Ever since your mother died and your father remarried, your life hasn’t been the same. Your father is a merchant and is more often gone than at home, leaving you at the mercy of your wicked step mother and her two daughters.

One day, after your step sisters threw the doll your mother had made for you into the fire, you ran away and took refuge in the woods that surrounded the castle.

Once alone, you allowed yourself to cry, something your step mother punished you for. It was there that you met the Prince.

That was the start of the happiest spring of your life. You and your prince fell in love. But dreams can’t last forever. It’s been years since you’ve seen him and though you long to run back to him, your step family has made sure you know that no man, much less a prince, would want a mere maid.

You had just given up hope when an invitation arrived from the castle. Every eligible woman was welcomed to attend three nights of celebration in which the prince would choose a wife.