Chapter Fifthteen: (Explanation)

With a few more walks that took just two hours and a half the gang can see Duloc in full view. Getting there was quite a life changer for Shrek and Jason. For Jason, he met a girl who is just like him despite being adopted by bears along with losing his virginity by that same girl, let alone got betrothed in a one out of the ordinary kind of way. In utter words, Jason is stuck with her. As for his adopted ogre father, Shrek, he had struck the mother of all shockers.

For one, Shrek has gotten himself mighty-mighty friendly with Fiona to the point that the two were doing the deed in bed. But did not stop there, no, because two and a half hours ago Shrek found out that Fiona's curse once the sun is fully down is actually a reflection of him. An Ogre. Surprisingly though, Fiona was turned back into her princess self after that moment of shocker, as she figures that she just gave him a quick peck on his lips and not an actual kiss. The only people that know about Fiona's dirty little secret are Shrek, Jason, and Goldie. As for Donkey and the other three they did not see Fiona's few seconds transformation, since they were far behind them.

None of the four did not say a word but wanted to discuss this. But mostly it was Shrek and Jason who wanted to know about Fiona's curse. Fiona wants to rub it off and wants to pretend that moment that they all witnessed did not even happen.

"Well, here we are, Princess." Shrek sighed sadly. "Duloc awaits."

Fiona was not all too thrilled to finally be here. She is now starting to have second thoughts. "Oh, Duloc…not what I am expecting."

Goldie, who had her arms wrapped around Jason's arm, took a good look at the castle with a brow raised. "That castle looks more of a dungeon camp than anything."

Jason looked at Goldie. "If only you knew how right you are."

Donkey busted in. "Well, like we spoke about, we thought that Farquaad is…"

Shrek, who did not want Fiona or Goldie to hear what Jason, Donkey, and himself have said about the guy due to inappropriate reasons, and just quickly stepped on him in hinglegs. Jason saw what his father did and did not protest about it this time around.

"Well, anyways, Fiona, here we are." said Jason, who he too does not want her to go as well.

"Well, mate, I hope you have a wonderful time with this Farquaad character." Goldie began to tease. "He will be so shocked when he finds out that you are an O…ahhhh!."

Jason instantly threw Goldie down as she rolled her way into the field of dandelions. "Oops."

"That was no oops." Papa frowned. "You threw my little girl on purpose."

"Uh, it was a muscle spasm." Jason came up with a good explanation. "I need to soak my worn-out arms."

"Hmmm, alright that sounds believable." said Momma, going down to help her daughter back to her feet with Papa behind her.

Baby chuckled and whispered to Jason. "Nice move, buddy. I always wanted to push her down and act like it was an accident."

Shrek waited for Baby to get down the hill and out of hearing range. "Alright, we need to get rid of all four of them. Ain't no way you are getting married without my blessing."

Jason looked at his father. "Dad, I understand all the way. Really, but you and I both know that I will one day be at the altar with Goldie and can not back out, since her family are bears and they can easily cut us down like fresh raisin bread."

"Did someone say raisin bread?." Donkey got back up and had a look of excitement. "Oh, boy, I love me some raisin bread!. They taste amazing with cream cheese or good fashion butter."

Shrek rolled his eyes. "It was an example, Donkey. Now, stop before you make us all crave for some fresh raisin bread. Now, back to our issue…"

"You know, Shrek?. Perhaps, I can be an assistant in getting rid of Goldie and her bear family." said Fiona, having an idea that popped in her head.

"You don't say?." Shrek raised his brow. "Then by all means, Fiona, be our guest."

Fiona lifted her head up high with a smirk. "Watch me work, boys."

Fiona went down the hill to wear Goldie and her family and set her manipulation at work.

"Hey, Goldie, I hate to tell you this since your love for Jason is not so high to the point you would do anything to get Shrek's approval of you and become part of his family." began Fiona, playing innocent really well.

