Act II: Chapter 6

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*Ariella's POV*

"Remind me why I must wear this."

The ceremonial garbs of the Arch-Mage were extremely uncomfortable, and the warming enchantment on it was combining with the one on her normal robes. The urge to dismantle the enchantments on the Arch-Mage robes increased.

"It is tradition, Arch-Mage." Mirabelle Ervine, my master wizard and most annoying person on the planet informed me, again.

'Fuck tradition.' I thought, but wisely kept it to myself. 'Sometimes I wish I was born a nord. Their women can curse at will.'

"And no, you can not remove the enchantments." Mirabelle said, reading my mind. She really was the most annoying person on the planet, always acting like my mother.

"I hate you." I told her for what had to be the thousandth time.

"Stop being dramatic." Mirabelle replied normally. This was a daily occurrence for us, and as much as I thought she was annoying, I knew she was unimaginably useful. That was the only reason I hadn't committed homicide and fled to Black Marsh.

I rolled my eyes and flexed my magicka slightly.

The warming enchantment on the robes I was wearing underneath the Arch-Mage robes fell away, and I sighed in content. Not only did it immediately get cooler, but my magicka sang at the feeling of being used.

It was always a chore to keep it under wraps around my fellow mages, but my gift, or curse, always made those around me uncomfortable. Especially J'zargo, the poor cat.

'It's not their fault, I just started way too early.' My mind supplied. 'And having a High Elf for a mother has its own benefits.'

That particular thought brought back painful memories that I pushed to the back of my mind. I focused on the horse beneath me and it's peaceful trot. Even with my chest secured tightly with a bra of my own design, the bouncing of my assets once again made me think about my mother's gifts.

I looked up to see that we had finally gotten closer to Solitude's gates, which were open and inviting.

That was when I felt it.

'He is supposed to be in Markarth. I couldn't help but frown and tilt my head as I felt the magick tickling my senses.'

I have always been more magickally talented than almost all I had encountered, and my senses extended a bit further than most of my peers. I looked around to study their faces, none of them noticed.

My own magicka rose slightly so that I could feel what he was doing.

It was the oddest way of manipulating one's magick that I had ever felt, and I have felt a lot. There were traces of common alteration techniques intermingled with restoration.

'What is he doing?'

My feet spurred my horse forward in a more brisk trot. Absentmindedly, I heard a sigh behind me that belonged to Mirabelle. She said something that went in one ear and out the other. I was too focused on the feeling of his magicka.

It's grown. I deduced as the depth of his magicka was made aware to me.

I reached the front gates, and didn't even notice the guards that held their hand up, Mirabelle would set them straight in a few moments anyway. My horse passed by them and the few faces on the street that stared at me. It was a normal occurrence, another one of my mothers gifts.

I continued to ride, and felt his magicka falter with whatever spell he was casting. 'No wonder it felt weird, he hasn't perfected it yet.'

Soon I found another gate, into a castle within the city walls. Absentmindedly, I knew that this was the Legion's source of power in Skyrim, even if I couldn't recall the name of it.

This time the guards needed a little persuasion, so I took a page out of his playbook and twisted a small amount of magicka on the four soldiers at the gate. They all backed up, scared witless from the sight of me.

Once I moved forward into the massive courtyard, I saw him.

He stood shirtless, surrounded by five men. I was surprised to see a Dunmer amongst their group.

Red lines of magicka leapt off of his form. It almost distracted me enough to ignore the way his muscles rippled with every movement.

The same sword I enchanted in Markarth swept out and parried a blow from one of the men around him before attacking two more with one swing of his sword. His leg struck out to the man who had snuck behind him and impacted the man's chest.

I contemplated watching him for longer, but I could feel his magicka plummeting. It would be over soon anyway.

My leg swung over my horse, and I dismounted. My feet hit the ground just as he cut his magicka off, right before it would have ran out completely.

I just couldn't help but tease him.

"You should work on your stamina, Hadvar."

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*Hadvar POV*

"You should work on your stamina, Hadvar."

Now that I wasn't casting Mages Downfall, I could feel her, not ten feet from me and closing. I smiled at her teasing and turned to look at her.

She wore the feathered robes of the Arch-Mage, although they had obviously been tailored to fit her form. A form that I was happy to look on again.

