Rose's Fate[]
Rose of Noonvale, we all know her, we all love her, we all wish she didn't die. Well OK, some of us don't exactly wish that, and are satisfied with the story, I am not. There are two sides to this debate which has been going on since the book was released, why did she have to die. One side, the one which I support has compassion for Rose, and wanted her to survive. The other side, thinks that she should have died, and enforces what is considered "cannon." Many of us have protested about this, but it has not yet been changed. Mainly because it would mess up the series. There are all different reasons as to why she should/shouldn't have survived.
Pro Death[]
Martin could move on to Mossflower. Martins sword wouldn't be passed on through lineage, and would go on to Mathias. Redwall Abbey would be founded. Martin would never speak of Rose or Noonvale again. It has a dramatic Shakespeare like plot. It evoked more fanfiction, and drove fans like me to write their own version.
Anti Death[]
The fans were all sad. It was a kids book in the first place, and could have a negative effect on them. It would negatively effect how the fans viewed Brian. Rose was a popular character.
Summery[]
So the pro death may have more reasons, but that doesn't mean we as fans have to go with it. In my view, who cares what cannon is, lets builds a catapult instead XD. If you chose to accept her death, that's all fine and dandy. But if ya want to you can chose to accept someones fanfiction as your own cannon, or even write one yourself. I think Brian would have encouraged us to be creative. I respect Brian a lot, but I didn't like Rose dying, so I wrote a fanfiction about my redwall pc, who ends up with her. I think it was a little TOO sad for the public, especially since Redwall was originally intended for kids. I remember being very distressed over it when I was young, and I still don't like it. In the end, fantasy is fantasy, and fiction is fiction. And unlike reality, it can be changed if you want it to be. The owners may say its not official, but who gives a darn. As long as you don't try to make money off it I'm pretty sure you aren't breaking the copyright law. So Rose can die, or she can live, up to the reader.