Smurfette's Frog Prince/Part 4

In her chambers alone, Lady Jasmine was again singing the bridal chorus in a horrible voice while she was combing her hair, preparing herself for the bridal dress that she was going to wear. Unnoticed by her, Smurfette and Sassette had both crept inside.

"She's all alone," Sassette said in a low voice. "Now's our chance to..."

"Oh, Lady Jasmine, you mustn't dawdle, my dear," Madame Lavinia's voice called out as she approached the room. The two female Smurfs quickly hid themselves under a table and watched as the elderly wedding arranger carried the bridal gown into the room. "The wedding ceremony is only an hour away."

"Oh, thank you, Madame Lavinia," Lady Jasmine said. "I don't know what I would have done without you today."

"Think nothing of it, child," Madame Lavinia said as she set the bridal dress on a stool near the window. "Whenever you're ready, I shall let you..."

"What are you doing, you boob?" Morlock's voice was shouting from outside the castle. Madame Lavinia looked out from the window and saw Morlock with the impostor prince as the latter was washing himself in the moat while wearing his royal clothes. "When I told you to wash up for the wedding, I didn't mean for you to do it in the moat!"

"Rrrrribbit...right, Morlock," the impostor prince said as he hopped out of the moat and onto the drawbridge.

"Now follow me, and for once try walking straight," Morlock said, sounding rather impatient.

"Rrrrrright, Morlock, ribbit," the impostor prince said as he tried to follow Morlock back into the castle by walking upright.

"Excuse me for prying, my dear, but what exactly do you see in Prince Theodore?" Madama Lavinia asked as she turned away from the window after witnessing what Morlock and the impostor prince were doing.

"Well...really not much, if you must know the truth," Lady Jasmine said as she continued to comb her hair.

"Huh?" Smurfette and Sassette said together.

"I didn't think so," Madame Lavinia said with a suspicious look as she rejoined Lady Jasmine at the table where she was coming her hair. "You're marrying him for his riches, aren't you?"

"Yes, but it would do you no good to tell him," Lady Jasmine said with a scornful look. "He thinks that I love him very much, and as long as he never knows the truth, I will be a very fortunate lady indeed."

"Oh, you wicked girl," Madame Lavinia scolded. "Suddenly I'm beginning to feel sorry for that silly boy."

Smurfette and Sassette watched as Madame Lavinia left Lady Jasmine's chambers. "Oh, poor Theodore," Smurfette said. "It seems that Lady Jasmine isn't very ladylike at all."

"Flappin' flounders...she can't be the one who loves him the most," Sassette said.

"I know...and I'll have to break this news to the prince," Smurfette said. - Meanwhile, Prince Theodore and Empath were busy talking to each other inside the suit of armor they were hiding in. "So you only know her for a few months...and you feel that you're in love with her?" Prince Theodore asked.

"This smurf may be just feeling what every other Smurf is feeling towards her because she is the only adult female Smurf in the village, Prince Theodore," Empath said. "But somehow this smurf can't escape the feeling that the two of us may be destined for each other."

"It's just how I feel about Lady Jasmine," Prince Theodore said. "I can't help it, but everytime I look at her, everytime that I'm even near her, it just feels like the two of us were meant to be. I just wish that she could get over the fact that I only look like a frog."

"If Lady Jasmine truly loves you for who you are, then somehow she will see through the appearance and realize that you won't stop loving her no matter what happens," Empath said.

"If only the other Smurfs in the village were that lucky to be anything like Empath," Poet said.

"This smurf senses that there is a bit of jealousy among you and the other adult male Smurfs in the village, fellow Poet," Empath said. "But if it means anything, this smurf would gladly give up everything that this smurf is made of just to be able to attract Smurfette's heart as a normal Smurf."

"Wait a minute...I hear Smurfette and Sassette approaching," Poet said.

The three of them watched the two other Smurfs enter the suit of armor. "Well, did you see her?" Prince Theodore asked, sounding eager to know.

"In a manner of speaking, we did," Smurfette said, not sure how to break it to the prince.

"And what did she have to say?" Prince Theodore asked.

"Plenty," Sassette said.

"Actually, we never got the chance to talk to her directly," Smurfette said.

"This smurf senses there is something you have discovered that isn't very pleasant," Empath said.

Smurfette sighed, realizing that they might as well tell it straight up. "You see, Prince Theodore, Lady Jasmine really is..."

"Quiet, down there," Poet called out. "I think that I hear footsteps."

