The Seelie Realm was only a day away, and they arrived right after sunset. Alec wasn't exactly sure how the kingdom worked. It was mostly just woods and a big castle in the center. But there was no way everyone lived there. It was a big kingdom, after all. The castle had room for maybe a hundred people by the looks of it, and even if it had room for more it didn't make sense that everyone would live in the castle. Alec decided that he would treat them like any other place before and that he would not have any prejudices.

"Well, here we are," he said as he got off Shadowhunter's back. "The Seelie Realm." Alec led Shadowhunter by the reins. Magnus followed him, and together they walked out of the woods and into the castle area. The closer they got to it the more Alec felt that this would not be as easy as the other places had been before.

"Where are we gonna stay?" Magnus asked. "I don't see any buildings here, other than the castle."

"Honestly, I have no idea," Alec told him. "I guess we can sleep in the woods if we don't find anywhere."

"So you didn't make reservations here?" Magnus asked.

"I sent a letter. Never got an answer."

"Erm… but they are expecting us?"

"I sure hope so," Alec said. "Would be awkward if they didn't."

"You say." They didn't say anything else as they started seeing knights walking towards them. Alec didn't know if the knights would know who they were but he tried his best to stay calm and smile at them.

"Who are you and what do you want here?"

They both turned towards the voice, and before Alec could say anything, Magnus exclaimed, "Meliorn!" Alec turned to look at him.

"You know him?" He asked.

"Yeah, he was part of the tournament," Magnus told him. "I… we had a small talk. About Malcolm."

"Oh."

"Hello Magnus, what brings you here?" asked Meliorn.

"Do you not know? Alexander and I are on a mission to make peace offerings with all the most powerful kingdoms." Magnus told him.

"I have not heard of that. I will speak to the queen. In the meantime, you should stay here," Meliron said.

"Alright, we will stay exactly where we are then and wait for your return" agreed Magnus.

"Good. I'll be back as soon as possible." With that Meliorn walked past them, headed for the castle. Magnus looked over at Alec.

"So, I guess we'll just have to wait here," Alec said.

"Yes… And I think that answers the question if they know about us or not." sighed Magnus.

"Maybe the queen knows but hasn't told anyone?" Alec suggested. It was improbable, but still. It could be possible.

"Would that be better or worse, Alexander?"

"I don't know," Alec sighed. "Let's just hope we'll figure it out."

"Yes," Magnus agreed.

"And you know him? I mean you talked to him at the tournament? I didn't know."

"I was trying to figure out something about Malcolm. Meliorn had fought him, so I just wanted to ask a few questions."

"Right. Of course, well that makes sense."

"I didn't think it would be important to you," Magnus admitted. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I actually think that it just saved our lives."

"I don't think he would kill us, but it certainly made everything easier."

"Yeah," Alec agreed. "How long do you think it'll take?" He asked Magnus.

"I have no idea, so we can just sit down and relax a bit," Magnus suggested, and once Alec agreed they sat down and waited for Meliron to return.

They sat for almost an hour before Meliorn came back. Magnus stood up immediately. "What did she say?" He asked.

"She has received your letter. You will be staying in a room in the castle and she will speak with you over dinner tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" asked Alec. "Over dinner? Can't it be earlier?" He asked.

"The queen has set her time. Either take it or leave."

"Thank you for that offer, we will accept it and wait for tomorrow evening"

"Good. I will lead you to your rooms," Meliorn said.

"Wait, rooms?" Alec questioned. Surely he'd heard wrong. Or had he? Not everyone knew about them, and the Seelie Realm was cut off from the rest of the world. Would it be wrong of them to ask for a room together? Maybe they should just suck it up for one night, take what was given to them.

"Yes, rooms. They're right by each other, do not worry."

"Actually, Meliorn," Magnus started. "We only need one room. We don't need to waste rooms when we can share."

"Worry not, we have plenty of room."

"Let me rephrase that. Meliorn, it would be great if Alec and I could share a room."

"You are in no place to ask for more than you've already got. You should be happy the queen will speak to you at all. Now, I will show you to your rooms."

They settled down in the rooms, the horses had been left in the stables and they had been led through the palace. Magnus didn't want to sleep away from Alec, but he understood that he should not press that matter. The queen obviously was a weird and difficult person who had no real interest in seeing them at all so he should better keep quiet and take what she offered them. Magnus also didn't like the place, it felt insecure and dangerous, even though it looked beautiful and all the people they had met so far were more than handsome. Something was not right there and Magnus just wished they could leave this place soon. After the Seelie Realm they would have a break and just travel for a few weeks, he and Alec would train, prepare him for the fight with Lilith. And they would sleep next to each other and relish in the comfort of knowing that they were not alone. That they were together, but first Magnus had to focus on this, they had to leave the Seelie Realm first, preferably with a contract at hand that secured the peace between Idris and the Seelie Realm.

