PIRATES VS CONDUCTORS
CHAPTER 6

After having resolved Karofsky's personal problems and brought back his sex life to the happy place it used to be in, the pirates, the conductors and Jesse – who sadly didn't fall in any of the two categories – were ready to take over the Capital. Not that the assault to the most powerful city of the Iron Lands could really depend on the satisfaction of three men's lust, but a no more longing Karofsky made a pretty decent and focused captain and Blaine, feeling the moment he could drive his beloved train again coming closer and closer, was excited enough to be really motivating for everyone else.

They got to the Capital at dawn, which added more surprise to their surprise attack. The Royal Army – both battletrains and infantry – was completely taken over by the whole fleet floating over the city and blasting it with cannons, Lauren's ship leading the attack while the Fury brought Blaine and Puckerman's men to Blaine's train.

The Royal Army took almost half an hour to reassemble. But when it did, that was when the real battle began. From five towers around the city, the Queen's army started the counter-attack, firing at the fleet. And the Capital's battletrains started roaming around the city, moving on the many tracks built just for them, giving the fleet another problem to deal with.

Dave watched his crew fight against the army. There was already so much smoke he could barely see, but the ships seemed to keep ground. “Will you all be okay?” Blaine asked, as he jumped off the Fury, directly on the Warbler's roof. His baby had been parked away during the past week – nobody being able to turn it on without Blaine's personal keys – but Blaine's crew was already swarming in it, making it ready.

“Yep. Don't worry about us,” Dave nodded, seriously. “You, instead. Could you move that thing of yours on the tracks where the other trains are?”

Blaine smiled, moved both by Dave's concern and his total ignorance about how battletrains worked. “Don't worry about us,” he mimicked his words. “There are old tracks that can still be used.”

Dave nodded. Besides, he could do nothing but trust him on this. He had never set foot on a train before and he had no idea how those crazy things worked, so he had to hope Blaine really was the hero that he said he was, and that he wasn't going to crash the train against another one. “Just stay alive,” he said, eventually.

“Are you worrying for me, Captain?” Blaine smirked.

Karofsky blushed, realizing how his words sounded. “Of course not,” he growled, clearing his throat. “I'm worried that you can get yourself killed and ruin my perfect plan, leaving–“

“Kurt all to yourself?” Blaine mocked him.

“Yes. No!” Dave closed his eyes and breathed in for a moment. “No, I don't want to bear with him mourning your loss till the world ends, thank you very much. So, see that you come back.”

Blaine smirked again, his perfectly white teeth almost sparkling against his olive skin. “And you see that he is safe,” he said, giving him a salute with two fingers against his forehead. “I want to come back to both of you.”

Dave growled something about Blaine's nonsense and then ordered the ship to be moved. The fight was especially hard around the Queen's Palace, while the fleet was trying to break the army's tight defence. With the towers firing non-stop on them and the trains moving all around blasting their cannons, the fleet seemed too busy to make any real move and the situation was in stalemate. Blaine's arrival with the Warbler from an underground track caught the army by surprise again and gave part of the fleet the chance they were waiting to move and attack one of the towers from behind, while Blaine engaged fight with it on the front.

Using the same technique three times before the army could guess it, they managed to bring down three out of five towers within a few hours and basically destroy the infantry that had always been pretty much at disadvantage in the first place. As soon as a good breech was open in the Palace's defence, Puckerman leaned out from one of the Warbler's window and signalled Karofsky who nodded and turned the Fury around to meet with the train a few feet away.

“We have one chance to get in before the battalion get back together!” Blaine shouted as the train and ship run side by side. “We need to do it now.”

Dave nodded. “Got it. Bring the Warbler to the back of the Palace, I'm meeting you there.”

“Roger.”

Dave watched the Warbler speed up toward the tall building that was home of the Queen and Council of the city and stayed back for a while, covering its escape. Then, after bombing the closer enemy train until he exploded, bringing half of another train with it, he turned the ship around and followed Blaine.

