It had taken a lot of convincing, but Quinn had managed to get Rhys to take her outside.

With the winds rising and the temperature dropping every day, the harbinger had not been thrilled about her request. The storm wasn't deadly yet, but every ounce of him protested against risking the life of his fated mate, trusting Luminos' wild nature.

"It's too dangerous," he'd told Quinn at the end of an argument one morning. "I should never have told you it was possible to go outside before the gates close."

He couldn't keep the grin off his lips even as he said that. In truth, the harbinger loved Quinn's fierce spirit and the fact that she didn't let an issue go when it was important to her. It showed his fated wasn't weak, which Rhys took as a compliment of the gods. Not to mention that their future sons needed a willful and strong mother to look after them while he was far away on raids.

"Lies," Quinn had retorted. "Great basis for a lasting relationship."

Rhys scoffed.

"The winds are so strong you can barely see out of cover," he added. "Everything you might want to see is possible from the viewports. From safety."

Then Quinn had pouted, considering him with a playful expression and said something Rhys couldn't ignore.

"Dangerous," she said teasingly. "For you? For Rhys, the great harbinger?"

"I shouldn't have given you my name either," he shot back, pulling Quinn into his arms and kissing her sweet lips.

"By your account, you would have preferred to have me silent as a mute, chained spread-eagled to your bed," Quinn said, laughing softly.

"It would certainly have been less complicated," Rhys replied, seeing the effect the desire in his voice had on his fated. "Especially the part about the bed. I should make that a punishment for you for the next time you cause problems for me."

"So it's decided then," Quinn said happily, slipping out of his embrace. "We're going."

"I never said yes to that," Rhys noted.

"No," Quinn admitted. "You didn't say no either. You got distracted by imagining me tied to your bed."

That was completely true, of course. Rhys could very well see Quinn lying on the bed, a soft rope tied around her wrists not to hurt her. The gorgeous voluptuous body naked for him, bared for his eyes and hands and tongue...

He could imagine Quinn shiver, struggling against the restraints when he teased her, making her squirm and plead for him. It would have been a pleasure fit for gods, to fill the room with her moans, make her scream his name.

Rhys realized that Quinn had said something, a very knowing look on her face.

"See?" she asked. "Let me put it this way, then. You keep saying how very cold it is out there. When we get back, I'd need to get warm, wouldn't I?"

That was also a fair point and Rhys conceded. Eventually, he couldn't argue with Quinn's desire to see more of Luminos. Her earlier reluctance to accept her fate seemed to have passed or at least cooled a little. If there was anything he could do to make Quinn more accepting of her new home world, it was well worth it.

"Very well," Rhys had said. "I suppose you're not asking for too much with this."

Quinn's smile had fully convinced him that it was the right thing to do. If he showed his little Terran that her life didn't have to be difficult on Luminos, it only paved the way to Quinn truly becoming his.

* * *

As they were waiting for the gates to be opened some time later, Rhys saw Captain Jeroek come their way, a concerned look on his face.

"Harbinger," the warrior said, saluting. "Are you going out? Almost all of the people are accounted for. The defenses are checked and double-checked. There is no need for you to risk venturing into the storm."

"The long night isn't here yet," Rhys replied.

The captain seemed to wait for him to comment further, but Rhys wasn't in the habit of explaining himself to his subordinates. Instead, Jeroek turned his face to Quinn and Rhys didn't like the look in the captain's dark eyes. He regarded the warrior, taking note of his carefully respectful posture and all the little signs of aggression Jeroek probably didn't know he was showing.

Rhys didn't react in any way outwardly, yet inside, he smelled trouble.

Already is begins. I knew I should have handled things with that warrior Dolor in some less public place.

"Harbinger," Jeroek asked quietly, right as he predicted. "There are rumors that you hit a warrior. Not in the course of due discipline."

Rhys barked a laugh as Quinn's face dropped and she gave him a searching, worried look.

"If you want to repeat that to me, go ahead," Rhys told the captain, holding his gaze and watching the man try not to take a step back. "We are Nayanors. We solve things the way we see fit and I had plenty of reason. If you hear another word of these rumors, let the talkers know that they are free to come to me and face their own charge like men.

"Is that understood?"

The captain nodded quickly, but Rhys could see that it was not the end of the matter. He turned on his heel and walked out of the small gate that had been opened for them, Quinn following.

"What just happened?" she asked when they were outside.

"Nothing," Rhys said. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, but I did tell you not to get involved with the fated bonds. It's not going to be a good storm if I have to start killing men in positions of power for you."

Quinn stared ahead, having the decency to look a bit embarrassed about her actions.

"Will it come to that?" she asked.

