Her blazing red hair flew behind her as she ran from the boy chasing behind her slowly, enjoying the chase. She stopped short as she bumped into the boy with a golden mop of hair around a corner. "Gotcha" Jace mumbled.

Jace looked up behind her and stepped back, clearing his throat.

"Clarissa," She heard behind her finding her father standing tall with her brother trailing behind him. Valentine, her father who was King, commanded attention. He stood tall with dark eyes and blonde hair. Her brother, Jon,

was an exact replica but was always in their father's shadow.

"Yes, father?" Clarissa bowed her head slightly, she didn't need to but her father was a demanding person and she didn't like to disappoint... Sometimes.

"Simon is coming soon." Clarissa paused as she understood what he was saying. She saw Jace clench his fist in the corner of her eye. Jon moved from one foot to the other uneasily. Clarissa tapped her foot under her dress.

"I thought I had more time, I thought you said on my eighteenth-" Princess Clarissa started but was cut off by her father's booming voice.

"You will do as I say, besides that was then, this is now. Simon's father wants him leaving with bride and a bride you shall be. We need this marriage, you know this Clarissa Adele Morgenstern!" Valentine yelled, causing Clarissa

to flinch. Jace's knuckles were turning white at this point.

Simon pondered what the princess would look like now. They had originally met when they were seven. She had abnormally large green eyes and a gap tooth along with fiery red hair that suited her spirit. She ran everywhere with

a smile on her face. Once, she ran down the stairs and fell on her face but when she got up she still had a slight grin.

Simon has found her interesting, and for a long time he had liked her. Now he didn't know. He hadn't seen her in years and he didn't know what she was like, except for their letters. Yes they had kept in touch. Simon would send a

letter or two going on about dragons and would describe every mythical thing he found abnormal. He enjoyed abnormal.

"Prince Simon, we're here," Simon gulped as he nodded at his servant, Eric and looked out of the carriage window where everyone gathered. He noticed her first. Clarissa was still short, but everything became slightly larger

and suited her. On her left hand side stood a man in golden armor, who's attitude screamed narcissism. Meanwhile the girl on the right of her had pitch black hair that sat in a long curls, she was beautiful. If it weren't for the outfit or the grim
/covering her face he would have thought she was meant to be a princess, his princess.

Simon stepped out of the carriage and looked at Clarissa from across the courtyard. He is taller Clarissa noticed and smiled. It wasn't Simon she was upset with, it was her father. She knew that her father needed this alliance but

she wondered why he didn't marry off Jon. Clarissa didn't love Simon, not the way she wants to love someone she marries.

The boy who stood beside her is the one she loved. The boy who snuck her out at night just to go see the stars or for a midnight ride with one of her horses. The boy who fought hard and passionately. She was always there when Jace

trained, in the end he was sweaty and dirty but still beautiful. Every time he fought she found him even more handsome because past all of the blood and dirt, she saw an angel. Her golden angel.

Jace glared at the boy who would soon marry Clary, his Clary. The girl he'd protected half of his life. He didn't want to lose her to Simon. Jace knew Simon too. Jace grew up in the castle. His father was a rich noble, one of the most powerful, before
/he died. Mayrse, head servant took Jace in along with her son Alexander and later his sister Isabelle. Valentine saw talent in Jace and gave him fighting lessons and allowed him to protect his daughter once he knew that he was capable. Alec, as he
/called his best friend wasn't so lucky so Alec was stuck in the kitchen. He remembered one day when him and Clary were going outside to ride on the horses and Jace asked for a pie. Alec refused, because he didn't know how to make a pie and a few other
/reasons, atleast until Mayrse hit Alec in the back of the head.

Isabelle held in a gasp as she looked at the curly haired prince. He was more attractive then she remembered. Simon, Clary, Jace, Alec and Isabelle played together in the garden when Simon had first come to meet his future

bride, although he hadn't known that at the time. She'd found him adorable and sweet when they played a small game. One would stand with a blindfold covering their eyes while they tried to find someone in the sea of voices surrounding them. Clary
/was supposed to find Simon but instead bumped into Jace on the ground and burst in the laughter. While Simon had found Isabelle, then kissed her hand lightly. Isabelle doubted Simon remembered her, what with Clary. Isabelle reminded herself she couldn't
/like Simon. Simon is betrothed to Clary and Isabelle is betrothed to Jace, she could not lose focus.

Clary looked back at Jace, who smiled at her in return then glared at Simon again. "Simon." Clary smiled at Simon who only glanced at Isabelle before nodding. "Well, welcome to court, but I have to be going,"

Clarissa choked out.

Clary moved out of the courtyard and up the steps she's known forever, with Jace close behind her. "Clary-" Jace said from behind her trying to stop her. Clary ran faster, but Jace being Jace kept up until they were at the very

top of a tower looking over everything.

Clary stopped short in front of Jace. "Jace," Clary paused, looking up at him from under her lashes. Jace cradled her cheek in his hand. "I don't want to marry Simon," Clary whispered. "I want to marry you."

Jace smiled at her words.

