wasn't like her to panic over things like dating or dates...but she was conflicted.

"What does he want?" Izzy mouthed when she saw the brunette's eyes widen.

"To go out for drinks." The girl mouthed back and Izzy clapped her hands together enthusiastically while Arya shushed her.

"That sounds fun...but—can I think about it?" She asked and Magnus had a feeling that was what her answer would be. He still recalled what Izzy had told him about her brother and the girl—if she truly did love him then he knew that she would deny his offer. But he also figured that he may as well ask—in case Izzy's perception was incorrect.

"Of course."

"Okay, bye." She hung up, shoving her phone back into her pocket while Izzy stared at her with a frown.

"Why'd you say no?" the lightwood girl asked in confusion and Arya gave her a look which she already knew the answer to. "You love my brother." She smiled softly. This was the first time Arya had admitted it—even if it was without words. She knew that look and the nod Arya sent her in return only confirmed that. Arya Legacy loved Alec lightwood and he loved her.

✧

As the trio of shadow hunters walked into the realm where the seelies lived, they all couldn't help but admire their surroundings. Everything looked natural and fresh—like it was built around nature and not through it. Even Izzy, who had been there hundreds of times still admired the way it looked every time she arrived.

Bells chimed and the sound of leaves and grass rustling encased the spread of land like it was a scene which belonged to live in a painting. The way the land was shaped and remained represented the seelies perfectly.

The group found Meliorn in a small tent. Rugs were strewn across the uneven ground, tree branches and leaves invaded the space and dangled from the roof and fabrics were layered to line the walls—butterflies scattered across a few of them.

"Isabel." Meliorn greeted softly. He was a short man with shoulder-length pitch-black hair and blue highlights. A feather had been tattooed on his cheekbone and he wore loose and baggy clothing. "I see you brought friends." He sighed—slightly disheartened.

"More like family." She assured the fairy-like man. "Jace Wayland and Arya Legacy." She introduced and the pair nodded at Meliorn—Jace's face remained cold while Arya showed a hint of a smile.

"Here to deliver a message?" The Man suspected.

"Here to ask questions." Jace corrected bluntly and Isabel threw an icy stare his way.

"So you do want something." He pondered, walking towards the navel haired shadow hunter while he asked his questions. "Nice to know that some things never change." He added while Jace and Arya broke away from the pair and began to look around the tent—specifically at the butterflies.

"But the information we want will cost you nothing," Isabel assured her friend.

"Sometimes knowledge is the most precious thing of all." The man responded. "Ask away. We can discuss the price later." He assured, gently lifting Isabel's chin causing a blush to rise to her cheeks and a chuckle to slip from her lips.

"Is it true your queen has broken off communications with the clave?" Izzy asked him wearily. She cared about the man and didn't want to appear to be interrogating him—but she still needed his help.

Meliorn frowned."You've heard that's the case?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered honestly with a smile. "Does it have anything to do with the scouts you sent out after Valentine?" She wondered aloud.

The man raised his eyebrows at the girl with a smirk. Seelies we're amazing at avoiding the truth since they couldn't lie. "Is there another reason you can think of?" He demonstrated.

"Butterflies..." Arya mumbled softly, running her fingers down the side of the think material which held a large array of butterflies embroidered onto it.

"Butterflies can mean only one thing...Fair folk are in mourning." Jace observed.

"How do you know our customs?" Meliorn asked curiously.

"Apparently, I'm not the only shadow hunter who enjoys the company of Fair Folk." Isabel teased and the pair smirked.

"Maybe if more Shadowhunters exhibited such good taste things would be different today." The Seelie suggested and Isabel frowned.

"The scouts are dead," Arya observed and Meliorn lowered his head, looking to the floor in mourning. "That's who your mourning." She said sympathetically.

"Valentine killed them, right?" Jace asked.

"If you know so much, maybe I should be asking you," Meliorn suggested, evading the question.

"If that's true, Valentine needs to be stopped." Izzy ranted angrily. "Don't you agree?" She asked accusingly when she saw the way Meliorn avoided her eye line. "Why break the Accords now when there's a threat?"

Meliorn frowned. "Perhaps the Accords don't provide equal protection for all shadow Realms. Perhaps all threats don't affect all of us the same way."

"Valentine threatens everyone," Jace assured and the two girls nodded in agreement.

The Seelie turned to look away from them and walked towards the butterfly embroidered fabric instead. "Those who antagonise an enemy stand to lose more."

