Highland Courage(60)
“If I don’t know my attacker, how can I know his weaknesses?”
“Because all men have certain weaknesses and arrogant men fail to guard against them from wee lasses.”
“I think I’d feel better with a weapon.”
Tadhg laughed. “I never knew my sweet bride was so bloodthirsty. The truth is, Mairead, any weapon takes years to master and it can quickly be turned against ye. Furthermore, if ye rely on a weapon but it isn’t to hand when ye need it, ye are left with nothing. Sweetling, the most powerful weapon ye have is your quick mind, and that is what ye will learn to use.”
She didn’t look as if she believed him but asked, “When will we start?”
“If ye want to learn, we’ll start now.”
“I am not as sure about this as ye seem to be, but I want to try.”
“Good. Let’s go back to David and Goliath. Why did Goliath’s strength not matter?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, ye do. Think about it.”
She thought for a moment. “Because he wasn’t close enough to David to use it.”
“Exactly. So your first defense is to avoid a situation where ye might be attacked. Ye are always guarded for that very reason. Never take unnecessary risks. What I am going to teach ye is to be used only if your other protection fails.”
“Aye, I understand.”
“If ye do find yourself faced with an attacker, stay out of his reach as long as possible and make as much noise as ye can. Scream your head off. Do whatever it takes to attract attention and summon help. Don’t let fear paralyze ye into inaction.”
“Avoid dangerous situations, evade an attacker, and attract attention,” she summarized.
“Smart lass. Aye. Avoid, evade, and attract attention. I think ye know how to avoid and how to attract attention so I am going to teach ye a bit more about how to evade. How to break someone’s hold on ye, allowing ye to get away. A man who grabs hold of ye is relying on his strength and your fear, so ye need cunning. When someone grabs ye, the natural response is to pull away, but ye won’t be able to if your attacker is bigger and stronger. Ye have to learn how to use your whole body and your attacker’s inherent weaknesses to break free.”
He spent several hours teaching her ways to escape an aggressor’s hold until she could use the weight and position of her body as well as that of her attacker’s body to maneuver out of various grips, enabling escape. When the time came for them to return to the keep, she was tired and flushed, but she seemed very pleased with what she had accomplished. However, as they rode toward home some of her fear resurfaced. “Tadhg, I appreciate everything ye have taught me, but what if it doesn’t work for some reason? What if I can’t maneuver and get away? David was only successful because Goliath never got close enough to him.”
He gave her waist a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. “I know, sweetling, but this is just the start. ’Tis true your best defense will always be distance, and so it is what ye must learn to use first, but there is much more to learn. It has taken years of training for me to be a warrior. It may take more than an afternoon to make ye one as well.”
She laughed. “Ye know I don’t want to be a warrior.”
“Aye, love, I do, but thinking on it now, warriors spend time training almost every day. Perhaps ye would gain more confidence if ye did as well.”
“Ye would take time to teach me?”
Tadhg laughed. “Of course I would.” Sobering a bit, he added, “It is important, Mairead. Although I pray ye won’t ever need to use these skills, I never want ye to feel helpless again. Ye have let fear rule your life for too many years and by doing so, ye gave your attackers power over ye. Ye have a choice to make, love, either ye feel the fear and choose to rule it or ye let it rule ye. I think knowing a bit about how to protect yourself might go a long way toward helping ye rule it.”
“So do I. Aye, since ye are willing, I want to train some every day.”
“That is what I thought my brave wife would say. Since ye have made that decision, there is one other thing I want to discuss.” She nodded and he went on, “I know after the Michaelmas Fair seven years ago, ye never left Carraigile until the day ye came to Cnocreidh. Just before Roodmas there is a May Fair not far from Currancreag, the Chisholm stronghold. I generally go every year with a fair number of my clan. If ye are willing, we could journey there first, going to Duncurra for the wedding on our way back.”
She looked up at him; the wistful look on her face nearly broke his heart. “I used to love fairs.” He remained silent and watched the play of emotions on her face. “I will be safe.”