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vaguelyrotten · 3 years ago

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Like a Lily in a Flood

Title: Like a Lily in a Flood Artist: @myulalie Beta: @another-random-stranger Pairings: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, mentions of Jimon and Reyhill Word Count: 70k Warnings: Mild Gore, Beheading, Nearly being eaten alive and burned at the stake, Discrimination, Sickness Summary: Alec returns home to find his town plagued by a mysterious illness. Unable to find a cure, he ventures into the woods to seek help from an unlikely source. We must not look at goblin men... This fic was created for the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2021: Presented by the @malecdiscordserver

Chapter Three

The morning sun hit Alec’s eyes and he groaned, throwing an arm across his face in a pathetic attempt to shield himself from the light. “What time is it?” He mumbled, the sound muffled against his sleeve. He typically found it a lot easier to get up early, but he’d never slept quite this rough before.

“Nearly nine,” Magnus replied, snapping his finger and extinguishing the remainder of the flames as Alec pushed himself into a sitting position. “We’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours. We returned to camp late last night.”

Alec rubbed the last of sleep from his eyes, his gaze finally falling on a spread of pastries and sausages. He blinked, surprised to find nice china and a full breakfast this deep into the forest. “Uh...what’s that?”

“Breakfast, Alexander. Surely you’ve had it before?” Magnus’ voice was light and teasing. Alec could only imagine how long he’d been up this morning preparing this.

“Where did it come from? We’re in the middle of the woods.”

The half-goblin’s cat eyes sparkled as he held up a hand, blue sparks dancing playfully around his fingertips. “Magic, of course. Where else? Eat up — I’d hate to have my hard work go to waste.” Magnus handed him a plate and began to pick and choose items for his own meal. “Now, am I taking you back to the entrance today?” He asked in between bites of an apple.

Alec shook his head, loading the offered plate with a few croissants, some fruit, and a sausage. “I need to find some more ingredients to try. The flowers… they didn’t have much of an effect. If anything, they just stained my fingers for a few days.” He sighed. “I’m getting pretty desperate here. There must be something that I haven’t tried.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a little color,” Magnus replied, gesturing to his outfit. He was wearing a deep blue today, with small accents in gold and maroon. Alec found he missed the purple but this…

This outfit was something different. He found it hard to look away.

“Maybe for you, but I’ll stick with black,” he replied, trying to focus intently on his food so that Magnus didn’t catch him staring. “It’s practical.”

The half-goblin hummed and switched the subject (much to Alec’s relief.) “Did you bring your list again?” Alec nodded and reached over to pull it from his bag before handing it to Magnus.

“Isabelle said to see if we can find some of the non-floral ingredients. Do you recognize any of them?”

“Isabelle?” Magnus asked as his eyes scanned over the parchment.

“My sister,” Alec replied. “She wants to do something in medicine but my parents have prohibited her from studying it. They want her to focus on more ladylike aspirations — like finding a good husband and having children.” He snorted, thinking back to his sister’s wild appearance as she practiced with her whip in the barn. “She’s...a firecracker. She does what she wants, and she studies medicine in secret. She’s been the one helping me test possible cures.”

“Well, if the doctor ordered it, then I suppose we must do our best to please her. I know where some of these are and some that you should try that aren’t on your list. Once you are ready to go, we’ll head out. There’s a stream over there if you’d like to bathe. I’m going to double check the wards once more and see if I can get Elias’ attention. It will be easier if we don’t have to ride double today...and I’m sure your poor horse will appreciate the reprieve.”

Leaving Alec to wash in peace, Magnus disappeared back in the same direction he’d gone last night.

----------

Alec bathed quickly, neither wanting to waste precious time when they could be trying to find a cure nor wanting to spend more time than necessary in the frigid stream. He dressed in the same clothes that he had been wearing the previous day and was working on tacking up Flame when Magnus re-appeared with Elias trotting at his heels. He was holding a crushed purple ribbon in his hand and had a sour expression on his face. “Is everything alright?” Alec asked, concern slipping into his every word.

“Something triggered the wards last night,” Magnus replied, holding up the crumbled, dirty ribbon. “It should have woken me up. If it had pulled another one down, it would have gotten through the perimeter.”

“What do you think it was? Wolf? Bear?”

“Oh my dear, Alexander. Wolves and bears don’t take the time to diffuse part of a magical barrier. I think this was something human...or vaguely human. Regardless, it’s probably time that we move on. I’ll just have to find another place to make my camp tonight.” He sighed, pocketing the ribbon and dismantling the rest of the site with a wave of his hand. “It’s such a shame; it was nice here. I can hardly stay a week before I have to move again these days.” He pulled himself onto Elias’ back effortlessly and Alec followed suit with his own horse.

