Chapter Text
Alec gave Magnus a skeptical look, even as he stepped out of the portal. "So, tell me again how this isn't the Warlock Olympics?"
Magnus huffed and rolled his eyes. "Because we aren't handing out medals, Alexander. It's an exhibition. Hosted by the Consular High Warlocks."
Alec's lips twitched. "But you have a series of events that you compete in."
"Yes," Magnus said, giving Alexander a side-eye. "Because we all have specialties and we all have things that we are strongest in-"
"Nevermind that you're the strongest of them all," Alec said, grinning at Magnus as he took his husband's hand and gave it a squeeze. "But I will be happy to cheer you on for your exhibitions to go well."
"There may..." Magnus started, clearing his throat as he led the way to the massive festival in the field ahead of them. "be a minor element of competition that is voted on by the warlocks attending..."
Alec laughed, throwing his head back as he squeezed Magnus' hand. "So it is the Warlock Olympics!"
"Come on, Alexander," Magnus deflected, tugging him closer to the tents and small city that had sprung up around the competition field. "Olympics or not, I promised you a weekend of distraction and I plan to live up to that promise."
Alec's eyes darted around and assessed the area before he leaned in closer to Magnus. "None of them are going to mind that I'm here, are they?"
Magnus looked up at Alexander and softened, wrapping his arms around him. "You might not have been born a warlock, Alexander, but you are a warlock in every way that matters now."
Alec relaxed and stole a kiss from Magnus before nodding and taking his hand again. "All right. And you said that we'll meet up with-"
"Tosa and Oberon later, yes. And they are bringing Yaun and Qinemru with them."
"You know," Alec said, stepping under a banner that snapped with magic, making him grin. "You haven't told me who is the best at what. I mean, obviously, you're going to be the best with portaling, you did invent it after all, but what were the other categories?"
Magnus snorted. "Aerial Acrobatics, which is where you will see Tosa truly excel. Fireball Accuracy which, despite his jovial nature, Oberon outstrips us all, and then there's Warding, Potions, Spell Castings, Spell Reversals, Necromancy-" He ignored the look from Alec at that and continued. "And finally, summonings."
Alec raised both his eyebrows. "What exactly are you summoning and bringing back from the dead?"
"Nothing that we can't immediately send back, don't you worry," Magnus said, patting Alec on the arm. "It's just an exhibition, remember?"
"Uh-huh," Alec said, abruptly glad that he had brought his glamoured blade and tucked a few spare knives into his boots. "Somehow I get the feeling that there's a reason you hold these every twenty five years."
Magnus scoffed and rolled his eyes. "That has far more to do with scheduling than it does anything else, Alexander, don't give me that look."
Alec laughed and let Magnus tug him towards another warlock he recognized, getting lost in the crowd that was slowly making their way to the stadium. It was a joyful atmosphere, many warlocks happily greeting Magnus, and the energy was an endlessly positive one. He breathed out slowly and started to relax, grinning back at warlocks that he recognized. He was safe here, they were safe here.
~!~
"And this," Magnus said, gesturing to the box seats at the front of the stadium. "is where you and Qinemru will be sitting, Alexander." He smiled and winked. "You will, of course, have the best possible view. Oberon and I made sure of that."
Alec snorted. "You just want to make sure that you can show off for both of us."
Magnus gave Alec an innocent look. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You are nowhere near as crafty as you pretend, Magnus," Qinemru said, sliding past him to fall into the seat beside Alec Lightwood-Bane. "But they will be waiting for you to begin, so perhaps you should get to your starting spot."
"Give me a kiss for luck?" Magnus asked, turning to Alexander with a smile.
Alec tugged Magnus down. "What luck do you need for an exhibition?" he breathed against Magnus' lips before swallowing the protest with a hard kiss until they had to break apart for air. "You will do magnificently. Good luck, Magnus."
Magnus blew Alexander another kiss and hopped into the arena, looking around at the slowly-filling stands before sauntering towards the other Consular High Warlocks.
"Fashionably late as always, Magnus," Oberon teased, looking over at him. "I was almost about to send out a search party for you."
"Absolutely useless that would have been, considering you knew exactly where I was," Magnus shot back, stepping into his place in the circle. A strange spark of energy shot across the group of them, but none of the others reacted. He shrugged and took a deep breath. "Everyone ready?"
A series of confirming nods made Magnus smile and he gathered a spark of magic in his hand, feeling all the others add to it before he threw it up into the air, high above the top of the stadium, a boom echoing across the space.
"Then let the games begin!"
~!~
Alec laughed as another firework shot up from the Consular High Warlocks, signaling the beginning of the event. The entire stadium went dark and he watched as the Master of Ceremonies, a warlock named Richard with shining ebony scales along his arms and chest, stepped forward, his voice magnified as he started to explain the history behind the event. He turned to Qinemru, murmuring quietly.
"This is just an event for fun, right?" he said, his eyes darting around. "I mean, I know there's competition, but..."
