The Frog Prince

by A. G. Marshall

  What kind of country threw its princess overboard in the middle of a storm? It was barbaric.

  He thought of Duke Enrico. How disrespectful he had been to Carina. And everyone at dinner. They had been rude as well. He’d thought it was because there was a frog on the table, but maybe that behavior was normal for them.

  Carina certainly seemed used to it.

  Stefan tried to grit his teeth and realized he didn’t have any. It made the gesture much less satisfying.

  “There’s a new ship in port,” Carina whispered. “It looks like it’s been repaired recently. We’ll start there.”

  Stefan straightened his legs so he could peer out of the bag. He quickly ducked back down.

  Gruff’s ship. Carina was walking towards Gruff’s ship.

  He breathed deeply to calm himself. They wouldn’t recognize him as a frog. They wouldn’t even see him. He was well hidden.

  Still, what if they said something about him and Heinrich? What if they gave Carina a hint that made her suspect who he was?

  He was being paranoid. Carina only knew him as a frog. Gruff only knew him as a human. Surely there wasn’t any danger.

  “Ahoy!” Carina called. “Do you need help unloading?”

  “Ahoy, yerself,” Gruff said. “You look a little scrawny to be a dock worker.”

  “Aw, I’m stronger than I look.”

  She pulled her sleeve up and flexed her arm. It was surprisingly muscular. Must be all that wall climbing.

  Gruff considered her.

  “Well, you can’t be any worse than the lubber I hired for the journey from Aeonia. One silver coin for your help. Deal?”

  “Deal!”

  Carina climbed up the gangplank, grabbed a crate, and carried it to shore. Stefan bristled. He suspected that he was the lubber Gruff was talking about, and he didn’t appreciate it.

  “Looks like you took some damage on the voyage,” Carina said. “We had a ship hit last week. The Vanquisher.”

  She sounded out of breath, but she rushed to grab another crate. The leather pouch bounced against her hip as she carried it. Stefan braced against the sides, trying to keep his balance.

  “You’d have to ask Timon about that,” Gruff said. “He was on watch, and he’s got all kinds of crazy ideas about what hit us.”

  “Really? Where is he?”

  Gruff laughed at her eagerness.

  “He’s off buying supplies right now. You’ll have to catch him later.”

  Carina grabbed another crate.

  “How long are you in port? I’m happy to do any other jobs you have.”

  “A few days at least. We need to hire more men before we can sail back to Aeonia.”

  Stefan swallowed. Had he hurt Gruff’s crew that badly when he left? He smiled. Maybe the old sailor was just tough on new recruits. Maybe he’d been useful after all.

  “You lost men?” Carina asked. “Was it because of that?”

  She gestured to the patched place on the Seawolfe’s side. The new boards were brighter than the rest of the weather beaten vessel.

  Gruff shook his head.

  “That spooked them a little. Scared off the lubber, good riddance. No, there was an incident in Montaigne. Nonsense. Some of them decided they’d rather not be on the open seas right now. I had to hire new men just to make the journey.”

  Stefan bristled. Good riddance, indeed.

  “An incident? In Montaigne?”

  Carina’s voice shook with excitement. Gruff misinterpreted the tremor.

  “No need to be nervous, lad. The seas are perfectly safe. It’s just superstitious nonsense. Listen, if you want to sail, I’d be happy to have you.”

  “What kind of incident?”

  Gruff sighed.

  “If it scares you, then you’d better stay here. I’ve got no need for cowards on my crew.”

  “I’m not scared. Just curious.”

  “Well be curious on your own time. I’m paying you to unload crates, not talk.”

  Carina stayed quiet as she unloaded the rest of the crates, but her eyes gleamed. She walked slowly, struggling with each crate. The other sailors darted around her.

  “Are you tired?” Stefan asked. “If the crates are too heavy, then we should go.”

  “I’m stalling. Trying to wait until Timon gets back. It sounds like he’d be more willing to talk.”

