Hey everyone, the wait is over.
Finally, a chapter with some action. Not much, but hopefully it will hold you for a while. This one was fun to write, though it ended up being WAY longer than originally intended. I had tossed around the idea of splitting it up into 2 pieces, but in the end i decided to keep it together. Please let me know if you like having these longer chapters, or if you prefer shorter ones. And as always, please leave any and all feedback, as it is greatly appreciated.
Winterhold's Finest
Chapter 4: Wards 101
The last couple of days, in contrast to earlier in the week, had passed in a blur for Revan. Now that he had been reunited with his best childhood friend, life finally felt good. Revan had been on his own for much of his life since his father died and he left Cyrodiil; he had almost forgotten what it was like to have good friends. He and Onmund were also fast becoming good friends, which only made things better. It felt good to be able to make new friends after so many years.
With their first lessons due to start in a day's time, Revan wondered whether more apprentices would arrive. His question was answered later that night, as he was getting ready for bed. He was finishing his night preparations when he heard the Hall's door open and voices shortly after. After listening, he recognized Mirabelle's voice. But who was she talking to?
Curiosity getting the better of him, Revan got up from his chair and poked his head out of his room. He saw Mirabelle and a stranger standing across the common room. He couldn't see the newcomer's face, but when Mirabelle saw him, she beckoned him over.
"Revan, I didn't realize you were still awake. I'd like you to meet another of your fellow apprentices."
The newcomer turned around, and Revan was surprised to see a Dunmer female. Her hood was up, so he hadn't known from looking at her back. As Revan walked up to them, she turned and bowed her head slightly. "Brelyna Maryon of House Telvanni." she said in a soft voice.
Revan gave a short bow in return. "Revan Midley, at your service." he said. As he stood there looking at her, he couldn't help but notice that she was quite pretty. She was obviously very young, probably near his age. Her skin wasn't so much grey as blue, and her eyes were a sparkling ruby color.
Mirabelle gestured Brelyna over to her room. "This will be your room. Everything in it is free for you to use. You'll find a spare set of robes in the wardrobe, but I see you are already prepared in that regard. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Now, I'm sure you are tired from your journey, and your first lessons start tomorrow, so you should get some rest. Good night, Miss Maryon. You too, Mr. Midley."
"Good night." they both said in unison. Mirabelle turned and walked out of the Hall, and Brelyna walked into her room. Revan started to follow, hoping to ask a question, but thought it best to knock first.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were still there." Brelyna said as she continued to put her belongings away in the wardrobe.
"I was hoping to ask you a question, if you don't mind." Revan replied.
Brelyna turned to face him and let out a sigh. "Before you ask, yes, I do have an ancestry steeped in magic. No, I don't want to talk about it. Yes, I know that Winterhold used to be full of Dunmer, and no, I really don't care that they are all gone now. Does that answer your question?"
Revan was taken aback by this. "Well, that's, uh, not quite what I was expecting."
Brelyna blushed slightly at this and bowed her head. "I'm sorry; I'm so used to people judging me before they even get to know me. I've lived under the shadows of others for so long now."
Revan nodded in understanding. "I would guess that you're referring to your House? I've read quite a bit about House Telvanni, so I can see why people might judge you. Personally, I think it's fascinating. I never thought I would meet someone from one of the most powerful Houses in Morrowind."
Brelyna's blush faded slightly, and she raised her head a bit to look at Revan. "Thanks for that, I guess. It's nice to meet someone who won't judge me for what I should be." She smiled. "It's also nice to know I'm not the only Dunmer here." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "So, what brings you to the College, Revan?"
She seemed more at peace now, and Revan smiled. "I'm here just to learn about magic. I've been able to use it for several years now, but I never had any sort of training in it beyond my own trial and error sessions. This is the best place to learn magic these days. What about you?"
Brelyna's smile disappeared a bit at this. "My parents saved a spot for me here the day I was born, or so I've heard. It wouldn't surprise me in the least. They were always pushing me to learn more, perhaps too far." she said as she shook her head. "I just want to learn what I can. I don't want others setting goals for me."
Revan reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "No one is judging you here, least of all me. You're probably a far better mage than me already, and you'll only get better as you learn more. That's why the College is here; so you can learn at your own pace, not anyone else's."
Brelyna smiled again. "Thanks for that Revan. That helps a lot." she said. Suddenly, she let out a yawn. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't realize how tired I am. I've had quite a journey getting here."
