Four year old Clary was watching as daddy took thousands of bags out the door; it was a sunny day outside, she had asked Jonathan if they could go look for Simon and Becky to play in the yard, but he had shook his head and hid inside his room since the morning, she couldn't tell why.
She was helping Valentine take the smallest one outside. Mama told him one thing or two and she bounced her way to meet him at the door as he waited for the taxi. "Where are you going, daddy?" He didn't answer or even looked down at her so she started tugging at his clothes and giggling.
"Enough, Clarissa" he got rid of her little hands forcefully, Clary grimaced; he had never treated her like that.
"Well, when are you coming back?" silence again. "…Daddy?" her voice was beginning to break.
"Clary, leave your father alone…" Mama said with a hand on her mouth and other to her chest, as if something inside her was tearing to pieces. The vehicle finally came and he wasted no time in picking his things up, when he was about to take the smallest bag, his daughter tangled around his leg.
"I don't want you to go!" the emerald stare of the little one was stained by tears. But her once loving father didn't care; he separated her shaky small arms from him and walked down the front stairs without saying a thing. "Daddy!" she screamed, finally breaking her mother's heart and dragging tears out from her eyes. She tried to follow him just when she felt a calloused, wrinkled hand grab her.
"Love, let him go…" Grandpa had caught her right in time, but she only sobbed at his face and tried to get back to her father.
"No, Pa! I want to go with daddy, I want to go with daddy!" she screamed in desperate cries. Granville pulled her closer to him and she finally gave in, curling to his chest, letting the tears fall to his shirt. He picked her up from the ground and stroked her curls. "I want to go with daddy…"
"He'll be back soon, sweetheart" she felt her mother stand beside them and kissed her wet cheek. Those will be the only words heard about her father for the rest of years she'd ask.
"Really?" but she only looked for reassurance in Grandpa's eyes.
"Y-yes, darling, he will" he nodded almost without hesitating. But when his stare met with Jocelyn his own confirmation hit him to the heart.
He was never coming back… and that was only better for her.
"And we apologize again your highness, as the Prince's disposition not you or Mr. Starkweather will be allowed in the Gard, we will be gone now…" the other guard stated.
"What the hell, Hodge?" Jace's expression had never shown such disappointment, fear or treason towards the man that had taught him and saw him grow, being in Stephen's place when he was too busy being a King, comforting him when Celine was too busy on herself, taking the time to be a replacement parent. He and all of the people once close to him were finishing breaking his heart…
"Highness, there was nothing we could do, Prince Robert says he has enough evidence; the best we can do is to attend the trial; know what they may have against her and then decide what to do. We're so very sorry, I assure you…" Clary's heavy eyes left their only allies' faces and fell to the ground, feeling as the guards put her arms behind her back and forced her to walk out of the room, the sound of demanding loud words left her ears even before she got to the door. She silently thanked them for leading the way, the tears had begun to fall; the expensive velvet carpet of the halls made her difficult to walk even with her short heels, her puffy yet simple light green dress and too curly locks gathering around her face… and the silver Herondale locket pounding against her chest and faint heart like trying to bring it back to life. So this was it… This was the end of it, her life had begun with Valentine and he would be the one to finish it now, how ironical. And how stupid she felt for having had him on a pedestal for so long. If only she had known earlier, or told somebody… ask for help, told them neither she had any idea of what had been of him, Maybe it would've been… different, just different, everything… everything would have fallen into its place.
"Bring her to the dock" she heard Robert order in a too tranquil tone, as he always spoke, knowing there was no way of not having his way. She hadn't realized they had already reached the courtroom, or as the people of Idris called it: the Gard and everyone was there except for her, the center of it all, they had gotten tired of waiting for the accused to come by her own terms. So that was her place; as the daughter of a traitor, a criminal, and she was falling into it; falling mercilessly. She looked up in search for some compassion, but she only found the shocked expression of her in-laws and grandmother, also trying to get any explanation of the situation but not being able to… but the worse thing was: they were seated in the place of the judges. At the left side sat Isabelle, Alec and Maryse, they on their side looked absolutely clueless, not being conscious of the change of plans either. She was seated on the dock not so kindly and the impact made her eyes water even more.
