"What is such a rose doing out here in the cold, my dear?"

The Dragonborn paused with one leg on the step to the Frozen Hearth Inn and turned her masked face towards the mage-boy who just spoke. "'Rose'? Is that a compliment for my face? How do you know what I look like under my mask? Can you see through metal?"

The mage chuckled pompously, "I am a man of many talents, my Rose."

"No, seriously, I mean it. Can you see through metal? If yes, I'll buy the spell tome from you for, hmm, let's say ten thousand gold."

The mage boggled his eyes at her. Then he stammered out, "I, well, that is to say, I've heard that-"

"Oh, then you can't see what I look like. Great. Kindly move aside, I do need to get out of the cold, as you so helpfully pointed out."

The man appeared briefly flummoxed as if things weren't going his way and it was such a rare occurrence that he did not know how to react. Then he rallied himself and tried to continue as if nothing strange happened. "I am Darren. Let me invite you into the Frozen Hearth; we can warm ourselves by the fire."

Bishop could literally feel her eye roll. "I believe I just invited myself." With that, she strolled past the reeling mage and walked inside.

Bishop chuckled and made to follow. "That's my girl," he commented proudly. "Not one to wait for an invitation."

"Did you infect her with your poor manners then, you barbarian lout?" The mage drew himself up arrogantly. "Such a shame. For a sweet rose such as her to keep company with a flea-bitten mongrel, it's repulsive."

"Oh, but she likes my company, little mage. Wanna know why? I didn't try to kiss her ass before I even introduced myself and I don't throw awkward and obvious lies in her face."

With a brief, startling moment of clarity, Bishop realized he might have just revealed the truth not only to the mageling, but also to himself. It was true - he might have mistaken Hildur for a man when they first met, but even once he realized the truth, he never tried to kiss up to her or treated her with any less respect than she deserved. He made a small mental note to definitely continue with that and not end up like this smarmy man-child.

He shook his head. "Give up, man. You ruined your chances as soon as you called her 'a rose' when you haven't even seen her face."

"I did not ask for your advice, you uncivilised ruffian!" With the amount of anger the mageling emitted, it was a wonder his hair didn't catch on fire.

Bishop just rolled his eyes, too tired and cold after their three-days-long journey to Winterhold to argue with fools any further, and stepped past him into the Inn. Sleeping in caves during blizzards didn't improve anyone's mood, no matter how romantic the cuddling for warmth was. Especially since that cuddling also involved Karnwyr.

By the time he walked up to the bar, Hildur had already managed to order them dinner. Her favourite grilled leeks for herself and a nice bit of venison for him, just as he liked. Bishop smiled and stepped up next to her, one hand on her waist, to reach around and help her carry the plates. She leaned briefly against his side with fondness, then picked up her own dinner and turned to look around the inn for a good place to sit.

When she aimed for the fancier set of chairs and table, Bishop briefly considered warning her that it probably belonged to the mage, but then shrugged his shoulders and went after her. Now that they were safe and warm, it might be fun to see her verbally eviscerate that pompous idiot. A man had to take his fun where he could get it after all, and his almost-lover's sharp tongue could be a great source of fun indeed.

As soon as she sat down, the mage immediately claimed the seat next to her and began again, "Ah, sweet rose, you've come! Please, sit here next to me and-"

Hildur just rolled her eyes. "You know, if you want to join the College, you need to pass the entrance test like everyone else. Seducing the Archmage will not magically grant you a spot."

Another round of stammering. Was he turning red? Yes, Bishop was amused to note, he was. But at least it provoked an honest answer out of him. The boy finally showed a bit of backbone. "Excuse me?! I am not a mere apprentice! I am a member of the College, in good standing!"

She lost her smile. "Then where the fuck have you been when Savos and Mirabelle sacrificed their lives for us?"

"I-, I did not-, I do not-"

"Yes, it was quite obvious you 'did not'. You weren't there when we fought for our lives and for Winterhold against the Anomalies. When Ancano tried to destroy us, and the world, like the power-hungry idiot he was, you weren't there." She shook her head. "The court mages I can understand, they aren't able to leave their posts without the express permission of their respective Jarls, who could not send them because Jarl Korir wouldn't allow it for fear of appearing weak, but you? If you are truly a member of the College and you were nearby, then you have no excuse for not joining in on the defence."

"But- My lady, I-"

"Save it." She rose up from her seat, taking her plate with her, then turned to offer one last comment. "By the way, all the real mages have luxurious quarters at the Hall of Countenance or at least the Hall of Attainment. Yet here you are, with what I now see is your personal furniture at the inn. You do realize only those who have been cast out, like Nelacar, do that. Right?"

And with that, she turned away to carry her plates pointedly to the other end of the Frozen Hearth.

Bishop happily followed her, but at the last moment turned back towards the mageling. He couldn't resist a last, cheap parting shot, "You know, she's not really a Rose. She's a Dragon's Tongue."

"Hmm, going by your little spiel back there, I'm guessing we're going to sleep in your 'luxurious quarters' and we won't be staying at the Inn, right?" He asked only half-teasing.

