Author's note:
My dear readers, here I am with the usual weekly update for this story. First, however, let me thank Valtieri, Elspeth and kaibaeskyrim for their loyal support.
As for Valtieri's review, I must admit that my sister and I adore that certain NPC from Oblivion too. My sister even stopped playing altogether when Lucien told her to purify the sanctuary!
Just like Elspeth and kaibaeskyrim, I'm really looking forward to the new arch this story is about to undergo. Now that the College storyline is over, a new path begins for both Agda and Steinarius - and to Valtieri's joy, Delphine and Adaeze will return to the story already in this chapter ;)
Over the last few weeks we saw our lil' Agda become a fierce warrior; yet, the young woman still hasn't forgotten all the problems she had to face before slaying Ancano - and now that she has a little time to think, our brave mage will be forced to come to terms with her scarred face, with the tortures she's endured, with her usual nightmares and with her lack of memories regarding her journey from Winterhold to Dawnstar, all while dealing with a new job and the responsibility it involves. In the meantime, Stein will obviously try to help her - and when Stein tries to help Agda, we all know that shenanigans ensure.
So, this pretty much sums up what we'll see over the next few chapters. For the moment, enjoy this latest instalment and let me know what you think!
29th of Hearthfire, 4E 202
"It's a true miracle he made it out of there alive. Ancano missed his heart by a mere inch".
"Yes, he was very lucky indeed. After such a bad injury, it's no wonder he still hasn't regained consciousness".
"Actually, it was the Archmage who ordered to let him rest as long as possible. She even gave him powerful sleeping draughts to prevent him from waking up! Speaking of which: it's a true pity the Archmage decided to destroy Ancano's dagger. That thing was enchanted to do exactly what his owner wanted!"
"Which is the reason why our boss is now stuck with ugly scars that won't fade no matter what she does - and it's also the reason why her friend has been poisoned as well as stabbed. Unlike you, I think the Archmage made the right choice when she destroyed that weapon".
As he heard those words, Steinarius frowned. Two people were talking just a few steps away from him, but he felt too tired to open his eyes. When he whimpered, however, the voices stopped and someone hastily reached his bedside.
"Can you hear me?", someone asked with a very worried tone.
Steinarius whined, then he made a huge effort to open his eyes. As soon as he did, he was confronted with the surprised gaze of a young Nord man.
"Brelyna, look, he's awake!"
Spurred by that comment, a Dunmer approached Steinarius' bed. Luckily enough, she seemed slightly more competent than her friend.
"It's good to see that you're doing better, mr. Dragonborn", she said. Steinarius was rather annoyed by her formal and zealant tone. "The Archmage will be here in a moment. Try to keep still while Onmund and I go fetch her".
By the time Steinarius could process those words, the Dunmer and her weird companion had already left the room. Confronted with his isolation, the man sighed and brought a hand to his forehead. Right then the Imperial realized two important things: first, the room where he was staying definitely looked like the office of the Archmage of Winterhold; second, moving his right arm sent a shot of pain through his whole body.
In an attempt to find out why he was so sore, Steinarius noticed that someone had wrapped a tight bandage around his chest. Ancano missed his heart by a mere inch, the Nord apprentice from earlier had said - and after noticing his bandages, the Dragonborn realized that the weird boy had been talking about him for the whole time.
Prompted by the discovery, Steinarius recalled his ride towards Winterhold, his fight against Ancano, the way that bastard had threatened to torture Agda right in front of his eyes. Unfortunately, from then on the Dragonborn's memories were only a confused blur. As a consequence, the man had no idea as to the young mage's fate.
Steinarius was snapped out of his thoughts when the door to his room burst open. When a worried woman hastily walked towards his bed, the Imperial felt a wave of relief wash over him: Agda had made it out of her fight with Ancano unscathed - and if her appearance meant anything, she was brilliantly recovering from the traumas she'd endured over the previous weeks. Her curly hair were namely tied in a neat pony tail, whereas her apprentice robes looked clean and comfortable. Moreover, her brown eyes shone with relief, while her lips were curled in a little smile.
