Here's a beautiful Malec AU that I thought about after spending hour and hours on Archive For Our Own. I hope you enjoy.
Once upon a time, in a kingdom so far away, there was a king and queen. King Robert and his wife Queen Maryse Lightwood ruled the kingdom of Idris with a kind heart. They had been together for years and they finally decided it was time to have a child. They had eventually, after years of trying and failing, gotten Maryse pregnant with a child. The two monarchs couldn't be happier that they would soon have a child to raise and love. The kingdome rejoiced with celebration and happiness once they heard their king and queen was expecting a child. Things couldn't seem happier in Idris.
But, after four months into her pregnancy, Maryse had gotten sick and was in danger of dying. Robert tried to tell himself that it just one of those pregnancy sicknesses, but he was wrong. Their court physician, Catarina Loss, told the king that she and the baby might die if a cure or treatment isn't found. She couldn't even think without feeling pain throughout her body. King Robert was so desperate to safe her life, that he ordered his men, the kingdom guards and soldiers known as the shadowhunters, to find anything or anyone that could save his pregnant wife and unborn child.
The shadowhunters searched far and wide, for anything to safe their queen and unborn prince or princess. While searching, they met a man in the woods. He was young and handsome and wore the finest white clothing with gold. Presuming and hoping that this young, handsome and glowing young man could help the queen, the shadowhunters took the young man back to the palace. Not knowing the story of this man. There was a history that came with the handsome, young, golden man. See, there was another man, who called himself Valentine Morgenstern, had used the presence of this man to keep him young forever. He held this golden man as his captive and was very, very possesive of him. Until he was rescued by the shadowhunters.
So when he found out that his source of youth was taken by the shadowhunters to the palace, he stalked the king and queen to see what happened to his golden hostage. The shadowhunters brought the man to King Robert, who revealed himself to be an angel Raziel, that grants a wish to anyone. And Raziel, grateful to be free from his captor, offers the king one wish for free. King Robert wishes for his wife and child to be healthy again. Raziel grants his wish and then leaves the palace and the kingdom of Idris. Robert than learns that to grant the wish, he and his wife were given angel blood, something rare in humans but powerful for healing and strength. A week after the wish, Queen Maryse made a full recovery. And so did the un-born child. The queen's pregnancy went as planned and soon, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy. They named him Prince Alexander, after one of the angels they believed in. Alec was handsome and bubbly, and the magic from Raziel's wish gave him angel blood as well and powerful strength for when the time was right. The king and queen of Idris were so happy with their first born child and the whole kingdom rejoiced in happiness and celebration.
But, of course, their happiness couldn't last. Valentine was so angered that his only source of youth as in a child. And not any child. The prince of Idris. But, believing that by being around the magic and angel blood would keep him young, Valentine broke into the palace and kidnapped the baby prince. Baby Alexander started crying as soon as he was in the arms of the kidnapper, waking up his parents and even some of the shadowhunters. But they were too late by the time they arrived in his nursery. Valentine had run away with the prince right out the window. The queen broke down crying at the sight of the fallen crib. King Robert ordered all of his shadowhunters to search out and find his son... but none of them could. Even the ones with magic for tracking couldn't find the prince. He was gone forever. But the king and queen were devastated that they had lost their first child. Maryse cried every night from the nightmares she had and Robert barely got enough sleep as it is.
But they didn't lose hope. They knew that he was alive. They knew that one day, he would escape whoever had captured him or find his way home from wherever he was hiding and they would be reunited. But to make sure that their son knew they were looking and that they care, they shot up lanterns into the night sky every year on the day he was kidnapped. The lanterns had their family crest, the angelic power rune from their gift of angel blood, and they hoped that the prince would see it and recognize it. It was a tradition that they've been doing for years and never stopped doing it because they loved and missed their lost prince dearly.
But Valentine kept young prince Alexander away from the palace. He hid him deep in the woods, in a tall and spacious tower that was hidden by the trees and the mountains. And that's where Alexander grew up. He grew up, believing that Valentine was his father and that the outside world was out to get him. He also decided to go by Alec because his name seemed too long. But, Alec always saw the lanterns on the day he was kidnapped, which Valentine said it was his birthday, and he wished. He wished so hard, every year, for his birthday, that he could leave his tower of safety and protection, and see the lanterns. One day. One day soon. Alec Morgenstern would see would see them. See the lights.
21 years later...
Alec grew up in that tower. He never left, and he followed Valentine's rules and requests. Alec always polished his father's seraph blades, made his father tea and cooked his meals with anything he brought back from his long journeys outside the tower. In return, Valentine loved him as a son, because Alec believed that he was Valentine's son. Valentine would also bring him paints and canvases, arrows to practice his archery and fine clothes and cloaks.
