Rise of House Sigeweald Book One (Skyrim Fanfiction)

Chapter 12: I've Just Seen a Face

An hour into the trip to Winterhold they hit a huge snowstorm, which slowed the carriage down considerably. When they finally arrived, even Lydia was uncomfortable, her muscles having become stiff during the long journey of starts and stops.

"Next time, let's walk," suggested Elspeth. "We'll be just as cold but at least then we won't have to stop."

"There's the Nord spirit I knew my aunt instilled in you!" Lydia chuckled and then glared in the direction of the city. "Ugh...this place is so dismal."

Lydia had told her all about the storms that culminated in The Great Collapse and had devastated Winterhold 80 years ago, but Elspeth was still shocked at how bleak the city appeared. In all that time no one had made any attempts at restoration and only a tavern and a single merchant remained within the sparsely populated city. The college, however, was unscathed by the collapse and it towered over the city—visible even in the storm. Elspeth found the contrast between the imposing college and the desolate city utterly depressing.

They were tired and hungry so they opted to visit the college in the morning. Dagur, the proprietor of The Frozen Hearth, the local inn and tavern, was happy to welcome them and even more so when Lydia mentioned that she would be calling on the Jarl for work. "We have so few people come who are not affiliated with the college," he explained. "Jarl Korir will be pleased to make your acquaintance and certainly has tasks that have accumulated over the years."

The inn was quiet with only three patrons sitting and drinking by themselves. After a while, Eirid, Dagur's daughter, sat down at their table and asked if they would play cards with her. She was a sweet little girl who, despite having the Jarl's son as a playmate, was obviously very lonely. "He always wants to play 'Hunt the Elf,' and he makes me be the elf," she said sadly.

"Dagur and I have discussed putting an end to this game," came a voice from behind them. It was Haran, Eirid's mother and Dagur's wife. "The Jarl despises the college and the mages. Many of them are elves. We don't need him breeding resentment toward our best—nay, our only—customers." She grinned as she swept around the table, happy that someone was distracting Eirid.

Lydia smiled back and said, "Well, Elspeth and I are always happy to meet new people in the cities we visit." She turned to Eirid and said, "We can teach you lots of games too. And Elspeth tells great stories." Eirid was delighted to hear this and they stayed up well past her bedtime playing Beggar thy Neighbor and Old Maid. Elspeth admired the ease with which Lydia and Eirid interacted. She sounded so much like Runa and it made her a little homesick.

It was still snowing the next morning when they woke up and Elspeth really didn't want to get out of bed. She puttered around the room after donning the robe she purchased from Farengar. It had been well over a year since she'd worn an enchanted robe and the increased energy felt foreign and somewhat uncomfortable. When Lydia returned to the room she looked Elspeth up and down and laughed. "I'm sorry," she said although Elspeth only appeared annoyed, not hurt. "You just look so...tiny and unimposing in that thing."

"Yes, well there's a reason Xeri made me put the battle before mage," said Elspeth as she shifted around uncomfortably. "I really prefer armor. And steel." She paused and added, "Don't tell Idolaf."

Lydia smirked and looked quizzically at her, "Really?"

"No, I just feel naked without them," she explained as she gathered up her bag. "You know, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Are you kidding? When am I going to have another chance to inspect the college?" Lydia was actually very excited at the prospect of seeing the college. She had always been fascinated by magic but apart from Battle Cry and a novice healing spell, she never had the aptitude for it—at least not according to Farengar who managed to teach her the healing spell before unceremoniously declaring her incapable of practicing magic. In return, Lydia declared him incapable of teaching. They've not gotten along since.