The Frog Prince ~ with a twist

Prologue

One windy and stormy night, when the wind blew against the shutters and the moon cast deadly shadows through the curtains, the Duchess of the Kingdom of Ocauria fell ill. Due to give birth to her first child, the Duke was worried and asked the King to search for a cure so that his child might live. As the Duke was a very respected friend and servant of the King, the King did all he could to help him. He searched through his kingdom far and wide for doctors and herbalists who could cure her, but none could be found. When at last when he came to the library to look at a book with various cures, a map dropped out, leading  to the home a witch doctor who was said could cure all types of sickness and disease before the point of death. The King gave the map to the Duke, and he started on the grave adventure to find the witch doctor. When at last he reached the humble abode, he met with a woman with wrinkled skin and grey slimy hair. He told her that his wife was ill and begged for the strongest type of medicine or cure that she could offer so that his child would live..

However she answered, "She must drink the blood of a green kissed frog by day, and sleep by night, until the baby is born, but there must be consequences. After the baby is born, she will die. But I must warn you, there is a chance that the child will be cursed."

In anger and rage that his wife wouldn't survive, he burnt her home down, and took the witch doctor captive, to advise a different cure for his wife. Through the return journey back to Ocauria, the Duke realised that he had only asked for the child's life, not for his wife's. 

So by day he fed the Duchess a kissed frog's blood until the day of her death. 

"At least", he thought, "My child will live."

He also tried to keep the witch doctor alive, asking for more advice, but she refused to give it to him, saying over and over, "That is the only cure I have. It is what you asked for, therefore it is what must be done."

The Duke paid his attention onto his wife until the child was born, and in this time forgot about the witch doctor. So there she stayed, slowly rotting in the cell. 

A son was born to the Duke, and he was overjoyed. However as the consequence had been stated, his wife, the Duchess, died. The King held a funeral for her, and the Kingdom of Ocauria moured for her death. 

The Duke gave his son the name 'Faris', meaning 'knight', and so he grew up with blond hair as bright and yellow as sunshine and with his mother's green jade eyes. But sadly, as time went on, the Duke realised that Faris was cursed. Cursed to turn into a frog by day, but turn back into the handsome boy he was by night. 

So the Duke nursed and raised his half-frog-boy, just like he knew his wife would have wanted. But as he grew and ripened with age, the Duke began to worry. For who could every marry a frog by day, without seeing his true appearence by night?