"Jon?"
Jon did not like the tone that question came with. His eyes shot open, and his head snapped to his shield-maiden laying next to him. He took a sharp breath and whispered, "Lydia, what have I done to you?"
Her look was of wonderment at the ceiling. She said, "I can see so much more now, every grain of wood."
She looked into the eyes of her sword-bearer and took her own sharp breath, seeing the true glint of them. Jon said, "Lydia, I-"
Her hand shot to his face, faster than she expected it, and slapped his granite jaw on accident. She said, "Oh, sorry. Jon, what happened? Are my eyes different"
Jon's look was of pure shock. He didn't want to speak, but her had to answer her question. He said, "Your eyes, Th-The pupils, the black part of your eyes. They're slits now, like a dragon. Whi-with the strength you just hit me with...what have I done?"
She said, "Jon, whatever you did to me in the trows of our passion, I-I've been given a Divine gift. Of your love, by your love. I would never say no to this. Ever."
Jon said, "Lydia, I have remade you in my image. Do you understand what that means?"
Lydia said, "That you carry Divine power in you? That you put in it me, in more ways than one? And that you did it on accident?"
Jon's look of horror never stopped, "Funny. When I saved that woman from the Butcher. She thrice blessed me, and I thought it would be fun-"
Lydia laughed to her hearts content, burying her face into Jon's shoulder. She said, "Because it was funny! I knew as soon as you whispered my name that your words were blessed, that you waited for that moment. I couldn't laugh because I was to busy almost passing out from your steed in me and Thu'um on my ear!"
Jon said, "Lydia, I-Think, I love you? All I know is I want to wake up next to you and no other, but I never meant to simply remake you like this. This...This is an abuse from my lack of understanding. My arrogance…"
She kissed him deeply, and he pulled her tighter, deeper into him. She pulled away and said, "I know I love you. Since the moment we woke up in each other's arms on accident the first time. When you turned that other woman down even though we had never talked about it? I was taking you last night and that was it."
Jon nodded slowly before locking her eyes and seeing the truth there, "It's you and me Lydia Doom-Driven. You and me against them all. You are a my Housecarl no longer."
Lydia leaned in, intent on taking her man again in more ways than one. She said, "I am your Doom-Driven shield, my Dragonborn sword."
They would spend another hour taking their fill of each other. Lydia had much more stamina than previously. It only took another two days travel at their new pace. Both nights they would spend drilling, first Jon teaching Lydia how an Augment moves thinks and what she was now capable of, with warnings of the detriments of her new nature. There were a couple. He would drill her hand to hand, and then she would drill him with steel.
Now that she needed less sleep, less was spent on it by them both, but not too much less. Jon always felt that most Augments were insane because they refused to get more sleep than what was actually required. He never could confirm it, but he turned against the rest, and he always liked to sleep more, missing out on things with his brothers and sisters that probably lead to their war criminality. So maybe it wasn't a temporal paradox that drove him to rebel against the Augment order.
Jon wondered if he could teach Lydia the Thu'um like the Masters could teach him. That didn't move on his list of priorities. He would spend some time at the College and then return to the Masters. He trusted the Jarl to handle the war effort. It was Whiterun's war effort, he was just an officer in the field again. The more things change, he thought.
Looking over the city when they had finally arrived, he saw a Crisis that had took place here. It probably was not one of note like the Oblivion Crisis, no Great Heroes to fight back the tide. The tide was simply the tide, and most of the city had crashed into it. Only a couple thousand people called this 'hold capital' home. Looking at the still eroding debris in the icy ocean, he saw a city bigger than Whiterun. Tens of Thousands of people died from this Crisis, no doubt.
Lydia said, "I'm not saying the College did it…"
Jon said, "But isn't it funny. Just as easily could have been the magic protecting it from what happened. My world had plenty of city ending disasters, especially cliff slides like this, all without magic. There's a super-caldera in North America that if it blows, it basically ends life on Earth."
Lydia wasn't too phased. Its not like those things didn't exist on Nirn. She said, "What's that, some kid of Volcano?"
Jon nodded, "Like ten times the size of a volcano that can wipe out Morrowind. It would be like incinerating all of Tamriel at once, and then the aftereffects strangling Akaviri with feet of ash. Boom and Nirn is gone."
