Talin gasped for air as he stumbled out onto the street, out of darkness. The cold air had caught him off guard. It was like sharp knives, needles piercing his every inch of flesh. The tiny snowflakes bit at exposed skin. He was not expecting to arrive in a place so cold. He doubled over, coughing and sputtering. The passerby, bundled up in their warm clothes, didn't seem to pay much attention to the young man, reeling beside the small city gate, set deeply in the damp stone wall. Thank goodness. If what Ria had said was true, he most certainly couldn't afford to draw any attention to himself.

What Ria had said… So it wasn't just a bad dream after all. He did not know long he had been unconscious, but the memories were all there, clear as daylight, though there was nothing after the Shift Gate. What had he gotten himself into?

Regaining his composure a bit, he looked about as his vision adjusted to the bright light, quite a contrast from the dark sewers of the Imperial City. There was not much he could see, not in this weather. Blizzard conditions. Snow had already begun to accumulate on the ground beneath his feet. Despite the weather, the city was bustling with activity. People rushed to and fro. Alone and in pairs, each went about his business. Some conversed with smiths, others with grocers. From every street corner, hawkers cried their wares. The din of activity rose above the howling wind. The city didn't appear to be very large, but it was certainly bustling. There was no doubt about that.

And yet, Talin knew not where he was. It seemed oddly familiar. Then again, the province of Skyrim was a large one, and not necessarily a diverse one. Ria had simply said that the Shift Gate would take him…somewhere. Sheltering himself against the bitter chill as best he could, he joined the throng of people in the street, intent on getting some information regarding his location.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Talin asked as he walked in step with the crowd. She seemed to be a somewhat learned woman. Red hair, mid 40's, a good Queen's lady. She ignored him.

"Excuse me," he asked again, this time, a bit louder.

"Yes?" She turned around to face him, stopping dead in her tracks. The crowd continued past the two of them, an island in the middle of a river.

"Uhm…erm…uhh," Talin stammered. She was beautiful. Certainly not a peasant. She stared at him, her beautiful green eyes piercing him as much as the snowflakes. Her skin of ice, her hair of fire.

"Make it quick now," she snapped. "I am required to report back to the Lady's chambers before the day is half over. I don't have time for city scum like you."

"Uh, where am I," Talin managed to say.

"Oh, you're one of those magic…folk then," she said, the contempt in her voice obvious. "I know all about your kind. You just appear in a city one day, just wave your hands around, saying it's all for the children, making them laugh and showing them all your pretty little tricks. I know what you're really up to. You go off an vanish in the middle of the night from whatever town you happen to be "performing" in, off and vanish, along with the money of all the innocent townspeople too! They wake up in the morning to find you've completely cleaned out the whole city's coffers. Don't think I'll not have the guards set on you! Guards! Guards," she ran off into the crowd shouting.

Most people ignored her, including the guards, or at least, didn't seem to care, but they heard her, and they would be on edge around him. Magic certainly wasn't illegal, but it was frowned upon, especially by many of the city folk. That group of thugs that they had finally caught in Windhelm a few years back certainly hadn't helped. Petty criminals, they would have been, if it weren't for the fact that they had used magic in every one of their crimes. Magic had always been looked down upon in these parts, viewed as dishonest, but the crimes had only served to make people edgier regarding sorcery.

Talin had grown up in the countryside, where the land wasn't exactly generous. He had been taught the use of magic by his father at an early age, helpful for ensuring that the crops stayed healthy, and that his family stayed safe on those long, bitter cold, winter nights. Knowing the life he faced as a mage at home, he had run off to the Imperial City the day he came of age.

He came out of his thoughts at a familiar sight; the sign of the Howling Helm creaking overhead as it swung in the wind. Helarchen Creek! He knew the town looked familiar. Though it had been quite a few years since, he had come here often as a young boy, and his father had come here often to trade. Why, his farm was not twenty five miles to the west! Quickly he dived into the inn, hoping to see a familiar face, someone who could set him on the right path. Someone in this world besides Ria. He figured the crowd would be glad to have him out of their midst anyway.

As he walked in through the doorway, into the U-shaped common room, the din of the tavern reached his ears, filled his head. Sounds of joy and laughter. Sounds he thought he'd not hear again. A thick haze clung to the ceiling and the room smelled of pipe smoke and ale. Massive fires blazed on the hearths, set in the walls on either side of the room, warming his bones. He was home again.

