I just want to take a moment here to thank everyone who's left a fav/review on this. You should see my face when I read them, I look like a toddler being offered ice cream. They make me super happy and inspired, and I just want to thank you all for taking time to read this and tell me what you think :)
The last day of the tournament was coming. At the end of that day, two knights would walk into the arena knowing only one of them could leave with the title. Alec was going to be one of them, Magnus was sure of it. There was a good chance Malcolm was going to be the other one, which Magnus was worried about.
Magnus hadn't gotten much time around Malcolm, he'd only seen him sometimes out on the streets or on the field, and that feeling always followed him. That familiar feeling that he felt he should know but couldn't place anywhere.
He hadn't seen the purple eyes again, he almost started believing that he made it up, but then the day before something had happened, something that convinced Magnus that Malcolm wasn't just a normal knight.
He'd been fighting Meliorn, representative of the Seelie realm. Meliorn had had the upper hand through the entire fight, he was the most skilled fighter Malcolm had had to face up to this moment. Meliorn had gotten Malcolm pressed up against a wall, and that's when Magnus felt it. He could swear that Malcolm's eyes had glowed purple then, and a second later it felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. When he looked up again Meliorn was on the ground, Malcolm standing over him with an evil grin on his face. But he wasn't looking at Meliorn. He was looking at Magnus. Maybe Magnus was too quick to assume things, but he had no doubt in his heart that Malcolm was sent to kill Alec.
That night Magnus had hurried home as soon as Alec had dismissed him. He'd spent hours reading through the book, looking for anything that could help him. Whatever Malcolm had done, it didn't make sense that it had affected him. Malcolm was fighting Meliorn, and it sure had affected him, but it had affected Magnus too, and that's what made him so curious.
Did he cast a spell that affected a group of people? Maybe he and Meliorn had something in common? There was a spell that affected everyone of the same blood. Maybe it had something to do with his father? Magnus had never met his father, and his mother never talked about him. Maybe after his father ran off he met someone in the Seelie realm. That would make sense… But Meliorn seemed older than him. Maybe they had the same grandfather? Either way, Magnus had to warn Alec about Malcolm.
Which was what he was doing now. He was on his way to Alec's chambers, as always, but this time he was going to tell Alec about his suspicions. He just wanted Alec to look out, to be careful.
"Alec," Magnus said once in his chambers. Magnus had stopped knocking a few days ago when Alec told him not to. Alec clearly didn't mind having Magnus around. The only thing Magnus was scared of was to enter the room while Alec was naked, or anything even relatively close to it. Last time that had happened it had left Magnus in quite a heat, something Magnus didn't really want to repeat. Although it had felt amazing… No! Not now, Magnus forced his thoughts away.
"Can I talk to you?" He asked.
"Uh, yeah. Of course, what is it?"
"Well, you remember at the first banquet, you know, the one where all of this started," Magnus said.
"Yes…" Alec said uncertainty. He didn't know where this was going.
"The thing that tried to kill you, the shapeshifter, Luke suspects it was obeying orders."
"Okay, and that means…?"
"That means that whatever sent it probably wants you dead. And, I haven't confirmed this, but I think the tournament would be the perfect chance for someone to do just that."
"Do you have anyone specific in mind?" Alec asked with a frown.
"Honestly, I have no proof, but Malcolm Fade is… I'm not sure, but there's something off about him." Magnus didn't know how to explain it, it was a feeling, he could sense that Malcolm was different. And of course the fact that he'd seen purple eyes twice, and he was convinced Malcolm had used magic to win over Meliorn.
"Malcolm Fade? What makes you think that?"
"Alec, I know it sounds crazy, but I can feel that something isn't right. I think he's cheating, I think he's using magic," Magnus said.
"Those are some dangerous accusations to make, Magnus. Have you told anyone else?" Alec questioned.
"No, only you."
"Good, don't tell anyone."
"Why not?"
"Because, if he is cheating like you say, he's not just gonna admit it, and it'll be a servant's word against a knight's. Who do you think they'll believe?"
"What do you believe?"
"I trust you, Magnus. But you have no proof, so it's not like I can do anything!"
"I expected you to say something like this, but please promise me that you'll be careful, yeah?" Magnus requested. He had known that there wasn't much Alec could do without any proof, but he wanted him to know and he wanted him to be careful. And it felt surprisingly good to hear that Alec trusted him and not the knight.
"You're gonna win, today and tomorrow, and you're not getting hurt, okay?" It had kind of become their thing, the okay thing.
"Okay."
