The rest of the day was spent partying. No one really cared much about everything that had happened. They were getting free food and free drinks, what was there to complain about? Other than a few weird looks and glances, no one said anything. Robert didn't show up again, which Alec was very glad for. Izzy and Lydia took over, prepared and arranged everything so it looked less like a wedding and more like a party, as they called it. Robert had been thinking of a calm wedding with romantic music in the background. Well, that couldn't be further from how it was now.
Izzy had ordered the orchestra to play some loud, "different" music. They had looked confused for a minute, but then hit it off with some good, light-hearted songs, melodies that quickly got stuck in everyone's heads.
Alec spent most of the evening and night in the background, trying to make himself as invisible as he could with the golden suit on. Magnus stood close to him the whole time, and they talked about everything and nothing, just happy to be together.
Jace had approached them after the party has started. He'd been confused about what had happened, as he'd never had a clue about Alec's feelings for Magnus. But in the end he'd been very happy for Alec, and wished him and Magnus the best. He'd even shook Magnus's hand and thanked him for making Alec happy. And Alec was happy, happy to have Magnus back by his side.
It had been so long… it was just a week, but hell it had impacted Alec. When was the last time he had a good night's sleep? Over a week ago, the last night Magnus stayed with him. He wondered if he could ask Magnus to stay over the night, or if it would be weird, now that they were… officially dating.
"Alexander?" Alec came back to a hand waving in front of his face and Magnus calling for him. "Are you listening to me?" Alec looked away and shook his head lightly.
"No, sorry."
"What's on your mind?" Magnus asked.
"The possibility of sleeping the whole night."
"Huh?"
"Well, since our... fight I- I haven't been able to sleep properly and I am- I am so exhausted, and I just want to sleep again but I feel like I can only get a good night's sleep… with you by my side. And I was wondering if I could ask you to stay or if it would be weird."
"That would not be weird at all. I would love to stay the night." Magnus reached for one of Alec's hands. "You didn't…" Magnus gestured to his knuckles. "Did you?" Alec smiled softly and shook his head.
"No," he said. "I… I couldn't do it without thinking of you, and when you asked me to not hurt myself. I just remembered that and… yeah, that stopped me."
Magnus smiled at that and leaned over to kiss Alec's cheek. "You said you are exhausted… do you want to call it an early night and go to bed?"
"I would love that. I'm sure we can sneak away without anyone noticing." Magnus nodded, agreeing. Everyone was too busy with the party to notice two people leaving early.
"I have to speak to Luke first," Magnus remembered. "I haven't actually spoken with him for a week and I need to tell him I won't be coming home tonight." Alec nodded.
"Okay. I'll wait for you here."
Magnus left Alec to hunt for Luke in the crowd. He had to apologize and explain the situation.
He found him sitting alone by one of the tables, sipping at a glass of what Magnus guessed was wine. Magnus sat down in front of him.
"Magnus! I was wondering when you would decide to make an appearance," Luke said.
"Luke, I'm really sorry. For everything that happened, for… locking myself away and not talking to you for an entire week. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Magnus," Luke assured him. "I understand what was going on now, and I know from experience that sometimes you have to deal with heartbreak alone."
"Yeah, but still. You're like a father to me, Luke. I shouldn't have locked you out like that. And I should have told you about Alec."
"Don't worry about it, Magnus. It's in the past now. Just tell me one thing, do you love him?" Magnus nodded and answered without hesitation.
"I do. I love him so much…"
Luke nodded and reached for Magnus's hands. "Then I hope you two will be happy. It won't be easy. For several reasons but… I really wish you the best."
"Thanks, Luke," Magnus said. "Also, one more thing… don't expect me home tonight." Luke looked at him and smirked.
"Are you gonna spend the night with Alec?" He asked. "Remember it'll be your job to clean the sheets tomorrow." Magnus blushed and looked away from Luke.
"We're not gonna… do that. And I'm not sure if I'm back on the servant job, I have to talk to Alec about it."
"You will find out what you two are going to do now. For tonight, just enjoy the moment."
"We will… in clean sheets," he added and then turned around to go to Alec. He could hear Luke chuckle as he left.
He found Alec exactly where he'd left him. "Hey, let's get it off here," he said to catch Alec's attention. Alec nodded and smiled, and they walked out of the room hand in hand.
