AN: Another long chapter for you, lovelies! I am convinced that I will never be able to make a decision on the plot-line for this series T_T Help would be appreciated, but not required. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it very much! I've got big plans for the next couple of chapters and I am positive you guys are gonna love it.
NOTES: Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.
REVIEWERS!:
HanyouExorcistAlchemist48: No. Because Elinor and Merida's relationship is something that only they can fix. And we'll see why that scene was just as intense for Elinor as it was for Merida in a few more chapters. Right now they're both still angry and not listening, but as they start to understand each other, we'll see more and more of Elinor's real character. It's important to remember that we're seeing everything from Merida's POV, so it's hard for us to see Elinor's side of the story because it's hard for Merida to see it. :)
BrawlerGamer: Yes, Emma will be joining our four heroes at Hogwarts next year! I am so excited! As for the others: Yes, Yes, Yes, She's already in Gryffindor, Yes, Yes, and Yes. Plus more! And, yeah, Merida's story is probably the least altered out of all Four of them for this series, simply because it just works so well in the Hogwarts setting. It's pretty much her exact story, except it's at a different castle and there are a few extra people running around. You're keeping a sharp eye, I like it! I also like that you can see both sides to the argument that Elinor and Merida had. It will be touched upon later, so keep those thoughts in mind as we continue on! And, yes she does. She uses it to store all of her carvings. As for the cakes: Cauldron cakes are basically an upside-down cupcake with cream or fudge filling and then dipped entirely in chocolate. Usually they'll have some edible decoration on top, like whipped cream or a chocolate flower. The cakes from Brave are more of a tart or breakfast pastry. But the twins are always willing to share! NOW FOR THE FUN! Gogo: Now, there were three factors when I was choosing which House I wanted Gogo to be in and those were 1) Her individual character. 2) Her relation to the other characters from BH6. 3) overall plot of the series. So, as for Gogo's character, I believe that you could make an argument to put her in ANY of the four Houses. However, I don't think Gryffindor is that strong of a fit. Here's why: Most people know Gryffindor as the House of Bravery, but that is incredibly BORING. I could make an argument that ANY character from ANY story is Brave in their own way. So I try to make it a bit more complex than that by including Chivalry, Nobility (not actual royalty, but the characteristic of being noble), and Nerve. Now, again, I think that Gogo could be a Gryffindor, because she is brave and she has plenty of nerve, but nobility and chivalry aren't that prominent, so while she definitely could, I don't think it's the best fit. Slytherin is a much better fit, in my opinion, because she is Ambitious, Resourceful, and, at times, has displayed Leadership skills (when she convinced everyone to help Hiro avenge Tadashi by catching the masked criminal), not to mention, she's rather intimidating until you really get to know her, which is another, Unofficial trait that a lot of Slytherins seem to have. I think Hufflepuff is equally as fitting as Slytherin because even though Gogo is very intimidating at first, once you've gained her friendship she'll stand by you no matter what. She's Loyal, Hard Working, Dedicated, Fair, and as for kindness? She's down right motherly towards Hiro at times. The only reason I don't say that Hufflepuff is the best fit for her, is because of her cool/intimidating factor, which is kind of a huge part of her that I would hate to take away, which would automatically happen if I had placed her in Hufflepuff without a story-arch of her own. Originally, the BH6 crowd was going to be split among the Houses and be some of the leading students in the Inter-House Friendships Movement (in a much older draft, that was a huge plot point that took place during the first year.) because no matter what I had to keep them together as a group because that's their story-line. They're a team. Ultimately I decided that Gogo and the others all belonged to Ravenclaw, not only for their intelligence, but for their Wisdom, Originality, Individuality, and their Acceptance. You'll notice that most of the Four's first friends were Ravenclaws, and that's because Ravenclaws are accepting of others, and I thought that was a really important trait that all of the BH6 crew shared... I think I covered everything. Hopefully it makes sense! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and feel free to ask for more whenever you want! These are loads of fun! :)
C: Thank you! Merida's mindset has definitely been a lot of fun to write because I got to play with this character that everyone knows as this headstrong, fearless person, and I really just love taking those characters and trying to figure out what's in their heads during certain events, or what emotions they're feeling. As for Emma, she's probably one of my favorite characters aside from the Four, and we'll be seeing plenty more of her! And it's my pleasure! It's funny you should mention spin-offs because about a day before I got this review I had an idea of making a "Deleted Scenes" spin-off for this series. There's a lot of stuff that has been cut already, and honestly some of it was really great. It'd have to wait though because I'm still trying to figure out where to go with this series after this book... Anyways, I'm afraid I do not have a beta reader. It's just me by my lonesome. And if you see some recurring errors, please let me know so I can be aware of them! Part of the reason why I post my work on this sight is to get feedback and become a better writer! And I've also had FF delete entire paragraphs from a chapter before, or a characters name from the entire document, and normally I don't realize it until it's too late to do anything about it. So, please! Constructive Criticism is always welcome! I know there are bound to be errors sense I don't have anyone reading/correcting/helping me, but anything major/small recurring things that I can work on is wonderful to hear about! :)
Chapter 12: The Potions Master
She didn't know how long she rode for. Only that she rode fast and hard, not stopping for a moment. Branches whipped at her arms and hair, but she ignored them as she held on tightly to Angus's mane.
