***Alec's POV***

Alec could barely hold back the snarl building up in his vocal chords. His stripes lit up blue almost immediately, their sheen casting a silvery blue glow over the white dragon's form. For the son of Valentine Morgenstern, he looked like the spitting image of the several stories Alec had heard. His tail was crooked at the end but it did nothing to denote from the danger of the spikes poking out from the very end. He was smiling, the white of his teeth reminding him of just how easily dragon's could rip each other's throats out. Centuries ago, when dragon tribes were at war with one another, such travesties had happened. Thankfully, those days ended long ago after the tribes united to form kingdoms with treaties of peace. But then, of course humans had to come and cause problems, making new issues that had yet to be put to rest.

"Sebastian. What do you want? Are you working with your Father?"

If his claws could've stretched out further like a cat's they would've done so. As it was, they sunk into the dusty soil. The stench of rotted food hardly bothered him in the face of unease he felt around the other male. Technically speaking, Sebastian wasn't guilty of anything yet. But I'd be a fool if I thought he wasn't involved.

"Hehehe, for an adorable prince you sure can be clueless."

Alec resisted the urge to get flustered, something that wasn't the hard to do with the overwhelming anger he felt for entirely different reasons. "Sebastian. Tell me." He kept his spines flat. Anger would be pointless, just getting in the way of fighting it that became necessary.

"You must keep a level head son. A king must not falter." His father's words would come to him at the best of times; Alec was thankful for such good advice. He didn't know what he would do without his father to guide him.

"Well, there's only reason I'd be here, but I guess I have to spell it out for you. Some dragons just recently died, yes?" Sebastian asked, that playful smirk still on his face.

Alec felt his anger continue to flare. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth. What did this have to do with anything? Talking about the deaths of innocent dragons so callously was horrifying. Respect the dead. His mother taught him that lesson when grandmother died back when he was still learning to fly.

"And who exactly do you think killed them?" Sebastian's smile turned even more eerie, if that was even possible.

Alec swallowed down the lump in his throat. If Sebastian wanted his father condemned then so be it. Why should he care about the slander of Valentine when the older dragon had proven himself to be the worst example of their race? His stripes glowed to match the power of his voice. There was a buildup in his chest. Lightwood dragons didn't breathe fir in the same way as a Herondale or other fire breather would. The stars were at their mercy, as was unbearable heat that turned the licking tongues of orange flame blue.

"Valentine Morgenstern. Your father killed them."

And then Sebastian did something unexpected. The broken tailed dragon tilted his head back as he barked out a broken laugh. The sound was like nails clattering to the floor only to be stomped on by the unknowing talons of birds. There was a choking to it too. Alec felt his stomach churn. What is wrong with him? He knew Sebastian was sadistic, but this was a bit extreme, even for him.

"Oh ho ho Lightwood. I always knew you were a bit dense but I didn't expect you to be stupid too," Sebastian sneered.

Alec growled. "I'm not stupid. What do you mean?" His claws sank further into the floor. He resisted picturing them scoring across the Morgenstern's face. Blood would spray immediately, coating them both in dark blue liquid that was sure to stain and smell for a time. The next words Sebastian uttered forced Alec out of that vision, making his glare turn dismayed.

"Well isn't it obvious? My Father didn't kill those dragons. I did."

Alec nearly choked on the saliva he was swallowing. "What did you just say?"

Sebastian regarded him with that ever present smirk. It was unnerving how calm he remained in this impromptu confession. Perhaps he was more like a monster then Alec had initially thought. The spines on the back of his tail lifted slightly, revealing a patchwork of broken skin. It seemed he too bore scars from Valentine. Alec had seen a facsimile of these on Jace. So many dragons had been hurt because of that maddened monstrosity.

"I killed those dragons."

Alec processed the information in the blink of an eye. "No you didn't. Plethora said—"

Sebastian chuckled. "I'm sure Plethora thought he was right. After all, the only dragon whose killed any other dragon in the recent years was my father, so surely it had to be him."

His words made an unfair amount of sense, twisting Alec's already nauseous gut further. "But . . . how? How did you manage to make it look like him then? And why are you hiding here of all places, where Valentine is supposedly hiding?"

