Clary let Jace guide her around the palace until they reached the dining room the third time. They'd passed it twice, the smell of bread wafting toward Clary each time. But this time Jace opened the doors, revealing a gigantic gold plated room filled with tables of fruit. She almost drooled on the ground as he pulled out her chair.

"Hungry?" Jace chuckled as he asked. Clary plopped down on the cushion, vigorously nodding her head.

"I've walked two miles because of your tour, of course I'm hungry." She glanced at him, rolling her eyes. Clary watched Jace sit down in the nearest chair with a grimace. Jace barely noticed it as he settled himself and grinned. "Why are you smiling?"

His lips drew up again as a few young girls placed food on their end of the table. She stared at the amount of in front of them, the plates full of Egyptian delicacies. "That's why I'm smiling. This is some of the best food you can have, or at least I think that."

The words were lost on Clary as she spooned a bit of each onto her plate. Her face lit up as she ate, making it hard for Jace not to laugh when she ate the spiciest dish he knew of. The red traveled up Clary's face at such an alarming rate that Jace couldn't summon a glass of milk quick enough.

"What was that?" She coughed out, grasping for the glass the girl presented her.

Jace, who had been eating maybe two things, died laughing. He only stopped when Clary looked at him like she was about to choke him. "I call that the firebomb chicken. The spices are so prominent in it that they overwhelm the dish and make it impossible to eat unless you can handle it." She almost stabbed him with her fork. "I typically avoid eating things like that."

Clary had to resist the urge to flick some of the infernal dish at him. "You could have warned me you know." Anger replaced the urge to eat within her and she decided that her questions could be saved for later.

Jace drank from his mug before even acknowledging her remark. "Sorry. I didn't expect you to eat everything." He looked remotely apologetic.

Her voice changed into a teasing tone at his expense. "But your dad said he trusted you to behave. Which means you need to take care of me, so…"

"Stop." He said flatly, nibbling on his last bite.

"But Jace, what if you weren't following orders? That would mean that…" Clary dragged on, grinning to herself.

"Clarissa, stop it. I get the point. Now do you want to see where I sleep or not?" His royal attitude was a bit of a turn on but she wouldn't admit it out loud. The look on his face had changed also, making her sit up a bit straighter.

She played with her napkin in her lap. "I would like that very much."

"Good." He said from above her, holding out his hand for her to take. "Because you won't be returning to your room tonight."

Jace's POV

His nerves pricked up as they got closer to his room. Jace had wanted to make it up to her but maybe there was a reason he left his room off of the tour. The queen would understand, she had been young at some point herself. Besides, he knew that his parents had done some things they shouldn't have from stories so they couldn't get too mad at him. Clary poking him made him realize they had reached the door and before he knew it, they were on his bed. Her touch made him melt, even if she was just laying her head on his chest.

"For someone who took a girl to his room, you really are quiet." He watched her walk towards the balcony, her dress swirling around her ankles.

As much as he wanted to stare, Jace knew that he wouldn't be able to hold back his affection for long. Creeping after her, he wrapped his arms around her waist before she could pull the curtains apart.

"What are you doing?" She laughed, placing her hands over his own.

Jace lay her on his bed, covering her body with his own. "I'm practicing." His wiggling eyebrows made her laugh even harder.

"For?" Her smile said that she knew but he didn't feel like prying.

One hand on her cheek, Jace leaned down and whispered, "For when I can officially call you my wife and we can have a little private fun."

"Which is when?" She whispered back, stroking his hair.

"A year or two." He was disappointed by the number but it still made him happy.

Clary bit her lip, trying to not let him see her disappointment. "I would do it tomorrow if we could." It came out as a hushed whisper but he heard it.

"So would I," Jace ran a hand through her hair in a soothing motion. "But I have to be eighteen to officially take the crown and you need to be at least seventeen if we do. It's the law. I'm sorry."

Clary sighed, leaning onto his shoulder. "Is it okay if I sleep in here tonight? You smell like Simon's shop and I need some normal right now. Not that this isn't amazing but…"

Jace understood, "you need to adjust. I know. Just rest in here tonight. I'll find your maids and tell them then come right back, promise."

He moved her onto the right side of the bed before laying a blanket over her body. Leaving the room, knowing that the girl he loved was waiting for him, was the hardest thing he'd ever done.

