The Frog Prince

by A. G. Marshall

  Stefan pointed to an enormous dark spot on the ocean’s surface. Timon shrugged.

  “Cloud’s shadow.”

  “There aren’t any clouds.”

  They turned to the sky. It was a clear day, and the cloudless expanse stretched as far as they could see in any direction.

  Timon pulled a spyglass from his vest and studied the shadow. He handed it to Stefan.

  “Tell me what you see.”

  Stefan looked. The spot had a definite shape. Every so often, something broke through the surface of the water. Something dark and sharp.

  “A group of sharks?” he asked.

  Timon shook his head.

  “It would take every shark in the ocean to form a group that big.”

  Stefan stared at the dark shape. Every shark in the ocean? That didn’t sound good.

  “Should we tell the captain?”

  Timon studied the darkness a moment longer.

  “No. It’s too distant to cause concern, and it’s moving away from us.”

  “But-”

  “Gruff doesn’t like being bothered for nothing. And he doesn’t believe in sea monsters or mermaids.”

  Stefan swallowed.

  “Sea monsters?”

  “It’s possible. They say mermaids aren’t real, but I’ve seen them. I know what I’ve seen.”

  He stared at Stefan. His wild eyes were the same blue as the sky.

  “Right,” Stefan said.

  He didn’t want to argue with a crazy sailor, so he turned away and studied the horizon. The sky was a monotonous blue. Pretty, but too uninterrupted to be soothing. The ocean was darker and mottled with waves and shadows that moved just beneath the surface.

  Sea monsters indeed. It was probably a school of fish. Or something else. Stefan hadn’t studied the ocean. He had no idea what lurked in its depths. Maybe variations in the water were common.

  One more day of sailing, and he’d reach Santelle.

  The ship lurched, throwing him against the railing. Stefan clutched the side of the crow’s nest to keep from falling into the ocean. A shadow beneath the water curved around the ship. It disappeared before Stefan regained his breath enough to shout.

  “What did you see?” Timon whispered.

  He clung to the railing next to Stefan. The prince gulped for air.

  “A shadow around the ship. Something long.”

  Timon nodded.

  “That’s what I saw. Too big to be a mermaid.”

  “Ahoy!” Gruff yelled from the deck. “Why didn’t ye lubbers tell us there was something in the way?”

  “There wasn’t time, captain!” Timon yelled back. “It appeared too quickly. Some kind of monster is my best guess. It’s gone now!”

  Gruff muttered something they couldn’t hear and walked away.

  “You’re sure you saw it?” Timon said. “You’ll back me up if he asks more questions?”

  Stefan nodded. His stomach flipped as the ship’s rocking settled back to its normal rhythm. He wasn’t sure what he had seen, but it had definitely been something.

  Timon grinned.

  “You’ll have a story to tell yer friends on land, won’t ya? First voyage and you hit a sea monster!”

  Stefan peered over the edge to make sure Heinrich hadn’t been hurt in the collision. The tailor still sat on the deck eating his coconut. He waved at the prince.

  “They won’t believe me,” Stefan said.

  Timon shrugged.

  “Most land folk think we’re crazy. They say the sun goes to our heads. They say we drink too much rum.”

  Stefan was too queasy to comment. Much as he hated to admit it, the relentless ocean sun had gone to his head a little. And the sailors did drink a lot of rum when they were off duty. Had the snake-like shadow been his imagination?

  The collision certainly hadn’t.

  “We know what we see,” Timon said. “And we know what we don’t. Look there.”

  He gestured to the horizon. The dark spot on the ocean had disappeared.

  11

  Carina nodded to the guard as she left the treasury. Her second day of investigation had been the same as the first.

  Which was worthless. She had walked around the island. Talked to the guards at the gates. Tossed her golden ball into the air to capture the same things as yesterday.

  Her father wouldn’t be happy with this report. The guards seemed trustworthy and diligent. Duke Enrico was meticulous in his inventory. The stone walls and iron gates were impenetrable.

