AHH! I'm back! Sorry that I have not uploaded for... gosh, how long is it? Ah while :S I took a break simply because of exams, which have no completely and totally ended! WAHOO! So, the laptop is back in my possession, and now I can upload a lot more frequently which is fantastic!

I am so so sorry that I have not been able to end this book so much sooner, but I promise that we are nearing the end so you won't have to deal with me much longer ;P I really do love writing this, so hopefully there will be more stuff from me in the future on this site!

Next month (I'm sure many of you have heard of this!) is CampNaNoWriMo (July 2014) and I am super excited for the challenge that it brings! I hope many of you will be joining too, but if you have not heard of it I sincerely suggest you should check it out - - it's great fun! Get your friends involved too!

And finally, (this is the final message, I swear and then I will get on with the story!) I took a big break from my YouTube channel recently (again because of the exams), and I have finally started to make gaming videos which is what I have been looking to do for AGES! And now they are up - and more importantly - they are working! Yay! I'm having so much fun doing them, and it would be brilliant if you could join in the fun on YouTube by watching the videos - even if it is just watching them! - and it would be amazing if you could comment and subscribe - would mean the world to me! :) Link is: subscription_center?add_user=shannonmclarke

You're all soooo awesome, and thanks for sticking! Here's the next part now - enjoy and let me know what you think too!

Annalynne's Journal

August 4th

I went out and brought this journal the earliest moment that I could get away from mama after she told me the truth. Father Jack suggested that any time I can't quite voice my opinions and thoughts that I should write them down. And after mama's confession I decided that that was the best thing that I could do. So, here goes...

Mama has just told me that I am the daughter of a King and Queen. At first, I did not believe her, for there were no monarchs around who had ever said that they had lost a child young - aside from the nice monarchs of Corona, but I know that several years ago they found her. But mama soon explained herself, and the way that she described everything made it seem a whole lot clearer. Plus, there was a sincerity in her words that suggested that she was no lying in the slightest, and it broke my heart to see her own break so easily in front of me through her guilt.

The King and Queen had come to visit Gurita for some kind of business with the King, and whilst there the Queen gave birth to a young girl. But the baby was dead when she was born, and so the hand-nurse had to take the baby away and get rid of the dead body. Whilst she was taking the baby away, it suddenly woke in her arms and cried. The nurse went to rush back to the King and Queen, but the King of Gurita stopped her, and instead made her take the baby into hiding and raise the child as her own. Mama said that although his intentions were not fully explained then, she realised soon afterwards that he was planning to form an alliance between the other country and Gurita through a marriage that meant that there was a claim for the other country. The King and Queen left Gurita without knowing the truth about their baby, and to this day, as far as Mama knows, they still do not know.

She said that the baby that she took and raised was me. I am a Princess by right.

Mama cried the entire time as she was recounting her tale, and I cried too - I am not sure why, as I felt numbed to emotion. I felt neither sympathetic nor angry at Mama. I didn't feel happy nor sad that I now know the truth. I feel... blank. I don't think that there are any true words to how I feel.

Mama said that she was thankful that the king had died without any male heirs, because she would hate for me to be exploited in such a way. I left then, and brought this journal.

It's been several hours since I left the house, and I half wonder if she is worried for me as I have been out longer than usual. It's times like this when I wish Victor was around. I'm sat beside our lake - the hidden one that only we know about - and I miss him so much. He's been gone for almost a year, now. It feels like so much longer. He'd understand how I feel right now, even if I could not tell him directly.

August 6th

Mama found some letters between herself and the King of Gurita. They spoke often about my fate. Later tonight, I'll take them and keep them in the book for a later cause.

Ms. Fredrickson,

It would be best that if you did not message me on such matters in the near future - or the distant one for that. As far as I tell, she is your daughter, not that of some King and Queen, and when I have a son, she will marry them. Until then, I do not wish to hear from you again.

Ms. Fredrickson,

I wouldn't threaten me with 'telling the truth' any time soon. Any such threats are considered treason, and I would easily cut off your head for such words. I have already warned you, lady, and this is your second warning. I do not care for your daughter's well being, and I do not care if she 'needs to know the truth'. All I care about is the well fare of my Kingdom, and as far as I am concerned, your daughter only plays the part of the pawn in my grand scheme of things. I will send word when I am ready to hear from you again and your acceptance of marriage between your daughter and my son.

Ms. Fredrickson,

I am Queen Consort Lucina of Gurita, and I have found frequent letters off you to the late King regarding your daughter. From your responses, it is certain that he often replied to your messages.