“I’m sorry. I hope my presence isn’t what caused something to trigger your...wards?” Alec replied, hoping that he got the last word correct since he wasn’t up to date on magical lingo.

“No, don’t you worry. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with Asmodeus’ interest in me. He may even have discovered his missing amulet.”

Alec nudged his horse into a walk, following after Magnus. He frowned as he passed a purple ribbon that was tied from a low-hanging tree branch. “Hey, Magnus?” The half-goblin turned at the sound of his name. “What are the purple ribbons anyway? Something to do with your wards?”

“Yes and no. The wards themselves are just simple spells. They’re invisible to the eye and once I raise them, they’re free standing. If I want to keep you out, the wards will keep you out. Unfortunately, magically sensitive creatures can sense them. It does sort of give me away but it also keeps me safe. The ribbons are...more like an early warning system. I set them outside of the wards. It helps me find my camp and it tells me if anyone is poking around outside of the wards.” Magnus grabbed one off a branch as they passed, and slowed Elias until he was side by side with Alec’s horse.

“Here, take a closer look.” He handed the ribbon to Alec and waved his hand with a sparkle of blue. Alec glanced behind him, watching as the last of the ribbons that he could see disappear to who knows where and a shimmer in the air descend towards the ground. Magnus chuckled at Alec’s startled expression. “Those were the wards, my dear. No reason that we need to keep them up since I have no plans to return to this camp anytime soon.”

With the last of Magnus’ tasks done, he continued forward, humming a tune that was unfamiliar to Alec under his breath and allowing the human to finally take a closer look at the scrap of fabric in his hand. To the naked eye, it didn’t look like anything special. Like the one that he’d stumbled across his first time in the woods, this one was still made of a fabric that Alec couldn’t begin to name. It was a deep purple, with barely noticeable strands of silver and metallic blue that he could only truly see when it caught the light in the right way.

That wasn’t what Alec noticed the most. The fabric nearly seemed to buzz in his hand. The sensation wasn’t painful, instead it felt warm and safe and...curious? He transferred the fabric into his other hand and was surprised when the tingle didn’t fade. “Why does it feel...alive?” He asked, reaching over to hand the ribbon back to Magnus.

“Alive?” Magnus asked, an expression that Alec couldn’t decipher written across his face. “How do you mean alive?”

“You know, alive. It’s almost buzzing when I hold it. And it uh...feels. It’s happy and curious. I know that probably sounds dumb. And impossible.” Alec replied with a blush, already regretting his choice of words as they were leaving his mouth.

“It’s magic, Alexander. Nothing is impossible,” Magnus answered, turning to give the other man a bemused look. “Still… it’s interesting that you feel anything at all, let alone feel that my magic is alive. Most people aren’t that sensitive. Are you sure that you don’t have any goblin blood in you?”

“Not to my knowledge. I’m just a normal, run-of-the-mill human. I had to do a report on our family tree when I was still in school. I traced it back generations; there was nothing out of the ordinary that I could find.”

Magnus hummed, tapping a finger against his chin in thought. “Still...it’s curious. You truly are a mystery, Alexander, and one I cannot wait to unravel.” Alec blushed and Magnus grinned before turning his attention towards the ground in front of him. “Now, as much as I would love to investigate this further, I do believe we are out here on a mission.” Elias came to a stop and the half-goblin slid from his back. “And I do believe I’ve found our first specimen.” He plucked two handfuls of a rather plain looking leafy green. “Sage. A hardy plant that can thrive in some fairly harsh conditions outside of the wood. Your ancestors thought it was a cure-all.”

He handed the plant to Alec and watched as the human gently wrapped the plant in a soft, grey cloth and placed it gently in his bag. “Is it? A cure-all, I mean?”

“Unfortunately, not in the way that they originally thought. Sage does have a lot of uses but it certainly isn’t a miracle cure.” Magnus pulled another couple of leaves off the plant and popped one into his mouth, holding the other out to Alec. The human sniffed it curiously before following suit.

“I think our cook uses this. It smells familiar.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s an excellent seasoning, especially fantastic on chicken. I’ve got a fantastic recipe for Lemon and Sage Chicken that is absolutely to die for. I’ll have to make it for you some time. If you’re amenable, of course.”

“Uh… yeah. I’d like that; once we find a cure and this whole thing is behind us.” Alec replied, a small smile playing on his face. “I’d like to have you over for dinner as well. As a thank you for helping me. I definitely couldn’t do this without you, Magnus. I’d be lost out here...and I’m definitely not any sort of plant expert.”

