December 5th, 1999

C.C. washed her hands, exhaling a deeply held breath and enjoying a moment of personal peace after a long ten hours. That was by far one of the most harrowing births she had been midwife to. Marianne had done admirably, working through her labor pains to deliver a healthy set of twins—a boy and a girl. The newborns were currently gurgling helplessly, as babies do, as their mother tried to situate them for their first feeding; it didn't sound to be going very smoothly.

"Would you like some assistance?" C.C. asked as she turned to survey the scene. Laying in a large bed with fresh, white sheets was a tired Marianne, her long black hair falling out of its pins, making her look quite the disheveled mess. She was trying to hold a babe in each arm, while simultaneously using her hands to guide her children to their source of breastmilk.

"No! I've… almost got this…" her voice was sluggish and strained, but her face was determined, so C.C. decided to leave her to her devices.

"As you wish. I need a word with your husband, but I will be right outside should you change your mind." With a cheeky grin, she turned swiftly and left the room, Marianne cursing softly at the children behind her.

Stepping into the hall, C.C. immediately saw Charles pacing. The 98th Emperor of Britannia rarely worried over people, especially his consorts, but Marianne had always been special to him. She watched the man, savoring the not-quite-desperate expression on his face. It had been far too long since she'd seen it. Finally, he took notice of her presence.

"C.C. How did it go?" C.C. again grinned at the man in her way, eliciting a frown. "Well?"

"It was fine… eventually. If it had been anyone else as her midwife, I'm sure your Empress would have knocked them out."

Charles laughed, his deep voice filling the hall. "You may be right about that! So… about my child. It's healthy?"

"Yes, they are."

The Emperor paused. "So it was twins?"

C.C. nodded, but said nothing else. A frown again etched itself across Charles' face.

"And? Boys? Girls?"

"Hm… I can't quite remember…"

Charles growled, finally noticing that the woman was blocking the door to his consort and newborn children, and pulled an unwieldy electronic device from his pocket. After tapping a few buttons on it, he looked up, glaring at the green-haired witch before him. "There. I've sent for your payment. So? The children?"

"Ah, yes. It's all coming back to me." C.C looked up, a contented expression on her face as she imagined how wonderful the fifty pizzas Charles had promised her would taste. "Marianne delivered twins. A boy and a girl. The boy is older by nearly fifteen minutes." She paused again, watching the frown deepen on the Emperor's face. If his face soured any more, it would get stuck like that. "They are both quite healthy, as is their mother. My impression of them… Hm." She tapped her chin with a delicate finger, trying to figure her wording.

"Spit it out already, you devil-woman!"

C.C. flashed a grin at the annoyed man. "My, so impatient! I only was thinking. The girl is… interesting. I see potential, of course. Quite a bit of it, in fact. However… The boy. He is…"

Charles waited longer for her to continue before interrupting. "Stop wasting my time. What about this boy of mine?"

Amber eyes, fiery and sincere, met the Emperor's hardened violet orbs. "His potential vastly surpasses even your own."

A chuckle. Then, a booming, throaty cackle that left the halls ringing. "Yes! Yes, they are my children, after all! I will keep a very close eye on them, indeed." He paused, taking a moment to compose himself and hide his smile. "Now… What did you say their names were?"

"Lelouch vi Britannia and Victoire vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince and Third Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire."

October 25, 2008

"No, no, no. I specifically said the roses should be pink, not yellow." Odysseus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as a servant shuffled nervously in front of him. "Well, make do. Find what pink flowers you can and garnish each arrangement."

"Yes, Your Highness," the servant replied meekly, dipping a quick curtsy before hurrying off to do as the Crown Prince commanded.

Odysseus eu Britannia turned around, sweeping his hair back from his forehead with a careless hand. While he didn't care for state-sanctioned parties and balls, he did enjoy the birthday celebrations for his siblings—especially the girls. There was something about soft pastel colors that always put him in a wonderful mood.

