#same with aileen but it’s even worse for her lol

[almond-tofu-chan]

shoutout to Yoo Mia and Lee Seolwha, both extremely important characters (literally yjh’s sister and ex-wife) who never get to do anything, they’re deadass two of my fave characters

[aileen-hollingsworth]

B R O K E N   P I E C E S ~#14

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A/N: Ok, this takes place a few days after the funeral and the northern rebel attack that happened with Aliya ages ago. This fic mostly centers around Haiden and Aileen’s friendship, but there’s mild Colleen at the end. Thanks @haidenschreave for the rp. Ft. Haiden, Cole, and mild mention of Naomi. I hope it makes sense lol. Cass, watch out for the pun, it’s good.

||Aileen||

After visiting Naomi at the hospital—screaming with her for an hour about ‘how long has this been a thing’—I decided it was time to tell Haiden about me and Cole as well. And so I found myself knocking on his door repeatedly. I’m just gonna say it.

The door opened a few seconds later. “Haiden I—”

He gave me a puzzled look when I paused, but I was too focused on the way he carelessly leaned on the doorway and the exhaustion written all over his face. He smelled like alcohol.

“Aileen?”

I remained silent for a while, the words I’d been planning to say sticking on my throat. I knew he was still getting over everything that had happened in the last two weeks and it had been worse after the funeral—the sadness in his eyes could be seen by anyone after it—but I was hoping it wouldn’t get worse. Suddenly I remembered why I’d been waiting to give him the good news. Wouldn’t it be insensitive of me? What if he thought I was rubbing it in on his face?

I settled with embracing him in a hug and it took him a moment to react with a groan. “You've been gone for a week. You can't possibly miss me already.”

That didn’t make me let go. “I couldn't talk to you at the funeral; I just wanted to check up on you. And I can totally miss you if I please.”

He pulled me into his room and slumped onto his chair, pressing his fingers on his temples. “Agh, don't talk so quickly.”

I tilted my head at his oversensitivity and asked, “How many?” as I sat on the carpet.

He shrugged. “I... don't know. It sort of blurred.”

Staring at the ground I scolded myself for not checking up on him before, especially after what I’d found in Cole’s room—the one thing in Cole’s room that wasn’t his. I thought he needed some space but… I sighed looking back at him. “Do you want me to get you something for the headache?”

“No, let me suffer.”

“You're a lot more dramatic when you're drunk.”

“I'm not drunk anymore. Just hungover and sad. Will you grab that bottle of vodka from my armoire?”

Sure, will. I stood up and went for it, but instead of offering him a glass I headed for the bathroom to throw it in the sink.

He watched as vodka slowly poured out of the nozzle. “That physically hurts me.”

“You need a break from it, sorry.”

“Come on, give me my fun.”

I wanted to yell at him that he’d probably been having fun with it for a whole week, but I knew that wouldn’t help, so I just kept on pouring it on the sink. “Haiden, this won't fix things.”

“Maybe not, but it makes me feel better.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow at the way he hazily sat on the chair—it seemed like he would slip off of it any second now. “You feel better right now?”

“Better than I felt last night.”

I wished I knew what to say. “Look, I won't pretend I know how you feel right now, but I don't think this is the best way to deal with it.” I walked back to him with the empty bottle. “We can talk about it if you want…or we can go to the roof, I know you like it there.”

“I don't really want to do anything.” He admitted with a shrug.

Maybe he doesn’t want you here either. I looked down at the bottle. “Do you... Do you want me to leave? Or is it okay if I stay?”

“No, stay.”

I nodded and walked over to his bed before sitting on the edge. “I'm sorry if I'm not being helpful.”

He shook his head. “It's not your fault... Uh, what did you need?”

“Oh, um…” I analyzed the craftsmanship of his bedposts in an attempt to hide my lie. “It was nothing really. Just wanted to see how you were doing.”

He didn’t buy it. “No, tell me. You're my best friend, Aileen.”

I smiled at his last sentence. Sometimes I wondered why he mentioned it so often, but it was nice to hear. “You're mine too...but it might not be the right moment.”

“Is it good?”

I failed to hide my grin. “I'd say so.”

“Then tell me, please.” He seemed eager to hear some good news. Okay, maybe it’s not a bad idea.

“We kissed.” I blurted out and he sat up correctly.

“We? Yeah, I know that.”

“No, no…” I shook my head, but then stopped. “I mean... yes, we did, but that's not what I'm talking about right now.” Nice going, Aileen, making a lot of sense. “Cole. And me. We kissed.”

Haiden blinked. “Oh. Oh! Uh... great?”

I reached for a pillow and threw it at him. He shrunk when it made contact, and then the pillow fell harmlessly to the floor. “Thanks for the enthusiasm.”

“I'm sorry, it just surprised me. I didn't think Cole had the guts to do it.”

