Name: Princess Merida of Clan DunBroch
Nickname: Not really a nickname, but her subjects call her “Princess” and “my lady” sometimes, though she prefers just Merida.
Organization XIII or Dark XII Nickname: N/A
Age: Sixteen.
Gender: Female.
Species: Human.
Position: Chaotic Good. She does what she feels is right, but in her own way and on her own terms.
Powers/Abilities/Techniques/Skills: Archery – Merida’s prowess with the bow is a marvel. In the movie, she’s shown to be riding her horse at a pretty fast speed and hitting targets she’d previously set up in the trees with arrows – and never missing a bulls-eye. Due to the fact that her father has been training her rigorously with the bow from a very young age – she received her first bow on her sixth birthday – and her own love and adoration of the weapon, her skill is incredibly proficient for her age. When she’s had to defend herself, this was her primary mode of defense. She rarely misses the target. However, archery is perhaps not the best way to deal with hordes of Heartless and Nobodies, especially when you only have a limited supply of arrows. Her arrows certainly didn’t help her fight off the demon bear Mor’du, who shrugged off the blows as if they were tiny scratches.
Swordplay – Along with archery, Merida’s father Fergus taught her other methods of fighting, believing in the idea that she should learn to defend herself. Specifically, he taught her how to use a two-handed longsword. Now, this is not Merida’s preferred method of fighting – she’s lithe and agile, and has certain strength, but not enough vitality to keep at the swordplay for long – but she’s not too shabby when she needs to be. Her father was tough on her when it came to keeping herself safe, so she’s all right with the longsword and can give her father a run for his money once in a while.
Knowledge of the Outdoors – Merida despises the confines of the castle, and ever since she can remember she’s been venturing into the woods if she ever had a free moment. The woods and outdoors are dangerous in the untamed wilderness of Scotland, however, so to counter this, her father made his lessons for her include knowledge of said wilderness. She is shown to have a fairly comprehensive knowledge of wild plants – advising her own mother against poisonous berries – as well as the ability to catch fish bare-handed from the river. It can be assumed, then, she has enough knowledge to survive on her own in the outdoors, as she can also use her bow to hunt and obtain food. Perhaps not for weeks at a time, but she can survive on her own for a while.
Physical Prowess – Merida is speedy and light on her feet, while maybe not an entirely unpredictable fighter. She is strong – having climbed the treacherous Crown’s Tooth whilst wearing a dress, no less – but not overly so (most of her talents lie with her bow). She has a high endurance factor when conserving her strength – for instance, wandering the woods at a slower pace, shooting only when she needs to and being cautious – but can be overpowered easily by larger and stronger enemies, especially at a close range. It is best for her to remain at the back of any fighting party, firing arrows conservatively from a safe distance and rarely missing. Despite all her training with her father, she lacks a number of combat skills, as she doesn’t come across a lot of fights in the woods, and she’s no good at holding back large, powerful opponents like Mor’du the demon bear or great numbers, like hordes of Heartless. Combat isn’t really her style, anyways – she doesn’t mind sparring with her father or the guards once in a while, but her skills are geared more towards exploring and surviving, or running away if she can’t win.
She has no magical abilities.
Weapon/Items:Bow – Merida’s bow is her most prized possession. She wears it slung over her back, with the string of the bow on the front of her body. It is a wooden recurve bow, and often Merida will carve symbols into it as a sign of its individuality. It is slightly burnt from the time her mother threw it into the fireplace, but it was saved in time and still it good condition.
Arrows – In a quiver slung around a belt on her waist is a stock of fifteen wooden arrows with slim steel bodkin heads. These arrows are no good for penetrating through plate armor, but – with the right amount of force – sink in easily through wood, fur, and flesh.
Hunting/Survival Knife – Not supposed to be used for combat, Merida only uses this when carving, hunting (gutting and skinning primarily), or in a dire circumstance of close-range combat with no time to fire an arrow. Slung about her belt, the hilt is a smooth, grip-friendly wood and the blade is slim steel. Where Merida’s from, this blade had to be custom-made, commissioned by her father to ensure his daughter’s safety in the woods, as knives were mostly used in the kitchen and swords on the field.
