Hello all! I've also always loved writing and this will be a nice creative outlet for me outside of my required undergraduate writing assignments. I'm also totally in love with all of Cassandra Clare's works and decided to borrow her characters to create my own fantasy world. Let me know what you think! But also know that I may not care ;)

All human - Idris is ruled by King Morgenstern and it is time for Princess Clarissa to be married off. Though she has some promising prospects, none of them get her heart pounding like the new horse trainer, Jace Herondale.

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Clarissa Morgenstern arranged her curls around her shoulders the best she could. It never looked quite right but she had learned to accept that from a very young age. Sighing, Clary rose to her feet, careful not to trip on her emerald silk gown. Tonight was the night that her father had been waiting for since she was able to walk.

It was her seventeenth birthday. Today, she would walk into a ballroom full of eligible bachelors and have to choose one of them to spend the rest of her life with. Clary tried not to think of this as she tiptoed down the stone hallway, peeking in doorways looking for her best friend, Isabelle Lightwood.

Isabelle was cleaning a tall window in a guest room when Clary found her.

"I can't do it Isabelle." Clary immediately collapsed on the bed, startling Isabelle and making her roll her eyes in the process.

"Princess Clarissa, you have to. The king would lock you away and find your look-alike before he didn't let you marry." Isabelle was beautiful, even in her drab garments that all the help wore. Her dark hair hung loose around her shoulders and she was taller than any other lady Clary knew.

"Someone will catch your eye, I guarantee it."

"I don't need someone to catch my eye. I need someone to catch my heart." Rolling onto her stomach, Clary tried to stop her heart from beating out of her chest. "There isn't a man in this kingdom that I desire. Not to mention that I can't imagine being stuck in this castle for the rest of my life."

"You can travel, Clary. You know that your father likes you to speak with the other kingdoms." Isabelle continued her cleaning, watching Clary out of the corner of her eye. The Princess was so pale that she worried she would pass out where she laid.

"Traveling is not the same. You must still be a lady while traveling. I want a cottage in the woods where I can do as I wish without a single soul watching me." The wistful tone in Clary's voice caused Isabelle to roll her eyes, again. She couldn't imagine why anyone would rather live like a peasant than royalty.

"Will you walk me down to the ballroom? I don't think I will make it all the way there on my own. I may accidently wonder off to Scotland." Clary's eyes were hopeful as she gazed at the closest friend she had. Isabelle simply sighed and held out her hand.

"First, I must fix your hair. How your father lets you go without a ladies maid I will never know."

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The ball turned out to be even more horrid than Clary had imagined. After being introduced by her father to the Idris court, she had been dancing endlessly with men of all ages and size. None of them were particularly charming except maybe Sebastian Verlac, whom Clary had danced with twice thus far. His fair hair and dark eyes gave him a boyish charm that caught female attention kingdom-wide.

"Would you care for another dance, Princess Clarissa?" Simon Lewis bowed as he held out his pale hand, smiling broadly, "I promise I won't step on your feet again."

Resisting the urge to sigh deeply, Clary accepted his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.

"So, Princess, have you been riding your beloved horse much this season? I hear your father hired the best horse trainer around these parts." Simon smiled easily at Clary as he spun her around. As small as she might be, he knew she could ride a horse with the best of them.

"Oh, yes!" Clary's mood lightened at the thought of her horse, Balios. He had been paired with her when they were both young and riding him was one of the most simple joys in her life. "I haven't been since we got the new trainer though." She frowned, "My father has kept me busy with my studies."

"Maybe we could ride together soon? I will try my best to keep up." Simon was kind and Clary could do nothing but smile and nod as the dance continued. Though she could see herself befriending Simon, she could never see him as anything else. There was no spark in her heart as she looked into his brown eyes.

"Excuse me, Princess, may I interrupt?" Clary looked up at the sound of her fathers voice and forced a smile onto her face.

"Of course, Father. I always have a dance saved for you."

