this is quite long and full of merida-isms. you've been warned.

+++++++++++++++++++

Catherine and Kanneset's weding finally came and Merida put a flower in Catherin'e s hair to complete her look.

"Ye look so cute."

"Cute? But I want to be ravishin'!"

"You are, Catherine." Fuchsia said in reassurance, giving Merida a look.

"Kans would love you even if you showed up in a sack." Margaret confirmed.

There was a knock on the door and Jamison stuck his head in. "May I come in?"

"Jami?"

"Troublesome news I'm afraid: Mother and Velvet are here."

Catherine went pale. "What? But I-"

"I ken I'll go and give a little greeting-" Merida said, starting to leave the room.

"Oh no you don't." Jamison growled, grabbing her before she could go. "You stay put."

"I was only going to give them a friendly reminder that this wedding is by invitation only." She said with an innocent look.

"Aunt Phabyl must has gossiped again." Fuchsia said, unusually frustrated.

"Phabyl would never." Jamison said curtly. Fuchsia flinched. "Your aunt is flighty and does like to gossip, but she would never ruin Kans' day like this. She loves him too much to ever do that."

There was another knock and Radek stuck his head in. "We have a problem."

"Yes, Mother and Velvet are here."

"So is Father... It's my fault." He said, looking dejected.

"You told them?!" Margaret yelled.

"Of course not! I think someone figured out something was going on and possibly saw my calendar in my room. Belle would have never said anything and as if I wanted to deal with them."

"Where's Merida?" Catherine asked, looking around.

"God dammit."

**********************

"Who do you think you are, you beastly boy?!" a woman shrieked.

"I'm allowed to get married, milady." Kans said softly.

"As if anyone would want to."

"Obviously someone does because we are here for his wedding." Higgs mumbled loudly.

"You hold your tongue, boy." The stern woman spat.

"How did you even find out about this? We've been quite discreet."

"Leave it to Radek's idiotic memory and a calendar... and the fact that Phaybl came all the way back to England? She vowed when she left that she wouldn't step foot back here for a visit." The black haired woman said beside Lady Northumberly.

"Fuchsia just got married a week ago!" Kans argued.

"As much as she loves Fuchsia, Phabyl would never cross the Channel just for her... but she'd definitely come back for you."

"This is just complete bullocks and foolhardy madness. Where is your father?" she growled.

"Probably doing what he does best: avoiding you." Higgs said.

"You insolent, disgusting little boy!" she hissed, rearing back her arm to smack Higgs when it was caught by a large hand.

"Silvia, calm down." The large black haired man said with a bored look. "I told you to leave the boy in peace, but you just had to come."

"No one asked you to come with us, Baldorian." Silvia hissed. "And how can you not care that this... this monster is marrying and will soon procreate?"

Baldorian rolled his gray eyes at his wife and looked at his middle son. "Congratulations, Kanneset. Catherine is a great woman for you. I think you're a wonderful match."

"Th-thank you, Father!" he said, bowing. "That... that really means a lot."

Higgs made a face at his uncle's submissive attitude, but his grandfather did give off a very authoritative air about him. Even when he went to visit him in the early years, Higgs was never quite comfortable with him. He was always pleasant and was much, much calmer than his grandmother and aunt, but he just gave off a strong aura. As much as Higgs hated his grandmother, he had respect for Baldorian Northumberly if nothing else because he treated his children with care. He may not have stopped his goblin wife and daughter from doing things to them, but Higgs felt after Jamison was born and all that he was just tired and had regrets about his past.

Velvet suddenly made a face like she had drank sour milk and Higgs frowned at her as she looked past him into the crowd.

"What in the world is that?"

Higgs turned and saw the distinctive fiery red hair of his maid beelining to where they were. Oh, shit! he thought, elbowing his uncle. Kans looked to where he was motioning with his eyes and saw the impending doom as well. He laughed nervously.

"Um, lovely chat. Thank you for the blessing, Father, but I have to go."

"Oh no you don't." Silvia hissed, grabbing his arm. "I'm not done with you yet."

Kans breathed. "Silvia, I would advise you to let go of me this instant. If you do not, you will be in for a rude awakening."

Velvet tittered, her green eyes giving that look of degradation she inherited from her mother. "So cute. You've suddenly grown a backbone, Monster?"

Higgs knew it was a distraction so that he could slip away and get to Merida before she found them. He went through the small crowd and met Merida head on, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Hello, Merida. How's Catherine?"

"Perfect." She said with a maniacal smile. "She's got everyone to help her so I thought I'd come and introduce myself to the rest of your uninvited family." She said, pushing against him to get through.

