Containment
Thanking Sven once more for his services and paying an extra sum of ten gold pieces for his speedy driving, Brelyna and I ran for the bridge into the College.
With the words of the Psijiic who appeared to me at Mzulft still echoing in my ears, I found myself hoping against hope that we weren't too late to stop... whatever might be happening. If we were too late to stop it, then I just hoped we'd be able to handle.
When we arrived back, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. The statue of the first mage was still there, as were the beams of magicka shooting up into the sky. Nothing looked smashed or destroyed. No-one was panicking for running like headless chickens. Did we make it back in time?
"Everything looks fine..." Brelyna said unsurely. "But... something's not right. I can feel it." I nodded in agreement. Something was wrong but I couldn't tell what it we were just being paranoid.
"We'll drop our stuff off in the Hall of Attainment," I suggested. "Then we'll ask around. We'll check with J'zargo and Onmund to see if Anacno's been up to anything."
"Good idea." I opened the door for her as we walked into the dorms. As soon as we did, the two apprentices in question came running up to us.
"Brelyna! Sauron! Thank Talos you're back!" To say Onmund looked flustered would be an understatement.
"What is it? What's going on?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"We kept an eye on Ancano like you told us to," he began, "he was in the Hall of Elements when J'zargo was watching him. He was... well, uh..."
"J'zargo saw him with the Eye," the Khajiit explained, taking over. "He was doing... something to it. J'zargo tried talking to him, but he would not respond. J'zargo ran to tell the Arch-Mage what happened and, when we got back, there was some kind of... ward in place at the entrance."
"Then he came back here," said Onmund. "Aren told us to stay here and wait for you to get back. That was only a few minutes ago." I knew immediately what we needed to do. I ran to my room, placed my bag down and sprinted back out.
"I need to get to the Hall," I told them urgently. "They may need help and I need to tell Aren about the Staff."
"I'm going with you." She raised a finger when I opened my mouth to protest. "Don't even think about telling me to wait here, I'm going with you and that's final."
"No stopping you, is there?" She shook her head. I was worried something might happen, but also grateful that she chose to remain by my side. "Come on, let's hurry!"
She returned her travel bag to her own dorm and we bolted out of the dormitories, ran across the freezing courtyard and bursted through the doors to the Hall of Elements. Mirabelle and Aren barely even turned around to look at us. I could certainly see why.
At the archway that led into the main part of the lecture hall, a whirlwind of energy was blocking it. It had the same colour as a ward spell, but seemed like it was a hundred times more powerful than even the strongest protection spell. If this was Ancano's doing, who knows what he may be capable of.
"I'm not sure," Mirabelle was saying, "it's like a ward but who's casting it? Anacno? How?"
"I don't care what it is." The Arch-Mage's voice was low and dangerous, I'd never seen him this angry. "I want it down. Now! I want to know what he's doing in there!" Mirabelle was certainly surprised at his tone. But she nodded and began too cast frostbite at the magical wall. He turned and saw us, like he'd just notced we were here.
"Ah, you're back and just in time," he said, sounding relieved.
"Sir, we know where to find the Staff of Magnus," Brelyna told him.
"Excellent. I'd suggest that we go retrieve it immediately-"
"But we have bigger problems," I finished. "We'll help however we can."
"That's the attitude to take!" There was almost a proud tone in his voice. "Ancano has sealed himself in the Hall somehow. Help us take this down, will you? We're throwing everything we've got at it!"
"Yes sir!" I looked to Brelyna. "Remember the best way to take down a ward?"
She nodded and conjured up a sparks spell in her hands. "Just like we studied. Let's put it into practice!"
I felt the familiar tingle as my own electricity spell flared up in my hands. It increased slightly as I hurled streams of lightning at the whirling wall of magicka. Aren and Brelyna joined in with their efforts, with Mirabelle still casting her ice spell. With our combined attack, the 'super ward' was down in seconds, allowing us access.
Just before we ran into the Hall, Mirabelle turned and looked at us both admiringly.
"You two work well together," she complimented. I was surprised at the comment. What did she mean by that?
"Um... thank you, miss," I replied, feeling my face grow hot.
"Well, don't just stand there blushing. Let's see what Ancano's up to," she said, storming into the hall. I looked at Brelyna and raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged and motioned that we should follow. Although, I could see her cheeks were a little red too.
We sprinted into the Hall after the two higher mages. The Eye was still there, but it was glowing more brightly than I had ever seen it. What looked like wisps or beams of magicka flowed off it's surface and were focused on one specific point. Or rather, one specific person.
