A/N: Hey guys! I am so excited about this story. A few people asked why I decided to rewrite Reckless Flames, and it was for a magnitude of reasons. I wanted to change some of the events that occurred, and I knew that this was honestly one of the best story ideas I have had. I didn't think that the first one did it justice.
I have grown immensely as a writer over the last year, so I decided to start working on rewriting this, and I love how it turned out. I have been writing it for over a year. It is my baby.
I am finishing up the last chapter. Most of the story is still in the editing phase, so until then I will be posting once a week on Saturday. I might change it to bi-weekly once it is completely edited.
Please enjoy!
P.S Fanfiction was acting really weird when I uploaded this, so if there are a lot of random errors or extra words or too few word please let me know. It says the word count is much higher than it is supposed to be. I skimmed over it the best I could, but I'm not sure what's going on.
Clary felt like she was going to die of heat stroke. They had arrived in the desert late at night, and Clary didn't even realize that it was the desert because they just kept riding. She wondered why they hadn't set up camp for the night, but she was too tired to ask. She could feel her head dropping from sleepiness, but she fought it off. The sun rose in the morning, and they were surrounded by a heat she had never experienced before. The men were finally starting to slow down, circling around the people. They finally began setting up camp. Clary slid off of her horse, and almost fell on her face. She could hardly feel her legs underneath her, as she took a step forward. She winced loudly about to let herself collapse on the ground, but someone gripped hold of her, keeping her from falling.
"You're alright." A gruff voice assured her, as he hulled her to her feet.
"I'm not." She sniffed loudly, keeping herself from crying.
"Yes, you are, you are strong little angel." He carefully walked her to a tent, where she collapsed on a bed roll. She rubbed at her nose, rolling to her back. She could see Stephen standing over her, as she curled into a ball. He sat next to her, rubbing her back lightly. "This is why we don't wear so many layers. Our home in the forest, yes, but the trees grew out of the sand. It is only a few degrees colder in the shade. You need to start wearing our leathers. They will protect you from the hot sun and help keep you cool." He rubbed her back lightly, lying next to her.
"No." she whined, burying her face against her arm.
"Clary, you will die of heat stroke if you don't take some clothes off." He sighed, ripping at the seams of her shirt.
"No! Stop!" She fought against him half-heartedly until he gave up.
"Go to sleep. We move again when the sun is down." He murmured, lying back against the pelts.
"Why did you want me? I was raised in the palace. I am not made for this." She could feel beads of sweat rolling down her body.
"Because of the bruise on your cheek." He said softly, touching it gently. She flinched away from his hand, gulping thickly. "When he invited me to the castle about a marriage arrangement, I was confused at first, but it didn't take me long to notice you on the balcony. You looked small and terrified, sitting with your face against the bars. No woman should be abused in the ways you have been, little angel." He whispered, cupping her face. "We don't treat our women the way your brother has treated you. Our women are equals; they are skilled and agile in multiple areas that men cannot begin to compare." He explained softly, dropping his hand from her.
"I don't believe you." She whispered, trying to keep her eyes from falling shut.
"I know." He murmured, as she fell into a deep uncomfortable sleep.
OoOoO
Clary gasped awake, pushing herself into a sitting position. There was a crushing weight around her when she remembered where she was and why she was here. She inhaled a deep breath through her nose, as she ran a hand down her face. She was dripping in sweat, and that's when she realized that she felt dizzy. Someone pushed the tent flap back, climbing inside, but she was so hot, she couldn't figure out who it was.
"Drink, you are getting dehydrated." She took the skin from the man, bringing it to her lip. She gulped it down greedily before collapsing back to the ground.
"Night fall is in a few hours, get more sleep, little angel." She felt an assuring hand lightly touch her back. She let sleep consume her once more.
OoOoO
Clary was woken hours later. She felt extremely disoriented, as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Stephen was packing up their tent, giving her time to recover from pretty much fainting. She licked her lip, feeling like her mouth was overly dry.
