@archeir
GV STARTER ; IRON HANDS IN VELVET GLOVES .
for as long as the crown prince could remember, he’d been torn between two versions of himself ––– the one raised by house lightwood, who was loyal and had a strong sense of right and wrong, and the one that circulated in his bloodstream, like a deadly virus, and believed love was weakness; that only the strong survived. jace was, after all, son of the late king valentine of house morgenstern; a fascist ruler who was responsible for germany’s terrible reputation and radical beliefs. and that alone, was enough to question who he truly was underneath all the nurturing from the lightwoods.
alec kept him grounded. he always had. from the moment they’d sliced their hands open and linked their bloods and souls for all eternity, jace knew there was no turning back. he could no longer bear a world without him in it, and as time passed, the blond monarch began to realize that his love for alec went beyond the love shared between two people who were raised as brothers. it was deeper, more fierce, and filled with secret glances and illicit touches ––– not that it’d ever gone beyond what could’ve easily been interpreted as brotherly love. it was something jace was sure alec was equally aware of, but that they’d forbidden themselves ( even if they’d never properly voiced their feelings for one another ) from ever speaking of.
still, as jace’s eighteenth birthday approached, something in them knew that their time was almost up; that once he left to attend his coronation in germany, their alliance, as well as whatever else there was between them, would be over. jace would no longer be able to hide behind the lightwoods, and would soon become his own man and do what he believed to be right for his country and people. which was why, as soon as alec approached him in the gardens, he tensed. alec had to know he’d been avoiding him for the last week or so; that he couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes when he knew what was to come.
an extended sigh then left jace’s lips as he set the book he’d been perusing aside; almost as though he’d been displeased with the interruption. ❛ did you need something? ❜ their gazes never met. instead, jace remained seated on the concrete bench; mismatched hues focused on a shrub behind the canadian prince, as though he hadn’t even been present. it was an unnatural response to being in alec’s company, and as much as it pained him to do so, he knew it would make his departure easier on both of them. ❛ whatever it is, i doubt i’ll be of any help. i already have too much going on to add your problems to the mix. besides, i told corvus i’d meet him in the library at noon ––– so if you don’t mind. ❜
