As it often does, Spring turned into Summer. And our Frog Princess did just as she often did in the Summer time, she paid a visit to her father. Little did she know that this visit was going to be a world of difference compared to these usual reunions.
(Read the previous story of the Princess is the Frog here)
Her father’s new kingdom was a beautiful one, but the luscious valleys were more popular amongst Animals than human beings. And so when she went there, she fully expected her usual little solitary retreat. And so as I said, nothing was preparing her to meet a Prince in this Horse Kingdom. A Prince… Nay, a King!
Or so it was what her family was telling her.
He had been visiting the Horse Kingdom and had almost instantly won every, although not numerous, inhabitant’s admiration. Before the Princess had even set eyes on the said gentleman, she thought she had no other choice but to fall in love with him because everyone else already had.
Of course, what she must do and what she had in mind were two very different things.
And so when she first set eyes on him, she was… Cordial at best. She had not a care in the world for him. What did he need her cares for anyway since he already had everyone else’s? But the few times their path crossed, she was by no means in froggish dispositions. She was her usual charming Princess self, and maybe even a tad more since she didn’t have much care. The only care she had, was to show everyone how much she had no care at all for him.
The King didn’t speak much with words. His eyes on the other hand, told many stories and his ears were extremely attentive. But there was a glow in his face while he was listening to her that both reassured and frightened the Princess. And since she didn’t want to be overcome by either of these two emotions, she resolved into looking at him as less as possible.
This wasn’t a very effective trick when he asked to call on her.
Sitting down face to face, and nothing else to take her gaze away from him but the time set for her departure from the Horse Kingdom, she seldom had a choice but to give him her full undivided attention. And he certainly knew how to give his own undivided attention. Not knowing her but wanting to, he had also started to read things she had written. You see, dear reader, the Princess found solace in writing tales.
And although she thought it was, after all, highly possible that a man in chase would want to find out as much as he could about the object of his attentions, she was on the other hand, quite taken aback about how much he wanted her to talk about it. And even more surprised about how truthfully he seemed to be listening.
This was new. This was… Well an effort actually, she had not been used to talking so much about herself, her flaws, her deepest fears… (because what else would a young woman write in her tales?). The only comfort she found was that she was bound by nothing, she could tell it all without a care in the world. And maybe also because whatever she said, his gaze remained penetrating and intrigued.
When the meeting ended, she felt… Exhausted. Unwell too. Not knowing if she dreaded more the fact that this meeting would never happened again or the fact that it may very well take place.
Whichever the case, she had time to think about it. They both lived in different Kingdoms and if Cosmic Assistance had made them meet once, the following meetings would have to be perpetuated by mutual agreement. An agreement she surely would not be the one to ensue first.
The King had not asked for so much yet. But a month passed and his correspondence did not falter. Well actually it did sometimes, but it was all a good game the Princess knew how to play and did not think twice about. What she did think twice about was the subject of their letters. He seemed to ask for a deep understanding of her personality. More flaws, more fears, more of her past. Soon he knew close to everything about her froggish nature and she even knew a little about his’. Well, the little he conceded to reveal. And what a surprise those revelations were. They were nothing the Princess could have foreseen, and that made her sometimes that much more intrigued and sometimes that much more careless about him.
I think the most amusing thing to behold was that both their worst weaknesses would be exactly the downfall of the other.
With such information divulged in the correspondence she soon felt that if she fell for him and would, as her likely pattern, turn into a frog, he would be the typical case of a runaway Prince. And it seemed he knew that her not caring for him made him that much more predisposed to seek her attentions. And if he would finally win her cares, as his likely pattern dictated, he would be quickly satisfied and leave.
Both had the same fear. Marriage was a prison. And although neither believed it to be true, their past actions proved otherwise.
And so, she started longing to know more about his ugly nature, as he continued to press her about her’s.
It has to be said that she seldom felt so liberated than to be able to divulge her ugliness to a man who was said to be so perfect. For a woman afraid of loosing her freedom, this was a change. And she felt quite secure in knowing his vices (although what she had read in his eyes were quite the opposite of what he was now divulging) caring only for what was said to be his ghastly side. She had been so used to try and hide everything that was nasty to show off only what was said to be pretty, the Princess did not think this correspondence was anything near seduction.
And so, slowly and unknowingly, she was starting to care.
Xoxo – From the land of the blind with denial.
