My first fanfic! Yay! Hope you all enjoy! ❤︎

So I'm going to try to update once a week, and I'm planning on writing the chapters in advance so I can keep to some sort of schedule. Please review if you enjoy this, and I appreciate constructive criticism! Also, I have a pretty solid idea where this is going, but feel free to leave suggestions or ideas! Alright, enough rambling!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Mortal Instruments. If I were Cassandra Clare do you really think I'd be writing fanfics about my own books? ;)

Chapter 1

With nothing left to do, Clary sat; her hair was brushed, her dress on. She had absolutely no interest in meeting the potential suitors that had come to earn her fancy, knowing full well she'd just turn them away. It was the same thing every week. Princes from all over the country travel to her kingdom, attempting to impress her with their riches. Not that it was really her kingdom. She was the sole heir to the throne, but the kingdom was her father's, and when she married, it would become her husband's, it would never really belong to her. Her father was at his wit's end trying to find a suitor that would appease both Clary and him.

Last week, it was Prince Antonio, from Italy. He was arrogant and foolish, clearly only interested in her money and title. But then again, it was like that with almost every prince who had come to see her so far. Although Clary doubted that even if she did agree to see Antonio her father would deny it. There was no way he would leave to future of his kingdom to such a fool.

She looked out at the courtyard through her window. It was a nice view; she sometimes drew or painted it when she allowed herself to open her sketchbook. If she looked even further, she could see the city surrounding the castle. She used to love going into town, but she had only gone once or twice since her mother died. Now she barely left the castle. Valentine, her father, preferred to keep her hidden away behind the walls of the castle, to 'keep her safe' as he said. Clary suspected he just wanted to keep her away from the townspeople that despised him, as if they would give her ideas. But really, what could they tell he that she didn't already know? She had seen everything he was capable of.

Sighing, she turned away from the window, and looked around the room. Her room was quite large, with many windows. Her bed was across from the door, and there were two large bookcases on either side of it. There was a locked chest at the foot of her bed that she hardly ever opened. In one corner there was a screen with a tub behind it, a sink and mirror, and a large wardrobe with a tall mirror standing near it. In the corner she was in now, there was a dressing table, where she was sitting, a lounge chair where she sometimes read, and a large window, the one that looked out to the courtyard.

She heard footsteps outside the door, and soon enough, her handmaiden, Maia, entered.

"Princess! Time to go!" called Maia. Clary rolled her eyes. Better just get this over with, she thought. She got up from her seat in front of the mirror and went to the door. Maia shut it behind her and they began to walk downstairs to where her 'guests' were waiting.

"Who is it today, Maia?" Clary asked. She thought it would be better to have some idea of them before she dismissed them.

"I'm not quite sure, Princess, they haven't told me anything," Maia answered carefully. The princess could be… temperamental. She didn't want to say anything to upset her, more for fear of the king's retribution than Clary's. Clary had never done anything to Maia, but if the king got the impression that Clary was anything less than pleased with her service, it would be bad news. She would be fired, or worse. The king was a terrifying man, and Clary was his crown jewel. If she were unhappy, the kingdom would be turned upside down until she was happy. Maia suspected that the princess was already deeply unhappy, but she hid it well. Maia only knew since she spent so much time around her. Maia quickly put away these thoughts; after all, it was none of her business. But she was very fond of the princess, and felt bad for her, even though on the surface, Clary was perfectly happy.

"That's strange," mused Clary. Usually they told Maia at least where the princes were from. Clary supposed it didn't really matter; they were almost there anyway.

Valentine came out of nowhere, almost making Clary jump. She was used to him surprising her like this after all these years, but it was hard to supress the instinct to jump away. She knew she couldn't though; any show of weakness from her would not be tolerated.

"Clarissa, darling, are you ready to see the boys?" the king purred. Every time he spoke Clary wanted to scream, hit him, or run away. Maybe all three.

But she forced a smile on her face. She was used to putting on a mask in front of her father, it had been this way for as long as she could remember. She had learned to hold her tongue.

"Yes father. I truly hope they will be more impressive than last week's showing," she said casually, as if she really had the thought of even considering them.

"Oh I most certainly think it will be so. In fact, the princes and their guests will be staying here for some time. They are two most respectable men, both worthy candidates for the throne. I am confident you will pick one of them to be your husband," Valentine smiled, as if he were just making conversation. But his implication was clear.

One of the two princes was to be the future king, no matter Clary's opinion.

