There were hundreds of voices running after and calling for Clary, but her ears couldn't catch anything more than the constantly rushing beats of her heart, with panic flowing quick to every single corner of her body, chilling down her spine, but resisting the urge to become paralyzed; feeling, saying and thinking only his name in low voice, she went through the gates, and as she did, the numerous pair of steps following her became less, without knowing why, not caring who, she made her way up the thousand stairs and got to the ashes of what had been the only physical division between Lightwoods and Herondales, now with only small remains of it, she desired deep down that as this barrier disappeared so would their problems and all of the pride and selfishness that lead the "grown-ups" to act the way they did; she wished so, she longed for it, but wanting it was just not enough.
"Clary, what are you doing? We have to look for Jace!" Alec held her by the shoulders, shaking her form her dream of better days.
"He's here, inside" she replied without hesitating, shocking her already breathless and terrified cousin.
"How do you know?" Izzy's voice was also being consumed by the smoke and rubbles; she looked so weak it was worrying.
"Isabelle, you must go outside, this is the last time I tell you to!" there was a curious mix of fear, rage, sadness and bravery in Alec's voice; that pretty much summed up the feelings of their lives day by day.
"I cannot leave him behind, we're a team, remember?" she was pale, and her cheekbones looked prominent, still Clary felt a warming bit of hope when her night colored eyes showed the same light as always, determined, strong, knowing exactly what to do.
"It has been ages since we were, Iz" the sounds of another structure being torn down made them focus once again in what was important.
"Well, there's always the time to make things what they have to be" and the three of them got inside of the blackened place, the insufferable warmth and anguish making them sweat, they walked carefully trough the enlightened halls; Alec holding his sister close and getting her apart from any danger, Clary on her side and to break her silk nightgown and robe not to get caught on flames; they heard nothing but the cracking, shrinking and breaking of materials, the redhead began to breathe huskily, the thoughts of the worse making hear deaf and trying to rip desperate tears from her eyes, she had to think fast.
"We're losing time, they'll give the order to put the fire out soon and we'll get trapped…"the oldest one reminded them, to add some more energy to the situation.
"They won't with us inside, but I cannot think of where he could have gone" her voice began to shake, Jace had no reasons to be inside, he should've known that the Lightwoods would be safe and taken out; what could he have been looking for? What was he trying to do? Why every single thing that he did put him in risk somehow?
"He shouldn't even be here, are you sure this is where he came?" Izzy asked in between coughs.
"I do" she answered once again, a bit annoyed but more distressed.
"How can you know that?" Alec demanded.
"I just know, I cannot say how, I feel like he is…" she couldn't hold back her sobs anymore, and continued walking, though it was hard to get oxygen, and even harder because of the strength of her cries. She hardly got anything left, her friends, her family, Izzy and Alec, but not Jace… the world couldn't be that cruel she'd never forgive the one who'd take him away from her, was it the universe, destiny, the Angel, God, who or whatever it was, would never have her faith again.
"Feelings can hardly give us a clue, if he was… unharmed, he'd make any noise" and she knew what part of that speech had been modified to be more bearable.
"Maybe he's too far for us to hear him…" she reached to the point where she was looking for any explanation to keep her hopes up.
"Clary, this is no job for us to do, we're useless in here, we must get help…"
"You said it, there's no time left, it's us or nothing…"
"I'm not saying I want to leave him to die, I'd rather be the one stuck here; but we're lost, we're no good"
"He also is everyone has to be found sometime! And he'd do the same for us, it doesn't matter how, we won't get anything if we don't try…" then was when residues of what have been a large window cutoff her speech and landed critically near from them, getting screams out from their irritated throats.
"Clary!" it was impossible for any of them to call the name while yelling, Clary was able to take one more breath of polluted air.
"Where did that come from?" she asked the siblings.
"From our parents' room, it seems" Isabelle covered her face with one arm, the fumes were increasing, making it harder to see anything. "He's close"
"This is the last thing I ask of you tonight, please, run before it's too late" she turned around and started rushing frenetically. "Jace, keep talking!" she shouted.
"Where are you?" it was like his voice was returning the life that had come out of her lately, the tears still flowing out but happily.
