"Whatever gave you that idea?" he snaps, so suddenly and viciously that it's startling, with a piercing glare to match the one in his portrait. "I had a duty to my people and I failed. Care or sentiment does not come into it. I was prepared to strike down even an old friend if it meant accomplishing what I had to do. Does that sound like a man who cares?"

Funny. He had thought he had accepted the loss then. In a way, he has. But...no, the wound is still raw. Even if he knows the star will endure, it won't be the image of paradise he had in mind.