Merida squared her shoulders, ready for a fight.

"Ye come back to do anymore hard to my employer-"

"I actually came to see you."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Ye really have gone as daft as they say..."

"Because I want to speak with you?"

"After our last encounter, ye must be an ye ken I want to look at ye."

"I'm aware that this is quite sudden but I assure you that my mind is perfectly clear and I'm not here to make trouble. Please, sit."

Merida didn't trust Patrick with a ten foot pole but she needed to know why he was back after all this time.

"I was told by the other maid that Lord Northumberly was indisposed at the moment?"

"Aye, at the moment."

"That means that it would be you that I would be speaking to next anyway. You are technically the lady of the house, right?"

"I am a lady who lives in the house... So, what brings ye by?"

"A lot of things but three major ones. The first is that I would like to ask that Lord Northumberly stop pursuing Lady Hinkley."

"I was told she broke of her engagement with ye. That means she is fair game."

"You are correct, she did, but this has nothing to do with that." He pulled out a small stack of letters. "It actually goes into my second request. I have here some letters that Lady Elizabeth has sent me within the past few years up until recent. I would like for you to read them... thoroughly."

"Why would I want to read her silly letters?"

"I honestly can't say why myself, but I grew up with Lady Elizabeth, and I know her well. Even though we are not engaged anymore, that did not necessarily null our friendship. She has kept in contact with me since the um... incident. I have put some letters she wrote to me while we were engaged and then some recent ones. The recent ones are the ones that I'm concerned about. When I read these letters... something just doesn't feel right."

"Why do you care what I think about them?"

"I can't give them to Lord Northumberly because he will only think that I'm making things up. He trusts you and you are much more perceptive than you like to let on. Once you've read them, please come by my main estate. I'm back here for the winter so I'll be here for a few months."

"I see..."

"The last thing I wanted to speak with you about is that boy."

"What boy?"

"The one I had while you were detain with me."

"Ye mean Edgar?"

"Ah, that's what you named him... I see... Well, unfortunately, he is mine."

"What are ye going on about? He's yers? As in... yer son?"

"No, he's in mine as in I bought him and you stole him from me."

"I'll beg yer pardon?" she growled, standing up.

"I purchased him from an orphanage, so by all rights, he's mine. I have documentation to prove it." He said, holding out some documents.

Merida snatched the parchment from him and read over it, finding a bound and legal contract that proved what he said was true. Merida wanted to vomit as she put her hand over her stomach, sitting back down.

"Whatever could ye want with that sweet boy after all these years?"

"Nothing, Ms. Dunbrough." Merida looked at him in confusion. "I don't necessarily want him back, but if you aren't going to give back my property then I would like to have compensation for it."

"Compensation?"

"Is it not clear that he was mine?"

"That's not what I mean. What do ye want from him or us?"

"Four years of payment." Merida lifted an eyebrow. "His price multiplied by four... plus interest."

"I'll give ye everra bit of money I own until-"

"Not to be rude, but I highly doubt you could pay his original price let alone four times as much in your lifetime."

"What about Mr. Higgs doing payments then?"

"Are you unaware of what a debt means, Ms. Dunbrough?"

"Ye cannae expect us to pay that and more in a lump sum."

"Why not? Does he not mean that much to you? You stole him from me and I'm gracious enough not to alert the authorities."

Merida made a face. "This is something I'm going to have to discuss with Mr. Higgs."

"You have until the end of the month to come up with something."

"The end of the month?! Do ye ken he shits golden bricks?!"

"Again, if the boy means that much to you, wouldn't you try your damnedest to keep him?"

Merida wanted to strangle him but looked back at the official document.

"May I keep this?"

Patrick snatched it from her hands. "And have you conveniently misplace it? I think not."

"How do I know that ye didnae get that done afore ye came here to claim him?"

"The boy signed it himself." He said, unfolding it again. "Any child adopted to be used for any sort of labor must sign the document themselves in understanding that they are an employee, not necessarily a son. They are required to sign their own name."

Merida looked at it. At the bottom were three signatures: Patrick's, the adoption house owner, and in childlike letters the word MUD."

