Page 3 (1/1)

Dage for a wos that a warlord like her father would use during battle, but he’d been unable to ignore the way she had with canines But nore the fact that she’d trained every battle dog within his province to respond only to her voice, her command She’d only been a month shy of her tenth birthday when she’d plotted, planned, and executed her first victory She clearly re in front of her father, every vicious, uncontrollable battle dog standing in front, beside, or behind her at attention and waiting for orders Squinting up at her father, for even then her long-distance sight had been failing, Dagmar softly explained, "I am sorry your trainer lost his arm, Father Perhaps you need someone who can handle these animals a bit better, with kindness rather than brutality"

"You’re just a girl," he’d snarled back, gesturing at her with that trainer’s torn and blood-drenched ar," she very nearly whispered, her eyes downcast "But I do know dogs"

"Show aze to , then s charged over and tore into the guard that had once referred to her as "that ugly girl"

Her father watched the dog do what he’d been trained to do, not at all concerned with the guard screaood," he’d finally said, but she’d known the test wasn’t over

"Thank you"

"Now call hie because the Reinholdt battle dogs could often be uncontrollable once the bloodlust got them Many of them were often put down by their own handlers at the end of battle

So, still keeping her father’s gaze, Dagave a short whistle, and , crying, and bleeding prey i in the spot he’d left His tongue hanging out, blood on hisfor her next co off with the trainer’s arm still in tow as it left a bloody trail behind hi or pet--on her father’s lands

Stopping abruptly when Canute did, Dagmar waited until a chalice flew past her head and into the wall beside her Another fight between one of her brothers and his wife

Not even bothering to look, she stepped over the rolling and dented chalice on the floor and headed to the Main Hall Her father sat at thetable; several of her brothers sat near or across from him as did their wives, but the chair next to hi she knew annoyed her sister-in-law Kikka, who sat glaring at her from across the table

As she walked in and took her seat, her father shoveled food into his e would try and ht of her father feeding

In her world, there orse things than bad table runted He’d never been a talkative hter After twelve sturdy sons fro childbirth--he never expected a daughter And he never expected a daughter like her When drunk, he often bemoaned the fact that she hadn’t been born a man He could dohe simply had to protect

It should hurt her that after all this tinize what she did for his fiefdo the defenses she’d designed, the dogs she’d trained to save the lives of hisbattle, or the ie But aste ti and would only take precious timar reached for a loaf of bread and tore it apart "The new batch of puppies looks very pro Powerful" She tore the half of bread in her hands once ain, but instead of waiting for an answer she didn’t expect, Dage one of the servants placed before her Theirhis lands, were often like this In fact, she’d becorunt that when her father suddenly did speak to her, Dagmar nearly choked on her food

"Pardon?" she said, once she’d sed

"I said what o with my seal on it?"

Dan your name to almost all correspondence So you’ll have to be more specific, Fa--"

"Cut to it," he snarled

So she would "I sent a e to Annwyl of the Dark Plains"

He stared at her for so long, she knew he had no idea who she ht"

Without another word, he stood and picked up his favorite battle ax Mornings were for battle training in the Northlands, when the two suns were in the sky but the air was still at its coldest As her father walked out of the Main Hall, Kikka put down her spoon and loudly asked, "Isn’t Annwyl of Dark Plains also called the Mad Bitch of Garbhán Isle?"