Authors Note: Welcome to this chapter! This is going to take a little turn from our usual story and give a new perspective: Fergus! I have some family bonding with Merida and one of her new brothers (setting up for her birthday chapter coming up) and some Merida/Ian goodness. I'm going to try to squeeze in a little with them each chapter if I can.

Also to the person leaving reviews to update another fic I have. I'm sorry but I have no plans to update right now. I can't find my original notes for that story. As always a big special thank you to MaidenoftheSummer on reddit for reading and giving me advice on the chapter.

Culture note: Là Fhèill Brìghde also called Imbolc is a Gaelic traditional festival that is celebrated on the first of February. Historically, its traditions were widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Imbolc is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with: Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain. All of these festivals will be sprinkled through several chapters will be mentioned going forward to show time passing.

- Clan MacGuffin -

Là Fhèill Brìghde celebrations were coming to an end as February started. The parades and festivities finally died down and the following Monday was back to work. Or in Merida's case just spending time with her husband and family.

"Can I ask you something for a favor?" asked Ewan that afternoon, biting his lip.

"Go ahead," said Merida, not looking up from her paperwork. Somehow she was getting seven dozen eggs for the next two weeks. Something about that did not sound right as she felt Ewan shift and pull up the seat next to her. The eggs, she thought, wondering how to even use 7 dozen before they went bad. Then decided on double the eggs for breakfast before deciding what to do about the hog they were given as a tax payment.

"I saw you teach Una how to shoot. Could you show me how to do that? Dad's busy and Ian is usually with him. I know the basics but how'd you shoot that apple so high?"

"Well that just takes practice but maybe I could show you a few things," said Merida looking at the accounts and did the sum in her head twice to make sure it was right. "Alright let's go."

"Right now?"

"No time like the present, besides I could get some exercise in."

Merida closed the ledger with a satisfied thump, grateful for a reason to step away from the endless calculations and lists.

She stood up and stretched her back, feeling the weight of her growing belly shift slightly. "We'll grab a snack on the way out, and then we'll see about that apple trick."

Ewan grinned, his excitement barely contained as he followed her through the corridors. They made their way to the kitchen, where Merida picked up a few apples from a basket. She handed one to Ewan, who took it eagerly.

As they walked out into the crisp February air, they made their way to the edge of the woods. Ewan was already a good archer, so she was just going to help sharpen his skills.

Ewan glanced at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "So how do you hit those high targets? The ones that are out of reach?"

"That," Merida said with a grin, "is all about timing and a bit of flair." She walked over to a nearby tree and picked out a branch that was hanging overhead. "See that branch up there? I'll show you how it's done."

She took a moment to steady herself, feeling the familiar weight of the bow in her hands. Her belly made it a bit more challenging to find her usual stance, but she adjusted, compensating for the change in her center of gravity. She aimed at the branch, not directly at it but at the spot where she knew the arrow would arc upward, and released.

The arrow flew high, curving gracefully through the air before striking the branch dead center. It quivered for a moment before lodging itself in the wood.

Ewan's eyes widened in admiration. "Wow! How do you get the angle just right?"

"It's all about practice," Merida said, grinning at his look of amazement. "You have to know your bow and trust it. It's like when you're in the middle of a fight and you know where to strike. It's instinctive, but you've got to train those instincts."

As they continued practicing, the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm, golden light over the woods. The air was crisp, but Merida felt invigorated by the exercise and the company. Ewan was a quick learner, and with each shot, he grew more confident and precise.

After a while, they sat down on a fallen log, taking a break. Merida handed Ewan another apple, and they ate in comfortable silence for a moment.

"Thanks for this, Merida," Ewan said, his voice sincere. "I know you're busy, especially with the baby coming, but it means a lot that you'd take the time to help me."

Merida smiled, touched by his gratitude. "You're family, Ewan; and family looks out for each other. Besides, it's good for me to keep my skills sharp too. Can't let you young ones show me up."

