Speak Now, or forever hold your Peace
one-shot based on Speak now by Taylor Swift.
"I am not the kind of girl, who should be rudely barging in on a white vail occasion but you are not the kind of boy, who should be marrying the wrong girl."
Clary sighed as she stood in front of the mirror looking at her floor length dress. It was a light beige color which she wore reluctantly with matching heels.
She also wore pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. She never thought that she would ever do what she was doing today. Sneaking in Aline and Jace's wedding. (Would've been perfect for the last line of a chapter, if only it wasn't one paragraph.)
After she arrived:
As she walked in the large double doors of the church, Clary looked around the room and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that everyone's back was turned. She quietly snuck over to the corner and watched the bustling scene in front of her. She watched Aline's family, the Penhallows, acting all high and mighty in their silk suits and dresses. Her eyes wandered around to the opposite side of the room and caught Alec's eyes. He smiled at her clearly happy that she was here. Then her turned back before anyone would notice her there.
Suddenly a shriek and faint shouting sounded form the door to her left.
"-I told you! gold, not silver you idiot!" Then her a crash that sounded like glass breaking . She winced and felt pity toward the bridesmade in the room with bridezilla. Clary curiously peered in and saw the bridesmade frantically apoligize and Aline scowling. Her dress was pastry shaped and she wore white, which Clary thought was peculiar. Shadowhunters usually wore white for death ceremonies, but she thought Aline probably insisted on wearing white because it would match her flowers or something.
The organ started to play a song that she dreaded. She quickly ran from her previous spot as inconspicously as she could to a velvet coloured curtain at the back of the room. Carefully, she pushed away the rough yet soft material with her hands. Clary's heart shattered to pieces when she saw Aline walk slowly down the aisle eyeing Jace like he was prey.
As the time dragged on and on, Clary drifted away to her memories. She remembered the day Aline had made her way through the institute handing a wedding invitation to everyone, even Simon to Clary's surprise, except Clary. All she recieved was a vicious and boastful glare from Aline. She remembered everyone trying to comfort her. She recalled telling herself not to shed a single tear in front of Aline, but when she left, she ran to her room and slammed the door shut. She remembered crying herself to sleep and waking up the next morning groggily feeling like she had been drowning in tears.
The music came to a sudden stop and Clary snapped back to the present world. Her eyes followed int eh direction of the aisle, and finally ended at Jace. Her breath hitched as she looked at him. His beauty radiated off him. His tux fitted snugly and could see the faint lines of muscle underneath. Finally, she moved on to his face. His golden hair shown, glistening from the sunlight seeping in through the window. His face seemed happy, but she couldn't help but wonder why he looked like something was missing. She looked at his eyes which were glossed with a sheen of ... tears?
His eyes held a look of pain, but if you didn't know him well enough, you wouldn't have noticed. He was good at masking his emotions, but not from Clary or Alec and Isabelle for that matter. They knew him well enough to know that this was the last thing he wanted to do.
Coincedentally, at that moment Isabelle met Clary's eyes, shocked. After a moment, her stunned expression disappeared completely and a wide grin was set on her face.
Then, the preacher's loud, booming voice echoed off the church walls,"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sign of god, and in the face of company, to join this man and woman in holy matrimony. If any person can show the cause of why they cannot be joined together- let them speak now or forever hold your peace."
She felt lost. She knew that she didn't want this, but she couldn't bring herself to it. Silence. The loudest sound in the world lasted what felt like and eternity. I knew this was my last chance. Holding my breath, I took a small step out of the curtains. It was quiet, but it turned everyone's heads in her direction. Everyone had a look of utter shock or horror on their face. My hadns were shaking uncontrollably, but I just turned to face the front. I looked at the eyes of the love of my life. Among them, I saw surprise and shock, but in them, I also saw undying love. That was the only thing that kept me going instead of breaking down and running.
"Don't say yes, run away now, I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door. Don't wait or say a single vow, you need to hear me out, and they said speak now."
"Jace, I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I want to, I need to., I wouldn't live with myself it if I didn't. I know you don't want to do this. I see it in your eyes, Alec and Isabelle do too," People's eyes turned to look at them, but I continued, " Do you really love her? Does she love you? You shouldn't marry her, Jace, if you don't love her. Don't go though with this , don't keep lying to yourself and others. I know you'll probably hate me forever and never speak to me again but just know that, I love you, always have, always will."
Several tears were now rolling down her cheeks as she looked toward him for his reaction. He stared at her blankly, then a faint smile appeared on his face as he did something nobody expected. He ran down halfway of the aisle and grabbed her hand dragging her out the door with shadowhunter speed. As soon as we exited the double doors that she had once doubtfully stepped in, he pushed her against the wall.
"I love you too," he murmered and pressed his lips against mine, sealing our words with a kiss. I could've sworn I heard shouting, cheers, and an angry disbeliving shriek, but I was too enveloped in happiness to care.
Clary's POV
Our wedding was just a week after the event that changed my life. I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Jace was walking beside me, as we walked back to the house that Jace and I got a month after getting married. We walked hand in hand contently, comfortable in silence. Half a block away from the house, Jace stopped abrubtly, and jumped in front of me in a protective stance.
"There's a demon." was all he said, before a large shadow came into view. It all happened so fast, I didn't have time to react. The demon launched itself at me, and Jace leaped in front of me to block it. He sliced open the bottom half of the demon and black ichor stained the ground and the blade. The demon fangs sank into Jace's left shoulder, but he kept fighting. Jace stabbed the demon in the place where its heart would've been and the demon faltered backwards. Slowly it closed up on itself and disappeared. I made my way to Jace in panic.
"A-Are you ok? " He breathed, "is...it dead?"
"I'm ok, you've been bitten, we-we've got to get the venom out. " I took out my cell phone and spoke rapidly into the phone calling for Magnus. "Jace, hang on, I got help, just hang on. Fight it. Don't you dare leave me. "
"Magnus do something!" I cried, we were now in the infirmiry.
"Clary, you better go, I'll call you in if there's anything." He said trying to sound calm.
"O-o-ok" She stuttered, crying.
After 3 hours of long waiting, Magnus finally came out of the room looking so tired, he looked like he was run over by a truck. I ran over to him and started to ask when he interrupted me.
"I'm sorry Clary, I think you should go say goodbye. He won't make it though the night. " Magnus said, with tears glistening in his eyes. No-no it can't be. I was stunned. I froze. I couldn't move. I eyed the doorway of the room. The man I loved was now dying in their, and I couldn't bring myself to go in. But I had to be brave, for Jace. I gasped, and cried silently as his eyes fluttered open.
"I-I'm ...dying arent I?" He asked coughing in the middle. Thats when I broke down crying.
"I love you, don't leave me, " I cried leaning on his bed.
"I love you too, I always will, don't forget that." And his eyes closed one last time, was when I went hysterical. I was holding on to his hand. It was cold and lifeless. And thats how I knew, he was really gone.
For days, I didn't move. Just sat there. Didn't eat, didn't sleep, just sat there in agony and disbelief. And thats how I went. After a few weeks, I went to his grave everyday. I sat there and mourned. Talking about how much I missed him. I knew deep down that he would hear me. And that he was watching over me. Some days I would cry myself to sleep there. And that's what I did, today.
Luke's POV
I was the one who found her like that. The one who found her lifeless and cold lying on the marble gravestone. She must've fallen asleep there. I knew she missed him very much. But, I never thought I would find her lifeless corpse.
We laid her next to Jace hoping they would find each other and live on happily up there. I choked back tears as I watched her coffin was laid on the ground. May their souls find each other once again.