Beauties and the Frogs, Part 3

“Are you sure this is the way Father Luke said to go, Mother?” Rey gazed at the shadowy path and shivered, pulling her cloak further around her.

“This is exactly the way he said to go.” Leia shivered. The early spring day had turned chilly. The blustery wind sent black tree limbs clacking into each other and dead leaves skittering around their horses' feet. “We should be there any minute.”

Jessika was pale under her navy velvet coat, an old one of Uncle Luke's that she'd made over for herself. “We really need to find shelter for the night.” She winced as thunder was heard in the distance. “It sounds like it may storm soon.”

“Wait, Mother.” Rey pulled up by a wide lake. “Isn't that the house Uncle Luke mentioned?” A streak of lightning showed the outlines of a decayed old mansion. It might have been beautiful, once upon a time. Now the jagged towers with their broken shingles stabbed the blood-red sky as branches scraped against cracked windows.

“Charming place.” Kaydel wrinkled her nose. “Looks like a rest home for old ghouls.”

“Hey.” Leia turned her horse to the voice whispering from a spidery bush. A brown webbed hand beckoned from the leaves. “Are you the daughters of the bearded gentleman who lost the rose?”

“I'm their mother, Leia. These are my daughters.” Leia dismounted her horse, giving the hand a strange look. “You can come out now. We know what you are. My brother, Sir Luke Skywalker, told us.”

The girls gasped as a light emerged from the indigo shadows. The soft gold glow was in a lantern that dangled from a thick, moss-brown webbed hand. “I'm sorry, Miss Leia,” the creature croaked softly. “I didn't want to frighten you. We're...well, we're a bit off-putting if you're not used to us.”

Rey stepped up to the creature as it stumbled out of the bushes. “Come into the light.”

“All right, but don't say I didn't warn you.” Kaydel screamed, Jessika let out a shocked yelp, and even Leia drew a breath. It was a giant brown toad, a great broad-shouldered creature with thick dun-colored skin heavy with warts and black slime around the top of his head. He easily held the lamp in his webbed fingers and walked on his long legs. “I'm not very pretty.”

“No,” Rey said quickly. “You're...you're unique.”

Maybe she was mistaken, but he seemed to turn pink around the edges of his lips. “Thank you, miss.”

“I'm Rey.” She took his other hand. “These are my sisters, Kaydel and Jessika.”

They all jumped as another peal of thunder rolled through the sky. “I think we'd better get inside.” Leia took her horse. “Unlike you, our skin is not waterproof.”

“My master wanted me to bring you to the house.” He gently tugged Rey down the path as fat drops began to fall on their noses. “My brothers are preparing your rooms now.”

“We're not going to stay in the dungeons and live on bread and water?” Jessika asked with a small smile.

“Oh no!” The toad held Rey's hand harder as lightning flashed over the house. “You're our guests. We want you to be happy here.”

“Well, we'll be happier if we're dry.” Leia took Rey's horse. “Where's the stables?”

“My brother Poe will handle the horses. He's good with animals.” The toad smiled at Rey, who blushed. She thought he had a very kind smile, for a toad.

“I'll help him.” Jessika took the horses' reigns. “Is he as...uh, unique...as you?”

“We all are. We...well, you'll see, miss.” He looked over his shoulder at the others. “The stable is down by the largest of the old oak trees. My brother will meet you there. The rest of you, come with me.”

“By the way, sir,” Leia began, “what should we call you?”

“Finn. My name is Finn.” He gave them an elegant bow as he opened the door for them. “After you, ladies.”

“My goodness!” Kaydel laughed as she passed him. “How chivalrous!”

Leia gave him a smile of her own. “You're very polite, for a toad-man.”

“Thank you, Miss Leia.” Finn lead them into a shabby living room, filled with worn, dusty furniture strewn with cobwebs. “Follow me. I'll take you to your rooms.”

Leia lifted her skirts as they walked up the splintered wooden steps. The old staircase creaked with every movement. “You mentioned a 'master.' I assume he's the head of the household. Why doesn't he hire a frog maid, or at least do some cleaning? Our home isn't in the best of shape either, but it's at least clean.”

“We do what we can, Miss Leia, but this is a very old house. The Master spends most of his time in his rooms.” The lantern light flickered, the shadows making soft gray circles out of Finn's rounded mouth and bulging brown eyes. “Nothing we've done can make him happy. He's blames himself for...well, for everything.”