Admittedly, he wasn't sure how accurate that information was anymore. Usually there would have been at least a sign of dragon occupancy here through the appearance of shedded scales. Alec had come across none so far, which either meant Valentine was really self-conscious of his shedding. Or he was never here to begin with and all those dead animals were just the prey of a bear or fox or some other predator.

"Wouldn't you like to know, little prince." Alec scowled. The height distance between them was relatively small, only three inches making it up. But the slightly older dragon would flaunt it in his face at every chance he got. "But this information isn't for free. You'll have to fight me for it."

Well then, that's just dandy. Alec getting permission to wipe that smug smirk off the Morgenstern's face was like a gift from above. Perhaps he should've been more wary, considering the rumors of Valentine conducting horrendous experiments on his own children and even his own wife (no wonder she left him). Increasing a dragon's fire power by demonic means was not okay, nor was it alright to try to alter their genetic sequence with angel blood. There was no telling the consequences. Plethora had even went as far as to say once, back when Sebastian and Alec were just above fledgling stage, that Sebastian may have been forcibly stuck in human form forever if he decided to shift. This possibility had horrified all the dragons on the council. Taking away a dragon's ability to shift into their true form was against their sacred code. And while Sebastian might be a monster, even he doesn't deserve that nightmare. Such a damage to a dragon was only possible to fix through one mean alone, a questionable one at best.

"Finally. Something comes out of your mouth that I like to hear."

The two young dragons charged at each other dead on, flames sparking from their mouths.

****Magnus's POV****

"What's taking him so long?" Magnus asked. He sat up in a tree, right above Jace and Clary. The gold dragon appeared like he was content with Clary chattering away at him about nonsensical things, but Magnus could see just how still his normally twitching tail tip was.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Simon pondered from Izzy's back. The brunette was completely relaxed on top of the youngest Lightwood, his back pressed against flattened spines. It made Magnus wonder what the two had been up to since he last saw them.

"Don't look at me. I wasn't keeping time or anything," Clary said in a huff. She was acting particularly petulant after a pine cone had fallen on her head a few minutes ago.

"Well good thing no one was asking you then. Judging by the sky and the wind change it's been about an hour." Catarina affirmed, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny up at the sky. Magnus wondered how much of her calculations delved with her senses and how much was just the magic she possessed. A flicker of blue ghosted around her fingertips like a mischievous ribbon.

"That is a long time." Jace grumbled to himself. He didn't appear ready to do anything more than admit that fact. Magnus resisted the urge to facepalm. All talk and no action. It's like none of them have ever done this before.

It took him a second to realize this was probably the exact case scenario he found himself in.

Dragging a hand through his hair, tangling dark locks further then they already were in the nasty humidity, Magnus made up his mind. In one fluid motion he slid down from the tree and onto the forest floor below. The thud rocketed up his bones in a familiar jolt as he was joined with gravity. Magnus felt the sensation pass, glad to have a plan in mind. Even if Alec had things under control it couldn't hurt to check in on him.

"What are you doing Magnus?" Izzy asked.

Magnus gestured to where he knew the cave lay. "I'm going after Alec. Anyone who wants to come with me is free to join."

He almost regretted tacking the last sentence on when the first to jump to it was Clary. The redhead went from annoyed to excited in moments, green eyes gleeful. "Oh, I do! We can all go together!"

Jace frowned. "I'm not sure that's a good idea Clary."

"Valentine Morgenstern is no laughing matter," Izzy agreed in the same somber tone Jace was using.

"From what I've heard I can concur, but if this is true then how can it be wise for Alec to be sent in alone?" Catarina voiced the question in his own mind. He felt internally grateful to her and thanked whoever was listening that she'd seen the logic in his words once again.

Izzy shifted in her spot. He figured the youngest Lightwood also had misgivings about the situation. "I'm worried too but . . . this is Alec. If anyone can handle this situation it would be him."

"And what if he can't?" Magnus challenged. He didn't doubt the power of the young prince, but as the minutes turned into hours he became more and more impatient. And, well, maybe he was just a tad nervous too. Surely Alec would have been back by now if things were going swimmingly?

"You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you care about Alec, Magnus." Simon piped in. The brunette had his attention on him, the rims of his glasses reflecting the dying light.

"And I'd say your an idiot. Magnus is a hunter Simon. A Hunter could never care for a dragon," Clary said with disdain. Jace and Izzy frowned, a silent conversation passing between them as they looked at one another. Magnus could only imagine what might be going through their heads.

