Fierce
Merida x OC
(Set After Brave)
Years went by since the incident with the bears, and now Merida is of age to be married and become the Queen of DunBroch. Though her father Fergus and her mother Elinor weren't sure if she was ready, they had hoped that she would marry someone. On the night of her coronation, an attack occurred upon the kingdom, and when all of the clans went into full battle-mode, Merida was taken captive by the mysterious Black Knight.
The day after Merida's kidnapping, she came face-to-face with the Black Knight, who happened to be the grandson of Mor'du named Caden. When Merida realized that Caden was the one who has a stronger claim to the kingdom of DunBroch, she would do whatever it takes to keep it from collapsing, even if it meant fighting against the young prince.
What Merida doesn't realize was that Caden's true reason for taking Merida was to protect her. Merida meant more to him than the kingdom that belonged to his grandfather...and the only way that he could protect her is by marrying her. Little did either one of them know was that love would blossom between two people who were almost alike in personalities: both aggressive in battle, but both passionate in family and in love.
Can love conquer all?
A/N: I do apologize again for another author note, as this is a VERY IMPORTANT one! Since I've last posted something on here, I have been in a very high spirits with my new school. Turns out, I was wrong. I have experienced a lot of heartache, stress, anger, frustration, and anxiety that it's much worse than I have ever experienced before.
I've lost a lot of interest with the things I've enjoyed, including writing. As of right now, I'm getting the help I need, but after working in education (specifically special education) for now six years, I'm coming to a decision of possibly leaving teaching altogether. I'm not sure what I'm going to do right now or in June as I'm currently under contract. I've been told by higher up staff members in charge of employment that if I were to resign in the middle of the year, I would be unable to be hired by anyone for teaching for three years. IF I were to resign in June, I would only be unable to be rehired by the county I work in for three years but could go anywhere else if I wanted to.
I'm in a stalemate and struggling with what to do next. I've always known that I've wanted to help people with disabilities, especially those with autism or developmental delays, and because of the predicament I'm in and no matter what I do...it's never enough and I'm not fond of how I'm being treated and made to do something that's out of my comfort zone and control. In the meantime, as I've been getting help that I needed for my mental/emotional health (as well as physical therapy as I've injured myself again), I wanted to get back to something that brings me joy, and though it's been a very, VERY long time, I wanted to come back and write again.
Please be patient as I do my best to finish the stories that I've started or when I start new ones. I hope to finish the stories that I've been working on for years to move on to new ones. Thank you SO much for your patience and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday if you celebrate it now or if you already have celebrated it, and happy reading~~Tessa Anne
Chapter 24
As the moon went down and the sun came up, Caden and Merida and their entourage continued their ride toward the castle of Mor'du. The blue lights kept guiding them towards the ruined castle, but as the light continued to guide, the entourage began to become wearier during the travel.
As Merida remained astride on her horse, she felt a sharp pain in within her womb where her babes rested within. She made a sound and grasp her stomach. Caden heard her gasp and pulled on his horses' reins to stop. Getting off of his horse, he rushed toward Merida. "What has happened?!"
She was able to breathe after the pain went away and said, "I do not know. I just felt pain, but I will be alright."
He was not having any of it and took her off of the horse. "We do not know how much time until the babes are born. We should stop while we are ahead."
Merida gently touched his scruffy cheek with her hand and said, "Caden, I am alright. We must continue our journey, otherwise our family will forever be in turmoil for years to come. Please, let's continue this journey."
Jamie called out to Caden from a few feet away by a cliff. Caden then took Merida's hand and pulled her toward his friend and Greer who stood looking down from the cliffs. "I think we have made it to Mordu's castle." Jamie said, pointing down the cliffs to an abandoned forest. The castle was there, but it was all in ruins now.
Merida's parents and brothers came up next to them, and Elinor turned to her daughter. "It is just as I remembered, only far darker and frightening than before."
She touched her mother's hand and replied, "We will be alright, Mum."
Elinor smiled and kissed her forehead, as everyone made their way down the cliffs towards the castle. As the path continued to be winding and rough with rocks and trees that had fallen down over the years, Merida could still feel the pain in her womb. Greer and Elinor helped her down, but she didn't want anyone to assist her.
"Merida, you need to allow us to help you." Greer said to her friend, as they continued down the path towards the ruined castle. "What if you are in labor with your bairns? Something could happen to you and the babes."
"I will be alright, Greer." Merida answered her, "I need to see this through. I need to save my own family from this curse, and I cannot do that by standing idly by and letting things get worse."
After making it to lower grounds, Caden turned to Merida as they made it to the front of the castle. He noticed that she wasn't herself, and she continued to hold her growing belly. "Merida, are you sure you are alright?" he asked her, as she moved toward him slowly and he wrapped his arms around her."
"I will be fine, let's go in and find this amulet and destroy it, before it's too late..."
Also, please check on my profile page where you can vote what next story I should do when I finish this one or when you would like to see it sooner. You can pick up to three choices, or if none of them are on there, send me a PM and let me know of your thoughts. Thanks, Tessa Anne