Revan stepped back and nodded. "I felt the same way when I got here a few days ago. I'll leave you to get some sleep. Nice talking to you Brelyna" Revan said as he stepped back into the doorway.
Brelyna smiled again. "Nice talking to you too. I think we're going to be good friends. Good night, Revan." she said as Revan left the room.
As she got ready for bed, Brelyna continued to dwell on her conversation with Revan. It's nice to finally meet someone who won't judge me for who I should be she thought. And it also helps that he's a fellow Dunmer. And quite handsome too. She blushed at this. What am I saying?! I just met him. I must just be tired. But still…
As Revan was walking back to his room, he thought he heard footsteps behind him. He knew everyone else was either asleep or soon would be. Except one. Maybe… he thought. As he got to his room, he smiled and shook his head. "Alright Tom, you can be visible again."
He turned around to see Tom shimmer into view. "Damn it, how did you know I was invisible?" Tom said.
Revan chuckled. "You always used to do that when we were younger. We may not have seen each other in several years, but I still remember. Next time, you should use a Muffle spell."
Tom smacked his hand into his forehead. "Of course, I should have known. I had forgotten how good your hearing is. Next time, I'll get it right." He leaned against the doorway and grinned. "So, I see you're already making friends? Or is it more than that already?"
Revan flushed slightly. "I have no idea what you're talking about. We just met today." he said.
Tom laughed. "That's a pretty shade of pink you've got there Rev. Come on, we've known each other a long time. You can tell me anything." he said with a sly grin
Revan shook his head. "We're just friends, Tom. Honestly, I'm just glad to have another Dunmer apprentice here. It's nice to not be the only one."
"Alright, if you say so…" Tom said, not sounding completely convinced.
"It's late. We should get some sleep so we'll be ready for lessons tomorrow. Good night Tom." Revan said as he turned towards the wardrobe.
"Alright, see you tomorrow." Tom said, still with his sly grin.
Once he left the room, Revan was left with his thoughts. What was Tom going on about? He thought. Brelyna and I just met. We're just friends. But even in his thoughts, Revan himself didn't sound truly convinced. He shook his head. I can't focus on that now; got to get some sleep so I can be ready for tomorrow. With that, he disrobed and climbed into bed. But even as sleep came over him, his thoughts were still on her. Her eyes, her voice, her smile. Life at the College just got a lot more interesting.
The next day
The sun rose early the next morning, but the courtyard was still frigid. Revan quickly crossed the courtyard and entered the Hall of Elements. The warmth in the Hall was welcoming, and as he looked around, he saw a couple of his fellow apprentices practicing some basic spells. He recognized Onmund the Nord right away, but the other he hadn't seen before. As he got closer, he noticed the furry tail sticking out from the back of his robes. A Khajiit he thought as he walked up to the pair of mages.
"Good morning Revan" Onmund said as he cast a Sparks spell. "Sleep well?"
"Well enough, though a few more hours couldn't hurt." Revan replied. "A well cast spell, my friend."
The Khajiit turned to Revan. "If you think that is good, then watch J'Zargo cast his." he said as he fired his own spell.
"A good cast yourself." Onmund said.
"J'Zargo cast it, so it was bound to be." the Khajiit replied.
"You seem very sure of yourself, but if you think that was good, watch this." Onmund said as he fired off another spell.
And their impromptu competition continued, with both casting spells back and forth. Revan watched in mild amusement, and noted that for all of his boasting, J'Zargo did seem to be the more skilled of the two. He kept this knowledge to himself though. His ego seems to be large enough. Don't need the College to collapse under its weight.
After a while, Revan heard the door open behind him. He turned, expecting to see their teacher, but was pleasantly surprised to see Brelyna and Tom. "Good morning, you two. Sleep well?"
"After the journey I've had, I could use a few more hours sleep, but I'll be fine." Brelyna replied with a small smile.
Tom walked up to J'Zargo and Onmund. "Having a little contest, are we? Alright, my turn." he said. His hand began to glow purple and all of a sudden, a transparent blue wolf appeared.
"A Conjuration expert, huh? Pretty cool Tom." Onmund reached for the wolf. "Is he friendly?"
Tom laughed. "Only as long as you don't threaten me. Go ahead, he likes his ears scratched. Don't you, Leekos?"