“I'd suspected there was some black magic at play.” Leia watched the creature as it continued up the stairs. “I can feel it. There's something...some dark magic that covers you, like a cloak. I don't think you're a toad, but it's making it hard to see what you are.”

“No, miss. I wasn't born like this.” The frog-youth turned his eyes away. “Please don't ask me any more questions. You just...you have to stay here. That's all.”

“We were only expecting one of you, not four.” Finn stopped at the first door. “We didn't know about the other three until later. My brother Snap is finishing the other ladies' rooms. You'll all stay in this one tonight. We'll get cots or mattresses for the other girls.”

Leia gasped as they entered. The room was enormous, much cleaner than the rest of the house. The bed, with its faded lavender French canopy, took up most of the back wall. The black lacquered furniture, while still old and warped, had at least been polished to a hard shine. The threadbare Oriental carpets had been aired; the chandelier dusted until it sparkled.

“It's a lovely room, Finn,” Leia said with a smile. She ran a finger along the woodwork on the window sash. “At least one of you is a decent housekeeper.”

“That's my brother Snap. He likes to keep busy.” Finn opened the closet. “We found these dresses in the attic, and there's fabric up there to make more, if any of you sew.”

“Oh!” Kaydel leaped at a blue silk dress with the high, stiff lace collar of a few decades ago. “It looks like something from a fairy tale! I could do so much with this! Maybe add some lace trim, or bows on the skirt. We'd really look like princesses!”

Rey peered beyond her. “Maybe we could make over one of the tea gowns into a gardening outfit.”

“Do whatever you like.” Finn grinned at her enthusiasm. “The dresses were abandoned with the house. I'm sure their former owner would love to see them used again.”

Leia chuckled as the two girls leaned further into the wardrobe. “That will keep them occupied for about ten minutes.” She stopped the toad-youth before he could hurry out the door. “I want you to tell me more about your master. It seems rather rude of him to not greet us.”

“He's...he's shy,” Finn croaked quickly. “He'll join us at dinner. It's at 7, by the way. We don't usually do a formal meal here, but since this is your first night, he thought you'd like something special.”

The older woman smiled warmly. “I'm looking forward to meeting him.”

“Uh, yeah.” Finn ducked out of the room, leaving the women to dress for dinner. He hurried down the stairs and across the hall, to another, wider set of steps. The West Wing was the older part of the house. The boys had rooms on the second floor, but the Master occupied the tower suite.

Finn climbed the long flight of narrow steps, then knocked on the door. “Master?”

“Yeah, kid?” a gruff voice croaked.

“The ladies have arrived.” Finn shivered at the shadowy hall, with its creaky steps and peeling wallpaper. “I got three of them settled in. The fourth is helping Poe with the horses.” He took a breath, then went on. “The mother was asking about you. She said you were rude not come see them.” The frog lowered his croak. “She's kind of right, you know. You can't hide from her forever, especially if you want to lift this curse.”

“I can do what I want, kid.” Finn winced at the sound of breaking pottery. “I'll be at dinner. Don't ask me before that.”

“All right, Master.” Finn sighed as he returned downstairs. He knew the Master blamed himself for what had befallen him, but brooding like this wasn't going to do anyone any good. Miss Leia seemed really interested in him, too. If he wanted her and her daughters to free them, he was going to have to show himself, no matter what he looked like. After all, Finn and Poe had. The girls had screamed, but they hadn't run away, and Miss Leia didn't even do that.

These were the ones. Finn could feel it in his bones. He just wished the Master would believe it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Finn came for the women exactly at 6. Leia had managed to get all of the girls dressed by then. Jessika had come upstairs chattering about the stables and the horses there and the creature who tended to their animals. “It was a frog, Mother,” she insisted. “A big, green frog who walked on two legs, like the fellow who lead us here. He had smoother skin than the other guy, sort of a black-green color. I thought the warts almost looked like they were curling. He had the best manners, too. He kissed my hand the moment he saw me.” She wiped it on the back of her skirt. “Even if he did leave a trail of slime.”

“That's my brother, Poe.” Finn chuckled as they followed him down the creaking old stairs. “Well, he's not my real brother, but we're as close as brothers. He's my best friend. He's the best horseman...well, horse-frog...in the kingdom. He can make them do anything. You should see him fix our machines, too.” They jumped as a big cuckoo clock on the wall in the living room tooted the hour. “He fixed that himself.”

