Author's note:
With a short delay on my usual schedule (which is entirely to blame on a very popular game called Dragon Age: Origins), here I am with a new update. First of all, however, I want to thank all my readers and followers and reviewers: you really are the best!
As for the reviews, I must say that I was very happy to see that everyone welcomed Steinarius and Agda's newly found peace with enthusiasm - and hopefully this chapter will live up to your expectations. Anyway, on to the individual replies:
As for KSausage's questions, I must admit that I never thought about how beds could actually survive in ancient ruins. It would be interesting to find an explanation - and since we're at it, I'd like to know how the Dragonborn can eat apples inside old Nordic tombs and live to tell the tale. Shouldn't they be rotten after all those centuries spent in a barrel?
As for Maz1x's comment, I'm really happy to see that you enjoyed the previous chapter. Also, I was very amused at how you scared your colleague. Speaking of which: your reviews often have me squeal like a little girl while I'm at work - luckily enough I don't share my office with anyone.
Among the many people who reviewed instalment 50, I do have to thank MeanE for their very suggestive and amusing image. I actually wanted Stein to tell Agda something along the line of "We should stop checking which of us has a longer ****", but I eventually decided to avoid that because I didn't know whether a sentence like that would make sense in English. Well, now I know it does!
As for Elspeth and kaibaeskyrim, I really do thank you for your kind words. Steinarius and Agda still have feelings for each other, but they need to work them out - in the meanwhile, sweetness without kisses is assured ;)
Last but not least, a great thank you goes to Valtieri for their interesting question. In my head-canon Steinarius is 27, whereas Agda is 24 (23 at the beginning of the story). Now I'm curious, though: did you and the other readers believe them tobe younger or older?
While I wait for the eventual replies to my question, here I present you with a new chapter. In this instalment I tried to balance a little bit of action and a little bit of dialogue - and hopefully the mixture will be interesting.
Enjoy!
21st of Hearthfire, 4 E 202
Agda woke to an inviting aroma filling the chamber where she was sleeping. For a moment the mage frowned in confusion: if her memory wasn't failing her, she'd fallen asleep in Labyrinthian; but if her memory wasn't failing her, then why was she surrounded by the smell of venison soup?
Spurred by that question, the young woman opened her eyes and sat up on her bed. That movement caused her to feel a light wave of dizziness, but it didn't cost her any effort. Pleased by that fact, Agda examined the room where she was staying in order to discover what was going on. It didn't take her long to see that Steinarius was crouching near a little fire - and it didn't take her long to realize that the man was already up and running.
"Good morning", the Imperial said with one of his crooked smiles. Agda was pleased to notice that the bandages around his shoulder were perfectly clean, whereas his grey eyes had regained some of their natural calmness. "My arm is perfectly fine", Steinarius said as though he'd just read Agda's mind. "And if my werewolf senses are right, you are fine too: your heart is beating normally and you don't smell like blood anymore".
Agda blushed when the Imperial mentioned his uncommon powers - even after all that time, she found it creepy to know that he could hear every single beat of her heart.
"So yesterday you knew I was lying", the girl said when she realized the implication hidden in Steinarius' words. "Your werewolf senses allowed you to know that I was feverish, yet you..."
Steinarius stopped Agda with a gesture.
"I thought we'd agreed to leave the past behind", he said. The man was smiling, but his expression was somewhat stern at the same time.
Urged by those words, Agda made an effort to recall the events from the previous night. The mage recalled the embarrassement she'd felt when Steinarius had helped her out of her undershirt, the way she'd fallen asleep on the man's chest, the way he'd stroked her hair after she'd woken up in the middle of the night in order to drink some water. But most of all, the young mage remembered the calm conversation she and Steinarius had had. Yes, Agda thought: after that night, she'd definitely left her past misunderstandings with the Dragonborn behind.
"You are right", the girl admitted with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry for bringing that up again. Let's leave the past behind and try to behave like normal people, shall we?"
After saying those words, Agda stood up from her bed. Her bare feet immediately came in contact with the cold pavement of the chamber, but the young mage didn't feel bothered at all: Steinarius' shirt and her Nord blood were namely enough to keep her warm.