This has challenged Goldie big time as she frowned at Fiona for having doubts about how strong her love is for Jason. The bears can not pick up anything off about this conversation that Fiona is making.

"Watch it, fancy redhead." Goldie shows her sharp teeth. "My love for Jason and how far I am willing to go in winning his father's approval of him calling me his daughter in law, should not be questioned."

"Exactly, so I have overheard Shrek saying that he desired to have the legendary treasure of the seven seas. The Trident." said Fiona, playing with her hair a bit.

"Neptune's trident?. I thought it was just an urban legend." said Papa.

Fiona shook her head. "Oh, no, it is in fact very real. Shrek told me so himself. He says that if Goldie can easily give him the trident, then he will be more than happy in just calling him his daughter and not just in law. But she can not step up to the challenge well…"

"Now, wait just a darn minute here." Goldie can smell something was off. She approached the woman with a suspicious look. "You are not just saying all of that to try getting me and my family away from here and get me separated from my Jason, now are you?."

Fiona felt a bit of nervousness. She can feel all the eyes were all on her. Shrek, Jason, and Donkey can see from down below that Goldi has caught something that is amidst. However, all thanks to reading a lot of ways to not let your word play get spotted, Fiona is easily going to win this situation.

"If you think I am trying to dupe you, then I know for an honest fact that you really don't want Shrek's blessing and wanting to be Jason's future wife." spoke Fiona.

With that said it has encouraged Goldie to have deep anxiety. If this is the only way for her to be a part of Jason's family then so be it. She will go by any means to get that approval blessing from her future father in law. With high determination on her face, Goldi pulled Baby down so she could ride on his back.

"Tell my Honey Boo, that I shall return." Goldie looked at her parents. "Let's go."

Mamma and Poppa were indeed too willing in doing whatever it is or doing what it takes for what Goldie wants. Or to put it in her own words, 'Her Just Right'. They nodded and lead the way as they grew fond of Jason and he is the only person besides them to bring the happy and wanted side of their daughter.

"Ah, I don't want to travel!." Baby wined.

Goldie immediately hit her brother with her staff with a frown. "Zip it, you muppet."

Fiona, along with Shrek, Jason, and Donkey watched the crime family walk away and out of sight. When those four will return is unknown since finding a led to the legendary trident is a needle in a haystack. Fiona walked back up where the boys were with a smile of a job well done.

"There!. I told you guys that I can get them to follow a wild goose chase." said Fiona.

"I must say, Fiona." Shrek put his hands on his waist with a smile. "You did one heck of a job."

"I have to agree." Jason crossed his arms. "You did a good job in duping my unexpected fiancé and her adopted bear family into going on an impossible success quest."

"If they don't succeed then they can..." Donkey's mouth got muffled by Shrek's hand.

"Don't you dare jinx it." warned Shrek.

Fiona nodded. "Yeah, come back on your doorstep and have something without going empty-handed."

Jason sighed. "And the ding dong princess just jinxed it." He sighed. "I will go get some firewood. We may be at the doorstep of Duloc, but I am not ready to see Mr. Little King."

"Agreed. I start a place to make a fire before going to find food." said Shrek, going over to find a spot by the small watermill building.

"And I will be finding some tea leaves to make tea." Fiona said, while going to do just that.

"And I will...just find a good spot to eat grass." said Donkey, going about to find a spot of nice juicy grass.

Time passed by as the fire was made as Shrek was roasting some rats for himself and Fiona, while Jason decided to go fishing by the nearby small pond. Donkey has founded his spot and ate happily. Shrek really wanted to discuss the matter at hand with Fiona that concerns her secret of being an ogre like himself, but needed to find the right moment to talk about it despite the chances of Donkey picking up on the conversation with his ears.

"Mmmm, uh, man, I never thought that roasted rat can taste so darn good." said Fiona, tearing a piece of rat meat with her teeth before chewing it.

Shrek looked at her with a grin. "You're one of us now, Fiona. Might as well start embracing it."