"Don't move from where you are, I'm coming!" she assured him. 'I'm coming for you, I'll always will' when they finally found the entering door, it was a hard blow for them, it was stuck, and the knob was burning hot.
"Hang in there, Jace, don't you dare to move" Alec said to his cousin.
"What the hell are you doing here, you're supposed to be out! Take Clary away, I can get out by myself" he shouted, typical of him, making himself seem furious when he was scared; because pretending to have courage is so much more convenient than being vulnerable.
"No, you can't, past the outside door of the room there's no way out left, or you come with us or you become a roasted highness" Alec began to hit the door with strength nor Izzy or Clary knew where he had gotten from, and were almost certain that wouldn't last long in such damaged environment.
"Quit it, Alec, this is too stupid from you, you're risking yourselves for nothing, I can save myself!" he was beginning to run out of breath.
"I don't doubt that, but as you're already trapped, there's nothing more for us to do" his cousin answered before crashing the door again.
"Don't you think I have my reasons to have gotten myself here and not coming out yet?"
"I don't give a damn about your reasons, I give a damn about you! So shut your motherfucking pride for a second and get away from the door" surprisingly, the anger helped and Alec was able to break the wooden wall that kept Jace prisoner.
"The fuck were you thinking, Jonathan?" Clary held him close.
"Why are you asking? You're the one who brought me here" he answered, making her eyes meet his, even with his face stained, sweaty and his eyelids about to close forever, the golden light of his pupils could hardly be ignored; and to imagine she could've lost that light there would be no existence left without it.
"Me? I would never lead you to a certain death!"
"Guys, there's not enough time for explanations now, we have to get out of here" Izzy had not said much as her state was very unhealthy, but her few comments were the ones that made more sense. She lost the tiny amount of stability she had left and fell to her brother's arms as he lifted her. No more words were said or needed as they headed with the speed of light to the door, having to go out one by one as the fire had turned more intense than before. When they were finally out, not well, but alive; Robert walked up to them with an enraged gaze.
"Get away from my children, you murderer!" he took Isabelle away from Alec,, almost dragging the second as far as he could from Jace and Clary, Maryse lifted up her teary eyes to meet her son and daughter and also ran to them, Max was being checked by two nurses nearby, behind them the firehoses did their job. "The last to come out and the first to come in, right? I should've guessed it would be you! Your envy would drive you mad one day, is this the way you expect to be king?! By finishing the enemy?! You'll regret this, Jonathan; you will!"
"You're making my son responsible for this? What on Earth goes through your head, Robert? Jonathan would never think of harming his own family for the Angel's sake!" Celine positioned herself in front of the hand- holding couple, as she was protecting them both.
"He's not a saint, Celine! He has never been and as he brought misery to my children he'll do with Idris, your son is driven by illness, he's dangerous! And I personally will make sure he doesn't get even close to that crown!" Robert spit the accusations out, that pierced into the foggy, cold air of the night.
"This is ridiculous, brother, be reasonable; Jonathan may be reckless, but he's not an assassin!" Jace could've sworn that was the first time Stephen had stood up for him; he wondered why, as for what his father constantly told him "he was not worthy of trust"; maybe they had finally opened their eyes to what was real.
"Still his thirst for control could have driven him to become one! Just like father, just like you… You Herondales care about nothing more than yourselves!" his cheeks blushed and all sweaty, agitated; he was the visual definition of fury, which didn't allow the younger Herondales to say a thing to prove him wrong.
"What makes you think he could've started the fire? He's a kid and he loves his cousins, he has absolutely no reasons to do so!" her father in law's words made Clary react, making her distance herself from the argument, and taking Jace with her.
"What were you doing there, Jace?" she stood on her tiptoes to hold his face, confirm he wasn't hurt and stare into his eyes one more time.
"You told me you needed my help, you really thought I wouldn't go? You're my Achilles' heel, I'll get killed because of you one day, and that day may have been today…" he wasn't mad, he was shocked; but kept his sarcastic tone not to seem weak, just like he had done with Alec.
"What are you talking about? I didn't say anything" that was when the arrogance mask broke apart from his expression.
"But… the text? You sent it, right when the fire started…" he talked slower, as if his words were a death sentence.
