Hola!
So, some of you guys might have read this chapter last night, or gotten an alert for it then realized there was no chapter. It was because I posted this chapter last night and then when I read it back I realized it honestly sucked and was some of my most crappy writing. I value quality over quantity, so sorry if that disappointed some people! (BTW that's usually why I take a week to update sometimes or more because I want my chapters to be good writing) an update two days later is still pretty fast for me, and it was solely because I had a snow day today and all this time to do nothing! (THANK YOU MARYLAND SCHOOL SYSTEM)
so here's the real chapter, and don't think you can skip it just because you read the crappy one last night, this is nearly twice as ig :P
Ya'll ready?
LEGGO.
"You look beautiful ma'am." Helen said with a big smile. I smiled softly at her reflection in the tall mirror, smoothing down my lovely pale blue dress with white trimming. Another one of the pieces Jace had bought for me, probably the most modest one. I breathe in easily without a corset crushing my waist this time. Helen and Maia are standing behind me, proud smiles on their faces as they survey their work. My hair was falling on my shoulder blades in elegant curls, my makeup light but perfectly applied. I felt light and elegant.
"Thank you ladies, and it's all thanks to you." I smile. They wave it off and step forward, applying final touches and hair arrangements. Helen dips below my dress to adjust the garter belt of my slinky lingerie, which they claimed was necessary if I was going to go without a corset. They had instead forced me into something they claimed was a bustier, which I thought was a less extreme version of the rib crusher itself. I didn't mind too much, giving that it wasn't as breath defying as an actual corset. Plus, I did look pretty exceptional in it.
They finally step off and I kneel, slipping on white heels. I straighten up and see Jace in the reflection of the mirror, his eyes fixed on mine. Maia notices and bumps Helen, whose eyes go wide and drags Maia out quickly. I flush and turn to face him, my hands laced behind me.
"Damn." He whispers, raising an eyebrow. I chuckle and do a quick spin, letting the dress flare out.
"What do you think?" I ask, stepping towards him. Jace's eyes watch me, ghosting over my bare neck and shoulders.
"I think…" he grabs me when I get close enough, wrapping an arm around my waist. I gasp and brace my hands against his chest to keep my balance. "You should skip the tea." He chuckles into my ear, nipping at the soft skin there. I gasp softly and clutch his shirt in my hands, feeling my blood racing through my veins.
"I would love to, but I'm pretty sure it's too late to cancel Jace." I mutter softly, moving away before he could trap me again, letting his tie slip through my fingers slowly. He groans as I walk away, a pout on his lips. "What's with the tie?" I ask, rearranging my dress in the mirror. He sighs and grabs a tuxedo jacket off of a chair, drawing it on.
"I have to go to this political dinner tonight, discuss some boring crap for a good couple of hours. It in the next kingdom over, so I have to leave a little after you. But I'll be back by the time you get home." He says, running his hands through his messy hair. I roll my eyes and turn away, heading to the door.
"Well have fun at that, I have a tea party to go to." I mutter sarcastically. I say a quick goodbye to Jace and head out into the hallway, where Magnus is waiting. His theme today is purple, with a deep velvet tuxedo and several gold bangles on his wrist. More of the glitter stuff was put into his hair, making the black shimmer with gold.
"Okay, the carriage is here so move your bottom and get out there." He says with a small smile. I nod and walk off, my heels clicking softly against the floor. I pass several maids who all stop to bow. And I shiver at the feel of power coursing through me. Was it going to be worse than this when I actually married Jace? I smile softly to try to get them to rise, but they don't. With a sigh, I trudge forward, watching out of the corner of my eyes as they stand stalk still until I turn a corner. Well, looks like breaking that habit would take a while.
I step out into the open air, smiling as the warm rays hit my pale skin. The weather was lovely, with a cool breeze blowing through the pleasantly warm morning. The sky was my favorite shade of blue; a light, cotton color with shots of wispy white going through it. Emerald green grass rustles underneath my feet, and I feel the need to kick off my shoes and let the tall glades tickle the bottoms of my feet. But I had queen duties to attend to.