"Brother, are you okay?"

The man looked up at the small voice before him. "Ah, Victoire. Yes, I'm fine. It's just that arranging these kinds of big parties can be a bit tiring, that's all." He smiled brightly at the eight-year-old, noting her navy-blue blouse and black slacks and the dark brown hair that curled loosely around her shoulders. He knelt down so he could be level with her violet eyes. "So, pretty girl. When are you planning on changing into the dress your big brother bought for you, hm? Don't you want to match with all your sisters?"

Victoire glanced away, a concerned line forming between her brows. She had secretly hoped Odysseus wouldn't bring up the matter of the dress. It was a horrible rag, really, all white with pink silk bunched into little roses, strategically placed for maximum embarrassment. It even had layers upon layers of tulle batting underneath the skirt to make it ridiculously full and puffy.

"Well, Brother…" She fought with herself a moment, debating whether or not to be brutally honest. In the end, she decided it was best not to upset the Crown Prince. "I have it set aside in my room. I was planning to wear pants, for when we take the festivities outside."

"Oh, I see." Odysseus frowned a bit. "Please reconsider, won't you? I had the dresses made for just this occasion, and it would make dear Nunnally so very happy."

Victoire cringed internally. Odysseus took an unnatural pleasure in playing dress-up with all his younger sisters, and was not afraid to play the guilt card. "I… will give it some more thought, Brother.

"Thank you." The man smiled brightly and laid a warm, gloved hand on the girl's head for a moment before straightening. "Now, then. Where is that twin of yours?"

Stoically, the girl pointed to her left. "Last I saw, Lelouch was out on the terrace, making Clovis cry over a game of chess."

Odysseus laughed nervously. "Ah, yes… That does sound like them. Well, you run along and get changed. I'll make sure Clovis is presentable for the party."

"Yes, we wouldn't want his mascara running all over the place."

"Victoire! How unbecoming. Clovis doesn't wear mascara." He paused when the girl raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "…Probably."

The girl grinned cattily and ran off in the direction he assumed her room was in. He watched her go for a moment, then spun and walked quickly in the direction she had pointed. His footsteps echoed throughout the palace until he turned once onto the open stone terrace. Flowers adorned even the pillars and railings outside, although as stated earlier, Odysseus would have been far happier if the arrangements were pink as he'd originally requested. He glanced around, ignoring the annoyingly yellow floral décor, until he spotted the two boys at a table, a chess board and pieces spread before them. The older Clovis sat with his back to him, while he could see young Lelouch calmly manipulating pieces on the table. Oh, dear, Odysseus thought to himself. I'll have to put a stop to the thrashing after all.

He cleared his throat as he approached. Clovis turned and spotted him, breaking into a wide smile. "Odysseus! Look, Lelouch has been showing me the masterful maneuver he just used to win!" He gestured at the pieces before them, Lelouch stopping his movements as Clovis' attention strayed.

"Oh, has he?" The older man seemed surprised and leaned over the board. "Well, that's very big of both of you. Lelouch, for teaching your rival, and Clovis, for learning from your mistakes." He grinned at both, patting each on the shoulder. Clovis returned the smile quickly and bent to study the placement of the pieces again. Lelouch looked up at Odysseus, an inquisitive expression on his face.

"Would you like me to teach you, too?"

"Oh, no! I'm not a chess player of any caliber." He chuckled and gently patted the boy's shoulder before straightening and linking his hands behind his back. "Should I change my mind, however, you will be the first to know, and I shall appoint you my official chess master."

"Please consider it. I assure you, my fee is quite reasonable."

"It's true! Much less than any other so-called master, and Lelouch is far more skilled than they are."

"Er…" Odysseus looked between the smiling, sincere faces of his younger brothers, unsure of what to make of the exchange. He coughed awkwardly into his gloved hand and changed the subject. "Yes. Well. We should be beginning the festivities shortly. Lelouch, shouldn't you change to match your sister?"

