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SPOILER WARNING: Plot details follow. Caution is advised!

I know what it is to be in pain, and not to be able to seek comfort from the one you love the most, nor to be able to share that pain with anyone you know.

–Matthew to Cordelia, Chain of Iron

Matthew Fairchild is the second son of Henry and Charlotte Branwell, and the younger brother of Charles. He is also the parabatai of James Herondale.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Growing up, Matthew had a close relationship with his father. Being the curious inventor Henry was, he had a tendency of endangering himself with his experiments. Matthew took it upon himself to look after him.[4][2][5]

Academy[]

Matthew unwillingly attended the Shadowhunter Academy in 1899, where he became considerably popular among the students. Wanting instead to return home to look after his eccentric father, Matthew took every opportunity to discredit himself to get expelled—an unlikely idea given his mother's position as Consul. At the Academy, he was friends mostly with Christopher and Thomas Lightwood and had an initially complicated relationship with James. One morning, he and James finally had a conversation about their situation and realized that they were being rude to each other for no reason. The pair since became very close friends, despite the revelation that James had the ability to turn into a shadow.

When James was expelled, for an incident, started by Alastair Carstairs, that led to a student's death, James was blamed and expelled.[4] Matthew had a confrontation with Alastair on the day of James's departure from the Academy. Matthew intended to berate him for his cowardice; instead, Alastair told him of rumors that he was not Henry's offspring and was instead Charlotte's son with Gideon Lightwood.[5]

After setting up an explosion with Christopher that would surely get him expelled, Matthew left with Will and James to the London Institute, something the Herondales agreed to after Matthew proclaimed his desire to become James's parabatai.[4] The pair eventually performed the ceremony and grew closer.

The Fairchilds up and moved to their home in London so that Matthew could stay close to his parabatai. Since Christopher was also expelled for their stunt at the Academy and Thomas did not wish to attend the following year without any of them, their families also moved to London so the four of them could remain close and train together at the London Institute.[5]

Great sin[]

Alastair's lies about the supposed rumors that he was Gideon's bastard affected Matthew more than he'd liked. He grew paranoid and sometimes had moments when he feared that his parents were separating. For a time, he even resented Gideon, refusing to think of him as his Uncle Gideon. During a trip to the London Shadow Market, recommended to him by good friend Anna Lightwood, Matthew came across Brother Zachariah, known to the Herondales and Lightwoods as Uncle Jem, and took it upon himself to get closer to him. They then came upon a faerie selling potions and charms. Matthew was particularly intrigued by a potion that he was led to believe would compel the truth out of someone and purchased it behind Zachariah's back.

Matthew put the potion into the cranberries for the scones he baked for his mother, hoping it would make her tell the truth about his parentage or the status of her marriage to Henry. As soon as Charlotte took a bite, Matthew realized that the potion was, in fact, a harmful concoction, just as Brother Zachariah had warned him that the fey could not always be trusted. While Zachariah overlooked Charlotte's treatment, Henry took Matthew aside to tell him that they had been expecting a child whom they hoped would be a girl. He then told him that he hoped to name her Matilda, after his own great-aunt, from whom Matthew inherited his blond hair and for whom Matthew was named after, making Matthew realize that he was indeed Henry's son and not Gideon's.

Zachariah later told him that Charlotte survived, but the child in her womb did not. He advised Matthew to tell someone of the burden of his sin, but Matthew refused and feigned ignorance, though he carried the guilt—of having inadvertently caused his mother's miscarriage and for even listening to Alastair instead of trusting his mother.[5] He turned to alcohol to drown his sorrows and regret, and while his family and friends noticed and were concerned, most avoided the topic as an unspoken rule.[6]

New arrivals[]

In August 1903, the Carstairs and Blackthorn families moved to London. While he had a dislike for Grace Blackthorn and Alastair, he was interested in meeting the famed Cordelia Carstairs who planned to be Lucie's parabatai. At their welcome party, he saved Cordelia from the embarrassment of being left stranded on the dance floor and had a pleasant conversation with her where he invited her to the picnic being held the next day.

