Author's note:
As usual, I deeply thank all those who are reading this story. This week I've lost a few followers, therefore your support has been particularly welcomed. Apropos, I mainly blame my loss of followers on the lack of romance in the last few instalments; however, if you have other theories/suggestions about it, I'd be very happy to hear them. Also, in the unlikely event that I'm right and that some of you are actually missing the romance, please hold on: things for Agda are about to undergo a drastic change - and that should manage to renew your interest for this story.
This week a very special thank you goes to valtieri, Elspeth, burk and Contrary To Popular Belief. Burk's lovely review managed to lift my spirits, whereas Contrary to Popular Belief and Elspeth showed me that some of you have actually missed poor Stein. I missed him too, therefore it was nice to take a short break from Winterhold and move to Solstheim for one night!
As for Valtieri's always interesting remarks, I must say that I haven't played Dawnguard yet; nonetheless, I've recently started Dragonborn and, just like Elspeth, I'm absolutely loving it. As for Marcurio, at first I quite liked him because of his sassy attitude. Sadly enough, while he and my character were fighting against a bear, a stray dog popped up out of nowhere - and before I could realize what was going on, Marcurio had already killed that poor animal. Therefore, in a matter of seconds Marcurio went from being one of my favorite followers to becoming the best candidate for the sacrifice to Boethiah.
After my disadventure with Marcurio, my favorite follower has become Erik the Slayer (I love his backstory and I adore his chattiness). Sadly enough, walking to Rorikstead every time I need him is quite uncomfortable; therefore, I usually end up fighting side by side with Vilkas.
As far as this update is concerned, it sets the premise for the aforementioned drastic change regarding Agda. The ending is a bit dark, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.
2nd of Hearthfire, 4E 202
The first thing Agda did after meeting the mysterious woman in black was talking to Enthir - or, at least, trying to talk to him. As the stranger had already mentioned, that night the Bosmer was namely having a good time at the Frozen Hearth, the only inn of Winterhold. Agda waited for him for almost an hour, but the tiredness from the previous days eventually got the upper hand; as a consequence, the girl fell asleep on a chair in Enthir's room without even realizing it.
Since Agda's arrival in Winterhold had taken place well after midnight, no one in the College noticed her glorious return from Fellglow Keep until the following morning, when a very displeased Enthir violently shook her shoulder.
"Is there a reason why I shouldn't turn you into a slaughterfish for sleeping in my room?", the Bosmer scoffed as soon as Agda opened her eyes.
As she blinked in confusion, the girl remembered all the things she'd planned to do after returning to Winterhold - talking to Urag about the retrieved books, having a bath, resting for a whole night in her baggy and comfortable sleeping gown... Sadly enough, the meeting with the mysterious stranger had made Agda forget about all those projects. In order to find out more about that intriguing dark-eyed woman, the healer had namely forsaken her tasks in order to reach Enthir's room and wait for the Bosmer to return to the College. Unfortunately, Agda had immediately fallen asleep, whereas her target had just got home after a long night of fun.
"Where were you for the whole time?"
Confronted with Agda's question, Enthir frowned. The girl was still sleepy and had clearly forgotten that she was talking to a superior.
"That is none of your business, bumpkin. Now stand up and leave, otherwise I may change my mind about not turning you into an ugly animal".
Agda made to obey, but immediately noticed that the sword the stranger had given her was nowhere to be seen. Considering that she'd fallen asleep with the weapon on her knees, the young healer was very confused.
"I had a sword with me", she told Enthir. "Have you..."
Before Agda could finish her sentence, Enthir had threateningly raised his hands and made to cast a spell. Even if the Bosmer was smaller than her, Agda couldn't help taking a few steps backwards until she found herself cornered between the man's cupboard and his bed.
"I don't know how you got hold of that sword, and I honestly do not care", Enthir hissed. It was shortly before dawn, therefore no one in the Hall of Attainment could witness that scene. "I'll tell you one thing, though: if you mention that weapon and its owner to any other living being, you are a dead student".
