Chapter Text
In the Kingdom of Idris, a prince was born to Queen Maryse Lightwood and King Robert Lightwood. They wished for a healthy and beautiful boy, and that wish was fulfilled. All the people of the kingdom of Idris rejoiced with the royal family; they named him Alexander Gideon. His blue eyes and black hair were unusual, but he inherited these features from his mother.
And as was the custom, they invited three fairy godmothers to give little Alec their blessing. The small baby was put into a crib, while all courtiers and some common people were present. All waited with bated breath, what kind of blessing would the prince get?
“My beautiful boy may your destiny be full of love and luck,” Maryse cooed at him as she put him in the crib in the middle of the throne room so that everyone had a chance to catch a glimpse of him.
The first godmother came to him. She was chubby and small with a gentle smile; she wore a dress with a pleasant shade of green with a leaf pattern. The godmother looked at baby Alexander with a soft smile, gently patted his little shoulder and started to speak.
“I grant you a kind and honest heart,” she said, pleased with herself as she made a space for a second godmother.
“My beautiful prince, I grant you a bravery like no other, not fearlessness, no, just a bravery, which is far rarer, and fills people around you with hope,” said the other godmother with a solemn expression. This godmother was tall and sleek, with an intense stare. She wore a simple white dress, the dress reminded the Queen of people who lived in secluded churches, immersed in their daily prayers.
But the third godmother, the third one, came closer and looked at both the Queen and the King. Then she started to float above Alexander’s crib, her hair started to crazily levitate around her, and her appearance completely changed. From an old, fragile woman to looking like a crazy young witch. A group gasp could be heard throughout the room. “You wicked little thing, you should never be born! After you are eighteen years old, you will finally fall in love after so much time spent longing to belong to someone.”
“Catch her!” the queen yelled, but the ominous voice sounded through the room, and the godmother flew above them, her cackle booming all over the place, pointing her finger at small Alexander. Under her, helpless guards started to gather. “Shoot her down!” the queen continued to yell, her voice cracking in half.
“But! If you lie with your loved one, if you take their body, or they take yours, Asmodeus, a king of the seventh hell, will walk on your world again! You all will kneel! He will claim all the lands, and all the world will tremble before his might! Beware of the bad omens!”
The godmother ended her speech, and then, with cackling, she flew away. The queen fainted, and the king caught her, trying to console her.
“My majesty!” a servant exclaimed and immediately ran to help the king.
“My Alexander, my beautiful boy,” the queen wept as she held onto the king. “What will happen to you? The last fairy godmother usually weakens a curse, why didn’t you do a better job on finding the right ones?!” she yelled with a broken voice.
“My majesty… I am so sorry; I had no idea…”
“I don’t want to hear any excuses! Prepare a plan, as cruel as it is, my boy must not fall in love. It would kill us all, he must never leave the kingdom, he must meet as less people as possible,” she then whispered and broke into immitigable cry. The servants led her away, while the guards tried to empty the room.
And so, Alec grew; he grew into a beautiful person. Kind, honest and brave, just as the fairy godmothers said, every person in the kingdom loved him. Even though he was of royal blood, no one had reason to hold any grudge against him. The word about his curse was whispered just barely, because no one believed that someone like him could truly be cursed.
Almost every maiden in the kingdom dreamt of being married to Prince Alexander, but among the tales of the curse were whispers that the prince could fall in love only with a bachelor and thus the insane fairy godmother cursed him. No one was allowed to go near him; they admired him just from afar and spread the word about his kindness. He grew up surrounded by his family, which made him happy, but deep down, he knew he wanted something more.
Alec sat in their huge garden in the shade of a perfectly maintained tree. Around him was a beautiful garden with well-tended hedges. He covered for his younger sister, who was who knows where and with who knows whom. Alec envied her; he longed to find someone for himself, but he was guarded not to leave the castle.
His parents kept the word about his curse from him, but Alec was intelligent and surprisingly perceptive. He knew all about it, pretending he knew nothing in front of his parents. And sometimes, just sometimes, he wondered what it would be like to kiss someone, and since he heard that the curse should take effect after he was eighteen years old, he sometimes delved into similar thoughts freely, not being afraid yet.
And so, he felt lonely; his kind heart longed to meet his true love, even though he was afraid, afraid of Asmodeus and his curse. But what if he met him sooner? What would happen?
Suddenly, someone’s hands covered his eyes, interrupting his thoughts.
“Guess who?” the voice behind him had a light tone.
“Izzy! Where were you? I was afraid that our parents would go to look out for you,” Alec scolded her, but not too harshly.
“Well, then you would delay them for me, right?”
“Of course I would, I would prefer if you… You know, just… did not do that so often,” Alec said. He tried not to imagine what his sister was doing. Even though she did not wander to the slums, she was freely running around the city in a costume, as was their adopted brother, Jace. Alec was tired of their little adventures, always covering for them and trying to persuade them not to go.
Isabelle hugged his brother and chuckled. “Don’t worry. Your time will come, and you’ll be so happy. In these stories, the curse is always broken, isn’t it?” She could read him like a book, knowing perfectly well that he envied her the little adventures, if you could call it that way.
Alec sighed and shook his head. “It might… but I don’t think I could fall in love with anyone. Sometimes I dream about it, I try to imagine it, but maybe it’s not for me.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Look, you are just seventeen, you still have a month before you find your true love! I know you will meet him even if you stay here in this castle. Maybe you can’t fall in love with anyone, except for your true love! Isn’t it exciting?”
Alec weakly smiled. “It would be, if not for the curse.”
“Some crazy old hag’s curse won’t stop my brave brother! There are even more powerful wizards than that stupid witch, well… they are sons and daughters of demons and demon princes, but they are still so kind and helpful.”
“I know, it is almost like they want to erase any bonds to their demonic fathers by good deeds. You know I’m not prejudiced against them, even though they barely visit our kingdom.”
“See? Me neither, unlike our parents. So, if something happens, maybe some powerful mage or wizard could help us! I bet they didn’t even consider it.”
“It’s so easy for you, sis, you’re not the cursed one,” Alec said with a sad sigh.
“And what about my prophecy? It was so dull, not as exciting as yours… That I’ll be beautiful, that I’ll be wild, and the last one was the worst – that my loved one will be a decent person. That’s sooo boring.”
“Trust me, I would rather have your prophecy than my curse,” Alec frowned at her, and she hugged him again.
“Well, what’s the worst that can happen? You’ll find your true love, and we’ll live here with Asmodeus,” Izzy said with a chuckle, trying to ease up the atmosphere.
“Yeah, that would be just so much fun,” Alec said, rolling his eyes at her, but his sister just giggled. Alec wondered why she had so much faith in him.
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It was a week after Alec’s eighteenth birthday, and Jace was a little tense since then. He knew about the curse; he would do anything to protect Alec from it, but he had no idea what. He still wished that it would never be fulfilled, or that it was just a cruel joke from the evil fairy godmother.
But that day was something wrong, Jace felt it. He watched with concern the way Alec’s cheek flushed, the way he looked weaker with each passing hour, and then he found him in a corridor, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, panting heavily.
“Alec! Alec, what’s wrong?” he asked, crouching next to him, he touched his forehead, and he immediately knew. “You have a terrible fever, why didn’t you say something? Parents would invite the doctors to attend to you!”
Alec opened his eyes and tiredly looked at Jace. “It’s okay, ’s just a fever. It’ll pass, don’t worry about me,” Alec whispered.
“Oh no, if you think I would leave you here in this state, you’re mistaken,” Jace growled, his heart breaking at the sight of him. Alec cared about the people around him too much, but he never took proper care of himself. It was this moment that Jace had to step in.
He immediately gathered strong guards to help him carry Alec into his bedroom. His family gathered around him, all worried that he did not say anything. Izzy shook her head while touching his forehead, and the doctors were already on their way. His little brother Max sat on the legs of his bed, complaining about his predicament, while Alec tried to reassure him in a hoarse voice that it was nothing.
But even after two days of doctors tending to him, his fever would not go down. Jace felt so powerless as he watched Alec lying on his bed, sleeping almost all day, watching his strength steadily leave him.
The third day after he checked on him, Jace stopped Izzy on her way to go inside Alec’s bedroom. “Izzy, wait. It can’t go on like this; these people are quacks. We need a wizard, someone with real power,” he said to her.
“A wizard? And where would we get one? A wizard who lives closest to us is in the neighbourhood kingdom, and his reputation is quite tainted. He even calls himself ‘Magnus the Rizzard’. Is that some serious title for a wizard? What does it even mean?” she complained.
“That’s our only option. He might be… a little eccentric even for a wizard, but I heard he’s powerful,” Jace said, he would never give up. Even if he had to rush on a horse for half a day, he would do it for his best friend, anytime. The travel to the kingdom was about two days, with a slow carriage. That kind of carriage you use when you want to travel comfortably, but on their best horse, it should be much quicker.
“I’m not sure how a promiscuous wizard who holds parties every week could help us, but whatever,” Izzy said.
“You sound like you already were at one of his parties,” Jace squinted at her. He knew that over the past year was Isabelle had been on some diplomatic missions that lasted a few days. Now, he was not sure what the goal of her travels was exactly.
“Well, whatever. Go get him, I suppose he’s powerful,” she said, and then she entered Alec’s room.
And so Jace packed just the necessary things like a waterskin full of fresh water, a small snack and leather armour in case something stopped him on his way. After carefully checking his sword, he departed.
Jace and Balios, a horse whose stamina was unlike any other, were dashing through the forest. That day, the weather was terrible; it was raining, but Jace did not hesitate even for a second. He was pushing Balios to his limit. The life of his brother and his best friend was on the line.
It was almost like Balios knew it and was putting his best effort into their crazy dash. And so, in five hours, they arrived. Balios was on the brink of a breakdown, but he still bravely held on.
“Easy, boy, easy… I’ll let you rest, please hold on, you’re so strong, Balios,” Jace gently encouraged the horse as he led him into a stable, where he paid for their services. He was not sure he could let Bailos run back in this state; he hoped that ‘Magnus the Rizzard’ would have strong horses too.
He did not even have to search for Magnus’ house for too long. In the middle of the town, there was a tall, ivory tower that was decorated with coloured glass windows of all colours he could think of. Jace smirked and shook his head; he felt that calling Magnus eccentric was not enough.
He hurried to the tower and noticed a huge metallic knocker with a cat's head. He took it in his hand; it was as if some spark ran through him, Jace frowned, but used it. There was a silence for a minute or two; he almost considered using it again.
“WHO DARES TO DISTURB THE GREAT WIZARD MAGNUS BANE?!” he heard a voice booming all around him, probably laced with magic. And it was the first time Jace started to doubt his decision to let him heal his brother. At least he did not call himself the ‘Rizzard’.
“Me, Jace Herondale!” he shouted.
“Herondale? But they’re all dead,” the voice was now without the magic undertone that made it so loud.
“Just my parents… I’m the last Herondale, my regents take care of our lands until I come of age,” Jace said, it sounded like he was used to explaining it all the time.
The door finally opened, and Jace stared at the man. He had slitted cat eyes, and his hair was styled bizarrely, almost as if a magical glittery explosion ran through it, and maybe it did. He wore a wizard's robe that was all blue, with golden patterns all over it. It was not loose as most robes were; this one was tight, revealing part of his chest. Just the remarkable belt held the robe together; at least it seemed he wore black tight pants under it. Jace already saw a few wizards, but this one was the weirdest.
“So, what do you want, Herondale?” Magnus asked without any hesitation.
“I need help, my brother has a terrible fever that cannot be lowered. He’s been in pain for three days; I’m afraid he might die. The doctors are all quacks, I don’t trust them, only a powerful wizard can help,” Jace said, he was prepared to do anything.
“Hmm… brother, you say? Is he of royal blood? Well, and from which kingdom is he?”
“He’s the prince, from Idris.”
There was a silence, Jace wondered if he knew about the curse, but it was not well known outside their kingdom.
“I guess they would pay well, okay, let’s go. Where’s your horse? Don’t tell me you were forcing the poor creature to run here all the way?”
So, it was the money that was on his mind, not the curse. “I… I did, he’s resting in stables by the gates of the city,” Jace said.
Magnus shot him a disapproving look, but he leaned inside. “Chairman! Into the pocket dimension, we’re travelling,” he shouted. A small cat came closer, and Magnus waved his hand; it suddenly disappeared with a blue spark. Then he closed the door behind him with a flick of a wrist, mumbled a few words that sounded Latin, and a barely visible ward enveloped the tower. “My magic familiar,” he said as if that should explain everything. Jace just shrugged.
“Let’s go then, I’ll portal your horse and us there, I’ve been to Idris before, it’s just been… a few years,” Magnus said, and Jace led him to his horse.
A few years, it could be hundreds for a wizard; they were prolonging their lives with spells, usually until they got bored with life and just stopped, or went insane, and some other wizard took care of them.
“Idris should really have their own wizard, you know? People bother me all the time, at least this should be paid well,” Magnus said after Jace picked up his horse. Balios still looked tired, and Jace gently patted him.
“Don’t worry, boy, I’ll let you rest,” he said, and he nuzzled the horse’s muzzle. Magnus nodded and let them go further. Now that Jace had found a wizard, he was finally at peace to look around the city. It was far more colourful than the capital city of Idris; he was not even sure if this kingdom had any slums. It had to be the influence of this weird wizard.
“I won’t bother with a too difficult spell; let’s use this portal. It’s mine anyway,” Magnus boasted, and Jace could not help but roll his eyes.
Then Magnus touched the frame, which was filled with intricate markings. Jace saw how Magnus closed his eyes, and then he poured his magic into the frame, fully focused. Suddenly, there was a flash of black colour enlaced with purple stripes, running in the middle of the frames. It looked almost like a water surface. Jace never travelled through a portal before, because Idris lacked wizards altogether.
“I set it to Idris, even though I have no idea in what condition your portal is,” Magnus said and went first. Jace took a deep breath, and while trying to calm Balios, they entered after Magnus.
It was as if a cold water washed over him, he held Balios’ reins firmly, and then they appeared in a run-down street somewhere in Idris.
Jace recognised it here; he sometimes wore ragged clothes and just wandered around, because even though Lightwoods treated him well, it was not his home. His home was back at Herondale’s mansion, but without his siblings, he would feel too lonely, so he was grateful. Maybe once he found himself a nice countess or at least a noble lady, he could move in to live with her.
“Oh no, this is a bad dream. You didn’t take care of my portal at all? How long have I not been in Idris? One hundred years?” Magnus lamented as he studied the frame. It was run down, the markings still visible, but the magic stone was chipped in some places.
“One hundred? You still look and act nineteen,” Jace said in a low voice, and he chuckled.
“I heard you, Herondale! I must remind you that I’m a brilliant and well-respected wizard, because I’ve lived for eight hundred years, and my services cost a lot,” Magnus scolded him. He really was weird, Jace thought; he could not imagine him being wise and respected at all. And what's more, he was almost sure Magnus lied about his age. One or two hundred? Sure, it was common, but eight was too much.
He led them further to the castle, slowly walking because of Balios. They did not speak along the way anymore. Jace noticed how Magnus curiously eyed their surroundings. Jace wondered how much it could have changed around here in a hundred years.
Once they arrived at the stables, he left Balios in the care of their horse masters.
“What did you do to the poor horse?” the man scolded him.
“Trust me, it was an emergency, thank you, Balios,” Jace said and patted the horse for the last time, then he beckoned Magnus inside and hurried; this time, they could make haste.
Once they entered, they met the king. He scowled at them. “What is this person doing here, Jace?” he asked.
“It’s a powerful wizard from the kingdom of Edom, how’s Alec?” Jace wanted to know immediately.
“Not good… his fever won’t drop,” the king said, his voice trembling slightly, but Magnus, next to them, just nodded.
“It’s okay, if I cure your son, you’ll pay handsomely, am I right?” Magnus said.
“Of course! It’s our eldest son, I’ll pay well, but only if he’s in full strength,” the king confirmed, and Magnus grinned, clearly confident in his abilities.
“Perfect, show me his room.”
When they entered, many things happened at once. First, Alec was sick; Jace never saw him in this terrible state. He was sweaty, pain visible on his face, and his body was trembling even though he was covered in a thick layer of sheets, panting. Second, Magnus stood on the threshold as if lightning struck him on the spot, his cat eyes wide. Third…
“Get out, you quacks! I’ll cure him right away; this pretty boy does not deserve the pain. Everyone, leave, now,” Magnus said in a firm, authoritative voice, and Jace suspected he laced it with magic, because it boomed all over the place. All the doctors immediately vacated the premises, and even the king seemed to be intimidated.
“Help him, wizard, please,” Jace said when he was leaving.
“Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can,” Magnus assured him, and his cat eyes looked at Alec in such softness that Jace felt like he was interrupting something. In that moment, he knew that Magnus would do everything in his power to heal him, Jace left.
Notes:
Thank you for reading! :D I am so excited to write this story! :D Comment, please? Or feel free to scream in my Tumblr ask! :D
Chapter 2: The wizard
Summary:
The curse manifests itself for the first time, can it be tamed?
Notes:
It's been a week, so here is a new chapter! :3 Ah, the angst is angsting, I can't wait to ease up on it. :D
Thank you so much for the comments and kudos! <3 You are amazing. <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Alec barely registered his surroundings; everything was as if he were in some nightmare. He felt sweaty, cold and hot at the same time. His breath was shallow; he had never felt this sick in his entire life. He had no idea how many days he spent in his bed; he slept a lot, hearing a murmur of doctors around him almost all the time.
