#soaaf fic

I'm going to leave this up because the fic is here, and there's a lot of fic related stuff, and when/if I do come back to soaaf, I'll announce it here.

I love all of you, and I'm sorry that I have not yet been able to see this fic through to the end. It's just... not coming to me, and I have a lot of mixed feelings about how I have handled different issues and characters within the fic when I read over it. So it's entirely possible that in a few months I'll be back and able to present you with a streamlined, working fic that is more than just a spattering of indulgent porn that somehow worked itself into a plot. We'll see.

Lizzy - The eldest. She looks a lot like Blaine; short of stature, built a bit stockier than most of her siblings, with short & dark curly hair as  well as skin that tans rather beautifully. She does have Kurt’s eyes, though. She’s a bit of a firecracker, rather bossy, and has a tendency to make snap decisions based on whims, rather than logic. She’s very much the ‘listen to your heart’ sort of girl. She and Kysh have always been closest of the siblings, although when they were younger they both spent a lot of time with Jeff and Nick’s twins, and the elder three’s favorite game was ‘ditch the stick in the mud’- the stick in the mud being Kysh. She’s a penchant for drama and a love for surprising people.

Kysh - Not actually all that much of a stick in the mud. To little Lizzy, Rowan, and Thea the term ‘stick in the mud’ could apply to pretty much anyone who was sane. Kysh is two years younger than Lizzy and the sensible, subdued sort. He’s not very romantic (at all- really) or dramatic. He’s got Kurt’s build, but Blaine’s hair and eyes. He also has Kurt’s complexion, ie: while Lizzy goes all lovely and glow-y when she’s been out in the sun, Kysh either burns spectacularly or sprouts a multitude of freckles. He’s not very quick to anger, but has a sharp wit and a lingering bitterness about being called a stick in the mud. He’s also a natural leader and extremely compassionate, and likes history and traditions. Squires for Sebastian.

Nessa - Also built more like Kurt, and looks probably the most like him of any of the kiddies; tall, slender, light brown hair (although it is curly in that loose, stretched out curls sort of way), a pale complexion and Kurt’s eyes. She’s an elegant sort of beauty who, like Kysh, does not have any particular interest in matters of the heart. She’s promised to Tau and while she enjoys his company she thinks of him more as a brother than a lover. By the time she’s sixteen she’ll be an adept sorceress, although one of average power (except when someone’s angered her; in that case she gets rather scary, but it probably has more to do with the way her magic makes her look at those times then the actual amount of power expended- Like an illusion sort of thing). More interested in scholarly pursuits than Lizzy and Kysh. (Lizzy enjoys a good fight, and one day wants to be remembered as a warrior queen, while Kysh aspires to knighthood to protect the less powerful and help those in need.)

Eli - Is, in fact, a stick in the mud. Very scholarly. Not my favorite of Kurt and Blaine’s children. Also looks more like Kurt, and is the only of their children to not have curly hair (although it is dark). He’s not unkind, but he doesn’t make much effort to understand other people’s points of view and can be easily exasperated. He also has a penchant for believing that he is more clever than most everyone else, not unlike Kysh, and while he is intelligent, he’s not so smart as he’d like to think (unlike Kysh). Eventually marries the heir to the throne of Fabré.

Liam - A miniature Blaine in looks. Big curly hair, big hazel eyes, and basically all of the adorableness. Likes playing in mud and is absolutely best friends with Maven, Jeff and Nick’s youngest. He’s a little bit insane, and probably has the most in common with Lizzy (of all the children), but lacks her hot temper. Eventually he’ll follow in Kysh’s footsteps (along with Maven) and train to become a knight.

-

Annddd I dunno if you care about the other children, but I have them in my brain, so I’ll spit ‘em out anyway.

Rowan - One of Jeff and Nick’s twins. He’s tall, broad shouldered and rather ruggedly handsome. Is the only of Jeff and Nick’s children to have Nick’s dark hair and keeps it a bit long and shaggy. Also has a crooked nose from a break that was healed badly by a friend studying healing while at the university.. He and his twin sister, Thea, were both very good friends with Lizzy as children. They spent a great amount of time getting up to mischief and doing all sorts of things they weren’t supposed to, while Kysh stood by and worried about getting into trouble. Along with Thea is one of the most powerful magic users to be born in the last century, at least. Enjoys learning and tends to regard warrior types as buffoons, even if he knows there are plenty of them that aren’t. He and Thea both went off to study magic at the age of ten, breezed through (while simultaneously raising hell), and achieved a ‘master’ status two years earlier than most, at 16. After that they both left for the Tribelands to train magic users there and do good, ect. He’s the progressive type that regards many traditions are archaic and thinks chivalry is a stupid, impossible ideal. He’s also very flirty. Has a soft spot a mile wide for children and animals.

Thea - Tall, broad shouldered, with short light blond hair. Probably had a bit of a crush on Lizzy when they were children, but it was never serious and she quickly grew out of it. She and Rowan share many traits; mischievous, clever, flirty. She has more of a reverence for traditions that he does, though, and tends to be more tolerant of those less intelligent than herself than he is. She also doesn’t share his views on warrior-types. As talented and powerful in magic as her brother. They have never been truly apart in all of their lives. Loves animals but is less inclined toward children, for the most part. is a general badass.

Maven - Super blond, super crazy. Basically all of Jeff and Nick’s kiddies like to get into trouble. Best friends with Liam. Has a serious sweet tooth. Like Liam he is essentially a tiny ball of adorableness, weirdness, and sunshine. Will eventually train for knighthood with Liam (much to Rowan’s exasperation).