  Stefan swallowed. Yes, Timon would talk about mermaids and sea monsters and who knew what else. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mention anything about the lubber who had also seen the sea monster.

  Carina was too close to answers for Stefan’s comfort. If she started thinking about mermaids, she was bound to ask him more questions.

  And Stefan couldn’t afford to answer any questions.

  “Excuse me, but the harbor master said you recently sailed from Montaigne?”

  Stefan peered out of the pouch. A woman stood on the deck and called to Gruff. A little girl stood next to her, holding her hand. Carina dodged them as she carried another crate.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Gruff called back.

  “Did you see any signs of the Royal Blaze? It was supposed to arrive in port today.”

  “The Royal Blaze left Montaigne ahead of schedule, Ma’am. I haven’t seen it since.”

  The woman bit her lip and walked away slowly, pulling the child with her.

  “Another missing ship,” Carina muttered to herself.

  “Hey, lad! That’s enough for today.”

  “What? But I’m not done. There are lots of crates left.”

  “The rest are for another customer. We’ll unload them tomorrow. Come back then if you want more work.”

  “I’m not tired! I can keep going.”

  “No need, lad, no need. Here’s your coin.”

  Gruff dropped a silver coin into Carina’s hand.

  “Sir, I don’t feel right taking this. I haven’t unloaded all the crates yet!”

  “It’s almost dark, lad. Run along home. And let me know if you decide you’d like to sail to Aeonia.”

  Carina scuffed her feet as she left the ship.

  “He was trying to get rid of me,” she whispered to Stefan. “There’s something suspicious going on there. Why wouldn’t he talk about their damage or the incident in Montaigne?”

  “Because he’s a cranky old man.”

  She shook her head.

  “I need to speak with Timon. We’ll go back tomorrow.”

  “I’m not sure there’s a story there,” Stefan said. “The ship looked old. Maybe a wave knocked off a loose board.”

  “Now you’re being suspicious. Do you know something about all this?”

  “No, of course not. I just don’t want you to waste your time on sailors who probably don’t know anything.”

  “He knew more than he was willing to tell. I might be able to get more information out of the crew.”

  Carina stopped in the town to buy food with the silver coin. She put some in the satchel for Stefan and walked back to the castle. It was dark by the time they reached it.

  Stefan hopped out of the bag and rode on Carina’s shoulder as she crept through the garden to her room.

  25

  Carina’s muscles ached as she changed into her nightgown. She hid the sailor disguise under her bed and stretched to ease the stiffness. Much as she hated to admit it, those crates had been heavy.

  But it had been worth it. She finally had new information.

  Something had happened in Montaigne’s harbor. Enough of something to scare sailors away from a short voyage on their regular ship.

  And something had damaged the Seawolfe in the open seas. The Vanquisher wasn’t an isolated incident.

  And according to the woman on the dock, the Royal Blaze was late arriving in port. Had it been attacked as well?

  The frog had settled on her pillow by the time she changed. Carina climbed into bed and snuggled under her blanket. The frog watched her with his round yellow eyes.

  “No cage?”
he said.

  Carina shrugged.

  “Apparently you’re an expert locksmith. Besides, we made a deal. I let you out of the cage, and you stay by my side.”

  “Excellent.”

  He nestled against the pillow. Carina turned on her side and studied him.

  “Who are you?” she said.

  The frog blinked. His stare should have been unnerving, but there was intelligence behind those eyes.

  “Have you always been a frog?” she tried again. “I’m letting you sleep on my pillow. I showed you the royal treasury today. I told you about my past. Surely you can trust me enough to answer one question.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  Carina propped herself up on her elbow. Her muscles ached in protest, but she ignored them. The frog was a mystery, and she loved mysteries.

  Well, she loved solving mysteries. Not knowing things was rather annoying. And the frog was climbing her list of things she didn’t know enough about.

  “Please, don’t ask me again. I would tell you if I could.”

