Beauties and the Frogs, Part 4

All four women trooped downstairs, well before Finn came for them. He and Snap were just emerging from the yards when Leia stomped right up to them. “Good morning, gentlemen. I need to ask you a few questions.”

“Sure, Miss Leia.” Snap shrugged. Finn noticed the determination in Leia's eyes and seemed more worried. “Fire away.”

“It seems my daughters and I all had...dreams...last night.” Leia's eyes remained steadily on them. The frog and the toad exchanged looks and squirmed on their webbed feet like naughty schoolboys. “The same dreams. Dreams about a sorcerer and four men, one of whom I really think I've seen before...”

“Where are they?” Rey pushed toward the duo. “What have you done with them?”

Finn just looked confused. “Huh? Where's what?”

“Them! The boys in our dream!” Rey glared at them. “I'll bet you have them locked in the dungeon or something!”

“We're in a manor house.” Snap was trying not to laugh. “There's no dungeon. We have a basement that's kind of damp, but I wouldn't call it a jail cell.”

His toad friend gulped. “Ladies, we...there's things we can't tell you.”

Snap nodded. “Not if we want to stay alive.”

“Where's your master?” Leia looked towards the stairs. “I want to have a few words with him.”

“He's...he's not feeling well,” Finn began. “He won't be down for breakfast.”

“That's right,” Snap nodded too quickly. “He, er, tripped and fell downstairs.”

“Then I'll tend to his wounds while I have a word with him.” The queen turned to her daughters. “Jessika, get me bandages, in case he broke something. Finn, please show her where they are. The rest of you, tell Chewbacca the Master and I will be having breakfast in his room.”

“But...” Finn never had the chance to finish. Leia was already stomping upstairs, her face red with anger. The youthful toad sighed. He'd told the Master the ladies wouldn't buy the falling downstairs story. That sorcerer had really hurt him for last night. He just hoped Miss Leia would actually be able to help.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Leia stormed up the steep steps to the tower, stewing to herself all the way. “Falling downstairs,” indeed! The silly idiot was probably just trying to avoid her. Now she knew there was something terrible going on here, or he wouldn't be hiding. She was starting to wonder if he really did have a king and his court locked up in the house. She wouldn't put it past him. And she was starting to think he was such a sweet toad last night, even if he was hard on himself.

“Hello?” She banged on the door. “It's Leia. I want to talk to you.”

Somehow, it managed moan and croak at the same time. “Go away.”

“No, Toad. I need to talk to you.” To her surprise, the heavy wooden door opened on it's own when she shoved her shoulder at it.

The Toad King's quarters were a mess, and it wasn't just bad housekeeping. Broken pots and ink jars had been flung against the walls. The curtains and paintings on the wall had been slashed to ribbons. Thin ribbons of ink had spilled across brittle papers lined with indecipherable writing. Books had been knocked off a splintering shelf. His bed wasn't nearly as fancy as the one she slept in downstairs. Thin slashes on the headboard indicated that it had been cut with a narrow implement recently, possibly as narrow as a spike.

The lump under the musty green brocade blanket croaked louder as Leia opened the remains of the curtains, letting the early spring sunlight flood the room. “You need to learn to control your temper,” she scolded. “I heard pottery crashing up here yesterday, when the girls and I were dressing for dinner. Really, for a toad of your age, you behave like a child. You're supposed to be a role model to those poor enchanted youths downstairs.”

One bloodshot hazel orb appeared from under the bedclothes. “What makes you think this house is enchanted?”

Leia was already gathering the broken bits of pottery in one of the few vessels still in one piece. “We are not ordinary, dull-witted ladies of the court. Rey and I have studied magic, and the other two have keen minds of their won. Frogs who talk and move about on four legs? The walking carpet who makes our meals? Not to mention, my daughters and I all had the same dream last night.”

Another eye and a warty mouth emerged. “Must have been some dream, Your Worship. You look a little pale.”

“It wasn't so bad, at first.” Leia sighed. “That man...the king...I know him! I've seen him before. I just can't think of where. I wish he could have talked, or at least come into the light.”

“Dreams are just dreams.” A spiny hand, with purple bruises under the spiky skin, slid out. “Look, Your Worship, I didn't have a much better night than you did. If you'd just leave...”