The boy looked down at the table, tapping a rook lightly against the chess board as he struggled with himself. Finally he inhaled deeply and nodded at Odysseus. "Victoire and I won't be long. You both go ahead." With that, the boy ran off in much the same manner his twin had. Odysseus shook his head with a smile; children were so amusing at that age. Cute, even. He turned to Clovis, gesturing grandly towards the inside of Aries Palace.

"Shall we?"

Clovis sighed, quickly replacing the chess pieces before standing. "Yes, I suppose so. I had wanted to try out some of those moves on Lelouch, but it is Nunnally's day, after all."

…

Lelouch knocked lightly on the imposing wood of his twin's door. The sound echoed ominously in the quiet hall; all the servants and guests were converging in the ballroom as the beginning of Nunnally's party neared. There was a long pause before a meek, "Yes?"

"Are you decent?" He didn't have to declare himself. He knew Victoire would know it was him from his knock alone.

"Yes."

Lelouch pushed the door open, wondering why his sister sounded so dejected. As his eyes fell upon her, he quickly realized why. He turned to close the door, trying to compose himself before saying anything.

"Stop laughing!" Caught already.

"I didn't. But now that you mention it…" The young boy turned, letting loose a quick bout of giggles as he surveyed his sister more carefully. "Laughter does seem an appropriate response."

Victoire crossed her arms over the wide pink sash at her ribcage, her cheeks coloring to match. She even had a pink ribbon in her hair, tying her curls back from her face. His sister had shown Lelouch the dress before, when she had first gotten it from Odysseus, but this was the first time he had seen it on her. The dress was ornate and made of fine materials, to be sure, but the effect… With all the pink silk flowers at the neckline, combined with the puffed shoulders and wide sleeves gathered in at the wrists, it made her look like a pastry. He imagined that with their other sisters wearing matching dresses, they would look like cream puffs in a box, all sitting together. His smile widened as he fought back his guffaws.

"Oh, stuff it. You do realize that our brother was so generous as to commission clothes for you as well, brother dear?" Victoire inspected her fingernails, her initial embarrassment calming as she sought to drag Lelouch under the bus with her.

"Perhaps, but unlike you, I won't stand out if I choose to dress sensibly."

"If Odysseus can guilt even me into wearing such a monstrosity, I know it won't be a challenge to goad you into it."

"Try me, sister."

Victoire immediately struck a dramatic pose, her hand sweeping up to her forehead in a swoon. "Oh, Lelouch, why didn't you don the special outfit I had made only for you? It's a one-of-a-kind piece, to match all your adorable sisters—especially Victoire. Oh, how left out she must feel! You two always dress alike, how could you forsake her? And dear Nunnally… On her birthday! Such a simple thing, and you couldn't even manage it! Her important party, ruined—"

"Alright, alright." A deep frown was carved into the boy's face. "Stop hamming it up already, I was going to change, anyway. You may be right about Odysseus making a big deal about this, but I'll put the stupid clothes on if you'll just shut up already."

Victoire dropped her act and flashed a catty grin at her twin. "That's what I thought. Now hurry up, or we'll be late." The boy scowled at her and fled her room, stalking off to do as he promised. Alone once again, Victoire chanced a look in the mirror and cringed. Yes, it was as bad as she thought it was. She took a deep breath and smiled, thinking to herself, It's only a few more hours. And I won't be suffering alone. The small comfort of that last thought brought genuine amusement to her eyes as she turned away from her reflection, going to meet her brother outside his room. After long minutes, the door finally cracked open.

"…Must I?" His voice was small and reluctant. Victoire hid a grin behind a gloved hand.

"You must," she confirmed. She could hear Lelouch sigh once, long and drawn out, before exiting his chambers. It was almost worse than her dress. Almost.

