"When I said I'd do anything for you, I thought I'd be safe from this type of thing..."
"Oh, come now, I ken it's a great experiment."
"For you maybe..."
"Well, have ye ever used it before?"
"No..."
"Then it's a good time to test it out. Besides, no one will recognize ye."
"That would be the point, right?"
Edgar giggled and Higgs looked over at the boy with a piercing glare. Edgar tried to shape up but his anger was funnier and he couldn't stop laughing.
"I'm not doing this." Higgs growled.
"Ye cannae not, lad; I asked it of ye."
Higgs growled. "Damn it!"
"Are you really going to go dressed like that?" Edgar asked as he tried to suppress a giggle.
Higgs turned to him again and a green flame flickered in his hand.
"You're this close to getting foxfired in the face, little boy."
"Dinnae take ye trust issues out on the lad. Now, for the finishing touch."
"If you set that bonnet on my head, Merida, I will foxfire you."
Merida stopped and sighed. "Fine... Come on, Edgar, let's get going. Come along, Ms. Northumberly."
Higgs grumbled as he picked up the hem of his dress so as not to trip on it. He had gotten himself into a predicament and realized he shouldn't have put his sole trust in Merida. She was mischievous and this new form was also just as mischievous... and its main purpose was mischief. The whole point of a kitsune was its shapeshifting ability and its favorite thing to shift into was a woman.
Which Higgs was.
Because he trusted Merida way too much and told her so and then she demanded to see it and here he was, going to the market as a woman. It was probably the most humiliating transformation he had gone through as of yet.
"It's so nice to be able to get out in the sunlight again! I missed it being cooped up in that crazy house... Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"No. Oh, well, I met Gretchen in the market and she actually stood up for me. She helped me get some apples from the apple stand. He's a prude."
"Aye, he is. He's always giving me trouble."
"How is your back, Merida?" Edgar asked in front of them, leaning his head back to look at them.
"It's itchy and my dress rubbing on it doesnae make it better but I believe I can manage."
He nodded a little. "Can I go ahead of you? Like to that tree right there?"
"An ye dinnae try to climb it and fall off."
Edgar gave her a wicked look as he raced off in front of them. Higgs smiled.
"You're good with kids."
"Aye, so I've been told."
"I guess that's why you're able to handle me so well..."
"Ye're not that bad. Ye're childish but ye're not a child by any means. Ye're just lonely and yer curse doesnae help with social interaction."
"True... How can you deal with such long skirts? This is quite annoying." Higgs said, messing with his bustle.
"I ken ye. I dinnae like skirts verra much either. When I was in Scotland, I was wearing breeches half the time."
"For pleasure?"
"Convenience, necessity... and a bit of pleasure."
"Why the other two then?"
"Well, I have three older brothers and I was the only girl. They dinnae have time for me to stop and find a dress or two so I ended up wearing men's britches for most of my time with them. Ye never really understand how bad things are until ye have to pry ye clothes off the bodies of dead boys in order to keep yerself clothed. Doughall thought it best for the pants anyway due to the severity of the war and the libido of our enemies. Being at war for a long time without a woman makes ye crazy (apparently) and ye try to get whatever poke ye can find. Ye become savage, wild... At least that's what Coinneach said, so the pants make me less appealing and we all look the same when we're dirty."
"I see. Women seem to have it rough during times of war."
"Well, they're left to care for the home in ways they shouldnae have to and also the need to defend it from the enemies that are about behind the lines than in front of it. Many a child was born during such hard times, often of inconvenience. They are treated harshly, as if they asked for such a curse to be upon them. No one wants to be conceived in hatred, but that's what those poor bairns have to deal with. Hatred from their conception and on through the rest of their life."
"Horrid way to live."
"Even more horrid for the woman. She has to live with the fact that she was taken without her consent and harbored the enemy's child, so to speak. Then, the town doesnae help, calling her a floozy or other names that make it seem like it was her who wanted it. No one wins either way except for the enemy. He gets to go about his business as usual and brag to his men that he fucked an enemy's wife or daughter or sister. The best ye can hope for is that bastard dies on the battlefield... and even then that's too good for him. That means he'll be remembered honorably. An he dies by another means, a slow and painful death, then maybe –just maybe- it might make the victim feel better."
Higgs stopped her and made her turn to him.
"Merida... did that... did that happen to you?"
