A/n: So, this is basically going to be an upgraded version of Trail of the angels. I know i didn't get very far with posting that story, but after the first chapter i decided i wasnt happy with how it started. I hope you enjoy this new version of the story, and stick around to see how it unfolds.
It's his blood that wakes her, the pure angel blood from the golden haired, golden eyed boy.
As he touches the mortal sword to awaken it, he sends the many demon blooded creatures in it's vicinity into an eternal sleep.
The power of it stirs her from her slumber in her pink petal prison.
The peach blossom's stretched along the expanse of the garden for 10 miles, decorating the green fields with delicate droplets of pink.
A single white butterfly journeyed through the garden, perching on a branch of the tree nearest to the peacefully running stream.
The fluttering wings come to a stop, as it found her.
She could hear water rippling gently, harmonizing with the buzz of hummingbirds and other singing creatures. In her sleep she smiled as her bones and mind relaxed. Hot sunlight cast over her, causing her eyes to flutter. With a groan she rolled onto her side, her brows furrowing when she felt lush grass underneath her. Where was she? Trying to rack her brain for an explanation she found herself coming up with a blank, why couldn't she remember anything either? She focused, trying desperately to remember something- anything as she reached into the recesses of her mind. Nai Nai. After some time that was the only thing that sprung to life. A name. But whose was it? Was it hers? Her eyes squinted through the rays of sunlight warming her eyelids and she blinked, allowing her vision to focus.
Once her eyes had adjusted, she could see peach blossoms and blue sky. A petal gracefully fell from a bud, dancing in the gentle breeze before landing on her cheek. She lifted a hand to touch it.
From her position she looked upwards again, eyes watching the brilliant blue skies peeking between the mass of pink. It was then she realised she was lying down, and so she moved to sit upwards.
The petals that had fell from the trees during her unconscious state had clung to her skirts, to her sleeves and blanketed her, freeing her only when she had made a movement.
The light around her became golden, glittering with fractals of a heavenly rainbow light, that made the peach blossoms painting the path at her feet sparkle.
"Why have you come to the peach trees?"
She questioned, with a tilt to her head.
The butterfly bounced up from the branch it had settled on, and she watched as it's wings fluttered, creating a small but strong wind that caused a curling cloud of blossoms.
She followed the butterfly to the edge of the stream, kneeling down when she saw something shiny glinting in the clear waters.
Her fingers dipped into it, feeling for the object and retrieving it.
She let out a sharp inhale of breath as she turned the war sword over in her hands.
"There's going to be a great calamity in the human world isn't there?"
She looked into the shining surface of the blade, watching as her question was answered in it's reflection.
The sky was black with malevolent thunder clouds, and the world beneath was burning, festering with demons and darkness.
"Who's going to save them?"
The image on the sword shifted, to a girl with fiery hair and a boy with golden hair and golden eyes.
"Two?"
She studied the faces closely and with great interest; there had never been two with a heavenly summons before.
Once the image faded she realised what they wanted her to do.
"You want me to find them."
It's his blood that wakes her, the demon blooded boy, with a soul wrapped in darkness and hellfire.
He pricks his finger on the wall of roses sealing off entry to her tomb, and they die, withering and losing their beautiful red colouring as they blacken and then turn to dust.
All of them but one; that one stays red with a single black petal.
Her roses. Blood.
She wakes up in chaos, and see's nothing but darkness.
Her eyes are weak.
After sleeping for so long, they had forgotten how to work, how to see.
The rest of her senses are also dull, and she is disorientated like anyone else suddenly been forced awake from a slumber.
The demon blooded boy reaches for her boldly, pulling her up to her feet.
She realises this boy is the one who has woken her, and frowns.
Because he is also the one who has ruined her roses.
She slip from his grasp, like a ghost, an echo that floats to the tomb's entrance, the rippling red silks of her dress whisper against the thorn covered floor.