Her silvery-blonde hair shined under the Skyrim sun in a way that I couldn't help but compare to the snow I was so familiar with. It was a little longer than when she had left Markarth, and I couldn't help but think it fit her.

Her icy blue eyes met mine just as the men around me started snickering at the teasing joke she had introduced herself.

My head snapped to the legionnaires I had just finished whooping up on. They stopped laughing immediately.

"Dismissed." I said, and they obeyed, although most of their eyes looked towards Ariella longingly.

I turned back to her and the smile from earlier returned to my face. "Is five minutes not long enough for you, Ariella?" I teased back.

That was actually the longest I could hold the spell for now, and I was barely even increasing my physical abilities. The most it seemed to do was improve reaction time for now. I really wasn't even stronger or faster yet. From the warnings in the book, this was only the start. Once I actually got skilled enough to improve my muscular performance, it would eat at my magick faster.

Ariella smiled at me, although she didn't show any discomfort from the joke.

"Not even close." She replied, continuing the line of jokes.

And then, before I could respond with something witty, she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around my sweaty frame. It surprised me.

We had grown into friends during her time spent in Markarth, but never had we initiated any physical contact, beyond what was appropriate. My arms wrapped around her awkwardly, as I was not expecting it.

It was not a romantic hug, more like a 'it's good to see someone familiar' hug. She had been through a lot since I had seen her, and so had I.

'Is this the first hug I've given someone since I've been in this world?'

"What are you doing here?" Ariella asked as she pulled away.

The feathers on her Arch-Mage robes clung to me because of the moisture holding onto them. I waited for her to crinkle her nose at the smell of me, but she didn't so I decided to answer the question.

"My time in Markarth awarded me the title of General Tullius' personal Battlemage." I bragged as I widened my arms, gesturing to the structure around me. It might as well be all mine.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "I shouldn't be surprised, you've grown."

The sound of hooves behind her, let me know that her entourage had caught up with her. I saw the form of a khajiit, and a woman with slightly pointed ears, signaling breton heritage. Even more people with the robes of magicians sat at the gates of Castle Dour.

'J'zargo, and Mirabelle Ervine.' I deduced as they rode up.

"You have too." I told her, getting back to the conversation.

It was true too. Now that my magicka was returning, I could feel just how deep her magicka had become. Already she had larger reserves by Calcelmo before she left for the College. Now she would have dwarfed him. There was absolutely no comparison between my reserves and her own.

'Nothing like a little struggle to make someone grow.' I couldn't help but think.

Ariella's smile dropped slightly. "It's been a long road."

I felt for her, I really did. Because I could relate.

"Yes it has been."

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"Ah, the newest Arch-Mage. It is good to see you again Ariella."

High King Torygg stood in the same spot as he had for every guest that arrived in Solitude over the past two weeks, with his wife beside him. I dismounted, and handed the reins of my horse to a stable boy that raced over. He took the horse and led it away.

"Hello, my King." Ariella said as she curtosied from atop of her horse before dismantling and handing her horse off also.

Torygg scoffed. "You earned my name, a long time ago, Ariella. We've been over this." Torygg said, surprising me. Even if she did take care of Potema, that was a high honor.

I bowed to the High King of Skyrim, as tradition dictated. Once I held it long enough, I moved to stand by Tullius' side. He gave me a look out of the side of his eye that told me we would talk later.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation, mainly because it was introducing people of Ariella's entourage. Instead, my mind was on how time was running out for the Challenge that would take Torygg's life. I had scoured the literature on challenges in the past and had yet to find anything damning for the use of magic or the Thu'um during a challenge. It was heavily implied that it is forbidden, but not expressly stated.

I went over the checklist in my mind of the Jarls who had arrived and hadn't.

'Igrod, Siddgeir, and Ralof have already arrived.'

'Igmund is expected any day now. And none of the Jarl's that are openly critical of the Aldmeri Dominion have arrived yet. When most of them are closer than the ones who have arrived.'

My mind had already begun to see the conspiracies that I had no way of proving. Skyrim's landscape is notoriously difficult. Many many explanations could be used for the other Jarl's absence. It was just hard for me to believe the convenience of Stormcloak supporting Jarl's not showing up yet.

"Follow me." Tullius grumbled by my side.

