It was another evening in DunBroch, not long after the entire royal family had finished eating dinner together. The dinner table had been cleared from the Great Hall, and only Fergus and Elinor were there right now, as all four of their children and their two Scottish deerhounds had gone upstairs. For the moment, though, Fergus was glad because he realized that, with their children out of the room, he was alone with only his beloved wife in the large space of the hall.

Taking the opportunity to ask her before there was too much of a long and awkward silence between them, Fergus cleared his throat. "Elinor, dear?" he asked.

Elinor, who was glancing around the hall, as she felt that she and Fergus were being secretly watched, turned in his direction and asked, "Yes, Fergus?"

Though Fergus was known for not being a very good public speaker or diplomat like Elinor was, he had virtually no trouble thinking up the words he wanted to say to Elinor as he said, "My love, seeing as how we are alone at last in this entire hall, I was wondering if you might join me for a dance."

Upon hearing the last word of Fergus's request, Elinor's eyes widened slightly, but at the same time, she couldn't help but let out a curious smile. "Fergus," she began, "we haven't danced together in many years, not since before you lost your leg. Are you able to dance with that wooden one?"

"Aye, my dear. I'll not let this wooden leg keep me from having a dance with the woman I love so much." Fergus extended his hand out to Elinor, offering her the chance to take it. "Shall we, then?"

Elinor smiled at him again as she placed her tiny hand into his massive one. Once her hand was in his, she walked closer to him. As they looked at each other, she stopped in front of him, after which she curtsied to him. He returned the favor by bowing to her. After that, Fergus took Elinor's right hand in his left one and placed his right hand on her waist. Keeping their eyes on each other, Fergus took a step forward, prompting Elinor to take a step back in the same direction Fergus had moved. For the next few steps, Elinor was able to keep up with Fergus whenever he took a certain step. Without saying a word to her first, Elinor instinctively knew before Fergus even twirled her that he was going to do that. Once he turned her forward again, he brought her closer to him than he had her to him since they began dancing.

Elinor noticed that Fergus had stopped moving his feet all of a sudden so she stopped moving, too. Keeping his eyes on her, he brought a hand to her cheek and pushed back some hair that had fallen there. Smiling, he said, "You look so beautiful with your hair down, Elinor."

Like Fergus had said, Elinor was wearing her long hair down and let it flow. She had only recently started wearing it like that, which was a new thing for her to do since before, she had almost always worn it in two very large braids.

Since the time of Merida and Elinor had spent time together when Elinor was a bear, both had showed some changes in their personalities. Elinor had become less strict and less of a perfectionist, and more open to and accepting of new things. She was wearing her hair down now because she realized that she liked wearing it that way rather than just always sticking to the braids. Although she also wore a new gown because her green one had ripped when she became a bear, she wore her blue one more often and was wearing it now. Although Fergus loved Elinor dearly even before this experience had taken place, he realized now how much he liked the changes she had made to herself. But he also realized now, more than ever, just how much he loved her, especially when he thought back on when he saw Elinor as a bear and believed she had been killed, not to mention he refused to listen to Merida's when she insisted that the bear was Elinor.

Fergus remembered how he had come close to killing Elinor himself, and how it would have happened had Merida not intervened at that very moment. Even now, because he realized just how dear Elinor was to him, he occasionally had bad dreams and thoughts that he actually went through with it.

Fergus thought of that very moment as he finished saying how beautiful Elinor looked with how she wore her hair, and he brought his hands to her cheeks as he pressed his head to hers.

"I love you, Elinor," Fergus said. "I love you and I've always loved you, but I don't think I ever fully realized how precious you are to me until I saw what happened in our room…and what I thought had happened to you."

Elinor realized where Fergus was going, and she calmly said to him, "I love you, too, Fergus, and I feel so pleased to hear and know just how much you love me. I never had doubts that you loved me…I think our children represent that, don't you?" she asked as she winked at him.

"Aye, love," Fergus answered. "Since your adventure with Merida, I've noticed how much she has changed, just like you have. She really does take after you, you know."

"Aye," Elinor agreed. "But after seeing her speech to the lords, I think it's fair to say that she takes after both of us. In good ways, I might add."

"Merida is a passionate and fiery young lass, but I have no doubt by now that she will make a fine ruler of this kingdom one day," Fergus admitted.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Fergus. DunBroch is now in good hands thanks to Merida."

"I think more of the thanks goes to both of you."

Fergus and Elinor let out a laugh at the same time. Once they finished, they looked deep into each other's eyes, and Fergus leaned towards Elinor to kiss her. Feeling the tenderness of his lips on hers, Elinor closer her eyes and happily reciprocated her husband's kiss. They remained kissing as Fergus placed both of his hands on Elinor's back, and Elinor placed her hands on Fergus's chest.

At the very moment that the couple were sharing the moment of intimacy in their kiss, Merida and the triplets were secretly watching them from the balcony above. All four of them had hidden in the shadows of the balcony as they sat down on its floor and watched their parents dance together. They were also in the company of their two deerhounds, Seamus and Donnan.

