ACOTAR REWIRTTEN WITH 4th SISTER: The Archeron Healer

Some of my thoughts before reading: Rewriting ACOTAR series with a fourth sister I have named Karlene. She found her passion in healing, and while it didn't always help the family, it gave her something to do, and she was often repaid through extra fish, game, or help in other ways.

I named this character Karlene (CAR-lean) for several reasons. It complements the ending phonic sounds of the other sisters, and it has a dual meaning of strength and femininity.

Two very important factors for the character Nesta. She does not want to be weak, but also wants to be beautiful. Karlene achieves this effortlessly, causing an even bigger rift between Nesta and Karly. Karlene is closest to Feyre, she was one who introduced Karly to a healer, which she learned from before he passed away right before the events of ACOTAR. Karlene is fiercely protective of her sisters, particularly Elain, but disregards her father as Nesta does but not as cruelly.

This story picks up on the day Rhysand, Feyre, Cassian, and Azriel go to ask the sisters for hosting the human queens in ACOMAF. In a few chapters some bits of dialog are directly from the book series, but nothing else is taken so directly. This will be noted at the beginning of the chapter.

View is mainly from Karlene, but there is a good amount from other main characters. This is noted at the beginning of the chapter in bold.

Chapter One: Surprise Guest

Karlene:

It had taken an act of patience to keep from losing my temper at the boy. I had been there for over a day and a half. Issac Hale's wife had a long labor. They had also called me to their house much sooner than they should have. New parents always did. The first few hours had been a lot of sitting around, and telling her how to breathe through the contractions that so slowly increased.

I knew she was in pain, and the screaming and whining from her I didn't bate an eye at, but Issac was whimpering just as bad. Eventually the blue child made it's way into this world. After giving strict instructions to Issac's eldest sister, I departed at last.

I was running through the sets of supplies I had used so I could send Mrs. Laurant for replacements in the morning. I had not noticed that all the lights in the manor were out. Even the emerald green gleam was hidden under the snow. Normally the lights would be left on until I made it into bed. Normally a bath would be drawn for me the second I came through the door. It was probably later than I thought, and they had gone off to bed.

I pushed the heavy door open myself. By the embers of the fire in the entry way I saw a huge winged figure at the top of the stairs.

I already reached into my giant medical bag and wrapped my hand around the knobbed stick I used to massage the cramps from muscles. I brandished it at the thing. Feyre had told us about the bat like creature called the Attor. She had warned us that it might come here. It would make sense, she had said, for them to attack us. It made sense why the lights were out too.

The creature took a smooth step down the stairs. There was no way it was human. I adjusted my grip on the stick. To it, all I had was a stick, but it was made of ash wood.

"NESTA!" I screamed. She had to be here, or at least alive. I wouldn't risk screaming for Elain, but Nesta would help. I heard doors slamming and feet slapping on the hallway on the upper level. I did not take my eyes off the creature. It moved closer. Hands raised in surrender. I wasn't that stupid. "NESTA!" I screamed louder this time.

"Karlene!" Feyre snapped from the top of the stairs. "It's fine. He's a friend."

I didn't move, didn't let myself take my eyes off the massive set of wings and black eyes.

"Karlene." Feyre sighed.

"Why are you back?" I asked.

"We needed your assistance." The thing said. A rich deep voice filled the room, and it promised death.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, finally looking over Feyre. I figured the Fae would have better healers, but depending on the injury perhaps she couldn't go to a healer. Oh dear. "Are you pregnant?"

"No, uh, well it would be easier just to explain from the beginning."

"Where are Nesta and Elain?"

"Sleeping." The man said.

"Like I didn't wake them up." I retorted.

"Who's this?" a taller but no less muscled figure asked.

"My lovely little sister." Feyre smiled down at me, still at the top of the stairs.

"The trouble-maker?" He asked, I could see the white of his teeth from here.

"Obviously," I answered and dropped my bag on the floor. I started up the stairs, the Fae on them, getting closer and closer with each step. He pressed against the railing to give me more room. I scrutinized the man on the stairs. Gorgeous and deadly.