"A text? Jace, I haven't seen my cellphone since after dinner, I returned to my room and it wasn't in my nightstand, I told Camille to look for it but I fell asleep before she told me anything; and they woke me up when the fire started, I was one of the first to be taken out" she explained, making him shiver on her arms.
"It was a trap, dammit!" he freed himself from her hands and hit the closest tree with his fist, with such amazing strength that he left a big mark on the bark. "Someone wanted me to be there, they set me up, so Robert could finish me off as much as he liked; Fuck, I'm so stupid!" each time his assaults became more forceful, and his wife let him vent for a while, until she saw blood covering his sore knuckles.
"Stop it! Hurting yourself won't fix anything" with the touch of her hand grabbing his wrist, his actions were paused, but his eyes didn't return the stare her emerald ones gave him.
"I… I thought you were in trouble; I would take anything, pain, treason, hatred, but just the idea of you being threatened, it drove me mad, Clary, it made me sick, it was killing me… I cannot think straight if you're the target, this fucking crown has taken so much from me, all I have ever loved, but you're like the air I breathe… I cannot lose you, I couldn't put myself trough the misery of being lonely again… By loving you this much, I have condemned us both…" he fell to his knees, the redhead falling beside him, holding him still as much as she could; she looked behind to confirm their talk was private still, the endless battle between Lightwoods and Herondales was burning even brighter than the fire that had taken place just seconds before, Stephen and Robert throw verbal attacks at each other mercilessly, Alec sat on the ambulance, his brother and sister on stretchers behind him, Imogen hiding her despair with her hand, Maryse shedding tears quietly and the sound of a bunch of vehicles approaching the palace, the loud responses of the ground protecting the fighting royals at all cost.
"What makes you feel more alive than ever, might be the only thing that can kill you later on; but we promised, right? To stick together? Both of us may be taken down by something we didn't do, however only both of us know the truth about each other, so… as long as we can be an us, we'll be fine; Love isn't meant to be a curse, why should only ours be?" and what he didn't know, was that she actually was wondering about it, how could they be so punished, so targeted because of finding someone that finally completed them?
"I don't know… I know nothing, my only goal is to keep everyone safe, I would bear with anything for you all, I'd take all that life could throw at me if that means this family won't suffer again, I'd fight to reach the peace we could never have…" his head fell to her shoulder, calling for her caressing once again. "I'm getting exhausted, but the game is so on… This is not time to back down" he sighed, regaining courage to get up; he looked for something on his pocket as he lifted Clary along with him. "Ah, should've guessed it, the text is gone…" his wife thought for a moment he'd crash the cellphone against the tree like he had done with his still bleeding hand. "It won't be long until yours appears again, with absolutely nothing written from it…"
"But, you cannot stay quiet about this; Robert made pretty clear that you'll be the one blamed just because you were the last to come out, he'll get evidence from anywhere, you must stand up for yourself! Otherwise, he'll get just what he wants, and the Angel knows we have no advantage against Izzy, he'll wipe us off from the map sooner than we thought…" he ran a hand through his darkened locks, and smirked with much effort.
"Don't worry, love, the point of this massacre wasn't becoming kings anyway… it was freeing them from that sadistic and ill bastard… We'll have to make up a plan B; I guess that if Izzy becomes Queen, I'll just have to persuade her; it'll be definitely hard to convince her from dismissing her own father but… it has to be done somehow, or maybe I'll…" he released a dry chuckle "I swear to you, baby, I don't lack any kind of desire of dropping two tiny drops of cyanide in his fucking French champagne… however, I won't lower myself to his own habits"
"Not yet, we haven't lost all, this is quite an accusation… there must still be something to do; deny everything, demand proves and keep up to it until they forget about it… it's the only hope I have, may sound useless… ok it is, what else can we do?" it's complicated to think straight when both you and the people you care so much were in death risk and yet you're being blamed for it.
"Wait, stand still with all you got, wait for the blow, and try the hardest to stay firm… it's what I've always done, heaven's my witness that lately it hasn't worked that well… Worry not, we'll come up with something, now limit yourself not to talk about this, with anyone, kay?" Clary was trembling and felt faint, the whole in the ground beneath them was opening more and more, and there were not many chances of saving themselves.
