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Because your heart and your loyalty belong to ht "I'll explain later," he said "Continue with your story now"

"My father told me I was the reason for a new tradition in our fa e stopped for the nooning s, and when it was tiot to count"

"Count?"

"There were eight children, Connor He always counted to make certain he had all of us"

"But this tiht I ith ht I ith Arthur, another brother," she explained "I wasn't though As was ot lost, and the family didn't realize they'd left me behind until they ell on their way"

Connor was frowning now He pictured his wife around Grace's age and couldn't even begin to understand what terror she must have experienced

"Gillian found h I was told land to hear if he'd leaned out the , and that very night, an his new tradition"

"The medallion"

She nodded "The older brothers and sisters embraced the idea and promised to keep their medallions close at all times Mother worried the baby and I would choke ourselves with the leather necklaces around our necks, and so I was only allowed to wear the aze for a long minute and then took hold of his hand and turned it so that his palhtly brushed across the scars puckering his skin, but he saw only sadness in her eyes now, not repulsion or pity

"You et her to look up at hihtened her hold on his wrist when he started to pull back He conceded to her wishes for the moment and waited for her to continue

"I recovered," she whispered "But you haven't, have you, Connor?" The sadness had moved into her voice now

"Because it isn't finished yet," he explained "You want ot the scars, don't you?"

"No"

He felt a curious mixture of relief and disappointment

Brenna ached for the pain he had suffered and tried to think of so to console hi the terrible injustices of the past so that he would know she understood

"These scars mark your past," she whispered as she slowly lifted his hand

Again he tried to pull away, and she resisted hiry now

Brenna leaned down and kissed each one of the marks

He felt the caress all the way inside his heart and his soul Stunned by what she was doing, he closed his eyes Her touch shattered him, yet filled him armth at the same time And he was renewed He couldn't understand how it had happened, or why, but the eone, and only her love remained

She didn't stop until she had kissed each palm, and then she reached down beside her and put the ain and stared down at the etching carved into the wood

"A long, long tian, quietly "The land he and his faiant naht this ene to use a sword He could have carried his father's sword, the way you did, but unlike you, he didn't have to crawl across burning eh, and I think he too would have dragged others to safety the way you did, because he was just as noble as you were, Connor"

Overwhel to hi and still felt he was courageous and noble She didn't understand, of course He wasn't worthy of such praise yet, because he hadn't found justice in all the years he had searched

He shook his head at her She nodded And then she began to trace the outline of the figure of David with her fingertips

"The boy only had a sling to use for his weapon, and so, when the time came for hi to trace the little circle at the bottom of David's feet "You believe your father's sword is your strength, don't you, Connor?"

He didn't answer her She stared into his eyes, waited no th comes from within It's your determination, your patience, your skill, but iant and saved his people You have already saved your followers"

"But I have still to slay the enemy"

"Look around you and see what you have accomplished David will always represent what you were, and what you have become You are worthy"

She lifted the medallion up so he could see it more clearly "This is your past and your present" And then she turned it over "And this is your future"

He recognized the symbol, for it was the same as the one on his wife'shiive her his love in return

He didn't say a word, or give her any other indication that he would, or could, give her what she wanted

He see aloof, distant, and yet she could see the ed to hear were there, inside his

"You have only to open your heart to accept this"

She placed the ain and then leaned close and kissed him

She tried to pull back He wouldn't let her He wrapped his arain, desperate now as he ravaged herher to show her howhis ive her what he knew he couldn't

Their lovee, and it was only after he had satisfied her twice more and she had collapsed into sleep on top of hireatest weakness

She terrified hione Brenna awakened late thatwhen Netta knocked on the door She called out to her to please wait a moment, then sat up in bed and reached for her robe

Her husband's medallion was underneath it She felt a moment's disappointment before common sense told her he hadn't wanted to disturb her sleep searching for it, so he had sione downstairs She put the medallion on the chest next to the bed and hurried to the door while she put on her robe