The wolf barked. "Leekos. That's a nice name" Onmund scratched the wolf's ears. "Certainly seems friendly enough. For a blue see-through wolf."
Tom looked to J'Zargo, who seemed to be keeping his distance. "Go ahead, he doesn't bite. Much." he said with a laugh.
"J'Zargo is not too fond of dogs. He will pass." he said, still giving the wolf a wary look.
The rest of the mages laughed at this. "I also have a bit of skill with Destruction magic. Shall we?" Tom said as he summoned a pair of fireballs in his hands.
And so their contest resumed, with each mage showing off their talents. Brelyna moved closer to Revan. "You're not going to join in? I'm sure you have some skill too."
Revan shook his head. "I think I'll leave them to their ego stroking. Besides, I'd like to see what they're capable of."
They watched together for a few more minutes before the Hall door opened once again. This time, an older man walked in. "Good morning everyone. Welcome to the College of Winterhold. I am Tolfdir, and I will be your teacher" he said. He looked at Onmund. "Onmund, correct?" Onmund nodded. "Well Onmund, that was a well cast Sparks spell. Good work."
Onmund smiled at this. "Thank you sir." J'Zargo's ears twitched and he looked expectantly towards Tolfdir, but when his praise didn't come, his face turned sour.
Tolfdir surveyed the five of them. "As I said before, welcome to the College of Winterhold. You have all shown a great aptitude for magic, and with some training, you will all be great mages someday. However, the first thing you must understand is that magic is volatile and dangerous if used incorrectly. You must control it, or it will destroy you."
"Sir, if I may, I think we all understand that concept fairly well. We came to the College because we CAN control magic; otherwise, we wouldn't be here."
Tolfdir nodded. "You do have a point Onmund. You all possess inherent magical abilities, that much is certain. What I'm talking about is true control of magic. Mastery, if you will. It takes years, if not decades of practice and study.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" J'Zargo interjected eagerly, perhaps too eagerly.
Tolfdir held up his hands. "Please, settle down, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be met with caution or else you are inviting disaster" he warned. "We don't want anything to happen to any of you."
Tom spoke up at this point. "We've only just arrived here. You haven't seen what any of us are capable of beyond what you saw earlier. Give us a chance, and we will show you what we can do."
Tolfdir turned to Brelyna and Revan. "You two have been quiet so far. What are your thoughts on this?"
Revan thought for a moment before answering. "I think you are right to be cautious, especially so we can avoid accidents" he said, but then gestured to Onmund, J'Zargo, and Tom. "But they all make good points. We all want to learn, and we already know the basics of controlling magic. Maybe it would be best to start with something practical, just to see where we stand and to prepare for what's to come."
Tolfdir nodded at this. "You do make a good argument. Alright then, we'll try something practical. However, we will continue with our theme of safety and start with wards. Wards, as I'm sure some of you are aware, are protective spells that can block magic. I'll teach you all a ward, and then we'll see if you can use it to block some spells. Ok?"
The apprentices nodded. "Excellent. Now, I'll need a volunteer." He turned towards Revan. "Since this was mostly your idea, would you mind helping me?"
Revan stepped forward. "I know a simple ward, but I don't have much practice with it." he admitted.
Tolfdir smiled. "That's quite alright. That is the purpose of this lesson after all. Now, if you'll stand just over there on that emblem, we can begin."
Revan moved over to the emblem and readied his ward. "Now, cast your ward and hold it for a few seconds" Tolfdir said. Revan activated the ward, and a shimmering wall of light appeared in front of him. He felt his body channeling his energy into the ward, and he held it for several seconds.
"Good, now hold it right there while I cast a firebolt at you. Just stand still and keep your ward up." Tolfdir said, as he prepared his own spell. When he was ready, he launched the firebolt at Revan. Fighting down his body's natural reaction to dive for cover, Revan stood his ground and held his ward up. The firebolt hit the shield and was absorbed by it. "Excellent! Good job!" Tolfdir exclaimed as Revan released the ward. "Very good. You seem to have a good understanding of your ward. Keep practicing and you'll be able to block just about any spell. Now, to finish today's lesson, I'd like you to split into pairs and practice with wards.
Tolfdir surveyed the apprentices for a moment. "Onmund and Tom, I'd like you two to work together. You can take that area of the Hall over there. Revan and Brelyna, please step over here and practice. And J'Zargo, since you are the odd one out, you and I will practice here. Now, please be careful with your spells; we don't want any accidents."
