Simon and Clary had just jumped behind the siblings to find themselves in a beautiful forest with snowflakes falling all around them, the couple looked around mesmerized by its beautyو "After you, Mr. Vice President." Jace said sarcastically, making Simon and Clary take the lead while he and Sarah trailed behind them.
"You know, for a dangerous mission, the Seelie Court's pretty romantic."
"It's like being dropped inside a fairy tale. Which makes sense. Faeries do live here."
"Don't be fooled, Seelies will trick you into your own self-destruction just because they're bored." Sarah snickered walking behind the couple with trudging steps.
"You just can't be cheerful for once, can you?" Sarah grinned ignoring Simon as she walked through the forest, She was lost in thought barely conscious about what's going on around her, she was pulled out of her thoughts at Jace's yelling, "Simon, get away from the tree!"
He pulled the vampire away from the tree, pushing him onto the ground, Simon shrugged Jace off standing up while dusting his cloth, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Saving you. As usual."
Simon frowned, glancing from Jace to the tree in bewilderment, "From a tree?
"That is called a kill-tree. It would have wrapped its vines around you and torn you limb from limb." Jace explained looking at Simon like he was looking at a little kid who was ignorant of everything going around them.
"What?"
Sarah shrugged turning to the gullible Simon whose mouth was gaped open in shock, "That tree almost tore your pretty face off." She remarked with a smile as if the idea amused her.
"You think I'm pretty?"
The brunette facepalmed, "You wish." She said with a smirk, "If you wanna survive, don't touch, eat or smell anything. No matter how small."
Simon nodded before the group hastened to get to the palace where the queen resided, "It's so beautiful." Clary remarked staring at the place in wonder.
The group walked into an open space with a throne in the middle, Seelies immediately approached the group whispering their greetings, Sarah could feel the Seelie taking her sword away, she didn't fight it knowing that it was the queen's orders, she was just grateful that she got to keep a dagger inside her boot for desperate times.
"My stele. Our weapons." Clary said in distress looking at the Seelies who just walked away from the group. The Queen rose from her throne, she was a little girl probably ten years old but Sarah wasn't fooled by her younger look, "You'll get them back when you leave the court."
Jace and Sarah immediately bowed, "Your Majesty..." They nodded to Simon and Calry who awkwardly tried to bow down to the queen, "What a rare honor." Sarah remarked still bowing before the Queen nodded at the vampire.
"Why is the vampire here? He was not invited." She commented not taking her eyes off of him, Clary seemed to notice rushing to her boyfriend's aid, "He's with me."
"Your majesty, Simon is our faithful friend, he's to be trusted. He has proven himself to be a worthy warrior a couple of times, so we insisted he be here with us today. I'm sure you understand." Sarah said her voice not wavering, She was trying to be as truthful as she could while talking about the vampire.
The Queen nodded her head satisfied by the brunette's answer, "Very well. The vampire can stay."
"Your generosity won't go unnoticed." The Queen didn't take her eyes off of the brunette as she took extra few steps to her, She wrapped her fingers around Sarah's hand pulling her to a big table that had different types of food on it.
The Shadowhunters along with the vampire sat down on the pillows waiting for the Queen to finish with her servants, Clary turned to Jace, "I thought you said she was ancient. She hasn't even hit puberty."
"She is ancient. She uses Seelie magic to manipulate her age."
"Genius. She tries to seem all innocent and cute, but really she's just-"
"Hungry?" The Queen cut Simon off sitting down on the last empty pillow, Simon was pale as the snowflakes that were falling earlier in the forest so Jace decided to take the heat off of him turning to the Queen, "That's very kind, but we really should discuss business."
The Queen sighed in boredom, "Business is boring. That's why I sent a proxy to your Downworlder cabinet meeting. I'd like to know more about Valentine's children."
"Child, actually. I'm the only one." Clary interjected with her eyes cast down in shame in being associated with Valentine's name, "But wasn't he a father to you, Sarah?"
"Trust me, your majesty, he never even came close."
"Yet the same blood runs through your veins. The blood of the Angel. Please, show me what it can do." The Shadowhunters glanced at each other in the discomfort of her request, "Don't be shy."
"We're still learning how it works," Jace answered shortly as to not get into any details.
"Are you?" She retorted before turning to the vampire, "And you, vampire? Are you still learning to walk in the sun?"
Simon's eyes widened having not expected that the Queen would know about his newly acquired power, "Wow, word travels fast down here."
"It does. I hear whispers from the birds, the bees, and the bugs. They're all in my service."
Jace took this chance to talk about what they originally came for, "So was Kaelie. Were you surprised to hear one of your knights was killing Shadowhunters?"
The Queen smirked as if she was waiting for Jace to say that, "Were you?" she retorted, "Kaelie was your lover."
"I was surprised. Kaelie didn't seem capable of such brutality."
