How the Circle Won the Uprising
*Thanks mucho to my beta Jace loves me for checking my mistakes etc. You rock!*
AN: Hi, Seraphina Wayland here! Okay so those of you who haven't read my profile yet may not understand who I am, so I encourage you to check that out first. The story told in this chapter is actually from before I was born, so I won't even be in it, but my parents will be. This story has been told to me like a thousand times, so now I'm telling it to you and I'm proud to tell it because it's an important part of our history as well as my own personal history. Enjoy! - Seraphina R. Lightwood-Wayland
Valentine's POV
The attack was well planned, there was just one thing worrying me. I knew that Jocelyn had been taking off to meet someone and I was pretty sure it was Luke. I needed to talk to her about it and find out if she was still loyal, before we decided when to launch the attack, so I knew whether it would be safe to let her in on the plans.
"Jocie, can you come here please?" I asked her and that was when I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had spent any time with my wife. She came to stand at the side of the chair I'd been reading in. I pulled her down into my lap and I said, "First things first, I'd like to apologize to you. I've gotten so caught up in planning the Uprising that there hasn't been much time for us and I'm sorry Baby." I sighed, knowing full well that I had failed her. No wonder she was sneaking out to meet Lucian. I probably would be in her shoes too.
"Do you mean that? Because I know there are a lot of things you've been keeping from me and I can't live in an environment full of lies and treachery, Valentine. I love you and I have always loved you and I can respect that you have a lot of extreme political ideals and a devotion to science, but my love for you can't be the only thing holding this marriage together. You need to want to be in it and you need to show me that on a regular basis. I just want to feel like I am a priority for you and honestly, I haven't felt that I am for quite some time." She said, pushing away the odd tear.
"I know now that I have been failing you, as a husband, in our marriage and I want to make it up to you. I know that you've been down to the basement and so I know that you know more about my experiments than what I have told you myself. But I can imagine that you saw things there that may have upset you and I am sure you have many questions. So if it helps, I would be happy to answer them for you, my Love." I smiled with all the warmth of my love for her. Just because I was devoted to The Circle's cause, didn't mean that I wasn't devoted to my wife. I have always loved my wife.
"Okay, well why do you have an Angel in chains and are you planning on letting it go any time soon?" She huffed.
"Its name is Ithuriel and I am pretty sure that it would have wanted to assist in my experiments if it were allowed to do so. However Angels are required to deem whether or not us humans are deserving of their help by the purity of their intentions. When the Angel Ithuriel looked into my soul, admittedly, there was a lot of darkness to be found. I don't claim to be perfect and I know myself pretty well. I realize that most of my hatred for Downworlders comes from the death of my father. And maybe personal revenge isn't the greatest motive. But it isn't just for my own sake that I want them to die!
"It's for my family and all of the other Shadowhunter families like the Graymarks who terrible things happen to at the hands of Downworlders, as well as the unsuspecting mundanes who end up being bitten by a vampire or a werewolf while out minding their own business! The Clave has spent copious years trying to rein them in and make them behave but doing so goes against their nature and they have made very little progress. What happened to Lucian and my father should be proof enough of that.
"I have the Angel because I need its blood. I tried to use Lilith's blood on Jonathan thinking mistakenly that it would affect his abilities but not his nature, because unlike a demon he has a soul. But as you know it backfired and as such, I fear he will be even harder to reign in than the Downworlders are, so I admit it was a huge mistake. But since Shadowhunters are angelically allied, I feel there is a much better chance of this working properly. And just think… if a child can be born with any of the Angels abilities, that child could do wonderful things and be an excellent addition to our family as well as to our cause!
"So, I've been giving you Ithuriel's blood in both the hope that it will counteract the negative effects you felt after the demon blood and also that if you should become pregnant again, a child could be born that would be the exact opposite of Jonathan and may even be the thing that reigns him in. They could balance each other out, at least in theory. I know you don't like my experiments, but I would like your permission to keep the Angel a while longer, provided I treat it well.
