Epilogue
The polar white stars were sparkling and shimmering in the Alicante skies like bejeweled grains of sand allowed to sparkle in silence. The adamas of the demon towers were giving a bright glow on the streets, highlighting the people walking on it. Everything was perfect and there was a calming silence.
All the couples gathered on the rooftop of Magnus' loft for a much-needed get-together. It's been more than a week since Malec's anniversary and everything was getting back to normal. Magnus was getting used to the new lifestyle and powers. He had started gaining control over his magic and the newly developed wings with the help of Alec and Daniel, or more precisely Daniel, as his wife is a warlock too and he made the same mistake as Alec. It was a struggle for him in the beginning, but as his husband said, he was one of the strongest warlocks to ever exist, he had gained control over himself sooner than expected.
Alec was more than happy to see his husband getting back to normal. He was no longer crying and zoning out at times, his nightmares have reduced a lot, he still gets those sometimes, but it's not that bad like before, which made him realize that he did the right thing by becoming an immortal. He got out of his thoughts when a strong pair of arms wrapped around his waist tightly.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Magnus asked.
Alec turned around in the cage of his husband's arms and pecked him on the lips. "Thinking about my charming husband."
"Hmm... I am charming!"
"Stop making us uncomfortable and get your asses back here, right now!" Izzy shouted in the background.
Both men rolled their eyes together at that.
"Shall we?" Magnus asked.
"Shouldn't keep the birthday girl waiting!"
They both walked towards the center table Magnus had conjured for the celebration. It wasn't just a get-together, it was also Izzy's birthday week and she was celebrating every single day of it. But today was actually her birthday and she was on cloud nine.
There was a huge vanilla flavored cake kept on the table which was yet to be cut, and there were several gifts scattered around the table. On a separate table nearby, the arrangements for the dinner were done. She had already celebrated her birthday in New York in the morning with the whole family and they all decided to keep the night for the couples only as they haven't had a chance to spend time together in ages.
"Seriously, both of you. At least wait till we are gone! Jeez!"
"Shut your mouth, Herondale. You know that I bear you only because of Alexander, right?" Magnus said.
"You know what, Magnus, I love you too!" Jace said mockingly.
"Okay, cut it! I can't stand you both sometimes!" Alec said while shaking his head.
"Can we now focus on my birthday!"
"Izzy, did you realize you're cutting your birthday cake for the sixth time?" Jace said.
"It's my birthday, I'll do whatever I want!" She shrugged.
The others sighed and shook their heads. They know how Isabelle Lightwood gets when she's excited and wants something. When everyone was finally gathered near the table circling around her, she cut the cake and made the wish, a wish she really wanted to come true. Everyone sang for her and gave her birthday wishes. This was her day after all. They then grabbed their plates and filled them with whatever cuisine they wanted, which Magnus had summoned for them.
After filling their plates they sat on bean bags or mini couches Magnus summoned to decorate the place, savoring the delicious food on their plates.
"Okay, where are my gifts? And don't tell me these empty boxes are my gifts! I'm not a fool!" Izzy said fiercely.
"Seriously Izzy, you used the transparency rune!" Alec shook his head in disbelief.
"What? I wanted to know what you people got me!" She shrugged.
"Then thank the angels that we didn't put your surprise here!" Jace said while shoving her hands away. "Hands off my bacon!" But she was fast, she quickly grabbed one piece of bacon.
"A surprise? You guys really planned a surprise for me?" She asked while chewing on the bacon.
"Why not, Isabelle, a woman like you with such a strong and fierce nature deserves everything."
"That's so sweet, thank you, Magnus."
"You're most welcome, Isabelle." He clicked his fingers and four different sized boxes appeared near them, two of them were really huge, one was from Magnus and the other one from Clary, the other two boxes were kept on the table, a big box one was from Jace and the smallest one which mostly looked like a card was from Alec. When they were done with their dinner, he waved his hands and all of their empty plates disappeared.
"Seriously, big brother! What is it? A sorry card?"
Alec sighed and shook his head. "Just open it to find out."
