We Are All Drawn to What's Broken & Beautiful

Nowhere to Run

"Give him a room, Magnus. You have so many and he can't stay there in that tiny cell forever." Ragnor said but Magnus clearly was not listening to him.

The prince had his arms folded across his chest and was staring out of the window of his room. He appeared to be thinking hard, so Ragnor was surprised at the words that came out of his mouth.

"I need you to leave. And take Cat with you." He said without preamble.

Magnus' eyes darkened and he turned to look him.

"Do you really have to ask, Ragnor? You hit me last night. All for a spoiled princess." He growled and Ragnor stared.

"You're kicking us out because I hit you when you were not making sense?" Disbelief coloured his tone and he huffed when the prince nodded, his gaze icy.

"No, I'm not leaving the Lightwood boy in your care. God knows you might kill him."

"This isn't a choice, Ragnor." Magnus said coldly, not moving from his stand in front of the window. Ragnor raised his chin defiantly.

He turned to leave the room, his shoulders stiff.

"We're not leaving, Magnus. Not until you show that you are capable of caring about someone else other than yourself."

Alec was cold. Freezing, in fact. The chill seeped through the stone and wind swept through the window, ruffling his hair.

His body hurt from lying on the hard floor for so long and he had nothing but his soaking wet cloak for warmth.

He had wrung out the cloak as best as he could and huddled in a corner, trying to make himself as small as possible. But the stone walls held no warmth and his lips were turning blue from the cold.

He was all cried out, his tears freezing on his cheeks as they rolled down his face. He had held in his sobs, not wanting to give his captor any satisfaction from seeing him cry.

The man, Magnus, had not returned, after double checking the lock on the door before stalking off.

Alec wondered if he would die of hypothermia before the night was over. His fingers felt as if they might fall off any moment and he shivered again, wincing when his cheek brushed against the freezing stone.

Thunder rumbled and the rain had not stopped falling, strong winds buffeting the tower.

The prince could barely hear the footsteps approaching above the roar of the storm. He looked up though, when the door creaked.

He remained in his corner as a shadow fell over him, a gentle hand curling around his forearm.

"Come."

It was the man from earlier, the one who had escorted Isabelle off the grounds. His hand was warm and he steadied the prince when he staggered getting up, his knees frozen and shaky.

"I didn't get your... your name earlier." Alec panted, his breath misting white. He shivered and the man shook his head, his expression disapproving.

"I'm Ragnor. You'll have to excuse Magnus. He is quite the drama queen." His accent was thick, curling pleasantly around the words. Alec leaned against him weakly, eyes pleading.

"Isabelle, is she..."

"She'll make it alright. I gave her a charm that will help her find her way." Ragnor said gently, the prince's features softening with relief. He patted his shoulder and picked up Alec's soaking wet cloak.

"Let's get you a warm bath and some food, shall we?"

-

The room that he was led into was beautifully decorated, the big bay windows draped with blue velvet curtains. His cloak was dripping water onto a plush white carpet.

Ragnor tutted, pushing open an adjoining door to reveal a splendid bathroom, fully furnished.

A bathtub sat at its center, steam rising off the water. The air smelt of roses and lavender, sweet and calming.

Alec could feel his muscles relaxing as he made his way over to the tub. Ragnor brought him a fluffy white robe, hanging it over a golden towel rod near the tub.

"I assume you can wash yourself." He said with a pointed glance at the dishes full of every soap and oil that Alec could ever need.

The prince managed a nod, barely able to keep his jaw from dropping.

The castle had looked dilapidated from the outside. He had not expected to see such lavish facilities. Ragnor nodded at him and exited the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him.

His fingers trembled as he fumbled with his shirt, tugging it off his body hastily. He felt disgusting and cold. The water was practically calling to him.

Alec groaned with pleasure as he sank into the water, the warmth washing over him. His frozen limbs thawed slowly as he let himself soak, uncaring of the time passing.

He wanted to sink beneath the surface of the water and stay there forever.

But Ragnor knocked on the door after an undetermined amount of time and announced that Magnus wished for him to join him for dinner.

The nerve of him.

The prince scoffed, dragging himself out of the now cold water and wrapping the soft robe around him. He yanked open the bathroom door, his expression impassive.

"Tell him that I would rather starve than eat with him." He said icily and before Ragnor could protest, slammed the door shut again.

His heart pounding, Alec slid down in front of the door, hugging his knees. The scent of roses and lavender still hung in the air, reminding him heavily of his mother. He wondered what Magnus would do to him when he received the word.

He pressed his face into his knees as tears welled once more in his eyes. His teeth dug into his lower lip and he suppressed the sobs once more, fingers clenching in the fabric of the robe.

There was another knock on the door, and a voice, a female one this time, calling his name.

"Alec, open the door please." Alec stiffened, freezing in place. The woman's tone was gentle and soothing, as if she was speaking to a child.

"Who are you?" He asked before he could help himself.

There was a bear of silence before he got an answer.

"Catarina Loss. Will you open the door?"

Alec rose to his feet, pulling the door open.

Catarina Loss was a dark skinned woman with jet black hair bound up in a neat bun. Her smile was gentle as she surveyed Alec, who was far taller than she.

"I don't want to eat with him." Alec blurted out, immediately ashamed of how shaky his voice was. He clapped a hand over his mouth and hiccuped, forcing down the sob that threatened to rise out of him.

He missed Izzy and his castle, the cosy warm place his mother had made home after his father had died. He missed Jace and Max and his mother. The thought that he would never see any of them ever again made him sick.

"You don't have to." She murmured, stepping aside. Alec chewed his lip nervously as she turned around, walking out the bedroom where fresh clothes had been laid out for him.

"Magnus is a big boy, he can eat by himself." Catarina grinned and Alec felt a rush of relief.

He was not alone in this castle after all.