Magnus glanced up at Alec, searching his face for any sort of malice or alternative plan. “I’m not sure having a goblin over to dinner would go over well with your parents. Most people in that town of yours don’t take kindly to my kind.”

“Please, you’re half human too and they should be throwing you a feast if we manage to find a cure. You deserve the recognition for the part you are playing. I don’t care what they think. I’m going to make sure that we appropriately thank you. All of us.”

Magnus blinked. In his four hundred years he’d never had anyone outside of his closest friends show the sort of care for him that Alec was showing after only two meetings. “You continue to amaze me. You have no reason to trust me and yet, here you are inviting me to dinner.”

“Well, why wouldn’t I? You decided to trust me despite your wards keeping my people out of the forest. You have no reason to trust me either.”

Magnus couldn’t find the right words to reply. Elias lifted his front fetlock and Magnus used the offered limb to pull himself up on the kelpie’s back. “Come on, let’s keep moving. The day is still young and we still have plants to find. We’re playing this one by ear — I can’t say I remember where every single plant in the forest is.”

----------

By the time the sun started to set, Alec’s bag was nearly overflowing with various herbs, mushrooms, and a few more flowers. He glanced up at the darkening sky with a frown on his face.

“Shall I accompany you back to the path?” Magnus asked gently. They’d enjoyed a nice, relaxing day in each other’s presence. It hadn’t felt like work to either of them. There was still the mysterious illness plaguing the town and Raphael’s curse looming, but today hadn’t seemed rushed or stressful.

It had almost been fun.

“I think it’s too late tonight. My sense of direction is sorely lacking out here but we seem deeper than we were the last time I was out here.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Magnus mused. “However, I don’t mind taking you to the entrance. I’m sure you’ve got very important human tasks to get back to...and won’t your family be worried? I don’t want the fine people of Idris coming after me with pitchforks because they think I’ve done unspeakable things to you and your honor.”

Alec snorted. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. Only my family knows that I came back to town and my mother left for Alicante as soon as I got back. I made my brother and sister promise to give me a few days before they came looking.”

“Well then, if you’re not in any rush, I would love to invite you to stay with me again tonight. I know a perfect little clearing right next to a stream that would be ideal for setting up camp.”

Alec glanced up at the sky and the sun that was now beginning to disappear behind the treetops. No, there was definitely no chance of making it home before night completely fell and he didn’t want to chance running into the goblins again.

He’d also get to spend a little more time with Magnus, pretending the outside world didn’t exist and getting to know the half-goblin better. Surely, that couldn’t be a bad thing. “That sounds like a great idea,” he replied, a grin spreading across his face. “Lead the way.”

----------

The site that Magnus had picked for his new camp was somewhere they’d passed by on their earlier adventure. Alec hadn’t paid much attention to the small grove of Yew trees when they had stopped earlier to pick a leafy green plant with small pinkish-purple flowers that Magnus had called herb-of-the-cross. The half-goblin had explained that it was great for general aches and pains as well as being used in numerous purification rituals and Alec’s mind had already been racing with a thousand different ways he could try the herb in a possible cure to truly notice what was around him.

The circle of trees opened to a small clearing. It was about half the size of the camp that Magnus had previously made but that didn’t seem to bother him. Skirting around the north of the camp was a stream.

“Make yourself at home,” Magnus stated, jumping off Elias’ back. The kelpie ambled towards the stream, took a sniff and walked away. Magnus frowned but said nothing, turning his attention back to Alec instead. “I’m going to set the wards. Then I’ll snap us up something to eat and get a fire going.”

“Can I help?” Alec asked as he dismounted and began to untack his gelding.

“Help with?”

“The wards...and setting up camp. I know I don’t have magic myself but you shouldn’t have to do everything and I’d like to watch you set them...if you don’t mind, that is, and if you don’t think I’ll...break them or something. Your magic is the only magic I’ve seen. I’d like to get a closer look.”

Magnus studied him for a few moments before nodding, a fond expression on his face. “Of course, setting the wards isn’t a secret. Magic puts them up and magic takes them down, there’s no way they could be ‘broken’ as you say, by a mere human. It’s just not entirely that exciting. I didn’t want to bore you.”

“Nothing you do is boring, Magnus,” Alec replied, his back turned as he placed his saddle on the ground and out of the way. He tied Flame’s reins loosely to a young tree. “I’ve never learned so much nor enjoyed myself as much as I have when I’m with you.”

