“Look at this,” Merida whispered. “Have you ever, in all your life, seen anything like it?”
“What have you got there?” Young Macintosh asked as he crouched next to Merida to get a better look. He saw a rough stone ledge in the middle of a shallow pool of water. Someone had carved a design along the edge of the stone. It looked like a chain of knots that were linked together by oval-shaped loops.
At that moment, Merida moved her hands, flooding the cave with a beautiful light. Young Macintosh blinked in surprise at two large, glowing emeralds sitting on the ledge in front of them.
“These emeralds—someone must have put them here,” Merida said.
“Look at the water seeping onto the stone,” Young Macintosh said. “It must come from underground.”
“The water swirls around the emeralds and trickles off the ledge,” Merida realized. “Then it flows down through the loch and becomes the Fire Falls!”
With one finger, Merida cautiously reached out to touch the emeralds. “I’ve never seen emeralds glow like this. They must be very lucky.”
“Lucky? Why’s that?” asked Young Macintosh.
“Because emeralds bring good luck, of course,” Merida replied. “Everyone knows that.”
Young Macintosh started to laugh. “No, that’s all wrong,” he said confidently. “My father told me that emeralds are a symbol of power. In ancient times, lords paid tribute to great kings with emeralds. My father said that one king’s vault had more than a thousand sparkling emeralds inside!”
Now it was Merida’s turn to laugh. “A thousand emeralds? There can’t be that many in all the land!” she exclaimed.
Young Macintosh glared at her. “I suppose you think you know more than my father, then—the great ruler of the Macintosh clan!”
“Your father is as mistaken as you are,” Merida said firmly. “Emeralds have always been lucky for our people.”
Then, to Merida’s surprise, Young Macintosh grabbed one of the emeralds! He jammed it into the pouch attached to his kilt.
“Put that back!” Merida ordered.
“I’ll do no such thing,” he said. “Emeralds mean power, and I’m bringing this back for my father. The Macintosh clan will be stronger than ever!”
Merida’s eyes flashed angrily. “Then I’ll be taking this one,” she said as she plucked the other emerald from the ledge. She shoved it into the leather pouch on her belt. The emerald was so large that Merida couldn’t completely close the pouch’s drawstring around it. “And you can see for yourself the good luck it will bring to all of the people of DunBroch!”
Merida and Young Macintosh made their way out of the cave, arguing all the way back to DunBroch Castle.
With the emeralds hidden in their pouches, neither one noticed that the gems had stopped glowing.
Merida arrived at the castle with Young Macintosh just in time for the welcoming ceremony and afternoon feast. Every single member of their clans was streaming into the Great Hall for the first official event of the Rites of Summer.
The servants rushed between the Great Hall and the kitchen. They piled the tables high with the very best food in all of DunBroch. There were platters of steaming haggis and mounds of scones. There were whole smoked salmons and towers of sweet cakes for dessert.
Merida shook her head as she noticed her little brothers gnawing on pheasant legs. No one was supposed to start eating until King Fergus and Queen Elinor had given a formal welcome to the visiting clan.
At the front of the hall, a long wooden table had been placed on a platform. It was reserved for Merida’s and Young Macintosh’s families. By eating together in front of their clansmen, the royal families set an example of friendship. From a distance, it looked like Queen Elinor was chatting happily with Lord Macintosh. But her eyes were worried as she glanced around the Great Hall from table to table. At last, she spotted Merida and breathed a sigh of relief. Then Queen Elinor beckoned for her daughter to join her on the platform.
“Merida, the welcoming ceremony is about to begin!” Queen Elinor exclaimed when Merida reached the table. “Where have you been?”
Young Macintosh started to snicker as if Merida were in trouble. “Mum, I have a question,” Merida began, ignoring him. “What’s the meaning of an emerald?”
“Ahh, lass, I can answer you that,” Lord Macintosh broke in. “The emerald has long been a symbol of power and strength to every clan in our great land.”
Young Macintosh’s eyes lit up. “Just like I told you!” he jeered.
Bop!