"Thank Talos you're awake!", she squealed as soon as she noticed that her colleagues had told her the truth.
"Agds!", Steinarius replied once the mage entered his visual field. The Dragonborn smiled and made to sit up, but that effort caused him to wince in pain.
"Easy, Stein", Agda immediately told him with a gentle smile. A moment later the mage sat down on her friend's bed and laid her hands on his shoulders. "Let me help you lay down again: you're still too sore to..."
Agda never got to finish that sentence: taking advantadge of her position on his bed, Steinarius namely threw his arms around her neck and pulled her into a tight embrace. The Imperial didn't let go even when the mage tried to protest: right then, with his face buried in Agda's curls and her scent filling his nostrils, the Dragonborn felt happy for the first time in weeks.
"I'm so relieved to see you're alive!", he admitted.
"I should be the one to say that", Agda chuckled. "After all, you're the one who was almost stabbed to death after turning into a werewolf".
"I must admit that I don't remember anything from the fight against Ancano", Steinarius confessed, embarassement well evident in his voice. "Yet, I'm happy to see that you didn't get hurt".
"I actually have three broken ribs, Stein - which is why I'd be very grateful if you could release me from this hug".
Upon hearing those words, Steinarius immediately let go of Agda. The young mage winced, then she brought a hand to her sore chest.
"I didn't mean to hurt you", the Imperial was quick to apologize. "Geez, I've just regained consciousness, but I'm already causing you troubles".
Agda chuckled at that. A moment later, however, she surprised Steinarius by pulling a rather sheepish expression.
"Actually, had it not been for me, you would have regained consciousness three days ago", she confessed.
The news caused Steinarius' jaw to drop open.
"What..."
"Stein, Ancano caused you to lose a lot of blood", Agda immediately broke the Imperial off. "Moreover, when he stabbed you you already had a dislocated shoulder and some other nasty injuries. Last but not least, over the previous two weeks you've forsaken sleep in order to stand by me and to help me retrieve the Staff of Magnus. That's why I gave you a sleeping draught together with the usual healing potions: I wanted you to feel better, but I also wanted you to rest - and I know that you can't do that if you're conscious".
Steinarius blinked in confusion. On the one hand, he found Agda's concern to be very moving; on the other, the Imperial didn't like the fact that she'd taken decisions regarding his health without even bothering to ask for his opinion.
Before the Dragonborn could express his mixed feelings, however, an unexpected shot of pain ran through his chest and caused him to let out a pained whine.
"See? It looks like I was right: you still need to rest if you want to recover fully", Agda commented. The observant girl hadn't missed the sound that had just escaped Steinarius' lips. "Here, let me help you find a comfortable position".
The Dragonborn didn't say anything as Agda helped him lay down again, as she placed a few soft pillows under his head, as she covered him with warm furs and cast a few healing spell that caused the pain in his body to fade. Steinarius enjoyed those little displays of affection without uttering a single word: although he would never admit it, he loved having someone who took care of him in such an affectionate way.
When Agda finally decided that her friend was comfortable enough, she resumed her place at his side. At that moment Steinarius could finally take a good look at her and realize that the young mage actually seemed to be doing fine. Considering all the tortures and efforts and sufferance Agda had endured over the previous weeks, the man couldn't describe how happy he was to notice that.
"That necklace...", Steinarius said while pointing at the little jewel around the girl's neck.
Agda, who'd been analyzing his features very carefully for the previous few seconds, was snapped out of her thoughts and immediately began toying with her golden pendant.
"It's the necklace you bought me for New Life Festival, yes", she confirmed with a nod. "Ancano kept it hidden in his office. I'm glad he didn't destroy it in order to learn the enchantment".
Steinarius smiled at the news, but he noticed that Agda's expression was somewhat crossed.
