Alright! It's time for some MERICCUP romance! First time with this couple and I'm excited to try them out! For the movie BRAVE, I'm twisting it around and pulling at it from the seams, so it will follow the story but not too much. Giving it a creative twist of my own along with intwining HTTYD1 and 2's storyline as well.
Get ready for a bumpy ride and please read and review after the end of the chapter! I would love to hear what you all think!
We begin in Scotland. It's vast green countryside spans as far as they eye can see, a beautiful land of fields and forests that stretched up to the horizon. It was a view only truly appreciated once you'd climbed the neck braking height up to the FireFalls. The land was known for its rich nature, and for its ancient kingdom of DunBroch, protected by a fearless ruler, King Fergus. At the birth of his dynasty Scotland enjoyed times of triumph and jubilee. However soon this Golden time was hunted by a specter of misery and darkness.
A twisted walord appeared, a man stronger than ten men who could vanquish entire armies without pause nor weary. He was the Prince Mordu. Hushed whispers had spoken that the he haunted the beautiful forests near the Kingdom. At night children were told to stay in bed or else the evil prince would find them and eat them. Doors closed tight at dark and the once joyful Scotland fell silent as night loomed.
Time past, and King Fergus felt the need to protect his people from the great danger that waited in the forest. So the King decreed that each and every man able to wield a sword was to train in order to protect the kingdom. Slowly peaceful years began to return to Scotland, and the shadow of the warlord was beaten back to grow in his darkness.
This is where our story begins, however not with a king, nor a power hungry warlord, but a young lady, a princess. Her name was Merida.
~XXxxxXX~
The sun was at its highest point in the sky, announcing to Scotland that it was noon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the silhouettes of birds the only brake in the constant blue. The Kingdom of DunBroch was making use of the sunshine with festivities. Crowds cheered for their favorite champions, hollering insults and curses at the losing warriors. Children laughed and played near the fights, munching merrily on what ever sweets and fruits they could get their little fingers on. Horses ran about in giant pens, where everyone took turns riding, grooming and even racing them.
The day was an excellent one, especially in the eyes of King Fergus. The burly man sat on his wooden throne underneath a tall tent, relaxed at the sight of his people enjoying the festivities on this glorious day. Drinking down a large gulp of water Fergus sighed deeply before turning his attention to the throne beside him.
Sitting back attentive but relaxed was the lovely wife of Fergus, Queen Elinor. Her smile was bright as she watched her people's merriment as they frolicked amongst each other, singing and dancing under the sun.
"Ah now ain't this grand" Fergus spoke softly to his wife, who hummed in reply. "The perfect weather for a birthday celebration, not a rain cloud to spoil it." Elinor was about to agree, but after scanning the crowds twice over she noticed something missing. Or to be more specific, someone.
"Yes Fergus, but it would be far grander if the guest of honour was amongst the crowd." Elinor replied dryly, her sharp eyes now scanning the mass of people for her sons. "At least the boys are here on the castle grounds. Right Fergus?" When Fergus did not answer her the Queen slowly turned to her husband who took the chance to gulp down his refill of water, eyes pointedly averted from his wife's questioning look. Elinor shook her head, breathing in heavily to calm her rising nerves. "Fergus?" She asked again.
"Elinor, the boys just went to fetch their sister. Remember we wanted her to leave the castle grounds so we could prepare the festivities. She's not a wee girl anymore dear." Fergus replied in a rush, not wanting to suffer her silent wrath so early in the morning, especially not after everything was going so smoothly. Elinor sighed, reclining back against her wooden throne and tried to will away the headache that was bound to happen. Fergus regrettably had a point. This was not three years ago when their eldest was sixteen, about to be married off to one of her suitors. The once sixteen year old was now a young woman, at the ripe age of nineteen. A lot had changed between those years, besides the princess was learning more about herself. She had more duties now, as royalty and as shieldmaiden, trusted to keep her people from outside danger.
"I just hope they come back soon. It's almost time for the racing games and I know she wouldn't want to miss it." Elinor sighed, rubbing her temples.
"My dear, I think you've forgotten the times when we were nineteen." King Fergus replied with a smile. This did nothing to help Elinor's headache.
~XXxxxXX~
Far off from the palace and into the deep green woods of Crone's Tooth, a giant mountain stood, a waterfall cascading down its rocky face. The sun's light was caught up in the shimmering water, glistening and dancing like silver flames. The beautiful waterfall was called the Fire Falls. It was said that only the bravest kings have climbed the fire, but for young princes Harris, Hubert and Hamish, they knew this enchanted place to be one of the very few locations where they could always guarantee finding their older sister when she disappeared into the woods. Merida made them promise not to speak about her safe haven to anyone else and it stayed a secret between the siblings. The triplets knew there sister needed her space, what with the surplus of new responsibilities now that she was getting older, along with the daunting duty of one day taking over the throne.
The wee devils finally made their way to the base of the massive mountain. There rested by a small pond, the yellow light from the sun crystallizing on the silver water's rippling surface. The triplets noticed Angus off to the side drinking from the pond but the rider was no where to be seen.
Stopping next to the large Clydesdale horse, the princes gave the black pony a passing pat on the nose before walking into the enchanted field ahead of them. Hamish took a big breath before making a bird call that echoed in the magical place. Once the call faded, a series of chirps responded. Hamish called again and the same chirps replied once more. The boys waited with bated breath until finally a crunch of rocks sounded, signaling someone creeping closer. From behind the bottom of the falls that lay before the princes appeared a black cloaked figure walking confidently towards the triplets.
