Anabella, Alec and Lydia made their ways to the monitor room. The Inquisitor was coming and they wanted to welcome her.
"The message said to have everything ready. The trial will begin immediately. She's on her way." Lydia informed.
"But that doesn't make any sense. Why rush this?" Alec asked confused.
"My grandmother never liked to let things unsolved for too long. And the fact that I was the one who send the request, that made her wanting to come even more." Anabella said looking ahead.
"Like grand mother, like grand daughter." Lydia said.
"What can I say? We Herondales are the same." Anabella said smirking.
The arrived in the main room and waited for the doors to open. As on clue, a lot of shadowhunters entered the hallway and stood aside. In the hallway then stepped and old lady, with brown hair, in a bun, her blue eyes sending an icy stare.
"Guards, at ease." The lady, who might be the Inquisitor said.
Anabella, Lydia and Alce bowed their head in respect.
"Madame Inquisitor." Lydia said.
The Inquisitor bowed her head at Lydia. She then looked at Anabella and a sweet smile made it's way on her face.
"Anabella. I am glad to see you here." The inquisitor said in a soft voice to her grand daughter.
"Me too, grandma." Anabella said smiling sweetly.
"I heard that some of the shadowhunters from this Institute didn't followed your orders and went behind your back." The Inquisitor said.
"It was nothing that couldn't be solved. I took care of their behavior." Anabella assured.
"I couldn't expect less my dear." the Inquisitor said smiling at her grand daughter's words. "As I can see Anabella, you and Lydia seems to have a beautiful friendship with Mr. Lightwood." The Inquisitor said, her smile disappearing, while looking at Alec.
"It is." Anabella informed.
"Well, I hope it won't get in the way of the trial." The Inquisitor said eyeing Anabella.
"It won't Madame." Anabella said bowing her head.
"You have my assurance-" Lydia started.
"I need your word Branwell, not flaccid reassurance. What we are seeing is the same pattern Valentine showed before the uprising. Bending of the law. Defiance of the Clave order." The Inquisitor said.
Alec looked at Anabella and saw her frowning at what she was hearing. Anabella never thought of comparing anyone to Valentine, especially not Isabelle. Isabelle was a good fighter and she knew how to define the good from the bad. Her intentions were pure and good, the comparation to Valentine was the worst thing somebody could say about her.
"Ma'am I honestly believe that Valentine wasn't involved in the seelie's escape." Lydia said.
"Spare me your honest belief. Everything is out of control." The Inquisitor said, then she looked at Anabella frowning. "We were fools to believe Valentine was dead, now his daughter has the cup and they are out there somewhere." The Inquisitor yelled in the face of her grand daughter and then she turned her attention back to Lydia. "I won't have it." She finished.
"I am sorry Inquisitor." Lydia said in shame.
"Why are you sorry? You didn't steal the cup." The Inquisitor said and turned her attention to Anabella. "Just do your jobs." The Inquisitor said.
Anabella nodded and continued. "Be efficient, be competent, be useful to the Clave." Anabella said and that made a proud smile appear on the Inquisitor's face.
"Exactly." The Inquisitor said and then she turned to all. "We will begin this evening." She said and made her way to her room, with Lydia following close behind.
Alec looked at Anabella and got near her. "Are you ok?" he asked.
Anabella sighed and looked at ALec. She gave him a determined look. "You don't have to worry about me. Right now we need to get Jace, Clary and the Cup back before the trial. Let's go and see how Isabelle is." Anabella said and took his hand dragging him to her.
They entered in the room.
"Isabelle, the Cup is missing and we think Jace took it. Do you know something about this?" Anabella asked.
Izzy stood silent not looking at Anabella or at Alec. Anabella soon noticed it and an idea popped in her mind.
"You helped him, didn't you?" Anabella asked in a calm voice while crossing her arms.
"The Cup is the only thing that can get you out of this." Alec said angry.
"Jace is doing what he thinks is right." Izzy answered ignoring the two.
"What is right?! He put the entire Shadow World in danger. He put you in danger!" Alec yelled at his younger sister.
"We have to get Jace back here with the cup. It's the only thing that can possibly get you out of this." Anabella explained calm.
"He took Meliorn back to the Seelie Worldc. You can't track him there." Izzy said.
"Not by any other normal ways, but if I use my parabatai rune-" Alec started to explain when he was cut off.
"No!" Anabella said calmly. "You won't use your parabatai rune to track Jace down. It's too dangerous. It will weak both of you until one of you dies." Anabella explained.
"I have to do this." Alec said.
"No! You won't do this Alec. This is the decision I made for both of you, you and Jace. I am not going to have people dying on me. We will find another solution to get the cup. It always is another solution." Anabella said.
"How can you wait?! We don't have time for another solution. Izzy doesn't have time to wait for another solution. You know how terrified I am right now for her?! No! you don't! Because you don't have anyone than yourself to take care of! Well I have and I am going to do everything I can my loved ones." Alec yelled in Anabella's face.
