Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I created or made up. Everything else belongs to their rightful owner/creator.

Enjoy!

Breaking news to Merida always came off badly for both her and Elinor.

Since the Vikings left to Berk, Elinor and her husband- mostly Elinor- tried to come up with different ways to tell Merida the news of her engagement without her yelling and having a fit. Fergus told her maybe they should keep it a secret until the Vikings arrived. Elinor on the other hand thought it would be better if they sat her down and told her tonight at dinner.

After some talking, Elinor managed to convinced Fergus.

It was early in the morning and Elinor was walking to Meridas room. Standing in front of her door, Elinor takes a deep breath and just when she was about to knock, the door opened revealing her sixteen year old daughter Merida.

"Oh hello mum. Good morning!" Merida said closing the door behind her. "Good morning to you as well Merida. Where you going at this hour?" Elinor asks her. "It's my day off remember?" Merida reminded her. She walks off. Elinor follows her.

"Oh yes that's right. Well before you go I would like to discuss something very important for tonight." Elinor tells her as they walk down the stairs.

"Is that right?" Merida says clearly not paying attention to what her mother is telling her.

"Yes so I want you here by dinner time alright?"

Merida nods her head. "Yeah sure mum, I'll be careful." Elinor sighs and grabs Meridas arm. Merida looks at her. "Mum what are you-?"

"Merida have you listened to a single word I've told you?" Elinor asks her daughter. Merida thinks it over. "Something about dinner?" She guessed.

Elinor sighs. "Princess don't ignore when they are being spoken to Merida." Merida groans and rolls her eyes. "Yes yes I know. I'll be back by dinner okay? Now may I be excused?" Merida asks.

Elinor sighs but allows her daughter to leave. With a smile, Merida kisses her mother on the check and runs off shouting, "Bye mum!"

Elinor shakes her head a little with a small smile on her face.

Days like this were always her favorite. With no lessons and having the responsibility of a princess, Merida could be herself and be free.

She was on Angus who was running through the forest. Merida was shooting her arrows through countless of bulleyes she had hanged when she was about ten. Every shot she took hit the middle. Merida squealed in happiness when this happens.

She shot one more arrow and it hit thr center. Merida smiles and she lifts her hands in the air and laughing loudly as Angus continues to run.

Later that day, Merida had gotten off Angus and was now climbing a large pile of rock just by a waterfall. Legend has it that one of the bravest kings have climbed this very mountain by the firefalls.

Merida was determined to climb it like those before her.

Merida climbs it and on her way to the top, she almost fell. Angus whines in fright when he see's his rider almost fall. Merida managed to catch herself and with a sheepish smile, continues to climb. When she reached the top, Merida hoists herself up and she looks at the sunset that was already going down.

Merida walks to the firefalls and she drinks some water into it. When she was done, Merida widely smiles and she puts her hands up in the air, twirling around and laughing out loud.

Today was one of those days where she felt free. And in that moment, she wished that there could be days like this.

If only she knew of the news she would receive during dinner.

When Merida arrived home, dinner had started around the time she was going back home.

After she puts Angus back in the stables, Merida walked to the kitchen.

Kitchen maids and some of the cooks welcomed her back home and some of the maids greeted her. Merida nodded to them and said a few greetings before sneaking in a plate of cookies and joining her family in the dining hall.

Once she entered, her parents and her three brothers were sitting down around the table. The boys were lazily sitting in their seats trying to get through their father's story of his battle with the mighty Mor'du while Eleanor was reading some letters.

"...And then out of nowhere, the biggest bear you've ever seen! His hide littered with the weapons of fallen warriors. His eye scarred with one eye. I drew my sword and..."

"Whoosh! One swipe, his sword shattered!" Merida interrupted scaring her brothers in surprise.

"Then "chomp!" Dads leg was clean off! Down the monsters throat it went."

Fergus awws in disappointment. He slams his turkey leg on the table. "That's my favorite part!" he says.

Merida slowly walks to her father like a predator moving on its prey. "Mor'du has never been seen since," she continues. "And is roaming the wilds waiting his chance of revenge." she then growls dramatically as she walks to her empty seat.

"Let him return." Fergus says. "I'll finish what I guddled in the first place."

Merida moves her seat and drops her arrow on the table. "Merida, a princess does not place her weapons on the table." Elinor reminds her as she kept her eyes on letters.

Merida rolls her eyes. "Mum! its just my bow." she tells her. "A princess should not have weapons in my opinion." Elinor says.

'Oh great, here she goes.' Merida thought preparing for the 'A princess' speech from her mother.

Luckily, Fergus stepped in. "Let her be! Princess or not, learning to fight is essential."

Merida changes the subject. "Mum? You'll never quess what I did today."

Elinor hums, not taking her eyes off the letters.

"I climbed the Crone's Tooth, and drank from the fire falls." her three brothers stopped eating and they looked at their sister in shock.

Even Fergus was impressed. "Fire falls? They say only the ancient kings were brave enough to drink the fire." He tells her.

Merida laughs and so does Fergus.

"What did you do dear?" Elinor asks not hearing what Merida said.

Merida sighs and she looks down at her plate with a frown. "Nothing mum." she mumbles.

Elinor looks up from her letters and looks at Merida's plate. "Hungry, aren't we?"

"Mum!"

"You'll get dreadful collywobbles. Oh Fergus, will you look at your daughters plate?"

Fergus stops mid-through his turkey leg and looks at Merida's plate. Not seeing the big problem, he says, "So what?"

