I own nothing. Song belongs to Idina Menzel and Merida and Elinor belong to Disney / Pixar.

Brave

Merida x Elinor

Merida galloped away from the castle, unsure of where she was heading and not caring if anyone saw her. She shivered slightly—she wasn't a little girl anymore.

"I don't know just where I'm going and tomorrow—it's a little overwhelming and the air is cold and I'm not the same anymore."

Merida stared blankly at a small lake, not sure of what she was seeing. She had to stop running to the queen every time she got scared. She was afraid of failing and yet looked up to Elinor, in spite of how the queen pushed her or perhaps that was why Merida so desperately wanted to please her mother.

"I've been running in your direction for too long now. I've lost my own reflection and I can't look down if you're not there to catch me when I fall."

Merida met a witch and asked for a spell to change her mother.

"If this is the moment I stand here on my own, if this is my rite of passage that somehow leads me home, I might be afraid, but it's my turn to be brave. If this is the last chance before we say goodbye, at least it's the first day of the rest of my life—I can't be afraid 'cause it's my turn to be brave."

Elinor sighed—all she wanted was what was best for her daughter—but was that possible with Merida pushing her away?

"All along, all I ever wanted was to be the light when your life was daunting, but I can't see mine when I feel as though you're pushing me away."

Mother and daughter looked at each other—whose fault was this?—as they interrupted each other's apologies. Or had Elinor been blind to the brokenness of her relationship with her firstborn?

"Well—who's to blame?"

They went upstairs and now Merida sighed. Then the two fled the castle. Was this the best decision?

"Are we making the right choices 'cause we can't be sure if we're hearing our own voices as we close the door even though we are so desperate to stay."

Merida was on her own when she realized that the witch couldn't help her. When she and her mother were ambushed by Mor'du, Merida had to be brave and jump to her mother.

"If this is the moment I stand here on my own, if this is my rite of passage that somehow leads me home, I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave. If this is the last chance before we say goodbye, at least it's the first day of the rest of my life—I can't be afraid 'cause it's my turn to be brave."

They reached the palace but Elinor had to flee, after hurting Merida. Locked in the tapestry room, Merida gathered what she needed—the tapestry and needle and thread as her brothers—now bear cubs got the key.

"And I might still cry and I might still bleed—this heart on my sleeve —these thorns in my side and lightning may strike this ground at my feet and I might still crash but I still believe..."

Merida loosed an arrow, knocking his sword away from Elinor. "NO!" the princess cried. "I won't let you kill my mother."

"This is the moment I stand here all alone, with everything I have inside, everything I own. I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave."

Elinor stared stunned at her daughter as she looked at the three little bears and said, "Boys." Fergus stared and then Mor'du arrived. Rather than be scared, Elinor gathered her strength and attacked, killing Mor'du and saving her precious daughter. Merida saved her mother and silently promised herself that she would never do anything like that again.

"If this is the last time before we say goodbye, at least it's the first day of the rest of my life—I can't be afraid 'cause it's my turn to be brave."

Things between the mother and daughter improved—almost back to the way they were before the triplets were born.

The End