Somebody to Love

By: BourbonCowboy

Chapter 10: Adventure is Out There!

Following the king's banquet, Merida slept like the dead. She didn't remember much of the return to her apartment. She knew that David had gone to fetch the carriage and that the Charmings had deposited her back in front of her apartment with Snow White promising to get in touch later the next day. Merida felt that Snow had wanted to talk to her about something the king had said, but the conversation from the banquet felt like a dream. Merida rolled over beneath the downy comforter and sighed in ecstasy. "I'm never going to be able to sleep on my old hay mattress again!" she proclaimed to no one in particular. She arched her back and stretched out her arms over her head, pointing her toes and flexing her calves. The magic clock on her bedside table displayed the time. It was nearly noon. As much as Merida wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, continuing to enjoy her new bed, her belly gave a loud rumble and her priorities shifted. In a most un-princess-ly manner, Merida kicked the covers off and flounced out of bed. She took a quick visit to the indoor outhouse, a strange and yet wonderful room that Merida liked immensely more than the standard chamber pot of her old bedroom. Then she heeded her stomach's protests and went in search of food. She had slept bare, too tired to search up a sleeping gown, and now padded down the carpeted hall towards the kitchen wearing nothing more than her unruly red hair.

Before she had left for the banquet, Merida had been visited by another fairy. Tinker Bell had explained that she was something called a "super" and that it was her job to make any necessary repairs to the apartments. The fairy had given Merida a crash course on all of the appliances in her new apartment so that this morning Merida felt confident she could obtain breakfast without too much difficulty. The ice box held a carton of fresh eggs and a platter of bacon. On the stove was a familiar black frying pan. Merida set to work frying up the bacon and scrambling eggs. When everything was cooked, she transferred the food to a plate, topped the eggs with cheese and poured herself a glass of ice cold milk. Pleased with her level of self-sufficiency, Merida took her breakfast into the living room and stood looking out the window at the new day. Tidbits of conversations from the day before swirled around inside her head.

Be true to your heart. Do what you love. What makes you happy? What is your specialty? And the king's voice in her mind, "You will be my scout. Your abilities make you uniquely suited to this task." What skills was he talking about, Merida wondered? When the king had said it last night, it had seemed the most natural thing in the world. She imagined herself astride her horse, galloping thru the woods, her hair blowing in the breeze, completely free. But, she was a princess. She had given all of that nonsense up years ago. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth for a few moments more. Then the princess shook her head. "I am Merida of Dun Broch. I gave my word to the king that I would do as he asked of me, and that is that." She returned her dishes to the sink, washing them quickly and setting them aside to dry. A knock sounded on the door and Merida started towards it before remembering her lack of clothing. "Merida! It's me, Rapunzel!" a voice called. Merida smiled and called back, "I'll be there in just a moment!" She dashed down the hall to the bathroom and grabbed her robe off the back of the door before going to let in her new friend.

Rapunzel stood waiting patiently, holding a plate of cookies. Merida would come to learn that Rapunzel almost never left the house without an offering of baked goods. Green eyes lit up with excitement as soon as Rapunzel laid eyes on the Scottish princess. "I'm so glad you're up!" She exclaimed while walking past Merida into the kitchen and depositing the plate of cookies on the counter. "I have been dying to hear how your dinner with the king went." Merida leaned her hip against the counter and selected a cookie to nibble. "It was…interesting, to say the least." She supplied. "I was nervous when we arrived at the castle because there were so many people. Fortunately for me only a small group was invited to dine with his majesty."

"Do you remember who all was there?" Rapunzel asked, searching the cabinets for a second glass and pouring out two cups of milk to go with the cookies.

Merida placed a finger on her chin, considering. "Let's see, my mentor was there with her husband. Did you get a mentor when you arrived in Camelot?"

Rapunzel nodded. "It's a common practice to pair the new folks up with someone who has been here a while who can show them the ropes. Eugene and I were placed next door to Vladimir and Sophie so that they could help guide us. Who is your mentor?"

"Snow White."

"Oh wow! Isn't she amazing?" Rapunzel sighed. "She doesn't talk about it much, but in her land Snow White was one of the eight women who changed history. She is an absolute inspiration."

"One of eight women?" Merida asked, surprised.

"Oh yes! All great queens who helped usher in a Golden Age of magic and prosperity; Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan." Rapunzel supplied. Merida felt shock that in the one day she had been in Camelot she had already encountered three such celebrities. Unsure what to do with this information, Merida tucked it away in a corner of her mind to be perused later.

