The baron's brigde

The morning mist had already evaporated when, in the distance, a group of young women, accompanied by a lady, showed such sadness. Each held a white flower as a sign of mourning for the one who had gone, unprepared for the final moment. The sunlight reflected off the large mansion in the distance, which, although covered in a white blanket of snow, still brought a sense of fear to those who observed it. The windows and towers created seemed to blend into a landscape that existed only in old paintings, and the entire wall was covered in red roses, vivid as if they had been soaked in pure blood to keep their color.

Rowena appeared to be in her 60s, but she exuded wisdom and discipline that could only be acquired over centuries. Her hair, tied up in a high bun, and her long green and black dress, made her look even more imposing, which is perhaps why she was the housekeeper. She had known all the girls who had passed through the house for a long time, so she knew what would happen over the years. In her heart, she felt very sorry for the five girls in front of her, who were sadly crying for the sixth girl who had unfortunately not resisted the process of life.

The black dresses of all the girls were stained with white, where the snow had accumulated, and even in the sunshine, the wind insisted on chilling their skin. The lady, who had seen the process many times before, took the first step, gently placing her rose on the grave in front of her as a sign of respect. One by one, each girl did the same and, placing the last rose on top, they left in the direction of the castle without saying a word.

In the distance, another rose could be seen growing on the castle wall. With every death, a flower was born, so that no one would ever be forgotten.

Inside the castle, Rowena was hurrying:

"Come on! I don't know why you're so slow. I understand that Padua was dear to all of you, but the castle needs to be cleaned up again before the Baron notices," she knew that the girls were sad, but she couldn't afford to leave them idle, or it could be even more damaging if they thought too much about what had happened. "Then please go back to your business," she said, as she picked up her hat from the door.

"Where are you going?" one of the girls asked, curious, as it was very difficult for the housekeeper to go out often.

"Don't worry, my pretty, I'll go after the replacement!"

Then she opened the door and went out.

The wind that had previously chilled the skin of all the girls now heralded a heavy rain that would fall by the end of the day. Rowena left in the direction of the stables and, on the way, she saw Corvina wishing her condolences at the girl's grave. Not wanting to disturb the moment, she made her way to one of the horses and quickly mounted it, showing much greater agility than she would have for her age. Feeling the wind ruffle his dress and smelling the approaching rain, he set off in the direction of the small, isolated village of Leesburg, following his master's instructions.

All along the way, she wondered how she could pick someone else so quickly. No one appreciated this job, not that it was a bad one, because what the girls earned was beyond belief for someone who just helped out around the house. The biggest problem of all was the mansion, which in itself haunted anyone who passed by without even stepping foot inside, so he prayed to the four winds for help in the search for a replacement good enough to please Caellun.

The village was simple, wagons passed back and forth with hay, wood or even food. People walked around distracted by life, chatting about things like the rain that was likely to fall soon. Everything had always been very monotonous, apart from the accidents that happened from time to time, but they didn't pay much attention to that for fear of attracting even more bad omens.

So, entering the town and attracting the crooked stares of the citizens, the lady crossed the threshold that marked the entrance to Leesburg.

Rowena was known for working at the mansion, and it wasn't something to boast about, since everyone was afraid of her boss, whom they didn't even know.

As the black steed trotted along calmly, guiding the lady on her way, whispers filled her ears and caused a stir among those nearby:

"How can a lady like that work in that mausoleum?" one of the women said judgmentally.

"They say she's like a mother to him, and that's why she never leaves him," a gentleman chimed in, admiring the woman's beauty.

None of this bothered her, as she was used to being treated like this by people who didn't really understand her life. She truly considered Caellun a son and would never leave him as long as she lived.

Rowena set out to find a girl she liked, but she didn't have to look very hard, for, as a warning, a strong wind blew her hat towards the town fountain, where a beautiful girl was sitting, seemingly reflecting on life.

Mavka was still thinking when the wind ruffled her hair a little. It didn't seem to be a normal wind, and it was only then that she noticed the sky completely overcast, warning of the heavy rain that would soon fall. The sun, which was still forcing its way through the clouds, was completely hidden by a shadow that stopped in front of her. A well-dressed lady picked up the hat that had fallen near the young woman.

"Good morning. What's such a pretty girl doing sitting alone at this hour?" Rowena wondered about the girl in front of her. It couldn't be a coincidence that, after asking the winds for help, her hat had fallen in front of her.

Was she the chosen one?

"It's no big deal! Can I help you with something?"

"I suppose so, are you married?" she said, trying to find out if anything would prevent her from doing such a job.

Mavka heard the question and her eyes filled with tears, remembering exactly what she had been thinking. She clearly wasn't married, and perhaps never would be.

"No. Not yet. I was thinking about it when you arrived."

"If you want to talk, I think I'd be good company to listen to you," Rowena didn't know why, but she wanted to know more about the girl's situation.

Perhaps then she could extend the invitation.

"My parents died, so I'm an orphan. I've only got two ways out, either I get married, or I end up a whore," she said, putting her face between her hands, as a new wave of crying overtook her, causing thick tears to roll down her flushed cheeks.

"Girl, I have a third option. Would you like to work in the Baron of Pidia's mansion? You'll get food, a house and a salary that you can spend on whatever you like. I can't stay long, I have to get back there right away, what do you think?" She stood up and then got back on her horse, holding out her hand to the seated girl without even waiting for a reply.

The rain began to fall and gradually, the people around the village, who had been watching the woman talk to Mavka, ran to their homes to take cover.

"But... I don't know... What would the job be? I need to go home and get some clothes too..." Mavka didn't know what to do, after all, she hadn't expected a third way to be presented to her so quickly.

"I don't have time for your indecision, miss! Are you coming with me or not?" Rowena had no more patience, the rain was going to get her completely wet on the way and she needed to hurry.

"All right, I'll take it," Mavka decided not to think too much about it, as a job was better than becoming a prostitute or marrying Silas. Then, as the fine raindrops turned into a thick storm, she grabbed the lady's hand and jumped on the horse, sitting down a little awkwardly. "By the way, my name is Mavka. What's yours?"

As she gave the horse a rush, the woman smiled:

"You can call me Rowena."