Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for Mary, and some other characters I made up. Besides them, all the other characters belong to the wonderful Cassandra Clare.
A/N: This chapter starts off where last chapter ended.
To my anonymous reviewer:
Mortalfire101: Lol, thanks for reviewing.
Anonymous1997: No, I didn't fall on the face of the Earth. I like your magic theory. I mean Magnus is going to be involved later on in the story, so magic is definitely an option. But it isn't Clary's "aura" which makes men attracted to her that has to do with her not being random to Jace. Eh, I guess in a way it does, but in another it isn't in another. You have to wait and see.
**Here is a recap of the last chapter to freshen up your minds (just for this chapter since its been so long):
Clary wakes up in a tent, and remembers the night before, and how Jace saved her from the vampire. They introduce themselves, Jace asks her why she was in the woods at night alone and he accidently says that he'd been following her since she left the village. He gives her a sleeping potion when her body starts to hurt, and she goes back to sleep. When she wakes up again, Jace is asleep and she notices that her belt with her map, and her food are missing. She goes to find it when Jace wakes up and startles her. Jace then tells Clary the following to convince Clary to let him follow her on her journey: "I feel that if I let you go alone, whatever happens would be my fault." "If you go alone, I'd be always anxious to know where you are, or if you are doing well." And admits that he kind of ran away. The chapter ends with them having breakfast. Jace admits that he was at the river in Chapter Four, and he says that Clary is not "random." Jace and Clary then agree to share their food.
Clary still wasn't used to riding on a horse, even with Jace with the reins. It was almost mid-day, and the sun was getting hotter. Clary had her arms securely around Jace.
"East is that way, you know." Clary pointed toward the direction.
"I know that, I just thought we should get a few things before we go," said Jace realistically.
"But we will waste time."
"We would not be much of help if we starved to death, Clary," said Jace. Clary sighed behind him in defeat. "Trust me."
"Alright, fine we will go to wherever you are going. " Clary paused in thought. "Where are we going?" she asked unsure.
"To the nearest village. We will get food among other things, and then we'll stay at an inn," said Jace confidently.
"Have you been there before?"
"No, but I've heard of it from someone…somewhere." His voice sounded distant. Clary glanced at the side of his face; he looked as if he was thinking about an unpleasant memory.
The rest of the ride to the village was silent. Trees flashed by in a mixture of green and brown. The horse jumped over a rock making Clary quickly grab Jace's waist. He chuckled.
Eventually, they got out of the woods and onto a dirt path that went up a hill.
"Are you sure we are going the right way?" asked Clary.
"I know we are. My…eh…friend said he rode up a hill to get to the village."
"But you've never been there before," said Clary unconvinced.
"Trust me," he said again. His horse stopped moving. "Look down"
Clary did, and gasped when she saw the village. The woodlands hid a few cottages farther away, while most of the houses were crowded in the center of town. All of the houses were made out of tan stone, and were tall and majestic. Even from the hill Clary could hear the muffling noises from the village.
"It beautiful," said Clary, as she gazed down at the village.
"Indeed," Jace agreed. He looked at the position of the sun in the sky. "We should get the items we will need if we want to be on our way by sunrise tomorrow."
"Alright," Clary agreed. They rode down to the village to the market place.
OoOoOoOoO
When they arrived to the market place, Jace got off his horse, and helped Clary down. He got a carrot out of his pocket, and gave it to his horse.
"Good boy, Tempest," he said, patting his horse's face.
Clary noticed as she looked around the market place that the villagers like the people in her village were all dark haired people. The villagers stared at them, following their every movement. Some looked away after staring at them for a long time, but others had no shame. Some looked curious, while others looked enchanted. Most of the enchanted villagers were girls; Clary assumed Jace's handsome features probably marveled them. The rest of the villagers were boys, but Clary couldn't figure out why they were enchanted by Jace. More people from roads farther away started to come to see them. Clary felt like she was an exhibition.
"They are staring at us," Clary said, looking at the crowd of villagers who surrounded them.
"Let them," said Jace, he didn't even glance toward the sea of people. Jace gentle got the reins of his horse, and Tempest obediently followed him. As Jace stepped forward into the crowd, they stepped back making more space for him.
"Aren't you coming with me," Jace asked. Clary realized she hadn't moved from her spot.