Fiona swallowed her mouthful and nodded. "I suppose you're right." She took another bite, and then her expression grew thoughtful. "I just don't understand how a simple quick kiss to the cheek would have made me turn into my curse for a short moment."

Shrek put down his skewer of roasting rat and took a deep breath. "Well, that's because it wasn't just any kiss. It was a love's first kiss."

"I thought you said that you don't believe in such foolishness." Fiona looked at Shrek.

Shrek shrugged. "After what have happened in the last couple of hours, you have made me into a believer "

"But what does that mean for us?" Fiona asked, looking into the fire, the light dancing in her eyes.

"It means that maybe there's more to this curse than meets the eye." Shrek took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Or maybe it's not just a curse at all."

Fiona's gaze snapped to him. "What do you mean?"

Shrek picked up a stick and poked at the fire, sending sparks flying into the night air. "Well, think about it. You're supposed to be a princess, right? Pretty, poised, perfect?."

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's what I've been told all my life."

"But what if," Shrek continued, "the curse was never about turning you into an ogre, but about revealing who you truly are?."

"Ok, now, you are stepping on some brand new kind of territory." said Fiona, slurping her rat tail.

Shrek looked at her with a serious gaze. "Just hear me out. Maybe it's about embracing the parts of you that the world would call 'wrong' or 'unwanted'. Maybe it's about finding your true strength in those imperfections."

That made Fiona think about it. Shrek might be right about that. Why follow those guidelines that have been set down to all princesses?. Perhaps maybe it was time for her to walk her own path and moral values and not society's.

"But what if they don't accept me?" Fiona voiced her fears. "What if I'm not the princess they expect anymore?"

Shrek put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "They'll accept you for who you are. You're still the same person inside, just a bit more...green on the outside."

Fiona smiled at those words being said to her. She has never thought she needed something like to be heard. It makes truly think about herself in a much deeper way. Shrek ate his rat while waiting for Fiona to respond to what he said to her a few seconds ago. What he said was kinda strange to him since he has never imagined finding love for himself. Yes, Jason has filled that void in his heart from a father's stand point, but not in the romance area.

"I am going to have to sleep on that one, Shrek." Fiona looked at Shrek. "But thanks for telling me that anyway."

Shrek nodded, understanding her need for time. "Take all the time you need, Fiona. It's a big thing to wrap your head around after what I just said."

The fire crackled between them, and the silence was filled with the sounds of the night. Donkey's munching on grass had become background music to their conversation. Jason, who is carrying a good amount of fish he caught from the pond, approached them in a happy manner.

"Man, you can really tell that no one fishes in that pond. We are going to eat good tonight." said Jason, working on gutting one of the large fishes.

"I will have to pass on eating fish, Jason." Fiona smiled sweetly before getting up. "But thanks anyway. Good night."

Jason watched Fiona go up to the building and stay there for the remainder of the day until morning. "What did you say to her, Dad?."

Shrek sighed, flipping the fish over the fire. "Just some deep stuff. You know, like, life and love and all that."

Jason raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "You're the one giving advice on love now?."

Shrek shrugged. "Hey, when you've got experience, you share it."

"Uh, getting some action last night for the first time does not consider experience, Dad." Jason got his father on that one.

"The same goes to you, Mr. Ex-Virgin." Shrek shot back.

"Hey, in my defense, Goldie came onto me." Jason sat down and helped skinning the fishes. "So, did you ask her to stay with us?."

"What?. No." Shrek quickly answered.

"Why not?." Jason looked at his father with a questionable look on his face.

"Because…well…" Shrek sighed. "I don't know, alright."

"Dad…." Jason took a deep breath. "I don't want Fiona to end up in Duloc and marry that jerk. Fiona was the missing thing that you and I have been longing for."

"Jason, she is not it. It just happens that we share the same common interest." said Shrek.

Jason tilted his head to the left with his brow raised. "Is this all because she is an actual princess and you are just an ogre?."

Shrek sighed and threw his stick to touch the fire into the fire. "Yeah, an ogre."

