List of oneshots part 4
chapter 59
What happens if Merida wound up cursed, but with a twist?
Series: Brave
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"No, no no no, I will not let this be my fate." Merida muttered to herself, steeling herself as she approached the old hut. "If my mom won't listen, then I'll have to try something more...drastic." She stopped in front of the door and began to knock.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Uh, yes, I was brought here because of the wisps and I-" Merida started, only for the door to swing open, and an old woman to appear.
"Are you here to buy a wood carving?" She asked with a frown.
"No, uh… is there any way for you to change my fa-"
"I can't help you, I'm not doing it again!" She replied before slamming the door shut.
Merida looked at the door silently before pushing it open, looking inside the interior to see wooden carvings all around, with the old lady already getting to work on another one. "Look, the wisps led me here, and I-"
"I said I'm not doing it again! What part of that wasn't clear?!" She snapped as Merida walked inside. "I'm just a simple and normal wood carver, that's all I do. I don't care what some wisps do, but they don't mean squat."
"But you COULD change my fate?" Merida asked, making the woman groan. "Please, I need to change my fate!"
"I don't do that! All I do is carve wood, that's it." She remarked firmly as Merida turned and saw a crow staring at her on one of the statues. "Oh don't mind that, it's completely stuffed."
"No I'm not, caw!" the raven snapped, making Merida gasp.
"You're a witch!"
"Wood carver!"
"No, you're a wi-"
"WOOD CARVER!"
"Look, you can really help me here. See, I need to-"
"How many times do I have to repeat myself? Wood carver! That's it!" she remarked firmly while wagging her finger. "And if you're not here to buy, then get out!" she demanded as over a dozen sharp carving tools rose up and pointed themselves at Merida, making her back up to the door.
"Bu-Bu-But you, you just-"
"Wood carver! Nothing more, nothing less!" She snapped angrily. "Now get out!"
"No wait! I'll buy it all!" she let out, right as the blades got extra close to her face, making the old woman look surprised and made the tools stop where they were.
"Excuse me?"
"I'll buy all your wood if you change my fate, I'll buy it all!"
"That...That's quite a lot." she muttered to herself. "But just HOW are you going to pay for it all?"
"Uh, well, you see I uh…. I can pay you when it's delivered to my family's castle?"
"Ha! You wouldn't be the first one to try that old trick deary."
"Uh...what about...oh! How about this?" she reached down and pulled out her necklace, catching the old lady's eyes along with the crows as it flew over and landed on her head.
"That would set us up for months, caw!"
"Yes, it would…" The old woman mused, eyeing Merida up and down before a wicked grin crossed her face. "Ok, I'll do it."
"Really?" she started to smile. "You'll help me change my fate?"
"Well, who am I to argue with someone willing to spend that kind of money? We just need to take a little step outside." She said, pushing Merida out. "We can't exactly change your fate in a wood carvers hut, now can we?"
"But then where do we go?" She questioned the old woman who shut the door, only to open it back up and walk inside, revealing the interior had changed into a darker interior that fit a witch much better. "Oh….right back in."
"Yes, well then, let's get started~" The witch hummed as she snapped her fingers, making a large fire appear underneath a massive cauldron in the middle of the room. Merida watched in awe as the witch began to grab strange vials filled with colorful liquids and dump them into the cauldron. "A bit of this, some of that, oh! Can't forget a smidge of this now can we."
"Whoa…." Merida muttered, staring in awe as the witch worked.
"Yes, a bit more of this, a bit of that...ah, I know just what to add to make it perfect~"
"So, this will really change my fate?" Merida asked in awe as the witch let out a devious chuckle.
"Oh yes, I guarantee that it will~"
"Don't mess up, caw!"
"Oh hush now, I know what I'm doing you old bird." Whispered the witch while taking a vial and poured it in the cauldron before taking a spoon to swish it around. "This'll be done in a moment."
"Great, thanks! This'll make all that wood stuff worth it." Merida muttered to herself happily, unaware the witch heard her.
'This girl, first she demands I change her fate and now she insults my carvings?!' She frowned. 'Oh ho ho, I know her kind all too well. Seems I'll have to really make this REALLY special.' She thought as she reached into her robes for a smaller vial. "Here we go, the final ingredient, this will change your fate, believe me."
"I can't wait." She said as the witch smirked.
"Here we go!" She said as the mixture began to bubble and multi-color smoke spewed from the top of it. "Close your eyes, this is gonna be bright!"
Merida did so, right as a bright flash exploded out, lighting up the whole interior for a brief moment before it dimmed down. The witch cackled as she got a pair of metal tongs, and carefully reached into the cauldron to pull out...a pastry.
"Here we are." she carefully moved it over on a clean counter, setting it down as excess residue dripped off it as Merida opened her eyes and looked confused.
"A cake? That's it?" She asked as she looked at the creation.
"That's it."
"How is this going to change my fate?" She asked in disbelief.
"Oh, did you think it was a normal one? It's magic, dear, you have to eat it, or someone close to you." She explained. "One bite is all that's needed."
"Ok…" She said as the witch wrapped it up.
"Now go home and have someone take a bite, and trust me, your fate will be changed forever."
"Well...if you're sure." Merida relented before heading out of the dwelling.
