A/N 12-13-20 - Hello all! So sorry once again for posting a chapter after a 3-month hiatus (considering where I left everyone in the last chapter). I've just had no time to myself to be able to get chapters properly read through and written to my satisfaction. But I've started having more time lately, so I'm hoping to get another one posted in a couple of weeks. This one I also wanted to get right, as we are back to the present and will be for a little while longer. We are getting close to the end; I know I've said it before, but it's true- there's under ten chapters left. So I really need to make sure any loose ends are tied and that we end the story on its proper note before the next saga of Tala's life begins!

For this chapter, you can once again thank a Seether song for helping me complete it (the song Take Me Away was a big influence).

Thank you to everyone who is still along for the ride and eagerly waiting for another chapter!

...


The sky still swirled in its usual frightful colors of black, purple, and red. The daedra continued to storm the streets. Citizens still screamed and blood still scattered the ground as the guards fought with their enemies.

Then everything went black. She could hear her heart pounding in the background of the darkness like always.

The giant daedric beast loomed over the temple, his frightening red eyes surveying the helpless mortals at his feet. His massive roar shook the ground beneath them once again, causing the sky to flare and burn.

Everything was black again, and her heart still continued to beat in her head.

She simply stood in the middle of the street, feeling helpless for the millionth time since the nightmares began. Her beating heart had eventually drowned out the sound of the screams, but she could feel their fear. She wanted to run and hide, but she couldn't move her feet. She quickly shut her eyes and held her head as she tried to shut it all out.

Make it stop. Just make it stop.

"Tala?"

She didn't want to open her eyes. She knew he was standing in front of her, but she didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see those eyes staring at her. "Go away." She whimpered. "Just leave me alone..."

She then felt his hands rest gently on her shoulders. The touch felt so real. Why did it always feel so real? When he repeated her name to try and get her attention, it was then that she suddenly found new words to say.

"Why do I keep living this over and over again?!" She practically shouted as she kept her eyes shut and head bowed.

Then, to her surprise, there was a reply. "I have an idea." He said. "One last hope... But you have to trust me."

"Why should I?!" She retorted. "I know what you're going to do. I don't want to see it. I don't want to go through this all over again!"

"Please listen to me." He persisted. "I can make all of this end."

"How could you possibly end this? You're a nightmare in my head, haunting me with your loss." She whimpered.

When there was no reply, her eyes slowly opened and she carefully looked up to meet his gaze. As always, his expression was of great remorse while his eyes held an enigmatic gaze. He knew something she didn't. But she didn't trust him.

"You can't help me." She tightly replied. "You left me. And I couldn't stop you. Now I live my regret in my dreams. I don't want to look at you and relive your death every night."

"I don't want you to relive the regret. I need you to trust me... I can help you."

"You can't help me!" She shouted as she hugged herself tighter and took a step away from him.

The world around them went black, with her heart pounding once again in the background of the darkness. As he started to fade to black, she watched as he tried to touch her like he had before, but he completely vanished before his fingers even brushed her face.

Her vision returned to witness the giant daedric beast clashing with the fire dragon in a loud and angry fury. They lashed and struck at each other all over again before crashing down into the temple floor and rising back up just as she remembered. Her vision eventually blurred and flashed in and out each time the dragon roared in pain.

Then black again. Her heartbeat became more rapid, the air felt thin, and she felt her head begin to spin.

Then she heard his voice echo in the empty void. "I can end this. But you have to stop fighting."

Her vision came back slowly just in time to see the dragon's wings stretch away from its body and its head reaching upward towards the heavens. Then it began to freeze into stone. She never took her eyes away from the sight. Sound finally came, but it was cries of pure sorrow. Her own voice... her own cries... her own pained grief at loosing him all over again. She was ever so tired of watching this nightmare.

"I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" She screamed.

"You have to stop fighting." His echoes sounded. "Please let me in!"

The world became a blur as the sky crashed down around her before it all faded to black again. Her heartbeat grew louder in her head. Her body began to crumple as she lost her breath. Then she felt the ground beneath her give way and the sensation of falling began. Suddenly, she found the wherewithal to put her arms out and claw for something stable. Her beating heart stayed in its rapid pace as she heard herself gasping for breath. She kept reaching all around her for something solid, but it only felt like empty space. She felt like any moment she would hit hard ground and she would wake in a frenzied state like she always did, but yet she still felt no ground beneath her.

Stop fighting? Let him in? Let him in how?

In between the darkness, she suddenly saw flashes of the memories again. Flashes of Oblivion Gates; Mehrunes Dagon attacking the city; the clash between Daedra and Aedra; the dragon turning back to stone; Martin's face. And this time, instead of shutting her eyes and fighting it, she watched them all happen as she fell.

