Saving a Princess - Part 2
A powerful shire tore through through the worn forest path. His rider not bothering to direct him. She was too lost in her grief to care about where she was going, and let fate take her where it would. Just so long as it was away from her mother, it was perfect.
Stupid, stupid mother- controlling her like that! Her dear, precious bow, which she'd had since childhood, burnt to a useless bit of timber. How could she?! That bow was her freedom- her independence! It was her defiance of all things princess. She needed that in the rigid, perfect world of her mother's perfect castle... and that was exactly why she'd done it. She'd destroyed her bow to break her will. Trying to force her into giving up- into accepting that her mother ruled her life. Well she wasn't going to be controlled like that! She wasn't getting forced into anything by her mother ever again!
She was running far from Dunbroch, and she didn't intend to return. She wasn't going to be made to do anything- least of all get married! Who did her mother think she was?! She had little enough freedom as it was- and now she was selling her off as a trophy to pacify the lords?! Well, she she'd had enough. She was going to live free- far away from that wretched, controlling mother of hers. How could she? Didn't she care for her at all?! Did it matter to her what she thought?! Did she love her at-?!
"Whoaaa!" She was thrown viciously forwards- landing hard on the ground, hair strewn everywhere.
"Angus!" She sobbed. She'd have thought he at least might offer her some form of comfort in all her distress. She looked over to him, cantering about nervously. What was he doing that for? What had spooked him? He couldn't have just thrown her for nothing. Welcoming the distraction from her grief filled thoughts, she turned to search for what had scared her shire. A strange, but somehow familiar, noise caught her attention, as a small, blue figure appeared a little way ahead of her. Wait- was that a...?
The thing just stayed there, as though waiting for something. She moved closer to it. She remembered these things. She'd seen them before, hadn't she, but she couldn't remember what had happened.
It was a will 'o' the wisp, which, according to the old legend, leads you to her fate... well she was open to being led right now.
As she held out a hand to it, it vanished. She looked expectantly in front of her for the next. Surely enough, a trail of the blue, misty shapes led off into the trees. She turned back, looking for her 'fraidy horse'... no sign of him. Looks like he'd bolted and left for the palace. Great. No way back, and no idea where she was... This was just brilliant. Just her and the wisps then, she thought, walking forwards to follow the trail of candle like creatures, wondering what she would find at the end. What what would they lead her to? What was her destiny?
Eventually, the last wisp vanished in front of a rock draped in long, hanging vines. Guided by some distant, buried memory, she pushed aside the natural curtain and followed through the tunnel... to see the tower.
It was just as surreal as she remembered it. She'd begun to doubt if she'd really seen that thing over the years, but now... it was there. Right in front of her eyes. Just as intriguing and spell binding as ever. No mother to hold her back this time. She grinned as she realised nothing was stopping her. She could climb up into the tower, and no one would stop her. She was burning to know what was inside it- and there was only one way to find out.
Gripping the rock tightly with her hands, she worked her way up in a practised motion. Ha- this was easy next to the Fire Falls! She didn't even slip once! She banged her head against the windowsill, before she realised she was at the top.
"Ow!" She exclaimed, grimacing at her smarting head. Was she at the top already? She thought, a little disappointed. Oh well- time to see what incredible fate the wisps had in store for her... She pushed open the shutter, and stepped inside...
Her face fell a little. It was just a basic, bog standard room. It wasn't ancient enough to be interesting, and too empty to excite her. What was the point of this place if it was so quiet and empty? Walking forwards, she realised the room wasn't quite so average as she originally thought. The whole thing- walls, furniture, ceiling- was painted. As though someone had a lot of spare time with nothing better to do with their life. She stepped on something that felt weird... Some kind of stringy, golden rope? Wait, hold on...
"Hair...?" She whispered, following it up high into the rafters- how long was this thing? Just as she was deciding if there was a shape in the shadows, a voice spoke out.
"Don't move! I'll, erm... I'll hit you!" It said. Merida almost wanted to laugh- she knew false confidence when she heard it (the speaker was young and female, and definitely uncomfortable with having a stranger in her tower). She was trying to intimidate her?! Merida Dunbroch- descendant of the highlands?! Nothing scared her.
She would've replied with something, just as haughtily, but the unsurity in the girl's voice told her she was nervous- scared even.
"Alrigh', fine. Am not movin'." She told her. What she could see of her in the darkness looked surprised. Bolstered on by this unexpected victory, she said,in a lightly more commanding tone now:
"Now drop your weapons." Merida rolled her eyes- for once, she didn't have any.
"Ah don' ha' any weapons." She told her.
"Wha-? You're lying!" She accused. Honestly, Merida thought, what was making this lass so jumpy?
"Where would ah hide a weapon in this thin'?" She pointed out, gesturing the loathed, ripped dress (torn from both her act of defiance at the archery tournament, and the fall from Angus).
The sudden thrown out movement of her arm sent an unexpected bolt of pain down it. She must of landed on it funny when Angus threw her. "Ah!" She gasped, clutching it, as the pain subsided as suddenly as it appeared.
"Are you o-?" She caught herself just in time. "So what do want with my hair?" She demanded. What?! Merida thought- she had to be kidding! Random stranger waltzes into her bedroom, and her first thought is 'oh no- she might steal my hair'?!
"Wha' would ah wan' wi' you' hair?!" Merida countered, indignantly. "Ah got ma own, thanks." She said, blowing a stray strand out of her face.
"Wait... you don't want my hair?" The girl asked- startled, but also greatly relieved.
"No. Ah jus' came for a bi' of poke around." She replied, honestly. "Fancied an adventure." She added. Well, she wasn't lying. She'd been wanting some kind of quest, or heroic task, to complete ever since she was a kid- and this looked pretty promising.
"An adventure..." The girl repeated, sounding enthralled and mesmerised by the prospect.
"Yeah." Merida said. "Why 'ont ya come down, so I can talk t' ya properly?" She requested. The girl sank back into the rafters, before she apparently gathered her courage, and jumped down from the beams, like she'd been doing that her whole life. She walked forwards into the light. Merida was right- she was just a wee, young lass. Curious, but also nervous, at meeting this new person.
Merida held out a confident hand- not so boldly as to scare her off, though.
"Merida." She introduced herself. The girl reached out a cautious hand, and opened her mouth to answer.
"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" The voice of a much older woman called.
Both their eyes darted to the window, in alarm. Uh oh.