Jenise Aminoff
175 Richdale Ave. #121
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-576-2004
jenise@jenise.com
About 6,000 words
Prince of the Pond
Light rippled through the waters of Prince Hvau's kingdom.
It
filtered down from above, illuminating the soft, undulating forest of
lilies and reeds, the sparkling clean sand and smooth stones, the flash
and flirt of the fins of Prince Hvau's subjects.
He loved his kingdom
devoutly, appreciated its beauty the more because, of all its denizens,
he could rise up from it, kick high and fast until he broke through the
sky into air, and look at his kingdom from above.
Countless times a
day, he flitted from one world to the next, conversing with the buzzing
and soaring people of the air, the water-walkers, and the many land
peoples who came to the water to drink, and bringing these
conversations below to the fish, the mussels, the undulators and the
creatures of the sand.
This was his job and his duty, and he did it
well, now that his father had grown too old and frail to make the deep
dives.
The King tended to stay in the shallows, where his courtiers
fed him midges and the Queen stroked his skin to keep it moist and
smooth.
At night, the royal family took their places upon their lily pads.
They looked into the night, bejeweled by starlight, and to that expanse
and their demesne below, they wove an ageless song, adding to the
tapestry of music begun by their most distant ancestors, long before
this pond had even existed.
as the King drowsed off.
Just before dawn, the music would die down
Then the Queen would slip away and chat with
Hvau about the events of the day.
"The water snakes are terrorizing
the voles, again," she would report, or, "There is a fine mosquito crop
this year that will keep us all well fed until the first freeze." One
night, she took him aside and said, "There are quite a few young maids
who have been weaving their songs for you, and yet you take no notice."
Hvau rumbled in his throat.
"Mother, there is so much more for me
to learn and accomplish before I settle down.
I know they are there,
but their songs do not interest me now."
The Queen let her inner lids cover her eyes, as if to shield him
from the annoyance of her gaze.
"Your father would rest easier if he
knew he would soon have heirs to accompany him in the shallows."
"I know, I know," Hvau answered impatiently.
for that later.
"There will be time
Maybe next spring."
The Queen flicked her long tongue once and was silent.
well," she said at last.
"Very
"It may be that you are meant to wait."
And
she kicked off his pad and returned to the shallows to sleep through
the heat of the morning.
Troubled, Hvau did not go to sleep at once.
He dove instead for
the cool of the deeps, settling on one of his favorite stones.
Above
him, the surface rippled gently in the wind, and he let it calm and
soothe his impatience and frustration with his parents.
ruling the kingdom with kindness and authority?
all the creatures of the pond?
Wasn't he
Wasn't he respected by
But slowly his irritation leeched out
of him into the water until he felt calm enough to rise to his personal
mud-den to sleep.
Something shattered the surface of his kingdom, and Prince Hvau
looked up, startled.
For a moment, he thought the sun had fallen
through the sky into his pond, for the object glowed and shimmered as
golden as the orb in the heavens.
As it settled through the water,
however, Hvau realized that its brilliance was reflected and that it
was quite small, too small and likely too cold to be the sun.
It was
not much smaller than he was, perfectly round and smooth, like some
gigantic golden pearl a mussel might spit forth.
from?
Why was it here, in his kingdom?
Where had it come
The Prince of the pond rose to
find out.
When he reached the surface, he found that the pond had gone
terribly quiet.
Aside from a few early buzzing people, his subjects
had fled or hidden, leaving eerie silence.
And then a terrible noise
broke the silence, a throbbing sound like a mockery of the royal nightsong.
It was loud and unharmonious, and the singer had very little
breath control, for it wheezed and gasped between its ghastly notes.
The noise came from the shore, so Prince Hvau pulled himself up through
the reeds to the grass.
And there he beheld a monster.
It was huge, many, many times larger than the Prince, even though
he was an unusually large member of his race. Its skin was very pale,
like some of the very deep dwellers that never see daylight, and it had
tendrils of fur that looked like dead lily roots hanging down from its
head.
Its eyes were mostly white, with only a small splotch of color
in the centers, and it had large blunt teeth in its mouth.
Around it
were knotted strands of dead vegetation that had been stained an
improbable color, and the hides of some poor land creatures were
strapped to each of its feet.
