MacGuffin finally cracked.
A few nights now he was aware of how he felt. And it had killed him. Maybe telling her would let him have some rest. He had not slept since the battle with the norsemen. Not only did he feel guilty for how he treated her but he felt he was the cause of her broken arm.
"Aye hav' t' ask ur forgivness. When Aye pusht ya lik a dunderheid (idiot) lockin ya up in thah rooom… I whas. I whas-try'na keep ya safe froom the norsemen. Aye's whas just tryn to keep ya frum harm, but even when u wer' behind m' Baulk I couldnea save ya." MacGuffin was unsettlingly close to Merida and dropped his hand from her red curls he loved so much. His fists formed a ball and he became ridged remembering how he tried to fight a crazed Norseman, and failed.
He felt angry at Merida , for not listening to him, and for the time he spent in the sick room listening to her laughter drift down the sick hall. No none of that was her fault. It was his jealousy for Ian Macintosh.
"Wheen I wa's in t' Sick beds I feult su' …Drum. ( discontented ,sad)" MacGuffin hung his head.
"I know Grant. An' it was because of me an' I left." Merida did not know why he was feeling sad now she had removed herself from him , stayed away from him. She did what he asked of her.
"Aye,Nea, Ock whoot in tryin to tell ya I was Vex'in w' Jealousy." Grant growled at her and Merida growled back.
"HAW! AN AYE DID THIS TO YA?! U' - just the same as anyone else has no claim on me!" She did not have any romantic interests at the moment and to believe that she made Grant jealous on propose or to spite MacGuffin was a claim of dishonor on herself. That's why she raised her voice a little at the young lord.
"Don't u understand a darn thing yu' dafty Quine!? ( stupid girl)" she pushed him and reached for the door , Grant slammed it shut with one large hand. His Tree trunk of an arm stopped her from moving away.
" Aye, was Ragin ( in a rage) w' herin you and Ian thah' Chack-a-puddin( self centered) Gomach (fool) a laughin on'ly a few yards away, do ya' ken what tha' would to to a Drengr (un married man) li'k me'shlf?! Hearin y' two for almost two days sulid"
"Doos it really matter? Well you don't ha'v t' worry aboot Ian Ever again I have seen the last of him, and what I have seen already was more then I ever wanted to!" She was going to tell him about what she saw in her room out of anger still fuming over what Grant had suggested. That she was trying to make him jealous out of spite.
Merida grabbed his shirt by the collar , held tightly in her fists.
"You let that door go Lord or Im goin to Clobber yu' and feed yu to the dogs!"
Her vow could be heard outside. Harris and Hubert were there to hear their sister on the opposite side of the door. They were both anxious listening in.
"Gods! He may kill her!" Hubert whispered franticly to his brother.
"She can take care of herself." but the boys held on to their daggers as they waited.
"Merida!" Grant grabbed her by her shoulders and kissed her. It was Her first kiss and she was unprepared. She felt betrayed and wanted to cry. There was tears in MacGuffins eyes and he put her down. He did not mean to kiss her, did he? No he did mean to kiss her, he just did not want it to have been this way. Merida Felt betrayed some how and gritted her teeth at him.
"-I felt Heartsick- Like Angus Og." Grant was pleading now. He needed to tell her.
Angus Og, Or "Angus the young" was a elfin/fairy prince, he fell in love with a woman from his dreams and was close to death of heartsickness. He almost died until he found her.
Merida released him and pushed Grant back a few steps . The anger had fallen from her and she just stood there feeling numb. She did not want to be apart of this conversation anymore.
"Grant You' hav' Bridget, you are betrothed."
Yes it was true he was promised to another, but it was equally true he had dreamt of the princess long before she came to his lands. Before Bridget. Just like Angus Og had dreamed of his love, Grant felt the same. He was happy she came, and met him on the hill. She could have just left him up there to die but she didn't. Without Merida he would not be standing here to marry Bridget. Yes it was the right time to come clean with his feelings, they had been eating away at him.
"Aye I do. An' I I will tell her…"
"Grant do you want to know why I don't want to see Ian Macintosh again." She interrupted him. Grant was silent ,he was serious now. "He was in my room just now. An-" Merida was finding it hard to get her words out. Grant had completely changed his demeanor. He was a pillar of stone in grave shadow. "He was undressed-"
Grant Pulled his dagger from the sheath and ripped the door open almost off its hinges. He crossed the hall way not noticing the two red haired men clinging to the wall of stone behind him. Grant made long strides to Meridas room, inside he found she was telling the truth. There was wine on a table ( Merida did not like wine) and Macintoshes sash with his crest pin still clinging to it. Merida walked in behind him knowing he would not find Ian.
Grant looked behind all the curtains and under the bed, letting out a growl of anger. He was pacing the room like a wolf in a cage.
' He is not here." Merida tried to sooth him, her arms crossed.
Grant passed the cup of wine, it was drained but was used recently for it was wet still. there beside the cup was a letter.
"woot is this?!" He read the letter over quickly. Was she lying to him? This was a letter to Ian from Merida, and it was suggestive…" you bettr com clean…" Grant turned and squared off with Merida who honestly did not have any idea what he was talking about.
"That's enough."
Harris strode in with his brother Hamish. Grant and Merida were in silence,they squared off to one another, stony with anger. Although at that moment Merida felt more calm, now that her brother was here.