At the picnic in Regent's Park they were attacked by a pack of demons in broad daylight. Matthew helped fight off the incoming horde of demons but they soon left of their own accord. As the group came to suspect these demons had some relation to James and his power, and that the adults weren't taking the threat seriously enough, they decided to look into it on their own. He, Anna, and Cordelia made a trip to the Hell Ruelle in order to learn what the news in Downworld may be on the subject. They were able to get Hypatia Vex and Malcolm Fade's cooperation with some gossip that had been circling about the lack of demons in London for the past several years. The warlocks then contacted Ragnor Fell to offer them further assistance and based on the information he gave them, Matthew and his friends investigated the warlock Emmanuel Gast. From that, they were able to deduce that Gast had raised a Mandikhor demon; though their plan to capture it in a Pyxis failed.

While discussing what to do next at the Devil Tavern, James received a note requesting he come to the Silent City. Not wanting his parabatai to go alone, Matthew accompanied him, along with Cordelia. There they came to the realization that James's grandfather Belial was behind everything and James had to go to the shadow realm to face him. Matthew made him tie a rope between them so he had a tether and way back, however the connection began weakening and harming Matthew so Cordelia cut it and traveled into the realm herself, leaving him behind. When they returned, James was dying. Though Matthew was unable to do anything to save him, Lucie managed something that revived him.

Throughout all this, Matthew had begun to believe himself in love with Cordelia. Thus when it was announced that she was engaged to James in order to save her reputation, he was dismayed. At their engagement party, he drank heavily to get through the affair. Because of his drunken state, Matthew revealed the rumors Alastair had spread about their parents to Thomas, in an effort to prevent their friendship. Later, he confided in Magnus Bane about his feelings for Cordelia and that James and Cordelia in fact were not in love but had arranged a marriage blanc.[7]

Secrets[]

Over the coming months, he tried to hide his feelings for Cordelia and grew closer as a friend to her. He gave the appearance of being supportive of her and James's decision, even filling in as Cordelia's escort when James was busy working on their house. However, on the night before the wedding, at James's bachelor party, he tried to talk James out of going through with the ceremony. He eventually gave up his position and the next day stood as James's suggenes, reciting the words of the ritual as requested.

A few weeks later, his parents confronted him about his drinking problem. He denied the allegations, claiming simply that he enjoyed having fun and didn't want to be boring. The argument continued to escalate and Matthew decided to move out—moving into a flat in Marylebone he had had his eye on for some time and had already put a deposit on. Oddly, he concealed the move from his friends until James guessed it.

When Cordelia's father was murdered, Matthew snuck into her bedroom at Cornwall Gardens to comfort her and offer his condolences. Upon her pressing, he confessed not only that he knew she was truly in love with James, but also the secret he had been harboring of what he had done to his mother years prior. Cordelia in turn shared her concerns about not being worthy of her blade Cortana as it had been burning her hand whenever she used it. She then requested he secretly take her the next day, in his flat's complimentary motorcar, to where Wayland the Smith supposedly had his forge in order to check the blade. He obliged, happy to spend time with her and ease her mind.

The following day, while at the Shadow Market investigating the murderer attacking the Shadowhunters of London, James mentioned to Matthew about having recently spoken with Grace. This enraged him and he pulled James aside to berate him about his disrespect of Cordelia. He went on to say he felt James was ruining his life as Grace only ever made him miserable. James accused him of not knowing anything about love as he only truly loved alcohol, making their fight come to an explosive end as Math shattered the bottle in his hand.

The coming morning, Matthew went to the Institute so that he could support Thomas after his interrogation as he stood accused of the recent murders. After speaking with Christopher, Matthew realized the killer had gotten the pithos back the previous night and was likely planning something. He rushed to James and Cordelia's home to relay the information and accompanied the couple to Mount Street Gardens to hopefully stop the killer. There they found Charles dying. While Matthew was attending to him and preparing to get him help, he was frozen by Belial. The next thing he knew, James and Cordelia were some distance away, a battle clearly having just been fought, and Lucie and Malcolm Fade had appeared. They then Portaled to the Institute and he went with his brother to the infirmary until Charles continued calling out for Alastair. Swallowing his pride, he demanded the other boy go see him.

