by Nadia Lee
He thought of her offer. It had been incredibly generous and unexpected. A part of him had wanted to say yes, but decency had won out. He couldn’t risk her or her mother’s safety. Not only that, John had hurt her because she’d let Robert go. If she supported him further, who knew what lengths John would go to?
It was time for Robert to take care of things on his own.
So he waited for John, Serenia and Molly to appear in the garden for their late morning stroll. John could try to cajole Serenia into foregoing it—he found walks boring—but Robert doubted it would work. Molly was certain Serenia would go as she was determined to maintain her trim figure with exercise.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Satisfaction bubbled up like sparkling wine at the sight of John limping along in a new pair of boots. It was too bad the curse had limited Robert’s options. Otherwise he would’ve made sure John couldn’t raise his hand against anyone for a long long time.
Serenia was in a fancy concoction of pink silk and ruffles that brought out the rose of her cheeks and lips. Her perfect curls shone in the sun, creating an angelic halo around her tiara.
Yet it was Molly who drew his eye. A pretty yellow ribbon at the end of her simple braid delighted him with its cheery color. Her pale orange dress made her look as brilliant as the sun itself. But it was her quiet presence that endeared her to him. There was pride in her bearing and kindness in her smile. The world—including Serenia—could be as nasty as it wanted, but nothing would change the pure core of Molly.
Wouldn’t it be splendid if Molly turned out to be some long-lost princess?
He shook his head at the fancy. That would be too much good fortune for him. His experience pointed to the opposite: better to hope Serenia wasn’t a fake princess.
Today, he would get Serenia to kiss him. The thought should have filled him with good cheer. How long had he worked to undo his curse? Yet all he could think of was how much he would miss Molly. Should he ask her to return with him to his kingdom? Lustrea had beautiful countryside with many quaint, lovely cottages suitable for her and her mother. And he could show her that not all royals were shallow idiots…be the kind of king she deserved.
Is that all you want?
What else? It wouldn’t be honorable to make her his mistress. She had the right to a good man who would love and cherish her. Robert’s chest constricted until he could barely breathe. He couldn’t be that man. Without the kiss he’d stay a frog, and Molly deserved better than a cursed man-frog as her life-mate.
When the trio was close enough, he gently kicked the final golden ball toward Serenia. She noticed it and immediately clapped her hands in glee. “The third ball!”
John’s brow scrunched. “Sweetkitten, it’s been rolled in the dirt. Are you sure you want it?”
“Of course, I do. It’s going to complete my collection. Now fetch it.”
His face turned ugly, but he limped over and picked it up for her. Robert almost snorted at how slavish his cousin was. Would he sing and dance on command as well after proper training from the princess?
Serenia snatched the ball from John and admired the workmanship. The final one had intricate golden designs with snow and fairy motifs.
“All right, whoever you are. I insist that you let me have this to complete my collection,” Serenia said.
“You may,” Robert said. “But I will ask a boon in exchange.”
“Not again!”
“Princess, you have yet to hear what I want.”
She pouted. “But it’s not fair that I have to do something.”
“I have given you two balls so far, and asked for very little in return.”
“What? You lie! I’ve given you many treasures.”
“Dear Serenia, you promised me a conversation, but you barely said anything. As for the handkerchief you gave me yesterday… I know you have a hundred more like it.”
“But that one was my favorite.”
He cringed, embarrassed for her. She sounded as petulant as a child caught in a lie. Still, he had to get rid of the damned curse. “The price of the third ball is easily met, dear Princess. I require only a chaste kiss from your lips.”
“Kiss you?” She blinked. “But I don’t even know what you look like. What if you’re an ugly gnome?”
“I swear upon my honor, I am not a gnome.”
She hesitated.
John said, “He’s worse than an ugly gnome! He’s an ugly frog!”
She gasped. “What did you say?”
“He is a frog. I swear it!”
“My appearance is that of a frog,” Robert said. “But I am in truth a prince. Prince Robert of Lustrea—”
“No, my cousin’s dead, you dirty—”
Serenia raised her hand imperiously. She was, after all, a princess. “Quiet! Both of you! Let me think.” She pursed her lips, her eyes darting between the golden ball in her hand, John, and the spot where Robert was hiding. “Very well,” she said finally. “I’ll give you your kiss.”
“Vow it on your honor.” Robert didn’t know why he felt compelled to add that, since he would’ve found it insulting had someone else demanded it of him. However, this was no ordinary circumstance. His future was at stake, and the oath had to be ironclad.
“Upon my honor,” she said. “Well? Will you show yourself?”
“Yes.” Robert hopped out from behind a small rosemary plant.
Serenia’s throat moved as she swallowed. Her eyes widened until he could see white all around the cornflower blue. “Gods,” she whispered.
“Thank you, but I fear I’m not quite at that level.”
“What?”
Robert sighed. But did it matter? He hadn’t sought her out for intelligence or a sense of humor. “You needn’t touch me with your hands. And you may keep your eyes closed if you wish. But I must have my kiss.”
She flinched.
“You vowed it upon your honor,” he reminded her.