It beat at the defenseless grass and
moaned, and after a few moments, Hvau realized to his astonishment that
it was speaking one of the Written Languages.
As a person of breeding,
Prince Hvau had of course been tutored in the Written Languages when he
was a legless child.
He had always thought they were made-up
languages, or at least highly unlikely, since they were so difficult to
pronounce.
But the monster was clearly speaking a Written Language.
"He will kill me," the monster wailed.
"What am I going to do?
He's sure to notice it is gone."
As a legless child, Prince Hvau had had nothing to do but swim and
eat and learn.
His mother had rounded up as many of the surviving
royal progeny as she could find, and each lazy spring afternoon, she
would herd them to the cove of the royal wizard, a salamander of great
wisdom and repute.
He taught them the cycle of seasons, the etiquette
of snails and swans, the danger of a wading heron, the poetry of fallen
log.
He explained to them that life in the water passes much faster
than life on the land, so that in a single passing of the sun, they
might experience an entire season, if they were careful.
Among these
lessons were those of foreign languages, and the Queen solemnly
insisted that the salamander teach them the Written Languages as well.
The wizard inscribed these in the muddy banks of the pond, or he would
call forth examples of the literature in fiery pale blue letters that
hung in the water before them.
The Written Languages fascinated Hvau,
these voiceless words, carried in symbols over vast distances and
times, and he learned as many as he can.
It was among the things that distinguished him when he grew his
legs and, by law, presented himself before his parents, among the
things that led them to choose him as their heir.
Prince Hvau cleared his throat properly and asked, in somewhat
rusty Written Language, "I am the Prince of the Pond," he announced.
"What ails you so that you damage the grass?"
The monster did not hear him at first and went on wailing, so Hvau
cautiously came closer and said, as loudly as he could, "What ails
you?"
The monster started and looked about itself wildly.
"Who's that?
Who spoke?"
Hvau cleared his throat again.
"I did.
What is wrong?"
"Are… are you a toad?" it asked.
Hvau puffed his throat to show its royal yellow.
"Hardly.
I am
Hvau, Prince of the Frogs."
The monster shifted itself into a sort of sitting position and
gazed down at him.
"I didn't know frogs could talk," it said.
"I didn't know anyone actually spoke this language," Hvau replied,
"but usually, they introduce themselves."
"Oh," it said, and a reddish color came to its face.
pardon.
"I beg your
I'm Elissa, Princess of Giring."
"It is an honor to meet you, your highness," Hvau said formally.
"Be welcome in my kingdom. You are newly come here, and you seem
distressed.
What is wrong?" he asked for the fourth time.
"I lost something," Elissa told him, and to Hvau's surprise, water
leaked from her eyes.
"I dropped it, there in the water.
The bauble,
and now it's gone, and he will know, and he will beat me!" She began
her wailing again.
"Was it a round thing, the color of the sun, hrm?"
eye at her.
Hvau blinked an
"Was it made of the same substance you wear in a ring
around your head?"
"Yes!" she said, eyes brightening.
"Have you seen it?"
Hvau puffed his throat.
minutes ago.
"It fell into my demesne just a few
It is why I came up here, in fact.
To find out where it
had come from."
"Could… could you bring it to me?" the monster princess asked him.
Hvau thought about it.
"It is nearly as large as I am."
The monster princess's eyes grew wet again.
him.
"Please," she begged
"I only borrowed the bauble, and if I don’t return it, well, that
would be bad.
Please bring it back.
Here, I will give you my ribbon."
She held out a strip of woven fibers the color of blood.
Hvau shuddered.
for such things.
"Thank you," he said politely, "but I have no use
However…."
"My ring, then," she said, tugging a golden band from one of her
digits.
Hvau laughed then.
"That will hardly fit me.
The monster princess bit her lip.
But I will…."
"Then, return with me to my
father's castle, and you shall choose whatever reward I may give you."
"Hmm," Hvau said, intrigued.
"I need no reward from you, your
highness, but I would like to see your castle.
Please wait here, and I
will fetch your, ah, bauble for you."
"Thank you," the monster princess cried.
Prince Hvau turned and slipped over the dewy grass into his pond.
He took a good breath and dove down to the bottom.
His mother was
waiting for him there.
