Page 24 of Highlander’s Viking Sin

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Isla had a sinking feeling inside her heart as she returned home. She walked up to the door and rapped her knuckles against it as she opened it and walked in. Ewan walked out of another room, and he stopped suddenly as soon as he saw her. He rushed up to her and hugged her tightly, squeezing tears out of her as he made sure that she was actually there and wasn’t some phantom of the mind. But then he looked behind her in search of Andrew. Relief turned to confusion within an instant, which then turned into despair. The emotions rippled across his face like the surface of the sea on a windy day. He staggered into a chair and almost missed the seat, only just managing to catch himself before he fell.

“I thought… When I saw ye, I thought that ye haed come back…both of ye,” he gasped.

“I know, Da. I know. I tried tae save him, but Rune was just tae strong.”

“But why? Why did he take ye? Why does he want Andrew?”

Isla glanced uneasily at Emmel, who gave her an encouraging look. Isla took a seat at the table and prepared to share the secret she had kept hidden so tightly inside. She had already told Emmel, and now she was about to tell her father. Andrew knew as well. Suddenly it wasn’t a secret any longer, yet that didn’t lessen her sense of shame. She gnawed on her lower lip before she spoke and swallowed the lump that appeared in her throat.

“Da, there’s something I hae nae told ye. I know ye asked a long time ago about Andrew’s father, and I asked ye tae never talk about it again. It haes nae been easy for ye tae never know what kind of man was the father of my child. I know I made a mistake, and I’m sorry for the shame that it must hae brought on ye. I should hae been a good daughter and been married off tae someone of yer choosing, someone who could hae helped our village. Instead, I was no good for any man. But I want ye tae know I did what I did because I loved him, at the time. He promised me the world, and I thought he would give it tae me. I never thought this would happen. But Rune Dolph is Andrew’s da. Now he wants Andrew… I dinnae know why. At first, I thought he wanted me back as well, but he only wants Andrew. I’m sorry, Da. I’m sae sorry.” She managed to get to the last words without letting emotion get the better of her, but then it all came pouring out, and she lost herself to her emotion. She leaned forward, but so too did Ewan. He clutched his daughter’s hand tightly and squeezed.

“Ye hae nothing tae be ashamed of, Isla, nothing at all. I respected yer boundaries, but in truth, I thought something like this might hae happened. Perhaps I should hae been a better father and warned ye about men when ye were young, but I wanted tae trust ye and give ye some freedom. It was my failing that led tae this. Ye should nae feel guilty. In truth, Andrew always haed the look of a Viking about him, but I never inquired because we were happy. Andrew didnae want for anything. Ye were such a good ma tae him that he never needed anyone else, and I’m sure he’d be the first one tae tell ye that.”

Isla’s tears turned from ones of sorrow to ones that were heartfelt. She had always been so afraid to tell her father the truth that she had hid this part of her away as deep as it would go, even though she knew that he likely knew the truth. She had never wanted to speak about it because she was afraid of the shame it would bring. She should have trusted in her father more. Neither he nor Emmel had judged her for what she had done. The only one who had judged her harshly was herself, and perhaps it was time that she stopped punishing herself.

“What ye say might be true, but he certainly haes a father now. Rune haes him, and I’m worried that the longer we wait, the more Andrew might start getting used tae living with him.”

“How can ye say that?” Ewan said.

Emmel stepped forward as well to decry the notion as utterly unbelievable. He had remained quiet as the father and daughter had their reunion, but now he spoke up.

“I know it might seem silly tae ye, but Rune can give Andrew things that I never could,” Isla said.

“He might hae liked sword fighting, but ye saw the way Rune treated him. Andrew is a much smarter lad than that,” Emmel said. “He may hae found it exciting, but only because it was different, and only because ye were there.”

“Emmel is right,” Ewan said. “Andrew haes never been far from yer side. The boy is as devoted tae ye as ye are tae him. If Rune thinks he can win Andrew’s affection, then he is fighting a losing battle. We’ll get him back for ye.”

Isla nodded and blinked away her tears. Although she had wanted to get back to Andrew as quickly as possible, she started to see the wisdom in Emmel’s plan to return here. She was surrounded by people who loved her, and this made her strong.

