I'm back! And I'm so happy with all the reviews I received! :D

Thank you Superfan44, Isolde Auckley and Moonmessi for all the fantastic reviews, I really, REALLY appreciate it and I was so happy! Ya'll made my day, and considering I'm sick yet again with another flu it did a lot to cheer me up. :D Super Awesome! :D :D :D

Thank you so much for reading and please review! To you readers who read and don't review, I would like to hear from you, too. :D

Onto the next chapter!

-Shire from CollieandShire

DISCLAIMER: If there are mistakes in this chapter please realize I am having trouble reading and writing because of this awful bug I have, so if there are mistakes than I'm sorry. :) But that's about all I can give you! :D

Chapter Five

Explanations and Decisions

Elinor was the first to act and sprang into action, running out the door and leaving Marissa in the room by herself.

Marissa wasn't long in following though, she bolted from her seat and raced after Elinor, her heart leaping for joy. Merida came back! Oh, thank you God! But who would be attacking the DunBroch castle? Certainly no one who knew how large this stronghold was.

Marissa tumbled down the stairs and into the main hall just in time to see Merida race into Elinor's arms and hug her fiercely. "Mum, mum!" Merida cried. "Call Dad, there's a man with a fire-bow and he's tryin' to kill me!"

"Merida yer back!" Elinor sobbed, hugging Merida again. "Oh Merida, I thought for a bit I would never see ye again!"

Marissa grinned slightly as Merida's face showed total shock. "But-wait, I thought…" her voice trailed off as she glanced at Marissa, her eyes showing her confusion. "Marissa, didn't ye tell them ye were me?"

Marissa shrugged. "I did."

Elinor released Merida from her bear hug and Merida blinked a couple of times. "Didn't-didn't ye believe her?" she asked.

"I did until this mornin'." Elinor explained. "I'm afraid yer plan didn't work though, Merida. Marissa isn't quite like ye."

Bang! Pow! The sound of gunshots firing caused Marissa to jolt. Gunshots? Guns weren't invented in this time period, what is going on…oh. Marissa's eyes widened. So that's what Merida meant when she said a man with a fire-bow! It was the German spy Marissa had met!

"Goodness, what is that noise?" Elinor exclaimed.

Merida's face went white and she ran towards a window. "Mum! It's that crazy man with the fire-bow!"

"A fire what?" Elinor demanded, following Merida to the window.

Marissa also came to see if her conclusion was correct and caught her breath at the sight below.

The guards were trying to fire arrows into the trees at their unknown adversary but fell like ducks as the gun continued to fire. No! Marissa screamed inwardly, horrified at the sight.

"Close the gate!" Elinor yelled frantically as she gasped as the awful scene. "Close the gate!"

The guard in charge of the gate tower began to lower the gate when a shot from the woods caused him to fall, too.

"He's goin' to get in!" Merida moaned.

"Who is this man? What does he want with ye?" Elinor turned to Merida for answers, her breath coming fast. Marissa could tell she was scared, and for good reason. Why, she was scared, too!

"Not long after Marissa left on Angus this man came from the bushes and threatened to shoot me unless I told him how to get back to his time period!" Merida explained rapidly. "He demanded to know how I pulled such a trick and I told him I didn't know what he was talkin' about. He was angry Mum, and he had a strange accent. He tried to fire his fire-bow at me but I jumped behind a tree and then took off runnin'. I spent almost the whole night dodgin' him until I finally gave up and came to the castle. I didn't know what to do, he's convinced I did somethin' to him and he's tryin' to kill me for it!"

"I know who he is." Marissa groaned, sinking to the floor.

Elinor looked like she was going to ask her who when three guards came running to the main room. "Yer majesty, someone's broken into the castle grounds!" one of the soldiers gasped.

"I know Gordon, I saw the whole thing." Elinor snapped.

Gordon plunged on as if he hadn't heard a word the Queen had said. "He's killed the guards on duty and locked the king, the princes and the lords down in the wine cellar. Only meself, Ian and Matthew were able to escape him. The maids locked all the doors but he's outside of the west wall demandin' ye send the red hair lass out or he'll bring out the king and kill him."

Elinor gasped and Merida put her hand up to her mouth. Marissa looked from one to the other and put her face in her hands. "This is all my fault." She cried, tears starting to stream from her face.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Elinor's face. "Marissa it's alright." Elinor soothed. She glanced at the three soldiers. "Tell that horrid man the Queen will be at the window shortly to discuss terms with him." She ordered.

"Aye, yer majesty!" the guards shot a quizzical glance at Marissa, then bowed and took off running towards the west side of the castle. It took a Marissa a minute to realize she and Merida were in the same room together, therefore the guards had no idea who was who.

Elinor turned back towards Marissa and asked gently, "Tell me, who is the man and what does he want with ye?"

"Aye Marissa. Tell us, who is he?" Merida urged.

