Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. As I said, this story will encompass the entire College of Winterhold questline, but with my own twists and additions along the way. These first few chapters are and will be a bit boring, and I apologize for that, but I really want this story to be fleshed out and detailed; I don't want to feel like I need to cram everything into a few chapters.

Before you get into the story though, I would like to thank two people in particular. First, my editor/main critic/best friend Tom. Thanks for all you've done buddy. Definitely helps to have a different set of eyes review my work before it goes public.

And second is my first reviewer, Valerianus. Your review really helped set the mood for my writing these past couple of days, and your uncanny ability to read my mind is part fascinating, part disturbing (I leave you to figure out my meaning).

Anyway, onto chapter 2! As always, please feel free to leave any comments, positive, negative, neutral, anything that you want me to know. It really helps in improving the story and my writing in general.

Winterhold's Finest

Chapter 2:

The next morning, Revan awoke feeling very well rested. A bit later than I would have liked, but I should still have plenty of time he thought as he looked out of the window. He got up and slowly stretched, and as he did so his eyes fell once more on the bow and sword his father had given him. His father wanted Revan to be happy, and he tried to give him everything he could. But when Revan began displaying his potential skill with magic, his father knew he would need to look elsewhere for training. It's been a long time coming, but I'm going to make you proud Dad, one way or another.

With that, Revan picked up his sword belt, strapped it on, and then grabbed his quiver of arrows. He slung it over his shoulder and tightened the strap across his chest, which also held his dagger in place. Once that was set, he opened the wardrobe and took out his rucksack. He put it on, making sure his quiver was still accessible, and grabbed his bow still leaning against the wardrobe. At last, with everything set, he opened the door and slowly made his way downstairs. He wasn't sure who might be up yet, so he thought it best to be as quiet as possible.

No one else appeared to be awake, but the innkeeper was behind the counter cleaning a line of mugs and glasses. "Heading out, sir Elf?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm leaving today. Thank you for your excellent hospitality. How much do I owe you for the room?" The woman smiled. "It's 10 gold for the room, but I'll throw in a couple of breakfast pastries for you. I get the sense that you'll be traveling for a while yet, so it'll be easier for you to carry."

Taking out a small bag of gold, Revan counted out the septims, and handed them to the woman. "Thanks again. I appreciate everything. If I'm in the area again someday, I'll definitely stop by." Revan turned and walked to the door. "Safe travels" the woman called after him. With a wave, Revan opened the door and stepped out of the inn.

Though still early, the sun was already up and shining. Revan made his way back down the street and out of the main gate. As he stepped outside of Whiterun, he passed the guard who had questioned him the night before. The guard was clearly asleep at his post, with his head bowed as if in prayer. Suddenly feeling quite devilish, Revan raised his hand and concentrated. He felt it grow cold as a shard of ice formed in his grasp. When it was ready, he launched the shard at the wall behind the guard. It hit with a loud crack and shattered into pieces, causing the guard to jerk awake and almost trip over his own feet.

After regaining his footing, the guard looked around and saw Revan standing in front of him with mist coming from his hand. "Wha? Who…why you little", but before he could finish, he immediately straightened to attention. Revan turned around and saw a man walking from the direction of the drawbridge.

"What's going on here?" the man asked as he approached. "Nothing, Commander Caius sir." The guard stammered. Caius glared at the guard. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to our mage here." Revan bowed his head as he said "My apologies Commander. I was simply making sure that the guards of Whiterun remain alert at their posts." As he spoke, he could feel the guard glaring daggers at his back, but he was much more concerned with keeping a straight face.

"Is that so? Well, thank you for your concern sir mage. It will definitely be noted. Now, I must ask you to please move along." Revan bowed to the commander. "Of course Commander, I shall be on my way. Thank you." Revan walked away from the pair, and when he got out of earshot, let out a small chuckle. Hope he learns a lesson from that. He passed two more guards after crossing the drawbridge. "Saw what you did there. Certainly gave us a laugh. Don't think Hroth will be doing that again anytime soon. Stay safe sir" said one of the guards as he passed. Revan nodded in response and continued down the path.

When he reached the bottom of the hill, he turned and took one last look at Whiterun. Although his time here had been brief, he liked the city. Maybe one day, I'll come back. Who knows, maybe I'll end up living here someday. Stranger things have happened. Looking away, he walked over to the carriage driver stationed near the stables.

"Good day sir. I can take you just about anywhere you'd like to go. Where you off to?" he asked. "How much to get to Winterhold by this evening?" Revan asked. The carriage driver thought a minute, before replying "Tell you what, since you're in a bit of a rush, how about 30 gold for the trip." "30 gold it is. Here you are" as Revan handed him the gold. "Climb in back and we'll get going." Said the driver.

Revan climbed in the back of the carriage and settled in for the journey. "Gittup there" said the driver to the horses, and the carriage started rolling. After a while, the driver looked back and asked "If you don't mind me asking, what's your business in Winterhold? I'm guessing from the look of you that you're heading to the College." Revan nodded. "I'm hoping to learn more about magic. It's probably the last place I can learn about it since the Mage's Guild was dissolved."

The driver nodded. "Yeah, I remember my grandfather told me stories about that time. How the Mage's Guild was used as a scapegoat of sorts after that Oblivion Crisis. 'Course, Winterhold's had its fair share of negative attention. I'm assuming you've heard of the Great Collapse?"

Revan shook his head. "I haven't actually. In fact, I don't really know much about the College to begin with. I'm not exactly from around here."

The driver nodded. "Oh aye, I kind of figured that from the way you're dressed. Take my advice: if you're planning on spending time in Winterhold, you might want to invest in some thicker clothing. You think its cold here; wait until you get up north a-ways. Especially at night, it's downright frigid. Anyway, as I was saying, the Great Collapse. Aye, it was a strange thing. No one's entirely sure what happened. Winterhold used to be one of the biggest cities in all of Skyrim; even rivaled Solitude, if that's possible. But sometime around the year 122, great chunks of the city just fell into the sea. O'course, everyone blamed the Mages, which they denied. Regardless of who did what, the city has never really recovered. Most of the people left in Winterhold are trying to get out. And the College is now seen as a blemish upon the once great city. Most folks wish they would just go away, the Mages. But you look like a nice enough fellow, so just be warned that you might not get a warm welcome. Anyway, I've babbled enough. We should be there in a few hours."

Several hours later

"We'll be in Winterhold in a couple of minutes. I'll drop you off right near the College." Revan stretched as much as he was able while still in the carriage; he had been sitting for several hours and was almost desperate to get out and stretch his legs. To distract from his discomfort, he looked around. It was almost sad to see the once great city now a mere shadow of its former self. He imagined it must be much worse for those who lived here, but it was clear that the city had suffered. Maybe one day, it will return to its former glory. "Here we are Mr. Midley. The College is across that bridge there, and there's an inn down the street. Other than that, not much else to see."

Revan stepped down from the carriage, a bit stiffly, and started walking towards the College bridge. "Good luck!" the driver shouted after him. Revan turned and waved as the horses started moving again. Turning back, he saw at the entrance of the bridge was a High Elf woman. Well, here goes nothing Revan thought as he approached. As he got closer, the woman looked at him and said, "Cross the bridge at your own peril. The way is dangerous and the gate will not open."

To be continued…