The simple honesty of it struck something in Harald's chest. He'd been so focused on what Enya might be hiding that he'd forgotten to notice what she was showing him.
Kindness. Loyalty. The kind of casual compassion that couldn't be faked.
"That's..." He struggled for words. "That's good. That ye care fer her like that."
"She's a person, nae a title." Enya's mismatched eyes met his steadily. "Same as ye and me. Same as everyone here. Seems like ye ken that already, though. I've seen how ye speak tae yer people."
"Have ye now?"
"Aye. Like they matter. Like their opinions are worth hearin'." Something shifted in her expression. "It's... nae what I expected."
"What did ye expect?" Harald asked, even though he knew he wouldn't like the answer.
"A tyrant. A conqueror." Enya's voice dropped. "A monster who'd take what he wanted without carin' who he hurt."
"That's what yer braither told ye."
It wasn't a question, but Enya nodded anyway. "He said the Norse were raiders. That ye'd use the Pact tae get close tae our lands before strikin'."
"And ye believed him?"
"I..." Enya looked away. "I didnae ken what tae believe. But ye were the enemy who killed me faither, so aye. I believed the worst."
The admission hurt more than it should have. But at least it was honest.
"And now?" Harald pressed. "Dae ye still think I'm a monster?"
Enya's gaze returned to his face, searching for something he couldn't name.
"Nay," she said finally. "Now I think ye're just a man tryin' tae dae right by his people. Same as anyone else."
The words settled between them like a truce. Not trust yet. But maybe the beginning of understanding.
"Come with me," Harald said impulsively.
Enya blinked. "What?"
"There's somethin' I want tae show ye. If ye're tae be lady here, ye should ken the land." He was already moving toward the stables, not giving himself time to reconsider. "Unless ye'd rather stay here and rescue more spiders."
"I—" Enya glanced at Amelia, who had joined them again, waved her away.
"Go on, me lady. I'll be fine. Just... keep her away from wolves this time, aye, me laird?"
"I'll dae me best." Harald offered Enya his arm. "Well? Are ye comin'?"
She took it, and Harald tried not to notice how perfectly her arm fit in his.
The coastal path was beautiful in the afternoon light—all grey stone and restless sea, with gulls wheeling overhead and the salt wind cutting sharp and clean. Harald had taken this route a thousand times, but seeing it through Enya's eyes made it feel new.
She sat behind on his horse, his arms around her waist for balance, and every time she gasped at some view or pointed out a seal on the rocks, Harald felt something in his chest loosen.
This was what he'd wanted to show her. Not the fortress walls or the weapons stores, but this—the wild beauty of Lewis, the reason he fought to protect it.
"It's bonnie," Enya breathed as they crested a rise overlooking a sheltered cove. "I've never seen the sea like this."
"Wait until ye see it from the water." Harald guided the horse down toward the beach where he kept a small boat for coastal patrols. "That's when ye truly understand it."
They reached the shore and Harald helped Enya down, very aware of his hands on her waist, of the way she looked up at him with those impossible eyes.
