Chapter 6

**Clary**


*The sun was warm on my face as I laid on the soft grass. The sound of a waterfall roaring close by, and the gentle rustling of leaves playing in the breeze was everywhere. Birds were chirping happily in the air, the trees, and wherever they had landed near the pond. I stretched out happily on the grass and gave a contented sigh. The skirt of my heavy dress had ridden up halfway to my knees when I had settled on the ground, and I had no intention of fixing it. My leather boots were comfortable as I wiggled my toes and pointed my feet. *

*I heard a soft chuckle coming from my right. I opened one eyelid and peeked at the person leaning over me. He had such a radiant smile on his face, his black hair that had escaped from its tie at the nape of his neck was falling over his face, framing his sharp, strong features, making his expression even more gentle than it already was.*

*“You look so beautiful today.” He stopped for a second, contemplating his words. “Have I told you that today?” *

*I smiled up at him. Just seeing him was enough to make any day a good day, and seeing him smile made my day a brilliant day, and when he was being sweet and mischievous, well, you get the point. I stretched up both my hands and cupped his face. My hands had a slight tan to them, like I had seen the sun a lot more, and my hands were strong, much stronger than I know them to be.*

*“You have, and yet I can never get tired of hearing compliments from your lips.” I teased, eyeing his absurdly kissable lips.*

*He mock growled as he leaned down closer to me, teasing my lips with his. “I can do a lot more than give you pretty compliments.” He said and pressed a kiss to my jawline.*

*I tilted my head to one side so he had more to kiss. He chuckled and kissed my neck. His free hand that was not supporting his weight settled on my hip and stayed there. “Woman,” He grumbled next to my ear. “I love you.”*

*It wasn’t the first time he had said it, yet still, every time he said it, it made me feel like for once; I was fragile, that he would be anything, and do anything to keep me safe no matter what. I rolled onto my side and looked up into his startlingly dark brown, almost black, eyes. *

*“Mi-a shadrak namina ku. I love you more than my own soul.” I said and kissed him. He stared at me with such amazing love I couldn’t believe I was this lucky.*

*“Mi-a shadraki namina sa. I love you just as much, if not more.” He said and kissed me again. He then tucked me against his side, resting my head against his shoulder and leaning his head against mine.*

*“Noch is probably going to have a fit when we ask him to lead the ceremony.” I giggled, imagining Noch squealing like a girl and teasing us nonstop. He certainly didn’t look like the type to do that, but where I’m concerned, I’ve learned that anything is possible.*

*Thyrion gave a gruff laugh that reverberated through my body. “I don’t care about what that man does, as long as I can finally have a home with you in it. I want our hands to be tied, for us to finally be together in all ways.” He hugged me tighter, pressing a kiss into my dark hair.*

*I sighed happily in his arms. “It seems like a dream come true…”*


A dream… It slowly faded, the sound of the water, the trees, the birds, his warmth, and his heartbeat. I tried to keep it alive in my mind, tried to keep the image, the feel, the comfort. But no matter how hard I tried, it silently slipped away as I started feeling my body again.

I slowly became aware of sheets under me, my head resting on a pillow, and me lying on my side as I had next to … my lover. “Thyrion.” I whispered, gripping the sheets where his chest should have been, where I had felt his heartbeat against my cheek just a second ago.

I opened my eyes and looked at my hand, barely recognizing the pale skin and longer fingernails. I looked up further, feeling a sense of incongruity as my gaze landed on my walls, my ceiling, and chair-less desk. The dream was slipping away, bringing reality back, as it felt like I was settling back into my skin.

I heard a rustling and the squeak of a chair behind me, and I shot up sitting straight, almost hoping beyond anything that it was the black-haired lover from my dream. It was too real to have been a dream, right?!

My gaze landed on a startled blonde giant that seemed to have tried making himself comfortable in my little desk chair. His name fluttered into my head the moment I laid eyes on him. Although it felt pretty surreal seeing him in my chair. I had almost believed that he really was nothing but a figment of my imagination.

