AU Big Bang: The Prince's Slave Chapter 9
Title: The Prince’s Slave
Author: pterawaters
Fandom: Glee
Pairing(s): Kurt/Puck (main), Finn/Quinn, Kurt/Brittany, Finn/Rachel, Puck/Quinn, Santana/Brittany, Blaine/Karofsky, Burt/Carole, Will/Emma
Rating: R
Warning: Slavery, m/m and m/f sex, violence
Word Count: 41,000
Summary: As Prince Kurt’s sixteenth birthday approaches, all he really wants is a friend, someone who accepts his oddities and spends time with him anyway. He thought the answer was a slave, but got much more than he was looking for when he bought Noah Puckerman at auction.
Author’s Notes: Written for the au_bigbang . Thanks so much to ice_whisper for beta reading and rinnia for the awesome artwork!
Previous Chapter
Chapter 9
It was a long few days waiting for Lady Brittany, and thus Rachel, to get back from Lady Sue’s estate. On the second day, Lord Blaine of Westerville arrived back in court after seeing his father home. He approached Kurt during the afternoon gaming hour and said, “It’s nice to see you again, Prince. I hope you’ve had a good few months since your party.”
Kurt didn’t know the young man very well and that smile might have been Blaine just trying to be friendly, but Kurt didn’t trust it. Westerville and Castle Dalton were important allies of Lima, but they weren’t Lima herself. Why might this young Lord want to be friendly with Kurt? Did he think he had a better chance of gaining the King’s ear by going through Kurt than he did going through Finn? Or was Blaine being friendly for a completely different reason?
Kurt had a nice chat with the man, all with Noah at his elbow, and after a bit he could almost feel the anger coming from his lover. Giving Blaine a polite smile, Kurt said, “Will you excuse me for a moment?” and walked away, Noah trailing behind him.
“What?” Kurt asked when they were alone in one of the lesser-used hallways. “What’s wrong?”
“He wants you,” Noah insisted, nodding his head back toward the parlor. “Lord Blaine. He thinks he knows what you are and that he can get into your bed.”
Kurt thought back over his interactions with the Dalton Lord and decided that yes, Blaine had been touching him a lot - but what if he was just being friendly? “How do you know he’s like me? Maybe he acts that way with everyone.”
“I know people, Kurt,” Noah replied, looking around before he touched the prince’s shoulder and neck. “I’ve seen other men like you out in the world, I know how you act. Just because you’ve never met someone else like you doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
Thinking on the issue, Kurt asked, “Are there other men like you? I mean, it didn’t seem difficult for you to be with me…”
“Because I’m very fond of you,” Noah admitted gruffly, taking his hand away and crossing his arms over his chest. “Being with you isn’t difficult at all.”
Kurt smiled, mostly to himself because Noah was decidedly looking away from him, like the servant had said too much and was now regretting it. “I have no designs on Lord Blaine, Noah,” Kurt assured him, stepping up behind Noah and leaning his forehead against the man’s upper back. “I’m marrying Lady Brittany because I have to, but all I want is you. As long as you’re with me, I won’t take any other lovers, I promise.”
The tension across Noah’s back faded and he turned around, cupping the side of Kurt’s face briefly before clearing his throat and stepping away. “We should get back. There are too many rumors as it is.”
“Yes,” Kurt admitted regretfully, aching for a kiss but denying himself just the same. There would be time later, when the castle was asleep and couldn’t judge him for acting out what he felt in his heart.
**88**
“Prince Kurt!” Lady Brittany called as she entered the tutors’ room, most of her entourage still behind her. Noah tried not to growl with jealousy as she and Kurt greeted each other with a light peck on the lips. “I have so much to tell you! Lady Sue’s estate was amazing and her dancers were so, so good.”
Kurt sneaked Noah a little eye-roll before turning his attention to his fiancée and following her from the room, everyone else in tow. While Noah was trying to get to Rachel to ask her what she’d seen, Lady Santana grabbed his arm and said very loudly, “Noah? May I speak to you a moment about your Prince’s wardrobe?”
