sic semper tyrannis

ubi amor, ibi dolor

Alone and with the entire nation seemingly against him, Kaveh went forward in a blind panic. Alhaitham called out for him as he continued along, arriving at the throne room for no clear reason. He still turned the handle anyway, pushing his way inside while breathing heavily, eyes wide and hands grabbing at his arms in a feeble attempt to calm himself down.

"Kaveh," Alhaitham called after him again as he stepped into the room, staring down at the floor. "Where are you going? This is going to be safe if they come here."

If Kaveh heard him, he didn't answer. He crossed the room until he arrived at the foot of the throne, placing his hand on the edge of the armrest. "Nowhere is going to be safe," he finally murmured, hanging his head.

"That's not true," Alhaitham replied without hesitation, though he wasn't sure if he truly believed it himself. "I don't know this castle as nearly as well as you probably do despite my years here, certainly there's a safehouse of some sort. Even if there isn't, we can find someplace to hide—"

"No," Kaveh cut him off, climbing back onto the throne. He still hung his head, refusing to meet Alhaitham's gaze. Slowly, he raised one hand to his head and pulled the crown off to place in his lap. "There's nothing like that that I know of and if we hid, we'd only be found before too long. Do you really think you could fight off the entire army? Candace and Dehya may have ran off, but they'll likely be dead soon too."

Alhaitham swallowed thickly. "I won't let them hurt you," he promised.

It stole a laugh from Kaveh's throat and he looked up, though the look in his eyes was distant. "There's nothing you can do to stop it," he said, and Alhaitham's breath hitched in his throat as he realized it was probably true. "I've known the entire kingdom has wanted me dead for a while and I didn't do anything to stop it. That's my own fault. Today, I will die, and it'll be my own fault."

Alhaitham let out a sharp sigh. He wasn't one to deny the obvious, but hearing Kaveh say it himself made his chest ache.

He knew; they both knew. The army was revolting, they'd undoubtedly be coming up the steps of the castle next, and there was a guillotine set up in the city square. Cyno was dead, and Kaveh was next.

"Surely you don't want to just wait here until they come?" Alhaitham asked. He averted his gaze, almost fearful for the answer.

"Maybe I will," Kaveh answered. He ran careful fingers over the crown in his lap, tilting it this way and that to stare into his own reflection. "Would they be kinder to me, do you think? If I just sat here and waited? Candace will undoubtedly struggle. Dehya would protect her until the bitter end." He sucked in a shaky breath and let it out just as nervously. "Would you do the same for me?"

Would he? The question resonated around Alhaitham's mind and he didn't know the answer. It'd be pointless, but he couldn't tell Kaveh that. He couldn't tell Kaveh that, but the hesitation spoke loud enough.

Kaveh laughed again, cold and sad and disgusting. "Good. I didn't want you to."

"Kaveh," Alhaitham was barely breathing at that point, the words coming out too soft. Not at all like the tone he'd liked to use. "You can explain to them. Tell them that you're stepping down anyway. There'll be an election. They can do whatever they want with Sumeru, they can have it, but they can't kill you. They can't."

He was silent for a moment. The fingers on the crown stilled and, instead, Kaveh placed one elbow on the armrest and laid his head on his hand. "They will," he replied. "What use will a new form of government be when they could make whatever they wanted?"

Kaveh paused after that, pursing his lips. "Since when were you the optimist and I the pessimist?"

Alhaitham took a few quick steps toward him, stopping just short of the throne. "I don't see why you can't at least try to escape. You're so close to leaving—to living a life where you can be happy. Why can't you at least try to get there?"