The next morning consisted of practicing spells in the Hall of Elements with Tolfdir and the other Apprentices, including Danielle. Her presence hung heavy in the room with him but she gave no indication that she was thinking about their time together on the roof last night. She was all about business for the time being, and Onmund knew that that was all it was going to be about from now on. She had no reason to treat it as otherwise. So in like fashion, Onmund treated his studies like clockwork, and the morning class went by quickly.

After going back to his room to read up on what he had learned and having lunch with Brelyna and J'zargo, he decided to head back to the training room to practice some more like he used to do. He headed out the door and into the courtyard.

Just then, he noticed a female mage with short dark brown hair and wearing dark blue robes standing by the statue and he nearly gave a start because she starkly resembled Mirabelle. The mage turned around and saw him staring at her. It wasn't Mirabelle. "Hello, there!" she greeted slowly.

Onmund immediately stammered, "Uh, hello…I don't believe I've seen you around here, before."

"I don't believe I've seen you before." She then stuck her hand out. "I'm Colette Marence, professor of Restoration. And you are…?"

Professor of Restoration! he wondered. That's interesting. How come I've never met her before? "I'm Onmund," he spoke. "Apprentice of Destruction."

"Oh! One of Tolfdir's students, then?" she replied, but without seeming impressed. "I'm sure you've heard him talk about me and my school then." There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, which puzzled him.

"Uhh, no," he replied. "Actually, he hasn't mentioned anything about you."

"Well, he will sooner or later," she said. "I'm sure at some point you'll be bombarded with…certain anecdotes about how 'worthless' Restoration magic is and how it 'isn't a valid school of study' and so on and so forth. I'm surprised he hasn't done so already."

Onmund shrugged, not recalling any time when Tolfdir bashed upon any of the schools of magic here at the College. "I have nothing against Restoration magic," he volunteered. "I think it's a perfectly valid school of study."

"Ahh, so you do appreciate it!" Colette exclaimed, seeming very pleased. "So do you know much about Restoration magic? Spells and such?"

"Not really, aside from wards and experiencing the effects of healing spells," he admitted. I wonder if Danielle has met this lady yet, he began to wonder.

"Well! Then, I could teach you!" she declared excitedly. "Of course, that is, if you're interested in learning a few Restoration spells."

"Teach me?" he questioned, not having expected such a response. "I, uh, I don't know…I mean, well, I-"

"I'm not asking you to switch schools," Colette explained with bemusement. "Destruction can still be your primary avenue of study, but it is not unheard of to take on a secondary focus. In fact, one of my students is doing the exact opposite. She focuses primarily on Restoration while studying Destruction on the side. I think it's great to cultivate well-roundedness."

The last time someone said that to me, I ended up getting conned, he thought, remembering Enthir's similar speech. He decided to ask, "But what about that rule that says to only practice spells in your particular school of magic?"

"Oh, for goodness' sake, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do," she said impatiently. "Let me explain it to you. I would give you some books to study and you would study them on your own time, when you have time, preferably after you've finished your primary duties. And then, we would meet maybe two to three times a week in the training hall for about an hour to practice the spells you learn. We could arrange it so that it does not interfere with your primary study and class time. And if it comes to the point where you start feeling overwhelmed, then you can dial back on your secondary school of study. No harm done."

"Hmm," Onmund said, pondering the offer. "Does taking on a secondary school of study make you, uh, move up faster?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Like graduate on up the standard levels?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"No, not necessarily. You move on up the levels- Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master as you hone your skills in a particular school. If that's what you're after, then taking a secondary is probably not recommended. But…I will tell you that certain faculty positions at the College, like professor, Arch-Mage, Master Wizard, and such require you to have skills in more than one area. And of course, some of the most famous wizards in Tamriel are learned in more than one area of magic. Now if that's what you're after then learning as many different types of magic as possible early on is a perfect start."

