Chapter Two - Gifts

Alec was on his way back from the training fields, feeling pleased with himself and the result on the archery contest. He was still the best in Idris when it came to the bow and quiver and this might be the only thing that could keep him satisfied lately. He enjoyed when he was out in the field, only him and the guys, all of them trying to improve some aspect on themselves or simply keeping up the good work so far. To him, these moments felt precious because in there, no one would treat him any different or expect something from him just because he was the son of the ruler. Out there, he was just like everyone else and an equal chance was given to everyone, including himself.

The squeals and screams of delight roused him up from his moments of peace as he looked up at the castle's garden, frowning as he saw his sister running down to him, her skirts flying all around her. That was Isabelle – a lady and a boyish girl in just one body. He caught her just before she tripped and she giggled in his arms, lifting big and dark eyes at him, now all sparkly and filled with happy emotion. Alec couldn't help but feel pulled in by her enthusiasm, smiling openly as he rarely did.

"Put on a brake, Izzy, your chamber lads are fretting behind you." He teased her as he glanced at the three men now stopped at a safe distance in order to give them space.

Izzy smiled devilishly at her brother – "It's their fault they can't keep up." She said and shrugged elegantly before she latched onto her brother's arm, snuggling up to him. "But, oh, Alec, it's the most beautiful present!" She added with a wishful tone and he wasn't surprised to hear that she has received presents again. It was no secret that Isabelle was the most courted woman in the Seven Islands and probably the most beautiful, reason to which she would always postpone any proposals and cause some rivalry between her suitors which in turn caused a bigger uproar as they brandished their swords in Idris for the sake of impressing Isabelle.

"Who's the poor bastard this time?" Alec asked slightly exasperated, hoping that he won't have to stop yet another war started by his sister and fueled by his baby brother.

"I don't know." She replied promptly and Alec looked at her in surprise this time. "And it's yours, by the way." She added sweetly, enjoying the look of shock on her big brother's face. She could tell that Alec thought if anything could delight her this much, then it most surely was something he couldn't even fathom to enjoy.

"B-but who'd send me a present?!" He stuttered at first and Isabelle giggled like a little girl.

"A secret admirer, perhaps?" She suggested, her eyes turning starry and dreaming – she had always been a hopeless romantic.

"It's not proper!" Alec flushed bright red, the thought of a woman courting him making him feel like the laughing stock of men – not that he had many friends besides Jace, but this was enough to say that other men felt intimidated by him and the more inclined to badmouth him behind his back.

"Oh, Alec! Who cares what's proper and what's not?" Isabelle sighed in a dismissive manner, leaning her head on his shoulder as they reached the gardens of the castle, followed immediately by his sister's men trio. "Just enjoy the gift and hope for another!" She added with a big grin making him roll his eyes in return.

He really wasn't sure what to believe about this sudden present he received and what it might mean – had he met his admirer? Had they talked? Alec was aware that his romantic life was practically inexistent due to his responsibilities as heir of the ruler, but he had hoped to woo someone he liked, not to be wooed instead. It made him feel shy and insecure and why not, suspicious of the other party's intentions – after all, what sort of woman would woo him without any previous meeting?

The two brothers entered the castle, Isabelle immediately letting go of his arm and rushing to the foyer where they received the presents or other gifts from visitors. As soon as he followed her inside the foyer, he stopped dead in the door's frame. Her sister was wrapping herself up in a lush and shiny material, it had the deepest color of royal blue and it seemed to sparkle every time sunlight hit the material, although he could see that there was no embroidery on it other than the material itself. Was this a joke, Alec asked himself, not really understanding what he should understand from this gift.

"Is this a joke, Izzy?" He asked his sister on a cool tone, stopping her from flaunting herself draped in the material. She looked confusedly at him, not really understanding from where did this change in him come from. "That – the gift – is definitely for you." He stated seriously, crossing his arms at his chest, the sleeveless vest straining slightly on his muscled body.

"No, silly." Isabelle disentangled herself from the material, carefully placing it on the nearby table and touching it with a care and wishful expression that made her brother roll his eyes. "It is for you, the card says so." She said as she crossed the room to handle him a golden card with a cat's green eyes drawn on it. He turned it over and saw a neat, but curly handwriting –

May we meet soon, Alexander.

"Now that's definitely creepy." Alec handed it back to Isabelle who frowned at her big brother.

"No, it's romantic." She contradicted him, pouting in a cute way which always got her the attention and the favors she needed. "You're just too blind to see it."

"Whatever, you can keep the silk or whatever is that. I have no need for it." He waved a hand and started to turn away only to stop midway – he could swear that the cat's green eyes from the card had dropped in sadness. He kept staring at the card for a few more moments before he shook himself and assumed that it was just a trick of the eye. "See you later, Izzy."