He shifted awkwardly in place when the dragons focused on him, speculation clear in their eyes. Magnus cleared his throat, ignoring the lingering silence. Without any weapons he would be putting himself at risk, but hopefully fighting a dragon was not in the realm of possibilities for today.

"On that note, I'll just be going."

He wasn't surprised no one stopped him, though a trill of annoyance pierced through his veins.

***Alec's POV***

The two dragons were a tangle of limbs, claws snagging on scales and flashes of blue light piercing the darkness with each dominant strike Alec gave. Exhilaration pumped in his veins and fueled him to move faster, a patience settling over him each time Sebastian tried to plow into him with snapping jaws and the sharp spines of his unruly tail.

"I didn't expect the prince to know how to fight." Sebastian said with a smirk. "Royalty always acts so weak."

Alec growled. "I think you'll find royal dragons are very capable." He sent a hot blast of flames in Sebastian's direction, feeling a ting of pleasure as some of the white dragons scales were singed along his forearm. Causing pain to another dragon usually made him feel sick, but Sebastian wasn't like normal dragons. If anything, he and his father are as close to the monsters as Magnus imagines. But he would not dare tell Magnus as much, lest the hunter get bad ideas.

"Oh. How nice of you to show me." Sebastian grimaced, clawed hand reaching up to rub at the injury. Spatters of blue blood littered the dirty ground. They were a strange mosaic amidst the animal bones and pieces of fur and pebbles.

He felt his cheek sting when a sharp claw caught him beneath the eye, a low blow if there ever was one: dragons did not attack each other's faces, not since the days of war. Alec squared up his shoulders aggressively, nearly slamming them into the nearby stalagmites. While the cave had opened to a degree Alec had to remind himself that he was in close quarters. Opening his wings here and trying to fly would no doubt result in injury.

"Fighting dirty. Why am I not surprised," Alec said, his own tail lashing behind him.

"Not all of us are princes, your highness." Sebastian continued to sneer.

"Believe me, that much I know."

The two charged at each other again. Alec ducked and weaved with the blows. Sebastian used his white wings to try to cut his legs out from underneath him. Alec hopped over the blow nimbly before punching Sebastian in the face. He was in the zone, each heartbeat an echoing rhythm like the blood dried to his cheek. Neither of them had inflicted any serious wounds thankfully, though Alec worried he might have to go that far to get Sebastian to cooperate.

"Not one for talking are you?"

"We've known each other for years Sebastian, I shouldn't have to answer."

"Fair enough. You know, if things were different we could be close. I know that you're—"

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I like you. In fact, if we were the last two dragons on earth I'd rather drown myself in a pond then be with you."

"Oh my! How your words offend me." Sebastian said, tilting his head back dramatically. The blood on his opaque scales was easy to identify, smears of blue against bone white. Alec wasn't surprised to see blue flecks on his teeth either. A few good nips to his left shoulder still stung with pain.

"Yeah, well I'm about to do a lot worse."

"Alec?"

That familiar voice made his head turn. And he gasped as Magnus came into view. The hunter had no weapons on him, and seemed to be totally unaware of the danger he had just put himself into.

"Magnus! Get out of here!"

"Oh! How nice of your pet to join us. Mind if I have a bite?"

And unfortunately. To make matters worse. That was the exact moment Sebastian noticed the human as well. In the blink of an eye, he was leaping at the hunter. It was all Alec could do to lunge forward and block Sebastian from sinking his teeth and claws into Magnus. Magnus, who had so much training but for some reason still lacked common sense. Pain surged up in him like a tidal wave as Sebastian sunk his teeth right into his collarbone. There was an explosion of azure liquid soaking the ground and his chest. Magnus watched on in horror, staggering back a step. In a daze, it was only by looking at the hunter he realized that the blood was his own. In that moment he should have been angry, so very angry, but for whatever reason the emotion did not come.

Because Magnus is safe and that's all that matters.

The truth behind this thought came with a wave of peace. It settled over him like the comforting wing of the one he loved. For a brief moment, Alec could've sworn he felt the presence of his predestined right beside him, reassuring him everything would be alright.

"Alexander!"

Alec let out a sigh, using that comfort to do the only thing he could.

The world became lit with a starry blaze.