Hey! I was so torn when choosing which story idea to go, I loved all of them. My favourite three (aside from this one) were Anastasia, Aladdin (Poppy as abu is awesome!), and the Snow Queen. All excellent ideas which I promise will be done. In two weeks I've got my summer, and I'll be writing every day

Enjoy!

"Kiss me, Princess, and make me your prince." Said Derek, leaning towards Mara. But Mara stepped back, covered in gold, and she shook her head

"I am so sorry, Derek. But I do not love you," she brushed his hair from his face "And I fear you only love me, to become a prince," Derek said nothing, looking down guiltily "Go home, for I will not kiss you," And Derek, turned and left.

"Good," Nina, her maid said, escorting Mara back to her bedroom chambers "He wanted nothing but the title of being a prince, and you Princess Mara, you deserve better,"

"Maybe." Mara said with a sigh "Nina, all of the men that come through here, if they're Princes they want a more beautiful Princess, and if they're frogs, they want only for me to kiss them, so they can hold the title of Prince, and then one day, King."

"You'll find someone," Nina encouraged, holding the door open for her "And you are beautiful, more beautiful then all the other Princesses I have seen."

And Mara was beautiful. At least in some people's eyes. Flawless tanned skin, with long black hair, which hung straight, softly down her back. She was dressed in beautiful, shining silver and gold dresses and everything was tailor made and everything was perfect and she loved what she was. Her brown eyes sparkled and her pink lips, if ever tasted, would have tasted like roses.

"Maybe not." Mara walked out onto the balcony, and Nina followed hesitantly, she was new, and though she had quickly learnt that Mara was much kinder, and not at all spoilt like the Royalty she had worked for, she didn't know whether she should cross the servant/friendship line. "Nina, what if I'm doomed to a life of stuck up Princes and greedy Frogs?"

For all those who don't know, Mara's fathers kingdom, though great and beautiful and rich, of course suffered the extremes. On the outskirts of the Kingdom lived the people who had been banned from the main kingdom a long time ago. And though the banishment was gone, their homes had never been rebuilt. They lived in the muddy swamps, and were, therefore, called Frogs.

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Jerome Clarke was a frog.

And oh he hated it.

He would have done anything for a better chance at life. He detested the fact that people were just born into the roles they lived, it was luck and chance and Jerome just hated the fact that he had been dealt poor cards at the poker table that was his life. His parents were cruel, made bitter from their own experiences and his sister had gone. He was alone and he hated it.

"Derek?" he looked up, wiping the mud from his face as he saw his friend walk into their small town "She didn't kiss you?"

"No," he shook his head, brown hair flopping into his eyes sadly "She knew, she knew I didn't love her! Jerome! I messed up my one chance of getting out of this hell hole!" he kicked at the ground and Jerome empathised greatly. He ran his hand through his hair

"Should I have a go?"

"You?" Derek looked him up and down. Jerome wasn't bad looking. In fact, if born into the right family, he might have been quite handsome. And that was rare for Frogs. Very rare. "And if she did kiss you- you could get me out, right?"

"You were going to do the same for me," Jerome nodded in earnest "Do you think I should?"

"Definitely, but how are you going to do it? It's 50 gold pieces to get on the list, I'd been saving for years, and you blow every bit of gold you get on food," It was true. Jerome was healthy looking, for he spent every piece of gold he earned on food, whereas Derek had scrimped and saved and become rather skinny and sunken, just to get on the list.

"I'll have to meet her beyond the castle walls," Jerome admitted "Or you know…sneak in," his blue eyes glittered "Go get your brother Alfie, I have a plan."

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Mara pulled the silk robe tighter around her, leaning over her balcony, and she noted that it was a full moon tonight. And poor Mara Jaffray, poor Princess Mara Jaffray, 19, and not yet betrothed. Her father was kind and supportive, and her mother had nurtured her well, but neither of them had answers for the questions she had, even if she did have the courage to ask them. "Why, stars?" she asked, looking up at the twinkling silver dots "Why can't I be loved?"