Agda was surprised by Enthir's threat and briefly wondered whether she should talk to the Archmage about it. When the Bosmer finally allowed her to leave his room, the young Nord made her way towards her own cubicle. In that moment Agda promised herself one thing: she wouldn't stop enquiring about Chillrend and its mysterious owner until she finally got an answer to all her questions.
After being rosen by Enthir, Agda had a difficult time falling asleep. As a consequence, she soon chose to ignore her drowsiness and head for the Arcanaeum.
Urag was a grumpy man, but upon seeing the tomes Agda had retrieved he smiled and gave the girl a huge amount of rare skill books. The healer had to admit that the Orc's threatening fangs formed a weird combination with his overjoyed expression.
Before Agda could thank Urag for his gifts and properly rejoice for receiving those interesting tomes, the librarian asked her whether she'd seen the new home of the mysterious object she'd found in Saarthal. Confronted with the girl's confused expression, the Orc sighed.
"I really can't understand how you younglings can be so absent-minded and make your way through life at the same time", he snorted. "In Orsinium, most of the apprentices from this College would end up dead in less than a week. Actually, now that I think of it, many apprentices do end up dead also here in Skyrim", he added as an afterthought.
When Agda gave him a confused look, Urag sighed again.
"Tolfdir and the weird globe of light you found in Saarthal are in the Hall of Elements", he told the young healer. "Can you get there on your own or do you need me to take your hand and show you the way?"
Shaking her head in embarrassement, Agda clutched her new books to her chest and rapidly made for the exit of the Arcanaeum. When she reached the lecture hall and saw the familiar floating orb she'd retrieved in Saarthal, she frowned. For some reason, Agda suddenly understood that bringing that weird globe of light to Winterhold had been a very bad idea.
Agda distractedly listened as Tolfdir described his undying love for the floating orb in front of them. The Eye of Magnus, he called it, and Agda decided that from then on she would use that name to refer to the mysterious item she'd found in Saarthal - after all, Eye of Magnus sounded much better than weird floating thing casting a weird bluish light.
As Agda was nodding to some of Tolfdir's remarks about the Eye, a very crossed Ancano made his way into the Hall of Elements. Over the previous days, Agda had completely forgotten about her job as a spy on the Blades' behalf; yet, as soon as she noticed the fuming Altmer who was striding towards her with a look of pure hatred in his eyes, she was forced to remember about it. Keeping watch on Ancano, retrieving stolen books, killing evil mages, bumping into mysterious women, finding a way to explain Tolfdir that the Eye of Magnus might actually be dangerous... As Agda reflected upon the many tasks that had been presented to her in the previous few hours, she felt a tingle of nostalgia for her quiet life back in Riverwood.
Luckily enough, the healer wasn't the only one to feel confused at Ancano's unexpected appearance. When the Thalmor said that he needed to talk to Agda, Tolfdir namely protested in a very vehement way.
"We are involved in serious research here!", he complained.
As Ancano uttered an insincere apology, his eyes never left Agda's face. At that moment the girl felt the crazy urge to let out a terrified scream and start running all the way from Winterhold to Wayrest - try all she might, she didn't feel ease near that unsettling Altmer.
Despite her fears, Agda eventually managed to calm down and follow Ancano out of the room. She was slightly relieved when the man headed for Savos Aren's quarters.
"What is going on?", the girl asked. "Does the Archmage wish to speak to me?"
As soon as those words left Agda's mouth, Ancano grabbed her by the arm and immediately tightened his grip on her limb.
"Don't play stupid with me, Nord", he hissed while ignoring the way Agda was grimacing because of the pressure on her elbow. "You perfectly know what's going on. Now, before I lead you all the way to Savos Aren's room, I'd like to know why there's someone from the Psijic Order here in the College - more importantly, I'd like to know why he's asking for you".
Agda's eyes widened in shock. She'd never thought much about the weird man who'd appeared to her while she was in Saarthal - actually, she'd even come to the conclusion that her encounter with that Psijic Monk had been a figment of her own imagination. When she heard Ancano's words, however, Agda realized she'd been deeply, horribly wrong.
