#cass has two of everything two fathers two mothers two grandfathers

[aingeal98]

Cass and Commissioner Gordon is such an underrated dynamic like you're stuck in a no mans land and one of the kids your daughter is mentoring saves your life from an assassin. You barely see her again for months but there's a new fighter on the scene using your daughter's old moniker who's around the same height and build as this kid, doesn't use a lot of verbal communication just like this kid, and fights with the same alarming skill as this kid. Also your daughter has grown so attached to this kid that even after no mans land ends the kid stays living with her and also she might have named her? Do you have a granddaughter now? Is your granddaughter Batgirl? Should you be concerned that your daughter seems to be having custody arguments with Batman over this girl? What's the procedure here, there's no rulebook you can think of that fits this situation.

[iamthedukeofurl]

I think the "Sister Dynamic" might come from a desire to hold the two characters as equal narrative figures, rather than defining one by the relationship to another. In lots of fiction, especially superhero fiction, a parental relationship works to define one character as an accessory or spin-off of another. Compare to the Batboys. Batman is a core character, all the Robins were created as narrative accessories to Batman. They're their own characters with their own books and stories, but from both a doyalist and a watsonian perspective, Dick Grayson would not be Robin if Bruce Wayne was not Batman. The Bats are usually presented as a Father and his Sons. Bruce is not only the mentor and teacher for the Robins, the role of "Robin" was created as an accessory to Batman. Cass and Barbara are different. From a Watsonian angle, while Barbara is somewhat responsible for bringing Cass into the family as it were, employing her as a messenger during No-Man's Land, she didn't turn Cassandra Cain into a superhero. Cass showed up with her own backstory and origin that is completely independent of Babs. So Cassandra isn't Babs' "Daughter" the same way Dick can be seen as Bruce's "Son". Besides the name, there's no real connective tissue between Babs as Batgirl and Cassandra as Batgirl, they have very different costumes, different character roles, different capabilities, everything. While Babs DOES teach Cass stuff, she has nothing to do with Cass's core skillset. Heck, in No-Mans Land, Cassandra takes over a Batgirl persona created by Helena Bertinelli of all people. From the other perspective, Babs existed and continued to exist for a long time as her own character. She's not like Alfred or The Kents, who exist as supporting cast for the Central Hero. Babs is supporting cast in Cass's books, but she's lead in plenty of other books. So defining her as "Cass's Mother" feels off. So while their relationship: A teenager trying to discover herself and an adult trying to take care of/educate/ guide said teenager, IS very much a parental one, from a doyalist perspective they're both characters on equal footing and prominence, being, effectively ,one-step derivatives of Batman. This is a similar relationship on the "Character Spin-off Flowchart" That the Robins all share, being one step removed from Batman. The Robins are Brothers, therefore the Batgirls must be Sisters. It also doesn't help that, while the Bat-men are a straightforward family unit, Alfred is Grandfather, Bruce is father, all the boys are brothers, the batgirls, while part of the "Bat Family", are very much not. Barbara certainly isn't one of Bruce's kids. She often dates Dick, so I guess she's like a daughter-in-law? But Cassandra DOES have a direct relationship with Bruce. In the original run, this was presented as Bruce and Babs basically co-parenting Cassandra, with very different ideas on what direction to take in that regard. But if you insist on reading them as a one-to-one match for a single family unit, Then Cassandra can't be both one of "Bruce's Kids" AND Bab's Kid when Babs is one of Bruce's Kids.

Cass has always explicitly viewed Babs as a mother figure idfk how people can have problems with it, lmfao.

And yeah, I get it, sisterly relationships are just as important, but idk I feel like it reduces Babs to being younger or whatever, I can't exactly explain my problems with viewing the relationship as that.

[lily-drake]

(Siblings big sis Cass and younger sis Marinette) When a strange alarm sounds out in the Batcave no one but Tim knew what it was about, at fist they thought it was for Bruce when the alert says family blood located. However none of them was expecting a blood match to Cass and a Marinette Fu (digging into her files shows her birth records and relation to her recently passed 'grandfather' Wang Fu were fake (basically Fu found her after she escaped the League and took her in) in Paris, a sibling blood match at that. When Marinette wakes in the hospital two days after her final fight against Hawkmoth (days of none sleep, preparing plans, and overdoing herself using the Miraculous causing her to pass out at school when she was finally able to relax and her body shut down from the stress) she knows her days in Paris are numbered. She needed to leave, vanish before they find her. She knows the League will stop at nothing to get her back, especially if they find out she has the Miraculous box... She just wasn't expecting for her older sister Cassandra (whom she only heard rumors of) and the batfam to be on her heels as well.

Stop in the Name of Your Sister!

Honk Honk Honk

Everybody in the cabe let out a collective frown at the noise, except for one blue eyed black haired child who hadn’t slept in 4 days and was staring confusedly at the screen.

Now, this alarm was originally supposed to sound serious, because to Bruce the situation was so.  Not to his kids though.  To them, while they knew that it was somewhat important, it was more of a joke than anything that there was another one wandering around somewhere.  So the alarm now sounded like honking of high pitched horn.  Now, you may be wondering, what the heck is this alarm, and what in the world does it mean?!  Well, it was an alarm that went off when a blood relation was found.  Bruce had designed it for himself, but everyone else also added their own blood to make Bruce feel better.

Family Blood Located

Stephanie rushed to Tim’s side, practically shoving him out of the chair as she stared at the red flashing words over the screen.

“Oh my gosh!  There’s another one!  Someone go get Bruce!  Hurry, he said we’re not allowed to look without him here if this ever happened!”

She shouted at the others in the cave.  Tim sighed as Dick nearly threw his phone in his haste to text Bruce.  There was a lot of noise in the cave, all speculating the kids gender, who they belonged to, how old they could be, and the like.  

Bruce would have made the flash jealous by how quickly he rushed down the stairs, Damian and Alfred behind him, though both their paces were considerably slower; Alfred because he was calm and held himself with class, Damian because he was trying to measure himself and show his superiority.  

Bruce stared at the screen as he tried to catch his breath.  He wasn’t ready for this, he couldn’t believe he had another child.  But he needed to know if he needed to help them, so after stealing a breath he went into Batman mode and commanded Tim to open the file.

Blood Relative: Marinette Fu

Blood match:  Cassandra Cain

‘Marinette Lenore Fu’

Age: 15

Born: Paris, France

Relatives

Mother: Unknown

Father: Unknown

Grandfather: Wang Fu (Deceased)

They all stared at the screen in shock, even Bruce was speechless.  On one hand he was relieved that it wasn’t a new child of his own, on the other Cass had a sister and he doubted that her life would have been any better than Cass’s if her father is who he thinks it is.  Everyone slowly turned to Cass and saw that she too was shocked by the news, the small humorous smile she had earlier when watching Bruce faded as she stared at the information in front of her.

“Sister?”

She whispered to herself as she slowly pointed to the screen.  Her small voice snapped everyone out of their grande and before anyone could say another word Tim was at it.  He pulled up whatever he could find of the young girl, and the more he dug the more he found on her.  Or rather he found how fake everything was.  The files were all decently forged so that if you weren’t looking, and Tim was looking very closely, no one would see anything wrong. 

When Tim was done, there was nothing.  It was like she hadn’t even existed at all.  That was clue enough that she wasn’t born and raised somewhere that would be considered a good standard.  The only thing that they found about her that even had a hint of truth was about her supposed “grandfather” Wang Fu.  

It looked like his medical records were forged slightly, but lots of it was indeed correct.  He had died from a heart condition, he had been in care of Marinette Fu for a good portion of her life, he had owned a massage parlor, and nothing about him seemed evil or cruel.  He appeared to be an innocent old man, but from what Tim found in his documents, and the places that were indeed forged, he knew that the man was hiding something.  

Once all the information was out in the open he pushed away from the desk slightly, trying to take it all in and piece everything together. 

“Want to meet.”

Cass determinedly stated, her eyes filled with a fiery resolve.  She needed to meet this girl, she was apparently her younger sister, and she needed to protect her.

_________

Marinette woke up with a small groan.  Her head hurt and her body ached, all in all she felt like she had just been crushed by a 5-ton boulder.  There was an incessant beeping coming from her left, and if she could find one of her knives she would throw it at the source of the aggravating noise.  

Her head hurt, but she needed to know where she was and what was happening.  The last thing she remembered was walking into class after another sleepless night, sitting down in the back, and lying her head against her arms on the desk.  Then she was here.  She scrunched up her still closed eyes and let out a tired groan.  She had no idea how long she was out and she was still absolutely exhausted.  

Ever so slowly she peeled her eyes open, taking her time due to how sticky they felt.  It was like there was glue holding them together.  She had to blink a few times to make the blurriness that clouded her vision dissipate so that she could actually see clearly. The room was white, there was almost no color at all.  The room smelled like lots of chemicals and hand sanitizer.  There was a brown door to her left, as well as a heart rate monitor.  On her left was a small dresser with an electric alarm clock that read 4:37 AM 23 March 20##.  That had Marinette’s attention.  It had been roughly two entire days that she had been knocked out.  She sighed as the weight of everything took hold of her body, adding a load to her already crushed and aching body.

She had tried to do absolutely everything.  She had been doing commissions so she could earn money to live, making plans for her class, grading papers for her teacher, tracking Hawkmoth, training her team as well as herself, fighting akumas, doing her homework, and once she had discovered Hawkmoth’s identity, she had been plotting almost every possible way to defeat him.  She honestly felt like dying, but then she remembered that she was the Guardian now.  We couldn’t die without passing her knowledge on to somebody like Master Fu passed his to her.

She frowned at the thought of her late master.  He was a good man and she owed him her own life.  She would have died on that mountain too if it wasn’t for him.  She had barely escaped The League of Assassins.  Her father had been punishing her, but he had underestimated her, and that was his mistake.  He had forgotten how dangerous he had made her, forgotten that she was a weapon, so when he came too close, she struck.  The fight was hard and long, and she had been able to deeply slice her side before she had knocked him out.  She had been bleeding out in the snow, Shadows were fast approaching, but Fu had been there.  He had found her dying in the snow in a pool of her own blood and even knowing who she was and what she represented, he still cared for her.  She likes to believe that he truly did love her like the granddaughter he always said she was.

But he was dead now.  He had been so old, and it was his time.  He had passed on all of his knowledge to her, taught her everything he knew.  Now it was her turn to continue his legacy.  And now that her time in Paris was finally complete, she needed to get a move on.  She knew that the Shadows still searched for her, and if they knew what she now was, she knew they would stop at nothing to retrieve her.  Now was the perfect time to slip away.  No one knew she was awake, no one cared that she was here, and if she played her cards right, she could be out of Paris by the time the sun rose.  But in order to do all of that, she would need to get her exhausted body to cooperate and get out of the gurney.

Maybe she could just rest here a little longer, goodness knows that she deserved it.  But then she thought about how the only reason that the League hadn’t found her was due to the spell that Fu cast on her, the spell that faded as soon as he took his last breath only a week ago.  She was surprised she had lasted this long at all, but she needed to get moving.  Every minute wasted here was a moment more likely she would be taken back to Nanda Parbat and punished for her desertion.  She shivered at the thought.  

She remembered standing at David’s side as she watched the Al Ghul’s punish the people that defied or ran away from The League.  The screams that would echo around the base to serve as a reminder of what happened to those who betrayed what they swore to.  The blood that would line the walls and floor, and the scent of death so pungent in the air.  She couldn’t go back to that, she would take her own life before she let them even touch her.  It was a miracle she had escaped to begin with as she always seemed to have someone watching her.  She had heard stories of an older sister, one who never learned to speak or read, only to fight and read her opponent’s body.  She was a master assassin, an ultimate weapon.  One day she went on a mission, and she never came back, and by the time The League found out about her desertion, The Bat had already claimed her as his own.  

Marinette had been trained in a very similar way, the only difference was that she had received an education on understanding words so she could complete commands.  If she didn’t understand or she didn’t complete the command, she would be punished.  It was a fear tactic, one that had worked well up until she was 11, when she decided she would leave the pain behind or die trying.  She imagined finally being able to meet her older sister, the woman she was destined to beat.  But it didn’t work out that way, and now with her responsibility to the Kwamii, she didn’t think meeting her older sister would ever be a good idea.  

The thought of the Kwamii and all of the Miraculous is what finally kicked both her kind and body into overdrive.  If The League took her, if they knew what she now was, they would stop at nothing to retrieve her and force her to give up her powers.  She needed to leave now, leave before the Shadows got their hands on the box.  So she summoned all of the power she had left, drawing strength from the magic that had been part of her for so many years into her body and stood up.  She had a job to do, she didn’t have time to lay around anymore and play patient.  Carefully she took out the IV from her arm before she removed the clip that connected her to the heart rate monitor.  The loud beeeeep sounded throughout the room and she could hear people begin to rush toward her door, so she needed to move quickly.  She shoved the window open, thankful there was a massive tree there.  She practically flew as she climbed down the tree and ran.

After only five minutes of running her mind began to feel fuzzy, her breath was short and came out in little gasps, and her legs felt like they would collapse from under her at any given moment.  She couldn’t stop though, she could feel eyes on her, and that was bad enough.  Once she made it to the studio she grabbed her emergency duffle bag, already filled with her necessities in case something like this happened, and made her way to the were the Miracle Box was hidden.  She nearly collapsed from relief when she saw it there, still in its perfect condition.  

Once she was sure she was safe, she pulled out the glasses and transformed.

“Voyage!”

She shouted out, her body felt heavy with the energy it took to open the portal to the small cabin in Spain that Marianne had gifted her.  Once she was out of Paris and in the safety of the woods she de-transformed and trudged her way to the door.  Every move she took felt robotic, her mind was empty, and all she could really do was collapse once she was close enough to the bed.  Her body once again gave up on her, and she was out.

_________

“The heat signature just disappeared.”

The deep gravelly voice spoke through the com while looking around for a clue of the girl.

“Where?”

Cass demanded from the building she was pitched on diagonal to the massage parlor.

“I’m not sure.  We may need to go in to see if there’s anything blocking the signature out.”

Immediately after the words left Batman’s mouth Black Bat was off, carefully and quietly entering the building. It was silent in the small shop, a type of silence that comes with emptiness.  Cass was cautious as she maneuvered around the small space, looking for clues of any secret entrances or exits, places one could easily hide.  But there was nothing to show that there had even been a fight.  Only once she had made it down to the massage parlor on the main floor did she feel something was off.  She moved around letting her mask’s monitors read the room and pick up on anything that could be hiding.  Just like the rest of the shop, there was nothing to suggest she ran, but it did pick up on traces of magic, and they were still fresh.  Cassandra glared at the wall to her left where the magic traces were the strongest.  It was going to take even longer to find her baby sister now, and that meant that The League had even more time to locate her and take her before she and the rest of her family could protect her.  She had never really cared for magic before now, but now that magic was the reason it would take even longer to bring her home, Cass was on Bruce’s side that it was evil.

“Gone.  Traces of Magic.”

She could hear everyone sigh and groan about that.  No one was very happy about this turn of events, but they would continue to try their hardest to find the young girl.

_________

Marinette had been in hiding for a little over two months, and she felt she had been doing very well.  There was a small village not too far from where her house in the woods was, the Kwamii were able to roam around freely, and for once Marientte was able to let herself relax.  Not fully, she still needed to be ready in case The League was somehow able to locate her, but enough that she could finally just breathe.  Of course, good things never lasted very long for her.

Marinette had been sitting at her table drinking some tea when one of the sigils she had set up around her cabin had gone off.  Someone had found her, and she needed to leave now.  She had set them up in a 5 mile radius 10 mile diameter around her home so that she would have time to prepare and run.  So she knew she had approximately 15 minutes before anyone arrived.  

“I command as Guardian of the Miraculous that all of the Kwamii under my care return to the Miracle Box immediately.”  

She watched as all of the Kwamii flew back into their respective slot of the wooden box, and once all of them were accounted for she shoved the box into her duffel bag.  She had approximately 13 minutes left.  She quickly zipped up the bag, took out her dagger she always had on her and drew the final line on the ruin she had carved all around her door frame.  With that she once again grabbed the glasses she had in her pocket and put them on.

“Do we have to leave so soon?”

Kaalki complained with a wide stretch.

“I’m afraid so.  Let's gallop.  Voyage!”

Once again she was gone, now in the middle of nowhere of a rural area.

_________

Tim growled as he knocked out yet another Shadow.  It had taken two months, but they had finally located where she was.  Unfortunately, so had Ra’s.  There was a small cabin in the middle of practically nowhere in Ireland signed off to Fu by someone named Marianne, and once Fu died, though it was buried deep in the will, coded no less, they had found that the cabin went to Marinette.  They had immediately booked a flight to the area, and had been fully prepared for some type of encounter, just not with The League of freaking Assassins.  It didn’t matter though, because they would get there first and hopefully they would be able to fight off the assassins first then explain everything after. It was a nice fantasy, but they all knew that wasn’t how things went for people like them.  

Cass had gone ahead to find the cabin and warn the girl of who she was and what was happening.  

“Gone.  The cabin on fire.  Magic traces.”

They could hear Jason cursing up a storm as he shot yet another ninja in the knee.  

“Regroup, meet back at the plane.”

Batman growled through the comms.  The sound of everyone agreeing rang through the coms as everyone turned back from the woods and back towards safety and a new plan.

_________

Marinette was about ready to fake her death, or die for real.  That was always an option.  She could just pass the guardianship to Adrien, he would take care of the magical beings, he really was a nice guy after all.  It didn’t matter where she went, where she hid, what spells she used, someone always found her in a timespan of 2-5 months.  She had been on the run for over a year, and she was exhausted.  She had finally decided that the best place to lay low was Gotham City, New Jersey.  No one would question who she was, why she was there, and other such formalities.  She would be able to blend in with the rest of the crowd, and with the fake alysis she had created nobody should be able to find her until she had found a way to live off planet while being able to help the Earth from said planet or fake her death.  The latter would probably be the best option since there were two groups searching for her.  She had found that out after the fifth time she needed to leave the safe house she was in at the time. 

She had been in the city for two weeks when her ruins warned her that someone was coming for her, and unfortunately they went off when she was on the roof of the complex she was living at.  Quickly she stood up and went to run towards the firescape when a dark figure landed in front of her.  She turned around and noticed that she was surrounded.  They weren’t wearing League garments, so that meant they were the second group.  That was okay though, all she needed was an opening, and she could make those for herself easily.  

“Stop in the name of your older sister!”

One of the figures called out which threw her off guard.  What did that even mean?  How did they know she had an older sister, she hadn’t even met the girl before.  Unless this was some kind of ruse meant to distract her.

A dark lithe figure melted from a shadowed corner of the roof and slowly made their way toward her.  The person was obviously female, and their body language showed that they were open, unaggressive, hopeful, but they were nervous.  Though they tried to show that they were no harm, their suit was anything but that.  Their face was completely hidden by a black cowl with long bat-like ears.  The eyes were completely black and it appeared that the nose and jaw of the costume were crudely stitched onto the mask.  The body suit was obviously made of some sort of fabric with armor underneath that while appearing strong still allowed for flexibility.  To finish the look a long dark cape was draped around her, almost hiding the yellow bat on her chest and utility belt around her waist.  So though the woman showed that she had no wishes to begin an altercation, she was still ready for one.

“What do you want?”

Marinette snarled as she bent down into a battle ready stance.  They all stayed silent and she watched as the girl slowly lifted her hands and placed them on her cowl.  An alarm blared in the back of Marinette’s mind warning her that this could mean nothing but bad news.  If they wanted her to see their faces then there was no way she was going to get out of this alive.  Before she could even make a move the mask was gone and gentle brown eyes stared into her blue eyes.

“Baby sister.”

It was practically a whisper in the wind, but she heard it, and though she knew what the words meant in a vacuum, she couldn’t understand how they were applied to her.  

The girl took a careful, slow step towards her and though everything was telling her to run, fight, get away, she couldn’t seem to move.  She just watched as the black haired woman came closer and closer to her with every step.

“Hello.  I’m Cassandra.  You, baby sister.”

Marinette blinked at that, the words slowly sinking into her brain as the woman gently cupped Marinette’s face into her gloved hands.

“Si-sister?”

Marinette whispered as she unconsciously leaned into the warm touch.  Cassandra smiled so brightly one would think Marinette had just said that she had just gifted her the sun.  Cassandra nodded at the word and moved her hands away from Marinette’s face to take hold of her sister’s own hands.

“Yes.  Sister!”

“Is it true that you nearly beat Talia?”

Marinette had no idea where that came from.  It was something she had heard stories of when she was younger, and she was expected to also be able to accomplish such a feat.  But that was years ago, she hadn’t thought about that in years.  Cassandra blinked her eyes, also shocked before a smug smile filled her lips and she nodded victorily.

“Did beat her.”

Marinette was speechless as she stared into her sister’s eyes.  While they didn’t share the same eyes there were things that were similar to her own, such as the shape.  Marinette gulped, unsure of what she was supposed to do now.  She could leave, should leave, figure out what to do now.  But, her sister was with The Batman.  She was happy, at ease, she felt safe.  So maybe she could be safe here too?  Her older sister must have seen the hesitance and unsureness in her posture and gave her a soft smile and gently squeezed her hands in a reassuring manner.

“Home.”

She simply spoke.

“Home?”

Marinette questioned, unsure of what she meant.  Cass turned her head to the biggest shadow there, The Batman himself and proclaimed,

“Let’s go home!”

While she held both of their hands up, as if showing him one of her proudest achievements.  There was a ghost of a smile on Batman’s lips as he nodded.

“I’ll inform Agent A that we’ll be bringing her home.”

Cass gave a sharp nod before she turned back to look at Marinette and wrapped her in a warm embrace.  They were going to go home, and Marinette would finally be safe.

Taglist:

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[they-reap-what-we-sow]

hearing headcanons for the Batkids

Dick was born and raised in a circus, he was so used to all the noise and racket, it was basically a lullaby. Because of that, Dick's awareness of sounds around him is like, zero to none. He picked up some training with Bruce, so he has defensive hearing during fights, but out of the suit, any and everyone can sneak up on Dick, sounds mean nothing to him. Jason from a young age was used to listening out his dad's angry footsteps, for the whimpers of pain from his mom's room, for the sound of snow crunching outside his hiding place on the street.

Jason is so aware of every single noise around him, categorizing it into good or bad, safe or dangerous. Anytime he hears something he knows as familiar, he will freeze for a second and listen like a puppy with his ear cocked as he places it. Jason definitely uses this to his advantage to get away from trouble very often.

Tim is used to two things, either the complete quiet of a mostly empty Drake Mansion, or the clack of his mother's heels on their marble floors. He doesn't associate either of them as good or bad, but it's all he's used to. He spends a lot of time with his headphones in when he's at home, trying to drown out the screaming silence. When he moves to the Manor, the silence follows him, but this time a comforting one, until one day when Dick bursts through the front door with an obnoxiously loud cheer that echoes in Tim's ears.

Stephanie, once she learns that her dad is Cluemaster, becomes hyperaware of every single thing she can hear. Every sound she can put into context, categorize and file away, could be a clue to save the lives of innocent people. She spends most of her time pressed against the wall with a cup to her ear, trying to figure out what her dad's next big plan is. That's the only sounds she focuses on though, because hearing anything else in her house is too painful to try and place. She can guess what the grunts of pain are, but she doesn't dare get confirmation. In the Manor, she relishes the thick walls that barely allow for sound to pass from room to room.

Damian was raised in the desert, where the sound of wind and sand overtake any other. He can never hear anyone coming, all sound muffled in the sand, so he has to become hypervigilant of his Grandfather sending him 'tests' without notice. The only place where sound truly echoes is the main chamber where his Grandfather holds court. The room is designed specifically so Ra's' voice booms throughout, and the sounds of punishment being doled out ring through the rest of the keep like a warning cry. Silence is truly the safest, but Damian can't even really trust that. When he comes to the Manor, Damian spends a lot of time in open spaces, listening to people walking from room to room at the head of the hallway, Alfred cooking in the kitchen to the symphony of clattering dishes, Ace and Titus barking at each other. It's comforting to hear the sounds of life and know that there is no one hiding in the silence.

Cassandra spent so much of her life hearing everything. Her father honed her other senses to be dialed up, to be tuned into every thing she can process, and it often got to be too much. But if she tried to block any of it out, she would be vulnerable, it was too dangerous to be ignorant. Once she makes it to Gotham, Cass spends a lot of time with music in her ears, knowing that she can be safe even without the added stimulus of constantly tracking every noise around her.

[loyalshipper]

May I introduce the Tumblr DC community to one of my two favorite Batfam AUs I have created. Bruce Wayne owns a hotel/museum near an ocean cliff and still has a chronic adoption problem but doesn’t fight crime. (If anyone writes this you can make it to where heroes still exist, the Batfam are the inly no capes)

WE still exists but it isn’t run by Bruce it is run by Lucius because back in the 60s Thomas and Martha bought the hotel and wanted that to be their legacy. They still die the same way but Bruce puts all his efforts into running and blossoming the hotel which was his parent’s dream project.

I’ll get back into the hotel in a minute I’m taking about the kids now

Dick is gotten a similar way, he visits the Cape with Haly’s Circus, his parents die because of faulty wiring sold to the circus by Zucco and Dick becomes an orphan. Bruce just so happened to use his one night off in a while to go see the circus. He keeps thinking about Dick and ends up adopting him. He helps Dick and the Circus bring Zucco to justice and sues the hell out of him and shuts down his business. (Adopted at 8))

Jason was found living in one of the shut down rooms of the hotel. Because his dad left and was in prison and his mom od. So Bruce treats him like a wild animal and starts to leave food out on a regular schedule until Jason gets comfortable with him and he adopts Jason. (five years younger than Dick)

Tim was the son of two wealthy archaeologists who were gone 11 out of the 12 months. Bruce met Tim because he liked to come into the museum and take pictures of the museum exhibits and hotel architecture and shoreline which he would develop and give copies to Bruce. So he opens his house to this little boy with a penchant for photography. Until one day Tim’e parents call Tim telling him that they are staying in Egypt permanently because the archeological dig is producing wonderous results and they’ll be hiring him an around the clock sitter. Only for Tim to wait three weeks and no one shows up. They went so far as to fire Ms. Mac but never hired a sitter for their son. So he goes to Bruce in tears and explains everything, because this is it-his parents finally did abandon him, and Bruce sues them for custody of Tim. (Three years younger than Jason, adopted at 7)

Damian was the result of a relationship Bruce had in college while studying hotel management and hospitality. Talia is the daughter of a hotel conglomerate owner who is currently trying to buy Bruce’s hotel so it can be torn down and Ra’s can built a new hyper expensive hotel in its place. Damian was sent to live with Bruce to try and get Bruce to have Damian inherit the hotel so Ra’s can get it and destroy it, but that backfired because instead Damian falls in love with the hotel and his new family (reluctantly) and wants to see the hotel and museum flourish, not tear down this historical piece of architecture to replace it with a soulless hotel only available to the wealthy elite. But something available to everyone that families vacation to because there is so much history and beauty in a thing that has stood for centuries. So Damian turns against Ra’s. Due not that while Damian and Tim do have a sibling rivalry it is not as vicious and cutting as it is in canon. They love each other they just don’t mesh well while in the same room. And yes, Damian still has his variety of pets (7 years younger than Tim)

Cass came to the hotel with her “father,” David Cain, who went to the Cape for business, and just ended up leaving and forgetting Cass at the hotel. He was still abusive and Cass had trouble speaking but he wasn’t “turn Cass into the world’s greatest assassin” abusive. After Bruce finds Cass, he sues Cain for parental custody and then ruins his life unrepentantly. (Couple of months older than Jason)

After Martha and Thomas died, Alfred took over managing the hotel while Bruce was still growing up and while he was getting his degrees, now he is the grandfather to Bruce’s many kids and helps to keep them running and cared for while they run and care for the hotel. He’s also the one that helps the new kids transfer into the life of running a hotel.

Barbara is the daughter of the Police Comissioner still who became friends with Dick and works, first part time at the museum/hotel and then full time. Same with Steph and Tim (1 year older than Dick)

Cullen and Harper work at the museum, Helena works at the hotel. Carrie does both. Duke is the newest acquisition. Only, his parents disappeared and no one has been able to find them yet. So Bruce currently had temporary custody of Duke who lives at the hotel with everyone. (Harper is a year older than Tim, Cullen is a year younger than Tim, Carrie is the same age as Jason, Duke is a few months younger than Tim)

Each person has different jobs. (Dick is concierge/check-in, Jason does guided history tours of the hotel/museum/grounds, Tim works in financials because he deals with the least amount of people, Helena, Carrie and Steph are both maids, Carrie also does janitorial stuff with Cullen, Barbara works hotel check-in with Dick, Barbara and Harper work cashier at the gift shop, Duke doesn’t have a job yet because he is still dealing with the disappearance of his parents, Damian does every job to see where he fits in best.

JARRO IS THE FAMILY PET STARFISH THAT TIM ADOPTED WHEN HE FIRST JOINED THE FAMILY AND RESCUED FROM BEING EATEN OFF THE BEACH

The hotel is still fully staffed with not-batkids, like grounds keepers and other hotel cleaners and janitors.

Location time!

I’m turning Gotham nicer and changing the geography of the city.

The hotel Museum rests about 200 yds from a cliff that overlooks a beach. There is a well maintained stair case put into the cliff for people to walk down, as well as a longer gravel path that follows the cliff edge down to the shoreline. It is frequented by seals, sea lions, and in the distance, dolphins and whales. The hotel it’s self has about 100 or so acres of land and a long drive but it is technically within walking distance to the city. And it’s a normal coastal town with a port and touristic areas. Kinda eerie at night when the fog rolls in but that’s part of the charm of the NorthEast.

Selina is just Bruce’s friend in this. She is Helena’s mother and Bruce was a surrogate for her. She decided she wanted a baby and Bruce offered to be a donor. So Selina had Helena and Bruce is part of her life but not as her dad, which was the agreement. Selina takes care of the stray animals on the grounds and favors the cats.

Clark is a reporter that was tasked to right an article on the hotel and it’s history, became good friends with Bruce and brings his family (Lois, Jon, Bizarro, Kon, Kara, Lena, Chris, Ma, Pa, and Lex) on vacation to it every year. Lex and Clark are divorced husbands that left on good terms and are friendly enough to coparent their son, Connor, who was made the same way as canon but less hush hush and illegally, Kara is Clark’s cousin and Lena is her fiancée, Lois is his wife, Jon and Bizarro are their two biological sons (Bizarro has autism), Chris is their foster son. Bizarro latches onto Jason in a way that he hasn’t before and always loves coming to the hotel, Jon and Chris are best friends with Damian, Connor and Tim are long distance dating.

Collin, Maya, and Maps are Damian’s best friends from school (Damian has a crush on Collin) and he’s trying to convince them to join the hotel staff like his siblings’ friends but they are a) too young and b) not interested.

Roy has all of his problems as in canon and gets help for it, so as a way to try and bring the family closer, Oliver and Dinah arrange a vacation to the hotel for them Roy and Lian. As a stepping stone kind of thing. Get away from daily stress. Roy is resistant at first until he and Jason hit it off and start talking and Jason talks sense into him and they strike up a friendship turned romance.

The Flashfam visit the museum diring a countrywide roadtrip and mad the stop because Bart is a history buff and wouldn’t stop talking about it the entire trip. He becomes fast friends with Tim and is the only person to ever get a Tim Wayne history tour. No matter what Kon tells you he is super salty about it. Wally and Dick were internet friends and used the roadtrip as a way to be able to meet up.

Thad is the obligatory complainer who doesn’t want to stay in a musty old hotel.

Ivy is the main grounds keeper and is in charge of the native wildlife sanctuary most of the land is used for, as well as taking care of the native plantlife and lives in town with her girlfriend, Harley. Harley helps the kids prank Bruce.

Harley is a children’s psychiatrist hired by Bruce to help the kids deal with their various traumas. Her coming to the hotel for sessions is how she and Ivy met.

They started dating between Dick and Jason and Dick talks up each of them to the other, but each individual kid that comes in think they’d be cute together (since they are both professional while working there isn’t immediate proof that they are dating. But they will flirt with each other if they see each other) and it’s basically a right if passage to try and convince their siblings to help them get together and then try and set them up on their own and find out the hard way that they’re already together. They love seeing all the different way the kids try and set them up. They tend to go along with it until either the kids realise or they take pity on them.

Their favorite was Damian’s where he set up an entire romantic dinner at the hotel restaurant and Dick managed to slyly convince him to set it on a certain day that turned out to be Harley and Ivy’s anniversary.

Alfred is the head chef for the hotel, making room service meals and the breakfast buffet line up. Jason will help him out if he isn’t busy with other things.

Victor Fries and his wife hold an ice cream social ever summer at the hotel with all the ice cream flavors they came up with over the last year.

Edward Nygma, famous escape room designer, is hired to make an escape room themed on the hotel and museum that is built on the grounds near the main building.

