Winterhold was a lot different from what she expected, however she didn't know what she expected in the first place. The college was in a land full of cautious Nords with sticks so far up their arses that they couldn't see the benefits of having mages in their home. Winterhold was dead and bleak and the tough snow did nothing to alleviate dreary atmosphere that pervaded the lonely city.
Farryn walked on the snowy terrain taking in the lackluster sights. She was the only one outside besides the guards and this did not help the unwelcoming vibes she was getting from here. The city practically radiated hopelessness. She hurried her pace and quickly went past the inn and the Jarl's Longhouse until she was standing before a female Altmer dressed in master robes of destruction.
"Cross the bridge at your own peril," the Altmer warned. "I am Faralda of the College of Winterhold. What is it that you seek here?"
"I seek the knowledge that is unknown to me. I want to expand my skills in magic," Farryn replied.
"A noble goal, but why?"
Farryn looked up at the question, surprise written clearly on her face.
"Excuse me?"
"Why," Faralda continued, "do you want to expand your skills? Is it truly knowledge and power that you search for, if so, what do you plan on doing with that knowledge once you have it?"
Farryn drew the black traveling cloak closer around her shoulders. She never once thought about what she would do after she achieved her goal. Farryn enjoyed learning about magic; it was interesting and she had always been a curious person. Magic had set her apart from the other children in Windhelm. When they were off playing tag in the snow, Farryn would sneak off to a corner near the entrance to the docks and look in wonder and excitement at the flames that spewed forth from her hands. Magic had allowed her to get away from the taunts and jeers about her "Giant-Toe" forehead and "Mud Crab" hands. It had succeeded where her parents failed, providing comfort and warmth to the cold unfeeling environment that she was born into.
"I relish in the joy that studying magic brings me," Farryn said looking Faralda in the eye, "and I have no goals in mind once I've completed my studies here since magic is ever growing and changing."
The Altmer sorceress nodded her acceptance and continued with explaining that the college did not just let anybody in and that Farryn would have to show she could do some magic. Faralda told her to conjure a Flame Atronach. Farryn breathed a sigh of relief at the test. This was easy, too easy. Flame Atronach was the easiest of the Atronach to summon. Gathering her magicka, Farryn summoned the fiery daedra next to Faralda.
"Well done," Faralda said with a small smile. "Welcome, apprentice, to the College of Winterhold. Follow me and I will direct you to our master wizard, Mirabelle, so she can give you a tour."
Farryn could barely contain her excited squeal as she followed Faralda but settled for a large victorious grin. As she was led to the courtyard, Farryn couldn't help but admire the college's architecture. Even after the Great Collapse, the College of Winterhold was still standing strong and continued to radiate a powerful presence.
The two mages came to a stop at the entrance of the courtyard where Farryn could see two figures facing each other. They seemed to be arguing and the closer Farryn got the more wary she became. A High Elf, dressed in Thalmor robes was speaking to a Breton and from what Farryn could hear so far it sounded like the female Breton was reminding the Thalmor of his place here. Farryn assumed the Breton was Mirabelle from her direct tone. The master wizard was facing the Thalmor with a strict posture and a disapproving frown on her face. If I was her, I would be frowning too, Farryn thought as she watched. After escaping from Helgen the mage was even more cautious of the Thalmor than she was before she returned. She would see them in Cyrodiil sometimes and she always hated the way they proudly strutted across the streets and the perpetual sneer on their arrogant faces.
By now, the two mages had settled their argument and the the high elf had retreated inside what Farryn considered to be the main room. She received a small nudge from Faralda towards Mirabelle. With a deep breath, she steadily walked towards the elemental mage whose back was turned. Should I tap her shoulder or clear my throat? Farryn thought uncertainly. However, she needed no answer to her questions because Mirabelle had turned around and was now facing Farryn. She was about to introduce herself but Mirabelle beat her to it.
"Welcome to the College," She greeted.
"Thank you," Farryn replied. "Faralda sent me to you."
Mirabelle quirked an eyebrow in response. "Another new student...We've been getting a lot of those lately. I'm surprised."
Farryn did not know what to say to that so she just nodded and released a small smile.
"Well, let me start by giving you these," the master wizard then reached into her pack and came out holding Novice robes of destruction and a hood. "You are not required to wear these but you may find them more to your liking then your current clothes." She cast a disdainful glance at Farryn's Elven armor.
And what was that supposed to mean? Farryn thought indignantly. She could hardly stop from bristling at the veiled insult. She was ecstatic that she was getting robes but this armor had served her well in her travels to get here. She had grown quite fond of it in the short time they were together. Nonetheless, she thanked Mirabelle and shoved the robes into her bag. Farryn was given a brief tour of the campus and was instructed to attend the first class that had already started.
Walking into the Hall of Elements, Farryn was greeted to a small class of three students. It seemed as though the apprentices were trying to convince Tolfdir to teach them a more practical spell. Once she joined the others, Tolfdir addressed her.
