Merida

Merida is a minor character on Once Upon a Time.

Season 5
While hunting down a Will O' the Wisp, Merida is magically pulled back by Emma, who is also searching for the Wisp. Merida mistakes her for a witch and gets ready to shoot her, but Emma explains that she needs the wisp to rid herself of her Dark One powers. She agrees to a fair fight to choose who gets the wisp, but Emma refuses, telling her to just go. Merida agrees to give Emma the wisp once she's done with it, and on the way to the Hill of Stones, she explains that her brothers have been kidnapped. They set up for camp for the night, but the ginger overhears Emma talking to The Darkness, which is urging her to kill Merida. She escapes during the night and sets off to the Hill of Stones where she whispers into the wisp. Emma arrives, but she is too late. Merida doesn't trust Emma and shoots arrows at her, only for them all to be caught. Emma eventually magically pulls Merida towards her and rips out her heart. As she begins to crush it, Emma's family and friends appear and persuade her to return the heart. She does so, and later she talks to Emma, telling her she has no hard feelings. She also thanks Emma for helping her see she has darkness in her too, so she shall now decide to give the clans who kidnapped her brothers mercy. After a farewell, Merida goes off to follow the wisp.

Before the Third Curse
After being arrested by King Arthur and Queen Guinevere for conspiring against them in their quest for the dagger, Lancelot is taken to the cells in Camelot's castle. He is thrown roughly into one of the dungeon cells by a jailer, who locks him in before vacating. Merida, who is in another cell after also being imprisoned, comments that someone doesn't like Lancelot. Lancelot looks up in surprise as she goes on to say that his cell is the one the rats take a fancy to. The knight stands up and explains that he had a disagreement with the King, and it didn't make him a lot of friends. Merida then steps out of the shadows and corrects her new cellmate, saying that it made him one, because an enemy of King Arthur is probably a friend of hers. She then introduces herself by name, and Lancelot extends the same courtesy. Merida nods to him in a welcoming manner.

Season 5
After the curse cast by Emma Swan, sends everyone from Camelot to Storybrooke, Merida ends up as the curse castor's prisoner. Emma ties Merida to the front of her car and hides her under a hidden tunnel in a quiet part of town. After talking to Mr. Gold, who is now free of the Darkness inside him, as it now resides in Emma, the blonde visits Merida, who says she was right about her being a witch. Emma rips out her heart and proceeds to order the redhead to retrieve her bow from inside the car. Merida is forced to obey while Emma reveals her plan to make Merida show Mr. Gold how to be brave.

Still under Emma's control, Merida takes Mr. Gold into the woods so she can begin turning him into a hero with a sword sparring session. Gold, however, is too weak from his limp leg and refuses to fight. Merida quickly fashions him a cane from a stick so he can stand, but he continues to not comply. Frustrated, she knocks him out, convinced he'll have a weakness that she can use to persuade him to fight her. After entering the mayor's office and finding the storybook, she learns from one of its pages that he treasures a chipped cup from his time with Belle. She steals the cup from the pawnshop and then confronts Gold, using the cup as a prize she'll forfeit to him if he beats her. She gives him a sword and he attempts to attack her with it, but she swiftly cuts him down, making him fall and drop his weapon. Noticing the cup is chipped, she taunts him, threatening to break it. She then taunts him about whether Belle saw the monster he truly is, causing Gold to suddenly lunge at her with his sword. Pleased at this outburst, she points out that Belle is the cause of his sudden bravery. She tests him a few more times, and when Gold blocks all her attacks, she remarks that he still has a long way to go before he can take on Emma.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.