Gwyn recalled his promise.
"What? But you said you'd be getting me a mentor."
"Yes, but I didn't say who. I am more than capable of teaching you the basics of magic. I saved your life, remember?"
Gwyn thought of the café, the explosion, the flash, the aching in her body. It all happened in an instant, but Artero was someone faster.
Maybe he does know what he is doing.
Suddenly, what Rodrick said about Artero's feelings toward her resurfaced in her mind.
There is no way. He's doing this to help me out. For the good of his people. Yeah. That's it.
This delusion carried Gwyn and helped her regain some of her confidence.
"All right." She dropped her robe to escape some of the heat from the sun. "How do we get started?"
Artero just gave her a confused expression.
"Why are you wearing those clothes?"
He observed her plain, commoner clothing, which was all white and did not flatter her whatsoever. The robe made her look like a scribe, but when it was removed, you'd think she was a nomage.
"What's wrong with my clothes?"
Gwyn asked, but Artero just snickered.
"If you are going to be a proper Chosen One, you have to look the part."
He stopped and closed his eyes for about thirty seconds.
Gwyn looked around as if something was supposed to be happening, but then he opened his eyes.
He approached her and held out one hand.
"I've sent the servants to fetch you some appropriate attire. In the meantime, let us get started."
She cautiously eyed him up and down.
"Do I…?"
She slowly outstretched her hand. His hand was just out of reach. He continued to say nothing, continuing to stare at her, reaching out. With a delicate touch, she placed her hand in his.
"Good. Now close your eyes."
Gwyn narrowed her eyes at him, but did as he said. Her hand suddenly felt very warm, as if she had stuck it in hot water, then very cold, as if the same water had turned to ice. It repeated this, back and forth. She tried to open her eyes, but he immediately scolded her.
"Keep them closed."
The sternness in his voice startled her.
"Yes, sir."
Artero blinked at the notion of being called "sir".
"Do you feel that?"
"Yes, it's hot then cold. Over and over."
"Good."
She felt the warm and cold fight each other, move up and down her palm, to the tips of her fingers and back to her wrist and up her fingers again. This continued for several minutes.
"Can I open my eyes?"
Gwyn eventually asked, but she got no response. After a few more minutes, when she was left without an answer, she opened her eyes. Artero was standing a few feet in front of her, no longer touching her.
"Wait, when did you get over there?"
"I haven't touched you for over ten minutes," Artero said, impressed. "How long did you feel the magic travel through you?"
"The hot and the cold feeling? I guess that entire time, pretty much."
Gwyn stared at her hand as if something had changed, but nothing had. She had simply felt what magic was for the first time in a meaningful way.
"Good. You are capable."
He spoke to himself, out of earshot.
"As I knew you were."
Gwyn felt relief wash over her, then something unexpected happened. Artero stretched, then took off his top, revealing a body with an incredible, toned and muscular physique.
"This heat is killer."
Sweat was dripping off his chest as he tossed his shirt to the side. His muscles seemed to glisten in the sunlight. Gwyn averted her gaze, but couldn't seem to keep it away.
Holy fucking shit.
It took everything she had not to drool.
"Is this necessary?"
She said with blushed cheeks.
"If I'm not to die, I believe so." A sly smirk traced his face. "Now I need you to focus."
How am I to focus when you look like that?
She had no idea he was in such good shape. She had her suspicions, but this was… unnecessary.
Could you use magic to make you ripped as hell?
She faced him, unsubtly admiring his body.
"I'll try my best."
"Since you don't have a catalyst, we are only going to cast lesser magic."
He took off his glove and tossed it aside, showing that it was not necessary for this task.
"Where do I start?"
"Do you feel the heat building within you?"
In more ways than one.
"Yes, I do."
"Like a dragon sunning itself, I need you to channel the heat from your entire body onto a specific point. Visualize what you want to do with it, like so."
He took a deep breath, raised his hand above his head, and shot a stream of fire out. It wasn't large; it was about as thick as a pencil. The stream continued about thirty feet above him. When Artero finished casting, a breath escaped him like he was in a freezing climate, and not a warm and temperate one.
"I used the heat from within me, mixed with a little magic to release all the heat in a stream of fire."
Gwyn gestured to him.
"Alright, so how do I do… that?"
"That? Oh, no way you will be able to do that."
Wait... was he just showing off then?
"What you can do is this."
He snapped his fingers, and a small flame flickered at his thumb continuously like a lighter.
So that's how they light candles.
"Cool trick, but how do I do it?"
