Once upon a time, in a land where wishes still worked, there lived a King whose daughters were all beautiful. But the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Near the King’s castle lay a large, dark forest, and in that forest, under an old lime tree, was a well.
On warm days, the young Princess went out into the forest and sat down by the side of the cool fountain. To pass the time, she took a golden ball, threw it up into the air, and caught it again. This was her favorite plaything, and she loved the way it glittered in the sunlight.
One day, the Princess threw her golden ball up into the air, but she did not catch it. The ball fell upon the ground and rolled straight into the water. The Princess followed it with her eyes, but it vanished. The well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. She began to cry, and she cried louder and louder, unable to be comforted.
While she was crying, a voice called out, "What is the matter, King’s daughter? You weep so that even a stone would show pity." She looked around to see where the voice came from and saw a frog stretching his thick, ugly head out of the water. "Ah! It is you, old water-splasher," she said. "I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well."
"Be quiet and do not cry," answered the frog. "I can help you, but what will you give me if I bring your plaything up again?" "Whatever you will have, dear frog," she said. "My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am wearing."
The frog answered, "I do not care for your clothes, your pearls, or your golden crown. But if you will love me and let me be your companion and playfellow, sit by you at your little table, eat off your little golden plate, drink out of your little cup, and sleep in your little bed—if you will promise me this, I will go down and bring you your golden ball."
"Oh yes," said the Princess, "I promise you all you wish, if you will but bring me my ball back again." But she thought to herself, How the silly frog talks! He lives in the water with the other frogs and croaks, and can be no companion to any human being.
Once the frog received her promise, he put his head into the water and sank down. In a short while, he came swimming up again with the ball in his mouth and threw it on the grass. The King’s daughter was delighted to see her pretty plaything once more. She picked it up and ran away with it.
"Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take me with you. I cannot run as you can." But what did it avail him to scream his croak, croak, after her as loudly as he could? She did not listen to him, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go back into his well again.
The next day, when the Princess had sat down to dinner with the King and all the courtiers, something was heard creeping up the marble staircase—splish, splash, splish, splash. When it got to the top, it knocked at the door and cried, "Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me."
She ran to see who was outside, but when she opened the door, she saw the frog sitting there. She slammed the door hastily and sat down to dinner again, quite frightened. The King saw plainly that her heart was beating violently and said, "My child, what are you afraid of?" The Princess then told her father the whole frog prince story.
"What you have promised, that you must perform," said the King sternly. "Go and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in and followed her, step by step, to her chair. He cried, "Lift me up beside you." She delayed, until at last the King commanded her to do it.
Once the frog was on the chair, he wanted to be on the table. When he was up there, he said, "Now, push your little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together." She did this, but it was easy to see she did not do it willingly. The frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful the Princess took choked her.
Finally, the frog said, "I have eaten and am satisfied; now I am tired. Carry me into your little room and make your little silken bed ready, and we will both lie down and sleep." The Princess began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog. But the King grew angry and said, "He who helped you when you were in trouble ought not afterwards to be despised by you."
She took him up with two fingers, carried him upstairs, and sat him in a corner. But when she was in bed, he crept up to her and said, "I am tired, I want to sleep as well as you." In that moment, a magical change occurred. The princess kiss frog moment that legends speak of came to pass—or perhaps she simply threw him against the wall as in old tales—but suddenly, he was no longer a frog. He fell down, and there stood a Prince with beautiful, kind eyes. He was now, by her father's will, her dear companion and husband.
