The next day, Onmund woke up in a good mood. He joined Danielle, Brelyna, and J'zargo in the training hall, ready to face Tolfdir's tests again. First, they started off with J'zargo's do-over of his recreated Flame Cloak spell. He cast the spell and was completely engulfed in flames, but this time, the flames didn't harm him, and he passed the test. Then, Brelyna got the chance to show off her recreated Oakflesh spell. She had brought a piece of animal hide which she had Danielle hold in front of her, and then she proceeded to take out a dagger. Onmund nervously watched as she struck the hide, and while the blow caused Danielle to reel back a bit, the hide was impenetrable! She passed her test, as well.

Now, it was Onmund's turn to correctly demonstrate his Lightning Rune. Tolfdir gave him five seconds to cast the rune, which he did, and then the professor conjured up a thrall to test it. The thrall walked over the rune, and in an instant, went up into a ball of electricity and disintegrated on the spot. Onmund was triumphant.

"You all pass!" Tolfdir proclaimed happily, and he gestured for them to come closer. Now with his students gathered around him, he declared to them, "Since all four of you have shown mastery of Appentice-level spells and beyond, you are all hereby graduated to the Adept level! Congratulations!"

The four students all looked at each other in disbelief and joy. "Really?! Oh, I'm floored!" Brelyna exclaimed.

"This is great!" Onmund agreed. Wow! Who knew I'd be Adept Sorcerer already? he thought with excitement.

"Let's meet back here after lunch," Tolfdir said. "I will distribute your new robes then."

"Sounds good," Danielle replied happily, and the four students went out of the hall.

They all started heading back to the Hall of Attainment together, but then Onmund had an idea. "Hey guys. Whaddya say we all go to the Frozen Hearth for lunch? Let's celebrate!"

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Brelyna agreed.

"I'm up for that," Danielle chimed in.

"We shall celebrate," J'zargo said in a spirited manner.

With that, the four new Destruction Adepts made their way across the bridge into town. Onmund was on a high, so he didn't quite realize what he was doing when, as they were walking on the snowy path, he walked over to Danielle on the other side of Brelyna and grabbed her in a playful but affectionate hug, shouting, "Adepts! We're Adepts!"

Danielle smiled and laughed sheepishly and put her hand on Onmund's arm as they kept walking. Brelyna gave both of them a look of surprise but didn't say anything at first. When they went into the inn, the four of them all sat at a table together with Onmund and Danielle on one side and Brelyna and J'zargo on the other. Haran came over to them and asked, "What are we all having today?"

"Drinks, anyone?" Onmund asked the group.

"Just some tea and grilled leeks, please," Brelyna responded.

"J'zargo will have some mead!" J'zargo declared. "And some venison stew."

"I'll have that, too," Danielle piped up.

"I'll have Ale with venison stew," Onmund said.

"All right, I will bring your drinks first thing," Haran said and left them.

Onmund looked at Danielle in amazement. "Mead, huh? You're more of a Nord than I am!"

Danielle laughed and gave him a playful look. "Only because you turned me on to the stuff."

This time, Brelyna really gave them a suspicious look. "You two seem really giddy today," she remarked. "You guys are really happy to be promoted, huh?"

"Yes," Danielle replied, giving her friend a slightly sly smile. "We are very happy about that."

Just then, Haran showed up with the drinks they ordered. Onmund poured everyone's drinks into their respective tankards and they all raised them. "To the four most awesome Destruction mages in Winterhold!" he declared.

"And most good-looking," J'zargo added.

"And toughest," Danielle chimed in.

"And smartest!" Brelyna said.

"To all that!" Onmund said again, and everyone clinked their mugs together before chugging them down.

"By the way, J'zargo was only talking about himself," J'zargo said after he had taken a big swig of his mead.

It took a second or two before the others realized what he meant, and then it sent Onmund and Danielle into an uproar. "Keep talking, cat. The one who boasts the loudest is usually the most insecure!" Danielle jabbed.

"Ohhh, ouch!" Onmund exclaimed. "Burned by the fire mage!"

"Oh, yeah?" J'zargo challenged. "This one has hundreds of girlfriends waiting for him at home. How many are waiting for Striker? One? Two? Zero?"

Letting out a laugh, Onmund gave his buddy a triumphant look and said, "As a matter of fact, I don't need someone to wait for me at home. 'Cause I've got someone right here!" He laid a heavy hand on Danielle's shoulder. "What do you say to that? 'Ey, Stunner?"

"I didn't know you guys were…dating!" Brelyna jumped in. "Since when?"

"Since…yesterday," Danielle answered.

"Oh…" she responded. She then smiled and declared, "I knew you two would end up together eventually."

"Danielle, you agreed to let this fool be your boyfriend?" J'zargo teased.

"Hey!" Onmund cried angrily.

Putting her hand on Onmund's chest, Danielle shot back, "This fool you speak of has been a really great friend to me. I like having him as my boyfriend. And…" she looked up into Onmund's eyes with an affectionate look and added, "I find him very handsome."