"Luke," Magnus said as soon as he opened the door. Another day had gone by, Alec had won all his fights and was going to fight Malcolm in the finale tomorrow. Magnus had been paying close attention to every fight Malcolm had been a part of, but nothing unusual had happened. Malcolm clearly only used magic when it was absolutely necessary.
Luke looked up from his book to look at Magnus. "Do you know anything about my father?" Magnus asked. Luke almost dropped his book.
"Your- your father?" He questioned.
"Yes. I mean, I had one, right? So how come no one ever talks about him, or even mentions him? It's like he never existed!" Magnus needed to know, needed to know if he was right about him and Meliorn, needed to know about his father.
"What did your mother tell you?" Luke asked.
"She said he'd been a mistake, that he was scared and ran away the second he started feeling insecure."
"There's not much more to it, your father was a coward, and he ran away at the first sign of danger. Why are you suddenly so interested in him?"
"He is my father, am I not allowed to be curious? What was his name?" Magnus asked. Luke didn't say anything, he stayed silent with a thoughtful look on his face. "Luke, his name?" Magnus asked again.
"Asmo," Luke said, looking Magnus in the eye like he was daring him to think it was a lie.
"His name is Asmo?"
"Yes, Asmo. But Magnus, he wasn't a good person. He still isn't a good person. I don't want you to go looking for him, and if someone ever comes to you and says they're your father, you run, okay? You blast them with a ball of magic and you run."
"If he's such a coward why would he come looking for me?"
"Magnus, just trust me on this one, please," Luke begged. Luke had never begged Magnus to do anything. What was it about his father? He couldn't just be an ordinary coward if Luke was so scared of him getting in contact with Magnus.
"Okay, yeah. If anyone ever tells me they're my father I'll blast them with my magic and run away," Magnus repeated. "If I ever get the magic under enough control to blast it at anyone," He added under his breath.
The magic was… well, it was a work in progress. Ever since that day Magnus had been trying to recreate the ball, but the best he'd gotten was a few sparks. He didn't understand what he was doing wrong, he tried the exact same thing he'd done that day, but it didn't work! And it wasn't like he could just read a manual on how to summon a ball of magic. According to Luke, that shouldn't even be possible. But Magnus was working on it, and he was thinking about casting another spell, although the whole thing last time had kind of scared him off. He hoped Luke was right and that it was just his magic settling down. If that happened every time he did a spell then he wasn't sure how much he was going to use it in the future.
Magnus retreated to his room. He wasn't getting any more out of Luke. he went to stand by the window. It had a view of a square. Something Magnus had noticed pretty early on was that the city was full of squares, almost more squares than streets.
Magnus looked down, there was a small market there, with lots of people, but Magnus had seen days with it even busier. But what Magnus noticed was the knight in the middle of the crowd. The knight with the leaf tattoo on his cheekbone and the Seelie realm's emblem on his shield. Magnus was out of his room in seconds, running out of the house.
"Where are you going?!" Luke asked when he hurried by.
"I saw Catarina at the market, gonna see if I can catch her before she leaves," Magnus lied. He didn't have time to hear Luke's reply as he was already halfway down the stairs. Why hadn't he thought of talking to Meliorn before? If anyone had noticed Malcolm had used magic it had to be Meliorn. And Meliorn was a knight, his word against Malcolm's would stand much stronger then Magnus'.
His only fear was that Meliorn hadn't noticed that Malcolm had used magic. If he thought it was something else, would Magnus manage to convince him? And if he did know it was magic, why hadn't he reported Malcolm yet?
By the time Magnus came to the square Meliorn was already mounting his horse. Magnus sprinted the last few meters, determined to reach Meliorn before he left. His lungs were burning, but he pushed on, just a little more. "Meliorn, sir!" He yelled, breathless. But Meliorn heard him.
He turned around to see who had called for him and gave Magnus a weird look when he saw him. "What do you want?" He asked when Magnus caught up with him. Magnus had to catch his breath for a minute before he could answer.
"I was wondering if I could talk to you," Magnus said. "About the tournament. And about Malcolm Fade." Magnus looked around himself to check that no one was listening. Meliron looked curiously at him before looking around too.
"You want to talk about that here?" He asked before shaking his head and answering his own question. "No, let's go somewhere more private," He said, nodding for Magnus to follow him and then lead his way through a few streets until they reached a tavern, probably the one Meliorn had been staying at. "I still have the room for a few hours," Meliorn said. He left the horse in the stable and led Magnus in. He got a key from the reception and Magnus followed him up to a room.
"You wanted to talk to me about Malcolm Fade, I guess you're worried about your master," Meliorn said.