When she heard a thump, she looked out over the vast gardens, and decided to investigate. She flew from her room and down into the maids room, luckily Nina was asleep. She picked up Nina's tattered coat and slipped it on over her nightgown, and headed out into the garden.

It didn't take her long, she rushed right over to the edge, where she saw a blond man sitting up, holding his leg in pain "Are you alright?" Mara asked quietly, edging closer. People tried to sneak into the palace gardens for all sorts of reasons, to get to the palace, to steal food-

"I just landed on my knee," Jerome hissed through clenched teeth. And Mara couldn't help but laugh. He looked up at her, arching an eyebrow as he stood slowly "I'm glad you think my pain is so funny, maid-" he looked her up and down, recognising her to be a maid, what with the tattered coat, and then he saw her face. Jerome Clarke had never seen the Princess, so he didn't know, but she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. "H-hi,"

Mara blinked at him, and understood then why he thought she was a maid. "No," she smiled at him "I-"

"Look, don't tell anyone I'm here, please," Jerome cut her off, looking right into her eyes "I'm a Frog, I just needed some food," the lie came so naturally. Mara arched an eyebrow at him

"Food for the traveller?" she questioned "Or are you sure you're not just here to get the Princess to fall in love with you so you become a prince?"

Jerome smiled, and Mara's heart broke "Seen my type before then?"

"Too many times," Mara sighed, leading him to the castle. He walked with a slight limp "If it's any help, the Princess won't fall for it. She's clever."

"I have no doubt that she is. But I'm just trying my luck, the heart wants what the hearts wants. My tactic," Jerome began, licking his lips "Is to be the first genuine guy she's met, she'll fall in love with me, and then it's plain sailing,"

"But you're not being genuine," Mara frowned "You'd be lying to her." Jerome shrugged

"Listen, you must have been a Frog at some point, right?" Mara nodded, lying "Well then you know, you know what it's like to go days without food, or without work and living for those tiny gold pieces that are just keeping you alive," his eyes blazed as they walked into the kitchen "You know what it's like to sleep in the cold and work in the heat and think that there's no way out. This Princess, she's my way out. She's our way out, there are people counting on me, counting on this to work. Me becoming a Prince…I'm like our last shot,"

Mara's heart did soften, but it didn't do much to relinquish the fact that it would still be her that got hurt in the end "Have some fruit," she said finally, Jerome smiled at her

"Not many maids that offer aid anymore," he took a bite from the apple and closed his eyes smiling "God, I'd forgotten how much I liked these,"

"We have plenty," Mara smiled "A whole orchard full of them, take as many as you like," and they spent the night picking apples, and Jerome snuck back to the dirty old town, as Mara went back up to her room, replacing Nina's jacket.

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"Nina?" Mara said quietly, she had been on cloud nine last night, the best time of her life. To hang out with a boy who…who didn't want to be with her to be a prince, although he did…but he didn't know it was her. Oh the whole thing was very confusing "I'm going to need your help,"

"Whatever you wish, Princess."

And Mara turned, telling the Nina the whole story, and Nina watched, a smile gracing her face at the beginning of the love story "…and now I need you to be the Princess when Jerome comes, and I'll be the maid- so the whole thing doesn't fall apart,"

"Oh Mara!" Nina hugged her tightly "Of course I will, but what will you do when he finds out, because he will,"

"I don't know," Mara shook her head, eyes bright "All I know is- I've never had more fun than I have with him," Nina squealed and hugged Mara again tightly.

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"Here," Jerome threw the bag at Alfie who caught it ,and then dropped it. It was heavy "Apples," he laughed, Derek's eyes widened "A whole bag of apples," the two boys grabbed three each, and started eating as if they were going to disappear in a second "I haven't seen the Princess, but I met the most amazing servant girl, we spent the whole night talking and picking apples, and you should see her," Jerome ran his hand through his hair, collapsing on his small tatty bed "She's beautiful."

Alfie laughed loudly "Mate, I hope you're not falling for the Help instead of her Highness,"

"Of course not." Jerome said, shaking his head "No way. She was just…nice. I plan on impressing the Princess tomorrow. Don't worry guys, this won't change a thing."

I just bet it will! REVIEW!

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