“Really?” Jessika went to inspect the works, turning it over in her hands. “It's really ingenious. I love the little frogs that come out instead of the bird.”

Leia took the clock from her daughter and returned it to the wall. “You can look at it later, dear.” She pulled her daughter along, then turned to Finn. “Tell me more about this master of yours. You really didn't talk about him much before.”

“There's not much to tell. He's really kind of quiet,” Finn rambled. “He doesn't talk much. He's not real smart. Not since...well, he isn't. But he's a good man. Good to us. Mostly keeps to himself. Snap and Poe and I sometimes take the horses out to hunt for good flies. We can get him to come on his good days. He and Chewbacca make things in his room. There are some days, though, where he hides and won't come out at all or talk to anyone, except for Chewbacca.”

Rey raised her eyebrows. “Chewbacca?”

“He's the master's servant. Nice guy. Very different from us.” Finn finally brought them to a long, polished dining room. “Here's the ladies, Master,” Finn stammered quickly. “Sorry we took so long.”

“You should be.” The toad who croaked at them at the end of the table was the ugliest creature Leia had ever laid eyes on. “My servant has finished dinner, and the soup is about to get cold.” He towered over Finn, standing twice as tall as him on his thick webbed feet. Rows of sharp spines stood out on his green-gray skin between warts and bumps. Slime dripped thickly over his chin and head and off his grotesquely protruding mouth, which was twisted into a grimace of disapproval. Two large spikes protruded from the top of his rounded head like horns. His gruff voice sounded like a cross between a croak and a deep growl.

Leia managed not to wince at his appearance. Rey elbowed Kaydel before she could scream again and glared at Jess when she made a face. The mother curtsied before her in her gown of deep purple velvet. “You must be the Master. My daughters and I thank you for our room and hope that the others will be ready soon.”

As she looked up, she happened to get a glimpse of the Master's eyes. They were...not a toad's eyes at all. To her surprise, while as large as an amphibian's, they were hazel rather than gold, with golden flecks that danced in the light. They were really more like a human's eyes than a toad's. She'd seen those eyes before, but she couldn't remember where for the life of her.

Those eyes were as hard as the mossy stones on the lake. “I asked for one of you, Your Majesty. Not all of you. I wasn't expecting a full party.”

“Your friend asked for my daughter, or my brother would remain a prisoner.” Her dark eyes bored straight into his. “I'm not letting my children go off alone. I'll be a prisoner in my brother's place.”

“You're not a prisoner. Not today, anyway.” The Master pulled out a chair for Leia. “You're all our guests. Just...not used to surprises here.”

Two other frogs instantly leaped from their chairs. One was smaller, a bright green fellow with curling black warts on his head and wide brown eyes that flashed flirtatiously when he helped Jessika into her seat. The other was plump and hearty, a darker green with bands of brown around his head and under his lips. Kaydel giggled as he helped her into her seat, amusing her by making faces for her benefit.

A towering, fur-covered creature pulled out the Master's chair. All four of the women stared at him. They'd never seen anything like him. He was covered in thick chestnut fur, from his crown to his big feet. He was twice the size of even the Master. He ably served the women a hearty stew made of vegetables and quail.

“I'm sorry if the food isn't what you're used to.” The Master's wide lips went down. “We usually eat flies or other pond insects, or broth and nuts in the winter. We only have a very small garden and what my servant can catch on the grounds.”

“Oh no,” Jessika protested, “this is fine. In fact, this is great!”

Rey nodded, her mouth full. “It's much better than what we've been getting at home.”

“I'm...I'm so glad.” The Master frowned. “I'm an ugly, dumb toad. I mostly stay in the tower. You girls will probably find the boys more to your liking. You can spend time with them, or in our music rooms, or the garden.”

Leia took his webbed hand, being careful of the spines. “You're not stupid. You shouldn't talk about yourself that way.” She gave him a small smile. “Maybe you're not the world's greatest housekeeper, but you do take care of these young...er, frogs. As for ugly,” the queen shook her head, “you're more...interesting...than ugly.”

The bright green frog looked up from his broth. “We keep telling him that, but the sp...” Finn gave him a look and nudged him.

Rey's eyes lit up like jewels. “You have a garden?”

“Outside, in the back.” The Master managed a shrug.

“Can I see it tomorrow?” The dark-haired girl beamed. “I miss our garden at home. The violets should be coming up now, and the asparagus.”

