Author's note:

As usual, I begin this chapter by thanking all my followers/favoriters/reviewers, old and new alike: your support really means a lot to me!

This week the special shout-outs go to Elspeth, Valtieri, KSausage and Maz1X. I'm really glad that chapter 47 managed to get you hype for the quest in Labyrinthian, just like I'm glad you actually found the battle scene and the fight between Agda and Steinarius rather interesting.

As for Elspeth's review, I'm happy you underlined that poor Stein is still human. Also, I'm very glad KSausage noticed that both my main characters are incredibly stubborn - and this may soon become a problem. Moreover, I deeply thank Maz1X and Valtieri for their kind words. I never expected to be a muse to anyone, just like I was very moved when I discovered that my updates make someone's day even brighter; also, I'm glad some readers enjoy reading my replies to their reviews. I think it's the least I can do when someone uses part of their time to say a word or two about my story! And yes, I do value constructive criticism above everything else. Speaking of which...

Just like KSausage underlined, the Labyrinthian quest is probably one of the most spectacular of the game, at least as far as I'm concerned. That's why I wanted to do it justice - and that's why I decided to split that mission in at least three chapters. Here you are with the first of them, which is also the longest instalment I've ever written (yes, I do have a problems with overwriting). I'm afraid this chapter may be rather far-fetched, so I particularly rely on my faithful readers to know their opinions about it. I've tried to convey the atmosphere of Labyrinthian as well as I could and I also tried to show Steinarius' softer side. Also, I decided to delve deeper into the fates I chose for Agda and Steinarius - hence the title of this chapter. Hopefully I've succeeded in my task - yet, that's up for you to decide.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!


Frowning in worry, Agda stared at the white mare in front of her eyes. Until a few minutes earlier, her decision to venture into an ancient ruin together with Steinarius had seemed perfectly logical. Now, however, the girl was starting to question her choice. Not only had the Dragonborn created one of his usual scenes in front of the whole of Winterhold - he had also hopped on his grey horse and left the city on his own.

"See you in Labyrinthian, if you ever get there", he'd hissed before riding away in the wilds.

Those simple words had caused Agda to awaken from the numbness that had surrounded her until that moment. Labyrinthian was the very stuff nightmares were made of, therefore her decision to go there suddenly seemed very stupid. Moreover, without Steinarius guiding her, the girl had no idea how to reach her destination. Last but not least, upon asking a guard to fetch her a horse Agda hadn't really been thinking. Now, however, she was forced to admit the truth: she loathed animals and had never been a good rider. That adventure wasn't off to a good start, the young mage admitted with a sigh. Actually, she'd be lucky if she managed to climb on her tall mare without falling off the other side.

Despite her fears, Agda knew that she'd gone too far to back down from her decision: she owed it to the people of Winterhold and she owed it to poor Adaeze - but most of all she owed it to herself. Spurred by that awareness, the girl let out a deep sigh and finally tried to hop on her horse. It took her a few attempts that caused poor Snowbell to neigh in annoyance, but Agda eventually slumped on the saddle and took the reins into her hands. Herius, the guard she'd cured from Ataxia a few weeks earlier, immediately approached her and gave her some advice about horseriding. Then, with a loud slap on Snowbell's back, the man set the start to Agda's journey.

When her mare began jogging in reply to Herius' gesture, the mage clumsily held on to the reins, thus causing the horse to let out what sounded like a rather annoyed snort.

"Leave her some freedom and hold on to the saddle!", Herius shouted from the distance.

By the time Agda could even process those words, Snowbell had already taken her far from the main road of Winterhold. Gasping in fear, the girl murmured a silent prayer to the Divines: of all the possible ways to die, she'd never thought she would fall off a horse and break her neck.


Agda's relationship with Snowbell didn't improve at all during the following minutes. The horse namely kept on jogging and constantly ignored the rider's attempt at directing her. Moreover, the mare's movements caused Agda's ribs to throb painfully. Eventually, however, the girl decided to take matters into her hands: she was the one in charge, not Snowbell, therefore that stubborn animal had to obey her orders. Prompted by that thought, Agda tightened her grip on the reins and dug her shins in the sides of the mare. For a moment, nothing happened; a second later, however, Snowbell broke into a fast gallop.

Screaming in fear, Agda completely forgot her composure and hugged the horse's neck. As predictable, that only caused her to lose balance - and when Snowbell bucked in exasperation, the young mage felt her feet slide out of the stirrups and found herself staring at the hard soil of the North. Yet, right before Agda could fall to the ground, a loud shout echoed through the snowy landscape.

"RAAN!"

In reply to that scream, Snowbell's gallop came to a halt, thus causing Agda to gently slide off the saddle. Before her feet could touch the ground, however, two strong arms caught the young mage and prevented her from falling.

"How are you supposed to come to Labyrinthian with me if you can't even ride out of Winterhold without breaking your neck?"

Upon understanding that Steinarius had just calmed her horse with a Shout, Agda was at loss for words. The girl realized she should have probably thanked the Dragonborn for saving her from a dangerous situation, but her faint feeling of gratitude disappeared as soon as she noticed the smug expression on the Imperial's face.

