The next morning, Kurt and Blaine are cleaning up their campsite. Kurt’s putting the batteries back on the room to recharge them, and Blaine puts the camping stuff in the storage. When he does, he sees his shrunk down alchemy set. Weird. He hasn’t even used it on this trip, not even for fun.

He remembers what Kurt had said about Passions. They can guide people, but maybe it is weird that Daltonians act as if they’re strict professions for the rest of your days.

“Alright, let’s hit the road!” Kurt yells from above. He’s climbed on the carriage roof and Blaine looks up. The sunlight highlights Kurt’s silhouette and Blaine has to squint his eyes. It’s as if Kurt’s surrounded by a halo.

“Someone’s excited,” he says with a smile.

Kurt gracefully jumps down from the carriage.

“I am, Blaine. I am looking at Daltonia through a new lens!” he says excitedly, “I am eager to see people!”

“You know that Daltonians usually keep their romantic life in their homes, right? No matter if they’re, uh… narrow or…” Blaine still struggles with the words. Why do people in Kurt’s world have separate words for love? It’s so confusing!

“Gay or straight?”

“Yes, those!”

“I know. And that is probably why I never saw queerness, I know that now. But still, knowing that people I see in the streets can be queer is already a huge thing for me!”

“So… queer is gay?”

Kurt lets out a good-humoured laugh.

“Oh Blaine, I will give you a glossary during the trip.”

Then he basically skips towards the carriage. Yesterday’s revelation has really changed Kurt. He seems so much brighter, and it makes Blaine regret not telling Kurt any of this sooner, but he really had no idea he could.

Nevertheless, it’s happened, and better late than never.

“Coming?” Kurt yells from inside of the carriage.

“Yes, yes!”

Kurt’s head peaks out from the carriage.

“Well, hurry up then! We have two books to find!”

He holds out his hand to help Blaine get in. Blaine takes it. Kurt looks at their hands with a small smile on his face.

Blaine wonders if the revelation about him also changed something for Kurt, but that may just be wishful thinking. Blaine isn’t stupid. When he admitted to Kurt that he also fell in love with men, he knew what he was doing. Blaine’s thought Kurt was handsome from the moment he was in the infirmary (which was bad timing), and now that they’re actually travelling together, he’s grown to really care for Kurt.

But Blaine doesn’t really know what to do with it. They’re on a quest to bring Kurt to another world! It’s best to focus on that instead on these new and blossoming feelings.

“We have two books to find,” Blaine confirms and gets in the carriage.

Kurt and Blaine finally arrive in the most southern city and Kurt looks absolutely bedazzled when he sees the sight. Knight City is even bigger than Castle Town.

“This is so much better than the movies!” he exclaims as he takes in the many artistically build houses, cobbled streets and even the few high apartment buildings that are typically Knight.

Kurt’s awed look turns into worry.

“How on Earth are we going to find the books in this city?” he asks worriedly.

He has a great point. Even if they try their usual ‘let’s ask around’ method, then it will take too long, because there are so many people.

“Where is Cooper when you need him?” Blaine mutters.

Kurt looks up. He has an idea.

“You’re here!” he says.

“So?”

“You’re still a Royal! You can draw attention to yourself.”

Blaine starts to sputter. It might be true, and Blaine has done prince duties, but that doesn’t mean that he’s good at them and that he has the same allure as Cooper.

“I- I don’t- Uh- I don’t-”

“Come on, Blaine,” Kurt puts his hand on Blaine’s shoulder, “You can do it.”

“What do I do?” Blaine asks desperately. He always accompanied his parents during prince duties. He’s never even done this on his own.

“Just make the Royal declaration-”

“… I don’t even know it by heart,” Blaine admits.

“Well. I do. Cooper’s used it a lot in the books.”

“Okay. Great.” Or so Blaine hopes. He wishes he could get out of it.

“And just ask the citizens to help you!”

An hour later, the trumpets at the city gate are playing loudly. They’re playing the Royal melody. Blaine’s wearing his fancy robes. His mother had put them in the carriage storage, just in case, and Blaine hates that she was right to do so. His crown feels heavy on his head.

Kurt’s also dressed up, wearing a fancy cloak and hat. He is Blaine’s companion for now. Kurt knows a lot about this whole charade, so hopefully no one clocks that Kurt isn’t an official Royal companion. But probably not. After all, Kurt managed to arrange this on a short notice. He must’ve been really convincing.

The citizens of the Knight City form an honour guard and as Blaine passes them, many bow three times. Kurt’s walking ahead of him, looking way more confident. He’s yelling the Royal declaration, making Blaine’s presence known.

How does Cooper do this? This is stifling! It’s almost as if the fur around the collar of his velvet cape is choking him.

Kurt and Blaine ascend a small platform in the middle of the city’s main square. Citizens all come closer. The mayor of the Knight City thanks Blaine for coming and gives him and Kurt the floor.

“Prince Blaine of Daltonia has a request!” Kurt yells jovially. Then he kneels next to Blaine. “The floor is yours, sire.”

This is so wrong on so many levels.

“Uh. Hello.” Blaine starts.

“Hello,” a child who’s at the front of the crowd waves. It makes Blaine smile.

“Right. Uhm. My dear citizens. I am here because I require your help!”

Does Blaine strike a pose now? Cooper does.

