Onmund followed Danielle out into the courtyard. "Well, I guess I'll be taking you out for some remedial training," she sighed.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"Well, Arniel has asked me to collect some Dwemer artifacts for him," she explained. "I've already gone to Mzulft with Brelyna, and I took J'zargo to…whatever the ruin is called near Dawnstar. Today, I was planning on going to the large one near Windhelm. The name of it starts with an 'I.'"

"Irkngthand?" he volunteered.

"Yes, that one," she replied.

He chuckled, and was about to tease her about her struggles with Dwemer pronunciations, but she ignored his laughter and said, "Go get your things. Meet back here in ten minutes."

A little hurt by her business-like tone, he retreated to his room to pack up his things. He got done quickly and when he went back outside, Danielle wasn't there yet.

"Hi, Onmund," he heard a voice behind him call out.

He turned around and saw Bridgette heading towards him. "Oh, hi, Bridgette," he replied.

"What are you doing just standing around?" she asked.

"I'm, uh, just waiting for Danielle," he answered. "We're going out on a field trip."

"Oh. Just the two of you?" she questioned.

"Yeah. I, uh, kinda got slapped with remedial training so the Arch-Mage is helping me practice my spells out on the field."

"Remedial training, huh? I thought you were good at magic."

"I usually am. But I kinda goofed up on Tolfdir's test."

Crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow with curiosity, she retorted, "You? Goofing up on a test? Come on, Nord boy. Don't make me lose my faith in you."

Onmund chuckled sheepishly and shrugged, not knowing what to say to that.

Just then, Danielle approached them.

"Arch-Mage Sweeting!" Bridgette exclaimed.

"Hi, Bridgette," she greeted the young Restoration mage. Onmund noticed that there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes as she looked at her. She then looked at Onmund. "Ready to get going?"

"Yes, I'm ready," he responded.

"I'll see you later, Onmund," Bridgette said to him.

"See you tomorrow," he replied back.

"Tomorrow?" she questioned in a surprised tone.

"Tell Colette I'll be back tomorrow!" he said.

"We'll miss you," she said in a sugary tone, which made Onmund uncomfortable, especially with Danielle there. She then waved them off and walked off.

As Onmund and Danielle went out of the front gates and started crossing the bridge, Danielle remarked to him, "Bridgette seems rather attached to you."

"Oh, yeah…um, she's really nice to me," he replied. "She was actually the one who had suggested that I try recreating the Healing spell."

"Oh, really?" Danielle asked.

She said nothing more, and Onmund could sense that she was getting uncomfortable again. Why does she seem to always get like that when the subject of Bridgette comes up? Is she possibly…jealous? Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing. They walked through the town of Winterhold in silence, and it wasn't until they got out into the open road that Onmund decided to bring up a subject sure to conjure up more positive feelings for the both of them. "This reminds me of all of those adventures we went on together, don't you think?"

Mustering a smile, Danielle nodded. "It does. The last time you and I went this way, we were going to Mzulft, remember?"

"I remember," he responded. "Those were good times."

As he and Danielle spent the next several minutes reminiscing about their old adventures together, he could sense the old feelings return again. He could also sense her loosening up and no longer appearing uncomfortable like she had been with him lately. It made his heart swell with happiness and warmth to be by her side again, and it was as if nothing had changed. Their steps on the road synced up with one another and they had established their familiar, comfortable rapport about different subjects. This time, she told him all about the work and stress associated with being Arch-Mage and he told her about what he had learned about Restoration magic.

At one point, they got onto the subject of Tolfdir's test and Danielle said to him, "So, tell me, you said that you were getting homesick as of late?"

"Oh, uhh…yeah," he responded. He had completely forgotten about his bumbling excuse to Tolfdir earlier on why he had failed the test. "I guess I've been missing home, yeah. There've just been…a lot of things on my mind."

"Have you been in contact with your family?" she asked him.

"No," he answered. "Well, I mean…I wrote them a letter a while back but they never responded."

"Really?" she questioned. "That's strange. I would think that they are worried about you. And especially would like to know that you are safe and well."

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "Maybe they're just glad that I'm out of their hair."

"Oh, don't say that!"

He said nothing more. He wasn't too keen on dwelling upon the subject of his family any longer. So after a few moments of silence, he said to her, "I guess I'd better practice my runes, huh? Want me to try casting one now?"

"I have nothing to test it with," she replied. "I can't conjure thralls like Tolfdir can. Besides, I saw you do that Lightning Rune perfectly many times. I don't understand how you couldn't do it in front of Tolfdir."

