The Frog Prince Read online

  She sighed and walked towards the throne room. She didn’t expect her father to listen to her. He might not even agree to see her, but she had to try.

  Franco stood at the door. He crossed his arms when he saw Carina.

  “Your father thought you might be on your way. He won’t see you until tomorrow.”

  Carina glared at her father’s steward. Apparently, word traveled fast.

  “This is important, Franco.”

  He smiled at her. It wasn’t a friendly gesture.

  “Your father thinks otherwise. He’s in a meeting with the dukes, and your mother is on her way. He will see you tomorrow after breakfast, but not before.”

  Carina fought back the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

  Or slap him. It was hard to say which would be most satisfying.

  Instead, she ran to her room and flung herself on her bed. She couldn’t afford to cause any more trouble today. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wiped them away. She would find a way to make this right. She had to.

  Carina stared at the pink flowers painted on her ceiling until she fell asleep.

  14

  Heinrich spent the walk to the harbor trying to convince Stefan that stowing away was illegal and dangerous.

  Stefan spent the walk not listening to Heinrich’s advice. They reached the docks just as the sun reached the horizon. The Speedwell’s gangplank was still up. The ship’s deck was empty.

  He hid behind a barrel and studied the ship. It was too small for him to stow away on the deck, but he didn’t need to. The whale’s gaping mouth was a perfect hiding place.

  Stefan shimmied across the ropes keeping the Speedwell moored to the dock. When he reached the ship, the barnacles provided plenty of handholds for climbing. Heinrich followed. His climb was much slower as he hauled the trunk up with him.

  “Can’t we leave the trunk behind?” Stefan hissed.

  “Certainly not. Do you want everyone in Santelle to think you’re a servant?”

  Between the two of them, they managed to haul the trunk to the ship. They climbed into the whale’s mouth, out of sight of anyone on the deck.

  “We’re lucky their figurehead has such a big mouth,” Stefan said.

  Heinrich gave him a reproachful stare and said nothing. Whoever carved the whale had left the throat unfinished. What looked like a spacious cavern from shore was more like a narrow ledge in person. The whale’s few remaining teeth dug into their legs as they sat. Stefan curled up to make room for his feet. The corner of the trunk stabbed him in the ribs.

  “At least it’s a short journey,” Stefan said. “A few hours according to Gruff.”

  “If this ship lasts that long.”

  An uneven creaking sound made them snap their mouths shut. Someone was limping across the deck.

  Stefan waited for the shouting that would show the crew had begun their work. Gruff and his crew had shouted a lot.

  The deck of the Speedwell stayed silent. The only sounds were lapping waves and uneven footsteps. The mooring ropes loosened, and the ship drifted away from the dock.

  Stefan and Heinrich shared a glance. Neither knew enough about sailing to say for sure, but something seemed wrong.

  The Speedwell sailed silently through the harbor, leaving the other ships and mountains behind. Stefan caught a glimpse of Gruff’s ship and waved. Heinrich shook his head.

  The ship limped into open water. The lights from Montaigne faded until only the moonlight lit their way. They sailed along the coastline. Stefan could just see the shadows of the mountains in the distance.

  The Speedwell lived up to its name if the blurred coastline rushing past them was any indication. Stefan ducked around the whale’s lips and craned his neck to look up at the sails.

  They hadn’t been let out. There was no way they could catch the wind when they were pulled up like that.

  “Something isn’t right,” he said.

  Heinrich nodded and put his finger to his lips. The Speedwell’s deck was still eerily silent.

  An hour or so later, the ship turned. Stefan gripped a whale tooth as his view changed from pine trees on the shore to the open water.

  “We’ve changed course,” Stefan whispered. “We’re going out to sea!”

  “I can see that.”

  “Should we swim to shore?”

  “I don’t think that’s advisable in the dark.”

  The ship stopped so suddenly that Stefan and Heinrich nearly fell into the water anyway. The trunk shifted between them and slid towards the edge of the whale’s mouth. Stefan caught it with his leg and pulled it back into their hiding place.