Suddenly, Angus slammed his front hooves into the ground, skidding to a stop, and the sudden lurch threw Merida forward over his head. She screamed as she flew through the air and then hit the ground hard. She pushed herself up slowly, shoving her mess of hair out of her face.
"Angus!" She cried, tears staining her cheeks and her mouth tasting coppery and her tongue stinging where she accidentally bit it upon impact with the ground. Her dress was ripped beyond repair and covered in mud and grass stains. She could already feel the bruises forming across her right side, but at least she hadn't broken anything, from what she could tell.
Angus danced about, snorting nervously as she looked at him, confused and angry with him for throwing her. Then she felt a surge of strange magic in the air and looked around her to find herself surrounded by a very strange rock circle.
Merida quickly stood and scanned the forest for any sign of danger, but she found that, despite her sensible mind telling her she should be on guard for danger, she couldn't look away from the oddly shaped pillars of stone. Her eyes wide with awe and wonder.
A quiet sound, like a whisper, made her whip around to find a small, blue light floating in the air just a few feet away from her. It was like a small ball of smoke, or a tiny cloud of blue that glowed with a comforting light. A Will of the Wisps.
She slowly walked over to the light, and reached out to touch it, but it quickly disappeared before she could. Farther down the path, several more appeared, creating a trail and beckoning for her to follow. Their whispers were light and comforting, as if they knew the way and all she had to do was trust them.
Feeling more than a little nervous, she turned to Angus and motioned for him to follow. "Come on, Angus." She whispered, but Angus snorted and backed away to hide behind one of the rocks. "Angus!" She snapped, and he whinnied pitifully.
Merida sighed and decided to go on her own. She started following the Wisps, and soon enough Angus ran to join her, as he was too frightened to be left by himself. They slowly made their way through the creepy and haunted-looking Forbidden Forest.
Merida felt as if they walked for hours, but she knew that it was only a few minutes, and slowly the Wisps became fewer and farther in between until finally the last one disappeared and all Merida could see was a small cottage that stood, out of place, in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.
"Why would the Wisps lead me here?" Merida wanted to know, looking at Angus, but he only whickered anxiously.
Merida walked up to the cottage and slowly pushed the door open. A bell chimed above her head as she opened the door, but her attention was instantly pulled to the seemingly endless supply of bear-themed carvings that filled the cottage from floor to ceiling.
"Oh, have a look around!" Merida jumped at the sudden voice and turned to find the wrinkly old Potions Professor, Ms. Carver, standing on the other side of the room, carving a bear statue with a chisel and mallet. "You give a holler if you see anything you like. Everything is half off."
"M -Ms. Carver?" Merida stuttered, utterly confused about what was going on. "I -I don't understand... Why would the Wisps lead me here?" She asked as she picked up a bowl with two handles and the face of a bear carved into the side.
"Do you like it?" Merida gasped and dropped the bowl as Ms. Carver suddenly appeared beside her. "Oh, I've been stocking up for months, dear! Widdling is a much cleaner business than Witchcraft. I've gotten far too many unsatisfied costumers with all the potions and spells and such!" Ms. Carver explained vaguely as she shuffled over to a carving with two bears in a frame. "What about this lovely conversation starter?"
"Potions and spells..." Merida muttered, and suddenly it made sense. Potions! There were all sorts of potions! Love potions, strength potions, luck potions, the list was endless! "That's why the Wisps lead me here!" Merida exclaimed. "You can help me change my fate!"