"Say what you will, but I wasn't really falling off the saddle", Agda said. In that moment she was thankful her face mask prevented Steinarius from seeing her blush in embarrassement. "I was just looking at a weird kind of stone".

"Of course you weren't falling", the Dragonborn replied. The self-satisfaction in his voice had now been replaced by a mixture of sarcasm and exasperation. "And I Shouted for my horse to calm down, not for yours".

Only then did Agda notice that Steinarius' grey stallion was a few steps away from her. At the same time, the girl realized that the Dragonborn didn't look like a man who'd spent the previous thirty minutes of his life riding like crazy towards a Nordic ruin.

"You didn't really head for Labyrinthian on your own", the girl hissed when the truth finally dawned on her. "You just pretended it. You've actually been following me…"

"Ever since you left Winterhold, yes", Steinarius confirmed with a nod. When a rather livid Agda made to speak, the man stopped her with a gesture. "Agda, you're probably the worst rider of Tamriel", he said with the usual bluntness. "That's why I hoped you would change your mind if I left for Labyrinthian before you: in that way, I hoped you'd get scared and abandon your plan; then, however, I felt sorry for being mean to you and came back to see how you were doing. I followed you for a while, then I used a Shout to calm your mare. Luckily enough, your misadventure has brought you on the road towards Labyrinthian, therefore this little detour won't cause me to lose any time".

"I could have broken my neck, and all because you wanted to leave me behind!", Agda hissed in anger. The girl was mad at the way Steinarius had played with her in order to make her change her mind. The Imperial, however, reacted to her words by faking a confused expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Agda", he lied. "After all, you weren't falling off your horse - you were only looking at a weird stone on the ground".

Angered, Agda gave Steinarius a shove and walked back to Snowbell.

"If you think these tricks are enough to stop me..."

Confronted with Agda's rage, Steinarius sighed and regained his usual sternness.

"Agda, I don't want to stop you: I just want you to realize that this task is more dangerous than it looks", the Imperial said. "Actually, everything in this world is much more dangerous than it looks".

Much to the Dragonborn's dismay, those words caused Agda to lose what little temper she had left.

"I don't need you to remind me that everything in this world is more dangerous than it looks", the girl suddenly snapped. "After all, I was the one who got tortured inside my own inn, I was the one who was almost strangled by you, I was the one whose face was disfigured by a stupid Thalmor!"

When she stopped talking, Agda realized that she'd screamed that last sentence from the top of her lungs. Steinarius was in front of her, his grey eyes fixed on hers and a pained expression on his face. A moment later, the man sighed and tiredly rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"I'm doing it all wrong", he murmured so weakly that Agda almost didn't hear him. A moment later, however, the Dragonborn resumed talking normally.

"Agda, I stood by your bedside for a week while you were unconscious", Steinarius slowly began when he finally found the words for what he wanted to say. "Moreover, a few hours ago I had to hold Adaeze's hand while she was fighting for her life. It's been a tough two weeks from me and believe me, I can't go through all of that again. That's why I don't want you to come to Labyritnhian with me: if you died, or something bad happened to you, I..."

"If I died, you'd only have to leave my corpse behind and go on with your adventure", Agda harshly said. "Then, at the funeral, you'll be allowed to look at my remains and say 'I told you so'. Doesn't that make you happy?"

When Steinarius' eyes got golden with rage, Agda understood she'd just crossed the line.

"Of course that doesn't make me happy!", the man snapped. "You'll never understand, won't you? You only think of what is best for you and you only rely on yourself because you think you're better than anyone else! You know what, Agda? You are the most selfish creature I've ever met!"

Confronted with those accusations, Agda broke into a surprised hysterical laughter.

"Selfish? Me? I am the one who's risking her life in order to save Winterhold from disaster, whereas you're the one who wants to leave me behind because you're too scared to lose me!"

"I just want to protect you, Agds! Is that so bad?"

"Yes! It is veeeery bad, Steinarius, and all because I don't need you to protect me! I'm a grown woman and an accomplished mage, so I can perfectly look after myself!"

For a moment Agda feared the Dragonborn would say something about her unability to keep safe from Ancano. Luckily enough, Steinarius knew better than angering the mage in that way.

"Agda, I may be brainless or stupid or snappy, but I do care about you", the Imperial confessed after a brief pause. His friend was visibly angry and he didn't want to make matters even worse. "You don't need me to protect you? Fine, but let me at least help you with your task. It's all I'm asking you".

"This is not about me or you", Agda immediately replied. The Dragonborn was surprised by the coldness in her voice. "This is about Winterhold and the mess I made up there. You are absolutely nothing to me, Steinarius, and you'd better keep that in mind".

When Steinarius made to protest, Agda stopped him with a gesture. She knew she'd just hurt him, but she also knew that she needed to get to Labyrnthian as soon as possible.

"Steinarius, right now we agree only on one thing: that we completely disagree", the young mage harshly said. "As a consequence, there's only one thing we can do: stop bickering like two old maids and ride towards Labyrinthian".

Agda didn't wait for a reply: she walked towards Snowbell, then she cast a spell that caused the animal to kneel. After hopping on the saddle, the girl used some more spells to control the movements of the mare - thanks to Steinarius' earlier shout, she'd namely understood she could learn how to ride by relying on magic; at the same time, Agda had realized that she was ready to die to save Winterhold from the end.

