Hey everyone, I'm finally back with chapter 5. I know it's been a while since i last uploaded, and i'm once again sorry for the delay (i know most of you probably don't care, but i do).

Anyway, here we are with chapter 5. Hope you all enjoy, and as always please leave any and all feedback.

Also, I'd like to thank AlphaTheGriffin17, for the inspiration i drew from his story that i put in chapter 4.

Winterhold's Finest

Chapter 5: Some Wounds Never Heal

"Long story short, we learned that pissing off the Imperial guards was NOT a good idea." Tom said, causing his fellow mages to burst into laughter.

The five apprentices had been sitting in the Frozen Hearth now for a few hours, enjoying mugs of Nord mead and sharing stories with each other. The best ones had thus far come from Tom, who told several stories that dated back several years. Revan would interject at a few points to clarify some aspect, or to make sure Tom told the story accurately. But as the day wore on, Tom noticed his friend had become quieter and withdrawn. Must be all the old memories he thought.

Deciding to spare Revan further torment, Tom got up and stretched. "Well, I think it's about time we head back. Got some studying to do before next lesson. Wanna join me Onmund?" he said, looking to his Nord friend.

Onmund shrugged. "Might as well. I don't know where to start anyway, so it might be good to have some help. Let's go. Coming J'Zargo?"

J'Zargo got up as well. "J'Zargo will join you, but not for studying. He has an idea that he would like to experiment with."

"Suit yourself." Tom said. He turned to Revan. "Coming Rev?"

Revan shook his head. "No, I think I'll stay here a while longer. I'll catch you later." He said, turned back to the fire, his face betraying his feelings of sadness.

"Alright, if you're sure. Just don't stay too long." Tom said, then faced Brelyna. "What about you Brelyna? Up for some studying?"

Brelyna thought for a moment before also shaking her head. "I think I'll stay a little longer as well. See you later guys." She said with a smile as the three mages walked out of the inn.

Brelyna looked over at Revan, still looking intensely at the fireplace. I really should go back and study some more, but Revan looks extremely troubled. Something must be wrong she thought. Not entirely sure what to say, she decided just to speak her mind. "Everything ok Revan? You've been very quiet for a while now. Is something wrong?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

At first, she thought Revan might be ignoring her, as he didn't answer. But as she was about to give up, Revan spoke in a soft voice. "I miss him Brelyna."

"Who are you talking about Revan?" Brelyna asked, unsure of who he could be referring to.

Revan was silent for a moment, and Brelyna noticed a single tear moving down his cheek. "My father. I just realized that on this day, eight years ago, he was taken from me. Eight years ago, I lost the last bit of family I had left." More tears fell as he spoke, and Brelyna's heart was close to breaking.

"He must have been really important to you." She said, putting her hand on top of his, squeezing lightly. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't imagine losing someone that close."

Revan looked up and gave a weak smile. "Thanks Brelyna, that means a lot. I've never had many close friends, but I'm glad I met you."

Brelyna felt her cheeks grow warm when he said that, and she pulled her hand back. "You're, uh, welcome Revan. That's what friends are for." An awkward silence fell between them. In an effort to break it, Brelyna changed the subject. "So, how did you end up to be in Skyrim? You said you were born in Cyrodiil earlier; how did you end up here in Winterhold?"

Revan thought for a moment. "It's kind of a long story, to be honest. I've never told anyone this, except Tom, but he was there for most of it. You probably won't want to hear it."

"I would love to hear it. I've always like hearing and reading stories, no matter how sad. Plus, it might make you feel better if you let your feelings out, instead of keeping them inside." Brelyna said, hoping he might open up and let his feelings out. It can't be healthy to keep all those things bottled up inside yourself she thought.

Revan let out a long sigh. "I suppose you're right. But I'm warning you now: this isn't the happiest of stories. And as I said, it's long. So are you sure you want to hear it?"

Brelyna nodded. "Well, where to begin?" Revan said. "I guess I'll need to go back to before everything in my life changed, back when life made sense…"

8 years ago; Imperial City, Cyrodiil

"Come on Rev, we don't want to waste any time!" Tom shouted.

"I'm right behind you, just keep going!" Revan shouted back. The two friends were racing towards the pier, hoping to find a good spot to spend the day fishing. It was still quite early, so most of the shops they passed were still closed. Most people were still sleeping, so the streets were deserted except for the night guards.