With a sigh, I get rid of the fantasy to run through the fields like I did when I was a child. I bite my lip and get into the honey colored carriage that was waiting for me, accepting the help of a well dressed driver. The back of the carriage was comfortable, with velvet cushions and thick curtains to block the windows. "How long will the ride be?" I inquire politely of the driver before he shuts my door. He was older, with a kind smile and graying hair.
"The ride won't be more than a short hour ma'am." He says politely. I nod and he closes the door with a soft click. I sigh and lean against the wall, kicking my feet onto the velvet bench. The carriage bumps softly as it starts down the road, and I find myself getting sleepy from the gentle rocking. I let my eyes drift closed.
And then I woke up to a soft knocking. I jerk awake, my mind surfacing from the oblivion of sleep. I shake my head, disoriented as I take in my surroundings, realizing I'm in a carriage. Oh, right. I throw the door open to find a very surprised looking driver, his hand frozen in mid knock. "Ma'am? We're here." He says; eyes wide. I sigh and rub my eyes delicately, trying not to smear any of Helen and Maia's hard work. I step out onto the Rosewood kingdom, breathing in the cool air.
There were more forests here, tall trees surrounding the huge clearing. Cobblestone paths lead to a castle, a little smaller than the Herondale one. It was white and blue, with tall spires reaching up towards the sky. Two young women are walking down the path towards me, dressed in classic navy and white maid outfits. They were young, with freckles and identical pixie like faces. Twins?
"Hello you're majesty, welcome to the Rosewood kingdom." The one on the right says politely, and they both kneel. I nod and smile, unsettled slightly from the unison of their bows.
"Thank you, your names are?" I ask. The one on the left looks up in shock at me, and the other one seems to be repressing the exact motion. Obviously their name wasn't something most royal people were concerned with. They stand up and the slightly shorter one on the left pipes up.
"Im Alexandria and this is Annabelle." She says in a soft voice. I nod and give them an encouraging smile.
"Clarissa, but I prefer Clary." I say. They both nod in unison; two brunette braids each bouncing on their shoulders.
"Our queen has asked us to lead you to the tea room." Annabelle pipes up. They both turn and start down the path, and I scramble after them. We approach the large wooden doors, where two well dressed guards swing open the doors. The two girls motion me inside and I revel at the dark paneled wood and velvet carpets, stained glass windows letting in filtered light. I would have loved to paint it. The ceilings are high and beamed, and I could tell my voice would echo. I bite back the need to shout my name and hear it coming back.
They lead me up a tall, spiraling staircase made of mahogany wood and through a hallway lined with portraits of former kings and queens. At the end of the hallway is a set of double doors, which each twin took a hold of and pulls open for me. The tea room is unlike the rest of the dark, cozy castle and filled instead with natural, white light. Antique floral curtains were hung along with banisters trimmed with gold on the high, cream colored walls. White china cabinets line the wall, holding delicate cups that I fear I would break within two seconds. In the middle of the circular room was a table and chairs, two which were taken. The first woman rises, smoothing out her honey dress with a smile. She is beautiful, with short soft brown hair that is straight and green eyes a couple of shades darker than mine. She looks only a couple of years older at most, maybe around 25. Was this Aria? Her dress was a champagne color, strapless and well fitting. She grins softly and holds out a delicate hand.
"Hello, it's wonderful to meet you, and I'm so glad you could make it. Aria Fitzgerald, queen of Rosewood." She says sweetly. I smile and nod, shaking her hand delicately.
"Thank you so much for having me. Clarissa Morgenstern, but I really prefer Clary." I say softly. She nods and turns, pointing at the other woman seated. Her skin is the color of honey, dark brown eyes and straight black hair that stopped right on her collarbone. She eyes me up and down, and nods at me.
"Aline Penhallow." She says coolly, crossing her legs underneath her dark red dress. I nod back, sensing her ice cold walls. She was beautiful, and young like Aria. I was surprised at the youth of all of us, not more than ten years apart by the looks of it. Perhaps all queens of Idris are this young, not that I'd know.
"Pleasure." I say back to Aline with a small smirk. I may not have had too much social interaction in my past, but I could tell when somebody didn't like me. Aline simply arches a perfect eyebrow back at me.
