The Morrigan

by Stephanie Mirro

HONORABLE MENTION recipient from the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest!

Eloise du Fresne, daughter of the late Baron du Fresne, dreads her upcoming wedding. Her cruel stepmother wants Eloise gone and will sell her off to the highest bidder, no matter the cost to Eloise.

But when a strange and unexpected visitor arrives for the big day, filling her with a sense of foreboding, Eloise must decide whether to flee from the only life she's ever known, or face her fate head-on and be the woman her father raised her to be—even if it means facing a fate worse than death.

This short story can be found in The Outsiders anthology.

ebook

About the author

Want the longer, more entertaining story? Visit stephaniemirro.com/about

Stephanie Mirro writes bold, adventurous fantasy for readers who love a little heat with their heartbreak, and maybe a splash of chaos. As a proudly neurodivergent author, she creates fierce, complex characters—neurodivergent ones included—who tackle impossible odds armed with sharp wit and questionable life choices. When not crafting mythology-rich worlds or morally grey heroes, Stephanie can be found bingeing heist movies, searching for her next caffeine fix, or accidentally setting things on fire in the name of creativity.

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short re-telling of Cinderella with the Morrigan as the twist.

[Sue Philips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Stephanie Mirro's books I've read and I was delighted with it. It is the paranormal retelling of Cinderella and centers around Eloise who is left in the clutches of her stepmother and two step sisters when her father is tragically killed while riding his horse. Her stepmother is going to marry her off and the day before the wedding where the future husband is going to be chosen then the ceremony take place, an old lady arrives unexpectedly. There's something about this woman that has Eloise feeling not so good about things. What actually eventuates at the gathering the next day is nothing short of miraculous. Truths are exposed, feelings are brought to the fore and Eloise finds herself in a very unexpected position.
I so loved the story and will definitely be adding this author to my favorite author's list. I'll also be looking out for more books by her.
Highly recommend.

[Ali Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks for the complementary copy. Nice short read. Interesting retelling of Cinderella, unexpected ending. I liked the small changes from the original Cinderella - Roland was an interesting addition, as was the Comte du Boucher. It would have been nice for those characters to be fleshed out a little bit more, but overall it was a great short story.

[Aighmi* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not normally a fan of fairy-tale retellings, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Bringing in different aspects of the Cinderella story then changing it in one giant mythological sweep was very good! And the end is vastly more satisfying than others out there.