Journal Entry 59

01.08.2026

When I woke, I saw the basement’s only lightbulb hanging from a wooden beam. It did not come to life as it had four years ago when Jonas rescued me. This time, two flashlight beams broke through the darkness.

It was a surreal moment. I was confused, disoriented, and unable to comprehend what was happening. Once again, standing before me was my King. Beside him stood Zechariah.

I saw Jonas’s mouth moving as he spoke, but his words sounded jumbled and almost inaudible.

Zechariah gently lifted my head away from the stone wall with his left hand. With his right, he pressed a handkerchief against the back of my head.

My King’s words gradually became clearer as he held my hand. Tears ran down his cheeks.

“Thank God,” he repeated. “Thank God.”

As Jonas and Zechariah helped me out of the Captivity House, Jonas explained that I had tripped over the clasp and chain while walking backward away from Zechariah. My head had managed to meet the basement wall.

The more I think about that clumsy moment, the more a smile forms on my lips. I am not the clumsy one. Jonas has always been the clumsy one. It was always me who had to steady him or lift him up after he tripped over his own feet.

My dearest journal, that bit of information stays between us. There are some things about the King of Dorstenland that the public does not need to know.

After Zechariah helped me into his truck, the three of us made our way to Königin-Claudia-Klinikum Rüdersdorf, where the emergency staff Jonas had contacted awaited my arrival.

I never had the chance to say goodbye to Zechariah. However, I will never forget the nod he gave Jonas as he walked out of the examination room—or the wink and friendly grin he directed toward me.