Work Text:
“How come I am
only just
finding out that you have a secret older brother?” Simon complains loudly as they enter the forest.
“It’s not that he’s a secret, more that he’s banished and therefore completely cut out of the family and entire Shadowhunter world.” Isabelle summerises.
Simon's eyes widened, “what did he do? Did he kill a Shadowhunter? Attack an institute?...” Simon rambled on with wild theories as Isabelle chuckled to herself.
Having decided that Simon’s imagination had more than enough time to run wild Isabelle silences him with a hand on his chest. “No, nothing like any of that.”
“Then what was it?” Simon raised his arms in desperate confusion to understand the cause of such a brutal separation.
“I guess the most honest answer I can give you is that he was born,” Isabelle shrugged, her tone unperturbed.
Simon raised an eyebrow, “I’m sorry a little harsh no?”
Isabelle huffed out a laugh, “To an outsider I can see it coming across that way. However to anyone raised as a Shadowhunter, no.” Isabelle turned away from Simon and continued walking further into the forest. “You see my brother is what would be deemed an ‘abomination of nature’, for his mother is not a Shadowhunter like his father.”
“So you guys have different mothers, why is that so important?”
“Because his mother is not of Shadowhunter heritage. In fact she is seen as being one of the worst, even a mundane they could forgive but a Seelie…” Isabelle inclined her head to the side.
“Your dad clearly didn’t share the same view on Seelies otherwise how does your brother even exist?”
“He claims to have been tricked,” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “But if you ask me, he’s covering up because he doesn’t want to be treated the same way. Gabriel knows my father would do anything to maintain ranking and acceptance.”
“So is that why he married your mother?”
“It’s part of it, in marrying my mother he was able to become the head of the New York Institute. But it also ensured that he still had a place among the politics institute or no, her Trueblood heritage is an asset on it’s own”
They fought their way through thick undergrowth, by the time they had made it to a clearing Simon was panting from the effort of fighting the thick branches and bracon.
“Remind me why you’re brother couldn’t meet somewhere more convenient and oh I don’t know, open?”
Isabelle chuckles as Simon loses it with a bramble bush and trips over. “Because if either side knew we were meeting there’s a chance the three of us would wind up dead.”
Simon stills in trying to untangle the thorny branch from around his ankles, “sorry did you just say dead?”
“Yes now hush and get a move on, the longer it takes the more likely it is we’ll be found.”
“Right, yeah, of course.” Simon motions zipping his mouth and redoubles his efforts to free himself from his prickly prison.
After ten long minutes of Simon battling through the plant matter they come to an area that has been partially cleared by a fallen tree. He follows Izzy’s lead and perches on the trunk of the tree- which is somehow still clinging onto life despite half of its roots being up in the air. The only noise present is a gentle rustling of leaves in the cool breeze.
“I told you not to come.”
Simon allbut falls off the tree as a wistful voice floats over from behind them. Isabelle- unsurprised by the sudden interruption of silence- springs to her feet and instantly wraps her arms around the strange new presence. Simon flings his legs over the trunk so that he can turn to face the duo.
“I always visit you on your birthday- you should know that by now.”
“And you should know that it is both pointless and reckless to do so.”
Initially it is hard for Simon to see that they are siblings, he takes in the markings covering half of Alec’s face, the haunted look in his eyes and the way his body seems to blend in perfectly with the forest around them. He squints a little and tries to see past the obvious and eventually does recognise his sister in some of his features.
“I’ve missed you so, so much. I wish that we could be together as a family should be,” rare raw emotion is evident in Izzy’s voice.
Alec scoffs, “you are foolish to waste your time thinking of me. I will exist long after you’ve gone.” He buries his nose in his sisters hair and inhales deeply. “But I have missed you with each passing of the moon also.”
Simon looks away feeling awkward at intruding on a private moment between the siblings. He can no longer hear the words shared between the two of them, their voices muffled by each other's bodies.
Slightly reluctantly Isabelle pulls out of the embrace and reaches into her pocket, “I know you always say not to bring you anything, but I made these specially for us.” She opens her hand to reveal two silver rings, the first one is a simple string of detailed leaves and the second is almost identical only the leaves have small runes engraved on them. “If you want it can turn invisible but the idea is that yours will burn if I’m in serious trouble and vice versa.”
Alec frowns, “this is a very thoughtful gift Izzy.” He plucks the larger ring out of Izzy’s hand and twirls it between his fingers, taking in all of the details. “I wasn’t aware that you had got so good at making things like this. I will treasure it forever.” Alec slips it onto his finger, experimentally he twists it three times and sure enough it vanishes from sight. Turning it so that it was once again visible he presses a kiss to Izzy’s forehead.
Izzy puts hers securely on her finger and glances at Simon as if only just remembering that he was there too. “Oh and Alec, I wanted you to meet someone.” She takes Alec’s hand and walks him over to where Simon is sitting. “This is my boyfriend, Simon. Simon this is Alec.” She squeezes Alec’s hand and grins up at him.
Alec kneels down before Simon and picks up his hand, he places a soft kiss to the back of it before returning to his full height. “Welcome Simon, Izzy has never introduced me to any of her lovers before. I assume this means that you are someone special.”
“Hi, it’s uh, it’s nice to meet you too and yeah, Izzy is certainly very special to me.” Simon can’t help but to grin like an idiot up at Isabelle.
“Although I should warn you, if you ever so much as even think of breaking my sister's heart I will ensure that you spend many of your mortal years praying for death before I show mercy on you.”
Simon gulps, “noted. But you really do not need to worry about that. Isabelle is the most important person in my life.”
“Alec,” Izzy swats a hand at his chest, “don’t scare him so bad!”
Alec shrugs, “I was only making sure that he knows I will defend you ‘till my dying breath.”
Izzy rolls her eyes but cannot help but to smile at the sentiment.
Abruptly Alec flicks his head up and sniffs the air, “you both need to go, someone is coming.” He pulls Isabelle into a fierce hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too, be safe.” She goes onto tiptoes and presses a kiss to his cheek. With one final look Izzy grabs hold of Simon’s hand and leads him away. As Simon turns back to say his own goodbyes he sees nothing but the bare fallen tree.