Ancano stood before the Eye, his arms outstretched towards the sky, like some divine messenger The energy was whirling and flowing into his body, giving at an unnatural glow. That same hungry look I had seen in his eyes before was back again. Except, this time, it was glowing as brightly as the Eye. He had his power. And he was getting more by the minute.
I didn't know how powerful he was now or how powerful he might become of he kept this up. But I knew one thing: he had to be stopped before he could. If he wasn't, the College would be in danger, as would Winterhold. Maybe even all of Skyrim.
"What's going on here?" Mirabelle looked angry, a little scared even. Aren, however, was beside himself.
"Ancano! Stop this at once! I command you!" The Thalmor agent didn't react. Aren began to walk towards him slowly, his hands aglow with magic. But they were pitiful compared to the power the Eye was glowing with.
"Don't go near him!" Despite this warning, the Arch-Mage continued to approach.
As he neared Ancano, it was then the Altmer reacted to his presence. His head turned slowly to face Savos, his eyes glowing with magic and malice. A smile crept his way onto his face. There was no joy in it. It was a smile of contempt... and pure madness. He began to raise his right hand, which had a ball of light slowly growing in it.
"Aren!" I called out desperately, but I knew I was already too late. "Get away from him!" I found myself starting for them.
I think that the Arch-Mage, too, noticed his mistake. The ball grew larger and brighter. He stared at it, realisation dawning on his face. He looked at me, like he was about to say was something in his eyes when he looked into mine. Then, he raised his hand and shot a spell at me. It hit me in the chest. I felt my feet leave the floor.
Just as I did, I could see the the ball expand in Ancano's hand. There was loud rumbling as he and Savos were consumed in it. The light was so bright I couldn't see. I felt my back hit something hard, a sharp pain in my head. I heard Brelyna calling my name. Then everything went dark.
Black. That was all I could see. Complete and total darkness. I couldn't move. My legs and arms wouldn't respond. I tried to talk but I couldn't move my mouth. I couldn't really feel anything. Why? A question rose in my mind.
Am I dead?
I saw a light in the dark. It was steadily growing brighter. I could hear something, very faint and far away. Maybe I was dead. That was the only explanation. Why else would I be like this, in this state? Ancano must have killed me with that spell he used.
The light was growing brighter. Was I reliving the last moments of my life, just seeing that steadily growing ball of light? That spell that Ancano cast that ended my existence? What a disappointing afterlife.
I felt disappointed. I still had so much to do, so much to see, so much to learn. Who was to stop the return of the dragons? Who would stop Ancano? I didn't even tell Brelyna how I felt about her. I could almost hear her voice as she'd called out my name for the last time.
Wait, was that an echo? The sound was getting louder. The light was getting brighter. I realised that that wasn't a memory. That really was Brelyna, calling out to me. Pulling me back from the brink. Don't worry, I wanted to say. I'm coming. Then, there was a flare, a bright flash...
... and I was back.
It was blurry at first. I couldn't really make anything out. Except for two rubies floating in a river. Wait, no... it was Brelyna. Her face swam clearly into focus. She looked so worried, so scared. There was something rolling down her cheek. She tilted her head and I could feel it on my chest.
"Sauron!" My heart wrenched to hear her cry like that. "Sauron! Please, please wake up! Come back to me! Please..." I heard her quietly sobbing.
I realised I could move again. I blinked and placed my hand on the back of her head. She whipped her face up, hardly daring to believe it. I gave her my best smile and tried talking.
"You called?" Yes! I could speak! She gasped and threw her arms around my neck.
"Oh Sauron!" I sat up as best I could and returned the hug. "I thought I'd lost you..."
"You don't get rid of me that easily," I replied. She pulled back and helped me to my feet. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she sniffed, "better now you're okay. You really scared me for a bit..."
"Only a bit? I'll have to try harder next time."
"Still keeping a sense of humor."
"Try and stop me." I gave her one last, quick hug and, regrettably, pulled away and took in my surroundings.
We were still in the Hall of Elements. The Eye of Magnus and Ancano were still in the centre, only now there was another whirlwind of magic protecting them and preventing us from getting at them. There was no sign of the Arch-Mage or Mirabelle. I looked to Brelyna, who answered my unspoken question.
"You were out for at least fifteen minutes," she told me, wiping tears from her face. "Mirabelle is just over there getting her strength back. We haven't seen the Arch-Mage since the explosion. I would have gone to look for him but..." She trailed off, a blush coming to her cheeks.
