A/N: Hi there! This is a story I found on my laptop last weekend and I decided to finally dust it off and post. It's not intended to be anything big or great - just a bit of cute old fashioned fun. I rather like fairytales, and this is how I interpreted Klaine into one. There will be three other chapters, so please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Summary: The youthful and oblivious King Blaine has been on the throne for a year and decides it's time to marry. Unfortunately, the task is rather harder than he first imagined, and he enlists the help of his closest advisors to scourge the kingdom for that perfect someone. But has he failed to notice that what he needs is in front of him? (The answer, dear readers, is obvious.)

Bad news had the most unfortunate habit of traveling swiftly.

Prince Blaine's parents, the rulers of Dalton, had died shortly after their son's twentieth birthday. It only took a matter of days for the entire kingdom to know and mourn their loss. Their absence was keenly felt; their reign had brought peace, prosperity and above all, stability. The people had loved them well, and Blaine was likewise admired, at first for being their son, and later for showing himself to be worthy of it.

A young, single man of barely twenty on the throne however, was not what the subjects of Dalton were used to. They quietly feared that he would not live up to the formidable task that was left to him in the wake of his parents' death, and whispers encroached in every homestead about what the future would bring.

But they need not have feared. Although his reign began in sorrow, he proved to be a capable, fair and firm leader, one that his parents would have been proud of.

Good news fortuitously had the habit of traveling almost as fast as bad news. A year after Blaine ascended the throne he announced that he intended to wed any eligible woman or man in the kingdom. News of his impending nuptials spread to such an extent that all of Dalton knew by the end of the same day on which it was announced.

Unfortunately, the King had not given serious thought to how he would go about finding and meeting his future spouse. All he had determined was that no one in his current circle was suitable; how could they be when he was not in love with any of them? To marry for love was his professed aim, and he refused to settle for anything less. And if he were not pining for anyone in the castle, he decided that his destined spouse must lie outside his current acquaintances. But the kingdom was vast, and traveling around was too impracticable, not the least because it would distract from his daily royal duties that must continue regardless of ones' marriage status. Thus he was left with eager intentions for his nuptials, but no idea how to fulfill them.

A few days after the announcement had been made, Blaine awoke as the sun's rays began to illuminate the sky and he drowsily rose from his bed. He dressed and descended to the dining hall for his breakfast. Only one other was up at this early hour, his chief counselor and advisor Kurt.

"Good morrow, Lord Kurt," he greeted, voice still rough from the remnants of sleep.

Kurt beamed at him. 'Good morrow, Sire. I trust you slept well?'

Blaine found a smile tugging at his lips, amused by his counselor's ever-present cheerful morning temperament. Each day since Kurt's arrival in Dalton, he had been the first to rise in the morning and was always present when Blaine emerged from his bedchambers. It was a custom that Blaine now found himself growing used to.

They made pleasantries while they ate. The two men had become fast friends over the past months after Lord Kurt's initial introduction. He had traveled a long way from his own land outside of Dalton, stating that he wished to travel and experience life beyond his own land. Blaine had been wishing to appoint an advisor of his own age for some time, but with more wit and discretion than he himself possessed. On being introduced to the King, Kurt proved himself to be an ideal candidate; his extensive learning, knowledge and self-education endeared him even beyond the initial impression he made on the King. He was quickly instated in the castle.

Lord Kurt became more than just an advisor to the King, however. Their similar tastes and the Lord's sharp wit made for many stimulating conversations between the two, which could only end in friendship. Kurt was now his most trusted and indispensable advisor, and also one of his closest friends.

Their breakfasting together cemented this bond, as they shared many an interesting conversation while they alone at this time. On this particular morning, a thought struck Blaine about his current predicament half way through their meal. "Lord Kurt, I have had a moment of inspiration!" Blaine cried, setting down his cutlery in his most energetic manner.

"Prey tell me Sire, what would this inspiration be?" asked Kurt good-naturedly, eyebrow quirked.