"Drink more water." He pointed at the skin next to her. She lifted it to her mouth, taking a large gulp before setting it down. "Drink the whole thing. You'll need your strength and we have plenty to go around." She did as he said, letting her body fill with the cool water. She recovered from the overwhelming heat, but now she was fighting the shivers. The temperature got much cooler as the sun went down, and the left over sweat on her skin began to chill her skin.
"This place is the worst." She muttered, tossing the skin aside.
"Trust me, little angel, there are much worse places than here." He got to his feet. "Come on, let's go. I'll have you ride the wagon on top of the supplies, alright?" He offered, holding his hand out.
"Thank you." She murmured, hesitantly putting her hand in his. He dragged her to her feet, leading the way outside. She crawled up on top of supplies, as Isabelle's horse rode up next to her. Clary blushed heavily remembering their short argument from the other day.
"Don't look so petrified. We are equals remember." She smiled, adjusting her reigns. Clary pursed her lips, squeezing her hands. "You are having a rough time right now. I am here for you, remember that." She promised.
"Thank you." Clary said sincerely.
"We're family when you marry my cousin. Anyone could have been assigned to caring for you, but I wanted it to be me because I know my cousin, I know my uncle, and I know the things you'll need to know." She adjusted her reigns on her horse, trying to stay next to her.
"What is your cousin like?" Clary asked, her curiosity escaping her.
"He's a warrior. Honestly, if he could I don't think he would become the lord of the forest, but he is Stephen's only heir. He has a presence that fills a room and he is incredibly full of himself. He's the best and he knows it." She laughed, shaking his head.
"Great." She sighed, remembering that her brother was a lot like that.
"He's very kind though. He plays with the kids and is great with our people. I assure you, he will take care of you." She assured him.
OoOoO
They arrived at the forest a few days later. Their routine stayed relatively the same, which consisted of sleeping during the heat of the day and ride at night until sunrise. She was shocked to see how the magnificence of the trees. She had never seen tree trunks as big as these. They sprouted tall and wide out from the sand in a way that she never imaged. Stephen had mentioned that, but she could not fathom it.
It didn't take them long to ride into their town, if you call it a town. It was covered with tents made from animal skins with half-dressed people running around the place. She saw women's breast flaunting about, as they did various tasks. She cringed at the sight, finding herself become a little self-conscious about her own chest. Clary felt like child in comparison to the other women. It was late afternoon, and it appeared that people were just waking up.
"It is hot in the morning and early afternoon, so we wake up when it begins to cool down." Isabelle informed her, leaning towards her.
"Ok." Clary nodded, inhaling a deep breath.
"We are up late in the night because that's when the weather is the best but we need the sun to hunt and work. Everyone chips in and we work as fast as we can until the sun sets so that we can enjoy our night together." She explained, smiling faintly. Clary could feel herself retreating inwards from her surroundings. The entire place felt extremely intimidating, which was making her comfortable. "Hop on with me. I'll take you to your tent." She held out her hand, offering her a ride. She took her hand, climbing up on her horse behind her.
They rode off together through the tents, and Clary realized that Stephen was just behind them. They curled around a few more tents until they reached a clearing. There were about five big tents in the semi-circle around the outskirts of what appeared to be a common area. Isabelle stopped at a tent that was next to the one in the middle, and slid off her horse. Stephen did the same before offering to help Clary down.
"You are going to be staying in my son's tent until the wedding, which is going to be tomorrow evening. Jonathan is going to be sleeping on the floor of my tent." Stephen explained, walking through the flap. Clary followed behind him, and she wrinkled her nose at the sight of her new home. The bed was a pile of furs. There was a desk in the corner along with various chests stacked around the outskirts of the tent. Someone brought in her chest, setting it next to her soon-to-be husband's. She stood frozen in the middle of the hovel as an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach settled in. "Isabelle will get you cleaned up." Stephen spoke softly, backing out of the tent.
