Their Souls Entwined

Love Makes Us Stronger

The morning sun brought the promise of a new day. Isabelle Lightwood stood in front of her floor-length mirror looking back at her reflection; her swirling runes which patterned her arms and body, her luscious locks of hair which had been delicately curled, and her stunning wedding gown which shimmered in the light. She thought about the events which lay ahead of her; in a couple of hours, she would walk down the aisle, declare her love for one man, and promise to spend the rest of her life with him. A smile spread across her face, as she envisioned it all, and she hadn't even noticed Clary enter the room. "Hey," Clary said, putting her hand on the other girl's shoulder, "You okay?" Izzy blinked and nodded, "Never better," she replied. For a long time, Izzy didn't allow herself to get too close to anyone; she had had boyfriends, but never anyone that she was serious about. She supposed what had happened between her parents, had impacted her look on love and relationships; she didn't want to be hurt like that, for runes could heal external injuries, but there were no runes for healing a broken heart. But then she had seen how much Alec had sacrificed for Magnus, and how much Jace had changed in loving Clary, and she had realised that she wanted that too. She couldn't have pinpointed the exact moment she had fallen in love with Simon; it had just happened throughout spending time with him and knowing him. "Clary, can I ask you something?" Izzy said suddenly. Clary, who had been putting on a simple silver necklace, turned around and smiled, "Of course," she said. Isabelle looked at the ground for a moment before she spoke, "Do you think it's normal to be a little nervous on your wedding day?" Clary chuckled, "Considering that our lives revolve around killing demons, and there's a chance that a demon hoard could crash the wedding at any point, I would be surprised if you weren't a little nervous," she responded. Izzy rolled her eyes, "Not funny," she said to the other girl who was now grinning, "I think Jace's terrible sense of humour is rubbing off on you." The two girls spent the rest of the morning in the room, whilst the event hall of the institute filled with guests. It was the same hall in which Alec and Magnus' wedding had been held, but the two weddings could not have differed more. Alec and Magnus' wedding had been the orangey-red colours of autumn, whilst Izzy and Simon's wedding was all white and pale-pink; nods to both Simon's mundane upbringing and Izzy's favourite colour. A knock at the door brought the end to the conversation Clary and Izzy had been having about Jewish weddings; it was customary for a glass to be broken during the ceremony, and Izzy wanted to surprise Simon by mixing a touch of his faith into the wedding. Clary turned to face Izzy, "Are you ready?" She asked excitedly. Izzy looked from Clary to the door, "I'm ready," she said.

"Why do you look so nervous, I'm the one who's getting married," Simon said to Jace as they stood at the end of the aisle. "I never look nervous," Jace responded coolly, "Anyway it's about to start so turn around, and make sure you don't say the wrong name." A confused expression crossed Simon's face, "Why would I say the wrong name?" he asked. Jace shrugged and leaned forward, "I don't know, Clary made me watch this show where some guy called Ross said the wrong girl's name during their vows. I will never understand the mundane culture," he said before he turned to stand straight. The soft music of violins had begun, indicating the arrival of the bride; Izzy had always liked violins but she could never learn to play one. Clary walked out first, carrying a mini cushion with two rings on it; Jace's eyes immediately met hers and he felt his heart beat a little faster in his chest as she walked down the aisle. Had she ever looked more beautiful? He found himself thinking. She was then followed by Rebecca, who couldn't contain her excitement, and beamed at guests as she walked down the aisle. Finally came Isabelle, accompanied by her father Robert; Magnus had enchanted the ceiling, so orchid petals of pink and white rained down from the sky as she walked. Guests turned and looked upon the bride in awe as she passed them, but Izzy's eyes rested upon Simon who was wearing a crisp black suit; he was looking back at her as if she was a miracle he happened to have stumbled across. Upon reaching the head of the aisle, she took Simon's hands in hers and looked into his deep brown eyes, "You look beautiful," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. She smiled brightly and squeezed his hands affectionately as the ceremony began. It was not a long ceremony; following the vows, Izzy placed a Lightwood family ring on Simon's finger, and he in-return placed a wedding band on hers. Afterwards, Izzy presented him with the glass, which brought tears to his eyes; they broke the glass as accustomed, and the guests cheered and clapped as Izzy and Simon shared their first kiss as a married couple.