From what he understood, there was no way for them to heal him. His sickness was something rare, and they could not explain what it was; the symptoms were all over the place. So, that was it; he wouldn’t even meet his true love. Just the thought made him sad. He just lay there on his bed, almost wept in pain and sadness, when a gentle hand touched his forehead. It was not his sister, not even Jace or Max, doctors, parents… The hand was strangely familiar and completely unfamiliar at the same time.
An unknown power coursed through his body; Alec felt his fever slowly receding. At least his breath got under control; he lazily opened his eyes.
Next to him, sitting on his bed, was a man with cat eyes; the colour of them was mesmerising, and Alec had never seen anyone like that. The man had his hand on his chest; his golden hand was full of various rings. Alec noticed that strange blue waves of magic were flowing into his body from it; the urge to cup his hand over the man’s hand was strong. He was fully focused on Alec, steadily breathing.
“Ah… he’s so perfect,” Alec thought for the first time in his life.
“My lovely prince has my magic finally started to work?” the man said in the softest tone, he gently moved a strand of Alec’s hair from his eyes with his free hand, the other still on Alec’s sternum.
“You’re a wizard?” Alec asked in a hoarse voice, and then he started coughing. The wizard stopped curing him and swiftly snapped his fingers, a cup of water appearing in Alec’s hand.
“Drink, my prince, have some water,” the wizard said.
Alec thanked him and sipped from the cup. The water did not taste like their normal water; it had a slightly different taste. “What’s this?” he asked.
“Mineral water, it will help you heal,” the man said, Alec smiled at him, and then he drank the rest.
The wizard kept pouring his magic into Alec’s body, and he could feel better with each minute. They sat there in silence, while Alec rested with his eyes closed.
“What’s your name?” he asked after a while.
“Magnus Bane, I’m the Rizzard of Edom, my prince,” he said.
“Rizzard?!” Alec chuckled. “Who even talks like that?”
“You wound me, my prince, I think of myself as quite charismatic,” Magnus whined as if it really hurt him.
“You can call me Prince Alec,” he said and smiled again.
“It would be my honour, your majesty, Alexander,” Magnus said with a smirk. Alec rolled his eyes at him, but a playful smile was on his lips.
Magnus shuffled his hand on his chest and gently brushed his fingers along Alec’s bared collarbone. Alec closed his eyes for a few seconds; just the soft touch sent shivers all over his body. He realised that he longed for more.
“You’ll be healed in no time. I’m glad your brother led me here. If he let the quacks heal you, you wouldn’t survive,” Magnus said with a serious face, but his eyes sparkled with excitement after the touch.
“So, you don’t think our doctors are good enough?” Alec asked, smile still on his face.
“This was a magical affliction, Alexander. Whatever caused it led me here. Luckily, your siblings had enough brain cells to search for a wizard when your doctors were unable to help.”
The realisation washed over Alec as a wave of horror. Magic affliction? This strange feeling that was growing inside of him? The way he thought Magnus was beautiful, and the slight touch that was making him feel a way he had never felt before? It was his curse taking over! This all was a part of his destiny!
“Are you… Are you done healing me?” Alec asked nervously. His blood froze at the thought of the curse taking effect.
“Are you in a hurry? I’d love to keep you company until you regain your strength completely,” Magnus said with a sweet smile and again grazed his collarbone eagerly with his fingers, waking up every nerve in Alec’s body.
“Yes! I mean… you’re a wizard, and we have no wizards in our kingdom and… you should just leave and never come back, okay?!” Alec blurted, his heart aching and pounding crazily. He had to do this quickly before he got too attached; they had just met! So… why did it feel like he was destroying part of his soul?
Magnus was taken aback; there was confusion written all over his face.
“I… well… I thought…”
Alec gritted his teeth, holding in tears; he had to chase him away. “Well, then you were mistaken,” Alec said, his voice trembled, and he had no idea what to do. He did not even look at Magnus, piercing the floor with his eyes.
“I see,” Magnus said simply. He stopped pouring his magic in, and he got up. “It seems I’m done here. I’ll go pick up my reward for your healing.”
Alec stared at the ceiling and barely nodded, suppressing the tears that stung in his eyes. Magnus shot him another puzzled look, and then he left.
Once he was gone, Alec broke into a silent cry. He hated it, he hated the curse, hated his life. When he imagined meeting his true love, it was not supposed to be like this. Magnus was better than all his fantasies together, clever, funny and beautiful. He made him laugh even though he barely knew him, which never happened, because Alec was careful around new people.
After the last sob escaped his throat, he curled up on the bed, completely hidden under the sheets and tried to sleep. It was the only way he could think of dealing with these feelings right now.
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Magnus left the room utterly confused. He never felt this instant overwhelming attraction. When he entered Alexander’s room for the first time, his breath caught, and he could only think of how to save him. Even though he was sick and so weak, his vulnerability stirred Magnus’ heart.
He leaned against the wall next to the door and sighed. His brain could not fathom it, the boy smiled at him, laughed. Alexander let him touch his skin directly, even though both must have known it was not needed for the healing. Magnus thought that the touch was pleasant for both, so why? Why did Alec drive him away?
After the first shock passed, he started to think. It was impossible that he misunderstood, Magnus was sure. And he had to find out soon, or he would go crazy. He rested his head against the door and longingly ran his hand along it when he heard the silent sobbing. No mistaking it, there was something else behind his sudden change of behaviour.
And so, he picked up his rich reward after the king checked that his son was healthy again. He even extended his hospitality, saying that Magnus could stay for a few days. This played exactly into Magnus’ cards, and he got ushered into his own guest bedroom.
Sometimes, he let out Chairman Meow of his pocket dimension to stretch his legs, which earned him some points with the people who lived in the castle. Some of them had never met a wizard in their life, so it was fascinating.
With this, the wild chase began. Alec was avoiding Magnus; anytime he came to the dining hall, he just got up and disappeared. If Magnus was there first, he turned away immediately. It was frustrating to the point where Magnus considered using magic to stop him somewhere. He just needed to ask what his behaviour meant. His siblings had no idea either, at least that’s what they told Magnus.
On a third day, he was resting on the palace terrace, taking in the beautiful garden, when he heard steps. He concealed himself in an invisibility spell and waited. It was the third time today he had done that; he had always hoped that Alexander would come through here, and it finally happened.
Magnus made the spell disappear, and he grabbed Alec’s wrist. Alexander yelped and looked at him in horror. Magnus forced him against the wall, and he trapped him, holding both his wrists above their heads.
“Why are you avoiding me? Do you hate me that much?!” he asked in a dangerously low tone, frowning, he needed the answers now. Alec tried to wrangle out of his grip, but either the effort was weak, or Magnus was stronger than he thought.
Alec watched him, his beautiful blue eyes were wide in shock, and then he lowered his gaze; he blushed. “If I told you I do, would it make you go away?” he asked, barely audible.
Magnus grabbed his chin with his fingers and tilted his face to look into his eyes, one hand still holding Alec’s wrists. “It depends, because right now I don’t think you’re being honest with me.”
“I… I’m cursed, you know?”
“Cursed, how so?” Magnus had no idea what could make Alec avoid him. Did he change into an owl in the night? Would he disappear every full moon into the woods? All those things could be solved easily. Magnus could break even more difficult curses.
“An evil fairy godmother cursed me, that once I find my…” Alec paused and blushed even harder; it seemed to be hard to say that out loud. “My true love…” he whispered, avoiding his look. “Then once we… once we… lay together, Asmodeus would claim the world.”
Then Alec shot a careful look back at Magnus, still blushing. Magnus shook his head in disbelief and stared at him.
“That… is not possible, I can’t believe it,” he said slowly, but then his expression changed. “Does that mean I’m your true love?” Magnus asked with a smirk and a slightly flirtatious tone.
That thing did not exist in Magnus’ world, but getting a kiss or maybe something more from this pretty boy? He would pretend it exists if it guaranteed it. Prince or no prince, he did not care, not even if the prince read too many fairy tales, since he believed in true love. Magnus was with widowed queens, kings, princes and princesses, other wizards and also commoners, so he would not mind. He had so many flings and relationships, and none of the people wanted to be with him for too long, that true love must have been a myth.
“I think you are… because you’re the first person that made me feel… feel this way,” Alec talked softly, he was so sweet that Magnus just wanted to hold him in his arms and kiss him into oblivion. Maybe Magnus was not his true love, but he was his first love. That most likely confused the boy.
“I don’t believe you’re cursed, Alexander,” Magnus repeated, he slowly let go of his wrists at this point, figuring out Alec would not try to run away anymore.
“You think so?” Alec hesitated and looked at him through his eyelashes.
“There’s only one way to find out, don’t you think?” Magnus purred, and he leaned in closer. He could feel Alec’s heart beating rapidly, and then Alec gave up, grabbing him by his robe and pulling closer. They started to kiss, with Alec still pressed against the wall.
Magnus felt all his insides sing in a tune they had never sung before. It was as if his long life had prepared him just for this moment. Also, not even a one cell in his body believed in the curse, Asmodeus, sure, nonsense.
He slipped his hand into Alec’s hair and tugged lightly, extracting a weak moan from Alexander. He slid his tongue into Alec’s sinfully perfect mouth, and his life was suddenly colourful again after so many years. Alec was pressing himself against Magnus in a desperate manner, as if he needed to feel him fully, making sure he exists. Alexander was firmly holding him by the nape of his neck with one hand and firmly grasping his robe with the other.
And then… Magnus felt something cold and wet landing on his skin. He did not care at first. As they were kissing and grinding against one another, completely lost in their own world, a cold wind blew, chilling him to his spine. He pulled out and looked at Alexander, a confused expression on his face.
They both raised their heads and saw an incoming snowstorm, the small wet snowflakes cold on their skin.
“It’s true! You… You really are cursed, cursed by Asmodeus’ lackey,” Magnus exhaled in disbelief. Alec’s eyes started to well with tears, but he tried to blink them away.
“You should leave,” Alec croaked, Magnus stopped touching him, and the snowstorm slowly subsided the moment they stopped the contact. They both stared at the sunny sky as it should be, because this year's fall was very warm.
Magnus still peered at the sky; his bright mind was suddenly running wild. Then he looked at Alec with resolution.
“No, if I’m your true love, you’re mine. I know we barely know each other, but I believe that we should give us a chance,” he said and gently touched his hand. Suddenly, the clouds started to gather again. Magnus frowned and retraced his hand. He lied, and he knew he lied. Magnus did not believe in true love, but he wanted to help this sweet boy. The curse was real, and he was a wizard; breaking curses was his work.
“But… now that we discovered our feelings, it seems that we can’t even touch anymore,” Alec mumbled.
The worry and pain were written all over his face, and Magnus knew that there had to be something… just something they could do. There always was.
“We’ll break the curse; we’ll find a way. You are so kind that you would sacrifice your happiness in favour of others without any hesitation. How can I let someone like you just simply disappear on me?” At least this was not a lie. He liked the boy, and the kiss was perfect; it had been many years since he felt that way just because of a kiss.
Alec lightly tugged on Magnus’ robe, and nothing happened; that seemed to be allowed. “But… why? I barely know you, and you already want to do so much for me.”
“You deserve the world and more, Alexander, I just feel it. And I’m doing it for us,” Magnus said softly, and then suddenly a white light washed over them.
Do not despair, Prince Alexander.
They heard a beautiful voice ringing inside their heads, and both looked at one another, which confirmed they had heard it.
I see your devotion and a kind heart. I’ll help you.
“Who are you?” Alec asked carefully.
I’m Angel, Raziel. I cannot observe your suffering any longer; you deserve so much better. I’ll weaken your curse, Alexander Gideon Lightwood. Go, find three Angelic relics. Once you gather and then use them, you can be with your loved one happily ever after.
Alec smiled at Magnus, and his blue eyes were so sparkly that Magnus almost thought he fell in love for a while. He needed to get to know him better, to see all his soul, being convinced that nothing could drive him away from Alexander, at least for some time, except for Alexander himself.
Then a vision came, they saw a cup, a mirror and a sword. All beautiful and ornate, with truly angelic design.
Find them, find them and ease your suffering. And remember, once you find them all and use them, you will break the curse.
And then the angelic presence was gone. They both moved to embrace each other but stopped midway.
“Well… this will be awkward,” Magnus said, and his eyes darted around, he quickly pulled his hands behind his back.
“But we have a hope now, all we must do is find those relics. And I know where the cup is, we have it in our throne room!”
--------------------
Almost touching their hands along the way, they arrived in the throne room. If they could get the relics so easily, they could be together soon. Alec’s heart raced, not just because of the running. One third of their salvation was so close.
Alec led Magnus to the display with the cup; it was there, standing. However, as they got closer to it, Alec had a strange feeling. They stopped and stared at it.
“This… is it, isn’t it? Looks like in our vision, but…” Alec said.
“Exactly, there’s something wrong with it,” Magnus said, then he took the cup in his hand, and Alec noticed small blue sparks escaping Magnus’ fingers. Then he put it back and sighed. “It’s fake, I’m sorry.”
“I knew it wouldn’t be that easy,” Alec sighed, he extended his hand to Magnus, and Magnus barely hovered his above it, smiling at him. Alec could feel the heat emanating from it, but he needed more; this would not suffice.
“Well, how about I do some research in my tower? I think your family needs you now that you’ve recovered, I promise I’ll be back in a few days,” Magnus said, and Alec weakly smiled.
“At least the temptation will be gone for a while. I’ll think about you a lot,” Alec said, still trying to imagine what would happen if they touched again. Magnus pulled out his hand, just barely grazing Alec’s, and the barest touch overwhelmed Alec with so many emotions. It did not make sense; he had just met him. Was that how true love was supposed to feel? If it did, he was happy he got the opportunity; not everyone had it. If the curse could be broken, it was worth the pain.
“Me too, to be honest, I’m happy you don’t hate me, and it’s just a curse, I eat curses for breakfast while hate is difficult to deal with,” Magnus said in a jovial tone.
“Just a curse, right, it’s nothing,” Alec said and chuckled, their eyes met for a while, and they could not tear off.
“I’ll go, before I try to kiss you again, it could cause an earthquake or something,” Magnus said tiredly. Alec nodded and, with a heavy heart, said goodbye.
But even though Magnus was gone, Alec was not bored; his sibling took care of that. One day, Jace led a small – but about the same age as Jace – girl with red hair, across their garden. They were carrying a large painting of their castle, and Alec was confused. The girl looked like a commoner, with her filthy clothes and even Jace wore ragged clothes. Was he on another adventure? He barely recollected something about Jace meeting an interesting girl in the slums. Was that her? He had to plan to bring her here for a long time; he most likely waited until Alec’s sickness was gone completely.
In their steps was a thin guy with glasses, that were looking cheap and worn out; maybe he inherited them from some relative, because he was squinting a lot. The dioptres could not be exact for his needs. This guy was obviously another commoner, and he carried a lute and was carefully observing their surroundings.
Alec immediately got up from his seat, set aside his book, and in firm steps he approached them.
“Jace? What the hell is this? I know you’re sneaking out almost daily, but bringing two commoners here just like that?” Alec asked. He did not feel above them; that was not the case, but he knew how his parents would scold them. And it was not proper etiquette to let them in just like that. Not even guards were accompanying them.
“That’s okay, Alec. This is Clary Fray, she’ll be our court artist, just look at her painting! She’s so talented!” Jace said, but Alec noticed something else the moment Jace’s eyes landed on her. Alec groaned internally, but he let it be. Clary just said a simple ‘hello’.
“And the other?”
“That’s Simon Lewis, he’ll try to charm us with his music. Even if he succeeds, I’ll chase him away sooner or later anyway; he’s a pain in the ass,” Jace sneered, and Simon shot him an angry look.
“Hey! I’m just making sure my best friend Clary is getting good treatment. One never knows with you nobles,” Simon mumbled, and Jace just shrugged. Then he and Clary picked up the huge painting again, and they were on their way.
“Where did she even get that big canvas?” Alec asked, but Jace just turned back at him and shook his head bemusedly. Alec had his answer; Jace bought it for her. But if that truly was her art, she was talented, Alec could imagine accepting her as their painter. About the other guy… he was not so sure.
He had to follow them because he was curious how this would turn out. On their way to the throne room, Isabelle stopped them with a puzzling look, seemingly confused, as Alec had been a few minutes ago. It was rare to see his sister bewildered.
“That’s our new court artist, Izzy,” Alec said with a smirk, but then he looked at Simon and scowled at him. He was gaping at his sister as if he had never seen a girl before.
“That’s my sister, stop staring,” Alec said sharply when he noticed it. Simon shot a frightened look at him and then averted his gaze, Izzy giggled.
“Don’t be silly, leave him be, he’s a commoner, of course, he never saw a princess from this close before. I think it’s cute,” she chirped and winked at Simon to Alec’s frustration.
“I think I’ve seen enough, let me know how it worked out,” Alec decided after all and left.
When Alec was trying to sleep that night, he thought of Magnus. Just the one kiss they shared still lingered on his lips; he was getting nervous. What if they could not find the relics? What would happen? Would they spend their lives longing, feeling so miserable?