Another ritual that starts, begins with Tim, where the older siblings convince the newest one that the hotel is haunted and Jason takes them on a “haunted ghost tour” of the abandoned part of the hotel (the part that is too dilapidated and run down to remodel safely) while the others are stationed at different parts of the hotel and grounds to run whatever scenario to scare the new kid. The only one that hasn’t been done to is Cass because even after several years she still jumps a little too hard at loud noises. But one time Jason accident closed a door a little too harshly while Cass and Tim were doing something and it caused her to jump so hard she knocked over Tim and started crying. They were contemplating whether she was strong enough to do it or not and that cemented that she wasn’t.

Tim and Cass are nearly inseparable and are commonly referred to as the Wayne Twins. For Halloween they decided to go as each other.

[cjsmalley]

Continued:

The day is spent doing various activities to keep the kids busy as they await news.

Since they know the Secret, the former Robins give them some basic self-defense lessons and the Royals show off their own skills.

"I have been instructed in the blade since I could walk," Damian explains seriously, "Father allowed me to keep training in such weapons, finding me tutors, so long as I promised never to kill again unless in self defense or defense of others' lives."

"Damian was one of my first trainers," Danielle adds, grinning, "it's how we first bonded. He's a good teacher, once he realized he didn't need to hurt me like his former teachers hurt him."

Bruce frowned; he knew how the League operated, but he had assumed an al-Ghul would have been better protected.

"As if," Damian snorts, when he voices this, "al-Ghuls must be the best of the best, Mister Bruce. No al-Ghul is allowed any weakness no matter their age. I was trained harshly as Grandfather expected perfection from those of his blood. Anything less is shame upon the bloodline."

Damian smiles, "Father and Mother, however, while they expect us to do our best, they also allow us to be children. Not just weapons or heirs to be forged and molded in their preferred image. They, and Danielle, were the ones to teach me the concept of 'fun' not just satisfaction in a job well done."

"He was so stuffy!" Danielle explains further, "So formal all the time! But we got through to him. We figured out he likes art, he's good at it, so Dad and Mom had a studio set up for him and everything."

"Grandfather did not like my hobby," Damian confides, "he believes art, creation, is a waste of time and beneath an al-Ghul. Father and Mother however, not only encourage it but supply the needed materials. I have studied under many artists who reside in the Zone and continue to, alongside my other lessons. As of this moment, I am training in watercolor."

"My father was an artist as well," Bruce smiles, "landscapes in watercolor mostly, though he dabbled in oils and portraiture."

"Truly?"

"Oh yes. I believe we still have his studio."

"We do, sir," Alfred puts in, "shall I ready it for his highness? I dare say Mister Wayne would have been overjoyed to share his passion."

"Perhaps if I spend more time here, Mister Pennyworth," Damian replies respectfully, "I doubt Father or Mother will object to my requests but I do not wish to put you out for nothing."

"Nonsense, young Prince," Alfred shakes his head, already standing up, "do you have any preference as to brand of materials?"

"He's been using one hundred percent cotton paper sketchbooks," Danielle injects, ignoring her brother's blush, "a number six round, flat, and quarter inch dagger bushes, and Cotman by Windsor and Newton. Also a drawing set by Faber-Castell. It has like two pencils, an eraser, and a couple charcoal sticks.

"Thank you, your highness," Alfred nods, "Timothy?"

"Already on Amazon," Tim has his phone out, "those brands exist here too."

"I shall look over the furniture, make sure it is in proper, usable condition as well as air out and dust the room."

"I'll help, Alfie," Jason follows the butler out.

"You do not--" Damian begins but Dick cuts him off.

"No we don't," he agrees before adding, "we want to, your highness. I've an acrobatic gym area and Cass has a dance studio, in the Manor. Tim has his gadgetry lab and Jason has the library. When Duke figures out what he wants he'll get it too. Bruce doesn't mind, at all."

"No, I do not," Bruce agrees softly, crouching, "Damian, your highness, I would have given you the same had I raised you. As soon as you had shown interest in any hobby," he laughs, "I'm rich, we can afford it. If you are sure about spending time here I want you comfortable like everyone else, to have fun."

Then he looks to Danielle, "And you, your highness? Do you have any hobbies?"

"Me?"

"Yes, any siblings of my children are welcomed here as well," he motions around him, "I know we just met but I hope, in time, you'll become comfortable here too. Perhaps call me uncle or cousin Bruce. Damian is gaining his grandfather's art studio, what do you want?"

"I--I like languages and cultures," she admits, "when I grow up, I want to travel if I can. I always go with Dad on official trips."

"She's quite good at languages," Damian adds, for revenge, "she speaks four fluently and three more passably. She can read two fluently as well."

"Really?" Dick looks impressed, "what languages do you speak?"

"English, Spanish, Latin, and Esperanto fluently, Mandarin, Japanese, German, passably. She can read French and Classical Latin," Damian replies when she doesn't.

"A lot of the old court's stuff's in Latin and French," she explains, blushing brightly, "treaties I have to know as Princess, that stuff. Spanish is common. Wulf only speaks Esperanto. The others were just for fun?"

"Oh, Jason's gonna love you now," Dick chuckles, "he's our language nerd. He reads the books in their original language when he can."

"A map room for you, then," Bruce decides, nodding to himself, "we'll fill it with maps, globes, and travelogues. That way you can plan out your future trips."

"Maybe we can take them on trips," Tim speaks up, "if their parents say it's alright. Some things must be different between our worlds. B, I've ordered the art supplies. I'm working on the maps."

"Good job, Tim."

The Phantom siblings can only look at each other in shock.

"Also," Bruce speaks to Tim, "order a dog bed and some toys for Cujo."

"Got it, B," the teen nods seriously, "and a leash, because I don't think leash laws make an exception for ghost dogs."

"Good idea."

"I'll call Babs," Dick decides, "get her ready to set up some papers for them so we can get passports."

A portal opens, causing everyone to freeze.

An old ghost exits, holding a stack of paperwork, "Your highnesses."

"Clockwork," Danielle says worriedly, "is Mom--?"

"The Queen has not delivered her child yet," the ghost replies.

"Why are you here, Clockwork?" Damian questions.

"I bring copies of your paperwork so Barbara Gordon can create identities for you, young Prince," Clockwork answers even as he shifts into a child.

"Mister Bruce, this is Clockwork," Danielle introduces, "he controls Time so he knows almost everything. He's the one that told us all your secret IDs. He's Dad and Mom's most trusted advisor and one of our potential guardians should they get destroyed."

"Well met, Dark Knight," the ghost is now a young man, handing the paperwork to Dick, "and you, Nightwing. However, I must be going."

Another portal opens and he disappears.

TBC...

mind if I give a dp×dc prompt?

Constantine means to summon the ghost king but instead summons the ghost prince who is currently has a fork hanging out of his mouth.

Damian just wanted to eat lunch with his adoptive father king phantom, in peace.

I just want to put that I love this prompt, and will enjoy writing this so much!

Now, onto the big question: How did Damian become the Ghost Prince of the Infinite Realms in the first place?

And of course, the answer is obviously because of Ra's al Ghul. I could think of it as two ways.

One would be Ra's summoned the Ghost King and offered his son in exchange for immortality. Danny not only denies him, but still takes Damian with him because he's obviously better off anywhere but there.

The other way would be Damian would be forced to watch the summoning as Ra's possibly wanted to show him his ascent into being immortal. Though, when summoning Danny, he just looked around, saw Damian, grabbed him, and disappeared back through the summoning circle while flipping off Ra's al Ghul.

Now, what's the Ghost King supposed to do with the human kid he just kidnapped without a second thought?

Sure, the kids previous living conditions probably wasn't the best. I mean, how would it when the man had an entire pit of rotten ectoplasm? But Danny was pretty much still a kid himself. And he had his kingly duties on top of that. But that doesn't mean he was just going to dump the kid somewhere else and hope for the best.

So what does Danny do? He goes to his sister.

Jazz is conflicted about the whole ordeal. On one hand, it was good for Danny to rescue the child from the possible dangerous situation. On the other, they had a whole child that they didn't know what to do with.

Damian was confused about the entire situation. He was there with his grandfather (whether by force or his own accord depending how he got there) to watch him summon the King of the Dead in order to establish himself as one of the higher beings in this world to rule it. Instead, the King, who turned out to be no more older than him, denied his grandfather upright before grabbing him and vanishing back into the same portal he was summoned from.

Now, he was sitting between the Ghost King and an older teen. Sister, maybe? Either way, he was unsure as to what to do now. He had no idea how far he was away from the hideout of the League. And if the King was as powerful as legends told, he doubted he would make it far if he were to run anywhere before he was caught.

So, Damian believed that the best thing to do in this situation was to try and get onto the Ghost King's good side until he could find what would be the next step. So his next words shocked both him and the woman he was talking with.

"I want to stay with you, Great King of the Dead."

So! Damian decided that staying with the Ghost King, or Phantom, as he preferred to be called at most, would be best. Of course, his request threw the king off guard along with the girl. But it was all he had up his sleeve and he was going to use it.

And now that that was settled, a lot of things followed suite:

Danny, with the gain of a new charge, called in Sam and Tucker for a full on meeting on what to do with the kid along with Jazz.

Of course with Danny officially kidnapping him, he was under Danny's care. The Ghost King's care. That was basically signing some sort of second death wish.

With all of his friends and family being alive, they decide the best place for him to leave was in his castle in the Ghost Zone. There was plenty of room there! And he was sure that it would be safe. Maybe. Hopefully. You know what? He'll probably have to do a quick check before he officially brought to the castle.

That being said, he would also have to warn those who stayed in the castle the arrival of his....guest? Kidnappee? Ward? A kid that he took from the environment that was not safe for him!

Surprisingly, the ghosts were excited about the development. So excited, in fact, that when he returned to the castle with Damian in turn, there was already talk about the Ghost King's heir was already going around of all the realms. That was fine though. If the word spread around fast enough, hopefully that that meant he would be easily protected against any possible attacks.

Danny introduces to some of those he can. A few members of his Rogue Gallery who he gotten closer to over the time, Ellie ("It's big sister Ellie, now! I can't believe you just kidnapped a kid like that!")

Others were introduced to him as well. Especially Frost Bite and Fright Knight. Both of which were interested in meeting his sudden charge. (But with the way he saw the kid eyeing Fright Knight's sword, it's best their unsupervised interactions were kept to a minimum.)

And seeing that he was a kid himself, it was going to be weird raising one that's probably not much younger than him. Clockwork sure did get a kick out of it though.

Here is a list of possible outcomes that come from Danny and his friends & family raising Damian:

He doesn't grow up to be as stiff and cold as before. With Danny and the others around (especially Jazz's "Aunt Jazz, Damian," Aunt Jazz's mandatory sessions about his life with the League of Assassin's) his formality is more royalty like instead of an assassin waiting to strike. Though, there is a bit still there.

Training. As being accepted as the ward and possible heir of the Ghost King, it meant that that Damian would have protection and would have to learn the ways of the Infinite Realms. Both its politics and ways of combat. That was fine, Damian was sure he could handle it. He was raised by the League of Assassins after all. But he was wrong...so wrong. His first training session showed how he fared as a human against a ghost. But he wasn't deterred and continued fighting. (It was alright in the end, because he got his own ghost sword. Of course, it didn't send the opponent into a realm of neverending nightmares, but it was still good. Danny was sure he heard Damian cackle madly when the sword was presented to him.)

Bonding time with Danny and his friends. He would most likely learn about Danny about how he became Phantom and King of the Infinite Realms, as well as a bit of his friends and family that was with him the entire time.

Even if he is Danny's ward, that doesn't mean that he keeps him in the Infinite Realms the entire time. He often took Damian out to various spots that he deemed alright for some bonding between the two to get to know each other a bit more personally.

He would even allow Damian some time alone in the human realm if he wanted it. Of course, he would only leave him for about an hour or two before picking him up again. During that time he would simply work on some kingly duties he couldn't do with Damian around.

Overtime, Damian would become more liminal than most due to all the exposure in the realms. Of course he wasn't a full on ghost, but the most he could do was float, fly and even turn invisible. But even that would take a lot out of him for too long.

After a while, Damian would be referred as "Little Prince" or "Prince of the Infinite Realms".

All. The. Animals. With all of the ecto-based animals along with the blob ghosts, he would be in absolute heaven.

Now, I want to bring something else up to this prompt: How would Bruce react?

Depending on how Danny kidnapped adopted Damian, there are two ways that Bruce could find out.

Bruce gains word from Talia after a League of Assassins member finds her and tells her of the passing of Ra's al Ghul and the kidnapping of his grandson. Both of which happened by the hands of the Ghost King.

Words gets out that Ra's failed to get the Ghost King under his control to grant his wish of immortality and that the Ghost King took his grandson as well.

Either way would be how Bruce managed to have a biological son that he was unaware of. Which could also lead to him digging into anything he could find about the King of the Infinite Realms, even seeking JL Dark for any information. Of course, their information isn't up to date and he think that Damian has been kidnapped by the cruel Ghost King Pariah Dark instead of Danny Phantom: The King who can't say no to a kid with a sword bigger than his own body.

So yes. This whole ordeal would just be chaos from beginning to end.

[bellacardoza16]

Going to cast some of the Bat-kids and bat-family as some of the characters in the musical Rag-time:

1.) Bruce as Father because just like him, he’s trying to provide for his family and look out for them.

2.) Alfred would play Grandfather because just like him, he’s also tired of everything.

3.) Selina would play Mother because she has had some inner struggles like she has, and I think she would kill it singing back to before. She could also relate to how Father and mother are trying to work out their relationship just like how she and Bruce want to make their relationship work as well.

4.) I can see Duke play Coalhouse Walker jr. because not only does he have a wonderful voice, but he’s passionate and Romantic like Coalhouse and also during the run of ragtime, he would fall in love with the actress who plays Sarah and the two of them would start dating after the show.

5.) For Damian, he can play Little boy because just like in the show, not only can he relate to growing up in a wealthy family, but he can even relate to how he wants to keep his family together even though they’re on the verge of falling apart.

6.) In all honesty, I can see Dick play Harry Houdini because not only was he taught a lot of showmanship in the circus growing up, it also proves that you can’t take the boy out of the circus. He would just kill it as Houdini.

10.) Tim as younger brother because just like him, he’s very high-strung, awkward, and very introverted.

11.) This was a hard one but I could see Stephanie play Emma Goldman because while she does have some battle scars just like her, she strives for social justice and even off-stage, she fights for what she believes in, doesn’t let her past define her, and will not back down from a fight.

12.) Jason as Tateh because not only does he relate to him with getting used to new surroundings just like how he was when resurrected, he also gets along with the child actress playing Tateh’s daughter and make sure that on breaks, she’s entertained. One time, he heard two ensemble women cuss and he reprimanded them to watch their language because of not only children in the play, but he also made them apologize to the girl. He gets along with her very fine because he has been a big brother to Damian for many years so he knows from experience on what it’s like to look after a young kid. Jason also knows from experience on what it was like to go through poverty growing up.

13.) Barbara as Evelyn Nesbit. Hear me out y’all! This would be a good time for Babs to show her fun, comedic, and playful side! I also think that her and Dick would kill it singing Atlantic City. This role would also be great for her to express her sexuality as well since Evelyn Nesbit was flirtatious in the musical.

14.) For Cass, I would say that she would just be in the rich people ensemble because she wants to see what it’s like to work with not only her family, but with other people as well.

[livinglifebehindthemask]

The Chosen

Based on the book The Selection by Kiera Cass

Pairing: Magnus/Alec with a small side of Helen/Aline and Reyhill

Rating: M for Mature

Word Count: ~24,000

Art: @flynnifox

Beta: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myblackeyedboy

Summary: In a land where your place in society was decided long before you are born, Alec Lightwood spends his day as a farm hand for a local family. His family is just above the poorest in the country. The most he can expect in life is to die early from stress like his grandfather before him.

But this year everything will change.

The only son of the King of Edom has come of age. There will soon be a lottery between the counties and twenty-three young women will be picked to try and win over the heart of the beloved prince. However, this year will be different, for the first time ever men are allowed to enter as well. Will Alec risk the shame of coming out for a chance to meet his childhood crush, that is if he is chosen.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33675712/chapters/83691226

1

The sun was just rising when Alec awoke. The Lightwood household was still quiet, but not for long. Soon the rooster would caw and the whole house would rise. Alec leaned back in his small bed. Across the tiny room was his brother, Max. The poor little boy had soot still on his nose from helping their dad clean the chimney of the main house.

A bird started cawing outside of their window and Max stirred. Time to get up and get ready for the day. There were three children in the Lightwood household. The Lightwood family were Sevens. They were just above the homeless untouchables and people didn’t hesitate to remind them of this fact.

The Kingdom of Edom had eight class levels. Ones were the royalty and magical mystics. The second level were the models, actors, soldiers, and politicians. The Threes held most of the everyday jobs like teachers, doctors, lawyers, writers, and inventors. Fours were the farmers, chefs, and business owners. Fives were the artists. Singers, musicians, and dancers filled this level. The Fives were on the cusp of poverty for more than half the year. Sixes and Sevens were similar in that they were mostly servants, wait staff, secretaries, housekeepers, factory workers; however Sevens worked outside. They were also similar in pay. While their jobs were needed they were barely paid for their work. Eights were the lowest class, made up of the homeless. Traitors and criminals were among their ranks and they had to beg for food or steal.

Alec’s family lived on the Herondale family farm. It was steady work, but not well paid. The five Lightwoods did most of the upkeep needed on the farm. While the Herondale’s ran the business side of the farm. The Heriondales were only Fours, three levels above the Lightwoods, but they never treated them as anything less than family. However, even the Herondale’s were not that rich.

Max rolled over in his small bed and resumed softly snoring. Shifting out of his bed and pulling on his threadbare socks Alec pushed his feet into the worn out shoes and quietly shuffled out to use the bathroom. Alec splashed water on his face afterwards to wake himself up more. He heard a rooster and knew that everyone else would be getting up soon too. Down the hall from the bathroom was his parents room and his sister’s room. Izzy had a room to herself, but it was not much. It had been a place for storage once upon a time, but when Izzy got older they took her bed and squeezed it in the small room. It was big enough for a small bed, side table, and a chest at the foot of the bed. Still it was her little sanctuary.

His mother was already up, fixing food. He leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek before pulling on his overcoat and heading outside. His first task of the morning was to milk the cows. Once he did that he had to make sure they were fed and comfortable. The chickens would be next.

The wind chilled him to the bone. Fall was not far off and winter would quickly follow. The crops would be harvested soon and the land left barren for the season. It had been a hard summer. The drought had lasted too long and their yield was not going to be as much as previous years. There was a possibility that the Herondales might have to let them go. This was the only home Alec had ever known and he didn’t want Max to grow up in this uncertainty.

The only way out of your level was marriage for women or being drafted into the military for men. At nineteen, men were randomly selected for the draft. For some it was a way out of poverty, but it also brought on more danger. Men that went to the front in the war with Diyu rarely came back. Still if he could get drafted and stay alive for at least a few months then the money he earned could help his family. One more year and he would be old enough for the draft. There was, however, an exception to the marriage rule.

Male pregnancy had always been the stuff of legends, but after the king's mystics found the proper mixture of spells and potions men were able to carry children to term just like women. While only Threes and up had enough money to pay for magical potions and spells, the lower levels didn't. Fours on down were more traditional. Men married women and had families.

"Hey." He turned to see Jace, the oldest Herondale son. Jace was about a year younger than Alec, all blond hair and muscles. The Lightwood and Herondale children had grown up together. There were five Herondale children: Jace, Sebastian, who was two years younger and a year younger than Izzy. Aaron was four years younger and the closest to Max's age. Then Layla and Dylan who were the only girls, twins of about five years old.

"Hey." Alec smiled back as his heart sped up. Alec was not like most men, he was in love with a man. Well two men. His place in society meant he could never have what he truly wanted.

"Need any help?" Jace was still rubbing his eyes.

"You can take that bucket back to my mom." Maryse, Alec's mother, and Izzy worked on the dairy side of the farm while at the same time Robert, Alec, and little Max did the tilling of earth. Jace nodded and walked, grabbing the full bucket and taking it back to the house. Alec sighed as he watched the man leave. He needed to snap out of this. Besides, Jace already had a girlfriend. So Alec being in love with his best friend was completely wrong. There were a handful of Twos and Threes but most of the province of Idris' residents were Fives on down.

The second man Alec was in love with was even more unattainable. Magnus Octavioasn Aemilius Bane was the crown prince of Edom, but Alec felt like he knew him after watching him grow up on the public access channel. He had copper skin, just like his mother, raven hair that was always perfectly coiffed, and honey gold eyes, like his father.

Alec sighed as he finished up with the second bucket. Why was he attracted to men that were so unattainable?

Later after the eggs had been collected and his mother had gotten the milk, he sat down for a simple meal of porridge and day-old bread.

"How is the harvest coming?" His mom asked his dad.

"Better than we had expected but nowhere near enough. Stephen said they will try to make a good profit on what they have but there will not be any left over." Robert sighed. The drought had really hit Idris hard. Fellow farmers didn't have any room for extra workers. The dairy would keep them going through the winter but Alec knew his father was already looking for other work.

“I can go into Alicante and see if anyone needs help.” Alec offered. His father had been looking too tired as of late.

“You are needed here, Alec.” His father sighed.

“After the last of the harvest. Maybe I can get enough work before the snow starts to fall.” His father would not say no to any work and Alec was the same way.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Izzy came into the boys’ room after dinner. Max was taking a bath so Alec was alone with his thoughts for a moment.

“Alec.” His sister walked over and sat beside him. “I just delivered some milk to the main house and I heard Mr. and Mrs. Herondale talking about the Prince. His birthday is soon.” Alec nodded as if trying to follow along but he was lost. Izzy sighed. “When a prince of Edom turns 20 he is deemed marriageable age.”

OH. It was time for the prince to find his spouse. Daughters of the King were usually married off to foreign leaders to secure bonds, but sons always married a daughter of Edom. Soon letters would be going out to every female between the ages of sixteen and twenty to be placed into a lottery and see which would become a part of the chosen few.

“Then you will be able to enter.” Alec said with a small smile. If a girl became a part of the chosen few her status was automatically upped to a Three if she was not a natural born Two or Three. Even if she went home the very next day she would still retain that level. Izzy deserved a better life than the one she lived.

“I was not finished,” She admonished. “They said that rumor has it that the Prince is bisexual and might be looking for women and men.” Alec’s head spun for a moment. The Prince was...how...no. It had to be a rumor. That was it, just a silly rumor.

“Ssso?” He hated how his voice slipped as he tried to sound confident.

“So, I will not be the only one that can fill out the form.” Alec shot up from his bed and stuffed his feet back into his worn out shoes.

“I forgot to check the hen house.” Alec nearly ran out of the door just to get away from her. No, absolutely no one knew of his feelings toward men and yet Izzy had pretty much spelled it out. Alec made his way over to the hen house knowing fully well he had locked the gate and nothing could get in or out.

If the Prince wanted a male spouse...it was not unheard of in the upper levels, however, as long as he could remember Princes married daughters of Edom, not sons of Edom. Tucking that thought away, back where it belonged, Alec walked around for a bit before he was sure Izzy would be in her room so he could sneak back in without encountering her knowing smile.

2

Alec wiped his brow before the sweat could fall into his eyes. It was nearly noon and the harvesting was almost done. His father was right, it was not going to be enough to make a decent profit. Alec had already decided he was going into town the next day to look for work. Neither his father nor little brother were looking particularly well lately. Max had always been a little sickly, but Alec feared it might be stress for his father. Roberts' own father had died around the same age from a heart attack. So had his father before him. Working all day outside in the heat and the cold for very little pay would be stressful for anyone. Alec was not going to let that be the fate of his father, not if he could help it.

Later after a small dinner the family traveled up to the main house to watch the weekly report. No one missed a report, ever. Even the homeless could find a store front to watch the report from. It told the people of Edom everything they needed to know from prices of produce, to the war. Tonight was going to be particularly special. This would be the night they would announce the Prince’s birthday and the Chosen guidelines.

When they got to the Herondales' they found that Dylan and Layla were already in Jace’s lap, each one occupying a leg of their favorite brother. Aaron and Max went to sit in a corner, probably going to play with cards or bottle caps. They didn’t much care for the report. A bunch of boring updates that never had anything to do with two lower class boys. It would be a few years before they started to take notice.

Izzy sat next to Sebastian, who was sitting next to Jace, and Alec took the floor in front of her. For the past year both mothers have been trying to push the kids together. Izzy could marry into a higher level and get out of the hard labor. Lower levels tended to marry early as premarital sex was punishamble by banishment or death. Most people married within their class and it was rare that a boy from a high caste would marry a level beneath him, not to mention three levels.

Jace already had a girlfriend, a little fiery red headed Five. Clary Fairchild lived in the middle of town, above a bookstore. Her past was a sordid one. Her mother used to be a Five, a painter in Alicante. A neighbor boy, who was a Four, had gone to a school far from Idris. One vacation he brought his new friend, a Two, to visit. Jocelyn fell for the charismatic Valentine Morgenstern.

They married and Jocelyn left Alicante for the capital. Unfortunately Valentine was caught in a plot to overthrow the king, along with his son, Jonathan. Jocelyn was innocent in the plot and in exchange for testifying against her husband she was able to go back to her hometown and became a Five once again. Clary was the younger child and only eight when all this happened so she went with her mother. The demotion from Two to Five must have been hard for Clary, who was used to such a grand lifestyle as the daughter of a politician. But she was a natural Five, being as good of an artist as her mom.

But if the weather didn’t get better both unions might have to wait. There might even be a possibility that Jace or Sebatien would be forced to marry a wealthier Four bride. Love was still the primary reason that most lower level couples married for, but in the upper levels connections took precedence over emotions.

“There he is!” Izzy cheered. She didn’t need to be so loud, but nonetheless Alec turned his head to the TV. King Asmodeus and Queen Annisa walked in, hand in hand with Magnus on his father’s other side. Magnus walked with grace and beauty. The raven haired man had his head held high. A streak of blue running through his perfectly quaffed hair. Being from the Bane family the Prince knew magic and knew how to change his appearance and he never missed an opportunity to make a statement.

Izzy squeezed her brother’s shoulder as Jace tried to calm the girls down. The report would start with the Edom national anthem, led by the royals themselves. Then advisers would stand one by one and give a brief update of issues around the kingdom. Only after that would the talk turn to the Chosen.

As the program went on Alec found his heart was beating faster. Why did it matter? Even if he did enter he would never be chosen and then he would bring shame to his family. He was expected to marry within his class, not above it, and to a woman.

Both families listened to the reports with the kids zoning in and out of listening. Max and Aaron were still playing in the corner, Dylan had settled down but her sister was still a ball of energy. Finally after the last governmental report, the one about the farms, the attention was turned to the master of ceremonies, Simon Lewis. His dark curly hair was perfectly styled and he held a microphone to match his magenta suit. Simon bowed before the King.

“Thank you, Sire. It is an honor to be a part of this historic choosing.” Alec felt his breath hitch for a moment. Historic, so it was true. The rumor was true. “Prince Magnus, might you join me down here.” The Prince stood from his chair and gracefully walked down the few steps and over to where Simon and a small table and two chairs waited.

“Thank you very much, Simon.” The Prince and the MC sat down.

“It is I that should be thanking you. Life is never boring around you.” Magnus chuckled.

“That is very true and soon it will be more chaotic.”

“Speaking of, how are you feeling about this year's choosing? Twenty-three young women chosen to come vie for the Prince's attention?” Simon wiggled his brows. “Must be quite a task.”

“It would be, but I have decided to take it a step farther.” Magnus turned to the camera and spoke straight to the people. “I am opening the Chosen to the sons of Edom, not just to the daughters.”

Those words buzzed in his ears loud enough that Alec didn’t hear anything else. <i>Sons of Edom.</i>

3

The news exploded through all twenty-three provinces of Edom. The local province registration offices were flooded with people, both male and female, all trying to get their chance at this lottery. In Alicante most of the men that signed up were Threes or Fours. No men from the lower levels were seen near the office. Even the Fours signing up were risking everything.

Robert had forbidden Izzy from signing up. “If he is that much of a deviant then we don’t need our family dragged into that.” Of course he had only said that within the confines of his small home with his family present. But that didn’t stop Alec from wanting it. He wanted to sign up and even made up his mind to walk the five miles to the office, twice, before he chicken out.

As the days went by Alec filled his time with finding new work to offset the cost of winter. He had found a few construction jobs along with cleaning up a couple abandoned plots of land. The money he brought home was well worth it. He had even started to forget about his own wishes until the night Max came down sick.

Max had never been that healthy, but most of the common remedies for colds kept the sickness at bay. He was not to work in the cold and rain, but being on a farm he often had to help his father and brother. The weather had started to turn cold when Max woke up one morning with a headache and he looked as white as a sheet.

Unfortunately they couldn’t send for a doctor, that was just too expensive. Even the Herondales didn’t have the money. Maryse sat by her son’s bed and tried to make him as comfortable as possible.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Izzy pulled Alec into her room and closed the door. “What do you want?” Izzy had been trying to get Alec alone all day, but there was work to be done. Finally after dinner she was able to corner him.

“Here.” She handed him a small white envelope. Alec looked at it and then back up to his sister. “Open it, you idiot.” She said, exasperated. Alec rolled his eyes and sat on her small bed to open up the envelope. The moment he read the first sentence of the form he knew what it was. It was the Chosen form.

“Izzy, no.”

“Alec, yes. This could be your only chance at real love.” That was if the Prince even chose him, which he probably would not. He would want some handsome Two or Three that knew poetry and how to model rather than when to plant the next crop or how to clean a chimney in under an hour.

“And what if it gets back to mom and dad? They can not afford the shame.”

“Alec.” Izzy took his hand in hers. Both of them worked hard but Izzy still had softer hands. “We are one step above the homeless. We live in this hell of a level because of our ancestors. That does not mean we should not want more. You don’t want to waste your life working outside on a farm, marrying someone you don’t love, and then possibly dying early from all the hard work?”

Alec looked back at the form. If the people of Alicante found out and refused to employ him...he could move to Brooklyn, thirty miles to the east, he reasoned. The city had more opportunities and maybe he could bring back a lot of money, but was this worth all that effort?

“Try, Alec. If you are picked then the family will get a stipend for your absence. That money could be used to heal Max. It could keep us in this house for another winter.” Izzy was right. If he was chosen his parents would get money and Alec would be elevated to a Three. Even if he was shown the door the first night he would have a different level that would allow him to be a teacher or a writer or anything else really.

“Ok, Iz. I will try.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

The next day before anyone had gotten up Alec rose from his temporary bed. Alec had given up his bed so his mother could sleep near Max in case he needed her. Alec took the worn out couch in the living room as his bed.

Going to the bathroom he combed his hair and washed his face. After everyone had gone to bed the night before Alec had looked over the form. It was said that pictures were taken when the person turned their form in. So much for it being a random lottery. Still Alec wanted to look his best. He had borrowed a shirt from Jace, not exactly telling him why he wanted it, but the light blue shirt looked newer than his brown or grey ones. It made his blue eyes pop and that was more than he could hope for.

Back out of the bathroom he stuffed his small satchel with his work shirt, the form, and some food before leaving a note for his parents. He was planning on finding work after he put the form in. It would give him an excuse as to why he had left so early. He would not turn any job down, no matter what it entailed.

It was early morning as he walked across the fields to the road that would lead him into Alicante proper. Alicante was a small town with a main street full of little shops and then homes surrounding it. The registration office opened at eight and he still had over two hours before that. He could take this walk at a leisurely pace. He didn’t want to be muddy or sweaty when he got to the office.

As he walked he tried to think what it would be like if he was chosen. There would never any be a chance with Jace. He didn’t favor men and only had eyes for Clary. Like Izzy said, this could be his only hope at a relationship with a man.

Slowly the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. People started to open their businesses as he passed main street. He would be back soon to see if anyone needed help. The business owners were always so nice to him and his family. Turning off main street he headed for the edge of town. The registration office was right across from the train station on the edge of town. He stopped by the station to see the price of a ticket to Brooklyn. If everything went south he would need a way out.

There was already a small line in front of the office. Two more days and the registration would be closed. It seemed he was not the only one that wanted to get their pictures taken early. There were a handful of girls with their mothers who looked like they were on their way to work. Probably Sixes going to work at local factories or maybe even bookkeepers.

The group looked at him for a moment as he stood behind the last woman in line. Even if he flushed with embarrassment he refused to turn around. He was here and he was going to put his form in.

Within twenty minutes of standing in line and a few more people joining the line the office opened. This gave Alec time to wipe his face of any dirt or sweat he had gathered from the trek. The wait was short before he was allowed in the building. The woman at the front desk looked him over before asking for his form. Most government office workers were Fours so he was pretty sure this woman looked down on him.

Taking out the form from his bag he handed it over. Where girls might have been able to put skills of cooking and sewing down Alec only had one skill, archey. He hadn’t even done it in years since Jace’s bow had broken in their early teens. Still it was better than any other skill he could think of.

