Nancy and the Toad Prince

Chapter 1: To Grandmother's House We Go

Located in a remote, and some say magical, part of the deep forest, Granny's little white cottage had a thatched roof and red checkered curtains on the windows. From the framed door, a cobbled path led down to a quick moving stream where willows along the bank bent over the cattails and horsetails.

Standing in the cottage doorway, Granny passed carefully wrapped packages to 16-year-old Nancy, who had traveled through the forest to help Granny clean and was now preparing to return through the forest to her family.

"And three pimento cheese sandwiches, just in case."

"Thank you!" Nancy smiled and walked over to a jet black horse, fully saddled and eager to be off. She stowed the packages in her saddlebag, and Midnight shuffled and snorted, pushing Nancy with his head, urging her into the saddle. Nancy patted his withers, "shhh. We'll leave soon. Just be patient."

The horse shook his head, rattling the bridle, and then absentmindedly lowered his head and looked for grazing.

"Okay, so that's the sandwiches, and the preserves, and the hats for your brothers," Granny's brow was furled as she checked the items off on her fingers. "What am I forgetting?" she muttered, grumbling under her breath something about not liking getting old.

"Ah ha!" she said, looking up, a bright recognition in her eyes. "I remember! The remedies for Belle! Wait here, I'll be right back!" And Granny trotted quickly back to the cottage.

Nancy ambled down to the stream, wondering how long this was going to take.

Sitting atop a tall, flattish stone, Nancy stared blankly at the water and daydreamed. From behind, Grandpa came out of the house and smiled when he saw Nancy sitting on "her" stone.

"Not kissing any frogs, I hope," he said as he approached.

Nancy stirred, looked back over her shoulder at Grandpa and smiled.

"No!" she laughed. "I haven't done that in a long time. Not since I found out they are all gnomes anyway," and with the tip of her riding boot, she gently pushed a plaintive frog back into the moving water.

"There do appear to be quite a few of them," she noted as Grandpa stopped and stood beside her. She indicated a rather large and vocal gathering of frogs raising a crooky chorus of "kiss me!"

"Yes, well," said Grandpa, pulling his pipe out of his waist pocket, striking a match, and lighting the pipe. "I think there is some bad blood between the Gnome king and Fairy queen right now. She does seem to be free and easy with that spell with the gnomes. But I can't say for certain," and he took a puff off his pipe. "I make it my business to stay OUT of fairy business."

"Why do they all seem to come here?"

Grandpa motioned with his pipe past Nancy, upstream where the creek flowed out of thick mass of trees. "I've heard there is deep magic back in that part of the forest. This stream flows out from there, and I think it draws them. But I don't know. Like the fairies and the gnomes, I make it none of my business."

Grandpa winked and gave Nancy a gentle nudge. "You know, in my day, a lady wouldn't have thought about riding around in britches like that."

"Yes, well, in your day there were also a lot fewer trolls. Midnight can outrun any troll," and she nodded toward her horse, "provided I can stay in the saddle. And riding side saddle in dress just isn't going to it."

Nancy's otherwise curly and unruly hair was tightly braided and under a wide brimmed hat. She wore an oiled leather coat over a white tunic tucked into soft leather britches; the hilt of a knife just showed at her waistband. On her feet were laced up riding boots.