I'm so sorry this took longer for me to finish than I had originally anticipated. I'm terrible at finishing stories. Same warnings apply as the last chapter only in a greater abundance (still no smut though :-P). Again, inspired by Disney and Harry Potter and fantasy novels (including The Land Of Stories this time around…because of reasons). There's also a little bit of something Wicked (;-)). Big thanks to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed, you're all awesome!

I don't own anything; characters are the intellectual property of Ryan Murphy and Fox. The title, although it's not the full name, is from the song title "It's A Kind Of Magic" by Queen. I'm a poor student so please don't sue.

The first thing Blaine noticed when he saw the hunter's cottage was how deprived of life it seemed.

"Whoa, Pavarotti," he said, pulling on the reins of his palomino horse to a halt as it trod into the clearing that surrounded the pale-blue house. He frowned a little. The windows were in complete darkness and the front door was lying ajar. He wondered if he had arrived at the right place. He must have - it was the only building for miles around. He dismounted from the horse,

"What do you think, Pav?" he asked, "Do you think this is the place?"

Pavarotti gave a short whinny that might have said that he had a bad feeling about this. He jerked his head as if making to try and turn around. Blaine rolled his eyes,

"Don't be such a wimp," he said, "If you be brave, I might be able to slip you a carrot or two for your dinner tonight."

The bribe of carrots worked and the horse stilled. Blaine gave Pavarotti a comforting pat on the face and tied the reins to the picket fence running around the house.

Despite scolding Pavarotti, by the time Blaine reached the doorstep he was starting to feel uneasy himself. The cottage had the definite look of a place that had been abandoned in a hurry and the closer he got, the more the hair on the back of his neck seemed to stick up. He couldn't hear anything coming from inside the house. It was only the thought of getting to see the boy that made him forget his reservations and knock on the door,

"Hello?" he called out, "It's um...me...Blaine," and then he remembered that they hadn't exchanged names, "From the village?"

"Come in!" an unfamiliar voice called from inside and the door edged forward. Blaine started but shook his head and stepped over the threshold.

If he thought the outside looked forbidding, it was nothing compared to the interior. The room was in almost complete darkness and there was a banner hanging from the beams on the ceiling that read "Hapy birfday Kurt!" (Kurt? Is that his name? Blaine thought. As in...? No. It couldn't be...could it?). In normal circumstances it might have made a pleasant decoration but at that moment it just added to the feeling of abandonment. Blaine unsheathed his sword,

"Kurt?" he called out. A noise made him wheel around and his heart leapt into his throat. Sitting on the top of a three-tier cake was a lone doxy, gorging itself. Although Blaine had never seen one of these creatures in the flesh he knew two definite facts about them; a) they were nasty little buggers and b) they never travelled alone. He backed up a step and then gasped in shock and pain as a pair of teeth sank into the back of his neck. He slapped his hand against the bite and sure enough swatted another doxy. He had caught the one on the cake's attention and it looked up. A sound of awful jibbering filled the room and suddenly there were creatures flying at him from everywhere. He swung his sword blindly but it was no use - he was hopelessly outnumbered. They buried their fangs into every bit of bare skin they could find, tearing at his clothes. He cried out in pain from the poisonous bites. No...it was more than pain. Every bite felt like a red-hot brand. He dropped his sword and sank to his knees, no longer able to stay on his feet. The only thing he could think was that he had been led into some sort of trap.

Though his eyes were drifting out of focus, a pair of booted feet appeared on the ground in front of him and the creatures finally released him. A hand grabbed his chin to force him to look up. Had Blaine had the energy, he might have screamed at the face that he saw. He hadn't seen it in years and despite how young he had been when he had, he had never been able to forget it. It had given him nightmares for years - the face of the dark fae, Sebastian. Sebastian was wearing a smile that suggested his birthday had come early.

"Well, well, well," he said slowly. Blaine wanted nothing more than to bite Sebastian's hand but it was all he could do to remain conscious. It felt as though his blood had been replaced by acid. One doxy bite was toxic enough...he had endured hundreds, "I come here expecting to find some love-struck peasant and what do I get? A prince!" the doxies laughed evilly and Sebastian's eyes flashed, "I hate to be the one to tell you that Prince Kurt won't be able to make it but I'm here to extend you a little invitation to my castle."

Blaine's eyes rolled back in his skull, no longer able to fight unconsciousness. The last thing he heard as his head dropped back down was Sebastian barking at his minions,

"Take him away!"

"What are we going to do?" Santana asked. Barely five minutes had passed since Sebastian had vanished but it felt more like a lifetime. They were all thinking the same thing; they had been so close. Where had they gone wrong? The defeat stung.

"We should just explain to Burt what happened-" Quinn eventually said.

"Oh hell no. Burt would skin us alive," Santana snapped then added grimly, "And we'd deserve it."

"What do you suggest we do? We can't lie about it."

Not that either woman wanted to be the one to tell Burt that not only had Sebastian's cursed been fulfilled, he had taken Kurt's body away with him. Sebastian knew from the moment that Kurt had touched the spinning wheel that the curse had been softened by Santana's gift and wasn't going to make it easy for them. Brittany, who had been looking out of the window at the celebration for the past five minutes, turned.

"We could always make everyone else sleep," she said. Her eyebrows were knitted together in rare thoughtfulness, "That means we don't have to lie."

Santana opened her mouth, perhaps to say that was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard but as Brittany's suggestion sank in, the words died.

"Britt," she said after a long silence, "You are a genius," she gave a tiny, loving smile as Brittany blushed. It wasn't often she received such a compliment. She turned to Quinn, "We could do it, you know. We could put everyone in the kingdom into an enchanted sleep until the spell is broken."

"But-" Quinn looked like she wanted to argue but even she had to admit, it was the best (and only) plan they had. Eventually, she conceded defeat and nodded, "You're right. After all, we don't know how long it'll be before the spell is broken. It could take a century for all we know."

"Let's hope not-"

There was a loud knock on the locked chamber door which made all three women jump,

"King Burt requests the presence of his son," a voice called out.

"Just a minute he's um..." Santana scanned the room for inspiration, "In the restroom!" She turned to Brittany and Quinn,

"Okay, here's what we do. We split up and put everyone to sleep. Britt, you deal with the East - that's the opposite of where the sun set - and Quinn you deal with the West-" Quinn nodded solemnly, "I'll take care of the North and South. Make sure that nobody is left awake and we'll meet back here when we're done."

She pointed her wand at the door and it swung open. The servant standing there straightened up,

"King Burt requests the presence of his son," he repeated.

"Yeah, we heard you the first time," she said. Before the servant could say anything more, Santana had cast the spell on him. He blinked then yawned,

"If y-you j-just want to...to..." he slumped against the door frame as he struggled to stay awake, "follow...me..." his words ended in a loud snore.

"Let's go," Santana said. The fae shrunk down until they were barely larger than butterflies and began their journey around the kingdom to put everyone into the enchanted sleep, a spell that would only be broken when Kurt awoke.

In the great hall Burt was pacing, his eyes never leaving the door. The gathered nobles were watching just as eagerly. They didn't notice the speck of red fly in through the window until the silvery sparks had showered over them. It started slowly - Prince Finn yawned widely and was rewarded by a death glare from his mother, only for her to yawn straight after. Princess Rachel slumped against her father who had already fallen asleep where he stood. Burt half-staggered towards his throne and sat down heavily. Everyone was asleep in seconds.

It carried on like this until everyone in the kingdom; every civilian, visitor and creature alike were asleep. A subdued darkness covered the kingdom as even the flames from torches and candles flickered and died. It was within a matter of minutes that all three had returned to the tower.

"That's it," Santana said when she arrived, "Now all we have to do is find Kurt, find someone to break the spell, kick Sebastian's ass and we're done."

"Is that all?" Quinn returned sarcastically, "We don't even know who Kurt's true love is!"

"What about the boy from Dalton?" Brittany said. Santana folded her arms and scowled.

