Blight and Bloom

by Shergar

Summary:

Magnus isn't sure what to expect when his father announces that he's found his son his future queen and sends him to the mortal realm to Call her to Seelie. Camille is strange and not at all like the person that Magnus would have chosen for himself if he had been given the choice. She accepts the offer - the power, magic, and immortality that comes with being a Seelie queen is just too good to pass up.

Her entrance into Seelie sets dark plans into motion as someone in the court hopes to kill the king and his son and take their title and power for himself.

Magnus must juggle getting to know his future bride, his upcoming wedding, and attempts on his life all while attending to his princely duties.

He's got a secret weapon, however, in the form of his father's advisor - Half-Seelie Alec who knows the inner workings of palace life better than anyone and who only has Magnus' best interests at heart.

Notes:

Thanks to Jae and Lily on the Malec Discord Server for putting their eyes on this!

Art done by the wonderful JasmineDragonArt on Tumblr!

Chapter 1: Chapter One

 

 

 

 

“I’ve found your future bride,” Asmodeus said bluntly the very moment that Magnus had stepped inside his father’s chambers and shut the door quietly behind him. “She’s a nice girl from the human realm and very beautiful. I think the two of you will be a good match and a pretty pair. I’ve been observing her for a while. She’s the right kind of person to rule by your side when you finally take the throne.”

Magnus froze at his father’s words, his heart starting to beat so rapidly in his chest that he was surprised that Asmodeus couldn’t hear it. A bride? What would he do with a bride? And a human one at that.

He’d always known, of course, that a political marriage was in the cards for him. His mother and father’s union had been arranged by Magnus’ grandfather as his grandfather’s bride had been picked by his great-grandfather. Such was the way of life when one was a royal. Magnus’ family had been ruling Seelie for generations and would continue to rule for generations more. He thought, however, that he’d have more time. Magnus was still young for one of his people at a mere four hundred years old and his father was still in very good health. 

Asmodeus must have noticed his son’s hesitation because he turned quickly and fixed Magnus with his full attention and raised an eyebrow in question. “I thought you hated humans,” was all Magnus managed to say after a moment, his voice was quieter than he would have liked in the presence of his father. 

The older man scoffed and rolled his eyes, crossing the room to squeeze Magnus’ shoulder hard enough that he was sure it would leave a bruise tomorrow. “My son, I don’t hate humans. They’ve done nothing wrong. Your mother was human, as was your grandmother, and your great grandmother. We always Call a woman from the mortal realm to be Queen and Consort. She becomes one of us. It is the way of our people.”

“Then why do you show such disgust to those who have mortal blood?” Magnus asked, trying to keep the conversation off of the topic of his new bride in hopes that his father would somehow, magically, forget. There weren’t many halflings — those who had both human and Seelie parents — left. Asmodeus had outlawed the couplings long before Magnus was born, and their numbers had simply ceased to be. 

There was one halfling that Magnus knew of, and he was the only one of his kind as far as the prince was aware. Alexander was his father’s advisor, which Magnus had always found odd considering his father’s hatred for those with a mixed heritage. He ran the day-to-day operations of Asmodeus’ court and had done so before Magnus was even a thought in either of his parents’ minds. 

“Halfbreeds aren’t to be trusted, Magnus. We’ve been through this. I don’t know why you insist on pushing a matter that you know nothing about,” his father growled angrily, releasing his shoulder with more force than necessary and stalking back across the room to stare at a flickering magical image that was hovering above his desk. “Stop trying to change the subject, son. Come and meet your future bride.”

Magnus wanted to scream at his father and insist that he wasn’t a child. If he were going to be running this kingdom one day, he had a right to know what it was that Asmodeus was so desperately trying to keep him from finding out. However, this wasn’t the first time that they’d had this argument, and Magnus knew that any attempts to push the matter now would only serve to further anger the man. He sighed, pausing for a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath before he crossed the room and took his place at his father’s side. 

The woman in the picture was beautiful, with long blonde hair, bright red lips, and a gorgeous figure. Magnus had dated both men and women in the past. Gender had never been a deciding factor for him. He fell in love with a soul first, he always had, but even he couldn’t deny this woman’s beauty. She was someone that he would have approached himself, but the fact that she’d been picked by his father rubbed him in all the wrong ways.

“She’s…beautiful,” Magnus stated, unsure of how else he could compliment a woman that he had never met. “What’s her name?” He idly wondered how his father even found the woman considering he refused to step foot outside of the Seelie realm. 

“Camille Belcourt,” Asmodeus replied, obviously pleased that his son was showing an interest in his future bride. “And you’re right, she is beautiful. That’s what I first noticed about her. She’ll look lovely sitting by your side.” He flicked his fingers toward the image and it changed into another. In this one, the woman — Camille — Magnus reminded himself, was sitting at a table, her arms crossed in front of her as she laughed at something that someone else must be saying. “She’s also motivated, driven, meticulous…” Asmodeus glanced at Magnus with a look of disgust on his face that was gone mere moments later. “She’ll be a good counter to all your flaws.”

Magnus tried not to shrink under his father’s gaze. He knew that he was far from the perfect son that Asmodeus wanted him to be but sometimes the man’s anger toward his behavior felt a little bit misplaced. Sure, Magnus liked fun probably a little more than was appropriate for a crown prince but what was the point in being a prince at all if you weren’t going to live a little? 

A knock on the door had both father and son turning toward the sound. “Enter,” his father called out. Magnus nearly sighed in relief when Alec entered a few moments later. Now, at least, he wouldn’t be alone in the room with Asmodeus as the man further discussed his duty to the crown and their family name. 

The advisor dropped into easy parade rest and ducked his head as a sign of respect. He was wearing his palace uniform as Magnus had expected, the purple tailcoat lined with silver over tight black pants and shiny black boots, and his dark hair was the same organized mess that it always was. Alec’s skin was pale though flushed like he had rushed to Asmodeus’ door and the slightest hint of a white oleander blossom on the side of his neck that peeked mysteriously over the edge of his collar had been the subject of more of Magnus’ dreams than he would like to admit.

“There you are, Alec,” Asmodeus stated, though his voice was harsher than it had been just moments before. “It took you long enough. I was starting to believe that I was going to have to send one of my men to retrieve you.” 

“No, sir,” Alec replied obediently, glancing up to look toward the king, though Magnus noticed that he never looked him in the eyes. “I apologize for my delay. I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

“Make sure it doesn’t,” was Asmodeus’ icy reply before he turned his attention from the Halfling to focus fully on his son. “Magnus, go change. That is not an outfit fitting to meet your future queen. For this to have any chance of working, you must look every bit the prince that you are. Don’t make us wait too long. When you return, I’ll open a portal to the mortal realm. Alec will do the Calling but it will be up to you to make introductions and work your charm.” He frowned at where his son stood frozen in place. “ Now, Magnus. Don’t make me ask again.”

----------

When Magnus returned to his father’s chambers, he was wearing the suit that had been made for him for last year’s Moonlight Festival. It was a deep blue, with thin threads of silver and gold woven into the fabric. There was embroidery at the cuffs and collar meant to mimic the wonders found in the night sky. He stood out in this suit, that was the point, so he knew his father would approve of the choice. He’d left his necklaces behind but had pulled a few rings and an ear cuff from his jewelry box. Magnus had debated leaving the circlet behind, but his father had made a point to state his desire that his son look the part of a prince, so he’d grabbed it at the last minute and shoved the disgusting thing on his head. 

His eyes first fell on Alec, who had moved to the side of the room to be out of Asmodeus’ way while he waited. The king looked up as his son entered and studied him closely for before nodding his approval. “Good, that will do. Come to the center of the room. Alec, you can join us now.” The advisor crossed the room to take his place by Magnus’ side in the center of the sun pattern tiled into the stone floor. “I’ll open a portal to the mortal realm for you. I expect you’ll know what to do when you get to the other side.”

Magnus did , in fact, know what was supposed to happen for an Official Calling. It had been drilled into him enough times during his lessons as he was growing up. “Alec will play the Calling Song and once she’s drawn into the stone circle, I’ll make my appearance and introduce myself. I’ll tell her how wonderful our lovely land is and that she’s being given an opportunity to join us as my future queen. If she accepts, we come home. There’s a party, she eats the ceremonial fruit, and the rest is history,” he finished, rolling his eyes at how he had to explain that he wasn’t entirely clueless as to their old traditions. “And I can open a portal to the mortal realm myself, you know. You were the one who taught me how.”

“I’m aware that it is within your skill set,” his father replied icily. “However, Alec will not be able to cross through one of your portals, which is why I must be the one to make it.”

Magnus frowned and turned his head toward the taller man, but Alec showed no sign that Asmodeus’ words had had any effect on him. Why wouldn’t Alec be able to cross through one of Magnus’ portals? What was so special about the one that his father made? Before Magnus could ponder on it much longer, the king twisted his wrist and a portal spun to life in front of them. “Your queen awaits, Magnus. I wish you success. Don’t disappoint me — either of you. I’ll send another portal for you before sunrise.”

Magnus offered his hand to Alec, knowing that the two of them would need to cross together to ensure that they ended up in the right place and in the right timeline. The advisor accepted it without a second thought and let Magnus pull him through to the other side. 

It had been mid-day back in the Seelie realm, but here it had just turned midnight. The full moon hung brightly in the sky as a witness to all that was about to occur tonight. The portal fizzled out behind them and Magnus quickly released Alec’s hand to rub at his arms nervously. Now that his father’s presence wasn’t looming over him, he finally felt like he had a few moments to process all that had happened in the last hour. His father had chosen a bride for him. He was to bring her back to the castle tonight through the traditional Calling that Alec would perform. That meant that sometime in the next few days or weeks, Magnus was getting married… to a woman he’d never met before tonight. 

“Oh god, I don’t think I can do this,” he muttered, starting to pace around the inner ring of the stone circle that had formed just before their arrival in the mortal realm. “Alec, I don’t think I can do this. I know nothing about this woman that my father has chosen. I’ve barely seen her picture… how am I supposed to marry her? How can we expect her to be queen of a land that she doesn’t even know exists? What if…what if we don’t get along?”

Alec had always been a calming, steady presence in Magnus’ life. He’d been his father’s advisor as long as Magnus could remember (and probably even longer than that.) He’d been the one to teach the young prince how to start using the magic that was his birthright. It had been Alec who had bandaged the young boy’s skinned knees and picked him back up after his first broken heart. It had always been Alec in his life, in one way or another, and he hoped that Alec would remain in his life for a while longer. He couldn’t imagine his life without the halfling by his side. 

The taller man crossed to where Magnus was pacing relentlessly and stilled him, grabbing Magnus’ hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. “ Magnus,” he started, his voice gentle yet firm enough to snap the prince out of his panic. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure your father picked someone who will be a good match for you. Your mother was Called and she was a wonderful woman and a fantastic queen. I’m sure Camille will be too.” He gave Magnus a smile, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Give her a chance, alright? It’s not like you to judge someone before you even get a chance to know them.”

Magnus knew that Alec was right about most of his statements. While he doubted that Asmodeus truly had his best interest at heart, Camille at least deserved a chance to prove that she could be the queen that their people needed. Magnus’ own mother had been pulled from the mortal realm as well and their people had mourned when she had passed away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ground himself before he opened them, his cat eyes shining brightly under the midnight moon. “Alright,” he finally agreed. 

He took a look around, trying to figure out where they were, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on where the stones had erupted from the ground. “Where are we?” He asked Alec, stepping closer to the edge of the circle to try and get a better look at the world around them. They were in a large park because the magic that the stone circle needed to spawn required nature. Tall bright buildings surrounded them and reached toward the sky, and the sounds of the city in the distance were harsh on Magnus’ ears.

Alec joined him, taking a look around and squinting at the signs on the buildings in the distance. “New York, it looks like, though it’s been quite a while since I was here last. It’s changed…louder, brighter.” He wrinkled his nose. “ Smellier…”

Magnus laughed. “I didn’t realize you’d been to the mortal realm before. I guess I’ve never really seen you anywhere but the palace. When was the last time you were in New York? What were you doing here?” He was curious about the answers to his question but Magnus also realized that he was desperately trying to stall. He still had worries about meeting his future bride.

Alec opened his mouth to speak and began coughing before the words could leave his mouth. It took him a few moments to recover, and when he did, his speech was slow and deliberate. “It was…a long time ago. Best not to dwell on the past.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out the old silver flute that Magnus had only seen a handful of times before. “Are you ready? Once I start the song, there’s no going back.”

Anxiety bubbled in the pit of Magnus’ stomach but he nodded his head anyway. “Let’s get this over with. I have no plans of incurring my father’s wrath if I come back empty-handed.” He tried to give Alec a confident smile but knew that it likely fell flat. “Maestro, take it away.”

Alec raised the flute to his lips and began to play. The song started up quietly with a gentle but driven melody that slowly started to ramp up as the music continued. Magnus could feel the Call in his bones but this song wasn’t for him. He wrung his hands together anxiously while he waited for Camille to appear. No matter where his bride was in the city, the song would find her and drive her here. 

It felt like ages but he finally noticed a figure in the distance that was walking toward them with purpose. Magnus nudged Alec and the halfling’s eyes turned that direction though his song never faltered. Camille was wearing a royal blue dress that was just shades lighter than Magnus’ own jacket, and high heels that didn’t seem to trouble her as she walked through the park’s grass. Her hair was pulled up and her make-up was impeccable. She looked beautiful…and deadly.

Alec’s song came to a soft close as Camille stepped inside the circle, and the halfling stepped to the side to give the prince and his intended some privacy. The woman’s pupils were wide — a side effect of the magic of the Calling — and she looked a bit dazed, though she was slowly starting to come back to herself. Magnus waited until he could tell that the spell had completely faded before he began to speak.

“Camille Belcourt, hail and welcome,” Magnus started, trying to stand a little taller as she looked around wildly, trying to figure out how and why she’d come to find herself in the middle of the park in the dead of night. 