With skilled grace, the cloaked figure skipped over the rocks of the pond landing next to the black and white horse, pulling off her hood as she went. Underneath the black hood was a young lady with curly red hair that looked to never cease. The bright mane was tamed from the back, held out of her eyes with two gold pins. Her hair ended at about mid-back, stray wispy bangs framing her peach face. Her sky blue eyes glinted in the sunlight and her pale freckled cheeks twitched as she smiled at the triplets. Her long front curls were wound into thin braids that came to rest in front of her chest which were held together with gold clips. Her body stood taller than three years ago, and her posture had changed to a confident authoritative stance. The nineteen year old princess had blossomed into a more mature and athletic young woman. Still active with her skills in archery, maintaining her title as the best in all the land the princess had most recently taken up the skill of sword fighting. She had already began to master it, and had broken the wrists of several overly ambitious men seeking to challenge her. Her body was adorned with a simple long blue dress tucked in an earthy brown corset that ended at her leather belt. A quiver of arrows hung from the belt and resting behind her left hip. Mud brown arm guards protected Merida's forearms along with fingerless black gloves that matched her black cape. Brown boots poked out from underneath the blue cotton of the princess' skirt. Lastly clipped around her neck was a thick brown chocker with the Dunbroch family emblem displayed on a small circle of shiny gold.
"Boys, what brings you wee devils here?" Merida asked, looking down at them with a playful gleam in her eyes. The young princes glanced at one another before Hubert reached into his back pocket and handed Merida a small pouch tied shut with a string. Merida took it into her hands, eyebrows rising with slight suspicion. They may have grown older, but their deviant ways were just as bad as their love for sweets. The princes smiles seemed genuine however, so Merida let her caution drop and opened the pouch. Shaking the small bag over her open hand fell a small flute, stretching a eight and a half inches between her fingers and made of polished silver. Merida blinked with surprise as she stared down at the gift handed to her. Hamish suddenly pulled something out from behind him. This caused Merida to look up from the silver flute and instead set her attention on the bag the boy was offering her. This one was considerably larger than the first. Taking it from him Merida opened it to find about twenty mini darts inside. The shaft of each dart was made of animal bone and painted the colour of tree bark. Small white, black and blue feathers made up the tails.
"Oh you wee rascals! A blowpipe! Arnt you boys the sweetest!" Merida said with a smile before engulfing her little brothers in a group hug. Squealing with delight, she carefully examined the blowpipe further, enjoying the detail and fine craftsmanship. The boys must have put a lot of work into this little project. The princes themselves were sharing proud smiles with each other as if saying to one another that it was their idea all along and they knew Merida would love the gift. No doubt a squabble would erupt later about whose idea the blowpipe originally was.
Before that fight could commence however, a loud toot from a horn blared through the forest alerting the siblings of the time.
"Race you devil's!" Merida announced before running to Angus, swinging herself onto the horse before her brothers could settle on top of their own mounts.
The children had just left the Firefalls behind them when a strange blue light appeared, floating in the center of the pond. It was a wisp. The small fairy giggled at the scene just exchanged by the royal siblings, rippling the silver water with its laughter. Then a grumble began to build in the clearing, rising above the sound of falling water. The same glowing blue light appeared behind the waterfall, growing in strength tell it was ten times brighter than the little wisp.
The source of the light came from not one but two shiny jewels that hid behind the loud roar of the water.
The little wisp disappeared but quickly reappeared just at the base of the pond. This time however the blue fairy was not alone. New wisps appeared, one after another. They formed a trail that followed the royal siblings' path back to the palace grounds. Not a second later, a black foot pushed through the water and took a step forward...
~XXxxxXX~
Merida laughed audibly as she rode on Angus' through the trees, her body shaking with merriment from the festivities she had just left. Her nineteenth birthday was a huge celebration that kept the young princess's smile permanently etched on her face. The whole kingdom was in high spirits after enjoying the racing games and assortment of food served. Cake was still smeared over the corner of the princess's mouth as she smiled happily to herself. This year was far better than she had expected.
For the past few years earlier, her birthday's were somewhat of a drag. Merida's mother was constantly forcing new, tighter fitting dress on the princess and hinting about young suitors the queen thought may interest the her. Merida understood that her mother just wanted her to be taken care of in the future years, but the princess's heart was still wilde and looking for adventure.
Though, that being said, the little mishap of turning her mother into a bear was quite an adventure itself.
Merida for that moment in time thought that her life was over at the jaws of Mordu, but when her mother fought back the beast, it was not the hedge of rock that saved them all. The princess sighed, rethinking the ordeal that had caused such a disaster between the clans and her family all because of her stubbornness and pride. Her fists tightened on the reins as she remembered the verbal fight between her and her mother that followed the princesses first attempt to dodge her betrothal.
However before Merida could fall back deeper into memory lane a wide field revealed itself. The princess guided Angus from the thick woods towards the rock path that led towards a deeper part of the forest and eventually back to the palace. The sun was slowly sinking towards the west, just on the edge of retiring for the evening. It's orange rays gave the rich green grass and trees a beautiful shine, catching in the branches and sewing into the grass, turning the green of Scotland a worm yellow. Merida smiled at the feeling of the sun's rays on her back, before her eyes spotted a glow in the dense woods'.
"A Will o wisp!" Merida gasped, surprised to see one so far away from the stone pillars. It was hovering near a gnarled tree waving to her from a part of the woods she was not familiar with-
A pair of thumping hooves brought her attention away from the little light and back to the approaching horses, each holding a curly headed boy on it's back.
"What be the matter boys? The festival is still going on. You're missing out on the sweets!" Merida smiled but it soon faltered as Hubert pointed towards a dark patch of woods and Hamish held up a handful of clovers and what looked to be a snare. It was the rabbit traps the triplets had made last month. It was still in good condition, no bite marks or smell of animal fur. But that was just it however. No rabbits were caught. The snare was put out weeks ago and no animal had stumbled into its trap. "Something's wrong." Merida muttered, looking quickly around as fear began to bite at her chest. The wisp had vanished, as if spooked and the woods had fallen unnaturally silent. The triplets had noticed this quiet as well. Hubert put his hands to his mouth and gave a bird call, but no chirping answered him. No birds, no rabbits, no animals at all. "Go back home, and tell father, be quick!" Merida ordered before taking off in the direction she had last seen the wisp. Her slender figure was swallowed whole by the darkness of the gloaming forest. The triplets watched for a second before steering home, hoping their sister would know what to do.