The mages split into their pairs. Onmund and Tom moved to the far side of the room and began practicing. J'Zargo and Tolfdir moved away to practice, leaving Revan and Brelyna space to cast. Revan looked over at Brelyna and could see she was extremely nervous. "So, uh, I'll go first?" he said.
Brelyna almost jumped when he spoke, and could only nod anxiously. She moved to stand across from Revan, and he could see that she was shaking slightly. "Just relax, ok? It's just practice. Nothing bad is going to happen." he said reassuringly, but she didn't respond. Revan raised his hand and felt the energy build, and the shimmering wall of magic appeared once more.
Brelyna, still appearing to be very nervous, created a firebolt in her hand. When it was ready, she launched it at Revan, who blocked it with his ward. Hmm, there wasn't very much in that spell he thought. Is she really this nervous about practicing these simple spells? His suspicions were confirmed when he readied his own firebolt. Brelyna raised her hand to activate her ward. But something didn't seem right. Revan started to call out a warning when there was a flash of purple light, and floating in front of Brelyna was a Flame Atronach, summoned from the plane of Oblivion. Shocked by its sudden appearance, Revan accidentally shot the firebolt at Brelyna. The bolt hit the Atronach, and sensing a threat, began to attack Revan.
Chaos erupted in the Hall as the Atronach launched multiple firebolts towards Revan, who was able to barely dive out of the way. From across the room, Onmund and Tom cast a volley of ice spikes while on the other side J'Zargo hit the Atronach with streams of lightning. The combined magical assault was too much, and the Atronach soon collapsed on the ground. Recognizing the danger, Revan moved from behind the pillar he had used as cover and ran towards Brelyna. "Move Brelyna, it's going to explode!" he shouted.
Brelyna, who had stood frozen in place during the fight, suddenly came to her senses and dove out of the way just as the Atronach exploded and sent fire out in all directions. All was silent as everyone looked at the pile of ashes.
Revan was the first to break the silence. "Well, that was certainly interesting. Is everyone ok?" The rest of the mages nodded, except Brelyna who seemed to be fighting for words.
"I'm…oh my….I'm so sorry. I….I mean….I….." she stammered. "Oh, I'm such a failure!" she wailed as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Before anyone could move or say anything, Brelyna ran out of the Hall, head in her hands. The doors slammed shut and silence fell once more as the stunned apprentices figured out what had just happened.
"Hold on, I'll go and talk to her." Revan said, and he walked quickly out of the Hall. What happened back there? he thought. Why is she so upset about messing up a spell? He walked towards the dorms and stepped inside. After listening for a moment, he was able to hear faint sobs coming from one of the rooms. That's got to be her.
Revan walked over to the door and hesitated. He wasn't quite sure how to handle this without making things worse. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. "Brelyna? It's me, Revan. Can I come in?" he said.
At first, Revan thought she might not have heard him, but as he was about to knock again, the door slowly opened. "What do you want?" Brelyna said, still crying slightly.
"Just to talk. Can I come in?" Revan said. After hesitating, she moved away from the door so he could enter. "Thanks." He said as he took a seat in the chair. Brelyna moved over to the bed, still sniffling quietly. "What happened out there?" he said gently.
Brelyna looked him. "Why do you care?" She spat, sounding bitter. "Why does it matter? At least you know the difference between a ward and a conjuration spell. I was a complete idiot."
"You're not an idiot Brelyna," Revan replied gently. "It was just a simple mistake. It's not something you should be taking so hard."
"Are you kidding?! I should have been able to cast the ward with no problems, but I screwed it up," She yelled. "A child could have done far better than I did. I'm clearly wasting my time here. They won't want a failure like me." With that, she began sobbing anew.
Well, this isn't going well Revan thought. She shouldn't be this upset. Something else is going on here, but what?
His thoughts were cut short though as Brelyna continued. "I appreciate you coming to try to talk to me, but what's the point? I'm no mage; I'm nothing but a failure. That's what they would say…."
The realization hit Revan like a boulder. Of course! Her family! The Telvanni are known to be powerful wizards. She must be trying to live up to them. Choosing his words carefully, Revan spoke. "You mean your family, don't you?" She stopped shaking at this and looked up slightly. "That's why you see yourself as a failure, isn't it? Because they would say the same thing."
