The next morning, all of the Destruction students gathered in the Hall of Elements for their class, including Simon. Several months ago, Faralda had taken over Tolfdir's job of teaching the School of Destruction. She started off the class by informing them of an assembly after lunch at which Tolfdir was going to go over the state of affairs at the College. As far as what had been going on, Onmund had last heard that the Thalmor were making threats to shut down the College with the Empire's help and that Jarl Korir of Winterhold had suddenly taken interest in these events because he was afraid that an Imperial attack on Winterhold would be forthcoming because of this.
Ever since the Eye of Magnus Disaster, as the events of several months back was infamously called and where two Thalmor agents lost their lives as a result, the Thalmor had been pushing hard to put restrictive sanctions on the College and all of its members. However, because the College was within the boundaries of Winterhold, which was under Stormcloak control, they could do very little except send threatening letters to the College. Onmund recalled that Danielle had suffered the brunt of their threats a little when she had served for a short time as Arch-Mage. But now that Tolfdir was completely in charge, it had become his problem to deal with. Onmund felt sorry for him just imagining what he had to deal with, and that was all he could do since Tolfdir shared very little of the details. But he could see it in the elderly wizard's face- it always looked worn and tired, and his gait had become slow and weary as of late. To an extent, Onmund felt guilt for playing a part in exacerbating their relationship with the Thalmor. After all, he was the one who had murdered one of the agents. It made him shudder every time he thought back to that day outside of Labyrinthian when the Thalmor agent named Estormo threatened him and Danielle with the Staff of Magnus and completely drained both of their magicka, and out of sheer desperation, Onmund just lunged at the mer and pounded his head into the ground with his bare fists, killing him. Onmund remembered very little of the moment of the attack, itself. He had just reacted out of pure instinct and adrenaline, aware of only the imminent threat and of getting rid of it immediately. He hadn't thought of the repercussions- that he could be charged with committing a crime. But was it really a crime if he was merely defending himself and his best friend at the time? This was the question that went unanswered in his mind ever since. And ever since that day, he had kept the truth hidden. He and Danielle were the only two people in all of Tamriel who knew about the true events that had transpired. For everyone else, the accepted story was that Estormo was killed by frost trolls and had never made it to Labyrinthian.
As Onmund listened to Faralda's teachings, he tried to force away the memories and guilt and focus on the present. Soon, the students were then left alone to practice in the training hall. As Onmund and J'zargo took turns firing their spells at the absorption points along the wall, he secretly watched Danielle helping Simon with his spells. She had been designated as his peer mentor because he was a pyromancer and so was she, and Onmund smiled as he watched her walk him through the incantations and help him practice his Flame spell. He had remembered their first day of training long ago, when they were both Novices, and how she had commented about how odd it was to meet a Nord wanting to learn magic. Now here she was, working with another Nord mage, and he thought with amusement, She's outnumbered now! I wonder if she's aching to have another Breton mage join our midst?
When the half-hour of practice time was up, Onmund went up to Simon and asked him, "Hey, would you like to join us for lunch? I was thinking of going to the Frozen Hearth."
"All right," the other Nord mage replied.
"You go on ahead," Danielle said to him. "I'm going to stay here with Brelyna."
He looked at his wife and said, "Aw, are you sure?"
She nodded. "We have some things to catch up on. I'll see you at the assembly, afterwards." She then raised her head up to give him a quick kiss on the lips before leaving him.
Disappointed that the women weren't going to accompany them, he went up to J'zargo and asked, "Hey, Stunner. We're going to the Frozen Hearth for lunch. You coming?"
"J'zargo has some things he needs to do before the assembly," the Khajiit replied. "You go on ahead."
Onmund sighed and responded, "Fine." He looked at Simon and declared, "I guess it's just you and me. The two Nords!"
