Once Upon A Time

"Goodnight my loves," Clary said softly as she kissed both of her children on their foreheads.

Rose, her daughter, had silky red hair, like her mother, but burning gold eyes like her father. Will had his father's golden hair, but his mother's stunning green eyes.

"Mommy?"

Clary stopped as she was at the doorway and answered, "Yes sweetie?"

"Can you tell us a bedtime story?"

"Okay, but I'm going to keep it short okay?"

"Okie."

"So what do you want it to be about?"

Rose thought about it, her face scrunched up adorably as she thought.

"How did you and daddy fall in love?"

"Ewwwww!" exclaimed Will as he scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Love is gross! It gives you...cooties!"

Clary laughed softly at her children's antics and asked Rose, "Do you want me to tell you the story?"

"Yes please," Rose begged with big eyes.

"Yuck I don't wanna hear about this!" Will proclaimed before he dramatically wailed and ducked his head under his pillow.

Clary rolled her eyes and laughed.

'Boys will be boys.' She thought to herself and chuckled.

"Anyways..." She returned her attention to Rose.

She reached out to smooth her daughter's hair and began;

"Once upon a time, a girl thought her life was perfect. Normal. She wasn't a princess, yet she wasn't a peasant. She was content. Yet she felt something was missing. A piece of a puzzle still waiting to be found.

One day, a dragon came to town looking for someone to kidnap and eat."

Will came out under his pillow at the mention of the dragon while Rose gasped listened on with curiosity and fear in her eyes.

"The dragon was about to harm the girl and village when a knight in black armor came in and saved her, killing the dragon.

The girl went to thank him but he was gone. The next day, she thought she saw a glimpse of black, but looked again and it wasn't there. She thought she was going crazy.

Until one day, when another dragon attacked and this time it succeeded in attacking her, but the knight came and defeated it before it could take her away.

However, she was injured so he took her to his base, where there were others like him. When she healed and woke up, she saw him and removed his helmet.

He had the face of an angel. A beautiful fallen angel. Multiple scars and a deep sadness seemed to hide beneath those golden orbs. He may have looked strong, but she could tell he was broken on the inside.

They grew closer and battled many battles with dragons and even with other knights, evil knights. And with each battle, they realized how much they needed and cared for each other. How much they loved each other."

By this, she could see Rose's and Will's eyes slowly droop close.

"They learned through the obstacles they went through, through the multiple barriers that tried to separate them. They learned that their love would always prevail. No matter what.

The knight was broken, yes, yet she still loved him. He was an angel with scars. She loved him for his flaws and faults. For his imperfections made him beautiful in her eyes. And of course, his looks weren't all that bad either.

They went through hell and back, literally, and still survived."

Rose sleepily giggled at this.

"In the beginning the knight refused to believe in love. He believed love would hurt you, weaken you. We both learned that it did quite the opposite. It strengthened us in every aspect and made us stronger."

By than, they were asleep in their beds. I went to kiss them on their foreheads once more on their forehead and before I could turn around Rose mumbled, "Mommy, I wanna find my knight someday."

Clary smiled lovingly down at her now asleep daughter and whispered, "You will sweetheart, I'm sure of it. You'll have your very own tale to tell one day."

She turned around and saw Jace leaning on the doorway smirking down at her.

"So you admitted I have good looks?" he said cockily.

Clary chuckled and lightly smacked him on the arm, shaking her head at her husband's inflated ego.

His smirk transformed to a warm smile filled with love.

"I love you my little damsel in distress."

"And I love you, you egotistical knight."