Please review, and tell me what you think. Just for the fact I'd like to know how it makes you feel, predictions, who you think the characters are and will become, a bit of a challenge if you will. Tis the first chapter, an ideal time for prediction making.
Enjoy!
The wind took away my breath as I shut my eyes against it and the snow. The wall of white, all around me, made it difficult to determine if I was going forward, backward, straight or in circles. In this monsterous blizzard, pelts did nothing to shield me. The snow and ice, the wind, the vast whiteness, void of life. Was I already dead, suffering eternally in a white wasteland as punishment for my sins?
I scoffed. I would've remembered dying.
With that thought, I stopped fighting the wind and let myself fall back into the knee-deep snow. A grave such as this would have to do. One was free to do as one pleased in exile. Even die.
I crossed my arms impatiently as I layed there, and waited.
"I can hardly punish you by death, as they want me to, for you have done us a great service." He stood up from his throne. "And I doubt we could kill you easily anyway, having divine blood running through your veins." His grieved eyes looked upon the once proud heroine, now labeled a traitor to the empire. Her defiant eyes narrowed at everyone in the hall.
"After all I've done for your corrupt empire." Her venomous words were draped in dark malice.
He was silent for a moment, his eyes narrowed. Then he let out a breath as a conclusion was reached.
"Exile to your frozen land of origin: Atmora."
"No, not execution, but starvation, madness, a slow agonizing death." her voice was low.
"A sentence fit for a traitor to the empire."
"You are the only treasonous bastard here, serving your masters."
"I am Emperor." he said, frustration tensing his muscles and widening his eyes.
"I don't fear you or your masters." she narrowed her eyes, her words were hate filled.
"Leave my sight."
"I'll return to finish what I have begun. To tear down the false emporer."
With her prediction spoken, she was taken to spend her life in cold, harsh, freedom in exile.
I closed my book, contemplating whether or not it was at all accurate.
"If you were going to read novels, you should've joined the Bards College, not an academic university such as this, apprentice." A condecending voice pushed away my thoughts.
"It is history." I replied. I got a scoff in reply. I looked up to see an elf I hadn't seen before in the college.
"Absurd. A bard wrote that. History, perhaps, but mostly fiction." He left along with his belief of being a cut above the company. I stood to make my way to classes.
"Arrogant Thalmor bastard."
The other apprentices and I prepared for bed in the dormatories. When I had first arrived here, I couldn't believe I was in the infamous College of Winterhold, but it's since lost it's luster. Everyday was the same routine as the day before. Only lessons differed.
I tossed the book I had read onto the desk as I got ready for bed, taking off my outer robes, leaving me in cloth trousers and a shirt of the same material.
"The Rise and Fall of the Dragon" The title was spoken aloud, and I quickly turned to match voice with face.
"Audeius, this is not a study book." The Breton man, about my age, smirked.
"I enjoy things other than studying, Veric." I took the book from him.
"Ah, the secret life of Audeius Berne. Who knew the prized and brilliant apprentice mage had a life other than studies!"
"That's quite enough." I said, but with a smile at my friend's teasing. "What of you, Veric? Shouldn't a Breton fellow like yourself be a merchant of some kind?" Veric acted as if he was wounded.
"Merchant? Dear Audeius, that's what they call stereotypes. I have a better sense of adventure than that!" Veric had a sly grin, and I returned the smirk.
"No, Veric, a stereotype would be assuming you were short and dainty because you hail from High Rock." I took a step towards him so to make him look up a me, for he was lacking in height. "Ah, I see they have stereotypes for a reason." Veric laughed.
"Audeius please, teasing is only okay if I'm the one doing it." I chuckled along with him at his words.
"So, is that your plan? Graduate and then adventure?" I was serious now. Veric looked at me, humor still remaining.
"Well, I doubt it'll go exactly like that. Would you be one for adventuring, Audeius? Have these bedtime stories warped your brilliant mind?"
"Hardly. However, I would like to know how accurate the book is." I said plainly.
"Not at all, probably. Bards tend to exaggerate."