After fifteen minutes he found them, both girls sitting in the court yard completely oblivious to his presence.

"She's nice," the younger one commented.

The older one seemed a bit more opinionated. "I agree. But she isn't Egyptian. Our food and customs may be a bit of an adjustment. But at least the prince is head over heels for her."

"Head over heels? He's completely in love with her! Did you see the way they looked at each other when she left for dinner? It made my heart skip just watching." How old was she? Maybe fourteen?

His chuckling gave him away. Both girls sprang up and bowed, the youngest looking like a ripe cherry. "Sorry if I scared you two. I just needed to pass on that the princess will be staying in my room tonight."

The older girl raised an eyebrow. "And why is this?" She sounded protective over Clary, which made him feel better.

"I smell like Rome, and I really don't feel like waking her up. She just didn't want you to worry that she wasn't in her make-shift room." He looked too sheepish for his own comfort, but it was the truth. "I, I'm going to go back up. Have a goodnight." He turned abruptly and marched to the end of the hall, only stopping when he was out of sight to hear if they said anything.

"Yep, the prince is in deep." The maturity flowed through her voice, coating her laughter as she said it.

"They are so cute! Why can't I find someone who loves me like that? It's not fair."

"You have some time before you need to worry about that. Stay a kid as long as you can. Now, where can I find me a boy who is as devoted as he is? That is the real question."

Jace laughed to himself the entire way back, but stopped when he opened his door. Clary slept soundly as Izzy watched her from a chair.

"You are trespassing on so many levels!" He hissed in her direction, stopping to stand in front of Clary.

"And you have a sleeping girl in your room, one who I was looking for earlier." Izzy seemed to not care that she shouldn't even be on his level of the house.

"Well, you found her. What else do you need?" His glare made Izzy as uncomfortable as he planned it too.

"Nothing, okay? I just had to get away from Alec and Magnus. They are going at it, again." Her face squished up in disgust, probably over the fact she heard them before escaping.

"That makes sense. Still, gross. Do you want to stay in the adjacent room before they fix it up? It'll only be for tonight though. It's hers as of tomorrow night."

"Your mom let this happen? The one who said we couldn't be in the same chariot because we were different genders?" Izzy didn't move from the chair as she said it.

"Yes. I'm seventeen now. Besides, she and I are in love. You are a family friend. Do you want the room or not?" Jace crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was tired and didn't have time for this.

Izzy crossed in front of him, heading towards the door. "I'll go find one of the girls to talk to until I get tired. Have a good night!" She waved her fingers teasingly at him through the crack between the doors before heading down the hall.

"Classic, Iz…" Falling on the other side of the bed, Jace wrapped his arms around Clary's torso and fell into a deep sleep. He was blissfully unaware when, sometime later, his parents peeped in and shook their heads. He was a lucky boy.

Clary's POV

The sun shone through the curtains, making her squint as she looked around. Clary had to wiggle out of Jace's grip just to sit up. She sighed, shaking her head. Then it hit her like a brick. She was in Jace's bed, in his room, in Egypt. The memories came flooding back to her in an instant. As overwhelmed as she felt, it was somewhat relaxing. Clary was free to be herself and that was all that mattered.

Jace groaned in his sleep as she walked around the room, heading towards the balcony to see the city from above. Once she got outside she didn't want to go back in. The city was beautiful, like nothing she'd seen before. People crowded the streets below, a familiar sight to her. Except there were carts of items she'd never seen before. She sighed again, knowing that she'd never go home. But, in all honesty, she didn't want to. Within the room something moved, making a small amount of noise accompanied by a few groans. Clary turned to check if the rustling she heard was from the bed and saw something completely unexpected. She turned an extreme shade of red as her eyes stayed peeled to Jace's naked backside. Sure, she'd seen him naked before at Jordan's. But it'd only been for a few minutes and she hadn't paid that much attention at the time. Eyes still glued to him, Clary surveyed his every detail. His muscles were defined all over his body, making him appear like a marble statue. In the light his hair burned like a golden flame, draping over his head to the top of his neck. But the real prize was his ass, a bun-shaped mass of mythical glory. A part of her wanted him to turn around so she could see his chest, but her memory decided to fill in the gaps and she realized how well she had paid attention that night. Clary remembered every detail, right down to the gold-blonde pubic hairs. Lost in thought, she imagined it again, but had to shake herself out of it before she made any noise.