It had been nearly a year and a half since Talin had left home to train as a mage under Ria. Though he was certainly eager for news, and even more so to finally see his family after so long, Talin waited for a moment, standing in the puddle that had formed from the snow by the door, simply taking it in. Home. A place of safety. Even with such an impossible journey laid before him, Talin thought, just for a moment that his task just might be possible after all. The patrons laughed and smiled, drunk. They had not the slightest idea of the ordeal that he had been through. They would freeze, quake in fear if they ever saw a goblin. "Lucky bastards," Talin thought.

A gruff "get outta the way" came from behind as another patron pushed past him into the common room. Walking towards the bar, he searched for a familiar face. And, sure enough, he found one.

Talin knew not how long Mother Asgeld had worked as a serving maid at the Howling Helm, and he dare not guess her age, but he remembered her from coming here as a young lad, and he remembered his father occasionally mentioning her after his trips into the city.

As he approached her by the bar, wiping off a mug, a curious look came over her face, quickly replaced by a broad smile. But there was something else there too, worry? He wondered what could worry her. Seeing him, she hurried to meet him before drawing him aside into the kitchen at the back of the common room. It was quieter there, and without ears ravenous for a bit of gossip. Mother Asgeld beamed, a smile from ear to ear.

"My goodness, have you grown," she exclaimed. "The last time I saw you, you were this big." She made a motion with her hand, indicating his height. "I thought I'd never see you again. Where have you been off to, Talin?"

He told her all about how he had left to become a mage. How he had trained under Ria. How he had met the emperor, seen the Imperial Palace, had adventures, fought goblins in the high passes. He talked about how Burba had become a minstrel somewhere, how Nil had met a woman and run off. He, of course, left out the bit about Tharn and the sewers, the death of Ria. There was no need to place such a weighty issue upon her, and it helped Talin not to think about such things, at least for now, before he set off to defeat the Imperial Battlemage. He nearly chuckled at that thought. He made up some story about how he had talked his way out of training for the week, and how he had run off to see his family, and how he had almost been caught by one of the guards. But at the mention of his family, her smile faded.

There was silence for a moment after Talin had finished. Mother Asgeld frowned at the floor. In the common room there was a cry for more ale. Outside, the wind howled through a nearby alleyway. He could still smell the pipe smoke. It hung thick, just as did the silence. Finally, Talin spoke up.

"Mother Asgeld, is something wrong?"

Suddenly, she looked up, shaken out of her own thoughts. She stared at him grimly for a moment before replying. "Oh, dearie, I wish so much I didn't have to be the one to tell you this." She hesitated, her face grim. "About a year ago your father came in one day. He was always a bright young lad, always talking, laughing, drinking. A good man, yes. But this time, this one time, he was different. I asked him what was wrong. He explained to me that his wife had fallen ill, very ill. Your mother was sick, and he did not have the faintest idea what had happened. He said that he tried to heal her with magic, that he had done everything he could, but that nothing was working.

"I told him that I could heal. Most people don't know, but I know a bit o' sorcery, and I know my way around a medicine cabinet. I offered him my services and he accepted. That night I left the inn with him and he took me back to your farm in a cart. I explained to your father that I would need to collect some herbs to mix together, and had him drop me off in a meadow nearby, before he himself went back home. He offered to stay with me, offered protection while I gathered up my herbs, but I refused. Told him that I could take care of myself out there, and he went back to stay with your mother, said he'd be back in an hour.

"Well, first, one hour past, then two. I decided to walk back, make sure everything was okay. It wasn't far back to the farmhouse. And when I got back there…" She hesitated again, looking at the floor. "And when I got back, they had vanished. Every last one of them. There was no sign of struggle. It looked as if they had just up and left. Your little brother too. Listen, I'm sorry, I really am.

"I looked and looked. For days, I would go out there every afternoon, but I never spotted a trace of them. It was as if they just vanished."

Talin simply stared ahead in disbelief. He did not know what to think. Everything in the world, everything he had ever known was, truly, gone. He felt utterly alone. He had nowhere to go. He stood there like that for a moment. So many things rushing through his mind, not comprehending any of them. Finally, he simply turned around and stepped out of the room, walking towards the exit.

"Wait," Mother Asgeld cried after him.

