Chapter Twelve
My One True Love
*~.....~*
"So how was the ball?" I asked Lia the morning after. I had tried to wait up for her the night before, but after around two in the morning I gave up and fell asleep.
"It was fine," she replied, not at all sounding as though her time last night was enjoyable. "I was forced to dance with that pompous, good-for-nothing Prince about forty times."
"Forty times? Can you even fit forty dances in one night?"
"Of course not, Philip. I was over-exaggerating. Honestly."
"Oh, right. Well, did anything at all interesting happen at the ball?"
Her expression grew pensive, and then she smiled at me with a gleam in her eyes. "Rosalyn came up to me and complained about how arrogant and rude Prince Leopold was, which I found quite amusing and very ironic."
"Ironic? How?"
She looked at me with an apathetic expression. "Oh, that's right," she said, her tone indifferent. "You can't, or refuse, to acknowledge her faults, so how could you understand the irony in the situation?" She rose from her bed, leaving me puzzled. What exactly did she mean by that?
"I don't understand."
"I didn't actually expect you to."
This puzzled me even further. "Then why did you say it?"
She sighed. "Never mind, Philip."
My thoughts shifted back to the very first day I met her when she was talking about the Princess's insensitive demeanor. "Maybe you should try to see her as I do," I suggested.
She made a noise of disgust and said, "I hope I never see her the way you do, because that would be disgusting, seeing as how she's my si—like my sister; you know, growing up with her and all."
"That is not what I meant."
"I know," she said with a slight look of relief that was soon covered by a smirk. "I just knew I would get a reaction out of you with that remark."
I narrowed my eyes at her, but instead of the mischievous gleam she usually had when teasing, her eyes held something else that I couldn't quite make out, and I knew it wasn't good. "All right listen, I know something is bothering you; I can tell. What's on your mind?"
She bit her bottom lip, as though not really wanting to say whatever it was she was thinking, but then she blurted, "I just don't understand why you are so set in becoming human that you would want Rosalyn to break your curse."
I still didn't understand. What was wrong with Rosalyn?
"Is she really so awful?" Lia's eyebrows furrowed and she gave me a bemused look.
"No, not all the time. And that wasn't what I meant by that anyway."
Crimeny, women are confusing creatures! I have no idea what she is talking about, and the more I try to understand, the more complicated she becomes! For my own sake, I'm changing the subject.
"How did the King respond to your rejection of the Prince?" The sudden shift in the conversation caught her off-guard at first, but she recovered quickly and answered me with a shrug of one shoulder.
"He was perfectly fine with it. He even apologized to me, saying that if he knew the Prince's true character, he never would have agreed. Now, we'll just have to see how the situation goes when the other king, King Taurus, receives the news. We sent a messenger out last night, so he shouldn't be back for three more days."
"Why didn't Prince Leopold deliver the message? I mean, where will he be during that time?"
"Oh, he found a couple ladies at the ball who drooled and fell all over His Egotistical Highness, so I doubt he will be leaving anytime soon," she replied in a disgusted tone. I chuckled at this and she gave me a smirk.
While we talked, however, I felt as though I should be doing something right now, or feeling nervous, or getting ready for something; I'm really not sure. It was tugging at the back of my mind, but the more I tried to think of what it was, the more it kept eluding my grasp.
"At least he'll be away from me," she continued. "That's all I care about right now. I really wished you were with me at the ball instead, Philip. At least I knew you wouldn't have spoken of nothing else but 'how great you were' and 'how women were just drawn to you'. Yeck! He makes me sick!"
"You have my sympathies, believe me."
"Yes, well, in a way he's not a whole lot different than R— mm… never mind. Forget I said anything. So when are you and Rosalyn going to meet?"
During the first part of her sentence, I was on the verge of asking her what she was talking about, but then her question rang a bell in my head. That was it! That was the annoying thought I was trying to grab a hold of earlier. I had asked Rosalyn a question in my letter and didn't receive an answer yet.
"Well," I began, "That depends on what her answer is to my question I asked her in my letter. Did she say anything to you?"