When the girl resumed toying with her necklace, the man took a better look at the scars on her face. Those marks were as red as usual and seemed covered by a weird shiny substance.
"I see you've given up the plan of wearing Morokei's mask", the Dragonborn joked.
When Agda's face was shadowed by a frown, Steinarius realized he'd just threaded into a dangerous topic. The man also cursed himself for his poor conversational skills: every time he talked to the young girl, he always ended up saying the wrong thing.
"I did try to go around with Morokei's mask on my face", the mage sternly explained. "When two people in a row mistook me for a threat, however, I chose to wear a common face mask. I don't want my colleagues to kill me because they believe I'm a Dragon Priest".
"You're not wearing a mask now, though", Steinarius pointed out with a smile. "I think that's the best option, Agds. As I already told you, you are a very beautiful woman and those scars only add to your charm".
Agda scoffed.
"Going around with those scars on display isn't an option", she hastily told Steinarius. The girl seemed rather angered by his suggestion. "At the moment I'm not wearing a mask just because I was with Drevis when they called me into your room: he's the Illusion teacher of the College and we're currently working on an ointment that should help me hide my wounds; in the meanwhile, I have to rely on this useless soothing balm".
When Agda said that, Steinarius realized what the substance on her face was.
Willing to change topic of conversation, the man asked the girl to describe him the fight against Ancano.
"I'm glad you were the one who killed him", Steinarius admitted at the end of Agda's long tale. He was angry at the damages caused by the Thalmor, but he was also immensely proud of the way his favorite mage had handled that threat. "Ancano got what was coming to him. And by the way, I'm sorry for turning into a werewolf: I should have kept my anger in check, instead I shifted into a rabid beast and almost got myself killed. I fainted like an unexperienced pup when you needed me the most, Agds, and for that I apologize".
"Don't worry", Agda replied with a little smile. "Ancano was a tough opponent, so it's no wonder that he managed to hurt you. After all, we're talking about the man who murdered Savos Aren and Mirabelle Ervine".
Those words suddenly reminded Steinarius of the fact that the College of Winterhold was now left without a leader. Frowning, the man asked Agda for more information.
"The two apprentices from earlier told me they were about to fetch the Archmage", the Dragonborn explained. "Yet, I still haven't received any visitor beside you. Have they perhaps..."
As Steinarius spoke, Agda frowned in confusion. A moment later, the girl blushed and lowered her gaze. Her embarrassement was enough for the Dragonborn to guess the truth.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!", the Imperial cried out once he realized whom he was talking to. His grey eyes were full of shock and happiness and surprise. "YOU, THE NEW ARCHMAGE OF WINTERHOLD?! AGDS, THAT'S GREAT NEWS!"
"You always sound surprised when something good happens to me", Agda pointed out at that moment. Her words were softened by the sheepish smile she was wearing. "By the way yes, I'm the new Archmage of Winterhold".
"That... that's great, Agds!", Steinarius repeated. The news had visibly shocked him, but he was keen on letting the girl know how proud he was of her. "I mean, you're the new Archmage to the only magic school of Skyrim! It's a huge honor, Agds, and I just cannot tell you how happy I am for you! Your colleagues took the best possible decision and I'm sure you'll manage to outlive their expectations. Geez, Agds, I'm so excited about..."
When Agda rolled her eyes in exasperation, Steinarius abruptly stopped talking. He couldn't understand why the mage suddenly seemed annoyed by his compliments.
"Agds, what's wrong?", the man asked while reaching for the girl's elbow and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Have I said anything..."
"It's not that", the girl murmured after shaking her head. "I just thought that, of all people, you would understand how I feel".
When Agda raised her eyes from the floor in order to meet his, Steinarius was surprised by the sadness and the tiredness he saw in them.
"Agds, I don't..."
