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SPOILER WARNING: Plot details follow. Caution is advised!

Elias: "So you want to be a hero?"
Cordelia: "I want to be a merciful hero."
―Cordelia explaining why she wanted Cortana, Chain of Gold

Cordelia Carstairs is the daughter of Elias and Sona Carstairs, and the sister of Alastair Carstairs.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Growing up, Cordelia never knew her father was an alcoholic; her mother and brother wanted her to have the childhood and respect for Elias that her brother never had, and convinced Cordelia that Elias was merely unwell. His questionable health is what kept them constantly on the move from country to country, and so Cordelia never had many friends.[5]

That is until she met Lucie Herondale, when Lucie and her mother took a trip to France. After spending two weeks together, she and Lucie became very close. Even when they parted ways, the two remained in contact, sending letters to each other every week.[6] In 1897, the pair decided to become parabatai.[7] However their ceremony was put off for a few years as the Clave wanted to make sure they were grown enough to know their own minds.[8]

Cordelia also befriended James Herondale through Lucie and soon fell in love with him.

At 13, she gained ownership of the legendary sword Cortana. Her and her brother argued their cases for their father as to why they should each get to be its bearer, but in the end the blade chose for itself. Cordelia, having grown up wishing for the sword and even talking to it through its case, was ecstatic and has since never left home without it.

Becoming a hero[]

In 1903, Elias was arrested by the Clave for jeopardizing the Accords when a mission he led resulted in a battle with a vampire clan who believed them to have teamed up with werewolves against them. Cordelia and her family then moved to London in hopes of making powerful allies within the Clave to save them from possible disgrace. Though Cordelia took this as trying to prove her father's innocence, her mother wanted to find Cordelia a suitable partner to marry her off to before shame befell them.

Upon their arrival, the Herondale family hosted a ball in the London Institute to welcome them to the London Enclave. There, Cordelia attempted to make friends and ended up leaving quite an impression on Matthew Fairchild and Anna Lightwood. At a picnic in Regent's Park the next day, Cordelia befriended Thomas and Christopher Lightwood and tried to get better acquainted with the others from the previous night. However they were soon interrupted by a demon attack in broad daylight. Cordelia rushed to protect her brother but, after only a few moments, the demons vanished. She went with the others back to the Institute and did her best to assist in the infirmary.

She and her new friends began investigating the attacks, determined to find the cause as they believed it to be related to James's demonic ability. They looked into rumors at the Hell Ruelle—where she saved the lives of Hypatia Vex and Malcolm Fade—and a warlock believed to be involved. They eventually were able to discern that the demon responsible was a Mandikhor demon which was capable of producing an unlimited number of smaller demons (also known as Khora demons) that were the shadowy beings doing the attacks. After stealing a Pyxis box from Hypatia, the group went to Tower Bridge to try to fight and capture it. During their fight, Cordelia was knocked into the river. Luckily, she was saved by Lucie.

The next day, after Christopher was attacked by the Khora demons, she went with James and Matthew to the Silent City. In the infirmary there, Christopher ominously told James that it was about him as the wounded began chanting James's name. After fleeing the City, James realized that the person behind the attacks had to be his demonic grandfather. He then entered the shadow realm to confront and stop Belial once and for all. After some time, Cordelia used Cortana to cut through the Portal to help him. They battled the Mandikhor, but were gravely outmatched until James used his connection to Belial's realm to kill it. Belial then approached James to proposition him once again, to which Cordelia ran him through with Cortana. With Belial being severely wounded, the realm collapsed and she and James returned to their own realm.

For helping stop the attacks, Cordelia was celebrated as a hero. Considering her status, and the announcement that Sona was pregnant, Elias's charges were dropped—deeming the whole ordeal an accident. Though she was happy he would not be imprisoned, knowing now that he was an alcoholic, Cordelia wrote to him to ask that he seek treatment for his drunkenness in the Basilias rather than return home right away.