Noah wasn’t sure how to get out of her grasp, so he nodded, letting Kurt and Rachel slip away as Santana pulled him to a corner of the library. “What can I do for you, my lady?”
“Well,” she chuckled, “your manners have certainly gotten better.”
“So?”
“Ah, there’s the Noah I know and love to fuck,” she preened, pulling on Noah’s arm when he tried to walk away. “Now, now. Don’t be like that. I wanted to talk to you for a completely different reason.”
“Which is?” Noah prompted, hating the way she liked to dance around a topic.
Smirking, Santana leaned in and whispered, “I know you’re fucking the prince now.” Noah scoffed, but she wouldn’t let him speak before adding, “And I could give a rat’s ass. What I’m here to talk to you about is a little arrangement for after the wedding takes place. As is traditional, Kurt and Brittany will be sharing quarters once they are happily wedded. I want you to make sure the prince places me in the chambers opposite yours.”
“What for?” Noah asked. “Isn’t that where Brittany’s main handmaiden would stay?”
“Let’s say that just like you and Kurt have a thing, Lady Brittany and I have a thing too. I don’t want her asinine marriage of state getting in the way of that.”
Noah thought about Santana’s words for a moment before he got it. “Oh! You and Lady Brittany are lov-”
Santana silenced him with a hand over Noah’s mouth, hissing, “Yes, alright? You can’t tell anyone, though. If I’m giving up men and living out spinsterhood for the sake of love, I want to make sure I can do it at Brittany’s side.”
“What about Kurt?” Noah asked. “If you got what you want, Brittany wouldn’t be in his bed very often. How is she going to explain that to him?”
“You’re going to explain it,” Santana said, poking Noah in the chest. “And I have a feeling the marriage bed will be mostly for show, with the prince residing in your quarters most of the time as well. Is that satisfactory?”
“Despite the fact that you’re completely wrong about me and the prince,” Noah replied, ignoring Santana’s eye-roll of disbelief, “how do I know you’re telling the truth about Lady Brittany’s wishes? How do I know the Bishop didn’t put you up to this, to try to paint Kurt as someone he’s not?”
Santana scoffed, “Oh, please. You think the Bishop has the stones to come up with a plan like that? What Lady Brittany and I are doing is just as much against his holy scriptures as what you and Kurt are doing. He wouldn’t condone me saying what I’ve said to you, even if he knew I was going to be lying.”
“And you know the Bishop so well?”
Smirking, the lady cupped the side of Noah’s face and said, “Sweetie, who do you think warmed the old guy’s bed the past few years? I’m free now that he’s got himself a princess, and I’ve got more dirt on him than you could possibly imagine. Now, are you going to do me this favor or not?”
“I’ll do it,” Noah nodded, thinking he had to report this information as soon as possible. “But only because I know Kurt won’t miss Brittany from his bed. Not for any other reason.”
Santana winked and sauntered away, leaving Noah’s head spinning so fast he thought he might be sick.
**88**
Kurt had just managed to get Rachel alone in his sitting chamber when it was invaded by his father, Noah, and Sir Arthur. “What’s going on?” he asked, being able to count on one hand the number of times the king had visited him here. Burt’s face was twisted with fury and in fear, Kurt looked to Noah, wondering if his father had found out about them and was about to banish Noah from the palace, hell even the country. “What is it?”
“All going on right under my nose,” Burt fumed, pacing from one side of the room to the other as Noah approached Kurt and Rachel, Arthur right behind him. “I can’t believe this! The lows some people stoop to!”
“Father, is this about-” Kurt started to ask, but was cut off when Noah grabbed his hand and subtly shook his head. “You’re not making any sense.”
“None of it makes any sense!” Burt huffed. “There are clear separations between the Church and the throne and here I thought both sides were respecting that! The nerve! Well, if they're going to fuck with me, I'm going to fuck with them as well."
“So this has to do with the Bishop?”
“The Bishop,” Burt agreed, “and Lady Sue and your brother’s damn wife!” Kurt was about to ask again what he was ranting about when Burt pointed at Rachel and said, “You! Tell us what you found out about Lady Sue’s estate.”