Magnus stood shocked as his mind raced to catch up with Alec’s words. The man had spent just a few simple days with him but already Magnus could feel himself becoming attached to this human. Alec dusted his hands off on his pants and turned around, waiting for Magnus to lead the way or give an order. “You never cease to amaze me, Alexander. Magic is more about intent than practice. Come, I’ll give you a brief explanation on ward magic and we can walk the perimeter and set the early warning markers afterwards.” He stepped through the yew trees and he knew without a doubt that Alec would follow.

----------

After they had taken care of their safety for the evening, Magnus led them back to the clearing. True to his word, a simple snap of his fingers and that now too familiar sparkle in the air brought a crackling fire with the same blue flame from the night before. “I’m going to fill my water skin and wash up,” Alec stated, already pulling off his jacket and moving towards the stream.

“I wouldn’t,” Magnus replied, snapping his fingers again and producing a bucket and a simple cloth while the water skin miraculously (magically) had filled itself. “There’s something...odd about the water.”

“How do you know?” Alec asked as he dipped his hands into the bucket and began to scrub his face. “It looks like a normal stream to me.” He’d also filled his waterskin from there earlier in the day and thus far he felt fine.

“Did you see Elias walk over to it?” Alec shook his head, he’d been too preoccupied with taking care of his own horse earlier to notice if the kelpie had done anything strange. “Kelpies are water horses. They’re born in the lakes and rivers when lightning strikes the water. The water keeps them alive...if he wanted nothing to do with the stream, then I don’t trust it either.”

Alec tensed at the half-goblin’s explanation. Everything he had said made sense but that still didn’t change the fact that Alec had in fact been drinking water from the stream all day. “What do you think is wrong with it?” He asked idly, trying to keep his voice calm as he focused on the task at hand.

“There’s no way of telling without running some diagnostic spells on it and, unfortunately, those are more my dear friend Catarina’s speciality instead of mine. If something nefarious were at foot, I’m sure we would have found out sooner. It’s probably something as simple as a dead deer up stream. I wouldn’t worry your pretty head too much about it.”

Alec would worry about it, though he couldn’t stop the blush from forming on face from Magnus’ comment about his pretty head. He’d try to keep a closer eye on any symptoms or weird feelings that may begin to show themselves. For now though, he felt fine. Thank the angel for that at least.

“Now then!” Magnus said loudly, pulling Alec from his reverie and making him jump. “I believe we’re both owed some dinner. Any requests?”

“Magician’s choice,” Alec replied.

“Well, how do you feel about a nice steak? There’s this little place just over the mountain that makes the best steak I’ve ever had in my long and lonely life. Would you like to try it?”

Alec couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a nice steak, let alone ‘the best steak that someone had ever had.’ “That sounds absolutely perfect. I can’t wait to try it.”

Magnus grinned at his response and snapped his fingers.

----------

The steak and potatoes that Magnus had summoned had indeed been the best that Alec had ever had — and that was even compared to some of the famous taverns that he’d eaten at during his stay in the city. The steak practically melted in his mouth and he wasn’t sure what seasoning was on the potatoes but wherever it was, it was absolutely to die for.

They’d set up their bedrolls after they had finished eating and Magnus was currently propped up on his elbow, watching the glow from the fire illuminate Alec’s face. “What?” Alec asked when he noticed the half-goblin was staring at him. “Do I have something on my face?”

“I can’t be interested in your pretty eyes?” Magnus asked, amused. “I was just thinking…”

“About?”

“Every time you and I have met, the conversation focuses largely on me. Now, I do love talking about myself an awful lot but I know hardly anything about you.”

Alec hadn’t intended to withhold information from Magnus. He hadn’t been lying the other night when he said that he had trusted him, he just didn’t find his life that interesting — not compared to Magnus’, where there was magic and mystery in every waking moment. “I’m afraid I’m not that interesting,” Alec said after a moment, giving the half-goblin a sad smile and a small shrug. “But I don’t have secrets. What do you want to know?”

A smile spread across Magnus’ face that Alec could feel down to his very soul. “You said you had siblings? Tell me about them.”

Alec laughed. “Alright...well, you already know a little bit about Izzy. Let me tell you about Jace…”

Alec spent the next two hours spilling details of his life and regaling Magnus with tales from his youth until they both drifted off to a gentle sleep, not noticing the sound of pipes and drums playing in the distance.

----------

When Alec woke the next morning, it was to curious golden cat eyes watching him with interest. He yawned, rubbing his hand over his eyes to try to rid himself of the last few remnants of sleep. “Good morning. What time is it?”