"Of course," Clary said. She quickened her pace to catch up with him. They stopped at a vegetable cart. By the cart, stood a boy how looked about twelve. The boy looked up at Jace first, but shied away. He then looked at Clary. She smiled warmly to him, and he blushed. Jace huffed a little; Clary turned to scowl at him.
"We'll have a bundle of apples, two cabbages, and some carrots," said Jace in an over powering voice. The boy quickly went to get Jace's order, and accidentally tripped, falling to his knees. Clary swiftly went and helped him up.
"Are you all right?" Clary asked the boy. He nodded. Clary checked his knees to make sure he wasn't lying. There was no visible blood that she could see. The boy went back to work, while Clary went to stand next to Jace.
"Stop scaring the poor boy," she hissed in a low voice.
"I'm doing no such thing," Jace said. Clary narrowed her eyes at him.
"You were. You've never used that tone that you spoke to the boy at me!" Clary argued. Jace sighed.
"It would not be gentleman like of me to speak to a lady in such a way," he said. Clary clenched her hands by her side.
"So you are saying that, because I'm of the opposite sex that you don't speak in that tone of speech," Clary said.
"That is not what I said-"
"It is implied," Clary interrupted. She turned away from Jace, and noticed that the boy was awkwardly standing with their order.
"Thank you," Clary said warmly. She took some money in the inside of her skirt and gave him a generous amount of coins. Jace stubbornly took the bundle of food and fastened it to the saddle of his horse.
"Thank you, Ma'am," the boy said, tipping the small faded hat on his head.
"You are welcome," she said. Jace uttered nothing to the boy. Clary moved to the next cart in anger, trying to get away from Jace.
"Clary," he yelled. But she didn't turn around. Fewer villagers surrounded them, while most of them went back to work. By one of the carts, there was a woman selling woolen blankets. Clary felt the wool in her hand, and founded it surprisingly soft.
"How much?" Clary asked the woman.
"Two gold pieces," she replied. Clary looked through her pocket to find two gold pieces, but before she could, Jace already gave the woman three gold coins. The woman gratefully took the money, and gave Jace the blanket. Clary looked at Jace enraged.
"I had the money," she said.
"I wanted to pay," he said, simply. "Might I remind you, Clary, you paid for our food. So I'll pay for our blanket."
"You really are not going to let me go alone into the woods, are you?" Clary said.
"No, I'm not going to let you," answered Jace.
For the rest of the afternoon, Jace and Clary got all the supplies they needed. Some of the braver villagers came and spoke with them, while others just continued to stare. Soon it was twilight, and Jace and Clary were in the streets trying to find an inn.
"Excuse me," asked Jace an old man in the street. "May you know a good inn where we could sleep tonight?" The man nodded.
"If you walk down the main road, you'll find a nice inn near the woods," he said.
"Thank you," Jace said.
"It's pleasure," said the old man sincerely. They went back to the main road, and walked in the direction of the woods. Right by the woods was a lovely house. The front side of the house had a variety of flowers that were in bloom. In the middle of the beautiful garden, was a wooden sign. On it, it said: 'Terra's Inn.'
"This must be the inn the man spoke of," said Jace. Clary nodded in agreement. Jace tied Tempest's reins on the white fence.
"Stay here, alright?" he spoke to Tempest. The horse made a noise as if he understood what Jace was saying. They walked to the front door, and knocked. Two seconds later a kind looking woman opened the door. She smiled when she saw them.
"Good evening! You two must be the visitors everyone has been fussing about. I can see now why they were," said the woman, watching Jace and Clary with fascinated eyes. She then laughed, and moved aside from the door. "Please, do come in. I'm sorry it is just that you two look nothing like what I've ever seen before."
"It's alright. We get that a lot," said Jace, assuring. The woman closed the door, and continued to look at them as if she was trying to memorize their faces. Clary looked away from the woman in discomfort. A man entered the room.
"What are you doing to our guests, Luce?" asked the man.
"I'm doing it again, aren't I? Oh, I haven't even introduced myself yet." She laughed. "My name is Lucy Menon, but everyone calls me Luce in this village," she said, smiling.
"And I am Roger Menon, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He bowed his head.
"Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Menon," said Clary politely. "My name is Clary Lewis."
"Ah, the pleasure is mine," said Luce, then turned to Jace "You too, Mr. Lewis." Clary gasped, but before she could say anything, Jace spoke.
