5. Escape from Winterhold (i.)

5. Escape from Winterhold (i.)

Feb 11, 2022

After conspiring to steal the Eye of Magnus, having an affair with the local Jarl, recovering the magical Book of Fate, coming to terms with her partially-human ancestry, and messing with the fabric of time, Eldaline Alkinour, the Thalmor's second most senior archivist, is preparing to leave Winterhold with her library assistant, Skavild.

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"Seaside or mountains?" Asked Eldaline.

"I'm not sure." Said Skavild. "But we certainly deserve a holiday after all this."

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"I am asking if you think we should return to Solitude past the old lighthouse and making our way over the treacherous ice crevasses, or by following the road south through the forests and mountain passes and chancing the numerous ambushes by bandits and highwaymen."

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"Oh. The bandits one, please. I want to try out this new armour you gave me."

"Ssh." She said. "You didn't get it from me. It fell off the back of a cart, understand? And try not to blurt out 'Look at this armour that Eldaline gave me that belonged to her human grandfather from Windhelm!' when we get back to the headquarters, please."

"Come on, Eldaline, the sun's nearly up. Put your boots on."

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"Perhaps you should go with me to see Jarl Korir before we go, Skavild. He's a friend of yours, after all."

"More of a friendly acquaintance. No, you decided to have an affair with the Jarl yourself. You can end it by yourself, or stay here and become Mrs. Winterhold."

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"You're quite right, Skavild. All right. Do we have everything? False documents?"

"Check." Said Skavild.

"Unincriminating real documents?"

"Got 'em."

"Secret decoy picnic laced with jarrin root?"

"Yep, under the real documents."

"Real picnic?"

"Under the false documents."

"False nose and moustache disguises?"

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"In the green pouch."

"Calipers?"

"Couldn't find 'em."

"Alembic?"

"Gave it back to Tolfdir because it wasn't yours."

"Torture implements?"

"A bandit stole them from me."

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"Will this box fit in your backpack?"

"Do those things in it belong to you?"

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"I think they will, once we're across the hold border."

"Put them back where you found them, Eldaline."

"Very well."

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"Ready?" He said.

"I think that is everything."

"Is that the Staff of Magnus?"

"I'll just check. Yes! It is."

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"All right then. Put the Staff of Magnus back on the Arch-Mage's desk, and we can set off."

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"Good-bye, College." Said Skavild. "Shame I didn't learn any spells."

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"Do you want to visit the Shrine of Azura?"

"No." Said Skavild.

"Neither do I."

"We can see it from here anyway."

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"You should wait for me in the Frozen Hearth while I go to see the Jarl." Said Eldaline. "I'll be twenty minutes."

"Are you sure you don't just want to run away and pretend you forgot? Sometimes I do this with love affairs."

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"No." She said. "I will be dishonest about anything if my duty dictates it, but not my affections. It is cowardice. The only kind of cowardice that has no use."

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"Well. Wish me luck."

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"Oh, go and get it over with. And if he starts crying, don't hug him, get out of there."

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Skavild watched her walk up the path until she turned a corner and disappeared from view.

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Then he sat in the Frozen Hearth and drank a mug of milk. This wasn't because he was a milk-drinker, but because it was half past six in the morning.

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But on his sixth mug of milk, Skavild started to worry that he was turning into a milk drinker.

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"Where's the sun?" He asked the tavern wizard.

"Outside, in the air." Said the wizard.

"No, I mean, whereabouts in the sky."

"Oh. Should be directly overhead."

"That's it." Said Skavild. "A round of lunchtime drinks for everyone!"

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Two hours later, he stomped up the hill. "Wasted all the damned daylight hours over a stupid doomed love affair. I hate stupid doomed love affairs."

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"Skavild!" Said Jarl Korir. "Leaving Winterhold at last? Come to say good-bye to your old friend Korir? What a wonderful surprising surprise! Where's Eldaline, ha ha?"

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"Why ha ha?" Said Skavild. "I thought she was with you."

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"Ha ha! No." Said Jarl Korir. "No, a very strange thing. She was supposed to come and visit me, but... she never arrived this morning! Or whatever time of day she was planning to come by. Because she never did. Which is obviously very mysterious, but I don't know what happened, so don't ask me."

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"Gods!" Cried Skavild. "Don't tell me she slipped off the icy bridge!" And he hurried to check.

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But, though the way was indeed treacherous and icy, there was no sign of an elf having fallen from it.

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"No, she didn't fall off the..." Skavild said.

"Argh! Skavild, you startled me... Hello again, Skavild, old friend! What can I do for you?"

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"Is something the matter, Korir?" Skavild poured himself a goblet of wine to calm his nerves because Korir had screamed in his ear for some reason.

"DON'T DRINK THAT!" Shouted Jarl Korir.

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"By Tsun's Tankard, why not? It's two in the afternoon."

"Because... it's horrible!" Cried the Jarl, throwing the cup across the room.

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"You're clumsy with your cups today, Korir. There's another one lying on the floor."

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"You need a read Nord's drink. Have an ale! I haven't got any, but here, take some money and go and buy yourself some ale or mead! Lots of ale or mead! Why not both? Good-bye!"

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"I'm having a very strange day, Dagur." Skavild told the innkeeper. "I'll need a room. If my friend comes back, will you tell her I'm still here?"

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Skavild stepped outside the next morning with a slight headache.

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There were some cart tracks leading out of Winterhold.

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"Empty kegs going back to the brewery?" He asked the innkeeper's wife.

"Ha. Not till next week. Even the town drunk can only drink so much."she said. "The Jarl's men set off on a cart when it was still dark. It was a big box for Ulfric Stormcloak."

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"Have you got a horse I can borrow?" Said Skavild.

To be continued

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