Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess.
In the palace where the princess lived, there was a shady grove, and within this grove, there was an ancient well.
When the weather was hot, the little princess often played with her golden ball in the shade of the trees. It was cool and refreshing there.
When she grew tired from playing, she would wash her face with the icy water from the well and sit beneath the trees to rest.
One day, her golden ball accidentally fell into the well. She cried because it was her favorite ball.
As the little princess wept, suddenly someone said, “Don’t cry. I can help you retrieve your golden ball.”
The little princess looked up to see a frog.
The princess exclaimed, “Really? That’s wonderful! I will reward you with anything—gold, silver, jewels, anything you desire.”
The frog replied, “I don’t want gold, silver, or jewels. All I desire is for the princess to kiss me on my forehead.”
The little princess thought to herself, “Kissing an ugly frog—isn’t that just too much to ask? But I’ll promise it first, then let it retrieve my ball. So, the princess agreed to the frog’s request, promising to kiss it once it brought back her ball.
The frog happily leaped into the well and quickly brought the golden ball back to the surface. The princess was overjoyed. She grabbed the ball and ran off.
Behind her, the frog called out, “Princess, you promised to kiss me, but you haven’t fulfilled your promise!”
However, the princess didn’t even look back; she completely ignored the frog.
Later in the afternoon, the princess, along with the king and queen, were having afternoon tea when there was a knock at the door.
The little princess hurried to open it and found the frog standing there. She immediately slammed the door shut.
Concerned, the king and queen asked what was wrong. The princess explained what had happened.
The king said, “You made a promise to the frog. How can you not fulfill it?”
The princess replied, “But it’s just an ugly frog. I don’t want to kiss it.”
The king said sternly, “If you didn’t want to kiss it, you shouldn’t have deceived it. You only wanted to use it to retrieve your ball. Now go and open the door, kiss it as you promised.”
He continued, “I’ve always told you, being a person of integrity is important. Imagine if you were the frog, wouldn’t you feel deceived and hurt at this moment?”
The little princess thought for a moment. If she were the frog, indeed, she would feel deeply saddened and betrayed.
So, the princess opened the door and said to the frog, “I was wrong earlier. I shouldn’t have broken my promise.”
With that, she kissed the frog on the forehead.
At that moment, a miracle occurred. The frog transformed into a handsome young prince.
It turned out, he was a prince from a neighboring kingdom. He had been cursed by a witch and turned into a frog.
The sincere kiss from the princess broke the curse.
Afterward, the princess married the prince and returned to his kingdom with him.
The frog king or Iron Henry
Once upon a time, there was a king who had a daughter, the most beautiful princess.
The little princess often played with her golden ball near an old well in the forest by the palace. It was a quiet and cool place.
One day, she accidentally dropped her golden ball into the well.
The little princess cried sadly, and her cries grew louder and louder.
Suddenly, she heard a voice say, “Princess, don’t cry. I can help you retrieve your golden ball.”
The princess looked around and saw a frog emerging from the well.
She said, “Oh, you’re a good swimmer! Please help me get my ball. I’ll give you anything you want—gold, jewels, or even my crown?”
The frog shook his head and said, “I don’t want any of that. I want to be friends with you, to play, eat, and sleep together. Can you promise me that?”
The princess thought to herself, “How can I eat and sleep with an ugly frog? But I’ll pretend to agree and trick it into getting my ball back first.”
So, she pretended to agree.
Believing her, the frog quickly retrieved the golden ball.
But as soon as the princess got the ball, she ran off, ignoring the frog’s calls.
The poor frog had no choice but to return to the well.
The next day, while the princess was dining with the king, they heard a knock at the door.
The princess opened the door and saw the frog. She immediately shut the door.
The king asked her what was going on, and the princess told him everything.
The king sternly said, “How can you break your promise? Go and open the door!”
The princess reluctantly opened the door, and the frog followed her inside.
At the dining table, the frog said, “Please lift me up to sit beside you!”
The princess was very unwilling, but under the king’s stern gaze, she had to lift the frog onto the chair next to her.
The frog then said, “Push your little golden plate closer so we can eat together!”
The princess had no choice but to comply.
The frog ate heartily, while the princess couldn’t eat a thing.
After dinner, the frog said, “It’s time to sleep. Carry me to your room so we can rest together!”
The princess began to cry. She didn’t want the frog to sleep in her little bed.
But the king instructed, “When someone helps you, no matter who they are, even if it’s a frog, you shouldn’t despise them.”
The princess had no choice but to pick up the frog and take him to her room.
However, she didn’t let the frog sleep in her bed; instead, she placed him in a corner.
As she lay in bed to sleep, the frog said, “I’m tired too. I want to sleep. Put me on the bed, or I’ll tell the king.”
The princess became angry. She picked up the frog and threw him against the wall, saying, “Shut up, you ugly frog!”
To her surprise, as soon as the frog hit the ground, he turned into a handsome prince, and the princess instantly fell in love with him.
It turned out that the prince had been cursed by a wicked witch, and only the princess could save him.
The king arranged for them to be married.
The next morning, the prince’s loyal servant Henry waited outside the palace with a splendid carriage to take the prince and princess back to the prince’s kingdom.
The carriage sped along the road back to the kingdom, but all the way, there was a clattering sound.
The prince asked, “Henry, is the carriage broken? I think I heard the sound of parts falling off.”
Henry replied, “No, Your Highness, it was the iron bands around my chest that fell off. After the witch turned you into a frog, I was so heartbroken and sad. I feared my heart would break from the sorrow, so I had three iron bands placed around my chest. Now that you have turned back into a prince and married the princess, I am so happy for you that the iron bands have fallen off one by one.”
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