In the garden of the king’s palace, there was a beautiful princess with lovely features, playing with her golden ball near the small lake. The ball was a gift from her mother the queen before she died.
After hours of playing and having fun, the ball fell into the small lake. The princess was extremely sad about this and began to cry. A small frog heard the sound of her crying. He was ugly in face, strange in smell, and was at the bottom of the lake located in the middle of the garden. He asked her about the secret of her severe sadness. She told him about her golden ball and how it fell from her while playing.
The frog said to her: This is a simple matter. I can get it for you, beautiful princess, but on one condition. She said to him: And what is your condition, little frog?
He said to her: That you let me eat from your plate, drink from your cup, and sleep with you on the same bed you sleep on. The princess thought he was joking and said to him: Very well, very well, but bring my ball first.
The little frog descended to the depth of the lake and came out with the golden ball. The princess rejoiced greatly at it. When the frog came out and removed the water from his body, he said to her: Let us go, beautiful princess.
The princess replied to him with complete arrogance and said: Where to, you poor one? Did you think you would be my companion while I am a princess? This will never happen.
She began to run until she reached the door of the palace. She entered and closed the door behind her quickly so that the frog could not catch up with her. The frog walked sadly.
In the evening, the princess sat to eat food with her father the king. Suddenly the doorbell rang. She stood up to open it, and there was the little frog standing before her, asking her to allow him to enter.
But she closed the door in his face and sat down to complete dinner with her father. The bell rang again, but the princess did not open it this time. The king noticed her behavior and asked her about the secret of that.
She told him about her story with the little frog. Her father ordered her to open for him and allow him to share food and drink with her as she had promised him, for a good person should not break his promise no matter what happens. The princess showed distress on her face, but after her father said that, she did not have the power to do anything. Indeed, the princess opened the door, and the frog entered and sat next to her at the table.
When the princess intended to eat, and the frog tried to eat from her plate, she refused. The king reminded her of her promise and asked her to let him eat with her. The princess kept eating while in extreme distress. After eating, she went quickly to her room. The frog followed her and entered with her, and asked her to sleep on the bed she slept on.
She refused and said to him: You are a disgusting frog, and I am a beautiful princess. How can we sleep together on the same bed? When her father heard her while passing by the room, he scolded her and reminded her of the promise. The princess obeyed the king’s words and allowed him to sleep beside her.
When she woke up the next day, she found a handsome young man standing beside her. She feared that he was a thief who had sneaked into her room, but he reassured her and told him that he was the same frog who had brought her the golden ball from the palace lake.
He told her that there was an evil witch who wanted revenge on his father the king, who had expelled her outside the country. So she turned him with her magic into an ugly frog. One of the fairies had told him that this magic would only be broken if he ate from the princess’s plate, drank from her cup, and slept in her bed. Only then would he return as a beautiful prince.
The princess was very amazed at the prince’s story and asked him to forgive her because she was arrogant with him at the beginning and did not look at his good heart but only at his ugly appearance. The prince forgave her and told her that he loved her and wanted to marry her. She rejoiced greatly at that and agreed immediately.
Source: Al-Mursal website