[Shadowhunter] Encyclopedia

✭ Imogen Herondale

Imogen Herondale was the of the Clave, an intelligent woman who served as the head of the legal system. She strictly believed in the Shadowhunter motto, "Sed lex dura lex," meaning, "the law is hard, but it is the law."

Imogen had dull pale, almost colorless, blond hair and gray eyes. As the Inquisitor, she often wore her hair in a bun, pulled tightly back with combs adding to her stern, intimidating, and harsh character. She also wore a suit and a long, old-fashioned dark gray cloak over it.

Imogen was born to the Whitelaw family. In her youth, she met and fell in love with Marcus Herondale, whom she married later on. The two went on to run the London Institute together. Eventually, they had a son, Stephen Herondale.

When he grew up, Stephen joined the Circle, despite Imogen's disapproval. When Stephen was killed during a Circle attack, Imogen was shocked, even more when her husband, died after him.

Her daughter-in-law took her own life after Stephen's death. She had been nine months pregnant, and her body was torn apart by , making everyone believe that Stephen's child, Imogen's grandson, was dead.

Imogen became harsh and cold and swore revenge against Valentine, knowing his role in the destruction of her family.

After that, she accepted the Inquisitor position. While being just when it came to the Covenant, she still wanted justice for her son's death and ruthlessly hunted down the former Circle members, cruelly punishing those she could.

When she found out that Valentine's son was alive and at the , she responded and went to New York to investigate. Inquisitor Herondale wanted to believe that was loyal to Valentine and had already made up her mind about him even before they met, only to have an excuse to declare her anger and bitterness towards Jace.

She became determined to reveal his betrayal and true loyalty. Jace's rude behavior did nothing but prove Imogen's allegations. So, she had Jace imprisoned in the for being rude to her.

During her investigation, Imogen bullied and used her power over the Lightwoods, claiming that Jace was a traitor and treating the Lightwoods with disrespect because of their connection to the Circle.

When Valentine stole the , from the , Imogen became even more convinced of Jace's loyalty to Valentine, since he was imprisoned at the time of the raid. When he was discharged, Imogen kept him trapped within a Malachi Configuration.

Consumed by hatred and rage for Valentine, Imogen briefly lost sight of justice and fairness by hatching a plan with the Clave that threatened Jace's life, thinking Valentine would do anything for his child, just as she would. They sent a message to Valentine, telling him that they will trade Jace in exchange for the Sword and the .

When Valentine, while they discussed their deal, refused easily, and told her that Jace wanted nothing to do with him, a horrified Imogen finally realized her mistake.

Realizing her mistake, Imogen immediately called the Conclave for backup, and joined the Lightwoods in their battle on Valentine's ship. During the battle against , she took Jace aside to apologize to him, placing both of them in a protective barrier while they spoke. When she saw Jace's birthmark, a star-shaped scar possessed by all Herondale males, she realized that Jace was Stephen's son and her grandson.

When Imogen, still in shock, wondered aloud how long Jace believed himself to be son, Jace frustratingly defended himself before walking away and out of their protective circle, bearing no weapons. As she tried to call Jace back, a demon attacked. In order to save her grandson, Imogen threw herself between them and took the demon's poison. She whispered her last words to Jace and told him that his father, Stephen, would have been proud of him, surprising Jace, who assumed she meant Valentine. She died in Jace's arms, before she could tell him his true lineage.

Article by Gothic_Vampyre