Warning: Mild Use of Strong Language
Chapter 3: All is Fair in Love and War
“How is he?” An elderly Nord voice asked.
“Hard to say. Maybe another day until he wakes.”
I woke up in a cold sweat, Thetri’s shouts and face branded into my memory. My head was killing me and I was in another new room. Stone walls, bookshelves, this must be the College. Probably my dorm. Perfect. I slowly got up and limped to the cabinets. I went through them until I found what I was looking for.
“Excellent. They keep Alto Wine.” I whispered to myself. I grabbed the first bottle and sat in the chair next to my bed, taking out the cork as I did so. Within the hour I had opened a second bottle. Now I understood why the fellow from outside the store drank so much.
I guess I had fallen asleep, as I woke up a few hours later. Nightmares were plaguing my sleep. Half the time it was Thetri falling. The other half it was me falling. Over and over, the two of us would take turns being swept away by the winds until I woke up.
I grabbed the third, and sadly the last, bottle of the Alto.
Just after the empty bottle joined the other two on my floor, a woman walked in.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. See, my name is Colette Marence, the College’s expert and teacher of Restoration, and the Arch-Mage has instructed me to keep you…”
I cut her off mid sentence. “To keep me what? I don’t give a skeever’s ass who you are or what you do. Now then, get outta my room, Colette.” I followed this statement with a sarcastic, yet cold and unforgiving, smile.
She stared at me in shock and disgust for a minute before turning and leaving my room. I stretched and headed back to my bed.
The nightmares continued through the night.
When I woke the next morning, I walked to the cabinets again. I was out of Alto, but I resorted to drinking that Nordic Mead piss. Had five bottles in the cabinet, made it through one before I had a knock on my door.
“What do you want now?” I barked in the general direction of the door.
A kind and elderly Nord responded from the other side.
“Thetri’s funeral is in three hours. I thought it best to inform you if you’d like to attend.”
I sighed, still mostly sober. I stood up from my chair and walked over the the small mirror on my wall.
Just the short time I had spent drinking entirely changed my appearance. My normally neatly trimmed and combed beard had become messy. My hair, usually slicked back, stood up in all directions. Worst of all was my eyes. Bloodshot, devoid of their regal gleam, and drooping. They suited more a peasant than me.
I heard the man grunt and walk away. Three hours should be plenty of time to fix myself up a bit.
I combed and trimmed both my hair and beard. Next I put my robes over my shirt and pants and straightened them out. Nothing could be done about the eyes. Nothing but a restful sleep.
After I was satisfied with my appearance I browsed the books that lined one wall of my dorm. I read a few, although none were of any import.
A deep bellowing horn sounded outside the dormitories. I stood and walked out of my room for the first time. I squinted against the light coming off a ray of pure Magicka like the ones outside the College. I located the door and headed out.
It was my first time actually seeing the College courtyard. A large statue of a mage stood near center, just behind another ray of Magicka. The others had gathered around it.
A priest of Arkay was brought in from Windhelm to conduct the rights. At the end, however, we strayed from the classic funeral.
Thetri’s body was placed in the pool of Magicka. It dissolved, becoming nothing more than ash and energy. He was truly one with Aetherius now.
And that was the end of it. Everyone returned to their rooms and studies and went to sleep.
The day after was to be the first day of classes. My eyes were less bloodshot and I looked much healthier. I walked outside and glanced at the sun, trying to peek through the clouds. I was late.
As I walked into the main hall the same elderly Nord as the one who invited me to the funeral greeted me.
“Welcome, welcome! We were just beginning. Please, stay and listen.” I was only half paying attention. The rest of my focus was on a very attractive Altmer. Her skin was a light golden hue, her eyes the color of emeralds. Had she been at the funeral? She must’ve. How did I not see her?
“Hm. Now then, since we’ve all arrived I believe it’s time for introductions. I am Master Tolfdir, teacher of Alteration. And you are?” He pointed to a Nord on my right. He was going through the gathered students, asking our names.
“Ah, the pleasure is mine." He said to a female Dunmer. "And your name?” He looked into my eyes and I noticed his were different colors.
“I am known to most as Caranthir. I have come to study the Restoration school to become a healer.”