"… Let go, I don't need any authorization, before being a princess she was my daughter!" the redhead would've recognized that voice anywhere, even easier if she was angry. She also noticed the known figures beside her.
"They're my family, let them in…" Clary walked to the guards of the gates that tried to hold the commotion out of the palace. When Jocelyn got it, she was about to embrace her daughter strength enough to leave her breathless but this time, she doubted, she had been dead worried about her, but maybe her daughter wasn't ready to look at them and to see reliable and loving people like she did before; luckily, she was wrong, it was Clary who took the first step and cried to her mother's chest, bringing the two of them to their knees.
"I was so scared, why did you get in again? Why didn't you say anything…We thought we had lost you…" she hadn't talked to her like that since she was very small, but it was somehow comforting so she didn't complain; it was like going back to those days, when something small made you drop crocodile tears and you could run to mom and know that it all would be ok, there was nothing she couldn't make better, and that point of the story, her life was an entire mess, trapped in lies, competition, constant measuring, digging her grave deeper each time, and all that she wanted to do was to go back to those days, to those arms.
"I'm deeply sorry, I've never been sorrier in my life…" she began, becoming aware that she had to say those words face to face "It is hard, mom; to make the choice was hard, to go through it even more, there were times when I just wanted to give up on it all and run back home, but I wasn't the only one involved in the path I decided to follow, so I couldn't; nobody's life is easy to live, and yours… was pretty awful as well ,losing the man you love, seeing him become a criminal, doing what was at hand to keep your children safe, trying to keep untouched the only two innocents so they wouldn't hurt like you did. I'm sorry I didn't get it at first, mom, you've done so much for us… for me, so much sacrifices and rough decisions, you put your hands into the fire more than once for our sake; I have truly nothing to blame you for, and I thank you for giving me those choices, none of you pushed me into turning into this… kind of fancy being I am now" the rest giggled with her, capturing the moment of honesty inside their hearts "You've devoted your entire existence to us, I don't know if I would've been that strong to do the same, you've made of my life the best that it can ever be. So the point is, I understand why you did what you did and I forgive you… only for keeping it as a secret, the rest of it, all that you have done, I'll always admire it, honestly"
"We're sorry too, angel, and we know we should've told it to you, I wish we could help somehow" Jonathan pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead, hugging her by the shoulders.
"The greatest mistakes and achievements, Clary, most of them are done because of love, and heaven knows how much we love you… Use that love for what's good, for your good luck we've already screwed up enough for you to learn, I can only say that you know what has to be done deep inside your heart, so fight for what's right; you've always done, we believe in you…" Luke wiped her tears away with a mild caress; and what Clary learnt that night, was that nothing that happens in your day by day can be cataloged as good or bad, things happen because they must and only us chose what to get from those, to learn from those and be better or to suffer it and let it make us rotten; the answers wouldn't show up magically by more than she wished it, she had a road to walk by and the choice had been made, she now had to stick to what she had agreed and have faith, just faith.
Naturally, the day after was a chaos in Alicante; the reporters didn't move from outside the palace since early morning, as for the royals hadn't gone out of the place since the fire had been put out, the Lightwoods stayed on their old bedrooms and hadn't talked a word, the King wouldn't say a thing either, so the masses didn't get any answers as the doubts, questioning, fear and instability continued to grow. And to intensify the tension, after a few hours of perfectly performed drama, with doctors, lawyers, witnesses and even guards of the palace themselves, Robert spoke openly his allegations about the unfortunate finding of his nephew, that had been suspiciously the last one coming out of the place in question, and assuring the media that he had recorded proves of Jonathan being present at the very start of the incident; so Jace's name was everywhere, as his popularity around Idris decreased more and more.
On the other hand, it was stern how after a misfortune it was all so calm inside the palace, not a calming silence, a mourning one instead, the kind that has you wondering what could get worse, what else would come so horrible enough to knock you down and leave you on the ground for the rest of your days; when it becomes unbearable, it makes you cringe for some noise, a words, a scream, a thought, anything, you need a sound to try to stand up, to keep up with the fight to not be ended. So Jace and Clary were surprised and thankful in some way when the king called them to the office. Also finding a strangely quiet environment there, they took a seat next to Celine, Clary looked at the tired marks of expression on her mother in law's face, her eyes confessing with embarrassment that she had cried a couple of despaired tears, her father in law facing the window, his back relaxed as she had never seen it.