I pushed past them onto the upper floor and walked to Nesta room. Her greeting was unpleasant, but it was very characteristic of her. I peaked in on Elain, who was somehow still asleep. Feyre and now three companions were standing at the top of the stairs, waiting. Feyre led me back into the dining room. Where I sat and ate while Feyre talked about everything that happened after she returned to the other high lord.

Feyre talked for an hour, the three shadows disappeared somewhere in the house.

In the morning, Elain cooked breakfast, we all sat, forks clanking on glass plates.

"So," one with long hair said, I turned my attention on him. "Why were you out so late?"

"Aren't you supposed be super observant?"

He sputtered slightly. Nesta shifted pointedly in her chair.

"Was it a boy or a girl?" Elain asked.

"A boy, he almost suffocated, it took so long." I replied.

"Well it's good thing you were there." Elain chirped.

"You're a mid-wife." The one with shadows said.

"I have skills in all healing arts, not just midwifery." I assessed them, even if Feyre hadn't told me they were warriors, I would know. "Being a mid-wife would be like only knowing how to guard a perimeter. One of the most needed tasks, but not who you call when you actually need help." I explain coolly.

"What do you know about guarding perimeter's?" The long haired one asked, throwing me a sultry glance that likely had hundreds of girls dropping their pants for him.

I opened my mouth to make a comment about how I figured he needed an example closer to his expertise since I doubted he could understand much else, but Feyre intruppted me before I could begin. "Karlene is engaged to a soldier." Feyre quipped to Cassian. I'm pretty sure she kicked him under the table too.

"She is not." Elain and Nesta said together. Feyre hummed to herself, as if to disagree with them without speaking.

"I'm curious now," Rhysand said with a look at me. an invitation to share, and defend myself.

I heaved a huge sigh. "Tremaine," I started.

"Oh, what a lovely name." Cassian touted. Now I wanted to kick him.

"I'm sure you know we did not always have all of these assets." I stopped, and they all nodded. "Tremaine's family was much better off than we were, and I found myself helping his little brother, and while better off, they didn't have money to pay. They offered me food, whenever I needed it. No questions asked. I spent more time there in the winter than at our old house.

"When we were poor, Tremaine was most certainly my best option for a husband. Now, Nesta and Elain believe I should find myself a nice lord's son." I could not keep the ice out of my voice.

"She left out that he is the most attractive man in the world." Feyre added with a wink.

I rolled my eyes at that. Her friends were easily more attractive than Tremaine, physically at least.

"Here I thought you liked my pretty face most." Cassian smiled at Feyre. She rolled her eyes at that.

"You are a male, not a man." Feyre with a smile, aimed at me. "Karly will marry Tremiane, as soon as father comes back." And I wanted to believe she would put Nesta and Elain in their place for me so I could marry him.

"She will not." Nesta said. And that is what I believed.

I left them all to sit at the breakfast table.

"There are things we need to talk about still," Feyre called after me.

"I'll be right back." I practically ran to the library. If Rhysand really was as rich as the other high lord, I'm sure he could get medical books, Fae medical books. There were never enough healers, and if war was coming I would have to be prepared, plus it would be interesting to read a different medical book. My vocabulary was expanding with each book, but it mostly consisted of medical names and terms.

I hurried back to the table and handed the high lord the book. "This is my favorite style of textbook."

"Alright." He said unsure.

"I want one as close as possible, but for Fae healing." I explained. Nesta immediately turned purple. Elain turned white.

"No." Nesta hissed.

"You said war is coming." I cut her off. "I have feeling that there are things to learn from the Fae that apply to humans as well. I will help where I can." I flicked my gaze from Nesta to Rhysand. "With or without your permission."

"You won't be leaving this house. Its already decided that we are staying here. It is safe here." Nesta ordered.

"For now." I quipped.

"Karly," Feyre chided.

"I'm not in the mood for you to be a hypocrite." I said slowly. Choosing each word carefully.

"You are talented, but there are far more experienced healers, ones who have dealt with wounds that you would see from battle."

Thank goodness the there was a knock at the door or I might have said exactly what I was thinking. Feyre had left us to go on a suicide mission to free the other high lord. She had died, and now I wasn't allowed to help wounded. It wasn't like I was asking to fight. I had years more experience healing than she had fighting. Elain rose from her seat to go to the door. I followed her, figuring it would be Issac Hale or some relation asking me to come check on the baby and mother.