I do not entirely sure of the deeds that the two of you conducted for the future of the kingdom, but I am sure that those dreams are more dead than my husband. I am sure, as a citizen of Gurita, that you know that the late King has passed away and that now his eldest daughter has taken the throne to become Queen of Gurita. As a result, from the information that I can gather from your letters, your daughter has little cause to the line of the throne, and the Queen has made it clear that she has littler interest in the affairs of your daughter within the court.

I suggest to you, Ms. Fredrickson, that you confess the truth to your daughter - the whole truth. Tell her that she is the daughter of monarchy, and tell her the twisted scheme that you and my husband concocted.

I beg not to hear of you again, for the good of my daughters, and the welfare of Gurita.

The Royal Lady, HRH Queen Consort Lucina of Gurita.

August 11th

I spoke to Father Jack. It has been a week since Mama's confessions. He was puzzled and worried for the reasons behind my mother's deception, but he and I decided that living in secret and with such treasonous lies that I should find out who the former King and Queen who came to Gurita those twenty years ago was, and find a way to get back to them.

I admit, such an idea does worry me. I have no idea where to begin, though I am desperate to know who they are. Are they still alive? It has been twenty years. Perhaps there were several monarchs who came to visit all those years ago? I have no way of knowing how to figure out who my parents really are. There is no-one alive (aside from mother) I know who is older than twenty and old enough to recall the events of all those years ago. Even Father Jack is just twenty-five, meaning that he would have no knowledge of those events, which worries me since he is the most knowledgeable man that I know!

It seems as if my pursuit for the truth is helpless...

August 14th

I have go through as many books as I can in the libraries of Gurita, and there is no information that I can find. It truly seems futile.

The reality of it all is starting to dawn on me a bit now. Before, it was just a search for my parents and just a realisation that my mama was not my mother. Now, I am starting to realise that my mother is a QUEEN and my father a KING. It troubles me. If I do find them, then what will I do? Do I go and move myself into the court? Or do I just make myself known - and become a threat to their royal line.

August 15th

I had to laugh today at the reality of events that I must leave silent in Gurita until I can find my true parents. Mama and I went to a tavern for some food, and there was a rather rude man inside. As she spoke harshly, I couldn't help but think to myself how I wished that I had the authority to tell him to silence himself. And then I realised that I did have such authority, for I was a Princess of a country. Which country, though, I could not say, so I decided it best to stay silent and just observe the commotions.

He was soon kicked out of the tavern.

August 20th

I am shaking with delight and yet also fear, so most of this will probably be illegible. But I must try to get down my thoughts as quickly as possible.

I was in the market today, forgetting the issue of my parents and the princess malarkey, when an old woman tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to look at her, and she smiled broadly back at me with a gap toothed grin. I stared at her in confusion for a moment, and then smiled back and asked her if she was okay. She didn't answer my question, but instead requested that I follow her. Before I could question her motives, she moved off, and I was forced to follow for otherwise I would not know the truth.

The woman took my into a tavern and into a private room, and for a moment I though that she was going to kill me or something, which made me incredibly frightened. But then she sat down and poured herself a pitcher of ale, drinking it slowly.

She told me that she knew about my parents.

My heart at that point was in my throat and when she said that it flipped suddenly. I had stared at her in complete and utter disbelief, and then she pointed to the chair opposite her so I sat down. I stumbled out questions, and she answered them all with ease.

She knew that my parents were a King and Queen, and that they were still alive, and they were still ruling. They were the King and Queen of Corona.

I doubted her when she said that, and challenged her by saying that they had already found their lost daughter, but then she took my wrist and told me everything that mama had told me, even though I had not said a word to anyone aside from Father Jack, and I knew that he would not tell such things to such a random old lady as the one that sat in front of me then. So of course I believed her, for no one else knew that information.

Greater still, she said that she would help me, but it came with a horrific condition. If she were to help me, I had to help her. If we found my parents, everything that they owned became ours to share - that included the Kingdom. And further, throughout it all we were to be bound in blood so that if one of us deceived the other, the consequences would be shared too.

She also told me that there was no way that I could get to Corona without her help. When I asked her why, she said that she was forced by the former King of Gurita to put a curse on me that meant I could not leave unless the curse was relieved, which still had not been done. My blood ran cold then as I realised the conditions and what was happening.

The woman dealt in black magic.

At that point I got up and left despite the fact that she was the closest thing that I had to finding my true parents and heritage. Walking away was perhaps the hardest thing that I had to do, but I had no interest in black magic, and I certainly did not want to be bound by it, and so I left the tavern without another word to the old woman.

But as I walked away, I started to cry. She was the closest line I had to finding my parents, but the condition was that they lost their lives, all for their old daughter. I wasn't sure if I could such a thing to the family that I had never known.

But then, if I don't accept the offer, then I perhaps will never have any other way of getting to them...