Once upon a time, in ancient times, in a beautiful kingdom stretching along the slopes of green hills overlooking a large lake as clear as a mirror, there lived a just king and a beloved queen. The king and queen had three daughters, the youngest and most beautiful of whom was named "Yasmin". Yasmin was not only beautiful with her moon-like face and long golden hair, but her true beauty stemmed from her kind heart, loving goodness and adventure.
While her two older sisters, Lamees and Lubna, spent their time adorning themselves in front of mirrors and choosing the most luxurious clothes, Yasmin preferred running barefoot in the palace gardens, talking to the gardeners, and listening to the babbling of water in the fountains. Her dearest friends were her white horse "Ra'd" and her cute cat "Nanoua". What made her happiest was sitting on the shore of the big lake, watching the sunset as she threw pebbles into the water and made her secret wishes.
One day, while she was playing with her beautiful golden ball, the ball her mother had given her on her last birthday, the ball fell from her hands and rolled quickly towards the lake. Yasmin ran after it as fast as she could, but the ball rolled down the slope and fell into the water with a loud "plop". The ball paused for a moment on the surface of the water and then slowly began to sink into the depths.
"Oh no!" Yasmin cried sadly as she ran to the water's edge. She watched the golden ball disappear into the blue shadows. This ball was the most precious thing she owned. She sat on the grass and began to cry bitterly. She was not crying because she had lost a toy, but because the ball carried memories of her mother with it. Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks and fell into the water.
Suddenly, she heard a soft, strange voice coming from among the water lilies.
"Why are you crying, beautiful princess?"
Yasmin raised her head and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She looked around but saw no one. Then she heard the voice again:
"Here, look down."
Yasmin looked into the water and saw a small green frog, with a small golden crown on its head shining in the sunlight. Its big eyes looked at her with curiosity and kindness.
"Are... are you the one speaking?" Yasmin asked in astonishment. She had never heard of a talking frog.
"Yes, I am the one speaking," answered the frog as he approached the shore. "I am Prince Omar. An evil witch enchanted me and I turned into this form. No one can see me in my true form unless I can find a pure-hearted princess who helps me."
Yasmin's eyes widened in surprise. "Prince? Really? But... how can I help you?"
The frog prince said, pointing with his crowned head towards the water: "I can dive and bring you the golden ball from the bottom of the lake. But on one condition..."
"What condition?" asked Yasmin impatiently, forgetting her sadness for a moment.
"Promise me that you will become my friend. Let me live with you in the palace, eat from your food, drink from your cup, and sleep on your small pillow for forty days. Then part of the magic will break, and my true form will be revealed to you. Then we will search together for the way to break the magic completely."
Yasmin hesitated for a moment. A friend who is a frog? A frog living in the palace? What would the king say? What would her sisters say? But when she looked into the frog's small eyes shining with hope, and at his golden crown that confirmed his story, she remembered how she had always wished for a real adventure. Then she looked at the lake where her precious ball had disappeared.
"I promise," she said in a firm voice. "I promise to be your friend."
The frog laughed joyfully and did a somersault in the air, then dove into the water. Yasmin waited with a racing heart. One minute passed, then two, then three. Worry began to creep into her heart. But suddenly, the green frog's head appeared on the surface of the water, and in his mouth was the golden ball, shining like a piece of the sun.
Yasmin carefully took the ball from his mouth and kissed it joyfully. Then she bent down and picked up the little frog in her hands. He was a little cool and smooth.
"Thank you," she whispered as she gently hugged him. "Now, let's go to the palace."
On the way back to the palace, Yasmin talked with the frog, who told her about his distant kingdom, about the evil witch who envied his father for his beautiful garden and enchanted his only son. And about how he had traveled the lands searching for a pure-hearted princess. Yasmin listened attentively and felt sorry for this poor prince.
When they arrived at the palace, everyone was stunned. The two sisters, Lamees and Lubna, stood at the palace door, their eyes wide open.
"What in heaven's name is this?" exclaimed Lamees with disgust, seeing the frog in her sister's hands. "Why are you carrying that disgusting creature?"
Yasmin answered calmly: "This is my friend. His name is Prince Omar. He will live with us in the palace for forty days."
Lubna laughed out loud sarcastically: "Prince? This is a despicable frog! You have gone mad, Yasmin!"