"You do look quite relaxed", Agda pointed out after approaching the Dragonborn. Steinarius' expression was namely much calmer and satisfied than usual.
"I am relaxed", the Imperial admitted. "Actually, I'm euphorical too".
Agda raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Why would that be?"
"I'm euphorical for a very simple couple of reason, Agda. First, this is the day we retrieve the Staff of Magnus and slay Ancano. Second, we've finally agreed to start behaving like adults. Actually, this morning I feel so adultish that I even cooked us breakfast".
Only then did Agda notice that the pleasant aroma she'd smelled a few minutes earlier came from the soup Steinarius was cooking. At the same time, the girl realized that the Imperial's right hand was covered by a bandage.
"I burnt a finger while trying to light a fire", Steinarius admitted when confronted with Agda's questioning gaze. "I normally use a Shout to do that, but I didn't want to wake you".
Agda was moved by that little display of tenderness; at the same time, however, she noticed that the small room where she was staying was slowly getting overrun by smoke. As the minutes went by, it even became difficult to breathe, a fact that caused Steinarius to cough violently more than once.
"Shouldn't we open the door?", Agda asked when the Imperial was shaken by another violent fit. "This room is quite small and has no windows at all. I think that's why you're coughing: the fire is producing too much smoke".
Steinarius' eyes widened in surprise.
"I hadn't thought of that", he admitted with a very surprised tone. "I'll open the door immediately, so that the smoke will stop bothering me. Geez, I almost cannot breathe!"
When Steinarius made to open the door, however, Agda had to stop him by grabbing his elbow: had she not been there, the Imperial would have ended up head first into the nasty trap he himself had set on the previous evening.
"I hadn't thought of that either", the Imperial confessed when Agda explained him why she'd stopped him so abruptly.
Confronted with that reply, the young mage deadpanned.
She had no idea how a clumsy man like Steinarius had survived that long on his own.
Breakfast went by calmly - and she began eating her soup, Agda had to admit that Steinarius was a far better cook than she'd ever thought.
"I needed to get some weight off my knapsack, that's why I cooked", the Dragonborn shrugged when the girl expressed her surprise. "And then, I would make lunch quite often back when Vigdis was ill. Don't get used to that, though: I've forgotten most of the recipes I learnt, so my skills have got much worse over the last few years".
Agda frowned when Steinarius mentioned Vigdis, a fact she herself didn't know how to explain. When the man asked her whether she was fine, the young mage nonetheless nodded. At the same time, she wondered whether she should tell the Imperial about her meeting with Farkas and Vilkas, the two wolf twins who had helped her reach Winterhold.
"You know, I met some Companions the other day", Agda said after making up her mind. She would have liked to tell Steinarius about the weird behavior of the two twins, but first she wanted to know what the man thought of them. "They're two brothers".
"Vilkas and Farkas", Steinarius immediately said. His expression had turned stern as soon as Agda had mentioned the Companions. "Is there a reason why you're telling me about this?"
Confused by the frown Steinarius was wearing, Agda stalled for a moment.
"Not really", she eventually replied. "I just... I just thought you'd be glad to hear it".
Steinarius sighed, then he slowly ran a hand through his blonde hair, just like he did whenever he was facing an unpleasant conversation.
"The day my son died, I punched Vilkas in the face", the Imperial said with a grimace. "A few seconds later, I called his brother an idiot. They were my best friends, but I'm afraid they no longer care for me - and neither do I for them".
Surprisingly enough, those words caused a sudden flow of images to run through Agda's mind. The girl saw a starless sky above her, a patch of blood-stained snow below her, a huge black werewolf fighting for dear life against a pack of frost trolls. A moment later, the vision was over.
"Are you okay?"
When she reopened her eyes, Agda was confronted with Steinarius' worried gaze.
"I'm... I'm fine", she lied while trying to steady her voice. "It's just... I think we should get moving. We don't have any time to lose, do we? Oh, and thank you for the soup. It was delicious"
Steinarius watched in confusion as Agda finished her breakfast and grabbed her knapsack. He couldn't know that, although the girl had made peace with him, the other ghosts from her past were still bothering her with their presence.
