"Azerath," a gust of wind.
"Metrion," a hoot of an owl.
"Zinthos" and a howl in the distance.
The young mage opens her completely pitch black eyes as the tiny inky nerves surrounding her eyes disappears into her ashy pale skin. Her eyes slowly returning back to their humane form with irises a deep indigo blue. There is a power, a wrath within her but still it makes her completely lonely and empty. Once out of the trance of her meditation reality will sink back in, inside her coven secluded from the rest of the kingdom, hidden deep within the wood, she was alone.
And in solitude she finds herself, people of the village feared her, some wanted her hunted and burned at the stake, the priests of the church wanted her exorcised however, the king didn't seem to mind having her in the kingdom. In fact she was even called once to the palace to assist the princess in birth when all the midwives of the palace couldn't aid and deliver the infant after almost a day in turmoil, the king finally summoned her, and without her healing prowess surely the mother and infant would have perished in birth. The princess was from a faraway kingdom and she has very different views and beliefs to the kingdom's morals, as much as King Bruce opposed the union of his eldest and the princess, he wanted nothing more than his son to be happy, and clearly the said princess has given more than what the eldest prince needed.
Oh the mage was powerful, indeed one of the best in the land. Being a mage is simply a guise of her true capabilities. She possessed a power, a terrible power, which she uses to the advantage of humanity. She had helped heal wary and injured travelers over the years but never has she healed nor helped any of the locals in the kingdom, they simply wouldn't let her anywhere near them, she elicits darkness that made everyone fear her, even the king himself who is known to be one with the shadows himself is not anywhere near as mysterious as her, she could give anyone nightmares and traumatize them enough to be willing to end their lives entirely, she could open all the seven gates of hell is she wills herself, engulfing the whole kingdom to the deepest darkest realms of hell, she was a demon. But she wouldn't indulge herself with that thought. She has to fight it and get in control of herself from doing anything as demonic as the mere thought of harming anyone. She may have been created by a demon but she wasn't like him, she wasn't her father's toy.
The young girl stared at the flickering candle before her, it was late in the evening, everyone in the kingdom receded to slumber. Only the bright full moon and the meek candle illuminated her coven. This was the perfect time to draw out spells and formulate potions, this time was hers.
Slowly, she ran her dainty fingers along the spines of aged leather books, books she has collected over the years, books which bound rich spells and incantations, both for life and death. Her hand stopped, looking closely at the gold lettering on the worn red leather.
Love.
It has been awhile since she last opened this book. Arching a brow as she retrieves the book from the shelf. A book of love spells, how ironic she thought. Only humans too desperate for love would cast a love spell on anyone. Nevertheless, she opened the book and made her way to the cauldron.
"What of love?" she silently muttered to herself, Skimming through the worn and torn pages of the book.
She stopped at a certain spell.
Love's true form.
She tilted her head ever so slightly, curious as to what the spell beholds and read through elements the spell requires.
"Crushed dried rose petals, spring dew, a dash of earth, a dollop of frost and a drop of blood from the host seeking for their true love's form" simple, she already has everything in her coven. All she needs to do now is bring everything to her cauldron and chant the words of the spell.
She lifts the lid of the cauldron, ready to see what her true loves-
"Croak!"
Flabbergasted, the mage dropped the lid and eyed the cauldron. Moments later and she heard it again. A croak.
Nervously, she slowly lifted the lid of the cauldron and- "croak" a big green frog leaped to the rim of the cauldron and stared at her.
"A frog!" she squealed, "It's just a frog" she felt her shoulders ease up the moment she saw that it was just a harmless creature.
"Greetings my lady, do you mind doing me a favour?" the frog suddenly spoke. To her surprise she whacked it with the thick leather book causing the creature to fall back in the cauldron.
She sauntered over the pot and peered inside when she heard a wail.
"Whatever was that for?" the frog bellowed from inside the cauldron.
"You speak? How can you speak?" she asked surprised.
"You see my lovely lady, I am not a frog at all" the frog said as he leaped back to the rim.
The girl examined the frog for a moment and arched her brow.
"Not a frog?"
"uh well, uhm, you see that is why I need you," the frog explained "I am Garfield from the palace court."
