Chapter 10: Honoring Her Mother

Wow! Chapter 10 already! I honestly didn't think this story would get this far. Thank you to everybody that reads this story and thank you for your reviews! They have inspired me to keep going even when I had writer's block! I don't think I could have done it without you guys :) -huge group hug- Anyway, ONTO THE STORY!

Merida's P.O.V:

Life for Dad and I continued, even though the kingdom wasn't too happy about the new "no bear hunting" law. In fact, things got so crazy once that one man started shooting arrows at Dad! Afterwords, he threw the man in the dungeon "for all eternity". I didn't blame Dad for that one. That man was violent!

Meanwhile, I decided that the best way to get used to life without Mum and the boys was to fulfill her wishes and try to find a decent suitor. Emphasis on try. Yes, there was plenty of nice looking men in the village, but none of them really made my heart leap. So, I decided to talk to Dad about letting me travel on my own, meet new people, and find the future king.

I walked through the whole entire castle, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I looked outside in the stables, and all I saw was Angus eating his oats. Why I looked in the stables, I don't know. I was desperate!

I finally found him in the forest, in the middle of that odd stone circle. He was just sitting there, carving spear heads.

"Dad, can I talk to you?" He jumped and turned around and looked at me.

"What are you doin' out here, lass? Without yer bow, without Angus? Some beast could've gotten ya!"

"Dad, what other beasts are there? Mor'Du is dead, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I always seem ta forget that. Anyway, yes, we'll talk. What about, dear?"

"Well, as you know, I've been trying to find a nice man to settle down with, so I can become queen like you and Mum wanted. But the trouble is, I don't like any of the men in the village. They're not that bad, it's just that I need to find someone I really love. You understand, right Dad?" He looked me and nodded.

"So is that it?"

"Well, no. I was going to ask you if you would let me and Angus travel around, meet new people. I would have plenty of arrows, and Angus would do anything for me. I would be perfectly safe."

"Merida, I think that's a wonderful idea. I'm very proud of you for honoring your mother by finding a nice lad. But I will only let you go on one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"That you find your mother and brothers and bring them to me. I want to see them. That's why I'm here in this circle. I was hoping that they might smell me and come running." I got teared up, and I hated getting weepy. I hugged Dad and tried to hold the stupid tears back. "Of course I will. I will search for them everywhere I go."

"Thank you, lass." He released the hug. "When are you expecting to leave?"

"Today, if I can. I'll go saddle Angus and pack a good supply of food and water for the both of us." With that, I said bye and ran back to the castle, feeling happier than I had in weeks.

I ran inside and got a large drawstring bag made out of rich leather, one that Mum gave me. I filled it with apples and carrots for me, and oats for Angus. Then, I filled 10 canteens with water and put it all in the bag. I grabbed my bow and plenty of arrows, about 50, and climbed on Angus. I kicked him in the side, and we raced towards the forest, my quest beginning.

Bhaltair's P.O.V:

I woke up with Elinor on top of me, the creek accompanying the soft, gentle sound of her breathing. I smiled, then I remembered what had happened the night before. Elinor was so kind, always there for anybody that needs her. She opened my eyes and washed my fear away. I knew what the right thing to do was, and that was to stay with Elinor. The only thing I couldn't shake was the feeling that my father was still watching me, and that he was angry.

I nudged her head with my paw gently, and she opened her eyes and and smiled.

"Good morning, handsome."

"Same to you, beautiful." She slowly removed her head from my chest and licked my head, making my bangs get fuzzy. "I love it when you do that," I murmured, and I kissed her nose. She giggled and snuggled back under my chin. "I never want to leave here," she said dreamily. "But we need to. We still need to get to our new home that I have in mind." She got up again, quicker this time, and walked back into the clearing where she left the boys last night. I stayed behind and caught us some fish for breakfast, and I carried them into the clearing.

"Breakfast, everyone!"

"YAAAAAAAAAY!" the boys squealed. They fought over the same fish for a good 10 minutes, which made me and Elinor laugh our tails off, and that's not a good thing to do when you're trying to eat. Trust me. I almost got a fish tail stuck in my throat!

"Alright everybody!" Elinor announced. "Let's get going. We're almost to our new home, but we still can't dally around!" We walked out of the clearing and into the fresh sunlight, the boys slipping and sliding on the dewy ground. "Be careful, lads." Elinor warned. And, of course, all three of them proceeded to fall on their faces.

Soon, I heard a waterfall in the distance. "Elinor, do your hear that?" She stopped for a second and listened, and nodded. "We're very close now, Bhaltair."

We walked about thirty more minutes, and my jaw fell to the ground. The waterfall was enormous! Off in the distance, there was a village with lots of people, but they couldn't see us. We were protected by the flowing falls. There was a little pool in the center of the clearing for water, and there was a few spots where the sun shone in order to have a nice nap. Off in the distance, I heard the calming sound of birds. Elinor walked up next to me and nuzzled my face.

"Welcome to our new home, my family."