A/N Thank you for taking time to read! Though I'd really be happy if you guys tried to review. It'll really help me alot.


Chapter 4 : The Independent Mages Guild

Middas, 10th day in Hearthfire, 4E 203

Her journey after the bandit attack weren't perilous anymore. In actuality, she learned quite a few tricks on how to evade trouble. One of those was to extinguish the campfire before sleeping. It somehow attracted unwanted attention. Another was eating a hearty breakfast and eating before nightfall. This will compensate all the time loss and avoid probable danger one may encounter when hunting food at night.

Even in the afternoon, the winds were still cold across the tundra of Skyrim. She was weary the night before and even though Windhelm was so very near, the harsh cold couldn't make her reach her destination. She decided to seek refuge at Mixwater Mill, just south of the hold.

"So... tell me about your adventures." Gilfre, who was the owner of the mill, insisted on a story. Her working as a woodcutter made her life a bore. She never welcomed adventurers or travelers, worrying she might get plundered by the money she barely had. The innocence the she felt in Elsa was very different, she could tell.

Gilfre, the Imperial woman, poured water from Elsa's cup.

"My adventures were not as great as the others. I only wish to seek the College of Winterhold. But I can tell you about the country outside Skyrim."

She began telling her story as if she was an old friend. She told her the land of Morrowind: The Dunmer Ashland. Clouds were usually dark and misty from all the smoke and the volcanoes. She didn't get into much detail, because she was mainly talking about her sect: A group of people attuned with the power of the arcane at birth. These people were scattered almost everywhere in Tamriel, seeking the way of magic. Every member was entitled to a pilgrimage, gathering knowledge from the corners of the world and collecting books and scrolls for generations of learners to come.

She took a little sip. She continued telling her adventures, her friends she met, companions she'd never forget, even a little romance. Unfortunately didn't end well. He was a very bold Dunmer (a typical race from Morrowind), only too bold that he ran off with a prettier woman. She made sure he never walked again.

"Surely you'll find yours soon." Gilfre smiled. Elsa replied back with the same gesture.

"Yes. I do hope so." She gazed outside the window to see the harsh downpour of snow."Well, it's getting late. Shall I sleep on the bench?"

"Goodness, no! Please, use the other room."

"Ah, thank you so much. I don't know if I can repay you."

"No, no. It's alright dear."


Gilfre was still sleeping. Elsa figured she could leave a few septims and a note regarding her whereabouts if she would try to reach her. She immediately left at around dawn. Only after taking a few paces she already caught a glimpse of the castle in Eastmarch. Windhelm. Besides its almost ancient and cold appearance, it served as a very sturdy structure to onlookers like her. Guards were stationed at every entrance, especially the main door, and street patrollers were always on the lookout. It was possible for her to stay at the taverns until midday, but she decided to take the carriage because she wanted to reach Winterhold by sundown. Plus, it'll be practically free since the journey was only shorter compared going to Solitude or divines know where.

"Take me to Winterhold."

The steed hovered along the path. This was the safest she could've been. If only she had more coins before going out of town from The Pale, she can reach Winterhold without any serious problem. The travel was fast too, with a horse carrying one's weight and one's belongings instead of them alone. And, it had become an effective way of travelling.

The snow started to get thicker and colder. And as the winds started to become frigid, the vision became more minimal. Snow blanketed the earth as if it grew there. Trees were often enveloped with an array of snow in the leaves. The pacing still was fast. Horses in Skyrim were very durable; they were not as fast as any other horses found in Tamriel, but they can sustain their endurance at adverse conditions.

It took all morning to arrive to Winterhold, earlier than expected. Even if it was in the middle of the day, Elsa found no warmth in this land. While she was unpacking, her thought focused on how carriages like these were not formally introduced to her from the start. She started to regret spending up all her septims; this was totally faster than she'd been realized. On foot, it may take her a day, and even may not survive because of wild animals or the cold. Great. She took a toll on spending a lot by just illegally crossing the border. But in any case, she was here. And this is all she could've ever wanted.

She looked at the castle almost floating from the sky. In theory, the mountain holding up the College was too thin to support such a big weight. She can see auras of dim light glowing inside the castle; it was very majestic to see such a sight.

"This doesn't even stand a chance compared to the Mages Guild back." She murmured as she fathomed such a guild to be this immensely great.

She quickly started walking towards the bridge, never really minding the steady looks on onlookers and the other townsfolk, but then she was halted by a passing Altmer in robes.

"I'am sorry, but only Mages from-" She stopped. The High Elf observed closely to the young Nord woman standing in front of her.

She paused, her eyes were wide in amazement. She slowly walked around her, living and accepting the fact that a person such as her actually existed.

"You... Have great potential. I have seen a lot of mages here in Skyrim, but judging by your power, you outmatch most of them. How could I have not seen you before?" She looked highly elated by the fact that she could already see strong auras of magic emanating from her.

"Sister, I have come to seek knowledge here. Shall I demonstrate my potential?" She ignited fire from her hands, but suddenly the Altmer closed Elsa's hand, holding it firmly. She stopped, surprised to see that the magic dispelled right after she held it. Elsa could already tell she was a greater mage than she would ever be.

"There's no need to prove yourself. Please, come in. My name's Faralda."

"Elsa." She greeted with a smile.

