Chapter 62

Everyone at the table sat in deep thought after my last comment. Brunwulf broke the silence. “Seems to me that you’ve been doing what you can to unite it, at least under your own rule.”

“It’s not of my original choosing, I’ll tell you that. All I came here, to Tamriel, to do was to find out about my own history. If I had my druthers, I’d have a simple life, work metal, bone, and leather in a smithy, maybe do some alchemy, and be content with the love of my wives as we all grow old together. But ... I’m Dragonborn. That means the dragon blood flows within my veins. So ... just as I was destined to fight Alduin, just as I was destined to fight Lord Harkon, and as much as I’d prefer not to do it ... I am Septim, so...” I paused for a moment.

“What that also means is simple. It’s a challenge. And one thing a lot of people have learned over the last year or so that I’ve been in Skyrim is simple.”

Lydia chimed in from the side. “Don’t fuck with the Dragonborn. She’ll kick your ass!”

Everyone broke out laughing at that, which broke the tension that had arisen at the table. Lortheim said, “Okay, for those of us who are actually priests at Temples, could you explain that a bit more, though?”

“It wasn’t obvious?” I laughed. “Okay, what it means is that if you want to worship Talos, Dibella, or any of the divines, feel free to do so. If you’re Dunmer and want to worship a Daedra, go ahead and do so. An Orc, well, Malacath is obvious for them. But what’s different, going to be different, is this. The Daedra and Aedra won’t be interfering in what happens here any more, either actively or through direct intervention on behalf of their followers.”

There were still some puzzled expressions, but I saw looks of comprehension on at least two of my companions and my wife. “Just for example, Dagon influenced the Mythic Dawn to do his bidding, to weaken things for his invasion and blatant attempt to take over all of Mundus. Molag Bal attempted a long game, using vampires in an attempt to wrest control of Mundus over millennia. They can’t do that anymore. That doesn’t mean that Orcs can’t continue to worship Malacath, just that Malacath can’t interfere with them if they don’t do his bidding. So no more curses that affect a weak tribe. Of course, that also means no more assistance that way, either.”

“That’s well and good for the Daedra, the Dunmer in town are pretty much the only ones who worship them locally anyway. But what about the Divines? Are they not going to still be able to give us their blessings and heal diseases from those who pray to them?”

“You can answer that question yourself, Lortheim. Do you feel Talos working within you now, like you always have or is it different?”

He thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes, I can still feel him, but ... it does feel a bit ... different.”

“It should. Keep in mind that the Aedra are the ones who gave of themselves to help create our world in the first place. So they get to remain a part of our world. What has changed is that, while they’ll still be able to help if you ask for it, they will no longer be able to manipulate things so that they’re the ones who made it so you asked for that help in the first place. It’s a fine distinction, but an important one. Sithis was ... well, I feel like Sithis was upset. Basically the anger of a parent with their child for not taking care of their toys. Because to them, that’s all we were, toys to be played with, and they didn’t care if we got broken or not.”

The Jarl furled his brow in thought. “So, what changed while you were in the Temple?”

“For all their planning, all their cunning, they were out maneuvered by their toys. I have my suspicions that Sithis planned it this way just in case things did turn out the way they have, as the two phases of Sheogorath match the two original beings of Anu and Padomay. But it was still up to us to break the cycle. My mother, a human woman, becomes a Daedric Lord. My father, a human man and a Dragonborn, becomes an Aedra, a divine. Precedent had already been set when Tiber Septim ascended as well.”

“So the toy soldiers literally revolted against their masters, is what you’re saying?”

“Yes, Galmar, pretty much that. As for which Daedra had influenced Ulfric, I don’t know. The Altmer worship many of the same gods as men, Akatosh and Auri-El are the same being, Mara is still Mara, Lorkhan and Shor are the same. I suppose it could be one of the other gods, but I have no idea which one.”

Gelebor had been quietly listening to our discussion. He slapped the table suddenly. “That’s it, the missing piece. Gildan was changed from Bosmer because the Altmer want the power of the Ayleid, all their magic. The only way for them to secure it was to keep men too occupied with each other, so they could exploit things. That would be the power of the god Magnus.”

Korir spilled his cup. “What? Magnus? But ... before I left to attend the wedding, I had heard rumor that the College of Winterhold had found an artifact in a ruin not far from here, Saarthal, I believe. I don’t trust those mages anyway, not after the Great Collapse, so I do try to stay abreast as much as I can of what they’re doing, so we can save the town if they act up again. This artifact, I believe it was called the Eye of Magnus.”