"My colleagues chose me as their new Archmage just because they don't want to deal with the problems the College has right now", Agda broke him off before Steinarius could end the sentence. She was now talking very rapidly and seemed eager to remove a few pebbles from her new Archmage boots. "They won't do anything to help me, just like they won't do anything to change the reputation of this institution: they'll just sit back and watch while everyone else in Skyrim gets angry at me. The Thalmor, the Stormcloaks, even the Legion... I've been Archmage of Winterhold for less than a week and I've already argued with all those factions. Also, over the last seven days I had to organize three funerals. I thought you'd realize how hard this is for me".
Steinarius nodded, then remained silent for a long moment. As the Last Dragonborn, he could perfectly relate to the stressful situations Agda had just described - after all, over the previous year of his life he'd argued with thousands of people too; moreover, as the savior of the world, he himself was forced to deal with problems no one else had the good will to solve. Yet, Steinarius was temporarily distracted by something different: he namely couldn't understand what funerals Agda was talking about.
"Agds, who died?", he asked, fear well evident in his voice.
"Savos Aren, Mirabelle Ervine and Ranmir, one of the inhabitants of Winterhold", the mage answered with a sigh. "The last of the funerals was yesterday evening".
"Adaeze..."
As she heard the name of her best friend, Agda scoffed. That fact caused Steinarius to frown: he didn't know what to make of the girl's reaction.
"Adaeze is doing fine", Agda eventually explained. "I got a letter from her the other day: she's still sore and weak, but her life is not on the line anymore".
"Where is she now?"
"In the Rift, with Hadvar", Agda said. Her voice showed how unhappy she was for that situation. "Which is the reason why I argued with the Legion a few days ago".
Steinarius waited for Agda to elaborate, as he couldn't understand the connection between her, Adaeze and the Legion.
"Adaeze has been staying in the Imperial Camp of the Rift ever since she got hurt", the newly appointed Archmage of Winterhold explained with another exasperated sigh. "Unfortunately, her presence is distracting a certain officer from his tasks - and the Legion is rather unhappy about that. Since they want Hadvar to focus on his duty once again, your former colleagues formally asked me to summon Adaeze in Winterhold. When I pointed out that I have no power whatsoever on my friend, those soldiers openly called me a filthy traitor who works for the Stormcloaks".
Steinarius was shocked by that discovery: of all the Nords she knew, Agda was the least likely to support the rebels and their leader.
"As if that wasn't enough, a few hours later I received another visit, this time from Solitude", the Archmage said, thus resuming her tale. From her annoyed tone Steinarius realized that she was letting off steam for the first time in weeks. "A Thalmor delegation namely accused me of the unjust murder of two of their officers - our dear friend Ancano and a man called Estormo".
Steinarius reacted to the discovery with an outraged shout.
"Whaaat? Are they crazy or..."
"I don't know if they're crazy: I just know that I forced Ancano's friends to leave Winterhold as fast as they could. You should have seen them running away with their stupid robes floating around their ankles and a couple of Storm Atronachs following them from up-close".
Before Steinarius could even chuckle, Agda began to describe him one of the latest problems she'd been forced to face.
"After the Thalmor and the Legion, even the people from Windhelm decided to bother me", she confessed. "Ulfric Stormcloak namely sent me one of his men in order to enquire about my 'loyalty to Skyrim' - at least, that's what that brainless leecher of his said. When I declared I was neutral to both sides of the Civil War, that kind man called me a filthy whore who sleeps with the Imperials, then left Winterhold without even thanking me for my time or my consideration".
As he heard that last insult, Steinarius' eyes immediately turned golden. The Imperial grimaced, then he made to sit up on his bed.
"What are you doing?", Agda asked him. That reaction had namely taken her by surprise. "You still need to rest, Stein! If you need the bathroom, I can..."
The Dragonborn was quick to shake his head.
