Leontodon's shoes squished in the mud, brown leather becoming caked with brown ooze as she walked toward the creek. Her sister, Virana, stood in a clump of rushes ahead and brandished a forked stick. "Come on, Leona!" she shouted. "We're going frog gigging!"

Leontodon wished she could be more like her--brave and adventurous, running through the woods without any self-regard. For what it was worth, neither of them had to clean their own boots. Their family knew a weaver with a dirt-destroying spell.

"Get a stick!" Virana exclaimed, shoving a length of beech wood into her hands. "Look, this is how you do it!" She stuck her own stick into the mud and twisted, and when it came out, a large green frog was stuck to the end, half-impaled.

"That's so gross." Leontodon's face curled over in disgust, both from the slimy, mucky nature of the frog and the pain it was clearly in. "Why would you do that?"

Virana grinned, a wide and mischievous smile spreading from cheek to cheek. "Because all frogs are princes, and if you kiss them, then you get to be a princess. You do want to be a princess, don't you?"

She did. She had grown up hearing stories of the magical and political world of Centerpoint City and of the people living there. Once she had seen Daja Acheron, the senior songlord's niece, come through town wearing a dress made of sparkling rose gold. Daja was only a few years younger than Leontodon herself. On that day, she had wished for a dress like that, but dreams didn't grow in Windpeak.

"Kiss the frog, Leona."

Worth a shot, she thought. Embarrassingly, she did kiss the frog. And it was not, in fact, a prince.

Sitting there on the ground was a boy. Wearing nothing but a pair of overalls and a straw hat.

"Howdydo, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat. "Lovely mornin'."

Leontodon may or may not have shrieked. She was about to turn and sprint in the other direction as fast as her legs would go, but she'd been standing too long in one spot, and her boots had sunk into the mud. And she faceplanted none too gracefully. Virana laughed. And before Leontodon could extricate herself from the mud, Virana had struck up a conversation.

"Wow, so you're really a frog? How's it like?"

"Been a frog all my life, far as I'm aware. And it's just like anything else. Eat, sleep, and die. Though I never imagined I'd be a two-legger anytime soon."

"Sure thing. I weren't really expecting true love's kiss to work, but here we are! You can call me Vana, this is my sister Leona. She's your true love, far as I can tell."

By this point, Leontodon had gotten up and spit out most of the mud, and she was not happy about the unfolding events.

"I am NOT your true love!" She said, her voice higher than she'd imagined. "There is no way on this planet that I would be the soulmate of a frog. A literal frog, which, might I add, has spent the large majority of his life eating bugs and, and languishing in this horrific, dirty swamp!"

He stared at her for a moment. He blinked, unsettlingly similar to the way a frog would. "Well you sure do talk fancylike, you know that?"

She let out a small laugh. "I'm dreaming! That must be it, I'm having a horrible nightmare, and any second now, I'll wake up! Yes, yes, that must be it. Because there is no way that ACTUAL REALITY would allow this to happen!"

"If it makes you feel any better, miss Leona-"

"PLEASE! Call me Leontodon."

"Er... my apologies, ma'am. If it makes you feel any better, miss Leonlatantadon, it ain't true love. You're just a witch, see? You prolly didn't know it, but you're just oozin' swamp magic. You could turn me back anytime you like."

She blinked. "I... am a... swamp hag."

"Swamp witch, being more accurate."

"I. AM. A. SWAMP HAG."

"Er... yes'm."

Leontodon screamed in a not-so-ladylike manner. She punched the nearest tree, which was a very bad decision, and all her rage melted into tears. She curled up in a ball under that same tree, cradling her hand and crying.

"Uh, awfully sorry to interrupt you there, miss Teradonton, but I think I may be bleeding out."

She sniffed. "What?"

"Well see, your friend there kinda sorta, well, stabbed me when she got me out of the mud, and I'm fairly sure all this bleedin' ain't a good thing."

"Oh, sorry." Leontodon had all but forgotten Virana was there until she spoke just then.

"Ah, it's alright. I didn't live an inspirin' life, and I doubt I woulda if I kept on livin', so don't go feelin too bad for me."

"Wait, what? No, no, you can't just die right here! Is there anything we can do?"

He thought for a second. "Well... I s'pose you could heal me with your swamp magic, seeing how I'm a swamp creature and all, but you seem none too keen on using it, from what I've gathered."

"Well, I... I don't know! I can't just... well... I don't even know how!"

"It's not too hard, miss. I could show you if you like."

"Oh, come on Leona, you're the one who kissed him human!"

"And you're the one who stabbed him!!"

"Hmm, I guess you're right."

"So, what'll it be, miss Leronatonadon?"

She sighed. "Leona will do just fine."