Merida arrived to a stone watch tower just at the edge of DunBroch territory. The tower was built after the attack of the dark lord Mordu. Having warriors keep an eye out everyday for intruders or Mordu himself help the kingdom feel better about the safety and the peace of mind their king had promised them. Even with the promise, the men who had survived that night still whisper amongst the people about the mysterious creature that saved the royal family and chased away the evil bear daemon.
The Blue Eyed Creature of the night.
The princess quickly jumped off and climbed up the rain smoothed stones leading into the mouth of the tower. Just as she reached the open door way Merida paused, thinking she heard something.
!
Angus must have heard it too because he began to stamp his feet anxiously, wide brown horse eyes scanning the dark forest behind him. Merida peered hard at the dim forest. She took a tentative step back as the silent feeling of foreboding grew to a pitch, though no snarl or scream broke the silence. Suddenly Merida's back hit the crumbling rock of the tower behind her, causing her to jump slightly. Her hands had begun shaking and prickles of anxiety scuddled down her back. She may not have seen it, but she was sure something lay creeping in the dark.
"Somethings out there." the princess continued up to the tiny platform housing two Scotsmen, both eyes surprisingly observant. The men both quickly bowed before looking back out. "You see anything?"
"I'm sorry princess, there's nothing out there." one Scotsman shook his head stretching his arms over his head.
"I did. It's something big out there." the other spoke quietly, staying absolutely still and eyes trained at a spot that grabbed his attention. Merida walked behind the dark brunette trying to what he saw.
"I haven't seen any movement, but I sure felt something out there. Watching us..."
A horn sounded off in the distance, jolting Merida from her staring contest with the dark forest. However the noise did nothing to calm the building panic in her chest. "Dad's calling everyone back into the castle walls." Merida looked to the direction of home. A crunch of dead leaves and movement caused Merida to jump again. A few stray warriors were walking back to the palace gates, weapons hoisted carelessly over there shoulders. Merida was just about to scold them for their clear undisciplined march but the dark patch of forest suddenly shifted. The dim light crawled away from the scottish soldiers like some hunched over animal.
"There!" Merida shouted, her hunter eyes spotting the unnatural movement immediately. The princess quickly notched an arrow, raising the twinkling weapons point towards the dark patch. Immediately the scotsman jumped, seemingly surprised to see her there and pointing an arrow at them. One man had even given a small gasp and dropped his blunted broadsword to hold his hands above his head. Merida ignored them however. Her teeth were grinding together as she watched the darkness, part of her wishing it would move again so she could be sure of her shot.
The seconds ticked past but the princess did not move. Cold blue eyes had hardened to this point and the bow string was beginning to dig into her arm. But her hand did not shake, nor did she release her tight hold on the arrows feathered shaft. The scotsmen were growing quickly more anxious. Mutters had erupted and several of them were glancing nervously around at their fellows, wondering if it was really one of them their princess had shouted about. None moved however, in fear that they would wind up being punctured by Merida's arrow.
The man that had dropped his broadsword was shooting nervous glances down at his fallen weapon. The warrior had begun to smell the stench of something rotting and an early breeze was ghosting down his neck. It felt almost like something big was breathing heavily in the dark woods. Licking his lips and shooting a frightened look around him the warrior made a wild grab for the fallen sword. The grab caught Meridas attention and she darted her eyes to see what had moved, taking her attention away from the breathing darkness for just a second.
The sound of cracking wood broke through the silence and something scuttled quickly out of sight as the darkness moved again. Merida's heart leapt as she turned back to where the hunched over something had been, only to see it had retreated out of sight. Nerves crawling like spiders Merida moved her arrow over several black patches in the woods, skin growing pale as she tried to spot the real midnight of the forest and the breathing dimness that had crawled like an animal.
However it was the warriors this time that spotted it first. Several men shouted as a dark patch beside them moved. The black light of their surroundings had begun to squirm and writhe like water. One soldier slashed his sword wildly as something crawled out of his shadow and darted towards the hunched dimness. "Demon!" He screamed, and several of his fellow warriors took up his call.
"A demon?" Merida gasped, not believing what approached them from the darkness of the wood. This was no creature she had ever seen, it was some mutated spawn of unnatural twisted wickedness.
The dark mass of the creature crawled through the grass, however, just before reaching the tower it stopped. The beast shook from the blinding sunlight now showing off the front of its' morbid face.
The princess and the two guards watched in terror as the beast was revealed. They could not believe what their eyes were seeing. The creature crawled on all fours. It was the size of three grown men, silvery opaque eyes dead to the world and skin covered in tangled fur. The unknown monster roared from the sun's beams blaring down on its dark body. Merida narrowed her eyes, the sudden shock of sunlight highlighting smaller details on the beast. Scars and wounds ranging in age-speckled his massive body. However, the broken arrows buried in its hide was what clicked for the princess.
"Mordu!" Merida exclaimed. At the declaration of his name, Mordu charged towards Angus. "Run! Angus, run!" The princess' cries did not reach her steed for Angus was paralyzed with fear. Acting fast, she fired an arrow against the stone tower; the arrowhead bouncing against the smooth rock was just enough to scare the giant horse from his lock on the dark beast. With the speed that Angus was famous for, the Shire horse sped off just as the creature slammed into the stone tower. Like small branches in the wind, the tower cracked and fell, reduced to nothing but collapsing rubble.
