Magnus's men moved through the wreckage, securing weapons, tending to the wounded. The fires had been mostly contained, reduced to smoldering embers that sent thin streams of smoke into the lightening sky.
Dawn was coming. Ada could see it in the purple-gray tinge to the eastern horizon.
They'd survived the night. Both of them.
"Ye're nae alone anymore," Magnus said, and his voice held a fierceness that made Ada focus on him completely. "Dae ye hear me, Ada? Ye're nae that frightened girl runnin' from her faither anymore. Ye're Lady of Barra. Ye're me wife. Ye're part of a family that chose ye—that wants ye—nae because of what ye can dae fer them, but because of who ye are."
"Family," Ada repeated softly. The word felt foreign on her tongue. She'd never really had that before. Never had people who cared about her wellbeing simply because she existed.
"Aye. Family." Magnus's expression softened. "Me. Torvald. Mairi. The villagers who call ye their lady. The people ye saved. Every person on Barra who's seen yer kindness and strength and chosen tae care about ye." His hands framed her face gently. "That's what family is, Ada. Nae blood. Nae obligation. Just choice. And we all choose ye."
Something in Ada's chest shifted. Not the grief—that was still there, still raw and painful. But beside it, something else began to grow. Something warm and steady and real.
She'd spent her whole life believing that family meant blood, meant duty, meant trying desperately to earn love.
But Magnus was right. Family was about choice. About showing up. About fighting for each other not because you had to, but because you wanted to.
And she'd found that there. On that cold, rocky island, with those strange people who spoke a different language and followed different customs she'd found what she'd been searching for all along.
Home.
Ada looked up at Magnus—the man who'd saved her life more times than she could count, who'd believed in her even when she couldn't believe in herself, who'd given her everything her father never had.
"I choose ye too," she whispered. "Ye're me family now. Me home. And I'm nae goin' anywhere."
Magnus's expression crumpled slightly, emotion breaking through his usual control. He pulled her close again, held her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
"I love ye," he said, his voice rough. "God, Ada, I love ye more than I thought I was capable of lovin' anyone."
"I love ye too." Ada closed her eyes, let herself rest against him. Let herself finally, truly believe that this was real. That she was safe. That she was wanted.
They stood like that for a long moment, holding each other as dawn broke over the smoldering camp. Around them, life continued—men calling to each other, horses stamping, the crackle of dying flames. But in their small bubble, there was peace.
Finally, Magnus pulled back. "We should go. Get ye home. Get ye clean and fed and rested."
"Aye." Ada glanced one last time at her father's body, then deliberately turned away. She didn't look back.
That part of her life was over. The girl who'd spent years desperate for her father's approval was dead. The woman who remained had chosen her own family, her own path, her own future.
And she was never going back.
Magnus called for horses. Within minutes, Ada was mounted, Magnus beside her on his stallion. The other jarls gathered around—Erik, Harald, Ragnar, Ivar—their faces grim but satisfied.
"It's done then," Erik said, his gaze finding the body. "MacTavish is dead. His men scattered or captured."
"Aye." Magnus's hand found Ada's, squeezed gently. "It's done."
"What about the survivors?" Harald asked. "The ones we captured?"
"Take them back to Barra. Lock them in the dungeons until we can question them properly. Find out if there are more of MacTavish's people hidin' on the island." Magnus's jaw tightened. "I want every last one of them found and dealt with. Nay more threats. Nay more attacks."
"And Donnan?" Torvald's voice held particular venom. "What about that traitorous bastard?"
"He'll face justice. Public justice." Magnus's voice was cold. "Let everyone see what happens tae those who betray their laird's hospitality. Who put innocent people at risk fer their own gain."
Ada shivered slightly but didn't object. Donnan had made his choices. Had been willing to sacrifice everyone on Barra for his own ambitions and twisted desires. He deserved whatever came to him.
They began the ride back to Dun Barra as the sun finally crested the horizon, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. The camp fell away behind them, left to smolder and fade into memory.
