Brave Twins

Chapter 3

The preparations had ended. The before party had ended. The festival had ended. Now it was time for the real competition to begin. To say the very least, and I mean the very least, I was miserable."The first born from each clan must try to win the hand of the youngest princess, and they must compete in a sport of the princess's choice!"

I was bored. I was sad. I just... Passively watched this all go on. Blah blah. Choose a sport. How about sword fighting? But wait...

"Archery!"I suddenly stood and exclaimed. I had no clue what Merida was planning. Not in the least. But I trusted her to do something that would help.

Not something smart, never from my sister. But, something. I trusted it would work. Probably. Everyone was looking at me now, from my sudden outburst. So, elegantly, making myself look more ladylike, I said again, "I choose archery."

And so, the contestants came up. One from each clan, each boy not very attractive at all. Boys didn't particularly interest me, anyway. Two of them looked decent. Then there was Sir Scrawny. Lies told by his father, he looked pathetic, and probably was; The bigger the lie, the further from the truth.

There was beauty, brawn, and... Young Dingwall. And so, they tried. And it made me cringe to watch. Brawn didn't even hit the target. Beauty missed the mark, then proceeded to throw a very unattractive tantrum. Then, there was Scrawny. I felt bad for him. The poor wee lamb didn't even know how to shoot. It was going well.

If they didn't know how to shoot, then all of them would get awful scores. And if that happened, they would all go home and leave me and Rida alone.

Or maybe that was hopeful thinking. Very hopeful thinking. But, that thinking was shattered to pieces, as our dear old Dad yelled at the poor lad.

"SHOOT, BOY!"

Shocked by the yelling, he did just that. And he hit it dead center. I swear, that for that second, my heart quit beating. The world was ending around me. Only Merida and her crazy plan can save me from a miserable future. She was always a lifeline for me, but now she was more than ever.

Then, a cloaked figure came up, carrying a bow. Their body movements showed their anger. Stiff, mechanical. Their cloak was black as night, but shone like the stars, in the bright sun. But wait... I knew that cloak from somewhere... My stomach dropped, as everyone whispered. The figure yanked the hood off, and I almost slapped myself for thinking that this could have possibly been anything than what I was expecting.

There she was. Wearing the hood, with her bow held proudly.

"I am Merida, the FIRST BORN of the Dunbrah Clan!"

She turned to me. Her eyes blazed. She was furious.

"And I'll be shooting for the hand of my sister!"

    The only one that rivaled her fury was Mum.