Work Text:
Prince Alexander Lightwood strode through the streets of his kingdom with a pep in his step and a blinding smile on his face. He walked confidently and with a purpose. To have his weekly meeting with the love of his life. A beautiful peasant from the kingdom of Edom.
It was an ordinary day. He’d gathered supplies from the palace’s elite kitchenette and had prepared the picnic basket hastily. He was always eager for these days. They were the only things that kept him sane inside that suffocating prison he called home. Although, with each passing week, he began to think less of his palace and more of Magnus as his home.
The peasant were all the things he pictured when he thought of a home. Loving, nurturing, kind, safe, comfortable. Which was pretty much everything that his castle was not. If he listened close enough during the darkest hours of the nights, he could hear the tortured screams of the prisoners trapped down below in the dungeon. He could hear the misery in his own mother’s voice as she begged his father to quit hitting her. He could hear the muffled cries of his little sister Izzy from the room adjacent to his own. And, no matter how much he longed to, he was helpless to stop it. Any of it.
So he did what he could do. Grit his teeth, bare the pain, and carry his burdens with near-perfect posture. While his castle was a living nightmare, his kingdom was not. The townsfolk were innocent, and looking to him for leadership whenever they began to feel threatened or scared. Alec would be damned if he let his people down. He carried his crown with grace and selflessness that only a true leader could. He remained strong for his people in the face of danger, for they could not.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
The prince smiled as he watched a baker hand one of the smaller orphans of the village a piece of bread under his booth. The frighteningly-thin child snatched the food up with a grateful smile. She quickly ate the bread before someone took notice. If the baker was caught, he would be severely punished. It was illegal to give away products that were meant for sale. Because angel forbid if King Robert lost even a minuscule amount of profit.
It was then that the baker took notice of his staring. Alec could see the exact moment that the man’s face paled; the look in his eyes scared, but resigned to his fate. The people here knew that if caught, they could potentially face execution, and that was a risk they were willing to take. For saving the life of the ones that were too small or weak to protect it themselves.
Alec didn’t approach. Instead, he put a finger to his lips, taking slight comfort in the way the man’s posture relaxed. The last thing the prince saw before he passed by the booth was the baker’s hopeful smile. Hope for the future. For Prince Alexander Lightwood was the future of the Kingdom of Alicante.
Until he wasn’t.
Alec slid under the small exit he’d dug beneath the kingdom’s walls and disappeared into the forest beyond. It took him over an hour of walking to reach the meadow that had became their secret getaway. The closer the prince got to the clearing, the faster his heart pounded against his chest. He was a little late, but Magnus always understood. So it was likely that his lover would already be there waiting for him.
Alec’s heart stopped when he finally emerged into the clearing. His whole world, actually. Because right there, in the middle of the meadow amidst the blooming dandelions, was the love of his life.
With a knife to his throat.
The basket slipped from his palm and hit the grass, its contents spilling all over the ground. Alec was frozen in place, mouth opening and closing, trying to form words or even sound, but unable to do so. He knew he should be doing something, making a grab for his bow and an arrow and sending it flying into that bastard’s forehead, but he was too engulfed in his shock to move. All he could do was watch as the tip of the blade dug into Magnus’ neck, drawing a tiny bit of blood from the wound and causing a line of red to drop down to his collarbone.
“Finally, the guest of honor has arrived. Now we can get this show on the road,” Prince Sebastian Morgenstern, heir to the throne of Edom, smirked from where he stood behind Magnus.
Alec clenched his jaw and went to make a grab for his weapon, but stopped short whenever Sebastian began to dig the blade even deeper into his lover’s neck, causing him to cry out. The prince dropped his hands back to his sides and glared daggers at the other royal. Sebastian’s infuriating smirk only grew, excitement dancing around within his irises. Like this was all some kind of game to him. As if Magnus’ life was nothing more than an expendable pawn in his twisted little chess match.
And Alec was the king he was determined to knock down.
“What are you doing Sebastian?” Alec snapped, lips up turning into a scowl.
“Oh, nothing,” the other prince replied nonchalantly. “I was just about to cut open your little whore’s throat before you arrived.”
Alec growled at the insult. Nobody had the right to speak about Magnus in such a derogatory tone. Despite him being a peasant, he was a far better man than Sebastian would ever be. Far better than Alec could even dream to be. With each meeting they had, Alec grew more and more as a person. He learned about things he’d never been taught or even spared a single thought. Honesty, compassion, empathy, and much more. Magnus transformed him from the monster he’d been and made him into something human.
