Chapter 17: Herondale Weddings…
November, 2031:
Charlie was standing in a small chamber within a mansion in Idris' countryside, pacing back and forth. She had faced demons, rogue Downworlders, and Mortmain, who was worse than the previous two combined, but the events that were to happen today had her shaking in fear. There was a knock on the door to the chamber. Charlie walked over and opened the door and found Cecily standing on the other side of the doorway, dressed in a flattering gold dress. Cecily immediately noticed Charlie's worried expression and stepped into the room. She took her parabatai's hands in hers and tried to look comforting.
"How did you find me?" Charlie asked.
"I'm your parabatai." Cecily replied. "Not to sound like the Charmings, but we always find each other."
The reference made Charlie smile appreciatively. Charlie and Cecily walked over to a small sofa against the wall of the chamber.
"What's got you so rattled?" The Lovelace asked the Herondale.
"What do you think?" Charlie answered. "Cecily, I'm getting married!"
This was true. The reason why they were in Idris, and why Cecily was dressed in gold, was that it was Charlie and Ros' wedding day. The mansion was the Arcargents'. Ros had lived there briefly as a child, so it had more sentiment for the couple than the Herondale manor would have had.
"So? That doesn't mean you have to worry about it. Today is the celebration of the love between you and Ros." Cecily assured Charlie. "Everyone who loves you is waiting to see you two declare your love and start the rest of your lives together."
This instilled some confidence in Charlie. At that moment, the two girls' attentions were drawn to a knock at the doorway. They turned to see Will, dressed in a suit with golden runes decorating the jacket. The elder Herondale was speechless for a few moments as he took in the sight before him. Both his girlfriend and his sister looked elegant and more beautiful than he had ever seen them. After he had snapped out of his momentary reverie, Will realised that Charlie had said something to him.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Will asked.
"What did you come here for, Will?" Charlie asked again.
"Excuse me? Oh yeah. Everybody's ready. We're just waiting on you guys." Will remarked. Both Cecily and Charlie nodded. The Herondale girl was the first to stand up. She stepped next to her brother, and Cecily stepped forwards as well, so she was level with the duo.
"You two, stick by my side." Charlie instructed her brother and her parabatai.
"We always will." Cecily and Will responded simultaneously. All three remembered when they had first made the vows, however informal: to stick by each other's side, regardless of what happened.
2020
It was late at night in New York. Due to a rogue warlock's hex a few days prior, aimed at the Shadowhunters while they had been on a training patrol, the two Herondales were suffering badly from night terrors, to such a degree that they were made to sleep in the infirmary, and were given mundane sleeping medication, until such time as Magnus could figure out how to reverse the hex. This didn't stop the more petrifying of the nightmares from waking up the pair. That particular night, Charlie and Will jolted up simultaneously. However, as they began to panic, they caused both Jordan and Cecily to stir. The two Lovelaces had taken it on themselves to ensure that the Herondales' night terrors were dealt with as they happened. As soon as the two Lovelaces noticed the Herondales sitting up, they ran to their lifelong friends' sides.
"There's nothing to worry about. You two are safe." Jordan and Cecily assured Will and Charlie. Both Charlie and Will calmed.
"It was horrible!" Charlie stated. "You two turned on us! You- you killed us!"
"We'd never do that to you." Cecily assured the Herondale. "We'll be by your side, and nothing can change that."
"Do you promise?" Charlie asked.
"We both do." Jordan answered, turning to look at both Will and Cecily. "In fact, I vow to stick by your side no matter what. I promise, on the angel."
"I promise too." Cecily added.
"We'll stay by your sides too, then." Charlie promised the Lovelace siblings.
"Will?" Cecily queried, noticing the elder Herondale's silence.
"I thought me promising was implicit." Will commented, making the others chuckle. "Of course I promise as well."
November, 2031:
The three young adults walked together to the entrance of the manor's ballroom, where everyone else was waiting to start the wedding. Most were inside apart from the few pairs of bridesmaids and groomsmen, as well as Jace to lead Charlie in and hand her over. From New York were Will, Cecily, and Amatis. Jordan was meant to, but couldn't for obvious reasons. There were also three Shadowhunters from Ros' friendship circle in Paris. Another of Ros' friends, a boy called Jacques Épéeuse, had thankfully agreed to lead Amatis into the ballroom. When the group saw the two Herondales and Lovelaces coming to the doorway, they all got ready to head in and start the ceremony. Amatis and Jacques were the first to head in, followed by the French couple then Will and Cecily entered the ballroom.
