The group reached Dragon Bridge within a week. They encountered few problems along the way, although by the time they reached the little town word had gotten out that there had been a breach at the Embassy. Jane continued to wear the cowl Lynne had given to her whenever they were within the vicinity of Thalmor agents, but so far, she had gone completely unrecognized. It helped that she hadn't stayed for very long at the party.

It was just nearing dusk as they rode into Dragon Bridge and directed their horses towards the stables. Jane headed into the Four Shields Tavern first to see if there were any rooms available. She passed a couple of Imperial soldiers along the way who nodded politely, which she returned the gesture.

Inside, the Tavern was quite packed with patrons. Jane figured it was a busy place due to the fact that it was one of the only Inns for miles around. She wandered up to the counter where a brown-haired Nord woman resided. She smiled at Jane when she approached.

"Greetings traveler, what can I do for ya?"

"I know you're busy but I need three beds if you have them."

"Ay, I have three. The suite has two beds and you can have the single as well."

"Whatever works," Jane responded lightly, and she stifled a yawn. "How much?"

The others entered into the Inn while Jane was counting out the appropriate gold for Faida. When she was finished she turned towards Bo. He rubbed his cheek with a small sigh and she could tell that he was tired.

"We have three beds, but only two rooms."

"Okay..."

"Did you get enough beds?" Ahmon asked, and he stepped closer. "It's really busy here."

"I did. But only two rooms, so four of us are going to have to share."

"Well, we could share, couldn't we?"

Bo and Jane exchanged a look, and the Orc shrugged.

"Would give the old folks their privacy" Ahmon joked, and he laughed when Naz punched his shoulder.

"That's fine," Bo responded quietly. "Where's the room?"

Jane wandered down the hallway with everyone trailing behind her. She reached the suite and handed the key to Bo. He quickly opened the door and stepped inside. Then she turned to Lynne and handed her the other key.

"Right across the hall."

"Excellent, thanks, Jane."

Jane smiled slightly and then she entered the bedroom. Two double beds flanked the side walls with a small dresser separating them and a round wooden table with chairs was the only other furniture inside the room. Bo had placed their packs down on the floor and was sitting on one of the beds while Ahmon and Nara stood near the other.

"Is there a place to wash up?" Jane asked quietly, and Nara nodded.

"Yes, I'll take you there."

Jane knelt down and rifled in one of her packs for a moment, searching for a clean set of clothes. When they were ready she followed Nara back into the hallway and began walking towards the back of the Inn. When they entered the bathing room Lynne was already there and had just finished stripping her soiled clothes off. She sank down into the soapy hot water with a content sigh while the two other women quickly undressed and then joined her in the bath.

"Mmm," Jane mumbled softly as the hot water warmed her tight muscles. "So nice."

The women were silent for a moment as they soaked. Jane closed her eyes and sank down further into the water until she was almost completely submerged.

"How is your shoulder?"

Jane opened her eyes and glanced over at Lynne. She sat across from the girl with her arms resting lightly against the edge of the pool.

"Not bad. Little sore."

"What about you, Nara? I know you're unaccustomed to traveling so much."

"Oh," Nara responded in surprise. "I-I'm alright, it just takes some getting used to."

"I feel like we haven't tried to get to know you very well."

Nara looked over at Jane. She stared back with a soft expression, and Nara shrugged.

"It's okay, there are more important things going on."

"Still," Lynne responded. "You're an important person to Ahmon, and therefore to us as well."

Nara was taken aback by their words and for a moment she was silent.

"I... appreciate it. I've never had very many friends, even as a child. I find it difficult to connect with people."

"I was the same way," Lynne chuckled, and she paused to duck her head underneath the water.

When she resurfaced, the Nord brushed her white-blond hair back and then began lathering up a soap bar between her hands.

"We all met by accident, and I'm glad we did. Before, I was just wandering around Skyrim alone."

"I've heard the story," Nara smiled. "Ahmon told me all about you and the circumstances that led you guys to meet at Nightgate Inn. It's a curious tale."

"What about you and Ahmon?" Jane asked, her expression curious. "We know you met in Windhelm but don't know any of the juicy details."

Nara laughed, and she accepted the bar of soap from Lynne. She ducked her head under the water and then lathered the soap between her hands and began washing her hair.

"It's pretty sweet when I think about it. Some drunk Nords were harassing me, as usual. Ahmon strode right up to them and pretended to know me. He whisked me away and took me to the Inn. I was basically homeless at the time so he made me stay the night."

"Sounds just like him," Jane laughed, and Lynne was smiling as well.

They were silent while Nara told them the whole story from when she met Ahmon in Windhelm and their trip to Solitude. She blushed when she reached the part of their first time, and Jane grinned.

"Did you...?"

"Yes," Nara whispered, and she was smiling.

"That's utterly adorable."

"You said you confessed to Ahmon that you were expelled from Winterhold... may I ask what the reason was?"

Nara frowned, and she stared down at the soapy water a moment, thinking. She knew Ahmon had been more than accepting of her past mistakes but she wasn't sure if his friends would be the same. She decided to trust them. She'd only known Lynne and Jane for a couple of weeks but she liked them greatly.

