A True Hero is not measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart."
~Zeus, Hercules (1997)
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The Helmet
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"Ah don't care about the legend, Mum. It's not like it's going tae happen tae me. Ah don't even think the legend is truh!" She yelled, flinging her arms frantically.
"A princess does not raise her voice." Elinor casted her glare towards her disgruntled daughter yet she was poised with formality and aptness a queen always has. "Merida, all this work, all the time spent in preparing you, schooling you, giving you everything I never had, I ask you, what do you expect me tae do?"
"Call off the gathering!" Merida told her mom. "Will that kill them? Ye can just tell the lords I'm not ready for this, in fact I might not ever be ready for this!"
"I understand that this all seems so sudden," she said, pacing around the room. "Even I had reservations when I faced betrothal with yer father."
Merida scoffed, hearing her father below in the grand hall singing as he hurled axes and weapons towards a painting of Stoick the Vast in front of Harris, Hubert and Hamish.
"Stoick, Stoick, I'll hunt you down and cut yer leg, and hang yer noggin on a peg..." the triplets had grown so tired with his singing that the placed rocks in their ears just to make sure they wouldn't go deaf. "Stoick, Stoick, Stoick, ye insufferable pig tha' wears a wig for a beard…" Fergus crooned.
The princess rolled her eyes. "Ah can see why."
"We can't just run away from who we are, Merida." Elinor cupped Merida's cheeks.
She pulled away. "Just because 'am a princess, tha' doesn't mean that's who Ah am."
The Queen began to get cross. "A princess is someone who always does what's best for her kingdom. She places her sovereignty first and not her own desires."
"Maybe Ah don't want tae be a princess, Mum. I want my freedom." She banged her fist on her palm, almost pleading.
"But are you willing to pay the price yer freedom will cost? Are ye willing to put your people, innocent people, in danger?" Elinor huffed.
"I'm not doing any of this tae hurt you. Wha' can Ah possibly do to put ye all in peril?"
"If you can just understand that everything Ah do, Ah do out of love. Ah dinnae want this tae happen…" Elinor sighed, cupping her forehead. "But sometimes, our fate is not our own. And for people like us, there needs tae be sacrifice."
"Ridiculous." Merida mumbled to herself. "Nothing is ever going tae happen. Not if Ah have some say in it."
"I know what ye're goin' through, but…" Elinor began, but Merida cut her off.
"Ye don't know wha' it's like tae be me! Ye don't know wha' Ah'm goin' through. Yer the queen that always walks around telling me wha' to do, wha' not to do, telling me Ah don't care about my kingdom." She sauntered across her room, but all her efforts were proven futile when her mother only responded with an unyielding stare.
"Enough, Merida." She replied calmly. "We can go all night ranting about this but we will not be getting further. This is wha' ye've been preparing for yer whole life. If ye don't accept, everything ye ever learned will be for naught."
"Why can't Ah be a queen with noo marriage?" Merida suggested bleakly.
"Ye can't fend for yerself alone, Merida. Ye don't know anything about the war and ye are not capable in offering contributions that could help us win. All ye do is shoot arrows and not care about yer subjects." She scolded. Merida glared at her mother in the worst way she can (she always seemd to).
She began fixing her daughter's bed, propping her pillow and flipping the thin quilts over. "You better get some sleep, Merida. The suitors will be here by noon." Merida wanted to scream. She pulled the riot of her tangled hair and stomped her foot as her mother turned to walk outside.
"And take a bath, will ye? Yer starting to smell worse than Angus."
With one final scoff and glower, she took the rim of the door and slammed it along with all her anger welled up inside. She wrecked everything on her desk, sending books, quills and a satchel all in torrent.
But when she did, a heavy thump tumbled along the floor, and the sound seemed so much heavier than anything she knew she ever owned. And when did she own a satchel? The firelight in the torch gleaming her shadow caught a metal cusp peeking through the brim of her duffel bag, something she always carried when she rode Angus.