During the following Enclave meeting, Tatiana Blackthorn accused James of burning down Blackthorn Manor. Wanting to give him an alibi, Cordelia claimed they had been together the whole night, tarnishing her reputation in the process. James, not wanting to see her ruined, proposed a marriage blanc; the two of them would get married for a year and then divorce. Cordelia accepted, deciding she would rather a year of fake love with James than a lifetime never knowing what it would be like.[5]

Paladin[]

Over the coming months, James was the perfect fiancé, though Cordelia was still anxious about the coming nuptials. The morning of the wedding only seemed to increase her nerves when her father showed up. Still, she went through with the ceremony. That night, James showed her around their new home that he had spent the last months decorating, and she was touched to see all the Persian flourishes he chose to make her feel more at home. The next couple weeks they spent enjoying one another's company and even set up a nightly parlor game ritual.

Eventually, it became clear that there was a murderer going after the Shadowhunters of London. Worse, it seemed James had been having vivid dreams of the murders, as if he himself were the killer. Cordelia and the others set upon the task of finding the true killer to prove James's innocence. During their investigation, she began to notice that any time she wielded Cortana, the blade burned her hand. As such, she began to wonder if she were no longer worthy of the blade for living a lie and having so many secrets.

When news broke that Elias was the latest victim, she went to the Ossuarium in the Silent City to see him before his autopsy. While saying her goodbyes, she noticed his Voyance rune was missing and asked Brother Enoch if any of the others had been missing runes. Enoch agreed to look into it and Cordelia went to Cornwall Gardens to spend time with her family. That night she told Alastair of her concern that she wasn't worthy of Cortana but Alastair assured her that if there was an issue, it must be with the blade, not her. After he left, Matthew climbed through her window. While trying to comfort her, she got him to confess his secrets and agree to take her to Wayland the Smith's forge the next day to hopefully have Cortana inspected. There, Wayland fixed the blade and asked her to be his paladin which she gratefully accepted and swore an oath for.

The following night, after a trip to the London Shadow Market, the group was attacked by a pack of Hauras demons. While fighting them, she felt indescribable power and felt no pain; she saw the world turn gold and was able to move with immense speed. Recognizing her as a paladin, the demons apologized and retreated. A strange encounter as it was, it showed Cordelia what her pledge truly meant for her going forward. Later that night, she told James of her journey to Wayland and what he asked of her.

Early the next morning, Matthew arrived, concerned about the killer striking again as James awoke from another such vision. They raced to Mount Street Gardens where they found a dying Charles and Belial possessing Jesse Blackthorn's body. After Belial explained that he had been doing all this in order to defeat Cortana, Lilith appeared and revealed that Cordelia was her paladin, as she had been impersonating the Smith and had been the one causing the blade to malfunction in the first place. Lilith then commanded her to kill Belial and though she tried to fight it, she found her body moving on its own to fight. When Lucie appeared and threw herself between Jesse's body and Cortana, it took all of Cordelia's strength to not harm her friend. She knew she could not hold out long and thankfully, James drove Lilith away by shooting her with his gun. As she left, Lilith reminded Cordelia that whenever she picked up a weapon she would summon her; but with her gone, her control on her lifted. After Lucie got Belial cast from Jesse's body, Cordelia—with the help of James—gave him a second mortal wound.

They all returned to the Institute, which had been under attack by Leviathan who was able to briefly enter the mortal world because of Belial. At the Enclave meeting, she stood by Alastair as James relayed a version of the events that had transpired. Afterwards, Cordelia stopped by Cornwall Gardens and insisted Alastair take Cortana as she could not bare the sword while a servant of Lilith. She returned to her home with her friends and they all agreed they would find a way to free her of Lilith's hold. After they left, James told her he had something important to tell her but they were interrupted by Grace. Cordelia then misunderstood James's reaction to Grace's pronouncement that she wanted to get back together with him and fled. She ended up at Matthew's flat and he confessed his feelings for her before asking her to join him on a getaway to Paris to outrun her troubles. She agreed to the trip as friends as long as he promised not to drink. He concurred and the pair departed that night.[9]

Personality[]

Having never settled down in one place for long due to her father's health, Cordelia never made any real friends before she met Lucie and James, as such she sometimes has trouble at social events.