Onmund felt his cheeks turn pink as he said "thank you" to her, and turned to give J'zargo a smug look.

"J'zargo is going to be sick," the Khajiit mage quipped, shaking his head.

"It's adorable," Brelyna gushed. "But…what are you guys going to do about Tolfdir? I don't think I've ever heard of two students in the same class date each other."

"We're going to keep it a secret," Danielle answered. "And you and J'zargo must help us."

"Yeah, something tells me that Tolfdir wouldn't approve," Onmund agreed.

"I won't tell anyone," Brelyna promised. "You too, J'zargo, okay?"

"Very well," J'zargo replied. "This one can keep a secret. But you'd better keep the mushy stuff to yourselves!"

"Aww, is J'zargo lonely?" Danielle teased. "Perhaps he would like a girl of his own, too."

Onmund giggled, and J'zargo growled.

Haran finally brought them their hot meals, so the talking and teasing slowed down as they gobbled up their food. When they were finished, they paid for their meals and then headed back to the College.

Tolfdir greeted them in the Hall of Elements and presented them with their new Adept Robes, which were brown and tan with a brown hood. The students were absolutely ecstatic to receive them and left the hall to go back to their respective rooms and change into them. Onmund changed into his new robes once in his room, and as he looked down at himself, admiring the intricate designs on the fabric, he thought, Wow. I've accomplished so much here at the College! I've learned many new spells, made new friends, and even…made a girlfriend! Now that I'm an Adept, I can truly call myself a mage. I wonder what my family would think? Suddenly, he found himself thinking about his parents back at home, and with the thoughts came a distant feeling of longing and nostalgia. He felt an urge to write them another letter and tell them about his exploits, but he remembered that they hadn't even responded to his first letter, so he felt a little disappointed. Why haven't they written back? he wondered. Surely they haven't…disowned me and thus are ignoring me. The thought of his family disowning him was somewhat hurtful. Sure, they were at odds with him about learning magic and joining the College, and he did leave them on bad terms, but…he was still their son. If only they could see me now, he thought longingly. If only they could know what I have learned and what I have accomplished, then they might be able to put their reservations aside and appreciate me for what I am. He looked across the hall towards Danielle's room, but he didn't see her. She was most likely out of view, changing into her robes, as well. He then thought to himself, Wouldn't it be something if my parents got to see Danielle, as well? To meet the woman whom I've fallen in love with face-to-face? He smiled to himself, thinking back to the dream he had about showing her his home village. Just then, he heard a knock on his doorway. He looked up and saw J'zargo and Brelyna standing there.

"Hey, Striker, let's go shoot some sparks in the training hall!" J'zargo said. "These robes give us more magicka and I want to see how strong this makes Khajiit!"

"Where's Danielle?" he asked them.

Brelyna smirked at J'zargo and remarked, "How cute. He asks about her first." As J'zargo shook his head in disbelief, she said to Onmund, "She's going to stay in here for a bit," Brelyna replied. "Said she wanted to learn a new spell really quick before testing it out."

"Oh, all right," he replied. "Then, I'll catch up with you guys later, too."

Brelyna gave him a knowing look but didn't say anything and J'zargo piped up, "You know, this one thinks you need to learn a thing or two about female, novice. Take it from Stunner- if you want her to desire you, then you must not follow her around so much."

"Well taken, Adept of romance!" Onmund teased. "But really, I'll catch up with you guys later. There is something I need to do."

"Whatever you say," J'zargo replied, and he and Brelyna left the hall.

Now alone, Onmund chuckled at his friend's unsolicited love advice. That guy is too much, he thought. It was true that he wanted to stay behind so that he could get a moment alone with Danielle, but another matter that he wanted to take care of right away was to write another letter to his family. He sat down at his table and got out a roll of paper and a quill. On the paper, he wrote another short letter:

Dear Ma and Pa,

Did you get my first letter? I am here at the College of Winterhold. I am now an Adept Sorcerer. That means I am really good at magic. I hope you are proud of me, and I hope you are well. Write soon.

Love, Your Son,

Onmund

He put the letter into the envelope and then stood up to put it on his nighstand until he was ready to take it over to the Frozen Hearth to have it picked up and delivered. Just then, he heard a rasp, "Onmund! You're still here!"

He looked up at the sound of the voice and saw Danielle standing at her doorway, looking at him. He gave her a smile and then put a finger to his lips. Without a word, he then gestured for her to come to him. She grinned and looked to her left and right first before crossing the hall and dashing over to his room. He saw that she was wearing her new Adept Robes, as well. "Can you believe it?" he whispered to her. "We can finally call ourselves full-blown Destruction mages, now!"

"It's unreal," she whispered back. "This has been my dream for so long."

"Mine, too," he replied, putting his hands on her waist.

She tentatively reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, "Are we really alone in here?"