Tau - Asta’s green eyes and a coloring closer to that of his father. Basically my baby child, I love this kid (I love pretty much all of them, though, really. They are all my favorites). Raised by Asta on the Plain, where he faced a lot of hardships because of his parentage. He has a complicated relationship with the idea of his father- a respect for a man he knows was a great warrior and a good person, and a lingering resentment for the father whom he never knew,  and whose parentage he has always been mocked for.  But his relationship with his mother is very close and very open. He’s a skilled warrior, a passionate person, a lays great value in the idea of honor, and conducting himself in an honorable way. His best friend is a sorcerer girl his own age called Osha, a Tribelands native.

…. I should stop now. Otherwise I’ll end up going into, like, a billion others and I really shouldn’t. Basically these are the main ones. Osha’s fairly important as well, but she’s not as fleshed out as the rest of them.

The spotted hyenas stir a memory in Kurt, when one of them emerges from the shade of the tree. It is similar to a dog; with round ears and huge, muscled shoulders, but smaller hindquarters with a short, brush-like tail. He does not like it. It feels wrong and terrifying and he cannot place why.

"Santana," Kysh says, and that makes Kurt's head jerk from the hyenas back to the woman. Santana. Kysh's younger sister. She is gorgeous; dark and sultry.

And she sets Kurt on edge.

Santana stays long enough to be introduced to them, and, on the surface, seems generally disinterested. She is a beautiful woman, no doubt; all smooth, tan skin, lean muscle, and sultry, snake-like appeal. The way her gaze hovers on Kurt makes him uncomfortable. There is something calculating behind her dark eyes. Once she has gone he leans into Blaine's side and shudders. Blaine wraps an arm around his waist and kisses his shoulder. It is a small comfort, but the gesture is kind.

He finds that he is not much in the mood for conversation the rest of the day; something about Santana and the hyenas weighs in his mind. He feels like a child, scared of the unknown monster under his bed. He does not join the rest for dinner, but insists that Blaine does- instead he eats quietly in his and Blaine's chambers, with Noah, Tina, and Michael, silent at his sides.

"Whatever is bothering you, highness," Tina says, "You know you can speak with us about it. Any of us."

Kurt offers her a smile, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "I know. The trouble is, I haven't a clue what is bothering me. Besides the obvious. I have a bad feeling in my gut. I like it here- it's a beautiful city and our hosts are gracious, but I do not think my mind will be at ease until I am home."

Tina squeezes his hand back with her smaller one, and he realizes that her hands feel like his once did. Callused- despite his best efforts to keep them soft. His hands still have calluses- just different ones now. They used to come from sewing and pouring molds in his father's forge. His new ones come from writing, from holding a practice sword and from catching falls in self defense lessons from Michael. They're in different places and mean difference things. It makes Kurt think back to the boy who only went to a ball to appease his father, who didn't love Blaine so much his heart ached from it, who didn't know anything about his own body and had seen nothing further than the port of Westerville.

"I think I need to lie down," He says softly, smiling at Tina and waving her off when she gets up to help him. "I'm just a little sleepy- don't fret over me."

In truth, he just wants to be alone for a bit. "Goodnight to all of you. Let Blaine know that everything is fine, when he comes in. Won't you? He's such a worrier."

He washes briefly in a tub of water Tina had filled while he was eating his supper and pulls on one of Blaine's nightshirts. It smells of him and fills Kurt with a sense of comfort. He curls up in the center of the bed, and finds himself uneasy despite Blaine's shirt and his face pressed into the pillow his husband had used the night before.

Every time he tries to close he eyes, he sees the hyenas. So he focuses his mind on thinking of happier things. He thinks of home, of how excited his father will be when they tell him of the baby, of how excited Blaine's parents will be, about the way Blaine looks playing with Tau, about anything that makes him smile. And though it does not completely do away with his unease, he slowly drifts out of consciousness.

Kurt’s dreams are always strange. But there is something increasingly peculiar about this one. The air around him is cool and moist, dark except for the glowing water of a shallow pool further back into the cave. The rock is cold and so black that it gleams a thousand different colors like a raven’s feathers; green and blue and purple shimmer across its sleek surface as Kurt pads, barefooted, towards the pool.

As her gets closer to the water, his Goddess’ Mark begins to warm, spreading across the arch of his foot and up his calf. It isn’t unpleasant- quite the opposite. It is comforting, almost. By the time he reaches the edge of the water, the warmth is radiating out from the underside of his foot to the rock below him, each step he takes send fresh shimmers of multicolored across the black stone, strange and ethereal. When he can finally see into the softly glowing water, it is empty clear down to bottom, which is covered with powdery white sand,, except for a fish, long in body with graceful, flowing fins and black scales not unlike the stone of the cavern, except for a bright, silver circle on its back.

It swims in lazy circles, takes no notice of Kurt’s watchful gaze. On an impulse, Kurt sits beside the pool and dips his bare feet into the water. He does not notice until his bottom rests on the ground that he is entirely naked. Against the iridescent stone, his skin practically glows. As soon as his Goddess’ Mark touches the surface of the water, the light coming from it becomes nearly blinding; Kurt has to look away from the brightness of it. When the glow dies down, and he is able to look again, a naked woman is standing in the water, rather than the fish, and his Mark is throbbing, the silver patch of skin on the underside of his foot glowing with each pulse of heat.

