Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons [COMPLETED]

Chapter 1

     NOTE: The story starts out in one of the first scenes of the movie Brave. But bear (tee hee) with me. It changes toward the end of the Chapter. Plus, keep in mind that this story takes place during the movies of the Big Four except for Jack. It takes place before his.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Merida entered the dining hall, late for dinner...as usual. She rolled her eyes as she listened to her father once again telling her triplet brothers of his last fight with Mor'du. While Hamish was entertaining himself by mimicking his father's story-telling, Hubert and Harris looked like they needed someone to save them.

        Aww, wee lambs. Well, Dad, let me show you how to really tell the story.  She adjusted the plate stacked high with goodies to her right side so she could gesture with her left.

        "...I drew my sword and—"

        "WHOOSH!" The triplets jumped to attention at their sister's intrusion, "One swipe, his sword shattered, and CHOP!" Merida clawed the air like chomping jaws, "Dad's leg was clean off! Down the monster's throat it went."

        King Fergus groaned. "That's my favorite part!"

        She moved around the edge of the table as she continued her story. "Mor'du has never been seen since, and is roaming the wild, awaitin' his chance of revenge." Merida leaped around her father's right side with a growl while clawing her fingers. Aye. I know that story backwards and forwards. Chuckling, the Scottish princess took her place at the table and placed her mountainous plate in front of her with her bow on the table.

        Right on cue, her mother chimed in. "Merida, a princess does not place her weapons on the table."

      "Mo-om," Merida sighed, frustrated. "It's just my bow!" Why does she have to always bother me about it when she has plenty of room down there?

        "A princess should not have weapons in my opinion," Queen Elinor replied.

     "Leave her be," King Fergus defended his daughter. "Princess or not learning to fight is essential."

        Merida was glad her dad always had her back. Excitement bubbled inside Merida's stomach at the thought of what she had accomplished that afternoon. "Mom, you'll never guess what I did today." Merida hooked her bow over the back of her chair and sat down. "I climbed the Comb's Tooth and drank from the Fire Falls." She felt pride swell in her chest at the look of astonishment her little brothers gave her.

        "Fire Falls?" her father asked. "They say only ancient kings were brave enough drink the fire."

        Merida wrinkled her nose at her dad and chuckled. He winked back.

        "What did you do, dear?" Queen Elinor asked, not even bothering to look up from her documents.

        Hope died within Merida. "Nothing." I probably could disappear into thin air and you-.

        Queen Elinor looked at the heap of goodies in front of Merida. "Hungry, aren't we?"

     "Mo-om," Merida sighed in exasperation. She was not in the mood to have yet another discussion about her figure when it was perfectly fine. Thankfully, the two dogs jumped into King Fergus's lap and licked his face while Maudy brought in the mail to distract the queen. As Merida slipped the goodies under the table to her brothers, she noticed that one of the letters had the Berk crest on it. Berk? Merida usually heard their Viking neighbors mentioned along with the Great War that had united the four clans. "The Northern Invaders" they were always called. What could those blood-thirsty mongrels want?