“Sure. Couldn't hurt.” The Master nodded. “You probably know more about it than we do. Finn can show you where the gardening tools are.”

“I heard 'music room.'” Kaydel grinned between bites of soup. “I can sing, dance, and play the piano a little.”

“The music room is on the first floor, first door on your right after you come in.” The Master's wide hazel eyes fell on the plump frog. “Snap will show you where.”

“I already know about the stables.” Jessika's eyes fell on the bright green frog. “And I met Poe earlier. We were going for ride tomorrow morning, and then wash the horses.”

Poe gave her the most dashing smile a frog could manage. “I'm looking forward to it, my lovely young horsewoman.”

The Master couldn't quite meet Leia's eyes. “There's a library downstairs, overlookin' the garden, if you wanna read anythin'. Or you could join the kids. Or go out for a walk on the grounds, as long as you don't leave 'em.”

Leia smiled at him between sips of stew. “I would love it if you'd join me in the library. It would be nice to have someone to discuss great literature and politics with. Luke's not much interested in either, and the girls read different books than I do.”

“I don't know how good I'd be at it,” the Master began cautiously. “I don't read often, and I have no mind for politics.” The furry servant nudged him between spines, and the frog-youths all gave him hopeful looks. “But anythin' is better than sittin' upstairs. I can try, but I don't know how interestin' a conversation with a toad would be.”

“I'm not talking with a toad.” The older woman patted his warty hand between spikes. “I'm talking with a person.” The frogs and girls all grinned as the horned toad turned as red as the broth in the stew.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When the women came back upstairs, there was a fourth cot in the bedroom, near the window, and lacy linen night shifts and thick knitted blankets for all. After much debate, it was agreed that Leia would sleep in the bed, while the other three took the cots. “You're the oldest, Mother.” Jessika fluffed her pillow. “It's only fair.”

There was silence for a few minutes, as the quartet settled down in their new sleeping arrangements. “Mother,” Rey started softly, “there's something wrong here. Seriously wrong.”

“No, what makes you think that?” Kaydel rolled her eyes. “There's only four giant frogs and a walking carpet downstairs and a grouchy lizard who looks like a mobile pincusion hiding in the tower. And did we mention they all walk and talk and make stew like humans?”

“Kay, enough.” Leia sighed. “We've had a long day. Why don't we all get some sleep? We'll discuss this in the morning.” She put out the candles in the chandelier and the one next to her bed. “Good night, ladies!

As soon as she heard the chorus of “Good night, Mother!” Leia's head dropped onto the pillow. The faded lavender sheets were a soft, buttery satin that felt wonderful against her skin. She tried to concentrate and figure out where she'd seen that horned toad's eyes before, but it was no use. She fell into dreams just moments later.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Leia's feet tread on a long, cobblestone path leading through the most beautiful rose garden she had ever seen. Rose bushes lined the walkway, their soft yellow and pink petals giving the warm night air a spicy scent. The moon shown over a gate and a thick archway of blood-red roses that lead to the wall of an elegant country manor house. It looked almost like the house they were currently living in, but better-kept and much cleaner.

“Mother!” Her daughters hurried after her. Rey's grin nearly split her face. “Look at these gowns!” She turned around, showing off her yellow brocade with the gold roses and soft ribbons and her topaz tiara. “They're like a dream come true!”

Kaydel patted the blue velvet bow on her stomacher. The blue velvet and lace skirt billowed around her ankles. A sapphire tiara sparkled in her golden hair. “I don't know what's going on, but someone has exquisite taste. These are the latest fashion from Paris.”

“Mother looks the best.” Jessika tugged at the wide lace sleeves on her pink satin gown with the gold braid trim and white ruffles on the skirt. A tiara of diamonds was nestled in her sleek black locks.

Leia hadn't had the chance to look at herself until now. Her silk gown was a deep purple, almost the same color as the spring night, with a heavy brocade skirt. Lavender bows on the stomacher and the lace trimmed overskirt gave her a youthful hair. Their hair was swept up with the same roses as in the garden and jewels that sparkled in the moonlight. A diamond and amethyst tiara sparkled in her silver hair. Her fingers stroked the matching necklace, with its interwoven flower pattern.

She was about to ask the girls if they'd seen anyone else when the sound of footsteps on a broken twig startled her. “Stay behind me, girls.” Leia managed to get all three behind her as four long shadows fell over the stone path.

