Okay... so I went and saw Frozen last night with some friends... To sum up my reaction, during the credits I was lying on the ground, in front of the movie screen in fetal position, on the verge of crying. Literally ONE. OF. THE. BEST. Disney movies I have seen i R...

SO good...

Anyways, I've officially come to the conclusion that I just can't update everyday! I have too much live living to deal with! So to make up for keeping you waiting, I'm going to post

Not one

Not two...

But THREE CHAPTERS TODAY!

... And then after that it will just be every few days or so. I can't do it every day though guys. I wish I had the time but school and life is just too much...

So yeah, enjoy!

Chapter 20:

Do the Right Thing

(Mk's POV)

"So milady, I wish to discuss what I've learned from Prince Tarren about the men you encountered in the forest."

I nodded, mentally cringing at the memory. That was awful...

Oren continued. "Well considering the men have been spotted closer to Willhollow then we were previously aware of, there's going to be a bit more security around the palace, and for your safety, we're requesting that you try and stay with an escort as often as you can."

I contemplated this. The fact that those freaks were getting closer made me a little edgy, but with all Willhollow's soldiers, as well as Nod, Ronin, and the other Leafmen, I was sure we'd be fine.

"Alright. Is that it?"

Oren suddenly froze, as if deciding whether he should go forward with something, before he suddenly let out a deep breath, the kind that told me exactly what he was going to say. I could feel a combination of guilt and irritation stir in my chest. Still, I remained quiet.

"Listen Milady... We need to discuss... this current situation,"

Sighing, I turned away from the general, feeling unsure about how I was going to react to this; almost unstable.

"With all due respect sir, there's not much to discuss. I came, I'm here, and I'll do whatever I can to save this place."

"But you refuse to remain, and fulfill your duty as the Lady of Destiny," he said with a hint of the high and mighty sneer she'd heard last night. "Simply because you don't want to give up your comfortable little life in Moonhaven, correct?"

Getting pissed off at this point I spun around, and stubbornly stared him down.

"No, because no one should be expecting to willingly drop everything for people they'd never heard of! Yeah I'm sorry I have a life and family and world outside of this, okay? Sorry I wasn't some enchanted princess just conveniently waiting to leave my entire life behind me, and run off to marry a man I'd never met before. Is that what you were expecting?"

"I was expecting you to have a heart for these people in need! I mean what do you expect us to tell them?! "I'm sorry, I know you were all expecting someone to come and save you from being completely wiped out by a vicious plague, but I'm afraid the only person who could help us would rather look out for themself alone. Hardly makes you worthy of the title and gifts you've been given, for God knows what reason!"

At this remark I was surprised hot steam wasn't whistling out of my ears. I began stomping towards the man furiously as I spoke. "Oh how ironic that you're argument is that I only care about myself?! Sounds exactly like what you guys and your disgusting king did years ago, doesn't it?"

To this Oren seemed confused, and I realized he must not have known about what the King of Willhollow said that day. "Years ago, there was a Boggan attack on Moonhaven. Nod, at eight years old, ran through pouring rain trying to find you guys to help them. When he asked your precious king, Tarren's father told him straight up to get out 'his high and mighty presence.' Only cared about number one I guess, right?"

To this Oren said nothing, giving me the impression that I had won this round. Feeling satisfied for the moment, I headed for the hallway, but right as I was about to enter the hallway, Oren spoke one more time.

"I'm warning you Milady. If the people of Willhollow are harmed because you wouldn't act soon enough, you're probably going to regret ever having heard of Willhollow."

I closed my eyes, my fists clenched so tight my nails were digging into the flesh of my palms. Still, I took a deep, detoxifying breath, and spun around.

"Alright, as much as you think you can threaten me, I'm not the one desperate for a hero, so don't think for a second, that any of this is on your terms. Next time you have a bone to pick with me, say it to my face instead of muttering about it before some fireplace with your little friend, Arthur."

And with that, I stormed out the doors into the hallway, more pissed than I'd been this entire trip. Geez, it only took one heated conversation to completely ruin my entire day. How wonderful.

I sighed though, slowing as I reached a stairwell, and sat down on the first couple of steps, resting my chin on my hand. It was cruel of me to misuse my power here. I mean, these people were desperate. Who was I to try and reduce them to begging?

I hadn't realized how lost in thought I had been, until I felt a presence quite near to me. I turned and saw Jenni standing up higher on the staircase, one hand holding the post of the stair rail. She looked curious and yet sad. I wondered what condition I appeared to be in.

"Oh, hi your highness. I didn't see y-"

"You can just call me Jenni." She said softly. Her voice had this naturally innocent ring to it, like a Christmas bell. It made me wish to hear her sing.

I nodded. "Alright Jenni."

She smiled. "May I join you? You look rather sad and I thought I'd keep you company."

I smiled in return and patted the stair next to me. Her grin widened as she walked down gracefully and lowered herself to the step. We didn't speak for a moment or two, but simply sat and enjoyed each other's company. Like Tanya, Princess Jennora was someone I would probably have wanted to get to know better, if I were to stay here...

