Robert died the same way his little brother had, with a warlock standing uselessly at his side. Only this time that warlock was someone Alec loved, someone he trusted. It was so confusing, so painful. Rationally, he knew Magnus would have helped if he could, but some part of him wanted to yell hatefully at his lover for failing to protect his father.
The moment Robert stopped breathing everyone looked to Alec. Izzy and Jace reported that the warlock had been magically linked with nearly all the people who lived around the Palace and they were sure these people hadn't volunteered to be used as a power source. Magnus had been right that the parents had been involved. Like with Magnus's link, it required a physical connection so once Jace and Izzy had cut free the young warlock's parents and those tied up with them the link had been severed. The rope hanging by the warlock's ankle connecting him to nothing, he'd fallen.
Valentine hadn't waited for an order to kill the warlock. He'd heard the people's cries and acted. Alec didn't have the energy to care about the executed warlock, though a part of him knew how wrong it was. His father's cold bloodless body was all Alec could see.
Alec let his grief have consume him. The grief of losing a parent he loved, the grief of losing the king keeping him from being asked to take the throne. The grief of seeing everyone he loved torn apart. Robert was the center of the kingdom, and without him, they would crumble. Alec knew it was his job to put them back together now.
Alec was fairly sure Magnus had left as he finally stood up and started giving orders. Shadowhunters were no strangers to death and he knew what they had to do next.
Robert would be buried with Stephen, Celine and every generation before them in the tombs under the Palace.
Together they lifted his father's body and carried him to his final resting place. Shadowhunters didn't wait to bury their dead. Funerals, if possible, were held immediately. They were a race of fighters and this was their way.
For a moment Alec imagined a world where every man, woman and child in his kingdom had the blood of the Angels. What if every person citizen had joined the battle today? What if they'd had alliances with more than one warlock? Then surely someone would have had enough magic left to heal his father. If they had places for newly cursed warlocks to go and feel safe that boy wouldn't have been so cruel, so hurt. If the world worked together the royal family wouldn't be forced to watch as their children, parents and siblings died before their eyes. The world was broken and Alec was going to fix it, not in a fifty or a hundred years, but now.
The next morning Alec was crowned King. Shadowhunters were much for ceremony. Everyone assembled in the mission room and spoke the oath while holding their glowing Angel's blades to their chest. As Alec listened to his father's council swear him loyalty he remembered that he men and woman standing before him had rejected ideas for change he'd proposed a mere month ago, yet here they were making him king. It was a testimony to how deeping ingrained tradition was that they'd discard his ideas then give him power without worrying what Alec intended to do with it.
He wasn't sure if it was the grief, the frustration or madness but Alec was done playing nice.
The first thing he did was call for more humans to live in the Palace. He hired cooks and maids, gardeners and sword sharpeners, any excuses to fill the halls with humans. He insisted Lillian and Ed come to live in the Palace and they finally agreed. Ed started training with Lucian and Lillian with Amatis.
Alec spread the word that those of the royal blood might live among the common folk and offered a test for anyone who thought they could be of mixed blood. There were people coming into the Palace everyday to touch a weapon. Within months they'd found three more. Their names were Kathryn, Victor and Natasha and they were all young who joined in the training with Lillian and her son. Sometimes Alec liked to watch them learn, to see the physical proof of the beginning of the world he wanted to build.
His people called for his wedding, but Alec ignored them. Screw hundreds of years of tradition; he was throwing everything else out of the window and Alec had no intention of ever marrying Elizabeth. He could send her home but he decided to offer her permanent residence here instead, as a citizen of his country.
"Thank you," Elizabeth replied. "Josey likes it here. We can't be together in my father's country." She paused then added. "We believe in the world you are trying to create, Alec. Josey has a twin brother and we were thinking of well… the closest I could get to having her child would be his, so…"
"I think that's a brilliant idea," Alec smiled. "Why doesn't Josey's brother join us here. He could have the room next to you and Josey's." Elizabeth seemed very excited about this idea and said as she left the only thing that could make her happier is if she could marry Josey herself. Alec knew exactly what she meant.
