Hello there everyone! I'm not dead! Let's celebrate! *crickets chirp*. Man, tough crowd. Anyways, here is my updated chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 11: Inner Turmoil To Outer Rage
At breakfast, Kiara was absent. All of them sat at the large buffet, servants and chefs serving them to their heart's content, but it all seemed incomplete without the queen at the head of the table, stuffing her face with enough pancakes to make her gain fifty pounds. Conversation flowed easily between the guests: between Simon, Izzy and Alyssa discussing more werecat facts and history, between Lady Hannah and Jace verbally sparing with each other while Clary tried to be the mediator, and between the Lightwood-Bane quartet as they ate and watched. It wasn't until the plates were cleared away nearly an hour later that someone decided to ask the imposing question.
"Lady Hannah, where is Kiara?" Clary asked gently. The Lady looked to her as the rest of the table turned their attention to the Lady. There was an odd look in her eyes. Something along the lines of nostalgia yet not so fond. It was more like…apprehension.
"She sends her apologies," the Lady began. "This morning our scouts finalized their research, and the conclusion they reached upset her greatly. She has been in the training room since waking, and shall probably remain there for the majority of the day. I am about to join her; would any of you care to accompany me?"
A chorus of yes's resounded throughout the room, and once each of them were dressed; Lady Hannah escorted them through the building once more. Through the halls, all of them attempted to memorize the portraits and turns they took, as they might be staying a while and should learn their way around. Magnus, however, nearly had the travel route committed to memory after his last encounter with Kiara. When they reached the door, Lady Hannah wasted no time and pushed them open.
All of them stood frozen in the entryway to the training room. It was very large and modern, with weightlifting, treadmills, and medicine balls. There were also practice dummies, hanging targets for projectile weapons, and bare mats with weapons lined on the walls beside them. Also, on the far end of the room, was a metal floor with large holes in the circle pattern. Very odd looking. Many targets were impaled with throwing stars and throwing knives, the bench weights were loaded up to a hundred pounds on each side, and there was one dummy that was split in half, the top haphazardly strewn the floor a few feet behind its lower half. Even so, the decor wasn't the reason their jaws dropped.
In front of them, suspended about ten feet in the air, doing upside down sit-ups, was Kiara. She was dressed in a black sports bra and workout jeggings that hugged her legs tightly. Her feet were bare, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail, which flopped towards the ground. As she curled up, her stomach muscles clenched, revealing a six-pack that was less noticeable when she was relaxed. The rest of her was revealed to be incredibly toned as well, not overly so, but enough to make you nervous if she punched you. All of them just stared at her.
"Staring is considered rude in many cultures," Kiara said, not opening her eyes as she straightened out, letting her arms drop and dangle at her sides. "Are you coming in or not?"
"Is that permission from the great queen of cats?" Jace asked, smirking. Kiara just dangled and crossed her arms, and very maturely stuck her tongue out at him.
"I'm gonna turn your hair rainbow," Kiara muttered. Jace flamboyantly flipped his pale locks.
"Bet I'll still look fabulous," he replied, as if he were actually contemplating how good he would look.
"More like fabulously ridiculous," Alec said to his parabatai. Jace gave him a much-exaggerated hurt look while the rest of them laughed at the burn. Kiara also laughed.
"Then maybe I'll just go down to the market and get you a nice cuddly duck to play with," Kiara replied. Jace's eyes widened dramatically and his face paled when she said duck.
"No ducks," Jace said quietly, his voice trembling a bit. Kiara just smirked evilly at him.
"Oh yes, I'm pretty sure we just had a bunch of ducklings hatch a couple days ago," Kiara continued relentlessly. "Cutest little things, all fluffy and soft. They've needed someone to take care of them. I'm sure they would just love you, Jace. I'll make sure to have them sent over right away!"
"You're evil," Jace replied in horror. Kiara just cackled, drumming her fingers together dramatically like a stereotypical villain's.
"Excellent," she said in sinister movie villain voice. "The ducks will be in your room tonight!"
"No!" Jace yelled, fear and anger in his voice. At that, Kiara burst out laughing, to the point when tears streamed down her forehead and onto the floor.
"I'm just kidding," Kiara said through her hysteria. "You should've seen the look on your face! Priceless!"
As Jace grumbled about how he was going to slit her throat in her sleet, all of them made their way into the room. Kiara then slipped her legs off her railing and descended head first towards the ground. At the last second, before her brains painted the floor, she flipped in midair. She landed on her feet with cat like grace and fluidity. Unfazed, she strutted past the awestruck group and picked up a white towel that lay across a maimed dummy.
"What can I do for you?" The young looking queen asked as she wrapped the towel around her shoulders and dabbed her glistening forehead. She seemed fine enough, but there was something off…like she was concealing something. All of them could see it, well, not the Lightwood-Bane boys. There was something bothering her, but apparently she didn't want to talk. So instead, they went with plan B that had been formed not even five minutes ago.
"We, uh, needed to talk to you," Simon began. Kiara turned her back to them and whipped her towel off her shoulders and back on the dummy. Then, she stretched her arms over her head for a second and stood in the center of a bright blue mat set under a pair of suspended rings.
"What about?" Kiara asked casually as she bent over backwards and landed in a high bridge. She stayed there, just looking at the group, looking unfazed despite the arm and core strength it was taking to hold herself steady.
