In 1189, the Tower is merely the central keep built by William the Conqueror, but it achieves its purpose: dominating the City of London with Norman might. It looms mountain-like over the Thames, its white stone casting a black shadow over the eastern part of the city. It is first and foremost a palace, designed to provide a secure place for the royal family to decide the fate of the people, but as the Angevin kings spend more and more time in France, it is becoming less a palace and more a prison for the undesirables of the kingdom. Its most recent tenant was Robert Whitehands, but if Richard remains consistent, it seems likely that the cells will find themselves rather more full than they have been recently.