***

Clary and Simon were standing in the beautifully decorated banquet hall of the institute; there were blooming flowers everywhere you looked, and Magnus had once again bewitched the ceiling, which now reflected the evening sky outside. "The place looks amazing," Simon said as he looked up at the clouds floating above him, "It reminds me a bit of a scene from Harry Potter, crossed with a scene from The Great Gatsby; you know, the one when Gatsby surprises Daisy at the house and has the room filled with flowers." Clary and Simon had studied The Great Gatsby back in high school; it felt like a lifetime ago now, but the memories still made her smile. She felt a warm hand touch her waist and placed her hand over it; her fingers tracing the scars caused by years of battle. Jace. She turned to look up at him and couldn't help the flush that came to her cheeks; even now, the looks he gave her still took her breath away. He smiled down at her, and Clary thought he looked a little nervous; maybe it was because Simon was now his brother-in-law. He then tore his gaze away from her and asked Simon if he could borrow her for a moment. "Where are we going," she said, as they turned away and starting walking towards the double doors that led out of the hall. Jace bent his head down and whispered in her ear, "It's a surprise". Clary laughed, "The last time you said 'it's a surprise' it didn't end very well," she remarked. Jace smiled but didn't say anything, he just continued to look straight ahead. They made their way through the institute corridors and stopped before the entrance of the Ops Centre. "Close your eyes," Jace said softly; Clary gave him a half suspicious, half-amused look but closed her eyes anyway. She felt Jace take her hand in his, and then guide them along, moving slowly. They walked a couple of steps before Jace took his hand from hers and placed it on her shoulder, turning her ever so slightly. He then removed his hand and Clary was about to ask him what he was doing, when she felt his lips brush her ear, "Okay, you can open your eyes now," he whispered, and when Clary did open her eyes, the sight in front of her was enough to bring a tear to them. The Ops centre had been cleared of all monitors and screens, and the room was filled with candles and fairy lights. Clary caught her breath as she took in the beauty of it all; the coloured rays of the setting sun that shone through the stained-glass windows, the vines of fairy lights that were wrapped across the staircase rails, and the warm glow of the candles whose flames licked the air around her. Part of her wanted to grab a sketch pad and some charcoal, with the hope of capturing the alluring sight but she didn't want to take her eyes away from it all, in case it vanished in a blink. Turning around, to where she thought Jace was standing, she was met with a sight that made her forget the coloured rays and the flickering candles; Jace was on one knee, and in the palm of his hand, rested two gleaming rings.

"The first time I met you outside Pandemonium, I couldn't get you out of my head." Jace said softly, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke, "I had told myself that afterwards, I would try and find you again; little did I know that you would end up following me and ambushing the mission instead." Clary gave a small breathy laugh as tears began to trickle down her face. "Back then, I had no idea you were going to change my life; but then you kissed me in this very spot, and somehow I just knew. Suddenly, the best part of my day wasn't going out to kill demons, it was seeing you smile or hearing your laugh. I may have been your introduction to the shadow world, but you were my introduction to an entirely new world I didn't even know I was looking for. A world where love didn't make me weak but made me strong instead; and your love made me stronger than ever. There was nothing I wouldn't have done for you, there still isn't. Each night, I go to sleep with a smile on my face, because I know that when I wake up in the morning, I will get to love you and be loved by you. That has been the greatest honour, and I want to spend the rest of my life, trying to make you as happy as you make me. Clary Fairchild, will you marry me?" Was it even possible to love someone as much as she loved him at this very moment? She found herself thinking as she gazed upon him. Clary knelt so they were at eye-level and gently placed her hand on Jace's cheek; she looked steadily into his eyes before she leaned forward and kissed him. She could taste salt on his lips and she wasn't sure whether they were his tears or her own. There was only ever Jace, there could only ever be Jace, he was entwined in every fibre of her soul from the second she had met him. A couple of moments past before she gently broke away from the kiss and smiled brilliantly at him, "Yes," she said, breathlessly, before she leaned forward and kissed him once more, this kiss more intense but none the less tender. When Jace finally drew his lips away from hers, he took the newly polished Herondale ring from his palm and rested it at the top of her ring finger, waiting for her permission to continue. When Clary smiled and nodded, he slid the ring down her finger; it fit perfectly. Clary then took the Fairchild ring and placed it on his finger, admiring the delicate pattern of wings etched on it, as she did so. She then looked into the blue and hazel of his eyes once more; these were the eyes that she loved to draw, the eyes of the person she loved most in the world, the eyes of the man she was going to marry.