and peered through the thin opening above. The sun had just begun to glow in the eastern sky, but behind the thick layer of clouds its glow caused more eerie shadows than actual figures.
He could make out the shadows of an occasional woman as she hurried to the village well for water and then returned bearing the heavy load. He also made out the figure of a man next to the public house. Two other shadowy forms lay on the ground nearby. Undoubtedly they had spent all their money on ale and were thrown out into the cold night. He had always held such people in contempt. They often would stagger to a monastery or a priest's house begging for assistance after they had drunk themselves near to oblivion. They used valuable resources that could otherwise be used to aid starving families.
He could hear the thumping of horse hooves coming up the road now. He stood a little taller hoping to improve his view. Horses were expensive and only the privileged owned them. Someone out so early must be on an important errand. As the sound drew closer he realized that there was more to the sound than just the hooves. There was also the unmistakable sound of wheels, not even the thin layer of snow could muffle the sound. Almost as soon as he realized the nature of the sound the wagon passed him. Then, as though in recognition of who they were passing, the wheels on the left of the wagon hit a small puddle, spraying freezing water on his face.
He pulled back in mixed feelings of shock, surprise and anger. Losing his footing in the process he fell from the stone bed and onto the dirty floor of the room.
He picked himself up from the floor and wiped his face on the thin blanket. Just then he heard another wagon coming. Exercising greater caution this time, he looked out the slit of a window. There was sufficient light now that he could distinctly make out the load of wood in the back of the wagon.
There were more people outside now. Some were already on their way to their daily labors. Most slowed or stopped when the wagon went by. They spoke quietly to each other, and motioned in his direction, then continued on their way.
'These are simple people,' he thought, 'ignorant to the ways of the world.' To them his fate was nothing more than a temporary diversion from the unremarkable drudgery of their lives. Most of them were teetering on the brink between survival and death themselves.
When he turned around he saw that a small shaft of light from the window ran across the face of the other person in the room. He knew the person well and despite the fact that it also meant that he was in trouble with the law, he was happy to see him.
The next couple hours were spent mostly in quiet, subdued conversation between the two prisoners.
These were desperate times they both agreed. England had not so long ago survived a period of more than one hundred years in war with the French. Great hardship had been suffered by the people, rich and poor, as a result of the conflicts. During the hostilities it appeared at times that England would rule all of France, but in the end she was only able to retain a small portion and that may not be secure.
No sooner had the flames of these conflicts been smothered than new, more insidious flames began to engulf England in its entirety.
The Houses of York and Lancaster were contending in a bloody struggle for the crown of England. Rewards for the victorious would be enormous. Punishment for the conquered would be death. For those of royal birth it was necessary to choose an allegiance and fight for survival. For those of lesser status it was best to stay out of the way and fight to survive.
The war had become known as the War of the Roses, referring to the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster, symbols of the opposing sides. The king of Lancaster, King Henry VI, was reportedly insane. The duke of York, Richard, claimed the throne by virtue of his descending from Edward III.
It had seemed at times that England itself could not endure the struggles. Surely these were the last days and the end of the world was encroaching upon mankind.
Soon the guards came and removed the other prisoner from the