Just A Kiss: (The Frog Prince) (Tangled Tales Series Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter 13

Freya watched Arnon swatting at a moth, trying to catch and eat it as he soaked in the cold water of the wooden tub in their bedchamber. All he wanted to do all day was sit in the water, and for that she was glad. She had to try to hide him until Wolf returned with their father.

Gar sat atop the edge of the tub croaking. The frog’s long tongue shot out and he caught the moth and swallowed it down before Arnon could get it. Arnon made a face, obviously not happy. A dozen other frogs hopped around the room, and she didn’t know where they were coming from, or how it was possible.

“Freya, I’m hungry. Let’s go down to the great hall for something to eat,” said Arnon.

“Nay!” She held up her hands. “You just relax in the water and I’ll get you something and bring it back. Just stay here.”

She hurried out the door, only to meet Red and Rapunzel about to knock on the door.

“How is my brother?” asked Rapunzel.

“He’s getting worse,” said Freya. “And now there are a dozen frogs in the room. I don’t know where they’re coming from. He wants me to get him something to eat.”

“What do . . . frogs eat?” asked his sister innocently.

Freya just shook her head. “I hope Wolf gets back soon. I don’t know how long I can keep him in the tub, and my father has been asking for him all day. He wants to take him on the hunting trip with him and they’re getting ready to leave.”

“Oh no, you can’t let them do that,” said Red.

“Lady Freya, come quickly, your mother needs you.” Freya’s handmaid hurried down the corridor toward them.

“What is it, Carine?” she asked, her heart beating quickly. “Is mother better? Has she awoken and asked for me?”

“Nay,” said the girl with a shake of her head. “She is worse and I think she’s dying. Marni’s with her now, but she isn’t looking good.”

“Nay.” Freya looked back to the other girls. “Can you get food and bring it to Arnon?” she asked.

“Aye, we will watch after my brother, don’t worry,” said Rapunzel. “Just go and be with your mother.”

Freya hurried down the corridor with her handmaiden right behind her. She entered the room to her mother’s chamber to find Marni leaning over the bed. She had a cup in her hand and was putting liquid into the sleeping woman’s mouth.

“Marni, you’re back.” Freya hurried to her side. “Where did you disappear to?”

The woman took the cup away and blotted Almeta’s mouth with a cloth.

“I had to find more herbs to make a stronger potion for your mother. I’m only hoping it will heal her.”

“Carine, you may go now,” said Freya, closing the door after the handmaiden left the room. “Marni, we have more trouble. Arnon is having a side effect and I think he’s turning into a frog.”

She swore she heard the woman chuckle, but when Marni turned around with the cup in her hand, she had a frown on her face.

“Oh, that is too bad.”

“Is my mother really going to die?”

“I doubt she’ll make it through the day.”

Freya felt the tears welling in her eyes. “If only we could use our magic inside the castle, we might be able to heal her.”

“Yes, that is too bad. But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“You can help me take her to the swamp. I know if I take her there, I can make her better.”

“Nay. She can’t be moved at a time like this. Just accept the fact, your mother is dying.”

* * *

Arnon headed down the stairs, tired of sitting in the bath and just wanting something to eat. He didn’t know what was taking Freya so long, so he decided just to get the food himself.

“Sir Arnon, where have you been hiding today?” The baron walked up to meet him, with his squire and several huntsmen at his side. “We’re about to leave on the hunt and I’m glad I found you. I want my new son by marriage along to watch how I bag a roe.”

“Hunt?” he asked, thinking of nothing but meat. He also liked the idea of the chase. Live meat . . . yes that thought pleased him. “Well, what are we waiting for? I’ll get my squire to saddle my horse and we’ll be on our way. I can’t wait to hunt down some fresh meat.”

* * *

Wolf rode his horse through the gates of the castle, feeling exhausted from shifting and also running so far. He’d left the horse in the woods to use for his return, knowing there was no way he could enter through the castle gates naked, or in his wolf form. All he wanted to do was find his brother and sit down and talk about all this.

