Chapter 52

There was a small knock on the door and when it opened Lynne's pale face appeared. Jane hadn't been expecting to see her so soon.

"What are you doing up this early?" Jane asked, and she waved the Nord inside.

Naz followed right behind Lynne along with Ahmon and Nara. Jane stood up from the bed and she stared at the group with a confused expression as they all walked over to the benches and sat down.

"Bo came and got us," Naz growled sleepily, and he leaned back against the bench with a yawn. "Said it was important."

"Oh..."

Jane sighed and took a seat in one of the chairs.

"He didn't have to wake you guys up so early."

"It's fine, we don't mind," Ahmon replied lightly.

Jane smiled at the Nord and he shot her a grin. Beside him, Nara stifled a yawn behind her dark blue hand and then she smiled when Ahmon wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"Where is Bo?" Lynne inquired softly. "Did something happen?"

"Not... not exactly," Jane shrugged, and she rubbed her neck. "I told him what happened at the Embassy and everything I learned. He got upset and left to find Delphine."

"What did you learn?"

"Well, actually I haven't taken a good look at the-"

The door suddenly opened and Bo's tall frame strode into the room with Delphine right behind him. She had a rather grumpy expression on her face and her hair had been taken out from its braids so it hung down in wavy strands just to her shoulders.

"Jane," Delphine greeted the girl. "You fared well?"

"It was fine," Jane mumbled stiffly.

Her eyes were glued on Bo as he walked over to the chair beside Jane and sat down. Delphine took a seat on the bench beside Lynne and they exchanged a silent nod.

"Well, what's the report?"

Jane sucked in a deep breath and began recounting her trip through the embassy. She skipped over most of the parts she had divulged with Bo, opting to stick closer to the point of her task. She explained what she had learned and then retrieved the dossiers from her pack and handed them to Delphine.

"What else do you know?" Delphine inquired sternly, and Jane shot a glance at Bo.

The Orc had remained silent but she could tell he was trying to remain calm as his hands were clenched into fists in his lap.

"They're looking for somebody."

"Who? Is there a name?"

"Esbern."

"Esbern?" Delphine gasped, and she looked up from the papers with a shocked expression. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Of course, I am sure," Jane started, and she was quickly cut off.

"Do you know this Esbern?" Bo growled quietly.

"I do, very well. He is a blade."

The group exchanged a few wordless glances and Jane watched as Bo frowned.

"A blade? I thought you were the last one."

"I thought so as well," Delphine replied smoothly, and she rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression. "If they're looking for him... he's in a lot of trouble. We need to find him and-"

"I'm tired of this," Bo cut in, his voice filled with anger. "I am not your errand boy, Delphine."

"Bo-"

"Jane risked her life to go to the Thalmor Embassy just to find out they have zero involvement. You really have no idea what you're doing and you're putting all of our lives at risk."

"This isn't about me," Delphine responded heatedly. "You need to take a look around outside your own little world. You're not a normal person, you're the Dragonborn and it is-"

"How dare you!" Bo suddenly shouted, and he stood up from his chair.

In an instant, everybody was on their feet and Naz quickly stepped closer to the enraged Orc. Bo remained where he stood but his hands shook from clenching them so hard.

"You don't know me," Bo growled, his expression furious. "I never asked for any of this!"

"It doesn't matter if you were asked, you were chosen!"

"Delphine," Lynne cut in sharply, and she raised her hand. "With all due respect, you need to watch what you say right now."

"Are you kidding me?" Delphine shot back, and she laughed. "This must be a joke. He is the one acting like a child and I need to watch what I say?"

"Please stop!" Jane pleaded loudly. "We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves!"

Tears pricked at Jane's eyes. She didn't like where the conversation was going and the yelling was only making her upset. Bo let out a deep breath and he glanced down at Jane. Embarrassment washed over him as he realized how badly he had been behaving.

"I don't regret going to the Embassy," Jane continued quietly, and she clutched at her tunic.

Her brows furrowed together while she spoke.