Leia turned around in surprise. “How did you know I'm the queen?”

“Toads may not be smart, but we hear things.” His other arm more closely resembled one big, spiny purple spot. “Now that you cleaned up, you can go downstairs and let me die in peace.”

“Don't be such a baby. I need to ask you a few questions.” She pulled up an old wooden chair alongside the bed. “My daughters and I all dreamed of four men who claimed they were being held prisoner in this house. Do you know anything about that?”

“We've lived here for a couple of years, Your Majesty,” the toad croaked in annoyance, “and we've never seen anyone here but us.”

“Normally, I would have written it off as a dream myself.” Leia closed her eyes. “But four people do not have the same dream in one night.”

The horned toad king's entire spike-covered head finally emerged from under the covers. Angry purple-black bruises stood out under his spines. Broken spines and nasty red welts and scars littered his broad gray back. “I told you, Your Worship,” he croaked, “I didn't have a good night, either. I was attacked by a sorcerer last night. He was going to harm my wards. I wouldn't let him, so he thrashed me and burned me with his magic.”

“It was very brave of you to try to save those lads.” Leia straightened the blankets on the bed. “Next time he attempts anything of the sort, send for Rey and me. We have considerable powers of our own. We may be able to help you.”

“I'd say no,” the Horned Toad began, “but you have that stubborn set to your lips. You'd probably run out and help me, no matter what I told you.” He managed to caress her fingers, despite his spines. “I like that in a lady. You have spirit. You and the girls. Maybe that's what we need around here.”

Leia couldn't help feel her heart quicken as he rubbed. “Stop that.”

He was still gazing into her eyes. “Stop what?”

“Your hands are covered in spines.”

“And yours are dusty from the pots.” He inched closer to her. “Are you afraid of me, fair queen?”

“No,” she admitted. “Not afraid. Just..” Her eyes met his oddly human ones. “It's just...you remind me so much of someone I knew once, it makes my heart hurt.”

He slid as close to her as he dared with his spines. “You're trembling.”

She didn't move away. “I'm not trembling.”

“Yes, you are.” He took her chin. “You're so beautiful,” he croaked softly. “Just like I remember...”

They were about to kiss when there was a knock at the door. Finn poked his brown head in. “Hello, Master? Miss Leia? I have those bandages you wanted, and breakfast is here.”

They broke away, both of them turning a violent shade of scarlet. Leia stood first. “I'll get that.” She directed Finn to put the bandages on the toad's bed, and found a gilt-edged table that still stood in one corner of the room for the furry servant to lay their breakfast on. He'd even brought fine old china and slightly tarnished silverware to eat with.

“Are you still interested in joining me in the library today?” Leia cut her quail sausage. “I know you're not feeling well...”

“Hmm?” The toad hadn't even touched his broth of flies and vegetables. “Oh, well, thanks to you, I'm feeling a little better now. I don't think I'd mind joining you downstairs. Might be good for me, actually. I spend too much time up here, anyway. Gets kind of lonely.”

“By the way,” Leia questioned, “the boys told me their names, but you never did tell us yours. They only call you 'Master.'”

“Ha...” His croak faltered and stuck in his throat before he added, “Uh, Harold. My name is Harold.” He gave her the laziest smirk a horned toad could managed. “But you can call me Harry.”

She didn't for a minute believe he was telling the truth. It was rather obvious that he was about to say something else. “All right then, Harry.”

“Leia,” he blurted, “I was wondering...would you, uh, sleep with me?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Sleep with me. Just for one night. I promise, I'll be a gentle-toad and not touch anything.” His eyes gleamed with hopefulness.

“I'm sorry.” Leia pushed her plate of eggs aside. “But I'm not quite ready for that yet. We only just met.” She squinted at him. “Although...there really is something familiar about you...maybe it's the set of your mouth...”

Harold pushed his own bowl away. “Yeah, I didn't think so. Come on. Let's go have a look at that library.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few months went by tranquilly, or at least as tranquil as it can be when you live with four walking frogs and a giant furry creature. Rey and Finn spent those months in the garden. She was so happy to have found someone who was so eager to learn about growing things. They found seeds and gardening tools in a weathered shed in the back of the house. There was an ivy-covered wall just off the main house that seemed to have been a vegetable garden at one point, though it was sadly overgrown with weeds and choking vines.