"So I've heard. But we do know such a person existed not long ago, and was exiled, or killed. I'd just like to know the whole story."
"You don't sound like a proud Imperial Citizen of the Empire right now, Audeius." Veric laughed. I smiled with him.
"Well perhaps my mind has been warped, and perhaps i should get some sleep." With that, Veric bade me goodnight, and I settled in bed, wondering still.
Veric and I left the campus and ventured into the village. On off days, we did this. You can expect nothing less of a couple of young men, looking for an eligable lass. We didn't get much luck in that field, but we did get to use the alchemy lab in the achemist shop for free. It was better than taking turns at the college. We also ventured down the hill near the frozen sea so that we were nearly under the college to practice our spells. We called them off days, and lass hunting, but in reality we were just putting what we learned into practice. Nothing more. At least I could see that.
Today I was going to venture a bit North, to some of the islands, perhaps. Veric was hestiant.
"We shouldn't go far, and half of the way is frozen sea, and that is, particularly dangerous." Veric was often humorous, but now he was of serious nature.
"My dainty Breton friend, surely you are more of a man than that." I knew teasing would make him come along without complaint. Though he joked about it, it really was only okay if he teased. Silently, he followed me down the steep slope towards the shore.
I hadn't died.
Sighing, I rose up from my bed of white, and stood, looking around in the now clear weather.
I looked in every direction, turning around slowly. An ever-gray sky, an ever-white ground. The gray and the white met in a horizon, and it was as if there was nothingness here. Vast, and absolute. To one direction, a jagged, mountainous horizon, to the other, nothing particularly interesting.
Suddenly, a revelation.
The Sea of Ghosts was frozen.
"Cast a fireball in that direction, Veric." I made him practice as we walked. He did as was told, but not in the desired direction. It flew by my face, and I jumped back, hoping my eyebrows weren't seared away. A rise in alarm and anger made me turn to him, who had a look of horror on his face.
"Veric!" My chest rose and fell in excitement. After that, we continued. Surprising as it was, I wanted to get along with my little exploration rather than lecture on aiming properly. That would come later.
"I'll be getting a lesson won't I?" Veric could almost read my mind by now.
"For the simple fact that I hold my life in high regard, my friend. Yes." I smirked at him. He sighed heavily with a returning smirk.
"An Imperial, with no natural magical abilities, whom is younger than me, will be giving me, a Breton with magic in my very breeding, a lecture." There was some truth behind his mocking of shame.
"I'm only a few months younger than you." I said.
"Ah, but still, you've a talent, and you are brillant, Audeius." This praise was making me exceedingly uncomfortable, and I walked on.
"I study, something in which you neglect." Veric laughed out loud at my words.
"I have you! I don't need to study books, my Imperial friend. You Imperials. Always going on about your books." He shook his head.
"Stereotypes, Veric." I glanced at him and half smiled and he became silent but humor was still in the air. We travelled on.
We stood on a northern-most island. The sea had frozen this winter, as predicted. The northern weather had been harsher the last few years. I looked out, and saw nothing but ice and sky. The cold wind from the north took my breath away. My dark hair, which I had neglected to cut since joining the College, hung to my shoulders. Now the wind disturbed it so that it blew towards my face and limited visiblity. I took my hood off and that made all the difference.
"You look majestic." Veric chuckled, trying to hold in laughter. I smiled.
"That's my aim. Perhaps if your lushious locks had been spared, you could look like me." Veric almost lost it at those words.
"You look like a lass from behind!" At that point he began laughing hartily, bent over and just enjoying himself greatly. I rolled my eyes.
"I do not, you wee man." I turned back towards the horizon. In the distance, on the ice caps, there was a break in the endless white, just slightly differing. I squinted, Veric still laughing behind me.
"Veric, do you see something out there?" He chuckled still before looking in the same direction.
"No, I don't believe so. Come, let's return. It's very cold." Still, I watched the movement, even when he turned around. As I watched, I could definitely tell it was moving. Without saying a word to Veric, I started across the frozen sea.