"Well, he's not my master, but yeah, I'm worried about him. I know Malcolm is cheating, and I'm convinced that he's going to try to kill Alec."
"You're not wrong," Meliorn said. "Malcolm Fade is cheating. And you're right about being worried, but I do not think there is very much you can do about it. Malcolm is using magic, but you cannot prove it, am I right?"
"Yes, exactly! So you know he's using magic. Why haven't you reported him to the king? You could have been in the finale if he hadn't cheated."
"The Seelie Queen is not interested in riches, only in formalities. I came, that is enough. Malcolm Fade is not my problem, I do not have to fix it."
"But Alec's life could be in danger, and you can help him! They'll take your word for it, not mine," Magnus tried to convince Meliorn.
"Alexander's life will go as fate has designed it. It is not in my place to change that."
"How can you say that? You're just gonna let him die because fate made it that way?"
"I do not know his fate, I do not know if he is to die tomorrow. All I know is that I will not involve myself in this."
"Can you at least tell me why the spell Malcolm cast on you affected me too? I think it's blood magic, is it possible that we share a father?" Magnus asked.
"No, we do not. The blood we share goes as far back as the beginning of the Seelies, but that is not in my place to tell you. I must leave now. The queen knows about me getting out of the tournament is now expecting my immediate return to the kingdom," Meliorn said. He left the room and Magnus had no choice but to follow. Once he was outside the tavern he watched Meliorn go, knowing that his last chance of saving Alec was probably riding away on that very horse. And what did Meliorn mean, that the blood they shared went that far back? That didn't make any sense.
Magnus walked back to Luke's house, his home, and called for Luke, maybe he could help him, now that he knew for sure that Malcolm was cheating.
"Magnus, did you find Catarina?" Luke asked.
"I… no, it wasn't her who I saw down at the square," Magnus said. "I need to tell you something, can you sit down," He asked, gesturing to a chair. He was going to tell Luke the whole thing, the weird feeling he got around Malcolm, the thing he'd felt while Malcolm was fighting Meliron, the purple eyes he could swear he'd seen, all of it. He just hoped Luke wasn't just going to call him paranoid and brush it all away. He knew Malcolm was cheating, Meliorn had confirmed it.
He told Luke, and he could see his face altering between shocked, confused, curious, and worried. "Magnus, this is… I don't know what to say. Did you tell Alec? Did you warn him?" he asked.
"Yes, as soon as I was sure. But what exactly can he do if Malcolm is using magic? If only there was a way to show everyone," Magnus mumbled.
"Wait, say that again," Luke said, standing up.
"If only there was a way to show everyone…" Magnus repeated, confused.
"Exactly! Every magic is visible, except your... moving around things magic, but that's something else. You have blue sparks, other people have other colors, but everyone has one. If Malcolm's doesn't have one it must be because he's hiding it with some kind of spell," Luke said.
"Wait, so, if we can reverse that spell without Malcolm realizing we can make everyone see his magic!" Magnus exclaimed. "But in that case, he would need to use magic in front of someone the king will trust, and that will probably only happen during the finale tomorrow." Magnus realized. "And by that time it will already be too late."
"Not necessarily," Luke said. "Malcolm is smart, he knows that killing Alec with magic would be stupid. It's not natural for someone to just die of nothing in the middle of a battle. It's more probable that he will do something more subtle, like what he did with Meliorn, and then make Alec's death seem like an accident."
"Of course! And if he does that there will be enough time for the guards to stop him before he manages to kill Alec!" Magnus exclaimed before he remembered something. "But… how do we… or how do I do that? Do you think there will be such a spell in your book? And how can I hide that I used magic?"
"Your book, Magnus. I gave it to you. And yes, I believe I've read something like that, we'll just have to search for it. And about your magic… have you tried casting any spell after scourgify?" He asked. Magnus shook his head.
"No, I… I'm scared something like the last time will happen, if anyone else had opened that door I would probably just be another headless body in the cemetery. I haven't managed to make any more balls either," Magnus said.
"In that case you should try casting some easy spells today, just to try and see how subtle we can make it. I am sure nothing like last time will happen, but we will check, just to be sure," Luke said. "We'll make sure you are positioned somewhere hidden, but still with a clear view of the battle, and then we're gonna have to hope for the best." Luke looked at Magnus, and he could probably see the insecurity in his eyes, cause he added, "Only if you think you're capable, of course."