"Majesties, I must apologize for putting together such scene… However, you must understand the gravity of the situation." The head of the Lightwoods turned now to face the parliament "Valentine Morgenstern has been wanted in Idris since 1991 and the sudden appearance and inclusion of his own daughter to the bosom of the royal family is far too suspicious not to be looked into…Now, the main topics to be treated are: how was that a connection between Miss Clarissa Fairchild Morgenstern and the leader of the Circle wasn't made before the marriage of her with the Crown Prince. The convenience of her highness here of keeping the identity of her father as a secret. Their majesties not taking enough care of the background of the person they put in the place of an heir to the throne. And just why would she accept the marriage with the same person her own father tried to murder if it wasn't because there was a scheme left incomplete, thus become one living threat to the crown herself…"
"Very well, highness." His brother interrupted. "I must insist that the questions are made to the Princess since she's the accused, as the law specifies it" judgements made in the Royal Idris Court were very private and secretive, so there was little she could know about the procedure; but from what she was getting she could say that if the accused didn't appear in the courtroom she or he would be brought by the guards, the main monarchs would be judges and the sentence would be dictated with the help of the parliament, who would be referred to as the Council; and these two elements were called the Clave , and she would have no lawyer, leaving her on her own to defend herself.
"As you say, my lord…" he seemed reluctant to do it at first, but then a hint of regained trust shone on his face, making Clary shiver. "Highness, let's get into what concerns us… All of the honorable members of the Council here present know that your legal representative isn't Sir Valentine Morgenstern, but rather Mrs. Jocelyn Graymark formerly Fairchild, is that right?"
"Yes, your highness…" she tried to reply out loud, yet she didn't find the strength to do so.
"And why is that, Princess?"
"My father left my family when I was four years old, my mother then took his place as our representative as a single parent. By the time she was married to Lucian Graymark the custody had been already given to her so she didn't change it…" she said calmly but there were still remains of a teary voice as she spoke.
"Was it at the age of four the last time you saw your father?"
"Yes" she had nothing to hide, but she had much to fear. She couldn't know what it was going to be of her, but everyone had stated that the relatives of the criminal would also face a punishment whatever that would be chosen by the jury.
"Have you gotten any information of him these past years?" he looked so uncomfortably sure of it all, as if he was inside her mind listening to her replies before she said them. Like a puppeteer merely moving her strings.
"Not verifiable… My brother had been studying abroad for three years, traveling around the continent and he commented that my father had been doing the same but I never stablished direct contact with him after he left Idris" her fingers tangled around one another on her lap, that used to keep her at easy when she was worried about something.
"So you're saying that the words given to you by your own brother, Mr. Jonathan Fairchild, are not reliable?" he said this almost laughing, lighting a raging anger inside her chest; she had taken enough from him, enough from everyone actually. She was done with faking smiles, wanting to appear soothed and willing to please everyone all the time. She was tired of changing herself to their stereotype of perfection, or the closest she could get to it. She was fed up with having to distance herself from the ones she already and had gotten to love for the past months. But most of all, she was sick of this cruel, violent and lying man who was so desperately trying to take her, Jace and the kings down; and for putting her cousins and aunt into such horrible suffering. There was not much more she could lose, so why would he keep up with being timid to his eyes? If he wanted to play with fire, she would make sure they both would burn the brightest, both of them.
"Not exactly, I'm saying that the decision of Valentine Morgenstern to vanish from our lives was definitive, but as I was a little girl my family did what they could to protect me" and then she remembered the scene. 'Where are you going, daddy?', 'Love, let him go…', 'He'll be back soon, sweetheart'. She was trying to hide her heartbreak with all of her, but who were those people to judge her? To want to know things about her father that not even she knew, to tell her it was her fault, to punish her for not knowing enough… She couldn't have known, she couldn't do anything! And the angel knew she had tried, even being so young, she had tried.
"That's precisely the issue here, highness. If there was no reason to think that your father was a dangerous man why would your family want to protect you from him? Why to try and hide every aspect of your life that joined you two as direct relatives? If you weren't aware of his true identity…" he had hit the nail right on the head, and that was making Clary even more furious and concerned, how could he know all of it? Nor her mother, Luke, her late Grandpa would've ever told anyone about the truth… how could he possibly know so much of it?