Ewan grinned confidently, tossing his head back. "I'll keep that in mind. But don't worry, I'll give you a run for your money one of these days." His expression changed as he nodded toward her bump. "You know, I'm really excited about the baby. I can't wait to be an uncle. All of us are excited."

Merida's hand instinctively went to her belly, a soft smile playing on her lips. "I'm excited too. It's a lot to prepare for, but I think we're ready. Speaking of being ready, how does dinner sound? I gotta stop and make sure everything is prepared ok. Did you want to take a peek?"

It was hard to be mischievous when it came to sneaking food, she had the key to everything and sneaking it wasn't fun anymore. However, she could easily help her new brothers if they wanted anything.

"You didn't have to ask, I'll always go and look for the food."

They made their way to the kitchen, the soft clinking of dishes and the fragrant aroma of a meal in progress guiding them. Ewan peered over her shoulder as she opened the door to reveal a spread of vibrant dishes—freshly baked bread, a hearty stew simmering on the stove, and an array of colorful vegetables arranged with care.

Merida grinned as she noticed Ewan's eyes widening at the sight. "See something you like?"

As they moved around the kitchen, Merida turned to talk to one of the cooks and gave Ewan a wink to go for what he wanted as she distracted the cooks from the table. Ewan going straight for the dessert table. She saw Ian coming toward her as she was wrapping up her conversation, his cheeks slightly flushed from the warmth of the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, then giving Ewan a sign to go before he was caught.

Ian didn't seem to notice before pulling her in for a kiss. She eagerly kissed back and noticed Ewan made it out the door without being caught. Satisfied that her sneaking skills were still up to par she focused on Ian.

"I missed you," he said, his hands going to her growing belly. She was six months along and her baby bump cooed at by the staff and visiting clan leaders. It was starting to get annoying. "And this little person."

"Little person? You mean the one who's kicking like a baby bear?" Merida chuckled, placing her hand over his. "Come on, let's go and get dinner."

They looped arms as she avoided stepping on her green skirt and turned their conversation to something baby-lite. He kissed her cheek as she turned to smile at him.

"What was that for?"

"Nothing," he said. "I just wanted to kiss you because I can."

Merida felt her cheeks warm at his playful response. She liked seeing this side of him that nobody besides the family got to see often. At first she thought he was just shy and hard to understand. Now Doric came naturally and he was more outgoing and sweet on her.

"Well, I'm glad you can. I wouldn't mind a few more of those kisses throughout the day," she said with a teasing grin.

"Consider it done," Ian replied, his eyes sparkling with mischief. They strolled through the hallway, the gentle sound of laughter and clinking dishes fading behind them.

As they reached a small alcove filled with sunlight, Ian suddenly stopped and turned to face her, his expression shifting from playful to sincere. "You know, I love these little moments with you. Just us, no distractions."

Merida's heart fluttered at the softness in his voice. "I do too. It's nice to take a break from everything and just... be together."

"Exactly." He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her gently against him. "Let's make a moment of our own."

He kissed her again as she smiled into the kiss. Her hair tickled his cheeks as she pulled him in tighter. She was going to savor these moments with him as long as she could.

- Meanwhile at Clan DunBroch -

The sun had barely begun its descent when Fergus found himself standing alone in Merida's old bedchamber, the room still had some echoes of memories from his daughter's childhood. The walls, once adorned with tapestries, seemed almost to come alive with the laughter and shouts that had once filled this space. Now those tapestries and things were shipped off to Castle MacGuffin. Now there was only silence. This room was ready to be turned into a guest room or for when Merida would visit with her new family.

The castle felt quieter these days, more so than he ever remembered. His daughter had always been the one to fill these halls with energy—whether it was the sound of her laughter, the echo of her footsteps as she dashed down the corridors, or the sharp twang of her bowstring as she practiced her archery in the courtyard.

In his hand was the letter. Not her most recent, but the pregnancy announcement letter. He was expecting it to come eventually but not so soon.

She had moved to MacGuffin Castle, married to one young Ian MacGuffin. It was a union Fergus had accepted, even supported, understanding the necessity of alliances and other stuff he should know. But the other piece of news had arrived, one that stirred a mix of emotions in his heart—Merida was expecting her first child.