Shrek got up off the ground and went to go somewhere. Jason had asked his father where he was going in which he applied that he was going to get more firewood. Jason looked to the side to see a good decent pile of firewood and knew that the excuse he had heard was false. He watches his father sit down in front of a field of sunflowers with the view of Duloc in front of him. He can see that his father was having a moment to himself on what to do in this situation.

Jason on the other hand has already come up with his mindset. Little did he know that Donkey himself has the same mindset as well. As the day finally turned into night with the moon full and bright in the sky, Jason made his way into the mill building and closed the door behind him. He walked inside and saw it was kinda dark since the moonlight was beaming down a bit. He stopped to see where Fiona might be before looking up towards the rails to see an inhuman figure standing there looking right at him.

"Can we talk?." Jason asked to start the conversation off.

Fiona, who is now a temporary ogre, looked to the side for a brief moment before nodding. "Yes."

Jason watched Fiona walk down the squeaking steps and approached him with a nervous smile. "You look beautiful."

"Oh, don't give me a big head, now." Fiona spoke, with a wave of her hand before sitting down. "I am assuming you want an explanation. The real explanation of how I got cursed?."

"Well…yeah." said Jason, sitting down beside her.

"Well…" Fiona started to think back. "When I was born and before my existence could be announced to everyone, I was cursed by an unknown fairy. Don't know why she did it but who knows. Anyways, my parents have pleaded for help from someone who they have not told me who they seek help from, and was informed that my curse should be broken by true love's kiss."

Jason listens to Fiona's explanation of how her curse had begun. In his opinion this tale is so much and way better than what the book has informed him since he was a little child. He did not say anything yet as he most definitely wants to know it all out from Fiona's own mouth.

"But then there is a big red flag. Whoever gave my parents information about me getting a true love's kiss to break my curse, but that individual highly suggested that I should be locked in a tower and be guarded by a dragon. You see where I am coming from here, Jason?. Why be taken away from my parents and my home and be locked away in a guarded castle, instead of waiting at home and waiting for my prince to come kiss me?. It is like wanting to spill tons of water on the ground in an attempt to create a massive sinkhole. I am paranoid of sinkholes by the way. I fell into a fresh one when I was little. I literally was on the same ground and then…Boom!. The ground opens wide up. I still get goosebumps when thinking or seeing sinkholes."

Jason nodded in utter agreement. "Yeah, I get very cautious about sinkholes at my home in the swamp. But anyways, you are right. That is a red flag. It is like it is all staged and set up for the sake of the prince's potential heroic story to tell. The Question is why and why would that individual suggest it?."

"I have been asking about the same darn thing, doing my time locked up and making friends with my own self." said Fiona, with a sigh.

"Well, whatever the answer is, it remains unknown…for now. But the fact of the matter is that you can make your own decisions and choices. You don't have to marry Farquaad. You could…marry my Dad and be my new mom." Jason said with hope.

Fiona looked at Jason with a smirk. "Uh, huh, I see. You do see me as a mommy. I am happy to know that I succeeded in that part. I can truly say that I do have feelings for your dad, Jason. I really do. But how am I going to get out of this situation?."

Jason shrugged. "I have no idea. We could just not go to Duloc and go home in the swamp."

Fiona played with her ponytail for a bit. Then she started to think about the potential plan. "It is not going to work. You and father need your home back. I can't risk your home for my happiness."

Jason waved it off. "Oh, don't get all noble with me. Tell you what. Let us sleep on it and talk with my Dad and we can go from there. Sounds fair to you?."

Fiona nodded. "Sounds very fair to me, Jason. Thanks."

Fiona and Jason hugged one another before Jason got up out of the cabin. He looked at the bright full moon and sighed. The whole day has been something else.

"Why do I get this uneasy feeling that tomorrow is not going to be in our favor?." Jason asked himself this question before shaking it off and going back to sleep by the fire.

Little does he know is that Donkey is not by the fire with him as he lays down and go to sleep.