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Magnus replied, a hint of laughter in his voice. “It’s still quite early, but we should probably get a move on if we hope to make it back towards the entrance by a decent hour. I’m sure there will be plenty to distract us on the way there. More flowers to pick, etcetera, etcetera.”

The corner of Alec’s lips turned up as he pushed himself up to sit and began to tidy up his bedroll. Magnus started to do the same, waving his hand to vanish his own bedding and doing the same to extinguish the fire that had remained burning through the night. “If I recall from yesterday, you are the one who gets easily distracted Magnus,” Alec replied. “You spent quite a bit of time staring at a beetle.”

“It wasn’t just any beetle, Alexander. It was a particularly lovely jewel beetle specimen. The way the light reflected off his carapace was breathtaking. I needed inspiration, obviously. I’ve been stuck in such a rut lately.” He sighed dramatically, summoning a fresh set of clothes for himself with another snap of his fingers. “Well, what do you think?” He asked, executing a twirl so that Alec could take in the whole outfit.

The half-goblin’s new attire, like the wings of the beetle that they had observed yesterday, was a shimmering cobalt blue tipped in a deep, metallic purple. He was wearing another long coat and a black vest with a dark brocade pattern. His make-up was in bright, glittering colours that matched his jacket.

“You look great, Magnus,” Alec replied, turning to begin tacking his horse up, using the action to hide the blush he could feel forming on his cheeks. “You always look great. I don’t think you needed me to tell you that though.”

“Alas, my dear Alexander, I am a vain creature. I do appreciate hearing it.”

Alec had finished tightening Flame’s girth and threw the last of his saddle bags over the gelding’s withers. He turned towards Magnus to see if the half-goblin was ready to leave and found the other man looking at him with a curious expression. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“No but I do think a change of clothes is in order for you too. We’ve been out here for a few days and you don’t have the luxury of magic.” He waved his hand and Alec jumped as the worn leather and plain cotton that he had been wearing was instantly replaced with soft, supple leather in a quality that Alec had never seen before, and a deep blue fabric that was so dark it was nearly black. “There! That’s much better, don’t you think?”

“Magnus! Where did this even come from? You didn’t have to do that, I would have been fine in my old clothes...I am going home after all.”

“Secrets, Alexander. I have to keep some of them,” Magnus replied, giving Alec a wink as he pulled himself onto the kelpie’s back. “Let me spoil you a little; consider it a parting gift. A memento of our days together. I would hate for you to forget about me once you return to the city.”

“I could never forget you, Magnus, trust me,” Alec replied, taking Flame’s reins in his hand and hoisting himself into the saddle. “And I’ll never forget the last few days, you can count on that. But thank you — the clothes are wonderful...and I’m serious about wanting to have you for dinner to properly thank you once all this is said and done.”

Magnus merely nodded, seemingly at a loss for words for once in his life. “Well then!” He exclaimed loudly, nudging Elias into a brisk walk and heading towards the tree line. “I do believe we have some ground to cover before it gets too late. Let’s get to it.”

It was early afternoon when they finally reached the edge of the woods. “Alas, you’ve got some cures to try and I’ve got a curse to try and lift. But before I truly leave you…” His voice trailed off as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a fluffy purple bloom with a bright yellow center. “For you. I left you with a flower last time and I would hate to disappoint you this time.”

Alec took the flower and twirled it in his fingers. “Knowing you, I’m sure this is more than just a simple flower.”

Magnus laughed — a joyful sound that had Alec wanting to stay here with the half-goblin longer. “A few, but none that would be suitable for your purposes. It makes a good tea though, if you’re curious, and it’s edible.” He reached back into his pocket and Alec could see his fingers linger for a moment before he pulled something else out. “I would also like to leave you with this.” He reached over with his palm down and placed a silver coin in the palm of Alec’s outstretched hand.

“What is it?” Alec asked as he turned it over in his hand. One side was emblazoned with an intricate cat and the other had a simple arrow.

Magnus hesitated, eventually shaking his head and glancing up at Alec. “A token of my own appreciation for your help in rescuing the amulet...and a safety measure of my own. That coin is imbued with my own magic...and magic is unique to the one who wields it. If you come looking for me again and you hold that with the cat side down, it will lead you right to me. No more wandering around in the woods and getting lost for you. As much as I’d love to be your knight in shining armor every time, preventing those sticky situations is honestly the best thing that we can do.”

Alec ran his fingers gently over the coin, finding comfort in the warm metal in his hand and the electric buzz that he was beginning to recognize as the presence of magic. “I…” Alec didn’t know what to say to a gift like that. The coin was not only thoughtful but it was dangerous. Magnus had told him that he’d been hunted before — by both humans and goblins — and if this fell into the wrong hands, it could lead to his death. “Magnus, thank you, truly. I know what this means for you. I’ll keep it safe, I promise.”

