A/N - Just picked this game up again for the Special Edition. Forgot how much I love Onmund. He always genuinely sounds pleased to help as well as being totally hot. Not sure how pleased he actually is based on some of the things he goes through! I hope to make this a series. Stories will be based on my ideas as well as things that have actually happened in my game. Dragonborn is a female Nord. I'm a massive H/C fan so poor Onmund is going to get it (much as he does all the time in the game)

The Amulet

Onmund wished he'd never traded his amulet to the elf, Enthir. Aside from the clothes on his back and a handful of gold for the trip, it was the only thing he'd brought from home after fleeing years of rejection at the hands of his family. He was a Nord, and his proud Nord family would rather he was a warrior or hunter than a mage. He had tried hunting but the residual charge of electricity in the meat was off putting. Using fire to kill the animals had resulted in nothing but charred husks and disapproval. The wooden practice swords wielded by his kin broke through his weak wards and bruised his body, but healing spells were far more effective than 'enduring the pain as good strong Nords should do.'

Enthir had promised him the potion he was trading for the amulet would increase Onmund's destruction magic skills - and it had, for a time. Now the effects of the potion had worn off and Onmund was back to being an apprentice and shy one family amulet.

"What would it take for me to get it back?" Onmund asked Enthir in his room at the Mages College of Winterhold.

"All trades are final."

"But that stupid potion you gave me wore off!"

"It increased your power?"

Onmund looked down. "Yes."

"Well then you weren't misled."

Onmund's eyes shifted to his hands and felt the tingling crackle of electricity building. He could take it by force, but didn't trust that Enthir hadn't put some kind of curse on it. He was also likely to be expelled from the College if he attacked a fellow mage.

Enthir's eyes widened and he smirked nastily. "If you're that desperate you could get my staff back."

Onmund let the power dissipate and looked up in question.

Enthir studied his own hands. "Although I'm not sure a Nord mage would be strong enough to do it."

Onmund knew he was being goaded on but he had to have the amulet back, no matter what. "Where is it?"

"Last I knew, it was in a cave just East of Winterhold."

"I'll get your staff in exchange for my amulet." Onmund said through gritted teeth.

"Deal." Enthir smiled insincerely. "Don't get killed."

xxx

Onmund limped along the path and tried not to make a sound to alert the ice wolves nearby. He gritted his teeth and groaned while clutching his right thigh. Damn cave had been full of Necromancers! What the hell had Enthir sent him there for?! His spells hadn't touched them and only his Nordic upbringing in the cold, snowy land of Skyrim had prevented the ice spikes thrown at him from killing him instantly.

His magicka reserves depleted and his leg in agony, he'd fled and only luck had had it that the Necromancers hadn't followed him out into the freezing snowfall to finish him off.

One of the spikes had gone right through his right leg and the cold pain was spreading into his hip as he hobbled along. Squinting against the snowflakes falling around him, he thought he could see the torchlight of Winterhold in the distance. "Home sweet home," he said through gritted teeth.

"Stupid staff. Stupid Enthir." Stupid me, he added silently. He thought the potion would increase his power and make him more acceptable in the eyes of the others. "What the hell was I thinking? A Nord coming to a mage's college. Get myself killed!" Just as his family had always told him. Magic would be the death of him. "Better a death by magic than being cloven in two with an axe. Oh!" Onmund's leg finally gave up supporting him and he collapsed. The deepening snow on the path prevented further bruises from his fall.

Onmund looked up at the sky through watering eyes as he trembled in pain and cold. The biting wind cut right through his mage robes and he shivered, which only served to redouble the pain in his leg. Snow danced down, the shadow under each flake making them look like ashes against the blinding white clouds.

"Hey, you!" a voice called out.

Onmund's eyes were closing, his strength long since sapped along with his magicka.

"Hey?" the voice shouted, a little closer now.

A shadow passed overhead and Onmund blinked at the figure looking down at him. Praise the Nine! It was a Winterhold Guard. "You're a mage from the College?" the figure said, although Onmund couldn't see their face through the enclosed helmet they wore. "Can you move? I'll help you back there." The guard held out their hand.

"No." Onmund said as he was pulled to his feet and the guard pulled his arm across his shoulders to support him. He wasn't going to give Enthir the satisfaction of seeing him in this state and confirming his Nord blood made him no good as a mage. "Take me to the inn."

"Very well."

xxx

Onmund returned to awareness feeling pleasantly warm and numb.

"You're lucky I was here," a male voice said. "This is nasty magic. The cold damage had already spread to the bone."

Onmund grimaced and opened his eyes. Blurry at first, the wooden ceiling of the inn and the hooded figure of another mage came into focus.

The elf smiled at him. "There you are. I'm Nelacar."

"Onmund." He eyed the robes but didn't recognise his rescuer. "You're not from the College?"

"I was once, but that's a long time ago now."

Onmund winced as he shifted and a sharp pain shot through his leg. He looked down at himself and saw Nelacar was holding his hand just above Onmund's leg and bright golden light of the healing spell flowed out. "This should heal you up nicely. Do you think you could keep down a potion now that you're awake?"

"Yes."

Nelacar went away which gave Onmund a chance to look around the room he was in. It was a private room and the door was closed to keep out prying eyes. He sighed in relief. Nelacar helped him to sit up and handed him the potion. After he had finished, he felt the weariness washing away and strength returning to his limbs.

Handing the empty bottle back to the other mage, he asked, "Thank you for helping me. What do you want in return for this? I don't have much but I can get you some gold if you let me return to the College to pick it up."

Nelacar smiled at him kindly, "I don't need anything, but I may one day ask you to help me as I can no longer access the College."

"Okay," Onmund said in apprehension.

A female voice spoke outside the door. "There's a mage here that studies stars?"

Nelacar sighed. "Excuse me."

xxx

A few days later, Onmund was in a lesson with his fellow apprentice mages when a new recruit joined them. No one had found out about his incident but he suspected Enthir may have been able to deduce something from the time Onmund had been away and the lack of the staff in his hands when he returned.

The woman was a Nord just like Onmund and the fire in her hands felt as warm and strong as any elf magic when Onmund got close. She wore full Elven Armour which was odd but the colour matched her golden hair and bright eyes. A few days later when Onmund discovered she was the Dragonborn - Dovahkiin - of the old legends, he was even more surprised.

He didn't know what possessed him to mention the amulet to her. Something about how easy it was to talk to a fellow Nord and outsider. She got it back for him in just a few hours, looking none the worse for wear. He needed to study a lot more to get himself to her level, but she'd just proven that with enough practice, a Nord mage was as good as any other race.

He was so pleased, before he knew what he was doing he blurted, "I can help you, if you need it."

Her eyes sparkled and she accepted his offer.