Kurt looks up at her, and feels... terrified, although he probably shouldn’t. He knows exactly who she is. She has skin the color of coffee tempered with cream, smooth and flawless, and her hair is black as the stone, black as raven’s feathers, wild with curls and threaded with flowers and braids. Her beautiful face is a mix of sweet, terrible, and wise that no statue or figure he has ever seen truly captures, and her pupil and iris-less eyes glow silver in the dark. She says nothing to him, just watches him for a long, long time.

“You were a fish,” Kurt says, finally, “Not to be disrespectful, just…”

“I have many forms, beyond the three your people recognize,” She says, and her voice, soft and huge, sounds inside of his head. “I am the moon- all people know me under different names.”

“So you are one of Blaine’s koi, too. Isamu.”

“That is my name among his grandmother’s people, yes. And among other peoples, far to the north and the south, I have other names and forms. It makes no difference.”

“I suppose not,” Kurt admits, still staring at her with wonderment. “But I don’t understand. Why are you here? Why now?”

“You are good,” She tells him, and her full, youthful-yet-ageless mouth curves into a benevolent, fond smile. “And you are loyal to me. You are among my favorite mortals of this time. And you are frightened. Do not be. You, your husband, and your unborn will leave this land safely. No harm will befall you here. Let that ease your mind.”

“I was frightened when my mother passed. I was frightened the night of my vigil- I was frightened on my wedding night. You have never come to me in my fear before.” Kurt feels the need to point out, although he thinks he may sound like a petulant child.

“I am always with you in your times of trouble, little love,” He decides not to point out that he is actually taller than her current form. It doesn’t seem wise to poke at the pride of a god. “Although you may not know or feel it."

Kurt does not think he should argue with her, point out that what good is it for her to be with him if she doesn't bring him any comfort. "So are you making yourself known to me now because I'm a prince?"

She laughs. Kurt isn't sure if it's a good sound or not. "From the moment of your  birth, Kurt Hummel, you were a prince. Your mother knew it- some around you suspected. There is not a path you could have taken in your life that would not have lead you to Blaine Anderson, or Blaine Anderson to you." Something about that makes him feel warm inside- knowing that he and Blaine were meant to be together. Some part of him is also glad to know that if they  hadn't met at Blaine's ball, Blaine wouldn't have picked someone else. Blaine would have waited for him without knowing who he was waiting for. "And do you really believe that royal mortals hold more importance to the gods than the common? All mortals are just that- mortal. Whether royal or not, your lives pass like that of a fruit fly to us. A common mortal can make just as much of a change in your world as a noble one, although they may have to work harder at it."

"I suppose I don't understand you," Kurt says, softly, "But- I suppose I'm not supposed to, am I? Understanding you would make you seem less like a god."

She pats his shoulder, leans over him and presses her lips to his forehead. The touch burns through his entire body, his mark flares, and she begins to glow. It is only a soft light at first but it increases in brightness until he cannot looks at her, must close his eyes. "Just know that your husband and child are safe and will remain so."

When Kurt opens his eyes again he is in his bed, warm, with Blaine's arm wrapped around his waist and the mark on his foot throbbing. His heart is thumping in his chest. He does not think it was just a dream. Blaine must sense his unease, because he stirs, arm tightening around Kurt. "Sweetling?" He mumbles, lifting his head from his pillow with great effort.

"I-" Kurt isn't quite sure what to say. There's no way to explain the dream and not sound like some sort of madman. The only people who speak with gods in their dreams are madmen, the heroes of old, and the great priests and priestesses. Kurt is not the latter two, and he desperately hopes that he is not the former. "Just a dream."

"You seem to be having a lot of strange dreams," Blaine replies, sounding a bit more awake, smoothing one hand over Kurt's chest. "Darling, your heart is racing."

"Must be the baby's fault," Kurt says, and tries to sound unconcerned and amused, taking Blaine hand in his and holding it to his mouth for a kiss.

Blaine's brow furrows, and he presses close. He is not so easy to lie to- perhaps because Kurt has so seldom tried. "What is wrong, Kurt?" He asks, cupping Kurt's cheek in one hand and settling the other of Kurt's heart. "We are always honest with one another, aren't we? You can trust me."

 Kurt knows that. He does trust Blaine. With everything in him, he trusts Blaine. He inhales deeply and says: "It was- the Mother. In my dream she- spoke with me."

It is hard to see Blaine in the darkness of the room, but Kurt can feel his eyes. His thumb keeps stroking soothingly at Kurt's cheek, but he remains silent for some time. "Did she- is something wrong? When gods speak with mortals..."

"It never bodes well," Kurt finishes for him, and turns his face to kiss Blaine's palm. "I'm not sure, honestly. She was very... it seemed almost like a social visit? She said that everything would be fine- that we would all be safe. And that we were always meant to be together."

Blaine leans in and kisses him; a little off center at first, but he quickly corrects the path of his mouth, molding his lips against Kurt's. "I could have told you that, silly," he says, once he has pulled away, and Kurt can hear the smile on his voice. "It does seem odd, though."

"Maybe people never talk about gods speaking with them about anything other than bad things because it makes them seem mad?" Kurt suggests, "Or because it makes the gods seem frivolous?"

"Maybe," Blaine agrees, and he seems content enough with the answer. "What was she like?"

Kurt has to think about it for a moment, unsure. "She was... a god. I don't know if I could explain her like a normal person. She was- one of the koi. Isamu- the moon. At first. She was the koi, swimming in circles in a pool of glowing water, and then she changed, into the Maiden. And she was young and ancient... The statues in the temples don't really capture her- they're accurate technically, I suppose, but they can't really... show everything."

