(a/n: i hope you enjoy reading this. this is a one shot. but i might make more, i may even make it a multicrossover later on. But i need reviews to do that. Well anyway, for now this will be only a one shot. want more? than review!)

Forever After

Merida trudged down the well-traveled dirt path that cut through the thick forest.

Sunlight spilled through the thick canopy of tangled branches, faintly illuminating the forest path ahead of her.

The path twisted and turned then it eventually led up a very tall and very steep hill. The young princess sighed in relief. Maybe if she climbed the hill, it could give her a better view of the forest, which could give her a clue as to where she was at the moment.

Merida climbed the steep hill carefully trying not to slip on the wet, dew-covered grass.

Once she reached the top, Merida turned and surveyed her surroundings. All she could see around her was endless green with snowcapped mountains that dotted the horizon. Merida sighed and plopped down on a nearby log to rest for a few moments.

The chilly evening air made her shiver a little.

Much earlier that morning, the firstborn sons of the Lords Dingwall, MacGuffin, and Macintosh competed for Merida's hand in marriage.

Of course the idea of an arranged marriage didn't sit well with her. It was unfair; she didn't even like any of them. Even though she promised her mother that she would obey, she wasn't going to sit around and let her future be decided for her. So, in the middle of the archery contest she announced she was eligible to compete for her own hand as the first-born of Clan DunBroch and she successfully defeated each of her suitors in the contest.

But everything didn't go as she had hoped. Her mother, Queen Elinor, berated her in private.

She told Merida that she had embarrassed the Lords and she should apologize to each of them. But Merida refused and she had said some harsh things to her mother.

Tensions rose between the two and harsh words were exchanged. Thinking back on it now, Merida felt a pang of remorse for some of the remarks she made.

In a fit of rage, Merida slashed the family tapestry. Merida could still remember her mother's face. Her mother had a look of anger and shock.

So, in retaliation, Queen Elinor threw her daughter's bow into the fire that crackled away in the fireplace.

Merida yelled at her mother one last time and as her bow burned on the fire, she ran away while trying not to show any tears. Merida rode away from home and into the forest as fast as she could on Angus, her horse.

The horse carried her deeper and deeper into the woods, a little further than she would've liked, but she didn't care.

After what seemed like forever, Angus came to a skidding halt. Angus whinnied and he thrashed about. Before Merida could react, Angus threw her off his back and she hit her head when she hit the ground.

When Merida regained consciousness, she found herself sitting alone in the cool, silent woods.

She was disoriented and lost. Merida called for Angus but was met with silence.

Eventually Merida decided to walk home. She began to follow the path back to where she thought was home but she came to a high stone cliff. Merida tried to climb it but the wall was too smooth and didn't have any footholds or anything.

Merida returned to the path and she decided to go the opposite direction. Which brings her to the hill. Merida glanced up at the sky and saw that it was no long a deep shade of blue. It was slowly turning pink and the sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon.

It was getting dark soon and once its dark; it'll be a lot colder and a lot harder to find the way home.

Merida sighed and buried her face in her hands mumbling "It's hopeless".

Just as all seemed lost, she spotted something in the corner of her eye. Merida got up and she turned around and saw floating several feet away from her was a wisp.

She slowly approached it and she saw a small trail of wisps leading down the other side of the hill and into the woods.

Merida took off running, following the trail of wisps. Maybe the wisps could help her find the way home.

She sprinted through some thick bushes and darted through some trees till she came to a stop in front of a log that was easily bigger than her.

The trail ended there.

Merida frowned in confusion and tried to figure out why the wisps had led her there. When suddenly, she heard a voice call from beneath the log

"Help, help!" cried the voice.

Merida went to the log and called out "Hold on!"

"Hurry!" cried the voice "-Can't breathe!".

Merida, using all her strength, pushed the log forward a few feet away from her.

As the log slowly rolled away, a pair of feet came into view, followed by a torso and then finally a head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that it was a man, dressed in strange clothes. The man scrambled out from under the log.

Merida stopped pushing the log and she said in between breathes "You…alright?"

"Yes, thanks to you" said the man.

Merida took a better look at the man she saved. He was very short, probably as short as a young child. He wore a red shirt, a brown vest, dark green puffy pants, and strange curly toed shoes on his feet. The man had a wide face, green eyes, short red hair and pointed ears.

Merida blinked in shock and stared at the man's pointy ears.

