The Warrior's Viking Bride

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‘I’m unmarried, but she volunteered to be a hostage rather than allowing Kolbeinn to make his choice from the women. Her brothers went along to protect her honour. You must admire her courage.’

Dagmar nodded. This Mhairi had sacrificed herself for the Gael with the broad shoulders and the eyes to drown in, even if he refused to admit it. ‘I’d have done that for my mother. This woman has feelings for you.’

He gave a harsh laugh. ‘Mhairi did it for her people, for Kintra, our home, and not for me. She has a deep abiding love for the place and wishes to keep it free from the north. It is what she proclaimed in front of everyone and I’ve no reason to doubt her.’

She nodded again, seeing the sense of it but also knowing there was something that the Gael kept back. Once she had found that out, she’d use it. Right now, without a weapon to defend herself and an army searching for her, she required a protector. One man and his dog. The odds were less than brilliant, but she needed someone on her side and that someone had to be the Gael Aedan mac Connall.

‘My father wants me alive?’ she asked, hardly daring to believe it after so many years. It was only down to her stepmother’s death, but it was more than she had expected. She silently vowed that she would make him see that she would lead the life she had chosen, rather than following whichever path he had chosen.

‘Yes, he does. Very much so. Remember he arranged that sword signal with your friend to keep you safe.’

‘Good to know.’ Dagmar held out her hand. ‘I accept your protection. We travel together once the marshes finish. I will not allow others to be enslaved while I go free.’

He put his fingers about hers—sure and strong. She felt safe as if someone had thrown a warm blanket over her. Dagmar rapidly withdrew her hand.

‘How fares your head?’ he asked. ‘It must hurt like the devil.’

‘It aches as though someone hit me with a very hard object, but I can keep going. I learned a long time ago that the world does not wait for my aches. There are far more important considerations than my discomfort.’

The Gael...no...Aedan mac Connall grunted. It would be easy to start liking him. ‘Good.’

‘We have miles to go before we can sleep,’ she said quickly before she made a fool of herself and confessed how hard trudging through this ghost land was for her. She had to trust this Gael and his dog would find a way out and trust came hard for her as well.

* * *

Aedan glanced back at Dagmar. Her face was pale and intense. Against all expectation, she had trudged through the marsh with barely a murmur. She was far tougher than any other woman he’d ever encountered, and he included Mhairi and his former sister-in-law, Liddy, in that group.

Liddy possessed a different sort of courage, one which he had not fully appreciated until after his brother fell in battle as he single-handedly charged the enemy line and the truth about the boating accident where his niece and nephew were drowned had been revealed. And he’d never thought much of Mhairi until she’d volunteered to be a hostage. But she had done so without shedding a tear or hesitation, declaring that her faith would keep her safe until he had completed his quest. To his eternal regret, he hadn’t appreciated the depth of her feeling for Kintra until that moment.

‘We will stop at the hut. I passed it when I travelled to the east. We still have a long way to go.’

She shaded her eyes and squinted. ‘Are you sure it is there?’

‘I can make out the outlines. We can stop and beg some food.’

‘Steal it, you mean.’

Aedan shook his head in mock despair. ‘Typical Northern response.’

‘You were the one who stole the horse.’

‘That was different.’

She gave a pointed cough. ‘Different how?’

‘There wasn’t time to seek the owner and ask permission,’ Aedan said between gritted teeth. This infuriating woman had a way of twisting things and getting under his skin.

She gave a brilliant smile which transformed her features. His breath caught in his throat. There was something about the hazy light, the damp cloud of golden curls and her smile which did strange things to his insides. His body, which had seemed encased in ice since his former fiancée Brigid’s betrayal, was starting to thaw rapidly. ‘I am very glad you did.’

A strand of her hair touched his fingers. He cleared his throat. ‘The hut. It is where we stop tonight.’

‘I’ll race you.’

‘Mind the oozing mud.’

He caught her arm and prevented her from slipping and falling. A jolt of awareness coursed through him. He released her abruptly.

‘Having come this far, I’ve no wish to lose you to a sink hole.’

She put her hand over where he had held her. Her eyes grew wide. ‘I didn’t see it. I guess I need a protector in more ways than one.’

‘Next time look before you race off.’

Her laugh rang out over the marshes. ‘Now you sound like my old nurse. She used to be always hauling me back from one thing or another.’