If Steinarius thought her selfish, he clearly had no clue as to who she really was.


It took the strange couple of adventurers a few hours to reach their destination. As she and Steinarius got closer to their goal, Agda couldn't help but notice the majestic landscape in front of her eyes. There were a few tall mountains around her and one of them hosted a huge stone statue that seemed to depict a monster. With a shiver, Agda realized she'd discovered one of the most hidden places of Skyrim.

"That's Mehrunes Dagon shrine", Steinarius mumbled as though he'd just read the girl's mind. It was the first time either of them spoke since their heated argument from earlier. "And not far from here lie the mines of Stonehill. This is your last chance to stop somewhere safe and get yourself a supper while I retrieve the Staff of Magnus, Agda".

The young mage rolled her eyes in annoyance, but didn't reply. The emotions of that long day were slowly catching up on her: the excitement from the morning battle, the anger from her fight with Steinarius, her anxiety for the upcoming mission... Together with all of that, Agda also felt tired and weak because of her injuries. Yet, despite her sufferance, the girl was ready to go miles to prevent the Imperial from noticing her problems.

After his little comment about Stonehill, the Dragonborn didn't speak for a long while. Eventually, the silence between the two adventurers was broken by a surprised gasp on Agda' side.

The young mage had just caught her first glimpse of the ancient city of Bromjunaar.


By the time Steinarius and Agda reached Labyrinthian, the sun had already disappeared behind a thick layer of clouds. A few snowflakes were falling on their heads, whereas a cold wind was blowing from the nearby mountains. Despite the dim light and the upcoming snowstorm, the two adventurers didn't fail to notice how imposing their final destination was.

Agda had read many books about Shalidor and Labyrinthian, but the ancient ruins in front of her eyes were nothing like she'd imagined them - as a matter of fact, they were even larger and bigger and scarier. At the same time, however, they had a unique appeal that immediately mesmerized the young mage.

An awe-struck expression on her face, Agda clumsily got off her horse and began walking towards the outer walls of the former city of Bromjunaar. Many flights of stairs led to the inner courtyard of Labyrinthian, behind which Agda could see a few stone archs and many different tall structures towering above her. Combined with the nearby mountains, those ancient buildings created the most breathtaking view Agda had ever contemplated in her life.

Unfortunately, the girl's enthusiasm for Labyrinthian was rather short-lived - she'd just reached the entrance to the city when Steinarius shoved her against the tall walls of the ruins; a moment later, the man covered her mouth with his hand, thus preventing Agda from screaming in shock.

The young mage was utterly outraged by that rude treatment. When a huge shadow loomed above her, however, Agda realized the reason behind Steinarius' harsh manners. A huge dragon had just started flying over their heads - and with his rude behavior, the Imperial had prevented that beast from noticing the two tiny humans who were walking right under its eyes.

At first Agda was very scared by the impressive creature that was flying over her head. When she shuddered in fear, however, Steinarius was quick to lean towards her and whisper in her ears.

"That beast still hasn't spotted us", the Imperial reassured the young girl. "Blood dragons are rather aggressive, but they're not as powerful as some of their cousins".

Despite Steinarius' words, Agda didn't feel better at all. She didn't care whether the dragon that was flying above her head was the most powerful of its kind or not - right then, the young mage only cared about her own safety.

Ignoring Agda's fears, Steinarius gestured for her to stay still and slowly walked towards the entrance of the ruins. At that point, the mage felt the irrational desire to grab the man by the elbow and beg him not to leave her - try all she might, Agda realized with a shiver, she would never become one of those fearless warriors the legends always rambled on.

Much to her surprise, Agda quickly realized that Steinarius wasn't one of those brave fellows either. The man had looked rather nervous upon approaching Labyrinthian and had unsheated his faithful mercury sword well before hopping off his horse - and even now, as he was carefully choosing how to approach the upcoming fight, the Dragonborn looked surprisingly worried.

At first Agda believed that Steinarius' nervousness derived from the fact that she was with him. When a loud growl echoed nearby, however, the girl immediately understood the reason behind the Imperial's unusual worry. Not only was a blood dragon flying over their heads - there were also a few frost trolls roaming the courtyard of Labyrinthian.

Shocked by that unexpected twist, Agda approached Steinarius and carefully peeked over his right shoulder. When she saw that the frost trolls were actually closer to her shelter than she thought, her heart did a couple somersaults in her chest: she still hadn't entered Labyrinthian, but she had already understood that the creatures that dwelled there were probably out of her league. For a moment Agda thought that Steinarius had been right in suggesting she went to Stonehill and met him there after supper.

There was a moment of complete stillness as the two humans remained side by side near the entrance of the ancient city. With a dragon flying above them and a bunch of angry trolls nearby, neither of them knew what to do.

"The trolls are worried by the dragon, so they still haven't smelled us", Steinarius suddenly whispered. His grey eyes were darting quickly from one beast to the other, whereas his hand was steadily fastened around the hilt of his sword. "If you stay here, I may be able to kill at least a couple of trolls before they even realize it".

Agda frowned.

"I see only three trolls", she pointed out. "If you take care of them, then we'll only have to dispatch the dragon".