"Ah! Another student joins us. Tell me, what do you think? Do you agree with your peers?"
Farryn shrugged. "Safety is important. What's the point of learning any new spells if you are killed in the process?"
"Oh, don't listen to her, Master Tolfdir. We can do this!" said a Khajit on her right.
"Yes," interjected another student. "We've just arrived here. Let us show you what we're capable of!"
Well, aren't we confident? Farryn thought. She observed as her fellow classmates argued.
"Very well, then. We will proceed with wards." Tolfdir said. "Wards are the most often used defensive spells among mages because they are effective in minimizing the damages of magical attacks."
He turned to Farryn and motioned her forward.
"Come," he said. "Let me demonstrate."
Tolfdir instructed Farryn to stand across from him and asked if she knew any warding spells. Sadly, she shook her head. Farryn was never thought about wards. She did not really have a use for them. If she was fighting a mage, Farryn would mostly rely on her summoned atronachs and shoot arrows from a distance. She would usually dodge any incoming spells and then retaliate with arrows or daggers. The only spells of the Restoration school she believed practical were the healing spells.
Watching as Tolfdir demonstrated Lesser Ward, Farryn made sure to focus on the professor's body movements: one hand firmly stretched in front of his body, palm out and forward and feet set determinedly apart. A shimmering blue shield sprung forth from Tolfdir's hand, creating a transparent barrier.
"Now," Tolfdir continued. "You must keep the ward up until I attack, understand?"
Farryn nodded her agreement.
"Begin."
Gathering her magicka, Farryn concentrated on forming a ward. Casting Lesser Ward was not difficult, however keeping the barrier up took magicka. The longer you cast it, the more magicka you lose. Farryn had a decent amount of magicka, no where near the amount she had before she came to Skyrim since the Imperials took all of her enchanted items, but enough to sustain the ward for Tolfdir to attack.
Once Tolfdir's spell hit the barrier, Farryn immediately felt the impact. It wasn't jarring and she was able to keep up the ward.
"Well done," Tolfdir praised. "I advise you to keep practicing with , in continuing your understanding of the practical uses in magic, I think a trip to the ruins of Saarthal is in order. We will meet there in a couple of hours so prepare yourselves."
After being dismissed, the students made their way out of the Hall. Before Farryn could leave, she was approached by one of the apprentices.
"Hello, I'm Onmund." He said, holding out a hand.
Grasping the hand and shaking it once, Farryn introduced herself.
"It's nice to have another Nord around here." Onmund continued. "I was afraid I would be the only one."
"I'm surprised that there are actually Nords here in the college," Farryn said.
"Yeah. Nords aren't very fond of mages or magic in general, but there are few exceptions like you and I."
As Farryn continued to talk to Onmund, she came to the conclusion that the male mage wanted to band up together. She could understand his reasons. Being the only two Nord mages in a land mostly made up of magic-hating Nords, was going to be difficult. So she asked Onmund if he could show her some Destruction magic later. Onmund readily agreed and together they walked out of the Hall of Elements. The two mages headed to the Hall of Attainment and Farryn entered her room. The lack of a door was irritating and she was not sure if she could get use to it. Finding a corner that would hopefully shield her, Farryn quickly changed into the robes she was given leaving the hood down.
She emerged from her room and found the girl Dunmer sitting on a chair reading a book. Farryn couldn't tell what she was reading and did not really care. She looked around and saw the rest of the apprentices settling themselves in.
"When are we leaving for Saarthal?" Farryn asked.
"In a few hours," the Dunmer replied. "Tolfdir will call us when it is time. I'm Brelyna Maryon, by the way, and yes I have an ancestry steeped in magic. I am aware that Winterhold use to be full of my kind and no I do not care that all of them are gone. Does that answer your questions?"
Farryn frowned. She only had one question.
"No, it didn't," Farryn said. Brelyna looked up from her perusal of the book. "Since I only had one question and you had already answered it. There was no reason to give out facts about your race's history because I could care less."
Brelyna's face had formed into a scowl and then it cleared once Farryn had finished.
"Sorry," Brelyna said. She had closed her book and was now giving Farryn her full attention. "I'm just used to too many questions. I am here to learn Conjuration and that is it."
"Really?" Farryn said. "I could show you a few spells if you want." At the skeptical look she received Farryn continued with "I'm serious. I specialize in Conjuration and I am close to mastering it. I came here to learn Destruction and Restoration."
Brelyna studied her for a awhile and Farryn got the impression that she was looking for any deceit. Farryn let out a small sigh of relief when the Dunmer nodded. She hoped to be on friendly terms with her classmates so her time here would be more enjoyable.
Farryn was just about to ask Brelyna what spells she knew when the door was opened and Tolfdir stuck his head in asking them if they were ready. Farryn and the others all gave affirmative answers and Tolfdir led the way out.
Saarthal was a three hour walk from the College and Farryn hoped that the ruins held some interesting information. If it was anything like Bleak Falls Barrow, she would cry.
