The only thing providing solace to the elven people is that they are safe within the Wall.
The Red Death may linger, but it is distant. Far away, diluting yourself to reality, which is that we are trapped and it is only a matter of time before our people are extinct, is not exactly a flattering notion.
---------------------------
Artero instructed a lower-ranked knight to take Gwyn back to her dwelling on his flying… fishing pole. The wire kept getting tangled in her sundress. He insisted the hook had to stay on the line. It dangled in the wind, catching in her dress.
At one point, the hook nearly poked out her eye.
"Don't worry! We can heal you if you lose an eye!"
The one-eyed knight turned to face her.
"Why is your eye not healed then?"
Gwyn shouted over the wind.
"Because this eyepatch makes me look cool."
He gave a nearly toothless smile.
Reliable, my ass.
Gwyn thought of Artero's words as she shielded her eyes. She didn't trust her glasses to take the full brunt of the hook. No chances were being taken today.
This was, in fact, not romantic and not what Gwyn had hoped would happen at all. Although she wasn't stupid, she understood why Artero couldn't exactly continue the personal moment they'd shared. The situation was irritating regardless.
That night, the nightmares returned, worse than before. This time, it was hard to distinguish reality in the dreamlike state.
The young woman awoke in her bed with red, silken sheets. The ceiling held bodies… bodies like chandeliers, bodies of those she knew and loved dearly. Blood dripped like a summer drizzle. She coated herself in it—the screams from the other end of the door. Everything was black. She couldn't speak.
It was all for the best.
Gwyn was startled awake. She checked the sheets, their red color suddenly uncomfortable. She held her face in her hands. She cried. She would've cried all morning.
Thankfully, a certain red knight came barging through the door.
"Madam!"
Rodrick was panting heavily.
Gwyn clutched the covers to her chest.
"Yes?!"
"You're going to miss school!"
Not this again.
"I don't know if I…"
Rodrick ran over to the bed, throwing her out of it.
"Education is the pinnacle of a healthy society!"
"Rodrick!" Gwyn was a storm of laughter. "What if I were naked?"
She scolded once she was on the ground.
He paused, not realizing this.
"Oh." His face flushed, he closed his visor. "Sorry, madam."
Gwyn was just thankful someone pulled her out of her stupor.
"Aren't you supposed to wait for me outside?"
"I was banging on that door for ten minutes. You are going to be late!"
Gwyn was perplexed. She hadn't heard anything.
"Late for what?"
A not-so-quick journey revealed a bunch of irritated-looking students waiting eagerly outside a classroom.
"Alright, class! Now that the Chosen One is here, we can leave. Everyone, say hi to Gwynevere Grim."
The teacher shook his hands in a performative way, as if Gwyn were a celebrity.
No one clapped. No one said anything. One person coughed.
For some reason, this was familiar to the Chosen One.
"Anyway!" He held out his hand. "My name is Professor Pinto."
Gwyn went to shake his hand, but then he shook hers rapidly. It felt as though he was trying to rip her arm from its socket with his enthusiasm.
Gwyn desperately tried to free her hand from his grip.
"Nice to meet you."
"Oh yes! I heard you managed to light a piece of kindling on fire, very impressive indeed."
He gave a hearty laugh. His frame was large, and he sported a big mustache that reached from one end of his face to the other. He was slightly rotund, with a poofy face.
"Thank you for—"
"Never mind that, we are heading to The Wilds!" He pointed to the class making their way to the Teleportation Sanctuary within Kaldere Academy. "I hope you like adventure. We are going to be seeing some amazing animals today!"
Gwyn hadn't known what to expect or why they were going to The Wilds in the first place. Rodrick warned that The Wilds housed dangerous creatures. That she should be careful, since he wouldn't be there to protect her today. The Kosmairians were still trying to contain the Red Death.
All the students reached the Teleportation Sanctuary. Professor Pinto held up a paper of an upside-down pyramid with columns on each corner.
Professor Pinto herded the students.
"Alright, everyone. Observe this photo, memorize it, step on the ruby coffin as you think of it; this shouldn't be your first teleportation. Let's get a move on."
Gwyn teleported with students who understood teleporting more than she did.
After reaching the destination, she found herself in a room of stone. The walls were covered with different documents that seemed relevant to The Wilds. Photos of animals, their behavior, and the expansion of animal species. She glanced at a lot of them as she passed, hood over her face.
When Gwyn exited the Rangers station, the weather was cool. A soft breeze brushed the Chosen One's skin. Leaves and petals were carried in the wind. Multicolored trees swayed as she observed her surroundings. She stood alone amongst several cliques, all either staring at or completely ignoring her.
A beautiful, blonde woman suddenly approached Gwyn, holding out her hand. This was as surprising as it was perplexing. It seemed she might make a friend today after all.
The Chosen One held out her hand. The blonde elf was mere inches from her in a flash. She pushed Gwyn to the ground. The stranger's face twisted in malice.
"Stay the fuck away from Artero, or I'll break your fucking arms."
Gwyn was astonished. She had whiplash from the hostile greeting.
"Well, nice to meet you too."
The blonde woman scoffed and turned away.
"This will be your only warning." She stormed to her clique. "Stay away from my boyfriend."
Boyfriend? Artero has a girlfriend? But what about yesterday? Am I the "other woman"?
This comment caused her head to swim with possibilities.
When she stood, an elf with a dark bob and just as dark makeup was standing beside her. She reminded Gwyn of a typical goth on Earth.
"Wow, you really pissed her off. That almost gives me the will to live."
