Bell Rose, The Princess, and The Frog

Chapter 7

Later, as it got darker, Wakana went to a hidden spot as Naveen had Tiana meet him so they could have some alone time together and he could pop the question to her. And where she would be in for a surprise when she would get to their spot. "Where are you taking me?" Tiana asked Naveen as he was leading her someplace. "I just wanted to show you a little something." Naveen replied as they got on top of the captain board. "To celebrate our last night as frogs." Tiana smiled at him before she looked surprised at what was waiting for them. Wakana smiled as she stayed where he was hidden and kept her comments to herself so she wouldn't ruin their moment. There was a tiny bucket with a small champagne bottle and lavender flower. There was even a little table set up for them both and a candle stick. "Oh, my... No one has ever done anything like this for me." Tiana smiled before she giggled as she saw Naveen wearing a black butterfly like a bowtie. "It's a little too much, huh?" Naveen shrugged, then waved the butterfly off. "Thanks, Beau." "Well, I thought it was a nice touch." the black butterfly snorted before flying away to leave the two star-crossed frogs alone. "Yeah, not so much." Wakana whispered to herself. "Pretend you didn't see that," Naveen said nervously before taking Tiana like a 'gentlefrog' to sit her down. "Please, please, sit down." "What's this?" Tiana asked, getting comfortable and seeing a silver dish covered. "Ta-da!" The Maldonian Prince lifted the top off to show all sorts of minced foods which had been prepared professionally. "You minced!" Tiana smiled. Wakana smiled proudly. "All by himself." "I did!" Naveen set himself down. "You have had quite an influence on me, which is amazing, because I have dated thousands of women," He stopped himself and tried to make this topic sound appropriate. "No! Like two or three, just other women... Anyway just listen... You're not much more different you know," Then he set his hand down to get his engagement ring for Tiana. "You are practically one of the guys... No, no, no! You're not a guy, let me start again!" He hid the walnut behind his back anxiously as the girl grew more suspicious and offended. He slid against the table and fell downward. "I'm not myself tonight, Tiana, sorry that was loud... This is a disaster..." Wakana winced and cringed at the results and even covered her eyes. "No, it's cute." Tiana giggled. Naveen chuckled back, then took out the shell. "Tiana, I-"

"There it is!" Tiana looked over and saw the sugar mill passing by them as they were closer back to her home. "Keep going." Wakana whispered. Tiana and Naveen talked about the restaurant plans and Tiana mentioned that her father had died before he could see her dream come true of owning the sugar mill and making it into a hot spot for many hungry customers to come. Wakana could see that the two were now getting along. "Can't you just picture it?" Tiana got excited. "All lit up like the Fourth of July." "Yes, jazz pouring out every window!" Naveen added. "It should be elegant." "But you got to keep it loose, though. Got to let it swing." "Couldn't agree more." Wakana whispered to herself. Tiana asked Naveen if he knew a good music player and agreed to let him play at her restaurant as live entertainment. The two had a deep talk until the port of New Orleans was ashore before Naveen could tell Tiana how he really felt about her. "I'll go round-up the boys..." Naveen said with a smirk. He then took his walnut-shell and left to get Louis, Ray, and the others that came with them on this venture back home. Tiana sighed as he left and buried her face in her hands. She felt like there was something more to that, but according to her heart and what she knew, she was only friends with Naveen and nothing more, at least she thought that. She looked up at the evening and glowing star in the far distance. "Evangeline," she spoke. "I've always been so sure about what I wanted, but now I... What do I do? Please tell me." "Yes! She's in love with Naveen!" Wakana cheered quietly. "I've got to go tell him." Unfortunately, the others didn't know that Naveen was being held hostage and tormented by Dr. Faciler's friends on the other side. He was taken away into the darkness.

