A/N: Here's chapter 7. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!
I do not own The Princess and the Frog.
The Glory of Love
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The next morning, Tiana, Naveen, and Avram sat down at the dock, waiting for the ferry. It was nearly eight o'clock, and the dock was beginning to grow crowded with others wishing to cross to the island capital. Tiana had been up sick again that morning, and had dragged the reluctant princes out of bed early. It had taken a while, but they had finally gotten dressed and ready to leave. After tidying up the room (at Tiana's insistence and to Naveen's annoyance) and paying for their room, they had made it to the dock by six thirty.
They had attracted some attention from the crowd. A few odd stares, a couple of glares, and some cheerful smiles. Avram had received a giggle and a wave from a little girl who was sitting with her mother. Tiana had to stifle a laugh when Avram made a face at the girl. The ferry soon appeared in the distance. Tiana watched it draw nearer, and pull up to the dock. There were only a few people coming from Calkirii, so they were soon off, and they could climb aboard.
Tiana sat between Naveen and a young woman carrying a baby. The child was a happy one, giggling in her mother's lap, cooing and laughing as people passed her. She turned to Tiana and started grabbing her arm. Tiana smiled down at the baby. The mother gently scolded her daughter and shifted her to the other side of her lap. The baby leaned over and grabbed Tiana's hand. She laughed, and allowed her to grasp her finger in her warm, sticky little hand.
Naveen looked over to see what Tiana was laughing at. His face broke into a grin when he saw the baby. He cooed at the baby in Maldonian, and she squealed excitedly at the attention she was receiving. Her mother grinned at the royal couple and her child. Eudora made it no secret that she was ready for grandchildren, and in this moment, Tiana was seriously considering the possibility of becoming a mother, if only to have a child as sweet as this one.
When they arrived on the island, the woman and baby waved happily to them as they exited. They waited until everyone else had cleared out, then they went ashore themselves. Naveen quickly pulled them to the side, and said in a hushed tone, "Now here is what we are going to do. When we get to the castle, we are going to sneak in with the servants through the kitchen..."
"Um, Naveen?" Avram interrupted, looking uneasy. Tiana looked behind Naveen, and immediately saw what had him on edge.
"We will then sneak upstairs, go to our rooms, and stay until the servants come..."
"Naveen..." Tiana said, with a jerk of her head.
"We simply tell Maji we got in late. She will be none the wiser..."
"Naveen!" Avram and Tiana snapped. He turned around and jumped.
His mother stood there, a smug smile on her face.
"Good morning, my darlings!" she said cheerfully.
"Maji! You are... up early..." Naveen said nervously.
"No, I am up at my normal time. Not everyone sleeps the day away," the queen laughed. Naveen looked down at the ground, embarrassed. She patted him on the arm, and said gently, "Come, I have a carriage waiting." She lead them away from the pier, and around a corner.
A lovely carriage waited there. Ivory with gold trim, with the Maldonian crest printed on the door. A man clad in a Navy blue coat opened the door and helped Padma and Tiana in. The two women sat opposite each other. Naveen sat beside Tiana, Avram beside his mother. Once they were seated, the door shut, and they were off.
"How is Papa?" Naveen asked his mother.
"Fine. I told him you decided to take Tiana on a tour of the country. He was not expecting you yesterday," she said, giving him a wink. He sighed with relief. "Now let me fill you in for today: Naveen, your father wishes you to attend his meeting this morning..."
"Ugh!" Naveen groaned. The queen shot him a glare, but continued.
"Tiana, you and I are going to visit with the Prime Minister's family. His daughter had a baby, and I want to see him before the christening. It will give you an opportunity to meet the Prime Minister in an informal setting."
"Can I go too?" Avram asked.
"You, young man, have lessons. You missed them yesterday."
"But Maji..." he moaned.
"No buts. You must get caught up. Marie gave me quite the lecture yesterday..."
"What did Nanny say?" Naveen interrupted, Padma's face grew hard.
"She said that I had no business letting Avram wander aimlessly around the country. Apparently Marie has, yet again, forgotten who Avram's mother is!"
"Did you tell her he was with me?" he asked.
"Of course, but that was little comfort. And she knows you better than I do..."
"Oh, I am not that bad!" he snapped. His mother raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway Avram, you must catch up with your lessons, and then I will take you to see Era's baby. Besides, it has only been three days, and she will be exhausted."
"But I am exhausted, too! Tiana made us get up so early! Before the sun was even up!" the small boy whined. The queen stared at Tiana for a moment, both annoyed at her for making her seven year old rise early, and impressed that she managed it at all.
"Perhaps you may take a nap before your tutor arrives," she conceded. "Marie surely will not object to that..."
"Thank you, Maji!" Avram said, before yawning.
"Naveen, your father's meeting begins at nine, so when we arrive, I would get ready. Breakfast has been brought up to your room. Tiana, your room is next door to Naveen's, I thought it would be convenient for you. I will meet you in the drawing room at ten, and we will leave," she finished as they pulled into the castle gate. The door opened and a servant appeared to help the queen and princess out.
Tiana glanced up at the castle in awe. The massive white marble building was like something out of a fairy tale, with its towers jutting to the sky, with flags flying from the highest one. It was the largest building Tiana had ever seen. Naveen nudged her, and she followed him through the front door.
The front hall was cavernous, so large that two of her resteraunts could have easily fit inside. The walls arched upward to the domed ceiling, from which hung an enormous chandelier. Naveen steered her towards the stairs, and pushed her up.
"If you need help finding your way to the drawing room, ask for assistance. I will see you at ten" The queen called as she led Avram to the opposite stairway. "Naveen, you have twenty five minutes, I would suggest using it wisely. Your father will be in the library."
The couple trudged up the stairs, down a long corridor, up another set of stairs. They repeated this process three times before Naveen stopped in front of a door and said, "This one must be yours." He pushed open the door and she stepped inside.
She was in awe again (to her slight annoyance) at the sight of her room.
"Will it do?" Naveen asked anxiously. She nodded slightly. Would it do? The four poster bed alone looked bigger than the house she had grown up in! He smiled and gave her a little squeeze. "Good. I will be right next door if you need me, and I will see you this afternoon. Perhaps we will go riding together. Do you like riding?"
"Never been," she said, taking a seat at a table were a silver tray sat. She lifted the lid and found some sort of pastry and some fruit.
"Achidanza! I must take you then! Say, three o'clock. The old windbags should have finished by then, and you should be back from Era's."
"Sounds fun," she answered through a mouthful of apple. He nodded, waved, and was gone, the door slamming behind him. She sighed, and took a good look around her room. Like everything else, it was so different from what she was used to.
But she was not sure that she liked it...
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I'm really not thrilled with this chapter. It sounded so much better in my head, I swear...
If you were wondering when Naveen's father was going to appear, do not worry. He will in due time, but he is a very busy man.
See you in chapter eight!