  Robbing this place would be impossible unless you believed in magic.

  Which her father refused to do.

  She’d never make it to Lina’s wedding at this rate. She’d be stuck staring at the treasury walls for weeks.

  “Why the frown, Carina? Did your new polish not work so well after all?”

  Serafina leaned against the castle wall with her arms crossed. She wore her usual dark blue uniform, but her braid was looser today.

  Carina stopped.

  “Serafina, I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting.”

  Her sister shrugged and stepped away from the wall.

  “I still think you were out of line, but Father doesn’t. And he’s in charge.”

  “So your last voyage was successful?”

  Carina kept her tone casual as she changed the subject. Serafina beamed.

  “I may have defeated a pirate ship or two. Or ten.”

  “Ten?”

  “All in a day’s work for one of the youngest admirals in Santelle’s history.”

  Carina leaned forward to admire the gold bar pinned to her sister’s uniform. It was nothing intricate. Just a gleaming gold line. But everyone in Santelle knew what it meant.

  “We should celebrate,” Serafina said.

  Carina swallowed. She didn’t like the glint in her sister’s eyes.

  “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “Even admirals get days off. Come on. When was the last time we had fun together?”

  Carina couldn’t remember. She’d shared adventures with Serafina once. Even after she’d flunked out of the military academy at her father’s command, they had remained friends. It had been a gradual separation. Serafina proved her worth more each year. She learned skills and earned the kingdom’s respect.

  Carina learned the same skills and worked to keep them hidden under a layer of mediocrity.

  But maybe they could be close again. Carina smiled at her sister.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  Serafina grinned and grabbed Carina’s hand. She dragged her sister through the castle and down a winding trail that led to the ocean.

  She stopped at a shallow bay surrounded by rocks. A rowboat bobbed in the waves. Carina raised an eyebrow.

  “You want to go rowing? You just spent a year on the ocean.”

  “We used to go rowing all the time. It will be fun.”

  “Fun if you’re not the one rowing.”

  But Carina hopped into the boat after her sister. They each grabbed an oar and rowed with synchronized movements.

  “Where are we going?” Carina asked.

  “Just a little further.”

  Serafina stopped when they reached the middle of the southern harbor. Carina looked around. The harbor was empty except for their small boat.

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re alone now. We can talk.”

  Serafina’s eyes narrowed. Carina gulped.

  “Oh. Alright.”

  “Carina, what have you really been doing? Don’t expect me to believe you spent the past year polishing that ball.”

  Carina sighed. The look in her sister’s eyes was dangerous territory. Serafina could tell when she was lying.

  “I’ve done things. I attended a Princess Test.”

  “I heard about that. He chose you then backed out to marry someone else. Is that what’s wrong? He broke your heart?”

  Carina blinked.

  “What? No, I
didn’t love Prince Alaric. It was all a misunderstanding. He and Lina are a good couple.”

  A good couple whose wedding she couldn’t attend.

  “That’s really all you’ve done the past year?”

  Carina shrugged.

  “I designed some new gowns. I walked in the garden.”

  As much as she wanted to tell her sister about her spy missions, she couldn’t. That would be disobeying her orders. She trusted Serafina, but she couldn’t trust her with this.

  Serafina studied Carina’s dress.

  “You don’t think it has too many ruffles?”

  “You’re just used to uniforms. They’re so streamlined that anything decorative looks like too much.”

  Serafina didn’t look convinced. Carina sighed. That argument didn’t work on the tailors who made her gowns either. She often had to finish the gowns herself to make them look the way she wanted.

  Which was fine. She had to work on them anyway to put in her secret pockets.

  Serafina leaned back against the boat and studied her sister. She nodded as if she had decided something.

  “Carina, I know you’re capable of more than designing overworked gowns. I’d like to make you an offer, but you need to keep it secret for now.”

  Carina raised an eyebrow.

