There are many things I know that most forget or deem unimportant; this is not bragging—it is just simple truth. When we cease to remember the past, our future will be doomed—it is a lesson my grandmother taught me, passed down from her own grandmother; it is one I will teach my kotyonok one day soon—when I feel she is ready to learn it.
There are books filled with our secrets, hidden away, though I know not where; perhaps my old friend took them with her, removing them from court when she vanished. Many would seek to destroy the tomes if they knew what the pages held; it is why Ekatarina spent her lifetime collecting them—an attempt to keep them safe. She knew the importance of merging the past and the present—it is the only thing that will save us on the day the prophecies begin to come true.
All that remains of the tales of old are the things I remember, locked inside my head—the day when I take my last breath, they will vanish, so soon… I must pass them on. Already I struggle to hold on to their fragments, forgetting much of what I memorized so long ago—when I was just a girl. Remembering so much… it is tiring, but it is the last duty my Queen gave me. It is one I will fulfill at all costs, even if I must fight against the blight of age with all my strength.
I only pray that I can remember the story of how to reverse the madness in time to save our young Dragoness from what her future will bring. I saw it today, when I gazed upon her in the shop—a circle of black fire, slowly sinking into her skin. She is strong… but is she strong enough to defeat it? I already know the answer… and soon enough... the others will too.
God help us all.
—Y.B.