"Mud?"

"Apparently that's what he went by at this time. I know I didn't name him anything while he was with me. If you have doubts, ask the boy himself."

"Oh, dinnae ye worry about that." She growled. "Is there anything else ye want to tell me while I'm 'in the mood'?"

"Yes, there is a strange man trying to get me to tell him details about that night at the party. He says he wants to know what Lord Northumberly -either of them- looks like."

"Did ye tell him?" she asked with a glare.

"No, but call it an additional incentive regarding payment or relinquishment. If I don't have Edgar or the payment I desire by the end of the month, I will tell this man all he wants to know and I will tell the authorities that you took advantage of a situation and stole what was rightly mine."

"Unlike ye, we arenae petty and ye'll get either or of yer bargain. As for Mr. Castell, the man that is asking ye these questions, an ye spill one detail about this family to him, then I can hold ye in contempt for assisting a man we have personally turned in to the authorities for trespassing and harassment. So ye had best withdraw that wee threat and things willnae get any uglier than they are."

Patrick made a face. "Fine."

"That's what I thought. Regarding yer letters, ye leave the authorities out of it and I'll do what I can with them. Ye cannae ken ye be coming in our home and threatening us and hoping that I will do as ye ask? Ye must be out of yer bleeding mind."

"You seem to not understand what leverage is, Ms. Dunbrough."

"I ken verra weel what leverage is, Laird Clarvins. I'm not as much of an idiot as ye would perceive me to be. Remember: I'm the one who made ye get yer ass handed to ye and then ye had to go and spend all this time in yer little country home. Ye dinnae ken that the more ye add to this threat, the higher stakes ye life will be in? Ye ken that the first time ye had to 'recuperate' was horrifying, keep adding silly threats on yer end." Patrick made a face as Merida sat back. "That's how ye do leverage, milaird."

Patrick stood up. "I believe that's really all I have to say to you now. Regarding the letters, at your leisure, but I would make haste on them. It is in concerns to your employer... It was interesting to have a semi-civil conversation with you."

"Aye, a wild animal will acquiesce for a short time afore cornering it makes it angry."

"Indeed. Please tell Lord Northumberly I was sad to have missed him."

"I dinnae ken he'll be that upset, but I'll let him know."

He grabbed his coat and hat and left as Merida watched him leave. Most suspect.

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

Merida found Edgar outside with Ailers in the stable as they tended to the horses. She watched him as he spoke with one of the horses and sighed. Let's get this over with... She walked in as Edgar looked over at her and smiled. It made Merida's heart crumble and Edgar immediately knew something was up.

"Ma?"

"Ailers, do ye mind if I take Edgar from ye?"

"No."

"Walk with me, lad."

Edgar put down the brush and walked with Merida.

"What's wrong? You look upset."

"I'm a bit confused... Does the word mud mean to ye?"

"Mud?"

"Aye."

"It's wet dirt, isn't it?" he said with a nervous laugh.

"As a name." They stopped and Merida looked at him. "Does it mean anything to ye an it were used as a name?"

Edgar's blue eyes filled with fear as he tried to play it all off.

"Who would name their kid Mud?"

"Edgar." She said, looking at him calmly.

He hugged himself. "How... how did you find out?"

"We just had a verra interesting visitor: Laird Clarvins."

"L-Lord Clarvins? Why did he come? Why is he even back?"

"It's getting into winter and rich folk head South for it... Edgar, what's going on? Ye told me when we met that he had found ye on the street and took ye to do his bidding."

"Um..."

"Why did ye lie?"

"At first is was just because it didn't matter... you were going to be either killed or rescued by someone soon... but then I got to know you and... and I just... I wanted to be with you!" He looked at her with desperation. "I figured out quickly that staying with Lord Clarvins wasn't going go do anything for me. I would still be just some kid named Mud with no purpose and no point. When you needed me... when... You treated me with kindness and spoke to me like I mattered... that I actually meant something. You made me feel loved, like I had never been abandoned... I just..."