“Magnus is not a whore,” Alec bit back. “He’s everything to me.”
Sebastian’s face morphed into an expression of repulsion. “You actually love this peasant? As if sleeping with him wasn’t bad enough. You’re a disgrace to the land of Idris. You don’t deserve to wear that crown,” he spat.
The way Sebastian was looking at him, it was the very same look that would haunt him every time he’d closed his eyes. The one he feared seeing in his parent’s eyes if they ever found out he was attracted to men. That look conveyed a heavy mix of disgust and disappointment. His throat constricted painfully as he struggled to breathe in the oxygen his brain was screaming for. All he saw was his mother and father.
Alec regained his bearings and held his head high against the danger ahead. As he always had.
“What do you want, Morgenstern?” He asked.
The other prince almost looked confused. “Really? Just like that? Not even going to try to challenge me?” Sebastian replied, disbelief lacing his every word.
“No. I’m not going to gamble with Magnus’ life. Let him go, and I’ll do whatever you want. He’s innocent in this,” Alec insisted.
Sebastian shook his head. “Very well then. Leave. Take this whore with you and disappear into the forest. You have until midnight to gather your belongings. And if you ever return I will expose your dirty little secret. Your reputation will be ruined and I will see to it that you both are hung before the public for your crimes,” the blonde-haired prince announced.
“No! Alexander, don’t let him do-“ Magnus wheezed out until he was cut short by Sebastian’s hand wrapping around his neck, squeezing hard enough to prevent him from breathing.
Fear turned Alec’s veins into solid ice. “Stop! Stop! I’ll do it just stop hurting him!” he screamed, begging for the man to spare his lover’s life.
The blonde relented, and shoved the peasant into the ground. He kicked Magnus in the ribs, causing him to cry out. Alec winced as he heard the unmistakeable sound of cracking of bone. It took everything he had not to cry, to remain unfazed against Sebastian. Each time he showed weakness it only empowered the other prince.
“Why are you doing this? What could you possibly gain from it?” Magnus gasped from where he rested in the grass.
Sebastian only smiled. “Power. The crown of both Edom and Alicante. Two of the most powerful kingdoms within Idris, all mine to rule. With the might of both militias I can overtake the rest of the land and become king of the entire country,” he said excitedly.
Alec was confused. Two kingdoms could not be combined unless a treaty was drawn between their respected kings, and he knew that Robert would never even consider sharing his power with anyone but his successors and their spouses. Wait...
Isabelle.
She was the second eldest child of King Robert and Queen Maryse. With Alec out of the way, she would be the next heir to the throne. And as would her spouse...
“No...” Alec gasped.
Sebastian could spot the exact moment that he put the puzzle pieces together. His wicked grin confirmed his suspicions.
“Oh, yes. I will make your dear little sister my queen and together we will rule.”
Alec wanted to lunge across the field and choke the hell out of Sebastian until his eyes rolled back and his face turned blue. Pure, white hot rage filled his entire body until he shook with it. This psychopath had set his sights on his sweet, beautiful little sister. And there was nothing he could do to keep Sebastian’s nasty hands off of her. If he stayed, he would most likely be executed. If he left, Sebastian would make his sister his queen. But Alec could seek refuge in the Kingdom of Fey and warn their people. And maybe, hopefully, he could convince their armies to strike against Prince Sebastian.
In the end, he determined that he was of no good to his sister dead. Running to the Kingdom of Fey was his only hope at saving his sister and his people from this tyrant. So with a heavy heart he agreed to Sebastian’s terms.
That night, he cried with his sister. He wished for nothing more than to warn her of Sebastian’s plans. But he knew he couldn’t. So he bit his tongue and just held her for as long as he could. It was nearing midnight, and he had to hurry. Magnus was waiting on him outside the kingdom.
After gifting his crown to Isabelle, he exited her room and gently shut the door. Alec leant his head against the wood and breathed out a sigh. His heart kept trying to ground him to these marble floors and stone walls. The prince knew he didn’t have much longer until it overpowered him, forcing him to stay here with Izzy until his inevitable death.
“I will come back for you, little sister,” he whispered.
And with that promise, he disappeared into the night.