*
“We don't have much time,” Blaine said before they entered the Palace from a breech in the walls some eager sailor of the fleet had opened for them.

“Luckily, we don't need much time,” Jesse said. “The vault is not far, only well protected. But if you know the codes, it's child's play.”

Dave nodded, still glaring at him. “This is your chance to prove yourself, St. James,” he said. “Go ahead and take those damn documents. We take care of the Queen.”

“I'll go with him,” Rachel said. She looked at Blaine for confirmation but her eyes told him she was not getting no for an answer, so the conductor nodded.

“Fine,” Dave growled. “Nobody leaves this place until we have those documents.”

“Either we get them or we die,” Jesse said, chuckling nervously. “They won't let us get out if we don't give them reasons to.”
“Then find them! I didn't plan on die today, I've better things to do,” Blaine said.

“I know what you have to do, Anderson,” Jesse grinned, “and as much as I love to live, my first priority will be making sure you can go back to your shared bedroom activity.”

Blaine was totally unaffected by his remark. “It's better if you don't fuck with me, St. James,” he smirked. “I suspect Rachel will need a leave at the end of this.”

Jesse glared at him while Rachel facepalmed. “Can we go now? I thought we didn't have much time.”

“I agree with the lady,” Dave said. “Let's go and make it fast. I wanna dine on my ship. Good luck everyone!”

Rachel and Jesse took the hall to the left and didn't wait to see Blaine, Dave and Dave's crew disappear behind the corner. They run in silence for a while, until Rachel couldn't take it anymore and asked what she had been wanted to ask him for days. “This won't change what I feel, I'm just asking because your answer could jeopardize our life, which could actually change our future together,” she said. “Do we really have the codes?”

Jesse sighed. “Do you think I'm lying?”

“I think you don't always tell all the truth,” she said, carefully.

For a moment, Jesse seemed too busy looking around to even listen to her. He suddenly moved her against a wall, just seconds before a soldier of the Queen passed them by. He made her sign to shut up and then took out a knife and cut the man's throat. The spatter of blood on the white wall was bright red. “I'm telling the truth,” Jesse said as he cleaned the blade on the man's shirt. He didn't like to kill people, especially when it was a messy thing. “I know the codes, I saw those documents and I can help you bring her down. I would have never risked your life like this otherwise.”

Rachel smiled. “Fine. I just needed to hear you saying it.”

Jesse looked straight into her eyes for the longest moment and then nodded. “Come, it's this way.”

Blaine and Dave were running along corridors, leaving a trail of bodies behind themselves. They had no time nor will to keep people alive but unconscious. They were in a hurry and this called for killing, but none of them seemed bothered at all by the blood on their clothes. “Does he know you kill that easily?” Dave asked as he pierced a soldier.

“He knows I kill people if I have to,” Blaine said, doing pretty much the same thing a few feet away.

“That's not what I asked,” Dave said, turning around to shove his sabre in a soldier's neck and shot another with his pistol.

“How about this,” Blaine shot two men and hit a third in his shoulder. “I'm the good hero boyfriend who meets dad and you are the tall, dark and handsome pirate one who owns a ship and provides the kinky set for the steamy sex. And we officially stick to our own field.”

Dave threw a knife in some soldier's heart ready to take Blaine's life. “Surely you can't be the tall one, can you?” He said. “Give me the knife back, please.”

“Here.” Blaine took out the knife from the man's chest and passed it to him. “And Burt can't meet you either, or he's going to have another heart attack. So, you see, it's better if we keep separate roles. Also, it's gonna be funnier for everyone. If we're both good or bad, he will get bored. Let him think you kill people for fun and I don't.”

“I don't kill people for fun!” Dave protested, killing other two men with his sword like it was nothing.

“I know!” Blaine said, rolling his eyes exasperatedly. “Are you even listening to me, captain? I know you're not evil, just pretend you are and I will pretend I'm perfect and heroic. It's all part of the game!”

“Is this not like lying to him?” Dave asked, knocking the last man down and then stopping as they were in front of the throne's room door.

