Author's Note: This came out of a desire to expand the universe that I created in Practice to Deceive and a habit of writing Schneizel/Kanon fics to apologize to my beta when I do something horrible to the characters in my other fics. The premise is based loosely on the movie The Swan Princess.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.
A Vow
Schneizel stormed out into the garden, not caring that it was raining. He was sure that his handlers would put up a fuss because he was ruining his clothes. But that was the reason he had gone into the garden in the first place, to get away from them, to get away from their pity, their sympathy and their attempts to cheer him up.
He was well aware that his mother was dead and exactly what that meant. He had been the one most often at her side for the majority of her illness, aside from the emperor himself. Now that she was dead, his father was busy with the court and his other wives, leaving Schneizel at loose ends. Mostly that meant avoiding everyone, which led to the emperor thinking that he was having problems mourning.
And he was mourning, but not in the way that the way that the emperor thought he was. Of course he had cried, and he still did when he was sure that he was alone. All the other times he tried act like nothing was wrong because he hated to break up his schedule and he hated the pity that people looked at him with. All of that had chased him out into the garden.
Schneizel rubbed his hands together, taking the path that he and his mother had used often, the path that led under the tress and to the lake in the center of the garden. For as long as he could remember, his mother had brought him out to feed the family of swans that lived in the lake. It was the only place in the castle that Schneizel had felt was really her own. The rest of the castle belonged to the other wives and the barracks were under the control of Marianne, who was probably going to become one of his father's wives soon enough.
He scuffed a shoe on the dirt path, watching a rock clatter to the side. He was breaking a rule, the rule that his mother had established. This was a place to relax and take a break, not to continue to think, or that was what his mother had always told him. It had always been hard for him to obey that rule, his mind was always working, but he could at least keep his mind from working too much, if only for his mother's sake.
Schneizel ducked under the branches of a tree, relieved that it provided shelter from the rain. He wiped his face off, brushing the rain out of his eyes. He glanced at the lake, his shoulders slumping when he realized that it was empty. Schneizel stumbled back against the tree, feeling disappointed.
He had hoped that the swans would be there because he had wanted to slow down his mind for a bit, to just allow himself to exist without thinking about his mother. Schneizel rubbed his sleeve over his eyes. He was the second prince, the one that couldn't have a reaction no matter what. Someone had to remain calm and collected. Schneizel couldn't imagine losing control like everyone else was doing. If he didn't have his calm façade, Schneizel didn't know what he would do.
Schneizel edged forward, finding a rock to sit on. He dipped a finger into the lake and swirled it around. There was nothing else to do but sort out his thoughts before returning. He knew that he would keep calm, there was no other way that he could consider living, but it would only lead to more useless questions. Of course, he wasn't alright but he would be getting better.
A soft noise made him look up, Schneizel staring at the cygnet that paddled its way over. He pulled his arm back, looking around at the rest of the lake. There were no other swans and no sign that they had been there. Schneizel hummed to himself before dipping his hand back into the water, surprised when the cygnet eagerly stepped into his hand.
Schneizel hesitated before lifting his hand from the water, watching as the cygnet fluffed itself up. His mother had always told him that, while swans were beautiful, they could be vicious. Sometimes she had laughed and said that Schneizel was somewhat like a swan, graceful and beautiful but with a vicious streak. He had always smiled at the complement because being able to hide his true nature was a boon to a prince. But the cygnet didn't look anything but relieved, pressing itself against his hand and tucking its head under a wing.
Schneizel carefully scooted back under the shelter of the tree, curling his hand close to his chest. He cautiously stroked the cygnet's back, enjoying the feel of the downy feathers, frowning as he came to a conclusion. The other swans were missing, and two of them had been adult swans. Obviously the adults and the older chicks had left, but this cygnet had been left behind because it wasn't old enough to fly.
