𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟: 𝕠𝕟𝕖
𝕖𝕡𝕚𝕤𝕠𝕕𝕖: 𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖

ʙʀʏɴɴᴇ [ʙ-ʀ-ɪʜ-ɴ] / ʀʏɴ [ᴘʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇᴅ: ʀ-ɪʜ-ɴ ᴏʀ ʀᴇɪɢɴ]

After having talked to Alec, all Brynne wanted to do was get to her bed. Yet before she could walk down the institute stairs a redhead shadow hunter called out her name. Brynne turns around and waits at the last steps for Clary who quickly made her way to stand in front of the dark-haired warlock.

"Ryn, I'm so sorry-"

"Apology accepted," Brynne says sincerely but the redhead standing before her had been ready to share why she was apologizing

Clary couldn't help the faint smile appearing after her shoulders dropped in relief, "You don't know what I'm apologizing for"

"Clary Fray," Brynne says raising her hands to rest them on the Shadowhunter's leather-clad shoulders "you are my friend and you don't have to apologize for anything. I hid something very big from you, you had every right to be mad. I'm just glad you are no longer mad at me, you're not still mad at me, right?"

"I'm not mad," Clary replies with a smile making Brynne drop her hands back to her side, "Being in the alternative world it- well it gave me a perspective of how much I still want and need you in my life. I don't want us to end our friendship over something so petty because I want to be invited to your wedding. Or me ruining your special day by not being at your side"

At the sudden topic of weddings that keep surrounding Brynne she couldn't help but be confused, "Fray I'm not getting married. Well actually I never have been, so no need to stress about- wait I was engaged in this alternative universe?"

"Yeah, do you want to know to who?" Clary asks wanting to share everything about the alternative universe with her best friends but asked because they still needed to mend their relationship

"No, considering that Ryn decided to break a friendship with you she might not have the best choices"

Clary couldn't help but laugh at making the girl standing before her smile, "Oh, you did own a club- well the alternative universe you"

"That's pretty cool," Brynne says as she always wanted to open her own club or establishment.

Yet that was never in her cards, she couldn't allow herself to settle down somewhere because there was so much pain that came with being immortal. To fall in love with someone only to realize that they can grow old with you, but you can never do the same. It didn't help that whenever she settled down somewhere for the first maybe thirty years her life was hers but then came her father's messenger, creating a war only she can stop.

A war that would unleash the Harbinger of Death, the one thing that could overpower her, could consume her and drive her into meeting her father. Throughout the years it's the one thing she learned he wanted from her, he wanted her to go to him, but she would rather fight countless wars than meet the man that had made her a killer.

This is why Brynne destroyed any evidence that she existed. Of course, there were photos of her out in the world and people whose ancestors had met the witch but there was no way of it being traced to her or for any form of technology to recognize her.

To say Brynne got a full night's sleep would be a lie. After making amends with Clary and congratulating her on getting Jocelyn back, the warlock went home or Magnus' apartment. The only amount of sleep Brynne got was a nap on the couch because her room was filled with too many boxes.

Brynne decided to move, while Magnus looked through various names in order to figure out who made the sleeping potion Jocelyn drank. Magnus had been annoying Brynne to help him, but she ignored him. It got to the point where Brynne threw her shoes at him to get her point across. Since she couldn't perform magic within Magnus' protected household, she carried her boxed items. When Brynne informed Magnus that she was moving out he made a scene, only for Brynne to show him where she was moving to.

Brynne made him walk out to the hallway and close his eyes. Then Brynne led him a couple of feet before she spoke up

"Okay, now open your eyes," Brynne says, and the warlock does as she says, his eyeshadow still perfectly intact

"This is..." Magnus trails off being speechless and it was very difficult for someone to make him lose his words

With a smile on her face, Brynne opens the doors allowing him to see inside her semi furbished apartment that mirrored his floor plan

"I just needed my own place. Room to grow, but also stay close to you and everyone in New York. What better place than being your neighbor?" Brynne asks with a smile allowing Magnus to take a look around

"That's mine"

"No, he is not. Bert is mine" Brynne says taking the skeleton head from Magnus and putting it back in its rightful place on the bookshelf

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

Magnus and Brynne are sitting in the early morning inside the institute waiting for the new Shadowhunter siblings. Unlike Magnus who wore his dark-colored clothes matching his painted nails and makeup. Brynne braided her hair to be held up in a braided halo while some curled hairs fell to frame her natural makeup face. In the midst of Shadowhunter's wearing dark-colored clothing, Brynne was easy to be spotted with her white long-sleeved button-down dress shirt paired with black blocked knee-length heels.

"Morning" Clary states making the two sitting warlocks look up at Clary and Jace who reach the table but don't make eye contact

"Morning" Jace replies sitting down in the empty chair next to Brynne, "You just come from training?

"Yeah. I'm working on my right hook" Clary says trying to look anywhere that wasn't him which was hard since they were to work together

"Good. That's a good punch," Jace politely replies looking down at the open books on the table

"Yeah. I'm working on it." Clary replies getting the courage to finally look at Jace

"Hey Mags, you remember when we both found out we were dating the same person?" Brynne asks the warlock sitting at the head of the table

"Joan" Magnus says thinking back to fond memories

Brynne couldn't help but laugh, "Couldn't we have done whatever this is at his place?"