Blaine sighed. “Dave, seriously, Kurt is not stupid. Maybe he doesn't know I kill easily, but he surely knows I'm not perfect. And if he had thought you were a bad man, he would have never ever agreed to be with you. But he likes me because I'm not you and he likes you because you're not me. Can we keep it that way?”

Dave wondered about it for a moment and then just frowned and shook his head. “Fine. Whatever. I don't understand what you say half the time anyway,” he said, and then kicked the door open, entering the room with his gun aimed in front of him.

Queen Sue was watching out of the window the destruction made by the fleet, screaming random orders to the soldier below. When she heard the door open, she turned around and her eyes grew bigger in anger and hate. “How do you dare entering in here without permission?”

“He's got mine, Your Majesty,” Blaine said, coming out from behind Dave and aimed his gun at her.

“Excuse me?”

“We heard what you did to keep this war going and we didn't like it,” Dave said.

Queen Sue looked at him almost with disgust. “You don't know anything, pirate. Why don't you take your silly ships and go back in that hole you all call home before I have you killed?”

“We know more that we wanted to know,” Blaine said. “You have always been the only one gaining something from this war by selling weapons to both parties. You're the only one who wants this war, not the people nor us. And this must stop. I'm afraid your kingdom is over, Your Majesty. From this moment on, you're no longer Queen of the Iron Lands.”

She started to laugh, so loudly and amusedly that the whole room reverberated with her voice as she almost bended over, crying with laughter. “You and what army, mister Anderson? You're a pathetic excuse for a man and now you're even more pathetic as a soldier. A pale lure for the people, our hero in shining armour!” She said, still laughing. “Please, remove yourself from my sight. I can't laugh more than this, my muscles are not used to the movement.”

Blaine's serious face didn't flinch. “Our army, you can see it outside your window. We've already taken three of the towers and halved your men. And we intend to keep going until you are deposed. Tomorrow at this same hour, the war will be over and this kingdom will have another ruler.”

She stopped laughing but she didn't stop smiling because she still thought they had no chance against her. “You have no evidence of what you're saying, Anderson,” she said. “I've never sold weapons to anyone and I've always worked to make sure this war was going to end as soon as possible. I even hired an alchemist for that, whose invention, if I recall correctly, you had to protect and failed. To me, you're just a bitter man who couldn't do his job and allied with the enemy, and now you're here threatening your own Queen. What a pity! What a waste of time for everyone, actually. Shuester!”

From a door they hadn't even notice came a tall, blond man wearing the uniform of the Queen's personal guard followed by a couple of other guards. He looked around and noticed them, instantly drawing his sword. “Your Majesty?” He asked, before doing anything.

“Anderson, Nameless Pirate, I consider myself bored enough by your presence and inappropriate monkey shenanigans,” the Queen said. “So you will be both imprisoned. You can now be grateful to me because I won't kill you. Go on.”

They didn't move. “Mister Shuester, I take you're the commander of Her Majesty's personal guard,” Blaine said, coming forward. “I'm speaking on behalf of the Iron Lands Population and on the pirates, who are here represented by my friend, Captain Dave Karofsky.”

“So you have a name,” Sue commented.

“I know you, Mister Anderson and to me you're threatening the Queen,” Shuester said. “Please, clear your intentions and everything will be fine.”

Blaine moved even closer. Shuester aimed at him and Dave aimed at Shuester. For a moment the only sound that could be heard in the room was the clicking of guns. “I won't clear my intentions,” Blaine said, totally calm, “because they are exactly what you think. I have proof that Queen Sue has been constantly sustaining and exacerbating the war by selling weapons to both the Army and the Pirates and by always giving everyone new reasons to hate each other. She must be stopped and she must be stopped now.”

Shuester seemed upset. He frowned, his eyes darkening. “These are serious accusation you're making here, Commander Anderson,” he said, his tone both serious and paternalistic. “I suggest you to take everything back. Whatever you think you know, I'm sure it can be discussed civilly.”

