Chapter 9- Training to Beat the Best

The next day, Clary couldn't help but be suspicious about what had happened with Jace and Seraphina. She hadn't really taking a liking to her; her ego seemed to be bigger than Magnus's glitter collection and it was weird how Magnus had never told anyone that she even existed.

"You're staring again," Clary didn't even have to look up from her sketch book,

"Can you blame me?" Jace laughed.

They sat in the music room, Jace was sitting on the piano stool in front of the piano and Clary on a chair that she had pulled up to be by it. Drawing Jace used to come easy to Clary, his features were so defined, she could draw his face in her sleep, but making him look as beautiful as he did in her other drawings was becoming a challenge, the pencil didn't move as fluid as it used to and she became less impressed by her work. She wasn't sure why, but some of the beauty she used to see in him was gone.

"I thought we could go get lunch after this," Jace moved his head so that the light caught his eyes making them sparkle,

"Sorry, I can't," Clary rubbed out a line to then draw it the wrong way again,

"Why not?"

"Isabelle's training me again," she smiled.

When she looked up from her page she saw Jace's jaw tighten to create his annoyed face, something she didn't want to draw.

"Again? Clary, are you trying to avoid me?"

"No, I just…I want to be more of a Shadowhunter,"

"You've saved the lives of many people, Clary, that's very Shadowhunter."

She couldn't tell him the real reason of why she was always training, she wanted to not only be as skilled as Jace, but able to not have him protect her all the time. Yes, she may have saved many people, but at some point, Jace was always protecting her in some way and she was sick of it.

"But, I'm not good at fighting like most Shadowhunters," she complained,

"Some Shadowhunters are great based on combat, some are great based on their knowledge and how they use runes. Clary, the way you have used and created runes has saved many people, your logic on what to do when in hard situations has made the impossible possible. You are a great Shadowhunter."

Jace always knew exactly what to say to make Clary feel better. She smiled and tilted her head as Jace spoke and when he had finished, she couldn't help but laugh a little. He kissed her hand with his soft lips and then turned to place his hands over the piano keys. He lingered for a while before playing a calming piece that sounded like delicate rain falling on a window sill. The relaxing music made the thought of how she wanted to be a better Shadowhunter fade out of her mind. She decided to focus on drawing Jace and as she placed the tip of the pencil onto the paper, she studied Jace's features hard. His beauty became obvious to her again, every line, curve and angle of his face stood out to her along with the slight radiance that beamed off of him. Why couldn't she see this before?

After spending quality time with Jace, Clary headed to the weapons room where she said she would meet Isabelle. A part of her felt bad for turning Jace down, what girl turns down her boyfriend when he offers to take her out for lunch? But this was something she had to do, after everything, she still didn't feel like a real Shadowhunter, she felt more like one who just started the job and got lucky a few times. She knew all the runes, she knew how to live a Shadowhunter's life; all she needed to know now was how to fight like one. When she got to the weapons room, the door was slightly open and she could just about see Isabelle who was sitting on the floor putting her black high heeled boots on while talking to Alec. He looked like he hadn't slept at all, he was wearing the same navy blue and black striped t-shirt from yesterday with worn out black jeans and his hair was a complete mess. There was a look of hopelessness on his face, hinting that he and Isabelle were probably talking about Magnus. She didn't know whether to stand at the door quietly and let them finish their conversation or to go in and be the annoying one who interrupts the brother and sister moment. She decided to stand by the door and wait.

"What an arse hole," Isabelle said, "I think you should just leave him alone for a while,"

"I can't, he means everything to me, I can't just give up on him," Alec's voice sounded tired,

"I know, but I don't want to see you get hurt Alec. You and Jace are the only brothers I have now and after losing Max, I vowed that I'd make sure that no harm would come to you and I'm not going to allow that stupid warlock beat up your heart,"

"That means a lot to me. I guess I could just wait a while, but what if…"

Clary saw Alec look directly at her through the slight gap, Isabelle looked at her as well and got up. As Alec advanced towards the door, she moved away while coming up with an apology in her head. The door was pushed open hard and Alec stood in front of Clary forcing her back to the wall.

"Have you ever heard of a private conversation?" there was a look of aggravation on Alec's face as well as dark patches under his eyes,

"I'm sorry, I was just waiting for Isabelle," Clary said innocently,

Alec exhaled heavily, there was a tremble in his breath. He looked at Clary with eyes full of anger mixed with despair; she pitied him, she wanted to hug him and tell him that things can only get better. Isabelle tapped his shoulder, making him walk away while putting his hand over his face.