"Please sit!" Aria says quickly, sensing the tension already. I nod and Aria sits down, throwing Aline a withering glance. I sit down quickly, across from Aline who smirks lightly. Aria turns to address me. "So, I would just like to know, how are you adopting? It's been a few years for me, but I remember how terrifying the thought of running a kingdom was to me when I became queen." Aria says brightly, but I can tell she honestly wasn't interested. I smile back and answer anyway.
"Oh it's certainly different than what I expected. Jace and I aren't married yet, but it seems to everybody in the castle that I am already a queen." I say with a laugh. Aria nods and we settle into a slightly uncomfortable silence. Aline eyes me up and down, and then leans forward out of nowhere.
"I didn't know King Morgenstern had a daughter? I thought he only had a son." She says, slight suspicion in her voice. I grit my teeth internally and grind out one of my many lies.
"Oh, I was ill when I was a child, and after the death of my mother I never left the castle." I say lightly. Aline nods, biting her lip.
"Oh, I remember hearing about her unfortunate accident. My condolences." Aria says immediately, giving me a reassuring smile.
The tea comes shortly, along with a silver tray of pastries which are set down by a servant. I hesitate before picking up the small, rose painted chine, in fear of snapping the delicate handle. Aria dismisses the maid and she offers me sugar, which I politely decline.
"Well, I'm sure she would have been ecstatic to see her daughter ascend the throne." Aria says kindly. I nod and take a sip of the hot tea, hiding a wince as I burn my tongue on the hot liquid. Would she be happy? To see me leave my kingdom, my birthright to an abusive man and an unforgiving son?
She's not here, don't beat yourself up. I chide myself. I hide my internal battle by taking another sip of the scorching tea.
"So," Aline pipes up, taking a delicate sip. "Aren't you a little young to be queen? Aria and I were both 18. What are you, 15?" She asks snidely. I smile back, not letting my annoyance show.
"I'm seventeen. I suppose I may be a little young, but my father and the king both agreed I was mature enough to ascend the role of a queen for a kingdom. And I have King Jace, who is a very good teacher when it comes to political matters." That may have been a lie, considering Jace had never talked to me about all of that, but Aline didn't have to know. She nods and takes a bite of tart, silent.
Aria pipes up again, making small talk about my childhood, my father and all other topics. Aline ads in a comment here and there, occasionally asking a question or making a vaguely rude comment. I deal with her, countering her rude comments with my own. Well, until she starts to question about Jace.
"So, Clary…" She puts her tea down and leans forward, a glimmer in her eye. "Aren't you glad you got set up with one of the most handsome kings of Idris?" I blush into my strawberry tart, seeing out of the corner of my eyes as Aria lightly smacks Aline's shoulder.
"I guess I did." I say lightly. Aline sighs and claps, and a maid immediately enters the room at attention.
"Would you go get us a bottle of wine along with glasses from the cabinet?" She asks with a poisonous smile. The maid nods and scurries out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Aria turns on her. "Aline, what are you up to?" she demands. Aline leans back easily, waving away Aria's concern.
"I have never liked tea, and I think our friend Clary here needs a proper welcome to being a queen of Idris." Wait, was she planning to get us drunk?
What in the world, I thought she was a queen?
The maid returns with the bottle and glass, and Aline takes it and immediately pours her and Aria a glass. Aria bites her lip in hesitation, but I see a sparkle behind her green eyes. "Okay, just a little Aline." She sighs, turning towards me. "I've known her long enough to know when she gets an idea, there's no way the Angel himself could stop her." Aline nods in agreement and pauses, the bottle hovering over my glass and a daring look in her gaze. I hesitate, my head screaming how wildly inappropriate it was to get drunk in the middle of the day with two other queens. How was I supposed to tell Jace I got drunk at a tea party?
But then again, I don't answer to him.
My resolve slowly slips under Aline's gaze and the wild need to lose a little bit of control. I sigh; why not?
I take the bottle from her and pour myself more than any of the other queens, and Aria whistles with a grin. I lean back, crossing my legs and taking a delicate sip. Was I going to regret this? Probably.
