"Never in the history of the Seelie Court has someone managed to do what you have." The Seelie Queen was admiring Jonathan that day in the living room of the apartment. I tied my boots and listened them trade words from the other room, trying to distract myself from my own mind.

Jonathan was leant against the door frame when I walked into the room. "Well— I can't take all the credit, your Highness."

"If you two are done flirting-" I started when both their eyes fell on me. "We have something much more important we need to discuss."

Jonathan looked at me. "I wasn't flirting."

"I was." The Seelie Queen gave a wicked smile.

"I don't care." I kept a hard glare on her and stayed still. "Your people have something that belongs to us— so, why don't you use your birds and your bees to get out the message to your Court to hand over the Morning Star sword?"

She stared. "And if I don't comply?"

"Well, if you don't—" I walked over to her and crouched in front of her. "If you don't, I'll gut you so slowly that you can feel every ounce of pain and then we could examine all your organs together one by one."

"I'd expect this behaviour from a proper Morgenstern." She looked at me in horror and then looked up at Jonathan. "What have you done to her?"

"Made her see the truth." Jonathan shrugged easily. "Of who she really is."

I stood up. "Get to work."

-

"Jonathan— the Queen is secure." I walked into the separate room that Jonathan was hiding in. "Why haven't we left?"

"I guess I got distracted." Jonathan's back was to me and his voice was low. "It's difficult for me to believe that this is actually happening."

"What's happening?" I questioned, standing still where I stood. "This? The two of us on the verge of reclaiming our birthright?"

"Yeah, precisely that." Jonathan turned around to look at me. "You and me— us."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Jonathan, you're going to have to elaborate further if you want my opinion on this."

"The look you had in your eyes the first time you saw my true face— the hatred, the disgust." Jonathan cringed at the thought and looked away from me, fixing his gaze onto the floor to avoid eye contact. "I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Jonathan." I took a few steps toward him, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't know if you've noticed but things have changed."

Jonathan looked at me, staying silent.

I sighed and walked closer to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. "Listen. What Lilith did to me— putting this rune on me and forcing us to be attached to each other so that I couldn't hurt you without hurting myself, it's made me see you in a new light."

"You hated it." Jonathan said to me.

"Not anymore." I squeezed his shoulders assuringly. "It brought us together and made me realize I was wrong about you."

Jonathan stared at me for a few moments before he leaned in, attempting to close the distance between our lips. I pulled my face back and tried to save the conversation while also setting boundaries. "And you will always be my brother."

Jonathan swallows hard and looks down.

"And, as my older brother— don't you think it's about time to teach me how to drive this place?" I gestured around us. "It's my home too, isn't it?"

Jonathan forces a smile and nodded lightly. "What's mine is yours."

-

"Make sure it's the genuine article, Sister." Jonathan told me when we were in the Seelie realm, finally making the trade for the sword. He held the Seelie Queen in his grasp and had his blade to her neck while Meliorn set the sword between us on the bridge, his eyes glued to me.

I put my kindjals away and grabbed onto the blade, raising it in the air and watching in satisfaction how the blade erupted in flames.

Morningstar.

"Rest easy, Jonathan." I laughed softly when the Seelie Queen quickly rushed to her people and they disappeared within seconds. "It's the real thing— we can finally restore the Morgenstern name."

"You're not a Morgenstern." Jace's voice filled my ear and my head snapped towards him, watching how he and Isabelle stepped up the bridge. "You're a Young."

"I didn't know you were this eager to die, Jace." I blinked at him. "If I had known before, I would have granted your wish the last time we saw each other."

"I'm here for you." Jace's eyes burned into me. "And I'm not leaving without you."

I scoff lightly. "You're about to be really disappointed then."

"We're here for you, Zee." Isabelle unsheathes a blade and my heart stops when I realize what one. "Whether you like it or not."

Glorious.

"I'll handle Jace." Jonathan walked forwards and I walked backwards, my eyes trained on Isabelle's sword. "Have fun, Sister."

"I will." I said to him and then swung the sword for Isabelle's head, who dodged the blow quickly. "I don't know whether to be honoured or offended that you're trying to stab me and not Jonathan."

"You left me no choice." Isabelle swung the blade towards me but I blocked it and hit hers back harder. Her eyes widen for a second but she recovers quickly as we moved further back.