Despite the sheltered life, Cordelia is an adventurous individual and is open to new experiences. She hopes to someday rise as a hero of her own merit.

Physical description[]

Cordelia has light brown skin, dark red hair, and black eyes.[10]

Skills and abilities[]

  • Nephilim physiology: Being Nephilim, Cordelia possesses a variety of enhanced physical and mental abilities granted to her by the angel blood of Raziel in her veins and also by the angelic Marks of the Gray Book. This includes enhanced strength, agility, stamina, and coordination, which only improved over time and practice.
    • Use of heavenly weapons: As a Nephilim, Cordelia is also able to handle heavenly weapons with effect, since this would normally not work for other species. In particular, these are weapons made of adamas and forged by Iron Sisters, such as seraph blades.
    • Runic magic: Due to the Angel Raziel's blood in their veins, all Shadowhunters are all able to apply runes on their skin without any real danger. These Marks, in turn, give varied effects that serve to benefit the wearer.
    • The Sight: As a Shadowhunter, Cordelia is able to easily see through most magical illusions and layers of glamour over reality.

Possessions[]

  • Basic Shadowhunter gear, including: a stele and seraph blades.
  • Cortana: The legendary sword that has been passed down through the Carstairs family for generations. Cordelia had yearned to inherit and use the sword as a child, and the blade has chosen her over her brother as its bearer. Cordelia never leaves home without it.
  • A witchlight given to her by Alastair for her 13th birthday.
  • A golden globe necklace given to her by James for their two week wedding anniversary. It has some kind of secret to it.[9]
  • A steel scabbard for Cortana, said to be made by Melusine, that is imbued with protective spells and decorated with designs of birds, leaves, vines, and runes. It was given to her by her father as a wedding present.

Relationships[]

Romances[]

But she would never hurt James. She loved him. She had loved him all her life.

Chain of Gold

TLH tarot 06

Cordelia has been in love with James since she was a child.

When he contracted scalding fever—a Shadowhunter illness—Cordelia was one of the only people allowed in his sickroom, having had it already herself. She sat by his bed while he drifted in between consciousness, offering him water when he awoke or to read to him. At one point, he turned into a shadow, and Cordelia crawled into bed with him and held him tightly.

Years later she moved to London and, upon her arrival, let Lucie convince her that James was in love with her. Having long-feared that her feelings were one-sided, she was happy to hear they may be returned and prepared to tell him how she felt. However, she saw the way he looked at Grace Blackthorn and believed her love, once again, to be unrequited.

Over the following weeks, she tried to gain his favor and after a time thought she had; but he later expressed he was back to an understanding with Grace.

At an Enclave meeting, when James stood accused of burning down Blackthorn Manor, Cordelia chose to lie and give him an alibi, ruining her reputation in the process. To save her, James proposed they have a marriage blanc and divorce after a year so that she would not be sullied. She agreed, desperate to have at least one year of happiness with James, however fake it may be.

A few months later, they got married and moved into a house on Curzon street. James had spent the past few months furnishing it according to Cordelia's taste and incorporated several components from her Persian culture. They spent the next few weeks falling into sync with each other and getting used to a domestic life. They even set up a tradition of a nightly game where the winner got to ask the loser anything and it had to be answered honestly.

When James visited Belial in Edom, Cordelia saved him and brought him back with the pronouncement that he was hers. Back in their home, they shared a passionate kiss which broke James's bracelet—freeing him from Grace's influence, though Cordelia did not know of it. The following night, he comforted Cordelia about being Lilith's paladin and she felt that he had romantic intentions towards her. However, before he could confirm them, a misunderstanding caused her to believe James wanted Grace and so she ran, not wanting to face the end of her marriage. She fled with Matthew to Paris and did not see James rushing to stop her.

Friendships[]

CJ Cordelia & Lucie 02
I'm your parabatai. Or I will be, very soon. We are meant to face our challenges together.