"We heard you were upset about something, that you got some information about who attacked us," Alec said, not unkindly. "If you don't mind, would you please mind telling us who attacked us?" Kiara then began to laugh, kicked up and flipping over onto her hands, her legs doing a split in the air. Some of them, namely Simon, blushed at the sight. However, the laugh was forced, hard, as if she was hiding something.
*"Always right to business, aren't you Alec?" The Queen asked as she smiled somewhat smugly and childishly, hair dangling behind her. "I'm sorry, but can we not talk about that right now? You see, you are correct in that the matter has upset me, so before disclosing the information to you, I wish to calm down. Exercise has always helped me clear my head. By the end of the day I should be able to tell you all reasonably."
Kiara pulled her legs together and pointed them to the ceiling as she explained. She also began to do push-ups while still in a handstand. It was odd, but impressive. Distracting.
"Well, if you're not comfortable with it, I guess we can wait," Clary said. "What's another few hours? Sure, we can talk tonight. Anyway, can we join you in training?"
Kiara straightened her arms for a moment before bending them one final time and straightening them forcefully. The result was that she flipped herself off her hands and onto her feet. She landed with her arms above her head, striking a pose like an Olympic gymnast finishing a routine. Setting her arms down, placing her hands on her hips, leaning on her right leg with a smile on her face. It was tinged with relief that was covered by a veneer of smug satisfaction.
"Me casa es tu casa," Kiara replied, grandly gesturing to the room. Then without waiting for their answer, she jumped up, grabbed the rings, holding herself up in a sitting position with just her hands. The rest of the Nephilim and Magnus entered the room, promptly separating into pairs or individual sections. Jace and Clary headed over to the right, where they each grabbed a practice sword and began to spar. Izzy went over to the left, brandishing her whip and began to practice on a poorly beaten dummy. Simon and Alec both made their ways to the back, where archery equipment was set up. Magnus was the only one who wasn't participating in the physical activities. He sat on the side, his glance alternating between his sister, who was flipping on the rings, his two boys that there playing with their toys they brought in with them, and his fiancée teaching the recently Ascended Simon. When Alec began to demonstrate his archery skills, Magnus noticed his sister froze, dangling upside down with her feet locked into the rings, staring at him.
"You're great at that!" Kiara said as she dangled there. Alec looked around for a moment, trying to figure out whom she was talking.
"Who's good at what?" he asked. Kiara let out happy laugh that caused everyone to stop training and look in her direction.
"You!" Kiara said, pointing dramatically to the archer. "You're great at archery! How long have you trained?" Alec smiled a bit shyly back, placing his bow on his shoulder as he turned back to her.
"Thanks, and basically, all my life. Even though it was extremely difficult to master, it was just what stuck with me." As he spoke, Kiara pulled herself up to where she was doing a split midair, and then promptly slipped her feet out of the rings and landed on the floor with catlike grace. When he said his final sentence, she nodded in understanding.
"I know what you mean," Kira said as she walked over to the two, waving her hands until a set of dagger/knives appeared in her palms. "These took me decades to master. Still, even though it was hard, it was worth it. They fit me best, ya know?" The rest of them had gone back to training when they realized she was talking to Alec, but all seemed to be looking out of the corners of their eyes. Kiara then magicked the knives away before turning back to Alec.
"Hey, do you think you can teach me?" Kiara asked suddenly, which surprised Alec and Magnus. "I've always wanted to learn, but every time I practice, I never improve. I've tried everything to learn. Books, tutors, simulations, different types of bows, different types of arrows, but nothing seems to work. If anything, I get worse every time I try."
"When was the last time you tried to learn?" Alec asked. Kiara glanced down at her feet.
"Yesterday..." Kiara mumbled. To their shock, all of the caught a glimpse of pink on her pale cheeks.
"And how often do you practice on average?"
"About six times a week for an hour at a time," Kiara responded, staring keenly at her shuffling feet. Alec seemed to consider for a moment before quickly giving his answer.
"Sure, I can try to help," Alec said, and Kiara's head shot up. She gave a face-splitting grin that looked like it hurt. A lot.
For the next half hour, Magnus and his sons watched as Alec helped Kiara with her archery. When he asked her to demonstrate a few shots, the arrows were so far off center that Alec actually looked like he began regretting his agreement. However, he shook it off a second later and began to correct her form and give her tips. Now, half an hour later, Kiara's aim was greatly improved and her stance was much more firm. She was still nowhere near Alec's level, but it was impressive how fast she improved. While she was thanking him, Simon's voice called out to them.
"Hey Kiara," Simon asked. "What's this?"
He had moved over to stand in front of the floor of metal holes. Simon placed his foot on it gingerly, and immediately Kiara's eyes widened in shock. Dropping her bow and the arrow she held, she dashed over.
"Simon, DON'T-" but it was too late. A second before she could grab him, a small column of fire burst up from the floor, burning Simon's feet and scaring the crap out of him. Kiara grabbed him before he fell on his butt in shock, and pulled him away from the not flaming metal floor as the fire vanished. Quickly examining him, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw the fire resistance rune on his leg. Then, she promptly whacked him upside the head a moment later.
"BAKA!" She exclaimed. "Don't just to walking into random floor you don't know about! Seriously, don't they teach you common sense at the Academy?"
"My bad," Simon muttered. "Wait, was that Japanese?"