“I'm sorry, Your Majesty.” A handsome youth stepped out from behind the white rose arbor. “We didn't mean to startle you.” He had deeply tanned skin, glossy dark curls, and soft, sensuous pink lips. He wore a fine suit of navy blue and yellow velvet, with gleaming brass buttons. His curls framed a golden crown. “My name is Prince Poe of Yavin, Your Majesty.”

“I am Prince Finn of Bespin.” The dark-skinned youth in the red velvet coat bowed, his silver crown as bright as his gentle brown eyes.

The third youth's bow was more like a bob. His gold coat and trousers strained at his rather rotund frame. “And I'm Prince Temmin of Wexley.”

A fourth figure remained in the shadows, his face partially obscured. The moon showed a black and silver brocade suit, silk jabot, and massive silver crown fit for a king, with locks the color of moonlight worn longer than the fashion. Leia went up to him curiously. “And what's your name, sir? Pardon me, but I think we may have met before.”

The man's face fell. He shook his head and turned helplessly to the youths. Poe patted his shoulder and turned to Leia. “I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid our guardian is mute. When we're here, we do the speaking for him.”

Bands of moonlight lit up hazel eyes and a familiar lazy smirk as he bent over to kiss her hand. She curtsied for him. “At least your inability to talk hasn't effected your manners.”

“We must make a request of you, Your Majesty,” Prince Poe continued. “We are being held prisoner in this home. Only your four can set us free.”

“Where?” Rey pushed in front, taking Finn's hand. “And who did it? Those frog-things in the manor?”

Kaydel frowned. “But they seem so nice!”

“Don't be deceived by appearances.” Poe's eyes slid towards Jessika, who was already looking him over. “We're under a terrible curse. You can only break it if you see through the darkness.”

“Yeah, don't let the disguises fool you.” Temmin grinned. “We're normally better-looking than this”

“I knew it!” Rey made a face. “There is black magic in this place. It's crawling with it!”

“How can we break the curse?” Leia took the king's hand. “Please, one of you must tell us. Why would the frogs hold you hostage? Kaydel's right. They've been nothing but kind to us.” The king was hesitant. He longed to embrace this violet beauty, but the curse kept him confined to the shadows. He settled for gently rubbing her hand and gazing into those fathomless doe eyes.

“We can't stay here much longer.” Finn looked over his shoulder. “They'll be here any minute!”

The king nodded. “No, you can't leave now! You must tell us where to find you!” Leia leaned closer to him, squinting up into those bright, ever-changing orbs. “You know, maybe I'm just getting old, but you are so familiar! We've met somewhere before. I just can't...remember where..”

The king lifted her chin, his leather-gloved hand pressing against her soft porcelain cheek. Two tears rolled down his lined face, shining like stars in the waning moonlight. “My god,” she gasped, “has someone hurt you? You poor man. We'll do whatever we can to help you. I swear it.”

He was about to kiss her when a red bolt of lightning threw them apart. Leia landed hard on the ground. The king stumbled back into the shadows, landing in the arms of a hulking beast with devil's wings and the sharp claws and blood-stained teeth of a demon. Demons emerged from every shadow, grabbing the struggling youths from behind. Rey leaped onto the one that held Finn, but he flung her off his back and into a tree. She hit the trunk and fell to the ground unconscious. Jessika fought another demon, while a third chased a screaming Kaydel around a bush filled with roses.

“Oh no, you don't. Not tonight.” A ghoulish figure in a heavy cloak waved a long staff topped with a glowing blood-red jewel. Vines and roots burst from the ground and snaked down from the bushes to wrap around the men's arms and legs. “We don't want the game to be too easy. These wenches need more of a challenge.”

“Never!” Leia grabbed the creature's arm. “Unhand him! You're a black magician. A sorcerer. I've read about you before. I won't let you harm these men any further!”

The wicked man laughed in her face. “You, a mere woman? What can you do?”

“I know a little magic of my own.” Leia shot out her hand, calling a long garland of roses to wrap around him tightly.

The sorcerer only laughed. The red light writhed around the garland, causing it to crumble and wither. “What adorable parlor tricks, Your Majesty. Now, you'll taste the full brunt of my power!”

The girls screamed as a jagged red lightning bolt sizzled over Leia, flinging her to the ground. The young people all let out shrieks of horror. The three girls ran to her side. The boys were about to join them, but the demon-devils dragged them back and shoved them off towards the house. The king opened his mouth to let out an angry shout, but no sound emerged. He thrashed wildly in his woody bonds.

