What do you mean you won't give me your link? Links are all the rage.
I don't know how to do a link…
What do you mean, "Don't know how"? What are you? A nomage?
No, no. I'm not one of those… I just... never learned.
Oh, so you're poor… that's fine. You're just lucky you're so hot.
A note exchanged between students at Kaldere Academy that was subsequently confiscated.
--------------------
~I know you are planning something, Artero,~
Elise spoke to Artero through their mental link.
~I have no idea what you are talking about.~
He then released Gwyn's hand and threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her a little closer to him.
Elise glared at him.
~Are you doing this to piss me off?~
Yet, from Gwyn's perspective, they were all silently walking down the halls of the Gilded Towers. Unaware of the mental battle happening between Elise and Artero.
~Doing what to piss you off? I'm sorry. We aren't dating anymore, or have you forgotten?~
The words in his mind carried disdain.
Elise let out a loud sigh when they reached her door.
"You two wait here."
She stepped inside. The banging of doors being slammed and the haphazard throwing of items into drawers were all that was audible from outside the room.
Artero thought he may have heard her give a frustrated scream or two, but he could have just been imagining things.
"Elise is cleaning her room? That's new."
"Didn't do it when I came by last time."
Surprise in his voice.
"Oh? You've been here before?"
Gwyn nodded.
"Yeah, we talked for hours."
She purposefully emphasized hours.
His breath caught.
"O-oh? Hours, you say?"
"Mmhmm. She is really good at holding a conversation. I admire that about her."
Artero was tight-lipped.
"Yes. I agree with you."
Elise shouted through the closed door.
"Okay! You can come in."
The two entered the threshold of Elise's room, and it was surprisingly neat; items weren't scattered as they were when Gwyn was here last. Magic circles and runes were still scribbled on the walls, but they were tasteful, like a poster on the wall.
"Looks good, Elise."
"Thank you."
Elise said without actually acknowledging Artero.
"So…" Gwyn was now on Elise's bed, tapping her fingers impatiently. "What's the surprise?"
"Yeah, Artero. What's the surprise?"
Elise asked with more resentment than anything else.
"Wait a moment." Artero pulled a chair from the corner near the bed and sat in it coolly, leaning forward as he spoke. "I think the Chosen One has the right to know some things."
"Like what?"
Elise narrowed her brows, not sure what angle Artero was trying to approach.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Artero." Gwyn thought about the impromptu proposal earlier. "Do you mean about this morning? Because it's fine, you apologized and didn't understand my people's customs. Proposing that early is a little desperate, but I can always—"
He held out a hand.
"Not that. No." He let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I don't understand a lot of things about your people." But then he gave Elise a hard stare. "But I know things about our own people."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Artero turned his head to meet Gwyn's gaze; she wore a slight frown.
"Do you know about mental magic, Gwynevere?"
"I think it's been mentioned once or twice, I'm honestly not sure,"
Gwyn placed her hand on Elise's thigh, trying to ease her own anxiety.
"Arty… Are you sure we should be talking about this?"
"Indeed, I do." He turned to face Gwyn. "Have you heard of mental links before?"
Gwyn racked her brain.
"Um… I think I've heard it mentioned before."
"A link is a simple connection between two people that allows them to communicate telepathically," Elise said knowledgably.
"Really? That's actually super cool."
Artero nodded.
"Cool indeed."
"How do we do a link?"
"Not yet." Artero halted her excitement. "Are you aware of more advanced mental magic?"
"I just got here, Artero. What do you think?"
Elise then suddenly became extremely nervous and tried to end the conversation immediately.
"Alright, alright! We don't need to talk about this; she isn't ready for magic like that. Let's establish our links already."
Elise seemed to be talking more hurriedly than before.
"No, no. I have a feeling she will want to hear this."
"Hear what?"
Gwyn was now looking between the two of them; they wore vastly different expressions.
"Artero, stop. You don't know anything."
"Oh, my lov—" He paused. She was not that to him, not anymore. "I know more than you'd like to admit. Do you know why the Great Eight allowed the Kosmairians to house you after they said you were supposed to attend the Academy unabated for the next year?"
"I hadn't thought about it, I just assumed your family had a lot of power, and it wasn't a big deal."