He tried to recall his touch and suddenly felt hot all over his body. Pretending it was Magnus’ hand, he ran it along his chest and to his cheek, shuddering. He needed him, needed him as air, as water, as life itself. Now that he had met him, he could not live without him anymore. Alec fully delved into the fantasy and softly moaned. Just as he reached the hem of his pants, he heard a sound that sounded as if a small stone was repeatedly hitting his window.
He straightened up, quickly ran a hand through his hair and rushed there. Before he could open the window, he heard a lute and then an unknown tune and singing voice. It was not Magnus; it was that wannabe musician! Alec took his slippers, opened the window, and the music stopped.
“Princess?” the voice whispered.
“Get lost, bungler!” Alec yelled and threw his slipper at him.
“Ow…?! Prince Alec?! I… I’m sorry! Please forget you ever saw me!” Simon stuttered, and he was gone in that instant.
What a way to destroy such a peaceful evening. At least Alec’s thirst was completely gone, and he was able to sleep, not even noticing a small letter appearing on his table.
I have more information about the relics, and maybe something that will solve your situation faster. Wait for me, Alexander. I’ll visit you tomorrow.
-Magnus
Notes:
Poor Simon, and also poor Alec's nerves! :D
So, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter, because I did! <3 :D
If you decide to leave a comment or kudos, I thank you! <3
Chapter 3: Leaving kingdom for the first time
Summary:
It's time to search for the first relic, and Magnus with Alec go on a journey alone.
Notes:
I will be too busy tomorrow, so have a chapter a day sooner! :3 Next chapter again on Saturday. :)
Thank you for the comments and kudos! <3 Thank you, thank you! <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When Alec woke up, his servants helped him to take a bath and dress up, just as he was used to. After the bath, he noticed the letter on his table. Would Magnus visit him tomorrow? Or was it today? Alec was not sure, so he decided to go to a terrace and pretend to read.
Just as he sat down, he saw a bizarre scene in their garden. Clary sat on a stool, she didn’t wear those peasant clothes anymore, just something that reminded a servant’s clothes. A huge canvas was in front of her, and then he noticed… half-naked Jace? Alec groaned and rubbed his face in frustration; this was not fair. Jace could fool around, and he could not even touch Magnus. He could not find Isabelle anywhere, not even that stupid musician. Maybe they already kicked him out; he would deserve it for the last night.
Picking up his book, he noticed guards, and they led a visitor inside, Magnus! Alec decided it did not matter anymore; no one could change the course of his actions, and he ran after them. Even if his parents found out he knew about the curse, he did not care.
“Magnus!” Alec called at him from a distance and smiled; even Jace turned his head when he noticed that, and he seemed concerned.
“Excuse us, Prince Alec, we need to usher our guest to the king first,” said one of the guards.
“Is it needed? I’m almost sure he’s here to visit me, isn’t he?” Alec asked.
Guards helplessly looked at one another, but before they could say anything, Magnus interrupted them.
“Yes, I’m here to visit the prince, no need to usher me to the king, if it is okay?” Magnus said.
“If the prince says it’s okay…” one of the guards said, and Alec nodded; they left.
Today, Magnus’ purple robe fully covered his chest up to his neck with an exquisite collar, lined with silver thread. His belt glistened from a distance, while the robe had a deep slit up to his belt. He wore tight pants; Alec could not imagine him wearing any loose ones. When he moved, his robe showed them fully, and Alec tried to tear his eyes off.
“Is my robe distracting, Alexander?” Magnus chirped, and Alec blushed, trying to act casual. “Even before we find all the relics, you can see me even without it if you wish,” he added as he passed him and winked at him. Alec gulped and tried not letting any of his sinful thoughts he had right now get to the surface.
“That would be nice, but dangerous,” he said in a hoarse voice.
Magnus chuckled. “Come, I’ll tell you what I discovered,” he said, and almost reached for his hand, but he stopped in the middle of his movement. Alec smiled awkwardly, and they continued inside.
Meanwhile, Jace got up and, with firm steps, came directly in their direction. “Alec! Wizard! Wait for me,” he said and sped up.
They both exchanged looks. Magnus wanted to continue, but Alec just shrugged and waited.
“Why is he here? Alec, don’t tell me that this…” Jace weighed his words carefully, frowning; it seemed as if he did not want to be rude, but it was against his nature. “Wizard? Is he your… You know?”
Alec just nodded without a word, and Jace’s eyes were now wide as he stared at them. “But he’s a wizard, his father is a demon, so how’s that possible?”
Magnus shot him an annoyed look. “Just because I’m a wizard doesn’t mean I don’t have a soul.”
Jace raised his hands in defence. “Okay, calm down, geez. Your boyfriend is quite scary, Alec, you know what you’re doing, right?”
Alec just chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean, I think he’s quite charming,” he said, and Jace turned his head away from them, perhaps not too happy with Magnus’ smug smile and Alec’s enamoured look.
“So it is true, and here I thought I was hallucinating when I saw snowflakes the other day. Okay, I’ll be quiet about this, but if you doom this beautiful body of mine to hell, I’ll be sad,” Jace joked, and Alec nodded.
“Don’t worry, we’ll break the curse, that’s what wizards are good at, no?” Alec said with a serious face, and this satisfied Jace.
“Maybe that’s why destiny chose a wizard for you.”
More like Rizzard, Alec thought bemusedly, but he let it be.
----------------------
Magnus still did not believe in true love, not even after all the recent events. What affliction Alexander had was a common curse. It was most likely triggered anytime he was in love with someone; Magnus was sure it would happen with anyone Alexander liked. From what he discovered so far, it was all about his feelings.
The angel was talking about Alec anyway; he wanted to ease up on his curse, and Magnus was just a stupid trigger. He hated being a cause of pain, but that was exactly the reason why he had to help, and maybe… just maybe, only if Alec agreed, he would get another reward. It wasn’t money, even though he expected getting paid if he asked, but no, it was Alexander’s body. He was very invested in that kind of reward. He would not insist, leaving it fully up to Alec, but if the possibility were here, he would take it. Alec was the most attractive person he had ever met.
Just the body, of course. It had nothing to do with the way his eyes sparkled anytime he looked at Magnus, or the way he was willing to sacrifice his happiness without any hesitation. Not even the way Magnus’ heart fluttered every time he saw Alexander’s smile. He was just lusting after him, and Alexander was just another spoiled prince, and he knew princes very well. This one was perhaps not as spoiled as all others he met, but nobles were inscrutable, so it made sense to keep his distance. And Magnus wanted to be sensible for once.
And so, he returned Alec a smile as they entered his room. It always amazed Magnus how pompous the rooms were. For nobles, it was nothing special; golden decoration adorned even Alexander’s bed. If they sold half of the things in his room, it would be enough money for a family of five for the rest of their lives.
“What did you find then?” Alec asked, and he tried not to stand too close.
“Actually, I have good news. Those relics are not angelic, no. Their real name is Devices of Sin. If I knew it was the same thing, I would know where to look for them right away,” Magnus said.
“Devices of Sin? Why would angel show us those?” Alec was confused, which was understandable.
“I don’t know, but I studied it and I’m sure. We could use them right away, if we drink from the cup, we could kiss,” Magnus said, and his voice was steadily getting softer and softer with each word. He circled Alexander. “If we use the mirror, we could touch any part of the body that was reflected in it, and with the sword…” He slowly approached Alec, his voice steadily going into a sensual whisper, fully knowing what he was doing, hungrily eyeing him.
Alec blushed; it was the cutest thing Magnus had ever seen. It took all his strength not to caress his cheek or hug him and kiss his forehead, but he stopped a step away from him and studied his face.
“What do you think, Alexander? Should we use them?”
“I… I don’t know, but if we used the cup, we could… kiss you, say?” Alec asked, a nervousness seeped from his voice.
Magnus nodded, his gaze not leaving Alec’s face. He wondered if he felt the same as Magnus, if he felt the same longing. If they did not kiss at all, it would be easy to resist the temptation, but now that he knew the softness of Alec’s lips, the way their tongues perfectly fitted and the sweet taste of his mouth, the need for another kiss was too much.
“Kissing is not sinful, right? Even angels should be fine with that, we hear about true love’s kiss all the time,” Alec mused, which made Magnus happy. That was what he needed to hear.
“I agree, so if we find the cup, we’ll use it,” Magnus said, and all the seductive tone and behaviour were gone in an instant.
Alec smiled. “Good, well, did you find anything else?”
“Of course. We should visit one of my best friends, Ragnor. He’ll have some clues, maybe even the cup itself.”
And that was something Magnus looked forward to. Ragnor was older than Magnus; maybe he was not more powerful, but his knowledge was vast. He had not seen him in months; sometimes they were just sending each other messages, but that was it. The only unfortunate thing was that he lived in an area with no portal. Ragnor was too paranoid because he had been attacked once by a powerful rival, and then he went into hiding. He never gathered enough courage to live in a city again.
“That’s great and everything, but I think we should tell my parents,” Alec said.
“That… I’m part of your curse?” Magnus asked, unsure if Alec would want to include them already.
“Well, that might not be the best idea. They tried to keep all the information about the curse from me, and they tried to make me not leave the kingdom in fear that I could meet my…” Alec hesitated, and his face went red again, “true love,” he whispered.
Magnus smirked, on one hand, it was cute; on the other, he was a little unnerved by the fact that Alec believed in true love that strongly. But he hoped to convince him that it was nonsense sooner or later and that they still could have a good time.
“I will tell them that I hired you to remove my curse. They should be okay with that since you already helped me once,” Alec said.
“That’s a brilliant idea!” Magnus wanted to suggest it too, but Alec said it sooner; he felt almost a pride that Alexander was not another witless prince. It was a strange feeling, because he barely knew him. After the praise, Alec’s face lit up, and Magnus tried to ignore the way his breath hitched at the sight of it.
Magnus already dealt with several real curses, and some of them were just made up. The one he would never forget was Prince Will and his non-existent curse. He was so intent that he was cursed, and it was hard to convince him that the curse was not real. Since then, he had always made sure he knew exactly what he dealt with before he accepted any job.
--------------------------
And so, with their parents' blessing, Alec and Magnus were on their way. Alec’s father was at first opposed to it, afraid he would meet his true love, but his mother insisted that since this powerful wizard tore him from death’s grip, he was capable enough to help him even with the curse.
Alec knew that his siblings would not tell them that Magnus was the trigger of Alec’s curse. They slowly travelled on their horses to the kingdom of Edom, a kingdom full of wizards. Alec now knew that his sister was right; once he found his true love, he would be happier despite the curse.
Magnus was fun to be around. He never had so much fun just listening to anyone’s stories. It was as if he had found his perfect match, confirming his beliefs in true love. Magnus was everything to Alec; he was clever, funny, handsome, and so kind to him. He was not sure if they should use the angelic relics, but he felt like dying anytime he imagined not kissing Magnus. Perhaps he was right, and nothing would go wrong if they used them right away instead of gathering them first.
Alec secretly enjoyed watching how Magnus was bouncing on his horse on their way. He tried not to show it, but Magnus’ clothes were once again rather distracting. It was because he wore tight pants, claiming that a wizard's robe was not suitable for horse riding, paired with a green top that had golden sleeves. A beautiful tree-like golden ornament adorned the green chest. If Alec did not know he was a wizard, he would have thought he was some nobleman. He scolded himself many times on the way, but his eyes always travelled to his butt. Sometimes, he had a feeling Magnus knew about it all along and was enjoying the attention.
Alec himself left his crown at home and took a short sword in a case he needed to defend himself. He chose simple clothes that hid his real royal origin. They got small bags attached to their horse’s sides, full of spare clothes and some food. Alec even packed a blanket, because Izzy scared him that they would sleep in the forest without a bed like animals.
After they travelled to the border of the Idris kingdom, it was almost getting dark. They finally found an inn; it was the only one far and wide.
“Well, it’s time to get a lodging, since we cannot touch, let’s book a separate room,” Alec said as they were getting off their horses.
Magnus agreed, they paid for their services and went inside the inn. It was a small building, and it was full of people. Alec frowned at the sight of it, did it mean it there were no rooms left? Was Izzy right, would they sleep in the forest?
“Well, I have just one last room,” the innkeeper said.
Alec looked at Magnus and wanted to say something, but Magnus just shrugged. “That’s perfect,” Magnus said nonchalantly.
“Here,” the innkeeper said and pulled out a key, he put it on the table, and Magnus paid.
Once they arrived in the room, which was very small, Alec looked in horror at it; there was only one bed. He sat down. “I should go down there and demand a different room, I’m THE prince! But... I can't, because I’m cursed, and everyone in our kingdom knows that. He would chase me away for sure. Now what?”
Alec was so insecure, even though whenever he met a new person, it was usually a positive experience, he was so afraid that people would hate him because of his curse. He was dangerous; there was always a possibility that Asmodeus would soon be among them.
Magnus was deep in thought for a while, but then he sat down next to him.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Let’s get comfortable, we will fit here. I'll try something. Just… lie down,” he said. Then he undressed the top layer of his clothes, and Alec did the same.
Alec hesitated, but he did as he was asked, and then Magnus lay next to him. “Clear your thoughts, from what I have found out so far, the curse could be triggered by your feelings,” Magnus explained.
Alec took a deep breath and tried not to think of the way Magnus rode his horse or the way his tight pants perfectly fitted his amazing ass. Nothing, just him, being cursed, and unhappy… he felt a bare touch as Magnus made himself comfortable, touching his chest.
He tried again, thinking of something he didn’t like. His sister and that stupid musician, yes, that was a horrible thought. He grimaced at the unpleasantness of it and intently listened to see if he could hear a wind howl or sudden downpour. Nothing. Even when he looked outside, nothing was happening.
“It works! I just need to make myself not to… feel things,” Alec said. Magnus really was an expert on curses.
“Exactly! Now… focus on something horrible, don’t mind me,” Magnus said as he snuggled closer.
It was not easy. The warmth of Magnus’ body was pleasant, but when he noticed that the weather was changing outside, he forced himself to think of his sister again. Then he tried to imagine just an empty room with old chairs and focused on that. He needed some boring thoughts to make himself fall asleep. It was not easy at all, Magnus was already asleep by that time, and his hand was comfortably on Alec’s chest, and his head snuggled against him.
It was freaking not easy at all; it was the hardest thing he had ever done, forcing himself to switch between boring and horrible thoughts, he finally managed to sleep.
-----------------------------------
When Magnus woke up, he noticed that Alec was still asleep. He was glad that the curse could be suppressed for a short period of time, and his guess that it related to Alexander’s feelings was correct. He was convinced that it confirmed his theory that true love did not exist, and all was just about how Alexander felt. At least he was flattered that it meant that Alec was feeling strongly about him. Magnus was not sure if anyone ever cared about him this much. It was hard to tell, because no one he ever liked was under any spell’s influence and especially not this strong. Asmodeus and his lackeys were no joke, that Magnus knew very well.
He ran his fingers gently along his chest, appreciating his taut muscles. When that did not wake Alexander up, he slid his hand to his abs, his touch firmer this time, and as expected, they were perfect even through his tunic. Magnus was quite shallow, so he always appreciated a body like this; it got him very excited, maybe a little too much.
Then he took in his features and noticed Alec staring at him. Suddenly, they could hear a storm gathering outside. Magnus immediately pulled out and slid off the bed.
“I’m sorry! I… let myself get carried away,” Magnus apologised. One thing he did not want was to trigger the curse fully. He wondered what would happen if they did not break the touch shortly. The foretelling was talking about sleeping together, not this.
“I can’t blame you,” Alexander whispered, flustered. He avoided Magnus’ look, and Magnus wondered if that was over the top. His self-control was never great, so it was no wonder that the need to touch Alexander overcame him. But if he did not wake up, nothing would happen.
The atmosphere got awkward, so Magnus picked up the rest of his clothes and dressed up. “Okay, we need to hurry. If we can find the relics soon, we can avoid these dangerous situations.”
That was something Alec agreed to without hesitation. Magnus hoped that Alec was still convinced that they would use the Devices instead of just gathering them first. The curse was looming over them all the time.
They were almost at the border of the Idris kingdom when Alec stopped his horse. Magnus noticed it and turned back to Alec.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“It’s nothing, it’s just… I’ve never been outside of our kingdom. This is the first time.”
“Of course, because of your curse,” Magnus said, and he waited.
Alec took a deep breath, and he crossed it, Magnus beamed. He was glad he got to see that; he felt that the boy was courageous. His determined face made Magnus feel almost giddy; that was something he was definitely not used to.
“Welcome to Edom,” Magnus said with a soft smile, and it was like a huge weight lifted off Alec’s mind.
They travelled for half a day, and the forest started to get darker, and Magnus could see a concern on Alec’s face. He was not sure if he should ease it; they barely knew each other after all. He decided to speak when he saw that he had even slowed his horse.
“I told you, my friend is afraid that he would get attacked, that’s why he lives in this secluded place. I couldn’t bear it, life is so boring without people,” Magnus said.
“I understand him a little. I could live with my closest family, but to be here in this forest alone, that’s not for me either,” Alec said.
“Well, that’s what your life was like, wasn’t it? You said no one was allowed to go near you, except for some people you already knew.”
“You’re right, I was used to it. But I’m so happy I could finally meet you,” Alec said with a gentle smile.
Magnus’ chest hurt. He could not fathom how Alec could be so happy to meet someone like him. Even though he was fun to be around – and Magnus knew it – but for most people, he started to be too much after some time. He was convinced Alexander would get there eventually, too.