"Thank the stars it didnae. I've just been in towns –when my brothers had to fight- and I'd seen many a women in such conditions. I asked and someone told me what happens. That's when I decided that I wasnae going to try and be like them. I would learn to fight as much as I could to keep my honor and my dignity. When I found out that that was the fate of women who werenae able to defend themselves, I begged my brothers to teach me more about survival. Doughall dinnae like it, but Fearghas and Coinneach were willing to teach me everything they could."
"Your eldest brother seems to be a big of a prude."
Merida laughed. "That is probably putting it the lightest way ever. Doughall is an asshole, no doubts about it."
Higgs smiled at her as they headed into the market.

After buying essentials and practically having the fight the men off of Higgs, they decided to have lunch under a shady tree. Higgs practically threw himself against the tree and slid down the trunk.
"My lord, I've never been so uncomfortable in my life."
"It was funny when Lord Chigley tried to kiss you on the cheek and you were dodging him as best as you could." Edgar said with a laugh as Merida handed him a sandwich.
"He still got me, that dirty bastard." Higgs shivered. "I can still feel the brush of his mustache on my cheek. Merida, how long do I have to be this way?"
"I told ye that I wanted ye to do it for the day. Has it gotten nighttime yet?"
"No."
"Then the day isnae over, now is it?"
Higgs stamped his feet angrily, pitching a tiny fit.
"Oh, I thought it was you. Good afternoon."
"I thought I told ye a while back that I didnae want to see yer face again."
Higgs opened his eyes from his tantrum and saw a man kneeling next to Merida with a strange top hat and an obnoxious mustache.
"I know and I didn't want to come over here but I just couldn't resist asking you if your employer would like to reveal himself and come to my side show. If he did, he wouldn't have to hide himself anymore. He'd have the freedom to change without bias and people would pay to see him. He'd get half the profit!"
"Is that so? Well now, I'll go and tell milaird that he'll get half of the profits from a side show man while he's having tea in the drawing room."
Edgar looked at Higgs as Higgs looked uneasy. He took Higgs' hand and he looked down at the boy.
"Don't you worry miss, he'll do you no harm."
"Boy, if you don't get your hand off mine, I'll find a way to punish you later... and not just keeping you outside." He seethed at Edgar.
Edgar just grinned as they both turned their attention back to Merida and Mr. Castel.
"-but please just-"
"I ken I said to ye that if ye came round us again that I would turn ye into the deputy's office. I also remember that I said I'd kick yer ass for bothering us again."
Steven wasn't going to give up this time. He was going to make this woman –as Scotswoman at that- realize he was giving her employer the opportunity of a lifetime. The man could be free to show off his cursed body without a worry and even embrace his forms and wow the crowds. They'd both be rich. He was daydreaming and not realizing that Merida had stood up until the sun was blocked from him. He looked up and Merida was staring at him with her hands on her hips.
"An ye'd been a listening, ye would have realized that my warnings dinnae come without a follow through."
Just before he got kicked in the jaw, Steven moved out of the way and fell back onto the lawn as Merida's foot came back down.
"I suggest ye either leave or close those legs because that's where I'm aiming next."
Steven took the option of C and closed his legs and ran away. Merida looked back at Higgs as he stared at her casually.
"Why does this man not ken the fact of no?"
"My father has dealt with him before and he believes he is making a pretty good agreement with us. The only thing that is even remotely appealing about the offer is that the changes wouldn't be so stressful... but the werewolf couldn't be contained and he'd have problems most of the time."
"What's wrong with his offer?" Edgar asked, looking between them.
"He's trying to tell me that I would make a lot of money but what's the use of it if I'm stuck in a cage or room all day entertaining people with my curse?"
"Is that what ye got from it?"
"It's what I always get from it." Higgs made a face. "Why, what did you get?"
"I was confused by the fact that he's asking ye, a laird, to forgo yer fortune to be in his silly side show feature and make a lot of money when ye're already a laird of yer own estate and have no need for frivolous endeavors."
Higgs put his hand to his chin. "Huh, I never thought of it that way... it actually makes more sense than my theory."
"Weel, it's not like yer theory isnae right or wrong, but to me, it seems daft to give away yer house and status to degrade yerself and in the end, getting nothing."
"Aye... I'm not feeling in the mood for food. Can we go back now?"
"But I haven't eaten my sandwich!"
Merida looked at her employer. "At least let him finish..."
