When Catarina entered Magnus' apartment, the place was a portrait of chaos. The only items still on the ground seemed to be furniture. There were tens of plates. pans , cups and knives whizzing around. Books and paperweights flew around, as did about a dozen of cushions. Once every few moments, something would break free from the orbit and crash against the walls, or the floor, even the ceiling. Catarina ducked as a knife flew a few inches above her head and thrust into the wall. Another plate headed towards Chairman Meow, one of Magnus' cats, but changed path mid-air to crash against the wall, sending its pieces flying about. A cushion popped as it hit the balcony door; its feathers faithfully finding their way back into the disarray. And in the centre of the pandemonium, stood Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, his face contorted in rage and desperation.
"Magnus, you need to stop," she said standing in behind him.
"I don't see why," Magnus responded, without turning.
"This is crazy."
"I agree with you there."
"Magnus!" Catarina finally cried out, and spread out her hands to pause the flying objects mid-air. This finally made Magnus stop, causing the items fall to the ground. His shoulders were slumped when returned around.
"Ragnor tell you the whole thing?" he asked wile pouring them drinks.
"Just that they are pushing this marriage on you. I don't understand why though, and I especially don't understand why you are going along with it."
"I am not aware of the entire conversation between the Clave and our Council but apparently there were talks going of a marriage alliance to cement the bonds," Magnus waved his hands in the air as he spoke. "In the end the Clave decided I would be a good enough candidate given my current stature. They need someone who is someone to appease the Clave. And while I fulfilled that requirement, along with multiple other warlocks, I am the only one who has recently shown support to vampires and werewolves and the first one to suggest peace with Shadowhunters. The Sanctuaries we created without sharing the complete information with every warlock do not help."
"How could we? The reason we had to build those Sanctuaries was warlocks being threatened by warlocks!" Catarina exclaimed. "But regardless of that, you are one of the most powerful warlocks on the Council, they can't make you marry someone."
Magnus snorted. "Powerful as I may be, I cannot take on an entire Council, Cat. I would have chosen to decline and live on the run for sometime - until they come to their senses, but that would only put you, Ragnor and Raph and the others in more danger. They threatened to banish me and any supporters to the Spiral Labyrinth."
"Let's make a run for it, all of us. It will be like the old times." Catarina tried to make a case for her idea but stopped when she saw the look in Magnus' eyes. "So what? You will just go ahead and marry this man, you know nothing about?"
"What other choice do I have?"
"I'm so sorry, Mags," Catarina whispered, holding her friend's hand. A few minutes later, their friend Ragnor joined them as well. He had been at a Council meeting that Magnus had refused to go to as a futile sign of protest.
"Any good news?" Catarina asked.
Ragnor shook his head. "Not really. There is no way of getting out of this. Nothing with better results than this, at least. He's a Lightwood - Robert and Maryse's firstborn."
"Lightwood, great. This couldn't get any better," Magnus groaned downing another drink.
"He's the Head of their New York Institute," Ragnor continued, ignoring Magnus' outburst. He's the one who started the regular Cabinet meetings between Downworlders and Shadowhunters."
"You're mistaken. I've known enough Lightwoods." The Lightwoods had always been against providing basic rights to Downworlders. In fact, Maryse Lightwood was one of the major supporters of Valentine, bringing her husband into the Circle as well.
"This one's different," Ragnor insisted. "I spoke with Elias, your representative to the council. He says the boy has done pretty good work to maintain peace. You already know it was his suggestions of transparency between the Downworlders and Nephilim and his actions to support the same that convinced the Council to even consider the signing the revised Accords."
"Raphael and Elias have both told me good things about the Head of the Institute, but I wasn't aware he was a Lightwood."
"Well, he couldn't be that bad then, right?" Catarina offered. Magnus only grunted in response. Before Catarina could say more, they were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He did not recognise the number. Probably someone else from the Council calling in for a laugh.
"Bane," he said indifferently, hoping to disinterest the caller.
"Hi, uhm, this is Alec - Alec Lightwood from the New York Shadowhunters Institute?"