Chapter One - Muse
The Lightwoods ruled Idris ever since they have overthrown the cruel regiment of Morgenstern family. They were far from innocent, one would say, but definitely better than being ruled by a Morgenstern who had all but driven their island into the ocean with their ambitious aspirations of defying the Gods. Idris was the biggest island out of a chain of seven which were created under the benevolence of some higher forces, humbly called The Greaters. No one had seen these gods, but everyone feared them and when one of the rulers of the islands tried their chances with their power – well, death was a mild word for their demise. In the case of Idris, Valentine Morgenstern had found a magical way to get himself into the lands of The Greaters and steal a whistle which could help him conquer the other islands and thus harness more magic and declare war on The Greaters.
To everyone's relief and surprise, it was his daughter and wife who stopped him from using the whistle as they worked together with the Lightwoods to put an end to his dangerous quest. Clary Morgenstern had received a message from one of The Greaters while she was in the dream world and had her choose between saving the islands or betraying her father. It hasn't been an easy decision as she had loved her father dearly, but she had seen the changes in him brought by the position of power he had held as ruler of Idris and, even risking his hate, she had chosen saving the world. Nonetheless, The Greaters have taken Valentine away in their land and ever since then Robert Lightwood and his family had assumed the position of rulers of Idris.
While the islanders weren't having the best reprise from the Morgenstern era, they were definitely going steadier under the rule of Robert and his son, Alexander Lightwood. Even with the wars started by Max and sometimes, Isabelle, Idris was a prosperous island – incoming trades, lush forests, vast fields and access to the best part of the ocean had given its people the chance to know better lifestyles. When the wars would come, Max would always drive his enemies in the north battlefield where it was his usual playground – torture and the likes. While his brother, Alec, didn't quite agree with Max's violent tendencies, his father seemed to prefer them always saying that it created a fearful image and this would secure their rule for many, many years. Every time he heard this reason, Alec wanted to roll his eyes, even if he sort of knew that his father was right. Max wasn't going to be a ruler as he preferred to remain the army's general and Isabelle was too flirtatious for her own good, some of the wars being started in her name. Only Alec was a potential ruler and Robert knew this, but somehow always doubted Alec of some softheartedness hidden away by his son's cool and impervious mask. His own son and he couldn't guess what he was going to say next at their monthly meeting. This was a good trait in a ruler, but it made Robert fearful because the most quiet prove to be the most dangerous in the end and he didn't want a repeat of the Morgenstern era. He loved his son, but he was also a ruler and his people had to trump family at some point in his life.
What Robert didn't know was that Alec was actually sick of playing the ruler with his father. He envied his brothers for the liberties they could assume, for their casualness around their subjects and friends while he couldn't even show a kitten some interest, even if he was a big cat-lover. It sucked being a ruler and he hated that he had to be big brother, the responsible and the only successor of Lightwood. Sometimes, he wished he could be like Jace – last of his line, frivolous with the ladies and not giving a flying damn. Instead he was the primary contact in maintaining the social and financial system of Idris, tempering the courts when judgments were being placed and meeting with ambassadors from other islands, ensuring the good future of Idris' trading system. He had to sit through long meetings about the potential threats posed by Camus and Teika, the second and third biggest islands after Idris; he had to rein in his brother's violent urges on starting another war with Teika just because he could and also, he had to check on Izzy's spending habits which sometimes were preposterous!
For example, now she had called on some so-said king from a small island – Magnifia – to bring her some of the riches this island is most famous for. Alec didn't know the king personally and while the Magnifia gold was indeed most acclaimed, he himself had never held an interest in jewelry; that was his baby sister domain from which he hoped he could keep himself away. The least he wanted now was to entertain some pig-looking kind fastened with every trinket of jewelry while listening to Izzy's squeals of delight. Thank God, his father and mother had not insisted on him joining and for once, he was relieved of this burden. Maybe he could get a hold on Jace and go hunting into the woods, he missed his friend and even if he understood why he had chosen this danger-seeking and meaningless-relationship lifestyle, he still wished for Jace to be here and just have a good moment between old friends and make him forget that he was part of a ruler's family and he was supposed to fall into his father's footsteps. But Alec could only wish.
Alec woke up with a dreadful feeling thudding in his chest. He glanced at the large windows of his window and saw that it was a beautiful and sunny day, nothing on the clear blue sky seeming to mirror why he felt like today was going to be a fatidic day for him. While he wasn't one to dwell much on certain emotions, over time Alec had come to trust his instincts and especially those which made him feel like he was feeling now. The only other time he had felt like this had been when Jace and Clary had been separated and Jace had started his wandering lifestyle, not caring anymore what happened to him. His friend had gone down a black hole and his only ray of sunshine was with Clary within the walls of Glass City. Alec shuddered at the thought of Clary imprisoned in the Glass City, but it had been her punishment as daughter of Valentine Morgenstern – no harm will befall her in there, but nothing else happened either. One could say she was forced into a nunnery lifestyle, but being a nun allowed a certain freedom while the Glass City did not. She would never see the blue sky, the starry sky or Jace – she will only see multicolored glass and her mirrored self; one was bound to go insane in there. It was a terrible punishment, but The Greaters have decided so and nothing they could have done would have stopped this punishment to be carried on. Jace would have gladly joined Clary in the Glass city, but The Greaters didn't allow it and Alec had watched his best friend turn into a shadow of the man he had once was. Only the promise he had made to Clary was keeping him alive, Alec was sure of it. He had never known love like theirs – so powerful and yet so destructive in its purest form. Even if he was witness to how their relationship ended, he still felt envy for what they had shared and for what they might still be sharing even if miles separated them.