"Well, Brelyna and J'zargo went back to the training hall," he told her. "And I didn't see Tolfdir come back here so…yeah. I'd say we're alone in here. On this floor, anyway."

"Alone enough," she declared, her eyes twinkling.

Feeling giddy, he lowered his head and kissed her, pulling her as close as he could to him. He felt her reach up and push back his hood, and then her fingers were in his hair, gently running them through it, and it felt very nice. He reached up and pushed back her hood as well and put his hand on the back of her head, pressing her towards him. Their kisses became more fervent and he could feel the heat rise to his cheeks as his arousal became harder to contain. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, feeling almost hypnotized by them. His heart was beating a mile a minute and he tried to calm down. "Um, we probably shouldn't…get too carried away," he said in a husky voice.

"I know," she breathed back. She then slowly let go of him and pushed her hair out of her face. "We must be careful." She then added shyly, "I should head back to my room now."

"Wait," he stopped her. "I want to show you something first."

She looked at him expectantly, and he picked up the envelope from his nightstand. Opening it up (he hadn't sealed it yet), he took out the letter and showed it to her. "I wrote another letter to my parents. Tell me what you think."

She tentatively took it from him and unfolded it. After reading it silently, she handed it back to him. "It's a good letter," she said. "Short. But that's okay."

"Well, I didn't know what else to say," he replied. "Except that I also met an amazing woman."

Danielle smiled humbly. She then asked, "Did they ever respond to your first letter?"

"No. I'm starting to wonder if maybe it got lost or something. I don't think my family would just ignore me. I hope they wouldn't."

"I don't think they would ignore you, no. It probably was lost."

Onmund let out a sigh. "I wish I could tell them more. I can only say so much in a letter. I especially want to apologize to them for leaving them on such bad terms. While I'm glad that I came here, I just think I've could've handled my departure better."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," she urged. "You can't change the past."

"But I can at least apologize right?" he asked. "I didn't feel good about myself until I apologized to you."

Danielle nodded in understanding, and then sighed. "Have you ever thought about going back?"

Onmund looked at her curiously. "Going back? Home, you mean?"

She nodded again. "To visit."

"Well, I…I don't know. Sure," he answered. In truth, he hadn't really thought about it at all. "I mean, it wasn't something I considered doing until I finished the Destruction school, I think."

"Falkreath is only a couple days' journey from here, isn't it?" she asked.

He gave her a sideways look. "What are you saying? You think I should go pay them a visit?"

"It might be better than a letter," she suggested.

He blinked a couple of times and pondered over the matter for a few seconds. She's right, he thought. I could just go back there and pay them a visit. And then I could tell them everything that's been on my mind. I can't express everything I want to express in a letter and it's not even guaranteed to reach them, anyway. "Well…if I go visit them…you're coming with me." He smiled at her.

"Oh, Onmund…" she started. "I'll be happy to go with you if I have to, but-"

"If you have to?" he questioned incredulously. "I want you to! And I want you to meet them, as well."

She smiled sheepishly. "I would be…honored to meet your family. But I want you to have the opportunity to talk to them, as well, without my interfering."

"I will," he assured. "And you won't interfere." He then took both of her hands into his own and said softly, "Come with me. Please."

She sighed and then responded quietly, "Okay. I'll go with you to see your family."

Smiling happily, he said to her, "All right. I'll have a talk with Tolfdir when he gets back and see if we can get a few days' leave. Then, I will let you know."

"Okay," she replied.

"So shall we join the others in the training hall?" he asked her.

"We shall," she answered with a smile, so together they went to go join their friends.

The rest of the day passed by like any other, and Onmund got used to his new robes. They felt even lighter than his Apprentice Robes and they made his magic slightly more powerful. He didn't get a chance to talk to Tolfdir until the day was almost over, though, and when he did, the Master Wizard granted him and Danielle permission to be absent from the College for six days to go visit his family. They could leave as early as two weeks from today. Four out of the six days were going to be used for travel, so that meant he would only have two days to spend time with his family, but that was all right with him. Tolfdir was also under the understanding that Danielle was going with him simply as a travel partner, since he forbade anyone to venture outside of Winterhold alone. But Onmund was excited, nonetheless. He couldn't wait to introduce her to his family. I wonder what they'll think, though? he wondered. They'll probably wonder a little about me bringing home a Breton lady. But that's not my concern. They'll probably wonder why we aren't married. Which is a good question. Why aren't we married? As far as he knew, Danielle was the woman of his dreams. He couldn't imagine loving or being with anyone else besides her. He could see them being together for life. He mulled over the idea for a bit and then went to bed that night dreaming about home.

Little did Danielle know, being Arch-Mage wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Tolfdir made her do it before she was even ready. The melancholi-ness that Onmund had observed in her was definitely because of him. She was in love with him, too, but she also couldn't do anything about it at the time. Having to sneak around or not, at least they've now declared their love for each other (sort of) TO each other! And now at least Brelyna and J'zargo know. I figure there is no harm in revealing this but there are just 3 chapters left of this story!