John whispered something in her ear. Serenia shuddered; her grip on the ball tightened.
“Fine,” she said, her voice raspy. “I’ll close my eyes. Don’t move.”
Robert stayed put, his entire being tense with anticipation as Serenia approached. This was it. The moment he’d spent years waiting for. The moment Serenia’s lips touched his—
A slippered foot caught him in the stomach with an impact that drove the breath from his body. Something cracked in his chest, and he shot into the air like a cannon ball, flying away from the garden.
He saw the triumphant face of Serenia, rapidly getting smaller. Her mouth moved, though he couldn’t hear anything through the ringing in his ears.
Blackness.
* * *
Molly ran after Robert, leaving John and Serenia sitting in a shaded spot in the garden. Their laughter faded as she went deeper into the wooded area, searching.
How could Serenia break her promise?
The princess had never been generous, but it was one thing to be stingy, quite another to be dishonorable.
Or murderous.
Robert had told her who he was. Did she not care that she could have killed him with that vicious kick?
Molly finally found Robert near a small man-made pond. He lay belly-up on a bed of white pebbles. A deep red discolored the smooth stones beneath him.
Oh no!
She picked him up, cradling him gently. His forelegs dangled limply, the skin clammy. What was normal for a frog? Though his chest rose and fell, the motion was irregular and troubling. Sticky blood from the back of his head coated her fingertips. He must have hit his skull on the rocks.
Her mother had told her many times what a serious head injury could do to a man. He might appear perfectly whole—functional limbs and body—yet his mind would empty itself of all memories and knowledge. Sometimes he became as a child, unable to control any of his impulses.
The possibility strangled the breath out of Molly. She refused to let Robert become a drooling idiot.
Why did I ever suggest he give presents to Princess Serenia?
She should’ve known the princess would never honor a promise made to a frog. She didn’t consider even the higher animals worthy of her notice. She even intentionally stepped on snails and worms on occasion just because she could.
Snails eat leaves, which are pretty, and as for the worms… Well, there will always be more.
Molly pulled out a plain white handkerchief and wiped the blood from Robert, then carried him away from the palace, away from John and Serenia.
Mother would know what to do.
* * *
What felt like a quarry hammer pounded in Robert’s head, the beats monotonous and vicious. He moaned softly, then felt something cool against his forehead. Instantly, the pain eased.
“How are you feeling?”
He blinked his eyes open at the whispered words. His vision blurred, focused, revealed Molly hovering over him. This close, he could see pale freckles dusting the bridge of her nose. He’d never cared for freckles, but on her they looked rather charming. Her forest green eyes studied him worriedly.
There was a soft cotton sheet underneath him. It smelled like Molly, and he found comfort in the clean feminine scent. “Where am I?” he croaked.
“Beg pardon?”
Robert made a supreme effort to render the sounds of human speech appropriately. “Where…am…I?”
“Home. Mine, that is. Do you remember what happened?”
He thought back. “Yes.” He swallowed. “Serenia took the final ball and…kicked me?”
Molly’s worried look abated slightly. “So it seems your mind isn’t empty.”
“What?”
“Sometimes men become confused after a head injury,” came Ethel’s voice.
“I hurt my head?” he asked.
Molly nodded.
No wonder he felt like his skull would split in half. Serenia had a lot to answer for. He could forgive capriciousness, but never an outright lie or a bargain broken.
“You’re lucky,” Ethel said. “It could’ve been worse.” She rose from her chair and walked to a door leading to another room, moving confidently despite her blindness. “Now that I know you’re well, I’m going to rest if you don’t mind. I’ve been up since the dawn, and I feel tired. It’s rather late.” Her brow wrinkled. “A bit after midnight, if I mark it right.”
“I’ve been unconscious for…what, twelve hours?”
“No. Four days,” Ethel said.
Four days! By all the gods.
“Thank you for your help. Good night, Mother,” Molly said.
“Thank you, Ethel,” Robert said.
“You’re welcome.” She disappeared into the other room.
Molly brought a small wooden bowl full of some kind of dark liquid. “You should drink some of this.”
“What’s that?”
“Herbal tonic. It’ll help you recover.”
He sniffed the bowl. It smelled like wet grass. “Are you a chemist as well as a seer?”
“Mother is a healer. She made it while you were out.”
“I owe her much.”
“Never mind that. Concentrate on getting better.” Molly spooned the liquid into his mouth.
He gagged at the bitter flavor. After suffering such a grave injury, a man deserved something sweeter.
“I know it tastes awful, but it’s good for you,” she cajoled. “Come now. Mother spent hours on this. You don’t want to appear ungrateful, do you?”
This too must be part of his curse. Or at least if he considered it so, he’d feel less resistant.
Better yet, consider it a punishment for ignoring Fairy Godmother. You insisted on a princess, and look what it has come to. Lying injured, dependent on a maid and her blind and aged mother.