Lord Macintosh grabbed his son’s chin, wiping the goofy grin right off the boy’s face. “What’ve I told you about minding your manners?” he scolded. “You’re not to be rude to our hosts on this most special day of celebration.”
“Lord Macintosh is correct. Emeralds do symbolize power,” Queen Elinor said. “But they are also important gems to our people. In fact, the emerald carries a variety of significant meanings, wouldn’t you agree, Lord Macintosh?”
Lord Macintosh looked a little flustered. “Well—yes, I suppose—” he said.
“Eloquence, for one,” Queen Elinor continued smoothly. “And good luck, of course.”
Merida was about to make a face at Young Macintosh…until she realized that her mum was keeping an eye on her.
“One might even argue that we’ve forgotten the emerald’s most important meaning—as a symbol of loyalty,” Queen Elinor said. “There is an ancient Legend of the Emeralds. And it is part of the reason we are gathered here today.”
“For the Rites of Summer?” Merida asked.
Queen Elinor nodded. “Long before the peace that unites our clans, dark days befell our homeland,” she began. “There was terrible fighting. The people suffered from the constant battles. Then two great kings—one from each clan—rose to power. They understood that friendship between our clans would be the only way to make peace. So they each brought their clans to the base of the Fire Falls.
“Then the two kings climbed the great falls together. Their people watched in amazement as the kings reached the top of the waterfall. According to legend, the kings each placed an emerald at the source of the Fire Falls—a worthy sacrifice to build friendship between the clans and prove their loyalty to each another. From that day forth, the Fire Falls’ glow at sunset served as a reminder of the two kings’ pledge. As long as the Fire Falls run sparkling, we know that there is peace between the clans.”
“And there always will be,” Lord Macintosh declared.
Just then, King Fergus approached them. “Elinor, these manky lads will eat me alive if the feast doesn’t begin with haste!” he said, trying to shake the triplets off of his arms and leg.
“Yes, of course, I’m sure everyone is ready to begin,” Queen Elinor said. She and King Fergus stood before the crowd to officially welcome them to the Rites of Summer. But before Queen Elinor could say another word, the heavy wooden doors at the back of the Great Hall crashed open with a loud bang.
A DunBroch clansman raced into the hall. Sweat dripped from his red face as he tried to catch his breath. “The Fire Falls—” he gasped. “The Fire Falls—”
“Out with it, man! Say what you’ve come to say!” King Fergus exclaimed.
“The Fire Falls—they’ve gone dark!”
Everyone in the Great Hall gasped. Then the DunBroch and Macintosh clans started talking all at once, filling the Great Hall with loud voices.
“It cannot be true!” King Fergus shouted above all the noise. “Calm yourselves, people of DunBroch and honored guests from the House of Macintosh. We have come together to celebrate the friendship of our clans. There is no reason for the Fire Falls to flow with darkness and discord. Come, we shall go see them for ourselves.”
King Fergus led the DunBroch and Macintosh clans outside. As everyone headed toward the Fire Falls, Merida uneasily reached for the thistle charm attached to her bow. She hoped that her father was right about the falls…but she couldn’t forget Queen El
inor’s story.
When the clans reached the base of the Fire Falls, it was clear that something was very wrong with the majestic waterfall. Everyone stared up in shock at the dark water that cascaded over the cliff. A black, misty spray coated the rocks that lined the falls. Even the Crone’s Tooth was covered in dark water.
King Fergus’s face turned red with rage. “Who has done this?” he roared. “Who has threatened the peace between our great clans?”
Lord Macintosh stepped forward and clapped his hand on King Fergus’s shoulder. “I stand with King Fergus,” he announced. “When he finds out which one of his clansmen caused this, he will have our full support.”
King Fergus turned to Lord Macintosh with a frown. “I never said that someone from DunBroch was to blame,” he stated.
“Well, it surely wasn’t someone from the Macintosh clan,” Lord Macintosh replied.
“What makes you so quick to blame the fine people of DunBroch?” King Fergus demanded. “It could just as easily be one of your clansmen.”
