A/N: I am glad you guys were mostly chill with Jace being a jerk. I hope you like the next chapter.
She pulled herself out of bed, walking outside for dinner. She paused in her steps when a man spat at her feet. She inhaled a sharp breath, locking her eyes with Jace's. Was he really not going to defend her in the slightest? She could deal with her husband later. She turned around, facing the man who had spit on her feet. She kept her calm gaze locked with the man's just before bashing the man in the head with her fist.
Everyone had gone quiet around her, as all the eyes around the fire turned towards her.
"I know what you all think of me, but I am still your leader's wife, not only that, but I am an heir to this land and the rest of the country. I deserve your respect." She called out before, stalking up to her stop next to Jace.
"That was unnecessary." He snapped quietly, handing her a plate of food.
"Apparently it was necessary because your men are now treating me like trash." She countered, gripping her cup tightly.
"Do you blame them?" He raised an eyebrow at her, making her growl.
"I will not be treated like a common whore, Jace. I have not had an easy life, but I have never been subjected to the kind of disrespect you have given me the last few days. I will not be a pawn in your game to make yourself feel better about being tricked by your wife. I am giving you my loyalty, but you have done nothing to reward me for that except screw me over in the literal sense of the word." She spat at him taking a sip of her wine. His jaw clenched, but he didn't respond. "You should have asked me to turn my back on my brother sooner. You should have assumed I was working for my brother. Why else would he send me to this desert waste land? To punish me? Right, he was annoyed by my presence, but he easily could have sent me to some boring rich lord where I would waste my life in complete boredom. You aren't really mad at me. You're mad at yourself for not catching me sooner." She was poking at him, egging him on. He downed the rest of his wine and poured himself another, as he cast his eyes down.
"I trusted you." He whispered, looking into his goblet.
"Why? Because I was in your bed? I never trusted you completely." She took a bite of her food, stating the honest truth. There were times she would get more comfortable with him, but there was always this itching presence in the back of her mind that he might change, that he might go savage on her.
"Angels, you're annoying when you're angry." He groaned, leaning back against his palm.
"And you're a dick when you're angry." She countered immediately. "Next time someone treats me like dirt, you stand up for me. That is your job as my husband." She ordered, feeling flames fill her body.
"Are you going to do your job as a wife, and give me son?" He snarled, keeping his eye on the fire.
"We'll have to see if you can play nice." She smirked, knowing that she had him. He grumbled to himself, playing with his glass.
She smiled to herself when she came up with an idea to get some revenge. She realized it was kind of cruel, but she really wanted to mess with him for being overly agitated with her. He's been acting like a jerk all day and he deserves a little pain today. "Do you want to keep skulking or would you prefer to dance?" She got up, dusking her hands off on her skirt.
"You're dancing?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She had only danced once, and she remembered how hot it was. She was finished hiding from him because there was nothing she needed to be hidden anymore. Not anymore. This was her home now, and she wanted to embrace it.
"Come on." She grabbed his hand, leading him towards the dancers, towards the fire. She closed her eyes, letting the beat of the drum dictate her movement. She could feel Jace behind her, standing stiff and uncomfortable. She knew that if he dancing with her in front of everyone, then he was claiming her. She knew that he wanted her right now, or else he would have just sat back down. She turned around, placing her hand on his hip to pull him against her. He watched her, seeming overly conflicted about what to do. "Dance with me." She breathed, looking up at him under her lashes.
He gave in. He held her roughly against him, as he started to lead their movements. Her leg fell between his, rubbing against his lower region. He moaned softly, letting his head fall to her shoulder. She touched his face lightly leading him into a kiss. She squeezed his behind, pressing him against her.
It was a hungry kiss.
He grabbed her hand, dragging them back to their tent. He picked her up when they entered the flap, as their lips sloppily moved against each other's. She wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing her arms around his neck. He set her behind down on his desk, reaching for his leather ties.
"Wait." She inhaled a deep breath, drawing away from him.
"What?" He panted, holding onto her thigh tightly.
"I can't do this tonight." She shook her head, pushing him back just far enough to slip off the wooden desk. She knew that this would drive him mad, but he shouldn't have been acting incredibly pompous all day.
"What do you mean you can't do this?" He clenched his fist, seeming incredibly on edge.
"I mean you've been treating me like dirt all day, and I don't want to have sex with you." She explained, gulping thickly. She had to make sure her own resolved stayed strong. Her frustration with him didn't stop her attraction towards him. She had started having a little too much fun there, and she needed to take a breath. He seemed very frustrated that she said no, but he didn't deserve to have sex. He was acting like a child, treating her like some pet who peed in the corner. She was his wife, and she wasn't about to preform wifely duties on a man who was behaving like a child.
