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The very second Alec had rounded the corner, he knew something was wrong. His heart began to beat out of his chest and he broke out into a run at the sight of the lack of guards outside of the Prince’s chambers and the slightly ajar door, every horrible situation playing through his mind as he secretly hoped he was wrong at what he would find. He pushed the door open and cast his eyes around the prince’s chambers, hoping to find Magnus lounging on the chaise with a book in his hand.
The first room was empty and Alec’s panic only grew as he made his way through the rooms in the prince’s suite. With each second that passed without him finding Magnus, his terror only grew. He began to shout for the other man, and he heard the unmistakable heavy footsteps of his brother and his partner in the royal guard behind him. When he reached the final door that would lead into the older man’s private library, he pushed it open with enough force that the hinges squealed in protest. “Alec is everything okay?” Jace asked as he finally caught up with him.
Alec glanced around the room, the reality of the situation finally dawning on him as his worst fears became reality. “He’s gone,” Alec whispered, staring at the empty room, the walls full of books, and the vacant couch in the center of the space. “Magnus isn’t here. He’s —”
“Calm down, Buddy,” Jace replied, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I’m sure it’s fine — Magnus probably just got up early and went for a walk or something. You know that he doesn’t really like to stay still.”
“No,” Alec answered, cutting the other man off before he could say anything further. “That’s not the routine we have. Every morning I retrieve him for breakfast and we talk about his schedule for the day. He knew I would be there soon — he wouldn’t have left without me and when I got here the door was ajar and the guards who were supposed to be stationed outside were missing.”
He jogged back through the prince’s suite, this time looking for clues as to where the man may have disappeared to. He checked each room, finding nothing out of place until he reached the other man’s bedroom. He froze in the middle of the room as his eyes fell on an open window with its curtain blowing in the breeze. There, in what seemed to be a perfect line from the prince’s bed to the window, was a trail of leaves and flower petals that could only have come from one place.
Instantly, Alec’s blood began to boil and he high-tailed it out of the room with his brother hot on his heels. He ignored everyone calling his name as he stormed into the dining hall and made his way over to where a dark-haired woman was seated at the head of a table with a glass of wine in her hand as she laughed at something the man sitting next to her was saying. “You monster,” Alec growled as knocked the wine glass from her hand. It shattered against the ground and brought the room to dead silence. “Where is he? What have you done?”
“Alexander Lightwood — what is the meaning of this?” The King asked before the woman could respond to his demands.
Alec took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand a little straighter as he tore his attention from his target to address the King. “Magnus was not in his room this morning when I went to accompany him to breakfast. Even more concerning, the guards stationed outside of his suite were missing and the door was ajar. Upon searching inside, his bedroom contained an open window and a trail of flowers leading to it. The protections he had in place had been removed and were nowhere to be seen.”
Hushed whispers began to rise from the crowd and Alec knew why. Tonight was the Procession of the Faerie court from the Summer Lands to the Winter Lands and, with it, the Fae activity in the area would be higher than normal. All of Edom’s citizens were advised to stay indoors and hang iron nails and red ribbons from their doorways to keep any unwanted visitors at bay. The Procession would try to lure them from their homes with sweet promises and soft songs and every year they lost a handful of people who believed they could withstand the call of the Fae without any preventative measures. Magnus had lived in Edom his whole life and was familiar with the annual Procession. Alec had helped him string up the nails and ribbons himself the previous afternoon. The fact that they were missing and that had allowed the Fae to enter and steal the Prince meant someone had tampered with them.
Rather than looking appalled at Alec’s accusations, Camille just looked bored. She grabbed the wine glass from the man sitting next to her and took another sip of the red liquid, fixing Alec with a bland expression. “What makes you think I have anything to do with the Prince’s disappearance? It could have been one of the many whores Magnus takes to his bed or maybe he simply decided this life wasn’t worth it and ran away to party — you know how he gets some time. Besides, you were the last one to see him last night, were you not Lightwood? You two have that sickeningly sweet evening ritual and you do follow him around like a faithful dog does his master.”
Alec growled and knew her words were meant to dig under his skin. “He rejected you,” he said, without missing a beat. “You keep trying to get back together with him but he knows the kind of person you are. You can only break him so many times, Camille. You never loved him, you just loved the idea of being Queen. He deserves someone who truly loves him, not his title. I know that you decided if you couldn’t have him, than no one could. Did you dismiss the guards? Did you sneak in and remove his protections while he slept? Were you working in tandem with someone or was this horrible plan something of your own concoction?”