"You see only three trolls, but there are at least five more patrolling the area", Steinarius replied. "At least, that's what my werewolf senses say".

Agda was shocked by that unexpected discovery. When she visibly cringed, Steinarius was quick to lay a hand on her arm and give it a reassuring squeeze. The young mage was surprised by that tiny show of friendliness.

"I've seen worse, Agda", the Dragonborn reassured her. "I'll go out there and kill the trolls, then I'll deal with the dragon. In the meanwhile, you just stay here and watch my back".

Without waiting for Agda to reply, Steinarius made to approach the area patrolled by the trolls. The mage however was quick to stop him.

"Wait!", she said with more fear than she'd originally planned. "I think you're right: the trolls are too worried by the dragon to notice us. Maybe we could…"

"Sneak past them? No way: I would stumble on a stone and break my neck, or something of the sort".

Agda scoffed. At least, Steinarius knew his limits.

"I wasn't going to suggest that", she replied. "I just thought that maybe we could wait here for a couple of minutes and see what happens. If we're lucky, the dragon and the trolls may even kill each other on our behalf".

Steinarius gave Agda a rather puzzled look. Had he been alone, he would have surely charged at the closest enemy without thinking twice - the girl's presence, however, forced him to be much more careful than usual.

"That sounds like a plan", the Dragonborn conceded after a brief moment of meditation. Upon hearing those words, Agda almost couldn't believe her ears. "Let's do this your way".

The young mage had no chance to rejoice in the fact that Steinarius had accepted to follow her suggestion - as a matter of fact, right then she was too worried about her life to care about that.

It took a couple of very tense minutes, but the blood dragon eventually caught a glimpse of the angry trolls that were roaming the inner courtyard of Labyrinthian – and as it did, it immediately charged.

The whole ground shook when that majestic beast landed, thus causing Agda to grab Steinarius' elbow and squeeze it hard, as though that simple gesture could keep her safe from every threat. A moment later, when the dragon spat fire, the girl closed her eyes and prayed for the Divines to protect her.


The fight between the dragon and the frost trolls lasted for almost thirty minutes. Steinarius knew that Agda was scared to death, so he didn't complain when she gripped his arm and used it as a fleshy anti-stress device. To say it all, the Imperial wasn't at ease himself – had the trolls and the dragon noticed their presence, he and Agda would have namely been in for a very unpleasant battle; moreover, his hiding place behind the walls of Labyrinthian actually didn't make him feel safe – and when the dragon spat a huge column of fire towards a troll that was standing just on the other side of that stone structure, Steinarius understood that his fears were completely founded. As soon as the heat left the dragon's throat, the Imperial acted: he grabbed Agda by the hand, then he ran along the wall until he found a safer shtler. At that moment, he threw his arms around the girl and positioned himself with his back to the dragon.

At first Agda didn't realize what was going on: she knew that the dragon on the other side of the wall had landed on the ground, sure, but she had no idea that a column of fire was about to melt part of the structure behind her back. The mage understood that only after Steinarius hastily took her to a safer place before shielding her with his body, so that the hot fire wouldn't hurt her at all. Caught between fear and surprise and confusion, Agda couldn't help but bury her face in the man's cuirass, let out a terrified squeal and close her eyes in terror. In response, Steinarius' grip on her body tightened, thus giving her a reassuring feeling.

When the dragon took off once again, Agda finally opened her eyes and found herself staring in Steinarius' grey irises.

"You… you shielded me with your body", she muttered in confusion.

Steinarius made to reply, but at that moment a loud crashing sound echoed through whole of Labyrinthian. Surprised, the Dragonborn and the mage carefully walked towards the entrance to the ancient ruins. Once there, they noticed that the dragon's injuries had forced the beast to collapse shortly after taking off. Willing to defeat their enemy, two frost trolls were using their strength to kill that terrible opponent, while all around them laid the lifeless corpses of other creatures.

There was a last column of fire, then the dragon let out a heartbreaking growl and fell lifeless on the floor. The nearby trolls suffered the same fate a few seconds later, when the flames finally ceased to devour their flesh. Agda watched the remains of the battlefield with a mixture of happiness and surprise and relief: her enemies had slaughtered each other without even noticing her presence. Beside the mage, Steinarius didn't seem that relieved.

"Stay here", he told Agda. "I'll go and check the courtyard for other enemies".

Agda felt the urge to scoff, but stifled that desire immediately – after all, she hadn't forgotten the way Steinarius had just shielded her with his own body. The young mage watched as the Dragonborn made his way through the courtyard, his sword in his hand and a steel shield in the other. Agda was surprised by that: she knew that Steinarius often carried shields around, but it was the first time he actually seemed willing to use one in battle.

When Steinarius disappeared behind a weird stone structure that reminded her of a burial mound, Agda felt a tingle of nervousness. Willing to find out what was going on, the mage left her shelter and took a few steps in the courtyard of Labyrinthian. The young Nord was completely amazed by the sight that paraded in front of her eyes: seen from up-close, the former city of Bromjunaar was even more impressive than predicted.