The king and queen did not pay much attention at first. They thought it was just a childish whim that would pass after a few days. But when Yasmin insisted that the frog sit with her at the dining table, the big surprise happened.
The servants brought a small plate of pure gold and placed on it grains of corn and insects specially bred for frogs. But the frog looked at the plate, then at Yasmin, and said in a voice audible to everyone:
"Am I not your friend? Did you not promise that I would eat from your plate?"
Silence filled the hall. The king dropped his glass of water from his hand. The queen put her hand over her mouth. As for the two sisters, they screamed together. But Yasmin rose from her place, asked the servants to bring her large silver plate. Then she sat down, placed the frog before her on the table, and began sharing her food with him. She would put small pieces of cheese and bread in front of him, and he would eat gently and with elegance befitting a real prince.
The days passed. At first, everyone mocked Yasmin. The servants laughed behind her back, and her sisters called her names like "Princess of the Frogs". But Yasmin did not care. She spent enjoyable time with her new friend. She would carry him in her dress pocket during her walks in the garden, tell him her dreams and thoughts, and he in turn would tell her stories about his kingdom and his travels.
At night, she would place her small pillow on the bed next to hers, and the frog would sit on it and sleep peacefully.
And things began to change little by little.
One day, Yasmin was sad because she had quarreled with her elder sister Lamees. She sat on her favorite stone bench under the old olive tree, tears in her eyes. The frog jumped onto her lap and said:
"Why are you sad, my friend?"
Yasmin told him what had happened. The frog listened attentively and then said: "You know? I too used to feel very lonely in my kingdom before I was enchanted. Everyone was afraid of me because I was the prince, and they spoke to me as if I were a different person. But with you, I feel normal. I am happy that I am a frog and you love me like this."
Yasmin smiled through her tears and hugged him tightly. At that moment, she felt something strange. For a fleeting moment, she saw a glimmer of golden light surrounding the frog. A quick flash, then it disappeared. She expected to see him transformed, but he remained a frog.
"Did you see that?" she asked.
"I saw," said the frog, his voice full of hope. "The magic is weakening. We have drawn closer."
Another day, there was a crisis in the kitchen. The head chef fell ill and could not prepare the queen's favorite dessert for her birthday. The queen was sad, the king was angry, and everyone in the palace was in chaos.
Then, the frog suggested an idea to Yasmin. He told her that in his kingdom, he used to watch the chefs and knew the secret of making a very delicious sweet called "Desert Rose". Yasmin went to the kitchen, holding the frog in her hands, and began following his instructions. He told her the amounts of flour, honey, and nuts, and she kneaded and shaped. After hours, she emerged from the kitchen with plates full of the most beautiful and delicious sweets ever.
The queen was overjoyed and asked Yasmin how she knew this secret recipe. Yasmin said proudly: "My friend Prince Omar taught me."
From that moment, people's view of the little frog began to change. The servants noticed how polite and kind he was. The king noticed how he lightened his daughter's loneliness and entertained her. Even the two sisters began to approach him curiously.
On the fortieth night, it was the last night of the promise.
Yasmin insisted that the night be special. She ordered candles to be lit throughout her room, placed flowers in every corner, and wore her most beautiful dress. She sat on her bed with the frog before her on the small pillow.
"This is the last night," whispered the frog. "Tomorrow morning, something may happen. Or it may not. But whatever happens, I want you to know something."
"What?" asked Yasmin softly.
"You are the best friend anyone could wish for. Even if I remain a frog for my whole life, I am happy because I knew you."
Yasmin was deeply touched by his words. Her eyes teared up. She reached out and patted his little head. Then she yawned and said: "Let's sleep now. Tomorrow is a new day."
She put out the last candle and lay down on her bed. The moon lit the room with a faint silver light. She looked at the small pillow beside her and saw the frog sleeping peacefully, his little crown gleaming in the dark. She smiled and closed her eyes.
In the middle of the night, Yasmin woke up to a strange feeling. There was a golden light filling the room. She sat up in bed, startled. The light was coming from the small pillow. The frog was shining like a piece of the sun. The light increased and intensified until Yasmin had to cover her eyes with her hand. Then suddenly, the light dimmed and stopped.