That night, Matthew packed a suitcase, preparing to go to Paris to get away as he believed James had finally come to love Cordelia and he could not stand to see it. However, Cordelia showed up on his doorstep, distraught at having overheard James and Grace together. Despite his promises not to tell her of his feelings or make an advance on her, Matthew confessed everything to her and invited her to join him on his trip so they could try to outrun their troubles. Cordelia agreed provided he not drink and they left on a train that night, leaving behind only a note to tell James where they had gone and of Matthew's intentions with her while hoping for his forgiveness.[6]

Personality[]

Matthew is usually a delight to be around; open-hearted, sociable, flamboyant, and funny. He is also rather indolent, particularly when it comes to Shadowhunter activities.[4] He is a natural caretaker, with a tendency to want and volunteer to look after those around him.[5]

He can also be quite sensitive, and though usually expressed as a joke, he sometimes internalizes thoughts about his purpose. Matthew in his youth, despite his popularity and sociable exterior, was often self-doubting and insecure and thought so much of what others thought of him and believed they didn't care about him as much as he did, thinking he wasn't special to those that meant most to him.[5]

He is a fan of Oscar Wilde and the aesthetic movement.[4] Matthew listens to James, who manages to make him attend to his studies and keeps him out of trouble.[8]

Physical description[]

Matthew is considered a very handsome and well-built young man. He gets his coloring of gold blond hair and green eyes from his father's great aunt Matilda.[5] Matthew cares a great deal for his appearance and is often dressed in expensive fashionable clothing with his hair expertly combed into style (with many brushes). He is sometimes seen sporting a green carnation, which is both a reference to his favorite author Oscar Wilde and his bisexuality.[7]

Skills and abilities[]

  • Nephilim physiology: Being Nephilim, Matthew possesses a myriad of enhanced physical and mental abilities granted to him by the blood of Raziel in his veins and also by the angelic Marks of the Gray Book. This includes enhanced strength, agility, stamina, coordination, and many others which improve over time and practice.
    • Runic magic: Due to the angel Raziel's blood in their veins, all Shadowhunters are 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, Matthew is able to easily see through most magical illusions and layers of glamour over reality.
    • Use of heavenly weapons: As a Nephilim, Matthew 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.
  • Parabatai bond: Due to his parabatai bond with James Herondale, Matthew is able to call on more strength in battle. The runes drawn on him by James also give a considerably stronger effect.

Possessions[]

  • Flask: Matthew’s silver flask has his initials monogrammed on it. He tends to keep it on him at all times.
  • Signet ring: Marked with the initials MF, this ring was a gift from James at their parabatai ceremony. Matthew often fiddles with it when he is stressed.
  • Chalikars: are Matthew’s preferred weapon. The chalikar is a circular throwing knife edged with razor-sharp steel.
  • Other basic Shadowhunter gear, including: steles, seraph blades, and a witchlight.

Relationships[]

Friends[]

CJ James & Matthew 02

James and Matthew during their parabatai ceremony

James and Matthew first met at the Shadowhunter Academy. Matthew tried desperately to befriend James though James detested him. Eventually James came around and they became great friends. After they were both expelled, Matthew asked James to become his parabatai, to which he agreed.

The Fairchild family then moved back to London so that Matthew could train and be close with his parabatai. They soon became inseparable along with the other members of their group which came to be known as the Merry Thieves. The four of them rented a room at the Devil Tavern and spend most of their time there.

For Matthew's birthday one year, James gave him a puppy that he found in the streets. Matthew named the puppy after his favorite author and loved it fiercely, raising it into an extremely obedient dog.

Over the years, Matthew never understood why James was interested in Grace Blackthorn. He felt that she clearly did not return his feelings and only ever made him miserable, dimming the light behind his eyes and changing him from the person he once knew.

When he married Cordelia, Matthew was unhappy as he had fancied himself in love with her but saw that she clearly loved James and he hoped that James would grow to love her as well. Still, this caused friction between the pair and even arguments (a rare occurrence for them) as Matthew became extremely upset with James whenever he felt he was disrespecting Daisy. Eventually he believed that James had come around and made plans to leave town to get over her, however Cordelia arrived telling him that James and Grace were seemingly getting back together. Enraged with James's decisions, Matthew decided to confess his feelings and take Cordelia with him. He left behind a note telling James everything and telling him the three of them could decide what action to take in his marriage when they returned. This infuriated a distressed James who had been planning to tell Cordelia that he loved her and wanted a real marriage with her. James rushed to the train station to stop them but was waylaid.