"Fergus is everything ok?" asked Elinor, her voice soft and melodic as she saw him staring at Merida's letter.

At first glance it looked like her most recent one. She just told them about her pulling together the Là Fhèill Brìghde and Yule celebrations by herself. Which honestly really impressed her. She knew Merida was capable of pulling together an event like those and was pleased it went well. As she peered closer it looked older and well worn.

"Just lost in a thought m'dear," said Fergus as she stared at him.

"Can I ask what the thought is?" asked Elinor curiously, her husband was not a man to get lost in thought often.

"You're not going to like it," he said as she paused.

"I don't know if I would or not if you don't tell me."

Fergus sighed and avoided her eye before he told her exactly what was on his mind.

"I want Merida to come back home with us," said Fergus flatly. "I miss her. The boys miss her, your mum misses her, and you miss her. I feel a little strange about her having a baby and-"

"Fergus."

"Do you think she liked it, making the baby?" asked Fergus, flushed at such a topic then his eyes flashed, "Do you think he liked putting that baby in her?"

"Fergus."

"I know I'm being unreasonable," he said. "She loves it there and it'd be impossible for her to come home now."

"Fergus, stop," said Elinor, reaching for his hands. "It's natural for you to miss her, I do every day. The day I found Ian in her room after the games, I questioned my decision about the marriage as well."

"He was in her bedroom before she was married?" asked Fergus with a huff, annoyed at how aware that would look to an outsider.

"That is not the point. We all miss her and wish she was here but we're seeing her soon and when she can travel, she can come here."

"I know, I know. I just don't like that our wee lass is all grown up now… and about to be a mother herself. I still remember holding her when she was born."

Elinor gave him a knowing look, her eyes softening with understanding. "It's natural to feel this way, Fergus. But ye know Merida is strong. She's happy, and she's found a good man who loves her."

"Aye, I know that," Fergus replied, his voice gruff, "But she's not here, Elinor. She's away at MacGuffin Castle, starting' a life that… that doesn't need me anymore."

Elinor's expression softened even further, and she reached up to cup his cheek. "Fergus, she'll always need you. She's your daughter, and no matter where she is, she'll always carry a part of you with her."

Fergus closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into his wife's touch. "I know that, too, but… it's different, Elinor. I spent so long fightin' to protect her, teach her, guide her, and now… now she's gone. I thought I'd be ready for it, but I'm not."

Elinor sighed softly, wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace.

"We can not hold onto our children forever. Fergus you may not get along with my mother but she did praise us for doing a good job with her. If we kept her too long it means we didn't do our jobs to raise her, teach her, and build a life of her own. Merida's doing just that. And she's doing it well."

As much as she didn't like it, her mother was right and holding her back wasn't helping her in the long run.

Fergus nodded, though his heart still felt heavy. "I just… I wanted to be there for her. To see her face when she feels the baby kick for the first time, to be the one she comes to when she's worried or scared. But now, that'll be someone else. It'll be Ian."

"He is her husband," Elinor said softly. "It's his place now. And you know, if she ever needs her father, she'll come running - she is just as stubborn as you, you know."

Fergus let out a chuckle as Elinor pulled back slightly, looking up at him with a tender smile. "She's still our wee lass, Fergus. And you're still her dad. That's never going to change."

Fergus finally allowed himself to smile, though it was bittersweet. "You're right, Elinor. As always." He kissed her forehead, finding some comfort in her presence. "I just don't get why she didn't even get a chance to court him, she didn't get a year like we did and I don't even know why."

Elinor was quiet as she took his hand and bit her bottom lip. She had been keeping that conversation she had with her mother and Merida from him. Fergus would have acted rashly and they would have been at war rather than Merida safe and with child in clan MacGuffin.

Elinor tightened her grip on Fergus's hand, feeling the weight of the secret she had kept for so long. She had hoped the matter would never need to be discussed, that time would smooth over the past, but now it seemed inevitable. Fergus, with his heart aching for his daughter, deserved to know the truth.

