PROLOGUE
Summer, 2016 A.T.B.
Viceroy's Palace, Area 11
The room was bathed in calm orange light coming through the window. It was a beautiful evening but the room's occupant paid it no heed, sitting idly behind the desk, deep in thought. Her eyes closed, long black hair falling neatly on her back, Empress Marianne sat with serene expression on her face. She was worried but any outsider could be easily deceived by her calm composure. Things were rather troublesome ever since the day she confronted V.V., her brother-in-law, years ago. The boyish-looking immortal expressed his interest in her children that fateful day, which seemed to grow with time. She needed to take action before they got involved. Getting them away from the capital would get them well out of V.V.'s purview. A plan was solidly forming in the Empress's mind, she only needed to make a handful of preparations, then sit and watch the events unfold. She sighed, suddenly feeling very tired and opened her eyes to look at a painting hanging on the wall. It was one of Clovis's best masterpieces in her opinion, made before the third prince became the Governor of Area 11, former Japan, two years ago. It was her favorite possession and she always carried it with her when she left Aries Palace for an extended period of time. The painting had a power of calming her every time she looked at it and it reassured her that everything she did was for a good cause. This time was no exception. It would be painful to part with them... But she vowed to herself that she would do everything to keep them from the harm's way.
A knock disturbed the silence and the Empress shifted her gaze to the doors, which opened slowly revealing a young man.
"Your Majesty? I brought the documents you requested." The man walked in and bowed deeply before her. Jeremiah Gottwald, the Captain of her guard, appointed after the second princess Cornelia had to relinquish the position, was trying hard not to look displeased but nonetheless was failing miserably.
"Ah, Lord Jeremiah." the Empress said cheerfully motioning for the newcomer to come closer. "That was quick, thank you." She took the papers from him and started sorting through them with pleased look on her face. She stopped after a while and looked at the teal haired man who was still standing before her. "Is there something you wanted to say...?" The young Captain looked uncomfortable under her gaze.
And she had a good idea why.
"Lady Marianne, I do not wish to question your decisions but is it really wise...?"
Oh, yes. Of all things...
"I appreciate your concern, Lord Jeremiah," she smiled, "but I considered all of the possibilities and he seems to be the best choice. The papers you just brought only prove that I'm right"
"I do not disagree, but that man..."
"Is a Number." the Empress finished "You shouldn't let those beliefs cloud your judgment, Jeremiah. You Purists... it's really a shame."
Really now, Jeremiah was always the most loyal and devoted subordinate in Marianne's opinion. She even made him the head of her little project. But this Purist Fraction of his... She could not understand him at times. At least he had decency to look slightly ashamed if that look on his face was anything to go by.
"I only have your family's wellbeing on my mind, Your Majesty. These people should not be trusted so lightly."
"I understand and I'll speak with him personally to ensure that he will indeed be capable of fulfilling this mission. This boy has the potential of becoming a great asset in our hands, Jeremiah, we only need to handle him with care." she remained silent for a while and then smiled. "Contact his superiors and arrange a meeting as soon as possible. You're dismissed."
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Jeremiah bowed deeply and walked out of the room. The Empress followed him with her eyes and then returned to the papers her guest brought. All of them were about a young man with brown hair and shining green eyes.
"Private Suzaku Kururugi, an Honorary Britannian... You seem like an interesting person... but would you be able to protect my little boy...?" she murmured softly under her breath.
***
The day begun like any other, for one Kururugi Suzaku. That was, until a teal haired man appeared, he entertained a thought that he was indeed very much asleep.
"Huh?" he stated intelligently, green eyes, confusion evident in them, meeting gold ones.
Jeremiah sighed gravely.
"Just follow me, Kururugi. Your superiors were already informed of your departure. I will try to answer your questions on the way." with that the older man turned and started walking. And so the puzzled teen followed, wondering what he just gotten himself into.
