The Song of Fern

The girl who cried wolf

The Frog King went to the location Fern's brothers had agreed upon in their letter. He wondered about their proposal, but seemed curious enough to find out the worth of their word. The brothers had spread out in the field, two of them sitting on a fallen log, another standing behind them. One of them stood leaning against a tree, the other two completing the semi-circle. Their father stood in the middle.

He felt the eyes of his two guards on him, but the Frog King shot the princes an unbothered look.

'Rumpelstiltskin paid our sister a visit,' Kayro stated. 

The Frog King looked at him. 'So you wrote in your letter. Why?'

'Because you took his kingdom,' Avery explained, looking at a rose in his hands.

The Frog King's lips curled upward. 'Interesting.' Before he could say more, Senna got up from the log. 

'She struck a bargain with him.' 

His grin turned to a grimace. 'What kind of bargain?'

'He gave her a rose. If the last petals falls and she has not guessed his name, he will take her for his bride.' The Frog King could feel his guards tense up. It was unheard of to claim another's mate - especially if she was the Frog King's. He seemed to stay calm, but on the inside he was a whirlwind of fire and devastation.

'Where is she?' he croaked, looking around, smelling her sweet, fruity scent. He sensed her anxiety, her fear, but also her determination. She was close-by, but they kept her hidden. Or, rather, she kept herself hidden. Knowing her, she would probably want to hear everything, but not meet him in the field.

Maxen's jaw tensed and the Frog King rolled his eyes. 'I cannot undo a bargain,' he added. 

'Then she will be Rumpelstiltskin's,' Lewis cried, throwing his hands up in the air, desperate.  

'However,' the Frog King added dramatically, 'I can prolong the rose's life. Then, every new moon one petal will fall, buying her enough time to come up with a plan. In return, I wish for a kiss.'

'NO!' he heard from above him. Amused, he looked at the full crown of the wild chestnut, as Fern appeared and jumped down, a rogue chestnut sticking to her sunshine locks. 'I will do no such thing!'

Now, the King of Nothing grew angry and turned around to face her. 'He who helps you when you are in trouble ought not to be despised by you! He is your only chance!' Fern folded her arms.

'He is not,' she simply said. The Frog King frowned, because he had no eyebrows to arch.

'I'm not?' he asked, slowly and deliberately walking up to her. 'You have a plan, then?'

'I have,' she said, nose up in the air. 

'Looking at that rose, you have two days left. Is your plan going to work, mate?' She swallowed and her confidence ebbed away. 

The Frog King sighed, almost sympathetically. 'One kiss you owe me, whenever you're ready.'

'I. Don't. Want. To.' But the Frog King had already sensed her doubts and he smiled.

'You're already wondering if your plan will work,' he breathed, 'you're already working on another plan to murder the one who murdered so many.' He came closer, his cool breath fanning her face. Fern's brothers got up, ready to pounce on him - like it would even matter at that point. If he wanted, he could easily struck her dead in a matter of seconds. 

Moronic humans and their dumb ideas. 

If he wanted he could just steal his mate from other their eyes. He hesitated for a second. He wanted to.