Meribeth Brodie - Uniting the Nation

General Information

Name: Meribeth Brodie.
Age: 16 years old
Gender: Female
Nationaity: Scottish - Lowlander
Birthday: May 1st during the Beltane festival.

Family

Father: Angus Brodie
Mother: Fiona Brodie (deceased )
Eldest Brother: " Little "Angus Brodie (deceased)
Middle Brother: Cailin Brodie (deceased )
Youngest Brother: Donal Brodie ( missing in action )

Appearance

Height: 5ft 2Ins
Eyes: Blue/Grey
Body type: Thin due to a life of rationishing food. Slightly lean due to hard graft on the farm.

Personality

Meribeth is a girl who knows her place in society. She has spent her life caring for her family of men which has given patience which is almost saint like. She is used to being belittled or overlooked by men but she's earned the respect of her older brothers through hard work and handling anything that's thrown at her. She's not the kind of girl who wants to be looked after or cries at the first sight of hardship. She possess a strength that may not be physical but gives her a strong sense of character and the confidence to face the challenges that life has brought her thus far.

Her striking looks has meant that she has caught the eye of many a man but her families background meant that there was no money for a dowry. The war almost meant that any eligible young men were on the battle field. It was clearly a concern for her father who wanted her to find a husband but if she was honest, she wasn't looking for a husband. She had her place in her home and although it was hard, it was familiar and comfortable and it was home.

History

Meribeth is the last child of Angus and Fiona Brodie. As is common for the time Fiona died shortly after the birth due to infection putting Meribeth in the position of being woman of the house. Although she was just a baby when her mother passed, her mother's sister looked after her with her own children until she was old enough to be of some use at home.

From a young age she cooked, cleaned and took care of her older brothers and father while they worked on their small farm and tended to the few animals they had. Life was hard but it was good. They had plenty of food and they were able to sell extra produce in the market to their neighbors.

However that was all about to change. With the impeding war, her oldest brother left wanting to do his part for Scotland. It was hard but their father didn't stop them. She knew that if he could her father would have gone with him but with his age and his health he would never have been allowed. So, he remained on the farm and continued to provide for the family.

But as the war continued her remaining brothers left too. They wanted to avenge their brother who had died fighting leaving just her and her father. With less hands on the farm they weren't producing the same amount of food and they didn't have as much to sell meaning that they were just about surviving with the little they had.

With her father's health continuing to deteriorate, Meribeth took it upon herself to try and help out on the farm despite it being man's work. At first it was hard and she lacked the physical strength and skills to be of an real help. But as she kept trying she slowly found ways to help in her own way using her brain over brawn.

Presently, her eldest and middle brother have been pronounced dead and they haven't heard from her youngest brother Donal in weeks. She and her father are still holding out hope that he will return soon but with the battle being over and still no sign of him,  hope is fleeting everyday. Then there's this rumor that the King is arranging marriages between lowlander women to highlander men. But Meribeth doesn't have time to worry about that, her father has taken ill and she's trying to care for him and the household at the same time, being the sole able bodied person left in the house.