Eye of Magnus (a Skyrim fanfiction)

Chapter One - First Lessons

My name is Blaise Whitemane. This is the story of how my life got turned upside down. When you get settled into my story you think it's going to go in one direction - and then it goes the opposite way.

This is the story of how I managed to royally mess things up...not just in Skyrim, but in all of Tamriel. So stay tuned. Because it's one wild ride.

***

I really take back ever complaining about Whiterun being cold in the winter. Winterhold is freezing and it's still only summertime. I don't want to imagine what it's going to be like here when winter eventually comes.

I cast a magelight spell and it radiates some warmth for me. I sit down on my bed and I open up my knapsack, trying to find the will to unpack my things. It had been a long and tiresome journey getting here to the College of Winterhold but hopefully it'll all pay off. Father wasn't particularly happy about me coming here, seeing as most Nords frown upon magic. Mother was a lot more supportive but she also didn't want me coming here. My Uncle Marco, my mother's older brother, died here after an experiment went wrong...mother and Uncle Marco were close too. But magic and learning have always been my passions and both my parents knew that nothing they could say would stop me from coming here.

"Settling in alright, son?" I hear a kindly voice and I look up. It's Tolfdir, one of the professors here.

"Yeah," I nod my head. "It's a bit cold here though,"

Tolfdir laughs gently. "You'll get used to it, my boy. Have you met the other apprentices yet?"

I shake my head. "Not yet. I've been trying to warm up,"

"Yes, it's certainly a cold place here," Tolfdir nods his head.

"When do classes begin?" I ask him.

"Someone's eager! Not until tomorrow. Your first class is with me: Alteration! We're going to have some fun, I promise you," Tolfdir smiles. "The other new students are out in the courtyard - perhaps it would be a good idea to meet them? You seem awfully lonely,"

"Thank you, Tolfdir," I nod my head. He leaves and I pull on my thick winter boots, gloves and furs and leave the Hall of Attainment (where the Apprentice and Adept mages sleep) and I head out into the main courtyard.

The College is built on a cliff that overlooks The Sea of Ghosts, and although the view is gorgeous it gets the worst of the winds. There's a steep staircase that leads from the town of Winterhold up to where the College is but nobody can get past the gates unless the College's magical wards recognises them as either a student, scholar, professor or an associate/guest of one of them.

Beyond the gates is the courtyard. In the centre of it is a shallow well that's filled with some strange kind of liquid that has a toxic-looking blue colour to it and makes a slight chiming noise. On the right of the courtyard is the Hall of Attainment and to the left is the Hall of Countenance. That's where the teachers, Experts and and Masters sleep. The main building, The Hall of Elements, is at the end of the courtyard. It's a huge room that's big enough to hold several classes at once (safely, too) for practicing magic and learning spells. There's an alchemy lab and several enchanting tables too, as well as the big library on the first floor. On the second floor is the Arch-Mage's quarters and nobody's allowed in there unless they've been invited. Also on the second floor is the great library, or the Arcanaeum. I've heard that the librarian is a fearsome Orc who's very particular about his library, and has been known to physically throw students out of the library for mistreating books.

Out in the courtyard, I recognise one of the students from my earlier tour here. He's a short Redguard (although I shouldn't really be talking, I'm short too) boy that looks twitchy and nervous. There were three other apprentices too, but they aren't out in the courtyard anymore.