Meliorn opened the door and led Magnus into one room before he closed the door and left Magnus alone. "Alright… " he mumbled and looked at the door. So apparently he wasn't even allowed to say goodnight to Alec. He sighed and went over to the bed. It was already rather late so he decided to lay down and try to get some sleep.

He wondered if the rooms really were close, like Meliorn had said. Maybe Alec was right on the other side of the wall, thinking about him. He hoped so, hoped Alec was close by.

He thought about him, imagined he was right by his side as he started drifting off into sleep. He wondered if maybe he should try to stay awake, what if this was all some kind of trap? But after a while tiredness took over, and he couldn't stop it as his eyes drifted shut.

Alec was led into a room only two doors away from Magnus. He wanted to at least say goodnight to him, but he didn't dare ask Meliorn about it. It seemed like the queen didn't want them there at all, and the Seelie Realm was a powerful kingdom, so an alliance with them would be great for Idris. He didn't want to start anything bad, he just had to shut his mouth and do as he was told for one day.

The door was closed behind him, and Alec placed his bag on a chair before sitting down on the bed. He was nervous about this, about the talk he would have with the Seelie queen. How was he supposed to discuss and come to agreements with someone that didn't even want to speak to him? Alec just wanted peace and not all those problems, was that really too much to ask for? He sat down on the bed and stared at the wall for a long time before he laid down and closed his eyes. It took him a long time to fall asleep, but eventually exhaustion took over and Alec fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

When he woke up there was sunlight filling the room. He didn't know what time it was, but he assumed it was around ten.

Alec stood up almost immediately, changing into new clothes as he had forgotten to change into sleepwear the night before. He quickly got into fresh clothes and then headed to the door. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he was even allowed to leave his room. But Meliorn hadn't said anything about it, so he assumed it was fine.

He left the room, relieved that the hall outside was empty. He made his way to the room Magnus had been left in and knocked lightly. He knocked again after a minute when he didn't get any answer. One more minute passed before he opened the door, slowly making his way into the room.

Magnus was on the bed, still sleeping. Alec noticed Magnus was still in the clothes from the day before too. He closed the door and went to sit on the edge of the bed, running a hand through Magnus's hair and watching with a smile as he mumbled something and turned over. Magnus's hair was so soft, Alec wondered if he would just run his finger through it forever. It was a lovely thought and he liked the idea very much, but he knew he would always have things to do.

After a while Magnus turned again and slowly opened his eyes, he brought his hands up to rub the sleep out of them and then he looked up at Alec and smiled.

"Morning," he mumbled sleepily.

"Morning, how did you sleep?"

"Honestly? Terrible. But it was sleep I guess." Alec leaned down to peck Magnus's lips.

"We'll sleep together again tonight. We're leaving this place as soon as the meeting is done," Alec assured him.

"Great. I missed you by my side. It makes me sleep so much better."

"Me too. Now come on, get up. Let's find something to do"

"What are we allowed to do? I don't want to anger the queen," Magnus said as he got up.

"I guess we'll ask someone if we see anyone, but they didn't say anything, so that would be their bad."

"Alec, I feel like we should be really careful here, they don't seem like they want us here, so… please, let's not do anything stupid."

"We won't," Alec promised him. "Maybe we'll explore the forest or something. I'm sure there's someone we can ask." Magnus quickly changed out of his clothes while Alec spoke.

"Yes, okay. That sounds like a good plan," Magnus agreed and nodded.

They left the room once Magnus was dressed and then started looking for someone to help them and tell them what they were allowed to do. Alec didn't know what it was but he felt unwell and not safe. Magnus must felt the same because he picked up his journal and kept it in his pocket as they moved around, something he hadn't done before, so Alec guessed that Magnus didn't trust the Seelies either.

Alec and Magnus made their way through the halls together, seeing no one. Alec tried to remember the way Meliorn had taken them through the day before, and after some time they found the door that led them outside.

"Why do you think the queen didn't tell anyone about our visit?" Magnus asked.

"I don't know," Alec replied, looking around himself to see if there was anyone there. "Maybe she forgot about it? I mean, she is a child, right?"

"Yeah, right. That's possible… How can she be a child? I mean… this is a huge kingdom, how can a child rule over it?"