"The boy who caused this mess?" she raged, "If Kurt hadn't wandered off and met this guy he wouldn't have been in such a pissy mood and wouldn't have fallen into Sebastian's trap and then we wouldn't have had to deal with this-"

"Maybe that's the point," Quinn said, "You said it yourself when Burt burned all the spinning wheels, the curse coming true was an inevitability. Maybe this was all meant to happen, that Kurt would meet his true love so that when that moment came, we would know who was meant to break the spell."

"That sounds a little too convenient. This isn't a fairytale."

"It's worth investigating. He was supposed to meet him at our house at sunset, remember? It's not been long...maybe he's still there."

Santana shrugged, "It's the only plan we have."

The first thing they saw when they arrived at the cottage was the torn reins of a horse still hanging from the picket fence. There were tread marks on the grass leading into the house but none leaving.

"Looks like we might be too late," Quinn said. She pushed open the door and they had to cover their noses at the stench of doxy droppings. The smell wasn't stale.

"Eurgh! What the hell?!" Santana breathed.

"This can't be good," Quinn said. Brittany gave a small shriek as she trod on something on the floor. Quinn cast a spell to flood the room in light and Brittany screamed again to find that she had stood on the corpse of a doxy. There was at least ten littering the filthy floor. The inside was a mess; furniture had been overturned and the colorful decorations had been torn from the rafters. It looked like someone had trashed the house. There were scraps of fine material and a bloodstained sword lying on the ground nearby, "Oh god..."

Santana tiptoed over the bodies until she reached the sword. She tucked her hair behind her ears and crouched down,

"Looks like we're definitely too late-" she began then frowned. She picked up the sword and studied it. There was a coat of arms inlaid on the hilt; an ornate "D" within a shield, "Hold on...that's the Dalton royal crest."

There were only two people who would have such a sword. The king of Dalton, who she had sent to sleep herself and...

"Unless Kurt found himself a thief to fall in love with, this sword is Prince Blaine's," she said and passed the sword to Quinn so she could look too.

"No, it couldn't be," Quinn said, "He was at the palace with his family."

"Well, I didn't see anyone who fit the description of a hobbit. The rest of his family was there but not him. Did you?"

She thought about it but she didn't recall seeing anyone who even vaguely resembled the handsome young man, "No."

"Britt?"

The blonde shook her head. Santana let out a breathy laugh, "Well, what do you know."

"But that means Sebastian has him," Quinn pointed out. There was no use in celebrating just yet. The doxies were Sebastian's minions and if Blaine wasn't here in the cottage, then he would be a prisoner in Sebastian's castle.

"We have to save him so he can wake Kurt," Brittany said. Her eyes had lost the dreamy look that they constantly had. She looked more determined than she had ever been in her long life. Though Brittany wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, nothing bad could be said about her protectiveness of Kurt.

Santana bit her lip but then jutted out her jaw determinedly, "It's a good thing I've been looking for a reason to go to Sebastian's castle and kick him right in the balls."

Hidden in the mountains behind the wreck that was Sebastian's castle, the dark fae had erected a high tower of about one hundred feet without any doors or stairs. The circular room at the top could only be reached by a small arched widow, only just big enough for someone to fit through. Within the tower Kurt lay on a makeshift stone bed and dreamed of his true love. Around twenty doxies were guarding the base and there was a solid hedge of thorns almost as high as the tower encircling the area. These were unlike any other thorns; the hedge had been cursed so if anyone should touch it, the thorns would wrap around them like a snake and drag them to a slow, agonizing death. Several animals had already fallen victim.

The prison was positioned so that Sebastian could see it from the throne chamber although at that moment, his attention was elsewhere. In the centre of the room his minions had prepared a huge bonfire in celebration - mockingly similar to that which burned the spinning wheels eighteen years earlier. They were dancing and chattering excitedly, growing louder and more vulgar as time passed. Sebastian watched from his throne in amusement. He turned to the augrey that was perched on the arm of his throne,

"It's a shame our trophy-I mean, our visitor has to miss out on our celebration," he said, "He must be lonely. Perhaps we should go and pay him a visit."

The bird cawed in agreement and Sebastian rose.

The dungeon was located deep under the castle, so far down that the air felt damp and there were stalagmites and stalactites growing from the ceiling and floor. It was a cold, dreadful place. Sebastian glided down the rotting stairs, his pet on his shoulder.

Within the dungeon, Blaine looked up as he heard the footsteps approaching. He was sitting on the freezing ground, his wrists shackled with chains attached to the wall behind him. He had been force-fed some sort of antitode (to stop me dropping dead from doxy venom he thought angrily) but every part of him was still aching. Blood matted his hair and clothes. He felt like a fool for walking straight into a trap and could only hope that Kurt was safe. Well, as safe as he could be when Sebastian's dreadful curse had been fulfilled.

"Good evening," Sebastian said. He unlocked the door and strode into the dungeon, "I hope you find this room to your liking."

From his tone of voice it was as if he wasn't referring to a dungeon. Blaine averted his eyes and didn't reply.

"Not very chatty, I see. A little rude considering I came all the way down here because I thought you would be lonely but I'm prepared to forgive you."

He was loving every second of this. The twisted happiness made Blaine sick to his stomach. Sebastian continued talking in a casual manner, ignoring the less-than-warm welcome he had received.

"I know you're angry with me but necessary precautions had to be taken-" he said, "And if you must know, your little lover boy is safe."

Blaine couldn't stop himself from looking up at the mention of Kurt. Sebastian grinned,

"Ah. That got your attention, didn't it? Look-" he made circular motions with his hand over his sceptre. The light inside swirled as he did so and a cloud of mist rose over their heads. Although it started off completely opaque, shapes began to form within the mist until it almost appeared to become a window into another room. This room wasn't entirely dissimilar to the prison in which Blaine was being held except there was a raised platform in the centre where he could make out a figure lying asleep, "Waiting in a tower for true love's kiss lies a prince of legendary beauty. But wait-" Sebastian gave a mocking gasp as the cloud showed Kurt's face. He was even more breathtaking than Blaine remembered and the corner of his mouth was turned up in a sweet smile. It was the same smile that Blaine had seen right before he had first kissed him, "-it's none other than the handsome young man you fell in love with earlier this very day. He waits for you to wake him up with true love's kiss. And you will-" his sneer widened at the expression of shock on Blaine's face. He waved his hand again and the image changed to that of a bridge being lowered on the moat of the very castle they were in, "-one hundred years will pass and the story of the sleeping kingdom will pass into legend. Only then will the gates will be flung open for you-" trotting weakly out of the palace was an age-weakened Pavarotti. His head was hanging low and he was moving slowly with fatigue. However, the horse was nothing compared to the aged Blaine on top. His body was hunched over with arthritis and his long hair and beard (beard!) were completely white. Most of his facial features were lost behind wrinkles. Of course, he was one hundred and twenty years old. Horse and rider were making their way towards a high tower not too far away from the castle, "-and you will emerge triumphant to wake him up with true love's kiss!"

Blaine's temper got the better of him and he leapt up, determined to get to Sebastian. His wrists screamed in protest as he pulled them against the iron shackles. He didn't get very far. Sebastian was just inches out of his reach, who was cackling at the attempt. He waited until an exhausted Blaine had given up before speaking again.

"Temper, temper," he tutted. He waved his hand and the cloud dispersed into nothingness.

"I'm going to kill you," Blaine snarled.

"We'll see about that," he gave his prisoner a predatory once-over and smirked, "You know, one hundred years is a long time. It would be a waste of such a handsome young man to leave you rotting here in the dungeon-" he reached out and put a hand on Blaine's cheek, "I'm sure we can think of other ways to keep you occupied-" he yelped as Blaine turned his head and bit Sebastian hard - finally glad to be able to do so. He didn't let go even when the taste of blood filled his mouth, "You little-!" Sebastian swung his sceptre and caught Blaine on the left side of the face, causing him to cry out and crumple back to the ground. His eyes watered but the throbbing pain was worth it - Sebastian's hand was bleeding and he was no longer smiling.