"Thank you," Jace said. Clary glared at him; he only smiled at her warmly. He whispered in her ear, "Play along, please."
"Well, welcome to Terra," said Luce.
"Do you have a shed perhaps?" asked Jace. "I have a horse with me."
"Yes, I do," said Roger. "Let me show you where it is." They went outside to put Tempest in the shed. Clary looked at Luce.
"Do you need any help with anything?" Clary asked.
"Sure dear, why don't you help me get things ready for supper," Luce replied. Luce guided Clary in the kitchen, where there was a pot full of food. "The bowls and spoons are over there in the cupboard." Luce pointed. Clary did as she was told. There were a few minutes of silence.
"Do you have anyone else staying with you?" asked Clary.
"Not right now we don't, but there usually are three people most nights," Luce replied.
"What's it like being an innkeeper?"
"Some days it's backbreaking work, but other times you learn a thing or two from the guests," said Luce.
"Like what?" asked Clary curious.
"Like this dish over here," she said pointing to the food in the pot. "The recipe is not my own, or my family's. It was from a beggar woman. We allowed her to stay with us for few nights during one of the worst storms I've ever lived."
"A beggar woman!" said Clary in astonishment.
"Yes, indeed. She wasn't a beggar woman from her origins. She told me she was the daughter of royal chef in the palace, and that she ran away years ago for a sense of liberty."
"That is truly astounding," said Clary in awe. There was a noise of the opening and closing of the front door.
"It is. We should set the table now. Supper is ready."
OoOoOoOoO
After Clary helped with setting the table, she stood next to the large glass window, and stared up at the sky. In the sky, the moon shone its mesmerizing blue light. Clary wondered if Simon was staring at the moon the very moment. She missed him, and Ma, and even Gavin and John. Please, Ma, be all right, Clary said in a silent prayer. All of a sudden, two hands touched her waist. Clary jumped in surprise. She turned to find that it was Jace. Clary grabbed both of his hands, and took them off of her waist, but instead Jace intertwined their hands.
"What are you doing?" Clary whispered. Jace smirked.
"If we are going to pretend we are lovers, we have to act like we are in love," said Jace.
"Why can't we just tell them the truth?" asked Clary, quietly.
"Because it will lead to less suspicion," whispered Jace near her ear. Clary shivered.
"Fine," said Clary.
"Come on, dinner is getting cold," said Jace, sticking his elbow out. Clary sighed, and weaved her hand through. They walked to the dinner table; Luce and Roger were already at the table. Jace got out a chair for Clary, and she sat in. He took the seat next to her. Luce said a few words of prayer, and they all began eating. The soup of the beggar woman was delicious.
"How long have you been married?" asked Roger, smiling.
"Quite recently."
"Three months." The confusion on his face was evident. Jace cleared his throat, and explained.
"The time has gone so fast that it seems like we've just married, right love." Jace turned to Clary in agreement. She nodded.
"We know what you mean, don't we darlin'." Luce grabbed her husband's hand and smiled at him adoringly. Clary couldn't help but envy how Roger looked at her, and she at him. As old as they were, they looked like they've just found each other. I wish someone would look at me like that, Clary thought longingly. Then she shook the thought out of her mind. She had to stay focused on completing her mission.
"How long have you two been together?" asked Clary.
"Thirty seven wonderful years," replied Roger proudly. He looked at Luce. "We've known each other longer, but it took awhile before I got her father's blessing."
"Where are you two origin from?" asked Luce. From the look on her face, she had been waiting to ask the question the whole time. "You both look like you are Capitol folks, but you don't act like Capitol folks." Clary smiled, trying to find an answer. She looked at Jace for help, but he shrugged. Then she thought about John and his father, and got an idea.
"We are from the village of Bethany farther west. Our fathers are representatives from the Capitol for the village. We ourselves haven't ever been there, but have heard stories," Clary said, lying smoothly.
"That explains it," Luce said, nodding at the explanation. "Did your father marry one of the towns people? Is that why your hair is red?" asked Luce.
"Yes, he did," Clary lied. They continued to eat supper, as Luce asked them all types of questions, which most of them Clary answered. She later helped Luce clean up, while Jace and Roger spoke the village's wolf problems. Apparently, people had been seeing wolves a lot recently, and though the wolves hadn't attacked anyone yet, they feared that they would soon.
