FANTASTIC FOUR
youknowitsmsrae


A/N: Holy flying fuzzing poodles Batman! 16 reviews already! Thank you all so, so, so, so, so much! It means a ton to me, really. You've seriously made my life 1000% better.

Therefore, in thanks, here's the next chapter!


CS: Queen Merida would fight for her Kingdom, her family, and her lover, even if it meant making another deal with a witch that would change her life forever.


PROLOGUE III: THE SMOKING BOTTLE


Cla-dnk. Cla-dnk. Cla-dnk.

The worn down, broken end of the wooden staff smacked the grown once, twice, a third time, and the ever proud soothsayer fell down to his knees in front of the royal seated high, yet softly in front of him. His arms he threw open wide, and he greeted her Majesty with a grin so wide, all his many missing teeth were visible.

Her ears burned like they were on fire; quite honestly, she still wasn't used to the sight of her people bowing under her and declaring their undying loyalty as they had once done with her parents. After all, she'd been a High Princess all her life, but only recently, after the untimely passing of her mother and father in battle with the sinister clan of Regimon'd from the Northern Hills, she was forced to take the Kingdom's reign. She'd been trained for this, to be a leader, but no teaching compared to the terror that came with the responsibility of the crown seated comfortably by her side.

She'd hardly had time to grieve her kin before she was told she would take over the lands. She would lead the people now; it was her duty.

"Aye! All and one, hear it here, and all hail to thy great Princess Merida!" There was a cry of agreement from her people below her, crowded comfortably to watch her coronation. "Firs' Born of Clan DunBroch, worthy opponent of Mor'du, Ambassador of the Seventh Sea, slaya' of the sinsta' Giant in the West, Daughter of Elinor and Fergus the Great, Master Archer, an' now," the Kingdom's most known teller of tales grabbed the silver laced crown from it's stuffed cushion of velvet as he stood and sauntered to her, "thus presenting, newly councilmen approved: Queen Merida of -"

"A bear! Stop everything! A bear!"

Someone bellowed out in anguish, disrupting the final words to make it official, making the man almost drop the priceless crown to the floor. His words catching in his throat, and he caught onto it just in time, fingers hooking to the branches engraved in the sides. The Soothsayer cursed something fierce in Gaelic, and whirled around just the same as everyone else to see an almost criminal interruption.

The doors in the far back had been thrown open, smashing against the walls without regret or haste. The wood broke in half and gathered on the floor. Inward came a league of men, dressed in blood and battle armor, moving and shoving people out of the way to speak to the Lady of In-Charge. Merida, from her spot alone on the High Stage of honor that her, her mother, father, and their ancestors sat upon, narrowed her eyes to size up the main man barging in, to be her greatest knight, homing in from patrol, no doubt.

The redheaded Princess stood, taking her ground.

"What is this?" She wondered, motioning to their blood and grime, fists balling by her sides. "What news of a bear, Biorna?"

"In the meadow, your Highness." He grabbed her fingers softly, and she did not protest, but in fact, clutched his fingers back tightly. Some were entirely shocked at her more the friendly action, and gasped, but she felt no resentment for this touch. She turned her head up to those who didn't approve of a knight holding a Princess's hand. She and Biorna had become quite good friends, if it was allowed to be called that. He was a comfort rock in the pocket of her dress, so to say. "It killed me brother, my Queen." The pain and tears leaked from his voice, but not his face, and strong jawbone that stayed locked. "It's tearing up crops and livestock, and causin' a bloodbath from those who stayed behind. The quicker we hurry, the less death to be had."

"Sound the alarms," She called, stretching voice echoing from wall to wall. There was a fierce battle cry from her people, "however under my command only then you may fir'."

"Understood, my Queen." He gave a luscious soft bow, eyebrows popping up to gaze her down. For his thoughts, and forever would be just his, he found her the most ravishing woman of all time.

Her expression was a hard one, but she gave an apologetic nod for his brother, and they both said a prayer that he rest happy. Her hair, normally tangled and wild, was brushed back and down into a tight ponytail whisked in velvet to her mid-back. Her dress was satin white, held together in golden knots, and her freckled, pale face was ready for anything - even war with a beast.

