sic semper tyrannis

gratia et scientia

The weeks after that flowed all too quickly.

Perhaps Alhaitham had simply grown accustomed to the way Kaveh had given up with the Akademiya. He'd accepted he would never learn from them and therefore, did not bother to continue attempting, but here, he excelled. It was like the barrier had finally been lifted and Kaveh could truly just indulge in everything. He soaked up everything he was taught like a sponge and relished in every bit of it.

Each day that went by made Alhaitham worry a bit more. For all that Kaveh loved knowledge, there was the increasing realization that he would once again be trapped the moment they returned home. They were only to stay here a few months at most and then what?

Then Kaveh would be a bird in a cage again. He would beg to be free and cry for more knowledge and more indulgence, but he would never gain it. The more he came to know, the heavier the fall. And yet, Alhaitham knew it would be all the more cruel to deny him what he could see now.

A second realization occurred after he came to that conclusion. It was one he disliked, one he didn't truly want to believe himself, but he came to it nonetheless. Perhaps it wasn't the knowledge that Kaveh would be discontent when he returned for that was always obvious. Perhaps instead it was the slow realization that in the addition of Candace, Kaveh looked less to him.

Candace was the new sun and he looked to her so fondly for it. Truly, Alhaitham couldn't even fault him. Princess Candace gave him everything he asked for and more, yet to be ignored so blatantly was beginning to irk him. More often than not now, he was asked to simply stay behind in the room. There was an endless supply of books to busy himself with, but the simple fact that Kaveh didn't want him around edged at his mind. It'd stay there, just a thought, without anything being said.

But it didn't need to be said anyway. Every time Kaveh would go out, he'd come gleefully back at the end of the day, delightfully recounting every single trip. He'd gone out to monuments quite a few times, around the different desert villages for a few overnight trips, and eaten pretty much everywhere by now. He'd smile so brightly and it was obvious how excited he was, and still. It left a single question hanging in the air that Alhaitham was sure Kaveh was unaware of.

"And why am I left here?"

Kaveh stared at him, eyes wide. He'd just come in for the evening and he hadn't even left the doorframe, still leaning one hand against it. Alhaitham already knew how his day went. He'd gone into town again, seen cool things, and done it all without him.

Kaveh's eyes met the floor and he brushed an idle hand against his opposite arm, rubbing at it like he didn't know what to say, but Alhaitham supposed he probably didn't. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then raised his head again, lip quivering. "Aren't you... annoyed at me?"

Alhaitham paused, slipping a mark into the book he was reading and setting it aside on the couch. Annoyed at him? He couldn't possibly understand how he had reached that conclusion. "I'm not."

"But you—" Kaveh's brows furrowed and he bit his lip for a moment, stopping as he seemed to consider his words. "I don't know. You seemed annoyed at me during the entire ride here and especially the night after. I just thought..."

"Well, you thought wrong," Alhaitham sighed. He stood up and crossed the room toward Kaveh. A few thoughts raced through his head, mostly to touch him, hold him a bit close to reassure him, but the door was still open. He glanced over Kaveh's head, out the open entrance, for just a moment before deciding against doing anything at all, instead crossing his arms over his chest.

Kaveh glanced back, following his line of sight and huffing softly when he realized there was nothing there. "That's it?" he asked, head turning back to glare at him. "Just I'm wrong? Nothing more?"