Then she bends down, and the red silks flood out like a pool of blood as she reaches for her remaining rose.
She plucks the black petal, removing the imperfection, and places it on her tongue.
Her eyes finally open and she see's what has awoken her; he wears the face of a blue eyed boy, but behind those blue eyes are a swirling black void.
He's no dragon, no fairy, no king.
A demon. But also a shadowhunter too.
"Priestess."
He calls her by the title that had belonged to her many moons ago.
She remembers it, and the power that came with it.
She has memories of the times she summoned angels. The angels that had ignored her and the demons that had listened.
She stands, cradling the last of her roses and turns to the demon boy.
The beautiful mask of his is smirking, and there's a sharp bloody tip at the edge of his smile.
Her red lips purse into a pout, and she walks past his hungry eyes.
"I suppose you're expecting something from me after releasing me."
She speaks as if she isn't intending to give him anything, and he tenses.
She can feel the change in him and turns to see his true, ink coloured eyes.
He's swimming in anger and malicious intent and it tastes so familiar.
Her red lips form into a painted smirk, and her eyes glitter in amusement.
Hunger lines her bones, and she licks her lips.
"Well then, what is it?"
After what had happened with the mortal sword, Jace had been consumed with a soul sucking guilt. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see where the tortured faces of the downworlders that met their demise by the sword in valentines hands.
No, his hands.
Whenever there was a moment of silence he could hear them wail, feel their screams that sent shivers down his spine.
And he could smell the fire that had burned through their veins and consumed their alive and undead hearts.
And it was all because of him.
He had tried to sleep but the nightmares had plagued him, and still awake they did too, so he tried to keep busy.
He wandered around the institute, but shadowhunters would pass him and tell him 'he didn't know, it wasn't his fault'.
It was insufferable, and so he decided for a short while he would leave- at the moment he didn't want to face anyone.
He shoved on his leather jacket, and headed out into the night, finding himself heading to the park.
Outside the park gates, the browned leaves of the autumn trees crunched under his boots, a blackish blue colour tinged a slight yellow by the city street lamps.
As he entered the park, he picked up a faint sweet sugary smell of peach blossoms.
His brows furrowed and his nose twitched.
Peach blossoms in this season?
He wondered if it was the work of a Seelie.
There was no one else in the park at this late hour, and so he made his way over to a vacant swing and sat.
He swayed slightly, idly in the darkness.
He had been convinced he had demon blood, and if he had, it all would have been over and everyone would have been safe.
But instead he had pure angel blood.
He would have thought it a gift from the heavens, if it hadn't killed so many.
His head tilted upwards to the sky, but the stars were hidden by a blanket of smog.
"It's a pity that we cannot see the stars."
Jace's head snapped towards the female voice, and he jumped up out of the swing, defensively on guard.
Stood a short distance near him was a slender girl with softly waved hair and a flowy white dress.
He looked her up and down, trying to find some kind of marker, he hadn't heard or sensed a presence and somehow, this girl had managed to sneak up on him. She had to be something supernatural.
Seelie maybe? He wondered if she were the one who had brought the peach blossoms.
Her hand lifted, fingers curling into a fist infront of her mouth.
She blew into the fist, outstretching her fingers as she did, so, sending peach blossoms into the sky.
The clouds dissipated from the sky as the petals passed through them, exploding in twinkling bursts of light, in place of the hidden stars.
"Much better."
She smiled to herself, brushing off her hands.
Jace frowned, eyes moving between the mystery girl and her magical display.
"What are you?"
He wondered, not sure if this girl was a seelie, or warlock or something other.
She situated herself in the swing Jace had once occupied, fingers wrapping around the chains as she rocked in it gently.
"Not what you are thinking."
As she continued to watch the stars she had created, he watched her with bewilderment.
"Are you just going to stand there?"
She murmured, her voice, lilting and slighty husky, with a hint of amusement.