Then in an instant, two of the royal dogs tackled Fergus and tried to grab his food. Fergus laughs out loud while Elinor tried to stop him.

While that was going on, Merida looks at the triplets. Seeing the disgust on their faces, Merida catches their attention. "Psst!"

They look at her. She points at her plate of cookies and slides the plate down her skirt to the ground. The boys smile and they slowly slide down to the ground so their mother wouldn't see them.

While all of that was going on, Maudie enters the dining room with a letter. She walks next to Elinor. Elinor looks at the letter and takes it. "Thank you Maudie." Maudie bows and leaves.

Elinor opens the letter and reads it. A smile forms on her face. Merida notices this and wonders what could possibly be in that letter that would make her mother smile.

Fergus pushes his dogs of him and offers them his peg leg to chew on. "Chew on that, you manky dogs!" he shouts as he hung on go his chair.

When Elinor stops reading, she calls her husband. "Fergus." Fergus looks at her.

"They're coming." Fergus frowns and suddenly the rooms atmosphere changed. Merida, confused, asks her mother, "Whose coming, mother?"

Elinor looks at the boys who had their shirts stuffed with cookies. "Boys, you are excused." she tells them. Relieved, they run out of their seats and head out of the dining hall with the dogs following them.

With the boys gone, Merida asks suddenly feeling nervous, "Okay, whats going on?"

"Your father has something to discuss with you. Fergus." Elinor tells her. Merida looks at father, waiting for him to tell him what was going on and who was coming.

Fergus spits out the drink he was drinking and he wipes his mouth afterwards when he was done. He looks at Merida, then at Elinor. "Uh...well you see dear..." he clears his throat. "Your mother and I uhh...well..."

Elinor sighs. At this rate, he wasn't going to tell her so Elinor steps in. "You know about Stoick the Vast correct?"

Merida nods. Who wouldn't know about Stoick the Vast? He was known as the most fearsome and strongest Viking these waters have ever known. Her fathers grandfather battled his fathers grandfather way before she was born and his clan is known to be the enemies of her Dun'broch. Just a week ago he and some other big guy were here talking about something with her parents.

Why are they bringing him up now?

"Well, we have just been given a letter from Stoick, informing us that he will arrive in three days." Elinor tells her.

"Oh no, don't tell me we're going into battle." Merida says worryingly.

Elinor shakes her head. "No. You are aware Stoick was here before correct?" Merida nods.

"Well you see Merida, your father and I have decided to make a treaty with Stoick." Merida's eyes shot wide open in surprise. "A treaty with Vikings? Mum, that's ridiculous. The vikings are our enemies. Why would we make a treaty with them?! Anyways, what does this have to do with me?"

"You are of age Merida where you are becoming a lady." Elinor says. "And soon, you will take your fathers throne and become queen. But to be queen, you must have someone, a king, to be by your side."

Oh no.

"In order to seal this treaty, Stoick and the two of us have made a agreement to arrange a wedding for you."

"What!?" Merida shouts at her mother. "I'm not going to marry a viking! And I'm definitely not going to marry Stoick! He's older then me!" she shouts.

"Your not going to marry Stoick Merida. We've arranged a wedding for you and to his son."

Merida looks at her father. "Dad! Don't tell me this isn't true!"

"Uh...well...you see..."

"Honestly Merida I don't know why your reacting this way. This is good for our clan!"

"Oh and marrying me off to a stranger is the best choice?" Merida stands up and grabs her arrow. "I won't go through with it! And you can't make me!" Merida runs off to her room, ignoring her mother calling her.

'No, no, no, no, no, no! Like hell I'm not going through with this! I'm not doing this! I'm not going to get married!' Merida shouted in her head as she stabbed marks on her room post with her sword.

Elinor steps in the room afterwards. She closes the door behind her and walks to the shelf. Merida stops what she was doing and slumps on her bed.

"Mother. Suitor? Marriage?!"

"Once, there was an ancient kingdom..." Elinor says as she grabs the chessboard. Merida sighs and lands on her bed.

"Argh, mum, that story again?"

"Its name long forgotten," she continues as she walks to a table. "Ruled by a wise and fair king who was much beloved." Elinor starts placing the pieces together.

"And when he grew old, he divided the kingdom among his four sons, that they should be the pillars on which the peace of the land rested.

But, the oldest prince wanted to rule the land for himself. He followed his own path and the kingdom fell." Elinor picks up the piece of the oldest prince and grabs it making everything crumple to the ground.

"To war, and chaos and ruin." when she finishes, Merida rolls her eyes and sarcastically says, "That's a nice story."

"Its not just a story Merida. Legends are lessons. They ring with truths."

Merida sighs and turns her back on her mother. "I would advise you to make your peace with this." Elinor tells her. "Stoick and his son will be coming in three days and I want you to be on your best behavior for when they arrive."

"Its not fair."

"Merida its marriage, its not the end of the world." and with that, Elinor leaves.

Merida groans and slams her back on the bed.

Her? Marriage? Neither of those things go well with one another. She was only sixteen for petes sake! She isn't ready to get married. Especially to a viking. Seriously, what were her parents thinking? An alliance with the enemy? Her grandfather would roll in his grave if he heard this.

Especially since she is a part of it.

AN: Hey guys. I am so sorry for the slow updates. I just get really lazy writing chapters for this fic. But I assure you I will finish this. Its just going to take a long time before its complete.

So, you all know the drill, please review and/or follow and until next time.

Bye!