Summary: A Wedding.

Over the years Alec had seen many weddings, sometimes when he'd been really, really desperate he'd crash them, not with intent to ruin them of course, but the ones that had a buffet were really easy to pass unnoticed in and Alec had been able to eat a decent meal that way.

Alec could tell that this one was shaping up to be a beautiful wedding and Alec was happy to be part of it.

The flowers were beautiful and a light golden color, not as dark as the one the flower that sat on the Balcony of the loft and several white and red roses were scattered among them through out the room.

Alec was rather pleased that they had chosen to have the wedding outside, a small gazebo at the head of the aisle was likewise painted gold, because gold was the Shadowhunter color for weddings.

Magnus, as they were planning, had argued for chairs for the guests to sit in and Alec won that argument which meant that they long cushioned benches that had bouquets of pale blue stargazer lilies on the corner of the back of the benches. The benches themselves were a lovely golden brown, it was a warm color that Alec had fallen rather in love with as soon as he saw it. Connecting each of the benches were strips of pale golden cloth.

So far everything was shaping up perfectly and Alec was extremely pleased with what he was seeing.

"Hello, Alexander." Magnus whispered into Alec's neck as he pressed a kiss to Alec's Deflect Rune.

"You know that you aren't supposed to see each other before the wedding." Max said as he glared at Magnus, from where he had been helping Alec make sure everything was where it was meant to be.

Magnus pulled away and crouched down before Max, "That's only for the people getting married."

Max squinted at Magnus, "Are you sure?"

Magnus laughed and ruffled Max's hair, "Yeah, kiddo, I'm sure."

"Fine." Max relented and looked up at Alec, "What now?"

"Now, we check on Isabelle." Alec said, "And then we check in on Lydia."

"And after that, young Lightwood, you have to get ready." Magnus told him.

Max wrinkled his nose, "Fine."

Magnus laughed as the child stalked down the aisle and then raised an eyebrow at Alec who shrugged.

"The Silent Brother should be arriving with Maryse, can you give him this?" Alec asked as he pulled an old book from inside his suitcoat.

Magnus took the book from Alec and frowned at the suppleness of the leather the cover had been made from and Magnus traced his thumb over the name that was stitched on the cover, J. C. Starlight. The name had obviously been stitched with love and the golden and silver five petaled flower on the cover was the same as the one that never died on the balcony, the bloom that Alec spoke to and watered lovingly everyday or night without fail, sometimes petting the petals with a sad smile.

"I marked the page for him." Alec said.

"What is it?" Magnus asked.

"A few weeks after my trip to see the First, the last time we talked..." Alec gave Magnus a meaningful look, "I got a few packages, this was among them, it's a diary." Alec looked at the worn cover, "But also not, it's a series of letters."

"From who?"

"From Johnathan to The First Warlock, his name was Caelen." Alec whispered after making sure that no one was near, "They never married, it was illegal to even be suspected of loving the same gender, punishable by death with no proof necessary, but Johnathan wrote how he'd want a ceremony to be I thought, I thought that it would be good to bring the ceremony they should have had to our people."

Magnus looked at Alec with soft eyes and smiled, "Of course, Darling, is the Silent Brother expecting this book?"

"Yeah, he wanted to confirm that the writing was the same but when I left it with him it just appeared on the bedside table by the time I'd gotten home." Alec shrugged, "I guess Caelen spelled it so he'd never lose it. That page was a little worn at the edges but the writing in all of it is pristine and easy to read, though the language is a bit archaic."

"Of course it is." Magnus said, "I can see if I can copy the page from the book for the Brother's to keep a little later."

"That would be good." Alec said, "I got to go check to make sure Isabelle isn't freaking out and thinking about running out to kill some demons before her wedding."

Alec pressed a kiss to Magnus' cheek and left.

"You look very pretty, Isabelle." Alec smiled and straightened her dress a little bit.

"You really think so?" Isabelle asked as she stared into the mirror and started to fiddle with one of the pieces of hair that was not pulled up and piled artfully on her head, tiny golden pearls, curtesy of Catarina, shining from the mass of black.

Alec looked at her, the sleeveless light golden dress had a sweetheart neckline and in darker gold had designs that trailed over the bodice of the dress and all around the skirt that flowed almost like a river around Isabelle's legs and down to her high-heel clad feet to pool on the ground. Her Angelic Rune that rested between her breasts on display and helping to contrast the color she wore.

( 18431/gold-dress-for-wedding-06-03-2018/fascinating-gold-dress-for-wedding-48-on-mother-of-the-groom-dresses-with-gold-dress-for-wedding/)- This is Isabelle's dress.

"Yeah." Alec assured her as he tugged her hand away from the hair strand.

"Thank you, James." Isabelle smiled at him in the mirror.

"Hello, my beautiful Parabatai." Jace called as he entered the tent that they were using to get ready.

"Hello, Jace. You clean up nice." Isabelle grinned as she dusted imaginary dust from Jace's shoulders.