I laughed, but then came to a halt when I realized something. “Wait...now that I think about it I never told Cole I wasn't actually competing in the Selection, yet he kissed me anyway...” Cole had known I wasn’t participating when he’d kissed me. I was sure of it. He knew there was a possibility I liked him back. Smirking at Haiden I asked, “Did you tell him?”

“Technically...” he admitted, begrudgingly, but then, “I didn't think he'd remember.”

“Why wouldn't he remember?”

“He was sort of dying.”

“Oh... You pick some lousy moments to talk about important things.”

“Better late than never.” He tapped his fingers on his knee. “So, uh, how was it?” He royally sucked at showing excitement for the news, but I took what I got with a smile as I let my back fall to the bed.

“Good. He told me how he felt about me, and we were both kind of cheesy around the whole situation” I laughed thinking of Cole’s lie detector “but it ended with a kiss...” And now we see each other all the time.

“Good, good. I'm... happy for you.”

I reached for a pillow to cover my face and groaned, the pillow making it a strange muffled sound. “I really like him. Why didn't I realize it before?”

“Because you're stupid.” Haiden replied with nonchalance.

“You're stupid.” My muffled voice countered.

“I know.”

I sighed and took the pillow off my face, using my elbows as support to raise my head from the bed. He seemed a bit better. More like himself.

“You doing okay?” he asked after my staring.

“You once said you would tell me who you were going to pick beforehand, to see what I thought of her, so I'll extend the same courtesy.” His judgment was usually confusing, but I trusted it when it came to things that really mattered. “What do you think of him? Not personally, but....you know...for me. What do you think of him as a person?”

“Obviously he and I aren't... friends. But we're family and maybe he's not so bad. If you like him, then that's all that matters. He's a good guy.”

“You think you'll manage not to kill each other?”

“We've managed for twenty years. I think we can manage twenty more.”

I raised an eyebrow with amusement. “Just twenty more?”

“Maybe twenty-one.”

“So... you'll kill each other when you reach your forties?”

“We'll both be old and crippled, we won't get that far.”

“My parents are on their forties.”

“So are mine. We can't have everything.”

“My mother would be highly offended.”

He gave an annoyed glance. “Well, you're not going to tell her.”

“What makes you so sure I won't?” I teased.

“Then you'll never date Cole.”

Is that the best threat drunk-Haiden can come up with? “I don't see how those two things collide with each other.”

“They do, shush.”

“Bad comeback, Haiden.”

“I never said I was gifted in the art of comebacks.”

“Pity.” I crossed my legs on the bed. “Anyway, what about you? How are things going with the girls? I know you'll pick the last four soon.”

“It's... tense, but easier.”

“Define tense.”

“I don't know. It's just... tense.” Haiden, clearly you’ve never read a dictionary.

“Hasn't it always been like that?”

“Yeah, but it's different.”

“In a bad sense?”

“Not exactly.”

“You said you thought you liked someone, is that person still on the...” I tried to think of the right term. “Uh, top of the list?”

“Wouldn't you like to know.”

“Oh, come on. I'm not even asking for a name.”

“Okay, fine.” He slumped on the chair again. “She is.”

“Does she like you back?”

“I mean, I hope so.”

“You hope so?” I repeated with a laugh.

“You know I can't read hints.”

“Have you kissed?”

“Maybe.”

“Did she seem to...” I made hand gestures “you know… like it?”

He threw his arms in the air. “I don't know!”

“Goodness, Haiden. Girls aren't as hard to read!”

“Yes they are!”

“Nuh uh!” We sounded like children, but didn’t care. “Guys, are a lot more complicated.”

“No, guys are not complicated.”

“Well, girls aren't complicated either.” I pointed at him accusingly. “I remember lots of girls thought of you as a complete enigma when this started.” That finally got a laugh out of him and I smiled at my small victory before going on. “They thought you were too distant and shy. You can imagine my confusion.”

“Maybe I am distant and shy.”

“I never thought of you as shy.”

“Really? Then again, our first date was actually interesting.”

I snorted. “Yeah, we stole bread and you pretended to be Rose from Titanic. Shyness wasn't the first impression I got.”

“Hey, at least we can say our ship sunk, am I right?”

He winked and I burst out laughing, my back falling to the bed again. “YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT.”

“Oh, I did.”

I tried to contain my laugh. Aliya would be proud of that pun. “I hate you.”

“I know.”

“Do you hate me back? I am trying to establish the deepness of our friendship here.”

“Of course I hate you. You are my best friend, after all.”

“Hmm, very well… Oh!” I did an awkward backflip on the bed to be on a sitting position again, a question popping into my head. “Have you brought anyone new into your room?”

He frowned. “What kind of question is that?”

I rolled my eyes with a grunt at his double meaning thinking, but then jokingly gestured at the bed to tease him. “Oh, you know what I mean.”

