The College of Winterhold
(A/N: Third up today. Not overly happy with it, but still. A lot of the dialogue in this chapter, and the Siddgeir/Nenya one, were actually taken from in-game.)
"Before you even ask, yes I have an ancestry steeped in magic, and no I don't want to talk about it. Yes, I know Winterhold used to be full of my kind, and no I don't care that they're all gone now. Does that cover everything?" she asked. Those were literally her first words to him the moment he began to approach her. He really could only blink blankly.
"Um, okay?" he more questioned than stated, completely confused.
She looked at him a moment in silence then sighed. "I've just been asked enough questions. I'm here to learn, not to explain myself over and over," she said. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to assume."
"Assume what?" he asked, lost. "Who are you? We haven't even met."
"No, I suppose we haven't. Brelyna Maryon, of House Telvanni. First of my family to leave Morrowind in a long time. Now I'm here to study Conjuration. That's what's important," she replied.
He decided it was best to let it go. "I'm Onmund," he replied.
She looked him over curiously. "A Nord?" she asked.
He cringed. "Yes," he replied.
She had to admit, she was… surprised… And a bit intrigued… "Your kind aren't usually too keen on magic," she remarked.
"Uh, no, no they're not," he answered, shifting awkwardy.
"Take it that's a touchy subject with you, huh?" she said, eyes softening and a smirk pulling at her lips.
"Yeah, yeah it… kind of is. Can we maybe change the subject?" he asked.
"Sure," she agreed, nodding. The history between the Dark Elves and Nords was… bloody and tense to say the least. She was a little surprised he was speaking so cordially to her, really. "Why aren't you…? What are your thoughts on my race?" she questioned. "Don't be afraid to be truthful. I can take it."
"Milady, I have no qualms about your race," he answered, surprised she'd think otherwise.
"Then you're the first Nord who hasn't," she dryly said. "At least that I've talked to."
"We Nords are a fairly stubborn race, aren't we?" Onmund asked, smirking. She smiled, giggling. She liked this boy. She had a feeling they'd get along just fine.
ES
They met their classmate shortly after. A Khajiit. Onmund was visibly shocked at this, and Brelyna was equally as shocked. "A Khajiit learning magic? Why it's unheard of!" she exclaimed.
"J'zargo will be the very best, you will see," J'zargo challengingly and boastfully stated. "Magic is not practiced often among Khajiit, this is true, but J'zargo assures you his talent is far superior."
"What drove you to magic?" Onmund questioned.
"J'zargo is not sure. J'zargo witnessed the skill of a mage long ago when he was only a kitten. J'zargo was fascinated. He asked the mage to teach him some magic. The mage was kind to J'zargo and taught him many things. J'zargo kept practicing from that day. The other kittens made fun of J'zargo, but J'zargo just laughed and zapped them with lightning. They did not make fun anymore," the Khajiit replied.
"Seems we're all oddballs here," Onmund remarked.
"It's time for class. We should hurry," Brelyna said, noting Tolfdir heading towards the lecture hall. "Hurry, let's go."
ES
Their group clicked instantly. You could see it from the start. By the time they reached the lecture hall they were talking—and ranting about their families and friends—animatedly. Then came the big surprise. Right off the bat they were being given the opportunity to excavate an old Nord burial chamber! Saarthal, they believed the name was. The voyage would be a cold and treacherous one, but it would be well worth it. A good few other classmates came with them. Every single one of them was excited. Sure enough there were threats along the path, but these were dispatched with haste by the group of mages in training. Soon enough they were there.
"What do you think we'll find in there?" J'zargo excitedly asked.
"It's thousands of years old. Who knows what we might find?" Brelyna replied.
"J'zargo is betting bodies. Lots and lots of bodies. And maybe some valuables…" J'zargo remarked, practically purring.
Brelyna frowned. "Don't get any ideas. We're here on official business, remember?" J'zargo harrumphed and moved ahead to speak to the other students, dryly lampshading to himself that there were far more females in this class than males. Not that he was complaining, of course. He very much approved, in fact. He'd just probably need to hang out with Onmund more often to keep his sanity.
ES
In all honesty, Onmund was glad J'zargo had gone off ahead. Not that he didn't mind the Khajiit, it was just he was quite curious about Brelyna. He found himself thinking she was quite pretty, really. He chastised himself for that. She was probably out of his league. She was a Telvanni, for crying out loud. He frowned to himself. He had believed the Telvanni were extinct. Huh. The more you knew. He approached her.
Brelyna glanced over and saw Onmund coming up beside her. She was pleased with this, honestly. She quite liked Onmund. Besides, he wasn't bad looking. Definitely not bad looking. "This is exciting, isn't it? This is better than sitting around talking about magic, don't you think?" she said to him.
"Definitely on both accounts," Onmund confirmed, smiling.
"To think, my ancestors destroyed the homes of your ancestors. So much bloodshed," she remarked.