"What is that floor for?" Izzy asked, ignoring Simon's question as she made her way over. Kiara turned and saw the rest of them had made their way over, even Magnus. Izzy didn't seem that concerned over Simon, however. In fact, she wacked him too.
"This is a fire floor," Kiara explained. "Its purpose is to test your reaction skills and quick thinking in volatile conditions. How do you respond to this situation? How do you overcome it? What's the next move you should make?"
"Doesn't look too hard," Jace said, giving it the once over. "It's just timing and observation, right? It spits fire at you. One fire resistance rune and your set." Kiara let out a loud laugh as he finished his statement. When she finished, she turned to look at him as if he was an idiot.
"That's what you think," Kiara said, eyes dancing with mischief. "It doesn't just spit fire out of the ground, though. Simon got lucky that was all that happened. It also launches arrows and knives, automats come up to attack and the floor even changes its design. One second it'll be flat, the next it'll be like having to climb a mountain. Hannah designed it. Quite impressive if you ask me. It's taken me years to get a handle on it. I swear, the first time I tried it, my hair was burned off and my tail caught fire. Literally."
"Still, I think I could handle it," Jace said, looking at the empty space with anticipation and challenge. Kiara then crossed her arms, a smug look on her face as she leaned on her right leg.
"The only way you're getting to try that floor is if you beat me in a sparring match," Kiara answered with sudden challenging tone. All of them turned to her with varying expressions, most of them shock and a couple confused. They waited for the silence to follow, but Jace just smirked and replied "you're on".
In the next minute, the two of them were on the sparing mat, Jace armed with his sword and Kiara armed with the two thin, lethal knives she'd shown Alec before. There was something odd about their design however, but none of them could place it. The rest of them, aside from Lady Hannah, were spread out around the mat. Magnus and Alec were sitting on the ground, each of them holding one of their excited sons in their laps, both boys eagerly smiling and bouncing in anticipation. They loved watching their Aunts and Uncles train. Lady Hannah interrupted their thoughts, raising her hand between the two warriors.
"Begin!" she ordered, whipping her hand down to instigate the fight. The two of them immediately clashed together, their blades singing as metal clashed. Their duel was more like a dance, graceful, enticing, and alluring. The blond and brunette danced against each other, their blades clashing so hard sparks flew a few times. At one point, when Jace was trying to pin her, she whipped her hand and her knife unfolded to reveal a number of knives, all connected to create a fan of blades. Using this, she blocked his attack and, unfolding the other, slashed at his face.
Now that the fans were out, the battle grew more beautiful, but also more terrifying. Kiara knew how to use her weapons well. They were unorthodox, very volatile if not handled correctly, greatly easy to underestimate, but that was what made them so lethal. They were the perfect weapon to represent the queen before them. She seemed so kind and peaceful when she was away from her work; seeing her like this was terrifying and amazing. For a moment, the two of them separated, both breathing heavily. Jace smirked in his cocky way.
"I'm not dead yet," he said challengingly.
"You think you can beat me?" she asked, but there was something off. Her tone wasn't playful or challenging or even sarcastic. It was cold, dark, incredibly angry. Jace even looked uneasy by the sudden change, but he hid it well.
Suddenly, Kiara pounced again, her knives glowing blue and stripes appearing on her arms. The same markings Magnus had seen two days prior. The queen began to slash and swing at Jace with no remorse, her speed and strength uncanny. All of them were shocked by the display. This was no longer a sparring match; this was a duel to the death! Lady Hannah's eyes widened in fear and shock.
"Kiara—ACK!" When she tried to make her way onto the mat again, an invisible force shocked her, burning her. The others, sans the Lightwood-Banes, began to beat against the barrier, calling out to her to stop and ask what she was doing. However, she didn't seem to hear them, and continued her assault on Jace. Then, they all heard a sickening crack and a masculine cry of extreme pain.
Kiara stood above Jace, who was on the ground, writhing in pain due to his shattered collarbone.
"You really think you're going to win?" she asked coldly. Her eyes were cloudy, the stripes disappearing from her arms, and her face stone cold. Slowly, she moved to him and kicked him in the stomach to force him on his back. In a flash, she crouched on his chest, holding her closed fan to his throat, her face inches from his.
"You really think you deserve mercy?" she asked angrily as they continued to try to break through. "After all that you have done? All of the sins you have committed? What you did to me? I'll show you no mercy! You won't hurt my people again!"
"KIARA! CEASE THIS AT ONCE!" Lady Hannah's voice boomed, rocking the room. That order seemed to wake Kiara form her daze, because her face went slack and her eyes cleared. When she seemed to register her body, she looked down at Jace, who was still pinned beneath her knife. Immediately, she jumped back as if she had been burned, her eyes full of fear. Her hands shook so much that she dropped her fans.
"Dear God, what have I done?" she whispered in a terrified, wobbly voice. Lady Hannah swiftly made her way to the blond Shadowhunter, placing a glowing hand onto his shoulder, which slowly began to pop back into place. The cracks they heard were sickening to say the least, and all of them suppressed the urge to cringe. Magnus and Alec remained seated, as their sons shook and asked ignored questions about what had happened, both of them looking scared and worried. Soon, the others snapped out of their shocked trance and raced over to Jace's side, asking if he was alright and blocking Kiara from getting to him, but Magnus and Alec could tell that she wasn't going to try. She was far too horror-struck to do it again. When Lady Hannah removed her hands, everyone turned to the Queen, who now had tears swimming in her eyes.