"I will host a ball!"

"A ball? Will I be organizing Sire? You know that little else affords me such pleasure as planning these sorts of occasions," said Kurt with a gleam in his eye.

Blaine reached forward and squeezed his hand. "Most certainly, I know of no other who could do better."

Kurt's brow furrowed in thought. "While I am aware that your highness enjoys these events, might I ask why this has all of a sudden… piqued your interest?"

"After I announced my intention to find a spouse, a multitude of you in the castle saw fit to point out that I had no plan in place to fulfill my intentions. Then foreign affairs business distracted our attention from finding a solution. Well, I think I have now found a way. I feel that there must be someone out there in my kingdom who is what I seek. A ball would surely be a good way to find them, would it not?"

"Very good, Sire."

Blaine frowned as he saw Kurt rise from the table. "My dear Kurt, are you taken ill? You appear to be a lot paler than you were just a moment ago."

Kurt graced him with a tense flash of a smile. "Thank you Sire, but I assure you that I am fine. Perhaps this outfit merely does not suit my complexion so well as I thought."

"You always dress to perfection. But if you are truly well, are you leaving me so soon?" replied Blaine, face still showing concern.

"I, thank you, I am in perfect health. I merely wish to go and start on your preparations immediately. If you wish to invite every eligible subject in the entire kingdom, I had best start drawing up a guest list this instant."

"I must protest, I did not mean to imply that you had to begin planning immediately! I merely wished to share my idea with you; you know how I can hardly keep these things to myself for long. But if you must insist on working, could it not be done here?"

"Unfortunately no. My writing materials are all in the other room, and I recall that your presence can be severely distracting while trying to carry out such tasks," said Kurt with a wry smile.

He walked out of the room with a quick a bow before Blaine could reply.

Despite Kurt's protests that the castle could not support so many guests and that the cooks would be utterly furious for months, Blaine insisted that the ball would take place two weeks from the day of their conversation at the breakfast table. Kurt threw himself into organizing the whole occasion, with Blaine contributing as much as he could when he was not swamped with his other duties. Time escaped unseen and unnoticed while they were planning until there were only two days remaining before the ball. That day, Lord Sam, another of the King's close private councilors, arrived back in Dalton after a short diplomatic mission to a neighbouring kingdom. Once Sam had made a public report of his venture, the remainder of the court were dismissed and the King spoke to Sam about the ongoing preparations he had missed.

"I do hope that this ball will be a success, or rather, a success for me. I know that it will go splendidly with Kurt planning it, I merely do not know if my future spouse will be met with there. The guest list is already enormous however, and the palace will be full to the brim."

"I do not doubt that you will meet someone agreeable there," said Sam.

"Ah, but my friend, merely agreeable will not suffice. This person must be of such good personality and appearance that I will fall in love with him or her instantly. As soon as I see this person, I will be so impressed and won over that I will know that we are meant to be. Love at first sight, if you will."

"But perhaps it is not all about you, Sire?" replied Sam in a sharp, but not unkind, tone.

"What do you mean?"

"You say that this person will win you over, but perhaps you are not the person that needs to be won? Perhaps it is you who needs to do the wooing? And I have yet to hear of an occasion on which a man took a spouse after a first impression and found happiness. It is rare to look at someone and know that you are fated to be together. I say that a man should know the person he is interested in. What good is a spouse that you cannot also serve as a friend?"

Blaine frowned. "Naturally what you say of friendship is quite correct and proper. But as for the unhappy unions resulting from first impressions, there I must take challenge your opinion. I will know straight away who I will marry the instant I see them, and you shall see that it will work out for the best."

"I am sure, Sire, that you are right. What would a bachelor like me know about affairs of the heart at any rate?" replied Sam good-humouredly.