Ms. Carver suddenly stopped in her rambling and looked up at Merida dryly. "Now, what did I just say? Too many unsatisfied costumers! I've done plenty of work in my time, and Hogwarts was the one place people didn't come running back to me for refunds! No, it's too much trouble. I don't sell potions anymore, I'm just a simple Wood-Carver."
"But if you could give me a spell to change my mom, that would change my fate!" Merida told her excitedly. This would solve everything!
"No! No Witchcraft here! I'm a Wood-Carver, a widdler of wood. Plain and simple. Dealing with magic only brings lawsuits and other problems! Don't you pay attention to any of the stories I tell you young ones in class?" The old woman demanded.
"Uh..." Merida hesitated, unsure of how to answer. In all honesty, no one ever really understood the older Professor's constant ramblings. Many had tried, but she just spoke utter nonsense sometimes. Most of the students, including Merida, didn't pay very much attention when Ms. Carver started on one of her rants.
Still, Merida was determined to convince the Professor to help. "Look, you're the best Potions Master in the whole school, if anyone can change my mom, it's you! Just one spell, one witch to another."
"And how, exactly, do you plan to pay for this spell, hm?" Ms. Carver demanded, crossing her arms and eying Merida carefully through a narrowed brow as her pet crow that was always in the classroom with her landed on her head and squawked in agreement.
"With this!" Merida said, pulling off the necklace with her Family's crest on it. Pure, shiny silver. More than enough for one spell.
"Oh my, that's lovely, that is." Ms. Carver murmured, staring at the piece of jewelry as if she were in some sort of trance.
"That would set us up for months!" Her crow squawked again, turning it's head this way and that to look at the shiny object. "We'd finally be able to take that vacation time!"
Ms. Carver ignored the crow, however, and eyed Merida closely. "You sure you know what you're doing?" The older witch asked carefully.
"I want a spell that will change my mom." Merida told her slowly, clearly. "That will change my fate."
Ms. Carver watched her for a moment longer, and then grinned. "Done!" She snatched up the necklace and pushed Merida out of the cottage, shutting the door behind them.
"Where are you going?" Merida called after her, but the woman stopped suddenly and snapped her fingers. Ms. Carver hobbled back over to the door, shooing Merida out of the way.
She turned to the much younger witch and smiled. "Never conjure where you carve. Very important."
Waltzing back into the cottage, Merida found that it had completely changed with nothing but a large cauldron and shelves upon shelves of potions ingredients.
"The last time I did this was for a Prince." Ms. Carver told her as she walked around the cauldron and clapped her hands twice. Instantly the cauldron came to life with a bubbling sound and a creepy, green glow.
"Easy on the eyes. Tight chest." Her crow commented as he perched on the rafters.
"He demanded that I give him the strength of ten men, and he gave me this for a spell." She said, showing Merida a coin with crossed axes carved into the metal. "A spell that would change his fate."
"And did he get what he was after?" Merida asked, peering at the coin.
"Oh, yes! And made off with an especially attractive mahogany cheese board!" She informed her as she hobbled away once again. "Now, what do I need? Oh!" She began as she started collecting ingredients and throwing them into the bubbling cauldron on the fire.
Several plants that Merida couldn't name went in, followed by some hair that the crow yanked out of Merida's head, and Ms. Carver stirred as the potion bubbled and changed color. When she pulled the spoon out, it was completely burned away with nothing of it left. The old woman shrugged, threw the spoon behind her, and covered her face with a metal mask, then her crow got one as well. Ms. Carver added some sort of salt and slowly the glow of the cauldron started to get brighter and brighter.
Merida peered into the cauldron, but was suddenly blinded when Ms. Carver's hand smacked against her face and a bright white flash followed not a second later. Merida could hear Angus running about in fright outside, but she was too caught up in the moment to worry.
"Now, let's see!" Ms. Carver said excitedly as she used tongs to pull a solid object out of the gooey mess in the cauldron. "What have we here?"
The goo fell away to reveal a cake, and Ms. Carver placed it on a napkin on the table. Her crow started pecking at it, but Ms. Carver whacked him across the room before he could take a bite of it.
"Uh... A cake?" Merida asked skeptically.
"You don't want it?" Ms. Carver demanded, whirling to glare at her.
"Yes! I want it!" Merida assured her instantly. "But you're sure. If I give this to my mom, it will change my fate?"
"Oh, trust me!" Ms. Carver laughed. "It will do the trick, dearie."
