The sun was already starting to set before they even could even reach Cold Rock Pass. But they found a good spot to settle down in for the night. It was a large, flat area just off the beaten path and was sheltered on two sides by a high, rock wall. "Is this a good spot, Arch-Mage?" Onmund asked.
Danielle smiled. He didn't know how she felt about being called that by him but he figured it would be at least humorous. "Yes," she spoke. "This is a good spot."
Everyone began setting up their bed rolls on the ground. Before he got too settled, though, Onmund went to the other side of the path to drag a few dead branches over to their campsite. He asked Danielle, "So what do you think, will these work?"
"Those'll do," she replied.
After Onmund arranged them in a pile on the ground, he stepped aside and let Danielle do her part. She aimed her hand towards the pile of branches and let forth a burst of Flames onto it. The branches lit up and they had their campfire going within seconds.
"Hah! And everyone says mages are useless!" Onmund retorted.
"Well, now we have something to cook with," Danielle said. "I'm sure we're all hungry."
"Arch-Mage can say that again," J'zargo piped up. "But he is already tired of all the bread and cheese he brought. He wishes he could have something sweet…"
"And if only we could have meat…" Onmund said longingly.
"You two are impossible," Brelyna teased. She looked at Danielle and they both smirked. "Men…"
"You know, J'zargo bets that we can find some meat," J'zargo said to Onmund.
"Oh, yeah? How?" Onmund asked his buddy.
"We have the most powerful killing weapons right in our hands," he said. His hands started to light up.
Onmund's eyes went wide and he replied, "Ohhh! You're right!"
"You wouldn't!" Brelyna started.
"Elf would not understand," J'zargo stated. "Khajiit and man were made to hunt!" He then looked at Onmund and said, "Let's go find some food."
Onmund nodded. "We'll be right back, ladies."
"You'd better be careful out there," Danielle warned.
"We will," Onmund assured. He and J'zargo then left the two women and started back down the path that they had climbed. Ever since they had started the campfire and began discussing food, his mouth was watering for some meat- any meat. They had eaten nothing but bread and cheese for the past two days and the craving for richer sustenance was beginning to gnaw at him.
As they descended the mountain trail, J'zargo suddenly stopped. "There!" he whispered, pointing. "An elk!"
Onmund looked in the direction J'zargo was pointing. Down below them on the switchback, was a lone female elk wandering among the trees. Thoughts of sweet, bloody venison immediately came to his mind and he perked up. He asked J'zargo, "That's quite a large elk. How are we going to carry it back once we kill it?"
J'zargo's face fell and he said, "Oh. Khajiit has not considered this important detail." He looked back at Onmund and he shrugged, as well. "J'zargo supposes we can take what we need back to the camp."
As they stood there wondering what to do, Onmund watched the elk grazing among the trees. Suddenly, he noticed that there was a smaller form right next to it. It was a baby! He watched in horror as J'zargo started to raise his hand up, getting ready to unleash an attack spell. He quickly reached up and pushed the Khajiit's arms down. The sudden movement also managed to scare the elk and her baby and they both took off into the trees.
"What's the matter with you!?" J'zargo yelled, wrenching out of Onmund's grasp. "You scared it away!"
"Didn't you see the baby?!" Onmund cried.
With a surprised expression, he replied, "No. J'zargo did not see the baby." His expression then changed. "But why should that matter? It was food!"
Onmund sighed exasperatedly and put his hand on his forehead. "Okay. Never mind. Let's find something else."
They continued on down the switchback until they heard a rustle in the bushes. They both stopped short again and exchanged glances with each other. Onmund saw J'zargo nod at him and he went up to the bushes. He started agitating them in whatever way he could by stomping on the ground near them and slapping at the branches, hoping to scare whatever was hiding in it out into the open. Suddenly, as he slapped away at one of the bushes, he saw something small race out of it and it was immediately struck by J'zargo's Lightning Bolt. "Gotcha!" J'zargo shouted and Onmund ran over to him to inspect their kill. It was a rabbit, and its body was about as long as the length of his forearm. They had managed to kill some meat! As he looked down at the carcass he suddenly had a dissenting thought, Such a quick and easy kill. I'm sure my father would disapprove of such a quick and dirty hunting technique.
"Are we going to take it back or not?" J'zargo piped up impatiently.