Now that she and Steinarius had decided to behave like grown-ups, for Agda venturing through Labyrinthian was much more pleasant. The girl had brewed a few useful potions before leaving the room where she'd slept, then she'd changed the bandages the Imperial had sloppily wrapped around his shoulder. After slipping into their armors, Agda and the Dragonborn had finally resumed their search for the Staff of Magnus. At first Steinarius didn't want the girl to cast any spell, but he changed his mind after Agda dispatched a very menacing draugr with just one fireball. From then on the Imperial agreed to fight side by side with the young mage - and unfortunately for the evil creatures that dwelled in Labyrinthian, that choice proved to be very succesful.
Ever since he'd left the Companions, Steinarius had never enjoyed venturing through ancient ruins with other people. Having a follower meant that enemies were easier to kill, sure, but it also meant that Steinarius had to pay a lot of attention to the trajectory of his Shouts and to the violence he usually put in his attacks. With Agda, however, the Dragonborn had no worries of that sort. He and the young mage namely created a very efficient strategy that allowed them to save energy and to kill a very high number of enemies at once: they would hide in a safe place, then Agda would cast a spell to detect how many adversaries they were about to approach. The mage later proceeded to summon a powerful Atronach and create a deadly path of fire runes, whereas Steinarius used a complex system of gestures to tell her what he had in mind. After that, the Atronach usually lured the enemies towards the traps Agda had set - and once his opponents were close enough for the young mage to use her spells, Steinarius would charge in too. Trapped between Agda's magic, the Atronach's fireballs and Steinarius' sword, none of the creatures who dwelled in Labyrinthian could survive - at least, that was until the two uncommon allies reached the last chamber of the ancient city of Bromjunaar.
Agda was pleasantly surprised by Steinarius' renewed trust in her. The man namely asked her for advice whenever they were in a difficult situation, he often followed her suggestions, he even backed down when the girl claimed she could kill their enemies on her own. On top of that, Steinarius was unbelievably chivalrous: he would offer Agda food and water every time she looked tired, he would wait for her despite his desire to return to Winterhold as soon as possible, he even volunteered to carry her bridal-style when they were forced to walk through a little stream of water. Agda was surprised by that change - and she was even more surprised when Steinarius admitted that, all in all, fighting with her wasn't that bad.
"It's the first time I have a good time fighting with a mage", the Dragonborn confessed when he and the girl stopped for a brief pause. "That's why I actually didn't want you to do the fighting the other day: the only time I hired a mage to travel with me, I almost killed him with my bare hands".
"Did he hurt you with a spell?", Agda asked. Steinarius' confession hadn't surprised her at all. "Unfortunately, it happens even to the best of us".
The Imperial shook his head.
"Actually, Marcurio and I didn't have any problem while fighting. He's arrogant and self-important, sure, but we made our way through a bandit camp without too many problems. Yet, right when I was thinking of recruiting that weird Imperial for the Blades, we came across a stray dog - and that's when that stupid sellsword revealed himself for what he truly is: a heartless jerk with the brains of a skeever".
Agda was surprised by the anger in Steinarius' voice: she knew that a man named Marcurio worked as a sellsword in Riften, but she'd never heard anyone say such bad things about him.
"I happen to like animals", Steinarius said when confronted with Agda's questioning gaze. The girl already knew about that: after a night of heavy drinking back in Riverwood, the Dragonborn had even admitted that his biggest dream consisted in buying a horse farm and becoming an accomplished breeder. "That's why, when I met that stray dog, I immediately took a liking to him. After I gave him some food, that tiny animal started following me around. I was already thinking of adopting him when we suddenly came across a bear - and in the heat of the fight, the dog accidentally bit Marcurio's calf. Before I could even realize it, that jerk had chucked a fireball at my new friend, who had been turned into ash by that spell. That's when I decided I would no longer fight with a mage; also, after Barkey's gruesome death I decided that one day I'll go to Markarth and buy myself a dog. Oh, on a side note, that was also the first time I shouted someone off their feet in cold blood".