Clary felt horrible, so the idea of being washed sounded extremely nice. Isabelle helped Clary out of her now ruined shirt, and tossed it in the corner. "That would probably be good kindling for the fire tonight." She explained, carefully undoing her braid.
"You have fires? It is so hot. Why in the world would you have a fire?" She exclaimed, feeling sweat all over her body.
"It gets very cold at night." She shrugged her shoulders as she turned pouring water into a bowl. She dipped a rag into the water and lightly drug it over Clary's body.
"This place is so odd." Clary scoffed, shaking her head. It feels like the earth is on fire during the day, and it feels like the ice age at night. It made no logical sense that this place should even exist. She had no idea how the trees thrived because there was no water in sight, in fact she didn't know how their people survived in general.
OoOoO
After she got cleaned up, Isabelle brought out their traditional leather clothing. Clary looked skeptically at the fabric. "No, I refuse to wear those." She shook her head furiously, uncomfortable to lose her modesty and to show that much of her body.
A princess was supposed to be pure and reserved. Their garb denied even the slightest bit of modesty, being seen by the people in such suggestive clothing would make her look worse than a common prostitute. She didn't care what was acceptable here. She would not wear scraps of dried animals that were poorly sewn together.
"You will die of the heat in those dresses." Isabelle held the garments out for her to begin putting on.
"I would die of heat before I exposed myself in such an uncivilized manner." She crossed her arms, daring the girl to challenge her.
"Fine, let it be known that I, Isabelle Lightwood, did not cause the death of the beloved princess. It was her own stupidity that was her demise." Her voice dripped with sarcasm, as she tossed the rags to the side. She whipped open Clary's chest, drawing out the long elaborate gown.
"Don't be overdramatic." Clary rolled her eyes, as she stepped into the gown.
"As you wish." Isabelle grumbled, bowing her head as she strung up Clary into her gown.
"Can you tie my corset?" She asked, unable to finish it on her own.
"Fine." She sighed, walking behind her.
Clary sucked in a breath when the strings tightened. She shook herself a little bit, prepping herself to face this society. She inhaled a breath, gulping thickly. She was more nervous than she expected. She wasn't ready to do this. She wasn't ready to meet her future husband, and most importantly she wasn't ready to get married. She had no idea how long they would wait until the ceremony would take place. They didn't seem like the type of people to wait very long, so she assumed she would be married within the week.
"Jace is at the training grounds. I can take you to him if you want." Isabelle offered, stepping towards the exit.
"Yes, please," She pulled her hair to one side, hesitantly following her out of the tent. They made their way through the town, and everyone's eyes were on her. Her stomach sank further and further the longer they walked. She hated being stared at, especially when she knew that she was the one that was different then everyone else.
"They're jealous." Isabelle murmured, trying to make her feel more comfortable.
"Right." She blew out a defeated breathed, holding her skirts, as she walked.
"No one could ever afford anything this nice." She touched the fabric of her dress lightly, smiling faintly.
"Thanks." Clary grinned shyly, as she took in a steadying breath.
As Clary walked behind Isabelle, she felt envious of the way the tribal woman held herself. She seemed so at ease. Isabelle was always in such a state of peace and relaxation that happiness radiated of the gorgeous woman in front of her. Clary had never experienced that freeing feeling of joy before in her adult life, and she wondered if she ever would.
They stepped into an arena type area that was, for all intents and purposes, abandoned. There were countless of empty training assemblies scattered about a large stretch of land, but a bulk of people was circled around a commotion that they could not see yet.
"Step aside, boys. Give us some space." Isabelle pushed through horde of sweaty men, which made her cringe. They parted ways for them, giving them some elbow room. Clary sighed softly, turning her gaze to the center of the crowd.
There were six people in the arena. She couldn't make out what was happening in the blur of staffs whipping around, but it looked like everyone was attacking one man. She wondered why they were all ganging up on him. It took her a while to realize that the man in the middle was blindfolded. Clary's heart dropped as shock pitted in her stomach. She was amazed when she noticed that the man was defecting the offensive attack. Clary's eyes scanned the crowd, she spotted Stephen across the group. His eyes were focused on the brawl unfolding in front of him.
