Brave Reborn (OUAT/Peter Pan Fanfic)

Chapter 23

We settled down at a nearby pond. I used my powers to let us see through Circe's eyes upon the water. So far she was finding Mor'du, which is good. The halls seemed cold and empty. When she finally found him, we made her ask where Merida was kept. He said that she was locked in her bedroom.

"Why would you care, Circe?" He asked.

"Because... because Pan forced me on telling him where you hid her!" That was definitely unexpected. "He forced it out of me!"

Mor'du took it better than we thought, "Oh well, things happens. The important thing is that you're alright."

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"Of course not. How about something to get him off your mind? A friendly game with Merida, eh? She is becoming a wonderful victor. Merida is undefeated!"

We hesitated on what to say. It was the way he said it that gives even me the chills. Sure, I would have competitions with Merida, but never anything that Mor'du had in mind.

We reluctantly agreed. Mor'du took her in a room full of battle equipment. Then Merida came in. I never thought that I could say this about her, but she looked terrible. She looked skinnier than she has ever been. Merida's eyes were red and puffy with dark circles. Felix grabbed the heart of my hands. That was probably a good idea, considering that fire incident from before.

"Circe," Merida said. "Don't be afraid, I'm not mad at you. I'm here to warn you. You need to get out of here. If you don't then..." Merida was about to cry. I have never seen Merida so scared and upset. I never even saw her cry. I wanted to grab that heart and tell Circe to hug her, comfort her. I wanted Circe to tell Merida that everything will be alright. When Mor'du called her, she scurried out of the door.

"What the hell did he do to her?" I gruffly muttered.

The other door opened, revealing a coliseum. Circe obediently entered. There was no one in any of the stands. I was not surprise of that. I do not think that someone like Mor'du would have a large audience to watch what was to happen. In one of the booths, Mor'du sat there like a king.

He rises, "May the best lady wins."

"Pan what are we going to do?" Felix frightfully asked.

I can not fight Merida. The look in her eyes. I can not let her win. The design was so hard. I was thinking hard.

"Pan?" Hubert called. No answer. "Pan!"

I grabbed the heart. Taking a deep breath, I commanded, "Circe, be in the battle with Merida. Give her a good fight; but whatever you do, do not seriously hurt her. Do not hurt her!"

I passed the heart to Felix. I turned around. Out of all the things I have to see in my lifetime, I do not have the stomach for this. 

A scream was let out, a horrible scream. The scream tore through me like a great shard of glass. I felt my eyes widen and pulse quicken, my heart thudding like a rock rattling in a box. The scream came again, desperate, terrified, human. The blood drained from my face before I was even aware of making a conscious decision my legs were pounding furiously on the uneven muddy track, my ears straining for more sounds, more clues as to where it had come from and what caused it. I had no clue as to what Merida must have been going through. I only knew just that I had to save her, fast.

Suddenly, there was absolute stillness. No air stirred the grass or leaves. No clouds drifted in the sea of blue above. No water dripped or flowed. Not a sound could be heard either close at hand or in the far off distance. Even my own breath seemed to die as soon as it left my mouth. It was an eerie sort of tranquility, so instead of being soothed my senses became heightened. I felt like the prey even though no predator could be detected. It was as if the world were encased in a cocoon, a bubble, and there was no way out.

I gravely turned around. We saw nothing in the water after that. The heart stopped glowing, and it too was still.

"I don't think I am ever going to sleep again." Hubert painfully said.

"I can't believe... whoa," Felix said. 

We were all shocked. We stared as if Merida was wearing a dress. I could just imagine the sparks in the others' brain, desperately trying to connect the dots; and instead just causing a short circuit.

None of us has ever seen Merida like this. But we all know that Merida was never meet to kill. She is no weapon. It takes an animal, nothing like Mor'du to make Merida do what she did. I will free her if it's the last thing I'll ever do.

Later that night, when all boys were asleep. I turned around and headed to the hole. I was walking fast. Hubert ran in front of me.

"Pan, you're going crazy!" he warned.

"No, I'm not. I will save her!" I pushed past him. Hubert yelled for Felix. He came along and started to pull me away. Hubert pushed me along, too. I struggled, not trying to hurt either of them. I then pull free and ran to the hole. I pushed through the bushes. Nothing, the hole was gone. It was like it was never dug. In its place, was her. Merida. She was resting there so perfectly. There were no wounds, no scratches, no bruises, not any sign of injury on her. 

Her soft, ivory shoulders were exposed and her cherry-red curls fell down her back. Her lips were carefully tinted red and her skin was flawless. Lying on her was another note. I picked up and read it.

"He knew this whole time." I looked up. "He knew that we would try to find her." 

I looked down. I lifted Merida up bridal style.  She snuggled against my chest. I smiled. I wished that this moment could last forever. Hubert cleared his throat, signaling me. I snapped out of it. Then, I transported all of us back to Merida's treehouse. We went to her bedroom. I placed her on her bed.

We found her. Now the real question now: Is she okay?

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Hey everyone! I hope that you are all enjoying the story so far. I am thinking of publishing more than one chapter a week. Any comments?