  “You’re late.”

  The woman’s voice echoed all around them. It seemed to be coming more from the ocean itself than any particular direction.

  Limping footsteps crossed the deck. They stopped directly over the whale.

  The captain stood there, still not speaking.

  “I don’t need your excuses.”

  Her voice made Stefan’s skin crawl. The ocean responded to the sound, bubbling with each word. Stefan and Heinrich leaned further back into the whale’s mouth.

  Something emerged from the water with a splash. A woman. She had long dark hair that draped around her like a cape. Silver scales covered her body. It might have been armor, but Stefan suspected it was her skin. A sleek tail and fin peeked from beneath her hair. Stefan glanced at Heinrich, then back at the woman.

  The mermaid.

  She sat on something black and smooth. A sort of branch that rose out of the water, lifting her up to eye level with the captain.

  “What did you discover?”

  Again, her only answer was silence. She seemed to be listening though. She sat on the branch, watching the captain.

  Stefan swallowed. She was only a few feet from their hiding place.

  “So you weren’t able to make contact?”

  She swished her shimmering silver tail, and the branch twitched as she spoke. The captain remained silent, but the mermaid lifted a hand as if to interrupt him.

  “Stop. There’s someone here.”

  Stefan held his breath. He felt Heinrich go stiff beside him, and Stefan’s heart sank. Whatever this was, they clearly weren’t meant to witness it. Stowing away on an hour’s journey along the coast was one thing. Overhearing a secret meeting with a mermaid was quite another.

  The water around the ship boiled, and a silver branch burst through the waves. Stefan’s heart beat faster as he realized it wasn’t a branch.

  It was an enormous tentacle.

  Another mermaid sat on it, clinging to a suction cup to keep her balance. This mermaid had dark red hair and light blue scales. She didn’t look happy.

  “Meeting without me, Althea?”

  “Nothing important, Kathelin. Nothing you need to worry about. I’m just checking his progress.”

  “We’re in this together. That’s what you said.”

  Althea sighed.

  “Leander was just telling me about his mission. Since he’s empty handed, I don’t think it was successful. Your presence isn’t necessary.”

  The dark tentacle thrashed as Althea waved her hands to make her point. It created waves that rocked the ship.

  That shook Stefan and Heinrich.

  The trunk slipped around Stefan’s foot and fell into the ocean.

  The splash echoed through the night, and everything went still. Even the waves stopped.

  “What was that?” Althea said. “Who’s there?”

  She sang a soft, wordless tune, and the black tentacle dipped down. It wrapped around her waist to keep her from falling as she studied the sides of the ship.

  Stefan gulped. She would find them. It was only a matter of time.

  And it was his fault Heinrich was here. He had to protect him.

  “Stay hidden,” he whispered.

  Then he grabbed the side of the whale figurehead and pulled himself onto the deck.

  “Evening, ladies. Capta
in.”

  The two mermaids blinked at him. The captain’s jaw clenched.

  “Althea, what is this?” Kathelin said.

  Stefan grinned at her.

  “Pardon me for dropping in without being invited. I am a human. May I say, you both look lovely tonight?”

  “What are you doing here, human?” Althea asked.

  Stefan studied the two mermaids. Kathelin’s wide blue eyes twinkled like a brook. Althea’s looked like the sky before a storm. Their tails twitched in irritation, and their tentacle seats swayed. What creature had tentacles that large?

  He could worry about that later. Right now, he needed to charm some mermaids.

  Stefan bowed.

  “I wanted to see the world and took the liberty of stowing away under your whale. How was I to know this would lead to an opportunity to behold such beautiful creatures? I must say, the stories about mermaids don’t do you justice.”

  The mermaids narrowed their eyes and crossed their arms over their scaly chests.