The boat stopped as it made it to New Orleans and it was time for Mardi Gras. Everyone was getting off the boat. "Ray, have you seen Naveen?" Tiana asked the firefly. Ray began to get excited as he thought Naveen had successfully proposed to her. "Look at you! Where's your ring?" "What are you talking about?" Tiana glanced at him. "Well, if Froggy Boy didn't say anything, I'm not gonna say anything, because old Ray's sealed up, tight as a drum." Ray replied in denial. "You're not getting anything out of me, no!" "Ray?" Tiana smirked. "Okay, Frog Dude ain't gonna marry Charlotte, he's gonna marry you!" Ray gave in. "Soon as he gets himself kissed, you're both gonna be human and he's gonna find a job to get you that restaurant," he explained as Tiana smiled delightful that Naveen would do that for her. The firefly covered his mouth. "I said too much, didn't I?" "You said just enough, Ray!" Tiana smiled as she hugged him before looking up at Evangeline. "Thank you, Evangeline." "That's great news!" said Bell. "Wakana, did you know about this?" Otoha asked. "Um, I might have" Wakana smiled sheepishly. Ray and Tiana went off to find Naveen. "Hey, wait for us!" Bell said as she and her friends followed them. Tiana was hopping around, looking for a particular parade float. "Wait, froggy, stop!" Ray tried to catch up. "What are we looking for again?" "You keep your eyes out for the biggest, gaudiest float with a Mardi Gras princess about to kiss herself a-" Tiana said, but then stopped as she saw the La Bouff float. Charlotte was in her wedding princess gown and Eli was in his king outfit. She gasped as she saw Naveen was human and in a groom's prince uniform. "Frog..." The girl felt heartbroken and betrayed. Bell, Wakana, and Otoha felt bad for her. Tiana ran away to the cemetery as she couldn't believe that 'Naveen' was going to marry Charlotte. The girls followed her and Ray went somewhere else. "Tiana, wait! What we just saw couldn't have been real!" Bell called out. "Y'all saw it, didn't you?! Naveen is going to marry Lottie" Tiana told the girls. "But there's gotta be an explanation for that" said Wakana. "Yeah, Naveen wouldn't betray you on purpose." Otoha added. "I don't want to hear what you have to say. Just leave me alone" Tiana told them.

Just when the girls started to lose hope, they saw Ray flying toward them carrying something. "This proves what we saw ain't what we thought we saw!" he told them. "What is this?" Tiana asked. It's a voodoo hayacall. The Shadow Man, he been using it for the-" Then he saw Dr. Facilier's shadow demons coming after him. "You can't let Shadow Man get this, no matter what! Now run, girls! Run!" Ray yelled. So the girls ran away while Ray dealt with the shadow demons. As the girls tried to escape, they suddenly got turned back into humans and were brought to a fancy restaurant. "We're back to normal?" Bell said. "But how is this possible?" Wakana asked. "Did Charlotte kiss Naveen already?" Otoha asked. "Now, isn't this a whole lot better than hopping around the bayou for the rest of your life?" said Dr. Facilier as he approached the group. "Shadow Man" said Tiana. The girls just glared at him, wondering what he was up to. "Got to hand it to you, Tiana. When you dream, you dream big." Facilier chuckled. "Just look at this place. Going to be the crown jewel of the Crescent City! And all you got to do to make this a reality is hand over that little old talisman of mine." "We will never hand it over to you. Not after what you did to us" Bell glared. "Now, now, there's no need to be hasty. Come on now, Tiana. Think of everything you've sacrificed. Think of all those naysayers who doubted you. You ain't never going to get enough for the down payment. And don't forget your poor daddy." said Facilier. "Tiana, don't listen to him" Otoha told her. "Now that was one hard-working man. Never letting on how bone tired and beat down he really was. Shame all that hard work didn't amount to much more than a busted-up old gumbo pot and a dream that never got off the back porch. But you? You can give your poor daddy everything he ever wanted. Come on, Tiana. You're almost there." Facilier tempted. "Don't do it, Tiana" said Wakana. "My daddy never did get what he wanted." Tiana began. "But he had what he needed. He had love. He never lost sight of what was really important." she said angrily to Facilier. "Easy with that. Careful." Facilier said about the talisman. "And neither will I!" Tiana yelled before throwing the talisman to the ground. But Facilier's shadow caught it and handed it back to him.

Facilier laughed maliciously as he shattered the restaurant manifestation and turned the girls back into frogs. He held Tiana down with his cane. "Tiana!" Bell, Wakana, and Otoha cried in unison. "Y'all should have taken my deal. Now you're going to spend the rest of your lives being slimy, little frogs." said Facilier. "I've got news for you, Shadow Man. It's not slime. It's mucus!" Tiana replied. before using her prehensile tongue to regain the talisman and break it, thus ending the villainous plot for good. In shock, the girls watched Dr. Facilier be dragged to the demise by his 'friends'. "Nice work, Tiana. Now that Dr. Facilier is gone, let's head back to Mardi Gras." said Bell. "You're right. Let's go, girls" Tiana replied. So Tiana and the girls hopped back to the concluded Mardi Gras parade.