–Cordelia to Lucie about her secret keeping, Chain of Iron

Lucie is Cordelia's future parabatai.

The pair met when they were young and Lucie and her mother were visiting France. They became extremely close and exchanged letters constantly over the years. Around the time she turned 12, she saved Lucie's life when she fell off a cliff—holding on to her as she dangled till help could arrive. They decided on the spot to become parabatai; though it was not an easy process. Many members of the Clave pushed off finalizing the idea as they believed the girls too young to know for sure. When Cordelia moved to London, part of the reason was to allow them to train so they could complete their ceremony.

Lucie stood as Cordelia's suggenes when she married her brother. While the marriage was a sham, the girls were excited to be sisters in the eyes of the Law. Still, the girls practiced for their ceremony which was finally scheduled for January 1904. During one such instance, while reciting the words of the oath, Lucie oddly felt a jolt go through her as if stung.

Eventually, it became clear to both girls that the other was hiding something from them. Cordelia confronted Lucie about being secretly up to something but did not press her too much, only saying that she wished the other girl would share with her. Later it was revealed that her secret had been Jesse Blackthorn but that there was more to the story. Lucie then mentioned it obvious that Cordelia truly loved James and had not told her either. The girl's resigned to talk about everything at their next training session.

Cordelia befriended Anna when she moved to London. Anna was intrigued by her, and invited her to afternoon tea at her apartment. Tea soon turned into a mission at a Downworld salon as Anna revealed her true motives of inviting her to tea: to investigate recent demon attacks.

Over time the two bonded through conversations and came to like one another. In an attempt to help Cordelia gain James's attention, Anna bought her new dresses that more suited her dark complexion.

She later attended Cordelia's bachelorette party and wedding—the reception of which she sat close to the couple. In the coming weeks, she often visited their home.

Matthew is James's parabatai and Cordelia's friend.

When her family settled in London, Cordelia and Matthew started to bond. After James rudely left Cordelia standing alone on the dance floor, Matthew cut in to save her dignity. Eventually, Matthew believed himself to be falling for her, but refrained from telling her in fear of ruining his friendship with James.

Their friendship grew over the months of her engagement. Matthew eventually went on to confess about unknowingly killing his unborn sibling and Cordelia sympathized with him, thankful to share his burden since he knew hers.

Some days later, when she misunderstood a conversation and believed that her husband still loved Grace, she ended up at Matthew's flat. He comforted her and went on to tell her that he fancied her, asking her to join him on a healing trip to Paris. Surprised as she was, Cordelia told him that she only thought of him as a friend but accepted his getaway offer, provided he not drink.

Family[]

CJ Alastair & Cordelia 01
Alastair, I don't want anyone to be cruel to you. I want you to be with someone who will make you happy.

– Cordelia to Alastair, Chain of Gold

Alastair is Cordelia's older brother.

They share a complicated relationship. As they traveled a lot growing up, they really only had each other to spend time with and be close to. Though they still fought and were occasionally distant, they are extremely protective of one another.

After their move to London, Cordelia learned that Alastair had done his best to shelter her from the truth of her father's drunkenness—bringing her attention elsewhere and telling her he was merely ill. Learning this, and of his romantic relationship with Charles Fairchild, brought them even closer together. After her engagement, Alastair spent most of his time hanging out with his sister and keeping her mind off things. When being forced to confront his now ex-partner, he requested she stay by his side for support. The pair continued to support each other since.

When Cordelia was convinced she was no longer worthy of Cortana, she asked him to take it. He refused and instead reassured her that if there was a problem, it was with the blade, not her, and she should have it inspected by the Silent Brothers. She later came back to him, confirming that she was not fit to wield Cortana and convinced him to hold on to it for her.

CJ Cordelia & Elias 01

Elias is Cordelia's father. Growing up, she was close with her father; often when he fell ill, it was her he wanted by his side.