She doesn't even turn to look at him where he is stood, where he has been stood on alert since she had appeared.
He sits on the swing beside her, only because he is curious, and he wants answers.
When he does so, is when she finally turns to him.
Behind the curiosity he has because of her,she see's sadness in his eyes, and guilt, and struggle.
It feels so familiar.
"You look troubled."
She spoke out loud, and waited, but received nothing more than a furrowed brow from Jace.
She nodded her head in understanding.
"But of curse you wouldn't share your troubles with me."
She turns back to the stars.
"I'm nothing more than a stranger. You don't trust me."
She says, but the way she says it is if there should be a yet attached to the end of the sentence. It's purposeful, like she's trying to fish information from him. His mouth parts and he's about to say i do.
But backtracks.
How could he trust her?
He knows nothing of her at all and yet...yet what?
And yet she doesn't feel like a stranger.
Unsurely he wonders why he thinks he trusts her.
She says nothing more and he watches her, the smell of peach blossoms tickles his nose almost enough to make him sneeze,
His eyes travel across her, trying to unpick any loose threads that would give him any insight to who or wht she was.
He realises for the first time she is holding a sword.
It is one similair in likeness to his own, though it lacks the angelic runes that are usually carved into a seraph blade.
"I would have thought you'd atleast be a little happy,"
Her voice distracts him away from her weapon, and his eyes meet hers as she continues.
"You must know that you are not an ominous being. You're not demon blooded, and you are not a Morgenstern."
He frowns again and she has to hold back a smile as she wonders if that's the only expression he's capable of.
"What? How do you know that?, what are you?"
Jace stands up and she swings back and forth a little before replying.
"Will you trust me then if I told you?"
She smiles and raises an eyebrow as Jace responds with a maybe.
She hums, adding to Jace's curiosity with the tilt of her head and pursed lips.
"I was once like you."
"Meaning?"
Just as he thinks she is going to explain and answer one of his questions properly, she stops.
He breathes out a huff of irritated air and decides to walk away. He doesn't check to see if she is following, but he knows she is because he hears the swing rattle as she lifts herself up from it.
"Jace."
His step falters as he hear his name leave her lips, and he turn to look over his shoulder at her.
There's a pause before she speaks up again.
"Can I call you Jace?"
He doesn't protest so she takes it as an affirmitive.
Tentatively, she reaches out towards him, letting her hand rest on his forearm.
"Things are difficult now, but the Heavens only give us obstacles we are able to overcome."
He shook his head, in disagreement, and shook her off too.
"Yeah well, if that's true the Heavens think too highly of me.
This time she freezes, and he doesn't realise it at first because he turns his back on her and starts walking away from her again.
His words.
They had been her words many moons ago.
"If I had died when I touched the sword, it would have been easier, this would already be over."
She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear the words Jace had been muttering, but she had.
And now it was her turn to frown at the angel blooded boy.
She hurried to catch up to him, her dress fluttering as she moved, like her flower petals had when they were caught up in the wind.
"It wasn't heavens will."
Jace snorted.
"Oh yeah? and what is heavens will?"
"They wouldn't like it if I told you outright, but I guess I can say you will save people. Not harm them."
"How would you know?"
"I know, because I had the same fate once upon a time."
Jace doesn't know how to respond to that.
"Here."
She says and pulls a jade green band from her finger, holding it out to him.
Jace looks at her with a bewildred expression.
"What, are you proposing now?"
She laughs out a no, in a soft and slightly husky sound that was rather delightful. Not what he had expected from her.
"Having such a responsibility given to you by the heavens can be burdensome. Trust me, I know that more than anyone. Take this ring, and whenever you want to lift that burden a little, call for me and i'll come to you."
She pushes it into his palm folding his fingers around it.
He uncurls them to examine the ring, and wonders what's so special about a simple piece of jade.
He looks up to question her, but she is no longer there.
The smell of Peach blossoms still lingers.