Alec had a nice childhood, despite growing up in a tower. Alec loved how everything was, expect his longing urge to see the outside world. So Alec sat in his bedroom, looking out the only window in the entire tower. There was a huge vast scene of beautiful green trees and bushes and you could see an ocean from there. Alec wished that he could see an ocean or even swim in it. But he knew that Valentine would lose his trust with his father if he left the tower. So Alec just sat by his window and painted the vast and beautiful scenery that was the forest that his tower was located. As he moved his brush on the formerly white parchment, he started to hum a song to himself.
Alec had never heard popular folk songs or villager music. In fact, he could sometimes write his own songs when he was bored. But he most often burned them, thinking that they were terrible.
"Alec!" a voice he knew all too well called down from below. Alec stopped humming, put his canvas and paints down and looked down his window. His father was there of course. Dressed in his signature dark cabernet cloak and holding a huge light colored basket. Alec smiled. Valentine had returned. His father had gone off for three evenings this time to bring back some food. Sometimes his trips got Alec worried. "Alec, I'm not getting any younger down here. Throw down the rope!"
"Just a minute father!" Alec called, pulling a long, thick rope that he kept by his window. He pulled it off it's respective hook and threw it down so that it went below the ground so that his father could climb up and meet him inside. Valentine grabbed the rope and started to climb up to meet to his "son". Valentine climbs as fast as he could and now he stood on the ground of Alec's bedroom. "Hello my son." Valentine said hugging him.
"Welcome back father." Alec responded, hugging him back. Valentine rubbed Alec's black hair and smiled at him as he pulled back.
"I brought back some tomatoes and vegetables to make your favorite. Tomato soup!" Valentine said, walking out of the room, Alec following behind. Alec loved his father. He was kind to his son and very, very overprotective. But the over protectiveness was for Alec's own good. Valentine told him it was to keep him safe and away from the demons that lurked in the forests of Idris. But in reality, Valentine wanted to keep him from finding out who he really was and possibly being discovered by the shadowhunters.
"Aren't you excited?" Valentine asked, pulling out a huge vine full of tomatoes. "You eat at least three bowls when I make this stuff."
"Oh, I am. I am." Alec answered. "I just wanted to... to ask you something."
"What is it son?" Valentine asked, looking up at him from the counter where he was putting the new purchased food.
"What are these?" Alec asked, pulling out one of his paintings. It was a dark blue night sky, covered in beautiful yellow, orange and pink lights. It was the lanterns that lit up on his birthday.
"The stars?" Valentine said, turning back to the food to begin cooking.
"No, father. Not the stars. These can't possibly be stars." Alec said, moving closer to his father and pointing at the huge lights be painted with more emphasis. "These show up, every year on my birthday, father. It seems... special in some way."
"They're just lanterns son." Valentine said. "Nothing special."
"Well the seem special to me." Alec responded a bit low, putting his painting down. Valentine looked at his son and his face seemed to sympathy. Valentine placed the vegetables he had down and walked over to his disappointed son. He sat him down on one of his couches and rubbed his shoulders. "Look son, I know that you must be excited about them every year, but you know how I feel about you going into the outside world. Especially because of your angel blood."
Valentine hadn't kept that secret from Alec. He had told him about his angel blood. It was one the main excuses Valentine used to keep Alec away from the outside world.
"I know, I know." Alec said, sighing. "Because of my angel blood."
"If someone got to you Alec... I don't know what I'd do with myself. Promise me that you won't ask again. Promise me Alec."
Alec looked up at his father and nodded. His dream was to see those lanterns, and saying three words won't change his dream. "I promise father."
Valentine smiled and kissed him on the temple. Valentine got up and moved back to the ingredients for the soup. Alec still stood seated on the couch, looking at his painting of the... the lanterns. He stood there for the past few minutes while his father cooked. His father called him to the dining room and served him a bowl of soup. Alec faked a smile and sat with his father as they slurped down the soup.
"So..." Valentine said once Alec started to collect their bowls. "Your birthday is coming up. Have you thought about what you wanted this year?"
Alec wanted to say to see the lanterns, but that conversation already happened. "I'm not sure."
Valentine got up from his seat and walked up to his son, taking the bowls from him. "What if I take a trip over to Alicante? They have amazing paints and arrows over there?"
"But Alicante is over a week's journey." Alec said, becoming sad that his father would be leaving once again. "You don't have to travel all the way over to Alicante just for me."
"It's your birthday Alec. I don't mind. And besides, I have business over there anyways. I'll be back the day before your birthday next week. Just in time to surprise you."
"But do you have to leave tonight?" Alec said. "You just got home."
Alec couldn't help but feel lonely from time to time. It was sometimes just him and his paints in a tall towers for days and days on end. Valentine smiled at his son and cupped his left cheek. "How about I leave early tomorrow morning? Will that make you happy?"
Alec smiled and nodded. "Alright then. Well come on son, I want to see all of your wonderful paintings."
Alec smiled wider and hugged his father. Valentine hugged him back, rubbing his hair. His angel blood started to act up and Valentine's graying hair disappeared back into dark black and his wrinkles went back to smooth skin. Alec pulled away and smiled, grabbing his father's hand and showing him to his paintings.