Once upon a time, there lived two princesses in a stunning castle. Even though they shared the same parents, the same home, and led similar lives, the sisters couldn’t have been more different.
The older sister was a mean and selfish girl. She called the castle servants horrible names and threw tantrums whenever she didn’t get her way. The younger sister was sweet and kind. She had a big heart and was nice to everyone she met.
One day, the older sister took a stroll through the castle gardens by herself. She was playing with her favorite toy, a small sphere made of pure gold. The princess practiced tossing it into the air and catching it. She accidently dropped it into a small pond, and it sank to the bottom.
“Oh no!” the older sister said. “I’ll never retrieve it!”
Right when she turned to head back to the castle, a frog leaped out of the pond clutching the golden ball in his mouth.
“Hello, princess,” he said. “I believe this belongs to you.”
“That was nice of you,” she said. “Is there anything I could give you in return? A soft lily pad to lie on or a nice jar of flies?”
“Actually, there is something you could give me, something I desire very much,” the frog said. “A kiss would be much appreciated.”
The older princess was disgusted that the frog would request something so disturbing. To teach him a lesson, she picked him up by the leg and threw him against a brick wall in the garden.
“How dare you ask such a thing from a princess,” she said and walked away.
The younger princess had been watching the whole thing from a tower. She hurried outside to see if the frog was hurt.
“You poor thing,” the younger princess said. “I’m terribly sorry she did that to you. Will you be all right?”
“Oh, yes, I’ll be perfectly fine,” the frog said.
“My sister can be cruel,” she said. “Perhaps I could make it up to you. I’d be delighted to give you a kiss.”
The younger princess placed the frog in the palm of her hand and raised him up to her face. She kissed the frog’s lips and set him back on the ground.