Page 13 of The Frog Prince
He had made his days predictable on purpose. It helped him cope. It made existing like this easier. When he became the Frog Prince, the world he knew had shrunk to this forest and the glen and the frogs that stayed with him. The vastness of what used to be his had dwindled to very little.
Now it felt like it had pulled in even more. Narrowed down and centered around one singular person.
Alwin pressed a palm to his chest, his heart thundering uncontrollably under the skin. His ears echoing with sweetnessand his heart was full of a kindness he’d all but forgotten could exist.
The first thing Alwin had noticed when Otto stepped into his glen was, of course, his beauty. One could not deny the brilliance of the sun. Handsome, wide, and strong, he was a statue come to life, painted with gentle pinks and soft yellows that offered a warmth Alwin wanted to curl around. He had eyes the color of the clearest spring and hair that looked as if the sun itself wrapped its rays around each strand.
Alwin knew that shade of gold very well. It never failed to make him look twice, then look again, then never want to look away—an echo of the innocent boy of his past he still hadn’t let go of, even after all these years. And now he’d found it again.
He’d thought he’d never seen anything so stunning, but then he’d realized Otto wasmore.
It was written in the way he walked, his steps careful so as to not disturb his surroundings too much. He kept quiet, almost respectful of the force of nature that was Alwin’s home. He had helped one of Alwin’s frogs. Unprompted. With nothing to gain from it.
Alwin knew his frogs were just critters to humans. Vermin. Expendable. Disgusting. Something to frown upon and step over. Or worse, on. They had even gone so far as to start to hunt them for food.
Yet Otto, despite the urgency and his fear for his sister’s life, had taken the time to stop and not only help Farwin, but carry him to safety.
It warmed Alwin to his cold core. Made him feel like he was lying on a warm stone under the sun, soaking up the heat.
He felt alive. For the first time since he became this…creature…he felt like the life he’d clung to with all of his might was within his reach.
Was this what hope felt like?
It felt too grand to be hope alone. Too loud and earth-shaking. Alwin didn’t dare to voice out loud what he thought it was, but he knew this fragile flutter of the heart wasn’t easy to come by. And he cradled that feeling close to protect it, like a delicate butterfly in a hurricane.
He watched down the path from his hidden spot among his ruins, heart pounding as his frogs led Otto back to his home. He wanted to trail after him, desperate to stay close to that warmth now he’d discovered it, to let down the facade of the Frog Prince and beg for a kind word or look.
That would have to come later.
He had one chance to show Otto he was more than a monster creeping through the forest. More than a nightmare plaguing people’s pleasant dreams. He had to show Otto that the prince was still there. Under the green skin and wrapped around brittle boneshewas still there. And he had so much to offer to someone, if only they’d take the time to look.
“Well then…” he said, forcing himself to stand up. He forced his thoughts away from Otto’s beautiful face and focused on preparations for his impending arrival.
Three days.
That was how long he’d given Otto.
And that was how long he had to make the glen, his home, into a place Otto could grow to like.
“I will require some assistance,” he said, and before he could even finish the sentence, the glen filled with frogs of all shapes and sizes. They sat on the ground, sprawled on rocks and tree trunks, and floated in the shallow puddles around him.
The braver ones climbed his clothes and perched on his shoulders and the top of his head.
Their croaks filled the air, and he lifted his hand to quiet them.
“Friends,” he said, “we have three days to make this place presentable. I believe the one I have been waiting for has finally come to find me.”
The frogs puffed up in excitement, their cheeks and chests rounding with restrained croaks.
“I will allow a moment of excitement,” he said, and the cacophony that followed washed over him like a tidal wave.
He smiled wide at their genuine joy and hope for him, accepting tiny handshakes and thanking them for their enthusiastic congratulations.
What do you need, Your Majesty?one frog asked after things had settled.
Alwin tilted his head toward the ruins he claimed as his own.
“We need to turn our home into a place that could be a home for Otto as well. We need to clean up and find a place for him to sleep where he will be comfortable and feel safe.”
