Three Forest Spirits

When Merida woke up, Elsa was still soundly asleep in her arms, which was a rather common occurrence. For all her talk about punctuality, Elsa loved to oversleep on week-ends and holidays. So as usual, Merida waited silently, closing back her eyes to, perhaps, fall back asleep. She could hear footsteps downstairs. Her mother spoke with the triplets, and the door closed. Apparently, her parents had also taken it upon themselves to separate Elsa and her parents. Good. If they had taken them to town, or maybe to the factory, they'll have a quiet day.

"I know you're not sleeping..."

Elsa's morning voice prompt her to open an eye, which instantly gazed into Elsa's icy blue. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Usually it takes you more time to wake up than that."

"I heard my parents in the corridor, before they left. They woke me up."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hear a thing."

"It wasn't anything pleasant, to say the least."

"You had a really bad wake up call then... want me to better it?"

Elsa smiled, and placed a gentle kiss on the red mark on Merida's shoulder.

"As much as I would like it, we can't just stay in bed all day."

Merida let out a sigh.

"Okay, I get it. Let's hit the shower, take breakfast, and then... I don't know, where do you want to go?"

"As far away from my parents as possible."

"The forest then."

Elsa watched as Merida quickly saddled Angus with an appreciated familiarity. Merida remembered with an exact precision how to prepare her horse, and once ready she jumped on him. She extended a hand for Elsa to take, but before she hauled her girlfriend up she asked:

"You've never been on a horse, right?"

"Not that I can recall."

With a smile, Elsa was taken up and placed in front of Merida, the redhead's arms circling her so she could prevent her from falling and hold the reigns at the same time. At first, Elsa was a bit unnerved, but as she felt Merida's hot body pressed against her back she knew she wouldn't fall.

Merida sent Angus at a trot until they reached the forest, at the edge of the garden. Only once they reached a path in the forest did she sent him at a gallop. Their speed sped up quickly, but Merida held Elsa tight, and let almost free range to her horse. He knew the forest just as much as she did, there was no way he would take them at the edge of a cliff or something.

They followed the small path, zigzagging between the ageless trees. Angus' steps were loud, and fell into a rhythm Elsa could feel deep within her heart. There was the sound of distant birds, and the cracking of branches, which echoed in the silent forest. The blond was too taken by the scenery of giant mossed cedars to notice the fallen tree in front of them, and let out a yelp of surprise when Angus jumped. Of course, Merida held her tight, and they made the jump without a problem.

Angus slowed down after they had galloped for miles, and Merida helped her girlfriend down. They were still in the middle of the forest, but Angus was tired after running for so long with two riders on his back. So Merida left him there, after she recommended that he didn't go too far.

"You really trust him this much?"

Merida took Elsa's hand, and they walked away from the horse, following the trail.

"Horses can hear super far. If I need him, I'll just whistle."

"You trained him well."

"Well... thanks, I guess I did."

The tree's were so high the sun struggled to send its rays to them, and quickly Elsa was once again cold. She shivered lightly, and Merida took the hint and let go of Elsa's hand to place her arm around her shoulders, and bring her closer.

"It's really dark in here." commented the blond.

"I think clouds are coming. Who knows? It may snow tonight."

After walking for a long time on a path which seemed to have twisted and brought them closer to Merida's home at least twice, they arrived in front of a very big tree, the foundation of a wooden cabin. The house was built with big windows on either sides, and a latter placed against the trunk was its only access.

"It's my cabin. I built it with my dad. It was suppose to be a hunting cabin, you know, so that I could be high up and wait for the animals to come. But then it turned into my hiding place. That's where I brought everything I wanted to hide from my parents."

A smile appeared on Elsa's face as a thought suddenly hit her.

"Like what? Your first girlfriend?"

It made Merida laugh, a laugh which echoed around the forest.

"No. Actually, you're the first I'm taking here."

"Should I be flattered?" asked Elsa in a pretentious tone. In truth, she found pretty cute Merida would show her her cabin.

Merida's respond was quick. She let go of Elsa, and pinned her to the tree behind them. Her lips came hovering near the blond's, a malicious smile on her face.

"Actually, yes, you should. I've been dreaming to take you there."

"Oh really? To do what?"

Elsa didn't waited for an answer, she kissed her girlfriend passionately, her hands on her neck so she could draw her nearer. All traces of cold where gone from her body, and she felt Merida's electrifying hands on her waist.

Their heated make-out session could have continued for a while, were it not for the flash they both heard coming from behind them. They both immediately stopped, and Elsa frowned.

"What was that?"

"Oh I think I know."

She ripped herself away from her girlfriend, and walked up the ladder. The trap was stuck, but she knew it had been locked up was the better term to use. So she yelled:

"The first who opens gets my share of cake."

It took a few seconds, but she heard a heavy box being pushed, and she climbed in. Of course, as she had expected, her brothers were there, their bags full of sweets and industrial cookies, and of course, a camera.

"May I ask why you are taking pictures of us?"

"Because mum asked us to keep an eye on you." answered Hamish.

"Really? Why?"

"We don't know." replied Hubert.

She shook her head with a sigh.

"I don't think she meant taking pictures of us making out when she said to keep an eye on us."

Then she crawled to her window, to tall to stand up in the cabin, and called to Elsa:

"You can come up."

Elsa nodded, and climb carefully the ladder, while Merida turned back to her brothers.

"And you three better apologize."

"What about you share of cake?" asked Harris, obviously the one who had let her up.

"We'll see."