"Good, and remember, make sure you're home first!" The witch called with a grin before slamming the door shut. 'I wish I could see her face when she sees what happens~'
Merida climbed back onto Angus who started to carry her back on home. 'Will this really change my fate?'
(Later)
'Ok, she said to take a bite, which shouldn't be hard.' thought Merida, making sure to keep the pastry in the bag hidden under her arm. 'I'll get mom to take a bite during the feast, she won't notice a thing.' She thought as she made her way into the castle. 'It'll be quick, easy, and my fate will be changed for goo-'
"Merida? Are you in here?"
"Woah!" she jumped, whirling around and standing up straight. "Y-Yes mom, right here."
"Merida!" She called as she speed walked towards her daughter. "Oh, I was so worried, no one could find you!"
"Sorry, I went out for a ride to get some fresh air." She said as her mother sighed.
"Well, come on, we need to get you properly dressed for the feast, your clothes are a wreck." She tisked as Merida paused.
'I guess now is as good a time as any.' "Actually mom, before I change, I was wondering if you felt up for a little snack."
"A snack?"
"Yes, while I was riding someone offered me a cake, and I was thinking you could have it." Merida said as she pulled out the magic pastry.
"Ah, thank you dear, but I'm good. Why don't you enjoy it? You did bring it after all." her mother suggested as she paused.
"No, I was gonna-!" She started before her mother shoved the piece of tart into her mouth.
"Well then you should eat this, it's not good to be moving around on an empty stomach." She said as her daughter's eyes widened as she accidentally swallowed the piece of cursed pastry. "Now then, come along, we need to get you dressed for tonight."
Merida was too caught off guard to stop her mom as she started leading her daughter upstairs, her inner thoughts slightly worried. 'Wait, the witch said to take just a bite. She didn't say what might happen if the whole thing was eaten.' She thought as her mind raced. 'Maybe it won't be so bad? She did say it would change my fate, that's what I want, right?'
"Now I know we ran into an issue, but I think we can put it behind us and just relax, and enjoy the feast." She said as they reached Merida's room.
"Yeah, I suppose…" She said, getting a strange feeling as her mother pulled her into the room. 'Why isn't she changing her mind? Why isn't my fate changing yet?' That's when she stood up straight, feeling a tingle go through her back. 'Wait, is this it, is this my fate changing?!'
Her mother went to the wardrobe to get a dress, while Merida held her stomach and felt the feeling grow stronger. "Now then, how about we choose a nice dress you won't destroy during one of your moments, ok dear?"
'Is this it, is my fate changing… or did the witch just poison me?' Merida gritted her teeth, feeling her hand start to tingle. 'J-Just a bit longer, either my fate will change or I'll be dead!'
"Merida, what do you think? Since your first dress is completely destroyed we'll have to use your old ones, is this one old?" Queen Elinor asked as she turned around, only to see her daughter hunched over as she held her stomach. "Merida?! Are you ok?"
"Y-Yes, j-just-AHHH!" She cried out as she fell to the floor, kicking around as she groaned.
"Merida!"
"I-I-It's ok!" She let out. "I-I-I'm fine!"
"No, you're clearly not! What is going on?!" She asked before they heard a ripping sound. "J-Just stay here, I'll fix this somehow, I-I…." She said as she got up and began to back up, only to knock the lamp off the table, shattering it and sending the room into darkness. "Merida!"
"Ma!" she let out, before what sounded like more ripping sounds followed, along with things crashing over and breaking.
"Merida, hold still, I'll start the fire!" Queen Elinor called out, nearly panicking as she rushed to the fire place. "J-Just hold on, we'll figure this out!" She stumbled to get the flint, panicked and trying to keep her hands steady as she tried to get the fire started. Eventually she managed to steady her hands and got the fire started. "O-Ok, ok, the fires are on, now let's get you some hel-" She started as she turned around, only to freeze as she saw who was behind her. "AHHHHHHH!"
"AAAAHHHH!" Cried the person, who had Merinda's red hair, but that's where the similarities seemed to end, they were eight feet tall and covered by a layer of what looked like black fur, with two bear ears coming out of the top of their head, and strangely enough they looked like a mix of a woman and a bear. Sharp claws were sticking out from the paws of the dress, which looked like it had ripped open around, but still somehow stayed on the figure. "W-What's happening, is someone there?!" The figure cried as they turned around, inadvertently showing that they now possessed a small bear's tail as well, which was poking out of the dress. "A tail!? What's a tail doing there?!"
"M-Merida?" Elinor said, freezing as she recognized her daughter's voice.
"Mom! What happened to me!?" Cried the figure, looking down and saw the claws, letting out a scared cry that sounded like a roar. "W-What happened?! What happened to me?! Did...did I just roar?!"
"I...I...I…" Elinor said, feeling lost. "Merida...you...you….you've got….fur and claws...and….bear ears…."
"What?!" She cried out as she felt the top of her head. "T-This can't be happening!"
"J-Just calm down Merida."
"How can I calm down, I'm a bear!" She cried out, only for the sentence to end in a roar. She covered her mouth in shock as she shook her head. "This isn't happening, it can't!"
"Just try and take deep breaths, there must be a reason this happened, there just has to…" Elinor called, cautiously resting a hand on her daughter's shoulder, or as close as she could get to said shoulder.
