Chapter ten

The feeling that spread through Merida was strange. She felt warm and full, as if she had sat around the hearth and ate a large meal. But all that she had done was help her father build an agreement. To her, it was a great accomplishment, especially given that she was a princess and, more often than not, she had been told to 'shut her gob'. Now that she had opened it, she had helped.

Merida hoped that her actions may have proved that she was more mature and capable than what many had thought of her in the past. Her pride was shared, though only by her father. He expressed it as the Queen day on her throne, scowling stiffly.

"I am proud of you, Merida. You handled yourself well back there." King Fergus congratulated his daughter with a clap on the back.

It was a motion that made Merida beam widely. He had often done that to her brothers, mainly when they were fighting or hunting. It meant a lot to her, almost as if it was symbolic of her growth. But her mother watched it with a glare. She shot up from her seat, hurrying to place herself next to Merida.

"Enough of that." She said, and Merida frowned. "You disobey me and embarrass me. Do you aim to humiliate me?"

Merida moved around her mother, refusing to look her in the eye. "You left me no choice."

"No choice? No choice but to shoot your bloody arrows and embarrass our important guests!" Elinor's eyes widened as she shouted. "A princess shouldn't have a weapon, never mind be able to use it."

Merida whipped around to stare daggers at her mother as she felt the bow be ripped from her hands. The slim wooden structure slipped from her grasp and into the firm imprisonment of the Queen's clutch.

"And a Queen shouldn't be the one making speeches, but you still do that!" Merida fires back and her mother was seething.

"I won't speak any more of it. You will marry Jacobus Dingwall and you will behave." Elinor ordered.

"Dingwall?" Merida groaned at the mention of his name.

"He's the least trustworthy of the three. We have to keep them close." Her father explained, though he was looking at Elinor rather than her.

"But have you seen him. He can't figure out which foot is which!" Merida tried to protest, but Elinor would have none of it.

"Haven't you embarrassed them enough?" She questioned, shaking her head in disbelief.

Merida stopped her frantic movements and stared at her mother. Her chest was heaving quickly as she tried to calm herself down. But she knew that, if she didn't say something, her anger would grow further- the hot tears had already begun to prickle in her eyes.

"I'm sick of it! All you care about are the other clans mother! You have a whole Kingdom at your feet!" Merida screeched, and Elinor looked horrified. "Do you ever ask father, the King, if he wanted to go through with it?"

"I'm taking my freedom back and there's nothing you can do to stop me." Merida reached forward to take her bow back, but Elinor shifted backward.

Her eyes had turned red with fury. Elinor turned around swiftly, flinging her arm out and casting the bow into the fire in the middle of the hall. Large and biting flames engulfed the weapon while. Like a snake, it hissed and cackled as they wood sizzled and cracked.

"No!" Merida screamed as she dived for the bow.

But she was too late, as her hands carelessly reached into the burning flames, the weapon had already burned, leaving a charcoal stick in its place. She cried out as her hands were burned both by the flames and the wood, but she pulled her destroyed bow from the fire, letting it sizzle on the floor.

She turned to her mother, cheeks slick with angry tears. "I hate you!"

Elinor gasped as she looked at the remnants of the bow that were left discarded on the ground, before calling after her daughter. "Merida!"

But Merida was long gone. She raced through the castle courtyard, toward the stables and into Angus's large stall. He huffed and gruffed as she hurried toward the saddle that was hung on his peg. It was if he could sense her eagerness to leave, as he jumped and scuffled, readying himself to run.

As the sped off into the woods, Merida let herself cry and scream. They were in the middle of the trees- no one would hear- but it felt good to let it out, especially since it had been building up for so long.

It had taken her no more than two minutes to switch her path toward the beach. Angus happily obey, jumping over roots and diving under branches to take her their swiftly. Merida hoped that if they got there quick enough, then perhaps she couldn't change her mind. But that was unlikely, given the nature of her decision.

Merida dismounted from her horse and hurried down the bath toward the sand, with Angus trailing behind. The coast was busy with Northmen piling into their longboats. It was an odd sight, seeing such a group, disembarking from beach with such little haste. But then again, the Vikings had never been sent away, agreeing on the terms.

Merida ran along the water's edge. She forced herself forward, battling against her logic when her heart told her to carry in forward. Finally, she saw him. Bjorn was moving on the edge of the water, only metres from the sand, when she called his name.

Her turned around in surprise, his wide eyes scouring the beach, before landing on her running figure as they met together in the sea.

"Merida, what are you doing here?" He asked, watching her heave as she. caught her breath.

"I want to go with you." She said and as he didn't answer, she added, "To Norway."

Bjorn stared at her, attempting to work our if she was serious or not. But as she met his eyes, staring back, he shook his head fiercely.

"Are you crazy? No!" He shouted, before turning to leave her behind as he began to walk back to the boat.

Merida rushed behind him, grabbing him by the arm. She pulled him to face her, and he did, reluctantly. Gripping him by the hands, she was almost ready to beg. "Please, you have to let me."

"I cannot." He said firmly.

"Bjorn, please listen!" She pleaded with him, and after a pause, he nodded.

Merida straightened. She thought about what she would say. She remembered the day of the hunt. Ragnar has mentioned Bjorn's fate- he too was tangled in a so-called destiny. She knew that he hated it as much as she hated her own, no matter how deep down he hid it.

"They tell us both that we will reach our fate, but does that not scare you?" She asked him, watching as he tried to hide the fall of his face.

He shook his head harshly. "Of course it does! I don't want my life to be about a marriage."

"Then you know how I feel! No matter what we do, or where we go, or who we meet, our lives are bound to this one single purpose, this one destiny." She stepped closer to him, pointing to herself as she spoke, urging him to understand her. "I feel sick thinking about the fact that we don't control our own lives because they all come down to one event no matter what we do. We are destined to choose each step that will lead us there."

He remained silent as he watched her speak. Behind him the last of the Northmen were beginning to pile into their boats.

"We can change our fates, Bjorn." She spoke in what was close to a whisper. "Let me come with you."

"How is your presence going to change anything? I leave you here, I don't get married. That's the end for me."

"We can help each other. I'm sure of it." Merida shouted back.

There was another pause between them before Bjorn spoke. "What is there for you in Norway?"

As she didn't speak, he demanded, "Go on! Answer."

"I don't know!" She screamed back. "There's something. I will find it, Bjorn."

He sighed. "You don't even speak our language."

It was meant to dissuade her, but she smiled, insisting still that she would come. "I can learn! How long does it take to get to Norway? A month?"

"Seven days," he stated, and Merida almost choked on the thought.

"Seven days!" She exclaimed and he nodded. She caught herself, straightened and said, "I'm a quick learner."

"It is not my choice to make." Bjorn's finally said, as he shook his head.

"Then take me to Ragnar, I will say the same thing to him. I will plead my case."

"Do you want me to beg?" She asked, motioning with her hands together. "You're strong Bjorn. If you want to take me, you shouldn't let your father stop you. I'm sure he would anyway."

"Why would I want to take you?" He asked. Merida paused, she was taken aback by his question, but then he said. "Come on, my father will see about this."