The Smurfs and the prince remained quiet as Lady Jasmine in her wedding dress was being escorted down the hall by the stout guard. "It's really not necessarily for you to escort me to the wedding chapel," Lady Jasmine told the guard.

"Morlock insists, my lady," the stout guard said. "You see...I'm part of the frog patrol."

"Oh, yes, this is it!" Prince Theodore said. "This may be my last chance to receive a kiss from her." He hopped up into the helmet part of the armor and called out. "Jasmine!"

"Oh no," Smurfette said as she and Sassette saw the guard escorting Lady Jasmine.

"Oh, Jasmine," Prince Theodore called out.

Lady Jasmine stopped as soon as she heard her name being called out. "Theodore, is that you?" she said as she approached the suit of armor. "What are you doing hiding inside that suit of armor?"

"Oh...I just wanted to sneak a peek at you in your wedding dress, my love," Prince Theodore said.

"Oh, you naughty boy," Lady Jasmine said.

"Would...would you grant me one last kiss before the ceremony?" Prince Theodore asked.

Lady Jasmine giggled. "Well, maybe just a little one." She then turned to the guard. "Would you mind if you give us just a little bit of privacy here?"

"Well, since it's just you and the prince...," the stout guard said as he turned away and looked off in another direction.

"Now just close your eyes and pucker up," Prince Theodore said.

Lady Jasmine closed her eyes and puckered up her lips. As she did, Prince Theodore slipped briefly out of the helmet and kissed her on the lips before slipping back in.

She was less than pleased with the kiss. "Hey, I said just a little one, Theodore," she said.

Prince Theodore quickly looked at himself and realized something. "Hey, I'm still a frog!"

"I know," Smurfette said, sounding very sad.

"What are you doing out here with Lady Jasmine?" Morlock asked as he met with the stout guard. "The prince is waiting for her inside the chapel."

"What do you mean?" the stout guard answered. "The prince is inside that suit of armor."

"What?!?" Morlock exclaimed, not believing what he was hearing.

Lady Jasmine giggled as she brushed off the kiss that disappointed her. "Well, I'll see you inside the wedding chapel, Theo," she said as she headed off down the hall.

Inside the armor, Prince Theodore asked Smurfette, "You mean that she really doesn't love me?"

"I'm afraid not," Sassette answered.

"Who else do you think truly loves you the most?" Smurfette asked.

"There really is nobody else," Prince Theodore said. "Jasmine would become extremely jealous if I even so much as looked at another girl."

They soon heard Morlock's laughter as he approached the suit of armor. "Keep quiet, every Smurf," Empath warned. They all kept quiet as the evil sorcerer reached inside the suit and grabbed Prince Theodore.

"Aha!" Morlock said. "I've got you now, you troublesome toad!"

Smurfette and the others watched as Morlock carried off Prince Theodore. "We've got to save him," she cried out.

"Hold on, every Smurf," Empath said, as he focused his minds-eye to make the suit of armor move about.

"Try to be as quiet as possible, Empath," Poet said. "We don't want to give ourselves away while we're smurfing about the castle in this thing."

"Boy, I'd sure love to smurf that wizard wearing this armor," Sassette said as they started to slowly move around the castle. - Empath carefully and quietly steered the suit of armor down into the dungeon, where Morlock had cast Prince Theodore into. "This should keep you for the time being," he said as he threw the prince into the dungeon.

"You'll never get away with this," Prince Theodore stated very angrily. "Somehow...someway...I'll stop you or I'll..." Suddenly he could hear his voice becoming that of a frog.

Morlock chuckled. "Yes, my spell is now taking its full effect on you, Theodore. I imagine that your voice will be totally gone by the time the wedding ceremony is over." He then closed the door behind him, sealing the prince inside the dungeon.

Unnoticed by Morlock, Empath and the Smurfs have sneaked their way into the dungeon. "Don't worry, Theodore...we'll smurf you out of this, won't we, Empath?" Smurfette said.

"What good...will that do now?" Prince Theodore said with some difficulty. "Without my voice...ribbit...who would...ribbit...ever believe...me?"

At the same time, in the wedding chapel, the members of the royal family watched as the impostor prince and Lady Jasmine were making their vows before the priest. "And do you, Prince Theodore, take this fair maiden Lady Jasmine to be your lawfully-wedded wife?" the priest asked.

"Uh...I do, ribbit," the impostor prince said.

The priest recoiled with a bit of shock at the response. "You may not place the ring on her finger."