“Wolf, over here.”

He looked over to see his wife, Red, flagging him down from the steps of the great hall. His sister, Rapunzel, was at her side.

“Hello Red. Rap.” He dismounted and gave them both hugs and kisses. “So how is Arnon?” The girls glanced at each other but didn’t answer. “Where is he?”

“Not here,” answered Red.

“God’s eyes, don’t tell me he left the castle. I at least hope that Freya is with him.”

“She’s not,” said his sister. “We went to find him food and when we got back to the room, Arnon was gone.”

“One of the servants told us they’d seen him riding out of the gates with Lord Slapton and his hunting party,” added Red.

“Not good. Where’s Freya?”

“She’s up in her mother’s chamber,” said Red. “Her handmaiden told her that her mother was dying. She’s up there with someone named Marni, sitting at her bedside.”

“Marni’s here already?” Wolf had heard her say she couldn’t transport, and he highly doubted the carriage could have made it back over the rocky terrain faster than his route through the woods. Especially since most his trip had been done in his wolf form.

“She is, but Father hasn’t arrived yet.” His sister wound her long braided hair around one arm as she spoke.

“I think we need to go see what’s going on.” He headed into the castle and made his way toward Freya’s mother’s chamber. Red and Rap followed right behind him. He threw open the door and walked into the room to see Freya and Marni standing at the ill woman’s bedside. There was a travel bag on the bedside table that looked like the one Marni had been carrying in the carriage.

“Wolf!” Freya looked up in surprise. “My mother is dying.”

“So I hear.” He walked over to the bedside, eying Marni. She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Marni, I thought you couldn’t transport. How did you manage to get here so fast?”

The woman turned her back, fussing with a wooden goblet. “Oh, I just said that because I didn’t want your father to feel inferior.”

“I wish there was a way to heal my mother,” said Freya, walking over to the table and moving the travel bag. Some items fell out and Freya sighed. “I’ve been so upset I haven’t even had a chance to brush my hair today. I bet I look so disheveled.” She picked up something from the travel bag, and Wolf’s heart jumped in his chest when he realized it was a hand mirror. Not just any mirror, but the magic mirror that belonged to Hecuba. The last time he’d seen it, Hecuba had it when she disappeared.

“Freya,” he said in a low voice. “Come here.”

“Oh, Arnon won’t even recognize me, I look so bedraggled.” She held up the mirror and patted down her hair. Marni wasn’t looking at them, and he took this advantage to rush over and hold the mirror in front of Freya, angling it toward Marni.

He looked into it and sure enough, the other witch in the room was really their enemy . . . Hecuba.

“Look!” He held up the mirror and moved Freya to the side.

“I know I look terrible.”

“Look behind you – but in the mirror.”

Just then Marni turned around, and at the same time Freya saw the woman’s reflection in the mirror and screamed. In the mirror, her true form of being an old, weathered hag could be seen.

“Give me the mirror,” said Hecuba, realizing they knew her secret.

Freya turned around, fear mixed with fire flowing through her veins. “Who are you and where is Marni?” she spat.

“She’s Hecuba,” said Wolf, and she heard the other two girls in the room gasp. “And my guess is that Marni is dead.”

“That’s not true. I’m Marni,” said the woman.

“Freya, how many witches did you say died in that fire?” asked Wolf.

“Three,” she answered. “Marni escaped.”

“There were four skulls found. The peasants who had to clean up the mess told me so.”

“She’s dangerous,” Red cried out. “Get away from her.”

The woman they now knew was Hecuba rushed over and pulled her mirror away from Freya, then held out her fingers and squeezed the air. Wolf’s hands went to his throat and he seemed to be choking.

“Leave my brother alone!” Rapunzel rushed forward and pushed the woman away from Wolf. She bravely struggled with the old witch, and before Freya realized what was happening, Hecuba grabbed Rapunzel by the hair and held it tight.

“I knew cursing you with this hair that won’t stop growing would work to my advantage some day,” said the witch. Then in a puff of green smoke, Hecuba, Rapunzel, and the mirror disappeared!

