A Broken Future

Chapter Two: A Sky-Blue Dress

Amatis returned to the throne room soon, and, leading Clary outside of the room and down the hall, took her to the bedroom. When the soldier opened the heavy door, it was immediately evident to Clary that the space was designed to be grand, and to be shared.
A flat, wooden floor space met a circular platform, the two connected by a few stairs. On it was an also circular bed, adorned with a scarlet quilt and pillows. The arched wall of the platform was set with several curved, rectangular windows that looked out at the barren desert. The space held an air of simple, terrifying beauty, much like her brother himself.
To her right, against the wall, was a black dresser. Several of the drawers were adjacent, and boy's clothes and dark red gear lay askew. Left of the door was an identical dresser; however, this one was spotlessly in order. Clary imagined it was full of clothes for her, just as Valentine had filled the apartment wardrobes with garments for her mother.
Between the corner of the left wall and the round platform was another door that she figured lead to a bathroom.
"This... This is my bedroom?" Clary asked, and immediately felt stupid. Amatis had been told by Sebastian to take her to her bedroom, and the soldiers were programmed to follow orders exactly as they were given.
"Yes," the woman answered. "You will sleep here every night."
I shiver ran up Clary's spine. "And Sebastian will sleep here, too?"
"Yes. Lord Sebastian wishes to rule and live beside you, as it shall be." She sounded only slightly irritated by her ruler's desire to have Clary; the Endarkened Amatis did not seem to regard her with much preference.
The soldier, still in her gear, strode over to the neat dresser and slid open one of the drawers. She pulled out a dress of silk, the color a soft and carefree blue, and held it up with a look of disregard. It reminded Clary of the bright summer sky when her she, parents, and Simon had gone to Luke's farmhouse. Such a gentle color seemed shocking in the overall harsh landscape of the world.
"You will wear this tonight," Amatis said, thrusting the garment toward Clary, "as it is a celebration of victory."
She nodded, and the Endarkened warrior left the room, her trail of gray hair following. The door shut with a small bang, and Clary jumped. She quickly made her way toward the bathroom, trying to shake off her dazed reverie.
As she slid on the blue dress, words bounced around in her head. Though they should have brought her fear and anxiety, they only seemed to bounce off of her overall shock from the situation. He has all the power here, Magnus had said, the power to do whatever he wants. And he will live forever.
You cannot change a Morgenstern man, Clary, her mother had advised. You think you can, because you're the only thing he loves, but you can't. They don't change.
You can have Clary, Jace said. She could see his face, stricken, broken, disappointed. She belongs to you. Voice cracking, he dropped the bracelet in a delighted Sebastian's hand. Every tone of fear and regret stained his voice.
Swallowing hard, Clary gave herself a blank stare at the mirror. The waist of the dress hugged her body, giving her curves she didn't think existed. The belt, sewn onto the dress, was of plain white silk. The neckline dipped uncomfortably low, baring her collar bones and a great portion of her chest. Blue fabric cascaded down, just brushing the tops of her knees. Who would have thought something beautiful could exist in a world so ugly? she wondered.
With a deep, steadying breath, she left the bathroom and headed for the downstairs dining hall.