The triplet princes had broke off from the charge once past the Viking shield wall. But something strange had begun to happen. The Norse men fought but their eyes drifted from battle to the worm that was now curling its body upon a long ship. The worm shook violently as it consumed ,for it was finally able to eat as much as his will desired. Screeching painful notes like a bagpipe of unheard of size the monster relished its meals in ecstasy. Hamish swung his broad sword a few feet ahead of his brothers that flanked him. For as much time as Harris spent in the library , he spent his time in the armory. Their foe started to shrink in size slowly , as Harris brought his long ax down upon a Northman's chest he looked up through the veil of rain. There he saw the faint shadows of their enemy making it back to their boats. The fleet had change their course, A controlled retreat was taking place and the north men, They had lost heart. Another boat sank under the crippling weight of Crom, but he continued to slither ,To another boat. Harris' mind was working over time as he deflected the a red haired mans pike with a sweeping blow and a leap out of the way. 'Where is our sister? What can be done about this unheard of monster?' for the first time panic set into Harris as he yelled to Hubert , his voice cracking with fear.
"Find HER Hubert!" Hamish also heard his brothers call and seeing him loose his cool he sliced through the red headed man apposing his eldest brother with his long sword and stayed closely by his side as if they fit together. Hubert being the tallest and the fastest of the three made his way through fighting men like a great hart of the forest. His brothers fighting like a single man with four arms shoulder to shoulder behind him. He was in little danger as he made it to the shore where many other Celts had waded into the waters looking for the only daughter of the King.
Men gasped for air through the thick rain that could have drowned many on dry land, with the added danger of the waves maddened by the storm their princess was surely lost. Hubert bounded over the waves peeling off his armor. He ran past a great boulder of a man yelling out in fright trying to fight his own armor and weight to make it a few more steps into the waves. His long gold braid had revealed it was lord MacGuffin , but he was held up as he fought a Norseman in chest deep water , yelling out into the sea with every breath he took. There past the great man was a black horse. Fear Held on to Hubert .
As stories go, A black horse form the sea was a Kelpie , a water horse with long vicious teeth and an appetite for human flesh. But Hubert prevailed over his fear and rushed to the horse half swimming in the high waves and trudging through the low tide between them. He grabbed onto the horse's mane. The horse would have been not visible if he was standing where the people near shore were waiting for his return. It was thankfully his sisters horse and as he grabbed hold of the crazed stallion maddened out of its mind Hubert had a chance to look around him. It was utter chaos. Men fought each other with no structure ,no battle form. Men from the north ran back to their ships and a monster on the waves would soon run out of men to eat and surely turn on the clansmen. But Hubert had a horse, Merida's horse. There was hope she was close.
Behind Hubert 30 yards McGuffin shaking in anger held the man he fought under the waves till he lost all movement. "Bac' t' Ye watttery grave W'it ye! MERIDAAAA!" MacGuffin looked around helplessly as he still held the Norseman's limp body under the black water until the waves tugged him free of Grants grip.
Hubert squinted against the salt and rain in his eyes. There were two bobbing figures in the waves, one of them he could not make out but the other was a woman with long red hair like molten gold. Hubert let out a cry of joy and Grant immediately turned into the direction of Hubert's voice. Hubert let the horse go where it made it's way to the shore, but he moved in the opposite direction. Fighting every bit of the way he made it towards the two human heads bobbing in the surf. Grant threw his helmet into the sea then his chainmail Merida's brother must have found her. Behind them King Fergus was fighting the very last of the Norse as they franticly returned to their ships. Their focus away from the Celts and now upon the giant worm. Two more ships had been ignited and now four full long ships illuminated the darkness of the storm. The ships started to drift away and the Celtic ships were back in port. Lord Innis Macintosh bounded from his ship to King Fergus taking him in his hands.
"Where IS MY SON!" Both men turned to a group of men in the ocean, men had gathered around them and the King and his Lord made it there in haste.
There, three people retuned to land , the first to be recognised was Lord McGuffin. Men gathered on the shore waiting for them to come closer , the battle had been avoided but many looked upon the raging ocean at the shadow of the monster Crom in anticipation. He would be slithering back shortly and the men clutched their weapons, glancing now and then to the three making there way back to dry land.
Hubert held his sister under her arm and his stomach turned as he saw her head bob limply forward out of the corner of his eye , she was as cold as the waves.
