As I promised before: a sequel. This started off as a one-shot accompanying Lost In The Shuffle, but then other ideas started popping into my head that I could use in this story, so I decided to expand it a bit. It won't be as long as Lost In The Shuffle since most of this universe has been set in that story. For those who haven't read LITS: I suggest you do. There will be several references to that story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters.

When The stakes Are High

Chapter 1

"Finn, Puck, take the kids and go!"

It was a beautiful summer's day. The sun shone happily through the trees of a large forest just a few kilometres from the Eirenian castle.

The assailants were coming from all directions at once, too many for one man alone to fend off.

Somewhere inside the forest was a clearing, where two small children of five and three years old were playing on the bank of a little stream while their young father kept a watchful eye on them.

He looked back at Mike, who wouldn't be of much help with his broken leg, even if he had been conscious. And trying to make a run for it would only earn them a sword in their backs.

Three guards were taking turns patrolling the area, there to protect the man and his children, while their horses were grazing peacefully a bit further away.

His only option was to fight, even though the situation looked hopeless.

"I love you, Kurt," he murmured and prepared himself to fight the way his husband – who was the best swordsman of his age – had taught him.

"Ariana, not too close to the water," Blaine Anderson called to his daughter, the eldest of his two children. Jonathan, her younger brother who was named after Blaine's father, tried to sneak up on him from behind, so Blaine pretended to be surprised when the boy suddenly jumped on his back.

"Aah! Mike, help me, I'm under attack," he yelled dramatically while Jonathan squealed in delight. Ariana soon joined her brother and together they 'forced' their father to the ground. Mike grinned and stood up for another round of checking the area.

"Traitor," Blaine muttered.

By the time the kids had worn themselves out, Jonathan was lying on his chest, staring him straight in the eyes, and Ariana had her head on one of his legs.

"Daddy?" she asked in her clear voice. "Why couldn't papa come with us?"

"Because he had a meeting with some very important people."

"Ugh, he always has stupid meetings."

"That's because he's a very important man, sweetie. Besides, he came with us yesterday, didn't he?"

"I suppose."

Since Burt had left the throne to his son a year ago, Kurt had been a lot busier. But despite his many responsibilities, he still tried to make as much time for his husband and children as he could. And while he wasn't as occupied as Kurt, Blaine had his own set of obligations as the king's husband. He often had to attend the same meetings and was always happy to be able to skip one every once in a while. Whenever he had the time and the weather allowed it, Blaine liked to take the children to the clearing so they weren't cooped up in the castle all the time. Probably one of the consequences of his own history as a prisoner.

Blaine was pulled out of his thoughts when, all of a sudden, the horses started pulling at their reins and neighing nervously. Mike was doing his best to calm them down while Finn and Puck drew their swords in alarm. Blaine got to his feet, picked up his son and pulled Ariana up with him, ready to start running at the first sign of danger. They all started retreating towards the horses while Mike untied them.

Of the four adults, Blaine was the first to see them. He had always been good at noticing details or small changes, in an unconscious attempt to see everything there was to see if he was given the chance to. Kurt often joked he'd be a great scout.

"Finn," he whispered once the guard was close enough, "we're surrounded. There's at least a dozen of them."

Blaine quickly deliberated what they should do. He knew they were far outnumbered and, in addition, he had to think about the safety of the children. Their best chance was to jump on the horses and drive like hell.

His rudimentary plan went out of the window when suddenly one of the horses reared up in fear, hit Mike and ran off through the trees. Making a split-second decision, Blaine pushed Ariana in Puck's arms and handed Jonathan to Finn.

"Finn, Puck, take the children and go!"

The guards stared at him as if he'd lost his mind, while he knelt next to Mike to assess his condition. His leg was lying in a weird angle, definitely broken, and he was unconscious.

"What? No, forget it, man."

"Go!" Blaine insisted. "Take them to the castle, they'll be safe there. I'll be right behind you with Mike."

It was a lie. There was no way he could get Mike on a horse quickly. But it was necessary. Blaine knew that if those men were there for him, he had to separate himself from his children to keep them safe; if the children were the target, they would be best protected by Finn and Puck. And even if they were all marked, their attackers would have to split up. Either way, he had to send them away with the two uninjured guards.