"Are you alright, Iz?" I taunted and swiped my blade upwards, getting a small cut on her cheek.
"You seem worried. Is it because I've always been better with a sword?"

"I didn't realize you were this far gone." Isabelle said and then I slammed my blade into hers, the two of us watching as the two blades lit up their own fires. They were bright and the heat was burning on our faces.

I pulled back and spun, kicking her blade out of her hand before coming back around for another round, knocking her off her feet.

"Nice try." I taunt and spun my blade in my hand before raising it up to stab her through.

"Zee, stop!" Clary shouts and my head snaps up to see her and Simon standing there, eyes wide.

"Oh wow." I stared at them blankly. "What a surprise. You shouldn't have."

"Super-villain is not a good look on you, Young!" Simon held his hands out in defense and warning. "Trust me!"

"No." I stay still. "This is who I am."

"You and I both know that's not true." Jace's voice suddenly voiced from behind me and my eyes widened when I realized he had picked up Glorious. "I told you I'm not leaving without you."

"And I told you that you'd be disappointed." I ditched Isabelle and threw myself at him instead, our blades slamming into each other.

I threw punches at him and he only dodged them or did his best to block them— attempting not to hurt me. I kicked him back and swiped my sword downwards but he crouched and caught the blow with his blade, the velocity and force sending vibrations up my arms.

And suddenly it seemed he had had enough.

Because Jace knocked the sword out of my hand and slammed his foot into my ribs, my back slamming against the tree. I reached for my kindjals but froze when I heard Jonathan's distant scream. "Zee!"

He needed me.

I turned but Jace stabbed the blade through the rune and I fell, a scream escaping my lips immediately. Jace fell to the ground with me and held me in his arms while holding the sword in the rune until the piercing pain faded and the rune itself started to disappear.

He slowly extracted the blade and threw it into the snow, grabbing my arms and sitting me up on my knees in front of him. He was also kneeling, his eyes frantically searching mine for any trace of me. "Are you— are you back?"

"Jace." I whispered and grabbed onto his face. "Oh my god, Jace—"

Before I could start rambling out apologies, his lips crashed into mine and silenced me. I threw my arms around him and savored the kiss, melting into it within seconds.

But then a sound caught both our attention.

We slowly pulled from the kiss and looked at Glorious, that was making a weird eerie sound. And it was then we all realized because Jace was trying to cover me and we were all screaming for Simon to get down when the sword exploded.

And I felt multiple shards pierce into me despite the fact that Jace threw himself over me. I grunted and scrunched my face in pain when Jace pulled himself off and noticed, his eyes widening. "Guys— get over here, she got hit by shrapnel!"

-

"Ow." I said for the hundred time, staring at Jace in the mirror as he stood behind me in the separate bedroom we had gone in at the apartment after I relocated us to Alicante and portalled Simon home. My hair was tied up and I was just in a bra, letting him help me get all the shrapnel out. "Ow."

"You have said that at least a hundred times now." Jace pulled out another piece of shrapnel as gently as he could. "It's going to hurt— there's a ton of shards."

"I know, but could you at least be a little gentle?" I began slowly and then cringed. "Ow— okay, never mind."

"I promise— I am being as gentle as I possibly can." Jace crouched and looked closer at my wounds, continuing to remove the shrapnel.

"It doesn't matter." I muttered and traced over the piece of skin where the rune once was before Jace saved me. "I deserve it."

Jace pulled the last piece of shrapnel out of my body. "You weren't in your right mind."

"But— I was." I turned around to look at him immediately. "Jace, I wasn't possessed, I was in complete control of my actions and I chose Jonathan. I chose to help him and I wanted to. I wanted all of it."

Jace set down the medical tool and stood up, towering over me once again. He grabbed my face in both hands. "He tricked you and manipulated you through the rune. He practically brainwashed you and turned you into a completely different person. It was not your fault."

"I wanted to kill you— I threatened you. I fought you, I hurt you, I—" Tears burned in my eyes and I suddenly forgot the pain in my back because of how much pain was in my heart. "How can you still look at me after what I've done? How can you still love me?"

"The way you loved me after I screwed up." Jace used his thumbs to wipe the tears that were falling. "Listen— he pull of family of blood, rune or not, it's an impossible thing to fight. None of us blame you— I don't blame you. I'm just so happy to have you back."