They reached Alec's room. Alec thought how he'd slept here for the last time days ago, but here he was again. With Magnus.
Alec closed the door behind them, glad to finally be away from everyone else. Finally alone with Magnus. "Magnus? May I kiss you again?" he asked hesitantly, looking at Magnus. Magnus smiled softly at him.
"You may," he said, stepping closer to Alec till they were pressed against each other, touching all the way from thighs to chest. Magnus put his hands around Alec's neck, playing with the hair at the nape. Even with Magnus on the tip of his toes, Alec still had to lean down to kiss him.
It never got any less wonderful. Alec had kissed Magnus twice before, and it still felt like the first time. Magnus's lips were so soft, and when Magnus's tongue probed at his lips for the first time it was warm and gentle, like Magnus himself. And when their tongues touched it was electrifying, and Alec couldn't help but shiver at the feeling. He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew he wanted to keep doing it.
Alec's hand around Magnus's waist pulled him closer, closer. But it was never close enough.
Alec only pulled away when the need for air forced him to. "I hear that relationships they… they take effort," he said.
"I'm all for effort."
Alec grinned and decided to kiss Magnus again, but only briefly. He really needed to sleep. Magnus must have noticed how tired he looked.
"Come on now, let's get you into bed," he said. He started to untie the bowtie around Alec's neck before putting it aside carefully. He did the same to the jacket of Alec's suit and then started to undo his shirt.
"Magnus, you really don't have to do this…" Alec started.
"Hush now, Alexander. I'm your servant, ain't I? This is my job." Alec chuckled lightly.
"Yeah, I guess you are," he said, smiling. Magnus finished the buttons on his shirt and pulled it off Alec's shoulders before folding it and placing it with the rest of the clothes. He moved away to let Alec take off his pants alone and started working on his own clothes.
Alec made a quick job of taking off his pants and then looked at Magnus. He'd only taken his jacket off and was looking hesitantly at Alec. "I… how do you want me? Do you want me in the bed with you, or just here like the other nights?" He asked. Alec approached him and started working on the buttons of Magnus's shirt.
"I want you on the bed with me, of course," Alec said. He stopped unbuttoning Magnus's shirt for a second to look up at Magnus. "Unless you don't want that…"
"Of course I want that, Alec. I just wasn't sure if you wanted it."
"I want you close to me, Magnus. As close as I can get you." Alec pushed Magnus's shirt off and hesitantly moved to remove his pants. He undid the button and pulled them down slowly, never breaking eye contact with Magnus. The pants slid down to his thighs, Alec's fingers brushing along the skin. Magnus kicked off his shoes to take the pants off completely.
They were both standing there in just their underwear, looking at each other and not sure about what to do next.
"Erm… bed now, sleep," Magnus decided.
"Yes, yes. Sleep," Alec agreed, but didn't' move. He just kept staring at Magnus, he couldn't believe that this was real, that he was with Magnus and they were… a couple? They'd have to talk about that.
"Then get your arse in bed, Alec," he chuckled. Magnus and took a step forward so he could push Alec gently.
"Yeah… yeah, I am on my way," Alec mumbled and took Magnus's hand before he turned around and moved to his bed. He pulled the sheets back and then got in.
It was all a bit awkward but Magnus soon was laying next to him and took his hand. "We should relax. I mean, this is just sleeping and we have done that before so… it's nothing new, is it?"
"It is… a bit. I mean now we know what we feel and we've kissed in front of everyone and this time you are also not really wearing clothes and you're in the bed with me, so… it is a bit different, but a good different."
"I guess it's a little different." Magnus turned his head so he could look at Alec. "It's definitely something I could get used to though," he said. Alec looked at him too and smiled.
"I wouldn't mind getting used to this," he mumbled, pulling Magnus closer so they were chest to chest, their bodies barely touching, but still enough to make Alec shiver.
"You know… I promised Luke that the sheets would stay clean, so close your eyes and turn around, or just close your eyes. But try to sleep" Alec blushed and averted Magnus's eyes.
"We're not gonna do that," he said. "I'm about to pass out anyway, so if I don't go to sleep I'll just black out. Don't worry about that."