"She insisted on staying here until you woke up," I heard a curt voice say. I made for it to see the College's Master Wizard slumped against a pillar nearby, clutching at her side. "You have good taste in friend, it seems Mr. Dredena."
"What happened?" I knelt down to check her, but she brushed me away.
"I'll be fine, I just..." She grimaced. "I just... need to catch my breath. But I haven't seen Savos since the explosion, as Miss Maryon has told you. He must have been blown clear away and he may be injured. You two need to find the Arch-Mage and you need to do it quickly. Get moving!"
Complying silently, we turned and rushed through the doors. The first thing we saw when we emerged was a group of people gathering around something by the statue of the first Arch-Mage. As we drew closer, they sounded agitated, angry, scared. Somehow, I knew what I would find before we reached it.
"Oh my..." Brelyna gasped as we reached the gathering. "No... it can't be..."
There lying in the snow, looking strangely peaceful and tranquil, was the body of Savos Aren. His head was lolled to one side, his arms outstretched I didn't even need to check for a pulse or if he was breathing. He was gone.
It was like when I'd returned to Jorrvasker after I'd killed the Glenmoril Witches, only to find the Silver Hand had attacked while I was gone and the Harbinger, Kodlak, was dead. I remembered the regret that I'd felt at his passing, that I'd never really known him. It had made me feel like even more of an outsider in the Companions.
This time though, I truly felt sadness at his passing. It hit me like a blow to the stomach. He had been a great mage and a good man. He was also a Dunmer, which made his passing even worse for me. I had lost a fellow, both in race and in magic. I don't know if it was true but... I think he must have known that there was something different about me.
Then I realised. He must have known, at least suspected my identity. Because he'd saved me. He'd pushed me out of the way of Ancano's spell. When I'd looked into his eyes, there was something there that told me that, somehow, he did know. And he'd ensured that I'd live on, to save the College and Winterhold.
And I wouldn't let it be in vain. I could feel rage boiling inside me. At Ancano, at the Psijiics, at myself... It was my fault. I'd found that blasted thing, I was responsible for what was happening here, for Aren's death. Why hadn't I listened to that Psijiic and left the damn thing be! I'd ensure that Savos Aren didn't die for nothing. I tore my eyes away, meaning to go back and tell Mirabelle about... Savos's passing.
"Sauron?" Brelyna's voice bought me out of my thoughts. Concern and worry were etched on her face. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." I didn't feel it and she knew it. I could tell. "Come on, let's go and-"
"Sauron! Sauron, my boy!" I whipped around to see Tolfdir running towards me. "Are you two alright? What happened in there?"
"It's Ancano sir," Brelyna explained. "He's done... he's doing something to the Eye."
"By the Nine..." Tolfdir gasped, hardly daring to believe it. "Is he responsible for this? The Arch-Mage, dead?"
"Yes he is." I knew I must have sounded angry, because Brelyna and Tolfdir looked at me with surprise. "We were just on our way to Mirabelle to tell her. Then, we're going to make Ancano pay."
"There's more," Tolfdir said. "Something's happened to Winterhold. It must be whatever Ancano did. You need to get out there and make sure it's safe. Quickly now, quickly! I'll find Mirabelle and see if we can't put a stop to this." With that, he set off. I was already striding towards the bridge. I needed to vent my rage on something, just fight anything.
"Sauron. Sauron, wait!" I ignored Brelyna, striding on. There was no time to talk, didn't she see that? We had to do something! Then, I felt her grab me by the shoulders and shove me against a wall. She had a hard, stern look on her face. "What is wrong with you?"
"Let me go, Brelyna!" I found myself yelling at her. "Let me go, we need to get to Winterhold!" I tried to struggle but she was stronger than she looked.
"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong, now move!" Why was she doing this? "Get off me or I'll use my Thu'um! I swear, I will!"
"Sauron, stop it!" she yelled back. "We both know you wouldn't. I know you wouldn't."
"I... I..." Just shout 'fus.' That would be all it would take. But I couldn't. I sagged my head in defeat, refusing to meet her gaze. "You're right... I can't..."
"I know. Now," she started, sounding forceful, "why are you being like this? Savos's death isn't your fault-"
"Yes it is!" I screamed. She almost revoked in shock, but didn't let go. "It is my fault, don't you see? I found that blasted Eye, I knew there was something dangerous about it, but what did I do? Nothing! Not a damned thing! Now, this whole disaster, the Arch-Mage dead, is all because of me!"