“Uh-huh, right.”

“Seriously though, I just mean your room in general. And don't pretend it's not a relevant question. Being comfortable enough to bring them into your room is very important.”

“Okay, maybe one or two.”

“Good, good. Let's see what else I can get out of you....you know who your last four will be?”

After that he admitted he wasn’t planning on a final four. Instead he would pick the last three and then choose ‘the One.’

“Really?” I was surprised he’d narrowed it down so easily after all. “Well, that's nice.”

He nodded, and then silence took over the room again as he placed his elbows on his knees to stare at the floor. “Aileen?”

“Mhmm?”

“I'm scared.”

He gave me a worried glance and I stood up from the bed to make my way to him. “That's ok... but you don't have to be. Things will work out.”

His jaw clenched. “Everyone keeps saying that, but...”

“But?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“What if she says no?”

Giving him a sympathetic smile I pushed him off of the chair so I could sit on the floor with him. Always pushing limits. “Why would she say no?”

He groaned at my question. “I don't know. Maybe she's in love with a guard or something…Or maybe my cousin. Oh wait, someone already did that.”

I stuck my tongue out at him after his last statement. “Don't be bitter. We both knew we were just friends.” Then coming back to him and the remaining girls I added, “And I'm pretty sure if you pick someone it'll be because you know she loves you back… Also, I haven't heard rumors of anyone being secretly in love with guards, so there's that.” Not any of the remaining girls at least.

“Well, I am an awful judge in character. Makes sense since you're my best friend.”

I gasped, bringing a hand to my chest, playing the offended part. “You know, I can just leave right now. Then you can sulk by yourself. I bet it'll be fun.”

“I'll just find my other stash of vodka.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and started standing up. “Fine then. I'll leave.”

He reached for my wrist and made me sit down again. “I was kiddingggg.”

I grabbed the pillow that had remained on the floor after I threw it at him earlier and hit him with it again. “I feel like you call me your best friend all the time so I don't forget it's true.”

“No. It's for myself.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

He looked the other way. “It's so that I... never forget that I'm not alone.”

“Haiden…” I felt the air escape my lungs, his words leaving me speechless as tears blurred my vision. It was like something inside me broke—that piece that belonged to him.

“You're not.” I mumbled, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He squeezed my shoulders, crying softly into my hair. I could only hug him tighter as I tried to keep my own tears at bay. He rarely showed such vulnerability, but when he did it hurt me too. “You're not alone, Haiden. You hear me? You're not alone.”

“I know I'm not and that's the scariest part.”

“What do you mean?”

“For once in my life I have people that don't have to care about me but do. I keep wondering what I've done to deserve it.”

I finished the hug to look at him. “Haiden, you're incredibly kind with a lot of people. You're funny in your own way, you try to help when you can, and—whether you think you show it or not—you care about people. Why would they not care back for you? Sometimes one can earn things without realizing it.”

“It just feels like the universe hates me, you know?”

Seems like we both think inanimate objects hate us. I wiped away the tears that had formed in my eyes before taking his head between my hands to make him look at me. “The universe isn't a being, therefore it can't hate you, got it? You say you feel like you haven't earned these things...and yes, sometimes it's like that...but in those cases all you can do is enjoy what you've been given and try to make yourself worthy of it all. Try your best. Sometimes I don't think I've done enough to be deemed such a good friend by you...yet here I am.”

He shook his head at my last words. “But you are.”

“Exactly,” I nudged him lightly “and so are you. We all have our quirks Haiden, that doesn't mean we don't deserve the care of others.”

“I don't know. Maybe I don't.” He mumbled, and I contemplated hitting him again.

“Why would I hang with you if you didn't?”

“Because you're stupid.” He stated for the second time that day, giving me a weak smile before I hit him with the pillow. “You wound me so.”

“They do say love hurts.” I said, attempting a joke.

“Mmhm, Cole would know.”

“Are you saying I'll make him suffer?”

“Most definitely.”

I clicked my tongue. “I will not.”  Just the thought of hurting him made me feel horrible.

Haiden was determined on his point though. “That's what love is, isn't it? Pain.”

I shook my head. “No, love is trust and hope. It's caring and protecting the people you hold dearest...but it's also something you have to fight for sometimes in the world we live in.”

“Everyone must be doing it wrong then.”

“Sadly humans don't get it right half the time…I like to do my best though. I won't stop trying just because others fail. People say it's painful because it's hard.” I thought of Sam and how hard it was to be with him sometimes. We were better now, but not quite there just yet. Sometimes it was painful because it was a hard to forget what had happened.

“Maybe it's painful because you love them in the first place.”

“It does require sacrifice sometimes.” I thought of how my mother decided to leave her caste to marry my father—at the time not knowing her family would accept the decision one day—then my thought drifted to Sam once more. No matter how mad I’d been at him when he’d left, I missed him constantly. “It might also be painful when you're not with them.”

