Arrow to the Heart (Male Merida x Reader)

The Start of It All

This is my new story that I've been wanting to start for awhile. I hope you enjoy this first chapter! I wanna let you all know this story may have slow responses as I'm focusing my time on my other story, Inside the Frozen Heart. It's been my dream to write a gender bent Merida x reader story since I first found one on Wattpad!! I hope you enjoy! Also the photo above is not my own. Credit goes out to the original artist. 😁💕💕

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abbreviations
(Y/n) - your name
(H/C) - Hair Color
(E/C) - Eye Color
(F/C) - Favorite Color
~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Third Person POV

Fate is a funny thing when you look at it. Sometimes you see it coming, while other times it comes out of nowhere. Your fate could be to be rich or poor, to take over a kingdom, to find love, to protect others, no fate is exactly the same as someone else's. For some people though, their fates are intertwined. Some meet to be a part of one another's lives for the rest of their life while others only cross paths for a few mear moments. For some, just those few moments can mean the world.

=============

Just outside the kingdom of DunBroch in the woods, the royal family is set up for a day out in nature to celebrate the prince's birthday. Prince Meridan and his mother, Queen Elinor, are playing hide and seek.

Elinor calls out playfully, "Where are you? Come out! Come out! Come on out! I'm coming to get you!"

The young Meridan laughs hiding under the table from his mother.

"Where are you, you little rascal? I'm coming to get you!" Elinor calls out again and looks under the table just as Meridan had escaped to hide somewhere else.

"Hmm." She raps her chin thinking as she looks around. "Where is my little birthday boy, hm? I'm going to gobble him up when I find him!"

Meridan sneaks up quietly behind his mother and was going to grab her, but his mother turned around too quickly. He yelps and turns to run, but Elinor reaches out grabbing him.

"Eat you!" Elinor laughs and starts pretending to eat Meridan who laughs with her. As the two are laughing Fergus walks up, placing his large dark wooden bow on the table.

Elinor turns and looks back at him. " Ach! Fergus, no weapons on the table!"

Meridan jumps up and runs over to the table grabbing his father's bow. He pulls it gently off the table stumbling back. "Can I shoot an arrow? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Please, can I?"

He falls back onto his butt the large bow landing over his lap. It was extremely too big for him.

Fergus shakes his chuckling. "Not with that." He rubs his chin gently before reaching behind his back. "Why not use your very own?"

From behind his back, Fergus reveals a smaller bow more fit to Meridan's size. Fergus smiles down at his son. "Happy Birthday, my wee boy!"

Fergus takes Meridan over to the targets and starts practicing with him. He misses the target a lot. It doesn't help that his nervous mother is standing nearby afraid someone will get hurt.

"Now listen. Draw all the way back to your cheek, keep both eyes open, and ... boost." Fergus instructs Meridan. He takes his shot and misses the target going far over it.

"I missed it." Meridan says a bit deflated that he couldn't hit the target like his father could.

Elinor couches down beside her son and touches his shoulder gently. "Well, go and fetch it, then."

Meridan nods, handing his bow to his mother before rushing off into the forest to find the arrow.

"A bow, Fergus? He's a child!" Elinor says turning to her husband.

Fergus reaches behind his wife and pinches her behind gently. She yelps and hits his chest as he laughs.

Meridan explores the forest looking for his arrow. Strange sounds echo nearby. He tries to not get scared. When he catches sight of his arrow in a tree, he rushes over and pulls it out smiling. As he turns he catches sight of a small floating glowing blue orb.

"A will-o'-the-wisp." He whispers out in excitement. He quickly makes his way over to the wisp wanting to follow and catch it.

"They are real.." Meridan whispers to himself.

A line of wisps forms and he quickly follows them as they lead him deeper into the forest after a bit of following, he notices something up ahead coming towards him. He was confused, but kept rushing forwards. Once he gets closer he sees a small girl his age following the other end of the wisps, only two wisps remain between them. She was about his height with (H/C) hair and pretty (E/C) eyes. She was in a simple play dress it looked like and it was in a nice shade of (F/C). She looks into Meridan's eyes as he looks back into hers.

After a few long seconds of silence, the girl held out her hand. "I-I'm (Y/N)."

Meridan smiles at the girl and places his hand in hers. "I'm Meridan, what are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Umm.." (Y/N) went silent not wanting to talk about it. Whatever reason she had for being in the forest, it didn't seem to be a good one.

Meridan quickly realized and shook his hands. "Y-you don't have to tell me! I-it's ok. Would.. would you like to come home with me?" He offers.

(Y/N) small smiles and nods. "That would be nice, thank you."

The two were happy once more as another line of wisps appears. The two lock hands and quickly follow the wisps as they led to the clearing where Elinor and Fergus were.

"Merida! Come home, sweetheart, we're leaving now..." Elinor calls getting the attention of her son.

The two rush from the forest up towards Meridan's parents.

"I saw a wisp. I saw a wisp. And I found a girl!" Meridan smiles proud of himself.

"A wisp? You know, child, they, the will-o'-the-wisps, lead you to your fate. Maybe your fate was to find this girl here and help her." Elinor spoke to her son then turned to the girl, small smiling.

"Ho ho, aye, or an arrow. Oh come on, let's go, before we see a dancing charging bubu or a giant —" Fergus chuckles softly a bit annoyed.

Elinor holds up her hand to block her mouth from her husband as she spoke to the kids. "Your father doesn't believe in magic." She picks up Meridan in her arms then holds her hand out to (Y/N). (Y/N) takes Elinor's hand as the three start walking.

Meridan smiles happily. "Well, he should, because that's true."

After a few more steps Meridan turns his head and screams. Elinor and Fergus's heads turn quickly seeing a large bear. (Y/N) sees it too and screams.

"Mor'du! Elinor, hide!" Fergus yells out. He'd protect his family.

Elinor grabs Meridan and (Y/N) getting onto a horse with them and rides off for the castle.

"Sire!" A guard of the royal family calls out passing Fergus a spear. Mor'du swings his paw snapping the spear part off the long stick. Fergus tosses it aside pulling out his sword.

Meridan and (Y/N) watch over the queen's shoulders as Fergus stays behind to fight Mor'du to save his family.

Fergus yells out in Mor'du's face. "Come on, you!!"

Mor'du lunges at Fergus and everything goes dark.