"Brace yourselves!" Merida shouted over the loud crashing of earth and stone, as the tower collapsed to the ground. The beasts' roar pierced through the winds, and one soldier screamed in terror, "The monster is charging up the falling tower! We have to jump!" Merida climbed out the open gap and scurried up top the roof. The soldiers followed her lead, but one screamed, fear cloudy in his eyes. Then suddenly, he was gone.
Cries of pain quickly followed before they were mixed with the sickening crunch of bones and tearing flesh. Merida and the surviving Scotsman listened, scared stiff before the ground below came rushing up to meet them. Both warriors jumped just as the stone tower and the ravenous monster disappeared down the hill below. Merida tumbled to the ground but quickly staggered to her feet at the sudden roars signalling that the beast was still on a hungry rampage.
"The castle! Mordu is heading for home! Angus!" Merida yelled for her steed. She could hear the pounding of hooves somewhere off in the distance, and the princess knew her horse was galloping to answer her call. Merida dashed off onto the stone path home, her heart in her mouth as she ran.
"Princess Merida! Mordu's too strong to stop alone! He has the strength of ten men! Princess!" The Scotsman ran after the fast lass, dodging tree branches and leaping over rocks. But from the corner of his eye, the man saw the darkness of the forest move. The beast was racing after Merida from the shadows behind her. The man knew what he was planning was suicide, but he made a vow as a Scotsman, a warrior for Clan Dunbroch. Protect the royal family with your life.
"For Clan Dunbroch!" The warrior leaped from his spot up top a boulder behind the beast, taking his king spear and with his weight jamming the monster at his side. The warrior did not lack in body mass, weighing thirty pounds smaller than the king himself, and use that advantage to trip the beast up in a tumbling mess of dead leaves and twigs.
Merida watched the daemon tumble off in a new direction, having heard the warrior's cry, but could not do much else as Angus swept past the princess'. Her athletic body quickly switching to auto mode Merida swung fluidly onto the saddle and sped back home. Pulling her hood over to hide her bright hair the duo race through the thick trees, the bear's roars disappearing behind her. Not needing directions, Angus dashed down the worn path Merida used for archery practice. He doubled his speed, racing faster by the second, wanting his rider to be safe. While the steed focused on the path, the redheaded princess focused on their surroundings.
The slaps of branches, the galloping hooves stomping the ground and Angus's labouring breath were overpowering Merida's hearing. She could not see the black shadow of Mordu amongst the trees, and with both sight and hearing rendered useless the princess had to trust her gut. Gripping her bow, she gently fingered one of her arrows at her side, ready to whip one out if she spotted the demon. Five slow minutes had passed, and no sign of Mordu, but her gut was screaming that the bear was giving chase to her.
Waiting for just the right time to strike her down.
~XXxxxXX~
The triplets were trotting slowly back home on their horses. Just one small valley lay ahead before they reached the fields of the birthday activities. However, their progress was halted when Harris paused, a strange pounding noise was creeping up behind them. All three turned to see their older sister rush out of the forest, Angus racing out of the forest. The triplets wondered what could possibly have scared their sister that bad, most unfortunately their question was answered. A mass of moving shadows was chasing the panicked princess, snarling and spitting as it lunged for Merida. Sensing the new prey, Mordu snapped his massive body to turn towards the triplets. They got one look at the milky pearl eye and snapped the reins on their mounts. Their horses didn't need to be encouraged to run, for the frightened mares blitz down the valley with Mordu hot on their tails. The princess steered Angus in front of the raging monster, arrow notched and aimed. A snapping of strings cracked in the air.
With no warning, Merida released the arrow into the bear's milky eye. The shaft buried deep into the socket, and the monster shrieked in white pain. "Go! Grab father and the others!" Merida commanded her brothers before circling the angry beast trying its hardest to get rid of the pain in his eye. Angus was ready to take flight but Merida wouldn't back away. Instead, she stayed vigilant and focused on the demons next move. Swinging his large head side-to-side Mordu couldn't shake the arrow out, so he did the next best thing, and used the pain to fuel his anger. Using his good eye Mordu swiped at Merida hoping to catch the princess, but Angus evaded his sharp claws. Now up close, arrows were no longer needed, so Merida switched to her long sword just as the beast swiped at her head. The sharp claws collided with the metal blade causing a few sparks, but Merida stayed strong. The next strike caused her saddle straps to snap cleanly apart along with Angus taking a hit to his right back leg. The now petrified horse sped off successfully dislodging Merida from its back and sending her tumbling to the ground.
The Scottish princess hit the dirt of the forest hard, but the grassy floor helped cushion the fall to her head. She knew the beast was still watching, the chills creeping up her back said that much, and her body was screaming for her to get up and defend herself. Gripping her sword, Merida pushed herself to her knees and shoved her hood out of her face just in time to see Mordu lunge with a quick swipe. Blocking the swipe Merida used Mordu's power to swing her blade around, slicing his injured eye further. Mordu roared in pain, shaking his head wildly as blood seeped down his mangled face. However, Merida couldn't give him the chance to strike back. Swinging her long sword, she gave a mighty cry and stabbed the blade through the gushing wound.
If Mordu couldn't be heard in every corner of the woods before, then he could now. His roar blared passed the palace and rippled the tops of trees. The howling made King Fergus jump to his horse, calling his troops to run to the beast.
"Come on you slowpokes! Mordu is getting away! Hang on wee lamb! I'm coming! Chaaaarge!" The King yelled leading his men roaring towards the massive bear, sword still embedded in his eye socket. Once the king arrived, Mordu lashed out in blind pain, successfully whacking Merida back from him.
"Merida!" The King rushed towards his quiet daughter, gently cradling her small body. Even at the age of nineteen, the princess was still ever so small in the king's arms. Fergus pushed her wild bangs away from her face and immediately saw the large bruise settled on top of her left cheek along with a thin cut just below her lower eyelid and half her nose. Besides sweat and some foul smelling blood from the mangy mammal, Merida would be okay.
