"Alexander?" Magnus asked, surprised. He'd heard a noise by the door and went to check what it was, the last thing he had expected to see was Alec standing there. Alec looked like a mess. His hair was disheveled, probably from his habit of running his hands through it when he was nervous or stressed. And he had dark bags under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping... In days.
Alec looked down at Magnus with wide eyes, Magnus couldn't decide if he looked nervous or scared. Probably something in between. Magnus' thoughts were running a thousand miles an hour. What was he doing here? Did he come to officially fire me? Did he not come for him at all? Maybe he had something he needed from Luke…
"Magnus! Who's at the door?" Luke asked from where he was making a potion. Magnus didn't answer, he was still staring at Alec. "Magnus?" Luke called again when he didn't get an answer.
"Wha- what are you doing here?" Magnus stuttered.
"Magnus?" Luke had left the table to see what was going on. "Alec," He exclaimed upon seeing him.
"Um, hi, Luke," Alec said awkwardly, looking over Magnus to look at Luke instead. Magnus wasn't sure if it made him angry or sad.
"Do you need anything?" Luke asked, probably feeling the tension between the two men and trying to lessen it.
"I- I do, actually. I…" Alec looked away from Luke, looked down at Magnus again. His hands were in his pockets, but Magnus could see they were fisted. "Can I talk to you?" He asked, looking away.
"Come in, Alec. Magnus, step aside to let him in," Luke said when Magnus didn't say anything. Magnus shook himself out of it to the sound of Luke's voice, and moved out of the way to let Alec in. "I have something I need to do in my room," Luke said before disappearing.
Magnus closed the door before turning around to look at Alec. Alec looked unsure, standing in the hallway looking lost. His eyes were darting everywhere, except for Magnus.
"Alexander," Magnus started. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know why Alec was here, he thought he wouldn't get to see him again. And now he was standing right there, and Magnus couldn't make himself say anything. What if Alec wasn't there for an explanation? Magnus owed him that, but what if Alec didn't care? What if he just wanted to get Magnus out of his life officially? What if he was there to-
"Magnus," Alec said. "I… I need to talk to you."
"You- you want to talk. You're not here to…" Magnus couldn't even make himself say it. "To… officially get rid of me," He said instead. It was not even close to what he actually wanted to say, but it was what he managed to get out.
"Get rid of you? By the angel, Magnus. No. I- I'm here to maybe apologize," Alec mumbled. He cleared his throat. "Um, could we go to the living room?" He asked, looking down at his shoes.
"You're here to… okay, living room," Magnus nodded. He didn't understand why he was like this, why he could barely talk just from Alec being in the room. He moved past Alec to the living room and hoped Alec would follow. He gestured towards the couch and chairs, offering Alec to sit down. But Alec shook his head.
"Um, Magnus… I- we, we need to talk," Alec said. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I might have overreacted, that day. I spent two days waiting for you to wake up, and then when you finally did it was suddenly all on purpose, and I felt betrayed, that you would do that to me. But… I thought about it, and… well, I realized it was very unlike you to help a murderer without reason, so I want to hear the story. The whole story, before I decide what to do about it."
"Yes...Yes of course. You deserve to- to know the whole story," Magnus stammered, he nodded and chewed his lip. How much should he really tell him? He couldn't tell Alec about his magic, but that wasn't a really big factor in the truth anyway. He could tell him about Malcolm, about his suspicions and the deal he made. And he would hope Alec could understand.
"I… when I asked you if I could talk to Malcolm, it was because I wanted to question him. Because I had a feeling he and the shapeshifter were connected, somehow. Luke had told me earlier that shapeshifters don't act much on their own, that they mostly follow orders. So I wanted to ask Malcolm if someone had sent him, if it was the same person trying to kill you." Magnus stopped there for a moment and looked at Alec before he continued. "Well, I… I did ask him and at first he didn't want to answer at all, but then we kind of… made a deal." Alec looked at Magnus, shock all over his face.
"You made a deal…"
"Let me finish, please," Magnus interrupted. He would answer all questions later, but he just had to get the story out. "I asked him what he wanted from me, in exchange for a real answer, and he said he wanted freedom. I- I didn't want to, but I needed to know who is after you, so I agreed. And so we made the plan, and, well, he got out. Once we were in the woods he told me everything, like he promised. Who, and why, everything he knew. Before he left I asked him to hit me, so it looked like I really had been kidnapped, and then he portaled away. I really don't know where he went and… he overdid it slightly with his hit. I mean I didn't want to be unconscious for two days. And Alec," he said and reached for Alec's hand. "I'm really sorry that I scared you and that I helped him but I just..I had to." Alec was silent for a while, and Magnus almost expected him to pull his hand back and leave, but then he finally said something.
