The Frog Prince

Chapter 2: The Goat Boy

Dedicated to EMF1119 and Skyskye99 for being my constant friends during the long hours of summer camp this year (2015) and making them fun :D

My little sister, Attia, tugged at the hem of my hunting jacket. "Can I come? Can I come?"

I tried to push her off, but she had a grip like a blacksmith's metal tongs. All I could do was stagger along as she clung to my leg. "I said no, Attia. No means no. And besides, all I'm doing is bringing the goat boy his lunch. It's not interesting at all."

Attia shook her head, short bronze curls bouncing in her eagerness. "But the goatses are interesting. And cute. Especially the baby goatses."

I sighed. "No, they're not," I told her. "They're smelly, disgusting, and they like to chew on your hair whenever you go there. And I'm the one who has to comb the knots out of your hair when you get home. In a few years, when you're my age, you'll understand that they are a species of revolting, repulsive little buggers."

Attia was undeterred. "Please can I go? Pleeease?" She dragged out the E like it was going to be her ticket outside.

I looked down to my hands, which were holding a tray under a hot bowl of hearty, warm stew, fresh from Cook's kitchen, a quarter loaf of buttery bread, and a small jug of water. Unfortunately, both the water and the stew looked nearly ready to tip over, seeing as I was doing my best to hold them upright even though Attia was doing her best to shake my leg clean off.

Thankfully for the bowl and the jug, I decided to give in to Attia's demands before they crashed and before the shards bounced all over the floor. "Fine." As much as I hated taking her to see the 'adowrable witttle goatses', it was better than having Cook chase me out of the kitchen because she was minus one bowl and minus one pitcher. "But if I catch you in the goat pen again, I'll put you on the leash of one of Father's hunting dogs and I'll tie you to a tree. Understand?"

Attia nodded earnestly. "Cross my heart," she said. "Now can we go see the goatses?"

~*~*~*~

The hard-packed earth was slightly soggy from last night's thunderstorm. Rain, thunder, and lightning had shook the East Wing tower, where my room was located, and I was nearly sure the roof was going to come down by the monstrous noise of the roaring rain outside.

But as powerful as the storm had been yesterday, it was equally powerful in the way the water had rejuvenated the plants. Daisies sprung from the ground in random clumps, wild raspberry and strawberry bushes dotted the plains that went on for miles, forget-me-not blossoms made a soft, unforgettable blanket covering the hillside, and quite possibly the most beautiful sight of them all: the Black Forest, the same view of trees I got from my tower window, stretching out for as far as the eye could see towards the rising sun.

The lush, dark woods housed hidden game just ready to be caught. 

If I checked now, I'd bet my traps were chock-full of squirrels, rabbits, and other small, furry things that tasted good when roasted over a slow fire and sprinkled with spices.

If I went hunting now, I might even bring down a deer or two, on a day like this.

If I went fishing down by the Waterfall of Youth , I'd have nets brimming with fish.

If I picked some berries now, I could have a whole self-prepared feast set by lunch.

But no, I was responsible for my sister and my mother had made me promise never to take her into the woods. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because my mother adores Attia and would kill me if my sister somehow got hurt. Or maybe it's because I'm the only one in the family who still explores the Black Forest, since rumors circulate around the kingdom about how there are monsters in the woods.