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blackevermore · 1 month

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x Secrets of The Lake: The Company of Misery and Pain ( Also on A03)

{ Chapter 16 }

Summary: Vladimir Masters’ family tree has always been tainted by secrets swept under the rug. From generation to generation there have been countless reasons the Masters’ family had seemed to keep private from the public. Even to this day, Vladimir was no exception. But what was one to do when a restless spirit from the settlement years finally breaks free from restraints and demands you answer for your ancestor’s crimes? Vladimir doesn’t know. However, Clockworks does.

Notes: We just having fun, rewriting some of the canon, new adventure new characters. I will apologize now for any grammar, spelling, weird sentence structuring in advance. My brain writes faster than my fingers and even when I go back through to reread it I still miss things. Sorry about that!

Word Count: 4.2K

P.s: Chapters will be taking longer to get out which means they will get longer to read as well

P.p.s: IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE I WROTE A FUCKING CHAPTER???

Vladan was lost in thought as his hands went to work cutting away at the softwood with his pocket knife. He was thinking. His brother was seemingly getting better and that ceased his fear of his sibling’s becoming. Tayonna had played a major part in doing so, making Vladan grateful she was there. However, the more he became interested in Tayonna the more he found himself being unable to stop thinking about her. The other housemaids liked her and took kindly to including her in their chores, his mother held a weird air about having the woman around despite being overly welcoming towards her before, and Vladan’s father was too caught up in his work to have a say in anything that regarded the woman other than asking her for his gloves and where he left his letters.

None of their opinions mattered though, Luther was the only one that Vladan had the urge to listen to when it came to the woman. Luther had nothing but good things to say, he praised her ability to help him and her company more than anything. She would tell him stories from her homeland and how much she missed being able to go about her day doing whatever she wanted. Luther at times felt bad that Tayonna was there with them. He admitted to Vladan that he even thought of sending Tayonna back to the islands and giving her dual citizenship so she would be free under Western law.

“How do you think you can do that?” Vladan asked. He was a scholar of business and science, he had simple knowledge of European affairs when it came to the business of slaves. But the colonies were something different. England had more power here than Prussia or any of the Germanic states.

“Well, I can’t marry her. I’m dying.” Luther let out a bellyful laugh that quickly rolled itself in a fit of coughs. Vladan was quick to his brother’s aid with a cup of water and a rag for him to cough into.

Vladan didn’t need Luther to say out loud that he was aware of his eldest brother’s allurement towards Tayonna. It seemed everyone was more and more aware of it while Vladan thought he had kept to his stoic and blank nature. Despite never raising a brow in wonder or smiling at kind gestures, Vladan's (awkward) actions screamed. When the woman was around he stiffened up and fought himself not to look at her. When someone said her name he was quick to distract himself with something and pretend he was busy. If he did have to interact with her he would move them far away from anyone else as if he had a secret to share. It wasn’t Luther who saw it first but rather his mother, Luther was just more vocal about it. And by vocal he was blabbing about taboo things that Vladan was sure even if he held the purest intent with wanting Tayonna’s hand the world would destroy it.

When they first arrived at the new land Vladan quickly took note of the behaviours of the other settlers and the dos and don’ts. Do take pride in your culture and what boat you came off of. Don’t show too much interest in political affairs unless you want to be dragged into it. Do take part in the social trade of goods that benefit everyone. Don’t treat your slaves like people. That is why the Mægisters’ family house was farthest from the town and prying eyes.

He wanted her. He wanted to hold her, listen to her stories, see her powers and magic, and be amazed that someone like her could ever exist. The few times he found himself alone with her when she showed him her powers his heart cried out for more. He was becoming greedy. She was something special and for once Vladan felt like he didn’t have to think about his responsibilities. He didn’t have to worry about his schooling, the family business, or his brother’s health, she took it away without touching him or even acknowledging his budding feelings that grew like wildflowers.

Vladan felt his heart sink with the idea of never having Tayonna in the burning way he wanted her. Vladan hands stopped moving and he looked down at the wooden figure he had mindlessly been cutting at. He was kinda impressed with his subconscious making sure he didn’t nick himself in the process. He placed his knife down behind him and turned the figure in his hands. He had made a rose unbeknownst to his conscious attraction to a certain servant who held his heart on a string. After seeing all the flowers Tayonna could create from thin air, roses had become the symbol of Tayonna's presence and Vladan had made a mission of surrounding himself with her one way or another. His victim today was wood, yesterday was his mother’s flowers at the dining table, and last week was a tree he began picking at while taking a short walk in the forest.