"He's not really himself right now," Isabelle explained,

"You don't say," Clary walked into the weapons room.

Isabelle walked in behind her and closed the door. She was wearing a black vest top tucked into a pair of shorts and black tights with roses and vines on appeared from underneath them. She may not have been wearing as much makeup as she usually did, but she still looked as dazzling as ever, something Clary was truly jealous of. There were two swords next to each other on the floor, both identical with a black hilt outlined in silver and a slightly curved blade.

"First we'll start with using the swords and then we'll go on to being able to fight without any weapons," Isabelle put a pair of black leather gloves on,

"Without weapons?" Clary asked,

"Of course. I was taught how to fight without weapons, because you never know when you may be attacked. It's about using your brain as well as your body," she stamped her foot on the end of the hilt of a sword, forcing it to flip into the air and she caught it with ease as if it had been placed into her hand.

Clary nodded as she approached the other sword on the floor. A part of her wanted to try to copy Izzy, but she knew she would fail epically. She bent down to pick up the sword and once she got up, Izzy was in her fighting stance, ready and waiting.

"The only contact the swords should make is with each other, we'll keep going until I get bored or you run out of strength and beware I may aggravate you to get the best out of you," Isabelle said like the people who say the 'terms and conditions apply' speech.

The only thing Clary felt she could do was nod, cuing Isabelle to strike the sword at her. Clary instantly swung her sword in front of her, putting Isabelle's sword to a halt with a clang. She pushed Izzy back and decided to attack by taking some steps forward and slashing the sword at her in a diagonal. But of course, Isabelle quickly moved out the way, lifted up her leg so that her foot was on the top of the swords blade and forced the sword to the ground hard enough to make Clary feel like her arm was being taken out of its socket.

"Jace wouldn't make that move, maybe you're just not as battle-smart as your boyfriend," Isabelle taunted as she tilted her head and pushed down on the sword harder,

"I would prefer it if you did not compare me to Jace," Clary gritted her teeth.

She pulled up the sword with all her might, forcing Isabelle up and to do a graceful back flip. When she landed, she walked around Clary with her sword pointing at her. It made Clary feel like she was in the school yard, being picked on and taunted by the biggest and meanest bully in the school. She had to prove that she was just as good as Jace, living under his massive, overpowering shadow was too much for her, it was about time that he lived under her shadow for once, even if it was a relatively small one.

"Is this what all this is about?" Isabelle made an amused smirk, "I see, you don't like Jace being the best around here. I never really saw you as the jealous type,"

"I'm just sick," Clary took a strike at Isabelle's sword, "and tired," then another, "of always having to," and another, "be protected," and another, but none of them fazed Izzy.

Izzy shook her head at Clary along with a tut and a face of disapproval. She then charged her sword at Clary's, but instead of being surprised like she usually would be, Clary was prepared. She blocked the sword before striking back again and again and again. Each time she attacked, a smile grew on Isabelle's face, but a voice in her head would tell her that she needed to try harder, Jace's voice. Without realizing, she had forced Isabelle against the back wall and had the tip of the sword pointing to her neck. She was completely out of breath and her arm ached, Izzy was looking at her with a face of delight but wasn't out of breath at all. She pushed down Clary's sword,

"Very good, now let's work on combat without weapons."

Clary threw the sword to the floor and walked to the middle of the room. How she had gotten the energy to attack Isabelle so much, she didn't know, but she was proud of herself, she was that one step closer to being the Shadowhunter she wanted to be.

"Make every move count, whether it's a punch, kick, a dodge or even stepping to the side. You want to always have the opportunity to attack, but be able to defend yourself at all times," Isabelle moved opposite Clary and her hands coiled into fists,

"Okay, I can do that," Clary was confident as her hands became fists and she put them up,

"One thing though, you may want to be as amazing as Jace, but don't let that go to your head, feelings can make the greatest of Shadowhunters blind and can make those on the highest of pedestals tumble to the ground. Jace is an amazing Shadowhunter because it's in his blood and he trained vigorously for most of his life, sometimes you're just not meant to beat the best," Isabelle looked at her.

Everything she said made sense, but she wasn't just doing this to prove a point to Jace; she wanted to prove a point to herself. She always partly hated being the fragile one and now was her chance to change that, now was her chance to be who she was meant to be, a Shadowhunter.

"It's about time the best got beaten," she said as she threw a punch at Isabelle.