Magnus thought about it. It was scary, one wrong move and he could be executed. But if he didn't do anything Alec could be killed. He couldn't let anyone kill Alec. Meliorn said they had to let fate decide, but Magnus wasn't going to leave it in fate's hands, he was going to take care of the situation himself. "I can do it," He said. He could, he would. He could do it, he could do it.
"You should tell Alec about the plan," Luke said.
"I should tell Alec that I'm planning to save him from some cheating, magic guy with my own magic?" Magnus said, raising an eyebrow.
"Not that much. Just tell him that you have a plan, that it's going to be fine."
"And what am I supposed to say when he asks me how I plan to do that exactly?" he asked, he didn't want to lie to Alec but he also couldn't tell him the truth. They had become friends over the past two weeks and Alec trusted him but they were nowhere close to having such a tight relationship that Magnus could tell him about his magic just yet. Not when Alec's father was responsible for getting everyone who used magic executed, and Magnus had no idea where Alec's opinion in magic stood.
"Just make something up, I'm sure Alec will believe it as long as you sound confident enough and use some weird words. That almost always works," Luke said.
"Alec isn't stupid," Magnus said seriously.
"And neither are you, I'm sure you can come up with something. But either way, that is a problem for later, now we have to find that spell and check out how your magic's working."
Magnus had left as soon as the tournament was over, leaving Alec alone in his room. He seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere, probably to meet someone. Alec started wondering what it was Magnus did when he wasn't with him. He knew he helped Luke sometimes when Alec didn't keep him busy all day, and he'd seen him hanging around with Clary and Simon in the castle, but other than that… Alec honestly didn't know and he wondered if there were more people, maybe even a special one? What about that girl he'd seen with him at the banquet, the first one? The blacksmith's daughter, Alec was sure it was her. Were they friends? More than friends? Maybe Magnus was sitting in a small tavern right now, laughing and talking with her over some romantic dinner. Alec wished it was him there with Magnus, being a normal person. If you could call it normal. Wanting a man like that? That couldn't be normal, Izzy had told him it was, but it couldn't be. No man should want another like Alec wanted Magnus. It was wrong, what would his father think? He would be disgusted, like Alec should be. His father was right, always. He was a good king, Alec was going to do his best to live up to him, to be just as good as him, as good as he could be. He needed to find a wife and forget about his feelings for Magnus, a king couldn't have a boyfriend.
"Alec!" There was someone knocking at the door. Jace. "Alec, are you in there?" Alec shook himself out of the thoughts.
"Yeah," He said, sounding much happier than he was feeling. "What do you want?" He asked, opening the door.
"We should go out or train a bit more before your last fight tomorrow. I know that you can't drink anything if we go out but maybe you'd still want to? We could take Izzy as well. I'm sure she would love to," Jace said and looked at Alec, waiting for an answer from him.
"Erm, I don't know, Jace. Probably not. I need to get some rest and be prepared for the battle tomorrow. You know I need to win and Malcolm is a strong opponent. I can't risk staying out too long and we both know that that risk is very high with you, especially when it's combined with Izzy," he told his brother and smiled as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "But you can go. Don't let me hold you back and stop you from having fun, but keep your hands to yourself. We don't want the same thing that happened with that girl, to happen again." he teased at which Jace only rolled his eyes.
"It was a lie she told because I didn't pay enough attention to her and you know that."
"Yeah sure, whatever you say," Alec chuckled and shook his head. "Now go and have fun with Izzy, but I expect you both to watch me tomorrow, I need your support," he told him. It was true, it helped him a lot to focus when he knew that his siblings were there to support him. It also helped a lot to know that Magnus was there too, but Alec didn't want to think too much about why he liked that so much.
"We'll be there cheering for you all the way," Jace ensured him. "Are you sure you don't wanna come with us?"
"Yes, Jace. I'm sure. I'll see you tomorrow," Alec said, waving Jace away. Jace turned to Izzy's room, just a few doors away, and even after his own door was closed he could hear them talking excitedly until they were far away. Again he was left alone in his room. He couldn't help but let his thoughts drift away. Away to the fight tomorrow.
Magnus had warned him about Malcolm, told him that Malcolm was using magic. Alec trusted him, he did, but he wondered where Magnus had gotten his suspicions from. He'd said he could feel it, but was that enough to go on? Sure, Alec had been surprised when Malcolm defeated Meliron, Meliron was an excellent fighter and had faced Alec in the finale multiple times. But Malcolm had probably just had a lot of luck. Or he was using magic. Alec trusted Magnus, probably more than he should trust someone he's known for such a short period of time. Alec just had to look out tomorrow, notice everything, not let Malcolm catch him off guard. Surely that couldn't be too ha-
There was a knock at the door. Who could it be? Izzy and Jace were out, Magnus had left, but it could be him. Alec opened the door and was surprised to see bright red hair.