"Seriously?" He raised his eyebrows, releasing his fist when he realized it was clenched.
"Yes, seriously, you can go to bed now or go back outside, but I'm going to sleep." She stripped out of her clothes, pulling on her thin robe before lying down. He laid next to her, staring at the ceiling. She sucked in a breath when he rolled on top of her. His hands started pulling at the rim of her robe, pushing it above her hips
"What if I just took you anyways? You owe me a son." He spread her legs, moving between them.
"You won't do that." She remained still keeping her breathing calm. She knew he wouldn't assault her. It was against his nature. He might be mad at her, but he wouldn't force her into something she didn't want to do. He always made sure she was comfortable with what they were doing. He wouldn't just do this.
"Why do you say that?" He squeezed the flesh of her behind, settling himself against her.
"Because you aren't a savage. That's what you told me on our wedding night. You said that you don't rape, or pillage, or hurt innocents." She explained, feeling her heart pound erratically in her chest.
"You are not an innocent person." He panted, roaming his eyes over her face.
"I am in this situation. If you do this then you're not the man I thought you were, and I would never forgive you." She whispered, waiting to see what he would do. She breathed out a sigh in relief when he rolled off of her. She put her hand to her face, as she inhaled a deep breath, knowing that she was alright. She hated that in the back of her mind that she doubted him. There was a small part of her mind that thought he would keep going, and she didn't want those thoughts there.
"I need a drink." He muttered, as he exited their tent. she closed her eyes, blowing out yet another breath, as she held the blankets to her chest.
OoOoO
He came back hours later, waking her as he collapsed next to her. She rubbed at her eyes, as he released a long breath. The smell of alcohol swirled around their tent, making her wrinkle her nose. He seemed a lot less hostile then he had been all day, which made her want to be closer to him. She didn't like him being mad at her. They were just starting to get to a good place, and now it's like all that progress doesn't exist.
"You reek." She murmured, turning to face him.
"Yeah, that happens when you drink too much." He drew out, staring at the ceiling. "I'm sorry about before. I don't know what came over me." He shook his head, dropping his gaze to hers.
"I forgive you." She breathed, sliding her hand over his stomach. He rolled to the other side, moving away from her. She pursed her lips slightly, wanting him to hold her. He has been doing that every night for a few months, and she found that it helped her sleep better.
Maybe she had been a little mean before, getting him all revved up like that and pulling away. She didn't think that he would withhold affection though. She drew her hand back, holding it against her chest. She debated about just turning to her other side and falling asleep, but she wanted to fix things with him. Fixing their relationship wouldn't happen if they were sleeping on opposite sides of the bed. She took a deep breath before curling against his back. She nuzzled her head just behind his, wrapping her arm around his bicep. He tensed up in her grasp, but she stayed where she was. He began to relax, making her smile softly.
"I don't want to be the little spoon." He grunted, shifting around to lie on his back. She slipped under his arm, resting her head on his chest. He held her against his side, and she twirled her fingers around her chest hair. "I don't get you." He murmured, resting his cheek on her forehead. "You are all ticked off at me because I was being mean to you, and you still want me to hold you when you go the bed." His breath stank of ale, as he spoke.
"We still need each other." She breathed, snuggling against him. "I need you, and I want you." She whispered, closing her eyes. She knew that he was already asleep, which made her heart hurt a little more than she wanted. She wanted him to hear her, but she wasn't sure that she would build up the courage to say it in the light of day.
OoOoO
A few days later, Clary headed towards Stephen's tent because she wanted to speak to him about when this takeover that was happening. Jace refused to tell her anything about it, and she wanted to be useful. She also needed to know what was happening. She was going crazy being left in the dark and she hoped that if she approached Stephen about her concerns then he might be a bit more fourth coming.
She went to grab the flap, but she paused when he heard her husband. "She's infuriating." Jace exclaimed, making her cheeks heat up. He had to have been talking about her.
He had been pushing in her hard in training, but he wasn't snapping at her anymore. He was also rough with her in their bed, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She was enjoying herself, but it was beginning to feel impersonal.
"She's so stubborn and ugh..." He groaned, running his hand over his face.
"Calm down, you wanted to get to know her for months. Now she's letting her walls down, and this is who she is." Stephen chuckled at his son.
"So her personality is annoying?" He questioned, throwing his hands up in the air.
"She isn't annoying, she's independent. You just aren't use to people saying no to you. You know what I think?" Stephen smirked, leaning back in his chair.
"What?" Jace crossed his arms.
"I think you're in love with her." Clary's eyes widened at Stephen's proclamation, and she leaned in even more, wanting to know if Stephen's suggestion was true.