“Alright, Alexander Lightwood?”

“Alec.”

“Alec. This way to the photo booth.” She motioned into a small room. Inside was a photographer and his assistant. Alec swallowed his embarrassment and walked inside.

“Come over, my son. Getting your picture taken for the choosing?” The man didn’t bat an eye at him. He must not be from Alicante.

“Yes sir.” Alec put his bag down on the floor near the door and walked over to where the man pointed to. Once he sat down the assistant made a few adjustments to the lighting before going behind the camera with the photographer.

“Alright, son. I want you to think of your happiest memory. Hold it close to your heart and smile. One.” Alec thought of a time when Jace, Izzy, and himself had played near a brook, acting like they were pirates that wanted to take over the world. “Two.” He remembered being chosen to be Jace’s first mate and how much pride he took in that job, mostly “swabbing the decks.” “Three.”

Alec smiled brightly as the flash went off. He hoped he looked as happy as he felt from the memory.

After Alec left the office he hid in an alleyway and changed his shirt. Stuffing the nicer shirt back in his bag he set off back down the street towards main street. That day he was able to scrape enough money together to save some for his train ticket plus a little more to bring home.

4

It had been two weeks since he put his form in. The lottery had closed and soon the Chosen would be picked. Even though he felt like he had changed, no one else seemed to notice. No one turned him away when he asked if there was any work he could do. That made him breathe a little easier.

So far he had brought in enough money that his parents could get medicine from the store to help little Max. He still was not better, but he hadn’t gotten worse. There was no way that in the next few months he could get enough money together so they could visit a doctor. If Max didn’t get better on his own there might only be four Lightwoods left.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alec sat his pack down at the door and stretched his back and neck. Today had been a hard day. Only a few people needed help in the town. It was still another week until people started to winterize their homes. Both Robert and Alec had clients lined up starting the next Monday.

“Hey, Alec.” Izzy was in the kitchen stirring something over the stove.

“Please tell me you didn’t make that all on your own.” He ducked as a towel sailed towards him.

“It’s one of mom’s stews so no it will not poison you, but I might.” Izzy was not the greatest cook, mainly because their mom never let her help. Maryse wanted to be in control of everything in the kitchen but now with Max sick, she couldn’t.

Their father came in moments later. He looked paler than usual. The partiach had been working twice as hard the past couple weeks. They were both trying to make as much money as they could.

“Food will be ready soon, Papa.” Izzy said as she moved to cut up some bread. Alec went to the bathroom to wash up, followed by his father. They didn’t speak, both so tired, but they had to conserve their energy. The weekly report was coming on tonight. As Alec exited the bathroom it struck him tonight the twenty-three people were being picked. His heart beat a little faster as he walked himself back to the kitchen and sat down at the small table.

“Alec?” He looked up to see his sister placing the food in front of him. “You look spaced out. Please tell me you have not been working too much.” Alec shook his head and opened his mouth to answer but their mother walked in.

“Is the food ready? Max said he wanted to try it.” Their mother seemed to have aged several years in only a few days. Izzy dished out some of the stew, more liquid than solids. Their mother took it and turned back to the hall. Their parents passed each other sharing only a quick glance.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Robert, Izzy, and Alec were the only ones to make the trek up to the main house. Maryse refused to leave her child behind and Max was in no shape to walk up.

The Herondale household was more subdued than it had been a few weeks before when the Choosing announcement was made. Dylan and Layla still sat near their favorite brother but neither were very talkative. Aaron sat against the wall with his legs drawn up to his chest. Sebastian sat beside his brother with Izzy and Alec on his other side. Robert sat in a side chair while Mr. and Mrs. Herondale shared the other side chair.

The report started. The King and Queen walked out with Magnus beside them. His suit was made of deep green velvet with gold buttons. While he did look dashing Alec didn’t have much enthusiasm in him. They would announce the Chosen and Alec would not be one of them. No Seven had ever made it to the Choosing, not once in over two hundred years. They would not start now for a male.

The announcements were made but they barely listened. His father was staring into space either in deep thought or just too tired to focus. There was nothing particularly interesting about the announcement. Nothing they had not heard before. Finally Simon Lewis took the stage with an electric blue suit jacket.

“He has interesting style choices.” Izzy commented to no one in particular.

“And now the moment that I am sure everyone in Edom is waiting for. Prince Magnus, would you join me?” The Prince moved from his throne down to where Simon stood with a handful of cards. “Now, your majesty, I am told you did peek at a few of the pictures of applicants.”

“Yes. I was only allowed a few minutes to look through a few profiles, but everyone I saw looked stunning. I would be lucky to have any of them as my spouse.” Simon chuckled and pulled up his cards.

“Alright, then let’s get this started. In no particular order let’s see who the lucky twenty-three sons and daughters of Edom will be.” The first picture that came up was a blonde woman with a dazzling smile. “Camille Belcourt, Two.” Of course. “Merlion Knight, Two.” The next picture was a dark haired man with a slight smile.

The next few came so quickly. They were all beautiful people. Two more Twos and three Threes.

“Helen Blackthorn, Three.” Another blonde but her face was softer than the first blonde. “Lydia Brandwell, Two.” They had yet to give any below a Three. They might throw a Four or Five in there for good measure but that would probably be it.

“Andrew Underhill, Four.” A picture flashed of a joyous man with blond curls. Two more Threes and then their first Five “Maureen Brown, Five.” She looked more like a child than a woman, if she was sixteen it would be a miracle. More names rolled past but Alec had lost count. They had to be coming to an end soon. Izzy reached out to take his hand and he looked at her out of his peripheral vision. She was not looking at him but she was here for him.

Two more Fives, another Four, another Three, another two Fours, another two Fives. “And last but certainly not least.” Simon said before the last photo flashed up on screen. “Alexander Lightwood, Seven.”

5

Idris was a wash with activity. It had only been two days since the Chosen had been announced and the Lightwood family had had many visitors. They all wanted to congratulate a Chosen son of Edom. At first Alec’s family had been surprised. When his name came up on the television along with his glowing photo, Alec had froze up. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he could ever make it.

Izzy had jumped up from the couch yelling and dancing around. This seemed to lighten the twin’s moods and they got up to dance not knowing why. Alec felt all eyes on him but his eyes were still on the TV as the Prince thanked all the Chosen and wished them safe travels to the capital. Then the national anthem played again before going to snow.

After the TV was switched off there was no sound but the girls asking why they were celebrating.

“Home.” Was the only word their father said before standing up and leaving the room. Alec and Izzy followed close behind knowing an explosion was going to happen as soon as they made the walk down to their house. Maryse was in the kitchen when they came back, pushing her soup around. She was not all that hungry but needed to keep up her strength.

“Sit.” His father’s voice was clipped and both Lightwood siblings sat down at the table.

“What is wrong, dear?” Their mother asked.

“Alec entered the Chosen.”

“And won!” Izzy snuck in before her father glared at her.

“Alexander...” His mother started with sadness in her voice.

“You entered that lottery without a thought of what it could do to your family. We are nearly destitute, Alexander.”

“I know, Father..”

“No you do not! We will lose jobs! Everyone now knows you are a deviant. You will never be able to marry a good girl...” Alec slammed his hands on the table and stood up.

“I never wanted to marry a good girl! Father, I am gay. I have known for some time.” He knew since he was young when he developed his crush on Jace. “And I did think about the family. You will get a stipend for my absence. That will more than pay for the lodging over the winter and get a doctor out here to see Max.” Both of his parents sat stunned at their eldest son. “If I had not won then we would not have had to worry. No one at the Government office has said anything.”

As he ended his speech he felt himself slightly weaken and sat down. Izzy reached across the table to take his hand but he pulled them back into his lap.

“And how long do you think you can stay?” His father asked. “Once you are thrown out you will have nothing and neither will we!”

“I will be a Three.” Alec said. “I will be able to get a better job, one where I don’t break my back and die at 40.” This caused his father to pale. Most Lightwood men only make it to 40 or 50 if they were lucky. Life was just too hard. Finally his father sat down at the table with his family.

“The damage has been done. You have made your bed, Alec, now you must lie in it.”

It was the very next day that a few local workers stopped by to bring some food for the family. The next visitors were a few businessmen from town. They talked with Robert and offered him some work for a good price. They must have told a Doctor because the very next day Dr. Hodge, the local physician, showed up to examine Max. Finally something was getting done.

-=-=-=-=-=-

On the third day a Mr. Victor Aldertree knocked upon their door at two p.m. The dark skinned man looked out of place in the Lightwood home with his beautiful three piece suit and top hat, though the man didn’t exactly look like he wanted to be there to begin with.

“May I speak with Mr. Alexander Lightwood?” The family brought the man into the kitchen and sat around the small table. Izzy was pleased to be a part of all this. Alec felt sick.

“Now, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, I have a few questions that need to be asked of you and of young Mr. Lightwood. Some of these questions are of a sensitive nature. I feel that it might be best if your daughter were not present.” Izzy gave an indignant sound and stormed off. Alec would fill her in later.

“Alright, Alexander, I need you to answer all these questions as truthfully as you can. If at any time we find out that you have lied you will be reprimanded and thrown out of the Choosing. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Alec nodded.

“First question, when was your last physical exam?” Alec blinked as he couldn’t remember.

“I do not remember.” They didn’t have money to go to the Doctor that often. Aldertree marked something down.

“Would you be willing to get one, paid for by the Crown.” He added.

“Yes.”

“Very good. Now sexual orientation.” Alec flushed bright red. “Would you consider yourself hetreosexual, bisexual, or homosexual?”

“Hhhomosexual.”

“Have you engaged in any sexual activity with a member of the opposite sex or the same sex?” Alec felt like his face was going to burn off from the heat of embarrassment.

“Nnno.”

“To which one?”

“Both.”

“Very good.” The man wrote something else down before moving on to less sensitive questions. By the time Aldertree was packing up Alec could feel a headache coming on.

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood, Alexander. Someone will be in touch with you shortly about the trip to the capital and a schedule for a physical examination.” The man exited the house and put his hat back on. “Good day to you all.”

6

It was a Thursday when he would finally leave his family and journey to the capital. Edom City was named after the country for which they resided in and was the main headquarters of the royal family and the military. From what Alec had read about when he was younger there were buildings so high up you couldn’t tell where they stopped and the sky began.

There was not much for him to pack. His family had used most of their money on a new outfit for him. The palace would be taking over his wardrobe once he got there and most of his clothes had more holes than a beehive. He was taking only his small satchel filled with a few trinkets.

Max had given him a wooden horse that Jace had carved for him one year. <i>“It will keep you safe.”</i> Izzy gave him a small book that she had purchased a few years back. Alec loved to read but he had neither the time nor the books to actually read. <i>“When you have time between kissing the Prince and talking to high society you can sit somewhere and read.”</i> His mother had given him a handkerchief that she had embroidered his name on. <i>“I hope you will be happy, dear.”</i> His father, however, didn’t give him any trivial trinket. He was not a man that was sentimental. Instead he gave a few words of advice. <i>“While I do not like this, you are the first Seven to ever be picked. Head up and chin out. Show Edom that a Seven is not as lowly and weak as they think.”</i>

The day before Jace and Alec had sat by the river and briefly talked. Saying goodbye to his best friend was not as hard as he thought it would be, but he knew once he got to the palace he would miss Jace terribly.

“I think it's really cool you went for what you wanted, Alec.” Alec looked over at his blonde friend.

“You don’t mind me being...”

“Nope,” Jace said, shaking his head. “I kind of always knew. I don’t know, like this feeling.” Alec found himself blushing and looking away from the other. “I mean, if I was like you, I wouldn’t mind having you for a partner.” That caused Alec to blush even deeper. They didn’t say much after that, just sitting by the river listening to the water.

When they got up to leave Jace reached in his pocket and pulled out a small bracelet of colored beads.

“I had Clary make this for you. I know it's not much...but I don’t want you to forget about me.” Alec felt tears in his eyes when he pulled Jace into a tight hug.

“I could never forget you.”

The car arrived to take him to the station. Once on the train it was a straight shot to the capital but they would be making a few stops. After Idris they would be traveling through the Undying Lands, the biggest farmland in all of Edom and the richest. First stop would be Winter Vale where they would pick up Helen Blackthorn. Alec had done very little research on most of the other Chosen but since the Undying Lands were so close he looked up the three people coming from there.

Helen’s family were from level Three, being mostly lawyers and educators. She was actually going to become a lawyer when she was chosen. Now that Alec had become part of the Chosen he had ascended to the rank of a Three. Maybe he would become a teacher or librarian. He did like books and to be surrounded by them would be wonderful.

Six and Sevens attended a mediocre public school. They learned only the basics and were done by the time they were sixteen so they could get out and start working. They didn’t need much more than that. If you worked in a factory or out in the sun why would you need to know complex chemical formulas or the history of Edom before it was called that. Alec smiled slightly, he would never have to work out in the sweltering heat ever again.

After Winter Vale would be Spring Dale, where they would pick up Meliorn Knight and Annabelle Powerton, both Twos. Meliorn’s father had been drafted into the military when he was nineteen, he was already a Two so his status wouldn’t change. Apparently Merliorn did not want to follow his father into the military and the man had never held a job in his life. Being at the high end of the age range maybe he was just hoping to become the spouse of the next king of Edom. Annabelle’s father was a politician and very trusted by the people in the Undying Lands. She was a pretty girl, petite with chin length brown hair, and a tiny waist. Any one of the other Chosen from this area would be better suited for life in the royal palace.

Alec had never been on a train so when he was shown where the car the Chosen would be riding he jumped as the train started to pull out. Sitting in one of the oversized chairs he looked out as the land whipped past. Soon he would be out of Idris. The farthest he had ever been from home. After the Undying Lands was the county of Adamant Citadel, where the military trained, then on to the capitol. The trip should take around four hours, at least that was what he had been told.

There had not been any big send off for Alec. Anyone who was anyone had already wished him good luck. He had said goodbye to his family at their home. The Herondales had come to see him off and Alec’s heart ached to hug Jace goodbye. His first crush. It all seemed so long ago. Now he was on a train headed for his future, whatever that would be.

-=-=-=-=-

At their first stop Helen Blackthorn was brought on. She was a tall, thin woman with blonde hair that was pulled back from her face, and blue-green eyes. She wore a black long jacket over a tan pantsuit and tall heels that made her much taller than Alec who stood at 6’1”. She was nice but a little aloof. They spoke for a little while before their second stop.

As they pulled into the Spring Dale station, Alec could see from the train all the fanfare that the next two Chosen were getting. A man with long brown hair, half tied up, was waving and carrying flowers. He had on an all white suit that Alec wondered how he kept clean. By the time the other Chosen had got on and came back to the car Meliorn had ditched the flowers. From what Alec could see now Meliorn was not wearing a shirt, just the suit jacket.

Annabelle was walking behind him looking a slight bit mift. Oh dear, drama and they had not even got to the capital yet. Annabelle came up to Helen’s midriff, she wore a short pink lace dress and black shoes. She had a small bag on her left arm that looked no bigger than an envelope.

Meliron sat across the aisle from Alec and Helen and took out a grey box and started pressing on it. Annabelle sat next to Helen, who was across from Alec. She didn’t even look his way. Helen had been nice, but no doubt Annabelle didn’t want to associate with anyone that used to be a Seven. Sighing he turned back to the window.

After Spring Dale was miles and miles of farmland and forest. Some later they entered the Adamant Citadel countryside. No more farmland, but flat, lush greenery around small bunches of trees. They sailed through only one town. It had been a couple hours and Alec was getting tired of looking at fast moving scenery when a voice came from the ceiling.

“We will be arriving in Edom within the hour.” A jolt of excitement went through the four Chosen. Annabelle was getting out a mirror and some makeup from her tiny purse. Helen also opened her satchel to take out a mirror to make sure her hair was still in place. Meliorn was sitting up and straightening his jacket before taking a cloth and wiping down his shiny white shoes. Alec just pushed some of his hair from his face, behind his ear. Why did he need to look good anyway? Prince Magnus’ eyes would overlook him for someone like Meliorn or Annabelle.

It was not much later when Annabelle squealed and pointed out the window. Turning in his seat Alec saw the great city of Edom. There were many greyish buildings all clustered together. The sun shone brightly on the buildings and windows. It looked beautiful but so different from the county of Idris. It glimmered in the distance like a beacon. They passed the treeline right before they entered the station. From what Alec could see there were no trees or plants of any kind. Just cement and steel.

The train started to slow down as they went through some sort of tunnel. Out of the window all he could see was concrete until the tunnel opened up. Beyond the train was a bustling station with people moving too and fro. Some sat on seats and looked at the same box that Meliorn had taken out. A wall hid his view of the other patrons. When it opened up again he saw that his area was not crowded. There were only a few men in uniform waiting.

The train slowed to a stop. As the Chosen exited the train for long black cars, Alec realised how lonely and far from home he was. <i>“Head up and chin out. Show Edom that a Seven is not as lowly and weak as they think.”</i> Alec took a break and closed his eyes. He might have been a Seven but he had been through more than anyone else in the Chosen. Opening his eyes he stepped into the black car, his blue eyes shining with determination.

7

Alec rode to the palace in the back of a long black car with the rest of the Chosen. Annabelle was going a mile a minute about everything around them. Meliorn was fixing his hair for the third time and Helen was just nodding along to whatever Annabelle was saying. Alec on the other hand was just holding his breath. His last boost of confidence had left him feeling better but he still knew he was out of his element. While Helen had been nice to him, neither Annabelle nor Meliorn had spoken one word to him.

Instead of focusing on that he looked out the window at the large grey building that seemed to be spurting out of the ground below them. What struck him as odd was that there was no greenery around. No plants, trees, or shrubs. This was unlike anything Alec had ever imagined.

“Why are there no plants?” He found himself wondering out loud, then felt utterly embarrassed.

“The soil here is unusable. The country before Edom didn’t care about their land and piled waste anywhere they could.” Helen explained in a soft voice. “Now the ground can not grow as much as one weed. The royal family has been trying to reverse the effects of the toxins, but the mystics have not found a way yet.” Ah, that made sense, although it didn’t sound familiar so that must have not been something they were taught in school. History of the earth would not be high on the list if your only duties were only following the directions of your superiors. Still, it saddened him. He had never lived without greenery in his life. Even with all the work he had to do there was never a day that he didn’t get out in nature.

The palace came into view between a row of buildings. It was like the city parted for them as the road led up to Edom’s royal palace.

As soon as they got out of the car three people, two women and one man stepped up to them.

“Good day, Chosen. My name is Iris, this is Victor and Jane. We are part of the public relations department here at the palace. Each one of you signed a contract to not disclose anything that might make the royal family look bad. We know this was not an easy adjustment for some of you, but now that you reside in the castle you will make the monarchy look good. As such we are here to remind you and wish you a pleasant stay. Just through the doors you will have the chief maid and she will direct you to your rooms.” With that Lanette was done talking to them and moved to the side.

Had he signed a contract? He didn’t remember, but he was pretty sure when he had signed his name back at his home that one day he had pretty much sold his soul.

They trudged up the stairs to the large double doors which were opened for them and a woman with dark brown hair tied up in a nice updo welcomed them.

“Hello, chosen few. My name is Imogen and I am the chief of the attendants. If there is anything you need don’t hesitate to ask. Now let me introduce you to your maids.” Each Chosen got a set of maids or butlers in Meliorn and Alec’s case.

“Miss Blackthorn, these are your maids. Lucy, Aline, and Donna.” Helen curtsied to her maids, which seemed to be flustered with her movements. They must have not been curstiesed to very much. Annebelle was next and then Alec. “Mr. Lightwood, these are your attendants, Will and Jem.” The two men bowed slightly to Alec. No one had ever bowed to him him, a worthless Seven. Well he was no longer a Seven, he was now a Three, but it would take a while to get used to it.

“May we take your things?” Jem asked, his arm already stretched out. All Alec had was the bag on his back.

“I can carry my things.” Alec said nervously. The men looked at each other as if they were trying to communicate with only their eyes. The rest of the Chosen had already started to move farther into the palace. “I only have this bag.” Three sets of eyes looked at the small bag.

“Alright, Mr. Lightwood, please follow us.” Will said, motioning for Alec to follow them. Will had coloring like Alec; dark hair and blue eyes. His face however was full of more color than Alec’s pale skin. Jem had the same type of looks as the prince. Thinner eyes but warm brown irises.

They went up one set of stairs and then another. At the top of the second set of stairs they made a left down a long hallway and then another left only to turn right and then left until they were in a little alcove with a single door. Alec couldn’t help thinking he was being shut away from the rest of the Chosen. He didn’t see Helen, Annabelle, or even Meliorn.

Jem was the first to the door and opened it. Inside was a room roughly four if not five times the size of his own home. It was like a dream. Walking into the room he took in the balcony and the large four poster bed. The canopy was a soft cream color tied back with little silk ties. The bed was decked out in all manor of pillows and lush fabrics.

“Does it suit you, Mr. Lightwood?” Alec blinked and looked back at his three attendants. Suddenly he felt very small. This had been a dream less than a week ago but now being here, inside the palace he felt...wrong. A Seven didn’t belong in a palace, even if he were to work there. He would just soil the place with his filth. “Mr. Lightwood?” Alec could barely hear the name past the panic and rush in his ears.

“I’m fine.” He felt everything but fine. “May I have a moment?” The three attendants looked at each other in that same wordless communication.

“Yes, Mr. Lightwood. We will be just outside the door if you need us.” Quickly the three men disappeared leaving Alec alone in the huge, unfamiliar room. Falling to his knees Alec buried his face in his hands and cried. It was the soft, barely there cry he had felt so many times in his life when he couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t belong here and by the end of the day he would be the first sent home.

8

It was nearly six when his attendants came back to get him. They brought in a beautiful suit of silvery grey. In the time they had left Alec the young man had cried out all his emotions, leaving him feeling numb and drained. He had splashed cool water on his face from the bathroom and at least looked more put together than he felt. He didn’t even mind the men helping him dress in the beautiful garment.

Dinner was served promptly at seven thirty. That was a little later than they ate back at home, but when you worked all day outside with only a meager sandwich for sustenance you tended to be starving after work. Dinner would be the first chance any of the Chosen would meet the Prince. It would be informal, a quick smile and hello. The next day, however, would be the make or break day.

From what he had gleaned from a bit of research was that the Prince would be expected to cut at least five members of the Chosen within the first week. King Asmodeous had cut seven girls the first day. His father, the late King Modomus had cut about the same amount and the Prince's great-grandfather had cut the competition in half by the third day.

Alec expected to be one of the few to be cut early. He was nothing like Meliorn, sleek and graceful or like that Camille woman he had seen on tv. She had the air of a princess even from just the brief smile he had seen.

“Mr. Lightwood?” A Gentle voice broke through his thoughts. In the mirror he could see Jem looking back at him as he fixed his collar.

“Yes?”

“Be yourself. Do not let them scare you.” Alec wondered what he meant but Will was interrupting them to attach silver cufflinks.

“I will be back shortly with your shoes.”

“Do I look alright?” Alec found himself wondering aloud, looking into Will’s blue eyes.

“You look breathtaking, Sir. The Prince will surely notice you first.” Alec didn’t know if the man was just placating him or he really thought a Seven could stand up to a room full of the elite. He had to remember that even his attendants were above him. Working so close to the royal family and inside the palace meant they were Sixes, yet they treated him as if he was so far above them.

Will returned them with immaculately polished shoes so shiny Alec could see his own reflection in them. Once he was completely dressed Jem showed him down to the dining room. The room was already half full of Chosen contestants. Panic gripped at Alec’s heart as he took in the variety of dresses and suits.

“Breathe, Mr. Lightwood.” Jem told him with a smile. Another servant appeared to take him to his seat. Thankfully he was seated between Helen and another woman named Maria. Maria was a talkative girl. Within a few minutes he knew she was a Four, her father owned a leather making business near the capital, she had three younger sisters and no brothers. She liked to sing but that was just a secret between them and the rest of the table. She made Alec feel so much better. A couple more people joined their table as Maria chatted up a storm. A Three from the outer county of the kingdom named Jessica, another Four named Xander, a Two from the glittering capital aptly named Duchess and last was a familiar face from the broadcast, a Four named Andrew.

Andrew was the last to take his seat at their table. He wore a sleek navy suit and tie. He looked a little flustered and apologized for being late.

“My attendants could not decide what suit to put me in.” Maria started asking about his wardrobe up until the point where a servant loudly cleared his throat and announced the royal family. All of the Chosen stood as King Asmodous and Queen Annisa came in, arm in arm followed by the Prince.

The Prince glittered like diamonds in his nearly all white suit. A few girls at another table nearby nearly swooned and even Alec felt himself flush slightly. Once the royal family had made their way to the head table the Chosen were permitted to sit. The Prince was the only one that stayed standing.

“Thank you chosen few for making the long arduous trip to our fair capital.” The Prince started, thanking them for coming. “Tomorrow I will have a chance to thank each of you in person, but for now I wish you would enjoy the selection of foods from around the country. Eat and be happy, without a care in the world. Thank you again.” With that the Prince sat down and the food was brought in.

There was so much that Alec scarcely knew what to eat first. Many of the foods he had seen on TV or for sale in Aleconte’s marketplace, but he had never had the pleasure of tasting. Most of them he didn’t even know the name of. No day old bread, porridge, watery stew to be seen.

“Helen.” He asked in a quiet whisper as Helen put some sort of fluffy white food on a plate. “What is that?” Helen just gently smiled and passed him the serving bowl.

“Potatoes.” Potatoes? He had never seen such white and creamy potatoes in his life. Taking a spoonful then passed it to Maria who was talking to Xander about the many foods from her province. After most of the food was passed around, from which Alec had taken a little bit from each, he started to eat along with the rest of his table guests.

The food seemed to melt upon his tongue. The flavors exploded across his palate and at one point he even moaned aloud at the taste. He had never seen so much food and the variety was amazing. Potatoes so fluffy and white like little clouds. Meat so tender he didn’t have to cut it, it just fell apart.

“Oh yes, you are a Seven, are you not?” Jessica asked from across the table. “I supposed this is the first time you have ever seen such food.” It was a backhanded way of calling him poor, but it was true.

“Yes and I intend to enjoy it.” He was a Seven, but he had done more in his short existence than that woman would ever do in her whole life. She may have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but Alec had had to work for every scrap of food he got.

“Even in my family we try to eat more meagerly.” Helen said, taking a bite of meat from the end of her fork. “My family tries to give as much spare income as we can to charity. Some of these dishes I have never seen, but they are all delicious, wouldn’t you say Maria?” That pulled Maria into the conversation which effectively ended any tirade Jessica might have. The blonde girl smiled at him and Alec felt that amongst this sea of sharks he at least had one friend for now.

After dinner came dessert. Miles and miles of pastries and sweets, things that would make his brother’s mouth water and his sister jump for joy. Sugar was so expensive, so they rarely had anything sweet. Only on the new year would they get a small toffee that Alec was sure his parents saved up for all year. He couldn’t decide on what to eat first. Helen took a slice of some sort of cake. It was red in color with white icing.

“You must try this, Alec.” She said, gesturing to her slice. “Red Velvet is my favorite cake.”

“Does it really have velvet in it?” He asked, taking a small piece with his fork. She laughed.

“No, but it is so smooth and feels like velvet.” Alec took a bite and found it entirely too sweet for his liking. The flavor was good but the amount of sugar was too much.

“Is there something not so sweet?” She smiled back and then turned to look at the selection of food.

“Excuse me.” She said calm and sweetly to one of the servers. “Do any of these have less sugar in them?” The servant looked shocked that he was being addressed but then nodded. He grabbed a plate of three dark balls of something covered in brown powder and surrounded by raspberries.

“Dark chocolate truffles, Miss.” He gave her the plate which Helen then passed to Alec.

“Dark chocolate has less sugar added to it. It makes it a bit bitter, I have never liked it, but maybe you will.” Alec nodded in appreciation. He took his folk and cut one in half. It was soft and as easy to cut as butter. Taking one piece he placed it in his mouth. It was bitter but it still had a smoothness and not too much sugar.

After he swallowed, he nodded. “It’s good.” She smiled back.

“It is also one of Prince Magnus’ favorite dishes, I believe.” Alec found himself looking back at his plate with a blush. Chancing a glaze towards the head table he could see Magnus talking with his father and mother with a truffle on the end of his fork.

After dinner the Chosen were taken back to their rooms. At least one of their attendants was there outside of the dining hall to greet them. Alec and Helen were speaking about the foods they had never had before when they heard a scoff. Turning they both saw an extremely beautiful blonde woman in a red gown, but whatever beauty she held on the outside certainly did not match her inside.

“I thought it was a joke, but they were serious about letting a Seven inside the palace.” Alec found himself looking down, it was what he had been taught. “You aren’t even fit to shine my shoes. But I suppose that is why they put you over in the west wing. No one ever goes there. Come servant.” She swept up the stairs with a maid following swiftly on her tail.

“And that would be Camille.” Helen said. “She may have been the queen bitch back home but I am sure Magnus will see right through her.” Alec hoped she was right.

9

Back in his room Alec had to convince his attendants that he didn’t need their help getting dressed for bed. He could do all that himself.

“We are here to serve you, Mr. Lightwood.” Will said calmly.

“I don’t need servants!” He yelled so fed up with everything. “Look, you are Sixes and I am a Seven. We can do things on our own.”

“You are now a Three, Mr. Lightwood.” Jem spoke up.

“Please call me Alec!” He was just so tired and worn out from everything. “Please, just leave me.” The men nodded at him and left. Looking in the mirror of his vanity he saw the poor level Seven boy that tilled land and feld trees dressed up like something he was not. He didn’t belong here. He didn’t belong in this suit. Jessica and Camille were right. He would be gone by tomorrow morning.

The longer he stared the quicker his breathing came. Standing up he took off his jacket, tearing the cufflinks from their spots on the jacket. He pulled at the tie and unbuttoned the shirt. He still couldn’t breathe. Running to the window he tried to open it but found it bolted shut. He needed air, he needed freedom.

Out the window he could see a vast garden. The soil might be toxic around the city but it seemed that the royal family had their very own piece of paradise. Gasping he turned from the window, ripped open the door and ran as fast as his feet could take him. He found the grand staircase and nearly jumped down all of the steps to get to the first floor. Looking around he saw that to the left of him was a large doorway open to the night air and to the garden.

Making a break for it he didn’t even hear the guards telling him he needed to go back to his room. All he saw was air and grass and trees bathed in moonlight. He did feel one of the guards grabbing him none too gently.

“Sir, you need to get back to your room.”

“No, I need….please!” He felt like the world was spinning.

“Sir!”

“Let him be.” Came a voice from beyond the doorway.

“But your Majesty.”

“I said let him be.” The guard let Alec go and he stumbled before running head long outside into the cool night air. There was a distant smell of exhaust that he had first caught at the train station, but for the most part it was clean, fresh air. He fell to the ground putting his hands in the earth, feeling the grass move as he shifted. His toes dug into the cool dirt. By him was a rose bush and farther out were rows of yellow flowers. He had stopped hyperventilating and panicking, breathing in the floral scents all around him.

“Do you feel better?” Alec whipped his head around at the voice. Not two feet away was the Crown Prince. He was no longer in his white suit but some sort of leisurely button up and grey slacks. Maybe to the Prince this would be dressing down but to a Seven it looked just as fancy as the suit had.

Dropping his eyes he nodded. “Yes, your Majesty.” Then the Prince did the most unbelievable thing. He sat in the grass next to Alec. The dark haired man felt his jaw drop. Did the Crown Prince of Edom just sit on grass next to a common Seven?

“You are Alexander, are you not?” Alec must have looked like a fish out of water before he pulled himself together and sat fully on the grass. This would probably stain his suit, crap, he had forgotten about that.

“Yes, your Majesty. Most people call me Alec.”

“I see. Well then, Alec, you may call me Magnus. At least while we are alone.” Alec felt a blush on his face as he looked away. It was dark and there was no other light besides the moon. The light from the door was too far away to illuminate anything.

“I couldn’t. You are the Prince.”

“And you are one of the Chosen. That makes you something special as well.” Alec was flushing again.

“Thank you for talking to the guards. I know I should not be out here.” Magnus waved that off.

“You needed to come out here. I saw your face and heard your voice. You were panicking.” Alec was ashamed that the Prince had seen him like that. He would surely be sent off in the morning. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.” Magnus said as if reading his mind. “It happens to many people. Even I have felt it.” Alec looked back at the prince.

“How...you always look so calm.”

“I am for the most part, but there are times I am overwhelmed and need a break.” That did not sound like the Prince Alec had seen on the television all his life. Magnus had looked like nothing would phaze him, even at seven when he was finally presented to the people.

“Well thank you. I did need this.” Being stuffed inside a building for most of the day and almost, well actually it had been too much.

“Tell me, Alexander, how are you feeling about being here in the capital?” Looking back up at Magnus he studied the man but he gave nothing away. What answer was he looking for?

“It is an honor to be here, your Maj-”

“Magnus.” The Prince cut in.

“You called me Alexander.” The Prince chuckled and nodded.