Clary felt herself pale. She was suddenly dizzy, and she was scared she might fall over at any second. She thought she at least had some say in her husband. If nothing else, she would get to choose her companion for the rest of her life. But no. Clearly Valentine had other plans. She felt all her hope slip out of her. But she had to continue on as if it didn't faze her. She smiled.

"I am most pleased that you think so highly of them. I look forward to meeting them." Valentine simply smiled, with a grin that looked more like a panther that had his prey in sight than a supportive father.

She had to force herself to move forward. She knew as soon as she walked through those doors, her fate was sealed. She felt as if any moment she could pass out. Maia watched her nervously. Clary felt foolish for even harbouring the delusion that she would be able to choose her husband. She had never chosen anything else before, why would this be any different? As if Valentine would leave a decision like this to anyone, let alone her.

But her husband? She thought even Valentine would let her have a say. She felt sick to her stomach. She would never find true love, she would never be free. Valentine watched her carefully, looking for any signs of displeasure, most likely hoping he would get to punish her. For this reason only, Clary kept her face still. She wouldn't give her father the satisfaction of knowing she was dying inside. She hadn't let anything slip before, this would be no exception.

"Shall we head in?" Valentine asked innocently, with a wicked grin. The two guards opened the doors to the entrance hall as Clary sucked in a deep breath. Here we go…

The doors swung open and Clary walked in. She glanced around the room until she spotted the newcomers. Two of which would be her potential husbands. Even the thought made her head spin. Keep it together, Clary, she thought. Stay cool.

"Ah! Here she is!" the page, Hodge, said brightly. He stepped aside nervously as Valentine strode towards him. Clary couldn't think of anyone who wasn't terrified of Valentine, and his right hand man was no exception. Valentine flicked his hand, indicating Hodge was to go. He scurried away once his was dismissed, and Clary scoffed at him. Hodge was weak, and a coward. He would do anything to appease Valentine. Clary at least prided herself in that she didn't outwardly appear to be scared of him. Underneath though, her and Hodge weren't really that different; they were both completely under the control of Valentine. As much as Clary might pretend otherwise, there was no denying it. She, along with everyone else, was helpless to him.

Clary looked upon the princes. The first one stood slightly apart from the group. He had the look of a prince, with the arrogant stance one usually possesses. He was tall, much taller than her. She guessed him to be 6'4", completely dwarfing her, at a mere 5 feet. She glanced up at his face and was taken aback. He was extremely pale, and his hair was almost white. His eyes were the most startling; they were so dark they looked black. The look somehow suited him, he was beautiful in a delicate way, but his eyes gave him a sinister look. His expression was haughty and there was something about him Clary was wary of. It reminded her a bit of the way Valentine looked when he had a plan. She made a note to be careful around him.

Her eyes moved to the bigger group. There was a girl with dark hair and eyes, and fine clothes. Clary wondered who it could be, since she clearly wasn't one of the suitors. A boy stood close to her, with the same hair but his eyes were bright blue. She decided they were siblings. But was he the prince? Then she noticed another boy. She took a breath. She had never seen someone so striking before. He seemed to be made of gold; his skin was gold, his hair was gold, even his eyes were gold. He was tall too, but not as tall as the white haired boy. She immediately knew he must be the other prince.

"Welcome to the Morgenstern kingdom!" Valentine boomed. "This is Princess Clarissa." Valentine pointed to her, and Clary felt all the eyes turn to her. She however kept her gave to the wall behind them, not wanting to seem interested. Her expression was almost lazy; she seemed to convey that she was bored with the whole thing.

"The pleasure is ours, King Valentine," said Golden Boy. Clary let her gaze move to him, and was surprised to find his eyes on her. He had the slightest smirk on his face, which Clary thought was a bit bold. She liked his voice though, it was warm and smooth. Clary made herself turn away; she didn't want to seem interested.

"Clarissa, this is Prince Jonathan, from the Herondale kingdom," her father said, pointing to Golden Boy. She was curious; she had heard many things about the Herondales. She held out her hand for him to kiss. His lips were warm on her skin. She drew her hand back. "And this is Prince Sebastian, of the Verlac kingdom" her father continued. The white haired boy stepped forwards, and Clary let him kiss her hand as well. She still couldn't get over the uneasy feeling she had around him.

"Nice to meet you," she had to be gracious, but she kept her expression blank. "And who are these two?" she asked, pointing to the dark haired siblings.

"This is Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, they are companions of Prince Jonathan," her father answered without missing a beat.

Isabelle curtsied, and she extended her hand to Alec, who kissed it.