Blaine has rested his chin on Kurt's chest. Kurt imagines that he probably has a thoughtful look on his face. "I suppose stone is an ill substitute of the real thing."

Kurt combs his fingers through Blaine's curls fondly and hums his agreement. Talking with Blaine has soothed his nerves, somewhat. It feels nice. "I didn't like the hyenas," he confesses quietly, "I think I've dreamt of them before- but I don't know how, because before today I'd never seen one. They frighten me."

For several moments, Blaine is silent, thinking again. "They're only animals. And perhaps you'd seen them in a book at some point and simply can't remember."

"Perhaps," Kurt admits, although he doesn't think it likely. He'd remember creatures like that. "I just... can't shake this feeling of unease I have."

"It's alright, my love," Blaine tells him softly. "You're just nervous. The goddess said everything would turn out alright, didn't she?"

She hadn't, exactly. She'd said that they would be safe, Kurt, Blaine, and their child. She hadn't said that everything would be alright. "I suppose you're right. I just want to go home, I think. I adore Kysh, Asta, and Tau, and it's a beautiful place, but... I want to go home."

"The blessing is tomorrow," Blaine soothes, pushing himself up the bed and lay a reassuring kiss against Kurt's mouth. "I will do my duty as Tau's godsfather, and we will begin our return to Dalton the next day. All will be well."

Kurt wants to believe him, so he does. He pushes the worries from his mind, and allows Blaine to keep kissing him, wraps his arms around his husband and lets his kisses and whispered affections soothe him to sleep.

He wakes up, as he fell asleep, to a kiss from Blaine. It's a nice way to wake.

"Come on, my dear!" His husband nuzzles against his throat, sounding excited, "Come on- let's have a bath together and get ready for the ceremony!"

Kurt grumbles and turns over in bed to try and escape Blaine's urging, but is eventually convinced to get up. He supposes that he should be worried about getting ready as well, although the thought of his stuffy Daltonian formalwear seems positively unappealing, when he recalls the heat of midday in Kirish. "I washed last night," he  complains, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

Blaine has already had a bath drawn for them, in the huge stone basin set in the floor of their dressing room. The water is warm, but not steaming. "But I want to completely worship you," Blaine tells him, flirtatiously fluttering his eyelashes. "What better a place to do it than a bath?"

"You're incorrigible," Kurt tells him with no uncertainty, but giggle when Blaine helps him into the tub and immediately begins to trail kisses along the line of his neck.

Blaine's hands settle onto his hips, his thumbs rubbing in small circles. "No, I'm happy, in love, and have the most absolutely wonderful, beautiful, kind person in the world as a husband. I can't be blamed for my insatiability."

Really, Blaine is adorable, and Kurt loves every inch of him. From his slightly-frizzy morning hair to the soles of his feet. He cups Blaine's face and kisses his mouth softly. Blaine has the most amazing mouth- plush lips that smile easily and kiss Kurt into near incoherency. "Tell me more about this husband of yours. He sounds like quite the catch," Kurt teases, hands slipping from Blaine's face down to his shoulders, and then his chest, trailing his fingertips teasingly around the flat of Blaine's nipples.

Blaine makes a surprised sound at the touch, standing on his tip-toes and arching into it. "I... he's- yeah, he's amazing. Smart, and so kind that beside him I feel like an immoral buffoon."

"Oh?" Kurt asks, and let's his hands skim down further, tracing the definition of Blaine's abdominal muscles.

"Yes," Blaine says, and presses forward to kiss Kurt's mouth hard. Kurt laughs into the kiss, finally wrapping his fingers around Blaine's erection and giving it a teasing tug. Blaine moans against him, ruts forward into his hold, hands tightening slightly on Kurt's hips. "You are the most terrible tease." He accuses.

Giving Blaine another squeeze, Kurt presses their foreheads together, smiling. "You love me."

"I do," Blaine agrees without hesitation, kissing him again and pulling him deeper into the water, so that it laps around their shoulders, when it had only reached their thighs. Kurt shudders against him, releasing Blaine's manhood to grip his shoulders and press close to him; the movement traps it between their bellies and causes Blaine to rock into him again.

"We need a bath like this," Kurt says, his cheeks flushed, "So that we can just... float and-" One of Blaine's hands slips between their bodies to rub along the swollen lips between Kurt's legs, making him moan and his hips jerk. "Yeah. That."

"You want to?" Blaine asks, finger pressing into Kurt pointedly. When Kurt looks at his face, he is struck through with lust. Blaine's lips are swollen with kisses, his cheeks flushed, and his curls somewhat damp on the ends. He nods hurriedly, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and allowing his husband to take his weight; lifting him and loops Kurt's legs around his own waist. It takes but a few moments for Blaine to line himself up, the tip of his manhood teasing against Kurt's opening before he begins to slowly press in.

Kurt moans; pressing his face against Blaine's jaw as he's filled up. It's hard to remember a time when Blaine's cock pressing into his body didn't feel good- didn't make him want to shudder and moan, and do nothing but join like this all of the time. Blaine's hands grip his ass firmly, holding him up and pulling him down until they're flush together and Blaine's pelvis is grinding against Kurt, sending jolts of white hot pleasure through him. They're never tried it like this- standing up. Kurt isn't sure that they've ever done it this way not in a bed- but he likes it. He likes it a lot. He likes the way Blaine's arms feel, and the way they're pressed impossibly close out of necessity. By the low groan Blaine lets out, Kurt thinks he likes it too.