The suit Odysseus had commissioned was indeed a match, but rather than being white like Victoire's dress, the pants and jacket were the same pastel pink as the accent flowers. A white silk flower and cummerbund offset the nauseating color, but the Black Prince's reputation was thoroughly destroyed as soon as one's eye caught the white lace of his cravat. Immediately and resoundingly, Victoire began to laugh, the sound echoing insistently in Lelouch's ears as his cheeks colored.

"I knew you were the evil twin."

Victoire stifled herself to a mere giggle and, curling her hand up to her face thoughtfully, drawled, "Oh, and I did try so terribly hard to hide it."

Lelouch frowned, adjusting the lace around his neck and smoothing his clothes, trying to gain some composure. As terrible as the color was, at least it was comfortable, which was more than his sister could say. They were similar enough in height and build that they had switched places more than a few times, and Lelouch never cared for the fit of his sister's dresses. A small part of him was glad that his outfit was as horrendous as his sister's; there was no way she would ask to trade places with him today.

"So, are you going to escort me to the party?" Victoire looked him over and raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Or should I be escorting you, Princess?"

Lelouch grumbled and abruptly stuck out his elbow for her to take. "I would suggest not pushing it, or I swear I'll do my very best to get everyone to start calling you the Cupcake Princess."

Victoire paled and gingerly took the offered arm. Lelouch knew better than she where to strike to inflict the most damage, but he pulled his punches so often that it was easy to forget. Even worse was that he was resourceful enough to make that promise viable. "Right… Never mention that terrible nickname again, and let's just get through Nunnally's party together, okay? No funny business."

"Deal." Both twins nodded and proceeded as if they had an entirely normal relationship that wasn't based off of mutual blackmail.

…

"…Happy birthday to you!"

The party-goers clapped as Nunnally, who had turned five years old just that day, stood on a chair and leaned over to blow out the candles on her cake. She gave a big toothy smile to her older siblings, Lelouch and Victoire, who had places at each of her sides and clapped the loudest at her successful wish.

"This is the best day ever!" she declared, throwing her arms above her head as a servant began to slice and portion the cake.

"Not yet, it's not!" Victoire said, reaching to tickle the girl's stomach. Nunnally shrieked and covered herself from more tickles.

"Why not?" she asked through her smile.

"Because," Lelouch began, taking a plate of cake from the servant to give to the birthday girl, "you haven't even opened your gifts yet."

"Ah! That's right!" The girl went wide-eyed at the realization and slid off her chair so she could get a closer look at the stack of brightly colored boxes stacked high on (and all around) a corner table. The girl forked a piece of cake into her mouth and asked, "Where should I start?"

"Well—"

"Open my gift first," Cornelia insisted, cutting Odysseus off with a frown. She quickly changed gears and gave the five-year-old a kind smile, then strode to the pile of gifts, searching for a moment until she found her target. She lifted it from the stack and presented it before her younger half-sister. "Here. I think you'll enjoy this."

"Oh, thank you, Cornelia!" Marianne came forward to hold her daughter's cake so she could accept her present. Nunnally looked at the object in her hands, a heavy rectangle almost the size of her head. The gift wrap was red with a slight sheen to it, so it sparkled in the light. It was almost a shame to open it… but Nunnally tore at the wrappings anyway. She tossed the useless paper to the side, looking at Cornelia's gift. "P-Pride and P-Prej—Preed—"

"Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. An essential read for any young girl of wit." Cornelia looked like she was enjoying herself, as she gave a quick speech about the importance of female literacy. Unbeknownst to her, Victoire mouthed, word for word, the same speech in the corner of her twin's eye. She even mimed their big sister's gestures, albeit while rolling her eyes. Lelouch's mouth twitched, and he covered his chin with his hand to make it seem as though he was considering Cornelia's words instead of laughing at his twin's mimicry.

