" Where does this tunnel open ?" asked Ced, as they walked through an underground pathway.

" In the middle of the settlement." the Frog Princess replied.

" How do you plan on regaining leadership, Princess ?"  Hansel asked.

" There are two ways to defeat the tribe leader. One is to prove that their wishes and agenda do not align with the greater interests of the Frog people and the second is to challenge him to a duel to death. Naturally, whoever survives, wins."

"I would prefer the first one, certainly."

The Princess nodded in agreement "I care not for my safety. But the first way allows me to explain myself to my people and win their trust back. I do not seek authority, Cedron, descendant of Cinderella, I only seek acceptance."

Her words resonated with Cedron.

"This is the trapdoor. Be armed." she warned. Lifting the trapdoor, she stepped out stealthily and they followed. They were immediately noticed by a couple of guards.

" Princess Vasilasa ?" one of them said , completely shocked.

" What are you looking at! We must capture her and take her to the Chief ." the other guard scolded. He walked towards the Princess. Gretel hit him with her staff.

The first guard looked pale and confused. He did not move one step from his position.  " Princess , you are back !" , he whispered, utterly shocked.

" Where is Rana ?" the Princess asked.

" A discussion is ongoing. There is decision to be made." he informed.

"Then it is the perfect time to expose him."

" But there will be too many of them to fight, Princess." he said.

" I must go before the decision is made. Or it will destroy all of us, Vali." she insisted.

" Four is better than three. Allow me to accompany you , Princess ." said Vali.

She nodded. "It is your wish."

" Princess, you must cover yourself with this blanket , so that they do not see you, till we approach the Chief." he said .

They followed behind him, only to be stopped by a guard the next minute.

Ced's heart beat loudly, as the guard examined them from head to toe. " Who are they ?" he asked.

" Intruders. To be taken to the Chief ."

He inspected them keenly. Finally he said , " Alright , go ahead ."

Soon, a whole crowd of frog people came into view. On a raised throne , sat a fat , abominable looking man with vicious red eyes.

" My people , for long we have tolerated dominance of the common folk and allowed our interests be sidelined by theirs . They never gave us the respect we deserved , never! They ridiculed our appearance and laughed at our mannerisms. But this superiority of theirs must come to an end. We will show them who we are ! We will fight for our self respect . Let there be war !"

The people cheered.

The chief's speech worried Ced. They needed the whole land to stand together and fight evil. If they started quarrelling amongst themselves, doom would be inevitable.

" Is there anyone who opposes this decision ?" he shouted out.

Princess Vasilasa revealed herself. " I disagree, Rana." she shouted out, boldly and gazes full of disbelief turned her way.

Rana moved towards her to attack, but was stopped by Vali, who held a dagger at his throat. "Don't you dare." he threatened.

Before the other guards could approach the chief, they were taken care of by Hansel, Gretel and Ced.

Vasilasa stepped onto the podium. Many protests were heard from the crowd.

" Please, my people , listen to me . I have no one but you ." she pleaded.

" Why don't yeh go to the common folk , eh ?" one shouted out.

" That is not my home. For home , is where one feels a sense of belonging . I was never accepted as a member of their society. This is my home , you are my family and it will always be so." she said. "Listen to me, please ."

" You are inferior to us. Your blood is impure. We refuse to be ruled by you or listen to you." someone shouted.

The Princess smiled. " How conveniently have we forgotten that the same blood as the common folks runs in our veins too. We are only half frog ."

" So you mean to say that we are an impure race ?"  A person challenged.

" No ." replied the princess , " None of us are impure . However, the intentions of people who try to manipulate us and induce rage in our minds for personal gains, are. We must not let ourselves be so easily swayed by them.

"The common folk are our half brothers . What matters it, what ancestry we have , and what cultural norms we follow ? When we bleed , we all bleed red. It all comes down to one fact ; we are all the same ."

" But the common folk don't think the same way about us , do they ?" Rana interjected, " They think we are strange; our form disgusts them. They refused to accept us, even you, dear Princess. And you say we are half brothers ?"

The crowd looked eagerly at the princess.

" Love ... it is love that breaks all boundaries. In this land of magic , prophecy and miraculous beings, we still choose to give utmost importance to something as familiar and mundane as love. A true love's kiss...a gesture of acceptance; a will to leave our differences behind and realise the truth that in the end, we are one. And even if there are differences, it doesn't matter, for they can be overcome. War never won anyone anything. It has only ever brought us devastation and bloodshed.

"The solution lies right before our eyes. It is upon us, what we choose to do."

There was a silence. A silence of reflection, of dawning realisation.

"It is not the common folk who believe us to be an inferior race. It is us. We are so willing to believe in our inferiority, in our unattractiveness, in our inability. The society, the common folk only reaffirm our insecurities to us."

Her words had a hard hitting impact. All this while, Cedron had been affirming his insufficiency to himself. Perhaps, it was not his lack of skill or knowledge that prevented him from succeeding, but his diffidence and the fear of failure. He had been using the situations and the people around him to reassert his inferiority.

" Our fight is not against them." the Princess said, "It is against narrow minded people who constrict our thoughts. Who made you believe that my parentage might lead to me betraying you , when you knew that I could never even have dreamt of it. You are my family, my kin. I do not view you as separate from me. We are all one."

There were applause . Tears in some eyes , too .

" We are in grave danger. This land that mothered us is endangered by the ultimate forces of evil. Will we let it seethe into peril?"

"No!" the crowd said.

" Will you let me lead the tribe and join the cause against evil ?"

" Yes ."  was the unanimous answer. Ced was amazed to see the effect that the Princess had on the Frog people. She exuded confidence and spoke honestly, with conviction.

Rana managed to free himself from Vali's grasp. " You nasty common folk ! I will not spare you . I will kill you ." he croaked.

He advanced towards her with Vali's dagger in hand. Two soldiers caught him.

" Rana, you have attacked our leader. You have defied the tribe's rules." an old man said, " You will accept whatever punishment the leader deems correct for you. If I may offer my opinion, Princess , the suitable redemption for such an offence is death ."

"Death!" said the crowd.

" No !" said Vasilasa, silencing everyone. She turned to Rana. " You are banished from the tribe , on grounds of treason . If you are ever seen in the vicinity of the settlement, death will be your fate ."

" I will have my revenge." sneered the villain , before departure.

There was deafening rejoice, " Long live the Princess ! Long live the wise leader ."

*****

It hurt to keep her eyes open. They were tired from lack of sleep. But Red dare not close them, for she knew not what she might see.

Red trudged forward, slowly. A full moon bought shone in the sky , turning the green grass into silver blades under its light.

There was a sudden rustle that alerted her. She turned.

There was no one.

A rustle again.

No one.

She turned. A pair of dark grey eyes greeted her; the creature's chestnut fur was moonlit.

She experienced an unfamiliar horror. She felt her body turn cold.

She shrieked, an explosion of violent emotions.

The wolf put up his head, to face the orb of silver. Its howl filled the night.

*****

Author's Note :

I hope that the message I tried to convey through the Frog Princess's speech reached you all . Doesn't matter which country we are from . In the end , we are all humans and humanity , is our sole religion .

I know you all feel bad for Red . But don't worry things will be alright .

Take care ,

Bookworm .