He tried not to let his thoughts reflect on his face, smiling back at him, but not saying anything. He was not even sure he wanted to ever talk about him not being Alexander’s true love, ever. Once Alec was fed up with him, then that would be the right time to start questioning it and just focus on the curse itself.
And finally, they arrived at an old-looking shack. Alec frowned, and Magnus could not help but chuckle.
“What is it, my prince? Is this standard too low for you, your noble majesty?” Magnus teased. It made Alec cough to hide his embarrassment while trying to look composed.
“No, it’s okay,” Alexander said, his voice quivering slightly, but Magnus knew very well that he was unsettled by the building’s appearance. It was understandable, since he was being sheltered his whole life inside the castle’s walls.
Magnus jumped off the horse, and Alec followed. Just as their feet touched the ground, they could hear a voice coming from the shack.
“GET OUT! I WANT NO VISITORS!”
Alec got pale, but Magnus started to laugh. Of course, he would try to fend off anyone with a thaumaturgy spell, the one that made your voice stronger.
“Ah, my dear old cabbage,” Magnus sighed. “That’s just me, Magnus!” he yelled back, without enhancing his vocal cords.
“Magnus! What are you doing here?” they heard the voice as it was moving closer with each word.
“Well, if you didn’t have your wards up and pick up messages only once per week, you would have known. I sent you a message,” Magnus said, and the door finally opened.
Ragnor looked still the same. Green skin, white hair and a simple but elegant wizard robe. He squinted at them, as if not truly believing his eyes.
“And who’s this?” Ragnor asked.
“Prince Alexander from the kingdom of Idris, we’re here to break his curse,” Magnus said.
“Ah, a customer, working for once, huh? And here I thought he’s one of your many boy t—”
“Shush! Will you help us?” Magnus nervously cut him off quickly, he shot a sidelong glance at the confused Alec. Alexander did not have to know everything. He wondered why Ragnor kept calling his boyfriends boy toys, when usually Magnus was the one who was dumped.
Ragnor sighed, and he let them in.
The inside of the shack did not surprise Magnus, but judging from Alec’s face, the boy did not expect what he saw. The interior was not as run-down as the outside, well, it was almost exactly the opposite. The furniture looked new or well taken care of, with cosy chairs, a couch and, as Magnus knew, very comfortable beds in guest rooms. The shack was even bigger from the inside; the paranoia helped Ragnor to learn many useful spells.
Ragnor then prepared a tea while Alec and Magnus sat at the table. He poured it, sighed again and asked right away. “So, what stupid idea do you have this time? Really, sometimes you act like a child, Magnus.”
Alec chuckled, and Magnus just shot him a sidelong glance. So it began, he would soon see his true troublesome self. “Ragnor, can’t you take into consideration that royalty from Idris is here?” Magnus tried; he needed him to stop acting like that. If he wanted Alec’s approval to use the Devices of Sin, Alec must see him only as the wise wizard he was – mostly.
“Tell me then,” Ragnor urged him further.
“We’re looking for the Cup of Sin,” Magnus said.
Ragnor almost choked on his tea when he heard that. “Why do you need THAT?”
“Well… to break Alexander’s curse, of course,” Magnus said simply.
He saw the nervous look on Alec’s face. It seemed that the thought of Magnus being different from the wise, elegant wizard did not faze him at all, but this was different.
“Is it dangerous?” Alec asked.
“If used incorrectly, then yes. It can be dangerous. It’s a powerful relic; if your curse requires it, then I pity you,” Ragnor said.
Alec sagged in his seat, his eyes fell on the table, and Magnus noticed that he tried to blink away tears.
“Ragnor, c’mon! The poor prince is cursed, and you’re scaring him,” Magnus admonished him, and Ragnor just rolled his eyes. Magnus knew he meant it well.
“Yes, the curse might be bad, but if you know that this relic helps him, so be it. I’m just being honest. No need to wrap it all in sweet words, let him hear the truth, the boy deserves it, Magnus,” then he meaningfully looked at him. Of course, just from the information alone, Ragnor must have realised that he was cursed by Asmodeus’ lackey or Asmodeus himself. Magnus was almost scared to tell him they needed all three of the Sin Devices.
“I told him everything I know, now, we need the Cup,” Magnus said, he started to get impatient. As much as he loved his friend, he was not being helpful at all. Maybe he was mad at him for appearing just like that, being petty. Meanwhile, Alec composed himself, his state of mind improving already.
“Okay, I don’t have it, I gave it to Catarina. All I have left is a book about the Devices,” Ragnor said. Perfect, that was the same book Magnus had.
And with that, Magnus’ head hit the table with a loud groan, and he heard those two softly chuckling. Of course, they thought he was being dramatic, perfect, just his luck.
Notes:
So... One bed trope? :D Come on! :D And with the curse, I had to do it. :D At least there's more lore behind the curse explained, thanks to it. Also, I guess you now start to see what will be the problem with the relics, right? And last, it seems the first explicit content will be in chapter 5, I'm on it! :D
If you decide to leave a comment or kudos, it would mean a lot to me! <3
And as usual, feel free to invade my ask on Tumblr with anything. :)
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/randomkatefangirl
Chapter 4: The enchanted stump
Summary:
After arriving at Catarina's hometown, they realise she is out of town. Magnus invites Alec on a small trip to show him the beauties of his kingdom.
Notes:
This chapter is... silly again, with just the introspective angst as usual. :D I needed some silly adventure, okay? :D And I do a challenge, insert the word Rizzard in every chapter at least once! :D Ahahaha, I love it so much.
I thank you for the kudos. <3 If you leave a comment, it will keep me motivated, even though I enjoy writing my fic. :3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
After Magnus and Alec spent the rest of the day with Ragnor, Alec was finally comfortable. At first, Alec felt intimidated because Ragnor was grumpy, and he acted like Alec was a commoner or at least someone of the same status. Not being used to it, because everyone around him – except for his family – treated him with respect as royalty should have been treated, made him uncomfortable at first.
They spent the night in separate rooms, and in the morning, they were on their way. Magnus already sent a message to Catarina the day before, but they got no reply, and now they were on the way.
Alec began to worry after a few hours of slow travel. “Are all your friends as paranoid as Ragnor?” he asked.
“No, just Ragnor. I think that Catarina is probably too busy, and she hasn’t noticed the message yet,” Magnus said.
“Too busy, with what?” Alec was curious. If she were Magnus’ friend, he wanted to get to know her.
“With helping people. She’s an expert on various herbs and healing magic. I hope she’s home; otherwise, we would have to wait for her for a few days if she’s out of town.”
“And can’t you send her a message whenever she is?”
“No, Alexander, it does not work that way. I could send a message to your room, because I knew its location. Ragnor had his place warded against every kind of magic, so it ended in a place designated by him. And that’s why we waited for the reply. But since we got none from Catarina, we must hope she’ll be home soon.”
Alec just nodded. He understood what Magnus told him perfectly, but magic was not common in their kingdom; he had not much to add. He loved listening to Magnus. It astounded him how powerful he was; even though he saw just some smaller spells, he knew that was just the surface of his abilities, because he did not even break a sweat once.
And so, they entered another city of the Edom Kingdom, Valetudina. It was so colourful, every building was a little different, unlike Alicante, where all buildings, except for the ghetto, were almost the same. The city was busy with poorly clothed people mingling with richly clothed ones, like no one cared.
It was so strange to Alec, people here had furry ears and tails, others were clearly wizards, and Alec tried not to stare. He heard about werewolves from stories, but to see them up this close was strange. He wondered if even vampires and fairies were real, and if the werewolves, except for obvious wolf features, could actually turn into wolves.
Just now, he realised how sheltered he was. Werewolves were rare in their kingdom, but still present, if they arrived from Edom or another place, but only them. His sister sometimes told him about her encounters with them, but she never talked about wizards.
Magnus probably noticed his gaze, and he chuckled and hurried his horse. “What is it?” he asked.
“I just… how are there so many wizards and werewolves? Isn’t that dangerous?” Alec was hesitant. Leaving his country was so scary, but he was with Magnus, so that eased the overwhelming feeling of the new experiences.
“Don’t worry. If anything were to happen, there’s a powerful wizard in every city. They’re appointed by the Spiral Labyrinth, our council; they can calm down most situations.”
Alec sighed. There was so much he didn’t know. “You’re so amazing, Magnus. You know so much and look at me. A trivial sheltered prince, I never even left my kingdom before. Well, not just the kingdom, even the castle itself,” Alec said, and it was the first time he said his concerns about this out loud and this straightforwardly.
Magnus subtly smiled and shook his head. “I understand, but let’s see the brighter picture. You’re now with me, and I can show you the world.”
“Yes, you know, part of me is grateful that I was cursed, because we’re now here together.”
Magnus just smiled and hurried his horse; Alec was puzzled by his behaviour. He thought Magnus would be glad, because… they clearly belonged together, right? But he did not have much time to think about it, because their destination was not far.
----------------------
After this, Magnus tried to avoid every moment that could start the conversation about their situation, other than how to break the curse. Before, Alec was just glad he met him, but being grateful even for the curse? This was getting too much.
He had to clear this true love business soon, but Magnus was afraid. The more time he spent with Alec, the more he realised that the attraction he felt was not just physical, as he first thought. Talking about that was getting harder with every minute he spent with him, and his inner panic was rising. But he knew that he would have to do it sooner or later.
They arrived at a house that clearly belonged to a wizard. There were magic wards, subtly glistening around the house; it also had a small garden full of various medicinal herbs. Magnus went closer; he knew that the wards would just let him in. Alec tried to enter after him, but he was bumped back.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you. Catarina is one of my best friends; that’s why her wards let me in, and she’s not so paranoid as Ragnor, but you should stay there,” Magnus said when he heard the groaning behind him.
Magnus pressed his face against the window and looked inside, he frowned. “Hmm, she’s not here. But I think she’s gone for several days, so that means she’ll be back soon, hopefully,” Magnus said as he turned around, meanwhile, bringing a piece of parchment and, with grand hand gestures, started magically writing a letter for Catarina. He had to leave a message about their whereabouts.
“So… what now? I don’t want to risk another shared bed incident,” Alec said quietly after Magnus was done.
Magnus chuckled. “It’s okay. Catarina will send a message to our inn once she’s back. That inn we visited before was busy, but the one in this city will be empty. We’ll find a good one, one worthy of your majesty,” he joked.
“Magnus!” Alec rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Due to his background, it was obvious he was used to being pampered.
Magnus knew how hard it was to lower one’s standards, and even so, Alec did well. He never complained; the only thing that gave him away was his hesitant look when he saw Ragnor’s bed or in that inn, but Magnus could barely blame him, because Magnus himself was spoiled. With his abilities, he was able to get quite rich, and his wizard tower was eccentric not just from the outside, but also from inside.
He had travelled often and lived in poverty when he was young, so he had no problem getting accustomed to harsher conditions if that was just for a short time.
“Don’t worry, I know of a good one, it’s not the first time I've gone to visit Catarina, and she was out of town for a few days.”
“Well, it might be good for your standards, but how about mine?” Alec asked, the corner of his mouth twitching, which made Magnus smile. So, he could take a joke after all.
“It’s nice, even for you, I also have standards. Don’t let yourself get fooled by my humble appearance and behaviour, Alexander,” Magnus replied.
“Humble?” Alec giggled. “You call yourself Rizzard and wear more jewellery than half of the royal court nobility.”
“Well, now, be honest. You find that repelling?” Magnus said, he was affected by it, not expecting it from the kind Alec. The same way he could handle a joke, he could also make one. No, Magnus did not think he was being dramatic.
“I was just joking. Of course I don’t, it’s… quite…” Alec stuttered and blushed slightly. Magnus’ eyes were glued on him, waiting for what Alec would say, but he already knew the answer, and Magnus grinned. Even so, he thought his heart would jump out of his chest in anticipation. “It looks good on you, and you’re fun to be around,” Alexander finished in a barely audible voice and avoided Magnus’ gaze.
Magnus was satisfied and also relieved. But what surprised him was how important it felt. But he would help him with the curse even if he said he found that repelling. “Well, then I’m relieved,” he said as casually as he could, and they walked to their horses.
Magnus guided Alec into the mentioned inn, and they immediately got two separate rooms. It was as expected, too expensive for regular people, but the few guests who expected high standards paid enough for the inn not to go bankrupt. It still was not of royal standard, but better than the inn on the road or Ragnor’s guest room.
During their late lunch, they made plans for the rest of the day. After Magnus told Alexander about all the interesting places around, they chose a magical stump. Alec did not believe that it was speaking, and Magnus wanted to boast about how unique and magical their kingdom was.
The way took them just about two hours on foot, slowly walking. The forest was peaceful, and Magnus had to assure Alec that it was safe. He was amused by the wonder in his eyes; it was so endearing watching the boy discover anything different from his castle. Even though Alexander tried to control himself, Magnus saw it in his shining blue eyes. Magnus was bored lately, and this reminded him how much beauty is in the world; he just forgot to look.
Just when he tried to say something funny to make Alexander laugh or blush, he finally heard the stump.
“Well, it was about time someone came to visit me. I was bored here,” they heard a strange, deep, uneven voice. Magnus always had a feeling like something was crumpling when it spoke.
“Is this…“ Alec asked, but he stopped in the middle of a sentence and stared. The stump stared back at him.
It was just a normal stump; it did not seem that magical, except for a crack in the middle, which was now smugly smirking, looking like a wooden mouth without lips.
“What? The most magical thing you have ever seen? I hope you will now fall on your knees in awe of my epicness. A great wizard Aldous Nix, who no longer lives, made me what I am, and now I’m proudly showing off his lingering magic,” said the stump, and Magnus watched in delight as Alec’s smile slowly widened. Alexander could not believe his own eyes, and Magnus’ heart felt like melting anytime.
“It’s so cheeky and cocky!” Alec laughed. Magnus just shook his head; he could not imagine something as silly as this would be enough to make Alexander laugh. It was just a stupid stump; there were more interesting things in the world.
“I beg your pardon?” the stump said. “I’m the most amazing thing you will ever see.”
Magnus stepped closer to Alec, and he was smiling as much as him. He longed to embrace him, share this moment more intimately, but he knew what would happen. All he could do was stand right next to him and hope that Catarina would be back soon and that she had the cup.
“Go on, ask it something,” Magnus urged him. Then, he decided not to stand so closely, as it was dangerous when his enthusiasm dazed him.
“Okay, tell me, how old are you?” Alec asked, but then he noticed Magnus’ rising panic.
The thing was that Magnus was trying to leave Alec’s side, but something was in his way. He pushed, threw a small breaking spell against it, and nothing happened.
“I’m very old, but let’s not speak of me. This is fun, you didn’t notice her at all, did you?” the stump said.
“Notice who?” Magnus asked, and he had a bad feeling. An unpleasant shiver ran down his spine. He turned around, and there was a woman with black hair; her eyes shone, but her face remained still.
“Me, you fool. I was in your track since you left that warded shack. You had no idea, did you? Well, now you’re in my magic ward, and you will trigger the curse for me,” she said.
“And who are you supposed to be?” Magnus asked, confused, he was still trying to push the ward with his hands, and Alec joined him. Just a barely noticeable glistening in the air gave up that the ward was raised around them.
“It doesn’t matter, now, kiss! Or… whatever, you love each other, don’t you?” she said, poison dripping from her voice.
Alec shot an awkward look at Magnus, and he just shrugged. Then he tried to break the spell, sending a huge wave of magic into its walls, but it got repelled and bounced around. Alec and Magnus shrieked and covered their heads until it disappeared. It was too powerful, even though Magnus had a lot of experience; this surprised him. Any other ward would shatter immediately.
“What’s this spell?!” Magnus barked at her.
“A spell I was granted by my master, now, be good boys and kiss! I don’t have all day!”
Magnus scowled at her, and neither he nor Alec spoke or moved.
“Oh, you want some privacy? Okay… And atmosphere, don’t you? Well… I’ll leave and come back later. You'd better hurry,” the woman said. It did not make sense, why would anyone want to trigger the curse? Then she raised her hands, and the wards squeezed them even closer, and she was gone. Her face was like it had no facial muscles; it was unmoving, and that unsettled Magnus.
Alec slumped down to the ground, helplessly looking at Magnus. “Well, now what? We’re trapped here, and that person was crazy. I feel threatened just sitting here,” he said.
“I would know what to do! Kiss!” the stump said.
“Shut up! Let me think,” Magnus said and sat next to Alexander. Magnus would now give anything to know what Alec was thinking. He had to see how Magnus’ image – who was a perfect picture of his true love in his head – was slowly shattering, now that they were trapped by letting their guard down.
“I don’t want to interrupt your thinking, but you guys are trapped. I don’t know what else you could do, but I think you should definitely kiss!”
“SHUT UP!” now, both Alec and Magnus yelled at the stump.
“Okay, I don’t think the stump is funny anymore,” Alec said, exasperated.
“How could you? I’m the greatest marvel all around, I bet nothing as amazing as me exists,” the stump said. Alec buried his face in his palms, and Magnus silently groaned.
About an hour later, Magnus still did not have a plan, and that stupid stump would not stop talking.
“You know, I’m actually glad for the stump,” Alec said, which made Magnus raise his eyebrow. Had he gone mad because of it? “Otherwise, I would only think about the fact that I cannot kiss you, and that would be so painful.”
“Well, you’re right. This way we’re at least distracted, but we can’t focus on a single thing… wait, we can!”