"You know, your mother had the exact same look on her face when she was about to marry me." Jace commented, looking adoringly at his daughter. The comment made Charlie blush slightly, and she nervously fiddled with her dress, ensuring there were no wrinkles or folds. The dress showed off Charlie's runes and her natural beauty. Jace offered his arm to his daughter, who looped hers around it and took a deep breath as the pair stepped into the ballroom. Jace walked Charlie to the front of the room, where Ros and a Silent Brother stood. When Charlie was level with Ros, the two took each other's hands.
"How are you feeling?" Ros asked Charlie quietly.
"My stomach is so full of butterflies; it feels like one might fly out of my mouth." Charlie confessed. Ros smirked as an answer. Both young adults turned to the Silent Brother.
"Shall we begin?" The Silent Brother asked Charlie and Ros. Both nodded. The ceremony began with Charlie and Ros exchanging gifts: Charlie gave Ros a necklace with an infinity sign made of gold and diamonds, whilst Ros gave Charlie a pair of bracelets adorned with runes of love and health. Under the oversight of the Silent Brother, Charlie and Ros placed the Wedded Union runes upon each other and the couple were bound. The final part of the ceremony was quintessentially mundane: Charlie and Ros sealed their vows with a kiss. The kiss was met with applause from the 'audience', but this faded into the background for the newlyweds. To them, the moment stretched until it was an eternity, with both feeling the greatest sense of elation they ever had. The ballroom was also the hall which the couple were to use as the room for their reception, so the seats were moved to the side around tables conjured by Magnus from elsewhere in the mansion. The various guests either sat or stood around, chatting. Soft music played in the background. Cecily and Will walked to the newlywed couple. Cecily pulled her parabatai into a tight hug, which was happily reciprocated by Charlie.
"I'm so proud of both of you!" Cecily exclaimed.
"Thank you so much." Charlie replied. "I knew you were supporting me the whole way through, both of you. You always have when I needed you."
"And I always will." Cecily assured Charlie. "'Aught but death part thee and me', and all that."
Charlie smiled. After Cecily stepped back, Will stepped forwards. After hugging Charlie, he turned to Ros.
"My sister is one of the best people I know." Will stated. "Even if sometimes she can drive me insane. Remind her every day how special she is and how much you love her, because that's the least of what she deserves."
Ros nodded and smiled.
"I can promise that, Will, my brother-in-law." Ros promised.
"Please, that's too wordy. Let's say brother instead." Will commented. "That is, if you don't mind."
Ros smiled and nodded. Cecily pulled Will away, seeing that Clary and Jace wanted to talk to their daughter and new daughter-in-law. After their son and Cecily had walked away from the newlyweds, the two Herondale parents stepped forwards.
"Look at you, Charlie." Jace started. "You've grown up so much."
"We're incredibly proud of both of you;" Clary added. "Ros, could I speak to you separately for a moment?"
Ros nodded and stepped aside with Clary.
"Now, when Jace and I got married, my mum warned him about what would happen if hurt me. I'm sure you care for Charlie and don't want to hurt her. All the same, if you harm my daughter in any way, you'll have me and an entire family to answer to." Clary assured Ros.
"I understand, Mrs Herondale. I'd never think of hurting Charlie. I love her too much for that" Ros promised.
This made Clary smile.
"I'm glad to hear that. It's Clary, by the way." Clary stated before walking with Ros back to Jace and Charlie. Ros and Charlie shared a quick kiss before turning back to the Herondale parents.
"So, where is the first destination on the Herondale-Arcargent honeymoon?" Jace asked. (Ros and Charlie had decided to hyphenate after a lot of deliberation.)
"We were thinking of going to London. That's the last place members of our families lived together." Charlie explained. "Plus, I've always wanted to see more of Europe than just Idris."
Jace and Clary gave each other an understanding look; Charlie had actually visited Britain before, but she was only an infant when Clary and Jace had taken her.
May, 2015:
It was mid-afternoon in Cardiff when Jace and Clary portalled in. The Cardiff Institute had been closed since the Dark War, and the two Herondale parents had been invited to take part in the ceremonial re-opening. The Lovelaces had agreed to care for Will but, as Clary was still had to nurse her, the couple had to bring Charlie with them. When Clary and Jace portalled into the Welsh Institute, they were immediately met by Gareth Deepvalley, who was to be the head of the Cardiff Institute after it was re-opened.
"Ah, Mr and Mrs Herondale, it's an honour to meet you;" Gareth remarked. "Let me show you to your room for the night."