I take another sip.
Twenty minutes later, Aria is giggling into her glass and Aline is talking unnecessarily loud while I pour us all another glass from the second bottle we had asked for a while ago. My mind is pretty hazy, and all I could register was the insanely good feeling buzzing through my veins, similar to when I was kissing Jace. I can't believe that the giggling mess sitting in this room is three queens! That was silly. So silly.
"So Clary, is Jace as good in bed as he seems?" Aria says with a lopsided grin. Some part of me registers I should probably feel indigent, but I didn't care with alcohol in my system. I sigh unhappily and lay down on my back, circling my glass.
"Angel, I wish I knew." I sigh with a sip of wine. Aline gasps dramatically and hits my shoulder, taking two tries to find it. She was certainly drunker than Aria and I.
"You're telling me you haven't taken advantage of a gorgeous guy three feet away from you every night?" she says, mock anger in her voice. I roll my eyes and sit up, bracing my head on my hand.
"I know, I'm an idiot." I sigh unhappily. Aria sits up and pats my head like a dog.
"Listen Clary, I've only had one political dinner with him and he is gorgeous. So what's stopping you?" She asks with a furrowed brow. I bite my lip, contemplating her question.
And for the life of me, I couldn't come up with an answer.
I sit still for a moment, realization hitting my drunken system hard. "I honestly have no idea." I whisper, suddenly upset. "I just don't want to have a relationship based off of lust."
"But those are the best kind!" Aline protests. I sigh and shake my head.
"Not for me. I don't want to go another seventy years only being able to tolerate each other because we are constantly having sex I guess. Plus, he'll be all wrinkly in seventy years." I scrunch my nose up at the thought of wrinkled Jace. Ew.
Aria sighs and puts down her glass long enough to hold my hands. "Sweetie, you're about to be married. You really want to wait for him to realize he has to love you because he has no other choice before you two have a little fun? Maybe if he realizes you're amazing in all areas," she pauses to through me an over exaggerated wink. "It will help speed up the whole 'Love' aspect." She says simply. I sigh and nod, my intoxicated brain deciding that she's right.
"Plus," Aline adds in. "You get to get hot and heavy with Jace Herondale." She says with a dirty grin. I giggle at the thought and pick up the bottle to pour myself more, only to feel that the bottle was empty. I turn and shake it at Aria, who frowns and grabs the bottle, turning it upside down.
"Aw, we're out." She pouts, dropping the bottle heavily with a clank. "Should we get more?" she asks with a sparkle in her already slightly too bright eyes. I sigh and shake my head, feeling a tiny bit of sense work through me.
"No, I must get going." I say unhappily. Aria groans and stands up, pulling me up with her.
"Okay, be a bore. Aline and I will have fun while you go back to your sexy king." She winks at me, and I smile. She was fun, and I like her. Aline was a tough nut to crack, but she wasn't too bad. Well, if she had some wine in her.
The two maids come back and lead me out after I say goodbye to the queens and I get into the carriage, attempting to look sober. I only stumble once, which was an accomplishment. I see the driver smile a little bit out of the corner of my eye as he shuts my door, realizing I was a slight bit tipsy. The bumpy ride starts and I hum an old folk song under my breath the entire way, doing random things with my fingers. I didn't feel tired this time, only happy and excited for nothing. I think about Arias advice on the way back, which was starting to make more and more sense to me. What was the harm?
The ride back seems shorter, and I grin as I hop out onto the field in front of the castle. The sun was casting evening light over the land, setting my fiery hair aglow. I skip back to the castle, wobbling a little bit on my heels. I climb the stairs to the second floor and swing into the hallway, humming as I walk the complicated path to my room, as I walk into the corridor just before mine, I see Jace walking. He must have just gotten back from his boring business thing.
"I'm home." I shout in a singsong voice. Jace looks over in surprise and grins at me, slightly tired.
"Clary? How was your tea party?" he asks, eyeing me suspiciously as I walk up to him, my hands behind my back and my hips twisting like a little girl. I shrug and walk slowly into the room, twisting my dress like a little girl.
