FicWad

Red, red roses grew on the bush outside their home. The vibrant, bright red of sweet-smelling wild roses, not the tame long-stemmed pale imitations that a Mundy might give a loved one. One bush red, the other white; that's the way it always had been, ever since they could remember. Their mother's careful tending over the years had helped these bushes achieve something close to perfection, and were the only gardening she kept up with when things became worse. Each bush was vibrant and healthy, with gleaming leaves and full blossoms. Never would pests cause damage, for her eye was keen and she was protective of them. The white bush grew straight and firm, branches reaching to the sky. The red bush grew wild, its branches needing pruning to keep it from spreading out too far. It was somewhat deceptive in this, as became clear after a particularly harsh winter. Several major branches on the white bush had broken off from the weight of the snow, but the intertwining branches of the red bush had prevented a collapse. The white bush was tended with more care that year, easing it back to health as new branches grew in to replace the now cleanly pruned stubs. Both continued to grow, vibrant and strong as before.

When the old queen died, her daughters would leave a pair of roses on her grave each month they could, one white and one red. The tradition was kept up as long as they were able, whenever one could manage to get to the place in time.

The Adversary's attack changed that, but somewhere in the Homelands still grow two rose bushes, growing strong despite the adversity. One white and one red.