Somebody to Love

By: BourbonCowboy

Chapter 4

"This Kiss"

Stepping thru the mirror was like trying to push thru very thick, very cold water. Ice crystals stabbed at Merida's face and tugged at her clothes. She felt squeezed in from all sides. Just when she thought for sure she would suffocate, the hand that she held out in front of her broke free to open air. Someone else's small, smooth hand gripped Merida and pulled her the rest of the way thru. Merida only got the impression of wide brown eyes and a small bowed mouth before she collapsed on the floor. It took several minutes for the Scottish princess to catch her breath and for the world to stop spinning. "Poor dear." Someone murmured close by. A cool cloth was pressed against Merida's forhead, her cheeks, and neck. Her eyes fluttered open and it took Merida a moment to focus. When the world finally righted itself, wild blue eyes met soft brown. A beautiful woman, maybe in her forties, with hair black as a raven's wing and skin white as snow, hovered over Merida with a look of gentle concern. "You poor thing," the woman cooed, as though Merida were some small injured woodland creature, "It was your first time using a traveling mirror? It can be very disorienting. How is your head? Do you think you could sit up?" Merida nodded shakily and the stranger smiled reassuringly as she offered Merida a hand. Merida pressed her own hand to her head as the world tilted sickeningly. "I know that the Blue Fairy said traveling by mirror was dangerous, but I didn't think it'd be that bad!" Merida quipped. The strange woman laughed and sat back on her heels. "In my experience it is always more difficult for the most stubborn of people." Merida opened her mouth to say "I'm not!" but then thought better of it and instead shared in the other woman's laughter. "Come on, Princess Merida, and keep me company in the kitchen. I was just making some tea and biscuits. You'll have some to settle your stomach and we'll get to know each other a bit better."

Merida allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and finally took a look at her surroundings. She had stepped out of a full length, footed mirror with lovely gold filigree all round it. The mirror was to one side of a comfortable sitting area. There was a large tan sofa with blue patterned flowers. Next to this was a love seat in royal blue, a soft white afghan tossed over one corner. A couple of winged chairs sat caddy-corner to the love seat. In the center of this seating area a large square coffee table with a tea tray sat ready to entertain. The floor was cherry wood covered by soft rugs. A small fireplace sat in the corner waiting to be lit. All around the room were candles of varying heights. Merida imagined herself snuggled up on the love seat, covered with the blanket, a good book in hand while the fireplace roared and the candles glowed softly. It was a rather romantic image and Merida felt her cheeks burn as the shadowy image of a man appeared in her vision – cuddled up beneath the blanket on the sofa with her. Merida shook her head to rid herself of the image and followed her hostess down a long hallway to the kitchen.

The kitchen was just as cozy. A small wooden table with four wooden chairs sat in the middle of the room. Long counters stretched to either side of a black four burner stove. On the stove sat a large metal pot from which the most delicious smell was emanating. "That's lunch for later." Her hostess explained, as she reached into an icebox and pulled out cream and butter. Merida watched as the other woman set a kettle on the stovetop to boil then arranged two cups and saucers on a tea tray. The cream and butter were followed by a small plate of biscuits and jam. The kettle whistled and soon the two women were seated at the little table sipping daintily at their tea. "This is wonderful, thank you!" Merida exclaimed, "Oh! I don't know what to call you." Her hostess giggled like a young girl as she buttered a biscuit. "My name is Snow White, though most everyone calls me Mary Margaret. The Blue Fairy of course told me to expect you. After tea I thought we might go into town for a bit of shopping before I take you to your apartment."

"Apartment?"
"Oh yes. It's where you will stay while you are here visiting. My good friend Cinderella owns a lovely apartment building right in Town Square. It's close to everything! Shopping, restaurants, the concert hall, the castle…"

"The castle! Where King Arthur holds court?" Merida leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands and her elbows on the table – forgetting her decorum as she tried to absorb all Snow White was saying. "What's it like?"

"Oh it's unlike any place you've ever been and yet you will feel instantly at home. King Arthur and his knights set an example of chivalry and goodness for all other kingdoms. In fact, many of the people you will meet in and around town are visiting royalty." Snow White advised, "Though they may not advertise their royal status."