"But what cou-" Merida started, only to freeze. "No…."
"No? No what?"
"I….so, I may have….met a witch." Admitted Merida, looking away while tapping her claws together.
"You what?! A witch?!" She cried out in horror. "WHY?!"
"Well, it's a funny story really." She said nervously. "She uh…. Kinda said she could change my fate?"
"And you listened to her?! A witch?!" She shouted, making Merida cower nervously. "Did she tell you that she would turn you into this?!"
"Well, no, she uh… gave me a pastry and said it could change my fate…"
"Pastry? Wait...the one you offered to ME?"
"Well I didn't know this would happen! I assumed it would just change your mind about the whole marriage thing!" She huffed back while crossing her large arms. "I didn't know or even imagine THIS is what would happen, so it's not like I meant any real harm."
"Merida" Elinor groaned, shaking her head. "Ugh, this is a mess, what will the lords think when they see this, what will your fa-"She started before freezing. "Your father….oh no."
"Dad? What-Oh no." Her eyes widened, quickly catching on. "If dad sees me like this-"
"He might start a new bear hunt." Elinor said nervously. "We….we need to hide this."
"Hide? Hide where? It's not like I can just walk out the front door." She snapped, letting out another growl. "Ugh, I can't even control my own voice, how can we even try to hide all of this?!" She said, gesturing to herself.
"Just keep it down and let me think!" Elinor snapped, shaking her head. "There has to be a way we can hide you, nothing is impossible."
"Apparently me deciding what I want in life is impossible." Huffed Merida crossing her arms as her mother started to pace back and forth.
"Ok, so we can't just let you go out there, your new size would give you away…. Maybe if we have you hunch over and cover yourself?"
"And say what? 'Hi dad, sorry I went through a little growth spurt, but I'm going back out for a bit, later'?"
"Well at least I'm trying young lady!" She frowned at her daughter. "If you have something else in mind, by all means, say it."
"Well….the only place that could hide me away is….the woods." She said, looking out the window. "They couldn't freak out if I wasn't here…"
"And then what? You can't live the rest of your life in the woods young lady."
"Well it's a lot better than living my whole life like some forced wife." She grumbled while looking away.
"I heard that Merida." Elinor frowned before sighing. "Look, I'm sorry, but we all have to do things we don't want to do in life."
"Well maybe if you weren't trying to get rid of me like last week's feast, I wouldn't have gone to the witch!" She growled at her mother with a huff making Elinor frown.
"It's not like that at all!"
"Sure feels like it!" Merida huffed. "Everything went wrong when you decided to wed me off to some stranger." She said, stamping around angrily. "Probably wouldn't have done it if it was my brothers."
"Merida, please, we shouldn't be fighting about this…" She said, shaking her head.
"You're not denying it!" She growled again with a snarl making her mother look away. "I see, so if they were old enough, they wouldn't end up being made to do this would they?"
"Merida, it's a complicated issue, there's a lot of factors, I mean…..look, we need to go." She said, trying to push Merida towards the door. "Come, we can hide you in the kitchen for now, or maybe the trophy room?"
"Don't shove!" She roared out, which was heard by her father downstairs, making him perk up from the festivities and raised an eyebrow.
"Did anyone else hear that?" He asked as he stood up.
This got the rest to simmer down as the man looked up at the ceiling.
"Something's off." He said as he began to make his way to the stairs. "Something or someone who's not supposed to be here is up there."
"Oh come on, that sounds silly." Lord MacGuffin said as he shook his head. "What do you think is up there besides a servant? A bear?"
"I know what I heard." The large man said as he listened closely, hearing something heavy hit the floor, making him narrow his eyes. "Something's up there."
"Are you sure?" Lord Dingwall asked as Fergus just made his way up the stairs, not bothering to answer.
"Merida calm down! Your father or someone might hear you!" Elinor hissed as she tried to lead her daughter through the halls.
"Oh please, like he'd hear us over the feast."
"Elinor? Merida? What's going on?" Came Fergus' voice, making both of them freeze up with wide eyes.
"No...no no no, what do we do?!" Merida hissed, starting to panic.
"Quick, back to the room! I'll handle him!" Elinor said, squeezing past Merida as she raced towards the sound of her husband's voice. She rounded the corner and put up a smile. "Fergus, how is the feast?"
"Elinor, dear, what is going on up here? I swore I heard loud crashing, is Merida up here, or is it something else?" He asked while looking behind her with her trying to stay in his line of sight.
"Oh it's nothing to worry about. I was just...adjusting some of her dresses and the wardrobe fell over, but it's nothing to worry about."
"Ah, I see, so Merida's back then? Where is she, I think we need to have a talk after the… incident."
"Uh, not yet, but when she does I'll be sure to send her right to you dear."
"Why? Is she still getting dressed?"
"No, not yet." She said, trying to remain calm. "Why don't you go back downstairs while we finish up, ok?"
He looked his wife in the eyes, with her trying to not flinch as he narrowed his eyes. "Alright, but if I hear one more sound, I'll be back to really be sure. For a second, I thought I heard a bear up here."
"A bear? Really dear, you have to think more, how would a bear get into the castle, much less up here?" She tried to give an amused chuckle. "Like it could get in the castle, let alone past a whole room of powerful warriors downstairs."
