Dagger
Gruadh narrates, "Kicking, shrieking, twisting like an eel in the arms of a stranger, I managed to tear his dagger from his belt, slicing my thumb like a sausage. With no idea how to handle the thing, I meant to defend myself. A fierce urge insisted upon it." Here, the dagger is indicative of defense. Gruadh’s instincts inspire her to snatch it so that she can impede her ongoing abduction.
Wounds
Gruadh explains, “My brother, Farquhar, died of the wounds he took in my defense. I saw the angled sprawl of his body, though my father’s men shielded me from the full sight. I remember, too, the taste of my salt tears, and my father’s roar of grief echoing in the chill air.” The wounds are tantamount to sacrifices which are contributory to Gruadh's liberation. The brother is comparable to a buffer that uses his life to guard the princess from abduction.