I wish she wouldn't bring that up again, he thought nervously. She can't know the truth. "I guess I just got distracted or something," he shrugged. "Maybe I, uh, got it confused with one of the Restoration spells I was learning."

With a frown, she said to him, "That isn't like you, Onmund."

"Hey, I can't be perfect all the time," he said.

She looked at him with a puzzled look. "What…is with you?" she demanded.

"What do you mean what's with me?" he questioned.

"You never used to talk that way," she asserted.

"What? Are you saying that I should be perfect all the time then?" he asked, starting to feel an argument coming on.

"No," she replied defensively. "But it's as if…you aren't even trying anymore."

Ignoring a sense of guilt, he tried to give her a surprised and hurt look that was convincing. "What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know. But I've noticed you've been spending more of your time training with Colette and Bridgette than you are with us."

"Well, it just so happens that I like Colette and Bridgette!" he declared, a little annoyed that she had to bring them up.

"That's not what I'm talking about," she said firmly. "Maybe…you should just focus on one school of study for now."

Onmund now felt his frustration rise. "Is that your sage advice, Arch-Mage?" he snapped.

Taken aback by his snide tone, she said defensively, "I'm just trying to help you."

"I don't need any help," he proclaimed, folding his arms. "I can handle both schools just fine. Come on, I failed one test."

"It isn't just the test…You've been coming to class late. You've been struggling with your Destruction spells. And you seem tired all the time. Maybe you can't see it, but I can see that it's taking a toll on you."

Onmund sighed. It was true that he had been struggling to stay awake for the past several days with all of his studying and work. And it was true that he wasn't being as good of a student that he was capable of being, but she really didn't need to know the real reason why. Instead, he just said, "Well, thanks for your concern. But I'm fine. Really."

At this, Danielle dropped the subject and they continued walking. But for some reason, now that Onmund was all riled up over the matter, all of the things that had been bothering him started boiling to the surface. He looked at Danielle and said to her, "You know, at one time you used to believe in me."

She gave him a puzzled look. "What is that supposed to mean? I still believe in you."

"But I'm trying to pick up different skills and be good at more than one thing. I thought that you, of all people, would've been happy about that, especially about me learning Restoration magic. And I'm also passing on my Destruction knowledge to a Novice mage."

"I am happy that you are trying to challenge yourself," she protested. "And that you are interested in Restoration. I just…don't want you to burn yourself out or get in trouble."

"Why would I get in trouble?" he argued. "Tolfdir gave his approval for me to take this on. I'm not breaking any rules!"

"You know, that's something else that bothered me. Colette didn't even tell me about you taking on a secondary. She knew that I and Tolfdir were in charge of the Destruction students but she only talked to him about everything."

"So do you have something against Colette then?" he questioned, getting exasperated. "Maybe you're jealous of her or something because she's a Master in Restoration?"

This time, Danielle really looked stricken, and Onmund felt like an ass for blurting out such an accusation. But it was too late. She gave him an angry look and replied in a low voice, "I don't have anything against Colette. Onmund, I just don't want you to get in trouble. I wasn't supposed to tell you this, but Tolfdir has been telling me to keep an eye on you. I didn't want to tell you until Tolfdir could have a chance to talk to you himself, but he has real concerns about your…your devotion to your studies."

"He does?" Onmund asked, alarmed.

"Yes," she answered hotly. "Do you know about the rumors going around about you?"

"What rumors?" he questioned, worried that he already knew the answer.

"The rumors about you and Bridgette," she said quietly.

Onmund gulped. "Who told you that?"

"Everybody's told me about it at least once!" she answered. "Tolfdir has heard it, too. He's under the impression that you're too busy chasing women to care about your studies anymore."

"That's ridiculous!" he cried. Just what I needed, he thought bitterly. He knew rumors like that would ruin his standing with Danielle, but he didn't necessarily think that those same rumors were ruining his standing with the teachers at the College. He asked, "You don't believe those rumors, do you?"

Danielle looked like she was about to respond, but instead she remained silent. Growing worried, he asked again, "Do you?"

Looking up at him, she shook her head. "No. I know you. You're not like that."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he said, "Good. I'm glad you believe me."

"It's Tolfdir whom you need to convince, though," she said.

"Well, you talk to him all the time," he pointed out. "Why don't you defend me?"

"I do defend you," she replied impatiently. "I tell him how hard-working and dedicated you are as a student. I try to tell him that you have a good standing and reputation at the College. But…lately, because of things like this, it's getting harder and harder for me to convince him. Don't you see, Onmund? Consider the message you're sending!"

"I'm not sending any messages!" he protested.

