Merida helped her brothers get dressed. They heard a knock on the door. Hubert went and opened it.
"Good morning!" Queen Elinor greeted her children. "You are bathed and dressed already?"
"Merida woke us up and bathed us," Hubert replied, before joining his brothers.
"She did. Good morning, Merida."
"Good morning, Mother," Merida replied, praying that she would not bring up the subject of marriage.
"You have done well, my sweet daughter. One of the lessons to be learned as a future Queen is how to care for any children she may have..."
"Mother, please! Not now!" Merida was grateful when she heard her father shout,
"Breakfast is ready!"
The boys ran quickly out of their room, stepping on Fergus' foot.
"Ouch!" he yelled after they ran off. Merida chuckled.
"Father, are you all right?" she asked as she approached him.
"Yes. Along with every other morning they step on my foot," Fergus replied with a smile.
"Merida got the boys ready today," Elinor told her husband.
"Did she? Well, my little lassie is growing up. Go Merida, before the boys eat all of the food!"
"Yes, Father," Merida responded. She went to go pass him, but he let out a grunt. With a grin on her face, she kissed his cheek before leaving.
Fergus entered the room and closed the door behind him. He turned to face Elinor.
"Merida is..." he started to say. Elinor had her back to him. He knew immediately what she was doing.
"Don't cry, my love," Fergus softly whispered, as he embraced her from behind.
"I can't help it, Fergus!" she moaned sorrowfully. "She still doesn't want to get married! Can't you talk to her and convince her to do this?"
"Elinor, I think it is time that Merida knows the truth."
"No!" Elinor turned to face her husband. "She is having a hard time accepting her destiny as Queen. I can't tell her that we..."
She buried her face in her hands and wept. Fergus pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Merida will have so much responsibility. Being a Queen, looking after her brothers... I just want someone to be there for her when we are gone!" Elinor stated through her sobs.
"I know. She will be so sad when we are not around. That is why I agreed to have her get married now. Only because of our situation," Fergus responded.
"I know, Fergus. You and Merida have a special bond."
"Hey. She loves you, Elinor. She just sees things differently."
He wiped the tears from her face and added,
"The suitors will arrive, and Merida will meet her future husband."
Elinor had a small smile on her face after Fergus said this.
"Come, let us go and enjoy our children," he offered, taking his wife's hand and leading her to the dining hall.
Kylo travelled to a secluded pond not too far from the cave. He knelt down to gaze at his reflection in the water.
"Amazing!" he gasped. "I have not aged since my transformation. I look the same as I did back on Starkiller Base..."
Kylo bowed his head. That monstrosity killed billions. Even though he killed people, including his own father, he never liked the super weapon. The Force gave him power to conquer the galaxy, power to take revenge on his uncle. But the one thing it could not do is take away his conflict over his father's murder.
It had to be done. Otherwise, Snoke would have called him a failure, possibly even kill Kylo. So he struck Han Solo with his lightsaber. He thought his father would hate him. Instead, he lovingly traced his son's cheek, before tumbling to his death.
"What have I done?" Kylo thought at that time, horrified by his actions. He was suddenly struck by Chewbacca's bowcaster, and fell over the edge. The next thing he knew, he was in the forest, transformed into a bear.
"Why did this happen?" Kylo cried out to the Force. "Why was I spared? I should have died! No one would have missed me!"
His thoughts turned to Merida. If he had died, he never would have met the fiery princess. He would not have a second chance to rule over a kingdom. Granted, Scotland was smaller in comparison to the galaxy. But the people were fiercely loyal to their king. Kylo knew that they would also be loyal to him and to Merida.
"I have to forget the past, to become who I was meant to be," he vowed as he rose to his feet. "Soon, I will be King, and Merida will be my Queen. We will reign together, and no one will stand in our way!"
Kylo closed his eyes. He imagined his wedding night with Merida. She looked gorgeous in the white silk nightgown she was wearing. But she was terrified of him.
"Merida, don't be afraid," he assured her, as he climbed into bed. "I will never scare you like that again." His lips met hers in a soft kiss. She tensed up. He held and kissed her until she relaxed in his arms.
"If you do, I will kill you," she warned him, as his mouth found her bare shoulder. She closed her eyes, enjoying his kisses and caresses.
"I have been warned," Kylo said with a wink, before taking off her nightgown. He paused a moment to gaze at his naked bride.
"So beautiful," Kylo groaned as he removed his clothing. "And so mine."
His mouth crashed hers, as he wrapped his arms around her. Kylo entered his virgin bride. Merida winced in pain. He spoke comforting words in her ear as he began to move in her. It did not take long for the beauty to cry out in pleasure. He spilled his seed inside of her. Kylo knew at that moment he would never let her go.
He opened his eyes. It was only a vision. Kylo sighed. If it would only that easy to convince Merida to marry him. But there was a trait that they shared in common. They were both stubborn.
"I will make her mine," Kylo promised, before walking away.
Merida ate her breakfast in silence. She knew what was coming when her father instructed a servant to take the boys away.
"Merida, your suitors..." Fergus nervously began.
"No!" Merida hissed angrily.
"Merida, stop!" Elinor yelled at her.
"No! I will not marry any of them!" She rose from her chair and ran away.
"That did not go well," Elinor stated bitterly.
"Give her time, my love," Fergus urged his wife.
"Time is a luxury we do not have, Fergus! Merida needs to be married before we..." She bit her lip. He came over and hugged her.
"I will talk with her and convince her to do this," Fergus vowed. The couple kissed before leaving the dining hall.
"I won't do this!" Merida yelled, as she grabbed her sewing kit. It was time to head back to the cave. But she needed to make sure her parents wouldn't follow her.
She found her brothers and asked them for their help. They agreed, for another week's worth of sweets.
"You can have all of the sweets," Merida thought to herself as she mounted her horse. "Because I am leaving after mending Kylo's clothes. I will miss you, and Mother and Father. But I can't be who they want me to be!" She would have a couple of hours to reach the cave, sew Kylo's clothes and leave, before her parents figured out she wasn't playing hide and seek with the boys.
"Faster!" Merida commanded the steed. The sooner she finished, the sooner her new life of freedom would start.
Kylo was meditating when his eyes popped up. He grinned. He sensed Merida's presence drawing close. He grabbed the cloak to cover himself, and waited patiently outside the cave entrance.
"It is time for us to walk into our destiny," Kylo thought to himself, as he saw Merida dismount from her horse.