“Oh no, the great Rizzard Bane has an idea,” the stump said mockingly.
“Shut up,” Magnus said lazily, it was now almost as a reflex. Then he pressed his palm against the wall. “She indirectly said she wants to summon Asmodeus… well, I’ll show her what I can do. Asmodeus, my ass. Over my dead body!” And then he focused his magic solely on his palm, slowly pressing into it. He felt Alec’s gaze as his magic pulsed, and small blue sparks began to shine all around it, slowly creating a thick layer of magic. Magnus focused further, and then suddenly, the barrier gave in, and his hand slipped out of the barrier.
Unfortunately, Magnus could not stop his sudden movement fully, not expecting that he was fully through, and his forehead partly landed against the barrier. He pulled out, rubbed his forehead and carefully looked back at Alexander, hoping he did not notice.
“Ah! We could be out an hour ago,” Magnus complained, trying to hide what just happened. He was usually graceful, but the nervousness made him slip. Alec was smiling at him as if what he saw was not embarrassing at all. Which surprised Magnus. He tried to be the wise, charming, powerful, and mysterious wizard, and so far, it felt like he was failing.
“That’s okay. The stump was being annoying; no wonder you couldn’t focus.”
Magnus was grateful, the way Alec excused his actions was sweet. He grasped the edge of the hole he had just created and pressed further; the wall was slowly melting under his touch.
“I’m not annoying! I was trying to make a good company!” they heard the stump saying, but they were already on their way. This was enough adventuring for today. And that was just what they needed, a weird woman was on their tracks, trying to force them to kiss or maybe go all the way.
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When they arrived back at the inn, it was already time for dinner, and Alec was exhausted mentally. That encounter did not add to his well-being. What was meant to be a fun trip to view the magic of Edom turned into a stressful moment. He was glad that Magnus was with him, even though that was most likely the reason the weird wizard woman trapped them. She hoped that they would not resist each other and summon Asmodeus.
It really was tempting, but Alec knew that they both avoided it at all costs. Alec knew Magnus was holding himself back, even though sometimes he flirted, and then he stopped himself when he realised it. He really was a Rizzard.
Magnus must have noticed Alec’s discomfort, because sometimes he glanced at him with an unreadable expression. He was perhaps his true love, but what if he got bored with Alec? He spent his entire life sheltered; he felt so dull in comparison to Magnus. Was it certain that they were destined to be together? After their encounter with the woman and the way he could just ignore his feelings for a short period of time without triggering the curse, a seed of doubt was planted in his heart. But he could not help himself, the curve of Magnus’ body, the way his perfect lips moved whenever he smiled or his beautiful cat-eyes… All that drove him crazy, making him imagine so many things they could do. He needed to touch him soon, and he had to be his true love; otherwise, Alec could not explain what he felt.
After they parted when they finished their dinner, each heading into their room, Alec just sprawled himself on his bed. Maybe it was not safe leaving the city after all, so Alec hoped that Catarina would be back soon or that the city itself had some interesting places.
He spent some time staring at the ceiling when a frantic knocking at his door disturbed him from his thoughts.
“Alexander? Alexander! Catarina is back, we can visit her right now,” Alec heard Magnus’ voice from behind it.
He quickly jumped to his feet, if they got the cup, they could kiss! Alec opened the door, almost slamming them, feeling motivated again.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Alec said, and Magnus smiled at his eagerness.
---------------
They arrived at Catarina’s house. Nothing much changed, but the wards were not glistening around it anymore, and then he saw her. Female wizard with white hair and blue skin. Her clothes were rather simple, not exactly ragged commoner clothes, but still simple and humble.
Magnus quickened his pace and went to hug her. “Catarina! I’m so happy to see you,” he greeted her, and she hugged him back. Alec was jealous; his friend could hug him without consequences, while he could not even touch him unless he redirected his thoughts.
“Hey, Magnus, and who’s this handsome young man? You said you needed to talk to me about something urgent, are you getting married or something?”
Alec blushed immediately. Catarina was so direct, but she seemed to be kind, because she smiled at him when she noticed that. She called him handsome, which rarely happened.
“No, this is Prince Alec; I’m helping him. Let’s go inside, I'd better not talk outside about what I need to ask you,” Magnus said.
Something in Alec’s chest started to hurt. Why did Magnus say he was just helping him? It sounded like Alec was just his customer and nothing else. Catarina was his friend; she had every right to know their situation about true love. Or… was that true love? What if all he felt was… something else?
Her home was simply decorated, almost as if she rarely stayed at home, which was probably true. From what Alec already knew about her, was that she was a specialist in healing magic, and her services were needed all over the kingdom of Edom.
She made them tea, and Alec started to see a pattern here. He wondered if all people in Edom loved tea. She and Magnus exchanged some pleasantries, and when the tea was done, she sat with them.
“Well, then, how can I help you?” she said as she sipped her tea.
Magnus took a deep breath. He seemed nervous suddenly. “We need a Cup, a Device of Sin.”
There was a silence, Catarina frowned at him. “And why would you need something that dangerous?”
“It’s a thing that can break Alexander’s curse. There’s nothing else,” Magnus said, he was suddenly all serious, and Alec patiently listened.
“I don’t have it… I gave it to Tessa; she could hide it better than I,” Catarina said, playing with her teacup, not looking at Magnus.
Alec hid his face in his palms, this was frustrating. What if the person, Tessa, that Catarina talked about, gave the Cup to someone else? This could be a never-ending chase.
Even Magnus seemed quite desperate and down. “Really? Catarina, why? Are you sure she has it, or she knows where it is?”
“I don’t know Magnus, as you well know, this relic is very dangerous. Are you sure that it is the only thing that can help Alec?”
“Yes, nothing else can help him,” Magnus said, and Catarina hesitantly lowered her gaze.
“Okay… go to Tessa, she’s not travelling that often. Since she has a boyfriend, she rarely leaves her home. She finally managed to break his curse after a hundred years!”
Magnus chuckled. “Ah, Tessa, so resilient. I hope she’s doing well. Let me send her a message right away.”
Catarina nodded and brought Magnus some paper and ink with a quill. Alec felt like he was not even needed there, and the way Catarina was measuring him with her careful looks was driving him nuts. She had to catch the way Alec was looking at Magnus, and the way Magnus smiled back at him.
It did not take much time, and the answer came. Magnus grabbed it and read it.
“It seems that Tessa thinks it’s too sensitive to talk about through the Sending spell. We should visit her,” Magnus said, and Alec noticed a certain degree of tiredness on his face.
“Don’t worry, Alexander, maybe she has it, or at least knows where it is. I don’t think we have more reliable friends who could hide it,” Magnus tried to console him, Alec sadly smiled and nodded.
“It’s okay, as long as you’re with me, I’ll be fine,” Alec said softly. He wanted to see Catarina’s reaction; she must have known that there was some tension between him and Magnus, and he would show her.
And he did it well, because Catarina shot an incredulous look at Magnus, and Magnus just shrugged.
“Okay, what’s going on here, exactly?” she asked, her voice now had a strict tone.
“Well… the curse includes me, Catarina. Whenever I trigger Alexander’s feelings while we're touching, a natural disaster occurs. So far, we saw a snowstorm in this mild weather and an incoming storm,” Magnus said hesitantly.
“Aha! I knew he was exactly your type,” Catarina said and crossed her arms. Alec chuckled; he already liked her. “Now it makes sense. Tell me more about the curse,” Catarina nudged Magnus, and he sighed.
The resignation on Magnus’ face was adorable. He began by telling her how he had healed Alec and everything that had happened afterwards. Catarina listened; she did not interrupt Magnus, waiting for him to finish.
When he went silent, Catarina put her hand on Magnus’ and looked at him sympathetically. “You both went through a lot over the past few days.”
Then they chatted for a while, and Alec decided it was time for him to leave earlier; he had a feeling Magnus had a lot to catch up with Catarina, and it was like he was bothering them. They acted like they wanted to stop him from going, but in the end, they let him leave earlier.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Magnus,” Alec said as he was leaving. And with that, he felt at ease. Tessa’s home was their next stop; the possibility of her having the cup was high this time. Just one stop and they could kiss.
--------------------------
Here, have a map of the kingdoms I made in Inkarnate. :3 Which is a DnD Dungeon Master tool for maps. :D
Notes:
Please, please leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter. <3 Thank you!
I wanted to do a fairy tale cliché, that something is done three times. In this case, they visit three wizards. I tried to make it fun and not repetitive. I hope I managed, just Tessa is left. :D
And... next chapter is something I am very proud of! Can't wait to publish it! :D
Chapter 5: The Cup
Summary:
The clues finally lead them to the first relic. Is their love pure?
Notes:
There we go... As usual, I'm so obsessed with my fic, ahaha. :D Finally, we have some more lore about the Devices of Sin! <3 And the first explicit content. How is it possible if they cannot touch? A dream? Something else? ... Enjoy the chapter! :D
Thank you so much for the comments and kudos! <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Magnus arrived back in his room in the middle of the night. He talked to his friend for more than two hours, telling her about his parties, which had got a little out of hand lately. He reluctantly told her about the sock brandy situation. It was when one of his guests brought a luxury alcoholic drink that definitely did not smell luxurious at all. He also had to stop the night gown party earlier, because one of the guests claimed he slept naked and refused to dress up, which got Magnus angry.
But then she started to ask more about his situation with Alexander. It was as if she noticed that even though Magnus did not want to admit it, he liked the boy more than he admitted.
“Magnus, I know that because of Camille and everyone before her, you don’t believe in true love, but… what if it exists? You were the one who used to seek it,” Catarina asked hesitantly.
“So, you think that it’s possible? That’s absurd,” Magnus laughed to hide his doubts. It was the first time he thought it could at least be real. Alec believed in it, and after he got to know him a little better, he knew Alexander was not as naïve as he first thought he was. No, the boy was bright, and his head was not in the clouds.
“Magnus, you should see your face now,” Catarina chuckled and placed her hand over his. Magnus scowled at her.
“No, true love doesn’t exist, that’s it,” he said resolutely.
“Your last word?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied, but he saw how Catarina was grinning, still scowling. “Something funny?”
“Go on, fool yourself,” she chuckled, and then Magnus avoided that topic.
“That’s enough. What do you think of the Devices of Sin? I read the ancient text about it, but I’m starting to have my doubts. Raziel said we should gather them first, but I know they can be used.”
Catarina was deep in thought, then she looked at him. “I don’t know Magnus, that’s not my expertise. I think that Tessa can give you more insight. But if you think it’s safe, then do it. You will ease that prince’s suffering.”
Magnus nodded; he was satisfied with this advice. Then they talked some more, and he was delighted they could catch up.
A loud knock on his door woke him up the next morning. He wanted to sleep some more, but he got up. He wore a green night gown, full of frills and lace, and over it he had a satin bathrobe to feel a little warmer. It might look weird on someone else, but Magnus knew his style suited him perfectly. Alec just confirmed it, because his face lit up immediately when he opened the door. Magnus’ heart fluttered; he wanted to kiss him so badly. If true love really existed, he wanted Alec to be the one for him.
“What is it, can’t wait to be kissed again?” Magnus asked with a flirty smirk.
Alec’s eyes flitted to the side, even though he looked like he enjoyed the flirting – the little smile gave him away – he was just being a little shy. “Well, I thought we would depart shortly,” Alec said.
“Don’t worry, Tessa lives in another city, unlike Ragnor. We can use a portal. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. I think you’re ready to try it,” Magnus said tiredly. Magnus now knew he should offer it as a shortcut from Alicante to a city closer to Ragnor’s hut, but he did not want to scare Alec with more things he had never seen before. That’s why the dangerous situation in the inn happened, he should know better, Alec was no scaredy cat.
“Oh? That’s okay. I’m glad you could at least visit your friends,” Alec said with a smile.
“You know, that’s true. I haven’t seen them for a while. We should not take this as an unnecessary detour, more like me introducing you to my friends,” Magnus grinned, he liked Alec’s thinking.
“I like that,” Alec said softly, and Magnus turned back. This was dangerous; he really was falling in love. Because of the talk with Catarina, he started realising it, and this was the first time he was sure about it. Was it a good thing? Only time would tell, but perhaps Alec Lightwood would not break his heart.
“Well then, let me change my clothes, and I’ll join you soon,” Magnus shot a look at him, and with a smile, he flicked his wrist, and the door closed.
He let out a deep sigh. Why didn’t he notice it sooner?
After Magnus gathered himself and packed up his things, he was ready to go. This time, he decided on a cape; he wanted to make a good impression on Tessa’s boyfriend. After all, he hasn’t seen him in at least a hundred years. The curse turned him into stone, and they had no idea what caused it. When Tessa’s first husband died, she almost gave up on prolonging her life, but Magnus helped her, and they focused on breaking the curse on Jem. Jem kept her going because she loved them both, and Magnus persuaded her that they could save him.
And finally, she did it. On one hand, Magnus was glad that Alec’s curse was not so complicated, but on the other, the process of breaking it was far more dangerous. At this point, he would probably consult Tessa anyway, so he did not mind visiting her.
He picked up Alec in his room, and after breakfast, they left together. It was obvious that Alec felt nervous, and Magnus wondered why. The prince did not speak; he just smiled whenever Magnus looked at him. And when they were on their way to a portal, Magnus finally understood. He was right not to take the portal sooner after all.
“First time travelling with the portal?” he asked, even though he knew. Magnus wondered how brave the boy must have been; there were so many new things at once, and he still went on. Never falling apart, still facing new things with determination. He was the pampered prince, and still took it so well, he could not imagine anyone else in his place to be this brave.
“Yes… We don’t have wizards in Idris, as you well know. You all live in Edom.”
“It’s nothing. You’ll feel like you’re entering a water, and then you’ll emerge on the other side,” Magnus reassured him, then he touched the stone, the symbols lit, and the water-like surface appeared. “I set our location, our destination is London town, don’t worry, I’ll go first.”
He took a last glance at Alec to check whether more guidance was needed, but it seemed he was okay; his determined look said it all. Magnus entered the well-known gate and arrived on the other side.
It did not take much time, and Alexander appeared next to him. He turned his head to the portal and curiously eyed it. Magnus’ corner of his mouth twitched, now that he knew he was falling in love, he admitted that he enjoyed every moment of their trip. The way Alec interacted with everything was so endearing; the pure curiosity was amazing. If Magnus could, he would give him the whole world. Maybe one day they could travel further than Edom.
The London town still looked the same to Magnus; he had been here not a long time ago. Tessa needed his help, and he gladly did whatever he could. That was before she managed to save Jem.
“Welcome to the city on the farthest eastern side of Edom,” Magnus said and grinned at Alec, who returned the smile. They went through the city, which was not as colourful as Magnus’ home city, Brook, or even Valetudina, where Catarina lived. The houses were like those in Alicante, but they were not as uniform. It was almost a mix of these two cities.
Tessa lived about twenty minutes of a slow walk from the portal. They did not speak much, but the silence was not uncomfortable. Magnus could only imagine what went through Alec’s head right now. He did not interrupt his thoughts, only noticing the things that caught Alec’s attention.
A werewolf lady was giggling with three cubs, happily jumping around her. She carried a wicker basket full of apples.
“Look at the happy family, I think that they’ll have some apple strudel,” Magnus said when he noticed Alec’s gaze.
“Strudel?” Alec asked, as he had never heard of it.
“Oh, it’s a cheap pastry. Kids love it,” of course, the prince would not know what that is.
Another thing that caught his interest was a man standing next to his stand with handmade pots, who was trying to attract the customers. The lady who arrived at his stand started to bargain loudly, which amused Alec.
There were some wizards with various wizard marks along the way, wings, horns, tails and sometimes even claws. A gift from their inhuman parents, Magnus thought bitterly. Yes, they wielded amazing powers thanks to it; that was the only good thing about it. He loved what his magic could do after so many years of studying and would never give it up, but the origin of magic itself? Not so much.
Finally arriving at her house, both tied their horses to a fence and headed inside. The house was not much different from the others around. One would not even guess that a wizard lived here.
Tessa noticed them when they arrived, because she immediately rushed outside.
“Magnus!” she said as she hugged him and then looked at Alec.
She looked still the same; it suited her that she was prolonging her life with magic again, and she seemed even younger than when Magnus saw her last time. Her thick, brown hair framed her oval face.
“So, this is Prince Alexander?” she asked. A small, barely visible smile played on her lips. Magnus wondered if Alec reminded her of Prince Will, her dead husband, because even though both were very different, there was something in his eyes that could remind her of him.
“Yes, we’d love to be done with this quickly, let me tell you about our journey,” Magnus said, and they both entered her house.
She led them to the kitchen, where Jem was already preparing hot water for their tea. Of course, such was the custom; every time Magnus visited any of his best friends, they prepared a tea.
They sat down, and Magnus, with Alec, told her about everything, and Magnus was not holding back. He did not omit any of his discoveries about what triggered the curse, Alexander’s feelings, and he also mentioned the weird woman stalking them, their struggles, and he especially mentioned the need for the Devices of Sin. The only thing he did not tell her was that he wanted to use it right away.
Tessa, with Jem, patiently listened to them, and then Tessa laughed. “Ah, Magnus… When I tell you what I know, you’ll laugh too,” she said. Magnus quirked his eyebrow and caught Alec’s confused gaze.
“See, come here,” she said and led him to the next room. It was full of books, beautiful shelves full of them, not just about magic, but also novels, and in a corner was a beautiful violin. It did not surprise Magnus; he knew she was an avid reader and that the violin belonged to Jem.
