Jaden flung himself behind a boulder to escape the powerful flames that were sent his way as the World-Eater pressed forward, his red eyes filled with rage as the Dark Elf avoided his attack. Jaden prepared another spell between his hands and quickly stood, releasing a powerful bolt of lightning into the black dragon's scales.

Alduin recoiled slightly, giving Jaden the time to put some distance between the two of them. He pushed himself away from his cover and ran backwards, trying to reach another pile of rocks before Alduin could recover.

The ground, apparently, had other ideas.

The Dark Elf stepped onto a patch of ice and felt his leg slide out from under him, bringing him to the ground and sending a rush of pain down his arm as his shoulder collided with the rock hard ice. He bit his lip to prevent himself from crying out.

Alduin gave a gravelly laugh. "Hin gluus ol vodein hi, Joor." (Your luck has abandoned you, Mortal.) Jaden knew he was right. There was no cover he could reach to avoid the Word-Eater's shouts. Every movement sent a surge of pain down his shoulder and side as he attempted to form another spell between his hands, only to feel it fail with an audible fizzle.

He was doomed.

With deliberate slowness, the World-Eater moved towards the fallen Dunmer before pinning him with one wing.

Jaden met the eyes of the beast as he arched his neck back.

"Hin oblaan lost bo, Dovahkiin!" (Your end has come, Dragonborn!)

Alduin's jaws descended.

Jaden sat bolt upright in his bed, sweat pouring down his body as he tried to catch his breath. He tried to catch his breath and slow his thunderous heartbeat. Slowly, he raised his hands to caress his forehead.

"Just a dream." Jaden told himself. "It's just a dream."

He had been having nightmares often recently, almost every night since the confrontation with Alduin. It was always similar. Just him and the first-born of Akatosh atop the mountain. Beyond that, he could do whatever he wanted, flinging his Expert level spells with abandon, but the end result was always the same.

The World-Eater taking his life.

Jaden knew that these dreams had no basis in fact at all. He hadn't been alone on the Throat of the World when he fought Alduin. His teacher, sister and best friend had all been there, the three of them fighting alongside him.

But the dreams persisted none the less, and they were powerful.

Jaden slowly lowered his hands as he brought his breathing back under control. The Dunmer closed his eyes, attempting to banish the image of Alduin's jaws coming down on him. "It wasn't real." He kept telling himself. "It wasn't real."

A few moments later, Jaden slid out of bed and pulled on his boots. He left the Hall of Attainment thinking some fresh air could clear his head.

Outside, Skyrim's weather had apparently decided to clear up for the time being. There wasn't a cloud visible against the slowly brightening sky. Sighing, the Dunmer entered the Hall of the Elements, hoping to shake of his nightmare.

He entered the large, open room and made his way to one of the benches that ringed it. He sat there for an unknown amount of time, lost in thought.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice he wasn't alone until the newcomer was standing in front of him.

"I do believe you are new here. We haven't spoken before." Said a voice, snapping Jaden out of his thoughts.

Standing in front of him, wearing very heavily enchanted robes, was an older Dunmer. He had a mage's hood pulled over his head, but didn't seem intimidating. In fact, his eyes seemed quite warm and friendly.

Jaden stood. "Yes, I am sir."

The Dunmer smiled slightly. "Sir? How quaint." He extended a hand to Jaden. "I am Savos Aren, the Archmage her at the Collage. And if I am not mistaken, you are the new apprentice, Jaden Relix."

The younger Dunmer nodded and accepted the hand. "Yes, that's me."

Savos nodded. "I thought so." He was still for a moment, appearing to consider something before continuing. "I know who you are, Jaden, and I know what it means."

Jaden felt as if his stomach had dropped through his torso. "You do?"

"Yes." Savos checked to make sure they were alone. "You are a Dragonborn and I do believe I know where your family name originates."

Jaden sighed. There was no point in denying it. "Yes, sir. It's true."

Savos nodded. "I see. Might I ask why you haven't told anyone here who you really are?"

Lowered his head to look at the floor. "Sir, even before I came to Skyrim I have always had expectations thrown at me because of my family name and my being a mage. I just want to become stronger, not be pressured to live up to the reputation of a man I have never even met."

Savos seemed surprised to hear that, but smiled. "That's a noble attitude."

The sound of the large doors opening and closing brought the Archmage's attention to the entrance, where he met the piercing, demanding eyes of Ancano, as the Thalmor agent approached.

Sighed, Savos turned back to Jaden. "Don't worry. I will keep your secrets, Jaden. Now, you best prepare. Tolfdir will be beginning his lesson soon."

