History Recap / ItFeelsMoreLikeAMemoryChapter5TheHonorToBe

!! "the honor to be" contains examples of: %%AccidentalMurder and IJustShotMarvinInTheFace is not a trope from this chapter. We never find out Alexander actually got shot and died until the next chapter. Until you read that chapter, this one still leaves the chance Aaron misfired. Even with his Seer foreknowledge, there's still the chance his intent not to kill Hamilton made a difference in that he decides not to kill and even when the gun goes off he wasn't pointing the gun straight at Hamilton.

** In "What'd I Miss," there's a lyric "Every American experiment sets a precedent," which is echoed here when Aaron presides over Justice Samuel Chase's impeachment trial, "he sets the precedent." According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, this precedent is the independence of the federal judiciary, with federal judges trying to avoid seeming partisan and people not impeaching federal judges on partisanship anymore but on legal or ethical misconduct.

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Following the convention of naming every chapter title after a ''Hamilton'' lyric, this chapter takes its title from "I have the honor to be your obedient servant" from "Your Obedient Servant."

* SeasonFinale: Along with chapter 6. This chapter has most of the conclusion of the first lifetime story arc, the duel, so it counts. Chapter 6 has the end of the conclusion, which would be the results of the duel (does the bullet actually hit Alexander?) and the aftermath.

Jefferson is scared the Federalists have too much power because of the judicial branch, so he tries to impeach Justice Samuel Chase and Aaron has to preside over the impeachment trial. He also cuts Aaron out of party politics in return for not stepping down and giving him the presidency, so Aaron runs for governor of New York State. He ignores political mudslinging, even from Alexander, until one pamphlet. He previously confided in Alexander what his power was and that he feared any campaign he mounted would be an abuse of power since nobody could verify he was lying; this pamphlet accuses him of lying knowing nobody could contradict him and abusing public trust to gain power, says any campaign he runs will be built on lies, and exposes his exact power to see peoples' deaths once he touches their skin. He feels betrayed, thinking Alexander wrote it. After a letter from Dr. Charles D. Cooper to Philip Schuyler is printed in the press that he thinks is a taunt from Alexander, and he loses the election for governor, he writes the letters that lead to the duel.

Cooper's letter says Alexander thinks Aaron is dangerous and shouldn't be trusted in government, and that Cooper ''could'' include a "still more despicable" thing Alexander thinks about Aaron but doesn't actually do it. Aaron wants to know what this "still more despicable" thing is, or for Alexander to deny saying anything that would give Cooper cause to write of how poorly Alexander thinks of Aaron. Alexander writes the "still more despicable" thing is too vague for him to admit to or deny, since Cooper gives no details as to what this thing is that would identify it like when he said it or who to, it could be anything from just barely worse than what he's already said to horrible, and it doesn't matter anyways because maybe Alexander said something that's acceptable between political opponents and Cooper inferred an incorrect meaning and writes of that instead of Alexander's true meaning, and Cooper already thinks Alexander feels Aaron is "despicable" and that should be enraging enough on its own. Aaron replies that political opposition is no excuse for extreme rudeness and it's common sense what he means, whether he's said anything offending Aaron's honor, no need for semantic arguments like the ones presented in Alexander's letter. Alexander scolds Aaron for not taking the out Alexander gave him for Aaron's first overly-demanding letter, that whatever Alexander said about Aaron he stands by it, and Aaron's grievance is legitimate. Then they start the proceedings to duel.

** Back in chapter 1, Aaron sees how Alexander dies: in a duel against Aaron. When this vision finishes, he blinks and sees “young, innocent Alexander is grinning and pumping his hand up and down in the cold, dreary night, staring at Aaron like Aaron’s just made his whole day." In this chapter, when the count in the duel hits 9, Aaron "blinks, and for a moment all he sees is a young, innocent Alexander, grinning and pumping his hand up and down, staring at Aaron like Aaron's just made his whole day." It’s nearly an exact copy of the chapter 1 quote, since he’s seeing that chapter 1 moment.

** When the count to ten that counts out when people are allowed to fire in the duel reaches nine, Aaron "blinks, and for a moment all he sees is a young, innocent Alexander, grinning and pumping his hand up and down, staring at Aaron like Aaron's just made his whole day." This quote is nearly an exact copy of what happens in chapter 1 after his vision of Alexander's death finishes, except the blink ''ends'' the vision of death in chapter 1, and here a blink begins his vision of the young Alexander.[[note]]Aaron has the vision, "and then it all fades, Aaron blinks, and the young, innocent Alexander is grinning and pumping his hand up and down in the cold, dreary night, staring at Aaron like Aaron’s just made his whole day."[[/note]]

** Real Alexander Hamilton probably didn't aim at the sky, given his shot hit a tree above Aaron Burr's head which wouldn't happen aiming straight up unless your gun went off as you raised your arm.

** Aaron's finger twitches, and the gun goes off in the fic. Though there are many different accounts of how the Hamilton/Burr duel went, most agree on the guns being hair-triggers that could indeed go off without someone actually intending to shoot.

Summary: Jefferson cuts Aaron out of party politics for not stepping down, so he runs for governor of New York. He ignores political accusations until the pamphlet that exposes his power and accuses him of abusing public trust to gain power and lying knowing nobody could contradict him. He thinks Alexander wrote it since he confided his power's specifics and fear he was too dangerous for public office to him. A letter's printed in the press that says Alexander said awful things about him, including a "still more despicable" thing it doesn't reveal. Aaron writes an angry letter inquiring as to what this, and Alexander thinks it's too vague a request. They exchange more angry letters and end up dueling. Aaron remembers better times with Alexander, the things he said to James Monroe to talk him out of dueling Alexander, his promise to himself to not kill Alexander, and that Alexander was his best friend. He decides not to shoot, but his gun goes off anyways.