They were almost to the docks when two guards stepped out into the street in front of them. "Hold there boys. The Legion is coming through." one of the guards said. Sure enough, as soon as he said it, the sound of marching feet reached their ears. Rounding the last corner, the boys soon saw the lines of Imperial Legionnaires marching down the street. It was quite an impressive sight, to see all those soldiers marching in perfect harmony, their feet hitting the ground in unison.

"Where do you think they're off to?" Revan asked.

Tom shrugged. "No idea. I haven't heard of any news about the Thalmor attacking. Maybe they're going to Hammerfell?"

"Could be. I did hear the Redguards had pushed the Thalmor out. But why would the Legion be going there? To attack the Thalmor?"

Revan shook his head. "I don't think so. I think they're going to the border to make sure Hammerfell doesn't attack us when we're not looking. I heard they were discussing leaving the Empire."

Tom shrugged. "Not really our problem right now. Come on, it looks like that's the last of them." As he said this, the guards blocking the street moved to the side.

"Alright, shows over. Let's keep moving boys." The guard said. With a quick wave, the two boys continued towards the docks. Turning the final corner, they reached their destination.

"Excellent, there's plenty of space. Come on Rev, let's get set up." Tom said. Walking along the row of piers, the two friends decided to set up their fishing poles on the far side of the docks. Tom set to work getting the poles ready while Revan set up their stools on the pier. Around them, the dock workers were going about their business. Several ships delivering supplies were being unloaded a short distance away, a small group of seagulls were scavenging among some trash piles.

With a final knot, the fishing poles were ready. Taking one, Revan sat on the stool and flicked the end of the line into the water. "Think we'll get anything?" he said as Tom took his place.

Tom shrugged. "Maybe. Might be slim pickings today though with all the supply ships coming in. Let's see what we can get though."

A couple of hours passed, but the bucket the boys had brought was still mostly empty. A few small fish had grabbed the lines, but nothing substantial had come by yet. The miniscule haul they had was not an issue; the two boys were just glad to be outside and enjoying their free time. Since no fish were really biting, Tom had started giving Revan some riddles, which he returned in kind. And so time passed, with the two friends swapping riddles and occasionally scooping a small catch out of the water.

"Ok, try this one Rev. How far can a dog run into the woods?" Tom said.

Revan had to think for a minute, but then he remembered that he had heard this one before. "I remember this one. A dog can only run halfway into the woods, because then he'd be running out of the woods."

"Figures you'd heard that one. Your dad probably told you it." Tom said as Revan nodded. "Alright, how abou….what's going on over there?"

Revan turned to see where Tom was pointing. A small ship had pulled into the harbor and was getting ready to dock. It had several banners draped over the side, but neither of them recognized the symbol on them. "Who do you think is on that one?" Revan asked.

Tom shrugged. "Dunno, never seen those markings before. Shall we have a look?"

Revan nodded. "Yeah, I think so. We're not going to get much else out here, I think. About time we started heading back."

Tom got up from his stool and pulled his line back. "You're right, though I wish you weren't. Come on, help me with these lines."

Once the fishing poles were disassembled for transport, Revan and Tom picked up their stools and started heading back home. While they had been packing up, the strange ship had docked and a ramp was lowered. As they approached, they could see that the occupants were High Elves from the Thalmor Embassy. "What do you think they're doing here?" Revan asked.

Tom scowled. "Probably making sure we're still being good little non-Talos worshippers. Bastards." He said this last part quietly as they were now passing the Thalmor ship. They continued past the ship and away from the docks. A few hours had passed since they walked the streets going to the docks, so most of the shops in the city were open and numerous people were walking the streets.

They reached Tom's house first. The two friends bade each other goodbye, and Revan continued on alone. A short distance away, he saw his father, Varis, sweeping some dust outside of their shop/home. As Revan approached, Varis looked up and smiled. "Welcome back son. Did you catch anything good?"

Revan returned to smile as he walked up to his father. "Nothing worth mentioning. Too many ships in the harbor; the bigger fish were scared off." he said.

Varis nodded. "A pity. Well, I was about thinking about making some lunch, if you're hungry." Revan nodded furiously as his father laughed. "I figured as much. Come on, let's get you fed then."

The rest of the day passed was uneventful. A few customers came by the shop, looking for a variety of things. When it got late enough, Varis sent Revan out to take down their OPEN sign. "Another fine day Revan. Now, how about some target practice?"

The two of them went out of the shop and across the street, into the small courtyard that was surrounded by more shops. Here, with the permission of the city guard, Varis had set of a couple of archery targets and training dummies. All were well-worn with use from numerous prior sessions. Varis took an apple out of a nearby crate and balanced it on top of one of the targets. He turned back to Revan and said, "Alright Revan, let's see what you can do."