"You… you did that for me?"
"Yes. I wanted to know who was sending these people, so I could stop them. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Magnus, I am so sorry. For how I reacted. I should have listened to you first, I could have spared us both these last days," Alec said.
"It's okay. I don't know if I would have reacted any differently if it was me. I'm glad you came. I- I wanted to go talk to you, explain what really happened, but… I was scared. You said you never wanted to see me again, and I wasn't sure if you meant it or not. I was scared you would throw me out if I did come," Magnus confessed.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, but I snapped completely. Of course I want to see you, I missed you so much, and it wasn't even an entire week. But so… so eventful," he sighed and leaned against the wall.
"What happened?" Magnus asked, sensing that something was wrong.
"Nothing, it's not important," Alec said, walking to a couch and slumping into it.
"Alexander, if it bothers you, it's important," Magnus said, following Alec to the couch.
"It's just… I'm getting married."
"Sorry, did you just say you're getting married? When? And who? How did this happen?"
"I just found out three days ago. Apparently dad has been planning this for a while. Um, her name is Lydia, she's a princess. She's coming to visit next week, I'm sure she's awesome," Alec said, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"Wait, you haven't even met her? And you agreed to marry her just like that?"
"Magnus, I've already had this discussion with Jace and Izzy, please don't fight me on this. This is something I have to do, for the kingdom. I was never going to marry for love, I've known that since I was a child. And it's about time I get married, this kingdom needs an alley and a heritage."
"But you can't just-"
"Magnus, please." Alec looked at Magnus, his eyes begging him to stop. Magnus wished he could take away the pain he saw in those beautiful eyes, take away all the responsibilities and expectations and replace it all with undying love and affection.
"Okay," Magnus said. "Okay, I'm sorry."
"Thank you," Alec sighed. "It is already difficult enough… I mean I know all those things. I don't know her and everyone will expect a child in the first year or two and I don't know… yeah, whatever, I know all those stupid things, but I have to and I could really need some support. And now that we are friends again…. I need you to tell me that it's going to be alright. And you have to tell me who is planning to kill me and why." Alec seemed like he just understood that in this moment.
"It is going to be alright. Everything will be alright. And about who's trying to kill you… well, it's complicated."
"More complicated than my marriage? Well… I do have time. I mean I should be up tomorrow to learn some more about how to be a good husband, and you and I will have to train again but… I am free tonight so, tell me"
Magnus actually chuckled a bit and he was so relieved that he would train again with Alec the next day, this meant that they were okay and back on track. Well sort of. It was rather difficult to understand that Alec was actually getting married. Well he himself was dating Dot so of course Alec was going to find a girlfriend, or a bride he didn't know before. It also settled that Alec was not interested in him, and even if he had been, he wouldn't be allowed to, especially not with a wife.
"Well… I'm assuming you've heard the legends about the seven princes of hell, and the queen of hell. Lilith."
"I have, but what does that have to do with it?"
"Well, you see. They're true. And the one who wants to kill you is Lilith."
"Lilith? Queen of hell Lilith? Why?"
"There is a prophecy, that a once and future king would be born, and that he would end the queen once and for all. She believes that king is you, so she wants to kill you before you get the chance to kill her."
"Oh, that sounds amazing… I mean being the once and future king who kills the queen of hell does add perfectly to all the other things that are expected of me so, yeah I will easily kill the queen of hell and then I'll make a baby… just as easy."
"Hey, I think making babies is not… that difficult, so don't worry about that. And about Lilith, I actually think it's true, but I am researching a bit more and we can train. As far as I understood it, she will not stop trying to kill you unless you kill her or die, and I won't let you die so you will train and fight and then win," he told him and nodded. "And I will help you, do you hear me? I will help you with everything that comes your way."
"But how do you know Malcolm didn't just tell you some random lie?"
"We took a blood oath, he was going to tell me the truth if I helped him escape."
"Thank you, Magnus," Alec smiled. "For doing all this for me."