Just like Tayonna, the wood was rough in a few places, smooth where the blade made simple cuts but sharp on edges that should have been curved. But it was still appealing, still something to be amazed by, the wooden rose was in many ways a form of art that few wouldn’t appreciate but many would.

Nature had become beautiful to Vladan in the months he had stayed in the new lands with his family. This world was so fresh and hardly seen the industrial boom of farm hands and metal parts. Everyone here was starting over which gave nature time to adapt to its new invaders. Vladan looked up from his work and took in the scene of wildlife before him. In the back of the family home in the distance was a river that he knew connected to a pond somewhere beyond his eyes. He saw a few bunnies hopping by and the call of the birds swooping through the air. At times when the world seemed like it was still he had caught sight of deer that crept by. Despite not being a land he knew by heart. The new world was beauty hidden beyond the waters of Europe and destined for something great, Vladan was sure.

“Vladan!” The call of his name brought Vladan back to reality and he quickly snapped his neck towards the side of the house. Tayonna came running at a speed that made him cautious. Her face said all he needed to know as he dropped the wooden figure and began to close the gap between them. When she ran into his arms he gripped her wrist and tried to calm her down. She was speaking in a language he didn’t recognise which made it hard for him to pick apart the few words that did sound like English or Deutsch.

‘Tayonna, calm down! I can’t understand what you’re saying.” Vladan shook the girl gently and that seemed to work to bring the girl down from her adrenaline. The girl's face fell, tears were spiking in the corners of her eyes and she looked away as a few fell. Vladan clenched his jaw as he could only imagine the news she was about to tell him. Luther was dead. Luther had finally chosen to pass and Vladan oddly enough was okay with hearing that news. But when Tayonna opened her mouth to speak Vladan’s face ran pale and his body turned cold.

“Your father is dead.”

Vlad's eyes shot open and he felt a strong need to cry. His breathing was heavy, his throat felt clamped and his eyes burned every time he blinked. He fought the turn of his lips into a frown as he gasped again and choked down a cry. Vladan’s memories were stronger than before and the emotion that came with it almost made Vlad's heart break. He could only imagine getting a call saying his father was dead. Senior Master was a fine gentleman who ran his businesses and made sure his boy was ready for the world when he sent him off the college. He was a strict father but was fair when it came to his love for his son. Vlad could only imagine what Vladan had with his father, if his sadness was this substantial then their relationship was beyond important. As soon as Vlad was able to overcome the sadness a new emotion set in, one that made him anxious and terrified. He didn’t know why all of a sudden he felt like the world was crashing in on him. He raised his hands to his eye level, opening and closing them feeling the slight trimmer every time he opened them.

His breathing was getting harsher as if he had run miles on end and was finally coming to a stop. He rolled to his side and tried to catch his breath but it only made it worse as now he felt like his muscles contract and ache.

‘What am I going to do?’

What?

‘What will I do with my mother?’

Vlad’s mother was dead.

‘Luther? Is Luther next?’

Vlad shut his eyes but the darkness that normally lay behind his lids turned into an out-of-body scene of him watching Vladan having a breakdown in the middle of a field. Vlad was horrified as he watched the man gripping at his hair and then turned to him. Vlad felt his core begin to burn him and he hissed, grabbing at his chest and falling to one knee. Vladan continued to look beyond him and then down at him with a worried look.

“Tayonna,” Vladan’s voice was broken as he spoke towards Vlad who was still hunched in pain. “Protect her, please.” Vladan reached out and clasped Vlad’s shoulders.

“L-Let go of me!” Vlad barked between groans of discomfort.

“Save her!” Vladan screamed in his face.

Vlad tried to pull away from him and create distance but the pain in his chest kept him at the mercy of the other man. Vladan grip finally let go when the man shot to his feet and turned towards the distance.

“Tayonna!” He screamed and then vanished in the air.

Vlad peeked through his lashes and saw the world around him beginning to change. The sun was blacked out by something in front of it which made everything dark with a red haunting tint. Vlad managed to get back on his feet and staggered a bit, he looked around and was utterly alone. A chill ran down his back as he felt that he was being watched but by whom he had no idea. He turned around trying to see if the area he was in was from his dreams and when he caught sight of the house he fell to his knees again. The house he had seen constantly in his dreams was up in flames with a mass gathering of angry-looking towns folk with weapons and torches in their hands. Vlad’s emotions began to run again as he felt a broken defeat ghost over him as if he was watching his legacy be burnt to the ground. He felt helpless and destroyed. The flames danced in his eyes as flickers of colours painted over him. With each lap of fire crawling around the edges of the house Vlad felt his heart crack and crumble. He was watching his legacy burn down, his bloodline, his ancestor, his family.

