The Prince and the Frog

Once upon a time there was a kingdom ruled by a very old king. He had two sons, Ivan and Victor, but he hadn’t yet decided to whom he would pass the crown when he died.

One day, he sent for them and said: “My dear sons, my days are coming to an end. You will get three tasks. The one who handles them best, will become the new king. Here is your first task: call upon your future brides and bring me the most beautiful scarf they have.”

To Victor the task seemed easy. He couldn’t wait to complete it. The beautiful girl he was going to marry had a wardrobe full of the finest clothes. He ran to her house as fast as he could. However, Ivan became incredibly sad. He had no idea where to get a scarf, because he still hadn’t found his love. He wandered the garden, pondering what to do, but he didn’t come up with anything. Having sat under a tree deep in thought, he suddenly heard a frog croak. It was right on the stone next to him.

“Why are you so sad?” asked the frog.

“My father is the king. He is going to pass the kingdom to the one who handles his three tasks the best,” Ivan explained. “Unlike my brother, I can’t even complete the first one. I’m supposed to ask my girl for the most beautiful scarf she has and bring it to him… but, you see, I don’t have a girl yet,” sighed the prince.

“Stop worrying, prince! I can help, come with me,” said the frog, and hopped away.

Ivan followed the frog into a cave.

“Once, long ago, there was a pool here, but it dried up many years ago.…