Nunnally gave her older sister a polite smile. "Thank you very much! I'll try to read this when I go to bed tonight." She brought the book over to an empty table that was intended for opened gifts. Cornelia seemed to glow with pride and happiness; she didn't realize that her gift would become buried under all the others Nunnally had yet to open. The five-year-old clapped her hands together. "Okay, whose do I open next?"

"Here, Nunnally." Odysseus had been standing by the stack of gifts, not to be cut off again. "I know you'll like this." He handed her an even bigger gift that was almost as tall as she was.

"Ooh… Thank you, Odie!" The man smiled with gusto; he enjoyed the nickname the little girl had given him.

"Go, on, tear it open!"

Nunnally did so. She had a bit of trouble with the white ribbon holding it all in place, but managed to tear the pink polka dotted paper off in no time. She held a box in her hands, and placed it on the floor to pry the lid off.

"Oh… Odie, thank you so much!" Her voice was reverent as she touched the soft fabric of the dress that was inside. It was a light purple that matched her eyes with darker ribbons and embroidery throughout the bodice.

"You're welcome, Princess." Odysseus gave a gallant bow as Cornelia rolled her eyes. Odysseus seemed content to let her be annoyed. "Now, whose gift would you like next?"

"Hmm…" Nunnally replaced the lid of the box, deep in thought. Lelouch picked the dress up and set it aside as Victoire trotted over to the table.

"How about this one, Nunnally?" She held up an unusually generic box with a large pink ribbon at the top.

"Okay!"

It took over an hour for the small girl to chip her way through the large amount of gifts she had been given, mostly because she always stopped to thank the gift-giver both before and after she opened their present. Among the things she received were: a landscape painting of her favorite garden from Clovis, a pair of opal earrings from her mother, a gold locket from the Emperor, a new set of hair ribbons from Euphemia, and a teddy bear as tall as Nunnally herself from Schneizel el Britannia (although he had not attended the party and sent the gift as a courtesy). Finally, the table was empty and each guest had eaten their fill of birthday cake.

Nunnally looked all around the empty space where her gifts had been, and frowned. "Isn't there more?"

"What? Nunnally, darling, you got so many wonderful gifts already. Why do you need more?" Marianne frowned as she laid a gentle hand on her daughter's head.

"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just…" Nunnally looked at her full-blooded siblings sadly. "I didn't get anything from Lelouch and Victoire."

Lelouch smiled at his sister. "Oh, we didn't forget about you, Nunnally. It's just—"

"Our present isn't so ordinary as to go on a table," Victoire finished, her grin matching her twin's.

"What did you two do?" The smile in Marianne's voice didn't speak of any anger; quite the opposite, in fact.

"We'll have to go outside for a bit," Lelouch said.

"But I promise, it's well-worth the trip!" Victoire was already reaching for Nunnally's hand. The girl was smiling ear to ear, practically jumping up and down.

"Oh, Mother, let's hurry! Please!"

"Alright. It's a good thing for you two that we had already planned to take the party outdoors."

The children led the way outside, Nunnally tugging the twins' hands as she tried to guess what her present was, Marianne trailing behind them with the rest of the guests behind her. Lelouch and Victoire fought smiles as she kept spouting off incorrect guesses.

"Um… Is it a garden?"

"Nunnally, we already have a lot of gardens."

"But it could be a garden just for me!"

"No, it's not a garden."

"How about—"

"How about you stop guessing and just wait until we get there?"

The small girl huffed, but held her tongue, her eyes bright and eager as they exited the palace out of a side gate. The wind blew strong and cool as the group approached a lush, green pasture surrounded with a sturdy white fence. A tiered canopy had been set up, the canvas printed with the crest of House vi Britannia. Tables and chairs had already been placed underneath, a few servants ready with pitchers of hot cider to serve to the guests who quickly ducked into the protection from the fall breeze. A few guests strayed closer to the pasture, though, following the twins along with Nunnally. Lelouch and Victoire each stepped onto the first rung of the fence, pulling themselves up so they could look around the field. Odysseus cringed a little, wanting to speak up in an effort to preserve their clothes from the dirty outdoors, but slumped a bit and let out a defeated sigh instead as Euphemia tripped over her skirt, marring the pristine fabric with green stains.