“Um,” Rachel replied, looking to Kurt for guidance. After coming to the realization that Burt had been keeping a closer eye on his machinations than he thought, Kurt nodded gently, begging with his eyes for her to comply with his father’s request. “Well, Lady Sue buys many slaves and trades them away before too long, often making a profit due to her rigorous training program. Many are pleasure slaves, but those in her latest group are being trained as fine dancers, to entertain outside the bedroom, instead of in. She also employs many household slaves, most of whom are trained at the Fabray estate and then after a short tenure with Lady Sue are sold to other nobles or illicitly to the Church.”
“Ah!” Burt cried, and Kurt thought his father might start breathing fire at any second. “This is just … Does no one respect their vows anymore?”
“I don’t know, Sire,” Rachel replied, backing behind Noah when the king waved her off.
“Sir Arthur?”
“Yes, Your Highness?” Arthur replied, stepping forward more bravely than Rachel had, but only just.
“It has come to my attention that not only are Lady Sue and the Fabray family involved in illegal slave trading - although all of it should be illegal - but they’ve also conspired with the Bishop to gain control of the throne so their trades may continue.”
“Through Princess Quinn, Sire?”
“Or under her direction,” Burt nodded. “It has come to my attention that Princess Quinn has been keeping the Bishop company, in violation of her wedding vows.” Kurt gasped audibly and looked to Noah, who already seemed to know this tawdry rumor. But how could he? “I need you to find some way to prove the affair.”
“It’s going to be tricky, Sire,” Arthur replied, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. “The only way would be for several of the nobility and lesser clergymen all to find the Bishop and the Princess in a compromising position. Though perhaps just Prince Finn might do, if he doesn't already know about his wife's dalliance.”
“See what you can accomplish,” the king replied, finally turning to Kurt. “I need you to be on your best behavior, son. I’m moving up the date of your wedding to Lady Brittany, who has turned out to be a better match for you than I thought at first. Rachel?”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“During continued service to Lady Brittany, I’d like you to look for signs that the woman isn’t as stupid as she pretends to be. I also want you to protect the fact that she is apparently in a relationship with Lady Santana, without interfering, and report any signs that the Church might be communicating with either of them. Can you do that for me?”
“Of-of course,” Rachel stuttered, nodding energetically as Burt rounded on Kurt again.
“Just because Lady Brittany has a female lover doesn’t get you out of the fact that your marriage must be consummated and must produce an heir, no matter how attached you might be to Noah. Got that?"
Nodding, Kurt said, "Yes, Father," knowing that it was better to make things work with Brittany, who would most likely be willing to overlook his relationship with Noah than to be forced into divorcing her and trying again with somebody less accommodating. "As distasteful as I find it, I will do my duty."
"Good," Burt growled, giving the room one last, angry look before stomping away, his personal guard meeting him at the door and following him away down the hall.
"Well," Sir Arthur sighed, prodding his spectacles again before looking back and forth between Kurt and Noah with a small smile on his lips. "You two, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. You've been dancing around each other for weeks."
"We have?" Kurt asked his friend, looking to Noah, who seemed to know much more about everything than he was saying.
"Of course you have," Rachel scoffed, hitting Kurt on the back of the head, even though he was the prince. Kurt kind of loved her for that.
"Has anyone else noticed?" Kurt asked, remembering things that both Brother David and Finn said to him.
Noah finally spoke up, saying, "Santana has a pretty good idea, but no confirmation."
"Sam, Mike, Tina and the rest are fairly clueless," Arthur said, "though I'm not so certain about the staff."
"Who no doubt include one or two of Princess Quinn’s spies," Kurt sighed.
"We have to be more careful," Noah added. "All of us." After a general round of agreement, he turned to Rachel and asked, "My sister?"
"Doing well," Rachel assured him, much to Kurt's relief. "She has not been mistreated in any way. General consensus around the estate, though, is that Sue plans to rent her dancing slaves out, rather than sell them. I doubt we could arrange to buy her at any price.”