With a sigh, he rose and moved slowly over to the bowl, unable even to hop. The movement made the room spin, but once it stopped he gulped down the disgusting brew. Done, he sighed again. “I have been an idiot.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I’m not. I’m being honest with myself. I should have listened when Fairy Godmother said there weren’t any suitable princesses for me.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. But I kept demanding one, and eventually Fairy Godmother relented and said I could try Serenia if I truly must have a princess.” He groaned, closing his eyes, too ashamed to look at Molly. “Things have not turned out well.”
“Surely there are other princesses.”
“No. It’s too late. My father will reach his sixtieth year in…three days and retire to the country as our customs dictate.” Robert hung his head. “Though I’m his only legitimate heir, I cannot take the throne and rule in this form. The high lords would never accept me.”
“Have you asked them?”
“There has been no chance. I left court to find a princess as soon as the Wicked Witch cursed me.”
Molly nodded thoughtfully. “Well, if you wish, you can ask them yourself tomorrow.”
He raised his head. “That’s not possible either. It takes at least two days to travel to Lustrea.”
“There’s no need. The high lords are all here to celebrate Prince John’s engagement to Princess Serenia.”
It was a shock colder than a winter stream. “They’re engaged?”
“Not yet. He intends to ask her formally tomorrow in a lavish ceremony, but everyone knows the pact is all but sealed.”
“Sealed, is it?” Robert murmured.
No, the deed was not done yet. He wouldn’t allow it.
It was too late for him to claim the crown. He would never find a suitable princess in time. Nor did he want Serenia. Better to remain a frog than marry that horrid woman.
However, he refused to let his cousin marry her either, for a woman as crude and deceitful as she wasn’t qualified to be a queen any more than John deserved to be a king. Even if it was the last thing he did, Robert would stop their engagement.
VII. In Which the Villain Gets the Princess
Robert’s condition didn’t improve the next day. In point of fact, he felt fully as bad as he had the night before. But there was no time to lie around convalescing. John had to be prevented from marrying Serenia.
If John weren’t poised to rule Lustrea, Robert wouldn’t have cared that his cousin was going to tie himself to Serenia. But since he was, Robert cared very much.
“Should anything happen to me, Molly, you are to go to the fifth hill south of the sunrise and dig under the seventh pine you see as you climb to its peak,” he said, chewing on his breakfast—another piece of old cheese. Ethel was still resting in the other room. She must’ve overexerted herself during the four days he’d been unconscious. He wondered how often people brought her gravely injured frogs to heal.
“What am I to dig for?” Molly asked.
“My treasures. I buried them there. I promised you a thousand gold coins, and you have only half the amount. You may get the rest from there.” He paused. “In fact, should things not go well for me today, you are free to take everything.”
“Don’t say that.” Her hands suddenly started breaking her cheese into smaller pieces and brushed away invisible dust on the table. “Things may yet end well. The high lords might be more receptive than you expect.”
“I doubt it. I’m on my own in this.”
“I can help you.”
“No.” He shook his head. “Think of your mother, Molly. She’s old and frail. How would she survive without you? It’s likely that things are going to become worse for me, and I don’t want you to suffer because of my curse.”
She bit her lower lip and dropped her gaze.
Robert sighed and toyed with the rest of his cheese. His appetite had deserted him. He’d have liked to blame it on his injuries, but that wasn’t true at all.
He was going to miss Molly.
This wasn’t how he’d envisioned things would turn out for him. He was supposed to be deliriously happy, no
t torn.
He wished things could be different. He wished he weren’t a frog. He wished the curse didn’t limit his choice of women.
He wished he were just a normal man. Then he would’ve been able to lead a happy and simple life with Molly.
But he was a prince of the blood, and must needs answer the demands of duty. The only small consolation was that Molly would be able to live the rest of her life in material comfort with her mother. He had treasures enough that she could hire squads of burly porcupines to keep her safe from avaricious and ungrateful neighbors.
After a rather glum breakfast, Molly checked up on her mother, then returned to the table with the familiar handkerchief he’d thrown away. “The prince and princess think you dead, and may deny they know you when you appear at court. You may find some use for this.”
“Clever girl. But I fear I’m allergic to Serenia’s perfume.”
“I suspected as much. The cloth has been washed, so it should be all right now.”
She wrapped it in another handkerchief—this one plain green cotton—and tied it loosely around his neck. Her fingers brushed his throat, and he suppressed an involuntary shiver and tried to ignore the tingling of his skin. Just nerves, he told himself. The outer cover hid the pink, giving him some measure of camouflage.
Then she carried him to the palace and to the main ceremonial hall, where the engagement would take place.
It seemed like the half the world had gathered under the high domed ceiling. The crowd, resplendent in silk and satin, made a wide circle around the center where the royal thrones sat to the side. Everyone was packed tighter than a new box of matches, though no one dared to tread upon the six-foot-wide pink carpet that extended from the arched doorway to the thrones. Two other chairs, smaller but no less ornate than the thrones, had been placed alongside. Serenia’s parents occupied the royal seats, while the princess and John had taken the chairs. A group of porcupines stood guard over the royals. In high demand ever since the trolls had gone on strike, the rodents must’ve cost the king some pretty coins.
“Are you going to be all right?” Molly whispered.
“Yes,” Robert said.
“You aren’t dizzy or anything?”
