A/N: Characters belong to Disney/Pixar.
Picture this: It's 3 am, you're listening to Hozier's Like Real People Do but the one with ambience sounds by the stream in summer, you yearn for romance. That's when I thought of this fic. Just a couple of lovers by the river. Though, the lyrics have nothing to do with them, it's more of the feel of the song sdfsdfsd anyways this is set 7 years after the film making Merida around 23 and Young MacGuffin at around 25 maybe. That's all. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
Sunlight pierced through the autumn trees, making the forest aglow. Hues of reds, oranges, and brown painted the kingdom as leaves covered it all. The leaves crunched under their steps, clear and crisp. A gentle river sung ahead of them.
Merida skipped ahead of her companion, her hair bouncing about with every hop she took. She kicked the leaves around her and scooped a handful, throwing them over her head. She spun. Her laughter filled the air, her joy was contagious. She looked behind her shoulder and pouted. "Ya sure are taking your merry time!"
Alec MacGuffin rolled his eyes and smiled at the lass, picking up his pace. He slipped his hand into his sporran, making sure the ring within the leather purse was still there. He felt the ring, tracing the engravings on the metal. He kept his gaze on the woman in front of him, watching the way her curls moved against her slender back, the way her cheeks wrinkled and nose scrunched ever so slightly when she smiled.
Her steps were confident and nimble as she jumped from one rock to another across the river. Her dress swaying against her legs. Alec followed closely, he was more cautious in his steps, he wasn't exactly as agile as Merida.
She misjudged the next rock she stepped onto. It was covered in slippery green moss that didn't look like it was any trouble. She let out a yelp and flailed her arms about as she braced herself to be drenched in cold water. Instead of the river, she was caught by a pair of strong arms. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see a set of gentle blue eyes staring at her with worry. Merida swiftly pulled away, blushing, and regained her footing, turning to smile at Alec.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his arms still stretched out.
"Aye, thank you." Merida grinned, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "Your foot's in the water, lamb. Come 'ere."
A dust of red spread across Alec's face, glancing at the foot he hadn't realized was in the river. He looked like he was trying to shrink himself. His cheeks turned a brighter color upon the realization that Merida had intertwined their fingers together as she pulled him away from the river. Her touch, tender yet firm. Her skin, warm against his. It was enough of a distraction from his drenched boot. Hand-in-hand, they strolled towards an old tree.
Mischief sparked in Merida's eyes. She took both his hands in hers and yanked him down along with her, making them roll unto the ground. She propped herself up and poked Alec's ribs, her grin spread across her freckled face.
"OI!" he covered himself with an arm and swatted her hand away with the other. Her hands thwarted his attempts at swatting them away. "Merida! Noooo!" he cried, rolling away from her to no avail. She crawled on top of him and assaulted him with tickles, laughter escaped his lips. Their laughter disrupted the serenity of the forest.
He rolled to topple Merida over, it was his turn to attack her. He tickled her sides, making her chortle. Her hand stretched out, pushing at his chin. Her hair sprawled over her face, making her look like a fireball with a body. She wiggled her way out of Alec's grasp, rolling away. She sat up and put her hands up, catching her breath. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I give up," she laughed, brushing her mane away from her face.
Alec's face was flushed from laughter. Merida swore there were tears in his eyes. He slipped his hand into his purse for the nth time today, she noticed, raising an eyebrow but didn't say anything about it.
She laughed when she noticed his hair loose and messy, his hairband holding onto dear life. She studied him, tilting her head ever so slightly. Alec is a large man, almost as large as her father. His arms firm and muscular, his jaw was rough and stubbled. He looked rugged and more masculine with his hair down. And even if he could kill anyone with his bare hands, his gentle eyes kept him from looking dangerous, really.
She stood and walked behind him, taking the band from the lock where it hung. Merida brushed her fingers through his blond locks. She felt his shoulders stiffen as she combed through, his arms pressing against his chest, legs retreating under him.
Merida smirked. It had been a year since they've started courting each other, he hadn't been so stiff and flinchy in a while now. She gave his shoulders a squeeze and he seemed to slightly relax so she returned to brushing his locks. He's been growing it out, now reaching the middle of his back. She picked out the autumn leaves from his hair as she went. He was quiet. And so was she. She listened to the sound of the forest as she wove his hair into a braid. The singing birds, the nearby river, the gentle breeze. Once she was done, she wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Why're you so nervous, lamb?"
"Nervous? I'm not nervous, what made you think that?" he said a little too quickly that his words melted into each other. He slipped his hand within the pouch again.
Merida raised an eyebrow. "What's in there? You keep-" she reached out, "-checking it, oof!" Alec quickly stood up and she crashed to the ground. "What's the big deal?!" she yelled, chasing after him. He unbuckled the leather straps of the purse and held it over his head as he ran. He held the crown of her head, keeping her in place regardless of her attempts at pushing towards him. She scratched his arm and kicked his shin, earning a howl from him. The purse slipped from his fingers and she ran with it, cackling.
"Merida, knock it off!" Merida didn't even make it far before Alec wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her from the ground. He snagged the purse from her hand and ran.
"You knock it off!" she yelled, jumping unto his back. She screamed when he ran about, wrapping her arms securely around his neck. "Give it a rest!" she screamed as he came to a halt. She leapt off of him, pulling at his arm to make him face her and he did. He turned and faced her but his hand still raised the leather purse above him.
"Nothing's in it," he quickly said, brows furrowed.
Merida smirked, planting her hands on her waist. "Why'd you run away then?"
"...because it's mine."
She sighed and cupped his face, staring into his eyes. Her fingers caressed his cheek lovingly, her other hand moved to play with his hair. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned towards his face, stroking her nose against his. Feeling his breath on hers. Her fingers traced swirls on his nape. He held his breath as she closed her eyes. Her soft lips brushed lightly over his and he lowered his guard. That was his mistake. She jumped and snagged the purse from his hand, flipping the flap and digging her hand into the leather before he could retort.
She laughed victoriously, taking the only item in the purse out. Alec let out a quiet "no." Merida's eyes widened at the realization of what was on her hand. She froze. The ring is silver and engraved with her family's knots and bears. It glinted in the sunlight, cold against her fingers. She stared at it. Then looked at Alec. Then back to the ring, then back to Alec. Butterflies formed in her stomach, her knees wobbled.
He was quick to catch her. "Merida," he said, his voice quiet. He took her hands into his, kneeling on one knee. "Princess Merida of DunBroch, will you-"
She tackled him to the ground, exclaiming,"YES!" She sat up, letting him slip the silver ring to her finger. She pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled, hugging her back. Merida pulled away, "I thought you'd never ask."