"Fine," he said flatly, "If that's the way you're going to be. We'll see if you're still so rebellious after let's see...a week without food or water. Farewell."

He left the dungeon, slamming the door behind him. Blaine spat out the piece of flesh he had bit off and wiped his cheek with his sleeve. The sceptre had left a large cut where it had met his face and his eye had already swollen up so much he could hardly see through it. Still...what was another wound to add to his already generous supply? He almost hoped that he would die of thirst before the week had passed - anything to escape here.

Sneaking into the Sebastian's castle had proven far easier than they would have imagined. It seemed that Sebastian's arrogance had got the better of him and he was too preoccupied in celebrating his victory to pay heed to the security of his lair. The trinity had never challenged him directly before so what did he have to worry about? This didn't mean that Quinn, Brittany and Santana didn't take the utmost care while sneaking into the castle. Once more, they had shrunk themselves down to a miniscule size.

"They look happy," Quinn muttered, peering over the side of an empty torch bracket sticking out from the wall of the throne chamber. The doxies were causing such a ruckus that she and Brittany - Santana had gone alone to try and rescue Blaine's horse - had managed to reach here unnoticed. The bonfire was burning brighter than ever. The creatures danced around the fire. At first it sounded as if they were just tunelessly jibbering but soon the fae could make out the words of an unpleasant song;

"The prince is asleep and nobody's calling, while his father's kingdom will come falling. His true love won't come a-kissing, coz he's rotting in our master's prison!"

"We need a second verse!" one of the creatures shouted.

"What rhymes with slave?" another responded with a nasty laugh.

"I hate doxies," Quinn grimaced.

"At least we know that Blaine is in the dungeon," Brittany whispered back.

They moved stealthily keeping close to the shadowed walls. The door behind Sebastian's throne was lying open and they kept an eye out to make sure that Sebastian himself didn't reappear. For once, they were grateful that he had that hideous bird because they would hear its cawing as it approached. They found themselves at the end of a long hallway. There was a lone portrait about halfway down. It was a portrait of the dark fae who was rumored to be the one who first created the dark arts. Her name was Maleficent. She was a severe though beautiful woman whose face was all sharp angles, from her cheekbones to her widow's peak - the only part of her hair visible below a black headdress. Despite Maleficent being painted on canvas, her glowing eyes seemed horribly lifelike. She stared down at the two women almost accusingly.

"She's always scared me," Brittany said quietly. They heard a caw from behind the portrait.

"Quick!" Quinn hissed and they hid in a crack in the wall opposite the portrait. The canvas swung open to reveal a hole in the wall from which Sebastian emerged. He was cursing under his breath and was holding his hand in front of him. It appeared to be bleeding.

"I hope it hurts," whispered Brittany. Her tone was uncommonly venomous. The bird's head whipped round and she only just managed to duck out of view. Its eyes narrowed suspiciously as it turned back.

"Let's hope our visitor learns some respect," they heard Sebastian say as he walked away.

"Entrance to the dungeon?"

"Looks like it," Quinn agreed. They waited until Sebastian had disappeared through the door at the end of the hall before they made any attempt to emerge from their hiding place. No spell they knew worked to open the entrance and it took the physical strength of both women - fully-sized - to force the portrait to move. They collapsed in a messy heap when the entrance finally gave way to reveal the circular passage.

"That was easy," Quinn winced. They made themselves tiny again and flew down the drafty staircase, further and further underground until they reached another passage. As unpleasant as the rest of the castle was, it was nothing compared to this. The despair in the air was palpable even though the dungeons must not have been in use for many years. The ancient skeletons of prisoners were still chained in a number of the otherwise empty cells and the smell of decay stung their nose and eyes. Finally they reached the only locked door in the passage. There was a tiny, barred window cut roughly into the solid wood.

"There he is," the elder fae said. Prince Blaine was sitting against the opposite wall, his arms bound in chains and looking worse for wear. His clothes were torn and almost every visible piece of skin was covered in blood. As they entered the cell through the window he looked up. The left side of his face was swollen beyond all recognition; his eye was barely more than a slit and there was a long gash running down the length of his cheek.

"Who's there?" he said suspiciously. His uninjured eye widened in surprise as the women returned to full height. Once more, these were faces he knew from his past and even so, he would have recognized them instantly as fae. Quinn put her finger to her lip to indicate he remain silent. He made a small noise of relief and whispered, "Boy am I glad to see you two."

"What happened to your face?" Brittany asked.

"I bit Sebastian and he hit me with his sceptre," Blaine replied. He let out a pained hiss and massaged his wrists as Brittany magicked the shackles off them. They were red raw. On this admission, Brittany had to cover her mouth to suppress a giggle while Quinn looked horrified. Suddenly they knew why Sebastian's hand had been bleeding.

"So...let me get this straight," Quinn said disapprovingly, "Sebastian is the most powerful, evil sorcerer of this age and you bit him."

Blaine shrugged, "He shouldn't have touched me."

This time Brittany couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud.

"It's not funny," Quinn scolded, "You're lucky it wasn't much worse!"

She tapped Blaine on the head with her wand and he felt a warm sensation run down his spine. As the warmth spread down to his toes he felt strength return to his muscles as the pain and the various bite wounds on his body faded.

"Thank you," he said. He would never take for granted being able to stretch his limbs again. The cut on his face still stung but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was seconds earlier and he could now see out of both his eyes.

"At least the swelling has gone down," Quinn said, "I guess it'll take longer to heal because even though it wasn't caused by magic itself, you still got the cut from a powerful magical object."

"He has Kurt in a tower behind his castle," Blaine said suddenly, remembering the vision that Sebastian had shown him, "We have to save him-" he rushed forward but Brittany held out her arm.

"You can't go out there without anything."

"Good thing Santana isn't here otherwise she'd be encouraging just that," Quinn retorted. She turned to Blaine, "But Britt's right. Let me see...a sword of righteousness," she cast a spell and a beautiful sword appeared in Blaine's hand. It was a beautiful creation; the blade shone silver in the light and the handle was inlaid with precious jewels. He swung it to see how it felt; it was balanced perfectly and felt wonderfully light in his hand, "And a shield of truth." A shield joined the sword. It appeared impenetrable but, like the sword, it seemed almost weightless. The design on the shield was that of the Dalton crest.

"Thanks," he grinned.

"Save Kurt," Brittany said earnestly, "Please."

He nodded, "I will."

Suddenly there was the sound of screeching, loud enough to wake the whole castle. They all looked at the door just in time to see Sebastian's augrey fly back up the passage, screeching as it did. It had followed the fae down here.

"So much for a sneaky exit," Quinn groaned. She turned and rapped Blaine hard on the head with her wand, who yelped.

"What was that for?"

"Protection against more doxy bites."

"You didn't have to do it so hard."

"Well, we're kind of on a tight schedule."

The sound of the augrey was still echoing through the staircase; it wouldn't be long before the sound would attract Sebastian and his minions, if it hadn't already. Quinn was mumbling at an impressive speed under her breath and as she did, a blue aura became visible around her. She grabbed Blaine and Brittany's hands. There was a whooshing noise and the room around them vanished. They appeared seconds later just outside the main doors of the castle.

"Whoa..." Blaine gasped, disorientated. The instant in limbo between disappearing and reappearing hadn't been particularly enjoyable. His stomach churned.

"Sadly I can only use that trick once," Quinn said, "That spell takes a lot out of me."

They were standing in a huge courtyard that was at least a century past its prime. There were stone archways surrounding them. Leering down over them was a number of gargoyles and statues that looked horribly like members of the fae who had gone missing over the years. Across the courtyard they could see the raised gate that would take them to the moat, with imposing steel spikes sticking out of the bottom.

Blaine set off at a sprint across the courtyard, Brittany and Quinn miniscule sparks flying alongside him. He halted as doxies poured out from seemingly everywhere - just as they had did in the cottage. The two fae shot spells in all directions but there was too many to hold them all off. Before long they were surrounded. Blaine tightened his grip on his sword, his expression set in stony determination; just try to attack me again he thought savagely.