  So, flattery wouldn’t work. Stefan swallowed. Leander’s gleaming yellow eyes made it hard to think. They were possibly more unnerving than the two mermaids staring at him. The silent captain waved his hands in a series of gestures. The mermaids watched him and nodded in understanding.

  “He’s easily taken care of,” Althea said. “Humans are frail. Drowning is quick.”

  Maybe the mermaids were more trouble after all. Althea hummed a tune. Another dark tentacle shot out of the water and wrapped around Stefan’s body. It lifted him off the ship.

  “Your Highness!”

  Heinrich climbed onto the deck and rushed towards the prince. He held a needle as if it were a sword. As if he could poke everyone into submission.

  “Heinrich, stay back. I have this under control.”

  He definitely didn’t, but he had been trying to save the tailor, blast it all!

  Leander limped over to Heinrich, knocked the needle from his hand, and twisted the tailor’s arms behind his back. Heinrich struggled, but he was no match for the massive sailor.

  “Highness, is it?” Kathelin said.

  She whistled. Her silver tentacle wrapped around her waist and arched through the air until her face was inches from Stefan’s.

  Her face wasn’t blue and scaly like the rest of her body, but she didn’t look quite human. Her eyes were too big, and she had slits on the sides of her neck. Gills, maybe? You would expect her to smell fishy by looking at her, but her cool breath was pleasant as a sea breeze.

  “Prince Stefan of Aeonia at your service,” Stefan said.

  The enormous tentacle squeezing his waist made it hard to speak, but he did his best to sound casual.

  “My tailor and I are out on a bit of a lark. Escaping the pressures of palace life and all that. I’m sure you understand. Such gorgeous mermaids as yourselves could only be princesses of the deep.”

  Althea clucked. The tentacle tightened around Stefan, crushing the air from his lungs. Heinrich tried to shake himself loose from Leander’s grip, but the yellow-eyed man held him tight.

  “He could be lying,” Althea said. “Bargaining for his life by making himself seem important.”

  “We don’t have time to take him to the prison,” Kathelin said. “Perhaps a bit of fun instead.”

  She grinned. Her teeth were slightly pointed.

  Althea groaned.

  “Now is not the time for fun, Kathelin. Drowning is quick and clean. Or Leander can stab them.”

  Leander’s yellow eyes gleamed at the suggestions, but Kathelin was already weaving strands of silver around Stefan’s head. He couldn’t see where she pulled them from. Was she plucking them from thin air?

  She sang as she did it. The notes resonated with the water, creating a wordless cloud of sound around them.

  Stefan’s skin felt loose. Then his bones snapped, and he screamed. The sound came out all wrong. His voice was hoarse, and he’d lost control of his tongue.

  The tentacle loosened, and he collapsed to the deck. It was further to fall than he expected. He tried to get up, but his body was numb. His arms shook as he tried to crawl away.

  “Really, Kathelin,” Althea said. “Now Leander will have to crush him. He’ll squish all over the deck.”

  “Squish him? That’s no fun. I say we let him hop around a while.”

  “And the servant?”

  Kathelin pulled three iron bars from the air and pushed them at Heinrich. They absorbed into the tailor’s chest. He groaned and sank to his knees.

  The mermaid picked Stefan up. Picked him up! Had she shrunk him? He tried to squirm out of her grip, but she held tight. Her merry blue eyes twinkled. Even now, she didn’t look malevolent.

  “Listen carefully, prince. If you tell a soul about your curse, about your true identity, about us, about anything you heard or saw tonight, your friend will die. He has three iron bands wrapped around his heart. The more you tell, the tighter they squeeze. Do you understand?”

  Stefan tried to speak, but his voice still wasn’t working. He nodded.

  The mermaid giggled.

  “You can break the curse, of course. A kiss from a princess should do the trick. Understand? She has to kiss you. It won’t count if you kiss her or ask to be kissed. It will help if she loves you, but that isn’t necessary.”

  “Kathelin! You’re giving him a way to break the curse? You’re telling him about it? You’re risking our entire plan.”

