"It is settled then. Kylo and Merida will be married," Fergus gasped, shocked by the results of the vote.

"No! You can't make me do this!" Merida screamed, before turning and running away.

"Merida!" Elinor shouted, as she chased after her daughter.

Kylo faced Fergus and said,

"I am sorry it came to this. But I knew she would have said no if I had asked her myself."

"Kylo, you saved my family. You do not need to apologize," Fergus insisted. He leaned in and whispered,

"Better you that those pathetic boys!"

Kylo nodded in agreement. It happened. He and Merida were going to be king and queen of Scotland, He was pleased with the results, but was unhappy that Merida was upset.

"Your Majesty..."

"Kylo, please. We are family. Call me Fergus."

"Fergus, you need to tell Merida the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes. The truth about you and the queen. She needs to know, and I should not be the one to tell her."

"You know?" Fergus managed to say, his face pale. Kylo shook his head in the affirmative. The young man knew about him and Elinor dying!

Meanwhile, Merida has stormed up the stairs and locked herself in her bedroom. She thought about running away, but it would be pointless. Her family would search for her until they found her. Or if they didn't, then the crown would be passed to Kylo until her brothers were of age to rule.

"I should have agreed to the contest!" she thought bitterly to herself, as she laid down on her bed. This would be the last time she would be in this room. After she was married, she and Kylo would sleep in a master bedroom.

"I thought he understood me. I thought he cared!" Merida moaned before weeping.

"I do care," Kylo said to himself, knowing her thought. He was walking with Fergus and the boys back to the castle. He saw Hamish walk alongside him. He smiled at the boy and told him,

"We need to talk, little one. But not now."

Hamish could only nod his head, hoping that no one could tell how sad he was.

Later, Merida was awakened by a knock on her door. She opened her eyes and snapped,

"Go away!"

"Merida, let us in," Elinor pleaded.

"No! I want to enjoy my last minutes of freedom by myself!"

"Lassie, please open the door. There is something we need to discuss with you," Fergus urged her.

"If it is about Kylo..."

"It is not. Merida, please."

Reluctantly, she rose from the bed and opened the door. The king and queen stepped inside.

"Come sit with us," Fergus softly pleaded. Merida's heart raced. There were only two times in her life that she sat down with both parents to talk. The first time was when she found out she was going to be a big sister. The other time was when they told her she needed to get married.

She sat in the middle of them. Elinor found her daughter's hand. This was going to be the hardest conversation they would have with their eldest.

"Merida," the queen began, gazing at her daughter. "It is time to tell you why your father and I want you to get married."

"You already told me, It is tradition for the oldest to be married in order to reign," Merida stated bitterly.

"Yes, but we did not tell you one part."

"What didn't you tell me?"

"Merida," Fergus interjected, as his hand found her shoulder. "The tradition is that when the oldest child becomes of age, they are to be married and ascend the throne."

"Okay." Merida was confused, so her father added,

"For generations, the kings and queens have married at eighteen."

"But that doesn't make sense. I am only sixteen. Why am I getting married now?"

"Merida... we won't be around when you are eighteen!" Elinor blurted out, before bawling.

"Mother?" Merida worried, never seeing her mother this upset before.

"Merida, we are both dying," Fergus finally admitted.

"No!" Merida denied. "It's not true! It's impossible!"

"It is true. Your father's infection has spread, and I have cancer," Elinor explained through her tears.

"But we can see a doctor, for both of you."

"We have seen many doctors. There is nothing that can be done for us," Fergus insisted, hating to see his daughter in pain.

Merida closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening! How could she live without her parents?

"Merida, you don't need to be brave right now," Elinor assured her.

"No!" the princess gasped, before she broke down and wept. Both parents held her.

"I'm sorry!" Fergus sweetly said, as he wiped away Merida's tears. "We would not have insisted on you getting married so young, but..."

"I understand," Merida replied. "How long..."

"A year for both of us," Elinor stated, gently caressing her daughter's hair.

"Do the boys know?"

"Not yet. We thought you could be there, when we tell them. They adore you, and I think it would help them if you are there to break the news. But only if you want to."

"I don't know if I can rule this kingdom without you!"

"You won't be alone, Merida," Fergus promised. "Kylo will be there, right by your side."

"No, he won't. He probably hates me!"

"He does not hate you," Elinor told her.

"Then why did he do this? He knew I didn't want to get married. I thought he understood me. He just wants power!"

"Normally, I would agree with you," Fergus uttered, as he took his daughter's other hand. "But that is not the reason why he did what he did."

"Merida, Kylo wants something that you have," Elinor added.

"What is that?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"Family. He told us about his father and his uncle, and about what happened to him."

"Is he okay?" Merida panicked, concerned that her father would be angry at Kylo for biting his leg when he was Mor'du.

"He is fine, Merida," Fergus vowed. "If Kylo just wanted the throne, he would have not saved the boys."

"I don't understand..."

"He was the one to sneak the boys out of their room. They were supposed to be killed first, then your mother and I. He could have harmed them, and let Dingwall, MacIntosh and MacGuffin take the blame."

"I can't tell you to not be angry with him," Elinor said. "But please, for your father and I, try not to kill him."

"I don't know if I can promise you that. He hurt me by doing this!"

"Merida, Kylo knows that you care about him."

Her eyes widened. He knew she wanted him!

"I can't stay!" Merida cried nervously. Fergus squeezed her hand and insisted,

"Don't run. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"I do! I have feelings for him. But he doesn't feel the same way!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Fergus went to open it. Merida swallowed her throat and trembled, as she looked and saw Kylo standing in the doorway.