“Is that how you know?”

“If you love them?” I looked up at the ceiling. “I don't know... I believe love can be a lot of things. Blissful, consuming, crazy, sometimes complicated when we make it complicated...but I don't think it should be painful.”

I tried to think of a more specific answer. “You know because you want to spend time with them. Not only because you have fun with them but because it feels right. Because you want to know everything about them. You want to be part of their everyday.” I wanted to be a part of Cole’s every day. “You want to be the reason behind that smile.” That curious tilt before his laugh came. “And it's a love you’re willing to fight for even when it gets rough—because it does get rough. No matter how much you love someone, nothing is ever perfect.”

“You say it like you know.”

A grin slowly appeared on my face. “I like to believe I do. And I don't say it only because of Cole… though there's nothing like his stupid grin...” I cleared my throat “but because of my family and friends too.”

He nodded, absently staring at the carpet, so I elbowed him lightly. “Haiden…”

“Aileen…”

“That includes you as well.”

“I know…it’s just weird.”

“What is weird? Love?”

“Love. Life. Everything.”

I nudged him again with a wary smile. “Well, it's a good thing you're not alone on it, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He mumbled, still not very cheery.

I stared at the carpet beneath us. “If you ever need anything you can call me...or get Cole.”

He nodded slowly. “I know.”

“And don't you dare give me the 'I didn't want to bother you' excuse. Ever.”

“But what if I don't?”

“No Haiden. I don't care. Whatever it is it can't be as bad as finding out you did something stupid because of it.”

“Chill, Aileen, I'm not suicidal or anything.”

His reply made me clench my jaw and I avoided his gaze as I looked the other way. “I'm not saying you are....I just...I talked with Cole.”

He stared at me for a moment before sighing and putting his head in his hands. “He told you.”

I sighed too, remembering Cole’s words. He would never trust me with anything else if I told people about this, don’t you get it? We’d agreed I wouldn’t bring it up with Haiden, but there was no going back now. The orange bottle with the word Xanax written over it came to mind. “He didn't mean to tell me, I just found them in his room by accident and he had to explain.”

“I-It's... not important.”

“Do you think he has a problem?” I’d asked Cole as I stared at the bottle.

He’d hesitated only for a second before saying, “There’s a possibility.”

“Haiden, come on...”

“Aileen, r-really, don't worry about it.”

“You promised you wouldn't lie to me anymore.” I stared right at him. “Look me in the eye and tell me I don't have to worry about this.” A lump formed in my throat. “I dare you.”

“What would you do to me if I did?”

“You mean, if you're lying?”

“Whichever.”

I wasn’t sure what I would do if he dared to lie. “I wouldn't risk lying if I were you.”

“Then I won't say anything.”

I pursed my lips, disappointment gnawing at me as I stood up. “If you can't admit there's a problem I can't help you.”

“You don't need to help me. I'm handling it.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.”

I crouched down in front of him. “Then look me in the eye and tell me I don't have to worry about this.”

He clenched his jaw. “I can't do that.”

“You're contradicting yourself.”

Frowning, he finally looked me in the eye. “I can't look you in the eye because I know you'll think I'm lying because I'm sweaty and clammy and my pupils are dilated, but that's only because I'm going through withdrawal and in reality I don't have a handle on it and I don't want to admit that to myself, let alone you. Is that a good enough explanation? Huh?”

“Yes.” I stood up again and headed to his desk to pour him some water. “That's good enough.”

When I handed him the glass he took it but only to drop it onto the floor. Now he was the only one acting like a child. I stared at the water and scooted away from its path. “Is that supposed to make me feel bad?”

He shrugged, staring the other way. I let out a “hmm” before pouring another glass, but instead of offering it to him like the first time, I let the water fall on his head. He only flinched as the water made contact with his hair, but didn’t move away. When the glass was empty he sighed, letting his gaze fall.

“I suppose I deserved that.”

I patted his head. “You needed to cool down one way or the other.”

He shrugged off his suit coat to wipe his face with it and I headed to the bathroom, grabbing one of his towels to throw on his face. “Accepting it is a good start, Haiden. I'm not trying to be pushy here, it's just necessary.”

“You were never supposed to know.” He mumbled and I smacked him lightly on the head.

“Well, too bad. And don't dare to blame this on Cole. He only told me because I threatened him.”

“Right.” He rolled his eyes and I scoffed.

“You don't believe me?”

“Whatever.”

“What do you mean whatever?”

“You probably should go.”

I frowned down at him. “Are you being serious?”

“I-I need to be alone. Before I say something I regret.”

I remembered when he’d said something he shouldn’t to Elaine. Apparently it had been bad enough to make her avoid him for weeks. “Haiden...”