"Because of private reasons, highness. Nevertheless, I'll try to explain myself; the loss of a parent for a young child is a very traumatic experience, therefore my mother only intended to make the situation more bearable for my brother and me, making us forget and cut connection with him. And here's one tiny piece of information you might not have in mind, prince. A man doesn't become dangerous to his family only because of being a criminal, but also for being a bad father…" she caught a glimpse of Alec moving to hold his sister hand as she wiped silently. At this point she didn't know who had the worst parent, her or them… Most probably them though, it had been a blessing in some ways for Valentine to disappear, but they still have to put up with Robert every day, without being able to say a word against it.
"That… doesn't come into the picture, princess." She consequently had made him hesitate with what he said, and she thought it was for the best that he fired all of the possible bullets until he had nothing he could use against her; she wouldn't have the sanction lifted form her shoulders, but if she had to fall she'd do it with her head up high.
"Really? Because I think that's only one of the remarkable similarities that might put you and my own father in the same circle of shame…" she whispered making sure only her target would be affected by her saying. The parliament and the judges were still talking into the matter of Valentine's being a menace to her family as well.
"Majesties, please… we're talking with the closest of people to the biggest threat ever known to the crown, we cannot let ourselves be walked around the bush because of the princess' "childhood traumas" as she desires to call them" he was running an almost shaky hand through his hair, making Clary wonder what truly had made him become so unsteady… her own accusations hadn't been made… yet.
"Well, you're the one who stablished the topics, highness. As I told you, the princess must be asked the questions you consider are indisputably necessary" Stephen's comment made her realize that the main jury, at least, were turning the tables on her favor. Robert was breathing heavily, a clear display of anger against a plan that was being modified little by little, and not in a very beneficial way from him. He had this lesson to learn, two could play his own dirty game.
"Sure, majesty. If I may dare to say that the background of the problem has been covered, and that we've luckily been assigned two days for the trial, I shall come tomorrow with better arranged ideas. And I apologize again, however my intentions are merely routed to protect the safety of the royal family, that's why you've seen me at the edge of losing my temper, utterly improper… I will request two more questions alone…" such typical speech of somebody who had many truths to be told. "Your highness...did you know about the essential participation of your father in the activities of The Circle?"
"No" she answered immediately, but that didn't save her from seeing a discrete, yet proud smirk forming on his face.
"Until when…?" and like that, the bomb exploded.
"A week ago…" the voices of her surroundings shot up, leaving her almost unprotected for more hasty conclusions. The Queen Mother covered her aching expression with her gloved hand, getting a friendly pat from her daughter in law. "How will we get the poor child out of this?" she said lowly to Celine, not getting a response from her.
"That's enough for today, the whole courtroom is dismissed…" that wasn't a proper way for the King to close the trial but he wasn't in the mood for being as wordy as everyone else but he required it to be. Clary somehow got herself out of the dock, as she had gotten a bit dizzy because of the mixed sudden emotions and for the blurry vision of someone in a similar too elegant dress approached her as the crowd walked out disconcerted.
"Clary, for the love of Raziel, I had no idea… I'm so sorry, I swear on my mother's name I had no idea, father didn't even tell me… I have nothing against you…" Izzy grabbed her hands and poured as many hurt tears as the redhead's eyes did.
"I know, Isabelle… And I don't blame you either" she soothed her pulling her into a quick embrace "We all know this is not your doing, we'll save you from him" she said to her ear as rapidly as she could before hearing loud stepping on the floor coming to get her.
"What… how can you?" her teary eyes wondered more than her words did, but it was too late to give an explanation. Robert caught Clary's arms and teared them away from his daughter's body.
"Don't you touch my heir, you filthy traitor" he said fearlessly to her face, applying enough pressure to leave a week's lasting mark on her white skin, then his face and hands turned to grab a hold on Isabelle. "And you, how do you dare fraternizing at the sight of everyone with such scum?" but not everyone heard the last part.
"The same goes to you, brother. Everyone is innocent until it's proved the opposite, and you haven't given off any concrete information about my daughter in law yet, so I advise you to get away from them if you don't want to face a trial yourself" the King also stepped out of his place and walked down in defense of the princesses. The Queen had momentarily excused herself to make an important call, and the Queen Mother just stared at the bitter scene in distress, not being able to move from where she was taking in and out the breaths that appeared to her would be her lasts.