"I have no idea what you're talking about", she said - and that was actually true.
Something in Agda's terrified voice probably made its way through Ancano's mind. Snarling, the Thalmor let go of the girl's arm and hastily led her to her destination.
Unlike Ancano, Savos Aren seemed really pleased by the visit of the Psijic Monk. The Archmage greeted Agda with an enthusiastic smile, then he introduced her to Quaranir, the man who wanted to talk to her.
The stranger was a tall Altmer with weird yellow eyes and an imposing figure that radiated power and respect. He wore the exotic robes Agda had already seen in Saarthal and exchanged with her a very meaningful glance.
"Now that our little Agda is here, you may want to eat something, my esteemed colleague", Savos Aren told Quaranir. The Archmage had his usual kind demeanour, but couldn't hide the curiosity in his voice. "You did face a long journey to talk to our girl".
Before Quaranir could reply, Ancano took a step in his direction and made to say something. In that moment, everything in the room abruptly swayed and Agda had the unpleasant feeling that time had slowed down. When Quaranir spoke, the girl realized that she was the only one in the room who could hear him.
"We must be quick because we don't have much time", the monk nervously told her. "I'm here to tell you about the item you discovered in Saarthal. As you may have learned, that object is immensely powerful. If it remains here, it will be misused - actually, many in my Order believe it already has".
Agda frowned.
"What are you talking about? And why are you telling me, of all people? You should speak to..."
"You were the one to unveil the Eye, so it's up to you to assure that its power is not misused", Quaranir hastily broke her off. Agda realized that the monk looked very worried. "Unfortunately, I can't help you: the Psijic monks usually don't intervene in this kind of events".
"I don't understand what you mean", Agda frowned. ""What disaster are you talking about? And how can I prevent it from happening? I'm just a simple student and..."
"You'll have to find a way, Agda of Anvil", the monk replied. "You were the one to discover the Eye, and you'll be the one to save Winterhold from disaster. Seek further advice in the Augur of Dunlain".
Before Agda could insult Quaranir for playing the secretive advicer at the wrong moment, the world around her swayed again. The young healer found herself blinking in confusion and immediately realized that Savos Aren and Ancano were doing the same.
Despite the end of their conversation, Quaranir's yellow eyes were still fixed on Agda. The girl didn't miss the slight nod the monk gave her; yet, before she could find a way to further communicate with him, a very angry Ancano looked at Quaranir and snarled.
"What is the meaning of this?", he asked in rage.
Agda feared that the Thalmor had discovered the trick used by Quaranir in order to talk to her. She was already preparing a long string of lies when the monk surprised her by pulling the most innocent face she'd seen in her life.
"I'm afraid I don't understand", he said, confusion well evident in his big eyes.
"Don't play coy", the Thalmor hissed in reply. "You asked to see a specific apprentice of the College. What do you want from her?"
Quaranir blinked in confusion.
"There's probably been a terrible misunderstanding", he muttered while pulling a very sheepish expression. "Actually, I think it's time I left you to your tasks. I'm incredibly sorry for disturbing you; also, I wish you a very good day".
And with those words, Quaranir exited the room in spite of Ancano's outraged screams. By doing so, the monk left behind a very baffled trio of mages - Savos Aren was worried he'd somehow managed to offend that mysterious guest, whereas Ancano was sure that Quaranir had played a trick on him. As for Agda, she was downright shocked: she'd just been asked to enquire about the Eye of Magnus, but had no idea where to start. Also, she was slightly irritated by Quaranir's behavior. How could she prevent that mysterious item from being misused when her only helper was talking to her in riddles?
As she left the Archmage's headquarters, Agda mentally replayed her brief conversation with Quaranir over and over again. Perhaps the monk was simply crazy, perhaps he was luring her into a trap; nonetheless, the girl felt bound to investigate further about his warning. She would start from finding out more about the Augur of Dunlain.