“I did, but your name is much too special and beautiful to be shortened to some mere nickname.” Again Magnus was making the dark haired younger man blush.

“Well, it is an honor. I never knew Edom was so vast.” He had seen a map of the kingdom at school but that had been years ago.

“And being in the castle?” Now that was a little harder to comment on. He was a minnow in a sea of bigger fish. What was even harder was that he didn’t have his family’s support here. “Is there...anything a miss?” Magnus sounded a little lost.

“No. It is just...so different to my home, that is all.” He remembered what Camille had said.

“Your Highness. It is time to come in.” A guard called from the doorway. It was getting late. Standing up Magnus reached out a hand to help Alec up. The instant their hands touched it was as if a shock went through their bodies that left them both looking down at their hands.

“Thank you for letting me come out here, Magnus.” Finally they pulled their hands apart.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this. I am not supposed to meet with the Chosen, formally, until tomorrow. Besides, I want this just to be between you and I.” Magnus stepped closer to him and Alec felt his heart beating fast.

“Your Highness!” Magnus actually growled at the guard’s insistence.

“Coming!”

Back in his room Alec stripped out of his soiled clothes and folded them neatly. He would have tried to get the stains out but he was not sure the beautiful suit could take the scrubbing needed to take the stains out. But, as he slipped into bed after a short shower the thought about his meeting with the Prince and a smile crossed his face. Even if he was sent home in the morning he would have the memory of meeting the Prince and touching his soft hand.

10

Jem was not happy with the stains but he would help Alec to keep his secret of sneaking out to the garden. However, Alec had not told him about meeting the Prince. That was solely a memory just for him.

After he had been woken up, early the next morning he was dressed in a day suit. It was not as fancy and intricate as the suit from the night before. It was a light grey with a light blue shirt and no tie. Will had explained to him as they dressed the young man that the royal family always dressed up for dinner. That sounded so unpleasant. What if you spilled food on your priceless clothes?

“Today the Prince will be cutting some of the Chosen.” Will said as he stepped back looking at the shirt. “Take off your jacket, please. Jem, get me the medium blue shirt with the subtle diamond print.” Alec quickly took off the jacket and unbuttoned the shirt.

“Does it not look good?” He asked. It was probably just that Alec looked horrible in the color. His mother had said that wearing blue would only draw attention to his eyes. A Seven was not to be seen nor heard from. They were just supposed to do their job.

“It does not make your eyes pop. On second thought, get the violet shirt.” He called out to Jem. “Purple will make your eyes pop. We have to make you stand out.” Stand out, meaning he had to catch the Prince’s attention. After the previous night he was sure that would not happen. Maybe Magnus would let him at least have breakfast before he sent him packing.

Giving the blue shirt to Jem, he took the purple one. It was a beautiful color. Buttoning it up he slipped the jacket back on.

“Yes, that is it.” Will said.

“You are so good at matching.” Jem complimented his friend.

“An artform that I have cultivated over years of working with the royal family.” The three men chuckled for a moment before helping Alec finish up.

The Chosen were gathered in a salon off the great hall. When Alec arrived there were only a couple of people. Two men and one woman. Each one looked beautiful in their day outfits. The woman, who had red hair, was wearing an emerald day dress. The sleeves were short and off the shoulder. Her hair was done in waves and curls that made it looked like a waterfall. Both of the men were in day suits. One was a cream color with a bright red shirt. This man had slightly longer hair. It was gathered loosely at the nape of his neck and curled slightly. The second man had a dark grey suit and blush pink shirt. The front of his dark hair was combed back into a high curl over the rest of his hair.

As the other Chosen started to appear Alec took in all their clothes. Each one was dressed better than the one that came before them. Alec felt very plain in his grey suit. His hair had not even been fixed like other men. It was allowed to go in its tousled state. The only part that was taimed was his darn cowlick.

“Alec!” Helen came walking over to him with a gentle smile on her face. Her blond hair was tied up with a few tendrils framing her face. Her light blue day dress looked wonderful on her slim figure. Annabelle was behind Helen in a long buttercup yellow dress. Her hair was down but curled.

“Helen, Annabelle. It is good to see you.” Not so much Annabelle but Helen was a welcome sight in this sea of strangers. "I like your hair." Helen smiled with a little flush.

"Aline did it. Isn't it pretty?" She turned around so Alec could see the back. Her hair was twisted in braids. There were little gems stuck in parts of her hair.

"Aline?" He didn't remember anyone by that name.

"One of her maids." Annabelle added.

“You look great, Alec. That purple makes your eyes stand out.” Helen said quickly to change the subject. At least Will would be happy.

“Thank you.” He flushed a bit. “I was not sure...everyone else looks so much grander.”

“Nonsense.” Helen brushed off. “You look just as handsome as the rest of the men. Right, Annabelle?” The blonde turned to her companion, who just nodded. Alec gave her a small smile. At least she didn’t tear him down.

“Move!” The three of them looked up to see Camille walking in. Her bright red dress was skin tight and backless. Apparently she didn’t get the memo that this was breakfast and not a ball.

“Ugh, you’re still here.” The woman turned up her nose at the sight of Alec. “At least your outfit is as boring as you. Better for me to stand out.” Helen was the one to step up this time.

“Yeah, because I heard Prince Magnus really loves stuck up bitches.” A hush went over the room. No one spoke or even breathed. But Helen was not backing down. She was not afraid of this spoiled child.

“Why you-”

“Breakfast is ready.” Rang out a servant’s voice, telling them it was time for them to move from the sitting room to the dining hall.

Breakfast was pretty much like the night before. The Chosen were seated around tables in front of the main table. The royal family would then enter, while the Chosen stood, and then bid the rest of them to sit. Next came the food. Even more wondrous than the night before.

There were fruits, tarts, breads, bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, anything anyone could want. Alec again tried a bit of everything. This was a far cry from his usual meal of porridge and maybe stale bread. If only he could pack up some of this food and send it to his family.

“Ladies and gentleman.” Once the meal was over Magnus stood up and spoke to the Chosen. “I have decided to kick off this Choosing with some one on one time. Each one of you will meet with me. I will be able to get a better sense of you. For now I would like Miss Hannah Whitman to stay. The rest of you please adjourn to the sitting room and wait for our meeting.”

A woman to the right of Alec's table, in a light green day dress, was the only one that continued to stay seated while the rest of the Chosen stood up and left the room. They were taken back to the sitting room where they had waited before. Most of the Chosen started to gossip about meeting the Prince, one on one. A few girls even giggled and squealed.

Alec on the other hand was not that excited. He was sure Magnus would tell him that he would be leaving within the hour. A strong man like the Prince didn’t need a spouse that had a panic attack over something as silly as not feeling the earth beneath their feet. Although, the idea of Magnus ending up with someone like Camille irked him. Said wolf in sheep’s clothing was sitting with a couple other girls as Camille told them loudly how she would win the Prince over.

As if.

Slowly the group of twenty-three men and women started to shrink as they were called to talk to the Prince. Annabelle and Helen had already been called when Alec was finally summoned. He had been talking to Andy, a Four from a county far from Idris, about the farming they were missing. Andy’s family might have been Fours but they were poor and could not afford extra help.

“Alexander Lightwood.” Both men turned their heads. By now only a few Chosen were left.

“Good luck.” Andy smiled at him and it felt genuine. Other than Helen, everyone else was out for blood. They wanted to be the spouse to the most powerful man in the land. Yet in the sea of man eating fish Alec had happened to find two good people.

Alec was taken to a side room just down from the sitting room. Inside was a small table and two chairs. Magnus beamed brightly when he saw Alec.

“Please, have a seat, Mr. Lightwood.” He said formally as he stood up. Alec nodded and sat in the seat across from him. When the servant finally left Magnus seemed to relax.

“How was the rest of your evening? No more panic attacks I presume?” Alec shook his head.

“No, your Majesty.”

“Magnus, remember?” Alec flushed and nodded. “I am glad to hear that, Alec. The last thing I would want is for you to feel overwhelmed and I was not there to help.”

“Thank you again...Magnus. It was very kind of you.”

“Any true man would have done it.” But they both knew that was a lie. While Alec might be a Three on paper he still had the stench of Seven on him. Magnus was a good man and he would be a great King. A kind King that loved all his subjects. “We talked about what you like here at the castle, but what of your family? Do you miss them?”

“Yes.” He said at once. Alec missed playing with Max on the rare breaks from work. He missed gossiping with Izzy and imagining a life away from all the hard work. He missed the warmth of his mother’s hugs and the gruff voice of his father as complained about the crops. He also missed Jace… He loved the man with all his heart but being here made that love seem different somehow.

“They must be a wonderful bunch.” Alec blinked as he was pulled from his thoughts.

“What?”

“The emotions that went through your eyes. You miss them very much. Please tell me about them.” It seemed that was all Alec needed as he started to describe his family.

He spent the most time talking about his sister and brother. Just talking about them made him feel home sick. He missed them a lot. While he missed his parents too he missed his partners in crime more.

“I wish I could share the food I have enjoyed with my family. It might even help Max. My little brother is always getting sick. I hope the money being sent to him means that he could go to a Doctor for once.”

“What do you mean ‘for once’?” Magnus looked confused.

“Your- Magnus, I am Seven or I was. I have not been to the Doctor since I was a baby.” The only time he was seen was just after his birth. His parents had to save up the money for their first born. They wanted to know their child was healthy.

“You don’t have money for Doctors?”

“Or medicine.” Magnus looked floored. “You don’t know what Sevens go through, do you?”

“I didn’t know...is it like this everywhere?”

“Most Sixes and Sevens barely have enough money to live. Fives are not much better, but they do get more pay for their art.” The raven haired Prince was leaning back in his chair and looking hard at the table.

“My people can barely live yet I have never wanted for anything.” Silence filled the room. Alec felt bad at being the one that showed Magnus the truth.

“Magnus-” But he was interrupted with a hand held up. Finally Magnus looked back up at him.

“You are amazing, Alexander. I have only known you for less than a day but I am sure I would love to learn more.” Leaning forward the Prince took one of Alec’s hands. “Be my prince, my future husband.” Now it was Alec’s turn to look floored.

No. Magnus did not just say that. He did not just ask a Seven to marry him. No. Alec had used all his luck just getting here. There was no way Prince Magnus Bane wanted lowly Alec Lightwood.

“You must have others to see.” Alec pulled his hand back and stood up so quickly he nearly turned the table over.

“I don’t care about them. I only want to know you.” Magnus also stood up. Thankfully the door was right behind Alec. Turning he rushed to the door before Magnus’ voice stopped him. “I will wait for however long you need.” With that Alec opened the door and closed it behind him before rushing back to his room.

He was dreaming, he had to be.

11

It had been almost a week since Magnus had proposed. For the first couple days Magnus would try to win over the scared younger man, but every time Alec would change to the subject. It was a joke, it had to be. Soon Magnus would get tired and choose someone that would actually be a good spouse. They went from seeing each other everyday to once in a while.

At dinner after their first official meeting Helen had told him that Magnus had cut the group down to only fifteen people. Of course Camille and Meliorn were a part of that group. Either one of them would be a better Queen or Prince Consort than Alec.

The next day the smaller group started etiquette lessons. Thank whatever Gods there were out there that they were split into two groups. Males and females, each one having their own etiquette teacher. The seven men left were given their lessons by one of the King’s royal advisers, Lord Lorenzo Rey. The man was also one of the few mystics employed by the Kingdom.

The man was intolerable. Everytime Alec misstepped or made a faux pas the man was quick to correct him, loudly and somewhat cruelly. It was as if Alec was being singled out. Even Andy did just as bad a job as he did and yet the mystic kindly corrected him. To say the least Alec’s life was turning into a living hell.

Camille took every chance she could to tear Alec down. Most of the words he ignored until the bitch started to talk bad about his family.

“If only the Kingdom had a way to get rid of Sixes and Sevens. The Kingdom would be less polluted with worthless rabble.” Alec immediately stood up and walked out of the room. Later when Jem and Will found him Alec had been crying, his eyes red. They both helped him back to his room and got a cool cloth for his puffy eyes.

Soon things went from bad to worse. While the first couple days Magnus had little mini dates with Alec, usually to the garden or the library, he had been choosing others. Each time he was in the sitting room with the rest of the Chosen and one of the other men or women were Chosen he could feel himself die a little inside.

He tried to tell himself that Magnus was quickly realizing how bad of a choice Alec would be. He tried to hide it from everyone, which worked for the most part, but it seemed that Helen, Will, and Jem could read him too well. Helen tried to pull Alec into little card games she played with Annabelle, Andy, and a few others. She pulled Alec’s mind away from the Choosing and onto something fun. Once Alec went home, aside from Magnus, Helen would be one of the people he would actually miss.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alec was wandering around the halls of the palace. It was raining outside and Magnus was on a date with one of the Chosen. He couldn’t escape to the one place he felt safe in this foreign land. Turning the corner he found Andy on the floor, knees nearly up to his chest and his hands in his hair. It almost looked like a panic attack but he was not breathing hard.

“Andy?” The curly haired man’s head went up and he was surprised to see someone had found him. “Are you alright?” The man sighs and nodded but then shook his head.

“I don’t know.” He said. Alec walked over and sat on the floor near him. “Do you ever feel...like you don’t belong here?” Andy asked. “I don’t know why I was kept here. I have nothing to give the Prince. Our dates feel...mechanical. Like he is just going through the motions.”

“I am sure it is not that bad.” Alec tried to comfort his friend. He was not as close to Andy as he was with Helen, but he still understood the feeling of not knowing why he was still here.

“Yet I don’t want to go home.” He said under his breath, which Alec could barely hear. “I don’t understand why you haven’t been on more dates with him. All he talks about is you.” Alec felt himself turning red.

“I think you misheard.” Andy chuckled.

“I didn’t, Alec. The Prince holds you in high regard. I don’t mind, like I said, I don’t feel anything between us.” Alec’s head was spinning, Magnus talked about him on his dates with other Chosen?

“What does he...say?”

“He talks about how kind and caring you are. About how much you care for your family. He also talks a great deal about changing...” Andy looked around to make sure no one was near before leaning in. “About changing the level system.” A couple times Magnus had talked to him over the past week he had said something about the levels and how he hated it. Magnus must have done more research on the caste system in Edom. He was a smart man, it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth.

“It would be nice...but I don’t think it would happen. Some people would not be happy.” Mainly the Twos and some of the Threes, the upper class.

“It would be...I always dreamed of working for the people. Being a politician of some kind...” Andy shrugged. “I’m a Three now so I suppose I could teach.” That has been Alec’s plan too.

“To be honest, I never had a dream of what I would be. I knew I would work in the fields like my dad and granddad. Now I have a chance to think about it and I still don’t know.”

“We have all the time in the world, Alec. We can now have further education if we wish. We will find our place in this world. Me as a teacher and you as the future Prince Consort.” Alec flushed and tried to back track and talk his way out of here only for Andy to laugh at him and get up.

“Thank you, Alec. Just for being here and listening to me. There are not many people I can vent to.”

“My pleasure, Andy.” Alec got up with the help of the other man. “Now let’s find something to do before we both die of boredom.” Both men laughed and headed off to the sitting room to see if there was a card game already going on.

12

It was the day before the national broadcast when Magnus finally called upon Alec. They would have a picnic the next afternoon. The rest of the day Alec spent his time with Will trying to pick out the perfect outfit that was not too casual but not something he would regret getting stains on.

“Personally, Mr. Alec, I believe the cream shirt and the tan trousers are the way to go.” It had taken Alec nearly a week to get Jem and Will to call him Alec, although they both still preferred to use “Mr.” along with his given name.

“What about grass stains?” Alec worried about making even one little stain on his new clothes. They were so nice and expensive. It felt wrong to treat them with such disrespect.

“I am sure the Prince will have a blanket for the two of you. You should not worry, besides Jem knows how to get stains out of clothes.” The dark haired servant looked over to his friend.

“I do, but I prefer not to scrub too hard. Though, I agree with Will. The cream shirt and tan trousers are the best.”

That was how Alec found himself the next afternoon. Will had rolled the sleeves up on the shirt and left the first two buttons open. Alec was thankful his chest hair was thin and sparse or it might show with how low the shirt was. Well it was low for Alec.

“Alexander.” Alec turned to see Magnus walking toward him. The man was breathtaking in his simple outfit. He had on light grey trousers, khaki shoes and a muted dark teal shirt. It was all tailored specifically to him, as if painted on his body.

“Your Highness.” Alec bowed slightly.

“Come, I want to show you something.” Magnus held his arm out for Alec. The dark haired man flushed, but took the arm. They walked out into the warm sunny day. “I want to show you the maze. My great grandmother had it installed to honor the gardens of her youth.”

“Maze? As in...we could get lost?” Magnus chuckled.

“I could get to the center and out of the maze blindfolded. I have been playing in this garden since I was a child. Do not worry, you will soon know your way around the garden.” Magnus took them into the maze. After a few twists and turns a bit of backtracking they found themselves in the middle of the maze. There was a water fountain with a marble mermaid atop a marble shell.

“Beautiful.” In front of the fountain was a checkered blanket and a picnic basket. “Magnus...this is too much.” Magnus shook his head.

“This is what you deserve. All this and more.” They sat down on the blanket and took off their shoes. In the basket were several little treats. Mini sandwiches, bite sized tarts, a variety of fruits and cheese, along with two bottles of something dark.

“Magnus, what is this?” Alec asked as he picked one up.

“Soda. It is a fizzy drink from the old Kingdom. My great uncle found a recipe and tinkered with it until he got it to his liking. It's rare because it takes so much effort.” A fizzy drink? What was a fizzy drink? Magnus took the bottle from Alec’s hand and a small metal object and popped off the mental top. It made a sound and bubbles rose to the surface. Giving it back to Alec he warned that the bubbles might feel like they burned the first time he tried it.

They did. The first sip felt hot but it was not painful, just strange.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.” Magnus smiled and picked up a fruit.

“You are welcome.” They continued to eat for a little bit longer before Magnus spoke again.

“I want to share a lot more with you, Alexander. Like my future.” Alec flushed and looked away.

“I am not right for...”

“Me? The Kingdom? No, you are perfect. You care about the people that no one else does. You have been through so much and yet you are not bitter. You do not hate me for what my family has done.”

“Magnus, your family has not done anything.”

“Maybe not this generation but back in time they made your family Sevens based on how much money you had. That was not right, Alec. This system is not right.” Magnus sat back. “I knew it was not right but I also didn’t know how to change it so I tried to block it out and worry about what I could control. Then you come here and open my eyes to people like you, my people. The people that I swore to look after, yet they toil to death with no one to turn to. A family should not have to choose between food and healing their child. It is unacceptable.” Magnus was not wrong. Life as a Seven was hard. Alec knew this. It took such a toll on his father that they might only have a few years left with the man before he joined his own father in the ground. Izzy deserved more, Max and his mother deserved more. They all deserved the right not to worry.

“I am a Seven. You should marry a Two or a Three.”

“The spoiled children of the elite? Then I would only perpetuate the cycle further. I do not want my child to think it is their right to lord their position over the people. The Bane family is here to serve the people, not the other way around.”

“I don’t know how to be royal.”

“Then I will help you. I will be by your side, along with Will and Jem.” Alec looked at him. He knew his servants by name? “They used to be my servants. When they were dolling out servants for the Chosen, I had Will and Jem assigned to you.” Moving closer he took Alec’s hand. “The Choosing is not as random as most think. Only about a third are random. Most are hand picked by their profiles. I was allowed to look at the profiles and choose two. Looking through the profiles I saw your bright smile. You looked so happy. You were my only choice. I wanted to get to know you from the moment I saw you. I had Will and Jem placed as your attendants because I trust them with my life.” Magnus ended his little speech with a kiss.

The press of lips against his made Alec relax into Magnus. It just seemed so impossible that someone like Prince Magnus wanted him just from a single picture. His class had meant nothing. A warm hand cupped the back of his head as Magnus opened his mouth. Alec was not sure what to do so he just followed Magnus’ lead. His first kiss was in the most special of places.

“Prince Magnus! Your Majesty!” The call from the guards caused the two to pull apart. They could not see anyone but that didn’t stop Alec from turning his usual shade of red.

“I never can have a moment's rest.” Magnus said with a sigh. His hand had slid from Alec’s head down to hand. “Yes!?” Magnus yelled back.

“Your father needs you.”

“Can it wait?”

“I am sorry, but it can not.” Magnus sighed again. “I finally get you all to myself and it is cut short.”

“It’s alright.” Alec brushed off.

“No, it is not.”

“Your Majesty?”

“I am coming!” This was the first time Alec had heard the Prince snap at anyone. “Apologies.” Magnus looked sheepish as he stood up. Putting his hand out he helped the other up. Pulling Alec close to him, Magnus kissed Alec once more. “Until tonight, Alexander.” With that Magnus navigated them back out of the maze.

They split at the grand staircase as Magnus traveled down a side hall that led to the King’s office. Alec stayed at the bottom of the stairs for a moment just looking off into the distance. For a moment he could see himself at Magnus’ side. He could see the man that Magnus would become. A smile crossed his face as he started up the stairs. He needed to talk to Will about his outfit for the broadcast that night. He wanted to stand out and shine, for once in his life he wanted to be the center of attention.

Unfortunately Alec had not been looking where he was going, and his mind was still focused on Magnus. His foot landed on the third from the top step when he felt a hand at his shoulder. Starting to look up, Alec noticed he was falling backwards. His arms circled in the air as he tried to right himself but it was too late. He felt his head hit one of the stairs before flipping backwards. When he finally stopped at the bottom of the stairs he looked up only to see something pink move too fast for his disoriented eyes to catch. Pain and sickness washed over him. Rolling to the side he threw up what little he had eaten before passing out.

13

Magnus walked as quickly he could without running. The day had been perfect with Alec. His sweet innocent boy had tasted as sweet as the tarts they had eaten. Magnus had wished they could have kissed for longer. Maybe he could have kissed other places to see what reaction they gave. Unfortunately his father had called for him.

There were problems brewing in one of the southern lands. Ever since her husband had died Lady Lilith had taken more control of Talto. The province might have been small but it was an important one. Not only did it have the biggest depostest of adamas, the metal needed for the Edom Military weapons, it was also the border between Edom and their enemy. If Diyu was able to capture Talto it would be disastrous, but Lilith didn’t seem to care much. The woman was leaving the mines barely guarded.

After the talk with his father they would send down a couple mystics to make sure the mines were protected by magic and if need be, remove Lilith from power. Once back in his room Magnus’ attendants started to dress him. They were not as good as Will and Jem, but he trusted them. The suit they had picked out for tonight was deep royal blue in color. The stark white shirt made his skin pop. He thought about Alec and smiled. After the broadcast he would get Alec alone to propose again.

Reaching into his side table he found the Bane family signet ring. Once this was placed on Alec’s finger he would be known as his intended fiance. By the end of the night, if Alec said yes, Magnus would be sending everyone else home.

There was a tap at the door. A servant peered in and told him it was nearly time. Thanking the man, Magnus straightened his suit coat before leaving.

He should have known something was wrong when he entered with his mother and father and he could not spot Alec with the other Chosen. What had happened? The broadcast had already started and the young man was nowhere to be seen. Magnus tried to keep his panic down as Simon, the master of ceremonies, asked him a few questions.

“You cut down the Chosen to only a chosen few, pardon the pun.” Simon chuckled. “But just between us,” His voice went lower but he still held the microphone close. “Is there anyone that stands out?” Magnus smiled slightly.

“There is, but I do not want to talk too much about them at this moment. I am still trying to win them over.” Simon chuckled again.

“You are the Prince, you could win over anyone in this kingdom.”

“Maybe, but this person is special.” Simon tried to get more out of him, but Magnus gave nothing away. The broadcast soon ended. Once the cameras were turned off the Chosen started to gossip but Magnus couldn’t hear anything as he went to his father.

“Alexander Lightwood was not among the Chosen tonight. What happened?”

His mother looked grim as he took his hand. “The boy fell down the stairs this afternoon. Your father didn’t want you to know until after the broadcast.” Magnus shot his father a seething look. The Kingdom always came first, even at the price of love. Turning from his parents Magnus strode out of the room.

Alec had been taken to the infirmary. He had been found not long after his tumble. He had been out for hours when Magnus finally came to see him. Jem and Will were by his side. The two men looked pale. They cared too much sometimes. That was why he had sent them to be attendants of Alec’s. They would help him in this strange world.

Magnus found the medic on duty and asked about Alec’s condition. “He has a suspected concussion, but we will not be able to make sure until he wakes up. His left wrist is sprained, but thankfully not broken. He must have landed on it as it was under him when he was found. He also has three bruised ribs.” Alec was very lucky. But how did Alec fall down the stairs? Not that it was impossible, it just didn’t sound right.

“When will he wake up?” The medic shrugged.

“We were hoping he would wake up within a couple hours. If he does not wake up even a little within the next 24 hours he might never.” Magnus grabbed onto the doorframe to keep himself up. No. He would not lose Alec so easily. Alec was a fighter.

“Thank you.” He said before slowly walking to Alec’s bed. Jem vacated the seat next to the bed for Magnus. “Thank you for staying with him.” The men nodded. Will looked as if he had been crying not too long ago. His eyes were slightly red.

“I don’t think he fell on his own.” Jem said, his voice low. Magnus looked up at the man. Their mothers had come from the same province so they had similar looks. Jem had sharp, angled eyes. Magnus’ were not as angled because of his father’s rounder eyes. They had met when they were still children. Instantly, Magnus had been drawn to the boy that he had called brother at times. Magnus never had any siblings so Jem was the closest thing he had to one. Unfortunately as they grew up Jem was put to work in the castle just like his parents before him. Yet Magnus never treated him any differently. Jem was still his little brother.

“I was thinking the same.” Magnus voiced. “He was happy when I left him.” Leaning over he took Alec’s hand in his. It was still warm even though it was limp.

“Alec is not well liked by all the Chosen. Some believe he should have never been chosen in the first place.”

“Then there was that altercation with Ms. Belcourt.” Will piped in. “I found him in his room crying once. He didn’t tell me why, but I am sure the woman was the cause.” Magnus nodded. It was all hearsay. They would have to wait until Alec woke up to know for sure. “Tell the medic I will be staying with him tonight.”

“But your majesty...Magnus,” Jem whispered his name. It had been beaten into him at a young age he could not call the man by his name. He was just a servant and Magnus was royalty. The Prince still hated that he could not do anything to have stopped that. “You have so much to do tomorrow.”

“They can all wait. I am not leaving him until he awakes. Let my father be furious, I don’t care.”

-=-=-=-=-

<i>Elsewhere in the castle two other lovers were about to take a forbidden step.</i>

Andy was placing down his journal when he heard a small knock on his door before it opened. The night had been a whirlwind. Alec had never shown up to the broadcast and the young man had seen the Prince’s eyes looking for someone that was not there. It was painfully obvious to Andy that the Prince and Alec were meant to be, if only Alec would just let himself accept it.

It was so late at night that Andy’s attendants had already gone to bed. It had taken a lot to get the men to leave him at night. He didn’t need someone at his every beck and call through the night. He could get a drink or use the bathroom without needing help. It was ridiculous, but he also had another reason for shooing the men away.

In the mirror of his vanity he could clearly see Lorenzo as he closed and locked the door behind him. The blonde’s breath sped up. Lorenzo always had this effect on him, even when they first met. “Lord Rey, what do I owe the pleasure of your company so late at night?” A smile spread out across Lorenzo’s face.

“Must I spell it out for you?” He snapped his fingers and the lights lowered. It hid the blush that crawled over the blonde’s fair skin. The man walked slowly up behind him. Andy turned his head slightly for the mystic to grace his neck with a gentle kiss. A shiver went down his spine.

If they were caught they would both be sentenced to life as eights for treason. For Lorenzo it might even be worse. He might lose his life, but neither of them cared at this moment. In all the craze of Prince Magnus trying to find his mate, two unlikely men had happened upon their own love story.

Gentle hands ran up Andy’s sides and under his sleep shirt after Andy stood up.

“Lorenzo.” He breathed out. They had touched before, it had been brief but the feeling had lingered for hours after the man had left Andy’s room.

“I love when you say my name like that. Like a prayer from the mouth of an angel.” Gentle lips touched his neck again.

“Someone had been spending too much time with his tomes.” The blonde finally turned around in the man’s grasp to plant a deep kiss on the lush lips of the mystic. All he wanted to do was be with Lorenzo, only Lorenzo.

“I speak only the truth.” The older man said with another snap of his fingers. This left them both naked, bodies intertwined. Andy moaned and tried to kiss him again but the other man twisted them around and pushed him back on the bed. “Are you sure, Andrew? After...there is no going back.” Andy nodded. He knew what he meant and he didn’t care.

“I know Magnus loves Alec but Alec does not know if he wants to be Prince Consort. I will not be Chosen. When I go back home after this I want to at least have the memory of this night.” There would be no way that Lorenzo could ask for Andy’s hand. Mystics were not supposed to marry outside of their station, it kept the pool of magic from growing into the general population. Only mystics and the royal family could have magical powers. Even if they never planned to have children it was still forbidden.

“Then you shall have anything you want.” Leaning down they pressed their bodies together again, kissing and touching.

“Please don’t tease.” Andy whispered against his lips. He was already too wound up. He needed Lorenzo to do something. Suddenly slick fingers were gently pressing against his hole. How the man did magic was one of the things Andy liked about him. Magic amazed him, but Lorenzo enraptured him.

He whimpered against the other’s lips as fingers pushed into him. “Lor...enzo...” He whispered.

“Slowly, my love. I will not hurt you in my haste.” Leaning up Lorenzo got on his knees between the other’s legs as his slick fingers kept thrusting gently into him. “In all my years...I have never seen something more beautiful.” Andy slapped his arm with a giggle before it changed into a moan as the mystic pressed something inside him.

“If you don’t...get inside me now...I might come...” With a chuckle Lorenzo leaned down and nibbled at his ear.

“Go ahead, my angel. It will not be the last orgasm you experience tonight.” The press of his finger against the spot was too much for Andy. Lorenzo covered his mouth with his to smother the cries as he felt over the edge. Lorenzo was correct. It was not the last time he came that night.

14

It was the middle of the night when Alec finally woke up. His head ached and his vision was blurred. At first he just laid there and didn’t move. He could not remember what had happened. The bed did not feel familiar. It was soft but nothing like his bed at the palace. Then again it was not the cold hard mattress of his home. Finally as he woke up more he noticed there was something warm near his arm. Slowly turning his head he saw a dark figure slumped over in a chair near his bed. Blinking, he recognized that it was Magnus. The Prince was slumped in a chair, his hand next to Alec’s. His mind was slowly trying to process what was going on. Why was Magnus here when he had a nice bed in his own chambers?

Moving slightly was enough to wake the Prince up. His eyes looked around before they landed on Alec.

“Thank god. You finally woke up.” Reaching forward Magnus cupped Alec’ cheek. “I was so worried.”

“W-why are you here?” Alec’s voice was deep and thick as he tried to speak. How long had he been out?

“Where else would I be?” Magnus asked, confused.

“Your bed.” That made the Prince chuckle.

“A bed would be better, but while you are here, this is where I will be.” Magnus took Alec’s hand and pulled it up to lay a kiss on the knuckles. “I love you, Alexander. I think I have since that night in the garden.”

Alec flushed and looked away. “Why would you want to marry a Seven?”

“Because I would be marrying the one I love. I don’t care about your number or station in this world. I only care about you, about Alec Lightwood.” Alec turned his head back and smiled.

“I think...I think I love you too.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

After Alec had woken up and they had time to talk, Magnus fetched the medic. The medic looked over Alec and confirmed that he had probably had a concussion but he seemed to be doing well. His side and wrist still hurt so the medic suggested Alec stayed for one or two more nights. Medicine and bindings would help. Begrudgingly Alec agreed.

Even though Magnus wanted to stay with him he was called away shortly before breakfast. The Prince still had to make an appearance. He promised to return later and left his love with a kiss. This left Alec alone with his own mind. What had happened the night before? He remembered the wonderful picnic and the kiss they had shared, but the rest was foggy. The only thing he did know was he didn’t fall on his own volition.

Thankfully it was not much longer before Helen came to visit him and brought a treat from breakfast. He was not terribly hungry, but he thanked her nonetheless.

“The Prince told us you fell yesterday and are recuperating, but I don’t think you fell. I think you were pushed.” She said after asking how he was.

“I don’t remember. The medic tells me my memory of that event might never come back.” Alec rubbed his temple. It had been hurting ever since he started trying to remember.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to press you.” She said concerned.

“Don’t worry. My temple has been hurting since I woke up. Must be the leftover concussion.” He placed a hand over the other’s. “Please don’t worry about me. You need to focus on you. Didn’t you have a date with the Prince today?” Helen just looked at him in amazement. The boy was absolutely blind.

“The Prince will not be choosing me, I know this. He is just waiting on you.” Alec flushed a bright red.

“Mag- the Prince deserves...more.” He had to catch himself from not calling Magnus by his name.

“He deserves to be happy and so do you.” She said, squeezing his hand.