"Sleep, Alexander," Magnus said, running a hand through Alec's hair. He settled down more comfortably on the bed and closed his eyes. Alec smiled at how soft his face looked, how peaceful he was, before closing his own eyes. He enjoyed the warmth radiating from Magnus's body, it was like there was a current of energy under his skin, always keeping him warm. Alec moved closer and rested his head on Magnus's chest, just enjoying the warmth and comfort.
He fell asleep in a matter of minutes, the exhaustion of the week catching up with him.
Magnus woke up to the seven o'clock bells, confused for a moment about where he was before turning his head and seeing Alec. It all came back to him, the invitation from Isabelle, the event at the wedding, the party, them going to bed. Together.
Alec was sleeping peacefully, he was on his stomach with his arm thrown over Magnus's waist, his face the most relaxed Magnus had ever seen it. Magnus couldn't refrain the urge of running a hand through Alec's hair and let it rest on his cheek. He realized, as he did it, that he didn't have to refrain it anymore. He and Alec were together. A couple. Who kissed, and slept in the same bed and said that they loved each other. It was amazing, but Magnus knew that they had some difficult times to face in the future. There was Lilith, but also society and Alec's father. It wouldn't be easy for them, but they would get through it. Together.
"Magnus?" asked Alec and tightened his arm around him. It was adorable, and Magnus wished he could freeze that moment.
"I'm here, Alexander." Magnus moved his hand down Alec's neck and up his shoulder to rest it between his shoulder blades. "I'm here," he repeated. He couldn't believe that he could touch Alec like this, so freely. It felt so good, and right. This was how it was supposed to be. "I love you," he whispered. Alec smiled up at him.
"I love you too," he mumbled, his voice still groggy from sleep.
"You shouldn't be awake yet," Magnus said. "You need to sleep."
"I'm okay, Magnus. I feel better than I have in days, thanks to you."
"I slept really good, too. You make a nice blanket." Alec chuckled.
"And you make an excellent pillow. A very warm one, too." they both smiled, relishing in each other's company.
"I missed you a lot this week," Magnus confessed, his thumb stroking circles on Alec's back.
"I missed you, too, Magnus." Alec turned around so he was on his back, Magnus's hand now resting on his chest. Alec reached up and linked their fingers. "It's incredible how nice this feels. I mean we're just laying here but still… it feels so good. It's all I ever wanted." Magnus nodded, silently agreeing with him. He was happy. It wasn't that he hadn't been happy before this, but now he was at peace, for once he didn't need anything else in his life.
"I'm glad you didn't marry Lydia," he said. It was too hard to explain everything he was feeling, so he settled for just saying that. Alec smiled.
"Me too. Thank you for not letting me do it."
"I just crashed your wedding."
"No, I crashed my wedding. You were simply late," Alec said. "If my father hears you say that, he'll throw you in the dungeons."
"Isn't your father just a sweetheart?" Magnus joked. "I can take care of myself, Alec."
"I know, but I'll still worry about you. And my father is the king, you can't just fight your way out of it if he orders you to be taken to the dungeons."
"I'm fine, Alexander. I won't let that happen. What do you want to do? I mean, you're with me now, so you won't be able to produce an heir for the throne. I think you'll still make a great king, and you will but… you have to talk to your father about this and make everyone else believe in you."
"I don't think I can face my father. At least not yet. And about the offspring, I'm sure Izzy and Jace will have children. And when I become king I'll remove the law of only full blood royal children can take over the throne."
"That sounds like a great plan."
"We still have a long way to go before that though. I mean, first I have to become king. And then Izzy and Jace will have to find someone, and then have children… yeah."
"Well, we have lots of time to get through all of it." Magnus shuffled closer to Alec and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "And Jace already has found someone. You can't tell me that you don't know about Clary."
"Oh, I know. I know they had something going on, but I didn't know it was serious."
"Oh, it is. He even came to me for advice on what to get her for her birthday."
"Huh. Well, he never told me."
"You never told him about me, so I guess that makes you even," Magnus said.
"I told him about you. Just not about my feelings for you." They were silent for a while, Magnus tracing patterns on Alec's chest and listening to his breath. He never wanted to leave this moment. But eventually, they had to.
"Alec, are you in there? Are you awake? Are you dressed?" Someone's voice came through the door. Isabelle. Alec groaned.
"What do you want?" He yelled.
"What, can't a sister visit her brother?"