I obeyed and turned to follow the man. My eyes caught Ariella's, and I thought I saw a bit of disappointment hidden in her eyes. I tried to send an apology with my eyes. I'm sure it looked like I was having an aneurysm.

We crossed the rest of the distance to the courtyard of the Blue Palace. As soon as we broke line of sight, and well past hearing distance, Tullius placed an open letter into my hands. The seal was broken, so I couldn't tell what exactly it was. The words on the page cleared up the secrecy quickly.

'Tullius,

You have raised very good points as to the 'Challenge' that is to happen soon. I agree with you completely, for more reasons than you yourself know. Ulfric has been making inquiries outside of Skyrim. You must understand that this information cost many lives to obtain, and even then it is hearsay and guessing.

Ulfric has been consistently talking to the people who secretly oppose the Aldmeri Dominion in Hammerfell. The topic of discussion has been debated but we both know he seeks independence from the Empire. Hammerfell has yearned for it for a long time. Can't he see that we're just biding our time? Does he have so little faith, or is it overwhelming arrogance? The continent is slowly descending into the days before the Empire, my friend.

Your goal remains the same. Unite Skyrim, and get the army we need. Attached is the document you asked for. Use it well.

Akatosh guide you.

Titus Mede II'

I frowned at the small amount of information the Emperor decided to give us and flipped the page. It was the document that Tullius had apparently asked for.

'The Challenge between Jarl Ulfric of Windhelm, and High King Torygg is hereby declared as a legal challenge.

The two will decide leadership of Skyrim through the Old Ways, with martial prowess.

As Jarl Ulfric is known for his time studying under the Greybeards at the Throat of the World, he is banned from using the Thu'um or Magick during the Challenge.

High King Torygg is also banned from using the Thu'um, or Magick during the challenge.

If these terms are broken, the Challenge will be declared unlawful and the Empire will interfere.

May Akatosh guide us all.

Titus Mede II'

My shoulders slumped and I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. A burden was lifted from my shoulders slightly. This was the permission I needed to interfere in the Challenge, if I needed to.

Tullius watched me read the letter the whole time, and was waiting for me to finish. When he saw my reaction, he finally spoke.

"You have your orders, Hadvar."

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Jarl Igmund arrived the next day.

So did the news of why the other Jarls had yet to arrive.

"They are coming together." Tullius' news wasn't that surprising, but I had to clarify what he said.

"What do you mean, together?" I asked.

"Skald, Laila, Korir, and Ulfric are all traveling together. With an entourage of about three-thousand." Tullius explained.

'Well that isn't a lot. We could defend against an invasion like that easily.' I thought as I pondered the number. Although, I had enough of being caught unawares of Skyrim, and immediately made the decision of increasing the men's training. They were already progressing quickly, but have yet to get any practical training like the men in Markarth had.

'Now that Bjorn is here with Igmund. I can trust him to oversee that.'

"Some would call that an army." I commented while continuing to think through everything.

"It is a show of force, a subtle threat, nothing more." Tullius revealed as if it was completely obvious.

"Well, if it all goes to plan, we can stop this rebellion before it ever begins." I told him. I should have known better than to jinx it.

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"No, no, no. Twist it like… this."

Ariella's magicka flooded my senses and showed me how she wanted me to try it.

I obeyed and twisted the magicka in my left arm, just as she showed me, while holding onto the alteration involved in the spell. My mind was straining, to merge the magicks that it thought would repel each other.

And then it clicked. The magicks melded together seamlessly. Feeling the magicka combine gave me more insight into the spell than any of my other attempts. I had been trying to operate every aspect of the spell independently of each other, convinced that they couldn't be combined.

I moved my arm slightly.

'POP'

I grunted as a searing pain emanated from my shoulder. The magicka encasing my arm fell out of my grasp as my mind was overloaded with pain.

"Oh my God!" Ariella said just as I looked down to the source of my pain.

My mind caught on to the phrase. It was the first time I had heard anyone say 'God' instead of 'Akatosh' or 'Talos'. A theory that had been in my head for a while now, made itself known again.

My shoulder was out of its socket. I stood up quickly and moved to the stone wall of my tower. I reached for my magicka, and found that I didn't have any left.

'What? I barely held the spell for a moment.' I thought, ignoring the pain in my shoulder for a moment. I stood there, gaping as I pondered the amount of magicka it had cost me for just a second of success.