"Precisely why she made an effective killer. The sweeter the honey, the deadlier the trap."
"Did Kaelie kill on her own or was she working with someone else?" Sarah wondered looking at the Queen who turned to her maid grabbing an apple, she threw it in the air before catching it again without taking her eyes off of the brunette
"Another knight helped. But I took care of him."
"By "took care of", you mean..."Simon trailed off, he didn't want to think that the Queen spared him after what they have done to the Shadowhunters.
"Dead, dead, dead." She took a vicious bite from the apple revealing her sharp set of teeth, she chewed on it for a second before throwing the apple on the table making Clary and Simon flinch away.
"Sarah, I'd like a moment alone with you." The Queen said but it was more of a demand that the brunette had to frown in bewilderment, "Me?"
Jace clenched his jaw looking at the Queen, "My lady, perhaps you could discuss here. We prefer not to be separated."
"What I am about to say concerns Sarah only." She said whilst Sarah stood up putting her hand on Jace's shoulder, "It's fine, Jace." She said before turning to the Queen, "Whatever her majesty wants." She knew better than to say no to the Queen.
The Queen took Sarah in a passage through the forest walking beside the brunette, when she was sure she was out of earshot she turned to Sarah with an appreciative look, "Valentine really outdid himself when he took you in."
Sarah scoffed, "You mean kidnapped me from my real parents." Sarah wasn't sure if that was even what happened but judging by what he did with Jace, she made her own assumptions.
The Queen's face creased in confusion, "Is that what you think?" Sarah avoided looking at her as they both halted to a stop, "You don't know the whole story, do you?"
"And you do?"
"Of course."
Sarah shook her head, the Queen was certainly trying to play games with her, She sighed agitated at the waste of time on this conversation that was clearly going nowhere, "Your majesty, If there's a reason you wanted to talk to me privately, I'm listening we don't want to be wasting precious time especially yours."
She smiled pleased by Sarah's respect for her, "You're as charming as Valentine once was." Sarah rolled her eyes about to say something when the Queen cut her off, "I want to be friends. Allies. I feel darker times are coming, Sarah, and my feelings are rarely wrong. You and I may need each other."
It was a weird request, someone as powerful as Seelie Queen should care less about a Shadowhunter, "Why would I ally myself with you? Turn against my kind?"
"Because you're different, You barely scratched the surface of the extent of your powers, I'll help you reach the potential Valentine never even helped you graze. With my help, you'll almost be an angel."
The brunette was uncomfortable, it's true she wanted to know more about what's going on with her starting with the rune on her chest to the powers she seemed to have, she wouldn't deny that she was curious but she was also wary of the woman, "Why aren't you offering this to Jace and Clary too?"
"Creating runes doesn't really interest me and turning them on without a stele, hardly interesting. You're more powerful obviously, I can just feel it where I am standing."
Sarah turned to the Queen skeptically, seizing the situation slowly. She didn't how to answer that offer, The little girl seemed to realize the brunette's dilemma, "You've got nothing to be wary of, Sarah. As a sign of good faith, I'll tell what your last name is."
"What is it?" The Seelie Queen ushered the brunette to lean down so that she could whisper the name, the queen muttered a name in Sarah's ear like a school girl sharing gossip with her friends except this wasn't high school and this was definitely not gossip. Sarah's eyes widened whirling at the queen as she straightened up, "That's impossible." The girl was unfazed by Sarah's shocked expression, "Is it? and yet Seelies can't lie."
"But Valentine... How?" She sputtered unable to believe the Seelie who unquestionably wasn't lying, The Queen shrugged, "Your mother trusted him. Guess it was misplaced or was it?"
"I want to know everything."
A smirk crept on the girl's lips, her shoulders shrugging, "You know what you have to do to get the answers you want."
"I...I can't... I don't.." She stammered for the first time in her life Sarah had no idea what to say, she was like a deer caught in headlights with no time to think over anything. The Queen understood giving the brunette a tight-lipped smile, "It's okay. I don't want an answer to my offer straight away. Take your time I'm willing to wait. I'm a very patient woman."
"Is everything okay?" Jace asked as soon as Sarah came out of the walk she just had with the Queen, she felt pressured in this place, she nodded at Jace, "Yeah"
"Your Majesty, with your permission, we should get going," Sarah said with a strained smile, bowing to the queen whose smile never left her face.
"Sarah, you're free to go, but I still need to talk to the vampire." Simon glanced at the Shadowhunters before following the Queen towards the same path she just came out from.
"What did she want?" Jace whispered in the brunette's ear but she only shook her head, not wanting to get into it, not after the news she just got, "Not here."
"Father, it hurts." A young, little brunette girl held her knee that had a big gash of blood oozing from it, she looked up at the man that was towering over her with a calculated look, he bent down to get to the girl's height looking at her thoughtfully, "What did I tell you about the pain?"