"…Before you begin with the wordiness, father, I can be completely sincere with you and explain what I was doing at the Lightwoods'…" this time, his son wasn't resentful or agitated; all that he had ever asked from Stephen and Celine was to be heard.
"That's exactly what I want you to do, and this time I promise not to talk until you say I can…" he sighed, turned around and sat on his everyday chair, not exasperated either, making Jace resist the urge to gasp.
"Uh, thank you, majesty… As you may know, we've been getting a lot of threats nowadays, and I was scared that the princess would be harmed, I got a text from her cellphone, not from her precisely, anyways it said to meet her where the fire had started, I thought she was trapped there so I went to look for her and also to verify that the Lightwoods were safe as well but when I got in, there was no one inside, and only a few doors were open, so it made it hard for me to escape…" Stephen remained silent at his reply, with his eyes to the floor and crossing his arms to his chest giving off the idea that he was turning seething once again.
"Majesty, it is true, I had lost my phone after yesterday's dinner and I didn't found it until this morning after breakfast, his highness couldn't have imagined he was being played… whoever did it, was terribly careful about it" Clary added, hoping to ease his temper.
"Father, I swear on the angel that I didn't know a thing, I thought she was in danger, but then we found out that it had been an ambush, I just…"
"Had her on your head… I get it…" he nodded quietly "Let me tell you something you'd never thought of hearing me saying, son… When I first heard you were to be married to a common girl, I was scared to death, I was very conscious of the things you left behind because of being the heir of the throne; I really believed, and I'm ashamed to confess this, that having been taken away from your loved ones had made you a cold, heartless person… unable to look to anyone that wasn't himself and his own grief; duty makes weak men cruel, Jonathan, so I speculated that being so demanding with you would somehow distract you from the pain and focus on your responsibility, that way you wouldn't feel empty or lonely, I don't know for certain what was going through my head. However last night, made me see how unforgivably judgmental we've been with you, turns out that… having an iron hand at your sight wasn't what made you one of the greatest men I'll ever get to have on my presence…" Jace's mother took the hand of her son, tearing and yet smiling, confirming the truth in her husband's words
"It was getting back the love that the life you were born with took away from you; you forgot all about rules and stupid protocol and ran into the eye of the hurricane because there was someone so important in risk, more important than any resentment, and while seeing this young brave lady do the same for you, as well as Isabelle and Alexander, it gives me such a pleasant peace, for it was love that drove you into doing it. I'm proud of you both, I'm proud of your generation; for so long, we have forgotten about being a family and we have become two fighting factions uselessly; nor your grandfather's or Robert's or our mistakes can be erased, children, but you can bring back the light to these broken home, in any way you decide to, or the choices you make you can be certain that we will stand by you, I won't ever force you to be or do anything ever again, Jonathan, you're not responsible for what we did wrong… I ask you to forgive me for having become more of a dictator than a father to you; still I am serene being sure that you've let tragedy make you much more able that this old man could ever be. There is a long way to go through yet, and bad things will always find its place… I cannot promise we'll win this battle, but we will keep you safe and supported, I'll never turn my back on you ever again"
"Thank you, majesty" Clary was surprised that she was also crying at Stephen words, she hadn't expect to hear that either.
"… It's late now…" Jace frowned, making Stephen uneasy, he continued emotionless "Don't get me wrong, father, I appreciate your trust, anyhow, Robert has all he needs against us, and I know for sure he won't stop until we're buried so deep we'll never be able to appear on his plans ever again"
"Don't be so discouraged, my dear, there's nothing in this world that doesn't have a solution…" her mother stroked his golden locks, also giving him a flashback from when he was a kid.
"That is true, darling, if your uncle wants war he'll get it, you cannot stop fighting now, Jace… We're with you" his grandmother appeared on the door.