"It was good…" I reach him and lean up to his ear on my tiptoes. "It was even better when she broke out the wine." I say with a smirk. Jace backs up in surprise and his eyes widen, and then narrow.
"Are you drunk Clarissa?" he asks in surprise. I shrug again.
"Of course not Jace, I am tipsy at most." He sighs, exasperated, and grabs my shoulders and looks deep into my eyes.
"Clary, you can barely focus on me." He mutters in annoyance. I roll my eyes and back away, swinging my skirts.
"Oh Jace, you're just being boring. We should do something!" I say with a delighted gasp. He arches an eyebrow at me. I sigh and gesture with my hands. "You know, we could go on an adventure!"
"Clary we are going back to the room so I can dump your head in a bucket of ice water."
"Or we could train! How about you shoot an apple off of my head?!" I say with a clap of my hands. That sounds amazing! I bet he could do it. Jace eyes me up and down as if I'm crazy or something.
"I am not shooting an apple off of your head, now come on Clary, before you decide to slide down the stairway." Actually, that sounded fun.
"Oh come on, we never do anything fun! I'm not going back to the room." I say fiercely, crossing my arms. Jace stares me down for a minute, but I don't let up.
Finally, he shakes his head and sighs. "Fine. You asked for it." He bends down and grabs my waist, throwing me over his shoulder. I shout in protest as he starts to walk about the bedroom, ignoring my pounding fists on his back.
"Damn Clary, you should be a masseuse! That feels amazing." He chuckles. I freeze and cross my arms in defiance. I sit- hang- in silence until he opens the door to our bedroom and sets me gently down. I back away, crossing my arms in protest.
"That was not nice." I state. He shrugs and turns towards the long mirror, undoing his tie.
"Too bad; I'd rather have you annoyed at me than with an arrow through your eye." I roll my eyes and sit on the edge of the bed, kicking my shoes off. I stand up and walk idly around the room, picking at random things. When did this mug get here?
Jace sits down on the bed, drawing off his loafers. I look over at him and take in his messed up hair and concentrated eyes; he really was gorgeous.
I slowly set down the vase I'm holding and walk over to him. I lean down, bracing my hands on either side of him on the soft bed. He stops what he was doing, looking up at me with suspicious, dark eyes.
"What are you doing Clarissa?" he asks quietly, a predatory gaze in his eyes even if he was the one trapped. I smirk and lean forward until his lips are a mere inch from mine.
"Having fun." I say quietly, before kissing him. He sighs and kisses me back, but doesn't lean into it like he does. I frown and pull away, to see his hesitant look. "Something wrong?" I ask impatiently.
He sighs. "You're drunk Clary." He says with a forced disinterested look. I shrug, leaning in a little bit closer.
"So?" I ask innocently, before going for another kiss. Jace's thumb comes up and settles on my bottom lip, stopping me.
"Drunk isn't sexy Clarissa." He says; his voice firm. I raise an eyebrow and smirk, backing away. Sure it isn't.
My fingers slowly reach back to the cord that holds together my dress at the small of my back. Even through the alcohol fogging parts of my brain, years of experience kick in and I easily undo it, letting the simple dress drop off of my frame. Jace's eyes widen in shock, his breath catching in his throat. Ah, there it is. The reaction I expected.
His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he bites his lip, taking in every piece of lacy lingerie on my small body, from the white bustier to the matching garter belt and sheer stockings. Never would I have worn this in front of somebody, but the alcohol was doing an exceptional job of giving me a dose of courage.
I slowly walk towards him, swinging my hips, and I climb on top of him, straddling him. His lips are in a small o as he looks up at me in wonder as I lace my fingers behind his neck. "What were you saying?" I ask innocently.
Jace groans, his eyes stormy and filled with an undeniable passion. "For the Angels sake Clary, stop this." He groans, letting his gaze run over my torso and legs. I shrug and wiggle slightly, as if I was just settling in.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I had no idea what I was doing, but I let my body take control as I slowly move my hips over his and smirk as his teeth grit.