“Enough!” Asmodeus yelled, descending the dais and joining them at the end of the table, two guards flanking him. “If my son was taken by the Procession then we have very little time to attempt to bring him back. The Fae do not like to give up their conquests so easily and if my only heir falls victim and meets his demise and I find that you had anything to do with it, Ms. Belcourt, you will find yourself praying that you made the journey in his place.” The King turned his attention to Alec, fear and panic showing in his eyes beneath the mask of calmness that he was trying to exude.
“I’ll go. I’ll bring him back,” Alec said, without the other man even needing to voice the request.
“It won’t be easy,” Asmodeus replied, grief and worry clear in his voice. “The Seelie Queen doesn’t like to give back what she’s claimed for herself…and you’ll need to go alone. If you take an army with you, she’ll see that as an act of war. Against an army of the Fae, Edom doesn’t stand a chance. You would be risking your life — there is every chance that she claims you as another prize.”
Alec had grown up with the stories of the Fae and their cruelty like all children raised along the Procession route. He was well aware of the dangers that he would face but he refused to allow the Queen to take Magnus without even trying to get him back. He made himself stand a little taller and bowed his head. “I know what the risk to myself is but I’m not giving up. He was taken against his will and he belongs here and not in an endless hell. I will bring him back or I will die trying.”
He then turned his attention toward where Camille was glowering behind them. “And her?”
Asmodeus’ eyes narrowed and he gestured to the guards who had followed him off the dais. “She will be dealt with accordingly. However, we will likely wait until your return before we decide what her fate will be…perhaps we willl be kinder in the event that your rescue mission is successful.”
“It is your decision, Your Highness,” Alec replied, his tone dripping with anger. “Magnus is your only child. I would make sure the punishment is fitting for the crime. If you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare to leave. Who knows how long ago Magnus was taken and if I have any hopes of catching up with the Procession, I’ll need to leave quickly.”
He excused himself, listening as Camille began to protest behind him as Asmodeus’ guards arrested her and dragged her away. He heard the sound of boots chasing behind him and didn’t need to turn to know who it was. “Alec, you can’t do this,” his brother pleaded as he fell into step beside him. “Do you know how dangerous this is? At least let me go with you. You’ll need someone to watch your back if you’re going to confront the Seelie queen.”
Alec shook his head, knowing that he didn’t have time to have this argument with his brother. “You heard what Asmodeus said. I need to confront her alone so that we don’t start a war against the Fae because if that happens, Edom most certainly won’t come out as the victors. Besides, I need you here. If something happens to me, someone needs to take care of Max and Izzy and Mom. That’s going to have to be you. I need you to do this for me, Jace, please.”
While the other man wasn’t his brother by blood, Jace had been with the Lightwood family practically his entire life. The two of them had grown up together and because of that, Alec knew just the right ways to push Jace’s buttons to get him to do what he wanted. The determination in his brother’s eyes dimmed after a few seconds and he let out a deep sigh. “Fine… but if you change your mind, I’ll be there. You only need to ask. I’d follow you to the ends of the Earth, brother.”
Alec gave the man a small smile. “I know…which is why I need you here to take my place if something happens to me. I won’t have time to say goodbye to Mom, Iz, or Max. I’ll leave them letters on the desk in my room. If you get word that something has happened to me or it’s been a week and I still haven’t returned, please give them to them.”
“I will,” Jace replied, stopping Alec in his tracks with a firm grip on his shoulder so that he could pull his brother into a hug. “But you do what you can to come back to us and bring Magnus with you. I can keep the family safe but you’re really the glue that holds us all together.”
“I’ll do my best but I’m not leaving without, Magnus,” Alec replied truthfully. “Whatever that ends up meaning.”
The pain from that statement was evident in his brother’s eyes. “I know,” Jace answered with a shake of his head. “Maybe when he sees that you’re his knight in shining armor, the two of you will finally get over yourselves and confess your feelings to each other.”
Alec wrenched his arm from his brother’s grasp and continued down the hallway with a roll of his eyes. “I’m going to save him from an eternity with the Fae, Jace. We’re not going on a honeymoon.”
Jace huffed but made no move to follow him, knowing that with Alec gone, he’d have to step up and fill his brother’s shoes. He waited until Alec was further down the hallway before shouting after him. “Yeah — who has the honeymoon before the the first date?”
