My! You were all so worried about Conrad! The prologue is right after this.

Chapter 45: Conrad's Choice

Conrad, in the garb of moderate rank, strolled casually into the royal gardens and glanced around, looking. He started down the path and past a group of young ladies. They all curtsied grandly to him, even though he still looked like a stable boy. He nodded politely and ignored their titters. A fountain of a lion spewing out clear water into a man made pond, and it was to this he looked closely. Gold fish and turtles swam about in it, and dragonflies hovered over the green lily pads. But there was only one frog.

"So," said Conrad sitting on the tiled wall beside the pond. "What are you going to do now that Lance and Minerva are hitched?"

Rose opened her eyes and naturally glared. "Why do you want to know?

"Why not?"

"No one else knows."

"Ah, thank- you for the honor of letting me be the first to know."

She glared briefly before turning serious. "I'm going to the forest. To Robina's camp."

"Eh?" He was genuinely surprised. "Why?"

"That's between me, myself, and I."

Conrad's eyes narrowed. "You are going to see that Stanley fellow."

A brief flash of surprise in Rose's face confirmed this, but she quickly replaced it with defiance. "Oh, and why do you say that?"

"Do you think I'm blind? I saw you and him flirting at Madam Jellineck's tavern. Maybe Lance couldn't see it, but I certainly could. Besides, I just know."

"Phooey," she scoffed, but there was a hint of worry and embarrassment in her froggy blush.

Conrad grabbed onto that and said, "You do feel something for him then."

"I do not!" she yelled passionately.

He smiled knowingly and took a different stance. "I've been thinking."

"Obviously too much!"

"No, listen, I think I understand you."

"Indeed."

"Rose, shut her yap for a minute will ya?"

She glared in surprise.

He sounded very impatient, almost eager. "You once told me that you knew who you were supposed to marry. That's why you jest so much when you propose to guys. That is also why you don't propose that much because, what's the use? Correct?"

She didn't answer but she moved away uneasily, frowning.

The frown obviously meant a reluctant yes.

"But you acted rather serious with this Stanley fellow, and yet you never proposed. Therefore, I suspect that the man you saw in the magic love pond was Stanley fellow and that it is he who you are destined to marry. Correct?"

Rose stared at him for two seconds then burst into laughter. Conrad would have frowned if he hadn't noticed the laughter was forced. Rose was nervous.

"You think too much about me and mine," she said shaking her head.

"Maybe because I love you," he replied dryly.

Rose blinked, and then glowered.

"Don't jest with..."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Instead of entering the endless argument loop, Conrad just looked at her, and a small smile played at his lips. Rose huffed and averted her gaze. "Poor boy, once again you have to be rejected, and by another princess no less."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I can't love you!" she shrieked, her voice becoming desperate.

Conrad remained calm. "Why?"

"Ach, but you are a true dumb man. It is in my destiny to marry Stanley. Can't you see that?"

"But your life doesn't depend on a pool, Rose. It depends on you. Besides, you don't even love the fellow."

"Oh, really?" snapped Rose, getting defensive. "How do you know? You're just jealous."

"Indeed I am. I am jealous of this pool that seems to control your life and has a great influence over you. Rose, you don't love Stanley, and you don't have to obey the mud hole. I love you and want to marry you."

Rose didn't look at him. Her voice was quiet and bitter when she asked, "Was I plan B if Carrie ignored you?"

Conrad blinked. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"When I first met you, you were in love with Lance's sister, Carrie. Then apparently you fell in love with me. It seems to me that you first went to Carrie and when she, plan A, failed you, you turned to me. I will not be a back-up plan."

Conrad shook his head. "I simply liked the girl and it was a brief admiration. I love you. You once asked me to marry you."

She blushed violently.

Strange, red on green...

"I made the mistake of saying no. Now, I would like to say yes."

"But Stanley!" protested Rose, she tried to squawk but it came out as a pathetic croak.

"Ah, hang Stanley!" cried Conrad. Then he grabbed up the frog and kissed her.

