Chapter VII: Turmoil

A hard, loud knocking awoke Merida. The door to her room opened on its own accord. Her mother Elinor stepped into the room. Merida quickly rose and sat on the edge of her bed, readying herself for a verbal assault.

The queen walked in with the speed and fluidity of a ghost, her face hard as stone.

"Merida, I need to speak with you."

Translation: I'm about to lecture you about how unladylike you are and need to act more like a princess.

Elinor paused before continuing.

"It was extremely improper of you to interfere with the council today."

"Then why was I even there at all?"

"Because this was supposed to be a firsthand experience of diplomacy! You'll be dealing with hundreds of these councils when you're queen."

"But this marriage is going to affect me for the rest of my life! Am I just a pawn to be sacrificed for the sake of satiating the clans?!"

"MERIDA!"

Elinor took a moment to regain her composure.

"You were born into great privilege, power, and prestige. None of that comes free. With it comes great responsibility. Sacrifice is inevitable."

"The first time I met your father was at the games held for my betrothal," she continued. "My mother prepared me just as I am preparing you. I was as frightened as you are right now. But deep down I knew I had a duty."

She paused again.

"He grew into the man he is today after we were betrothed- and I grew to love him."

Merida's glare was so fiery at that moment that the fact that she didn't burn holes into her mother's gown was a miracle.

"What if I don't want to follow that path?"

Elinor briefly glared back before heading towards the chess set on a nearby table.

"Once, there was an ancient kingdom..."

Merida rolled her eyes and fell back onto her bed.

"Ugh, mum... Ancient kingdoms...?!"

"Its name is long forgotten," the queen continued, willfully ignoring her daughter's complaints as she carried the chess board closer. "It was ruled by a wise and fair king who was much beloved."

She held up the white king piece to represent the man she just described.

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

Merida noticed that her mother had used three white pieces and one black one, on which the queen had rested the chess board like a makeshift table.

"But," Elinor continued, "The oldest prince wanted to rule the land for himself. He followed his own path, and the kingdom fell to war and chaos and ruin!"

She quickly removed the black piece from under the board and let it clatter to the floor along with the rest of the pieces.

"That's a nice story!" Merida quipped.

"It's not just a story, Merida. Legends are lessons - they ring with truth."

"And where's the lesson here?"

"The lesson is that sacrifices must often be made in order to maintain peace."

"But I don't want to give up my life to some man I don't even know - let alone love!"

"Merida! Unless you wish to follow the path of the prince, you should listen to me!"

Merida sighed and collapsed back onto her bed once more.

"Stop this! I don't know why you're acting this way, but talk to me again when you've come to your senses."

With that, Elinor walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, not quite slamming it but doing so loudly enough to make an impact.

Tears stung Merida's eyes soon enough.

...

The doors thundered behind Lord and Lady Dingwall as they returned to their castle.

Lord Dingwall looked at his wife with a playful smirk.

"Well, I'm glad that meeting's over! Aren't you, Mairi? Now we can focus on what really matters- the games!"

Her gaze slowly shifted to him.

"Not quite yet. There's still a bit of business that needs attending to."

"I still need to handle a few... botched arrangements that were previously made," she continued.

A confused expression crossed Lord Dingwall's face at that comment. Mairi smiled sweetly at him in return.

"Don't worry, Fingal. It's nothing I can't handle."

Fingal brushed it off, not caring to push his wife with further questions. He knew that she'd make him miserable if he pushed her too far.

"Good luck, my lady."

She looked at him with a small smile and a nod before setting out for her son.

...

Mairi Dingwall found her son soon enough. He had just taken a bite of an apple as she stepped in.

"I have some good news for you, Bean. It seems that I was able to fix our little shenanigan. No one suspected a thing."

"What do you mean, mother?"

"You mean you don't remember? I assembled an entire crew for you to hold the princess for ransom!"

Wee Dingwall almost choked on the apple. Mairi sighed.

"I had to bribe Callum MacIntosh to go in your stead - and he failed miserably!"

"It's a good thing I had the tact to keep things under wraps at the council today. It would have been a disaster otherwise!" Mairi continued.

Bean just stared at his mother, stunned and clueless in regards to what he should have said or done in that moment.

Lady Dingwall rolled her eyes.

"I can handle the diplomatic elements of this endeavor, but I can't go on saving your sweet bottom forever! I suggest you spruce up your sporting skills. It'll be up to you and your father at the games."

She quickly turned around and headed for the door.

"I'm going to handle some business regarding Callum's botched job. Use your time wisely, Bean."

The loud thud of the door followed her words.

...

The younger MacIntosh swallowed hard as he watched his older brother throw yet another axe at the massive trunk of an old oak tree. They'd both lost count of how many spears, axes, and other weapons they'd been throwing at that poor tree along with several other suitable wooden targets.

He gasped when his brother tossed him another spear.

"C'mon, Callum! Not only are you throwing like a girl- you're catching like one too!"

Callum quickly snapped out of his dazed stupor and smirked at him.

"So you think I throw like a girl, eh?"

He immediately tossed the spear, sending it plunging through the very heart of the battered target that had been carved into the tree.

"Ha! Take that, Wallace!"

"Nice shot. Keep it up and the lasses will be sticking to our arms like barnacles!"

The two of them bursted out laughing. Callum MacIntosh was on the verge of forgetting what was bothering him when he suddenly glanced up and saw the escorts surrounding the last two people he wanted to see. His smile and laughter left him as quickly as it came.

Wallace raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?"

"They're here."

The older MacIntosh looked over his shoulder and saw exactly what he was talking about.

"Agh, them again! What do they want now?"

"I don't want to know."

"You know our parents. They're always wanting to make us presentable and lordly and what not whenever something might remotely be about the princess."

"Aye," Callum said defeatedly.

"As much as I like the attention, it can get kind of boring," Wallace responded with a smirk on his face.

Callum chuckled, though it did nothing to loosen the knots in his stomach.

...

"Ah, the young lords of MacIntosh," Lady Dingwall remarked. "I'm glad you've come."

Callum swallowed hard. Lady Dingwall's manner seemed polite on the surface, but the coldness and artificiality of her words told every fiber of his being to run for the hills. Lord and Lady MacIntosh didn't seem to catch on at all.

"It breaks my heart to say that I must be the bearer of such ill news," Lady Dingwall continued. "You see, I was a witness to the kidnapping of Princess Merida. It is with a heavy heart that I say that I personally witnessed your son, Callum MacIntosh, act as a leading accomplice to that heinous act."

Wallace's eyes were wide with shock as he turned to his brother. His father reacted similarly.

"What?!"

"I tried to stop him," said Lady Dingwall. "But he could not be persuaded. He mercilessly dragged her to a ship by eastern shore. It is a miracle that she found a way to escape."

The MacIntoshes were stunned. Lord MacIntosh turned to Callum with a furious scowl etched into his face.

"Is this true?"

"N-no!"

Callum's response was unconvincing, though laced with no small amount of fear. This was worse than he'd imagined. Lady Dingwall kept her calm façade in place.

"You can lie and deny it all you want, Callum. You're digging your own grave."