“Aileen. Please.”

Closing my eyes I took a deep breath, accepting I should go. I might pretend to handle mean words well… but if they came from someone I cared about I was never unharmed. “Fine.” I made my way to the door, but turned around before opening it, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t just leave him like this.

He wiped the forming tears from his eyes and said, “Say hello to Cole for me,” yet I couldn’t tell if it was him being nice or him giving me some sort of jealous reproach. I just closed my mouth and looked at the ground.

“Sure...” I clenched my fists in anticipation. “I'll see you later...?”

“Yeah... maybe.”

I quickly turned my eyes to the door again, the use of the word ‘maybe’ hitting me harder than I would have liked. What have I done? “Right.” I didn’t leave in time. Opening the door I looked over my shoulder at him on last time, something inside my chest constricting. “Goodnight, Haiden.”

“Goodbye, Aileen” was all he mumbled back, and somehow the change of that simple word, made the pain in my chest worse.

I closed the door behind me and tears inexplicably appeared at the corner of my eyes. What have I done? Walking without thinking I headed to Cole’s room—half of me screaming I shouldn’t have brought the pills up and the other half telling me Haiden needed to acknowledge the problem himself—even if it made things hard for me, it was the right thing to do. Because that’s what friends do. They care for you even when things get rough.

||Cole||

I opened the door and found Aileen with glassy eyes. Instinctively, I reached for her face and asked what had happened—after all the stupid rebel attacks I even felt compelled to check if she wasn’t hurt. I could tell she’d been trying not to cry.

“I talked with Haiden…” she mumbled, her sight dropping to the ground. 

She always talked with Haiden, and usually she came back with a smile and some story to tell, so it took me a while to understand she’d talked with him. She’d brought up the pills I’d been keeping in my room for him.

“Was it really bad?” If he said something to her I swear…

“No. He asked me to leave before it got there…but still…two words…” her arms were around my torso before she could finish the sentence. “He’s mad at me. He’s never been mad at me.”

Her arm had grazed my wound. It wasn’t too bad anymore but after our encounter with that other rebel after Aunt Alize’s funeral I still had to hold in a grunt at the touch. For her. “He’ll come around.”

“But…”

“Hey, he’s stupid sometimes but he’s not an idiot.” Usually. “Just give it a few days.”

She nodded and I wiped the tears that had fallen from her eyes. Then I kissed her nose, and her cheeks, and her forehead, and her cheekbones, until she started giggling.

“Stop that.” She smiled warily as she tried to pull away, but I’d linked my hands behind her lower back.

“Why?” I kissed the spot between her eyebrows. “I have to do something to stop you’re crying.” I kissed her nose again and she finally let out a small laugh. Nose kisses were her weakness.

“You’re hopeless, you know?”

“Anything to get a smile on your face, Firework.”

A grin spread across her face after that.

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[heart-of-dunbroch]

MERIDA DUNBROCH: CHARACTER SHEET 

Wishing, wanting for something more, always better than I had before. Who knew these dreams would come true? And I run the red, won't stop at night, I don't care for traffic lights. Things ain't moving quick enough for me. I guess I've been running round town leaving my tracks, burning out rubber, Driving too fast But I've gotta slow right down.

ORIGINS & FAMILY: Name: Merida Elinor DunBroch Nickname: Mer, Mera, Reason for name: “Oooooh, don’t remind me!” -Merida Merida’s parents had their honeymoon in a sea-side town in Spain where, after a day full of riding on the beach, swimming, dancing and too much drink, Merida was conceived. Her mother is the one who named her, paying homage to Spain while deriving the name from the gaelic “Maighread” meaning ‘pearl.’ Birthday: March 21, 1998  Age: 19 Gender: Female Place of birth: Inverness, Scotland Places lived since: Merida has never moved anywhere, but she has spent a fair amount of time in London, Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the wild forests and highlands of Scotland. Number of siblings: She has three brothers who are currently 8 years old (and have a long way to go before they can begin training!) They are triplets: Hubert, Hamish and Harris.

Relationship with family (close? estranged?):

Mum-- Ah, Merida and her mother. Welcome to World War 3. When Merida was younger, she got along much better with her mum, enjoying her various lessons because, hey, they were fun back then. She loved learning how to sing and play guitar, how to take care of the horses, she loved the stories and histories of the Order of the Prince too. Sure, Merida was always rascally and always cut lessons short, but they were really close until Mer got to be around 8 or 9 and she wanted to spend all her time riding, exploring, and practicing archery. Now, she can’t for the life of her understand her mum, nor can Elinor understand her. And Elinor has gotten stricter and stricter with Merida the more she acts out which just creates a vicious cycle.