"I suppo-" he started, only for them to hear what sounded like a quiet roar.
'Merida, what are you doing?!'
"There it is again!" He snapped as he rushed ahead. "Where are you, beast?! Show yourself!"
"Fergus wait! Hold on!" Elinor called, racing after her husband. "It's not what you think!"
"Stay back! I'm going to find that bear and mount it on the wall!"
Elinor gasped, imagining her daughter's head on a wall and quickened her pace. "Fergus! Wait!"
Eventually he reached the room and slammed the door down. "Face your end beast… huh?" he said as he stared at what looked like an empty room.
"Fergus please! You have to-huh?" Elinor stopped when she saw it was empty, confusing and relieving her.
"That's odd, I know I heard it come from here…" The King said as he rubbed his chin. "So the beast is trying to trick me, huh?"
"Fergus, maybe it was just the wind? Or the others downstairs." Elinor urged, trying to get him to calm down.
"Maybe…. Or maybe it's still here somewhere." He said as he looked around. "There's other rooms the beast could be hiding in."
"Fergus, why waste time looking for an imaginary bear when you could be enjoying the feast? I'll even go and get some of your special mead to really liven things up." Elinor bargained, making him sigh.
"Maybe you're right… ok, I'll head back down after I check the other rooms."
"But-" she saw him head out and inwardly groaned. 'Merida, wherever you are, please let it be someplace clever.' Shr thought as she followed her husband warily. 'Please be safe, please.'
(Later)
"Fergus, please, this is ridiculous, you've checked nearly every room in the castle!" Elinor shouted, feeling fed up.
"Which just means if the beast is here, it can't get away." He chuckled as he slammed open another door. "A-hah, see?! It's trapped now!"
"You said that about the last ten rooms you entered."
"Well I have a good feeling about this one." He said as he looked around. The room was massive and was filled with numerous stuffed animals, from bears to deer to ducks, it seemed every animal under the sun was in there. "Go let the others know we'll be having bear meat, we'll need a bigger fire going."
"Fergus, there is no bear h-" Elinor started, before spotting a patch of familiar red hair. 'No…' There she saw Merida in a striking pose, with no clothes on, and open mouth, standing perfectly still next to the other stuffed animals. 'What is she doing?! If Fergus sees her he'll… ok, at least it's dark right now, maybe he won't see her.'
Fergus looked around, slowly walking around the trophies with a critical eye. "That bear could be anywhere, it's been clever in avoiding me so far, but no longer..."
Elinor kept an eye on Merida, trying to keep from worrying as her husband looked over the stuffed animals closely. 'Please fall for it Fergus, I don't want you to make a horrible decision if I'm too late!' She thought, racking her brain. 'He just needs to think there's no beast here...or he needs something to distract him!' She thought getting an idea.
'Please, please just ignore me dad!' Thought Merida as her father got closer and closer, trying her best not to move an inch.
"Oh Fergus~" Called Elinor, letting out a small grin, making her husband pause his inspection of a stuffed bear near his changed daughter.
"What is it Elinor?"
"Oh, I just wanted to let you know that seeing you like this, on the hunt, it certainly has gotten me excited~" She winked, moving over to lean against him while trailing her hand across his chest, catching him off guard. "It reminds me of the time you and I went hunting for that wild boar. You remember what happened that cold night, don't you~?"
"Ho ho, I certainly do my dear." He chuckled, turning to her with a grin. "I remember you being rather 'restless' that night if memory serves me right."
'What is happening?!' Thought Merida who had a bad feeling. 'Mom, PLEASE tell me you're not gonna….oh spirits! I think I'm gonna be sick!'
"You're not wrong, and seeing you on the prowl again, well, you could say my inner beast would like a chance to tussle with the mighty hunter~" She winked, making her husband chuckle and hold her by the waist.
"Well now, if I knew it would bring her out, I should have done it sooner~" He chuckled, dropping his sword as he pulled her closer. "Shall we have some fun then my dear?"
"Of course."
'No no no! I'm still here mom!' Merida thought, struggling not to move. 'Not here, not here mom!'
"Excellent~" Fergus chuckled as he began to remove his clothes.
"Wait! Not here, you….might make a mess on your trophies. Let's do it in our own bedchamber, that way we can truly go wild without holding a thing back~" Elinor said, shaking her head as she stole a quick glance at Merida.
"...for you my dear, any mess is worth the night together with you~" he said, shaking his head. "Besides, I can always hunt some more trophies."
'NOOOOO!' thought Merida who REALLY knew she was about to lose it then and there, breaking out in a sweat and looking pale….somehow.
"No!" Elinor said, glancing at Merida. 'I'm sorry dear, I'm doing my best.' she thought before shaking her head. "No, the….the great huntsman must catch his prey if he wants to finish the hunt, come and get me my king~"
"Oh?" he saw his wife wink at him before she rushed out of the room, making him chuckle. "Oh, so it's that kinda game eh? Well then, time for me to hunt~" he chuckled, chasing after her. After a minute Merida sighed as she dropped the pose.
"Oh thank god….thank god that didn't happen in front of me." She muttered, feeling her heart nearly jump out of her chest. 'There are some things even I don't need to see.'
