A sudden thump reverberated from the upstairs chambers, briefly dispelling the palpably silent air that had draped the estate in the last two days. Jamie's surge of anger and subsequent slam of his desk were both courtesies of yet another memorandum that had been delivered by a raven (amusingly enough) just minutes prior. The Rosendahl seldom fell prey to bursts of rage; this was one of those rare moments.
Electing to release his frustration through the floorboards, Jamie began marching back and forth, his back stiff with exasperation. His earlier moments of playing and laughing with little Theodore seemed centuries away. Although the Rosendahl's thoughts were preoccupied with the sudden decimation of House Bigge's levies, the patriarch would later reflect on how such a flimsy bark byproduct could invoke such fury.
"The one thing I said. Nobody move; nobody's ready."