Lia shrugged. "She actually might have said something, but her voice was kind of pitchy to where I was pretty sure only dogs could understand her, so I just nodded my head and smiled."
I gaped at her. "That answer was important! Go and ask her what it is… please!" I said rather testily. I should have known better, though. She already wasn't in a good mood.
Her eyes narrowed at me. "Not until you ask me politely."
"I said please," I answered, suddenly not really caring whether or not she was mad. My pride was in question!
"As an afterthought and in a tone I didn't appreciate! Therefore, it does not count," she replied.
"How dare you speak that way to me! I'm of royal birth!" I practically shouted.
"But right now, you're a frog, so if you still want my help, you will apologize and ask me in a more civilized tone," she retorted in a calm voice that – to my complete surprise – was full of authority. I was stunned into silence. Where did that come from?
And my God was she beautiful when she was angry! Her eyes shone with a vibrant glow of passion while the slight color in her cheeks was very becoming. My anger suddenly dissipated, and I could only stare at her with absolute adoration. Besides, she was right. I had no reason to react in such a way.
I lowered my eyes. "I'm sorry, Lia. You didn't deserve that, especially after what you went through last night with that loser of a Prince."
Her expression softened and she actually smiled. Granted, it was a very small smile, but still a smile. "I suppose I could forgive you."
"So, I was wondering if you could maybe ask Princess Rosalyn the answer to my question, please. That is, only if it isn't too much trouble," I said excessively timorous, which gave me the reaction I was hoping for.
Her eyes narrowed at me again, only this time they were bright with laughter, making my stomach twist itself into knots.
"You are very lucky you're a frog right now, Philip, or I might have hit you for that," she teased.
"Then I am grateful, for once, that I am a frog… Although, I'm not sure how much pain a smallish, stringy armed girl like you could inflict on a man."
She smiled, her eyes mischievous and gleaming. "Well, then, I suppose we'll have to settle this when you are human once again. You can come see me anytime you're ready to be beaten by this smallish, stringy armed girl," she said with a laugh, bringing my pulse to an alarming speed. She gave me a quick smile and left her room.
While she was gone, I couldn't get her out of my head. She made me feel warm and nervous at the same time, which was a very interesting feeling, I must say. I felt like I could ask or tell her anything, and she would be completely honest with me no matter if it was a little too much to handle. I could even be myself around her, which I felt was awfully hard when I was a frog. It was like she could see past all this slimy green-ness and see me.
Then all too soon, she was back with Rosalyn's answer and all thoughts of Lia were suddenly pushed out of my head.
"She said that she would love to meet you this evening, if at all possible."
"Yes, of course! This evening would be perfect," I exclaimed. I glanced at her to see if she shared my delight of becoming human again but instead found a small smile with something entirely different than happiness in her eyes. Was it disappointment? But why did she feel that way?
"Lia? Is there something wrong?"
"No," she said unexpectedly cheerful and then gave a nervous laugh. "Why would anything be wrong?"
"I don't know. You just seem… different, I guess," I answered, eyeing her suspiciously. What was going on with her? She smiled that small smile again and shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, I'm fine," she replied. Yet again there was a peculiar look in her eyes. I didn't believe her, but for argument's sake, I dropped it.
"When in the evening?"
"Um, about an hour before the sun sets. I told her to meet you at the pond."
"Okay, great… Thanks, for everything," I said with much more meaning than I intended, but it made her smile with her usual warmth and I didn't regret it for a second.
… … … … …
When the sun was finally an hour before setting, I waited at the pond as patiently as I could, which meant that I couldn't sit still and was constantly trying to calm myself down. I finally heard voices after what felt like an hour later (it was really only a couple minutes, since the sun had barely moved) and watched as Lia led Rosalyn down from the palace to the pond. As they drew nearer, I could just make out the rest of their conversation.
"… and he's a bit altered than what you would expect of a prince."
"What do you mean altered? He is handsome, is he not?"