I quickly pinched my arm so hard that the mark would leave a bruise. Tears stung my eyes at the sharp pain, but that was all I needed.

I turned my head back to him. He was still sitting there in my chair, like I had just caught him stealing from the cookie jar. The expression looked so innocent that it brought a puzzled smile to my face. Even though this all seemed crazy and insane, I wasn’t afraid or having a mental breakdown. I was puzzled to notice that I actually felt happy he was here. Really here. I squinted my eyes at him, and he looked at me expectantly. He almost had the expression of a puppy that was afraid of being shooed away.

“Hezerial?” I asked experimentally.

His diamond eyes flashed with relief and he sagged in my chair, only to quickly catch himself before he could fully land on my chair’s backrest. I mentally agreed with him that my poor chair would most likely not be able to handle his full weight. “You remember me even now?” He asked, surprising me.

For a second, I remembered the night I was attacked. How he looked, how he fought, then the dream I had of him giving me a pledge.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I started to convince myself that you were just a figment of my imagination.” I smiled brightly at him. “You can’t imagine how happy I am to see that you are actually real.”

His face lit up as he smiled back at me, but then his expression faltered a little. “You have no idea how grateful I am to know that you are still alive.” He stood up from the chair and knelt in front of me. “My lady.”

For a second I felt awkward, I wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to kneel or call me lady, but then in the next instance it didn’t seem so awkward after all. It felt natural. It felt right, like something that had been missing from my life for far too long was finally back. No images invaded my vision, no indistinct sounds assaulted my ears. It was just the feeling making itself at home in my chest, a hole that was being filled. It was a strange sensation, a comforting one.

“Hezerial, I’m confused about a few things.” I said, sitting cross legged on my bed and watching him curiously.

“Ask me anything, my lady, and I will answer to the best of my ability.” He looked up at me, all emotion gone from his face, with only seriousness staying behind.
I hesitated for a minute or two, not knowing if I would sound strange for asking the question. Well, not like anything was making any sane sense in the first place. I took a deep breath and asked anyway. “Hezerial, what am I?”

Don’t ask me why on earth I asked that question, because obviously I am a human, flesh and blood, never had anything weird happen until recently, never had super strength or a weird impulse to chew shoes or howl at the moon or drink blood. It was strangely the first thing that left my lips for some weird reason, even though I actually wanted to ask what HE was.

He smiled sadly at me, and I thought, here we go, he’s going to say I’m crazy! He’s going to be all nice and gently take me by the arm and steer me out of here saying, ‘Everything is going to be fine, you’ll like this little place we have set up for crazies like yourself.’ But what he said instead stopped my internal rambling in its tracks.

“To many, you are a revered witch. To those close to you, you are a sister, daughter, and granddaughter. To me you have always been, and always will be, my revered Lady.” He said with such honesty that there was no way at all for me to think otherwise.

A shock ran through my body with such force that I couldn’t even blink. I think the shock was worse than if he would have said that I would sprout fur and a tail every month and run around the city howling at the moon, killing innocent people, chasing my tail, and have the urge to sniff buts.

A Witch?

I was a revered Witch???

When did this happen?! I didn’t know what I was expecting him to say in the first place, but saying that I am a witch was definitely not one of them. Magic was definitely not a supernatural concept I was prepared for.

“A Witch?!” I ask incredulously

He nodded solemnly, no doubt in his face. My first reaction was to say that witches didn’t exist, but in that same breath I might as well also say Angels don’t exist, and that those freakish creatures from the other night didn’t exist. And yet, here was Hezerial sitting in my room with his wings glaringly obvious and so not fake. Yep, without a doubt an angel.

I figured just about anything might be possible at this point. Heck, if someone were to tell me right now that Demons really do pop up from the shadows I would believe it. A light shiver ran up my spine at the thought.

I looked back up at Hezerial. “Those things that attacked me the other night, they were real, right?” Even now, I thought that it might have all just been a dream, but maybe they really were real, like him after all.

Hezerial looked at me gravely. “They were indeed.” He seemed to speak to himself as his gaze drifted to the ground. “I should have ripped them limb from limb for touching you.”

