**I was looking at my book collection one day, spied my tattered copy of Ella Enchanted on the shelf, and this idea fell into my head literally seconds after that. Oh man, am I having fun writing this. (That is exactly what this fic is, my little happy place where I can re-visit one of my favorite childhood books.)
It has been years since I've checked out any EE fic, but I'm sure there are probably similar stories out there. That said, I hope I can throw in some twists that are a bit original.
Anyway, everything belongs to Gail Carson Levine, except for what I made up, of course. (And that is the first and last time that I will say that.)
Thanks for reading!**
THE PRINCESS AND THE PROPHECY
By Grace3
1 - PROLOGUE
"Born on the last of the 499th,
she enters a golden era ending,
a black one beginning.
Her father is the highest in the land,
fair and just.
The tenth in her line,
the potential of her forebears will be realized in her.
The secret she keeps is hidden behind
a strange and unique gaze,
the consequence of a distinct lineage.
A shadow falls across her path;
an imposter, a usurper enters the story,
who will sit on a throne of lies.
She will lose everything that she once knew.
She will forget.
Her future intertwines with a wanderer,
for they will share a similar fate, should they fail.
Both born of noble lines;
both will lose everything,
which, together, they may regain.
A darker figure yet looms over them both;
this person is beyond my sight.
Her gift will guide her, hinder her, help her,
as she makes what is wrong right again,
as she restores her country,
as she finds her true place."
- Gnomic prophecy
This prophecy, made almost a hundred years before it came true, originated in a kingdom of a faraway country over the mountains and across a wide river from the land of Kyrria, where the main thread of this story will begin.
It was made by a gnome visiting the royalty of this far-off kingdom. This gnome was renowned for her ability to see the future, which was a gift that many gnomes possessed; however, few had the clarity and ability of this certain gnome, who was wizened with age. She had been the special guest of many kings, and was always treated with honor.
The king of this country was holding court, and a large number of people were in the great hall of the castle, waiting to speak with him. As her vision of the future overtook her, the old gnome woman spoke it out loud, and soon everyone in the room was hushed, straining to hear her words. Court scribes became frantic, when they realized what was happening, in rushing to procure parchment and ink in order to copy the lines down for posterity. (This was a country that set great store by history, and court scribes were present at every event, big or small.) Everyone in the room realized, with the gravity of her words, that this wasn't some random fortune, but a prophecy of great import.
A bevy of people heard this prophecy, each of them different in status and situation. They included, along with many peasants and servants, the following:
The court jester.
Three court scribes, who each copied it down differently. Only one of them got it right, however, and that version just so happens to be the one that was copied into the history books.
A merchant from a neighboring country, selling various pottery.
Two fairies: one very silly and one very serious.
The queen and her two young sons.
Last but not least, the king also heard this prophecy. He, of course, was sitting right next to the gnome woman as she spoke, and he never forgot that strange day at court, or the words that she had uttered.
In this tiny country over the mountains, called Haddora, everyone who heard this prophecy knew, deep down, that someday it would come true.
It was only a matter of when.