A woman in red looked back at him as she stood in the crowd of town folk. She smirked, overjoyed with his misery and watching everything he had go up in flames. Vlad felt the eyes on him and slowly raised his head but before he could lock eyes with the stranger his core pulsed again and he shut his eyes as a sharp pain crossed through him and then there was a feeling of peace. His core didn’t hurt anymore, the negative feelings that were drowning him were gone and he felt an overpowering drive of security. He felt a pair of arms grab onto him and pull him into an embrace that buried his head and steadied his heart. Vlad let out a staggered sigh and brought his hands to hold onto the body of whoever was holding him. In this moment he didn’t care who it was, he only cared that they were calming him down and surging out the distress he had experienced moments before. He nuzzled his face and took a deep breath inhaling an aroma of a pleasant earthy smell with hints of something sugary. His hands caressed the body and he felt a ping of fear that if he let go they would too and leave him.

Vlad finally dared to open his eyes and when he did he saw he was back in his bedroom. He hadn’t noticed he was pressed against someone until he felt a hand running through his hair. He looked down at the arm that wrapped around his shoulders and saw pale purple skin.

“He came to me,” Tayonna spoke before Vlad could say anything. “He was screaming and you were gasping for air.” Tayonna sounded tired but Vlad could tell that if he saw her face it would say something else. Was she worried? An uncertain conflict between being upset at the man who caused her trouble or uncomfortable with having to calm down a man she didn’t know. Vlad only hummed but didn’t try to pull away. He could hear the sound of her core thumping against her chest and it sounded almost like a lullaby. Neither of them pulled away and as if they had a silent agreement just stayed in each other arms until the following break of day.

When Vlad woke up from his alarm Tayonna was gone and the spot in which she laid last night was cold. Vlad couldn’t tell who was upset that she was gone, him or Vladan, or if they equally wanted Tayonna to stay for different reasons. Vlad could only admit to himself that when the girl was in his bed he felt the utmost relaxation he ever had. Tayonna made his body heavy with comfort and his mind went blank which he hadn’t had in a rather long time. He rolled his eyes at the idea of actually having the ghost in his bed. Maybe she could stay on one side and that would be enough for him to have a good night's rest without any memories that didn’t belong to him or impending dooms that threatened his sleep schedule more than it already did. He hadn’t shared a bed in years, never felt the need to or the want, he was fine being able to stretch out any which way. The few times he had taken someone to bed they were either gone in the morning before he woke up by their own will or the instructions he had given them the night before. Vlad had only ever thought of waking up to one person since college. She would sleepily greet him and kiss him and many more things his wicked mind indulged in. But Maddie would never be in his bed and Vlad was not going to simply walk up to a restless ghost and ask for a snuggle buddy.

Vlad kicked his feet off the side of his bed and rolled his neck. He ran a hand up his shoulder and tried to rub the knots out but gave up when he realized he couldn’t. Last night was a shit show and he would need to book an appointment with his masseuse. He turned back over to the other side of the bed and reached out a hand to rub the sheet. Despite now hosting another person’s mind within his body he did enjoy the company Tayonna gave him. Rather if it calmed his mind or night, being held by someone else lit something inside him he hadn’t had in years.

The imitated intimate nature was not something Vlad got often even with his rare and few late-night partners. They didn’t hold him or run their fingers through his hair with innocent intentions. At times Vlad only craved the partnership that left kisses on his cheek and small touches on his hand.