"If you want to check me out you could just sit on the bed and watch me change. You don't have to spy on me, even if I am sexy." His voice cut through her pride as a ninja, making her blush even harder. She had to face the facts: spying really wasn't her thing. But she probably should have noticed the mirror.

Clary came back in, unamused that a mirror gave her away. "I didn't think I was privy to this information till we were actually married." As hard as she tried to hide her staring, Clary couldn't keep her eyes off of his butt.

"Believe me when I say this: you will be waking up to this manliness every day when that happens. No one will see you for a week knowing what I've planned." Every fiber in her body lit up as she sat on the bed and tried to bury herself under the covers.

"Every time you say something like that it makes waiting even more frustrating."

Jace paced over to where she was and threw the covers off to reveal her bed head. "Too much?" He laughed, even though he was trying to be affectionate at the moment. She picked up on his intentions before he knew she had and threw a throw pillow at his head.

"Just put some clothes on!" She yelled, catching the pillow as he threw it back at her. Clary was going crazy knowing he was naked and needed certain thoughts to go away.

"Fine." He was walking away, finally. "But you need to get dressed too. I love seeing you like that, but I don't think it's appropriate for breakfast."

"You're one to talk." Clary griped. Jumping out of bed, she found a dress and some supplies in a chair by the door. Somehow the dress fit her tiny frame, but she kept looking in the mirror to make sure it looked okay. She'd have to thank whoever delivered it later.

"Now that is appropriate." Jace said, watching Clary brush the knots out of her crazy hair.

Her glare made him shut up but he kept watching, waiting until she was done to sneak a kiss. Clary caught his arm when he tried again and pinned him to the wall. Some part of her knew he could have easily reversed the situation but she let it slide. Catching his lips with her own, Clary poured herself into the kiss, giving him something to remember the rest of the day.

"Good morning to you too," he said in amazement, touching his mouth with his fingers. A smile broke out on his face before he pulled her toward him and took her hand. The look on his face said he wouldn't be able to shake off what just happened for a while.

"Breakfast." Clary reminded him, pulling him towards the doors.

"Yeah, that. Let's go." Jace seemed to have come to his senses but she wasn't too sure. The way he kept looking at her in the halls said otherwise.

Needless to say, they were the last to arrive in the dining room. Everyone's eyes followed them as they sat, smirks forming on their faces when Jace got defensive over someone else checking her out.

"Good morning, you two sleep well?" The king asked, curiosity lacing his tone.

Clary fidgeted in her seat, not sure she could look him in the eyes without blushing. She glanced over to Jace, who looked about as comfortable with the question as she was.

"We did. How was the dinner party?" Jace replied, discretely changing topics for her sake.

The queen laughed under her breath, shaking her head at them. What was so funny? Clary never found out because all conversation stopped when the doors opened. Alec walked in with Magnus, shirt mushed up at the bottom. The two of them, unfortunately, ended up being the last people to straggle in. The man opposite of Clary looked distinctly unhappy at the sight and ignored them, sipping at his drink instead. She saw Jace giving the guy a discrete stink eye before returning his attention to her. Clary raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to why he had done that. The look on his face said he would tell her later.

The tension in the room thickened by the minute, especially with everyone eating their food like nothing had happened. Clary nibbled at her own, confused. Was being gay such a stigma here also?

"Clary, dear, you've barely touched your food. Are you okay?" The queen pointed out, concern written all over her face.

Clary thought about stuffing a big bite in her mouth to avoid answering but quickly thought of a way to ease the feeling in the room. "I'm fine. I am just being careful after last night's meal. Someone didn't tell me my mouth would be on fire if I ate something."

"She didn't seriously eat the chicken, did she?" Izzy asked, dropping her fork. The question seemed more aimed at Jace than her by the looks on everyone's faces.

Jace sat up and little straighter, but she could hear the defensive nature in his voice. "Yes. I didn't have time to warn her before she inhaled a piece of it."

"I do not inhale food! Excuse you!" She burst, glaring at him.

"You don't exactly chew it either." Jace jabbed back, poking her side with his finger.

"Says the boy who ate my entire stash of sweets before I could even stick my hand in the bag."