  The frog’s voice cracked. Carina settled back into her pillow so she was eye level with him.

  “Why can’t you tell me?”

  He clamped his mouth shut, but Carina wasn’t giving up that easily.

  “You said you studied. Where? How did you learn to speak?”

  “A wise owl taught me.”

  “Not a seagull?”

  She watched his expression carefully. Something flickered in his eyes when she said it.

  “Seagulls aren’t particularly bright,” the frog said. “I don’t spend much time with them.”

  Was it her imagination, or did his voice shake when he answered her? Why would seagulls bother him so much?

  The frog cleared his throat with a croak.

  “Will you tell your father what we found? Will you have guards investigate the treasury gate?”

  “I want to, but he won’t believe me without more evidence. I have to prove I’m useful to Santelle. There can’t be any doubt.”

  “So what do you plan to do?”

  Carina sighed.

  “I need to find definite answers. Clearer proof. I want to talk to the other sailors on the Seawolfe.”

  “I doubt they’ll have proof of sea monsters.”

  “Maybe not, but I can ask. What about you? Have you ever seen a sea monster?”

  “Please, my lady, no more questions.”

  The frog turned away from her and stared out the window. Carina watched him with narrowed eyes. His refusal to answer was as good as a yes in her book.

  What was he? As far as she knew, frogs weren’t intelligent. They certainly didn’t speak. But this one was clever. Had he eaten a magic gem? Was he a sorcerer’s pet? A transformed human?

  She studied the frog’s back as if it held the answers she sought. There were many questions only the frog could answer, but maybe she could find some on her own.

  He had sneaked out of her room last night. Why? Certainly not just to bring her flowers.

  Maybe he was looking for something in the castle. Or maybe he was meeting someone. If he wasn’t working alone, she needed to know who he was working with. She could handle a frog, but a sorcerer might be another story.

  Carina closed her eyes and breathed deeply, pretending to be asleep. Part of her hoped the frog wouldn’t move. That he would fall asleep on her pillow and let her get a good night’s rest.

  The rest of her was excited to hear rustling as the frog crawled across the bed and landed on the floor with a thud. Carina resisted the urge to open her eyes and listened instead. He moved away from her. Towards the balcony door.

  As soon as the room was silent, Carina sprang out of bed. She pulled a dark cape over her nightgown and peered out the window.

  The frog disappeared into shadows as he hopped across the garden. Carina sighed. She was confident she could trail any human, but a frog would be difficult. And he could sneak through the main gate without anyone questioning him. She’d have to hurry to catch up.

  Carina climbed down the stairs and sprinted in the opposite direction of the frog. If she took the shortcut across the field and through the woods, she could get ahead of him and follow him on the path.

  It was a gamble. If he wasn’t going to the village, she would lose him entirely. If she ran into trouble in the forest, her cover might be blown. The guards hadn’t caught the man who chased her. She might be attacked again.

  But Carina didn’t slow her pace. She climbed the wall before the guards rounded the corner. Her muscles protested, but Carina kept going. She waited in the shadows on the other side until the guards completed another patrol. As soon as they turned their backs, Carina pushed off the wall and ran towards the woods.

  26

  Stefan hopped towards the village. He stayed off the path, hiding in the tall grass that grew beside it. The moon shone bright and lit his way.

  This was getting complicated. Carina was complicated. Far from the dull idiot he had expected. It would take more than flowers and a few favors to win her kiss.

  But didn’t that make the kiss worth that much more?

  Stefan paused. It was worth more in his mind already. He had misjudged Carina. He still didn’t understand her completely, but there was more to her than she let people see. Even her own family was fooled.

  He shook his head. He couldn’t afford to get too comfortable with her. If he let something slip, Heinrich would die. He had to keep his guard up. Stefan kept hopping, ignoring the bugs buzzing around him. They weren’t appetizing. No matter what his instincts said.