The groaning wails of pain and anger alerted the king that Mordu was still standing, but now with one eye slashed. The beast stood tall and menacing as ever.
"Take 'em down!" The King ordered, and the warriors gave a battle cry before charging at the bear demon. A small handicap but Mordu was not to be defeated. Swinging a massive bear claw a few warriors went sailing into the air behind him, and some were not so lucky to have survived. Within seconds the small army was scattered, some dead and some scarred, and far away from Fergus and Merida, who had no protection from the raging demon.
Another battle cry came roaring in, followed by thundering footsteps. A new wave of Scottish warriors attacked the beast. Mordu's shock was brief, giving the Scots the leverage to do as much damage as they could. Ropes were brought out and, working together, they quickly surrounded the bear, first seizing the neck and then his arms. Of course, trying to subdue a massive bear demon is no small task like rabbit hunting. While one small group attacks, gaining the bear's attention; two more men lasso an arm or leg. The cycle repeats until the creature was pinned to the ground. The Scots had learned from the previous Mordu attacks that just one round of rope would not hold the magical strength of ten men.
Six stressful merry-go-rounds later, and the beast was finally layered with thick rounds of rope. More Scotsmen joined the fray to keep the demon down, showing their elation over the soon death of the terror Mordu. However, Fergus watched the attack happen with suspicion, and a small jab to his gut warning him. . .
Something wasn't right. They had to flee!
Mordu put no struggle against the men wrapping his massive body to the ground, but when he noticed the princess, still unconscious in her father's arms begin to leave, the beast began to strain against the ropes - the female who gave him the blade to his eye-
"RRRAAAAWRR!"
Fergus knew it! Something was definitely wrong!
The men were startled from their work, and that second would cost them considerably. Like twigs in a storm, Mordu brushed off the warriors crowding around him like ants. Standing in one fluid motion, the demon snapped the ropes off his body. The loud cracking of rope jolted Fergus to look behind him.
Mordu raced forward, sharp teeth salivating at revenge. Scotsmen were run down, crushed by the sheer weight or smacked aside from the charging demon. The twisted beast would have the satisfaction of tearing apart the bear king before sinking his teeth into the fair maiden still unconscious in her father's arms.
Fergus took a step back, planning to flee but his stump leg tripped over a stone. He collapsed on the ground, still keeping Merida close while watching the demon approach him menacingly. Fergus reached for his sword but froze knowing that there was nothing he could do except shield Merida from the monster. Trying to fight with Merida in his grasp would cost her life. In the end, they were both dead anyway.
"I'm sorry Elinor, I'm sorry boys. I'm so sorry Merida. I couldn't protect ya..." Shielding his daughter from stampeding Mordu, Fergus clamped his eyes shut. He turned so his back was to the beast, not preferring to see the demon rise to stand on his hind legs, glaring menacingly down at the king.
RAAAAAAAAWWWR!
CHUMP!
Fergus flinched at the sound of crunched bones, but the more he listened, the more he realised that the growing and the ripping of flesh was not coming from him. He felt no skin or muscle ripped away from his body, nor did he feel any teeth at his neck or claws scanning flesh. Cries of pain groaned from beside him, and another growl he did not recognise. . .
Fergus took the chance to peek to his left to see Mordu on the ground, swinging and struggling against - Fergus jumped up from his spot in the grass when his eyes met something terrifying.
Large sharp teeth clamped down on mangled fur before ripping the skin away and splattering Mordu's blood over the green grass underneath. A painful wail sounded from Mordu's throat and another choked sob sputtered into the air as the unknown shadow snaked it's yellow teeth into the dyeing bear's neck. Mordu was gasping for whatever air he could suck into his closed off esophagus, but that breath was his last as the shadow ripped his throat apart. Spurts of red rain splattered the field surrounding Mordu and soon the dark red overtook the green of the grass. Mordu's right paw twitched, and suddenly dropped like a rock in water.
Mordu, the demon prince, moved no more.
Fergus was frozen to the ground; even the warriors behind were shocked out of their minds. The demon prince that has haunted their lands was displayed on the ground, ripped apart and drenched in his own blood.
"He's dead."
"Mordu is no more..."
The Scotsmen mumbled amongst themselves, trying to make sense of what just transpired before them, and what was that thing standing up top the now dead bear?!
Even if Fergus didn't know what this new creature was, it was a threat to his people, his family, and it needed to be dealt with now! The king opened his mouth to command his men to fight. However, the shock of Mordu and their new problem had stolen the king's speech. He could only manage a dumbfounded splutter.
As if hearing the king's stammering, the thing stopped munching at the carcass trapped below its feet and arched its massive head around to face the Scots people. Large, sharp yellow eyes greeted them, filling the Knights with dread.
"Kill 'em! Kill'em before it hurts anyone!" Hearing Fergus finally spits out a command, some of the men reacted on muscle memory. With a choked battle cry the men charged towards the monster. Seeing the small humans finally make a move, the creature turned to face its new challenger. A long scaled tail slithered from behind its body like a snake in the grass as its massive feet pushed itself off the dead bear. Its scaly green body shaking, the creature stepped towards the charging Scotsman. Then with a gust of cold night air the beast stretched its wings out to their full length, showing just how huge it truly was.
RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRR!
The men gasped, coming to a screeching halt at the site of the new creature surprising size. But they were too late to turn and flee as the beast's mouth opened and glowed a bright orange.
The battle cries quickly morphed into wails of pain and terror, but even those screams were soon consumed by bright beams of . . .