"He's the one that is blindfolded." Isabelle whispered to her.
"Seriously?" She rose her eyebrows, feeling slightly shocked, as well as impressed.
"Yes, he is the best warrior we have ever seen." Isabelle explained, smirking slightly. Clary hummed lightly, looking back at Stephen. He made eye contact with her, turning his lips up with amusement. She broke her eyes away from his, feeling her stomach flutter with nerves.
The five men who were fighting her betrothed were on the ground, scrambling for their composure. He slipped the cloth off, smirking at the carnage. "Jonathan!" Stephen called, walking towards him. Clary watched him clap his hand across his son's neck, drawing forehead against his. They spoke almost silently to each other before breaking apart. "Everyone get back to training. The show is over." Stephen ordered, dragging his son towards her.
Her eyes widened when she realized they were meeting now. It was like all the sudden she realized how hot she was. Her gown was heavy from the sweat that had seeped off of her over the last few minutes. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, which probably made her look ridiculous. She couldn't do this now. She needed to change and fluff her locks.
"Isabelle, go check on the medical supplies that we brought. Jonathan and Clary come with me." Stephen commanded, gesturing for them to follow him.
Clary ducked her head slightly, walking just behind him. Jonathan stayed next to his father, which made her a little more comfortable. She felt invisible and weak. She had so many conflicted feelings.
Clary was panting for breath by the time they got to tent. She held her waist, feeling a dizzying sensation come over her. She slipped into the tent with the men, blinking furiously.
"I'll give you two sometime to converse. You two will be expected at the feast tonight to honor our guest." Stephen smiled between the two young adults before exiting the tent. Clary felt tense, as she turned to face her fiancé.
"I knew you were a princess, but I didn't think you would be stupid enough to wear a full-length gown in this terrain." The man snorted, circling around her. "You look like you're dying." He whispered in hear ear, making her shudder.
"I feel fine." She muttered, pushing hair away from her face.
"You're also a bit jumpy. Interesting." He backed away from her, giving her some space.
"Are you always this rude?" She snapped, feeling woozier then she would like to admit.
"Sometimes." He shrugged, sitting in the desk chair.
"I-" She blinked rapidly, feeling herself stumble. Black closed around her, as her breath rushed out of her.
OoOoO
Clary stirred awake, gasping loudly when she realized where she was. She scrambled to pull the blanket across her bare chest, learning quickly that someone had removed her clothes. She inhaled a deep breath, as he eyes locked with Jonathan's. "Did you take my gown off?" She exclaimed, feeling overwhelming conscious of the vulnerable situation she was in.
"Yes, you would have died if I didn't." He grinned faintly, carving away a piece of wood. "I promise I didn't peek." He smirked, biting his lip lightly.
"You undressed me without looking?" She exclaimed, shaking her head. "I find that hard to believe." She snorted, holding the blankets even closer to herself.
"I took out 5 men blindfolded. I can rip a gown off without seeing the skin underneath." He assured her, raising an eyebrow at her. "Truly, I didn't look. If I wanted to I wouldn't have covered you up. There are some leather clothes at the end of the bed. The shirt has a front facing corset, while the skirt ties on the sides. I had to get a children's size skirt, but it should work." He shrugged his shoulders, getting to his feet.
"Thank you." She whispered, looking down at the clothes.
"I'll wait outside to escort you to the dinner." He strode outside, giving her space.
Once she knew she was alone, she slipped out of the covers. She grimaced at the leather clothing, but quickly snatched up the skirt. She felt so out in the open, which was wrecking her nerves. She pulled the skirt up her legs, feeling extremely exposed in these clothes. She adjusted the skirt before reaching for the shirt. She shrugged it over her shoulders, lacing it up quickly. She pulled it taut, and it didn't go together completely. She sighed heavily, trying to pull on it more, but she couldn't breathe and her breasts were popping out of her shirt. She loosened her ties, running her hands over her bare stomach and then the tops of her thighs.