Gareth lead Clary and Jace through the corridors of the Institute to a bedroom much like those in the New York Institute.
"The ceremony is tomorrow morning. Until then, enjoy Cardiff and Wales." Gareth remarked. Clary and Jace thanked the Welsh Shadowhunter who turned and exited to oversee the final preparations for the ceremony. After Clary and Jace finally got Charlotte settled in the room, they spent the rest of the day exploring the Institute, not straying too far from the Institute in case Charlotte woke up again. That evening, Clary let Jana and Alwyn, Gareth's 2 year old daughter and son, respectively, coo over Charlotte (under her supervision, of course). Alwyn and Jana were twins, so didn't have an idea of having a younger sibling, and seeing the two young children play peek-a-boo with the baby Herondale made their father smile. Jace, who was sitting with Gareth and Cristyn (Gareth's wife), took note of this.
"Does Charlie have any siblings?" Gareth asked Jace nonchalantly.
"Yeah," Jace answered. "Will's just 10 months older than Charlotte. I don't think Charlotte could have a more loving elder brother, at least so far."
Gareth and Cristyn smiled. Both Clary and Jace went to bed feeling exhausted. Apparently, so was Charlotte as she slept soundly the entire night.
The following morning, Clary and Jace were woken up by Charlie crying. They quickly realised this was due to numerous voices in the corridor. Jace checked the room's clock and saw that they had barely an hour before the ceremony began. The two prepared as quickly as they could. Charlotte wouldn't settle, so Clary carried her daughter as she and Jace got into the entrance hall just before the opening ceremony was to begin. The ceremony was brief, in traditional Shadowhunter fashion. Afterward, Clary excused herself so she could deal with Charlotte who was beginning to fidget, whilst Jace mingled with the other Shadowhunter guests.
November, 2031:
After the Herondale parents had finished talking to Charlie and Ros, the newlyweds talked to a few of the other guests before they shared their first dance. Will watched his sister from a distance, sitting at the edge of the room. His mind wandered, as he also saw Amatis watching. She was sitting on her own, and Will's mind wandered to how it would be different if Jordan was there. Cecily was sitting next to her boyfriend and noticed his distant expression. Will's mixture of a smile and frown made Cecily realise what Will was thinking about.
"Jordan would love today." Cecily commented, taking the Herondale's hands in hers.
"We should go talk to Amatis and make sure she's alright." Will remarked. Cecily followed Will's line of sight and saw the reason for his concern. She nodded and walked with Will over to the young werewolf. As the two Shadowhunters reached Amatis, she looked up and gave a small smile.
"Hi." Amatis greeted the two Shadowhunters. Both Cecily and Will responded similarly.
"How are you?" Will asked the werewolf.
"I'm good, actually." Amatis answered. "What about you two?"
"We're both good. We just saw you looked lonely." Cecily explained.
"Well, you needn't worry about me. I'm perfectly fine with my own company." Amatis stated.
"Nobody should be alone at a wedding." Will retorted. Cecily leant in to whisper to Will.
"Ask her to dance." Cecily instructed Will. Will looked at his girlfriend and raised his eyebrows, silently asking if Cecily was serious. The Lovelace nodded. The Herondale turned his head back to Amatis
"Could I have this dance, Amatis?" Will asked. Amatis was speechless for a few moments.
"Um, OK. I might step on your feet, though." Amatis apologised in advance.
"I can take it." Will responded, holding his hand out to the werewolf. Amatis took it gingerly and walked to the dancefloor where there were various couples twirling around the floor. After watching Will and Amatis begin to dance, Cecily walked over to her parents.
"Everything OK, Cec?" Simon asked his daughter. "Where's Will?"
"Oh, he's dancing with Amatis at the moment." Cecily responded, adding that she had told him to when the parents looked at her confused. She sat and chatted with her parents for a while, until Will and Amatis had finished dancing. The wedding reception continued late into the night, with everyone feeling positive and the problems of the past disappearing, at least for now.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that! As ever, please remember to review. Also, the next chapter is the last I have planned in this current run. However, I do have a few ideas of where this story could continue. Whether it does, however, is up to you guys. By the time this chapter is published, I will have put a poll up on my profile, asking whether you think this story should continue. I would love your feedback, be it through the poll or reviews, or even PMs. So, please take part and I look forward to hearing from you. The poll will be open until the second Saturday of March, though obviously you can still review and PM me after that point. Anyway, see you in the next chapter and, as always,
Keep on Reading
-ToAC