When Vlad felt his mind begin to race again with his own saddening needs he snapped forward and got to his feet to start his day. Enough with the melancholy and more with the businessman he was.

~~~

It had been his silly idea to invite the ghost to dinner which left a bad taste in Dani’s mouth. After almost a month of having the ghost lingering around, Vlad had finally asked her to join him in the final days of dinner before he packed up everything and went back to Wisconsin. Although the ghost could not eat living food he had set up a plate of ectoplasm arranged in a fancy way for the other to enjoy. Once dinner was in full swing Vlad took note that Tayonna hardly picked at her food. He didn’t say anything and just blocked out the way she looked between him and Dani as best he could.

“Does that mean she’s staying here?” Dani asked. Vlad wanted to scold her about talking about Tayonna as if she wasn’t there with them. Vlad swallowed, placed his fork down and crossed his leg over the other.

“It doesn’t seem that Tayonna can go anywhere without me. Her injuries were caused because she tried to leave. From what I understand she can not go too far without something happening. So, she will be coming with me back home.” Vlad gave his daughter a mannerly smile and Dani was unduly relieved.

Then Dani became curious, “Wait, how come she can’t leave?”

Vlad didn’t want to tell Dani that Tayonna and he were bound by the core. That would raise too many red flags and likely send the girl off in a fit. Dani was still on edge about Tayonna being around, finding out her parental figure was damn near ball and chained to the ghost would freak her out.

“I can not leave until it is resolved. I must stay.” Tayonan cut in and Dani shot her a nasty look. The ghost held Dani’s eyes but did nothing. Vlad cleared his throat to gather Dani’s attention again and narrowed his eyes on her rudeness. Dani apologized.

“She is correct,” Vlad begins, “It has been placed upon me to figure out what is keeping her restless. Thus she must stay close. But you have nothing to worry about since you’ll be spending the summer with Daniel and his family. Before the winter comes back around and you are back home, Tayonna will be properly rested or at least back in the ghost zone.” Vlad felt upset with himself for saying that but quickly shook it off as Vladan tried to get inside his head. Vlad looked towards Tayonna and she looked away, gazing at the room around her then sighing in a defeated manner.

He felt her core pulse with a pang of sadness, he closed his eyes, took a moment, and then swallowed it down as he tried to continue eating his food. Dani didn’t like that answer, she didn’t like the idea of Vlad being alone with a ghost who could easily get inside his head. She made a mental note to talk to Danny, he would be the only one who could come up with some plan of what to do before he was packing and moving to college. Oh yeah, Danny was moving to college at the end of the summer and that was the whole point of Dani staying with him.

Dani hated how Tayonna came during a time when things were supposed to be peachy-sweet. Danny was leaving, Dani was growing up, Vlad was settling into different businesses and being a dad. Then here came Tayonna and her girl issues while dead and Dani wanted to gag and tell her to suck it up. Dani had heard how annoying Amber and Kitty were months before she was born and how Danny hated having to deal with them. Now it felt like history was repeating itself and cursing Dani to deal with almost the same things her male counterpart dealt with, but worse. Stupid ghost with stupid feelings fucking up her family and all the things they had going for them. Dani could feel her anger bubbling and she was sure it was not due to any mind tricks. Ugh!

“Danielle?” Vlad cocked a brow.

“I’m tired, I’m going to bed.” Dani took a final bite of her food and then roughly placed her fork down. She pushed the plate forward before pushing out her chair. She ran over and hugged Vlad tightly and the older man was confused but quickly settled into the embrace. Dani gave one last squeeze then pulled away.

“Love you.”

“Same to you,” Vlad responded, mentally kicking himself for not being able to say it back. “Make sure you are fully packed so I can drop you off tomorrow.” Vlad hated yelling at the dinner table but the young phantom was already out of the room.

When it was just him and Tayonna the ghost seemed almost pleased.

“She’s uncomfortable.” Tayonna poked at the food in front of her.

“I would be too if an unwanted ghost came into my house and caused trouble.” Vlad retorted sharply. He didn’t mean to sound so harsh but it was the truth.

“I apologize.” Tayonna locked eyes with Vlad and he gulped then quickly cleaned his mouth with a napkin. He could feel that she felt bad for scaring Dani.

“With due time she will come around to the idea that you’ll be here for a while,” Vlad smirked more for himself. It was almost like playing a very strange game of house. Dani’s short temper mostly came from Vlad in his former years. Danny was a lot better at controlling unnecessary undirected anger than Vlad. Vlad would just shoot off until there was nothing left of his mockery. Dani, now going through the necessary steps of her angsty teenage years, was very much like Vlad.

“Sometimes I wonder if our daughter would have had her father’s stoic nature or my temper.” Tayonna didn’t mean to share that with Vlad but the pull on her core begged for a connection. She secretly hoped her actions of bounding them wouldn’t backfire.

“Did he want children?” Vlad bit the inside of his cheek when the question left his lips. He felt nervous asking.

“He wanted many, I told him one would be just enough but he wanted two. A girl for whom he could teach business and a boy for whom he wanted to live freely.” Tayonna's core lit up with happiness, Vlad could feel it and it felt lovely.