"Yeah, Clary picked it out." Jace said as he looked down at his light blue suit.

"Very nice." Isabelle smiled.

"I'm going to go see Lydia." Alec told them, "And Jace, try not to trip on Isabelle's skirt."

"You step on the dress one time during a fitting and you never hear the end of it." Jace complained as Isabelle laughed.

"You ripped the entire skirt from the waist!" Isabelle shouted as Alec left them and headed to check in on Lydia, Max choosing to stay with Isabelle and Jace to make sure nothing went wrong with the rings and to get dressed.

Alec entered Lydia's tent and frowned at the woman who had her head in her hands as she sat in the chair next to the full length mirror.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Alec asked.

"They aren't coming." Lydia whispered as she looked at Alec with red-rimmed eyes.

"Who?" Alec asked.

"My parents." Lydia said, "They said I was shaming them by going through with this mockery of a wedding."

Alec pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Lydia as he knelt before the woman, resting his hands on her knees and looking into her eyes, "It's not a mockery, mockery would be anything but this, this is the joining of two lives into one, it should not matter whether the people are two men, two women, one male and one female, Downworlder and Shadowhunter, or anything else as long as there is love between those that stand together before their friends and family and declare themselves it for the rest of their lives, that they have chosen this person or people to spend the rest of their lives loving and being loved by."

Lydia smiled and wiped her eyes with the handkerchief, "Thank you, James."

Alec nodded, "Now, let's fix your makeup and hair."

As Alec weaved the tiny silver pearls into the blonde curls that cascaded down Lydia's back Lydia fixed her make up. When they were finished Alec smiled at the woman in the mirror.

"I think that your parents will eventually regret not seeing this day." Alec told her.

Lydia turned to look at Alec, "Will you walk me down the aisle?"

Alec stared at the woman in shock for a moment before nodding, "Of course I will."

Lydia hugged him tightly, "Thank you."

"Hey, you're marrying my sister today, that makes you more family than you were before." Alec grinned at the woman, "I don't have a lot of family I'm willing to claim as such."

Lydia smiled and Alec was happy to have made her happy.

"Do you mind helping me into my dress?"

Alec made a face, "I guess I could."

Lydia laughed and took the golden dress from it's hanger, took her robe off and stepped into the dress, "I just need you to do the buttons."

Alec nodded, as she pulled the sleeves up over her shoulders and held them up as Alec began to button the line of golden buttons down her back.

The dress had a Queen Ann neckline that lead into long sleeved lace that hugged Lydia's arms, the bodice was a solid gold and from Lydia's hips the skirt flared out with a Glimmer Illusion overlay that had little silver stars stitched on it along the hem with a few scattered up the skirt.

( shinegoldengown/) -Lydia's dress but without the ribbon and with lace sleeves and the Queen Ann neckline.

"You look very lovely, Lydia."

"Thank you."

Alec smiled, "Are you ready, then?"

"Yes, I think I am." Lydia said as she grabbed her bouquet of Peonies, Cherry Blossoms and Stargazer Lillies, all charmed to a pale gold where as Isabelle's bouquet would be a darker gold.

"Then, let's go get you your girl." Alec said as he grinned down at the young woman, repeating words that Isabelle had once said to him.

"Yeah."

Alec guided Lydia down the aisle, the woman's gaze having locked onto Isabelle's as soon as they had arrived at the end of the aisle and hadn't flinched away since.

As they arrived at the gazebo Lydia took Isabelle's hands as the other woman reached out to her and helped her to step up onto the gazebo and then Lydia turned back and pressed a gentle kiss to Alec's cheek and whispered a soft thank you before Isabelle walked with her to where the Silent Brother stood with the book Alec had asked Magnus to give to him in hand, opened to a little more than halfway.

'Today we gather to do that which has never been done among Nephilim.' The Silent Brother began, mental voice reaching all of them, even the Downworlders, 'Today we gather to join two hearts as one, with the outer shells being no longer of consequence.'

Alec took Magnus' hand in his as he sat beside him, leaning his head on the man's shoulder.

'The Nephilim have always used the same Ritual to bind themselves together, the first Binding of hearts among Nephilim having always been thought to have occurred long after our people stopped being called one by one as needed. But today we learn that we were wrong.' The Silent Brother faced Isabelle and Lydia, 'Johnathan Shadowhunter Bound his heart to one long before he Sealed the Hell Realms, he Bound his Heart as one long before the Angel called upon him to serve as a Shadowhunter, and today the Ceremony he used to Bind his Heart away is the one we will use, for Johnathan Shadowhunter Bound his Heart not to a woman but a man and thus we will honor this first Binding of Hearts.'

The Silent Brother ran his finger over the Book's words, 'As you have already taken hands, repeat after me, Isabelle Lightwood, 'Today, I take you, Lydia Branwell, into my heart as you have always been...''