"Thank you for shopping at the Crafty Carver! And remember: all spells are final trade. No returns! No Refunds!" Ms. Carver told her happily with a big grin as she opened the door for Merida.
Merida nodded, smiling down at the parcel she now carried, the cake safely tucked within a napkin, as she walked towards Angus who was still nervous after the bright flash from before. She heard something that sounded a lot like talking, and turned to look at Ms. Carver again.
"Did you say something... about..." She trailed off when all she saw behind her was the stone pillars from the rock circle. Ms. Carver's cottage was nowhere in sight. "The spell." She murmured as she turned and looked around, wondering how on earth she and Angus had gotten back there.
"But, Professor!" Jack argued as he, Rapunzel, and Hiccup were pushed out of the music-filled Great Hall and towards the moving staircases.
"No more buts!" Bunnymund told them as he finally stopped for a moment so they could face each other and speak properly now that they were away from all the noise inside the Great Hall. "Look, I know you're worried, but I've already let you three stay an hour past curfew. Not to mention the crowd is getting a little rowdy in there. It's time you three went to bed with the other students."
"What about Merida? She's still out there somewhere, and Mr. Crood said the forest gets more dangerous at night..." Rapunzel worried, a troubled frown set across her features.
"Tooth and her fairies are helping the Queen look for her as we speak." Bunnymund informed them, and then his expression softened a bit. "I know you're all worried, but waiting around here all night isn't going to help her."
The three were silent, unable to come up with a valid argument. They weren't allowed to go looking for her because if they got lost that would only cause more trouble for the teachers, or if the got into trouble in the forest somewhere, or if some other horrible thing happened.
Bunnymund sighed after a long moment of silence, and then lowered his voice to a low mutter. "I'll come and tell each of you as soon as she's found, alright? Now, off to bed!"
Reluctantly, the three third-years turned to the stairs and started towards their individual dorms, however, they shared a silent look of agreement and they each knew that they wouldn't be going to bed any time soon.
Unbeknownst to the three students and the Professor who had ordered them to bed, far below their feet in the castle's kitchens a door was slowly eased open, and a head full of tumbling red hair poked inside to see if anyone was around.
Without a soul in sight, Merida hurried into the kitchens and rushed to prepare a tray. She filled a tea pot with hot water, placed a cup next to it, a fork on the opposite side, and presented the cake from Ms. Carver on a plate with blue berries. For the finishing touch she placed a small, purple wild flower on the tray.
Pleased with her work, Merida picked up the tray and made to move towards the door that would lead her up to the Great Hall. Before she could even take a step, however, she heard the door she had come from open and a short intake of breath.
"Merida!"
"Mom!" Merida said, turning as quickly as she dared with the tray in her hands. Her mother stood in the door way, covered by the dark shadows outside. "Oh! Um...I -uh..." Merida wasn't sure how to interact with her mother in that moment. They've had many fights over the years, but none as bad as this. Where should she start?
"Oh, I've been worried sick!" Elinor exclaimed, coming into the light to reveal her distressed expression. She reached out to hold Merida's shoulders as she looked her over, and Merida couldn't help but notice that her hair was a bit messed up, revealing a grey streak in her dark tresses.
"You -You were?" Merida asked, surprised by her mother's deep concern and lack of anger. She had been expecting her mother to be spitting mad when she returned.
"I didn't know where you'd gone, or when you'd come back! I didn't know what to think!" She fussed, looking almost near tears with her relief. Looking down, she noticed Merida's clothes and the worry instantly returned to her eyes. "Oh, look at your dress!"
"Oh, uh... Angus threw me, but I'm not hurt!" Merida quickly pointed out after a short moment, worried that she may still be scolded for running away and ruining her best dress.
"Well, you're home now. So that's the end of it." Her mother smiled fondly at her, relief that she had come back evident in her eyes.
"...Honestly?" Merida hesitated, but grinned widely as she stared, wide-eyed at her mother. Did her mother actually hear her? Was this really the end? Would she call off the wedding?
"I've pacified the Lords, for now. Your father's out there 'entertaining them'." Elinor covered her mouth as she chuckled delicately. Merida believed her. She could hear the off-key singing from where they stood. And then the Queen paused. "Of course we both know a decision still has to be made." The Queen looked at her expectantly, hands clasped in front of her chest.
Merida's grin instantly dropped into a frown, and she reached to the side where she had set down the tray while speaking with her mother. She only took the plate with the cake and the fork. Turning, she held it up for her mother with the biggest, most forced grin she had ever made in her life.