“You're coming with me, Your so-called Majesty.” The sorcerer's smile was taunting. “Your Majesty indeed! You'll never be a king again. I've seen to that. You and those pretty youths you tend to will become mindless servants once this year is out.”

He gave Leia one last, searing look. “Leave this place, Queen Leia. These men belong to me now. You and those bratty little wenches of yours will never break the curse.” He swung his cape over him and the helpless monarch, making them both vanish.

“Mother!” Rey shook at her. “Mother, please wake up! Mother! Mother, please!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mother!” Leia finally cracked open one eye. The girls stood around her bed in their night shifts and caps, all looking worried. Rey shook her shoulder. “Mother,” she fretted, “are you all right?”

“You were having a nightmare,” Kaydel added. “You woke up screaming.”

Jessika made a face. “And woke us up.”

“I'm sorry, girls.” Leia managed to pull herself into a sitting position as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Bright light streamed through the pale curtains on the windows. Sunshine illumiated the room, making it a bit less spooky than the night before. “I didn't sleep well. I had the worst nightmare. There were these gentlemen, all well-dressed. One of them couldn't speak. He kept hiding in the shadows. I wish he hadn't. He was so familiar...”

“And there were three handsome boys,” Kaydel added with a grin. “They were all princes in fancy clothes.”

“And a nasty black magician.” Rey made a face. “He shot you with the dark arts lightning before we could stop him, and I was knocked into a tree trunk.”

Jessika tapped the side of her chin. “They mentioned something about a curse, and them being prisoners in the house...”

Kaydel frowned. “We all had the same dreams?”

Rey nodded. “Looks like it. It seemed so real!”

“I think it may have been.” Leia threw the bedclothes aside. “Ladies, we need to talk to those frogs, including that 'master' of theirs. I think they're the key to solving this mystery.”

“Mother,” Rey said softly as they went to the wardrobe, “the evil sorcerer...I swear he reminded me of Snoke.”

“Me too. It wouldn't surprise me if he had a hand in this.” The queen pulled out a simple blue and tan-striped morning dress. “We'll discuss it further at breakfast.”

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.”

Beauties and the Frogs, Part 5

Moments, it seemed, after she set her head on her pillow, Leia found herself on one of the more obscure paths in a darker part of the rose garden. Her gown was magnificent tonight, red velvet with gold lace and the most intricate gold and robin's-egg blue flowers and leaves embroidered on the underskirt and cuffs. The skirt was enormous, as elaborate as any in the finest European courts. A golden tiara with a red ruby heart as large as an egg glittered in her graying locks, swept into curls around her shoulders and the blue silk choker.

“Hello?” The darkness was less inviting and more stifling, perhaps because of the changing seasons. The moon had an orange harvest hue tonight that gave the crackling grass an eerie tone. “King? Girls? Princes?” All she heard were leave rustling in the wind and a few soft sighs. There had been the sound of footsteps a few minutes ago, but they were gone now. She sighed, playing with a diamond and ruby bracelet on her wrist. “I don't know why I'm bothering. He can't respond to me. I wish he could tell me his name, or which kingdom he rules. The princes refuse to talk about him. 'All in good time' isn't much of an answer.”

She felt a warm, leathery hand on her shoulder. “Oh, thank goodness!” She turned around to see...well, what little she could ever see of him. He wore a sable-trimmed black velvet cloak over his broad shoulders. The barest hint of a black vest and snow-white silk shirt glowed in the shadows. “I thought that sorcerer might have hurt you again.”

They settled down on the stone bench by a group of oak trees just turning from green to gold. The leather-clad hand, with their long fingers, reached over and tentatively touched her cheek, stroking it. “Why can't I see you? I have some idea of what you look like, but you never leave the darkness. I'd be able to help you more if you were visible.”

Feminine voices giggled from the near-by trees as she lay her head on his shoulder. Silver tresses as soft as fox fur were topped by a sapphire-trimmed crown glowed in the darkness, but is face remained obscured. The vague outline of a strong chin and striking, heavily lined cheekbones blurred into the deep orange shadows of a harvest moon.

“I think I have some idea of what's going on. I'm not certain, but I can guess.” She rubbed the gold ring with the signature of Alderaan on his finger. “I know this ring. I've seen it many times before. It's only worn by true Alderaanian royalty. You must have been a member of our court at one time, or even...”

