The Frog Princess Returns

by E. D. Baker

  “No thanks!” she said. “The first mug was too sour.”

  I glanced at Grandmother, who just smiled and shrugged. I decided that it was time to leave.

  When I turned to look toward the center of the Community, a cloud of twinkling lights was already descending on the area around the big fire pit. “Look!” I said. “The fairies who want to hear Poppy are starting to arrive.”

  The cottages were built around a large, open area where the witches held ceremonies, rituals, and weekly potluck suppers. Tables and benches surrounded the fire pit that sat at the very center. Even now, in the middle of the day, the fire in the pit was burning.

  “Do you want to head over there now?” I asked my friends. “We should be able to get good seats if we hurry.”

  “We might as well,” Adara said, brushing the last of the ants off her gown.

  “Do you know Poppy?” I asked Grandmother as we started toward the pit.

  “We all do,” she replied. “She’s very popular in the Community. Her flowers brighten nearly everyone’s gardens. She’s here all the time anyway, so it made sense that she’d hold her rally in the commons. Ah, there she is now.”

  Where Sumac’s hair was a dark, muted shade of red, Poppy’s was a brilliant orange-red that would be prominent in any crowd. She was standing by the fire pit, waving to the new arrivals as each one grew from a tiny fairy into human-sized. When everyone was there, she climbed onto a table and turned to face her audience.

  “I’ve come to talk to you today about the path I think fairy-kind should take in the future. After years of observing humans closely, I believe that it’s time for us to be more than observers. It’s time for fairies to step in and help our friends the humans.”

  “Why do you think we should do that?” called a fairy.

  “Because she’s a tender-hearted nitwit!” cried one of the witches who had gathered to watch.

  “Because we have magic and most of them don’t!” shouted Poppy. “Aside from our witch and wizard friends, humans don’t have magic to tie their own shoes without bending over, let alone solve important problems like chasing away harpies. You have to feel sorry for them, toiling away their whole lives just to keep their children safe and put food on their tables!”

  “And putting up with goody-goodies like you telling them how lousy they have it!” shouted another witch.

  “What do you have in mind?” called my grandmother.

  “We’ll help humans when they need it,” said Poppy.

  “And what do we get out of it?” called a fairy with purple hair in the front row.

  “I suppose they’ll have to give us something in return,” said Poppy. “Like bowls of fresh cream to drink and warm places to stay in the winter.”

  “You make us sound like cats!” yelled another fairy. “I’m not helping anyone for cream or a dusty corner.”

  “What kind of help would you give the humans?” shouted the witch next to her. “Can you chase away harpies?”

  “If I had Willow’s wand, I could,” said Poppy.

  “Can you make the sun shine on a cloudy day like Queen Willow could?” called another witch.

  “Maybe, if I had her wand,” Poppy told her.

  A fairy in the middle of the group raised her hand. “How are you going to talk all the fairies into helping all the humans?”

  Poppy shrugged. “I haven’t worked that part out yet.”

  “This plan is more half-baked than my last birthday cake!” cried a white-haired witch.

  Whispering among themselves, the fairies began to leave. The witches were even less polite.

  “Well, that was a waste of time!” one witch declared in a loud voice.

  “I wasn’t expecting to hear such a ridiculous scheme!” announced another as she stomped off. “My pet weasel could have come up with something better than that!”

  “I thought the witches liked Poppy,” Adara said to my grandmother.

  “They do,” she replied. “You should hear what they say when they don’t like someone. It’s enough to curl your ear hairs!”

  Wanting to talk to Poppy before she flew off, I hurried to the table where the fairy still stood, looking dejected.

  “Now what?” she asked as I drew closer. “Did you come to point out more flaws in my plan?”

  I shook my head. “Actually, I came to see you about something else entirely. Do you know anything about the plants that were damaged to create the candidates’ symbols? Whoever did it used a blight to draw your symbol in Farmer Johnson’s wheat. The leaves on some of Maple’s trees are withered to show Sumac’s symbol, and Water Lily’s pond was partly drained so that the lilies made the symbol belonging to Chervil. You can see the symbols best from the air.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Poppy said, looking puzzled. “Why would anyone damage plants to draw pictures?”

