Unfortunately, the warriors all take off in pursuit of Elinor, fearing the huge bear. While back at the castle, Merida-with the encouragement of her mother-convinces the clans that each of the first-borns should be allowed to marry whom they please, restrengthening the strained bond. Convinced that this means she needs to mend a tapestry she tore during the earlier fight with Elinor, Merida returns to the castle with her still ursine mother, only narrowly escaping a run-in with her bear-hating father through the assistance of Merida’s triplet brothers-also turned into bears by the curse.

Merida, horrified by her mother’s transformation and the role she played in it, seeks out the witch again, only to find the cryptic warning that “Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride,” but it will only work if the bond is healed by the second sunrise. Merida runs away and meets a witch who grants her wish for independence by turning Merida’s mother into a bear.

She, in turn, argues with Merida over her duty to wed for the good of her family. This rebellion angers the other lords who express their frustration to Elinor, Merida’s mother. When Merida’s father announces that she must marry the heir of one of his allies-with each eldest son competing for the honor-she rebels. All her life, Merida has been headstrong and independent, traits encouraged by her father and discouraged by her mother. In the Pixar film Brave, Merida is a Scottish princess who becomes involved in an intragroup conflict within her family.

Brave merida and mother