She disappeared in his hands and he was left with glitter that fell away. But more glitter and sparkle appeared before him.

"Darn you, Conrad!"

He smiled. Her croak was gone, but her impertinence wasn't. When the glitter fell away, Conrad took a long look at the new Rose.

She was wearing a pheasant mud splattered dress with bare feet. Her dusty dark blond hair was short in women's standards and lay in tangles on her shoulders. She was a skinny thing, not slim, skinny. Her face was covered in freckles, and her eyes were still green and still wide. A scowl was on her plain features as she glared at Conrad.

"Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to see what you really looked like."

"What I..."

Realization hit her, and her large eyes grew. She was looking down at Conrad! She yelped as she half ran half hopped to the pool to use as a mirror. Conrad laughed heartily as she stared in horror at her human features.

"Oh, you...you...bloody, cruel, rash, dolt! You broke the spell!"

"Ah, come on Rose, it was gonna happen any how. Why not now?"

"No, no! I'm...ugly!"

"Ugly? Nonsense."

"Yes, I am!" she wailed. "Skinny and spotted with dirty dish water blonde hair..." She burst into tears.

"Rose, you're acting like a girl."

"Oh?" she snapped, the tears stopping with her anger. "If you haven't noticed yet, I am a girl! An ugly girl who is nothing but..."

"But my fiancé," finished Conrad. He put his arm around her and said sincerely, "Rose, you are the most beautiful girl I know, and I love you."

Rose tried to disagree, but she couldn't, instead she whispered, "But the pool... Stanley fellow..."

"Forget the pool. Now that we are equal in size will you marry me?"

For the first time in responding after a long argument, Rose smiled and said brightly, "Let's go tell Lance!"

Minerva and I were sitting in my office looking over a map, wondering where we should go on our honeymoon. Beside us was a table piled with wedding presents, all unopened. We had put that aside for later and were now just talking about the possibility of going to Rebezonia. A knock on the door turned us from the map and I absently told whoever to come in.

It was Conrad who was beaming and looked like he had just slept on clouds. "Have you figured out where you are going yet?" he asked casually strolling in.

"No, we were thinking of Rebezonia where Rose talked so much of."

"Well, wherever you're going, can I go with you?"

Minerva rolled her eyes. "Conrad, you know you can't do that. You may have been able to sneak in on the other adventures, but this one you'll have to stay at home."

"But I won't be alone."

We raised our eyebrows.

"What I mean is, I want to have my honeymoon the same place and time you are."

"Eh?" I said. "Are you telling me you have found a girl willing to marry you that fast? I thought you would still be in mourning over Carrie."

He didn't even blush. "It took a lot of persuasion, but I managed to get her to agree. Would you like to meet her?"

I sat back, shocked. "Well...yeah! I have got to see this lucky, brave soul."

Conrad smiled proudly and stepped back, he didn't even say anything as the scrawniest girl I had ever seen walked boldly into the room, she wasn't afraid of meeting the King of Adelfos as her fiancé's brother in law. She smiled impishly and her green eyes sparked.

"Hello...Miss...what is your name?" I asked. I had never seen this girl in my life! Neither had Minerva for she was looking at her with the same curiosity I was.

"I would think you knew it, since you were always telling me to shut up."

My mouth dropped open.

The croak was gone and the voice different...but I knew it was Rose.

"May I present, Princess Rose of Osmond," smiled Conrad. Rose blushed and didn't even scold him like she would have done if she hadn't just become his fiancée. Instead she just looked at him with such love and admiration; you never would have thought she had spent half her nights scheming and the rest of the day trying to annoy him.

"Rose," I finally breathed, "I never would have guessed."

"You never tried," she said dryly. "You were too busy being stubborn and trying hard to deny the fact that you had fallen in love with Minnie long before I came along."

"Maybe," I agreed, smiling at Minerva who was trying hard not to look too smug. "But I have a question for you, Rose. Was it Conrad who was in the love mud hole when you looked in?"

Rose smiled. "Yes, he was. I just didn't see him."

THE END.