I looked at Gelebor. “I’m going to make a guess that it would be a bad idea if the Altmer ended up with that artifact, right?”

“Immensely bad, yes. It could have the power to either help finish my work, especially now that I have the Eyes of the Falmer, of restoring the Betrayed. Or it could have enough power to make what they did to Gildan seem like just molding wet clay and change ... everything.”

“Well, I’m glad I recovered. I suspect I did so just in time, and for exactly this reason. My Jarls, it was a pleasant dinner, made the more so by your company. I presume my armor is in Serana’s room?”

“Yes, it is. I can’t come with you, can I?” She pleaded.

“Not this time. You have a more important job. Mjoll, guard Serana. My love, return to Astrid and then send Jordris to me as soon as possible. Rikke, bring up your troops as best you can. My companions, let us meet out front in a single candlemark. We’re heading for Winterhold and the College there. Now.”

Galmar frowned. “You suspect something, then? How can we help?”

“Keep things under control here when Rikke pulls out. Jarl Korir, you ride with her. If you’re going to come, it’ll be safer for you. The rest of you, let’s go.”

As I stood, Jarl Brunwulf said, “Your Majesty!” I stopped. “Good luck. I won’t tell you that it’s not your place to do this. I suspect it is. It ... it will be difficult, but there is nothing that we Nords like more than a challenge. Your citizens in Windhelm ... all of them, regardless of race ... will be cared for. You have my word.”

I nodded, then hurried from the table, heading to our room. Lydia quickly caught up with me while the rest of our party scattered for their own quarters. “What is the problem, my Thane?”

“You were at the College. You remember Mirabelle, I would gather. Who else do you remember?”

“Several of the instructors, Urag of course, and ... fuck. Ancano.”

“No, no fucking Ancano. Kill Ancano.”

With it only being a few of us, we took a little extra time leaving the city, but cutting hours off our ride. We took our horses through the town, down the docks, then in single file around the edge of the inlet. That let us take a lesser pathway that came out near the Whistling Mine. Alternating a trot and walk with the horses found us in Winterhold before midnight.

We tied the horses up outside the Frozen Hearth inn, heading for the bridge across the gorge. The guards of the town were standing near the entrance, watching with their weapons ready. “What’s going on here?” I demanded.

“Something bad at the College. We saw those lights start to flicker, been hearing loud explosions from over there. We’re ready, as ready as we can be, for whatever comes this way. You better not go there, lady, not if you want to be safe.”

“Be ready to evacuate the town if need be. Have all your troops ready. Jarl Korir will be coming from Windhelm with reinforcements, but it’ll take him time to get here that we may not have.”

The guard looked at me. “Who are you to give us orders, lady?”

“I’m the High Queen of Skyrim, soldier. Now do your job, protect the civilians, and get out of our way.”

The guards blocking our path quit doing so. I hurried up the bridge, my companions behind me. At the entrance to the College, the students and most of the staff were gathered in a group. From the Hall of Elements ahead, I could see bright flashes of light coming through the windows. There were loud explosions coming from within the Hall as well, various flashes going up the pillar of arcana after each bang. I could see a man that I presumed was the Arch-Mage standing next to Mirabelle, arguing with her.

“Savos, I don’t know what we can do.”

“We have to do something, Mirabelle. This is intolerable!”

“Mirabelle, Arch-Mage, I’m here to help. What has happened?”

Mirabelle looked at me in shock. “You? I haven’t seen you for months! I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to come back here to finish your studies with me. This is not the time, though, we have a situation here.”

“Mirabelle, who is this?”

“Your pardon, Arch-Mage. This is one of our newer students, um, I’m sorry, with what’s going on, I forgot your name.”

“We have no time for students, whoever you are.” The Arch-Mage looked past me, at the Hall of Elements. “We have an emergency here.”

I chuckled. “You’re forgiven for not remembering my name, so long as you remember our studies. They have come in very useful to me. And I think you’ll have time for me, if you want to live.”

The Arch-Mage dryly said, “Really? And what would a new student of magic know about what’s going on here?” His tone was rather haughty.

“Probably a new student wouldn’t know much. I am not one. I am the Dragonborn and High Queen of Skyrim. I daresay that I’m more a master of magic than you are.”