"What's this?" The Queen asked, smiling as her hands fell to her sides.
"It's a peace offering." Merida explained. "I made it. For you. Special." She forced out as she pushed her arms out to hand her mother the plate.
"You... made this for me?" The Queen looked so pleasantly surprised by the thought, which wasn't too strange. Merida had never taken to cooking or baking, so the idea that she had made something for her mother was very surprising indeed.
Elinor took the fork and sliced a small piece of the cake for herself. She ate it, and started chewing. "Mmm," She nodded at first, but then she shook her head a bit in surprise and made a strange face. Recovering herself quickly, she forced a smile to Merida. "Interesting flavor..."
"How... do you feel?" Merida peered at her, waiting for some kind of change in her mother's personality. It probably wouldn't be too obvious a change, just a tweak in her mind-set that would change her views on the engagement. "Different?"
"Oh, What is that?" Elinor questioned, looking as if she were eating something rather gross, which wouldn't really surprise Merida considering the glop the cake had come from. "Ah, that's a... Tart, and uh... gamy!"
"Have you changed your mind at all about the marriage?" Merida asked, deciding that it could do no harm considering her mother was now bent over the table, pouring herself a cup of tea and quickly drinking some. She swished it around, washing her mouth out with it before swallowing. "Perhaps?"
Elinor gasped as she set the cup down, and then straightened up all at once with a smile back on her face. "Now, why don't we go upstairs, to the Lords, and put this whole kerfuffle to rest?" Elinor suggested as she steered Merida towards the door, but Merida kept glancing back at the cake, wondering what on earth was supposed to happen and when.
It didn't take them long to climb the kitchen's stairwell and find one of the small side doors of the Great Hall. The hundreds of voices singing only grew louder and louder as they got closer, and Merida was starting to feel a little nervous when her mother suddenly stopped and grabbed hold of the closest wall to support herself.
"Mother?" Merida exclaimed, suddenly feeling a flash of worry and a little guilt.
"I'm woozy suddenly. Oh, my head's spinning like a top! Oh!" Elinor nearly collapsed again, and Merida lunged forward to catch her.
"Mom!" She cried as she caught her mother's arm and held her up, concern echoing through her mind as she tried desperately to calm it.
"Suddenly I'm not so well." Elinor told her, sounding as if she were near puking and every word was a huge effort not to hurl on her own shoes.
"Uh... How do you feel about the marriage now?" Merida probed gently, curiously.
"Merida!" Elinor exclaimed, obviously appalled. Merida gave her a weak smile as apology, but the Queen only sighed. "Oh, just take me to my room."
Merida's smile dropped, and she nodded, determined to help her mother in any way she could while she was feeling so terrible. She took her mother's arm and started to help her along the edge of the Great Hall sense it was the fastest way to the moving staircases. They stayed close to the edges in the hopes that they wouldn't be seen as King Fergus had two of the guards line up a stuffed bear for his target practice as the crowd continued singing merrily.
Apparently the thin shadows at the edges of the hall were not enough to hide them because the Lords spotted them and ran over, calling out for Queen Elinor.
"My Queen!" Lord MacGuffin called. "We've been waiting patiently." He told her, and Elinor slowly turned to face them as she struggled to keep herself together.
"My Lords," She began. "I am out of sorts at the moment, but you shall have your answer!" Her sentence was interrupted by a huge belch that, in any other context, Merida would've found hilarious coming from her mother. The Lords, however, looked as shocked as Elinor herself. "Presently." She finished. "Now, if you'll excuse us..." She trailed off, turning to Merida and starting to walk away again.
"Elinor, look! It's Mor'du!" Fergus shouted to her, pointing at the stuffed bear that now had an arrow sticking out of it's nose. Elinor waved to him weakly, but kept going without a word, causing the King to look up in worry. "Elinor, are you alright, dear?"
"Fine, I'm fine! Go back to pegging your leg!" She told him, waving him off as best she could as Merida continued to help her away from the scene through the large double-doors of the Great Hall.
"Aye!" The King replied. "You heard her, lads!" He said, accepting an axe that was handed to him. "I dream about the perfect way to make this devil die!" He sang and threw the weapon, and the axe embedded itself into the skull of the stuffed bear.
Eventually they managed to make it to the King and Queen's room where Merida helped her mother get into bed. Elinor fell back against the pillows, her face flushed pink and her eyes going in and out of focus as she tried to keep her breath steady.