"Of course. I've told you before, I care about you. And I will do everything I can to help you through this, and you will defeat Lilith." Alec nodded, and Magnus smiled. Magnus was about to say something more when there was a knock at the door. Magnus left the living room to go open it, and Alec followed him. There was a servant outside.
"Is prince Alexander here?" The servant asked before looking past Magnus and spotting Alec. "Your highness," he said with a bow. "Your father wants your presence in a meeting."
"Of course, tell him I will join them in a minute," Alec said, dismissing the servant. Then he turned to Magnus. "I'm really sorry, I have to go."
"Do you want me to come with you? I am you servant after all…"
"Thank you, Magnus, but it won't be necessary. Rest, get a last night of good sleep. We'll be meeting at eight in my room to train tomorrow."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then."
"See you, and I'm glad we talked about that," smiled Alec shortly before he left the flat.
Magnus closed the door behind him and smiled, he felt a lot better. At least about his relationship with Alec but he also worried about Alec getting married to a woman he didn't know. He knew Alec wasn't doing this because he wanted to, he was doing it because it was expected of him. He knew Alec would never love him, at least not like that, but he wished Alec would lovesomeone. And that he would get to marry and be happy with that someone. Magnus wished Alec could realize his happiness was more important than living up to expectations. But Alec had begged him not to argue, and Magnus couldn't make himself. He was just telling Alec what he already knew, just making it all harder for him.
Magnus shook his head and went back to the living room, sitting down on the couch once again.
"You're frowning, but you don't seem sad, so I'm assuming it went well?" Came Luke's voice. He'd just gotten out of his room. Magnus nodded.
"Yeah. We're friends again, at least. I told him everything, about why I helped Malcolm out, about Lilith and the prophecy, all of it."
"That's good. So why the frown?" Luke asked.
"I… Alec's getting married."
"He's getting married? Did he choose a wife?"
"No, that's the worst part. Robert is the one who's been planning all this, didn't even tell Alec until three days ago. Alec doesn't want to marry that girl, Luke. Isn't there any way to stop this wedding?"
"I don't think so, Magnus. This is none of our business. You are just his servant. I mean in reality you are his friend but for everyone else, you are just his servant. And I'm just the medic so… no, we can't do anything about this. I'm sorry." Magnus sighed.
"I wish there was something I could do. Alec doesn't deserve this, to have his whole life planned out for him, to be expected to do everything for the benefit of the kingdom. He should be allowed to be human from time to time." Luke sighed and sat down beside Magnus.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown," Luke said, quoting some writer Magnus didn't know.
Two days had passed since Alec and Magnus made their peace. Two wonderful, normal days. If you put aside the fact that Alec was getting married.
He was standing in the middle of the conference room and watched their guest leave after their meeting about some economics and strategy when his father came towards him.
"Miss Lydia will be coming in two days, I hope you are ready to receive her, Alexander," Robert said, just reminding Alec of what he couldn't get out of his head, the fact that his fiancée was coming in two days.
"I am aware, and I am ready, father. I will make sure Lydia enjoys her stay here with us."
"Good," his father said with an approving nod. "You are dismissed." Alec left the room immediately and headed towards Magnus' house. He'd told him to wait there after Alec had been summoned for the meeting. He didn't want to make Magnus stand and listen to strategy and economy plans for almost an hour when he could be doing something else. Magnus would probably be helping Luke.
He knocked on the door when he arrived, expecting Magnus to come open. Instead he heard Magnus yell. "Come in!" Alec opened the door and stepped inside. He didn't see Magnus in the living room, so he decided to check the infirmary.
Magnus was there, along with some knight Alec didn't know the name of. Magnus seemed to be doing something with the Knight's hands, surrounding it in something white.
"Your highness!" The knight exclaimed when he saw Alec, trying to stand up. Magnus pulled him back down by the wrist.
"Don't move, or we're gonna have to start again," he said, annoyance clear in his voice. "Just give me a second here, I'm almost done," Magnus said to Alec, not once taking his eyes away from what he was doing. Alec sat down on a chair and watched Magnus work. Magnus had a beautiful pair of hands, with long and strong fingers. Alec wondered what those fingers would feel like inside him… Get a hold of yourself! Alec scolded. He was getting married soon, he needed to stop having thoughts like these unless they were about Lydia. Which they weren't going to be.
