The Witch Princess and the Frog

"Do you know the Wizard?"

The sound of his name made her blood boil. Witch's eyes squinted into thin slits, and her muscles twitched in response. This stranger in front of her had crossed the line.

"First you come barging into my house without my permission, and now you dare to bring up the source of all my hatred in the world?! Who do you think you are?"

The young girl jumped back as Witch gradually raised her voice. She'd already looked particularly frightened ever since she'd entered Witch's small hut, and Witch's unpredictable temper hadn't helped in the slightest.

The farmer trembled as she took a big gulp of air, as if it would save her. "I-I've been going to his house everyday, and I haven't been able to meet him. I thought maybe you would know where he is…"

Witch sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "How am I supposed to know? I'm not that idiot's keeper. Maybe he did us all a favor and finally left this island!"

"Please don't say that!" the girl begged. "I really need his help… I'm searching for the Green Bell, and I've been told that he's the only one who can help me…"

"Wait," Witch interrupted, as if she hadn't been listening to anything the girl had been saying. "Did you say he hasn't been home? That lazy recluse never leaves his house…hmm…"

The girl stayed quiet as she watched the Witch pace her room in deep thought.

"Tell me, girl… did you happen to see a frog in that house, by chance?"

"Um, a frog?" the girl asked, testing her memory. "Well, now that you mention it… I did hear croaking somewhere in the room."

Witch stomped down her foot in triumph. "Aha! I knew it!"

The girl was beyond lost in this conversation, a skeptical eyebrow raised and aimed at the mysterious witch. "Knew what, now…?" she asked dumbly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"That frog is the man you're looking for!" Witch exclaimed between laughter. She had broken out into a hysterical fit of cackling. "What an idiot! I told him not to use that spell to revive the Goddess Tree, and look what happened to someone who dared not listen to the beautiful Witch Princess's advice! This is so…so perfect!"

"Wh-what?!" the young girl asked. Her eyes were wide with disbelief as the Witch continued her laughing fit. "He got turned into a frog? No way, this can't be happening to me... I need his help! Can't you turn him back to normal?!"

Any trace of laughter had immediately disappeared as soon as Witch heard the girl's request. Her smile turned upside down as she readied a glare. "What did you just say?"

"Um… I just asked if you could turn him back to normal…"

"Now why would I want to do something stupid like that, little girl?" Witch asked, somewhat more casually, her hands still defensive on her hips. "This is the most perfect justice that has ever been done in this world! My mortal enemy got exactly what he deserved!"

"Please help me!" the girl shouted, her sudden determination surprising them both. "I have to ring all the bells on this island, and I really need this man's help. You don't like him, I get that, but... this is a bigger deal than just you holding a grudge! The Harvest Goddess' life is at stake here. Her tree is dying, and it's only a matter of time before it wilts completely. You know this just as much as I do! That's why I have to do this…"

Witch stared at the girl, trying her hardest to look as unconcerned as possible. Humans were all the same. Always asking, always wanting things… but never giving back anything in return. It was all the fault of humans that the Goddess Tree was dying to begin with; their kind had forgotten the blessings that the Harvest Goddess bestowed upon them and the land.

"And what could a little human like you possibly do?" Witch finally asked after studying the girl for a moment. "You're telling me that the Harvest Goddess told you to do all this? That 'ringing the bells' nonsense?"

The girl quickly nodded in the affirmative. "Yes! I've already rung two of the bells, the Red Bell and the Blue Bell. Haven't you noticed that the powers of fire and water are back to normal?"

"Hmph," the Witch grunted. "And you're telling me that idiot has the Green Bell?"

The girl nodded in complete confidence.

Witch sighed, though skillfully maintaining her frown. The Wizard was very powerful. Much more powerful than her. Not that she'd even dream of admitting it out loud, but she couldn't deny that if anyone could help this girl, it would be him. She hated him so much that she had almost forgotten why she hated him; it had started long ago. Everything about him…she hated him! She loathed his existence! He tormented her thoughts constantly, his tanned face with his delicate features, his bi-colored eyes always watching her with his lazy, emotionless expression. She hated the way he smelled, a unique aroma of coffee and various potions. She hated the way his silver hair looked so effortlessly soft, and the way his lean body never aged like it should.

And his speech… oh, his speech. How much of her time had he wasted just by trying to say a single sentence to her? His broken vocabulary dragged even more than his personality, which was boring and serious. Never once in all the many years she'd known him had he ever smiled. There was even a time, long, long ago when Witch had tried to be nice to him. Goddess knows she'd genuinely tried to talk to him and get to know him, bringing him many gifts of octopus and squid and other such junk.

Every time, he would turn a cold shoulder to her and stick his nose back in a book. Although they had the same magical power, they couldn't be more different. She was fiery and passionate, a magical being absorbed in her greatness and beauty, while he was a social disaster, mysterious and enigmatic. He had devoted the last few centuries of his existence to his love for the universe—more precisely, stars.

After a while, they began to have arguments. Or rather, Witch would yell at him and he would watch her indifferently, wearing his usual unreadable expression. This only angered her more, and eventually Wizard got bored with their banter and left her alone completely. Not without having the last word, of course. Goddess, she hated how he did that.

She would never understand that man.

"Well, I hope you know that the only way to reverse the spell isn't easy," Witch finally said through her teeth.

The girl's expression immediately brightened, as if she already knew this was a sign she'd somehow convinced the Witch to cooperate. "I'll do anything! Just tell me what you need and I'll get it!"

Witch grinned devilishly. "Fine, the only ingredients I'm lacking is a Hibiscus flower, good cornmeal, perfect butter, and…"

She stopped her sentence abruptly, tapping her finger onto her chin. "Well, bring me those ingredients for starters and we'll go from there," she continued. "I doubt you'll be able to even acquire these items for me, so there's no point in telling you about the final ingredient yet."

The girl had apparently ignored the Witch's complete lack of faith in her abilities, choosing to bow instead. "Thank you so much, Miss Witch! Hibiscus, good cornmeal, and perfect butter… I'll be right back!"

She stopped to turn once she made it to the door. "By the way… my name is Molly." Her smile was much too contagious. "It's been a pleasure to meet you."

Witch rolled her eyes, finally alone again after the girl skipped out.

"Be right back, my ass," she snorted as she made her way to her cauldron, giving it a quick stir. "That foolish human will never find all those ingredients!"