Alec hesitantly followed them, even though she did not tell him to go. They both watched Tessa put away the books from the table, but the one she picked and carried seemed more like a journal, looking satisfied with it.
“Here, this one, take a look at this,” she told them and opened it up. They both looked at a blueprint of a display stand, and on it was the Cup, but next to it was a text – fake.
“Okay, we know about this fake one. I immediately recognised that it was not of a magical nature,” Magnus was unsure what she wanted to show them.
“Perfect, now watch, check this blueprint,” she said and pointed her finger at the small door on the side. Then she flipped the page, and on that page the door was open, and inside…
“Now I’m not sure if they’ve put something funny in my drink during breakfast or you're suggesting… That it was in that stupid stand all along?!” Magnus exclaimed, and he heard Alec groan behind him.
“Unfortunately, yes. Your journey was… well, it was fun, wasn’t it?” Tessa said, being unnaturally cheerful.
“Oh, it was so much fun that I think we’ll do it again instead of gathering the relics,” Magnus retorted.
“The darkest place is under the candlestick. I’m so sorry, Magnus. This is just the truth, I created a copy of it and put it on the stand and hid the real one. As you can see, it fooled even you, so it was a very useful hideaway, don’t you think? But you still need some magic; only a wizard can open the door. I enchanted it; it’s practically unbreakable otherwise.”
Magnus wanted to shrink, to hide somewhere. He did not even dare to look at Alec.
“Magnus, your friend is right, the relic was in the right hands, she hid it well,” Alec said, and this lifted some weight from Magnus’ mind. He weakly smiled at him. Sometimes he wondered if Alec was just affected by the thought of him being his true love, or if he liked him as he was. It was not the first time he had screwed up something with him around, and the things just kept piling up. He was not incompetent. Planning as he went with the flow, yes, but not incompetent, just with Alec… it was all so different.
“Right… well, I have some questions about magic. I don’t want to bore you, Alexander, let me talk to Tessa alone,” Magnus said, he noticed the hesitation on Alec’s face, but Alexander went back to the kitchen anyway.
Just as he left, Magnus turned to Tessa. “I need your opinion. You studied the Cup, right?”
“That I did. I found some ancient tomes, gathered some stories, but that’s all. You want to use them, don’t you?”
Magnus nodded; he was not sure it was a good idea anymore. The more he fell in love, the more he doubted.
“Well, it’s a powerful relic, Magnus. It has two sides; it depends on how it’s used. It could be dangerous, or it could save the prince. Tell me, you really like him, don’t you? I saw how you look at him.”
Magnus sighed. She was right. “I want to save him, Tessa. He’s just so kind and brave. And did you notice his body?” Magnus chuckled.
“Don’t make this a joke, Magnus. If you’re not serious, something bad could happen if you try to use it,” she warned him.
“Like what?”
“You know who tainted these relics? Asmodeus himself, the king of lust, the relics could either keep the door to our world shut or prepare a small stepping stone for him to enter our world. And guess what, if these small steps are all three relics? Once he was banished to hell, the angels took them and cleansed them again. This is no joke, I read everything I could about it once I hid the Cup.”
Asmodeus again, that’s why they needed the relics. Cleansed relics could get rid of his curse. So, it was either using them right away and risking everything, hoping their feelings were pure enough, or waiting until they have all three of them and use them all together.
“We got this, thank you, Tessa,” Magnus said. It finally made sense why the angel knew these would be helpful to them. But since they were once tainted by someone that powerful, they were more susceptible to the taint. That’s why they were known as two different objects; it could be both.
Tessa beckoned him, and they both went back to Jem and Alec.
They found them preparing the tea and the cups, Alexander looked confused, but he tried to help anyway. Jem had infinite patience; he carefully explained to Alexander how to brew it. He could just imagine that Alexander, being a prince, never helped in the kitchen. Magnus with Tessa just silently stood at the threshold and exchanged amused looks. Magnus knew that Tessa was thinking the same as him; they were being adorable.
“Ah! You’re back, Magnus. So, once we drink our tea, can we go for the Cup?” Alec asked as he turned around when he noticed them.
Magnus smiled, which of the nobles would think about not wasting tea, even if he helped to prepare it?
“Of course, let’s drink our tea first,” he said softly, and they joined them.
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When they were leaving Tessa and Jem, Alec had a good feeling. He knew he had now met all Magnus’ closest friends. Ragnor, Catarina and Tessa. He was not sure about Ragnor, but with Tessa and Catarina, he was almost sure that they liked him.
He also had a strange feeling that something about Magnus had changed after they visited Catarina. He caught him staring at him more often than usual, and it was not a bad thing, because before, Alec had rarely seen him looking at him with such a soft expression. Even if he was uncertain about the whole true love situation after their little adventure, he knew he enjoyed being with Magnus. That was all that mattered.
The way home was easy; Alec was not worried about going through the portal anymore. When they arrived in Idris, a heavy tension fell upon their back. Even their step was quick, just a little more, and they could kiss without any consequences. Alec’s heart was thumping like crazy; he had never felt more anticipation in his life like he did now. After leaving their horses in stables, it was just a few steps to the throne room.
Alec hoped that they would not meet his siblings or anyone else, because he needed this. He felt like falling apart when he just imagined they would be slowed down by anyone, his hands all sweaty and unsteady. Even Magnus’ gazes and uncertain but reassuring smiles revealed that he must have felt like Alec, he was just much better at hiding it.
“Let’s hurry, before anyone notices us and tries to welcome us with the whole protocol,” Alec uttered when they were almost at the throne room.
They met just some servants and courtiers, so a short greeting – if any at all – was enough. When they saw that Alec was in a hurry, they did not inquire about his travel further.
After arriving at the display stand, Magnus did not hesitate for even a second. He extended his hand and touched the door on the side of the display. Mumbling a few words that Alec could not recognise, a sudden blue light enveloped his hand. It travelled into the door, slowly embracing it. Magnus turned his wrist, and with a creaking sound, it opened.
Magnus jerked his hand back and looked inside, then he reached in and in his hand was the Cup. It was perfect, and once Magnus touched it, Alec could feel the energy just from looking at it, even though Alec wielded no magic.
“It’s real, this is it, Alexander. You still want to use it?” Magnus tried to make sure, and Alec was now surer than ever. He wanted it, no, he needed it. Alec shortly nodded, and that was all he had to do. They immediately headed outside.
“Let’s go back to Brook City, to my tower. No one will interrupt us there,” he said on the way, and as quickly as they arrived, they left. Sure, they could use his room, but Alec agreed that this was a better solution.
Alec was almost sure he noticed Izzy watching them leave when they were guiding their horses outside, but she did not stop them. Now that they had the real Cup, carefully hidden in Magnus’ bag, Alec felt a different kind of anticipation.
Just a little bit more… a few steps, just going through the garden, through the slums, the portal… everything felt blurry, blood in his veins was boiling. The way was short and never-ending at the same time.
Once they arrived in Magnus’ city, he spread wide his arms. “Welcome, Alexander, can you guess where I live?” Magnus asked with a wide grin.
Alec looked around, and a tall ivory tower with colourful windows immediately caught his eye. “That’s so much like you. No one could overlook it,” Alec chuckled and pointed at it. “Or you…” he added softly and smiled sweetly. He would expect Magnus to brag about it some more, but he did not. No, even he was in a hurry.
Instead, Alec watched as Magnus got taken aback for a few seconds and blinked, then he flashed his white teeth. The tower was clearly their next destination. They kept their horses in the stable along the way, and all that was left were a few steps, a few steps and…
Alec’s thoughts were interrupted when Magnus was removing the wards around the tower. It looked so grand, as the barely visible glistening ward slowly disappeared, leaving Alec in awe. He saw Magnus performing a few spells, but this one was flashy, as it slowly moved, the small blue sparks danced everywhere along the borders as it was disappearing. He saw the Rizzard in action.
“Just a precaution, even though there are still some permanent protection spells, whenever I leave, I raise this huge ward,” Magnus explained, Alec nodded, and they entered.
The inside was even more flashy than the outside. Chaos ruled this place by Alec’s standards. On the first floor, there were many chairs and tables, which must have been where the parties Izzy told him about took place. Many luxurious-looking alcoholic bottles were stacked on one of the walls, and he also noticed colourful cushions on couches, with various not exactly matching decorations all over the place.
Alec just stood in the middle; it looked so exotic and interesting; it was strangely comforting. Then he raised his head, and there were stairs leading into other rooms.
“Just how many floors does your tower have?” Alec asked.
“Four, this one is for guests, above is a kitchen and a place where I let just some guests in, above it is my personal bedroom and bathroom and on the last floor is my study. That’s top secret, I let inside only a few people,” Magnus said, it sounded almost like he was trying to sound humble, but Alec knew very well he was bragging. But he had the right, it was grandiose.
“And where are we heading?” Alec asked softly, he hoped for the third floor.
“Third floor,” Magnus confirmed, he grabbed a bottle of wine from his cabinet, and Alec’s heart started to thump again. What they were about to do was so close.
“What’s the wine for?” Alec asked on their way up.
“How else would you use the Cup?” Magnus replied with a smirk. Alec blushed, of course, that was a pointless question.
The bedroom was stunning. He already noticed Magnus’ expensive taste, but he did not expect that his bed would be huge and have silk sheets, red silk sheets to be precise. When Magnus snapped his fingers, letting a few blue sparks escape them, the windows immediately darkened, but they would still see if any natural disaster was about to occur outside. The atmosphere was now more intimate. Did he do all that just for a kiss? But Alec did not dare to question him. Maybe since that was all they could do, he wanted to make it special.
“Come, Alexander, sit here with me,” Magnus beckoned him, and they both sat on his bed. “You really want to use this? Are you absolutely certain?” he asked again.
“Yes, I think it’s not a bad thing. You are my true love, aren’t you?” he asked. Magnus played with the cup in his hand, hesitating with the answer. Alec studied his face, but then Magnus looked into his eyes, his gaze firm, as if he had decided on something.
“I think I might be,” he said. Then he poured the wine into the Cup. It was beautiful, completely white as an angel’s wings; it was almost unnatural, adorned with green and blue shiny gemstones, which made it almost sacrilegious to even look at them.
Alec knew they both were nervous in a way, and Magnus mumbled a few words in a foreign language. A warm aura shone from it; it was pleasant, and Magnus took a sip from the Cup, then he handed it to Alec, making sure their hands didn’t touch.
“How do you feel?” Magnus asked once Alec took a sip too, the Cup still seemed the same. Alec put it on a side table next to the bed and shrugged.
“Not sure… want to… want to try it out?”
“I do, what about you?”
“Oh, I can’t wait any longer,” Alec whispered, and he immediately leaned in, his lips crashing against Magnus’, again and again. The perfectly curved soft lips he was allowed to kiss once before. He took a glance outside and saw that nothing was different.
“It worked,” Magnus smiled. Alec’s eyes lit, and he leaned in for another kiss, this time, he deepened it immediately, but his hand reached Magnus’ cheek.
Magnus sharply pulled back. “Ah-ah! We can’t have that, just kiss is safe. But I could… restrain your hands with magic, if you’re comfortable with that.”
Alec’s mind was blank; completely wrapped in his desire, he needed more. Without any hesitation, he furiously nodded, and his hands were glued together in front of him in that instant. This time, Magnus kissed him first, and Alec felt more in control with his hands restrained like that.
He could not get enough of it, licking into Magnus’ mouth was exactly what he needed. His body was burning with passion, stronger with every passing second, pouring all his longing into the kiss. Magnus’ lips and tongue replied with the same urgency; Alec could not help but moan into it. This felt even more amazing than he expected. Their first kiss was nothing compared to this. Magnus was the one who was able to maintain the proper distance, so they wouldn’t accidentally touch in any other way for more than a second.
It did not take much time, and Alec was as hard as he could be, his pants tightening. He helplessly grazed his hard cock with his restrained hands, trying not to make the movement too obvious, but that was something that could not be hidden from Magnus.
Magnus broke the kiss and licked his lips, raking Alec with his eyes. There was no stopping what was coming next; it couldn’t be avoided.
“Alexander… I cannot touch you, but… You could touch yourself, if you wish. Just make yourself comfortable, I’ll guide you, and join you,” Magnus said in a hoarse voice. He was affected as well, Alec realised.
He did not have to say it twice; Alec just lay down on the bed and tilted his head to the side, awaiting another kiss. Magnus kneeled next to the bed and planted his lips against Alec’s. This time, Alec reached into his own pants with his hands bound together, feeling the spell breaking, and he could move them freely again.
He pulled his pants lower and grasped his hard cock, taking in the amazing scent that always enveloped Magnus as he was kissing him; Magnus was now so close to him. He noticed the fragrance only twice, that was when they kissed for the first time and in that inn; other times, he was not close enough. Alec could not name it, but it was very pleasant and made his head spin.
Then Magnus started to whisper near his ear, making sure he did not touch him. “Just close your eyes and imagine it all. Once we get rid of the curse, I’ll brush my lips against your neck, softly kissing it. But it would not be enough, I would need to mark you as mine,” he said in a soft, sensual tone. Alec noticed the movement and saw that Magnus touched himself too. It would not be fair if only Alec could, and he was more than okay with it.
A silent moan escaped Alec’s mouth; he would love that. “Yes… Please, I need that,” Alec babbled between the silent pants, while he worked his hand.
He needed it all; his grasp on his cock tightened, and he started to jerk it quicker. Another kiss landed on his lips, and he immediately opened his mouth. Right now, he did not need air; he needed only Magnus, Magnus and his passionate kisses.
“Tell me, tell me more, tell me everything, Magnus,” Alec begged desperately once they broke it for a second to take a breath.
“I would explore your perfect body, every inch of it, with my hands. I would find all your sensitive spots and kiss and lick them one after another, until you shudder under me. I’ll turn you into a hot, panting mess,” Magnus continued in a low tone. The words sent a shiver all over Alec’s body; he had never felt this hot before. He needed it all, more, again, right now, more... He tilted his head to the side and found Magnus’ lips. Their tongues touched with desperation, and the movement of their hands picked up the pace.
“Magnus… Magnus…” Alec repeated his name like a prayer into his mouth; the hot breath brushing his cheek, he felt as if he was about to explode. Magnus did not have to say anything else, Alec’s stomach spasmed, and he jerked his cock once more, and hot cum covered his hands, he continued moving until it felt too much, slowing his movement and stopping when no more came out.
“Alexander… You’re so beautiful, I want you so much,” Magnus whined and captured his needy lips again. Alec felt the tremors as Magnus was coming closer to the edge, too. This time, it was Alec’s responsibility to make sure they only touch with their lips and mouths. Magnus frantically kissed him; the kiss was messy and desperate. And then Magnus leaned back and, with a groan, came all over the side of the bed. Alec watched him, dazed; still high on his own orgasm, he never even dreamed of seeing something as mesmerising as his face when he came. It took all his strength not to reach for him.
However, the Cup on the side table behind them turned crimson red…
Notes:
Aaaaah! :D I... am sorry? :D But don't worry, the next chapter is already written. I just need to edit it, and it will be out next Saturday! :3 The next chapter is a little slower paced.
Please, please leave a comment if you liked this chapter. :3
Also, feel free to invade my ask. https://www.tumblr.com/blog/randomkatefangirl
Chapter 6: A travel to Dumont
Summary:
After acquiring the Cup, it is time to search for the Mirror.
Notes:
This chapter is a little slower, calmer, and bit by bit uncovers it all! :3 Aaaah, I love to dose the story like this, and I love our boys. <3
Thank you so much for the comments and kudos! <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Magnus tried to catch his breath. He smiled, and then he waved his hand to clean up the bed and Alec, sending the mess they made who knows where. Alexander’s gaze was so soft, Magnus did not regret doing this for a second. Who could have expected that only a kiss would awaken so much lust in them? At that moment, he felt almost like a feral animal.
Was any of that… a true love's kiss? No, it did not feel like that. Whatever those kisses were, they were intense and made them both crave more, making it difficult to stick just to kissing. After they had properly dressed themselves up, Magnus crawled up to the bed from the other side.
“Everything okay?” Magnus asked with a warm smile. He propped his head on his elbow, contentedly smiling. Even though they only kissed and, other than that, did not touch each other, he was happy; his heart suddenly felt so full, overflowing with love for the young prince. There was a change in the atmosphere; their thirst was gone. His eyes were glued to Alexander, and the lazy smile on his lips was everything to Magnus.
He leaned in to kiss him, and just before their lips lovingly and gently touched, he noticed that the Cup had a different colour. He swiftly broke the kiss and looked at it, strange, everything seemed normal. The beautiful angelic colour still glistened, and gems shone so brightly. Magnus decided not to alarm Alec and kept it to himself. Maybe he just imagined it.
“I could do this all day,” Alec said and opened his eyes.
“We’ll find the mirror, and then we can do even more,” Magnus whispered, they carefully leaned next to each other and exchanged a few more kisses, being careful not to touch otherwise. There was no lust in the kiss, just the soft touch of Alec’s lips, his sweet breath tickling his cheek, making Magnus’ heart soar with each kiss.
It was this exact moment when Magnus thought that true love might exist even for him. That he was not an exception just because of his demonic parent, and it could find him. The angelic relic still looked the same, even after being used.
After they decided that they should move on, Magnus took the cup in his hand. He studied it, watching it from every angle, cleaning it of the wine.