“I'm not. Just shoot him, already!” Sue cried out, irritated.

“No!” Dave shouted, aiming at the Queen. “If he shoots, you die.”

Sue rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let's delay this ridiculous moment of despicable drama even longer,” she said, massaging her temple. “Anderson, you have nothing on me. So, can we all go home? Actually, can you go home since I'm already here? I'm even inclined to let you and your pirate people go with no more than a shooting or two as long as I can see you no more here or anywhere near this Palace.”

“As I said, I have proof of what I'm saying,” Blaine said, raising his hands. “They're coming in this very moment.”

That was the moment of truth. Blaine realized that if Jesse St. James was lying and he had took advantage of the moment to run away with Rachel, then he was dead. Nothing in the world would stop Queen Sue from killing him, and somehow in the past few moments it didn't occur to him at all. Why didn't they set a rendezvous with Jesse, after he took the documents, before making this scene? He turned a little toward Dave who shrugged, not knowing what to do either.

“Where are these evidences, Anderson?” Sue asked. “If they are real as you are a man of great value, we could wait for them forever.”

The air stood still for the longest time ever. At some point, even Dave started to think that they were alone and that he was going to shoot at this Shuester guy because he was going to shoot to Blaine and then he was going to die too. But then, the door was kicked open again and Jesse run inside, followed by Rachel.

“Am I still in time with these papers?” Jesse asked. “Someone has been killed already? No? Good. I'm so sorry. We had some stupid Math problems at the vault. Now, whom do I have to talk to?”

“St. James?” Sue asked. “Anderson, did you ally yourself with literally every scumbag of the nation?”

“I am not a... Nevermind,” Jesse shook his head. “We have no time for this, really. The whole Capital is burning down and it would be wise to put an end to this as soon as possible. So, dear sir, let me show you why my good friend Blaine Anderson is currently threatening the Queen. Her Majesty kept track of every sell she's ever made, though it's not clear to me why. And in her diary, Gods bless her, she's been writing all that has happened to her since the day she decided, and I'm quoting, to take over this pathetic nation and all those stupid people in it thirty years ago. Here, see for yourself.”

Jesse walked forward, gave the papers to Shuester and then politely took a step back, totally oblivious to the burning glare Sue was giving him.

Shuester ordered one of his man to keep Blaine under fire and started reading. This forced Dave to keep aiming at the Queen, which made his arms hurt. “Where did you find these?” Shuester asked.

“In the vault, sir.”

“Nobody knows the codes of the vault,” Shuester said, looking up just a moment.

“I'm not anybody, sir,” Jessie said. “You know me, you know what I'm capable of. I've actually picked a particular lock for you in the past, have I not, sir? Your lovely lady is well, I hope.”

Shuester blushed, violently. “Yes, she is,” he coughed. But then something really caught his eyes and his face fell as he was reading. “This is impossible. No! This is outrageous!”

Sue growled something that might be or might be not some sort of curse. “St. James, there's your name in there too.”

“I didn't see it,” Jesse smiled, lovely. Some of the pages attesting the worst parts of his past had conveniently fallen in the nearest fireplace, due to Rachel also convenient but lovely goofiness.

“Further investigations are in order, Your Majesty,” Shuester said. “I'm afraid these papers charge you with some serious crimes.”

“Each and everyone of you will pay for this,” Sue said as Shuester gently handcuffed her. “Especially you, Anderson. If you think nature has been mean to you, you haven't seen nothing at all. I'll be meaner with you than she's ever been. Your freakishly small stature and stupid hair will mean nothing after I finish with you!”

“Take her away!” Blaine ordered and she was dragged away, shouting and cursing. As the door closed behind her last scream, Blaine's whole body seemed to collapse and he slumped casually on the Queen's throne. Everybody was too exhausted to notice.

