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#anna ightwood
iloveallmyocs · 3 years
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the Dawn of a friendship
Ariadne didn’t know how long she had been waiting in the games room, hoping Anna would show up as was Anna’s routine in grand parties like the one of the one they were having.
Eventually, Ariadne got herself to step out of the games room and picked up the courage to scout for Anna herself. She needed to tell Anna that she had heard what Anna had said to her at the infirmary.
James Herondale’s and Cordelia Carstairs’ engagement party was one of the most luxurious parties Ariadne had attended, consisting of numerous respected members of the enclave, but it wasn’t hard to spot Anna among the crowd.
Anna was always easy to spot, the aura around her just commanded people to pay attention. It had always caught Ariadne’s attention.
But then, at that moment, what caught Ariadne’s attention was not Anna Lightwood. What caught her attention was the sight of a boy, looking around the same age as Ariadne was, storming out of the ballroom looking distraught.
Even though she didn’t know the boy at all, Ariadne felt a surge of protectiveness overpower her. The boy was heading away from a group of teenage boys. Ariadne was able to recognise the group of boys. Everybody knew the group, it consisted of the children of the most popular shadowhunters of the previous generation.
Matthew Fairchild, who looked positively furious, was part of the group. He was the Counsul’s son and so Ariadne had been acquainted with him. He was fair company, but  promiscuously quoted Oscar Wilde every five minutes or so.
As if by instinct, Ariadne found herself sprinting after the boy, only to have her path blocked by-
“Anna?” she panted, peering outside the door to catch a glimpse of the boy.
“Ari, you look healthy-” Anna began, her cool and unworried tone clashing against the mood Ariadne was in. Ariadne could no longer able to see the boy.
“Anna, please do excuse me for being impolite, but I have an important matter to attend to” said Ariadne apologetically, pushing past Anna even before she had the time to respond.
Ariadne, on any other day, would have shuddered at the thought of dismissing Anna for going after some boy she didn’t know anything about.
But there was something about the boy. No, Ariadne was not in love with him, she didn’t even know him properly. In fact, she would never love any boy, she was certain of it. No matter how many times she had been warned of the dangers of being the way she was, she was certain that no matter how hard she tried, she would never fall in love with a boy.
“Stop”, Ariadne called out when the boy was finally in her line of vision.
The boy whipped his head back to look at the source of the voice. His face wore an alarmed expression and upon closer inspection, Ariadne could see tears spilling out of his eyes.
“I’ll be with you in a moment” announced the boy, before facing the other direction and furiously wiping off his tears.
“What’s the matter?” asked Ariadne when he was done and turned towards her once more.
“Miss Bridgestock, everything is alright, just don’t mind me and return to your party. why did you come after me?”
“I just wanted to make sure everything was fine” shrugged Ariadne “It’s not at every party that Thomas Lightwood is the cause of a grown man’s tears”
The boy scoffed and later held out his hand, preparing to leave “I’m Alastair Carstairs, it was nice to-”
“Carstairs?” Ariadne interrupted .“I don’t think you should be going anywhere now, are you related to the would be bride?”
“I’m her brother” revealed Alastair, which resulted in Ariadne arching her eyebrows up in a display of disappointment.
Taking notice of Ariadne’s expression, Alastair folded his hands and struck his chin out. “Yes, I know should be in there, but just want one day to myself. Is that too much to ask? Also, stop being so judgmental, you barely know who I am or what I’ve been through”
“Then tell me about it” said Ariadne, gently nudging Alastair with her elbow.
Alastair looked perplexed. “Good lord, you’re impossible to dislike” he remarked, looking up to the sky in exasperation.
Ariadne’s eyebrows went up again. “Why would you ‘dislike’ me?” she asked, her voice full of curiosity. What would a boy whom she had never met before have against her?
“I just said that I didn’t” muttered Alastair “well, for a time I did, because of Charles”
“Charles Fairchild? The one ‘Charles’ I was engaged to?”. Ariadne had gotten somewhat of an idea of where the conversation was going, but wasn’t very confident about it and let Alastair explain it himself. Also, they were in England and in England there were as as many Charles’ as there were mice.
“Yes. Him” confirmed Alastair “I presume you already know that he likes men, don’t you? I was told that you know”
Ariadne nodded. “I know. that is why I agreed to the engagement in the first place”
“Well, the thing is, Charles and I were together at the time of your engagement” Alastair confessed, “I just broke things off with him”
“Is that why you’re upset?” asked Ariadne.
“No. I actually feel like a load has been lifted off chest, actually” said Alastair, smiling sadly. “Why I left early is because I tried to make amends with a few boys who went to the academy with me and it didn’t go well”
“What went wrong in the academy?” Ariadne inquired, feeling as though she might explode if she didn’t receive all the answers to her questions.
“You ask a lot of questions” laughed Alastair, his mind distant.
Ariadne patiently waited for him to answer.
Alastair gulped, not sure if he was making the right choice by spilling out all of his problems to his previous lover’s previous fiancée.
“I wasn’t treated right, when I first joined the academy. Well, you should know how it is” said Alastair, gesturing to Ariadne.
Of course Ariadne knew how it was. Both her overprotective parents had tried to protect her from the harsh realities of living in London while looking the way she did. And yet, she knew. 
She knew it from the way the guests arriving in her house looking for inquisitor Bridgestock always looked down upon her. Some even assumed that she was bought for money by the Bridgestocks, not as a daughter but as something else.
That was what people normally assumed of you when you were from a country that was colonised by the country you are presently residing in. 
“I more than ‘know’ how it is” retuned Ariadne.
For a moment they stood in silence, neither knowing what to say. Alastair finally broke it by asking “How do you bear it? I sometimes feel like screaming until nothing comes out, but I have my mother and Layla who are like me but you-”
“-am adopted” finished Ariadne “It does get frustrating. My parents want me to forget that I am an Indian and once had another name. they want me to forget about my birth parents, their-” Ariadne broke off bursting into tears.
“Oh god, this was supposed to be about you” sniffed Ariadne as Alastair wrapped his coat around her.
“Why don’t we go to your house and talk about it over a warm cup of tea, which  probably was imported from India, Miss Bridgestock?” he asked in a desperate attempt to cheer Ariadne up.
“Alright” Ariadne laughed, then with a solemn face face, added “call me Kamala, it is my birth name”
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An AU (idk if it should be classified as an AU) instead of Lucie, Kamala chases after Alastair at the end of ChoG. I probably should have written this before Choi came out and its tag was flooded with HCs about Alastair’s and Kamala’s friendship.
@cant-think-of-anything let me know what you think (I don’t have anyone else to tag lol)
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