The Awoken (an ACOTAR story)

V: Malukah

"What do you mean, the cauldron woke me up?" I said, a bit puzzled. I knew what the cauldron was, but there was no way a Fae or mortal could wield it. And if it awoken me... had I been dead? Had I been dead and buried in the ground, only to be revived by that magic? If so, had some of my family been revived too?

"When the cauldron broke down the wall, it was loud and I hear it shook the ground as far up north as the Night Court." The Fae I learned to be Lucien said.

"The Night Court?" I asked. Perhaps it had been way more than a few centuries since I'd been underground, as I hadn't known what a High Lord or Night Court was. I had a lot to learn in this new world if I had been asleep.. or dead for that long.

"How long were you underground?" The one called Tamlin, said. I then proceeded to try and explain.

"First, I don't recognize these lands. They use to be filled with trees that touch the sky and creatures that I haven't seen yet. Castles weren't common, and there certainly wasn't a castle here..." I said, trying to steady my thinking and remember all the differences I could.

"There were flowers everywhere, and one could be born from a flower. Or an animal. The sky was always a light pink and shimmery color, somehow different than what it is now. This wall you speak of definitely didn't exist. Mortals were far and few-" I kept rambling on and on about differences that I didn't realize the both of them had been staring at me intently while I spoke, and when I finally realized I sank back in my chair, sheepishly. I still didn't know who these two were, really. And the stronger one had tried to choke the life out of me just a few hours earlier.

"And your powers- what of them?" Tamlin asked.

"I can do many things. I could fix this castle if you'd let me, but it would look wildly different." I explained. I could fix the bricks and walls with vines. I could grow the gardens and hedges back, although they may look different. Perhaps I could tap into my memories to grow the trees and make them tall as the sky. Perhaps I could heal the lands of whatever curse may befall it, as I was good at breaking curses.

Suddenly, my mind went hot white and fuzzy as I thought. I felt as if I was about to faint when someone caught me. My vision went black, and what seemed to be a memory befell me.

"Malukah, wake up." Someone said, and I opened my eyes to new scenery. I was inside my memory, but it felt as if I was reliving it. Snow blanketed the ground, as it was a different season as what I awoke from the ground to. A small child, around 7 or 8 looked me in the eyes. She had red hair like mine, and small freckles dotted her skin. She was my younger sister.

"Come now, the elders are waiting." She said, helping me to my feet. Elders?

"You don't want to miss out on being chosen for the rite do you? It's nearing the winter solstice, sister." The rite? Winter solstice?

My memory suddenly became hazy as I woke up. Someone was fanning me, was it the creature? I couldn't tell.

I opened my eyes and felt the soft cloth beneath me. Someone had moved me to a bed. The plush blankets felt soft beneath me, like a bed of moss, and the window was open to let in the warm night breeze. Someone had replaced the drapes, and two drapes flew in the wind. I looked around to see what I could, and I noticed the creature sleeping upright in the corner. The bathroom was closed, but the main door was open. I then noticed who had been fanning me- Tamlin.

"Are you okay?" He said, but the words sounded like they were foreign to him. Instead of intensity and bloodthirst, his eyes were clouded with worry. Had something happened while I was asleep?

"I'm okay, I just... think I remembered something." I tried to sit up, but my brain felt like it was ridden down by a load of bricks. My head was pounding, as if I had fallen out of a window and landed on my head. I probably landed on my head if I fell when I fainted at dinner.