‘It has been a long day.’ A long day was reason enough for his unexpected reaction to her. Kolbeinn wanted his daughter back. More than likely to marry her off and secure his legacy. He would want his daughter untouched. Aedan gritted his teeth. There would be more repercussions for his people if he gave in to this attraction for her and he had already caused them enough sorrow. He had to focus on the important things. Mhairi had sacrificed herself without hesitation or expectation. He should be thinking about her and making her his wife, instead of desiring this infuriating witch of a woman. But Mhairi had never sent his blood racing like this shield maiden did.

‘You have done well.’

‘High praise indeed,’ she said drily.

* * *

Dagmar’s stomach gave a loud rumble when they reached the hut, reminding her that it had been some time since she had last eaten. Dead grasses and leaves were blown against the door and the roof exhibited a gaping hole. Closer inspection revealed that the far wall had tumbled down.

‘Shelter for the night,’ Aedan said. ‘Better than sleeping completely out in the open with the rain and midges for company.’

She hated that her dismay must have shown on her face and that he was being kind. Aedan mac Connall was a far easier proposition to hate when he was being officious. ‘It makes it easier that no one is here. No awkward questions. No half-truths to remember.’

‘Sit with Mor by the hut. I will fetch supper.’

‘Oh, you can magic it up out of thin air, can you?’

‘I’m a man of many talents.’ He gave a bow and set off.

Mor flopped down at Dagmar’s feet. When Dagmar made a move to go into the hut, she gave a low growl and shook her head.

‘Shall we be friends? I could use a friend.’ Dagmar held out her hand again. ‘Without you, I’d have been lost.’

The dog gave a cautious sniff before settling her head on her paws.

‘Your master is right,’ Dagmar said, leaning back against the wall and allowing the pale sun which cautiously peeped through the mist to warm her face. She had forgotten what it was like simply to sit. Ever since her mother had died, she had not had a moment to spare. ‘Going through the marshes saves us time. Olafr will suspect that we are making for my father’s, though. The question is—does he realise that I am my father’s sole heir now? Had my mother confided in him about the sword signal? Could it be something he hid from me? Thinking that I’d marry him? He certainly seemed perturbed by your master’s appearance.’

Mor exhaled a loud breath of air which Dagmar took for a ‘yes, you idiotic human’ noise.

She had made the mistake of underestimating Olafr before. She could not afford to make that mistake again. Olafr remained her most potent enemy now that her stepmother was dead.

There was a possibility that Olafr would show up on Colbhasa and spin a convincing tale, something her father would believe and put her in danger, but that was a problem for the future.

Reaching her father was her best hope of long-term survival. Once there, she could make him see that she was equal to any of his warriors, that she could fight for his felag. Marriage to some unknown warrior with more muscles than brains was not inevitable. She could demonstrate to her father that her mother had kept her promise and had ensured her child could compete with the best warriors. Then she could wreak revenge on Olafr. And after that was done, she’d find the peace she’d sought. Some day she would sit with the sun warming her face and nothing more pressing to worry about than harvesting the crops.

‘You needn’t fear, you know. I’ll go to Colbhasa, but I’ll find a way to make the sort of life I want.’

‘Talking to yourself or the dog?’ Aedan reappeared carrying several trout.

Her stomach rumbled. She hated to think how long it had been since she’d had a proper meal.

‘That was fast.’

‘It is easy when you know how to fish. A line and hook is all I require. Simple.’

‘A man of many hidden talents.’

‘An old family secret.’ He turned his back and busied himself with the fire.

‘Have you passed it on to your children?’

‘I don’t have children.’ The tone of his voice had become chipped from ice.

Dagmar frowned. Aedan definitely didn’t like talking about himself. She should leave it, but it was like a sore that she could not stop prodding. ‘Am I keeping you from your bride? Your intended? Is that who Mhairi truly is? It would be like my father to do that as he likes to get his own way.’

‘No. There is no bride. Mhairi lives on Kintra. It surprised me that she even volunteered to be a hostage. I’d not have thought she had it in her, but she obviously did. I’d never considered her as wife material.’

‘Why not?’

Aedan concentrated on building the fire. Why not?

It was a question his people and his priest kept asking. His excuses were wearing thin—first Brigid, his betrothed, the woman he’d loved as a young man, had died, ostensibly while she visited relations. To the world he had grieved, but he and his brother had been the only ones to understand the full extent of her betrayal. Then there was no hurry because his brother had married and had two children. And that marriage had proved little better than his parents’.