Revan stood several feet back from the target, and readied his bow. He drew the string back halfway while lining up his target. He sighted along the shaft of the arrow and held his breath. When he had the shot lined up, he pulled the string back to his fullest and released. The arrow whizzed through the air and hit the apple, splitting it in two.

Varis smiled. "A fine shot, my boy, a fine shot. Now, let's see you do it again. Faster this time." As he was about to grab another apple, Varis noticed a courier coming towards them. No one else was around them, so the courier had to be looking for one of them.

The courier walked up to the pair, holding out a letter. "Is one of you Varis Midley?" Varis nodded and the courier handed him the letter. "This is for you. No idea who from. Just told me to get it to you as soon as possible."

Varis reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple septims. "Well, I appreciate it, even though I have no idea what this is. Thank you." The courier took the septims and continued on his way. Varis looked down at the letter in his hands, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He opened the letter and read through it, and when he was through, the chill had spread.

"Everything alright father?" Revan asked, concern in his voice and on his face.

Varis looked at his son and smiled. "Of course son, everything's fine. I just…wasn't expecting this. But it's nothing you need concern yourself with." Folding the letter and putting it in his pocket, Varis cleared his throat. "Now, where were we? I believe you were in the process of shooting that second apple. Well, let's see it."

Their lesson continued for a while, until it got too dark to see the targets without assistance. Revan and Varis gathered up the split apples and carried them back to the shop to dispose of them. Once back inside, Varis locked the door and turned to Revan. "I think I'll turn in early son. Got a long day tomorrow."

Revan nodded. "I won't be up much longer myself. Good night dad."

After Varis went upstairs to his room, Revan went to the back room of the shop. The room served several purposes, mainly as a storage area for excess goods, but also as a parlor of sorts. A few comfy chairs were set up around a small oak table, allowing for several people to gather and relax. Along one of the walls not taken up by shelves of goods for the store was a medium sized bookshelf, full of various novels, stories, and reference materials. Revan walked up to the shelf and selected one of his favorites, "The Black Arrow". Walking back to the chairs, he settled in one of the bigger ones and opened his book.

He had only just started reading when his mind began to wander. What was that letter that dad got? He looked pretty upset after getting it. Did something happen? Giving up on continuing his book, Revan got up and put it back on the shelf. I'll ask him about it tomorrow he thought as he walked upstairs and into his room. I just hope nothing bad has happened. But if it had, I'm sure he would have told me. With a sigh, Revan realized he was going to have trouble sleeping now, but decided to try anyway. As he lay his head down, his mind was still trying to figure out what might have happened. After a while though, his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

Revan awoke the next day, surprised that he felt quite good, especially considering he has spent a good part of the night tossing and turning. He got up, stretched, and walked over to the window. No wonder I feel so good, it's already late morning. It's so cloudy though, you wouldn't know unless you looked at a clock. Stretching once more, he wandered over to his dresser and pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt.

As it was Sundas, the shop was closed for the day, which meant Revan had the day to himself. As he entered the main shop, he saw a note on the counter.

Revan,

Had some errands to run; should be back before dusk. Stay out of trouble, but enjoy yourself. Left some food for you on the table, but it might be cold by the time you read this.

-Dad

Revan smiled and shook his head at his father's foresight. Walking over to the table, he saw the food his dad mentioned, and as predicted the food was cold. Summoning some flames in his hand, he held them over the plate for a few seconds. When it was warm enough, Revan extinguished the flames and began to eat.

The sky was still cloudy when Revan stepped outside, and there was a cool wind blowing in the streets. Pulling up his hood, Revan crossed the street to the courtyard where the targets were set up. Once he got past the gate, he walked up to the small wall next to the largest target. He placed a new quiver of arrows on top of it, and took the bow out of the sling across his back. Revan reached into the quiver and grabbed three of the arrows. Stringing one on his bow, Revan held the other two in his hand that also held the grip. Pulling the string taut, he sighted along the arrow shaft and fired. Quickly pulling out a second arrow, Revan set up the arrow and fired again. He did so again with the third, then stepped forward to see how he had done.

This continued for a couple of hours, with Revan practicing both quick snap shots and aimed shots. He had just pulled an arrow out of the target for the umpteenth time when he felt someone watching him. He turned to look around the courtyard, but no one was around. A few people were roaming the streets, but no eyes were upon him. Turning back to pull out another arrow that appeared to be stuck, Revan still felt eyes upon him. He smiled to himself when he realized who it was. "A nice try, but you'll need to do better than that." He said, seemingly to no one.