"Audeius! What are you doing?" Veric called to me. I rose my hood again and continued steadily towards my goal. Veric soon followed. "You're mad!" He exclaimed, but did not complain any further. The closer I came to this break in the pattern of white, the better I could see. Someone was out there. Veric could see now too, for he looked at me, then back out there. We both quickened our paces.
I watched the ground move beneath me, and the distant mountains become closer. I looked ahead, and for a moment, I thought I saw something. My eyes often tricked me. But the more I looked, the more I knew that someone was near, coming toward me even. No, there were two. I stopped moving.
Would my journey begin with the bloodshed of these two individuals? I had no time for such things.
I snarled in disgust, kicking angrily at the snow. Spell-happy college students ready to dual. No one gained from fighting fairly in this world. I'd end them quickly.
Veric slowed his pace as I continued in a near run. The closer I got, I realized there was a woman, and she had stopped moving. Was she waiting for me to get close before attacking me? If I showed signs of hostility, she would surely become hostile. I couldn't have a spell ready. I would keep distance.
I slowed to a stop once I was near enough to speak to her without rising my voice so much. I looked back to Veric, many feet away, but watching intently. I turned back towards this woman.
"From your direction, you've come from the north, but it is mostly sea and ice." I spoke to her. For a while there was silence.
"This ribbon of sea is frozen entirely. In the north lies Atmora, which has become very large due to the freezing." Atmora, the original home of the Nords? Expeditions had been sent there before, reports being that it was now frozen over. What she said made sense.
"Why were you so far north? Life cannot sustain itself in the ice. Were you part of a lost expedition?" She took a while to reply.
"Something like that." Her voice was thick with Nord accent. I started walking slowly to her.
"We don't mean for conflict. I'm interested in helping you."
"I don't need your help, apprentice." Her words were aggressive, but our discussion was halted abruptly by Veric's cry for help. I turned, seeing ice atronach towering over my friend. He used spells, all too weak or missing the target. I looked to the woman, who seemed indifferent. We locked eyes. Then she sighed.
"You need mine." Was all she said before sprinting in the direction of the conflict. I followed, and despite me being brilliant in class, I forgot everything in this moment.
I was still influenced by pleas of help.
The ice atronach continued to attack the young man, gouging at him with the sharp, icy points where hands would be on a person. Blood began to spill, and all the while, his friend stood silently frozen while the Breton yelled in pain and fear. Action had to be taken, for if they died, I would still have to fight.
"Yol Toor Shul" The words were shouted, and a great force of flames engulfed the beast of Oblivion. It's attention was on me. The words from the scroll...
Remembering the firestorm spell, I casted it.. An explosion erupted, and the ice beast was no more.
But niether was the strength of the ice.
The heated ice weakened and cracked, and the collasped Breton that was attecked was at the epicenter of the damage, bleeding from several wounds. His friend came to, and was near him, but was smart enough to stay away from the cracked ice. Twas a shame.
"Veric, listen, do not move." I begged him, though he continued to writhe. I tried to cast a healing spell from where I stood, but it was to no avail. Veric had terror in his eyes. I turned to the woman.
"Spells that size and power are unwise!" Though I was angry, I was trying to be sensible in my argument.
"It was unwise to venture where you do not belong." Was all she said. I watched Veric try to stay still, but he was shivering.
"What do I do?" The question was mostly for myself, as I mulled over everything I studied and learned. Perhaps ice could be mended. I cast an ice spell, and I tried to mend the cracks, and although it would work, it would only be for a moment before the crack reopened. My spells weren't strong enough. I felt panic grasp my lungs, taking my ability to breathe.
"Fo Krah Diin"
Whispered words carried on the air, and ice formed on the damage, like a bandage.
"Get him off of that weak ice, quickly." I obliged to the woman's words and coaxed Veric to come to me. At this point, he was weak from blood loss, and he needed to be careful of the ice, so quickly was hardly an option. He edged closer to me, and I reached my hand out to him, before he fell.
He fell through.
Just a note: I like to imagine Audeius looking like Tom Hiddleston. What do you think?
In fact, imagine all the characters so far, and let me know who you imgine them looking like. A wee game.
Thanks for reading! :D