"Clary?" He exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" He asked. Clary looked unsure, nervous.
"Alec, I know we're not exactly best friends, but…" Alec looked down at Clary, confused and not sure of what was happening. "Um, Jace told Izzy you didn't want to go out with them, which isn't unusual, but that just reminded me of something I've been noticing…" Alec really had no idea where Clary was going with this, and he had a feeling he didn't want to know. "Are you okay?" Clary asked, finishing whatever she was saying they Alec hadn't managed to catch. "You've been acting weird lately."
"What? Of course I'm okay, where is this coming from?"
"Alec, I might not know you very well, but even I can notice you're acting differently. I know you probably won't believe it since we don't really get along, but I'm worried about you."
"Clary, I'm fine. Really." Clary was worrying about him? This sounded more like someone else, "did Izzy send you?" He asked.
"Alec you and I both know that if Izzy wants something she does it herself. I just thought that it must be hard for you, with everything going on, and now Magnus on top of it…"
"What about Magnus?" Alec interrupted.
"Your feelings for him. Must be hard to deal with that, and your father trying to find you a wife-"
"I don't have any feelings for Magnus," Alec gritted out.
"Alec, it's okay, I'm jus-"
"No, Clary, I don't have feelings for Magnus. Okay? I have things to do now, so you need to go," Alec said, already pushing her away and closing the door.
"Alec!" Alec shut her out. Was it really that evident? So obvious that even Clary could see it?
"Damn it," he cursed once the door was closed. "What am I supposed to do now?" he mumbled and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay… calm down, maybe it's just Clary," he tried to tell himself. "Well, and Izzy. But Jace doesn't know anything." Then again Jace hadn't realized Alec had been in love with him for years. But what if Magnus realized? Alec had to make sure he didn't. He had to forget his feelings for Magnus, erase them. If only it was that easy.
"What am I supposed to do?!" He yelled to the empty room. "What do you want from me?"
"I'm sorry… I can come back once you are done yelling at the walls," Magnus, who had just entered the room, mumbled.
"Magnus." Alec turned around quicker than he ever had. Everything he'd felt in the last few minutes came rushing back all at once with the sight of Magnus, Alec felt like he might break under the weight, but he plastered a smile on his face. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I wanted to tell you something, but I can come back later…"
"No, it's fine. I was just… letting out some steam," Alec said. It sounded lame in his own ears, but Magnus seemed to accept it.
"Okay…" well, at least he didn't push it. "Anyway, I need to talk to you, about the tournament. And Malcolm." That peaked Alec's interest.
"What about him?" He asked.
"Um, well, Luke and I probably found out a way to reveal if he's using magic or not."
"What? How?" Alec asked. Magnus hesitated.
"Uh, well, it's kinda complicated. Luke suspects that he's using some kind of spell to hide his magic when he uses it, and he's found out a way to reverse it."
"How can you reverse a spell without using magic yourself?" Alec asked, frowning.
"I asked him that too. He said there was some, umm, some kind of, erm, tea. That makes magic visible."
"Tea?" Alec questioned.
"Yeah. I was just as surprised as you, but Luke is sure it works. There are just two small problems…" Magnus started.
"What?"
"Well, first of all, we have to find out how to get him to drink the tea, and second, it only shows his magic when he uses it. So only tomorrow at the tournament, and only if he uses it."
"So by the time everyone sees he's using magic I'll be dead," Alec said, not asked, just pointed out.
"Not if, and this is kind of a big if, but Luke and I suspect that he's not gonna kill you with magic, he'll make it seem like an accident."
"So my life is dependent if him not wanting to seem like a criminal."
"It sounds bad when you say it like that. Let's rather say your life is dependent of him… Okay, I don't know. Yes, your life is dependent of him not wanting to seem like a criminal. I'm sorry, it's the best we managed," Magnus said.
"It's fine. I guess I have a better chance then I would have without the tea. If what you're saying is true, of course."
"It is. Alexander, it is true and you know it," Magnus said. And it was true, but Alec's brain was still stuck on the beginning of the phrase.
"Since when do you call me Alexander?" He asked.
"Oh, I… I don't know, it just slipped. I'm sorry, Alec."
"No, don't be. I like it when you say it," Alec said. And he did, the way the name rolled of Magnus' tongue, the way he said it with such fondness. Friendly fondness. "I wouldn't mind if you called me that more often." Magnus smiled.