He decides against it. It would make it all even more awkward.

“My faithful companion and I have been travelling around the kingdom in search of some books with, uh, special properties. The Royal family needs them. I have been made aware that two of them can be found here in the south, yet I do not know where to find them.”

It falls silent and Blaine’s certain he’s about to sweat like crazy.

“Books, sire?” someone asks.

“Yes.”

Gosh, how is Blaine going to explain this without revealing the existence of The Cooper Chronicles.

“Are we in danger?” someone else asks.

“No!” Blaine quickly says, “I cannot reveal more, but uh, if you were in danger, Cooper would be here instead of silly me!”

The silence stretches out. That was a bad attempt at a joke.

“He has a point,” someone does mutter, which reliefs Blaine a bit.

“Will we be rewarded?” someone else asks, and Blaine feels the dread well up again. Will they?

“Uh…” Blaine trails off. He hadn’t thought of that.

“Do it for your kingdom!” Kurt, who’s still kneeling, says with a posh voice, “For Daltonia! The Warblers, the species that revel in this kingdom, also didn’t survive if they were on their own.”

People start to murmur, but it sounds like they’re in agreement. Blaine’s so lucky to have Kurt now.

“For Daltonia!” someone yells from the back, and to Blaine’s intense relief, people start to join in. At one point, everyone is chanting together.

The mayor of Knight City has deployed multiple people to scour the area. Kurt’s given them an instruction, telling them that the books could be hidden, so if they find anything else, they need to notify him as well.

Kurt’s a natural. The day ends and the mayor throws a feast for Blaine, which is again a bit much, but there’s enough fondlate for Kurt, so all is alright. Blaine also gets a suite at the hotel, but to his dismay, Kurt gets another room.

When Blaine’s alone at night in this plush bed, he much prefers the tent with Kurt.

The next day, Blaine is very restless. He’s used to being scooped up in one place, but normally that’s his chambers in his castle. Here, it’s a fancy hotel. He almost wishes he could go out and explore, but that is not a good idea now that he’s made his presence known. He just has to trust that the citizens of Knight City are helpful.

He takes out his alchemy set, just to do something, but after a while he gives up. He’s always liked alchemy, but he realises the main reason he was so invested was to turn it into his Passion, and that feels useless now.

Luckily, Kurt is allowed in his room and they watch Zooms in the evening. After four of them, it’s time for Kurt to go.

“Stay, please,” Blaine almost begs. He doesn’t like any of this.

“But… It is improper for the prince to sleep with- I mean, sleep in the same room as his staff.”

“No one will know.”

“There’s only one bed. Again.”

“I know.” It doesn’t have to mean anything in Daltonia. That’s what they’ve established all those days ago.

But Blaine knows why Kurt is asking. Now that they both know that the other is… fay? Gay! Yes, gay. Now that they both know the other is gay, it could mean something and Blaine wonders if that’s the reason Kurt wanted to discuss it in the first place.

This time, Kurt doesn’t fight it. He sneaks off to his room to get his pyjama’s.

The next morning, they woken by someone knocking on the door.

“Shit,” Kurt mutters. He untangles himself from Blaine’s arms and runs towards the bathroom.

“Come on in,” Blaine says, once Kurt’s out of sight.

“Sorry for waking you, my prince,” someone says, “But we may have found what you are looking for.”

“Let me get dressed,” Blaine says.

“Oh, and your companion seems to be missing!” this person sounds alarmed.

“No worries. Kurt, uh, loves morning walks! He’s probably out and about!”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I will send a bird to find him, if needed.”

The person leaves and once Blaine’s certain they’re out of earshot, he starts cackling. This is insane. He feels like a teenager, like the one time his mother walked in on him and Trent kissing in his chambers. That was different, obviously, but still.

“You can come out,” Blaine says.

“Oh Blaine, if only you knew how funny that wording is,” Kurt says as he opens the door, “I should’ve hid in that closet to drive the point home.”

A golden chest is brought to the hotel. Blaine knows he has to use Royal magic to open it, so he does. There’s no code this time, so all Blaine has to do is chant an ‘Oh yeah’ and watch the lock open. It stuns the citizens, who aren’t around Royal magic. People even applaud.

“Take a picture, it lasts longer,” Kurt mutters while he’s kneeled next to Blaine.

The Cooper Chronicles: A Dagger in the Back and The Cooper Chronicles: The Clockwork Soil are in the chest, together with a note. Blaine knows the drill. He hands the books to Kurt, so that he can put them in his satchel, and he folds up the note. They can read that later, in private.

Blaine loudly thanks everyone and the mayor insists on throwing a celebratory party. It wasn’t needed. Kurt and Blaine want to continue, but it’s rude to leave now.

A band starts playing and some people bring food to the square. The mayor must’ve planned this, which means that she expected her people to succeed. That does make Blaine smile.

Kurt also gets up and he looks extremely overjoyed, so maybe it’s worth staying for that alone. And suddenly, Blaine has an idea

He holds out his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

“We… can’t.” They’re still pretending that Kurt is his companion, after all.

“I am the prince, I can do what I want,” Blaine says with a coy smile.

“Well, if you insist,” Kurt says and takes Blaine’s hand. Blaine leads him to the square and they join the other dancing citizens, sharing their joy.