Lydia said, "I imagine no Great Hero can fight something like that. Is there anything your scientists can do?"
Jon said, "Other than monitor, no. Force of fucking nature there. Maybe try to relieve pressure in a controlled manner, but Yellow-Stone already mostly does that geologically, and efforts to do anything could go bad fast. It would be a B-movie plot except we're actually fucked. Maybe Tommy Lee Jones can fist fight the lava or something."
Lydia laughed as they stabled their horses at a Nord happy to see the steeds. The stable wasn't big, and a little chilly, but there were a fair few town mounts and travelers in the still decent sized town. Talk and gossip would be traded abound that night in the stables, Jon thought.
The College was standing at the other end of the city on an impossible platform. The base thinned to a near small boulder to hold the weight of the large grounds, on its stone pedestal. Jon didn't know if he wanted to trust it, but the wizards obviously did. But then again the people of the town trusted their cliff face.
Jon passed though what remained of the stone city, once a capital of Skyrim and still proud of it. It was mostly without fanfare, as he and Lydia made a specific effort to stay out of peoples way. No matter what they think of the College, at least one wizard can show a little respect to the people that actually own the place.
Jon and Lydia walked up the first steps up to the impossibly hanging bridge to the main grounds. There was a small archway on the first platform. In I was a Altmer woman in fur insulated robes and standing next to a magical brazer-light.
She gave him and Lydia a smug look. Jon prepared for battle. She said, "Halt. You will not gain entry. The way is dangerous, and the gate will not open!"
It was easy. "I am here to attend the College and learn the magical arts, Gatekeeper. May I enter?"
She smiled at the proper use of title, and polite tone. She said. "Perhaps, what is it specifically that you seek here?"
Jon didn't hesitate, "Power to destroy my enemies. Those enemies being dragons."
She nodded, "Yes, we have gotten word of their return, and a Thane in robes that slew one. Power you seek, power you will find here. The College is open to you."
Jon politely asked again, "Will she be able to attend with me?"
She smiled again. So polite, he was, assuming nothing. She said, "If she can demonstrate a small bit of magical acumen, either with her own spell, or learning one. A simple initiation that really anyone can complete if they truly want to learn. You are a special case, and we were asked to give you instant entry by one of our former attendees."
Jon nodded while Lydia used her own healing spell. He said, "Farengar. And I bet the bluster was to ward off anyone that really doesn't want to learn. If they cant even ask to enter, or how they could, or at least offer to clear the way by sword and shield, they aren't meant to be here."
She chucked as they began walking over the bridge, smart too just like the word, "I actually had a person offer that one time. A Nord in old plate that didn't have a lick of magical talent in him. He wanted to learn, and assumed there was some beast, and that I was a damsel. He offered to slay the beast in the name of me and the College. He became a successful battle-mage, and was a good spin in the sack."
Jon attacked, "So, the mammoth in the room. I have to ask, at least once."
She shot him a look as they walked, "Wasn't us. Nothing we did or do could cause a disaster like what happened. While we aren't a strict as others in terms of research, any thing that could wash away a whole city would not have been allowed to happen."
Jon attacked again, "Strict?"
She said, "Necromancy. We allow it's research if for no other reason than to meet any threats from it. Summon a familiar, and that's technically necromancy but no one bans that spell. Other places ban research because of the sigma with the true dark arts."
Jon said, "I could smell it on a man. Corruption. Foul. I don't know exactly what he was doing. Its in the hands of the Windhelm guard now. I just killed the bastard."
She asked, "With magic?"
Jon said, "With by bare hands, quick. Did use a muffle spell though. There a Library? I have a mythic era Illusion tome. It was good stuff."
She gave him an impressed look. As they got to the edge of the main courtyard she said, "Here's a map of the place. Go inside the main all, and up to the library levels. Urag gro-Shub runs it. Now, I could give you the tour, but you look like you can read a map. There's a basic magic safety course about to start, taught by professor Tolfdir."
Jon said, "I can tour or learn. I'll learn. Thank you for your help, I'm Jon by the way, and this is Lydia."