Yasmin looked expectantly. On the small pillow, there was no longer a frog. There was a handsome young man in the prime of youth, wearing luxurious blue silk clothes, and on his head a jeweled crown. It was Prince Omar, human, as he had promised her.
The prince looked at her with his beautiful eyes, the same kind eyes she used to see in the frog, and smiled his familiar smile.
"Yasmin," he said in his beautiful human voice. "It is done. Thanks to your pure friendship and unconditional love, the curse is broken."
Yasmin could not speak. She jumped out of bed and stood before him, staring in disbelief. She could not believe her eyes.
"Are... are you really Omar?" she whispered.
He took her hand and said: "It is I. The same frog you used to carry in your pocket, share your food with, and tell your worries to. I owe you my life."
At that moment, the door of the room opened. The king and queen had heard the commotion. Behind them stood the two sisters, Lamees and Lubna, the servants, and the entourage. Everyone stood in stunned silence as they saw the young prince standing in the princess's room.
Yasmin told the whole story. And as proof of her words, Prince Omar recounted details that no one could know except someone who had lived with them for forty days. He told of their secret conversations, the dessert recipe, her moments of sadness and joy.
Then everyone believed. The king prostrated in thanks to God for this miracle. The queen embraced the prince warmly as if he were her son. And the two sisters exclaimed together: "Forgive us, Yasmin, we were foolish!"
In the morning, the king sent messengers to Prince Omar's kingdom to tell his parents the great news. The king and queen came from the distant kingdom, and celebrations lasted a whole week. The engagement took place in a grand ceremony, and it was decided that the wedding would take place after a month in the most beautiful celebration the neighboring kingdoms had ever known.
On the wedding day, Yasmin shone in a long white dress embroidered with gold and silver threads. Prince Omar wore blue clothes the color of his kind eyes. Princes and princesses from far and wide attended the ceremony, and the palace halls were filled with flowers and guests.
In the midst of the celebration, while the music played and everyone danced, Yasmin suddenly remembered something. She left the prince for a moment and went to the shore of the small lake where their story began. She stood there looking at the clear water. Suddenly, she heard a familiar sound.
"Ribbit!"
She looked into the water and saw dozens of little frogs poking their heads out, looking at her. They were singing and dancing joyfully. Yasmin remembered that Prince Omar had been king of the frogs all the time he was with them. She was deeply moved and knelt down.
"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for being his friends all this time."
One little frog jumped onto her hand and gently kissed her on the cheek. Then it jumped back into the water. And all the frogs began to sing a beautiful song Yasmin had never heard before.
Yasmin returned to the palace with a tear of joy in her eyes. Prince Omar asked her: "Where were you?"
She said: "I went to ask the frogs' permission to marry their king."
The prince laughed and hugged her warmly. From that day on, Yasmin became a just and beloved queen, not only to her human people but also to the inhabitants of the little lake. She would visit them every evening, sit on the shore telling them stories of the palace, and they would sing their beautiful songs to her.
And Prince Omar and Princess Yasmin lived in happiness and bliss, filling the kingdom with justice and prosperity. Her people had a famous saying: "Do not judge anyone by their appearance, for under a frog's crown may be a prince, and under a human's clothes may be a beast."
Whenever anyone saw a frog in the garden or on the lake shore, they would remember the story of the princess and the frog, and remember that true friendship and a pure heart are the greatest treasures in the world.
And they, their children, and their grandchildren lived in safety and peace, and their story continued to be told to children generation after generation, for them to dream of princes and princesses, and to learn that true beauty lies in the heart, not in appearance.
Many years later, when Yasmin and Omar's children grew up, she would tell them the story every evening as they sat around the fireplace. And the children would ask her: "Mother, did you truly love him when he was a frog?"
And she would smile and answer: "I never saw a frog in him, my little ones. I saw a loyal friend and a beautiful soul, and that is all that matters. Because whoever loves your soul will stay with you even if you turn into a frog, and whoever loves your appearance will leave you at the first wrinkle or grey hair."
And the children would fall asleep dreaming of magical lakes and talking frogs, and golden balls shining under the moonlight, and brave princesses who feared nothing called "different".
And the wind would pass over the lake, gently stirring the water, as if the little frogs were still singing the song of love and friendship that never ends.