The winding dirt road curved and swayed with the rocky mountainous land. Day turned to night and onward the carriage went. Shortly before midnight they reached a small mining area called Darkwater Crossing. Despite the many people who lived and worked there it could not really be considered a village, since the buildings consisted of just one solitary farmhouse. The rest of the villagers were miners who lived in a small tent camp near the entrance of the mine.
"The horses need rest and water, Ma'am," stated the driver as he slowed to a stop by the farmhouse.
"Alright. Let's make camp here," said Delphine stepping down from the carriage. She stretched her back and dragged her leather satchel down to her side.
"We should stay on the other side of the farmhouse, rather than by the mining camp so we won't be so easily seen from the road," said Esbern, "I'd prefer not to be surprised by passing Thalmor while I'm sleeping."
"Wise as always," said Delphine as she walked around behind the farmhouse.
"Elsa, what do you think of this spot?" asked Delphine to the Dragonborn. She motioned to a dirt patch where the house's shadow had not allowed much vegetation to grow.
"It's good," replied the Dragonborn, dropping her satchel.
Malborn gathered the firewood again. When he was satisfied with the the pile of twigs and old branches, he let out a weak fire spell to light it just as before. He unpacked some of his supplies and set up a cooking pot over the fire. Within minutes Malborn was preparing dinner for the whole group with some of the ingredients he'd bought earlier. He was quite skilled at the art of cooking after serving the Thalmor for so many years, and had learned to prepare many impressive dishes.
As they ate the very delicious meal, Esbern told tales of the ancient days of the Blades. Malborn and the Dragonborn were interested in the old tales, but Delphine looked utterly bored, like she'd heard the stories from him a hundred times before. After finishing every last bite of the exquisite meal and thanking Malborn for it, they began laying out their bedrolls to sleep. The Dragonborn waited until Malborn had put down his bedroll, then she placed her bedroll next to his, with only about a one-foot space inbetween. Delphine looked at the Dragonborn's sleeping arrangement and rolled her eyes back with a smirk. Malborn didn't seem to have a reaction to it. As they all climbed into their separate sleeping rolls, the Dragonborn enjoyed the familiar warmth of her fur blanket. Malborn was facing away from her. She gazed at his wavy brown hair, wishing she could run her fingers through it. Then he turned to her, looked into her soft blue Nordic eyes, and whispered, "Goodnight, Elsa."
Her heart suddenly fluttered at his words. She caught her breath and whispered back, "Goodnight, Malborn."
He looked at her a moment longer then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. The Dragonborn closed her eyes as well, but stayed awake a bit longer, lost in thought. Eventually the day's exhaustion brought her into a deep peaceful sleep.
When Malborn awoke the next morning, the first thing he saw was the Dragonborn's peaceful sleeping face. A lock of her abundant glossy brown hair fell over her closed eyes and her soft pale skin was touched by the morning sunlight. She was the woman who was destined to save the entire world... and she was laying so close to him. Almost intimately close. He imagined brushing the lock of hair from her eyes, and touching her delicate beautiful face. He then turned away and tried to clear his thoughts. It was pointless to think that way about a woman he could never have. Even if she weren't the heroic Dragonborn, and just an ordinary farmgirl, he knew that Nord women were not attracted to Woodelves. He'd never heard of such a couple, despite it being common between Nord men and female Woodelves. To approach her romantically would simply be disrespectful, and lead to nothing but heartache and embarrassment. He would lose one of the few friends he had in the world.
He removed his leather vest, and pulled his new winter cloak over his tunic. The weather would be a bit cooler as they travelled along the mountain pass to Whiterun. He rolled up his bedroll and packed his satchel for the journey ahead. The others soon awoke and packed up their belongings as well.
The day's journey was mostly uneventful. They passed the occasional traveller, and a small group of Imperial soldiers. By late afternoon they had reached the large city of Whiterun.
"Should I carry on towards Rorikstead, or would you like to rest here for the night?" asked the driver.
"Let's keep going," said Delphine.
The driver flicked the reins and they continued onward. The roads grew empty as they went furthur away from the city. As the sun set they noticed a group of four people up ahead walking in a line down the road. Delphine looked at them and assumed they were Imperials marching in a line. However, as the carriage drew near she came to the realization that they were Thalmor Justiciers.
"Are those Thalmor up ahead?" asked Malborn with concern.
"Yes," said Delphine, "It looks like they're leading a prisoner somewhere to be interrogated."
"The Thalmor don't interrogate. They torture," said Malborn.
"What should we do? The carriage is about to pass them in a minute, and we're probably the four most wanted people by the Thalmor right now," said the Dragonborn.
"I don't know about you, but I'd like to save that poor prisoner from a fate I can't even imagine," said Delphine, "Anyone who wants to come along is welcome."
The Dragonborn and Esbern hopped out of the carriage and looked back at Malborn.
"Umm... I'll just wait here," said Malborn as he patted the carriage seat nervously.
"Suit yourself," said Delphine.
The Dragonborn, Delphine, and Esbern strolled alongside the Thalmor without drawing much attention. Then Delphine stood in front of the line, stopping them.
"Hello, gentlemen," said Delphine, "How are you doing this fine evening?"
"You're interferring with official... Wait! It's you!" said the Thalmor Justicier as he recognized the wanted group, "Kill them!"
Delphine drew her sword as the Dragonborn pulled the prisoner to safety and guarded him behind her. When two of the Thalmor drew their swords against Esbern he shot a spell from each hand at them. It knocked them back toward Delphine who faced them with her sword. Within less than a minute, two of the Thalmor were dead, and one was wounded in the knee and unable to stand.
"I don't know how I can ever thank you enough," said the grateful prisoner, "They probably would've killed me."
"What were they dragging you off for?" asked the Dragonborn.
"Someone ratted my brother out as a Talos worshipper and they're looking for him. I guess they thought that torturing me would give them some answers," said the man.
"Typical Thalmor. Arresting innocent people," said Esbern.
"Thank you again. I'll never forget it. May the gods smile upon you," said the prisoner as he ran off north toward Morthal.
The trio headed back to the carriage, and the carriage driver looked at them with shock.
"It's not everyday I see something like that," he said, "But between you and me, I'm glad you helped the man."
He clicked the reins and they continued on to Rorikstead. It was well past midnight when they reached the small farming village. Delphine gave the flawless amethyst to the driver as a well-earned tip, and they entered the town's local inn for the night.