"Which is another way of saying you'll side with whoever wins." Jace accused. "I promise you, that will be us." He assured but they could never know that for certain. Valentine was the worst of the worst and the circle had only barely lost the first time a war was created. So many people were lost and murdered—it was impossible to tell the outcome—even if you know what you want to occur.

"I'm sure you believe that," Meliorn muttered before leaving them in the tent alone. They stood in silence for a moment—thinking over what had just been said, only for it to be broken by Jace's phone. 

"Damn it, Alec." The blonde boy growled and the two girls turned to him.

"What?" Isabel and Arya asked.

"Clary snuck out of the institute." He told them and Arya scoffed while Izzy raised her eyebrows.

"And yet you're blaming Alec? Fascinating." Arya mumbled, following after the boy with Isabel close behind thinking the same thing.

✧

After a long trek from the Seelie realm to Brooklyn, where they finally arrived at Clary's old apartment. Jace was running ahead of all of them—desperate to find out what had happened to the redhead.

"Where is she? Where's Clary?" Jace asked the raven-haired boy the second the group of three walked into the room where they heard pacing—which revealed Alec. The entire room had been scorched and it was impossible to tell what it once looked like, even the floor was covered in the remaining ashes and debris of what it used to be.

"She's gone." Alec sighed.

"What do you mean, gone?" Isabel interjected.

"She and Simon got arrested when I was securing the fire escape. I got distracted." He explained while Jace continued to glare at the taller boy.

"The mundane was here?" He snapped again and pursed his lips in anger.

"Simon?" Isabel asked. "He's gone too?" She worried.

"It was an unmarked car. I don't know where they took her." He explained regrettably.

Jace stormed out of the room shortly after with a sharp loss at his parabatai. The group of three followed after him—even tho they were getting frustrated with his attitude and actions.

They found him stood with a piece of charcoaled paper which he had snatched off of Clary's old dresser. He was holding it between his hands and using the incantation to track it—but it was failing.

"She's not showing up. We need to Parabatai track." He told Alec who was reluctant to help him after the way he had spoken to the brunette but never the less did.

The pair tried while Izzy tried to get a hold of someone but Alec couldn't keep his concentration and the bond continued to break.

"Just like I thought," Izzy called out. "She wasn't arrested." She explained.

"It was your job to look after her." Jace seethed, rage and worry filling all of his senses as he stormed towards the raven-haired lightwood.

"I did my best Jace." Alec snapped back.

"Well then maybe your mother was right and your best just isn't good enough." He growled against her while Arya scoffed and Jace glared at her so she glared back. "Got something to say?" He asked her sharply and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why are you blaming Alec?" She snapped back at him and he took a step closer to her while Izzy stood defensively at her side. "Clary's the one who snuck out the institute. Why don't you blame her instead? At least Alec followed her instead of just leave—" She started.

"Don't get involved, Arya." The blonde snapped at her again.

"I am involved, Jace. And I'm sick of you blaming other people for the mistakes that she makes. Open your eyes for once and maybe then you'll realise that she's not the perfect angel that you think she is. She's responsible for her own mistakes just like the rest of us." She growled back and she watched as Jace's nostrils flared with anger at her words and she was sure that if it wasn't her then he would've slapped her.

"You don't even know what you're talking about!" He raised his voice at her and Izzy and Alec stepped in.

"Don't talk to her like that." Alec snapped and Izzy pulled the girl's wrist back so she wasn't as close to Jace. "Are you so blinded by your feelings for Clary that you've lost sight of the rest of us?" He snapped—defending himself and the other two girls. "Clary snuck out. I went after her...to protect her. I did nothing you haven't done a thousand times before." He added.

"Yes, you did. You lost her." He continued to argue.

"She lost herself." Arya contradicted.

"Stop it with the god damn arguments, Arya. You don't get to argue about the situation when you're not involved. You're a bad fighter and an even worse shadow hunter." He growled out of anger and the girl didn't hesitate to slap him.

The blonde pursed his lips after she did so and regretfully watched as she stormed away and flipped over a wall away from the other three.

"Look what you've done now," Izzy shouted at the blonde who ran a hand down his face in frustration.

"I didn't mean it." He sighed and the pair still glared at him.

"You still said it." Izzy snapped. "That's the second person to underestimate her today." She said, glaring at both the boys.

"Should we go find her?" Alec asked his sister. He was useless in these situations.

"No. Our priority is Clary." The blonde boy snapped and both Lightwoods glared at him as he leads them away again.

✧

Okay, so I ended up rewriting it lol. I just hated the way that it ended up last time and I don't like producing things that aren't my best work.

I hope you enjoy the updated version and I'm going to fix chapter 6 next so look forwards to that one too.

Xoxo-LCC

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