Well, now that's interesting, Onmund thought. If I did that, then I could be on the fast track to getting a high-ranking position here. I would be one of the most decorated mages at a still young age, and perhaps…be in a position where I could pursue Danielle without fear of backlash. The idea seemed almost crazy to him, but very, very feasible. He decided to give it a shot. What could he lose, anyway? Pushing himself to the limit had always been the best way for him to make progress."All right. I will go ahead and give this a try."

"You want to? All right!" Colette said gleefully. "I will go ahead and have a chat with Tolfdir about it. Then, we'll come up with a schedule for training and study time so that I don't take up any of his class time to train you. He should be fine with it."

"Great," Onmund said happily.

"Why don't you come with me to the Arcaneum, and we'll get some books for you to read before we have our first training session?" she suggested.

"All right," he replied, and together, they went inside and into the Arcaneum. Colette requested two books from Urag- Racial Phylogeny and Withershins. Then, she sent him off with the books.

Shortly after dinner, Colette came into the Hall of Attainment and found Onmund reading the books in his room. "Is this a good time?" she asked him, standing at his doorway.

Onmund closed the book and looked up at her. "Yes. I was just reading one of the books you gave me."

She smiled approval, and then said, "I spoke with Tolfdir. And he said that it was fine with him to begin learning Restoration from me. So, if you want, you can join us in the Hall of Elements. I am having a training session right now with my primary student."

"Okay!" Onmund replied. He actually couldn't wait to finally do some hands-on spells. Putting his book down, he joined Colette out in the foyer and saw that another student was standing there whom he had never seen before.

"Onmund, this is Bridgette," Colette said, introducing him to the student.

"Hello," Bridgette said with a smile. She appeared to be a girl about his same age, tall, with pale skin, full pink lips, and her brown hair up in a ponytail. She was, Onmund, had to admit, striking to look at.

"Hello," he said to her.

"Let's go!" Colette said, and the two students followed her out the door and across the courtyard.

Onmund began to wonder why he had never seen these two women before. He thought he had at least met everybody at the College. Bridgette broke the silence by asking him, "So you're a Destruction mage wanting to learn Restoration, huh? What is a Nord like you doing as a mage anyway?"

Struck by her straightforward way of addressing him, he answered, "Magic has always been an interest of mine. Ever since I was a boy."

"Fascinating," she purred. "I bet it was hard for you growing up as a Nord mage. By the way, Colette didn't tell me that you were a Nord. I just guessed by your tall build and…are those blue eyes, you have?"

"Uh, yes," he replied, thinking, Wow, this woman is kind of intense. He was glad when they finally reached the main hall and went inside.

Once inside the training hall, Colette proceeded to lecture her two students with the standard anecdotes. Since Bridgette was new to the College, she had never heard any of it before, such as the College Rules and Regulations and the importance of magic and such. But, she doesn't seem to be as concerned about the dangers of magic as Tolfdir is, he mused. I suppose Restoration isn't as dangerous as Destruction. I guess I can see why others might be prejudiced against this school of magic. It's more fascinating to go around destroying things than to build them up.

After her lecture, she decided that the first spells that they should practice were wards. Onmund already knew Lesser Ward so he just watched as Colette taught Bridgette the same spell, and then they practiced them on one another. Bridgette knew some Novice-level frost spells, so she was able to hit Onmund's ward with them, and he went easy on her by just shooting Sparks at her ward.

Colette then asked Onmund, "So if I remember correctly, you know some healing spells?"

Onmund shook his head. "I have only experienced the effects of them. I don't know any."

"Professor," Bridgette piped up. "Mind if I show him? I know both Healing and Healing Hands."

"Well…I suppose we have a little bit of the hour left," Colette replied. "Why don't you demonstrate on him really quick? Just walk him through the process but we can teach him to do it himself some other time."

"Sure." Bridgette then looked at Onmund and said to him, "Okay, so pretend you're injured or sick or something so I can heal you."

With an amused grin, Onmund uttered a cry of pain and put his hand on his stomach, pretending to stumble backwards.