"Fine! But first," she looked at all the four boxes then looked at one of the bigger boxes which had 'Happy birthday future Parabatai' written on it. "I'll open Clary's."
She jumped from her couch and quickly walked towards it, opening it as quickly as possible, without caring about the wrapper. Everyone shook their heads at her excitement and Alec looked at Magnus wondering how similar they both are when it comes to gifts. A loud gasp and high-pitched squeal brought him back to reality.
"By the angel! It's beautiful. Thank you, Parabatai." There was a beautiful black dress worn over a dummy with some silver jewelry over it. The dress was speaking of confidence and fierceness just like Izzy.
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"This is for our Parabatai ceremony, Izzy. We decided on black, so here it is. You have to wear this only, else I'll get upset." She fake pouted.
"Don't worry, Clary, I'm definitely going to wear it. And now I get to choose yours."
"I'm sure you'll choose the best for me, like always."
Izzy walked towards her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Clary."
When they broke the hug she looked at the other gifts. "Now, let's see what my brother-in-law got me." She looked at Magnus and smiled.
The box was similar to Clary's but a little wider. She quickly opened it like the previous one and gasped. There was a beautiful antique gold-colored draped gown worn over a dummy with some light antique gold jewelry on it.
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"By the angel! It's gorgeous. Thank you, Magnus." She walked towards him and gave him a gentle hug, as she was aware of the new unknown powers he now possesses.
"I hope you liked it, Isabelle."
"Like it? I love it, Magnus. Though, I need to think of an occasion to wear it."
"Hope you'll find one soon."
She hugged him once again then walked towards the table picking up the bigger box first. As soon as she opened it she gasped and covered her mouth then looked at Jace.
"Jace! Oh my god! I don't know what to say. How?" She looked at different weapons and advanced weapons forging tools, tracing her fingers over them gently. These were the tools one can find only with the iron sisters and she was only able to use them once when she had forged Glorious.
"I'll be honest, I got a little help from Clary. I noticed your frequent visits to the weapons room and I knew you missed being there. Everyone knows your love for weapons, Izzy. So I thought this would be the best gift for you. Happy Birthday!"
"Thank you so much, Jace." She kept the box on the table and hugged him tightly. When she broke the hug, she looked at the final gift and sighed. "Now, let's see what your sorry card reads, Alec."
"It's not a sorry card, Izzy!"
"Seriously, Alec, what is it? You could've done better than a card. Magnus, at least you should have helped him." Jace said.
"To be honest, Jace, even I don't know what's in that, he didn't let me near it."
"You were that embarrassed, Alec," Izzy said, raising an eyebrow at him.
Alec sighed and shook his head. "Just open it, Izzy."
Izzy obliged, she removed the unnecessary wrapper quickly then opened the thin box, but when she saw the contents of it, her eyes watered. She looked between the box and her brother. "Alec.." She softly breathed out, put the box on the table, ran towards her brother, and hugged him as tightly as possible.
"Izzy! You haven't even seen it completely."
Everyone looked at the siblings with confusion.
"Okay, what's in that box that he got this treatment from you and not me!?" Jace said, slightly offended.
"You won't believe it, Jace," Izzy said, she picked up the box again and ran her fingers through the contents of it softly, then picked up a tiny bracelet from it which was slightly broken from several edges, but by looking at it, it was clear that it had been tried to repair recently.
It was one of her favorite bracelets she used to wear in her childhood a lot. It never was perfect as it was handmade and gifted by Alec himself on her 4th birthday, but she always loved it because her big brother had put effort to gift her something when he was barely 7 himself. It was too close to her heart that she never removed it from her hands but it got broken by Max accidentally when he was six months old and was playing with her. She doesn't remember if she had ever cried like she did that day. She lost it after some time and never found it again.
Next, she picked up a silver necklace which was in the same condition as the bracelet. She laughed softly at that and a teardrop fell on her cheek. The necklace had a wooden pendant that had a Lightwood symbol engraved on it. She remembers it really well, it was handmade by both her brothers and was gifted to her on her 13th birthday. She lost it when she was on a hunt with Maryse and both Jace and Alec got mad at that. She kept it down on the table then picked up the next thing.