(Later)
"Pssst….Merida, are you still in here?" Elinor, looking a bit roughed up as she looked around the trophy room.
"Down here." Merida called, sprawled out on the floor in an imitation of a bear rug. "Have fun with dad?"
"Uh yes, but that's not what we should worry right now." Blushed Elinor with a cough. "That was too close for comfort, but I'm glad you kept it together until I got your father away."
"I almost didn't, I nearly gagged! You and him almost…. In front of me!"
"Let's not dwell on that now!" She coughed, her face flushed red. "Now that your father is…. Incapacitated for awhile, we need to figure out what to do with you now."
"Well I can't stick around here, I doubt your 'plan' will work if someone else sees me." She groaned.
"Agreed… Merida, is there any way you can reverse this, or find that witch again?"
"Well, the last place I saw her was due to the wisps." She groaned. "I don't know how I'm going to find them again, much less how I'm going to get there, the castle is stuffed with people, how am I supposed to get out?"
"Well….wait, the backdoor to the kitchen!" Elinor said with a grin. "We can sneak you past there, and the stables are nearby too!"
"That actually might work." Merida said, nodding her head. "I just hope I'll still fit on Angus."
"Great, then let's go, most of the guests should be gone by now." Elinor said as Merida nodded.
"Aye mom….wait, I just have to get dressed." She looked down at her naked self, making her mother quickly remember she WAS technically naked.
"Ah, yes, o-of course dear." Elinor said as she turned away as her daughter went to where she had stashed the remnants of her dress. 'How did I not realize that?'
"Kinda reminds me of when I was just a wee lass, and the times I didn't wanna take a bath." remarked Merida to herself, which her mother overheard and smiled.
"Aye, me and your father had to chase you across the castle when you 'escaped'."
"In my defense, the water was always too cold."
"Well maybe if you took them like a good girl, you'd enjoy them while they were nice and hot, or maybe you did it just to make me and your father overwork ourselves." She chuckled.
"Yeah yeah." Merida grunted as she attempted to get the dress back on. "Why is this so hard, it came off easy enough..." She muttered, pulling a bit harder and cursing as she heard the dress rip.
"Well maybe you should cut back, then dresses won't be so snug." Chuckled her mother making Merida blush.
"Ma, you know this ain't my fault!" She groaned, pulling harder.
"Well, it kind of was, you went to the witch." She chuckled. "Are you done yet or do you need some help?"
"No, I got th-"
RIIIIP
"What was that Merida?" Elinor asked as Merida stared at the light blue rags that had once been her dress.
"...let's just say the dress isn't a problem anymore. Let's go."
With that the two of them quickly headed through the halls, going for the kitchen, and being more mindful of sounds this time. So far it seems like they were in the clear, they hadn't heard any of the guests, servants, or guards as they made their way to their destination.
"We're nearly there, just hold on Merida.'' Elinor whispered.
"Not much to hold on without clothes." She whispered.
"You're fine, you have fur I suppose." Elinor whispered. "Besides, no one is going to see you so it's fine."
"Wow, you saying it's fine if I don't wear clothes? I'm dreaming." she whispered with a fake gasp.
"Oh quiet, you know this is a special situation." Elinor hissed.
Right as they came to the door to the kitchen, they slowly peaked inside, only to see the triplets in the middle of sneaking around inside.
"Oh no, Merida, hide while I go get them to leave." Elinore said as she lightly pushed Merida away.
Merida covered her mouth as her mother opened the door and walked in, spotting them trying to use each other as a ladder up to the cupboard where the tarts were.
"And what are you three doing?" Elinore asked, her hands on her hips, making all three of the boys freeze.
They looked at each other and then her and gave their most innocent looking smile.
'Hide? Where do I hide mom?!' Thought Merida glancing around the halls since there was nothing there to actually hide behind. 'Crap crap crap!' She thought, moving down the hall as quietly as she could. 'There has to be something, a room or another hallway or SOMETHING!'
"You three know what I said about too many sweets." Elinore said as the three hung their heads in shame. "You three defiently know how I feel about you eating them so late at night too, don't you?"
They all nodded.
"Since you didn't get to them before I showed up, I'll be a little lenient this time. Just go back to your rooms and don't try sneaking any later on, alright?" She asked as the three nodded and began to make their way out of the kitchen. Elinore watched them leave before sighing in relief. 'Those three are gonna be a handful when they get to Merida's age.' She smiled as she saw them disappear down the hall before looking around. "Ok, you can come out now Merida….Merida?"
Silence.
"Merida?' She asked again, starting to feel worried. "Merida? You can stop hiding."
"Pssst, mom, out here."
She turned to the nearby open window, looking outside and saw her daughter clinging to the side with an awkward smile.
"Merida! Wha- how- why?!" Elinore gasped, staring at her daughter in shock. "Why are you out there?!"
"I thought I saw someone and jumped out without thinking. On the upside, I can slide down no pr-woah!" She let out, her claws losing their grip as she went sliding down the wall before landing on the ground with a thud. "Oof….I'm ok!"
"Merida….hold on, I'm coming!" Elinore muttered as she rushed to the stairs. "I just hope no one heard that."