"No way." Jace scoffed, shaking his head.
"Show her a little tenderness. I know for a fact you've been screwing her brains out, but if you lighten up in that area you might be surprised about the results." Stephen explained, getting to his feet.
Clary quickly hurried away from the tent, feeling her face flame up. Jace hadn't been tender with her in a while, which she didn't mind. This new primal like love making was exhilarating, but she wondered what it was like for him to go slower. She wondered what it would feel like for to draw it out, giving them time to truly explore each other in new ways. She shook her head, inhaling a deep breath in attempts to cool herself down.
OoOoO
The next morning, he woke her up in the early afternoon, so they could get ready for training. He was a lot calmer today, which she was thankful for. The bitter taste of betrayal was beneath his skin, but thankfully he wasn't acting hostile anymore. She had that same feeling of disappointment beneath her heart as she followed him out to the training grounds. He not only treated her poorly, but he actually threatened her. She was more uneasy than angry, which didn't make matters any better.
They headed towards the training ground, and he handed her the leathers straps for her hands. She silently wrapped them around her knuckles, securing them before flexing her hands.
"Are you hungover?" She asked, wondering if he was struggling at all. He seemed perfectly fine, which she thought was odd because he was so drunk the night before.
"Yes," He muttered, sighing heavily. "I'll be fine though." He shrugged his shoulders, stepping in front of her. "Alright, we will do things a little differently today. I'll show you a sequence, and you repeat it." He explained, leading her over to a wooden block with pole sticking out of it.
She watched Jace intently, hitting in a specific pattern. He gestured for her to repeat it. She inhaled a deep breath, throwing her fist and forearms against the same places that Jace did.
"Tighten these muscles." Jace stepped behind her, sliding his hand across her stomach. "Use them as leverage when you're going for a punch." He back away from her, letting her try it again.
He reached over adjusting her fist, and it felt different than normal. She inhaled a deep breath, starting the sequence over. Jace would correct the actions that she did wrong, slowly teaching her a sequence. She preferred this form of training compared to what he had been doing these last few days. Sparing when she felt so unprepared wasn't getting her anywhere, but now she was learning the movements in their proper forms.
OoOoO
Clary sat down with the women that worked on the clothing. None of them even looked at her. She adjusted her seating, as she picked up a piece of clothing. She sighed softly, picking up the stylus to start embedding a pattern into the leather. This was worse than when she didn't want to be here. She was friends with these women, and now they won't even acknowledge her.
"How is Tavvy?" Clary asked Emma, hoping to start a conversation.
"He's sick." She muttered, jamming the stylus into leather. "Not that you care." She scoffed, ripping a hole through the piece of clothing she was working on.
"I would never want Tavvy to be sick." Her heart sank at the girl's accusation. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Unless you can magically create herbs. No." She bit out, sitting stiffly.
"Are we out?" She asked, feeling extremely concerned for the child.
They had stopped talking to her. Clary couldn't believe that Tavvy was sick, and it broke her heart. She was even more surprised to hear that they were out of medicine to help him. She bit her lip, wishing she could comfort Emma, but she didn't look like she even wanted to hear from her.
OoOoO
Clary hummed softly, propping herself up over Jace. She gazed over his blissful face, as his breath began to steady. She chewed on her lip, waiting for his eyes to peak open. "Are you alright?" He sighed, sliding his hand down her bare behind.
"I want to get medicine for Julian's youngest brother." She said softly, sitting up.
"It's a 2-day trip just to get to the nearest town." He grunted, propping his hand behind his head.
"Your point? Tavvy is dying."
"A lot of people are, Clary. We are out of our sun fever treatment, but you can't just leave for two days on your own." He pushed her hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek lightly.
"You could go with me." She suggested, knowing that she had to do something.
"Clary…" He trailed off, as she moved to sit next to him.
"Please, I need to do something to get these women to stop hating me, and this is the only thing I can think of." She begged, holding the blankets to herself.
"I'll need to think about it." He murmured, rolling onto his side.
"No, you don't, just take me." She plead, wrapping her arms around his torso.
"My dad would be angry if we just left." He groaned, propping their foreheads together.
"He'll have to let you go. You'll be saving people's lives." She was beginning to really milk this, but she knew he was about to cave.
"Fine." He muttered with a huff, as he drew her into his arms. "Go to sleep. We leave tomorrow night." She smiled into his chest, nuzzling her face into his neck. He drew her closer, resting his cheek on the top of her head. She knew he was going to cave. She was going to get medicine, and everything was going to be better. Her and Jace were on the mend, so now all she had to do was win the people back.