"Damn you! One day Rev, I will sneak up on you without you noticing." Came the voice of Tom, who suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Revan chuckled. "You had me going for a while, but I think your muffle spell wore off. Plus, I just had a feeling you were there."

Tom snorted. "Yeah, a 'feeling'. Riiiiight. You're cheating somehow, I know it." He said. Tom gestured to the bow slung across his back. "Anyway, ready to continue my lessons?"

Revan nodded. "Yep, just let me…..get…..this arrow out…come on you." He said, grunting as he struggled with the arrow. He finally pulled it free, but noticed the tip was missing. "Damn, a perfectly good arrow, wasted. Oh well, had to happen sometime." Revan turned back to Tom. "Right, let's see what you remember."

Tom nodded and took the bow from his back. Stringing an arrow, he moved to stand in front of the target. He pulled the string back partway, and said "Like this, right?"

Revan moved to stand next to him and checked form. Revan nodded approvingly. "You're good to go. Let's see you shoot now."

Tom took a deep breath, pulled the string back, and fired. The arrow hit the target, about a foot away from the center. "Damn! That didn't go too well, did it? I guess I shouldn't have expected too much since it's been so long."

"It was a fine shot. The first step is to know how to shoot a bow. Once you master that, all it takes is time and practice to increase your accuracy. You'll get it eventually, don't worry. Come on, let's see you do it again."

They continued for a while longer, until it came time for Tom to head home. "If I don't get home soon, Father won't be happy. Thanks for the lesson Rev!" he said, shouting the last part as he ran off down the street. Revan shook his head as Tom left, partly in amusement and partly because he knew Tom's parents didn't approve of what he was showing Tom. He hated that he could get his friend in trouble, but Tom had assured him that he wanted to learn, and if his parents wouldn't let him, he would find his own teacher. Revan smiled, remembering how Tom had practically begged him to teach him, even offering to pay for the lessons. Revan of course declined, but it was still mildly amusing to remember.

Turning back to the targets, he decided stop for the day. It'll be dark in a couple hours, and Dad should be home soon he thought as he gathered his arrows and put them back in the quiver. Think I'll take another crack at that book when I get back. Arrows secure in their quiver, Revan slung the quiver across his back, picked up his bow, and walked out of the courtyard. Although it would be another couple of hours, the sky was already growing dark. Revan walked up the front stairs of the shop and opened the door. He placed the quiver on the floor near the door and walked into the back room of the shop. Once inside, he began lighting the wall sconces, banishing the darkness from the room. With the room lit, Revan moved to stand in front of the bookshelf. He pulled "The Black Arrow" down again and sat in the chair to begin reading.

Time passed as Revan sat reading. When he got about halfway through the book, he looked up to see that it was already dusk. Hmmm, Dad should have been home by now. What could be keeping him? Growing worried now, Revan tried to focus on his book. He was interrupted though by the sound of the door opening. Putting the book down, he walked quickly out into the main room. Hoping it was his father, Revan was surprised to see Samuel, the guard who was close friends with his father. Revan smiled when he saw him. "Samuel, what are you doing here? I thought you had the night shift on Sundas. Did you need something?" Revan's smile faded when he saw the look on Samuel's face. "Is something wrong?"

Samuel nodded once and then sat down in one of the chairs in front of the counter. "Revan….." he started to say, but stopped. Sighing, Samuel reached into his pocket and pulled out an amulet. Placing it on the counter, he looked at Revan. "I'm sorry Revan. Your father…..he….I'm so sorry."

Revan looked down at the amulet and immediately recognized it as the one his father always wore. It was a simple design, just a small silver circle with three gemstones in the middle. It had apparently belonged to Revan's mother, before she died. Revan knew, deep down, what had happened, but he still couldn't believe it. "What happened?" he asked, he voice breaking slightly.

Samuel sighed. "Not really sure, I'm afraid. All I know is that there was some anti-Thalmor protest going on near the market square. You can imagine that the Thalmor up at the embassy didn't take kindly to the demonstration, even if it was peaceful. So they sent some of those Justiciars in to take care of the protestors. Things got ugly fast, and you know those Justiciars- they don't do things half-way. The whole thing was over in seconds. Bodies everywhere, most unrecognizable. Myself and couple other guards had to go through and clean up the mess, and that's when I saw the amulet. I knew right away that it had to have been your father. I'm so sorry Revan. I don't know what to say."