“What about you? You deserve happiness.” Sighing, she nodded. “Do you have someone at home?” Most chosen that might have had a romantic partner back home had broken it off with the chance to be crowned king.

“No. There is no one at home that holds my heart.”

-=-=-=-=-=-

~*<i>Earlier that morning</i>*~

Helen sat in her seat at the vanity that seemed to be in every Chosen’s room. Her maid, Aline stood behind her braiding her hair. Breakfast was soon and Helen needed to hurry, but she didn’t want to. It was only in moments like this that she truly felt happy. Helen had grown up in a very forward thinking family, but even they would not approved of their daughter favoring the fairer sex. Thankfully Helen found herself attracted to both genders.

However everything had changed when she came to the palace. She had been given three maids, like the other female Chosen, while the male Chosen were only given two attendants. Among her maids was Aline. She was a pretty and spunky girl of only seventeen. That made her two years younger than Helen and closer to her brother Mark’s age.

“Your hair is so pretty and light.” Aline had commented the first time she brushed Helen’s hair.

“It becomes very frizzy if I don’t put product in it.”

“Better than my thick, dense hair.” Aline had beautiful hair. It was long and jet black, but like all the maids she kept it tied up in a bun under a small hat.

“Is there something wrong, Helen?” The darker haired woman’s voice broke through Helen’s thoughts.

“No...why do you ask?”

“You look a bit sad.” Her time in the Chosen was coming to a close. She knew that. It was only a matter of time before Alec said yes to Magnus. Then Helen would have to leave. She did hope Alec was alright. He had not shown up to the broadcast the night before and that worried her.

“I do not wish to leave you.” Helen said, looking at Aline’s dark eyes in the mirror. They had become friends so fast that when they started to fall for each other they didn’t even notice until that one kiss. The kiss they had shared two days ago. The kiss that changed everything. It might have been easier to leave a friend but to leave a love? But even if magic could help men conceive it would not help two women.

“You will not leave for long. Mr. Lightwood cares for you. I am sure he would have you visit often.” It was a weak excuse but Aline was used to disappointments in her life. Her father had left her and her mother when Aline was just a child to run off with some other woman. Her mother tried to support them as well as she could but in the end it was too much for her. Even as sickness took hold of her, Jia Penhallow was still able to find work for her daughter in the palace before her passing. It was a prestigious job indeed, one that any Six would kill to have. Now Aline had found someone that she cared for as much as she had her beloved mother.

“I wish I was not a part of the Chosen.” Helen said, grief in her voice. Then she would not have to make such a choice to leave. Moving around the chair, Aline knelt beside Helen.

“If you had not I would never have met you. That would have been the greatest tragedy.” She took the other’s hands in hers. “My mother once said that people come into our lives for a reason. We might not know why or for how long, but we are better for having them with us.”

“Aline, you are too wonderful for the life you have.” The dark haired woman shrugged.

“I am content where I am and I intend to enjoy what time we have left together.” Leaning up, Aline pressed a quick kiss to Helen’s lips. “Now let me finish with your hair. You can not go to breakfast with a braid half done.” They both chuckled before hugging each other.

“You mean the world to me, Aline.”

15

Alec was finally allowed to go back to his room two days after his accident. His ribs were doing fine and his wrist barely ached, as long as he didn't move it too fast. All in all he was feeling much better. It didn’t hurt that Magnus had visited him quite a few times. Alec knew he should not be feeling this way, Magnus needed someone that was Prince Consort material, but he could not deny that he had been imagining their life together.

Once back in his room, Jem and Will were very attentive. They had Alec stay in bed and not move, even though it was his wrist that got sprained, not his legs. Still Alec did as was asked of him. He let the two cater to him. It was nice to have been missed. Most people of higher class levels would not have cared if the ‘help’ missed them. But Alec was different. Will and Jem were different. Alec could see why Magnus trusted them so.

Towards the evening there was a knock on the door. It was just after dinner and Alec had eaten in his room. Tomorrow he would go back out and meet the rest of the Chosen again. He was scared of what might happen but he was going to hold his head up high. Whoever had caused this was not going to get the satisfaction of keeping him down. Will opened the door to find Magnus there, a small white box in hand.

"Will, it is good to see you again. You too, Jem." Magnus smiled as he walked in.

"It is nice to see you again, Sire. Under better circumstances this time." Magnus nodded to that. Smiling, he turned to Alec who was laying in his bed with a couple books around him.

"How are you, Alexander? I see Will and Jem have made you stay in bed so they could make sure you didn't get hurt again."

"I let them." Alec said, but they all knew the truth.

"I wonder if I might have a little bit of your time. Would you mind, Will? Jem?" Neither man said anything to the contrary. The attendants knew what might happen but they also knew that in the end Alec would become the Prince Consort. They were made for each other.

Quickly the attendants bid them both good night before leaving.

“What is in that box?” Alec asked, finding himself eager to see.

“Chocolate truffles. A little bird told me you fancied my favorite sweet treat.” Magnus came over to the bed and sat down before handing over the box. There were four dark brown powder covered balls of chocolate.

“I was not used to eating something so sweet. This was the right amount of sweet for me.” Magnus brushed his hand through Alec’s hair.

“Was sugar something else you never had?”

“Not never, but usually baked into something or used in jam.” Alec took one of the small balls and bit into it. The powdered chocolate landed on his bedding and he got scared. “I didn’t mean to.” Uncultured.

“Do not worry, my dear.” Magnus plucked one up and popped it whole into his mouth. “It can be cleaned.” Alec ate the rest of the truffle. Suddenly Magnus’ face changed. He looked...serious? Maybe even a bit...determined? Leaning in Magnus wiped a bit of chocolate from the side of Alec’s mouth. Then his lips descended upon Alec’s.

It was similar but also different from the kiss before. It made his body tingle in all the right ways. Magnus had been his first kiss and he couldn’t imagine anyone else. He tried to chase the man’s lips when the Prince pulled back.

“I do not wish to injure you farther.” He whispered. Alec licked his lips, still tasting the chocolate that could have come from either of their lips.

“I like kissing you.” Alec admitted.

“Oh my dear, sweet Alexander. There is more I want to do to you than just kiss.” Alec found himself blushing down onto his neck. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to blurt that out.” Magnus started to pull back from the other, but Alec grabbed his arm.

“I know we shouldn’t...but...I may never get this chance again.” Then the Prince laughed so hard that it made Alec jump.

“My dear, my love. I do not plan on spending the rest of my life with anyone but you.”

“Magnus-” The Prince placed his finger to Alec’s lips.

“I will be there every step of the way. Jem and Will can also be of help. Alexander, please, make me the happiest man that ever lived and marry me?” The darker haired man was silent for a long while. Could it just be that easy? Magnus deserved more, but even as he thought that he could not stand another person having Magnus. “I will wait for as long as I need to.”

“Jem was telling me earlier that you cut the Chosen down again. There are now just five.”

“Yes. It is unfair to them to get their hopes up. Not when my heart is not mine to give anymore. I know you are fond of Helen and Andy so I kept them around.” Alec smiled. At least he would be able to say goodbye to them.

“Who else?”

“Meliorn Knight and Camille Belcourt. They are the favorites of my father.” <i>Something pink moved too fast for his disoriented eyes to catch</i> Alec rubbed at his temple.

“Alexander, are you alright?”

“I am a horrible choice, but...” He stopped Magnus with his hand. “To be away from you might be a fate worse than death. You must promise me that you will always be with me. I need your strength and guidance.”

“Yes, always. I will be there for you, always.”

“And one more thing. If you choose...later on to take another to your heart-”

“There will never be another, Alexander. You will be the only one I need.” They both smiled before Magnus leaned back in for a kiss. “You didn’t answer me, darling.” Magnus whispered against his lips.

Alec laughed and then nodded. “Yes, Magnus. I will marry you.” Magnus smiled as he pressed a kiss to Alec’s lips.

It was supposed to be slow but neither of them could hold back their pasion. Not now, not after they had declared their love for each other. Magnus helped Alec back on the bed and pulled his covers back before climbing on top of him. Alec flushed and tried to look away, but Magnus cupped Alec’s face.

“I do not wish to go all the way. I do want to save that for your wedding night. However, there is something I have been dying to see.” One hand left Alec’s cheek and traveled down his neck and chest, catching on a nipple that made Alec gasp.

“What?” He finally asked as Magnus’ hand moved closer to the hem of his nightshirt.

“The look of pure pleasure.” Magnus' hand slipped between cloth and skin before wrapping around Alec’s nearly half hard cock. He gasped and arched only to wince. His ribs still hurt.

“I am sorry, my love.” Leaning down he kissed Alec as his hand started to move. This way he could keep Alec from arching up again. Alec was lost in the current of pleasure. He had never really touched himself before. He never had time living with his family. He had attempted once or twice when he bathed, but he felt too guilty to continue. What a fool he was.

“Magnus...” He breathed when Magnus pulled back to give them air. Reaching down he pushed Alec’s pants down slightly, enough to uncover his cock. Alec made the mistake of looking down and only groaned. The head was starting to leak and Magnus’ hand looked so good around him.

“That is the picture that has been playing in my dirty mind since I first met you.” Magnus kissed his cheek. “Even better than I thought.”

“Magnus...” Magnus pressed a thumb to the slit of the head. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head, briefly.

“Let go, my love.” Magnus kissed along his neck as his hand started to move faster. Any chance Alec had at lasting a while longer flew out the window. The intense pleasure was too much.

"Magnus!" This time the Prince’s name was said like benediction instead of a plea. His vision whited out for a moment as his pleasure cascaded over his whole body. He felt it everywhere, even in his toes.

When Alec came back to himself a moment later he noticed Magnus was rubbing his lower half against Alec’s leg, his head in the crook of his neck, until he suddenly stopped and let out a quiet, strangled noise. At that moment he knew that Magnus had just reached his peak.

Hot, quick breath was the only sound he heard and felt against his neck for a moment. Then Magnus turned his head and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, my love. For sharing in the first of many firsts with me." Alec smiled.

"I can't wait for more."

Magnus stayed for a little while, cleaning them up before Alec finally fell asleep. He kissed Alec and got up out of bed. As much as he wanted to sleep beside the dark haired man, he had something else he needed to do. With a quick trip back to his room to change, Magnus was headed down stairs.

Magnus knocked on the door to his father’s study. While he had asked Alec to marry him, now three times, he still had not told his father. Asmodeus didn’t have the last say in his choice, but that didn’t mean that he would not try to influence it. The man loved his son but he also saw what the politicians wanted.

“Come in.” Magnus opened the door and walked in. It was late at night but his father, the King, was sitting at his desk reading over some royal doctrine. Magnus never understood how his father didn’t get a headache from all the reading. After two hours Magnus needed a break while his father could continue for an hour or so more.

“Father, I have made my choice.” Asmodeus looked up from his papers before sitting them down.

“Have you? That is very quick. You just culled them yesterday.” Magnus came over and sat in the chair directly in front of his father.

“I choose Alexander Lightwood.” He noticed the twitch of his father’s brown. The King did not approve.

“Why him? If you wish to marry a man then why not Mr. Meliorn Knight? His father was once a great general. There is also Ms. Camile Bellcourt.” She had been Asmodeus’ top pick because of her father. A top politician would influence a lot of people. As much as the Morgenstern betrayal still hurt, Asmodeus was practical. They needed more support.

“Why did you pick a mere painter?” Magnus countered. “One with a history of fertility problems?” Magnus’ own mother had been a wonderful painter, which she still did, but being one of only two Fives in the choosing meant she was the odd man out. Yet she survived until the last five girls. With her Choosing she became the next Queen of Edom, but her family history was not what the crown needed.

Asmodeus had been the only son of four children. Each one of his sisters had been married off to secure alliances, however, being the only son Asmodeus was expected to marry well and have an heir and maybe even a spare. Yet he married Annisa Sari who was an only child herself. Her mother had given birth to two stillborns before Annisa and then passed with the birth of her fourth and the child followed not long after.

Asomdeus sat back in his chair and gave a small chuckle. “Because I loved her. I didn’t care about her background, all I wanted was for her to be beside me for all our lives.”

“I only want what you wanted, father. I want the love of my life to be beside me.”

“Has he said yes?”

“Yes. He fears the life of a Prince Consort, but he does want to be with me. I just need to give him the ring”

“Then I give my permission. I always assumed you were more your mother’s child. You show her gentle and thoughtful nature, yet you take decisions head long. You weigh the options and take the one that speaks to you. You will be a great king someday, my son.”

“Thank you father, but there is one last thing I would like to speak with you about.”

16

A special TV broadcast was arranged for the next night. Magnus did not want to wait until the following Friday to put a ring on Alec’s finger. He wanted it now. However, he had to find the person that caused Alec’s fall first.

Who would want to kill a Chosen and in such a public area like the grand staircase. Someone should have seen it. The obvious answer was another Chosen. Now the question was, did they cause it themselves or pay someone? Magnus didn’t even pretend to know all the servants in the palace but he felt like he knew a good lot of them. Rumors flew around quickly among the servants so Magnus enlisted the help of Jem and Will.

It would take some time so Magnus went to see Alec and spend a little time with him.

“Your highness.” Magnus had not even noticed that he was not alone in the hall anymore. Ms. Camille Belcourt had just come out of a side room. She curtsied for him, a little deeper than need be but he was pretty sure the woman was trying to show off the plunge of her neck line. Camille was a beautiful woman, but she was not what Magnus wanted in a spouse.

She cared only for material things. On one of the few dates they had she had spent the entire time talking about the parties that she had at her home. How lavish they were and offering to show him around her city. While Magnus had grown up to be Prince his family was not as posh as it looked. Personal family meals were not taken in full dressed attire, that was only for show.

His father liked her because of her father. Reginald Belcourt was a well known politician in Little Paris, one of the largest cities on the east side of Edom.

“Hello, Ms. Belcourt.”

“Oh, you can call me, Camille.” She said walking closer to him. “We have not had a date in a while. I hope that is not an indication that you are bored with me.” The woman pouted, but it was just too much.

Will had said that Alec had an argument with Camille. Could she be the type of person to try and kill the competition? Maybe. He was about to find out. Putting out his arm for her the woman took it as they started to walk.

“I have called a special broadcast for this evening.” Magnus started as Camille looked startled.

“Why? I will not have enough time to get ready.” She actually looked worried.

“I intend to announce my engagement to one of the Chosen.” This caused Camille to nearly misstep. He wondered what was going through her mind right at that moment. She probably thought it was her.

“Then I need to pick out a dress.” She started to pull away but Magnus stopped her.

“Why?”

“Well if I will be on TV tonight I need to look my best.”

“Only my fiance will be on the stage with me.” She smiled, a sickening sweet smile reserved for a simple child that did not understand.

“Oh course, Prince Magnus, but my dress-”

“I will not be asking for your hand.” She stopped dead in her tracks.

“WHAT?!” The beautiful woman beside him let out a screech like he had never heard before. “Who would be a better queen than I?! We are made for each other!” Magnus finally pulled his arm away.

“No. No we are not.” Then out of nowhere the woman slapped him across the face, her long nails leaving redden marks on his cheek. Reaching up Magnus touched his cheek, but thankfully there was no blood.

“Ms. Belcourt, you hit the Prince. That was not a very bright idea.” His voice was calm and measured.

“I am supposed to be the Queen!” Then she must have thought better of herself. “I do not know what came over me. Apologies, your highness.” But the apology fell on deaf ears. “I just don’t want all my training to go to waste.”

“Training that did nothing but make you an evil jealous creature that would dare to try and kill another Chosen and then strike the Prince of Edom. Guards!” Magnus yelled.

“Did that little stoot brush tell you I pushed him down the stairs? He wouldn’t know class if it came up and slapped him across his dirty face.” Magnus was seeing red. He knew the little terms that higher levels called the lower ones. His mother had talked about them. Fives were painted prints or song stealers, depending on the type of artist they were. Sixes were rags and Sevens were stoot brushes. Thankfully the guards appeared at that moment.

“Take Ms. Belcourt to her room so she can pack.”

“No! Magnus, please. We belong together!”

“My dear, unlike the man I want to marry, you belong in the cold palace you came from. Away with her.” The guards dragged Camille kicking and screaming from the hall. He was positive that she was the one that tried to kill Alec. Even if he couldn't prove it he at least got her out of the palace.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Alec stood behind the curtains. His stomach was in knots from the nerves. Any moment the curtains would be pulled back and he would be presented as the fiance to the future king. It was almost too much. His hands traveled down his blue suit as if trying to straighten any imaginary wrinkles. Something caught the light and he looked down at the ring on his finger. Not an hour ago Magnus had gotten down on one knee and asked Alec to be his Prince Consort.

<i>Magnus looked a bit flustered when he came to Alec’s room. Will and Jem were finishing up on his suit for that night’s special broadcast. Alec turned to look at Magnus and noticed two red marks on his right cheek.

“Magnus, what happened?”

“Just getting rid of a nuisance.” Magnus waved off and then walked over to Alec. He placed a kiss on the man’s lips as the attendants quietly made their way out of the room to give them time. “I love you, Alexander Lightwood.” The Prince said as he pulled back from the kiss. Alec was so dizzy from the kiss that he barely followed. Then Magnus knelt on one knee.

“Oh my god.” Alec found himself breathing as the Prince pulled out a small box with the Bane family seal.

“At the end of each Choosing, the Prince in question would give the family signet ring to his chosen spouse in front of everyone.” Magnus started. “But you are a private person who does not want others to look upon him. So here, in your rooms I want to ask you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood, to be my Prince. Be the one that makes me strive to be a better person. Help me teach our future children that levels do not matter, what matters is what is found inside a person. Be the one I grow old with, be my everything.” Alec was crying by this time. He couldn’t even say yes through the tears but he did nod. That was all Magnus needed. He pushed the ring onto Alec’s finger before standing up and pulling him into another slow, passion filled kiss.<i/>

“Welcome honored guests to a special broadcast!” Simon Lewis’s voice broke through his thoughts and brought him back to the present. Just remembering how thoughtful Magnus was to make that moment just about them gave him enough strength to stand still. “Now, a little birdie told me, Prince Magnus, that you have a surprise for us.”

“Yes.” Magnus said, his voice calm and smooth. Alec smiled. “I do have a wonderful surprise. People of Edom, my people, I have come to the decision as to whom I will be marrying. It had been a fast and whirlwind romance, one for the books I am sure. The moment I met this person I fell for them. They were so raw and open with me and I couldn’t see a day without them in my life, but they needed some convincing.”

“You did say that before. Who is this wonderful person that has captured the heart of our marvelous Prince?” Simon asked. He was sure everyone was wanting to know, but as usual Magnus was building up the suspense.

“This person never expected to be picked for the Chosen in the first place. They never thought they could have what they wanted because of their level.” A hush went over the few people in the audience for the broadcast. They were mostly journalists that wanted the first taste of a story. “That is also something that I wish to talk to my people about. These levels, the ones that have kept all of you in place, will soon be ending.” Suddenly the journalists gasped and tried to ask questions before they were hushed. “That plan is in motion, but I am sure you are all wanting to know who I choose.”

The curtain opened and Alec stepped out. He didn’t look like a level Seven boy from a small town. There was no dirt under his nails or bruises from hard work. No, he looked like a Prince Consort and for the first time he felt like something special. Magnus stood from his seat and walked over to Alec as flashes of lights went off. Taking Alec’s hand he pressed a kiss to his hand.

“This is my chosen. Alexander Lightwood. Formerly a Seven and one of the best men I have had the pleasure to meet.” With that, the Prince of Edom leaned in to kiss his Prince.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

[bigskydreaming]

Okay haha I lied, whoops I do that. THIS is the last one. Again from various parts of ‘Kings of the Sky’ but since I was talking so much about Dick’s grandfather, why not some snippets of him from this series too. (For this AU I imagined what if Dick’s paternal grandparents lived into their eighties, like do we KNOW they couldn’t have? Hmm? Don’t answer that if we do, shh, let me have this. Anyway, so here Dick’s grandmother died when he was two and his grandfather when he was five.)

Dick is retelling this story about him and his grandfather to Jason and Cass.

************

“But there is no King of the Sky, Dickie,” he’d said to me then with a wink. “That’s the joke, you see? No one can claim the sky as theirs, no one can own it. Send your armies to seize it in your name and all you’d see is legions of empty-handed fools all grasping at air! There’s no way to draw your borders, no foundation on which you could build any walls. And where would you even put your throne?”

“He’d laughed then, mischievous and wheezing, as he recalled all the courts the circus had entertained back in its glory days, when Europe’s nobility would always each host some circus or troupe or performers at various festivals. All the kings and queens for whom he’d performed his signature feats, who’d show him off to their most important guests afterwards. The ones who had been invited specifically so they’d see that this court held only the grandest of celebrations, that they and their guests were entertained by only the very best of the best.”

“Oh, but they were always so eager to introduce me by title,” he’d said, rheumy eyes still somehow keeping their sparkle. “There they were, kings and crown princes, pushing me forward and telling their guests to come greet me, this commoner they were all too glad to proclaim royalty no different to them. After all, any king can present his guests with an entertaining spectacle, but how much grander is the king who hosts the spectacle of being entertained by another king? Ah, but they were always more than happy to elevate me if but for the night…in doing so, they elevated themselves as well. Up we all went, all without feet ever leaving the floor!”

“Names can be such a funny thing, don’t you think?” He’d sighed and sort of mused then, stroking his chin like he was pondering some great mystery. “Meaning nothing and everything all at the same time. That’s a powerful trick. Useful too, if you can master it.”

I know I started giggling then, just because as far back as I can remember, names were always kind of a…almost a passion of his, I guess you could say. It was just this thing he did, it was like he could never just let a name be. There was always some trick to a name, he’d insist. You just had to find it. Its why our family colors were red, yellow and green, as a matter of fact. All in only the brightest hues of each, combining to make us the complete opposite of the Gray in our name.

"The crowd comes in to see the acrobat named Grayson,” my grandfather would say, “and what do they expect from just the name? Drab, unremarkable, likely to be lost in the shadows, from just the sound of him. But then he dives off the platform in a burst of colors impossible to miss and the crowd gasps, expectations shattered in an instant….and from there, they think, what more surprises might possibly await? And already you have them at the edge of their seat, eyes caught by the colors of a costume its impossible to lose sight of. You command their attention, you’re unencumbered by their assumptions, and they’re yours from that moment on. And all of that from just a pop of color, a warning that you are not what they thought….and a name. A Flying Grayson, up above as expected, yet unexpectedly the brightest thing in the sky. An inherent contradiction. An impossible sight you can’t help but to see.”

“Anyway, so there I was,” Dick said, straightening up and shaking his head with a slightly rueful smile, as if to physically pull himself out of the undertow of memories tugging him further away from where he’d begun. “Already giggling just from his little chin-stroking act as he started talking about names, because I knew he was bound to say something silly next, just from that. And he’d jumped a little, and turned in his chair to face me directly and with his full focus, because Grandpa thrived off of an engaged audience like nothing else.”

“Yes, a powerful thing, a name,” he’d continued after a moment that was either a dramatic pause or me thinking anything longer than ten seconds might as well be the same as an hour, at that age. “But a tricky business, naming things, as you first have to know what a thing is, before you attempt to claim it by naming it what it is not. Because being named can just as easily be a powerful trap, of course. If a man doesn’t know himself well enough to know he is not what a name claims, he can wind up stuck in a cage that’s not sized to fit him. Simply because he doesn’t know he has more than enough room to slip free of it if he tried.”

“Then he leaned down close enough to me to whisper, and looked around as if checking we were alone before dropping into a raspy whisper like we were conspiring. “But a man who knows what he wants and knows what he’s capable of, and can put the right name to both….that’s where the real magic is. Do you know what kind of power your name has?”

“Richard means lion-hearted,” I remember reporting after some thought. And that he blew a raspberry right after that like he was the five year old of the two of us, but then, Grandpa was just like that sometimes. “Yes, yes, true enough,” he said, making a face like he’d tasted something sour, “But I don’t mean the one your father picked probably to spite me for naming him John in the first place. No matter how many times I tell him I had nothing to do with that, I lost the right to name him in a card game with your Grandmother. Although for the record, I still maintain I didn’t lose, she just cheated. But I still have no idea how she did it so I have to respect that, I suppose. But no. Not that name. The one your mother gave you.”

“And of course then I knew he meant Robin, and said so, and he asked what that meant to me. And I remember thinking long and hard about that one, because as I said, I knew even by that age what Grandpa was like on the subject of names, and so I was sure there was some kind of riddle or game in what he was asking, I just wasn’t sure where. So finally I just referred back to what my Mom always used to say, about me being born on the first day of spring, and being her little Robin. And he just nodded, and then he asked: And do you remember the first time you called yourself Robin to someone else, and why? What you said then?”

*******************

And then from the very last (intended) installment, ‘Its a Long, Long Way To Tipperary,’ again with Dick telling this to Jason and Cass and finishing a conversation started earlier in the series:

“Names have power,” Grandpa said to me, on one of the last days I remember with him before he passed away. We were sitting outside in folding chairs and watching the stars, until he got too cold and we had to go in. But while we were out there, so much of what he said…I didn’t really understand most of it at the time. Honestly, even what I thought I understood, I realized years later wasn’t really right. I could follow the words but so much of what he meant, I didn’t even begin to understand until I happened to look back to that night years later.

But for months I’d heard my parents talking when they thought I couldn’t hear. I’d seen him doubled over and coughing more and more frequently, how tightly he clutched a blanket around him when it wasn’t really all that cold. I may not have fully known what was coming but I think I knew on some level that something was coming to an end.

And I remember him talking so fast that night, words spilling out so quickly in a confusing mess like he couldn’t take the time to shape them properly and just had to get them out….I remember soaking it all in, as much as I could, knowing that it was important even if I didn’t know what it even was, or why. Like I was trying to just….absorb it, make it a part of me the way it almost felt like it was bleeding out of him. I don’t know that the thought, the image of him dying that summer, of soon being without him, I can’t say whether that actually ever occurred to me. I just know that I knew urgency, and I knew Grandpa was only urgent when it mattered, so I listened without understanding and somehow managed to store most of it away. And honestly, I don’t know that he was even trying to make sure he was understood, or even caring….so much as just trying to get it out of him, like what was most important was just that he said it and it was heard. Maybe just so he knew it wouldn’t die with him.

“But however it got there, however it was I managed to remember clearly enough, there it all was, and right when I most needed to hear what he’d said to me that night. The things nobody else could have told me because nobody else knew the secret language of names that he seemed to speak, that he’d spent his whole life learning all so that maybe he could somehow in that find his own name. Not the label he’d been left with, a description or title.....but a name, the one each child is supposed to get, something to say who they are, not merely what.”

“Names have power,” he said to me that night. “They can be magic in the right hands. A man who knows who he is knows his own name. And the things you can do with that, the doors that can be unlocked…oh, Dickie, my boy. There’s a door to anywhere if you can speak the right name when asked for a key. But its not enough to just say them and throw them around, its not the sounds, the words, its what they are. You can’t pretend to know a thing, to know yourself. You have to really, truly know. But once you know….for a boy as bright as you, there’s no end to the possibilities.”

“So here’s what you must always remember, the real trick of it all…..names have power. But the power isn’t in the name. The power is in what you put in that name. You can’t claim a name and therein take its power, you see….because you have to know first what you’re trying to take from it, what you see when you look at it. What you want it to be, want it to give to you, what you want it to make you when you say this is me and I am this. Your father named you Richard, though he calls you Dickie. You were born a Flying Grayson and thus you always will be. Your mother named you her little Robin, born on the first day of spring. And all of these can be you, because no one is just one thing. And yet none of them are you unless you claim them to be.

So if you are to be Robin, as your mother named you but is only you if you choose to say yes that is me…..before you claim it fully, before you truly make it yours, you have to look at Robin and what you want the mirror to show when you look in it and say I am Robin and this is me. You have to see Robin not as even your mother sees her Robin, but as you see your Robin.

That’s the danger and that’s the trick.

You can’t claim Robin while seeing only what someone else sees, and think that by claiming it you’ve claimed its power….instead you’ve just claimed a trap, donned a self that doesn’t suit you because it is not you, only something someone else thought could be you.

Because in claiming that, you claim everything that comes with it….and then you will never be free to be more than whatever they thought you could be. There is no power in that, no potential, no freedom…..just the limitations you’ve accepted as your own, because someone thought you limited by such things, and yet you agreed that they were right when you claimed the name….but only the name as they shaped and imagined it to be.

So who is Robin? What power do you see in that name? Don’t reach out and seize it the moment someone sets it forth in front of you, assuming that is all it can be, the highest it can ever take you. Never claim a name if you haven’t first looked at it as you first see it...and then imagined it bigger, and then imagined it deeper, and then imagined it greater...and then kept going until you can’t imagine any more. And only then will you know what that name is…..when you say this name is who I truly want to be.

Robin is a bird, yes, Robin Red-Breast, a creature of spring, of the air, of new life. You can claim that and make it yours but first…..what else could Robin be?

Can not Robin just as easily be Robin Hood or Robin Goodfellow? Couldn’t you be? And why even be just one, when you can be all three?

No man is ever just one thing, and any man who thinks that he is has more dreaming to do. 

So be Robin, in as much as you imagine Robin to be. Be the bird that flies, or the champion of the poor, or the merry trickster whom even kings fear. Or be all of them in one….there’s power enough for all of that in just that one little name….so long as you put it there first.

Its that simple, and its that tricky. There is no in between. You are whatever you claim as you - but the good and the bad, for better and for worse. The space that name holds and the walls that hold it in.

So if you remember nothing more, Dickie, Richard, Robin times three or however many more Robins you might be…..if someday you say I taught you nothing else, there’s nothing else I gave you or left for you to take with you wherever you go, hear me now, and remember this:

No matter how well you might think it suits you at first, the name you claim because it fits you as you are....will never be more than a trap.

The power in names, the true power…..only comes from claiming the name that fits the you, that you would dream yourself to be.

You can always be more than you are. And any name that tells you otherwise is not truly anything but a lie.

Many kings of the earth have laughed as they introduced your family as Kings of the Sky throughout the years. But the jest they don’t get is for all their riches, they were the ones content to claim titles and deeds that leave them trapped on the ground, confined within borders of their own makings, sealed behind walls they chose to erect between them and everything that was not theirs and thus would never be. But a King of the Sky soars above all of that, needing none of that…..because the sky has no end, and is so much vaster than any of that could ever be.

So if you would someday choose a crown, my little Prince of the Sky, never seek yours on the ground. Reach for one bigger than the ground could ever hold….only that could ever fit all that you might someday be.”

[heyitsani]

I Keep My Eyes Wide Open All the Time Chapter 8

Word Count: 9234

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Major character death, Mentions of past rape/non-con (past)

Pairing: Jason Todd/Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne/Jon Kent

Notes: I am completely dissatisfied with this chapter but it is what it is.  Big time jump at the last part, but the descriptions make it pretty evident.

Next chapter is back to present time.

If you have not read When You Move I Move, this one won’t really make much sense.  So you can read that here: WYMIM

You can also read this chapter on AO3 here

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Standing before the doors that would lead him and Jon to the room where he could hear his family members talking as they waited for dinner to be served, Damian glanced at the man at his side.  The man he was about to announce as one he intended to marry.  All of them probably knew it was coming, but he still found himself a bit nervous.  Would his grandfather approve?  Would his aunt give him that smile of understanding and acceptance?  He knew his father would have approved, he had been the one who had told him to do it without delay, but what of the others?

“We can wait,” Jon offered, his smile not faltering in the least.  “It can remain between the two of us for the time being.  Until you feel more settled, maybe?”

Damian shook his head and looked back to the door.  “No. We are to be married and I refuse to hide away that fact like I am ashamed to love you.”  He felt Jon’s hand squeeze his, and the feeling of the cool metal of the ring on his finger grounded him.  To the point where he pushed forward and allowed the doors to swing open so they could enter the dining hall.

“Grandson,” his grandfather greeted from where he stood with Selina at his side, Ser Roy standing with him. Damian knew they were probably discussing something related the knights, as Damian had asked the former king to be the one to oversee them since he was still adjusting.

“Grandfather, Selina,” Damian replied before looking to Ser Roy.  “Ser Roy, will you be joining us tonight?”  The Knight looked surprised at the question and Damian wondered why silently since the man had joined them plenty of times when his father had been king.

“I…”  The man looked over to his grandfather before he looked back to Damian.  “I would like that, Your Majesty,” he said, giving a bow.  There was a smile on his face that spoke more than the words he said and Damian gave him a nod before he glanced around for his aunt.  

When he didn’t see her anywhere, he looked back to his grandfather.  “Where is Aunt Cass?  I have something I wish to tell you all.”  As if she had heard him asking for her, his aunt came gliding into the room with her friend Stephanie right behind her.  The two women were smiling, laughing at something one of them had said, as they made their way over.

“Nephew!  Prince Jon,” his aunt greeted them before turning to greet her father, step-mother, and Ser Roy.  Damian watched Stephanie give him a bow before she relayed a greeting of her own.