While he wept silently over his lost, she noticed the streak of blood oozing from his side onto the floor. It was pooling considerably, and she couldn't let him struggle back out there when he swore he'd avenge his fallen.

"I'm not Queen yet." She fixed his statement of her being his everything, and then, when he looked back to her for guidance, she grabbed his face plate from his head. In one movement, she'd taken his sword from it's sheath, his dagger from it's holster, and flipped the face mask on for her own gain. He began to protest her leave to fight, but she pointed to the way of the infirmary for him to bandage his side. "Now, ya've already fought well, me friend. This will be ovah fast, ya know?"

He hesitated for a moment, watching her, and then, without warning, grabbed her by the arm, lifted the face mask, and kissed her.

There moment was over soon, but she promised she'd be back as soon as possible.

Or, so she thought.

"If it wasn't 'is head branded to the front of me fatha's grave," She cried to her lady in arms in exasperation, who, remind you, flipped another dagger around and around, that lodged in the Black Bear's leg. The soon-to-be Queen mewled in frustration, aiming another arrow and missing off to it's left. It was simply as if the bear had some sort of charm upon it that refused death. She'd been hand deep in blood, wrapped in it's matted fur, and he still had yet to break at least a little. The bear was like a log: hollow on the inside, but tough and meaty on the out. And when it moved, there almost appeared to be a trail of wonder-shadow that sifted after it, "if I didn't know that Mor'du was dead, I'd think he was back from tha' clutches."

The strong warrior beside her fell when a paw seemed to drag out of nowhere. Merida whined and choked on a sob, blood spatter drenching her ceremonial dress. With a serial groan of fury, she lunged, lodging onto the arm outstretched long enough to swing onto the bear's back, and drive a knife towards it's heart.

The weapon flew away, as if a string was yanking it across the lawn.

"What the -" She looked at her empty hand, just in shock long enough for the bear to snarl and fling her off towards the forest. She wasn't dead as she collided with the hearth, however, and confusion sunk in as she broke her fall on the grass with an 'oomf'. Her forehead smacked the dirt.

Why hadn't it torn her to pieces?

She'd been careless, for that moment looking back, but it had spared her?

There was no time to waste considering the possibilities.

"Angus, now!" She cawed, and the Mare showed itself from where it had hidden behind a tree. Linking on like a chain, Merida and her horse were one, flying at the bear without hesitation. She twisted her sword around once, ready to attack, red like the crimson of her friends clouding her vision, the shade of her hair, when -

"A witch!" The Soothsayer pointed at the woman with her hands out, aimed straight at the animal. Merida immediately came to a stop and turned her and her partner around to look at the female in question. She'd had her fair dealings with witches and warlocks of sort, and sure enough, the ebony haired lady sat comfortably upon a horse, mystic colors of maroon and black swirling above and around her frame. Concentration broken from where she was perched tall upon the back of a horse made of braying dark fur to match the bear, with a "Yah, Fearling, Ya!" the bear disappeared into the ground, just a shadow, while the woman rode off towards the dark forest.

Only when she twitched her fingers by her side did Merida and the rest of her people see what was situated behind the rider.

3 identical toddler heads.

"The Princes!" Her lady-in-waiting howled, panting. "She's taken them! The bear: a weak distraction, my Lady!"

"No." The Queen-To-Be harped in a bass snarl, and without thinking, took after her brethren. "Angus, faster, yah!"

"Your Highness!" Someone called after her, but she was gone before anyone could blink an eye to stop her.

Without a trace, they would never see their pre-Queen again.

"Show ya'self, ya' witch!" Merida yelled, words echoing from tree to tree, slowing her horse long enough to hop off and land in a defensive crouch. Angus brayed and twitched, turning in a circle, looking for his family, just like Princess Merida. They were in a field of Rocks, a clearing filled with pebbles and stones her and her mother had found one day while riding horseback before her death. "I know ya can hear me, and I refuse ta' come any further. Return my kin at once!"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Ah, ah, my dear." The voice sifted from tree to tree sweetly, before landing straight behind her. Merida spun around, and where Angus had been, now this, this woman was. "We wouldn't want to harm the poor boys, would we?"