"Okay, you can come back in a week to change this, and please don't do anything stupid until then," Magnus said, dismissing the knight with a wave of his hand. Alec moved to the chair the knight had been sitting in, facing Magnus.
"What happened to him?" Alec asked.
"Two broken knuckles. He was stupid enough to try punching a brick wall," Magnus explained.
"Luke must pretty busy if you're patching people up," Alec commented.
"Yeah, for some reason everyone decided to get hurt these last two days. Luke's been working non-stop making potions and salves, so I try to take care of the occasional knight stopping by."
"Oh, I feel bad for taking you away now, clearly you're much more needed and helpful here…"
"Alec, helping Luke isn't my job, it's something I do when I have the opportunity and it's needed. Luke doesn't want me to be any less with you just because he's busy. Now, do you need to have your knuckles taped too or shall we leave?"
"I haven't tried to punch any brick wall lately, so I think I'll be fine," Alec said, standing up.
"Woah, wait a second," Magnus said, pulling him back into the chair. "What happened to you?" Magnus held Alec's hand up, inspecting it in the light. It was bruised from Alec's late nights of blowing off steam . "You don't have anything broken, but this is some heavy bruising. What did you do yesterday?"
"It's nothing. I was just working out."
"Alec, you don't get this from working out. You get this from punching something for hours without stopping, and you didn't do that while we have been training or spending time together.."
"It's just a way to sort my thoughts out, okay? It's nothing to worry about."
"Alexander, if you're doing this to yourself then it is something to worry about. Please tell me you aren't hurting yourself on purpose."
"I'm not hurt, Magnus. I'm fine. Come on now, let's go." Magnus looked doubting, but sighed and followed Alec out of the room.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Magnus asked. Alec had no idea.
"Let's go for a ride," was the first thing that came to his mind. "Do you know how to ride a horse?"
"I know how to lay unconscious on a horse with a knight holding me up but alone and awake...no," he admitted.
"I'll teach you then, come on!" Alec left the house, exited for this. He'd been so busy with the wedding he hadn't had any time for Shadowhunter. And honestly, just riding through the woods with Magnus sounded great. Well, at least as soon as Magnus was comfortable riding alone. Maybe we could ride together for a while? he thought. He could teach Magnus how to ride by showing him. Shadowhunter could have them both on his back, and that way Magnus would learn to be comfortable in the horse and Alec could take control at any time if it was necessary. Shadowhunter was also the calmest horse they had, so he would be good to learn with.
"You seem very excited," Magnus chuckled, following him to the stables.
"I am. I love horseback riding," Alec said. Minutes later they arrived at the stables. "Magnus, this is Shadowhunter," Alec said, introducing them. "He's been my horse for 6 years, and I'm gonna teach you how to ride him."
"Are… Are you sure about that? I mean… he's rather tall" Magnus mumbled and looked up at Shadowhunter.
"What? Are you scared?"
"Me? No, no of course not. I mean… Respect. Horses are very tall and strong and I could get hurt but… no, I'm not afraid."
"Okay, well, come here." Alec urged Magnus to come closer before taking his hand in his. "The most important thing of horseback riding is trust. You have to trust the horse, and the horse has to trust you." Alec slowly brought their joined hands up and stroked them down the horse's neck, through the soft mane. Shadowhunter neighed lowly. "See? Nothing dangerous." At least not from the horse, Alec thought, his heart was racing from the moment he took Magnus' hand in his. It felt good, nice and…. right. But it shouldn't! He was getting married, his future wife was coming to visit in two days, Alec couldn't be in love with Magnus.
"Okay, but petting him is one thing, riding him is something else," Magnus said, stopping his train of thoughts.
"Yes, but everything has to begin with a first step and petting him is that step. Next, we will get him out and prepare him with a leash and a saddle and everything else. It's a nice thing to do… sort of therapeutic" he explained as he reached for the headpiece. "Why don't you keep petting him while I prepare the gear?" Alec suggested. It didn't really take much time to prepare, but it was good for Magnus to pet Shadowhunters on his own. It helped both of them get used to each other. And watching Magnus with his horse was also super cute. The way Magnus touched him hesitantly, let his hand slide up and down Shadowhunters mane, they were both adorable.
Alec let it go on for a few minutes before breaking in. "Okay, now that you're okay with touching him I'll show you how to put the gear on," he said.