“Who are you?” She asked, her voice full of ice and poison instead of the confusion and fear that Magnus had expected. “What do you want from me? Did you put something in my drink? Do you know who I am? ”

Accusations against his character weren’t a great way to start a relationship and Magnus tried not to visibly flinch at her words. She had every right to be afraid but this wasn’t fear…this was pure rage. “My name is Magnus Bane,” he started, glancing over his shoulder to where Alec was waiting in the distance. The halfling gave him a nod and Magnus licked his lips before he continued. “Son of Asmodeus, Prince to the Seelie Realm. You have been Chosen and you have been Called.”

The woman narrowed her eyes as her fingers closed tightly around the phone in her hand. “You don’t look like a prince and I’ve never heard of this ‘seelie realm’ — I think you’re just a psychopath who abducted me and I’m calling the cops.”

If she called the mortal police, Magnus would miss his chance to convince her to enter Seelie and become his bride. “Wait!” He shouted as she started to hit buttons on the phone in her hand. “Just…wait. Please. I’m messing all this up. Give me a chance to explain.”

She stopped typing and crossed her arms. “You have two minutes and if I don’t like even one thing that you say, I’m calling the cops and you’re going to jail for abduction.”

“Like I said, my name is Magnus Bane and I am a prince of Seelie, though one a bit different than what you’re probably used to seeing. How many mortal men have cat eyes?” He asked, flashing his eyes brightly in the moonlight to illustrate his point. “Or can do this?” He raised his hands and created a butterfly of pure magic, letting the thing dance between his fingers for a few moments before it flew off into the night. “And the Seelie realm is not part of your Earth, though it exists side by side. You probably are more familiar with the term Faerie.”

“So what? You’re like some sort of Faerie prince?” Camille asked incredulously and Magnus had to bite back a growl of frustration. 

“Yes, something like that.” He replied, trying his best not to roll his eyes at her response. “I’m the crown prince. One day, I’ll take over for my father and I’ll be king. He’s been watching you and he feels like you would make a wonderful future queen.”

She blinked before a scowl crossed her face. “Okay, not only is that creepy but I don’t believe you. People don’t get a fairy-tale ending like that in real life. It only happens in the movies. Besides… Why would I want to marry you? I don’t even know you. I’d have to be crazy to ride off into the sunset with a stranger who just claims to be a prince.”

“I am a prince,” Magnus replied, quickly growing tired of the woman’s distrust and hesitation. Was a Calling supposed to be this hard? None of his lessons growing up suggested he’d have to sell himself so hard. “And as to why you’d accept my proposition…power, magic, immortality, a chance to do some good. You wouldn’t be the first human to join our world nor will you be the last.”

Camille pondered it for a moment and Magnus tried his best not to squirm under her gaze. It reminded him of the look his father would give him when Asmodeus was trying to decide if he should believe whatever his son was saying. Finally, the woman lowered her hand and slipped the phone back into the bag hanging from her shoulder. “I still think you’re creepy, and your father is too, for apparently stalking me but I do like the sound of being queen. I’ll accept your offer on the condition that you show me this faerie realm first. I need proof before I just throw my life away.”

Magnus breathed a sigh of relief and gave the woman — his future wife, he reminded himself — a warm smile. “I’d love to take you on a tour. My father is sending a portal to take us back to Seelie at dawn. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me all about yourself? I’d love a chance to get to know my future queen before we have to take care of all the ceremonial stuff.” He waved his hand toward the ground in front of them and summoned a picnic blanket and a bottle of mead that Ragnor had brewed last year. “Is there anything else that you’d like while we wait?”

Camille gave him a wolfish smile as she sat down next to him on the woolen blanket. “Be a dear and summon us a snack? Maybe some chocolate-covered strawberries?”

Magnus snapped his fingers and a plate full of fruit appeared between them. “Your wish is my command, my queen.”

Chapter 2: Chapter Two

Notes:

Many thanks to Jae for suffering through my abuse of dashes so you don't have to.

Magnus and Camille chatted into the night while Alec lingered on the outer edge of the stone circle while they waited for Asmodeus to spawn the portal back to the Seelie realm. His future queen had lived a thrilling life so far, full of adventure and travel to places that Magnus had never heard of. He listened, absolutely enthralled, as she regaled him with stories from her past, and he tried to reciprocate the few times he could get a word in without her interrupting him. When dawn rolled around, Magnus helped her to her feet and sent the blanket back from where he’d summoned it as the bitter taste of his father’s magic permeated in the air. “Well, my dear, are you ready to experience Seelie?”

Camille nodded and Magnus held out his hand as the portal sprang to life in front of them. He held out his other hand to Alec so the three of them could cross through together, but Camille gave his arm a tug at the action. “I’m sure your servant doesn’t need your help to get there, Magnus. He’s a big boy.” 

He frowned at that and opened his mouth to start explaining that the magic required that all three enter together, when Alec cleared his throat behind them. “Go, Magnus. Your father is waiting,” the halfling urged with a sad smile on his face that Magnus didn’t have a chance to question. “I’ll follow right behind you two. It’ll be fine. It’s not my first time taking a cross-realm portal nor will it be my last.”

Magnus wanted to argue, but Camille gave his hand another forceful tug and he turned his attention back to his bride-to-be. Her eyes were bright but the smile she was giving him sent a chill down Magnus’ spine. “Alright, my queen, I suggest you close your eyes as we cross. Your first time through a portal can be a little bit disorientating.” She screwed her eyes shut and Magnus guided her through the portal and back to the place that he called home. 

He was a little surprised to find that they landed in the middle of the throne room as opposed to his father’s private quarters, where they had come from earlier that evening. He nudged Camille to open her eyes and grinned as she took a look around the room with eyes full of wonder. She noticed Asmodeus where he was quietly studying them from his throne, and the man pushed himself up to join them in the center of the room. 

“My son returns and with such a beautiful future queen by his side,” he said, taking Camille’s hand in his and pressing a gentle kiss to the back. “I’m Asmodeus Bane, King of the Seelie Realm. I’ve been waiting a very long time to finally meet you.”

She batted her eyes at the man as she pulled her hand out of Magnus’ palm. “Your son said that you picked me out? That’s a little creepy, I’m not going to lie, but may I ask why?”

Asmodeus seemed pleased by her question, though Magnus couldn’t even begin to fathom why. “Ah, a fantastic question, my dear. I appreciate someone who isn’t afraid to speak their mind. I have been watching you for a while, yes. I’ve had my eye on a handful of mortals but I believe that you are best suited to rule as queen. My son has…certain flaws that I believe you’ll be able to counter and the two of you will become an unbeatable couple.”

“Flaws?” she asked too sweetly, and Magnus couldn’t help but shiver. “What kind of flaws? He didn’t mention any flaws.”

He tried to ignore the look that his father sent in his direction. “Magnus can be a bit too fun-loving and free. He’s been raised to rule, but perhaps I’ve spoiled him a little more than necessary by not being harder on the boy as he was growing up. It is my hope that you can calm some of his wild tendencies. It’s no secret that behind every strong king is a smart and beautiful queen. My own wife was one such example.”

He gestured to the stained glass window at the end of the room that contained a picture of Magnus’ mother. Asmodeus had the piece installed shortly after they’d held his mother’s funeral, and Magnus had spent many days curled up under the window when he knew his father was busy talking to the woman that he missed so much. 

“Now then,” the king added, turning his attention back to the young couple and giving them a smile. “Shall we give you a tour, my dear? We’ve got a fabulous banquet planned for later this afternoon to announce you to our Court before we make a declaration to the rest of our people but I’m sure that you’d like to get to know the place that you’ll now call home before things start moving too quickly.”

He finally glanced over Magnus’ shoulder and noticed the portal hadn’t closed behind them and that his son and the mortal woman had come through alone. He scowled before flicking his wrist in the direction of the portal and Magnus watched as a very wet, very surprised-looking Alec tumbled out and landed harshly on the floor between them. The halfling glanced around him before jumping quickly to his feet and falling into parade rest in front of him, ignoring the seaweed stuck to his hair or the fact that he was dripping all over the ancient stone floor.

“Alexander,” Asmodeus started, his voice icy and his eyes narrowed. “I do believe you are aware that it was in your best interest to return home immediately. I did not give you permission to take a detour and return at your leisure.”

Alec coughed like he was still trying to clear some water from his hugs after his apparently unexpected dip. “My apologies, sire, the portal had some disagreements about my return.”

Asmodeus held up his hand to prevent Alec from continuing with any further explanation. “Save your excuses, halfbreed. You were tasked with specific instructions, and while the end goal was ultimately met, you’ve failed in what you’ve been told to do. You and I will discuss the repercussions of that failure later. For now, you have a job to be getting back to and a banquet to set up, but please, dry yourself off first before you leave the room. You have standards to uphold and standing there looking like a drowned rat does not meet them.”

A brief flash of something that Magnus couldn’t decipher crossed Alec’s face before it was replaced by his normal stoic expression. Asmodeus raised an eyebrow and Alec cocked his head slightly to the side and shook his shoulders. Magnus watched as a ripple of magic rolled down the halfling’s body and dried his soaking wet uniform. It wasn’t often that Alec used his own magic but it enamored the prince each and every time that he did. 

If he hadn’t been watching the other man so closely, he would have missed the brief flinch that went through Alec’s body. Magnus frowned at the action, wondering what it was that possibly could have caused the halfling pain. He opened his mouth to ask Alec if he was alright before his father cut him off. “That’s more like it. Now go. You do have work to do.”

Alec walked away without another word, and Asmodeus turned his attention back to his son and future daughter-in-law. “Now, my dear. Shall we give you the grand tour so that you can see the land you’ll soon call home? After that, we’ll let you rest for a bit before tonight’s celebration. You’ll eat the ceremonial fruit and you’ll become one of us. We’ll let you get settled in and learn more about our land and its people and your new abilities before we follow up with the wedding. Come now, let me show you Seelie.”

Magnus followed a few steps behind Asmodeus and Camille while his father showed his future bride around the palace, keeping his eye out for Alec as they walked. The castle was large, but the tour took barely an hour. Camille seemed to be too in awe to really ask Asmodeus too many questions. They eventually ended up outside of an ornate door with an intricate floral pattern carved into the wood. “And here we are, my dear, this will be your room until the wedding. Magnus’s own room is across the hall and mine is at the end. We’ll give you some space before dinner, though a tailor will be by shortly to fit you for your gown tonight. You must look the part of the queen that you will eventually be.”

He twisted the handle and let the door swing open, stepping to the side to let her pass him and enter the room. Camille’s room was nearly identical to Magnus’, done in soft blues and pale purples with live flowers spread across nearly every surface. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. There is a bell on the table just outside the door. If you ring that one of our household staff will be by immediately. Let them know what you need and they’ll take care of you.”

There was a knock on the open door and they all turned to find a woman with a measuring tape around her neck and a leatherbound notebook in her hand. “Ah, right on time. We’ll leave you in Flora’s capable hands and Magnus will be by in a couple of hours to collect you for dinner,” he paused and gave the mortal woman a warm smile. “We’re so happy to have you join us.”

He grabbed the back of Magnus’ jacket and steered his son toward the door, letting it close softly behind them. Magnus pulled free from his father’s grasp with a growl. “Was that necessary? I’m not a child, I can in fact follow you if you had merely asked.”

“Then stop acting like a child, Magnus,” his father snapped at him. “You did well bringing her back. I had my doubts that you would be successful. What do you think of your future bride?”

Frankly, Magnus didn’t know what he thought — he’d barely gotten a handful of hours with Camille and that was nowhere near long enough for him to appropriately form an opinion. He knew, however, that Asmodeus wouldn’t appreciate that answer, so he tipped his head to the side and considered his response. “She seems…nice. Focused. Driven. It’s what one would want when looking for someone to rule by their side.”

Asmodeus hummed. “Yes, she is. I have hopes that she’ll calm some of your more reckless tendencies.” He glanced down the hall to where a handful of servants were rushing to and fro preparing for the celebration later that evening. “I suggest you get yourself cleaned up and change your outfit for tonight’s event. I’ll expect you in the throne room promptly at 8 PM this evening with your bride by your side. I’ve got duties to attend to.”

He left Magnus without another word and the prince sighed. Was he ready to get married? Did he really have a choice? If Asmodeus decided that it was time for his son to take a bride, then what chance did Magnus have of telling him no? He sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes, glancing back at Camille’s door once more. He couldn’t just stand here and agonize over it all night. He needed to do something to take his mind off of the whirlwind that had been the last couple of hours. 

He had a few hours yet before he had to be ready for dinner and even that task wouldn’t take him long when magic was involved. That was plenty of time for him to go and find Alec and find what his father’s advisor was up to. 

----------

“That was stupid, Alec,” Catarina mumbled as she stirred the potion she was brewing in a quiet corner of Ragnor’s workroom. She’d steered Alec to a chair as soon as they entered and that was where he had remained while she worked. He was trembling from both pain and exhaustion after the confines of the geas had ripped through his body. Asmodeus had limited Alec’s magic use when he had first cast the geas all of those years ago. He still could use his magic, but it always drained him to his core and caused him a significant amount of pain. “You should have told him no.”

“You know that I can’t, Cat” Alec replied softly, not bothering to look the woman in the eyes. “He was already upset that the return portal dumped me in a random lake instead of the throne room as was expected. He knows what the geas does to me since he’s the one who cast it. Telling him no would have only made my situation worse, and I wasn’t going to embarrass him further in front of Magnus and his future bride.”

“And just what do you think of this Camille woman that you Called tonight? I’m surprised you're not pining over the prince and losing your chance at love,” Ragnor asked as looked up from the tome that he’d been reading to rejoin the conversation. 

“Magnus could never love me,” Alec replied softly. They’d had this conversation many times over the last few hundred years, after Alec had realized that he was starting to actually develop feelings that were more than affection for the prince. “I’m a halfling. I’m not worthy of a prince. Besides, Asmodeus would never allow it. You know his feelings about my people.”

Catarina shoved a potion bottle into Alec’s hand and he downed it in one go, grimacing as the bitter taste refused to leave his mouth. “That man should give his son a chance to choose his own bride. Just because a Calling is traditional for the new Queen, it doesn’t mean that’s the way things always have to be,” she replied, taking the bottle back from Alec and spooning more of the potion into the few empty ones that she had set aside. “That boy is besotted with you. If you gave him a chance, he would choose you in a heartbeat.”

