Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown

[angelic_archer]

Alec had known that after the wedding disaster, he wouldn't be in his parents good graces. Robert had stuttered some attempts at either trying to be supportive or questions about how Alec had suddenly become gay. Those encounters were awkward, but they were tolerable most of the time. He hated how relieved Robert seemed now that Magnus was gone. He probably thought without the 'corrupting influence' of Magnus, Alec would become the good son again.

Maryse was more difficult to deal with. There was no attempts at understanding. She was furious at him for humiliating the family in front of the most important Shadowhunters. The ones that she was trying to manipulate for favors. As usual, her anger spilled out in harsh critiques of her older children. Whenever he could, Alec took the worst of it to save Izzy. This time the lecture covered a wide range of subjects.
His inability to control his siblings or Clary. The wedding. Magnus. He took it all silently, letting her question all of his decisions, his talents, his ability to lead. It was all things Alec had heard before but they still cut deeply.

Standing at parade rest, he silently waited for the lecture to end, clenching his jaw to keep himself from arguing with her or trying to defend himself. It wasn't until she mentioned being assigned to Adam that he finally spoke. "The Clave thinks that I'm capable of protecting him and so does he."

"What does a Mundane know?" she snapped. "You couldn't even keep the Fairchild girl safe. You did your best and it almost got her killed, Alexander. Do you believe we should take that risk with someone who can restore the Institute to its proper glory?" He continued arguing, but he knew it was a losing battle. Mayrse was planning on having him replaced. Probably with Jace and there was nothing he could say to prevent her from going to the Clave to request someone else be Adam's bodyguard.

Comments

[hondoyota]

Adam had been sitting in the adjoining room when this started, going over some of the files Alec had given him. When Maryse had begun speaking to Alec, Adam had wanted to interrupt, but it seemed wrong to intrude and he had little context and nothing to say. He thought also of leaving, but the idea of abandoning Alec to this seemed worse than the crime of eavesdropping. Maryse hadn’t bothered to have the lecture anywhere quiet and private, after all. Adam could hear the whole thing.

He was most interested in the wedding which Alec had ended by kissing a Warlock. Adam wondered if the two of them were still together, or if Alec wanted them to be.

But when the topic shifted to him, Adam wasn’t going to stay on the sidelines. He strode into the room, drawing upon his stubbornness and trying to project some of Gansey’s natural authority. “Excuse me,” he said, still soft-spoken but with his flared temper showing clearly in his eyes and his tight shoulders. “Since I’m going to be restoring the institute to its proper glory, you could refer to me with something other than ‘the mundane’. My name is Adam, my title is magician.”

He spoke directly to Maryse, ignoring Alec. “You’ll be glad to know that I have decided to restore the ley line, and to maximize the Institute’s connection to it. I didn’t know anything about the Shadowhunters and I wasn’t sure I should ally with you rather than anyone else. Alec’s honor and integrity convinced me to work with the Institute. From what I heard, it sounds like you think I should change my mind?”