"Go on! That's an order," Blaine shouted when they still didn't move. At once, Jonathan started crying at his father's angry tone, which seemed to startle Puck and Finn into action. They put the children on two of the horses and climbed up behind them. Ariana was crying now as well, twisting in Puck's grip and screaming for her daddy.

"We'll send help," Finn promised before kicking his horse to a start.

Blaine could hear some curses from between the trees and drew his sword. Gradually, the men hiding in the forest started appearing. Because of their dark clothes, Blaine couldn't tell which lord or country they belonged to – if they belonged to someone – and he didn't recognise any of them.

The assailants were coming from all directions at once, too many for one man alone to fend off. Blaine looked back at Mike, who wouldn't be of much help with his broken leg, even if he had been conscious. And trying to make a run for it would only earn them a sword in their backs. His only option was to fight, even though the situation looked hopeless.

"I love you, Kurt," he murmured and prepared himself to fight the way his husband – who was the best swordsman of his age – had taught him.

While one of his councilmen droned on about some issue they had discussed a hundred times before, Kurt felt his father nudging him to attention. He had been thinking longingly of Blaine and the kids, who were currently out enjoying the sun, and wishing he could be there with them.

From outside, a loud call of a horn interrupted the councillor's monotone speech. Kurt was on his feet in a flash. Everyone in the room knew that that signal meant danger. Before he could do anything else, Sam – his best friend and right-hand man – stormed into the room, nodded briefly at the assembled council and turned to Kurt.

"You have to come immediately. It's Blaine."

Kurt didn't need to hear anything else. He followed him out, demanding Sam tell him everything on the way downstairs.

"What about the children?" he asked once Sam had explained what he knew from Puck and Finn.

"They're fine. They're with Tina. I told David to gather the soldiers on duty; they should be ready to leave right away."

"Good."

Kurt knew every minute counted. Blaine had become a fairly good fighter thanks to his lessons, but he also knew his husband liked to avoid having to fight if possible. He wasn't a coward, but due to his past, he preferred to solve conflicts in a peaceful way.

Only ten minutes later, the group of soldiers was en route to the forest, led by Kurt, who was hoping against hope that they weren't too late yet.

Blaine was getting tired. He was trying to hold off several attackers at once and his right arm was bleeding, so that he was forced to fight with his left.

"Every soldier should be capable of fighting with both hands, Blaine."

His husband's words echoed through his mind while he did his very best to stay alive. He realised it wouldn't be much longer before he got killed, but at least he would have sold his life dearly.

Suddenly, one of the men standing guard at the edge of the clearing – probably to keep away the help that would surely arrive soon – fell backwards on the ground, a long arrow sticking out of his neck. While Blaine was distracted, one of his attackers managed to get a hit in, causing him to drop on one knee when he felt pain course through his leg. He forced himself back to his feet, just in time to ward off another strike.

More arrows appeared, taking down the men attacking him directly and creating panic among the rest. Most of them went running and only very few succeeded in escaping the arrows seemingly coming out of nowhere. Soon, Blaine was alone in the clearing, apart from Mike and their remaining horse. He looked around, panting, but he couldn't see anyone.

Not until they appeared from between the trees cautiously.

They were unlike anyone Blaine had ever seen. They were strangely pale – even paler than Kurt –, their eyes were large and dark, and they had pointed ears. In addition, they were unusually elegant and moved with a certain grace, not making a sound as they approached him, their bows held loosely in their hands.

"Elves," Blaine breathed and almost dropped his sword. He had read about them, but had never met one before. The one closest to him, who seemed to be the leader of the small group, said something in a strange language, after which the others spread out and took up defence positions. Then the leader addressed Blaine, switching to English.

"Don't be afraid, young man. We mean you no harm."

He looked pointedly at Blaine's still raised sword.

"Who are you?" Blaine asked suspiciously, not lowering his guard.

"My name is Dalonderiel. I am the leader of this delegation."

"Delegation?"