"Will you stop?" I felt a sting on my cheek as she slapped me across the face. "Now, shut up and listen to me. This is not your fault. You are a good man, Sauron. One of the few in this world. There was no way you could have known what would happen, what Ancano would do. It's his fault. He was the one who tapped into the Eye, he started this whole thing. He killed Savos!
"If you had known what he would do, I know you would have done anything to stop him. You did do all you could and more. That's the kind of person you are, Sauron. This is Ancano's fault and he will pay for his crimes. Please, don't blame yourself. You have nothing to be angry at yourself for. Nothing. Please, calm down."
I felt my rage dissapate, my guilt leave. She was right. Even if I was the one who found the Eye, Ancano was the one misusing it's power. He needed to be brought to justice for his crimes, but I wasn't going to do that if I was going to be angry and sorry for myself for events that weren't fully known to me.
"You're right..." I murmured looking her in the eye. "Ancano needs to pay. But not vengeance, justice. Or how are we any better than him? I let my anger get the better of me, I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she consoled, releasing me. "I forgive you." I couldn't help myself. I rushed foward and embraced her tightly. She returned it.
"Thank you... thank you so much, Brelyna. I needed that." I drew away and gave my best smile. Then rubbed my cheek. "But was the slap really necessary?"
"Probably not," she replied, smiling back at me. "Then again, maybe it was."
"Just try not to make a habit of it," I joked. "I don't want my cheeks going as red as my eyes."
"It might suit you," she countered. "Now, let's get down to Winterhold." Feeling better than before, we made tracks to the bridge.
Looking down at the town were Faralda, the mage best trained in destruction and Arniel Gane, the mage from the expedition. How fitting that they should be here: the mage that let me into the College and the mage who had fronted the expedition that found the Eye in the first place.
"What's going on?" Faralda asked urgently. "What happened in there?"
"There's not much time to explain," I told her quickly. "Ancano seems to be tapping into the Eye of Magnus, and whatever he's doing is affecting Winterhold. It may be in danger and we need to get down there, and make sure it's safe."
"It 'may be' in danger?" She pointed outward. "Take a look, I don't think there's much question." I looked in the direction of Winterhold.
Though the winds had stirred up the snow, making it hard to see through, I could still make it out. There were bright blue flashes and lights in the snow, occasionally flaring up and dying down. It was like two mages in a duel or a group of mages. Either way, it couldn't be good.
"Right. Well..." I turned back to Faralda, "at least we know that now. Can you help us out?"
"Of course," she said, without hesitation. "Let's get down there. We have to do something." She turned to Arniel as she began to run. "Come on Arniel, let's go!"
"Why? It's not like they would lift a finger to help us." No-one answered his comment. I heard him sigh reluctantly as we set off at a run. Sprinting as fast as we could along the narrow bridge, we arrived at Winterhold. We saw... well... I'm still not quite sure.
There were creatures swarming all over the place. I was first reminded of ice wraiths, from the way the looked and hovered above the ground. But they had no visible face or teeth, just a formless round head. They also glowed too brightly to be ice wraiths. I could see them clearly against the snow. They were lit with the same colour as the Eye, as magicka.
It didn't take long to establish these things were dangerous. I watched as three of them swarmed up to a chicken nearby. They glowed brightly and made a strange, screechy noise. The chicken began to glow too and, with a loud squawk, was reduced to a pile of ash in an instant.
"Agh! Someone, help!" I looked to see a man being swarmed by four of the creatures. He was trying to run, but fell to the ground, scrabbling away desperately. He was already starting to glow.
"Stay down!" I yelled, running towards him, hurling a lightning bolt at the 'magicka wraiths.' My hunch was right and the thing screeched and collapsed into a pile of ghostly remains. The others began to turn but I sent more lightning at them, reducing them to glowing piles of goo.
I recognised the man as Ranmir, the town drunkard. I hauled him to his feet as he stuttered out his thanks.
"Thank me later. Get inside the Frozen Hearth and stay in there," I ordered him. "We'll handle these things. Go, quick!"
"I-I will sir," he stuttered. "Thank you, thank you! You saved my life! I won't forget this!" He sprinted inside the inn and slammed the door behind him. Then, I had a look around and noticed that more of the magicka monstrosities were coming for me now. Ah. Probably should have thought this through.
Another lightning bolt hit two of them and I felt a hand grab me and pull me back to the ramp of the bridge. I turned to see Faralda, looking at me with exasperation and admiration.
"That was foolish," she said. "Brave, but foolish."
"That just about sums me up," I grinned.