Everyone else just stared in shock at the girl who was now staring at her hands in fear. Without looking to anyone else, she bolted for the door.
When she was gone, no one spoke. Not until Lady Hannah turned away from Jace's shoulder. All of them checked him out, asking is he was alright, but he brushed them off, insisting he was fine. He didn't try to play down his injure; he didn't even try to brag about how he'd had worse. Surprisingly, he seemed more concerned with the queen that fled in tears.
"What happened to her?" Jace asked, not seeming very mad about his shoulder. "Is she alright?"
"Is she alright?!" Izzy practically screeched. "What about you? She shattered your collarbone! How can you not be mad at her?"
"Because she wasn't acting like herself," Jace replied steadily. "There was something there, something angry. I think whatever it was, she unintentionally let it out on me. I've done it a couple times myself, so I'd be a hypocrite to be mad at her for doing it."
"You are more humble than you appear at times," Lady Hannah responded, genuinely surprised and impressed. At her comment, Jace smirked in his cocky way.
"I'm not being humble; I'm just being my amazing self. Admit it, you don't hate me. No one can hate me, because I'm too perfect."
"Don't push it, Goldilocks," Lady Hannah quipped with an eye roll. "But you are correct. The news that we received this morning left her quite unsettled. It has ties to her more…trying moments living here. Usually she is able to talk it out, but there are times when she will revert to her old ways of bottling it up, holding it in until she breaks. Honestly, I'm surprised she broke as quickly as she did. She usually holds out for a couple days. This situation must be weighing on her more than I suspected."
"So what do we do?" Clary asked. "Leave her be until she calms down?"
"No, that will allow her time to bottle everything up again," Lady Hannah responded firmly. "I raised and trained her for nearly a century. That course of action never ends well. Our best tactic is to have someone go in and give her a smack of reality. However, I don't believe that this time she will want it from me. It won't be as effective."
"Why?" Simon asked.
"Because you are here," Lady Hannah answered sagely. "She's had to deal with this problem since she became queen, and usually she handles it quite well, keeping a level head and calm heart. However, on this occasion she has to worry about not only her people, but the attacks on you, her guests, as well as any other attacks that may be occurring anywhere else in the world. Perhaps other Institutes have been under siege as well. It's not just the fate of her people; it's everyone who doesn't deserve to be involved in this fight."
"I still don't completely understand," Izzy said. "Why would Kiara's enemy go after us in the first place? We didn't meet her until days after the attack." Lady Hannah remained silent, and her expression showed that she would not explain. Instead, she turned to Magnus. For a moment, he felt afraid that the woman would slit his throat, but her eyes were threatening; they were full of consideration and methodical judgement.
"Magnus," she began softly. "You should go talk to her." Everyone went wide-eyed at her statement, some jaws even dropped. Magnus's was one of them.
"Why me?" he asked. "Kiara hates me. I'll only make the situation worse."
"I think that her avoiding reasonable conversation with you and repressing her emotions in front of her guests has amplified her panic and caused this outburst. Until you two talk, I'm sure it will happen frequently until she had an outlet. You attempted to talk to her yesterday, correct?"
"Yes, but it didn't go well." That's an understatement, he added in his head.
"That's because she was blind by anger and you underestimated the rage she kept. I know that it will be hard, but you must get through to her. First, know this—all that rage she expressed at you yesterday, it's not all because of you. You are not the only one she feels betrayed her."
"But since she felt that way for so long, it was easier for her to get all her anger out on me," he finished in an understanding, somewhat sorrowful voice. However, he was still unsure about going to talk to her, and Lady Hannah seemed to read his mind.
"I cannot force you to go talk to her if you have no desire to do so. It is not my place to order you around, as you are my guest and I am not superior to you. However, I do believe that this will help her and you, not just with her anger, but perhaps communicate better. I can tell that you are still upset from the conversation you had yesterday, but right now would probably be the most opportune time to get her anger at you and her anger at the situation dealt with. The decision is yours, but all I ask is that you consider it."
This idea was stupid. It was crazy. With the way Kiara acted towards him yesterday, he should have wanted nothing to do with this. She had treated him like garbage when he was doing his best to be congenial. Why did she deserve his kindness when she showed him none? Even so…he couldn't deny that he saw the pain in his sister's eyes when she snapped out of her trance. It was a face he had seen hundreds of times in the mirror when he was younger, just discovering his power. Her gaze was not solely terrified, but also angry, sad, and lonely.
It was stupid.
It was possibly dangerous.
It could possibly go horribly wrong and make the situation between them worse on his end.
"Where would she be?" he asked. Lady Hannah smiled in a relieved way while the others stared at him in shock.
"She'll be in her room. I can escort you."
Magnus nodded his head in agreement and placed Max on the ground by his other father. He said nothing, just gave his lover a quick kiss, a hug to his sons, and then stood to exit the room. Lady Hannah awaited him at the door; neither of them said a word as they exited and made their way through the labyrinthine palace. For eternity, they weaved through the halls until Lady Hannah stopped them in front of a large mahogany door that was slightly cracked. She gave it a quick knock, then, without waiting for a response, vanished, leaving Magnus alone. Inside, a tired, tight, controlled voice said, "come in". Taking a deep breath to calm his every growing nerves, Magnus pushed open the door to his sister's quarters.