"I don't need the restroom", he said as he fought hard to free himself from the blankets that covered him. "I'm standing up because I've heard enough: if Ulfric or Tullius or Elenwen think they can insult you without consequences, they're horribly wrong. You almost got killed while trying to defend your land, which is why the Legion and the Stormcloaks should thank you for your efforts, whereas the Thalmor should have the decency to avoid this part of Skyrim for the rest of the 4th Era. It's amazing how arrogant they can be, it's..."
"Unbelievable, I know", Agda said while cautiously laying a hand on Steinarius' shoulder. The man had finally managed to sit up and seemed determined to leave his bed and go slay a couple of Thalmor. "But you need to rest, Stein. I shouldn't have told you that".
The Dragonborn's determination was severely weakened by the sad look on Agda's face. Fighting against his dizziness, Steinarius sighed and leant towards the girl. He gathered her once again in his arms, then he held her to his chest. Despite her sore ribs, this time Agda didn't protest.
"I want you to tell me everything that happens to you, you hear me?", the Imperial told the young mage in a low whisper. "Right now I'm too weak to go and torment the people who were mean to you; yet, I want them to realize that they cannot insult you without facing my wrath. No one gets away with treating you badly, Agds - not on my watch, at least".
"Stein, I cannot afford myself to look weak", the newly appointed Archmage of Winterhold sighed against the Dragonborn' chest. She wanted to accept Steinarius help, she really did, but she knew that she had to turn down his offer. "I don't want people to consider me one of your puppets".
Shocked by those words, Steinarius quickly pulled away from the young Nord.
"My puppet? Are you crazy, Agds? I'm the only person in Skyrim who doesn't have anyone to command, so I don't get why..."
Before the Imperial could end the sentence, Agda stopped him with a gesture.
"You're right, Stein", she admitted. "I'm sorry. It's just... I received a letter from Delphine the other day and it made me feel bad. She didn't even ask me how we were doing: she just told me she was happy I'd killed Ancano and that she hoped that I didn't mention her name to that man while he was torturing me. Also, she asked me to remind you that you still need to find another recruit for the Blades".
Upon hearing the insults the Stormcloaks had shouted at Agda, Steinarius had got very angry. Now, however, he was downright outraged by Delphine's lack of sympathy.
"That bitch!", he said, rage well evident in his voice. "People like her make me realize that perhaps the end of the world wouldn't be that bad. I swear that the next time I meet her.."
Agda was quick to break Steinarius off.
"Delphine has always been cold and detached, whereas the factions involved in the Civil War have always been heartless and rude", she pointed out. "Yet, you shouldn't forget that there are people the world needs to be saved for. Erandur and Frida, for example: after the battle with Ancano they came here from Dawnstar in order to check on the two of us. Erandur has even agreed to cure you and to help the students from the College with their Restoration studies. I'm sure he'll be a great teacher".
Steinarius was slightly surprised by the news. Also, his friend's words caused him to think of the people he knew and to ask himself whether some of them actually deserved to survive the end of the world. After a brief debate, the Dragonborn found the answer: of all those men and women, the only one he would have gladly died for was right in front of his eyes.
Erandur was right: with more people like Agda, Tamriel would have been a much better place.
Over the following days Steinarius began feeling better. Agda had lent him her new living quarters, as she still hadn't got used to the idea of being the new Archmage of Winterhold; as a consequence, the man could experience a quick recovery in a very warm and comfortable environment. When he found out why his friend was so keen on sleeping in her old cubicle, however, Steinarius had a rather nasty surprise.
Although Agda had been Archmage of the College for less than two weeks, everyone in Winterhold seemed to appreciate her efforts to restore the former glory of their settlement. The girl for example struck a commercial deal with Birna, so that her shop soon became the only place in Skyrim where people could buy second-hand mage robes and enchanted weapons at very low prices. Agda also provided each of the townguards with enchanted swords and magic rings that could help them with their job and soon gave all the inhabitants of the city a lot of free potions against common diseases and minor injuries. Everyone seemed very impressed by those gifts - everyone but Jarl Korir and his entourage.
