Arlise

"I do not know if there can ever be peace between Templar and Assassin ... But I do know there can be friendship — and love."

- Arno

Arlise is the het ship between Arno Dorian and Élise de la Serre from the Assassin's Creed fandom.

Canon
Arno and Élise were lovers and close friends during the French Revolution. The two first met as young children whilst visiting the Palace of Versailles. Arno befriended Élise before he was abruptly adopted into her family after his father, who was a close associate of Élise’s father, was assassinated. Arno spent his early life with Élise and her family and the two slowly grew close to the point of falling in love.

Both of them were particularly fond of each other. Élise took great pride knowing that Arno was hers whenever other girls eyed him, whilst Arno himself was very fond of Élise and was excited to hear that she was to return to Versailles after being away at a school. They were also not above being mischievous together, and in their first encounter Élise took Arno on a chase around the palace and convinced him to steal an apple whilst there. Élise’s mischievous nature would often get Arno into trouble as children when he was adopted into her family. Throughout their childhood the two played many games together, such as hopscotch, skipping and shuttlecock. The two would also dual each other but Élise won every time. Élise openly admitted that Arno was the person she loved the most after her parents. Her love for Arno persisted despite the revelation that he is of Assassin descent, her and her family’s sworn enemy, and intended to have him join the Templar Order so they could stay by each other’s side.

When Élise’s mother fell sick their relationship suffered slightly. She no longer played with Arno, instead wanting to be with her mother, and became envious when her father showed more attention to him than her. Despite this the two remained close and regularly wrote to each other, whilst Élise was away at her school, where she would detail her frustrations there. Such was her care for Arno, when she was reprimanded by her father for her poor attitude at her school, she agreed to do better if it meant she could be the one to bring Arno into the Templar Order, as him being revealed the truth of their heritages by anybody else would risk their friendship, something she did not want. On her way to England, she had met a man named Byron Jackson who she falsely claimed to that she was betrothed to somebody else, with Arno in mind. It was here that she fully realised she is in love with Arno and misses him desperately. However, she ended up sleeping with Byron which she was immediately riddled with guilt over and found her love for Arno had grown exponentially because of the experience. When the two were reunited after two years, after Élise had snuck away from a party in her honour whilst having Arno follow her, they immediately kissed. Their reunion was cut short, however, due to Arno being pursued by guards, and Élise helped him escape.

Their relationship became strained when Élise’s father was assassinated whilst attending the party celebrating her induction into the Templar Order and Arno was falsely blamed. The loss of her father and the allegations against her lover sent her into a drunken state. Élise came to loathe Arno, hoping he would rot in the Bastille, and had convinced herself that she no longer loved him. Despite this, her feelings still existed, if only partially, as proven by her attempts to retrieve Arno from the Bastille when it was being stormed in hope to have him join the Templar Order instead of the Assassin Brotherhood. He attempted to clear his name to her, but whist Élise believed his innocence she was frustrated by Arno’s failure to deliver a letter to her father that would have warned him of his assassination. After their relationship broke off they would not reunite for another two months until Arno rescued her from an assassination attempt on her own life. During their escape they engaged in cordial banter before separating and reuniting at Arno’s cafe. The two agreed to an alliance, despite their opposing parties, with her being a Templar and Arno having become an Assassin.

Soon, the two redeveloped their love for each other. Arno was more than willing to protect Élise, both from enemies and his own Assassin comrades, and even went against the brotherhood to do so. Élise, who had been usurped by Françios Thomas-Germain, worked with Arno to track him down and defeat him. Élise’s strong will and Arno’s determination proved to be a devastating combo and the pair took down a slew of enemies. Due to their personal love for each other, and Élise having read the letters of a man named Haytham Kenway, a late Templar Grandmaster, they both desired for the Assassins and Templars to work together as one, in spite of being enemies for centuries. After escaping via a hot air balloon, the two shared a passionate kiss whilst sailing over Paris and it is implied they had sex before separating. Élise revealed, in a letter she sent to Arno, of her hopes that they will continue their lives together once their pursuit of Germain is over. That fundamentally, she wants them, not to be known as “Assassin and Templar”, but to be known as “Arno and Élise”, she even playfully teases the idea of becoming farmers in the mountains and Arno would chase goats.

