Chapter Text
“I can't keep doing this Izzy.” Alec told his sister sadly. “At first I thought, okay I can do this, even if it's not something I want but after all this time I know it's never going to happen.”
“Then you need to make them see, understand.” Izzy answered.
“They will never understand, I am the eldest in the family.” Alec argued. “I am meant to find my soul mate, settle down and have children.”
“Make a stand. Tell them that you don't understand why you can't stay single until you the right person comes along?” Izzy answered.
“I notice you said person instead of the right woman.” Alec huffed. “Both you and Jace worked it out my yourselves that I'm not attracted to women, you'd think our parents wouldn't be so clueless.”
“Even if they do know, they will be ignoring it, hoping it will go away.” Izzy retorted. “In hundreds of years this has been the tradition and the idea that your soul mate will be a man, well they can't comprehend it.”
“I find it hard to believe that in all those generations, none of the eldest sons have been gay.” Alec replied.
“Maybe some of them were, they just somehow managed to fake the process?” Izzy replied. "Took a male lover on the side maybe?"
“How? You know how it works, how the hell can that be faked?” Alec argued.
“You know what, I don't know.” Izzy retorted, getting to her feet. “But there must be records somewhere about things like this, there has to be.”
“Good luck Izzy.” Alec called after her. “But I'm not marrying anyone I can't even think of spending my life with.”
“What on earth do you mean Alec?” Maryse asked, catching the words as she came to his room. “When you find your soul mate, you are meant to be with each other and love follows.”
“I am never going to find my soul mate mother.” Alec told her. “You can put me through the ceremony until the day I die, but she doesn't exist.”
“You are giving up far too easily.” Maryse told him with a smile. “She is out there somewhere.”
“After almost four years of nothing?” Alec argued. “You and dad need to get used to the idea that I will remain alone and there will be no more heirs, from me anyway.”
“Then who? Izzy?” Maryse huffed. “The family line is continued by the eldest son, it would bring shame on our family if she was to take your place.”
“I'm sick of arguing about this mother.” Alec told her. “I need to get ready for this evenings ceremony. Who did you say it was this time?”
“A young lady called Catarina Loss, she is from a good family.” Maryse told him. “Her parents were lost in an accident a few years ago and so she has been living with a close friend of theirs Asmodeus Bane and he will be accompanying her along with his own son Magnus. They should be arriving soon.”
“Fine, I will complete the ceremony with her.” Alec shrugged. “But I wouldn't hold you breath.”
“Oh Alec, you really need to stop being so negative all the time about this.” Maryse sighed.
“Once a month, every month for four years is a very long time.” Alec countered. “Most people meet their soul mate within a year, something is obviously wrong with me.”
“Nothing is wrong with you.” Maryse told him. “You should begin the ritual with your bath, Maia has it ready and waiting for you.”
“Okay, thanks mum.” Alec replied resignedly. “I should go before it gets cold.”
“Your father and I will see you later at the ceremony.” She replied, then turned on her heel and left the room.
Alec grabbed the book he was currently reading and made his way through the corridors of his ancestral home and into the beautiful marble bathroom with his huge bathtub and began to shed his clothes, dropping them in an untidy heap on the elegant velvet chair in the corner of the room and once naked he sank into the citrus scented hot water and closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply for a few moments before opening his eyes again and reaching for his book, hoping it would take his mind of the events to follow for a while.
****
Izzy slipped into the the large library without anyone seeing her, anyone who knew her would wonder why she was there, she wasn't one for reading and quietly slipped through the floor to ceiling bookcases until she came to the one she was searching for and scanned quickly along the spines of the books in the hope that she would see something that might be of help.
It wasn't until she reached the second shelf from the bottom that she thought she could see something tucked pushed back on top of some of the large books. Getting down on her knees she reached for it and pulled out what appeared to be some kind of journal and carefully opened the cover and read the writing upon the first page.
“The private and confidential journal of Andrew Gideon Lightwood.”
She recognised the name, it was one of her ancestors, a direct descendant of her fathers, some hundred or so years earlier and she recalled that there was some kind of scandal but no-one ever really spoke about it. Sliding the book beneath her clothing she ran towards the door, glancing about to make sure no-one was around and then hurried back to her room with something in her heart telling her that she might find some answers within regarding Alec's predicament.
****
Alec climbed reluctantly out of the cooling bath and wrapped the huge towel left for him around his body as the warm air blowing softly in through the open windows already began to dry him and took a seat in front of the mirror where he used the various items there to dry and style his hair as was required of him and once that was finally done he walked over to the rail on the far side of the room where the clothing for the ceremony awaited.
He pulled on the lose white silk shorts, a matching short sleeved tunic and followed by the other garment, which could only be described as some sort of toga, also white silk which went over the shoulder and then wrapped around his body.
Alec looked into the mirror, looking at his now familiar reflection and sighed. There was nothing he could do now, he would have to go through the ritual ceremony and face the disappointment of his parents once more when nothing as usual happened.
TBC