"I'm not saying I'll quit, I'll never let him win; what you may not be aware of is that… not Izzy or Alec are part of this, I have knowledge of that, you said so, father, they'll never do anything that could menace me, as neither I would do. This is all part of his ideal of breaking us apart and getting to the throne… you may say you don't think it is that way but…"
"We know it is, Robert… the only thing he has on his mind is that your grandfather chose my son instead of him to be king, he has never been able to let go of it, but I never thought he'd use my children to get vengeance" Imogen revealed, devastated.
"He is doing it, majesty, we couldn't understand it either; and he's taking advantage on the relationship Jace has with them to make sure he won't make a move, that's why we're losing so much against him… we could never damage them" In other time, Clary would've remained silent and wouldn't even thought of revealing such things; this time it felt different, it felt warmer, closer… they weren't the shallow, sharp kings anymore, they were just simple parents, concerned about their son.
"And we'll never consent you doing so; but if he's making Isabelle is main weapon, he's not only endangering Jonathan or the future of Idris but your cousins as well, this makes it only worse… He has truly gone mad" the king rubbed his forehead hardly, it was relieving for the young couple how they finally stop talking and started listening and comprehending, it made a whole new prospect for them, getting some weight off of their shoulders. "She cannot be Queen, son, she'll live a constant nightmare if that happens…"
"That's true, I won't take actions against her though, I won't put her family on evidence, I cannot make them get hurt more than they already are…" they had made such a great advance that day, Jace thought, it was definitely disappointing that it had to be that way, that day, in that situation that they'd finally open their eyes to see him he the person, the human the being that felt, loved, feared and cried, and not just a rebellious offspring that unfortunately was the next in line to the throne and had to be managed toughly. And he felt afraid, that he'd lose that just won confidence with what he was about to purpose.
"I'm not following, son, how can you protect Isabelle and Alexander form their father by letting him get what he was craving for?" the blond didn't blame his mother, it was surely something difficult to have in mind.
"My original idea wasn't to let Izzy become queen, but as our dear uncle has bombarded us to no end, I doubt I can get to be king now… And I won't try either, not this way, I don't want to be the kind of person that swipes away the competition to win something, I will not be like him or any other… I know this will be hard to accept but… you said you'd stand by me right?" Clary took his other hand and smiled, confirming that this was the right thing to do.
"We will, don't doubt about it, there's nothing we won't do for you… And don't forget this, we're your parents, we know you want the best for us, for them; I said I would trust you, now I swear it, you've proven to be worthy of confidence" Stephen soothed him. Now, he had said a lot of things Jace never thought he'd hear it was pitiful what they had to go through so they'd finally connect that way, and yet it made them optimistic. They were not alone; therefor the fall wouldn't be so bad.
"I'm not trying to throw away all of the effort you've done with me, father, and I do not wish to despise my position, the last thing I want is to be ungrateful at your eyes, even less after what you've told me… Nevertheless, if this is the price to be paid for Izzy's freedom, then I won't think twice. I'm sorry to tell you this, but we won't become kings, my cousin will have the crown, and when she's finally proclaimed Queen, I'll uncover all of the things Robert has done, the people won't take that kind of crimes and he'll have to be dismissed from the royal family. I know this doesn't sound like the best plan, but it's the least we can do… besides, don't you think she deserves to be the absolute ruler more than I ever will?"
To be continued…
Dreamer.
Hello, readers! Ok so this chapter took me so much to write, it was supposed to be posted yesterday but I got awfully sick, I did try to finish it but I was twitching with pain so… sorry! Anyways, here it is, what do you think of Jace's resolution? A bit risky, right? But worry not; you know that our beloved characters are intelligent enough to make it through the tragedy! Also I got this kind of harsh review saying that I had "plagiarized" the plot from Goong or Princess Hours in English when I explained very clearly on the preview chapter that yes I took the idea from the drama and manga but I haven't stolen anything; I've just changed it into a crossover to spare any doubts anyways, at first I didn't want to as I haven't really incorporated any Goong characters to the fanfic but things must be done not to be hated haha. So please comment of what you think of the story, what did you think of Stephen's confession? what do you expect the ending to be like? Who should be King or Queen? Will Malec ever be back? Will Valentine appear once again? Will Robert's trash finally be discovered? And what details about King Marcus' decision will we find out? Thanks for reading, til' the next chapter! XOXO!