  • Christopher Lightwood is one of Matthew's best friends. Matthew is very motherly towards Christopher, always keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't accidentally set himself on fire or blow something up.
  • Thomas Lightwood is the fourth member of their group. Much like Christopher, Matthew is always looking out for Thomas, most often to warn him away from Alastair Carstairs.
  • Anna Lightwood and Matthew enjoy spending time together. They both like fashion and enjoy the bohemian life-style. They often frequent disreputable establishments and Downworlder haunts such as the Hell Ruelle for fun.

Matthew has always cared for his parabatai's little sister. Their families having been close growing up, Matthew and Lucie saw a lot of each other and were even known to get into fights with soup ladles.

Though his affection for her soon grew romantic. Lucie dismisses it as a childhood fancy when James brings it up, but Matthew believed himself in love with her for a long time. Eventually, after realizing it would go no further, Matthew moved his affection to Cordelia Carstairs.

Still, they both care about each other and remain good friends. Lucie worries about Matthew's alcoholism—being the first one to confront him about it—and his general wellbeing, while Matthew is really protective of Lucie.

CJ Cordelia & Matthew 01, CoI

When her family moved to London, Cordelia befriended Matthew and they soon became good friends. At some point during their adventures investigating the Mandikhor demon, Matthew thought himself falling in love with her. After catching her making out with James, he found himself extremely jealous, though both dismissed it as play-attacking. Still before Matthew could express his feelings for her, she and James became engaged. Knowing it to be a marriage blanc did not help his upset, he got very drunk at their engagement party and confided to Magnus Bane that if James actually loved her, he would have followed in Jem Carstairs's footsteps and never speak of her again. And though he didn't, he still would not make any type of advance towards Cordelia while she was engaged or married to James.

This, however, changed when Cordelia told him she had overheard James and Grace and believed them to be getting back together. Matthew, being aware of her love for James and believing James to have been falling in love with her, had been planning to go on a trip to Paris to get away from it all and move on. He instead decided to confess his feelings for her and invite her to join him and outrun her troubles. She agreed as friends on the condition that he not drink and the pair left that night.

Family[]

I don't like Charles, but I love him. I can't help it.

–Matthew to Cordelia, Chain of Iron

Matthew has a very strained relationship with his older brother. While Matthew is more carefree and loose with the rules, Charles is more serious and studious. As such, the pair almost never see eye-to-eye and constantly fight.

In December of 1903, Charles nearly died when attacked by the murderer that had been killing Shadowhunters for a couple weeks. Matthew was distraught and though the incident did not make him like his brother more, it did remind him that he loved him, regardless of their differences. He even demanded that Alastair visit his brother as he knew that to be what he wanted even though Matthew could not stand Alastair.

Matthew is extremely close to his father. Growing up, his mother was busy with Clave business and Charles wanted to shadow her, so he was always left to take care of him. Being handicapped and so absentminded, Matthew sometimes found himself putting out fires on his father's head while he was at work on another invention. Still he enjoyed this time with his father and talking to him about his work. So when Matthew was sent to the Academy, he was distressed about leaving his father behind and did everything he could to get kicked out and sent back home.

When he finally did get expelled, however, he wished to go to the London Institute to train and be tutored with his future parabatai. He made up a schedule to split their time between the Institute and his home in Idris so that he could still see his father often. Eventually, the family relocated for him to London, and his father began tutoring them.

Their relationship began to falter when Matthew turned to alcohol after killing his prospective sibling—though Henry did not know why. Henry and Charlotte tried to confront their son about his alcoholism but Matthew simply lashed out and then decided to move out; a decision that clearly bothered Henry.

Charlotte and Matthew have a somewhat difficult relationship. As a child, Matthew was more interested in spending time with his father as Charlotte was busy being the Consul and he did not have an interest in politics like his brother. So, while both love the other deeply, they don't have quite the bond she has with Charles or he has with Henry. Still, Matthew found ways to make his mother smile by baking her favorite cranberry scones whenever he could.