However, their relationship broke off once more, temporarily, after Arno was removed from the brotherhood and Élise had said some harsh words to him when he chose to save her instead of chasing Germain. Élise later reflected on this and came to understand that Arno had lost too much to be willing to sacrifice anything else in the pursuit of her enemy. Even writing that he would allow Germain to become the king of France if he believed it would save her. Arno soon after became the town drunk back in Versailles and had lost his precious pocket watch gifted to him by his late father. Élise tracked him down and motivated him back into action after she returned his lost pocket watch to him. Before she and Arno confronted Germain, she had stated, in both her letters and journal, that she wrote these letters whilst Arno slept in a bed next to her, implying once more that they had spent the night again.

Arno became concerned for Élise’s mental health as her actions became more ruthless in her desire for revenge against Germain. When they had finally gotten the chance to interrogate Maximilien Robespire, she shot him in the face when he refused to talk and instead told him to write down the information they desired, leaving Arno shocked. Ultimately, it would be Élise’s headstrong determination for revenge that would lead to her death. As when she and Arno finally confronted and battled Germain, Arno was trapped under debris and, despite initially trying to free him, she chose to go after Germain on her own instead. Germain fought back with the Sword of Eden that became unstable and sent Élise into a column. Arno was able to break free and rushed to her but was too late as she died in his arms.

Soon after, Arno was sent into a depression because of this loss, and slowly pierced an injured Germain’s throat to kill him as an act of revenge. Whilst visiting Saint-Denis, he would believed he had seen Élise and run through the city after her just to be disappointed it was not her. His cynicism and depression dominated his thoughts every day and he had lost any desire to save France from Napoleon. He eventually changed thanks to the help of a young boy he had befriended in the city named Leon and seeing how dangerous Napoleon’s power could become. Before her death, Élise had prepared a letter for Arno in the event of her demise. She reiterates to him not to feel guilt at her death, and to know that the choices she made were her own that she gladly made. She pleads for him to carry on without her and, in a subsequent letter, to try and unite both the Assassins and Templars, as their love proved such a thing was possible. Promising that they would be reunited in the afterlife. She also reaffirmed her deep love for him, that out of everyone in her life, he is the one she loved the most and thanks him for allowing to experience such a fulfilling emotion.

Dialogue
"Stay out of trouble ... Don't get caught."

- Élise and Arno's advice for each other

"You'd better come back to me."

- Élise, Confrontation

"Maybe we can't go back. But going forward isn't necessarily an ending."

- Élise, The Escape

"I love you."

- Arno, The Escape

"The Arno I love wouldn't have to ask that question. You're better than this."

- Élise, Bottom of the Barrel

Letters
"I was raised as de la Serre's own son after your murder, and I grew to love his daughter as much more than a sister. She is beautiful, and fiery, and fierce, and has a terrible habit of getting us both into—and out of—scrapes."

- Arno's fourth letter to his (deceased) father

"It's nice to think that after all this time, we're still better together than apart."

- Élise's letter: Reunion

"I fear that you have lost so much already that you cannot bear to lose more. I think that you would let Germain rule France if you thought it would "save" me."

- Élise's letter: The Price

"Who I love most of all, though, Arno, is you. I hope you understand how much I love you. And I hope you love me too. And for allowing me the honor of knowing such a fulfilling emotion, I thank you."

- Élise's letter: To Be Opened In The Event Of My Death

Fanon
On AO3, Arlise is the most written ship for both Arno and Élise. It is also the twentieth most written ship in the Assassin's Creed tag.

Fans were severely disgruntled that yet another female love interest was killed by the end of her game; in most fanfic Élise's fate is averted for a much happier ending. Some fans consider AUs where Élise joins Arno in the Assassin Brotherhood, similar to how Maria left the Templars for Altaïr. This is usually supported by in game events that ostracize Élise from the Templar Order, but drops her steadfast belief in the Order, rather than making it her primary motivator.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Arno/Élise tag on FanFiction.net
 * Arno/Élise tag on FanFiction.net

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