“Isn’t that a bit backwards for your time?

“Forbidden by nature, not by nurture. He didn’t live by nature, he enjoyed its benefits but never truly lived by it. He followed the way his heart told him.” Tayonna gave a small smile and looked down at her hands.

“A girl learning the ways of her brothers would allow her the ability to fight. A boy learning his sister’s gives him the ability to learn to care for the things that matter most.” Vladan had spoken through Vlad and it was clear both he and Tayonna were aware of it. The girl looked uncomfortable but kept her eyes on Vlad to see what else would happen. The man felt his mind rush and then settle and he quickly reached for his drink to down it.

“Does he talk to you?” Tayonna asked just above a whisper.

“He annoys me.” Vlad tsked.

Tayonna looked always hopeful to talk to Vladan but when Vlad’s face fell to a disgruntled expression she quickly shook the feeling away. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to talk to him anyway. Vlad could sense she strongly longed for the man despite wanting to also kill him. Love was a dangerous feeling Vlad knew all too much about. Love could get scary to the point you would hurt anyone including the one you promised to cherish. Tayonna was in love just as much as she was in pain. Vlad was unfortunate to feel every ounce of that as they sat across from each other.

“Tayonna?” Vlad called to the woman and she looked back up with him.

“Yes?”

“Can you remember what he did to make you so upset?” Vlad could feel the beating of his heart begin to race. He could hear a very faint yelling in his ear telling him Vladan was innocent. Vlad tried his best to drown it out as the woman in front of him struggled to think. Tayonna looked away trying to gather her thoughts but the more she dug through her mind she came upon blanks. Tayonna could not pinpoint any memories but rather just her anger and her sadness towards Vladan. She was restless for so long and it felt like her reason for being so became a phantom of itself. But something wasn’t right. Tayonna knew herself better than anyone else and knew that she would never be mad at Vladan if there wasn’t a good reason. She loved him more than anything in the world. She tried to think again but nothing came about it.

Vlad raised a hand to his chest and gripped his shirt as a shot of anxiety came from Tayonna.

“Tayonna?” Vlad called again and the girl began to cry.

“I don’t remember.”

#📖Ghost Stories👻#Secrets of The Lake #dp fanfic #my writing #self shipping community #vlad masters #danny phantom

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wingedblooms · 1 month

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Secret, slumbering land

This meta is a continuation of theories (forbidden secrets, blooming dreams, bright as the dawn, and heart of the night court) about Elain’s connection to Wyrd and the land. This new thread focuses on the gentle healing land and lake that the sisters visit in their stories. Maasverse spoilers below, so please proceed with caution.

It seemed like a secret, slumbering land that time had forgotten. (acosf)

Both Feyre and Nesta visit a turquoise lake nestled in the mountains. Because their description is the same, this theory operates on the assumption that it is the same place. And since things come in threes in this series, Elain may visit this magical lake in her own story. When I reread the scenes with previous visits, I was struck by the language Sarah used to describe it—secret, slumbering, forgotten—and the clues those words might hold for Elain and Wyrd, the Stone Mother.

Secret

During the first visit to this lake, Azriel teaches Feyre to fly and shares their court philosophy on training, which is connected to a legend about Nephelle (more on that later). During this scene, Azriel is bathed in blinding sunlight and his shadows are gone. His appearance is stark and clear, readable.

In the blinding sun off the turquoise water, his shadows were gone, his face stark and clear. More human than I had ever seen him. “There’s no chance that I’ll be able to fly in the legions, is there?” I asked, kneeling beside him as he tended to my skinned palms with expert care and gentleness. The sun was brutal against his scars, hiding not one twisted, rippling splotch. (acowar)

@offtorivendell connected his appearance to the bonus chapter ages ago, and it is still one of my favorite metas. In that bonus chapter, we learn Azriel’s shadows are also prone to vanish around Elain.

Elain sucked in a soft breath that whispered over his skin. His shadows skittered back at the sound. They’d always been prone to vanish when she was around. The golden necklace seemed ordinary—its chain unremarkable, the amulet tiny enough that it could be dismissed as an everyday charm. It was a small, flat rose fashioned of stained glass, designed so that when held to the light, the true depth of colors would become visible. A thing of secret, lovely beauty. (Azriel’s bonus)

He tells us he doesn't need to rely on his shadows to read her, so his deep trust and vulnerability might be the only explanation for his shadows' behavior, but they can also sense power and respond to it as power themselves. For example, if someone's power is related to music, they might sing or dance in response. What power, other than the revealing light of Truth, might cause them to vanish?

But even the silence weighed too heavily, and though the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would, he found himself leaving the room. Entering the foyer. Soft steps padded from under the stair archway, and there she was. The Faelights gilded Elain’s unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. She halted, her breath catching in her throat. (Azriel’s bonus)