Over the years, Matthew let a rumor corrode his thoughts of his mother, making him question her faithfulness to his father. He eventually decided to get a confession from her with a truth potion he had purchased, however it ended up being something toxic. Though the Silent Brothers were able to save her life, they could not save the child she had secretly been carrying. Inconsolable with what he had done, Matthew vowed to keep it a secret. This created a distance between them that Charlotte did not know of and led him to turn to alcohol.

His alcoholism did not escape Charlotte's notice. Eventually she and Henry confronted him. This caused a large argument to ensue and Matthew to move out on his own.

Others[]

Matthew hates Alastair Carstairs. From the moment they met at the Academy, the two butted heads. After Alastair bullied James and got him expelled, Matthew wished to get back at him. He got his chance once he began spreading a rumor that Matthew's father was actually Thomas's father Gideon Lightwood, making Matthew lose his temper. He promptly gave Christopher the ingredients he needed to blow up a wing of the Academy that Alastair was in.

Despite brushing it off as nonsense at first, the rumor ate Matthew up inside. He began to hate the sight of Gideon and found himself waiting for his parents to tell him they were splitting. This led to Matthew purchasing a truth potion to get the answers he needed that actually ended up poisoning his mother and killing the baby she had been carrying.

He soon found out, of course, that he was definitely Henry's son, and blamed not only himself for killing his unborn sibling and nearly his mother, but also Alastair. Believing both of them unforgivable. So when Alastair tried to make amends and befriend him at James and Cordelia's engagement party, and Thomas supported it asking Matthew to forgive him for the childish slights, Matthew lashed out and finally told Thomas of the rumor; as well as some unsavory comments he had also made about Thomas's mother. This got the result he expected and Alastair was sent away crying, warned off of trying to speak to them again.

Despite all this, when Charles was hurt months later and calling out for him, Matthew put aside his feelings and demanded that Alastair do the noble thing and visit him in the infirmary.

Matthew believes Grace Blackthorn does not care for James the way he cares for her and, being protective of James, dislikes her because of it. Noticing how miserable she makes him, he has continuously tried to talk James out of his affections, but seemingly was unsuccessful.

When Grace eventually broke things off between them for an engagement to Charles, Matthew called her out on her lack of love and having orchestrated this back-up plan all along. Before he could tell James and Charles, Grace forced Matthew to kiss her and then threatened to tell Charles or James if he tried to do anything to prevent her marriage. Due to her ability, Matthew forgot the incident.

Still, his feelings for Grace never wavered and he continued to try to convince James to move on. He even became enraged at him when the latter saw her while married to Cordelia. Eventually, he came to accept what he believed was his choice of Grace though he thought she would ruin his life.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

See more here

Trivia[]

  • Matthew favors rapiers[2] or chalikars[3] as his weapon.
  • He doesn't like having his name shortened, to nicknames like "Matt" or "Matty".[9][10]
  • Matthew was named after his father's Great Aunt Matilda, whom he called Aunt Matty.[5]
  • The Herondales often call him "Math", a nickname given to him by Will after the Welsh king Math ap Mathonwy as a nod to Will's belief that Matthew was "born knowing too much".[7]
  • Matthew has an interest in fashion, Downworlder haunts, and the bohemian lifestyle which he shares with Anna Lightwood.[11]
  • Matthew really wants to befriend Magnus Bane—whom he idolizes—but the warlock has reservations about doing so.[12]
  • Matthew's favorite treat is Charlotte russe.[13]
  • His favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.[3]
  • He loathes dancing the waltz.[7]
  • Matthew is bisexual.[7]
  • He greatly admired Will Herondale growing up and planned to be like him one day.[7]
  • The only people who know about Matthew accidentally hurting his mother and killing his baby sibling are Brother Zachariah and Cordelia Carstairs.[6]
  • Matthew has a habit of telling elaborate stories that his friends cannot decipher whether or not they are true—even Cassandra Clare herself cannot tell.[14]

  • Matthew was originally named Colin,[15] and Matthew may have also been planned to be another character's name.[16]
  • Matthew originally was described as having brown eyes.[4] However, his eyes are a dark green color in later publications.[5] It is unclear if this is a change Cassie has made in his appearance since TftSA, or if his eyes simply appear different colors at times.
  • Matthew was set to have younger sisters in TLH[17] but Cassie changed her mind.
  • Matthew's birthday may be in January but it is not a finalized confirmed detail.[18]

  • References[]

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