Agda was saddened by the unexpected ending of Steinarius' tale; yet, the regret in the Dragonborn's voice somehow managed to amuse her.
"I didn't know you loved dogs so much. Now I know what I can buy you for your namesday", the young mage joked. "Also, I didn't know you were so sensitive about animals".
"No one is perfect", Steinarius shrugged. From his expression, Agda could see that the fate of that unfortunate stray dog still bothered him greatly.
"What happened to Marcurio?"
"He lost consciousness when I Fusrodahded him, then I left him to rot in the woods around Riften. I don't know what's been of him, but I sincerely hope he came across a heartless mage like him".
Agda was surprised by the resentment in Steinarius' words and she was even more surprised by his rage. When a booming voice caused her to lose balance, however, the girl immediately forgot about Marcurio and poor Barkey.
"Come: face your end", that mysterious voice said.
When Steinarius grabbed her by the elbow and helped her stay upright, Agda realized that all of her magicka had been mysteriously drained by the enemy who wielded that powerful voice as a weapon. A moment later, she and the Imperial came across the huge door that led into the last chamber of Labyrinthian.
It was time for Agda and Steinarius to put their newly found alliance to test.
As she and Steinarius walked inside the last chamber of Labyrinthian, Agda couldn't stifle a surprised gasp. The girl had never witnessed anything like that: that huge room was namely one of the biggest indorr places she'd ever seen. There were many flights of stairs, a cobbled road leading to what looked like bridges made of stone, there were even a few tall waterfalls; but most of all, Agda noticed, that chamber hosted two ghostly wizards who were keeping a mysterious creature trapped inside a globe of magical light.
"For Shor's beard!", Steinarius murmured from a point above the girl' shoulder. Right then Agda realized that that sight was even weirder than it looked.
"The final chambers of Nordic ruins usually aren't like this", Steinarius explained when confronted with the mage's confused gaze. "They're creepy and huge, sure, but normally they don't feature a dragon priest trapped by two mage thralls".
Only then did Agda realize who the ghostly figures in front of her eyes were. During her adventure the girl had often come across visions that showed her the development of Savos Aren's crazy mission throughout Labyrinthian - and now the young Nord knew what had become of the last two mages from that expedition.
"Aren left his fellows behind in order to seal that dragon priest away", Agda said in shock. "He doomed them to this horrible fate just so that he could make it out of here alive. It's..."
"Horrible, I know". Beside Agda, Steinarius looked rather horrified too. "By the way, their sufferance is now over: I think we'll have to defeat those mages to free that dragon priest from its trap".
Agda barely registered those words: she'd always considered Savos Aren a honorable and wise mage that could offer her guidance and knowledge, therefore she was shocked to discover that he had condemned two of his friends to that horrible destiny just in order to escape Labyrinthian and the wrath of its inhabitants. Luckily enough, Steinarius was quick to bring the girl back to reality.
"Agds, I know that you're probably shocked, but we need to act fast if we want to make it out of here alive", he said. His grey eyes were fixed on the globe of magic light containing the trapped dragon priest. "The Staff of Magnus is in the hands of that creature - Morokei, if my memory doesn't fail me. We'll have to kill him if we want to get that weapon - and if we want to kill Morokei, we'll probably have to release him first".
Agda felt a cold shiver run down her spine: releasing Morokei from his trap seemed like the worst thing anyone in her situation could do.
"I don't know how to kill a dragon priest", the young mage admitted. By then she was almost trembling with fear and anxiety.
"Luckily for you, I do", Steinarius said. While speaking, the man laid a reassuring hand on Agda' shoulder. "If you follow my plan, I promise you'll make it out of here unscathed".
For a moment Agda felt the urge to differ. When she mirrored herself in Steinarius' placid grey eyes, however, an unexpected feeling of calmness slowly washed over. That man was meant to slay Alduin and had already defeated a few dragon priests - and with him by her side, Agda felt like she had good chances to succeed in her mission.