Magnus gave a timid smile, looking shy in a way that Alec had never seen in their brief time together. Finally, the half-goblin seemed to pull himself together. He gave an awkward half bow from the back of the kelpie. “Until next time, dear heart.”

He winked one last time before turning Elias and prodded him back in the direction that they had come. Alec sighed, gently sticking the stem of the flower in the front pocket of his jacket and making sure it was secure, before turning his own horse in the direction of home.

----------

Alec, luckily, made it home before either of his siblings had begun to organize a search party. He had cut it close to the deadline that he’d arranged with them - he was slightly surprised that they weren’t outside already getting ready to ride to his rescue. He cooled down and untacked his horse as the light began to fade and went to track down Jace and Isabelle’s whereabouts.

The house was quiet as he slipped inside, though that much he had expected. His family had never been one for an abundance of guests or fancy parties unless they were truly necessary. With his mother gone, the tension that was normally hanging heavily in the air was gone. He assumed that wherever his siblings were in the house, they were together and were taking advantage of the much more relaxed atmosphere.

“Anyone home?” He called out, setting his bow gently by the door and stepping farther into the house. The quick patter of smaller feet coming from the kitchen had Alec turning quickly in that direction.

“Alec!” Max yelled, running into his brother’s open arms. “You’re home! Jace and Izzy were worried — they said we might have to go find you. I already packed my stuff and everything!”

“Hey! I definitely did not say that, little man,” Jace replied, stepping out of the kitchen as well. “I said that I might have to go look for him and that you would be staying here with your sister, especially after that stunt that you pulled earlier. Now go wash up, you’re a mess. Now that Alec’s home, we can eat.”

Max grimaced but did as he was told, running up the stairs and disappearing into his bedroom. Jace pulled Alec into a hug. “He was right about one thing; we were starting to get worried. I was ready to head out sooner but Izzy said to give you the benefit of the doubt. If you weren’t back by morning though, all bets were off.”

“I didn’t intend to stay so long,” Alec replied, leading Jace back towards the work room to drop off the specimens that he’s collected and not surprised to find his sister already there elbow deep in books and plants. “It took me a while to find Magnus. He doesn’t exactly have an address.” He set the bag on the table next to his sister and grinned as her face lit up with the prospect of new ingredients. “Here you go. We didn’t find everything we talked about, but hopefully this is enough of a start.”

She dove into the bag and began pulling out the delicately wrapped parcels, organizing them into some unknown categories into small piles on the table. Once she was finished, she glanced back at Alec and a mischievous grin crossed her face. “That’s not the only thing that you brought home, big brother.” She plucked the flower from his pocket before he could argue and held it between them. “This is an aster. Do you know what that means?”

“Magnus said it wasn’t exactly useful for what we were trying to accomplish here,” Alec muttered, trying to snatch the flower back from his sister’s grasp without crushing it.

“Oh, it’s got plenty of medicinal uses. That’s not what I asked, Alec. Use your head. Do you know what an aster flower symbolizes.”

“How would I know that? That isn’t exactly something I studied at school, Iz.”

“Love. New beginnings. Beauty. Passion. I think your goblin has a little bit of a crush on you.”

“Half-goblin,” Alec muttered, tucking the flower safely back into his pocket as his sister laughed. He couldn’t hide the fact that he was starting to feel something for Magnus too. He’d always known that the marriage that his parents were hoping for him would never be on the books. That was another reason that he’d left for the city as soon as the opportunity arose. He wanted a chance to learn who Alec Lightwood really was without his parents and their expectations breathing down his neck.

Isabelle’s attention moved from the flower that he had placed back in his pocket to the clothes that Magnus had conjured him. “Flowers and a new wardrobe? He’ll make an honest man out of you in no time, Alec. Is this Zustrean silk?” She asked, picking at the soft, dark blue fabric of his shirt. “This must have cost a fortune. I’ve never even seen Zustrean silk.”

“It didn’t cost anything, Izzy, he used magic. Stop looking too much into it. We slept rough for a few days and Magnus said something about the water in the stream being...wrong...or so his horse told him. He summoned me some new clothes because I’m sure that I probably stunk to high heavens.”

“Alright, Alec,” Isabelle laughed, turning her attention back to whatever was bubbling away in the pot over the small fire. “You keep telling yourself that if it makes you sleep better at night. I still think your goblin is courting you.”

Alec opened his mouth to argue with her but was saved by a shout from Jace. “Can you two hurry it up? I was promised dinner and I’m starving!”