“Oh, that’s a nice display of hospitality!” Lord Macintosh shot back. “Accusing your guests of a crime against our clans.”
“My dear lords,” Queen Elinor began, trying to calm them before their tempers exploded. But it was too late.
“I’ll not have my people insulted by this bilious, blue-faced bandit!” King Fergus howled in outrage.
“And I’ll not stay in DunBroch and be insulted!” Lord Macintosh bellowed. “Macintosh clan! Take down the tents and return to the ships. We set sail before nightfall.”
“No, you mustn’t go!” Queen Elinor exclaimed. “We can still celebrate the Rites of Summer. Our clans are still friends.”
“Not anymore,” Lord Macintosh snapped. Then he strode away from the Fire Falls.
The DunBroch and Macintosh clans started arguing as they followed Lord Macintosh back to the castle. Soon, only Merida and Young Macintosh were left behind. Merida’s mind raced. She held on tightly to the heavy emerald hidden in her pouch.
Merida knew that if she and Young Macintosh had caused all this trouble by taking the emeralds, it would be up to them to set things right. When she looked at the worried expression on Young Macintosh’s face, she could tell that he felt the same way.
“We’ve got to return them,” she said to Young Macintosh. “We’ve got to put the emeralds back. Then our clans can mend their friendship—and celebrate the Rites of Summer as they were meant to do.”
Young Macintosh reached into his pouch for the emerald. Even in the bright summer sunshine, it didn’t sparkle. The emerald’s glow was completely gone.
“Too bad,” Young Macintosh said. “I wanted to give this to my father. But I agree that the sooner we return the emeralds, the sooner we can get back to celebrating the Rites of Summer. We’ll have to be quick, though. My father will want to set sail as soon as possible.”
Merida didn’t waste a moment. She tethered Angus, jumped up, and wrapped her hands against one of the strong rocks that lined the Fire Falls. But before she could pull herself up to the next rock, Merida slid back to the ground.
“What kind of jiggery-pokery is this?” Merida said as she tried again. Once more, she slid down the rocks.
“Move aside,” Young Macintosh ordered, stepping in front of Merida. He lunged for a higher rock, but he slipped off it just as Merida had.
Suddenly, Merida realized what was happening. “It’s the water!” she exclaimed. “When it splatters on the rocks, it makes them too slippery to climb.”
“Not to worry,” Young Macintosh said confidently. “We’ll take another route to the source. Then we can put the emeralds back and everything will be right.”
“But there isn’t another way to the top of the Fire Falls,” Merida said. “At least, none that I know.”
A frown flickered across Young Macintosh’s face. “If we can’t replace the emeralds…” he began. Then his voice trailed off. He didn’t need to finish his sentence. If they couldn’t replace the emeralds and restore the water, war might break out between their clans…and everyone would pay for their mistake.
Merida squinted at the top of the falls, shielding her eyes from the blazing summer sun. There has to be a way to the top of the Fire Falls! she thought.
Suddenly, a cloud passed in front of the sun, casting a shadow over the waterfall. Then Merida saw it: the shimmery blue glow of a will-o’-the-wisp! Merida gasped and grabbed Young Macintosh’s arm as another wisp appeared, followed by another, and another.
“There!” Merida exclaimed. She pointed at the wisps that hovered in front of the Fire Falls. “Do you see them?”
“What—what are they?” Young Macintosh asked in astonishment.
“They’re will-o’-the-wisps,” Merida said, her face shining with hope. “They’ll lead us to our destiny!”
“I thought wisps were just in legends,” Young Macintosh said.
“No—they’re as real as you and I,” Merida replied. She watched the wisps flicker, one after another, until they almost reached the top of the falls. Then the cloud drifted away from the sun, and all the wisps disappeared at once.
“Wait!” Merida cried. “Don’t go! I don’t understand what you want us to do!”
But the wisps were gone.
“I know want they want,” Young Macintosh announced. “They’re telling us to return the emeralds!”
“But we already know that,” Merida said. “What we don’t know is how to get to the top of the Fire Falls.”
