Chapter:10 Return of the 'King'

The fairies led Sven, Anna and Kristoff deeper into the forest. Soon the dark and gloomy environment became one of beauty. Dreary leaves were replaced by bioluminescent flowers, and the muddy ground became soft green grass. Princess Anna gasped at the sight of hundreds, even thousands of fairies flying in this gorgeous sanctuary.

Lord Marius cleared his throat and raised his hand, "Welcome, to Pixie Hollow...Arendelle Sect."

"This is amazing!", gasped Anna.

Kristoff scratched his head while keeping his other arm around Anna. "I thought fairies were just a myth."

The redhead giggled, "Says the guy who was raised by trolls!" He playfully nudged her as Sven trailed behind.

"I don't get it, my lord.", wondered Emily. "I thought human interaction was strictly forbidden."

Lord Marius stopped flying and pondered her point. "Elise!"

Elise fluttered up to him. "Yes, my lord?"

"See to it that a new law is put into effect." She grabbed a scroll and began to write. "From this moment forward, human interaction is forbidden...unless they have a talking snowman...that's really cool...then you can most definitely interact."

"What if they're in grave danger?", asked Elise.

"Do they have a talking snowman?"

"No."

"Then no interaction." He cringed. "Agh, we'll look into it some other time." Marius flew onto Anna's shoulder. "Now about your vehicle."

"MY vehicle.", added Kristoff. "If it was Anna's, it wouldn't have made it out of the castle courtyard."

Quinn sped through the blonde's scruffy hair and hung upside down from his forehead. "You're gonna need expert help to fix your sled...carriage...thing. Lucky for you, there happens to be an expert tinker who's visiting."

Olaf ran through the forest as fast as his snowy little legs could carry him. "Marco! Marco!"

"Polo!", chuckled a fairy flying overhead.

The snowman continued to dash through the darkness until he spotted Marco sitting on a log. He was staring out at a glowing lake with hues of blue and white. "Marco!", cheered Olaf.

The explorer was startled by the sound and screamed so loud, that the birds fled the trees...and-

Queen Elsa awakened from her chambers and stretched out. "Today looks promising.", she smiled. Suddenly, a rippling scream echoed from the high mountains and rattled Arendelle Castle. Elsa's smile disappeared in a heartbeat. "Maybe I'll just call in sick."

Kai snickered in the doorway. "Your Majesty...do you...have a COLD?", he laughed.

Elsa rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh Anna...please come home."

A treacherous prince sat in his cell, carving away tallies against the dungeon walls. In that instant, a blood-curdling screamed blasted across the land like a sonic boom. Hans fell to the ground and winced at the ultra-amplified scream of what sounded like a five-year-old girl. He grabbed his Iceburns books and used them to cover his ears. "What the?", he wondered.

One of the prison guards ran across the hall crying out, "That sounds like a Naaaaaaaaaaaazgul! Run for your lives!" In his panic, he dropped the cell keys and kept fleeing.

"Things just got interesting." Prince Hans smirked while quickly grabbing the keys and setting himself free.

He crept out of the dungeon when a woman spotted him. He simply winked as she swooned. Her friend helped her up as Hans disappeared. "Elisa? Are you alright?"

She grinned, "He was so...dreamy! Those sideburns!"

The escaped prince walked down an alleyway, "Vengeance...thy name is Hans."

Mulan and Shang had left the village for a romantic stroll by the cherry blossom trees. "I love you, Mulan."

She smiled, "I love you t-

A tremendous screech of a scream echoed through the trees and across the land. "WHAT WAS THAT?!", shrieked Shang.

Olaf emerged from the bushes. "Are...you okay?"

Marco was hyperventilating. "Of course...you...you just startled me is all."

"That was the loudest scream I've ever heard."

Marco shied away from the subject. "Olaf, why are you here?"

The snowman replied, "Because we need you."

"No you don't. All I've done is cause trouble. I'm a coward...a failure."

"That's all true, but look on the bright side. At least you can never show your face in your own kingdom again. That's if it doesn't collapse from economic instability first. Or maybe even civil war." Olaf gasped, "What if there's an entire revolution? Or a neighboring kingdom of warlords sees its weakness and burns it to the ground!"

Marco bursted into tears while burying his face in his hands. "It's all my fault! The kingdom will fall apart and I'll be all alone...as I always have been."