"Glad we agree on that then," I heard Brelyna call. An atronach was dancing beside her, sending fire at the 'wraiths' while she used sparks. Gane was also casting it, as was Faralda. I threw my own hat, metaphorically speaking, into the fray by sending off lightning of my own at the creatures.
It seemed that every time we destroyed one of these creatures, three more appeared to take their place. There just seemed to be no end to them, no matter how much we kept up the attack or how fast we were dishing out our spells. Luckily, we managed to successfully hold our ground against them.
There was one close call where I almost went on to the next life. Two of the creatures I was going for I missed completely and stumbled and fell, as they flew straight at me. Just as they were about to attack, to reduce me to dust, I sent off two desperate lightning bolts that both struck home. I hurried to take my place back on the firing line.
After what seemed like an age, the swarm started to taper off and thin out somewhat. They appeared with less frequency, making it easier to rid us of the remaining few. Soon, there was only one left, which I finished off with the last of my magicka reserves. Feeling spent, I took a potion of magicka and looked around at our handiwork.
"Thank gods..." Brelyna panted, staggering to me. "I thought... they would never end."
"It was a close one, wasn't it?" I remarked. "Are you doing alright?"
"I'm fine... just worn out..." She smiled gratefully at me. "Thanks for asking. What about you?"
"Pretty much the same. I've never... fought so hard in my life."
"That was very brave, rescuing that man," she said admirably.
"Well... it was just the right thing to do," I replied, feeling my cheeks burning.
"Which makes it all the more better," she pointed out, making me glow inside. "It's one of the things I like about you. But, I think you already know..." She lapsed into an embarrassed silence, no doubt remembering when she was drunk in Windhelm.
"I know it is," I said with sincerity. "Thank you, Brelyna" It was a simple statement, but my smile said more and she knew it. She returned it, her cheeks flushed. Sometimes, it was worth it just for that. I looked to Faralda. "Any sign of anymore of them?"
"No, that looks like the last of them." She gestured quickly. "Get back to the College, let them know what's going on. We'll stay here."
"Right, good luck!" I called, setting off at a run back across the bridge, Brelyna following close behind me. I instructed her to go and tell J'zargo and Onmund what was happening. She complied without argument and ran for the Hall of Attainment while I made for the Elements.
Tolfdir and Mirabelle seemed to be trying different methods to break through the ward whirlwind, none of them very successful. Mirabelle saw me and rushed over. I could see her eyes watering up and she looked like she was trying very hard not to start crying. Savos's death must have hit her harder than I thought.
"Well? Is everything out there alright?" She got straight to the point.
"Winterhold was attacked by some strange creatures," I reported quickly. "We managed to beat them back and the town is safe. For now," I added somberly. There'd be more of those things if Ancano kept abusing the Eye like this, that was certain.
She sighed. "Wish I could say the same for us. Tolfdir and I can keep this contained, you need to get your hands on the Staff of Magnus. Now."
"Way ahead of you," I agreed. "I'll be off to Labyrinthian with Brelyna as soon as I can."
"What?" She sounded shocked, her eyes were wide. "Are... are you sure the Staff is there? That can't be a coincidence..."
"I don't understand." Where had this come from? "What coincidence? Did you have a field trip there or something?"
"This is no time for jokes!" she snapped. "Sorry... the Arch-Mage he... he gave me something just a little while ago. He told me it was from Labyrinthian, and that I would know what to do with it when the time came..."
She reached around behind her back, pulled out something and handed me it. It looked like a large door-knocker, with elaborate carvings upon it. It looked and felt very ancient, probably thousands of years old. Considering how long Labyrinthian had been around, that probably wasn't too unreasonable to assume.
"I think..." she continued unsurely. "I think he meant this for you then. I'm not sure why, but it meant something very personal for him. Considering your supposed abilities, I can see why he'd want you to have it."
"Wait, what do you mean?" I asked. What did she mean by that? "I'm just your average destruction mage from Morrowind."
"There's no need to pretend," she told me. "We've known about your identity, ever since you traveled to the Shrine of Azura with Miss Maryon."
"Oh." I felt... I wasn't sure. I thought no-one knew. I was almost afraid to ask. "Did Brelyna... tell you?"
"No, she didn't." She smiled secretively. "Savos had his own methods. He only divulged me with the knowledge, no-one else. We understand why you kept it secret and that's very humble of you. But if there ever was a time for your gifts as the Dragonborn, Sauron, it's now."
"Alright," I nodded. "I won't let you down, miss. And thank you for... you know..."