"Well…"
"I demand to know what you think of him at onc—" Her sentence stopped short as her eyes lingered on me. A slight gasp escaped from her parted lips and her expression twisted into an ugly grimace. "Yech, I can't believe that with all Daddy's money, he can't get rid of some of these disgusting pests."
Ouch. That one stung. Lia gave me a sympathetic look.
"And what on earth is he doing with that cloak?" she continued. "He looks absolutely ridiculous." I looked down, just then remembering that I did in fact have a huge human-sized cloak around my shoulders. I'm sure I did appear somewhat peculiar.
Lia turned to her. "Actually, Ros, that's the alteration I was telling you about earlier."
"What on earth are you talking about, Lia?" she asked, her tone indifferent. "And where is this Prince that I'm supposed to be meeting like, now."
"That is what I've been trying to tell you. Your Prince has gone through a… transformation and isn't exactly… human," she replied hesitantly. Lia bit her lip and pointed at me. Rosalyn followed her finger and then narrowed her eyes as the realization of the ordeal seeped in. She turned to Lia.
"A frog?! You cannot be serious!" she screeched. Lia winced at the pitch in her voice.
"Listen," Lia began. "I know that this is a lot to take in, but the frog is your Prince. He wrote you the letter that you were fawning over earlier. Those words were his. The handwriting was his… I know he's a bit different than you would like, but he has a good heart and he really likes you."
Lia's voice was calming and her words made me feel elated; yet, Rosalyn's skeptical expression didn't change.
"You're saying that this frog can think and write?"
"I can speak, too," I answered, not wanting to be left out of the conversation, as it included me as well. Her mouth opened in a silent, horrified scream. "I'm sorry; I know it's a shock, but please don't scream." She closed her mouth still seeming very shocked, but then seconds later, opened it to speak.
"This is a joke, right?" she said, looking around. "I mean, this is impossible. A talking frog? I can't… it just doesn't…"
Lia came to her side. "His name is Prince Philip and was Crown Prince to his kingdom of Rischen before a witch turned him into a frog," she explained. Rosalyn could only stare.
"What's with the cloak?" she said, finally.
"Well, when he turns back, he won't exactly be wearing anything, so he has to be covered somehow," Lia answered.
Rosalyn brushed off the explanation and asked, "But why me?"
"For all the reasons I stated in my letter," I replied. She swallowed hard, her expression pensive.
"And he'll turn back into a human how exactly?" she asked, dreading the answer. Lia was waiting for this and answered tentatively, "With a kiss from his true love."
"Oh, no. I don't think so. There is absolutely no way I am kissing that frog," she stated.
"It's one little kiss. It really isn't that big of a deal, Ros. He's not slimy or anything."
"If it isn't that big of a deal, why don't you kiss him?"
As soon as she said those words, my thoughts about Lia flashed before me and the feelings that came with those thoughts was overpowering. Lia? Kiss me? I couldn't explain how much those simple words completely confused my feelings into an intangible mess. I glanced over at Lia's reaction to the Princess's words and saw a most peculiar expression pass by her face before it was swiftly hidden under an inexpressive one.
"Because he loves you," she said, but I noticed that her voice sounded strained for some reason.
The words she spoke sank into me. Did I really love Rosalyn? I mean, sure she was beautiful, but I barely even knew her. I looked up into her eyes, feeling nothing at all what I felt when I looked into . . . And then suddenly my eyes wandered to Lia and my mixed and awkward emotions about her just seemed to fall into place. I didn't love Rosalyn. I was in love with Lia. Just thinking about it made my heart feel like it would burst out of my chest.
The problem now was that she wasn't royalty, and I needed a princess to break my spell. My thoughts turned to Rosalyn. She was a princess, and if she kissed me, then I could be human again… but then I would be using her. Am I really going to stoop that low?
Rosalyn looked at me and all I could do was stare back. She glanced from me to Lia and then back to me, her expression showed nothing but contemplation. After a few more minutes of silence, she swallowed hard and gave a firm nod. My stomach sank. Could I do this? What was holding me back?
