Disclaimer: All characters belong to Cassandra Clare as well as references to specific made up places etc...
Clary Fray had always prided herself in not being one of "those girls". The ones who, when they don't achieve true love by a certain age start going insane or the girls who completely fall apart after their Prince Charming rides away without them. No, that wasn't entirely true. There was a time where Clary has dreamt of a Prince Charming to come sweep her off her feet and ride her into the sunset on a white horse; just like in those princess movies her mother showed her. She wanted someone to fight a dragon for her and kiss her awake and have her own happily ever after because what little girl doesn't dream that?
But a new age was dawning. Clary decided that she didn't want a knight or a prince to save her every time she was in trouble. She wanted to be able to save herself and take care of herself like her mother had been doing for the past 15 years. She wanted to be the one to fight the dragon and save the day and so those dreams of princes and fairytales faded away. But Clary wasn't sad or regretful. No, there were too many things to do, too many scenes, too many people to sketch, too many pages in her sketchbook to fill up, too many videogames with Simon to play. He hasn't even gotten to a level 5 mage in World of Warcraft yet!
Yet in the background of the pulsing music of Pandemonium and the disgusting aroma of last week's trash, she had let someone save her, someone who stood over the monster, wielding a blade strong enough to chop off her head in one quick flick of the wrist, someone who struck confusion and frustration into her mind. And then he found her again and introduced her to a frightening, new but somehow beautiful hidden world. A world where her potential was unlocked and her power was greater than anyone had ever imagined-not even her, a world where fairytales-especially the horrible, creepy ones did come true. But there was the hero also. Clary would have never imagined her hero to be a loud- mouthed; arrogant, self centered blond whose skill and violence surpassed that of a normal human being but that was Jace Lightwood. And needless to say, Clary fell like a maiden in a storybook.
Now don't get me wrong, Clary isn't the kind of person to fall into the role of damsel in distress. She created a new role in the story-a heroine. Then as always, like happens and they were pulled apart by forces they never saw coming- that no one saw coming. The dream was crushed again and slipped back into the folds of Clary's mind as she focused on retaining herself again and getting through. It was harder this time- it's always harder to let something go once you've found it even if it is wrong.
Then the worst happened. The prince fought the dragon and died. That wasn't supposed to happen. No. The prince was supposed to defeat the dragon and live with the heroine. But like in the fairytales the heroine has a choice-a big one, one that could change everything so they better make it count. Months passed before Clary thought about Prince Charming and fairytales again. Months before she realized that as close as it was, her life wasn't a fairytale. Sure there were monsters and demons and heroes but it was more of a story, her own story to tell of morals and lessons and love and tragedy. Instead of being recorded in a giant dusty book, snapshots were taken in her drawings. Fairytales are merely extensions of the imagination on paper and yes they are enchanting and beautiful but Clary's magic and her stories and her drawing are real. They happened before.
Magnus is a wizard, Simon is a vampire, Idris is in Switzerland, Clary is a shadowhunter and Jace, well Jace is her trainer, her boyfriend, her hero in this story and so as Clary now connects the angel wings to Jace's back, making small scratching sounds as the charcoal pen glides across the page. It was finished. Clary glances down to see if she drew it accurately, with Jace's sharp features and tousled hair. It was easier when he was asleep, when his expression was marred by anger and plastered with a smirk, when it was peaceful and his breathing was slow and steady with his eyelids fluttering with dreams. Clary smiles slightly as she puts her sketch down and shifts to lie back down again. She grins as she feels Jace's arms tighten around her waist.
"Hey." His voice was thick with sleep.
"Hey." She smiles. He leans in and she's reminded of all the Prince Charming and knights in shining armor she's ever heard of in her life, of all the heroes and warriors written in books and plays. And she gently leans into the kiss even more, feeling the warmth of the rising sun, bright against the pale, pink skyline. She didn't need them anymore because Jace was so much better.