Between Merida and The Mysterious Knight as romantic.
The Scottish highlands were alive with the rustle of leaves and the distant roar of waterfalls. Dusk was wrapping its cool blue cloak over the land, colors bleeding from the sky as the sun dipped beyond the horizon. The great stones of DunBroch stood timeless, their shadows elongating to merge with the coming night.
Princess Merida, her fiery red mane a stark contrast against the encroaching darkness, drew back her bow. The string hummed with tension, as did her heart, racing with the thrill of the hunt. Her eyes, the color of a stormy sea, zeroed in on the target—an errant thistle, daring to stand proud amongst the wild heath.
"Ye think ye can outsmart a princess?" Merida whispered to the unwitting plant. Releasing the string, she sent the arrow slicing through the air with deadly accuracy. The thistle bowed under the arrow's kiss while Merida’s chuckles mingled with the whispers of the forest.
But as she approached to claim her prize, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Merida stood still, suddenly aware that the whispers she heard were not from the woods, but from hushed human voices. Grasping another arrow, she melded into the shadows, moving with a hunter’s silent grace.
In the cover of the thicket lay an unexpected scene—a knight, with armor reflecting the dark hues of twilight, conversing with what looked like a robed druid. Merida recognized the silver emblem on the knight's chest, a sigil of a realm not her own—a realm believed to be in the depths of myth and shadow.
"Ye shouldnae be here," the druid's voice seemed to carry the weight of the earth, "Ye will find no allies in these lands. The shadows ye seek to chase are far more ancient and fickle than yer sword can fathom."
The knight's response was firm, touched with an accent foreign to Merida’s ears. "My sword may not sway the shadows, but my purpose is resolute. I seek the Princess of DunBroch. I bring a warning of a darkness that will not only threaten her kingdom, but all the realms of man and fae."
A chill ran down Merida’s spine. This knight knew of her, and spoke of dangers that harkened back to tales her mother used to quiet her with. Tales of old magic and curses whispered through the ages. Could this be another test of her fate? Pushing down a surge of uncertainty, Merida stepped out of the shadows and into the fray, her bow at the ready.
"And what darkness would that be?" Merida demanded, her voice carrying the authority of her royal bloodline. The knight turned, the setting sun catching the edge of a blade that was left resting in its sheath. What caught Merida more off guard, though, was the fellow’s eyes—a green so deep and knowing, they seemed to hold their own ancient tales.
"Princess Merida," the knight began with a respectful bow, "I am called to your lands by a prophecy of my people. A darkness grows, its heart beating beneath these grounds, and it seeks to unravel the threads that hold your clans together."
Merida lowered her bow slightly, her curiosity now piqued more than her wariness. "Prophecy? And what do these omens of yers have to do with me? Speak clearly, knight, or I'll have yers as the next target for my arrows," she warned, though the harshness of her words was betrayed by the glimmer of intrigue in her eyes.
The druid stepped back, melting away among the trees as if he were part of them, leaving the princess and the knight alone in the growing night.
"Our fates, your kingdom's and mine, are bound by threads unseen," sighed the knight. "The menace we face is not one of flesh and blood, but of the spirit, a curse set upon one of your clans from within. My arrival here is the first step in untangling that curse."
Merida considered this, the ember of adventure igniting within her. "A curse, ye say? Then show me this knightly resolve of yers, and we'll see what the spirits have to say about that."
And with those words, an unlikely alliance was forged under the crescent moon, setting into motion events that would stir the very spirits of Scotland themselves.