Mum I-"

"Don't!" Elinor snarled. "Don't you even dare to try and explain this one!"

Merida swallowed. She was fully aware of what was going through her mother's head and cursed herself for how badly she had managed to messed up this time. One glance at the look on the Queen's face and there was nothing but dust where those boys were standing. She wondered for a second if her father had gone after them and immediately paled. If he hurt them, then it would be her fault.

Taking a deep breath, she held herself up straight and looked her mother in the eyes. "I was showing them my bow. That was all. I was showing them my bow and we were talking about what will happen tomorrow."

Her mother advanced on her and she sighed because she just knew that her mother wouldn't believe her. "If you think for a second I believe that rubbish then you have another thing coming to you."

"Well it's a good thing-"

"Have you no sense of decency?" Elinor roared so loudly Merida flinched and took a large step back. "I know I raised you better than this lass and I swear I'll see those men beaten within an inch of their lives, war be damned!"

Elinor looked about ready to strike her if poked with a sharp enough stick, and although Merida knew deep down that her mother was only angry and most likely would not follow through with her threat, Merida's insides boiled at the thought of harm coming to what she decided in that very moment were her boys and before she could stop it a scream ripped from her throat.

"Don't you dare!" She pointed a finger at her mother. "Don't you ever say something like that! I don't care what you think of me anymore but don't you hurt them!"

"Merida!"

"I'm putting up with this mess silently aren't I? I'm not complaining am I?" She restrained herself from stamping her foot. "And I have news for you! They don't want this anymore than I do! Every one of us is doing it because those stupid men can't go more than five minutes before somebody starts throwing rocks!"

"That is enough!" Elinor snarled. "I have half a mind to give you a good whipping if you don't stop this nonsense!"

"Of course! That's what it comes down to right?" Merida said angrily. "Well you know what? We didn't do anything wrong! They did not do anything wrong. In fact, the only wrong thing we've done is go along with this silently!"

"Merida, you listen here-"

"No!" Merida shouted. This was it. No turning back. She grabbed one of the swords that were hanging over the fireplace. "I've listened. Now you listen. I've tried so hard! You think I haven't don't you? Well truth be told I just gave up because I accepted that I will never reach your precious perfection!"

She wanted to stop there, but knew if she didn't get it all out she would never get another chance. Somehow, she had her mother's full attention. "Face it Mother, I'm not a Lady! I am not some dainty little thing! I am none of the things that you think a Princess should be and my God I tried so hard but nothing has ever been good enough for you! This!" She swung her sword expertly to emphasize her point. "This is what I'm good at! This is who I am and I just need you to accept that I will never be the Lady you wanted." She was all but begging.

"Oh you are acting like a child!" Elinor snorted, crossing her arms.

Oh that was it. It was Merida's turn to snarl. "Well you know what? I can see why Fergus got the title the Bear King! God knows he married one!"

"Merida!"

"And you know what else? The only mistake I've ever made is packing my bow away like some sort of child's toy! So you can take all your harps, and sewing needles, and stupid little dresses," She turned her eyes on the horrid turquoise dress hanging on it's hook. "And take it all straight to hell!"

"Merida no!"

The sword sliced cleanly down the middle of the dress, the pieces hanging there limply. Breathing heavily, she glared defiantly at her mother, ready for the worst beating she would probably ever receive, but that would be okay, because she felt strangely content now that she had said her piece. In fact, she felt like she could handle anything.

She had never been more wrong.

Elinor's face contorted into such a look of anger that Merida actually took a quick step back as she advanced, bracing herself for a slap. But Elinor hadn't come for her; and how stupid is was of her to leave her beloved Matilda lying on her bed.

"You are a Princess," Elinor said furiously. "I expect you to act like one."

Merida shrieked and lunged for her bow, but it was no use, and suddenly she was watching the wood crackle and burn in the fire.

Elinor turned back with a cold expression, but it faltered when she saw the look on her daughter's face.

It felt like something was choking her. Merida stared at the fireplace for several seconds, unable to breath. Then slowly, she turned to her Mother who didn't look nearly as sure of herself now. She just gave her a blank and empty look, and then, not thinking, not seeing, she fled the room faster than she ever would have thought herself capable of.

Through the hall, down some stairs, through the courtyard, barely noticing the three boys shouting her name in what sounded like concern as she escaped out to the stables; this time, without even bothering with the saddle, swung herself onto Angus who snorted in alarm, and gave him a gentle but firm kick in the side and within seconds they were across the bridge and into the woods.

She didn't cry, though she felt like she should be. After all, not only was one of her most precious possessions a crumbling piece of charcoal by now, but her mother had just made it very clear that she would never be good enough. Considering all the years that she had worked for her mother's approval, this should have broken her.

