A Frog's Tale

***

Author's disclaimer: None of the characters featured with the exception of the sheep, horses and natural phenomenon belong to me. They are the wonderful brain children of Fuyumi Ono and JC Staff.

Principle Cast

Mai Taniyama

(heroine, ward of the Minister of Trade)

Naru

(Prince Oliver, the most arrogant prince seen in recent times)

Houshou Takigawa

(Royal Tutor, general slob and aspiring musician)

Ayako Matsuzaki

(The Countess of Carmine, heiress and part-time mystical priestess)

Madoka Mori

(The Enchantress, only person who is not completely terrified of Naru)

Lin Koujo

(His Excellency, the most esteemed Minister for Trade in Albion, Mai's guardian)

Osamu Yasuhara

(final year student at the University of Albion and resident prankster)

Masako Hara

(Princess of Nihon, Naru's rival to the title of most arrogant person seen in recent times)

Sir John

(knight in training and visitor from the Southern Kingdoms)

*

Secondary Cast

The King & the Queen of Albion

*

Other Cast

Various sheep, horses, citizens and luminaries of Albion and Nihon and all manner of convenient natural phenomenon

And specially featuring

Gene

(Prince Eugene, practicing mage and only other person not completely terrified of Naru)

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a prince who was as arrogant as he was handsome. The pride and despair of his parents, the prince would spend his day equally distributed between being generally sarcastic to all and sundry and being studious, for in spite of his attention to his own appearance, he was in fact far from being an airhead. Intelligent and good-looking as he was, he soon became the natural choice for many mothers in the land hoping to marry their daughters off. However, his often biting remarks and barely contained bored expression in the presence of these women soon discouraged any but the most foolhardy in their attempts to entice him into marriage and he soon gained a reputation for being an overbearing curmudgeon. His own mother could often be found nursing a headache in the antechamber by the throne room while the King, who'd given his son up as a permanent bachelor could be heard muttering incoherently about incorrigible heirs in his study. It was a pity really, the gossipy tongues wagged and whispered as the prince sauntered through his palace oblivious to the voices that lurked nervously in the corners. 'Shame that he was so arrogant, if he wasn't he'd been the perfect crown prince. At the tender age of sixteen, he'd published a well received treaty on astronomy and half a year later, had begun lecturing at the Kingdom's renowned university and had successfully negotiated trading and diplomatic works with a neighbouring kingdom under the watchful aegis of his tutor.

Then, everything fell apart.

A grand ball was being held in honour of the prince's seventeenth birthday and guests from all over the continent had been invited to the festivities. The prince, who'd been attempting to escape from the fuss that had been kicked up in preparation of the night had wandered off into the nearby woods. There, he was disgusted to find (what he thought) a female guest standing under a tall oak tree. Biting back his annoyance, he strode off in the other direction, only to have the other figure follow and latch on to his arm. Startled, Prince Oliver swiveled round, the beginnings of a temper showing in his stormy blue eyes. "What-" he'd began to say and then stopped short. The woman (if that was what she was) was hideous. Her skin was sallow and dry and sagged under her watery eyes while her hair was graying and disheveled. As his horrified gaze traveled down, he spotted a wart lurking on the under side of her chin. The dress she wore was of a modish cut, but so faded and tattered that he winced at the sight of it. This woman was most definitely not clean and he hastily shook free of her grasp. "Who are you?" he demanded. The woman looked at him, eyes wide and pleading.

"Please, kind sir... you've to help me."

He sighed impatiently. "Go up to the palace. Someone'll take care of you there."

The woman shook her head vehemently. "You have to help me." she rasped again.

Prince Oliver, who never had a good temper anyway, glared at her. "I don't have the time to waste here. My palace is not a charity as it is. Stop bothering me or I'll have my guards throw you out of the grounds, hag." With those words, he started to walk away.

"Do you mean that, arrogant prince?" he heard a quiet voice behind him ask.

"Yes," he growled and started to walk away again, when he found that he could not move.

A cold wind whipped about and in place of where the hag had been standing was an Enchantress instead. Her long hair whipped about in the wind menacingly, and she spoke in a clear voice. "Prince Oliver, you are the most arrogant and bigheaded prince I've met so far. Take back your words or suffer the consequences." On hindsight, the prince would wonder why he'd refuse to apologize, he was as he liked to inform others, not stupid but there and then, with a challenging look, he smirked at her. "An enchantress? I thought they were supposed to be enchantingly beautiful," he said. The Enchantress merely quirked an eyebrow and replied calmly.

"I am the Enchantress Madoka, and really, prince, surely you know looks aren't everything especially when its more about being able to do this-" She waved her hand in a single fluid motion and the prince disappeared in a cloud of thick smoke.

4 hours or so later...

The enchantress, Madoka twitched guiltily. "Admit it," Takigawa grumbled. "While Naru ought to have behaved better, you lost your temper too!"

"Yes, and you- (she prodded his chest) suggested that I teach your young charge a lesson! You said he was driving you crazy!" The Royal Tutor flushed an uncharacteristic shade of crimson. "I meant something like scare him a bit. Not this-" he shook his head. "And definitely not on his birthday." Madoka sighed. "What's done is done. I can't undo the spell."

"And," she added, "he had it coming you know."

Takigawa groaned. "What am I going to tell his parents?"

They were in his private chambers and Takigawa sat down heavily at his writing table. It had been almost three hours since the enchantress had barged in frantically. In her panic, he'd not at first been able to understand what she was saying – something about walking in the woods, minding her own business, the wretched prince and a spell gone wrong until he caught sight of the small green frog she had been clutching in her hand. "Omigod," he had uttered, instantly recognizing the dour look that no transformation could disguise.

"I'm sorry!" Madoka said again, interrupting his thoughts.

They looked at each other. Faint strains of jolly music were drifting cheerily in from the Great Hall, borne by some stray breeze that had found its way into the bowels of the palace. But for the occupants of the room, it sounded more like a death toll. In particular, his death, Takigawa thought gloomily. What were they going to do?

Author's note: And how was that? Any OOCness of the characters is due to my inexperienced hand. Reviews are greatly appreciated!