He shook his head enthusiastically, the moonlight showing lips turning up in a familiar lazy smirk. “You...my husband...he used to do that, whenever he got one of his crazy ideas, or he wanted to tease me. You're so much like him. I miss him badly.”

Whispered voices and a few giggles emerged from the rustling bushes behind them, but she ignored them. “It reminds me of the time my Han was kidnapped by Vader, Father of Death, a terrible black magician, and sealed in a block of granite. Han had been a thief at one time, and he owed money to a greedy old sultan in the Kingdom of Tatoonie. My heart shattered when I saw the enchanted stone creep around his legs, then his arms. He...he kissed me, while he could still move, just before it reached his torso. I told him that I loved him, and he said...he said he knew.”

She couldn't help the sob that escaped from her lips. “I wish I could tell him that I know he loves me, too. Something terrible happened to him. I can feel it. He wouldn't have left me otherwise. Most of Alderaan thinks he was killed, but Luke and I know he wasn't.”

A series of “awwwws” and romantic sighs ruffled the yellowing leaves on the bushes behind them as strong arms reached out of the blackness to wrap Leia in their embrace. She looked up at him, her brown eyes shining with recognition. “Thank you.” She leaned into his strong chest, so warm and cozy. He rubbed her back, his fingers stealing under her buttons, then under her stays. The buttery leather against her delicate skin made her shudder with pleasure.

“That feels wonder,” she gasped as his fingers deftly moved down her back. “Han used to do that for me, after an especially stressful day dealing with the court. I'd do his shoulders. He'd get so tense! I don't think he ever got used to handling the nobles. He would rather be off racing horses.”

Her hand stole into the darkness, kneading hard under the navy coat, into the pure white silk. The whispers and rustling in the bushes intensified as she moaned, pushing hard into his shoulders. “Ohhh, this is wonderful!” Her back nearly arched from the pleasure. His pink lips opened and would have moaned deeply, had he been able to make any type of noise. “Ooohhhs!” went up from the bushes.

She gently ran her fingers from his shoulders and across his neck to the noble square chin. The skin was slashed by an ancient, jagged scar...one that she knew well. “It is you! I knew it. There's only one man in the world who could rub my back like that. I know that ring, too. If you can't come into the light...” Her milky face leaned into the indigo moonlight. “I'll love you in the shadows.”

Their lips were about to meet when they heard a crash behind them. Leia jumped up from the stone bench and the king retreated into the darkness as six young bodies clad in bright-colored brocades, velvets, and silks tumbled out of the bushes. The queen sighed in exasperation. “I was wondering where all of you you went. Shouldn't you be courting each other, instead of intruding on our time together?”

“You're a lot more interesting.” Poe brushed off his red brocade suit.

“Besides,” Kaydel added as she straightened the gold lace on her pink satin stomacher, “we wanted to make sure everything went right.”

“Well,” said a grinning Snap with stars in his eyes, “are you going to kiss him?”

Leia's grin broadened. The king's lazy smirk brightened the enveloping night. “We were about to do that when we were quite rudely interrupted...but since you asked, I think we'll return to it. After all,” she grinned as the boys whistled and the girls sighed, “he is my husband.”

But when her arms reached for her beloved Han, they came up empty. The handsome king had been replaced by a creaking figure in a heavy black cloak. “Where is he?” she cried out in anguish. “Where's Han? It's him, isn't it? You've kept him hidden from me all this time!” She turned to the shocked group behind her. “He is, isn't he, boys?”

Poe nodded. “We couldn't tell you. It is the King of Alderaan, but he's changed, Your Majesty. We all have.”

“You think you're so close to solving the mystery.” A bony finger slithered from under the sorcerer's heavy black cloak. Even the figure's short laugh exuded evil. “You and those silly girls. The youths belong to me, now, as does your precious husband.”

The young couples followed Leia as she stormed over to the wizened figure, giving him her best angry glare. “Han is his own man,” she fumed, shaking with rage. “Neither he nor the princes belong to you, like they were pets you could control!”

The man burst into laughter at Leia's mentioning pets. “It's rather amusing you should say that, Your Majesty,” he chortled. His laughter sounded quite familiar.

Prince Poe coughed as Finn and Snap exchanged looks. “Your Majesty, let him go,” the curly locked lad begged. “Please, he'll hurt us, or worse yet, hurt the king. You saw what he did to him the first time you were here.”