Alec felt his cheeks redden as two of the other guards in the hallway chuckled at Jace’s words. He and the Prince had been nearly inseparable since Alec’s family had come to work for the Banes. It was often said, even amongst the other servants at the castle that you wouldn’t find one without the other. Alec’s siblings, however, took it a bit farther. They knew just how Alec truly felt about the man who was his best friend and how his heart hurt that it would never be able to have what it truly desired.
Once inside his room, he wasted little time, quickly scrawling the three promised letters plus a fourth one knowing that if something were to happen to him, Jace deserved closure as well. When that was done, he grabbed the saddlebags that he left prepacked for scouting missions and his bow and quiver and headed to the stables to grab a horse. One of the stable hands looked up when he heard the door creak open. “Want me to saddle Arrow for you, Sir?”
Alec glanced at the big, black gelding knowing that the horse would be a steady and safe mount as he’d been dozens of times before. Before he could reply, he heard a snort and the sound of a hoof crashing against the wooden wall and glanced to where Magnus’ mare — a fiery, fast little thing so unlike Alec’s own mount — was hanging her head over the door looking at him with a determination in her eye that he couldn’t ignore. He shook his head at the boy. “Saddle Flicker for me, and quickly. I ride out to find the Prince.”
It wasn’t the stablehand’s job to question but the boy sprung into action before Alec could even say another word. In minutes, the little red horse was being led toward him, practically dancing in the aisle as she sensed the tension in the air. “You sure you want to ride her? She don’t ride well for anyone but the Prince. She’s got a temper on her, Sir.”
“I think in this situation she and I will come to an arrangement and I can certainly use her speed,” he replied, throwing his saddlebags over the horse’s back and securing them before swinging himself into the saddle. He barely had time to adjust his seat before the horse gave him two small rears and bolted toward the barely open door.
He let the horse run, waiting until they were free from the castle wall before he reached down to pet her neck. “I know you probably don’t like me very much but your boy is in trouble. The Seelie Queen took him overnight and if we don’t catch up to the Procession, then there’s a chance neither of us will ever see him again. I refuse to let that happen, at least without trying…and if I should fail, well, I refuse to leave his side. I won’t let him suffer through eternity trapped in the Seelie Court forever.”
Flicker whinnied at his words, almost as if she could understand him, and pushed herself even faster down the path. Alec could barely hold on as the horse sped impossibly fast through the forest. She ran until the sun set, showing not a single sign of tiring, before she came to a sudden stop and nearly ejected him from the saddle. The mare cautiously took him off the trail and into a nearby patch of trees before looking back at him expectantly. Alec dismounted and quietly stepped forward to peer through the branches at what Flicker was trying to show him.
The Queen’s Procession had come to a stop for the night, making camp in a large clearing that Alec could only guess was about a day out from their final destination. They’d built a large fire and pitched an elaborate tent at the far end of the clearing. Their horses were all grazing at the edges of their campsite focused only on what little winter grass was left to fill their bellies. The Fae themselves were laughing, dancing, and singing without a care in the world. He glanced around slowly, taking in each and every little detail that he could possibly use to his advantage. Finally, at the edge of the clearing not too far from where he was now and well removed from the rest of the Procession, he found what he was looking for.
Magnus was sitting with his back against a large oak tree. His hands were bound in front of them with thorny branches that seemed to ripple in the moonlight. Those bindings were then tied off to the tree he was resting against with the same material used on his restraints. He looked alright, given the situation. The only injuries that Alec could spot were a few scrapes and bruises and a cut above his eye that already seemed to have closed. Mentally, though, was a different story and Alec had known the Prince long enough to read the sheer exhaustion written in every line of his body — his abduction and the subsequent journey to come this far had taken every ounce of energy he’d had from him.
Not only was the Prince exhausted but Alec was close enough to see the other man tremble. The bonfire would crackle loudly or one of the Fae would shout something and Magnus would jump and glance over his shoulder waiting for the other shoe to fall. He was terrified and panicked and a myriad of other things and Alec wanted nothing more than to pull him into a hug and shield him from the world.
He turned his attention back to the party for a few more minutes, watching to see if anyone had noticed that their celebration had an unwelcome visitor. When it became clear that the Fae were too wrapped up in dancing and drinking to look in their direction, he chanced sneaking closer, trying to keep as quiet as possible as he did. Despite his best efforts, a stick snapped under his boot and he swore under his breath. Magnus’ head shot around, looking for the source of the sound and the danger that may come with it. Alec emerged a moment later, a finger raised to his lips to keep the Prince quiet.
