It had been three years since her mother had attempted to get her to marry a son of one of the lords from the western clans. Since the incident with the spell and the bear, that nobody ever mentioned. I have mostly gotten along with my mother. Although we still did not see eye to eye on almost anything. My mother still made me continue my lessons with the hope that I would behave like the princess, and future Queen, that I am. She had at least backed off about me finding a husband, and gave me more freedom to explore our vast kingdom.

"Mum, why do I have to go to some strange Queens's coronation? I've never even heard of Erridale? Aryandelle?" I pouted.

"Arendelle, Merida we must go as good neighbours, and Arendelle would make an excellent trading partner for our Kingdom," Mum stated in her matter of fact manner.

"But that doesn't answer why I have to go," I wined.

Mum sighed. "Because I told you that we are going, anyway Merida it should be an excellent learning experience for you and you can see how a young Queen should behave." I turned and stomped away from my mother "We leave in three days. Make sure you start packing" Queen Elinor called after me.

I stomp upstairs to my room and slam my door before collapsing on my bed. "AARAGH!" I yell as I lie on my bed. Why does my mother have to be so infuriating? I think to myself. She didn't even say how we were going to get to Arendelle, where is this place anyway? I hope I can bring Angus. This trip would be even duller if I can't escape and go for a ride. With that thought I decide that it is time to get up and go for a ride, I can't risk running into my mother so I decide it would be safer to escape out my bedroom window and scale my way down the castle wall. I grab bow and quiver, strap them to my back and climb out of the window. Once I make it to the ground I run around the side of the castle, ducking whenever I run past a window until I reach the stables. Swinging open the stable door the horses give a neigh of welcome. I make my way past all the other horses until I reach my Angus. "Angus you are a great big beaut, ain't ya" I coo at my horse as I tack him for a ride. Grabbing a hold of his mane I jump up on his great back with ease, and after giving him a nudge we burst out of the stables and into the safety of the forest.

Holding on to Angus with my knees, I take my bow off my back and pull an arrow out of my quiver. As Angus gallops like the wind I took aim at the targets that I have set up ages ago, with my aim true, as always, I let lose my arrow to have it pierce the bulls-eye. Without missing a beat I took out another arrow and shot it at the target. I let loose three more arrows that found their bullseyes before taking two additional arrows, holding one between my teeth and shooting the first at the target before turning to shoot at the back of the other. I always rode Angus up to the fire falls, and when we reached out destination I leaned forward to give him a hug before jumping from his back. "Oh Angus, I hope I can take you with me to Arendelle, I bet this is just another one of mum's plans to marry me off to some lord or prince" Angus to snorts in reply. I wonder what this Queen is like though I wonder to myself if mum even mentioned her name.

Lying back on the soft grass I watch the clouds drift by in the otherwise perfectly blue sky. I watch them as they make amazing shapes right before my eyes - a rabbit turns into a boat and then a dragon. I almost forget about my mother and the trip, until the sun begins to set and the blue becomes a mix of pinks, purples, and oranges. I jump up as I whistle to Angus to approach, then I leap onto his back and head home. "Damn, me mum is gonna kill me" I say to myself as Angus gallops as fast as he can. Maudie is waiting for me at the stables when I arrive "Your mother was about the send out the search party, lassie" Maudie lectured, as I dismounted Angus. "I was barely late" I sighed, before handing Angus's reigns to Finn the stableboy, and heading inside.

"Merida, where were you?" mum yells as soon as I walk into the dining room. Before I even have a chance to answer, my dad King Fergus interrupts

"Ah leave the girly alone, let's eat." Me mother just sighs and goes back to reading a letter or something like that. I tuck into my turkey as dad tells my three brothers the story about how he lost his leg for the thousandth time. I take another turkey leg and a couple of sweet buns, then get up to leave the table. Mum glances up from her letter, "Where do ye think ya going, lassie?" she asks.

"To pack" I lie to shut her up and make my way to my room, stuffing the rest of my dinner down before sitting in bed with my poetry book slash diary.