It took a few long moments of searching, but Lelouch smiled first, pointing in one direction as he turned to sit on the nearest post. Victoire smiled in turn as she, too, spotted their target. "See over there?" Lelouch asked as he directed Nunnally's vision.

"Uh-huh."

"What do you see?"

"Umm… I see…" Nunnally squinted, sticking her head between the fence rungs as she rattled off the names of her family's personal steeds. "Miracle, Shadow, and Invincible." The girl paused, confusion furrowing her brows. "Big brother, if your horse is called Invincible, then why can you still see it?"

"Invincible is—Ah, never mind. What else do you see?"

The little girl squinted harder. "Is that—Is that another horse?" she asked, excitement mounting precariously in her voice.

"It might be." Victoire had a wide grin on her face.

"Think a bit smaller, though," Lelouch added.

Nunnally gasped. "Is it a pony?!"

The twins nodded, smiling widely as Nunnally threw her arms in the air, spinning in circles. "A PONY, A PONY!" she shouted. "MY VERY OWN PONY!" Abruptly, she stopped and began spouting questions as fast as she could think them, her voice rising with each new inquiry. "What's its name? Is it a girl pony?! How old is she!?"

"Slow down, darling," Marianne laughed, placing her hands on Nunnally's shoulders as she knelt beside her youngest child. "I'm sure your siblings have explanations. For everything?" She quirked a brow at the troublemakers, who seemed determined not to meet her eyes.

"She's a girl pony," Victoire affirmed.

"And she's five years old, the same age as you, Nunnally." Lelouch stuck his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels as he watched the pasture over his shoulder.

"We thought you might like to name her, though," Victoire finished, reaching for Nunnally's hand. "Do you want to go meet her first?"

"YES! I mean…" Nunnally dipped her head meekly, realizing that she was not behaving in a seemly manner for a princess of Britannia, and delicately grasped her sister's hand. "I would very much like to meet her. Thank you, Sister."

Victoire laughed at the attempt at lady-like manners. "Come here. She's been trained well, so all you have to do…" She and Lelouch approached the pasture again, each raising two fingers to the corners of their mouths and unleashing ear-splitting whistles. Nunnally attempted to copy them and only succeeded in blowing a raspberry.

"Don't worry, Nunnally, we'll teach you," Lelouch assured her as four large animals approached the fence where the humans awaited them.

Miracle was Marianne's mare, a proud palomino whose coat shone like liquid honey in the sunlight. Lelouch's Invincible was a pure-black stallion with a white nose and quick temper, and Shadow, Victoire's mild-mannered gelding, was a lovely blue roan. The longer-legged beasts arrived first, begging treats from the twins as a bay-colored pony shyly trailed behind. She had a white star on her forehead, and a purple bow was affixed to her halter. Nunnally inhaled sharply as Lelouch pulled a handful of sugar cubes out of his pocket.

"Go introduce yourself," he said, filling the five-year-old's hands with treats. The girl nodded vigorously, practically hopping to the fence and ducking the warm noses of the horses as they reached their necks through the fence in search of sugary snacks.

"Leave Nunnally alone, Shadow," Victoire chided, accepting a sugar cube from her twin and immediately offering it to her steed. Obligingly, the gelding left the group of greedy equines and trotted over to his mistress, pushing Miracle out of the way so he could nibble the cube from Victoire's hand.

