Ashley had no idea how long they slept or if she dreamed anything.

All she knew was that when she woke up, Zar's hand was wrapped around her protectively, holding her tightly against the harbinger's body.

The fact that he didn't rouse when she moved showed how badly he'd been wounded. Ashley couldn't imagine a warrior would sleep through something like that, yet Zar gave no indication of being awake when she pushed herself up to look over his wounds.

They were much better than she'd expected, though. It seemed what they said about the Nayanors’ crystals was true. Like a second ticking heart, the diadon seemed to glow brighter than ever, slowly restoring Zar to his former greatness.

Ashley sat there watching him for a long moment, considering her next step.

She found there was nothing to consider or think over. All the choices had been made for her a long time ago by fate or gods or whoever really ruled what went on in the universe.

The harbinger had held her in her sleep. All those wounds and all the trouble she'd brought upon him, Zar still wanted her, protected her. And Ashley found that all the reasons to run or fight fell hopelessly short of the love that burned in her heart. It didn't matter to her anymore what Gwen or The Reaper or anyone else thought.

The bond between them was true and more alive than anything she'd ever felt.

"Zar," she said quietly, giving the harbinger the slightest of pushes.

When the warlord still didn't wake up, Ashley felt the cold touch of fear against her heart. She called out his name again, pushing harder this time.

Zar's dark eyes flew open, wide and wild. Then he saw her and a softness settled in them, unlike anything Ashley had ever seen from him.

"My love," the harbinger said, his breathing calming. "Is something wrong?"

Only everything and nothing, Ashley thought, unable to keep the smile from her lips.

"No," she replied. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

As an answer, Zar pushed himself upright to sit and turned his body left and right to test it out. She could hear a small groan and saw his hand move to cover his chest. Ashley guessed one of his ribs had to be broken or at least bruised.

"You should lay back down," she said, worried. "I shouldn't have woken you. With these wounds, you could have done with more sleep and rest. Stay still. I'll find something for you to eat and drink."

Zar didn't move. He was looking around them, his eyes sharper and more present now.

"No, you were right to wake me," the harbinger said. "I can't sleep here while the Hall is fighting on without me. I have to get back to the melee before The Reaper takes it all out on my people."

Ashley put a hand firmly on his chest, stopping him from getting up. Naturally she wouldn't have had the strength to keep a Nayanor warlord in place, even as badly wounded as Zar was, but the man didn't push her away. He leaned into the touch instead, pulling Ashley in for a gentle, lingering kiss that made her moan. Not out of lust or scorching desire, but pure, boundless love. The kind that didn't need a reason to exist except for the fact that it did.

"Be still for just a little more," she told him with a soft smile when they broke for air. "We don't even know what's going on. You don't want to walk into a trap. If The Reaper fears you as much as you say he does, I don't doubt he'll want to trick you or lure you out somehow."

Zar grinned, looking more and more like himself by the second.

"That's true," he said. "Don't worry. I won't do anything that might endanger you. As for myself, I survived the first battle. I don't plan on dying before the last one."

"I wish you wouldn’t die at all," Ashley said pointedly, trying to give him a hard look and failing utterly.

She couldn't help it. Objectively speaking, they were at a low point in their lives – alone, without any knowledge of where their allies were or if they even had any. Zar was wounded. Not to mention Ashley guessed that other Nayanors were unhappy with her as well, never mind The Reaper. She didn't know how much support she'd already cost Zar.

"I would not leave you," the harbinger said, his deep voice making her gravitate to him like always.

"Good," she said, kissing him. "I hope that means every sense of the word. I don't want to be left here again. I won't go into battle with you, but no more locking me up."

"Alright," Zar said, nodding. "On one condition. No more secrets from me. I can't protect you if I don't know what I'm fighting."

"That's fair," Ashley said, smiling. "I'm starting to think that you can be reasoned with."

"Careful," Zar warned her with a smirk of his own. "We are still on Luminos and that is not going to change."

Ashley rolled her eyes.

"We are having a nice moment," she said. "Can't you let me have this?"

When Zar kissed her, Ashley took that as a "yes". They clung to each other, letting their bodies do the talking that seemed to be so hard with words when all the differences between them kept getting in the way. Zar's tongue danced with hers in her mouth and Ashley moaned, wishing they could stay there forever, away from everyone, just the two of them.

She didn't mind Zar's plan, though. If The Reaper was gone, if they could rule the Hall – that was the best possible outcome Ashley had heard ever since he took her from Terra. She could make an actual impact even if she couldn't save everyone. And given that she was passionately kissing her captor, arching to meet him and aching for more, who was to say all the women even wanted to be saved?

It didn't take away her concern for Zar. When the warlord finally released her with a devilish grin that promised her more as soon as the fighting was over, Ashley watched him don his armor again. It was considerably slower than before when she'd seen him go through the same motions.

Seeing the way she was looking at him, Zar laughed.

"Just because I'm being careful doesn't mean I'm not ready to fight," he told her firmly. "I would not rush headlong into a hopeless, futile battle. That is not how Nayanors win wars. We're not as reckless as Corgans."

"Yes," Ashley protested, "but Corgans also have two hearts. At least."

Zar chuckled, pulling the straps of his armor to make sure it fit perfectly.

"Exactly," he said. "I only need one to live and to love you."

"You are going to keep using that as an argument a lot from now on, aren't you?" Ashley asked with a smile she wasn't able to fight.

"I told you," Zar said, giving her a look that made the desire rise to the surface at last. "I am a Nayanor. I don't lie, which means I like telling the truth."

Ashley began to laugh, but stopped when she heard a small groan from Zar.

"You are not well," she said, frowning. "Zar, please reconsider. We can wait, just a little while."

"We can't," the harbinger said and the look in his eyes was as dark as the hazel irises. "The Reaper threatened to close the gates for my people. By now he will have done it. Outside, the storm is growing faster than ever. It will hit us soon. The long night has begun. Every second we spend here costs lives."

That changed things, but it still hurt Ashley to see Zar in pain.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "I know you can judge your own strength best, but by gods, I've seen you take off your armor faster when we were about to have sex."

Zar answered that with a grin.

"Yes, but that was much more important and had a considerably better incentive," he said.

"You're horrible," Ashley said, laughing, put a bit at ease by the harbinger's insistence.

"I am," Zar said, standing up straight, making Ashley think that perhaps he really was ready, looking as formidable as ever all of a sudden. "And now The Reaper will know it too."