“I think I should keep it here. My tower is well protected; not just anyone can break in and steal it,” he said, and looked around, a new place for it to be kept hidden was needed. Then he pulled out a small leather bag that was adorned with mystical golden symbols. “There, this one is perfect. It’s a magical item; it will help to conceal it.”
After he put it inside, and the cup disappeared in the small bag, he looked at Alexander, already expecting the curious look and fascination with his magic. This felt so satisfying, Magnus hoped that he would never take his magic for granted. Whenever it happened, he started to feel more like a thing than a person, especially with nobles.
“That’s perfect, now, let me test if it’s still working even if we put the Cup away,” Alec said and quickly went to Magnus, leaning in and expecting another kiss.
Magnus chuckled; it was so endearing that he came up with this as an excuse for a kiss. The Cup was bound to them; unless someone else found it and used it, the effect would stay activated. But maybe Alec did not know.
“But of course,” Magnus said, but the kiss was just quick and chaste, much to Alec’s displeasure. Magnus did not even need to check the outside; he knew that they could kiss without any consequences. “I think you should report back to your family.”
“And what about you?”
“Me? I need to send a few messages, I think that the mirror is next,” Magnus frowned, slipping into a deep thought. When he noticed Alec’s look, he snapped out of it. “Well, I’ll go with you through the portal if you wish, then I’ll send you a message once I know where the mirror was last seen.”
And so, they agreed that Alec would go back, leaving the cup hidden in Magnus’ tower.
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Alec kissed Magnus goodbye, and just the thought that he could made his mind light as a feather. He could kiss him; it was the best feeling in the world. He kissed him so many times today, but it still felt like a first time, and he knew he could do it again, and again…
Magnus reassured him that he would hurry up and write to him every day. And with that, Alec and his horse returned home. And as expected, the castle was in absolute disarray.
Jace sat on the terrace with Clary, the stupid musician tuned his lute, while his sister sat near him, and Alec knew she pretended to read. He hated that they did not chase him away after all. He did not belong with them, nor did that girl.
His horse was being taken care of, so he approached Jace first, trying to ignore his sister. Now that he was closer, he saw Isabelle’s subtle smile, while she tried to look fully occupied. Alec wondered if that was another of her rebellions.
“Alec!” Jace greeted him right away, he left Clary and went directly to him when he noticed him. “Did you succeed? Where’s Magnus?”
“We got it, we have the first relic. He’s now contacting people and is looking for another,” Alec confirmed. Jace patted his shoulder, and he seemed genuinely happy.
“Perfect, well, I’m not doing so well, I didn’t manage to kick out this musician wannabe,” he said and shot his look at Simon, who scowled at him in return. “Apparently, our mother thinks he’s charming and offered him a job. She must be delusional.”
“Anything else I should know, any surprises?” Alec asked. He wondered if Jace was protective of Izzy, which was not very likely, or if there was some other reason why he did not like him.
“No, let’s have some snack, I’m hungry,” Jace said and put his arm around Alec’s shoulders. Well, but when he wasn’t?
Life back at home went on, and suddenly, it felt so boring. Alec missed Magnus’ jokes, even though he spent just a few days with him; he felt that they were a perfect match. Also, his kisses were divine — and he did not care if any of his parent were a demon or whatever – they just were divine.
He wondered how he could spend so much time just confined to the walls of the castle. His parents still seemed unaware that his curse had already taken effect; perhaps they missed the snowstorm, unlike Jace.
As promised, he got one or two letters from Magnus every day. He had no idea how to respond, because he wielded no magic, but it still made him happy. Magnus told him about his progress, about how Chairman Meow was happy to be out of the pocket dimension, and how much he missed Alec. Every night before sleeping, he looked at the letters and read them again and again, until his eyelids got too heavy.
And it was one of the rare moments he did not focus on how attractive Magnus was; he just longed to be with him. It was a little different feeling, and Alec felt confused. Maybe it was a part of the true love package. Taking on different forms, shifting with new things he learnt about Magnus, blossoming into something that made him warm and fuzzy instead of hot and needy. Just like the soft kisses after they quenched their thirst.
It took almost a week before Magnus sent a message that he finally had a clue about the mirror. Alec and his siblings were expecting him the next day.
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This time, they greeted Magnus properly, with all the protocol, and audience with the king and queen as he announced that he had found a clue where the next relic that would break the curse was. Alec confirmed that they found the first relic, and it is stored in a safe place, not saying where exactly, just to be sure.
The next relic was on a small island nearby, Dumont. It was a vampire kingdom, with a queen named Camille Belcourt. People said that she recently founded a harem, where any human male could arrive, and she would graciously offer them to suck their blood. And maybe even something else, Magnus thought bitterly.
“And thus, your majesty, I need a whole escort to impress Queen Belcourt,” Magnus ended his explanation.
“Well, Alec’s siblings could accompany you, except for Max, who’s too young,” the queen said.
“A brilliant idea,” Magnus agreed.
And with that, Jace and Isabelle chose that even Clary and Simon must go with them, because their art could charm Queen Belcourt. And then also a few servants.
Magnus put together a proper letter with Idris’ best diplomats. Once it was agreed, the letter was sent. Fortunately, some wizards lived in the vampire kingdom of Dumont, so the answer arrived shortly. The queen invited Magnus and his entourage; she expected them.
She should have the mirror, while the cup just looked nice, and Magnus heard it changed water into wine – not that he planned to try – there were rumours about the mirror that it could show you any place in the world you wanted, except for places protected against magic or simply warded. Magnus wondered if it worked even on wizards. Otherwise, useful relic, Magnus was afraid that Camille would not give that up so easily. With her, there was always some hidden agenda.
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It took them another two days to prepare their diplomatic expedition. Isabelle was excited that she could help Alec and visit a kingdom she had never visited before. What surprised him, she borrowed Clary some of her older clothes that were smaller. They were growing closer when he was gone.
They prepared four comfortable carriages; some were for their personal servants. On the way, whenever they stopped, Alec’s siblings went to sit with them in turns. What was strange, Magnus was like a different person with them around. He was all decent, charming and funny. It was as if he were hiding his true self behind the quips and wise words. He thought he was very friendly with everyone, but after they spent many days together, he saw how distant Magnus was with other people, except for his wizard friends and Alec himself. When he gave it more thought, it felt great; it was as if he let him closer to his heart.
When they were getting near the borders with Edom, they turned to the west and headed for a small harbour. Alec was alone with Magnus for once, which was rare. Everyone was curious about Magnus and wanted to get to know him.
“Before we arrive at Dumont, I need to tell you something,” Magnus said.
Alec got nervous under the serious tone Magnus set. He just nodded and said nothing.
“As you well know, I’m four hundred years old,” Magnus continued, his gaze was serious, and he bore his cat eyes into Alec’s.
“Wait, so that’s for real? You told me once that you are two hundred and once even eight…”
Magnus rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Yes, I’m sorry. The truth is four hundred. Just when I want to look competent and wise, I add some years, and when I need to be seen young and vulnerable, I say less.” Alec chuckled. At least with him, he was being honest. “Right, well, and the queen is a vampire, they are also immortal and… we have a history. We were together one hundred years ago.”
So that meant that Magnus could fall in love with both women and men. Alec looked at him with a serious look and listened without interruption or judgment.
“Well, that’s why I needed the whole entourage, maybe she’ll find someone charming, and it helps us. I have no idea how she’ll greet me. I left her after she cheated on me, I can imagine her giving us a hard time.”
“So, how do we get the relic?” Alec asked.
“No idea, I’ll just wing it, works every time,” Magnus chuckled. “Don’t worry, even if I have to steal it, I will,” he added and winked at him.
Alec took it as a signal for a kiss. He was glad they were alone for a while. The carriage was shaking, so they kissed just briefly, being careful not to touch otherwise. Alec sighed contentedly; his heart was satiated, for now.
He was not happy about the stealing option, but it was the last resort if everything else failed. He tried to imagine how the vampire kingdom would look. Vampires were nocturnal because the sun hurt them; would they need to adapt to their needs? He could not wait to get to know another culture. Magnus answered all his curious questions about vampires and Dumont on the way.
They boarded the ship, and they could finally have some proper sleep. Their cabins were prepared, and even his siblings, who were used to leaving the castle, were not too happy with their accommodations.
“How can we sleep in that cabin when the bed is so uncomfortable?” Isabelle complained to Simon as she was standing in front of her cabin. Alec was heading to his cabin when he met them.
“Take it as an adventure! You’ll be fine, princess,” he said.
“You’re a commoner, I bet that even this shabby cabin is better than what you were used to sleeping in,” she retorted.
Alec hadn’t heard the reply, but it still helped him to feel at ease. At first, he thought that his sister liked the musician, but it was almost as if her noble title made her feel superior to him. Even though Alec did not completely agree with that, he was glad. Whatever Jace did with Clary did not bother him as much; he also started to like her to some degree. Also, what surprised him, Magnus got along best with Clary out of their entire entourage, well, except for Alec himself. Izzy just kept teasing him for calling himself a Rizzard.
But the worst thing was that his sister was right about their cabins. The bed was uncomfortable; the sheets were not as fluffy as he was used to, the pillow was hard as a rock, and he wished that the bed was not so uncomfortable on his back. He imagined being cuddled with Magnus, which would make the whole experience much better, and that brought a smile to his lips. If they managed to get the mirror, that was exactly what they could do on their way back.
Alec lay in his bed and tried to sleep, but he couldn’t. Instead, he got up and headed to the deck. The breeze and fresh air brushed his cheek as soon as he reached it. He looked around, wondering if Magnus was asleep, but to his delight, he stood there. He looked mesmerising, as the stars and a huge moon shone on his beautiful face. The soft wind made his cape flutter behind him; he looked unworldly. Alec stopped in his tracks and stared.
Magnus noticed Alec soon and smiled at him warmly. “How are you enjoying your first sail? I hope you’re not seasick,” he said.
Alec stood next to him and put his palms on the railing that Magnus was leaning against. “Luckily, I feel fine. It seems no one is affected by seasickness, except for one servant. But she’ll be fine.”
“Glad to hear it then… why can’t you sleep? Are you nervous?” Magnus asked, as he turned around, Alec noticed his gorgeous wizard robe. This one was blue, just like Alec’s eyes, and he seemed ready for a fight, because he wore leather armbands adorned with golden ornaments. Across his chest was a leather band. He wanted to run his hand along it, or at least tug at it, but Alec stopped himself. It would be dangerous to trigger the curse here on a ship.
“I… actually, this is the worst bed I've ever slept in,” Alec admitted, he felt so spoiled when he said it, but he couldn’t help but be honest.
Magnus laughed. “I knew it, Alexander, you’re a spoiled prince after all,” he said with a gleam in his eyes.
“It’s not my fault that the pillow could break a stone!” Alec defended, which amused Magnus even more.
“Come here,” Magnus whispered and curled his finger. He did not have to repeat himself, because Alec immediately understood, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Magnus’. The ship was almost unmoving, as the wind was very weak, so he risked it and tried to part Magnus’ lips.
Alec had to hold onto the railing, not to touch Magnus, but at least he could be close to him like this. Magnus’ mouth responded with tenderness as his lips opened, welcoming Alec’s tongue. Alec needed more; his blood was boiling, and he felt arousal just from the kiss itself, because in his mind reappeared the hot moment they shared in Magnus’ tower. Softly moaning into it, he pulled himself away.
“This is torture. I can kiss you, but I cannot touch you,” Alec said softly. Not a long time ago, he was happy that he could at least kiss him, but he got greedy.
“We’ll get the mirror. I’ll do anything in my power to get it, I promise,” Magnus said as he looked at Alec, his face serious. Even he seemed affected.
“I know you will. I’ll go to sleep, or I’ll sink our ship,” he could not control his voice; the pain he felt right now was breaking him in half. He knew he would lock himself in his cabin and touch himself while thinking of Magnus.
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As Magnus was falling asleep that night, he still felt Alec’s lips on his. He could not believe how much thirst just the kiss would wake in him, and he chased it away. As he felt that his consciousness finally started to slip away, a dream crept in.
He was dancing on the deck of the ship with Alexander. His eyes were as blue sky on the sunniest day. The prince was happy, glowing as he had never seen him. A light, joyful music played, leaving small butterflies fluttering in Magnus’ stomach. He reached for Alec, spinning him into a pirouette, and catching him, enjoying his jubilant expression. Alec was not much smaller than Magnus and felt so perfect in his arms. He wanted to hold him. No, he needed it, now, forever…
Then they fell through the deck, and they were naked, lying on a beautiful meadow, with various colourful flowers around them. Magnus spooned Alec in his arms, rubbing his hard cock against the crack of Alec’s ass, his hand roamed Alexander’s perfect abs while he nibbled on the soft skin on his neck and back.
Then he rolled over to trap Alec’s head between his hands and lowered himself to kiss him. Their hot, hard cocks pressed against one another as their bodies touched. The kiss got more frantic and deeper with each second. Alec’s hand slowly travelled up and down his back, as if it searched for some sensitive spot.
Magnus heard an urgent whisper. “I need you inside, Magnus, please.”
“I can’t… no… I would doom us all,” Magnus replied, baffled. Alec would never ask for anything like this; they both wanted to stop the curse. They had only the Cup, so why could they touch?
But then his vision started to change, Alec disappeared, and Magnus was not naked anymore. He looked around, confused, and he saw a tall man. He wore clothes like a noble, a king maybe, he had the same cat eyes as him. But his gave a different feeling, he could quite easily be a wild cat on a hunt. Dangerous, elegant and merciless.
“My son, you prepared a first step for me; I thank you. Go, claim the prince. This is what you want, what you need. I know it, you’re my son after all, and I’m so proud. A son of the king of lust, incapable of love. Not even some prophecy can change that,” the man said.
Magnus woke up with a sharp inhale. His pants were straining him, and he brought his palm to his eyes.
“How delightful… my demonic father sent me a wet dream… That’s what I always secretly wanted,” he muttered.
He was angry, angry and disgusted, disgusted by his father. His arousal was gone in an instant, and he tossed around on his bed. There was something in that dream that bothered him. He said that Magnus had prepared a first step for him. But that made no sense; the angelic artefact stayed angelic. It did not turn into a real Device of Sin. Why would his father tell him something like that? And how was it possible that he could talk to him in his dreams? He never did, not even once during his long life. Or was that just his head playing with him because he got so needy only after a kiss to punish him?
Magnus realised that there would be a time when he had to tell Alec who his father was, unless Alec decided Magnus was too much and found a different love sooner. That could still happen; no need to rush to tell him yet.
Or so he told himself, but the truth was… he feared his reaction.
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It was early in the morning when Alec heard a loud voice yelling that they had just arrived on the land. He changed his clothes and sleepily left his cabin. His body ached, he hated the bed, he hated everything in that cabin. Just the thought of having to use it again on the way back made him wish that Dumont had a portal. He started to appreciate the magic that the Edom Kingdom was full of.
Everyone was sleepy, except for a few servants and some of the sailors handling the ship.
“We’re here, Dumont. That city is atrocious,” Magnus said. He must have hated that place. “But on the bright side, there’s a nice tower with an amazing view. It has just one disadvantage: the view is of that atrocious city.”
Almost everyone laughed, and Alec lovingly smiled at Magnus. But he was right, the city looked awful. Everything had dark windows; some houses had no windows. He wondered if that was because many vampires lived here, and they avoided the sun. Some of the houses looked as if they could crumble at any time.
He could not wait for the new experiences that awaited him. And more importantly, he could not wait to get hold of the Mirror. That magical hand mirror, which would let him finally embrace Magnus.
Notes:
I got slowed down because of Magnus' birthday event, so maybe the next chapter is in 14 days instead of 7, I don't know yet. But there is no cliffhanger, so it should be okay, right? :D
Please, please leave a comment if you liked this chapter. :3
Also, feel free to invade my ask. https://www.tumblr.com/blog/randomkatefangirl
Chapter 7: The Dumont Kingdom
Summary:
Alec, Magnus and the whole gang arrive in Dumont Kingdom, where they undergo a challenge prepared by Camille.
Notes:
I did it, I completed the chapter yesterday, yay! :D It was a sudden flash of inspiration that helped me finish it in time. :D
Thank you very much for any interaction with my fics. <3
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Their whole entourage was greeted by a few tired-looking humans. Magnus was disgusted because he knew those were vampires’ servants. He wondered if in Dumont still lived normal people or if the island was full only of these empty shells, eagerly awaiting to fulfil every order from their master or mistress in the hope of getting turned into a vampire.
One hundred years ago, he hoped that Camille was different, but once he found out that her servants were not just that, human servants, but some also lovers, it broke his heart. He hoped that he could live forever, or until he got insane with old age, with having another immortal by his side. But hearts of immortals turned to stone too easily. After her, his heart bled, and he found himself in a never-ending circle of flings, parties and work. And now, he felt something was about to change.
Walking through the city, they felt uneasy. Even though it was a bright day, Dumont was as if it were empty, and no people lived there. Whenever Magnus was here, it was usually during the night; he rarely experienced the city being so empty.
The shells of humans lead them to a big castle. It was not as big as the one in Idris, where Alec and his family lived, but it was still quite imposing.
Servants led them inside; there was no one to greet them; vampires were asleep. Rooms were divided among them; the castle had enough for all of them. Just the servants they brought from Alicante had to sleep in rooms specified for other servants. Magnus was worried about them; they could easily be entranced by the sweet words about becoming vampires, and they might want to stay here.
