Spring opened her eyes slowly. When she saw that she was not in her room
she sat up and looked about her. It was still dark, but she could easily
recognize the river and then remembered why she was here. She forced back
the tears. She didn't want to cry anymore.
"Why are you out here so late? You do know it's dangerous, don't you?" Asked a voice from behind. Spring turned and saw Dev walking towards her. He squatted down in front of her and cocked his head to the side to study her face. "You're crying?"
"My stepsister is the only person that still loves me, and now she is going to be married and must move far away." she tried so hard not to cry again, but never the less the tears came, one by one the fell slowly down her cheeks.
"What about your mother? I had thought you said you lived alone with her?" Spring looked up at him trying to remember what he was talking about.
"Oh, she remarried, so now I had to move from my home and live with stepsisters. My oldest is so mean to me, and the youngest is the kindest, but she is moving. And mother is busy with other things and I have seven stepsisters so she is always taking care of things with them too and-"
"I am sure your mother still loves you." He said knowing if he didn't stop the way the talk was going the girl would never seem to stop crying. He wiped her tears away with a webbed hand sat closer to her. "Don't cry for your stepsister anymore either. She probably loves this man and wants to be with him. She will be happier this way. And a mother never stops loving. Or a Father. Or a Friend."
"I don't have a father or a friend Dev." Spring said crying again. Dev put his arm around her and hugged her.
"I'll be your friend Spring, if you'll let me?" Spring moved closer to him and cried into his shoulder.
Spring stopped crying and looked up at the frog like creature. Spring sat looking up at Dev for along time before answering. She looked into his eyes again and suddenly saw something that she recognized more then anything; he was lonely. Spring smiled a wide and happy smile. One that Dev had not seen before.
"And I'll be your friend too!" she said happily. Dev smiled back and very gently kissed Spring on the cheek. Then stood, bringing her up with him.
"You look beautiful." he said quietly as he looked at her dress and her hair, then he noticed she had no shoes on.
"I have to dress like this for dinner, but I like dressing in more comfortable clothes better." Dev smiled and nodded, she seemed to be so free.
"Where do you live that you must dress in such a way?" he asked, she had said she moved and he wished to know where.
Spring sighed and told him of his mother marrying the king. Dev's eyes lit up for a moment. Spring looked back down at her feet then over at the river.
"Why ever would you not like being a princess?" he asked in pure amazement.
"I'm not allowed to do what it is I please. I don't want to dress in beautiful dresses or elegant shoes and prance around like I know everything. I want to know everything for how it is! I want to walk barefoot in the woods, wear only the most comfortable things, and not have to be something I am not to please others."
Dev nodded. "I've known many princesses. And never once had I seen them like that. Is Angel this way?"
"Well, she is marrying the man her father wishes for her to marry. He is so old-"
"I am 245 years old you know." Dev said, smiling at the shock in the girls eyes.
"I have only a few more months to be eighteen. What if they make me marry an old toad Dev?"
Spring snapped her head up and was about to try to form and apology but Dev's loud laugh stopped her.
"Well an old Toad isn't that bad you know. And do you think your mother would do that?" Spring thought for a moment then shook her head.
"No, I am not a born noble, so I am not really a princess, so they probably won't." Spring shivered in the night air. "I don't want to go back to the palace yet Dev, would you stay with me for a short time longer?"
"Of course I will."
They sat together along the river shore for along time talking, or just enjoying the silence until Spring had to leave. They decided to meet there again and continue their promised friendship.
"Why are you out here so late? You do know it's dangerous, don't you?" Asked a voice from behind. Spring turned and saw Dev walking towards her. He squatted down in front of her and cocked his head to the side to study her face. "You're crying?"
"My stepsister is the only person that still loves me, and now she is going to be married and must move far away." she tried so hard not to cry again, but never the less the tears came, one by one the fell slowly down her cheeks.
"What about your mother? I had thought you said you lived alone with her?" Spring looked up at him trying to remember what he was talking about.
"Oh, she remarried, so now I had to move from my home and live with stepsisters. My oldest is so mean to me, and the youngest is the kindest, but she is moving. And mother is busy with other things and I have seven stepsisters so she is always taking care of things with them too and-"
"I am sure your mother still loves you." He said knowing if he didn't stop the way the talk was going the girl would never seem to stop crying. He wiped her tears away with a webbed hand sat closer to her. "Don't cry for your stepsister anymore either. She probably loves this man and wants to be with him. She will be happier this way. And a mother never stops loving. Or a Father. Or a Friend."
"I don't have a father or a friend Dev." Spring said crying again. Dev put his arm around her and hugged her.
"I'll be your friend Spring, if you'll let me?" Spring moved closer to him and cried into his shoulder.
Spring stopped crying and looked up at the frog like creature. Spring sat looking up at Dev for along time before answering. She looked into his eyes again and suddenly saw something that she recognized more then anything; he was lonely. Spring smiled a wide and happy smile. One that Dev had not seen before.
"And I'll be your friend too!" she said happily. Dev smiled back and very gently kissed Spring on the cheek. Then stood, bringing her up with him.
"You look beautiful." he said quietly as he looked at her dress and her hair, then he noticed she had no shoes on.
"I have to dress like this for dinner, but I like dressing in more comfortable clothes better." Dev smiled and nodded, she seemed to be so free.
"Where do you live that you must dress in such a way?" he asked, she had said she moved and he wished to know where.
Spring sighed and told him of his mother marrying the king. Dev's eyes lit up for a moment. Spring looked back down at her feet then over at the river.
"Why ever would you not like being a princess?" he asked in pure amazement.
"I'm not allowed to do what it is I please. I don't want to dress in beautiful dresses or elegant shoes and prance around like I know everything. I want to know everything for how it is! I want to walk barefoot in the woods, wear only the most comfortable things, and not have to be something I am not to please others."
Dev nodded. "I've known many princesses. And never once had I seen them like that. Is Angel this way?"
"Well, she is marrying the man her father wishes for her to marry. He is so old-"
"I am 245 years old you know." Dev said, smiling at the shock in the girls eyes.
"I have only a few more months to be eighteen. What if they make me marry an old toad Dev?"
Spring snapped her head up and was about to try to form and apology but Dev's loud laugh stopped her.
"Well an old Toad isn't that bad you know. And do you think your mother would do that?" Spring thought for a moment then shook her head.
"No, I am not a born noble, so I am not really a princess, so they probably won't." Spring shivered in the night air. "I don't want to go back to the palace yet Dev, would you stay with me for a short time longer?"
"Of course I will."
They sat together along the river shore for along time talking, or just enjoying the silence until Spring had to leave. They decided to meet there again and continue their promised friendship.