THE FROG-PRINCE
IN times of yore, when wishes were both heard and granted, lived a kingwhose daughters were all beautiful but the youngest was so lovely thatthe sun himself, who has seen so much, wondered at her beauty everytime he looked in her face. Now, near the king's castle was a large darkforest; and in the forest, under an old linden tree, was a deep well.When the day was very hot, the king's daughter used to go to the woodand seat herself at the edge of the cool well; and when she becamewearied, she would take a golden ball, throw it up in the air, and catchit again. This was her favorite amusement. Once it happened that hergolden ball, instead of falling back into the little hand that shestretched out for it, dropped on the ground, and immediately rolled awayinto the water. The king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but theball had vanished, and the well was so deep that no one could see downto the bottom. Then she began to weep, wept louder and louder everyminute, and could not console herself at all.
While she was thus lamenting some one called to her: "What is the matterwith you, king's daughter? You weep so that you would touch the heart ofa stone."
She looked around to see whence the voice came, and saw a frogstretching his thick ugly head out of the water.
"Ah! it is you, old water-paddler!" said she. "I am crying for my goldenball, which has fallen into the well."
"Be content," answered the frog; "I dare say I can give you some goodadvice; but what will you give me if I bring back your plaything toyou?"
"Whatever you like, dear frog," said she, "my clothes, my pearls andjewels, even the golden crown I wear."
The frog answered, "Your clothes, your pearls and jewels, even yourgolden crown, I do not care for; but if you will love me, and let me beyour companion and play-fellow, sit near you at your little table, eatfrom your little golden plate, drink from your little cup, and sleep inyour little bed--if you will promise me this, then I will bring you backyour golden ball from the bottom of the well."
"Oh, yes!" said she; "I promise you every-thing, if you will only bringme back my golden ball."
She thought to herself, meanwhile: "What nonsense the silly frog talks!He sits in the water with the other frogs, and croaks, and cannot beanybody's playfellow!"
But the frog, as soon as he had received the promise dipped his headunder the water and sank down. In a little while up he came again withthe ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The king's daughterwas overjoyed when she beheld her pretty plaything again, picked it up,and ran away with it.
"Wait! wait!" cried the frog; "take me with you. I cannot run as fast asyou."
Alas! of what use was it that he croaked after her as loud as he could.She would not listen to him, but hastened home, and soon forgot the poorfrog, who was obliged to plunge again to the bottom of his well.
The next day, when she was sitting at dinner with the king and all thecourtiers, eating from her little gold plate, there came a sound ofsomething creeping up the marble staircase--splish, splash; and when ithad reached the top, it knocked at the door and cried, "Youngest king'sdaughter, open to me."
She ran, wishing to see who was outside; but when she opened the doorand there sat the frog, she flung it hastily to again and sat down attable, feeling very, very uncomfortable. The king saw that her heart wasbeating violently, and said, "How, my child, why are you afraid? Is agiant standing outside the door to carry you off?"
"Oh, no!" answered she, "it is no giant, but a nasty frog, whoyesterday, when I was playing in the wood near the well, fetched mygolden ball out of the water. For this I promised him he should be mycompanion, but I never thought he could come out of his well. Now he isat the door, and wants to come in."
Again, the second time there was a knock, and a voice cried:
"Youngest king's daughter, Open to me; Know you what yesterday You promised me, By the cool water? Youngest king's daughter, Open to me."
Then said the king, "What you promised you must perform. Go and open thedoor."
She went and opened the door; the frog hopped in, always following andfollowing her till he came up to her chair. There he sat and cried out,"Lift me up to you on the table."
She refused, till the king, her father, commanded her to do it. Whenthe frog was on the table, he said, "Now push your little golden platenearer to me, that we may eat together." She did as he desired, but onecould easily see that she did it unwillingly. The frog seemed to enjoyhis dinner very much, but every morsel she ate stuck in the throat ofthe poor little princess.
Then said the frog, "I have eaten enough, and am tired; carry me to yourlittle room, and make your little silken bed smooth, and we will layourselves down to sleep together."
At this the daughter of the king began to weep; for she was afraid ofthe cold frog, who wanted to sleep in her pretty clean bed.
But the king looked angrily at her, and said again: "What you havepromised you must perform. The frog is your companion."
It was no use to complain; whether she liked it or not, she was obligedto take the frog with her up to her little bed. So she picked himup with two fingers, hating him bitterly the while, and carried himupstairs: but when she got into bed, instead of lifting him up to her,she threw him with all her strength against the wall, saying, "Now younasty frog, there will be an end of you."
But what fell down from the wall was not a dead frog, but a living youngprince, with beautiful and loving eyes, who at once became, by her ownpromise and her father's will, her dear companion and husband. He toldher how he had been cursed by a wicked sorceress, and that no one butthe king's youngest daughter could release him from his enchantment andtake him out of the well.
The next day a carriage drove up to the palace gates with eight whitehorses, having white feathers on their heads and golden reins. Behind itstood the servant of the young prince, called the faithful Henry. Thisfaithful Henry had been so grieved when his master was changed into afrog that he had been compelled to have three iron bands fastened roundhis heart, lest it should break. Now the carriage came to convey theprince to his kingdom, so the faithful Henry lifted in the bride andbridegroom and mounted behind, full of joy at his lord's release. Butwhen they had gone a short distance, the prince heard behind him a noiseas if something was breaking. He cried out, "Henry, the carriage isbreaking!"
But Henry replied: "No, sir, it is not the carriage but one of the bandsfrom my heart, with which I was forced to bind it up, or it would havebroken with grief while you sat as a frog at the bottom of the well."
Twice again this happened, and the prince always thought the carriagewas breaking; but it was only the bands breaking off from the heart ofthe faithful Henry, out of joy that his lord, the frog-prince, was afrog no more.