"F-fire?! This abominable creature breathes fire?!" Fergus was dreaming, there was no way this monster was a - a dragon! The stuff of fairy tales, myths, stories told just to terrify children around the tables. The king began to backtrack, but he couldn't look away from this fairy tale monster. Some men were quick enough and smart enough to bring their shields for protection against the flames, but the ones that did not have such security-
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
The King watched in horror, as the flames swept over his men in seconds just like Mordu had before. However, this time, the men were not getting up from the attack. Only when the reptile's eye met the king's did Fergus finally jolt from his spot. He started tracking backwards not breaking eye contact with the creature. He began to sweat as a horrible fear he had not felt in years began to run down his spine like fingernails.
"Father... Father! Run!" The silent king didn't budge, eyes remaining locked on his potential death, and not even Merida's shaking brought him back to the land of the living. The green monster charged, its jaws wide and throat glowing with a rising heat.
ZPLAT!
The burn of orange fire never came. Instead, a bright blast slammed into the earth, two steps before the attacking beast, halting its pursuit. Nimble steps approached quickly and suddenly a black shadow slammed into the green monster, sending them both tumbling into the long grass. Loud growls and roars erupted from the wrestling shadows and Merida pushed from her dumbfounded father to see the fight. The battle at hand was indeed the green scaly monster, but the newcomer was yet another surprise.
The Knights who were still alive from the first flames attack watched with disbelief. It was not Mordu back from the dead to take revenge, but instead, another dragon was currently locked in battle with the green monster.
"Merida! Get back!" The king beckoned for his daughter, but the princess ignored him and crept closer to the standoff between the two giant beasts glaring hard into each other's eyes. The green dragon's bright yellow eyes glowed with malice as it circled the smaller black dragon. Bright blue pupils made of a burning ember glared back, eyes filled with an equal hatred as the small black dragon readied for the next attack. They baited one another into making a move, waiting for an open window to strike. The black dragon stayed crouched low to the ground in front of the green one's face. Merida kept a safe distance from the beasts of fantasy and stared in awe at the scene before her. The princess watched the black newcomer carefully, noting how graceful its long slim body was. It almost seemed to dance with the green winged dragon. It stayed in front of its curled horned nose but not close enough to be bitten. Looking over to the green dragon, its bright yellow eyes were searching frantically for the slippery dragon, but the black one kept its spot up front, side stepping to remain just out of reach.
"A blind spot! It can't see in front of its own nose!" Merida gasped, quickly putting two and two together. But her celebrating was cut short as a yellow eye suddenly focused on her. The princess could see in the narrowing of the sickly yellow eye that she was next! Just as big and green stretched out its wings, the black one mouth turned purple and zapped a good hole right through one of the flaps!
RAAAWR!
Big and green squirmed in pain. Merida took the chance to look desperately for a bow, a sword, shield -anything- at this point to defend herself. The pain-filled roars quickly turned into a sudden hiss, jolting her muscles to lock up in fright. The feeling of dread crept through her blood.
"Merida..." A whisper tickled past her cheek and a will o wisp appeared before her, hovering above a fallen cracked shield. Relief wash over Merida like heavy rain, and she raced for it, but just as her fingertips touched the cold metal and chipped wood-
ZIIIIP!
- A long thin needle stabbed through her left hand, wedging itself between her knuckles. The feeling of shock took over her mind for a second before the hot pain coursed through her bones.
"Merida!" Her father's scream was faint to her ears compared to the pounding of her blood racing through her and leaking from the gash on her hand. The princess dropped to the ground clutching her injured hand, crushing her teeth together to not scream with agony. Merida grasped the foreign object and almost recoiled from the stabbing pain. She pulled at the blood soaked needle, hissing curses under her breath. Hot tears slid down her cheeks, the wetness blinding her vision, but this only drove Merida to pull harder. With a sharp cry, the slick needle was ripped from her hand and tossed away. Her brow was damp with a thin layer of sweat clinging to clumps of her wild bangs.
ZIIIIIP! ZIIIIIP!
She couldn't relax just yet! Swiping the shield with her good arm, Merida blocked the sneak attack of flying needles. Her skirt, however, wasn't so lucky. Five new tares ran through the dress, but Merida paid no mind to the damage. The green monster flicked its tail and shot more needles at Merida and the Scotsmen. Some soldiers were struck, and the cries of pain soon followed behind them. The men realized there was no need to stay when the foreign beasts could kill each other, and scrambled themselves and any survivors for a hasty retreat. Merida watched with amazement as the beasts once again tumbled and fought for the upper hand. However, one step was all she took towards the wrestling monsters before her body was snatched off the ground and hauled away like a sack of potatoes.
"What? Put me down you moron! I'm not badly injured-"
ZIIIIP! ZIIIIP! ZIIIIP!
The Scotsman's scream came first before Merida felt herself tumble to the ground. Turning to see what cause the man to drop made the princess gasp in terror; the man's body had become a pincushion for ten yellow-coated needles, all ranging in sizes. Merida spotted the needle that caused the instant death; it was skewered through his eye. Quickly Merida pushed herself away from the fallen body, ready to run back into the fight. However, she paused looking back at the body. The fallen man had a bow slung across his back, and resting on the ground near his feet was a quiver of arrows.
RRAAAAAAAAAWR!
The green-needled dragon clamped hard onto the black dragon's leg, and then stomped down on its back to prevent it from moving. Once both its opponents' legs were clamped down, the green dragon reared its head back; spikes raised in a threatening fashion, and a bright glow announced the fire boiling up inside its throat.
ZIIIIIIP! THUD!
RRAAAAAAAAAAW!
A speedy arrow raced through the air and pierced up into the bottom of the green dragon's throat, halting its attack. Screeching in agony, the green beast swung its head to dislodge the arrow, leaving enough room for the black dragon to wrestle out from under the green one's weight. In frustration the green dragon raced after Merida, teeth extended, claws ripping up the grass as it ran. The green dragon released its orange flames right at Merida who stood frozen stiff in shock from the sudden speed of the monster.