What he didn't expect was for his sister to be completely immersed in paperwork that was scattered throughout the room. For a moment, Kiara glanced up, an odd glint in her eye. However, when she saw it was her brother, she rolled her eyes in an annoyed fashion and turned back to her work. Magnus just stood in the doorway awkwardly, unsure of how to approach the subject. Get straight to the point like Alexander, or ease in like Clary or Simon would? He decided to try the later first.
"Hey," he said in greeting. His sister looked up at him with a glare before turning back to the papers she was focused on. She gave a hum that didn't really mean anything, just acknowledged his presence.
"I love those curtains," Magnus claimed suddenly. "Those are from India, right? Well, they look similar to a set of curtains I have. They are from India, too. Have you ever been?"
"Once or twice, for political affairs," was all Kiara said. Her tone was dead and her eyes never left her papers.
"Do you enjoy it?" Nervously, Magnus began to ramble as his discomfort settled in. "I personally love the country, but find it a bit too crowded for my taste. I mean, it is a third the size of the US, and has almost three times the people. Although, I would say I love Peru more, but sadly, I cannot go back. Was banned some time ago by the Council there. I also like Japan and Egypt. So much fun there, what with the history and culture and—"
"What do you want Magnus?" Kiara interjected impatiently as she sorted through papers on her bed.
Well, that approach didn't work, Magnus thought to himself tiredly. In fact, it may have made the situation worse. With a great mental sigh that only appeared in his head, Magnus knew what to do.
No beating around the bush anymore Magnus, he thought to himself, steeling his body and mind for what was to come. Magnus closed the door behind him, locking it with his magic. When he turned back, he focused on his sister, more serious than he had been in a few years.
"We need to talk," he said firmly, crossing his arms in front of him. His tone and body language portrayed his determination not to back down. Inside, he let the emotions that he felt last night as Kiara accused him come forth. He had had enough. He was not the total bad guy in this situation, and he was going to make his sister see that. Magnus may not be able to change her mind, but he wasn't going to let her continue to say that he was still someone he no longer was. Even if she still hated him, he was going to get her to listen, because her actions today were dangerous and the source of them had to be snuffed out soon. Kiara gave a sarcastic, quick laugh, not even looking up at him.
"I believe we already did," Kiara quipped with a false smile that reminded Magnus of Camille, beautiful but imaginary. "And I believe I told you that I wasn't going to forgive you."
"That's hardly fair," Magnus replied, trying to be patient but firm.
"Yeah, well, life's not fair. We know that better than anyone," Kiara replied, seemingly very bored. "Now get out."
Magnus' fingers tensed on his arm, hating to be ordered around, but he held back his temper. If he lost it, he wouldn't get his point cross.
"Not until we talk. I mean actually have a discussion, not just you saying your piece and storming off while I'm too stunned to reply." Kiara stopped shuffling papers, looking up to glare at her brother. Magnus would've shivered under her terrifying gaze, but held his ground. Alec was right. They needed to work this out; it was long overdue. He wasn't going to be the bad guy. She was also hiding something, and her anger at that was being directed unfairly towards him as a result.
"So talk," Kiara replied coldly, turning towards him, mockingly bowing towards him. Magnus took a deep, calming breath to center himself. After letting out the eight count, he opened his eyes, remaining calm, and began to speak.
"You made some valid points, Kiara, and on most of them you were correct. I was far from decent to you," Magnus began, trying to properly convey his thoughts so there would be little confusion. "But you did do one thing that was very hypocritical."
"Oh, pray tell, dear brother, how was I a hypocrite?"
"You believe that I'm still the selfish, inconsiderate prick you claim I was," Magnus replied firmly, his eyes burning like yellow flames. "I'll admit, at times I was. When you first met you, you just barged into my life with no warning and started twisting things around. You dug into personal affairs that I wanted no one to know about, you always pestered me with questions, and you always said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Honestly, a couple times I seriously contemplated teleporting you to a remote island."
"So you did hate me that much?" Kiara asked accusingly, her tone biting and angry, but her eyes portrayed a sense of pain.
"I never would have gone through with it," he answered. "The time you came into my life was hard for me, in a way. I was heartbroken over someone who had just used my love for their own gain."
"Camille Belcourt," Kiara stated. "I did my research on her. She was a bitch."
"My point is, the way I handled it was wrong, and one way I did was by taking it out on you. It was wrong, and I hate that I did it. But, you also had a part to play in me pushing you away." Kiara turned to glare at her brother.
"When you came into my life, you acted as if you had expected me to embrace you immediately, like some long lost reunion. Realize, I had no idea who you were, and had no notice before you showed up at my door and forced your way through. Granted, you didn't do it rudely and demand me to share everything I had, but you did barge in like you thought everything would come naturally. To be honest, I was a bit intimidated and off-put by you and your personality. I don't blame you for the way you acted though. From what I remember, you were not fully aware of the dangers and cruelness of the mundane and Shadow World, because your mother had kept you sheltered and safe. Part of me was jealous, the other part was confused, and the rest was trying to deal with my own issues. I pushed you away and didn't at least try to know you, and that was wrong. If you gave me a chance, I would actually try to get to know you. I'm not saying I'm perfect, far from it, but I am a better person than when I last saw you."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Kiara asked in reply. "Words are nothing but thin air. You could be lying for all I know."
Magnus gave a slightly frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. She was so stubborn it was infuriating. Guess that was one thing they both had in common. Maybe by genetics.