"Where's San-?" Brittany began but just as she said that, a large number of the doxies were thrown aside as Pavarotti galloped out of one of the tall archways, Santana being the rider. Like Quinn had when she cast the spell to transport them here, she was surrounded by a red aura. The spell seemed to be preventing the doxies from getting too close.

"Come on!" she yelled and the horse drew to an abrupt stop where the others were standing. Blaine sheathed his sword, grabbed the reins and mounted the horse. In an impressive feat, Santana had wheeled herself around so that she had her back against Blaine's and was facing backwards to keep an eye on their pursuers. She couldn't perform any other magic while casting the protective spell.

"Doxies are idiots," she commented as doxies still tried to attack, savagely launching themselves at the escapees. When they reached the forcefield the spell created, they were thrown back. It was obvious the use of such powerful magic was taking its toll on Santana. At one instance, the protection failed and it was only Blaine's quick swordsmanship that prevented disaster. Santana's face had paled and a small trickle of blood slid from her nose but she carried on regardless.

The augrey flew over their heads, screeching. It seemed that Sebastian hadn't got the memo that they were trying to escape just yet, because he hadn't made an appearance.

"I have to do something," Brittany said. She shot upwards.

"Brittany!" Quinn yelled but there was no time to go after her. Brittany advanced toward the augrey, which gave a terrified shriek and abruptly changed the direction of its flight. She shot a spell at it but it missed, the sparks flying over its head. The doxies were too busy trying to stop Blaine from escaping to help the bird. Predator and prey moved speedily, barely more than black and green blurs as the augrey desperately tried to throw Brittany off course by taking sharp turns, ducking under archways and around towers. It kept managing to avoid the fae's magic though once or twice it was a close call and the feathers on its back got singed. Brittany realized soon enough that simply chasing the augrey would get her nowhere - she would have to trick it. She backed up and flew in the opposite direction. The augrey was too terrified it didn't even notice her double-back. She flew around to the back of the castle where there were more gargoyles overlooking the empty moat. She hid in the mouth of one until she could hear the augrey come to a halt. It fluttered down onto the gargoyle's head and Brittany could see its beak curl up in a twisted sort of, well, as close to a smile as a bird can do. It was just what she had been hoping for; it thought it had out-flew her. She re-emerged from her hiding place and this time she was too fast for the augrey - it opened its mouth to screech but before the noise had escaped, she had turned it to stone. Brittany smiled and shot back to the others, who had only just made out of the gates before it came slamming down behind them. Freedom was so close now. Santana slumped down against Blaine as fatigue finally got the better of her.

"They're raising the bridge!" Quinn yelled, motioning to the moat.

Blaine snapped the reins to encourage Pavarotti to go faster. The bridge was already at a steep angle - any higher and they'd be trapped. They took up a sprint and managed to leap over, only just clearing the empty but deep moat. Sharp rocks stuck up from the bottom. Pavarotti's back legs scrambled on the crumbling mud on the edge before he managed to regain his footing.

"Good boy!" Blaine cried.

Drawn by the commotion from outside, Sebastian appeared on one of the turrets overlooking the moat just in time to see Blaine flee away. He could see the three colorful sparks that told him exactly who had helped him. He heaved a sigh,

"I should have just killed him when I had the chance," he said, "Aren't I just a sucker for a pretty face, my pet?"

When there was no reply, Sebastian scowled. He turned his head and his eyes bulged.

Even from the distance they heard him scream in fury.

"That's not a good sound," Blaine said, looking back over his shoulder. A dark purple cloud formed over the castle and a fork of black lightning tore through the sky.

As they reached the treacherous mountains Blaine had to pull on Pavarotti's reins to halt him. The rocks were steep and sharp and he could see the wall of thorns ahead. He would have to climb from herein. He dismounted and patted the horse on the face.

"I'm sorry, Pav," he said gently, "I didn't mean for this to happen."

The horse gave a short whinny and nuzzled his head against Blaine's shoulder to let him know that he was forgiven.

"Good boy. I'll make sure you have a whole bunch of carrots with every meal. It's too dangerous for you here now," he said, "Run to the west until you're far enough away from here then head back to the palace, ok?"

He slapped the horse on the rump and Pavarotti ran. Sebastian and his minions would be too preoccupied to pay him any heed. Blaine turned to his rescuers,

"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't turned up," he said.

"You would have ended up Sebastian's bitch, for a start," Santana was exhausted - she had slid off Pavarotti's back and was now clinging to Brittany for support - but she managed her patented smirk.

"If Sebastian is angry he'll do everything in his power to make sure you don't get to Kurt," Quinn said. As clear an effort as it was, Santana straightened up,

"I'll go try and buy you some time."

"No!" Blaine cried, "I can't ask you to do that. You've already done too much."

"It's a good thing you didn't ask," she replied matter-of-factly. If she was scared, she was doing a commendable job of hiding it, "Britt, you go with Blaine."

Brittany nodded, "I will."

"Santana...are you sure?" Quinn said, biting her lip, "I should-"

"I've been looking for an excuse to go all Lima Heights Adjacent on his ass for eighteen years. I'll be fine."

"Then I'll stay here and make sure nobody tries to get past."

"Thank you so much," Blaine replied, "For everything."

Brittany hugged Santana tight.

"Be safe," she whispered. The moment between them was so intimate that Blaine and Quinn turned away to give them privacy. Santana caressed Brittany's face, brushing her cheek with her finger. Brittany leaned into the touch, closing her eyes.

"I will be," Santana said, "I promise I'll return to you."

She kissed her. When they broke apart, she quickly wiped her eyes,

"Well, what are you waiting for!" she snapped at Blaine, "Get going hobbit, you've got a prince to save!"

She squared her shoulders, turning towards the castle.

Brittany grabbed Blaine's wrist, "Come on," she said.

With one backwards glance at the two women who were risking their lives, Blaine clambered over the boulders.

"Are you ready for this?" Quinn said nervously.

"Sure. It'll be fun," Santana gave her a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "I'll try and help you as much as I can."

"Kick Sebastian's ass for me," Quinn said. They hugged before Santana flew back towards the castle, shooting spells at the advancing hoard. She didn't stop until she reached Sebastian's castle. He was chanting under his breath and rotating his sceptre in circles. Whatever spell he was performing wasn't going to be good for them. He didn't notice the speck flying towards him until it collided with his stomach, breaking the spell. He staggered back a step and the clouds over his head dispersed.

Santana landed in front of him and returned to full height. Sebastian's face momentarily betrayed surprised but it didn't last long. He was no longer smiling; his mouth was a harsh line carved into his skin.

"Santana Lopez," he drawled.

"Sebastian Smythe," she returned. Rage was quivering in her every syllable.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he tipped his head to the side, "You're not going to bitch at me, are you?"

She clenched her fists, "I'm here to stop you, actually."

Sebastian doubled-over in false laughter.

"Oh ha ha ha I'm not kidding," she spat. Sebastian raised an eyebrow in surprise,

"You're really trying to challenge me, Sa-queer-a?" he chuckled darkly, "On your own...without your little friends."

Santana tried not to show her intimidation on her face. Sebastian had a point. The Trinity combined wasn't powerful enough and here she was, aware of how very alone she was. She tossed back her head.

"You shouldn't have messed with our kid."

"Your kid? Surely that gay-faced little princess hasn't made you soft?"

"You've gone too far this time, Sebastian. You're not going to hurt anyone else," she raised her wand and prepared herself for the fight. He walked in a slow circle around her. She kept her eyes on him - she wasn't foolish enough to turn her back on him,

"Why should we fight?" Sebastian said, "You're..." he struggled to find the word, "kind of powerful. The girl I knew back before my exile was a fighter. She wanted - nay deserved - to be in control. Now look at you - lapdog to Farbray and burdened with that idiotic blonde. Do you really want to be a hostage to your own emotions for the rest of your life? Leave them. Fight with me."

Santana appeared almost interested. Sebastian leaned into her ear,

"We could have this kingdom on its knees."