The Faelight reveals Elain's secret, lovely beauty: she glows like the sun at dawn. What do we know about dawn? In nature, dawn restores the light and awakens the earth. In the Maasverse, it is also associated with healing magic. And when we return to the lake in Nesta’s story, we learn it was once connected to healing. Healing light is bright and warm like the dawn; it has the power to pierce the darkness and outrace Death itself. It is pure life in its rawest form.

Sarah has repeatedly connected Elain to rebirth and renewal, especially in relation to Azriel: in his presence, she's the lovely fawn, vibrant spring behind her. Standing before Death. Even the headache tonic, a lighthearted remedy, serves as potential hint for this secret, lovely beauty:

Then Azriel tipped his head back and laughed. I’d never heard such a sound, deep and joyous. Cassian and Rhys joined him, the former grabbing the bottle from Azriel’s hand and examining it. “Brilliant,” Cassian said. Elain smiled again, ducking her head. Azriel mastered himself enough to say, “Thank you.” I’d never seen his hazel eyes so bright, the hues of green amid the brown and gray like veins of emerald. “This will be invaluable.” (acofas)

Elain’s gift awakens life, veins of emerald, in the earthy brown and gray within his soul, just as she does in her own garden. It is no coincidence that Elain, who is most radiant in healing hues, glows like the sun at dawn in the dead of night. And Azriel is stark and clear before her just as he is about to finally allow himself a taste of pure life, of healing. In the wake of Elain’s healing presence, we even glimpse Azriel’s emotional scars through his internal dialogue. On healing journeys, lingering scars are faced and overcome rather than avoided. Some wounds require deep trust as the healer, patient as a gardener, walks the road with them on that journey.

Slumbering

On our second visit to the lake, we learn the surrounding land is inhabited by ordinary faeries who prefer solitude. This immediately made me think about Elain, content and beautiful in her simple gardening dress, and Feyre’s comment about her clinging to Azriel for some peace and quiet. It would be fitting for them to come here in their story, to find joy and love and healing here together. And if I were to hand select a place for Rosehall, where someone like Azriel's mother could find solitude and healing, this would be it.

He knew these mountains well enough from flying over them for centuries: shepherds lived here, usually ordinary faeries who preferred the solitude of the towering green and brownish-black stones to more populated areas. The peaks weren’t as brutal and sharp as those in Illyria, but there was a presence to them that he couldn’t quite explain. Mor had once told him that long ago, these lands had been used for healing. That people injured in body and spirit had ventured to these hills, the lake they were now two and a half days from reaching, to recover. Perhaps that was why he’d come. Some instinct had remembered the healing, felt this land’s slumbering heart, and decided to bring Nesta here.

She’d never seen such a view. It seemed like a secret, slumbering land that time had forgotten. […] The mountains watched her, the river sang to her, as if guiding her onward to that lake. (acosf)

The mountains here aren't brutal and sharp, but they still have a powerful presence. Like the third sister. The mountains watched Nesta like a protective seer, and the river sang to her, as if guiding her onward to that lake, like Elain’s scent. Her scent is a sparkling river, a promise of spring, that guided Nesta to her. And what did Nesta find when she reached the source of that scent? Elain’s sharp angles, once like the Illyrian mountains after she was Made, were now replaced with softness. She glowed with health and her smile was bright as the sun. She also smells of jasmine and honey, which are soothing scents and herbs that have healing properties.

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber. Elain stood at the wall of windows, clad in a lilac gown whose close-fitting bodice showed how well her sister had filled out since those initial days in the Night Court. Gone were the sharp angles, replaced by softness and elegant curves. […] Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health. Elain’s smile was as bright as the setting sun beyond the windows. (acosf)

In the span of a few pages, we're also told twice that this land is slumbering. Since it was once used for healing, it would make sense for healing magic to be at the core of its slumbering heart. Remember, the rawest form of healing magic is pure life and we just learned that Wyrd, the Stone Mother, was once blossoming with pure life. Elain’s wyrdcrown seems to mirror Stone Mother's creative powers in the form of sleeping buds:

She had no mental shields, no barriers. The gates to her mind…Solid iron, covered in vines of flowers—or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns. (acowar)

This imagery of Elain’s power has always reminded me of the darkness of creation and rest Yrene receives guidance from while she bathes in Silba’s Womb, which she calls the slumbering heart of the earth. In the tog series, Silba was the goddess of healing and gentle deaths and Elain shares many connections with the healers who honor her. So, it’s possible slumbering simply means the land reflects the restful and restorative healing power of those who once lived on and fed the magic of the land.

Slumbering or sleeping can also indicate dormant magic, which is something we’ve seen in both tog and cc. In tog, Dorian has raw magic and he can shape it into different things—phantom hands, shifting, healing, etc. His raw magic is sleeping in his heart before he explores it.