Alec shook his head, letting out a sigh of relief as the pain and exhaustion from the geas began to fade. “It’s not meant to be, Cat, you know it’s not. Besides, Magnus has Camille now. Asmodeus picked her specifically to rule by Magnus’ side. She’ll be… good for him. Asmodeus may be cruel to me, but he does love his son. He wouldn’t choose someone who would treat Magnus poorly.”

Ragnor hummed. “Is that what you really think? You spent the last few hours with the two of them. Do you really think she has the realm’s best interest at heart? Or Magnus’ for that matter.”

Alec’s personal opinion was that Camille wasn’t the right fit for Magnus. She was cold and cruel and Magnus deserved someone who was full of light and love. During the few hours they’d spent waiting for the return portal, she’d constantly cut the prince off and talked over him. She hadn’t cared to learn anything about her future husband and had only spoken about herself the entire time. 

“I don’t know. It’s…too early to tell,” he said finally, afraid to truly speak his mind despite being in the privacy of Ragnor’s workroom behind layers and layers of silencing wards. “I think she’ll have a lot to learn. They all do when we pull them from the mortal realm, but she’ll have Magnus by her side. Hopefully, that will help her acclimate.” He paused as another thought crossed his mind. “But it’s not my job to have an opinion on the matter. I don’t need to give Asmodeus any more reason to be upset with me.”

He sighed and pushed himself off of the chair now that he was no longer feeling drained or in pain. Catarina’s restoration potion had done its job. “Speaking of which, I better get back to work before he realizes that I’m missing. I have a celebration to plan, after all.” 

The Seelie woman shoved the three spare potion bottles that she’d finished filling into his hands and Alec slipped them into the pockets of his uniform. “Take care of yourself, Alec, and try to stay out of Asmodeus’ way. Now that he’s found a bride for Magnus, he’s going to be pushing him to start taking more responsibility. That will, one day, include the geas that binds not only you but everyone who was at the Moonlight Festival that night.”

“I know,” was Alec’s quiet reply. “Trust me, I’m more than aware.”

----------

Magnus knocked on Camille’s door a few hours later. His quest to find Alec had been unsuccessful, so he’d finally returned to his room to start getting ready for the party that evening. He’d changed out of the jacket that he’d worn to the Moonlight Festival and into the same jacket that he wore during Court days. It was purple with intricate floral patterns around the edge in shimmering silver thread. It was the Bane family colors and he knew that his father would appreciate the choice since tonight’s dinner would be an official and formal event. 

“One minute!” Camille replied from the other side of the door. Magnus tapped his foot impatiently as he waited. If they didn’t hurry, they’d be late to dinner, and displeasing his father in front of guests was the last thing that Magnus wanted.

The door opened and Magnus’ jaw dropped when he took a look at his future bride. Camille’s dress was the same shade as Magnus’ jacket, likely a suggestion from Asmodeus to the tailor who had created it. There was a pattern of oleander flowers trailing diagonally down the dress in the same silver thread that decorated Magnus’ court jacket. Her hair was twisted up on the top of her head, and delicate white flowers were woven into her locks. “Wow,” Magnus whispered after a moment, realizing that he had been standing there staring for an uncomfortably long time. “You look…incredible.”

“I do, don’t I?” she replied, taking the arm that Magnus offered her and closing the door behind her. “Do I get a crown?” she asked as she noticed the silver band that rested on Magnus’ head. “The woman who helped me dress didn’t seem to leave one.”

Magnus blinked at her question, leading them down the hall to where he knew that tables had been set up in the throne room and a feast had been prepared. “When we get married. You’ll be my consort. It’s only fair that you look the part once we make things official.”

Camille pouted. “Consort? I thought your father said that I’d be Queen. I’m not giving my entire life up just to be a consort. No amount of magic or power is worth that.”

“You will be my future queen,” Magnus answered quickly before she could change her mind and ask him to take her back to the mortal realm. “You’ll be my consort first. My father is still in power right now. When he steps down or passes, the crown will fall to me. I’ll become King and you’ll be my Queen.”  

“And when do you think that will be?” she asked, something about her tone making Magnus frown. “If your people are immortal, it’s not like he’ll die of old age.”

“I don’t know,” Magnus replied truthfully. “And we may be immortals but we can still die. Injury, for example; poison, disease — anything that would kill a mortal. The immortality just stops us from aging. My father might choose to step down next year or he could rule for a hundred years more. Only time will tell.”

Camille let out an exasperated sigh but chose not to reply, letting Magnus guide them through the castle to his father’s throne room. Two guards were posted outside, waiting to let them in, and Magnus gave his future queen a smile. “Tonight’s just about introducing you to our Court. There will be a small ceremony. You’ll have to eat some Seelie fruit to officially become one of us. After that, there will just be dinner. I’d imagine that some will want to come to see you and pay their respects. Just be polite and thank them. They’ll understand that this is all new for you. Are you ready?”

She tightened her grip on Magnus’ arm and the prince gave the guards a nod to tell them that they were ready. The doors opened slowly and one of the guards stepped inside to address the court. “Announcing Prince Magnus and his intended: Camille Belcourt.” 

The tables were arranged in six neat lines, and the only two empty chairs were the ones by his father’s side. Flowers lined the sides of the room and more blooms hung from the ceiling. The kitchen servants had started to bring the food to the tables and Magnus could feel his mouth beginning to water at the sight and the smells that had begun to waft into his nose. Asmodeus rose at their entry and Magnus guided them to their places at the table but didn’t take a seat. Alec was standing a few feet behind his father’s chair holding the apple that Camille would eat that would cement her place in the Seelie realm. 

“People of Seelie, thank you for joining us on such a momentous occasion. Earlier today, I sent my son to the mortal realm to perform the traditional Calling and offer a woman of my choosing a chance to join us and become his future queen. She accepted Magnus’ offer and will one day rule by his side. For now, let us welcome her to our land with open arms and observe the ceremony that will give her a connection to the land that we call home and make her a true Seelie queen.”

He gestured to Alec and the halfling stepped forward, holding out the tray to Camille so that she could take the apple and take a bite. Alec leaned in closely and Magnus watched as a flicker of disgust crossed his future bride’s face. “If you’re having any second thoughts, don’t eat the fruit,” he explained to Camille, his voice too soft for Asmodeus to hear his words. “Once you do, you're part of the realm and one of them. There’s no going back once you’ve eaten Seelie food.”

Camille’s hand hesitated for a fraction of a second before she grabbed the fruit and took a bite. The assembled guests broke out into a round of applause and Asmodeus beamed with pride. The woman glanced at Alec out of the side of her eyes and glared at the man. “I don’t need your warnings, halfbreed,” she replied icily, and Magnus was shocked that she remembered the little detail about Alec’s parentage that he’d shared when she’d inquired about Magnus’ guard back in the stone circle. “I’m right where I want to be.”

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Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Notes:

Many thanks as always to Jae for beta-reading.

“Surely, there must be someone better suited to teaching me magic than the help,” Camille sneered as she glared across the courtyard to where Alec was setting up for a magic lesson to help Magnus’ future bride learn how to control the new power that came with being Seelie. The halfling had set out the four bowls with the elements — this was her first lesson so they were starting with the basics — and had started to head over their way. 

“Alec’s the best at what he does — he teaches all the children who live in our kingdom. He even taught me and I’m pretty good at what I do, if I do say so myself. Trust me when I say you’re in good hands.”

In the past couple of days, Magnus had tried to spend as much time as he could with his future bride. He understood that their way of life was different than what she was used to, and he was trying to give her the support that she needed to learn the ins and outs of a magical society, but thus far the woman had proven to be stubborn. 

And rude, he added mentally as he noticed the look that Camile was shooting Alec. 

“He doesn’t even have magic,” she replied with a roll of her eyes as the man in question joined them. “This doesn’t seem like one of those ' who can’t do, teach ' situations.”

If Alec was hurt by the woman’s words, he didn’t show it. Magnus had to bite back his own reply, not wanting to appear rude in front of his fiancée where others might overhear and decide to run to Asmodeus. “Alec has his own brand of magic, but he’s been around enough to know how ours work. He’ll have you casting spells in no time at all.”

Camille looked unconvinced as she continued to glare in Alec’s direction. “I don’t believe he has magic. He’s never used it.”

Magnus wanted to growl. Alec didn’t use magic often — it was his own personal preference, Magnus believed, since his magic tended to function a little differently than others — but when he did, it was hard not to notice. He could think of at least one instance since Camille had come to stay with them where Alec had in fact used his own magic — when he’d dried himself off after the portal mishap — so Camille’s words were meant to be cruel. 

He gave Alec a small smile. “A demonstration, possibly, Alexander? To prove that you are in fact that master teacher that I insist you are?”

A brief something flashed across Alec’s face before it was gone. Magnus didn’t have time to interpret the expression before the halfling started speaking. “As you wish.”

He plucked a bright purple flower from one of the bushes in the courtyard and held it out between them. He snapped the fingers of his free hand and Magnus watched as the bloom changed from a deep purple to a vivid pink. He offered the flower to Camille who crossed her arms and made no motion to take it from his hand. “ That’s all you can do? Change the color of a stupid flower? And you’re supposed to be the best magic teacher in this entire realm? I find that hard to believe.”

Camille’s words didn’t appear to bother Alec in the slightest. “My magic works a bit differently than yours due to my half-human blood. Where yours is about creation and destruction, mine is about—” His voice cut off as he began coughing. He took a few moments to pull himself together before he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. If you want to learn to use your new abilities quickly, I’m the best teacher that you’ll find. I’m older than I look and I’ve done this a time or two before.”

“Go,” Magnus said softly, directing his comment toward Camille before the situation could escalate any further. “I promise you Alec is a good teacher. Give him a chance; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

She rolled her eyes but followed the halfling across the courtyard to the four bowls that he’d set out. Magnus watched as Alec began to explain the first steps of finding which element called to her. 

“She’s strong-willed,” came a voice to his left, and Magnus turned to find his uncle standing next to him. “Good, that will make her a successful queen.”

“Strong-willed and cruel,” he muttered under his breath as he watched the scene play out in front of them. Water wasn’t responding to Camille and she was getting frustrated. He knew from experience that Alec would let her try for a few more minutes before he moved on to the next element. “She isn’t kind to Alec.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Why should she be? He’s nothing more than your father’s pet playing at being his advisor. We have hunting dogs who are more useful than the halfling that my brother insists on keeping around.”

Magnus bit his tongue. Starting something with his uncle would only anger his father. Azazel’s words were cruel, but at least this time Alec wasn’t within earshot to hear it. “Alec is a good man — he runs the day to day operations so neither my father nor myself need to be burdened with it. You may not like him but he’s effective. He knows his job and he does it well.”

Azazel hummed. “I think there are plenty of people who could do the job just as effectively if not better. There’s no reason to keep a useless halfling around.”

Before Magnus could argue further, there was a shout from across the courtyard. Camille and Alec had moved on from water to give fire a try. Apparently, fire was Camille’s element and she’d been able to grow the flame from the candle large enough that it lit the tail of Alec’s coat on fire. Magnus was moving instantly, calling forth a wave of water and dousing the man before the fire could spread. 

Camille had started laughing and Magnus tried to ignore her as another flick of his wrist pulled the water from Alec’s clothes, leaving the halfling dry but slightly charred. “Are you okay, Alexander?”

Alec sighed and tried to force a smile on his face, but Magnus could tell that his heart wasn’t in it. “It’s not the first time I’ve been set on fire nor, I’m sure, that will it be the last. Thank you for stepping in quickly. Your father would be rather upset if I ruined another jacket so soon.”

Magnus’ father should be concerned that Alec was nearly injured, but he knew the taller man was right. Asmodeus didn’t care for Alec’s own safety — just that he did the job that he was asked to do. “You’ve already done more than anyone expected today with finding Camille’s element so quickly. Maybe we should call today’s lesson over and pick it up again tomorrow?”

Alec looked like he was considering the option for a moment before he finally shook his head. “No, your father has expectations. He’d like her to have a handle on things before the wedding ceremony. Let’s try again. This time, try focusing on making the flame bigger but still controllable. Eventually, we want you to be able to shape the fire like Magnus did with the water just a few minutes ago.”

Camille had stopped laughing, and with Alec no longer in danger of burning, Magnus stepped back to give the two some space to continue their lessons. He wasn’t surprised to find that his uncle had disappeared, so he settled in to watch his future bride learn more about her new magic. 

 

----------

 

When magic lessons were over and Alec had returned to his duties, Magnus asked his bride if she would like to see some more of the realm that they would one day rule. “There’s a little bit of everything in Seelie,” he explained as they stepped out of a portal and into one of the closest things to a city that the realm had to offer. “We’ve got winter wonderlands, warm sunny beaches, anything that you would find back in the mortal realm, only slightly different because we have magic. It not only runs through the people, it runs through the land as well.”

He’d chosen to take Camille to this particular place for a number of reasons. These were her people now and she’d need to be seen and accepted by them if she was going to be a successful queen. The people who lived in the Seelie realm tended to be spread out — that was just the way when you had an affinity for nature and magic that might not go hand in hand with a next-door neighbor — but here in Evermoor, that wasn’t the case. 

Evermoor was in the heart of Edom and had become a hub for anything that one may need. Traders came from every direction of Edom to sell their wares. Those wanting a life in the city packed up their lives and their families and set their sights on a new place with a new way of living. Magnus had always loved it here — it was an eclectic blend of people and cultures which made the place truly unique. If he hadn’t been forced to live in the castle as the crown prince and future king, he would have tried to start a life for himself in Evermoor.

But the people and the small taste of his world weren’t the only reason that he had brought Camille here. The Leylines that gave this world its magic ran all through the realm. They were strongest at the castle which is why Magnus’ family had built where they did all those years ago, but he’d read that their second choice had been the land which would one day become Evermoor because here, the Leylines were visible and you could truly see what was responsible for giving this world it's magic.