Her eyes narrowed. She jumped back from him,

"See, you big fairy, that was the difference between you and me. I didn't need some douche-bag power trip to prove myself. And as for that 'idiotic blonde', she's worth twenty thousand of you. I know where my loyalties lie-" she eyed him like he was something nasty she might have found on the sole of her shoe, "-And they're not with you."

"Fine...if this is the way you want to play it," He made his first attack before he had even finished the sentence. Santana slashed her wand down and rebounded the spell. It missed Sebastian and hit the wall behind him which exploded, sending shards flying everywhere. Sebastian diverted the shards with a wave of his hand and Santana wasn't quite fast enough to stop herself being struck by them. She flew up and retaliated with a spell that destroyed one of the gargoyles. This time Sebastian didn't move away on time to stop himself being hurt. It left several marks on his face, the deepest being a cut above his eyebrow. Sebastian wasn't going to let a little thing like that put him off.

The next curse hit Santana's wings which instantly felt like lead weights on her back. She struggled to stay upright. Her knees seem to be made of jelly. She had to break his concentration again. She sent a hex at his foot to make his boot melt against his foot. Her wings were her own again but a shot of light hit the side of her face and she felt a gash open up. Her distractions were only working for seconds. There was nothing she could do; her magic was no match for his. Sebastian had sold his soul to the darkness for his powers.

"Sebastian wouldn't be so tough if you took away that sceptre of his!"

She had said it herself all those years ago. She had to get his sceptre from him. If she could do that, his powers would be broken. How she was going to do that was another matter completely. Fighting fair was going to be out of the question...Quinn wasn't going to be pleased.

Santana dived out of range of the next deadly spell and managed to send the only dark spell she knew back. It hit Sebastian's cape. The material took on a life of its own. It reared up behind him like a snake before wrapping itself around him. His sceptre was knocked out of his hands. He tore off the cape and tossed it aside before it caused any damage. His eyes darted around but he couldn't see his-

"Is this what you're looking for?" Santana said. Sebastian whipped around. She was standing on the edge of the roof, holding the sceptre above her head like a trophy. Sebastian's face paled and he looked horrified. She savoured the expression. He took a tiny step forward but she edged to the side to keep the same amount of distance between them.

"You wouldn't-" he said, betraying a hint of fear for the first time.

"Oh, I would." She allowed herself a triumphant grin and brought the sceptre crashing to the ground. Sebastian shrieked and dropped to his knees. The orb smashed into a thousand pieces, as it was finally destroyed. All that was left was the black pole and a slightly smoking gap at the top where the orb had been. Sebastian hid his face in his hands.

"Let's see how powerful you are now!" she declared as she tossed aside the remains of the sceptre. Sebastian lifted his head and...smiled. Actually smiled. Santana's own grin faded. She hadn't been anticipating that.

"The funny thing about that is..." he stretched out his arm, clenched his fist and suddenly Santana's own arms were pinned to her side. Sebastian got to his feet and she rose several feet in the air. Her legs kicked uselessly as she struggled.

"Nice try but I haven't needed that old thing to use magic for years," Sebastian said. He raised his arm slightly and Santana rose higher. She couldn't break free of the hold, "I only keep it because it looks good. You know it once belonged to Maleficent. Now...what do we do with you?"

He waved his hand and Santana jerked sickeningly from side to side.

"You're not going to win," she said defiantly. Sebastian chuckled,

"We'll see."

He flicked his wrist once more and sent her rocketing like a cannonball across the sky. She went flying into the one of the towers with a loud crash, straight through the solid wall. There was a rumbling sound and the tower collapsed around her, burying her below an avalanche of rock. When the dust cleared, all that was left was a huge pile of rocks. Her wand was lying nearby.

Sebastian watched for movement and after a while, seemed satisfied that she wouldn't make a miraculous escape. He stepped on the wand and snapped it below his heel.

"Stupid bitch," he said and swept away.

It took ten minutes of clambering over rocks before Blaine found himself standing before the huge wall of thorns. They didn't appear to have been followed - Quinn must have been doing a good job of keeping the minions at bay. The tendrils of the hedge were dark purple and the thorns a deep blood-red color. There was a strange stirring noise that seemed to becoming from within the thorns themselves. As Blaine watched it he was reminded of some kind of hungry wild animal, bracing itself to attack its prey. Brittany was walking towards it.

"Wait!" he called to her, "I have a bad feeling about this. Hold on."

He kicked a stone at the hedge. It landed close to the hedge. A creeper lunged out and wrapped around it like a snake. It pulled into the growth. He shook his head disbelievingly, "Cursed..."

"I'll see if I can get over it," Brittany said. She shot upwards but when she reached the top there was a loud crackling noise. When Brittany returned, she looked disorientated and there was a large, shiny burn on her arm. The smell of burning carried with her, "I can't get over it," she asserted, "There's some invisible electrificated thingy at the top."

"Hrm..." he studied it intently, "Can't get over it, and can't go round it...we'll have to go through it."

Blaine slashed at it with his sword. Some of the branches fell and left burning frayed edges where he had cut it down. As they watched, the damaged plant slowly started to repair itself. After a while the foliage had regrown and there was no sign that Blaine had cut it.

"Or we could use this," Blaine said, "But we'd have to be quick. Keep a hold of me so we don't get separated," he took a deep breath and started forward. Brittany grabbed his cape. He slashed and cut through the hedge. As he cut, he found that the creepers couldn't get too close but he was still uneasy - it felt like he was trawling through a snake pit with inhabitants that could attack at any second. He felt them snatch uncomfortably at his arms and legs before recoiling again. Brittany kept letting out tiny noises of fear which didn't comfort him any. The path re-grew behind them, soon leaving no sign that it had ever been there in the first place.

Finally they emerged at the other side but found that they weren't alone. A band of doxies were stationed at the bottom of the tower, their faces turned towards the unexpected arrivals. For the moment they were still, seemingly caught off guard. Blaine pulled a face.

"I hate doxies," he said quietly.

"You're not alone this time," Brittany said out of the corner of her mouth.

"You go this way," he jerked his head subtly to the left, "I'll go that way" and then to the right.

"Deal," she flew to the right.

"The right is-oh never mind-" he lunged to the left. He got an awful feeling of deja vu as they charged but this time he was more prepared. Thanks to Quinn's protection, what would have been painful bites felt like nothing more than pinpricks and there was no lingering burn from the poison. They changed tact and tried to force him back towards the thorns. He covered his face and torso with his shield and thrust forward his sword, while Brittany flew above him casting spells in all directions. Now that the doxies had lost their greatest weapon against them, it didn't take long for the pair to dispatch of them. He let out a long, satisfied breath as the last fell to his sword.

"Last obstacle," he said, looking up at the tower. He had to crane his neck to see the top. Brittany circled around it.

"There's no doors," she said.

"Did you really expect there to be?" Quinn's voice said from behind them. She was covered in small bites that were tinged with ugly greenish-yellow bruising but otherwise unharmed.

"Are you alright?" Blaine asked.

"I'm fine," she said, "Those doxies were pushovers. I turned them all into bubbles-" she bared her teeth, "And I had fun popping them all."

Blaine made a mental note never to get on her bad side and turned his attention back to the problem at hand. He considered his options. He thought about climbing but this proved to be problematic as the structure was completely smooth. There were no slats or uneven rocks that could be used to climb up, "Or maybe I won't climb" he thought out loud.

"I've got this," Brittany said. She closed her eyes and starting chanting. A haze of green surrounded her and her wand shone.

"Eleka nahmen nahmen ah tu ah tum eleka nahmen!" the spell almost sounded like a song. The dried dirt where Blaine was standing split and he leapt back as a vine burst out. It was the emerald green color of the dress that Brittany was wearing, and white flowers burst out from the stalk. It climbed up the side of the tower and the large, spade-shaped leaves appeared to be strong enough to support Blaine's weight.

"How do you...?" Blaine whispered as he watched it.

"We all have our special gifts that we can only use every so often," Brittany explained, "Like Quinn can transpormigate-"

"Transport," Quinn corrected.