Simon managed a small smile and then followed Onmund out of the College to the town inn. Simon said very little on the way and Onmund wondered if he was just a shy person. He had remembered being a little shy himself when he had first come to the College so he tried to find a way to get the guy to loosen up a little. Once inside the inn, they both sat down at a corner table and ordered some food and tea. He would've liked to drink some Ale and perhaps treat the guy to some of that or mead but he didn't want to set a bad example and get drunk during the schoolday. Times like that would be reserved for off-hours or when they were on travel.
Thus far, Onmund wasn't having much luck getting Simon to talk. He would mostly respond with one-word answers to his questions about family, where he came from, and his interest in magic. But he tried not to let it faze him as he attributed it to shyness. When Haran brought over their food, they both ate in complete silence. Their mouths were too busy to talk anyway. Onmund was amazed at how quickly and ravenously his fellow Nord ate- it reminded him of how his father used to eat after working all day. After he finished his plate of grilled salmon and leeks, he just sat quietly and turned his head every once in a while to observe his surroundings. Once Onmund was done eating and Haran took their plates away, he turned to the quiet Nord and asked him, "So, is Danielle teaching you some fire spells?"
"Yeah," he answered.
"I remember when she tried to teach me Flames," he mused. "I was so afraid of setting everything on fire. But then I learned that all it took was control, just like with shock spells."
"Mmhmm," he muttered with a somewhat disinterested stare.
I wish this guy would be a little more talkative, Onmund thought. I'm not used to carrying a conversation all by myself.
Suddenly, Simon asked, "How long have you two been married?"
Finally! Something more than a one-word sentence! he thought triumphantly. "Me and Danielle?" he replied. "Oh, just seven months. We met there at the College."
"Do you enjoy being married?" he asked him.
"Yes, I do," he answered. That was kind of a strange question, he thought. But, I guess he's just trying to make conversation. Worried that he might degenerate into short, one-word answers himself, he added, "It's great being married. When you meet that special someone whom you want to spend the rest of your life with, there's nothing else you could imagine doing."
At this, Simon fell silent, and Onmund couldn't tell if he had perhaps hit a nerve with him or what, but he began to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't used to having this conversation with a guy; in fact, he knew that J'zargo would claw his own eyes out before talking about this subject with him, but he also couldn't imagine talking about this with someone he had just met. He tried to quickly change the subject. "Well! I wonder what Tolfdir is going to talk about with us when we get back. Did you already get the scoop on what's been happening with the College and the Thalmor?"
"Yeah," Simon answered, appearing interested. "The Thalmor want to shut down the College?"
"That's right," Onmund said. "Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because they lost two of their own as a result of the College's activities. It was their fault, though, really. One of them, Ancano, came here claiming to be an advisor, but what he really wanted was to gain control over the power of Magnus, which we had discovered...or rather rediscovered. You know the history, right?"
He nodded.
"Anyway, the funny thing is, he really only wanted it for himself. In the end, I think he could've cared less for the welfare of his own people. But that's what ultimately led to his demise. The Eye's power ended up doing him in."
"What about the other one?"
"Other one what?"
"The other Thalmor. You said that there were two of them."
"Oh, right. Ummm…" He wasn't sure what to say. In a way, he wanted to let his fellow Skyrim brother in on the truth, but on the other hand, he knew that he had just met him so he wasn't sure how trustworthy he could be. He decided to play it safe and give him the well-known story. "The other Thalmor, Estormo- no one knew what became of him. While Ancano tried to harness the power of the Eye, Estormo went in search of another powerful artifact called the Staff of Magnus. Little did he know that we were also trying to obtain it. Long story short, Estormo met a premature end out in the wilderness and we ended up obtaining the staff and stopping the Eye."
"Ha! Serves him right," Simon snorted. "Didn't the fool know better than to travel alone in Skyrim's wilderness?"
Onmund managed a laugh at Simon's comment. "I guess he didn't."
"Are the Thalmor really going to shut down the College?" he then asked. "Why do they think that Estormo's death was our fault?"