Traveling Cloak – A hooded cloak made of slightly thick black cloth, Merida wears this when she’s out adventuring. She puts the hood up if there’s a chance her wild red hair could get her in trouble – whether it means she’ll be spotted, or it will get snagged in something – or to protect her from rain and snow.
Despite her ability with it, a longsword was not on Merida’s person when her world died, so she does not have access to it.
Picture: MeridaAppearance: Merida is a young girl of sixteen. She stands at a fairly average height for a teenager from a place reminiscent of medieval Scotland at 5’, with another inch of height gained because of her unruly locks. She weighs 115 lbs, though a lot of that is muscle and sinew. She has a fairly flat chest that probably won’t grow in much more, and healthily curved waist and hips. Her skin is a creamy white, with a rosy complexion and easily-red cheeks, as well as a smattering of light freckles here and there because of the sun.
The first thing you will ever notice about Merida is her hair. Reaching nearly to her waist, it is a blazing shade of red and a wild mop of tangled curls. (Fun fact: according to the animators, if her hair was ever straightened, it would be four feet long and reach the middle of her calf.) Each curl seems like its own individual personality, making for one unruly mess. She adores it, though, and with good reason – her hair is a lot like her character.
Her eyes are a pale blue, and her hands are calloused. She wears dresses often, simply because that was the variety of women’s clothes. She prefers dresses she can move in, however; her favorite dress is a dark, velvety blue-green with white ruffles on the elbow and shoulder, and a comfortable skirt. It’s loose and easy to move around in, and her primary outfit when adventuring.
However, her mother likes to put her in tight corsets and stick her hair where it can’t be seen during special occasions. This Merida loathes – there’s no point to an outfit if you can’t breathe and move in it, so why even wear it at all?
Sometimes she’ll get some dirt on her person, but that’s not too much of a big deal to her. She likes a healthy amount of dirt.
Personality: Merida has always, always been a wild child. Freedom is the most important thing to her; it is her oxygen, and the way in which she lives her life. She makes decisions based on how it will affect her, leading to some selfish behavior. She can be quite proud and is unwilling to admit mistakes until the last moment.
Her temper can get out of control sometimes, especially with her mother. Due to her love of freedom, she believes she should have the freedom to express herself – emotions and all. She does not think before she acts, but is led to act by her emotions and desires. She is a little more cautious in the woods, but that is because nothing in the woods is controlling her, so she can slow down instead of being so fiery.
However, she does love her mother dearly, and has intense love and admiration for her father. She’s also fond of her little brothers (the wee brats). She fights with her mother a lot, however, because of their opposing viewpoints, and neither is willing to give in to the other.
Merida knows her physical strengths and when she needs to back off and run. But she never backs down from a verbal fight, fighting to make her mother listen instead of slowing down and listening to her as well. And that is something the two of them have in common.
However, in the absence of her home world, her primary motive is to figure out what’s going on and see if she can get home. She is afraid of what happened to her family, and if she’ll ever see them again… and if not, what will she do? She doesn’t want to ask herself that; she prefers to act, and then ask questions later.
Her interests primarily include exploring, adventuring, archery, eating, and being by herself. Her horse – Angus – is very important to her, and probably her best friend (as antisocial as she can be). She’s a bit unwary around people she doesn’t know, and doesn’t have much in the way of social skills – though her sense of dry humor and sarcasm can be quite charismatic sometimes. She’s not very good at public speaking or motivating other people; they just seem to
foreign to her, like they’re nothing like her. She knows how to motivate herself, and that’s about it.
She dislikes anything to do with sitting still and being patient. She wants to be out there, doing things, and despite her worry for her family, she’ll probably come to enjoy the exploration of the new place she’s in. She never had the diplomatic ability of her mother, to quiet and calm a crowd with her very presence – Merida’s much better at riling people up. She doesn’t care very much for restricting rules (though she understands things like no stealing, no murder, and things that are very clearly morally wrong). She’s very individual, and sometimes she thinks other people could never understand her because of how different she is (which is sort of an egotistical thought).
