When Jace's plan had been foiled and Clary had tossed him back through a Portal into the Institute, he nearly knocked out his sister as he slid across the floor. If it hadn't been for Alec's lightning-fast reflexes, there'd be a pile of Herondales on the floor.
Once making sure that Jace was ok, he reported that Jonathan and Clary had succeeded in kidnapping the Seelie Queen. So, Serena sent out a fire message to her Seelie contact who was now part of the queen's elite guard. As they waited for him to arrive, Jace turned to his twin and said, "I believe you have something of mine."
"I don't know," she teased. "I've grown rather fond of having it around my neck."
"Rena," Jace said with a warning tone.
"Fine. You buzzkill," she snapped as she took off the necklace and he lowered his head so she could clasp it around his neck.
Alec then strode into the room and said, "He's here." He then held the door open as Meliorn walked into the room and Serena moved to greet him.
"Mellie, it's good to see you," she said as she kissed both his cheeks and he did the same.
"Likewise, though I'm saddened that it is under such... undesirable circumstances."
"Let's get down to business then," Serena invited as she gestured for him to have a seat but the armoured Seelie remained standing.
"As our queen has been taken and there is no avenue present for her safe return, the Seelies insist that Jace Herondale pays for his crimes. Not just of aiding in the abduction of my queen, but of the injuries of the Seelie knights."
"I was undercover!" Jace insisted and he would've continued had his sister not held up her hand for silence.
"Meliorn, I think it would do you well to remember that harming my brother is the reason why my dealings with your queen were terminated in the first place, first of all. Second of all, I'd like to propose a deal."
Meliorn raised a brow. "What kind of deal?"
"My brother gets to live in peace and we turn over the body of the dead Seelie spy who orchestrated a demon attack that killed two mundanes and broke into our subcells. I performed her rites and her body is ready to be returned to the nature of the Seelie realm. You need only take her."
Meliorn bowed his head. "We have a deal, Sweet Little Serena."
"Lovely," Serena remarked. "Now onto our next order of business. Clary."
"Unfortunately, while you have been able to bargain away your brother's freedom, what cannot be denied is that Clarissa Fairchild, a Shadowhunter, has committed an act of war."
"Kidnapping your queen was Jonathan's plan," Jace stressed.
"Clary is under his control. Her actions are not her own, but we now have a remedy for her condition," Alec informed him before another Seeli walked into their office and whispered into Meliorn's ear before he swiftly turned around and left.
"It would seem my queen's ransom has finally been demanded. The time of the exchange approaches," Meliorn revealed.
"Oh, let me guess. That demon wants the Morningstar sword? Shocker," Jace said sarcastically, and Serena shot him a look.
"Mellie, Jonathan cannot be allowed to get his hands on that sword. He'll destroy the entire world with it, the Seelie realm included. Nowhere will be safe," Serena promised.
"My apologies, Sweet Little Serena, but that blade and those who wield it are no longer of concern to us," he replied.
"Then just hold them long enough for Serena and us to get there with Glorious," Jace pleaded.
"Seelies can't lie. To double-cross would go against our nature," Meliorn explained to the youngest Herondale.
"Please," Jace begged. But before Jace could say anymore, Serena interrupted him.
"Meliorn, you owe me. Do this for me and I'll consider us finally even."
He inhaled. "We can, however, be forgetful," he remarked. "Leaving entrances to the realm unlocked. Do with that what you will." And he finally left as Alec turned to the twins.
"Let's do this. Gear up."
********************************
Snow was falling in the Seelie Realm as Clary and Jonathan stepped onto a bridge in the Wander Woods, Jonathan with a dagger at the queen's throat. Meliorn stood atop the bridge flanked by two guards as he held a black sword, his hands wrapped around the hilt as the sword pointed towards the ground.
"Make sure it's a genuine article, Sister," Jonathan said.
Meliorn and Clary regarded each other for a moment before Meliorn planted the sword in between the wooden slats in the bridge, leaving it for Clary to free rather like Excalibur, the famed sword in stone.
Clary's hand wrapped around the hilt as she drew the sword and held it in the air, the runic inscription on the blade blazing red with hell fire.
"Rest easy, Brother. We can finally restore the Morgenstern name," Clary announced. She lowered the sword as the flames died out and she moved back to her brother's side. Jonathan then let the Seelie Queen go, allowing her to go back to her people as the exchange was complete.
And as they rushed off, a voice from behind the siblings said, "You're not a Morgenstern. You're a Fairchild."
Jace and his twin stepped onto the bridge.
"And a future Herondale," teased Serena as her brother glared at her. "What? Too soon?"
"Would you please focus?!" Jace stressed as he gestured to the blades that the Morgensterns had pointed at the two Herondales.
"Please," Serena scoffed as she turned her attention back to the redheads. "Nothing can take down the Herondale twins."
And despite their little tiff at what could not be a worse time, Jace still raised his hand to fist-bump his sister.
"I told you what would happen if you got in my way again," Clary said threateningly to Jace and then she pointed the sword at Serena. "That goes for you too."
