Dear Mum and Dad,
If you have opened this letter, then I assume my fight has come to an end. And if not, please stop reading here and wait until the time has come.
I know that you will be sad, but all things come to an end eventually. My time was just earlier than most, and that's okay. I resigned myself to that fact a long time ago, so I promise I was not unprepared for it. In fact, my whole life has been leading to this, even if it was hard for everyone to come to terms with.
You were dealt a hard hand in life, and I was lucky to have you both. I was in no way a conventional Shadowhunter, but you still loved me all the same. Other Shadowhunter parents perhaps would have sent me off to the Basilias or some other Institute. But instead, you cared for me yourself. I could not have asked for better parents, and I hope you are never too hard on yourselves. There is nothing else you could have done. I want you to know that.
I don't leave with any regrets. While there were things I may have missed out on, I didn't need them. My best memories were the time we spent together as a family. The times when Milo came back on holidays from the Academy, and we were all together.
I hope my trip to New York did not give you too much anguish, either. It was not the result of being unhappy at home. I know you were only looking out for me in everything you did, and you sacrificed a lot for me. Rather, it was a chance to see a bit of the world, and to discover myself, away from home. It is an important part of any Shadowhunter's life, and while I am not normal, it is something I wanted to experience for myself.
If anything happened to me there, please do not blame Milo. It was my idea to travel, and he only came to support me. It was not of his making and you know how much I hate conflict. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one causing it. Milo is the son that you deserve – he's a talented Shadowhunter, smart, and caring too. I am glad to know that you will have him even when I'm not there. I know he'll make you proud.
And Milo… if you are reading this, then there's some things I'd like to say to you too. Thank you for coming home to see me, even after you finished at the Academy. And thank you for coming with me to New York. I don't know if I could have taken the step on my own. Because while I was determined, I was also nervous, and you are much better at dealing with these things then I ever was. Hopefully I did not give you too much of a hard time.
You are a kind and caring brother and I know it must have been hard for you too. I am sorry that I could not be a more normal brother for you. Someone who you didn't have to worry about and who could go on Hunts with you without a second thought. I wish I could have given you that, because you have done so much for me.
But now that I am gone, I hope that you can move on and follow your own dreams. There are so many places that you can travel, and you should go where your heart takes you. I often worried about dragging you down with me and preventing you from doing your own things and from living a normal life. This is your chance now, and you should take it. Life is too short to not try things or to waste time. I hope that one day you can meet someone who you would be happy to spend the rest of your life with. That's a thought that makes me happy.
Just know that I will be thinking of you all, but now it is time for you to move on from this chapter. Nothing would bring me more joy then knowing you are all safe and well and happy. Thank you for everything.
I love you all,
Rye
A/N: I know this is only short, but I really felt like writing this because writing letters is important to Rye. He would have written this letter right before he left for New York, and left it behind for his parents with a note for them to only open it when he passed. He's organised like that, and I think he would want to leave some kind of goodbye for them, knowing that he doesn't have heaps of time to perhaps say it all. Most of all, he wouldn't want them to feel guilty or to suffer for long. He'd want them to move on and to be happy. Anyway… I may or may not have written this while listening to a cover of the song Fix You by Coldplay. Haha