A sigh left Alec's lips as he rubbed the center of his chest, the dreadful feeling still clawed into his soul. Maybe it was nothing, maybe he was just having some memory-emotions from thinking of Jace the other day and how he missed his company. He got out of bed and began to dress himself – he despised the idea of being helped by servants although Izzy totally enjoyed, maybe it had something to do with the fact that her servants were all male – thinking of the schedule he had for today. He recalled that Magnifia's king was going to arrive today and he hoped to make himself scarce, he was really not in the mood of meeting anyone new, less someone Izzy was bound to squeal over because of his jewelries. At this thought, a faint smile tugged at Alec's lips as he could hear Jace's comment over which jewelries would Isabelle prefer to squeal at.
He really missed Jace.
The moment Magnus entered the city of Idris everyone stopped and stared. Used with attention, Magnus waved his hand in acknowledgment and threw some of Magnifia gold to the bystanders who hurried to catch the big and round coins, small fights starting in his wake. An amused smile curled his red-berried lips as he leaned and whispered to his griffin – "Wherever we go, they still gape and grapple." The creature turned his head slightly, an amber colored eye staring reproachfully at Magnus who smiled innocently. He knew what Griff thought of such flashy displays, they've been having arguments over Magnus' choices of appearance for too many years and they always ended up doing like Magnus wanted. Not because Griff was subordinate to Magnus, but because they were bound by friendship and much more other complicated stuff which he never had the time to explain to those who were mesmerized by the fact that Magnus had a griffin under his wing. Well, technically, he could be under Griff's wing, but no one seemed to enjoy his little joke every time he said it, despite Griff's warning that he was definitely not that funny.
The gates of the Idris' palace opened before him and Magnus' smile widened. He had always wanted to come to Idris and he hadn't hesitated in accepting young Isabelle Lightwood's invitation to the palace for a trade in jewelries. Of course, Magnus was a businessman and a king in the same time, so he was also planning to secure more gold trading with the Idris' rulers. As opposed to the Morgensterns, the Lightwoods had proven not that interested in the charms of Magnus' wealthy treasures and had kept mostly to themselves, allowing only the Magnifia gold to be used as currency which, needless to say, had upset Magnus greatly. Catarina had tended to his needs for a month, always reassuring him that his charms, his fashion and other millions of trinkets he held in possession were still held at high value in the other islands. Surely, in the end he had recovered from the blow the less artistic Lightwoods had involuntarily given to him and much to his surprise, years later in their rule, a true spark of art had seemed to finally bud – Isabelle Lightwood. He couldn't wait to meet the young princess, he was sure she was going to be a lovely company, one who could actually value the importance of his island's riches and maybe help him reopen the trade of jewelry and fashion from Magnifia.
Griff suddenly came to a halt and knelt to the ground allowing Magnus to smoothly climb down off him, smothering any crease off his sparkly green shirt which he had assorted with a pair of silky black pants tucked into short leather boots. He knew he looked fabulous and the accessories that glinted off in the Idris sun made him radiant which pleased Magnus' ego even more.
"Simon – umbrella, please!" He snapped his fingers in an elegant and swift movement and a lanky boy dressed in cotton-sateen white shirt and pants hurried to his side, opening a grand umbrella made of peacock feathers and offering him the shade he needed to look carefully at the palace of Lightwoods rulers. It was grand indeed, but not very much impressive otherwise. It had the usual design of a normal castle, turrets and all, balconies in some part of the castle which he assumed opened to either a view of the sea or the lush forests of Idris. With a sigh, he motioned Simon as he started to walk towards the impossible flight of stairs which led to the entrance of the castle – really, who builds a castle and thousands stairs right before it?!
Just then, when he was about to climb the stairs, the doors to a stone terrace slightly hidden by the big and green plants – Magnus never knew their names – opened and the most impossible beautiful creature of the seven islands stepped outside, basking in the sunlight. Magnus stopped transfixed, his lips parting slightly as he took in the image this man was presenting him – tall and lean with a messy, bed hair through which Magnus would love to tangle his fingers, the sight of him had Magnus' heart beat faster. He could see a small lopsided smile hanging on lips which he expected to be as sweet as berries – his favorite! – and while he couldn't see the color of his eyes, he imagined they were of a dark colour, one that would pierce through him once he got to know him better.
"Magnus?" Simon's voice cut through his daydream of the beautiful dark-haired man, bringing him back on earth where not everyone understood the importance of having a good fantasy with someone you just saw.
"Who is that?" Magnus asked instead, his gaze still fastened on the man who was now walking towards a garden from which Magnus couldn't see him anymore. He watched the way the deep cobalt blue pants veiled strong legs, tightening slightly, as the man moved, around a bottom which Magnus very much appreciated, the white shirt partially covered by a vest of the same shade of blue as the pants which Magnus wouldn't have even bothered wearing – it was impossibly hot in Idris and the white shirt was buttoned up to the neck to make one feel strangled. But his muse moved freely, like the clothes were a second skin to him and Magnus couldn't help but wonder how it would be if he was the second skin to him…
"That's Alexander Lightwood." Simon's voice once more cut through his daydream, but this time making Magnus look startled at his help.
"The prince?" He asked in a low voice, noticing from the corner of his eye how the man of his dreams disappeared in a garden he didn't have access yet.
"They don't use such terms here in Idris, but yes, the prince heir of Lightwood." Simon reconfirmed Magnus' words, wondering if this was going to put a stop in his master's schemes of getting what he wanted.
"I love a challenge!" Magnus suddenly declared, a devilish grin appearing on his face as his cat-like eyes gleamed golden.