At his relaxed tone, her shoulders unclenched and she began to eat her dinner, "Yup, got that right. I have some epic badass rooms up there at the College, so why should we pay for some mediocre bed at the inn?"

"Careful there, Princess, wouldn't want to reveal to the innkeeper what you really think," he teased. "How would you then convince Dagur to sell your wine?"

She laughed, a beautiful light sound, just as he intended. The mageling was all but forgotten already. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Bish. I plan to sell it to the College, not the inn. Especially since I plan to use magic to deliver it!" Then she paused to look around the shabby inn. "But you might be onto something here. I could try to sell it to both the College and the inn. The College's castoffs and hopefuls might want some, too. Though I don't know if delivering it the normal way all the way up here would be worth the trouble." She calmly took another bite of her dinner and looked around the inn. "We'll see. I'll have to think about it."

Bishop chuckled, "As you wish. In the meantime, I can't really wait to see these 'luxurious quarters' of yours, Ladyship." He couldn't help but tease her a bit, "And all the skirts around, males wearing dresses..."

She openly laughed at him, "Some women too! But hey, not like you could tell them apart, right, Bishop?"

"Ouch." He groused but grinned anyway. "I guess I was asking for that one."

She didn't respond but bit into the leek with such gusto that Bishop definitely got the message.

'Heh, I still got it in me,' he thought as he watched her happily munch on her dinner. 'I do know how to make my lady smile.'

'Master Wizard Tolfdir' nodded sagely along as his... girlfriend? future lover? described her plan... and new product. "It's good to see Skyrim still has such fine people, interested in continuing their education and the noble pursuit of magic."

Hildur vigorously nodded to him and opened her mouth but before she could push on further, the wizened old man continued, "But I am not certain making apprentices both drunk and more magically powerful is a good idea, my dear. They do get into enough trouble as it is, don't they?" he lifted his eyebrows at her and Hildur squirmed.

Bishop was just dying to hear the story behind those not-so-subtle looks.

"I-, ehm, I didn't really think about that, Master Tolfdir," she admitted but with laughter in her voice. "I wouldn't want to make your job even harder than it is. Especially wouldn't want to test the apprentices' creativity." Oh yes, she was definitely chuckling.

The old man soon joined her and laughed as well. "But I do have to admit to being curious about this 'instantaneous transportation' you mention, as well as the wine. On behalf of the research behind it, of course."

"Of course," she nodded sagely along, but Bishop could tell they both knew that the faculty won't be able to resist drinking the newest experimental wine-potion.

So, mission successful, he guessed. 'Damn, that woman's good,' he thought with a fond shake of his head.

Tolfdir continued, "It might also become a reliable method of communication, don't you think? Perhaps in the future, we won't have to rely on couriers for important matters that require your attention, Archmage. We could send you messages right away."

"Ah- ...yes. Actually, yes, that's a great idea. We might want to test it out," she agreed readily enough, though Bishop wasn't so certain she'd be so willing to handle 'urgent matters' of the College as urgently as they thought she should.

Bishop grinned and decided to interject before the old man could gently bully her into it. "Well, glad that's settled then," he stretched a bit and continued. "Now where's the luxury I was promised, Ladyship? We should see about getting a bath as soon as possible. We don't exactly smell like roses."

She snorted, just as he intended. "This way, my Princess," she gestured towards a nearby door. "I shall prepare you a bath post-haste, my Princess. Prepare to be astonished and overwhelmed with luxury, my Princess," she teased him.

Bishop just laughed and made to follow.

The old wizard's voice stopped them before they could get too far however, "Just a moment, my dear!"

Hildur turned back towards him and the man continued, "The Faculty has prepared something for you. Give me a moment, please." He reached into a cabinet near the bed and pulled out... a set of robes?

"These are for you, Archmage. Sergius has been hard at work, and finished these a couple days ago."

"But- These are..."

Tolfdir smiled. "Proper female Archmage Robes for our newest Archmage of course. Without the hood, as we noticed you like to wear that mask of yours."

"I- Thank you, and I-" her voice wobbled.

"Think nothing of it, my dear." The old wizard smiled at her. "We can't let our beloved Archmage go without the best equipment she's entitled to, now can we? Especially since she is proving such a great help in both studying new forms of magic, and representing the College in a positive light in Skyrim."

Bishop could see the way she fidgeted and clutched at the hem of her new robes. "Thank you, master Tolfdir. I- I'll go dress in them right away."

She turned on her heel and all but fled.

"Huh," Bishop watched her leave, thinking hard. What was that about?

The old man watched him with a knowing smile for a moment, then said in a very calm and collected way that Bishop learned long ago signified danger. "Do take good care of her. She might be a more... facultative member of the College than most, but she saved all our lives and risked her own in the process. We might gripe and compete with each other, but there is not one person here who wouldn't jump to her defence."

Bishop opened his mouth to snark back, then paused. He... didn't want to argue. Especially since he probably would have issued the same warning in their shoes.

It was obvious this old man cared for Hildur. And she cared for him.