“Well then, greetings to you, Caranthir. And you, young lady?” He inquired to the Altmer who continued to capture my attention.
“I’m Erissa, here for the renowned Destruction classes.” She met my gaze briefly.
“Well, remind me not to mess with you!” He laughed a bit. Nobody else did.
Tolfdir continued his lecture, something about the dangers of uncontrolled magic, but I didn’t listen. Erissa… it had quite a ring to it.
I didn’t see much of Erissa that day. She kept mostly to herself, but not in a shy way. More of an ‘You’re all unworthy’ way. Being an Altmer myself, I loved that. I loved everything about her, and I’d only known of her existence a few hours. At the end of our classes I went up to the Arcaneum to study the history of the College, just out of curiosity. The moment I walked in an Orismer ‘greeted’ me.
“If I see you mistreat any of these books, you’re out of here for good.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me.” Filthy pig-man. I browsed the selection until I found the books I was looking for. I looked around and, in a corner, Erissa was reading alone at a table. I walked over.
“Excuse me, would you mind if I joined you?”
“Yes. Go sit someplace else. You have nearly the entire Arcaneum.” Well, she was definitely an upper class Altmer.
“Forgive me, I should not have bothered you.”
“Consider yourself forgiven.” A smile. Not like the sarcastic one I pulled with Colette. A genuine smile.
I went to bed early and had the same night terrors.
I woke up late, again, and began to dress myself. Within my hood, I found another note. Auri-El damn the author of these things. I resolved not to read it, but curiosity got the better of me before I left my chamber. 'Beware those who befriend you'. These things were getting stranger and stranger. I decided to skip my morning class and head to the Arch-Mages office. Perhaps he might have an idea of who had been going through my things and leaving these messages. I walked into his office and heard the ending of a conversation.
“I’ve told you before, Ancano. This college will not differ leadership directly to the Dominion.”
“I urge you to reconsider, Savos. We could make this College great again.”
“The Nords already don’t trust us. What would having this place become an Aldmeri Dominion stronghold make them think? Besides, this Hold is fiercely resistant to the Empire. The Stormcloaks would never allow Thalmor agents and troops to come here.”
“Then we’d slaughter them all. Rebellion shall not be tolerated.”
“Go back to your desk, Ancano. I’m done speaking of this.”
I walked up the steps and into the hallway. Savos and I spoke, and he advised me to ask Enthir if he knew of any other Bosmer in the area, due to the handwriting having a style of writing found only in Valenwood. As I began to turn and leave, the one who Savos had previously referred to as Ancano stepped forward. He had Thalmor robes on. I was surprised that he openly wore them in this part of Skyrim.
“Hold on a minute. May I walk with you? I wish to discuss some things.”
We walked back to the door and headed down the long staircase down the bottom of the central tower. Ancano continued to speak as we descended.
“It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow Altmer here in Skyrim.”
“Believe me, the pleasure is mine.”
“I’ve no doubt you miss Alinor as much as I do, but that is besides the point. I wanted to ask you if there was anything you wanted that would make this a more pleasant stay.”
“Oh, no. Nothing that you could do, anyway.”
“Excellent. Say, how about you meet me for dinner tonight? I’d love for you to attend.”
“Attend? Is it an event?”
“Oh, nothing large. I’m inviting some of the other Altmer to a small dinner party, but only one has accepted.”
“And they are?” I said a quiet prayer to Mara.
“Erissa. I also invited Faralda but she is otherwise occupied.” I guess Mara heard my prayer.
“It sounds wonderful. You can expect my attendance. What time shall I arrive?”
“The gathering begins at seven. I’ve arranged for a table to be set in the upper floor in the Hall of Countenance. Any preference on beverages?”
“Alto Wine, if that isn't too much trouble.”
“Not at all. I’ll see you then.” Suddenly, a thought struck me. ‘Beware those who befriend you.’ What if that note meant to stay away from Ancano? Had I just made an irreversible mistake? Preposterous. Ancano was a perfectly fine gentleman. Besides, how could I pass up a dinner with the woman of my dreams?
I entered the Hall of the Elements to continue my training as a Healer, quite pleased with my decision.
TOC
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