"Don't play any fucking games with me Clarissa." He warns, his hand coming up to grip my chin hard and pull my face down towards him. I widen my eyes innocently.
"What do you mean Jace? I thought you were dying to touch me." my lips come down and start to suck at the soft skin on his throat, my fingers slowly popping the buttons of his dress shirt. He doesn't stop me. "To run your lips over every inch of my body…" I push his shirt off of his shoulders, and let lets me slowly draw it off. "Dig your fingers into my skin and listen to my gasps?" I take one of his hands and place it on the exposed skin of my thigh. "Watch me come apart under you?" I look right into his dark and wild eyes as I jerk my hips hard. "And don't tell me you don't want to just because I have alcohol in me, because you may have a good poker face," I place a single hand over his heart. "But I can still feel your pulse." I whisper with a smirk. Jace is silent, watching me as I stare him down.
His hand comes to life on my thigh, slowly creeping up my thigh and dancing over the soft skin of my inner thigh, lighting me on fire. His eyes harden as his other arm comes up and wraps around my waist tight, pulling me close. I feel my back arch as I press myself into him, my chest slowly rising and falling with my heady breath.
"I love how you think those are the only things I could do to you." He whispers, his fingers digging into my soft skin and his hand tracing patterns up and down my spine. "I can't wait to find out if you'll scream. Yell and twist, begging for more." he taunts, lips working at the exposed skin of my breast. I shudder above him as he regains control. "It's going to be so much fun watching you unravel, giving up all of that self control." He growls. I gasp as I feel his finger slowly trace my panties, separated from my most intimate area by a thin scrap of cloth. I almost explode right then and there. His fingers come up and grasp the back of my neck, forcing me to look down at him. My eyes are half closed, my nerves sparking as he continues to linger. "Look at me."
With a huge amount of effort, I open my eyes enough to look wildly at him, almost insane from the pleasure coursing through my veins. His eyes are almost black with restrained desire, and in them I saw all the images of things I yearned for him to do to me. His voice is a deadly soft whisper, lips so close to mine I could feel them brush against mine. My hair comes down and spills all around us and forms a scarlet curtain.
"You haven't seen anything yet Clary. But you will, and I can't wait to see passion written all over your face as I ravish you, take you in all the ways you never even knew you craved in some deep part of your soul. And trust me, I will make you forget your own name and only remember mine." He promises in a low, deep whisper.
I bite my lip so hard I can taste blood, my hips pushing down harder on his agile fingers, which have gotten quicker.
"When you're sober."
And with that, he stopped his fingers and picks me up easily, tossing me gently onto the bed. I lay back in shock, my mind still scattered as I slowly register what he said. My breathing is heavy as I see a foggy image of Jace walk into his bathroom and click the door shut.
Then the humiliation sets in.
Oh god, what was I thinking, throwing myself at him like that? I bury my face in my hands as the desire leaves, leaving me feeling hollow. It's official, I was crazy. Valentine really did beat the human out of me.
I wince hard as I feel an upcoming headache. This felt similar to the time I had snuck some alcohol out of one of Valentine's fancy dinners, and I had gotten so intoxicated one of the maids found me dueling with a banister. I had gotten the worst beating I had ever had in my life the next morning, worsening the headache I had woken up with.
With a humiliated sigh I crawl underneath the thick covers, not in the mood to change out of my stupid lingerie. I bury my face in my pillow and try not to cry or hit myself.
After ten minutes or so, I finally let myself go to sleep, not being able to conjure any tears. My eyes are closed and I'm drifting, and the last thing I remember is the softest kiss on my forehead, before I let oblivion take me.
Hey!
SO this is two days later from my last update, because I was so excited for this! I really liked portraying Clary as more firm, and slightly flirty. I planned for the drunken scene to be longer and more detailed, but I just started writing and ended up with this. Maybe I'll have another tipsy Clary scene or maybe add in a drunk Jace scene, I just wasn't sure because it might seem a little repetitive to have two drunk scenes in a story, so would you guys be okay if I added a drunk Jace scene a couple of chapters down? Let me know in the reviews! So can we hit 215 reviews?! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Keep reading…*MUAH!*-Madeline