  Stefan pushed Carina from his mind as he entered the village. There were too many dangers here. Sailors’ boots. Horses and carts.

  “Froggy!”

  A little girl broke free from her mother’s grip and ran towards Stefan. He panicked and leaped away.

  “Winnifred, get back here!”

  The mother ran after the child, but she wasn’t fast enough. Stefan dove into the water. The girl jumped after him. He braced for a splash, but it didn’t come. He swam to the surface and peered up at the dock.

  A tall man in a cloak held the child. She hovered over the water, unhappy to have been caught mid-jump and have her frog hunting schemes thwarted. The man set the girl on the dock and held her in place until her mother came to claim her.

  Now that Stefan wasn’t panicked, he recognized the woman as the same one who had questioned Gruff that afternoon. Was she still waiting for her ship to arrive?

  “Oh, thank you, sir! How can I ever repay you?”

  The man shook his head and walked away. Stefan swam alongside him, curious. The man kept his hood pulled over his face. Stefan could just make out the edge of a beard beneath the fabric.

  The man stopped and looked at him.

  “You nearly caused a lot of trouble there.”

  Stefan bit back a sarcastic response. It wasn’t his fault he was an adorable amphibian, but he couldn’t talk to strangers at the moment.

  The man stared a bit longer, then shrugged and turned away.

  “No harm done, I suppose,” he muttered.

  Stefan dipped under the waves and swam as fast as he could towards Heinrich’s inn. He didn’t feel safe in the water. Not with mermaids and tentacles lurking. But now that he was in, this was the fastest way to cross the harbor. He reached the inn and climbed to Heinrich’s open window. The tailor beamed when he saw him.

  “Your-”

  “Heinrich, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

  The little man swallowed.

  “You’re safe,” he said softly. “That’s all I was going to say.”

  “Of course I am! And winning the fair princess’s heart more each day.”

  Heinrich’s face brightened.

  “About that, Your-. About that. I have an idea to fix everything.”

  Stefan hopped on the bed and sat up straight.

  “I’m listening.
”

  “The mermaid said you needed to be kissed by a princess, but she didn’t say which one. It doesn’t have to be Carina.”

  “Of course it does. I’m not going near Serafina. She’s terrifying.”

  “From what I’ve heard, the princesses of Santelle are not your best option. Gruff and Timon sailed into port today, and they said they could give me passage back to Aeonia. They’re leaving tomorrow.”

  “You should go, Heinrich. You’ll be much safer there. I’ll be just fine on my own.”

  The tailor sighed.

  “You are daft, sir. I would bring you with me. Lina is a princess now. I’m sure we could get her to kiss you without much trouble.”

  Stefan’s chest swelled with indignation. He tried to speak but croaked instead. He calmed himself and pulled his chest in.

  “Are you suggesting I have Lina kiss me to break the spell?”

  “It makes perfect sense. Lina is accustomed to magic. She’ll be willing to do something unusual if she suspects magic is involved. We can’t ask her directly, but a few well-placed hints should be enough. Besides, the mermaid said it would help if the princess loved you. Lina’s going to be your sister-in-law. Surely she loves you at least a little.”

  “Heinrich, are you saying the only woman who would be willing to kiss me is my sister-in-law? Do you think I’m not capable of wooing my own princess?”

  “You don’t seem to be making much progress with Carina.”

  “Of course I am! She’s eating out of my webbed foot. I’ve completely charmed her.”

  Heinrich raised an eyebrow.

  “Your highness, there are lives at stake. This is not the time to get offended at nothing.”

  Regret washed over Stefan. Heinrich’s life was as much at risk as his own. It would be safer to have Lina kiss him. There was no shame in it.

  Well, there wasn’t much shame in it. It felt like escorting your cousin to the ball because no one else would go with you.

  Not that Stefan would know anything about that. Certainly not.

  “I’m sorry, Heinrich. It is a good plan. You’re sure Gruff will be willing to take a frog on board?”