The Region Of Rosa

Back to the Manor.

"What?!" shouted Leo slamming his hands on the table causing it to rattle slightly, "You can't be serious! They can't just come here and tell you to pack up and leave! That's not right!"

Geoffrey stood next to him as silent as a mouse and held a hand on my shoulder as hot tears rolled down my cheeks, I didn't want to leave, I didn't, but I knew we didn't really have a choice...

"Please be quiet or you'll wake Lyna." Sam stated. "How come you don't seem at all upset over this? Does none of what you have here mean anything to you? Did anything mean anything to you this whole time? How can you ju-" Leo was cut off by Geoffrey saying, "Leo I know you don't fully understand their situation but they can't help it, they can't disgrace the family name anymore than they have and I know you're upset but don't take it out on Sam, you know everything you've just said wasn't true..." Leo looked between us before storming out of the house and down the stairs.

"So... What happens now..?" Geoffrey asked hesitantly. Sam took a deep breath and looked him in the eye before saying, "Mother and Father has gone ahead, they didn't want to stick around a place like this so we've got 3 days to find Lyna a new home, pack and leave. She said we could leave majority of the stuff here as it can then be given to those of lower status who need it."

"Oh how charitable of her. Anyway, don't worry about Lyna, me and Leo can take care of her but she will miss you both a lot." He paused for a second before asking " Will you make sure to write?" Sam looked out of the still open door and cleared her throat. "I will try, it may be a bit difficult though as Mother and Father will be watching our every move but I will do my best to write every month."

"Make that every week if possible and before you even say there wouldn't be anything new to mention in a week, it doesn't matter even if it's just to ask Lyna how her school week has been it doesn't matter, if you're able to please write every week just to say hi..." Sam nodded and held out her hand with her pinky outstretched, he reached out in return and linked his pinky around hers, "I Samantha Jane Connelly swear to you Geoffrey Hayden that if at all possible I will write to you every week. However, you need to swear that you won't panic if I'm unable to." Geoffrey nodded, "I swear." they then nodded in unison and parted, "Want one last drink?" He nodded and we sat down at the table as Sam got a bottle out and poured each of us a glass, of course it was just apple juice but it was still nice, was just a shame Leo wasn't there to join us, Geoffrey eventually fell asleep still at our table so Sam put a cover over him and went upstairs, I followed suit to see her packing a bag. She put the dress that Leo had made for her in just to stall and carefully took it back out again, hanging it up gently back in her wardrobe. She packed her writing stuff as well as a tiny package. I wasn't sure what was inside but it must've been delicate considering how she handled it. "We're leaving in the morning... Aren't we..?" She froze on the spot and didn't reply but that told me enough. I packed my bag including the camera Xalve gave us, a photo of us all together and my journal. To be honest there wasn't a whole lot to take. I just wanted to take the camera in case we could get more film, then I could send pictures back to everyone with the letters. Everything else would just get chucked if I took it. I left my room to see Sam carefully closing Lyna's door, we nodded to each other and the next morning after I snuck in and quietly said my farewells to Lyna we left leaving just three letters on the table, they were addressed to Leo, Geoffrey and Xalve in case he returned.

Then we left, our clokes hugged our shoulders protecting us from the chilly morning breeze, it was still dark out. trailing our horses behind us we passed through the gate, we carried on by foot for a while.

"I knew it! I knew you'd sneak off in the early morning!" We spun around to see Leo pointing at us, standing like an absolute idiot "You can't just leave like this!" Sam looked down unable to meet his eyes, her face contorted in guilt and sadness, she was holding back the tears that threatened to spill, "please Sam... Just come back with me, we can sort this out... We're a family, it can't just end like this... You, Kaela, Lyna and Geoffrey are all I've really got now... So please don't go..." she looked up as a tear rolled down her cheek and approached him, he smiled gently as he brushed her tears away and she put her arms around his back before muttering, "Please don't forgive me for this...", he looked at her in confusion before asking "Forgive you for wha-" his body went limp and she caught him, he was now unconscious, she carefully took him to her horse and put him on the back, strapping him to it with the rope she uses to tie her horse up, she kissed him on the forehead and muttered something before going to her horse and saying "Midnight, listen very carefully... I need you to take this fool back to the village and safely ok..?" the horse appeared to of nodded and it went walking back the way we came. She got on my horse and pulled me up to sit in front of her before we galloped off towards the manor.

"Sam...? We could've said goodbye you know..? Like properly..?" She went silent for a moment before saying, "It's for the best this way, we would've hesitated if we saw Lyna crying and then if we stayed it would've made their lives worse, she's in good hands. We should've never gone to live there, it was a joke that we could potentially live there and be happy..." her voice hitched for a minute and I heard her take a deep breath, "We never should've met them..." The rest of the trip was silent, we traveled for days until we reached the kingdom in which the manor was, as we was let through the manor doors our Mother and Father came out, Sam climbed off the horse and helped me down and when she turned around she got slapped around the face by Mother, I gasped and mother exclaimed "How absolutely dare you ride the same horse as Kaela! where is your own?!"Sam stood up straight and said "One of the peasants tried to stop us so I had to knock him out and send him back home on my horse."

"You should've just left them there to die! They were just a measly peasant! You're too weak! You always have been this pathetic! All the times you got ill! You're a disgrace to the family!" She went to slap Sam again but I reached out and stopped her while saying, "Mother, please stop it's fine she is my sister after all and we couldn't just leave him there..." Mother just scowled at me, "Kaela unhand me at once! I never should've let you live in that stupid shack your grandmother called a home with her! She's done nothing but ruin you! Maid! Take Samantha to her room in the West wing and I'll escort Kaela to her own room myself!" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me along, a maid followed carrying my bag, she took me to the East wing. Once me and my bag was inside she said "Now stay in here and repent for your actions!" before locking the door from the outside. The room was cold and lifeless despite how bright and lavish it was, it was nothing like home... I thought of Geoffrey... Lyna... Leo and Xalve as by back slid down the door and I hugged my legs crying into my kneecaps.