He took Camille’s hand and pulled her to the side so they weren’t blocking the path while he showed her something incredible. “Look, you see that? The swirling, glowing blue through the middle of the street?” he asked as he waved his hand in the direction where one of the lines disappeared in the middle of the city square. “Those are the Leylines. They run through this entire realm and they're the strongest at the castle, but here is the only place in the realm where you can actually see them. These are what gives our world, and us, the gift of magic. You now have the ability to use magic because the Leylines have accepted you as one of theirs. The longer that you spend here, the stronger your magic will become.”

Magnus snapped his fingers and a blue flame the same shade as the Leylines erupted from his fingertips. Camille watched him, her face expressionless, and he couldn’t help but sigh. “Here, cup your hands,” he ordered and was mildly surprised to watch as she complied. He tipped the fire into her cupped hands and watched as it continued to sparkle in her palms. “This is wild magic in its purest form, pulled straight from the Leylines themselves. Magic like this can be shaped any which way you please — it just needs to be given a purpose. One day, you’ll learn how to wield this too and make it do whatever your heart desires.”

He closed his hands over hers and pushed a spark of his own magic into her hands, guiding the wild magic into a slightly more manageable form. When he pulled his hands away, a blue teardrop-shaped crystal was all that remained in her hands. “Keep that safe. When you learn how to use the wild magic, you'll be able to use that crystal as you could any raw magic.”

Camille’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and he realized that he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She pocketed the gem without another word as a small child ran up to them and threw herself at Magnus.

He laughed and bent down to pick her up and swing her around. “My, my, look how big you’ve gotten. Next time that I come to visit, you’ll be taller than me!” The little girl giggled and whispered something in his ear. He listened before nodding his head and turning his attention back to his future bride. “You know, I think that’s a fantastic idea. I think Camille would like that very much.”

The girl ran off around the corner and out of sight and Magnus stood to give his fiance a warm smile. “It seems they are already in love with you. Little Poppy said she has a present for my beautiful lady.”

Camille didn’t blush at his words, but her face twisted into something that made Magnus vaguely uncomfortable, though he couldn’t quite put a finger on why. He didn’t have time to dwell on it before Poppy was hurrying back around the corner with the stem of a single white flower wrapped in purple silk clutched in her tiny hand. The girl held the bloom out to Camille tentatively and Magnus watched as the woman’s eyes narrowed slightly before a too-wide smile spread across her face. “This is lovely, thank you,” she stated, taking the flower from the girl’s hand and raising her hand to stroke the petals. 

Magnus stilled her wrist before her fingers made contact with the flower. “The Oleander flower — it’s the symbol of our kingdom and has been for as long as I can remember. It’s beautiful but deadly. Even touching it with bare hands can be toxic. Eventually, you’ll start to build up a slight immunity to it — the longer you're in the realm and the more you become one with it — but that will take time. Even still, it will remain deadly if ingested, so I don’t suggest trying it in your tea.” 

He said his goodbye to Poppy and exchanged pleasantries with her parents while Camille studied the flower in her hand. After the family had walked away and those gathered on the streets had returned to their business, he held out a hand to Camille. “Well, my love, should we continue on our tour of the city? There’s much more to see and do before we return home for the evening.”

She dropped the oleander flower on the ground and crushed it under a high-heeled shoe. Magnus frowned, opening his mouth to say something about the disrespect she’d shown both the realm and the child who had given her a gift. She squeezed his hand tightly and he felt one of the bones in his hand snap under her grip. She was already pulling him toward the center of the square though, so he closed his mouth and waved a hand toward the crushed flower to clear it from sight. There would be time later for discussions like this. For now, maybe it wasn’t a conversation best had in front of his loyal subjects. 

 

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“Azazel reports that Camille’s magic lessons aren’t progressing as quickly as we expected. I’m disappointed in you, Alec. You’re supposed to be an effective teacher. Magnus was successful in learning his abilities. There’s no reason that you should struggle teaching his future wife,” the king stated, his eyes narrowing as Alec tried not to squirm under his gaze. “Perhaps we should look into replacing you. In no world can a halfling understand teaching magic that he can’t use. You’ve been lucky with the others, but obviously, that ruse has gone on long enough. Azazel will take over Camille’s magic training from here. When the next batch of children is ready for their lessons, those duties, too, will be passed to another. You are clearly incapable of fulfilling this role any longer.”

Alec clenched his hands by his sides and bit the inside of his cheek hard enough that he felt himself draw blood. He was perfectly capable of doing the one part of this job that he actually looked forward to. Asmodeus had been right about one thing — he’d taught Magnus how to use his magic and he’d taught countless others before and after. None of the others who he’d shown how to use their magic had ever had a problem before, but Camille…

Magnus’ intended bride was rude and volatile. He knew she thought less of him because he was a halfling, but truly, that didn’t bother Alec because most were of the same opinion. However, even the others who hated what he was would still send their children to him when it was time for them to find their element and learn how to control the magic that they were born with. Camille hadn’t even been willing to give it a shot until Magnus stepped in and offered some explanation as to why she needed to learn from Alec. Even then, he was fairly certain lighting him on fire had been somewhat on purpose. 

“I apologize for my failure, Sir,” Alec said softly, knowing that there was no point in trying to argue with the man who held his figurative leash. 

“An apology won’t cut it, Alec,” Asmodeus spat as he started to circle him slowly, and Alec’s traitorous heart began to beat rapidly at the implications of what was about to come. “I put my faith in you and you let me down. Again. For the second time in a handful of days. Were the lashes I gave you after the incident with the portal not enough? Did you not learn your lesson then?”

There was no lesson to be learned other than Asmodeus’ cruelty knew no bounds. The portal depositing him in the lake instead of the throne room had not been his fault, especially with the way magic tended to work around him due to the geas, and he knew that Asmodeus knew that, but there had been no point in arguing his innocence. He’d taken the twenty lashes silently and then he’d stumbled his way to Catarina so the woman could dress his back and heal his wounds as best as she could. Even now, the torn muscles and flesh of his back still ached, but he couldn’t slack in his duties; not when the King was always watching. 

“It’s obvious that you need another lesson in appropriate behavior,” Asmodeus said after a moment, coming to a stop in front of Alec and crossing his arms. “Take off your shirt. Now.”

The bottom dropped out of Alec’s stomach as he hurried to comply with the order, first removing his jacket and then his shirt before folding them neatly and placing them at the end of his own bed. He fell into easy parade rest and waited for further orders. He knew what was about to come, and he also knew that there was absolutely nothing that could be done to prevent what was about to happen. 

Alec’s people didn’t have the innate connection to the Leylines that the full Seelie individuals of the realm did. The human blood in their veins acted as a veil, making drawing on the raw power of the land nearly impossible without the aid of some sort of beacon. The Seelie Realm could be fickle, but she took care of those that belonged to her. Alec and others like him may be half-human but they still belonged to her. As such, halflings, as they aged, developed a number of marks across their body that acted as their guide to using the magic of the realm. The flowers were all random and unique to each individual, and it made each halfling’s magic as unique as they were. 

Ever since Alec had come into Asmodeus’ service, the man had used those same markings against him whenever he felt that the halfling deserved a more serious punishment than being whipped or beaten. Alec’s very magic was tied into those marks on his skin, and so the King knew by removing them, he was cutting off Alec’s very connection to the realm and making using magic increasingly difficult for him in the process. Asmodeus had removed five so far over the course of the years that Alec had served him. He didn’t have that many more left on his body. 

“I think this one will do quite nicely, don’t you?” Asmodeus asked, not expecting Alec to answer, as he touched the tip of a knife he’d pulled out to the Queen Anne’s Lace that bloomed across Alec’s hip. He tried not to flinch as he felt the first beads of blood begin to pool on his flesh and steeled himself for what was about to come. “Yes, it will do quite nicely. Let’s begin.”

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Chapter 4: Chapter Four

Notes:

Many thanks to fluffyunicorn_101 for beta reading!

Preparing for a royal wedding turned out to be absolutely exhausting, Magnus thought to himself a few days later. He liked a good party as much as the next person, but he typically wasn’t involved in planning the said party. For his wedding, however, he couldn’t just pass it off and let someone else do the work. He had to take an active part in planning his wedding. His father insisted on it. 

“What about roses? Red ones, darling. We’ll fill the room with hundreds of them. It’ll be gorgeous,” Camille was saying, and Magnus had to rapidly blink himself back to the present and clear his hind. He’d let his mind drift just a little but he couldn’t help it - they’d been at this for hours now today, yet they were no closer to deciding on floral arrangements than they had been when they started earlier that morning.

“Remember what I said a few days ago, my love? Oleanders represent our house. They’re traditional to have at any official event. I’m sure if we asked, my father would want to stick with the traditions that have served my people well all these years,” Magnus replied, hoping that mentioning the king would cause fewer issues than if Magnus himself said that he didn’t want the red flowers. Already he’d acquiesced on the traditional colors - Camille had refused to wear the purple and silver Bane family colors - opting instead for red and golds for their wedding, insisting that they looked far better on her than any other option. 

Asmodeus had ultimately conceded to her demands and had ordered the decor to be switched immediately. Every suggestion Magnus made was met with backlash and he was starting to think that Camille forgot that it took two people to get married and that she should listen to Magnus’ thoughts and feelings at least once or twice. 

He was currently draped over a chair watching as four or five tailors dashed about the room, trying to take last minute measurements or get final opinions on fabrics and patterns before they began creating the wedding outfits for the princess, his bride, and the rest of the wedding party.

“The Oleanders won’t match,” Camille replied sharply as she brushed her fingers over a bolt of fabric held out to her by one of the women. “And neither will this - the brocade is all wrong. Take it away,” she ordered before turning her attention back to Magnus and fixing him with a glare. “We’re doing red and gold, Magnus. The white flowers will have an entirely wrong look. You should know that, and I’m sure your father would agree with me. This is my wedding too - don’t you want me to be happy?”

Magnus fought the urge to growl out that this was his wedding too; he deserved to have some of his wishes granted the same way Camille’s were. Oleanders were the symbol of the strength of their realm. Magnus’ mother had been married surrounded by the white blossoms as had his grandmother and his great grandmother and so on to the very first Bane to sit on the throne.

He bit his lip, knowing that he was fighting a losing battle. Maybe he’d talk to his father privately and hope that his father would listen to him for once. 

Instead of arguing, he turned his attention to the hallway, where various members of the palace staff continued to come and go as they continued in their preparations. He watched as Alec passed, a small leather notebook in his hand as he headed towards the kitchen, likely to speak with the chef about the changes to the post-wedding feast that Asmodeus and Camille had decided upon earlier that morning.

An image flashed through his mind from Camille’s very first magic lesson with Alec and an idea began to form. What if he could make both himself and Camille happy? 

“Alexander! Wait” He shouted, scrambling off the chair and nearly tripping through the door as he tried to catch up with the man. He couldn’t miss how Camille’s face twisted into a look of disgust at the mention of the halfling’s name. He still couldn’t understand why she hated him when he’d been nothing but kind to her.

Alec stopped and turned slowly and stiffly to face Magnus. “How can I be of your assistance, your highness?”

Magnus frowned and faltered in his path. Alec never addressed him so formally- he couldn’t recall the last time he’d called him ‘highness’ outside of a public function. “Alexander, are you alright?” He asked softly, grabbing the man’s arm and pulling him off to the side so that they weren’t in anyone’s way. 

Something unreadable flickered across Alec’s face before his expression softened ever so slightly. “I’m fine, Magnus. There’s just a lot to prepare for the ceremony, and I’m afraid I don’t have as much time as I’d like to get it all done. Is there something I can help you with?”

“Camille wants roses,” Magnus replied as if that answered Alec’s question. 

“Oleanders are traditional,” Alec stated and Magnus couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He knew that.

“Apparently, the white of the flower doesn’t go with the red and gold color scheme she’s picked out. I want oleanders but she’s not willing to listen to my opinion. I was wondering…do you think you could change the color of the flowers like you did during Camille’s lessons? That way we can follow tradition but Camille still gets her way and everyone ends up happy in the end.”

Alec tensed and Magnus immediately felt bad for asking. He could only imagine how busy his father’s advisor was and yet, here he was asking the man to take time out of his schedule to help with something so trivial because he and his fiance couldn’t agree on the color of the flowers. He could just let Camille have her way, surely they could figure out a way to use Oleanders somewhere else…

He was certain that Alec was going to refuse by the expression on his face but eventually the man just sighed and shook his head, reaching around to one of the decorative vases and pulling a white bloom from it. Magnus watched, once again in awe, as the petals darkened to brilliant gold. “Will this do?” He asked, holding the flower out to Magnus.

“That would be perfect, Alexander,” he replied, taking the new gold oleander from Alec and tucking it behind his ear. “It’s truly a work of art.”

Alec gave him a tired smile. “Then I’ll see to it that it happens. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got to go talk to the chef about this mortal desert Camille wants and I’m sure you’ve got to get back to your waiting bride.”

Magnus highly doubted that Camille even realized that he had yet to return but it wasn't worth mentioning. He squeezed Alec’s arm and thanked him again before he stepped back inside.

His future bride glared at him. "What business did you have halfbreed?"

"He has a name as you are well aware and I simply asked him for his assistance with the flowers. Do you remember when he showed us his magic in the garden?" He asked, as a tailor pulled him up onto the platform next to Camille and ordered him to hold out his arms.

She rolled her eyes at his question. "I'd barely call changing the color of a flower magic. I'm sure a child could do that."

"A halfling child maybe but our magic doesn't work that way. It's certainly not something my father and I can do though if Azazel manages to teach you do let me know," he replied, grabbing the flower from where he had tucked it behind his ear and handing it to her. "Gold oleanders. Do these match your color scheme well enough?"

She took the bloom from his hand and glared at it for a moment. Magnus held his breath, hoping that his suggestion would be acceptable. "I suppose I'll allow it but we still simply must have roses. Hundreds of them."

Finally, That was something at least.

He held out his hand, expecting her to hand the flower back now that she was done with it. She ignored him, instead throwing it over her shoulder where it disappeared under the boots of the tailors dashing about.

Magnus' heart broke. He knew that he could simply ask Alec for another but it wouldn't be the same.

That had been for him and now it was gone.

Camille's smug expression suggested she'd understood exactly what she had done.

Magnus sighed and focused his attention on the men and women moving around him.

