AN: So this is the same last chapter that you read, only this one has been fixed by my editor, Aubrey. She edited it a long time ago but I was remembering how I abandoned this fanfiction, and I thought I'd treat you to a pretty chapter. I am going to write Chapter 7 today and hopefully I'll be up tomorrow. Since Chapter 8 is prewritten, it'll be up next Saturday. Consider this fanfiction unabandoned.
Disclaimer: Jonathan is Jace and "His Father" is Valentine but neither of them are mine.
Jonathan stroked the piece of wood with such tenderness that seemed to be absent from his life. Since the day his father destroyed Ilene's gift, he has tried to make a duplicate. It was a lost cause. Jonathan wasn't as artistically skilled as Ilene and for weeks, his mini Shadowhunter looked more like a deformed ape.
Whenever his father was away, which seemed to be more often, Jonathan would take out the piece and carve at it with a kitchen knife, trying to make features that he knew he could never construct.
Today he had the toy out in the open while his father was home. Part of him wanted to get caught so the thing would be destroyed like the first. Another part wanted to get caught so his father would give him attention. Anger and pain was better than the agonizing separation from his father's train of thought.
But Jonathan wasn't stupid. He put the toy into a black sock and tucked it in between his mattresses.
"Jonathan," he father called. For a split second, terror rose in Jonathan, in fear that his secret was exposed. Yet there was no one at the door. The call was from the other room. Quickly he got to his feet and walked to his father's location.
Instead of waiting at the doorway, Jonathan walked into the library knowing his father would yell if he didn't. A sharp pain of the memory of that beating, the fury in his father's eyes, the ache from the formed bruises; but worst, the fact he had let his father down.
His father sat by the window looking tranquil. This was a good sign, Jonathan thought. At least he's not drinking…or throwing things.
"Ah my boy, come sit with me." He said patting the sitting area next to him. Jonathan went and sat next to him, fidgeting slightly as an everlasting silence seemed to form.
"Have I told you the story of the Shadowhunter and the Dragon?" He asked.
The boy shook his head. "No, Father."
"Well once there was a Shadowhunter. He was one of the bravest, strongest, and most charming. However his charm didn't work on the woman he was in love with, nor did his bravery. He had known her since they were young children but in all that time, he never talked to her. He feared rejection. Love was his Achilles Heel."
"Achilles Heel?" Jonathan asked, not recalling the term before.
"His weakness. Whenever he was around her, he was no longer the greatest Shadowhunter. He was mundane. He doubted his talents, his charm, everything. One day, while thinking about how much time he wasted waiting, he went to her.
"'I am the greatest Shadowhunter, and you should be with me,' he said. The woman was startled by his abrupt declaration of love that was unrequited. 'If you are such a great Shadowhunter, go bring me the head of a dragon and I'm yours.' She figured this was a good way to free herself of her admirer. No sane person would dare look for a dragon let alone kill it singlehandedly. She believed this would be the last time she would see him.
"The Shadowhunter didn't stop there. His love blinded his sanity and his young urge to fight only added on more to his naive nature. He asked around until someone reported a small town harassed by a dragon. The town had been destroyed, everyone killed. The dragon remained to absorb the death that lingered there.
"The Shadowhunter traveled for days until he reached the outskirts of the town. He suddenly grew weak. He began to doubt his abilities and began asking what if. What if his sword didn't work? What if the dragon blew fire or was huge like the ancient fables? What if he died? What if he never saw his love again?
"He retreated from the town, sick to his stomach of the outcomes. He went to the nearest place he could find someone. He planned to write a letter to his love saying he couldn't go into battle and he was leaving. The nearest place was an old shop that looked like it should be abandoned. Nonetheless there was an old man watering a small rose bush that was misplaced in the scene. The old man asked about his journey.
"Once the Shadowhunterwas through with his tale, the old man clapped his hands excitedly. 'Oh! I know exactly what you need,' he exclaimed and went inside for a moment, leaving the Shadowhunter confused. When he returned he was carrying a box. The box was only the size of a hand but it was beautiful. Imbedded into the dark lead were swirling patterns of gems, rubies, and diamonds, making the box look as though the value was quite high.
"'This box is a magical box. It was crafted by a great warlock. You can lock all your doubts away by putting in an item of your own. All your fears, worries, pain will be gone. And you can fight the dragon and claim your lover!' The old man squealed in delight. The Shadowhunter took the box, thanked the man, and took off his family ring and tenderly placed it inside. He closed it, and he didn't feel any different.
"He then thought of killing the dragon, and he knew without a doubt that he could accomplish such a simple task as that. He went to the city with the box in his bag, feeling more confident than ever. He found the dragon and killed it. Simple. He didn't even break a sweat. He knew he would make the kill and he did. He sliced the head from the body and traveled back home.
"He tossed the dragon's head at his love's door and said 'I traveled far and found a dragon. I killed it with my sword and my sword alone. Now I'm here to claim your love I've fought so hard to get. Will you be mine?' The woman was astonished that someone had risked their life for her. That someone was willing to die just to be with her forever. 'Yes!' she said suddenly seeing the Shadowhunter with new eyes.
"The Shadowhunter and the woman were together forever. The Shadowhunter was thankful for the box so he passed it down to his son, telling him his story. He also told him to tell his story and give the box to his son to which the story and the box were to be passed down to his son and so on and so on…
Jonathan's father stopped talking and pulled out a wrapped gift from behind him. "My son, I felt so," he paused searching for the right word, "mortified that I missed your past birthday. So this is for you." He handed the gift to the boy.
Jonathan unwrapped it carefully, revealing a box like the one in the story. "The Shadowhunter was-"
"Your great great great great grandfather, yes."
"Oh" was all he could say.
"Now if you ever feel scared or doubt yourself in any way, put something in the box and all your worries will vanish."
"Thank you, Father," Jonathan said then went and leaned over to give his father a hug, which was returned lovingly. The boy pulled away with a bright smile and his father laughed ruffling his blonde hair gently.
This was his father. The one he knew and loved. The man that had hurt him was not his father, but a mean man with his father's face. A mean man that emerged whenever his father had too much to drink or when he came back from his "business" trips.
Jonathan resisted saying "Glad your back" knowing that a reminder of his father's trip might spark anger.
"Since you are turning five in a few months, what would you like to do on your birthday? You can do or have anything you want."
Jonathan thought long and hard before giving his reply. "I want to take a bath is spaghetti."
His father looked confused for a moment and then decided not to question his son's wishes. "That's fine. One spaghetti bath you shall get."
Jonathan nodded trying to seem serious, but on the inside, he was beaming.
AN: I know. Another author's note! Well I wanted to explain why I wrote this chapter. To me, Valentine is not a bad father. He has temper problems but that doesn't make him hate Jace. He loves Jace just as if he were his own son. As you read in the second chapter, he wants to be with Jace more than Jonathan but at this time in the story, he is realizing that Jace will never be the warrior he wants him to be. He is too loving. So Valentine is away with the real Jonathan leaving Jace alone with the servants. But Valentine doesn't love his real son, since he is part demon, so he is very angry when he comes home to Jace, hence the temper tantrums. I don't know if that message was clear in this chapter so that's why this author's note is here. I also don't like writing about child abuse every chapter so this was a little fluff since the next chapters are more depressing except the spaghetti birthday.
-V