~A/N – Chapter two! Woo Hoo! This one is all about Harold. Let's go see what this sad little frog is up to… On with the story!~

Chapter 2: The Lake

(The next day…)

"The water seems different today." Says a young frog, with a little, black beard, to another that jumped into the water. It was a clear sky day. No clouds could be seen for miles.

The dark green frog comes up out of the water and floats on its back, spitting out water for a few seconds. He then laughs, "What's the matter Harold? Are you afraid of the water?" A few other frogs began to laugh and point at Harold. Others were mocking him. A frog afraid of the water? How ridiculous! That would be like an ogre afraid of a swamp! Harold was a frog! He should not be afraid of the water... but he was.

Harold cleared his throat and grimaced, "I never said I was afraid of the water Don! All I said was it looks different today!" He glared at the dark green frog with disgust, how dare he mock him.

The other frog, Don, jumps back on shore and stands next to his friends, "You know, I've never see him jump in this pond for as long as he has been here," Harold rolled his and mumbled to himself. He looked at the pond, it seemed so big and deep… He didn't want to get to close. He was afraid he would drown… But he definitely wouldn't let them know that. He looked back at Don who was laughing and try to look cool in front of his friends. "How do you know the water is different today than from any other day if you've never set one—."

"I know plenty more than you do!" Yelled Harold. He was sick and tired of being treated like garbage by his fellow frogs, today was the day it came to a stop.

Don glared at Harold for interrupting him, and hoped over to him. He got right in his face and said menacingly, "Prove it."

Harold took a step back, but said, "I do not need to prove anything to the likes of you!" Don rolled his eyes at him, which made Harold even angrier.

"Fine," The frog shrugged carelessly. He hopped with his back toward Harold to the pond. "I guess you don't have to, but everyone will know what a coward you are, if you don't jump in this pond and swim to the nearest lily-pad." Turning back toward Harold, he pointed a small Lilly-pad, it was maybe five feet away from shore. He smiled evilly at Harold, hoping he would prove him right and be a coward.

"Great," Thought Harold. "Now what I am going to do…" By now more frogs have gathered behind the smart-ass frog and his friends. They were all giving Harold the same menacing look he was.

Harold took a deep breath and said, while glaring at Don, "Are you an idiot?" The frogs looked at each other, confused. They should be confused, Harold rarely stood up for himself if he was getting ganged up on, but today his heart beat like that of a lion. "If you know any better, you will get out of my way and let me go home." Trying to act tough, Harold kept up his angry tone, the glare that he was sending to each and every one of them would make an ogre run and cry. The frogs looked to one another and were wondering what to say. Harold smirked, he had won!

Then one frog started to laugh. And then another. Soon, all the frogs were laughing at Harold. He looked dumbfounded, "What just happened?"

"Why?" Said Don as he made his way back over to Harold and got in his face again, giving Harold a look of deviation, "Why should we be afraid a puny frog like you?" They began to laugh even harder at him. Harold hated getting laughed at. He almost exploded because of how made he was!

"Oh! Forget it!" He took a few angry hops away, but looked back one more time to see the cruel frogs still laughing and making gestures towards him.

Harold rolled his light brown eyes and hopped the rest of the way to his small home. He never fit in with the other frogs. He never once wondered why though. Harold was different. Harold was not a frog.

Sighing, he said, "I am to be trapped like this for the rest of eternity!" Sitting down next to some leaves, he fumed over what had happened to him. "Damn that old, wretched witch! If I ever find her, mark my words I will… I will… oh! I don't know what I'll do!" She was just traveling past his kingdom, when Harold came upon her about to harm an innocent frog. If only he hadn't tried to stop her, she would not have casted that blasted spell on him, and turned him into the very thing he once saved. Then he would be back with his family in Far, Far Away and be happy. That was already 10 years ago… He was only 14. Would his family even remember him?

Turning him into a green amphibian was one of the stupidest things the witch could have ever done! He will find her and... and... he had no idea. No matter how angry he got at the old witch, he knew he would never find her again.

He stood back up and said to no one, "I will get out of this… mark my words I will be human again!" Hope and pride filled his words as he puffed out his chest and smiled wide. He closed his eyes, remembering what it was like to be human… to be with other humans. An image of his mother, his father and himself came into his head. They were smiling, happily, his father's hand on Harold's shoulder. Harold looked proud and-

"Umm… h-human again?" His eyes shot open. He gulped, he should probably stop talking to himself. Looking at the frog that had just interrupted his thoughts, Harold blushed violently. Her big pink lips were opened slightly and her eye brow was raised. Her pearl necklace shook with her as she took a step away from Harold.

His froggy heart was in his ears. He had to think of something quick, "Well… umm… you see…it was… just a dream?" He smiled awkwardly, hoping she would buy what he said. Sadly, that did not happen. She glared at him and rolled her eyes. She hopped away from him, mumbling something under her breath about there not being any good frogs now a days, just crazy ones.

He sighed sadly. Since the spell incident, Harold has been very lonely. His family was still in the castle, no doubt trying to find a new heir to the thrown, and his old friends have found new friends. He didn't feel like he belonged anywhere or to anyone. He wasn't a frog, so of course he didn't get along with other frogs.

"I'm never going to find any friends… I'm always going to be alone, for the rest of my life!"

Harold sighed as he sat down one more time. If this is what being alone felt like, Harold would rather go in his home and sleep for the rest of his life than deal with this.

"Alas, I will never find happiness again... but I must stay strong," He takes a jagged deep breath. "I have to stay strong..." It was tough on him. He, truly, hated being a frog. Eating flies with your tongue instead of eating a steak with a fork and knife. Hopping instead of walking. Slimy instead of clean. Croaking instead of talking. Being a frog instead of a human. He misses his family, he misses the ones he used to call friends.

He misses being loved, and loving others.

"Maybe I am just meant to be unhappy... to have no friends," Thunder cracked and lightning struck in the distance. Rain started to pour down. Harold began to cry, or maybe it was just the rain on his face, but looking up towards the sad sky, he said one last thing before going into his small home. "I wish I wasn't so alone."

~A/N – What did you think? Was it pretty good? I think I got Harold's temper nailed! Haha. I know he is really sad at the moment, they both are, but I promise that will change :) Next Chapter: "Meeting in the Woods". Hmmm… I wonder what that's about!~