The Ereri Project!

Pond (Fairy Tale)

A/N: The Frog Prince

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Once upon a time, a young prince was searching the garden behind his family's castle for his lost necklace.

"Where could it have gone?" he asked in despair.

You see, the ring had been given to him by his late mother, who he loved and missed dearly. She had given it to him on the eve of his thirteen birthday.

"Levi, all I ask it that you take very good care of this," she told him. "I was told to give it to you when I thought you were old enough to take proper care of it. I was told to tell you it will bring you the greatest happiness one day if you keep it, so please?"

For the longest time, he'd worn it on a chain around his neck, but last night something possessed him to take if off before he went to bed.

When he awoke, only the chain was left behind, severed in the middle.

By the time he reached the pond at the far end of the garden, he had nearly given up. "What am I go to do?" he asks, a single tear falling down his pale cheek.

"Do not cry."

Levi looked around rapidly, he couldn't bear to let anyone, especially another man, see him cry. "Who's there!" he called.

"I'm right here."

Levi looked down to see a frog perched on one of the stones surrounding the pond. Taken aback as he was that the tiny creature was indeed speaking to him, he had no idea what to say.

"Do not cry," the frog said again. "Beautiful people should never cry."

Levi furrowed his eyebrows at that. The only person who had ever called him beautiful had been his mother. "How are you able to do that?" he asks, finding his voice.

"Long ago an old witch cursed my family so as a baby I was turned into a toad. I only learned to speak when a beautiful spirit came to me here in this pond and gave me a voice."

Levi nodded slowly, unsure what to do.

"So, why is it you were crying?" the frog asked.

Levi wipes his eye on his sleeve. "My mother gave me a ring," he said. "But I lost it last night."

The frog gave an inquisitive expression Levi hadn't expected before it jumped into the pond.

When it rose again, it held a ring in it's mouth, Levi's ring.

The raven gasped. "There it is!"

"This ring?" the frog asks. "But it was given to me by the same spirit who gave me my voice, I can't let you have it for free."

"What do you want for it then? Anything."

"A kiss," said the frog.

"A kiss?"

"That's all I want," he replied.

Levi shrugs. "Alright," he says.

He holds out his hand and the frog slides the ring onto Levi's left hand ring finger. Levi turns his palm up so they frog could climb on. He lifted the tiny creature up to his mouth and kissed the tiny frog's mouth.

With a flash, Levi was thrown back into the grass and he heard a noisy splash.

Confused and annoyed, he sat up and tried to reorient himself. "What-"

When he looked down, he saw a young man sitting in the pond with a lopsided gold crown on his head and a ring identical to his own on his finger.

He stretched and Levi's blushed at how clearly naked he was. He grinned at Levi. "I'm Eren," he said. "A prince from the Kingdom of the Green Lagoon."

"I'm L-Levi," he replied nervously.

"I know," said Eren. "Your mother told me all about you."

"My mother?"

"When the witch turned me into a toad, it was your mother who brought me to this pond. She promised when both of us were older she'd find a way to get you to make me normal again... but who'd have to marry me first."

"The ring was-"

Eren nodded.

Levi cracked a grin that turned quickly into laughter.

"Levi?"

Levi just shook his head and stood up, holding his hand out for Eren. "Come on," he said. "Since we're married now, I'm glad you're at least cute."

Eren's cheeks flushed at that and he stumbled to learn how human legs work as Levi guided him into the castle.

And they lived, happily ever after.