A Faithful Hope: A Blue Bird Retelling

Can one find hope when the only way to become human again means betraying the one you love? Princess Aderyn has no choice but to marry a prince from the Cariandell Kingdom if she wants to save her own dying kingdom. Happiness has eluded her for too long, and the prospect of marrying fills her with dread. Her only hope is that Prince Sterling can help her find the silver needed to restore Azurluna Kingdom. But when she rejects his younger half-brothers as suitors, the wicked queen ensures that Aderyn is turned into a blue bird until she agrees to marry one of her sons. The last time Prince Sterling felt loved was at the age of five, before his mother died. His cruel stepmother and half-brothers have made him a silent and broken man, whom the people regard as a simpleton. He longs for someone to love him but no longer believes he is worthy. When he encounters the princess, hope flickers to life. Then his stepmother does the unthinkable to Aderyn, and he vows to do whatever it takes to restore her to human form, even if it means living without her. Will they ever be together, or will Aderyn be forced to marry one of Sterling's brothers to regain her humanity? Will Sterling survive his stepmother's scheme to kill him? A Faithful Hope a clean fairy tale retelling of The Blue Bird, tropes include: Emotional Scars, He Falls First, and Friends to Lovers.