"The palace court?" that certainly peaked her interest "so you were once human?"
"Indeed I am!" the frog stated proudly then looked down at himself "well I was human"
After a moment of hesitation, she decided to humor the frog. After all, It would give her something to do.
The girl gathered the frog from the cauldron and set him on the table as she took a seat herself, propping her elbows on the table and her chin on one of her palms she let out a sigh.
"I guess your favour has something to do with why you're a frog then."
"Yes, I have heard of you, a young and powerful mage! There have been rumors about you in the kingdom" the frog said leaping closely to her.
She stared blankly at the frog and gave him nod to indicate him to continue.
"You see, as I said, I am from the palace court, last I remember there was a ball the king was hosting, and the nobles of the kingdom was invited, even royals from other kingdoms were present" the frog continued. The king was known for his lavish and extravagant balls, royals from all across the land would flock to his palace for a night of splendor.
"A ball?" she asked. She has never been to one, everyone in the kingdom knew that the king always held the best balls and one would be lucky to have been invited.
"Yes I was eating the feast the palace has prepared when all of a sudden I just felt dizzy and suddenly everything went dark, then I woke up a frog!"
Could it be that this Garfield was once a prince invited to the ball, the mage thought. And it sounds as if he has been cursed a frog, perhaps because of a certain wrong doing or a jealous maiden seeking revenge.
"But what can I do to turn you back?" she asked lifting her head from her palms. "Surely there must have been a reason why you have been turned into a frog"
"aaahh yes! I heard there has been rumors about another mage in the kingdom, and she wants to get the prince to marry her!" the frog said, leaping over her hands.
For a moment she contemplated on flicking it away, but the thought of the frog possibly being a prince made her reconsider the action. This maybe be a prince asking her for a favour. She smirked at the thought.
"What must be done in order to turn you back to human?" she asked, lifting the frog to her eye level.
If this frog was indeed a prince, then the mage who cursed him must have done so in order to hold him captive and force him to marry her. But how did he end up in her cauldron? Was he being hunted down at this instant? Surely the other mage would be looking for her frog prince.
"Haven't you heard of this curse before?" the frog asked, quite confused. Surely anyone who toys with spells and curses would know how to turn this frog back into a human. Surely she would at least have an idea. "I honestly have no clue"
She could see the forlorn in the frog's eyes, as it dropped from her gaze and for some reason, she herself wasn't convinced of, she felt pity.
"Do you really think I go around cursing people to become frogs?" she asked sarcastically rolling her eyes, getting on her feet, she went to the book shelves on the wall and started scanning for an answer.
Then right in that instant she it dawned at her, true form. She hurried back to the table where she have placed the book of love spells. There must be something in the book to help someone turn back to their true form.
She quickly flipped through the pages of the book, looking for something, anything that could give her an idea of how to turn Garfield back to a human.
And there it was, a kiss from a princess.
If the mage that cursed the frog and forced him to marry her, then that would mean she would turn into a princess, then the frog would return to being a prince. Exactly!
"This is it! A kiss from a princess. You need to kiss a princess." She said looking at the frog on the table, he wasn't enthusiastic about the solution and felt even more hopeless. He slumped back on himself and sighed heavily.
"The kingdom only has four princes, and the only princess around is married to the eldest, I , I couldn't possibly" he said pitifully, he couldn't get the princess to kiss him, the princess already belongs to someone and kissing someone else is rather an act frowned upon. "I can't ask the princess to kiss me"
Just then the mage came up with an idea, if the frog won't kiss the princess then she'll have to just cast a spell that would revoke the curse, she would have to call upon the demons of her soul to overpower the curse, but it will cost her, she knows. And being a prince, she can surely get something out of the frog. It was a price to be paid.
"Because she is married" she flatly stated, she knows she can reverse the curse using the demons within her, but it will hurt and it will be costly. "I can reverse the curse, but it will cost you, it will cost you greatly"
"I will do anything!" the frog in depression pleaded.
"I ask for your first born" she demanded, she needed a soul. Summoning the demon in her would cost her strength and weaken her, and worst kill her. Having someone around to assist her would be useful, and of course the blood of royalty would help her place in the kingdom. Not that she wanted to be in one with them, it will just stop them from trying to get to her and burn her at the stake, or exorcise her. Also, she wouldn't have to be alone anymore.