The few kisses they share consist mostly of Kurt mouthing desperately at the corner of Blaine's mouth while Blaine's hips grind up into him, and it's so good Kurt thinks he might shatter apart, trembling and feeling like his skin is too tight. Blaine presses him against the wall of the tub, using it to help support Kurt's body while his thrusts pick up speed and force, and while it's not the most comfortable situation, Kurt finds himself clinging to him tighter, his pleasure building and buzzing through his entire body until he's crying out against Blaine's neck and shaking with the force of his release. Blaine keep making aborted sounds of pleasure into his hair, thrusting desperately and sloshing water up around their bodies several more times before he reaches his finish, buried deep in Kurt's body and groaning out his name.

Kurt strokes his husband's hair while the man shudders through aftershocks, body curling over Kurt's. "Gods- that was..." Blaine finally manages, drawing out of Kurt but still holding him close.

"It was," Kurt agrees, feeling a bit wobbly in the knees and grateful for Blaine's arms holding him up in the water. "We should definitely have a tub like this built."

"You won't hear me complaining," Blaine answers with a chuckle, nuzzling against Kurt's cheek. "We have them at the summer castle- although I've never had the opportunity to use them quite like that and I haven't been in years."

"Yes, but I want one in our room at home," Kurt pouts playfully, releasing Blaine's neck so that he might float atop the water. "I want to have baths like that every night."

Blaine laughs, swimming after him and pressing kisses to his chest and belly. "We'll see if it's possible as soon as we get back."

The rest of the bath is incredibly boring- they wash each other and dry off with fluffy towels.

"I have to meet Kysh and the priests to go over all the details of the ceremony," Blaine says as he fixes a length of red fabric around his hips. It looks lovely against his skin.  He fastens gold cuffs onto each of his wrists and turns to Kurt, "I will see you again before?"

Kurt is still naked, but he doesn't feel so shy about it when Blaine looks at him like he's hung the moon, sun, and stars in the sky. "Of course," He assures him, placing his hands on Blaine's chest and leaning forward to press a quick peck to his mouth. "As soon as everyone is ready we'll make out way to the temple."

Blaine nods, kisses him once more, and lets his own hands linger on Kurt's hips, before tracing his fingertips over Kurt's belly. "Until then, my love." He says, and Kurt watches him leave with a smile.

Once he is confident Blaine has left, he pulls on a short, silk robe, ties it around his waist, and calls for Tina. Normally he doesn't ask her to help him dress, but he thinks maybe he's going to make a last minute change in his outfit.

"Are you sure about this?" Tina asks, after they've spent forty-five minutes arranging and rearranging sheer fabric just-so, belted at his waist.

Observing himself in the tall looking glass propped up against a wall, Kurt nods, smoothes his hands over his stomach. "The healer said I should be careful not to over-heat. I don't know about you, but I think over-heating would be unavoidable in those," he gestures at the Daltonian clothing laid out on his and Blaine's bed.

"You're probably right," Tina agrees, sliding a gold cuff over the shell of his ear, and several golden bracelets onto one wrist. "And you are a sight. Blaine won't know what to do with himself."

Kurt smiles, plucking at the dark blue fabric and standing up a bit straighter. "Well, I do like to keep him on his toes."

It's not so revealing, as Kirishi fashion goes; nowhere close to what Blaine left their chambers in. But for Kurt-- for most Daltonians-- it's positively bold; sheer, dark blue fabrics fastened with golden clasps at each shoulder, but baring his arms, and a neckline that dips low, leaving visible the entirety of his neck and collarbones. The sides hang open, revealing the pale sides of his rib cage, but are cinched at his waist with a belt of golden medallions not unlike Blaine's. The back as well, is open, leaving his skin there completely exposed until the belt, where the fabric resumes and covers his buttocks and the backs of his thighs. The garment ends entirely just over the tops of his kneecaps. He is surprised that he doesn't feel the need to hide himself, as he thought he might. He feels... fierce, and emboldened with himself. And not at all embarrassed.

"Perhaps I should consider getting one of those ear piercings the men here are so fond of before we leave," Kurt muses, pinching the lode of his ear between his thumb and forefinger thoughtfully. "It might look nice, don't you think?"

Tina laughs, and hugs him lightly, "I'll happily have mine done with you, I think they're marvelous."

Kurt nods, smiling back at her and returning the hug. "I suppose we should join the men out there- we'll need to leave for the ceremony any moment now."

She nods, helps him tie the leather sandals, and they exit the bedroom together, arms linked.

"Not you too," Wes groans, when he sees him. "Blaine's corrupted you."

"Blaine has no idea," Kurt says, and feels a little wicked about the pleased smile that creeps over his face. "Besides- it's good for the baby. I'd overheat in my Daltonion clothes."

"I think you look positively fetching, Kurt," Nick says, and he and Jeff look just as wickedly pleased with him as Kurt feels, "You'll be the talk of the empire- well. More of the talk of the empire."

Wes just huffs, and rolls his eyes towards the ceiling in a long-suffering sort of way. It makes Kurt laugh.

Servants and guards come, along with one of Kysh's sweeter, legitimate, half-siblings; a girl Kurt cannot recall the name of. The temples are but a short walk from the palace, sandstone structures with sharp edges and strange gods mixed in with some familiar ones. The Temple of the Sun, though, is where the blessing is to take place. The other temples are arranged in a wide circle, and the needle-like structure stands in the middle of them, atop a sandstone platform made from a series of steps. The blessing is not for another hour or so, at noon when the sun is highest in the sky, but people have begun to gather to watch. The crowd parts for the Daltonian party and their Kirishi escorts.