"Hvau," she said, "I heard you talking to the human princess."
"So that is a human," he replied.
mother.
"I have said I will help her,
Please don't try to talk me out of it."
"Actually, I think it is a good idea," she said.
saw something of the world.
while you are gone.
"It is time you
I will attend the needs of the kingdom
You father will just have to get along without me
for a while."
She blinked her eyes in amusement, and Hvau blinked
back.
"Thank you, mother.
I will not stay away for long."
With that,
Hvau wrapped his forelegs as far around the bauble as he could and,
pushing against the sand with his hind legs, he heaved.
The bauble was very heavy, much heavier than rocks of its size.
But Hvau was a prince of the blood, stronger, faster, and more
courageous than any other frog in the kingdom.
bauble came free from the sand.
drove the bauble to the surface.
He heaved, and the
With strong, agonizing kicks, Hvau
He gasped for breath, then brought
the bauble to the shore and set it in the mud where it would not fall
again.
The monster princess rose up on her hind legs in delight.
you, oh, thank you, um, your highness," she said.
"Thank
She took the bauble
in her enormous forepaw and shook it in the water so that the mud fell
away from it and it shone in the morning sun.
"Now, come with me to my
home, and you shall have whatever reward I can give you."
"No reward is necessary," Hvau told her.
"I merely wish to visit
your court and meet other members of your race.
Lead the way and I
will follow."
The monster princess wrinkled her face.
than you can hop.
"I will walk much faster
Will you let me carry you?"
This sounded ignoble to Hvau, but she had a point.
Her legs were
much longer than his, and he would be hard put to keep up.
He did not
want to admit it, but he was still tired from swimming with the bauble.
"Very well," he said, with a throaty sigh.
"Shall I ride on your
back?"
"Oh, no," Elissa told him.
sleeve."
"I think you will fit well in my
She reached down, and with her other monstrous forepaw, she
plucked Hvau from the grass and stuck him in a fold of the colored
vegetation she wore in place of fur.
"It is not far," she told him.
"We should be back in time for lunch."
"Lead on, then," he told her, trying to arrange himself
comfortably.
To his surprise, she walked like some of the sky
creatures who preyed on the noble people of the pond, and that made him
worry for a moment.
But then he remembered that she was a princess and
not likely to return a favor in that way, and besides, his mother would
have warned him if she were not safe.
And as much as he wanted to watch the surrounding countryside,
Prince Hvau was very tired, since he had not yet been to bed, and the
sleeve was very warm, and the stride of the monster princess was very
soothing, so that he fell asleep.
###
Hvau awoke because someone was bellowing. Abruptly, the world
around him rocked, and he was flung from the monster princess’s sleeve
onto a hard, flat stone surface. Nearby him, he saw the monster
princess sprawled on the ground and in some distress. Another monster
towered over her, far larger and more terrible that she was, and Hvau
suddenly realized that she was an immature human. This larger human had
a great deal of fur on its face, and it shook its forelimbs and
shuddered and bellowed.
“You little thief!” the great monster raged. “You steal from the
royal treasury, you abandon your duties without leave, and you lie to
me as well! Give me one good reason why I should not cast you into the
dungeon, or exile you.” It pulled back a mighty leg to kick at the
monster princess, and Hvau immediately sprang to her defense.
“Stop!” he cried as loudly as he could. “You must not strike the
royal person. I, Hvau, Prince of the Pond, say this.” And he leaped
onto the monstrous foot and tried to stay its swing.
The great monster stumbled in his surprise. “What? What’s this? A
talking frog? Ho, perhaps you were not lying, little thief.” It reached
down and plucked Hvau from its foot. “Say something, frog.”
Hvau puffed himself up. “You will address me as Your Highness, for
I am a Prince. Unhand me and cease your attack upon the Princess
Elissa.”
The great monster began to howl in a most terrible manner, and Hvau
feared that it would eat him. Instead, the great monster placed the
Prince upon a high, flat, wooden plateau and then put a huge domeshaped object made of something like transparent rock over him. Try as
he might, Hvau could not get a purchase on its slippery surface to
raise it.
“This frog is worth ten of your baubles,” the great monster told
the princess. “Not that this means you can keep the bauble. It will go
back to the royal treasury where it belongs. Bertram!”