Maybe he'd make it through this day without any other issues.

Maybe.

 

----------

 

Magnus knew that he was expected to give Camille tokens of their new love leading up to the wedding but outside of the gem made of his own magic that he'd given her one of those first days, he'd been stuck on another gift that he could give her. He'd thought long and hard but a trip to the vault where they kept the royal jewels to pick out the rings and necklaces he'd wear during the ceremony finally presented the solution that he'd been looking for. He'd grabbed what he had come for and returned to his room. 

The hand-carved wooden box was hidden under a stack of children’s books that had once belonged to him and that he continued to keep around to read to some of the kids of the palace staff that liked to hang around the castle. He didn’t often have time these days but he tried to make the time at least once a month. Madzie, especially, was always happy to see him. 

He set the books to the side and ran his fingers over the intricate designs across the ancient cedar. His father had carved the box himself and had gifted it to Magnus’ mother before they were wed. He didn’t think a simple box, despite how pretty it was, would be enough to impress Camille…but what was inside hopefully would. 

When his mother passed away, Magnus had been young. He hadn’t quite understood where she’d gone and why she wasn’t coming back. The conversation his father had had with him would haunt his dreams. In the end, the king placed her crown on purple velvet inside the wooden box and gave it to Magnus. Keep it safe, he’d said, one day you’ll have a bride as wonderful as your mother was. This wasn’t the crown she wore when we were married but it was the one she loved the most. Perhaps one day your wife will love it too. 

It had been years since Magnus had last taken it out of its protective box but he had long since memorized every detail. The rose gold twisted like living vines around a handful of camellia flowers dotted with tiny sapphires that glittered like stars. Opals peeked out behind the branches like a secret surprise and the leaves that pulled the entire thing together looked like they were glistening. His mother had looked beautiful wearing the crown. He could only hope that Camille would love it just as much as she had.

He placed it back in its box gently and closed the lid. Well, no time like the present.

The room Camille was staying in until after their marriage was in the same wing as Magnus’ personal quarters though it was a little bit further down the hall. He took the box under his arm, grateful that the hallway seemed to be rather empty at the moment (despite the hustle and bustle earlier in the day.) He stood in front of her door, took a deep breath, and tried to convince himself that everything would be okay before he raised his hand and knocked twice. 

It took an agonizingly long time before Camille opened the door with fire in her eyes. “What?” She asked, and the tone of her voice had Magnus instinctively taking a few steps back.

“I…I…” he stammered, unable to form the words that normally came so easily to him in the face of his future wife’s attitude. 

“Well, hurry up. I don’t have all day,” she ordered, crossing her eyes as she continued to glare a hole into Magnus’ skull.

“I…brought you a gift,” he finally managed to get out, holding up the box so that she could see what was in his hand.

She scrunched her nose up at the sight of the box but finally moved aside to let him in. “I do hope you have something more than a basic wooden box.”

Magnus had to work to keep from revealing what he truly thought about those words. “This box, my dear, was hand carved by my mother while they were courting. But to answer your question, it is merely the vessel. The true gift I’ve brought you is inside the box.”

She held out her hands, demanding he give her the box immediately and he could only bite back a sigh. This was supposed to be romantic.

She grabbed the box from his grasp and threw open the lid and Magnus could only hold his breath. Would she like it? It was something that meant so much to him though thus far it had been almost impossible to please her in any which way. 

Camille stared at it for a moment before fixing him with a hard look. “What is this?”

He forced a smile to his face. “This, my dear, was my mother’s favorite crown. Camellias were her favorite flower and as you share your name with the flower, I thought you'd like to have it. She helped design it, you know, and after she passed, my father gave it to me in hopes that I would one day be able to share it with my future bride.”

She looked between the crown and him for a few tense seconds before fire burst from her hands and engulfed the box. She dropped it quickly and took a surprised step back as the fire burned hotly. Magnus’ eyes widened in horror but he was forced to take a step back as the flames only grew in intensity. “Make them stop! Camille, what are you doing?” He yelled, trying to summon his magic to his fingers only to find that in his panic, he seemed unable to find it. Minutes, hours, and years seemed to pass before the flames died down and he chanced a glance at what had once been his mother’s crown. 

The protective wooden box had burned away entirely, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ash. The crown itself didn’t fare much better. The delicately decorated metal had been twisted and melted, leaving only fragments that were truly indistinguishable from the former queen's crown. Only two of the camellia flowers had somehow escaped their fate and Magnus was quick to grab them from the pile and pocket them before something else happened, ignoring the way the molten metal burned his flesh. 

“What have you done?” He whispered, still shocked as he tried to keep the tears from burning his eyes. The last thing that he needed was Camille to see just how badly she’d hurt him. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t end well. “This belonged to my mother.”

“I’m sorry, Magnus,” Camille pouted, though he was sure her sympathy at the situation was entirely fake. “I’m sure you remember what it was like when you were just learning how to use your magic. It just got away from me.”

Magnus glared. “I’m sure it did. Excuse me,” he said softly, making his way to her door and closing it behind him with a quiet click. He leaned against it and closed his eyes, breathing slowly and trying to calm himself. Tomorrow, he’d need to speak to his father about what happened here. Tonight…tonight, he needed to be alone. But first, he should see Catarina about the burn to his hands. It wouldn’t do well to have his wedding while they were bandaged and blistered because he’d been too angry to properly care for them. 

The halls were quiet this time of night as he took the far too familiar path to Ragnor’s workroom where he knew that the healer and the scholar would be at this hour of the night. He’d never been more thankful for the solitude and silence - the last thing he wanted to do was show a weakness that may get back to his father and end up with him getting punished. He rapped twice on the old, oak door and Ragnor’s voice invited him in from the other side. 

Inside, he was surprised to find Alec in attendance too, looking a bit shocked and startled at Magnus’ appearance. He looked quickly between Ragnor and Catarina before tensing. “I’ve got to get back before they…” He coughed and shook his head. “I’ve got to get back.” He tipped his head to Magnus and greeted him with a quiet ‘Your Highness’ before taking his leave and closing the door softly behind him. 

Magnus stared after him for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around how strange that brief interaction had been. “Is Alec alright? He’s been acting so strange today.” He asked finally, turning his attention to the very person he’d come here to find.

Catarina sighed and shook her head. “Alec will be fine…eventually. But you didn’t come here to talk about Alec. You only see me at this time of night when you’ve gotten yourself into some sort of trouble so go on, show me how I’ll be patching you up this time.”

Magnus had no choice but to obey - thoughts of Alec and his odd behavior already pushed to the back of his mind as he showed Catarina his blistered hands and began to tell her about his day.

 

----------

 

Alec wove through the halls of the palace, intending to check in with the various members of the night staff one last time before he headed back to his room for a few hours sleep before his early start the next morning. He had just enough time to make his rounds once but only if he was quick about it - the very last thing he needed was Asmodeus’ guards coming to look for him because he was running late. 

He was passing the hallway that led to the wing where the royal family had their rooms when he first heard the commotion. Furrowing his brow, he stepped down the wing he wasn’t permitted unless he was on official business, listening for any sound of a struggle in case he needed to sound the alarm. Magnus’ room was quiet - that much was expected as he’d seen the man just a few moments ago as he was leaving Catarina’s after stopping in so that she could check on his scars. 

A few doors down and across the hall was the room that they’d set Camille Belcourt up until her wedding day. He kept his steps quiet so that his presence remained unknown and leaned in until he could place his ear to the door.

“ Can you imagine?” Camille’s voice whined from the other side. “After I told him my favorite flowers were roses and he tried to give me that tacky piece of shit? I’m going to be queen one day, I shouldn’t have to put up with being treated like that.”

“ My brother and his son are both fools who don’t understand what it means to be a true ruler,” a second voice replied and Alec froze when he realized that she was speaking with Azazel. Asmodeus had made him well aware that his brother would be taking over Camille’s magic lessons but it didn’t sound like there was any actual magic instruction happening in the conversation they were having. “They are both too weak-willed to be what our people need. Alas, it won’t be much longer now and I can give you the world.”

Camille made some sort of noise before she giggled in a way that had Alec rolling his eyes. “ That’s the only way dealing with either of them is bearable - knowing that one day all of this and more will be mine.”

“And mine, don’t forget.”

“Of course not, my love. One day all of this and more will be ours and the world will be so much better for it.”

There was a scuffling sound in the room that had Alec quickly making his way back down the hallway and turning the corner lest he be seen. He needed to tell the King what he had heard and he knew that Asmodeus would be in his chambers at this time of night. He’d have to pass Camille’s room again to get there and he couldn’t do that without looking suspicious. There had to be another way…

He caught sight of the guards positioned outside of his room and he froze, knowing that he was getting dangerously close to the time that he was expected to be back before further action was taken. If he was caught outside during his curfew, he’d immediately be taken to Asmodeus for punishment…

It wouldn’t be pleasant and there was a high chance that the king wouldn’t listen to what Alec had to say when he’d been caught breaking the rules but he and Magnus, both deserved to know what Alec had just overheard.

Five more minutes - that was surely long enough to push him past curfew but not quite long enough that the guards would come looking for him. 

He sighed and ducked into an alcove to wait. What was a little more pain when it meant possibly saving Magnus from someone so horrible?

Notes:

Thanks for reading!

Come join us in the Malec Discord Server!

Chapter 5: Chapter Five

Notes:

FUN FACT: This chapter contains the very first scene I ever wrote for this fic!

Also, the chapter count has increased by one!

As always, thanks to Jae for beta reading.

“No, no…that most certainly won’t do. It’s not fitting for a future queen,” Camille was saying to the jewelry designers who had been working tirelessly on all the pieces that the mortal woman would be wearing for the wedding. “They need more diamonds — and bigger ones while you’re at it. I want to look every bit the Queen that I will be.”

Magnus rolled his eyes as the designers scurried away to make the updates that Camille requested, glad that she was unable to see his face from her position in the center of the room. It had been two weeks since they’d called Camille to the Seelie realm and those two weeks had been some of the longest of Magnus’ life. The wedding preparations were still nowhere near complete and he didn’t know how much more of this he could take.

“I won’t be taking the throne until my father passes,” Magnus explained for what felt like the dozenth time. “And there will be plenty of pomp and circumstance on the day of the wedding. A few extra gemstones won’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.” His own adornments had been passed down to him from his father — the same jewels and crown that the current king wore during his own wedding to Magnus’ mother all those years ago.

“Don’t be a brat, Magnus,” Camille scoffed and Magnus had to fight back the urge to growl at her. “Your father has ruled for a long time. Perhaps he’s tired. Even a king deserves a chance to retire. Maybe it is my time…well, yours.”

“Leave us,” Magnus gritted out between clenched teeth, sending the various servants and craftsmen in the room on a swift path to the door. When they were truly alone, Magnus turned his attention to Camille, trying to keep his tone level and his magic in check. It wouldn’t do for the prince to lose control in a fit of rage directed at his future bride. “I would be careful with the statements that you make. Your words sound an awful lot like treason to those who are loyal to their king.”

Camille, for her part, only looked briefly surprised by Magnus’ words before the shock was gone and quickly replaced by what he’d come to learn was Camille’s attempt at being charming. She batted her eyes, her smile showing just slightly too many teeth to be natural. “Whatever do you mean, my love? I’m simply speaking the truth. One day you will rule and I will be by your side. You never know when that day will come…life has a tendency of surprising us when we least expect it.”

Something in Magnus’ mind clicked and he suddenly found himself unwilling and unable to remain in this room with her any longer. How could he spend the rest of his immortal life with someone who had such cruelty in her heart? How could his father even begin to think this was a good match for his son when Magnus’ own mother had been nothing but loving and kind? He needed…he needed to get out of here and possibly out of the marriage before it was suddenly too late.

He stood slowly, pushing himself out of the chair and turning toward the door with a purpose, ignoring Camille’s protests as he left her room. His mind guided him through the halls, in the direction of a place he’d never been before. There was only one person who could talk him down from the panic that he felt growing inside him — the only person who had been there for him in more ways than he could count his entire life.

The hall where Alec’s room was located was out of the way from the personal suites of the royal family, but it also wasn’t anywhere close to those that belonged to the other high-ranking members of Asmodeus’ court. Magnus had never questioned it before — he figured that maybe Alec wanted to be farther away from the people who might need him while he was trying to rest but with what Magnus saw now…maybe that wasn’t the case. 

Alec’s door was located at the end of the empty hallway and was flanked by two of the castle guards though Magnus didn’t know them by name. Only one glanced in his direction as he came to a stop in front of the door. “Why are you here? Surely Alexander doesn’t need his room guarded. He is an adult — he has his own magic. He can take care of himself.”

“We stand guard per the king’s request. It’s not the halfblood’s safety he is worried about. Our job is to protect those who call the castle home,” the taller guard answered simply. 

Magnus stood there blinking, trying to process the man’s words. “Alexander is my father’s advisor and has been for hundreds of years. In what world would he hurt our people? The people here are his just as much as they are ours. Now move aside, I have business with him.”

The guards crossed their spears in front of the door as Magnus reached for the handle to let himself inside. “King’s orders. No one in or out after the witching hour.”

“And as I am the future king and Alexander will one day also be my advisor, I demand you let me in. My father’s orders be damned,” Magnus growled, his cat eyes flashing angrily at the mens refusal to step aside and let him pass. Power whipped around him and he was well aware his tantrum and lack of control would eventually make it back to his father but it served its purpose at the moment. The taller man stepped aside and waved his hand to the door, waiting until the lock made the soft click that suggested it was now open. Magnus twisted the silver knob not knowing what he could expect to find inside. 

In the entire time that Alec had worked for Magnus’ father, he’d never once been to the halfling’s room and now between the guards outside and what his eyes fell on inside, he was starting to think that there might be a reason why. Alec’s room was small, far smaller than any of the rooms in the royal palace should be. The man himself was standing with his shirt off and his back turned to the door and Magnus realized this was the first time that he’d ever seen the royal advisor without his Bane family colors on. 

