By Rachel Dib
Salamanders are slow. This was something I hadn’t considered before beginning my search for the witch responsible for transforming me into the creature. See, while I’d been stuck as a salamander for the past six months, I hadn’t strayed from the fountain outside my father’s castle. Until recently, my brother and I had been in a competition: first one to steal a kiss wins the throne.
Well, my brother stole a kiss all right. From me!
That sounded wrong. Correction: a fair maiden named Lira was seconds from kissing me when my brother knocked me aside, stole said smooch, and changed from a frog back into his princely form. Then to add insult to injury, he released a skewed version of events under the title “The Princess and the Frog” not two days later.
Sometimes I wondered if Lira regretted that kiss, or at least not keeping her eyes open during it.
Either way, I now planned to correct the situation. I just needed to find the witch, Galavia—a feat that would’ve been much easier with longer legs. So, I hitched a ride on a turtle. When a five-legged grasshopper sprang past us, I tried to barter passage atop a fox. He claimed he could only carry me within his mouth.
Before the situation grew too dicey, a cart passed by. Spotting the fox, the farmer paused to take a shot at the wily beast, and I climbed aboard. The ride was bumpy, but we made it to town by midday. All that was left was to find Galavia.
“Wondered when you’d turn up.”
I had barely crept down from the wagon when Galavia’s gravelly voice had me nearly shedding my skin. Confused, as well as a little irritated, I twirled around to see—a large boot. Craning my neck up, I saw the witch glaring down at me, arms crossed. My annoyance melted under her narrow gaze.
“It’s Niro, right? Felt your magic signature from a mile away.” She shook her head. “No use coming to me, though. Deed’s done.”
“There has to be something!” When only a quiet popping left my mouth, I remembered I couldn’t speak with humans.
She seemed to understand, though. “The loser remaining an amphibian was your father’s idea, remember? Couldn’t go against the king now, could I?”
I lifted my chin and lowered my eyelids, hoping to convey the message, “You very well could have.”
It must have worked, for she sighed. “Okay. We’ll talk about it, but not here.” She picked me up.
I wriggled in her grasp. “How dare you lay hands on me without my consent!”
“None of that,” she grumbled, squishing me with fat fingers as she strode down the street. “I’m not getting caught chatting with a salamander. People already think I’m crazy.”
Once we were inside her home—ahem, hovel—she cleared a spot atop a wooden table. She plopped me down amid a collection of jars containing lifeless creatures floating in green liquid—including a few salamanders. I cringed.
Galavia placed a hand on her hip. “As I said before, the deed is done. I can’t turn you back. However, you might be able to break the spell.”
I tilted my head.
“The maiden your brother kissed has to fall for you.”
When I lowered my head in a “Seriously?” gesture, she held up a finger. “Oh, it gets better. You have to gain her affection before he’s crowned king in two weeks.”
I flicked my tail.
She shrugged. “Didn’t say it’d be easy. It’s nigh impossible in fact, but it’s all I got.”
I nodded weakly, accepting the challenge.
Galavia carried me back to my fountain just in time for my attendant, Orlanzo, to bring me dinner. I was chomping on torn up bits of chicken when a door slammed. Moments later, Lira strode into the courtyard. She was just as beautiful as I remembered, her auburn hair rippling down her back. Then I noticed her clenched hands and scowl.
That bodes well, I considered as she stomped toward the fountain.
She sank down on the fountain’s edge, careful not to wrinkle her skirts. “Your brother is an imbecile.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I gurgled back, but she couldn’t understand me.
Lira blew out her cheeks. “There has to be a way to undo this. You should be taking the throne, not Ziro. All he does is flex his muscles and challenge knights to duels. He’s planning a tournament next month in honor of his coronation. It’s ridiculous.”
She bit her lip, her cheeks slightly pink. “Do you think the spell will reverse if I kiss you now?”
I shook my head, and her shoulders slumped.
“Of course it couldn’t be that easy.” She placed her hand down beside me. I crawled into it, and she lifted me closer to her face. “I admired you, you know. You were so smart and sure of yourself.”
I puffed up at the compliment, but then she added, “Despite being arrogant.”
I deflated.
“Though, I suppose some amount of arrogance is necessary from a prince.” She paused. “But you were also kind. I caught you buying a bun for a street urchin once when you thought no one was looking.” She ran a finger gently down my back.
A shiver zipped down my spine at the contact. She smelled of jasmine.
“I think that’s why your mother told me about the competition and asked me to kiss you.” Lira’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “She knew I had a crush on you.”
Then without hesitation, she placed a featherlike kiss atop my head.
Magic warmed me from within, and I started to glow. Yelping, Lira tossed me into the air. Thankfully, I transformed back into a human a second before hitting the ground.
“You said a kiss wouldn’t work!” she accused.
“It didn’t. Your infatuation broke the spell.” Grinning, I held out my hand. “Ready to pay my dear brother a visit?”
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “Indeed!”
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Turning back into human might just be coincidence, Lira might not have had anything to do with it. Was he the newt type of salamander? Because I heard of a case once where a witch turned a guy into a newt, and he got better.
What a fun story! A nice twist on the classic.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