What Remains of Honor

Laurent takes full political control as the empire collapses across the remaining territories and returns to the estate in a flashback that shows the last steps of his rise. The present day begins as Laurent enters the estate, unaware that Maximilien has already broken in. Maximilien stands in the main hall catching his breath and looking over the place where the rebellion first took shape. Laurent follows the sound of movement and steps into the room, and the two men face each other for the first time in years. They walk through the halls and speak about sacrifice and the cost of every choice they made as the rebellion grew and fell. Their talk becomes deeper as they admit the truth about their failures and the people they lost along the way. Maximilien shoots Laurent, Laurent fires back and wounds him before dying on the floor, and Maximilien leaves the estate and collapses in the snow before dawn. This event would later be known as "The Estate Execution."