The Frog Princess

The Frog Princess
Retold By Myria Davis-Green

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a handsome Prince Charming. The Prince was very lonely with only his beloved royal pets as company.
One day, he went riding on his favourite mare, out past the palace gates, out past the billowing fields, and into the forest over-looking the Kingdom.
As night soon began to fall, the Prince was about to turn back and head for home---where he would be safe and warm and snug in his bed, when suddenly he heard a woman scream. The Prince, being very prince-like, dashed to the damsel's aid. He followed her cries until he came upon a murky swamp. The mist had formed a thick curtain over the swamp, hiding the dangers behind the layer of fog. But the Prince was brave, so he carried on. The screaming had now been replaced by a deafening sobbing. And in a small clearing, sitting atop a stump sat the most HIDEOUS creature the Prince had ever seen!
A large green frog, covered in warts, sat crying into her long webbed hands. Fat tears slid down her green cheeks as she snorted and wept.
Now, at this time the Prince had two choices...Either he could run away and go back home to where he would be safe and warm and snug in his bed....or he could take a chance and ask the frog why she was crying. Well, the Prince was still a Prince! And as we all know, princes are honest, trustworthy, brave, kind, handsome fellows with big, open hearts.
And so, the Handsome Prince Charming walked right up to the weeping amphibian and asked in a musical voice--- "My dear lady, why are you crying so? And what could have given you such a fright that caused you to utter such a shriek?"
The green, warty frog looked up and wiped her nose. She looked at him with wide, sad eyes. And the Prince gazed into them, and felt a fluttery and bubbly feeling in the pit of his stomach. For she, the ugly frog, had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were a mixture of blues and greens and yellows and greys. Swirls and patterns told of hidden secrets and deep mysteries that maybe, just maybe, he could reveal.
"Why Mister, I am but a lowly frog, ugly and slimy, covered in warts. I uttered such a shriek on account of a happily newly wed couple, journeying through this bog on the way to their honeymoon. The bride was a beautiful princess with long, long, long, long, long, long, long hair and the groom was a handsome prince.
“You see, I am crying now because of my fate. Once, a long time ago, I was a beautiful young woman with long hair. My skin was soft and smooth and I didn't have warts or slime! I was gorgeous and men felt weak in the knees at the mere sight of me!But now, I am ugly and hideous. For you know, a Princess cannot be a princess if she is a frog!" The frog grimaced at her words and burst into tears once again.
The Handsome Prince Charming was intrigued by this strange frog princess. Surely what she said must be true! With eyes as deep and gorgeous as hers, she must be a fair maiden!
The Prince turned to comfort the weeping frog. "My fair lady, if you are truly a beautiful princess, why then are you looking as you do?"
The frog sniffed, sadly. "That story is very sad. I offended a wicked witch once. She said that a beautiful princess like me shouldn't even be a beautiful princess in the first place! So she tricked me and I bit into a poison apple which turned me into a frog!" She sobbed.
"Well, surely there is something that you can do to become a beautiful princess again! Isn't there?"
The frog princess sighed. "No, there is nothing I can do except be kissed by a Handsome Prince Charming! And why would a Handsome Prince Charming go riding out past the palace gates, past the billowing fields and into a dark forest over-looking the Kingdom?!"
Well, by now you can probably guess what was going on inside the Prince's head.The Handsome Prince Charming scooped up the little ugly frog and looked into her eyes...And kissed her, right on top of her warty head!
She gasped and a bright light flooded the forest. The Prince covered his eyes and stepped back. The light dimmed and when he opened his eyes, the ugly frog had disappeared only to be replaced by a beautiful young woman with long hair and soft, smooth skin.
The frog princess, who wasn't a frog anymore, smiled. "Thank you so much!" And she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips.
The very next day, they were wed under a gushing waterfall. And they lived happily ever after.
Or so they had thought….
The Prince and his new princess lived in the castle on top of the mountain over-looking the Kingdom. He treated his new princess just how a princess should be treated. She was lavished in treasures and jewels and prizes. The Princess ate the most brilliantly prepared meals the cooks and chefs could make and she dined under the stars on yachts and private islands. She wore only the most fashionable clothes and the cutest Prada shoes. She owned exotic pets and went to fantastic places. But above all, she was loved. The handsome Prince gave her everything she had ever wanted and more, because he loved to see her smile.
But...as time passed...the handsome Prince began to see the frog princess through different eyes. She could have been the most beautiful person in the entire world, except for one minor flaw....
SHE HAD AN UGLY PERSONALITY, ONE THAT WAS HIDDEN BEHIND A PRETTY FACE.
At first the Princess was patient and kind. But as time quickly passed, the Princess certainly didn't act like a princess anymore. She was rude and mean. Often, her temper would get the best of her and she'd yell and scream at her handsome prince...and he never ever did anything that would cause her to react in such a manner.
She was spoiled and threw temper tantrums when she didn't get her way. She lied and broke promises and did unprincess-like things.
And one day, she was stressed and angry...and so the Prince came to comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her, wanting to pull her close. And the frog princess blew up and yelled and screamed and cried. She told him to get out and never return.
And so he did.
And she never saw him again.
No one knows what happened to the handsome Prince Charming who once took a chance on an ugly frog. Some say that the Princess shattered his heart beyond repair, and that he lived alone and never spoke to anyone. Others said that he moved on and met a real princess to spend the rest of his days with.

But the Princess ignored all of the rumors. She was miserable and depressed as she waited for him to return. She dreamt of him each night and awoke believing he was beside her. She drew pictures of him and wrote down her private thoughts, hoping to show them all to him someday. When he returned.
Some say that it was the Princess’s depression that changed her. Others say that she believed that the handsome Prince Charming would come back if she could behave. Whether or not any of these assumptions were correct, we do know one thing. The Princess did change. She treated her maids and cooks kindly, never again screaming at them when they had an accident or mishap. She forgot all about her material possessions and stopped demanding the newest fashions, instead looking at the roses in the garden and admiring the little things in life. She stopped snapping at people and had a more relaxed personality. But she still grieved. She still loved her Handsome Prince Charming. Her maids, who had come to be her friends, saw how miserable she felt about that day. They heard her at night and listened to her sad cries. They watched as she drove herself mad waiting for him.
And soon, they began to be driven mad as well by her grieving. Though they were her friends, they found that they could no longer comfort her. Her pain had driven them to insanity.
And so they left her. All alone.
In the big castle over-looking the Kingdom.
And each day, she waited by her window...waiting for him to return and sweep her off her feet.
But he never did....
And she died alone, clinging to their wedding picture.

The End.