"Do you need something, or are you just here to yell at me?"
"Dad wants to talk to you. He's not happy." Alec groaned again.
"I'll be out in a minute," he said. He turned to Magnus. "Sorry, I have to go."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Magnus offered. Alec shook his head.
"No. I don't want you near him. You're not a part of this, he's not allowed to take it out on you."
"I am a part of this. I don't want to give myself too much credit but I think I am, at least partially responsible for this."
"It's not you he's mad at, Magnus. He's mad at me, for not marrying Lydia, for… for being gay. I don't want him to take it out on you."
"But I don't want him to take it out on you. He acts like this is something you chose, it's not. And he shouldn't be mad at you for that."
"But he is, and I can't do anything about it. I'm used to him being mad and disappointed in me, but if he starts yelling at you… I might punch him. Which wouldn't be good for anyone."
"This is adorable and sweet and stupid, Alexander"
"All three at the same time?"
"Yes. Somehow you manage to be a lot of things at the same time." Magnus pulled Alec close to kiss his cheek. "Go then. I'll be here when you come back."
"I hope it won't be too long… I love you."
"I love you, too," Magnus smiled and leaned back into the pillows as he watched Alec get dressed. He missed his warmth already, missed Alec body besides his own. He watched Alec leave the room, close the door behind him, and then Magnus turned around in the bed, pressing his face into the pillow Alec had been using. It still smelled like him.
Alec wasn't the only one who hadn't slept much the last week, and after a few minutes, Magnus was drifting back off to sleep.
Alec left the room behind, shutting the door so no one would go in or even look inside. It was his view, Magnus like that. Sleepy and cute. Alec didn't want anyone else to see that part of him.
He walked through the corridors, nervous and scared if he was being honest. He didn't know what to expect, except for the fact that it wasn't going to be easy. He knew his father was angry, angrier then he had ever been before, but Alec wouldn't back down, not now and not ever. He knew it was right and it was okay. He just needed to convince his father about that.
Alec hesitated outside his father's office. He didn't know if he could fight with his father forever, but he definitely wasn't giving up yet. He gave a small knock on the door before stepping inside. "Father," he greeted with a nod. His father didn't respond, and instead only nodded to the chair in front of him. Alec shook his head.
"I'm not sitting down, father. Just say what you wanna say."
"I have a lot to say, Alexander. How could you do that? Not only is he a servant, but he is also a man! This goes against everything this kingdom stands for. I will not let you have this relationship with him. He is no longer welcome here in Idris. He was only a guest so he has no right to stay here and I can legally send him away. Maybe this will bring you back on track. And about Lydia, she is on her way home but I will find another woman who is willing to marry you."
"No, you won't. You won't send Magnus away, and you won't find me anyone else to marry."
"I will. I have already sent orders for him to be taken out of the city, there are two guards on the way to his house right now."
"Good thing Magnus isn't there then. I won't let you keep controlling my life, I won't give up everything to make you proud. And I won't let you hurt him."
"How can you care about him? He is a man. If he was a woman I could understand, but this is a man we're talking about. It is wrong for you to care about him, to have feelings for him."
"There's nothing wrong about it! What's wrong is you not accepting me. What's wrong is that you think it's wrong."
"Well. It's bad luck for you, Alexander, because I am the king and not you. So I am the one in control and my word counts. So you can scream and protest as much as you want but he will leave the city. Today."
"You can't make him leave the city if no one can find him," Alec said before spinning on his heels, leaving the room and closing the door loudly behind him. It attracted a few looks from bypassing servants, but no one said anything.
Alec stormed down the hall, forcing away tears that were rising to his eyes. He couldn't lose Magnus, not now, not when he'd just gotten him!
"Alec!" Izzy was running after him. "Alec, stop, wait for me!" She caught up with him quickly. "How'd it go? What did he say?"
"He wants to send Magnus away, Izzy. He wants to banish him from the city."
"What?! He can't do that!"
"He can, Izzy. Magnus isn't a citizen of our kingdom, that gives dad the right to throw him out, no questions asked."
"How... How long can you hide him? How much time do I have to think about something?"
"I don't know. They're searching his house right now, but he isn't there. We could spend a day in the secret room, and maybe hide for an entire week. But I don't want that for him, I don't want him to be on the run."
