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A knock sounded at Clary’s door, in her room at the New York institute. She told whoever it was to come in. She was sitting on her bed reading a book that Isabelle had given her about the history of the first shadowhunters, and how they came to be. She looked up to find Luke standing at the end of her bed. She reached over and placed the book down on the small table beside the bed.
“Hey, kiddo.”
“Luke, I thought you said you weren’t going to be able to make it?”
“I let Ollie do some of the busy work assigned for me. There is a perk of being a head detective.” He winked at her with a smile. Luke sat down on the bed, then pulled out an envelope from his back pocket.
“Luke, I told you I didn’t want anything,” Clary groaned as he placed the envelope in front of her.
“I know. This isn’t from me.” He pushed the envelope closer to her. “It’s from Jocelyn.” Clary looked up at him in shock. From her mom? Where had he gotten it? Why was he now giving it to her? Luke must have seen the questions swirling through her mind because he answered her thoughts right away. “Your mother promised that I would hold on to this and not to give it to you until you turned twenty one.”
Clary took the envelope gently, as if it was going to deteriorate right in front of her eyes. She carefully ripped open the envelope seal, and took out a letter. Hidden inside the perfectly folded letter was a ring. She lifted it up in front of her.
She had never seen it before. It was silver, and looked like it had its own wear and tear.She turned the ring around and was faced with an engraving of the letter f surrounded by what it looked like fairy wings, around the band.
Her attention went back to the letter. She placed the ring down and opened the letter, her heart pounding. She gripped the paper tightly as she began to read.
My beautiful girl,
If you’re reading this now, It looks as though I am no longer with you, and for that, I am so dearly sorry. There is so much I wish I had gotten the chance to tell you about- my life in Idris, your heritage, my mistakes, and my triumphs.
I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me for all that I hid from you. It was done out of love, and fear. I was so scared, Clary. I was so scared that they’d take you away from me. So I ran, I lied, and I hid. To this day, I wish things had been different. I’m sure by now you know that the shadow world is not a forgiving place. But you can survive it, I know you can. Remember that I love you more than anything.
The ring that I’m sure you have already found, belongs to our family. It was given to me by my mother when I turned twenty one, and to my mother, from her mother. It is the Fairchild family ring. It symbolizes who we are and it now belongs to you. I wish you could have met your grandparents, especially your grandmother. You look so much like her. You have her smile. But her smile was taken from this world by a cruel man.
I leave the ring to you, in hopes that it gives you strength when it feels like all hope is lost. Know that you are not alone. You never were. Be brave, be kind, and be careful, mon petit. I want you to know that that you are my light and joy, and I am so very proud of you.
If Luke is with you, tell him that he will always be in my heart, no matter what happens to me. Tell him that he will forever be my strength, and that I am so thankful for all he has sacrificed for me- for us.
I love you,
Jocelyn
Clary brushed away the tears which had formed at the corner of her eyes as she finished the letter. She then read out the words that her mother had asked her to tell Luke. Even through her words her mother had written, Clary could sense how much her mother had loved Luke, and from Luke’s own tearful smile, she saw the same love from him.
She folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. Then she picked up the ring, and now seeing it in a different light, she slid it on her index finger, where it fit perfectly, as if it had been perfectly molded for her.
Three years after her mother’s death had gone by so quickly. So much had happened since then. And three years of feeling the pain of losing the one person she loved most in the world, she finally felt like she had a piece of her back. She looked down at the ring on her finger and smiled.