She had stopped sobbing again, and her eyes were fiery now. "They were always telling me how great they are, and how I'd probably never meet their expectations." she said in a sour tone.
Still treading carefully, Revan thought how best to respond. "Honestly Brelyna, if they expect you to be as great as them, you will never satisfy them. But that's completely unfair and unrealistic. You can only be as good as you can be, no matter what the expectations are."
Brelyna considered what Revan had said, gazing into his eyes. After one last sniff, she stood up from her bed, her back straight. Her eyes changed, from dismay to a hard resolve. Her new determination was surprising. "You're right Revan, I can only be as good as I can be. I think deep down I knew that, but I couldn't face it." She smiled at him. "I guess I just needed someone to bring me to my senses. Thank you."
Revan returned her smile. "You're welcome. As someone who frequently needs to be brought to his senses, I know exactly what you mean." Brelyna laughed at this, which was a good sign. Revan continued, "Besides, that was a great bit of conjuration. I was never very good at it; I was always a bit envious of Tom to be honest. You're going to be a great mage Brelyna, if you believe in yourself."
Her smile grew wider. "Thanks Revan. I did always like that one. I'm glad to have a friend like you to help me think straight."
It suddenly felt very hot in the room, at least to Revan, who could feel his face redden. "Well, uh, I just…uh…I just did my best." he said, looking down.
"That's more than enough for me Revan." Brelyna said, smiling still, which caused Revan to blush further. "Come on; let's get back to the Hall. I'm sure the others are waiting for us."
Grateful for the chance to look away, Revan held the door for Brelyna as the two of them crossed the courtyard back to the Hall of Elements. Once back inside, they were greeted by their fellow apprentices.
"Brelyna! You had us a bit worried. Are you alright?" Tolfdir asked in a concerned voice.
Brelyna nodded and looked resolute. "I'm ok now. I'm terribly sorry for the mess I caused. I wasn't thinking straight earlier. I've had my standards set too high and I panicked. But no longer; I just want to learn what I can, and not try to be something I'm not."
Tolfdir nodded, smiling. "That's exactly why you are here, my dear. That's why all of you are here as a matter of fact. You are all still young, still learning how to control your power. You will all be as great as you can be, no matter what anyone else thinks. Now, I think we've all had enough excitement for one day. Let's end the lesson here for today. For next time, I would like you to all find out a way to break through a ward spell. I will see you in all in two days."
With that, the group went their separate ways. "Hey Rev, you wanna head down to the Frozen Hearth for a drink? Onmund, J'Zargo, and I are going in a few minutes." Tom called out.
"I'll catch up with you in a bit." Revan replied. Tom shrugged and walked out of the Hall.
Revan turned to Brelyna. "Feel better now that this whole thing is over?"
She smiled again. "Yes, much better now. All thanks to you Revan."
It's very warm in here too. Must be from all the firebolts we cast earlier Revan thought as he felt his cheeks flush again. "Um, you're welcome. I didn't really do that much, to be honest. You just needed someone to listen and talk to."
"Well, I'm glad it was you. My head wasn't clear and you were there to help. So thank you again." She replied, still smiling.
"Not a problem…." Revan mumbled. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "So, uh, would you like to join us at the Frozen Hearth? I'm sure the others wouldn't mind."
"Yes, I'd like that. After what happened today, I could use a break." She started to walk away, but turned around again. "Oh, why not?" she said as she walked up to Revan and hugged him. "Thanks again, Rev." she said with a laugh. "I actually like it."
"Uh, thanks." Revan said, looking down slightly again. "Tom used to call me that when we were younger."
"You two were friends before?" she asked. "How long have you known each other?"
"I'm not entirely sure, because I don't really remember ever not knowing Tom. But we haven't seen each other in several years, not since I left Cyrodiil." He said, his face showing some pain.
Picking up on that, Brelyna decided now wasn't the time. "Well, I'm sure you have quite a lot of stories. You'll need to tell me sometime. Anyway, we should get down to the Frozen Hearth. Don't want the rest of them to drink all the mead."
Revan laughed at that, his good mood back. "Yeah, especially Tom. He may be on the small side, but he can drink just about anyone under the table. Shall we?" gesturing towards the door.
Brelyna smiled. "Yes, we shall." Revan held the door open for her, and they stepped out into the cold once more. Both were deep in their own thoughts, both wondering what the future might hold. And unknown to the other, each had thoughts about their growing friendship, and what the future might hold for it.