I was a little taken aback by this display of hostility that suddenly bloomed to life. Just a second ago he looked so innocent and eager. He looked every part the avenging angel that I pictured he could be.

“Hezerial?” I said softly. Maybe a little too softly, but it was more than enough to have his head shoot back up to face me.

“I have no idea of what is going on. And if all that happened the other night was real, then what happened when I recognized you? How the hell am I able to recognize you? I just met you, didn’t I? My head felt like it was going to split in two.” I felt like everything around me was still disjointed, not fitting in to where they belonged. I needed proper answers.

Hezerial’s expression softened and seemed pained. “You have lived more than one lifetime in the course of this realm’s life. And in those past lives, you have seen many things, done many things, and met many people and beings, including me. You should have regained all your memories and powers through the surge already, yet it seems that something or someone is keeping you from remembering the past. And if a memory seeps through the ‘barrier’ around your mind, it causes you great pain and if it’s bad enough it could even cause your death.” Hezerial whispered the last word like it was taboo. Like saying it would give it a life of its own. My guardian … seemed to really hate the idea of me dying.

“You know,” I said, glancing at where I left my diary after the last entry. “I’ve been having very vivid dreams for the past year and a half or so. Sometimes they would give me headaches, but it’s never been as bad as it was when I saw you the first time.” I looked at his face and his expression made my heart squeeze a bit. His face had a haunted look, like I might just disappear from his sight at any second, like me having gone through that pain was his fault.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m not going anywhere. Even though all of this seems extremely far-fetched and fantastical.” I said, scrunching my face and shaking my head once.

That seemed to make Hezerial smile. “I do hope so, My Lady. I’ve spent far too long away from your side.” He said bowing his head to me.

“Hezerial, I noticed that you haven’t called me by my name at all.” I frowned a little bit at the realization.

He chuckled. “You have had many countless names, so many that I’ve simply just come to call you My Lady. For that is what you are.”

I smiled at him. “Hezerial, if it’s not too much to ask,-” I started, but then he suddenly grabbed my hands.

“Nothing is too much, My Lady. I will do whatever you wish of me.” His earnestness was practically blinding.

I lifted a skeptical eyebrow, wondering absently if that included washing dishes and cleaning the house, but I just shoved those ideas out of my mind. I had the feeling that it might possibly extend to those kinds of requests too, but couldn’t imagine an angel in slippers and a vacuum in hand.

“I was wondering, if it starts happening again. When I start remembering and the pain gets too much, if you could make me sleep again like you did last time. This is a request to prevent further pain and possible damage. I’m still not sure what the hell is going on, or for what reason, but I have the feeling that if the pain gets more than I can bear, that something terrible will happen.” I said, giving voice to the pit of doom that I could feel blossoming in my gut. I didn’t want to say out loud that the pain from last time did actually make it feel like death was looming over me. I might actually die next time.

Hezerial looked seriously at me. “If it is your wish, it will be done. I will do it without hesitation because I, too, do not wish to see you in such agony again.” I was a little taken aback by his formality, but at the same time, it was endearing. It was the best way to describe it in his case. Him being an angel and all, of course.

I smiled, feeling like one thing in my life was finally fixed. Even if nothing in my life seemed broken at all. Not being able to help myself and not knowing where on earth the comment came from, I said. “Welcome back Hezerial.”

His face lit up like he had received the best present that could ever be found on earth. His smile was more radiant than a star. “Thank you so very much, my Lady.”
I smiled at him, feeling safe, feeling like nothing could ever hurt me now while he was around. Which made my thoughts turn back to the other individual that could make me feel that way. Thyrion…

“Hezerial, that man that was with us.” That I had a dream of. “Is his name Thyrion?”

Hezerial’s smile vanished, and he scowled, which made me do a double take. I had the impression that guardians never got involved in the love lives of their wards… Or was I mistaken?

“Uhm? Hezerial?” I asked tentatively. He gave a heavy sigh and sat back down on the chair.

