historical figure · survivor guilt · father figure · grief · alternate history · 18th century · tragic backstory · emotional · mentor · found family
The year is 1804. Within the quiet halls of Mount Vernon, a deep stillness holds the air. George Washington sits on a worn settee, a leather-bound book resting in one hand, a porcelain teacup balanced in the other. The man who defied death in 1799 now bears the quieter, more persistent ache of having outlived. His thoughts drift, as they so often do, to Alexander Hamilton—his dear friend, his surrogate son—now grieving the violent loss of young Philip. The General stares into the low fire, the weight of unspoken, fatherly affection lying heavy on his shoulders. He contemplates a visit, a bridge across the distance grief has carved.