  “Calm down, Althea. I’m just trying out a bit of new transformation magic. I’ve been looking for a test subject for a while, and I’m not going to waste this opportunity. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  Althea sighed.

  “Fine. See that you do. But we’re not escorting them to shore. Get rid of them so we can hear the rest of Leander’s report.”

  Kathelin winked at Stefan and threw him away from the ship. He sailed through the air and landed with less splash than he expected to make. A silver tentacle picked up Heinrich and threw him into the sea as well. The ship floated away from shore and disappeared on the dark horizon.

  Stefan swam towards his friend. Moving in the water felt natural. Like he was born to do it.

  Heinrich struggled to keep his head above water.

  “I’m too heavy!” he gasped. “The iron bands-”

  Stefan circled in the water, looking for something to help.

  There! The trunk!

  He pushed it to Heinrich. As he did, he noticed his hands looked strange. The wrong shape. The wrong color. A thin film of skin stretched between his fingers.

  He reached Heinrich with the trunk. The tailor grabbed the latch, and the wood held him afloat.

  “You were right after all. We did need the trunk,” Stefan said.

  At least, he tried to say it. The words came out garbled. Heinrich’s face fell.

  “Oh, Your Highness! What have they done to you?”

  Now that they were out of immediate danger from the mermaids, Stefan wondered the same thing. He easily kept pace with Heinrich as they swam towards the lights on the shore.

  The tailor looked bigger than he should. Stefan had definitely shrunk. He tried to look at himself, but he didn’t have much of a neck anymore. He dove under the water, marveling at his newfound agility. When he resurfaced, Heinrich's eyes were panicked. Stefan could see his face clearly now. They were close enough to shore for the lights to reach them.

  “Please stay in sight, Your Highness. What if something tried to eat you?”

  “What. Am. I.”

  Stefan formed the words carefully, taking his time. His tongue still got in the way, but the words sounded much closer to normal speech.

  Heinrich shook his head.

  “Oh, Your Highness. She turned you into a frog.”

  15

  “Do whatever you want to me, but please give Serafina’s rank back. Make her an admiral again.”

  The king didn’t look up from the papers on his desk.

  “You are
in no position to make demands, Carina. You forget yourself.”

  “It was my fault. Punish me instead.”

  The king turned and met her eyes.

  “Serafina shared classified information with a civilian and received the appropriate punishment. The question now is what to do with a civilian caught snooping around a navy ship.”

  He glanced at the corner of his desk. Carina followed his gaze and saw five portraits. All the royal children of Santelle.

  Serafina looked so happy in her picture. Carina had to make this right.

  “I pushed her into it, Father. She didn’t tell me anything. I was trying to share information with her. I think the missing ships and the attempted robbery could be connected.”

  The king raised an eyebrow.

  “I did not ask you to investigate that. And I certainly didn’t give you permission to collaborate with Serafina. You may feel invulnerable because you can’t be demoted, but I am still your king and commander. You would do well to remember that. Serafina suffered for your actions yesterday. I would hate to see your impertinence bring misfortune to others.”

  Carina fought back tears. Impertinence? More like foolishness. She should have known better than to reach out to her sister. They could accomplish more together, but that hadn’t been her mission.

  And Serafina had paid the price for her disobedience.

  “How well do you know the King of Montaigne, Carina?”

  She blinked.

  “Sir?”

  “It is a simple question.”

  “Not particularly well, but we’ve been acquainted for years. I always see him when I visit his sister to gather information about their kingdom.”

  King Giuseppe nodded. Carina resisted the urge to ask why that mattered. She had probably pushed him to his limit today.

  “I’ve decided on your new assignment, Carina. I had planned to delay this decision, but your actions have forced my hand. The dukes and your mother have been pressuring me to do something about you for quite some time, and I must agree they were right. You have shown an impulsiveness and disobedience that makes you ill qualified for a place in the Navy.”