  “That’s what I’m wondering,” I replied.

  “So you’re saying that you didn’t do it?” Eadric asked as he joined us.

  “Of course I didn’t do it!” Poppy said, starting to look angry. “What a horrible accusation!”

  “Do you think Chervil might have, then?” Eadric continued.

  “I don’t know anyone who would do such a terrible thing!” cried Poppy. “No decent fairy would even consider it.”

  “Uh-huh,” Eadric said, rubbing his chin.

  “Do you know where we might be able to find Chervil?” I asked Poppy.

  “I think he’s meeting some fairies in the garden of two witches. Ocu-something or other is the name of one of them,” said Poppy.

  “Oculura and Dyspepsia!” I cried. “I know them well. Then that’s where we’re going next.”

  “Do you mind if I go with you?” asked Poppy. “I’d like to see who showed up to listen to Chervil. A lot of fairies who had promised to come to my rally weren’t here. I want to know if they’ve already gone over to his side.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” I told her.

  We were heading toward my carpet when Adara caught up with me. “Why are you spending so much time looking for someone who damaged some leaves?”

  “Because I promised I would,” I replied. Even more, I was curious about who might end up replacing a Fairy Queen I hadn’t really known but who had already proven to be better suited for the job than the candidates I’d met so far. I was beginning to worry that we might be headed for more trouble than we realized.

  Eight

  “You can’t ride with us!” Adara announced when she saw Poppy eyeing the carpet. “There isn’t room!”

  “I don’t need a ride,” the fairy replied. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a magic carpet up close before. How does it work?”

  “I tell it what to do,” I said. “It listens to people with the right kind of magic. Do you know the way to Oculura and Dyspepsia’s cottage?”

  The fairy shook her head. “I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never been there.”

  “Then follow us,” I told her. “It’s easier to show the way than it is to give directions.”

  As soon as the carpet started rising, Poppy became tiny and darted over to me. She flew beside me the entire way, a silent companion I didn’t mind at all.

  I had mixed feelings about visiting the witches Oculura and Dyspepsia. Although I had become friends with the sisters, the memories of my first visit to their home still made me uneasy. The cottage had once belonged to Vannabe, a woman without any magical abilities who thought she could learn to be a witch by reading a real witch’s books. Searching for ingredients for a spell, she had captured Eadric and me. We were frogs at the time, and unable to help ourselves until I read a spell from a different book. In the meantime, we had to spend a very unpleasant night in the cottage, afraid that we were about to die.

  I still couldn’t return to the cottage without my stomach churning. Eadric didn’t seem to mind it nearly as much. He looked around with interest as I landed the carpet.

  “Th
ey fixed it up!” he said. “That roof is new and the cottage has more windows now.”

  “What a lovely garden!” Adara cried as Poppy darted off. “Would you like to explore it with me?”

  “I can’t right now,” I told her.

  “I was asking Eadric,” she announced, turning to smile at him.

  Eadric glanced at the cottage. “Maybe in a few minutes. I want to see inside.” He hurried off without sparing her another look.

  Adara sighed. “Queen Frazzela warned me that this might be difficult, but I never thought it would be this hard!” she said under her breath.

  I turned to her, startled, but she was already wandering off into the garden. Were Adara and Eadric’s mother plotting something? Precisely what was the difficult thing Adara was trying to do? Worried, I looked around for Eadric. When I saw that he was already halfway to the cottage, I hurried to catch up.

  The witches had put a lot of work into the area near the cottage. A large garden in full bloom surrounded the little building, filling the air with a heady fragrance. Flowering fruit trees marked the garden’s corners. I saw at least two fountains and three birdbaths, and that was just in front of the cottage. The brilliant blooms weren’t the only source of color, however. Full-sized fairies dressed in brilliant hues walked between the rows while their tiny friends fluttered from one blossom to another, tasting nectar and exclaiming over the vivid display.