She snapped her fingers, but it didn't yield any similar result.
"Do you feel the heat building within you?" He asked again.
"Yes, I suppose."
Gwyn wasn't sure at this point. She kept snapping her fingers, thinking of fire, but nothing was happening.
He grabbed her hands, and his muscular grip was suddenly very noticeable. Gwyn's hands began to sweat beneath his grasp.
"Just as you feel warmth when our hands touch, you need to build heat within yourself to that area. Once you do, release it by thinking about your action. Then, you will release the built-up heat within you."
He released her hands, snapped his fingers, and his thumb was like a lighter again.
Gwyn stared at her sweaty palms; her plain dress blew in the wind. She felt the breeze brush against her flushed cheeks, how the sweat beaded on her forehead, how the sweat meant heat, how the heat somehow meant magic. She closed her eyes and thought of a fire crawling down her arms and onto her fingers. The warmth was like a tingling sensation. She snapped her fingers, and like flint to stone, it sparked, but did not light.
"Amazing, you did it!"
Artero picked her up and twirled her around.
Gwyn felt his stiff muscles press up against her soft skin as she spun.
"Whoa, whoa! Artero! What are you doing?"
She was a storm of laughter.
He gently placed her down.
"Sorry. I just got excited. You got it so quick!"
He then stared at the Chosen One. He saw the sweat making her plain white dress transparent in places. He saw how her pale skin pressed against the fabric, her chest revealing itself through the thin veil. Gwyn hadn't noticed, but it was making Artero flush with heat in other places than his hands.
He averted his gaze and cleared his throat.
"Um, yes. Good job. But we still have a long way to go. That was only the beginning."
Gwyn nodded, now determined to cast magic by the end of the day.
They remained in that field for hours, each snap of her thumb sparking more and more. Gwyn was starting to understand the flow of magic, much like the flow of blood through the body. Typically, humans can't control how blood flows within their bodies. With magic, you can direct it to the place where you want it to go.
Artero described it as a dam blocking a river. Currently, she has walls blocking her magical flow throughout her body. Whether that was due to insecurity or a lack of ability, he didn't know, nor did he mention. Gwyn is now chipping away at the dam, and once it bursts, she should be able to use her magic freely with total control.
The sun was starting to near the end of the sky when Artero said.
"I think we've done enough today."
"But I want to train still!" Gwyn snapped her fingers, and sparks illuminated her face slightly with each strike. Leaves in a nearby tree rustled, and it made both of them jump in surprise.
"You need to rest." He placed his hand on her arm. "There are sometimes creatures that roam around at night."
He stared at the tree from which the noise came, but the tree was now still; he figured it was only a gust of wind. He hoped it was only a gust of wind.
Artero then slightly adjusted Gwyn's posture or gave her pointers on how she should perceive and understand magic while she trained. He had never really taught anyone how to use magic. For a lot of elves, it came naturally. He did teach his little brother, Griffith, how to talk telepathically, but that was it.
"I feel as though I can go for another hour."
Gwyn stood focused, staring at her hand.
Just one more snap, I know fire will appear soon.
Her fingers were raw from snapping them hundreds of times.
Artero circled her as her gaze remained affixed to her hands. He reached around her and grasped her hands, lowering them on her body.
"You need to rest. Magic is like a muscle; if you work it too hard, you may not be able to work it again."
Gwyn swallowed hard as she felt his body press up against her. He didn't know why he was helping her in the first place, but she liked how his arms felt around her. She liked how he looked, how his dark hair complemented his strong facial features.
"Y-you're right."
"I must walk you back to your dwelling now, before it becomes dark."
He outstretched his hand, and Gwyn hesitated a moment before taking it, and he led her through the darkening sky to her home on the Kosmairian estate.
Once they finished the brisk walk to her dwelling, they stood outside it.
"I'll send for Rodrick."
"If you must."
A part of her wanted to invite him inside. However, she felt that it was inappropriate for her to do so. He had already done all these things for her. Why would she bother him with such a boring request?
"You need to stay protected, Gwynevere."
The way he said her name made lightning shoot up her spine.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She was a little hopeful it would come true. "Thanks for everything."
"It's my pleasure."
He gave her a bow, took her hand, and planted a kiss upon her skin. His lips' softness on her tired hands seemed to ease some of the ache within them. He then turned and walked off. Gwyn gave him a smile he couldn't see, then walked through the threshold of her dwelling.
Artero heard the door close, and he looked back at her. He felt his lips where he kissed her hand.
"Soon, Elise, she will know what you've done."