*
After reading her documents and her pieces of writing, the evidence against Queen Sue were too many, and she was charged with treachery and several other crimes. A trial took place but it was very brief, because the jury and the judge agreed pretty much on everything and even Sue's unhappy lawyer gave up on her as soon as she started insulting the court, making impossible for him to even ask for a remission. She wasn't put to death, though, because that would have given a very bad start to the new reign that was about to be created. She was condemned to life in prison.

During Sue's trial, war really came to an end, and the Lands held their breath, waiting to see what was coming next as representatives of each one of them converged to the Capital to discuss the future of the countries. A new Queen or a new King had to be elected, and brand new treaty had to be stipulate in order to regulate the usage of the iron in the Midlands.

The Capital population together with Dave's crew and the army were already starting to rebuild the city that had been almost completely destroyed by the combined attack of Blaine and the pirates. A battletrain had been sent to Lima to fetch Burt Hummel, who was now fanning himself with a piece of parchment in the heat of a summer came too soon.

“Rumours had it the Capital was levelled, but I didn't believe it,” he said, looking out of the window to the remains of the city. “But it's true. Everything is destroyed.”

They had given him a room in the old Queen's palace, where all of them were staying. “This is the only building still standing,” Blaine nodded. “It was an awful battle.”

“Indeed, son. Indeed,” he nodded, looking sadly at him. “Where are all the people staying?”

“We're setting a camp out of the city for the moment,” Blaine explained. “New houses will be ready soon, though. Everyone is helping.”

“That's a good thing.”

Kurt, standing a few feet away from his dad and fanning himself just the same, cleared his throat and decided it was time for the old man to stop looking at the city with dumb eyes and maybe help them. He had a promise to keep, after all. “Dad, there's someone I would like you to meet,” he said.

“Yes, yes,” Burt said nodding and looking around. “Who is it?”

Kurt smiled and pushed Dave forward. Dave was embarrassed beyond limits, because this meeting was really important and meant more to him than Burt would ever know. “Dad, this is Captain Dave Karofsky, he commands the Fury, the flagship of the pirate fleet. He saved mine and Blaine's life several times during our journey, and the victory wouldn't have been possible without him.”

“Oh, it's a pleasure to meet such a hero,” Burt said, shaking Dave's hand. “I had never met a pirate before.”

“I had never meet an alchemist, either,” Dave said, politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“Legends picture you people in a very different way.”

Dave smirked. “Do we have fangs and claws?”

“Sometimes, you do,” Burt nodded. “I have always been fascinated by your traditions, though. You seem peculiar people.”

Dave laughed because in Burt scientific curiosity there was still a trace of disgust and distrust that he had already seen in Kurt. But he knew now that it could be completely dissipated. “I will be more than happy to tell you whatever you want to know about us, except for treasure's whereabouts. Those are secret.”

“And marine charts,” Blaine said, smiling. “Those are secret too.”

“Too bad, I could use a little treasure,” Burt chuckled, finding the captain really amiable. “Is there something I can do for you that would make you change your mind?”

“Actually, there is something that I think you could do for me,” Dave said, seriously. He took off Santana's bracelet and showed it to the older man. “Five years ago, my second in command and my best friend, Santana, was shot with what I think is one of your inventions. She didn't die. Her conscience was locked inside a little device that I put in this bracelet, and she's been bodiless since.”

“A disembodier, yes. I invented those guns,” Burt said.

“Kurt said the process can be reversed,” Dave said, hesitantly. He had been waiting for this moment for five long years, but now he was scared Hummel could say no. He had never really thought about the possibility of Santana being like this forever. So, while a part of him wanted an answer, the other one would be fully content living in ignorance for the rest of his life.

Burt studied the bracelet, turning it around in his hands. “Is she fully conscious even if she has never been in containing system?”

“You can bet I am,” Santana's voice said, glowing bright red and scaring the poor man who almost dropped the bracelet.

“Oh, I beg your pardon, miss Santana,” the alchemist said. “I didn't even know this was possible. Usually we put the consciousness devices in special containers called containing systems that help the consciousness stay alive. I've always observed that, without a containing system, the individual's consciousness fades almost every time. You must have a very strong spirit, madam.”