A lovely rose garden near the back porch seemed to have done somewhat better. As March rolled into April, and then May, they began to bloom with the most intoxicating honey scent. Rey had never seen so many different types of roses. “And they've always been here?” she asked as she gently pruned a bush in her stiff cotton gardening gloves.

“At least as long as we've been here,” Finn admitted. “And that was at least five years ago.”

“Why don't you just leave?” Rey clipped a pink rose that was starting to wither. “The house is falling apart. You're all intelligent and well-spoken, Harold too, even if he doesn't believe it. You could do well elsewhere...”

“How?” Unusual bitterness crept into Finn's voice. “As the side show attraction at a carnvial? Rey, look at us! We're hideous! Besides,” he added, “we can't leave.”

She moved on to the next bushes, a delicate vine of creamy yellow blooms that climbed up the side of the house, hiding much of the peeling paint. “I don't think you're that ugly.” The shears sliced through the stems of two roses. “I used to think toads were awful creatures, but you...you're not bad.”

Finn's voice went up an octave. “I'm not? Really?”

“Really.” Rey dropped the roses in her basket...then remembered something else Finn had said. “Why can't you leave?”

“It's part of the...” The toad gasped before quickly adding “We just can't, that's all.”

Rey threw the next rose harder than she planned. It nearly bounced right back out of her basket. “That's ridiculous! You claim you don't know anything about the princes and king being held prisoner in the house, either!”

Finn frowned. “Those are just dreams, Rey.”

“But they seem so real!” Rey tugged at a stubborn stem. “The moor prince from Bespin...he's such a dear man. He reminds me of someone...ouch!” A thorn jabbed into the tender skin on her thumb, drawing a small bead of blood that resembled the deep red roses on the bushes behind them.

“Are you all right?” The toad's brown eyes bulged more than usual. “I shouldn't have gotten you upset. Here, let me see that.” He inspected her thumb, checking it and her hand all over.

“It's not so bad.” She wiggled her wounded digit. “See? The blood's already stopping.”

“I'm so sorry, Rey,” Finn went on. “I didn't mean for that to happen! Really! I just...we can't talk about, well, why we're here, not like this, and...”

“Finn,” Rey said, putting a finger on his wide lips. “You're babbling. Enough. I'm all right.” She turned to the vine and clipped another flower. “Here. This is for you.”

“Oh Rey...” He turned it over in his hand. “Thank you. It's been a long time since someone's given me a nice gift like this.”

She put the clippers in the basket. “Why don't we put the tools away, then bring the flowers inside and find a vessel to put them in? I think the bedrooms and downstairs parlors could use a bit of color.”

“And they smell amazing.” Finn smiled at her. Rey felt her heart melt into a pile of goo in her chest. “I know a closet downstairs that holds all kind of bottles and vases made from colored glass or crystal. They'd look really pretty in those.”

“That's perfect!” She gave him her own big grin back. His toad heart skipped at least two beats. “Come on. Let's go find them and start brightening these dull rooms.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

A month later, Kaydel and Snap were whiling away the time in the music room on a rainy afternoon. Kay was the only one of the girls with any musical talent. She played the harpsichord beautifully, sang sweetly, and was and fairly proficient in the guitar and harp. Snap's webbed fingers made playing instruments difficult, but he did have a rather nice, boisterous voice. Kay had discovered a stack of old sheet music, some of it going back a century or more, in a hutch in the music room. They spent as much time as they could dancing and laughing, telling jokes and listening to Kay perform the antique songs.

Caught up in the music, Snap grabbed Kay and whirled her around the room. They laughed as Snap stumbled over his big webbed feet. “I used to be much better at this,” he admitted, “before....well, years ago.”

They finally collapsed on the old velvet couch in a sweaty heap. “What were you like,” Kaydel gasped as she regained her breath, “before?”

Snap gave her a big frog grin. “Almost as handsome as I am now.”

The blond girl giggled back. “I always thought frogs were rather cute.” She raised an eyebrow. “You don't have to hide it. Mother and the girls and I figured out months ago that you're all under a spell of some kind.” She returned to the harpsichord. “We're still having those dreams...”