"Well— I should have fought harder for this family. For you." More tears fell from my eyes.
"I'm so sorry."

Jace sighed and pulled me into his chest, kissing my head before burying his face in my hair while I cried my eyes out.

-

"Jonathan!" My throat ached at how loud I screamed at him when the entirely of Alicante was being destroyed because of his doing. He had used Morningstar to open a rift in the sky, letting every kind of demon come to Alicante and kill any Shadowhunter in sight. "What have you done? What is this? What happened to you?"

"You wanted a monster." Jonathan turned toward me with fully sprouted wings, holding our family sword. "Here I am."

"I didn't want a monster, Jonathan." My eyes were wide and my hand gripped Jace's tightly. "Please— stop this before you destroy the entire city."

"There is no stopping this." Jonathan shook his head at me. "Every demon you banish ends up on the other side of that rift, ready to come back again and again and again until everybody in this city is dead!"

Jace raises his voice. "That includes Zee!"

"Please, Jonathan." I took a step towards him but Jace tugged my arm slightly, keeping me by him. "Listen, I know— a part of you, still wants to be good. You said you wanted to be good and this is not what good is— you said you wanted to be better. So please stop this."

"It doesn't matter what I do." Jonathan's voice shook and my heart dropped when he destroyed the sword right before us. Tears filled my eyes instantly. "You will never love me back!"

"No!" Jace screamed into the air when Jonathan took flight and escaped through the rift. He looked around at all the destruction, looking more defeated than I have ever seen him and that tore my heart into pieces. "They're just gonna keep coming until everything we love is gone."

"I'm sorry." My voice broke and a sob escaped my lips, watching a demon rip a Shadowhunter into pieces a few feet away from us. "Oh my god, this is my fault—"

Jace grabbed my face and brought my attention on him. Tears were in his eyes and he leaned his forehead against mine. "I love you."

"I love you." I held onto his wrists and tears spilled over my eyes. "I will always love you."

Jace pressed his lips into mine for a moment. "Until the day I die— and after that."

And then he kissed me again.

-

"Where's the sword?" Alec asked the moment we entered the Ceremonial hall where they all stood, watching the destruction going on outside.

I sniffle. "Jonathan destroyed it."

"We can't close the rift." Jace interlocked our fingers and swallowed hard at another explosion.

"This is it, isn't it?" Isabelle quietly asked.

It was silent for a few moments while we all tried to accept the fact that we were all about to die right here. But abruptly, Magnus spoke. "My father told me about a way to increase my power."

"Enough to close the rift?" Clary asked.

"Potentially, yes." Magnus nodded slowly. "The strength I would need to pull it off can only come from one place."

I notice the look on his face. "Edom?"

"Magnus, don't." Alec immediately denies.

"We can only fight them off for so long." Magnus looked at him. "The demons will keep coming back unless we seal the rift. It's the only way to keep you all safe."

"Magnus, you can't!" My heart broke watching Alec start to stammer and panic. "There's something I had to do, there's something I had to say—"

"I know." Magnus stopped him from rambling on. "Needless to say, you forgot something back in New York."

He waved his hand effortlessly and suddenly two rings appeared in the center of his palm, a small smile on his lips. "Alexander Gideon Lightwood, will you marry me?"

"Only if you'll marry me too." Alec was tearing up and Magnus slipped the ring into his finger. He returned the gesture and then leaned down to kiss him for a few moments before he pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you too, Alexander." Magnus smiled before he took a step back, turning towards the destruction of Alicante and opening a portal right out on the balcony to Edom.

"It's only Edom." Alec called out after him after a moment. "You always come back."

"Never thought I'd be a runaway groom." Magnus laughed softly before he stepped into the portal, disappearing to Edom. Alec walked over to the balcony and collapsed on his knees and we all rushed over to comfort him.

And then a blue wave of Magnus' magic overtook the rift in the sky and sealed it, separating us from Edom once again.

authors note:

i actually do not know where i am going with this book anymore and it bothers me to an extent

IDK WHAT IM DOINF WITH RHIS BOOK MAN IM BACK TK HATING IT

but it's okay because zace was cute this chapter !!! even tho it was a kinda sucky one

anyway, thank you for 86k !!!

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