Sydney Marie Ivashkov
Moroi History 3rd Grade
January 7, 2053

My Hero
By: Sydney Marie Ivashkov

Name: Rosemarie Hathaway Belikova
Species: Dhampir
Born: March 28, 1992
Died: July 1, 2020
Occupation: Guardian

There are so many reasons that I have chosen Guardian Rose Belikova for my hero. First of all, she is my Great Auntie Rose. My Grandpa Adrian says she was a Kick Bottom Guardian. (I am not allowed to use the other word that he says.) She was shadowkissed and bound to Queen Vasilisa Ozera Dragomir since they were just fifteen years old. When they were still in school and there was some unseen danger facing 'Princess' Lissa, Rose took her away from the school and kept her hidden for two years among humans. She protected her friend and saved her life many times.

Guardian Dimitri Belikov was the one who finally tracked them down and brought them back to school. He became Rose's Mentor and then they fell in love. During her last year at school Rose fought and killed two Strigoi while saving a small group of students who were taken by Strigoi. Later that year she fought alongside Lord Christian Ozera in the Great Battle of St Vladimir's Academy. Most of the kills that night have been credited to Rose and Christian.

Sadly the next day Guardian Dimitri Belikov was taken and turned during a rescue mission to save some students and faculty that were taken but not yet turned by the Strigoi. One week later, on her 18th Birthday Rose Hathaway quit school and left for Russia in search of Dimitri so that she could stake him and save his soul.

While in Russia she met my Grandmother who led her to Dimitri's family and to Ibraham Mazur, the father Rose never knew. Rose killed many more Strigoi while searching for Strigoi and even joined a group of un-promised Novices. She did eventually find Dimitri but was unsuccessful in killing him. She did however find out that there was a way to save him and bring him back into his Dhampir state.

With the help of her friend 'Princess' Lissa Dimitri was brought back and after what Grandpa describes as a very turbulent time not only for Rose and Dimitri but also for all of the Moroi community; Dimitri and Rose found their way back together and Peace settled on the Moroi when 'Princess' Lissa became Queen Vasilisa.

Another reason I chose her as my hero is because if it weren't for her then my grandparents wouldn't be together and my daddy and his brother and sisters would never have been born. My cousins and I would not be here today.

A very long time ago my Grandma Sydney got taken away from Grandpa Adrian because the other Alchemists didn't like that she was too friendly with the Moroi and Dhampir. My Grandpa Adrian, Lord Adrian Ivashkov tried to find her, but he needed help. He turned to Grandma Sydney's special friends. (Grandpa Adrian says they are a bunch of witches, but they seem perfectly nice to me.) They found her but they couldn't get her out of the place she was because it was made so only the people who are supposed to get in or out can. Great Auntie Rose was an expert of getting people in and out of all the places that other people aren't supposed to be.

Great Auntie Rose and Great Uncle Dimitri snuck in and stole my Grandma Sydney out of the bad place, and then helped sneak her into the Moroi Court. It was Great Auntie Rose who convinced Great Auntie Lissa, the Queen, to grant Grandma Sydney sanctuary and to allow Grandma Sydney and Grandpa Adrian to get married.

Grandma Sydney was able to make a vaccine tattoo that made it impossible for a person to be turned into a Strigoi; it even makes their blood taste bad to Strigoi. At first, only some guardians were willing to get the vaccine tattoo because they didn't trust it since it was made by an alchemist. Great Auntie Rose was one of the first guardians to ask for it. She required all of the guardians who were working for the queen get it too. During the attack that ended the life of Great Auntie Rose and Great Uncle Dimitri, two of the guardians with them had gotten bit by the Strigoi, but because of the vaccine tattoo Great Auntie Rose had made sure that they were saved.

At the funeral for Rose and Dimitri, Lord Ivashkov announced that the Moroi were mourning more than just the two fallen Guardians but also the lives of their unborn babies. By use of a procedure called artificial insemination Rose and Dimitri were going to have two babies. They knew that by being married to each other and not being able to have a baby they were not helping to increase the number of Dhampir. Also they just had so much love that they wanted to have babies to share that love with. My daddy says that he would have been just two months older than Rose and Dimitri's babies.

Both directly and indirectly, the lives of all Moroi and Dhampir have been improved because of my Great Aunt Rosemarie Hathaway Belikova. Some of the improvements are things she actively fought for and others are changes that happened just by the way she lived her life. Now:

All babies, both Moroi and Dhampir are given a vaccine tattoo at birth to protect us from Strigoi bites for the rest of our lives.

All Novices have regular Novice classes as well as two years of intense training with a Mentor before they get their Promise Mark.

Moroi and Dhampir are allowed to marry who they love even if it is not someone of an acceptable species or class.

Humans who choose to become part of the Moroi society by marrying a Moroi or a Dhampir are not to be looked down upon and called bad names. Rose protected my Grandma and made sure everyone treated her with respect and that respect began to bleed through to other Humans among us.

The children of Humans and Moroi or Dhampir and Moroi are now fully acknowledged by the Moroi family and have full family rights. By the example of Rose and Dimitri, other Dhampir couples have decided to use artificial insemination so that they can have families. So now there are more Dhampir that are being born.

Moroi are taught to use their magic to defend themselves, and fight Strigoi alongside their Guardians. With more guardians surviving, and also more being born each year, the demand for guardians isn't so high and now though Dhampir like me are still required to take Novice classes and get a Promise Mark or a Mark of Completion, we can also choose to go into other fields of study as well.

I wish I had gotten to know my Great Auntie Rose, but I am so glad that she was born into this world and that she made such a big difference during the short time she was here on this earth.

Reference and sources:

Interviews from:

My Grandpa Lord Adrian Ivashkov
My Grandma Sydney Sage Ivashkov
Queen Vasilisa Dragomir
King Christian Ozera Dragomir
Guardian Edison Castile

Books:
The life of Rose Hathaway, By: Guardian Stan Alto and Guardian Alberta Petrov

Dhampir Who Have Changed our World, By: Professor Edward Mason Castile
Pg. 195- 248

Thank you again Tiffany for being my beta and for helping me add more to this Epi. I hope everyone likes it.

Please sign the pettition to bring Frostbite to film. the link is on my profile and on my face book page.

Suzanna