Snap hastily grabbed a brittle piece of sheet music. “How about this song? Might be nice to have something slower after that last tune.”

“Not right now.” Kaydel took the sheet music, but she didn't glance at it. Her velvet brown eyes moved to his bulging ones. “You keep avoiding the question. We've been having those dreams every few nights for months now. The princes keep asking us to find them.” She gave him the sweetest smile she could manage. “If you tell me what's going on, I promise I won't tell anyone else. Not even Mother or Mister Harold.”

He slid onto the bench next to her, his plump green face losing its jovial mood. “I'm sorry, Kay, but I can't tell you. None of us can. It's part of the conditions of the spell.”

Kaydel's long fingers glided over the harpsichord. The song she played was soft and melancholy. “I knew it,” she said quietly over the music. “Mother was right. There is some kind of bad magic at work here. I can't feel it the way she and Rey can. I don't have their magic. But it's pretty obvious.”

“Don't worry.” He put his slimy fingers over hers. “It's not that kind of bad magic. We won't hurt you, and we sure won't let him hurt you, either.”

Kay's eyebrows nearly grazed her scalp. “'Him?' This wouldn't be that nasty old sorcerer who abuses the king in our dream every time we see him would it?”

“That's him. He's not fond of us, either, but he really doesn't like the Master.” Snap shrugged. “We think he wanted to court the Master's lady and decided to get rid of him. Not that he ever talks about it. He's mentioned having been in love before to us, but he won't say anything else. I think it's too painful for him.”

Kay's delicate pink lips turned down. “That poor man. And all of you. You must miss your families something terrible.”

Snap nodded. “I miss my mother, and our home. She has to be worried about me. Probably thinks I'm dead.”

She took a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped his eyes. “It'll be all right. I miss the Millennium Palace, and Clarence and Arthur, and Father Luke.”

“Thanks.” He somehow managed to blow his nose with it. Kaydel wrinkled her smaller one at all the slime-coated bit of linen. She dropped it in a small bag and vowed to wash it in a tub later.

“By the way,” Snap went on as he dabbed at his huge brown eyes, “who's Father Luke? Miss Leia's husband?”

Kaydel shook her head. “No, he's her brother, but he raised us like a father. Mother's husband Han has been gone for many years.” She sighed dreamily. “I wish we could have met him. The drawings she has of him are beautiful! They remind me...” She bit her lip. “The almost remind me of the king in our dreams, the one the sorcerer keeps dragging away. The one who can't talk.”

“Uh, right.” Snap quickly pushed a key down, producing a tinny sound. “Why don't you play me the rest of that song?” He gave her his most charming smile. “I'd really love to hear it.”

“Well, all right.” Kay knew he was trying to distract her. He and his brothers knew more about the mysterious “Master” and the sorcerer than they let on. It was just a matter of figuring out how to get them to reveal what they knew, without bringing down the wrath of the sorcerer and getting anyone in trouble.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a hot day in late August when Poe and Jessika decided to ride down to the lake for a swim. Jess loved having his company. He was kind, funny, brilliant with animals and machines alike, and an incorrigible flirt. She had to laugh at his florid manners, which were at odds with his orange-green figure and merry bulging brown eyes.

“I assure you, miss,” he told her as he executed a perfect backstroke, “I am even more dashing when I'm in my own body. Papa used to try to send around pretty principessas to win my hand.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “None were suitable. Such silly creatures! They didn't know a bit from a saddle, or how to mend their own clockwork music boxes.”

Jess' head emerged from the ripples in the warm bottle green water. The lake was as warm as bath water at this time of year, and just as soothing. The tension in her muscles, which had gotten a bit sore from their long ride, eased and melted away. “I'm glad Mother and Father Luke think princesses should be taught useful things, like gardening and caring for animals and repairing machines, instead of just 'ladylike' activities like sewing and embroidery.” She made a face. “I can sew well enough to fix torn saddle blankets, but I can't embroider worth a darn. The floss always gets tangled. The other two are better at it than I am.”

“That is alright, Jess. You're good at other things.” Poe flashed the most charming smile a frog could manage at her. “You're good at winning hearts. You've certainly won mine.”

