Title: Once Upon A Time
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Kurt, Blaine, or the other characters on Glee.
Note: For Plumey, who (over on Tumblr) asked for a bedtime story, and set my brain on fire.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a young Prince. He was tall and lithe, though with age his shoulders had begun to broaden. He was not yet a man, but no longer a child; he was caught in the awkward in-between of ages, and left to feel slightly outcast in his own Kingdom. It was not merely his body, or his age, that left him feeling such a way – it was how he had never shown an interest in any Princess to come to court, how he only offered a perfunctory dance, and would spend the rest of his evening with bright eyes that lingered on the more handsome, distinctly male nobles. As the Prince grew older, and more time passed without a single Princess earning more than once glance, the low murmurings to the subjects rumbled quietly through the streets.

His unquestionable royalty was respected, and his odd demeanor scrutinized by his people. He was different in a world accustomed to dashing princes who rescued damsels in distress. Princes who married and reproduced gratuitously, who became the stuff of legends and stories told to dozing children. Things, and people, that were different were treated with trepidation.

But the young Prince had once had a mother. She had been the most beautiful and kind Queen to ever grace their land. She had loved her son deeply every moment of her life, knowing from the instant of his birth that he would be unique. The Queen spent hours each day showing the young Prince the beauty of nature, how wonderful things were when they were true. She impressed upon him the importance of loving himself, of being unapologetically him, even when the rest of the world was full of judgment.

When she passed into the Realm of Light, far too soon for anyone's liking, she left a heartbroken King and son by her bedside. They vowed, clasped within each other's arms, to uphold her teachings and ideals in their Kingdom. Their subjects were encouraged to practice acceptance, and brought before the King himself if any committed acts of intolerance. The Prince knew that the murmurs around the Kingdom were based in curiosity, and not in spite.

For the most part.

There were, and always would be, individuals who were stuck in their ways, who spoke of the unusual Prince with derision, but none so bold as to publically insult royalty.

Eventually, the King found a noble woman that caught his gaze. She had kind eyes, a warm smile, and gentle hands that treated the King with care and soothed away the hard lines of worry from his face. She, too, had a son, a tall and handsome fellow that eyed the Prince warily at times.

It was nothing unusual, but the Prince was still glad when the odd glances stopped completely after they became brothers. The wedding had been a grand affair, full of romance and love and joy and song, and the Prince felt peace within the world as he smiled and laughed with his newfound family.

Unfortunately, as it is with all good things, it didn't last.

Which is why the Prince stood in the courtyard of the castle, watching the shadow of the massive dragon swarm across the earth. The beast was black as midnight, eyes a burning red, and the roar it let loose rattled the Prince down into his bones. Bright sea-colored eyes tracked the dragon's every motion, and the man breathed out a sour sounding, "Oh, hell."

And, as important as his life had been, this, my dears, is where the story of Prince Kurt really gets interesting.