Her head was also starting to hurt, and the speed at which they were traveling was making her dizzy. She buried her face in Angus's mane, uncaring of where they were going. She also could have sworn she heard something moving behind her but the wind in her ears made it impossible to be sure. Nothing to worry about anyways. Angus would have been panicking if there was something dangerous.

Which was exactly what he started to do moments later. A panicked whinny got her to look up as he suddenly veered off into thick brush. Branches whipped and smacked Merida in the head, forcing her to nearly flatten herself against her horse's back.

"Angus, calm down!" She tried to soothe him, but if anything he seemed to increase his speed. The main roads and trails long forgotten, he weaved through the trees effortlessly. Merida's hand rubbing his neck did little to calm him down. From what Merida could determine by the direction they were going in (which she wouldn't have held her breath on anyways) they were heading deep into the wilderness, and in no general direction any sort of civilization. Not that Merida hadn't gone exploring and gotten maybe a bit lost before, but at least she had been prepared. And they had never strayed too far from the trails, and it had been daylight. Oh, and she could bloody keep her head up!

Merida didn't know how many minutes had passed like this until the bush thinned enough for her to look up again and Angus started wheezing and they began to slow down to a trot. A sweat had broken out across his face and he made a rather distressed sound. Merida sighed and scratched his ear. "Well if you didn't scare so easily then we wouldn't be in this mess would we?" She muttered, taking a look around. She didn't really like what she saw.

Nothing but thick forest around them. No landmarks she recognized, and more unsettling, there were more dead trees than live ones like skeletons in the moonlight. Several seemed to have claw marks on them, but Merida told herself that whatever had caused that was probably long gone. With a sigh, she glared at the back of her horse's head. "Do you have any idea how to get home?"

Suddenly she heard something. Branches snapped behind them, and for a second she thought the thing that had mutilated the trees was closer than she thought. But to her confusion, Angus didn't seem bothered and merely turned around to face the direction of whatever was fighting it's way through the forest. Then she saw the light of torches, and heard something that filled her to the brim with relief.

"Are you sure she went this way?"

"Of course I'm sure!"

"Get your hair out of my face!"

"Eww, spit it out spit it out spit it out!"

Something unintelligible and Merida smiled , silently thanking every god she had ever heard of. Now she could follow them back and...well they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Her three might-have-been suitors emerged. Will and Cormac, to her amusement, on the same horse. Gavin not far behind on one of the castle clydesdales. He grinned widely when he saw her. She grinned back. While usually she loathed the idea of just being some damsel in distress waiting for rescue, in this case, she decided she could make an exception.

"I see my knights in shining armor are here," She said wearily. "And you know what? I am perfectly fine with that."

"Hey she's alive!" Cormac said cheerfully, though he looked slightly uneasy. "We thought you were a goner for sure."

Merida was thankful that he was trying to joke it off. Make light of what happened. It made it easier. "They can't get rid of me that easily," She shrugged. "What are you doing here?"

"We saw you run off," Will said. "At first we thought that you'd be fine, but between your mum making the most terrifying face I'd ever seen, and your dad looking ready to come at us with an axe, we decided you could use the company."

"So we grabbed our stuff and stole a couple horses," Cormac continued. "Then the last we see is your horse's tail disappear so we followed along as best we could and here we are, which begs the question, what the hell happened?"

Giving Angus another glare, Merida sighed. "Well Dummy here got spooked and next thing I know I'm hanging on for dear life and by the time we stop I am so turned around I have no idea which way's the castle and which way's the ocean."

Cormac waved off her concerns. "Don't worry about that. I can get us back to the main trail easily! My Dad always said I got his sense of dire-"

But Will cut him off. "Merida what's wrong?"

She wasn't listening anymore. Angus had gone rigid under her, and she was staring wide eyed, at the dark, massive thing that had somehow crept up on them. It had stood up on it's hind legs. It wasn't even that it was a bear that had her terrified. A bear was one thing. It was the knotted and snarled fur, glossy eyes, and foam dripping from the corner of it's mouth that had an alarm bell ringing in her ears.

A bear was one thing. A starving, half mad bear was another thing entirely.

Sensing panic, the three boys slowly turned around simultaneously. There was a moment of horrible silence and stillness where Merida didn't dare move. The beast seemed to be waiting for someone to make the first move.

It was then broken by a rather embarrassingly high pitched squeal from Cormac.

The thing roared.

"RUN!" Merida screeched, giving Angus a swift kick in the side. He whinnied loudly and the two castle horses followed without waiting for any sort of command.

In the very back of her mind, deep underneath the mindless terror, Merida made a mental note to thank her mum for the advice. Princesses should not have weapons indeed.