Despite Alec's belief that someone was playing a joke – a bad one nonetheless – on him, the gifts kept on piling in their foyer, each bearing a golden card with green cat eyes. If at first he had believed it was creepy, now it was downright annoying – not only did this admirer of his kept on sending him the silliest presents ever – necklaces, feathers of phoenix attached to a dream catcher (okay, he admitted, that one was cool), silk shirts, birds made of white gold who chirped at different hours and many, many other things he couldn't find a use for. As a ruler, he couldn't throw them away in the case his admirer proved to be a powerful ally they could need for future alliances, so he had to keep them and let Izzy enjoy them or have Max mock him in his particular way.

"Alec." His father's voice cut through his thoughts as he had been staring at the pile of gifts in the foyer.

"Yes, father?" He turned to the ruler of Idris who was watching him with, what seemed to Alec, displeasure. "Did something happen?"

"Not exactly." Robert said and motioned Alec to follow him as he turned around and started walking towards his private chambers. Silently, his son went along, feeling like a kid again when he and Jace did something and his father had to scold him in private, lecturing him on the importance of being the son-heir of Idris. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Alec's feelings of being reprimanded from childhood doubled. "Sit down." Robert instructed, showing him the chair in front of the big desk while he took the one behind.

"Did something happen?" Alec asked again, internally scolding himself for not having patience and wait for Robert to start talking.

"Not exactly." His father gave the same exact answer as a few moments ago. "It's just that those gifts are getting ridiculous." He continued, somehow making it sound like it was his fault for getting them in the first place.

"I don't understand." Alec said without emotion, hiding his thoughts away as he knew his father would just twist his words at some point and still make him the one at fault.

"They're definitely for you, but the sender does not reveal itself already. The rumors are growing in speculation and I'd like to put a stop to it."

"I didn't expect a ruler to pay attention to rumors." Alec's reproach escaped his lips before he could think it through and his father caught on the whiff of anger his son was feeling.

"A good ruler pays attention to everything." Robert admonished him and he did everything to stop himself from rolling his eyes in exasperation. "You need a spotless image, Alec. We're the Lightwoods, the generation to rescue Idris from Morgenstern's regime." His father leaned and looked intently at him with eyes just like Isabelle's. The only difference was that Isabelle was still human while his father seemed to have forgotten this in the time he had been in power. "These gifts have been coming in for two weeks and we weren't able to identify the sender. I know you're not seeing anyone –" Robert missed the way Alec flinched at his words, reminding him of his solitaire life "– but this cannot go on. Me and your mother have been discussing and we've reached the conclusion that it's for the best if you took on a bride."

Alec would have expected anything from this discussion with his father, but definitely not this. He stood motionless as he stared at his father, incredulity written all over his face before letting a derisive smile curl his lips. "With whom? You said yourself – I'm not seeing anyone. Besides, how would this help stopping the incoming gifts?" He asked, arching an eyebrow in such a royally way that even Robert envied him.

"The admirer would have to stop. No one would court an engaged man."

This time, Alec laughed out loud. From the gifts he had been receiving from this admirer, he doubted that an engagement would stop the gifts from coming at his door, practically begging him to consider them worthy.

"I believe you and mother are fooling yourselves." Alec said, his eyes turning a deep shade of cold blue ice. "But, by all means, do find me a betrothed. I shall meet her after I return from the battlefield with Max." He continued, a challenge to stop him from going subtly being transmitted to his father. For a few moments, both of the men stood in silence, assessing one another's options and stubbornness.

"Very well." Robert finally said, allowing Alec this one bit of choice. "When do you plan to leave and of course, when do you two plan to return?" He then asked, his posture now relaxed that the storm with his son had passed.

"I'll be leaving today and in one week, we'll be home." Alec replied curtly, watching his father's relaxed and pensive expression.

"Then, we'll throw a ball upon your return. I have the perfect candidate for you."

Alec rose abruptly and left his father's private chambers.


He was fuming when he entered his room, almost near to a growl when he realized that he was being backed into a marriage he didn't want. Not with someone he didn't love or with someone his parents have chosen. His hands raked his dark hair in a desperate manner and was on the point of behaving like a mad man and rip a few strands when he noticed Jace in his bedroom's mirror – lean and all hard angles, blonde hair slightly curling around his ears, bright golden eyes shadowed by his past. He whirled on spot and without other words rushed towards his best friend and hugged him, holding onto him like he was the only sane thing in his life.

"And here I thought I was missing you." Jace joked as he hugged Alec back, letting himself be embraced, knowing that his friend was rarely prey to his emotions and if Alec reached the point where he needed to stop Jace's breathing through a hug, then things were bad.

Just like it started, Alec let go of his friend in an embarrassed movement, his hands once again raking his hair, disheveling even more. "Sorry, Jace, it's… just…I…that…" He stuttered, his cheeks turning pink as he avoided Jace's half worried, half amused glance.