“Especially if Quinn has told Lady Sue to hold onto her,” Kurt pointed out, “for blackmail purposes. Noah, your sister might have to … um, disappear. Sir Arthur, can you think about how to accomplish the task?”
“With every waking thought I’m not using for your father’s plans,” Arthur replied, and Kurt smiled at his friend, feeling unworthy of his loyalty. He supposed that just as Kurt felt like an outcast from the rest of the nobility, Arthur with his spectacles and awkward mannerisms had felt the same way, so they’d banded together early on.
Rachel interrupted Kurt’s thoughts by saying, “I recognized one of the slaves there and she might be willing to help us. Her name is Mercedes and she’s a household slave, so I don’t know how long she’s going to be there, but she knows the layout of the estate and might be able to help Arthur get in and out.”
Thinking all this over, Kurt sighed and then gave his orders, “Arthur, plan out your method of attack, alone if you think you can manage it. Otherwise, Sir Mike’s family has no love for either the Fabray family or Lady Sue. Rachel, keep your position in Brittany’s household and report to me as often as you can get away. Thank you, both of you.”
Both of Kurt’s friends left him alone with Noah, who the prince led into the bedchamber idly, trying not to think so hard about what a precarious position everyone he loved was in. Noah locked both doors to the room and then pushed Kurt down onto the settee, kneeling on the floor to look up at him. Kurt chuckled a little at the sight, explaining, “I never expected you to kneel at my feet, not-humble-Noah. Come sit next to me.”
“No,” he replied, pushing on Kurt’s knees so he could kneel between them, his arms resting on the prince’s thighs and his head tilted up to receive a kiss. “I can’t help but wonder how the hell I’m worth all this.”
“First,” Kurt explained, “it’s not just about you.” The prince wrapped his arms around Noah’s shoulders, pulling him closer, “And second, you are worth it, Noah. I saw something special in you that day at the slave market, a sort of nobility that many of my peers are sadly lacking. You are a good man, Noah and by bringing you here, taking you to lessons with me, I’ve been trying to make you amazing.”
“Fit for a prince?” Noah asked with a laugh, letting his arms wrap around Kurt’s back and burying his face in Kurt’s shoulder. “So what happens when my year is over and done with? You find someone else and make him amazing, too?”
Kurt’s heart dropped at the cynicism in Noah’s voice, and debated telling him he was already a free man. However, Kurt knew he needed to keep Noah close for both personal and political reasons, so he hugged Noah closer and whispered fiercely, “Never. Whether you stay or go when our birthdays come around again is up to you. I hope you’ll decide to stay.”
“For how long, though? Until Quinn finds some way to use me against you?”
“I worry somewhat that’s already what she’s doing,” Kurt admitted, “using this business with your sister to keep me busy for some reason.”
“While she does something else…like put your cuckold brother on the throne,” Noah sighed, sitting back so they could be face to face. “How can people be so … evil?”
Kurt marveled at both Noah’s political instincts and his naïveté, given the fact that his mother had sold him into slavery. “The scary thing is, Noah, Princess Quinn probably thinks she’s doing all these things for the greater good. She sees me as unfit to be king because I follow the Church’s scripture so loosely just by being who I am. She sees Finn as a great man, who just needs her guidance. She probably even sees her dalliance with the Bishop as a way to remain in his good graces and assure her place as the power behind the throne, with little thought to how hurt my brother will be when he finds out.”
After a long silence, where Noah seemed to be thinking all this over, he looked up again and smirked, “Well, it’s a good thing you bought me then, Prince. With all these snakes around, you needed someone like me to watch your back.”
“Someone like you?” Kurt asked with a chuckle, sliding off the settee to join Noah on the floor (prince or no prince). “Someone completely insufferable?”
“Someone badass,” Noah corrected, pulling Kurt down on top of him so they were both lying out on the floor.
Laughing and readjusting himself into a more comfortable position on Noah’s chest, Kurt asked, “What does that even mean?”
Noah answered him with a well-placed kiss and wonderful, wandering hands.