He sighed but nodded and let Edgar at least finish his food.

"Merida?"
"Yes, laddie?"
"Do you like Lord Northumberly?"
"Of course I do."
"Not because he's your employer. I mean like a man and a woman."
Merida sighed. "Why does everyone ask me that? Is it wrong for a maid to be content with her male employer? I mean, he's not like the other lairds around, trying to get up my skirts or flirt with me and get me in bed. He's got his problems, true, but it makes him humble and easier to get along with."
"So you don't have any feelings like that towards him? I heard one of the lords talking to one of his friends and he said that 'Men and women can't be friends. It doesn't matter how long they've known each other or what their status is to each other, there will always be an emotional attachment at some point during their relationship.'"
"Ah, I see... Weel, so far, I havenae had any feelings of that sort towards Mr. Higgs. Whether he has any towards me is a different matter. As for now, there's no reason ye need to be thinking about that sort of thing. Far more things to be done in the house and in this life than worrying over the love lives of a maid and her employer."
Edgar pouted beside her as he folded some laundry beside her.
"I think you guys would be nice together." He mumbled.
Merida smiled at him and took down the clothing from the line as the wind began to pick up a bit. She looked up and saw storm clouds forming and frowned a little.
"Oi, we'll have to fold the linens and such inside. Looks like a storm's brewing on the east wind."
"It's just a storm, Merida." Edgar said as he stood up anyway.
Merida looked up as the clouds seemed to roll in pretty quickly and thunder rumbled. She narrowed her hazel eyes and dropped the clothes pin in the smaller basket beside her, grabbing Edgar's hand.
"This isnae normal storm. This is from the east." She growled, pulling him along.
"But the linens-"
"Leave them, child! We must get in the house!"
Edgar was confused as they entered into the mansion almost as quickly as the rain began to pelt down outside. Confused, Edgar looked at Merida as she watched the rain with a very angry look.
"Merida?"
"A storm on the east wind brings bad luck, lad. Something wicked this way comes... something verra wicked is coming."
Edgar looked at the storm from the window as lightning flashed above and gasped, running to Merida suddenly. She wrapped her arms around him as he held to her legs.
"There was something in clouds!"
"Aye... there probably was..."
"Merida?"
She looked over as Higgs descended the stairs, still in his female form although dressed in his male attire. If the storm hadn't had Merida on edge, it would have been funny. He made a face at Edgar.
"What's going on?"
"Storm on the east wind brewed in."
He walked up next to them and put his arm on the doorjamb, looking up into the clouds.
"Mm, something wicked this way comes." Merida snapped her attention to him and he looked at her. "I can smell it."
"Ye are aware?"
"Aye... doesn't seem good either. I'd suggest you both to sleep in my chamber tonight. It's big enough to hold us all... Oh, by the way, tomorrow starts a new month. I don't know what I'll be when I wake up but the room should be relatively safe." He looked down at Edgar. "Is he alright?"
"He saw something in the clouds."
Lightning flashed again and Higgs looked up, seeing it too.
"Yeah..."
"What's going on, Mr. Higgs?"
"My father said that with our curse comes the ability to sometimes attract other myths. Euros, god the east wind... Someone pissed him off. We'll hear about it tomorrow in the papers."
"What... what does he do?" Edgar asked, finally able to look up.
Higgs looked down. "There are not many ways to royally piss off Euros but if you do, well... a storm brews and... someone dies."
"Then why is he prowling around here?" Merida growled.
"Can you blame him? My father and I are cursed with a lot of mythological creatures. It's natural for a god to be attracted to myth that's real... since he is in turn, a myth himself."
"He's- ah!" she screamed as a stream of lightning struck in front of the window.
As it struck the ground, the figure of a man was seen and it waved at them before it left. Higgs snorted.
"He's feeling plucky today..."
The storm seemed to move overhead and then make its way towards town. The three of them followed it to the other side of the house and watched the storm settle over the town.
"Well, hopefully we're in the clear. I'd still suggest my bedroom for the night."
Merida nodded and took Edgar's hand as they went up the stairs.
"I'm going to warn you again, it's the end of the month so I don't know what's going to happen in the night."
"I'm pretty used to it now, Mr. Higgs."
He nodded and they all went to bed.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A/N: a little more explanation as to why they were all able to see Euros. And it's pronounced (yor-oss) not (yor-oze), the currency