Jace looked like an angry puppy thinking about pooping on someone's rug. "I ate all of them? It was one handful! You ate seventy-five percent of the bag."

She was about to fire back again when most everyone broke into laughter, including the man who had just looked disgusted a few minutes before. Looking over at Jace, she smiled and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he mouthed back, poking her nose before laughing himself.

"Ah, okay. I see why you would be quite careful around him. He used to inhale food when he was younger actually. I remember this one time…" The queen started to ramble off before being stopped by Jace.

"Mom, please. No one needs to hear that story."

Clary laughed as he begged, catching the queen winking at her.

"Fair enough. Clary, would you like to spend some time together today? The boys have some military prep to do and I'm not too inclined to help this afternoon."

She knew an opportunity when she saw one and nodded. "Of course, I would love to."

Jace's face dropped into a look of pure doom. Whatever his mother was going to say to her probably involved him and he had picked it up. His gold pupils traveled to hers and begged her to call it off. But Clary shook her head and continued eating, ignoring him. The puppy eyes wouldn't work this time.

Izzy's POV

Breakfast could have gone worse, or she kept assuring herself of that. She ended up inviting herself along on Clary's walk around the palace gardens with the queen. The queen didn't mind it at all though. Izzy knew she was happy to have company. Besides, the gardens was one of the few places that contained a pond. And after the morning they had, she was sure the three of them needed to relax.

"It's nice to spend time with you girls. Working on unification and such can easily give one a headache." Her majesty sat on the edge of the ponds foundation, leaning backwards with only her hands on the marble.

Clary joined her, looking into the pond instead of at the sky. She said nothing but did look considerably more relaxed than she had inside. And considering Jace had held her back a few minutes, probably making sure he heard all the stories when they saw each other again, Clary probably needed some girl time.

"So, what was Jace saying to you before we left?" Izzy couldn't help but pry. This was the golden soldier they were talking about. The one who could be the biggest kid she'd ever met, but normally acted like nothing bothered him.

Clary laughed. "He was nervous that after this I'd see him as someone completely different and not like him as much. I assured him that was impossible but he made me promise."

The queen looked startled, "My son is nervous? My, you really have an impact on him."

They had a good laugh before continuing. Izzy could see the bond strengthening before her eyes and decided she'd only comment when she needed to.

A moment came up a few minutes later when they were talking about Rome. "You should have seen Jace when we entered. He walked around like a soldier until Alec told him that we were lost. Then she came up and we didn't matter anymore. Or he just didn't know how to properly talk to a girl in a hood."

"In a hood, like a disguise?" The queen glanced at Clary, confused.

Clary pulled at the skirt of her dress before speaking. "Yeah. I snuck out that day and met them randomly. They did look really lost."

"That's my son for you: stubborn as a bull. I was afraid he'd get lost there. Looks like it was a good thing." The queen really liked Clary, Izzy could easily tell how happy she was that Clary met Jace.

"There was also the game at Maia's when…" Izzy saw the look on Clary's face and shut up. The girl looked just as scary as Jace could. They were a power couple like she'd never seen before.

"When we all realized how they would infiltrate the house and not be suspicious," Clary finished. She sounded normal but her eyes screamed revenge.

Izzy kept her mouth shut the rest of the time about anything regarding the game night at Maia's.

"That's great! I look forward to hearing the rest at the party tonight." The queen got up, dusting off her rear. "Which reminds me of something. Clary, your suite is in the room right next to Jace's. It should be ready by now if you want to go make yourself at home. I'll see the two of you tonight." She stopped briefly by Izzy's ear and whispered, "I expect details about that game later." Then walked away, leaving them alone.

"Want to go check out the room?" Izzy wanted to get to the room as soon as possible. That way Clary could be busied and not plot her revenge.

Clary walked beside her, quietly humming something she didn't know.

"Don't act like you are innocent. I know you have some evil plan in that head of yours."

Her companion only smiled and kept humming. In fact, she did it all the way to the room. Now all she had to do was find out her plan.

Authors Note!

It's been a while, sorry... My minds been a blank for a while so I finally got some ideas a few days ago and typed. But here is the chapter!

Questions: (Remember that I use reviews to help fuel the story on occasion *wink wink*)

is Clary plotting?

2. Any comments? Theories?

Review!

Love y'all,

Writerbyheart, aka "A"