"My first born?" the frog asked perplexed, "you want me to give you my child?"
"If you don't want to I-"
"I'll do it!"
She stared at the frog for a moment in confusion, it was never easy to give up their own child, was this frog crazy?
"Very well then," she looked out the window as a gust of wind shuddered the trees. "Shall we proceed?"
Not waiting for the frog's response, she picked him up from the table and placed him in the center of a circle on the floor, she placed candles in the perimeter of the circle and lit them one by one. She sat in a lotus in front of the frog and closed her eyes.
"Relax, this will take a while, but repeat after me" she ordered the frog.
"azerath,"
"metrion,"
"zinthos" nothing happened.
"I don't see how this is-"
"Shut up!" she exclaimed "this won't work if you don't focus!"
Again and again she they chanted the words but nothing seems to be happening.
"Well I guess I'm stuck being a frog" he jests. He was quite nervous really, now he's pressured to bear a child in order to repay her.
The mage didn't answer and just continued chanting the words. There must be something wrong with what she's doing, why isn't the frog turning human?
"I could be of some help here, if it doesn't work" the frog continued since nothing seems to be happening at all. "I know people like you typically has a raven, a bat or a black cat, but a frog can be-"
"Quiet!" she roared. "Look, do you want to go back to being human or not?"
"Well uuhhmmm you see, there's nothing wrong with being frog" he chuckled, he was quite nervous all of a sudden, he agreed to the terms given to him earlier without really thinking, now he's slowly realizing how much of a burden this truly is.
There's nothing really wrong with being a frog, he thought. It wasn't any better or worse than what he did when he was human.
"So you'd rather stay a frog?" she peered one of her eyes to look at the frog.
"Look at the bright side, at least if I stayed a frog, you wouldn't be alone, I can stay with you here"
"And do you really think I would want to have a frog around?" she sarcastically asked.
"uuhhh well, you'll have someone to talk to" he gave her a slight chuckle.
She stared at the frog for a moment before getting up from the floor and putting out the candles, she slowly made her way to her chambers. Her powers weren't working. Was this another one of his taunts to compel her to accept her true self?
It was happening again, her inner demons mocking her into submission.
But if the frog wasn't going to participate and let her focus, then she wasn't going to waste her time trying to help a pathetic little frog.
"Are you just going to leave me alone-" The door to her bed chamber slams shut. "uhhh goodnight!"
The frog was left alone in the dark.
In her chambers, the mage sat quietly in the dark. She certainly didn't want to keep a talking frog around, prince or not, but if he wasn't willing to give up his first born child then how else was he going to repay her. She couldn't just turn him back without being repaid. Everything comes with a cost.
For a brief moment she considered actually appearing in the palace and demanding the princess to kiss the frog just to get it off her back. But no, the princess and the prince were very kind to her, they repaid her well for helping deliver their first born, they even insist she stayed in court but of course she wouldn't like to mingle with the privileged of the court she basically loathed. And besides she didn't like the idea of living within everyone's reach, the priests there would reiterate she be exorcised. Well to be damned with them.
She could banish him to another dimension, leave him there to rot as a frog. But no, aside from being annoying, the frog did nothing wrong to her. Guilt would plague her if she was to do that, and she wasn't going to do something so evil, that would only please her father, not herself. And what of the woman who cursed him? She might have to face her if she banished her prince, or what if his kingdom came to look for their prince, only to know that he is stuck in the depths of hell as a frog. No, she isn't going to do something so heinous, no matter how capable she was.
When the sun has risen up in the sky, the coven was illuminated. The rays of the sun streaking in from the windows with tiny minuscule dust particles dancing and gleaming as the light hits them. It was a new day, a fresh start.
"Croak!" oh right, she should have known, the frog was still there. Annoyed and slightly offended, the mage walked slowly to where the frog was, surprisingly the frog didn't left the circle.
"Garfield, was it?" she asked kneeling in front of frog while opening her palm for him to leap onto.
"Yes my lady?" he said as he leapt onto her palm. She made her way to the table and placed the frog on top. "Good morrow to you my lady" A smile, a frog's smile if that's how frog smiled she thought.