“Oh, she does,” everyone said, almost at the same time.

“Thank you very much,” Santana snorted.

“So, can you do something for her?” Dave asked, fighting his fears.

Burt looked at the bracelet once more. “Well, her strong spirit might have saved her from complete oblivion, and this is a miracle per se,” he said. “But in order to reverse the process, I'd need her body. There's no way I can use someone else's because the gun work by knotting together the consciousness and the body using the very own body's energy as a thread. If the body's energy doesn't match the one locked in the device, the process doesn't work.”

“But we have her body,” Dave said, smiling with hope. “We conserved it.”

“Oh!” Burt's mouth clearly formed an amazed letter O. “Oh, that changes everything. I have an embodier among the inventions I brought with me. As I always say, you never know what you may need. See, Kurt? What do I always say?”

“That you never know what you may need,” Kurt repeated, rolling his eyes. Blaine took his hands and interlaced their fingers.

“That's right!” Burt exclaimed, his mind already wandering to the many things he had to prepare and do to give back her body to Santana. “Now, bring me miss Santana's body. I will need a bed to lay her on, salts, some towels and boiled water. Lots of boiled water!”

“Is he bringing Santana back or is he helping her to give birth?” Dave murmured to the boys, frowning.

“Are you still here?” Burt said as he moved around the room like a madman, opening chests and taking out of them the strangest things. “Bed, salts, sheets, towel and boiled water. Come on, kids. Those things won't bring themselves here.” They all ran out of the room quickly as he kept shouting. “Oh! And her body! By the Gods, bring here her body!”

*
Santana's body was laid on Dave's bed. It was still and cold like a corpse, but her skin was perfect and darker as it was when she was okay. Her expression peaceful, she seemed asleep. It was strange to look at it, and nobody really could. Only Dave was already holding her hand, almost as if he didn't want to lose the exact moment when she would be herself again.

It turned out that of all the things Burt had asked, only the salts were for Santana. He used the towel to sponge his on forehead and it turned out he couldn't think well without gallons of tea, therefore the water. Kurt was taking care of it with a bored face as his father opened a little iron box and retrieved a gun. It looked like the one that had taken Santana's consciousness, but it was bigger and creepier looking. It had two barrels and the trigger was connected to weird mechanisms of wheels that fizzled and hissed.

He carefully took the little device out of the bracelet and inserted it in the provided slot on the side of the gun. Dave looked at him closely, his eyes promising a very painful end to the alchemist if something went wrong. Once the device was in place, Santana stopped talking and even glowing. Burt explained that it was perfectly normal since the consciousness was automatically transferred from the device to the gun.

“Are you sure she is really gonna be okay?” Brittany asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Dave. He had called her to assist because she was Santana's girlfriend. And also because that part of him that was too scared to believe and feared that this was the end thought that Brittany deserved a last chance to say goodbye.

Dave lied. “Of course I am,” he said. “Don't worry.”

After a few moments, Burt took the gun in his hand and checked it one more time. “Before I start, are you one hundred percent sure this is the right body, unaltered and unwounded? Because if it's not and I proceed, both the body and consciousness will be corrupted and lost forever.”

“It's her body,” Dave said. “She wasn't wounded when it happened. We thought the body would rotten, but it didn't, so we preserved it in chamber. Brittany washed it every single day and took great care of her. She is unaltered, if that's what you meant.”

“Alright, alright!” Burt said, sounding cheerful even though his eyes were not. “Now, I want everybody to be silent and still as much as you can. It will only take one shot to me, but she will need a few minutes.”

He aimed the gun to her head and Dave shivered. He couldn't stand a gun threatening Santana, even though he knew that particular gun wasn't going to wound her in any way. The mechanism started to fizzle even more and then Burt pulled the trigger and there was a sparkle. It ran through the mechanism, exploding out of the barrel in the form of a little blue sphere that fled through the air at impossible speed toward Santana's body. When it reached her head, it slowed down. It leaned against it and then it was slowly absorbed by it.