She’s not really a leader, but she’s not a follower, either. She does her own thing, and is unwilling to seek help – though she knows she’ll probably need it (if people can understand her thick accent).
Original World: Scottish Highlands
Current World: Radiant Garden
Movie/Video Game(s): Disney-Pixar’s
Brave (2012)
History: (just so I have my chronology right: BBS took place 10 years before the first KH, KHII took place a year after the first, and this site takes place ‘a year since the supposed defeat of Organization XIII’ so a year after KHII.)
Merida was born sixteen years ago in the magical realm of the Scottish Highlands. She was born to royalty, her father being King Fergus of Clan DunBroch, and her mother his wife, Queen Elinor. As such, she is the Princess. Not too long ago, the four great Clans – DunBroch, Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall – had come out of a warring state to forge an unsteady treaty against foreign invaders. The treaty was made a few generations prior to Merida, making the kingdom that followed – a kingdom united under Clan DunBroch – a young and unstable one.
Nonetheless, it was a time of peace while Merida was growing up. On her sixth birthday, her family was out traveling, as they are prone to do from time to time. For this birthday, her father Fergus gave her her first bow, along with the implied promise of training. It was on this very day that Merida encountered her first mysterious Will-o’-the-Wisp. Her father didn’t believe in the magical “nonsense” that Merida felt pervaded the entire land, but her mother entertained her fantasy by telling her that the Wisps could lead one to her fate.
Nearly immediately after, the demon bear – Mor’du – attacked the family. Elinor rode off with young Merida in tow, and Fergus fought the bear valiantly, and lost his leg in the process (a tale which would be often repeated; indeed, Fergus gained the title “The Bear King” from the fight). Mor’du lived, however, and stalked the Highlands – though no one had seen him since.
It was around this time that Elinor began teaching her daughter in the ways of a proper princess. Lessons on reading, writing, stitching, public-speaking, music, cooking, diplomacy, history, and other such “refined” things followed. In her younger years, Merida was inquisitive about those things at first – but as she grew older, she felt trapped by the traditions and the teachings. She didn’t
want to have perfect posture and good grammar; she didn’t
care about when her ancestors fought in some battle or when an ancient legend had a moral message not-so-subtly hidden within. She lived for the rigorous training with her father, and for the days when she did not have to be a princess, and could ride instead through the wilderness with her trusty horse, Angus.
When she was younger, she was assisted by guards at all times in the forest. Then, the older she grew, the less she needed the company, until two years ago when her father decided she could take care of herself. She was proficient with the bow and knowledgeable about survival; let her be free, he thought, away from the confines she doesn’t care for.
When Merida was eight, her mother gave birth to three red-haired triplets: Harris, Hubert, and Hamish. As they grew up it became apparent that they were three mischievous little devils, and Merida would alternate between encouraging their rascally behavior and becoming irritated when they wouldn’t let up. However, the four of them had a pretty good sibling relationship, and she grew to love the little tricksters.
Years passed, and Merida matured into a young maiden of sixteen. She came home one day to find her mother’s newest plan for the princess, and it was one that horrified the wild teen to no extent: the three other Clans of the land were offering up their firstborn sons to the DunBrochs – specifically, to Merida.
Elinor wanted Merida to get
married.
To Merida, that was the end of the world. She just was not cut out for the diplomatic life her mother lived, and didn’t want to be forced into something she wasn’t ready for, especially when her freedom was at stake.
When the Lords and their sons came, and contested for her hand, Merida was trying to think of every way out of the situation. She ended up finding the tiniest of loopholes and acting on it – even if it didn’t exist. She strolled right out onto the archery field, announcing herself as the firstborn of the DunBroch royal family, and said she’d be shooting for her own hand. This only succeeded in getting her – and her family – in the kind of trouble Elinor had striven to avoid: the Lords were close to the brink of war. In a fit of rage, Elinor tossed Merida’s bow into the fire, after Merida had slashed an embroidery of the family – specifically right between the two of them. They each had closed their ears and minds off to one another, refusing to listen.
And after the bow was in the fire, Merida ran away. (Thankfully Elinor realized how important the bow was to Merida, and pulled it out before it sustained any severe lasting damage.)