Tumbling out of thin air like smoke, the three little boys who would grow up to be fearless, loving Kings looked to their sister in horror, perplexed, and one might have just had a hunger pain. But it was enough to break her heart; they looked so defenseless for the boys who'd taken out a Giant using wit and sheer instinct, a pile of cow dung and a sac of beans. And they could do nothing but sit there; a magic bind kept their feet on the floor and mouth's gagged shut quietly.

"What's your bargain, she-devil?" Princess Merida murmured when she reached for her family, and only passed through air. They were gone again from her grasp, wrapped up into nothing but smoke and sand, and the witch took a stride forward twice.

Her movements were like a dance, her eyes a smile despite the cruel one she already had. Stricken by what appeared to be everlasting beauty, the curly black hair dripped to her hips, that were covered in satin sashes made of maroon and gold. She was gorgeous, alluring, and dangerous. Like a spider, going in for the kill.

"You're so much more brave since we last met, dear." And for a moment, Merida saw a horrible hag plopping in front of her with a raven of darkness on her shoulder. However now, the only dark was in the woman's eyes when lethargic turned to lustful body shapes, and the raven reformed into a savage bear that growled and barred it's teeth. She simply pet behind it's ear, calming it considerably. "Formal introductions are in order - my name is Lady Gothel, in fact, a witch. I can take on any guise, if you please." She motioned down to herself.

Merida wasn't amused.

"My deal is this, binding with the darkness I serve -" Fingers dancing through the air, a vile was pulled from a cloud of looming shadow around her skull, "drink this, and I'll let them free."

It was a small case, no larger than the herb bottles found in the Kingdom everywhere. But it was filled with a drink that resembled air, sloshing around freely through the container like a smoking fire.

"What'll it do ta me, ya -"

"Two faced sloth? Devil's spawn? Calling me names will get you and your family no where, dearie!"

Merida still wasn't amused.

"Immortality." Lady Gothel finally answered, eyes rolling as she sang-songed her way to Merida, along with her feet as she pranced behind the Princess like a baby doe. The redheaded warrior stood her ground when the witch's fingers snagged to her shoulders. "Or, somewhat. Long enough that plans will be made on schedule."

"Plans? Whatya up to?" The redhead whipped around, but Gothel was gone, and the vile bobbed up and down in the air.

No. She would not do it. She would not just drink -

"Merida!" One of her brother's sobbed on the wind, twisting her heart into a painful knot. Oh, she couldn't take it; she had to save them, thinking irrationally, and when there was another pained wail, grabbing the potion, she closed her eyes, opened her mouth -

She made a horrible gagging noise as she swallowed all of the liquid ice down, dropping to her knees like a sac of flour. Her every vein felt frozen, caked in sloshing water, blood stopping in flow. She couldn't breath, couldn't breathe, and she felt it in her rib cage as her heartbeat slowed so considerably, she expected a fast death. She'd been tricked; this was no forever life - this was a fast end.

But, it never came.

She could still feel her skin burn in the sun, and she still needed breath.

The only thing that had changed was the ticking of her heart.

That, and the fact that as she turned to the sound of her brothers crying, she saw them looking around for her. A smile formed. She was alright. Nothing had happened. The witch's potion hadn't worked.

She waved to them, called out their names, but slowly, her grin dimmed.

Horror almost drowned her.

She couldn't be seen. They did not see her.

She was stuck, forever immortal, never to be seen.

She already felt something tap her shoulder: was it loneliness?

"Off you are, little ones!" Gothel's expression darkened, and without a seconds hesitation, the triplets split off. They would see that face, and one of a much darker sort, in their Nightmares for the rest of their lives.

Gothel was disappearing as well, like a final act in a show, but in the last second, she looked at Merida, straight in the eyes.

The Princess screamed in fury and tossed her dagger from it's ankle holster.

Gothel winked -

"C'est la vie, Merida!"

- and vanished into thin air.

The knife only soared, plunging straight into a tree.