Princess Elissa rose to her feet. “I don’t want the bauble any
more. Just let the frog prince go, please?”
Another monster hurried up, dressed even more improbably than the
Princess and her attacker. The great monster handed him the orb of gold
and said, “Take this to the royal treasury and see that it is locked
tight. And bring me a cage for our new treasure, the talking frog.”
“No, Father, please,” the Princess begged. “I promised him I would
show him our palace.”
Father? This horrible monster was the King? Woe to his kingdom,
thought Hvau.
The King ruffled the Princess’s head fur. “And so you have. Here,
is my palace, o Frog,” he proclaimed. “And here is your new home!”
Bertram had returned with a cage made of a fine mesh. With far
greater quickness than Hvau would have thought possible, the monster
King lifted the clear dome and snatched him up, forcing Hvau into the
cage.
“I protest!” cried Hvau. “I am a Prince and sovereign in my own
kingdom! You may not handle my personage in such a manner, nor falsely
imprison me. I demand my release at once.”
This made the monster King howl even more. “He will be the hit of
the party this weekend. People for miles around will come to see him,
perhaps even the Duchess of South Loughin. Hmm, yes.”
Princess Elissa tugged upon the King’s garments. “Father, he must
have water or he will die.”
“Indeed,” said the King. He took the clear dome, filled it with
water, and added it to the cage. Hvau tried to leap through the
opening, but the King knocked him casually back into it. He locked the
cage door with a small silver lock and pocketed the key. “Elissa, as
punishment for your little crimes today, I command you to tend this
frog personally. See that he is watered and fed, and that his cage is
kept clean. If he dies or escapes, I will put you in a cage.” He handed
the cage to the Princess. “Now go. I have no wish to look upon your
simpering face any longer.”
The Princess curtsied hurriedly and ran from the room. “I am so
sorry, Prince Frog,” she told Hvau. “I did not think he would even
notice you. I should never have told him how you rescued my bauble.”
“How can that hideous thing be your father?” Hvau asked.
“Oh, he’s not my real father. My real father died when I was very
little. Soon after, my mother the Queen married Walther, Duke of
Horvand. She didn’t know then how evil tempered he was, but soon after
the wedding, he began argue with her. They argued more and more, and
then my mother grew ill. The doctors say her heart could not stand the
strain anymore, and she died, too.” She sighed, and Hvau saw the
curious human habit of leaking water from the eyes. “He makes me call
him Father because, with Mother dead, he has no real claim to the
throne except for me. He is searching for an alliance with other
powerful houses to ensure his rule.”
Hvau puffed his throat in anger. “How terrible,” he croaked. “Such
people should never be allowed to rule. They care only for themselves,
not for the good of the people. Let me free, Your Highness, and I will
help you to overthrow him.”
The Princess stopped abruptly. “Oh, no,” she said. “He would beat
me terribly, and no one would stop him.”
“I would,” said Hvau.
“I wish I could believe you,” she said, “but you cannot even get
out of this little cage. How can you possibly help me? Besides, I don’t
have the key.” She continued hurrying down the long, dark stone
corridor and came at last to a small, well-lit place. “This is my room,
Prince Frog. You will stay here with me.”
“Is that seemly?” Prince Hvau asked.
“In this case, I think it is all right. At least here, I can watch
you and make sure he does not beat you, too.”
The idea of a Princess protecting him enraged Hvau, but he
carefully concealed his anger from the girl. “Can you take me to the
window?” he asked. “I dislike this great cave of stone. Let me at least
look upon the wide world.”
“Of course,” the Princess said. She set his cage on the
windowsill.
Hvau felt dizzy. Not since his youth, when his own father had taken
him to visit the kingdom of the Tree People, who lived above the world
in the swaying boughs of trees. Their songs had been exquisite. From
the trees, Hvau had been able to see for yards and yards, but now, from
the windowsill, he could see much farther, across a great expanse of
well-tended garden, with a tinkling fountain in its center and pleasant
woods all around. How he longed to bathe in that fountain. He could see
water people and undulators dancing in its depths, and the sky people
buzzed above them, and the air people darted about catching them. Hvau
got an idea.
“Princess, do you think you could take me down to that fountain? I
can feed there, even if you do not let me go, and the water will be
pleasant to look at.”
