Alec packed his father a basket full of food and supplies that he could used on his journey to Alicante. There were apples, bread, some knifes and a map. His father often went to Alicante, but who could blame him for being a bit worried for his father. As Alec put the supplies into his father's basket, Valentine arose from his bedroom. His hair was ruffled from his tossing and turning sleeping patterns. But he was dressed none the less, dark tunic, pants, boots and a cloak. Alec had learned from his father that wearing black clothing was amazing or trying to stay hidden.
Alec gave Valentine a smile and handed him his basket full of baskets for his Alicante trip. Valentine returned his son's warm and loving smile, taking the basket in his hands. "Thank you son." he said, putting one hand on his cheek. "I'll be home as soon as I can so that we can celebrate your birthday, okay?"
Alec nodded and smiled. He pulled his father into a hug. "Please come home." he said.
"I promise I will Alec." Valentine said, kissing his son on the temple. Alec let go of his father and led him to his bedroom, where the window was. Valentine waved goodbye and held onto the rope that lead him down to the outside world below. Alec watched from a top the tower as his father left the safety and comfort of his huge tower. His father looked up and waved goodbye again, before pulling his hood over his face and walking away.
Alec smiled as his father wandered off into the woods. Alec kept his tears inside as he watched his father go. He was gone in a matter of seconds. Leaving Alec alone again in his tower. Alec sighed and fell down onto his bed. It was just him again. How Alec sometimes wished he had a friend. Or a lover. Alec wished to find true love somewhere. But it would never happen because Alec knew that someone would try to use his angel blood against him. So love would have to put on hold.
There wasn't just one kingdom in this tale. In fact, there were three kingdoms in this land. The kingdom of Idris, where Robert and Maryse ruled, the kingdome of Alicante, which was ruled by the royal Herondale family, and the kingdom of Edom, where Magnus Bane was running from right now.
Magnus was one his horse, riding as fast as he could away from the guards that were chasing him. Magnus now had gotten himself into quite some trouble in this kingdom. Well... trouble wasn't really the word for it. In the kingdom of Edom, things were a bit... different. No one was allowed to have fun, to do what they wished or even love who they wanted. The whole kingdom was pretty much a huge dictatorship. Hence why Magnus was running.
He was tired of living in that dark, desolate and overall evil kingdom. Magnus himself liked to go out and act a fool when he felt like it, he loved to sing and more than anything, Magnus like both men and women. A big no no in this god forsaken fucking kingdom. Magnus hated it here. So he grabbed his horse, some money and his cloak and he rode as fast as he could outside the walls of Edom's kingdom. So now, here Magnus is. Riding his horse as fast as she could ride with over thirty Edom guards chasing him. "Stop!" one yelled at Magnus.
"Stop running!" another cried.
Magnus laughed at the attempts to get him stop. He was so close to escaping now. He wasn't going to let the guards capture him now. "Come on girl." Magnus whispered to his horse. "Just a little further, come on!"
Magnus pushed his horse faster into the woods, making a hard turn into one of the roads that led to the kingdom of Idris. The guards followed him, but they were slowing down and Magnus could barely be seen anymore. Magnus took this to his advantage and he jumped off his horse, onto the grassy land below. The guards rode past Magnus, not even knowing that he had fallen off the horse.
Magnus laughed once they were gone. He laughed and laughed at the fact that the guards were chasing a horse by his own. He looked around at the woods, looking for a place to hide just in case they came back. Magnus ran into some of the trees and into a clearing in the woods. He didn't expect what he saw then. It was a huge tower. So high up in the sky.
Magnus' eyes widened and he gasped at it. How did someone manage to put up this tower in the sky without anyone in Edom, Alicante and Idris not even notice. Magnus walked around it twice, confused and kind of mesmerized by it. There was no sources of entry from the bottom, but Magnus could see a single window from the top of it. Magnus looked back at the clearing he and entered from and he approached the tower. He pulled out two of his daggers, which he had also brought along just in case he had been captured by the guards, and dug the blade into the cobblestone walls of the tower. He climbed and climbed as quick as he could, looking back down ever few minutes just in case the guards as so happened to find him and the tower. Magnus climbed up to the top of the huge, tall tower and climbed inside it's window. Magnus was luckily met by a floor. Magnus looked around, noticing that he must of been in the bedroom of whoever owned or was locked in this tower.
"Hello?" Magnus called out. "Is someone in here? Hello?"
No answer. Magnus put his daggers away and he started to walk around the room. There was a bed and a bedside table and there were dozens of beautiful paintings around. Magnus approached one of a dark night sky with huge lanterns around it. It was beautiful. Whoever made these paintings sure was talented.
That person just so happened to approach his bedroom as Magnus was admiring the paintings. Alec had returned from cleaning the kitchen to see the back of someone that wasn't his father. He knew it wasn't his father. Alec gasped so quietly and bit his tongue. His father was right. People were looking for him. People were coming for his angel blood. What if this one man was just the beginning of millions?
Alec leaned over to the side of so quietly as the mysterious man grabbed another painting to admire. Magnus was too lost in the beauty of the paintings to notice that Alec was behind him. Alec grabbed the fire poker that he used for he fireplace and held it up to the man. He swung with all his strength and might and hit Magnus hard in back of the neck. Magnus fell to the ground unconscious. Alec dropped the fire poker and screamed. Someone was in his tower. Someone had broken their way into his tower. Alec went down on his knees and leaned forward at the man. He was certainly handsome. Beautiful. Like the princes that Alec so loved to read about in his spare time.
His dark hair had been swept over his eyes in the process of being knocked out. His skin was a beautiful golden glow and it made him look amazing. Alec brushed the hair out of the man's face and put his fingers under his nose. He was still breathing, thank the angel.
