Sorry for the long delay. I've been caught up in a lot of stuff lately, and now I'm back with another installment. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 20: Down the Bayou

"I can't believe this!" Tiana remarked out of frustration.

After kissing the frog claiming to be the real Prince Naveen, Tiana's body had changed into that of a female frog much to her surprise. Meanwhile, Naveen remained the same and was just as confused. But before the two could question the situation further, Charlotte came back into her room and screamed upon seeing the frogs that were on the floor. So Tiana and Naveen were forced to flee the house and hopped into a nearby park using the bushes as cover.

Naveen poked his head out slightly and said, "Well, maybe if you had told me you weren't really a princess—

"You never asked!" Tiana snapped. "And what makes you think that it's because I'm not a princess that I ended up like this?"

"How else would you explain it?" Naveen pointed out. "Now I would ask Doctor Facilier, but he's currently after me for my blood."

"Your blood?"

"He needs it to power the talisman he gave Lawrence, which allows him to look like me."

Thinking back to the Naveen she saw with Charlotte, Tiana realized, "Now that you mention it, I did notice you — I mean, Lawrence, wearing something that looked like a face."

"Yes, that's it," Naveen confirmed. "And if I can get that talisman from him, people will know he's an imposter."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change our current situation," Tiana reminded Naveen. "And were you lying when you said you'd help me pay for my restaurant?"

"Not at all, though my parents recently cut my allowance money hence I visited Facilier hoping he could give me some advice on how to get rich quick."

"Ugh, great! I'm trapped in the body of a frog, and stuck with a broke prince."

Just then, a stray dog that was walking around the park sniffed the bushes Naveen and Tiana were in. As soon as it saw them, the dog started barking forcing the two to flee once more. Reaching the edge of the sidewalk along the park, Naveen ducked underneath the storm drain but ended up falling through it forcing Tiana to follow him. They both landed in the sewers, and were surprised to find a large alligator staring at them.

"Oh my," Tiana exclaimed. "I heard a rumor there were alligators in the sewer, but I didn't think they were real."

As the alligator started to move towards them, Naveen said, "Um, please don't eat us. Our bodies are covered in mucus, so we do not taste very good."

"Nah, I'm not going to eat you two," the alligator said, standing on its back legs. "In fact, I wouldn't hurt a fly."

"That's for darn sure," said a firefly with a Cajun accent that flew next to the alligator. "Aw, but we're being impolite. I'm Ray, and this big fella is Louis."

"Hello," the alligator said waving.

"Um, nice to meet you two," Tiana responded nervously. "My name is Tiana, and this is Naveen. We sort of dropped in by accident."

"Happens all the time," Ray said dismissively.

"So what brings a couple of frogs like you down here?" Louis asked.

"Actually, we're not frogs," Tiana explained, though Louis and Ray gave her confused looks. "Well, we look like frogs now but we were once human. A voodoo guy named Facilier cursed Naveen, who cursed me in turn because I kissed him."

"Hey!" Naveen objected. "I wouldn't put it like that."

"But that's essentially what happened," Tiana argued.

"So are you looking for someone to turn you back into humans?" Ray guessed, causing Tiana and Naveen to nod. "You should seek out Mama Odie, the voodoo queen who lives deep in the Bayou land."

"The Bayou?" Tiana exclaimed. "But that's several miles south of here."

"I can guide you, though," Ray claimed. "With my fellow fireflies lighting the way, of course, and Evangeline."

"And who is she?" Naveen asked.

"My unrequited love," Ray sighed. "She's the most beautiful firefly I have ever seen, yet so far away. I try to speak to her, but she's so shy that she doesn't say nothing. Yet I still admire her."

"Aw, that's so heartwarming," Naveen remarked.

"Yeah, I guess," Tiana replied nonchalantly. "But if you can take us to this Mama Odie, we would be really grateful."

"Can I come too?" Louis spoke up. "I'd like to see Mama Odie about becoming human so I can achieve my dream."

Tiana looked at Louis quizzically. "Which is?"

"To blow my horn onstage." Louis then held up a rusty-looking trumpet and played a little tune which sounded good despite the instrument it played out of.

###

For several weeks, Tiana Naveen Louis and Ray made their way down south to the Bayou using a group of fireflies that created a convenient path for them. On the way, they encountered not only frog hunters but also demons which Tiana guessed were sent by Facilier. Tiana also learned that Ray's love Evangeline was really the Wishing Star, which made her pity the poor old firefly. Eventually they found Mama Odie, who was an old black woman in a white dress that lived in a treehouse with a pet snake named Juju.

"Ah, Ray!" Mama Odie smiled. "Feels like forever since you left the Bayou for the city, and I see you've made some friends up there."

"I've been his friend for a longtime," Louis clarified. "Though these two are new."

Naveen and Tiana stood upright.

"Hmm, I see a curse has been placed upon you both," Mama Odie observed. "Did a man named Doctor Facilier do this?"

"Yes," Naveen answered. "Do you know him?"

"Course I do," replied Mama Odie. "He's making people like me look bad, using the power of voodoo for evil instead of good. People have now started comparing voodoo with witchcraft, even though those are two separate things. But that's beside the point: the only way for you two to become human again is to receive a kiss from a true princess."

"What does that mean?" Tiana inquired. "Does it have to be a specific princess, or will any of the actual princesses at Disney Academy do?"

"Anyone who has the title of princess will work," stated Mama Odie. "Including your friend Charlotte, whom I believe will be crowned Princess at the Fall Semester Ball."

Tiana's eyes widened. "If that's true, then we need to get back home as soon as possible."

"But why should we rush things?" Naveen interjected. "If this ball isn't until the Fall season, which isn't for a few months, we can travel back home in style on the steamboat we saw earlier."

Groaning, Tiana said, "Okay, fine, but when we get back and turn human you owe me big time."

End of Chapter 20