Ariella noticed my stunned expression and must have felt that I was out of magicka, because she moved over to me.

"Here, let me." She said as her hand went to the shoulder that wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Once again her sun of magicka wrapped around me. I embraced it, and let it flow through me. At first, I thought she would heal it for me, but when she paused, I understood that she was going to allow me to use her magicka to heal myself.

I almost began to ponder the implications of that small fact. Before now, I wouldn't have thought it possible to do such a thing. So to test, I grabbed her magicka and manipulated it into the healing magicka I needed.

My shoulder went numb for a moment, and my body felt a small pressure as the shoulder slid back into place. The strained tendons around my shoulder were torn slightly, so I fixed them also.

When it was all said and done, I felt absolutely no difference in Ariella's magicka. It was still just as vast and deep as it had been before.

"Thank you." I said.

I opened my eyes to the sight of her standing very close to me, and removing her hand off of my shoulder. Her touch lingered on that spot after it left. Ariella made no sign to show that she had heard what I said.

"You'll have to enhance the areas around your focus if we want to keep you in one piece." Ariella said, thinking about the cause of my dislocated shoulder. "And we need to get your Magicka reserves up… a lot."

"How?" I asked. She obviously grew her own, after already having a lot of magicka to begin with.

"Well, we're already doing it." She answered. "The fastest, and most natural, way is to drain yourself over and over again. If you're going for pure reserves, then it's as simple as draining yourself, and then letting it build back up, and draining yourself again. As much as you possibly can." She explained. It was nothing I hadn't heard before, but how did she manage to grow hers so fast?

I was about to question it, when a knock resounded through the tower. I got up and immediately went to the stairs. I climbed down them, with Ariella on my heels and opened the door.

"Ralof." I said with a grin. "Thank you for coming." I told him.

"Your letter didn't suggest I had a choice." The Jarl of Whiterun said as he stepped into the Tower. Vilkas and Farkas waited outside behind him. Some unspoken rule, apparently. Not that a literal army stood inside the same castle.

I moved back to the stairs, and started walking all the way up. The whole time, neither of them questioned why I hadn't told them of the other. They both just followed. I wasn't sure if it was because of their trust in me, or their trust in their own abilities that they said nothing.

Eventually, I reached the top and went to one of the three chairs that sat beside what I started calling 'the Conservatory'. I had been preparing for this chat for a while. I couldn't ignore the signs around me anymore.

Ariella sat closest to me, without hesitation, although she gave me a curious look. Ralof took the chair farthest from us.

"I thought you called me to work on the spell." Ariella said. I could tell she was making her own theories about why we were here.

On the surface, me calling two people that were around the same age group wasn't strange, especially when you considered our mirrored stories. Although there was something different that I could just feel. It wasn't anything to do with magicka with Ariella, or Ralof and I's past. No it was like meeting another lost soul, you just couldn't help but notice them.

And I need allies for the coming confrontation. These were two of the most powerful people in Skyrim right now.

"I did. Your insight has been invaluable." I answered Ariella. "In fact, I'm not sure I can repay you."

"Access to the spell is more than enough. You have know idea how much it can change for me." Ariella countered. "You owe me nothing."

I smiled at her, although it didn't reach my eyes. She did drive a hard bargain. I had only wanted her insight, and wasn't planning on revealing the book to her. But she claimed she couldn't solve a puzzle with both of her hands and feet tied behind her back. My lust for power had caused me to give in.

"This is touching." Ralof commented, lazily. He was getting impatient. "But I am a busy man."

I nodded to him and decided to get a few things out of the way. "The Challenge has been declared legal by the Emperor." I said, not really surprising anyone.

"Of course it was." Ralof agreed and waited.

"Although he has forbidden the use of the Thu'um and magick for it." I revealed.

Neither of them reacted outwardly beyond the raising of an eyebrow and sitting back in their seat. Their faces were impassive, although I could tell they were pondering the implications. I decided to move the conversation along.

"I assume we all know of Ulfric's youth spent studying under the Greybeard's?"

That was my first feeler question. That was NOT common knowledge. True, both of them could be informed because of their positions. But it was more likely that neither of them knew about it.

They both nodded at me, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Confirmation number one.'