"It's fine," she said, pulling out something else. "Here, this belonged to Savos. But, I think you'll have more use for it now." It was a silver enchanted amulet, with blue gemstones set into it. I felt touched that she would let me have it, slipping it around my neck. Combined with the circlet and this, I felt even more powerful than before.
"Thank you... I'll take care of it and put it's power to good use," I promised. "I'll make him proud."
"I know you will, now go! Bring back that Staff, before Ancano brings the whole College down around us. Go!"
"Right, off I go!" I did a quick salute and sprinted off, barging back through the doors. My thoughts were spinning like that ward.
So, the Arch-Mage really had known all along that I was the Dragonborn. Again, I wasn't sure how I felt about that. He had kept it quiet, and he really had treated me about the same as everyone else at the College. He did seem to take to me a bit, but maybe that was just a favourite student thing. It made a little more sad at his passing.
There was also Labyrinthian and what might be down there. What it must have meant for Savos. Had he found something down there on a previous visit there? Something, perhaps worse than the disaster going on here? Mirabelle had been surprised at my mention of it. I hoped not...
I arrived at the Hall of Attainment and was approached by my fellow apprentices. Brelyna was ready to go, her travel bag hanging from her shoulder. I noticed that J'zargo and Onmund also had similar bags. In addition, Onmund had a sword sheathed on his waist and J'zargo had a staff in his hand.
"What's this?" I sor of knew what was coming. "What's going on?"
"Well, you know I'm going with you, whether you like it or not," Brelyna said, with a smile. "Then, these two insisted on coming too."
"I still owe you for stopping me trading my family's amulet," Onmund explained. "If what I've heard about Labyrinthian is true, you're going to need me down there to watch your back." He gestured to his sword. "My family insisted I bring this with me. I guess I'm still a typical Nord at heart. Besides, I'm rather good with it."
"If you think you are going to retrieve this Staff without J'zargo, you can think again," the Khajiit grinned. "There may also be other things of value down there that can be slipped into pockets. If anything threatens us, they will be stopped by J'zargo's might and his own staff."
I was at first going to try and talk them out of it, but thought about it. I would need all the help that I could get down in Labyrinthian and they were willing to give it. And there were no others I'd trust more with my life, even J'zargo. Well, except perhaps the Companions.
"Right then," I said, smiling around at them. "Then, let's go and see what you guys are really capable of. Come on!" With a loud cheer to bolster our spirits, I led the little band of mages back across the bridge and into Winterhold. Faralda and Arniel wished us all luck as we left for the entrance. Just as we neared the limits of the town, a stroke of luck met us.
Four horses were tied up nearby, pawing and neighing at the ground. This couldn't just be a coincidence. The note that I found attached to one of them confirmed this. I took it off and read it:
Sauron, my friend.
You seem to grab a lot of attention since you discovered you're a hero. That trend looks like it won't stop anytime soon.
Some mage appeared out of nowhere to me and said you would need these horses. He didn't say why, but I figured why not? I saved you from that dragon back in Whiterun and it looks like I'm continuing to assist in your hour of need.
I hope you and whoever else find these useful. And that our paths cross again soon. Good luck on your quest and may your road lead you to warm sands.
Your best friend and guardian angel
Tash'arr
P.S. I actually paid for these horses, so you'd better be grateful.
I chuckled, folding the letter away into my robes. The Khajiit that had lived for quite a while with me, and my family, for a while was like something of a sister to me. We shared the same sense of humor and adventure, but I usually just tried to keep her out of trouble. She always insisted it found her first.
Promising pay her twice the gold next time I saw her, I mounted the chestnut horse, which snorted as I did. I heard the others get on there own steeds and looked back at them.
"Who left us these?" Onmund asked, sitting atop a chocolate-coloured steed.
"A very good friend of mine, let's just say," I told him, smiling fondly. "Probably the best I've had. As well as you, Brelyna."
"It's okay," she replied. "I just find it hard to imagine you have a life outside me."
"Shocking I know." I looked to J'zargo. "You might like her, though she doesn't have an ego anything like yours."
"As long as she has fur as sleek and shining as the twin moons and eyes likewise, J'zargo doesn't mind." He paused. "Perhaps a sense of mischief too."
"Believe me, that is an understatement," I joked, sending my horse at a trot. "Right, I'll ride ahead with Arthur as quickly as I can. Better keep up!"
"Arthur?"
"Good name for a horse," I replied to Brelyna. With that, I kicked the sides of my steed and rode off, my comrades in tow. To Labyrinthian and adventure.