The lost kingdom

I was walking in the halls of the castle looking for the library. It's been plenty of years since I last went there. Every footstep echoes inside the aisles. "Good morning, madam Crystal" it's what every butler says while bowing to me. Finally, I reach the claimed place. I inhale the air that smells of paper, ink and memories. I turn around, watching all the marvellous shelves filled with so many stories and appreciating the moment. Then, I get back on my feet and walk towards the reason I came here. I find the box in the attic and blow on it. The dust spreads all around making me cough. I then open it. All of my notebooks are still there. I'm so relieved. I take out the first one and I start reading it. ~ Day 1 by Rose Crystal Hi, I'm Rose and I live in a colossal castle with my family and friends. My parents are the sovereigns of the Crystal Kingdom. Yesterday they said that if I behave well during the next years, they'll get a me a little dragon! I'm so happy and excited about it and I am about to tell this to my friend Lothar. He's a bit younger than me, I don't know how much given that we don't pay attention to time. Time. I think it's something so fascinating, however no one ever wants to talk to me about these topics. She started to recall all the past memories and decided to skip a few pages. ~ Day 27 by Rose Crystal Oh. my. Oh. my. These are the words that I keep thinking. I would've never thought this could've happen. It's something no one should get to know about me but I have to figure things out. Today L declared his love for me and kissed me. I was speechless. I totally didn't expect this. I mean, we're friends and this isn't something friends do, right? I'm both confused and thrilled with this. What would it be the right thing to do? What does my heart want? And what is my mind telling me? Whatever it is, I will figure it out. ~ Day 29 by Rose Crystal I know. I skipped a day and this has never happened before. I.. I'm just very overwhelmed. I feel like I'm falling. Yesterday, I eavesdropped one of my parents conversations. They were deciding the chosen one, the one who will have to marry me. And today, they took me to tell me who is the chosen one, showing me our generations tree and explaining to me that it is duty of every Crystal descendant to get married and have kids for the kingdom's sake. They chose William Chamberlain. They said he's an important member of the kingdom's cousil. I seriously don't even care about what he does and why. I just realised that this life has no freedom for me. For someone with duties. I do feel bad for Lothar, he was somehow banished from the kingdom with his family and I don't even know if it's my fault. This will be an exhausting life. This happened around 2 years ago. I started to count the days since that very one. When I wasn't able to see him anymore, that's exactly when I realised how much he mattered to me. He was like the sunshine to me, however those bright days are gone. Now, I'm a bride-to-be. In some hours, today, I'll marry William Chamberlain and we'll have to consume the marriage. I don't know if I'm ready to be an adult, to manage the kingdom and to be married, nevertheless fate can't be avoided and this fate was already written at my birth. I slowly put all the notebooks back where they were and I get down in the library. I inhale again, hoping that this will bring me some courage, luck and every other necessary feeling. I walk down the hall and every butler comes to me telling me that I must go get ready for the event immensely. My moment of freedom has come to an end. I follow them, walking towards the destiny with my chin up. I will still become the queen of this kingdom, therefore everyone will have to respect and worship me anyway. After the work on my hair, dress and make up is done, I take another deep breath, straighten my back and enter the ceremony hall with the brightest smile I could make and my hand up to welcome everyone. Everyone wants to make small talks with me and I accept it. Then, after a few brief seconds, the hall gets a little bit darker and William enters taking me to the altar. What has to be said, was said. I did whatever I needed to do. The ceremony ended. We had to consume the marriage, however he didn't want to and I respected his choice. The days after this, were almost like hell. I had to do things that no one ever taught me. I had to take care of all the problems, and make the hardest choice just for the greater good. By greater good I mean the kingdom's and sovereign's sake. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. Then, after some time (because I hadn't had the chance to take notice of the time anymore) I was finally able to make some changes in the kingdom's rules and I tried my best to get those changes. In a wink, one year passed and we found out that we weren't able to have children. I had to visit lots of doctors and magicians but we just couldn't understand why we weren't good enough to have kids. The kingdom bloomed with every person of his. My changes and decisions created the place were I'm now living. It seems like a dream even if some things didn't go as planned, it has become extremely beautiful anyway. I don't love my husband, and after the children problems we faced, I don't know if he still loves me. I gave up on love many years ago. I'm now walking down the suburbs of the nearest village to our, I mean, my castle when a person with a long dark cape over his body. "There's something you must know" he declared to me. He caught me off guard, so I just stopped walking in from of him without saying anything. "You need to come with me. There are hidden things in this world, and we must protect the kingdom. The devils are rising their way up. Follow me." I did as he told and I came to a little house with a low ceiling and just a few candles to light up the room. There was another person, he seemed young but mature in an almost scaring way. "May you sit here, our sovereign" the man in the cape murmured while offering me a chair. I sat down, already intrigued by the situation. "We are people from another kingdom that's far away from this one. We came after having the certain that what we're about to tell you is definitely true." He then took a long breath in and out before going on with the explanation. "This is the year 665 and your u are 17 years old. There's a signed day in every signed year in the Hell's book. This book, that raises from Hell, has written in things that must burn. Your beautiful Crystal Kingdom has going on for 665 years, and that's exactly the year in which we are. The days started to be counted when your kingdom started. Everything alive that's here is meant to burn in a year. We came all the way here to tell you this important truth and to save the kingdom. You must protect everyone and make them escape before the signed doomsday." He ended his speech and gave me a notebook before vanishing with the other guy.