  “It looks more like a party than a rally,” Eadric said when I joined him. “Is that Oculura carrying a platter?”

  Eadric and I had met Oculura at the magic marketplace while looking for an ingredient for the spell to turn Haywood from an otter to a man. Although Oculura had later introduced me to her sister, Dyspepsia, Eadric had never met her.

  “They’re serving food!” Eadric exclaimed, quickening his pace. “I wonder what it is.”

  While Eadric hurried toward Oculura, I looked around, hoping to spot Chervil. Unfortunately, I had no idea what the fairy looked like. “Is Chervil here?” I asked a passing fairy.

  “He’s in the garden behind the cottage,” the fairy replied. “He said he’ll start his speech soon. Have you tried the puff pastries? They’re delicious!”

  When I rejoined Eadric, Adara had found him again and had her hand on his arm. “I’m going to get some,” she declared. “I didn’t eat much at lunch. Eadric, are the pastries any good?”

  Eadric was about to pop another pastry into his mouth, but he paused long enough to say, “They’re wonderful!”

  “Emma!” Oculura called from only a few yards away. “Is that you? I really can’t tell. I put two new eyes in this morning. They’re from a pair of cousins who never could see eye to eye. Everything is a little blurry. They’ve been giving me a headache, but I haven’t had time to change them. Come inside with me while I get more pastries. I can change my eyes and we can talk. We can’t be long, though. Chervil is going to start his speech soon and I don’t want to miss a word!”

  I followed her inside, with Eadric and Adara trailing behind us. The cottage looked very different from the first time I saw it. The room was cleaner now and the sisters had replaced most of the furniture, including the bed and table that Vannabe had used. The only thing hanging from the new ceiling was a lantern made of brass. I was relieved that the changes made it seem like a different room.

  “Can I take some of these?” Eadric asked, pointing at the pastries cooling on the table.

  “Help yourself!” Oculura told him. “I made plenty!”

  After helping himself to a handful, Eadric wandered out the door, munching.

  “Do you know Chervil very well?” I asked Oculura.

  “Oh, my, yes!” she replied. “I’ve grown his plants in my gardens no matter where I’ve lived. We’ve known each other since I was just a girl. That’s why I said he could have his rally here. He’s such a dear and gets along with everyone. Even Dyspepsia likes him, and she hardly likes anyone. Ah, here we are!” Oculura took the jar of eyeballs from the shelf and shook it. The jar seemed fuller than it had the last time I was there.

  “Are those real?” asked Adara.

  I gave her an annoyed glance before turning back to Oculura. “This is Princess Adara from Lower Mucksworthy. She wanted to come with us today.”

  “How nice,” Oculura said with a chill to her voice.

  “It looks as if you’ve added to your collection,” I said, watching the eyeballs swirl around inside the jar.

  Oculura nodded. “I have. I believe seeing things from different people’s eyes broadens my perspective and makes me more open-minded. Here, these should do,” she said, reaching into the jar. “They don’t match, but the previous owners were both very fair minded.”

  After removing her eyes from the sockets, she popped in the new ones and blinked. “It takes a moment for them to come into focus. Ah, that’s better!”

  Adara gasped and put her hand over her mouth. “I think I’ll go find Eadric,” she said, and hurried out the door.

  I narrowed my eyes as I watched her go. Whatever she was up to, I knew I wasn’t going to like it. “Do you have a bowl I might borrow?” I asked Oculura. “And some water, if you don’t mind.”

  “Going to do some scrying?” Oculura asked as she fetched a pretty blue-and-green bowl.

  I nodded and took the bowl from her hands. “I have some questions about Adara. She arrived at the castle, claiming to be a relative. I think she’s up to something. Oh, thank you,” I said as Oculura poured water into the bowl.

  “So she’s not a relative?” Oculura asked.

  “Grandmother doesn’t think so,” I told her, and bent over the bowl.