It is very hot and Kurt is more confident than ever in his choice of clothing, despite the gazes he feels against his bare skin. They are ushered up the steps and inside of temple.

It is not unlike a Daltonian temple inside; there are pillars and an altar, but in the basin set in the middle of the floor there is a large, hot fire, where in the temple of Thilos in Westerville a hot spring rests. Blaine is near the altar, speaking in Kirishi with who Kurt assumes to be the head priest, Kysh, who holds Tau in his arms, and Asta.

When he catches sight of Kurt, his eyes grow wide and his speech stops. Kurt resists the urge to preen, only smiling at his husband.

Blaine excuses himself from the conversation, while Kysh and Asta snicker behind their hands, and approaches Kurt like he isn't sure quite what to do with himself.

"Kurt," he says, eyes lingering on Kurt's collarbones and shoulders, "You look... amazing."

Kurt tips forward and kisses him carefully on the mouth. "Do you like it?" He asks, plucking at the dark blue fabric.

Blaine rests a hand against the side of his torso, strokes a thumb over the bare skin. "That is a ridiculous question. You are the most wonderful thing I have ever seen," he presses a kiss to Kurt's mouth and takes his hand, "Now come along, and hold your future gods son, so that Kysh can actually focus on our instructions."

"Your future gods son," Kurt corrects him fondly, in a low voice.

"Yours too, even if it isn't official. What's mine is yours."

Kurt laughs at him, but lifts Tau from a pouting Kysh's arms and bounces the child on his hip. He's dressed in a sash of gold fabric and a bright red loincloth. "You look very handsome, my little love," Kurt tells him, smiling when Tau gurgles at him a clenches one of his little fists in his clothing. "It's your big day. All about you. We're all going to feast and dance and drink in your honor tonight. Did you know that?"

"It's a shame he won't be able to join us," David laughs, waving a finger at the little prince. "He'll have his bedtime before it even begins."

"Ah, but I'm sure he'll be told stories," Nick points out, "They'll no doubt be more exciting than any of the night's actual happenings."

Kurt tickles under Tau's chin, grins fondly at the bubble of laughter he gets for the effort. "Don't listen to them, Tau, darling. They'll probably drink themselves under the tables and won't remember anything either."

Asta comes to take Tau from them several minutes before the ceremony is set to begin, and they file out of the interior of the temple, to stand just outside, under the unforgiving Kirishi sun.

The emperor arrives on a litter, his cheetahs beside him, and several other foreign dignitaries file in behind him, as well as Santana and Kysh's other legitimate siblings. Kurt smiles back at the emperor when he stands beside Kurt and kisses his hand in greeting. He tries not to shudder when Santana stands at his other side.

Beyond the temple steps, people chatter excitedly and wave little squares of colorful fabric, call out their own blessings in Kirishi. Kurt tries to catch as much as he can, but he has only a rudimentary understanding of the language to begin with, and it doesn't help that they are hundreds, perhaps thousands, speaking all at once and so quickly.

"You are quite the show-stealer," the emperor says to him in an amused voice, pitched low and just for Kurt's ears. He must appear confused, as the old man clarifies; "Half of them are talking about you."

Kurt's cheeks flush, and he says; "I cannot imagine that they would find me so interesting if they knew me, Your Excellency, I'm really terribly boring." He gets a chuckle and a pat on the hand for the statement, as if the very notion is ridiculous. He doesn't have a chance to press the issue before a horn sounds, long, drawn out, and silence falls over the temple district.

The priest, emerges first, with Tau in his grasp, followed by Kysh, Asta, and finally Blaine. Behind them, acolytes carry a brass basin, filled with burning coals, sweat beading on their foreheads. Kurt does not understand all that is said. He catches some words; fire, sun, gods, father, anointing, prince.

Tau is passed to Blaine, a squirming, darling little thing (the people already love him, Kurt can tell from the looks in their eyes, just as they love Kysh and Asta). Kurt tries not to be distracted by the way the muscles in Blaine's arm flex as he holds Tau out from his body. He does look beautiful in the high noon sunlight, though; all compact muscle and lightly tanned skin. The tip of a long staff made of charred wood is buried in the coals, and drawn back out. The priest allows several moments for it to cool, before her gathers soot from the freshly re-charred end of it, and smears the black ash in a six-pointed star on Tau's forehead. He says something to Blaine, who responds in his lovely, smooth voice, confident and calm, then draws the same six-pointed star on his forehead.

He splashes both child and godsfather in some sort of holy oil, speaks one more time, before the horn is blown again and people once more begin to cheer. Kurt claps politely as well, smiles back at Blaine when his husband grins excitedly at him, and ignores it when, beside him, Santana lets out a derisive snort. He even gives the cheetah sitting closest to him a soft pet on the head. It leans into the touch and makes a chirping sound.

Kurt might like the strange, intimidating animals. Even if he would never, ever want one as a pet (he misses the birds in the aviary- when they get home, he and Blaine are most certainly bringing them treats).

"Weren't we perfect?" Blaine asks him excitedly, bouncing on his heels and holding Tau against his shoulder. "He didn't even cry."