"Enjoy your last minutes as absolute ruler all you want, brother, savor them. Once my Queen gets the crown you all traitors will be permanently taken out of the palace… and Idris will be once again as it was meant to be, the monarchy will regain its power and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it" luckily for them only the royal family remained in the room to hear the threats.
"There might not be, Robert. But you can be sure that we'll fight until the very end, and this is far from being over…" that was the most honest, direct, unhesitant words Clary had ever heard the king say.
"The longer it is, the longer I will enjoy it… Let's get out of this madhouse…" he was about to drag Isabelle behind him but she got away from his bruising hold on her.
"I can walk by myself, thank you…" and she hurried herself to encounter her mother and brother. Robert gave one last death glare to the Herondales and walked away.
"Majesties, I… I" Clary tried to explain, but seeing the Queen Mother suddenly at her side with equal watery pupils was too much.
"Didn't know soon enough…" Imogen composed herself and wiped her cheeks. "It's alright, child, it's not the first time that one person's mistakes are blamed on others… and it unfortunately won't be the last time" she couldn't stand the pressure anymore and broke down on her grandmother's arms. "It's not your fault being the daughter of someone, it wasn't your fault to be born as the child of who's your father, neither is it that he decided to do the things he did…" she caressed her now messy and tangled hair, but her eyes were locked on her son's, dedicating her forgiveness both to the shattered person she embraces as to the one standing in front of them.
"I swear on the Angel, majesty, I didn't know… at least not when I agreed to marry the Crown Prince; I would never try to harm any of you in any way… If I had, I'm certain that I must've told you the very second I found it out but… I was too scared of what would result of it, I didn't want you to think badly of me, after all the things you've done for me. I'm so sorry; I don't even know how to begin apologizing…"
"Then don't, princess. We believe you… and we always thought that the sentence given by his majesty late King Marcus was a bit too severe, to apply any kind of penalty to the family of the traitor making them bear with the weight of a crime not committed by them. It was too much ... still the love of the king for his family was as great as his fervent desire to protect them, to protect us all; it blinded him and led him to plunge into an unnecessary act of cruelty…" the Queen walked to meet them slowly as she talked, saying the last part with her eyes to the ground, as if she were saying those confessions as her own. "You were an innocent child, and we do understand the difficult position your mother and relatives had to put themselves into, they have been informed of all of this but I'm afraid the accusations are being made solely towards you as a member of the Royal Family, and only matters of the Royal Family members can be discussed in the Royal Idris Court..."
"We want you to know that we don't mean to withdraw our support with this though, we'll do what we can to persuade the parliament… I add that I'm actually surprised by the prince's progressively vague actions… to try to take down the youngest of the Herondales… this only means he's running out of ways of portraying his daughter as the fittest heir to the throne" Stephen concluded his wife's idea. "Don't you worry, highness… we haven't turned our backs on you, but it's we're talking about three members of the Clave against the Council made of around two hundred people" he sighed seeming a bit discouraged now.
"It's hard, my dear, but not impossible. And you two, children, have given us some important lessons to learn, apply and not forget… we're growing and becoming better people and monarchs thanks to your own sensate actions. We did promise to stand beside you…" Celine's stare finally found Clary's emerald one, and she spoke from the heart, warming up her daughter in law's chest, she smiled "And a promise is sacred to a Herondale, highness, from the day you were given the ring, we became responsible of your education, that's right but also for your safety, protection and care… there's no real reason for you to suffer more abuse from your father than the abuse you've already faced. We will do what's in our hands… this we swear on the angel".
"You!" The Lightwoods met the presence of an infuriated cousin making his way towards the father fast, and held him by the edge of his blue silk coat. "How do you dare make any accusation towards the Crown Princess? How do you dare lay a hand on her or on my cousins? Who the hell do you think you are, you bastard?!"
"Jace, you'll get yourself in trouble…" Alec had to try, but he knew his cousin too well to know that he wouldn't listen to anything any of them had to say.
"You think you've got the world on your hands, Robert. You think you've seen the last of me, but you don't know just how mistaken you are! If it's a stupid crown and throne what you want I'll throw myself into the streets and tell everyone I give up on my position right now, I'll give you the whole palace if that's what you so ridiculously desire! But keep away from my family, you monster! Leave us alone!" he growled at his uncle, who only chuckled and applied enough strength to the younger's hand from his own to let go, to what Jace only responded by clutching it tighter around his clothing.