Merida smiled deeply as she watched her parents look into each other's eyes as they danced, and now more so as she saw them kiss. Taking the moment to do so made Merida realize how she never really took so much time to see how much her parents loved each other. Yes, she knew that her parents had been betrothed to each other in an arranged marriage, just like what she was supposed to have done not too long ago. She saw that her parents were about as opposite as they could be, not just with their appearances, but with their personalities. Her father was an excellent warrior and could lead his men out on a battlefield, but her mother had more skill in ruling the kingdom when it came to speaking in public and maintaining peace. And yet her parents were perfect for each other, not just because they each had important traits for running the kingdom, but because their differences were complementary to the other person. Fergus was known for being hot-tempered and impulsive at times, and Elinor could help him avoid going too far with those and getting him to be more calm. At the same time, Elinor could be so strict and uptight when she wanted to keep things running smoothly, and Fergus was able to comfort her and get her to be more relaxed so she wouldn't have to always be so worried and nervous.

Despite their differences, Fergus and Elinor loved each other very much, and Merida could see that between them even now. Merida remembered the reasons as to why she was previously against betrothal when she was told she had to get married. She wasn't crazy about going through a forced and arranged marriage, especially to someone she didn't know and had never met. But now, seeing her parents together like this made her realize that marriage may not be as bad as she initially thought. Although she still wasn't ready to get married, she realized that when she did, she wanted it to be with a man she loved and who would love her in return. Merida felt lucky to be loved by her family and to love them, but seeing the kind of love her parents showed towards each other made her realize that she wanted just what they had.

As she thought more about her parents, Merida's smile soon fell from her face, and she stood up from the balcony floor and walked to her room. Seamus, the older of the two dogs, noticed her leave and stood up from where he was lying down and followed after Merida.

When she reached her room, Merida didn't bother to shut the door after her. The moment that she sat down on the edge of her bed, she heard the sound of panting, so she looked over to her door just as Seamus appeared there.

Merida smiled widely as she gestured her arm out to him and said, "Come over here, Seamus."

Seamus seemed only too happy to obey her command as he trotted into the room and sat down in front of her. As soon as he sat down, Merida began patting and stroking his head gently. She thought he was enjoying it because of his constant panting. Then she placed her left hand on his neck as she pulled him closer for a hug, with his head going onto her left shoulder. She put her other hand on his back and stroked his fur there. She heard Seamus stop panting, then felt him give her a few licks on her cheek. She smiled at that and continued to hold him.

Merida was still holding Seamus that way when Elinor came up to her door and walked in the room. Seeing Merida in that position, along with the look on her face, Elinor asked, "Merida? Are you all right, dear?"

Not expecting to hear her mother's voice, Merida gasped and looked over at her as she let go of Seamus. "Mum!" she exclaimed, then she calmed down as she said, "Yes, Mum, I'm all right. Why did you think something was wrong with me?"

Elinor walked into the room and sat down on the bed with Merida. "Nothing, dear, except that you looked a little unhappy when I saw how you were hugging Seamus here, and I just wondered if there was a reason why."

Merida shook her head and repeated, "No, Mum. I'm all right, I promise." She smiled uneasily, hoping to convince her mother.

Elinor frowned slightly, but gently said, "Merida, after what we've gone through together, I thought we realized that our lack of communication was our problem. I want things to be better between us now, and we've been making more progress. Please don't shut me out; if something is bothering you, don't be afraid to tell me anymore. I'll listen to you and help if you if I can."

Merida sighed, realized she couldn't hide anything from her mother anymore. "Well, the boys and I were watching you and Dad dance in the Great Hall a while ago."

Elinor laughed a little. "So you did see us. I thought your father and I were being watched." She winked at Merida, then continued, "But what's bothering you about that?"

"No, it's not that, Mum. It's just…," she sighed again, wondering how to get the words out. "Watching you and Dad together just made me realized something that I never gave a lot of thought to before."

"And what might that be, Merida?"

"You see, Mum, when you first announced the news about my betrothal to me, I wasn't happy because I wasn't ready to get married. I wasn't ready to completely give up my life to a lad I didn't even know. At the time, yes, I was thinking that I may never want to get married and just stay single for the rest of my life. Growing up, I never really had a desire to be like other ladies in finding a man to be with for the rest of my life. I felt like I could do things on my own, not have a man do them for me. I certainly did not want to be a kind of lady who just does what her husband tells her to do, especially if it was to always keep quiet and never speak her mind."

Elinor kept her eyes on her daughter as she spoke, and Merida continued, "By now, I realize how different I am as a lady, and I am glad that you have learned to accept me for who I am. But see, watching you and Dad dance together made me think that, maybe marriage wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would be. Seeing how much Dad loves you and you love him makes me realize that I want what you two have. I want to find someone to love, and for him to love me in return, and accept me for who I am."

When she was sure that Merida had finished speaking, Elinor smiled warmly and said, "I'm glad you told me this, Merida. In fact, your own personal thoughts about this kind of relationship is part of the reason why I decided to break the betrothal tradition with the lords. Since your speech showed me just how much I did get through to you with my lectures and you realized the serious consequences your actions nearly had, I realized that I just couldn't force you to go through with this kind of responsibility and commitment right now. And as the lords agreed, since their sons felt the same way as you did, it's why we decided it would be better for you to get to know them first, and then, hopefully, you will choose one of them in the end. Eventually, you do still have go through with this, but we will be giving you your own time, space, and choice to do it. I want to do it when you are ready, and to be confident in yourself and not be afraid."