Jaden smiled and nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Smiling once more, the Archmage turned and walked towards the Thalmor, exchanged a few words before the pair of them left and entered the Archmage's quarters.

Jaden watched as the older Dunmer left, feeling slightly relieved before the sound of the door opening again caught his attention.

An old Nord had entered the hall, followed by J'zargo, Brelyna Marylon and another apprentice that Jaden did not recognize.

The old Nord noticed him and approached. "I assume you are our newest apprentice."

Jaden nodded. "I am, sir."

The Nord grinned widely. "It's nice to know that the younger generation still appreciates knowledge. I am Tolfdir and I will be your instructor for the day." He gestured to the end of the hall where the other three apprentices were standing. "Please, join us, Mr. Relix."

Jaden stiffened slightly before moving to join the group. "Please, sir. It's just Jaden."

Tolfdir nodded. "Of course, my boy, of course."

After Jaden had taken his position alongside the others, Tolfdir began his lesson about the dangers of magic.

That didn't last long as the apprentices began to protest.

"Sir, we all understand the dangers of magic. We wouldn't be here if we couldn't control it." Said Brelyna.

"J'zargo says we learn something practical. Then you will see what J'zargo can do!" the Khajiit added.

'Arrogant fool.' Thought Jaden to himself.

The unknown apprentice was about to speak before Tolfdir interrupted him. "Please, please. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Eagerness must be tempered with caution or disaster is inevitable."

Jaden nodded slightly, hoping to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, it seemed Tolfdir's eyes were still sharp.

"It appears Jaden agrees with me." He said, relieved that not all his students were so rash.

Jaden sighed. "I've seen what magic can do if it's misused." His voice was level, but held a slight edge of sorrow.

J'zargo didn't seem fazed by Jaden's voice. "Oh, don't listen to him. We can do it!"

Tolfdir sighed. "All right, all right. I suppose we could do something practical." He leaned back slightly and folded his arms. "We'll start with Wards. Wards are defensive spells that block magic." He turned to Jaden. "Jaden, since you believe in safety, care to go first?"

The Dunmer nodded. "Of course, Instructor." Jaden flinched slightly when his automatic response came out as he took a position a few feet away from the instructor, ignoring the questioning gaze that Tolfdir gave him.

"Now cast your ward, and keep it up." Instructed Tolfdir.

Jaden raised a hand, summoning his magic. A shimmering shield of semi-transparent energy materialized in front of him as he cast his magic.

Tolfdir nodded before raising his own hand and summoning a firebolt. With a quick flick of his wrist, he sent it hurtling towards Jaden's ward.

The ward blocked the spell easily, along with the next six before Tolfdir nodded to Jaden.

"Well done, my boy." He said, smiling softly. "You are quite adept with magic it seems."

Jaden nodded and lowered his ward before returning to his position in the room.

Brelyna went next. Her ward was shattered when the fourth bolt crashed into it. She seemed slightly disheartened as she returned to stand by Jaden, even when Tolfdir complemented her control.

J'zargo lasted until the fifth bolt, his ward dissipating as his magicka was depleted. While Tolfdir gave him praise for lasting as long as he did, the Khajiit stormed back to his spot, shooting Jaden a sharp look.

After testing the final apprentice, Tolfdir turned to the group. "Excellent. It seems that all four of you possess a degree of magical skill."

"Some more than others." J'zargo said quietly.

Tolfdir either didn't hear or chose to ignore him. "We will end here for the day. Our next lesson is in two days. I want you all to continue practicing with Wards. Good day."

Jaden nodded politely before turning and walking off to a quiet corner of the room and sat down on the bench before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a copy of Liminal Bridges to begin reading. It was interesting enough, keeping the Dunmer's attention. It was so engrossing that he didn't notice someone approaching until they had sat down beside him.

Lifting his head, Jaden was met with the not unwelcome sight of Brelyna Marylon seated beside him. She sighed as she looked at the floor, hands between her knees and fingers intertwined.

"Brelyna? Is something wrong?" Jaden asked, closing his book.

The other Dunmer turned to look at him, making eye-contact before she spoke. "How do you do it?"

Jaden tilted his head, confused. "Do what?"

"Magic!" Brelyna snapped, Jaden recoiling slightly at her sudden shift in tone. "Only two days of being here, you can already cast Expert level Destruction spells and Adept level Restoration. How can you do it so easily?!"

Jaden leaned away from her and raised his hands in a submissive gesture. "Brelyna, I've been studying magic for as long as I can remember. Everything I know is because of practice. Nothing else."

Brelyna continued to glare at the other Dunmer for a moment before she sighed once again and lowered her head. "I'm sorry. It's just…."