Onmund sighed and bent down to pick up the animal. He held it out in front of him by its legs and said, "Did it ever occur to you that mages are either the best hunters in the world or the worst hunters in the world?"
"J'zargo does not think about such things," J'zargo replied dismissively. "Mages are mages. We're experts in magic. What we choose to do with it is nobody's concern."
"I guess you're right," he sighed. Together, he and J'zargo took the dead rabbit back up to their campsite.
"You guys actually killed something?" Brelyna cried in disbelief as the two men neared them. She and Danielle were sitting on the ground keeping themselves warm by the fire. By now, it was completely dark out.
"We brought back meat!" J'zargo declared proudly.
Onmund put the rabbit down on the rock near the fire and said, "Uh, anyone have a knife or something?"
"I have a dagger," Danielle said and got up to retrieve it from her satchel. She then handed it to Onmund.
Just then, Brelyna stood up and said, "Um, I'm just going to be over here." She then stepped back towards the trees, turning her back on them.
"Get squeamish at the sight of blood?" Onmund asked good-naturedly.
"Just make it quick," she replied. "Tell me when you're done."
Onmund chuckled and turned back to the rabbit. He had seen his father skin a rabbit and other animals so many times that it didn't bother him at all. It was definitely a messy process, but after several minutes of carefully dressing the rabbit, it was all ready for cooking. J'zargo and Danielle didn't seem to be bothered by the whole process so as he walked past Brelyna, he said to her, "Okay, I'm finished!"
As she turned around to look back at him, she screamed at the sight of his bloody hands and ran back to the others. Onmund couldn't help but laugh as he continued walking to a spot on the other side of the path that had deep snow. He then proceeded to "wash" his hands in the snow.
Back at the campfire, they all gathered around it and cooked the rabbit on a crude spit that they had thrown together with sticks. As Onmund watched the meat turn a golden brown and drip with juices, his mouth began to water. When it was all cooked, he anxiously pulled it off of the spit and tore off portions for Danielle, J'zargo, and himself, burning his fingers in the process. And it had hardly cooled off even when he began biting into a leg, he was so ravenous. The taste was beyond good. Being a vegetarian, Brelyna shook her head at her friends' frenzied munching and ate her bread and cheese quietly.
When they were all finished with their food, they sat quietly, feeling full and content. Onmund got up to go find some more branches to feed the fire and when he returned, he saw that J'zargo was beginning to doze off. "Hey," he said, snapping his fingers in front of the Khajiit's face. "You gonna fall asleep right here or what?"
Momentarily roused, J'zargo replied, "Good food puts Khajiit to sleep."
"I have to agree," Danielle said, yawning. "Maybe it's time to turn in."
"All right," Onmund replied. "I'll try to keep the fire going through the night so we don't get cold."
With that, everyone climbed into their bed rolls which were set up in a close circle around the fire. Onmund climbed into his.
"Good night, everyone," he heard Brelyna say, which was followed by echoes of "good night" from everyone else.
"Good night," Onmund said and put his hands behind his head. He then proceeded to stare up at the stars overhead, feeling tired but not sleepy yet. Before long, he could hear J'zargo's snoring and the even, deep breathing of the other two women who had fallen asleep.