Alec turned quickly at Magnus’ entrance, clearly not expecting to have visitors at that time of time. His eyes widened at the sight of who had barged in unannounced as he turned toward the direction of the door, hiding his back from sight but not before Magnus got a good look at pale flesh riddled with a crisscross of scars. His chest, once the prince could see it, didn’t fare much better. The missing patches of skin appeared to have once been Alec’s floral marks but now? All but one, the delicate white oleander bloom that always peaked out over the collar of Alec’s jacket, had been carved out and had left behind ugly, patchy scars. “Magnus? What are you doing here? Does your father know you’re here? Is everything alright?”

“I…” Magnus’ words trailed off as he suddenly found himself unable to speak and his eyes focused on the thin metal band that was wrapped around Alec’s throat. He’d come here to complain about Camille and how horrible she was being to him but now he found himself with other questions. “It’s just…Camille,” he said finally, closing the door behind them to try and keep their conversation from the ears of the guards in the hall. “She’s being a beast. I’m not certain I’m going to be able to stay married to her until the end of time. We’ve got nothing in common. I don’t know what my father was thinking by choosing her. The wedding is in two weeks and I don’t think I can do this and still be me afterward.”

That clearly hadn’t been the answer that Alec had been expecting with the way he stood there blinking while he had processed Magnus’ words. “I’m sure she’s just adjusting, Magnus,” he replied after a moment, though the prince could tell that his heart wasn’t in it. “She’s lost everything that she knows in life. She’s crossed into a new realm, she’s got new powers. Her fiance is the prince and she’s getting married in just a handful of weeks. Imagine if you were in her shoes, I can’t imagine it would be easy for you either.”

“I still can’t agree with my father's choice. Who I should marry should be my decision. I’m the one who is going to have to live with it for the foreseeable future,” Magnus whispered. He hadn’t voiced his concerns to anyone else — not even to Ragnor and Catarina who he’d considered his best friends for as long as he could remember — but Alec, it was always Alec, had some sort of magical ability to make him speak what was truly on his mind.  “And Camille…the stuff that she says is awful. I had hopes that he would pick someone kind…someone like my mother.”

“You know that he just wants what’s best for you and your people,” Alec said after a moment though he’d made no effort to get any closer to offer Magnus further comfort. “He must have seen something in her that made him think that she’d been a good bride for you and a perfect future queen. Give them both a chance, alright? You might be surprised.”

The door flew open with such force that instantly had his magic at the ready to protect both him and Alexander should the need arise. Asmodeus stormed in, his eyes blazing in that familiar way that suggested that he was more than furious at someone or something. His gaze fell on Alec first, and he studied his advisor for a moment before turning his attention to his son. “Magnus Bane, what do you think you’re doing in here at this hour? I didn’t give you permission to come down this wing.”

“I shouldn’t need permission, Father,” Magnus replied, crossing his arms petulantly as he did. “This is my castle too and one day I will be king. And Alec? Alec is my friend . Why can’t I come to visit him when he’s not working?”

“You don’t make friends with the help, Magnus. Alec is here to do a job, not to hold your hand while you cry into his shoulder and braid each other’s hair. Drop the conversation and leave him be so that he can get back to work.” He grabbed Magnus’ hand and pulled his son toward the door harshly as he began to cough incessantly. Once the coughing had stopped, he paused in the doorway to shoot Alec a glare over his shoulder. “And you. You should know better. I’ll deal with you later.”

“Yes, sir,” was Alec’s quiet response. It was the only thing that Magnus could hear before the door slammed between them and Asmodeus dragged him away from Alec's room and back to Magnus’ private chambers.

“What’s going on, Father? What aren’t you telling me? Why is Alec locked in his room? Why is his body covered in scars? I thought that he was your advisor, not your prisoner? What aren’t you telling me?” He continued to question his father as he was dragged by his arm through the halls, the few castle staff members still awake and working hugging the walls as they saw the mood on their king’s face. Asmodeus said nothing.  The only sound between them was Magnus’ own voice and his father's seemingly endless coughing. It was the faint crackle of magic in the air around him that told Magnus just how angry his father was.

They reached Magnus’ door and he was shoved harshly inside. His father’s hand hovered on the knob for a minute before he finally replied to Magnus’ questions. “Leave Alec to me, Magnus, and stop this train of questioning instantly. I won’t take any more inquiries and no further trips to that wing unless I’ve given you explicit permission, is that understood?” Magnus started to protest but the wooden door was slammed in his face and he tasted the telltale sign of magic in the air that suggested a spell had been cast from the other side. His father had locked him in.

Magnus pounded on the door trying to get his father’s attention but his own magic told him that the king had walked away. He swore under his breath, replaying the last twenty minutes in his mind and trying to figure out exactly what the hell had happened. His magic was still whipping around him and he forced himself to take a deep breath and breathe to get it back under control. When the wind finally stopped, he opened his eyes and leaned against the door.

Why had there been armed guards in front of Alec’s door? Why did his father fear that his own advisor would hurt their people when Alec had never been anything but kind? Why was Alec’s body riddled with scars and why was there a collar on his neck? Magnus needed answers and he knew that he wouldn’t get them from his father unless he came up with a plan. He’d have to approach this tactfully if he had any hope of getting any answers from his father. Something was going on here, that much was certain, and Magnus intended to get to the bottom of it if it was the last thing he did.

 

----------

 

When the door closed behind the prince and the king and the lock turned, Alec let out a deep sigh, knowing it was only a matter of time before Asmodeus returned to ‘deal with him.’ It wasn’t Alec’s fault that Magnus had stormed through his door after curfew, upset about Camille and his upcoming wedding. He knew that his quarters were off limits to all but Asmodeus and Catarina when she was ordered to patch him up after his punishments but it wasn’t like he could refuse the prince without raising suspicions. He’d known the second Magnus stepped through the door that he’d get in trouble for the other man being in his room but there was nothing he could do about it.

He finished folding his shirt and hung up his jacket before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. All he could do was wait. He knew that Asmodeus would return as soon as he was done dealing with Magnus.

It was only a handful of minutes before the king returned, the fire still burning in his eyes and magic sparking in the air around him. The door slammed behind him and Alec rose to his feet to fall into parade rest. Whatever was about to come his way, there was no way for him to stop it. 

“Your behavior as of late has been atrocious, halfbreed. I thought I whipped the defiance out of you a hundred years ago but that seems to not be the case,” Asmodeus growled, crossing the room with supernatural speed and shoving Alec up against the wall, the king’s hand closing tightly around his throat.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Alec sputtered, finding words difficult now that he was suddenly struggling to breathe. “I meant no harm. I was trying to comfort the prince. He was upset.”

“It is not your job to coddle him, Alexander. There are others better equipped to handle any issue that he may have. Your job is to do what I say, when I say it, and follow the rules that I have given you.”

“I know, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir…I’ll do better,” Alec replied, falling to his knees as Asmodeus released him and taking a few deep breaths now that he wasn’t being choked. 

“Honestly, I’m starting to think that perhaps my brother is right. You can’t teach magic to the children. You can’t listen. You can’t follow the simplest instructions. You aren’t worth all the trouble that you’re causing. Maybe it is time to do our realm a favor and rid us of the last halfbreed once and for all,” the King stated coldly and Alec had to fight the urge to shiver at his words. Alec’s life was nothing but pain and suffering but in no world was he ready to die.

“What my wife saw in you that was worth sparing, I’ll never understand. It’s only in her memory that I haven’t had you executed.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Sir,” Alec whispered, knowing that there was truly nothing else that he could say. 

“You can thank me by behaving as I expect you to behave. Since you haven’t, it’s time to remind you what happens when you disobey me. Get to your feet and place your hands on the wall. The Magnolia on your shoulder will be your punishment for today’s actions,” the king replied, taking off his own jacket and starting to roll up his sleeves so that he didn’t get blood on his clothes. He took the knife from his belt and examined it for sharpness, making sure that it would do the job that he wanted it to do.

Alec got to his feet slowly and did as asked, bracing himself for the incoming pain of the knife meeting flesh as it carved the floral mark from his back. The large white blossom was one of his few remaining marks. After this, it was only the oleander on his neck before he’d lose his magic entirely. With the loss of that…what use could he be to the king and his son? It would only be a matter of time before Asmodeus’ frustrations and disgust outweighed his worth and he’d be executed. 

He knew that he was merely counting his days and there was nothing that he could do to save himself.

Notes:

Thanks for reading!

Come join us in the Malec Discord Server!

Chapter 6: Chapter Six

Notes:

Not beta read. My mistakes are my own.

“Alec, you need to stop,” Catarina begged as she placed another golden oleander flower in the vase with dozens of others.

“I can’t, Cat,” Alec replied, wiping a bead of sweat away from his brow and grabbing another flower from the pile. “This won’t be done by the wedding otherwise. As it stands now, I’m not even certain I’ll finish in time. The wedding is just a couple of days away.”

“And you’re practically killing yourself,” she said, taking the flower out of Alec’s hand and setting it aside. “You need to stop. If Magnus understood what it was he asked of you, I’m certain he would have changed his mind. Your body can’t take the strain you’re putting on it right now, especially not when your connection to the ley lines is as weak as it is.”

Alec ignored her and simply picked another flower out of the pile, his vision blurring as the tips of the petals began to shift into shimmering gold. The woman sighed, “If you won’t listen to me, at least use your common sense, Alec. Asmodeus will still expect your normal duties from you — how can you manage that when you’re this close to passing out? He’ll punish you further if he thinks you’re slacking. Do you really want to lose that mark on your neck and be cut off from your magic entirely?”

The thought of his already weakened connection to the ley lines being cut off completely was the only thing that stilled his hand. The oleander on his neck was the last mark that allowed him to use the little magic that he still had. If Asmodeus took that one too, Alec would be no better than Mundane. Some were already disgusted by his existence being a halfling. At least his limited magic made him useful in some ways. If he were Mundane, there would truly be no reason for the king to keep him around, the man would finally have the reason that he needed to have him executed.

“Magnus deserves his big day to be perfect,” he said softly, allowing Catarina to take the flower from his hand. “If I can do this…”

“His day won’t be perfect if something happens to you,” the woman pointed out. “I think he’d much rather have you there on your feet than bedridden or worse. Take a break, at least. See to some of your other duties. If you’re feeling better later, you can try again…and don’t try to argue with me. Healer’s orders.”

The door opened unexpectedly and Alec’s head snapped toward the intruder. Typically during these sessions, it was just him and Catarina, everyone else knew not to bother them when Alec was doing this sort of work. Elias stood in the doorway, the look on his face was unreadable but didn’t bode well. “The King is asking for you. He requests your presence immediately.”

A shiver went down Alec’s spine and his heart felt like it turned to ice. He hadn’t seen Asmodeus for the better part of a week now — apparently, the man hadn’t been feeling well and had ordered him to stay away and continue to do his job. Alec had done just that, enjoying the brief reprieve from punishments and scrutiny. He knew, however, that the freedom he’d felt the last couple of days would eventually come to an end and it seemed that time was now.

He sighed and pushed himself to his feet, stumbling a step as his body tried to tell him just how much he’d exhausted himself already. Catarina caught him and waited for him to steady himself before she let go. “Alec, please take it easy.”

“Can’t,” Alec replied with a sigh as he walked toward the door. Now that he’d delivered his message, Elias had disappeared. “Duty calls.”

He left Catarina there knowing that she’d take care of cleaning up the room and make sure all the effort that they’d gone through didn’t go to waste. He tried not to let the dread pool in his stomach as he took the familiar path to the king’s private chambers. He nodded to the guards standing outside of the doors and they stepped aside to let him into the room.

Alec had expected Asmodeus to be standing over the table, reviewing proposals or trade charters or any number of the documents spread across the surface. Instead, the king was lying in bed looking pale as a ghost while Azazel sat by his side speaking in a low voice. He’d had known that the king was ill, he’d been told as much, but he had no idea that his condition was so severe. None of the other servants within the castle walls who had continued to serve the man had spoken a word about Asmodeus’ frail state…and somehow that was just as much of a worry as the sick man’s condition. There wasn’t much of anything that went on in the palace that Alec didn’t know about.

“Sir,” Alec said, remaining just within the doorway until he was given permission to come any closer. “You asked to see me?”

“I’ll go find your wayward son,” Azazel said, his voice gentler than Alec had ever heard it before. He paused as he passed by, leaning in so his lips were inches away from Alec’s ear. “If anything happens to him in my absence, half breed, it will be on you.”

Once Alec and the king were alone, he turned his attention back to the man in the bed. “Come,” Asmodeus ordered before falling into a fit of coughs.

“I apologize for not coming sooner, Sire. I was not made aware of your ailment.”

“While normally I would punish your insolence, this time it was by design. The healers are unable to figure out the cause of my illness. There have been suggestions that poison is to blame. Azazel is heading the investigation. By his request, we’ve kept the nature of my predicament quiet.”

Fear struck Alec’s heart as he processed the king’s statement. He’d been poisoned? How had Alec missed this? How had it occurred right under his nose? He’d been thrilled to have a couple of days to himself and while he’d been turning oleander flowers gold for Magnus’ upcoming wedding, Asmodeus had been suffering. “The healers… have they been unable to cleanse the poison?”

“Without knowing what it is that ails me, they haven’t been able to come up with a cure. I’m afraid my time draws to an end sooner than I would like. I cannot deny it any longer.”

“Sir?”

“It’s Magnus’ time to take the throne and as such, I need to pass the Geas to him before I draw my final breath.”

Alec tried not to let his feelings flicker across his face. Of course, even on his deathbed, Asmodeus’ only concern was controlling him.

He bowed his head as the door opened behind him and he heard the tell tale sign of Magnus behind him. “Of course, Sir.”

“Father?” He heard Magnus ask and Alec could tell from the tone of his voice that his father’s condition had been kept from him as well. Even though Magnus’ relationship with Asmodeus had been rocky at best over the years, he was still rushed over to the bedside and dropped to his knees at the king’s side. “What’s going on? How long have you been sick? Let me go get the healers…”

“The healers have done all they can, my son. They believe that I was poisoned and none of the antidotes for the most commonly used toxins has made a difference. My time is coming to an end, my son, there is nothing more that can be done.”

“No!” Magnus nearly shouted, his voice shaking. “There must be something that we can do. Maybe Ragnor can search the library…what symptoms are you feeling?”

