*Prologue*

What does 'Happily ever after' mean? Does it mean finding your one true love, marrying him and then riding on a horse back into the sunset?

But isn't life more than that? Life doesn't end in marriage. It's just the beginning of the new wonderful adventure that awaits you.

At least to Ella and Kit it was.

Ella had finally, after years of suffering in her stepfamily's hands, found her one true love and happiness away from her cruel family, who soon after her wedding moved away from the kingdom. Kit, finally having the love of his life beside him, grew to be kind and just King the kingdom needed and his fears of not being able to be as good and wise king as his father had been before his death were washed away by Ella's constant encouragement and loving support. Together they ruled the land with justice and kindness Ella's mother Joy had taught her to believe in.

And soon their happiness grew when they found out that Ella was expecting their first child. The nine months turned to be the happiest time to the young couple. Ella was practically glowing with happiness and thanked every day all the gods and deities that had granted her this much happiness into her life.

And soon the nine months were up and after surprisingly easy labor Ella gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They immediately noticed how the baby had inherited her father's dark hair and her mother's warm brown eyes. She had delicate arched brows, small button nose and full pink lips. To her parents she was just perfect and they knew that when she would grow up she would be just as beautiful and kind as her mother is.

But then, just after she was born, the baby stretched her hand up in Ella's arms and they noticed the most peculiar birthmark on the baby's left wrist. It was like two beautiful angel's wings. And when the Royal Priest noticed this he immediately said that the young princess must be blessed by the gods with good luck and fortune.

The whole kingdom of course celebrated the birth of the new princess, who Ella and Kit named Katherine Joy, by her two grandmothers. And every night as Ella would be putting Katherine to sleep into her cradle she made sure to show her unconditional love to her daughter by singing the same lullaby her own mother had before her death used to sing to her,

''Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,

When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen,

Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so?

T'was my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so,

Call up your men, dilly dilly, set them to work,

Some to the plow, dilly dilly, some to the fork,

Some to make hay, dilly dilly, some to cut corn,

While you and I, dilly dilly, keep ourselves warm,

Lavender's green, dilly dilly, lavender's blue,

If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you,

Let the birds sing, dilly dilly, let the lambs play,

We shall be safe, dilly dilly, out of harm's way,

I love to dance, dilly dilly, I love to sing,

When I am Queen, dilly dilly, you'll be my King,

Who told me so, dilly dilly, who told me so?

I told myself, dilly dilly, I told me so.''

''Have courage and be kind, my love, and all will be well.''

But happiness, even the most beautiful one, doesn't last forever. When Princess Katherine was just four months old somebody broke into the palace, took the sleeping child and just like that…was gone. The kingdom searched day and night, but no one was able to find the young princess. After weeks of searching, and not finding the poor child, Queen Ella got so sick with worry and grief that she was confined into her bed as she was not able to get up. And now the young King had to worry for both his missing daughter and his deeply ill wife, praying to any god who was listening that he would not lose both his child and wife at the same time.

Weeks later Ella's health did get better and the illness passed, but the child remained missing. And as time passed the hope for the missing princess' return grew smaller and smaller. Except in her parents. Ella and Kit never gave up hope that one day their daughter would return.

Years went on and to Ella and Kit's sorrow they found out that the illness Ella experienced when Katherine went missing made it impossible for her to have any other children. They could not understand how such happiness they had could so radically turn into such sorrow. They still had each other and their endless love for each other, but their lovely child was missing and was who knows where.

And so every day throughout the long years Ella would pray and hope that her only child, her beautiful daughter, who she loved with all her heart, would be safe and happy and that one day she would return to her family.