How dare Feyre, she was the reason I was healer in the first place. A year after she went in to the forest to hunt, she started to bring me along. Just to pick herbs to sell, sometimes for food, sometimes for medical purposes. Where she had learned about the herbs, I didn't know, but a few weeks after of picking herbs to sell to the healers, Feyre brought me along. Each trip back to the healer, I spent more and more time until the healer invited me to stay as an apprentice. The healer took a liking to me, and I was quick learner. So, I learned. I was twelve and I found a passion that knew Feyre didn't share with her hunting. Often, I didn't actually make money, but worked in exchange for promises for fish or extra crops. Nesta ridiculed me for it, but I loved helping people. I'm sure that war was going to much, much worse, but I couldn't stand sitting around.

"Karlene," Elain smiled at the doorway, even as she called to me. Great, perfect timing for a visit from Grayson.

"Send Grayson away, Elain. He can't be here right now." I said, still descending the staircase.

"It's not Grayson, it's Tremaine. And I would never send Grayson away." Elain chided.

"Elain," I started.

Elain closed the door slightly. "I like Tremaine, but he really isn't in your league anymore Karly. I will send him away if you want."

"No, go back to breakfast." I waved her away. I wondered if my sister's Fae ears could hear this conversation. I loved Tremaine. I had loved him for years, but now that we were rich again Elain didn't want him around. He was better off than we had been, but not by much. Nesta, Elain, and our father were all too happy for me to be married to him, but now they shook their heads at the idea.

As much as I tired to get over the pain of their rejection, it sucked. It was one of the main reasons I hadn't already married him.

"Tremaine," I smiled when I opened the door. He was holding flowers. Three binds of them. All handpicked. He didn't have the money to buy flowers. It didn't matter, normally he would bring me all colors and kinds, but it was winter, so the makeshift bouquets were made of the only flower in bloom. Such contrast to the bouquets of brightly colored roses Grayson shipped in for Elain.

"What's going on? Where is your staff?" He asked. Tremaine's father was a soldier for the human queens years ago. After he lost his arm, he moved his whole family across the sea and into the middle of no where. Tremaine didn't talk about the reason why, but I had my suspicions, just from the few times I'd talked about it with his father. They were both extra wary, and quick to spot problems. Tremaine might not have been trained for the queens army, but I knew his father had taught him everything.

"We sent them away for a holiday." I pressed my lips together. I had to be careful with him. He knew my tells better than Feyre.

"You sent them away, and you're not inviting me in?" His deep blue eyes were alight with curiosity.

"Would you like to go for a walk, to the grove?" I asked, still blocking the doorway.

He studied me. Intent eyes laying over muscle in my jaw, every fold of the fabric. He nodded, and extended the flowers. "For your sisters, and you."

"You don't have to bring me flowers every time you come see me." I sighed, but accepted them anyway.

"Well, it's the flowers that I have to show you. Every time there's a pretty one, I seem to use it as an excuse to come over." He said only half serious.

"I'll get my coat. Do you want gloves, or a hat?" I had used our newfound wealth to give back to Tremaine. His family never had enough to feed my whole family, whenever I came to treat Tremaine's little brother, they had fed me. There was always, always enough for me. Without my ministrations to Tyler, they would have one less son. Tyler was born tiny, too soon. I spent half a month giving Tremaine's mother special brews and helping her be comfortable to try to keep little Tyler in the womb. The baby that would be Tyler wanted out far sooner than was healthy. Even after he was born, he was sickly. Now Tyler could run and play, but when the seasons turned he had difficulty breathing.

"No, Kars. You can't keep clothing me every time I come over." He parroted my earlier statement.

"Sure I can." I smiled at him. He leaned in to kiss me. After we broke apart, I slipped back inside the house for my cloak and mittens.

My cloak had sleeves, so really it was like a very flowy, loose, fur lined jacket. My mittens were clipped to the ends of the sleeves, so I could slide them off without dropping them. I also changed my shoes. Slippers would not do well in the snow. Of all the things that came with the money Tamlin had gifted us, having clothes that kept me warm was the best of it.