He cringed, remembering that part of the past. "You… asked me about my opinion of your race. Would you… mind terribly if I asked you your opinion of mine?" he questioned.
She looked at him curiously then smiled. "I never understood why we were supposed to not get along just because of our races and our pasts. I mean we weren't a part of that mess. Why should old grudges reach down to us? That's our parents' issue. We don't need to follow their example. I have nothing against you if you have nothing against me, fair enough?"
He smiled. "Fair enough," he agreed. He thought a moment then chuckled. "I wonder what our parents would say to see us speaking together so well," he said.
She laughed. "Oh I would love to see it! Almost want to just to get a reaction," Brelyna answered. Onmund laughed as well.
ES
The doors to the tomb were open and the students all entered. There was silence for a while as they walked. "So, are you nervous about being here?" Onmund murmured to her as they walked, trying to break the silence.
"Why? Because it's old and full of dead things? Clearly you've never spent any time in Morrowind," she replied, smirking.
"Do you know much about Saarthal?" he questioned.
"Not really. Just that it's very, very old. It was one of the first cities of men in Tamriel, I think," she answered. He smiled, nodding and brightening slightly. She grinned. He looked around, frowning. She frowned as well. He was… uncomfortable, it seemed. For some reason or other. She was curious as to why. "Can you imagine what it was like living here so long ago? The first men in Tamriel, here…" she remarked.
He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not so sure we should be here. I find it hard to believe this excavation was approved," he said.
"I take it you're not happy about being here," she said.
Bluntly, he answered, "No. There's no chance anyone in authority approved this. Our ancestors should be allowed to rest in peace."
She cringed. Perhaps he was right. Wanting to break the awkwardness, she asked, "So why do you think the College is here?"
"Hopefully we can learn something from the experience. How the ancient Nords used magic, maybe even what happened to this place," Onmund answered.
"You're very curious about your history," she remarked. "And very involved in your culture."
"Of course I am," he answered.
"And yet you tolerate me," she remarked, smiling at him.
He looked over at her then smiled back. "I… actually really like your company and… your skill is pretty good," he said. He felt a slight flush and thanked Talos for the darkness hiding it.
ES
As the students delved deeper into the ruins, Tolfdir soon stopped, looking around. "This seems as good a place as any to start," he said. He turned, looking at them all. "Brelyna, my dear, why don't you search for warding magics? Anything designed to keep people out. Don't interact with them, just identify them," he assigned. "Onmund, please search that area over there. See if you notice any… residual energies. Alive or undead." Onmund grimaced, shifting. He honestly really didn't want to be here right now… Silently he walked off. Brelyna, J'zargo, and one or two of the others watched worriedly after him, frowning. Good, Brelyna thought. She wasn't the only one sensing it.
After about twenty minutes of searching, Brelyna frustratedly said, "I'm not seeing signs of any warding magics at all. Either they're not here, or they were removed long ago. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this isn't it."
"There's no gold, nothing shiny at all," J'zargo lamented from near at hand.
"Don't sound so disappointed. You wouldn't be allowed to take it even if there was," she replied to him.
"Like anyone would even notice in all this mess," J'zargo deadpanned.
Brelyna shook her head hopelessly and turned to Onmund. "Can you believe we're here? Saarthal, of all places," she said.
"I'm surprised that the College is 'allowed' to excavate here," he lamp shaded for the millionth time. They weren't fooling anyone. Least of all him. He knew full well they weren't supposed to be in this place.
"I bet your family would be amazed, right?" she asked him, smiling gently and understandingly
"Amazed isn't the right word. They might find this… offensive," he replied.
"Are you excited to see what's in there? This is important to you Nords, isn't it?" J'zargo asked. This one was tight-lipped. Perhaps J'zargo could get more information out of him than the basics.
"Not excited, no. Some very bad things happened here," Onmund answered.
"Oh, right. That whole thing with the elves. Well, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" J'zargo replied, shrugging it off.
"I think, given the state of Skyrim, some might disagree," Onmund deadpanned. J'zargo blinked blankly then cringed. He had a point.
Onmund sighed, ruefully looking at some human remains. "I wonder if anyone else would be so happy to rifle through the bones of their ancestors," he remarked.
"Yeah. This is a little creepy," Brelyna admitted.
"That doesn't begin to describe it," he said.
"You seem uncomfortable being here," she pointed out yet again, hoping to get more from him this time around. He was quite… mysterious for a Nord… She actually liked it quite a bit.
"I just don't know that it's right for us to be in here like this, picking through the ruins," he answered.
ES
Guess who was proven right? Brelyna, Onmund, and the rest of the class say for the discoverer of the object gawked at it in shock as it sat in the College of Winterhold. "I knew this was a bad, bad idea," Onmund hollowly said.
"Do you know what this is?" Brelyna questioned.
"No… That's what makes it so disconcerting…" Onmund replied. "This has to be some ancient power. Ancient powers are never, ever, ever good to mess with… Something tells me this is all going to go horribly wrong. I don't know when it will, but it's going to. I don't like it. I feel like I should get out of here while I have the chance."