She released a small breath, feeling a pit form in her stomach. She didn't know what she would do if this didn't work.
OoOoO
They had slept most of the day, and headed out when the sunset. She could hear Jace bickering with his father, as he readied the horses. She thought he might back out, but he didn't. He loaded up two horses with enough supplies for two days, while Clary grabbed a few of her knick knacks. They didn't have money here, and most places didn't trade. She grabbed some of her jewels, knowing that they would be more than enough for medicine
"Come on, let's go." Jace sighed, holding a hand out to help her onto her horse. She stepped on it, letting him hoist her up. "You had a rough time traveling here. I am going to ask again, are you sure you want to do this? If anything happens out in the desert I might not be able to save us." He said, climbing onto his own horse.
"Yes, I'm sure." She nodded eagerly, knowing that her body had slowly but surely gotten used to the harsh desert air.
OoOoO
Clary kept close to Jace as they rode, not wanting to get separated from him. She had no idea where she was going, and she had no idea what she would do if she got lost. Jace remained silent as they rode, which Clary couldn't decide if it meant he was ignoring her, or if he was simply deep in thought. She weaved her fingers into her horse's mane, adjusting herself in her seat.
She glanced up, seeing the sun begin to rise in front of her. The first time she travelled across the desert, she was too disorientated to notice anything about it. The sky was colors she had never seen before, which blended in seamlessly with sand. She closed her eyes, feeling the heat of the sun's rays on her skin.
She chewed on her lip, glancing over at Jace, who was looking at her. She blushed heavily, breaking his gaze. She wondered how long he had been looking at her. "We need to set up camp soon." He stated, breaking their steadfast silence.
"Alright." She nodded in agreement, feeling the heat that the sun was already emitting.
He climbed off of his horse, walking over to her. She slid off of her beast and into his strong arms. She looked up at him, enjoying the way his strong arms wrapped around him. He drew away from her quickly, sighing heavily.
She gathered the food off of her horse, while Jace set up their small tent. She handed him some flat bread before retreating into the small tent. He followed her in, as she laid down on the cot that he brought. He sat next to her, eating his food hastily. "Are you in a hurry?" She questioned with a soft smile.
"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders, keeping his lip from curling up.
"Thank you for agreeing to take me to get the medicine." She spoke quietly, leaning back against her palms.
"I thought it would nice to be as loud as we want." He brushed their lips together lightly.
Clary felt her heart sink at his words, realizing he only wanted to come was to have unreserved sex with her. It wasn't because he wanted to please her. She laid back against the cot, as Jace climbed over her. He touched her face lightly, drawing himself between her legs.
"You are so beautiful." He breathed into her ear, kissing her breast bone lightly.
OoOoO
They had arrived in a town the next morning at dawn. It was in the middle of the desert, which she thought was ridiculous, but it was set up more like the villages around the palace. She could plainly see everyone's stares, making her slightly uncomfortable. She didn't blame them because their reputation was not the best.
Jace gestured his head for her to follow, so she steered his horse in her direction. "We have to be quick." He murmured, grabbing hold of her reigns. "We aren't well liked here." He explained softly, leading the way to a building. "They separated from us soon after the king conquered our lands." He spoke quietly, looking carefully around.
They climbed off of their horses, walking into an unstable looking building. "Camille," Jace grunted, pulling Clary against his body. She gasped quietly, feeling overwhelmingly startled. "We would like to buy your reserves for the sun poisoning remedy. We are in great need of it." He said to the fair woman behind the counter.
"Jace, it's been a long while." She purred, and suddenly Clary realized why he had grabbed her in such a possessive manner. The woman wanted to be Jace's lover.
"Yes, well, I hate this place, so I do try to avoid it." He bit out, drawing out Clary's trinkets. "The medicine, Camille." He said in a harsh tone.
"Alright. Alright." She snickered softly, grabbing a container of medicine. "This should be enough for 50 people." She hummed, sliding it across the counter.
"Thank you, Camille." He lifted it up, pushing Clary in front of him as he left.
"Jace, darling, if you ever get bored of your princess, you know where I am." She bit her lip, leaning seductively against the counter. Clary whirled around, but Jace grabbed hold of her. She was angrier than she could image. What kind of woman blatantly propositioned a man in front of his wife?
"She is not worth it." He whispered into her ear, forcing her to move out the door. "I am yours, and you are mine." He assured her in a gentle tone, as they approached their horses.
A/N: Things are starting to get mended. It definitely isn't perfect, but Clary knows what she wants. I hope you guys liked it. I can't wait until we get to a point where they are happy together. I don't really know how far away that is though. It might be a couple more chapters.
Thanks for all the awesome reviews!