“You know that’s not true.”
Elend sat back contemplatively. “I don’t know, Vin. I thought I was the better man. Yet, while I thought up all kinds of schemes to keep the throne from Cett, I never really considered the one plan that would have been certain to defeat him—that of giving my support to Penrod, combining our votes. What if my arrogance had landed us with Cett? I wasn’t thinking of the people.”
“Elend …” she said, laying a hand on his arm.
And he flinched.
It was slight, almost unnoticeable, and he covered it quickly. But the damage was done. Damage she had caused, damage within him. He had finally seen—really seen—what she was. He’d fallen in love with a lie.
“What?” he said, looking into her face.
“Nothing,” Vin said. She withdrew her hand. Inside, something cracked. I love him so much. Why? Why did I let him see? If only I’d had a choice!
He’s betraying you, Reen’s voice whispered in the back of her mind. Everyone will leave you eventually, Vin.
Elend sighed, glancing toward the shutters to her room. They were closed, keeping the mists out, though Vin could see the darkness beyond.
“The thing is, Vin,” he said quietly, “I never really thought it would end this way. I trusted them, right to the end. The people—the Assemblymen they chose—I trusted that they would do the right thing. When they didn’t choose me, I was actually surprised. I shouldn’t have been. We knew that I was the long shot. I mean, they had already voted me out once. But, I’d convinced myself that was just a warning. Inside, in my heart, I thought that they would reinstate me.”
He shook his head. “Now, I either have to admit that my faith in them was wrong, or I have to trust in their decision.”
That was what she loved: his goodness, his simple honesty. Things as odd and exotic to a skaa urchin as her own Mistborn nature must be to most people. Even among all the good men of Kelsier’s crew, even amid the best of the nobility, she had never found another man like Elend Venture. A man who would rather believe that the people who had dethroned him were just trying to do the right thing.
At times, she had felt a fool for falling in love with the first nobleman whom she grew to know. But now she realized that her love of Elend had not come about because of simple convenience or proximity. It had come because of who Elend was. The fact that she had found him first was an event of incredible fortune.
And now … it was over. At least, in the form it had once had. But, she’d known all along that it would turn out this way. That was why she’d refused his marriage proposal, now over a year old. She couldn’t marry him. Or, rather, she couldn’t let him marry her.
“I know that sorrow in your eyes, Vin,” Elend said softly.
She looked at him with shock.
“We can get past this,” he said. “The throne wasn’t everything. We might be better off this way, actually. We did our best. Now it’s someone else’s turn to try.”
She smiled wanly. He doesn’t know. He must never know how much this hurts. He’s a good man—he’d try to force himself to keep loving me.
“But,” he said, “you should get some more rest.”
“I feel fine,” Vin said, stretching slightly. Her side hurt, and her neck ached, but pewter burned within her, and none of her wounds were debilitating. “I need to—”
She cut herself off as a realization hit her. She sat upright, the sudden motion making her rigid with pain. The day before was a blur, but …
“OreSeur!” she said, pushing aside the blanket.
“He’s fine, Vin,” Elend said. “He’s a kandra. Broken bones mean nothing to him.”
She paused, half out of bed, suddenly feeling foolish. “Where is he?”
“Digesting a new body,” Elend said, smiling.
“Why the smile?” she asked.
“I’ve just never heard someone express that much concern for a kandra before.”
“Well, I don’t see why not,” Vin said, climbing back in bed. “OreSeur risked his life for me.”
“He’s a kandra, Vin,” Elend repeated. “I don’t think those men could have killed him; I doubt even a Mistborn could.”
Vin paused. Not even a Mistborn could. … What bothered her about that statement? “Regardless,” she said. “He feels pain. He took two serious blows on my behalf.”
“Just fulfilling his Contract.”
His Contract. … OreSeur had attacked a human. He had broken his Contract. For her.
“What?” Elend asked.
“Nothing,” Vin said quickly. “Tell me about the armies.”
Elend eyed her, but allowed the conversation to change directions. “Cett is still holed up in Keep Hasting. We’re not sure what his reaction will be. The Assembly didn’t choose him, which can’t be good. And yet, he hasn’t protested—he has to realize that he’s trapped in here now.”
“He must have really believed that we’d choose him,” Vin said, frowning. “Why else would he come into the city?”
Elend shook his head. “It was an odd move in the first place. Anyway, I have advised the Assembly to try and make a deal with him. I think he believes that the atium isn’t in the city, so there’s really no reason for him to want Luthadel.”
“Except for the prestige.”
“Which wouldn’t be worth losing his army,” Elend’s said. “Or his life.”
Vin nodded. “And your father?”
“Silent,” Elend said. “It’s strange, Vin. This isn’t like him—those assassins were so blatant. I’m not sure what to make of them.”
“The assassins,” Vin said, sitting back in the bed. “You’ve identified them?”
Elend shook his head. “Nobody recognizes them.”
Vin frowned.
“Maybe we aren’t as familiar with the noblemen out in the Northern Dominance as we thought we were.”
No, Vin thought. No, if they were from a city as close as Urteau—Straff’s home—some of them would be known, wouldn’t they? “I thought I recognized one of them,” Vin finally said.
“Which one?”
“The … last one.”
Elend paused. “Ah. Well, I guess we won’t be able to identify him now.”
“Elend, I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“What?” Elend asked. “Vin, I’ve seen death before. I was forced to attend the Lord Ruler’s executions, remember?” He paused. “Not that what you did was like that, of course.”
Of course.
“You were amazing,” Elend said. “I’d be dead right now if you hadn’t stopped those Allomancers—and it’s likely that Penrod and the other Assemblymen would have fared the same. You saved the Central Dominance.”
We always have to be the knives. …
Elend smiled, standing. “Here,” he said, walking to the side of the room. “This is cold, but Sazed said you should eat it when you awoke.” He returned with a bowl of broth.
“Sazed sent it?” Vin asked skeptically. “Drugged, then?”