“Please,” Damian waved a hand at Stephanie’s bow.  “Do not feel you need to do that.  You are family just as much as the others at this point.”  The blonde looked surprised but gave a nod of understanding.  “Now that we have all gathered, I would like to tell you all some good news.”  Glancing over at Jon’s who gave his hand another squeeze, Damian smiled.  “I have asked Prince Jon to marry me and he has agreed.”  He turned to look back at his family in various states of shock.

He was not surprised that Selina was the first to offer her congratulations.  He accepted the warm hug and thanked her when she spoke a soft congratulations into his ear.  His aunt and Stephanie followed closely, giving him and Jon each a hug before switching and hugging the other.  When Ser Roy also stepped forward to hug him, Damian was a little caught off guard.

“Jason would be so proud of you,” the knight murmured into his ear before releasing Damian and shaking Jon’s hand.  “Congratulations to you both.  Richard said he hoped this would be the end result of your friendship back when you were just boys.  He spent weeks talking about how to ask the Council to lift the marriage law so it might happen.”

Damian blinked at the man for a moment before looking over to find Jon grinning at the knight.  Damian had told Jon what his father had said on his deathbed, how he had wanted Damian to ask him sooner rather than later, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the man approved.  But perhaps the fact that he had approved long before Jon himself had figured out how he felt was the difference.

“Grandson,” his grandfather’s voice broke through his thoughts, drawing his green eyes away from his intended to the man who stood just a few inches taller than him.  The man placed both of his hands-on Damian’s shoulders and looked him right in the eye.  “It is no secret that I am a traditionalist.  But with everything that has happened due to that fact, I am quite pleased to hear this news.”  The man looked over to Jon and sent him a rare smile.  “Your father has been a dear friend of mine for many years and the opportunity to join our families is a welcome one.”

And just like that, the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach vanished.  He had been so concerned about the older man’s approval and now that he had it, relief was all he felt.  His father had given his approval and Ser Jason had made it clear he supported Damian in everything he did so he didn’t wonder how the Slayer would have reacted.  But his grandfather?  The former king who was known for being rigid in his beliefs and strict with his rules? He couldn’t have guessed it would be so easy to have the approval.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Jon said formally, giving a small bow.  His grandfather huffed out a laugh before pulling both of them in for a brief hug.  

“You are to be family, please call me Bruce,” the man offered, and Damian smiled as Jon’s face brightened at the offer.  It was not an honor many were afforded, and the other prince was well aware of that fact. “I do believe we should make a toast. Alfred, the best wine in the cellar please?”  The personal manservant gave a nod and hurried off in the direction of where they kept the wine.  “We shall have to have the ceremony as soon as possible.  I will send word to King Kon and Timothy immediately.  We shall plan a wedding to rival all weddings.” He released the two men before turning to speak with Selina about what they would need to get things planned.

“All those nerves for no reason at all, hmm my love?”  Damian looked over at Jon and gave him a sheepish smile, shrugging.  “The fates would not have been so cruel to you. They have been heavy handed as it is. You have earned some happiness.  I just hope that is me.”

“Always, Beloved.”

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Adjusting the sleeve of his shirt, Damian made his way down the hallway toward his study with the intent of going over some of the most recent requests from the citizens.  He had held the Petitioning the day before and the requests he hadn’t been certain about had been recorded and the Council had come to decisions later that day.  He had just wanted to comb through them one last time before he sent the messengers.

“Nephew,” his uncle’s voice caught his attention, stopping him before he entered the study.  Turning to look at the man who was coming up behind him, Damian waited.  The man had arrived the day before with the King of Metropolis and the Jon’s father for the wedding festivities, but Damian had yet had a moment to really speak with the older man.  “I wondered if we might take a walk to the crypt together?”

That was not something he had expected the man to say, but it didn’t fill him with the dread he thought it would.  He had gone to see the statue of both of his fathers multiple times since their deaths and though it still caused his heart to ache, he found the peace in the crypt welcoming.  He had yet to go there with anyone else though.  Jon had told him that those moments were private in his country, so he didn’t feel right even when Damian made it clear he would be fine with it.

“I would like that, yes,” he agreed with a nod.  He knew he would have time later to look over the orders.  The urgent ones had been handled already anyway.  Continuing on the path toward the exit of the castle, Damian kept in step with his uncle.  He remained silent, nodding at staff members as they saw them and allowing his uncle to greet a few of them by name as they made their way out.  “Have you been back since your arrival yesterday?” The final statue had not been finished before his uncle had left after the Feast, so he was curious if he had gotten the opportunity to see the finished design.

“I have not, but Father mentioned how well it turned out in their likeness.”  Damian simply nodded in agreement.  It was an almost perfect replica of his memory of the two men. And since it was in the royal crypt, there did not need to be a lie in who they were to each other.  “How have you been adjusting, Damian?  There has been much change in such a short amount of time.  I was almost surprised to receive the letter about the wedding.”

Looking at his uncle, Damian stopped walking and tilted his head slightly in consideration.  “Surprised?  But you knew how I felt about Jon.  You encouraged it,” he reminded the man, who laughed and shook his head.  That only served to confuse Damian more.  “I am missing something, aren’t I?”

“Damian, my nephew, you are a great many things but spontaneous is rarely one of them.”  Frowning, Damian considered that.  “I am not meaning for you to take offense to it.  I am simply saying that rarely do you just do something because you want to do it.  There is usually much calculation in your actions.  Your mother’s influence, I believe.”

And yes, he supposed that made sense.  His father loved to just jump right into the thick of things and his mother wanted to know all the variables.  He had always felt he fell somewhere in the middle, but perhaps he was closer to his mother.  But on this particular decision, he knew exactly why he had acted much like his father would have.

“Father told me, the night he died, to ask Jon to marry me as soon as I could.”

His uncle looked unsurprised.  And Damian didn’t feel like it required more of an explanation than that.  So he turned and continued making his way to the crypt with his uncle beside him.  “And the ring?  I suppose Richard told you where he had kept it and what it meant.”

Damian nodded and gestured for the older man to enter the crypt before him.  “It is an honor to see that ring on Jon’s finger knowing it once rested on Ser Jason’s,” he admitted, not looking at his uncle when the man stopped and glanced his way.  Instead, he turned his eyes onto the statue they had come to see.  

The sculptor had turned a crude drawing of Damian’s into a masterpiece.  With his father standing, head bowed, crown on head.  The lines of his robes looked as though they would flutter in the wind, they were so delicately done.  And the soft smile on his face, eyes closed, was just as he would always remember it.  And the figure of Ser Jason with his armour on, head tilted as if whispering in his lover’s ear, spoke of strength and love at the same time.  The stone cut of the Slayer’s hair was just a wind tousled as it always was when he was on the fields training the soldiers.

“It is perfect,” his uncle whispered.  Swallowing against his now tight throat, Damian nodded.  They looked so alive and filled with so much love for each other, Damian could almost pretend they were real.  “Father said it was your design?”

“I drew them just how I remembered them.  The sculptor is the true artist here.”  Reaching out a hand, Damian touched his father’s hand that hung at his side.  He had taken to touching both of their hands before he sent his prayers off.  “They could not be together in life.  But their love can forever be remembered by those of us who remain and those who we leave behind.”  Shifting to touch Ser Jason’s hand, Damian bowed his head and said his silent prayers of peace for both their souls.  Even though he knew there was no peace to be had thanks to his mother.

He felt his uncle come up beside him as he recited the silent prayer but made no move to acknowledge him.  “Though you might not believe it, Nephew, there is very little of your mother in you,” the man said as Damian lifted his head and looked up at the two men captured in stone.  “I know there is a war inside of you.  I know you struggle with the possibility that your mother influenced you more than your father was willing to admit, but you should know this,” the man paused, and Damian looked over at him, “when faced with a decision you have yet to choose a path that she would have wanted you to.”

Dropping his uncle’s gaze, Damian looked back to the statue and considered the older man’s words.  He thought over every decision he had made since his mother had been put to death.  From when he was so scared the people of the kingdom thought he was just like her to when they accepted him as their king.  He thought about the decision to tell Jon he loved him, the decision to ask him to marry him.  His mother would have never approved of any of those choices.  Especially Jon.  She had fought so hard to separate the two of them.

Yet he was set to marry the man in a few days’ time, and he had no regrets.

“She will always be a shadow on my mind though,” Damian admitted, looking back to his uncle.  “It is a constant struggle to consciously not follow the path she spent thirteen years pushing me down.”

“Perhaps,” his uncle shrugged.  “But perhaps you’ll find one day she is no longer a whisper in the back of your mind. Perhaps one day you’ll only hear your own voice.”  He considered the thought before sighing and glancing back toward the exit of the crypt. “I know you have duties to attend to, Nephew.  I would like some time alone with my brother, so do not feel you need to remain on my account.”

Thinking of the papers waiting for him on his desk, he smiled at his uncle.  “Thank you for the discussion, Uncle.  I will see you at dinner.”  The man gave a nod before turning back to the statue and Damian turned to leave.  When he glanced back just before he exited the crypt, he saw the man with his head bowed, pressed to the stone hand of the former king, shoulders shaking.

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Growing up, he remembered hearing so many say that they were nervous at their handfasting.  So many people told him stories of how they had barely known the one they were to marry and that the ceremony was so permanent that it caused nerves to strike.

Damian found himself waiting at the start of the walkway that would lead him and Jon through the woods to a small glade where their closest friends and family were waiting to bear witness to their pledge to one another.  But he as he stood there, he noticed the nerves everyone had spoken of were absent.  All he felt was impatient.  

Perhaps it was the years of knowing Jon.  Perhaps it was knowing he was absolutely the man he wanted to spend his life with.  

More than that, he just felt at peace.  Like the one thing his father had wanted of him, he was fulfilling.  

“Dami.”  He turned at the sound of his name, smiling at the sight of Jon walking toward him in the familiar colors of red and blue from his homeland.  And though they were not a combination that Damian himself would have picked, he enjoyed the way Jon’s pale skin almost glowed in contrast as the moonlight shone down on them.  His eyes fell on the jewel holding his cloaks together, where there should have been gold and black he found red and black.  And a glimmer of blue.

The same colors Damian had chosen to wear in honor of both of his fathers.

Reaching out to touch the jewel when Jon was within his reach, Damian looked up at the sparkling blue eyes of his soon to be husband.  The man simply smile the all too familiar, mischievous smile Damian knew all too well and offered no explanation.

“Everyone is waiting for us in the glade.”  Jon gave him a nod and took the offered hand from Damian, so they could walk to the ceremony together.  Neither man spoke, as was Gotham tradition for this type of ceremony, as they made the trek further into the woods.  And even though he could see the glade up ahead, he noticed that the forest remained quiet.  Almost as if it were watching with bated breath.

He could relate.

As they stepped into the glade with Jon at his side, Damian felt his spine straighten a bit more in response to being around the others.  And though he knew he didn’t need to impress these witnesses, he still felt he had to maintain his image.  So he remained focused on the Archbishop at the end of the walk, waiting for them.  

He gave a small nod to his uncle, who he had chosen to stand witness for him, which the man returned it with a bright smile.  A glance over at King Kon revealed him doing the same for his brother and Damian felt the expectations melt away as they came to a stop just past the two men, in front of the Archbishop who held his Law of Old.  Damian immediately noticed the chord he and Jon had braided together the night before in front of the fireplace in Damian’s room draped over the open book.  

There had been laughter and tears, hushed words of missing those who could not be there to witness this moment, as they weaved the pieces together.  It had been private and special, something he would never forget.

As the Archbishop began the traditional greeting, Damian glanced over at Jon and found the man smiling as he watched the man before them read his script.  And once again he found himself floored and so thankful that this was his future.  That though his mother had stolen so much from him, she could not manage to steal this.

“King Damian of Gotham and Prince Jonathan of Metropolis, please face one another and take the other’s right hand,” the Archbishop’s words pulled Damian away from his thoughts and he turned to follow the command.  Smiling at Jon, he held his right hand out with the palm facing up.  Without hesitation, Jon placed his own right hand into Damian’s, and they allowed their fingers to curl around the other’s wrist. “Your Majesty, please say the oath.”

Taking a deep breath, Damian looked into Jon’s eyes and tightened his grip.  “Jonathan of House Kent, I take you as you are, loving who you are now and who you are yet to become.  I promise from this day forward to be grateful for our love and our life.  To be generous with my time, my energy, and my affection.  To be patient with you and myself.  To fill our life with adventure and our home with laughter.  To encourage you to grow as an individual, and inspire you to do so. To love you completely,” he spoke confidently, taking in the smile growing wider on Jon’s lips as he recited the vow.  “These things I pledge before you.  And before our loved ones and those who no longer bless this land with their presence.”

Swallowing hard against the tears building in his eyes as he watched a tear slip from Jon’s, Damian returned Jon’s smile as the other man recited the same script.  He tried to ignore the swelling of his heart, the promise of their future in the words, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus otherwise.

“King Damian, do you take Prince Jonathan to be your husband?”

“I do,” he confirmed without looking away from Jon.

“And Prince Jonathan, do you take King Damian to be your husband?”

“I do,” the man whispered, causing Damian’s smile to grow even more than it already had.  Despite the ceremony not being finished, he felt as though he couldn’t be more content.  Could he die from happiness?  It almost felt as though he might.

“The honored have requested to have their witnesses to bind their hands while the blessing is said,” the Archbishop said, gesturing for his uncle and Jon’s brother to move to stand in front of them with the chord in hand.  Glancing over at them, Damian watched the men take one end each and move forward to wrap the chord around his and Jon’s joined hands.  “This is the hand of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that is holding yours on your handfasting day.  As you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever.  These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These hands will passionately love you and cherish you through the years and with the slightest touch, comfort you like no other,” the man spoke, but Damian turned his attention back to his almost husband.

“These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind.  These are the hands that will, countless times, wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow and tears of joy.  These are the hands that will help you hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.”  He looked down as he felt the tightening of the knot, noticing the two men had joined the chord and were stepping back.  He looked from the knot to his uncle and noticed the man’s blue eyes were glimmering with unshed tears as he watched them.  “And lastly, these are the hands that, even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.”

The blessing was finished and quiet filled the glade as Damian looked away from his uncle, back to Jon. And he wasn’t surprised to find Jon watching him.  They both knew what was coming.  And though they had kissed plenty of times in the recent weeks, there was something delicate and precious about this moment.

“Your Majesties, under the gaze of the Powers That Be and the witnesses you have called here tonight, I pronounce you bound by love.  May you share your first of many kisses in this moment,” the older man said, encouraging the two men to seal the moment.  

And though Damian wanted to desperately kiss Jon, he called upon all his self-control to slowly lean in and press his mouth to Jon’s.  And though his husband’s lips were entirely too distracting, he could still hear the responding cheers and clapping from those watching the moment unfold.  He could also feel Jon’s laughter against his mouth.  Pulling away from Jon, Damian smiled at the man before looking out toward their family and closes friends.

And though he knew two especially important faces were missing, he could almost feel their presence there with them.

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The various conversations of the people gathered in the Great Hall washed over him as he made his way through the room, not really pausing much outside of returning a greeting or two.  He knew there would be plenty of time to converse with the guests over the course of the evening, so he stayed true to the path that would take him to his husband’s side.

“Your Majesty,” King Kon greeted with a smirk and a nod of his head.  To which Damian rolled his eyes as he stopped to stand beside his husband, immediately allowing his hand to find Jon’s.

“We are family now, are we not?  No sense in such formalities in a setting like this.”

He watched the other man consider him closely before nodding, looking almost pleased with the response.  “The sentiment is returned then, Damian.”  And Damian simply raised his glass of wine to toast the older man before taking a sip and glancing at his husband.

“Have you eaten yet? I thought I might go see what the staff prepared under the scrutiny of Grandfather.”  Jon shook his head with a laugh and Damian smiled, ignoring the chuckle that came from Kon at the former king’s expense.  “Join me?”

“Yes, I am famished but everyone has been so distracting,” Jon admitted, walking beside Damian as they made their way around the various groups of people.  “Every time I went to grab a bite, someone else stepped into my path.”

“And you wouldn’t want to be rude by telling them that you would speak with them later.”

Jon looked at him with a bit of a gleam in his eye that Damian wasn’t sure how to describe.  “I would never,” the man teased.  “But no, I could not in this instance.  If I am to live among these faces for the remainder of our days, I should not want to offend them so early in the marriage.” Damian hummed and nodded to the head chef who stood near the table, taking stock of all the items laid out on the table.

“Your Majesties,” the chef greeted with a wide smile and a bow.  “I have prepared a few of the items you requested, My King.  I am not certain of how close to Metropolis quality they are, but I did have his former Majesty there to taste a few of the items.  He gave his approval.”

Damian nodded and gave her a warm thank you before turning to speak to Jon.  He found the man already looking at him, a bit of a surprised look on his face.  “Beloved?”

“You requested some food from home?”

“Well,” he shrugged, feeling a little awkward, “I wanted to be sure this was about you just as much as it was about me.  The party itself is for the citizens who wish to celebrate with their ruler, but why should it just be our cuisine they experience?  You are just as much their ruler now, even if we have yet to officially crown you.”

He shifted a bit when Jon continued to stare at him as he spoke.  He didn’t think what he had done was that big of a deal, but the way Jon was looking at him made it seem like it must be.  A good one, he hoped.  

“Some more wine, Your Majesties?”  A server asked, unaware of the moment between the two men.  He held a plate with a jug to refill glasses and Damian broke Jon’s gaze to glance down at his mostly empty glass.  

“Please,” he responded, holding his glass out for the server to fill.  “You do not have a glass, Beloved?”  He questioned, noticing Jon’s empty hands.

“I shall return immediately!”  The server hurried off before either could say anything, but Jon seemed to have barely noticed.

Placing his free hand on Jon’s cheek, Damian searched his eyes.  He wasn’t certain what it was he was looking for, but something.  Perhaps a hint at to what was going on in the other man’s mind at the moment.  The slightly stunned look still covered his features, but there was something else. Something more.  And though it looked familiar, he couldn’t quite place the emotion.

But the need to dissect it was eliminated when Jon pushed forward and pressed their mouths together, much to the delight of the people standing near them.  Damian could hear the cheering and laughing from the people surrounding them, but he ignored it in favor of enjoying his husband for a moment. He knew this was a change for the kingdom.  His mother and father had not been in love or even liked one another.  So seeing their King being affectionate was probably a bit of a surprise.  But a good one, from the sounds of it.

“Beloved?”  Damian questioned when Jon pulled back enough to allow them to breathe.  He blinked his eyes open and found Jon looking at him with that look.  The one that made his heart quicken and his stomach swoop.

“Thank you for being you,” Jon said quietly, as though he wanted that to remain between them.  It wouldn’t since there were far too many people within hearing distance, but Damian chose to ignore that.  “You never fail to surprise me with your thoughtfulness.” And Damian’s confusion must have shown on his face because Jon was laughing and pulling further away, gesturing at the table of food.  And Damian understood.  

He hadn’t thought much of it when he made the suggestion to the chef, but he was glad that it worked in his favor.  And he didn’t really think it was a very big gesture worthy of this kind of reaction, but he wasn’t going to fight Jon on it.  Especially when the man kissed him like that without giving the people around them a second thought.

“Here you are, Your Majesty,” the server came rushing over with a wine glass for Jon, giving a bow as Jon took the glass from the tray with a thank you.  “Can I do anything else for either of you?”

Damian chuckled at the man and shook his head.  “No, I do believe we are just fine.  Thank you.” The server bowed again and moved away, and Damian just smiled.  “Shall we eat?  There is something I wish to show you once we have made a few rounds in the room.”  Jon looked at him curiously, but nodded and turned toward the tables of food to direct a staff member which items he wanted on his plate.  Damian followed suite and led his husband over to their designated table where his grandfather and wife were currently sitting at one end and his Aunt Cass at the other.

They spent the following hours talking with the citizens who paused to pass along their congratulations, Damian making sure to make personal addresses to the ones he remembered from either private audiences or from previous gatherings.  He watched Jon question each person as if he would sear them all into his memory, wanting to know each and every person who lived within their borders.

It warmed Damian more than he wanted to admit.  And selfishly, he was thankful that Jon was to be a ruler in Gotham instead of Metropolis. They were two very different people, but Jon brought something to the kingdom that Damian had never been able to quite get the hang of.  He was humble.  And while Damian knew he was not prideful in the way his mother had been, he did still struggle with the idea that he was still better than certain others.  He would probably always struggle with that.

But Jon balanced that out with his humility and Damian was thankful.

Pushing to his feet once there was a break in the never-ending line of well-wishers, Damian held his hand out to Jon.  “Come with me, I have something I wish to do,” he told his husband with a small smile. He watched Jon take his hand and stand before glancing over at his grandfather and giving him a nod.  “We’ll go through the gardens,” he said as he guided them out of the Great Hall and into the cooling air of the summer night.

Gotham summers were hot, but thankfully their evenings cooled into something much more tolerable. Especially when he and Jon were required to be in their ceremonial robes for a celebration such as this.  

Silently, he led his husband through the gardens, weaving through the maze with practiced ease.  He was reminded of playing games with his father and Ser Jason when he was little, listening to his tutor as they walked the gardens between lessons, and spring days following Titus as he chased after birds and various flying bugs.

“Your Majesties,” a man with golden hair greeted with a bow as they reached one of the buildings near the stables.  Damian gave him a smiled as Jon said his hello.  “I have what you asked for in the back, if you’ll follow me.”

“Yes, thank you,” Damian said, moving to follow the man but pausing when Jon tugged on his hand. Looking over at his husband, Damian raised a brow.  “Beloved?”

“What is going on here, Dami?”

Damian smiled and shrugged. “You shall have to follow and find out.” Taking a few steps forward, Damian allowed their arms to stretch their limit with their hands still clasped.  “It is a surprise and one I think you shall like very much.  So just come.”

Jon frowned before Damian saw him sigh and nod, walking forward and allowing Damian to lead them into the building.  The inside wasn’t anything impressive and certainly didn’t give anything away, to which Damian was thankful.  

“Ah, there you are,” the man commented as Damian reached the only room that was lit by firelight. Peeking his head into the room, he noticed the present innocently laying on the floor and Damian smiled.  

“I had your father pick it out, but it was my idea for him to bring him from Metropolis,” Damian explained as he stepped into the room and Jon followed.  It took a few seconds before Jon noticed what it was Damian was talking about.

With a surprised gasp, Jon released Damian’s hand and rushed forward to look down at the small white dog that had yet to notice their presence.  But as soon as Jon knelt down next to it, the dog’s head lifted and his tiny tail began to wag.

“I thought Titus could use a playmate since my attention is now to be much more split than before,” Damian explained when Jon looked back to him as the dog jumped up and into his arms. When Jon’s laughter sounded as the dog began licking his face, Damian felt his heart squeeze.  

“Does it have a name?”

“No he does not.”

Jon looked down at the dog who was panting happily as Jon pet his head and seemed to examine the dog closely.  “Krypto,” he said, pulling a questioning sound out of Damian’s throat.  “A protective deity from back home.  He may not grow to the size of Titus, but I can tell he is going to be fierce.”

“I like that,” Damian nodded.  Pushing to his feet, Jon picked up the dog and walked over to where Damian still stood by the doorway.  “So you like him then?”

“I love him,” Jon confirmed. Damian wasn’t surprised when his husband leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips to show that very appreciation.  “I love you. Thank you for giving me so much from back home.”

“You are leaving much behind.  I am glad I can bring at least a bit of it to you in order to make the transition easier.” Jon’s smile softened at that and Damian looked away at the gentleness of it.  “I had the staff bring everything he would need to our rooms during the celebration. Shall we introduce him to his big brother?”  

Jon laughed and nodded, this time leading Damian out of the room and back out into the night air.  Watching his husband dote on the small dog seemed to be a glimpse into their future as fathers and while he knew neither of them were quite ready for that, it did a lot to quell any nerves he might have had at the thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“But we need to think about this logically,” one of the Council members said as another tried to explain why sending more grain to the outer limits was a good idea for the winter. Damian had been sitting at the head of the table, Jon sitting in the spot just to his left where Damian had always sat when his father was king, listening to them talk in circles for far too long and it was starting to grate on him.  The first three weeks of their marriage, Damian had appreciated Jon’s ability to keep Damian relaxed and calm when the meetings started getting out of order. But today, not even his husband’s unending calm could stop his annoyance from rising

“We have the reserves, do we not?”  Damian finally spoke up, rubbing at his temple.  He stood and waved a hand for one of them to pass the parchments to him. “Thank you,” he said to the servant who handed them over.  Looking down at the numbers, he did the quick math in his head and tried to see what the problem was.  “According to this we have more than enough.  What is the issue with sending more than the usual amount to those who need it?”

“They have not increased their contributions to the stockpile, Your Majesty.  It is not about us not needing it, it is about others getting the idea that they can get more without giving more.”  It was a fair point and Damian knew that.  His logical side knew what the man was getting at.

He knew that people could take advantage of their kindness.  But he also knew that his job was to care for those who were under his rule. He could not do that if they starved through the winter.

“If I may?”  Jon’s voice sounded, pulling the attention of everyone else at the table.  The question was sent to Damian, but the others all nodded, and Damian slipped over the papers as he took a seat.  Jon took them and glanced over the numbers before putting them down.  “I do not believe thinking the absolute worst is helpful in this situation.  Other villages are not going to see a way to get more for less.  They are going to see a kingdom who cares for them when they need it most.  Our people are kind.  And they are generous.  And that is because their rulers are kind and generous.  Not frugal.”

Damian looked over to the other members of the Council and waited to see what they would say or do. He could see a few of them looking pleased, but the man who had been against sending the extra was not.

“And if winter hits us here in Bristol harder than anticipated?  What are we to do then?”  The man asked, looking back to Damian.  But instead of answering, Damian looked over to Jon to see if he had a response. His husband looked unsure, but with a nod from Damian he seemed to gather his courage.

“Then we call upon our allies for aide.  Or we reach out to villages to see if there is excess they do not expect to use.”  

“Gotham does not call upon allies for resources at a whim, Your Majesty,” the man said, his voice souring with the condescending tone.  Damian felt his eyes narrow as he took in the man addressing his husband. “Perhaps that was common in Metropolis, but that is not the Gotham way.”

And while Damian knew Jon could easily defend himself in the moment, he still slowly stood to his feet to look at the Council member.  It was a move that was all due to his mother, an action she had taught him to perfect in order to command the attention in the room.  And he inwardly cringed at how well it worked and how easy it was for him to remember.

Leaning forward, he pressed his hands flat on the long table.  “Gotham also does not speak to their King in such a manner,” he spoke steadily, staring the man down.  He hated seeing the man cower back slightly, glancing around at the other members of the Council.  He made no move to acknowledge Jon’s hand when it came to rest on his forearm, though he knew his husband was trying to tell him that it was fine.  That he was fine.  “You would do well to remember that after my seat, my husband’s is the second most powerful in this room.  And perhaps my grandfather would not have called upon allies in such a situation, but my father certainly would have.  As will I.”

He saw various nods of agreement, some scribbling on parchment, out of the corners of his eyes but he kept his focus on the man.  “You are King, but you are not the sole decision maker in these situations, Your Majesty.”

“Is that what you really think, Councilmember?”

“Damian,” Jon whispered fiercely, squeezing his arm tightly.  But Damian continued to ignore him.

“You cannot abolish the Law of Old,” the man pointed out, but Damian took slight glee in the quiver in his voice.  “You wouldn’t dishonor your father in such a manner.”

Despite the smirk on Damian’s face, inwardly he knew the man was right.  Damian would never break the Law of Old just to spite the man for being disrespectful to his husband.  Finally turning to look at Jon, he was not surprised to see the wide-eyed look on his face.  Sighing, Damian sat back in his seat and noticed the Councilmember visibly sight.

“I do not need to abolish the law to put this into action,” Damian said, gesturing for Jon to sit back down.  “We will send the extra requested of the village and should we find ourselves suffering due to our kindness, then we shall call for aide from one of our many allies.” He looked to the scribe of the Council and she gave him a firm nod, writing everything down as quickly as she could.  “I believe we have accomplished all that we can for the day.  We shall touch on the rest tomorrow.”

He watched as the members stood and gathered their things, leaving Jon and Damian still seated at the table as they made their way out of the room, discussing things amongst themselves. It wasn’t until the door shut behind the very last member that Damian looked over at Jon, finding him frowning at him in return.

“Beloved?”

“That was not like you,” Jon said quietly, leaning back into his chair.  Damian made a questioning noise but said nothing.  “You might as well have pulled a sword on the man.”

“Absurd,” Damian rolled his eyes, waving a hand at Jon.  “I will not tolerate someone talking down to you in such a way.  He needed to understand his place in this situation. And it is not one that puts him above you.”

He watched Jon observe him for a moment, not saying anything more.  “I am serious, My Love.  I have never seen you speak to someone in that manner before.”  And it brought to mind just how much the action was like his mother.  How even the movements he made were something she would have approved of.  Sure, she would have told him to take the Council’s power all together, but she would have been pleased with him putting the man in his place.  It made his stomach drop.  

It made him feel rotten in his core.

And though he knew it was not Jon’s intention to compare him to his mother, that was how it felt in the moment.  “I did that for you,” he stated, his voice rising ever so slightly as he straightened in his chair.  “I stood up for you.  That was not about me or how I felt.  It was not about power or control.  You are my husband, and I will not just sit back and allow someone to treat you as though you have no right to be here.”

“I know that, Dami. That’s not what this is about.  I just want to understand what happened.”

“What happened is that I stood up for my husband.  And if that is an issue, then perhaps you should just not come to Council meetings anymore.”  He watched Jon’s jaw drop and immediately regretted saying that.  

“That makes you no better than him.”  And logically, Damian knew Jon had a point.  But his brain was shifting into irrational and that felt like an attack. “I can see you getting angry, My Love, please.  I am not wanting to fight.”

“Then you should have not compared me to him!”  Damian shouted as he stood to his feet.  “I am trying my best.  I am doing what I think is best!  This was not how my rule was supposed to start, but I can only do what I am able. And if the way I do that if not to your liking then I do not know what to tell you.”

He didn’t bother turning to respond when he heard Jon call his name as he stormed out of the hall. All he knew was that he needed to get out of that room before he said anything more.  Because he could hear his mother’s voice in his mind, and he didn’t like any of the things she was telling him to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun had already started setting when Jon finally found him in his father’s old study.  Damian knew he had missed dinner and that the others were probably concerned, but he had crawled too far into his head to really care. And he knew that if they had really wanted to find him, they would.  But Jon would know well enough that he just needed some time and space to clear out the muck from inside his head.  

His mother may have been executed over seven years ago, but Damian still found himself struggling with her influence.  She had molded him for thirteen years and he didn’t know how to brush that aside. Especially without his father around to balance it out.

“My Love?”  Jon’s voice called out from the doorway.  Damian didn’t bother getting out of the chair he was slumped in, but he did look over at his husband for a moment before returning his gaze to the large window he sat in front of.  This had been one of his favorite spots growing up.  He had spent hours sitting there, listening to his father work while he watched the soldiers being trained by Ser Jason in the fields below.

His father had admitted that the window position was the exact reason he had picked this study. The memory just made his heart ache more now that he was without both of them.

A tray was set down on the table sitting between the two plush chairs and Damian could smell that it was probably whatever the chef had prepared for dinner.  But the thought of food really just made his stomach churn at the moment, so he ignored it and looked to his husband instead.  He watched him round the other chair and sit down on it.

“I am sorry for shouting,” Damian said, sending an apologetic look to the other man.  He wasn’t surprised when Jon waved the apology off and Damian sighed.  Some of the weight of the day slipped off his shoulders at the gesture and he sent a thankful look instead.

They sat there in silence for a few moments before Jon shifted and Damian knew he was about to speak. “What happened today, Damian?  I do not understand what it is I said that upset you to that point.  I want to be sure I do not make the same mistake again.”

“It was not something you said,” Damian told him, sitting up straighter to look at the other man more directly.  “And I should not have taken that out on you.  I knew, even then, that you were only trying to help.  I know that, Jon.  I just…”  He trailed off, unsure of how to admit what the real issue was.  Leaning back in his chair, he looked back out the window. “Father taught me so much, he made sure I was ready to take his place, but he could not erase my mother from my mind completely.  And sometimes when I am faced with a difficult situation, I can still hear her in the back of my mind.”

He heard Jon moving but he didn’t pull his eyes away from the window as he spoke.  He didn’t dare look at his husband because he would not be able to stand seeing pity in his blue eyes.  He could not bear that.  But against his best wishes, Jon came into view when he knelt in front of Damian and the younger couldn’t help but and look at the other man.  

He let Jon take his hands into his own and just watched him, waiting to see what he was going to say or do. “You are not your mother,” Jon told him, and Damian did his best not to cringe at the words he had heard his father say to him so many times when he had been alive still.  “You are far better than she was, and I know you know that.”

He did know that, but he still doubted himself.  He still wondered if maybe his mother’s influence would prove to be stronger than his father’s one day.