Sadly for her, three somebodies did. Her sons all perked up from the sound and moved over near a window, wide eyed when they saw what looked like a bear making its way near the stables, along with their mom, but she wasn't running away in terror. They looked at each other in confusion before nodding and taking off towards the stables.
"Please tell me you didn't break anything from that fall." Elinore groaned.
"Course not." Merida muttered, cracking her back. "Look, let's just get out of here before anything else happens."
"We're already doing that." Remarked her mother who opened the stable doors up, making horses turn, and go wide eyed as soon as they spotted Merida. For Merida and Elinore, it was like watching a disaster in slow motion as one they realized what was about to happen. "Oh no…." She said as the horses began to neigh and move around frantically in their stalls.
"Shhh! Shhh! All of you pipe down quickly!" Merida hissed as she moved into the stable, just making the horses even more frantic. "It's just me!"
"All of you stop and be quiet!" Elinor tried ordering, but the horses still didn't listen. "Merida, it's no use, we need to either go now, or you need to hide again, now!"
"Hold on!" she rushed over to Angus' stable with said girl freaking out like the rest. "Angus it's me! Merida! I'm not a bear!"
The horse paused as it recognized the voice and stared in shock as it recognized it's owner's frizzy orange hair.
"Merida, hurry, the guards probably… oh who am I kidding, they DID hear that."
"Listen to me Angus, we need you to get us out of here and back where I found that witch, can you do that for us?" She asked as the horse slowly nodded. "Great! Come on ma, let's go!"
"I hope he can carry both of us." Elinor said as she climbed on.
"Oh he will, he's a big horse, aren't ya boy?" Merida said as the horse nodded, only to pause as it realized Merida would be getting atop him as well. "Alright, alleyoop!"
Angus opened his mouth, only to nearly drop down to the ground when Merida got on his back, making him grit his teeth at the extra weight.
"Alright, let's go Angus, go!" Merida called as she tried to urge the horse forward.
"Dear, I don't know if the poor horse can carry you."
"What are ya talkin' about? Angus can carry me all over the country." She argued as Angus struggled to make his way to the gate.
"Merida, you're a bear, or at the very least you weigh the same amount as one!" Elinore shouted. "Just run next to the horse!"
She let out a groan before getting off Angus who stood up straight and sighed in relief. "Fine, let's just hurry!" She said as she and Elinore raced out of the stables.
As that happened, the boys bounded down the halls, looking around for their father. Eventually they found him sprawled out across his bed, a large smile on his face as he slept, but that peace was quickly disrupted when all three of the boys jumped atop him.
"OOF! Who!? What?! Where?!" He cried out before seeing his boys shaking him. "Gah, you boys can't scare me like that… wait, what's that sound?"
The three of them made growling sounds, trying to stand on one another with their arms held out to try and imitate a bear.
Fergus narrowed his eyes as he began to piece together what he thought they were 'saying'. "Boys, is there a bear in the castle?"
All of them nodded before one got on all fours, another got on him, and the third let out a neigh sound.
"It's near the stables?!" He cried out as he jumped out of bed.
The three nodded before then moving over to their mothers side of the bed and pointed at it.
"And Elinor's there?!" He cried out in horror before rushing out of the room. "I'm coming Elinor!"
The boys followed, albeit with one of them carrying the clothes given their father forgot he was naked.
"ELINOR!" Fergus roared, racing out of the castle, only to see guards and servants rushing around in confusion. "Where is my wife?!"
"Uh, sir? You're….um…." One guard pointed out nervously, only for the boys to come over and offer up his clothes.
"Gah! Damn it…. Thanks boys." he blushed, taking them and stumbling to get them while the staff looked away. "Get the men together, we have a bear to hunt down!"
"R-Right, sir uh….. I saw it as it left the castle it was….it was following someone on a horse. I think it may have been the queen."
"What?! Get together! Arm yourselves! We're going to save Elinor and slay the beast!" He roared out as the men cheered. "Come on boys, let's go save your mother!"
(Later)
"So, I guess you can run on all four legs now, huh?" Elinor asked awkwardly.
"Yeah, and it's weird." Merida groaned, running behind Angus. "I almost feel like a bear… are we there yet?"
"I'm not sure, I'm just letting Angus lead." She said as they made their way through the woods. "Besides, wouldn't you know?"
"I...wasn't exactly thinking the last time I rode through here."
"Ugh, Merida? You need to stop doing things without thinking." Elinor sighed as she shook her head. "You should have kept in mind where you were going, you shouldn't have gotten that blasted spell, you should have done anything that led you to becoming a-a-"
"A monster?" glared her daughter.
"I wasn't going to say that."
"But you're still thinking about it, aren't you?"
"Well, I mean…. Merida, what would you like me to call you now?" Elinore asked hesitantly. "You're not exactly….normal right now, right?"
"And what do you think is normal? Is it normal for me to want to be myself? Or is it normal to just give up who I am just to be what you think I should be?" She questioned, slowing down with Angus doing the same as she looked down with a huff.
"Merida…. No, it is normal for you to want to be yourself, but… you're not a normal person, you're a princess, you were always going to have expectations set for you and how you were supposed to live your life. I don't want to make you miserable….look, how about when we fix this we have a long talk about this at the castle?" Suggested Elinor looking away while her daughter huffed.