"Do ye ken what ye've done, lad? Now he wants us to pay for technically stealing ye away!"

"I just-"

"I ken why ye did what ye did and ye were a babe but ye've put us in a right muckle mess."

"Is Mr. Higgs mad at me?"

"He doesnae know yet. I wanted to confirm afore I go in there fires blazing."

"H-How much does he want?"

"It's a pretty heft sum. The price of ye times the years we've had ye, plus interest. Just the price without interest is a considerable sum. Ye're not the bastard of a laird, are ye?"

"Not that I know of, honest."

"Hmmm. Weel, I'd keened he was just trying for money but he showed me proof with yer wee signature on it. Ye agreed to be in his service, not ours. An we dinnae pay..."

"I have to go back... Right... Merida, if I have to go back-"

"Ye willnae do such a thing. Mr. Higgs will pay. He'd never allow ye to go back."

"But what if I did? I wouldn't be able to live."

"Yes ye would. Because an ye had to go back there for whatever reason, I'd let him take me and torture me again afore he got to keep ye long. Ye may not be of my body, but ye're my boy. Mine. Ye ken it?"

"Aye, I ken it weel." He said, smiling at her.

"Good. I'll go speak with Mr. Higgs about this. Ye dinnae worry now."

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

AND YOU BELIEVE HIM?

"An it wasnae for the documentation and Edgar's wee writing, I'd be telling a different story. Plus, I asked Edgar afore I came to confirm and he said it was all true."

HOW MUCH WAS IT?

"The price times the years we've had him. Plus interest. The price itself was high."

HOW MUCH? He asked again. Merida grabbed his hand and fingered the number into his hand. THAT'S TOO MUCH.

"Even for ye? Cannae ye-"

I'M THE SON OF A LORD, NOT THE PRINCE OF THE WHOLE DAMNED COUNTRY.

"There must be something ye can do."

WHY ME?

Merida blinked. "Because it's Edgar."

I WISH I COULD HELP BUT DOING A LUMP SUM LIKE THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. EVEN FOR ME. IF MAYBE HE AGREED TO PAYMENTS...

"I tried asking him about it but he said that I'd never be able to pay it and when I mentioned ye doing it, he more or less told me no. I wish ye could have spoken with him."

IF YOU COULDN'T CHANGE HIS MIND, I HIGHLY DOUBT I COULD. MAYBE I SHOULD ASK ELIZABETH? PERHAPS SHE CAN HELP TO AT LEAST LOWER THE PRICING... HOW LONG?

"He said month's end but I have a feeling that willnae be enough time... considering he didnae mention what his interest percentage was. Kenning what I see, it would be high." Merida growled, biting her thumbnail in nervousness.

I WILL DO ALL I CAN BUT PATRICK CLARVINS DOESN'T SEEM THE NEGOTIABLE TYPE. AT LEAST WHEN I COMES TO ME. EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN'T ATTACK LIKE LAST TIME, IT WAS STILL AN ATTACK. THERE IS BAD BLOOD BETWEEN THE THREE OF US AND HE'S HAD FOUR YEARS TO PLOT HIS REVENGE.

"Aye, I ken ye." Merida put her face in her hands. "What am I going to do? That boy is like me own bairn..."

I HOPE WE CAN WORK THINGS OUT. TRULY, I WOULD HATE TO SEE HIM GO BACK BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE HAVE NO SAY IN THIS MATTER. EITHER PATRICK WILL HAVE TO GIVE EDGAR UP WILLINGLY OR WE MUST PAY, AND YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I THAT PATRICK WON'T DO THE FORMER OUT OF PETTINESS' SAKE.

"Aye, that be true... Weel, an ye can get Elizabeth's help then I guess it's the only trump care we have."

I WILL WRITE HER.

Merida left but she had a feeling that Elizabeth wasn't (or wouldn't) help them. One, because this was definitely Lord Clarvins exacting his revenge on his ruined reputation (and face -the scar was still there) albeit passive aggressive this time; and two, she seemed irritated about not hearing the voices from the Dullahan. Merida hoped something came along.

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

and merida dropped the mike