Royal Dilemma

Reality Altered

"Blue," Alec stated shocked. "That baby is bright blue!"

"He's a warlock," Magnus explained. "Though I have never encountered one cursed at such a young age before." Magnus could tell Alec didn't know what to say. After all Alec had only ever met one warlock in his life, the one standing before him.

He was sure somehow that Alec had never quite pictured a warlock being so small and vulnerable.

"What age are warlocks usually cursed?" Alec asked, stunned, but clearly curiosity.

"Between 6-12 is what I've seen most often," Magnus replied. "But really anytime before puberty and the curse will take. I just can't imagine what this little one's parents must have done." Magnus started rocking the child in his arms back and forth absently as he spoke. This was not the first child to be left on his doorstep and, unfortunately, it wouldn't be the last. The parents didn't have the heart to kill their own children or abandon them alone in the middle of nowhere, so they brought the cursed here, in a small attempt to do the right thing.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked.

"Usually demon's curse children," Magnus explained. "To punish their parents."

"That's- it's just so unfair," Alec gasped. "So cruel." The expression on his face was as if the whole world had been split down the middle to reveal that he knew nothing, nothing at all. Magnus wanted to somehow comfort Alec, but he knew not how.

"He seems to be no more than seven months old to judge by his size," Magnus continued. "It's a wonder he survived the curse."

"Children can die from the demon's curse?" Alec asked.

"If they are too young or too weak, yes," Magnus replied. "If they are too old they just get sick. The curse can't turn you into a warlock after puberty."

Alec again seemed lost for words and Magnus took the opportunity to get back to business. Lifting his hand not cradling the infant he summoned pen and paper from his desk and instructed the pen to write a note before the whole thing went up in flames.

"What did you just do?" Alec asked, clearly impressed.

"I sent a message to Catarina," Magnus explained. "She is my go to person for stuff like this."

"You mean this has happened before?" Alec asked.

"No recently," Magnus replied. "But yes."

"Did this happen to you?" Alec whispered.

"Of course," Magnus replied. "If I hadn't been cursed I wouldn't be a warlock."

"No, I mean were you abandoned?" Alec asked.

"Oh, that," Magnus said. He walked away from the door, summoned some wood from the forest near his house and shaped it into a makeshift crib with his blue magic. Magnus placed the infant in the crib before turning to Alec and answering the question. "Yes and no. My mother was scared of me and my father tried to kill me, so I left."

The expression on Alexander's face quite took Magnus's breath away. Alec was always an open book, and the empathy and sadness for Magnus showed there perfectly as if it had been spoken in words. Alec moved forward and wrapped his arms around Magnus, holding him close in a hug that was somehow free of judgement or guilt. Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec in return, and felt safe enough to cry, though he didn't. Just the fact he felt he could was extraordinary.

"No child should have to experience something like that," Alec whispered. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Magnus."

"It's not all bad," Magnus said pulled out of the hug before he started crying for real. "The magic and immortality is rather nice." Alec smiled at him and for a moment everything else fell away.