The man brushed himself off and he smiled at Merida "Thank you for helping me"

"W-who are you?" asked Merida, she paused for a moment then asked "W-what are you?"

The man bowed a little "Rumpelstiltskin, at your service". Rumpelstiltskin rose from his bow "And I am a dwarf, since you asked so nicely".

Merida's eyes were wide. A dwarf? She didn't think dwarfs actually existed. She heard about dwarfs in stories that her mother told her but she didn't really believe her.

Rumpelstiltskin's smile widened a little "And who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm Merida" said Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded in approval "Merida? Nice name"

"Thank you" said Merida, smiling a little. Rumpelstiltskin frowned a little "So, Merida, what brings you this far out into the woods?"

"I'm lost" said Merida. She went on to explain how Angus threw her off his back and she ended up wandering around for most of the day.

Rumpelstiltskin frowned and nodded "Hmm, that's rough" "Now I cannot find my way home" mumbled Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin stroked his chin for a moment then his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "I got an idea! How about I help you?"

Merida raised an eyebrow "How?"

"My carriage is just a few yards that way" said Rumpelstiltskin, pointing off at another direction "I could give you a ride home".

Merida frowned and said politely "I really shouldn't, I don't want to impose"

"It's no problem, I insist" said Rumpelstiltskin, holding up his hands "After all, you helped me, allow me to return the favor".

Merida considered Rumpelstiltskin offer for a moment. She was lost and had no idea where home is. She also didn't know Rumpelstiltskin that well. For all she knew, Rumpel might be trying to trick her. But the wisps led her to him.

Eventually Merida sighed and said "Alright"

Rumpelstiltskin smiled and he said, "Alright, lets go!" he turned and he led Merida through the woods towards his carriage.

After walking for several minutes through dense forest, Merida and Rumpelstiltskin emerged from the woods and stepped out onto a dirt road.

Merida froze in place at what she saw.

The carriage looked like an ornate goose egg with wheels. It had an elaborate door and a golden R on top of the carriage.

What caught Merida's eye, however, was that the carriage was harnessed to a large goose instead of a team of horses.

Rumpelstiltskin and Merida approached the carriage. Rumpel opened the door and he climbed in sighing "Home sweet home".

Merida looked around at the interior and saw that it was quite roomy. It had a table, some shelves, cupboards a tiny fireplace and some chairs.

Merida climbed into the carriage and sat down at the table. She glanced around and saw some pictures of geese hanging on the walls.

Rumpelstiltskin popped his head outside of the door and barked at the goose "Fifi, go!" the goose honked, the carriage lurched forward and it took off.

Rumpelstiltskin closed the door and he turned to Merida "So, where do you live?" "DunBroch" answered Merida.

Rupelstiltskin smiled "Oh, really? That's a nice place, I was there once before, years ago. I planned to visit again but I haven't gotten around to it".

Rumpelstiltskin went to one of the cupboards and rummaged around it. As he rummaged around the cupboards, Merida spoke "So…this is your home?"

"Yes, has been for years" said Rumpelstiltskin, his head partially inside the cupboard "Been living on the road for a while, going town to town doing business"

Merida's eyebrow rose "What business?"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't answer. Instead he exclaimed "Ah! Here you are!" he pulled out a black pot and he placed it on the table.

Merida asked, "What's that for?"

"For cooking dinner" said Rumpelstiltskin, as if he were talking to a child. Rumpelstiltskin sighed "It's been a very long time since I had a guest, so I want to make some dinner for my first guest in years"

Merida smiled a little "Thank you" Rumpelstiltskin shrugged "It's nothing really".

Rumpelstiltskin hung the pot in the small fireplace and he lit a fire beneath the pot. He quickly poured some water into the pot and he started chopping up some vegetables and meat.

He tossed the chopped ingredients into the pot and he went to the cupboard and he pulled out some herbs and spices.

As he began to season the ingredients in the pot, he glanced over his shoulder to Merida "So, Merida…tell me a bit about yourself, what made you go this far into the woods, alone and before night?"

Merida tore her gaze away from the window where she watched the sky slowly turn dark.

She looked to Rumpelstiltskin then slowly recounted the events that had transpired before she ran away from home. Rumpelstiltskin finished seasoning during the story, so he sat down at the table and listened.

When she finished, Merida sighed, "I just don't know what to do".