She nodded and said, "I'm professor Faralda, I teach destruction magic. There will be some quarters made ready for you in the apprentice towers. Usually, every student gets their own quarters, but something tells me you two wont mind sharing. We only have the one left anyway. There's actually a bit of a class forming. We will also place a set of robes for her in your quarters."
Jon and Lydia took the yard. There were a couple people milling, and picking the snow-berries growing. There in the center was a statue of the Mage, striking and powerful. Jon gave it a moments eye of respect as they passed.
Jon said, "What you you think, you in robes."
Lydia admitted, "It would be nice to get out of the steel every once in a while. I don't have really anything else to wear."
Jon asked, "Why In the fuck haven't I bought you normal clothes yet? Oh wait, because practically everything in my life has been issued to me. And I didn't actually need them with my robes, wearing way less armor than I'm used too. Sorry."
Lydia said, "I'm practically the same. I had a set stored away, but just never asked to pick it up after you got me a pack. As I said, I was outfitted at your pleasure, for the short time that I was a Housecarl."
Jon said, "Unoutfitted, more like."
They both snickered as they entered the main hall. There were a couple dozen students all setting around the lecture hall. The room formed a small circular amphitheater, with a lecture at the very center of it. Jon and Lydia took their seats near the top of the bench steps, hand in hand, of course.
The man at the front said, "Welcome all, I am Professor Tolfdir and this is Safety With Magic. It is basic, maybe even boring, but I assure you it it the most important class you will take here."
The kindly old professor began his lecture, and he did his best to make it interesting. His tone wasn't a monotone at least, Jon thought. As he was answering an initial question asked, a Khajiit in robes quietly slipped beside Jon and sat down.
The Khajiit whispered, "Hail, friend. Did J'zargo miss much? He knows this is a basic lecture on safety, at least."
Jon smirked, and spoke so low that only those of cat ears could hear it. He said, "Nah. He just started a couple minutes ago. Nothing juicy."
J'zargo gave his own smirk, and spoke so low only only those of Augment ears could hear it. He said, "Good. J'zargo is no class pet, but one needs class to learn. What is your name, friend?"
Jon said, "Jon."
J'zargo smiled, "Of the house of Noonien-Signh. You helped Sassi. From a different clan, but word travels. Now J'zargo knows you are a friend."
Jon asked, "Becoming a wizard to help your clan?"
J'zargo nodded, "Yes, many problems on the road can be solved by a wizard. Plus J'zargo like to set fire to things that need set on fire. Wood, bandits, matters not to J'zargo. Tell me, have you mastered any destruction magics yet?"
Jon smiled, "Not yet."
J'zargo smiled wickedly himself, "Good, this is good. Some competition. J'zargo was hoping for such."
The lecture had devolved into a bit of an argument between master and apprentices, lasting almost ten minutes and rallying almost half the room. Tolfdir was a verbal fencer, deflecting and returning every blow.
Eventually someone asked, "How do you even know what we can do, when you haven't even seen us in action!?"
Tolfdir nodded thoughtfully for a moment. That was a good point. Perhaps a third opinion. He called to Jon while he was chatting back and forth, very quietly at least, "You there, you've been quiet so far. Do you have any thoughts?"
Jon smiled and saw the lie on his eye. He didn't miss a beat however, "I think both sides merit consideration."
Tolfdir nodded thoughtfully again, thinking he had caught an unawares apprentice sitting in the back with his friends. A common occurrence. He attacked, "Do you now? How so?"
Jon parried, "Well on one hand, you are correct. Magic is a dangerous and often times unknowable thing. What you don't know, can and will destroy you. I mean just imagine what a person from a land without magic would think about the power we so casually throw around in the palms of our hands."
"A land without magic? Preposterous. magika is everywhere, even in the other Planes!"
Tolfdir wasn't phased by his opponents quick cuts. The ring leader of the small pack, one his sweetheart, wasn't an opponent, but an ally in the spar. A misjudgment on his part. He said, "No no, that is exactly how you have to think. What if there is a land without magika? These are the kinds of thought experiments you must preform if you truly wish to advance the field of magic. I expect that such a person from such a place would think us divine for being able to cast around the very forces of nature. We literally call it 'destruction magic' people. However?"
