Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons~Something Different

Chapter Six

Rapunzel ran as fast as she could as her hair was flying and her heart was pounding. She wasn't in this new place for ten minutes, and already she was being chased by something. And it just had to be a bear. Why couldn't be something harmless, like a bunny.
Her bare feet pounded on the ground like a beating drum. And it seemed like the bear was getting closer and closer. She could hear it's deep growl and snapping jaws. She knew that it would catch up with her.
Suddenly, she saw a nearby tree with a low branch. Quickly, she took her hair and threw it. With luck her hair wrapped around the branch. She climbed up and stood on the branch pulling up as much hair as she could.
Soon the bear was underneath the tree swiping his giant paws around as if a bug was flying around his face. Rapunzel tensed as she put her back to trunk of the tree. She now wished she chose a higher branch.
The bear got up on it's hind legs, and Rapunzel knew that she had no chance. She covered her face and let out a small scream.
Suddenly she heard the bear let out a roar of pain. Then nothing. Everything was silent and Rapunzel was unharmed. She slowly pulled her arms away from her face and looked down, and she saw the bear dead on the ground with an arrow in the back of it's head.
She looked up and about ten yards away was a girl on horse with a bow in her hand.

~~~~~

Merida slowly mounted off of Angus and approached the tree. Where a girl around her age, was standing in. She knew just by looking at her that she was not from around here. The girl had a colorful purple dress on, no shoes, and the strangest thing was that she had golden blonde hair about sixty or seventy feet long.
The girl's green eyes were wide with fear, and she was breathing hard.
Merida spoke softly, as if she was a spooked horse. "It's alright, I ain't gonna hurt ye." She put her bow down. The girl still looked afraid.
"Don' worry, I was aiming for the bear." Merida said with a smile. "Your lucky I came just in time."
The girl seemed to relax a little bit.
"I'm Merida." She continued.
The girl hesitated and then said,"Rapunzel."
Merida noticed she didn't have a Scottish accent
"Can ye come down?" Merida asked.
Slowly Rapunzel climbed down the tree avoiding the dead bear.
"Can you tell me where I am?" She asked.
"Ye're in Don Broch."
"Uh...more specific, please."
Merida cocked her eyebrow "Scotland."
Rapunzel's eyes widened as if she was surprised. Merida was confused.
"Are ye lost?" She asked
"No, I mean yes...I mean yes and no. I mean it's kinda a long story."
Merida shrugged "I got time."
Rapunzel looked at the ground and put her hand on the back of her neck.
"Well...I uhh....where do I start?.....ummm."
Merida waited, while the girl was figuring how to start her story. She was beginning to get impatient.
"You don't have to tell me everything now." Merida said.
Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief "Oh, good."
"Besides, I bet after the trauma you jest went through talkin' is maybe not what you need."Merida suggested
"Yeah..that would probably be best."
"What ye do need is a ride,"
"What?"
"Well since yer a visitor, I think ye need a decent tour of Scotland."
"You really don't have to do that.'
"Ya, but I'm goin' to anyway." Then Merida picked up her bow and mounted on Angus.
"Hop on." she said. Hesitantly the girl mounted on the giant horse.
"Do ye prefer to go fast ore slow? Merida asked
"Personally, I like to go fast." Rapunzel answered.
Merida smiled "Then you and I are goin' to get along great. Put ye hands on my
shoulders, it's about to get bumpy."
Then like a shot the horse galloped in the wilderness. And Rapunzel's hair was waving behind, like a silk banner.
Merida rode to her favorite row of trees, where she lined up targets to shoot at. She pulled out her bow, loosened an arrow, took aim, and released. It hit the center perfectly.
"Wow!" Shouted Rapunzel "You're really good."
Merida grinned. She didn't mind receiving compliments, at all.
"Oh that t'was nothin'." Merida scoffed.
She positioned herself backwards and shot the same target perfectly.
"Whoa!" Rapunzel gasped. "That's amazing!"
Merida swelled with pride. She always came out here alone, no one was there to notice her abilities. She was glad to finally have someone who appreciates it.
"Ye in the mood to see the fields?" She asked.
"Sure." Rapunzel said.
And off they went. Merida showed her, her most favorite places. She loved to go to the fields just to relax and occasionally carve a design on her bow.
Rapunzel eyes widened at the sight of the amber fields as the sun rose above it. Up over head she saw an eagle soaring over the plains. She was awestruck.
"This is so beautiful." She whispered
Merida nodded "Aye it is, isn't it."
They sat there in the grass. Merida told her about all the great things about Scotland, her being the princess she did know a lot. And Rapunzel listened to every word.
Merida asked her, "Are ye in the mood to begin yer story."
Rapunzel answered "I would but, I just don't know where to start."
"Jest start at the beginning."
"Sooo....the day I was born?"
Merida shrugged "Sure. That way I could get know ye."
"Are you sure?"
"Ya. Go on."
Rapunzel was shocked to think that someone was so interested in her. Nobody has done that since......Eugene. Her heart sank. Maybe talking about would help.
She took a deep breath and began, "Well everything actually started before I was born. You see my mother....."
She told everything to her. From being born with magical hair, to being kidnapped and raised in a tower, to meeting a thief called Flynn Rider (his real name was Eugene Fitzhurbert). She didn't leave out a single detail.
But then it came to Eugene's death. At first she hesitated. He just died. She didn't know if she wanted to be reminded of it again. But Merida was a good listener. She probably wouldn't understand, but she would listen.
So she told her about Eugene leaving, the promise he made, the letter, how her hair grew back, and the mirror. Through every word Rapuzel tried to hold back her tears.
"So.....that's why I'm here." She finished. She looked up into Merida eyes filled with sympathy.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered.
Rapunzel closed her eyes as a tear streamed down her face. She was relived to let it out. She flattened her hair and let out a sigh.
"So...we're you ever married?" She asked Merida.
"Nah, but I was goin' to be."
"What happened?"
"I turned my mum into a bear."
Rapunzel's eyes widened in shock "Ooookay...?"
Merida laughed "Maybe that wasn't the best way to start."
Rapunzel insisted she start at the beginning...the very beginning. So in exchange Merida told her life story. How she saw her first wisp, how she grew up with her mother's strict rules. How she accidentally turned her mother into a bear. And how she changed her fate.
"Wow!" Rapunzel exclaimed "What a great story!"
"Thanks."
Merida noticed that the sun was going down. "We better get goin'."
"We?" Rapunzel asked
"Ya. Ye obviously need a place to stay and lucky for ye, I have a really big one."
Rapunzel smiled "You really don't have to do that."
"Ya." Merida said "But I'm goin' to anyway."