Da- On the flip side, Merida adores her father. He began to teach Merida how to shoot a bow and arrow when she was a wee thing as he didn’t have a son. Merida shares Fergus’s sense of humour and is equally as mischievous. They have a running game of pranks, the two of them, that’s been going on for over a decade now.

Her brothers- aye, y’mean those three red-headed bampots? They were born when Merida was 11 years old, coming out of nowhere, surprising everyone. And if you ask Merida, they’re worse than her when it comes to making trouble, not that her mum even notices. No, they can get away with it because they’re boys. Sexism, Merida cries. Though-- that aside, and though they’re pure terrors, she can count on her brothers to keep her secrets so long as she pays up. Fair’s fair anyway.

Uncle Lachlan- Mer’s uncle, the younger brother of Fergus. He’s a bit of a jakey himself, and too harsh on Lachlan. His wife left him years ago because of his drinking problem.

Lachlan- Merida’s cousin (son of Fergus’s brother) who is just a few months younger than her. He’s expected to eventually rise to be the new patriarch of the Dunbroch brood, but for all the metal in Mer’s blood, he’s got none of it. His first solo hunt ended in disaster and he’s been too scared to hunt ever since. He shares Merida’s love for horses though and she loves Lachlan for his support and friendship.

Aunt and Uncle MacDonald: On her mum’s side, Merida’s got Uncle Harris, her mum’s big brother, and his wife, Aunt Tamra. Uncle Harris disapproves of Merida’s behavior though Merida says that’s just because she can beat his own sons at any sport there is-- just watch!

Innis and Iain MacDonald: Her twin cousins who are just nine months her senior, which means she would be beatin’ their arses in every training session, field trip and tourney if given the chance. Both of ‘em are your typical MacDonald Knight-bros-- aggressive, short-tempered, proud. Both are skilled with longswords and tridents and know how to handle some heavy artillery because they’re often out on the lake, lookin’ for Nessie. But neither’s slain their first monster.

Senga MacDonald: just 15 and already a nail in Merida’s bum. Her little cousin’s everything a proper lady of the Order should be and likes to tease Merida that if Mer doesn’t take over Castle Cawdor, then she sure will. She’s got a crush on Donald MacIntosh though (who’s got a thing for Mer), so Mer gets a small sense of victory.

Robert “Rabbie” MacDonald: Merida’s 13 year old cousin who is getting ready to start his years in the Order and worships Innis and Iain.

Aunt Aileen and Uncle Quinn MacIntosh: Her mum’s younger sister, Aunt Aileen, married the youngest of the MacIntosh boys. Her Uncle Quinn is unfortunately been put in a wheelchair from the same run-in with Mor’du that took her father’s leg and because of it, they’ve never had kids. Despite that, he remains good friends with Fergus and is kinder to Merida than the MacDonald side of the family. Aileen however is as stern as her mother.

Uncle Robert and Aunt Moira MacIntosh: Related by marriage only, the eldest MacIntosh brother hates Fergus and the rest of the Dunbrochs for the accident that crippled his little brother. He is the father of Donald MacIntosh.

Donald “Donnie” MacIntosh: Related by marriage only, Merida’s “cousin” has had a thing for her for a while. He’s one of those boys who gets turned on the more Merida pinches, pushes, and slaps him around. He’s also a total numpty, though not half bad a warrior-- she’s begrudingly let him give her swordfighting lessons in secret (under their parents’ noses both) which she knows he only does because he likes her. Yuck.

Uncle Domnhall MacIntosh: Never married, Prince MacIntosh is the middle brother and a seasoned hunter. He’s famously slain not one but two unicorns. He’s a bit of a legend, and Merida wishes he didn’t hate the Dunbrochs so much for the whole Quinn accident.

Happiest memory: It’s a pretty recent one honestly-- when she entered the joust and won her first match and everyone cheered for her, even though they thought they were cheering for Lachlan. Merida finally felt seen for all that she had worked for and all that she was capable of.

Childhood trauma:A family camping trip when Merida was only 5 years old was interrupted by Mor’du coming to seek his revenge. Fergus lost his leg, Merida’s Uncle Quinn broke his back, and the family is still feeling the effects of the day even now.

Merida dreams about it sometimes, and remembers how she ran off into the woods. In her dream, its the will-o-the-wisps that guided her to safety, then distracted Mor’du so he would not find her.