The rest of the morning was spent in the cabin, playing with Merida's three brothers. Merida had hidden a Monopoly board in one of the chest, supposedly because her mother and father should never be authorized to play this particular game again. Turned out, neither should Elsa, who crushed them with a vicious smile and took away all of their money with one good placed hotel.

They got out of the woods around midday, and instantly Merida received three texts from her mother, one of which seemed more important than the others. Why don't you decorate the house for Christmas?

After lunch, Merida and Elsa went up to the attic and took down the five heavy boxes filled with Christmas decorations. The boys waited excitedly in the living room, and as soon as the first boxes were laid in front of them they threw them open and took out the electric tinsels and ran around to place them on the stair's banister.

"Alright, I'll go and pick up the tree, in the meantime you can place the ornaments over the fireplace, and start to unwrap the balls for the tree."

"How are you gonna bring the tree here? Is there another car?"

"The only one left is too small for the tree. No, we need a sled. Come on, you can help me."

Elsa followed her girlfriend to garage, mortified to feel how the cold had fallen over the course of the day. Even with her winter jacket on she was shivering. Inside what felt more like a junk room then a garage, they found a wooden sledge with ropes attached to it. Merida quickly made sure the ropes weren't fragile, and the two of them carried the sledge to the stables.

"Come on Angus, time to bring the tree."

The horse neighed, and while Merida was saddling him, Elsa strongly attached the ropes of the sledge where Merida asked her. The redhead then climbed on her horse, and the sled slid lightly behind her as she moved forward.

"Alright, I'll be back in an hour. Should you fall short of things to do, ask the boys."

She lean over the side in her saddle just enough to press a kiss on the crown of Elsa's head, and Angus trotted away.

While Merida made the trip in town and back home, Elsa did as she was asked. She found the ornaments going above the fireplace, dusted them and placed them. She helped the boys untangle themselves out of the tinsels, and together they decorated the banister, and turned it on, to find that it illuminated the entire hall and corridor with colorful lights. Then, the four of them opened all the boxes left, and carefully took off the wrappings from the balls, and carefully placed them on the couches and table. Elsa found that Merida's brothers were very quick and meticulous.

When Merida came back with the tree, they placed it in the corner of the living room, and waited until Merida was done with taking care of Angus to begin the real decoration. Then, everything that had been careful and efficient turned to chaos, mostly because Merida had a very precise vision for the tree, and wouldn't let her brothers nor Elsa destroy it, even if it meant to place the heaviest ornament on a weak branch, and take the risk of braking it.

By the end, the tree was a splendid mishmash of everything. There were balls of every color, angels amongst Santa Clauses and reindeers. The tinsels looked like golden puffy scarves, and because of a lack of space, the last electrical tinsel had been rolled around the foot of the tree. It was only once you took a step back that Merida's vision shone through. It was a tree of chaos. Small and big balls, purple and orange, green and yellow, blue and white. There was absolutely no coherence, no logic behind it. It was exactly how Merida had wanted it.

The empty boxes were placed back in the attic, and the boys went to play outside while it wasn't snowing yet. Everything outside was ready for the snow, from the dry and cold air to the dark gray clouds above their heads, and Merida had already planned snowmen building and snowball fights for them the next day.

One the decorating was taking care of, Elsa was about to ask what Merida had in mind, when the redhead proposed a hot chocolate in front of the TV, which her girlfriend accepted gladly. Even inside, the cold was starting to make itself present. In that instant, Merida turned into a machine, capable of preparing a hot chocolate while also lighting the fire in the fireplace, and bringing blankets, while she insisted Elsa sat on the couch. She finally returned with two steaming mugs on a tray, which she set on the table before cuddling next to her girlfriend. She rolled them up in the covers, handed her mug to Elsa and took hers, and they turned back to the painfully acted Christmas film made for TV.

"Our tree look very good." commend the redhead after a glance toward said tree.

"I don't know, we would need some kind of comparison. I guess we'll have to see next year what mine looks like."

"I can't wait."

They sipped their hot chocolates, and while Elsa was still focused on the film, Merida had something else on her mind. In less than an hour, their parents would probably be back, and she had no idea what would happen next. She bit her lower lip, before she decided to let the question out:

"Are you gonna talk to your parents?"

It took some time for Elsa to answer.

"Only if they force me to."

She sighed.

"I have no idea what I should tell them. It would probably escalate quickly, that much I can tell you."

"I don't think you've ever told me when was the last time you saw them."

"That was three years ago, for my diploma ceremony. They had barely been there all year, and I was very nervous. I wanted to introduce them to someone."

"If its too painful, stop right there. I get it. It probably didn't go too well."

Elsa brought Merida closer to her.

"I thought they would be gone the next day, as usual, but no, they stayed an entire month, and I had to break up with my girlfriend, or they would have stopped paying the loan of my apartment."

Merida was shocked by what Elsa had just say. Could it be possible that parents were so cruel they would trade the happiness of their child for, what, good moral? It suddenly made Merida very angry, and if not for Elsa's hand caressing her hair she would have jumped off the couch, ran upstairs to take her bow and would have waited for Elsa's parents to come back, so she could pin them to the door. Instead, she almost drained her boiling hot chocolate in one gulp, and let its hotness sank in her chest and stomach. It was rather efficient, and quickly her surge of anger was gone.

"I promise you, whatever happens after your parents are gone, I will take care of you."

Elsa smile tenderly, and gave a peck on her girlfriend's cheek.

"I know."

A/N: Hi guys! This chapter was mostly to sweeten the mood before the big final. And I wanted to show more of the Triplets cause they are adorable. As usual, thanks to vinzgirl for the review, and I'll see you guys tomorrow for the ending!