The little girl swallowed heavily trying to breathe through the pain but apparently, it was useless, "The best weapon a warrior can wield is---" She took a breath looking determinedly at the man, "their ability to endure pain."
"It's true. You master your pain and no one can have a hold on you." The girl nodded as a few beads of sweat fell from her forehead she grabbed the couch she was settled on in a death grip. "But it's been too long, I can't take it."'
"Yes, you will." He said as if he wasn't bothered by the girl being in pain or the fact that she was just ten years old, "Now give me your stele. You'll get when you're fully healed." She bit her lips handing the stele to her father who took it before sauntering out of the living room leaving the girl to deal with the wound.
Sweat started drizzling from the little girl's forehead after wrapping her knee with a towel, she rested her body on the bed but she failed, turning in her bed restlessly a head filled with blonde hair caught her eyes, she narrowed her eyes at the little body that moved secretly towards her, "J!" Her eyes widened in shock trying to get her voice to a whisper, "What are you doing?"
"If father finds you--" She started, looking around scared that her father would barge into her room, "He won't. Trust me." He said assuredly taking out the bandage from his pocket, the girl wasn't letting up still looking at the door wearily
"But he said...." The boy cut her off before she could continue, "You're in pain, it doesn't matter what he said plus he'd never know." He smiled at her through the darkness of the room that was only illuminated by the moonlight, "It'll be our secret." They both shared a smile though the girl couldn't help the thunderous beating of her heart.
Sarah rolled in the bed, looking at the ceiling chasing the remainings of her dream away, when she turned to Magnus' side of the bed she had realized that it was empty, a frown found its way to the brunette's eyebrows before rolling out of bed.
"Magnus?" She called out to the warlock who sat on the couch in his living room lost in thought, she called out to him again, approaching the man with a crease on her forehead, Magnus seemed to finally come down from whatever haze he was lost into, "Good morning."
"You know what would make it even better?" Sarah asked raising her eyebrows suggestively at Magnus, "You in bed. But I've woken up to an empty one. Is there something bothering you?"
"Nothing is bothering me. I've even gotten used to your adorable little snores."
"I don't think I snore. It's not possible." Sarah denied, raising her eyebrows at the warlock who started imitating her snores, she shook her head with a little laugh before her eyes zoomed seriously on Magnus, "Look, I know something is going on with you."
"Sarah, I'm fine." He wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her for a kiss which made the brunette melt in it sighing in pleasure before Magnus looked at her with the same look she gave earlier, "So, what about you?" He pulled her hand to sit beside him on the couch, "Have you decided what you're gonna do about the Seelie Queen's offer?"
Sarah sighed, she had told the warlock what happened at the Seelie Queen although she had hidden the fact that the Queen had told her what her family's name was, it's not that she didn't trust Magnus but it was the fact that she herself wasn't sure if she could accept the fact that the name she heard was actually, she certainly needed to know more.
"I don't know, if I accept then I'd be betraying the Clave, and if I don't then I would never know what I'm capable of and just...." Sarah trailed off her nervousness about that offer evident in her voice but she knew she could always confide in Magnus who turned to her with a smile on his face, "Whatever you decide, I'll stand by you."
Sarah nodded but she couldn't help the worry that etched itself on her face and heart for the warlock who looked spacey like he was lost in his own mind, a thing Sarah knew all too well, "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked unsure that Magnus would answer a different response.
"Positive." She let it go so she wouldn't seem pushy in her concern for him.
Sarah stood beside Valentine in the OPs center after Alec called for an emergency meeting the pair was joined by Isabelle and Jace after a few moments, "I have requested that we move Valentine to the Gard in Idris. The Clave has approved the transfer."
"What, you told them about the assassination attempt?" That's what Sarah couldn't understand, a lot of people wanted Valentine dead, she knew that much but the fact that whoever used Luke to get to Valentine wouldn't do it himself considering that whoever was it had the means to.
"No. I explained to them that moving Valentine out of the city is the best way to restore relations with the Downworld. I left Luke out of it." Sarah nodded, appreciating Alec's decisions they didn't want another clash between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders
"It is the right decision." Sebastian took the words right out of the brunette's mouth as if he knew what she was thinking, it was a little disturbing but she never let it show.
"But we have not given up finding who orchestrated the hit on Valentine." Alec added looking at Sebastian pointedly, he quickly nodded clearing his throat, "I actually have a few leads on that. I'll, um, I'll get a report in by the end of the day."
Sebastian took his leave as Alec looked at his sister, "Izzy, you'll be leading the transfer mission." He turned to the other siblings, "Jace, Sarah, you will assist."
"We need to remove Valentine's Circle rune. The new wards in Idris won't let him pass with it on. Sarah, do you want the honors?"
"Thought you'd never ask," Sarah said with a hint of a smile on her face.