Chapter 14

“God’s toes, was that Hecuba?”

Freya turned around to see the man that looked like the Earl of Tavistock standing in the doorway.

“Yes, it was, Grandfather,” said Red.

“Grandfather? Why did you call him that?” Freya thought the man was Arnon’s father, so now she was really confused.

“Close the door, Red,” said Wolf. When she did, the earl shapeshifted into the form of a man with dark hair and a beard who had similar features to Freya’s husband and his brothers.

“I can’t believe I was tricked by the old hag once again,” spat Lucio.

“Father, you couldn’t have known,” said Wolf. “And how did you get here so fast?”

“Once Marni told me she wasn’t going with me, I had the driver take a shortcut through the woods and drive like crazy.”

“Excuse me, but I’m not sure what’s going on.” Freya felt as if her head were spinning right now.

“Freya, when Lucio is in the form of the earl, I call him Grandfather so no one will know,” Red explained. “You see, the true earl of Tavistock was my grandfather. But he’s really Arnon and Wolf’s father, Lucio, now.”

“She’s taken Rap! It’s my fault, I should have stopped her,” said Wolf, pacing the floor.

“She’s too powerful,” spat Lucio. “I’m a warlock and she’s still managed to trick me. There’s no telling what she can do at this point.”

There was a moan behind them and Freya turned around to see her mother stirring in the bed. “Mother,” she said in a whisper and ran to her. “Wait,” she said aloud. “If there is a spell on the castle and no magic can be done, then how did Hecuba’s mirror work and how was she able to disappear?”

“That’s right,” said Wolf. “And father was able to shapeshift inside the castle walls as well.”

“The spell must have been removed,” said Red.

“For Hecuba’s convenience of course,” growled Lucio.

“Someone, try to heal Freya’s mother,” suggested Red.

Freya bit her lip and turned back to her mother. She only knew a few spells, and wasn’t proficient at any of them. “I’m not sure I can do it.”

“Then we’ll do it together,” offered Lucio. “Hold out your hands and picture a beam of white light going through the top of your head and through your body, into your mother’s body,” he instructed. “Picture her happy and well. My powers are still weak, but together this might just work.”

Freya did as he’d instructed, and sure enough, her mother’s eyes opened and she gasped for breath and started coughing. She sat up and the color returned to her face.

“Mother, you’re alive.” Freya hugged her, so happy to have her mother back again.

“Daughter, thank you. And thank you, too,” Almeta said, smiling at Lucio.

“Mother, stepfather was the one who killed the rest of the coven.”

“Nay!” her mother gasped. Then she pulled Freya into her arms and they sobbed quietly together. “I am sorry. He can’t get away with it. Something will need to be done.”

“That’s right,” said Lucio, sitting on the edge of the bed. “But right now, we all need to gather our composure. There is someone much more dangerous on the loose and her name is Hecuba.”

Freya didn’t want to think about the burning of witches or old hags who placed curses on people. She was so happy to have her mother back and she had so much she wanted to tell her.

“I’m married, mother. Arnon is a wonderful man and I want you to come to my bedchamber to meet him.”

“Freya, he’s not there,” said Red in a soft voice.

“He’s not?” She released her mother and turned around. “Where is he?”

“He went on the hunting party with your father and his men.”

“Nay! He can’t. He’s having horrible side effects and there’s no telling what can happen.”

“I agree,” said Wolf. “Not to mention, he’s now in danger of Hecuba doing something to him too. She enjoys watching the de Bars suffer and will stop at nothing to complicate matters.”

“Then I must go to him,” said Freya, dabbing her eyes with a hand cloth.

“By the time you get to him, it could be too late. Let me go in my wolf form.”

“Wolf, you’re already tired and drained from too much shifting,” Red told him.

“Aye,” said Wolf with a nod of his head. “And father still hasn’t recovered his power of transporting yet.”

“Neither am I strong enough to help,” said her mother.