Tolfdir continued the Socratic conversation, and Jon nodded in respect. It was unfortunate. Even if the man was an ally he still had to deliver the finishing blow. He said, "However, Professor Tolfdir, there comes a point in which one must do, in order to truly learn."
Tolfdir conceded the point. It was only through his own recklessness that he met his match. He still had a tool or two in his pouch. The man liked to hide his eyes, maybe he would like some spotlight.
He said, "Alright. You all make fair point. How about we do a practical demonstration, then we will all practice. We will keep our theme of safety, however. Do you know a ward, sir?"
Jon already knew where this was going. The man conceded the point, but didn't quit. He liked this professor. He got up, began walking, and said, "Jon. And yes, actually, professor. Given to me by Farengar Secret-Fire."
Tolfdir took his final lick and nodded, "Ah, I remember helping him with that. He wanted to make a magic shield, but only got it to work if it was cast in your palm, instead of in front. It was a good exercise in spell manipulation if nothing else, but sturdy enough as a ward if you had the magika to cast it."
As Jon walked he heard some quiet curses at the class pet, even if he won them the argument. Jon took position with his Ward Palm ready. Tolfdir said, "Alright, throw up your ward, and I'm going to cast a small Fireball at it."
Jon barely felt the Fireball hit his ward. Tolfdir turned to the students and said, "Now, ensure that you're Fireballs are toned down. This will also serve as good practice in fine spell control. I assure you, that if you do want to do, then you will most certainly need it. Always remember, the three most important things in magic are,"
Jon finished, deciding to rub it in to whoever's face needed rubbed in this verbal combat zone, "You, your intent, and practice."
Tolfdir shot his head around with a shit eating grin. The faces of some in the hall were not as jovial. Lydia and J'zargo were snickering, becoming fast friends during the skirmish. Lydia's Augmented physiology let her speak to him as Jon did.
He motioned them over as we walked up to Tolfdir. He said loud enough for Lydia to hear, "Professor, my shield-maiden Lydia only knows a healing spell. I also don't specifically know Fireball. And it looks like my friend J'zargo wont have a partner."
Tolfdir said, "Of course, we always keep some basic tomes on the Lecture. The thing is big enough to hold a library! Almost tradition that no one actually uses it. I will partner with J'zargo. Good spar by the way, I walked right into it."
Jon smiled, "You as well, professor. I would like to take another look at this ward spell, if you ever have the time."
Tolfdir thought a moment, "Of course. The next couple days wont be good however. When practice is done, I'll be announcing a trip to Saarthal. It was the first capital of Skyrim, built by Ysgramor himself, and the original Atmoran settlers."
Jon was interested in an ancient sounding Nord name, "Where at? In the Ice?"
Tolfdir was eager to talk about the find, "Buried in the snow. You may have heard about the unfortunate accident. Someone fell in and was lost, thinking their next step was solid. We didn't find them until search parties were sent the next day. The entrance to the Crypt was dug yet further into the ground. We've been clearing it out for weeks now and just got in."
Jon was slightly confused. He said, "Crypt? But a city as well? It was underground?"
Tolfdir nodded eagerly, then thought about it a moment, "Well not exactly a city. No more than a couple thousand, but no not a tomb like most other crypts."
Jon said, "Incredible. I thought Bleak-Falls Barrow was a wonder, with the tools they had and used. But a full settlement dug in like that."
Tolfdir chuckled. he saw an opportunity to strike and took it. "Young man, you must be new around here. Let me tell you about the Dwemer. They built wonders that will boggle your mind."
J'zargo and Lydia had already started practicing together while Jon chatted away with Tolfdir about mysteries grand. The true nature of Lydia's eyes were hard to see from a distance, and she would be happy to get a hood over them like her sword-bearer. She didn't know how anyone would react, and she understood why he did it, past just wanting to order food without being kneeled too. She sill wouldn't want it any other way. She was only at the very beginning of her epic worthy adventure with her sword-bearer
The class ran over about an hour past what it should have thanks to Jon and Tolfdir eagerly talking about what lie in the deep. No one was fond of Jon except three others in the room. When they were done, Tolfdir announced the trip and told everyone to get plenty of rest. It wasn't long, but it wasn't short either.
The party returned to the apprentice tower, and took to their quarters. Jon and Lydia slowly, quietly, blessed each other for most of rest of the night.