"Or maybe you just wanna stuff me back in a tight dress like before. What I say never matters, it seems." She grumbled.
"Merida, please, this isn't the time for this, and what you say DOES matter, I swear." Elinor pleaded with a sad expression as her daughter walked ahead of her and the stallion. "I know you're upset, believe me, I used to think the same way, but when I grew up, I realized there are other things in life to consider. I just want you to understand so you're not confused later in life."
"Oh sure, you can say that now, but I have no control over my life! I don't want to marry some random boy and move away from you, dad and the boys! Why is that so hard to understand?!" she growled, snarling at her mother and making Angus back up a little as they stopped, right near the stone arches. "You always make it sound like you know what you're saying, but do you listen to me? Or even bother to let me talk it all out? NO!" She snapped, stamping into the ring of stone arches, blinded by her frustration. "You let me have no control over my fate, and I'm sick of it!"
"Merida wait!" Elinor called, the loud sounds attracting a large shape near the area, making it move towards the spot. "Young lady, you come back here this instant!"
"No! I'm done listening to you!" She shouted as she turned and ran off.
"Merida!" Elinor cried, giving chase. "Please, just stop and listen, we can talk about this!"
Merida however didn't listen, just running ahead of herself and not turning. 'Why, why does every time I try to change my fate it backfires?! With the archery contest mom got mad! With the spell I turned into this! Why is nothing going right?!'
Right as she got deeper into the woods, Elinor heard a loud sound behind her, making her turn and saw her husband reaching her on horseback.
"Elinor!"
"Fergus?! What are you doing here?!"
"To save you! The boys told me you were with a bear so I rushed out to slay it!" He said, beaming with pride as Elinor paled.
"No! You can't!"
"Relax, I'm not too tired. I still have enough in me to get rid of it." He said as he paused by her side and held out a hand for her to get on.
"No, that's not what I mean, Fergus!" She shook her head. "The bear...it's...it's….it's not a normal bear."
"What do you mean? Wait, is it….Mor'du?"
"I wish it was..." Elinor said as she let out a sigh as she prepared herself. "No, it's...Merida."
Fergus' went wide eyed while his men gasped. "M...M,,,Merida? But...how?"
"It's-" she was cut off when they heard a loud roar from the forest, making them all turn. "Oh no, Merida!"
"Onward, let's go!" Fergus called, grabbing Elinor and getting her onto his stead before rushing off. "Elinore, what exactly did you mean the bear was Merida?!"
"Witch! Tart! Merida! Bear!" She listed off frantically, her worry for her daughter making her too frantic to be clear.
"What?!"
"Just ride! Our daughter needs us!"
Fergus snapped the reins, making his horse go faster as they went deeper into the thick woods. They rushed as fast as they could, the sounds of what they assumed was a fight getting louder and louder. When they reached a clearing, they spotted the huge bear Mor'du, and Merida, with said girl slammed into a tree.
"Merida!" Fergus and Elinor cried out in alarm.
"Mom! Dad! Get out of here!" Merida cried out, trying to steal her voice, but hints of fear coming through.
Mor'du roared out, charging over and knocking Merida down to the ground and giving her a scratch on the face, looming over her with a glint in his eye that unnerved her.
"Merida!" Fergus called, rushing forward, a sword drawn. "Get away from my daughter!"
The bear snarled, spotting the man and raised his claw before easily swatting the man aside and moved towards Merida with a huff, the princess trying to move away and looking scared.
'Please, anyone, help!' she thought as the bear came down, pinning her to the ground and snarling, with her transformation also providing a rough translation.
'You. Me. Mate.' He growled as she felt a jolt of fear.
"No! HELP! MOM!"
"Get away from my daughter!" Cried Elinor, charging at the bear on Fergus's horse, making the bear turn before getting a knife thrown at its face. "Run Merida, run!"
"R-Right!" She slipped out from under Mor'du, swinging her claw up to scratch him under the chin which made him rear up on his legs and roar out in pain before she quickly rushed away, Elinor doing the same.
'No! Mine! Get back here!'
"Now men, fire!"
The guards all quickly notched arrows and let them fly, numerous of them landing on Mor'du, making the bear more pissed as it roared at them, wanting blood, a LOT of blood.
"Keep it up, bring the beast down!" Fergus roared, his men continuing to fire.
"Merida! Are you ok?" Asked Elinor, looking her daughter off with worry.
"Y-Yeah, I was running and suddenly he tackled me, b-but that's all he did." She let out, shaken up and feeling sick. "I'm just glad you showed up, but what's dad doing here?"
"Well, apparently the boys saw us leaving, and he came here to rescue me from a bear….I guess he's doing that now." Elinor confessed. "Oh Merida, I'm just glad you're safe."
"Yeah." she smiled at her mother before wide eyed. "Mom! Look out!"
"Huh?" She said as she turned around in confusion. Her eyes widened as she saw Mor'du rushing towards her and Merida. She felt herself freeze up in terror as the huge bear opened its mouth with its teeth aimed right at her. "No no no no, FERGUS!"
"YAAAAAH!" Yelled her husband, running over with his sword at the ready. "GET AWAY FROM MY WIFE!" He roared, slamming into the beast.