"MERIDAAAAAA!" the king screamed, helplessly watching his little lamb be swallowed up by the cursed flames. However, not a moment later, the flames split open like the Red Sea and barrelling out from the orange curtains untouched was the black dragon!
ZAAAP!
The black dragon shot a blast straight at the green monster but it missed, and instead scratched up the side of the green dragons face before it leapt into the air-
ZIIIIP! THUD! RAAAAAAAAAAAW!
An arrow raced from behind the black dragon's head and struck right through a yellow eye, halting any escape plan. The monster fell back towards the ground, and Merida revealed herself from up top the black dragon. She notched another arrow. Taking a moment to breathe, Merida aimed for the other eye and drew back the string.
THUMP-THUMP!
THUMP-THUMP!
THUMP-THUMP!
Listening to her own heartbeat, the princess was able to have a piece of mind to focus on the creature ahead. Right in the eye. She let go of her held breath . . . and released. In slow motion, the arrow sailed through the air with a spin, just like the match for the right to her hand a few years ago.
SPLIT! POP!
The impact of the arrowhead split the eye clean in half, an explosion of blood and guts following right after. Having lost both eyes, the green creature was now bleeding to death. Small outbursts of fire scorched the dry and bloody grass. Merida stayed perched on top the black dragon, holding on when said dragon moved about almost expecting a sneak attack. The green dragon rolled over in groaning agony before it's movements began to cease. Princess and dragon stared hard at the now fallen creature resting on its side as it drew its final breath.
"Ugh!" A sharp pain throb from Merida's left hand, shooting up her whole arm and stopping at her shoulder. The tough Scotswoman grit her teeth to keep the pain from showing, but another wave hammered against her knuckles and elbow, making her keel over from up top her seat and drop to the ground.
"Merida!"
The princess groaned louder, rolling over onto her side and grasping her wrist. She examined her injured hand to see the pin prick left by the long oily needle. It was no longer bleeding. However, her hand was slowly discolouring, turning from a pale cream to an amber orange. The point where the needle had pierced was now outlined in a plum purple. Merida's eyes widened as the purple slowly began to spread over her hand, seeping into her blood and casting a strange tingling through her fingers.
"Merida!" hearing her name Merida peered past her wild locks to see her baby brothers racing to her side. The princess groaned as she sat up on her knees, biting her cheek to not give away the pain prickling under her skin. However, all three boys skidded to a halt and stared when they finally reached their sister. "Don't touch it. You don't want to get infected too." the three brothers stared at Merida's new battle scar like it was the strangest pastry the cooks back at the castle had ever made. Merida tried again to flex her fingers but the pain return with a nasty bite.
"Where is she- Merida! Oh Merida, my wee lamb!" the king pushed his way through the men that were slowly surrounding the royal siblings and scooped all four of his children up into his arms. Despite the years of growing up, the king could still wrap his meaty arms around his children all at once. Merida tried furiously to push back the pain, not wanting to hurt her father by telling him not to squeeze too hard. After an adrenaline rush, such as the one, she got after the fantasy monster that attacked; she could not blame her father for being extra clingy. What would her mother say? The princess patted her father's beefy arm-
"Ah! Your hand! Wha happened to ya lass?" Fergus gasped at the hand that brushed against his hairy arm. Dropping the triplets he cradled his wee lamb. Merida turned her scarred hand for him allowing her father to see the raw injury. Anger quickly boiled inside the king as he looked at the damaged done to his child-
"Ah- The black one is still here!"
RAAWR! RAAAAAAWR!
Merida turned to see some of the men still alive and a few new ones from the palace slowly approaching the mysterious black dragon. All it did in return was just stare back, and growl a warning if one man got too close. Its big blue eyes were cautious but nowhere near hostile. If anything it kept its distance.
"Kill it! Destroy that monster that hurt my daughter!" the king would show no mercy to the creature.
"Father, it was the green one! The green one is dead dad-"
"I ain't taking any risk with this fairy-tale creature on my land!" the king barked loudly over his daughter. He scooped up his children with no struggle until Merida started to wiggle. The men began to ascend upon the black beast and said beast didn't like how this was looking. Not one bit.
The black dragon began to growl louder, wings folded and back arched preparing for what was to come, but just as the King began to walk away,
"SAPPHIRE! Sapphire sit!"
The king gawked at the command that came from his daughter's mouth. The black beast immediately raised its head at the call and slowly retreated to lay low on the ground.
"Sapphire?! Saph-Wha-?! That black, bloody thing has a name?!" the king exclaimed, swinging his little head back and forth between Merida and the foreign creature in confusion. His men were equally surprised by this new discovery. The princess finally wiggled her way out of her father's beefy arms, and slowly marched over to the beast. It was resting in what was left of the green grass untouched by blood and fire. It crossed its front paws and visibly relaxed against the green grass before tilting its head to the side, watching Merida's every step.
"Just watch, and please back away some more. She won't come over if you have your weapons visible." The princess commanded before walking closer to the black beast. The king was itching to run and grab his child before the creature ran to get her first, but seeing her hand held up as to stand back he, unwillingly trusted Merida's judgement. Not to mention he had his three boys to watch out for as well.
Now that the clan was about twenty feet away, Merida relaxed and stared at the marvelous creature. Merida took a step closer, and closer, and then she began to sprint until finally-
"Ah HA!" she pounced onto the black dragon now named Sapphire, and the two tumbled onto the grass. The men jolted from the sudden action, quickly grabbing their weapons, but soon they heard . . . laughter.
Finally done rolling around Merida was resting on her back laughing until her lungs ached and the black mysterious beast stared down from above her head with its tail wagging happily. Sapphire sniffed Merida's face, getting pretty close. Then the Scottish princess growled loudly at the dragon and the great beast jump back in surprise. Merida laughed some more and rubbed Sapphire's nose then gave her a good scratch underneath her jaw, and soon the black dragon flopped down beside Merida to received a deeper scratch lower down her neck like a massive dog…
"You overgrown baby..." Merida's words held no bite and she smiled down at Sapphire, who purred affectionately from the loving rubs.