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's just go find those cogs."

Feeling defeated, Onmund had no choice but to drop the subject and follow Danielle the rest of the way to Irkngthand. As they climbed the mountain to the ruin, Onmund tried to look at things through her eyes. He had to admit, things did look bad as far as his dedication to the Destruction school went. But only because he had started to make it that way on purpose in order to go on this trip with her. He thought about telling her, but then decided against it. She would think him insane for doing such a thing and hate him for it. As much as he wanted to be with her, deep down he knew that it probably wasn't worth it to sacrifice all that he had worked for just to spend extra time with her. I've made a mistake, he realized. And now I've got to make things right. In order to make things right, I'm going to have to work hard at being the best Destruction student all over again and gain back Tolfdir's favor. But it's more than just working hard. Danielle just gave me the whole story herself. Somehow, I'm sending the wrong message to everyone and now my dedication is being questioned. It wasn't necessarily Bridgette's fault that the rumors about him and her had started. Then again, she had been instrumental in fueling those rumors in the first place. He remembered that awkward moment in the tent with her on Mount Anthor when he tried to keep her warm in his arms, and he remembered all those times when she was being very flirty with him. I can see how people would get the wrong idea about us, he realized. Then take one sensationalized story like the one I had heard from Brelyna about us kissing and before long, everyone's going to believe a lie. I can't let this go on. Deep down, he knew that his heart belonged to Danielle. And if he let these false rumors continue and evolve, he knew that she was going to be hurt by them. Not only that, he could risk ruining his entire College career. He wished that he could tell her all these things, but knowing that he couldn't, he was just going to have to do something about the situation himself.

But for now, he concentrated on the task at hand and that was to help Danielle find some Dwemer Cogs in the ancient ruins. As they approached the towering city of Irkngthand, they encountered some hostile bandits. They both employed their usual fighting tactics to take them down, and they began making their way upwards to the higher part of the ruin, climbing rickety wooden stairs and gingerly stepping across narrow wooden bridges to get to the door near the top.

Once they were inside, Danielle spoke the most words to him that she had spoken since their argument, "Want me to cast Oakflesh on both of us? We might encounter those automatons again."

"Okay," he replied, and let her perform her spell first on herself and then on him.

Despite this friendly gesture, her demeanor towards him had completely changed. Just as recently as a few hours ago, she was talking and laughing with him as they reminisced about their past adventures together, and then when she brought up the subject about the rumors and they had their argument, things were different between them. It wasn't as if she was hostile to him or anything, but he didn't like the way she talked to him nonetheless; it was very professional and business-like, lacking the warmth and humor that he was used to from her. But there was nothing he could do about it. As their search for the Dwemer Cogs commenced within the ruin, the rift that had formed between them was beginning to tear him up inside. He didn't know what to do.

They encountered some spider and spherical automatons and they fought them off like they had done in Mzulft, but the feeling between them wasn't the same. At this moment, more than anything, Onmund wished that they could go back to the way things used to be, when they had gotten along so well and meshed together as a duo.

He helped her collect a bunch of cogs together and when she said that they had collected enough, they made their way out of the ruin back outside. By now, it was already dark, and it was time to head back to the College- but not before having some Stamina potions first so that they could get through the journey.

After downing some, Onmund and Danielle headed back north with the cogs in hand. Things had been strained between them ever since that early afternoon and he didn't know what he could do to alleviate the situation. At one point, he decided to tell her the truth. "Danielle, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked.

"I failed that test on purpose," he confessed.

"What?" she asked, stopping in her tracks to look up at him.

"Tolfdir's test earlier today," he explained. "I failed it on purpose."

Danielle looked astonished. "Why…in Oblivion would you do that?"

"Because I knew that I would get remedial training from you," he declared. "And we could go out on an adventure together like we used to. And we did. But now you're mad at me so it was all for nothing, anyway."

Totally shocked, she shook her head. "Onmund…you didn't have to do that." She then looked down at the ground as she confessed, "I miss our past adventures together, too, but…"

"But?" he questioned.

"You shouldn't have done that," she repeated to him. "Please don't do that, again."

That's it? That's all you have to say to me? he wanted to ask her. He felt his spirits dip once again. "You're going to tell on me now, aren't you?" he asked in an accusatory manner, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Now that you're in with Tolfdir and all the rest of the faculty members, you're no longer on my side."

Now, she looked enraged. Shaking her head defiantly, she asked angrily, "What ever gave you that idea? As Arch-Mage, I serve and protect the interests of the College of Winterhold, yes. But as your friend, I protected you. But now I must say, that as your friend, your behavior towards me is inexcusable." Taking a deep breath, she then continued, "No. I won't tell anyone about this. But please, do not do it again."