***
An hour or so later Suzaku could be found sitting alone in the hallway. The ride to the Government building was a brief one so most of the past hour the young soldier spent waiting to be summoned. He still could not believe the things Lord Gottwald said. He was about to meet the Empress. He, a mere private. A Number on top of that, was granted such privilege. He could easily say that his 'companion' was displeased. (If you count numerous death glares on the way to the GB...) And so Suzaku spent his time wondering what was he doing here. No matter how hard he thought it just did not made any sense. His musings were cut by the sound of approaching footsteps which broke the silence in the empty hallway.
"Sir Kururugi, please follow me, the Empress is awaiting you." said the man, probably a servant of sorts. As he got up, Suzaku thought that he would settle for the most obvious possibility.
It was just some very, very weird dream.
Soon they reached a solid looking doors. The servant motioned for him to enter and walked away after bowing to him which made Suzaku feel the need to pinch himself. He settled on blinking few times, curious as to what awaited behind the closed doors. And so he knocked politely and entered the room, bowing towards the figure standing on the other side of the room.
"Your Majesty."
"Kururugi-san," the Empress looked at him and smiled warmly. "Please come in. I hope you do not mind the suddenness of this summon. I wanted to have a little chat with you." she said and returned her gaze towards the painting she was looking at when he entered.
Suzaku came closer, curious as he noticed a fond look on the Empress's face. It was a beautifully painted portrait of two children standing in a garden. An amethyst eyed boy with midnight colored hair and a girl with light brown hair and blue eyes. He could almost feel the warmth and love coming from the painted couple, no matter how cliché it sounded.
"Lelouch and Nunnally, my dear children." said Marianne.
A prince and princess... thought Suzaku. He couldn't recall ever seeing their faces before, but the Britannian Imperial Family was... numerous to say at least and only a handful of the Emperor's children were commonly recognized.
A knock sounded and the same servant from before entered the room with a tray. He placed two tea cups on the desk, bowed respectfully to Marianne and left the room.
"Please sit down Kururugi-san." the woman approached the desk and sat down. She took the cup in her hand and connected her blue eyes with Suzaku's.
He momentally felt like he was paralyzed.
He felt like the Empress's gaze could see right through him...
The older woman smiled again, and he wondered if he should smile back or get the hell away from her.
"You're a very talented person, Kururugi-san" she said after sipping on her tea. "Exceptional Knightmare piloting skills... only simulators through. It's a waste of a really good talent."
Suzaku was speechless for a moment. The Empress herself was complimenting him...
And apparently she wasn't finished yet because she continued after a small pause.
"You finished your training earlier too, thanks to your high marks... I wonder, Kururugi-san...."
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he felt proud that he managed to say something at least.
"Why have you became an Honorary Britannian? Why did you join the army?"
Well, that wasn't the question he expected. He couldn't possibly speak freely in this situation, right?
"Please, speak honestly." the Empress said seeing him hesitate. "I won't do anything to you, Suzaku, do not fear me." she smiled her evil smile again.
Suzaku inwardly shuddered.
"My Lady..." he begun "I joined the military to protect people..."
Marianne tilted her head curious.
"I want to change the things as they are now..."
"Change them?"
"I believe that if I work hard enough, I can change others opinion of people like me. Maybe someday became the Knight of One..."
Empress Marianne lowered the tea cup and placed her hand her mouth. She had hard time fighting laughter. What? He wants to change Britannia from the inside? A Number becoming the Knight of One?
She looked at the boy and wondered about his sanity.
"I know it probably sounds ridiculous, but I'm willing to try, Your Majesty."
This boy... the Empress thought as she sipped on her drink. He's still a naive child... a honest and stupid child... can I entrust my Lelouch to a person like this? But I think a someone like him would not take advantage of his position... He also had a good opinion. Despite being a Number he showed a great loyalty to the Empire, if one could trust his superiors opinion of him. It's not like her son was a defenseless child anymore too. He would handle the situation if anything would go wrong.
They continued their "little chat" for a while. The Empress seemed intent on knowing him better which only confused Suzaku more.
Finally Marianne finished her tea and joined her hands together, connecting her eyes with his.