“I am so afraid she will win.”

“She won’t,” Jon said with no hesitation.  And Damian knew the other man believed in him absolutely, but it was still a doubt that lingered.  Even when he himself didn’t actually believe it.  “You would never let her.  If she was going to, we would not be here.  I would not be here.  Her whispers of hate will not overcome your father’s love.”

Clenching his jaw, Damian swallowed past the lump forming in his throat.  “It has been seven years and still…”

“And yet here you are. If she really held any power over you still, do you honestly think you would have apologized to me?”  Shaking his head, Damian knew he wouldn’t have. His mother would balk at any show of weakness.  “And do you think you would have ended the meeting the way you had?”  No, he would have stripped the man of his position. “Do not doubt yourself, My Love. In here,” Jon tapped his chest over his heart, “you are a good man.  You are kind, generous, and exactly what Gotham needs.”

There was no lie in his words.  Damian could sense nothing but complete and utter devotion, not that he had been expecting anything less from Jon.  No, he never doubted anything when it came to Jon.  

“Thank you, Beloved. Thank you for reminding me of the truth when I cannot see it clearly.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, My Love.  Nor will I ever be anywhere else so long as this earth shall have me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Father?  What are we doing in the glade?  Certainly, a walk this long was not good for you,” Damian heard his daughter call to him as he walked to the place where he had stood and married Jon so many years before.  He knew, after laying his husband to rest a few days ago, that his time was limited and would follow soon.  He didn’t even need Madame Xanadu to tell him that much.

But he had one last task to accomplish before he spent his finals days with their children.  

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the ring that had rested on his husband’s finger for so many years.  The same ring that had encircled the finger of a man who was his father in all but blood until he had been lost.  

“Rachel, please give me the box I asked you to hold,” he glanced back at his daughter.  He smiled as she moved to stand beside him and gave him the hand-carved wooden box that he had asked Madame Xanadu to bless and protect.  “Will you dig the hole I mentioned here?”  He pointed to the spot between where he and Jon had stood for their handfasting.

His daughter sent him a strange look, but pulled the small handshovel out that he had asked her to bring and dropped to the ground.  Slowly, Damian followed her actions and landed on his knees in the cool moss covered ground.  As Rachel dug the hole, Damian opened the box and carefully placed the ring inside on the red velvet.  He knew the box would survive until it was needed again, he only worried it would be found before it was meant to be.

“Is this deep enough?” He looked down at the hole his daughter had managed and nodded.  Leaning forward, he placed the box inside of the hole that was as deep as the length of his arm up to his elbow.  Once he had removed his hand, Rachel began dropping the displaced dirt back into it to cover the box from anyone who might pass this way.  “Father?  Why are we doing this?  Do you not want to keep Father’s ring?”  

Looking at his daughter, with her caramel skin and tight black curls, Damian shook his head.  “No, this is what I need to do.  It is of great importance.  Someday, the right person will come and find this ring and it will go back to the person who should have worn it far longer than he was allowed to.”  And because he had never told the story of what his mother had done to his father and the man he loved, his daughter just looked at him confused.  “Come, help an old man to his feet and I will tell you the story of your shamed grandmother and the curse she has laid upon your grandfather.”

He watched Rachel frown, but still she stood and helped him to his feet.  He watched her pack the dirt more with her shoe before tucking the hand shovel into her bag and offering her arm to him.  Damian took it without much thought and allowed her to lead him back the way they had come.

“When your grandfather, Richard, was seven years old he was introduced to the future final Dragon Slayer of Gotham…”  He started, resisting the urge to check on the spot they had buried the box one last time. Instead he told his oldest the story of his fathers and trusted that Madame Xanadu had told him the truth when she said it would remain until he returned one day to reclaim it.

[watchtower-feed]

All in Your Head (Part 3)

SSA Main ✧ Batman ✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5

               No one knows about your link with Bruce. Neither of you even knew you had it until a few months ago. The subconscious link is one of the, if not the most, private links there is. Only the two of you know you have it.

               You reach out and hold Bruce’s face in your hands. He holds onto them and looks back at you. He looks so tired and you wish he didn’t have to go. “I’m not going anywhere so you go and save her.” 

     Just like you promised, you stayed asleep. He left you in that space of darkness and you stood in it for another minute before shifting the space into the Wayne Manor. You always walked in through the front door because the Manor always felt like such a sacred space for Bruce.

     When you were with him, you would often see his family, the boys running around through the corridors and hallways, sometimes in their suits or in civilian clothing. Bruce would replay the moments he spent with them, watching TV, eating dinner, training, or even just sitting around and telling each other about their days.

      Those were the best moments. They deserve more of those, not what Bruce mostly shows you, which are the fights, the yelling, the arguments, and the silent crying. He relives these moments with you instantly because he almost can’t do them by himself anymore.

     “Sometimes when I’m standing in front of them and it gets too much, I forget myself and I just grab at your hand like you’re there beside me,” he said.

      You stare at your hand and wish Bruce was there holding it tightly like he always does. On some occasions, Bruce thinks of someone he hasn’t seen for days and desperately misses. You’ve only seen him do it twice. Once with Jason and the other with Damian when they fought and he stayed with his mother for months.

     You want to think about Bruce, standing here with you but you don’t. Neither of you does that because it feels like cheating. Your imagination could never live up to the real.

     You walk along the hall and lean against the doorframe that leads into the study. There was one moment when Bruce missed his parents so badly that he relived the memory of when he annoyed his father until he would throw a ball with him in the garden. You watched, amused, as Bruce shifted himself into his younger self. A child with bright blue eyes and always smiling from ear to ear, so full of mirth.

     But now the manor is completely empty.

     You walk beside its walls like a ghost that can’t touch anything. 

     You walk up the stairs and down the long corridors until you reach Bruce’s room. You find it the same way the two of you left it from the other night, with pillows on the floor, sheets disheveled, and a broken lamp tucked away in the corner.

     You smile as you walk forward and fall face down onto Bruce’s bed. The sheets don’t smell like anything and it’s exactly how Bruce smells. After honing his sense of smell beyond human ability, he’s become sensitive to everything. When he’s dreaming he shuts off all of his senses and relaxes.

     You lie there for an hour, maybe less or more, you don’t know. Time is the most unstable factor in the dreamscape. You and Bruce have had to set up the most aggressive alarms just so the two of you won’t sleep away a whole day together. Again.

     You bring your knees closer to your chest, emulating the sudden constricting hold wrapping around your torso. You grip the sheets in your hands until your knuckles are white and you let horrific sobs wrack through your body. You cry loudly inside the empty bedroom.

      You cry until your subconscious couldn’t produce any more tears and it feels like your throat has closed up.

      Finally, you get up and go down to the cave, walking in through the old grandfather in the study. You climb down the stairs as slow as you can and focus so that the dream won’t add more steps. You count the number Bruce has given you. When you reach the landing, you stare out at the illuminated cave and the parts that are still shrouded in darkness.

      You walk past the glass displays that store their old costumes, Dick’s, Jason’s, Tim’s, Cass’, and Damian’s, until you reach the computer. You place yourself in front of the monitors, tucking your legs underneath you as you sit in a chair almost twice your size, and wrap yourself in a blanket you and Bruce shared on other nights when you would just sit and talk. You turn on the computer and let it boot up as if you’re actually there and not sleeping in your bedroom.

      But you don’t touch the mouse or the keyboard. Instead, your mind forces the monitor to show you videos and clips of what Bruce could be doing right now. He might be infiltrating a prison cell hidden in the subbasement of a secret government building, a hidden island in the Pacific Ocean, or an illegal lab that experiments on soulmates and metas.

     You watch one of the screens that’s showing Batman crawling inside a long air vent. He stops in front of a set of grills and looks in. You can see beds with two that are occupied, some desks and cabinets, a tall man in the middle of the room, and the biggest figure in the room stands between him and the door.

     You lean in close to the monitor as you watch Bruce unscrew the grills. You watch as golden smoke rises up to the ceiling, making Bruce pause for a brief second. You still have the image of it in your head when suddenly the woman on one of the beds leaps at the tall figure. 

      Bruce is already through the vent and scaling along the walls when you realize that was Wonder Woman. She’s shaking, one hand clinging onto the table to stand upright. You gasp when the huge figure smashes her into the ground.

     You watch the rest of the scene play out, inching closer and closer. You shout out Bruce’s name when you see Scarecrow come up behind him and injects him. You finally breathe better when nothing happens and you relax more as you watch them escape.

     Suddenly, the monitors shut down and the lights around the outer walls of the cave turn off one by one, and then the whole cave is drowned in darkness. It takes a long second before the soft glow of the emergency lights light up the platform.

     You definitely didn’t do that.

      You hear groaning behind you and jump off the chair as you turn around. There on the medical table, Bruce is sitting up and looking around the cave frantically, as if he doesn’t recognize the place. He looks frightened and weak, standing up too quickly and staggering toward you. “Where’s Alfred?”

     You quickly go to his aid. He wraps an arm around your shoulder as you help him stand. “He was just here,” he mumbles, turning his head to look around the platform. “He was just… testing me for poisons.”

     “Poisons?” you gasp. Scarecrow’s mask immediately springs back into your mind. “I thought that was nothing. I thought you were fine. You were…” you suddenly realize that what you saw on the monitor wasn’t just your imagination. It was Bruce’s memories.

     “Bruce, you’re asleep now.”

     “I’m not,” he protests. “I’m in the Batcave. I was with Alfred but you were…”

     “No, Bruce,” you whisper, almost pleading. “You’re asleep.” Something’s definitely wrong. Bruce has always had the better handle on your link, always better at controlling the dreamscape and filtering his subconscious. Lucid dreaming is still a skill you have a hard time nurturing but Bruce handles it with talent.

     “B-Bruce…” you both turn at the sound of somebody else’s voice softly echoing in the cave. He sounds out of breath and gurgling. It’s Robin. Jason. He’s holding his side with both of his hands while blood is seeping between his fingers.

     “Oh my god,” you whisper.

     His face is badly bruised. His mask is torn in half and his eye is swollen. He coughs out blood and you feel Bruce’s fingers digging into your shoulder. “H-help…”

     As Jason falls, Bruce drags himself away from you and kneels right beside Jason. His hands are badly shaking over Jason’s still body, so afraid to touch him. “No. Not again. Late again,” you hear him say. His thoughts are starting to filter out of his own head and into both of yours.

     You can hear the chaos as different voices fill the dream. Bruce is devastated by the death of Jason but Batman is telling him it’s not real. You can hear an eerie whispering sound coming from him as he rocks his body in shock over Jason’s body.

     “It’s the toxin. It’s the toxin. It’s the toxin.” 

     You muster the courage to take the steps toward Bruce and Jason. You flinch at the pale boy’s face and then pry your eyes away. You kneel down beside Bruce and touch his shoulder. You wait until he turns to you, “Bruce, please.” You hold his face in your hands, forcing him to look into your eyes. “That’s not Jason.”

     Bruce whimpers and closes his eyes. He holds your hands and presses them harder against his cheeks as the tears start to come. “Not real,” he whispers like a mantra.

     Metal skidding on the platform breaks both of your concentration. Barbara is rushing onto the platform, frantically turning the wheels of her wheelchair until she skids to a stop in front of you.

     “Bruce!” she yells out and then there’s the sound of a door slamming and Barbara turns around in fear. 

     You follow her gaze that’s directed somewhere off the platform. It’s all black. Then there’s a gunshot and Barbara goes limp in her wheelchair, her head hanging on one side with a bullet hole in her forehead.

     You’re screaming. Barbara’s eyes are wide open. You know this scene. You’ve seen it. You know who’s in the darkness. “Bruce, you need to calm down,” you whimper desperately. “You’re going to--”

     Maniacal laughter fills every crevice and every crack of the cave. You look around the ceiling, desperately clinging onto Bruce’s cape. A voice boom out from the darkness, “Ello Batsy!”

     Your whole body goes rigid as he steps out from the shadows, one leg first like an entertainer coming through the curtain. His pale white face stands out against the darkness. He’s grinning wildly. “Been a while.”

     You choke down a whimper and his face quickly turns to you. “Oooooh. What do we have here?” He steps closer to the two of you. “Looks like you got yourself a soulmate, Batsy. And here I was thinking I’m the one.” Joker leans close to your face and glares at you with his eyebrows touching. 

     You prepare yourself to start inching back but then he grabs you by the throat and lifts you off the floor. The force is so strong that Bruce falls on his back with his hands bracing him. Scarecrow’s fear toxin has been completely absorbed by his system and he’s run out of control in the dreamscape. For the first time that you’ve been with him, Bruce is completely incapacitated with fear.

     You choke as the bony fingers of the madman dig into your skin. It hurts and you can’t breathe. Everything suddenly feels so real.

     The Joker laughs as you choke.

     “No…” Bruce whispers, finally finding some semblance of his own voice. But it’s so low and broken. He sounds like a boy. “No. Please.”

      You want this dream to be over. You try to claw at the Joker’s hands. He laughs in your face and the next thing you hear is a bone crack.

     The Joker lets you go and you lie there unable to move. This is wrong. You’re supposed to wake up. You’re supposed to leave.

     You’re on the floor with your bent neck and your head lying on the side, facing Bruce. He’s staring at you with wide eyes and his mouth is open. He drags his knees close to you and you can see his whole body shaking as he leans down. “No… no…”

     Gently he picks you up to hold you in his arms. He’s staring down at your face, watching the stillness and pale skin. His subconscious is too strong and you feel like you’re dead because he truly believes it.

     “I’m sorry…  I’m sorry…”

     You can feel it too. You can actually feel the rigor mortis kicking in and it’s scaring you. Is this how it feels to die?

     Bruce’s head hangs low and you see the tears fall before feeling their warmth on your skin.

     “Not you too… Please, not you...”

     You want to whimper. You want to cry. You just want this to be over. You have got to be stronger than Bruce. You have to block out his thoughts and overpower him.

     You will yourself to concentrate until you can move a single finger. Then another. Until you can move one hand. That’s all you need. Slowly, you lift it to touch his face and his eyes widen. He grabs your hand and clasps it while he stares at you with furrowed brows.

     “Y-you’re right, Bruce,” you struggle to say, slowly feeling his hold on the dreamscape crumble. “I’m not real. None of this is.”  Bruce shakes his head. “Please… just wake up.”

    You shut your eyes and force the dreamscape to completely obliterate.

     Bruce is sweating and raking in large breaths at a time when he wakes up on the medical table. Only some time has passed. Alfred is there with a sad expression on his face as the monitor’s angry blue lights frame his silhouette.

     Bruce focuses his eyes on the monitor and finds a graph with greatly varying spikes connected to different types of chemicals. “W-what just…” he breathes out.

     “Master Bruce,” Alfred says gently, “It appears to be an alteration of Scarecrow’s fear toxin.”

     Bruce groans as he drops down from the table, “What kind of alteration?”

     Alfred doesn’t answer him right away. Instead, he stares at Bruce and from the way he looks, he might already know, “It’s a lot milder. Mild enough to not affect your consciousness…” he let his words hang as he watches the slow recognition dawn on Bruce’s face. “And only affect you while you’re unconscious.”

     Bruce clenches his fists and suddenly finds it hard to swallow.

    “They know.”

✧ 1 ✧ 2 ✧ 3 ✧ 4 ✧ 5

✧ Watchtower Masterlist ✧

[primeemeraldheiress]

Damian always sleeps in Jason's bed when Jason stays at the manor.

Ell, what do you do to me?

Cut because it’s looooong.

——————–

Not a Betting Matter

They didn’t notice it at first. 

Why would they?

There was no need to check on him every single night. He was old enough to get himself to bed and stay there. Mature enough to know the value of a good night’s sleep. 

They only checked on him when they needed to worry. When he had a nightmare. (When they did.) When he might sneak out at night. When he was hurt.

 The first time Dick found them, he assumed it must have been an accident. A fluke.

All of them had had a rough night getting Joker back into his cage at Arkham. But Jason had had it the worst.

Dick couldn’t imagine what was going through his oldest little brother’s head.

The rogue had obviously had an agenda. Every one of his minions had been carrying crowbars. Red numbers flashed on all the walls; counting down to whatever the big showdown had been. The showdown they’d stopped. 

By the end of it, Jason had been savage. 

Dick wasn’t sure what had kept him to his promise not to kill. Even he could see the green leaking under the mask. Leaching into his movements and words. 

He wasn’t certain he’d show the same restraint.

He’d wanted to pull Robin from Hood’s side twenty times that night. Get him away from that acid Lazarus venom. But he didn’t. They needed him where he was at. 

When Alfred insisted that Jason stay at the manor tonight, his brother had only nodded

That alone told the first Robin how bad it must have been. Jason didn’t stay unless the world was ending. Unless he or someone else was hurt.

And now… Well, they must have both been so tired. 

Dick had gone to check on Damian. To reassure him that he was still there. That the Joker hadn’t gotten another Robin. (A common nightmare they all shared.) When he wasn’t in his bed, he nearly panicked. 

Of course, he went to Jason first. 

Jason who, no matter the barbs and taunts and hate, would always protect a child. Jason, who constantly threw himself in front of Robin when there was danger. Who always, no matter how much he tried to pretend he wasn’t, was tuned into Robin’s commlink. 

Jason would go to the ends of the Earth to protect and save Robin.

Which was how he found them. 

It must have been an accident.

There’s no way, with the amount of vitriol between them, no matter the carefully hidden protection, that they would fall asleep in the same bed on purpose.

It was still absolutely adorable and he needed pictures to prove that it happened.

This was going to explode in the morning. Fireworks. He needed to have popcorn ready.

He stepped out of the room and closed the door before sending the photos to Bruce.

But then -

Nothing came of it. There was no shouting. No avoiding each other. No embarrassed looks. If he hadn’t found them cuddled up with each other the night before he wouldn’t even have known it had happened.

Whatever.

He framed one of the pictures. 

But then it happened again. 

Damian had nearly drowned in the bay; knocked off the pier by one of Dent’s men. For a split second Hood had frozen (torn between diving after him and beating the bastard bloody) before throwing his helmet to Batgirl and jumping in the water.

It was Jason that carried the boy to the Batmobile. Jason that drove him to the cave and feed him hot chocolate and wrapped him in warm blankets.

And it was Jason’s body heat he shared as he slept, still shivering ever-so-slightly. Again, Dick only found them after trying to check on Damian in his room.

Dick just didn’t understand.

“I don’t understand.” He voiced, baffled, staring into his coffee the next morning.

“What don’t you understand?” Alfred asked, placing a plate of pancakes next to him.

“Damian… and Jason. This is the second time I’ve found them sharing Jason’s bed after patrol.”

“Is that all?” The older man drawled. 

“What do you mean?”

“Master Dick, Master Damian has been sleeping in Master Jason bed’s every time Master Jason has spent the night in the Manor.”

Dick blinked in surprise. “What? Why?”

“You’d have to ask them, I’m afraid.”

“How do you know that?”

The old butler arched a brow and Dick grinned sheepishly. Right. Alfred knew all. 

“What are we talking about?” Bruce asked wearily as he joined them.

“Damian sleeping in Jason’s bed.”

Bruce blinked slowly, “Again?”

Dick nodded, “Alfred says it happens whenever Jason stays over.”

Bruce looked thoughtful as he poured himself some coffee. 

Footsteps drew everyone’s eyes as the two they were talking about walked into the breakfast room. Dick’s eyes narrowed, watching. Paying attention in a way he never had before.

They stepped apart, moving to opposite ends of the table. Jason sitting diagonally from Bruce and Damian sliding in between Dick and his father. 

But… there was communication he hadn’t noticed before.

A flick of an eyebrow. A grimace. A glare across the table when Damian frowned at his orange juice. A cough and a finger tap. 

Holy shit. 

This whole time.

This whole fucking time. 

“You…” He couldn’t shake the awe in his voice. The audacity. It had been two years. Two whole years since Damian had come to them. “You two knew each other. Before Damian came to Gotham!”

Jason froze while drinking his tea, eyes wide as they darted from Dick to Bruce to Damian.

The boy choked on his orange juice. The orange juice that, through a series of minute facial expressions, Jason had ordered the boy to drink.

“You two hate each other!” Dick continued, bewildered.

Damian, airway now cleared, began to laugh. Genuinely. Sincerely.

Bruce just arched an eyebrow, too tired for this shit.

“I told you!” Damian took a sip of his juice again. “I told you, ahki! Grayson would be the one!”

“You can’t discount Cass. She keeps things to herself.” Jason grumbled, lowering his cup and glowering at the boy.

“Pay up!”

“I don’t have it with me.” 

“Liar!”

“How do you expect me to keep it on me? You know the rule of the Manor.” Jason asked, rolling his eyes.

“You owe me, ahki!” Damian’s eyes glittered in triumph.

“You don’t know that! We gotta check with Cass first.”

“You owe me!” 

“What exactly does Jason owe you. And what for?” Bruce asked, voice tired.

“We bet-” Dick knew, right then, the whole morning was ruined, “on who would be the first to realize that we don’t actually hate each other. It was a training exercise. I won. Jason owes me his best sword.”

Annoyed, Jason snapped, “I don’t owe you crap, habibi. Not until we clarify.”

“Training exercise… bet? What? Who put you up to that?” Dick asked, afraid to know the answer.

“Mom.”

“Mother.”

“Mom?” Bruce asked, incredulous, as he stared at his second eldest.

Jason flushed. He hadn’t meant to say that. “I didn’t say that.”

“Just wait until I tell Mother you finally slipped in front of Father.” Damian gloated.

“You keep your mouth shut, you little shit, or I’m not sharing the next batch of halvah!” Jason shot back.

“You wouldn’t!” The boy gasped, outraged. 

“Try me!” Jason glared.

Bruce rubbed his temples at the two descended into the first bought of the truest sibling squabbles he’d ever seen out of either of them.

Alfred politely coughed.

Silence descended. 

Heads turned to their grandfather figure.

“I think you’ll find, young masters, that you didn’t fool me for a moment.”

“Oh, Alfie. You don’t count.” Jason chirped, “We all know that you know everything.”

[batfam-imagines]

Pregnant Batsis

Request: So we all know how badass Batmom is, but how about a badass, single mother batsis? Maybe she is older or like a year younger than dick, but she took pregnancy and taking care of her baby like a true warrior. How do you think the bat fam will take that?

 A/N: So I don’t know if I quite followed the prompt, but I did my best! I’m a little rusty when it comes to writing! Hope you guys like it!

--

“I have an announcement to make” Glancing around to make sure everyone is paying attention, you focus your attention on Bruce, “I’m pregnant, 22 weeks if what the doctor said is right”

Surprisingly Jason is first one to react, “Are you both healthy? You were literally out on patrol yesterday ...! Why the fuck were you out on patrol if you’re pregnant?!?”

“I just found out for sure this morning, and I’ve only had suspicions for like a week. According to all the scans she took today everything looked fine”

Dick finally seems to get over his shock, “Did you get any pictures? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“Yeah, I did. I’ll show you in a few minutes, Dickie.” Bruce still hasn’t said anything, “B? Are you alright?”

“I assume the father is still in the picture? And that you’ll be resuming Patrol once the child is born? You know how important the Mission is, and even these few months without Sparrow’s presence will put a strain on everyone else”

Tim’s brow furrows, “That’s what you think of? The Mission? Your oldest daughter just told you she was pregnant and all you want to know about is when she’s gonna be back on the street. You can’t even say congratulations?!”

Holding up a hand, you step between everyone, “Calm down. It’s fine, Timmy. B, the father isn’t in the picture anymore. When I told him, I might be pregnant he said that he didn’t want anything to do with me or the baby and said that he would hand over all parental rights when the baby was born, and I’ve already moved into my own apartment. And I didn’t intend to go back to Patrolling full time after the baby. I’ll come out in emergencies, but I was going to have Babs teach me how to man the comms while I’m pregnant.”

“I think that’s a great idea. You can be there if the little tyke needs you, and you can give Babs a break every once a while.” Jason throws you a smirk, “Between us and the girls we’re driving her batty”

“That was terrible, Todd, however having Y/N on communications would be much more preferable to Gordon.” Your youngest brother shifts out from under the arm Dick slings across his shoulders, “I would also very much like to see the pictures of the child”

Sitting down on the large empty couch, all your brothers gather around to look at the various pictures, “We couldn’t find out the gender today, the ultrasound technician said that the baby wasn’t in a good position to tell anything.”

Unfortunately, Bruce doesn’t seem interested in looking at pictures, he just gets up and leaves the room.

--

Two days later there’s a knock on your apartment door. It isn’t any of your brother, because one of the first things they made you promise was to give them 24/7 access to your apartment.

“Y/N, it’s me. Please open the door” Opening the door a crack, you and Bruce lock eyes, “Can I come in? I think we have some things to talk about”

“Just so you know, I told Steph and Cass last night about the baby. Cass did that angry stare thing when I told them about your reaction, and Steph threatened to put itching powder in the Batsuit”

Bruce snorts, “I wouldn’t expect else from Stephanie, and I already got a video-call from Cassandra. She was actually the one to convince me to come here.”

“Because we all know you’re emotionally stunted, and wouldn’t have come here on your own”

“Right” Bruce shifts awkwardly, “Please, Y/N. I realized that the other day could have been handled better”

“Yeah, alright, fine. Come in. Excuse the mess, the boys were over last night, and I haven’t had a chance to clean up”

“It’s fine, I know how much of a mess those boys can make” Bruce glances around at he empty pizza boxes on the counter and the blankets piled on the couch before sitting on the empty side of it.

Taking a seat in the arm chair, you lean forward, “So what did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to say that I am sorry for the way I reacted the other night when you announced your pregnancy. No matter what you’re my daughter, and I don’t want anything to come between us. This family has enough problems, without me adding another one to it. I don’t want to create another rift between myself and my children, Y/N, especially when there will be a new little one soon. I hope that you can accept my apology, and if you don’t want me in the child’s life, I hope that you will at least let me still contact you”

“Wow, I think that’s the most I’ve heard you talk without yelling in a long time. Of course I want you in mine and the baby’s life, B! I was hoping you’d get your head out of your ass soon so you could be a grandfather. This means I’ll have to call the other’s and call off all the pranks”

Bruce chuckles, “I would appreciate that, but you know your brothers will still do something in retaliation.”

“Oh, I know, but if I at least tell them you apologized it might not be as bad.” Glancing towards the clock, you flash a grin at Bruce, “Now, as the final part of your apology you’re going to take me out to lunch and then we’re going to go people-watch at the mall”

“Whatever you say, Y/N. Why don’t you call your brothers and ask if they want to come? Alfred is already preparing dinner for everyone tonight, Stephanie and Cass are flying back from their mission now, so everyone will be there”

“So you’ll get to spend the whole day with me! Aren’t you lucky, B!” Bruce chuckles, “I’m gonna go get dressed and call everyone”

--

Thankfully, there are no other family problems during the pregnancy, and everything progresses like normal. Barbra teaches you how to hack and how to man the Comms. There are a few instances where someone comes back to the Cave hurt and Alfred starts teaching you how to patch everyone up. During the day you continue to teach Criminal Justice classes at Gotham University.

“Guys, will you quit. I’m pregnant, not an invalid, I can still go to work!”

Even Bruce looks concerned, “Are you sure? You have to stand in front of class … should you even be standing anymore? Are you sure this apartment has enough room for you and the baby? I can still get you a better one, or you could move back into the Manor -”

“Bruce! I don’t need you to buy me an apartment, I can afford this one just fine and it’s plenty big enough. I’ll come to the Manor and visit, but I like living near work. And of freaking course I can stand!”

Tim peeks over the back of the couch, “We just to make sure you’re alright, Y/N. None of us have ever really been around pregnant people, especially pregnant family”

“I know, Timmy, but sometimes you guys can be a bit much”

“If Drake or Todd are the ones causing you stress I can … get rid of them” Dick nudges Damian and raises an eyebrow, “Or just challenge them to a fight for you”

Dick rolls his eyes, “That wasn’t much better, Dami.”

“Y/N cannot fight in her condition, so I will do it for her”

“I don’t need anyone to fight for me, Dami. I’ll just make them wait until after I have the baby, and then kick their ass” Damian grins at this and nods.

--

When the baby is born, everyone is there. The boys try to distract you from the pain, Bruce is a constant presence at your side, and the girls are constantly asking the nurses questions and arguing with the boys.

“Alright, Ms. Wayne, who do you want in the room with you when it’s time to deliver?” The nurse smiles and checks the fetal monitor while asking the question.

“Just my dad, while I love my siblings, I’d rather they didn’t see my vagina”

Jason barks out a laugh, “I appreciate that, Y/N. We might be a close family, but I’ll come back after the baby is out”

“Alright, that sounds like a plan, Ms. Wayne. Everything is looking good here, the baby looks like they’re in a good position, and the heartrate is looking good too. You were at 7 centimeters when I just checked, so the contractions might be getting a little more intense. If you need anything just hit the call light”

After the nurse leaves, Bruce turns to look at you, “You really want me in here?”

“Yeah, you’re gonna be the baby’s grandfather, and … you’re my dad. I need someone’s hand to break”

--

Once you’re discharged from the hospital, everyone refuses to leave you alone. Alfred makes sure that your fridge is full, Bruce constantly stops by the apartment after work to check-in, and your siblings drop in at all times of the night and day.

“You know I can handle this myself right, I don’t need someone to constantly check on me!”

Bruce snorts, “We’re always here because we care about you and want to be a part of Alex’s life. We know you can take care yourself and your child, we aren’t questioning that. Your pregnancy just … brought everyone together. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the boys get along this well, just last night Damian and Tim had a conversation without fighting, and Cass smiles more than ever! Alfred seems to have more energy now that you named him honorary Great-Grandfather. I’ve even noticed a change in myself”

You flop down on the floor and lean against Bruce’s legs and let out a resigned sigh, “Well, when you put it like that … I guess everyone can keep coming around to bug me”

———————————————————————————–

Let me know what you think! Send any ideas or requests you have to my Ask Box!

[huilian]

Noctuis chapter 3 is up! thank you to people who have been reading!

here’s the text under the cut

The signal is on, and Batman is here. That should be it. That should be it, but Jim can’t help but say, “Why are you here?”

Batman grunts. The sound makes Robin angle himself ever so slightly away from Batman, which is absurd, because this is Batman and Robin.

But then, this Batman is not the other half of this particular Robin, and from what he’s seen, this Robin doesn’t particularly play well with others other than his Batman. There’s something wrong with this Robin’s Batman, Jim is sure of it, so he ventures to ask, “Is he okay?”

Batman grunts again. It might have been months since Jim has had to read this Batman, but he’s had years of experience under his belt. Batman doesn’t know either. 

So, even though Batman has answered the signal, and even though there is nothing he truly needs Batman’s help for, Jim keeps the signal on. There is nothing Jim can do to help that Batman, other than provide a light that’ll guide him home. 

Jim hopes it’s enough.

Jim also hopes that the kid is going to be okay. 

(Jim remembers the first Robin clearly. The way he can put on a show so well it fools even Jim, at first. Jim remembers feeling every single year he’s lived weighing his shoulders when that same boy shows up in the cape and cowl to answer the signal, putting on a show all the while. 

A different show, but a show all the same. 

Jim hopes the kid is okay.)

***

They are watching. They are always watching. 

They are listening. They are always listening. 

Dick knows the water is drugged, the same way he knows the taste of blood on his tongue and the grip of knife handles on his fingers. 

Dick knows the water is drugged, but he drinks it anyway. What choice does he have?

Dick stumbles away from the well, feeling his thirst lessens but the clouds inside his head grows. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t do anything. 

They are watching. 

They are listening. 

***

Barbara counts every second they’ve spent on the search. A missing person’s time frame of survival is at most 72 hours. It is now 64 hours, thirty-two minutes, and eighteen, nineteen seconds since Dick’s last check-in. 

The time frame extends considerably considering it is Dick that is missing. The time frame also shortens considerably considering it is most likely the Court of Owls that took Dick. 

Another dead end. This has been the eleventh dead end in two hours. Babs changes tactics. 

“Red Robin, any progress?” she says to the mic. 

“No, Oracle.”

Breathe in, breathe out. Switch channels.

“Batgirl, any progress?”

“Negative, O.”

Breathe in, breathe out. Switch channels. 

“Black Bat, any progress?”

“No.”

Breathe in, breathe out. Switch channels.

“Batman, any progress?”

A grunt. No, then. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Mark the places that’s been confirmed to be negative. Breathe in, breathe out. Find new potential locations for the others to search.

Oracle listens to all, whether it is the loudest of proclamations or the softest of whispers. Her webs of information swirl all over the world, taking in everything from the pettiest of crimes to the most outlandish of schemes. Oracle watches over all, so how can an organization as large as the Court of Owls slipped through her net?

Breathe in, breathe out. It is now 64 hours, thirty-five minutes, and forty-eight, forty-nine seconds since Dick’s last check-in. 

***

Dick’s back in the portrait room. They haunt him, those faces. They are frozen in the frame, in time, and in death. Dick looks at those faces and the images of him standing over those faces, looking down at them as they die, assault him. It could have been him dealing the blows. It could have been him holding the knives. 

