The Book of Love The Book of Love is a quest available in . Background . This quest begins in the Temple of Mara in the city of Riften . It is given to the Dragonborn by Dinya Balu , one of the priestesses , when asking for the Blessing of Mara . To earn Mara ' s favor , Dinya sends the Dragonborn to the village of Ivarstead to help a local girl with a love problem . Walkthrough . Riften . This quest is located by entering the town of Riften and following the path on the left towards Mistveil Keep . The Temple of Mara will be marked by a pair of guards standing before an opening in the stone wall with twin banners hanging behind them . Enter the Temple and speak with Dinya Balu , the Head Priestess of the Temple , and request Mara ' s Blessing . She will say that one must prove themselves worthy of the blessing by advancing the cause of love throughout Skyrim , and relays a vision sent to her by the Goddess to visit a small village called Ivarstead to the west of Riften . Travel west to Ivarstead in order to continue the quest . Ivarstead . Upon arriving at the hamlet of Ivarstead , the Dragonborn will be prompted to speak with a girl named Fastred , who is in a conundrum with her parents . Fastred fancies herself in love with a local man named Bassianus Axius , but her parents disapprove of their choice to leave Ivarstead for Riften . After speaking with Fastred , speak with her mother and father as well . Speaking with her mother , Boti , will reveal that she does not disapprove of Bassianus , and would allow the pair to elope while she took care of informing her husband . Speaking with Fastred ' s father , Jofthor , will show that he thinks his daughter is a rather fickle young woman , whose affections change frequently . He will state that , up until very recently , Fastred was infatuated with another local man by the name of Klimmek , and that he is concerned that Fastred will leave the rapidly shrinking village for good if she chooses to leave with Bassianus . There are two choices : Travel to the local inn to inform Bassianus that Fastred ' s mother is willing to run interference so that he and his love interest can elope to Riften , or investigate Klimmek ' s past relationship with Fastred . Confronting Klimmek will result in the fisherman realizing that he must be assertive with his feelings for Fastred , and let her know that he wants to be with her . Additionally , if this path is taken , Bassianus will move to Riften alone . Speaking with Bassianus will result in Fastred and Bassianus eloping to Riften . Choosing either will result in the quest advancing . Afterwards , return to Riften to learn that the Goddess requires a journey far to the west , to the city of Markarth to stoke the flames of love in the heart of Calcelmo , the eccentric Dwemer researcher and court magician in Understone Keep . Markarth . Calcelmo is experiencing a difficult situation . He is attracted to a woman named Faleen , who works in the keep , but has no idea how to speak with her . Fearing the possibility of offending her in some way by bringing up the wrong subject , Calcelmo asks the Dragonborn to get advice from a friend of Faleen ' s named Yngvar , who is reputed to be quite successful with wooing the local ladies . Yngvar can be found in the Treasury House at night or in the Silver - Blood Inn by day . He can also often found resting against a rock by the stream , just opposite the Abandoned House . If the Stormcloaks have taken the city , he will be the new Jarl ' s housecarl . If Markarth was negotiated for the Stormcloaks during Season Unending and retaken by the Legion , he will be at the Palace of the Kings . He will reveal that Faleen puts on a tough front , but has a weakness for poetry . It just so happens that Yngvar has a poem that he can tweak to be about Faleen , for a sum of 200 septims . After paying the gold sum , take the poem back to Understone Keep . After prompting Faleen to read " Calcelmo ' s " poem , she will ask that a letter be delivered to him . Head back to Calcelmo , and proceed to follow him and witness his stumbling confession . If Faleen is in Solitude , it will take several in - game hours for Calcelmo to walk all the way from Markarth to Solitude , so it is recommended to proceed with other quests until a notification shows up in the quest journal that Calcelmo has spoken with Faleen , or wait for four hours and he will be there . With the job in Markarth complete , return to the Temple of Mara for the next objective . For the final task , Mara requests that two lovers , who have lost one another beyond the pale of death , be reunited . Gjukar ' s Monument . Put on the amulet given and travel south - southeast of Rorikstead to find the spirit of Ruki , looking for the body of her husband , Fenrig , among the ruins . Speak with her and she will ask for help looking for her husband ' s body . With no corpses present in the area , head northeast towards an open plain . The spirit of Ruki ' s husband is south of Greenspring Hollow , across the river . Speak with him and he will ask to be led back to Ruki . At this point , either choose to fast travel back to Gjukar ' s Monument , or take the scenic route . After reaching Ruki , the two dead lovers will speak briefly , and ascend towards the heavens as they pledge eternal love for one another , seemingly unaware that they are both deceased . Return to Riften and speak with Dinya Balu to receive the Agent of Mara blessing ( Permanent + 15 % Resist Magic ) and complete the quest .