Merida stood up.
She spoke loudly so that her voice could be heard all through the Great Hall. “I’d like to propose a plan.”
All faces turned up to her. Elinor’s face went immediately worried. Fergus simply looked like someone had stuffed bees in his cloak. The Dásachtach’s men looked mystified, as if watching someone with bees stuffed in their cloak.
Wolftail shielded his eyes. “Who’s up there?”
“I am Merida of DunBroch,” she called down. She used her most royal, confident voice. “The princess you’d like to see married. I can tell you why my parents will not agree to marry me off, even though it would make their life easier. Many years ago, they agreed I could choose my own hand, and so they won’t ask me to marry against my wishes. And the triplets are simply not prepared for battle, so that’s right out, too. But if you’re truly here about loyalty rather than coercion, then we’re in agreement! DunBroch believes in kinship, as you can see.”
She gestured to her parents, who arranged their faces to look less like taxidermied animals and more like royalty. They inclined their heads.
Wolftail now lowered his head and bunched his cloak on his shoulders in such a way that his hackles appeared to bristle. “Then do you have a counter proposition?”
“The goal is community, right? Family?” she said. “Well, I’ve been traveling all over DunBroch this year and I’m more than willing to travel further in the name of community! If it’s acceptable to you, I’ll go to three territories on diplomatic passages to improve relationships with our neighbors.”
The same plan that she had decided on earlier that day. How wonderful it would be to use one solution to fulfill another. Cross the angry warlord off one list, cross the frightening gods off another.
Wolftail growled, “That will not satisfy Lord mac Alpin. Travel’s not enough. We traveled here on a diplomatic passage, after all, and I think you’ll find we’re no more friendly with DunBroch than when we arrived, are we?”
Merida went on, “But that’s not all. At the end of the journeys, I’ll choose one of the kingdoms to join. Not as a wife, mind you, but as family. As kin.”
Elinor’s mouth dropped regally open in shock. Fergus went even redder. Leezie said, “Oh, Merida!” again. The Dásachtach’s men murmured among themselves.
Eventually, Wolftail said, “Lord mac Alpin will never believe that is as tight a union as marriage.”
Merida whispered, “Stand up, Leezie.”
Leezie stood. The men blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of another girl, and with even more surprise as Leezie waved at them. They were taken aback, as people always were, by her Leezieness. She was still in her festive headdress and she still looked as if she could use some help.
Merida put a firm arm around Leezie’s waist. “This is Leezie Muireall, daughter of Jonet. She’s been with us just four years, since her mum died, but she’s my sister. Not by blood, but in every other way. My heart near to broke when I found out she was getting married, because we’re that close. I’d live and die for her same as any of my brothers.”
“Really?” Leezie said. “Ah, thanks.”
Merida went on. “Kin bonds have to be won, not just stitched, or they can be snipped just as easily. Give me a chance to go see which family might have me, and who I might have.”
The men looked at Leezie and Merida. They looked at Fergus and Elinor. They looked at Wolftail. In the background, they could all hear the sounds of Harris’s dog Brionn whining and barking his high youthful bark and scratching at the other side of the chest. Merida’s cheeks burned with embarrassment over the shoddiness of the blockade in front of the door, but she hoped they just interpreted it as passion for her proposal.
“And how will we know of your progress?” Wolftail asked finally.
It was working. They were considering it. Merida said, “I’ll send word from each territory, and your lord will have his proof.”
Wolftail’s hackles were lowering. He snarled, “This is a strange place.”
“Merida’s proposal is more than fair,” Elinor said. She’d returned to her usual self-contained form, with no evidence that she’d ever been out of step with her daughter. “Do you accept it?”
“He’d be bloody mad to not,” Fergus said. “Is this about peace or isn’t it?”
Wolftail shrugged. “Yes. The bargain is made.”
AFTER Wolftail’s men had taken their leave with their big ugly fighting dogs and the rest of the boar, Aileen’s staff immediately scurried back into the Great Hall to begin cleaning the mess. Merida remained there on the balcony, her hands pressed into the railing, her heart thudding in a way it hadn’t been during all of her speech. Leezie thoughtlessly rubbed her hands against her cheeks over and over as if she was trying to warm them, her big eyes vague but distressed. Across the Great Hall, Merida saw the triplets on the opposite balcony, looking down at the castle staff doing their work. Hamish looked pale. Hubert had a wooden sword in his hand and kept smacking it off balcony supports. Harris simply watched Merida.
So this was their Christmas. Merida felt hollowed out. She didn’t think she could bear seeing her parents making light of this and sweeping it all under the rug. Not after the night and day she’d just had.
“Leave it!” Fergus roared suddenly.
Everyone in the Great Hall stopped. Merida’s father stood in the middle of the disarray, his great big arms hung down by his great big sides.
“Fergus, what are you about?” Elinor asked.
Fergus mashed one big fist into one big palm. “I won’t have it. It’s Christmas. It’s Christmas, and I won’t have everyone’s Christmas ruined by those pups. Is all the feast on the floor?”
“First courses, sir,” Aileen said. “And half the meats. I held back some for the next courses.”
Fergus stretched a hand to her as if revealing a magic trick. “She held back some for the next courses. There’s still a feast. You see?”
“Yes, sir, but the villagers have all been driven away,” Aileen said. “And what’s left is a hodgepodge, not suited for tabling—”
But Elinor had brightened, all her confusion disappearing. She smoothed her hair around her veil and knocked invisible wrinkles from her dress. “Fergus, my love, of course you’re right. Aileen, I know this isn’t the feast you’d imagined. But please take the staff to the kitchen and pack up everything that’s left for travel.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Gille Peter, ready the horses!” Fergus howled.
Merida and Leezie exchanged a look.
“Are we going to battle?” Leezie asked.
“With biscuits?” Merida said. Although as soon as she said it, she realized that going to battle with biscuits was the only way she could imagine DunBroch doing it.
“Girls!” Fergus shouted up. “Stop your havering! Get down here! Boys! Down! We’re going out!”