She and her horse reached this circle of standing stones where, spooked, the horse threw her off in his haste to stop. Merida – in a royal mess by this point – caught sight of a Wisp. Cautiously, she followed them, until she came to a little cottage in the middle of the woods. It appeared to belong to an eccentric wood-carver with an obsession with bears, until she revealed herself – inadvertently – to be a witch. In her haste to stop the wedding, Merida bought out the entire shop along with one spell using a royal pendant from around her neck in a trade. After an awkwardly-worded wish of “I want to change my mother, because if she’s changed, my fate will change,” and a bubbling potion, Merida had a little cake in hand the witch had given her that the latter had promised would make her mother change.
When Merida arrived back at the castle – late at night – Elinor found her, worried out of her mind. When Elinor made it clear that she still intended for Merida to be married, Merida offered up the cake as a “peace offering.” Elinor took a bit and immediately began to experience a sort of strange sickness. Instead of worrying about her mother’s state, Merida took it as the moment to keep asking if the marriage was still on. She escorted her mother to the latter’s bed chamber via the main hall, where the various Lords – having grown more and more irritated with Fergus’s antics to keep them distracted – converged upon Elinor, where Elinor revealed she did not feel well and would converse with them in a while.
However, once in the safety of Elinor’s room, she went through an incredible change and became a
bear. Merida panicked, until it was clear that Elinor’s consciousness was still intact. They attempted to sneak out of the castle with the help of Harris, Hubert, and Hamish… though their help came with a price. Merida told them to eat anything they wanted in the kitchen, but she had forgotten one little thing: she had left the magical cake in there.
Merida and Elinor attempted to find the witch’s cottage, but when they got there, it was dark and unoccupied, except for the soul cauldron – so it seemed. Upon a closer look, there seemed to be little, shadow-like creatures hiding within, twitching about like insects. Merida – who had recovered her bow – quickly realized they were not friendly, and took them out swiftly. The creatures disappeared, but her arrows, thankfully, did not.
Within the cauldron, the witch had left a message for Merida. The first part was that the spell upon Elinor would be permanent by the second sunrise. The second offered a bit of hope: in order to break the spell, they had to decode a riddle.
“Fate be changed, look inside. Mend the bond torn by pride.” The next morning, Elinor attempted to get them food, but ended up only finding poisonous berries and infected water. Merida showed Elinor how to catch fish as a bear, and the morning was fun for a while – until Elinor began showing more truly-bear-like tendencies. There was, in fact, a moment where her consciousness was completely gone – but she snapped out of it before she hurt Merida.
The pair of them came across Wisps, which led them to these creepy old ruins, infested with the weird shadow-creatures. They’d been encountering more and more of those in the forest, but especially in dark places. Upon further exploration, Merida realized a legend her mother had told her was true: Four brothers turned to war when the eldest was overcome by his lust for power. Then Merida realized the eldest had gone to the witch, seeking the strength of ten men… and she turned him into Mor’du, the demon bear.
At this revelation, Mor’du himself turned up, and Merida and Elinor barely escape. Merida theorizes that in order to stop Elinor from becoming a real bear, they would literally need to “mend the bond:” the tapestry that she had sliced in a moment of anger. They sneak back into the castle – encountering more shadow creatures – to do just that.
However, when Merida entered the great hall, it appeared the four Clans are right on the brink of war. She attempted to talk them out of it, but at first, her lack of skills for public speaking come through and she just seemed to make things worse. Finally – with some help from her mother, standing in the back, attempting to remain unnoticed whilst signing with her paws – Merida calmed them down and, to her intense pleasure, Elinor told her to tell the lords that their sons and daughters should be able to marry for love. The Lords appeared to argue, until their sons agreed, that they should choose who they marry.
It seemed everything will be all right. Merida and Elinor successfully sneak into Merida’s room to mend the tapestry. However, Elinor lost her consciousness again for a little while, becoming a bear inside. Fergus came across Elinor’s room and finds it in a completely trashed and broken state, and assumed she was dead. He charged into Merida’s room, saw what he thought was the bear that killed Elinor, and chased it off with the intent to kill it. He locked Merida in her room after it seemed like she will hinder his progress.
