Chapter 10

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Merida lied her head against Angus's neck. As she started to drift off to sleep, she heard giggling. Merida sat up and glanced around the forest; far off, in the corner of her eye, she saw a line of golden hair slithering on the ground. Merida stumbled up off the ground and sprinted towards the hair. She called after it, "Rapunzel!? Rapunzel, come back!" weaving back and forth between trees.

Just then she tripped on a tree root. "Uff!" Merida fell onto the ground in a cloud of dust. "Ugh!" She staggered getting up, "Rapunzel?" She looked around. Rapunzel was in someones arms. "Who..?" She looked young, with black curly hair, and she held Rapunzel whispering "Mother knows best."

Merida called out for Rapunzel but she couldn't hear her. As they started walking away, Merida tried to run after them, but the woman stomped her foot and the ground split between them and Merida fell into the crack.

"No!" Merida yelled sitting up, breathing heavily. She looked around. "It.. It was a dream?" She laid her head in her hands and tried to catch her breath. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a blue light flickering in the distance. Merida lifted her head and her eyebrows furrowed, "..The wisps?"

"Meeeridaa.." It whispered.

She hopped across the stones in the stream and reached for the wisp on the bank. It vanished and a trail of them lead out into the forest. Merida followed them cautiously, since the last time they appeared she ran into Mor'du. She trailed after them and wondered where they were leading her. They lead her to a space of the forest covered in vines and branches.

She walked around it till she found an opening and walked under it. There was a small house, 'Maybe they've seen Rapunzel.' She thought, walking up to the door and knocking. There was rattling and the door cracked open. a woman peeked through, "Can i help you?" she asked, eyeing Merida.

"Um, yes, have you seen a girl with long blonde hair?" Merida asked, worriedly.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" She said and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, well she's missing and i was looking for her." Merida started fidgeting.

They heard the leaves move and both looked at the entrance. Rapunzel was carrying a small basket of berries.

"Rapunzel!?" Merida yelled and tackled her.

"Merida!" Rapunzel dropped her basket and hugged her.

"Where've you been!?" Merida asked.

"I went looking for you. I saw you ride off last night and i wasn't about to lose you." She said looking in Merida's eyes. Merida stared back.

"Ehem. Well, lets not dottle now. Grab the basket so i can make the pie and come sit down." The woman said going back inside.

Merida helped Rapunzel up, "Who's she?"

"That's my mother, Gothel." She said grabbing the basket and leading Merida to the house. Merida sat down and Rapunzel started to wash the berries.

"What was your name, dear?" Gothel asked.

"Merida." She said, stealing a berry from the pile. "So where've you been?"

"Pardon me?" Gothel asked.

"You left Rapunzel. Why?" She looked up and recognized the woman, but she couldn't put her finger on anything.

"Oh, well uh." Gothel stammered, "I had a bit to drink that night and i just couldn't remember which path to take."

"Mother, I thought you said you got lost, because the weather was bad and it was dark." Rapunzel said and looked up from mashing berries.

"Oh yes, well that was part of it." She lied, taking the bowl and mashing the berries quickly. Merida narrowed her eyes at her but said nothing.

"Merida?" Rapunzel said making drinks. "Where did you go last night?"

Merida blushed, "Oh, uh, i really needed to go to the market but i had forgotten till it got dark."

"Oh. Okay." Rapunzel sat next to her and handed her a cup of tangerine tea.

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