Eternal Slumber: An Alec Lightwood LS

Chapter 1: Captive

For the first twenty years of her life, Viviana Oleastro, a Spanish Shadowhunter, had felt captive. Living in the late 1800s as a woman meant many restrictions, and expectations. To begin with, she had so many oppositions to learning how to fight. Instead, she was expected to become intellectual, skilled with music, and someday marry a fellow Shadowhunter, bear their children, and raise them.

It wasn't that she considered raising the next generation of Shadowhunters to be a small, meaningless task. No. Viviana truly wished to have children someday. But she searched for something more in life- to get out of that box society had built for her. 

In the beginning, she would seek this out via protests to the Clave themselves. Whenever she could, she'd complaint, yell and scream against only allowing men to battle demons. Then, she would also try to learn how to yield a blade on her own. 

Despite being denied over and over again of her requests by the Clave, it seems that the Angels in the heavens heard her prayers. They sent Gideon Lightwood right to her home, to the Madrid Institute. He supported her ideas and taught her the ways of battle, as well as English. In return, she taught him Spanish, and how to be less pompous. The pair became quick friends. But, eventually, he had to return to the London Institute. They continued to exchange fire-messages, and when she was ready to tell him she had began to grow feelings for him that were beyond platonic, he spoke to her about Sophia Collins. A mundane servant at his Institute whom wanted to ascend, and he had fallen dramatically, and hopelessly romantically for. So, she denied her own feelings to preserve their friendship. 

Then, another man came into her life, but this time, he was no Shadowhunter. Algar was a Seelie knight, those beauty and regal posture immediately captivated her. Alas, they were not meant to be, for they were different species, and neither could become like the other. So, when her parents locked her up in her room, for weeks, insisting on an arranged marriage with Gideon's cousin, Emmett Pangborn, from the London Institute, she tried to resist. But, once more, she would deny her feelings, finally succumbing to her parents' desires.

She would travel through land, and sea, to meet her foreign fiancée. Although she had made it clear to Emmett about her past courtship with a Seelie, and her lack of love for the Pangborn male, he still accepted to marry her within a few weeks time. This was to allow her to adjust to a new Institute and country. And admitted to not loving her either, due to their unfamiliarity towards the other, but that he would make the effort to at least become friends, and be faithful to her. Viviana would agree to the same, seeing no other choice for her future. 

But then, Algar showed up at her doorstep, insisting that they could run away to the Seelie Realm, where they could be forever together, due to how differently time passes there. Unfortunately, by then, Viviana had been far too persuaded by her parents into this arranged marriage, with a multitude of reasons why this would be for the best, not just to her, but for Algar himself too. So, she refused him. And he was not at all pleased with this. So he yelled, and screamed, and promised threats on her family, including her parents and fiancee. The members of the Institute heard the commotion and kicked the Seelie out, with declarations that if he ever showed again, he'd be murdered with a Shadowhunter blade. 

And so he left, and was never heard from him again. Or so they thought. The night preceding the wedding ceremony, he snuck into Viviana's bedroom, and used a Seelie curse never heard of before on the young woman. Then, he wrote with a blade on the wall, exposing the severity of his deeds. The morning later, the young women of the Institute whom Viviana had come to make friendships with saw the message, and attempted to wake the Oleastro girl. Regrettably, none of their efforts would work.

Viviana would no longer be captive to the Shadowhunter culture of the 19th century. Now, she would be captive in her own body. Hearing everything around her, with a fully conscious mind of the time that passed, but paralyzed body by her neuron's lack of response to her brain. 

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Many years had passed since then. It was the 21st century now, the year 2016 to be specific. Her body laid in a crypt of the Silent City. Granted, the space had been made into adequate chambers for her in the past almost full century and a half. So, her living quarters weren't so bad. In fact, she was most grateful for how, over the years, the quality of her mattress had improved. And although she didn't quite receive many visitors from the outside, the Silent Brothers liked to have conversations with her a few times a day. 

Actually, one of her friends from the London Institute, Jem Carstairs, had become a Silent Brother not too long after her magical coma began. His new name would become Brother Zachariah. All was better with a familiar face around. Still, Viviana had many limitations due to her condition. It was then that he went against the rules and taught her the powers of telepathy. The other Silent Brothers believed this would likely only damage her body further, but, somehow, it didn't. It just allowed her to more easily communicate back with them, and any other visitors. 

Nevertheless, there was the question to her persisting paralysis. No Silent Brother magic, no new technologies, no Warlock nor Seelie magic had been able to get her out of that state. Not even the recently recovered Book of the White did anything. Some Inquisitors over the years had suggested euthanasia to her, but not willing to be misled into more tragedies by following the rules, she denied them. Instead, she tried to remain hopeful. 

And to all the prayers she sent to the Angels, an answer would come. The magic of the curse became partially compromised for no apparent reason a few weeks back. It still wasn't enough though, as all she could do was wiggle her fingers and toes. But then, the unsuspecting energy that brought vitality to her being returned, and she stood up from her bed.