"Rachel, call me Rachel" she said sitting down on a chair placing her elbows on the table and her chin on her palm.
"Rachel, that's a pretty name" he said with a frog smirk.
She smiled, faintly. "Are you certain you are contented with staying as a frog?" she asked looking at him with hooded eyes, taping her fingers on the table top.
His smile dissipated but he did not falter "well, at least you're not alone anymore" a jest half meant.
"I don't mind trying again, I must admit, my capabilities were not, uhhhmm at their peak last night" a lie, she knew why they didn't work. She wasn't in full control of her power and she can hear the voices in her head taunting her.
The frog was hopeful, maybe, perhaps this time it will work. "If it works this time, I cannot assure you I would be able to repay you the way you want" he said. He knew it was going to cost, and besides. Being a frog wasn't all that bad, if you have some company like a powerful mage though he would have to give up mingling with the aristocrats in court. "But if it doesn't then," he hesitates but he's assured. "Maybe I can stay here and accompany you, if you don't mind having a talking frog, that is" he smiles, he meant it. Besides, where would a talking frog even go, he couldn't possibly go back to the palace as a talking amphibian now can't he? That would scare the people and he might be accused of being possessed and be hunt down and destroyed.
A talking frog was the least of her wanted companions, but it was better than nothing, it was better than talking to the voices in her head. "You promise you'll stay?" she asked light heartedly.
The frog nodded. "You won't be alone again" and that made her smile.
With promises and debts left unkept, the mage was once again determined to turn this frog to his true form.
"I'll do it"
"What?" the frog asked unable to believe she was willing to help him despite not being certain of whether he will be able to repay her or not if the spell works.
"I'll try again" she asserted getting up on her feet. "Regardless of debts and promises, I guess we can arrange something for later" she quipped, a faint smile crept on her face, barely visible but still there.
"Thank you! You don't know how grateful I am!" he said leaping with much joy on the same spot. No one has ever showed him this much kindness before, it made him want to cry.
He looked still at the mage tears welling in his eyes. She stood up offering her palm for the frog to leap on to.
She placed the frog in the center of the circle for the second time and lit all the candles one by one. Slowly she sat in front of the frog and closed her eyes.
She began chanting again. This time more determined than ever.
"Azerath," a gust of wind.
"Metrion," the rustling of the trees.
"Zinthos." She opened her eyes, pitch black with tiny inky veins creeping around them, and suddenly a black energy in the shape of a raven emitted from her chest and cried a loud high pitched shriek and slowly surrounded the frog in a flurry of dark energy. The candles surrounding them suddenly went out altogether.
The frog has never seen such sorcery before, the darkness engulfed him and it made him scared, he thought of never coming back to see the light and it made him more afraid of the dark than ever.
The energy felt cold and dead, so cold it almost felt like burning. He quickly closed his eyes and opened them again but only saw darkness and more darkness and suddenly he felt himself slowly drifting to unconsciousness.
"Rachel?" he cried softly, she didn't hear him, her energy continued to encircle the frog in a whirlwind of darkness until it slowly faded around the frog, slowly as if it was retreating back to her.
As the energy faded leaving just a smoke blanketing an unconscious body lying in front of the mage, it slowly crept around her before completely fading away. The candles lit up and the smoke cleared away and revealed a young boy in dressed in green.
The mage's eyes slowly returned to their humane form and the veins surrounding them faded in to her ashen skin.
The boy slowly stood up and marveled at his human form, however, as soon as the mage saw the green clothes and the green hat consisted of three points with jingle bells at the end, her mouth gaped.
"You're not a prince!" she growled.
"uuuhhhh yeah" the boy said sheepishly scratching his head "I only said I was from the palace, but I never told you I was a prince"
"You're a fool!"
"heh, well, uhm, do you still require my first born?" he chuckled nervously afraid that she could turn him back into a slimy amphibian at will.
To his surprise the mage stood up and smiled, tenderly if he is even was allowed to think of it as such.
"No, but are you still willing to keep your promise?"
Garfield returned her smile, warm and tenderly.
And at that moment, the mage knew she would never be alone again.