"And I certainly wouldn't mind saying it more often. It's a beautiful name, Alexander." Alec couldn't help smiling back.
"Well, I just came here to tell you about that plan and… yeah wish you luck and ask you again to be careful. I… I like you and I don't want to attend your funeral and end up with Jace as the new king of Idris."
"You… you like me?"
"Of course, you're an awesome friend, and you'll be a great King, much better than Jace."
"Yes, friend. Of course. You're a good friend too, Magnus. I'm glad you saved my life at that banquet, and not just because you saved my life," Alec said. It felt like he was back with Jace again, Jace constantly telling him that he loved him and not realizing what it did to Alec. He couldn't go through that again with Magnus.
"I would do that again any time" promised Magnus. "And honestly, I'm glad your father considers being your servant a payment. It gave me a chance to get to know you." He said. "But I need to get back to Luke now, we still have to finish the tea and find out how to give it to Malcolm."
"Let me know if I can help," Alec said, following Magnus to the door.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexander." Alec closed the door behind him, smiling because he had called him Alexander again. How would it sound when Magnus moaned that? He wondered and quickly shook his head. He didn't want to know that, he didn't want Magnus that way. He didn't. At least he wanted to tell himself that, even though he knew the truth.
He could change the truth, find a nice princess and have kids. And Magnus would be by his side as his servant and friend. And Alec would probably spend his whole life wanting him and wishing things were different. But he'd already come to terms with this, why was he feeling all of this again?
He needed to do something to get his mind off Magnus, and everything else. His feet led him down to the training room without him even noticing. Alec hadn't been there in a while, he'd spent more time in the clearing lately. But today he didn't feel like talking, he wanted to punch his thoughts away. And if anyone asked he could say he was training for the finale. People would buy it, they didn't know him, couldn't see right through him like Izzy, or even Jace and Magnus. And apparently Clary. And probably everyone.
Alec threw the first punch at the bag. It was filled with sand, hard against his knuckles. Just the distraction he needed. Again and again, till all he could think about was the bag in front of him. No more Magnus, no more responsibilities or expectations, no more useless feelings. Only the sting of the bag against his knuckles, again and again and again.
Magnus did not sleep much that night. He and Luke spent almost two hours looking for the spell they needed to undo Malcolm's, and then they spent pretty much the rest if the night trying out spells. They had tried scourgify again, Magnus had managed it on the fourth try. There had been no explosion of blue, which was a relief. They'd tried lots of spells after that, just to make sure everything would work perfectly. They'd spend some time around the blue magic balls, which appeared now. It looked like they only came after Magnus said a spell out loud. By the time they finally went to sleep the sun was already up, and both of them were exhausted.
Less than two hours later Magnus was woken up by the bells. He was surprised he didn't sleep through them, considering how tired he was. He forced himself out of the bed and down to the kitchen. Luke was there, standing over two cups of some brown liquid.
"What's that?" Magnus asked.
"This," Luke said. "Is coffee. It's supposed to give you energy. You wanna give it a go?" He asked. Magnus looked down at the mug Luke was handing him. He needed energy…
"Sure," he said, taking the mug from Luke and taking a sip. Luke laughed at the face he pulled.
"Yeah, it's really bitter. Do you want some sugar in it?" Magnus nodded and tried again when Luke handed it back to him.
"Well… It's better but still not good."
"You get used to it after a while. Energy is a precious thing, especially after a night like this one. Of course, if you don't want it I can…"
"No, that won't be necessary. If there's anything I need now it's energy."
"Of course," Luke said. "Have you learned the spell?" He asked.
"Well, yeah. But I haven't tried it out, so I'm just gonna hope it works."
"It will work, Magnus. I believe in you."
"Thank you. It has to work. I can't let Alec get hurt," he told Luke and bit his lip, this had to work. If Alec got hurt, or even worse, died, Magnus wouldn't be able to live with himself.
"You should go. Check on him again and then find your spot from which you can cast the spell."
"Yeah. I'll talk to you later, I'm guessing you'll be watching?"
"I will, both Alec and you."
"Thank you" Magnus hummed and nodded. He quickly left the flat and got into the castle to Alec.
"Hey," he greeted. "Are you ready to fight?"
"Yeah," Alec said, his hand closed around the handle of the sword, and that's when Magnus noticed.
"Woah, what happened to your hands?" He asked, referring to the bruised knuckles. Alec looked away.
"Nothing," he mumbled. "I was just working out yesterday."
"Yeah, well you should be more careful," Magnus said, holding Alec's hand up to inspect it.