"Just make sure the guards don't find him. I'll figure something out by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Izzy," Alec said. "I… I'll go tell him now."
"Be quick and careful," she said as she rushed away.
Alec looked after her for a moment and then kept running back to his room, which was luckily still closed. He opened it and looked at Magnus, who was sleeping. It broke Alec's heart a little that he had to wake him and rush him out of the room but he moved over and gently shook Magnus's shoulder. "Magnus," he said softly. Magnus mumbled something but otherwise had no reaction. In any other situation, he would stop to enjoy how cute Magnus looked. But today he was in a hurry. He shouldn't have told his father Magnus wasn't at home, he would understand Magnus had spent the night with Alec. They'd lost some time because of that. Alec was sure that guards would soon enter his room to look for Magnus. "Magnus," he said again, this time a bit more forcefully. He also rocked his shoulder again. "You have to wake up, now"
Magnus groaned and turned over so he could look up at Alec. "What is it?" He mumbled.
"We have to get out of here, they're coming for you." Magnus blinked confusedly up at him.
"Huh?" He asked, still half asleep. Oh, how Alec wished he had time to enjoy the adorableness.
"I'll explain as we go, but right now you need to get dressed." Alec pulled the covers off Magnus, and then felt guilty when he shivered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all of this," he said. "Come on," Alec took Magnus's hand to pull him out of the bed. Magnus sat up and looked around himself with tired eyes.
"Alexander, what's going on?" he asked.
"They're coming for you," Alec said, rummaging through this closet for something that would fit Magnus. Magnus's own clothes, the suit he'd worn the day before, would attract too much attention. "Here, put this on," he said, handing Magnus a pair of simple, black pants and a white shirt. Magnus grabbed them and put them on quickly, obviously still unsure if what was going on, but probably sensing Alec's worry.
"Come on," Alec picked up Magnus's other clothes, hid them under the things Magnus was currently wearing then grabbed Magnus's hand to pull him out of the room and through the hall quickly, leading them to the secret room they had been in all that time ago. He was constantly looking around, into every corridor they passed. He couldn't risk it that a guard might see them.
"Alexander, will you please tell me what's wrong?" Magnus asked as Alec led them into the dark corridor that led to the secret room.
"He wants you out of the city, Magnus. Out of the kingdom. He's sending guards to find you and escort you away."
"Wait, am I a fugitive?"
"Yes, for now. Izzy's working on a plan, we'll figure it out. But for now, we have to hide you. I'm sorry. I don't want to… put you into such a small room but we know that dad doesn't know about this place so it's safe for you. Magnus, I can't lose you, not now, not ever."
"It's okay, Alexander. I don't need very much space to be comfortable. Remember I lived in a village all my life, my room at Luke's house is almost bigger than my old house."
"Still, this is a small room, there's nothing there. I'll bring you food and I'll sneak in a blanket and a pillow to make it comfortable for you."
"Relax, Alexander. There's more than enough there. I remember seeing a bookshelf, so that'll keep me entertained for a while."
"I'll try to spend as much time here as I can, without it becoming suspicious."
"Thank you. I'm sure Isabelle will come up with something genius, and until then I'll just read some books. No problem." Alec stopped in front of the door leading to the actual room. He fumbled for the handle and opened it. Once inside he quickly lit the fireplace to warm the room and shed some light before turning to Magnus again.
"I have to go or dad will get suspicious, but I'll come back soon with some food for you, okay?" Magnus nodded. "Magnus," Alec said, pulling Magnus close. "We'll get through this, we'll figure it out." He leaned down to kiss Magnus quickly, just pecking his lips. "I love you," he said.
"I love you too." Alec kissed him again, a little longer, but still much shorter than he would like to. "Go now," Magnus mumbled. "I'll be fine."
Magnus was still confused, maybe he wasn't fully awake yet. He watched Alec leave the room and then looked around. He pulled his own clothes out and placed them on a chair. So this would be where he was going to hide for the next few days. So far so good, there was only one problem. The toilet. Clearly Alec hadn't thought about that.