"Celine Herondale is pregnant and I have been giving her the Angel blood as well. Her baby is due to be born soon and then we will find out exactly how well this experiment has worked. If it has worked well enough, I would like to keep the Angel for two more years so that any of The Circle families who would like to may have a chance to participate in what I am calling the Angel program. After that, it will be released unharmed. Can you give me that long?"
She sighed but I knew that the prospect of a baby being born that could temper Jonathan and/or make up for what I had done to him, was enough to peak her interests. "Yes, but you had damned well better treat it properly. That is a heavenly being in our basement, not a pet or a prisoner, do I make myself clear?" She stated, still angry but less so.
"Yes, very clear. Thank you for hearing me out." I smiled and kissed her with all the passion I had been neglecting lately, which if she wasn't already convinced was enough to do the trick.
"And Baby, I know how much you hate werewolves, and no one can blame you for that, I mean they did kill your father. But Lucian, he hasn't changed, Valentine. He's exactly the same person in here as he always was and I think you owe it to him, to give him a chance. He still loves you, Valentine. He always has and he always will. And who knows, maybe with all of your science we could find a cure for Lycanthropy and you could have your Parabatai back, my Love, wouldn't you want that if it were possible?" She said, trying not to cry, yet trying to make me understand. And I did, sort of.
The emotional part of my brain wanted nothing to do with forgiving Lucian. The logical part knew three things. First, this was obviously something that Jocelyn wanted and in the spirit of trying to fix our relationship, I would do well to heed her requests. Second, it would definitely be useful to have a Downworlder on our side, from which we could gather information. And I did trust him at one time, with my life even. Maybe, just maybe he could be trusted again. And third, she was right. Just because a cure has never been found, doesn't mean there isn't one. I mean, essentially that's what science is. Fixing the unfixable and discovering the undiscoverable. So maybe, there was hope for Lucian. And oh how badly I wanted to believe that.
"Jocelyn Darling, I believe you will be my salvation in this crazy world of ours. I will talk to Lucian. Maybe he will even assist with the Uprising if I cut a deal to spare his pack. I hope you're right though, my Love. I don't enjoy getting my hopes up only to see them dashed on the rocks." I sighed and relaxed into the arms of my beloved, knowing that we had a lot to do and hardly enough time to do it in. But in this moment with my beautiful bride I knew. All of the politics and all of my experiments, they could wait until tomorrow.
The next day, she took me to Brocelind Forest to meet Luke. When he first saw me, sufficed to say he was less than pleased. "Why did you bring him here? You know he wants to kill me!" He thundered at Jocie. I had to restrain myself from attacking him in that moment for daring to speak to my wife that way. But when I thought about it, I realized he must have felt just as betrayed upon seeing me there as I did upon finding out that she had been sneaking off with him. So, I stayed my hand.
"Wanted, Lucian, past tense. I had wanted to kill you. I had thought it was best and that the man I knew wouldn't want to be a monster. I hadn't been in my right mind when I asked you to end yourself. And I wasn't thinking scientifically. Let me ask you, Lucian. If a cure could be found one day, would you take it? Would you choose to be a Shadowhunter again?" I asked him.
"Valentine, of course I would! You know I would never want to stay this way. I never, ever wanted this! And Valentine, you're right about Downworlders in one sense at least. They are lesser beings. Most of them have no way of knowing it, but when I transformed and was no longer a Shadowhunter, it was like I felt the Angel's blessing being stripped away. I felt as I imagine a mundane with an illness might feel. Out of sorts, a shell of one's former self, as a Downworlder, your allegiance isn't demonic, but it isn't angelic either. It is what you make it, I've learned.
"And I'm not stupid, I still know my right from wrong and I know that the werewolf who attacked me and all of the multitudes like him need to be stopped. I also know that at any moment, I could do something just as terrible as that or worse because in my animalistic state, I lose control. Jocelyn keeps trying to convince me that I'm the same man I was but I know better. Maybe if she'd had another few weeks to keep telling me the same things, I would have allowed myself to believe it because it's easier than all of this self-loathing. But it wouldn't make it true, Valentine and for that I am sorry. I know I wasn't the only one who lost something that day. I know it must be hard for you as well." He sighed.