Valentine had spoken out at every council meeting against every single thing Alec said. He complained about having so many people in the Palace. Alec asked why the Palace was so big if it wasn't supposed to house many people, but Valentine still didn't get it. Valentine spoke of tradition and Alec could only say they were meant to be broken. Most of the council wasn't very happy, but they didn't speak back to him like Valentine. After all, the King's word was law. Alec grinned at the irony of their own rules working against them.
Next, Alec set in motion a law that would allow women to inherit the throne. He explained how this was his solution to his not marrying and producing an heir. Valentine was furious. He talked about how woman didn't have time to rule. It was more important that they be there for the next generation.
"Do you believe yourself better than them?" Alec snapped at Valentine during a meeting. "Do you feel that because you are male you are smarter? Because if you ask me, your wife has twice the mind you do."
This lead to one of Valentine's typical storming out of the room. Alec was getting so tired of fighting with him, but he just couldn't be reasoned with. Alec tried to appeal to Jocelyn to talk sense into her closed-minded husband, but even that didn't seem to work.
"So if you die without children," Izzy asked him the day the law was proposed. "I'd be queen, by myself?"
"Yes," Alec replied, smiling. "Or if you have a daughter she could be queen by herself."
"All this so you don't have to marry. You are crazy. It isn't so bad, you know. Simon has started bringing me breakfast in bed. Oh and I'm going to have a boy," she declared, with a grin like her could will it to be true.
"Because you totally have control over that," Alec laughed reaching out to ruffle her hair like he had when she was little.
Months passed as Alec tried to put all the pieces in place. He held great gatherings and spoke directly to his people, trying to explain to them what the changes would do for them. He want to the training yard and worked with Kathryn, Victor, Lillian and Natasha, even Ed who was growing very fast. Alec was proud as he watched each of them learn and discover which weapons they preferred. Though none of them selected the bow and arrow like him Natasha did quite take to the whip like his sister.
Clary stopped bothering with the stairs as her day come closer. The day Alec saw Jocelyn and Jace running frantically up the stairs with bowls of water he knew there was about to be a new addition to the Palace. And sure enough many hours of listening to the redhead scream later, Alec heard a baby's cry.
"I have a daughter!" Jace cried tackling Alec with a hug that threatened to break his ribs. "We are naming her Adele after Jocelyn's mother."
Jace looked positively giddy as he abandoned his best friend, and ran off back to his new family. Alec was happy for him, and only slightly jealous. Jace could be happy with what he had. Alec envied his easy joy.
Alec decided he needed a break and went to the portal room to visit Magnus. When he arrived on the warlock's door Magnus's eyes went wide as if surprised, Max at his feet. The child was almost a year older than when Alec had met him and shyly poking his head out from behind Magnus's leg.
"Hello, Max," Alec smiled leaning down to speak to the child. "Remember me?" Max shook his head and retreated further behind his papa. Alec sighed.
"I remember you," Magnus smiled at him. Feeling as if the troubles of the world would vanish with a single touch from the one he loved Alec reached forward and pulled Magnus close, kissing him gently. They broke apart and Alec didn't know why, but he felt a strange tension in the air between them.
"Max sure has grown," Alec smiled sitting down in Magnus's ever changing living room.
"He's walking and getting into all kinds of trouble now," Magnus laughed. "He isn't talking yet, though." Again, despite the laughter Alec knew there was something the warlock wasn't saying.
"Clary had her baby," Alec informed him. Magnus sat down beside him, though not as close as Alec would like, as their knees weren't even touching.
"That's great," Magnus replied.
"Do you want me to go?" Alec asked sadly. It was painful, the small talk. Alec missed their easy effortless conversation.
"No," Magnus said quickly. "Why would you say that?
