Once Upon A Time In Brooklyn

Chapter One: Enchantress

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Brooklyn, an older-than-he-seemed Warlock lived in a fashionable loft apartment. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Warlock was spoiled, selfish and vain.

But then, one winter's night, an old homeless Mundane came to his house party and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance (and not entirely pleasant aroma), the Warlock declined the gift and turned the Mundane away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty is found within. At this point, the Warlock did consider that he might be being punked, but really, he wasn't going to let some Mundane with holes in her clothes into his party.

And when he dismissed her again, the Mundane's ugliness melted away, to reveal a beautiful enchantress. Or rather a very pissed of Warlock who was going to curse him to Sunday and back.

The Warlock tried to apologise, realising that he really was in trouble now, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no longer any love in his heart. As punishment, she cursed him to have to live through an entire book's worth of fairytales. The really nasty ones too.

Aware that there were many ways to die in fairy tales, the Warlock concealed himself inside his apartment with a cellphone as his contact to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for one year. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. Not like there was any pressure there.

If not, he would die because this Enchantress wasn't messing around and she'd been pissed goddamnit.

The more he thought of it, he fell into despair and lost all hope. He had not felt love for another creature in over a century, and he had not been loved for much more. For who, really, could ever learn to love Magnus Bane?

*

"Magnus, you haven't answered your phone in three days," Clarissa's voice came through the intercom. Magnus sighed from the nest of blankets he'd wrapped himself in on the couch. So the Shadowhunters wanted him, did they? Well, he was indisposed. He was not going to answer their stupid calls for help when he had his own problems to deal with.

"What's the problem?"

Ah, the blond one was here. Even better. He would have no qualms telling them to go bother someone else if that was the case... Wait. If the blond one was there, that usually meant-

"Maybe he's just not in? I'm sure Magnus has a life besides just waiting for us to turn up," And there it was, the sweet voice of the hottest of the Shadowhunters. That beautiful Lightwood boy, Alec, whose eyes were like the brightest blue skies and...

Magnus gestured vaguely from within his protective blankets and heard the door buzz obnoxiously. There was the sound of scrambling as the others quickly tried to gain entry to his apartment and then the slam of boots on stairs and a rapid knocking on his actual door.

"I don't use a key," he called. Sure enough, the door opened and in walked the usual suspects. Magnus ignored the blond one, handsome though he might be, he held little interest for the Warlock. Clarissa looked worried, which was sweet of her, truly, but Magnus didn't need her concern. Isabelle glided in looking smugly self-satisfied and her brother was stammering something out, his face somewhat flustered looking.

Alec truly was a delight to look at, and he was the primary reason why Magnus helped them so much. Of course, he liked Clarissa well enough, but Alec's smile outshone hers by a mile. In fact, Alec was smiling right now, his white teeth shining as he took in Magnus' position on the couch. Magnus supposed he probably did look a little ridiculous.