It was past midnight, but no one was asleep.
The city was quiet, wrapped in a deep darkness. Only the torches along the palace walls gave off a flickering light.
The soldiers stood at the top of the wall, shoulder to shoulder. Thousands of them. Armor cold, breaths visible in the air. The gate below was sealed shut. No one was allowed in or out.
They weren't shouting or panicking but they were nervous. You could hear it in their whispers.
"What are we doing up here on the wall? Why are almost all the soldiers here?" someone whispered.
"Are we going to fight? Why are there no soldiers outside the gate?" another asked.
"Is no one going to tell us what the plan is?"
The murmurs spread like a slow fire. There were no orders. No banners waving. No drums of war. Just confusion.
Down below, a few civilians peeked out from shuttered windows. Children clung to mothers. Old men held their breath.