Burt lowered the gun that was now silent and still as mus as the body was. “Is she inside her own body, now?” Brittany asked, perplexed.

“Yes, she is,” Burt nodded. Her consciousness turned on her vital energy that was appeased inside the body and it was now working its way through the body, revitalizing it. “It usually takes several minutes to...”

“Give me something to drink and make it strong,” Santana's voice was croaking but at least it came out of her throat.

“Tana?” Dave asked, holding her hand. He looked at her and couldn't believe she was actually alive and moving in front of his eyes.

“Yes, that's me,” she said. She tried to move her head but gave up and moved her eyes instead, smiling. “Ahoy, Cap'n.”

“Ahoy, Lopez,” he smiled back, happy as a child.

“How do you feel, miss Santana?” Burt asked, taking out medical instruments out of nowhere and measuring her vitals.

Santana thought about it. “I feel dizzy and a little numb, but I think I'm okay,” she answered. “I hear some sort of ringing in my ear.”

“That's perfectly normal,” Burt said, smiling. “It's the remnant of your energy that still needs to be relocated. It will pass in time, don't worry.”

“Good, 'cause I don't like this rhythm.” She reached out to Brittany who held her hand and sat on the bed. Santana looked at her and for the first time in five years Brittany could see the look in her eyes when she did so. It was exactly as she remembered. For the first time in five years she had lips to kiss and hands to hold and a body to cuddle. Santana read everything that there was to read on her face and just smiled for a moment before turning to the others. “Now, don't you have something to do somewhere? A city to build? A ruler to elect? Whatever you have to do, do it away from here, okay?”

Dave chuckled. “Fine, the room is yours,” he said, leaving a kiss on her forehead. “And the bed too, I'm gonna sleep somewhere else.”

Santana grabbed one of the several pillows around her and took advantage of her newly found body to throw it at Dave. “Oh, I know you will. Now, get out!”

“Miss, I don't think it's wise for you to...”

Dave and Blaine both took Burt under his arms and dragged him away. “She will be okay, mister Hummel. Let's leave her alone. In the meantime, the country needs you. And you can't really disappoint the country, right?” Blaine said.

“Of course not, but what can I do for the country?”

“Make the stone work,” Dave said. “It will be enough. Leave the rest to us.”

He closed the door on Santana and Brittany kissing and he smiled. The world was getting in the right direction, one small step at the time.

*
Blaine gave the last direction to the spokesman of the group of carpenters that was currently rebuilding that part of the palace that The Fury had taken down and sighed. Sue had been deposed a week prior and the Capital seemed to do just fine. There were some turmoil here and there in the rest of the country, but nothing that couldn't be kept under control. He had sent the army to bring clear news of what was happening in the Capital everywhere the information system wasn't working, but it was just a temporary measure to avoid people freaking out according to false rumours.

The main problem now was the election of a new ruler, which was why he was currently heading to the throne room where the others were waiting for him to talk about the matter. He had expected a few people to show up and offer to take Sue's place but apparently, nobody wanted to fill her shoes. The country had suffered too much and would expect a lot from the new ruler. Blaine couldn't really blame anyone for not even trying.

When he entered the room, everybody stopped talking and turned to him, looking weirdly at him. Burt cleared his throat and Kurt smiled at him, that strange, almost creepy smile he would give him when he was feverish and needed to take a sour medicine.

“What?” Blaine asked. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No, no,” Dave shook his head. “Your face is perfectly fine.”

“Then why are you staring at me?” Blaine asked.

“Because something happened and you need to know it,” Dave explained. He reached behind himself and fetched a piece of paper he was carrying around in his back pocket. “Some representatives of the people held a poll on who should be the new ruler of the Kingdom and eighty percent of the people answered that it should be you.”

“Me?” Blaine burst in laughter, taking the piece of paper from Dave's hand. “That's ridiculous.”

“But it makes sense,” Kurt said.

“No, it doesn't, Kurt,” Blaine insisted. “I'm just a conductor. I'm not even entitled to be a ruler.”