“Magnus, we have already done the research. We’ve poured over the books.” Azazel said as he joined Magnus near Asmodeus’ bedside. “While you’ve been working on your wedding, we haven’t been sitting idly by. My brother has already accepted it, you need to as well. Enjoy what little time you have left with your father instead of trying to prevent the inevitable.”

“I can’t just let him die. There has to be something that I can do. Something —”

“Son,” Asmodeus whispered, his voice more strained than it had been moments before. “There is something that needs to be taken care of first. We are running out of time.”

“What is more important than your life?”

“Business first, my son. Then I’ll explain.”

Alec remained in his place as Azazel (and Camille, he realized, here to support her fiance) stepped back to give them some space. The king started to whisper, his voice already weak in lieu of his mysterious illness, in the mostly forgotten language of the Old Ones — the deeply magical beings that predated even the Fae. Power gathered in the air, thick enough that Alec suddenly felt himself unable to breathe. He dropped to his knees, unable to remain standing under the sheer weight of the magic in the room. He heard Magnus cry out for his father, feeling the raw magic that was flying around with no explanation as to why. Alec’s ears rang and he could only squeeze his eyes together and wait for the transfer of power to be completed.

Finally, it stopped. Everything was silent and still. Alec blinked to clear his eyes, trying to adjust to the new feeling of the Geas now that Magnus was in control of his fate and future. It felt calmer than the bond between him and the King, but it was still very new and had not yet settled. Besides, Magnus remained unaware of the magic that had been handed to him. He could call the prince his friend now, but what would happen when he truly learned about the rules that Alec and the rest of the Kingdom of Edom lived by?

Before the magic had a chance to settle over him, he heard Magnus let out a shout and the room seemed to explode to life. Alec pushed himself to his feet, his gaze focused on where the king lay prone on the bed. His body started to seize violently as blood spewed from his nose and mouth. Azazel jumped forward, grabbing the king’s arms to try to keep him from injuring himself further. Magnus looked panicked, unsure of how best he could help in this situation. The healers rushed in, trying to do their best to stop the bleeding and ride out the episode. Alec remained in place, knowing that staying out of the way and letting the experts do what only they could was the best action that he could take.

Eventually, the room quieted. The healers took a step back shaking their heads. The oldest among them whispered something to Azazel, too soft for Alec to hear where he was waiting by the wall. The Fae stood still for a moment, seemingly composing his thoughts before turning sharply toward Alec with a fire blazing in his eyes. “You,” he growled, stalking toward Alec with an air of danger about him. There was motion by the door as a handful of guards spilled into the room, their weapons at the ready. “He wasn’t violently ill before I left to retrieve Magnus and left you alone in the room with him. You did something to him to make his ailment worse. This is your fault. You are responsible for the death of the king. Guards, take him to the cells. We will deal with the traitor after we take care of the king. My brother and his legacy deserve our full attention at the moment.”

“No, please,” Alec pleaded as the guards grabbed his arms in a vice-like grip. “We merely talked. I did nothing! I would never kill the king! Magnus, your highness, please. I would not cause you or your father harm. I can’t.”

Magnus was still on his knees by his father’s side, apparently numb after the event of the last few minutes. He didn’t turn around to address Alec. “I need to be alone right now,” he said softly, his words directed toward his Uncle who had moved to put himself between his nephew and the door. “Please, I just need to be alone.”

“Take him away,” Azazel demanded of the guards. “He is a traitor to the crown and does not deserve to wear the colors of the Bane family. Strip him of his status before you lock him away.”

----------

The cells below the palace hadn’t changed at all since the time Alec spent the first few months of his captivity down here. As ordered, they’d stripped him completely, leaving him only with the iron collar around his neck before locking him away. The cell was small and empty, with a dirty stone floor behind heavy iron bars. The guards who had thrown him in here had needed to wear heavy leather gloves to prevent their own flesh from getting burned when they had pushed him in. Alec himself wouldn’t get burned, as evidenced by the collar that he was currently wearing, but the amount of iron in the bars would drain the remainder of his magic to dangerously low levels if he remained in here for any solid amount of time.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he dropped into the corner farthest from the door. What the hell had happened? How had things gone so horribly, terribly wrong in such a short amount of time? One minute he’s sitting with Catarina, preparing for Magnus’ upcoming wedding and his greatest worry had been whether or not he’d have enough magic left to finish changing the rest of the oleander flowers to gold, and then next the king was dead, he’d been accused of expediting his death and now he was locked up in the one place he truly had hoped that he’d never have to see again.

There was nothing that he could do here — trapped behind iron bars. Hopefully, soon enough Ragnor or Catarina would be able to sneak away from planning the king’s funeral and Magnus’ inevitable succession, at least long enough to update him on what the future could hold for him. He tilted his head against the stone wall and closed his eyes. All he could do was close his eyes and wait.

----------

Magnus was cold — everything both physically and mentally felt like he was frozen in ice. His father was dead. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Sure, he knew that eventually that day would come. His father had been ruling for hundreds of years already and one day it would be Magnus’ turn to take his place but it shouldn’t have been so soon. He’d done his duties to the crown as was expected of him as a prince. He’d hosted the banquets, made appearances among their people, and attended the trade negotiations as Asmodeus would request of him from time to time. All the other duties, however, were handled by his father and even after all these years, Magnus still didn’t even know the beginning of what it took to be king.

Panic began to set in as his father’s skin began to pale. A sob escaped his throat as a hand grabbed his upper arm gently and pulled him back. “Come, Magnus, let them prepare his body. You know our people return to the land after death. I know you are in shock but I doubt that you want a tree sprouting in the middle of the royal chambers because we took too long in proceeding with the inevitiable. Let’s get you back to your own rooms so that we can get you ready for the celebration of his life.”

Leaving his father’s side was the last thing that Magnus wanted to do but his mind seemed unwilling to put up a fight. Instead, he let his uncle guide him away as Camille took to his other side and slipped her around him. “Come, my love. Let me take you back to your room and take care of you. Azazel will handle the preparations.”

He was guided to his room and his uncle left them at the door, disappearing back down the way that they had come. It was Camille who let them into the room, leading him to his bathroom where a steaming hot bath had seemingly already been prepared. “You’ll feel better after this. I’ll have your valet lay out an outfit for the ceremony. Would you like me to stay?”

Magnus shook his head. He really didn’t want to be alone right now but he couldn’t begin to imagine being calmed by his future queen’s presence while he was still so numb from the events of the last hour. She left him with one left squeeze of his hand, closed the door behind her softly, and then Magnus was alone.

With no eyes on him any longer, Magnus felt the tears start streaming down his face, every single second of the last hour replaying through his mind with disgusting clarity. He hadn’t expected anything out of the ordinary when Azazel had fetched him from his research with Ragnor. Seeing his father lifeless and unwilling to fight terrified Magnus in a way he never thought possible. Sure, his relationship with Asmodeus hadn’t been the greatest at times — the older man was always King first and father second — but he was still the only family that Magnus had left. And now he was gone, taken by a mysterious poison that the healers apparently couldn’t counter, and Magnus…Magnus was well and truly alone.

He let himself sob freely as he slipped into the tub. This couldn’t be happening to him. He couldn’t be king. He wasn’t ready to rule, he couldn’t, and at least his father had had Alec to help him out but Alec…

Could the royal advisor truly be the cause of his father’s ailment like Azazel had suggested? And what was the spell his father had cast that he felt was more important than discussing his health or making sure that his son had the knowledge that he had needed for his upcoming ascension to the throne? He hadn’t seen his father over the course of the last week, nor had he seen hide nor hair of Alec. He certainly hadn’t gotten any answers over what had happened that night in the half-fae’s room, though not for lack of trying. He’d asked both Ragnor and Catarina about what had transpired but neither of them had been able to speak on the matter though it seemed they desperately wanted to.

Something was going on, he was certain of it, now that he had given himself a chance to reflect. Too many things had happened all at the same time for it to be merely a coincidence. There’s no way a simple poison took his father out in such a short amount of time — his father had ruled for hundreds of years. He wasn’t a fresh face still coming into his magic. He had the resources and the intelligence to protect himself so how had things taken a turn for the worst so quickly? What was Alec’s involvement in all of this and did he truly deserve to be stripped of his status and thrown in the palace dungeons? Alec had been by his father’s side as long as Magnus could remember, surely there was no way he was involved in the king’s death. Finally, what was that spell? Even now, he could feel the weight of the magic over his shoulders was an uncomfortable and smothering presence.

He closed his eyes and used his own magic to probe along the edges of the spell, trying to find any clues as to its purpose and reason. The essence of the spell his father had cast was just as ancient as the words that he had spoken to do so. Magnus didn’t entirely understand what it was he was looking at, not without diving nose first into the oldest books in the castle’s library. Still, he couldn’t help prodding at it further and after a few more moments, there was one thing that he knew for certain. Whatever this spell was, it wasn’t something kind. The feel of the magic sent shivers down his spine and felt like gritty, polluted water rippling across his skin. The longer his own magic twisted around his father’s, the more certain he was that he didn’t want anything to do with it.

Unraveling something he didn’t understand was a lot easier than trying to make any sense of it. He could see the putrid green threads twisted together to make the web. All he had to do was find the right one and tug it loose. He let his magic weave through the unfamiliar patterns until he found what he was looking for. A big push of power snapped it loose and the fibers of his father’s spell fell to pieces around him. He imprinted the feeling of his father’s magic on his mind. There would be time after the funeral, after his ascension, after he finally had some answers as to what was going on, to revisit these memories and figure out just what his father had cast over him and what was important enough to risk his life to do so.

He took a deep breath and sunk further into the water, giving himself a few more moments alone to grieve before he made himself stand tall and face his future.

Notes:

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Chapter 7: Chapter Seven

Notes:

IT SURE HAS BEEN A WHILE HASN'T IT.

No beta - we live dangerously here.

Magnus was barely aware of the passing of the next week. His uncle had taken control of the preparations — there was far too much going on that couldn’t be pushed to the side while the Prince, and soon-to-be king, grieved the loss of his father. Asmodeus’ funeral had come and gone and even the number of people coming to pay their respects had started to dwindle. Camille remained by his side through each and every moment — being every bit the loyal bride and wife that Magnus hadn’t thought that she could be.

His coronation and subsequent wedding were supposedly days away but Magnus felt no excitement for either celebration. He barely left his chambers these days, letting his uncle handle the day-to-day duties of the kingdom until he felt that Magnus was in the right state of mind to take them on himself.

He hadn’t been feeling right since his father had died and with each passing day he only seemed to get more and more exhausted to the very point where he’d spent the majority of the last forty-eight hours completely bedridden with barely enough energy to sip the soup that Camille would bring him from the kitchen. When his bones started to ache, dread settled in the pit of Magnus’ stomach. This tiredness couldn’t just be the emotional ache from his grieving and shock… what if something was wrong? What if he was falling ill with whatever had taken his father’s life so suddenly?

He started to have a coughing fit as the door to his bedroom slammed open and Camille entered carrying yet another tray with a cup of ale, a bowl of soup, and a few pieces of bread. “How are you feeling today, my love? Any better?”

He didn’t have the energy to roll his eyes. “Worse, I’m afraid,” he managed to croak out when he had a chance to take a brief breath between the bouts of coughing. “I’m worried that something truly ales me — what if my father’s fate is soon to become mine as well? I believe I need to see the healers. Maybe they can catch whatever this is before it’s too late.”

An unrecognizable expression flickered across Camille’s face and was gone in an instant. “The healers aren’t necessary,” she said slowly and Magnus had spent enough time around politicians to tell that she was very carefully selecting her words. “You know what your Uncle said — losing someone like that can take a toll on your mind which, in turn, can upset the balance of your body. That’s all that this is.”

“That may be the case but should we not err on the side of caution given my father’s untimely demise? At the very least, I’d like if Catarina could confirm that it’s merely grief that is weighing heavily on me.”

Even in his weakened state, this time Magnus did not miss the way his fiance’s eye twitched. “I do not think it’s wise to involve others at this stage, Magnus. What will people think if they find out their new king is weak and that issues of the mind are affecting his body in ways that keep him bedridden? They won’t support you as a ruler if this is the first glimpse they have into your reign. No, it’s best to keep this between us — your Uncle and I will continue for the time being in your stead. You work on resting and getting better, my love.”

She set the tray on the table by his bed and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. A necklace brushed Magnus’ cheek as she did and he jumped at the familiar warmth of his own magic radiating from one of her pendants. “You turned my gift into a necklace?” He found himself asking, trying to stifle the cough that was building in his throat.

Camille almost seemed to flinch at his words but a smile slowly spread across her face as she ran her fingers over the facets of the gem. “It was a thoughtful gift from my future husband. Why would I not want to display it for the world to see? Rest up, my love, I’ll be back later to check on you.” With that, she turned and left Magnus alone in his room once more as another fit of coughing overtook him.

----------

Alec had gone numb.

He’d been down in the dungeons for what he was certain was a week now based on the changing of the guards at the end of the hall and not once had Azazel stopped by to see him. He was trying not too hard to dwell on the situation — trying not to remember those long, cold nights after he’d first been captured where his very existence hung on the number of people who were set to die before him and the King’s mood for the day.

He sighed and shifted his position, hoping to relieve some of the pain in his bruised but not yet broken body. He supposed he should be thankful, in a way, that he’d been left down here and forgotten like a child’s old toy. He hadn’t seen a single face since the night the King’s guards had locked him inside. Azazel had not been by to gloat or inform him of his fate and no servant had been buy to deliver their prisoner even one meal. At Alec’s age, and with his immortality that the Seelie side of his heritage gave him, missing a few days or even weeks of food wouldn’t have him wasting away. No, the Iron would do that first.

Because of Alec’s half-human blood, he wasn’t allergic to Iron in the same way the full Seelie were — and the fact that he’d worn the collar around his neck this long was proof enough of that — but it didn’t mean he was truly unaffected by the metal’s properties. His magic had felt sluggish and slow since Asmodeus had another halfbreed meld the band around his neck and that wasn’t even taking into account the Geas or the removal of his marks. Down here, though, in the darkness surrounded by nothing but stone and iron, he could really feel how much it was draining his core and he knew that that would kill him far quicker than lack of food would. If there was nothing left powering his energy, there was no Alec.