Something happened then.
The storm broke and in the distance the monster was in light for all to see in horror.
Men bent at the knees , some even the battle hardened loosened their bowls in fear. Merida had never even seen the monster in its entirety. And then it let out a scream.
The monster had been busy consuming the passengers of a long boat, but even the soft light from the faint cloud cover hit the skin of the monster it let out a noise that was heard for miles. Those that had not already fallen upon their knees did so now. This time in pain. The noise made the men returning to shore falter. The pain was so great even Hubert fell to his dismay and his sister lifelessly slumped forward ,head under the waves. The man next to her who had brought her body from the deep, he too failed to keep on his feet. Yet though the blinding headache of the monsters death throws Hubert witnessed one man coming towards them. It was Grant. His grabbed the princess under her shoulders and lifting her up so she would rest upon his breast plate above the salt and water of the sea. He too slumped, finally affected by the noise tearing eardrums to ribbons. But he only took one knee as the noise slowly died down. Over Hubert's shoulder he saw the worm thrash in the soft sunlight, with its great body it snapped the mast of the ship it rested some of its body on. Then it slipped down into the waves far from land.
But there was no cheer, no laughter not even a sigh of relief. There in Grants arms was a limp body, hair long and flowing as a sea of fire, white skin like chalk, her dress mimicked the color of the sea she had been pulled from. Grant looked up and in front of him were the two responsible for Merida being in his arms.
It was Ian Macintosh and Hubert her brother. Ian being the man who had jumped from his fathers boat and swam past the monster Crom to save the Daughter of DunBroch. Young lord Macintosh with hard features grabbed the princess from Grant's arms , for Ian had every right to do so. But though outwardly clam ,inside Grant fought the urge to grab the hilt of his sword. Nonetheless he let the black haired Celt take the woman from his arms, and a slow procession made it back to the castle. Men started to pick themselves up from battle and a small cart was the only thing that moved quickly , as it picked up the dying and the ones destined for the sick beds.
Ian made his way to the castle the woman in his arms resting on his shoulder but her face covered by her almost pin strait red hair made her look as if she was nothing more then a life sized doll. They were followed closely by Hubert ,Hamish Harris and their father. Then the lords and the young lords behind them followed by what was left of the clans men.
Eves had waited with Merida's horse at the castle gates for her return, but he was struck with the same sadness as the men returning from the battle when he saw her at the head of the warriors. Harris looked upon the small messy hair and mire covered child and spoke the first words, since finding their sister.
"Brring t'he healer , quickly th'en." Eve's vanished with the quickness of his feet, running as if his own life was at stake.
There was a scary confusion in the castle. The north men had gone and the men returned almost in the same numbers as they had left the castle with. But there was no joy and the women of the castle clustered together watching the procession, coming to the sad realization why there was an absence of victory. Soon some of the women more prone to emotion then the others began to faintly weep, but they were not alone.
As King Fergus took the small woman from Ian Macintosh he too did not hold back the silent tears from his eyes. His only daughter, so small in his large hands was all he could see . The Royal family of DunBroch made it up the stairs once inside the great hall to their rooms , with unseen tears of their own for their sister and their princess. They were followed by a young stable boy gripping the hand of an elderly woman clad all in white with sweeping silver hair to the floor.
Grant MacGuffin tuned at this time to Ian Macintosh , they looked at each other in silence, Ian in small victory and Grant in defiance. Grant had sustained a few wounds and his blood mixed with his sopping wet cloths leaving a growing puddle of watery blood at his feet. Ian on the other hand had come from the battle almost unscathed. They had let the royal family grieve in peace but they would stay at the bottom of the stares until there was an announcement. The men had now gripped each other in a silent war of their own. Ian had saved the princess 'twice' now. The first time he took the title away from Grant at the battle in castle MacGuffin, but now he had truly saved her. In the minds of the two men they were both rightful in asking the princess for her hand. But to the rest of the castle who had not known the truth. If the princess lived, Ian was her rightful suitor.
Grant felt the tension mount and it would have continued to do so if his right hand man had not peeled him away from being feet of Ian Macintosh.
Grant sat in the great hall at one side with his clan and Clan Macintosh at the other with the Dingwalls in the middle. The healers had made there way to the great hall tending the men there instead of the sick beds as they refused to leave without word if their princess lived.