As she lost her breath in panic, she suddenly realized that fighting really was pointless. No matter how hard she tried to scream, the dream never changed. No matter how many potions she could take to numb her mind, the dream would always return when she runs out. So she began to control her breathing, taking slow and deep breaths to control the hyperventilation. The falling and fear of hitting the ground made it difficult, but as she made herself aware of her breathing, she realized her heartbeat slowed a little with each deep breath.

"This is a dream." She felt herself say. "This day haunts my heart... but I don't want to relive it every night." In an act of desperation, she felt herself reach her hand up and out one last time. "Martin... please help." She whimpered as she felt her voice cracking. "Please make this stop. Please make this end!"

As if an answer to her demand, a burst of white light pierced through the darkness and cut it away.

The sound of her heartbeat slowed before it ultimately faded from the background. Her free falling sensation ceased and now she felt herself sitting on her legs on the ground. She saw that she was looking at the gray and white stones of a Temple floor. Her eyes remained there as she tried to comprehend what was happening. After a moment or two, she realized that she was sitting in the middle of the Temple of the One... where the stone dragon should have been. With her head still bowed, her cerulean hair slowly spilled over her shoulders for a moment, but it didn't last long; a hand then gently ran across her cheek briefly before pushing the loose locks away from her face and back over her shoulder. She then mustered the strength to look up at who was in front of her.

She saw that calm, complacent smile with those light-blue eyes staring back at her as he knelt before her and placed both of his hands on her face. The touch still felt incredibly real. She kept expecting her sight to grow black again, but the darkness never came. It was just the two of them kneeling in the silence of the Temple of the One. The damage was all that remained of the scenery. The people were gone. The daedra were gone. The world was finally still. And she finally had a wherewithal to recognize where she was and find coherent words to say. She took a moment to fight the urge to cry as the disbelief flooded her already tortured emotions.

"Is this another nightmare?" She softly asked. "Or another trick of the mind?"

"It is neither, my friend." He calmly replied.

Just hearing him call her that made any doubt in her mind melt away. "Then that's it? After all this time... it's over?"

"It's over."

She couldn't believe what she heard. "So you've... been with me... this whole time?" When she watched him nod, a sudden wave of anger came over her and she pulled away from him. "Then why now?! Why after all this time have you finally decided to help me end my nightmares after so long?"

The soft smile faded slightly as that sullen gaze returned. "I've been trying to help you since the beginning. My soul is bound to the Amulet... and in my final resting place." He added as he looked around the Temple of the One. "The further you were from either place, the less I could influence your life and your dreams. I spent many nights trying, but by the time I was able to attempt some sort of real communication, you placed the Amulet's remains further away from yourself. And with each night you dreamed, little by little you began to shut me out."

"Because it hurt to see your face every night!" She practically shouted at him as the feeling of tears started to run down her face. "A part of me died with you that day! I've had to spend the last ten months trying to cope with the fact that you're gone and I was powerless to stop you while every night I relive my biggest regret." As her voice lilted from her anguish, she heard the sound of her heartbeat in the ether causing her to shut her eyes and control her breathing until it faded.

His hands cupped her face again and she tried to recoil from his touch. When he couldn't succeed in holding her gaze on him, he placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned his face closer to hers. "I'm so sorry." He sorrowfully whispered. "I broke my promise to you and for that I will forever ask for your forgiveness. I would have also become a shadow of my former self if you had done the same. But it was the only option we had left. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if Dagon had taken Tamriel and I watched you suffer in his new realm. If the Gods gave me back that day, I would have done it a second time in order to keep you safe."

As she bowed her head and hugged herself tight, she felt herself clench her jaw and grind her teeth as she fought the urge to cry. "I wish we had gotten to the Dragonfires sooner. I... still blame myself... for stalling our arrival..."

In that moment, she felt his embrace again- just as he had done the first time she spoke words of guilt. And just like the first time, the feel of his touch became comforting. She couldn't remain angry with him at that moment. This was something she ached to feel for the longest time, and now she had gotten it... in a sense.

"Listen to me, my friend." He said softly. "You will never be to blame. As painful as this may be to comprehend, this was where our fates were meant to go. I realized this before we entered the Temple. I want you to realize this as well. I was meant to give up my life to protect the realm of Mundus from Oblivion. And you were meant to stay here to watch over it."

She finally returned his embrace and rested her cheek into his shoulder. "I want you here with me." She said as her voice began to waver. "I wanted to be by your side as you made Cyrodiil a better place. I wanted... to spend the rest of my life with you. A-and... more importantly... I wanted you here when our child was born."

Like a true human reflex, she felt him shutter at her last sentence. Then he gave her a slight squeeze before pulling away to look into her eyes again. "I may not be there to become the Emperor everyone wanted me to be... or to be the husband and father I wanted to be for you, but I am trying to watch over you now. I just hope someday you can forgive me for the pain I've caused you."