Higgs was surprised by her strength and was finding it hard to keep her at bay.

"They are busy."

"Nonsense." She said with smirk.

"Merida, please." he begged.

"It's just a bit of a chat-"

"You ungrateful little-" was heard across the way.

Merida ducked under Higgs' arms and he cursed, running after her.

**********************

Kans didn't turn back from the slap that Silvia had given and Velvet watched him with bemusement.

"After everything that I did for you? I kept you in the house when you should have been thrown out along with that wretch of a brother. I allowed you to be in the presence of normal human beings instead of in the circus where you and the rest of your cursed lot belong-"

"Watch yourself, Silvia." Baldorian said casually.

"Pipe down, Dorian." She countered.

Baldorian grabbed her arm tightly, making her look at him. "I. Said. Watch. Yourself." he repeated with darker intentions. They glared at each other like two rabid dogs ready for a fight any minute, but eventually Silvia turned away and Baldorian held her arm tighter. "My sons are still of my blood and my blood also runs through the veins of our daughters. You may not like what the curse of my family has done and I may be quite lax with your harsh treatment at times, but this is neither the time nor the place. Besides, I wouldn't press my luck trying to curse our name, dearie. It has a habit of making others understand."

Silvia eventually wriggled her arm from her husband's as the dark cloud seemed to dissipate.

"Stop. It. Mer. I. Da!" a small child's voice rang out.

"Ye get off of me!"

"No! You're embarrassing me!"

"Ye're embarrassing yerself. Weel ye get off me?!"

"No!"

Kans looked over and saw Merida limping towards them with a tiny Higgs attached to her leg, holding on for dear life. Kans wanted to laugh and melt at the same time while Velvet looked at him with a condescending look.

"I knew this would be fun. The wedding's not even started and it's already turning into a laughing stock. Who said we needed to go to a circus when all we had to do was attend this ghastly union?" she said, unfolding a fan and laughing behind it.

"Merida, please!" Higgs cried, actually crying. "Please! Please! Uncle Kans!"

Merida looked over at Kans and saw the look of devastation in his eyes. She looked around and realized she was making a fool of herself and causing reproach upon her friends. It pissed her off even more, realizing she was just adding insult to injury as well as entertainment to the unwanted party when she saw the red mark on Kans' face. Her anger blazed again, ready to not care again until she looked into Kan's eyes. They were begging her to stop. She looked at the others with him; Velvet's malicious glee, Silvia's disgust, Baldorian's nonchalance.

Merida cleared her throat and then tried to seem a little more presentable.

"I apologize for my behavior." She looked dead at Silvia. "I was so thrilled to hear that the patriarch of the Northumberly family as well as his wife were coming to this lovely occasion and just had to come and see ye. I've heard so much about ye."

Silvia sneered. "How utterly ghastly. What's a Scotswoman doing here out of place? Who let her in here? Does this woman belong to anyone?" she shouted.

"I belong to myself, milady." Merida snarled, purposefully thickening her brogue to piss them off. "An it pleases ye and milaird, I need the groom at the moment."

"Excuse me." He said, walking up to Merida and leaning down by Higgs. "Come on, Higgsy, let's get you calmed down."

"No!" he whisper-yelled. "She'll kill them if we let her stay."

Kans looked up. "Merida."

"I will be done shortly, so we can all leave together." Kans stood back up as Merida turned back to the Northumberlys. "Ye'll have to excuse us, we have a wedding we are trying to get through. Do ye have yer invitations?"

"Invitations?" Silvia hissed.

"Aye, this wedding is invitation only, or can ye upper folks just not read?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Yes, beg for it. I'll ask ye again: do ye have invitations?"

"We are the family-"

"Do. Ye. Have. Yer. In-vi-ta-tions? I believe I'm speaking English, milady, am I not?"

Baldorian cut his eyes to his wife. "I don't believe we got ours but, as the head of the Northumberly family, I have authority to bless this union."

"I believe that's what the Reverend is for, Laird Northumberly." Merida said, not missing a beat. "Unless ye have the training of God like Reverend Cucklehorn? It would be a first for me: a laird who is a worker of the laird. I kenned it wasnae a good fit."

"This insolent-"

"But as ye are part of the Northumberly name and are far superior than I or my laird and his family, I guess it would be rude to throw ye out completely." She said, looking up at Baldorian with the same menacing aura as he himself possessed. "Ye will sit in the back, I presume? Since ye have no invitations?"

"We will do no such thing!" Silvia screeched.

Merida turned to her. "Then let me put this in words ye can understand: demons dinnae belong in the church. An ye want me to ask the Reverend to exorcise ye from our presence, I suggest ye take yer bahookie to the back of the church or ye will feel the wrath of God through me. Do ye ken that or do I need to cleanse yer stench with the Holy Water of Jesus Christ?"