After taking her leave from a very confused Archmage and a very livid Ancano, Agda spent most of the day asking questions about the mysterious Augur Quaranir had mentioned during their meeting. Said questions were usually met with frowns or with exasperated sighs; luckily enough, right when Agda was about to give up hope, Faralda dropped a very interesting comment.
"Oh no, Tolfdir is telling stories again!", she huffed when confronted with Agda's questions. Thanks to that light complain, the girl immediately realized whom she needed to talk to.
Tolfdir was pleased to resume the conversation he and Agda were having before being interrupted by Ancano. The old teacher rambled on about the Eye of Magnus for most of the afternoon, then finally stopped talking. Only then did Agda ask him about the Augur of Dunlain. Just like the girl had predicted, Tolfdir explained her everything she needed to know about the poor student who'd turned into a mysterious oracle after a particular nasty experiment - he told her about the Augur's ability to read the future, about the alleged circumstances of his death, about his talent as an apprentice of the College. At last, the man gave her the information Agda longed to hear more than everything else - he namely revealed her the location of the Augur. The young healer was overjoyed by that success; willing to investigate further, she ventured into the Arcanaeum and asked Urag about the so-called Midden.
The Orc wasn't pleased by Agda's curiosity; on the contrary, he told her that some things needed to be forgotten and that no one was allowed in the area beneath the College without the Archmage's written consent.
As he spoke, Urag nervously eyed a container behind his desk, a fact that deeply surprised Agda. From the tone the librarian was using, it looked as though he knew something about the Midden that he wasn't willing to share.
"I hope your questions are simply theorical", Urag frowned when Agda finally made to leave. "Whoever ventures into the Midden risks a very painful death; also, if they survive they are immediately kicked out of the College".
After reassuring Urag about her intentions, Agda retreated in her bedroom and reflected at length upon her situation. Eventually, she took a quick series of decisions.
By reaching Winterhold and talking to her, Quaranir had risked to end up in troubles with his fellow monks; also, he had relived the feud between the Thalmor and his Order, which was considered a rogue organization by most members of the Dominion. If Quaranir had run all those risks just to warn her, it meant that his worries were founded. Therefore, Agda felt bound to follow his advice, even if that implied venturing into the mysterious Midden and talking to the equally mysterious Augur of Dunlain.
As predictable, the thought of sneaking into a forbidden part of the College and making her way through many dangers didn't appeal to Agda. Nonetheless, she knew that she had no choice: if the people of Winterhold were in danger, she needed to protect them.
While pondering her upcoming task, Agda thought about asking Adaeze for help. Unfortunately, as a common inhabitant of Winterhold, the Redguard wasn't allowed inside the College unless she obtained a written permission from the Archmage - and there was no way Savos Aren was going to grant her that permission on the basis of a very unclear mission.
Even without the Archmage's consent, Adaeze would have surely been willing to visit the Midden with Agda; nonetheless, had she been discovered, the Redguard would have immediately lost her job - and after all Adaeze had done for her on the previous weeks, Agda didn't want her to run that risk on her behalf.
After deciding not to inform her friend of her crazy mission, Agda thought about the other people who might be willing to face the Midden with her. She soon realized that she couldn't ask the other apprentices for help, as she couldn't bear the thought of them being kicked out of the College because of her. Also, by talking to the other students about the Midden Agda risked that some of them would tell the teachers about her secret plan.
While meditating on her task, Agda even thought about asking the Archmage for help. Yet, the girl soon realized that Quaranir had probably had his good reasons for talking to her rather than to Savos Aren. As a consequence, the healer understood that she had no choice: if she wanted to find the Augur of Dunlain and discover more about the danger Winterhold was running, she needed to face the Midden on her own.
That night Agda waited for all her friends and teachers to fall asleep. Shortly before midnight, she left her bed and got dressed in the darkness. For once she was willingly sporting Destruction robes rather than Restoration ones.
Agda was about to leave the Hall of Attainment when she realized that, had she run out of magicka during her adventure, she would have been forced to rely on her little, harmless dagger. Therefore, if she wanted to survive, she needed a better weapon.