Next Chapter
Author: pterawaters
Fandom: Glee
Pairing(s): Kurt/Puck (main), Finn/Quinn, Kurt/Brittany, Finn/Rachel, Puck/Quinn, Santana/Brittany, Blaine/Karofsky, Burt/Carole, Will/Emma
Rating: R
Warning: Slavery, m/m and m/f sex, violence
Word Count: 41,000
Summary: As Prince Kurt’s sixteenth birthday approaches, all he really wants is a friend, someone who accepts his oddities and spends time with him anyway. He thought the answer was a slave, but got much more than he was looking for when he bought Noah Puckerman at auction.
Author’s Notes: Written for the au_bigbang . Thanks so much to ice_whisper for beta reading and rinnia for the awesome artwork!
Previous Chapter
Chapter 9
It was a long few days waiting for Lady Brittany, and thus Rachel, to get back from Lady Sue’s estate. On the second day, Lord Blaine of Westerville arrived back in court after seeing his father home. He approached Kurt during the afternoon gaming hour and said, “It’s nice to see you again, Prince. I hope you’ve had a good few months since your party.”
Kurt didn’t know the young man very well and that smile might have been Blaine just trying to be friendly, but Kurt didn’t trust it. Westerville and Castle Dalton were important allies of Lima, but they weren’t Lima herself. Why might this young Lord want to be friendly with Kurt? Did he think he had a better chance of gaining the King’s ear by going through Kurt than he did going through Finn? Or was Blaine being friendly for a completely different reason?
Kurt had a nice chat with the man, all with Noah at his elbow, and after a bit he could almost feel the anger coming from his lover. Giving Blaine a polite smile, Kurt said, “Will you excuse me for a moment?” and walked away, Noah trailing behind him.
“What?” Kurt asked when they were alone in one of the lesser-used hallways. “What’s wrong?”
“He wants you,” Noah insisted, nodding his head back toward the parlor. “Lord Blaine. He thinks he knows what you are and that he can get into your bed.”
Kurt thought back over his interactions with the Dalton Lord and decided that yes, Blaine had been touching him a lot - but what if he was just being friendly? “How do you know he’s like me? Maybe he acts that way with everyone.”
“I know people, Kurt,” Noah replied, looking around before he touched the prince’s shoulder and neck. “I’ve seen other men like you out in the world, I know how you act. Just because you’ve never met someone else like you doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
Thinking on the issue, Kurt asked, “Are there other men like you? I mean, it didn’t seem difficult for you to be with me…”
“Because I’m very fond of you,” Noah admitted gruffly, taking his hand away and crossing his arms over his chest. “Being with you isn’t difficult at all.”
Kurt smiled, mostly to himself because Noah was decidedly looking away from him, like the servant had said too much and was now regretting it. “I have no designs on Lord Blaine, Noah,” Kurt assured him, stepping up behind Noah and leaning his forehead against the man’s upper back. “I’m marrying Lady Brittany because I have to, but all I want is you. As long as you’re with me, I won’t take any other lovers, I promise.”
The tension across Noah’s back faded and he turned around, cupping the side of Kurt’s face briefly before clearing his throat and stepping away. “We should get back. There are too many rumors as it is.”
“Yes,” Kurt admitted regretfully, aching for a kiss but denying himself just the same. There would be time later, when the castle was asleep and couldn’t judge him for acting out what he felt in his heart.
**88**
“Prince Kurt!” Lady Brittany called as she entered the tutors’ room, most of her entourage still behind her. Noah tried not to growl with jealousy as she and Kurt greeted each other with a light peck on the lips. “I have so much to tell you! Lady Sue’s estate was amazing and her dancers were so, so good.”
Kurt sneaked Noah a little eye-roll before turning his attention to his fiancée and following her from the room, everyone else in tow. While Noah was trying to get to Rachel to ask her what she’d seen, Lady Santana grabbed his arm and said very loudly, “Noah? May I speak to you a moment about your Prince’s wardrobe?”