Silvia's mouth dropped open and Velvet closed her fan.

"Demons don't belong in the church you say? Then how is it that every one of these-"

"Delightful people arenae burning? Weel, that's because even God knows a kind heart. But, the more ye stand there and argue with me, the more I see smoke coming off of yer ugly dresses. Yer horns are starting to show, lassy, and as much as demons arenae welcome in the church, surely how much more is the Devil not allowed?" Velvet lifted her chin. "Ye sit in the back or ye leave altogether. Am feum mi mi fhìn ath-aithris an treas uair?" she said, the last part in Gaelic.

Baldorian was a carefree man by nature but he wasn't stupid. There were times when he had made dumb decisions, but he was not stupid. The creatures his family turned into all had one thing in common: instinct. Instinct combined with a good head on ones shoulders made for a better person, carefree or not. This basic instinct of the creatures combined with his own made him well aware that this fiery-haired woman with hazel eyes like the golden irises of a wolf wasn't an ordinary person. She invoked an aura much like his own and he could tell that if they didn't comply, there would be consequences. He realized that his grandson wasn't making a fool out of himself and his son was trying to warn them. Baldorian lifted an eyebrow. If there was a demon in this church, it was this woman, who seemed to have the fires of Hell at her control.

"If it pleases you, miss, we will take up your offer. I would like to see this union happen."

"Wonderful."

"I would also like to announce something, if I could? Cucklehorn!"

"Yes? Oh, Lord Northumberly, what... brings you here?" he said, having been walking by and stopped.

"I need you to hear this: I, Baldorian Northumberly, Lord of Pembrooke Hills, in front of God and witness declare that I approve of this marriage." Silvia and Velvet looked like they were about to pass out. "Reverend?"

"So it is before God and Christ. A vow as holy?"

"A vow as holy. May it not break."

"Amen."

"Amen." Baldorian turned to Merida. "My blessing cannot be countered." He looked at Kans. "Go in peace and marry your bride."

Kans nodded and Merida grinned at him, but there was a darkness in her eyes that made the hairs on Baldorian's arms raise up.

"How could you?" Silvia screech behind him. "How could you-"

He turned to his wife swiftly. "Are you blind, woman? Only a dog-headed buffoon wouldn't be able to feel the wrath and fury coming off of that woman. If you try to ruin this day or do anything to incur her wrath, either of you, your consequences are of your own. You've tormented Kanneset enough. So sit down and shut up."

**********************

Jamison handed his son a glass of water as he tried to come down. Kans had his head in his hands as he tried to compose himself. Radek felt horrible.

"I'm so sorry, Kans. They must has seen my calendar."

"They shouldn't be going through your things..." he said.

"What do we do?"

"I took care of it." Merida said, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean? And why are you here?" Radek asked.

"Cannae I be?"

"This is the men's lounge..."

"It's fine."

"No it's not fine!" Higgs yelled. "You promised, Merida!"

"I believe that the promise I made to ye was that an I ever met yer grands, I would punch them. No one said I couldn't give a nice, stern warning."

"You promised you wouldn't make anything worse!"

"In the end, I dinnae ken I did, but I will apologize for my behavior before. Causing a scene like that..."

"You still caused a scene, Merida! Talking to a lord like that!"

"Higgs, it's alright." Kans said. "To be honest, I think it actually helped. Father even gave me his official blessing with Cucklehorn binding it to God. Not even those two can try to ruin anything with it."

There was a light knock on the door. "May I come in?"

"Hello, Phabyl." Kans said as she scooted in.

"I found our parents and the troll we call a sister sitting in the back of the church. How did they even know about this?"

"Someone saw the event on my calendar."

"And Velvet said that she knew you were back in England and that you wouldn't have just come for Fuchsia's wedding."

"Well, she's wrong about Fuchsia, but it's true I came mostly for you. Damn her for being ugly but smart. Have you met with them yet?"

"Yes, we had a great encounter with them." Higgs growled.

"Oh no... What did they say?"

"Dinnae ye worry, Lady Phabyl, they are sitting in the back of the church for a reason." Merida said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, but that will only deter them for right now! What about later?"

Everyone looked so somber and Merida got up from leaning on the wall.

"Weel, that's it then? A couple of foxes come into the hen house and ye all stop doing yer jobs? Fuck them! This is Kans and Catherine's big day and they broke rules to get here. They werenae sent an invitation, they were asked to leave and wouldnae, they hit the groom and insulted the marriage in the church, plus they invaded Radek's privacy and went into his personal room without permission. They are the ones who sinned, not us, and certainly not Laird Kans. So what gives those creatures the right to ruin everrathing we have worked hard to do?"