They spend the following twenty minutes getting Shadowhunter ready, Alec showed it to Magnus and then removed everything again so Magnus could try it himself. Alec had to help a little but Magnus was able to do most of the things alone. It was nice to see and Alec decided that they would have to do that more often, that he had to get Magnus comfortable around the horses so they could go for a ride a bit more often. It also looked very nice, Magnus and a horse.
"Well done," Alec praised once he had checked everything. "And now the probably most scaring part…. Getting on."
Alec chuckled softly when he saw all the color vanish from Magnus's face at those words. "It's not that bad… we will move to a little wall so you can climb on that and then on Shadowhunter. He knows that so he won't do anything," Alec promised and then led his horse out. Magnus followed them slowly and once they stood in front of the little wall he chewed his lip.
"Are you really sure about that?" he asked.
"Yes, now up you go and then sit still so I can climb up behind you," Alec said. Magnus still looked hesitant, but he did as Alec asked. "You put your foot in that stirrup and then lift the other one over to the other side," Alec instructed, showing Magnus where to place his feet and where to hold his hands. Magnus did as Alec said, and a second later he was on the horse. "You did it! That was great," Alec praised. "Later we'll work on your posture, but right now I'm gonna take you for a ride." Alec had used the double saddle, he barely used it anymore, since he didn't have anyone to ride with now that both Izzy and Jace knew how to ride, but it was still in perfect condition. He jumped up behind Magnus and reached for the reins. He had to move his arms around Magnus and look over his shoulder. "Now… try not to move unless I tell you to, okay?" he requested and gave the command for Shadowhunter to move forward. It had been so long and with Magnus, it also was entirely different, they were so close but it was okay like that, nobody would ask any questions. Nobody but his heart. This was supposed to be a fun trip but Alec suddenly feared that it might not be as easy as that.
"Wow, I'm on a horse," Magnus said in disbelief. "I'm riding a horse." There had been very few transport horses in the village Magnus came from, riding a horse had always been like a crazy dream, something that would never happen. But here he was, riding a horse with the prince of Idris behind him.
"Yeah, you are," Alec said, right by his ear. And that's when Magnus stopped thinking about the fact that he was riding a horse and rather about Alec being so close. His chest was pretty much glued to Magnus' back, his long arms were around Magnus' chest to hold the reins, and his chin was resting on Magnus' shoulder so he could see where they were going. They were so close and Magnus really tried to think of something else or somebody else but… it wasn't just anyone there behind him, it was Alec! And when Magnus focused, he could feel Alec's heart beat against his back. It was going so fast… was Alec nervous something would go wrong? "You can calm down, Alec. This is perfect," Magnus said.
"I… yeah. It is," Alec whispered. But he was so close Magnus could still hear him perfectly.
"Where are we going?" Magnus asked.
"I don't know… but I trust my horse, he usually knows where I want to be or where I should be, so… I think I'll give him the command of this trip" he suggested. The breath from Alec's words felt hot against his ear and cheek and he tried not to think about that, or how it would feel if Alec were to kiss his cheek.
"That sounds great," Magnus breathed out. Honestly, he didn't care where they went, as long as Alec didn't move. Or did he want him to move? It was confusing, he wanted Alec to stay exactly where he was, and at the same time he wanted it to go away, wanted it all to stop. Wanted these feelings to stop.
Magnus yelped as the horse broke into a canter, and fisted his hands in the horse's mane, since there was nowhere else to hold. "Hey, calm down," Alec said soothingly in his ear. "Look here, take the reins." Magnus slowly let go of the mane and took the reins where Alec showed him. Alec closed his hands over his. "Good," He said. "Now, to go left, you pull the reins this way, but not too hard, and you put pressure on the left side with your foot. That way he'll know what to do." Magnus did as Alec showed him, and Shadowhunter turned. "See? You can do it."
Alec showed Magnus how to make the horse go forwards too, and how to speed up and stop. "This is not as hard as I thought," Magnus smiled when he started to get the hang of it.
"I told you," Alec said. "Try to lead him to outside the city walls, and then he can take the lead."
"I don't think I can take him that far…" Magnus said hesitantly.
"Hey, Magnus. You just managed to control him perfectly here. I know you can take him to the wall. And I'll be right here to help if something goes wrong, okay?" Slowly, Magnus nodded.
