The crackle of the fire pierces the silence and echoes off the stone walls. Her cheeks feel warm, but she feels cold inside. Her thoughts are caught in the previous day. She watched the noblemen standing as the snow fell, selecting their white or red flower, sealing their allegiance and their fate. Conflicting loyalties of blood, marriage and ambition swirl around inside her as imagines the war between the roses being played out in the darkness outside. She waits of news to be carried to her.