“Yes, I can do that,” said the Princess. “I go walking there every
evening after supper. I will take you with me.” And she hurried away.
That evening, the Princess returned for him and took him through
the halls of the palace. She described the rooms through which they
passed and their various functions, all of which seemed absurd and
wasteful to Hvau. A room just for dancing? Another merely for sitting?
But he politely shared none of his thoughts and instead murmured what
he thought were appropriate pleasantries.
At last, they exited the great stone structure and entered the
garden. To his tastes, the place was horribly artificial, bushes cut in
unnatural shapes and grasses trimmed appallingly short. But the
fountain was pleasant: buzzing and soaring people flew about it, and
there were even several of the finned people within it. He could not
speak to the finned people unless he was in their waters, but he
twittered to the soaring people, and they landed all about him and even
on his cage, to the Princess’s delight.
“Do you speak all languages? Of all the beasts?” she cried,
clapping her hands. This disturbed the soaring people, and all but the
bravest fled. “Oh, I’m sorry!”
“You must be more gentle with them,” Hvau told her. “Stay still and
make no loud noises. The Soaring People are easily frightened.”
Elissa did as he bade her, and soon the soaring people gathered
around them again. She smiled happily. “Wonderful,” she whispered.
“I learned many languages as a tad, when I had nothing else to do
but eat and learn and survive,” he explained. “Mostly I learned the
languages of the peoples of the Pond, but the Salamander also taught me
the Written Languages, one of which you speak.”
“The Salamander must be very wise, then, to know so many
languages,” the Princess said.
“Indeed he is,” agreed Hvau, and this gave him an idea. He turned
to a young robin who looked familiar.
Do you know me, young soarer? he asked. Do you know my pond?
Yes, yes, o Prince! the robin chirruped. I have been there many
times, the place of soft earth and plump worms.
Hvau puffed out his throat to call attention to his authority. I
charge you, go there and speak to the Salamander of the Pond. Tell him
that I am imprisoned here and to render aid if possible.
Proud with his mission, the robin stuck out his red chest. At once,
my Prince! And he took flight.
“What did you say to him?” Elissa asked.
“I asked him to take a message home for me,” Hvau said.
“Do you miss your home very much?”
Hvau sighed, as he had been taught was appropriate. “Yes, very
much. My Pond is very beautiful indeed, and I miss my people, who rely
on me.”
And he told her of the wonders of his realm, and of his battles
with the eels, and the joyous pageants of the finned peoples on
holidays, and of his parents and many siblings. The Princess agreed
that it had been very beautiful, even what little she had seen of it.
It grew dark, and he sang a bit for her. Then, with regret, she rose
and bore him and his cage back inside.
Hvau slept little that night and slept most of the next day, as is
the habit of frogs. That evening, when the Princess came to take him
again to the fountain, he was brimming with excitement and hope, and he
was not disappointed. There, clinging to the side of the fountain, the
Salamander awaited him.
My Prince, he said in Frog Speech, it grieves me to see you in such
circumstances. How did this happen? Did you not pay attention to my
teachings regarding humans, who often torment and
kill for mere
amusement?
I did recall your teaching, Hvau replied, and it was because I was
trying to prevent the King of this place from harming his own
stepdaughter that I was imprisoned.
The Salamander flicked his tongue in disgust. Humans. How barbaric!
I will free you from your cage immediately.
I have every faith that you can do this, said the Prince, but if
you do, it will have drastic repercussions on the young Princess here,
who is charged with guarding me. I do not wish for her to come to
further harm from her stepfather.
The Salamander looked up at the Princess, who had followed this
conversation with wide, uncomprehending eyes. “Highness, have you any
love for the man who imprisoned Prince Hvau.”
She shook her head, which Hvau remembered indicated a negative.
“No,” she said. “I fear him. I fear that, once he has married again and
secured his power, he will find a way to kill me, too.”
“Hmm,” said the Salamander. “This will be tricky. But we will let
this monster King undo himself with his own pride. Because he wishes to
be great, he therefore tries to see all things about him as smaller,
less important. It is because of this, Prince Hvau, that he did not
recognize or honor your royal blood.