With his mind restless again, he thought about how far he had come as a mage. He had made it to the Apprentice level and had definitely won Tolfdir's favor. With the great progress he was making, he had no doubt that he would reach the Adept level sooner than later. And then he would graduate to Expert level and then…and then what? He figured that he could do one of three things at that point. He could either become a scholar like Arniel and Urag and do research projects for the College, or he could become a faculty member like Tolfdir and Phinis and perhaps teach for the School of Destruction. Then, there was the third alternative which was to leave the College with all of his knowledge and go out into the world and apply it by serving as a court wizard or practice in private like Frodrig and Falion of Morthal. If he went with either of the two former paths, then he could go on to learn other schools of magic and eventually become Master Wizard, the most prestigious position at the College. He didn't think that he would ever become Arch-Mage because Danielle had that position already, and he surmised that she would hold that position for a very long time. It did surprise him a little that they had chosen a mere student to fill the position of Arch-Mage, but he knew that Danielle was no ordinary student. She deserves it and I support her, he knew. Even if it means that I won't get to spend as much time with her… He turned over in his bed roll and looked at her across the fire. The fire had died down enough that he could see her across it. Her back was turned towards him, and he found himself gazing at her longingly across the embers. The embers…he suddenly snapped back to reality and remembered what his duties were supposed to be. He was supposed to keep the fire going throughout the night! And here he was, becoming lost in his thoughts and daydreaming away while the fire threatened to burn out. He quickly climbed out of his bed roll and stood up. The other three mages lay completely still, with J'zargo still snoring away. Onmund gently stepped over and around everyone over to the pile of branches he had made earlier to retrieve some. He then carried a bundle of them back to the fire and gently laid them down so as to make as little noise as possible. He crouched down and blew on the embers to get the fire going again and soon, the branches erupted with flames. As he continued to fan the fire with his hands to get it burning nice and hot, he suddenly heard Danielle stir beside him. "Onmund…" he heard her utter, which made him jump. He looked over at her and was struck with surprise to see that she still looked fast asleep. She had her face turned towards him now, but her eyes were closed and her lips were parted a little, turned up in a slight smile. He kept his eyes on her, expecting her to say something more to him, but as he watched her lying completely still and her small frame rising and falling to her even breathing, he realized that she was dreaming when she had uttered his name out loud. At least I think it was my name and I'm not confusing it with something else…she did just say my name out loud, didn't she? Was she dreaming about me? he wondered, blushing furiously. As he gazed at her with wild curiosity, he noticed that a black tendril of hair had fallen over her face. It took all of his willpower not to reach out with his fingers and gently push it out of the way. He then realized that he should stop staring at her, lest he embarrass himself should she actually wake up or if J'zargo and Brelyna saw him.
With the campfire now burning again, he stood up and quietly made his way back to his own bed and climbed in. He still wondered about the event that just occurred with Danielle speaking his name out loud in her sleep but he didn't dwell on it for long as sleep quickly overtook him. Onmund got up two more times throughout the night to feed the fire, but these were uneventful moments and he was practically half-asleep so he didn't remember them much.
When the skies over the mountains began to brighten with the morning light, everyone began waking up. Brelyna was the first up, and she sat in front of the campfire to keep warm. Onmund was up after her and joined her by the fireside after throwing a couple more branches into it. Finally, Danielle and J'zargo woke up and everyone sat around the fire together.
"Is everyone ready to head to Ivarstead?" Danielle asked the group.
Everyone replied in the affirmative and they all got up and packed up their things, including their bed rolls. As one last gesture, Onmund cast Frostbite onto the campfire, immediately putting it out, and then he threw dirt on it. Finally, the mages went on their way, making the short climb up to Cold Rock Pass and traversing the icy passage.
Once they were out of the mountains, they headed south through the great plains of Whiterun until they met the road that led east. As they passed the great city to the north of them, Onmund could see the castle of Dragonsreach towering over the stone walls. He hadn't been inside those walls for a long while now. His last memory of Whiterun was sort of a bitter one. He remembered going there with Roxanne and meeting her "new" friends within the Companions, and her last words to him were, "I never want to see you again."
He felt a mild sting in his heart at the memories but the pain was nowhere near what they had once been. He glanced at Danielle, who was walking ahead of him on the cobblestone path and thought, She is a hundred times sweeter and more beautiful than Roxanne. But the bitter thing was that now she was out of his reach. Why didn't I tell her how I felt about her before? he thought with a pang of regret. I had so many chances, and I just let them go by. I will never find anyone like her again. He never gave the prospect of finding love a serious thought before. When he was growing into a man, his parents wanted him to court a Nord lady. At the time, courting was the farthest thing from his mind as he was busy honing his skills as a mage and expressing his desires to join the College of Winterhold. This, of course, made his parents very upset and they threatened to disown him. They never made good on their threat, though, as Onmund finally left them on his own accord and joined Frodrig as they took the carriage north with all of his possessions and dreams in tow.