Merida scanned the slippery rocks. All the steely-gray stones looked the same, slick with the dark water from the falls.
“What is that?” Merida suddenly asked. She pointed toward the top of the Fire Falls, where the highest wisp had hovered. A small tree with a twisted trunk grew between two rocks.
Young Macintosh squinted up at the top of the falls. “That’s just a juniper tree,” he told Merida. “It must be strong to grow so high.”
Merida stared at the juniper tree, deep in thought. “We need another way to climb to the top of the falls,” she said thoughtfully. “If only we had a rope or something…”
Young Macintosh rummaged around in his pouch. “You mean, like this?” he asked, showing her a long coil of rope.
Merida’s eyes lit up as she lunged for the rope. “Yes! Give it here!” she cried.
But Young Macintosh held the rope over Merida’s head, just out of her reach. “Why? What do you want with it?” he asked.
“Just give it to me!” Merida exclaimed.
“Not until you tell me why you want it,” Young Macintosh retorted.
Merida could tell he wasn’t going to budge. “I’ll use my strongest arrow to shoot the rope between those two rocks—right by the roots of the juniper tree,” she explained. “Then we can climb up the rope instead of the rocks.”
“I have a better idea,” Young Macintosh said. “I’ll throw the rope so that it twists around the branches of the tree.”
Merida burst into laughter. “Oh, that’s a fine plan,” she said sarcastically. “You could never throw the rope that high!”
Young Macintosh narrowed his eyes. “Yes, I could,” he said stubbornly. “Watch me!”
Merida crossed her arms as she stepped aside. Young Macintosh reached back and threw the rope toward the juniper tree with all his might. Then he and Merida watched as the rope soared into the air. But it only made it halfway up the rocks before tumbling back to the ground. Young Macintosh’s face turned red with frustration as he threw the rope again and again. But it never reached the tree.
“Fine, then, do it your way!” Young Macintosh finally snapped, tossing the rope toward Merida.
“I will,” she shot back.
Merida pulled her strongest arrow out of her quiver. Then she tried to attach the rope to the arrow’s shaft. But the rope was so thick that she had trouble tying a firm knot.
“I’ll do it,” Young Macintosh spoke up.
“I don’t need any help!
” Merida replied.
“The sailors taught me a new kind of knot on the voyage to DunBroch,” Young Macintosh insisted. “You’ll fare better with this knot—I know it.”
Merida hated to admit it, but her knots just weren’t secure enough. Without saying a word, she handed the rope and the arrow to Young Macintosh.
“Here, I’ll show you how to tie it,” Young Macintosh offered. “It might come in handy someday.”
“All right,” Merida said begrudgingly. She watched closely as Young Macintosh looped the rope around the arrow a few times before twisting and tying it into a strong knot.
“There!” Young Macintosh said proudly. “That will hold well.”
Merida tugged on the rope, but it didn’t budge. “That’s a fancy knot,” she said, impressed.
She carefully nocked the arrow against the bowstring. Merida knew that it wouldn’t be enough to have perfect aim. She’d also have to shoot so straight and true that the arrow would fly deep into the dirt and tightly wedge itself between the rocks.
As Merida raised her bow, the good-luck charms clicked together. She paused for just a moment to touch the thistle charm. Then Merida pulled back the bowstring, adjusted her aim, and—
Whoosh!
The arrow soared into the sky, trailing the long rope behind it like a tail. Just as Merida had hoped, the arrowhead burrowed into the strip of dirt between the rocks. The arrow’s shaft was almost entirely buried! As Young Macintosh started to cheer, Merida exhaled in relief. Then a huge grin spread across her face. Most people wouldn’t have been able to make such a difficult shot.
But Merida had done it!
Merida ran over to the rope, which dangled several feet above the ground. She leaped up to grab the rope and gave it a strong tug. The arrow stayed firmly wedged in place.
“Now let’s both try,” Young Macintosh said as he reached for the rope, too.
Merida held up a hand to stop him. “It will never hold both of us at the same time,” she said firmly. “I’ll climb up first.”
The Legend of the Emerald Page 2