It was the first-ever dark red colored lipstick she got when she was around six years old and started gaining interest in makeup and dressing up. She used to watch Maryse dressing up and wanted lipstick like her, she created a fit until she didn't get it. She didn't know how, but Alec managed to get her one and she was way too happy about it. Her happiness only lasted till the time Maryse found out and took it away.
She kept it on the table then picked up the next item, a princess tiara she got from Alec when she was barely two years old. She always used to play with it a lot, until she broke it and then lost it which made Alec mad and it took her nearly a week to convince her brother and get an apology from him. She looked at her brother with tear-filled eyes and kept the tiara on the table gently.
She gasped when she saw the next content of the box. It was a beautiful calligraphy pen made out of the feathers of Alec's wings. Looks like her recent interest in calligraphy didn't go unnoticed. She wanted an old-styled feather pen for calligraphy and now she has one.
"By the angel! Alec, how did you make a pen with the feathers of your wings?"
"They molted a few days ago, so I thought why not put it into use. And I saw how much you admired them so.." he shrugged.
She kept the pen on the table delicately then took out the next content which was actually a card but not a sorry card. On the front cover of it was a collage of her and Alec's pictures from their childhood till now. She opened the card and on the next two pages, there was a handwritten message from her big brother.
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Happy 23rd birthday, Izzy.
I didn't realize when my little princess got this big when she became a strong, fierce, and full of confident women. I'm really proud of the person you've become. I knew that you were always outspoken and confident, but I didn't know that deep down inside you were empty. I'm happy that you found someone like Simon. You both are meant for each other.
I feel really lucky to have a sister like you, Izzy. You knew about me when I didn't know myself, supported me, and understood me. And for that, I can never thank you enough. I know I can never say it out loud to you ever, so I'm writing it here, thank you for inviting Magnus to my wedding that day, I don't want to imagine what would've happened if he didn't crash it that day. I know it was his decision, but you played a big part in it, you saved me from myself, Izzy. And thank you so much for that. I don't know what I did to deserve a sister like you, didn't know when my little princess became this mature. To be honest, I didn't know what to get you, so this was the only thing I could think of.
Happy Birthday, Izzy.
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Izzy wiped the tears falling on her cheeks as she finished reading the card, then looked at her big brother and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, big brother."
Alec kissed her on top of her head and stroked her hair gently. "Happy Birthday my little princess!" He then picked up the tiny tiara from the table and placed it on the top of her head. Izzy laughed wholeheartedly at that.
"It won't fit me anymore, big brother." She smiled at him. "Though, how did you find all these?"
"I had my ways and my new powers as well. It helped."
"It was the most beautiful gift I got until now. Thank you."
"Wow, you both are such sibling goals." Simon finally spoke who was quiet the whole time.
"Shut up, Si! Don't you dare say anything, you didn't even get me anything, not even a card."
"Izzy, calm down, please. I did get you a gift, it's not just here right now."
"Really Simon, then when were you planning to give it to me? After the day ends?"
"Umm.. actually no. I was planning to give it to you after we talked to them about what we wanted to talk to them for a long time. So can we talk to them about it first?"
"What the hell did he just say!?" Jace asked.
Izzy ignored her brother and took Simon's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Are you sure, Simon?"
"Thousand percent, Izzy."
"Um.. what is going on?" Clary asked.
"We both want to talk to you all about something," Izzy said while holding hands with Simon.
"And that is...?" Alec asked.
"Actually, big brother, you are all aware of the recent call for help from the Ohio Institute as they witnessed the disappearance of downworlders at a frequent rate."
"What about it, Isabelle? I tried reaching for the high warlock of Ohio, I got no response but I got a reassuring message from her that she's not available for a meeting at the moment. Did the shadowhunters tell you something?"
"Actually yes, Magnus. I went there recently and found out that these disappearances were similar to the ones we witnessed when Aldertree tried to remove the downworlders from New York. We.." she looked around at all the attentive and curious expressions of everyone and continued. "We found Gabrielle Penn, she's... she's dead, Magnus."
Alec held his husband's hand tightly, he knew that they didn't know each other personally, but learning something bad about your own kind was hard.