"Are you?" Merida asked baldly.

Snow White raised those soft brown eyes and studied Merida for a moment. Merida was surprised by the steely resolve she saw in those eyes. A woman as gentle as Snow would be assumed to be a pushover, but in that gaze Merida could see that Snow was tough as nails. "That is a story for another time, I think." The other woman finally said, sipping her tea daintily. Merida felt a pang of guilt. Here she had come barging into this woman's living home via a magic mirror, Snow White had been nothing but a gracious host, and Merida was prying into her personal life. Merida thought about how she would like to be perceived in this strange town. Would she want it to be common knowledge that she was the Princess of DunBroch? Merida shook her head at that line of thought. Of course she wouldn't! How could she hope to find someone who would love her for herself if she ran about with a tiara on her head advertising her status? But on the other hand, would her position as princess gain her easier access to King Arthur? After all, the Blue Fairy had said she was here not just to find love but also to learn how to be a good queen. Just thinking of the strange tightrope she would have to walk between her personal and professional life was giving her a headache. Merida took a large gulp of tea to calm her nerves and ended up choking. She coughed violently a few times before attempting to hold her breath. This just resulted in her eyes watering uncontrollably while silent coughs had her chest spasming in a most unladylike fashion. When Merida finally got control of herself she saw Snow White watching her with a smile hidden in the corner of her mouth, those doe brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "Are you alright now, Princess Merida?" Merida nodded her head, her cheeks flaming. Snow White reached across the table and held the princess' hand. Merida startled at the familiarity of the contact. "It is such a pleasure to have you here, Merida." Merida studied Snow White a moment, feeling like the older woman was saying so much more than that. For the first time she wondered how much Snow White knew about her. How much had the Blue Fairy told Snow? Did she know about that incident with the bear? Was she even now watching for Merida to trip up and behave in a shamelessly selfish manner as she had then? Or was Snow genuinely there to help? Merida felt a surge of frustration. The Blue Fairy had given her very little in the way of instruction upen her arrival in Camelot. She had essentially said "Here's the door. See what happens!" Oh! But how to ask Snow for the answers she sought without seeming petulant? Merida raised her gaze to meet Snow White's own and found the other woman watching her with a look that said she knew exactly the dilemma Merida faced and was waiting to see how she would handle it. Merida cleared her throat and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.

"Thank you very much for the tea and biscuits, Ms. White. Forgive me my earlier rudeness. I realize I just came barging into your home and have yet to thank you for your hospitality. If you are still willing, I would very much like for you to show me around Camelot." Snow White's eyebrows raised a fraction and she inclined her head ever so slightly in a gesture Merida recognized from her own mother. Snow might as well have said "Well done, Princess!" and awarded her a treat. Merida felt her chest glow with pride at the silent praise. "You are quite welcome, Princess Merida. I am glad you are here. I was of course forewarned of your coming and have been able to make preparations, though I imagine you had little instruction on what to expect from me on your arrival." Merida sighed, "Honestly I had no idea where I would end up when I stepped thru the mirror. I had half thought to fall from the sky and land flat on my face in the middle of a square!" Snow White chuckled at that. "You are not the first who has thought that. Honestly! (Merida's face must have displayed her skepticism) Camelot is different than any place you have ever been. Not just anyone can find Camelot. The only way to reach Camelot is by magic. It exists outside of normal time and space. You may find people here who have been dead and gone in your time for centuries or who haven't yet been born in your time." Merida didn't know how to process that information. She blinked a few times shook her head and said, "I'm sorry – what?"

Snow White stood up and beckoned Merida follow her up a set of stairs she had previously not noticed beyond the pantry. They wound their way upstairs and into a small study. Books lined the shelves along one wall. The far wall was completely taken over by a window and deeply cushioned window-seat. Opposite the wall of books was a small desk with correspondence awaiting Snow White's attention. Next to the desk was a large map, similar to the one the Blue Fairy had shown her. Snow White moved to the map and turned to face Merida. "You come from DunBroch, up here." She pointed to a large island on the map, labelled Scotland. Merida nodded her head slowly. "My own land is not far from yours." Snow White pointed to the southern half of Merida's island, labelled England. England was about twice the size of DunBroch. On closer inspection, Snow was actually pointing to a small area in the southwestern part of England, called Wales. Another island just west of Scotland and England was labelled Ireland. "I'm sure your maps call these places something different," Snow White said, studying Merida's face. Merida nodded, still confused. "All right. Now what if I told you that Camelot is actually right here," Snow circled all of England, Scotland, and Wales. "It has always been here and will always be here." Merida shook her head.