“I won't let him! Not this time!” Leia raised her hands, sending thorny vines slashing against the sorcerer, attacking him left and right. One vine managed to cut through the hood. Red blood dripped down the withered, dead-white cheeks.

“You'll pay for that dearly, Your Majesty.” His devils were already holding back the young people, dragging the boys away while the girls fought them with all their strength. The sorcerer wound his bony fingers through Leia's hair, yanking it hard, ignoring his daughters' screams. “As long as King Han is part of the shadows, he's still mine.”

“Mother!” Rey rushed to her as the lightning sent her sprawling to the ground. “Mother, please! Oh Mother, awaken!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mother!”

“Han...” Leia moaned. “Oh Han...please...no...”

“Mother!” The queen's eyes flew open. All three of her daughters stood around her, their eyes wide with worry. “Mother,” Rey insisted, “you were having a horrible nightmare. We could hear you screaming.”

Jessika frowned. “I think we all did.”

“He's here.” Leia threw her blankets aside. “At least, in my dream, he was.”

Kaydel exchanged worried looks with her sisters. “Who is, Mother?” she asked in surprise.

“Han.” Leia pulled on her silken robe. “I knew he was close-by. He's a prisoner, with the other boys.”

Rey gently took her hand. “Mother, we've searched every nook and cranny of this house, from top to bottom. I can feel them, too...but if they're here, they must be somewhere on the grounds.”

“We'll keep looking.” Jessika took her other hand. “There's four of them. You can't hide a king and three princes forever.”

“Unless you had magic.” Kaydel put her arms around Leia's back. “I wonder if that nasty old sorcerer turned them into something. Maybe like the frogs downstairs.”

“Yes,” Leia began thoughtfully, “I wonder.”

There was a knock on the door before Leia could wonder further. “Breakfast is ready,” Finn told them. “The Master wants Miss Leia to eat with him in his room. He's...feeling poorly today.”

Leia got to her feet, flinging the door open so hard, Finn nearly fell in with it. “Is he all right? Did something happen to him? He never misses our library time.”

Finn sighed. “You'll see upstairs, Miss. He ran afoul of...him...again.”

“All right.” She reached for a simple yellow day dress, then turned to her daughters. “But no more searching for the princes. We'll figure out another way to find them.”

The girls nodded. “It'll be easier with all of us, anyway,” Rey pointed out. “You're the one who knows what King Han actually looks like out of the dark. We've only seen his picture.”

“Good.” Leia pulled out her stays. “I'll see you at breakfast. Kaydel, help the servant with the boys' broth and our eggs.”

“Yes, Mother,” they chorused as she dressed as quickly as she could, then hurried out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“You really need to find better excuses for being this burnt than walking into the fireplace.” Leia wrapped Harold's badly singed and reddened skin with thick bandages that the spines couldn't poke through. There were burns all over his body, from the top of his spines to the ends of his webbed feet. The normally slimy skin was so burned in some places that it had dried and begun to pucker. “For one thing, these don't look like burns from a fire. More from an electrical charge, like lightning.”

“I tell you,” Harold croaked from under his blankets, “I walked into the fire on accident!”

“When we first arrived, you fell down the stairs. Now, you'll falling into the fireplace.” Leia rubbed the last bandage with soothing aloe, then rolled it as best she could around his spines. “Really, I don't think you're that clumsy. You're not clumsy at other times. Did that sorcerer harm you again? The one who abused you the day after we arrived?” She looked him straight in his bulging eyes. “The one who's holding Han hostage here?”

Harold said nothing for a few minutes. When he did croak, it was soft and sad. “Yes. His apprentice is jealous of my wards, and he and his apprentice want to rule in my place. With me out of the way, he'll be able to take over my life.” He flexed his webbed hand and winced. “I've fought back, fought as hard as I can, but it does no good. The sorcerer is strong, and I have no magic.”

“But I do.” Leia took his webbed hand in hers. It was much easier to hold with rolls of old white fabric covering the spines. “And so does my daughter, Rey. We will do everything we can to protect you and your wards from that sorcerer. I promise.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.” Her heart leaped at the way he called her “sweetheart.” “Actually,” he continued, his bulging hazel eyes shining with hope, “that you might...sleep with me? Just for tonight.”

“Not tonight. Maybe soon.” She kissed his brow. “Right now, you need rest.”

He squeezed her hand. “Promise you won't leave me?”

She smiled. His heart nearly thumped out of his chest. “I promise.”