At this, Onmund gulped nervously and answered slowly, "I…don't know. They're quick to pin the blame on us for anything bad because they don't trust us. But don't worry. They can't shut down the College. Being in a Stormcloak-controlled hold, we're safe from them. Barring a bloody battle, that is."
"Yeah, but the Stormcloaks don't necessarily like us, either," Simon pointed out.
"No…they don't," he admitted. "But I think they tolerate us. We are part of Skyrim's history and heritage, too. But you have a point there, though. They're too busy fighting with the Imperials to pay much attention to the College at the moment, but I'm actually afraid that once this war dies down that we're going to be targeted next. Whether the rebellion triumphs or the Empire does, things don't look too good for the College in Skyrim."
"We should defend ourselves," Simon declared.
"Against whom, though?"
"The Thalmor. And everyone else who threaten to take away our freedom to practice magic and way of life."
"I don't think it's that simple, I'm afraid."
"Why not? If your way of life was being attacked, wouldn't you want to defend it and fight for it?"
"Well…yes. Of course I would." He then thought of his parents. I'm sure my father would've said the exact same thing, he thought. And what would I say to him? "But we're not part of this war. The fight is between the Empire and the Stormcloak rebellion. College mages have no place in that."
"Why not?" Simon asked again. "The College is part of Skyrim. It's been a part of Skyrim just as long as any other city and establishment here. Why not fight to protect it?"
"Tolfdir doesn't want us getting involved in local politics," Onmund explained. "We are to remain neutral. The war will resolve itself. If the College gets involved, we could end up being even more hated."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," the young Nord mage quipped, crossing his arms.
"It's what our Master Wizard thinks is best," he said in a defensive tone.
An uncomfortable silence began to ensue as Simon appeared to be stewing over what was said, and Onmund had no idea what else to say. I never would've imagined this guy getting so fired up over this subject, he thought with amazement. He struck me as such a quiet and docile fellow, at first. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Well…are you ready to head back?"
"Yup," Simon responded and uncrossed his arms, getting up from the table.
Onmund followed suit and together, they walked back to the College in silence. They got back just in time for the assembly in the Hall of Elements to start. Onmund joined his wife at the outer edge of the circle and she asked, "How was lunch with Simon?"
"Oh, it was interesting," he replied. "I'll tell you about it later. But we had a good time."
"That's good," she said.
Tolfdir then took his place in the center of the circle and addressed the College's members. "I would like to bring everyone's attention to a letter that I received yesterday from Jarl Korir of Winterhold."
The room immediately erupted into a cacophony of murmuring and whispering. Everyone knew that the Nord Jarl of Winterhold was no friend of the College, either. In fact, he had been slandering the College long before the Thalmor had. So far, Onmund was not liking this development.
Tolfdir continued, "It is a long letter, so I will summarize. As we all know, Jarl Korir has been making threats against the College ever since he came to the throne, and thankfully, up until this point, they were all empty."
"Up until this point?!" Nirya, the Altmer Illusion student, cried, alarmed. "What is he doing now?"
"Patience, patience," Tolfdir urged. "I am getting to that now. Apparently, the Jarl has caught wind of the Thalmor's threats against the College, and as a result, has come up with a surprising proposition."
"What is it?" Sergius questioned.
"He has offered to come to our aid and protect us from the Thalmor," Tolfdir stated matter-of-factly.
"What?!" Drevis cried, and the rest of the College members went into an uproar.
"Quiet, please! Quiet!" the Master Wizard yelled, waving his hands frantically. As the din started to die down, he confirmed, "That's right. Jarl Korir wants to help us."
"But he hates the College," Phinis declared. "Why would he want to help us?"
In a solemn manner, Tolfdir replied, "Well, that is why I bring this matter before you, wizards and scholars of the College. We all need to give his offer careful consideration before we accept it. Now, might I remind you…we have our former Arch-Mage, Danielle Sweeting, to thank for helping us repair our relationship with the political leaders nearby. I daresay that she, at least, is on good terms with the jarl."