"Of course he didn't," Kurt says, and kisses Blaine on the nose fondly (it seems like a bad idea to kiss the ash star on his forehead- bad luck, or something of the like), "His godsfather was holding him, wasn't he?" The smile Blaine gives him, the way Blaine kisses the side of Tau's head and rests his cheek there fondly, makes Kurt's stomach flip pleasantly.

They all walk back together, in a group behind the Emperor's litter. It's pleasant, light-hearted, and Kurt smiles at people as they pass, hand securely holding onto Blaine's. Blaine kisses the curve of his shoulder and says; "I really do like this look, you know."

Kurt laughs and bumps their shoulders as they re-enter the palace gates. "Don't get used to it. When we go home I'll be back to normal."

Blaine pouts at him, but says nothing.

The celebrations are quite fantastic- even more so than the feast that welcomed them. Kurt and Blaine sit at a table with Kysh, Asta, Tau, Kysh's father, and some other foreign dignitaries. A table below them, the rest of their party eats with other noble guests, and Santana (who is attended always and only by a pretty slave girl with blond hair and blue eyes). Blaine and he, tight manners loosened somewhat by the frivolous spirit around them and the easy, open way the Kirishi interact with each other, occasionally feed each other little pieces of food from each other's plates with their fingers- something they would never do in so public a setting on a normal occasion.

It's nice.

They drink dark, spicy chocolate from golden cups and toast to Tau's good health, to the gods, to the empire. Tau is allowed some. He gurgles happily and smears it onto his cheeks.

People speak, and since Kurt does not understand most of it Blaine translates into his ear in a hushed voice. Once the eating is done, Tau is taken to bed and the proper party begins, wine and other drinks, as well as finger-foods, brought out on gilded platters. Kurt and Blaine stay seated for some time, speaking with whatever people approach them.

They are taken aback however when a little girl, wrapped up in colorful silks with her dark hair braided in a long pleat, escapes from the grasp of her mother and rushes toward them. She stops right at Kurt's side, looking up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Hello," Kurt says to her, "Do you speak the northern tongue?"

She nods.

"My name is Kurt," he says softly, and extends a hand to her. "What's yours?"

She twists on the spot, bare feet peeking out from under the hem of her skirts. "Mara."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mara," Kurt says, and when she places her tiny hand in his he gives it a small shake. The girl's mother has caught up with her, but looks frightened to draw too close. Kurt gives her a reassuring smile. "Can I help you with anything."

"Mama says... that you're like me," Mara whispers, leaning in close and cupping a hand around Kurt's ear.

Kurt's brow furrows slightly, and whispers back, "Like you how, darling?"

Mara glances around carefully, and then carefully tugs some of the fabric covering her shoulder down, exposing her collarbone, where there is the ugly scar of a burn. It appears... deliberate. And the intent is clear, because despite the scar, the silvery, mangled shape of a crescent moon remains. "Oh, my darling." Kurt says, because he doesn't know what else to say.

"I don't remember it," Mara tells him, covering her goddess mark back up again. "Mama says I came to her with it. She saved me from slavers when I was a baby."

Kurt reaches out and strokes the little carrier's hair, places a kiss upon her forehead. "She sounds like a very brave mother." He says, and gestures for the woman to join them. They do look like they could be mother and daughter; the same dark hair and eyes, similar, strong noses. Kurt rises and kisses the woman on the cheek. "You have a wonderful child."

"Kurt," Says Kysh, seemingly noticing the conversation and attempting to play host. "This is Sabah Themb. She is one of the most revered mages in the empire."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Themb," Blaine says, and kisses Sabah's hand politely.

"I assure you," she says, "The pleasure is all ours. Mara has wanted nothing more than to meet  your highnesses since she found out you would be visiting the city. She has never met another free carrier."

Kurt sits again, smiling, and holds Mara's hands in his and once more kisses her cheek. "Not at all. I am... humbled by her. Would you like to see my mark, Mara?" When the carrier nods eagerly, Kurt unlaces his sandal and slides his foot out of the leather, bringing it up to rest on his knee, so that she might see the silvery crescent on the bottom of his foot. She looks at it with wonder and traces a finger over the skin. it tickles a little, but Kurt does not giggle. When she is done looking, he re-laces his sandal.

"It's pretty," Mara says.

"So is yours," Kurt tells her, stroking her cheek, "Just different."

They speak for a little longer, and when Sabah tells them that it's time for Mara to go to bed, Kurt wants to cling to her fingers and keep her close anyway. She kisses him on the cheek, curtsies, and scampers after her mother.

He leans into Blaine's side once they have gone. "Sabah is a truly marvelous woman," Asta murmurs to them in a quiet voice, "And Mara is very sweet."

"Indeed," Kurt agrees, twining his fingers with Blaine's for comfort, and finding himself increasingly grateful for his father and for Dalton as a whole.

Not half an hour's time after Sarah and Mara have taken their leave, Santana approaches the high table. She raises her cup of wine to her father, and drinks it down. The blond girl who attends her takes the empty cup and smiles benevolently. She has a sweet face. It's strange to him that Santana would favor someone so different from herself, but the slightly tender way her fingers brush against the girl's  when the glass is taken seems to imply she is fond of her. She speaks something in Kirishi, eyes darting and staying, steady on Kysh's face.

Kurt does not understand the words, but it is obvious that they are not good ones; Kysh's face drains of color, and one of the emperor's gnarled hands clenches around the stem of his goblet until his knuckles go white. The entire hall, only just light and celebratory, has gone quiet.

Kysh carefully folds his napkin, stands, and replies. Asta's face is impassive- but her eyes look... murderous.