The Court is trying to tell him a story. About the people they killed. About the power they store. About how they are unafraid of Batman, despite Batman pushing them off years ago. 

But Dick already knows this story. He knows all about the people the Court killed. He knows all about the power the Court has. And he is going to make sure that after he is done, they will be afraid of Batman. 

Dick blinks. The portraits return to just that, portraits. 

Dick goes back into the labyrinth. 

***

“Robin!” Batman growls, but not his Batman. 

“Don’t touch me!” Damian says.

“Robin, stop.” Batman saying something in the span of seconds was not rare, according to the accounts of his mother, his grandfather, and even Pennyworth, but it is rare to Damian. It is rare for his Batman.

 It reminds him even more that Grayson is gone. 

“No!” Damian pushes his target to the wall again, knowing that it will bring a multitude of pain to his target, and discovering that he feels guilty for not feeling guilty. “This man knows something and I am not going to stop until he tells us!”

“Robin.” Father’s growl is not that much different than Grayson’s. Perplexingly, it makes him miss Grayson even more. 

He was supposed to call for back-up. He was supposed to be safe. 

Damian throws the man to the ground, not really caring about being gentle. The man is a criminal, he was caught red-handed trying to kidnap children, but he knows nothing about Grayson’s whereabouts. 

Damian retrieves the restraints he has with him, tying it on the man as quickly as he can. He has no time to waste. 

He’s going to find Grayson. He will find Grayson. He will. 

The other outcome would be too horrible to even comprehend. 

***

“Dickie? Is that you?” A woman’s voice rang out. 

“We missed you so much, Dick.” A man’s. 

Mom. Dad. 

But how? Dick saw them fall. Dick saw their line broke and he saw them hit the ground. How are they here?

It’s the Court. 

“Come on, son. Come with us.”

Dick walks towards them. He knows, he knows it’s the Court and that this is another one of their tricks, but he has missed them. 

How he has missed them. 

“Come on.”

Dick walks. Closer, and closer, and closer. Until their faces sharpen from the hazy blur he saw before and their hands are close enough to touch. 

Dick can feel the drugs churning inside him, but he finds he doesn’t care. He’s exhausted and injured. He just wants his parents to hold him. 

Dick extends his hand, moving to grab his mother’s. 

Faces morph. John and Mary’s smiling faces turn to the smooth, emotionless white mask of the owls. “We’re the Gray Sons, aren’t we?” they say together. 

No. No. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.

It’s the Court. 

He knows it’s the Court. He shouldn’t have approached them in the first place. It’s the exhaustion and the blood loss and the cocktail of drugs flowing in his veins. 

This is just another trick to catch him. 

Dick moves backwards, away from the parody of his parents. He’s not going back to the Court. Not again. Not ever. 

***

“Oracle. This one is also a bust,” Tim says, knowing that it’ll be another failure in a series of failures for Barbara and pushing his own disappointment down. 

“Copy that, Red Robin. Do you want to check the next one or are you calling it a night?”

It’s four a.m. in the morning. By all rights, Tim should be home in his apartment, bickering with Cass on acceptable sound levels when the other occupant of the apartment is sleeping. By all rights, Tim should be sleeping. 

He hasn’t been able to sleep since Dick went missing. 

“I’ll check the next one,” Tim says into his comms. “What’s the address, O?”

A few typing noises, then Oracle says, “Are you sure? You sound exhausted, Red.”

Tim huffs. “So do you.” He is bluffing, of course, because with the voice modulator that Barbara uses, he can’t really tell whether she sounds exhausted or not. But Barbara only uses the voice modulator with the family when she wants to hide something, and that is practically proof. She is exhausted by their failures to find Dick. “What’s the address?”

Barbara sighs. “On King and St. Peters. The thirteenth-”

“The thirteenth floor,” Tim cuts in. He knows he shouldn’t, but he’s running on coffee, adrenaline, and five nonconsecutive hours of sleep in seventy-four hours. “I know. Thanks, Oracle.” 

Tim aims his grapple gun and fires. He knows he should sleep, he knows he functions better with sleep, but he’s not going to be able to sleep knowing that Dick is still out there, possibly in the Court’s clutches. Might as well make good use of the time. 

King and Peters, thirteenth floor.

***

Coffins. Rows and rows of coffins. 

Dick knows this place. He’s heard of it from the other Talons when they were brought in to help his training. The resting place of the Talons. Or more accurately, the storage place. 

The other Talons talked about how being on ice is not resting. It is just being suspended, tucked away until their next use.

If Batman hadn’t saved him, Dick would have been here with the rest of them. 

There are several coffins open. Are they here?

Dick walks between the rows of coffins, heading towards the open ones. Maybe he can figure out who they are, and whether or not he knows them. 

But before Dick can even reach the closest open coffin, he heard a swooshing noise. Dick moves away from a sword clearly aimed at his back. 

Dick turns and faces the Talon, who is holding the sword low on his hands. “Batman,” he says, “the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die.”

The googles. The bandoliers slung across his chest. 

Cobb. 

It seems he’s healed from the knife to the spine.

Dick tries to punch him in the face, but he is weak after days in the Labyrinth. Cobb easily blocks the punch and counters with his sword. Dick moves out of the way again, but this time he’s not fast enough. The sword hits him. 

“You should die knowing your body would not be returned to the surface,” Cobb says, as relaxed as ever. He is confident that he would win. 

Dick stands up. Cobb lets him. Cobb’s toying with him. He knows Dick is weak, he knows that this fight is nowhere near fair with one opponent starved and dehydrated. He is confident he would win this fight. 

That’s going to cost him. Dick is not going to die tonight. Batman is not going to die tonight. 

“The Court has decided to keep your bones here, to be displayed”- another swing of Cob’s sword. It hits Dick’s arm, where the previous stab wound has barely healed. Dick goes down again - “in the Labyrinth forever. A monument to a valiant enemy.”

Dick kicks him, but Cobb simply takes the kick, confident that nothing Dick can do would hurt him. Cobb brings his sword down, towards Dick’s stomach, but Dick manages to roll over and evade the sword at the nick of time. 

Straight into Cobb’s own kicking foot. 

“Do you have anything to say before your death?”

Dick answers that with a headbutt to Cobb’s stomach. Cobb casually brings his elbow down, and Dick sees stars.

“Nothing, then.” Cobb nods derisively. “So all that’s left to do is decide the manner of your death.” He turns towards an audience, clearly visible to him, but invisible to Dick. “My Court! He is prepared!”

Blinding lights. White faces. 

“I present to you, the Batman! How do you wish him to die?”

Voices shouting, drowning each other. The same voices as his nightmares. 

They are coming closer, or is it Dick that’s moving closer towards them?

White faces. White walls. White floors.

Voices that haunt his nightmares. 

They stop, suddenly. But all that does is to let another voice speak out, softer than the others, yet somehow still the same as those that haunt his nightmares. “Hurt him… more.”

Pain. It doesn’t stop. One hand turns to two turns to three turns to too many to count. White masks turn to white faces turn to owls. 

Hands turn to knives turn to claws.

Blood seeping down his clothes. Voices. Lights. 

“Stop.”

Dick breathes in. The pain doesn’t stop, but it doesn’t worsen. The mass of bodies around him parts. Claws retract, and a face, different from the others, towers over him. It’s golden.

“Can it be?” the voice from the golden mask says. The Grandmaster. “Has our Gray Son return at last?”

Gray Son. Gray Son. 

Dick lifts his hand, preparing himself for the pain he surely will receive. Shockingly, no pain comes, so he keeps going. Up, and up, until he can feel his hair. 

The cowl is down. 

Dick swallows. The Court is always watching, he knows that, but now the Court sees.

Now the Court knows. 

Dick has damned his entire family. 

“Of course,” the Grandmaster whispers. It runs on Dick’s skin, bringing a chill even though no breeze actually comes. “Who else can survive the Labyrinth as well as you, Gray Son?” A hand touches Dick’s chin, forcing him to look to the soulless eyes of the golden mask. “The Batman took you away and the Batman delivers you back.”

Dick feels his body being hauled upwards. Then, the coldness of a blade on his throat. 

“This changes everything, does it not?” The parliament behind him cheers. “Our Gray Son, returned after many years. The Bat takes good care of you, I see. Your skills have improved.”

The Grandmaster strokes Dick’s face, from the corner of his eye to the curve of his chin. It emphasized that Dick’s face is bare, that his cowl is down. 

It emphasized that Dick has failed his entire family. 

“You have completed the Labyrinth,” the Grandmaster continues, “the only thing missing from your training as Talon. Now you truly are the Gray Son of Gotham, our greatest weapon. Isn’t that right, Gray Son?”

Dick stays silent. He’s not Batman, the cowl is down. He’s Dick Grayson, and as long as he doesn’t speak at the behest of this man, he won’t be the Gray Son of Gotham, Talon of the Court of Owls.

Dick is aware that that distinction only exists in his own mind, but he feels he is allowed his coping mechanism. 

Even if he knows that he doesn’t deserve it. What a selfish man he is, thinking of his own comforts while knowing that he has betrayed his entire family. 

“Answer when the Grandmaster asks you,” Cobb growls from behind him. 

Dick stays silent. Behind him, Cobb presses the knife deeper, almost cutting skin. But Cobb won’t kill him. Not here, not without permission from the Grandmaster. 

And the Grandmaster is still eyeing him like a prize. Dick can’t go back to the Court. He won’t. He’s betrayed his family enough. 

Dick takes his chances. 

The only good thing about having Cobb so close to himself is that Dick can grab anything from Cobb’s arsenal of weapons. Dick knows that suit, and what it carries, as well as he knows his own. He has spent countless hours with it. 

Dick reaches towards Cobb’s side, where he knows a stash of explosives is stored. He lifts them out, elbowing Cobb in the stomach at the same time. 

His arm protests, but Dick ignores it. He throws the explosive to the ground, and tackles Cobb down.

Boom!

The Owls run for cover, including the Grandmaster. Dick braces for impact. His suit can handle the explosion, but not without it hurting. 

It throws both him and Cobb to the ground. Cobb, who didn’t have a chance to properly brace himself, is stunned. Dick quickly moves away, hoping the explosion will keep Cobb down, at least for a while. 

Dick looks around. There’s a hole on the floor. 

No better choice.  Dick jumps in. 

Water. Walls. A labyrinth traded with another. 

But the walls are not white. The floors are not white. 

The voices of his nightmares are silent. 

Dick walks and walks and walks, away from the Court, away from the Owls, away from the hands wanting to turn him into a weapon. 

Dick walks until he can no longer see. 

Dick walks until he can no longer hear. 

Dick walks until his legs crumble underneath his own weight, and even then, he crawls.

Dick moves until he can’t. 

He hopes it’s enough. 

***

[bb-basbusa]

What is family?

This work is also posted on AO3

The bats flew ahead as their screeches echoed through the cave. To Helena these were white noises, after all she grew up in the cave as much as grew in the manor. Her eyes roamed around, taking in the differences in this cave and comparing them to her world's as she waited for the rest of the family to arrive. the giant coin was the same so was the dinosaur. there were less acrobatic equipment, the dick Grayson of this world doesn't seem to come to the cave often as her brother. The biggest difference is the memorial display of a torn Robin suit( and wasn't it a surprise to see her father adopt more boys after dick. not that she is complaining they're all charming, plus she gets a sister from this) looking on the cave like a haunting ghost.

Helena doesn't see the point on keeping the memorial when Jason is alive and well. she really doesn't understand this version of her father as she understand her own. The bat himself is sitting IN front of the bat-computer, his fingers almost a blur as he types quickly on the keyboard. Seeing This batman's face has left her almost breathless, even though she knew his secret identity before that. This Bruce is younger than her father, with less gray hair on his temples. His face lacks crow feat, but the wrinkles around his mouth are deeper. More closed off easier to anger, broodier. There is a slight slouch on his shoulders that her father didn't have, almost as if he is carrying an invisible heavy weight. Not for the first time Helena wonders What did this Bruce Wayne go through to be like this?.

"Don't compare me to you Drake, I am clearly the superior robin" an annoyed high pitched that belonged to her darling half not brother interrupted Helena's train of thoughts "After all I am the blood son"

Turning around Helena saw Tim and Damian having an intense stare off, and if looks could kill both would have been a pile of ash on the floor. Cass was sitting on the side rolling her eyes at their antics, clearly used to this kind of behavior from the two youngest. Duke and Steph were ignoring them by blissfully stuffing their faces with Alfred's homemade  cookies. Jason was cleaning his guns, a book, which Helena suspects it to be pride and prejudice, was opened on the table IN front of him. Barbra was working on her laptop her fingers are gliding on the keyboard. It seems most of the family have arrived while she was lost in her thoughts. Now they're only waiting for Dick.

"news flash demon spawn. Bruce chose me to be his robin unlike you" spat Tim

Helena blinked her eyes in confusion "chose you? what do you mean Chose you?"

Tim turned his eyes to her with an equally confused look " I meant it as I said it, Bruce chose to be his robin". This didn't make any sense in Helena's mind " why didn't dick choose you? shouldn't he be the one to give you robin?"

"Why?" scoffed Jason, huntress turned to him as he placed his gun on the table " I mean sure he was the first robin, but what does golden boy have to do with picking the next robin? Robin is batman's sidekick after all. so batman picks the replacement" he pointed to Tim. Helena's gaze turns from confusion to despair. Didn't they know? "it has everything to do with dick" she replies indignantly " robin isn't just a name to dick" It can't be meaningless in this world. Dick Grayson was the one constant in this parallel universe. The name, the colors the costume. It's too much to be a coincidence. " Robin is his mother's name for him" her voice echo's through the cave for a moment before a stifling silence descends upon them. All of them looks at her with shock in their eyes. Tim had his jaws slightly open. Jason looks like a deer in headlights. " his mom?" his voice barley above a whisper.

Batman take's this moment to interrupt " Dick took on a new mantle, he didn't need it anymore. besides this happened along time ago" his tone warning to end the discussion. Helena wasn't having it. She turned her eyes towards Bruce, anger blazing in them. " he didn't need it anymore?! do you hear yourself?!" she barely controls the volume of her voice " Robin wasn't just an alias to him. the red, yellow, and green were his families colors. the first robin suit was modeled after their circus outfit. It is his tribute to his parents, how could you from all people say that?" Silence descends again, she could barley hear someone whisper holy shit. It could be Jason, perhaps it was Tim, Maybe Duke. it doesn't matter. What matters now is the man IN front of her. How could Bruce disregard something important like that, like it was nothing? Unless he didn't know? Dick may have been a constant, but this Bruce is different. from what she observed they weren't as close as her Dick and dad. Maybe Dick never told him? her anger simmers down. "Did you know the origin of his name?" she asks hopefully "yes" her hope slightly dims " Did he give you his blessing to pass it down?" ......."no" her hope is crushed. her anger returns with vengeance. Helena clenches her hands at her side, teeth grinding against each other. "Why" she breathes out " if you knew why give it away like this" Batman's stances shift, his body twitches slightly as he almost squirms but caught him self in the last second. His face in a grimace " Jason needed robin, he needed to direct his anger somewhere". "you could have chosen him as your sidekick without giving robin away. he could have chosen his own alias, his own identity, his own colors. They all could have!. instead you give robin away like you give hand me down pants" her voice rises an octave. Helena took few steps towards Bruce until she was face to face with him. she teaches out her hand, her finger poking batman's chest " you disrespected his family. you disrespected his legacy" Huntress's eyes bore into Bruce. Blue fire burns in them.

When Dick gave her the mantle of robin, he did it while explaining it's meaning, his blue eyes begging her to understand how much it meant to him. That robin...

"Robin means family" she lets out a tired whisper.

Maybe that was her mistake, seeing this man as family. seeing him as her father. Helena was hurt, the pain of losing her him was still raw. and no matter how different was this Bruce from her's she still saw him as her father. But her father would never...

She wants her dad she misses her dad

"my father would never disrespects another person's family. especially Dick's. especially after they both lost their parents"  her eyes filled with sadness and disappointment. "my father was a great man, but you're.." nothing but a broken man. and that was the difference wasn't it? this Bruce is so broken, merely a shadow of her compared to her dad. "But you're nothing but a cheap imitation that wears his face. that uses his voice. Helena lowers her eyes to the ground. if she kept them up, she could have seen batman's expression crumbles as if he has been slapped. Instead she pivot on her feet and heads towards her motorcycle. " wait where are you going?" Tim asks urgently. his arm reached out to her. she has forgotten that they were here in the cave with her and Bruce. it doesn't matter she's leaving. she's not coming back. " i refuse to work with a hypocrite". because that's what he is. Bruce Wayne took on the mantle of the bat and dedicated his life to avenge his parents his family. because they are important. huntress wears her helmet and turns on the bike leaving behind a broken man and a broken family.

up the stairs at the entrance of the old grandfather clock, stood the lone figure of Dick Grayson. His mind restless, his heart bleeding. he turns around and leaves the cave

[lilulo-12fanfiction]

A Light In The Dark

Requested by @hobby27 “Ooo ohhh 65-66-67-70-78 shy dean and clueless reader” I hope you love it darling!

So this one has formed a life of its own so it's really long. I'm not even sorry about it.  I don't know exactly how shy Dean is in this...but I hope you like it!

65: “ Did you do something different with your hair? ”66: “ Is that a new perfume? ”67: “ Stop being so cute. ”70: “ This is why I fell in love with you. ”78: “ Hold me, don't let me go. ”

As always thank you for your likes, comments and reblogs. If you would like to be added to my Supernatural Tag List or any of my others (I currently write for SPN, MCU, Arrow, TVD and I love PLL so I’m down for that too) send me a message! (Not an ask- it’s easier for me to look back at messages if need be!)

Taglist:

@fandom-princess-forevermore @deans-baby-momma

You were sitting in the library of the bunker doing some “light reading” on light magic. Nothing in the library of the bunker was light reading but it fascinated you. You, like the Winchesters, were a legacy to The Men of Letters. Granted you were a woman, but you were confident if they hadn’t gone out the way they did, as time went on more women would have been accepted into the society. You were a huge asset to the Winchester brothers and a huge nerd. Research and learning new things about the supernatural world were your life blood. Your photographic memory made your skills unmatched, even by Sam Winchester. You remember the day you met Sam and Dean vividly. It had been almost 3 years ago. You grew up thinking you were one thing. You had no idea you were adopted until you had a medical scare and needed a bone marrow transplant. Your parents had confessed the truth when no one in your family was a match. That led you down a dark and twisty road to your birth family’s past. 

Your mother had died after she gave birth to you, but it hadn’t been from child birth complications. She had been attacked by a vampire. Your father had stepped in while she was moments from death and killed the blood sucking bastard. He rushed your mother to the hospital. They were able to deliver you at 35 weeks via emergency C-Section. There was no way your mother would survive. The doctors acted quickly and saved your life. Your father, so grief stricken from the loss of his wife and his life as a hunter led him to give you up for adoption. 

Once he knew you would survive and were healthy, he found you a wonderful family who desperately wanted a child but couldn’t have one. He made sure you would live your best life. He explained all of this in a letter that your parents kept from you for the first 21 years of your life. You felt so betrayed and yet it made sense. You never felt like you belonged. You were always the “odd one out”. Your adopted mother had a miracle pregnancy when you were 4. They had given fertility treatments one last shot and the IVF brought you your brother and sister. You loved your siblings more than anything in the world but you never felt like you belonged with your twin siblings.

When you discovered your grandfather was a member of the Men of Letters and your mother would have been a legacy had the Men of Letters not been almost decimated. The Men of Letters fascinated you, so you dug and dug until you found out everything there was to know. It took a while but you discovered the location of their secret headquarters. You had been trying to figure out how to get into the bunker when Sam and Dean discovered you. They got the jump on you since you were so focused on breaking in. There you stood, hands in the air while two of the worlds most perfect men pointed guns at you. 

After tying you to a chair in the middle of a devil’s trap they put you through the gamete of testing to prove you were a human. Even after letting them slice into you to prove you were human, it took them 72 hours to give you a chance. It was surprisingly Dean that gave in first. He and Sam were fascinated by your story. You had made the bunker your home ever since that day. The boys had driven you to your home to pack up your things to stay with them at the bunker. You needed to find out who you really were. The answers you needed were there with Sam and Dean. Saying goodbye to your brother and sister was hard. Letting go of your parents was easier, the sting of betrayal and lies still so fresh. You hoped that you could forgive them one day for lying to you. 

You didn’t go on the road with them all that often. You usually worked research at home and sent them info. Occasionally when you felt the cabin fever closing in you’d hit the road with them. You were always welcome but they tended to push you to stay behind on the more grueling cases: The case they were on their way home from happened to be one of those cases. They had been gone for 3 1/2 weeks. A simple Salt and Burn spurred into another case a state over with shape shifter that proved to be one of the most difficult cases they had been involved in for a while. You missed them. The two had become your family. You were also worried. The eldest still held the Mark of Cain. While Dean had been somehow keeping the rage in check, you still worried he’d go off the deep end. His self-loathing was at an all time high. You were afraid if anything happened he wouldn’t be able to come back from it.  You settled down on the couch with a book. You were hoping you could find some magic to remove that damn mark. The boys stumbled in to the bunker a little after midnight. They were exhausted and sore. The idea of a hot shower and their own beds was beyond appealing. Dean also couldn’t wait to see you. He had spent so long trying to ignore the little feeling that fluttered in him any time he was with you for the longest time. You were the first girl in he didn’t even know how long that made him nervous and made him blush. You were blissfully unaware. Sam, however, was not. He razzed him about it often. The truth was though, you helped keep the Mark of Cain at bay. He would look at you and the blood pounding in his ears would dissipate. He knew you had made it your life’s mission to remove that mark from his arm. He was terrified that mission would kill you. 

They were surprised to see the library light on. Normally when you were in the bunker alone you went to sleep relatively early. Sam had worried about you being alone for so long, but the last time you spoke you had assured him that you were fine. In any event, you could take care of yourself. He’d watched you in the shooting range plenty of times to know how good your aim was. He looked at his brother leaning in the doorway and peeked his head in. There you were, passed out, book in your lap.

“You’re kind of creepy staring at her like that.” Sam elbowed his brother. He got a simple glare in return.

“I’m trying to decide if I want to leave her here or put her in her own bed.” Dean reasoned.

“Nah, you better wake her up. She’ll be pissed off if we came home and didn’t. Dean nodded. While Sam loved teasing his brother, it was nice to see him soften towards someone. After Lisa and Ben, Sam was sure that he would spend the rest of his life alone. You were different. You were in this life. You wanted to be in this life. You were good for Dean. Sam was quite certain you felt the same way Dean did, you just didn’t realize it yet. It was kind of an honor to watch the two people he cared most about fall in love.

“Hey- Y/N, wake up sweetheart.” Dean had sat down on the edge of the couch in front of your curled up form. He pushed some hair away from your face and you stirred.

“Dean?” You slowly opened your eyes. It took a moment for you to realize what was going on and then you popped up and threw your arms around him almost knocking the both of you off the couch. “Oh my god you’re okay. I was so scared something happened. You didn’t call. Why didn’t you call?” Your frantic rambling was always endearing. 

“The phone charger died out. There wasn’t a good place to stop and get one. We just wanted to get home.” You nodded your head and then buried it between his neck and shoulder for a moment. Sam felt like he was intruding on a private moment. Then he heard you say “You smell.” Dean laughed, a real laugh and pulled away and studied your face. He touched the end of your hair. When they had left it had been down to the middle of your back and now it barely touched your shoulders.

“Did you do something different with your hair?” It was in a teasing tone.

“I’m surprised you even noticed.” You teased back and Dean held his heart in mock offense. 

“Sammy, you may have the longest hair in the house now.” Sam rolled his eyes and strolled over as Dean helped you to your feet.

“Hi Sam.” You smiled and he bent down to hug you, lifting you off the ground slightly, ignoring the death glare from Dean. Sam was pretty sure he didn’t realize he was doing it. “I missed you. I’m glad you’re home.” 

“I missed you too, y/n.” Sam let go much more quickly than Dean had. He reached over and grabbed the book you had been reading. “Light Magic and All It’s Wonders”? He gave you a skeptical look and you yanked it from his hands

. “Nothing but dark magic put that thing on his arm. Light magic may be what can get it off.” You reasoned. Sam wasn’t so sure. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that.” You turned from him before he could argue with you. 

“Is this what you’ve been doing for the last month? Haircuts and research?” Sam relented. He didn’t want to fight with you. 

“Yes. That’s what I’m here for. Research.”

“I just feel like if light magic could remove it, couldn’t Cass do it?” You looked at Sam like he was the dumbest person in the world.

“And how pure is angel magic really? I mean...even Cass has used his abilities for less than noble reasons. The magic that transferred that mark to Dean was pure evil. The only thing that will remove it is pure, unblemished magic. Your problem, is that you associate all witches with evil and deals with demons. That’s not the case. We know from Rowena that there are witches that are born with a gift and then there are those that gain their power from Hell. I will find a witch that has not compromised herself if that’s what it takes. There has to be one somewhere on this planet.” 

“Okay, enough guys.” Dean jumped in before Sam could respond. He couldn’t handle an intellectual sparring match at the moment. While you normally handed Sam his ass, Dean was too tired. “We can contemplate Glinda tomorrow. I need a shower, as Y/N so lovingly pointed out, I smell.“ Sam nodded and headed to his room. While he doubted you, he wanted you to be right. He didn’t mean to give you a hard time. He was more concerned how you were going to feel when it didn’t work. You were so invested in fixing Dean’s issue. He knew you were terrified that Dean would fall down the same rabbit hole Cain had. The idea of putting Dean down was not one anyone wanted to contemplate.

            _____________________________________________________              You woke up much earlier than you had wanted. You had hoped now that your boys were home and safe you would rest easier. That wasn’t the case. The Mark of Cain weighed heavily on you. You were scared. Sam was desperate. You wished he was more open to your ideas. You weren’t naive. You knew there was a good chance that you were wrong. But it didn’t hurt to try. You climbed out of bed to take a quick shower. You grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a white t-shirt. You knew you would end up cold so you put a cardigan out as well.

Once you were dressed you threw on a little bit of make up and headed out to the kitchen. You peaked in at Sam and saw him sprawled out on his bed. He must have been reading before he fell asleep. His arm was hanging over the bed and there was a book on the floor. You quietly shut the door and went and peeked at Dean. He was laying on his back lightly snoring. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep and not having nightmares. You wished it could be like this all of the time for him. You snuck in and quietly got the keys to the Impala so you didn’t wake him up. You grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a quick note to the boys that you ran out to get some groceries and to text you if they needed anything.

You happily hopped into the Impala. You had other cars you could drive but Dean’s was your favorite. You rolled the windows down and let the cool early morning air bite at your cheeks as you drove, turning up the music to quiet the thoughts of demon marks and bad omens that continually ran through your mind.

2 hours and $300 later you were stopping to get breakfast and coffee to bring back to the bunker. After all of the shopping you had no desire to cook anything. You’d make Sam and Dean something for dinner. They had been surviving mostly on bad diner food and convenience store snacks for the past month. You had lived mostly on Yogurt, cereal and pizza while they were gone. You hated cooking and especially hated cooking for yourself. Sam and Dean actually made more meals than you did. 

You pulled the Impala in the garage and texted both of the guys for help. It was unsurprising that Sam was the only one that came out to help.

“Dean’s still sleeping.” Was how Sam greeted you. You just nodded at him. You were still a little upset with him about the night prior. He sighed and finally started speaking. “I’m sorry. I just am worried you’re hanging your hat on this and it’ll fall through.” You sighed.

“Let’s just bring the groceries in. I bought breakfast too.” Sam laughed.

“You bought all of this food and then bought breakfast?”  

“Shut up.” You laughed.

           _____________________________________________________      

You tip toed into Dean's room with a takeout container and a styrofoam cup of coffee and set it on the night stand. You say on the edge of his bed and gently shook him.

“Dean...wake up.” He groaned and slowly opened his eyes and gave you a soft smile.

“Is that a new perfume

or did you bring me bacon?” You threw your head back and laughed.

“Stop being so cute. Get up and eat, it’s after 10am. Oh, I took the Impala this morning. Filled it up with gas for you.”

“Breakfast in bed and you took care of my car?  

This is why I fell in love with you.

“ Dean stopped, eyes wide and a blush creeping up his face. How you didn’t notice he was freaked out, he wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if he was happy or disappointed by your reaction.

“Ha ha.” You rolled your eyes. “Man...I should have brought you pie too...you’d be kissing my feet” you patted his cheek and stood up.

“Meet me and Sammy in the library when you’re done. We’re going to get our nerd on.” You smiled at him brightly and then left the room.

“I think I found a spell.” You jumped up from the table. “Sammy...I found it.” Your eyes were wild with excitement. “We can save him” Sam prayed silently that he didn’t have to crush your excitement. He slid the book over to his side of the table to take a look.

“This might work.” He grinned at you. 

“We just have to find the right witch to do it.” 

"The right witch to do what?" Dean poked his head in the library. 

"She found a spell in that book." Sam let himself get excited. 

"Can't Rowena do it?" Dean questions. You shook your head.

  "No...from what I can tell, it has to be a witch that is, and I quote, pure of heart. So that means they haven't practiced dark magic...not even once." 

"Well how the hell are we going to find a witch that hasn't?" You scoffed at Dean.

"Will you ever learn? Not all witches are evil. Just because something has the reputation of being bad, doesn't make it so. It's not the rule."

"You're right. But wouldn't it be easier to find a way for Rowena to remove it?" Sam asked. 

"Dark magic always has an incredibly dark cost. Don't you think we've suffered enough consequences?" Neither Dean or Sam responded. You pushed the book aside and pulled out your laptop, determined to find a witch to solve all of your problems.

           _____________________________________________________      

It had been weeks and you were still no closer to finding someone to cast the spell to remove the mark from Dean's arm. You were frustrated and getting increasingly cranky with Sam and his constant negativity. When Dean suggested that the three of you take a break and go out and have some fun, you jumped at the chance.

"Okay...the rule of this trip is that we don't talk about the mark, removing it, magic or skeevey witches." Dean laid the ground rules out before he started the Impala. You were settled into the backseat behind him so Sam could push the seat back further and have more leg room. You met Dean's eyes in the mirror and he gave you a smile and you were off. 

"You okay sweetheart?" Dean's voice pulled you from your thoughts almost two hours into your night. You had been sitting at the bar sipping your drink and watching the boys play darts. You hadn't noticed you were zoned out and they had stopped playing until he was standing next to you. Sam was watching cautiously from the other side of the bar.  "I haven't heard a peep out of you since we got here."

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" You met his eyes in the mirror.

"Can't tell you...it's against the rules." He sighed and leaned in closer to you.

"Y/N...please, I'm begging you. Please just put it away for now." You didn't respond, instead, you hopped off of your stool, stomping towards the bathrooms. You shut the door and locked it behind you and took a few deep breaths. You were trying to save his life. He couldn't go back to being a demon. You and Sam...you wouldn't survive the loss. The two of them became your family and it was the first time in your life you felt like you belonged. You took a few more moments to compose yourself and you exited the bathroom to find Dean, arms crossed, waiting for you. You mirrored his stance, crossing your arms, one hip jutting you and you stared back at him. 

"You've got to let it go. You're driving yourself and Sam crazy with this white witch business. You're obsessed." 

"Of course I'm obsessed. I don't want to lose you. Just stop, okay?" You walked past him and headed out the back door to get some air. You really didn't feel like getting into a screaming match where anyone could hear. 

"Sweetheart, you're not going to. We'll figure this out, we always do." Dean was chasing after you. You spun to face him. 

"And with what consequences? I'm not letting Rowena anywhere near you. Not with her magic. You'll be the one that has to pay the price, and who's to say that price isn't worse than  the mark itself. And if we leave it? How long until you're completely a demon again and we can't get you back? Neither one of those are an option. Sam and I almost didn't survive this last time when you went off with Crowley. Neither one of us will if you fade on us again" You wiped a stray tear that slid down your cheek. Dean wiped the next one that fell, leaving his hand on your face and his thumb caressing your cheek. You didn't realize how close he was until you looked up and were staring directly into his green eyes. You felt your breath hitch. His intense stare left you feeling exposed. "Dean-" 

But before you could say anything further he was kissing you. You never realized how badly you wanted to kiss him until his lips were on yours. What started off as slow and sweet quickly turned needy and he had you pushed up against the building, one hand still on your face, the other in the back of your hair. You were breathless when he pulled you away.

"You don't understand. You're not going to lose me. I was keeping the mark in check before I was killed. The only reason why I went demon is because that's what saved my life. But now that you and Sam got my humanity back, it wont happen again. Don't you get it? You keep me here. You keep me here. You're the light through the darkness. I wont ever leave you. God, I love you, so much. I didn't think it was possible to love someone this much." Your eyes were wide.  "Say something...please." 

"I...I think I might love you too." He kissed you again.

"Hold me, don't let me go."  

You whispered. The two of you stood in an embrace for a long time until Sam came out when it was time to go home.