“Magnus, Angel, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Alec whispered crawling over to the other man while still trying to remain hidden from sight. “When I saw your room empty this morning and the guards missing, I thought the worst.” He cradled the Prince’s face in his hands and ran a thumb over a bruise on his cheek.
“Alexander,” Magnus replied, nearly sobbing in relief. “Oh, how relieved I am to see you one more time and get a chance to say goodbye.”
Alec shook his head. “No, there’s no goodbye. I’m here to take you home. Here, let me get those off your wrists,” he said, reaching for the knife in his boot to cut the vines away. “No one is paying any attention to us. I’ve got Flicker here. We’ll be gone and home before anyone even realizes. If we leave now —”
“Alec,” Magnus pleaded, the desperation clear in his voice. “Stop. Please listen to me.” Only when Alec’s hand stilled, the blade of the knife hovering over the vines, did Magnus continue. “You can’t cut through these, not without alerting everyone to your presence. They're enchanted…and they’ve spelled me so I can’t leave the confines of the camp. It’s already over for me…I’m trapped here and tomorrow I’ll enter the Seelie realm and be fully claimed by the Fae and I’ve accepted that but I’m oh so glad I get to see your face one more time. There’s so much I want to say to you and I thought I’d never get a chance to.”
“No,” Alec whispered, panic setting in as he processed Magnus’ words. “No. I’m not leaving you here. This isn’t over. It can’t be over. There’s got to be another way.”
Tears welled up in Magnus’ eyes. “Alexander, there’s not. I’ve had time to think about this on my trek and there’s no way this ends well for me. There’s no miracle to release me from my fate. Please, we don’t have a lot of time and there’s so much that I want to say.”
Alec felt his own tears start streaming down his face. He wanted to protest more that there had to be an answer but the expression on Magnus’ face had him frozen in place. The Prince tried to give him a small smile as he shifted his position so he could press his forehead to Alec’s. “Angel, I thought we’d have so much more time together. I wanted to spend the rest of our days together. Truly together…I’ve loved you for a long time, my Alexander. I know it wasn’t my father’s plan for me but there was no future for me where I didn’t have you by my side.”
Alec had been waiting to hear those words ever since he realized how he truly felt about the prince but hearing them now knowing that he may lose him forever was bittersweet. “I love you too, Magnus, with every fiber of my being… I —”
“What if there was a miracle?” A voice asked quietly, causing them both to jump and Alec’s hand to go to his sword as he tried to put himself in between the newcomer and Magnus. They’d been joined by a young woman — though with Fae blood he couldn’t even begin to guess her true age. Her blond hair was braided and twisted over her head with purple flowers tucked in between her locks. Her ears were pointed though not as severely as some of the others. Her eyes were a greenish grey and kind and her skin was pale and unmarked in a way that led Alec to believe that she wasn’t full Fae. She must have noticed the panic on both of their faces and she gave them a small smile before she continued. “What if there was a way for you both to leave here unharmed and free from the Court’s spells?”
Against Alec’s better judgment, and possibly due to his sheer desperation to save Magnus and get him far, far away from here, he wanted to believe her words. “How?” He asked before he could stop himself. “How do I save him? I can’t leave him here. I won’t.”
Her eyes softened. “There’s a trial…it’s rare and one the Queen won’t offer freely but one you can ask for. If you truly love him as you say you do and the Trial of the Heart proves that, the Queen will be forced to release him. True love is the one thing she cannot interfere with.”
For the first time since Alec had discovered that Magnus had been taken, he started to feel hope. His heart was pounding out of his chest. “Truly? No strings attached? If I take part in this challenge and come out successful, he’ll be free to go?”
“Alexander, you can’t,” Magnus tried to plead but Alec was only focused on the Half-Fae woman and the opportunity that she was offering. “It’s too dangerous. Please, Alec, don’t do this. Nothing with the Fae is ever straightforward.”
He knew that Magnus had a point but he also knew that he was willing to try anything for the Prince’s sake. “What happens if I fail?”
The woman tipped her head. “If you fail you get taken by the Court. The Queen gets two souls and not just one.”
“Please, Alec, you can’t do this. I don’t want you to be stuck here. I’ve accepted my fate. Please, Angel. If you love me, please go back home,” Magnus begged with a slight tremble in his voice.