"That explains why Aurora was there mentoring Lady Charlotte," Merida said, "Snow White and her husband, David, came with me. We met Lady Charlotte LeBouffe, who is newly arrived like myself. Aurora and Philip were there with her."

Rapunzel nodded, "Philip was a big help to Eugene when he started his job here. But who else was there?"

"Umm…let me see if I can remember." Merida closed her eyes and pictured the table. She remembered the knight sitting to her right hand side. "Sir Gawain sat beside me for a time. David was sitting on Sir Gawain's other side. Snow White was next to David and she sat next to Queen Guinevere. Then there was King Arthur and Merlin and och! Princess Emma!" Merida's eyes snapped open. Snow White had mentioned something was going on with her daughter and seeing her deep in conversation with the wizard at the banquet, Merida was certain her mentor was right.

"Ooh! Emma is so cool." Rapunzel gushed, "Her husband Killian must have been with her, right?"

"I didn't have the chance to speak with them, does Killian look sort of like a pirate?" Merida asked, thinking of the dashing dark haired man that was seated next to Emma wearing a long dark coat and what could only be described as guy-liner.

"Yes! That's him!" Rapunzel clapped her hands in excitement.

"That's everyone I think. Including Aurora, Philip, and Charlotte, that is." Merida took the two empty glasses and washed them. With her back still to Rapunzel, she said, "His majesty assigned both Charlotte and I jobs while we are in Camelot. Charlotte is going to work for Giselle at the dress shop, but he asked me to be a scout."

"A scout!" Rapunzel's shock had Merida spinning around. "That's what Eugene does! Or is! Whatever! He was kind of bummed about it initially," at Merida's questioning look Rapunzel amended, "He was disappointed with the post at first. He said that the king had essentially made him an errand boy. But once he finished his training, he found out it was the perfect fit. He gets to travel out past the edges of Camelot, into the Wilds and the Outer Realms to collect rare items for the mages and stuff to use in their enchantments. It's very exciting! I've been on a few of his scouting missions with him. This one time, we spent three whole days on a tropical beach with a secluded lagoon collecting these rare seashells." Rapunzel's eyes were wistful. She blinked them clear and focused on Merida again. "Have you been assigned a scout trainer yet?" Merida shook her head no. "Eugene could do it!" Rapunzel had grabbed Merida's elbow and was in the process of towing her towards the front door, presumably to introduce her to Eugene. Then for the first time, Rapunzel noticed that Merida was clad only in a robe. "Maybe you should get dressed first."

Ten minutes later, having allowed Rapunzel to choose Merida's outfit of soft brown breeches with tall boots, white long-sleeved tunic top and corset belt, the two girls wandered down the hallway to Rapunzel and Eugene's shared apartment. "Eugene!" Rapunzel called, "I've brought our new neighbor over to meet you!" Merida observed that Rapunzel's apartment had the same layout as both her own apartment and their neighbor Vladimir. The work of the fairies was apparent in the décor. Rapunzel's apartment was softly feminine and cozy. From the living room came a dashing young man. He sauntered, there was no other word for the way he swished his hips as he walked into the room, tossed his hair and struck a pose against the doorjamb. He quirked an eyebrow and looked out from beneath his brown bangs with a solicitous smile. "Hi." Rapunzel rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head. "Eugene…" The man, Eugene, had the decency to look chagrinned. He offered his hand and Merida shook it.

"This is my friend, Merida." Rapunzel said, "Merida, this is my husband, Eugene."

"A pleasure to meet you, Eugene," Merida intoned, trying to keep her thoughts from her face. Merida was thinking this man seemed like a scoundrel, but he was Rapunzel's husband, so she would endeavor to be civil.

"The pleasure is mine, m'lady." Eugene bowed over Merida's hand, which he still clasped, and placed a chaste kiss upon it. Merida, unimpressed, pursed her lips to keep in a retort.

"Eugene, would you quit it?" Rapunzel rolled her eyes, "I already told you that your 'smolder' does not work here."

"Oh! come on!" Eugene threw his hands up, abandoning his roguish attempts.

"Besides! You're married. You shouldn't still be trying to make every new girl trip over herself to get your attention." Rapunzel crossed her arms over her chest in obvious hurt.

"That's exactly why I have to do it!" Eugene gripped Rapunzel's shoulders and shook her gently. "I need the validation! It's like the moment you put a ring on this finger I became a completely un-sexy old man."