"Okay." Magnus took a deep breath before making the horse go forwards. He led him through the streets in a slow canter. They got some weird looks, the prince and his servant on a horse was bound to attract attention. But Magnus tried not to think of that, focused on the horse. The wall was in sight, and they rode through the gates to the part of the city outside the walls.
"Let Shadowhunter take control now, he always knows where to go," Alec said. Magnus relaxed against Alec, and he managed to stay calm even as the horse started galloping. They'd only been riding for a few minutes when Magnus heard something.
"Magnus!" He turned to see Dot waving at him. They were riding past her fields. Magnus smiled and waved back before turning forwards again, focusing on where the horse was going. They rode towards the forest, and Magnus leaned against Alec. Against his warm chest, against the arms around him, against Alec's face, so close to his he could actually kiss him. He could kiss him right now, if he just turned his face an inch.
But he couldn't. He was dating Dot. They had defined their relationship, and they were dating. Magnus was only supposed to kiss Dot, he wasn't a cheater. And Alec was straight anyway, he would be disgusted. But Alec was so close, Magnus could feel his breath on his cheek. Magnus closed his eyes and felt the up and down of the horse, felt Alec's quick breath and even quicker heartbeat against him, everything was wonderful.
Magnus must have zoned out completely, cause next thing he noticed Alec was whispering his name in his ear. "Magnus? Magnus, he stopped, we're here," he said. Magnus blinked his eyes open and looked around. They were in a clearing, probably deep in the forest. There was a big lake there, and a cave. The clearing itself was big with lots of green, fresh grass, a Paradise for horses. The remains of a fire hinted that there had been people there before.
"Wow, this place is wonderful, Alexander," Magnus said. He wanted to leave the horse, go put his hands in the water, run over the field. But that reminded him of something. "Um, Alec?" He said hesitantly. "I have no idea how to get off a horse." Alec chuckled at that.
"Don't worry, I'll show you," he said. He got off the horse himself before showing Magnus how to get off, step by step. Magnus did it, after some hesitation, he managed to get off the horse and down on the ground. "You did it," Alec murmured. They were standing so close, their bodies were less than an inch from touching, and if it hadn't been for Alec's height, their lips would have been touching. But Alec was tall, and so there was still an inch between their faces. But Magnus could kiss him, if he stood on his tip toes, he could reach Alec's mouth.
But I don't want to! He tried to convince himself. He. Didn't. Want. Alec. That was it, it was that easy. He didn't want him.
Suddenly Magnus was pushed forwards, and for one terrifying, electrifying moment, their lips brushed before Magnus pulled back hastily. Magnus was standing flush again Alec, Alec's hands around him to hold him up.
"By the angel, I am so sorry, that was not- I didn't…" Magnus stuttered.
"I know if wasn't you, Magnus. Shadowhunter decided to push you, for some reason," said Alec, his voice hoarse and very low. If Magnus didn't know better he would have said that Alec was affected by this 'kiss', if you could call it a kiss. But it was definitely enough to affect Magnus, he was blushing and so he quickly decided to walk past Alec and towards the lake, hoping to be able to cool off there. Alec kept standing there and talked to his horse, something Magnus didn't understand.
"Why would you do such a thing?" Alec asked, his heart felt like it would explode. It had only been a quick brush of their lips but Alec felt incredible, it had been electrifying and a big part of him wanted to repeat this, but Magnus had reacted perfectly, by walking away. He had clearly been uncomfortable, the way he blushed and stuttered and then left as soon as possible. There was no point in wanting Magnus when Magnus would never want him. He had to stop.
He shook his head in an attempt to clear it before taking the reins and binding them to a tree. He knew Shadowhunter wouldn't run away, but this way it would be harder for someone to take him without them noticing. When he turned back to look after Magnus he found a bunch of clothes by the lake. "Magnus?" He called, looking around for him. Where could he possibly have gone? Alec couldn't see him in the water. What if he was drowning? He isn't, I would see if he was drowning, Alec responded with himself. A few seconds later Magnus emerged out of the water.
"Magnus!" Alec examined. "You worried me."
"Oh, sorry. There's a cave under the water, is beautiful in there," Magnus said. "Wanna come and see?" Alec had already explored the cave as much as he could, but he agreed anyway, happy to see Magnus so enthusiastic. He started undressing, and he could feel Magnus's gaze on him. It was confusing, Alec didn't know what Magnus wanted, after the 'kiss' it was clear that Magnus didn't think or felt like this but now he was watching him undress and that had to mean something, right? Why did feelings have to be so confusing? It didn't really matter what Alec wanted, or what Magnus wanted. Alec was getting married, that was it.
