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Merida's scream is the only warning he gets.
There's a note of true terror in her scream that he has never heard before from his plucky lass, and when he turned back around, the shadow of the demon bear is looming over his wife and daughter.
He's throwing himself into the fight on pure instinct and adrenaline. He sees Elinor take off on one of the horses out of the corner of his eye, before being drawn back into the reality of the fight as his sword is shattered by Mor'du.
Truthfully, all he remembers after that is an all-consuming pain. He doesn't remember getting back to the castle, Elinor watching over him as he slept fitfully through the following days.
It's a week before he woke up without the healer giving him another vile concoction. His Queen was asleep, slumped in the chair, and little Merida was on her lap, blue eyes open, staring solemnly back at him.
Seeing her little face light up, seeing both of them safe and well, that made it all okay again.