Pandemonium: Chapter 32
If this actually belonged to me, you'd be reading it after having bought it. So yeah.
A/N: So as far as I'm aware we've only got 13 chapters left, and then an epilogue. Also, I'm working on a much happier piece to come after this, though I don't know when that's going to be published. I'll keep you updated on that.
"Now is the winter of our discontent" -Richard III Act 1 Scene 1
Like seriously though. It's bloody freezing. Steinbeck (who wrote a novel called Winter of Our Discontent) and Shakespeare had no idea what they were talking about.
Grey, steely eyes stared intently at a piece of paper. They moved with the swiftness of a coursing river.
Deep within them, they held a certain pain though; a pain not unfounded, for it was the pain of betrayal. Not, though, the pain of one who was betrayed. The pain of someone who is in the act of betraying.
This act of betrayal had not gone unnoticed by those around. In fact, a certain individual with blue eyes was currently storming down the stairs to discuss that very betrayal.
Alec barged through the door and stared glaringly at Tessa, who after a few seconds looked up with much bravado.
Coldly she said, "Your Highness, how may I help you?"
"You could try to not arrest one of my councillors," Alec retorted.
Tessa sighed. She could see the anger seething within Alec, and she understood why. It looked terrible for him to have a councillor arrested, but still he should have understood. Wasn't he the one who said something about justice and fighting back the darkness? Someone got murdered! At the same time, it was Magnus. She had known Magnus for eons, and while he was capable of many, many things, this was not one of them.
"The Lovelace Family," she intoned, "has regrettably lost its only daughter. That family deserves justice. Now they will receive justice the right way, through me and a proper court of law, or through another way that involves going outside the law. I think both of us will agree that it is better that they receive their justice through the law."
Alec's eyebrows arched upwards. His eyes slanted, and a piercing gaze could have stabbed her thoroughly. A vein seemed to be throbbing and popping at his neck. He was the picture of rage.
"Justice?" he asked with a thin, seething voice. "Justice?!" he repeated with louder rage and anger. "JUSTICE!?" he shouted at her. "Where is Magnus' justice!? How exactly does condemning an innocent man equal justice!?"
Tessa almost snapped. He may be the Crown Prince, but that does not and did not give him the right to shout at her. Thankfully she controlled herself before shouting at Alec. Then calmly, but perhaps a little tersely, she said, "And how exactly do you know that Magnus is innocent? He does not have a viable alibi for the evening of the murder. Do you know where he was?"
Alec stopped. The color drained away from his face. What could he say? He did know where Magnus was that night, and he knew that Magnus was innocent, but this was the exact thing he promised not to do. The truth would cause a bigger disaster, or so Magnus and that frigid barrister Whitelaw said. But what was he supposed to do now? Lie and say that he didn't know where Magnus was? Let him die? He sat, and contemplated.
Tessa noticed how the coloring of Alec's face had changed so quickly. That boy would need to learn to control his facial expressions well because they betrayed his thoughts and emotions too easily. Of course that's when Tessa realized it: Alec knew something. He had to know something. He probably knew where Magnus was, but for some reason he wasn't saying it. What could it be, that was so terrible that it was worth going to trial for murder?
She was deep in that thought set, when Alec finally responded. "I don't know where he was, but I assume he was where he told you he was. I doubt he would ever lie about such a thing, or anything for that matter."
Tessa knew that was a lie. Alec was a terrible liar. He knew where Magnus was, but refused to say the truth. Whatever he was covering up, must have been truly terrible. Still, she would rather know that. If Magnus had done something worse...
"Are you sure? You seem to know something," she pushed.
"I don't know anything, okay?" Alec snapped back.
There was no point in pushing, Tessa thought. Whatever secret knowledge Alec held was not worth risking his ire. As it was, she would probably be dismissed upon his enthronement. Though perhaps with that, she could become like Victor Whitelaw.
"Still," she said after finishing her inner thoughts, "if there is anything you do know, or find out, it is only proper that you inform me forthwith."
