Brave 2: Curse of a Princess

Chapter 5: The Ancient Cavern

She was in a beautiful cavern. It was the size of the castle and it had a small spring in it. The spring didn't look very big, but it looked like a small pond, here and there a few rocks jutted out of the water and on the sides if it, creating some ledges around it. Merida then looked up spying some huge stalactites hanging from the top of the cave and around them there was a glowing haze that seemed unnatural, but yet it was there. She looked out on the lake and saw ripples in the water that she didn't see before. Merida scooted herself quite close to the edge of the shore on one of the ledges, peering over the rocks and closer to the sudden ripples. She noticed how blue the water was when she first looked, as though it was a blue mirror, but now it has strange tiny waves in it. Merida didn't have to wonder why they were there for long as a surge of upward water came out of nowhere revealing Hamish, Hubert, and Harris splashing wildly at Merida. At this she was so surprised that she tumbled backwards, landing on her back on the smooth out cropping rock.

"We got you, Merida!" laughed the boys. They clambered out of the water, their hair and clothes plastered to their skin. They sat down next to their sister as she giggled along with them, after a few moments Merida tried to get up, but winced grabbing her arm, but there was a new pain as well on her back as if she landed on something. She eventually got up and looked behind her, but there were no rocks that were jutting up or anything like that in the sand that held the smooth shelving they sat on.

"Hey Merida... your back looks and feels a little funny." Concern creeps into Harris's voice as he put his hand on Merida's back.

"Yeah I felt something weird too. Do ya boys think ya can tear a hole in the back of my dress for me, please?" asked Merida with a small grimace of discomfort.

"That should be no problem sis, seeing that it already has huge tear in it!" exclaimed Hamish as he positioned himself beside her and grabbed the side of her dress while Hubert and Harris grabbed the other side and pulled with all their strength. It didn't take much for the fabric to tear and when it did the triplets were flung backwards into the sand, she quickly felt some relief as soon as the dress was torn. Merida then chortled at the sight of her brothers once she noticedthem coveredin sand from their fall, but they weren't laughing, just staring at her. She tipped her head the side in question and they pointed at her back, she reached back and something she didn't expect...it was another fin! Merida looked over her shoulder and saw a deep blue fan like fin sort of like the one you would find on a swordfish, but as she struggled to turn around and get a better look she lost her balance and fell off the crag into the pond sending a spray of water everywhere. When Merida opened her pale blue eyes in the water she could she as clear as day, looking around and to her surprise she saw that the pond seemed much deeper than it lead her to believe. The deepest it went Merida could not see as it vanished to darkness. Merida gasped in awe, but quickly held her breath again, then she realized she could breath underwater, she also noticed her throat wasn't dry anymore, deciding to test out her newest appendage, she started to swim. Whoa! This feels... different... a good different. she thought slowly, but excitedly. With one flick if her tail, Merida felt like she was cutting through the water like it was nothing. Smirking Merida had an idea, she looked up toward the surface and swam as fast as she could. As she broke the surface water splashed everywhere and once Merida was high in the air she and dove back in to the water. Merida resurfaced and heard the sound of clapping, turning to smirk even more as she saw her brothers cheering for her.

"Thank you, thank you." Merida dramatically bowed as she could and swam toward the shore, positioning herself on the rock shelf she fell off of by crossing her arms, smiling up at the boys.

"That was so cool!" Hubert exclaimed as Hamish and Harris nodded in agreement, as Merida chuckld at their excitement.  "Merida... we brought you to this cavern so you could stay here while mum and dad try and fix...uh.... this." he explained as he gestures to Merida. She nods in understanding, finding not so surprising that her brothers found a place like this under the castle.

"Boys, why don't you go and see how the staff is doing? With Maudie screaming like that, I'm sure they're all nervous." suggested Merida. The boys hesitate for a second, "Go I'll be fine down here." They then nodded and ran toward the tunnel she fell from.

Meanwhile I'm going to fine out where the bottom of this spring goes. Merida thinks to herself, a small smile on her face as pushes off the rock and back into the blue water. She does a quick lap of the perimeter then swims deep into the darkness.