"Noted," he shrugged his shoulders instead. Then he grinned, "I have a more pressing issue to discuss with you, however."

The wizard raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised that the scruffy ranger had anything to discuss with him.

"I need you to tell me what exactly happened when she was an apprentice here."

Tolfdir laughed. Heartily. Then he shook his head and beckoned Bishop to follow. "Come, my boy. I have so much to tell you!"

"Aah, I remember the first lesson she attended." He chuckled over a mug of mead. " You can't imagine how strange she appeared to us. It was like watching a dragon swoop down and roost among chickens. Three fine young apprentices in hooded novice robes and next to them, a living legend, covered from head to toe in dragon scales and wearing a terrifying ancient mask of a priest half the faculty of master wizards wouldn't dare to take on."

Bishop grinned. "Actually, I can picture it perfectly, thanks."

Tolfdir laughed outright. "Then imagine it from my point of view, dear boy! There I was, about to teach the precious young apprentices a Lesser Ward, when I asked our very own Dragonborn to assist me in the demonstration and instructed her to cast 'a ward'. You know what she did? Cast a perfect Greater Ward and held it as if it meant nothing. I actually had to instruct her to cast the lesser variant, so that the other apprentices at least had a chance of copying it and learn something."

"That does sound like her," Bishop nodded. "She might be confident to the point of arrogance, but it is usually well earned. When she says she can do something, you can bet your last pair of pants that she can actually do it."

"That she can, my dear boy, that she can. You know, when she first came to us, I overheard a conversation between her and one of her classmates, J'Zargo where he asked her if she has already mastered Expert level destruction spells."

Bishop grinned, "And she has?"

"She has," Tolfdir nodded sagely then spoiled the effect by chuckling. "My, was J'Zargo ever surprised. The boy probably thought he'd be the best. And he certainly applies himself. But not enough to beat someone who takes on Dragons on the daily, I imagine." He sighed, amused. "Sometimes I think she came here merely to formalize her education and be acknowledged as skilled, rather than from any true need to study the Arcane. But she is proving to be excellent for the College nonetheless."

Toldfir took another sip and leaned in closer. "But even the greatest mage can be brought down but arrogance and stupidity. If not their own, then someone else's. And she tried so, so very hard to make friends with the other apprentices..."

Well then, now it was getting somewhere interesting. "What happened?"

"I saw her get back to J'zargo one day, heavily singed and stinking of burnt hair. She threw a pile of scrolls on his desk and asked him, calm as you please, 'Were they supposed to explode? Because they exploded.' Poor J'Zargo was quite shocked. Not to mention embarrassed. The Master Wizards laughed at this one for a while, let me tell you.

"Then came the matter with Onmund. Most of us heard him ask her to help him get his family amulet back. Then we have not heard from the Dragonborn for a couple weeks, when one day she casually strolls back, twenty Ebony swords and battleaxes on her back and a bag full of ectoplasm. And you know the first thing she said? 'Here's your amulet.' I swear, that girl lives for the drama. She likes shocking us way too much."

"Yeah, that does sound like her," Bishop laughed openly. This was golden. Blackmail material for weeks.

"But poor darling Brelyna was the worst. For them both, I tell you." Tolfdir laughed. "I actually considered stepping in at one point, but eventually decided the embarrassment to be a valuable lesson on its own. For both of them, really."

"What happened?"

"Brelyna decided to test her experimental spells on Hildur. Highly experimental spells. No one even knows what they were meant to do, since Brelyna refuses to speak of it, but we all saw what they did. The Dragonborn spent two days greener than an Orsimer. But did it stop her from coming back? Oh, no! As soon as her skin tone reverted back - mind you, after this incident, she started wearing her Dragonscale Armour, gloves and boots included all the time while at the College - she came back to Brelyna to try again."

Tolfdir paused and Bishop couldn't wait to hear more, "So what happened?"

"She was turned into a cow."

Bishop stared for a moment. Then burst into laughter. "A cow?!"

"And then a horse."

Bishop only laughed harder.

"And then a dog."

He slapped his knee. "You're messing with me!"

Tolfdir laughed as well and shook his head. "Half the faculty gathered to watch the spectacle, naturally. The Dragonborn, changing shapes before our eyes, and the only thing she was able to do was to send Brelyna some accusatory glares. And all the while Brelyna was yelling, 'I can fix this! I can fix this!' and turning the Dragonborn into new shapes and forms. The girls promised each other never to speak of it again..." he sent Bishop an evil grin, "...but the Faculty made no such promises. I swear, it is the most helpful tool to convince young apprentices not to try magic out of their level. You could say it was... educational."

"So you tell the story to every new group of apprentices?! Hahahahahahahahahaaaaa," Bishop laughed so hard he had to put his head on the table. Oooh, this was rich.

"It is educational," the old man insisted but his mischievous grin gave him away. He enjoyed embarrassing his new Archmage way too much.

'Hm, maybe these mages aren't so bad after all,' he thought and continued to laugh until his sides hurt.

A/N: I love Tolfdir. He's a badass grandpa who can totally kick your ass, and then forget where he left his toothbrush. :D