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Isla stood there, her knees weak, fear flooding every part of her body. She tried to remain strong, tried to give off the sense that she wasn’t intimidated, but she knew the Vikings would see through her lies. Rune Dolph, the man she had once loved, had told her not to be afraid. But behind him, the wagon driver was being beaten half to death, and the Vikings didn’t show any sign of letting up. Anxiety swam in her stomach, and she wondered if she should have listened to Emmel after all, although given the brutality of the Vikings, she wasn’t sure that a few guards would have made a difference.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Isla. You know that I’m not going to hurt you or…your son,” he said, glancing down at Andrew. Andrew was still standing rigidly, ready to face any challenge to defend his mother. Isla had spent her entire life trying to avoid this, trying to keep him safe and protect him from the rigors of the world, yet now she had led him straight into trouble. Inside she chastised herself for being a bad mother and once again found herself wishing that things would be different. But she could not return to the island now. She could not turn back time.

“I dinnae know what ye want, but ye dinnae hae tae dae this. Just let us gae. I will nae tell anyone that ye’re here. Yer secret is safe with me. I’m just trying tae visit my sister. I dinnae want any trouble,” Isla said.

Rune Dolph had a knowing look in his eyes, and his lips curled into a smile. “That’s not the way I remember you. As far as I can recall, you had a knack for getting into trouble.”

A hot flush ran through Isla’s body as she was reminded of the passion that had existed between them. So many years had passed since then, though, and she wasn’t the same girl she used to be. Still, there was a certain energy that existed between them. She tried to quell the feeling and push it out of her mind, but it was difficult to ignore.

“We’re nae talking about the past. I want tae know what ye are doing. I will nae tell anyone that ye are here. Were ye working with the other Vikings tae attack the Highlanders? The battle is over. The Highlanders won. Ye cannae dae anything tae hurt me.” She tried to sound intimidating, but of course, she did not have an army to back up her threats.

“I knew they were going to lose,” Rune Dolph said. “I was never going to side with them. I merely did a few jobs and watched the shore for movements, and I was paid handsomely for my effort. You know that I’ve never had a problem with Highlanders,” he said with that same knowing smile. He was the only other person in the world who knew her secret. It was something that bonded them despite having spent so many years apart. “And then I noticed that you had come over here. It’s as though the gods have brought us together again.”

“The gods hae nothing tae dae with this,” Isla grunted.

Rune Dolph merely smirked. “You should have more faith, Isla. Of course I’m not going to hurt you. Why would I hurt the only woman I have ever loved?” he asked.

Isla’s gaze flickered. He had always been able to tell her lots of pretty things. Maybe half of them had been true. He crouched down to his knees and spoke to Andrew directly.

“You seem like a big strong boy. There’s a warrior in you, I can see that. The gods have blessed you with great strength. You don’t need to be afraid, though. I’m not going to harm you or your mother. I suppose your mother hasn’t told you that we’re old friends,” Rune Dolph said, lifting his gaze toward Isla. Her skin crawled at the sight of this reunion because she hadn’t prepared for it, and she feared that Rune Dolph would manipulate Andrew the same way as he had manipulated her. Andrew looked up at her as well to confirm what the Viking was saying. Isla couldn’t bring herself to lie to her son. She closed her eyes and nodded.

“It was a wonderful time. I was exploring the Highlands and found myself in a small village. A woman greeted me there, the fairest woman I had ever seen. We spent our days and nights together talking. I told her about the gods and Valhalla, and she told me the same stories I’m sure she’s told you. It was a wonderful time,” he repeated with a wistful tone.

“And it was a long time ago,” Isla said. “Then ye left and came back here, remember? Ye told me that ye haed more important matters tae attend tae.”

Rune Dolph raised himself to his full height and turned his full attention to Isla. He clasped her hands and looked deep into her eyes. “You cannot imagine the pain leaving you caused me. It has always been a source of my greatest shame. Every day I have prayed to the gods for forgiveness.”

“If ye felt sae bad, then ye could hae come back tae me,” she said. Her mind went back to those first days when she had still been a slave to love, when she had still been lamenting his parting and staring out at the ocean, waiting for him to return. Eventually, she had become numb to it all when it became clear that he had left her behind like a bad dream.

“It was different,” Dolph said. “I couldn’t go against the wishes of our leader, but he’s dead now. I am in command, and the first thing I did, once this spat between the Highlanders and the Vikings was resolved, I intended to come and find you. It has been too many years since we have seen each other again. And this child… You have done a good job raising him, Isla. I knew he was safe with you.”