Rapunzel softened. She placed a hand on his cheek and looked up into his eyes with so much love that Merida averted her gaze in embarrassment. "Eugene, you are not old. Or unsexy. You are married. My love has marked you so that everyone knows you are mine and they better not even think about touching for fear of my wrath!"

"It's funny because you're so tiny." Eugene chuckled. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm madly in love with you, you know that?"

"I do."

"Good. Alright. Enough with the Eugene Pity Party. Merida, welcome to our home."

"Actually, Eugene, I was hoping we could take Merida into town. The king has assigned her to the scouts and I thought you could be her mentor!" Rapunzel slid her hand into her husband's and began pulling/pushing everyone out the door and into the hallway leaving no room for argument. Eugene just laughed, reaching to a hook beside the front door to grab a belt which he strapped on as they were frog-marched to the elevator by the tiny and determined princess.

Within twenty minutes, the trio found themselves in a bustling town square in the middle of the Trade District. They flitted in and out of various shops gathering materials that Eugene advised Merida she would need for work. She was given a sturdy leather bag, containers to keep her collectibles in, and a few magic charms despite her vehement protests against the use of even mundane magic. Eugene explained that sometimes her scouting would take her into the deep wilds of the world, far from civilization, where magic ran rampant and that a few charms for safety were necessary if she wanted to not end up dead. He advised her to get a strong cloak, sturdy boots, and a belt. At one stall, Eugene picked up rope and a grappling hook to replace one he had lost the week previously while raiding a troll cave. Then the group continued on to the Guild District.

Eugene and Rapunzel explained that all of the guilds relied on scouts to obtain ingredients for their research and spells and such. Advertisements for scouts could be found posted in the town square and the scouts could pick and choose which jobs they accepted. Merida felt very confused by the whole concept, explaining that where she was from people didn't pick and choose their jobs. If you were the son of a blacksmith, you became a blacksmith. If you were the daughter of a tailor, you became a tailor. You could not pick and choose what clothes you felt like making. You made the clothes that were ordered and that was that. There was some trading in the market of her village. But mostly day to day life was concerned with the necessary job of survival. As a princess she had more freedom than the average townsperson. This was why she was expected to cultivate genteel hobbies such as needlepoint and playing an instrument. She had also learned to read and write and do sums so that she could help with the running of not just a household, but her kingdom. In fact, the more she thought about it the more guilty Merida felt for having left her home for such a frivolous reason. Merida felt her feet slowing as they approached a large wooden signpost in the center of the square upon which were many papers. Rapunzel took Merida by the hand and the two stopped in the road. Eugene continued on, exclaiming about something on one of the pieces of paper.

"Merida, I know this is overwhelming and that you feel guilty for not being home doing something…I don't know…more productive, maybe?" At Merida's small nod the brunette continued. "Right! But let me just say that we have all been there. You were brought here for a reason! Maybe that reason isn't clear yet but believe me! This is right where you need to be right now." Merida offered her new friend a small smile and allowed herself to be tugged over to where Eugene was waiting impatiently. "Alright, Red, look! After you have been outfitted with all of the tools of the trade, so to speak, and you feel ready, you will usually come here to the job board and look for any ads that seem interesting." He waved a hand at the bulletin board. "The ad will tell you what is requested, how many they want, any special concerns as far as collecting it. This one time, I was sent to collect a certain butterfly that could only be found on a moonless night near the coast and had to be kept in absolute darkness on the return trip or it would die." He sighed dramatically. "That was a pain. Then I learned to be more choosy in my jobs and things got much easier. Take a look." Merida stepped up to the bulletin board, blue eyes scanning the words with a mixture of amusement and trepidation. There were requests for things like lizard spleens, bat wings, and fireflies. "Do ye usually go scouting alone then? Or are there scout groups?" Merida asked, pursing her lips over an ad for a phoenix feather that looked as though it had been up there a long, long while. Clearly obtaining a phoenix feather was not one of the easier jobs. "When I was in training, I always went in a group of two or three. Now, it just depends on the job." Eugene offered. Merida continued to scan the board, taking in the more exotic options such as the moss forest orchid, pixie dust, dragon scales, and something very familiar. Merida reached forward and took one of the papers down, smiling. "I don't think I'll need any help with this one." Eugene and Rapunzel leaned in close, reading over the princess' shoulder. "Water from the Fire Falls?" Merida chuckled. "This is as good a place as any to start!"