She took a breath, not wanting to walk outside. She took a deep inhale, moving outside. Jace was waiting patiently for her. He started walking a different direction, and she followed him. "You don't need to feel immodest." He said to her moments later.
"I am wearing a sixth of the cloth that my gown is made of." She muttered, pulling at the hem of the skirt.
"Your society over sexualizes the female body. Breast are for feeding our young as well as more sexualized things but a man's chest is also attractive, is it not?" He questioned, challenging her.
"I guess that's true." She whispered, looking down at her feet.
They stopped in front of a large fire, which was surrounded by people. Jace told her to follow him, and she stayed a step behind him. People's eyes followed her, creating a pit of nerves in her stomach. She has never felt more alone. Her eyes drifted to the dancers around the flames before she found Stephen.
"Father." Jace nodded to him, as sat on the ground next to him. Clary grimaced slightly, awkwardly getting herself to the ground. She was so uncomfortable. She tucked and adjusted her legs in futile attempt to make it feel like her delicates weren't on display.
He slid a plate of food in front of her, and she heard her stomach grumble loudly. She tried to control herself, but eventually gave in and began digging into her food. She had barely eaten anything since they left the palace. She was so sickened by the heat that she had been nauseous. Under the cool cover of the night sky it was beginning to calm down. Her stomach was still unsettled, but she was ready to eat her fair share of food.
"How long has it been since you've eaten a full meal?" Her fiancé asked, seeing that she had cleared her plate rather quickly.
"A while…" She broke her eyes away from him, grabbing a chicken leg from his plate. "I've been queasy." She shifted awkwardly, pulling at her skirt.
"I'll get you more food." He got to his feet, leaving her. She took a shaky breath, running her hand through her locks. She pulled her mass of red hair over her shoulder, watching him make his way to the fires. He exchanged with conversation with a few people, slapping the man's arm before returning with another plate of food.
"Thank you." She smiled faintly at him, beginning to eat again.
"No problem." He turned back to his father, making her sigh softly.
OoOoO
Clary stared at the ceiling of her tent, if it could be called a ceiling. She couldn't believe she went from a palace with protective stone walls to a tent with flimsy animal skin. She heard the people who were still at the fire talking, while her room continued to fill with light.
Now that she wasn't dehydrated, she still couldn't sleep because of the light. She huffed loudly, rolling onto her side. She was never going to get to sleep. She was also incredibly uncomfortable because she only had her silk robe to sleep in. Any more layers then that, she thought she might begin to get over heated again. She pulled her blanket over her head, hoping it would block out the light.
It did help a little, but her breath began to raise the temperature.
She groaned in frustration, whipping the blanket down. She wondered if it was always going to be like this. Would she be able to sleep at all?
She wanted to go back home, so she could curl up in her comfortable mattress. Her sheets were made of silk while her pillows were filled with swan feathers. She got to sleep in cotton nightwear that kept her warm even when she was out of bed. Her bed was surrounded by a shear canopy giving the illusion that she was laying under the stars.
The fur bed was more annoying then she could image. It was like being tickled with hair, which was driving her crazy. She groaned, trashing around, as she tried to get comfortable. It wasn't working at all, but she kept moving, hoping that she would get into a comfortable place.
She huffed loudly, giving up, so she stared up at the ceiling again. She didn't know how she was going to sleep tonight.
She hated this place. She hated this bed. She hated the heat. She hated that she had to get married.
I hope you enjoyed their first meeting! I know a lot of people might not want to reread a story that was already written, but this story just has the same general plot line. It is a completely different story with new characters and different kinds of relationships.
One of the major differences between these stories is that this one will be at least twice as long, so a lot more stuff happens and a lot more development happens.
Thank you so much for reading. I love all of you guys, and I have been super happy about the result thus far.
Please review! I love hearing from you guys. It's so encouraging.