15 years later....
"It's going to alright" Diego smiles in assurance as he pushes Crystal a bit towards the room and she looks around in doubt before she steps in the middle of the room.
"As the promise made, I have brought back the Queen of our world safely" Diego speaks and few gasps are heard before the council members gets up from their seat and kneel in front of Crystal who giggles as she bows a little in respect.
"This is absurd" a woman's voice makes all of them to stare at her.
"She is not a queen yet" the woman clarifies and Crystal frowns.
"My duty here is done, I leave her on care of you all" Diego speaks ignoring the woman as he bows a little and turns to step away but Crystal holds his hand one that have taught her many of things.
"Won't you stay?" she asks eyes wide in fear.
"I will but not here" he grins before he kisses the back of her hand and moves to take an empty seat as an audience.
"Sir Martin please step out" one of the council members calls making the man stand behind Crystal who turns around to watch him and as if knowing her next step he stares at her in warning and the tongue she was going to poke at him remains inside of her mouth.
"Now, that the Princess is here with us along with her caretaker, we would like to continue the reason we all are here gathered for" Giovanni speaks as he looks around the room before clearing his throat as he gets up.
"For the last fifteen years our Princess was in safe hands of Diego Carlos, who along with Adrian Martin have taken well care for...
But as the future leader of us, our Queen, we have summoned her back to her birth place, as he reign has been waiting for her along with her people...
Even if our first priority has been her safety, her duty calls her. She cannot always be in hide and she cannot learn about the ways of our world by hiding as well...
So, for the next few years until she is capable of carrying the responsibilities as a Queen she will remain in the palace and be familiar with the ways things goes in here...
Along with council help she will learn the political parts of her duties as well as being in the palace will make her available to see how things run as she will be not just a Queen to us but our leader as well...
Her every steps will always be watched and judged and just so she will not do anything that will bring her or anyone of us harm we will guide her through this all...
Princess, we all know we are asking a lot from you, but the day you born you fate had been written so now the rest is up to you and us...
I am sure Diego did not just let you laze off all these years, we all have heard nothing but praises about you from his mouth and we have high expectations from you...
Welcome to the Palace and the world that has been waiting for their Queen" Giovanni finishes as he nods his head towards her before he takes his seat down.
*******
"Crystal" a woman's cry makes Crystal stop and turn towards the voice, she stumbles a bit as the woman engulfs her in her arms.
"You are alive" she whispers making Crystal frown.
"Well not a fan of death" she mumbles making the woman step away.
"Excuse me" she gawks at Crystal who smiles as she shows peace sign before she turns to walk away.
"Don't you know who I am?" the woman asks shocked and Crystal tries to remember if she was supposed to remember her.
"Umm...no" she speaks straight before the woman's icy glare moves towards Adrian.
"You, you monster, you did not even tell her that I am her mother" she shouts at Adrian and Crystal's eyes widens.
"You are..."
"Yes, you have been taken away from me as soon as I gave birth to you...I could not even have you in my arms" the woman cries as she hugs Crystal who hugs the woman back.
"I thought..."
"It's okay, you are here now. I can have you in my arms whenever and no one will ever take you away from me" her mother smiles touching Crystal's face lightly.
"We need to move" Adrian's voice makes the mother daughter to turn towards him and both of them has annoyance written all over their face.
*******
"This is my room?" Crystal shouts in excitement as she runs and jumps before landing on the soft bedsheets.
"Not for long if you keep screaming and shouting like that" Adrian narrows his eyes at her behavior and Crystal blows air trying to move the strand of hair away from her face.
"You are such a bore Ad, cheer up" she speaks as she lies on the bed and stares at the beautifully crafted ceiling.
"You cheering up enough for both of us" he grumbles as he walks towards her drawer and Crystal hurries to get down.
"What are you doing?" she asks watching as he pulls out something out of the drawer.
"You need to go through these" he speaks as he hands her few books and her eyes widens.
"More books?" she groans as she walks back to the bed.
"You are going to be a queen one day"
"And it's not today so can I not just have little fun" she smiles sweetly that drops as he shakes his head no.
"You are not like any other little girl that can play around and have fun, you have responsibilities" he finishes making her sigh.
"Yes, yes, my duties lies within the four walls of this castle and towards the people who will be under my command"
"So that..."
"I don't like you Sir Adrian Martin, I would like to spend some time away from your presence" she states and his eyes hardens not happy with her command.
"Very well, stay out of trouble Princess" he warns as he walks out and she groans falling back on the bed before she groans and gets up.
After all from the day she has started to speak all she has been taught are about her duties. So, making her way towards the books Adrian left for her she picks it up.
*******
Crystal peeks out of the window to find no guards by the window, she grins as she pulls her clothes a bit higher before she jumps off the window and looking back at the window she jumped off a giggle passes through her mouth as she runs freely around.
Dodging few of the guards walking around the place, she makes her way towards the stables to find horses tied around.
"Hey what you doing here?" a man's voice makes her stiffen and she slowly turns back to face the man.
"I came to..."
"Are you the new maid?" the man asks and she nods her head yes.
"Good, grab the towels and the bucket, we need to clean some stables" he orders as he points at the things he asked her to grab.
Shrugging her shoulders she grabs the said things and follows the man.
"Are you not too young to be a maid?" the man asks and she sighs.
"Mama needs money"
"Human or..."
"Mixed bred" she replies making the man frown.
"Gah...hate your kind" he grimaces before showing her to the stables.