"Just what?" Jaden asked, putting the book down beside him to the give the distressed woman his complete attention.

Brelyna didn't look at Jaden as she kept her gaze on the floor. "I've been learning magic since I was old enough to read. I always tried as hard as I could to make them proud, but I never seemed to live up to their expectations." Her voice quivered on the last word, almost as if she was trying not to burst into tears.

Jaden shifted uncomfortably as he listened to his fellow apprentice, but felt the need to at least try to help her. "Who do you mean, 'Their expectations'?"

Brelyna's head didn't come up. "My parents. They always told me how great my ancestors were and that it was my 'duty' to become just as great as they were."

Jaden nodded sullenly. "House Telvanni has a history of being powerful mages. I can see why your parents would push you to be like them."

"It was more than that." Brelyna responded as she took a shaky breath. "It started with just encouragement to practice when I was young, but as I got older, I don't know, it was like if it wasn't about magic they just didn't care what I did."

Jaden sat completely still for a moment, before he slowly reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about them. If they can't be proud of you for doing the best you can, then they don't deserve the respect you give them."

Brelyena just shook her head, a tear falling from one eye. "You don't know what it's like, Jaden. You just don't."

The Dragonborn sighed. "Yes, I do Brelyna. I know exactly what it's like."

"You do?" she asked, her eyes still wet.

Jaden nodded. "Yes, I do. You're not the only one who's dealt with parental expectation."

Brelyna turned to look at her friend. "Tell me."

Sighing, Jaden returned his gaze to the floor. "My father wasn't the most accepting of men. He had…..plans for me." Jaden felt his blood begin to boil as he thought about his father.

Brelyna noticed the way his body clenched and placed a hand on his shoulder softly. "Jaden, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have too."

Jaden sighed. "Thank you. It's just…..I hate talking about my father."

She nodded. "It's alright, Jaden. And thanks."

"For what?" Jaden asked her, confused.

Brelyna smiled. "For listening to me."

Jaden looked like he was about to respond when another voice interrupted him.

"Oh, good. You're both still here." Said Tolfdir as he re-entered the Hall of the Elements.

Jaden turned to the instructor. "Sir? What is it?"

Tolfdir smiled. "Well, my boy. The Collage has recently began an excavation of the city of Sarthaal and the Archmage has agreed that it is a wonderful learning opportunity for the apprentices. I hope to see you both there. We are meeting at the entrance tomorrow at midday. I hope to see you both there."


Riften

'Stupid Grelod. I hate you so much.'

Runa Fair-Shield was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the orphanage's floor for the fifth time that week. The nine-year old had been at Honorhall for almost six years now and she had hated every moment of it.

The young Nord's eyes landed on her wrists. They were still scraped raw from the last time Grelod had put her in…the Room. Sighing, Runa continued scrubbing the floor, hoping to get it done and maybe be given a less demanding job when finished. Her back already ached from kneeling for so long as she dipped the brush into the soapy water for the umpteenth time to continue washing the floor.

It was when she heard a 'thud' behind her that her stomach dropped out. The other children were doing chores with Constance at the far side of the room, so the only person who could have slipped was….

Slowly, the Nord girl turned her head to see behind her.

Grelod the Kind was on the ground, her eyes locked on the girl, displaying nothing but rage. The old woman slowly climbed back to her feet, glaring down at the girl.

"You little brat!" she growled as she stepped closer to the girl. "You'll pay for that!"

Runa immediately scrabbled for the door to the yard. Normally, trying to go into the yard would earn her a beating, but, seeing as Grelod was going to beat her anyway, she didn't care.

She pushed the door open and rushed to the far side of the yard, to the small hole in the fence where the metal bar had rusted away. She and Samuel had knocked the bar out several weeks ago before Samuel had tried to escape like Aventus had, only to be caught by a guard and brought back to the Orphanage. Grelod had put him in the Room for a week after that.

However, before Ruma could slip through the bars, the door behind her slammed open. Grelod stormed across the yard, grabbed the young girl's arm and threw her back towards the building.

"You think you can run from me, you little guttersnipe?!" Grelod slowly pulled off her belt, holding it by one end as she advanced towards Runa.

Runa squeezed her eyes shut and curled into a ball, waiting for the inevitable lash.

The belt came down on her back once and she gave a loud cry, hoping a guard would come stop the old woman, but knowing that they wouldn't, even if they did notice what was happening.

No one cared what happened to her.

Tears welled up her eyes as she squeezed them shut. Grelod drew her arm back for another strike.