"Is it that I'm king now?" Alec asked. Magnus shook his head. "What's wrong?" Alec was determined to get to the bottom of this strange tension.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you're here," Magnus smiled.
"Why?" Alec asked. "Please tell me what you are thinking."
"Oh, Alec," Magnus whispered, turning to face him on the couch. "I couldn't- I mean I worry that- How could it be as it was before when it's my fault your father died?" Alec had not considered this. The fact that he'd had a moment of irrationally blaming Magnus for Robert's death he knew, but he hadn't realized Magnus was thinking the same thing. It had not taken Alec long after his father's funeral to understand how wrong his knee jerk emotional response was.
"I love you," Alec whispered moving closer to the warlock' on the couch and taking Magnus's face in his hands. "I know you did everything you could. It's the world to blame, the world that's broken. Not you and certainly not us." Magnus was crying by the time Alec finished speaking, he threw his arms around Alec and held him tight, sobbing into Alec's shoulder.
"I see a world where warlocks and shadowhunters work together," Alec continued, his arms holding Magnus tight. "At a great battle like that I can imagine more than one warlock ally, some there to heal and some there to fight. A world where Angel's blood is the people's gift rather than the royal's secret. Where we share our burden and in turn make the world safer. Dying in battle is part of our culture, part of how we identify ourselves, why we have so many children. It's time that changed, time we stopped accepting dying young as part of life." Alec pulled out of the hug to gaze at Magnus. "And I have you to thank for showing me the way." He wasn't going to tell Magnus that he'd had a moment where he'd thought differently. He wouldn't be human if the thought hadn't at least crossed his mind, but Magnus didn't need to know.
"I love you so much Alexander," Magnus whispered, drying tears still staining his cheeks.
"Then kiss me," Alec whispered. Magnus pulled him in and captured his lips with a fierce love. Alec melted into the warlock's touch, tilting his head so Magnus could kiss his neck. The tension was gone and Alec was glad of it.
Magnus waved his hand and Max's bedroom door closed. Alec grinned as he followed his lover's lead pulling Magnus's shirt up over his head.
"I want to see this world you are building," Magnus gasped as Alec kissed down his chest. "It's beautiful, like you."
"Beautiful like us," Alec replied as she sat up to pull his own shirt off before continuing kissing Magnus while his hands started working at the rest of Magnus's clothes. The warlock under him grinned as his hands returned the favour, pulling Alec's leather riding clothes off.
As all their clothes found their way to the floor Alec sighed, enjoying the glorious feeling of his bare skin against Magnus's. They were both hard and Alec just wanted friction so he started moving, grinding his hips into Magnus as he watched the look of pleasure on the warlock's face. Magnus's magic hands joined in the fun and they finished together before Alec collapsed on top of Magnus. He was so happy to be naked with Magnus, every plane of his body pressed against the man lying on the couch with him. Magnus put his arms around Alec and they stayed like that until Max started banging on his bedroom door, clearly bored with whatever toys he had in there.
Alec was quite startled when Magnus dressed and cleaned them both with a wave of his hand, then opened Max's door with another swoosh of blue light.
"Papa!" Max yelled running in that adorable way toddlers do that looks like they haven't quite got the hang of it yet. Max ignored Alec and went straight to Magnus's head and placed his down on the couch beside his papa. Magnus's arms pulled his son into a one arm hug. Alec was laying on top of him to one side and Max pulled onto the couch, with that one armed hug, on his other side.
"Now it's time you remember daddy," Magnus told his son. "It seems he is going to keep visiting us, Max so you have to know him." Magnus turned his face to Alec, grinning.
"Hi Max," Alec smiled back and this time the toddler smiled shyly before leaning closer to Magnus. Alec decided it was a start. He made a mental note to try and visit more often.
After an evening spent in the arms of the one he loved, Alec went back to work. The Palace was still abuzz with the birth and Clary still on bed rest. Just the following week Izzy and Elizabeth announced they were also expected. Josey's brother had arrived quite a while ago now and it seemed Elizabeth and her lover had had no problems convincing the brother of their plan.