  I hadn’t done much scrying, but I knew what to do. Passing my hand over the water, I thought about Adara. When the image of her face appeared in the water, I murmured, “Where does she come from?”

  The image of a castle squatting in a muddy plain appeared in the bowl. It was an ugly castle with three low towers and very few windows. “That’s Lower Mucksworthy,” said Oculura. “Dyspepsia and I visited it once years ago. We didn’t stay long, though. The stench from the mud flats gave my sister terrible headaches.”

  “Who is Adara’s father?” I asked. Just because she came from a castle didn’t mean that she was a princess. For all we knew, she could be a serving girl.

  A moment later, a picture of a middle-aged man sitting on a throne appeared in the water. His arm was propped on the arm of the throne and he was resting his chin in his hand, watching children of various ages playing at his feet. The man looked weary, even in the wavery image.

  “So her father is the king,” I said. “Why did she come to Greater Greensward and what does she plan to do?”

  The image of the king disappeared, and one showing Eadric’s mother talking to Adara appeared in its place. I had never visited Upper Montevista, but I guessed that’s where they were when I saw the mountains through a window.

  With Oculura watching over my shoulder, I repeated my question. Nothing happened for a moment, so I leaned closer, concentrating harder. Suddenly the image became clearer and we could actually hear the muted voices of Queen Frazzela and Adara.

  “You are lovely, my dear,” said Frazzela. “You’re just the kind of princess I had hoped my son Eadric would marry. Tell me, have you ever visited Greater Greensward?”

  Adara shook her head. “No, I’ve never had the opportunity to go there. This is my first trip outside Lower Mucksworthy.”

  “I’ve always thought that was such an unfortunate name for a kingdom. Mucksworthy! Ah well, it can’t be helped. I chose you for your beauty, not your kingdom. Now, I want you to travel to Greater Greensward, where my son is mooning over a girl who is totally inappropriate for him. When you see Eadric, smile at him, bat your eyelashes, do whatever it takes to get him interested in you and away from that dreadful Emma. Once you’ve lured him away, bring him back here. You’ll have the most magnificent wedding that you can imagine, plus I’ll send your father all that
gold I promised him. Do you think you can handle that?”

  “Of course,” said Adara. “I’ll have him here before the end of the month.”

  “Excellent!” said Frazzela. “My carriage is ready to take you and …”

  They were still talking when I passed my hand over the bowl again and the image faded away.

  “Wow! That was impressive!” declared Oculura. “You got sound! I’ve never been able to get sound when I scry. You are the most powerful witch in the kingdom! Of course, I knew that when you turned yourself into a dragon at the tournament. I can’t wait to tell the other witches about this at the next council meeting!”

  “At least I know what Adara’s up to now,” I said. I wasn’t surprised; I was angry. It had never occurred to me that my future mother-in-law hated me so much! I knew it was because I was a witch, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. “I’ll tell Eadric when Adara isn’t around. I don’t want her to know that I’m aware of her plan, at least not yet. Please don’t tell anyone what you heard just now.”

  “What about Dyspepsia? Can I tell her?” asked Oculura.

  “Not for a few days,” I said. “I don’t want her to tell anyone, either. Thanks for letting me use your bowl. It’s very pretty.”

  “Keep it!” she told me. “I have five more just like it. Dyspepsia gave me six of them for my last birthday. I don’t know anyone who needs six scrying bowls!”

  “Thanks!” I said, and tucked it in the cloth sack I carried.

  I waited while Oculura filled the platter from a tray of pastries resting on the table. As soon as she emptied the tray, it refilled itself. “I bought that tray at the magic marketplace,” Oculura explained. “After I bake something on it, the tray will refill itself up to ten times. I think I’ve emptied it three or four times so far today. I don’t know how often Dyspepsia has been back in, but we should have more than enough for the entire rally.”

  “It’s very nice of you to do this for Chervil,” I told her.

  “What are friends for?” said Oculura. “Have you talked to Dyspepsia yet?”