A soft whistling sound seemed to tear through the air, followed by a scream of pain caused Runa to slowly open her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the belt laying on the ground behind. Confused, the girl raised her head.

Grelod stood a few feet away, clutching her wrist as she screamed at the arrow that was speared clean through her palm.

Despite the old woman's screams, Runa was able to hear another voice. This one was far younger than Grelod's, but still sounded like it belonged to a woman. The voice was quiet and smooth, almost soothing, but betrayed a small amount of amusement.

"I can see why the kid wanted you dead, crone."

The space behind Grelod was empty, until Runa blinked. It was then occupied by another figure, their face covered by a hood and mask. Across her back was a bow, its string still vibrating slightly from firing the arrow that was still embedded in Grelod the Kind's hand.

The old woman spun to look at the intruder and was about to start screaming for guards before, suddenly, her body began to spasm uncontrollably as her scream's died in her throat. She collapsed to the ground, her voice trying to form words, but only forcing quiet coughs from her lungs. Runa was shocked to see that frost had begun to form on Grelod's body, specify, around the arrow and up her arm.

The newcomer stepped closer to the fallen woman, shaking her head. "I don't envy you. This enchantment's a bitch." Slowly, the woman's hand went to her waist and slowly, deliberately, drew a pure black sword from it's sheath. She weighed it carefully in her hand before giving it a careful spin.

She stepped closer to the fallen Nord. "Aventus Aretino sends his regards."

The woman buried her blade in Grelod's stomach, giving it a twist for good measure. The whole time, the woman had kept eye contact with her victim, watching calmly as the life left her eyes.

After a moment, the newcomer pulled her blade from the body that lay before her, wiping it clean on the dead woman's dress before returning it to it's sheath.

Runa had been watching the whole time, eyes wide with admiration. She took a cautious step closer to the newcomer. "H-Hello?"

The woman turned to regard the girl and for the first time, Runa was able to see the woman's eyes. They were a dark red and seemed to glow softy from within. The young Nord froze as the woman regarded her, not moving in the slightest.

Then, in a series of movements too fast for Runa to clearly see, her body exploded into a swarm of bats. They flew past Runa's head knocking her to the ground before grouping together again on the roof of the Temple of Mara, where they reformed into the shape of the woman who had killed Grelod.

The woman stared down at Runa for a moment before turning and disappearing from view.

"Wait!" yelled Runa, running for the hole in the fence. She slipped through and began running down the street, catching a glimpse of her savior jumping along the rooftops. With a final jump, the woman disappeared over the city walls. Moving quickly, Runa slipped through the city gate as the guard opened to gate to enter the city.

Runa spun on the spot, searching for the figure she had been pursuing in the pre-dusk gloom. However, the living beings she saw were the horses at the nearby stable.

Her heart sank in her chest as she lowered her head.

"Huh. You did keep up. Color me impressed." Came a familiar voice.

The woman had appeared directly behind her. Runa spun on the spot to find her target kneeling to look her in the eye.

The woman tilted her head. "You followed me out of the orphanage. Why?"

"I-I wanted to thank you." Runa said, not breaking eye contact.

"Why would you thank me? I just took a woman's life in front of you." The woman responded, sounding curious.

Runa felt her fists clench. "I hated her. She beat us and sometimes she….."

"She what?" the woman asked.

"She locked us in…the Room." Runa raised her hands, letting her sleeves fall to show her bruised and scrapped wrists.

The woman's eyes were wide as they took in Runa's wrists, before she very slowly and very gently took Runa's hand in hers, careful not to touch the wound. "You poor child." The woman was silent for several minutes before she spoke again. "What's your name?"

"Runa." The young Nord didn't use her last name. It only reminded her that her parents had abandoned her with Grelod.

"What are you going to do now?"

Runa started. "W-What?"

"Do you want to go back to the orphanage?"

Runa's head fell. "No. I never want to see that place again." The young Nord felt tears in eyes again as she thought about going back to that place, until she heard the woman's response.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Runa's head shot up, making eye contact with the woman again. "What?"

While she couldn't see the woman's face, Runa could almost feel the smile break across her hidden features. "You don't want to go back to the orphanage, and I have a place you could live. You could come with me."

Runa didn't respond with words. Instead she threw her arms around the kneeling figure, happy tears falling from her eyes as she felt her savior wrap her own arms around her. Then, the young girl felt the arms lift so that she was being carried.

The woman's eyes met Runa's. "Sleep now, little Runa."

Runa wanted to protest, but seeing those glowing eyes made her own begin to drop. As she drifted into slumber, her savior's voice spoke one more time.

"You belong to me now, little Runa. You belong to Juliet Relix."