The Frog Prince And The Witch Chapter 4

                                        

Ian thought that he would drown, but after noticing no pain in his lungs underwater, he struggled to wake up. His hands and feet constantly paddled against the water until his head finally emerged from the lake. The full moon still hung in the air; it seems that he fainted for only a short time.

He broke through the bundle of reeds, when he vaguely heard the wrathful scream of the mad woman. At this moment, the knights were still battling against the rebels for the sake of succession, while a few soldiers continued to search in the dark for the missing prince. The darkness was thick, and it seemed to engulf all beings just like the lake. Meanwhile the men scoured the lake to search for a frog…..

He was now a Frog. 

The prince raised his hands and noticed he had the webbed fingers of a four-toed frog. The sensation kicking feet against water compared to swimming with his webbed feet was not the same; even his vision has changed.

He became a beast just as the crazy woman had wanted.

The woman's unreasonable commands finally angered the knights. They said it was dangerous to venture into the crocodile lake during the night. Instead they disobeyed her orders and rejoined the battle. Ian was temporarily safe.

But he did not dare to rest here, he must leave!

Without a moment to waste, he hurried to the sh.o.r.e and trudged onwards. As long as he reaches the temple, the priests will surely recognize him as a cursed human! Naturally, somebody will think of a solution for his curse…..He must trust in their capabilities, otherwise he really doesn't know how he will continue to live!

It took the prince three days to finally leave the woods. During this time, some soldiers continued to search for him, but all of them were successfully avoided. Finding a frog that was smaller than a fist was a difficult task to do in the midst of such dense woods. Sometimes the frog would look up at the moon and smiled self-mockingly; compared to the blemished and waning moon, at least his frog skin looked much better. Once he was out of the forest, he made his way down the long road, hoping to find some town or city.

It was not a difficult thing to do as a person, but now that he's a frog, everything had become much bigger and much more dangerous. There were times when he would be chased by dogs, and other moments when shoes were tossed at him. At times, even civilians who were casually pa.s.sing by would almost swing at him with their canes. Not to mention walking on the road, the possibility of being crushed by carriages or by a stampeding horse was quite high. Ian was already very miserable after pa.s.sing through a small town. After leaving the town, he couldn't imagine it—when he reaches the city, the chance of an accidental death was much higher.

As a frog, he was spurned and despised by everyone daily. It felt as if the entire world had turned against him, becoming full of malice. When he suffered hunger, he could only eat disgusting flies and mosquitos. When he cringed from thirst, he could only drink water from the damp, disgusting potholes. He was tired, but he could only sleep in the damp, dirty corners. If he wasn't in a humid place, his skin would easily crack from dryness.

If he was originally a frog, then his life may be considered very good, but he was a person, a person! A man was imprisoned in such a sh.e.l.l. His circ.u.mstances not only made him deeply frustrated, it also forced him to be deeply humbled. Every day that he opened his eyes was like a torture inflicted by an invisible hand. Although he was fortunate to still breathe air, he still felt that the days and weeks were threatening to drown and suffocate him.

Despite the difficult journey, he did not dare to linger in one place. He continued to hop along the official road where the citizens would walk.

Ian didn't know what to expect. Maybe he was looking forward to meeting the priests along the road? But can they recognize that he is a cursed person with the magic they hold? After all, no matter which part of him, everything about him resembles a frog. Is there a priest that is powerful enough to discover his state? There has to be!

The hot sun was blazing. 

It was already summer. Prince Ian remembered that it was a beautiful spring day when he first visited the Duke's mansion….it seems that he was imprisoned later for more than three months. 

The official road was currently worn down due to being trampled on by horse carriages and footsteps during the long course of time. The gra.s.ses did not have the chance to grow on such a spot. Much of the road was covered with pebbles and sand, causing the ground to be relatively dry and hot. The summer sun was quite hot today. While humans may not be affected, such a weather for a frog was like h.e.l.l……Ian felt as if he was dying from the heat, otherwise he wouldn't be so depressed right now would he?

Once again, he hopped forward with much effort, only to end up falling on the ground. Then he found that he couldn't get up. He was so tired everyday; he hasn't slept well for many nights and now he has become a thin and frail frog. Ian knelt near the official road. If he continues to roast like this under the sun, he may soon become a dead frog.

Ian could not consciously laugh, so he issued forth a weak croak; a dignified prince was actually turned into a frog and was now about to die beside the official road. No one would be there to properly bury his body, thus leaving him to die in the wild. He would probably be left as food for the foxes or lizards.

The prince finally closed his eyes with a sad smile as he felt himself being enwrapped in a gentle pair of hands….has Death brought him into her arms? Is it time for him to die?

Yes, it seems to be his time…..

                                            

(for other translated works)