She turned to Emmel and saw the way he looked at her and the way he smiled. It was almost enough to convince her of something else, but she wasn’t quite ready to do that just yet.

Andrew had to come first.

She was glad to have finally gotten her secret off her chest, though. A weight had been lifted from her, and her heart was ready to fly once she had Andrew back. It all revolved around him, and although she tried to keep the dark thoughts from her mind, she wasn’t entirely successful. She couldn’t help but think of the worst. What if he did something that displeased Rune and Rune got angry? Neither Emmel nor herself were going to be there to reign Rune in, and it was unlikely that any of his men were going to take pity on the boy. Rune was a man filled with rage, and if he struck Andrew…

Isla couldn’t bear to think about it. Andrew could be a willful child when he wanted to be, and whatever affection he had for Rune would surely have evaporated by the fact that Rune had carried Andrew away. But what if the reverse was true and Rune filled Andrew’s head with lies? What if he somehow managed to turn Andrew against her?

Emmel and Ewan seemed to think that such a thing was impossible. Isla would have loved to have thought the same, but she couldn’t stop the errant thoughts from careening through her mind. Until she was back with Andrew again and could hold him close and tell him she loved him, she would always be afraid of the worst. It was just the nature of being a mother.

Emmel had watched Isla pour her heart out, and he had listened quietly, almost feeling like an intruder. But he couldn’t remain quiet when Isla was doubting her qualities as a mother or the strength of the bond between herself and Andrew. Emmel had never seen anything so unwavering, and he couldn’t believe that she would doubt it herself.

Despite having spoken about things with Ewan, she was still distraught and despondent, as though being away from Andrew sapped her strength like a flower that wilted without sunlight and water. At one point, while Isla went to change her clothes and brush her hair to recover from the rigors of travel, Ewan pulled Emmel aside.

“I want tae thank ye personally for bringing my daughter back tae me,” Ewan said solemnly.

“Ye are welcome, although I only wish I haed been able tae bring them both back. I am ashamed that I couldnae save Andrew,” Emmel said, his face appearing to be shadowed with shame.

Ewan furrowed his brow and dismissed Emmel’s guilt. “As far as I’m concerned, ye did all ye could. From what ye told me, this Rune is a cruel, powerful man. It’s lucky that the two of ye managed tae make it all the way back here. It means we still hae a chance of bringing Andrew back home. Speaking of the two of ye…” Ewan leaned in closer to Emmel and lowered his voice. “I could nae help but notice ye didnae act with shock when Isla told me the truth. Did ye know?”

Emmel felt a flash of guilt as it seemed like something that Ewan should have known before him. “Aye, Isla told me. She tried tae get me tae leave.”

“I’m glad ye didnae. And what dae ye think?”

“I think she was young and naïve. I think Rune was cruel and lied tae her. I also think she punishes herself tae much for her mistakes, and she should learn tae live again.”

Ewan smiled. “That’s very astute of ye. I know my daughter; in some ways, I know her better than she knows herself. She might say that she doesnae want something, but that is nae necessarily the truth. I can tell that ye care about her. Ye hae already done this family a great service, and if she should choose tae open her heart tae ye when this is all over, ye hae my blessing tae marry her.”

Emmel blinked and almost flinched at the words. Had his feelings for Isla been so obvious? He decided that there was no point in trying to deny them now, so he merely nodded and shared a secret smile with Ewan. Ewan slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. Isla chose that point to return again, and she asked what the joke was. Thankfully, Ewan chose to be discreet and said that it was something between men.

Isla looked radiant. Her hair was neat again, and the change of clothes meant that she wasn’t wearing stained and tattered rags. She seemed to grow ever more beautiful with every passing day, while he grew more brutish and uglier. His face was swollen, his features bruised, and he had been shorn of hair. He certainly didn’t feel equal to her, but that didn’t diminish the love he felt in his heart. It was just a matter of time now before he revealed the truth, as long as they got Andrew back safely.

After this, they returned together to Emmel’s village, deciding that it was time to put a plan into action. They had the best minds working together, and with the help of everyone he knew, Emmel felt more confident that they would be able to retrieve Andrew. He had a personal score to settle with Rune and his men too, and Emmel hoped that he would have another chance to fight them. This time, he was going to dance, and he wasn’t going to be outnumbered. He was going to show them what a Hoffstad was all about.