"Fergus," Elinor began cautiously, her voice barely above a whisper, "there's something I've never told you about Merida's marriage."

"What? Did he threaten her?" asked Fergus turning to her, heat and anger coursing through him. If he learned that she was married through less than honorable means...

"Well not exactly like that," said Elinor wincing. "Merida wanted to switch her suitor from Logan Dingwall to Ian in an attempt to end the marriage arrangements to get them to back out. My mother-"

"Your mother," he said, getting a thunderous look on his face. Honestly Moira just sometimes gave him a headache.

"My mother told Merida that she couldn't get out of the marriage arrangements. That she embarrassed the lords and implied that we had no control over her. That the foundations that we built with them cracked and they might never trust her as a queen. That she could start a war only to get abducted or killed herself. She's not wrong Fergus, Merida did all those things that could have made things worse. My mother is a lot of things Fergus, but honesty is what she does best. Merida tried to fight to keep her freedom and in a way both got her freedom and lost it at the same time. She got to choose her suitor after all-"

"But she didn't get the freedom she wanted," argued Fergus. "I know you love your mum but she shouldn't have gotten involved. We could have figured this out, we could have helped her. Elinor, are there any other details I don't know about?"

She looked at the stone walls and sighed debating on how to tell him this. Fergus looked impatient as he tapped his foot.

"Well, alright fine. I confronted Kevin, Aidan, and Brian alone about the marriage. I didn't reach them like I was hoping; Aidan saw Merida and Ian go off alone together. I was accused of asking for a war and they were looking for a war."

Fergus felt a surge of anger rise within him, his blood boiling at the thought of those lords pushing her into a corner. He had always known that the politics of the clans could be brutal, but to hear that all three had accused Elinor of provoking a war made his hands clenched into fists. His heart pounded in his chest as the realization set in—his daughter was just a pawn on a chessboard to them.

"Those bloody lords," Fergus growled, his voice low and dangerous. "They were looking for an excuse, weren't they? And they dragged Merida into the middle of it. If I had known—if I had even suspected this—I'd have taken my sword and—"

"Fergus, no," Elinor interrupted, her voice firm but soothing. She placed a hand on his chest, willing him to calm down. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you. That's exactly what they wanted. If you had confronted them, it would have played right into their hands. And where would that have left Merida?"

Fergus's anger simmered, but he couldn't let it go entirely. "I should have been there, Elinor. I should have protected you. Why did you go and do that?"

"Because I had to act as the queen and as her mother. Don't be angry, I've already felt like I've punished myself."

"Oh love," said Fergus, pulling her into a hug. "I know you did what you had to do, I just wish the outcome was different. Now I know why they didn't have a year like we did."

Elinor held Fergus tightly, her heart aching at the weight of the shared pain. The room around them seemed to echo with the complexity of their emotions, each creak and whisper in the castle a reminder of the passage of time and the choices made.

"Fergus," Elinor said softly, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. "I understand how difficult this is for you. It was never easy for me either."

His gaze returned to the room around him. The silence of the bedchamber, once filled with the vibrancy of Merida's childhood, now seemed to echo his thoughts.

Fergus sighed deeply, glancing at the letter again. "I suppose I'm just having a hard time letting go. I'm proud of Merida—she's always been strong and capable. It's just difficult to see her so far away and not be able to be as involved in her life as we once were."

Elinor reached for his hand once more, her touch reassuring. "We'll see her soon. We'll have the chance to hold her close, to see the changes in her life, and to meet our grandchild. And we'll be there to support her in every way we can."

But later that night, as Fergus sat alone by the fire in the great hall, his thoughts returned to Merida. With a heavy sigh, Fergus leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on the fire.

"You'll always be my wee lass, Merida," he whispered to the flames. "No matter where you go, or how much time passes… you'll always have your dad here, thinking of you."

The fire crackled in response, as if offering some silent understanding. And though the ache in his heart remained, Fergus knew he had to accept this new reality. Merida was beginning a new chapter in her life, and so, too, must he.