Mistborn #02 The Well of Ascension

code that lets the Assembly overthrow their king?"
    Elend wilted slightly. "Yes."
    " And you wrote the law yourself ?" Tindwyl demanded.
    "Most of it," Elend admitted.
    "You wrote into your own law a way that you could be deposed?" Tindwyl repeated. Their group—expanded from those who had met in the carriages to include Clubs, Tindwyl, and Captain Demoux—sat in Elend's study. The group's size was such that they'd run out of chairs, and Vin sat quietly at the side, on a stack of Elend's books, having quickly changed to trousers and shirt. Tindwyl and Elend were standing, but the rest were seated—Breeze prim, Ham relaxed, and Spook trying to balance his chair as he leaned back on two legs.
    "I put in that clause intentionally," Elend said. He stood at the front of the room, leaning with one arm against the glass of his massive stained-glass window, looking up at its dark shards. "This land wilted beneath the hand of an oppressive ruler for a thousand years. During that time, philosophers and thinkers dreamed of a government where a bad ruler could be ousted without bloodshed. I took this throne through an unpredictable and unique series of events, and I didn't think it right to unilaterally impose my will—or the will of my descendants—upon the people. I wanted to start a government whose monarchs would be responsible to their subjects."
    Sometimes, he talks like those books he reads , Vin thought. Not like a normal man at all. . .but like words on a page .
    Zane's words came back to her, seeming to whisper in her mind. You aren't like him . She pushed the thought out.
    "With respect, Your Majesty," Tindwyl said, "this has to be one of the most foolish things I've ever seen a leader do."
    "It was for the good of the kingdom," Elend said.
    "It was sheer idiocy," Tindwyl snapped. "A king doesn't subject himself to the whims of another ruling body. He is valuable to his people because he is an absolute authority!"
    Vin had rarely seen Elend so sorrowful, and she cringed a bit at the sadness in his eyes. However, a different piece of her was rebelliously happy. He wasn't king anymore. Now maybe people wouldn't work so hard to kill him. Maybe he could just be Elend again, and they could leave. Go somewhere. A place where things weren't so complicated.
    "Regardless," Dockson said to the quiet room, "something must be done. Discussing the prudence of decisions already past has little current relevance."
    "Agreed," Ham said. "So, the Assembly tried to kick you out. What are we going to do about it?"
    "We obviously can't let them have their way," Breeze said. "Why, the people overthrew a government just last year! This is a bad habit to be getting into, I should think."
    "We need to prepare a response, Your Majesty," Dockson said. "Something decrying this deceitful maneuver, performed while you were negotiating for the very safety of the city. Now that I look back, it's obvious that they arranged this meeting so that you couldn't be present and defend yourself."
    Elend nodded, still staring up at the dark glass. "There's probably no need to call me Your Majesty anymore, Dox."
    "Nonsense," Tindwyl said, arms folded as she stood beside a bookcase. "You are still king."
    "I've lost the mandate of the people," Elend said.
    "Yes," Clubs said, "but you've still got the mandate of my armies. That makes you king no matter what the Assembly says."
    "Exactly," Tindwyl said. "Foolish laws aside, you're still in a position of power. We need to tighten martial law, restrict movement within the city. Seize control of key points, and sequester the members of the Assembly so that your enemies can't raise a resistance against you."
    "I'll have my men on the streets before light," Clubs said.
    "No," Elend said quietly.
    There was a pause.
    "Your Majesty?" Dockson asked. "It really is the best move. We can't let this faction against you gain momentum."
    "It's not a faction, Dox," Elend said. "It's the elected representatives of the Assembly."
    "An Assembly you formed, my dear man," Breeze said. "They have power because you gave it to them."
    "The law gives them their power, Breeze," Elend said. "And we are all subject to it."
    "Nonsense," Tindwyl said. "As king, you are the law. Once we secure the city, you can call in the Assembly and explain to its members that you need their support. Those who disagree can be held until the crisis is over."
    "No," Elend said, a little more firm. "We will do none of that."
    "That's it, then?" Ham