Noah wasn’t sure how to get out of her grasp, so he nodded, letting Kurt and Rachel slip away as Santana pulled him to a corner of the library. “What can I do for you, my lady?”
“Well,” she chuckled, “your manners have certainly gotten better.”
“So?”
“Ah, there’s the Noah I know and love to fuck,” she preened, pulling on Noah’s arm when he tried to walk away. “Now, now. Don’t be like that. I wanted to talk to you for a completely different reason.”
“Which is?” Noah prompted, hating the way she liked to dance around a topic.
Smirking, Santana leaned in and whispered, “I know you’re fucking the prince now.” Noah scoffed, but she wouldn’t let him speak before adding, “And I could give a rat’s ass. What I’m here to talk to you about is a little arrangement for after the wedding takes place. As is traditional, Kurt and Brittany will be sharing quarters once they are happily wedded. I want you to make sure the prince places me in the chambers opposite yours.”
“What for?” Noah asked. “Isn’t that where Brittany’s main handmaiden would stay?”
“Let’s say that just like you and Kurt have a thing, Lady Brittany and I have a thing too. I don’t want her asinine marriage of state getting in the way of that.”
Noah thought about Santana’s words for a moment before he got it. “Oh! You and Lady Brittany are lov-”
Santana silenced him with a hand over Noah’s mouth, hissing, “Yes, alright? You can’t tell anyone, though. If I’m giving up men and living out spinsterhood for the sake of love, I want to make sure I can do it at Brittany’s side.”
“What about Kurt?” Noah asked. “If you got what you want, Brittany wouldn’t be in his bed very often. How is she going to explain that to him?”
“You’re going to explain it,” Santana said, poking Noah in the chest. “And I have a feeling the marriage bed will be mostly for show, with the prince residing in your quarters most of the time as well. Is that satisfactory?”
“Despite the fact that you’re completely wrong about me and the prince,” Noah replied, ignoring Santana’s eye-roll of disbelief, “how do I know you’re telling the truth about Lady Brittany’s wishes? How do I know the Bishop didn’t put you up to this, to try to paint Kurt as someone he’s not?”
Santana scoffed, “Oh, please. You think the Bishop has the stones to come up with a plan like that? What Lady Brittany and I are doing is just as much against his holy scriptures as what you and Kurt are doing. He wouldn’t condone me saying what I’ve said to you, even if he knew I was going to be lying.”
“And you know the Bishop so well?”
Smirking, the lady cupped the side of Noah’s face and said, “Sweetie, who do you think warmed the old guy’s bed the past few years? I’m free now that he’s got himself a princess, and I’ve got more dirt on him than you could possibly imagine. Now, are you going to do me this favor or not?”
“I’ll do it,” Noah nodded, thinking he had to report this information as soon as possible. “But only because I know Kurt won’t miss Brittany from his bed. Not for any other reason.”
Santana winked and sauntered away, leaving Noah’s head spinning so fast he thought he might be sick.
**88**
Kurt had just managed to get Rachel alone in his sitting chamber when it was invaded by his father, Noah, and Sir Arthur. “What’s going on?” he asked, being able to count on one hand the number of times the king had visited him here. Burt’s face was twisted with fury and in fear, Kurt looked to Noah, wondering if his father had found out about them and was about to banish Noah from the palace, hell even the country. “What is it?”
“All going on right under my nose,” Burt fumed, pacing from one side of the room to the other as Noah approached Kurt and Rachel, Arthur right behind him. “I can’t believe this! The lows some people stoop to!”
“Father, is this about-” Kurt started to ask, but was cut off when Noah grabbed his hand and subtly shook his head. “You’re not making any sense.”
“None of it makes any sense!” Burt huffed. “There are clear separations between the Church and the throne and here I thought both sides were respecting that! The nerve! Well, if they're going to fuck with me, I'm going to fuck with them as well."
“So this has to do with the Bishop?”
“The Bishop,” Burt agreed, “and Lady Sue and your brother’s damn wife!” Kurt was about to ask again what he was ranting about when Burt pointed at Rachel and said, “You! Tell us what you found out about Lady Sue’s estate.”
