As the last rays of the sun touched the edges of the Black Castle—that merciless prison—she decided to leave.
Rose donned a new outfit; she no longer feared the unknown, for she had come to love it. She began searching for belongings to take with her until she realized nothing there belonged to her. She slammed the door shut with her hand to escape the rat's nest she had grown accustomed to dwelling in.
In the silence of hell, she spoke with confidence:
-"I won't be gone long, my lady. I promise you that."
She stood before the gate as the wind whipped her cloak. Behind her lay a heavy silence that no one had managed to break.
-"I must have a family. I will find them. I will discover who I am. There is no doubt of that."
She turned her face toward the castle one last time, without a trace of longing:
-"You owe me nothing, but I owe you hatred, and I will repay that debt''.
Footsteps hurried toward her.
-"Rose!"
It was a castle worker, Aunt Marina.
-"Rose! Hurry up and leave! What are you doing? Hurry!"
-"Thank you, Mir. I won't forget this. I'll come back to you."
-"Don't come back—don't you dare come back! Go and find a lifeline, my child.
Take this letter; it's the only thing here that belongs to you."
-"A letter! From whom?"
-"I don't know."
"It was in your clothes when I first brought you here. The lady hid it, but I stole it yesterday.
-''Take it and leave, never to return."
Rose looked at the note in surprise.
-"Why don't I remember this!"
She opened it eagerly; perhaps it was the answer to questions she had long wondered about.
-"What! It's a coat of arms with two swords!"
It was a piece of paper bearing a coat of arms and just a few words:
-"The mission is complete; she is the spoils."
-"What is this? Am I war booty or something?"
-"Rose, goodbye, my little one."
-"Wait, Auntie, say something!"
She ran quickly toward the gate, leaving Rose in complete shock.
A desolate silence raged within her heart, freezing her in place for a moment, unable to comprehend what was happening before her, until she was roused by the sound of her horse.
-"I will unearth the truth, but first I must leave."
A few steps away, her horse, whom she had named "Cor Montis" stood waiting, head held high.
His chestnut coat glistened in the morning light, and his eyes were like the long night. She stroked him gently.
-"We'll start over, just you and me."
She fastened her sword behind her back and her dagger around her waist,
then mounted her companion's back, leaving behind a great sense of wonder at what she had experienced there.
At the first crossroads, she looked toward the horizon, at land she had never set foot on before.
-"Is everyone dead? Why don't I meet anyone here?"
She had begun her journey to discover who she was, but she was walking without a plan.
-"I'll go left; I'm bound to find something. Come on, Cor Montis"