It was getting late, and she began to feel the deep cold, tingling in her fingers, even through her warm gloves; there was a halo around the low winter sun. She decided she had better go back indoors. With one last look through the parapet crenel, she thought she saw something out on the horizon - motion, a flash of light. Only a reflection from the snow, she thought, and wondered if she had only imagined it. She blinked because the cold air made her eyes upwell a little. But there they were, and her heart leapt to see them. She did not know who, or what it could mean.
Riders.