There were a few possibilities. Magnus could either try to sneak out of the room and to the closest bathroom, which could risk him being seen, and he had no idea where he was so he didn't know where the bathroom was either. Or he could try to make a portal to the bathroom he knew, which could risk someone seeing him use magic, or him not managing to make the portal right and end up in limbo, or maybe not managing to make the portal all. Magnus had never made a portal before, only read about them. His last option was to just hold it till Alec came back and then follow him to the closest bathroom. Maybe there was a secret bathroom somewhere in the castle.
Magnus went for the last one.
In the meantime, he would have to find something to distract himself. He moved to the bookshelf and looked through his alternatives. There were a few books in different languages, and some others on boring subjects Magnus didn't care about. There were also one or two books Magnus had already read before. Magnus picked a book that didn't fit in any of those categories and sat down on a chair as be started reading.
He got bored about five pages into the book. Magnus usually wasn't one to complain over reading material, but maybe it was just because he was stressed. He went to change the book, to look for something more exciting.
He looked through the titles of the books, boring, boring, boring, already read, weird language, boring, boring, weird language, Magnus skimmed through the books, afraid for a minute that he wouldn't find anything interesting to read. Until something caught his eye.
The book wasn't particularly thick, and nothing about it screamed for attention. And yet, as soon as Magnus's laid eyes on it, he couldn't look away. He picked it out of the shelf carefully, studying it like that would explain why he had this feeling. Magnus looked at the title. It was just weird shapes, but somehow Magnus understood what it said. Edom, magic, and prophecies.
"What the hell," Magnus mumbled, opening the book. The same weird shapes were covering the pages, but it was almost like they moved around on the paper to spell out their meaning for Magnus. But the weirdest part was what the shapes said, what they meant.
If anyone is reading this, the time has come. The once and future king has been born, and Lilith is planning her attack. It is up to the king to defeat her, but he will have a long path of learning and discovering until he is ready. I wish I could tell you what has to be done, but that is not in my place to tell. I will simply give you facts you might need along the way.
That was the entire first page. Just that, the rest blank. And Magnus was too baffled to be angry that there was again not really anything he needed, just hints. He turned to the next page, to see what the "small facts you might need" were. Almost every page was pretty much empty. Waste of paper if you asked Magnus. The first fact: When the troll stands in the middle, go left. Was that supposed to make sense? Next page. The second glass. Three words. Three words were the only thing on the entire page. And they didn't mean anything. Magnus sighed and put the book back in its place. There was nothing interesting in it. Just random phrases and too little words. After a few minutes of searching, he finally settled on a book about the history of Idris.
Alec was restless, he hated this whole situation. He didn't want Magnus to be in that small room and not be allowed to go out. Luke! He thought, he had to tell Luke that Magnus was fine, he was probably worried after there had been guards searching his house. Alec moved through the halls as he if had done nothing wrong, which he hadn't, and made his way out of the castle, heading for Luke's house.
Once he was there he knocked on the door, standing nervously in front of it as he waited for Luke to open. He didn't have to wait long.
"Alec! What are you doing here?" Luke exclaimed as he opened the door.
"I need to talk to you, can I come in?"
"Of course, come," Luke said, waving him inside. "Is it about Magnus?" He asked anxiously. Alec nodded.
"They won't find him, he's in a secret room. Izzy is working on a way out of this, we will figure it out," Alec said. "I just thought you should know."
"Oh thank God" sighed Luke and relaxed visibly. "I was so scared about him when the guards came looking for him"
"I know. I was terrified when dad told me he was gonna send him away. I hid him immediately."
"What am I gonna tell his mother? He's not gonna be a fugitive, is he? They can't hunt him forever."
"No, they won't. We'll find a way out of it."
"Good. Thank you for telling me, Alec. But now you need to get going before someone sees you here and gets suspicious." Alec nodded.
"Yeah, I'll get going," he said, making his way out. "I'll take care of him. I know he can take care of himself, but I'll take care of him. He's saved my life twice, I owe him this."
"Yeah… I know he can take care of himself but still, it's nice to have someone to help," Luke smiled and opened the door for Alec. "Take care of yourself, too." Alec nodded.
"I will," he said before turning around and leaving the house.
It had been about half an hour since he left Magnus in the secret room. He felt bad already, he wanted to go to him, at last be there so Magnus wasn't all alone. But he couldn't, not yet. Someone would suspect something if he disappeared every half an hour. And then his father would put someone on his tail and he wouldn't be able to go to Magnus again.