Jess grinned. “You're not bad, either. Better than that siff waxwork dummy Hux I met the day before we came here.” She shivered, despite the mild air surrounding her. “Brr! I've seen paintings of killers with kinder eyes. I'll bet he doesn't know a horse from a horsefly...and wouldn't hesitate to kill both if they went against his leader.”

“He's one of Snoke's men.” Poe's voice dropped, turning into a low, grating croak. “Stay away from him. You're right. He'd no sooner trample over you with the horse than court you.”

“Don't worry. I have no intention of going anywhere near him ever again.” Jessika stood in the water, just barely getting her footing on the mucky ground. “I think it's time we started back to the house.” She shaded her eyes, turning her gaze through the deep green treetops. “I can just barely see clouds coming in. It may storm soon.”

Poe had already started stroking for shore. “I'll get the horses' saddlebags together.” He hurried over to his beloved orange and white stallion Bee Bee and Jessika's spirited golden mare Ginger.

“You know,” Jessika began as she splashed her way towards the sand, “your name is very familiar. It's the same as the prince in the dreams we keep having. The one who speaks for the poor king who has no voice.” She stumbled over a root in the muck, stopping to rub her offended big toe before continuing. “Do you know anything about that? He's a bit of a flirt, too.”

“No, Jess.” Poe the frog's back was to her as he filled Bee Bee's bags with the leftovers from their lunch. “I don't know anything about it.” His voice had turned cautious, and almost as stiff as Hux.

“Look, Poe,” Jess grumbled as she managed to stumble onto the pebbly yellow sand, “we all know there's magic in this castle. It's pretty obvious that you, your 'brothers,' the furry servant, and Master Harold are under a nasty spell, but we can't do much about it unless you tell us what's going on.”

“We can't!” The angry croak burst from Poe's smooth, wide green lips. “It's part of the spell. All we know is...the Master has to wine, dine, and sleep with...a woman who...who is willing to...to love him...despite what he looks like...and acts like now.” His croak became raspier and stuck in his throat, until he could barely force the words out. “Then...she has...to...kiss...him.”

“Is that all?” Jess grinned widely. “Mother already has a crush on Mister Harold. They eat lunch together every day in the library or out in the rose garden. That takes care of the 'wine and dine' part. The 'sleep' part is going to be tougher.” She threw on her dress, missing buttons in her haste to get home. “After that, getting her to kiss him should be a walk in the park!” She shoved her light green brocade shoes on her feet as quickly as possible.

“I hope you're right.” Poe leaned against BeeBee, stroking her soft white muzzle. “I miss my papa. I'm his only child. I want so badly to be home, but we can't leave here.”

“Why here?” Jess strapped her own saddlebags on Ginger, who nudged her playfully. “Why this house? It's in bad shape, too much for just all of you to repair.”

“It's off the beaten track, mostly hidden by the trees.” Poe swung nimbly onto BeeBee. “The Master thought it would be a good place to hide. Besides, it's the closest place to the lake. We need constant sources of fresh water to keep our skin wet. Part of being an amphibian.” He turned his horse towards the house. “How about a race? Last one to the house has to muck the stalls after we get in.”

“Wait up!” He'd already taken off down the leaf-strewn path. “No fair, you got a head start!” Jess spurred Ginger after him. There was more she wanted to ask, but at least she'd gotten more off him than she expected. Now, it was just a matter of letting Mother continue to fall in love with Harold...if his own prickly skin and even more prickly temper didn't drive her off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaydel and Rey were in Kay's room when Jessika arrived. Their rooms had finally been prepared two weeks after they'd arrived. Kay's was the frilliest, with pale blue satin covers trimmed with ruffles and bows and faded sky-blue walls. “Good, you're both here.” She made a most unladylike leap into the center of the bed, sending several feathers sky-high as she landed. “We need to talk.”

“About you and Poe?” Kaydel smirked. “We thought you two had gone into the woods to share a secret rendezvous.”

Red spots crept across Jessika's tanned face as her sisters giggled. “Of course not. We went swimming, then raced each other. But I did get some information out of him, even though I very nearly had to pry it out.” She told them what Poe had revealed about the curse and Harold, finishing with “If Harold gets a woman to fall in love with him, sleep with him, live with him, and kiss him, they'll all be released.”