Awe-struck, Agda felt her jaw drop open and slowly walked through the ruins, so that she could analyze every part of the ancient settlement. The girl noticed the many flights of stairs leading to what seemed like the main temple of the former city, she saw the huge arch that marked the closest pass, she examined the nearby peaks to try and name the mountains that were towering over that solemn place. Then, when she finally focused on what was in front of her, the mage felt a cold shiver run down her spine: although she hadn't realized it, two frost trolls had appeared out of nowhere and were now staring at her. Shocked by that unexpected encounter, Agda took a step back and tried to ready a spell. Equally surprised, the trolls stayed still for a moment; then, they let out an angry groan and charged.

Had she been training at the College, Agda would have handled that situation with her usual style: she would have cast a couple of fire runes, she would have summoned two Fire Atronachs, she would have used all the fire-related spells she knew. Unfortunately, the young mage wasn't in her comfort zone – she was on her own, she was in a place she didn't know, she was even facing powerful creatures that she'd never encountered before.

Overrun by confusion, Agda took a couple of stupid decisions: she cast a few frost spells that had no effect on her enemies, then she let out a shrill scream and turned her back to the threat. A moment later, she began running as fast as she could.

Disobeying Steinarius' orders had definitely been a bad idea.


Steinarius looked at the remains of the blood dragon. When the man got close enough, the usual ethereal light coming from the corpse surrounded him, whereas the lifeless body of the beast began to decompose.

Steinarius closed his eyes as the soul of the dragon slowly merged with his own; a moment later, memories of a past that didn't belong to him flooded his brain, thus causing the man to fall on his knees and close his eyes. Overrun by darkness, Steinarius saw lots of humans paying homage to a group of dragons, he saw a majestic beast flying over a city in fire, he contemplated the landscape from a very tall mountain inaccessible to men and mer. At last, Steinarius went through the agony the beast had felt when a Nord warrior of olds had thrust a sword through its thick skull, thus killing it for the first time.

Groaning in pain, the Dragonborn had to hold on to a nearby wall in order not to fall to the ground. Absorbing a dragon soul implied reliving the memories of a foreign creature who'd been relived by Alduin – as a consequence, it usually involved going through a very gruesome death at the hands of the heroes of the past.

When the pain finally began to subside, Steinarius ran a hand through his sweaty hair. He was shaking, whereas his eyes needed a few moments to adjust to the snowy landscape around him. His ears, however, didn't miss the terrified scream coming from the entrance of the city. Realizing that Agda was in danger, the Dragonborn lost no time at all: he called her name, then he began running towards her.


When a desperate voice called her name, Agda turned her head to the source of the noise. Thankfully enough, Steinarius seemed determined to save her from the trolls that were following her from up-close.

With a very impressive calm, the Imperial stopped and rapidly took aim with his bow. A moment later, one of the rabid trolls fell to the ground with a sharp arrow in its neck. The other beast, however, kept on following Agda.

"Go for the stairs to the entrance, throw yourself to the ground and hold on to something!", Steinarius screamed from the top of his lungs. Right then his desire to keep his presence in Labyrinthian well hidden from possible enemies had lost all importance.

When she processed the man's orders, Agda immediately obeyed. She had no time to question Steinarius' extravagant words: if she wanted to survive, she had to trust him.

The young mage finally reached the stairs to the entrance of the city; once there, she did as Steinarius had told her: she laid on the ground and hastily hugged a pillar of stone. When she raised her eyes from the floor, Agda saw that the frost troll was just a few meters behind her; a moment later, however, a loud shout echoed through the nearby mountains.

"FUS ROH DAH!"

There was a noise like thunder, then the frost troll was swiped off its feet by the strength of Steinarius' Shout. The beast flew in the air for what felt like a lifetime, then it landed with a loud snap. When Agda looked at it, she realized that the harsh fall had caused the troll to break its neck and die. Thankfully enough, the stone pillar she was holding on to had resisted the power of the Dragonborn's voice. It was the first time Agda heard Steinarius scream at full force and she was both scared and fascinated by what had just happened.

The girl had finally understood why so many people considered her friend one of the most lethal warriors of Tamriel.


When he finally reached her, Steinarius was quick to take Agda by the armpits and help her to her feet. He quickly scanned her worried and pale expression, then he threw his arms around her. The mage immediately forgot her pride and leant into that embrace, then she buried her face in the man's chest. Steinarius suddenly noticed that Agda was trembling like a leaf.

"It's all over", the Dragonborn said in order to calm his friend. Although he was trying to hide it, he was almost as scared and shocked as Agda. "That troll is dead, Agds. You're perfectly safe now".

The young mage faintly nodded, then she slowly pulled away from Steinarius. When he looked at her again, the man noticed that she was on the verge of tears.

"It's okay, Agda", he kindly told her. "Neither of us got hurt, whereas our enemies are dead. Moreover, your suggestion from earlier worked out just fine".

The young mage was surprised by the way Steinarius was seemingly trying to lift her spirits. When the man frowned, however, she immediately understood what he was about to say.

"Agda, you gave me an excellent suggestion earlier", the Imperial carefully pointed out. "Yet, from now things will get even more dangerous. To say it all, I think it would be better for us to…"

"We're not parting ways", Agda quickly broke Steinarius off. Despite her fearful expression, her voice was surprisingly firm. "I want to keep going".