"Woah woah woah. No.", affirmed Olaf. "You have us."

"Maybe you...but not the others. Kristoff and Princess Anna...they probably hate me. I've been such a lying, selfish...loser."

"Sven is your friend too."

"Great. My only two friends are a snowman and a moose."

"Reindeer."

"Whatever.", Marco sighed while peering at the gleaming lagoon. "I let everyone down."

Olaf pat Marco's shoulder. "You're too mean to yourself. All of us care about you. Anna and Kristoff would show it if you'd just be honest with them." The explorer looked over at him, wiping a tear. "Don't lie anymore. Admit your weaknesses and accept you, for you. There's a saying Queen Elsa always says. "Let it go. Let it go."

"Why?"

"Well, it means leaving the past-

"No I mean why does she say it twice? Isn't one 'let it go' enough?"

There was an awkward pause. Olaf continued, "Without even meaning to, you've brought us this far. And we'll finish this quest alongide you. All of us."

Marco began to smile, only to frown again. "How will I get Anna and Kristoff to understand? They wouldn't answer to a loser."

Olaf flashed a determined glare into Marco's eyes and proclaimed, "THEY WILL ANSWER TO THE KING OF LOSERS." Olaf plucked Marco's sword out of his back and held it in front of him, declaring. "Your sword, the flame of the west, forged from the shards of stage props!"

Marco looked down at his sword and took a deep breath. He gingerly grasped it. "Boris will not have forgotten this sword." He drew the blade and assumed a fighting stance, as if long lost confidence had returned.

Olaf said, "Put aside the coward...become who you were born to be."

"A loser?"

"The king of losers."

"Thank you, snowman." Marco smirked and declared, "LET'S DO THIS!" He ran back into the woods.

Olaf stopped him, "Woah, your majesty. Our friends are in the other direction.

Marco paused and exclaimed, "LET'S DO THIS!", before charging in the opposite direction.

With several more hammer strikes, the sled-mobile's axel and wheels were repaired. Kristoff tested them out and grinned, "Thank you, Tinkerbell."

The blonde fairy waved, "You are most welcome. Safe travels!"

Kristoff boarded the ride while helping Anna up. "Time to go home."

"AND MISS OUT ON THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME?!", hollered Marco.

"Oh brother.", facepalmed Kristoff.

"TIS I! MARCO! REBORN FROM THE ASHES OF FAILURE! AND-", Marco tripped over himself and smashed his face on a tree stump.

One hour and forty-five minutes later...

Marco awakened in the sled-mobile. He rubbed his head and looked around. They were on the road again, crossing out of the forest and into the fields. "What...what happened?"

"You got yourself knocked out.", snickered Anna.

"Where are we going?...Arendelle?"

"That's the thing.", said Kristoff as he halted Sven. "East takes us to Arendelle. West takes us further along the coast. Adventure...or home."

Marco was about to speak when Olaf said, "I got'em all warmed up for you."

"Look.", began the explorer. "I know I've been...a total jerk. A selfish coward with no hope in life. And I accept that. I'm sorry for the past, but like your sister says, I'm letting it go. If you want to go back to Arendelle, go ahead. But leave me here so I can find the Paloma myself. I'm done lying. It's time to face the problem I created."

"And we will face it.", affirmed Kristoff.

"We?", gasped Marco.

Anna turned to him. "Marco, there's no way we'd come all this way and leave our friend to die."

"Die?"

Kristoff scoffed, "Face it. Without us, you'd be dead in five minutes. Besides, I'd like some payback on those crooks for nearly killing us."

Anna smiled, "Come on, hero. Let's get that treasure back." She tossed him his feathered hat as he quickly put it on.

A tear ran down his eye as Kristoff added, "No more crying. Please."

Marco wiped the tear faster than lightning. "Right. Right! RIGHT! LET'S GET THAT TREASURE!"

"Yes!", cheered Olaf.

"Darn right!", huffed Kristoff.

"I was born ready!", exclaimed Anna.

"It's game time!", declared Quinn. Marco screamed like an infant when Quinn emerged from Anna's napsack.

"Quinn?", asked Anna. "What are you doing here?"

"Face it, princess.", she said while poking Anna's nose and flying around her. "You, your boo, reindeer, snowman, and captain adventure wouldn't last a moment without a fairy's help." She fluttered onto Kristoff's shoulder and scratched her chin. "Now we're gonna need a team name..."