“Um,” Rachel replied, looking to Kurt for guidance. After coming to the realization that Burt had been keeping a closer eye on his machinations than he thought, Kurt nodded gently, begging with his eyes for her to comply with his father’s request. “Well, Lady Sue buys many slaves and trades them away before too long, often making a profit due to her rigorous training program. Many are pleasure slaves, but those in her latest group are being trained as fine dancers, to entertain outside the bedroom, instead of in. She also employs many household slaves, most of whom are trained at the Fabray estate and then after a short tenure with Lady Sue are sold to other nobles or illicitly to the Church.”
“Ah!” Burt cried, and Kurt thought his father might start breathing fire at any second. “This is just … Does no one respect their vows anymore?”
“I don’t know, Sire,” Rachel replied, backing behind Noah when the king waved her off.
“Sir Arthur?”
“Yes, Your Highness?” Arthur replied, stepping forward more bravely than Rachel had, but only just.
“It has come to my attention that not only are Lady Sue and the Fabray family involved in illegal slave trading - although all of it should be illegal - but they’ve also conspired with the Bishop to gain control of the throne so their trades may continue.”
“Through Princess Quinn, Sire?”
“Or under her direction,” Burt nodded. “It has come to my attention that Princess Quinn has been keeping the Bishop company, in violation of her wedding vows.” Kurt gasped audibly and looked to Noah, who already seemed to know this tawdry rumor. But how could he? “I need you to find some way to prove the affair.”
“It’s going to be tricky, Sire,” Arthur replied, pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. “The only way would be for several of the nobility and lesser clergymen all to find the Bishop and the Princess in a compromising position. Though perhaps just Prince Finn might do, if he doesn't already know about his wife's dalliance.”
“See what you can accomplish,” the king replied, finally turning to Kurt. “I need you to be on your best behavior, son. I’m moving up the date of your wedding to Lady Brittany, who has turned out to be a better match for you than I thought at first. Rachel?”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“During continued service to Lady Brittany, I’d like you to look for signs that the woman isn’t as stupid as she pretends to be. I also want you to protect the fact that she is apparently in a relationship with Lady Santana, without interfering, and report any signs that the Church might be communicating with either of them. Can you do that for me?”
“Of-of course,” Rachel stuttered, nodding energetically as Burt rounded on Kurt again.
“Just because Lady Brittany has a female lover doesn’t get you out of the fact that your marriage must be consummated and must produce an heir, no matter how attached you might be to Noah. Got that?"
Nodding, Kurt said, "Yes, Father," knowing that it was better to make things work with Brittany, who would most likely be willing to overlook his relationship with Noah than to be forced into divorcing her and trying again with somebody less accommodating. "As distasteful as I find it, I will do my duty."
"Good," Burt growled, giving the room one last, angry look before stomping away, his personal guard meeting him at the door and following him away down the hall.
"Well," Sir Arthur sighed, prodding his spectacles again before looking back and forth between Kurt and Noah with a small smile on his lips. "You two, huh? Can't say I'm surprised. You've been dancing around each other for weeks."
"We have?" Kurt asked his friend, looking to Noah, who seemed to know much more about everything than he was saying.
"Of course you have," Rachel scoffed, hitting Kurt on the back of the head, even though he was the prince. Kurt kind of loved her for that.
"Has anyone else noticed?" Kurt asked, remembering things that both Brother David and Finn said to him.
Noah finally spoke up, saying, "Santana has a pretty good idea, but no confirmation."
"Sam, Mike, Tina and the rest are fairly clueless," Arthur said, "though I'm not so certain about the staff."
"Who no doubt include one or two of Princess Quinn’s spies," Kurt sighed.
"We have to be more careful," Noah added. "All of us." After a general round of agreement, he turned to Rachel and asked, "My sister?"
"Doing well," Rachel assured him, much to Kurt's relief. "She has not been mistreated in any way. General consensus around the estate, though, is that Sue plans to rent her dancing slaves out, rather than sell them. I doubt we could arrange to buy her at any price.”