Steinarius knew the ruler of Winterhold quite well. All his life Korir had complained about the way "those Imperial leechers from Solitude" ignored his city whenever they had to take a decision; as a consequence, after Thorygg's murder Korir had been quick to support the Stormcloaks and to spread Ulfric's ideas throughout his Hold. While trying to gain more importance in the war talks, a few weeks earlier the Jarl of Winterhold had even asked Agda to retrieve an ancient helmet on his behalf; yet, caught between her tasks at the College, her suspicions related to Ancano and her fear of fighting, the girl had turned down that offer by saying that she didn't want to get involved in politics. Unfortunately, Korir soon began using that fact as a proof of Agda' supposed alliance with the Imperials.
We cannot allow that woman to rule the College!, the Jarl wrote in a letter he sent to Windhelm and later hung on the door to his house. She is a supporter of the Empire and she even sleeps with the former friends of Thorygg the Traitor. We cannot have someone as cold and manipulating as her take over our glorious town!
When he first found out about that letter, Steinarius would have liked to visit Korir and challenge him to a duel, just like Ulfric had done with poor Thorygg.
"I will Shout him to pieces, then we'll see whether he likes it or not!", he screamed in anger.
Agda was quick to stop her friend and make him change his mind, but the Dragonborn nonetheless promised himself that he would keep an eye on Korir - after all, he didn't feel safe knowing that Agda lived not far from that dangerous psycho.
As well as angering him to no end, Korir's letter about the newly appointed Archmage of Winterhold allowed Steinarius to notice a very important thing: although she was trying hard to deny it, something with Agda still wasn't right.
The Dragonborn first made that realization a few days after the Jarl hung a copy of that damned letter of his on the door to his house. Ever since then the people of Winterhold found a funny nickname for Agda - a nickname that caused Steinarius to understand a thing or two about her friend.
Being born in Cyrodiil, until then the young Nord had simply been known as Agda of Anvil. After reading Korir's nonsensical rant, however, people started calling her Agda the Cold.
Not only is that witch friend with the Imperials, the Jarl of Winterhold had namely written in his message to Ulfric. She is also as cold as the land we live in!
Everyone who knew Agda had burst into laughter when confronted with those words; also, they'd soon nicknamed her Agda the Cold in order to make fun of Korir's letter. One day, however, Steinarius overheard a mage state that her new boss was really as cold as Korir claimed. Shocked by those words, the man was quick to ask for explanations.
"Can't you see?", Nirya promptly replied to his questions. "The Archmage has been through a lot, sure, and that has turned her into a frosty icicle. She never laughs, she never dines with us, she never takes part in our jokes... That girl only thinks about her job and about everything she's been through. Gods, she won't even tell us why she wakes up screaming every night!"
Steinarius frowned at the Altmer's confession - and he frowned even more when a few more mages mentioned Agda's nightmares and her growing stiffness while dealing with other people.
"It's no wonder they call her Agda the Cold!", even the shy Drevis confessed one day.
After his conversations with all those mages, Steinarius started looking for any sign of weirdness on Agda's part. She'd actually turned a bit colder over the previous weeks, sure, but the Dragonborn blamed it entirely on the tortures she'd endured - and the same went for her nightmares.
"I don't know what you're talking about", Agda replied when the man finally found the guts to face that topic with her. She and Steinarius were alone in the dining hall and the young Archmage looked completely sincere. "I never have nightmares".
That very same night, however, Steinarius was awoken by a series of terrified screams coming from the library. Once there, the man discovered that Agda had fallen asleep while reading a book and had been roused by a few bad dreams. From then on the Dragonborn did his best to understand what was going on in his friend's mind. Was Agda hiding something from him or was she simply acting like someone who'd been through a lot?
In order to answer that question, Steinarius was determined to study the young Archmage and find a reason for her seemingly detached attitude - after all, he was sure that the girl would have no troubles opening up to him.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for Steinarius to realize just how wrong he'd been in believing that.