The city square filled slowly as more people arrived from the alleys and outer wards.
Cloaked figures, weathered traders, mercenaries in mismatched gear, and soot-faced scavengers crowded together until shoulders brushed and wary eyes met and moved away.
Mothers held their children close, thin arms wrapped around thinner bodies.
Hungry boys and girls peeked out from behind worn cloaks.
Their cheeks were hollow, their fingers stained with dirt and ash.
Some children clutched chunks of stale bread or half-rotten mushrooms like treasure and chewed in silence.
Their parents stared at the front of the square, waiting for the "announcement" they had been promised.
A few families sat on crates or broken steps.
An elderly Dwarrow woman gently fanned her grandson with a folded scrap of parchment.
Nearby, a Draknir couple shared a single blanket with their five children.
They were all there for the same reason.
They had heard there would be food.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