"Right. And Tana can create forcefields. This is mine."

A horrible thought struck Blaine.

"Um...what's Sebastian's?"

"I don't know-" she caught the look on his face, "-I mean, he transportimigated once so maybe that's it. Same as Quinn."

"I doubt it," Quinn put-in.

It wasn't exactly a comforting thought to imagine that Sebastian had some kind of hidden power that he hadn't unleashed yet. He was already a formidable enough foe as it was. Eventually the vine stopped just below the window ledge. Blaine could see why they could only use these powers every so often; it was no different to a person carrying out an impressive feat of strength - the exertion took its toll on them. Like Santana earlier, Brittany's face had drained of color and it appeared to be a struggle for her to stay on her feet.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Don't worry about me," she smiled, "Go get your true love."

"Come with me. You two can fly up."

Quinn shook her head.

"No," Brittany said, "It should be a special moment for just the two of you."

"But we'll be waiting down here, so get a move on!" Quinn gave him a friendly shove in the direction of the tower.

Blaine approached the vine. He put down his shield and gave the plant a hearty tug. He was pleased to find it was every part as strong as it looked. He glanced back and Brittany gave him an encouraging smile.

"Here I go," he said. He grabbed a hold of the vine and placed a foot on one of the leaves. He looked up. Leafy ladder or not, it was a long way to go but the thought of Kurt waiting for him was all the inspiration he needed.

None of them noticed the tendril wrap around Brittany's ankle until it was too late. She let out a piercing scream as it yanked her back and caused her to fall. Blaine looked back and was horrified to see her being dragged towards the thorns. Her wings were pounding furiously as she tried to free herself. Quinn blasted the tendril away but another had grabbed Brittany before she had the chance to pull her out of range. More flew out and wrapped around her arms and neck. Blaine made to climb back down.

"Go!" Brittany yelled before the thorns could block her windpipe, "Save Kurt!"

Blaine hesitated. He couldn't leave them like this.

"SHE SAID GO!" Quinn shouted, "AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"

He bit his lip and blinked back the tears threatening to fall. Even as he climbed he could hear the horrible noises of Brittany being dragged and Quinn's even more desperate attempts to free her. It pained him to do so - worse so than all he had endured. He silently prayed that Quinn could save her. She must. She had been the one who had given him the sword.

The climb was exhausting. By the time he reached the top his muscles were screaming. He grabbed hold of the ledge. For a terrifying moment his legs hung suspended in mid-air and he wasn't entirely convinced that he would have the strength to pull himself over. It was the memory of Brittany's pleading words "save Kurt" that gave him the last spurt of adrenaline he needed to finally climb in through the window of the tower.

He found himself in the chamber he had been shown in Sebastian's vision. Everything was as he had seen and the only sound was that of Kurt's even breathing. He walked slowly towards the raised platform, in awe at the sight of the sleeping prince. Blaine fell to his knees next to the bed and let the sword fall to the floor. He took Kurt's hand. Kurt's head had fallen to the side as he slept and Blaine gently placed his hand on his cheek to move his head round. The corner of his mouth was turned upwards. Despite the fact he was asleep, his lips were tantalizingly plump and pink.

"I hope this works," Blaine said. He leaned down and pressed his lips against Kurt's. He lifted his face, watching for any signs of life. A number of seconds passed and soon the color flooded into Kurt's cheeks, staining them pink. His eyes flickered open and a warm smile crossed his face. Blaine's heart leapt into his throat. True love's kiss really was the most powerful magic of all.

"Hi," he said quietly. Blaine almost laughed. He beamed,

"Hi."

Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and pulled him down for another, deeper kiss.

"Disgusting."

They jumped apart. Sebastian had appeared in the room. His sceptre was gone and his face bore the marks of his duel with Santana but these injuries made him seem more imposing, more dangerous. He looked like the embodiment of pure evil.

"If you hurt him," he growled.

"What are you going to do to me?" Sebastian returned icily. He had finished playing games, "Me, the most powerful being on Earth. Me, who single-handedly destroyed those three little pains who were so determined to stop me!"

"NO!" Kurt yelled. He leapt off the bed but Blaine stopped him from flying at the other man. Sebastian's eyes flashed.

"Yes. And it was almost too easy. What power do you two have? Oh wait, don't tell me," he sneered, "True love. HA! Let's see how true love fares against the most powerful being on earth!"

He cried out, a cry that distorted and deepened into an animalistic growl as his eyes narrowed to yellow slits. This time there was no-one to stop his spell. His limbs stretched and twisted out of any natural shape and he started to grow to an impossible height. The ceiling of the tower caved in as his elongating head hit the roof. His nose turned into a snout and his skin peeled off in strips to reveal lizard-like black scales with a green and purple sheen. Bronze spikes grew from his arched back, all the way down to a tail that had extended from the bottom of his spine. He was turning into a dragon right before their very eyes.

Blaine and Kurt held each other tight in terror at the events unfolding before them. The roof gave way as the creature burst out, stretching out into the night sky. Huge bat-like wings unfurled from where Sebastian's shoulder blades had been previously.

"Oh my god..." Kurt exhaled.

"Oh..." Blaine mumbled, "That's what his special power is."

It was whole lot worse than he could have possibly imagined.

The transformation was not yet complete - they had to get out of their while Sebastian was distracted. Blaine's eyes searched desperately. There! Just to Sebastian's side, he could see the window he had entered through. No, it wasn't so much a window now as a huge hole in the side of the tower but peeking over the side he could see the top of Brittany's vine. They didn't have much time.

"The vine!" he said to Kurt. He made to run forward but hung back when he saw the uneasy look on Kurt's face, "What are you doing?"

"I don't like heights..." Kurt said. If the situation wasn't life or death Blaine might have laughed at the ridiculousness of it; that Kurt would rather face a dragon than a great height. The monster opened its great mouth and belched a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke into the night.

"Look, we have to. I'll go first to show you it's safe."

"Okay…"

Blaine jumped over the swinging tail and dived over the ledge, managing to grab onto the vine as he plunged. His hand burned as he slid down but it would be nothing compared to what would happen if he stayed there. He placed his foot on the side of the tower to slow himself down. He noticed that Brittany and Quinn weren't down there. He hoped this wasn't a confirmation of what Sebastian had said, "Come on, Kurt!" he shouted.

They were too late. The transformation was complete. Sebastian growled and shot a bright purple flame out of one nostril, surrounding Kurt in flames almost as tall as he was. It burned brightly despite the room being made of stone. Kurt staggered back and almost tripped up over the platform. Smoke clouded his vision. Sebastian beat his wings and lowered himself off the tower. He landed with a heavy thud. Blaine's eyes widened and he let himself slide down the rest of the way. He made a grab for his sword but the sheath on his belt was empty. He had left his sword in the tower.

"Well damn..." he said. His eyes fell to his shield; he had put it down before he had started climbing. It was better than nothing. Sebastian's stretched his great jaw and breathed a shower of flames. Blaine had to jump behind the tower to avoid it. Fire shot past at either side of the stone, encasing him in heat. There was no where he could run to - he was still trapped within the enclosed space of the thorns. Perhaps if he could avoid Sebastian's fire breath long enough the dark fae would eventually tire out like the others did.

Even in his head it sounded like a long shot.

The creature swooped down and its head appeared at Blaine's side. Blaine wheeled around and struck it with his shield. Sebastian howled. Blaine rolled to the side just to be caught on the side by the monster's talon. He landed a mere foot away from the thorns and had to use the sharp edge of his shield to cut one of the coils that had made a grab for his leg.

The momentary distraction was enough. He didn't notice Sebastian's tail behind him until it knocked the shield out of his hand, tearing the skin of his wrist. The shield was snatched greedily by the thorn bush. In an instant the dragon had him pinned to the ground under his talon. It opened its mouth,

"You shouldn't have rejected my hospitality," it said in a coarse growl that was almost like Sebastian's. Its forked tongue flickered. Blaine was completely trapped, "And once you're dead I'm going to kill your precious little love slowly and painfully."