Steinarius sighed at that. He was doing his best to keep Agda safe, but he knew he couldn't take care of her for the rest of their adventure.

"Agda, we've come to a dangerous place", he reminded her. "This was just the beginning and I'm afraid of what will happen in the next few hours. If you headed to the nearest village and waited for me there, I would feel much better. You've already suffered enough for Winterhold and its people, so no one will complain if you step aside now".

Agda welcomed those words by shaking her head.

"I don't care about what others may think", she weakly admitted. "I only know that, if I stepped aside now, I would never be able to look myself in the mirror again".

Steinarius made to protest, but Agda stopped him with a gesture.

"Steinarius, please", she said with a surprisingly tired voice. "Let's not argue again. You know I'm not going to change my mind".

There was a long moment of silence during which the Dragonborn looked the little mage right in the eyes. Agda was trying to be stoic, but she couldn't deceit him: the Imperial knew her too well to ignore that her lower lip was quivering, that her eyes were full of tears, that her cheeks were even paler than usual; also, his werewolf senses were too heightened to miss Agda's frantic heartbeat and the faint trace of sickness coming from her skin. The Dragonborn perfectly knew that his friend was not feeling fine - yet, he also knew she was too stubborn to change her mind.

With a sigh, Steinarius eventually decided to stop questioning Agda's choices. At the same time, however, he hoped to come across another dangerous situation that could cause the girl to change her mind about that adventure - and in that remote place, Steinarius knew that such situations were going to arise very soon.


Agda was rather relieved when Steinarius stopped questioning her choices and decided to keep exploring Labyrinthian with her. The girl had been scared by the way that troll had almost killed her, but she was still keen on helping the Dragonborn retrieve the Staff of Magnus.

Side by side, the two adventurers slowly made their way through the courtyard Labyrinthian. They both knew they had no time to lose, but they seemed too fascinated by the ancient ruins in front of their eyes to avoid exploring every inch of them.

Steinarius moved through the ancient city with a mixture of caution and elegance that caused Agda to look at him in surprise – with his weapons in his hands and his grey eyes full of concentration, the Dragonborn really did look like the prophesized savior of Skyrim. There was a certain appeal around him, a certain dignity that caused Agda to feel a tingle of pride at the thought that, once upon a time, that powerful Imperial had chosen a simple innkeeper like her as his companion.

Unlike Steinarius, who was walking through Labyrinthian with a mixture of nervousness and carefulness, Agda soon felt perfectly at ease inside those ancient ruins. There was something fascinating about that place, something that drew her there just like some special swords were drawn to the hands of capable warriors. Upon noticing how big and wonderful those ruins were, Agda even made the silent promise to go back and explore more of them with her friends from the College.

The girl's awe for Labyrinthian increased when she and the Dragonborn came across a weird rounded sanctuary in the middle of the courtyard. Inside it there were an unusual dragon shrine and the headless skeleton of a warrior.

Agda was rather shocked by the sight of that lifeless body. Steinarius, on the other hand, simply frowned and examined the corpse. A moment later, he crouched and grabbed a scrap of paper the unlucky warrior had been holding in his hand at the moment of his death.

"It seemed like an easy enough job", the Dragonborn read out loud. His eyes were narrow with concentration, whereas his face sported a worried frown. "Some chinless Breton wants bodyguards for a trip into the mountains. Fine. Easy clink for us.

"The Breton goes on about this twice-forsaken mask of his the whole way. So we get here, he thumbs through some papers and mutters to himself and without so much as a warning, poof: he's put on that mask and vanished. I'd seen cloaks do invisibility before, but a few swings of my fist proved he wasn't pulling that one. Nothing there to hit".

Steinarius made a poignant pause and looked Agda right in the eyes. Neither of them had ever heard of masks that could cause people to vanish into thin air.

"The Breton shows up again, tells us he just needs more time", the Imperial continued reading after a brief moment. "Has to figure out something about other masks, and vanishes again. That was yesterday, and I'm done with twiddling my thumbs and writing letters to myself. We're leaving come sunrise and if he shows up again I promise Azura I'm putting this dagger through his chest to keep him in one place. We'll pull more loot off him dead than he could have paid alive. But not the mask. That cursed thing can stay and rot with him".

There was another moment of silence during which Steinarius looked rather unsettled. Agda, on the other hand, wasn't impressed at all.

"Whoever wrote that, they were probably drunkards", she shrugged. "That mask doesn't look magical at all", she added while pointing at a little wooden manufact at her feet. Steinarius seemed to notice the mask just then and carefully took it into his hands.

"I know what this is", he muttered as though he was talking to himself. Confronted with a confused look on Agda's part, the Dragonborn explained what he meant. "This mask belonged to a dragon priest. I found a similar one when I killed some of those creatures in Solstheim".

Agda frowned. She knew that Labyrinthian had once been a huge center for the dragon cult, but dragon priest masks? That was something she'd never heard of.

"The most prominent dragon priests usually received a mask from the dragons themselves", Steinarius explained her. The man seemed rather unease when confronted with that topic. "Most of those items sported powerful enchantments and were buried with their owners. Now that Alduin is back, the strongest dragon priests have been reanimated too – and they really are tough enemies, Agda".