"I doubt that will be the case," Alec said sourly.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Alec thought for a moment. Tessa was a friend of Magnus'. Perhaps she could be trusted. Perhaps telling her the truth would have her on their side. She was brilliant, or so Magnus had said that night. Maybe she could help them. If she knew maybe she could come up with the necessary convincing lie to stop the impending disaster. But telling her would be betraying Magnus' trust. Is that then what love is, to betray the one you love's trust for what is best for them? Though who was Alec to know what was best for Magnus? Then again, one thing was certain; rotting in a jail cell for the rest of his life for a crime he did not commit was not best for Magnus. Through that inner monologue that involved some semblance of logical reasoning, Alec decided to tell Tessa everything.
"Well, actually, there is something," he whispered.
Tessa's eyes lit up excitedly. This is what she was waiting for. He was going to tell her whatever it was that he knew. Maybe, for all she knew, it could exonerate Magnus. That would be the best.
"You see, I-, I-, well Magnus, he...um..."
There was a sharp knock on the door, and Alec stopped speaking.
"A minute please!" Tessa said to the person outside.
"You were saying?" she motioned, sitting at the edge of her seat, waiting to find out the truth.
"Yes, um... so Magnus... he..."
There was another knock on the door, and Alec stopped again.
"What!?" Tessa asked rather sharply.
"Ma'am," the person on the other side said, "someone is waiting outside for His Royal Highness. He says that it is urgent and he must come immediately."
Alec had a look of confusion on his face. He didn't recall having to do anything at this time. And even if he did have something to do, Carstairs would probably have cleared it for him just so he could talk.
With a sense of trepidation, he said, "Let them in."
"You heard His Highness, send the man in."
Jace barged into the room.
"Your Highness," he said huffing, "I've been waiting outside for quite some time now! You are late for your meeting."
"My meeting?" Alec asked with even more confusion.
"Yes, your meeting. You remember... with Lewis. The one where you had to go over some finances or something. I don't exactly recall the details, Carstairs told you it was moved up to now. It is very important. The Lord Treasurer needs your input on the new taxation policy, and you haven't even gone over the books with Lewis yet. You must go, now!"
Alec was shocked. He had no recollection of this what so ever, though it sounded rather important.
As he started to move and get up, it hit him. Jace was lying. There was no meeting. Somehow, he, or perhaps Carstairs or Izzy knew he was going to spill everything so they must have sent someone to intercept him. He was not going to let them ruin everything, though.
"Yes the meeting, I forgot," he said coolly, "Unfortunately, I am currently meeting with Ms. Gray, and this meeting is much more important. You'll have to send my excuses to the Lord Treasurer and to Lewis."
The fates were on Jace's side in this case. Fortuna seemed to be turning upwards for him today, because Tessa-unlike Alec-believed every single word he had just said.
"You Highness," she said, "this meeting is not really that important. If you have other places to be, I'd rather not keep you away. You can always tell me what you were going to say another time. Or better yet, you could write it down and have it sent to me."
Alec was displeased with everyone around him. He got up, angrily, and said to Jace, "Fine then, let's go to this meeting."
As soon as they were out of earshot from Tessa's office, Alec whispered seethingly in Jace's ears, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Saving you from yourself, that's what," Jace retorted.
"And what was I about to do to myself?" Alec responded sharply.
"Oh I don't know, just spill your deepest darkest secretes to someone who would be required to tell the Queen and Valentine, which would then probably have both you and Magnus thrown into different jail cells for the rest of your life, because their old people and they don't get things like that."
"You don't know that she would do that."
"You don't know that she wouldn't."
"Yeah well," Alec said, somewhat petulantly, "I don't need you to come swooping in to save me. I could have handled that entire thing myself."
Jace just rolled his eyes and snorted. Alec was great, and loyal to a fault, but he didn't know what was best for himself a lot of the time.
"Now if you'll excuse me," Alec said with some anger, "I'm going to go crawl back into my room and pretend that this entire day hadn't happened, so that when I wake up in the morning, and I remember that it did happen, I can be depressing, moody, and self-destructive all over again. Oh wait never mind that's just you. I'll go and do some real work instead. Get me Lewis so we can actually go over the finances and so that I can actually talk to the Lord Treasurer."
Jace almost laughed. Had this been any other situation, and had Alec not been truly hurting inside, he probably would have punched his shoulder. Instead though, he just ran ahead and followed the commands he was given.