Yeah, she's STILL no good with words. And I'm not including the already-having-the-welkynd-stone-so-Martin-goes-into-battle-with-no-armor bug. I ended up having to backtrack a significant amount because of that. He kept going into battle in his priestly robes, armed with an iron dagger. Results were frustrating.

A significant amount of time passed between the last MQ quest and this one. Rina has gone to the Shivering Isles AND become the Divine Crusader.

Something clattered to the floor in the kitchen, and Rina's attention snapped back to the present. So much had happened since then, from her working her way up the ranks of the Fighter's Guild to ultimately becoming the ruler of the Shivering Isles. Though the Isles were beautiful and her subjects were generally loyal, all the while she longed to see Martin again. She had been drawn into an epic chain of events, when it had been merely curiosity that led her to enter the strange portal near Bravil. She acquired more loot in the Shivering Isles than she could ever hope to carry, so most of her belongings were still back there, hidden in a million places other than her quarters in the House of Dementia.

However, the most useful token had been her Golden Saint armor, though she couldn't bring herself to wear it without another layer as well, especially around Martin. It revealed a good bit more than she was comfortable with. She was amazed that it offered as much protection as it did, because it certainly wasn't… practical. She wasn't even sure how long it had been that she had been away from him, she just knew that it had been too long. It didn't matter, now, though. She was back to stay.

Cloud Ruler Temple was quiet, and a sense of hopelessness overpowered the determination to be victorious. Only Martin seemed optimistic. Trying to appear collected and cheerful, not bedraggled, wet, and in pain, Rina approached him where he sat studying the Mysterium Xarxes. Pieces of parchment were scattered about, scribbled with notes and covered in symbols she didn't understand.

Martin noticed her. "If it isn't the Divine Crusader! Your reputation has preceded you. Don't worry, I know perfectly well who you are. It's been a while."

"Yeah, well... you heard about that weird door that opened up near Bravil? It ended up leading to Sheogorath's Realm..."

There was an amused twinkle in his eye. "And?"

She couldn't help laughing a bit. "It wasn't my fault! I didn't want to take his place! I was simply thrown into the middle of.. the Greymarch, and um, apparently defeating Jyggalagg made me the new Lord of the Isles. It was rather funny to hear people call me that, as if they didn't notice that um... I'm not a "lord." Oh, speaking of that, the people aren't all completely insane as they say. Most just had their certain quirks."

"So much has happened, apparently, since you were last here! We were beginning to wonder where you'd gotten off to. Madgod or not, you are always welcome. I am afraid my progress with the book is rather slow. How goes your search for the armor of Tiber Septim?"

She didn't tell him of all that had been involved in getting the armor, but apparently enough to make him feel guilty about it.

"Just involved re-killing some skeletons. Here it is," Rina said somewhat awkwardly, handing over the chest plate.

He smiled. "The Septim blood may flow through my veins, but you truly have the soul of a hero, Rina! You should reassure Jauffre that I won't destroy the armor. All I need is to get a scraping of Talos' divine blood," he explained.

He suddenly became serious. "I should never have sent you there, though. I had no idea what it was like, the kind of dangers that you had to deal with…" he trailed off. Noticing her puzzled look, he told her, "I found some more information about the place while you were gone. Please accept my apology."

"Of course; there's nothing to apologize for. I've been through much worse, and I'm still here.What else can I do to help?" Rina inquired.

He thought a moment. "I've deciphered the next items we need for the port ritual. The first is a Welkynd stone. Not just any one, however. What we need is the Great Welkynd stone of Miscarcand," he said. Heh,Rina thought.

"I already have the Stone," Rina replied with a little awkward smile, giving it to him. Martin was visibly amazed.