Before she could even realize what she was doing, Agda muffled her steps with a spell and drank an invisibility potion. A second later, she made her way towards Enthir's room. The man was in the Frozen Hearth, but the item the girl needed was inside his cupboard.
Carefully avoiding the traps the Bosmer had set to defend Chillrend, Agda used a telekinesis spell to get hold of the sword belonging to the mysterious stranger she'd met on the previous evening. Hoping that no one would see that heavy weapon moving through the air, the girl calmed her nerves by telling herself that she wasn't technically stealing - actually, she was simply borrowing something from a woman who owed her a favor.
Once Chillrend was safely in her hands, Agda looked at it in awe. The sword was pale blue, much unlike all the other glass weapons she'd seen in her career as a trader and as an enchanter. Moreover, everything about it vibrated power and danger and death.
As she strapped the sword to her waist and headed for the entrance to the Midden, Agda frowned. She felt strangely calm, a fact that scared her to death. Was she really venturing into a forbidden place to follow the advice of a weird monk she'd met only once in her life? Yet, it definitely looked like she was.
You could get killed, a voice on the back of Agda's mind warned her.
Or you could survive and save Winterhold from a threat, another voice replied.
Confused, Agda stopped one last time to reflect upon her plan. Exploring forbidden and dangerous places wasn't her cup of tea, but the girl deeply believed that Quaranir had warned her for a reason. As a consequence, she felt the need to act - and she needed to do it fast.
As she looked around the deserted first floor of the Hall of Attainment, Agda accidentally saw her image mirrorer by the pool of magical energy in the center of the room. The person who returned her stare was a determined Nord with a little cut on her neck, a deadly look in her eyes, a magnificent sword to her waist.
Agda was shocked by that sight. What happened to the usual contemplative and whiney innkeeper turned healer?, she wondered as she got a closer look at herself. At the same time, however, that image helped Agda realize that she was doing the right thing and that she actually had a chance at surviving the Midden - after all, given the proximity of that place to the sleeping quarters of the College, it was really unlikely for it to host particularly dangerous creatures. Or, at least, that's what Agda wanted to believe.
Encouraged by that thought, the girl walked to the trapdoor hidden in the Hall of Attainment and slowly lowered herself in the most mysterious part of Winterhold.
Unfortunately for her, someone else in the College had just done the very same thing.
Agda regretted her choice to visit the Midden on her own as soon as she walked down the ladder connecting that place to the sleeping area of the College. The dungeon was dark and cold and damp - but most of all, it was riddled with creepy things such as animal skulls, bones and broken bottles of wine. As she came across the complete skeleton of a deer, Agda frowned: whoever had ventured into the Midden before her had probably had a lot of free time and a very peculiar sense of humour.
Despite her growing anxiety, the girl told herself that she needed to keep calm and reach her goal. After taking a long series of deep breaths, Agda readied a spell in one hand and wieldied Chillrend in the other, then started walking through the Midden. It didn't take her long to realize that the place had probably been used as a secret recreation and training area by generations of students: there were alchemy ingredients scattered around, barrels full of rotten food, tons of mead in each and every room. Unfortunately, the dungeon was also littered with human remains.
When she came across the first human skeleton of the night, Agda felt a cold shiver run down her spine. A moment later, when she discovered a little cell with a bloody bedroll inside it, she even entertained the idea of fleeing the Midden altogether - if the blood stains on the wall meant anything, whoever had been held captive in that place had probably suffered a horrible dead. After casting a quick series of life-detecting spells, however, Agda realized that the creatures (or the people) that had killed that poor prisoner weren't around anymore. Encouraged by that discovery, she resumed her exploration of the Midden.
As Agda walked inside that maze, she actually realized that some of its parts were really fascinating. The girl for example couldn't hide her surprise at the sight of the so-called Atronach Forge, just like she couldn't help but think that the dungeon was probably as old as the College itself.