Desperate, Merida managed to alert her three younger brothers – who have become bear cubs, because of them eating the cake. They managed to get the key to her room and help her out. She took the half-sewn tapestry with her, as well as the three boys, and she mounted Angus and rode off after her father and the Lords.
They reached the standing stones, and it appeared Fergus was going to kill Elinor – who had been back to her senses for a while. Merida got in the way, and he wasn’t sure what to think… until the absolute worst happened.
Mor’du appeared, along with hordes of the black shadows.
A fight ensued, while most of the Clans were held back by the shadows. Fergus was knocked aside by a single pawswipe from Mor’du. The demon bear turned on Merida (perhaps sensing prey that was like him, someone that over-valued their own individuality and sought to change their fate). Elinor managednto break from her bonds and began to fight Mor’du.
However, the earth started shaking and crumbling and, to Merida’s horror, completely breaking up. Thousands upon thousands of shadows spilled out of the cracks, and Merida never saw the end of the fight between Mor’du and Elinor. All she knew was that the ground split underneath her, and she tumbled into it.
And then she woke up in a place completely unfamiliar and strange, not knowing how much time had passed… only knowing that she had to get back to her mother somehow. Perhaps the world ending meant that the curse wouldn’t come to pass, and her mother was still stuck as a bear somewhere, waiting for her. She refused to believe that the worst had happened: that Elinor was a bear forever… or worse.
Role Playing Sample: “Oh, Mum
!”
“Merida, Ah’ll not have ye complainin’ like that every other moment,”[/b] Elinor said with a mask of patience.
“Now, your recitations.”As Merida opened her mouth, the door to her room suddenly swung open. She caught sight of her father, and her heart jumped when she saw the fear in his eyes, and opened her mouth to ask him a question. But Elinor beat her to the punch, rising gracefully, yet her demeanor was anxious.
“Fergus? What is it?”“Ah dinnae, boot they… th’ creatures look as wee demons…!”“Creatures?” Merida cried out, rising.
“Da, what – ”“Merida, hush. Ye stay poot. Fergus an’ Ah will sort this oot.” Elinor silenced Merida’s rebuttals with a stony glance, and then she was gone, the door shut behind her, following Fergus to sort out whatever these ‘creatures’ were…
Merida fell into a moody silence, her arms crossed. It wasn’t fair, her mother [/i]never
told her what was going on. She was forced to stay in her room, not ask questions, do as she was told… When would her mother finally let her know the secrets of the kingdom?
Also, the talk of dark creatures was making her a little nervous. Perhaps they were magical and friendly, like the Wisps… or perhaps not. Fergus certainly seemed much more worried than if a mere country of men were invading. Mystical things he knew nothing about? He was unprepared for a fight of that sort.
But, this did
mean that there were no more lessons for the day.
She allowed herself a slight smile.“Ahhh… my head…”The world was blurry and unfocused, and Merida’s brain struggled the grasp the events that had just happened. She was sure she had been dreaming just a moment ago, reliving a moment in her past… but how had she begun dreaming? When had she fallen asleep? She recalled a sense of intense danger, and fear curdled deep in her stomach… and then she remembered:
Mor’du.She stumbled to her feet, her eyes still refusing to focus. The world spun in front of her, and she doubled over for a moment, overwhelmed.
“Aiya…” she wheezed, attempting to breathe slowly.
“Ah feel laeke Ah took a sour beatin’ or some such thing…”As her eyes slowly focused, she became aware of the fact that Mor’du was not actually around – and nor were the Clans, her father, or her mother. In fact, she didn’t know
where she was… everything was strange and unfamiliar and
was that a bird walking on two legs look at the SIZE of that thing.Her eyes went wide as the marvels around her slowly took shape, and she winced, holding her head.
“Mayhap Ah’m seein’ things… Those bloomin’ Wisps up tae a trick.”But for some reason, she felt like it was all very
real.Questions/Comments/Suggestions: none. I just talked to Cadence and she said it was all right to make this profile, so I did.