"Today, I take you, Lydia Branwell, into my heart as you have always been...,"

''...I take you into my life as I always knew you would be...,''

"I take you into my life as I always knew you would be...,"

''My heart I give to thee, in exchange for the one you are giving me...,''

"My heart I give to thee, in exchange for the one you are giving me...,"

''From this day forward...,''

"From this day forward...,"

"May they beat as one until they beat no more.''

"May they beat as one until they beat no more." Isabelle finished.

Lydia looked at Isabelle lovingly.

'Miss Branwell, if you would speak the same.' The Silent Brother told her.

"Today, I take you, Isabelle Lightwood, Into my heart as you have always been, I take you into my life as I always knew you would be, my heart I give to thee, in exchange for the one you are giving me, from this day forward may they beat as one until they beat no more." Lydia recited.

'The rings you have chosen to give are but an outward sign that you have bound your hearts as one, if you'd light you're Stele, Miss Branwell, you will mark your chosen's body with the Wedded Rune.'

Lydia lit her Stele and within the Angelic Rune marked Isabelle with the Wedded Rune, the Rune glowing not the normal black but a lovely golden and stayed the color as the burning that came with being Runed faded.

'Miss Lightwood if you would do the same.'

Isabelle took her Stele and lit it, marking Lydia with the same Rune over the woman's heart and pressing a soft kiss over it as if to sooth the burn.

'Your hearts are one as your lives, from this day forward are bound as one, may your paths never separate and stray and may the Stars shine golden upon your nights while you sleep side by side and the sun cast silver light upon your days. May the darkness that gathers around you never enter your hearts or your lives.' The Silent Brother intoned, 'You may share your first kiss as two hearts that beat as one and a single life shared by two.'

Lydia smiled at Isabelle and pressed a light kiss on Isabelle's lips, and for a single breath the kiss remained a simple little thing and then Isabelle deepened it and dragged Lydia closer by her waist and dipped her to the side, holding much of the woman's weight in her arms.

Jace whooped loudly as he laughed and clapped his hands together and then he jumped down from the Gazebo where he had been standing next to Isabelle to grab Clary and pull her into a similar kiss.

'You may exchange the rings you have chosen to give.' The Silent Brother told them as they separated.

Isabelle blushed as she bent to take her ring from a rather unimpressed and slightly disgusted Max to place a simple golden band engraved with little silver stars on Lydia's left hand ring finger.

"Thank you, Max." Lydia smiled as Max offered the remaining ring to Lydia.

Lydia slid the silver ring with little golden suns engraved on it onto Isabelle's left hand ring finger.

'And thus two are bound as one.' The Silent Brother finished.

Alec smiled softly as the two women walked side by side back down the aisle, hands never letting go as they left, guests following after.

The Silent Brother stopped before Alec and offered the Book to him, 'It was a beautiful Ceremony, I was pleased to invoke it upon them.'

Alec nodded as he took the Book, tracing the flower embedded in the cover, "I was pleased to offer it."

The Silent Brother nodded, 'For almost as long as Shadowhunters have existed to fight Demons we Brothers have held the Journals of Johnathan Shadowhunter, no place within them do we find the knowledge of this man he Bound his Heart to, no place within them do we find mention of the man who pulled the Soul from his body in form of sword to seal the Hell Realms, this knowledge comes from a story passed from Brother to Brother from the days when we were not many but rather only Seven Brothers made brothers by the silence that they shared. This man, this Warlock born before any other, entrusted us with much of what his heart left remaining when the Angel called him back to his embrace, he entrusted us to guide his heart's people upon the right path, a path of not only protection but also love, some where along the way we failed in that path, and the Warlock did not.'

The Silent Brother stared with his stitched closed eyes, 'We failed in making sure all Nephilim are loved, no matter what, somewhere we lost track of our mission. We failed you and many others, we have known of the Warlock Rooms for decades, some thought to remove them but they could never prove that children were taken, could never prove these children even existed and but for the records we keep in the City of Bones they do not.

'You were not the first Nephilim to be hurt by those meant to protect and love him, Alexander Lightwood, but I and all of my Brothers pray and hope that you will be the last.' The Silent Brother offered, "It would please me very much if, when you seek to publicly Bind your Heart and Life to your Warlock, you would call upon me to speak the words of Johnathan Starlight and Caelen Shadowhunter before you as your guide.'

Alec shook his head, "I do not think I can promise that."

The Silent Brother raised an eyebrow.

"I often find myself among the Flowers that The First kept in bloom for love of his Nephilim, they speak to me in a way none other do, they sing and sway and call me to stand among them when I tie my Heart and Life to my Warlock, I do not know if any will be permitted to witness our Ceremony." Alec explained.

The Silent Brother inclined his head regally, 'If that is so, then such will be done. May your Hearts beat as one for many years.'

Alec smiled, "Thank you for the blessings you offer our union."

Alec dipped his head in return and then left the Silent Brother to join Magnus and the rest of the Wedding guests at the reception.