I brought the flowers to the sitting room where my sisters were. Elain inspected the flowers, then bustled off for a vase. Nesta didn't even look at them. Every time he had brought them for all of us. He picked enough for me because he loved me, Nesta because she was the one he had to win over, and Elain because she loved them. Every time Nesta dismissed him I felt that happy ending slip further and further away.

I was so close to the door when Azriel materialized from under the stairs. "Karlene, you should let me go with you."

"I don't need a chaperone." I deadpanned.

"What about a guard?" He pressed, walking forward.

"From Tremaine? No." I scoffed and moved for the door.

"From Hybern." He countered, and took only one step towards the door. The only sin that it would be him guarding me. Even though I had spent the past months without one.

"If they aren't here yet, they won't magically appear because you are here." Even as I said the words I wasn't sure. I paused. "Can you stay hidden?"

"Yes," he nodded too. I heaved sigh. Alright. I can play along for another few hours.

I had grabbed Tremaine a pair of gloves anyway. He could give them back if it bothered him that much. I wasn't going to let him get frostbite because my sister had Fae in our house. We were walking to the grove. It was Feyre's land, Feyre's trees, but I tended to the paper work and made sure the gardeners were paid.

I had bought the land, and the ash trees. White, green, black, and blue ash trees. I didn't know which did the most damage to the Fae. They were all sprinkled and mixed together. The merchant that had supplied the trees had said this was biggest order he ever had. In fact, the other reason for the variety in the types of ash tree, was that he didn't have enough of one kind or even two kinds to fill the massive plot I had bought Feyre.

Even though Feyre was Fae now, I figured ash was still valuable. The trees were little, most still seedlings. Wrapped to protect them from the harsh winter below the wall. With their small size each tree could maybe make a few arrow shafts or one stake.

The grove looked empty in its current state, Ash trees grew so large they had planted them far apart. By the time I was very old it might start to look like a forest. Now that my sister was going to be young forever, it made me feel so much more fragile. The Fae were the elite species. No matter how hard I tried to heal someone, it was always a temporary victory. We would die eventually and with a sister who would stay young far longer than I would even live, it felt, for the time, pointless.

"Let's build a house at the top the hill." I said quietly. Meaning the hill that overlooked the southern fields his family had just bought. "A big house, but not quite a manor, with a red roof."

"I don't have that kind of money, and if we get married without your dowry then neither will you." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. His breath was warm in the snow.

"I have my own accounts too." I gripped his arm tighter, bringing him to a stop.

"But they aren't for you to buy houses with, you have that money for medicines and dresses." He looked serious.

"I do not know when my father will get back, Tremaine. It could be a whole year or longer." We may not have that long. Not if the war is coming, not if this King is targeting Feyre.

"Kars," he tilted my chin up. He would know something was wrong. I let him see the fear and sorrow in my eyes. I wanted him to know. I wanted him to come with me when this place became too dangerous. He wouldn't leave his family, and I'm not sure Rhys would keen to house more people. I wasn't even sure they would accept if Rhysand offered. I wasn't sure how distrustful they were of the Fae. "Kars, what's wrong?"

"Feyre returned," I said at last.

"That should be a good thing. You should be with your sister while she is here." Tremaine looked confused.

"Where she lives, she has heard more than the whispers my father has about the threat above the wall." I said carefully.

"She knows more, about what the Fae are planning?" His breath fogged. His hands wrapped around my waist.

"She does, and she came to warn us." I whispered, hoping Azriel couldn't hear my words.

"What is coming, Kars?" His voice was hard, serious.

Tears welled in my eyes. "Armies five hundred years in the making." My voice was thick from the tears building.

"The wall," He said quietly, "will protect us."

"The wall is old, and there are already cracks in it. I do not think it could keep out thousands of immortal warriors." We were utterly helpless in the face of Hybern. I started crying, fully, big sobbing breaths.

"We will do what we can. Kars, you already gave us the best weapon." He gestured around to the ash trees. "We are not helpless."

"Outmatched and outnumbered," I protested, over my tears.

"Not hopeless, not helpless." He kissed the tears on my cheeks.