"How?" Was all Magnus asked.
"When we found her, she was a mundane, she told us about what happened. Apparently, there was some shadowhunter who knew Aldertree and had worked with Valentine as well, he had the same mentality as them. We tracked down his secret lab and saved many downworlders but he ran away, the Ohio Institute is searching for him. Because Gabrielle was a 900-year-old warlock, her immortality caught up to her and she died after a few days."
"Izzy, I don't get it, what's the point here?" Clary asked.
Izzy exchanged a look with Simon. "We thought it was the last of heavenly fire which was used on Luke but we were wrong. We found more of heavenly fire in that secret lab and I took it to the New York Institute. You people are the first one to know about it, no one in the institute knows because we.. umm.."
"What is it, Izzy?" Alec asked.
"We want to use it on me," Simon answered for Izzy. Everyone's eyes went wide at that.
"Good riddance," Jace murmured under his breath, earning a kick on his shin from Izzy and Clary at the same time.
"Simon, are Elaine and Becky okay? Is everything all right? I thought you were liking with us, this world, even you said yourself th-"
"Slow down, Fray. I'm not planning on leaving you all. And Mom and Becky are fine. It's not that... it's, umm.." He looked at Izzy, who squeezed their intertwined hands gently. "I... I want to become a Shadowhunter."
"You've got to be kidding me! Is this why you weren't using your vampiric powers recently in your training?"
"Yes, Jace, that's why. And before any of you ask, I'll clear everything myself. We both wanted this for a long time and we are sure about it. It actually started as a joke, she saw my archery and suggested me to be a shadowhunter, but when I actually thought about it, saw you all training together, fighting for each other, the family you have, I couldn't help but want to be a part of it. And most importantly, I want to do it for Izzy, for my beautiful girlfriend. I want to feel again, every single part of it."
"Aww.. that's so sweet Simon. But are you really sure? It won't be easy to turn into a mundane then a shadowhunter, anything could happen."
"I'm sure, Fray. Besides, I've been training with the best shadowhunter, so I'm certain nothing bad will happen. I want this, for me and for us." He beamed at Jace, making him scoff.
"I'm just going to say one thing, Simon. I'm really happy that my sister found a person like you. And, about your archery skills, I want to see it." Alec said with a smile.
Izzy looked at her brothers and friends then at Simon, whom she was really proud of. "Thank you, all of you. I don't know how you people who've reacted to this, but I'm happy that you all accepted it."
"Why wouldn't we, Izzy. That vampire does annoy me but if you're happy then we all are happy for you. And, besides, don't let my training fail, Lewis. I've been training you for years, so if you're going to become a shadowhunter now, you shouldn't be an ass about it."
"He's not like you, Jace," Izzy said while smacking his head, making others laugh.
"I'm only going to say, all the best for your new life Simon," Magnus said.
"Thank you, all of you. It means a lot." Simon said.
Izzy looked at him with pride and curiosity. "Now, Si, where's my gift?"
Simon shook his head at his girlfriend's curiosity. "Before that, Izzy, I want to say something to you."
Izzy sighed. "Fine, Si."
Simon moved towards her and held her hand in his. "Izzy, I don't know how to say this. I know I do talk a lot, but.. okay," he cleared his throat then continued, "Do you know when I got to know about this shadow world how freaked out I was, and your brothers only added to that misery." They both chuckled at that. "But, when I first saw you, I had an instant crush on you. The way you activated your angelic rune, you were hot and beautiful and sexy and I couldn't keep my eyes off you." Izzy winked at him at that and his face became red, but he didn't back off from what he was saying. "But, when we started to know each other, I saw a woman with a fierce and loving heart. You weren't just beautiful from the outside, you're beautiful from the inside."
"Aww... Si, thank you."
"I'm not done, Izzy. So, I was saying.. how beautiful your soul is. You saved me, several times in all these years and I can never get tired of that." He smiled at that, making her smile get wider.