She was taken to the courtyard. In the center of the College was a statue. It was figured to do some sort of ritual in a well, focusing a beam of magic energy piercing through the sky. It was really a beautiful spectacle. Elsa first thought it was some sort of magical power to balance the College from the cliff.

For a typical new student, it was standard for one to be introduced to your room, but that was not the case for Elsa. Instead of her being sent to the hall for the students, called the Hall of Attainment, she was sent to one of the expert mages and experienced teachers in the College. She was rushed straight ahead to the big door. Inside was an insanely huge but empty hall. One couldn't see or hear the harsh snow pouring in the College. It was just dreaded silence, which deemed a good thing for meditation. Pillars circled around the room symmetrically. There was a big sphere floating just in the middle. Benches also sprawled across the room.

Faralda called out a person who was reading a book in one of those benches. The old man looked at Faralda, and then gazed at Elsa. He was almost shocked to her presence, sensing the aura she was emitting.

"My, my. Surely you are a sight to behold." Tolfdir stroked his beard like an old, wise man. He seemed very pleased at the first sight of her.

"I can sense you're no apprentice anymore. But I can honestly say you still have much to learn. Becoming a student here will change all that." Tolfdir assured her of her stay.

"I would love to learn first before I could do anything." Elsa felt humbled. She had been receiving lots of praises from that day. After all her hard work at such a young age, one can daresay that she can be considered a prodigy. A lot have happened to her, and she hasn't even reached her prime, although she still has much to learn. Elsa may have knowledge, but she lacked experience. She learned all of this in the bandit attack. She could've protected herself instead of being seriously injured from the ambush.

"You can already attend the class by tomorrow morning. First light. The lecture hall will be in here, The Hall of Elements." Faralda explained.

She was then sent to the Hall of Attainment later that day. Similar to the courtyard, the room possesses a well that produced a beam of energy to the ceiling. The hall had two floors, each had six bedrooms in a circle and all were facing towards the beam. The hall was very much smaller making it warmer than the other halls she was at. Faralda walked slower than usual. The room was actually very silent and the only thing making noise was the hum of the beam. An irregular noise can disturb the sleep and/or meditation of the students. Elsa tried to be as silent as possible too. While creeping, she saw students who were sleeping. One was a Nord, another was a dunmer, and a khajiit who just stopped from meditating. Elsa thought that being a khajiit, He could possibly hear anything from his cat-ears.

"J'zargo hears an unexpected guest. Are you possibly a new student?"

"Ah. I'm sorry to have disturbed you." She said quietly. She felt a bit embarrassed because she knew how disturbing a meditation can be. Once, way before her travels in Skyrim, she was staying at a very quiet inn. She started meditating until a loud person busted the door open to her room. He was a very drunk man, who took a liking to her blonde hair which he stated whilst entering the room. Apparently, broken from her focus, she felt a tingling sensation on her brain. It shocked her into reality, so it had hurt a little. A few moments later after closing the room, the door burst much like the case when the brute entered. Spectators looked towards Elsa after that. The room was singed and the brute was lying paralyzed. Although what Elsa did to the khajiit was much different than the drunkard, she still felt apologetic. She began to brush her hair due to her induced memory.

"J'zargo is not worried. J'zargo only has to ask one question before you move to your quarters." His blank stare made her a bit uncomfortable, what he said after was the thing that made her chuckle.

"If by any chance, have you practiced your Destruction magic to an expert level?" even if he was wearing that serious face, she couldn't resist a bit of a chuckle or two. Oh Aedra, I thought he's going to do something horrible to me.

"Actually, I have." Elsa replied with a smile.

"Ah I see. But we still have a long way to go my friend." J'zargo crossed his arms and nodded his cat-head. "J'zargo permits you to leave now."

He was actually a fun person once she actually got to know him. He often spoke in third-person, which she found comical at times. Even when she asks her other colleagues, no one seemed to know if he was actually serious in his dialogues or not.

She climbed up to her room. Everything was empty save the bedsheets and covers. There was a small table accompanied by a chair. Shelves were found atop her bed and there even was a bookshelf just opposite the bed. She finally sat down and tested out if the bed was comfortable enough. It seems okay. Quickly, she drew out all her parchments and notes from her bag and placed it on the shelf. It was about time she can remove those. Oh, the notes are already crumpled. She didn't mind and still continued unpacking. There were several potions she concocted that were still in progress. She however placed it on random shelves in her room, sorting and labeling everything as she placed them on the stacks. After all the unpacking was done, she felt exploring the area a bit. Little did she know that it was actually evening. She noticed while looking outside another empty room with a window. I wish I had this room instead. Even though the sun wasn't present under the snowstorm that was always brewing, she knew it was already dark because she couldn't see past anything outside the window. Downstairs she saw people chatting. They were the same ones she saw earlier when they were taking a nap. J'zargo twitched his ears, sensing her presence upstairs. He looked up and nodded to her.

Maybe I'll introduce myself tomorrow. She happily thought.

She actually felt tired from a strenuous day. At least, it was not as exhausting as the previous days, but she felt good. Achieving a goal made everybody feel that bit of tiredness after all the hardships they faced. She reached Winterhold and that was that. She went to her room, filled with thoughts about tomorrow. Excited? Agitated? Maybe even more. Her thoughts were many. She can't wait to learn a lot of things from the college. She closed her eyes to sleep.