Feeling like he had been slapped in the face, he said, "Fine. I won't do it again. But only because this time spent with you was wasted. I guess I can't expect things to be like they used to, anymore."

They then left it at that. Danielle appeared hurt by his last words, but she had no response to them. Onmund was very aware that things between them had permanently changed, and now there was no going back. And deep down, he thought that Danielle knew it, as well. They walked back to the College in silence, and once they reached the gates, she simply said to him, "Goodbye, Onmund," and then walked off.

Despite feeling defiant the entire time, as he now watched her retreating back, he now felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and he felt something break within him. He sauntered back to his room and fell into bed, ready for a long nap. Never before had he felt so horrible. He thought about how things between him and Danielle went during their trip together and the words that were said to one another and he thought, I never would've imagined that it would end like this. My friend- my best friend…gone. She was everything to me. He thought back to the time when she had presented him with his grandfather's amulet. She had literally gone to the ends of Skyrim to get it back for him and he was so grateful. He had found something more precious than gold or malachite, and it was her friendship. He remembered all of times that they studied together in the Arcaneum, the meals that they had shared together at inns, and overall how well they had gotten along in just about every moment. They divulged everything about their lives and their hopes and dreams to one another and had gotten so close. And now after some careless words were spoken, all that was gone for good. He had never felt this angry and down at himself since the day that he had left his parents on a bad note. And like that day, he thought with bitterness, there is no turning back now. What was said cannot be unsaid. What was done cannot be undone. It was just before dawn, and everyone else began to wake up for the first time that day. Onmund and Danielle were excused from Tolfdir's class that morning with the understanding that they were going to be away for his remedial training, so he just lay there miserably until sleep overtook him.

He then had the strangest, most vivid dream he had ever had in a long time. He was in his old village in Falkreath, and Danielle was with him for some reason. He remembered being so happy and excited to have her there. He showed her around the village and pointed out the various places from his childhood- the front of the street where traveling merchants would come and sell exotic things from all over Tamriel, the general store where he bought his books from, and finally, the house that he grew up in. She listened as he told her various stories of his past, feeling warm and nostalgic as he related everything to her. Then, it started to rain, so he led her into his old house to keep from getting wet. The house was a modest little cabin with a medium-sized fireplace on the wall opposite the door. He saw that she was cold, so he gestured toward the fireplace and she sat on the floor in front of it, trying to keep warm. He sat next to her and to Onmund's surprise, she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, nestling her head against his chest. Her body felt warm and her hair felt so soft against the bottom of his chin, and he reached out and wrapped his arm around her, holding her against him. He felt the urge to protect her- this small, fragile thing.

Just then, she began kissing the spot on the top part of his chest that wasn't covered by his shirt, and the feel of her soft lips on his skin was a brand new feeling to him. It sent shivers up his spine and he felt the blood rush to his face as he held her close to him. She traced kisses up his chest, and as she went up along his neck, he let out an involuntary sigh, as the feeling was electrifying. As he bent his head down to meet her lips with his, he felt her push him backwards and he fell onto his back on the hard, wood floor. She then began devouring him with more kisses, and Onmund could sense that he was coming onto the brink of all he could take…

His eyes flew open as he awoke abruptly from the dream. He glanced all around him at the cold walls of his room at the College, the images and sensations from the dream still fresh upon his mind. He began to feel embarrassed again, having dreamt of such a vivid and racy encounter, but he knew better than to think that his mind was simply playing tricks on him. There was real enjoyment and satisfaction to be derived from what he had dreamt about, and that was because Danielle was there with him, and they were happy together like they had once been. This made yesterday's events all the more painful to recall as the memory of it flooded back to him. As he lay there in bed, he put his hands on his head, trying to think. Ugh, is there any way I can make things right between us again? Any way at all? Various wild ideas came to him, but none of them seemed like good ones. Finally, he decided on one of them, and that was basically to find her and have a talk with her. But before he went and did that, there was another somewhat important matter to take care of.

I know how it is to fight with this website. Sometimes I wonder where my chapters go right after I upload them, for example _ As you can see, Danielle is definitely not happy about Onmund's scheme, at all. But things will get better, I promise. I could wonder all day how students manage to stay out of trouble in such close quarters with each other and the ability to set each other on fire and do all kinds of other harm. I wonder if the authorities there at the College have the ability to "confiscate" your magicka if you behave really badly, although I don't know how that would work or even if it's possible.