Alec turned his attention back to the Prince and studied him for a moment. There were tears in Magnus’ eyes as he continued to try and plead with him but Alec knew that leaving Magnus here was never an option. He’d known that if there was no way to rescue the other man, he would do whatever it took to stay here with him. He refused to let Magnus live through eternity alone.
He cupped Magnus’ jaw, brushing his thumb over the other man’s cheek gently. He felt tears well up in his own eyes. “It’s going to be alright. I love you, Magnus. Let me prove it.” He glanced back up at the Fae woman, a new determination coursing through his body. “Alright — tell me what I need to do.”
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He ended up sitting with Magnus for the remainder of the night, ducking from sight whenever one of the Fae came over to check that the Prince hadn’t left. When the sun started to rise over the treetops, Alec knew it was time to start putting his plan in place. He kissed Magnus’ forehead and tried to ignore the sense for dread that was washing over him. “It’s going to be alright,” he whispered, trying to sound more confident than he felt. “No matter what happens today just know that I love you more than anything.”
There were tears in Magnus’ eyes and it took everything in Alec’s power to pull himself away. He mounted Flicker and watched from a distance as the Procession began packing up camp. He’d meet them further down the road. At the next crossroads is where he’d confront the Queen.
He brought Flicker to a stop in the middle of the road and waited — the horse stomping and snorting and echoing Alec’s own inpatience. Finally, he heard the telltale signs of the Fae party growing closer and closer. He took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and steeled himself for whatever was about to happen.
The Queen was at the front of the Procession, riding a bright white horse with a mane and tail that dragged the ground. When she saw the obstacle blocking her path, she raised a hand, bringing the others to a stop. “What have we here? A little rabbit trying to play with wolves?”
Alec tried to ignore the power he could feel rolling off her. “You have something that does not belong to you. Magnus Bane was not yours to take. I’ve come to bring him home.”
She tilted her head slightly and Alec felt like he was a bug under a magnifying glass from the way she studied him. “I beg to differ. He had no talismans, no protections…the window was open. All know that any who hear the song and answer the call belong to the Seelie now.”
Alec grit his teeth. “He was tricked.”
The Seelie Queen shrugged. “It matters not how he joined our party. When we cross into the Winter Lands, he will be one of us.”
Alec took another deep breath and prepared his mind for what he was about to say. “I won’t let you take him without a fight. I request a Trial of the Heart.”
The gathered Fae began to whisper amongst themselves but Alec was focused on the Seelie Queen. She looked both surprised and infuriated at his request but quickly schooled her face. “Interesting. And where did you learn of this Trial of the Heart? Our customs are not something we easily share.”
“Does that really matter? I requested the Trial and by your own laws, you have to grant my request.”
The Seelie Queen narrowed her eyes. “Then by all means, you shall have your Trial. You claim to love Magnus Bane with your entire heart. If you truly do then it matters not what his physical appearance may be.”
“I’m aware,” Alec replied simply. “I don’t care what Magnus looks like. I feel in love with his heart and soul, not his appearance.”
“Very well,” the Queen seemed to sneer. “Bring Magnus forward. Dismount your horse and let us begin.”
Two Seelie knights led Magnus forward as Alec swung himself off Flicker’s back. He was seated upon another white horse — this one smaller and plainer than the Queens — with the thorny cuffs tied around the horn of the saddle. A spark of magic from one of the men loosened his restraints and Alec surged forward, pulling Magnus off his horse’s back and holding him tight. “Just remember,” he whispered, his voice quiet so his words were kept between the two of them. “Whatever happens from here on out, just remember that I love you, Magnus Bane. If that means I spend eternity with you here, so be it.”
Magnus was trembling in his arms as the Seelie Queen began to speak. “You claim to love Magnus Bane. The Trial of Heart will prove if that is truth. Will you love him when he’s nothing more than a shred of his former self? Would you love him knowing that there’s a chance that he will never be the man you fell in love with again? For your sake, I hope so.”
Alec held his tongue, knowing that the Queen didn’t expect an answer. Within seconds, he felt a tingle of magic as Magnus began to transform in his arms. Bones snapped and muscle tore and Alec could only close his eyes and hold tightly, determined not to let go and fail so early. Finally, the sounds stopped and he chanced a glance at what he held. Magnus had shrunk in size and where the Prince once sat, a large monitor lizard was in his place, flicking it’s tongue at Alec in confusion. The lizard squirmed trying to get out of Alec’s grip, clawing at his arms and cutting through his shirt but Alec held tight.