"You just take all the time you need to get yourself right, mom." Merida said as she pulled the blankets over her mother and gently patted her side in comfort. "Then, maybe in a bit, you might have something new to say on the marriage?" Merida leaned in curiously, wondering if the spell was working or not.
"What was in that cake?!" Queen Elinor exclaimed, eyes wide and utterly baffled about what was making her feel so out-of-sorts.
"Pfft -Cake?" Merida laughed nervously, avoiding her mother's gaze, but the Queen coughed and then wheezed as she rolled over until she fell clean off the bed, making Merida wince. "Mom?" She called softly, hoping she was alright. "So, I -I'll just tell them the wedding's off then?" She asked, figuring that whether the spell was working or not the marriage was the best way to get a response from her.
Elinor didn't respond. The only sound was a deep groan that rattled with an animalistic tone.
Confused, and more than a little worried now, Merida started to walk around the bed, trying to see her mother's form on the other side. The screech of the side-table's leg moving against the stone told Merida that her mother had banged against it somehow.
"Mom?" Merida called, her voice split between worry and fear. What on earth was happening?
Merida rounded the last corner of the bed and found the blanket her mother had been wrapped in covering Elinor's form as wriggled about on the floor in obvious discomfort. Slowly, the figure got onto all fours, and then started to stand, steadily growing larger and larger and larger with each tiny movement.
Merida's wide eyes followed the blanket-covered giant in awe and fear. When the figure stood straight, the blanket fell away to reveal black fur that covered a large animal. Merida gasped, retracting a bit, and the animal slowly reached out a clawed paw to hold the bed frame as it turned to look at her.
Merida screamed, immediately trying to back away, but she tripped over her torn dress and fell on her backside on the hard stone. She scrambled away as quickly as she could without turning her back to the animal, but the back of her head hit the table that was pushed up against the wall and she had no where to go.
The creature started walking towards, towering over her with it's great height, and Merida's feet slid against the stone as they tried in vain to get her farther away from the danger.
"B -B -BEAR!" Merida shrieked, pointing in terror at the animal, and, suddenly, the creature stopped in it's tracks.
It's eyes widened, and it turned to look behind it. The bear saw it's own shadow on the wall and roared as it, too, fell backwards and scrambled away from the opposite wall, stopping when it hit the table and sat right next to Merida.
Merida looked at it in horror, too petrified with fear to move or try and find a way to defend herself, and the bear turned to her, and roared in her face. Merida screamed, but she was backed into the corner with no where to go and a screaming bear in front of her.
The bear retracted though, looking at her with what appeared to be confusion, and then it glimpsed at it's paws and jumped in fright. It started to feel it's claws and it's snout, it's eyes wide. It turned suddenly and pulled drawer after drawer out of one of her mother's jewelry boxes. The first two held nothing, but the third one had a mirror, and the bear grabbed it, fumbling with it until it rested right-side-up in it's paw.
The bear looked at itself, and then roared as it stumbled backwards, falling into Merida's parent's bed and breaking it. The bear tried to stand and it's head burst through the wooden canopy on top, making Merida gasp. The bear stumbled off of the broken bed and fumbled with the candle holder, wardrobe, and such as Merida slowly got to her feet.
Merida couldn't take her eyes off of the seemingly terrified bear, and slowly the cogs in her mind began to turn as all of the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.
Finally the bear tripped on a pot and tore a plain green tapestry from the wall, covering itself once again, and suddenly stopping for a moment.
"...Mom?" Merida questioned softly, looking over carefully at the blanketed creature.
The bear pushed the tapestry off of it's head, revealing wide eyes and a horrified expression of disbelief. It's eyes frantically searched the room until they fell on Merida, and then it stopped, looking at her with confusion.
"You're... You're a BEAR!?" Merida exclaimed, overwhelmed by her own shock. Elinor looked at herself again, and then groaned questioningly. "Why a bear?!" Merida asked, but she already knew that she had been tricked. "Oh! That scaffy witch gave me a gammy spell!"
Elinor looked up at that, her brow narrowing around her eyes as her snout wrinkled just the slightest bit. Merida paused for a short moment, and hurried on.
"It's not my fault." Merida told her. "I didn't ask her to change you into a bear! I just wanted her to change... you." Merida finished, slowly realizing that the potions master had taken her words extremely literally.
Elinor's brow narrowed even farther, now realizing what was going on, and then she roared as loud as she could.