Kingdom by the Sea: A Blackstairs Fanfiction

Chapter 2: A Law Divine

Chapter 2: A Law Divine


"Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one spirit meet and mingle.
Why not I with thine? -"
- 'Love's Philosophy' Percy Shelley


Emma collapsed on her bed.
Muscles aching, head swimming, heart racing - it had been an interesting day.
As soon as Julian left the training room that afternoon she grabbed her trainers and legged it out of the institute, hoping that a long jogging session would help clear her mind of confusion.
Because that's what she was, confused. Extremely confused.
When Julian had come home, they had acted like...like there was something between them that wasn't just friendship.


But that wasn't right.


When she had come back to the institute, sweaty and breathless, it was already dark, and she could hear the echo of voices ringing from the family room, which was more like a cavernous chamber than a room - filled with plush couches, bookshelves, and an array of board games and toys littering the wooden floorboards.
It was the rest of the Blackthorn kids that had arrived with Julian, and even though she desperately wanted to go see them, he was no doubt with them, and she didn't want to face him just yet.


So Emma had run up to the third floor and shut herself in her room.
Lying with her head snug between two pillows on her double bed, she began to think.
She thought of Julian, and their Parabatai ceremony, and the law.
The Shadowhunter law that deemed a romantic relationship between Parabatai illegal.


Dura lex, sed lex. The law is hard, but it is the law.
Which was totally okay because there was definitely nothing lovey-dovey going on between them.


Rolling onto her side she caught the sound of paper crackling.
Reaching under the fold of her duvet cover, her fingers made contact with something small, smooth and beautifully wrapped in dark blue crepe paper decorated with a pattern of silvery stars.
*Oh* Emma hazily realised - *It's Jules' gift*
She ran her fingers over the little shape for a second, then sliding her thumb under the tissue she peeled the material off as carefully as she could -
- and found herself holding a little silver box.
*Oh God, I thought he knew well enough to not get me jewelry*
Sighing she opened the box, and instead of being confronted with a piece of gold or silver, a deep blue stone flecked with iridescent flakes winked at her in the dim light.
It was...perfect.
She touched it's smooth surface, the color perfectly imitating a half of the color of Julian's eyes.


Mesmerized with the strange stone she decided to look it up.
Sneaking away to the library, Emma scanned the contents of the bookshelves, not bothering with a witchlight but using the pale glow of the moons beam shining through the large windows to guide her eyes.
Selecting a book on Stones, Gems and Minerals, she held her blue stone up to the pages of the book until she found a match.


It was a Lapis Lazuli: a friendship stone.
Friendship. Of course.
That word, for the first time in her life, washed a wave of disappointment over her.
Attempting to ignore this she touched the stone again, it really was beautiful.


Sliding the book back onto the shelf, her stone sitting comfortably in the palm of her hand, she turned around ready to head back to her room - and was met with a pair of mismatched eyes.
Cursing out loud, Emma scolded herself for not hearing the figure approaching, but before she could do something about it the figure spoke:
"Hello again, Emma Carstairs," said a deep, male voice.
And with that he stepped out of the shadows; tall frame, pointed ears under pale blonde curls, and the eyes - one gold, and one ...blueish green.
The same color as -
"Mark, Mark Blackthorn," she stuttered.