Rumpelstiltskin had a frown on his face, he drummed his fingers on the table "That's rough kid, but still your lucky"

"Lucky?" said Merida in disbelief "I'm about to be married to someone I don't even know and i don't want to be married, not yet at least"

"Yeah but you're a princess" said Rumpelstiltskin "You have a family, a castle. Your royalty so no responsibilities, just smooth sailing"

Merida snorted "No responsibilities, I have a lot of responsibilities. For starters, I have to marry one of those boys"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Oh right".

Merida put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands "I wish there was some way I could get out of this. I wish I wasn't a princess".

Rumpelstiltskin nodded but suddenly his eyes widened "Wait a minute, I think I can help you"

"You can?" asked Merida, giving Rumpelstiltskin a doubtful look.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Uh huh, what you need is a magical transaction!"

Merida blinked and she gave him a confused look "A what?"

"A magical transaction" said Rumpelstiltskin, he stood up and explained "Its simple, all you have to do is read the fine print of a magical contract and if the terms of the contract meet your requirements, you sign it and all your problems go away".

Merida heart began to beat faster and she felt a ray of hope. If Rumpelstitskin was right, then all she needed was one of those magical contracts. She could get out of marrying and she could probably fix everything that had happened between her and her mother.

Merida leaned forward and asked Rumpelstiltskin "Where do I find a magical contract?"

"Oh don't worry about that" said Rumpelstiltskin, he adjusted his sleeves and said "Magical Transactions are my specialty, I make these sort of deals all the time"

"can you make my problems disappear?" asked Merida.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded hesitantly "Well…yes but-"

"Please Rumpelstiltskin" begged Merida "Please help me!"

Rumpelstiltskin sighed, "Ok, ok, I'll help you"

Merida squealed "Thank you!"

Rumpelstiltskin hopped off his chair and he went over to one of his shelves. His hand hovered around the shelves and he muttered "King for a month…Knight for a week…Golden touch…Real boy…Ah!" he plucked a roll of parchment from a top shelf and he went back to the table.

Rumpelstiltskin unfurled the parchment and smoothed it out on the table's surface "the Wonderful Life bargain" said Rumpelstiltskin, he chuckled a little "Haven't used one of these in a long time".

Merida saw written on the parchment were the words 'Wonderful Life Bargain' in large, elegant letters. Beneath the title of the deal were paragraphs of words containing terms and conditions, clauses and sub-clauses.

Merida's eyes skimmed the contract. From what she saw on the contract, it said that if she signed the contract, she would be free of any and all obligations of previous engagements and will be given a clean slate.

As she read the contract, Rumpelstiltskin handed her a bowl of hot stew. Slowly minutes passed and Merida slowly downed her bowl of stew as she read. Finally, Merida finished reading the contract. It sounded fair and plausible.

Merida thanked Rumpelstiltskin for the delicious stew and asked, "What is the price for this deal?"

"Oh nothing big, just a day" answered Rumpelstiltskin.

Merida frowned "A day?"

"Magical Contracts are incredibly powerful, to make the magic work, you need to give a day in your life " explained Rumpelstiltskin.

Merida just waved a hand "Take any day you want, I don't care"

"Ok" said Rumpel, shrugging "Done"

Merida nodded "ok, now what do I do?"

Rumpelstiltskin went to one of his cupboards and withdrew a white feathered quill and a white inkbottle. He placed the two on the table beside the contract.

Rumpelstiltskin dipped the quill in the bottle of ink and a small puff of gold colored smoke emerged from the bottle.

He withdrew the quill and handed it to Merida "Just sign your name on the line" explained Rumpelstiltskin, he pointed to a long line at the very bottom of the contract.

Merida's moved the quill to the bottom of the contract and slowly began to write her name.

The interior of the carriage became noticeably quite. Merida could hear the quill scratching against the parchment. The wind outside began to howl and Rumpelstiltskin seemed very tense, muttering something under his breath.

When she finished signing, the wind stopped and Rumpelstiltskin relaxed and he smiled.

Merida sighed and handed Rumpelstiltskin the quill and inkbottle.

Merida yawned and asked "Ok, now what?"

"Have a nice day" said Rumpelstiltskin, he grinned broadly and he giggled.

Merida frowned in confusion when suddenly the entire carriage rattled. Rumpelstiltskin vanished in a puff of gold smoke and the carriage disintegrated around her and she was swept up by black and gold smoke. The black and gold smoke carried her higher and higher till finally she began hurtling back to earth.

Merida let out a terrified scream and everything went black.

To be continued?

(a/n: well, what do you think? Review and all that)