He rubbed a dirty hand over his eyes, trying to will himself into distraction before his brain could go down a dangerous path. Another visitor that had been missing was the one he was most hoping to see, especially if his execution would be coming any day now. Did Magnus truly believe that Alec was the cause of his father’s death? Was that why he hadn’t come? He didn’t want the Prince’s last memory of him to be when Azazel was taking his head for his supposed treasons against the Crown.

A gate creaked open in the distance and he furrowed his brow. Unless he’d lost time while he was wallowing in his own misery, it was far too early to be a change of the guard. The sound of a single set of footsteps echoing against the stone floor had Alec pushing himself to his feet to face whoever his only visitor turned out to be. Was this finally it? Had his time finally come?

He was more shocked than he’d like to admit when the hooded figure hurrying toward him turned out to be Ragnor. The older Seelie gave him a quick inspection before snapping his fingers and summoning Alec some meat and bread. “I suggest you eat quickly — we don’t have a lot of time.” He held it out toward Alec, careful not to touch the iron bars of the cell.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he couldn’t help but say even as he took the offered plate and began to eat. “It’s not safe. If they catch you down here, they’ll accuse you of treason as well.”

“That’s a risk that I’m willing to take,” Ragnor replied simply, his tone one Alec had heard a hundred times before. Arguing with the man would get him nowhere. “I needed to make sure you were okay. I hadn’t heard word of a trial nor execution and I would have come sooner but it was remarkably hard to find our way past Azazel’s guards. We had to recruit some help but the glamor isn’t long-lasting. We only have a handful of minutes at best.”

Alec closed his eyes, pausing with a piece of bread halfway to his lips as he took a deep breath. When he reopened them, he fixed Ragnor with a pointed look. “My fate is sealed. Whenever Azazel chooses to deal with me, I’ll go the same way that Asmodeus tried to end me all those years ago. We can’t risk you being found down here. He…he can’t lose everyone in his life. First his father, then me, it can’t be you too, Ragnor, nor Cat. It can’t. He’s going to need you. He’s going to need people that he can rely on, people that he can trust.”

“I have no intention of sacrificing my life down here,” Ragnor said with a humph. “Nor do I have any intention of allowing you to meet your end either. Cat and I are trying to work out a way to get you out of here but things above have been difficult to say the least.”

“Tell me.”

Ragnor let out a deep sigh. “After you were taken away everything was a whirlwind. The King’s death was announced, his funeral planned. Azazel and Camille have taken on all of the work of running the kingdom. They said Magnus is grieving and he needs his space while he mourns the loss of his father. I have seen him just once, just the day of the funeral, since the day the King died. ”

“And you don’t believe him?” Alec asked even though he already knew the answer.

The older man shook his head. “You know Magnus — you know how tumultuous his relationship with his father was. He was likely in shock when it happened, but there’s no way he would leave Edom in the hands of his uncle and the wife he did not want. He wouldn’t hide from his people and, more importantly, he wouldn’t leave you down here when there was something that he could do about it. Something is happening and I don’t think we’re going to like what we find when we start to go looking.”

He couldn’t help but frown at Ragnor’s words, his mind already starting to go a million miles a minute. “You’ve only seen him once? They haven’t let you visit even to offer your condolences?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Ragnor confirmed. “Azazel has guards stationed both at the end of the hall of the royal wing and outside Magnus’ chambers. They’ve been advised to only let Azazel or Camille through — not even the normal staff assigned to bring his meals and clean are allowed past. They’ve got him well and truly under lock and key and we’ve been unable to reason with them to allow us entry. You can see why we’re concerned now.”

He’d finished the food that the older man had brought for him and passed the plate back. Rubbing at his temples, he began to pace, trying to process everything that he’d just been told even though he was trapped here and unable to do anything about it. “There’s a passage that will lead you right into his room,” he said finally, choosing to betray one of the Prince’s secrets in the hopes that doing so would possibly save his life. “Magnus magicked it up shortly after his hundredth birthday.” Alec may have helped, a little, with that but Ragnor didn’t need to know. “He used to use it to sneak out when he needed a break from his father. It’s behind the unicorn tapestry in his room and it leads you out into the garden — by the roses his mother planted. Both ends of the tunnel are glamored. You’ll need to do some fancy spellwork to get his magic to allow you through.”

Ragnor’s eyes widened at the revelation. “Blasted boy… I’m guessing that’s how he slipped away when he didn’t want to do his lessons. I should have known Magnus Bane would have had something up his sleeve.”

Alec wanted to smile at the man’s frustration but there was something far more worrying that made him grimace instead. “Magnus hasn’t forgotten about that passage…that means if he hasn’t used it, there’s a reason why.”

“You truly believe something has happened to him then?”

Dread was pooling in the pit of Alec’s stomach but he could only nod. “I think you need to find out what…and soon. I’ve no doubt Camille and Azazel are at the heart of it.”

Ragnor frowned at how sure Alec was at that fact. “You seem certain of that. Do you think they’d really conspire against the Crown?”

Alec could only nod. “I’ve never been more sure. But…” His voice trailed off and he waved his hand in a gesture he’d made a hundred times before. He couldn’t speak of the things that the King had ordered him not to say. Now, it wasn’t Asmodeus who held his leash, it was Magnus but an order under the Geas was still an order that he had to follow.

Ragnor frowned at him. “You don’t know? You didn’t feel it? Alec, the Geas is broken.”

Alec felt his body go cold. There was no way what Ragnor was saying was true. After all this time, after hundreds of years of living in a nightmare under a servitude that he couldn’t speak of…there was no way it was finally over.

“The night of the King’s death,” Ragnor explained, clearly seeing the shock on Alec’s face. “Catarina and I felt it. It was like a ripple… most people in the realm probably wouldn’t have noticed it because they hadn’t spent as much time studying the spell as we have.”

“But… he did transfer the Geas,” Alec stammered, gripping the iron bars of his cell tightly, trying to hold himself up as his knees began to buckle. “I felt the new connection to Magnus.”

The older Fae shook his head. “Then, my boy, it seems like Magnus has done something to it…even more reason for us to get to him and make sure that he’s okay. Now, tell me what you know, and quickly…our time here is about to come to an end.”

----------

Magnus was already halfway to sleep feeling more exhausted than ever after his uncle and fiance’s latest visit. His coughing had gotten worse and his magic felt sluggish and unresponsive under his skin. Azazel and Camille continued to take care of the kingdom’s day-to-day activities, assuring him Edom was in good hands until his recovery and return. He’d managed to eat the soup and bread that had once again been left for him before a sound from an unlikely corner caught his attention. Had he had the energy, he would have been upright and on guard in an instant.

The unicorn tapestry hanging on the wall ruffled and Magnus held his breath. No one was supposed to know about his escape besides him and Alexander. Had someone found out? Was an assassin coming to finally end him? A moment later he was breathing a sigh of relief as Ragnor and Catarina emerged from behind the fabric. Cat took one look at him and hissed, running to his bedside to start examining him. Magnus could nearly cry at the sight of his two friends and mentors. “Magnus, you look like you’re on death’s bed. What happened?”

“My uncle says grieving took its toll on my body, making me ill. They want me to rest and heal before I start taking on the duties of the king,” Magnus managed to stutter out between fits of coughing. “How did you find the passage? It’s supposed to be secret.”

“I saw Alec last night,” Ragnor explained, stepping to Magnus’ other side so that Catarina could do her work. “We haven’t been able to get past the guards stationed outside despite our best efforts and we haven’t seen you since the funeral. We’ve been worried and for good reason, it seems. He was the one who told us how we could get through to you to make sure that you were okay.”

Magnus winced as Catarina’s magic dug into him a little harder than it usually did. She frowned at that. “Does it hurt? I’ve done this a thousand times to you and you’ve never reacted this way before.”

“It’s not pain, it’s like it’s trying to push back…keep going. I’ll let you know if it gets any worse.” The room fell into silence for a moment before Magnus’ eyes found Ragnor once more. “Alec…is he…?” He let his voice trail off, unable to ask the question he truly wanted to ask and choosing a different one instead. “Do you believe that Azazel is right? That Alec is the one responsible for my Father’s death?”

“Do you?” Ragnor asked pointedly. “You’ve known Alec your entire life? You know him better than anyone. Do you think he would have poisoned your father?”

No, Magnus thought to himself, no. Alec was the kindest person he knew. Despite how hard he worked and despite how cruel people could be to him, Alec never had a mean bone in his body. In all the years that he’d known the other man, he’d never seen him harm anyone once. After all these years serving Magnus’ father, if the half-seelie man wanted to confront him, he would have done so already. He shook his head in response to Ragnor. No, there’s no way that Alec would have ended Asmodeus’ life despite the lies that Azazel and Camille were spouting. And Magnus… in his shock and grief, had listened to them and let them take his oldest friend away.

“Is he okay?” Magnus asked quietly, trying not to think of the days the other man had spent in the dungeon because he hadn’t protested his arrest. “They haven’t…?” The bottom dropped out of Magnus’ stomach. Azazel said he was guilty of treason and the punishment for that was death.

“Before you start panicking and stress your body anymore, he’s fine. He’s a little beat up and even with his half-Seelie nature, the iron is starting to get to him but he’s alive. His only concern when I visited him the other night was you, Magnus. Once we figure out what’s wrong with you and get you feeling better, we’ll work on clearing his name and freeing him from the dungeons. Now that the Geas is broken and we can speak freely about it, we shouldn’t have any problem pleading Alec’s case at a trial.”

There had been a Geas? Magnus didn’t know much about them — he knew they were old and powerful magic and could be used in a variety of ways depending on how the spell was cast but he’d been unaware that one existed within the castle walls. There was a tingle in the back of his mind — memories surfaced of his father needing to take care of a spell before he passed, the sheer amount of power in the room as he spoke, and the words that Magnus hadn’t been able to interpret at the time. Later that night, he’d poked at the spell, trying to figure out what his father had been hoping to accomplish. What he’d found felt dark and heavy in a way he hadn’t been comfortable with. He’d snapped the threads holding the spell together but in the midst of everything else going on, he hadn’t thought again of it since.

“The spell… my father cast something before his death but he didn’t get a chance to explain what it was before he passed. I did try to figure out what it was by probing at it with my own magic but it made me feel…uneasy. I unraveled it. I didn’t know what it was but I knew I didn’t want any part of it. You’re telling me that was a Geas? Why did my father need one? What did it do? Who did he cast it over? What —”

Ragnor held up a hand. “I promised all will be revealed in time, Magnus, but right now we don’t have enough of that time to tell you the whole sordid tale so we’ll stick to what’s relevant to the here and now. The Geas was over all of Edom but it fell most harshly on Alec. He was bound to obey orders given to him, especially those of your father above all else. Asmodeus ordered Alec to never harm him or any member of the Bane line. Because of that single order, Alec couldn’t be the one responsible for your father’s death. The old magic wouldn’t let him.”

“Any order?” Magnus couldn’t help but ask as Catarina’s magic dug a little deeper and he grit his teeth to try not to make a sound.

The older man raised an eyebrow. “Any order…from anyone the spell considered his ‘betters’ — and I know what you’re thinking, you’re mind is already spinning as you try to replay each and every interaction you ever had with him. Yes, there were orders you gave him and yes, at times they were tough for him to follow for one reason or another but he never blamed you — especially since you had no way of knowing. Part of the confines of the spell meant none of us, more so Alec than anyone else, could speak of it. And before you even think of it, don’t start apologizing. You can save that for when we’re all out of this mess and say what you need to say to Alec himself. Catarina —” Ragnor said, abruptly stopping the conversation and pulling his attention away from Magnus. “Have you found anything?”

The Seelie woman stopped her diagnosis and sat back with a sigh. “It’s weird. I sense only your magic but there’s resistance. It’s hot where it should be cold, it’s almost like it’s burning you up from the inside out…burning out your core, more exactly. If your magical core was weakened, your body would rapidly try to replenish itself, draining every last scrap of energy you have to try and get itself out of the danger zone. That’s what your symptoms are — your body is literally trying to consume itself to replenish your core because if that completely fizzles out, you’ll die. Gruesomely.”

“I don’t want to die,” Magnus whispered slowly, trying to stave off another bout of coughing that was trying to bubble out of his throat. “Especially not gruesomely. I’ve asked Camille and Azazel to let me see the healers…to get their opinion and they refuse.”

“Probably because they’re the reason you’re like this in the first place,” Ragnor replied with a hint of a growl behind his voice. “Alec and I didn’t have much time to speak yesterday but thanks to the now broken Geas, he was able to tell me some things he’d been ordered not to speak of. It seems your fiance has no wish to marry you and your Uncle’s intentions are less than pure. I’m sorry, Magnus, but they are the likely cause of your father’s death and if we don’t figure out what scheme they’re running they could be the cause of yours as well.”

“Assuming your father’s illness wasn’t caused by poison, then it’s likely they did the same thing to him as well,” Catarina added, tapping her finger on her chin in thought. “What’s odd though is I can feel no traces of any other magic…all I feel is your own power, odd though it is. It’s not like you can just leave a sizeable chunk of your magic around for them to turn back at you.”

Magnus felt ice in his heart instantly at Catarina’s seemingly throwaway comment because…that was exactly what had happened and she didn’t even know it. Magnus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, chewing his lip as he chose his next words carefully. “What if they had a Ley crystal…that just so happened to be infused with my own magic?” He asked, opening his eyes so he could study both of their faces as he spoke. “And what if I know for a fact that one was gifted to my mother as well…because it was my father’s suggestion that I do so in the first place? What if they had a crystal with my magic and one of my father’s? How much harm do you think that they could do?”

Ragnor swore before rubbing at his temples in the way he did when he’d started to get a headache after a long night of research. “I thought I taught you better than that, my boy, but there’s no use dwelling on the past now, all we can do is to figure out how to fix the present. Cat, stay with him and run some more tests to see if we can find anything else out now that we know the truth. I’m going to procure some books from my library. It seems we have a long night ahead of us if we wish to find a cure.”

Notes:

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