"Welcome. I hope you find my residence most hospitable," Clary said, still unsmiling.

"I have a feeling we will," Sebastian said in a mischievous tone. Clary almost shivered; she did not trust him at all. But she simply smiled coolly.

"Would our guests like to be shown to their rooms, father? They must be tired after such a journey?" Clary asked, feigning innocence. Her father couldn't well deny this, so Clary would be safe, at least until dinner.

"Of course. I'll have someone show you to your rooms," Valentine said with a tight smile. He couldn't show his annoyance at Clary here, and Clary took this chance to make her exit.

"Now if you excuse me, I must retire to my room, it was lovely meeting you all," Clary said, and curtsied.

"But of course. Will we see you at dinner?" questioned Jonathan. Would they? Clary hoped not, but she suspected she would be forced. She looked at her father. He gave her a look, and she knew it wasn't up for discussion.

"Yes, you will," said Valentine, still looking at Clary. She nodded, and then turned around to leave.

"Come, Maia. I must get ready for dinner," Clary said while leaving, letting just a hint of mocking into her tone. She knew her father couldn't do anything about if in front of the princes, lest they suspect anything. After all, if they knew who he really was, there would be no chance of a merger with his kingdom. He had to remain civil to Clary for the duration of their visit, which had to be the only upside to this whole situation. Clary hurried up to her room, with Maia in tow.

Once she was safe in her room, she let out a shuddering sigh. Maia looked on cautiously.

"Is everything all right, princess?" asked Maia. Dear Maia, she was always so sweet. Maia was one of Clary's only true friends. Well, that's only if you can count someone who works for you a friend. She was the only one who might have a clue how Clary felt inside, and she was the only one who seemed to truly care. Of course there were other ladies she called friends, but none of them were, not really. Her father introduced her to them for political reasons, and if she didn't interact with them it would reflect poorly on him. Clary always found herself looking down on them; they were all so foolish, only caring about men and clothes and how they looked. In Clary's opinion, there were much better topics of discussion, and for this reason, she always felt slightly out of place when she was with them.

"Yes. No. I don't know. Oh Maia, whatever am I to do?" Clary was almost in tears. She took a breath. She couldn't break down, not now, not ever. She smiled, but her eyes were sad. Too sad for her age; they had seen too many horrors in her short lifetime than anyone should have to. "But alas, it is fine. I have two fine suitors, both worthy of my company, my only problem will be picking one!" She tried to sound upbeat, but they both knew it was a farce. Her smile wavered only slightly as she turned to her dressing table. She motioned for Maia to come over. Her hair was falling out, and it had to be fixed before dinner.

Maia undid the knot that was keeping her hair back, and let her crimson curls spill out. She gave them a quick brush before she started working on an intricate braid. Clary had the brightest red hair; it was almost orange, and it was curly as can be. She inherited it from her mother; Clary was like a miniature copy of her. It made Maia sad thinking of Jocelyn, knowing what had happened to her.

Clary sat completely still, staring at herself in the mirror as Maia fixed her hair. Her green eyes stared back. She took in her whole face, with its small nose covered in freckles, shining green eyes with fringed lashes, and small bow lips. Clary had never seen herself as pretty, since all anyone could do was compare her to her mother. She always felt bad whenever she went into town; everyone had loved Jocelyn, and people often mistook Clary for her. She felt guilty for not being her, everyone had been sad when Jocelyn died, and no one wanted to see her ghost around town. That was why Clary preferred to stay inside. It was better to avoid the stares and double takes she got whenever she went into town.

"Finished, miss." Maia's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Thank you Maia. Will you fetch my green dress? I want to make a good impression." The emerald green dress was Clary's favourite; it made her eyes stand out and her hair look less wild. Maia went to get it, and Clary admired the braid. Maia had left a few stray curls to frame her face, and Clary thought she actually looked quite nice; Maia had done a good job. Her father would be pleased.

Maia brought over the gown and helped her dress in silence. Once she was dressed, Clary paced the room. Finally, someone knocked at the door. Maia answered.

"It's time for dinner, princess," she said quietly. She held the door open, and Clary made her way downstairs. She wondered what dinner would entail.

So that's the first chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed, please review! Also, just to clarify, Jonathan is Jace, I just used Jonathan because it seemed more formal, Valentine wouldn't have used a childhood nickname. Clary will learn more about him next chapter. :)

Also, I was wondering if I should do a Jace POV? I kind of want to, but I'm not sure, so let me know what you think!

That's all, ciao for now! ❤︎