The assembled guests oohed and aahed at the diamond ring that the impostor prince had produced. Lady Jasmine looked on with great pleasure at the ring, knowing that soon she would be married to the prince and that she would get all his wealth as his wife.

Down in the dungeon, Empath focused his minds-eye on moving the tumblers in the lock until the door of the dungeon was finally opened. "Finally, we can smurf out of here," Poet said. "We must hurry."

"We're too late," Smurfette said. "Prince Theodore can no longer speak."

"Now nobody will believe that he's the prince," Sassette said.

"Oh no...this will make a terrible ending for my novel," Poet groaned.

"Don't worry, Prince Theodore," Smurfette said. "Whatever happens, we'll take good care of you." She gave the prince a kiss.

"Smurfette, this smurf senses that the spell is weakening," Empath said.

Suddenly, Prince Theodore had transformed back into his human form. "Wha...what happened?" he asked. "My voice...I'm back to normal. But how?"

"Gulping guppies, Smurfette's the one who loves you the most," Sassette said, sounding very pleased.

"Good work, Smurfette," Empath said, sounding very surprised. "Now it's time for the prince to reclaim his rightful place on the throne." - At the same time, in the wedding chapel, Lady Jasmine enjoyed having the diamond ring being placed on her finger by her fiancee. "Oh, Prince Theodore, it's what I have always dreamed of," she said as she gave the impostor prince a kiss.

At the moment she did, the prince suddenly was transformed into a frog. Lady Jasmine screamed as she saw that the bridegroom she married was really a frog.

"Eeeuuuuh...I kissed a frog," Lady Jasmine said over and over as she went into hysterics. She quickly ran out of the chapel to wash the bad taste out of her mouth.

Morlock realized that his plan is now being overturned. "I...I've got to get out of here," he said to himself as he ran out of the chapel to escape.

Madame Lavinia watched as the frog that was a prince hopped out of the chapel. "I knew that there was something strange about that boy," he said.

Morlock had reached the drawbridge when Prince Theodore caught up to him. "There he is, guards," he called out. "Grab him!"

The guards quickly responded by grabbing Morlock outside the gate. "No...no...Theodore!"

"Yes, Morlock," Prince Theodore said, sounding pleased to have caught him. "It looks like I've finally got the jump on you!" - By evening, the four Smurfs look like they were ready to return to the village. They met in the balcony outside Prince Theodore's chambers as they got on board Feathers.

"Morlock is now safe inside the dungeon, thanks to you, my good friend Smurfs," Prince Theodore said.

"And what about Jasmine?" Sassette asked.

"I informed her that the wedding was off," Prince Theodore said.

"Gee, and what did she say to that?" Poet asked.

"It was difficult to understand what she was saying," Prince Theodore said with some amusement. "She was still busy washing her lips."

Empath laughed. "This smurf would imagine that she may think twice about marrying someone just for their wealth, but who really knows?"

Prince Theodore looked at Smurfette, finding his heart being swept away by her. "Ah, Smurfette...if only you were human, I would gladly ask for your hand in marriage."

"I feel the same way about you, Prince Theodore," Smurfette said. "But I'm sure that you'll find someone new who's just right for you, as long as you stay away from those whose looks can be deceiving."

"Say, it's time for us to smurf back to the village," Poet said. "I've got a book that I need to finish writing."

"This smurf shares the same sentiment, Poet," Empath said. "Until we meet again, Prince Theodore."

Every Smurf waved goodbye to the prince as Feathers took off into the sky, with Smurfette taking a long last look at the prince as he himself waved goodbye to them. She felt as if he was looking straight into her heart with his goodbye.

Empath sensed this feeling in Smurfette. "You really do love him, don't you, Smurfette?"

"Well, of course, I do, Empath," Smurfette said. "How I wish that I was the one with him instead of Lady Jasmine at the wedding altar."

"This smurf understands, Smurfette," Empath said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Oh, Empath, I didn't mean to make it sound like that," Smurfette said. "I only wish that I could be human so I could make Prince Theodore truly happy, but since I can't be human at all, there's no one else in the world that I would want to make more happy than you."

"If seeing you being happy with Prince Theodore will truly make you happy, Smurfette, then this smurf would gladly give up the chance to be happy with you," Empath said.

"You sure that you're not feeling the slightest bit jealous, Empath?" Smurfette asked.

"If you must know, Smurfette, there's just one Smurf this smurf never want to see you with...," Empath said.

Smurfette giggled. "Oh, Empath, you know that I could never love Papa Smurf like that, ever!"

Empath smiled. "Well, at least we have that part straightened out!"