“Hmm.” the Seelie Queen huffed after a moment, disappointment clear in her voice. “Well, you seem to have passed the first test but can you do the same with the second?” Before Alec could even process her question, that tingle washed over him again and he felt Magnus transform once more. He grit his teeth as tough leathery skin was replaced by smooth scales and legs with sharp claws became an elongated body that wrapped around him tightly and began to squeeze. Alec felt his breath becoming short as the snake constricted his further and further. He tried not to panic and continued to hold Magnus tightly.
Right when he was afraid that he’d start to lose consciousness, the Seelie Queen transformed the Prince again. The snake gave way into a bear that was so large that Alec thought that he would surely fail. It was all he could do to keep his arm’s wrapped tightly around Magnus’ neck as the bear tried to fling him off and flee. After the bear came a lion whose massive claws left Alec with a gash down his side that he was sure would leave a scar. He’d gladly take any wound from the Trial if it meant Magnus was coming home.
The last transformation was the one that he’d been worried about and was the very reason he’d picked this particular crossroads to confront the Queen. The Half-Fae woman who had come to them the night before had walked them through the process of the trial and had told them just what they could expect. She’d warned the final transformation would be the toughest of them all as the Queen would turn Magnus into a red hot stone. The woman assured Alec that he wouldn’t truly be burned and that if he could cool the stone down by putting it in water, then Magnus would emerge as a human and the Trial would be won.
There was a river that ran parallel to the road the Fae were traveling down and at this particular crossroad a bridge had been built so those crossing didn’t have to ford the river. It would be the easiest place to get a hot stone into the water and the easiest place for Magnus to emerge once more. He felt that now familiar tingle of the spell being cast and braced himself for what was about to come.
Instantly, he felt the heaviness of the stone and he struggled against the sudden weight. The stone lit up fiery red and he felt the burning begin. He wanted to cry out in pain, fighting against his instincts that insist that he drop it to save himself. He reminded himself that it wasn’t real over and over again in his head as he pushed himself to his feet and took agonizing step after agonizing step closer to the bridge. When he heard the creak of wood under his feet he nearly breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost over.
He hoisted the stone over the side of the bridge, watching as it splashed into the water and a pillar of steam emerged from the river. Alec held his breath, tension growing with every fraction of a second that Magnus didn’t emerge. Had the Half-Fae woman tricked him? Had Alec messed this up and lost the Prince forever? Finally, after what felt like years, Magnus’ head emerged from the water, taking a deep breath as he struggled to stay afloat.
Alec bolted from the bridge, scrambling down the embankment to pull the man from the water knowing that drowning was one of Magnus’ greatest fears. The Prince’s clothes had been burned off in the process but Alec found that Flicker was at his side as if she sensed the need for the long coat that he had draped across the saddle. He wrapped Magnus in the coat to preserve his modesty and try to warm him up before pulling the other man against him and holding him close. “You're okay,” he whispered, the last of the tension leaving him now that the ordeal was over. “Angel, Magnus, you're okay.”
“Thanks to you,” Magnus whispered, sounding both exhausted and relieved. “I love you, Alexander. I —”
“Shh,” Alec said, quieting the Prince before he could say anymore as he felt someone step up beside him. “We have company.” He gave Magnus a quick kiss on the cheek before he turned and faced the Seelie Queen.
“It seems your heart is true and love is real,” she stated though Alec could tell she was disappointed. He stood tall and waited for her to continue. “As promised, I concede my hold on your love. He is free to return to his life though I suggest you take better care of that which belongs to you in the future. Others may not be as kind as I’ve been in this situation.”
She turned, wanting nothing more to do with him. Alec stood his ground, holding Magnus tightly against him as the Seelie Procession began to move out. He kept still, waiting until the very last horse disappeared from sight before he let out a sigh of relief. It was over and they had won. Magnus was safe. He wouldn’t spend the rest of eternity trapped in the Seelie realm. Camille had tried to get rid of the Prince because he had rejected her but she had failed.
“Let’s go home,” Alec said after a moment, guiding Magnus to Flicker was waiting and helping him into the saddle.
He swung up behind him and felt Magnus relax into his hold. “Thank you, Alexander. Thank you for coming for me. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for loving me.”
“There’s no need to thank me,” Alec replied, turning his head so that he could give the other man a kiss as Flicker started to move. “I love you with all of my heart and soul, Magnus Bane. It’s a privilege to be able to prove how much you mean to me.”
Magnus sighed happily. “Take me home, Alexander.”
“As you wish, Your Highness. Anything for you.”