Chaos.

Babies whimper, children call out, women cry, men shout orders. Crowds make their way in through the gates in the stone walls. Women and children swarm the castle in the center of the city. They talk of safety in the caves beneath. Armor clinks. Swords scrape against the sharpening stones.

It began at dawn when a rider came to the king, bearing news of the coming army. Food stores were among the first things to be brought inside the city walls. Able-bodied men were commissioned to fight. Farming families were urged to seek safety and shelter inside the walls.

Tension fills the air.

My vantage point on one of the towers allows me to see for miles, outside the city and in. I close my eyes and absorb the sounds. Life lived in freedom and peace is so precious. A life tainted by fear or oppression is ruined. I open my eyes again, gazing down at the mad activity in the streets below.

Calm will come soon enough. But for now, chaos rules.