****Alec's POV****
After all the hassle the last few days, it was understandable Isabelle and Jace wanted to get away for awhile. He was all for the occasional break, as long as it didn't get in the way of his royal duties. Though of course, Isabelle's choice of where to relax was a whole other issue in itself.
"Come on Alec! It'll be fun!" Izzy whined.
"No means no Izzy," He said.
They were both up in Alec's cave room. The whole Lightwood family lived in their own hollowed out cave system. It was the perfect place to shelter in natural disasters. The walls were smoother out from a flood back in ancient times. His floors were carpeted by soft bear skin and the weird white fluff sheep tended to shed all over the place. His bed on the stone slab in the back room was covered in the fluffy stuff, just the right amount to snuggle in.
"Please Alec! You know Jace and I are going to go anyways if you don't come. Plus, you need to get out some brother, it does you no good to stay cooped up in the valley all the time."
Izzy's words held a ring of truth. Still, Alec felt uneasy. There's been so many deaths lately. Who knows where the hunters might be lying in wait. While the weapon engrossed humans usually weren't the ambushing type, that didn't mean they weren't capable of trying new things. He pictured Jace and Isabelle's corpses laying in the bottom of the spring. Their wings were at awkward angles, their eyes blank of any emotion with all the life drained out. He shuddered.
"You're right about one thing, you both will go without me. And seeing as you're so reckless, I guess I'll tag along. But you'll stick close to me. Are we clear?"
The arched stripes along his chest and stomach lit up at his commanding tones. There were some dragon kings and queens who could make anyone bow to them just by the glowing of their stripes. Alec didn't like the idea of forced loyalty though. It left him sick in the stomach. Speaking of his stomach, his belly let out a low pitched groan. When did I last eat? This morning, or was it last night? The routine of his everyday made things past by in a blur at times. Maybe it would be best to add something new in for a change. At the very least he wouldn't forget mealtime then.
"Haha! Let's get you some food and then we'll be on our way," Izzy said.
**Time Skip**
The wind blew its cool undercurrents beneath his wings, relaxing the built tension in his back. He glided through the clouds with Jace and Isabelle on either side of him. The rules from their parents were simple: be back before dark and no interaction with humans. The last rule had made Jace and Isabelle whine in disappointment. He didn't know exactly what scandalous things they got up to, but he did know they had been around humans a time or two.
Using their shapeshifting ability for no good. Yes, it was true dragons could take the form of many things —humans, for instance— but Alec hardly ever did so. He found the his gangly body and pale skin extremely foreign, so different from his dark scales and long wings.
"How much longer till we get to the springs? I'd like to get home before supper."
"Don't get your wings in a twist big brother. We're almost there." Izzy told him.
"We better be. I'm getting thirsty."
Jace had predictably been complaining about his thirst for the past ten minutes now. Alec should know. He had been counting the seconds since they left their hidden home. Coming out into the woods usually brought him pleasure, but lately he was left uneasy. Father had told him just had many dragons had been dying lately, the number tallying up to much higher than either Izzy or Jace were allowed to see. There was some things only the Council of Elders, the King, the Queen, and heir could know. On days like these he wished to tell them. But at the same time, he couldn't bare to be the cause of the nervous tension in them.
They are free of responsibility. Happy without fault. I won't be the one to take that away from them. Unfortunately for Alec, it wasn't always up to him. Fate would have other plans. Said plans started to unfold the second Isabelle dived down towards their destination, without waiting up for either Alec or Jace. Her deep red form landed right beside a few tiny blobs, that gave him a jolt of fear. Humans!
Wait for us!" Jace called out to Izzy. The golden dragon dove down after her, his wings reflecting sunlight.
"No guys! Don't land! Don't land!" Alec called after them. Neither of them heeded his words as they touched down next to the possibly weaponized humans. The scrawny figures were eyeing his siblings with a mixture of what looked to be awe and terror.
"Come on! It's safe! These little humans mean no harm!" Izzy called up to him from down below. Her dark eyes were impossible to make out from so far away, but Alec just knew they were locked in on him.
"I'm coming down, but only to make sure you idiots don't get yourself killed," Alec said reluctantly.
His claws touched the ground lightly as his wings gave a final flap before folding up behind his back. He assessed the area for possible threats, hardly paying any mind to the guzzling spring they came here for. The horses flopping around the spring were also paid little to no mind, except for by Jace who was eyeing one of them like they might be a tasty treat.
When he was just a mere dragonet, Alec had come here several times so this place wasn't knew to him at all. Blue eyes flitted over three non-threatening humans before meeting a sharp golden gaze. The guy was dressed not for comfort, but instead for possible impending battle. He could smell the metal of blades and see the fletchers of arrows pointing out behind the man's back. But it wasn't until he stared into the man's strange golden eyes that he realized exactly who he was.
It can't be!
"Magnus. Is that you?"
From the way the golden eyed man stiffened at his name being said out loud, Alec got his answer. Magnus said nothing, his only other reaction the tight clenching on one of the sword hilts sticking out from underneath his waistcoat.
"Wait. You two know each other?"