The Princess's home-coming.

The words ‘finishing school’ had always seemed strange to Princess Ellen, because it implied that something had already been started.

In her case it must have started the day she was born, second child after Crown Prince Sebastian in the Kingdom of Sarre.

Carefully trained by her parents to support the royal family, she had learned to be considerate when others were not; had learned the royal bow of the head and the way to inquire, of elderly members of the kingdom, about their health. She had eventually learned how to gracefully kiss babies.

But now she was just returning from a 'finishing school' in Switzerland where any minor rough edges, that remained after her parents’ training, had been smoothed off, and where she had been given that impeccable final polish her parents so eagerly sought.

As the royal train pulled slowly into the royal railway station, the band of the Sarrebruchen Army played the national anthem. The assembled members of the court: the King, the Queen, Crown Prince Sebastian, the Privy Councillors, the Ladies of the Bedchamber, the Chancellors, and the Envoys were all awaiting her arrival.

Stepping down from the train, a loud cheer from the welcoming crowd, greeted her as she, and her brother and parents were escorted to the royal carriage, with its four white horses, in which she was to be driven, to the royal palace.

“Well my dear,” said the King, “how was it? What was the most important thing that you learned?”

“Oh, your Majesty,” she replied, “one thing stands out strongly in my memory.”

“What was that?’ asked the Queen.

“Well it was very simple really, it was that I should always believe that there is something positive in legends and fairy stories.”

At that moment the coach was passing the lily pond in the palace gardens and the Princess suddenly cried out:

“Oh, please stop! There’s my pet frog waiting for me.”

At which she jumped lightly from the coach and ran towards the frog which was seated on the rim of the lily pond and, seizing it in her hand, she raised it to her lips and gave it a kiss. At which moment, in a flash of brilliant light, the frog changed into a handsome young man, dressed in princely garments, whose first words were:

“What took you so long, Ellen? I’ve been waiting patiently to ask for your hand in marriage. Take me to your father!”