The young healer explored the Midden at length without coming across any danger. When she eventually spotted an ice wraith roaming a room, Agda sighed in relief: funnily enough, the lack of enemies until then had actually made her nervous.
Hiding behind a stone pillar, the girl observed the weird creature for a long amount of time. She'd read about ice wraiths in books and she'd also used their teeth in many alchemy experiments. Agda knew that they hated fire, therefore she summoned a fire atronach and created a couple of well-placed fire runes. Lured into that trap by the girl's unexpected appearance, the ice wraith died in less than a heartbeat.
Half an hour later, when Agda came across two skeletons, she smiled in relief: she'd feared the Midden to host terrible creatures like Draugr Overlords, but the few opponents she'd encountered until then were all very weak. Feeling particularly confident, Agda faced the skeletons with her spells, then finished them with her dagger. The girl didn't bother unsheating Chillrend: her magical skills were enough for her to dispatch that kind of opponents.
Agda's relief vanished as soon as she realized that the skeletons she'd just killed had emerged from a pit full of human remains. That mass grave deeply upset her and had her wonder what kind of creature had killed so many people at once; Agda also wondered why the College hadn't done anything to retrieve those corpses.
The young healer had an answer to both her questions as soon as she reached the following room. The circular area was adorned by a creepy Daedric relic in the shape of a hand. While cautiously roaming the area, Agda found a book that recounted the way dozens of apprentices had got themselves killed because of a Conjuration ritual gone horrible wrong. After that discovery the girl felt a tingle of uneasiness, which was soon accompanied by the desire to get out of the Midden as soon as possible.
After taking a small damp corridor on her right, Agda quickly dispatched a few frostbite spiders. She also realized that the air was getting colder and colder by the minute, almost as though she was venturing deeper and deeper into the frozen heart of her land.
After what felt like a century, Agda eventually came across the room hosting the Augur of Dunlain. The girl sighed in relief when she finally encountered her destination; at the same time, she couldn't help feeling proud of herself: she'd made it until there, and all on her own. Now she knew how it felt to be an accomplished mage.
Sadly enough, the Augur's news were quick to ruin Agda's good mood.
"Your efforts have been in vain", the oracle said as soon as the girl entered his room. The mysterious Augur of Dunlain was a globe of blue light that was speaking to Agda with a distant and powerful voice. "That which you wish to stop has already begun. Nonetheless, those who have sent you have not told you what they seek - what you seek".
Agda felt the urge to roll her eyes. Why was everyone talking to her in riddles?
"I don't understand what you mean", she admitted when the Augur stopped talking. "What has already begun? And what do I seek?"
"You seek that which all who wield magic seek", the Augur replied while ignoring Agda's first question. "Knowledge. You shall find this: you seek meaning and shelter in Knowledge, but you will not find it. The Thalmor sought the same thing and it shall lead him to his end as it has with so many others".
Agda didn't have the time to think about the words the Augur had just said about her desire for knowledge - the mention of Ancano namely caused her face to become as pale as a ghost's.
"Ancano was here?", she said in disbelief. "Why?"
"The Thalmor has sought my knowledge as well", the Augur of Dunlain replied. "Your path, however, differs from his. Yours is a good path, one untraveled by many - and it is a path that can save your College. I will tell you what you need to know to follow it further".
There was a long pause, then the Augur spoke again.
"You, and those aiding you, wish to know more about the Eye of Magnus. You wish to avoid the disaster of which you are not yet aware. To see through Magnus' Eye without being blinded, however, you require his staff. Events now spiral quickly towards the inevitable center, so you must act with haste. Take this knowledge to your Archmage".
Agda was shocked by the discoveries that quick dialogue had led to. As the Augur disappeared, she thanked him from the bottom of the heart and immediately made her way back to the College. As soon as the young healer left the room of the oracle, however, something heavy connected with the back of her head, letting her fall into a world of darkness.
When Agda lost consciousness because of his blow, Ancano grinned: as a respected member of the Thalmor, he had no intention of allowing that girl to mess with the Psijic Order and ruin his personal plans for the greatness of the Dominion.