He stretched his hands behind his head. “Taking the prize is what it has always been about.”

She smiled, but her eyes looked sad. “Your da would be proud of ye. Taking over the clan he despised, taking the daughter of his sworn enemy and the power away from his only son. Aye, my brother would toast ye with the finest whisky for taking all the prizes.”

He stared at her, and she finally walked down the short aisle. “What have ye to gain by taking today?”

He turned to look at the shattered glass. “A clan, a castle, hundreds of horses, warriors, and…a wife.”

She stopped in front of him to lean against the granite altar, making some of the shards clink on the stone floor. “Ye already have all those things…except a wife.”

“But by bringing the Sutherlands under the Sinclairs, we will be the strongest clan in the Highlands.”

She leaned closer, her words intense as she met his gaze with hard eyes. “Sinclairs are already the strongest clan in the Highlands.”

“Then what would ye have me do? I am the first of the horsemen.”

Merida smiled. “First of all, it is not the end of days, as far as I know. God does not need ye to ride down slicing through everyone yet.” She slashed her arm as if she wielded a sword. “My brother thought it was the end of days after your mother died.” She lowered her arm, shaking her head. “But it was not. And if ye read anything of the Bible besides the bloody end, ye would see that the plan is all about love, which has absolutely nothing to do with conquering.”

Love? “I do not understand.”

Her smile remained, and she closed her eyes, opening them again with a shake of her head. “No, ye do not, but I was rather hoping that ye were learning about it.”

After a moment of silence between them, Merida crossed her arms. “I may not have found a love in this world, but I have been alive long enough to have seen it.” She swatted her hand in the air. “Love messes up things, turns logical men and women into fools, changes perfect strategies.” She plopped her hands back in their usual place on her hips, leaning toward him. “And it definitely has nothing to do with taking.” She shook her head. “Conquest is about taking. Love is all about giving.”

She straightened. “Ye must decide if it is worth…well, everything.” After a moment, she tipped her head toward the front of the chapel. “And this mess is going to have to be cleaned up,” she said, arching a brow at him. “After ye come to your senses and talk to Ella.” She turned, her heels crunching on the glass, and walked out of the chapel.