"At least there we'd have cocktails"

"It's 9:00 in the morning" Clary replies to Magnus wanting alcohol

"Oh, it's happy hour somewhere, my dear" Magnus swiftly says with a wink making Brynne nod her head in agreement

"We invited you both here because Hodge can't leave the Institute. He's an important part of this mission"

"Well, then where is our tardy little tutor?" Magnus asks lightly tapping his hand on the table, "There are certain individuals that I'd like to avoid, so let's make this quick"

"I second that," Brynne says softly raising her hand before letting fall back on the chair's armrest

"Pardon the delay, Magnus. Brynne." Hodge walks up behind Clary having heard the end of the conversation, "I was following up on a lead. Now, we've narrowed down our list of warlocks to these three"

Hodge touches something on the tablet he held making three images on the monitor behind Jace appear. The images were three warlocks, all different and powerful but only one stood out to Brynne for bad reasons.

"Why is Ragnor Fell up there?" Magnus asks pointing at the middle image of a male warlock with greying quaffed hair and two red horns on his forehead, "He's not more powerful than I am"

"Well, some would disagree. He is older than you" Hodge explains making Brynne scoff

"Just because he is older doesn't make him wiser," Brynne states bitterness evident in every word she said "He's a blubbering bimbo, even without magic I'm more powerful than him"

"Who is Ragnor Fell?" Clary asks as the information next to his picture didn't give the redhead enough information to understand why he was of importance

"The former High Warlock of London" Jace explains as there wasn't much he knew about the warlock

"And one of my oldest friends. Very prickly likes to keep to himself." Magnus tells Clary making her raise her brows

"He's a prick, and not because he is an introvert or paranoid" Brynne replies with distaste for the warlock

"Okay, look." Hodge speaks up to get everyone back to the task at hand, "We just need to figure out which one of these warlocks had enough access to Jocelyn that they could create the potion for her without anyone discovering what they'd done"

"By the early '90s, Ragnor was a professor at the Shadowhunter Academy in Idris" Magnus shares having kept up with his friend's whereabouts

"Isn't that when my mother lived there?" Clary asks still standing looking down at Magnus, "Could he have made the potion for her?"

"The little bugger!" Magnus exclaims making everyone look at him as he connected the dots in his head, "That's why he hasn't responded to my fire message. Ever since Valentine began hunting warlocks, Ragnor's been holed up in his secret country house just outside of London. For all I know, Ragnor suspected my fire message was a ploy by Valentine to lure him out of hiding. We'll have to confront him face-to-face"

"You're going on this mission?" Hodge asks pointing at Magnus

"Of course!" Magnus states standing up ready to leave as soon as possible, "I'm the only one Ragnor trusts. Besides, I've played my last hand here. Even I know when to fold"

"I'll join, I would rather face that prick than-"

Brynne doesn't continue her sentence because when she stood from her chair she saw Alec and Lydia standing before them.

"Brynne" Lydia kindly says with a smile making the raven-haired girl smile back having nothing against her, "Magnus, I didn't know you both were here"

"Didn't know we had to inform you" Brynne states playing with her pinky ring while Magnus mumbles, "That was the point"

Lydia decides to move on and say, "We're just on our way to greet a few representatives of the Clave who arrived early for tomorrow's wedding. How long are you staying?"

"What's going on here? Nobody told me about a meeting" Alec asks speaking up for the first time making Brynne avoid his eyes

"Magnus figured out that Ragnor Fell is the warlock who can wake my mom," Clary answers walking over to stand next to Magnus while Jace walks around the chair to stand next to Brynne with arms crossed, "We're just bringing him back to the Institute"

"How can I help?" Alec asks not wanting to greet representatives of the Clave

"No" Brynne blurts out but keeps her composure as all eyes turn to her, "Two warlocks and two Shadowhunters, it's more than enough to recover a warlock friend. Plus, Alec, you have emissaries from the Clave to meet. We wouldn't want to get in the way of this solid partnership, now would we?"

Everyone can feel the tension in the room created by Alec and Brynne, but no one addresses it. Instead, Lydia smiles, "Again, lovely seeing you, Brynne. Magnus"

The two warlocks smile at the blonde and watch as the couple walks away.

"Get ready," Jace voices making the two warlocks and redhead Shadowhunter turn to face him, "We leave in an hour"

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

The newly siblings Shadowhunter got ready by changing into leather jackets and combing their hair. Magnus had been ready to leave then and there as well as Brynne but since Jace had commanded that they leave in an hour the female warlock decided to change clothes as to blend in with her black-clothed companions

Magnus portaled everyone to London since Ragnor is his friend. They don't land at the warlock's home but rather on a field they needed to trek to get to Ragnor Fell's home.

"Ragnor's house is just across these fields" Magnus explains making Brynne readjust her katana encased in its sheath on her back

"Let's make this quick," Jace says taking the lead and making everyone follow behind him, "We'll talk to Ragnor and Portal him back to the Institute before anyone knows we're gone"

"So..." Magnus starts as he tries to catch up to the Shadow hunter and warlock who take long strides, "brother and sister, huh?"