"Magnus, I'm fine. It's nothing," Alec said, pulling his hand back. "Come on, we need to get to the arena."
"Alexander, you need to be focused today, this is important," said Magnus, rather loudly. "Please tell me you got enough sleep and that you're not hurt."
"I did, I got as much sleep as I usually do. And I swear, Magnus, I'm not hurt. It's just a way to blow off some steam."
"Screaming at the walls was a better alternative. You should go back to doing that."
"I don't think that will work with Malcolm though. Speaking of which, did you manage to give him that tea?"
"The tea?" Magnus had already forgotten about the explanation he'd given Alec. "Yes, right, the tea! Yes, I made sure he got it."
"How?"
"Unimportant details, if you're not hurt then we should get to the arena," Magnus said, pulling Alec along with him out of the castle.
"Magnus," Alec said, chuckling. "You're going the wrong way."
"No, I'm n- oh. Sorry," Magnus said. He hadn't been paying attention.
"It's fine… where have you been with your thoughts?" Alec asked with a grin.
"Well, the fact that you might die has been running through my mind quite a lot, and I can't understand how it's not running through yours."
"I'm a soldier, Magnus. I'm used to facing death. And I've said it already, I trust you. And you have done everything you can to make sure I'll walk out of this alive, so I believe that I will."
"I just hope I don't mess anything up," Magnus mumbled. Alec wasn't supposed to hear him, but he did.
"Magnus, whatever you did, I'm sure you did it perfectly. Now stop worrying, or it's gonna wear over on me. And Magnus," Alec said, stopping them to look Magnus in the eye. "If I do die, know that it wasn't your fault. You did everything you could. Okay?" Magnus smiled. Usually, Magnus was the one saying that, it was nice to have it the other way around. Although the situation wasn't the best.
"Okay," he said. "Come on now, let's get you to that arena," Magnus said, pulling Alec along again.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. A comfortable silence. They walked side by side, shoulders almost touching, and Magnus thought about how easy it would be to take Alec's hand. But Alec wouldn't want that. At least not like Magnus wanted it. So Magnus put his hands in his pockets instead, to refrain himself from the urge.
"So, I will leave you here. I need to find a place to watch. I believe in you, Alexander," he told him and squeezed Alec's shoulder for a moment before he turned around to go and look for a place from where he could cast the spell.
He found the perfect place after a while of searching. It was right by one of the entrances to the arena, he had a perfect view of everything, and he was mostly hidden from view himself. If he did happen to be caught he could always say he was Alec's servant and that Alec had told him to wait there. Either way, it was perfect. Now he just had to wait for the finale to start.
The arena had started to fill, people from all around had come to watch. Isabelle and Jace were sitting on their thrones on a podium, along with King Robert. Luke was sitting not far from them, scanning the crowds like he was looking for something. Someone. Magnus waved his arms to catch his attention, hopefully no one else's. Luke noticed him, gave him a smile and a thumb up. Magnus smiled back.
He sat there for a few more minutes before someone blew in the horns. The finale was about to start. The king stood up, he was going to hold a speech. He did that a lot, Magnus had started zoning out while he did, it was pretty repetitive.
The speech was held, applause, Magnus only started paying attention when Alec and Malcolm finally entered the arena. Their armors had the same design, but Magnus would have no problem in seeing who was who. Malcolm's cape was a dark purple color, almost black, very different from Alec's bright red. Their shields were completely different too, Alec's was red with a flame, the Lightwood emblem, in gold. Malcolm's was black with a red star and weird symbols on it. And even without all that Magnus could still be able to separate them, their aura was different. There was a red glow around Malcolm, while Alec had none. At least not that Magnus could see.
Magnus was still worried that something could go wrong. The spell would only work for about five minutes, so he couldn't cast it too early, but he couldn't cast it too late either. One wrong word, one wrong calculation, and Alec could die. And that would be on Magnus. He couldn't let that happen.
He had his eyes glued to the two as the fight started. Alec and Malcolm circled each other, both waiting for the right moment to attack. Magnus had seen this countless of times ever since the tournament had started. But this time it was different, this time he was really paying attention. This time he was watching every move like he was the one in Alec's position.
Malcolm made the first move, and the fight was on. They danced around each other, swords and shields clacking against each other. It was hard to see who had the upper hand so early in the fight, but Magnus was sure Alec's skills were superior to Malcolm's.
It was hard to predict what was going to happen, Malcolm could use his magic at any moment but Magnus didn't want to risk casting the spell too early and have the effects wear off by the time Malcolm actually used the magic.