Over the course of the previous hours Agda had had many occasions to see Steinarius fight; yet, nothing had prepared her for the change the man underwent after coming across Morokei. All of a sudden the clumsy Imperial Agda knew disappeared, leaving a frightening and determined warrior in his wake. When confronted with the hardened gaze of this new Steinarius, Agda almost trembled in fear.
"I've analyzed the chamber carefully and I think I've come up with a plan", the Imperial said after walking through that big room for a few minutes. His steps were surprisingly light, whereas his expression was deadly serious. "I'll need your help, though".
Agda was surprised when Steinarius asked her for assistance. The girl briefly entertained the thought of leaving the man alone in the upcoming fight, but she soon realized that she'd gone too far to back down: after everything she'd said about her new skills, it was high time she showed Steinarius how good she actually was.
"We'll do it this way", the Dragonborn slowly explained when Agda finally offered him her help. "I'll walk up to Morokei and try to hurt him with my sword. If it works, fine - otherwise, you'll take care of the thralls who are keeping him trapped in that globe of light. You'll kill both of them, then I'll deal with the dragon priest. Alright?"
Agda nodded, then listened carefully as Steinarius advised her on how to take advantage from the room where the battle against Morokei was about to take place.
"And Agda, one last thing: if I tell you to do something, do it without protests", the Dragonborn said once his explanations were over. "And if I tell you to run, go for the exit of these ruins as fast you can: dragon priests are powerful, but they're not very quick".
As soon as she listened those words, Agda frowned.
"Stein, if you think that I'll leave you behind, you're..."
"I'm mistaken, I know", the Imperial sternly replied. "Yet, I'd be very happy if for once in your life you could follow my suggestions".
There was a moment of tense silence, then Steinarius sighed.
"I'm sorry", he said. "I promise I won't criticize you again. You can't blame me for trying to keep you safe, though".
Agda scoffed, then cast a glance towards Morokei. The sight of that trapped creature reminded her of the risk she was about to run and caused a sudden rush of nausea to run through her body. As though he could sense her uneasiness, Steinarius took advantage of that moment to tilt Agda's chin towards him and look her right in the eyes. The girl knew that she was wearing a very worried expression and was rather surprised when she was confronted with the Imperial's calm gaze.
"Everything will be fine", Steinarius told her at that point. "I have defeated Miraak, I'll take care of Morokei too".
Although she had no idea who Miraak was, Agda faintly nodded. When he noticed that she was trying to be brave, Steinarius smiled and gently pinched the tip of her nose, just like he'd often do when they were two simple friends back in Riverwood. A moment later, the Imperial and Agda parted ways and went to take up their fighting positions. As he looked at his companion, the Dragonborn sighed: he deeply hoped he could get that little mage out of that situation unscathed.
As she positioned herself behind one the ghostly thralls, Agda felt her own heart beat madly in her chest. She knew that Steinarius could hear it too and for a moment that awareness made her unease. Yet, when her eyes met the Imperial's grey irises, the young Nord suddenly felt relieved: she had the most powerful warrior of Tamriel by her side and was ready to face the biggest challenge of her career as a battle mage - and, to say the truth, right then she couldn't wish for a better companion.
As Steinarius slowly walked towards Morokei, the final chamber of Labyrinthian was overrun by perfect silence. Agda saw the Imperial approach the trapped dragon priest, which remained perfectly still for the whole time. Then, Steinarius gestured for her to attack the first of the thralls.
Despite her trembling hands, Agda summoned a Fire Atronach and forced it to attack one of the ghostly thralls while she focused her efforts on the other. The trapped mages seemed surprised when the first spells hit them - yet, when they crumbled into ash, Agda believed she'd seen a glimpse of relief in their glassy eyes.
Despite that brief sensation, the young Nord had no time to think about the destiny of those unlucky men - when Morokei snapped his eyes open and shrieked in anger, Agda could only scream for Steinarius to be careful and look for a safe shelter from which she could cast her deadly fireballs.