Sebastian's voice carried to the tower and the threat of Blaine's death was enough to rouse Kurt from his terror. His throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper and the heat was growing unbearable. Through the smoke, he could see Sebastian's jaw's come apart as the dragon took in a great breath. He couldn't just stand there while Sebastian killed Blaine. He wouldn't. The sword...Blaine's sword! The discarded object was lying on the floor where Sebastian had knocked it out of Blaine's hand. Kurt grabbed it. He had to distract Sebastian. However, Sebastian was out there and he was in here, and there was no time to waste. There was nothing else for it.

"I'm going to regret this," he said and then did something that was both very brave and very stupid. He took a running jump over the fire and leapt from the tower. He landed at the top of Sebastian's back, missing one of the spikes by inches. The creature reared its head back and let out an almighty roar and Kurt had to cling on for dear life. He managed to get a good grip by straddling the dragon's neck with both legs and tried not to think about high up he was.

"This is for Brittany, Quinn and Santana!" he hollered. He raised the sword high above his head, then drove it straight through the back of the creature's neck. Sebastian bellowed in pain and thick black blood poured from the wound. Blaine scrambled back as Sebastian lifted his talon, now too preoccupied with trying to throw Kurt off, who pulled the sword out and nearly overbalanced in the process.

"CATCH!" he shouted and threw the sword at Blaine. Sebastian turned his head towards Blaine and advanced on him. He managed to dodge a swipe of Sebastian's claw. To distract him, Kurt - suppressing deep disgust - dug his fist into the wound he had made. Sebastian released a pained shriek and once more, his attention was on Kurt. He raised himself up so that his underside was visible. Blaine aimed his sword for where he figured Sebastian's heart would be.

Three tiny specks appeared at Blaine's side, unseen by the creature. The sight of it filled Blaine with courage.

"Aim true," the blue speck said and suddenly the blade shone with blue light, "Now throw it."

Blaine adhered to this command and threw the sword with all his might. The sword shot like a missile and buried itself in Sebastian's chest. This time it was more than blood that gushed from where the sword had met its mark; smoke and shadowed shapes escaped into the night. Sebastian's body was overcome in green flames.

"KURT!" Blaine screamed. When the flames died all that was left was a dark scorch on the ground with Blaine's sword buried in the dirt. The thorn bush withered and died.

The three women returned to full height. Santana was wounded and shaken from her fight with Sebastian yet, by some miracle, she had survived. She had managed to perform wandless magic to blast away the rocks that had buried her. Brittany and Quinn had flown to find her as soon as Quinn had managed to free Brittany from the thorns. They had met halfway and realized too late that leaving Kurt and Blaine alone while Sebastian was still out there was a very bad idea.

"You're all ok," Blaine gasped.

"Can't get rid of us that easy," Santana said through gritted teeth. She was in pain but was determined not to show it.

Brittany looked around, "Where's Kurt?"

"I-I..." his words died. Brittany's eyes widened.

"Over there!" Quinn yelled. Kurt was lying a short distance away. Blaine ran over and knelt beside him. He gently shook his shoulder,

"Kurt...you can wake up. Sebastian's dead," Blaine said. There was no response, "You hear that? We won."

Below a layer of dirt and ash the prince's skin was a gaunt, pale grey color and he wasn't breathing. He was lying still as the grave. Blaine placed his ear on Kurt's chest but couldn't hear or feel a heartbeat. Not one sign of life. No...Blaine wouldn't allow himself to believe that Kurt was...not now.

"You can't die on me now," he said, "Not after everything we've been through."

There was still no reaction. Blaine lifted Kurt up by the shoulders and held him against his chest. It was a dead weight - Kurt felt limp and lifeless in his arms. Tears rolled down Blaine's cheeks and he didn't bother to wipe them away,

"Please..." his words stuck in his throat, "I can't lose you."

He kissed him desperately - his mouth, his cheek, his head - but deep down he knew it would be no good; this wasn't the effects of a curse and true love's kiss wouldn't work this time. Hopelessness set in like a lead weight in his chest. He held him close, sobbing into his shoulder,

"No, you can't be dead," he pleaded, "You just can't be."

Brittany turned away and buried her head in Santana's neck, who hid her own face in Brittany's hair. Quinn's eyes were glistening. It had been for nothing. All of it had been for nothing. What were they going to tell the kingdom?

Then Blaine heard a weak moan in his ear.

"Kurt?" he said, hardly daring to believe it. He raised his head and sure enough, Kurt was stirring in his arms. He almost started crying again - this time from joy. Kurt coughed throatily and his eyes half-opened. He was tired and weak but he was alive. That was all that mattered.

"Did we win?" he mumbled.

"Yes, we won," Blaine words caught in his throat, "We beat him."

Kurt smiled tiredly, "Good."

Quinn's face split into a disbelieving grin, "He's alive!" she declared, tugging on Santana's arm to get her to look, "Kurt's alive!"

Blaine stood up and helped Kurt to his feet. Kurt hugged Brittany and then Quinn. Santana hung back, scowling.

"And so are you three," he said as they let him go, "I thought...Sebastian said..."

"You really think a scumbag like Sebastian would get the better of us?" Santana said.

"I'm so sorry about all the trouble I've caused," he replied. He looked on the verge of tears. He gazed at his three guardians - no, his three friends. He would never take them for granted again.

"So you should be," Santana snapped aggressively in reply. Her mouth quirked upwards and she held out her arms, "Well, are you going to hug me or not, Princess?"

Kurt laughed and embraced the woman. Santana's voice was thick as she said,

"Don't you dare scare me like that again."

When they broke apart, Kurt's gaze fell to Blaine. The three women exchanged meaningful looks, knowing they required a private moment.

"Well, we're going over there-" Quinn pointed behind her in a random direction. They left Kurt and Blaine alone. Despite everything that they had been through together, suddenly it was like they were back in the village when they had just met with the exception of all the dirt and gore. Blaine even scratched the back of his neck as he had done earlier that day,

"You know, I don't think I properly introduced himself," he said and held out his hand, "My name's Blaine."

Kurt giggled. He held out his own hand but it was covered in Sebastian's blood. He wrinkled his nose and quickly wiped it on the only clean part of his outfit he could find before shaking Blaine's hand,"...Kurt."

"So...you're a prince, then?"

"Yeah...I guess I am," he shifted his weight to one side, "I could ask you the same question."

"I guess I am too."

For a moment they stood there awkwardly and the next both had thrown themselves forward, wrapped around each other in a loving kiss. When their lips parted, they stayed attached. Their foreheads rested together.

"Would it be too soon to say "I love you"?" Blaine said.

"I think after everything we've been through, it would be acceptable."

Blaine's expression turned serious, "You know this means you won't be able to take the throne."

The laws of the land dictated that a prince marry a woman of noble-blood otherwise they forfeit the crown. It was an old-fashioned law. Luckily, Kurt had no ambitions to be king. He had been almost completely isolated for his whole life - he didn't want to spend all his life cooped up in a palace.

"I honestly couldn't care less. I would happily give up every luxury. Well..." he wrinkled his nose, "Maybe not every luxury. I wouldn't cope without at least one pair of suede boots."

Blaine chortled, "Of course."

"Hem-hem we're on a schedule," Santana interrupted.

"Okay, okay. We'll be right there," Kurt called back. He sighed, "We better go."

"But first..." Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes and said the words he had never been surer of in his twenty years of life, "I love you."

Kurt blushed, "I love you too."

Burt Hummel had had enough of pacing. He had been waiting to see his son for eighteen years. The civilians had started to rouse as soon as the spell had been broken and he had been the first to wake up. He had known right away that it had been the work of magic but the question was...whose? Where was Kurt? More terrifyingly...had the curse been fulfilled?

The chamber door opened a crack and there was a collective intake of breath but, to everyone's great disappointment, it was the servant he had sent to summon his son. The servant was hassled looking and disheveled.

"Well?" Burt said impatiently. The servant wrung his hands,

"I...well...I went up there and knocked the door and one of them said he was in the restroom but...well-" he gestured wildly, "...then they opened the door and then I fell asleep and when I woke up they were...they were..."