Alec was driving Malcolm back, he clearly had the upper hand now. Malcolm was likely to use his magic soon, he needed to cast the spell. But what if he doesn't use it yet? Magnus thought. What if Alec died because he was too rushed? Magnus looked up at Luke, see what he thought. But Luke wasn't looking at him, his eyes were fixed on the two men fighting in the arena. Alec had Malcolm pressed up against a wall, if Malcolm was going to use his magic, it would be now.
Magnus reached for the energy like he had spent the whole night practicing. It only took a second now. He whispered the words of the spell and let the energy flow through him, out of him. He was looking at Malcolm, to see if anything happened. He needed to see everything, anything that could be magic. Malcolm was barely holding on now, he was pushed up against the wall, only his shield protecting him from Alec's sword. If Magnus hadn't been paying so close attention he wouldn't have noticed when Malcolm murmured something. But he did, and he held his breath as he waited for something to happen, anything.
Purple. Purple sparks, paired with purple eyes. Magnus saw them. Just before Alec lost his footing. It could have looked like an accident, but not with purple surrounding him. The whole crowd gasped, everyone had seen it. The king was standing, looking shocked and furious.
"How dare you use magic to cheat against my son!" He yelled, his voice clear and loud. Malcolm looked just as shocked as everyone else. He was murmuring something, probably cursing himself for not hiding his magic. Or he was casting a spell. Casting a spell! Now that he had been discovered he might not hesitate in killing Alec with magic! Why hadn't Magnus thought of that?
Malcolm raised his hands, and Magnus didn't even have time to yell at Alec to look out before purple was shooting out of him. Towards Alec. Magnus didn't even think about it when blue sparks came from him, blocking the purple and protecting Alec from any harm. He hoped, begged, that no one would be able to see that it was him since he was still hiding, but he didn't stop the stream of magic. He kept pushing, put all his strength into it, and Malcolm's magic was shrinking, disappearing. Magnus put one last effort into it, throwing in everything he had, and Malcolm went flying against the wall as both his own and Magnus's magic hit him.
Malcolm sank to the ground and lay there unconscious. A moment later three guards stormed the arena and carried him out. As soon as Magnus saw Alec was safe he sagged against the wall, exhausted from all the magic he'd used.
"You have to get away, Magnus, come on. You saved him but they will come and look for the other one who used magic," Luke, who suddenly appeared next to him, said.
"I don't think I have enough energy to move," Magnus mumbled. A night without sleep and using magic like this was not a good combination.
"Come on, I'll help you," Luke said. He pulled Magnus up and let Magnus lean on him as they walked. Luke brought Magnus home, away from everyone.
"Wait, Luke. Alec will ask where I went," Magnus said, worried.
"I'll tell him there was an emergency you needed to take care of," Luke reassured Magnus. He laid Magnus down on his bed and helped him change into sleepwear. "Sleep now," he said. "You've done enough for today."
Alec still sat on the ground of the arena. He had barely moved since the whole thing had happened, whatever it was. Alec wasn't sure, he'd seen the sparks coming from Malcolm's hands and then he felt the ground being pulled away under him. What happened next was just a confusing mess of colors.
Malcolm had raised his hands, and Alec thought he'd heard Magnus yelling from somewhere before he saw purple everywhere. It was coming towards him, and he couldn't do anything. But then the blue had shown up, and it had pushed the purple away. Alec had tried to see where it came from, but the light had been too blinding. He had not been able to see anything, he was just surrounded by colors. The energy grazed him, the blue one. It felt comforting, warm. Alec let the energy flow through his body, all his senses were turned off and only the warm feeling was there. Then suddenly it all disappeared. Next thing he noticed Malcolm was unconscious and being pulled away by some guards.
He tried looking for the other one, the one the blue magic belonged to, but there was no one there. He heard his father yell out orders and commands, but he couldn't understand the words. His head was ringing, probably from the amount of energy that had been passing through him.
"Alec! Alec, are you okay?" It was Izzy, she was standing over him with a worried look on her face. Alec tried to nod, but his head was hurting, and any movement made it worse.
"I'm fine," He mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Izzy asked, worried.
"Yeah," Alec said. "Just… headache...and my butt." Izzy chuckled.
"Well, I can't do anything about the last one, but I can ask Luke for some painkillers," she suggested. "Come on, let's get you to your room," she said, pulling him up and along.
Malcolm Fade is a character from the books. I haven't actually read all of them, but I read about him. I'm sorry if you read the books and feel like I messed up his character or his story, I really am. But anyway, I just felt like he fit this role.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed it as usual.