“Ugh,” Lizzy says, flopping back against her pillows, “I hate boys.”

“Not all boys,” Kysh corrects her mildly, slumping into his elder sister’s desk chair. “Just the horrid ones.”

“Fine then. Just the horrid ones,” Lizzy amends, propping herself up on her elbows. “I mean- Lord Gregory is very… interesting and all of that, but he’s thirty. Over thirty, maybe. Twice my age, at least! He can’t honestly think that I’d wish to marry him. Or that Papa and Da would ever allow it. They’re more picky about my suitors than I am!”

Nessa, who is only twelve and not all that interested in romance as a whole, dabs some of Lizzy’s perfume onto her wrists from the bottle where it sits on Lizzy’s dresser, sniffing thoughtfully. “Perhaps he wouldn’t think he had a chance if you didn’t flirt with him,” she points out.

Kysh laughs so hard that he has to clutch his middle, while Lizzy looks altogether affronted.

“I do not flirt with him!”

“Oh, you do!” Kysh assures her, still chuckling a little, “You flirt with everyone!”

“You would flirt with a rock if you thought it would flirt back,” Nessa agrees.

“You’re both horrid little insects. I’ll have you beheaded.” Lizzy tells them, with a disdainful sniff.

Kysh keeps snickering, while Nessa looks rather unimpressed with the empty threat. “Oh, you can’t complain- that prince from Fabre came and kept trying to correct my form and telling me how to hold my sword, as if I couldn’t do it myself. He was more wretched than any of your would-be suitors,” Kysh points out, making a face at the memory. 

“He was handsome,” Lizzy pointed out.

“He was an arse. I really won’t marry him,” Kysh says with conviction, “You’re lucky, Ness. Tau’s handsome and kind, and everyone knows you two are unofficially engaged- you’ll never have to deal with this nonsense.”

Nessa shrugs, picking at a loose thread in her dress. “He’s alright, I suppose. I don’t think I’ll ever really… love him. The southerners are terribly… savage, though. I wish he were from the north.”

“Savage?” Lizzy says, sounding mildly offended, “You think Tau is savage? And Lady Asta?”

“No! Well- maybe a bit. I just… I think I’d much rather marry someone from Fabre or Carmel. Or a Daltonian. I don’t think I’ll much like the south. But I am glad that Tau is so nice. I am fond of him.”

“You’re mad,” Lizzy tells her, “I’ll never understand you. I’d give a leg for the opportunity to go south! I’d marry Tau in a heartbeat, if I weren’t heir.”

“I’d feel too strange about marrying Tau,” Kysh says, wrinkling his nose, “I’d like to travel too, and he’s wonderful. But he’s far too much a brother to me. It would be like… marrying Eli.”

Lizzy makes a rather graphic gagging sound, that has Nessa tossing a cushion at her, but Kysh giggles. “Nothing like marrying Eli. Eli is going to be so boring when he grows up. Tau is exciting.”

“I only meant in the sense of feeling as if he’s a brother, not personality. Obviously Tau wins in a personality contest.” Kysh says with a roll of his eyes.

“You’re both wretched to Eli,” Nessa tells them (very firm for a twelve year old), “He’s not half as bad as you make him out to be.”

“Papa! Where are we going?” Lizzy squirms in the saddle, tilting her head back to look at Kurt with huge, confused eyes. She has his eyes. It’s strange- he’s been told all of his life that he has the most spectacular eyes, but he never thought them all that special until he saw them on his daughter.

“To where Grandda and I used to live, darling,” He tells her, kissing the top of the velvet hood pulled up over her curls.

Her entire face crinkles with confusion; “But- you live with Daddy,” she says, as if the world can’t have ever been any other way. 

“Now I do,” Kurt agrees, “But a long time ago, before Daddy and I met, I lived with Grandda, in the city,” It wasn’t really so long ago- five years, maybe- but it seems like an entire lifetime since he was last in the tiny forge, and the even smaller attached apartments. “Before I married Daddy, I didn’t have very much. Not everyone has as much as we do.”

“I know that, Papa,” Lizzy says with exasperation, “We have a whole kingdom.”

Kurt sighs, and stops the horse when they reach the ramshackle building. The years have taken their toll- whatever tenants have come and gone in the last five years have not been kind to it. “No, my love. We take care of a kingdom- we don’t have it.” Cooper, Sebastian, Noah, and Michael have accompanied him. Kurt passes Lizzy down to Sebastian carefully, and dismounts after her. He is still no great fan of riding, but he has gotten better at it, over the years. He’s had to. He takes his daughter back from Sebastian once he is down. Both the thin knight and Cooper are both staring at the little shack that was once Kurt’s only home with something like shock. “We are fortunate, but we must never forget that it is not really ours. We are small, compared to the common people. For every one noble-born child, fifty common babies are born, and they are no less important.”

“But-” She starts to argue, eyes wide.

“No, my darling,” Kurt says, shushing her. “I was common born- am common born. I had nothing when I was your age. Am I less important than Daddy? Or Uncle Cooper?”

“No!” Lizzy says vehemently, her plump hands grabbing his cheeks, “No, Papa!”

Kurt shushes her again, and kisses her forehead. “Exactly.”

He takes her into the house, Noah and Michael before him, Cooper and Sebastian after.

“You lived here?” Lizzy asks quietly, looking around.

Kurt smiles, following her gaze, “Well- it looked very different then, little love. It was nicer, but yes. I lived here.”

“My nursery was bigger than this whole building,” Cooper says, sounding humbled.