Disney But Gayer

Vol. 12: Brave

//TW: Controlling parent, accidental deadnaming, accidental misgendering, destruction of prized possessions, bear attacks, hunting//
Word Count: 19,206

~Once Upon A Time~

In 10th century Scotland, a little girl was playing hide-and-seek with her mother on her birthday. Life seemed simpler, easier, and that's all it needed to be.

The only thing that mattered was hiding from mum.

"Where are you? Come out!"

Merida giggled softly as she scurried under the food table, staying low to the grass, sticking to the shadows as best she could.

"I'm coming to get you," her mother, Elinor, warned lightly. "Where are you, you little rascal? I'm coming to get you!" She looked under the table, but Merida was gone, having escaped just moments before her mother ducked. She smiled softly. "Where is my little birthday girl, hm? I'm going to gobble her up when I find her!"

Merida appeared behind her mother, trying to scurry away, but she was caught when Elinor turned just at the wrong moment.

Her mother let out a cry of victory and snatched her up, turning her and burying her face in her daughter's stomach, pretending to eat her.

Merida shrieked a laugh and flailed happily, accidentally hitting her mother.

She laughed, plopping her daughter down. She looked over at her husband as he set his bow down on the table. "Ah, Fergus, no weapons on the table!"

Merida gasped excitedly and ran to the table, snatching the bow and struggling under its weight. "Can I shoot an arrow?!" She fell down, still clutching the bow to her chest. "Can I? Can I? Please, can I?"

Her father laughed. "Aye. But not with that bow. Try this one. One of your own." He pulled out a bow, just her size, and held it out to Merida.

She gasped even louder and grabbed the bow.

He chuckled. "Go on. Shoot."

Smiling wide, Merida stood and carried her new bow over to the targets, which were coincidentally already set up. She notched an arrow and released it, missing the targets completely. "Oh no..."

Her father smiled, kneeling down next to her. "Listen. Draw it all the way back to your cheek, right there."

She did as Fergus instructed and pulled the arrow back all the way to her face, squinting one of her eyes.

"Both eyes open, now."

She opened her eyes wide and let go. The arrow flew past the target and deep into the woods. "...I missed."

"Aye, you did. Go and fetch it, then." Her mother made a shooing motion after the arrow, smiling softly, though it looked a bit forced.

"Ok, Mum!" Merida dropped her bow and ran past the line of trees to retrieve her arrow.

As their daughter ran off into the trees, Elinor turned to her husband. "Really, Fergus? A bow? She's a lady!"

Meanwhile, Merida was quite pleased with her bow and was anxious to get her arrow back, lady or not. She tripped over some roots and stumbled on some twigs, but that never slowed her down. She searched for her arrow but it never appeared to her, and suddenly she felt something behind her. She turned and...

A magical creature was lurking not far behind her. A creature she'd heard of before, a spirit taking the form of a small blue flame.

"Will o' the Wisp..." Merida breathed, eyes wide with awe. She ran at the wisp and tried to catch it, but it dissipated the moment her fingers closed around it, leaving her empty handed. But she wasn't deterred. "They are real..." She turned around again and saw a whole trail of wisps going out through the trees.