"What a way to appreciate your uncle's attempts of saving you from the traitor you were forced to make your wife, highness. This problem has evolved far too much to be considered as a mere matter of political correctness, this is about the safety of the Royal Family and Idris itself. There's no way I can let it slip from my fingers so easily… Clarissa Morgenstern must be expelled from the palace, before we found ourselves in between the claws of The Circle once again."
"She is no criminal, Robert; you know this as well as I do. And neither she is a Morgenstern no more, she's not the daughter of Valentine Morgenstern. She is the daughter of Jocelyn Fairchild and Lucian Graymark, she was formerly a Fairchild and now she is a Herondale; she is my wife, your and my aunt's niece by law, the cousin of your children and most of all the Crown Princess of all Idris! And I won't let you stain her innocent name with your own blood covered hands… I won't let you burden my dear ones with your mistakes, even if it costs my life! Hear me well; when all of this comes to an end I'll make sure you never even catch a glimpse of my family ever again… If I shall go to hell for doing so, then I shall drag you with me. And this is a promise!" He finally let go of him and glared at his cousins and aunt that still cried. He wished he could to something in that very moment to ease them, but he couldn't and Clary needed him. "I'm sorry…" was the last thing he thought he'd say to them, but as he walked away, Izzy found his hand.
"Forgive us…" she whispered with her eyes to the ground. Izzy… little Iz has always been like this. So graceful, so gentle, so devoted, so…close to perfection, yet she was the only one who could never see or acknowledge that, the self-criticism had blinded her more times than he could count; Jace and Alec had thought it since they were kids, that she would be much better of an heir to the throne than any of them, the most fair and correct monarch of all times. So in a way, his wish for her to become Queen went past the fact of wanting her to free herself from the doings of her father; he loved and admired her and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her… so he was giving up on her side, but not until Robert had lost any influence he could apply on them. Not just yet…
"I have nothing to forgive you for" he gave her a reassuring squeeze and kindly untangled his fingers from her.
"Love…?" Jace hoped to see his wife in the Gard, coming more to comfort her rather than to ask any questions of what had happened, but he only found a blonde, slim delicate figure walking around the courtroom, looking beautiful and goddess like as always in a golden dress than dances with the help of the wind and her movements.
"I was usually the one to call you that, dearest… But I do guess that it was not aimed to me…" she turned around smiling.
"Are you ever wrong, mother?" he chuckled sadly, looking down.
"Walk with me, love…" she raised her hand for him to take, and though he had wanted to run to Clary, his mother's stare assured him she was fine, accompanied and being taken care of. So he made his way to find her slowly and took hers on his own arm, walking out of the Gard. "Clarissa is okay, by the way…"
"Clary, mother" he corrected her, something strange, he never talked unless she had ended her speech.
"Pardon?" she wasn't indignant, she was surprised that he always took a while to display his affection towards the girl he had married.
"It's Clary, she doesn't like being called Clarissa, it makes her think that people are mad at her…" he said this with a grin on his tired face.
"Oh, good to know, thank you for the information…" his face was the target of the sunrays the windows of the hall allowed into the palace, and yet not even the power of the natural illumination could make him seem as lightened up as the mention of Clary's name. It warmed the Queen's heart and made it ache at the same time, it was so wonderful to see it… her son was deeply in love with this girl, and she was only beginning to discover why… however, unlucky her, she had to ask herself how much more time will she have to discover the wonders of her daughter in law. "It wasn't a good day for any of us today, I know… and you must know that there will be consequences for this something that um, Clary, didn't do…"
"Yes, I'm aware of that, mother… and I don't mean to be rude, but if you're going to ask me about if she had any sort of plan with her father, I do not wish to continue with this conversation… and rather walk quietly by your side…"
"Not at all, love…" he turned his face to see the eyes identic to his. "I believe each word of what your wife said, and I'm totally against the idea of making her responsible for the crimes of The Circle of which she wasn't even told of ever… but that's only your grandmother's, father's and my thought… Like your father said earlier, it's us three against a Council of two hundred. And they expect us to do something about this matter, although it was so long ago… it still was a great menace for all of us. So I've decided to get my hands into it…" they sat in a bench, making Jace realize they had gotten to his grandfather's garden, Clary's favorite.