“You have power in you, Prince. More power than you realize.” She touched his chest, tracing a symbol there, too, and some of the court ladies gasped. But Nehemia’s eyes were locked on his. “It sleeps,” she whispered, tapping his heart. “In here. When the time comes, when it awakens, do not be afraid.” She removed her hand and gave him a sad smile. “When it is time, I will help you.” With that, she walked away, the courtiers parting, then swallowing up her wake. He stared after the princess, wondering what her last words had meant. And why, when she said them, something ancient and slumbering deep inside him had opened an eye. (com)

We recently learned the Asteri poisoned the waters in Midgard with a parasite to feed off of the magic of its citizens. This parasite warped their magic and it is described as dormant and tethered as a result:

The Asteri had infected the water we consumed with a parasite. They’d poisoned the lakes and streams and oceans. The parasites burrowed their way into our bodies, warping our magic. (hofas) - Somehow, a barrier had been removed. One that had ordered him to stand down, to obey … It was nothing but ashes now. Only dominance remained. Untethered. But filling the void of that barrier with a rising, raging force— (Ithan’s magic, hofas) - Tharion withdrew. Lidia shook with rage and power. Tharion could feel it shuddering around him, rising up like a behemoth from the deep. What had that antidote woken in her? What had been taken during the Drop? And what had lain dormant, all this time? His water seemed to quail at it—like it knew something he didn’t. (Lidia’s magic, hofas) - Warm, bright magic answered. Healing magic, rising to the surface as if it had been dormant in his blood. He had no idea how to use it, how to do anything other than will it with a simple Save him. […] He willed that lovely, bright power to keep healing Ketos, though. (Ruhn’s magic, hofas)

Similarly, the Asteri pooled and imbued their magic in Wyrd to warp her purely creative magic.

The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the Daglan captured it and used their powers to warp it. To turn it from what it had been into something deadlier. No longer just a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors it produced…those, too, my parents would turn to their advantage. (hofas) - Those of us who ventured here found ways to amplify that power, thanks to the gifts of the land. We pooled our power, and imbued those gifts into the Cauldron so that it would work our will. We Made the Trove from it. And then bound the very essence of the Cauldron to the soul of this world.” (hofas)

Is it possible Elain’s sleeping buds, as a mirror of Wyrd’s original magic, represent what remains dormant, tethered?

“Or maybe it’s dormant, as the Cauldron is now asleep and safely hidden in Cretea with Drakon and Miryam. Her power could rise at any moment.” A chill skittered down Cassian’s spine. He trusted the Seraphim prince and the half-human woman to keep the Cauldron concealed, but there would be nothing they or anyone could do to control its power if awoken. (acosf)

In the scene above, Cassian and Rhysand are discussing Nesta’s powers. We learn that they aren’t dormant, which makes sense; they seem to represent the magic that the Asteri imbued into Wyrd to become a tool of death and destruction. That magic might be feeding off of Wyrd’s creative powers like a parasite and keep her half-awake, like the Fae in Midgard and, perhaps, the healing land:

It was all so still, yet watchful, somehow. As if she were surrounded by something ancient and half-awake. As if each peak had its own moods and preferences, like whether the clouds clung to or avoided them, or trees lined their sides or left them bare. Their shapes were so odd and long that they looked as if behemoths had once lain down beside the rivers, pulled a rumpled blanket over themselves, and fallen asleep forever. (acosf)

Ancient, half-awake, behemoth. These terms are also used to describe Wyrd. The word behemoth in particular is associated with a primordial chaos monster in mythology and may be yet another potential hint that Chaos is Hel’s name for Wyrd.

The Under-King lounged on a throne beneath a behemoth statue of a figure holding a black metal bowl between her upraised hands. […] “And she,” the Under-King went on, gesturing to that unusual depiction of Urd towering above him, “was not a goddess, but a force that governed worlds. A cauldron of life, brimming with the language of creation. Urd, they call her here—a bastardized version of her true name. Wyrd, we called her in that old world.” (hofas)

As they walked up those steps and entered a space that was a near-mirror to temples back home—indeed, its layout was identical to the last temple Hunt had stood in: Urd’s Temple. […] “The Temple of Chaos is a sacred place,” Apollion said sharply. “We shall never defile it with violence.” The words rumbled like thunder again. (hofas)

But the Cauldron. As if some great sleeping beast opened an eye. The Cauldron seemed to sense us watching. Sense us there. (acowar)

@silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell, and I believe Wyrd saw Elain as a kindred spirit and gifted her the language of creation with the hope that she could be the key to her freedom, her healing in body and spirit. Those original creative powers could include a deep connection with the earth (earth magic), divine sense (seer abilities), fluid form and movement (travel and shifting), and healing, pure life and world-building power. Elain might already be testing the boundaries of that creative magic, learning to shape it into different things (explaining her mysterious appearances).