"No way. I have explored every corner of my kingdom and have seen no signs of this Camelot. I found the Auld Kingdom, what was once ruled by a wise king. Mor'du's Kingdom. How could it possibly be as you say?"

Snow White considered for a moment and then an idea came to her. "In your land, have you tales of fairy folk?"

Merida nodded, "The Wee Folk, we call them. Brownies and the like."

"Okay!" Snow clapped her hands together. "Where do the Wee Folk live then?"

"They live below the ground. They're wee…tiny. You can find entrances to their kingdom near fairy rings."

"Can humans visit their kingdom?" Snow asked.

Merida was exasperated with this line of questioning. She puffed out her cheeks. "Aye. Humans can visit their kingdom. But if a human eats their food or drinks their sweet nectar, they must remain with the fairies forever. What does this have to do with Camelot?"

"I know this is frustrating and confusing," Snow soothed. "I had a hard time accepting it when I came for the first time. Imagine Camelot like the Fairy Kingdom. It exists right alongside your own home, but out of sight."

"That's ridiculous! There is at least evidence of the Fairy Kingdom! Fairies are responsible for changing the seasons. Fairy Rings – a ring of mushrooms – mark the entrances to their kingdoms. I had never heard of Camelot till I wished on the Evening Star!" Merida wanted to take it back as soon as she said it. She had not planned on telling anyone about the selfish wish she had made on the Evening Star which had led to the Blue Fairy inviting her to Camelot. Her face must have betrayed her feeling of shame. Snow White stepped close and rubbed Merida's arm in a gesture of comfort.

"Is that it? You made a wish and suddenly found yourself here?" Snow asked gently. Merida nodded, shame-faced.

"It was dumb. I had promised never to mess around with the forces of magic again. But…" Merida found herself telling Snow White everything. They moved over to the window seat and Snow held Merida's hand while the young princess explained all about her selfish wish to change her fate and how she had instead turned her mother and three young brothers into bears. She left out nothing, explaining how she had almost lost her mother for good in the fight with Mor'du. She told Snow about spending all of her spare time visiting with the young clan lords, getting to know them better and trying to fall in love with one of them. She explained how each young lord eventually fell in love and married another and how in her sadness Merida had looked up at the Evening Star shining so bright in the heavens above her bedroom. "I shouldn't have done it. I wished…I wished that I could fall in love." Merida admitted in a whisper. Merida went on to explain about the Blue Fairy's appearance, the mirror in her bedroom, how she had gone to bed and woke the next morning to find her mirror still enchanted…

Merida had sat up in bed and looked over at her vanity warily. Sure enough, the mirror still glowed with a strange light. The visit from the fairy had been no fever dream. Merida dressed slowly, keeping one eye on the mirror the whole time lest the spell break. On the one hand, she wanted to throw the mirror in the lake and pretend the whole thing had never happened. On the other hand, what sane person gave up their chance to find true love when Fate intervened on their behalf? The princess chewed her lip for a moment and then made a decision. She knew she wanted to go. But she would not leave without first consulting with her mother. Merida crossed to the door of her room and gave the bell pull next to it a solid yank. A short, plump serving woman appeared within minutes. "Could you please ask Queen Elinor to attend me in my quarters?" Merida asked the serving maid. The woman bobbed a curtsy and disappeared down the hall. Within fifteen minutes Queen Elinor was striding regally into Merida's bedchamber. Merida noted that her mother had left her hair down, a sign that she was planning to relax today. Elinor closed the door, dismissing the maid, and crossed to her daughter – pulling her in to hug. "My poor darling girl," the queen soothed, "I know you must be having a difficult time now."