Rosalyn still looked extremely hesitant about the whole arrangement. Her eyes, which were usually sparkling like clear blue diamonds, were dull and held cynicism. She glanced over at Lia, who gave her what appeared to anyone else to be an encouraging expression, but I knew better. Her eyes told a different story. They were solemn and held what looked like regret. I didn't understand. Why would she feel that way? Did she not want me to be human again? Or maybe she still didn't believe I was human to begin with and is having second thoughts about letting Rosalyn kiss me.
Then the Princess turned back to me, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. This wasn't at all how I imagined the kiss to play out. It was, after all, my first kiss. She stepped toward me, making sure to only bend down enough so as not to touch me any more than she had to. My nerves coursed through me even faster as she drew closer. This was it. I was going to be myself again. But then why was I suddenly wishing for it not to happen? At least not with Rosalyn. My stomach felt like it was wrestling with my entire insides, and I knew I couldn't go through with it.
"Wait, stop!" I shouted.
"Oh, thank God," Rosalyn said as she straightened and took a step back. I felt heat rise to my face but was sure she couldn't make out what I was trying to convey with the look I gave her. (As I've told you before, I don't think frogs can show expressions.) But Lia on the other hand, I knew understood.
"Rosalyn!" she said in a reprimanding tone, which made me smile inwardly.
"Listen, I'm sorry, but frogs aren't my thing. Besides, he stopped me, so this was his choice, not mine."
"That's true." Lia looked at me. "Why did you stop her? I thought you wanted to break your curse?"
I bit the inside of my lip. Now that I could tell her how I felt, I wasn't sure that I wanted to. What if she didn't feel the same way? Or what if she did and because of that, I would stay a frog forever?
"Well, as much fun as this is," Rosalyn said, breaking the silence. "I have better things to do. I'll see you at dinner, Lia. . . And don't you dare tell anyone I almost kissed a frog." She shuddered as Lia nodded her head, and then we both watched the Princess make her way up to the palace.
Lia turned back to me. "Well, Philip?"
I looked up into her eyes, those bright, blue-green orbs, and swallowed hard. I had to tell her. It was amazing how much it suddenly felt like a hundred butterflies were thrashing about in my stomach. I had to take a deep breath to calm my nerves. As I spoke, her curious expression gradually mixed with confusion.
"I stopped her, because I knew I couldn't live with myself if I had her kiss me just to become human. You were wrong, Lia, when you told her that I loved her. I don't. In fact, I don't think I ever did, and it would have been wrong for me to use her that way. I stopped her because of you."
"Me? What did I do?"
"Before I met you, I honestly don't think I would have stopped myself from going through with letting her kiss me. I wanted to be human so badly that I would have let nothing stand in my way, even if I didn't love the person who could have broken my curse. But this past week with you let me understand that it didn't matter whether I was a frog for someone to see who I really am." She gave me a shy smile, and then looked down quickly as a slight blush colored her cheeks. She began fidgeting with her hands.
"Now I don't care if I ever become human again, as long as I'm with you. And because of this the only problem is that I will probably never know what it feels like to be kissed as a human, since the only person I ever want to kiss me won't be able to break my curse. That person, Lia, is you." She looked up then, her eyes questioning.
"What?" she said, disbelieving.
"I don't understand what you do to me," I continued in a gentle voice. "My stomach can win contests with how many knots it ties in one single glance from you." Her gaze softened. "And when you look at me, just like you're doing now, my heartbeat quickens to an alarming rate." She gave me a small smile. "And when you smile, really smile, I have to remind myself to keep breathing."
It took her a moment to speak, and when she finally did, her voice sounded breathless. "You really mean all that, don't you?"
"Of course I do Lia. I love you."
There. I finally said it. Only now I have to wait for her to tell me how she feels, and the minutes have never felt so long in my life.
Instead of words, however, she walked toward me, her eyes glistening, and scooped me up, cloak and all.
"I think I've fallen for you, too," she whispered.
And with that, she lowered her head and kissed me. My entire body tingled as the air around me swirled in a sparkling golden mist.
What on earth was going on?