Then there was the mess his brother had left behind after he perished in battle which had had to be sorted, but lately the murmurings had grown, particularly his need to provide an heir. Without an heir, Kintra would go to his distant cousin and many doubted if Sean would manage to hold out against the Northmen in the same way as Aedan had, but Aedan wanted something more than a duty-bound marriage doomed to failure.

‘I’ve my reasons,’ he said as he felt Dagmar’s eyes boring into him. ‘Are you married? Before the battle, I had wondered about Olafr and you. He has the sort of looks women usually find irresistible. My brother was the same with women forever buzzing about him.’

‘I’d have sooner married a viper than him.’ Dagmar’s brows lowered and her mouth became a thin white line. She used a pointed stick to draw a line in the dirt. ‘Olafr was my mother’s lover, not mine. Old Alf told me that I should have banished him after he asked for my hand in marriage before the ashes on my mother’s pyre had even gone cold. But I thought he could be useful with his ability to charm Constantine’s court. What a fool I was!’

Deep within him, something rejoiced. Aedan suppressed it. Who she married was none of his business. His business was getting her back to her father so the hostages would be released and his people could prosper. Dagmar was forbidden to him. Aedan inclined his head. ‘I beg your pardon. He simply made it seem as though you two were as one.’

‘Apology accepted. Olafr could charm the birds out of the trees. The ladies certainly twittered about him. He was better at dealing with Constantine and his advisors. I can be too abrupt at times. I dislike fools and see little reason to hide my thoughts.’

‘I hadn’t noticed.’

Her answering laugh rang out, before her face became full of serious intent. ‘My father must accept that I will follow my own chosen path and have no intention of marrying to please him or anyone else.’

‘Indeed.’ Aedan hid his smile. There was little point in explaining that her father would be seeking a son-in-law to rule his lands and command his ships. Dagmar would have little choice but to obey. He would be interested to hear of the clash between father and daughter when it occurred, but please God, make it after he returned to Kintra.

She leant forward. ‘Being a warrior is what my mother trained me for. She believed a woman could and should be a man’s equal. She distrusted marriage and considered that it sapped a woman’s strength.’

‘Did she train you well?’

‘Warfare has been my way of life ever since we left my father’s compound in the north country. I inherited my mother’s felag because she considered me a worthy successor, not because I was her daughter. I’ve an eye for strategy and forward planning. Why should a woman be treated differently than a man?’

‘My former sister-in-law would agree with you.’

‘Former?’

‘My late brother’s wife. She is now married to a Northman—Sigurd Sigmundson.’

‘Sigurd Sigmundson shot an arrow that killed his mother.’

‘You’ve heard of him.’

‘I thought it right and proper—they’d put her alive on the fire after her master died. Being raped and burnt alive is a barbaric practice whatever a soothsayer says. Soothsayers can be bribed.’

‘You know the story?’

‘I’ve encountered him. We fought together in Ireland a few seasons ago, right before my mother pledged her felag to Constantine’s service. He chose to ally with Ketil.’ She gave a small laugh. ‘I’d quite forgotten about him. Perchance...’

‘Sigurd will do nothing to jeopardise his relationship with Kolbeinn. We may have our differences, but I believe he prefers me to be the laird at Kintra. I’m a known quantity.’

Dagmar stared at the small fire, watching the sparks fly up. ‘I’ve given you my word that I will see my father. I will, but if he forces me to do anything I disapprove of, I shall become a sell-sword. Sigurd prospered that way. I can as well.’

Dagmar as a sell-sword. He doubted Kolbeinn would agree to that. Or allow her out of his sight. She would be married off to one of his most trusted warriors as soon as it could be arranged. Kolbeinn wanted to secure his legacy. Her desires would count for nothing. Kolbeinn would triumph one way or another. But her future was not his problem or concern as his mother would have said.

‘A hard way to survive,’ he said mildly. He’d allow Kolbeinn to break the news to her and deal with his daughter’s fiery temper. Aedan had a kingdom to save.

‘My mother did it.’

‘Your mother must have been an exceptional woman.’

Her eyes lit with undisguised pleasure and her entire being sparkled. ‘She was. One of the bravest people I ever met. If I can be one-tenth the warrior she was, I will die happy. She had terrible taste in men. Olafr was a mistake from start to finish. And my father. I have to wonder where her brain was then.’

‘Wait until you see what your father offers you.’

‘Or who.’ She stifled a yawn. ‘I know what my father will want of me, Aedan. He’ll have handpicked a blockhead of a warrior for me, one he didn’t want to risk on this journey. But I’ll find a way to teach my father a lesson and then we negotiate.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Did my father—’