“Especially if Quinn has told Lady Sue to hold onto her,” Kurt pointed out, “for blackmail purposes. Noah, your sister might have to … um, disappear. Sir Arthur, can you think about how to accomplish the task?”
“With every waking thought I’m not using for your father’s plans,” Arthur replied, and Kurt smiled at his friend, feeling unworthy of his loyalty. He supposed that just as Kurt felt like an outcast from the rest of the nobility, Arthur with his spectacles and awkward mannerisms had felt the same way, so they’d banded together early on.
Rachel interrupted Kurt’s thoughts by saying, “I recognized one of the slaves there and she might be willing to help us. Her name is Mercedes and she’s a household slave, so I don’t know how long she’s going to be there, but she knows the layout of the estate and might be able to help Arthur get in and out.”
Thinking all this over, Kurt sighed and then gave his orders, “Arthur, plan out your method of attack, alone if you think you can manage it. Otherwise, Sir Mike’s family has no love for either the Fabray family or Lady Sue. Rachel, keep your position in Brittany’s household and report to me as often as you can get away. Thank you, both of you.”
Both of Kurt’s friends left him alone with Noah, who the prince led into the bedchamber idly, trying not to think so hard about what a precarious position everyone he loved was in. Noah locked both doors to the room and then pushed Kurt down onto the settee, kneeling on the floor to look up at him. Kurt chuckled a little at the sight, explaining, “I never expected you to kneel at my feet, not-humble-Noah. Come sit next to me.”
“No,” he replied, pushing on Kurt’s knees so he could kneel between them, his arms resting on the prince’s thighs and his head tilted up to receive a kiss. “I can’t help but wonder how the hell I’m worth all this.”
“First,” Kurt explained, “it’s not just about you.” The prince wrapped his arms around Noah’s shoulders, pulling him closer, “And second, you are worth it, Noah. I saw something special in you that day at the slave market, a sort of nobility that many of my peers are sadly lacking. You are a good man, Noah and by bringing you here, taking you to lessons with me, I’ve been trying to make you amazing.”
“Fit for a prince?” Noah asked with a laugh, letting his arms wrap around Kurt’s back and burying his face in Kurt’s shoulder. “So what happens when my year is over and done with? You find someone else and make him amazing, too?”
Kurt’s heart dropped at the cynicism in Noah’s voice, and debated telling him he was already a free man. However, Kurt knew he needed to keep Noah close for both personal and political reasons, so he hugged Noah closer and whispered fiercely, “Never. Whether you stay or go when our birthdays come around again is up to you. I hope you’ll decide to stay.”
“For how long, though? Until Quinn finds some way to use me against you?”
“I worry somewhat that’s already what she’s doing,” Kurt admitted, “using this business with your sister to keep me busy for some reason.”
“While she does something else…like put your cuckold brother on the throne,” Noah sighed, sitting back so they could be face to face. “How can people be so … evil?”
Kurt marveled at both Noah’s political instincts and his naïveté, given the fact that his mother had sold him into slavery. “The scary thing is, Noah, Princess Quinn probably thinks she’s doing all these things for the greater good. She sees me as unfit to be king because I follow the Church’s scripture so loosely just by being who I am. She sees Finn as a great man, who just needs her guidance. She probably even sees her dalliance with the Bishop as a way to remain in his good graces and assure her place as the power behind the throne, with little thought to how hurt my brother will be when he finds out.”
After a long silence, where Noah seemed to be thinking all this over, he looked up again and smirked, “Well, it’s a good thing you bought me then, Prince. With all these snakes around, you needed someone like me to watch your back.”
“Someone like you?” Kurt asked with a chuckle, sliding off the settee to join Noah on the floor (prince or no prince). “Someone completely insufferable?”
“Someone badass,” Noah corrected, pulling Kurt down on top of him so they were both lying out on the floor.
Laughing and readjusting himself into a more comfortable position on Noah’s chest, Kurt asked, “What does that even mean?”
Noah answered him with a well-placed kiss and wonderful, wandering hands.
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