"It's a huge deal, actually."
Elise's mind was racing. She was trapped in a corner and didn't know how to get out. She had made a mistake, and there was no undoing it. How can she get out of this conversation?
"Gwyn, didn't you say you were hungry? Let's get some food." Elise suggested.
"I think I'd like to hear about this, Elise." Gwyn playfully waved her off. "What could he possibly say? You've only been helping me this entire time. I'm sure he has some information that neither of us knows."
Artero's face remained stoic, but inside, a twisted grin was forming.
"Yes, plus, I can fetch some servants to bring us food to the Gilded Towers." Artero looked out the window as if to tell the time, but then said. "They should be here shortly."
"See! No big deal, Elise. Now sit down!" Gwyn grabbed Elise's hand and pulled her back to the bed. "What are you so nervous about? I'm interested in what he has to say."
Elise smiled, but her eyes conveyed the true meaning of the gesture.
"I told the Great Eight about what happened to you, how you fell out of the window, and the circumstances of the event," Artero said, recalling the day.
"Oh, so it's like a protection thing."
"Well, there's a reason why Elise isn't allowed at the estate," he said firmly.
"Because you're competing houses? Right, Elise?" Gwyn looked at her, but Elise had a guilty expression and seemed to struggle with making eye contact.
Artero's arms were crossed.
"And it's not because we broke up, either."
"Why then? What's going on? You're scaring me, guys."
Artero let out a long, exasperated sigh and then took the paper from his pocket. He held it out for Gwyn.
Elise dug her nails into her thighs.
Gwyn took the note and opened it. It seemed to be a dossier on… Elise.
Gwyn skimmed the paper.
"W-what's this?"
"Elise is a mind manipulator."
"What?" Gwyn's heart sank to the pit of her stomach. "What does that mean?"
"It means I can manipulate others' minds without the use of magic," Elise came out with the truth before Artero could. "But it's more complicated than that!"
"She is the prime suspect in why you fell out of that window."
Gwyn looked at her hand on Elise's thigh, then looked at her. The Sylvian's face was filled with shame; she appeared on the verge of tears.
"I don't understand..."
"Elise has most likely been manipulating you this entire time, Gwyn."
"I haven't!" Elise shouted. "It was just the one time; I wanted her to… I wanted her to…"
The words wouldn't come to the elven princess.
"You wanted to control her, Elise."
Artero was firm in his tone, now standing above the two women.
"Why would you do that, Elise?" Gwyn now stood away from her. "Are my thoughts even my own? Do I even like you?" She paused and thought of last night. "What we did… was it…"
Gwyn felt the sorrow grip her.
"It was real! It was all real, Gwyn… please." Elise started pleading, but Gwyn was feeling the distance grow between them.
"That's why you are being protected, it's from her."
He nodded his head at Elise, and he donned his catalyst glove.
"I would never hurt her!"
"But you would push her out a window?"
Artero had her cornered, and Elise was in shambles.
"I didn't… I swear I just… I just wanted a friend. I wanted someone to admire me, like how everyone admires everyone else in my family, and your family."
"So you tried to kill her?"
"I would never do that!"
Elise shouted, and some items on the shelves fell to the floor, shattering or breaking on impact.
"That's the thing about you, Elise. Things have to be your way."
Artero was now standing and moving closer to Gwyn.
"Gwynevere." Elise stood and tried to grab Gwyn's hand, but the young woman didn't let her. "I would never hurt you."
Gwyn didn't know what to say about what they did.
Were any of my feelings real? Did I even like Elise?
"I think I should go," Gwyn said and started to head for the door. Artero stood between her and Elise.
"Don't…" Elise said under her breath, but took no action; she just stared at the floor.
"You brought this on yourself, Elise," Artero said, before turning away and making his way out of the room.
Knights in red armor barged into the room. Artero held up his hand.
"It's fine, she isn't retaliating."
He then sent one last message to Elise before severing his link with her.
~I win, Elise.~
Gwyn took one last glance at the pink-haired elf; betrayal and heartache surged through her. Gwyn was angry, but also perplexed at why she would do something like that. Without another word, they left the Bloody Princess all alone, just as she'd always been.