Page 10 of The Frog Prince

Otto tried nodding, but realized his body was not cooperating with him. It was limp and unresponsive as he dry-heaved on the ground and curled around himself to try and settle his own nerves.

One breath.

Another.

One more.

Breathe.

He coached himself through it as he kept the creature in his peripheral vision. He was sure he imagined the green glow that appeared and disappeared just as quickly before the prince was setting the small frog in his grasp onto the ground. Otto watched in shock as it hopped merrily away, plopping into the water with not a single sign of injury.

“How…” he managed to get out over his panting.

The Frog Prince turned, wincing for a second as if in pain before he straightened up, making Otto sure he had imagined it entirely.

“I help my own,” he said simply.

A rush of hope flowed through Otto anew. If he could heal such an injury, then surely he could help him? He got back to his knees. “I need—”

“What is your name?” the prince asked.

Otto clicked his mouth shut. “What?”

“Your name?” His stare was unnerving and intense. “What did your parents name you?”

A name is a powerful thing that shouldn’t be given out so freely, for there are those who could use it against you.Otto could not recall where he had first heard that, but he had heeded it his whole life.

Here, he had no choice but to oblige.

“Otto.”

“Otto,” the Frog Prince said, like it meant something to say it out loud. Otto could not fathom why.

“Please, I need to—”

“Do you not wish to ask for my name in return?” He cut him off again, leaving Otto speechless once more.

“I know your name. Everyone does,” Otto said.

The prince smiled and looked away. “Of course. People call me the Frog Prince, do they not?”

“Yes.” Otto’s brow furrowed. “Is that not your name?”

“I know why you came,” the prince said instead of answering, taking a few steps to the side with his hands at his back. Had he always limped? “You are not the first, and I suspect you will not be the last.”

“My younger sister is sick,” Otto said, all thoughts of anything else wiped away.

The Frog Prince’s steps paused, and Otto was left holding his breath in suspense.

“What is it that you do for a living, Otto?” he asked, as if he hadn’t heard what Otto had just told him. As if that piece of information meant little to him.

Otto felt his stomach churn and anger grow, but again, he contained himself. He had to get to the point where he could ask. He just had to rein himself in.

“I’m a healer.”

“A noble calling,” he said with another warped smile. “And you can’t help your sister?”

“I did everything I could.” Otto’s self-condemnation was threatening to eat him alive. “She’s always had a minor breathing condition, but now it’s progressed. She’s dying.”