Revan looked back at the amulet, tears falling now. "But Dad wasn't even part of the anti-Thalmor group. He didn't like them much, but he never did anything against them." His voice was now shaking quite a bit, as more tears fell. "Why him?"

"Dunno. I knew your father for many years, and you're right, he wouldn't do anything like this. My guess is he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Probably just got hit with a wayward spell." Samuel sighed again. "I'm sorry Revan, this is a lot to take in. I can go if you want to be alone." Revan could only nod at this point. Samuel got up from the chair. "As you wish. I'll be by tomorrow with someone from the Chamber of Commerce. We'll need to figure out what will happen to you and the shop. We'll need to see if your father ever had a will made." Samuel walked to the door and opened it, but before stepping out, he turned back to Revan. "You sure you want to be alone right now?"

Revan looked over at Samuel. "Yeah, I think so. I need to process everything. But….Thank you, Samuel. For telling me what happened."

Samuel nodded. "The least I could do. See you soon, Revan." And with that, Samuel walked out, closing the door behind him. Revan was left to grieve alone, now crying in earnest, unsure of what to do next.

One week later

"Are you sure you want to sell the store Rev?" Tom asked. The small funeral for Varis Midley had just finished and the small gathering of people were heading home. Revan had just finished telling Tom about his plans, which included selling the store, which was now his, and to go adventuring across Cyrodiil.

"Yeah, I'm sure Tom. There's nothing left for me here. I was never one to run a shop, and I think Dad knew that. I'm finalizing the sale to the Black Horse Courier today; they could put the place to good use." Revan put a hand on Tom's shoulder. "It's what I want to do. I need to make my own way in this world."

Tom nodded, but still looked upset. "I can see you're set on this, so I don't think I can stop you. Just remember that if you need anything, you come find me." Tom suddenly pulled Revan into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you buddy. Take care of yourself."

Revan returned the hug. "I will, you know me. I promise I'll come back one day." Revan and Tom separated, and Revan saw Tom was trying hard to not cry, but he wasn't entirely successful. Revan smiled reassuringly. "We'll see each other again someday, I know it. Just make sure you don't let your archery skills get completely rusty."

Tom laughed slightly at this, wiping his eyes. "You know my parents don't want me practicing that, but I'll find a way. Good luck Rev." With one last quick hug, Tom walked out of the courtyard and towards his house. Revan watched him go with slight regret, but a grim resolve set in once he looked back at his father's gravestone.

"You taught me so much Dad, I'll never forget. Maybe I'll go try and learn some magic; you always wanted me to learn how to control it." Turning away, Revan walked into the shop, and sat down to wait for the editor from the Black Horse.

The next day

Revan looked back across the bridge at the Imperial City. Already, it seemed like he had been walking for a long time, even though it had been less than ten minutes since he walked out of the shop. The early morning fog was still hovering above the water surrounding the city, and Revan saw a couple of mudcrabs wandering around on the shore. Well, last chance Revan. Last chance to turn back he thought, but his resolve was strong. He had no idea where he would go; he would just go where his legs took him. Shifting the pack on his back to a more comfortable position, Revan set off. To where, he didn't know, but did know that he would find what he wanted to do and he would be damn good at it.

Present day

"I wandered Cyrodiil for years, taking some small jobs here and there to keep myself occupied. Eventually, I heard about the College from a passing caravan. I wanted to go, but I decided to wait for a couple years. I used that time to practice on my own, and I even asked a couple people I had met to teach me what they could. Once I felt ready, I got on a caravan and ended up here."

Revan had been telling his story for a while now, and Brelyna had been listening intently. She was fascinated by the whole thing; that he had been on his own for so long and had gone through so much in his short life. I can't even imagine losing what he has and having to go through all of that she thought. But as his story concluded, Brelyna realized that she actually had more in common with Revan than she initially thought. Sure, she never lost her family like he had, but did she really even know them? Her parents were always busy with their experiments and projects, and even when they spent time with her they would always talk about how she had high expectations to reach; ones she could never reach if she wanted to have a normal life.

But here she was, sitting in front of a fireplace, drinking some Nord mead, listening to someone she saw as a friend telling their life story. It may not be very exciting, and she could practically hear the disapproval of her parents, but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to be here for Revan, and support him now when he felt vulnerable. "That was quite a story Revan. I can't imagine going through what you just described."

