The next push that would bring Magnus Haraldson one step closer to ruin and Ada one step closer to returning home, where she belonged. Where he could finally use her the way he'd always intended, as a tool to get everything he'd ever wanted.
She'd thank him eventually, or she wouldn't. Either way, it didn't matter.
She was his daughter. His property. His to use as he saw fit.
And no Norse jarl, no matter how strong, how beloved, how determined would stop him from takin' what should have been his all along.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Higher! Keep yer elbow up or ye'll leave yerself open!"
Ada followed the sound of Magnus's voice across the courtyard, weaving between servants carrying laundry and guards on their way to patrol shifts.
Two days had passed since the fire, two days of Magnus working himself to exhaustion checking every corner of the keep while Ada had been left with little to do beyond helping Mairi organize her supplies.
She was going mad with restlessness.
She found Magnus in the training yard, a wide space of packed earth behind the stables where wooden practice weapons leaned against the walls. A dozen boys, none older than twelve, stood in uneven lines while Magnus demonstrated a blocking technique with his sword.
Ada stopped at the edge of the yard, not wanting to interrupt.
"When someone comes at ye from this angle," Magnus was saying, his voice carrying easily across the space, "ye dinnae try tae meet force with force. Ye'll lose. Instead, ye redirect." He moved through the motion slowly, deflecting an imaginary strike, using his opponent's momentum against them. "See? Nay strength required. Just timin’ and position."
The boys nodded, wide-eyed and serious. Magnus handed his practice sword to the nearest one. "Now ye try. Ye, come here."
A small boy, maybe eight years old, stepped forward nervously. Magnus positioned him carefully, adjusted his grip on the wooden blade. "Good. Now when I swing at ye, slowly, I want ye tae redirect just like I showed ye. Dinnae be afraid. I willnae hurt ye."
"Aye, me laird."
Magnus swung his blade in a gentle arc. The little boy tried to redirect it, fumbled, nearly dropped his own weapon. His face went red.
"That's all right," Magnus said, and Ada heard the patience in his voice. "Try again. And this time, dinnae think so much. Just move."
They practiced the motion three more times. On the fourth attempt, the boy executed it perfectly. His face lit up with pride.
"There," Magnus said. "That's exactly right. Now go practice with yer friends over there while I work with the others."
He moved down the line, correcting stances, adjusting grips, demonstrating techniques with the kind of focused attention Ada hadn't expected.
He was strict, his voice sharp when a boy wasn't paying attention, his corrections precise and demanding. But underneath that severity, she saw something else. He cared about those boys. Genuinely cared. Was taking time from his endless list of responsibilities to make sure they knew how to defend themselves.
Magnus looked up suddenly, his gaze finding hers across the yard. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then he called out, "Take a rest. All of ye. Five minutes, then we'll work on footwork."
The boys scattered immediately, some heading for water buckets, others collapsing in the shade. Magnus crossed to where Ada stood.
"Is somethin' wrong?"
"Nay, I just—" Ada took a breath. "I've been thinkin'. About what happened with the poisoned well. About how many people got sick because they didnae ken the water was contaminated."
Magnus's expression sharpened. "Go on."
"What if we taught them? Nae just about wells, but about keepin' themselves healthy in general. How to scald water before drinkin' it. How to spot signs of sickness early." The words tumbled out faster now. "I ken I'm nae as experienced as Mairi, but I could teach them basic things. And if more people understood how to prevent sickness, maybe next time…"
"There willnae be a next time." Magnus's jaw tightened. "I willnae let anyone poison another well on Barra."
"I ken that. But what about natural sickness? Winter fevers? Injuries that get infected because someone didnae clean them properly?" Ada moved closer. "Let me help, Magnus. Let me dae somethin' useful instead of just sittin' in our chamber all day."
Magnus was quiet for a long moment, studying her face. "Ye really want tae dae this?"