"You don't have to believe me; you haven't seen me in so long. But being a hypocrite is not the way to go about it."
"How am I a hypocrite?" Kiara asked again angrily, her voice raising a bit. Magnus looked her dead in the eye, his focus strong and firm. For an instant, he saw her flinch the tiniest bit, but he did not let it faze him.
"You said that you're willing to forgive people with dark pasts and give them a second chance. You yourself said that you knew people could change, and you were willing to open up to them. You were willing to trust Shadowhunters, a race that had tried to wipe out your people centuries before we were born. Now you will not show that same consideration to your own brother? I understand that you would be guarded, but you treat me like a stigma in your palace, even when you are not meaning to. What does that say about you? I can understand that you would be angry and closed off towards me, but that is no excuse for you to go against what you preach to your subjects. Your situation is no reason for you to defy your so called morals."
"Screw morals," Kiara said angrily.
"And that's another thing," Magnus continued on, unable to stop himself. "This anger you're carrying internally is not healthy. You nearly killed Jace in your sparring match. Repressing anger never helps, and in your case, it seems like you become blind to it. Do you realize that you could have killed Jace if Hannah hadn't snapped you out of it?"
The queen remained silent, glaring at him with cold eyes, but Magnus could see the questions swirling around. He had her in a corner, and the answer was not easy, he knew. The defiance in her eyes was clear, even though her resolve was beginning to crumble. He could see it as she turned her head away with a snarl.
"You don't deserve forgiveness," Kiara stated, looking back down at her papers. "You never will."
She hesitated before saying it. Her eyes clouded, thinking of something to say before clouding with anger again. Magnus could see the slight tremor in her hands, the questions and worry in her eyes, the tension that was causing her to clench teeth together. He was getting through to her.
"Aren't you the one who said even with the past of the Shadowhunters, you were choosing to give them a chance, because people can change?" Magnus asked again, using everything in him to not raise his voice or become impractical. "I'm not asking you to become my best friend in a day, but I am asking that you treat me like a person who is trying to help you. I do not know what's going on or why we were attacked, but you do, and we want to help you. We all know that you are hiding something that is bothering you, and I bet it has to do with the information you got this morning. You decide to trust random Shadowhunters who could turn out to be spies or something at any moment, but you don't give a second chance to the brother you barely got to know?"
"Well, I haven't been personally hurt by Shadowhunters," Kiara said, flipping through the papers so fast they nearly ripped. Magnus remained silent, the statement striking a chord inside him. Guilt surged inside him for a millisecond, but then dissipated, as he had to focus on why he was having this discussion with her. He just stood there, watching his sister sort through her work furiously until she calmed down relatively.
"I know," Magnus said quietly. "I've hurt you. Believe me; I know what it is like to be afraid to trust someone when they've crushed your heart. It's easy to close yourself off because you're afraid of them hurting you again." His sister seemed to take offense to that, immediately tensing and whipping around the face him. Her eyes were nearly gold with angry fire and her teeth were sharp as she growled at him.
"I'm not afraid of you Magnus Bane," Kiara growled angrily. "If I could, I could banish you to our Father's domain with the snap of my fingers."
"But if that's what you truly wanted, you would've done it ages ago," Magnus replied quietly. "One thing I learned about you immediately was that you don't bluff on your threats. Because when I first tried to turn you away, you swore to camp out on my porch until I let you in. You did it for a week, and your smell chased away my customers."
Kiara's eyes widened in shock and wonder, and for a moment became glassy. She must not have been expecting him to remember a detail like that, but it was always something that he had secretly admired. Her conviction and determination. However, the wonder died out as she shook her head in denial, turning back to her work. Magnus noted that as she flipped through the papers, the tiniest shake in her hands was still there, growing larger. Her eyes were now becoming more unfocused and confused. Not much farther, almost there.
Slowly, Magnus stepped over the stacks of papers on the ground, making his way to her side. She ignored him, and once he was close enough, he sat down beside her on her bed, placing a gentle hand over the papers, stopping her from moving them.
"Kiara, we may not have known each other long, but I know you well enough to know if you really hated me, you would've sent me to our father's realm long before now." Kiara looked down, her lip trembling a bit and her eyes becoming glassy. Even so, she refused to look over at her half-brother.
"I know I hurt you, and I have felt awful for how I treated you," Magnus continued softly. "I was a horrible to you, not just to you as a brother, but as a person in general. Please believe me when I tell you I want to make it right. We only knew each other for three months, yet you already believed I could be your brother. I didn't give you a change to know me, because I was too wrapped up in my life and my problems to give you any heed."
"What's with the sudden change?" Kiara asked quietly, voice trembling. "Admit that you just want to use me for the power I've gained over you. It's all you want, right? You have always loved the finer things in life, and now since your sister is a powerhouse, she can get you anything you want. Isn't that it?"
Her tone carried no accusation. Instead, it sounded more like desperation.
"Not at all," Magnus patiently replied. "Because I have everything I could want." Kiara glanced to her brother, confusion laced with the tears in her eyes.
"And what's that? A High Warlock position?" Magnus shook his head.
"Family," Magnus replied softly. "I've found the love of my life, I have two kids that I would die for, and friends so close they are practically family to me now. Moreover, as I gained them I realized that the material possessions I gained only satisfied me so much. I know it's cheesy, but it's the truth."