Alec grabbed him ever so carefully from under the arms and started to drag him out of his bedroom. He dragged him down from the stairs and into the main room of his tower. Magnus stayed unconscious the entire time. Alec laid him down on the floor and stepped away from him. Alec was losing his mind. There was a man in his tower. A very handsome man. A very handsome and unconscious man that had broken into his tower.
He could be here to take him. To take advantage of his angel blood. Alec looked around for somewhere to lock him or somewhere to keep him. Alec looked around and around his tower for anything. Anything at all. Alec walked over to the dining room and opened the cabinets. Valentine had always kept a few pairs if shackles just in case someone ever broke into the tower.
Alec grabbed two pairs and a chain, and ran back out to the main room. Luckily, Magnus was still unconscious on the ground. Alec moved him onto his stomach and put his wrists into the shackles, locking them together. He did the same with his ankles. He grabbed the chain he brought along and pulled it through the chain the connected the two bracelets of the shackle on his ankles. He slid the chain over and put the table leg over it so that it wouldn't move him when he woke him.
Alec looked over at the man, still shocked at the fact that there was one in his tower. Than he thought about the lanterns. Alec smiled, thinking. This man was from the outside. He might know about the lanterns. He might know where to see them. He might now how to get to them. Alec smiled. He now had a plan. But now he just needed to wake him up.
Alec moved the mysterious man over to his side and started to shake him ever so gently. He'd never met another man other than his father, so he didn't know how to wake him up without hurting him. Alec shook him a bit faster and than Magnus started to stir. Alec put him down a little fast and walked away from him, hiding in the shadows of his tower. Magnus fell down from Alec dropping him and hit his head on the ground, making him alert as he woke. Magnus groaned in pain as he sat up from his position on his side. He sat up and tired to stand, but he couldn't move. Magnus turned around and saw that his wrists that been tightly shackled.
Dear God, Magnus thought. Did the guards get to him? Had he been captured. Was he being taken by to Edom?
Magnus started to shift and turn, trying to get free from the shackles surrounding his wrists and ankles. And his head hurt like a bitch. "Don't bother." A voice said.
Magnus looked up and saw a man in the corner, hiding in the darkness. Magnus moved up and positioned himself onto his knees, ankles and wrists still restrained. He pulled and pulled to get the chains free.
"Those chains won't break. They're strong." the voice said again.
"Who are you?" Magnus asked, shifting in the tight shackles.
Alec moved from the shadows so that Magnus could see him. Magnus was shocked. His captor was beautiful. His hazel eyes looked beautiful and amazing. His skin was a beautiful light pale color and his dark hair looked like the night sky. Magnus started to blush and he looked away from the beautiful young man in front of him. "You don't get to ask the questions here." the beautiful young man said to him.
"Sorry darling, but I do what I wish." Magnus replied, shifting hard on the shackles. "Why am I shackled? What do you want?"
"Why are you in my tower?" the man asked him.
"I was escaping a bad place, much like how I want to escape these damned shackles!"
Alec sighed and brushed some of the hair out of his eyes. It made Magnus blush again. "You want to get out don't you?" Alec asked him.
"Yes! Yes I do." Magnus said. "Look, what do you want? I come from a very wealthy family, and I will reward you handsomely if you just let me go and send me on my way."
Alec smiled. "Take me to see the floating lights."
Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me."
"Take me. To see. The floating. Lights." Alec repeated, with each two words he got closer and closer to his shackled prisoner. The warmth Alec was giving off was heating out onto Magnus. Magnus moved away a bit from Alec, he was intimidating. "You... must mean the lanterns." Magnus said quickly to prevent the stammering he does when he's in front of anyone handsome.
"So father wasn't lying." Alec said smiling.
"Okay, yeah sure. Look, just let me go... and I'll take you to see the lanterns." Magnus said. "Untie me and I'll take you."
"Promise." Alec said.
"What?" Magnus questioned.
Alec went down on his knees beside Magnus and grabbed his shirt. "Promise that you'll take me to see the lig... um, the lanterns."
Magnus licked his lips and nodded. "I promise."
Alec smiled. "Good! Stay still while I take off your shackles."
Alec walked behind Magnus and lightly grabbed his wrists to unlock the shackles. Magnus was biting his lips at the soft touch that Alec was giving. "Do you... uh... do you have a name?"
"Alexander." Alec replied. "Only the people that I trust call me Alec."
"I'm guessing that that only person you trust is your father." Magnus said, feeling the shackles fall off his wrists and ankles.
"Yes." Alec said, helping Magnus back to his feet. "What's your name?"
"It's uh Magnus..." Magnus replied.
Alec nodded. "Nice to meet you. Now, let me get a few things and we can leave."
Magnus didn't question it and watched Alec head back up the stairs to his bedroom. Magnus followed him, remembering that the only exit and entrance to the tower was inside that bedroom. Alec walked inside the bedroom and grabbed his cloak. It was a dark red, a color that suited him very well. Alec grabbed a small sack and walked back out of the room. Magnus took a look around the room again. The paintings were still beautiful as when he was knocked out. Alec must have painted them. Either him or his father.
Alec returned, his sack full of food and a knife for protection. Alec saw him looking at the paintings again. "Did you paint these?" Magnus asked, this time he had heard Alec return and walk inside.
"Yeah." Alec responded. "I have a lot of time to spare."
"They're beautiful." Magnus complimented.
"Thank you." Alec said. "Come on, we should get going if we're going to see the lights."
Magnus nodded. This is not how he expected his day (or his coming week) to play out. But... here he was. Here in this tall tower with this handsome, talented and closed off young man.