----------

Once they’d finished dinner and Alec had sent a very grumpy Max to bed, he, Isabelle, and Jace returned to the work room to begin going through their notes on the plants that Alec had brought back with him.

“What’s this weird-looking thing?” Jace asked, holding up a fluffy white mushroom that Magnus had pulled off a tree. “It looks suspicious.”

“Magnus called it Satyr’s Beard though he did say we might know it by something else. I don’t remember that being anywhere on our list.” He replied, flipping through the original book that he’d found during that first night of research. He’d retrieved the book shortly after dinner from the drawer that he’d hidden it in in his room and was pleasantly surprised to find that Jace and Isabelle had come across a few more possibly helpful tomes in the library while he had been gone. “It’s a mushroom, he said. And it’s edible though he said something about making it into a tea...I’ve got notes here somewhere.”

He reached over the table to grab the back that he’d abandoned earlier and heard a heavy thunk of something falling out of his inner pocket and rolling across the old wooden table. He winced, quickly abandoning his search for the parchment he’d been looking for and scrambling ungracefully after the coin instead. The coin had rolled to Jace’s side of the table and the blond picked it up. “And what the hell is this? Did you find some lost treasure while you were out in the woods, Alec? Are you holding out on us?”

“No!” Alec stuttered, frustrated, trying to take the coin out of Jace’s hand. His brother was quick and he darted to the other side of the table to put some more space between them. “Just give it back — it’s nothing that can help us find a cure, I promise.”

“You’re still holding out on us, Alec. What’s so important that you don’t want to tell us what it is?” Jace handed the coin to Isabelle and they both watched as she held it up to the flame to get a closer look at the symbols. “A cat and an arrow...did Magnus give this to you? You said he had cat eyes, did you not?”

“If you two must know since you insist on being so damn nosey, then yes. Magnus did give it to me but only to help me find him if I have to return to the woods in the future.”

Jace snorted. “How’s a stupid coin supposed to help you find him? Do you toss it in a well and make a wish? Will your Prince Charming come and spirit you away just like that?”

Alec blinked, scowling at Jace’s words. “Obviously not, you moron. It’s magic. Can’t you feel that?”

“Feel what, Alec? It’s just a boring coin. You can’t even spend it anywhere.”

“That...electric buzz? It feels like you're holding lightning...you mean you can’t feel that?’

Both his siblings shook their heads and Alec took the coin from his sister’s hand. As soon as his fingers brushed the metal, the magic in the coin called to him. The buzz was warm and familiar. It welcomed his touch and it almost felt...happy to be in his hands once again.

“I can’t feel anything, Alec. It feels maybe a little warmer than I’d expect from metal but I’d chalk that up to it being in your jacket pocket for who knows how long,” Isabelle replied, picking up a leafy green stalk with a small yellow bud and examining it carefully. “Not to cut this exhilarating conversation about Alec’s love life or lack there of short, but I’ve seen this plant somewhere.”

“I should hope so,” Jace muttered, “You only kept me up nearly all night going through practically every single book in the damn library.”

“No…” Izzy replied thoughtfully, handing Alec the wooden spoon that she’d been stirring the pot with. “Stir. It needs to boil for another thirty minutes, after that take it off the flame and we’ll let it cool overnight before we add the final few herbs in the morning. From there, it’ll need to sit for a week before it’s ready.”

“I don’t think we have that kind of time, Iz. Isn’t there anything we can do to speed this whole process up?” Alec asked, stirring the pot exactly like she had ordered him to.

“Unfortunately, what we’re doing is a bit unprecedented. It’s going to take time. I’ve got to check the library for something. Don’t forget to stir.”

She left the room and Alec could only do as he was told. He stirred.

----------

Once Isabelle had left the room, Jace slid closer to Alec. “Alright, spill.”

“Spill what, Jace? Surely you don’t mean Izzy’s experiment because I’m not certain she’d like that very much.”

Jace rolled his eyes, reaching over the table to tap his fingers on the surface in front of Alec to get his brother’s attention. “Spill about your goblin. I know there’s more you’re not telling us. You probably don’t want to say anything in front of Izzy because we both know that keeping secrets like that isn’t her forte but you can tell me. I’m your brother, we’re supposed to talk about stuff like this I’m told.”

Alec fixed Jace with an unimpressed look. “You’re adopted.”

“Not what I meant, stupid,” Jace responded fondly as he rested his chin in his hands like an excited schoolgirl. He was acting like one too, Alec had to admit to himself, with the way he was trying to pull the best gossip out of Alec. “You disappear into the woods for a few days, then you come back with a flower, some fancy coin, and new clothes made out of fancy fabrics. Not to mention, you’re smiling. You never smile. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen you truly happy.”

