“Marrying Therandil? I don’t know. I’ve tried talking to my parents, but they won’t listen, and neither will Therandil.”

“I didn’t ask what you’d said about it,” the frog snapped. “I asked what you’re going to do. Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things.”

“What kinds of things would you suggest?” Cim­orene said, stung.

“You could challenge the prince to a duel,” the frog suggested.

“He’d win,” Cimorene said. “It’s been four years since I’ve been allowed to do any fencing.”

“You could turn him into a toad.”

“I never got past invisibility in my magic lessons,” Cimorene said. “Transformations are advanced study.”

The frog looked at her disapprovingly. “Can’t you do anything?”

“I can curtsy,” Cimorene said disgustedly. “I know seventeen different country dances, nine ways to agree with an ambassador from Cathay without actually promising him anything, and one hundred and forty-three embroidery stitches. And I can make cherries jubilee.”

“Cherries jubilee?” asked the frog, and snapped at a passing fly.

“The castle chef taught me, before Father made him stop,” Cimorene explained.

The frog munched briefly, then swallowed and said, “I suppose there’s no help for it. You’ll have to run away.”

“Run away?” Cimorene said. “I don’t like that idea. Too many things could go wrong.”

“You don’t like the idea of marrying Prince Therandil, either,” the frog pointed out.

“Maybe I can think of some other way out of getting married.”

The frog snorted. “Such as?” Cimorene didn’t answer, and after a moment the frog said, “I thought so. Do you want my advice or not?”

“Yes, please,” said Cimorene. After all, she didn’t have to follow it.

“Go to the main road outside the city and follow it away from the mountains,” said the frog. “After a while, you will come to a small pavilion made of gold, surrounded by trees made of silver with emerald leaves. Go straight past it without stopping, and don’t answer if anyone calls out to you from the pavilion. Keep on until you reach a hovel. Walk straight up to the door and knock three times, then snap your fingers and go inside. You’ll find some people there who can help you out of your difficulties if you’re polite about asking and they’re in the right mood. And that’s all.”

The frog turned abruptly and dove into the pool. “Thank you very much,” Cimorene called after it, thinking that the frog’s advice sounded very odd indeed. She rose and went back into the castle.