"I suspected this was to be his trump card. So I had Tullius get me permission to intervene. If Ulfric tries something during the Challenge, I will interfere." I continued. I wasn't prepared for either of them to interrupt me.

"He will." Ralof said confidently. There was no room for doubt in his statement.

"You're confident." Ariella pointed out the obvious.

Ralof just nodded in response. "You may believe he wants the position of High King, but he doesn't. He wants independence from the Empire completely. He won't care what the Emperor has to say about tradition. Why should he? The Emperor isn't a nord. He doesn't follow the old ways. Who is he to declare it illegal in the Challenge? Ulfric will shout him down regardless."

My mind caught on to the phrase 'shout him down'. The Thu'um has been lost to all but the Greybeards and the most superstitious of nords. Who says 'shout him down'. I would have expected 'kill him with the Thu'um' or some other use of vocabulary.

Confirmation number two.

"So it will be a Civil War, then?" Ariella said, jumping ahead of the conversation.

Ralof nodded. "And I suspect that is why we are here today. Isn't that right, old friend?" Ralof asked.

He must have thought himself extremely clever, to discover one of my reasonings.

"Yes, that is right. I am curious to where you stand on the issue." I said, manipulating the conversation slightly.

"The Empire is scared of the Aldmeri. They are barely holding together the three provinces they have." Ralof scoffed. My heart sank at the words.

'So he still supports the Stormcloaks?'

"Four." Ariella corrected nonchalantly.

"Morrowind is nothing but ash. Skyrim, High Rock, and Cyrodiil are the only real players in the game. And we have powerful enemies. The Aldmeri don't have the manpower right now, but they're winning the game in the shadows. They are fortifying their position while weakening ours. We are losing." Ralof said passionately.

"Yes we are." I agreed with him truthfully. He looked at me curiously, as if he hadn't expected that. "And that is why I called you here." I told him.

"Ulfric will try to kill Torygg. I will stop him. Next is a Civil war that I plan on making the shortest in recorded history. Although I will need help. Whiterun is the deciding factor. If you choose Ulfric, Talos' empire falls apart and next thing you know Skyrim is surrounded on all sides by every race. Our children will be born slaves." I told him. I made it up on the spot, but it wasn't far off the mark. That was a very real outcome.

Ralof looked up to the ceiling above us, just as he used to when we were children. It was something he did whenever he knew you were right, and didn't want you to be.

Here came the real bomb.

"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

I pointed at Ralof. "Companions quest line."

I pointed at Ariella. "College of Winterhold quest line."

I jerked a thumb at myself.

Ariella interrupted me. "Civil War quest line: Imperial."

Ralof's head dropped to his hands in relief and he took a deep breath. Ariella's eyes found the ceiling. I dropped the hand that had been pointing and relaxed a little myself. It felt better now that the truth was on the table.

Giddiness rose up inside me. I wasn't alone. There were others like me.

The three of us sat like that for a while, not saying anything but all thinking similar ideas.

"We have a few problems." Ralof said finally as his head rose from his hands. "Assassins Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Dawnguard, First Dragonborn."

"The Dragonborn, and Alduin." Ariella added at the end.

"None of us know of the others?" I asked, curious whether or not they were hiding anything.

The both shook their heads in the negative. I continued on to the last point as to why I brought us all together.

"If I interfere, will you help me?" I asked, getting back on topic to the present.

Now that all of us knew we were all the same, none of us wanted to go into details of our stories. I suspected that we may never go into detail. That was fine with me. My past life is in the past. Now I'm Hadvar, a nord trying to make Skyrim a better place.

"Yes." Ariella said. "Of course." I smiled at her, happy. I was suspicious that would be the case. She returned the smile with one of her own. It was a tired smile. We both looked to Ralof, waiting for him to answer me.

He stood up and moved to the stairs. For a moment, I suspected he wouldn't answer me. That would, of course, be an answer in itself.

"You have my axe, brother."

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a/n: Boom!

It's been a while. Sorry about the wait everyone. I try not to commit to anything on Saturday's, because it's a writing day, but shit happens ya know?

Anyway, a couple of things happened in this chapter. Ariella and Hadvar reunite. She is helping him with the spell. Hadvar has permission to intervene in the Challenge! Things are looking up!

And finally, they all know of each other now, and are on the same side! Even if it rubs Ralof a little wrong.

What do we think?

Let's talk in the reviews!