The young mage frowned. She didn't like the stern look on Steinarius' face.

"Have you met any of them already?"

"More times than I can count", the Dragonborn nodded. "And I can guarantee you that those meetings weren't pleasant at all".

As he spoke, Steinarius absent-mindedly rubbed the black scar on his cheek. That mark was partially hidden by his scrubble, but Agda's trained eyes didn't fail to notice that it derived from a rather recent injury. The girl mentally made a note to ask more about it as soon as she and Steinarius had a moment of peace.

"Maybe we should take that wooden mask with us", she said when she noticed the way Steinarius was analyzing that mysterious object. The man's grey eyes sparkled with a mixture of curiosity and fear and desire; moreover, they had become slightly golden.

"No, we shouldn't", the Imperial announced after what felt like a lifetime. Sighing, Steinarius stood up from his place on the ground and let the mask fall. "If someone wants to collect those masks, let them do it: it means that I'll have to kill less dragon priests myself".

Agda was surprised by the relief in the Imperial's voice.

"Are you scared of them?"

"Of the dragon priests? No, Agda, I'm not scared", Steinarius calmly replied. "I'm not scared, but I'm not stupid either: I can recognize a dangerous enemy when I see one and I know that it takes a rare combination of skills and good luck to take down a dragon priest".

"So you fear them".

"Not exactly: I don't fear them, but I respect them".

After giving Agda that enigmatic reply, Steinarius slowly made his way out of the little burial mound. The young mage, on the other hand, indulged in the weird building for another moment. Eventually, when the Dragonborn called her name, Agda grabbed the wooden mask on the floor and the note written by the dead thug. With a last look at the weird shrine, the girl hid the mask in her knapsack and made sure Steinarius wouldn't notice it. A moment later, she swore to herself she would return to Labyrinthian and unveil all the secrets held by the dragon priests of old.


Steinarius had always hoped to get through Labyrinthian very fast. Confronted with the huge size of those ruins, however, he had to accept reality: that place was so big that he didn't even know which way to go. That's why he and Agda eventually ended up in a rather fascinating structure surrounded by tall walls.

Steinarius was rather puzzled when the young mage increased her speed and walked past him with a completely captivated expression on her face. A moment later, when he found himself into a very large room without roof, the Imperial realized why his friend was so mesmerized by that mysterious area of Labyrinthian: because of his poor orientation skills, they had come across the infamous Maze of Shalidor.

Steinarius wasn't a scholar, but in his teenage years he'd been rather fond of books; as a consequence, he perfectly knew that that structure had been built by the greatest wizard of the First Era in order to test the skills of the Archmages of Winterhold. Those facts were probably enough to explain Agda's fascination with that place; yet, when the girl walked towards the outer walls of the maze without even noticing the charred corpse that laid at her feet, the Dragonborn frowned in alarm and immediately headed towards her.

"Agda, we've gone the wrong way", Steinarius said as soon as he reached his friend. "There is nothing for us here, so we should go back".

Much to his dismay, Steinarius noticed that Agda wasn't even listening to him.

"Agda, do you hear me?", he asked while grabbing the girl by the wrist. "We are losing precious time, so we don't…"

"There is one staff for each magical school", Agda suddenly said, thus breaking the Imperial off. "Restoration, Destruction, Illusion and Alteration. Only Conjuration is missing".

It took Steinarius a while to realize what the young mage was talking about. At last, after following Agda's gaze, the Imperial understood that she was staring at the entrance of the maze, where four magical staves had just appeared from a slot on the ground. When the girl took a few steps towards the entry of the labyrinth and gently touched those weapons, a rather alarmed Steinarius immediately made to stop her.

"Agda, this is not a good idea", he warned her. "Look at that poor charred fellow over there: he probably entered the maze and got himself cooked. We should get out of here, and fast".

When Agda didn't seem to listen to him, Steinarius sighed in exasperation. A moment later, he walked back to the corpse at the entrance of the room and grabbed the note the lifeless body was holding in his hand. The Dragonborn wished that little scrap of paper to contain a vivid description of the horrors inside Shalidor's Maze; he was therefore rather surprised when he realized that the note hosted a weird riddle he'd never heard before.

"Enter twice - exit only once", he read out loud. "Alteration…

"Alteration will lead you to Destruction", Agda continued from there. To Steinarius' shock, the girl was quoting the note by heart, "Only Illusion shows the way to Restoration. Conjure not, but be conjured instead".

Before Steinarius could ask her why she knew about that riddle, Agda did something completely unexpected: she opened the door to the labyrinth by summoning a globe of light, then she disappeared inside that ancient maze.


Being a mage, Agda knew everything about the great Shalidor and his research. In particular, being a mage from Winterhold, the girl knew all the stories related to the creation of Shalidor's Maze and the way that structure had been used for centuries in order to choose the new archmages of her college. As a consequence, when she found herself in front of that majestic labyrinth, the young Nord couldn't help but venture inside it.

Agda actually didn't know what irrational force had drawn her there and realized the extent of her mistake only when she found herself alone inside the maze. Yet, even then the girl didn't feel worried in the slightest: she only sensed a great wave of peace washing over her, almost as though all her life had led her to that decisive moment. Spurred by that idea, Agda ventured further into the labyrinth. She didn't care about the way Steinarius was desperately calling her name, just like she didn't care about the many skeevers she encountered on her path: right then, Agda could only think of the riddle she'd said out loud a few minutes earlier.