"What happened this time, Alec?" He asked, knowing that somehow Robert Lightwood was involved into Alec's disarrayed state.

"They want me to marry someone." The answer came short and slightly panicked, but Jace couldn't say that he was surprised to hear such news. At some point in Alec's life, he had expected either Robert o Maryse to push a marriage on him, but apparently Alec had not.

"Then you don't have to. It's not like they can force you, right?" He said, smiling a little at his friend – they both knew that Alec's choices were never his. Except archery, everything else has been pretty much decided by his family. It was Max and Isabelle who were truly free, but not Alec.

Alec smiled back weakly. "Yeah, I'll just go and give up on everything and go with you on a wild hunt."

"Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea!" Jace grinned this time as he put his arm around Alec's shoulders, looking pleased with himself. "You'd never guess what sort of adventures I can take you on…"

"Oh, I think I can imagine." Alec said and hit Jace lightly in the ribs. "Adventures like being chased by mermaids even on dry land." He continued and this time Jace laughed out loud and the sound of his laughter seemed to make Alec feel better. "Jerk."

"Handsome jerk, please." Jace wrinkled his nose before quickly adding – "And awesome, yeah." Both of the laughed again and then sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company, best friends even without seeing each other daily. "But, really, Alec, you don't have to go through with this one." Jace suddenly said and Alec looked up at his friend with tired eyes. "You just have to say no; it's not like they can force you." He continued, not liking the defeated expression that was settling on the other one's face.

"I have one week to figure it out, Jace." Alec interrupted him, although the dejected tone he used didn't do anything to ease Jace's worries. "Afterwards, it's a ball and my parents will present me by betrothed. It's not like we will get married right away and I might even like her." He added with a little shrug at the end.

"Listen to yourself." Jace shook his head, but even if Alec knew that this was wrong, he would still go through it – it was his devotion after all that kept him locked in this castle, the same castle that had taken his Clary away from him. "You've resigned yourself. You won't even fight this." He then stated and saw a flicker of pain in his friend's blue eyes.

"I'm the only one." Alec murmured and even without hearing him properly, Jace knew his words by heart – he had been saying them ever since he was ten; ever since Robert drilled them into his mind.

Jace sighed and squeezed his friend's shoulder before starting to wander around the room a little, giving the space and time to Alec to recompose himself and gather his emotions under his control. He went to sit on the bed and instead noticed a nice little box sparkly and with a weird – it had green cat eyes – leaning against it. Jace picked it up and read the message out loud – "With hopes you'll accept it, Alexander." A small snicker left Jace's lips as he looked inquiringly at his friend who watched him quizzically – "You never told me you had an admirer."

Realization dawned on Alec as he hurried next to Jace and saw the card, quickly ignoring it, as his eyes fell on the jeweled box. It was this damned admirer who ruined his life, who had sent him weird gifts and now this admirer had somehow found the means necessary to sneak a present in his room. He was furious as he snatched the box and opened it brutally only to stop short of breath. Jace whistled long as he watched the big blue rock engraved in Magnifia gold in the form of a ring.

"I think someone is proposing." Jace joked and Alec choked with laughter at the thought – it would be a fine irony.

"This is crazy." Alec shook his head and his friend shot him an inquiring look which made him launch into the story of the gifts and how his admirer had never showed itself, just kept lavishing with useless gifts.

"Well, here's a not useless gift. You can wear it and use it to blind all the girls at the ball so they don't choose to marry you. After all, who'd want to marry a guy who wears a ring with a rock as big as the one they want for their engagement ring?" Jace grinned at his friend who rolled his eyes in half exasperated amusement.

"It's a sapphire, Jace." Alec said, his eyes drawn to the blue color of the jewel brought out even more by the reddish gold of the ring's encase. "But who'd give me a sapphire, Jace, and why?" He asked, letting his doubts carry out loud for the first time. "I've been wondering all this time. If there's someone out there wanting my attention, why doesn't she just come forward and, I don't know, take a walk together and get to know each other better? Why play this game?"

"Maybe she's coy. Maybe she wants you to figure out what all of these gifts mean, maybe she sent you clues, but you, being the simpleton that you are –" Jace avoided being hit by Alec as he took a step back "– have ignored the gifts and pretended that they didn't exist. I think you should accept this ring as a token of your maturity towards the shy charms of a woman in hiding." He grinned again, looking expectantly at his friend who was obviously pleased by the ring, but very much confused by the motives behind it. "Who knows, maybe she'll pop up at your ball and she will see you wearing the ring." He then added, feeling like a little leprechaun, helping his friend but also do a little evil – after all, if Alec's secret admirer showed up at the ball, then this meant Robert's plans to get him married to someone he didn't want were going to get deterred.

Alec's blue eyes met Jace's golden ones and suddenly, there was an understanding. Equal smirks appeared on their faces when Alec slipped the ring down his finger, a perfect match for it.