"Yes. We were on our way to visit the new king of Eirenia when we heard your being in distress."

Blaine dropped his sword a little. He didn't know whether this man – elf – was telling the truth, but he was also aware they could easily have killed him already, if they had wanted to.

"You were going to the castle?"

"Yes. I assume you are from there as well? If you want, we can accompany you and your friend back. As you've seen, we can protect you."

Blaine still didn't trust them, but nodded anyway. Whether he liked to admit it or not, he needed their help.

"You are injured," Dalonderiel remarked.

"I'm fine," Blaine replied. "Mike... His leg is broken."

The elf knelt next to the unconscious guard. He said something in the other language – probably Elvish – again. Two of the stationed elves approached with some thick, straight branches, while Dalonderiel took what looked like bandages out of a bag. The three of them quickly but efficiently braced Mike's leg, causing him to wake up moaning in pain.

"Easy," Blaine said, laying his hand on Mike's shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up.

When all of the elves suddenly turned in the same direction, raising their bows as one, Blaine looked up, startled. After a while, he heard it too: the sound of hooves.

"Are you expecting someone?" Dalonderiel asked quietly.

Only when he gave his answer, did Blaine realise he had been holding his breath.

"Um... Finn said he'd send help..."

He trailed off, wondering whether the Eirenians could have gotten there that quickly.

Finally, the approaching horses reached their destination.

"Kurt," Blaine sighed in relief when he saw his husband at the head of the group, his sword drawn and ready to strike.

"Hold your fire," Dalonderiel immediately ordered, in English for the Eirenians' sake. Kurt held up his hand in response, keeping his men from charging.

"Kurt!"

Blaine stood up, ignoring the pain in his leg, and limped towards him. When the elves lowered their bows and took a few steps back, clearly showing they were no threat, Kurt dismounted, his eyes narrowed in suspicion and looking around at the various bodies surrounding them. The elves backed away even more, giving him room to go to his husband with Sam right behind him acting as bodyguard.

"Blaine."

They met somewhere in the middle and embraced each other tightly.

"Kurt, the children?" Blaine asked in a whisper.

"They're safe."

"Thank the gods."

"What about you? Are you okay?"

Blaine nodded.

"Yeah. Dalonderiel and his group chased them off. I would've been dead if it weren't for them."

Suddenly, he pulled away and Kurt could see an enthusiastic spark shining in his eyes.

"They're elves, Kurt. Real elves."

Kurt chuckled lightly. That was so Blaine. Despite almost being killed, he was still as excited as a child about experiencing something new.

"I can see that, honey." He turned to Dalonderiel and extended his hand. "I am king Kurt of Eirenia. It seems I have you and your friends to thank for saving the life of my husband."

"It was our pleasure, your Highness. Although I did not know he was your husband," Dalonderiel added pleasantly.

"Still, you have my deepest gratitude. I'd like to invite you to come to the castle with us."

"That's very kind of you, sire. We were actually going there already."

"Perfect." He looked at Blaine and noticed how he was favouring one of his legs, which was still bleeding. "Blaine, honey, sit down. Let me have a look at your injuries."

"I'm alright, Kurt." But he sat down nonetheless.

While Kurt was wrapping some temporary bandages Dalonderiel had given him around Blaine's arm and leg, he saw from the corner of his eye that Sam was checking the bodies lying around the clearing, turning them over to see their faces. A few of the elves carefully laid Mike on a stretcher. When Kurt was done, he helped his husband onto his horse and picked up the sword Blaine had dropped. He set himself behind Blaine and led the group back to the palace, content when Blaine leaned against him.

"I'm glad you're okay," Kurt whispered in his ear.

Told you there would be elves if I expanded this universe :)

I need your opinion about the very first paragraph of the story: I need to know whether mixing present and flashforward was a good idea or actually just annoying. I have never done this in a story before. It seemed great when I first started writing it, but then I started having doubts. So I decided to just ask you guys.

And if you don't really have an opinion on that, you can still help me become a better writer by leaving a review ;)

(For those who wondered: the David mentioned in the story is Warbler David, not Karofsky.)