Ada rode in silence, Magnus never far from her side. She could feel his gaze on her periodically, checking, making sure she was holding together. She appreciated it more than she could say.
The others gave her space, seemed to understand that she needed time to process. To grieve. To accept.
It wasn't until they crested the final ridge and saw Dun Barra spread out before them—solid and strong andhome—that Ada felt something inside her finally settle.
That was where she belonged. There. On that island. With those people who'd chosen to care about her.
With Magnus, who'd saved her in more ways than one.
"Are ye all right?" Magnus asked quietly as they approached the gates.
Ada considered the question. Was she all right? Her father was dead by her husband's hand. She'd been betrayed by people she'd thought were allies. She'd walked into a camp full of armed men and barely escaped with her life.
But she was alive. She was safe. She was with people who actually valued her.
"I will be," Ada said finally. "Aye, I think I'm all right."
Magnus's smile was small but genuine. "Good. Because we have a life tae build together. And I want ye here fer all of it."
"I'm nae goin' anywhere," Ada promised. And meant it.
They rode through the gates of Dun Barra as the keep came alive with morning activity. People emerged from buildings, saw the returning warriors, and began to cheer. Word of the victory had clearly spread.
Ada saw Mairi running toward them, her face bright with relief. Saw Isla and other servants gathering in the courtyard. Saw villagers who'd come up from the hamlets, wanting to know what had happened.
They all looked at her—not with pity or judgment, but with genuine concern and welcome.
This was family. This strange, cobbled-together collection of Norsemen and Highlanders and everyone in between was home.
Magnus helped her dismount, kept his arm around her waist as people pressed close, asking questions, expressing relief that she was safe.
"Let her breathe," Magnus said, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "She's exhausted. We all are. There'll be time fer explanations later."
He guided her toward the keep, toward their chamber, toward safety. And Ada went willingly, ready to leave the horrors of the night behind.
Ready to start building the life she'd always wanted but never dared to hope for.
As they climbed the stairs, Ada glanced back one last time at the assembled people. Her people. Her family.
She smiled—small and tired, but real—and turned back toward the future.
Toward Magnus. Toward home. Toward everything she'd ever wanted.
And she never looked back again.
EPILOGUE
The Isle of Skye
Three months later…
"She's been laborin’ fer nearly two days."
Erik's voice was steady, but Ada caught the tremor beneath—the barely contained fear of a man who'd faced countless battles yet found himself powerless before this one.
They stood in the corridor outside Claricia's chamber on Skye, the stone walls pressing close around them. Magnus's hand found the small of Ada's back, a gesture of support that had become instinctive.
"Two days is long, but nae unheard of," Ada said gently. "May I see her?"