“But he ignores this at his peril. For like all frogs, my Prince,
you have in your nature the great power of transformation, and this you
must use to free yourself, your Princess, and all of her kingdom.
Princess, we will need your help with this. Will you give us your aid?”
Though she was very frightened, the Princess nodded. “Yes, I will
help you.”
“Good,” said the Salamander. “Now, what do you know of human fairy
tales?”
###
The following night was the night of the party, and King Walther
could not wait to show off his new prize. Once his guests had eaten
their fill, he bade them join him in the ballroom, where Elissa waited
with the cage, covered in gold cloth. She trembled, and Hvau whispered
comfort to her.
“Come and see, Duchess!” the King bellowed. “I have found a most
rare and unusual beast. A talking frog!” He whipped off the cloth, and
Hvau blinked against the sudden light.
There was a huge mass of gigantic humans, all dressed in ridiculous
colors, with false fur upon their heads, covered in white powder. He
sneezed, and the crowd laughed at him.
A plump female human approached his cage and said, “Come now, Your
Majesty. He looks like quite a common frog.”
Hvau filled his throat and boomed out, “ I am NOT common. I am a
Prince.”
The room fell silent, and then the humans began whispering loudly.
“It’s true!” “No, a trick.”
“You see, Duchess,” said the King. “As I told you, a talking frog.”
The Duchess showed Hvau a frightening array of teeth. “A Prince,
are you? Prince of what? Mud?”
Laughter broke out again, feverish and false.
“Nay, lady,” said Hvau. “I am prince of a vast kingdom to the
south, with rich fields and abundant game. We have not know war in a
hundred years, and my people are rich and content.”
She tittered. “How do you rule this kingdom, Your Highness?” she
said with exaggerated courtesy. More laughter.
“I do not now,” Hvau said sadly. “Many years ago, I angered a witch
in my kingdom. She turned me into a frog to humble me, and ensorcelled
my kingdom. Now all of my family and subjects rest in endless slumber,
and my whole kingdom is hidden from the world by magic.”
“My goodness!” cried the Duchess. “What did you do to anger this
witch?”
Hvau tried to look embarrassed. “I called her ugly.”
The Duchess threw back her head and laughed loudly, like a horse,
and the King and all his court joined her. “Well, that serves you
right,” said the Duchess. “Never tell a woman that she’s ugly.”
“How do you break the spell?” someone called out.
“Ah, that is even worse,” Hvau said mournfully. “A maiden must kiss
me, and then I will be transformed back into a prince, and I shall
marry her. But what maiden would ever want to kiss me?” A hush fell on
the crowd.
A courtesan edged up. “She would be your queen?”
“Oh, yes. It would be the least I could do to repay her.”
“I will kiss you!” cried the courtesan.
“No, I will,” another called out, and then another. Suddenly, a mob
of young human females pressed themselves forward, and the King had to
call the guard to press them back.
“If anyone is going to kiss this frog,” he roared, “it will be my
daughter.”
Now Hvau watched the Princess with apprehension. Could she do it?
Princess Elissa screwed up her face. “Kiss a frog? Me? I don’t want
to kiss a frog.”
The King had brought out the key and was fumbling at the lock.
“Come now, Elissa. Do as I say. It’s just one little kiss.”
“Please,” Elissa begged. “Don’t make me.”
The King turned to her with a terrible, almost gleeful look in his
eye, and he slapped her. The room fell terribly silent once again. “You
will do as I say, girl.” He reached into, grabbed Hvau roughly, and
thrust him at her. “Kiss the frog!”
Trembling and grimacing, Princess Elissa leaned forward and kissed
Hvau. Deep in one of Elissa’s pockets, the Salamander completed his
spell, and suddenly, the Prince began to grow and change. The King
hurriedly dropped him, but Hvau’s new long legs caught him before he
fell, and he stood before them, a young man, dressed splendidly in
green and gold.
So this is what it is like to be a human, Hvau thought. How odd.
Awkwardly, he reached out and, taking the Princess’s hand, he knelt
before her. “Thank you, my Princess, thank you for releasing the spell
upon me and all my kingdom. Will you consent to marry me?”
The Princess looked down at him, her eyes wide. “You’re handsome,”
she said, somewhat shocked. Then she remembered herself and nodded.