Lelouch was having a harder time getting Invincible's attention, as the stubborn horse lipped Nunnally's dress. Eventually, the boy stopped trying to rely on treats, instead pushing the stallion out of the way despite his snorts of protest. Now only Miracle was bothering the small girl, but there was enough space between her and Shadow for the cute pony to squeeze in. Timidly, Nunnally held her hands up, palms flat with a sugar cube centered on each one. Miracle got her treat and promptly trotted off, flicking her tail at the others as she disengaged from the battle for attention. No longer being crowded out, Nunnally's new pony delicately sniffed the sugar in the girl's hand, affixing a dewy brown eye on the child. Any nervousness the animal had melted away at Nunnally's earnest expression, and she lapped up the treat and butted her head against Nunnally's palm.

The girl giggled. "She's really soft!" she exclaimed, running her hands along the pony's nose.

Victoire demurely kept her horse occupied with gentle pats on his forehead. "Of course she is! So? Do you know what you're going to name her?"

"Hmm…" Nunnally scrunched her face up, deep in thought as she and her pony sized each other up. "I think… How about Sugar? Since it's the first present I gave her?"

"That sounds—Ung! Invincible, stop that!" Lelouch reacted just in time as the stallion snapped his teeth where the boy's fingers had been just a moment ago. The horse snorted at him, stomping his front hoof and switching his tail. Lelouch glared back at his mount. "Sugar sounds perfect, Nunnally," he finished, his voice tight with annoyance at Invincible.

"Especially since she's so much sweeter than grumpy old Invincible, there," Victoire added, concealing a cheeky grin behind one hand.

Lelouch frowned at his twin, but said nothing more; he knew she was right, even if Invincible was his favorite horse.

"Sugar! We're going to be best friends!" Nunnally gave the pony a big hug, laughing as she said, "This really is the best day ever!"

December XX, 2009

The twins were unsure if Christmas had passed or not, but truly, it didn't matter. It felt as if they would never be able to celebrate another holiday again. How could they? Their beloved mother, only thirty years old, had been gunned down along with their younger sister, in the safety of Aries Palace, no less. They had already held a funeral for their mother, but they couldn't remember how many days ago it had been; only that it hadn't felt real. Members of the royal family and court had made appearances, of course, but their faces all blended together in veils and silks of black, ominously looming over the twins like shadows. They had been glad when it was over.

Nunnally was still in the ICU, in a deep coma as the doctors tried to fix all the hurt that had been inflicted on her tiny body. Her prognosis was poor; she would be unable to walk again, if and when she regained consciousness. How could that even be right? Nunnally was only six, only just starting out in life—she was just beginning to get the hang of riding her pony, and now what? Would she even open her eyes again? It wasn't fair, wasn't right—everything was wrong, wrong, wrong.

Victoire turned down the duvet of their mother's bed, climbing between the sheets that still smelled of Marianne's perfume. She adjusted herself against the pillows, rubbing the bags under her bloodshot eyes; they stung with tears unshed, but she was wrung out, and had no more tears to cry.

"Lelouch?" Her voice sounded as dry and torn as her eyes felt.

"What is it?" Lelouch's back was to her, the crisp shuffle of paper filling the silence between his lethargic answer.

"You should sleep. You haven't slept in days." Victoire sighed; she hadn't slept much, either, but it was easier to dote on her twin than to take her own advice.

"I can't. You know that…" he murmured, turning her way as he studied a sheet of paper. The boy's hair was sticking out at odd angles, unbrushed and unwashed. His complexion was paler than usual, making the dark circles beneath his eyes stark in contrast.

"The files will be there in the morning." Victoire spoke with no conviction; she knew Lelouch wouldn't let it alone until he had something.

"But maybe I won't be. Or you. Or…" He trailed off. They both knew what he was thinking—What if the assassin wanted to finish the job, and came after Nunnally again? "I have to figure something out, otherwise we won't be safe again."