"May you tell me which room I'm suppose to sleep in?" asked Clary to Luce once they were done. Luce smiled.
"Your husband knows the room you two will be sleeping in." Clary froze at her words, you two. Luce looked at Clary strangely. "Are you alright?" Clary tried to shake off her panic.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I just very tired," Clary said.
"You're not expecting are you?" Luce said in a lower voice. Clary eyes bulged.
"Oh, no. No, no, no," said Clary rather quickly.
"It's alright," said Luce. "It's sometimes hard to expect that you are going to have a baby." She thinks I'm scared about being with child, Clary thought. Luce misinterpreted my words.
"Oh, Mrs. Menon, I'm not with child," Clary tried to convince her.
"When was the last you bleed?" asked Luce. Clary looked at her uncomfortably.
"Ah…-"
"See child, you are expecting," interrupted Luce. She misunderstood Clary's words again. "There is nothing to be scared of. Actually it's the most wonderful thing in the world. There is the pain of childbirth… but afterwards it's all forgotten. Oh, your babe will be beautiful. I could already see it!" Clary nodded, as Luce continued her tale of motherhood, and of her son Hanley. A few minutes later Clary excused herself to bed. Luce apologized for talking so long, and told her it was a good idea to sleep, especially with the baby.
Clary went to the fireplace were Jace sat in a chair. She asked him where their bedroom was. She still felt a little bit shaken up by the conversation she had with Luce.
"Jace, will you please show me where our room is?" Clary asked him. He turned away from his conversation with Roger, and looked at her.
"Of course," he said, skeptically. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Clary nodded in reassurance.
"I just had the most-," Clary tried to find the word to describe it,"-Oddest conversation with Luce," she whispered.
"What was it about?" Jace asked.
"I'll tell you when we're alone," Clary said softly. Jace nodded. He told Roger he was retiring for the night, and they said their goodnights. Jace walked Clary to the room they were staying at. Tempest's saddle with the things they bought, were already in the room. The only light came from the glow of the moon. The bed was rather big compared to what she was used to. She sat on it, and Jace sat beside her. He looked at her in worry.
"What did Luce say that made you so alarmed," he asked. Clary cracked a smile.
"I'm not alarmed. More embarrassed, really," Clary said.
"Well, what was it?" Jace asked, impatiently.
"She thought I was with child!" Clary said, and as she spoke she begun to laugh. Jace stared at her with wide eyes, and then began to laugh, too.
"You aren't expecting are you?" Jace joked. Clary rolled her eyes.
"Of course not," Clary said. They stayed silent before Clary remembered a question she wanted to ask him. "Jace?" He turned to look at her to continue. "Why didn't you ask for separate bedrooms?"
"They'll get suspicious Clary," Jace said.
"Yes, but we could have pretended to be in some sort of fight," said Clary.
"I didn't want to risk anything," said Jace. Clary sighed.
"All right, but we'll have a pillow separating us," she said.
"Of course," he agreed. Clary got off the bed to a dark corner of the room. Jace furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you doing, Clary?"
"You didn't think I would be able to sleep with my dress again, did you? Turn around, until I'm done," ordered Clary. Jace turned his head away from Clary, immediately. She took off her green dress and put it by a chair. She had on a white under dress that she usually slept in at home. It felt nice to get out of her dress, even as uncomfortable as it was with Jace in the room. She quickly got into the covers of the bed, and placed a pillow on her left shoulder. "Alright, I'm done changing. You can do the same if you wish. I'll look the other way."
"Thank you," said Jace. Clary laid on her side, opposite of Jace. Once he was done, he slipped into his side of the bed.
"Good night, Clary," he said.
"Good night."
A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait. A lot has happened in my life since the last time I updated The Basket. Also there was school, and writers block, and that's never fun or functional when it comes to updates.
**If anyone is confused, Clary is NOT pregnant. Luce being herself assumed she was because she was tired, and was uncomfortable with all the questions she was asking.
**Because I promised a long time ago to AM, for anyone who reviews, I'll private message the story behind why Simon can't run so fast (Chapter 5), and will in two days after this update put it up on my account.
Well I hoped you all liked the chapter! :) If you see any mistakes don't be afraid to tell me.
Review!