"And what happens when they die?" Kiara asked, almost timidly. "Will you go back to material possession then? Will you bury yourself and become cold and uncaring of others again?" Magnus paused.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Perhaps I will. But right now, I live every day with my family, and I know I'd be honored if you'd be part of it."
Kiara remained silent, eyes still glassy, but Magnus could practically see the gears shifting in her head. Suddenly, Magnus felt a familiar tugging restricting his limbs and holding him still. He glanced at Kiara's hand, which was creating blue flames identical to the ones she used on him last time. Although this time, they were much less painful.
"Speak the truth, Magnus Bane," Kiara ordered firmly but quietly. "Do you truly wish to repair our broken bond as siblings, or do you just wish to use me for material gain. Are you truly doing this to be a better person?"
"I truly want to repair our relationship." The words flowed out of him, not against his will, but a steady, stream-like flow. "My actions centuries ago disgust me, and I want to make things right between us. I at least want to get to know the warlock who wanted to be my sister."
Magnus felt the restraints release him; the fire receded and dimmed out. As his gaze focused again, he saw his sister still wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were closed, her face smooth as glass as she thought. He waited patiently for her to say something.
"It won't be easy," Kiara began quietly. "I mean, I have centuries of rage and resentment built up because of you. And now that I know it's false…"
"It's not false. You had every right to be angry at me." Kiara sighed deeply, placing her head in her hands.
"Not like that. You were right. I am not as mad anymore I was back then. With everything going on, I saw someone who hurt me and decided unconsciously that they would take all my anger. To quote what you said earlier, that does not excuse my actions. It'll probably take time …I mean, for so long I've thought about you one way. It wasn't as bad I accused you of being earlier, but it was still pretty despicable…I've thought them for so long I don't know how long it will take me to stop."
"All old habits die hard. Believe me, I know," Magnus said jokingly, nudging her with his elbow. Kiara gave a small laugh, turning to her older brother. Tears were still swimming in her eyes, but the sadness was absent. Magnus felt relief and joy fill his chest as he recognized the look she gave him. It was identical to how she looked at him when she first called him "brother".
"It won't be easy. I mean, I live here and you live in Brooklyn and we won't see each other much after this and—"
"Ok, are you trying to convince me not to try?" Magnus interrupted playfully. Kiara flushed, embarrassed at her rambling.
"No," Kiara said quietly. "I'm just worried. It's what I do."
"I've noticed," Magnus replied lightly. "And to be honest, I'm a little wary about this too. I mean, I have never been someone's brother, so I don't really know how to act. Alexander has made it clear there is no rule book to help learn how to be siblings." Kiara chuckled at her brother's poor attempt at humor. For a moment, Magnus pondered what to do, and an idea came to him.
"Tell you what," he began, "I can't promise anything permanent, but how about this: even with how little we may see of each other, we can try to keep in contact. A letter, a fire message, some form of package or phone call, any way you see best, at least once a month. They can just be casual letters, like a friend writing to another, that way we can still be in contact even when we are far away. I'm not expecting us to be glued at the hip by next month, but we can start small. Baby steps."
"Baby steps," Kiara agreed softly with a smile. "I think that's a great idea. Thank you Magnus."
"What for?" the older warlock asked. Kiara gave a gentle, light laugh.
"For not giving up on me, for talking some sense into me, even after everything I said to you." Magnus shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Meh, I've been called worse." Kiara giggled, which caused Magnus to smile. Then he was shocked when she pulled him into a gentle hug, burying her head in his chest. She nuzzled her head against it like a cat trying to gain affection from their owner. The action should have seemed strange and borderline creepy, but given her genetics, it felt natural. For a moment, he was rigid, but then he relaxed, draped his arms around his younger sister and returned the embrace, resting his head on hers.
A small giggle reached Magnus' ears, and he opened his eyes to look around. In the mirror to his side, he could see the reflections of Alec, Rafael and Max standing in the cracked doorway. Max was in Alec's arms, absentmindedly running his toy red truck on his dad's arm. Rafael was practically glued to Alec's leg and he smiled widely at his papa. Alec was smiling also, relief and understanding in his gaze. Magnus smiled back.
"We have an audience," he loudly whispered to his sister, a playful smile gracing his face.
"I know," Kiara whispered back, a hint of laughter in her voice. "They've been there for a while."
"You think we should let them in on this hug?" Magnus asked, much louder so their guests could hear. Kiara lifted her head and looked around playfully, as if she was contemplating. Suddenly, Kiara began to shake her head wildly, her hair flying into his face.
"Nah," Kiara answered just as loudly, looking over at her nephews and future brother-in-law. "They don't deserve it."
"Yes we do!" Two little voices said before two kids attacked the warlocks. Max and Rafael were laughing as they tackled their aunt and papa, Max on Kiara's stomach while Rafe went after Magnus. Out of the corner of their eye, the two saw Alec leaning against the doorframe, an amused smile on his face. Kiara responded by grinning back mischievously, before snapping her fingers. In a flash of blue sparks, Alec was dragged towards them and was made part of the massive group hug as well.
It was going to awkward, and painful, and probably increasingly frustrating, but Magnus knew he and Kiara would rebuild a real relationship as family. He wasn't going to give up, and neither was she.
By the time Max and Rafael had been sent to bed, Jace was ready to strangle Kiara to get her to shut up.