She remembered it now. When the person she had seen took off with the black creature, something fell off him, something that she took instinctively. She picked it up, hoping someday to return it to the boy that saved her life. Merida didn't open it, for something told her she shouldn't.
The next moment was filled with terror and utter shock when she pulled the dainty object out from its sack. Her hands turned clammy and trembled at the touch of its hard surface. Dropping the object that looked horrifyingly familiar, she scrambled away from it as if it carried some fatal disease. The sound echoed through the stone floor when it fell, its rims spinning until it finally stayed still, its horns pointing at her in an ominous manner. She recognized it.
It was a Viking helmet.
The morning wasn't as torturous as she expected. She winced at the gown draped at the foot of her bed. It was another reminder that she had no control of her life. But Merida waited for her Mom to finally come into her room before she can tell her everything that happened last night. So her mother thought she isn't capable of contributing to the war. So her mother thought she can't fend for herself.
Just let her wait and tell her that she killed a Viking and took his helmet as prize. Or that she scared him away and he gave her his helmet in surrender. Or anything that seemed like a convincing story to whip up. She didn't want to lie in front of her mother's face but she was so desperate to live a free, independent life that it didn't matter whether it was wrong or right.
Hopefully at some notch, her mother would think she is adept of handling her kingdom on her own, without the help of any particular kind of male. She can lead armies and make Vikings tremble, and not be some princess wedded off and bear children of someone she doesn't know.
Knock. Knock. She heard her mother's soft knuckles tapping her wooden door.
"Yer up early." Elinor exclaimed in surprise when she came in. "Now, come. We have tae make ye look presentable in front of the lords.
"Wait, mum. There's something ye need tae know." Merida began pacing towards the underside of her bed, where she kept the satchel. "So ye think I'm not capable of fighting our enemies or ruling a kingdom on my own…"
"I trust we are not still ranting about this, are we, Merida? Ah believe Ah have said enough when Ah said 'enough.'" Elinor sighed, a little impatience evident in her voice.
"Ah know, mum, but Ah'm just saying maybe Ah can fend for myself if ye'll just look here and see…" Merida approached her bed, glancing at her mother occasionally with pleading eyes.
"Merida, I told you enough…" Elinor slowly began, as if her voice was about to bellow into a thunderous roar.
"No, mum. Really, ye have to trust me…"
"Merida…"
"Come on, mum, just listen…" her feet began to tug on the strap of the bag so she can pull it out to show her mom.
"Enough of this, Merida! I am the queen. You. Listen. To me." The Queen of Dunbroch was filled with startling rage and anger that it silenced Merida with shock and fear. "Ye can complain all ye want, Merida. But I have made my decision, and I expect you to act as befits your station. This marriage is happening no matter what. That is my final word on subject."
Slowly, Merida felt her foot gently push the satchel further under her bed. "I'm sorry, Mum." She felt her eagerness to tell her mother everything ebb away like a fog caught by a rigid breeze. The queen looked at her daughter with an apologetic smile, approaching her and kissing her forehead.
"I didn't mean to yell, Merida. Forgive me." She hugged her daughter tightly, running her hand over the riot of red curls. Merida forced her smile and hugged her mother. Behind the queen's back, she looked at the satchel laying still in the darkness, a secret everyone in her clan craves, answers to questions that remain unriddled to this day, hidden under her bed, and only she knows.
And that's how it's going to stay. Not until she finds out the reason why this Viking didn't kill her when he had all the chances in the world.
Booming echoes of different clans thundered through the lapping salt water as three ships carrying different flags crested through its waves. It frolicked on its flanks as dozens of men maneuvered in rapid strides. Meanwhile, Elinor was busy priming her daughter into someone that looked like a princess. The hardest part was having to brush her hair of course. Rumors say the queen had imported a dozen combs to compensate for each one that Merida's wild, rebellious hair destroyed.
