Touch

Feast

The queen runs into her daughters room, clutching the fabric of her skirt to not trip. " Mother?" Merida rises from her bed, straight blonde hair frizzed into

a halo around her head. Her eyes are puffy with sleep and her body only clothed in her sleeping garments. " Deary me, child, have you forgotten?" Her

mother exclames in a voice edged with panic. " Today is harvest, you must give your speach on how lovely it is that the peasents could attend the feast."

The queen reaches the flatten her daughter's hair. " You have 2 hours to be in the courtyard." She tells her, smoothing her hair only to watch it spring back

up. " And for goodness sakes, comb those dreads." She calls over her shoulder as she dashes away. Merida rolls her eyes as what seems like dozens of

servants, dressers and butlers stumble into the room.

***
Now she stands in a buttercup yellow dress that contours her curves perfectly in front of the kingdoms civilians. She watches the peasents sneer at her

body, watches the older women scrutinize her. If only they could see the tight corset beneath it, or feel how scratchy the waist was. Her makeup done up

to match the cheeriness of the dress. Her blonde hair falls in tight curls to her jaw. She looks around nervously, her eyes darting from her mother to the

crowd that surrounds her. She closes them and tries to imagine herself in a forest. The smell of sweat replaced by the smile of green pine, the glares from

town's folk replaced by the glimmer of the sun on the river. When she opens her eyes, the crowd has quieted enough to be able to hear her mother's voice.

" We gather you all here to celebrate yet another summer's worth of successful harvest!" The people roar over her mother at the last word. " Before we eat,

my beautiful daughter, Princess Merida, would like to say something." Aplause ravages the crowd as she steps forward, heart pulsing so loudly in her ears

that she wonders if they have quieted down or if she is just deaf. " Uhm-" She cuts herself off as the crowd silences. " I would like to thank the

working class to be able to join us on such a wonderful celebration." She starts, feeling blood rush to her face. " Food will be out shortly, while you wait

feel free to banter amongst yourselves. Let the feast commence!" The crowd screams and cheers as she steps aside, plastering a white smile on her face.