PHYSICAL Height: 5’9 (thats right) Weight: 135-ish probably- all muscle baby Build: She works out every day and not just cardio but-- strength training and lifting and climbing. She loves to rock climb, swim, and ride as her main kind of activities. Not super fan of the ‘gym’ though she will go. Nationality: SCOTTISH Disabilities (physical or mental, including mental illnesses): Merida does have some mild dyslexia which made her get middling grades in school and also makes studying harder. One of the reasons she hates it. Her mum had her tested for ADHD but sorry Elinor, it’s just her personality lol (thanks Mum). Complexion (freckles, acne, skin tone, birth marks): She’s freckly on her nose and shoulders definitely and has lovely pink skin.  Distinguishing facial features: Her hair-- always wild and curly with strands going this way and that-- are definitely her defining trait. She’s got lovely “cat eyes” though-- these squinty bright blue things that always got a hint of mischief in them. The freckles are cute too, though you got to get a bit closer to notice.   Hair color: GINGER. Usual hair style: Merida either puts it all the way up on her head or wears it completely down. Her mum french braids it-- she hates this. She also hates straightening it and hates CURLING it because what’s the point it’s already curly !!  Eye color: Gray-blue Glasses? Contacts?: No, she has very keen 20/20 vision.  Style of dress/typical outfit(s): Tomboy for she. She loves jeans and overalls and things she can get messy-- big long coats, flannels, t-shirts. She despises bras and wears a lot of camisoles because of this. She loves baggy cargo pants with pockets too. She wears boy shirts a lOT and is a big fan of hats because it’s so cold and rainy in scotland always and hats hide the frizz of her hair.   Course, she is often in riding pants because she’s on Angus so often. Typical style of shoes: Boots normally because she’s riding. She’s got a thing for all kinds of boots too and it’s one of the more girly things about her. She’ll do a nice boot with a strong block heel. On the flip side, no, get those other dressy heels back where they came from or so help me,,, Health (is this person usually sick? or very resilient?): Merida is a very healthy, robust girl, because she eats helluva lot of protein and is constantly very active. She is the type to deny when she is sick too because she hates just lying around.  Grooming (does she/he wear makeup? shower daily? wear only clean clothes? pluck her eyebrows?): Merida actually likes showers and baths and she takes one near every day but she haaaates other kinds of grooming. She also hates make-up and has gotten eye infections from it.   Jewelry? Tattoos? Piercings?: Merida got the family crest tattooed on her right hip where her mum couldn’t see (teehee). Her ears are pierced but she doesn’t wear earrings much. She also has a family ring that she fiddles with. Accent?: Very Strong. Sometimes you can’t understand her if she talks too fast.   Unique mannerisms/physical habits: She twists and chews and pulls on her hair. It drove her mum crazy. Athletic?: SUPER athletic.

INTELLECT Level of education: Going to uni

Level of self esteem: Merida’s got pretty healthy-ish self-esteem though that’s probably because she’s a deeply angry person who wants to prove people wrong about her. She’s been criticized all her life by her mum, aunts and uncles, and all the other people in the Order for not fitting into their standards. Mer’s innate sense of self though is too strong to take them that seriously, though she does feel a little ugly sometimes (not that she’d ever admit it) and isn’t very comfortable being a “girl” (she doesn’t even know what that means). In fact, in settings with other “girls” she can feel out of  place and comments can sting more than they should. She makes up for it by being a tomboy and rejecting a lot of these ‘girly’ things from the get-go. She assumes most girls are going to hate her honestly. 

Gifts/talents: Mer is a quick learner, especially when it comes to coordination if that makes sense (she’s surprisingly graceful). She’s handy with the sword (not her weapon of choice), can hold her own in hand-to-hand combat, and is one of the best archers+riders in her age-group. Her other talents are singing and blacksmithery-- she’s only patient when she’s working at the forge. She can play guitar, but nothing too fancy.

Shortcomings: So many--Sewing, weaving, maths and english, public speaking isn’t great mostly because she can’t stay on topic, is hotheaded, stubborn, aggressive, prejudiced, holds grudges, proud, can be blunt, no real art skills, can have a bit of a nasty sense of humor, quick to anger, disorganized when unmotivated.

Style of speech (loud, mumbler, articulate, etc.): Merida is naturally loud and a bit of a rambler. Her mum always had to shhh her because she was shouting before she knew it.

“Left brain” or “right brain” thinker?: Merida is actually left-brained. She is driven by rules and logic and is more of a strategist than someone driven by emotion. Her emotions CAN override this when she’s especially upset-- sort of like anyone.

Artistic?: Besides singing and blacksmithery (which CAN be an art form), not really. Mathematical?: Nope Languages? English, Gaelic, doric, and Latin (a smiiiiidge of Danish) Makes decisions based mostly on emotions, or on logic?: You’d think emotions, and sometimes, yes, she can be pretty impulsive. But usually Merida is more of a logic person when it comes to day-to-day. Neuroses: Does nooot shaving your legs and armpits count? Life philosophy: You are in charge of your own destiny. Religious stance: Protestant, but not really Cautious or daring?: Daring! Optimist or pessimist?: Optimist Extrovert or introvert?: Extrovert for sure. Level of comfort with technology: Merida didn’t get to use lots of technology because the Order doesn’t fuck with it a lot, but she has a phone and she uses Instagram mostly under her mum’s nose. Her mum forbid her from getting an FB or a twitter too.