While the young Nord was busy killing the ghostly mages, Steinarius followed her movements with his eyes. Then, when Morokei finally broke free, the Dragonborn was quick to smash the hilt of his sword against the dragon priest' head. Under other circumstances, the undead's baffled reaction would have actually been funny - yet, when Morokei let out a rageful shout and cast a powerful spell, Agda's amusement immediately disappeared. When a shock spell moved towards Steinarius at full speed, the young Nord screamed and closed her eyes in horror. When she reopened them, she was shocked to see that Steinarius had become as ethereal as a ghost and that Morokei' spells had had no effect whatsoever on the Imperial. Taking advantage of that, the Dragonborn circled his enemy and tried to run his sword through his chest. There was a loud shriek, then Morokei turned towards Steinarius and used a powerful Shout to try and swipe him off his feet. The Imperial was quick to dodge the attack and was even quicker to retrieve his sword, which had fallen to the ground as a consequence of his enemy' abrupt movements.
Under Agda's amazed eyes, Steinarius used another Shout that caused an unnatural light to surround him. To the young mage, the Imperial suddenly looked like a true dragon: an armor that seemed completely made of fire namely enveloped his body, whereas red angry flames took to floating around him. Agda had never thought her clumsy friend could look that menacing.
After taking on the aspect of a dragon, Steinarius seemed to inherit the power of those beasts too: his Shouts became more frequent and more powerful, whereas his movements seemed to become much more powerful. Yet, when Morokei almost blew his head off with a spell, Agda understood that his friend needed her help to win that battle. Spurred by that realization, the girl summoned a Storm Atronach and attacked the dragon priest with all her rage and her power. At first Morokei seemed unbothered by the faint attacks of that little mage; yet, all of a sudden the powerful undead forgot about Steinarius and floated mid-air until he reached the girl.
And to say that these things are supposed to be slow!, Agda barely had the time to think. A moment later, the girl summoned a magic ward to defend herself from Morokei's attacks. Sadly enough, the dragon priest' powerful magic destroyed that barrier in no time.
As she was thrown to the ground by the explosion of her own defensive ward, Agda couldn't help but scream Steinarius' name. The girl watched Morokei approach her, she felt that creature drain all of her magicka, she stood still as the dead eyes of that terrifying enemy met hers; yet, right when Agda thought that her time of dying had come, the dragon priest backed down. At first Agda didn't understand what had just happened - and a moment later, when she realized that a very angry Steinarius had just climbed on Morokei's back in order to distract him, the girl couldn't believe her eyes. There was a loud shriek, but after a moment of confusion the dragon priest focused on Agda once again. Right when the mage thought that this time she really had no way out of that situation, however, she was swiped off her feet by a powerful Shout. The collision with the ground almost caused Agda to faint, but it didn't prevent her from realizing what had just happened: much to her shock, Steinarius had literally Shouted her out of harm's way.
Before the young mage could recover from her surpsie and from the pain in her sore ribs, her attention was drawn once again to the fight that was unfolding not far from her. Taking advantage of Steinarius' attempt to save her, Morokei had namely cast a powerful shock spell at the Imperial - and this time Steinarius hadn't been fast enough to dodge it.
Agda watched in horror as the Imperial passed out because of the electrocution, then she did the most dangerous thing she could think of at the moment: driven by rage, she got on her feet and grabbed Steinarius' sword, which had fallen to the ground after the Dragonborn had climbed on Morokei's back. Then, taking advantage of the undead's distraction, Agda shoved the weapon through his ribs. At that point everything in Labyrinthian seemed to slow down: the dragon priest slowly turned towards the girl and for a brief second their eyes met. Agda saw the anger and the hatred and the disgust that burnt there, but she also saw a feeble hint of despair - and when Morokei fell to the ground and crumbled into ash, the girl realized that that horrible creature would no longer haunt Skyrim.
Much to her surprise, a former innkeeper of Riverwood had succeeded in slaying a terrible dragon priest.
Despite her victory, Agda didn't have time to rejoice: although she'd just killed a dragon priest and made her way to the Staff of Magnus, right then the girl could only think of Steinarius.