Just like the girl expected, she was soon asked to use a Destruction spell in order to access the following part of the maze. Once there she relied on her knowledge of Illusion and Restoration to reach the weird Conjuration sigil on the wall.

Agda had always wondered what the last line of Shalidor's riddle meant.

"Not to conjure and to be conjured instead", she repeated.

Hopefully, that weird sigil on the wall would soon help her disclose that secret.


Steinarius had never been so scared in his whole life – or, at least, he'd never been so scared in the last three years. First a dragon and two frost trolls had threatened both him and Agda; then another foul creature had almost hurt his friend; now, instead, said friend had willingly abandoned him in order to venture into a maze.

As he desperately tried to summon a magelight and enter that damned labyrinth, Steinarius couldn't stop cursing himself for allowing Agda to follow him into Labyrinthian. He should have tied her to a stone, he thought: after all, with her careless behavior, that girl was seriously putting their lives in danger. To say it all, the Dragonborn was utterly shocked by Agda's attitude: until a few minutes earlier he had namely had no idea that the once wimpy innkeeper could be so brave as to venture in Shalidor's Maze without him. During her time in the Colege the young Nord had probably become a very good mage. Despite that awareness, Steinarius could do nothing to ease the anxiety he was feeling at the moment. Willing to keep his friend safe, the Dragonborn banged his fist once again on the huge gate to Shalidor's Maze.

Had Agda got out of there alive, Steinarius thought, the would have used the legendary force of his voice to give her a decent scolding. He was a warrior, for Talos' sake, not some kind of nanny for capricious mages!

All of a sudden, the Dragonborn's attention was drawn by a loud explosion. When he turned his head, the Imperial deadpanned: Agda had just emerged from a globe of light together with three angry Atronachs and a Dremora.

Steinarius was completely shocked by that sight: in his life he'd hunted with the Companions, he'd fought in the Civil War, he'd ventured in many different ruins long before Alduin and his friends started roaming the skies of Skyrim; yet, he had never seen a Dremora from up-close.

Upon realizing that that creature was keen on harming Agda, the Dragonborn let out a yell and charged. Before Steinarius could even approach his target, however, another loud explosion caused him to fly a few meters away and hit his head against the hard stone wall of the maze. As the man slowly slid to the ground, he saw a curtain of fire in front of his eyes. A moment later, everything in Steinarius' world slowly became black.


Agda paid little attention to the explosion that took place right after she killed the Fire Atronach her enemy had summoned, and she paid even littler attention when the Frost Atronach evoked by the Dremora followed the same fate. Not to Conjure, but be conjured instead, she thought - apparently, that foul creature had been waiting for her to cast a Conjuration spell to summon her to another dimension, then he'd taken advantage of her to reach the plane of Nirn.

Agda had actually been rather surprised by the Dremora's unexpected appearance; yet, she dispatched that creature and its Atronach allies much more rapidly than predicted. Thanks to a lovely combination of fire runes, defensive wards and Conjuration magic, the young Nord quickly killed her enemies - and as the Dremora crumbled to ash, Agda got hold of the precious diadema the creature had sported until a few minutes earlier.

Fascinated by that jewel, the young mage carefully analyzed its precious enchantment. Upon realizing how silent the courtyard of the maze was, however, Agda noticed that something was wrong, deeply and horrible wrong – and only then did the girl notice that Steinarius was laying unconscious on the floor.

Cursing under her breathe, the girl hung the diadema around her neck and ran up to the injured Imperial. She slowly turned him on his back, then she carefully checked the man's vital signs. Apart from a bluish bruise on his temple, the Dragonborn looked completely unhurt.

Sighing in relief, Agda laid her hands on the Imperial's chest and cast a quick restoration spell. Thanks to the diadema she'd put around her neck while running towards Steinarius, that effort cost her less magicka than usual; at the same time, Agda noticed that her health conditions had got much better: she wasn't feeling dizzy anymore and the pain in her ribs had finally subsided. It looked like venturing into Shalidor's Maze had been a very good idea.

There was a little whimper, then Steinarius slowly stirred. A moment later, the man opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Agda. Feeling proud of her victory against the Dremora, the girl smiled at him; the Dragonborn, on the other hand, was quick to slap her hand away as soon as the girl tried to touch him.

Judging from his expression, the Imperial was livid at the way Agda had ventured into Shalidor's Maze without him - and upon remembering the way he'd defended her from their enemies less than thirty minutes earlier, the girl realized that her behavior had been utterly inappropriate. At the same time, however, Agda noticed that she didn't really care about the Imperial's rage.

It was high time Steinarius stopped considering her a gutless innkeeper with no skills whatsoever - and hopefully enough, her successful adventure in Shalidor's Maze would help the Imperial change his mind about her. After all, Agda thought, she wasn't a fearful girl anymore - quite on the contrary, she was a grown woman who had just survived an ancient test to prove the skills of the archmages of Winterhold. As a consequence, the young Nord felt even more determined to accompany the Dragonborn in his quest throughout Labyrinthian.