RELATIONSHIPS Current marital/relationship status: Single Sexual orientation: You tell me ugh. She does like boys though? I think? She thinks she’s straight idk. Past relationships: 

She’s got this weird love/hate thing going on with Don, though it’s mostly hate on her side. She’s never dated because she’s not exactly permitted to, though she’s been asked out before from blokes outside the Order at her regular school because she’s ~not like other girls~

Her best friend Keegan and her kissed and could have been a thing but there was OOTP drama.

She also had a wee crush on Eric when he came to stay with her family for the summer, but it was mostly based on his skillz as a prince haha and she was so smol herself (11) it was sort of fanciful.

A social person? (popular, loner, some close friends, makes friends and then quickly drops them): Merida is quite social and did have some friends outside the Order, though they all thought she was a bit weird because she couldn’t do a lot of things they could do (like date or have an FB or go to school dances). She, strange enough, fit in more with nerds and geeks than the popular crowd because she was seen as ‘odd.’ She had a little group that liked to play tabletop games and cards, go hiking or swimming, and drink down at the pub-- Keegan (her best friend), Will, Aidan, and her lone female friend, Neve.

Most comfortable around (person): Lachlan, her cousin, is by far her favourite friend besides her own father and Keegan. Lachlan wins though because they are around the same age and he’s in the Order with her so she can feel free to be herself.

SECRETS Life goals: Be the very best like no one ever as-- aka to be a Prince and win the tourney for her da so the Dunbroch family can restore its honor!!!! Dreams: I mean same and honestly she always did kinda wanna go to just a regular ol college party… Greatest fears: That she’ll make everything worse for her family. That she isn’t good enough. That even her da will be disappointed in her. That ppl will see right through her/be right about her.

Most ashamed of: lowkey the fact she’s a girl? It’s fucked up as hell but there you have it. Also she really is uncomfortable with romance stuff, like she’s worried she’s a terrible kisser and doesn’t know how to Romance, not that she particularly wants to Romance.

Compulsions: Pulling/twisting her hair for sure.

Obsessions: Besides being a Prince? Uhhhh mmmm I don’t think she has -- Angus, she’s obsessed with Angus. Secret hobbies: Technically the whole training to be a prince thing is a massive secret-- I suppose her love for card games and stuff is kinda secret.

Secret skills: See: training to be a prince tho she’s not allowed

Crimes committed (and was he/she caught? charged?): It’s not a ‘real’ crime but training as a Prince is forbidden for girls and entering the joust was fraud and deception. She could have risked getting cut out of the Order completely. What he/she most wants to change about his/her current life: Merida desperately wants to be recognized for all that she can do-- not just her skills as a warrior, but as a leader and a voice that deserved to be heard. She would change her fate, she would make her family proud and respected within the Order too. What he/she most wants to change about his/her physical appearance: Merida mostly likes that she’s tall-- but also hates it. In her weakest moments, she wishes she was small, petite, feminine-- the stuff her mum wants for her. DETAILS/QUIRKS Night owl or early bird?: Early bird. She wakes up with the sun or even before it and is the first one to fall asleep at any parties. Light or heavy sleeper?: Overall pretty heavy because she exhausts herself but she does wake if she hears any too loud noise. Favorite food: A full Scottish breakfast-- sweetened porridge is her favourite bit of that, along with sausages. Least favorite food: Turnips, yuCK Favorite book: Merida is a bit of a history nerd so she likes reading nonfiction more than fiction. She really liked Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet (and its sequel World Without End) for being a really interesting mix of history with fiction.

She probably has read the Game of Thrones books if they exist which they probably do hehe (#HouseStark)

Least favorite book: Most books out there. She has a personal grudge against poetry because she is forced to memorize and recite poems at Order events. Favorite movie: She rarely watches them, but probably Lord of the Rings tbh. “I AM NO MAN.” Least favorite movie: She’s not big into movies anyway so like??? Most of them?? Pride and Prejudice??? Favorite song: "The Ballad of Mor’du” which is a story-song passed down in the DunBrochs for a thousand years. Families add their own verses if they have fought Mor’du so Fergus has his VERY OWN VERSE.  Least favorite song: idk like everything by ariana grande and like idk all those pop artists.  Crunchy or smooth peanut butter?: Neither, she doesn’t LIKE peanut butter Lefty or righty?: Righty Favorite color: Green Cusser?: Yes, it’s very unlady like. Smoker? Drinker? Drug user?: She has smoked before but only socially and if her mum ever found out, she’d KILL her. She drinks a fair bit as a social activity too.

Biggest regret: At this point, its probably something small-- losing her first kiss to some dweeb in the Order, somethin’ like that. 

Pets?: Angus is the only one that’s really hers, but the Dunbroch family had dogs too that she loved. Big animal girl.