Blaine was about to reply when Lord Kurt entered the room, bowing to Sam with a shy smile before he spoke. "My lord, I have organized musicians for the ball but I merely wish to seek your approval before I employ them. They are considered to be one of the finest ensembles in the Greater Dalton Area. I could ask them to do a preliminary performance for you if you wish?"

"There is no need; I have utmost faith in your judgment. Feel free to hire whoever you deem fit."

Kurt was about to turn and leave the room before the sound of Blaine's voice stopped him. "Spare a moment for a friend, dear Kurt. As I have often said, I place great value in your judgment. Lord Sam thinks that one cannot know if they are fated to someone by one glance alone, and that one must converse and be friends with a person before love can truly blossom. What is your opinion on the subject?"

Kurt blushed slightly as Sam laughed, "My dear fellow, I'm afraid you are asking a biased source. It is Kurt who won me over to this point of view in the first place. He converted me to believing that love at first sight is not desirable."

"How can this be?" cried Blaine, but with a teasing look in his eyes. "I would have thought that you had a romantic soul, Kurt?"

Kurt shook his head. "I once did, but I awoke from such childish dreams long ago. Regardless, is there not something bewitching in the idea that one's love could be right in front of them without realizing?"

"Indeed, bewitching in its sadness! If you cannot recognize your love for someone, the love cannot be so great in the first place," argued Blaine.

Kurt shook his head. "Perhaps it is sad. But it may make the realization all the sweeter when it finally does come," Blaine saw Kurt look at Sam while he said this, and he frowned, wondering what he could have meant by it.

"Although, I have no experience on this front, it is better to trust your own judgment I'm sure." With that, he exited the room.

"Sire?" asked Sam cautiously. "Does something anger you?"

"No, not in the least. I am merely puzzled by something that I fear I should have seen long ago."

"Might I inquire as to what you refer to, sire?"

"I –" He looked Sam in the eye and found the resolution he sought to speak his words with conviction. "Have you and Kurt formed a relationship that I should know about?"

Sam flushed violently and spluttered most unbecomingly. "A relationship? Heavens, no! What would make you think so?"

"I thought I saw glances exchanged between you just now. Significant glances." The king stated this with an even more significant look, as if to provide an example for Lord Sam's benefit should he be at a loss to understand.

"No my lord, I earnestly tell you that there was not! There… There was a time not long ago when I would have desired such – glances as you say, between us. But that time has been and gone. We have since discussed the matter and we are both content to remain friends."

"I never knew of this," replied Blaine with a frown, wondering how he could have remained ignorant to this instance, despite often being in the company of the two men.

"I suspect that Lord Kurt was embarrassed to turn me down and wished to spare my feelings. He needn't have worried however; I admire him greatly, and I will forever be glad to have him in my life, even as a friend."

"Indeed."

An awkward pause followed in the proceeding moments. "I have been considering," said Lord Sam, as if he wished to say anything at all to alleviate the silence, "after my diplomatic visit that perhaps in the near future it would be in order to invite a delegation from McKinley on a return visit here? This ball is too soon, but perhaps the next occasion may be a good time to consider such an action?"

"I – yes, a well-judged move," said Blaine, coming back to the conversation. "Forgive me if I alter the course of the conversation for a moment – perhaps as you and Kurt seem to have a mutual understanding, you could persuade him to join the festivities? He always plans our lavish events but refuses to attend any of them. He does not tell me why and I have yet to successfully entice him to come to one of his evening splendors. Would you try in my stead?"

Sam chuckled. "I fear that if you cannot persuade him then I will most certainly fail miserably. There is no one else who he desires the good opinion of aside from you. You must ask him yourself, I fear."

Blaine did not notice how these words, the indication that he held some special place in Kurt's mind, sent a warmth through his chest and brought a smile to his face for the rest of the day.

A/N: As you can probably tell, I'm not really going into in depth world creation for this ficlet, but for anyone who's interested, I view this AU as a sort of Jane Austen inspired, early 19th century era/place, but in a fictional land where values and monarchy developed that bit differently.