Ivan has no choice but investigate this manner. If everyone believes in Frogga, maybe there is some truth in the tale. He runs through the clues that he was given in his head.
The ‘Frogga’ hat is supposed to be found among the ‘stalagmites’. There is only one place in the kingdom where ‘stalagmites’ can be found. Ivan enters the caves near the graveyard to begin his search.
Believing that he would find nothing, Ivan is shocked when he actually finds a green worn hat tucked between two large, pointed formations sticking up from the cave floor. A chill runs through his spine as he exits the cave. Did I just find the ‘Frogga’ hat? He asks himself; feeling as spooked as he would have if he had just discovered a ghost.
The next clue he was given involved a place that can ‘swallow a man’s breathe’.
Ivan has had his share of experiences of having his breathe ‘swallowed’, all of them involving water. If the sapphire orb exists, it must exist at sea. Ivan and his crew set sail.
Ivan and his crew sail aimlessly at sea until they are far away from land. He is just about to order the captain to turn the ship back toward Archolia when the sky suddenly turns red.
Ivan gets a strange feeling. He drops anchor and dives into the sea. He swims down into the dark abyss, guided only by instinct. As his lungs begin to burn from lack of oxygen, Ivan spots a brilliant light. Knowing that seeing a light in this water is an impossible miracle, Ivan grabs for it and without thinking swims straight up to the surface.
His head emerges just as he was about to give into the temptation to inhale. The first thing he notices is that the sky has cleared. The second thing…he is indeed holding a sapphire orb in his hand.
Feeling like a man who has just escaped death and experienced a miracle, Ivan’s feet touches dry land. Only now does he believe that Frogga is real.
Ivan arrives at the castle; happy to see his children Princess Adela and Prince Ivan the Second in a mock sparring battle. He is so happy, because he has survived the impossible.
Everything in him wants to go and locate this Frogga, but his body is exhausted and will not allow him to do anything, but sleep.
He crawls into bed next to his already sleeping wife. Happy that he will actually have something to report to her, but shamed that he had anger toward her for sending him on what he thought was a worthless mission.
Queen Chalyela is the first up the next morning. She quickly changes and leaves the room to see about her duties.
Ivan awakes soon after. The first thing he does is throw on his Frogga hat. Today he will search for Frogga among the ‘tall wooden giants’.
Ivan knows just where such a place exists.
Frogga lives in the forest.
There are several ponds located in Archolia’s forest. The day is young and time is on his side, so Ivan decides to search each one by one.
It does not take long before Ivan believes that he has found the correct pond. He places the Ancient Frog’s Tear on a rock, and patiently sits and waits. Within minutes a strange frog appears. Ivan stands expectantly, but is quickly disappointed when the frog grabs the sapphire and disappears in the pond.
Ivan is irate as he leaves the forest and returns to the forest clearing with thoughts of what happened next running through his mind.
The frog returned after taking the sapphire and began speaking right away, “I was hoping some fool would believe the rumors that I started of needing the giant sapphire to find me. Now I am rich. Thank you! By the way, the hat was just a joke that I thought I would throw in. You look foolish by the way!” The frog said before hopping away.
Ivan snatched off the silly hat and replaced his helmet. “Bedeviled creature!’ He cursed.
