The Big Four: The Rise of the Darkness (Ch. 3)

North came out of yet of another portal and made his team land on the green grass below. All he could see was forest and around him was a circle of huge menhirs that somewhat reminded him of Stone Hinge. He heard hoof-beats behind him. He turned around to see a large black and white Clydesdale horse. The horse skidded to a stop and threw off its rider as it got close to the menhirs. The rider landed right in front of North's feet with a hard and solid thud. It was a girl with long, wild, curly, fiery red hair wearing a dark green traditional dress, made of cotton, with stylish slits. Slung on her back was a brown long bow and had arrows in a brown leather holster around her waist. She cried at her horse forcefully, "Angus…!" Her horse, Angus, whined and got on his hind legs as if it was telling the girl to turn around. The girl froze and slowly looked over her shoulder at North; her light blue eyes widened and shot up to her feet. "Who are you?" Her voice was thick with a Scottish accent.

"I'm North, and you are?"

The girl raised an eyebrow at North's accent then answered slowly, "I am Merida of the clan DunBroch." Merida motioned Angus to join her which he did, she motioned her hand at North's team. "What are those? I've never seen them before…I've never seen you before, either."

"Ah, those are reindeer. They help me travel."

"Then why are you here, North? You're out of me Kingdom's borders."

North answered as he put his fists on his hips, "You were chosen!"

Merida raised her eyebrow again. "Chosen?" Then her eyes lightened up. "Have you come to change me fate?"

North shrugged his shoulders. "You could say that, yes. You have to come with me to do so, Merida."

Merida gripped onto Angus' reins. "Can I bring Angus? Where are we going?" She and North jumped when lightning crashed overhead.

"Oh no…" North dug into his coat pocket as he told Merida, "Merida, we must leave before the darkness takes both you and your horse along with the land."

"Darkness?" Merida repeated. A horse whined in the distance, Merida quickly pulled off her bow and drew an arrow. She pulled it as her eyes darted from side to side. "Did anyone else come with you?"

"No, I came alone." North corrected. Suddenly, a Nightmare Mare appeared in front of them.

"What is that thing?!" Merida exclaimed. The Nightmare Mare slowly galloped towards Merida and North. Merida pulled her arrow back. "Get back!" Merida growled at the Nightmare Mare.

She let out a yelp of surprise when North grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up on Angus. He threw a snow globe in front of Angus and a magic portal burst open. Angus let out a frightened neigh and got on his hind legs as he backed up. North smacked Angus' rump. "Yaw!" Angus rushed into the portal with Merida mounted on top of him, clinging on to dear life. North returned his attention to the Nightmare Mare and his eyes widened when more appeared from a tornado of Black Sand that started to form around the menhirs. North wielded his dual swords and sliced the Nightmare in half and rushed to his sleigh as he chopped down more Nightmares. He hopped on his sleigh and grabbed the reins with one hand as he defended himself and the sleigh with the other. North snapped his reindeers' reins and yelled, "Yaw!" The team of reindeer shot off of the ground and rocketed into the sky, out of the tornado of Black Sand. North threw a snow globe in front of his team and opened a portal. As he entered, he looked at the kingdom below, all there was left was a dark, empty black void of crackling Black Sand.