Gwyn jumped.
"Huh? I'm sorry?"
"That lunatic, Anastasia. You made her mad." The elf wore a blank expression; all of their words were deadpan. "That makes me happy. Any enemy of hers is a friend to me."
"Right…" Gwyn brushed off her robe. She wished Rodrick were here. "Who are you anyway?"
"I hear you're fucking two members of the royal families. What's that like?"
The goth elf's voice was monotone and uninterested.
Gwyn flushed red at the accusation.
Rumors do spread quickly in Keceo.
"No, I'm not. They are just supporting me in my… training."
Gwyn lied, but figured it was believable enough.
"Hmm, I guess it makes sense." Her face was completely straight and uninterested. "My name is Myria, nice to meet you." She stood with her hands in the pockets of her robe. "You're fucking stupid if you think I'll shake your hand though."
"Right…" Gwyn said, avoiding her eyes. "I like your makeup."
"It just matches how dark I feel inside."
Myria stared blankly at the Chosen One.
"I see…"
Gwyn averted her gaze again.
"What's your special power?" Myria asked. "I heard all Chosen Ones get one."
"I haven't discovered mine yet," Gwyn said honestly.
"Hmmm." Myria nodded her head. "I sometimes think I'm a Chosen One because of the never-ending sorrow and lack of empathy I feel. It feels supernatural and awesome in its own way."
Her admittance came out as a long string of disinterested words.
"I bet."
Gwyn looked around for somewhere else to stand.
"Myria!"
A short, round elf ran up to them. He was nearly half of Gwyn's height. He was about as tall as the children in her previous class. He would look like a child without his patchy beard.
"Don't harass our Chosen One!"
He went to one knee and raised his hand to hers. His fingers were stubby and pudgy as he was.
Gwyn took his hand in hers, and he stood and kissed it.
"My lady, I am Theodore, but you… My lovely… can call me Teddy."
He moved his eyebrows in a way that was probably supposed to be seductive. Gwyn found it… funny. She quickly retracted her hand the moment he released his grip.
"Nice to meet you…" She hesitated. "Teddy."
His face flushed as he twirled in place.
"Teddy, why are you harassing her now? She isn't interested in your tricks or sexual advances," Myria said.
"Preposterous! I am the peak of sexual attraction; I am the sun in the morning sky! I am the—"
Myria interrupted him.
"You are a little round ball of a mage who cares more about being funny than being practical."
"I am short by choice, Myria! I'll have you know I am actually seven feet tall, and my hog is just as long!"
Myria even laughed in a monotonal manner.
"Okay, Teddy. Whatever you say."
Gwyn stared at the unique pair before her, but before she could get a word in, another pair walked up to them, speaking simultaneously.
"Hello! Teddy, Myria." Their words were in perfect harmony.
"Hey, Leo and Astrin," Teddy replied. "What are you two up to?"
The pair in front of Gwyn appeared to be complete opposites. The man wore glasses. His hair was short and blonde, with a blue streak. The woman's hair was a mess of curls. It was blue with a blonde streak.
"Is this the Chosen One?"
Astrin stared at her wide-eyed, as if Gwyn were a shiny pebble, and Astrin were a bird.
"Yes," Teddy answered for Gwyn. "Beautiful, isn't she?" He stared admiringly at Gwyn. "I think I'll do her the service of making her my girlfriend."
Gwyn furrowed her brow, but the twins spoke before she could.
"We actually saw her the other day. I fear she is… taken."
Leo adjusted his glasses.
"Ta-ta-taken!? By whom?" Teddy cried.
"The Bloody Princess," Astrin said.
"The Kosmairian Prince," Leo said.
They were out of sync. They stared bewildered at each other.
"The Royals!"
They barked out, feeling pleased with synchronous behavior.
"Guys, I'm not dating any one person."
Technically not a lie by the Chosen One.
"Yes, that's because she will be dating me!" Teddy reached out with his hand to Gwyn. "You are a flower in a Midsummer rain. A gust in a blizzard—"
Leo grabbed Teddy by the collar.
"You read too many romance novels, Teddy."
He dragged him away.
"Wait! No! This is the meet-cute. This establishes how the rest of the story will go! It has to be perfect."
Desperation echoed through the field in which the students all stood.
The Chosen One just took a single step closer to Myria as Teddy's cries faded.
"Is it weird that you are the most normal out of these people?" Gwyn whispered to Myria.
"Not really." Myria shrugged. "They grow on you."
"Yeah, we do! But not like a fungus. We grow on you like a baby animal, but then the baby animal grows up and becomes ugly! Buuuuut you have to keep us anyway because you make impulsive decisions!"
Astrin shouted excitedly. Not a second later, she inspected a bug that resembled a caterpillar, with about a million rainbow-like spikes.
"Don't touch that Astrin!" Leo cried out. "That's ve…no…mous…"
His words broke as he watched his sister pick up the bug and put it to her face.
"What?" A streak of inflamed skin followed the bug's path. "It's so cute! I think it likes me."
"Sister… what have I told you about picking up small animals when you don't know what they are?"
"Donc, dov, dit."
Her words were garbled as her face had ballooned.
Leo briskly walked over and cast a healing spell silently. He then used another silent spell to encase the bug in a protective case for his sister to admire. He was clearly a Susurrus.
"Thanks, Leo!"
She said as her blue hair curled around the orb from her pressing it so close to her face. As she leaned forward, Gwyn noticed the bow that adorned her back.
Myria didn't smirk or show any signs of emotion.
"I swear they grow on you."