The Princess, the Dragon, and the Frog Prince

By Elisabeth Waters, Mercedes Lackey and Raul S. Reyes

This is a collection of connected stories: 
* The Birthday Gift, by Elisabeth Waters 
* Dragon in Distress, by Mercedes Lackey & Elisabeth Waters 
* The Dragon's Horde, by Elisabeth Waters & Raul S. Reyes 
* A Prince Among Frogs, by Elisabeth Waters 

The story arc started when Princess Rowena's sorceress aunt gave her a fourteenth-birthday gift that could truly be described as enchanting, which impelled Rowena to leave home and take refuge with a dragon. Then things really spiraled out of control, dragging in Tarma and Kethry, a pregnant mercenary (and being carried off by a dragon while suffering from morning sickness is not a fun experience), and a rather clueless prince. And after tangling with Rowena, the prince needed a witch to rescue him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust
• Release date: May 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386553366

Elisabeth Waters

Elisabeth Waters sold her first short story in 1980 to Marion Zimmer Bradley for THE KEEPER'S PRICE, the first of the Darkover anthologies. She then went on to sell short stories to a variety of anthologies. Her first novel, a fantasy called CHANGING FATE, was awarded the 1989 Gryphon Award. Its sequel, MENDING FATE, was published in 2016. She is now concentrating more on short stories. She has also worked as a supernumerary with the San Francisco Opera, where she appeared in La Gioconda, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, Khovanschina, Das Rheingold, Werther, and Idomeneo.

Book preview

Introduction

Elisabeth Waters

This all started when I wrote The Birthday Gift for SWORD & SORCERESS 9. I had always liked the fairy tale about the girl who had jewels and flowers drop from her lips with every word she spoke, but when I considered the changes that having that gift would make to someone’s life, I could see how there could be problems involved. And once you have a character with a problem, you have the start of a story. Because I enjoy collaborating with my friends, the next two stories for SWORD & SORCERESS were done with Mercedes Lackey, in 1995, and Raul S. Reyes, in 1998.

Due to the fact that I have no compunction about having my characters move from world to world (and series to series, if you can call what I produce anything as simple as a series), I wrote A Prince Among Frogs for Marion Zimmer Bradley’s FANTASY Magazine in 1996. It branches off from Rowena’s world after the events in Dragon in Distress, and it ended up being in a series with Weather Witch and Things That Go Grump in the Night, previously unconnected stories that I had not intended to turn into a series. It just happened. So A Prince Among Frogs ended up belonging to two otherwise unrelated series.

Marion Zimmer Bradley always used to answer the question Where do you get your ideas? by saying, I keep a little old lady chained in the basement." If pressed, she would explain that this was how she described her subconscious mind. My experience has taught me that my subconscious produces things I never would have expected, including connections that I certainly didn’t notice with my conscious mind.

The Birthday Gift

Elisabeth Waters

Aunt Frideswide, how could you? Princess Rowena glared at the diminutive figure in the sorceress’s robes across the amethyst, emerald, topaz, ruby, and daisy that had dropped from her lips as she spoke.

Frideswide winced. Oh, that voice! How could such a small girl have such a loud, shrill voice? Rowena, dear, remember your manners! Aren’t you even going to say good morning? And do, please, moderate your voice.

I can still say ‘morning,’ Rowena growled, "but I’m deleting the other word from my vocabulary. Rose thorns hurt when they scrape across your lips. The pile of precious stones and flowers on the table in front of her grew. Why did you do it?"

But, my darling child, it was always your favorite fairy tale—it seemed the perfect gift for your fourteenth birthday, and besides it will add to the value of your dowry, now that you’ve reached marriageable age. I know your father was worried about that. Really, Frideswide thought to herself, what’s the matter with the girl? It’s an elegant solution to all of our problems, and she’s behaving like a sulky brat.

Oh, I see. Rowena’s dark eyes blazed. You think this will make a prospective husband willing to overlook my dreadful voice. You’ll buy me a prince—but I have to do the suffering to earn him! Well, I don’t want a prince, I don’t want a husband, and I’d rather take a vow of silence than go around like this! Take this spell off me! Now!! Her voice had risen almost two octaves above her usual piercing treble during this speech, and a beaker on the top shelf shattered on the last word.

But, Rowena, dear, Frideswide protested, moving to the other side of the table to stir nervously the contents of her big cauldron, I’m afraid I can’t do that. I don’t know the counter-spell—indeed, I had difficulty enough getting the spell in the first place.

No, Rowena said grimly, "not difficulty enough. I’m going to lock myself in my room, and I’m not coming out until you find a way to take this spell off me!"

A soft tap on the door was followed by a maidservant carrying Frideswide’s breakfast tray. She dropped a curtsy when she saw Rowena. Happy birthday, Your Royal Highness.

Rowena rushed past her and out of the room without replying. The maid stared after her in bewilderment, for Rowena was normally one of the friendliest people in the castle.

She’s overtired, Frideswide said hastily. What a lame excuse; it is only breakfast-time. All the excitement of her birthday.

I hope she’ll be recovered in time for the party this afternoon, the girl remarked. I hear the all the princes of the Five Kingdoms will be there.

I hope so too, Frideswide said fervently, stepping in front of the pile of the jewels on the table. Put the tray on the end of my workbench, please, and then you may go.

When the girl had left, she sat on the stool at the end of the bench and took the cover off the tray. Immediately there was a scrabbling sound, and a dark-green newt appeared from among the clutter on the workbench to collect his share of the food. The newt had only one eye, the other having been sacrificed to a charm some time back. Frideswide also had a pet frog who was missing one toe, but that had not been one of her more successful charms, so she had not repeated it.

Well, what do you think?

The newt chewed several times and swallowed before answering. I think she’s an ungrateful brat. When I think of the trouble I took researching the spell, visiting that old dragon and bargaining—I could have been flambéed, and all she says is ‘take it off!’ It’s a beautiful spell, one of the best you’ve ever cast, and it will make her rich and buy her a good husband and all she can do is yell and complain. He took another mouthful and paused to swallow it. Why, with that spell, her husband wouldn’t mind if she nagged at him day and night!

Frideswide, however, was beginning to have second thoughts. "Maybe