Although her collision with the hard ground of Labyrinthian had caused her to break at least one rib, Agda didn't feel any pain as she ran towards the Imperial and hastily knelt by his side. She was quick to unfasten his cuirass, to take off his helmet, to free him from his heavy gauntlets so that he could breathe more easily - and when the man came to with a sharp intake of air, Agda immediately threw her arms around his neck.
"You're alive!", she cried out. Her eyes were full of tears caused by the fear of losing her friend and by the joy of seeing him awake.
"If you tighten your grip, I won't be alive much longer", Steinarius said. He sounded tired, but his pale face was lit by a smile. When he tried to move, however, his body was overrun by violent spasms.
"You should lay down and rest", Agda suggested him. "That shock spell was rather powerful".
"Tell me about that", the Dragonborn grimaced. Nonetheless, he was quick to follow Agda' suggestion. When the girl laid her hands on his chest, however, Steinarius immediately tried to sit up.
"What..."
"Stay still, Stein: I'm going to cast a special spell that will help you regain both your health and your stamina".
Steinarius didn't say anything as a golden light left Agda's hands and slowly enveloped his body. Right then he was completely, utterly fascinated by the girl's talent.
"I should get injured more often", he joked. "That spell is rather pleasant".
A deadly look on Agda' side was enough for Steinarius to realize how worried she was for him.
"Don't even say it", the girl sternly said. "It was my fault if you got hurt - and I can't stand the thought of another accident like this".
"Well, accidents like this aren't that bad", the Dragonborn pointed out. "We killed Morokei and, if my eyes don't deceit me, we've retrieved the Staff of Magnus. Give me a minute to recover and then we'll be ready to leave for Winterhold".
Agda nodded, then she fell silent as Steinarius closed his eyes and ran a hand across his face. The man looked alright, but the fact that he hadn't sat up yet clearly meant that he was still feeling dizzy. As she thought about that, Agda cast a worried glance towards the Imperial. With his tousled hair, Steinarius looked nothing like the powerful warrior who'd faced Morokei less than ten minutes earlier.
While studying her friend's appearance, Agda noticed a little amulet hanging around his neck. The sight of that necklace was enough for her jaw to drop open.
"A Talos amulet?", Agda asked after taking a closer look at that weird piece of jewelry. To her surprise, Steinarius nodded.
"My grandma was a Nord", he sternly reminded his companion. "This amulet has been in her family for centuries and it was her gift to me when I left Cyrodiil for Solitude. When I was younger I would often wear this amulet, but I stopped putting it on after joining the Legion. Now I wear it only when I fight against tough enemies, as it helps me Shout more often".
Agda nodded at that explanation, then she fell silent - after all, if she wanted Steinarius to recover quickly, she needed to give him some rest.
As she thought about the fight with Morokei, Agda laid her eyes on her hands, which were nestled in her lap. When she noticed the scars that marred them, the girl sighed.
"You remember the gift you gave me on New Life Festival, don't you?", she asked Steinarius with a faint whisper.
Worried by Agda's feeble voice, the Imperial was quick to nod.
"Of course I do. It was a golden necklace with a powerful alchemy enchantment. Why are you asking?"
Agda sighed again.
"I don't have it anymore", she faintly admitted. All of a sudden the girl looked tired and weak. "I think... I think Ancano stole it from me. I had it when I ventured into the Midden, but when I woke up in Dawnstar it was gone".
There was a moment of silence during which Steinarius allowed those words to sink through his mind. Not only had that wretched Thalmor hurt Agda, not only had he abused her body and her mind, not only had he ruined her face - he'd also taken that token of his affection away from her. That thought was enough for the Dragonborn to forget his tiredness and the spasms that were still tormenting his muscles.
"Fine", Steinarius said as he slowly got back on his feet.
When Agda made to help him, the Imperial stopped her with a gesture. A moment later, he looked in her confused eyes and frowned.
"I've had enough of this Ancano", Steinarius announced at that point. "Let's go retrieve your necklace, Agds - and since we're at it, let's kill that bastard once and for all".
As she looked into the grey eyes of her companion, Agda couldn't help but nod. At the same time, she murmured a quick thank you prayer to the Divines.
Had she not met that weird man, her life would have surely been much more boring.