Qinemru hummed and looked around them. "It has traditionally been an event that is for families and children, to bring warlocks together for a weekend to celebrate culture." They took a second to turn to the dark stadium again, watching as Richard began to spin fire between his palms, the flames leaping to much larger figures as he told the history of the first Consular High Warlock and how he protected his people.
Alec's eyes sharpened and he kept his voice low. "But it hasn't always been that?"
"No," Qinemru said. "It hasn't. There are a great many political discussions that go on behind the festival itself. For all that the talents shown here are an exhibition, they are also a demonstration of strength. That those that have been selected to lead continue to be strong enough to do so."
Alec frowned, turning to Qinemru. "Who decides if they are not?"
Qinemru gestured to the stadium around them, and then to Alec. "The community. The Consular High Warlocks are chosen by those they protect, and that is why their word and power is respected for what it is."
"Can a Consular High Warlock lose their seat?" Alec asked, keeping his voice low, remembering how devastated Magnus had been to lose his position as High Warlock of Brooklyn, even though it had been temporary, and in name only, as he'd found out later.
Qinemru hummed and watched the figure made of fire dance across the arena, listening to children gasp as the story played out for them. "They can. It is almost unheard of, for they are in their positions for reasons. Unless grave injury, or something else prevents it, they often hold the roles until they elect to name a successor or die."
Alec sagged a little in relief. "That's good."
Qinemru reached out and gave Alec Lightwood's arm a brief pat. "You do not need to worry about Magnus and Oberon. I have rarely seen two as born to lead as the both of them. Neither would give up their role willingly without a fight, and they are steadfast friends beyond that."
Unable to keep from smiling, Alec looked across the darkness, enhancing his eyes enough to catch sight of Magnus on the other side of the stadium, cloaked in shadows while the story was told around them. "Good. I'm glad. That means less worry."
"Yes," Qinemru agreed. "And for all the politics around this event that are present, they are a time for togetherness."
The lights rose and Alec sat up in his seat, grinning as all ten of the Consular High Warlocks stepped forward, their heads held high. Magnus and Oberon stood near the end closest to them as the crowd began to cheer.
Each of the warlocks was assigned a color, meant to be the color used to vote for them in all events.
Alec narrowed his eyes as he watched each Consular High Warlock select their colors. Was Magnus going to pick last? Did they already know what colors they were going to select?
Pink, Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, one color after another was selected. Black, White, and then a strange Orange that seemed to be less bright than the others around it. Oberon, second to last, turned to Magnus, and with a flourish, his clothing and the color surrounding him turned to the most resplendent Purple. Alec frowned the tiniest bit, staring at Magnus. Magnus' favored blue had been taken, so what color was-
Vibrant gold burst around Magnus and the warlocks in the crowd roared their approval. Alec caught Magnus' eyes flashing gold at him and he blushed as he realized Magnus was now wearing a color that matched their bedsheets, and was one of his favorite colors on Magnus.
"Shadowhunter gold," Qinemru murmured, turning to Alec Lightwood, smiling faintly at the blush they could see on his face. "It does suit him."
"Yeah," Alec said, his voice hoarse as each of the Consular High Warlocks sent up fireworks of their chosen colors. Every warlock around them sent out an echoing color and Alec scrambled to send out a shower of golden sparks for Magnus as he looked around the stadium.
There was a lot more gold than he was expecting, and it made him grin. He settled back into the seat as the stadium plunged into darkness again before the lights were lifted and the Master of Ceremonies was back to explaining how the rest of the events would work.
Tonight, the Aerial Acrobatics and Fireworks Accuracy would be held, and then tomorrow and Sunday, the remainder of the events.
Alec smiled, watching as the crowd cheered again. He glanced to Qinemru. "Hey, would you be all right if we added two seats here? We've certainly got the room for it, and I know that Catarina and Madzie are both here."
Qinemru smiled and nodded. "If they will both be all right with me here, of course they are welcome to join, Alec."
"Yeah, Madzie will love your hair and probably ask to braid it," Alec said, grinning at them. "But I know she'd love a better view of Magnus. I didn't want to offer it unless you were okay with it."
"Of course," Qinemru said, inclining their head. They watched as several warlocks came onto the field to begin setting up for the first contest. "This first event will be Magnus' weakest."
Alec paused in the middle of texting Catarina and turned to Qinemru. "It will?"
Qinemru nodded. "Aerial Acrobatics requires a very finite use of power, and Magnus' strength has always rested in sheer power. While he can perform these kinds of magics, they do not come as naturally as they do to Tosa, and some of the other Consular High Warlocks."
"That makes sense," Alec said, looking over at the different obstacles being summoned and put into place. "Do you know all of the Consular High Warlocks?"
"I have been introduced to most of them," Qinemru said. "As you will be, as time goes by. They often do not cross territories unless it is necessary, or if it is for personal use. As such, it is very rare for them to be in one place."
Alec nodded again. "What is the security risk of an event like this?" he asked, lowering his voice. "You have all the Consular High Warlocks, you have a huge population of warlocks-"
Qinemru smiled faintly. "You felt the wards upon arriving, yes?"
"Of course," Alec said, nodding. "But wards can be broken, can be torn down."