At his words Anabella frowned in anger. "You know what? You are right! I have just myself to take care of. But maybe I would have wanted to take care of other people. Maybe I would have liked to have a little brother to look after as you do with your sister! But I don't! That chance was stole away from me when I was just 2. And beside that the chance of living was stole from my unborn brother. So I am sorry I don't have such a wonderful family as you, but I know how is to loose a sibling." Anabella yelled in his face.
Alec and Anabella were so close, inches away. Blue eyes staring at green ones in anger. If Izzy wasn't there the whole time she would have thought the two were just having a romantic moment, not an angry one.
"Anabella, I-I-" Alec said shocked at Anabella's words.
"Save it Alec. We don't have time. Remember?" Anabella said sarcastic and angry at the raven boy. Alec just nodded at her comment and bowed his head in shame. "Now. Isabelle, you have the chance to at least chose your lawyer." Anabella said smiling.
"Can I choose Magnus?" Izzy asked.
"What?" Alec asked surprised. "You can't be serious." He said looking at his sister.
Izzy ignored her brother and looked at the blonde girl. "Anabella?" Izzy asked with hope in her voice.
"Hmmm. I don't see why not." Anabella said and looked at Izzy seeing her face lighting up.
"Are you serious?" Alec asked shocked that the blonde was agreeing with Izzy's idea.
"I mean, sure. It says nowhere that the downworlders can't be lawyers for shadowhunters. And Magnus is a good lawyer. He is sneaky and knows how to point the good facts and all. It's gonna be hard to defeat him, knowing that when I was little Magnus and my grandma were fighting sometimes he always knew how to shut her up." Anabella said giggling at the memory. "I think is a good idea Isabelle, it will be such a pleasure to see them fighting once again." Anabella said smiling innocently at the girl.
"Then it's settle. Now Alec can you go and talk to Magnus?" Izzy asked.
"Are you sure?" Alec asked.
"Yes Alec." Izzy said.
"Don't worry Alec. I know Magnus. If somebody can get Izzy out of this trial and looking good while doing it, it's Magnus." Anabella joked.
"Fine." Alec said and made his way out.
"And don't try to get yourself killed." Anabella yelled at him.
"I am not promising anything." Alec yelled back, being out already.
Anabella frowned and pinched the base of her nose in frustration. When she looked back she was met with a smirking Izzy.
"What?" Anabella asked confused.
"You and my brother are quite the couple of the year." Izzy said smiling.
"Me and Alec?" Anabella asked surprised. Izzy just nodded. "Sorry to break it to you Isabelle, but me and your brother are nothing than just friends." Anabella said.
"For now." Izzy said softly. "I know my brother Anabella. He was never so scared to hurt somebody like he was when you yelled at him. Besides, I think you should give him a chance. He is just shy when it comes to this kind of things." Izzy explained.
Anabella smiled and Izzy was a little surprised to see this reaction from the blonde girl, but she put a smile on quickly. Alec was right, Anabella looked better with a smile and an happy personality than with an emotionless face.
"Don't you think you have more important things to do than to play the role of Cupid for your brother?" Anabella asked amused.
"It's never a bad moment for love Anabella." Izzy said. "We might be in war times, but feeling something like love for somebody it might be your biggest strength." Izzy said smiling softly.
"Look Isabelle, I get that you had a lot of relationships, and that you you might be an expert of love but I don't date." Anabella said smiling.
"Oh my God! Are you asexual?! Sorry! I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or something?!" Izzy said freaking out.
Anabella laughed at Izzy's behavior and that made the shadowhunter to look in awe at the blonde. "No no. Don't worry, you didn't make me uncomfortable at all. And no, I am not asexual. I am straight." Anabella explained.
"Then why the hold back?" Izzy asked curious.
"I don't know. I guess because of the high expectations I have set? I don't even know what I want from a boy. I was raised to believe that I need to make myself a reputation for myself. I needed to have a perfect image because of my title as 'The Inquisitor's Grand Daughter' and to meet the expectations of the Herondale name. I never had time to think about boys, or love or anything romantic. All I had to do was to be the best shadowhunter and to make myself powerful in politic." Anabella said sighing while looking at the fire.
Izzy just got closer to Anabella and put an hand on her shoulder as a gesture of comfort. Anabella smiled at Izzy but looked back at the fire.
"Besides, I guess I always knew that my grandma is going to make me have an arranged marriage with someone, so I didn't let myself get attached to anyone. Also, I think if I will ever met someone special I want to have some things done, something important." Anabella said smiling sadly.
"Something important?! Girl! You got to be head of an Institute when you were 15, and you still are the head of the Institute in London and now you are the head of the institute here! I mean you are ruling two institutes at the age of what, 20?" Izzy asked.
"Almost 21." Anabella giggled. "And I get to be the head of this Institute until you or your brother get married, which I won't be surprised if Alec will be the first one. I heard that he wants to settle down." Anabella said smiling.
"Our parents are making him. They wants one of us to marry some powerful shadowhunters to raise the name of the family. Something like you think your grandma is going to do with you." Izzy said.
"Well, all I can say is that let's hope he will fall in love and won't marry out of political business." Anabella said and walked out of the room.
Izzy stood there alone looking at the door. She looked at the fire and then giggled.
"These two are dense dorks."