Don't stop. Just keep running. You've never been caught before, don't make today the day they catch up to you. Just. Keep. Running.

Kurt only slows down when he reaches a fork in the path, knowing that the guards will split up and get lost. He goes down the left one, veering off into the woods, guided by ribbons he tied in secret places the first time he came here. He makes his way through the trees, going deeper and deeper into the forest until he hears it—the beautiful trickling sound of the brook.

He smiles as he kneels next to the water, not particularly caring that his ugly, royal blue suit is getting dirty. He's always hated the clothes he's forced to wear as prince, most of them too dramatic and ridiculous for his taste.

He dangles his fingers in the water, watching in fascination as tiny fish circle them, unafraid of him, treating his hand as a fixture in the stream that they just need to swim around to get on with their routine.

He startles a bit when he hears a loud croak, his grin growing when he spies several bullfrogs sitting near him. Three of them hop closer to him, and he holds out his hand for the one closest, delighting in the way it leaps into his palm, tickling him with his throat when it croaks again. He laughs when it jumps in the water and splashes him a little.

Another one jumps closer to him, and Kurt is intrigued by the way the frog seems to be studying him. Its beady eyes are fixed on his face, and he scoots closer to it, inspecting it further, holding out his hand again and—wait a minute. Is this frog wearing a bowtie?

Kurt makes to retract his hand, confused, but the frog moves too quickly, situating itself there, and Kurt ends up bringing it closer to him as his hand retreats.

"Oh!" Kurt says out loud in surprise, a perplexed smile tugging at his lips, his eyebrows furrowing. "How peculiar..."

He reaches his other hand out to finger the frog's bowtie, which is very clearly made out of actual fabric, and once Kurt feels it touch his skin he knows for sure that he's not imagining it. The frog croaks, still watching him, and—it almost looks as though it's smiling.

"What am I thinking?" Kurt asks himself, huffing out laughter and shaking his head. "You're just a frog, you couldn't possibly be having actual thoughts, and as for this..." His fingers brush against the bowtie again in curiosity. "Well, perhaps someone thought it would be funny to put this on you. You certainly couldn't have put it there yourself."

"Oh, but I did, your highness," the frog responds, and Kurt screams, dropping it into his lap and scrambling back. The frog holds steadfast, however, managing to stay secure on Kurt's thigh, definitely smiling now, even smirking. "I assume you've never encountered a talking animal, before."

"Of course, not, what are you, mad? Animals don't talk!" Kurt's eyes widen as he realizes he's now having a conversation with a talking frog. "Goodness, clearly I'm the one who's gone mad...I need to get back to the castle at once, maybe take a bath, definitely a nap is in order..."

"Oh, please don't go!" the frog pleads, and Kurt can't help but take pity on it. He knows his mind must be playing tricks on him, but perhaps this is some sort of spiritual dream of his, meant to teach him something important. He decides to see it through, assuming he'll probably wake up in his bed and this will all just be a silly memory.

"Alright, what exactly is it you want from me?" Kurt questions, allowing the frog back into his hand and bringing it up to face level. It startles him how human it looks now that Kurt sees its face properly. The frog's eyes have a sort of twinkle to them, and the bowtie looks very charming and proper around its neck.

"Well, you're the only one who can help me return to my proper state," the frog explains.

"Your...proper state?" Kurt asks, not really understanding.

"I haven't always been a frog, you see—I used to be human."

"...ah," Kurt mutters, wondering where this is going.

"I was cursed, unfortunately. And well, you see, the thing is...the only way to break that curse...is a kiss."

"Excuse me?!" Kurt exclaims, putting the frog down on the ground and quickly standing up. "I don't know what kind of games my subconscious thinks it's playing but I most certainly am not kissing a frog, even in my dreams! I mean, I haven't even been properly kissed, I can't just—"

"Prince Kurt, I beg you! You must! You see, I've been observing you these past few months that you've been fleeing here, listening to your musings and enjoying your company...quite plainly, I seem to have fallen in love with you," the frog admits to him. Kurt turns back to it, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, hoping that when he opens them this will all have gone away.

But when he does, he finds everything exactly as it had been a minute ago: the frog is on the ground, looking up at him abashedly, and the brook flows on behind it. Kurt sits back down in front of the frog, figuring that if this is some sort of spiritual journey—or more likely, a fever dream—he may as well go with it and once it's over he'll know for sure that it was all in his head, and he can forget the whole ridiculous thing.

"Alright, that's very sweet...I suppose I'll kiss you. But if you don't turn back into a human, and I don't wake up from whatever twisted dream this is, I want you to know that I'm going to forget about you and never come back to this place."

The frog nods—frogs can nod?—and seems to do a sort of bow, and Kurt rolls his eyes before picking it back up again, squeezing his eyes tight and bracing himself for the slimy feeling of the frog's lips against his own. He brings it forward, letting their mouths touch, and in an instant, his hands are empty, and he lets out a loud "oomph" as something heavy lands on top of him.

"It worked! Oh, your highness, I could never thank you enough, it worked, you're magical, you're amazing!" Kurt feels lips—human lips—kissing his cheeks and neck and a few quick pecks to his lips, and forces himself to open his eyes, finding himself staring at a very beautiful boy, with curly dark hair and bright hazel eyes, and the bowtie around his neck and....nothing else on.

"Oh, for goodness sake, you're naked!" he yelps, trying to maneuver himself out from underneath this strange man that he just transformed from a frog to a human. But the man keeps him pinned down, forcing Kurt to really look at him. His hips are up and away from Kurt's body, so at least he doesn't feel violated.

"Please, before I let you go, tell me how I can make it up to you, I'll do anything, I swear," the boy promises, kissing Kurt's cheek again, a ridiculous smile stretched across his face.

"Well for starters, please get off of me," Kurt demands, as forceful as he can in his position.

"Oh, gosh, of course!" He jumps up and offers a hand to Kurt, pulling him up and dusting off his clothes, Kurt trying to move away from his hands and desperately trying to keep his eyes above the man's waist.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm—just trying to help." He falters, seemingly confused by Kurt's desire not to be touched. Kurt realizes that he can't even focus on the boy's face without his eyes daring him to glance down, so he looks elsewhere while taking off his coat and tossing it at him.

"Cover up, please," he requests, only looking at him when he's certain the boy's privates aren't exposed anymore. "What's your name...frog boy?"

"I'm Blaine," he responds, giggling at Kurt's nickname for him.

"Well, Blaine, I really should...get back. Um...it was a pleasure to meet you, I guess." With that, he turns and starts up the path, wondering why he's still in this strange dream and hoping that this will all somehow be explained when he gets back to the castle.

"Wait!" he hears behind him, and sighs before stopping and turning back around. Blaine catches up with him, smiling shyly and reaching for Kurt's hand, only taking it when Kurt doesn't flinch away. "Would you like an escort back to the castle? I don't know how else I'll get your coat back to you, and I really meant it when I said I love you..." Blaine trails off, seemingly embarrassed by the confession now that he's human again. "I would love the chance to get to know you properly. If you'll have me, that is."

Kurt has no idea what it is about this boy that makes him want to say yes. Perhaps he still thinks he's dreaming, although it all feels too real for him to truly still believe that. Maybe it's the intrigue surrounding the fact that Blaine was just a frog and now stands before him perfectly human. Maybe it's his beautiful eyes and sweet smile. Whatever it is, Kurt squeezes Blaine's hand and nods, grinning at the beam he gets in return, and starts back down the path again, hand in hand now with this enigma of a man who somehow managed to fall in love with Kurt while in the body of a frog.

"Well, I'm certainly going to have more explaining to do than usual when we return..."