

“He said that he usually goes to an overgrown garden not far from the town to gather materials for dyes, but yesterday he saw that someone has buried something in that garden.”

“Huh?”

Kurt nods.

“Yes, a small part of the land has been dug in and then refilled with the soil. He didn’t think much of it. Maybe it’s children hiding a time capsule or something. But the garden barely gets visited, hence its overgrown state, so he did wonder why ‘the kids’ would pick that spot. Chances are no one will find it if the garden gets forgotten, and all that.”

“Should we check it out?” Blaine asks.

“It’s worth a try.”

Blaine can’t agree more.

He and Kurt go back to the tailor to ask for the exact location of the garden.

The tailor has lent them a shovel as well. If he thinks it’s weird that two strangers want to dig in that garden, then he doesn’t show it.

“People in Daltonia are always helpful in Cooper’s quests, so it makes sense that they’re helpful in general,” Kurt reasons.

“Did townsfolk help Cooper often?”

“All the time. This is why he’s so close with his people,” Kurt says.

Huh. Blaine never knew, but Blaine also never leaves his own circle of people.

And Blaine wasn’t part of that part of Cooper’s story.

They arrive at the garden and it’s indeed very overgrown and unkept, but the dig site (so to speak) is very obvious. Someone’s cleared a part of the path by pulling all the vines and plants.

“Time to get busy,” Kurt says and he starts digging.

And after a couple of minutes, the shovel hits a hard surface. Kurt and Blaine’s eyes meet. Kurt continues digging until he and Blaine see a silver surface.

“Let me,” Blaine crouches next to the hole and reaches for whatever’s buried here. He casts a soft ‘Oh yeah’ to let the object levitate towards him, since it’s too deep for him to get it out. Once Blaine has his hands on it, he realises that it’s a silver box.

He takes it out of the hole and he and Kurt look at it with wide eyes. Is this part of their quest, or did they dig up someone’s treasure? But then Blaine turns the box around and there’s a note taped to the bottom.

Dear mister Hummel and prince Blaine of Daltonia,

“Would you look at that. I made it!” Blaine jokes and Kurt laughs. It warms Blaine’s heart.

Congratulations. You made it, again! Please enjoy the fourth and fifth instalments of this precious book series. We’re nearing the end and you’ve done well, mister Hummel. I promised before that I will get you home, but now I will reiterate that promise. You must go home! You’ve helped me so much, so I must help you!

But we’re not at the end. We’ve had east, north, west, so it’s obvious at this point that the next two books will be south. Find them. We will meet soon.

Greetings,

The Sergeant (I dropped the handsome and gorgeous. I still am stunning, but it just didn’t sound like a proper name for an antagonist.)

The south is not very populated. Unlike other parts of the kingdom, many people live in three big cities. As a result, Blaine buys a bunch of camping supplies in town, since they expect to sleep outside on their way to the most southern city.

It’s cold, but Blaine buys the advanced sleeping bags with heating elements in it. They are powered by an external battery that is solar powered. Blaine sticks them to the roof of the carriage, so they can be charged while they’re on the road.

“Ready?” Kurt asks.

Blaine nods.

The carriage ride is silent and Blaine decides to read one of his digital books, but Kurt interrupts the silence.

“Blaine?”

“Yes,” Blaine says. He has a feeling that Kurt is going to talk about the thing that’s been hanging over them.

“I want you to know that I don’t care that you are ‘underdeveloped’, or whatever. I know you’re jealous of how I reacted towards Arasha, but I like you too. And maybe the fact that you weren’t given a lot of stuff, means that I could get to know you for who you are.”

“Even if I don’t have much going for me?” Blaine asks bitterly.

“You do have stuff! You are your own person and maybe the fact that B.D. Dalton didn’t specifically write you this way shows that it’s truly your own doing.”

“Then what do I have?” Blaine snaps. He doesn’t want to lash out to Kurt, but he’s just tired and confused about all of this. “I don’t even know my Passion!”

“Yeah, but do you really need to find your Passion?”

“Of course I do!" Blaine says back, almost offended that he has to explain, “Everyone has a part to play in Daltonia, that's why-”

“I know what Passions are for, Blaine. I've read about it.”

“Then why do you ask?” Blaine asks, indignantly.

Kurt shrugs.

“It feels a bit contrived, honestly, but also kind of like an afterthought. It's as if B.D. Dalton saw the upcoming trend of sorting book characters in different categories and thought she needed to do that too. Sure, it gave us some good character drama for the non-Royals, but what else is there to it?”

“It’s the one thing that could give my life any meaning, apparently, but B.D. Dalton didn’t even think to give me that, so I have nothing!”

“Nonsense, you have a lot of stuff going for you, without B.D.’s help!”

“As in?” Blaine challenges Kurt.

“You’re loyal and loving. You’re here for me, a stranger, not because you were written as a hero, because you wanted to help me,” Kurt says seriously, “And you’re funny.”

“I am?” Blaine asks, breaking his anger.

Kurt nods.

“Yeah. You may not notice, but the things you ask me about my world amuse me and it makes me love talking to you!”

“Uh. Holy shit?”

“Exactly!”

“… I still don’t know what this holy shit is, though.”

“Not the point. The point is that you are fun to be around. I love travelling with you. And you’re also curious, and eager to learn, even though this entire book stuff is heavy to find out. You’re also really talented. Your potions do wonders and you managed to spell the carriage!”

Blaine wants to point out that he still doesn’t know why his potions worked to heal Kurt, but Kurt continues his praise of him and doesn’t give Blaine the chance to interject.

“You’re sweet, you and Arasha clearly care for each other too! And above all, you’re kind. You’re so kind. Honestly, I am glad you’re accompanying me, not Cooper.”

“But Cooper is the Chosen One,” Blaine protests.

Kurt nods.

“Sure. But Cooper isn’t you.”

“Kurt…”

No one’s ever chosen Blaine over Cooper. Granted, Blaine’s never really been in a situation where someone could pick him over his famous brother, since he’s always in the castle, but no one’s ever asked him to come out of that castle either. Apart from his mother, no one seemed to give him a chance. Well, apart from his mother and Kurt. Kurt had also insisted that Blaine accompanied him.

“I… Thank you,” Blaine says, “I don’t know what else to say.”

“No biggie,” Kurt says back, but it is a biggie. It totally is. “I am so glad you’re here with me.”

And Blaine’s glad Kurt’s here with him. One pep talk will not make all the weird feelings go away, but it’s a start. Blaine is someone, and Kurt reminds him of that.