A/N: Okay so this first chapter is pretty long... If it seems slow to you, bare with me! This is my first story. Pretty please let me know what you think! Thanks! P.S. This story is inspired by Ella Enchanted, not based on it. I love the book but wanted to write something a bit different. Enjoy! And don't forget to review!

1. My Life Under A Spell

I was running, running through a tunnel of fire. I coughed up the smoke that filled my lungs and stumbled headfirst into my father. He gripped my shoulders as I reached for him blindly and continued to choke.

"Sweetheart, come this way!" he bellowed over the roaring flames. He pulled me through a doorway as a scream struggled up my throat.

"Where's mama? Where's Lea and Serra?" I managed to wail in between choking and gasping for breath.

Papa pulled me across the sewing room and threw open the door to the balcony. He gently pushed me outside and then let go. I collapsed onto the floor. My chest hurt from coughing and my whole body shook with fear.

"They're in the nursery," he panted finally. "I'm going to get them."

"No! Don't leave me!" I launched myself at him and wrapped my tiny fingers around his leg.

He bent to pull effortlessly at my weak grip and then embraced me as if it were for the last time.

"I'll be right back," he promised. Then he ran back into the furnace, shouting for my mother and sisters.

I sat on the tiny balcony and pulled my legs in tight, burying my face in my knees. Another booming crash echoed in my ears, and I curled up into a tighter ball, tears spilling from my eyes. Then the whole house shook, and I felt myself sliding backwards. My head shot up as I fell against the railing, causing one of the wooden posts to brake. I slipped through the gap, waving my arms around wildly to grab hold of something before I fell. I managed to grip the post nearest to me with both hands. The rest of my small body dangled from the second story balcony and I stared at the burning house before me. The whole thing was up in flames—or what was left of it.

"Mamma! Papa!" I screamed with all that I had left. My fingers were slipping. I couldn't help but look down at the ground fifteen feet below me, lit by the massive inferno that was my house. Then, I fell.

I woke up suddenly, my sea green eyes shooting open and a sharp gasp leaving my lips. I heard a soft thud.

"Are you okay Briden?"

I looked up at my friend Aaron, whose blue eyes were staring at me with concern. The book he'd been reading was lying on the floor. He reached down from his chair and picked it up.

"Yes," I breathed, sitting up in my own chair and brushing my brunette bangs out of my eyes, "I just... remembered something, that's all." I looked around the bookstore and then down at the book I had been reading when I dozed off.

"Oh okay." Aaron nodded uncertainly. "You scared me for a second there."

"Sorry...Where's Anna?" I stood up, looking around for my friend that didn't like reading as much.

Aaron raked a hand through his dark hair and settled back into his chair. "I'm not sure," he answered, and immersed himself back into his book.

I quickly but quietly made my way up and down the aisles of the tiny bookstore. "Anna? Anna!" I hissed. Then I spotted her blonde head in the last row, gazing out the window.

"Anna-" I gripped her shoulder and turned her around.

"Huh?"

"Shhh." Mr. Mason the bookkeeper was very strict about keeping his store quiet.

"Oh, it's you Briden," she said a little softer. "Are you ready to go?" She looked eager to leave. Anna never did appreciate the quiet like Aaron and I did.

"No, well, I wanted to tell you something." We moved to the corner of the store opposite where Mr. Mason sat, eyeing us.

"I had the dream again," I whispered.

Anna's big brown eyes grew even bigger. "You did? Wow that's like, the fifth time this week."

"I know. What does it mean?"

"Well Bri, I guess it means the spell is for real then."

I was worried she would say that.

"I mean," she continued. "Your twenty-first birthday is just a little over a month away. I think those fairies are trying to tell you something. I mean you've never had the dream that often before, right?"

I sighed. "No, I haven't."

Anna crossed her arms and shrugged. "Well, I guess you know what you have to do."

The gloom seemed to fully set in. "Yeah, I know."

It's been ten years since the tragedy that took away my family, my home, as well as my childhood. The next thing I remember after falling to my doom was waking up in a magical place with two self-proclaimed fairies hovering over me. They explained to me that they had saved me with a powerful healing spell. The only thing that gave it away was the brown mark on my wrist in the shape of a wing.

Being ten years old at the time, I thought this was the coolest thing ever. However, when they went on to tell me about rescuing me from the fire, I realized I couldn't remember anything except for a few minor details. I couldn't remember my parents' names, or my last name, or even the town I had lived in. As the realization of all I'd lost sunk in, I began to cry. Once the fairies had calmed me down, they told me the spell only healed physical injuries, but that my memory would probably return with time.

Then, after several silent exchanges, they went on to explain the catch. Apparently, the spell that had saved my life came with a consequence. They told me that once I turned twenty-one, the power they had bestowed in me would cease to exist and I would be unable to live, unless I found something else just as powerful to sustain me.

With some hesitation, they finally explained to me—in terms that a child would understand—what that something was. I needed to find true love. I needed to find someone that loved me in order to replace the love that was taken from me on that tragic day. And I had to be kissed by that someone before I turned twenty-one. Only then would I be able to live without the spell, otherwise I would die soon after the magic left me. Then, after telling me this, they sent me to live with a friend of theirs to work as a scullery maid.

Naturally, being a little girl, I'd had the fantasy all girls had—that my prince charming would find me and sweep my off my feet and kiss me, and we'd live happily ever after. As I grew older, however, I realized it was going to be a little harder than that to find my true love. Growing up, I had moved from town to town all over the kingdom of Draeden, working as a maid for several households. The years passed and found me focused on my job and my education. I had pretty much given up on finding that special someone.

