By Maradas Graham

There are dozens of stories floating about the mortal realms of handsome princes who are turned into frogs and are released with a kiss. Many of these are called fairy tales, though this has never once happened in the Fair Folk realms. What started this all was the story of Melainis, the Frog Princess.

Melainis was a sprightly young woman from the southern Barony of Wyland and daughter of Baron Wylander. She was a rather adventurous lass from a young age, often trekking about the swamps with the local boys and doing all manner of things her father thought unladylike. She heeded his will little, instead becoming the best tree climber in all the southern baronies. She could skip a stone further than anyone, man or woman, mortal or Fair Folk. She actually became well known throughout the kingdom for these two traits, as she climbed the highest tree of the kingdom, the Cloud Tree, in a day and skipped a stone all the way across the Endless Sea.

As with many talents, gaining fame with your skill means gaining enemies through jealousy, and she gained a great enemy in Orpien Lowdrowd, a son of a baron in the southern Unseelie Realms. Orpien had been the best at skipping stones and climbing trees, but now this young upstart had unseated him. And worse, in Orpiens eyes, it was a girl who had bested him. Orpien traveled to the Seelie realms to hold a contest of tree climbing and rock skipping, but Melainis bested him at every turn. Orpien returned home more bitter that he left, but with an Unseelie lad who can tell? He was so bitter he hired an old hag to place a curse on a stone that the next person to throw the stone would turn into a frog. He made sure the stone was the most perfect skipping stone he had ever found, one he had kept for years for a rainy day. He arranged a rematch with Melainis and made sure his special stone was placed near here when the contest began. Sure as the sun she picked up that stone first and gave it a heave, sailing the stone across the Endless Sea and further across the Lost Ocean. Unfortunately everyone was watching the stone and didnt notice as she changed into a frog, though they were amazed how quickly she had departed after her obvious victory.

Orpien gave a halfhearted toss, doing rather poorly even for him, but he did not care as he had won the contest that mattered. After everyone left he caught Melainis and took her home with him so he could gloat at his leisure over the transformed woman. He kept her for many years, keeping her in a small case under his bed. Eventually he grew to manhood and, as many Unseelie do, took to the bottle rather strongly. One night, after having drunk more than his fill, he related the story of what befell Melainis to a man he had met that night. I do not know whom Orpien thought the man was, but it turned out to be the Goblin King on his way out of the Unseelie realms after being cast out for kidnapping. The Goblin King quickly grabbed Orpien by the throat and did a quick interrogation that consisted of Orpien telling the Goblin King exactly where Melainis was kept and then the Goblin King running him through with an iron blade.

The Goblin King quickly went to Orpiens house, killed his father, and took Melainis away. The Goblin King then continued his flight north, with Melainis in tow. Once he had arrived at the lands that would become his Labyrinth he kissed the frog, knowing that was a common way to break hag curses of transformation. As luck would have it this curse could be removed in that way. The Goblin King the proceeded to woo the confused girl into being his wife, as so far he could easily pain himself as the gallant hero whom had rescued her. She agreed rather quickly to his proposal and the two were married shortly thereafter, but by whom no one is sure. What is known after a week in the castle with the Goblin King Melainis left to live in the Labyrinth as she would rather live in the rough fighting beasties than live with that despicable tyrant.

She lived like this for many years, growing fruits and vegetables on the edges of the Labyrinth and trading with the various other inhabitants or visitors to the Labyrinth. Shortly after the newcomers came to Innismoor though she was freed by a Seelie knight, Sir Willinghum the 2^nd. Sir Willinghum, son of Lord Willinghum, is one of the foremost duelists in the Fair Folk realms and he had been the childhood lover of Melainis. He had tracked her for years after her transformation disappearance, finally finding the end of his quest at the gates of the Goblin Realms. Knowing that he could not storm the gates single handedly, as he was not the stuff of legends yet, he issued a challenge to the Goblin King who accepted out of arrogance, as the Goblin King had studied with numerous Unseelie fencing masters back in his days in the Unseelie court. The Goblin King let Sir Willinghum choose the contest, and Sir Willinghum chose rock skipping. The two went to the Madrid Sea on the eastern edge of the Goblin Realms for the contest and proceeded to pick the stone for the first through. As the Goblin King wasnt looking Sir Willinghum placed the rock Orpien had used all those years ago, which he had tracked across the Endless Sea and the Lost Ocean, on the ground so the Goblin King would choose it. And choose it he did, transforming to a frog on his first throw. Sir Willinghum then demanded that the Goblin King release Melainis from her wedding vows or suffer as a frog for eternity.

The Goblin King did regretfully agree to release her from the bonds he held over her, and before Melainis and Sir Willinghum departed Melainis gave one kiss to the Goblin King, restoring his condition. The Goblin King is many things, but he is a man of his word and a man who appreciates a good trick, and he let the two leave only after giving them rings to use in their weddings made from the finest faerie silver.

Sir Willinghum and Melainis then returned to Wyland to be married, and in time Melainis became Baroness of Wyland and Sir Willinghum its Baron, but she can still climb trees faster than a squirrel and skip rocks across seas with no border.