"You really never had a chance, you know." And thus did it to himself. It wasn't as if Alasdair didn't know that every time he'd brought a script to Henry, he was going to be told no. Henry had too much love of the classics and not enough faith in the new to try it at all. Perhaps when Henry had been younger...but that was nearly thirty years past now.

"They aren't the only ones to demand it." Which was the root of the problem- Hadyn demanded it of himself. More so than Henry demanded it of him by a long shot.