"I don't think Merida wrote that… Hubert." Harris walked up to the angry giant of a man and took the letter from him ,Hubert walked over to the bed and pulled a small journal from the mattress.
"That's mine…" Merida was red in the face , 'how did the boys know where her journal was hidden?'
"Och, Merida you always hide it in the same place." Hamish said dismissively, looking over the letter with a sneer. "I thought so." Hubert put Merida's journal in Harris's hand and he put the note and her opened book on the table. The righting was very different. Grant looked at the book then at Merida ,he was still stiff.
Hubert went around snooping, there in the ruffled sheets of the bed he found a purple ribbon.
"Why would someone wan' t' have Ian in yu'r room…" Grant was cold to Merida now. He was more asking her then asking the question to himself. She just looked back at him with the same cold look.
"I have an idea." Harris smiled walking over to Hubert by the bed.
There in his hand he held up a pretty purple lace ribbon. Not many people could afford something like that. And anyone could see it did not belong to the warrior princess.
Grant recognized it right away. Harris saw the color drain from Lord MacGuffin's face and he held it out for Grant to see.
Grant grabbed it and went for the door, but Harris jumped infront of him.
"Im go' to talk to Bridget."
"Aye you can do tha! But not right now."Harris smiled holding out his arms so Grant could not pass.
Grant was about to push Harris away but Merida called out to him .
"Listen to him , please Grant, the Boy's'r verrry smart." She rarely complimented her brothers but that did not mean she did not think highly of them.
"You have to catch a rat w' a rat. And you hav' two of em right here." Harris closed the door behind him and leaned his back against it addressing his small audience. " I hav' a feeling Rabbie is behind all' o this. I think that Ian is innocent, and Bridget may still be." Grant looked up hopefully he had spent many summers with his Bridget. He did have feelings for Merida but everyone in the room was aware he put honor before anything, even his own emotions. "We can fix this easily all Merida has't' do-"
"Me? I didnea even cause this!"
"Merida-" Harris continued " Will talk to Rabbie and get him to meet her at the docks tonight." There would be thick fog near the lake and many people could sit and listen in close proximity without being noticed. " I also want to talk to our Bonnie Bridget."
"Why her?" Hubert wrinkled his nose.
"Because Rabbie is behind this somehow. I can feel it in my guts. And if we can get them to meet something might just slip." Harris gritted his teeth. " what exactly did you see Merida."
The three boys looked at her , she felt uncomfortable. "Well, aye …. Ian was stark naked at the foot of the bed ." she motioned to the space just behind her where he had been standing. " an on the bed was Bridget." Merida looked over at Grant. "im sorry-"
"When w're y' goin' t' tell me?" Grant growled at her, Merida's eyes darted away from him in shame.
"I was goin t'"
"Were y'now… truthly ?" Grant was hurt beyond words. He felt he was being betrayed by both of the women he loved.
" We c'n talk about that later. Hubert will pack your bags , The ships will sail t'morrow. Sis' y' should find Rabbie, we can look for Bridget " Merida nodded at Harris, she looked at Grant with great sorrow in her eyes. Merida looked away from Lord MacGuffin walking towards Harris who held the door for her.
"Hey." Merida was about to leave when her brother stopped her. "This is nea yr fault." Harris hugged her around the neck with one arm as he whispered the words into her red mane, givving her a small kiss atop of her head. "now get."
Grant looked at the Princes of Clan Dunbroch, he moved to leave.
"Lord MacGuffin." Hubert addressed him and he paused in the door way. "Whatever happened here on our mothers dear heart, it was not Meridas doin."
The lord turned softened by this vow. He believed it, but was still hurt she would keep a secret like that from him. Grant nodded in a sign on understanding." Aye will be at the doc's t'night." Then he left.
Merida was shaken by what had just happened. ' An' to think this could be Rabbies doing…' she went down the spiral stair case. But how did she feel?
She was thinking back on all the times she noticed Grant watching her and how she turned away knowing he wanted her to never be around him again.
She knew Grant was faithful to Bridget and without a doubt he would tell Bridget he kissed another. But that was his last kiss he would ever give Merida. And it was her first. There was no shortage of men who wanted to kiss her, but Grant was the first man she let kiss her. 'Why did aye let him?' Merida weakly said to herself? Was it because of the story of Angus Og? Was it because she saved him, fought by his side, felt safe with him even in his anger she knew he would never hurt her. It could have been all of those things. But it was over before it even started. 'There was no chance, fate could not be changed. Could it? No-'Merida had changed her fate once before , but look what that had gotten her. The clans were in shattered pieces. She was not blind to the fact she would have to marry one day. 'Maybe soon. But to who?'Grant would never be hers, there was Ian and Rabbie left. She felt bleak about her two choices. "Whoot am I go'n t' do?"
Rabbie was reading in the scroll room. He looked up at her and smiled like a snake would. Merida Approached.
"Young lord Dingwall."
"Rabbie-" He interrupted.
"Aye, Rabbie" She cleared her throat. "I wish to have your company . Tonight at the doc's "
"and what is this about?"
"this is about our clans. That is as much as' Aye will' say." She looked serious. Rabbie nodded not being able to contain his smile. 'she must have found Ian in her room with the girl…'
He was certain now with Ian out of the picture this meeting with Merida was about a future relationship.
Sadly Rabbie was seldom wrong.
