A/N: Please don't be mad at me. It has to be done. I'll have a longer authors note at the end.
Sorry that this is a little shorter then the rest of the chapters.
1 month later
It took me a while to notice, but everyone whispers about me, the exotic princess, who married their leader. The rumors about why I was married off to Jace were interesting. Some said that I wasn't a princess at all and that I was a slave, others said we were married to prevent a war, and a handful of people said I was really a nymph. These people let stories run wild, which is fascinating.
I also noticed that Jace treats me differently when we are alone and around people. When he is with people, I become his property, but when we are alone, I am his equal. I don't understand why he behaves that way. It bothers me. It makes me wonder which man is the real Jace. I feel like if a man really wanted to, he would manipulate his nature to have his way with me, then why would Jace give me a choice? Trying to figure something out is extremely frustrating, and Jace isn't helping me much. He trains all day and come back to the tent to sleep all night. I never really get to speak to him.
I spend my long days etching designs into leather for clothes, which can be both entertaining and boring. It is something to do, but after doing it for a month, I'm getting tired of it. I've made enough clothes for myself to last a life time. Izzy eventually started selling it to the citizens. I always took great pride in my work, especially if I saw someone around the clan wearing it.
I'm just glad I have Izzy. She fills my day with humor and kindness, which I am extremely thankful for. We are more of friends then anything. She does my hair in the morning, and whenever we have time in the day I practice on hers. I'm getting better then I used to be.
I'm beginning to go a little crazy though. I feel disgusting all the time, covered in sweat and grime. I haven't had a real bath since the day I left, and washing myself with a rag and bowl of water isn't working anymore. I've stubbed my toe on so many rocks outside; I'm surprised that I haven't broken a toenail. I hate feeling this dirty. It makes it hard to fall asleep at night, which is what I'm trying to do right now. It doesn't help that Jace is drinking with his men tonight, so I'm alone. I got used to him sleeping next to me.
"Clary?" Isabelle's voice broke my train of thoughts.
"Yes?" I pushed myself up into a sitting position, gathering the blanket around my knees.
"Jace has requested your presence in his father's tent." She stepped in all the way, and her face seemed a little distressed about it.
"Why? It's in the middle of the night." I furrowed my brow, feeling a little comfortable at the request.
"I don't know, but he seems very... Determined to have you join him." She informed me.
"That's strange." I kicked my feet to the floor, padding over to her. When I got to my room today, I was so tired; I just fell asleep in my clothes. I followed her over to Stephen's tent, where I heard about of male laughter. Suddenly, I felt a little nervous about walking in there. I gulped visibly, glancing over at Izzy.
"They have all been drinking a fair amount. Do you want me to stay with you?" She asked, not wanting me to get hurt.
"I'll be fine. Go to bed." I told her softly, turning my eyes back to the tent.
"If you need me, you know where I am." She patted my shoulder, turning down a path to her tent. I waited outside the tent for a few minutes, wondering what they were talking about. I was curious about what was causing such laughter.
"How is your little one under the sheets?" One of the men asked, silencing the rest of the laughter. I couldn't see them, but I knew they were all leaning in to hear his answer.
"You don't want to hear about that." Jace chuckled, half-heartily trying to steer the conversation away from me.
"Oh, but we do." They urged him on, and I felt my face go red with embarrassment. He wouldn't actually talk about that. Would he?
"She was surprisingly wild." His voice was rueful, making me feel sick. He did. He's taking about it.
"It's always the most timid lakes that bust a dam to create a wild river." Stephen added with a snicker. Even Stephen is taking about me.
"Exactly." Jace agreed, obviously smiling.
"I can image. You two must be going at it like bunnies." Another man chimed in.
"Oh, we are." Jace lied. He was lying about having his way with me. Why would he do that? What would possess him to humiliate me this much?
"Do you know if she is with child yet?" Stephen asked curiously, which is a fair question. He wants to make sure Jace has an heir, and if we are going at it like "rabbits," it is very likely to assume that I maybe pregnant.
"She isn't but we have only been married a-" He paused when he saw me walk in. I couldn't hear any more of their boasting about my most intimate region. "Clary, I expected you to take a little longer." He swallowed visibly, knowing I heard everything they just said.
"You requested my presences. Is there something you needed?" I clasped my hands in front of me, starring him down. He knew he was in trouble, but I wouldn't embarrass him here, in front of his friends.