Santana came forward, proudly wearing her high heels boots again. “Actually, they know you. They know more about you than they've ever known about the Queen, and that makes you reliable. Plus, you are a war hero and the man who saved them all from the evil Queen. They expect you to take the last step and heal this country.”

Blaine shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, and I don't, I could never be the king. It would be unfair. I was born here in the Iron Lands, all the people who voted for me are from the Iron Lands. I don't want to upset the Floating Lands population or the Midlands' population by proclaiming myself King without knowing their opinion first.”

“You can't ask for everybody's opinion, you know that, right?” Santana asked, raised an eyebrow. “I'm all for equality and justice but there are more than seven millions people in this country, you can't ask each and every one of them if they want you to be King.”

“No, but a proper election would be the right thing to do,” Blaine said.

“And who are gonna be the candidates?” Kurt asked. “Nobody showed up or said anything. Nobody wants Sue's throne anyway. But the country can't be without a ruler, especially when the council members ran away during the trial.”

“I can't do this,” Blaine said again. “Dave! You know the people of the Floating Lands! You know the pirates! What would they say if I took the throne overnight?”

“Actually, most of them are already here and probably voted for you, already,” Dave shrugged. “Anyway, they won't say anything as long as you leave them alone and make a decent treaty for the Midlands.”

“The Midlands!” Blaine pointed a finger to him. “What about the Midlands? Shouldn't they have a say in this?”

“The man who brought us that piece of paper came from the Midlands. There's a group of them here in the Capital, they came to help,” Dave said, and then chuckled. “Apparently the whole world loves you, Anderson. Even though I don't know why.”

Kurt covered his mouth with a hand, smiling. “Oh shut up!”

“You can't be serious!” Blaine almost squeaked. “I can't be king.”

“It seems like you already are. It's you, for want of the people, or nobody at all,” Kurt said, sweetly.

Santana patted his shoulder. “The country needs you, Anderson. And you can't really disappoint the country, right?” She said.

Eventually, the coronation happened one week later, before Blaine could really understand what was going on and change his mind. It was an epic celebration with people coming from all the lands to see and cheer for the new King. For the first time in centuries, pirates were welcomed like everybody else and the Midlands population reasserted their support to Blaine with songs, dance and gift especially made for him. They were happy to contribute for once, after years of being completely excluded from politics while a war was fight on their land.

“Everybody seems happy,” Kurt said, while he, Blaine and Dave sat on the roof terrace of the palace where they had gone to escape the cheering crowd for a moment.

“Everybody seems overly excited too,” Blaine sighed as he tried to balance the crown on his head. “And this thing is so heavy.”

“You won't need to wear it every time,” Kurt said.

“No, just from morning to evening,” Dave mocked him. “It's not that much.”

Blaine glared at him. “Beware, Dave. I'm your king now, I can put you to death.”

Dave nodded, totally unimpressed. He pulled him by the collar of his jacket and kissed him deeply, forcing a satisfied moan from his lips.

“So, what do we do now?” Kurt asked, curling against Dave's side as the man held him close too.

“Well,” Dave said, leaving a kiss on Kurt's lips too. “I think I'm gonna sail off tomorrow.”

“What?” Kurt was shocked. “You can't leave now!”

Dave smiled. “Did you get used to me?”

“Yes?” He said as if it was pretty obvious.

“I'm not a land man, Kurt. You know that. I need to be on my ship,” Dave said. “But Titan is not very far from here. I'll be back every know and then and we can be together.”

“All three of us,” Blaine specified.

“All three of us, of course,” Dave chuckled.

Kurt looked sadly at him for a while, but then he smiled. “You promise?”

Dave nodded and kissed him again, this time holding him in his arms.

Maybe it was what Blaine read in the moan Kurt let out, but he stood up and nodded over the door. “Let's not waste the time when he's here, then.”

They smiled at each other and hid in their room while in the streets below people were singing and dancing and laughing for the new king and the end of the war.


the end