So many questions, so little time

This is mostly just for me to think about everything that has happened over the past few days. But if someone finds this journal after you are free to read it (if you are one of the crew and you are just snooping in my stuff know that I have put a powerful curse on this book, and I will never forgive you. Also, you already know all of this, so it is probably not very interesting to read). Know that everything I write is true, if not always accurate. You can come to what that means yourself. You might actually have heard of me. If you read this in the future, I hope it is for something good, but most likely, one of the traitors killed the Queen a few minutes after she was crowned. First of all, I did not do that - we did not do that. We were only the scapegoats of the whole operation. We listened to our commander as we were trained to do and then betrayed him. Betrayed by almost everyone, actually. Over the few days before the crowning, they had snuck in both more people, weapons and stupid yellow uniforms. They killed everyone as we stood in a hallway, waiting for the Queen to enter. We are the only people left of the order of the ashen rose now. And we have been members for about... a week now? 10 days at most. It is challenging to keep track of the days after the strange shit. I don't really want to dwell on that. Not now. Keep reading, and you might just get answers about what actually happened. I don't want to write about that now. At the moment, I just want to try and figure out what the fuck just happened the past 3 days.
 
How can I explain the last few days without filling the whole journal with what would look like crazed ravings? Summing up things I do not want to forget:
- When big things happen, rumours about that goes quicker than the gods themselves. Hell, perhaps the gods are the ones that carry the stories around.

People do not help you if they don't want something out of it.

Vampires are scary, and their humanity quickly disappears.

Farah falls for quiet, quirky girls very quickly. I suppose almost 7 months aren't that quick.

After running from the small ungrateful village, we got lost up into the mountain. Maybe saying got lost isn't the right thing to say, more like we took the least trodden path to get away from the guards. Butter is an excellent goat, and I trust him completely to get us up the mountain without a problem. It wasn't the easiest way to move, but it seemed like we were free from them. I tried to take us far enough to take a break, and we did. I had forgotten how it was to sleep in the wagon. Even if there was no room left with all of it, it was good. Dad made the wagon to be enough for one person, not 5. I don't mind. And yes, I know a wagon made for 1 person probably shouldn't be able to pull 5 and all their stuff, but this one has been made to drag around pretty heavy shit. We will be fine. Maybe I should keep an eye out on the wheels just in case. Try to remember that, Al.
 
I am pretty sure that the wolf that killed Summers had been following us for at least a little bit beforehand. I know it was around when Farah and Devon (I think) went to get water for us. But it wouldn't be a big surprise if it had been following us before. That means that either the whole rocky road is the property of the vampires, that the vampire lord that made Klara was alive that morning, or that Klara/Alex - let's call her Klara, was lying to us about how long she had been a vampire. I don't think she did, though. There was too much change in her during our time at the Garrison for it to be much older than she said. But I am getting ahead of myself now. Summers - we found the annoying old guy dead. Ripped to shreds by the wolves and then eaten by the rats. Had it been a few weeks ago, that image would have been stuck in my head forever. Now it is just in the background with the rest. That was dark - let's not go there either yet. He carried his stuff. I still got his book. Since I saw it, I had wanted to get my hands on that, and now I have it, so that's not really a good thing. Anyway - we burned his remains; Devon said a few words as they are the religious sort. We probably should have turned after that. Gone back and taken the other road. Instead, we pushed on, and soon we were at the Winter Garrison. This big castle-like building surrounded by movable ... what's the word... walls? Fences? It looked like it had just fought off a siege. Even if everything was fucking old. We left the Butter outside and went to check it out. It was big, scary and mysterious. Perfect to see what was happening. Inside it was obvo\iousliy cursed. There were dead people, skeletons everywhere. I found a spellbook, we went into a few buildings. Farah almost died to a chest that came alive. There were a few doors that we were alive to. And a few wolves. And in the armoury, there was obviously something in the basement, but we did not go there yet. Instead, we somehow got to the path up to the castle. It was misty, with a fuck ton of skeletons. There was one path forward between skeletons' garden, and we took it. While we walked in the mist, a lot of shit got thrown out of the castle tower. Like someone was cleaning.
 
It was Klara or Alex. A new-fledged vampire. Strong enough to kill us. She was hot as hell and took a liking to Fleur. I can understand that. She is very colourful and good. We stayed with her for a while. She told us her story. Recently turned into a vampire, the rest of her party killed, she killed her maker, now she is the owner of this spooky place. She had many books and many potions and wanted to create something that I think was supposed to either get her humanity back or just make her stronger. In exchange for her not killing us and letting us leave, we were to help her. We got a list of things to do:
five locations to go there:
Library - walk up staircase upright, the second one in the hallway, do not go into the other rooms. She wants a book wrapped in blue that is on the very top. Careful what you touch.
 
Well - Walk 2 floors down and enter the right brown door. Do not fall too far. Inside the well, there is a pouch she wants.
 
The wall is a strange room three floors up on the end of the long hallway. Take the first door on the left. Do not enter any of the others. Inside is a strange wall with an eye on it. I need a potion beyond the wall.
 
4. - walk out of this room, one floor down. Three doors. Enter the round door. Knock three times before we do. Inside is another door clad in leather. Take avail on the table in the room, bring it inside the room beyond the leather door and hold it against the wind until the vail is full.
 
5. all for you. Enter the armoury and seek out the basement when you leave the keep. Within is a dead, Lich like creature. It has perished, but it holds a weapon that could be useful to you in its right hand. Touch only the weapon. Not the dead creature.
 
All places were very magical. The whole tower was so full of magic. I genuinely wish we could have stayed there until I knew everything inside. But we kinda screwed up, first with the vile of ice. Something told Farah it was supposed to be theirs, so instead of giving it to the very dangerous vampire, Farah pretended to lose it, and it broke. Now Farah is glowing, and Klara was very hurt by it. Psychically hurt by it. Fleur got her to not kill us by giving her some of her own blood. She seems to have a thing for being bitten. But Klara got very angry and then asked her to stay with her. Fleur said no and Klare got angrier. So we had to get out of there. Still, we first went down to the armoury, to the Lich. There was an actual dead Lich there. And a hell of many weapons, which I suppose is natural for an armoury. Everything had elven characteristics. So what were the elves protecting her up in the mountain when it isn't even close to where they usually stayed? What happened 200 years ago in this place to kill them all so quickly? Probably the Lich.... and the vampires.
 
The Lich had a spear in its chest and a ring on its right finger. We took both and got attacked by living? Weapons and shit. I couldn't do shit about it. They were not flammable and did not have thoughts, so I couldn't actually manipulate their minds as I usually do. Instead, Farah just protected me while everyone else fought. I love my twin so much, but gods, I am tired of being useless in fights. Obviously, we got away because I am writing this, not because we could fight a vampire. I think we heard Klara scream. Either of anger, grief or a mix of everything. I think we could have become friends had it not been for the vampire thing. Or really, the wanting to kill our thing. I don't care much about the vampire thing. I hope there is a way to save her.
 
Butter was good outside, and we got away okay. We are on our way to Brille now. There is an ambush waiting before we get there. And we will almost die and be saved by a big bear... a druid. I am not sure what will happen after, but there will probably not be more time to think.