Elain may also need to bring her sisters together to help Wyrd. They represent the three faces of the Mother together and have been marked by her from the beginning of the series. When Feyre physically healed the Cauldron with the help of Rhysand, she cupped her hands and became the first face of the Mother. Nesta became the second face of the Mother when she healed Feyre and Nyx with the Trove. And the healing lake appears to hint at Elain's role, the third face of the Mother:

Nesta cleared the hill that Cassian had mounted ahead, and a sparkling, turquoise lake spread before them. It lay slightly sunken between two peaks, as if a pair of green hands had been cupped to hold the water within them. Gray stones lined its shore. (acosf)

This is our first earthen depiction of the Stone Mother. Someone with green fingers or a green thumb is skilled at gardening. Gardeners provide gentle order to pure, blossoming life with their green hands. And we already know, thanks to Rhys and Feyre, that Elain won’t hesitate to get her hands dirty—stained green, even—for a pretty result.

When Elain's creative magic rises in her story, will it flow like a sparkling river, unfurl like a bloom, to awaken the soul of the earth? Could it soothe Azriel’s icy rage and bring true spring and healing to Ramiel, softening its sharp angles when its heart, Wyrd, is finally restored? Only time will tell.

Forgotten

The land is also described as a place time had forgotten and, as I mentioned earlier, it's where Azriel shared the story of Nephelle—the one who had been passed over, who had been forgotten—while he tended to Feyre's wounds after a fall during flying practice.

Nephelle, who had been passed over, who had been forgotten…She outraced death itself. […] And yet her too-small wingspan, that deformed wing…they did not fail her. Not once. Not for one wing beat. (acowar)

Nephelle wanted to be a warrior, but was turned away due to her small wingspan. So, she made herself indispensable as a cartographer and excelled at finding the most geographically advantageous positions for their armies. And now that hofas has been released, we know earth magic can be used to locate the best geographical locations:

…those with earth magic were sent ahead to scout lands [...] Not only the best geographical locations, but magical ones, too. They could sense the ley lines—the channels of energy running throughout the land, throughout Midgard. They told the Asteri to build their cities where several of the lines met, at natural crossroads of power, and picked those places for the Fae to settle, too. But they selected Avallen just for the Fae. To be their personal, eternal stronghold.” (hofas)

Those with earth magic are deeply connected to the land and their creative power flows freely in places where the natural magic in the land is untethered. Is it possible Nephelle excelled at finding the best locations because she possessed earth magic? And could that come into play in the next story if Elain possesses earth magic as part of her creative powers?

Despite being perceived as weak, Nephelle outraced death itself with her small wingspan to save Miryam. Her miraculous rescue inspired the Night Court's philosophy toward training:

I raised a brow. Azriel shrugged. “We—Rhys, Cass, and I—will occasionally remind each other that what we think to be our greatest weakness can sometimes be our biggest strength. And that the most unlikely person can alter the course of history.” “The Nephelle Philosophy.” (acowar)

We saw this philosophy in action at the final battle with Hybern when Elain raced against death itself and appeared out of nowhere with Truth-Teller to protect her family. Like Nephelle, she was and still is passed over, forgotten.

Elain is pleasant to look at, her mother had once mused while Nesta sat beside her dressing table, a servant silently brushing her mother’s gold-brown hair, but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. (Nesta's memory of Mama Archeron, acosf)

"Go back to Feyre and your little garden." (Nesta to Elain, acosf)

Elain said, "Then I will find it. I might require some time to...reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today." "Absolutely not," Nesta spat, fingers curling at her sides. "Absolutely not." "Why?" Elain demanded. "Shall I tend to my little garden forever?" When Nesta flinched, Elain said, "You can't have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater." "Then go off on adventures," Nesta said. "Go drink and fuck strangers. But stay away from the Cauldron." (Elain and Nesta's exchange, acosf)

Elain in black was ridiculous. Yes, she was beautiful, but the color of her long-sleeved, modest gown leeched the brightness from her face. It wore her, rather than the other way around. And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her. But she hadn’t hesitated to come. When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed. So Elain had let her golden-brown hair down tonight, and pinned it back with twin combs of pearl. He’d never once in the two years he’d known her found Elain to be plain, but wearing black, no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court…It sucked the life from her. (Cassian's observation, acosf)

These quotes hit differently with the release of hofas. @offtorivendell and @willowmeres seem to be on track with their theories that the warped magic of Hewn City affected Elain's creative magic. What if she reflects the magic of the land around her, and when that magic is warped or tethered, her physical appearance mirrors it? Is this another sign she will be able to use the language of creation to unearth Prythian’s secrets, forgotten by time? And maybe, like the legendary Nephelle, the things that Elain is viewed as weak for—her little garden, a symbol of her care for and connection to the land, and her appearance, a reflection of what was forgotten—actually become her family's biggest strength.