"Well, it's possible. If her parents died and she had no other relatives to do it till she grew up? But usually there is someone, an uncle, a cousin, someone. "

"Maybe she just represents the leadership. I mean, as well as the kingdom is doing surely there must be someone else than a child making the decisions," Magnus said.

"Possibly. But we are meeting her, so who knows," Alec sighed. "Come on, let's go that way." They walked away from the castle. There was just forest around there, a small part had been cleared out for the castle, but otherwise just forest. They walked around the castle, not wanting to get lost in the forest.

"There is no one here," Magnus said after they'd walked around the castle twice. "Either they're all sleeping, or they're in the castle, or they're in the forest. There's no one here."

"Maybe this is like it was in Dumort? Where everyone was inside during the day?" Alec suggested.

"I guess that's possible. But Meliorn was outside during the day at the tournament, and no one from Dumort even showed up."

"Maybe they just prefer not to be outside, I don't know," Alec said. Magnus shrugged.

"I guess," he said. "Maybe they're in the woods? The Seelie people love nature, right? Maybe they live there."

"Yeah that's possible as well," Magnus hummed.

After their little talk they spent some time looking around before they got back inside and into the room they gave to Magnus. They didn't do much but soon enough a knight came into the room and told them that it was time for dinner and that the queen would see them now. They both got up and followed him into a huge room. There were flowers and grass everywhere, it was actually beautiful. There was also a throne, which looked liked it was made entirely of a living tree and grass and flowers. On it was a girl, she couldn't be older than 12, since she was wearing a crown she had to be the queen, so Magnus and Alec bowed to her.

"My lady, thank you for meeting with us and agreeing to talk about these important matters," Alec said as he stood straight again.

"Sit," was all the queen said, pointing at two stumps acting as chairs in front of a table made of wood. It was made so it looked like it was just the roots of a tree that had raised out of the ground to act as a table, and Magnus wondered for a moment if that was what had happened. He knew it was fully possible, with the right spell. He gave another look to the queen before he sat down.

"There are a few matters I would like to discuss with you, my lady," Alec said as he sat down. "And I'm sure you have some too. Do you have any adviser that should be part of the meeting?"

"No. Shall we get started?"

"Yes, of course" Alec agreed with a nod.

"Good, now please tell me what you had in mind," she requested.

Magnus listened closely this time. He didn't want to miss anything. At some point there was food and Magnus and Alec had some of it while Alec continued to talk to the queen.

It took some time for Alec and the queen to even start a proper discussion. The queen always kept her answers as short as possible, often saying just a single word. It was like speaking to a wall, sometimes there would be an answer from the other side, but it was mostly pointless.

Hours later, Magnus didn't even want to think about how many, he and Alec finally stood up. The discussion was finally over, and although the queen hadn't wanted a contract, they had come to some agreements. Magnus had kept himself busy with eating as he had nothing else to do. The food was actually pretty good.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, my lady. It is good that we've talked," Alec said and bowed before he turned to leave. Magnus was just about to turn around as well when the queen spoke again.

"You cannot leave. You are chained to my kingdom till I say you can leave."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alec questioned as he turned back.

"You're free to go, prince Lightwood. But I have an interest in Magnus."

"Magnus? Well I"m not leaving without him," Alec said.

"What's stopping me from just walking away?" Magnus asked her, a defying glare on his face.

"You can try. But I'm warning you, you'll never make it out of the wandering woods. You ate the food, you can only leave with my permission." Magnus was about to tell her that was nonsense before something came to mind. A myth he'd read once while researching demons. He'd read about people that were half demon half angel, that lived separated from everyone and had a close connection with nature, having the power to manipulate it and use it as they wanted. The myth had also mentioned the food, and how if you ate any of it, you couldn't leave without the queens permission. He also remembered what Meliron had told him what seemed like a long time ago. "The blood we share goes as far back as the beginning of the Seelies." And how later he'd found out his father was a demon. It all made sense, and he didn't know how he hadn't realized earlier.

"This is the part where we make a deal, right?" Magnus asked her, remembering how the myth went. "What do you want?"

"It's not about what I want. I just think you shouldn't keep secrets." Magnus froze, his eyes flickered to Alec before he focused back on the queen.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Lies, lies and more lies. Magnus, you have to tell the truth, or your little prince will pay the price for it"

"There's nothing to tell!" Magnus insisted, fear on his face now as he wondered if she would really hurt Alec.

"Last chance. You shouldn't lie to the people you love, you know how easily trust can break."

"Please don't hurt him," Magnus begged. "I don't have any secret, just let me go!"

"Oh Magnus," she sighed and waved her fingers. "You could have just told him, now you need to save him," she singsang.