“Yes, my Prince. I will marry you.” And the crowd broke into applause
and much lamentation from the young females.
Then Hvau rose and kissed her again, and found it was much better
with lips.
The King embraced them both. “Welcome to the family, Prince, er…”
“Hvau,” the Prince told him.
“Yes, er, Hvau. Now where did you say your kingdom was?”
An enormous cloud of smoke appeared in the middle of the ballroom,
and when it cleared, a old man in flowing orange robes was revealed.
“Not far, Your Majesty, not far,” he answered the King. “I am Salamas,
head wizard to Prince Hvau.” And he bowed deeply.
It was all Hvau could do to keep from laughing at the Salamander in
his outrageous human guise. “Salamas!” he called. “Is my kingdom free
of the spell?”
“Of course, Your Highness,” the Salamander replied. “Indeed, your
father and mother should be arriving at any moment to congratulate you
and meet their new daughter.” The clop of hooves and crunch of carriage
wheels sounded loudly through the ballroom’s open windows. “Ah, there
they are!”
The crowd rushed to the windows to watch as King Walther, his
daughter, Hvau and the Salamander left through the foyer to greet the
King and Queen of the Pond. There, Hvau had to disguise his laughter as
a shout of joy, for his parents had indeed arrived, transformed, and
they looked truly ridiculous in their powdered wigs. He rushed
unsteadily down the steps and greeted them.
“Father, mother, this is our savior and my bride-to-be,” he called
loudly. “The Princess Elissa.”
His mother smiled at her with kindly green eyes and folded her in a
hug, “Be welcome in our family, Elissa, my dear.”
“Ahem,” said King Walther, “and I am her father.”
Hvau’s father shuffled forward. “Pleased to meet you, dear fellow,”
he said, taking the human king’s hand in his own. “Nice place this,
though a bit dull.”
King Walther licked his lips. “Your palace is, um, grander?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, boy,” said Hvau’s father. “I didn’t mean to fault
you. As for my palace, you can come and see it for yourself. It’s just
down the road from here.”
“Yes, come,” said Hvau’s mother. “There is room for us all in the
coach.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Walther. “I would very much like to
see it.” And he scrambled into the carriage, completely abandoning his
party and his Duchess. Hvau’s mother winked at Elissa as she and Hvau
helped the dowager king and queen into the carriage and followed behind
them.
They traveled down the road at a nice clip, then turned off onto a
grassy meadow.
“There’s no road here,” said King Walther.
“Mmm,” said Hvau’s father. “A bit overgrown after all these years.”
King Walther subsided, but he shifted nervously as they drove
deeper into wilderness. At last, the carriage reached the pond and
stopped. “Here we are!” cried Hvau’s mother. “Come, Hvau, hand me out.”
One by one, they clambered out, Walther last. He stood before the
pond, unbelieving. “But there’s nothing here!”
The Salamander appeared before him in another puff of smoke. “Can’t
you see it, Your Majesty?” he asked Walther. “Then let me help you.” He
reached down, dipped his hand into the pond, and flicked its water upon
the befuddled king.
King Walther immediately began to shrink. “What?” he bellowed.
“Have?” he cried. “You done?” he croaked. He had turned into a large,
exceedingly warty frog.
Hvau bent over and scooped him up. “Welcome to my kingdom, Your
Majesty.” And he dropped King Walther into the pond.
Walther struggled and kicked and wallowed, and they all laughed
mightily at his feebleness as a frog. Not much time passed before a
wandering heron came and made an evening meal of him.
“Well,” said the Queen of the Pond. “All’s well that ends well.
Now, tell me truly, child,” she said, turning to Elissa. “Do you really
want to marry this son of mine?”
Elissa blushed. “Yes, I do. I liked him even before I knew he was
handsome.”
“And you, Hvau? Have you finally found your bride?”
Hvau blinked at her. “Yes, mother, I believe I have. You’re not
upset?”
The King of the Pond laughed. “You don’t think she was always a
frog, do you?”
From that time on, Hvau and Elissa ruled both kingdoms, spending
part of their time in their human forms and part of their time as the
rulers of the Pond. Of their children, some chose to live in the human
world, and some chose the Pond, but all were taught the power of
transformation by the Salamander, so that they could visit whenever
they wished.