The pressured seemed to build for all unmarried nephilim to partner up. His mother, Lucian and Amatis in particular were under this pressure. Valentine wanted to propose another political marriage with the royal family to the north, but Alec disagreed.
"We should marry among our people," Alec said. "The Angel blood is strong and will always remain no matter how many generations are in the middle. Rather than strengthen our potential enemies we should build stronger bonds with our people."
"That isn't how it's done!" Valentine yelled as usual, standing up at the table to face Alec.
"Well, that's changing," Alec yelled back. "Or haven't you noticed?"
"I know you aren't the father of your fiance's brat," Valentine spat at him. "It's a mundane like all the other filth you've brought into this sacred place."
"Elizabeth isn't my fiancee anymore," Alec replied calmly. "She is my guest and my friend."
"So a bastard and a mundane," Valentine continued.
"Would it help if I passed a law so Elizabeth could marry her lover?" Alec snapped. "Would that make it better, huh? Don't want a bastard, well, perhaps I could arrange that for you?" Valentine just looked livid. "Your traditions dictate that I be king, the fact that I didn't want it meant nothing to you. Well, now I am embracing it and you only have yourself to blame."
"You are not fit to be king!" Valentine screamed, before storming out of the mission room.
"Judgement and prejudice only lead to destruction and death," Alec spoke calmly to his remaining council. "Not just of the individual, but of the nation. If we do not change, we will not survive." There was silence for a moment.
"I know Robert believed in what you are trying to do," Maryse said slowly as she stood up. "I know he did, but Alec you are doing too much too fast."
"How will waiting around help anything?" Alec asked. "Do you think Valentine will suddenly be thrilled by the idea just because he gets it a little later?"
His mother sighed, and sat back down. Alec had been living with this fierce will to act as his driving force since his father died in his arms. He could see the world for what it was now, and wanted to run until it was reaily. But maybe Lucian was right. Maybe the people needed time to process.
"I'm sorry," Alec said also taking his seat. "I know I've changed much in a short space of time and I appreciate your help." He saw relieved smiles on every face and realized just how right his mother was.
"Everything you've done," Maryse continued. "All the progress you've made, if you were suddenly gone tomorrow it would dissolve in weeks, days even. Real permanent change takes time. Be patient, my son, my king."
"Thank you for the wise council," Alec replied. "I think I will wait a while to enact more change, let people adapt." Alec ended the meeting early. Jocelyn left first, probably to spend time with her new granddaughter. Lucian and Amatis had training this afternoon with the new recruits. Jace helped out with that whenever he wasn't with wife and child. These days Simon spent most of his time fussing over Izzy who was getting rather round. Alec sometimes saw Josey dotting in Elizabeth as well. Once the room emptied out Alec was left alone with his mother.
"The moment Robert saw Lillian hold your bow," Maryse told him smiling as she stood and moved closer. "I saw a light in his eyes, the same light that has been burning as bright as a star in you since he died. I know you want to skip to the end, but try and understand that if you leap too far no one will be able to follow you."
"It's just so hard to stand still," Alec sighed. "It feel like if I stop to catch my breath I will have failed somehow."
"You are many things Alexander," his mother said. "But a failure isn't one of them."
A wide grin spread across Alec's face and his mother hugged him like she hadn't done in a long time. Alec didn't stop the changes - he offered tax breaks and free housing to those of the royal bloodline who wished to marry a mundane, permanent residence to all those who could hold the Angel's weapons - but he starting rolling them out more slowly. He noticed the general anxiety of the nation ease somewhat and the extra time meant more visits with Magnus.
So yeah all the things happened! :D Please let me know what you think. Edited by my usual beta Karen Hikari once more. ^_^ Not sure what else to say here...
Oh and no sneak peek today as I can't find one in the next chapter without giving it all away. Your only sneak peek is that the chapter is from Valentine's point of view.