"Not these," Qinemru said, looking around them. "You will have to get Magnus to explain more, as he is one of the experts in warding theory. But no one can enter with malicious intent against those inside."
Alec relaxed and sagged back into his chair when the call of his name came from the back of their box. He stood up and caught Madzie as she ran to give him a hug, smiling at Catarina, summing a chair for both of them a moment later. "Hey there, Madzie, Catarina!"
"Mom said you wanted us to have the best seats in the house!" Madzie said, bouncing excitedly as she looked around. "We're gonna watch Magnus kick some ass and prove to everyone that he's the best!"
Alec grinned at her and winked. "Yes, he is." He smiled at Catarina and brought Madzie back over to where Qinemru was sitting and gestured to the chair beside him. "Madzie, this is Qinemru, and they're Oberon's partner."
Madzie smiled at the Unseelie. "I'm Madzie and it's nice to meet you!" She paused. "Because you are married to Oberon, does that mean you won't be cheering for Magnus?"
Qinemru smiled and summoned a flower for her to tuck into her hair, holding it out in their palm. "It does, but how about this? I will cheer for both Magnus, and my Oberon. Is that a fair compromise?"
Madzie beamed in delight and took the flower. "Yes! That works!" She turned back to Alec. "Alec can I sit with you?"
"Of course," Alec said, sitting back into his seat, grinning as Catarina sat down on the other side of Qinemru, gesturing for Madzie to sit down between them.
Richard stepped back into the center of the field and cleared his throat, calling attention to everyone. "It is time for the first challenge that our Consular High Warlocks will face! The Aerial Acrobatics challenge!"
Alec sat forward, his eyes tracing between each of the warlocks and the obstacles in front of them. It was very clearly an obstacle course, but were they going to have to move through it? He frowned.
"Now, for those of you who have never seen one of these performed before," Richard said, looking around. "You will note the obstacle course in front of them. Each one will be expected to make their way through all of the obstacles we have put into place in front of them."
Alec tilted his head and assessed the parts of the challenge he could see with a more critical eye. This was an unfair challenge at best, but it made sense if it was going to test their ability to manipulate space, but what would this be assuming...
"Watch," Qinemru said, giving Alec a nudge on the shoulder. "This is not about simply completing an obstacle course."
Alec's attention snapped back to Richard and he refocused on what the warlock was describing.
"-as they each finish, they will be evaluated on time it took them, the efficiency of their movement, and of course, magic usage. Votes cast by the audience will, as always, determine the winner of each particular event!"
Alec nodded and glanced to Qinemru. "How does Oberon do on this challenge?"
"Oh, horrendously," Qinemru said with a grin. "But he has his other strengths, and the other Consular High Warlocks know them well. You'll see his level of success in the next challenge they face. But for him and Magnus, this is one where they are simply not made for it."
Alec smiled faintly and turned back to the challenge. Tosa was the first up. "Why is she first?"
Qinemru grinned and looked to Catarina. "Would you like to tell him?"
"She is the reigning champion in this event, for more than a century," Catarina said, glancing at Alec and then back to the challenge in front of them. "You will appreciate the way she moves and makes her way through the obstacle course, Alec."
Turning his attention back to the course, he watched Tosa, the blood-red fabric she was wearing curling around her as she waited for the signal.
The second the bell was sounded, he watched her run straight at the wall in front of her, scaling it with ease before flipping through the first obstacle as though it were not in her way at all. She slid under another that was in her way after, and a quick blast of magic eliminated the other obstacle to her left.
Alec grinned, bright and wide. Not a single movement was wasted as she made her way through the course, utilizing all the space around her to blast through obstacles, leaping on and around them with ease. She moved unlike any warlock he'd ever seen before, and he said as much to Qinemru and Catarina.
"What do you think she does move like?" Catarina asked, smiling as she looked over from Alec back to Tosa as she paused and gathered her magic, leaping from one edge of an obstacle to another, landing cleanly on the thinnest of edges before evading another attack with an easy spin. "Watch, carefully."
Studying her movements, Alec debated that question and then gave a halting answer. "She moves fast. Like she's not thinking about her movements. She knows where her body is going to be at all times, with every movement." In a second, he understood what Catarina had been referencing. "She trains with her partner, doesn't she?"
"As Magnus does with you," Catarina agreed. "It is very rare for Consular High Warlocks to select partners who do not equal them in strength." She glanced towards Qinemru and watched them straighten a fraction in their chair. "They are people often drawn to strength, and someone who can meet them toe to toe with what they do is likely appealing."
Alec bit down the urge to say that while he and Magnus did spar, they certainly didn't do much training. But then again that was more based on Magnus' terrible flirting than anything else. He watched as Tosa slid across the finish line with a victorious grin and time was called. The stadium erupted in cheers and there were flashes of red magic from every corner, making her grin. He shot off a quick spark of his own to show his appreciation and smiled.
"Sadly," Qinemru said, watching the next step up to the course. "While others will be good and effective, they will not give us the show that she did. She moves in the air as some birds wish to."