  “What kind of offer?”

  “A job. I’ve been given command of the Onslaught now that I’m an admiral.”

  “You want me to join your crew?”

  Serafina nodded.

  “But I’m not in the Navy,” Carina said.

  “I know. You’ll have to take the entrance exam again. You’ll have to actually try.”

  Carina swallowed.

  “The exam didn’t go well last time.”

  “It isn’t storm season now. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t wear one of those ridiculous dresses.”

  She gestured to the ruffled skirt. Carina laughed.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I want to help you, Carina. You’re too bright to spend all your time wandering around the castle. I want you on my team again.”

  Tears glistened in Carina’s eyes. Was it possible that someone in her family hadn’t given up on her?

  “Father won’t like it.”

  She couldn’t tell her sister why, but Serafina nodded like she understood.

  “I know he’s enjoyed having you here. You always were his favorite. But you need to get out. Have adventures again.”

  Carina smiled.

  “We always had the best adventures.”

  “So you’ll think about it?”

  “Yes.”

  It was an impossible dream, but Carina would definitely think about it.

  12

  “Set a course for Montaigne.”

  Stefan choked on his porridge and stared at Gruff.

  “Montaigne?”

  None of the sailors looked worried. Timon simply nodded and left the table to follow the captain’s orders.

  Stefan caught Heinrich’s gaze and grimaced. Gruff raised an eyebrow.

  “I won’t have anyone questioning my orders, lad. Least of all the newest sailor on this ship. Our collision yesterday caused a small leak. We’ll have it fixed in Montaigne.”

  “We’re sinking?”

  Stefan slammed his spoon against the table in alarm. The sailors laughed.

  “A small leak, son,” Gruff said. “We won’t sink. It will only take a day or so to repair.”

  A day or so? Stefan couldn’t afford to waste that much time. He turned to Heinrich for help. The tailor cleared his throat.

  “Forgive me if I’m wrong, captain, but isn’t Montaigne further from us than Santelle?”

  Gruff beamed.

  “You’ve been studying the charts! I could make a navigator of you in no time if your merchant business doesn’t work out.”

  Heinrich smiled. Stefan rolled his eyes. At least one of them was a competent sailor.

  “Montaigne is farther,” Gruff said. “But it would take weeks to have the repair made in Santelle. All the craftsmen there work for the Royal Navy. Everyone in Montaigne works for themselves. I have some friends who will make the repairs quickly so we can be on our way.”

  “Clever,” Heinrich said. “I wonder if most of the tailors in Santelle are also employed by the military?”

  “You thinking of getting work with the military instead of opening your own shop?”

  Stefan ignored the rest of the conversation. He didn’t care about the finer points of Santelle’s economy. Alaric probably would. Alaric probably knew the answers.

  Stefan sighed. At this rate, he would miss his brother’s wedding altogether.

  “Is there another way I can get to Santelle while you’re having the repairs made?” he asked.

  Gruff scratched his beard.

  “Ships sail from Montaigne to Santelle every day. It’s only a few hours’ journey. I’m sure someone would be willing to let you ride along.”

  A few hours. Stefan inhaled slowly, calming his nerves. A few hours delay wouldn’t be so bad. As long as they reached Montaigne by the end of the day, he should be able to convince Carina to attend the wedding and make it back in time.

  Stefan spent the rest of the day stationed in the crow’s nest. Apparently Gruff had decided that was easier than trying to train him for other duties.

  He didn’t see the dark shadow on the water again. He didn’t see anything unusual or exciting until a thin sliver of green appeared on the horizon that afternoon.

  Land.

  Thank goodness.

  “What will you do while the ship is being repaired?” he asked Timon.

  The sailor shrugged.

  “Enjoy some time on shore. Montaigne’s Royal Orchestra is the best in Myora. Maybe I can catch a concert.”

  Stefan raised an eyebrow, but the sailor seemed serious.

  Mermaids. Orchestra concerts. These sailors were a strange bunch.