He was going back home. He didn't care about Tharn any longer. He would fix up the house and he would live in it. From there he would set out to find them. He would look high and low for them. They couldn't have just disappeared. Yes, that is how he could spend the rest of his life. Tharn could destroy the world for all he cared, but he wouldn't destroy his family. He had no time for the old woman behind him. He was set on his course.

"Wait," she cried again, hurrying after him.

He kept on walking.

"Wait!" By now the eyes of the whole common room were on the two of them. He could feel them penetrating his back. The old woman hurried after him. He could hear her behind him. Breathing heavily, distressed. Finally he stopped. She caught up with him, sputtering. "Listen, there's more," she said.

The common room was utterly silent now, eyes and ears on them, listening intently. Mother Asgeld turned to the people. "Go back to your ale. Why don't you mind your own business. Or do I have to throw you all out, or cut your tongues so none of you be spoutin' gossip everywhere." That got them to all turn back.

"Listen," she started again. "I saw the man who did it, with me own two eyes. Still gives me nightmares, but I saw him in the twilight, while I was returning to the house." Talin was listening now. Anything that might help his family was valuable.

"He wore a dark cloak…had glowing eyes…green. He had a staff too, intricately carved. Wood and gold, with birds and leaves, and flowers. I caught a glimpse of his face too. His eyes were sunk, and his nose long and crooked. His face was pale. He wore a chain around his neck, gold, with a big emerald at the end, shaped like a jagged peak.

"He was only there a split second, then he turned around and vanished into thin air, after he saw me. The very air just rippled, and him with it, and then he was gone. I didn't see your ma or your pa, or your little brother, Talin, but there's no doubtin' that that man had something to do with it. Mark my words, he was evil. Very, evil."

Tharn. So he had had a hand in this also. Besides the glowing eyes and the dark cloak, that had to be Tharn. The staff was Tharn's own, and the emerald was that of the Imperial battlemage. He needed to contact Ria, somehow.

He turned to run again, but Mother Asgeld caught his shoulder.

"Be careful out there child," Mother Asgeld said. "It is a dangerous world, and even more so for someone of your…profession. Keep a watchful eye, and a sharp mind. Whatever it is you're wrapped up in, I don't want to know, but it look's a dangerous game you're playing, so take care of yourself."

Talin turned to leave again, but, once more, Mother Asgeld caught him. "Your father would want you to have this." She said, as she handed him a sword, though discreetly wrapped in a sheet of white cloth, he recognized the hilt. It had been his father's.

"He told me after you left, that one day, you'd come through here. He felt it. He said to me 'Mother, next time you see the lad, he'll be a man, mark my words, a great man. More powerful than me, stronger, a better man. Likely as not, he won't remember his poor old da, but I want him to have this anyway. Maybe it'll remind him.'"

"Thank you," Talin said.

"There's one more thing, boyo, I think you'll be needing one of these too," Mother Asgeld said, handing him a heavy cloak. "It's a chill day out there, and you can't be walking around in a bunch o' rags. There's a horse out back, too, if you'll be needing a means of travel. The dark brown one the white spot on her nose. Rainy's her name."

He tried on the cloak. It fit him, snugly. It was warm, good. He thanked her again, and she hugged him.

"You're a good man, Talin, and I don't want to see you get hurt," she whispered into his ear. "Find your family."

And with that, he turned and left the Howling Helm, and the sounds of joy, the smell of pipe smoke, the warmth of the hearth. He left home. He knew not what lay ahead, only that he had to get his family back from Tharn.

His empty home was likely gone, he realized, taken back by the wilderness, the whole farm reclaimed. If he went back, he would have to start over completely. He decided he would go to Winterhold. It wasn't too far away. And he might be able to make it there before darkness fell.

He sold the extra odds and ends he had to a hawker, enough gold to last him a week or so. Bundling his cloak tightly about him, he set off down the wide boulevard towards the open city gates. The weather beat at him, but he was unfazed as he set off down the hard packed road, the first step of many in a long adventure.

A/N Sorry that it's been so long since the last update. Between July 4, and my computer crashing, and work, I haven't had as much time to write as I like. But at least for the summer, I'll try to get out one or two chapter every week. Thanks to the folks who favorited and reviewed the last couple of chapters. It makes it worth it. Anyway, I hope you've been enjoying the story thus far, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

-Alex