A necklace dangled from her neck as she wore a beautiful (but awfully tight) sapphire colored dress. The corset around her waists was so fitted that the bodice hugged her curves. Merida fidgeted, trying her best to keep breathing, her hair was covered entirely to stay out of the way, and she wondered how on earth her Mother managed to do that. At the front of the dress, the U-neck dipped to show some of the white kirtle, which skimmed her shoulders and stifled her elbows taut.
"Its perfect," Elinor gasped in awe. Merida growled in response, seeing she might as well be handicapped. Elinor looked at her daughter, looking at her in admiration. She grew up to be a fine young lass, her face the spitting image of her mom. The queen remembered herself in that same day, where men from nations far and wide desired her to be their Queen. But it was only Fergus who triumphed.
Fergus Dunbroch was actually not supposed to compete for Elinor's hand. There was only Lord Dingwall, Lord Macintosh and Lord MacGuffin fighting in the games. He came from an unknown land, and though he wasn't invited, the customary rule is any eligible first born of a great leader, chieftain, or king with an inheritance of land, may compete for the hand of the princess, and the last test was traditionally picked by the young maiden herself.
Elinor picked Archery as well for the final test of men to prove their worth.
The second Lord Dingwall won the Archery test (of what many considered a lucky shot) a man with a hood appeared in front of the entire clan, carrying the flag of Dunbroch.
Fergus pushed his own cloak back over one shoulder, revealing the belted tunic of where he placed his bows and arrows beneath. She caught sight of the long sword in the scabbard that hung beside it.
"I am Fergus, son of the Great Leader Dunbroch. And Ah will be shooting for Princess Elinor's hand!" The Princess that day smiled, a grin that spread as wide as she can muster. For she knew him. And He knew her.
Fergus placed an arrow on his bow, drawing it all the way to his cheek…released…and….
"Mom?" Merida asked. Elinor shook her head, taking away past memories out of her head. She placed a palm gently on the back of her hand.
"Just…remember to smile.
"Mum, I-"
"We should leave now, the lords shall be cross if ye dally."
The grand hall was filled with busy servants all rushing to their places before the lords reached them within the strike of noon. The castle was caked in flamboyant decorations. Elinor busily told everyone to act in proper decorum as she fixed a few straying hairs from Merida's face.
The halls opened with a bang, sending a few guards flying towards the other side of the room. The Lords marched their way to the manor, a part of their castle far more appealing than the austere barracks. The Scottish stonewalls of the great house featured friezes of the battle scenes of classic legends, dark wood carved intricately from the events of the Legend of the Two Kingdoms.
Fergus stood up, his dominative voice silencing the entire room. "Ah so here we are…uhhh…the four clans…uhh…gathering…for uhhh…" Elinor clapped a hand over her forehead in embarrassment. She stood beside her husband with extended arms.
"For the presentation of the suitors!"
"Aye for the...uh presentation of the suitors!" Fergus imitated.
Merida looked at the odd bunch of her suitors, and not one of them interested her much. Young Macintosh seemed to fare the favor of many young ladies. He was muscular and tough but his over confidence just contradicted hers. And he seemed to take things far too seriously.
Young MacGuffin seemed like a good young lad, but she couldn't understand a single word he utters. He spoke like a heavy toned chipmunk gibbering words only he could comprehend.
Wee Dingwall was probably the most…odd of the group. His long blonde hair stood on one end, and his nose was probably sharper than his own sword. Recently, he earned a nickname from the other young lords which was 'Abs'
The young lad initially smiled at the name for he thought they meant hard muscles on your torso. But really, 'Abs' was for Abnormal.
"In accordance with our laws, by the rights of our heritage, only the first born of a great leader, chieftain or king may be presented as champions to compete for the hand of the princess, and thus attain the title of Kingship in allied nations. To win the fair maiden, they must prove their worth by feats of strength and arms in the games."