“Leave him out of this,” Isla said, a warning tone creeping into her voice. “Say what ye wish tae me, but let him be in peace. I hae given him a good life. He does nae need tae know everything.”

Rune Dolph seemed to take offense at this. He tilted his head to the side and lowered his voice until it became an animalistic growl. “A boy should always know his father. I have the right to tell him the truth. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. You are my family, and it has been too long since we have been parted.” He knelt down again, and Isla wanted to scream. Her heart burst with pain, and all she wanted was to wrest Andrew away from all of this and take him back to their small island where they didn’t have to worry about Vikings or truth or anything that might threaten their happiness.

“Stop!” she yelled. Rune Dolph grimaced and indicated for one of his men to come around and make sure that Isla did not interfere. The man with the flame-colored beard grabbed her and clamped a hand around her mouth, silencing her. She watched on helplessly as Rune Dolph placed a hand upon her son’s shoulder and told him that he was his father. In that moment, Isla knew that all the hard work she had done to prevent Andrew from finding the way of the warrior had been for nothing. It had found him. The strength left her limbs, and she whimpered helplessly as the river of her life suddenly took a twisting, unexpected turn, and oh how she wished Emmel had been here to help protect her.

The wedding had been a joyous occasion, and yet there was a stone of sorrow in the pit of Emmel’s stomach. All through the ceremony, he had been wondering about his place in the world and if he was truly fit to take after his father. Even in the fighting, he hadn’t stood with them. He had tried to organize the evacuation of the village when the Vikings arrived and helped people find places to hide. It wasn’t the bravest thing he had ever done, but he thought that’s what the role as leader called for. But now, he wondered if he was actually suited to leading this village at all. His father was growing weaker, and there were things Emmel had done that brought him great shame. Even recently, speaking to Isla the way he did, acting as though he was her leader as well. He shook his head when he thought of how he had demanded that she delay her journey to the Lowlands, and why, because he wanted control? Because he was worried for her?

It wasn’t his place to worry. He was not her husband, even though there were times when he wished he was. She had goaded him with talk of other women asking for a dance with him, yet she seemed blind to the fact that the only woman he wanted to dance with was her. He had always been drawn to her in a deep and profound way, but there had always been an air of unavailability about her. It was as though she had been able to erect a shield around herself that prevented anyone from getting too close. Her past was shrouded in secrecy. Nobody knew who the father of her child was, and any man who had tried to get close to her had never made it to her heart. He wondered if the father of her child had taken her heart with him, and that was why she could never love anyone else. She was a remarkable woman, though, and was never shy of saying what was on her mind. Perhaps when she returned, he would try and tell her his thoughts and the possibility of them having a future together.

It wasn’t as though he was put off by the fact she had a son, either. His own father had married his mother even though she had a child from another man. He was sure that soon enough, there would be more children in his family as his sister Brenda had just married Douglas McAlister. She had proven herself to be more formidable than he had ever imagined, and he chastised himself for being blind to her capabilities. Being a leader had taken so many things away from him, and he wasn’t sure how to define himself as a man. In his efforts to be someone his father could be proud of, he had only ended up letting others down, and he could only thank the gods that things had turned out well in spite of him.

Then Ewan Macrae came charging through the village after the wedding. He looked panicked, and Emmel could tell that something was desperately wrong.

“It’s my daughter,” he said. “She’s been abducted by Vikings. They hae her child tae!” he said.

Emmel’s face turned to stone, and once again, he was forced to admit that he had made a mistake. If only he had been adamant that she should take a guard. If only he had sent men after her despite her wishes. But no, he had sent her off into the Highlands when Vikings were still lurking in the area. And now he had to make it right.

“I’ll gae after her,” he said.

“What? But ye are the leader here,” Brenda said.

Emmel turned to her. His emotions weighed heavily in his heart, but as he looked at her and Douglas, he knew what he had to do. “I think ye are a capable leader, Brenda. I hae made mistakes recently, and I… The village deserves a leader who is sure of themselves. I think ye would be a worthy leader. Ye hae the spirit of our father and the heart of our mother, and I hae a…vested interest in seeing that Isla returns to us safely.”

Brenda seemed to understand his meaning and nodded in agreement. Her eyes shined with ambition, but she managed to suppress her instinct to be overjoyed since Ewan was there, and he was distraught. It was not a time for anyone to show anything other than sympathy.