A retelling of the story of Cinderella.
Ella’s mother is dead. Even though her father couldn’t change that
fact,
he raised his only child with all the love he could offer. Years
later, when he makes the decision to remarry, he only does so with the
best of intentions for Ella, as well as himself. Little does he know
just how miserable he’s about to make her.
As a baby, Ella was
given a gift by a temperamental fairy named Lucinda—a “gift” more aptly
described as a curse. Ella is bound, by fairy magic, to obey any order,
given to her by any person. She keeps the secret close, never telling
anyone for fear of the power anyone possessing the secret could wield
over her. The only living soul that knows is her loyal servant, Mandy.
Ella’s
stepmother, and two
stepsisters, soon arrive. All three of them
immediately prove to be, by nature, cruel and spiteful. They
automatically take a disliking to Ella. The feeling is mutual, but Ella
tries to contain her feelings. All pretences are broken, however, when
her stepsisters discover her secret and begin to manipulate her. With
her father away on business, life becomes unbearable for Ella. One
night, she sneaks out of her bedroom, and runs away from home.
And
so the real adventure begins. Along the journey she will meet ogres,
elves, giants, plotting usurpers, a prince, and more. She must overcome
obstacle after obstacle—and keep her secret in the process. After
enduring all, and finally finding Lucinda, she is in for a terrible
disappointment: the fairy refuses to help her, as she had hoped she
might.
Crushed, and at a loss, Ella returns home to her over-bearing
stepmother, and malicious stepsisters. Although she seems to have lost
in every way possible already, she soon faces one of the most difficult
choices of her life. A life of
happiness is laid before her, but to
walk that path could mean danger for the man she loves. She knows, for
his sake, she must deny herself. But Ellla may be stronger than she
herself realizes, and a future of happiness might not be as impossible
as it seems.