“I’ll go with you on horseback,” offered Red. “I have my crossbow if we encounter trouble along the way.”

Freya appreciated their kind offers, but couldn’t let them risk their lives for her.

“Nay, I can’t ask any of you to do more than you’ve already done to help me and my mother. I’ll go to Arnon, and now that magic can be done in the castle again, I’ll be able to get to him quickly and easily. I just need Gar and I’ll be on my way.”

* * *

Arnon dismounted his horse in the forest as the hunting party stopped to rest. He was feeling jumpy, and really needed to something to eat. His skin crawled and felt itchy, and his body was cold and clammy. He scratched his arm with one hand realizing the skin under his fingers felt bumpy. He figured he had some kind of rash from falling in the swamp.

He looked down and almost cried out when he saw black and green spots and slightly raised welts appearing on his arm. It almost looked as if he had a smattering of warts as well. He pushed his sleeve back down, trying to hide this from the other men.

“Men, let’s gather around the fire and have something to eat,” called out the baron.

Arnon walked over to join them, his legs bowing and almost giving way beneath him. He hunkered down with both knees sticking far out to the sides.

“By the rood, de Bar. How can anyone even sit like that?” asked the baron.

The men all laughed and looked over to him and he realized his legs had seemed to grow longer in the last few hours. His feet hurt, so he pulled off his boots and hose and almost screamed aloud when he saw a webbing between his toes. His heart sank. He remembered what Wolf had told him about the frog jumping into the beam when his curse had been removed. Was he really turning into a . . . a frog?

“God, nay!” he cried out, not wanting to shapeshift into anything ever again. He’d spent a whole year trapped in the body of a wolf, and as bad as that was – being a frog had to be a lot worse.

“Sir Arnon,” said his squire, hunkering down next to him. “Are you feeling ill? You look clammy and your skin has a green tint and bumps all over it. And your eyes –”

“What about my eyes?” he snapped. Then not wanting to wait, he picked up a metal platter that was filled with meat. He dumped the meat onto the ground and held the platter up to see his reflection. His eyes were huge! And dark, and starting to bug out. Bid the devil he really was starting to turn into a frog and could do nothing about it.

He hopped to his feet and started away quickly.

“My lord, where are you going? And without your boots?” called out his squire from behind him.

“I need to be alone.” He cried out in his mind for someone to help him, as if anyone would really hear. He headed to his horse and the loud croaking of frogs filled the air. Turning to look back, he gasped when he saw hundreds of frogs hopping out of the woods, out of the fire, and up and over rocks as well as falling from trees. And as if that weren’t bad enough, every one of the damned frogs was following
him
!

“Men, arm yourselves,” shouted the baron, jumping to his feet. “Sir Arnon, you must be a warlock to have this kind of magic taking place. Kill him!”

Swords scraped against scabbards, and arrows shot through the air haphazardly as all the men of the hunting party started shooting at him and rushing after him, actually trying to kill him.

“I’m not a warlock,” he cried out, but the baron had given his men an order and they were not about to disobey it. He had no choice. He had to run for his life. He headed through the forest, running as fast as he could with hundreds of frogs and a dozen angry soldiers following him. Being barefooted, he stubbed his toe but kept on running, smelling the swamp nearby and knowing he’d find safety there. His feet started bleeding and his body cramped up as his bones started to shift. He remembered the awful feeling only too well from the day when Hecuba turned him into a wolf.

He thought of Freya and how much he missed her and how he would never have the chance to tell his new wife how much she really meant to him now.

Visions flitted through his mind of them making love. He loved the exotic way she looked, and wished he could tell her once more just how beautiful she really was or much she meant to him. He liked everything about her, and had been looking forward to a life together. Hell, he didn’t even mind that she had a damned pet frog. It was kind of cute.

Then he started wondering if he’d be her pet now. Mayhap she’d carry him around in her pocket and he and Gar would be best friends. He felt sick to his stomach and just wanted to die right now. Without Freya in his life, he no longer wanted to live. And he certainly didn’t want to live trapped in the body of a frog!