"Clary, we can't. You know I want this, all of this. You know that I don't want you marrying Simon but we can't change it." Jace mumbled to Clary, glancing between her eyes. Clary moved closer and looked into his eyes.

"Maybe we can." Clary whispered before she closed the space between them.

The courtyard quieted as Clarissa left with the golden knight trailing her. Simon glanced at Isabelle before looking the King and Queen. Beside the King was Prince Jonathan, but on the other side was Queen Jocelyn. On Queen Jocelyn's other

side stood a man who could only be Luke Graymark, the Queen's advisor. A few feet away stood Magnus Bane, warlock of court.

From a tinted window a few floors above stood a boy with blue eyes. Alec looked down at Magnus with interest. Alec had always found Magnus attractive but, after a ball Magnus had talked to Alec all night until started to rise, Alec felt more.

The next few months after that Magnus and Alec snuck around at night when everyone slept, except for Princess Clarissa and Jace.

Alec distanced himself from the window as everyone started to disperse. He walked back to the kitchen, where he belonged. He was a kitchen boy and Magnus was a castle warlock, both for the needs or wants of the royal family yet on

two completely different levels of servitude. Magnus, was a entertainer and psychic, he helped the family in time of need or boredom. Where as Alec fetched food for the family and listened to secrets while not sharing them with anyone, except Jace.
/Who usually knew them anyway.

Isabelle paused, waiting for Simon to go ahead but Simon only paused. "Would you like to show me the way?" Simon asked Isabelle while smiling. Isabelle bowed her head and walked forward. "Isabelle?" Isabelle stopped.

She turned and grinned.

"So you do remember me?" Isabelle asked while Simon chuckled. Simon nodded and looked her in the eye.

"How could I forget you, the fair maiden?" Simon asked and Isabelle looked down with a blush rising to her cheeks.

"How could you forget me? The servant of your to-be-bride more like it..." Isabelle said sarcastically. Simon scoffed and followed behind Isabelle into the walls of the castle.

When you step through you see two winding staircases under which was an almost empty room, except for four large chairs, two larger than the others in the middle. Two hall ways were on either side of you, one which led to the ballroom,

meeting room, etc. and the other which led to bedrooms, kitchens etc. Isabelle walked up the steps and looked back at Simon. "Our more important suites are on the second and third floors. Bottom floor is servant rooms." She explained.

"Take the tunnel tonight, there'll be more guards with Simon here." Clary advised Jace and he nodded while laughing. "What?" She asked him and he looked down at her.

"Clary, we've been doing this for how long? I know every way in and out of your room, which is one of the reasons I protect you so well-" Jace explained before Clary cut him off.

"That, and you'd never let anyone hurt me." Jace laughed while nodding. He pressed his lips against hers lightly. Their lips moved in sync until they heard a crash behind them. Clary looked behind her, it was Alec.

"Sorry princess, the king wants to see Jace." Clary pressed her lips in a thin line and smiled before moving out of Jace's way to leave. She waited a minute before leaving down the steps and walked to her room.

Clary's room held a large king sized bed in the middle with a dresser on either side and a couch near a fire place. In a corner was a blind where she dressed. Greens and purples were the colors of her rooms, it calmed her as she sat

down on the couch.

The fireplace crackled and for a while it was silent, until she heard a knock. She looked to her left and found Jace walking in, while looking down. "The king knows about us. He's forbidden it, forbidden me from seeing you. He's assigning

me to the other side of the castle and said that if we're caught together again, he's sending me to front lines." Jace told Clary. Clary bit her lip.

"So this is the last time we see each other? What happened to changing it? What happened to us? What's going to happen?" Clary panicked and Jace grabbed her arms gently.

"None of that has to change, we can still stop this. But for now it has to be a bigger secret than it already was. We can't see each other, but I'll send Alec and Isabelle to give you messages, Clary-" Jace rambled before

Clary cut him off by kissing him.

Little did she know Simon was walking by her room with Isabelle beside him when she kissed him. Simon stared at the way they were with each other before frowning and looking at Isabelle. It's hard to love someone who already loves someone

else so how would Simon fall for Clary? How would Clary fall for him? How would their marriage work out? Would it work out? These were all the questions that were running through Simon's head before Isabelle distracted him. "And this is your

room. Hope your stay is well. Oh and Simon?" Simon's head turned towards her. "Clary and Jace have been that way for a while, they didn't expect you to come. It's going to take a bit for Clary to be okay with this, so don't force it on her.

Okay?" Simon smiled at Isabelle and nodded.

"Clarissa, I assume you know." Valentine glanced at his daughter before carrying on with his notes. Clary stood in front of his angry.

"Why move Jace, he's protected me this long and not failed?" She asked angry.

"Because you're attached. You're leaving in less than a months time, Clarissa. You will not go near him, or communicate with him at all. You will have one servant and everything brought to you by that servant will be monitored. If you

go near him, then I will send him to the front lines with nothing but his hands or worse-" Valentine seethed.

"What could be worse?" Clarissa asked in grief.

"I'll behead him."