Bridgette and Colette laughed as Bridgette went up to him and put her hand on his forehead. "Okay, do you know about the energy channels in the body?" she asked him.

He shook his head.

She began to explain. "There are different channels of energy flowing within a person. For healing spells, we just focus on two of the major channels. One of them is on the forehead, where positive energy flows in. And the other, where the negative energy flows out, just depends on the situation. If you had a wound or a bruise, then that would be one of the spots." She then looked over at Colette and asked, "Is that right?"

Colette nodded in approval and smiled. "That's right. And where is the outlet for negative energy if there isn't an injury or sickness?"

"On the heart," she answered.

"That's right!" Colette replied.

Bridgette looked back at Onmund and said, "Okay, I don't know where you're injured so I'll just put my other hand on your heart." She then did so. Her face was now inches in front of his, and he could see all of the contours on her rosy lips. All of a sudden, he became self-conscious of his heart beating right under her hand. "Now, all I have to do is recite the incantation and concentrate all of my magicka on the hand that's going to channel the positive energy into you. Ready?"

He was about to nod at her to proceed when a voice broke in, "Uh, hello."

Everyone immediately stopped and looked up to see Danielle standing in the doorway. Onmund stared at her in surprise, with Bridgette's hands still on him.

"Well, hello there, Arch-Mage!" Colette piped up as she walked over to her.

Bridgette took her hands off of Onmund and stood in reverence as Colette led the Arch-Mage over to them.

"We were just practicing some Restoration spells," Colette explained. "And I am honored to finally meet the new Arch-Mage of Winterhold. I'm Colette Marence, professor of Restoration." She stuck out her hand and at first, Danielle didn't even seem to notice it as she was busy staring at Onmund. She then looked down and saw Colette's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Colette. I am Danielle."

"Danielle's an Expert in Restoration," Onmund piped up.

"Oh! Isn't that something!" Colette exclaimed with glee. "A fellow Restoration mage! And one that is the Arch-Mage!" She then leaned in towards her and said in a quieter voice, "You and I are going to have to get together sometime and have a talk. I have some ideas for the College that I've been having the toughest time getting through to past staff members. Now I finally have someone who will understand!"

Danielle managed a small smile but still appeared to be struggling to process this new and strange situation so she didn't say anything at first.

Colette picked up on it and offered, "I'm sorry. You and I must get acquainted first, I know. Did you just join the College recently?"

"Yes," she replied. "A little over a month ago."

"Ah, that explains it," Colette said. "Well, like I said, I am the professor for the School of Restoration here. The reason why you've never seen me before is because I was on leave for the past three months in Solitude. You see, Jarl Elisif sought me out to provide some very much needed services to the Imperial soldiers out on the field. They are in desperate need of healers to travel to the various camps and settlements and I was asked to train these healers up. The three months were almost up when the news of the terrible events that had transpired here reached me, and I was forced to return to help rebuild the College. Oh, please tell me, was it true that two Thalmor agents were killed here?"

Danielle seemed to give a start, but then answered, "No, only one. He threatened to destroy the College."

Colette clicked her tongue and shook her head. "This is not going to be good for our reputation with the Empire. I've got to go back to Solitude and finish training those apprentices. But not until everything settles down here. I brought one of the students with me since she's actually interested in learning both Restoration and Destruction. This is Bridgette." She presented Bridgette to Danielle and she smiled. "Well, hello, Bridgette. Nice to have you here."

With a smile, Bridgette responded, "I'm really glad to be here."

Danielle then glanced briefly at Onmund before asking Colette, "Um, may I ask why you have a student of Tolfdir's here?"

What? She doesn't know? Onmund wondered. He had assumed that when Colette had her chat with Tolfdir that the professor would've informed Danielle, as well, since they were jointly in charge of the Destruction school and its students.

"Oh, you mean Onmund?" Colette asked. She walked over to him and held her hand out towards him. "This bright and ambitious individual has decided to learn some Restoration spells in addition to his studies in Destruction."

