[Encanto] 12 – The Fallen Hold of Winterhold

A few townspeople roamed the streets, and the guards patrolling the hold focused on me as I walked down the bridge and stepped foot into the town.

If the magical sheen on my skin didn't indicate that I was a mage already, then the College Robes I was wearing would.

With the 'Great Collapse' some 70 or 80 years back, a large portion of the Hold was swept and eroded away by the storm, and the people living in the Hold, along with the Jarl, blamed the Mages of the College and Magic for it, seeing as the College seemed to weather through the storm fine, not losing anything to the storm, besides some damage to the bridge.

So, with the feud between the College and the Hold, the Hold lost its most valuable attraction, the College.

The College of Winterhold was the best place to learn magic in Skyrim. Not many of the Nords liked Magic besides Restoration, Enchanting, and Alchemy.

Anyone who used Magic of any other kind than those three was considered Weak, Cowardly, Dishonorable, or Suspicious by most Nords.

The Nords of Skyrim cared greatly about Honor and Strength, which conflicted with the many mages since most who practiced the Mystic Arts were...well, weaklings. So, my plan was simple. Befriend the people of Winterhold and get it back on the map. My plan to do that was to offer never-before-seen services that would attract traders, travelers, and adventurers.

But, to do that, I would need to make the Townspeople and the Jarl of Winterhold much more...accepting of Magic, so I wanted to mend the bond between the College and the Hold, no matter how hard it would be.

Walking along the snow-covered main road that ran through the middle of the Hold, I soon came across the Hold's Inn, The Frozen Hearth.

Walking in, I instantly noticed that they had a roaring fire at the center of the Inn, likely keeping everything and everyone warm inside, not that I felt a difference due to the Sun's Embrace that coated my skin.

Not only did Sun's Embrace keep me warm, but I realized it also regulated my own internal temperature, meaning I didn't feel overheated with Sun's Embrace active and the roaring fire in the middle of the Inn keeping everything warm.

Instantly, all eyes were on me: Guards who were off duty drinking mead, patrons who were eating or drinking, and then the innkeeper.

I simply awkwardly waved my hand before walking up to the counter on the opposite side of the room, where the innkeeper, a male Nord with blond hair.

"You from the College? Aren't you a bit young?" The Innkeeper asked with a gruff voice.

"Maybe," I answered before asking, "I was wondering if the Jarl has any jobs that need doing."

"He does...but aren't you a bit too...young for those kinds of jobs?" He asked, confused.

"No need to worry," I giggled before clearing up his confusion, "You might not believe me, but I can probably handle everything Skyrim will throw at me."

He looked at me in disbelief, so I decided to make a bet, "How about this: You give me the hardest bounty or task the Jarl needs to be done, and I'll do it. If I come back with proof that I did the job, you share some tales with me," I told him before he asked, "And if you fail?"

I giggled, "I'll buy everyone here a drink," which instantly got the attention of all of the Patrons and Guards.

"Alright!" He let out a boisterous laugh, "I'll take that deal! Here are the options you have!"

He reached under the counter and pulled out several fliers and pieces of paper.

[Clear out Bandit Camp west of Whistling Mine - Reward: 200 Septims]

Reading through the bounties showed that half of the eight were Bandit Camp bounties, two were Falmer den bounties, one was a Mammoth/Giant bounty, and the last was dealing with a cloud of Ice Wraiths.

Smiling, I looked the man in the eye, "How about we raise the bet?"

"Oh? What do you have in mind?" The Nord asked, clearly intrigued, and I knew I had everyone else's attention in the Inn.

"I'll take all of them," I stated, and silence was my answer as the Inn Keeper looked at me with bafflement.

"Are you sure about this...?" The Nord asked, concerned.

"More than sure, and after I complete all of the bounties, bringing back proof, how about you find everyone you can, and we have a party? And I'll pay for whatever my reward from the bounties would cover," I stated.

"And if you can't...?" He asked after a few moments.

"I'll pay 50,000 Septims to the Hold so that the Hold can get back on its feet," I told the man.

"What?!" Everyone in the Inn shouted.

"Who are you trying to fool, lass?!" One of the off-duty Guards shouted.

I shrugged before stating, "It seems that none of you believe me?"

With a flick of my hand, I used my gift, grabbed everything in the room beside the people, and lifted.

Baffled by everything floating into the air around them, I slowly let the items down.

"I may look like a child, but I assure you, I can take care of myself, and I do not break my promises," I told them before raising my hand again and pausing.

Letting out a smile, a ring of golden light appeared above my hand.

I just had the idea for a new Restoration spell.

One that would be an AOE, Area-Of-Effect.

Pumping Magicka into the spell, it began to give off a beautiful golden light that almost immediately blinded me, but I kept going and going.

Soon, about a fourth of my Magicka had been pumped into the spell, turning the small ring in my hand into a full-blown giant ring that was several times larger than my body.

Then I released, and golden light flooded out in every direction in a straight path, passing through everyone in the room and out of the wall.

Little did I know, the spell was far stronger than what I intended, as it stretched all the way past the College, and even the miner's miles south of Winterhold at the Whistling Mine felt the rejuvenating energy of the Restoration spell I had just cast.

Suddenly, I felt something appear in the space behind me from my gift and turning around, I was met with the curious gaze of the archmage.

"Please speak with me whenever you are available," He asked before dissipating with a flash.

What kind of teleportation spell was he using? Even with my Gift, it felt like he had disappeared. I felt and saw no sign of any kind of teleportation.

Taking a few moments to examine my spell's effects using my Gift, I noticed it was far more powerful than I intended.

It mended broken bones, set bones back in their proper place, and healed grievous or simple wounds. It seems even to cure diseases of varying levels, though all of the evidence was quickly disappearing with every moment as the Magicka from the spell healed and cured everyone it touched.

That's when the doors of the Inn burst open as an old man I could only assume to be the Jarl with his sword drawn and a contingent of guards behind him arrived on the scene.

It seems I may have gone a little overboard if this was the kind of response I received.

"Greetings Jarl...?" I asked with a slight bow to show 'respect.'

"You...What did you do?" The Jarl snarled with clear anger and disgust in his eyes.

Well...this was already proving to be a wonderful start to my first meeting with the Jarl...