Prologue

When I was younger I dreamed of being a princess. After all, is that not what all little girls dream of? Sitting in the small, sparsely furnished room that I shared with other forgotten children, I would draw magnificent castles surrounded by valiant knights in shining armor. Even going so far as imagining the strong yet beautiful maidens that would captivate the knights' hearts with their kindness and grace.

Most of all I dreamed of the handsome prince that would swoop in and rescue me from the miserable excuse for life in which I lived. He would not mind that I was unwanted. Abandoned at birth and left to be lost in the system. Never staying with anyone long enough to grow attached. He would love me where no one else had been able to, rebellious streak and all, and stand by my side no matter what life threw at us. My very own happily ever after.

Eventually I had to grow up and face the harsh reality that I was truly broken. Unloveable. No one could possibly want me. No one ever would.

The moment that I opened my eyes on my eighteenth birthday I was tossed out onto the streets ravaged by war. Without a shekel to my name or a place to go. The only possessions the threadbare clothes on my back. It was on my eighteenth birthday that everything I knew to be true was irrevocably altered.