Brynja shook her head.
“I was verra cold when I met Connor Grant. Do you know why? Was that part of the tale you heard from your mother?”
She shook her head, interested in hearing the answer. She would listen to anything this woman had to say, especially if it was something she hadn’t heard about the Queen.
“The evil men held my three-summers-old daughter away from me. They threatened to hurt her if I didn’t do what they asked. Connor followed me when he first met me, and I feared my daughter would be punished because of Connor’s actions. But fortunately, she wasn’t. However, Connor and I were both punished.”
Brynja, puzzled, hadn’t heard this part of the story before. “Punished? Both of you?”
“Those evil men, who probably numbered around fifty, beat Connor, then beat me, leaving us both to die in the forest. If not for Connor’s friends, who searched for him, we would both be dead. There would be no Dyna or Hagen or Morgan or Astra. Butwe survived. They took me to Grant Castle, and I met Connor’s mother, the kindest woman I’ve ever met. Maddie Grant taught me to love, to trust…” she stopped to clear her throat, the tears in her eyes clear, “to believe Connor when he said he would protect me from the bastards who killed for coin and for entertainment.”
Totally enraptured, Brynja couldn’t speak because she had the oddest feeling that Sela’s life was much like hers.
“You see,” she continued, wiping her eyes, “men killed my parents in front of me, then took me to be their plaything. I had my daughter Claray, but I was forced to do their bidding for three years.
“Until I met Connor.”
Sela stood and paced, her voice carrying across the chamber. “And do you know that Connor’s mother, the woman known as Maddie, was the woman I most wished to model myself after? She wasn’t an archer, or a queen, but a woman who loved bairns and devoted herself to protecting them. Have you heard the story of the day my daughter was saved from the man known as Hord, the spider man?’
Brynja shook her head. She hated spiders so much that her skin crawled just from the mention of them.
“It was one of the most glorious days I’ve ever lived in my life. I rode in front of Connor on his magnificent stallion. Behind us rode at least a hundred Grant guards, Maddie riding with her husband, Alex. She’d told Alex that she would not leave without my daughter. I couldn’t believe she would do what no one else could do, get my wee lassie away from those evil men. But we approached the castle, and out came about fifty of the bastards, all carrying their swords and ready to fight. Alex demanded my daughter back, and they laughed, saying they didn’t have any little girls.”
Sela chuckled, tipping her head forward for a moment, then standing up with a smile, the tears now flowing down her cheeks.
“Do you know what that tiny woman said? Against all those cruel, evil creatures, she said, ‘You bring me that child, or I will have my husband hold you down while I stick my needle in the middle of your eye.’”
Brynja said, “Truly? She said that? But why would they be afraid of a woman with all those men?”
“It wasn’t her size but her words and the way she said them. She spoke with a conviction unlike anyone I’d ever heard. Anyone who listened to Madeline Grant speak of my daughter knew that she wouldn’t hesitate to give her life for my lassie. And fools that they were, they were witnesses to the fire in her eyes. I saw that gaze myself, and it frightened me.”
“And she only had needles? No sword or daggers?”
“Aye, she threatened the bastards with two needles. After hearing her speak, and I will add, looking at her husband behind her, a powerful warrior who would do whatever his wife asked of him, the villains passed looks amongst themselves and then motioned to one man who brought my daughter out.” She tipped her head again and then lifted it back up, swiping at the tears on her cheeks before she continued. “That wee woman ran to grab my lassie just as the battle broke out, swords and bellows everywhere. But my sweet girl was safely in Maddie’s arms, a place that became one of her favorite places to be. Now, I tell you this story for two reasons.”
“Why?” Brynja asked, her hands trembling.
Sela came over and sat down in front of her, cocooning Brynja’s hands with her own. “I tell you because you need to know that Clan Grant and Clan Grantham are the safest places you could ever be. Trust what they tell you. My husband, my son, my daughter, and I will protect you from those bastards.”
“And the other reason?”
Sela reached up and brushed the stray hairs away from her face, then cupped her cheek. “Never doubt your value as a lass.That woman controlled over a hundred warriors and men with her words and two needles. You don’t need the muscles or the size of a man to be powerful. Use your words, your mind, and the strength that you have within you. That is your power, lass.” Then she placed her hand on her chest. “And here. Maddie Grant’s strength was in her heart.”
Sela leaned forward with a smile and whispered, “And never forget your Norse heritage.”
Brynja fell into Sela’s arms and sobbed her eyes out.
For her mother, for her aunt, for her dear friend Hildi.
And for herself. She’d found her people and her place.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hagen
The next day, Hagen had spent most of his time on patrol, looking for evidence of the men who’d attacked Hildi and Brynja. They were nowhere to be found. He’d gone to MacQuarie land and talked with Thane, and he’d seen nothing.
Brynja had spent the day at Hildi’s side, but Hildi hadn’t awakened yet. Brenna had told him quietly that the longer it took her to awaken, the worse her chances were that she would recover.