Onmund looked at his wife and smiled. That's right, he remembered. If it weren't for her, Jarl Korir might've shut us down already! During her brief time as Arch-Mage, she had done a favor for the jarl- she had retrieved the Helm of Winterhold for him, a treasured artifact lost to the ages. No one in his court had been able to succeed in the task- only her. Granted, the jarl harbored a great disdain and distrust for her initially and had only summoned her to his court to inquire about the Eye of Magnus Disaster and the Thalmor's emergent hostilities against the College, and then sent her on the quest in order to test her loyalty. And she did it- not because she wanted to swear Stormcloak allegiance or because she wanted to prove anything to him, but purely out of the goodness of her heart and from wanting to improve relations with the College.
"All right. So the jarl wants to help us," Enthir piped up. "What's the catch?"
"There's no catch…" Tolfdir started. "He has simply offered to send some soldiers here to provide security."
"Soldiers?" Colette questioned. "As in Stormcloak soldiers?"
"He wants us to side with the Stormcloaks!" Nirya cried.
"Absurd!" Colette shouted. Onmund could see that she would be incensed. For the past several months, Colette, along with her single student, Bridgette, had been training healers for the Imperial front. Their duties had since come to an end, but she never knew when she might be called back to Solitude to provide more assistance.
"Can you imagine?!" Phinis cried. "Soon we'll have Stormcloaks and Jarl Korir's henchmen swarming the College and poking their noses into our business. Pretty soon we'd end up in the same situation as we had with the Thalmor!"
The scholars continued to talk angrily and frantically among themselves as Tolfdir tried to calm them down. "Please, please! We have not agreed to anything at this point. I assure you that we will not be taking any sides in this political war. I and the rest of the wizards here will convene for the next few days and discuss this matter extensively. I cannot tell you what actions we recommend taking at this point, but we will try to come to a decision as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence here, and we must choose our actions carefully."
"Don't you dare bow down to any Stormcloak jarls!" Colette threatened. "They hate us just as much as the Thalmor do- if not, even more because all they care about is cracking their skulls on steel and dulling their senses with mead. They don't give a lick about the arcane arts! They can't even wrap their addled brains around it. At least the Thalmor appreciate magic."
Onmund winced inwardly, knowing that Colette had just made a jab at the Nordic race. But by now, he was somewhat used to it. He knew that they didn't mean any ill feelings towards him. Or at Simon, he added in his mind, glancing over at the other Nord mage, who was standing with a group of Novice Conjuration and Alteration students. I hope he has a thick skin on him, as well, or else learn to develop it. But the Novice student just looked on with sort of a bored expression on his face.
"We will convene here again to let the student body know of our decision," Tolfdir concluded. "Please carry on, and do not let these current events disrupt your studies."
Everyone was now free to leave, and Onmund turned towards Danielle and said to her, "Wow. Things just keep getting better and better here, don't they?"
With a serious expression, she replied, "I hope Tolfdir and the wizards do the right thing. I'd hate to see this College being shut down, or worse- being destroyed in war."
He put his hands on her shoulders and gently assured, "Don't worry. We won't get shut down. We have some of the most powerful wizards all concentrated right here on this campus. The opposition wouldn't be able to stand a chance!"
"The Thalmor have some powerful wizards in their midst, too," she pointed out. "And some of the court wizards around Skyrim have been practicing their art for years."
It was true. The College of Winterhold wasn't the only place where powerful mages resided, but Onmund tried to muster a comforting smile for his worried wife and said softly, "Nothing's going to happen to this College. Even if I have to single-handedly fight off a hundred soldiers and wizards, I will do it. Because this place is our home. And this is our family."
This time, he could see Danielle's face break out into a smile. With a little chuckle, she said, "Oh, Onmund. You are such a Nord, sometimes, you know that?"
With a huge grin, he said back, "Never would've guessed it."
For the rest of the afternoon, Onmund, along with his wife and the other two Destruction Adepts discussed the latest turn of events among themselves, and by evening, it was all forgotten as everyone tended to their usual College business and studying.