"You see, the Crown Princess won't be so easily taken out of this situation… in fact, she won't be taken out, dear. No matter what we can or can't do, if we stand against the Council's decision we will be the ones committing a crime, and only the Angel knows what will happen to us, to your poor cousins, if we dare to do so… it would only contribute to Robert acquiring the power he so frantically desires. Therefore, I've talked with a few members of the Council, my closest and most reliable ones to get some information about their thoughts on this…"
"Then there must be a number of them that may agree with your position in this case…" he hoped, his mother smiled and took his face on her hands
"There is, love… Yet, the number is not so significant for the declaration to be made in our favor. And that's not exactly because they think she is guilty of anything, but because Robert has much influence on the parliament, and their search of the leader of The Circle has been the longest and most difficult for them to resolve. So they believe that if his daughter is put into evidence that will make him stand right where they want him to be, one way or another."
"And what can we do about that?" he sighed, he wasn't so disappointed, at this point of the story… there was nothing that could hurt him more badly than he already had been hurt.
"A decision has already been taken… the reason I've brought you here is rather for me to get your permission of carrying it out…" his emotion changed into worriedness, what was it that she was going to do that she needed to make sure he wouldn't intervene?
"Mother, I know your relationship with her hasn't been the best, you haven't had the time to get to know her like I do, but I beg of you… don't take it too hard on her, you said you understood that she wasn't guilty of anything." He had to try, still not knowing what was exactly that he wanted out of it.
"I am, and so I've thought of the least painful sentence to apply on her…"
"So you're going to declare her guilty?!" Jace took her hands off his face forcefully.
"I'll be forced to; we'll be forced to… I'm telling you, Jace, the decision about her being considered guilty or not isn't mine, but I can move pieces to know what it will be of her, that's as much as I can do…" he was starting to get sad, she could notice, she could remember her little blonde angel looking at the ground and entwining his small hand in front of his face, that was exactly what he was doing at the moment; and the so strong grip of his fingers around one another was enough to make his hands turn white, giving him the strength not to cry instead. "I know you want her safe… and close to you so you can protect her, still that in this case is not so convenient for her…"
"What do you mean? How can I make sure she'll be okay if she's not in my sight?" it had been very few times that Jonathan had actually cried in front of her, in front of anyone…
"With hope, with the love and faith you profess each other so truly and powerfully… I know my people, Jonathan, and I know neither they, the Council nor Robert will let this slide. If you really want her to be safe and not hurt anymore, you must listen to me… and try to do as I say"
"And what do you say?" he wanted to hear it quickly, the faster the last piece of his breaking heart would be destroyed, the faster he could continue to go on with his own plan.
"She will be exiled from Idris ... and will travel to one of the many institutes we have, but to make sure that she will not be followed I will try to have her in North America and not in Europe, I will send an emissary from the palace with her to keep her as safe and comfortable as possible…" she watched him tear in silence "That's what I can do for you, my love, and for her, it may not be the easiest way, but it's the best as far as I know. I only ask you to trust me and leave it in my hands. The last thing I want is that you and she, being so young, have to carry such pain alone. I do not hate your wife as everyone thinks, and I simply want to make this the least difficult for you both... then, will you do it for me ... for her?" she ran a hand through his golden Herondale locket, the picture that was to be hold inside it would be chosen by them alone… though she already knew what it was, and it was making this ache even more for them.
"Do you really believe ... this is the best?" his voice sounded teary, and broken.
"I speak with the heart of a mother who has already suffered the nightmare that only begins for her"
"Then do it, mother ..." he wiped his tears, not letting his own wishes put Clary in danger for nothing "Get her out of here before it's too late…"
To be continued…
Dreamer.
A quick message, yes I almost did cry with this chapter too. And yes I know I update as often as we see an eclipse but this was my senior year people and I've finally graduated! So this fanfic that has taken me 3 years to concrete is coming to an end! And I want to know your thoughts on it! So please comment and oh! For anyone following this story that is also a fan of Batman I've written a story so you're free to check it out on my profile, it's called The Other Side. That's it for this chapter, please comment, and I'll see you on the next chapter, bye!