Alec stripped down to his underwear before wading into the water. It was cold, but it felt good against Alec hot skin. Magnus was waiting for him in the middle of the lake, so Alec made his way there quickly.
"Come on, you have to see this," Magnus said before diving under the water. Alec followed quickly. They quickly reached the cave and Alec had to tell himself again not to look at Magnus all the time. The cave had always been a mysterious place. When Alec came here alone the walls of the cave were always riddled with white, dull crystals. It was still full of crystals, but this time they were glowing, blue. They swan up, up to air. The cave was mostly underwater, but there was a part over water too, a part with air. That's where they went now.
"It looks so much better in blue," Alec mumbled as soon as they were over water, and then looked over at Magnus. "Sorry… I knew about this, I have been here before."
"Oh. Well, that's fine. What do you mean it looks better in blue?"
"I mean, it never glowed before. Usually it's just white and boring." Magnus's face went blank for a second, but he recovered so quickly Alec actually thought he might have imagined it.
"It… it doesn't usually glow?" He asked. Alec shook his head.
"No. Is there something wrong?" Magnus had suddenly started acting weird.
"No, no, no. Nothing wrong. It's just… it's weird, that it's glowing," Magnus said. And, well… it looked like there was more to it, but Alec didn't want to push.
"It is weird," Alec agreed. "It's like they're taking energy from something…"
"Yeah, that's… an interesting theory," Magnus said. "Um, well, this is very beautiful, but if you've already seen the cave then let's get out of here."
"I've never seen it in blue though," Alec protested.
"Please, Alec? I… I'm not feeling very well," Magnus mumbled. Alec looked Magnus over. Well, looked his face over, the rest was under water. He looked pretty pale, and he seemed to be shaking as much as he could in the water.
"Okay, let's get out of here then," Alec said. Maybe the water was too cold, or maybe Magnus felt cramped in the small bubble of air they had. Whatever it was, if Magnus wanted to get out, they would get out.
Alec dived back under first, he could feel Magnus do the same beside him. They swam back to land together. Magnus dragged himself up and collapsed on the grass, breathing hard. Alec followed him, but instead of lying down he looked at Mangus. This was the first time he'd seen Magnus shirtless and conscious, and he hadn't really been enjoying the view when Magnus was unconscious after Malcolm. But now… Alec couldn't help but stare. Magnus had a beautiful, toned chest, and muscular, strong, lean legs, and his face was beautiful as always, and his lips looked so kissable… Stop it! Alec forced himself to look away. He'd already seen how Magnus reacted to a kiss, and it wasn't a good reaction. If Alec really kissed him, he would never want to see him again.
Alec sat down beside Magnus and looked at the lake. "Magnus?" He asked when he heard him sit up too. "Who was that girl, the one who waved to you?" he asked. That wasn't what he'd meant to ask, but it had been bugging him for a while. Was she just a friend? Was she more?
"Dot? She's my… girlfriend," Magnus said.
"Girlfriend? When did you two…?"
"We had our first date on Sunday. But we've been friends since I woke up, basically. She's the one who found me, don't you remember her? She mentioned that you thanked her."
"Oh… yeah, yeah of course I remember her," he said and nodded. "I'm… happy for you, you can bring her to… to my wedding if you want."
"I'll see if we last that long," Magnus sighed.
"What do you mean? Do you not like her?" Alec asked.
"I do, I like her. But… well, I don't know. It's complicated." Magnus looked away and started plucking at the grass.
"Talk to me, Magnus. I can see that it bothers you, tell me about it. We do have time. No one knows about this place so they won't disturb us. Tell me why you don't think it's going to work." he requested. Again, it was confusing. Magnus had a girlfriend but he didn't know if it was going work for the long run?
"I don't know. I think I just don't like her like that, you know? Like, she's great, and I love spending time with her, but I… I don't think I want her as any more than a friend," Magnus mumbled.
"Oh.. yeah I think I understand that… why are you dating then? Can't you tell her that?" he asked. "I mean… I can't change that I'm getting married but that's because of my… urgh, important role in our family and for the kingdom but you… Magnus, you are free to make the love decisions that you want. You can be with whoever makes you happy, with whoever… completes you and make you feel right and whole…" he said and looked over at Magnus. "I can't do that…. But you can."