"I uh... I was experimenting with a spell I had created and there was an accident that resulted in one of my classmates getting killed."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear."

Lynne slid closer, and she placed a hand on Nara's blue shoulder. Jane slid closer as well when she noticed the tear slip down the Elf's cheek.

"It's okay, Nara. Accidents happen."

"Thank you for understanding," Nara whispered quietly, and she let out a shaky breath. "I was so relieved when Ahmon accepted me even after I told him what really happened. You're all incredibly kind people."

"We all have our share of mistakes," Lynne responded firmly. "None of us are perfect. I hope you can find a family with us. As you know, it's growing increasingly dangerous in Skyrim. We need to be able to rely on each other."

"I... I am positive we can be close."

The women smiled. Lynne finished rinsing off her hair and Jane quickly kissed Nara's cheek before snatching up the bar of soap so she could wash. When they were all dressed and looking infinitely more refreshed they walked back towards the main hall of the Inn.

The men were all clean and wearing fresh clothes. Bo was seated across from Ahmon and Naz. He held a bottle of ale in his hands and he looked up at Jane as they drew closer.

"He looks exhausted," Lynne mumbled quietly to Jane, who nodded.

"I know. I don't know what to do."

Lynne lightly squeezed Jane's shoulder and then took a seat beside Naz. She smiled when he reached up to brush back a strand of her damp hair and then leaned in to kiss her cheek. Nara took a seat beside Ahmon and he too leaned in and brushed his lips along her cheek with a smile plastered on his face.

"Your fingers are all wrinkly," he teased lightly as he squeezed her hand.

"Well, we had to soak up that bath as much as possible, who knows when we'll get another one."

Ahmon chuckled and he glanced over at Jane as she took a seat beside Bo and scooted her chair closer to him. He growled softly when she squeezed his thigh. He rested his arm on the back of her chair and he lightly stroked her shoulder while staring down at the table with a faraway look. Jane took a sip of her ale while fondly rubbing his thigh and after a moment a servant came by to ask if they wanted dinner.

"Please," Lynne responded, and the servant girl nodded once before taking off towards the kitchen.

The rest of the evening was spent talking about light things, eating, and drinking. Bo was mostly silent and nobody tried to pressure him to talk. After he was finished his roast beef he continued to sit with his arm around Jane, just stroking her arm. Jane wanted to lift his spirits up but she didn't know how. They hadn't coupled since leaving Solitude but she knew that sex didn't solve every problem.

Eventually, she grew too tired to keep up with the conversations and so she said goodnight to the two couples and began standing up from her chair. Bo followed suit and they quietly walked back to their room with clasped hands. When they were gone, Lynne let out a small sigh and Naz glanced down at her with a curious expression.

"Bo seems so glum," Lynne commented.

"I don't blame him, but it would be nice if he could cheer up a bit," Ahmon responded sadly.

"You can tell that it's affecting Jane too..."

The group was silent as they thought about what they could do to cheer up the Dragonborn. Finally, they admitted defeat and decided to retire to their rooms for the night. It was probably the last time they'd sleep in a bed until Rorikstead.

Nara reached the door to their bedroom and she paused as her keen hearing picked up on several noises from within. She quickly grabbed Ahmon's hand and whisked him back towards the dining hall.

"What is it?"

"I heard them... coupling, or something similar."

"Oh," Ahmon replied, and he chuckled. "It wouldn't do good to disturb them."

The couple waited out in the dining hall for a while, content to have another drink. They chatted lightly about their current task, musing over who Esbern was and if he could be of any importance to their search for answers.

Back in the bedroom Jane rolled off of Bo and laid down, her chest heaving and covered in sweat. The Orc growled in content, his eyes closed but he was still awake. Jane hadn't intended to make love with him when they retired to their room. However, he had initiated it first and she knew he wanted a distraction from his thoughts so she had happily obliged.

She smiled softly as Bo rolled onto his side and pulled the covers around them. He pressed his face into her chest and let out a deep breath with his arm firmly wrapped around her waist. Jane rested her chin against the top of his head and lightly rubbed his arm, her body still tingling from her orgasm just moments before.

"Bo?" Jane asked quietly.

"Mm?"

"Are you alright?"

Bo slowly pulled his head back and peered up at Jane in the darkness. For a moment he was silent and then he let out a deep breath.

"I know I could be better, but... I'm alright."

"Is there anything I could do to make you feel better?" Jane pressed.

"No, Jane... You already do so much for me."

Bo quickly buried his face against her chest and squeezed Jane tightly. She could feel the tension in his shoulders and back but his body relaxed against hers. He was comforted by her touch alone.

"I'm so grateful just to have you here every day, with me. That you love me... even though I'm a mess."

"We're going to get through this, Bo. You know that... right?"

"I know," Bo mumbled sleepily. "I love you, Jane."

"I love you, Bo."

When Ahmon and Nara returned to the room sometime later they slowly crept inside as quietly as possible. The Nord smiled at the scene of Jane and Bo asleep together, holding one another. The couple quickly slipped into their own bed and fell fast asleep.