Revan looked over at Brelyna, his eyes slightly glazed from the amount of mead he had drunk. "It's still hard, knowing he's gone. But it does feel better getting all of that off my chest. Thanks for listening Brelyna." He looked out of the window, and noticed that the sun was starting to descend. "Wow, I was talking for longer than I thought. I'm sorry about that."

Brelyna shook her head. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad I could be here for you. But we probably should start getting back to the College. We still need to study for tomorrow's lesson after all."

Revan nodded, and tossed back the last of his mead. "You're right. Let's get back."

He got up from his chair, a little wobbly, and started towards the door. As he passed the bar, he put a small pile of coins on the counter. "Thanks for everything. We'll be back soon."

The innkeeper took the coins gratefully and put them in a strongbox under the bar. "You're welcome back anytime, both of you."

Revan walked over to the door, still slightly unsteady. He opened it and walked down the stairs. Before he reached the bottom though, he slipped and started to fall. Luckily, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back up. He turned and saw Brelyna behind him. He smiled at her. "Thanks for the save. I guess I overdid it a little, huh?"

Brelyna laughed. "A little? You had six bottles to yourself. I'm surprised you're standing, let alone walking and talking. Come here, let me help." She put an arm around his shoulder and gently guided him towards the College bridge.

Revan felt his face grow warm as Brelyna helped him back towards the College. Must be the mead; I really shouldn't have had so many. After carefully crossing the dilapidated bridge, they reached the gate. As usual, it swung open when they approached, and the pair headed inside. They had just turned towards the Hall of Attainment when they saw a Dunmer and an Altmer talking to each other a short distance away. "Who do you suppose they are?" Revan asked.

As if on cue, the two strangers turned to the apprentices. The Dunmer beckoned them over with a look of concern on his face. "Is everything alright you two? Are you injured?"

Revan laughed a bit at this. "No sir, I was just reliving some painful memories; might have overdone the mead a little bit. I'll be fine."

The Dunmer nodded, still looking concerned. "Well, alright, but please be more careful next time. We don't need any accidents around here. Anyway, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Savos Aren, Arch Mage of the College." Savos turned to his companion. "And this is Ancano, our new advisor."

Ancano gave a short bow. "A pleasure. I hope we will get to know each other soon." He said in a polite, yet cold voice. A slight shiver ran down Revan's spine, which he knew had nothing to do with the cold.

Savos spoke again. "You must be Revan Midley and Brelyna Maryon, correct?" When the apprentices nodded, he continued, "Yes, Tolfdir and Mirabelle have filled me in with all the details. An impressive bit of conjuration, Miss Maryon; it's not every day we get an apprentice who can summon Atronachs at will. I do ask that you keep them under control if it happens again however."

Brelyna flushed slightly at this, but nodded. "I will sir. It was an accident on my part due to nerves."

"Yes, Tolfdir said as much. And please, do not think I am angry. I am merely looking out for the safety of our students." He turned back to face Revan. "Well, I'm sure you would like to get some rest; you look like you could use it. I will let you two go on your way now. Good night."

"Good night, Arch Mage." The two apprentices said in unison, as Savos and Ancano moved away, talking to each other once more.

Brelyna noticed Revan was glaring at Ancano's back. "Are you alright Revan? Is there something wrong about Ancano?"

Revan scowled. "Those robes he's wearing, do you know what they are?" When Brelyna shook her head, he said, "Those are Thalmor robes. I'd recognize them anywhere. What in Oblivion are they doing here?"

Brelyna grabbed his shoulder and angled him towards the dorms. "Let's not worry about that now. You need to get some sleep so you can be ready for the lesson tomorrow. Come on."

They reached Revan's room without incident, and he gratefully fell into his bed. "Oof, that feels nice. Maybe some rest will do me some good." Seeing Brelyna still standing in the doorway, he flushed slightly. "Um, if it's alright with you, I could use some privacy Brelyna."

Brelyna jumped slightly, and turned red as well. "Um, sure, right. Um, good night Revan." She walked out of the room quickly and closed the door.

Revan watched the door until he heard another door close down the hall. "Wonder what that was all about?" Shrugging, he took off his boots and set them against the wall next to his wardrobe. Stretching slightly, he began disrobing. But his thoughts were elsewhere. On the arrival of a Thalmor agent, and what it could mean for the College. On the memory of his father. But as he fell asleep that night, his thoughts drifted to Brelyna: the most wonderful girl he had ever met. This girl, who he had only just met, but already considered a close friend. Maybe life's not so bad after all he thought as his eyelids grew heavy. His dreams that night were quite pleasant.