For the past year, I had been trying to convince myself that there wasn't a spell, that I'd imagined the whole thing. After all, I was mere months away from my 'dying day' and I felt fine. And I never did see another fairy. But then I started having the dream about the fire more and more frequently. Usually I only dreamed about the fire when I was feeling lonely or had a bad day, but now the dream consumed my thoughts more than ever. I had confided in my best friend Anna about the dreams. She knew about the spell, and had agreed with me that it was probably nothing to worry about.

And now today I find myself having the dream when I only dozed off for a few moments. That had to be a sign. I glanced back at Anna who looked to be thinking particularly hard about something. I groaned as I realized what it must be.

"Who are you thinking of now, Anna," I stated listlessly. When I first told Anna about the persistent dreams, she had made it her mission to set me up with as many guys as she could. 'Just in case,' she had said.

But now I knew she was probably right. The day was coming. Spell or no spell, I had to start getting serious about falling in love. The past couple months I started putting myself out there. Guys had asked me out before, but I usually turned them down when my instinct told me they couldn't possibly be 'the one.' Now that I was running out of time, I said yes to nearly every guy that approached me and surprised myself at how many first dates I'd been on lately. Only rarely did it lead to a second date though, and I refused to kiss them unless I thought they held promise. This made some boys grumpy, but then I'd remind them of how many other girls were out there and we'd both leave the date on good terms. I made a lot of friends in the process. But the nagging in my gut persisted. Where was he?

This most current dream however, really worried me. 'Okay, okay, I get the picture!' I wanted to shout to the fairies—who were no doubt watching over me, making sure I didn't blow it. The only thing I enjoyed about reliving that terrible night over and over again in my sleep was that I got to hear my dad's voice. It rung clear in my ears each time, but I never could see his face though. The dream also reminded me of my little sisters, but I had written their names down years ago. As for everything else, it was still forgotten. My memory had not returned, and I blamed the fairies for it.

I angrily repeated the bitter thoughts that made me resent the fairies. What if I couldn't find my true love? A lot of people didn't. It was typical these days for fathers to marry their daughters off to the wealthy single Dukes around the kingdom, just so they could be well off. That wasn't love, and besides, I didn't have a father to play matchmaker anyway. And what if I wasn't meant to find my true love until I was thirty, or fifty? Or on my deathbed? I sighed, that was exactly what I was worried about. You can't rush love.

I just had to cross my fingers and hope that it would find me soon.

"Hey, you two," Aaron popped his head from around the bookcase we were conversing behind. "I've got to get home for supper."

I looked at the clock that hung in the front of the store. "It's five o'clock," I said. "You need to leave now?"

Aaron looked away from my skeptical gaze. "Well, my family likes eating early..."

"I didn't know that," I said, unconvinced.

"Well, there's a lot about me you don't know." He smiled, trying to act mysterious.

"Alright Aaron," I sighed, knowing my friend's unusual habits were the least of my worries right now. "See you tomorrow then."

Aaron smiled and nodded farewell to each of us before disappearing behind the bookshelves. I had always thought it was a funny way of saying goodbye, like he was fighting the urge to bow or something, but I didn't question it. For the short months that I had known Aaron, he'd been a good friend. He was always really quiet and polite, different from the other guys around town who seemed more concerned with their brute strength and fighting skills than being charming—not that proficiency in the arts of war wasn't impressive...

"Nathan McMan!" Anna exclaimed suddenly, making me jump and Mr. Mason glare at us. We both giggled and hurried out of the bookstore.

"Who?" I questioned her as soon as we were out on the street and headed out of town. The street lamps flicked on as I said this.

"Nathan. He's that new soldier. You know, the cute one with the curly blonde hair and baby blues."

"Um..." It wasn't ringing a bell.

"Come on Briden. Remember he lifted that watermelon cart that turned over in the square?"

"Oh yeah." I remembered. "Wasn't that after he ran into it while attempting to ride his horse backwards?"

Anna sighed in frustration, "Well, yeah, but did you see his muscles?"

"Yes they were impressive, but doesn't he seem a little immature?"

"Briden." Anna turned to face me with a serious look on her face. "It's crunch time girl. You can't be so picky. Last week you told me you wouldn't go out with Thomas Hering because he doesn't shower."

"I happen to find that disgusting!" I retorted.

Anna put her hands on her hips. "Well I'm sure he would've showered for your date."

I laughed. "I wouldn't bet on it."

When we made it to my house Anna was still trying to convince me to give Nathan a chance.

"Oh, alright," I said finally, but only to shut her up. "I'll go out with him."

Anna clapped her hands together excitedly. "Great! I'll find him tomorrow and figure out a time and place."

"Can't wait."

Anna didn't catch the sarcasm in my voice. Instead she left with a big complacent grin on her face. I shook my head as I watched her leave, and then entered the house with a groan.

"Bad day?" Stella—one of the more gossipy maids—passed me carrying a full basket of laundry in her arms.

"No, but tomorrow might be."

Stella paused, looking especially interested. "Ooo why?"

I glanced over her head at the grandfather clock by the stairs. "Tell you later. I've got dinner duty." And then I left a rather disappointed looking Stella and headed to the kitchen.

Please review! and P.S. I changed the town of Bast from the book into a kingdom bordering Kyrria, and the kingdom of Draeden is located right next to it. I don't mean to be confusing, I just thought Bast would be good name for a kingdom.