"I thought you might enjoy a drink with us." He gestured me over to him, looking slightly petrified. I walked around the men who were giving me knowing looks. I rolled my eyes, standing next to him.
"There's nowhere to sit." I gritted my teeth, wanting to slap him.
"Sit here." He pulled me onto his lap, and I bit my tongue. I'll lash out at him later tonight.
"I'm going to kill you." I whispered in his ear, making him adjust awkwardly. He was tense underneath me, but he slowly relaxed as he drank.
"Let's get you a drink." He said quickly, pouring me a glass. He wants to show me off. That's why he wanted me here.
"Yes, please." I plastered a false grin on my face, feeling disgusted by the way the men were looking at me. I downed my first glass quickly to take off my nerve, and then I slowly sipped it. I lazily ran my fingers through his hair, as the group spoke idly about random things. I kept my anger fueled the entire dinner, teasing Jace until he squirmed. To the men it looks like innocent flirtation between husband and wife. Little do they know Jace hasn't gotten any from since we got married, and probably wasn't that satisfying of a night.
A couple hours later, everyone finally retired to their homes, and I was still fuming. The second we stepped into our tent my hand connected with his cheek. "I can't believe you did that to me!" I exclaimed. "Surprisingly wild!? Are you serious? I'm in here trying to sleep, and you ask me to come drink with you and your loser friends, who were talking about how I am in bed. It's humiliating. And why are you bragging about bedding every night? You're lying." I yelled, throwing one our pillows at him. He looked completely shocked at my outburst, which I was finding very amusing. "Are you not going to say anything?!"
"They brought it up. What was I supposed to say?" He crossed his arms, looking aggravated at me.
"Those things are between me and my wife, or it's private, or anything other than I'm wild." I was exasperated with him.
"I'm sorry. I just-"
"Just nothing! Do you know how hard it was for me to let you touch me? Do you know how embarrassed I was? I was so thankful I was with a man who respected me enough to not rape me, but I honestly you bragging about having sex with me is just as bad." I wanted him to feel awful about it. "So why? Why did you completely humiliate me?" I crossed my arms, glaring angrily at him.
"I didn't mean to do that I-"
"You didn't want to look weak." I hissed, poking him in the chest. "That's the same lame excuse you gave me on our wedding night, and it's your excuse now." I bit out. "You didn't want to let your men know that you are waiting because all of them would force themselves on their wives, while you are being respectful. You're embarrassed. You think its looks weak to not be with your wife, even if she doesn't want it." I lectured him about what I learned from dinner.
"Clary." He sighed quietly, looking completely ashamed of himself.
"What? Do you want to apologize? Am I just a prize to you? Because that's how you treat me around people, and I can't tell if that's the real you or if the man who sleep next to me is the real one. I'm getting really sick of not knowing!" I rubbed my fingers to my temples, trying to calm my rage headache.
"By the Angel, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mean to offend you. I didn't even mean for you to hear. I thought you were going take longer to get there. I thought you needed to get dressed, and I apologize." He huffed, inhaling deeply.
"Don't come back until I'm asleep." I snapped, not wanting to see him right now.
"You are kicking me out? This is my house." He exclaimed, beginning to get very frustrated with me.
"It's mine too, and you were being stupid. Get out." I pointed at the door, and he gritted his teeth, exiting the tent. I sat on the bed, wrapping my arms around myself.
OoOoO
I woke up, and Jace had never come back to bed. Crap. Was he really that mad at me for yelling at him? He deserved it. Izzy walked in at the usual time. "What happened last night?" She asked, grabbing a brush.
"I got into a huge fight with Jace, and he never came home last night." I bit my lip, wondering where he went.
"Oh." She pursed her lips, as she started to brush my hair.
"Do you think you could find him for me, after you do my hair?" I glanced back at her.
"Of course I can." She assured me. She brushed my hair soothing, telling me everything was probably fine. It made me feel much better. "Every couple has their first fight. I'm glad you were able to put him in his place." She teased with a sweet smile on her face. "I'd be happy to kill him for you." She suggested.
"I'm ok." I giggled, playing with my nails.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm sure." I took a deep breath, feeling calmer than before.
A/N: I know this wasn't super bad, but it was still a fight. I'm debating about where I want Jace to have gone, but I know it will end up making people angry. As I said before it has to be done. Thinks can't be happy all the time, so here is where Jace is a little more off.
What do you guys think?
Where did Jace go that night?
What will Clary do when she finds out?
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