Rey tapped her fingers thoughtfully on the old writing desk. “That's why he asked Mother to sleep with him. She told me this morning he's done it several times a week since we came here.”

“I don't know if I'd want Mother sleeping with Master Harold.” Kaydel wrinkled her nose. “He's a horned toad. What if he sticks her accidentally in the night?”

“We'll deal with that when we get there.” Jessika frowned. “I'm not sure Mother's ready for that yet.”

“Besides, there's other things to consider.” Kaydel retied the pale peach bow in her golden hair. “What about those princes in our dreams? We've seen them every few nights since we came here, and they keep getting more and more desperate. We need to find them.”

“Where?” Rey made a face. “We've checked everywhere in the house, except for Master Harold's room and the basement. I'm starting to think that the boys are right. They're just dreams.”

“But they seem so real!” Kaydel shrugged. “We could go down to the basement after lunch, while Leia and Master Harold are having their tea in the library. It couldn't hurt.”

“What couldn't hurt?” Leia swept in, a basket of tea cakes on her arm. “I thought you girls might want these for a snack. But save a few for me. I'm going downstairs to join Harold in a minute.” She smiled knowingly at their guilty faces. “Ok, ladies, just what was going on in here that I can't know about?”

“Oh, we were just talking about going down to the basement for a minute,” Rey replied smoothly. “Finn told me there's some old wine in the cellar that might go well with our dinner.”

“Well, don't be too long,” their mother admonished. “We're having dinner early. It'll be just us women. Harold told me he's taking the boys to hunt flies.”

“All right, Mother,” they all chorused, trying to look as innocent as possible.

That lasted for all of five seconds, long enough for Leia to leave the room, shaking her head. Jessika bounced off the bed first. “Let's go, before Mother realizes what we're really up to.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Harold was already in the library, pouring over a slightly dusty adventure story, when she arrived with tea and the cakes. “I took the liberty of bringing these myself. Your servant was helping Poe with the horses.” She smiled and sat down in the slightly tattered plum-colored brocade chair opposite his. “I hope you have a lot of luck catching flies this evening. I know you said you have to stockpile them to keep from going hungry in the winter.”

The horned frog somehow managed to nod. “We'll need those flies. I don't know for how much longer, though. We may not be around after this spring.”

“You've finally figured out a way to break this curse?” She poured them tea in slightly chipped porcelain cups as his fat spiny mouth dropped open. “Sugar and cream?”

Harold's bulging hazel eyes nearly popped out of his head. “How did you know about the curse?”

Leia gave him a withering look that had been known to send even the bravest knights scurrying for the hills. “There are four walking, talking frogs and toads living in this house and a walking carpet making our meals. They're not your wards, are they?”

“No, they're not, though I consider them as such now.” Harold pushed his tea away. “They're really just good men who got caught up in something that was not their faults.”

“How did you get caught up in this curse?” Leia asked as she leaned back with her tea. “None of you are bad fellows. Not even you.”

“Thank you.” Harold frowned. “Let's say we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

She sipped her tea, letting it soothe her nerves and calm her mind enough to continue. “I'm sorry. It's too bad you can't leave the manor. We could use your help in Alderaan. Four walking frogs and a massive furry beast, one of whom knows some magic, would frighten off the barricades far more effectively than a hundred soldiers with gunpowder.”

“We've tried to leave.” Harold stared at his teacup. “It does no good. A barrier always stops us whenever we go past the lake. It's like an invisible hand that pushes us back and keeps us from running away.”

Leia put her own cup aside. “I shouldn't have left Alderaan. Luke says Snoke has built up the barricades, but otherwise been fairly quiet. Kylo Ren has been doing his dirty work for him, slaughtering hundreds of our best soldiers by burning them in magic flames or turning them to dust.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I blame myself for how Ben...Kylo...came out. Han and I...we should have been there for him. Should have done more for him. We neglected his welfare, and now...”

Harold moved to her side, putting his arms around her as best he could without stabbing her. “I'm sorry about that, Your Worship. If it's any consolation, I don't think it's entirely your fault, or your husband's. Young people sometimes get caught up in wrongheaded ideas. They see it as their way of being powerful or rebellious, but all they're really doing is hurting others and breaking hearts. Some people are just bad, no matter where they started in life.”

