She tried to re-compose herself, but it was impossible now; cold had penetrated to her core. She sat atop a bleak and desolate peak, and neither airs and graces nor steely determination could make a palace of it. She huddled closer to the rock at her back, pulling her legs tight to her body, feeling more child than woman here alone. Clutching the rough leather pack tight to her chest, she savored the security of it. If nothing else, she still had that. Or more to the point, its contents.

She shivered again, feeling betrayed as her body defied her will to stay strong. She looked away from that thought, back toward the light of the warm fire, craving its heat, its easy vitality.

Just a dim red glow remained to light the southern sky. Soon, they would all be colder than she.