For a moment Merida didn't know what her mother was talking about. Then she remembered what had prompted her wish the night before – Young MacIntosh had announced his engagement to another. Merida hugged her mom tight, overwhelmed with appreciation for this woman she used to think unbearable. After a moment, Merida stepped back. "Thank you, mum. But really that isn't why I asked you to come. Look!" She showed her mother the mirror, explaining what had happened. Elinor frowned, but listened without interrupting. When Merida finished and shrugged her shoulders in a silent "now what?", Elinor crossed over and took her daughter's face in her hands. "Should we pack you a bag, do you think? Or will the fairies have that handled?" Merida felt her mouth fall open. "You mean, you want me to go?" she asked. Elinor raised an eyebrow. "The fairies themselves answered your wish. It would be unwise to ignore their gift."

Merida shook her head of the memory and focused on Snow White sitting beside her. "You know the rest. I fell, rather gracelessly, into your living room!" Snow White stood and crossed to one of the bookshelves and took down a large book. The words on the cover, in beautiful gold scripted letters, "Once Upon a Time." Snow White sat back beside Merida and opened the book saying, "True Love is one of the rarest and most powerful magics in all the world. Because of this, you can detect the work of Fairies in many of the most famous love stories of all time." The first page of the book showed a young girl, perhaps fourteen years old, in a glass coffin surrounded by seven tiny men. A handsome prince, on foot leading a white horse, approached the coffin where the sleeping maiden lay. In the next picture, the handsome prince kissed the maiden and her eyes opened. The last picture showed the prince and maid riding off into the sunset on the white steed, towards a castle in the clouds. "I was already a princess you see." Snow explained, a faraway look in her eyes. "But my mother had died birthing me and my father remarried a wicked woman. My stepmother was a wicked witch, and she used her magic for her own vanity. After my father died, she tried to kill me." Merida stayed silent, though her eyes were wide in her pale face. "The Huntsman took me to the forest to kill me. He was told to cut out my heart and bring it back to my stepmother – supposedly for proof though I have since learned that she needs the hearts of young maids to keep herself young and beautiful. The Huntsman though would not kill me. Instead he banished me to the woods. Told me to run and never return. I was just a child. Fourteen years old and so scared. I ran. These men, the dwarves, took me and cared for me for a time. Eventually though my stepmother learned that I had not died and she came for me. She put me under a Sleeping Curse from which I should never have waked. The dwarves built my glass coffin and placed me in the glen and that is where my True Love found me. In the years since David and I were married he admitted to me that he had followed a fairy thru the woods to find me." Snow White lifted those doe brown eyes and studied Merida again. "True Love is a very powerful magic. It was True Love's Kiss that broke the spell and I am forever grateful to the fairy who brought my handsome prince to me, but I also know that the fairies didn't bring me my True Love out of altruism. You would do well to remember that."

Snow White closed the book and held it on her lap. The tension left the room as soon as the book closed. Merida felt ashamed at the feeling of gloom that had come over her. What did it matter if the fairies got something out of helping people find love? Obviously Snow White was happy with her handsome prince. Also, if Merida couldn't find her True Love here in Camelot she was doomed to never find love. She would return to DunBroch and allow her mother to arrange a marriage with an eligible clan lord, maybe even from across the sea. The best she would be able to hope for in an arranged marriage was perhaps fondness for her husband. Merida was a passionate person. She wanted more out of life than just fondness. She decided to stop trying to understand how magic and Camelot worked. Those were mysteries for another time. Right now…"You mentioned shopping?"

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. It feels really good to know that someone has read something I wrote and enjoyed it! In this chapter Merida has finally arrived in Camelot, which we have learned exists somewhere outside of normal time and space. (What!?) Snow White is there waiting for her, ready to take the young princess under her wing. But what's with the ominous warning about the fairies? Isn't it a good thing that they help people find True Love? Next time, Snow takes Merida out into Camelot for the first time. We will start to meet some of the other characters from the fairy tales, including Cinderella - who owns the building where Merida will be staying. An apartment building full of fairy tale characters...the possibilities are endless!

Thanks again!

BourbonCowboy