𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 ★ 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 ⁵

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐔𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍

────── ★★★ ──────

It wasn't long after they arrived on shore when they began trekking through the forest. Everyone was silent as they followed Merida, who walked much faster than anyone expected. What felt like an eternity passed when they came across a stone shack. The strange-looking group hid behind a log and peered around it to stare at the old building. Everly thought it didn't look like much, but she knew that looks could be deceiving.

"There's magic in there that can help us. We can use it to find my brothers," Merida whispered without taking her eyes off the stone building in the distance.

Belle hesitated for a moment as she took in their surroundings. "You sure that the witch isn't home?"

"No," the redheaded woman answered before glancing over at the woman standing beside her, "and what does it matter? We're only going to be inside long enough to use her cauldron."

The French woman watched Merida head toward the shack before turning to face the young trio standing behind her. "Stay here. Let us know if someone comes. We'll be right back."

Belle waited until receiving a nod in response from Everly, Sam, and Katherine before following the bear princess. It didn't take the Jones girl long to notice her redheaded friend staring at Merida. More precisely, the symbol on her belt. The Jones girl studied the symbol for a moment before a wave of realization washed over her. She waited until Belle and Merida were out of sight before turning toward the Scott girl. "Is that symbol the same as-"

"Yeah," Katherine interrupted while pulling her necklace out from under her cloak, "it matches my necklace."

"So you and Merida do have a connection," Sam declared, earning a small nod from the Scott girl before continuing to speak, "you should ask her what it means."

The redheaded girl's attention quickly moved toward the boy beside her, her eyes wide and held a hint of fear. "What if she doesn't wanna tell me? What if she can't tell me?"

The Jones boy couldn't help but smile as he took Katherine's hand into his own, making sure to give it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure she'll tell you everything once she sees your necklace."

Their conversation was soon cut short by the sound of a door opening and closing. When they turned their attention back to the hut, they found Merida walking out into the clearing with determination in her eyes. She quickly grabbed one of the chopped logs by the stone house to make a makeshift target. No one said a word as they watched her load an arrow onto her bow. The redheaded woman raised her arms to aim at the target before releasing the bowstring, letting the arrow fly. They watched it sail through the air before hitting the target dead center, which didn't surprise anyone. Merida soon loaded another arrow onto her bow and let it fly, splitting the first one in half. Everly had only ever seen one person do that, and that was Katherine.