The Division of Our Hearts

Prologue

The war between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders had raged for hundreds of years. There were rumours about how it began but, after twenty seven generations of fighting and bloodshed, no one could really be sure of the true origin story. All anyone knew was that Downworlders killed Shadowhunters and Shadowhunters hunted Downworlders. Both sides believed that they were on the right side of the war. Both sides believed they were doing the right thing.

Even though the Downworlders outweighed the Shadowhunters in numbers, the latter were stronger in stealth and agility. The numbers problem was because the Downworlders consisted of five groups who worked in alliance with each other; five different species who didn't exactly get along but fought together in allegiance for the war. Vampires; werewolves; fairies; mere-folk; and warlocks all opposed the Shadowhunters, who worked solely as a single species side. But what they lack in numbers, they make up for in experience.

When a child is born into a Shadowhunter family, they are taken to their local institute at the age of five to be trained as soldiers. At the age of eighteen, they are then sent out to fight in the war, with thirteen years of experience under their belts. You fight, you rest, you eat, sleep, and, eventually, die. The cycle of Shadowhunter life is a sad one but it is morally right, in their eyes, for the insurance to win the war. That's all that seemed to matter, now-a-days. Win the war. End it somehow. No matter what it takes.

Maryse and Robert Lightwood were both respectable Shadowhunters. They fought hard every day of their lives and brought many victories of many fights out on the field. The countless awards and commendments they received in their lifetime was still the most to ever be given to a set of soldiers in the history of the war. They died on the field, with honour and valour, leaving their two children behind to carry their legacy once they were old enough to fight.

The Lightwood children never really knew their parents. They were raised in a New York institute, in their parents' hometown, while said parents stayed out in the field nearly 24/7. The youngest Lightwood, Max, was only five years old when Maryse and Robert were killed in a final victory attempt that took the lives of themselves and the entire vampire league that had been converging on the Shadowhunter campground, leaving the eldest, Alexander, to bear the weight of the family history on his shoulders. There was also a middle child, Isabelle, who acted like a second mother to her little brother and was known famously for her ability to boss her older brother about.

No Shadowhunter's life was easy, but some may argue that the Lightwoods had it even rougher than that. However, none of the three children would admit this. They were raised to not complain, to grin and bear the do's they are expected to. The war was everyone's main priority and now, four years after the deaths of Maryse and Robert Lightwood, a light at the end of the tunnel was beginning to become visible. Maybe there was a chance that, after twenty seven generations, the war would end.

The tricky thing was that it wasn't the Shadowhunters who were nearing the victory.

It was the Downworlders.

The tension between both sides was getting tighter and tighter. Needless fights broke out, leading to many unnecessary deaths. The warlocks were gathering bigger and stronger spells. The fairies were becoming more and more devious and deceiving, if that were possible. The werewolves were getting more vicious, the vampires more swift. The mer-folk more enchanting. It was becoming harder and harder for the Shadowhunters to keep up. They were only barely managing.

It was obvious that Shadowhunters and Downworlders didn't mix. They didn't interact with each other. They didn't speak, they couldn't even bear walking on the same side of the pavement together. The only time interaction of any kind took place, it was when they were fighting. Things like love and friendship were out of the question, unspeakable, dishonourable.

Except, two people were about to change that. Two people on opposite sides of the endless war, who were fighting towards the same goal. Two people were about to fall in love.

And nothing would ever be the same again.

A/N: Hello! As well as my HG fanfics, I've decided to dip my toe into the TMI pool to write some Malec! I know this chapter is short but it's only the prologue. It's just a bit of background anyway and a bit of insight into what's to come :)

Has anyone else heard the news about TMI being made into a t.v series instead of a series of movies? I think it's a wonderful idea, despite the fact that the characters are going to be recast. What are you guys' thoughts on it?

Reviews would be helpful and greatly appreciated!