She then reached up to place her hand against his cheek. He returned the gesture by closing his eyes and nuzzling into her palm, just as he always had. "I forgive you." She gently said. "I may have my moments of bitterness towards you for leaving me, but I will never truly hate you. I just kept telling you to leave because I thought if you left me alone... that if I had the wherewithal to fight it... then the nightmares would end."

His eyes opened to look at her, but his face never left her hand. "I understand why you were so resistant in letting me in before. Your pain continued to fuel the nightmare and I did not have the ability to speak to you in a way where you were able to listen. The wounds were too fresh, and you needed time to heal. I am glad you listened to Jauffre. Without him, I don't think you would have ever brought the Amulet's remnants close to you again... at least not close enough for me to finally influence your dreams properly."

She let a smile tremble on her lips. This felt too real to be a dream now. This was more than that. This was really Martin. He was here- in spirit- using her chance to dream as their chance to speak once more.

"It really is you. You're here with me." She weakly said as the soft smile slowly spread wider across her lips.

"I will always be here with you. I am yours... in this life, and the next." He gently replied. "So long as you hold me to your heart, I promise that whenever you call for me, I will be there for you. From hereon in... I am your protector. This is a vow I will never break."

She then leaned up a little to rest her forehead against his as her smile held. "And I am yours. I will always be yours. I pledged my life to you before Mara's presence. ...I shall always hold you to my heart. I promise that I'll never shut you out again, so that you can be there for me when I need your guidance. I'm... I'm also really glad I listened to Jauffre, too."

He simply smiled with that peaceful, radiant expression she adored so much as he closed his eyes. "Then I have finally fulfilled my task. I have reached you and released you from your nightmares. Now my soul can finally rest easy."

Her eyes widened and she quickly pulled away from him to take his hand with both of hers. "Wait, does that mean you're leaving? But, you just said-"

He softly chuckled as he brought the hand she held down on her lap. "No. It just means I can finally feel at peace, knowing that you are closer to finding serenity once again."

She then let out a relieved sigh. "Don't scare me like that. I need you here to keep me sane. Don't tell me you'll be here and say things that make me think you're leaving."

He then rose to his feet and brought her up with him. As he rested his forehead against hers once again, she felt the calmest she'd been in months. He took her pain away just as easily as he could cause it. It was both blessing and curse. But right in this moment, she was thankful that she finally paid attention to those who sought to silence her fears.

"So can I ask you something?" She quietly started.

"Anything." He replied.

"Does this mean you are like Tiber Septim? Did you ascend to the realm of the Gods? Do you have the ability to influence my life in small little ways?"

"In small little ways." He repeated as an answer. "I was blessed with the Divine powers of Akatosh that day in the Imperial City, but I cannot say that it means I am a God now. But I have been given permission to be your guardian spirit. I have helped grant you luck, and protected you in a time of great need. These are things I can do for you."

She softly chuckled as she realized what he meant. "I wondered if that was you."

A complacent hum murmured in his throat. "And I wondered if you heard me."

She closed her eyes and smiled. "So... if your my guardian spirit... do you have the ability to grant any wish I might have?"

"I don't think I have that kind of gift. You should know that." He gently said with his own chuckle at the end.

"I know. I was just hopeful." It was then that Tala placed her hands on her stomach. In this dream, she felt no rounded belly, but she knew it was still there. "Even though I love you with all my heart... I'm worried that our baby will share your birth day. I know it's silly, but... I wanted our child to have their own day, and not have them feel like they share the same day as you. I was hoping maybe you could do something about that? Or tell me that I won't have to worry?"

He lifted his head away from hers and looked down at her protectively holding her hand over her abdomen. He frowned and his eyes held a deep sense of sadness as he let out an equally sad sigh. "Please forgive me for not being there with you." He quietly said. "This was a dream that I wanted for us, and now you are forced to live it alone. I am deeply grateful that you have found people who have chosen to help you, but I still wish I were there myself... to be a part of the milestones, ease your concerns, and hold your hand when the day actually comes to welcome our child into the world. I do not regret my choice to sacrifice myself, otherwise this all would not have been possible. But I still wish I could be there for you."

Tala merely looked at him with a slight pursing of her lips. It wasn't an answer, but she could understand his sadness. She also wished he could be with her when the baby came. But... "You will be there, in a way. I hope you can watch over me and make sure the baby and I will survive."

Martin gently took her face back into his hands and grazed his thumbs along her cheeks. "I do not know if I have the ability to control when life begins. That is a decision made by Mara and Arkay. But I promise you that I can be your strength when you need it."

He then leaned in to kiss her, and Tala didn't hesitate to return the gesture. The touch of his lips on hers and the emotion of passion felt so real, even in her dreamscape. She missed it. She missed him. But even though she knew she could never have him physically, at least he would still be watching over her.

It may have been because of him that her nightmares started. But now because of him, they were finally over.