Valentine Morgenstern swept his daughter away from Simon, his grip on her hand firm. "How has the night been going, dear daughter?"

Clary could tell by the tone of her fathers voice that he was not happy. She thought she had been hiding her boredom well, but obviously not well enough to fool her father.

"I did enjoy dancing with Mr. Verlac?" Clary hoped this would appease him.

"Ah, yes. Sebastian. His family has great relations with a few kingdoms out west. If you were to marry him, we could build some prosperous trade in Idris…"

The King's eyes glazed over as only they did when he was thinking about wealth. Since Clary's mother had passed away, money and power had become the things that he loved most in this world.

Sensing an opportunity to slip away, Clary grabbed it. "Father? Could I take a break to the stables? I have much to think about after tonight and you know how Balios helps calm my mind."

"Of course! So many suitors, so little time." The King walked away with pep in his step that wasn't there before. Obviously he thought Clary was finally seeing sense.

Clary slipped around guests as slyly as possible, sticking to the back wall until she made it to the front entrance. Slipping off her dreaded heels, Clary hiked up her dress and sprinted across the dark grounds to the stables at the edge of the tree line. Surely the trainer would be in his quarters by now. Or at least sneaking around the kitchens, grabbing at the food before it went out to the ball.

Clicking her tongue like she did to get Balios's attention, Clary crept down the middle of the dark stalls, hay crunching beneath her feet. She heard Balios's soft neigh and immediately turned to him. His sleepy eyes gazed at her warily.

"I'm sorry I haven't been to see you, Balios. You know how father can be." Stroking his neck, Balios relaxed and gently nipped at her shoulder. Obviously she was forgiven. "I will take you out tomorrow if it is the last thing I do."

"I was wondering when the Princess would make an appearance down here."

Clary jumped at the sound of the smooth voice coming from behind her. Whipping around, she caught her breath. Leaning against a wooden post was a young man bathed in moonlight. All sharp features and black clothes. His eyes shone golden even in the dark and his hair looked more like a halo than anything else she had yet to see on this earth. The look he was currently giving her was one of amusement, his lips tilting up at one corner in a small smirk.

Arrogance. That was something else that was shining off him.

"And who might you be? Lurking around in the shadows." Clary tried to keep her voice from shaking. He seemed too young to be the trainer, and yet Clary felt she would have known if he was from the castle. You don't just oversee someone who was so…beautiful. Balios didn't seem startled by his presence at least.

"I'm Jace Herondale," He bowed at the waist, lingering maybe a moment too long to be completely respectful. "trainer extraordinaire for the Idris Castle and all who inhabit it."

"You seem a bit too young to be a trainer extraordinaire already." Clary matched his tone with her own. "You can't be more than fifteen." She knew this wasn't true but decided that if he thought it was okay to startle a lady in the dead of night, she could be a bit insulting herself.

The impact was immediate. His hand flew to his heart and he mocked hurt. "I resent that, Princess Clarissa. I am at least two feet too tall to be fifteen." His tall stature attested to that all on its own. He was more attractive than any of the royal princes in the castle. His shoulders were also very broad. And his arms looked like they would be strong under all that tight, black clothing…

Clary snapped back to reality when Jace Herondale cleared his throat, obviously amused again at the small redhead in front of him. "Balios has been getting exercised, but he isn't very agreeable to any of my riders. He only has eyes for his master, I've been told." And I can see why.

"Well, I will be back tomorrow to ride him. I feel terrible about leaving him to such neglect." Clary sighed and stepped away from Balios with one final stroke. "I should get back to the castle. Father will wonder what is taking so long." And you are making me so nervous I could jump out of my own skin.

"I look forward to it, Princess." There was no sarcasm in his voice this time.

Turning to walk away, Clary stopped looked over her shoulder, "Mr. Herondale? How did you know I was the Princess?"

"I was told the Princess was the most beautiful creature in Idris." Pushing away from the post, Jace turned his back and walked the opposite way of Clary, towards his quarters next to the stables.

Clary looked after him until he was out of sight.