"Well, little sister, we're here for you, whether you like it or not," Serena smirked before she drew Glorious, the blade igniting with heavenly fire. "And now, you're not the only one with a cool sword."
Jace had his blade out, looking at Jonathan with a hateful glare as the older Morgenstern said, "I'll handle Jace. Have fun, Sister."
The two boys moved off the bridge and the two girls clashed.
Clary struck first as Serena deflected the blow, the two swords sparking as the powers of heaven and hell collided. Serena pushed Clary off her and the redhead regained her composure as she pointed the sword at her.
"I don't know whether to be honoured or offended, that you're trying to stab me and not Jonathan," she snapped as they moved towards the end of the bridge, opposite to the side the boys had left on.
"Try not to take it personally, Red."
And Serena flipped backwards off the bridge, landing and holding up the sword in time to block as Clary lunged at her, bringing down the Morning Star sword.
That seemed to anger Clary. "I'm not your sister!" she yelled as she attacked with renewed vigour and Serena struggled a little to block her attacks.
Clary was pushing her sword towards Serena's face as she blocked it and Serena did struggle this time to fight against the demonic strength Clary had inherited from her brother as they battled through the woods. Their swords clanged together and their feet struck out, the weapons too big to be wielded with one hand. Serena's feet knowingly carried her through the woods she knew like the back of her hand as she and Clary fought.
Their blades came together in an X as the girls circled each other, their swords burning with flames of silver and red.
"You're losing, Serena," Clary said arrogantly as she pushed down on her but the blonde just smiled.
"You think so?" she smirked before her mouth opened again and she sang.
The sound blasted Clary backwards, the girl screaming in pain as she tried to cover her ears while still holding the sword. From the other side of the forest, you could hear Jonathan's echoing screams, but Serena still kept going as she tried to approach Clary who tried to back away from her. The pain was beginning to become too much for her.
"Serena, stop!" called Simon's voice as he ran into the glade, Izzy along with him.
"Cheap shot, bringing my best friend, " Clary yelled as she regained her bearings. Serena still hefted Glorious, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"It wasn't part of the plan," Serena assured her. "In fact, he's ruining the plan."
"I tried to stop him," Izzy muttered to her parabatai as Simon spoke to Clary.
"Supervillain is not a good look on you, Fray. Trust me," Simon said as he held up his hands in surrender.
"This is who I am," Clary said to the boy.
"You and I both know that's not true," Simon responded.
"Stand down! Or this kindjal finds its way into Simon," Clary threatened as she drew one of her blades, holding it out to Simon as her other hand held the sword.
Serena moved towards Simon, but he stopped her, looking at his best friend. "If you do that, Clary, that's a choice you're making. A choice you're going to have to live with every day for the rest of your life," Simon said taking a step forward towards the tip of her blade.
"CLARY!" screamed a voice from across the woods and Clary's entire demeanour changed.
"Jonathan needs me," she said as she turned to run only to be held by Izzy's whip. She pulled the Morning Star sword from her hands, the black blade wedging itself into the earth.
"Rena!" Jace bellowed, but he didn't need to because his twin already knew what to do. Serena flipped the sword up into the air as she held it by the cross guard.
"JJ, catch!" she yelled as she sent it flying through the air, hilt-first.
Jace launched himself at Clary as his fingers curled around the hilt and the blade ignited in his grip as it responded to the call of blood so similar to that of which it was made. And he drove Glorious through Clary's shoulder, piercing the twinning rune.
Clary screamed as she fell to the floor, the heavenly fire coursing through her. "JONATHAN!" she shrieked, but there was nothing her brother could do as he was writhing on the other side of the forest as the heavenly fire purged their bond.
And when Clary finally stopped screaming as the white light died out from her veins with no more demonic energy to purge, Jace withdrew the sword only to find no wound. He helped Clary to her feet and he watched with relief as the twinning rune finally faded away.
"Are you...are you back?" Jace asked as he cupped her cheek and Clary smiled at him, a smile that was so full of relief it looked as if she was about to cry.
But then something strange happened, Jace held up the sword as it glowed and then dropped it with a grunt of pain as it burned his hand.
"It's gonna blow!" Serena yelled as Jace tackled Clary to the floor.
"Simon get down!" Izzy yelled as she did the same.
Serena had started to bolt when the sword exploded with a burst of heavenly fire, the blast flinging her body into a tree as she fell to the floor, her back aching. Shards of the sword went flying in every direction as Serena took deep breaths, the ache in her back feeling a lot worse than it should be. She could feel the blood dripping down her skin from the piece of the sword that had wedged itself into her face, right above her cheekbone, but before she could remove it, Simon yelled, "Izzy! She got hit by shrapnel."
It was then that she realised that the pain in her back had been mirrored from her parabatai, not from her hitting the tree. And she scrambled to her feet.
"Simon, don't touch her!" Serena ordered as she crashed to Izzy's side, Jace joining her as they pulled Izzy to her feet, the girl grunting in pain.
Jace looked gravely at his twin, "We gotta get her out of here."
"I know how. Follow me," Clary said and they went running through the Wander Woods.