Instead he made his way to the field, looking for someone he could train with. He ignored all the knights, spotted Jace but saw him busy with Raj, and then saw Izzy alone at the end of the field.
"Izzy!" He called, making his way over to her. She was training with her whip, so he kept a safe distance. He did not want to get hit by that, and he pitied everyone who was. "Izzy, are you busy?" He called again, this time catching her attention. She stopped the whip midair and pulled it back to herself.
"Not really. What do you want?"
"I want to train with you" She smiled.
"Okay. It's been a while, brother."
"Yeah, I've been so busy. First the wedding, and then the sword, and now Magnus…" Izzy replaced her whip with a staff.
"Let's fight then, make sure you haven't forgotten how." Alec huffed and grabbed his own staff.
"Of course not, what do you think of me? I bet I can kick your ass in five minutes."
"Yeah? How much? Twenty gold coins says I have you on the ground in the next three."
"No. No bet," Alec said. He liked his gold coins. He didn't use them much, but he was saving up for something. He wasn't sure what yet, but something.
"Hah. We both know I'll kick your ass."
"Shut up."
"Whatever you want, brother," She said with a smirk as she attacked.
Alec and Izzy kept training for a while. The first round was won by Alec but after that Izzy kicked his ass. At the end he sat down on the floor and panted. "Oh damn, Izzy. When did I become this bad?"
"Alec, you're not bad. I'm just ridiculously good."
"You will take literally every opportunity to brag, won't you?" Izzy flipped her hair.
"What can I say? It's in my blood."
"Is it? You must have been adopted then."
"No, Alec. You're getting this all wrong, you're the adopted one. Jace and I are from the bragging family." Alec snorted.
"Dad has some explaining to do."
"Dad can go fuck himself." Alec sighed.
"Yeah," he said. "Have you thought up anything? About how to get Magnus out of this?" Izzy shook her head.
"No, I'm still working on it."
"Thank you, Izzy, for helping me."
"Of course Alec. I mean I also helped you with Magnus and the wedding so, I won't let dad break this up so soon," she told him and sat down next to him. "I am proud of you. And so, so happy that you have found him and are ready to admit this."
"Thank you. I am really happy about this as well. I love him and now that everyone in this kingdom already knows it, I will not back down, never again."
"I'm happy for you Alec."
"Thank you," smiled Alec and leaned his head against Izzy's shoulder.
"I love you, brother."
"I love you too."
"You should go visit Magnus. I'm sure you've been away long enough. And bring him some food, he must be starving." Alec nodded, standing up.
"Yeah, I will. Thank you, Izzy. For everything." He left the field behind him as he headed for the kitchen where he picked up a few things to eat and some water. Alec then went in the direction of the secret room, constantly checking to make sure nobody was watching him as he slipped into the hidden hallway. He fumbled through the dark until he arrived at the door again, opening it and stepping inside.
"Magnus?" he called, getting his attention up from whatever book he was reading.
"Alexander! I've been waiting for you to show up."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't come too early or I could risk someone getting suspicious. But I brought some food and water." Magnus smiled.
"Thank you, Alexander. I'm starving." Magnus stood up to grab one of the sandwiches from Alec's hand. "But there's something I need even more than food." Alec frowned.
"What's that?"
"A bathroom, Alexander. There isn't any in this room." Alec mentally slapped himself. Of course! How hadn't he thought of that?
"By the angel, I am so sorry. I didn't think about that, I just… god, I'm so sorry."
"Alexander, relax," Magnus said, placing a hand on his chest, over his heart. Like that would make him relax. "You were in a hurry to get me away, you couldn't think about everything. Just… take me to one now, please" Alec nodded.
"Yes, yes. Of course," He said. "But… we'll have to be careful."
"Alec I am not planning to wear bright colors or wave a torch around so people will look at me, but I really need to use a toilet. As soon as possible."
"Okay. I'll take you to one, now. Come on," Alec said, opening the door again. He took Magnus's hand so he could lead him through the corridor.
He didn't actually need to hold his hand, the corridor was dark but there was only one way. But it was an excuse to hold Magnus's hand, Alec wasn't going to waste it.