Mor'du snarled, only to yell out when Fergus managed to stab his blade into the beast's side. The beast roared out in pain, starting to comprehend it's situation as more arrows pierced its side. It tried to swipe at Fergus in an attempt to push him away, but it's movement felt sluggish.
"It's almost down!" Cried one of the soldiers as Mor'du roared out, trying to force himself away from the group.
"Oh no you don't!" Merida roared out, getting on her own hind legs and ran after the bear, swinging her claws and cutting into the sides.
"Merida, no, get back here!" Elinor cried out, fearing for her daughter's life.
"He's not getting away! I'm putting an end to this!" She roared, tearing into the injured bear.
Mor'du roared louder, moving to swing, but Merida ducked, leading to several more arrows hitting him right in the face and snout. The monster roared in anger as pain, shaking his head as he tried once more to flee, only to take one more blow from Merida that sent it to the ground, where it didn't get up from.
"And stay down!" Merida cried out, panting in relief before falling to her knees, her adrenaline draining away.
"Merida!"
"I'm….ok….mom…." She panted, leaning back in exhaustion.
"...Merida?" Fergus asked quietly in disbelief, now finally processing what he was seeing.
"Uh...hey dad." she greeted back with an embarrassed smile.
"How….how did this happen?" He asked, gesturing to all of her.
"Witch." she and Elinor said at once.
"Witch?!"
"It's complicated dad." Merida groaned. "I just wish I could find her hut again."
"It's why we came out here, until...this happened." Elinor said, glancing at the giant bear's corpse.
"Well…. Does it look like that hut?" He asked, pointing ahead of them, making them turn as Merida stood up.
"That's it!" She said, rushing towards the hut. "Witch! Please, fix this, fix it now!" She banged against the door with her whole body while letting out snarls. "Open up!"
"Merida, calm down, no one will help you if you force them!" Elinor chided.
"Open up witch!" Yelled Fergus running over before kicking the door open with his foot.
"Fergus!" Elinor groaned as he and Merida rushed in… only to find the cottage empty except for a single cauldron and one potion next to it.
"Where is she?" growled Fergus as Merida walked over to the cauldron, sniffing around the place. Once she got next to the cauldron it flared to life, with the smoke forming the picture of the witch.
"Hello, I'm sorry, but I'm gone right now, after selling all my wares I decided to take an extended vacation. If you were that redheaded girl, please pour the green vial next to the cauldron in."
Merida looked at the potion and tried to pick it up, albeit with some difficulty, but she managed to carefully pour it in. She waited eagerly as Fegus and Elinor approached the cauldron as the smoke changed color.
"Hello deary, if you came back, it means you discovered what happens when you say the wrong thing to the wrong witch." The smoke remarked with a smirk. "Coming into my home and demanding that I change your fate, and then disrespect my wood carvings? Well I'd say you got what you paid for." The smoke cackled. "Be grateful my spell wasn't for a full bear, but I think I got the message across. I hope you or whoever ate the cake enjoys their change, because it's not going away anytime soon~"
"What?!" She and her parents let out together with her father looking livid.
"I hope you have fun, and before you complain I did as promised and I certainly changed your fate, no refunds~" She sang before the smoke dispersed, making Merida let out a roar of fury before knocking the cauldron over.
"NO! No no no, how could she do this to me?!" She roared out in frustration.
"I'm going to hunt that witch down and string her up by her ankles!" Fumed Fergus.
"I know you will dear, but…. What do we do now?" Elinor asked, looking at Merida with worry.
Said daughter dropped on her side, tired, and starting to cry tears while letting out sad growls.
"Merida….shhh, shhh, it'll be ok, we're here for you." Elinor moved over and rubbed her daughter's back, while Fergus dropped his sword and moved over on the other side.
"Merida, I...I'm so sorry. I...I almost...my own daughter…." He muttered, feeling disgusted with what he had almost done.
"But you didn't Fergus, and you didn't know, how could you have?" Elinor siad, trying to comfort him along with Merida. "It'll be ok, we'll find a way to make this work Merida, I promise."
"It's all my fault….I'm the one who went to her, and now look what happened? I should have just accepted my fate from the beginning…" Merida sobbed. "What do I do now, I can't shoot my bow, I can't ride Angus, I… I should have just accepted my fate."
Elinor looked at her daughter's face, closing her eyes before shaking her head. "No, it's my fault. If I had just listened more and actually let you go your own way, instead of following in what I did, you wouldn't have been so angry with me. I really did mean well, but if I had talked to you more and kept an open mind, you wouldn't have to accept this fate." Elinor confessed. "Merida…. You don't have to get married. I know after all this it's...well, a consolation prize, but I promise, from now on we won't force you to do anything like that again."
Merida whimpered, but slowly relaxed from the rubbing. "I'm so sorry mom. I'm so sorry."
"Shhh, shhh, it's ok… it'll be ok."
(Later)
Merida sighed, trying to get comfy in her bed as best as possible. 'At least I can't get cold anymore.' she thought, wiggling around in the bed.
"Are you sure you want to sleep by yourself Merida?" Elinor called from the door.
"Yeah mom, I'm fine, I can manage sleeping on my own." she called back.
"Well if you need anything, go ahead and call."
"I will mom, thanks." Merida called with a sigh. 'I guess this is my life now… I guess it could be worse, at least things are better now with mom and dad.'