When Elias was arrested for leading a team to a failed mission, Cordelia wanted to prove his innocence. It was during her attempts to find allies that Alastair finally told her the truth of her father—that he was not ill and was in fact a drunk and most likely guilty. After the Clave decided to drop the charges against him, Cordelia wrote him a letter asking that he go to the Basilias for treatment rather than return home right away.

She had mixed emotions when he finally did come home, on the day of her wedding. While she was happy to have him present for the occasion, she did not quite know how to act around him now knowing the truth. He gifted her a new scabbard for Cortana that was meant as a token of his love and a promise to do better. However, at the reception, he had another one of his episodes and accused Cordelia of being ashamed of him for not asking him to be her suggenes and thus trying to hide him. Cordelia was outraged he would say such a thing.

While she learned to dismiss his behavior, she was stunned when he visited her house and left after a discussion with James, clearly irate. The next day, news came of his death and when James told her he had turned down Elias's demand of money, she lashed out at him. Alastair later made her realize that James did the right thing and it would not have saved him. Still, Cordelia did not quite know how to cope with his death, having such an unresolved relationship with him.

Layla—what I want for you above all things is that you follow the truth of your dreams. No scorn, no shame, no part of society's opinion matters more than that.

–Sona to Cordelia, Chain of Iron

Sona is Cordelia's mother. Having been taught to be proud of her heritage since childhood, she did the same during Cordelia and Alastair's upbringing. She also tried to shield her from her father's alcoholism with Alastair.

Though Sona did her best to keep her daughter clothed in the height of fashion, this left Cordelia at odds with her peers and often uncomfortable in her dresses as most of the current fashion trends were meant for lighter skin tones. Eventually Sona realized this and apologized following Anna Lightwood's gift of better suited dresses.

When they moved to London, Sona had hoped to marry Cordelia off to a good match in order to save her from any family embarrassment after Elias's arrest. She was particularly fond of James Herondale as a possible prospect.

She later supported her daughter through her engagement and marriage to James. After Elias's death, Sona reflected on how that relationship came to be and she realized it was not the way it should have been. She confronted Cordelia and told her not to give up on her dreams or live her life the way society would force her to; and to not dote on Sona for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

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Trivia[]

  • In her childhood, she loved scaring her brother Alastair Carstairs. Her favorite method was hiding under his bed and grabbing his ankle when he gets close enough to reach. They also shared a common interest in architecture and together built castles out of wood blocks, inspired by their last name.[11]
  • Cordelia's favorite book is Layla and Majnun by Nizami Ganjavi.[1] It is also one of her mother's favorites and is where her nickname "Layla" comes from.[12]
  • The name Cordelia means heart.[13]
  • Cordelia's middle name, Katāyoun, is a reference to a figure in the Persian mythology book Shāhnāmeh. Interestingly, this character is the mother of a hero in this book whom her brother's middle name references.
  • Her mother once hired an expert instructor to teach her how to dance properly.[5]
  • Cordelia's favorite treat is the ghotab (or qottab) — a deep-fried Iranian pastry filled with almonds.[14]
  • Her favorite animal is the Persian cat.[1]
  • Cordelia speaks Farsi.
  • Cordelia loves reading, specifically Persian literature and mythology.
  • According to the "found" family tree, Cordelia will apparently go on to marry James, have a son named Owen, and die in 1962 at the age of 76 or 77.[4]
  • Cordelia is afraid of snakes.[9]
  • She thinks that her hair is her best feature.[9]
  • Cordelia has always wished to be able to play the cello.[9]

  • She, like her cousin Jem, is parabatai with a Herondale. (She is set to become Lucie's parabatai in The Last Hours.[15])
  • "She's fascinated with plants, perfumes and fragrances. A bit of that is about her mother, who loves perfume, and some is about an interest in aspects of her heritage as "Iranians are regarded as the first manufacturers of perfume… The equipment and installations for obtaining rosewater and perfumes were abundant in many towns and villages, and their sweet smelling products were exported to remote corners of the world." Cordelia is fascinated not just with creating delicious smells that she can wear and give as gifts, but also with the meaning of plants and with their uses in healing."[16][17]

  • References[]

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