Getting the stone hadn't been easy. It had actually been by accident that she found it. Rina knew nothing of Miscarcand in her days of carefree dungeon-delving, and had only had an idea that the stone was probably something special. She wasn't sure exactly why, but taking the stone had summoned the undead King of Miscarcand, who then summoned minions which she had to fight. She always carried about twenty healing potions with her, however, so she was able to survive despite being dealt a lot of damage. She had used all of them, not having created enough to begin with, and been only about half-conscious when she left the ruin. The undead usually were not so dangerous on their own, but in packs, they were occasionally almost more than she could handle. She was still alive, so she hadn't been bested yet.

In the dark and also due to the weight of her pack, she had sprained her ankle and had to walk back to Cloud Ruler Temple that way. Shadowmere had wandered off somewhere, probably back to the fort. The stupid horse, though strong, was certainly not loyal.

It took all that was in her not to start grumbling about the trip.

"You are truly remarkable," he said. Rina could feel her heart beat faster and her face become flushed. She turned away for a moment so he wouldn't see. What was it about this man that made her act like a silly young maiden? She was a full seven and twenty, and the world of love wasn't new to her. Something about Martin, though, made her forget everything when he was around. She wished she could gaze upon him forever. Oblivious, he looked over his notes again. She could almost not bear to be in his presence, so strong her feelings were becoming. Her attention wandered, but several words filtered through the haze of her thoughts.

"… the most dangerous thing of all. I can tell you, you won't like it. Jauffre didn't like it…" He seemed to need to gather his words for a moment. "I should have seen it earlier. We need the companion to the Great Welkynd stone- a Great Sigil stone. To have access to this, we must allow the Mythic Dawn to open a Great Gate outside of Bruma. From what I have read, and what was in the orders you procured, three lesser gates must open before the Great Gate can. Once it is open, the enemy will unleash their ultimate weapon- something that hasn't been seen since the sack of Kvatch." He noticed her upraised eyebrows. "I told you that you wouldn't like it," he said.

"What I am speaking of is a siege engine, infused with unholy Daedric magic. It was the most frightening thing I have ever seen, and it will be back to topple Bruma.

We will have to use the area around the city as our fighting ground. While the gates open, we will keep the Daedra occupied and give you an opportunity to take the stone- that is, if you are willing to. I suppose that you are the most familiar with the stones and how they work. Since you were such a diligent recruiter, keeping the Daedric forces at bay shouldn't be too difficult. I will lead the troops on the field-"

"No!"

He looked slightly taken aback by the force of her words. She had shouted before she even realized what she was saying. She tried to rephrase her sentiments.

"Er- It's too dangerous. I'll head the battle. You should stay here, out of danger, because if you're lost, then all hope is lost," she blurted.

Suddenly, her heart raced like it never had before. This was her worst nightmare- that his sense of duty would lead him to do something she saw as… stupid. Dangerous. A fatal mistake. That she would lose him forever, when she could have prevented it.

"No, Rina. My place is on that field beside everyone else. If I am to be an emperor, it's time I started acting like one," he said, gently but firmly. His voice left no room for argument. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, because she was sure that she would break down and cry like a child.

"As you command," Rina conceded. Her heart sank. This was just what she had feared. How could she ever overcome the emotion that was so quickly overcomingher?

Martin seemed to reconsider his words.

"Rina, please try to understand. I need your judgment, not your obedience. I cannot hide here, letting others fight and perhaps even die in my stead. Remember when we first met in Kvatch? I said I didn't want any part in the gods' plans. I don't know if the gods have anything to do with what's going on, but I do know that something bigger than either of us is happening." This sentence struck Rina as slightly odd. What was he trying to say? Bigger than either of them? Did he suspect her?

"I will need to hold a council of war with the Countess of Bruma as soon as possible. I'm afraid she will take more convincing than you. Please tell her that I will meet her at the Great Chapel of Talos. Farewell, my friend."

"Farewell, Your Highness." Her fright had begun to turn to anger, and the last thing she wanted was to argue with him.

With little hope for a future of which he would be a part, not knowing what would happen in the time to come, Rina set out to find Countess Carvain. Going down the mountain was one of the hardest journeys of her life.