"I… hope you don't," Brelyna remarked, a hint of shyness in her voice. He glanced curiously over at her. She blushed faintly and looked away, thanking her Dark Elf skin for hiding said flush. Onmund did see a reddening, though, and he felt himself flush as well. Awkwardly he cleared his throat and left the room. Brelyna watched after him.
"Brelyna and Onmund sitting in a tree," J'zargo teased, smirking.
"Silence," Brelyna growled, lighting up a destruction spell. She knew J'zargo struggled with wards.
ES
Some days later, Onmund and J'zargo were hanging out on the walls of the college looking at the view. It had been a hectic week. It was nice to get some time alone. Nice to get away from the women and just have some male bonding time too. Again, the class was heavily overrun by women. It was quite nerve-wracking for the both of them. Even J'zargo, which was a surprise because J'zargo did love the ladies, though their Khajiit classmate was the one he was currently fixated on.
"J'zargo continues to struggle with wards. You have time to practice?" J'zargo asked Onmund after a moment's silence.
"Maybe later. I'm sort of busy now," Onmund replied, catching sight of Brelyna down below.
J'zargo spotted her too and smirked to himself. Onmund could not make it more obvious he had a special affection for her. That would not keep J'zargo from taunting him, though. "J'zargo understands. You hesitate because you know J'zargo will be better than you. Very well," he said. He knew how it got under Onmund's skin. Sure enough Onmund gave him quite a nasty look. J'zargo chuckled and looked back down at Brelyna. "What are you waiting for? She is right there."
Onmund started, blushing deeply, and looked away. "What chance would I have with her? I can't," he replied.
"Perhaps all you need is a little… push," J'zargo said. Suddenly he lunged, shoving Onmund from the wall. Onmund cried out in terror as he fell towards almost certain death. Of course J'zargo would probably stop his fall with Telekinesis before he went splat if no one else did, but nonetheless it terrified Onmund. Oh if he survived this J'zargo would suffer most horribly.
ES
Brelyna looked sharply up and gasped, paling. "Onmund!" she screamed. Immediately she cast a transforming spell at him. He became a bird immediately and was quick to spread his wings and fly, landing nearby with heart almost pounding out of his chest. She transformed him human again. He thanked the gods this was the one time her spell decided to work. He gasped, sagging against the wall in relief. "What happened?!" she exclaimed in alarm.
"I…" Onmund began. He glared up at J'zargo then decided it wasn't worth ratting his friend out over. "Tripped," he finished. "I tripped. I'm-I'm sorry. It was clumsy of me. I've just been so busy with school and such. I'm pretty tired," he excused. J'zargo smirked and continued along the wall to let them talk.
"I hear you," Brelyna said, nodding. "Still no word from your family?"
"No, and I'm not expecting any," Onmund dryly replied.
"Really? That must be so nice. I came all the way to Skyrim just to get away from my family's expectations," she said.
"My family didn't really approve of me coming here at all," Onmund said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh. Well, that's… awkward. Sorry to have brought it up," she said, cringing guiltily.
"Have you heard from your family recently?" he questioned, wanting to turn the attention from off of his family issues.
She looked for a moment sad. "No, not really. Couriers don't seem to like delivering letters here," she answered.
"Ah, that's too bad," he sympathetically said.
"Not at all. It means I'm not being hounded about my progress at the College," she answered, smirking. He laughed at this. She grinned. "I mean I miss them and all, but they're a little overbearing."
He nodded. "I… thought the Telvanni's were all dead," he remarked.
She frowned, sadness coming to her eyes. "They are… At least last I checked… The family I keep talking about? They're… not my birth family... Before the massacre… My parents sent me away to a lower class family with whom they were dear friends. They took me in and raised me like their own. Didn't know until I was about seventeen that I was even Telvanni, and then they told me. It was… overwhelming. Guess it still is, in a way, to be the last descendant of the great house."
"And a great honor as well," Onmund said in awe. "Perhaps one day, through you, they will rise again…"
"I… don't think they ever will," she said, looking down. It was hard… being the last…
Onmund cringed. "I'm… sorry," he said. She just nodded. He shifted uncertainly. "Would you… like to have lunch with me at the inn?" he suddenly blurted.
She looked up at him in surprise and blinked. After a moment she smirked. "Are you courting me, Onmund?" she questioned.
"Well, I, that is, um…" Onmund stammered. He took a deep breath. "Yes," he finally and boldly said. "Yes I am."
"What would your family think?" she asked.
"They'll never speak to me again and probably disown me when they find out—and they will find out—but then that won't be much a change from what it was already like. They saw me a freak for liking magic in the first place," Onmund replied.
She looked worried. "Are you sure about this?" she questioned.
"Brelyna, I am," he stated firmly, bowing to her.
She grinned at him excitedly. "Then yes," she replied with a laugh, taking his offered hand. "You have permission to court me." Onmund grinned and walked with her across the bridge and to the inn.