"Clean the shit" he orders and Crystal cringes at the smell doubting her choice to follow the man.
"Never done this?" the man chuckles and she shakes her head no.
"There is always a first time for everything" he grins as he leaves and Crystal pretends to get in to the stable to clean before she runs out of the stable leaving the bucket and towel.
Running out of the stables, Crystal comes to the front to find few men trying to tame a horse she tries to step towards them but stops as the man who asked her to clean the stable is in the crowd so she turns back.
She finds some hens roaming around and seeing them she screams loudly scaring them before she runs behind the few, she laughs as she holds one of the hen but soon her laughter disappears as she finds herself near the herd of cows.
Screaming at the top of her lungs she runs away throwing the hen out of her hands as the cows starts to runs around and some behind her, her scream startles the herd as they run frantically around.
*******
"Where is she?" Adrian asks as he enters Crystal's room to find it empty.
"She has not been out of the room" the guard speaks before their eyes zooms on the window and Adrian curses as he walks towards the window before he jumps off it and follow her scent.
Adrian stares at the scene in front of him not believing his eyes before he glares at the guards behind him who nods before turning their back and walking away.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he asks as he walks closer to Crystal who yelps before she falls down in the pond.
"What are you doing?" she asks spluttering mouth out of her mouth.
"Get out of the water" he sighs.
"No, have you lost your mind" she gasps as he arms moves around to cover her.
"I will if you do not step out and get dressed" he growls making her growl back.
"I will not, turn around, don't you have any shame left?" she asks making him take a deep breath.
"I have changed your diapers" he speaks making her shout at him.
"I am fifteen now"
"And still as stupid as the day you were born"
"How dare you!"
"Get out of the water and wear your bloody damn filthy clothes before I pull you out of there myself and take you back in your room shouting and screaming, naked" he warns and knowing him too well she does what he asks of her.
She pulls her dirty clothes wears it above her dampen undergarments.
*******
"Did you finished the books I left for you?" Adrian asks as he stands at the door with his back while she was cleaning herself in the bathtub.
"A girl would love some privacy" she grumbles.
"Privacy is the last thing you will ever get, now answer me" he demands making her want to splash the dirty water on him but she withholds.
"Yes, they were just as you plain and boring"
"Page eighty-four, clause five" he asks making her roll her eyes.
"Being a Queen is not all about singing, dancing and fooling around" she sighs repeating the written words.
"And what did you do?"
"I am not a queen, yet" she shrugs her shoulders and Adrian sighs.
"But you need to act and think like one"
"Can I not just have some fun time for once?" she asks as she gets out of the tub and pulls the robe.
"Fun is not meant for you, will you have fun when you find..." Adrian stops as he turns at once sighs before he shakes his head and walks away from the door.
"Fun is meant for everyone, it's not anyone's fault if you are no fun" Crystal speaks as she walks behind him before she makes her way towards the bed and jumps on it.
"I love this bed" she grins.
"Rest for now and if I find you out of this room alone and without my knowledge"
"Then you cannot do nothing" she teases him.
"Do not force my hands on you Cry" he warns and she groans as she lies on the bed.
"Only a coward will ever raise his hands on a woman" she reminds him.
"And a woman must be a real evil for a man to ever make raise his hands on her"
"Then he shall loose the title to be called a man, ever"
"But some hands are raised not to hurt but protect"
"But if protecting someone means hurting another, then such protection are useless" she counters.
"Then be a queen that is a shield for each of those hurtful ones not the queen who is useless while she stays protected" he speaks and Crystal stares at him wide eyes.
"Your lessons will be started within an hour, rest until then and think" he speaks before he walks out of the room.
*******
"One more cup of tea and I will throw everything that went inside of my belly" Crystal groans as she pushes the cup away.
"Many arguments are settled with a cup of tea" Giovanni smiles as he watches her.
"Oh I can think of many arguments on these tea tasting" she rolls her eyes.
"It's not a ladylike to roll your eyes on everything, Princess" he chuckles as he sips on his tea.
"I would like to meet the man who came with the term ladylike"
"What makes you think it was a he and not a she?" Giovanni asks amused.
"Simple, only a man can be so jealous of the things a woman can do and he cannot and put the words as beautiful as Lady in such a crude way" she counters making him laugh.
"You my princess are a spectacular person, I think I will love to seat and do some arguments with you"
"It's not an argument but a strong belief"
"Ah, now I know why Diego cannot help but just have words of praises of you" he grins.
"If only his praises could take me away from all of these tea tasting"
"Do you know many untimely deaths in the royal families are sometimes caused from a simply cup of tea?" he asks making her sit straight.
"What do you mean?"
"A tea is something no one can suspect, such innocence which can easily get mixed up with any liquid"
"And you do not have it poisoned now?"
"The reason for this lesson my little Princess is to make you familiar with all sorts of teas and what their real color, smell and taste feels...
It's not test for your body and eyes, but your taste buds and senses" he smiles as he pushes a cup towards her.
"Fifteen and such high burdens on these young shoulders and ban from all the fun" she sighs dramatically as she sip on the sweet tea.
"Eighteen and then you will be on your own, you need to gain all the knowledge and tactics to survive this world we have kept you locked from...
You are young, yes but these shoulders need to stay strong. A queen head should always stay high so..."
"Her crown stays still and not fall down" she waves her hands knowing it all.
"So, no one will be able to reach the crown and take it away from her" Giovanni corrects her with a smile and she frowns.
"Oh that's a new" she sighs before focusing on her odd lessons.