Author's Note: This chapter/prologue is set when Merida and her suitors are children. I know this has been done before, but the whole 'flashback' thing is just for this chapter. The rest will be set in Brave time.

Hope you enjoy :P

"Merida! The lords and princes are here!"

The young princess responded to her mother's call, and ran towards her. In front of the king and queens were three men, three women, and three little boys that ran around their father's feet.

"Little tykes," exclaimed Fergus, Merida's father.

They quickly separated into groups, the women talking to Merida's mum and the men talking to Merida's dad. She was stuck playing with the three little boys, who looked like younger versions of their fathers. The first one was a skinny lad with long black hair and bit of blue war paint over his right arm. He introduced himself as Torrence and proudly exclaimed, "I, my dear friends, am the best archer in DunBroch!"

"I don't believe you!" said Merida. Torrence just flipped a strand of long, black hair out of his face.

"How 'bout I prove it?" he said with an air of foolish pride. Torrence picked up Merida's bow and a set of arrows. "I'll shoot right at that tree."

He got himself ready, pulled back the arrow, and let it go. The arrowhead barely scratched off a chink of the tree bark, and flew off into the forest.

Torrence looked abashed. He stared back at Merida and practically threw the bow at her. "As if you could do any better!"

The little redheaded girl grunted, and positioned her bow and her aim to the tree. She placed an arrow in her bow and adjusted it. She raised her steady arms, and with a quick hand, she let the arrow find its way and sink itself deep into the tree trunk.

The two other boys beside her began to applaud, and the one nearest her held out his massive hand to shake hers.

"My name—Ian." He said, as Merida shook his hand enthusiastically. "Good to meet you, Ian. I'm Merida." Ian was at least a head taller than all the other boys, and had dirty blonde hair with shy, brown eyes. By the way he spoke, Merida could tell that he wasn't very used to speaking in Scots, but if so, what language did he speak in? Merida would try to find out later.

"I'm Abernathy." Said the boy beside him, who was small with spiked blonde hair and a dazed expression as he shook Merida's hand. He seemed very interesting—and very confused.

The little girl turned to Ian, who blushed slightly. "You're—pretty." He said with some struggle.

It was Merida's turn to go red. "Thank you."

She ran to her mother, who was talking to the three ladies that had arrived with the little boys (Merida assumed that these were their mothers). She tugged at the forest green dress of her mother until she looked down at her blue-eyed daughter.

"What is it, Merida?" she said, picking up the little girl and placing her on her lap. The three other women didn't seem to mind at all that their conversation had just been disrupted.

"Mum, why are these people here?"

Elinor (The queen, and Merida's mother) gave a very embarrassed laugh, and said, "These people are from the different clans, my dear." She began to point to the three ladies surrounding them. "That's Lady Macintosh, the mother of young Torrence over there…" she said, referring to the woman with the braided black hair that reached her waist, "…Lady MacGuffin, over here, mother of young Ian…" she pointed to the woman in the lime-green dress with dirty blonde hair that matched the little boy's.

"Your son said that I was pretty." Said Merida, making Lady MacGuffin laugh. "Oh, did he now?" she said with a heavy Scottish accent. All four of the women laughed.

"And over here, finally, is Lady Dingwall, Abernathy's mother."

"Hello," she said, with a calm and clear voice. This woman looked nothing like her son, save for the pale green eyes. She had long, brunette hair that reached to her knees, and a flowing blue gown that swept the grass.

"But mummy," said Merida, "You still haven't explained why they're here!"

Elinor gave her daughter a stern look, and finally said, "They are here in hope that you will get to know their sons."

"Why?"

The queen gave a sigh. "Well, you're going to have to know anyway—they're here because when you grow older, they will try to win your hand in marriage."

Merida seemed confused. "But mum—I'm only seven years old!"

"Oh well, just go on and play with them." Said her mother as she gave a sort of musical laugh. Her daughter leapt out of her arms and ran towards the three little boys.