  Or maybe it was just Timon.

  Stefan stared at the shoreline, watching it grow. The Montaigne harbor was smaller than Aeonia’s. The kingdom’s mountains were bigger. They stretched high and rugged, their tops covered with snow.

  A roar from the deck below interrupted his daydream. Stefan and Timon leaned over the crow’s nest. Gruff gestured to them.

  “He wants us to come down,” Timon said. “We’ll need all hands on deck to dock the ship.”

  Stefan climbed down the ladder, collected his bag, and waited on the deck. The sailors rushed around the ship, navigating to an open dock and dropping the anchor. No one asked for his help.

  Finally, Timon lowered the gangplank. Gruff joined Stefan on the deck.

  “Lad, carry the tailor’s trunk for him!”

  Stefan rolled his eyes as he took the trunk from Gruff and followed Heinrich down the gangplank. He turned and waved to the crew when he reached the dock.

  “Thanks for the lift, gentlemen!”

  “I hope you find the girl,” Gruff said. “Good luck with your business, Heinrich! Check with the harbor master. He’ll know of ships sailing for Santelle.”

  Heinrich bowed with more flourish than was necessary and disappeared behind a building. Stefan followed him. Once he was out of sight, he narrowed his eyes and dropped the trunk.

  “That was a dirty trick, Heinrich. You weren’t supposed to come. And you definitely weren’t supposed to come as a paying passenger.”

  Heinrich shrugged, his face calm.

  “I brought enough gold to pay passage for both of us, but you were determined to go in disguise.”

  “While you ate coconuts and lounged on the deck.”

  The tailor’s mouth remained a straight line, but his eyes twinkled. Stefan smirked.

  “I would have done the same thing if I’d thought of it. Now, would it be easier to find passage to Santelle if I change into royal clothes, or should I remain a peasant?”

  “It might cause an incident if anyone discovered that t
he prince of Aeonia arrived in Montaigne without paying a visit to the king.”

  “Done,” Stefan said. “I’m staying a peasant. No need to pay any courtly visits. Now we need to find a ship to Santelle as soon as possible.”

  Heinrich glanced up and down the docks.

  “I expect the harbor master lives in that hut. Let’s begin there.”

  Stefan stuffed his bag into the already full trunk, picked it up, and followed Heinrich to the harbor master’s office.

  A burly man behind a desk squinted at them when they entered.

  “Can I help you, lad?” he asked.

  Stefan smiled at him.

  “We’re seeking passage to Santelle. Can you tell us which ships are sailing that way?”

  “Not many ships going to Santelle right now. Not with what happened to the Vanquisher.”

  Stefan tried to keep his voice casual.

  “The Vanquisher?”

  “Sea monster attack. At least, that’s the word from the sailors.”

  A few days ago, Stefan would have laughed at that. Now he simply nodded.

  “Can you check your records and see who is sailing for Santelle today? We need to get there as soon as possible.”

  The harbor master pulled an enormous book from a shelf and flipped through the pages.

  “There’s only one ship going to Santelle this week. The Speedwell sails this evening.”

  Stefan bowed.

  “Thank you, good sir.”

  “It’s a small ship. I don’t think they’ll take passengers.”

  “I have some experience as a sailor. I’m sure we can work something out.”

  The harbor master studied Stefan and raised an eyebrow.

  “Thank you for your time,” Heinrich said.

  He pulled Stefan out of the office.

  “They won’t be hiring sailors for such a short journey,” Heinrich said.

  “You don’t know that. Come on! We need to be on that ship!”

  They ran down the dock until they found the Speedwell. It was indeed a small ship. Half the size of Gruff’s. Maybe smaller. The gangplank was up.

  “Hello!” Stefan called. “Is anyone aboard?”

  He set the trunk down and waved his hands. No one answered.

  “You’re wasting your time with that one,” a man on the dock said.

  “What do you mean?” Stefan asked.