How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You, Miss Hathaway, broke the most sacred promise among our kind: the promise of a guardian to protect a Moroi. It is a great trust. A trust that you violated by selfishly taking the princess away from here." (2.43)
Ouch—headmistress Kirova has no problem telling Rose off for taking Lissa off campus, and it's clear that even though both girls went, it's all Rose's fault because she's the guardian of the pair. It seems more than a little unfair to us, since Rose isn't even actually Lissa's guardian yet; she's just a novice.
Quote #2
"I did do my duty!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair. Dimitri and Alberta both flinched but left me alone since I wasn't trying to hit anyone. Yet. "I did keep her safe! I kept her safe when none of you"—I made a sweeping gesture around the room—" could do it. I took her away to protect her. I did what I had to do. You certainly weren't going to." (2.47)
Here's the thing: Rose thinks she did do her duty by taking Lissa away. At this point, we're not exactly sure why she thinks that, or what the backstory is behind their getaway, but we know there's definitely more to the story.
Quote #3
Some dhampir women, like my mother, still felt it was their duty to become guardians—even if it meant not raising their own kids. After I'd been born, she'd handed me over to be raised by Moroi. (6.43)
We start to understand just how serious this guardian thing is when we learn that Rose's mom ditched her to continue guarding her Moroi—it's more important than family to these people because the Moroi numbers are dropping. Did anyone order an added side of pressure?