“The Queen will welcome you after the sun sets, make yourself comfortable until then,” one of the servants said when he led them into a corridor where their rooms were, and he left them.
“This place is giving me creeps,” Simon said as the servant left, everyone looked at him. “What? Don’t you think these servants act weird? Someone must have stuck a pole in their asses.”
“Seamour,” Magnus said as he came closer to him.
“It’s Simon,” he corrected him.
“Seamus, listen. Those are vampire servants, they are almost devoid of their own will, blindly following their master,” and then Magnus realised that only Alec was informed about how vampire society worked on their way here. He thought that his siblings and their artists were more aware of the world around them, that only Alec was sheltered because of the curse, but it seemed that even they were oblivious to the culture of Dumont.
“Alright, everyone. Listen to me, be careful. Do not provoke the vampires, we are their guests, and they won’t suck your blood just because they feel like to, but still, be careful around them and their servants. Don’t let them overhear something you would not tell vampires; they will defend them with all their might, and they are stronger than a regular human.”
“Ah… I see, that’s why,” Simon said darkly. Magnus wondered why he agreed that even the artists were sent with them; he needed just the siblings.
“Well, off you go, I suggest everyone try to get some sleep; we’ll have a night audience with the queen,” Magnus said cheerfully, clapped his hands and, with a dramatic gesture, sent them to their rooms.
He saw that even Alec headed to his room. “Alexander, except for you,” he said and smiled at him. Alec turned around, both ignoring the happy giggling from Clary and Izzy, and they kissed shortly.
“Have a good night, I mean… day? I couldn’t sleep on that ship anyway; hopefully, bed here will be more comfortable,” Alec said, leaning in for another kiss.
This time, Magnus let his mouth linger longer on his soft lips, smiling into the kiss. “Sleep well, my sweet prince, I hope that Camille will be reasonable.”
“Me too, can’t wait to embrace you,” Alec said, and he kissed him once more, deepening the kiss.
Magnus was still surprised by the way Alec kissed him. It left him breathless; it was as if all his feelings were attacking his lips and tongue at once. He felt the desperation, the longing, the need to feel his presence. And as in his tower, even now, he was blown away by the raw emotions. Then he felt Alec’s hand on his chest and quickly stepped aside.
“Sorry!” Alec apologised, but Magnus just smiled and nodded. It was just a few seconds before he noticed it. He was not as alarmed as when they found out, knowing that a few seconds are not enough for a catastrophe.
“Let’s go try to sleep, we’ll see what her demand will be in exchange for the mirror.”
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Alec was almost afraid that he would find a coffin in his room instead of a bed, but fortunately, the bed looked quite normal. It was not as good as the one at home, but still better than the one on the ship. He slept badly because he had a strange feeling, like someone was trying to invade his dreams. It could be just the uncomfortable bed’s doing.
Alec did not feel too safe in this place; he was glad he brought his short sword and a weapon he was most comfortable with, a bow. Maybe he was being too careful, but he put both under his bed, covered with an additional blanket he found in the closet.
The sleep overcame him shortly, and this time, he could finally rest well.
It was his sister who woke him up, urgently knocking on his door. “Alec, Alec. Wake up, it’s quite late, get ready, the queen should be up shortly,” she said through the closed door.
“Coming, wait for me,” Alec muttered, he would rather have his servant to help him change his clothes, but he slowly got used to being on his own thanks to the short trip with Magnus.
He briefly checked himself in the mirror. It was as if something changed; the change was subtle, but he had a feeling as if he was not the sheltered naïve prince anymore, as if he had finally got to living his life. Quite satisfied, he left his room.
Outside of his room was all their entourage, except for the servants. They were offered Dumont’s servants instead; he hoped that their servants were resting or doing some light work. After all, they were guests too.
As they walked the dark corridors of Dumont’s castle, Alec noticed the lack of windows in most of the places. The part of the castle they already explored had at least some, but the closer they were to the throne room, the worse it got. Alec caught Magnus’ encouraging look, and they entered the room.
Inside was a huge, tall golden throne, with a queen so elegant that even if Alec was not attracted to women, he thought she was pretty. Her long blond hair fell to her shoulders as a waterfall, and there was a strange spark in her eyes. He understood why someone might fall in love with her, which unsettled him, given Magnus’ history with her. She had unusual clothes for royalty; her red dress was revealing and a bit tight.
Lately, he has been thinking whether the destiny that the fairy godmother foretold could be changed. Even though he believed in true love his whole life and in the prophecy, he started to doubt. Not the love itself, but himself. Could he mess it up?
“Welcome to our Dumont kingdom,” the queen said, and she spread her arms wide. “I hope you’ll enjoy your stay. I’d love to know your new friends, Magnus. People from the Idris kingdom rarely visit us.”
“It is our pleasure to visit your kingdom, dear queen,” Magnus said, and Alec was surprised at the formality of his speech. He expected him to act more familiar; maybe he did not want to give her some ideas?
Even the queen must have noticed it, because her expression grew tense. “What brings you here? You did not specify in your message. I had to ask Hypatia to send you a reply.”
“That is not to be discussed here. I don’t want more people than necessary to hear about it,” Magnus said.
“As you wish, Magnus. I’ll enjoy talking to you in private, but only with you,” the queen said and winked at him, then she chuckled.
Alec tried to control himself; this whole exchange made him nervous.
“Is that truly necessary, Camille? Whatever you want to say to me, you can say even to the eldest children of King Robert,” Magnus said and pointed at Alec. He was not sure what to think of that but being careful and not revealing too much about them felt different from when Magnus visited his friends.
The queen shook her head. “No, I want to talk only to you,” she insisted.
A pang of jealousy ran through Alec; he had a hard time containing it. Magnus obviously did not want to reveal to her how close he and Magnus were; maybe he had his reasons, but the way she acted towards Magnus was suspicious. He did not like it at all.
“Very well, I am then ready for our talks,” Magnus said, and Queen Belcourt got up and left the room, Magnus followed her.
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Jace approached Alec, leaned in, and he looked rather baffled. “What was this about? Why would she want to talk to him alone?” he whispered.
“No idea, Magnus said… she enjoys a lot of scheming. But we need the mirror at any cost.”
“I don’t like this, Alec. Hopefully, he knows what he’s doing,” Jace said, and then the servants led them outside the throne room. “Why were we needed here anyway?” Jace asked, making sure only Alec or others from their kingdom heard him.
“Maybe some power play. I don’t like it either, we should be careful,” Izzy chimed in.
Alec had no experience in this field; he was glad for his siblings to share with him their thoughts; otherwise, he would have gone crazy with anxiety. Alec knew that this travel would not be as pleasant as his travel around Edom, but he still did not expect such pressure.
When his sister saw how worried he was, she asked one of the servants where their library was and led them inside. Alec looked around. Their library was nothing special. Even Magnus in his tower had more books, and Alec did not even see the last floor.
“Sit down, let’s wait for them. Magnus can handle it,” she chuckled.
“How do you know that?” Simon asked from the seat he took across her.
“Well… I was on one of his parties and not just once. He can be quite intimidating if someone is sullying his party,” she said.
“So, you were there!” Alec said and furrowed his brows. So, her diplomatic visits were not just diplomatic, but she was there to have fun.
“Let’s not talk about me, so what. Jace was there too,” she looked at him, and he grinned.
“What can I say? The party would feel so empty without me,” Jace chuckled.
“Okay, I get it, I think we have different things to worry about,” Alec almost interrupted him. Jace was a loyal friend, but sometimes too full of himself.
Then they slipped into an idle banter, even Clary and Simon joined, and Alec was surprised by how well they fit with them. Sure, they were commoners, but at least artists. That by itself gave them a little better standing in society than if they were, for example, servants. The little redhead knew how to deal with Jace, even though his tongue was as sharp as usual; she dared to talk back like no one else. That was rather impressive because Jace did not seem to be angry at her, more like delighted.
It took about two hours, and Magnus was finally back. Alec immediately got up from his seat.
“How was it?” he asked.
“Well… not good, not terrible. We’ll get three challenges, and if we can complete them, she’ll give us the mirror. The first should be tomorrow, I had no idea what she plans,” Magnus answered. He seemed devastated; the collar on his robe was crumpled on one side, which felt weird.
“Now that’s stupid. What are we, some servants?” Izzy complained and sighed.
“Well, that was her condition. I expect her to cheat, but so can we,” Magnus said and grinned.
“Did you tell her about the curse?” Alec asked.
“No, I tried to avoid it, but her questions were too precise. She must know already.”
A dissatisfied murmur around them made Alec realise that they were not alone in this. This time, he had his siblings around and… whatever those other two were. Maybe they had some talent that would help them with the challenges.
The next evening, Camille welcomed them in the throne room. Everyone looked quite nervous, except for Magnus, who either was calm or could hide it well.
“Ahh, nice to see you all here. Come, Magnus, come here. I’ll tell you your first challenge.”
“You can say it even if I stand right here, Camille,” Magnus said.
“No, I want you to come closer, it is important,” she said. Magnus shot a sidelong glance at Alec, and then he looked at Camille, he rolled his eyes.
“What is your game, Camille?” Magnus’s back straightened up, he had to be tense, Alec thought.
“Closer,” she said, and Magnus sighed. He leaned in, and Alec saw how she almost brushed her lips with his ear. He really was a Rizzard, since his ex seemed still attracted to him.
Magnus was frowning, and Alec’s blood was boiling. Jace touched his arm gently, and they exchanged looks. Alec sighed when Jace shook his head as if trying to calm him. He could be an ass, but when it counted, Alec could rely on him.
Unable to read Magnus’ thoughts, Alec watched the whole scene with barely contained anger.
Camille giggled and looked at them, then her gaze lingered on Alec. “Oh, Prince Alexander. Don’t look so sour, I heard you are an amazing archer, you will like this challenge.”
Alec cringed when she called him Alexander; it felt very uncomfortable. Only Magnus and his parents, when they were being strict with him, called him that; it was even stranger that when Magnus first called him that, he did not mind it. But now… it seemed like a provocation, he tried not to get read by her, but her smirk told it all. She read him like an open book.
Then she patted Magnus’ back as he went back to them. Alec almost wanted to shout at her at the top of his lungs, but another firm squeeze on his arm stopped him.
“Let’s go outside then, my servants are already preparing all we need,” Camille chirped. How could she be so cheerful and deceitful at the same time? This was beyond Alec’s comprehension as a person who wore his heart on his sleeve.
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Magnus tried to smile all the time; he did all he could to look nonchalant. It was not that hard, not for him. But if he was being honest with himself, he was disgusted. Camille was all flirty when they were alone, acting like they still belonged together, going as far as grabbing the collar of his robe until he pushed her away. She must have known about him and Alec, and she hinted that Magnus should find someone immortal instead.
But Magnus did not care; he had lived for a long time already. If Alec was his true love, and they could properly deepen their relationship after they broke the curse, he was determined to stop prolonging his life with spells. Four hundred years was a lot, so he would do it. He used to laugh at wizards who decided to grow old with people they loved and then die, there was always so much to discover, parties to enjoy, people to sleep with. Even if he was bored and a little lonely before he met Alec, it still felt worth being alive. But that was yet to be seen, only if he felt they truly belonged together.
Outside, Camille’s servants prepared a lot of practice targets. She sat on the throne and smiled viciously. For someone, her smile could be sweet, but Magnus saw its true nature. “So, let’s do the first challenge, it is very simple. Choose three people, and so will I. Your champions must have more points than ours.”
Magnus noticed the panic on their side, and he expected Camille to cheat in some way. And then he saw her champions, his smile grew wide, when he noticed a person, he knew. Raphael Santiago, Magnus helped him once, and even though the guy was insulting him everywhere he went, and made fun of Magnus for being uncool, whatever that meant, he could be their turning point.
“So? Who’s in?” Magnus asked and went to the rest of his group, who were arguing about something.
“Well, Alec and Jace. They are princes, trained in archery, and Alec is a very good archer, but… Simon wants in, but he is a commoner. I don’t think he can shoot,” Izzy explained, and they both watched the animated discussion. Clary was defending Simon, saying that he was a good archer too, that his late father was a bowyer, and when he died, they still had bows at home, until they sold all except for one.
And then they saw everything as if in slow motion. Angry Simon stomped to the range, he grabbed a bow, and almost without looking, he shot a mid. Everyone, including Camille, gasped. No one expected it; it was almost as if Camille thought only Alec was a good archer, and honestly, Magnus thought so too. He trusted them when they said it.
“That doesn’t count!” Camille exclaimed. “Choose your champions first and show them to me.”
“What did I tell you? Simon is an excellent archer,” Clary fumed, and Alec nodded.
“Okay, you are right. I’m sorry,” Alec said, and then he turned to Camille. “Our champions are me, Jace and Simon.”
Camille then clapped her hands, and her champions went forward. Raphael, a female human servant and a vampire that Magnus barely remembered under the name Eliott.
But after Simon’s performance, he saw uncertainty on her face, and Magnus smirked. Simon was their special surprise. He was right when he asked them to accompany them. Then he tried to wink at Raphael, who threw a disgusted face at him and stepped behind the other champions on their side. That went worse than Magnus expected.
First was Jace, as expected, he knew how to shoot, but even Simon was perhaps better than him. From his complaints, Magnus assumed that if the fight were with swords, he would do so much better. His score was not bad, but unfortunately, he scored far from full points.
The second person to shoot was the servant; she did even better than Jace, earning a cheer from vampires all around them.
When Magnus noticed the self-confident smile on Alec’s face, his heart rate quickened. He rarely saw him like this; the boy was constantly worried about something, and Magnus could not understand why. If he could do anything to make him believe in himself as he was now, he would do it.
He watched him fire a first arrow; it hit the middle circle. Magnus gaped at it. He had no idea his Alexander was this good. Then Alec smirked and looked at Magnus; he could not help but feel so giddy. He happily clapped his hands and sent him his sweetest smile, swooning over his archer boy. Alec chuckled and then shot the rest of the ten arrows. All except for one hit the middle circle.
Then he went back to them, and Magnus couldn't care less about their surroundings, hell, maybe he even wanted to piss off Camille, but in front of everyone, he leaned in and quickly kissed Alec with a chaste kiss.
Alec kissed him back and softly chuckled. “Here? In front of everyone?” he whispered. Alec did not care about strangers, and all his friends and family knew about them, so Magnus noticed how surprisingly relaxed he was.
“You were so amazing and hot, Alexander. I could not resist,” Magnus said with glee.
Alec smiled and watched another archer who was already on his mark, Eliott. He took a stance and landed his arrows better than Jace, but not as well as Alec did. It was almost a tie; Magnus and his champions were losing by some points, but they trusted Simon. They saw how capable he was.
Alec watched in horror as his sister went closer to him and kissed him on the cheek, while giggling. “Good luck, archer,” she said. Simon looked at her as if he did not believe it, but then he grinned.
“I will win this for you, my princess,” he murmured and bowed to Isabelle’s delight.
Magnus tilted his head to Alec and smirked. For Magnus, it was amusing, for Alec… not so much. He was deep in thought, and Magnus could only guess what he was thinking.
Simon focused; his score was rather impressive, but still not as good as Alec’s. He hit the middle circle five times, and Clary cheered. Magnus just noticed the way Jace scoffed and pretended he was not there.
“If it were a sword fight, I would be the best,” he could hear him complain. These young people were amusing, and Magnus would not mind spending more time with them.
“Well, nice try, but my last champion will win it,” Camille said and gestured for Raphael to go and shoot. He nodded, and Magnus caught his look just before he turned to the archery range. He stared at him meaningfully, and he was convinced that he saw a glint in his eyes for a second.
Raphael shot his first shot, and it was perfect. And another… if his last shot was perfect, they would have won. But he took his bow and, in a dramatic gesture, shot the arrow into the sky.
“I’m done with this stupidity,” he said and was on his way.
“Raphael? Raphael!” Camille screamed, but he did not even bother to turn to her; he was on his leave. “I’ll get you punished!”
“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Raphael uttered, and even if Camille was mad, no one dared to move.
“Yes, Camille, that would be a big mistake,” Magnus said as he watched him leave. He knew very well that he was loved by many people in Camille’s court. Was she to behead Magnus or any of his entourage, no one would bat an eye… but Raphael? Not possible, half of her people would turn against her, and it seemed that both Magnus and Raphael knew it.
Camille snapped her fingers and pierced Magnus with her eyes. “Okay, you won the first challenge, but the second will be worse. I’ll call Hypatia to arrange it.”
Magnus tiredly rubbed his eyes. Oh no, another ex, and this time a wizard, he hated this place.
“Of course… We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said and sighed. He swore to never visit Dumont again.
Notes:
Soooo... Camille is being Camille, aaahh... she has no idea what I prepared for her. :D :D :D
Well, anyway, can't wait for them to get another relic because... ehehehe... The scene, once they get hold of the Mirror, haunts me since I came up with the plot. :D
Did you catch the word rizzard in this chapter? :D It's at least once in each, I swear! :D
And... If you enjoyed the chapter at least a little, please, please, leave a comment! <3 Or feel free to sneak into my ask/PMs on Tumblr. :D https://www.tumblr.com/blog/randomkatefangirl
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Hopesfarm on Chapter 5 Tue 02 Dec 2025 04:03AM UTC
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Last Edited Tue 02 Dec 2025 07:46AM UTC
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