"Suzaku, I presume Jeremiah informed you why I wanted to see you...?"
"I was told Your Majesty had a proposition for me."
"Yes, I need someone I could trust, but could not be linked to me." she appeared thoughtful for a moment. "You seem like a good person, Suzaku. Can I trust you, I wonder...?"
"Of course, Your Majesty," said Suzaku without hesitation.
"I don't need to remind you that everything is to stay between us, I presume," she asked and continued after the brown haired teen nodded. "I intend to send my children to Area 11 and I need someone to protect them. Your homeland is a rather dangerous place with all the terrorist activity, Suzaku. The Ashford's are my old friends and I thought of having my children attend their new school. Seeing as you're the same age as Lelouch you will be able to attend the classes with him and on the same time guard him. All of your expenses will be covered, of course. You will be also receiving payment. Here," she paused and handed him a brown envelope, "is your job description and other things you should know. If you'll have any questions feel free to contact me or Jeremiah. You're dismissed."
Suzaku stood up, bowed deeply and turned to the door but stopped upon hearing the Empress say his name. "Suzaku, I would like you to work... 'undercover' if you understand what I mean. Well at least try to do so as long as you can." she laughed merrily and waved him off.
And so Suzaku exited the room in daze, proceeding to walk towards the building's exit. The car was waiting for him, as he was told earlier by Lord Gottwald, to take him back to the base.
***
When Suzaku finally arrived at his quarters it was already an evening. He missed lunch but the green eyed teen was too curious and intrigued to care. He sat down on his bunk and opened the envelope given him by Empress Marianne.
The first thing that meet his eyes was a cellphone which came with the instruction to call once a week on specific hour and in case of emergencies. Then there were two credit cards one for mission concerned expenses, the second with his payment, as the notes attached to them stated.
Suzaku couldn't believe it, was the Empress so sure he would agree?
Well, it's not like he even had a choice on the matter.
Alright, just let's forget about that.
Finally, there were papers. A lot of them actually. As Suzaku sorted through them he noticed they were all about the Ashford Academy and his charge. He stopped to look at the amethyst eyed prince's photo. The 11th prince looked only slightly older than on the painting. He started reading the document intrigued by its title. In a neat handwriting, which Suzaku supposed was the Empress's, was written:
'The-Things-You-Should-Know-About-My-Son-That-Will-Prevent-You-From-Getting-Killed-By-Him'
The Japanese teen started to feel worried.
He read through the rest of the documents.
It seemed that he would have to leave for Ashford's in few days to settle down and get familiar with its surroundings.
He also learned that there will be another 'bodyguard' on the job. A young Japanese woman named Sayoko Shinozaki. The name felt somewhat familiar but Suzaku couldn't say when or where he heard it.
He put the papers back in the envelope and lowered himself to lay on the bunk.
Why things like that always happened to him?
***
The Empress Marianne smiled to herself as she sat alone on the rooftop of the Viceroy's Palace. The garden that surrounded her was designed by Clovis after the ones back at Aries.
The peaceful atmosphere successfully calmed her nerves after the long day.
Which was a success, Marianne concluded.
The Kururugi boy indeed was a good choice. He still needed to prove himself before she could trust him, of course, but for now, his idealistic and naive nature combined by his skill and loyal service to the Empire ensured that he will be a good bodyguard for her children.
The Empress closed her eyes, enjoying her time. Soon she would have to return to the capital and inform Lelouch and Nunnally of the situation. She was pretty sure, hell she could bet her knightmare, that it would take some time and even more energy to convince Lelouch to follow her instructions.
But she would have it her way no matter what.
A/N PLEASE READ IT! ^_^
Hello, thank you for reading my debut story, oh kind reader :) It's only a simlpe prologue and nothing really exciting happened... but I hope things will change as the story progresses.
I want also to point out that English is not my mother language, I checked the story for any mistakes, of course, but grammar is my weak point, so be kind and tell me if you notice any mistakes :)
I also posted a poll on my profile to ask you what pairing would you preffer. Requests and ideas are welcomed :)
Have a nice day!