After his little speech, my decision was made. "You are the one tenth, brother. I've decided that one tenths of the Downworlders in this world, might just deserve to be saved. After the Uprising, I plan to get started on a cure for Lycanthropy as well as for Vampirism. If they can come up with a cure for Astriola, then surely a cure can be found for you also." I smiled, feeling hopeful for the very first time since his transformation.
"Oh good, you're still going through with the Uprising then? The werewolf representative is a lowlife anyway. I've been doing some research and I think most of the Downworlder representatives are basically scum. There might be a couple who are, as you would put it, 'part of the one tenth' but not many." He shook his head.
"Good then, if you can get me the names of the one tenth, I assure you they will be spared. And I'd say with the Shadowhunters, that the opposite is true. Most can and will be made to see reason. But one tenth of them are garbage and should be destroyed as such. Unfortunately for the Clave, the garbage tends to find its way into power, hence why the government is so corrupt. I will find out which Shadowhunters should be spared and we will give our people a list of our allies from among the riffraff so they will know what to do. How soon do you think you can be ready?"
"As soon as you need, as I've said, there aren't many worth sparing. The ones who are will be loyal though and they'll help to destroy the others." He said confidently.
"Perfect. I'm glad to have you on my side, Lucian. I know from past experience that you make a formidable opponent, but an even better friend." I smiled. And just like that, all was forgiven.
"After everything, Valentine, you would still… call me… friend?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes Lucian and I hope that a cure may be found, so that one day, I might again call you Parabatai, also." I grinned. And I knew that one day, I would make it so.
"Are all of our people in place, Robert?" I asked my good friend on the morning of the Uprising.
"Yes Sir. Patrick and I will be bringing in the A Team. And the Pangborns are ready with the B Team. Your Mutty Buddy is ready with the one tenth and they will be hanging back in case anyone escapes." That is what the boys had taken to calling Lucian, 'my Mutty Buddy' but he didn't seem to mind.
"Perfect. As soon as I give the signal, you send the boys in, alright?" I asked.
"You bet." He nodded.
And so, ten minutes later, we were storming the Great Hall and it was a massacre. They never even saw it coming. As the Inquisitor lay dying he turned his head to look at me and asked "Why?" And I decided the answer to that was better given in a speech. So I stood up at the podium and told them all exactly why.
"It was a thousand years ago when Jonathan Shadowhunter first summoned the Angel Raziel to aid this world against demons. For a thousand years, that is what we've done. But recently, the Clave has been so caught up in its own political correctness that the demon scourge has gotten radically out of hand. Maybe Downworlders should have rights to an extent. But should those rights be prioritized over the safety and well-being of the mundane population, or even above the rights and freedoms of our own people? No! And that is why we have staged this coupe. The Circle will now be the power governing the Clave and we will be able to guide the Nephilim into the next millennia confidently, knowing that from now on our priorities are properly aligned.
"Without the help of the Nephilim, the mundane people would perish. Therefore, we need to make our own people's welfare and the creation of new Shadowhunters our first priority. Next of course, we need to take care of the mundane people whose protection we are charged with and we need to remember that there are nearly as many threats to their well-being from within Downworld as there are coming from the demon realms these days. And lastly, we need to concentrate whatever time we have left on the search for a cure to Vampirism and Lycanthropy because those diseases are responsible for the loses of many of our own people as well as many more in the mundane community. So that, my friends is the answer to the question of why we have done this thing today.
"From the destruction of the old and broken system… there will come a new and better one. In place of broken ideas like the accords which aimed to protect the rights of the individual, however evil they may have been; we will establish effective concepts like The One Tenth, which will provide amnesty and sanctuary to those in Downworld deserving of our help. It's time we stood up for what was right and stopped worrying about what is nice. And the time for change is now!"
And much to my pleasant surprise, the entire hall erupted in applause. For the people understood that day that on the ashes of the old, we would build the new. Just as the Silent City was built on the remains of our Shadowhunters, so too would the new Clave be built on the remains of the old one. And it would be glorious!