4. Chapter 4 (1/2)

a/n: thanks for the reviews! -hugs anonymous guests- this is one of the scenes that happens during the movie. i tried to focus on elinor's thoughts. please read and review!

merida glared at her mother, chest heaving, and thrust the sword into the rich fa

ic of the tapestry.

"i'll never be like you! i'd rather die than be like you!"

elinor's heart clenched in pain as she heard the last words from her daughter, and shattered when merida slashed a long, deep cut into the tapestry that she had worked so hard and stitched so meticulously on. elinor's eyes widened when she saw that merida had deliberately slashed the tapestry at the point where she and merida were holding hands.

the bond

oken…

merida faced her mother with an almost gloating arrogance, and that is when elinor grew angry.

she thinned her lips dangerously and stalked toward merida, who now looked slightly apprehensive. elinor seized the sword that was hanging limply in merida's hand and tossed it to the side. the sword fell to the stone floor with a metallic clang.

"merida, you are a princess! and i expect you to act like one!" elinor grasped the ends of merida's bow and jerked it off her shoulders, ignoring the yelp of pain from her daughter. elinor threw the bow into the roaring fire and merida gasped. elinor faced her daughter again and merida's eyes filled with tears. with a final defiant, yet heart

oken look, merida gathered her skirts and ran out, slamming the door in the process.

elinor felt a curious, savage triumph. but the emotion was short-lived and dissipated as soon as she heard the popping, crackling sound. she whirled around and her hands flew to her mouth.

"oh, no…no!" elinor grabbed the poker and although she managed to salvage the bow from the leaping flames, the bowstring had already snapped off and there was an ugly charring on the ivory wood.

"what have i done…" she moaned. suddenly filled with guilt, she sank to her knees and keeled over, sobbing.

back in her room, merida lay prone on her bed and sobbed as well, for the injustice and irreversibility of her situation as well as anger toward her mother, who put queenly duties before her duties as mother. her furious conversation with her mother echoed in her head.

this whole marriage thing…it's wot ye want! did ye ever ask what i want? no!

…i'm not going to be like ye!

merida, ye are a princess! a princess…i expect ye to act like one…

after having exhausted herself from crying, merida sat up, wiped her nose on her sleeve (an act that her mother, the queen, would certainly disapprove of), and decided that, if she couldn't escape her fate, she might as well consult someone to change her mother.

fergus lumbered down the stone hallway toward his and elinor's room, and paused when he heard a tearful gulp and quiet sniffling from inside. he peered inside and saw elinor lying curled on the cold, stone floor, with her normally sleek

aids frazzled and unkempt. she looked as tiny as a doll. he quickly opened the door and rushed to her side.

"elinor, love! wot's the matter? are ye hurt? wot happened?"

elinor had started in surprise when she heard the door swing open, and she hastily wiped her eyes, which were swollen from crying. she took a deep

eath but as soon as she looked into fergus' worried expression, she crumpled and sobbed afresh, clinging to fergus, who gathered her close to him and gently rubbed her back.

"och, fergus! tis all my fault! i…merida, we had an argument…ye have to go find her! i threw…threw her bow intae the fire… fergus, i feel so terrible and i am such a..."

fergus quietly rocked elinor, murmuring softly to her.

"hush, mah love. tis all right, calm down."

fergus cast a quick eye around the room and caught sight of what must be the remains of merida's trusty bow. then he saw the tapestry and suddenly everything clicked in his mind.

"merida ruined the tapestry did she?"

elinor gave a tearful gulp and nodded. "but it's my fault, fergus! i provoked her. maybe she's right. maybe i am too selfish. and look wot i did!" elinor gave a last sniff and rubbed her eyes. "merida must hate me right now."

fergus shook his head and pressed a gentle kiss to elinor's forehead.

"och, nay, eli, merida doesnae hate ye—"

"but she said she would rather die than be like the beast i am!" elinor interrupted. "i am a beast…" her eyes filled with tears.

fergus peered at her solemnly. "yer her mother, she could never hate ye. besides, she's just hot-tempered. give her some time. she will come 'round. i know she will; she doesnae have a mean bone in her body. in the meantime, her bow just needs a bit 'o cleanin' and primpin' to restore it to its former glory. aye, elinor?"

fergus lifted elinor into his arms and carried her over to their bed. she watched him assess the damage to the bow and search for the proper cleaning tools.

"dinna worry yerself, dear, merida'll be fine." elinor returned his confident smile with a watery one of her own.

"thank ye, fergus…"

fergus winked at her and went to work, measuring out a new bowstring and fastening it expertly with his bare hands. it seemed that in no time at all, fergus looked up at elinor and held merida's new bow aloft proudly, with a sleek new bowstring and (almost as if it had never been scorched in the fire) shiny wood frame. elinor moved closer to her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"wot would i do without ye, fergus," she murmured, marveling at her husband's handiwork.

"well, ye aren't without me, lass, and ye'll never be." fergus chortled and admired his work himself. he reached for a sharp spearhead to begin carving a design on the wood. however, elinor stopped him; a sudden idea had popped into her head and she hurried over to her sewing table with a sparkle in her eye. she found a large needle with a fine point and gestured for him to

ing the bow to her.

"if ye wouldn't mind, i'd like to carve something for merida…something special…" elinor explained. her

ight eyes met fergus' and he grinned, nodding.

"aye, a fine idea, my love! she'll love et!"

elinor smiled but then her

ow creased in worry. "please go find merida, fergus," elinor pleaded.

fergus nodded again and gave elinor a reassuring smile. "i will, eli."

fergus hummed to himself as he made his way down to merida's room. he blinked in surprise when he saw that her satchel was gone and then experienced a slight twinge of worry. in the distance, he heard the creak of stable doors and his head shot up. a flash of unmistakable fiery hair passed by on a dark horse and fergus paled.

"merida!" fergus bellowed. "come back, lass!" but merida was too far away to hear him. fergus then panicked: should he tell elinor first or should he round up a group of men to chase down merida? fergus decided to assemble the men first, and then he went to find elinor.

"lads!" fergus roared, getting the attention of everybody in the great hall. "saddle up yer horses and go after mah daughter! she's run away!"