"Please Delphine, is the information I recovered about Esbern useful? If it is useful, then it wasn't a waste of time."

"If anyone is going to have a clue into this Dragon business, it'll be him."

"Okay," Jane sighed, and she sat back down in her chair. "Then there's no problem. Please understand that we don't know you very well Delphine. It's hard to know who to trust these days."

Delphine took a seat back on the bench and she nodded in agreement.

"You're right. I apologize."

After a long moment, Bo also took a seat beside Jane and the rest of the party followed suit. The air was awkward for a moment as Bo brushed his hair back with a small frown, thinking.

"Where did you say Esbern is hiding?"

"Well it's not confirmed but something about the Ratways in Riften..."

Bo glanced down at Jane, who simply shrugged. She knew that was exactly where Esbern would be but she withheld that information.

"Alright. Then... we must find him."

"And find him soon," Delphine chimed in. "If the Thalmor think he's in Riften they're going to go after him as well."

"Fine. So, we'll go to Riften."

Bo glanced up at Naz, who nodded.

The tension was still uncomfortable and after a long moment of silence, Delphine took her leave. Before she left the room, she informed Bo that she'd be returning to Riverwood and to send her a letter when they found Esbern.

"Well," Ahmon started, and everybody looked at him. "Why don't we all go downstairs and have a nice hot meal before we take off?"

Jane couldn't help but return the smile Ahmon sent her way, although she was still feeling slightly upset.

The group dispersed to their own rooms to finish getting ready and pack. When they were gone Jane and Bo remained seated. Bo's head was bent and he stared down at the wooden floor with a sullen expression.

Jane silently stared at him and after a while, Bo could feel her gaze burning a hole in the back of his head. He finally glanced over at her with a small sigh.

"Are you mad at me?"

Jane frowned.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"I behaved poorly."

Jane reached out and tugged on Bo's shoulder so he sat back his chair properly. Then she reached up and cupped his soft green cheek, watching as the Orc growled softly and leaned into her touch.

"You have every right to be upset. It feels like we're running around Skyrim without a clue as to what is really going on. We're all frustrated, and we barely know Delphine well enough to trust her."

"But-"

"Bo," Jane continued sternly, and she peered at him with furrowed brows. "You don't have to feel bad about how you acted around your friends and me. We understand."

Bo reached out and tugged on Jane's arms. She slid out from her chair and he quickly pulled her onto his lap in a crushing hug. He held Jane for a long time and she rubbed his back in soft circular motions, hoping that he felt even a little bit better.

"We'll go find Esbern," Jane murmured softly. "There's nothing left to lose at this point, and maybe he'll have more answers than Delphine."

"You're always right," Bo mumbled against her chest, and he squeezed her waist.

"Not always," Jane smiled. "But mostly."

Bo chuckled, his hot breath tickling her skin as he moved his head back and they embraced for a long moment. When Jane pulled back he peered up at her with stormy blue eyes. She planted a soft kiss on his forehead and then the couple finished packing up their bags and joined the others downstairs for breakfast. The dining hall was mostly empty since it was barely sunrise, and within an hour the group was down at the stables to prepare their horses for the next trip.

As they began riding down the main road away from Solitude everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Bo was consumed by his feelings of helplessness. He felt beyond lost, and it frustrated him.

I'm the Dragonborn and it should give me an advantage but I feel even weaker than before I got into this mess. I miss my life before this all happened. Things were simpler...

Bo glanced over at Jane, who gazed out at the landscape with a faraway look. His heart swelled and he quickly shook those thoughts away.

No... this is beyond me. If I don't do this, I will fail everybody I love... Jane, my friends, my family... they're the reason I keep going. And Skyrim.

He clenched his hands around the reigns and sucked in a deep breath. He looked around at the tall evergreen trees that flanked the main road. It was a nice day free of rain and he was glad to have Ahmon back with them. He could hear Lynne's laughter from up ahead as the Nord cracked a joke about the silence.

I hope this Esbern can tell us what's going on. I need answers.