He saw a look of shock form on Danielle's face. Feeling his face grow warm, he stepped forward and declared, "Surprise, surprise. I'm becoming a Novice Restoration mage as well." He then added as an aside to Colette, "She and I are classmates in Tolfdir's class."

Danielle appeared speechless. She then looked at Colette and asked, "Did Tolfdir approve of this?"

"Yes, he did," Onmund broke in, trying to reassure her. "It's only a secondary focus of study. Destruction is still my primary focus."

"This is a wizard in the making," Colette beamed.

By this point, Onmund was sincerely hoping that Danielle would be overjoyed right now to hear of this news. But she just stood quietly, still seeming in shock. It was not quite the reaction he was hoping for from her, and it made his spirits dip a little.

"I'm so glad that he joined us," Colette continued to gush, not noticing Danielle's disparaging expression. "Being an Apprentice Destruction mage, I can have him teach Bridgette some basic Destruction skills in the meantime, as well." She paused a beat, and then added, "But only if his schedule allows, of course."

Danielle now was appearing uncomfortable. But with her expression set, she said with a strained voice, "Well...I'm sure he will be a valuable addition to your class. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I must be getting back to my quarters. I have some letters to write."

"Good night, Arch-Mage!" Colette said. "I will come by sometime tomorrow."

With a smile that seemed forced, she left them.

Onmund became troubled. She sure was acting strange. I wonder what that was all about? he wondered. As Colette dismissed him and Bridgette, promising to train with them again in a couple of days, he walked back to the Hall of Attainment alone. She actually didn't seem all too happy to hear that I'm taking on Restoration as my secondary. I thought she would be proud of me. I'm trying to push myself here at the College and to really make a name for myself. And I didn't seem to be getting appreciation for it from her- the Arch-Mage of all people. As he walked over to his room and began dressing for bed, he started to worry. Is she changing? Is her new post as Arch-Mage and all the power and responsibility that goes with it all going to her head? He winced as he remembered how she had simply addressed him as "one of Tolfdir's students" to Colette. She could've just used my name. We've been friends for so long that it feels strange not to be addressed in any other way. It actually stings a little. Maybe she really is changing. As Arch-Mage, she probably spends all her time with all of the high-ranking members of the College and no doubt would have to soon interact with officials from all over Skyrim. I doubt she would want to associate with a lowly Apprentice like me, anymore. I should've seen this coming. Suddenly, everything he was doing seemed like a joke- pursuing her, learning Restoration magic, and working so hard in general. No, that isn't right. Pursuing her is the only joke here. Everything else is important and is part of my dream- even learning Restoration magic. Originally, he had agreed to take it on as his secondary because he thought it might get him closer to Danielle, but now, he realized that even with that motive removed, he did find himself interested in learning a diverse set of spells. And Colette thought that he would be useful- namely in teaching Bridgette some Destruction spells. And Bridgette seemed so excited about it, too. For once, he felt like he had a real purpose there at the College. And it wasn't just some vague, lofty goal of trying to be the best Destruction mage or some inane attempt to win over a girl's heart; this purpose was clear and meaningful.

He blew his candle out and climbed into bed, vowing to reduce the amount of distractions in his life and focus on what was important right now- that is, being a good Destruction and Restoration student and focusing on his studies. He vowed to forget about Danielle for good. There was no use trying to pursue her; it was no longer a good idea anyway. So he tried to put away the prospect for good.

If you've read this far into my story, I am very thankful for your support and follows/favorites! Writing this story gave me great joy and it's even a better feeling when others read it and get to enjoy it, as well.

The first time I played through this game, I didn't meet Colette Marence until AFTER the main College quest line, so when I did, my thought was, "OMG! Mirabelle came back to life!"

Bridgette is an OC created by me. I thought it would be entertaining to create a character that was very forward with men- someone who knows just how to keep nice guys like Onmund on his toes! And all that gobble-de-gook about energy channels and stuff was just made up by me and is nothing more than to give substance to the art of Restoration magic and make these people sound like they know what they're talking about!