"It might," Rhys said, taking her hand and helping her up the first large step that would take them to the roof of Jos Gharo.

"And?" Quinn asked, looking at him.

"And nothing," Rhys laughed, turning to her, his hand still holding hers.

She looked so small all of a sudden, but perhaps that was the background. The landscape around Jos Gharo was barren as the fortress sat in the shadow of the huge cliff it was built into. There were mountains on Luminos as well, but they were further up north. Around them, the vast plains stretched empty as far as the eye could see.

There were no people, though. Even the nearest settlement couldn't be seen on the horizon.

"I don't want you to think about that anymore," he told Quinn firmly. "None of them can hurt me and I won't let anyone touch you. If they choose to join their ancestors, that is their choice and my sword that takes them there. That is all."

"That's a barbaric way to live," Quinn said, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

"You keep saying that," Rhys said as they began climbing up the stairway carved into the cliff. "Luminos is a harsh planet. It breeds people who don't dwell on what has already been lost. Look around you. After the long night, these plains will be black as if they'd been scorched by fire. Life will return and go on, however. Just like with Nayanors."

Quinn smiled.

"You really are strange people," she stated.

"Why?" Rhys asked.

Quinn shrugged, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Everything is so contrasting," she explained. "You say you let go of things you have no control over, like the crops and land and people who don't want to be saved. On the other hand, you fight so hard for your survival. And your fated, of course. I'm slowly starting to realize that no other man would have done what you did for my sister. I know you did it for me, which is my point."

"Of course," Rhys said, lifting her onto the next step which was considerably taller than the others, with Quinn crying out in surprise and laughing.

He followed, taking her hand again to lead her up. Rhys felt Quinn hold tighter, giving his hand a little squeeze. He couldn't have explained why, but it sent a thrill of excitement through him. It said his fated was no longer afraid of him. Instead, she was starting to enjoy his company.

The harbinger couldn't remember feeling something like that before. Happiness, pure joy over something that didn't come with glory in battle or winning a title.

It was just Quinn and everything that she was.

"Of course it's different," he repeated. "My people have learned a long time ago that choices are hard on Luminos, as you might see one day. It makes us value the things that are truly important all the more, while we quickly leave the past behind. And that includes events in the future we can't avert.

"For example, this storm is coming. There is no stopping it. It is the Nayanor way to already focus on life after it, since that's just a part of life we can't control."

"You told me before that nothing could hurt me, not even the force of nature coming our way," Quinn pointed out, a challenging smile on her lips.

"I did," Rhys said, stepping on the top of the cliff now and pulling Quinn up. "That's how the fated bonds work. They're stronger than the foundations this world is built on."

"Then how –" Quinn began, but her mouth dropped open and the words never came.

She had seen the endless fields of Jos Gharo, the plain that had given the name to Rhys' fortress. It was covered with lightly glowing small plants. The bioluminescence gave the world a particular light blue shine.

The skies above the plain were dark purple and violet, with flashes of yellow lightning in the distance. The light of the plants seemed to reflect off the clouds on the horizon, giving an impression of a world that was glowing.

It was a gorgeous sight. Luminos, with all its harshness, standing fast against the storm that came every year with the intention of killing it all.

Every year, it failed.

The glow would be gone by the time they exited the fortress again, Rhys knew that. The plants would be torn up and ragged in the furious hail and terrific cold that came with it.

The roots ran deep, however. And in time, it would all be born again to shine until the next storm. It was a living testament to the stubbornness of Luminos and Nayanors both.

With all that, Rhys couldn't tear his eyes away from Quinn.

The wonder on her face was the purest thing he'd ever seen. Nayanors appreciated their world too, but it was a whole other matter to see someone who had every reason to hate Luminos looking at it like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

In Rhys' mind, there was no comparison.

"Fantastic," Quinn said, looking at him.

Her blonde hair billowed around her head like an aura. Wrapped in a cloak in his colors, Quinn truly looked like a warrior queen, glowing more brightly than all the vast fields in front of them. The blue eyes matched the plants, shining like stars and the wide smile on her lips made Rhys realize how deeply he'd fallen for her.

"You are, yes," he said.

His fated laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm so glad you took me here," she said, smiling. "To see this before it's all gone."

"It will look like this again," Rhys reminded her.

"I know," Quinn said, casting another look over the plains. "I just think the long night won't feel so long when I know what's out here. When I know what I have to look forward to."

That was true enough.

"Come," he called her. "We should get back. The winds are going to get too strong for the staircase to be safe. I won't lose you to the storm, nor anything else."

Quinn nodded, taking his hand again as he helped her down the gigantic steps some ancient race had carved into the cliff.

And found the gate to be closed.