"When.. when I died and became a vampire, I saw myself as a monster. I know I got help from Clary and Raphael to get used to that lifestyle, but you Izzy, you put a meaning to it. When Heidi put my family through that misery and I... I bit Becky, all I saw myself as the monster I was, but you, you held me together, told me that I wasn't a monster and that wasn't my fault. I was lost, didn't know what to do, where to go, but you stood by me, showed me the path which I wasn't sure about. You were there for me when I was going through hell." Simon had tears in his eyes and so did Izzy's.
"Simon,-" Before she could say further, he put his finger on her lips. She pecked on it and nodded, making him smile a little.
"You made me realize that I'm much stronger than I thought about myself, I was empty, lonely, and completely lifeless. But you put life into me and made me smile at the toughest of times. You were always there whenever I needed you." Izzy now had tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Do you know Izzy, when I thought that I had feelings for Clary, or for Maya, I thought I was searching for the right person for me, but deep down inside, I knew somewhere that I was falling for you. I was just trying to lie to myself that why will an amazing person like you fall for a nerd like me, I was just happy with the friendship we had."
"Simon..." Izzy breathed out in her choking voice, unable to form words at that. She was way too overwhelmed with the emotions flowing through her. So she squeezed their intertwined hand gently and smiled warmly at him.
"You are such an amazing, strong, fearless, understanding, compassionate, fierce, caring, loving, and independent woman, Izzy. I don't even have the right words to describe you. I feel so lucky to have someone like you in my life, someone so special that I never thought I would ever have. Do you remember when we made that pinky promise? That we'll stay single for life." They both laughed at that with tears still falling on their faces.
"Look at the irony now, Izzy. We've been together for five years and these five years are the best years of my life. You made me into this new confident person I'm right now, you saw through me and loved me even at times when I didn't deserve it. I guess that's what true love does to you. You made me a completely different person. You make me feel human again, make me want to cherish every single second with you. You're such an amazing person, Izzy, and I feel really lucky to have you in my life. So, that's why I wanted to ask you this."
He bent down on one knee and took out a small box which was in his jacket's pocket the whole time and opened it to reveal a beautiful rose gold colored ring which had a beautiful diamond on its center and was engraved with love knots on both sides, having small cut diamonds on it. Izzy gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
"Isabelle Sophia Lightwood, will you marry me?"
Tears were running down from Izzy's eyes uncontrollably. "Yes! Yes, a million times yes, Simon. I love you so much."
Simon put the ring on Izzy's ring finger, got up, and picked up his fiancée in his arms, grinning widely. Izzy shrieked and started laughing, then took his fiancé in a passionate liplock. A collective clearing of throats caught their attention and they broke the kiss, blush creeping on both of their faces.
Izzy looked around and noticed that both the couples were standing far from them on either side of the roof, grinning widely and there was a huge circle surrounding her and Simon, made up of different varieties of roses. That's when the realization hit her.
"Wait, did you all know that he was going to propose?"
"Isn't that obvious, Izzy!" Jace said.
"Umm, Izzy, I obviously asked your family first for your hand, and they.. kind of helped me out," Simon confessed. Izzy couldn't help but smile at that. She was feeling ecstatic right now.
"Congratulations, Izzy. I'm really happy for you both." Alec said.
"We all are!" Clary chimed in.
"Now, this calls for a celebration!" Magnus said and waved his hands. A huge bottle of white wine appeared on the table and Alec glared at him.
"Just this once, Alexander. Please!" Magnus fluttered his eyes at him making him shake his head.
"Cut him some slack, big brother. Chill out."
"Fiiine!" Alec said in defeat.
Izzy and Simon opened the bottle together, then they filled their glasses and started chatting, laughing, and dancing around, enjoying the moment to their fullest, completely oblivious of the pair of blood-red eyes watching them from the infinity of the skies the whole time.
"So, you are the new angel that bastard created! Alexander. Gideon. Lightwood. It's never happening. There was only one immortal shadowhunter that lived and will always live. You are nothing in front of me. You have to die, Alexander Gideon Lightwood. You all have to die." With those last words, he shot his dull black wings through the clouds and vanished into the infinity of the skies.
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THE END
A/N I hope you guys liked this book. Don't forget to leave your reviews. They are really appreciated. Thank you ❤️❤️