“Yes, his name is Thyrion.” He said in a way that made me think that he was irritated with him.

Oh my soul, don’t tell me that I had a thing going with my guardian AND the black-haired love hunk of my life?! “Ah… Hezerial. You are my guardian, right?” I asked tentatively.

He cocked his head to the side. “Yes.” He nodded.

“Which means there has never been anything,” I made sparking hand gestures between him and me, “between… you know.”

He frowned at me like he had no clue of what I was trying to get at. I sighed heavily and decided to just come out with it.

“We were never in any kind of romantic relationship, right?” I blurted. Noticing that my voice was a little higher pitched than I wanted it to be.

Hezerial flushed pink, and immediately went down on his knee again. “I would never dream of it! Any feelings I ever harbor for you, my Lady are feelings of devotion and respect!”

I didn’t know what to make of that reaction. My first thought was Am I not good looking? Second thought was Relief! And third was Thank Goodness! And fourth was Akwaaaaard…

I looked at him with his head still bowed. Although he is just about the most handsome guy I’ve ever met. Tall, loyal and protective, eyes like diamond ice and hair like silk. I thought that if he were a normal guy, I wouldn’t mind dating him. Yet I didn’t feel any such feelings towards him at all which was a huge relief since I don’t want to be one of those damsels in a book that ended up almost dating 2 or 3 guys at the same time because she keeps being unable to make up her fricken mind. I silently thanked whoever it was in the universe that organized these kinds of things for letting me only have to worry about one love life at a time.

I gave a sigh of relief and Hezerial looked up at me with wide eyes. “I apologize if I ever did anything that might have given you the impression-,” I cut him off with a hand.

“No, it’s fine Hezerial, really.” I chuckled. “I just wanted to make sure since it seems Thyrion is my lover and you don’t like him very much.”

Hezerial sat back on the chair frowning. “I like him well enough. He is a good man, and has lived through a lot like yourself, and he does love you more than anything I have ever felt. But, his recent actions have made my mood sour towards him of late.”

I raised my eyebrow at him. Well, that is a simple enough explanation.

“How so?” I sat patiently, waiting for him to answer.

He scowled again. “It was obvious that he had known of your predicament for much longer than I would have imagined. While I was devastated at your loss and left without purpose, he was off ‘protecting you’. Heaven knows how long he has known that you were still alive.” He said bitterly.

I frowned. “I’m sure there must be a good reason, even though we might not know what it is. He always has good reasons for doing things, right?” I asked, not trusting myself to say with certainty what I felt in my gut, since technically, realistically, I’ve only known him for a series of moments.

“You are right.” He said, sighing. “He does indeed always have good reasons for doing unreasonable things. Yet I am sure that whatever it might be, that Nochtandriel would have sorted it out centuries ago.”

“Nochtandriel…” I tried the name out, feeling a pressure building on one side of my scull. A face popped into my head, a man looking to be in his early 30’s with black hair and dark eyes with a beard. He always liked his beards, and his staff. The fire bearing staff came into focus, its claw cupping the ever changing fire in its grasp.

“Nochtandriel… is my friend, right?” I asked tentatively, as my head started to pound.

Hezerial nodded his head as he looked at me. “Nochtandriel has been with you for very long. You’ve seen him as a brother for a very long time.”

“Like I don’t have enough brothers already.” I mumbled to myself. I placed a hand on my forehead where a pressure seemed to be building.

“Are you alright?” Hezerial asked worriedly as he stood up, coming closer.

I nodded, “Yes, I’m fine. My head is just starting to hurt.”

Hezerial looked sad as he knelt in front of me. “Perhaps you should sleep for a little while. I will not be far. You need only think my name and I will be by your side.” I nodded again. Sleep sounded like a really good idea actually. “Thank you Hezerial.” I said, lying back down on my pillows.

“You need not thank me, my Lady. It is but my duty.” He said, bending over me. “Now sleep, my Lady, for you will need your strength in the days to come.” He brushed the back of his hand over my brow and everything went black before I could ask him what he meant by that.