Prologue
When at Midnight, the Monsters Come Out to Play
Merida turned over in her bed to face a beam of light shining through the window, onto her. Her sword, leaning against the bedstead, reflected the moonlight and illuminated the entire room because of it. The awe-inspiring tapestry of mother and daughter still hung on the wall next to her fireplace; she turned to look at it. But as well as reminding her of the journey that she and her mother had made together, it also reminded her of how she behaved before it had been made. Selfish, rash, stubborn - she'd taken those words straight from her mother's mouth. She didn't want to think about that Merida, she just wanted to sleep now. It surely wasn't too much to ask, besides, it was still dark outside. After a few minutes of silence, though, thunder sounded in the distance. Angus, the Princess' sturdy horse, whinnied outside in fear.
"Angus!" She shouted at him in response, turning her body away from the window. Her voice then shifted into a whisper, "Shut it, ya wee baby." She was half tempted to get up solely for the purpose of throwing a bucket of water on him if he didn't stop whining - he didn't. Sighing heavily, Merida tore the bed covers away from her, the cold hitting her like a sword to the face. She shielded herself for a few seconds, then stood, exhausted from the lack of sleep.
"I'll be beltin' ya if no other doesnae do it." She moaned under her breath while pulling on a plainly coloured, simple garb and black, comfortable shoes. Then, moved towards the heavy wooden door to the hallway, grasping her bow and quiver from the lid of the chest kept at the end of her bed while she passed it. The last thing she made a note to take with her was the hooded cloak she usually wore when she ventured out from the castle and into the wilderness. Passing through the kitchen, he picked up two apples and placed one into her mouth. Maudie was asleep in a chair, with her head on her arms against the table. It was obvious she'd fallen into slumber while getting breakfast ready, so there was less to do in the morning. Merida chuckled and unlocked the door as silently as she could - opening it, however, was a different matter. Due to the wind, it swung open violently, turned one hundred and eighty degrees to smash against the castle's stone walls. She winced, but was fortunate it hadn't woken the kitchen maid; she'd only scream if it had. Finally out of the restrictions of her home, Merida finished off the apple and gave the other to Angus when she reached him.
"Easy lad; there's nay monster, it's tha wind, ya cuddie." She patted his neck tenderly while he ate his treat, the wind ripping through his mane wildly to irritate her cheeks. She secured her weapons and mounted the beast, urging him into a trot until the portcullis stood in front of her. One of the guards called to her from above.
"Who goes thar?" He cried to her. Merida knew that he was doing his job - but it was pointless sounding so aggressive when she was already within the castle walls, so therefore not a threat.
"Jus' open the gate before I run ya through!" She retaliated, equally as aggressive. The guard apologised upon recognising the voice, then rushed to let her through. It didn't seem to dawn on him that it was the middle of the night, and he probably shouldn't be letting anybody out, never mind the Princess. But it was his mistake, and she wasn't about to stop for him. Goading Angus forward, she charged from the keep and onto the stone bridge, trepidation emerging in the corner of her mind. If her mother found out about this - and she probably would - there could be disastrous consequences. The thunder rumbled once more. Louder this time, but upon looking up, Merida noticed that the sky was crystal clear. Nor clouds, or rain in sight on the horizon.
"Wha's up with that?" She pondered aloud, still urging her horse into a faster pace. She pulled her bow up from over her shoulder and wielded it, nocking an arrow into place, but keeping the weapon leant against her leg. She was ready to shoot, but wasn't going to waste an arrow for mindless practice when she knew something was wrong. In the corner of her eye, she saw the ring of stones through the trees. She knew the clan had replaced the fallen stone onto its pillar, and Mor'du's head now made a wonderful conversation starter in the Great Hall - but fear of the great monster had never left her, even past the death of it. When she finally reached the plain, which stood underneath the Crone's Tooth and Firefalls, she slowed Angus to a halt. In the distance, the visage of the moon could be seen clearly and though it wasn't a full moon, she could still make out the silhouettes that blocked the view in front of it.
"They look like birds," She whispered without letting her eyes drop. It was true, they did look like birds, but the appeared far too big to be any of the creatures she'd come across before and they were all different shapes, and sizes. It was a fantastic sight, but Merida knew it meant trouble, and at that thought, the thunder clapped once again in the distance. "Wha' do you think, Angus?" She called out to the horse below her, leaning forward to play with his ears for a free moment. She glanced back up the birds and narrowed her eyes; she had to go inform her father of this. He could be angry she'd snuck out, but if the clan faced attack, she was sure he'd overlook that small detail. She pulled on the reins and dug in her heels to head home.