"Merida is right." Phabyl said, getting into the spirit. "Kans and Cat worked hard to get to this point and who are they to tell them anything otherwise? Everyone has been waiting for this day, so let's not wait any longer. We have a wedding to get to and no one will stop us!"

The Northumberly men all smiled, so grateful that for all the trials they had gone through with hurtful people and those who wished them ill will, they had wonderful women in their lives who were there for them. They didn't care who they were or what strange things happened to them. They were there when they needed them most.

Radek stood up. "Alright, let's get these two married. Phabyl, go and tell the girls that we will be ready in just a moment to begin. Kans and Jami, go and inform the Reverend that we are ready."

Phabyl saluted and left as Jami left behind her. Radek clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"If these woman can have the courage to move forward, then what is stopping us?"

Kans nodded as he looked at Merida and Higgs. "Will you be alright, Higgs?"

"Just give me a minute to get calmed down."

Merida smiled and Kans smiled as well. "Thank you, Merida."

"No problem at all. Ye just go and get married. Ye've got the blessing and no one can hinder ye now. I'll help Mr. Higgs."

He nodded and walked out of the room confidently.

As he turned to go into the main part of the church, he felt someone behind him and turned.

"It's a miracle you don't burst into flame when you enter God's domain."

"I believe we already had this discussion; it's a bit silly for the pot to call the kettle black."

"It seems the Scotty has given you some of her arrogance."

"What's your excuse then?"

Velvet gave a smile as she unfanned her fan, making Kans gulp. His half-sister was a wolf in sheep's clothing and despite what Phabyl had said, she wasn't ugly to look at, so society thought her a mysterious, interesting woman. But Kans was happy to know that he wasn't the only one who knew the truth about Velvet's nature. As Merida put it, if his parents were demons, then Velvet was the Devil; not because of her looks or her actions, but because of her forked and wicked slicing tongue. She was almost as good with it as Merida, but for all the wrong reasons.

"You're so cute to believe that after all these years you think you can rise up against me. You dirty little thing. It's amusing, though, watching such a lumbering, oafish, Neanderthal believe that he has found true love. Even if that Irishwoman finds you... "attractive", do you really believe that she will overlook all of your hideous deformaties?"

"That's kind of-"

"I'm speaking, Creature, do not interrupt me." She said with a twee voice.

As much as he hated Silvia, he hated Velvet more. Kans clenched his fists when he heard someone walking down the hall. They turned, finding Merida, her hair looking more tame and matching her wedding attire.

"Milarid..."

Velvet giggled. "Oh my goodness, you even have that Pipeblower convinced that you're some sort of aristocrat?"

"I never-"

"Please remember one thing, Cretan, you are a bastard. That's what you are. You carry the Northumberly name in just that, in name. The curse is an heirloom of course, but..."

The echo in the hall made it where Merida could hear what they were saying and seeing the look on their faces told her everything she needed to know. She walked over to them, getting close to Velvet.

"Why, Laird Kans, no one mentioned that ye let a dog come in here." She looked up at him. "Dinnae ye ken that bitches have their place? I believe this one barks a bit too much... would ye like me to train it for ye?"

Kans thought for a second as he looked between Velvet and Merida. It was clear Merida was actually being quite considerate. Velvet, oblivious to the danger, turned to Merida.

"What a mouth-"

"I wasnae speaking to ye, Hound."

"You dare-"

"Yes." Kans said, making the both of them look. "This dog is a bit mouthy. As a present I would love it if you could train it for me."

Velvet suddenly realized she had messed up.

Merida grinned. "Bhiodh e na thoileachas."

She grabbed the fan out of Velvet's hand and smacked her in face. After the initial shock, Merida moved to her coifed hair and grabbed it tight, pulling Velvet along as she protested and kicked and screamed as Merida dragged her out of the church. The last thing he heard was Velvet screaming. Kans didn't know what she was going to do to her, but the thought just made him laugh. He doubled over in laughter, beginning to cry. The relief of knowing that he had someone like Merida on his side, just filled him with delight.

"Uncle Kans?" He looked up, finding Higgs. "Are you alright? Where's Merida?"

"I'm sure she'll be along shortly." He said, wiping his tears. "And yes, I'm fine, no worries."

"Alright then..." Higgs said, suspicious.

They went down the rest of the hallway to the chapel.

+++++++++++++++++++++

if it wasn't clear enough: don't fuck with the people that merida cares about. it will just end in someone getting chewed out and possibly beaten up