"No, I can't. I can't. But it's fine. I'm fine with it." Magnus really didn't look fine. "Can we talk about something else? Please?" He begged. But Alec wanted to know. Why couldn't Magnus be with who he wanted? Who was it?
"No… No, we can't. Magnus, please tell me. I could help you," he said.
"You can't help me. It would only make it worse if you knew. There's nothing you can do."
"Magnus, I'm sure I could help if you just tell me who it is. Or at least what's keeping you from being with her."
Magnus turned his head away and didn't say anything for a long time, Alec almost thought that Magnus would never answer him.
"Two things… It's… Not a her. And I can not be completely honest about who I am," he said. "I might never be able to tell people who I really am." Not a her? Not a her?!
"Not a her?" Alec asked, just to be sure he hadn't misheard.
"No. Can we talk about something else now?"
"Y...Yeah of course" mumbled Alec and nodded. "Wha... What do you want to talk about?"
"Um, I… Lilith. We need to talk about her."
"The queen of hell that's trying to kill me?"
"Yes. I've been doing some research, and I found something. The prophecy Malcolm told me about." Magnus took a second to think it through before speaking again. "It was in a dead language, but I managed to translate it. It's not exactly perfect, but it goes along the lines of 'when the Shadow World needs it the most, a once and future king will rise to end the queen. Only one can end the other, and only one can win.'" Magnus quoted it as best as he could. It had taken him almost an entire day to translate that little piece of text, and even so it could probably have been better. But he got the point, that was the most important.
"Well, that sounds… reassuring," Alec said. "What does it mean 'Shadow world?'" He asked.
"I read up on that too. Apparently, Shadow world was the term used to refer to the supernatural beings living in between everyone else unseen, in the Shadow World."
"Supernatural beings? Like, werewolves, vampires, warlocks and wizards?" Alec asked.
"Um, yeah. According to the book at least."
"That's… a big thing. I… why am I supposed to help a shadow world, when I know nothing about them and when my father actually banned all magic and is punishing it with death?" Alec made a good point.
"I don't know. But you were born just a few months before the war ended, right? Do you think that's a coincidence?"
"I don't see how it could be anything else. Do you think I had something to do with the war ending?"
"Actually, yes. The shadow world knew about that prophecy and they knew that, if they ever wanted to live in peace and out in the open… they had to make sure the forever king, you, was safe. So the war stopped, in order for you to have a… more or less peaceful childhood and all of that so you could kill the queen of hell and free them."
"But how do they know that king is me?"
"Alec, I don't have the answer to everything. But the queen seems pretty convinced at least. Maybe there's a book full of details of when the king would be born and how to defeat the queen and all the information we need, but I haven't found it yet."
Alec just nodded and then laid back in the grass, he looked great like that, still wet from the lake and Magnus honestly didn't mean to stare at him, but this soaked underwear left nothing to the imagination. Luckily Alec had his eyes closed and couldn't see Magnus staring.
"But I am… erm, looking for anything that could help me, us... I mean you, to defeat her" he promised. Alec just hummed and kept his eyes closed. After a few minutes of complete silence, which Magnus used to calm himself and force his eyes to look somewhere else, Alec finally spoke again.
"I haven't slept for almost four days," He mumbled. "I could fall asleep right now and not wake up before the wedding."
"Alec! Four days? How can you do that to yourself?" Magnus scolded.
"I just… I can't sleep."
"Why didn't you tell me that? I could have gotten you some sleeping medicine."
"I don't need medicine, Magnus. I need to get my shit together. I'm getting married, I need to accept that. No medicine can help me."
"Neither can no sleep."
"I know," Alec sighed. "She will come to Idris in two days. I'm supposed to be ready for her. But look at me, I'm a mess."
"Alexander, you just need to take a day off to relax. You've been working non-stop. We'll stay here the rest of the day, and I won't leave your room until you're asleep tonight," he said, he didn't know if he meant it as a threat or a promise but he knew he would definitely stay until Alec fell asleep.
"Thank you, Magnus. Thank you for caring."
"Always Alexander, now close your eyes and rest. I'll look around a bit more and you sleep. You need the rest," he told him and patted Alec's shoulder before he stood up and looked around. He quickly glanced down at Alec again and then started to walk around.