"I don't believe this..." the King mumbled to himself, not understanding what his small eyes were taking in. Fergus knew his daughter, head-strong, stubborn and sharp as a sword, and would charge head on into the craziest things like fighting for her own freedom and changing her fate, but this?! Playing around with a fire breathing dragon?! A creature of fairy tales literally a few feet away from him and practically nose-to-nose with his daughter! Watching his daughter being gentle with a beast of legend was gnawing away at the little nerves he had left. The blasted thing was even licking Merida's injured hand! Dragons were meant to be ferocious monsters, not like giant dogs!
"We found her! The witch from the forest!" a shout cried out breaking Fergus's thoughts away from his daughter and her new playmate. A few new men who stayed behind at the castle rushed up to the group, their eyes scanning over the bloody demolition that transpired just minutes ago. The new men looked pretty shaken just taking in the scene, but the little woman resting on the back of one of the soldiers . . . . Didn't even bat an eyelash. She quickly looked at each of the remaining people still standing and breathing before her big eyes captured the princess rubbing the black dragon. Tapping the man's shoulder, he gently dropped the lady to the ground. Her walking stick quickly met grass as she walked to the stupefied king keeping his eyes trained on the foreign beast. She tapped her stick on his beefy arm gaining his attention quickly.
"Let me take care of your little girl, you have your men to look after." with a snap of her fingers, a burlap bag appeared before their feet. The elder witch opened the tied bag and presented the king a jar full of some minty green cream along with clean cloths. "Spread this over your wounds. It will help burns and scars heal faster." she smacked her gums together before slowly trekking over to the princess.
King Fergus wanted to take his family back to the castle and have his people get help with the injured, but really the king just wanted to wake up from this crazy dream!
Fergus jolted from the sudden cold sensation rubbing against his freshly scarred arms and shoulders after the green monster attack. He watched his triplet boy's work together in their usual quiet fashion, taking care of his injuries. One would clean the wound and check for any new ones, the second would apply the cream and the last one would wrapped the wound with a fresh white cloth. One of the triplets looked up to their father with big blue eyes, no words were needed for Fergus to know that they too were pretty shaken from the events today. What was suppose to be a wonderful celebration, turned quickly into a mysterious blood bath!
Fergus slowly relaxed against the grass as he let his boys take care of him, and once the king was wrapped up and tended, the young boys walked amongst the other soldiers to patch up their wounds as well. Exhausted, the stout king sat patiently, as much as he could stand it, and waited for the tiny witch to help his daughter in any way she could!
Reaching the princess and her dragon the wobbly witch took in the scene before her: the little fiery girl who walked into her cottage three years ago, now a tall young lady with her hair still wild as her spirit. Her dress smudged and dirty from her previous battles and the stench of fresh blood speckled her face and hands. Her right hand still coaxing the black beast beside her while her left rested in her lap, and the witch hummed at the colors dancing across Merida's skin. Blending away from her natural pale color, golden amber and plum purple were lazily stretching their colors from the wound left from her previous injury. Just when she realized that the left hand was slightly shaking, the princess snapped her attention to the newcomer.
"Princess, didn't like the bear I gave you, so you got a dragon instead?" Merida frowned deeply, and almost barked at the stupid comment, but bit her tongue instead. The witch could see her trying not to groan in pain, by watched the colors stretch further pass her wrist. The pain must be getting worse! "I've brought some cream for your poisoned wound. Take this, and gently rub around the mark." the witch handed Merida a brown coffee jar full of white medicine and left her side to approach the carcass left to rot in the fields. "I need a torch!" her voice was clear, and a minute later a solider approached with a burning torch. Taking the fire away the witch walked closer to the green monster, taking in the slashed scales and broken arrows sticking from the body. Reaching inside her shawl, she brought out a clear glass bottle full of dark purple liquid and taking a few more steps closer she uncorked the bottle to pour it onto the ground. Once the bottle was empty, the witch raised her torch high above her head.
Oh mystical beast from another place,
Rest in peace, and bare no hate.
Taking a moment of silence, she pointed the torch to the ground-
"eee-eek-eeeEEEEEK! EEEHEHEHEHEHEEEE!"
... The witch froze in place, ... and the torch stopped, not close enough to the ground to catch fire. She looked up to see the jaws of the fallen beast wiggle and cough up blood from his throat.
"Disgusting little creatures..." the green dragon rumbled past his damaged esophagus. A few scales wiggled and flaked off its forehead to reveal a large red eyeball. A few gasps behind the witch spread around the soldiers, staring at the creature with new-found terror for what they believe to be dead. Once it blinked a few times to adjust to the sun blaring down upon it, it turned to watch the witch just a few feet away. "Run, flee for your lives, but you cannot escape your fate. Soon you will feel my pain, and suffer..." the red eye looked past the witch to look at Merida holding her injured hand close. " as I have suffered..." the red eye suddenly inflated then-
POP!
The green beast moved no more.
That's Chapter One! I hope you liked this twist so far! The spell Hilde was chanting was a spell I looked up online; Witchcraft Spells.
You guys like the new NightFury? I hope you will come to love Sapphire as much as I do!
I'm excited to get this train going! I know I shouldn't be starting on a whole new project, but this one has been in the works for over a year now, and I think it's time for everyone to read this new adventure! Especially for MERICCUP fans!
My other stories are being worked one at the same time being juggled with school, so cross your fingers that I can get more stories updated before Summertime!
(Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Lindsay Starling for helping me edit this chapter, catching mistakes and just awesome with helping me out with this story! Thank you, for all hard work you've pour into this project of mine, especially with your busy schedule!)
See you all in the next chapter!~
~Shiza