“I smile plenty, Jace. I’m not heartless.”

“You smiled when Max was born. You smiled when you got accepted into University. You smiled when Iz punched that guy who tried to kiss her and broke his nose…” Jace’s voice trailed off as he tapped a finger against his chin in thought. “And you gave me half a smile the first time I came home from a job. So that’s three and a half times. Four and a half if you count right now.”

“What’s your point, Jace?” Alex asked tiredly, suddenly finding the pot in front of him entirely too interesting.

Jace must have sensed his frustration and exhaustion because his playful tone changed quickly. “Magnus...he makes you truly happy?”

Yes, Alec thought to himself, he makes me happier than I could ever imagine. “How did you know…” he started cautiously, trying to choose his next words very carefully. These sort of conversations were uncomfortable and unfamiliar for him and actually voicing what he wanted to say was difficult, to say the least. “How did you know that you and Simon...fit? That you were right for each other?”

Jace blinked, his brain rapidly trying to catch up to what he had just heard. “He’s the first person I want to see when I wake up in the morning and the last person that I think about at night. A moment doesn’t go by when I don’t want to be by his side and when he takes a job without me, my heart hurts that we have to part. I knew that Robert and Maryse wouldn’t approve —for a whole slew of reasons — and I just didn’t care. He makes me happy and that’s what matters most.”

The only sound in the room was the flickering flame and the wooden spoon scraping against the metal of the pot. “You deserve to be happy too, Alec,” Jace added softly.

Did he deserve to be happy? He certainly hadn’t done anything but become the family disappointment. His parents still expected him to get his law degree, come home, marry a woman from a good family, take over the household, and continue on as so many of his ancestors had before him but...that’s not what Alec had ever wanted.

He’d given up on the law degree in favor of architecture as soon as he’d gotten to Alicante. He’d never wanted to come home and join the Council like his father and his father’s father. There would be no marrying a woman from a good family and fathering a child to continue the family name in his future. He’d known that for years now.

The only item on his parents’ list of expectations for him that could possibly be in his future is coming home...as long as he could have Magnus by his side.

“He makes me very happy, Jace,” Alec replied quietly, resting the spoon on the side of the pot and giving his brother a small smile. “Happier than I’ve been in a very long time. It’s like he’s the brightest star in the night sky; the compass pointing me north. Everything is clearer than it has been in a very long time. I...don’t want to lose that now that I know what I’m missing.”

Jace reached across the table and gave Alec’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “Then I think you have your answer...and Izzy and I will be here for you anyway we can.” He let the conversation drop and Alec went back to stirring knowing that there would be a lot of decisions he’d need to make about his future in the coming days and he needed to be prepared.

----------

Alec woke the next morning to find that Isabelle was the only one who remained in the manor, despite the disgustingly early hour. From what he could gather, Jace had left before the sun had risen: called away to take care of some apparent monster or demon that had escaped Edom Forest and was apparently terrorizing a local woodcutter and his family. Max had shoveled breakfast in his mouth and had dashed out the door saying something about going fishing with a friend.

Isabelle had finished preparing the possible cure and had bottled it up to finish fermenting in a dark room for the next week. She’d already prepared another of their possible cures — a paste made of herb-of-the-cross and Rue and a plethora of other things that Alec had lost track of and had been waiting for her brother to awaken so that he could help apply it to their father’s stone-like skin.

“Is this one of the ones on our original list or is this an Isabelle special?” Alec asked as he applied the disgusting and sticky green paste to his father’s arms.

“A little bit of both,” she replied as she did the same for the other arm. “The ingredients themselves were listed in two of the books that we found: The first one that you found and one that Jace and I stumbled upon, but it had no suggestion on how to use them. I was going to try a tea so you can thank Magnus for the suggestion of the poultice...even if it is rather disgusting.”

“How long are we supposed to wait before we see, or more likely don’t, any sort of reaction?”

He wiped his hands on an old cloth and frowned at the green tint of his skin the paste had left behind.

“No idea. This is a bit of an experiment but that’s why medicine is a science. It won’t hurt him to leave it for a while...we’ll see if we get any sort of reaction over the next twenty four hours,” she sighed, accepting the rag that Alec had handed her and wiping her own hands. “In the meantime, it won’t hurt for me to get started on what we want to try next...but to do that I’m missing a couple of ingredients. I’ve made a list. Is there any way you can ride into town and see if you can find what else we need?”

#shmb2021 #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #fanfic #like a lily in a flood

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