"Magnus!" Brynne hushes

"I don't wanna talk about it," Jace dismisses keeping his eyes forward

"What, so we're just gonna be work buddies now? All about the mission, and totally ignore the huge bomb that just dropped on us." Clary rambles walking faster so she can be walking next to Jace rather than behind him

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Jace sighs but being able to see Clary's red hair from the corner of his eye he continues, "What do you want me to say, Clary? That I was attracted to my sister?"

"No–"

Clary is cut off by Magnus speaking up from the back of their cluster, "Point of fact, brother and sisters are often attracted to each other. I once knew this one couple in ancient Egypt–"

"Magnus! No! Not helping" Brynne exclaims with wide eyes not wanting to get caught up in the family drama

"Maybe this will all make sense when we wake up Jocelyn. Since she is Jace's mother as well, perhaps–" Magnus is cut off by Jace turning around and pointing his finger at the male warlock

"Don't say that again" Jace sternly states making Brynne narrow her eyes at his tone, "Maryse is my mother. At best, Jocelyn is the woman who abandoned me"

"Hey, that is not true. My mother would never abandon her son. She thought you were dead" Clary defends their mother

"Or maybe she just didn't want me"

"You don't know her, Jace," Clary tries to clear the air but Jace doesn't want to hear it

"That's right, Clary, I don't. Do you?" Jace remarks looking down at his sister who was looking up at him with her nostrils flared

"I'm sorry I asked!" Magnus interrupts still standing in between the two, "I came with you to escape drama, not get a front-row seat to yours"

Jace seems to hear something making him start to look around and ask, "What was that?"

"Nice try, Jace. You're not getting out of this conversation that easily" Clary says not hearing the growing flames

"Look out!" Brynne shouts seeing the growing green flames on the grass in front of Clary and Jace. Jace reacts first pulling Clary back before the green fire can burn them.

"Ragnor put upwards to protect his lair," Magnus deducts knowing his paranoid friends would take any precautions

"Why is the fire green?" Clary shouts her voice not drowned out by the winds created by the flames

"Because he's a PRICK!" Brynne shouts into the green flames as if Ragnor could hear her

"It's a wall of fire that only the pure of heart and intention can pass through" Magnus explains making Brynne scoff knowing what was waiting for her once she walks through the green flames, "Are you ready?"

They look at each other and without another word they walk through the wall of fire. Clary is the only one to walk through flames without any problems. So when the fire disappears, Clary is standing alone on the field

"Ryn? Jace? Magnus? Where are you?" Clary calls out turning around only to see a house in the distance hidden behind some trees "Ragnor Fell"

Clary runs toward the house as fast as her laced boots could carry her. Reaching the door Clary sees that the front door is open making her push it completely open and call out, "Ragnor? Ragnor?"

Entering the home Clary pulls out her blade ready just to be ready for anything that might pop out

"Hello? Is anybody home? I need your help" Clary calls out, her voice projected throughout the silent but cluttered house. Clary looks up the staircase but does not hear anything she turns around and walks towards a painting of the warlock she is looking for "Ragnor, I know you're here. I just need to find my friends."

Clary hears something clinking behind her making her turn around with a gasp. The blade still in hand Clary walks back towards the painting and sees the eyes of the Ragnor in the painting have moved. With a smile, Clary says, "Nice try, Ragnor"

Clary puts away her dagger before reaching into the painting and pulling Ragnor out. Ragnor falls out of the painting and onto the floor

"Well done... Clary Fairchild." Ragnor praises standing up and dusting his red coat, "I've been expecting you. You have Jocelyn's talent, I see. Only a true artist would notice the subtle changes in my eyes."

Ragnor turns his attention from Clary to an empty chair near the chimney, "Yes, I know. I need to work on not moving my eyes. You don't need to remind me."

"You knew my mom?" Clary asks trying to look past the warlock's weird antic "So you made the potion that put her to sleep?"

"At her request, yes" Ragnor nods accentuating his red horns "And I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to me looking for the antidote. Please, sit."

"My friends" Clary states walking over to a cushioned bench and looking up at the warlock, "Jace Wayland, Brynne Jeung, and Magnus Bane. They were with me, but I lost them in the fire"

"Let me do this my way!" Ragnor fumes at the empty chair next to Clary before he turns to her "Your friends, are they true?"

Clary blinks away her confusion before speaking up from her seat, "Magnus said he's known you for centuries. He sent you a fire message"

"This is not an act. It is not an act! It is essential" Ragnor shouts at the other two empty chairs on Clary's side

"Okay, what is your deal?" Clary demands having had enough of the warlock's delusions, "My friends are missing and if you can't help me, I will find someone who can."

"What is it worth to you?" Ragnor asks taking a step toward the redhead

"If you find my friends and wake my mother... I'll give you anything"

Pleased with the answer Ragnor smiles, "That's what I wanted to hear."

Ragnor snaps his fingers making Jace, Brynne, and Magnus appear in the empty chairs Ragnor has been talking to.

"You prick!" Brynne