Lady Hannah had finished healing his collarbone while Magnus was talking to Kiara, and when she had finished Alec had immediately left with the boys to go and check on the two warlocks. A minute after they departed, Alyssa arrived and checked him over, since according to Hannah she was the better healer out of both of them. Alyssa had then given him the all clear, before retreating to her training, still shy around her wife's guests. Since then, Jace had been pestered non-stop by Clary and Izzy about if he was sore or not, but when he told them he was fine, they would stop briefly. Now, three hours later, they stopped asking and stopped worrying. Kiara did not seem to have that ability.
Every three minutes she seemed to be apologizing to him about attacking him, and every time he was reassure her he was not mad. Then she would start to ramble on that if she had just come forth in the beginning it wouldn't have happened, which led to Lady Hannah agreeing and everyone else chipping in something along the lines of "don't be so hard on yourself", and then she would apologize again. Since the moment Magnus, Alec and the boys had brought her to dinner, she hadn't stopped talking or blaming herself. All throughout dinner, training, and now while they were resting in the library, she would not shut up. Now it was over three hours later, and Kiara was still apologizing, and everyone was sick of it.
"I told you I'm fine," Jace said through gritted teeth, trying to stop himself from banging his perfectly sculpted face into the coffee table and ruining it. He was dangerously close to doing so, and he didn't think the world could handle the horror of his beauty being harmed. At his right, Clary just held squeezed his hand with an apologetic, sympathetic smile.
"Are you sure?" Kiara asked for the five-hundredth time. "I mean, I can have you sent to the springs and have the healers do a double check. Not that I don't think your lying, but sometimes there is internal stuff that even magic can miss, and I don't want my guest to be in any more discomfort. Well, I guess I can't say that because I already caused you great discomfort by shattering your collar bone and I just—"
"Listen, I get your sorry, and I said it's FINE!" Jace nearly yelled. "So please stop apologizing!" It wasn't that he was mad at her for shattering the bone, or that he was angry at her heartfelt apologies, he was just annoyed that it wasn't going through her thick skull that she was forgiven. Everyone stared at him for a second in shock at his outburst, but Kiara just looked down and blushed a bit.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I just feel bad, and I'm incredibly hard on myself because everyone expects so much from me because I'm queen and also I'm your host, so I should be treating you more—"
"Your rambling," Lady Hannah's voice cut through with gentle, motherly scolding. Kiara's mouth snapped shut and she stared at her hands in her lap. At her side, Alyssa gave a small chuckle and took her wife's hand. Nearly all of them found this amusing. Who would have thought that the queen who could literally tear them to pieces with no effort would be so adorable and shy?
"Anyways," Alec picked up, his tone all business. "Now since we have everything settled, I think we should talk about the information you got this morning." Immediately, everyone in the room sobered up and became serious as well. Kiara looked up from her hands, her blush and embarrassment replaced by calm eyes and hard determination. Alyssa also looked up too, but looked more apprehensive than her wife.
"Yes, of course. Where would you like to begin?"
"For starters, who attacked us?" Izzy asked. "Now that we've been around the kingdom for a bit, we saw that the cats that attacked us were different from your guards or fighters."
"Yes, they are not mine," Kiara said gravely. Alyssa squeezed the other woman's hand lovingly.
"How is that? I thought all werecats belonged to this city," Simon asked. At this, Kiara looked back down at her hands, which were fidgeting in her lap. The gesture made it clear that she was hiding something she desperately wanted to tell them, yet at the same time didn't. Alyssa leaned against her, resting her head on her wife's shoulder, a gesture that prompted to Kiara to reach around and wrap an arm around her back. A sign of comfort.
"Our people are part of a single matriarchy," Lady Hannah continued. "Though we do have a governing body, the queen is the final voice of power. Throughout history, there have been revolutions against queens, but none of this caliber. This one has gone on for over a century."
"Why? What's so different about this one?" Alec asked. Surprisingly, Clary spoke.
"It's because Kiara's not the only queen alive."
Ta da! There it is! I did tell you that Magnus wasn't going to be treated like crap forever right? I'm sorry if their conversation seemed a bit rushed and unbelievable, but honestly, I feel like this would be how it would go. Both of them are immortal, so both of them would know that holding grudges wouldn't benefit either of them, and they know the long-term effects of holding onto that anger. To me, it would make sense that Kiara would be so willing to try again so quickly, because Magnus was right in that she was being unfair and that she was being a hypocrite. I wanted to show you that she's not a perfect character, she has flaws, and people will call her out on it. Hope this pleases those of you who hated Kiara treating Magnus like crap, because that's not planned to happen in the future.
In compliance with a request made by Tiffgarant, I included a brief Jace POV. Thought it would fit since he was the one who was attacked. Sorry if it seems a bit uncharacteristic, but this is my story and I don't own the characters Cassandra Clare created. But in regards to the bed scene you requested, I'm not sure I'll do something like that. One, I've never written something like that before and I'm not sure I would be comfortable with it. Two, I don't know if it would fit into the story. Three, I've never experienced anything like that before, so I feel like writing something as intimate as that would be unrealistic and crazy. However, if you weren't talking about a lemon chapter and just an intimate conversation while they were in bed, I may be able to do that. I'd just have to find a place.
Anyways, I hope you loved this chapter! I'm not sure when my next update will be, but I've already got an outline for it set up in a document. See you all next time! Please review, like, favorite, etc.!
-KiaraBaneTMI