He was saved having to admit they had been gone when the doors opened once more.

"Sorry we're late," Quinn said, "You wouldn't believe the day we had."

Shocked gasps run through the room. The fae were leading, Quinn holding in her hand the remains of Sebastian's sceptre. They all looked like they had been fighting in a war; they were cut, bruised and covered in blood. However, they were smiling from ear to ear. Behind them, hands interlocked walked Prince Blaine of Dalton and a handsome young man who was undeniably Prince Kurt. Burt ran forward.

"What the...? What happened? Did the curse...?"

"Yes," Quinn said, bowing her head "But thankfully, it was broken. Sebastian Smythe is dead," she handed him the sceptre; "This is all that remains of him."

There was an outburst of shocked conversation at this pronouncement which Burt silenced instantly with a wave of his hand.

"How?" he whispered.

"You have Kurt and Blaine to thank for that," Brittany said. On these words, Burt seemed to remember the reason he had been waiting for so long. He wordlessly handed Quinn back the sceptre. The fae stood aside. Kurt untangled his hand from Blaine's and stepped forward. He bowed,

"My king," he said. Burt took in every aspect of the boy's features disbelievingly. There was no trick. He was finally here.

"You should never bow to me," he replied, voice thick. Kurt glanced up.

Burt smiled, "You look just like your mother."

"Thank you."

Burt then turned his attention to Blaine.

"So you were the one that broke the curse?" he said, eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Yes," Blaine jerked his head. To his surprise, Burt hugged him tightly,

"Then I owe you my thanks."

Blaine shook his head, "I appreciate your thanks but I did nothing. If it wasn't for Brittany, Quinn and Santana I would still be a prisoner in Sebastian's castle. If anyone deserves your thanks, it's them."

Burt approached the three women.

"You've protected him for eighteen years. If it wasn't for you my son would be dead and Sebastian would have overthrown the kingdom for sure," he said, "I am eternally in your debt."

He sank down in a deep, gracious bow. Quinn took a sharp intake of breath and Brittany squeaked in surprise. Kurt beamed at them then he and Blaine bowed as well. Before long everyone in the hall were bowing. Santana sniffed in a way that might have been trying to disguise a sudden desire to cry. Quinn glanced sideways at her,

"Are you alright?"

She fanned her hands in front of her face, "I'm okay, I'm okay..."

Burt's gaze was back on Kurt, "You understand what this means for you?" he said. Kurt nodded,

"I know I can't be king. With all due respect, I don't want to be. I would rather live my life with Blaine that rule a kingdom without him."

Burt smiled and nodded, "You'll always be my son no matter what you choose. I'm so proud of you. Welcome home"

He stepped forward and embraced his son. Both were misty eyed when they broke apart. Burt turned to the waiting nobles.

"I want a great feast prepared!" he proclaimed, "It is a great day for all the kingdoms in the realm, not just our own. This will be a celebration of these heroes that stand before me and most importantly, a celebration of love!"

King William of Dalton sidled up to Burt's side.

"But Burt," he hissed, not quietly enough not to go overheard, "What about our treaty? The law..."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged worried looks. Burt was still king and if he said so, he could make it that they would never see each other again. However, he was not a cruel man. Burt Hummel hadn't anticipated that his son would be gay but he had to admit that Kurt and the prince of Dalton made a fine couple. The way they looked at each other was the way that Burt and his first wife would look at each other and it didn't take a genius to know what true love looked like. He didn't need Kurt to be on the throne to be proud of his son. All he wanted was his happiness and forcing him into marriage wasn't the way.

"It's true love," he said fondly. He raised his hands against William's stuttering protests, "And who are we to stand in the way of that?"

Kurt's eyes scanned over the crowd until he made eye-contact with Finn – not that it was hard to miss him, being the tallest present. He sent him a meaningful look. Finn stared blankly back. Kurt tilted his head towards Rachel then to Burt. Finn blinked slowly. Kurt rolled his eyes. This was going to be harder than he thought. He cleared his throat,

"If there's anyone who wants to say anything about a certain someone, now would be a good time."

The cryptic response was met by a number of confused looks. His step-brother wasn't getting it - Quinn wasn't lying about him being dimwitted. Kurt gestured in Rachel's general direction,

"You know..." he said, "While we're on the subject of true love."

"Oh!" Finn started, "Yeah!"

He stepped forward, "Um...Bur-I mean, your majesty?" he said, "I've got something to say."

Kurt sighed in relief. He was glad Finn finally got it.

"We're all ears," Burt said. Finn walked across the room and took Rachel's hand.

"What are you doing?" she whispered as he tugged her towards Burt and William.

"I'm in love with Rachel," Finn rushed out, "Have been for years. I didn't want her to marry Kurt and that's why I've been in such a pissy-" Burt's eyes narrowed at the profanity, "-I mean, bad mood lately. And I think...I hope she loves me too," he looked at Rachel who smiled back. She took his hand, eyes bright,

"I do," she said.

"Rachel," King William said sternly, "Is this true?"

"Yes..." Rachel said. She bowed her head respectfully.

"So you're in love with this lovely young lady?" Burt said, scowling at Finn. Despite the height difference Finn suddenly seemed so much younger as he faltered under Burt's intense gaze. He nodded,

"Yeah, I am. With all my heart," he replied. Burt looked at King William, who gave a curt nod. Burt's face relaxed and he grinned,

"Well we might still have a wedding after all," Burt said. Rachel gasped and Finn's jaw dropped,

"What, really?!" he said.

"If you think you're up to responsibility of ruling the kingdom."

"Oh...I am. I really am. You can count on me.." Finn babbled excitedly. Rachel turned to her father,

"Really, daddy?" she whispered. William nodded,

"Burt said it himself, who are we to stand in the way of true love? If this is what you want then you have my blessing."

Rachel squealed with joy and leapt into Finn's arms. Finn caught Kurt's eye over Rachel's shoulder and mouthed "Thank you, man!" at him. It was a huge difference to the hostility of their first meeting.

Burt turned to the waiting crowd,

"Well, what are we all just standing here for? We're supposed to be celebrating!"

Within the next half hour the floor had been cleared and the court musicians were playing a joyful tune. The sceptre had been discarded to be forgotten about - nobody needed reminded of who and what Sebastian was.

Kurt's clothes had got a much-needed repair and he was now dancing with his three guardians who had since received high royal honors; they were now Lady Santana, Lady Brittany, and Lady Quinn. He couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more. Santana had commented it was about time they got recognition. Blaine had disappeared about half an hour earlier to clean up. Finn approached them,

"Hey man, can I have a private word?" he said. He looked nervous.

"Um...sure," Kurt followed the taller man to the side of the room, wondering what this could be about. Finn turned to look at him,

"I guess I owe you an apology for being an ass when we first met."

"Oh..." he replied, a little surprised. He opened his mouth to say he accepted the apology but Finn babbled over him,

"Because, I mean I was a real prick even though you were being nice but I thought you were going to marry Rachel and be king and I was like who is this fa-"

Kurt held up his hand to silence him before Finn stuck his foot in it, "Don't worry about it. I understand why you were upset. Apology accepted."

He went to shake Finn's hand but Finn shook his head, "Gimme a hug, brother."

Kurt beamed and hugged the other man. He only came up to his chest which wasn't the most comfortable place to be squashed against but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Finn left to find Rachel, leaving Kurt alone.

The band struck up a new song. This one was slower and more romantic. It was the song that Kurt and Blaine had sung together when they had first met.

Kurt felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and Blaine was standing there. He had cleaned up and looked so handsome it took Kurt's breath away. He held out his hand,

"May I have this dance?" he said. Kurt's heart leapt into his throat. Would Blaine always have this effect on him? He nodded,

"Yes. You may."

The crowd parted as they took centre floor. As they danced the world around them seemed to fade into the distance. All that mattered was that they were there together. They had done it. They had beaten Sebastian and showed that true love indeed conquered all. And they were ready for their happily ever after.

The End