metanoia | alec lightwood

15

"You set him up to kill that vampire!" I immediately raised my voice at our father, when we came out the other side of the portal, back on Valentine's ship.

"Your brother killed her because it was the right thing to do." Valentine begged to differ, pulling out the two arrows he had taken for us, "The world's a safer place without that thing wreaking havoc."

"It wasn't right-" I argued, gesturing around to all the imprisoned Downworlders, "None of this is right!"

"They've tricked you into thinking that it isn't-" Valentine argued, "Would you rather turn her over to the Clave to stand trial?"

"That is my job!" Jace confronted, "The Law is hard, but it is the Law-"

"The Law." Valentine said with him, "Yet the Clave does nothing, nothing to enforce that."

"Downworlders multiply with a bite or a scratch, while our numbers dwindle year after year." Valentine healed his wounds with his Iratze, "If we don't do something, a den like that one is gonna be on every corner on every street in the world."

Valentine looked between Jace and I, as we were silent, "This is the only way."

I shook my head, walking past him, "You're wrong."

"The only reason you think that is because your mother has you thinking against the greater good." argued Valentine when Jace joined my side, "Look, I know you both even better than you know yourselves."

"You don't know me- you don't know us, at all." I immediately counteracted, "Just because you raised us does not change the fact that you manipulated both of us."

"You both saved my life." Valentine shot the truth right in our faces, making me go dead silent, "You could've Portaled me anywhere, handed me over to the Clave in Idris, but- did you?"

Neither Jace or I could reply.

"No, because deep down inside, you know that-" Valentine looks between us, "I'm right."

"You're wrong." My voice fell raspy and low, as I walked past him, leaving him with Jace.

-

[ alec's pov ]

"Alec, are you okay?" Clary's irritable voice filled my ears when she walked into the training room to find me repeatedly hitting he punching back in anger.

I breathed heavily, leaning against the punching bag, only glancing at her, "Pretty bold of you to show your face here."

Clary inhales, "I can explain-"

"Unless your explanation can bring Zee or Jace back, save it." I looked away and hit the punching bag once more, but harder, my arms numb already.

"Alec, Jace is my brother, too." Clary stuttered in surprise, "Zee's my sister-"

"You barely know them." I stopped, facing her, anger threaded in my voice, "I grew up with them- I fought by their side- I felt the pain when Zee was kidnapped, I felt the pain when she came back to not know who any of us were- you never knew her- you never knew them til a few weeks ago-"

"Alec-" Clary was stammering, "Alec, I want Zee and Jace back as much as you do, I- I am not my mother."

"How well do I even know you?" I scoffed deeply at her words, "I mean, you show up out of nowhere, you convince my brother, you convince me, I mean- you even convince Zee to help search for your mother."

"Even when she had her own problems to deal with- of being manipulated by her own father, Valentine taking her memories of her mother, Jace, Isabelle- me." I continued, "And she still helped you search and wake your mother."