The study was quiet... too quiet.
Even the ticking of the clock on the far wall seemed to hesitate, as if uncertain whether it should break the silence that gripped the Royal Palace of Madrid.
King Alfonso sat at his desk, alone save for the flickering of a single gas lamp overhead.
The window behind him framed the city in fading amber light, rooftops casting long shadows across the courtyards.
Distant gunfire echoed faintly from the eastern hills; sporadic, irregular. The war had not yet touched the capital, but it loomed forever in the distance.
The desk before him was bare, save for a single sheet of parchment, bordered with the royal seal in crimson and gold.
"Order of General Mobilization."
The words stared back at him like an accusation.
A thin film of sweat clung to his brow, not from heat, but from the weight pressing down upon him.
He reached for the quill, paused, and instead looked to the fireplace; cold and dark now.