The carriage had made a stop in Whiterun, and it was there where Onmund nearly gave up his dreams of being a mage. Frodrig had come down with Witbane and they had to spend much more time in the city than they had originally planned. While he was resting and recovering at the Temple of Kynareth, Onmund found all sorts of distractions within the city walls. Without his parents around to criticize his every action, he went wild- not wild by most young, Nordic men's standards but wild enough to make him cringe when he looked back upon those days. He met a young Nord woman by the name of Roxanne and he became immediately smitten, mostly by her looks. She had long, brown hair and large, feline-like green eyes and was as tall as him. She had challenged him in an arm-wrestling contest at the Bannered Mare and won, making him the laughingstock of everyone who had watched the match. But as naïve as he was, this only made him want to see her more. He pursued her relentlessly, trying to prove his strength to her by offering to carry stuff for her and hunting for her. At first, she was floored by his gestures, but then she became annoyed, especially when he told her about his dreams to join the College and become a mage. Seeing that this greatly displeased her, he began learning to use a sword. He thought that if he acted more "Nord-like," then she would like him. It was also at this time that Frodrig succumbed to his illness. Absolutely devastated and distressed at losing his longtime mentor, Onmund sought comfort from the only friend he had in town, which was Roxanne. She did comfort him and during this time was extra nice to him, and this only served to reawaken his hope that she was finally warming up to him. But as with all of her moods, that didn't last long. Overall, she alternated between being overly friendly and warm to him and being outright cold and distant- mostly the latter. It drove him crazy, but not to the point where he completely wrote her off. But, the last straw came when she told him that she had joined the Companions, and basically told him to get lost because she "couldn't stand to be seen with a Nord man who dabbled in magic."
Now brokenhearted and alone, Onmund went back to the only thing that had brought him comfort throughout his young life- studying and practicing magic. He also worked at the inn for a short time doing odd jobs so that he could get enough money to get a carriage, and when he was ready, he shook the dust of the city off of him and rode the carriage off to Winterhold.
Not once did he think of finding love again. Not once did he wonder if another girl was going to grab his attention or not. As far as he was concerned, all women could be damned to Oblivion. They had only served to divert his attention away from what was important up to this point, anyway. He figured that once he had reached a point in his mage career where he was satisfied with what he accomplished, then perhaps he would go in search of a female companion to share his life with. Or not. It wasn't a high priority for him.
But in truth, he had never expected to meet someone like Danielle. Someone he had so much in common with and someone he thoroughly enjoyed being with and talking with. And he knew that it wasn't just wishful thinking that she was so warm and receptive to him, too. She had to enjoy his company, as well, or she wouldn't have asked for his companionship for all of those trips they went on together during the Eye of Magnus fiasco. But he had to remember that those days were now gone. In the midst of the disappointment and sadness that fact brought him, he also wondered something. Does she feel the same longing and disappointment that I do? Does she feel like she has to put her position and reputation on the line when deciding how to deal with me? Realizing that he would probably never know the answer, he felt a new sense of despair.
The four College mages finally reached Ivarstead by nightfall and they stayed overnight in Vilemyr Inn. It turned out that the innkeeper, Wilhelm, knew Danielle from before and so they had a brief but spirited reunion. They were also able to get the exact location of Geirmund's Hall from him, who told them that it was in a cave on a small island in the middle of Lake Geir.
Early the next day, they headed out of the village and east towards Lake Geir. They could see the island in the middle of it. According to Wilhelm, there was a very shallow part of water on the far north side of it that they could simply wade across. So they walked along the northern shore of it until they found the part where the island was closest to them, and they waded across, taking care to lift the outer parts of their robes up so they wouldn't get wet. From there, it just took them several paces around the circumference of the island where they found the cave entrance, and they all went inside.
Long before I had even conceived of this story, I was playing around with the Ultimate Follower Overhaul (UFO) mod which, among other things, lets you have multiple followers at once. I was playing as Roxanne, my very first character, and took all of the Companions with me on some quests. I also added some other random followers to the mix, as well, including Onmund. I'll never forget the day that I dismissed everyone one-by-one when I was done questing. When I got to Onmund, there was something unusually forlorn-sounding about his "If that's what you want. Come find me at the College if you change your mind." And I thought, Awww, Onmund was rather fond of hanging around Roxanne. But she's married to Farkas. Hmmm...I know! I'll create a mage babe for Onnie in my next game! And the rest is history.
I honestly don't know if Onmund would be horribly fluent in ancient Nord either, but he seems to like reading a lot of books so it's very possible that he could find joy in learning ancient languages. What is with him and certain followers ticking off other followers? Why can't they all just get along? The Gauldur Amulet was rather disappointing, and not to mention glitched, too! I had Onmund wearing it at one point and then I couldn't take it away from him without good ol' console commands again because it didn't show up in his inventory!