"I realize that now, Mum. And I actually want to take the chance to get to know the lords' sons, not so much to find out which one I may marry, but to make friends with people close to my age."

"Well, Merida, if you feel that way, then I would start out by being friends with the young lords. You don't want to rush into anything, and falling in love with someone can take time. Just take the time to get to know the young lords, befriend them, see how much you like or get along with them, and who knows? One of them just may surprise you, and maybe you'll even surprise them. I know first impressions can be important, dear, but you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them."

Merida realized where her mother was going with this. "I know that, Mum. I think that, back on the day when they all arrived, the only impressions I had was that I was not going to choose any one of them, particularly based on my first impressions of them when they were first introduced. Except maybe, well…"

Elinor suddenly became interested in Merida's last few words and noticed her hesitation. Although she didn't want to sound nosy, she asked, "Except maybe what, dear?"

Merida thought she felt her face getting warm and tried to avoid making eye contact with her mother as she admitted, "Except, well…I might have had a better impression about Young MacGuffin more than the other two, despite the unusual language he spoke." Merida grinned sheepishly and uneasily as she finished her sentence.

Elinor's face perked up with surprise and curiosity upon hearing Merida's confession. "Really, Merida?"

Not knowing what else to say, Merida nodded her head slowly. "Yes, Mum. I feel that I…took a slight liking to Young MacGuffin when I first saw him during his introduction. I pulled the wimple over my head in disgust after seeing Young Macintosh and I was shocked upon seeing how short and scrawny Wee Dingwall was. But Young MacGuffin, well…I still had the wimple over my eyes, but I couldn't help but peek one out when his father was talking about him. Let's just say that what I saw in him, I liked a little more than what I saw in the other two sons."

"Well, Merida, I'm very surprised and a little bit impressed with your thoughts, especially that you had taken a little time to consider one of the sons' personalities that day. And since you mention him, I was actually curious if he was the suitor you were going to pick before I interrupted you."

"Yes, Mum. I know he didn't win the archery contest, but I think I was going to choose him because, in some ways, he reminded me of Dad, since Dad is big, strong, and a good warrior, and he's perfect for you. I can't say too much about Young MacGuffin right now, probably because it's more of a process of elimination, and was when I tried to make a choice. But from what I remember, he was shy and nervous, but calm and seemingly caring. I don't know, I just thought I could see things in him that I liked that I couldn't really see in the other two…especially Young Macintosh and his behavior when he missed the target's bulls-eye."

When she sure that Merida had finished speaking, Elinor said, "I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear your thoughts about this, Merida. I like hearing the thoughts you had on one of the lords' sons and that you are now more open to the idea of wanting to get to know them instead of wanting absolutely nothing to do with any of them. You know, one way that I know that I have changed from our experience together is learning to try new things and accepting of things that are different. I can see that has happened to you as well, especially after what you just told me now."

"I meant every word that I had just said, Mum. I don't want to rush into anything with any of them, but I do want the opportunity to get to know them…and hopefully pick one of them one day."

"Well, one way that might help you, Merida, is if you start communicating with them now rather than waiting until their next visit. Why don't you consider writing to them and see where that goes?"

"I like that idea, Mum. In fact, I have been thinking about it for a while, and since I am not busy, I think I will start one now."

"That's a good lass," Elinor said as she brought her hand up and pulled Merida's over to her chin. She stroked some of Merida's hair, then kissed the top of her head. As she stood up from her place on the bed, she said, "I'll leave you to it, and let me know how it goes."

"I will, Mum," Merida replied. She and her mother exchanged a loving smile at each other before Elinor left the room.

Merida sighed as she stood up and walked over to her desk. As she sat down, she gathered some parchment and her quill. Then she noticed that Seamus had taken a seat right next to her desk. She smiled down at him and asked, "Would you like to hear my letter to Young MacGuffin when it's through?"

Seamus barked, and Merida let out a small laugh as she said, "I take it that means you do."

Seamus barked again, and Merida reached down to stroke his head. Once she was done, she dipped her quill in the ink and began her letter to Young MacGuffin.

Okay, this Brave story is another idea I've had in mind, namely with Merida seeing her parents together in a romantic way and realizing that wants the kind of love that they have with each other. Then it gets to when she shares with Elinor that she realizes that marriage may not be so bad after all, especially if it's with someone she really loves. Since it was originally going to be set for her to be paired with Young MacGuffin, it's why I decided to have her mention him to Elinor here. Of course, I feel that parts of the narrative between Fergus and Elinor aren't the best, but please don't criticize me for it! If you have anything to say, leave a review, but a good one. :)

In one of my friend Sarah's (Scotch-Irish-Rose) stories, she gave the royal family's Scottish deerhounds the names Seamus and Donnan. With her permission, she allowed me to use those same names for my story here, so I want to give a special thanks to her. :D