He opened the door to the hallway and looked around carefully before pulling Magnus out and closing it behind them quickly. He looked around nervously and then quickly pulled Magnus into the direction of the nearest bathroom. They passed the corridors with no problem. They were just one turn away from the bathroom, just a little bit more and they would be there. Alec turned the corner quickly, without looking around first. And ran headfirst into a knight.
They just stared at each other for a few seconds before the knight reacted, grabbing Alec's arm. Alec tried to hide Magnus behind him, but he knew there was no point. "What are you doing? Anyone could see him here!" The guard said. Alec stopped up, staring at the knight.
"What?"
"The king has knights patrolling the hallways, anyone could see him," the knight nodded towards Magnus.
"He… he needs a bathroom," Alec said.
"Oh. Well hurry, I'll try to keep them away from here," the knight said, moving out of their way to continue his patrolling. Alec stared after him for a second. Curly, blond hair, blue eyes. Alec would have to thank him somehow, someday. When all of this was figured out.
"Alec… please. I had to hold it for a while," Magnus whispered and reminded him of the reason for their walk through the castle.
"Right. Right, sorry." Alec took them the last few meters to the bathroom. "In here. I'll wait."
"Thank you," Magnus sighed and slipped through the door.
Once Magnus was done in the bathroom he got out again and smiled at Alec. "Thank you… This really was necessary."
"Of course. I should have thought about it. I have to figure out a way to let you come here alone without being caught, whenever you need to. Hopefully, you won't have to hide for long." Alec took Magnus's hand to pull him along again, even more on guard now after the knight told him there were other knights patrolling the halls.
They made it back to the room without any complications, and Magnus threw himself over the food, only realizing now after he'd been to the bathroom, how hungry he was.
"I forgot something but I'll bring you the blanket and pillow later. What did you do while I was gone?"
"I read, as you saw when you first came. I am now an expert in Idris's history. Did you know Gabriel Lightwood married a farm girl? He wasn't the heir to the throne, so he didn't have to make any heirs, but still. He married a girl from outside the city, who lived and worked on a farm. And wasn't in any way royal. That means there could be a chance for us."
"Yeah… if you were a girl."
"Times change, Alexander. Him marrying a non-royal person at the time was like the biggest tragedy that could happen, but people warmed up to it, and they loved Cecily. The same thing can happen here, now. With us."
"Let's hope so. Maybe people will come to terms with it, but dad probably won't."
"I'm sorry about your dad, Alec"
"Yeah, me too. But I can't change what he thinks, and he certainly can't change what I think or feel."
Magnus nodded, he understood that and loved it, to know that Alec was standing beside him. "Alexander? I... I appreciate your effort but I don't think your father will change his opinion about me soon. Maybe it would be easier if I were to leave Idris? But before you protest, listen to me. You could come with me, call it a diplomatic travel and then I would actually come with you, as your servant. We could train on the way and prepare you for Lilith as well as we could… well, deepen our relationship, since there won't be anyone to tell us not to." Alec looked at Magnus for a while, obviously thinking about the suggestion.
"That's not a bad idea," he said. "I'll just have to convince dad… he'll understand this is just a plan so I can be with you. But I'll figure it out."
"Well you should go on that trip, many places must have heard about what happened at the wedding, you need to explain it." Alec nodded.
"Yes, absolutely. I will convince him. I'll do that right now actually. I'll come by later with a pillow and a blanket."
"Yes, of course. But kiss me before you leave." Alec smiled.
"Of course," he said, pulling Magnus close by his waist. Magnus almost melted against Alec, it had been so long since they kissed. It had only been a few hours, but it felt like forever. When Alec started pulling away Magnus pulled him back in. He was not ready to let him go again so soon.
"Stay with me," he whispered against his lips. "Just a few more minutes." Alec gave in, pulling him closer again.
"Okay, just a few more minutes."
"Just a few more minutes" Magnus repeated and tightened his arms around Alec to make sure he wouldn't move away. Not before Magnus was ready to let him get away. He kissed him again, so happy that he could do that now. That he could kiss Alec freely. At least when they were alone.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," Alec said with a smile.
They stood like that for a rather long time, much longer then they had intended at first, but neither of them cared. "I really have to go now and talk to my father. If everything goes like we want to then we will be able to let you out of here by tomorrow evening" Alec smiled and kissed Magnus quickly before he turned to leave the room. "By tomorrow we will start a new chapter of our lives, Magnus," he said with a smile.