Once Upon A Princess

13: Curse Broken

It took a moment for both of them to realize what had just happened. They stared at each other as Amelia pulled away, wanting badly to wipe her mouth but ignoring the impulse. That kiss, her first kiss, had been slimy, almost sticky, and not at all pleasant. Her lips felt coated in whatever substance kept the frog perpetually slick and dewy.

She could see he was starting to say something, but before he could he had started to glow. It was faint, like a halo around him that shimmered in the air. He looked at himself, eyes wide and a smile coming to his face.

"Put me down!" he insisted, his voice rising higher with his excitement.

She did as he asked, hastily, for the glow was starting to increase in size and intensity. She set him on the floor, stepping back until she felt the back of her legs hit against her bed. It still didn't feel far away enough, as the glow was now spreading outwards. It became a fog, obscuring the prince in his frog body. Amelia looked away, scared of what might happen. Magic was unraveling right in her own bedroom, but she couldn't seem to witness it.

She saw the room dimming in her peripherals, but she was too afraid to look. It was only when he spoke that she turned her head.

"I'm me!" he exclaimed, and she thought she heard some emotion in his voice, something behind the blatant surprise and elation. He sounded different; the frog shape had changed his voice to be unrecognizable from his true one.

When she finally looked at him, she was surprised. In her mind, she still saw him as the small toddler who had pulled her hair and laughed as he pinched her. And, truthfully, she hadn't really been sure the curse would be broken by just a simple kiss. Or even if there was truly a curse.

But standing in front of her was a person, honest in his peril. And he looked completely different than her memories of him.

Prince Theolon was still barely taller than she, possibly unaffected by any growth spurts yet. His skin was darker than she remembered; the warm brown tone reminded her of dark chocolate, or coffee. His hair was still dark, thick, and curly, but instead of being cropped short on his head it was long; the ends curling just above his brow, around his ears and down his neck. At least he still had that slit that cut through his left eyebrow; a strange and discernable feature she hadn't realized she'd remembered about him. He looked like a normal teenage boy, except for the expensive clothes he wore.

He was patting himself, as if he couldn't believe he was really there. There was a shine in his dark eyes, a small smile on his face.

Without thinking much about it, she put her hands on his shoulders, much to his surprise, and spun him around so he faced the mirror that stood by the dresser. She nudged him so he stepped forward, looking at himself. He touched his own face, off-handed, as if he didn't realize what he was doing. He spoke softly, almost to himself.

"I've been avoiding mirrors ever since I was turned."

Amelia felt herself inhale, sucking the air through her teeth. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how hard this must have been for him; trapped in a body that wasn't his. That wasn't even human. She felt the guilt of her role in his misery; of waiting, all because she didn't want to kiss a frog.

He whipped around, turning to face her before she could say anything. He had a wide grin on his face. Now that he had teeth, she noticed that his left canine was chipped, an imperfect flaw for a royal to carry.

"You did it! You broke the curse!" he nearly shouted. It was a jubilant shout, and she thought he might embrace her, but instead he just stepped closer and let out a happy sigh.

"Shut up," she whispered fiercely. "Or you'll alert—"

"Princess? Is everything alright in there?" a guard called from outside her door. The prince immediately stepped back, his stance going rigid.