His sister sighed deeply, sinking into the sheets and hugging the pillow that smelled so much like Mother. "I know, Lelouch. I know…" The girl closed her eyes against the bitter sting welling up inside, focusing on the gentle sound of her twin reading. Minutes passed that blended into hours. Victoire wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep, but she could still hear the soft shuffle of pages turning back and forth, Lelouch's exasperated sighs as he lost his focus, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the pages anew. Until…

"Victoire! Victoire, wake up!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" The girl fought the heavy blankets to sit up, blearily looking around until she recognized the dark mop of hair that was her brother; Lelouch had moved his project to the absurdly large bed, his files and binders and pages spread across the unoccupied half of the bed. She wiped at her face with her hands, trying to comprehend what was happening. "What is it?"

The boy's violet eyes burned with rage over the dark bags marring his face. His lower lip stuck out in a malcontented pout not unlike the Emperor's. "Someone let it happen, Victoire. It was on purpose."

The girl's heart skipped a beat, then thumped loudly in her ears. "What do you mean?" She knew exactly what Lelouch meant. She just didn't want to believe it.

"Look at this." He passed her a binder containing schedules of the security detail for that week. A thorough guard was always maintained in Aries Palace, as well as the grounds and surrounding areas. The royal family did not take its safety lightly. Victoire raised an eyebrow at the document. "Everything looks normal," she stated.

"Right. But look at the logs for the day Mother—the day it happened." Lelouch laid a handwritten sheet across the binder; it was the watch commander's personal spreadsheet that was used to document the actual placement of personnel, should it differ from the schedule. And boy, did it. Victoire read and reread the changes made on The Day that completely removed all security details from select entrances and exits, and most suspiciously, from the hall in which Marianne and Nunnally had been shot.

"What is this..?" Anger was thrumming low and dangerous in Victoire's chest. "The times are all wrong, but—"

"But nothing." Lelouch cut her off abruptly, tapping the log vehemently. "This is correct. When we found…" The boy swallowed, but picked his words and trudged on. "You ran for help, but I went to check. Nunnally was wounded, but Mother… She was… cold." He stopped, staring into the eternity of his hands, laced loosely in his lap. "The… the blood. It was dry already… There was no way that it had only just happened." He closed his eyes, taking another moment to suck in a breath. "It was a set up. And not a very good set up at that."

Victoire glared darkly at her brother. "So then why was Nunnally there? Why involve her at all? She was innocent—just a little girl!"

"I don't know, Victoire. But when I get my hands on the bastard who did this—"

"I'll rip the still-beating heart from their chest," she finished, clenching her hands into fists. Lelouch nodded, his eyes glazed over with fever dreams of revenge.

"We're going to need to dig deeper than this to find the culprit, but until then, I know who we can direct some of this hatred towards."

"Daddy Dearest, huh?" Victoire tsked, an annoyed expression furrowing her brow as she looked off to the side. "He was always an absentee parent, so I guess it stands to reason that he's inadequate as a spouse, too. Or at least inadequate as any kind of protector."

"Or just inadequate in general. I never liked our father, but after this… This is inexcusable." Lelouch gathered his research, sliding the important parts into the binder. Stacking it all in his arms, he slid from the bed with a yawn and carried it all over to a table by the door. "Let's get some rest. Tomorrow, we can visit Nunnally and double check my findings."

Victoire stifled a yawn in turn. "You think we could get away with punching the old man in the face?"

"Probably not." Lelouch flipped the lights off as he made his way back to bed, climbing into the opposite side from Victoire. It was a very big bed, with several feet separating the twins. "But I want him to be as humiliated as possible. He's not going to get away with just letting Mother die like that."

"Good. That's just the tip of the iceberg, though. What we put the Emperor through will be nothing compared to what happens to the lowlife who killed Mother." Victoire gazed through the dark and into a matching pair of eyes from across the pillows as she rested her head.

"I swear it," Lelouch promised, the twins nodding at each other. They closed their eyes, sleep taking them quickly despite the new information weighing like lead in their hearts. Though they managed to sleep peacefully, dreams of vengeance flowed through their heads like rivers of blood, the only thing that would push them through the coming days, until reckoning was upon them.