"Magnus, what… Magnus!"

Magnus turned and looked at Alec. What he saw made his blood run cold. Vines were making their way up Alec's legs, making it impossible for him to move. And they were going further up, soon wrapping themselves around Alec's torso before making their way up to his throat.

"Stop that, please stop it. There is nothing I have to tell!" Magnus shouted and looked back at the queen.

"It is your decision Magnus. Save him, I know you know how to," she said with a smile.

"You're crazy! I can't stop it. I'm begging you, I'll do anything. Just let him go."

"Magnus, Magnus, Magnus. Must everything be so difficult with you? Don't beg me to save him. Save him yourself." Magnus heard a choking sound and turned, seeing the vines wrapped tightly around Alec's throat,q Alec's face already red from the lack of air. "Five minutes is all it takes. Two and he'll live, with some damage. Three and he won't be the prince you know when he wakes up. Four and he might not wake up. Five and he'll be a corpse for you to carry back." The queen sang the words like a children's rhyme, and Magnus had to hold himself back from jumping on her.

Alec's hands were free, and he was clawing desperately at the vines around his neck, looking at Magnus with pleading eyes. Magnus hesitated barely a second before he raised his hands. He cast his eyes down, not looking at Alec's face but rather at the vines around his throat as he reached for the energy within himself. His hands lit up, sparks flying around him and he could feel his eyes change as he focused all his energy on the vines. The vines were strong, resisting, but Magnus wouldn't stop, and he forced them away from Alec, back into the ground. He looked up at Alec once they were gone, his eyes still unglamoured and sparks still flying around him. He barely got to look into Alec's eyes before they rolled back into his head, and Alec fell unconscious on the ground.

Magnus was breathing heavily as he calmed the magic and then ran over to kneel next to Alec. He heard the laughter of the queen as he checked for Alecs pulse.

"Oh thank god," he whispered when he found the steady heartbeat.

"Well, you are free to go now. Your horses are ready and your bags are packed. Good luck, Magnus Bane," the queen said, the amusement still clearly audible in her voice.

Magnus was furious but he had to get Alec out of there so he lifted him up and slowly carried him outside to the horses. He knew Shadowhunter would be careful and he lifted Alec up on the horses back, he took the leash and then got onto Jem's back. Magnus gave the command to move and pulled shadowhunter along.

The sun was already down when he left the Seelie Realm, but Magnus kept riding, despite the darkness. He needed to get as far away from the Seelie realm as possible, and he only stopped when the first rays of sunshine were visible on the horizon.

Alec was unconscious the whole time, and Magnus wondered if the queen had sedated him or something.

Magnus made the camp in less than a minute, snapping his fingers to set up the tent and tying the horses to a tree before he took Alec off Shadowhunter's back and carried him into the tent. He laid him down in the sleeping bag and sat down next to him. There were dark bruises around Alec's throat, and Magnus cursed himself for not noticing it earlier. He let his hand rest on the side of Alec's neck, and magic flowed into him. The bruises were gone in a minute, and Magnus left Alec alone in the tent.

He set up a ward, started a fire in the middle of the camp, fed the horses, and then sat down by the flames.

He knew it had been the right thing to do, the only real option. But he couldn't help but wonder if there had been another way, if he could have saved Alec without his magic. Maybe Alec wouldn't remember when he woke up? Or maybe he would think it was all just a weird dream. It wasn't that he didn't want him to know, but he didn't want him to find out like that. He had been thinking about how to tell him for so long, to have the choice ripped away from him like that… it hurt. But worst of all, it left Magnus terrified. Alec loved him, he knew that, but he'd been lying to him for months. Alec didn't seem to hate magic as much as Robert, but the rule was still there in Idris, and once they got back Alec would have to either get him executed or keep it a secret. Magnus didn't want him to have to choose between betraying the man he loved and his own kingdom.

He stood up, couldn't just sit around doing nothing. He needed to get his mind off everything, and a walk through the forest would be perfect for that. He wondered for a second if he really should. What if Alec woke up and he wasn't there? What if Alec thought he had abandoned him? But Magnus just shook his head and told himself he was gonna be back soon. It was only a small stroll through through woods.

It was cold in the forest, Magnus had taken his jacket off while he was sitting around the fire, and now he was getting cold. But he didn't want to go back and get one, so he just shrugged and kept walking. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, especially not when Alec woke up.

Magnus kept walking for a while before he went back to the camp.

"Magnus?" he heard just as he stepped into the light of the flames.. Magnus closed his eyes for a moment before he went into the tent to look for Alec.