Merida scoffed, hating the idea of being thought of as a prize. "There are three tests of which the sons of each of the great leaders must face…" Elinor began, in a much steadier tone of voice.
"There will be the test of Novelty. To prove that he is deserving of a maiden precious to the kingdom, the princess will be hidden in the deepest parts of the forest, and whichever suitor finds her first shall be declared winner of the first test."
"The second test shall be of Strength. The suitors will fight one of the many ghastly beasts that roam our lands. Whoever defeats the mighty beast shall be declared winner of the second test." Elinor said. "And the third test…" She cleared her throat, knowing this was the part of the test, which had always made everyone anxious.
"Shall be Conquest. It will be held a month after the second test for the suitors to prepare themselves. It is customary that the challenge be determined by the princess herself…" Elinor looked at Merida and motioned for her to say something. Merida smirked, wondering if these strong lads were swift enough to handle a delicate yet rousing skill she had mastered all her years.
"I choose Archery." She said. Her mother smiled in approval.
"The young lad who shall perform the very best will not only be entitled to Kingship of our land, but he shall have this fair maiden for his wife. For today, we shall have the Test of Novelty, followed by tomorrow's Test of Strength, then after a month, we shall have the final Test of Conquest," There was a pause, before the Queen extended her arms in mid-air and declared.
"Let the Games begin!"
Outside the castle, the thick outer walls enclosed a broad courtyard bustling with activity. Merida was ordered to pass by the stables and mount on Angus before reuniting with everyone else on the starting line. On the way, she tore off the headdress that covered her head and exhaled, finding that when her wild hair was free, so was she. She packed some cheese, two cakes and three apples in her bag in case she got hungry. But she heard the young lads were excellent in hunting, and would probably find her in no time.
Which she swore would never happen.
Angus impatiently tossed his mane as Merida stirred him towards the courtyard. All the young suitors were on their feet, waiting for the Queen to give Merida the signal to gallop away to the deepest parts of the forest. The outer walls of the imposing, solitary stronghold shielded the inner buildings of the fortress from view, so the suitors couldn't see which direction she went.
"The Princess shall only have one hour tae run deeper into the woods, and by dusk, one of the suitors shall have tae return her home, or else, none at all." It basically meant that if no one found her by dusk, no one wins and she shall have to return home by herself.
The blast of the horn sent Angus leaping into the glen. The cacophony of raucous hoots from the crowd set the adrenaline of the day. She gave her horse a bet more rein and the dark stallion surged ahead, the canter giving away to a gallop. The villagers watched the silhouette of their princess slowly disappearing as they tore through the cluster of sodden thickets.
The Princess did not hesitate to ride deeper, farther, wider, just as long as it took her away from her problems. The forest was her escape from all her duties, responsibilities and expectations. She made sure she could never be found so that no one had to win her hand.
The clouds had broken through the night and sunlight filled the glen with an impish gleam of summer. Merida found the pace exhilarating; smiling as the sun warmed her back and the wind pulled strands of her hair to tickle her cheeks.
At that moment, everything seemed perfect. Merida thought she was alone at this part of the forest. No one could ever find her here.
But little did she know a certain boy himself was lost in the woods, looking for something that a certain princess had. Well, neither of them really expected to see each other again so soon.
A/N: Ah yes, we meet again Cliffhanger. Now my wee ducklings, Ah have a surprise! *pulls out freshly baked cookies from the oven* *distributes for Mericcup shippers*
For sunshine is delicious, the duckling who asked if it's possible to be virtually fat: Why yes, yes it is. So keep eating! i know you all can't resist it...Do not deny your virtual stomach.
And wow! 11 food critiques for the last chapterXD I read every review and you all just warm my heart. Love you ducklings so much! Be sure to leave a comment, be it about the complimentary dishes or the complimentary story. Don't forget we have a special next week! So stay tuned!