Ashlynn slumped in her chair after Lady Tosha and Riwal left. For several moments, she leaned back into the plush upholstery of the armchair, closing her eyes and listening to the echo of Nyrielle's heartbeat within her chest.
"I wish you were here, my love," Ashlynn whispered. "I wish I had your strength with me," she added a few heartbeats later, resting her hand on her chest to feel the reassuring presence of her lover's heartbeat within her chest.
She'd known, before she ever stormed the manor, that it would be like this. She could only hold the lords of the march for so long before things began to crack. A few days, at most, to weld them together enough that they could withstand meeting with Nyrielle and the Eldritch neighbors who had been their enemies for generations.