Mirabelle’s jaw dropped. “I remember you’d claimed to be Dragonborn, and proved it to me. If you have the magic needed, then, perhaps that’s what we need. Savos, if the three of us hit the door all at once, that might be enough to break whatever it is that’s blocking it!”

“Very well. It can’t hurt if we try again, then.” He turned to the door and began casting flames at it. I could see that there was some type of ward spell just outside the actual surface of the door, absorbing and deflecting his magic. Mirabelle quickly joined in with a frost spell. Both of them together showed me where the weakness of the ward were, and that’s where I aimed my lightning spell. The ward crumpled.

The doorway then opened, showing the pathway into the Hall. A large sphere was in the center of the hall, floating above the center pool of arcana. It appeared to have an assortment of mystic designs upon that became visible as the sphere rotated. At the base of the sphere, Ancano was casting some sort of spell upon the sphere. The Arch-Mage started running towards Ancano, shouting at him to stop what he was doing.

I turned to my companions. “Take cover!” They jumped out of the way as Ancano did something with the sphere, sending the power of the sphere towards the Arch-Mage. That power hit the Arch-Mage, creating a huge explosion. I ducked behind a pillar, shouting “FEIM ZII GRON” as I did so. The gift I’d been received of all the shouts allowed me to speak all the words, even those I hadn’t learned from Word Walls yet.

Becoming ethereal, the force of the explosion didn’t affect me. I watched Mirabelle get slammed into the wall, hard. She looked stunned. The Arch-Mage hit the wall, bounced off, then was flung completely outside. Ancano looked pleased with himself at that feat, and returned to the sphere. I came around, pulling my sword as I did so. The large ward spell he’d placed around the center didn’t slow me in the least as I was ethereal. I walked up behind him, then plunged my sword into his back.

Since my sword was also still ethereal, nothing happened right away. “Hey, Ancano. You might pay a bit more attention to what’s going on around you.”

He heard my words and it broke his concentration, my speaking from right behind him. “What? Who ... how?” At that moment the effect of the shout wore off and I became material again, with my sword already in his body. I yanked on it, and it pulled him into me. My sword had fused itself with his tissues.

He screamed in pain, as it was obvious to him that something serious was wrong. He couldn’t cast anything, due to being held by my sword, and he flailed his arms trying to regain his balance. An arrow came flying in from the doorway and embedded itself in his head. His head snapped back and he slumped to the floor, dead. I held him up by my sword, still attached to his body. I shouted “FEIM” by itself. That let me and more importantly, my sword, go ethereal long enough to pull the blade out of his now lifeless body.

After a brief period I again became physical. I saw that Erandur was already taking care of Mirabelle, casting healing spells upon her. The sphere in the center of the hall had settled down. Shouts from outside said that something else was wrong, though. I hurried out. Faralda was yelling that something was happening in town.

Apparently the magic that Ancano had been doing had created some magical entities that were attacking Winterhold. My companions, along with a couple of the college mages, charged across the bridge and quickly dealt with them. One guard was killed, but that was the extent of the damage. Seeing that they had things well in hand, I returned to the College to help.

The Arch-Mage was dead. The instructors were gathered around his body, wondering what to do. I went on inside. Mirabelle was still shaken, but her physical injuries had been healed. I knelt beside her. “So, how are you feeling?”

“Like someone tried to use me as a battering ram on a wall.” She brought her hand up to her head. “I don’t suppose it’d be possible for us to do a little more of that healing magic we did once, would it?”

I laughed. “Ah, sorry, my sweet Mirabelle. As much fun as it was, I think my three wives would object now. But ... I don’t know if it would work with Lydia quite as it did with me, but she and I have shared the magic many times. I can ask her if you’d like.”

“Three wives? I knew you were the Dragonborn, but you weren’t kidding earlier, were you? About being the Queen of Skyrim, I mean?”

“Ask Urag. He was at my wedding. Sly old Orc, he’s been supporting me for quite some time. Oh, and just so it’s not a shock to you later, I’m also of Septim blood. Which means I’m the Empress of Tamriel as well.”

“By the gods. Well, that’s going to make Savos sorry he called you a new student.” She tried to get up and Erandur helped her to her feet.

“Um, yes, about the Arch-Mage ... that position is now vacant, it seems. Come, let us join the others outside.” Erandur and I steadied her as we walked out to the courtyard. My companions had returned from town and had gathered behind the instructors.