I sighed, and buried my face in my hands. With all the confusion and mental ties I was creating here, the line between what I was going to do next was becoming blurrier and blurrier. Soon I felt like the stress of it all was going to crush me like an elephant's foot.

I glanced over at the princess, who was staring at her hands as her fingers twiddled away, her eyes looking curious and distant. They were so clear and pure that it almost looked like watery orbs instead of eyes. I thought of the encounter of a couple nights ago, when I'd seen her sneaking down the hallway, tears in her eyes...

"Why were you crying that night?" I suddenly blurted out before I could stop myself. She looked up, confusion evident in her silver orbs.

"What night?"

I explained how I had decided to explore around that evening, and had seen her sneaking down the halls, crying. "What did you hear those guys talking about?" I asked.

She sighed, closing her eyes. "They said... They said I was going to die..."

I froze. My heart felt like a wet paper towel that some heavy weight had just torn through. I knew I should've been mentally prepared for this. Hadn't I already known that people were going to die without me? And Oren had explained that the princess was going to get ill once more, and that sort of implied that it would be fatal.

Still, the fact that they had clearly stated that she was going to die made me sicker than I thought was possible from a simple sentence.

Jenni continued when I didn't speak, still frozen from nausea. "They said that since I had already gotten sick, I was going to be one of the first people to die of the illness, when it returned. And they said it was going to return..."

"Jenni..." I trailed off, unable to fathom what I could possibly say to ease her pain. Then she did something that completely shocked me.

She smiled.

"It's alright I guess. I mean, I cried when I first heard because it was scary. Who wouldn't be afraid of dying? It's terrifying. But... I'm trying not to be scared anymore. I mean, Tarren and the other Willhollow soldiers all put their lives at risk by fighting in an army. And my brother left home for months trying to save us all. The least I can do is be strong for him and-Oh!"

The cause of the little girl's cry was me suddenly pulling her into a hug. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I buried my face into her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Jenni!" I choked out, my voice cracking from the tears. "It's all my fault! None of this would be happening if I could just do the right thing..."

Small arms wrapped back around me, making me cry harder. This girl should've hated me. It was because of me that the people of Willhollow, her people, still had to fear for their lives, that a sweet, twelve year old little girl had to try and be strong after discovering she could die. It was all my fault.

"It's okay Mary Katherine." Jenni tried to comfort, but I wasn't taking any of it.

"Of course it's not! I'm just a selfish, horrible person..."

Jenni pulled away from me and looked up with shinning silver eyes. "Well that's not entirely true. I mean, think of Nod."

My reddened eyes creaked open.

"Nod?"

"Yeah. I mean, he really loves you doesn't he? You'd be hurting him if you stayed. And everyone else at Moonhaven. So you're not being selfish. You're thinking of them too."

I did my best to smile, even though her words just hurt me more. Not only did they point out how many people I was going to hurt no matter what I did, but it made me realize how I was being even more selfish than I'd though. I hadn't been thinking of Ronin or the Leafmen or Moonhaven at all. I'd just been thinking about me and how I was going to be affected...

Still, I saw the spark of hope in the girl's eyes, and I knew how much she was trying to help me. It made me want to cry harder because it was so much more than I deserved.

I let out a deep breath, releasing whatever built up emotions were left, and pulled away from the princess, doing my best to smile.

"Thank you for trying to cheer me up Jenni." Then I looked her right in the eyes. "I promise, I am not going to let you die, okay?"

She smiled. "Thank you Mary Katherine."

We were then shortly interrupted by Miss. Isabelle. She rushed down the stairs, and stopped completely upon discovering us at the base.

"Oh- Why Mistress Jennora! I have been searching everywhere for you!" She said exasperatedly, before rushing down and helping the princess up. I stood as well, feeling extremely self-conscious as I desperately tried to wipe the tear stains from my cheeks.

"I'm sorry Isabelle. I was just speaking with Lady Mary Katherine. I'll come up now."

"Indeed you will! You should've taken your medicine at least an hour ago. Now come along!"

As they hurried along, Jenni snuck me one last wave goodbye, before disappearing up the stairwell.

I sank back down; feeling completely drained of... of well anything. Energy, emotion. I could barely think straight. It was then that I realized who I really needed to see. But before I could take off to find him, Isabelle called down to me.

"And Milady," She said, "The maids need to see you. It's regarding a few things for the introductory ball in a few days."

I groaned under my breath, wishing for just five minutes to put this whole royalty thing behind me, but I knew this would have to be dealt with sooner or later. So, I let out a deep breath, before grudgingly standing and hauling myself up the stairs. There would be time later... hopefully.

Guys... Literally if you haven't seen frozen yet, just go. I just... oooooh so good...

Like it was the first animated film i had EVER watched where i couldn't think of a good fan-fiction to fill in everything I'd missed in the film. There was nothing to miss it was like Hunger Games! Fan-fiction was not worthy enough for this movie!

Still I'll probably get sacked by a plot bunny soon enough and start writing a story for it. I'm already starting a Rise of the Guardians fanfic, but I'm warning you my writing is SLOW GOING so don't expect a new story any time soon. Just... be content with the next two chapters!

Until then!

~ Macy