Leia dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief the frog handed her. “Thank you. I love Ben. He'll always be my son. I just don't love what he does. I don't know where we went wrong. I wish we could show him how awful the magic he learned from Snoke is.”

“I don't think it had anything to do with you.” Harold's narrow lips pressed together angrily. “He's just a bad kid who listened to the wrong people.”

“What do you know?” Leia snapped. “You're a frog, or a lizard, really. Your children are tadpoles, then they hop away when they get legs. You barely raise them!”

“I know more about children than you'd think,” Harold hissed, “Your Worship!”

“How is it that you know all this?” Leia abruptly shot out of her chair, nearly upsetting the tea table. The tea cup slid off her lap and onto the floor, shattering into a thousand painted bits. “Who are you? You're not a lizard, and you're not a Master, that much I know.”

“I can't tell you!” Harold croaked back, his throat inflating to twice his normal size. “It's part of the spell!”

“What is this spell?” Leia put her hands on her hips as his eyes bulged even more than usual. “Who did this to you? Why do my daughters and I have the same dreams every few nights?”

“I can't tell you that, either!” His croak shook the dusty pottery on the shelves. “And I don't know anything about any dreams. They're just dreams. Fantasies!”

“I'd say that about a giant talking horned lizard too,” Leia shot back. “But here we are!” She gathered the broken pieces of the tea cup from the floor. Harold tried to help her, forcing her to move back and away from his spikes.

“Furthermore,” she continued, slightly more composed, “I want to know where those men from our dreams are being held, especially the oldest.” She picked up the remains of the handle. “What I see of him in the shadows is just...I know him. I've known him for years. I just wish he'd come into the light! He's a king, that much I can tell. I can see his crown, and the signet ring of the Kingdom of Alderaan on his right finger.”

Harold managed to sweep up the rest of the mess with a small broom he found in a closet in the hall. “He's aware of that, Your Worship.” He gently took her hand, trying to avoid sticking her with his spines. “He wants to tell you so, so badly, but the sorcerer always removes his voice before he and his wards enter the Dreamscape. That old black magic crone is terrified that you'll hear him and know the truth.”

She leaned closer to his soft yellow belly. “You do know him. You know who he is. Who they are. Where are you hiding them? Or does the sorcerer have them locked in the manor somewhere? Or have they been transformed into something, too?”

He ran his cold webbed fingers over Leia's head, being careful not to stab her with his spines. “We don't have them, my queen. It's the sorcerer who wishes them harm. He...” The toad's croak died in his mouth. He struggled to push the words out. “He...we...we were...the ones...who...”

A crash from outside ended Harold's faltering speech. The four girls hurried outside, Rey carrying a basket of potatoes and carrots. They were covered in cobwebs from head to toe, Kaydel squealing about spiders in her hair. Jessika was trying to get them out, while Rey brushed the cobwebs off, grumbling about princes who weren't in basements or anywhere else but dreams.

Leia sighed. “I'll tell the girls to call off the search. They've been looking for those princes for weeks now. I'm wish they hadn't gone down to the basement now. They all just had baths yesterday. They'll have to wash again. I won't let them sit at the dinner table looking like that.”

“I've seen the boys look worse after a bug-catching hunt.” The frog master's protruding hazel eyes swiveled over to the clock Jessika had built in the corner. “And according to the clock, it's time for the boys and I to leave for tonight's hunt.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “I'll see you later, sweetheart.”

“But...” Leia didn't have the time to finish before he made his hasty exit. “But Han used to call me that. He called me 'Your Worship,' too. How did he know?”

The trio of girls stumbled in as Leia finished sweeping the cup. “We got the rest of our dinner, Mother,” Rey began. They'd all straightened their work dresses, but Leia could still see bits of cobweb in their hair, and their dresses were smudge with dirt and mold from the basement's walls and sand floor.

Their mother sighed. “First of all, you don't have to search for the princes anymore. I'm starting to get an inkling of where they are.” She wrinkled her nose at their dirty faces and arms. “Second, you're going to have to wash again. You're all filthy.”

“Have you figured out who Master Harold is?” Rey asked excitedly.

Jessika grinned. “Can you give us a hint?”

Leia's smile was more cryptic. “Only in dreams, my dear.”