Marissa sucked in a deep breath. She supposed it was too late already, as the German had told Merida he was from a different time period. It didn't make anything she was about to say any easier though. "Ya know how I said me name was Marissa? That's only me first name. My name is Marissa DunBroch."

Elinor and Merida stared at her, so Marissa continued. "I'm not from this time period and neither is that man out there. I'm from the future, I don't know how I got here. I was explorin' the ruins of the castle DunBroch when I should have been stickin' with me class. That man out there came up behind me when I discovered his rifle and pistol and then tried to kill me. It happened so suddenly, I fell back and everything was spinnin' and turnin' black, and the next instant I heard the rifle go off and I was in the forest by meself. Somehow when I was in the ancient ruins both meself and that man got thrown back in time and I don't know how to get back or how we got here. He must think yer me, Merida, because we look so alike."

Marissa finished her story and glanced helplessly from Elinor to Merida.

The queen and princess were silent. Marissa's heart pounded as she wondered what they'd say or if they'd believe her. After all, she could understand why they'd think she was lying.

Finally Elinor asked, "Why is the man trying to kill ye?"

Marissa blinked. No questions about how true this all is? No suspicions or accusations? That was a relief! "We're at war in me time right now." Marissa explained. "And he's a spy. I found his weapons and figured out he was a German and he tried to kill me to keep me quiet."

"Sounds like all he wants from ye now is to get back to his time period." Merida remarked.

"Then he'll kill me." Marissa moaned. "Oh, why didn't I just stay with m'class?"

Elinor straightened up and sighed. "We'll have to reason with him. Otherwise he'll kill…" her voice trailed off and she wringed her hands. Then Elinor turned towards the direction the guards and gone and walked down the hall.

Merida and Marissa glanced at each other, then Merida offered Marissa her hand. "Come on, we've got to save me father."

Marissa took Merida's hand and stood up, then together the two DunBrochs ran down the hall after the queen.

~oOo~

"What do you want with Marissa?" Elinor called out to the tall blond man.

He was standing there with the strange weapon Elinor presumed was what Marissa had called a gun. He looked angry and his voice confirmed this fact.

"Send the girl down and I'll let your husband and za other men and boys go free!" he yelled. "She is responsible for getting me stuck here in the first place!"

"I could say the same about him." Marissa muttered under her breath.

"She's only a child, what could ye possibly need from her?" Elinor was desperate, she didn't want to send Marissa to her death at the hands of her enemy and yet she couldn't let this madman kill her husband. What could she do to bargain with him?

"Zat's none of your concern." The German snarled. "I'll give you three minutes to decide, I will take nothzing but za girl."

"Oh, he means business." Marissa cried. "I can't let him kill yer husband, yer majesty. I'll give myself up."

"No!" Merida chided, grabbing Marissa's arm. "Ye can't do that. He'll kill you!"

"But if I don't he'll kill yer father. There's no way out of this and I'm the one who created this mess in the first place." Marissa looked miserable and Elinor's heart went out to the girl.

"Merida's right, Marissa. Ye can't give yerself up. There has to be another way." Elinor told her.

Suddenly Merida's face lit up. "Of course! Why didn't I think about it before!" she exclaimed.

"What is it Merida?" Elinor asked.

"The door through the servant's quarters! The German can't see them from where he stands, Marissa could sneak out the back and take off on Angus, then he'd have to follow her and thus leave the castle! He's mad enough that he'd probably chase her on foot, too, and wouldn't be able to catch up to Marissa."

"Uhh, what about the part about meself not bein' able to ride and the fact he'll still try to shoot me?" Marissa gulped.

"Hear me out here." Merida said. "Once yer out of the castle yard and he's in pursuit of ye, I'll come ridin' out on Raider, me dad's horse, and race by him. He'll get so confused seein' two of ye he won't know who to follow or shoot! That'll give Mum plenty of time to unlock the men from the cellar and Dad can shoot him with an arrow while he's confused and then yer out of harm's way!"

"It's too dangerous!" Elinor admonished, her heart pounding at the very idea.

"Two minutes!" the German yelled.

Merida turned towards Elinor, her blue eyes blazing and her voice desperate. "Mum, I'm the one who convinced Marissa to trade places with me in the first place. This is my fault Dad's life is in danger. Let me help her escape. It's our only chance."

Elinor looked from Merida to Marissa. Merida was on fire and ready to go, determined to make her plan work. Marissa looked less sure but hopeful, and Elinor knew it wasn't right to let the poor girl give up her young life.

"Very well." Elinor sighed. "If it's the only way."

Merida grabbed Marissa hand and pulled her along. "Come on, we don't have any time to lose!"

"One minute!"

Another cliffhanger! Hehe! Just think of it like when you're watching your favorite TV Show on a channel and whenever they find out something drastic they ALWAYS have commercial break right then. That way you're screamin' for it to resume and leaving you off on a cliffhanger. That's how I like to write. :D

Thanks again for reading, please review!

-Shire