He sighed and leaned back against the tree. So the little chick had been left behind, just like him. Schneizel shook his head, disgusted with himself. He was already indulging himself with this kind of thought by coming out to the lake. This kind of self indulgent thought could be very dangerous, he didn't want to become like the other courtiers. He would cherish what little control he had in his life, especially after his mother died. But he would bend for this one thing because the cygnet was young and shivering.
Schneizel took his handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around the cygnet, glad that it stopped shivering.
Logically, he should take the chick inside with him; it would have a better chance of surviving. But going back in would mean that he would have to deal with the many sympathizers and they would think that the chick was just a pet. He made a disgusted face at the thought. He didn't want a pet. The lake was more than enough for the cygnet, and Schneizel would make sure that the lake remained protected. He stroked his thumb over the chick's back, shutting his eyes.
He was sure that he only slept for a little while, but the rain had let up when he woke up. Schneizel rubbed his eyes, yawning and sitting up. The first thing that he noticed was that the cygnet was gone. The second thing was that the moon was starting to rise. He scrambled to his feet, stuffing his handkerchief into his pocket. He had to be getting back. Even with the castle in mourning and his father allowing him to do as he wished, staying out this late would make them worry.
He glanced back toward the castle. There was no one looking for him, so he still had time to get back to his rooms. Schneizel sighed and brushed his hands off on his pants. He would speak to his father about the lake tomorrow.
A flash of light made him turn around, Schneizel yelping as his left eye burned. He fell to his knees, gritting his teeth against another cry of pain as he pressed a hand over his eye. When he was sure of himself, he looked up, staring at the water that was rising from the lake, catching flashing of colored light as well. Schneizel hissed out a breath, lowering his hand from his eye and feeling the burn against as he Geass activated.
He didn't know how much use his Geass would be against whatever was coming out of the water. Unlike his father's, his Geass was mostly useless. All he could do was make people more likely to believe what he said, but he didn't like to use it because it hurt.
Schneizel blinked, squeezing his left eye shut slightly longer to get the Geass to shut off. He inched closer as the water splashed back into the lake, groping around for a rock. He abandoned his search when he saw the boy standing in the middle of the lake.
The boy had to be about six or seven, just about his own age. He was dressed in worn clothes, plain trousers and a shirt, both of them in a dingy grey. The boy shivered and stumbled out of the lake, weaving his way to the shore. He stared at Schneizel before dropping his gaze to the ground and muttering something that sounded like, "Hello."
Schneizel stared at the boy before getting to his feet. He ran around to the other side of the tree, putting distance between himself and the boy to be able to observe him better. There was no sign that this boy wouldn't hurt him. Schneizel narrowed his eyes before edging out from behind the tree, watching as the boy played with the end of his shirt.
"I…sorry."
Schneizel considered the boy for a moment longer before walking forward. He intended to ask questions, but the boy was still shaking, probably cold from being in the lake. In the grand scheme of things, asking what had happened to the cygnet wasn't important, although something in Schneizel rebelled at that realization. What mattered the most now was finding out about the boy and treating him carefully. His list of questions could wait and, what he didn't find out he could always look up. It would give him something other to do than mope.
"What's your name?"
"Kanon Maldini." The boy stared at Schneizel's clothes before quietly adding, "Sir."
Schneizel let the improper title go. There was plenty of time for correction later. "Are you cold, Kanon?"
"Yes, sir."
"Come on then."
Kanon's eyes widened as he stared at the castle. He ducked his head. "I-I don't want to impose. And I can't leave the lake."
Schneizel sighed, edging closer and grabbing Kanon's arm. It would probably be best just to pull Kanon after him, but the abject terror on the boy's face made him stop. "Why is the lake important?"
"I need it to turn back." Kanon's eyes widened. "Human. I need to be on the lake to turn into a human. I'll turn back into a swan anyway. But I like to change on the lake."
Schneizel looked at Kanon and his grey clothes to the lake and back again. He had a vague knowledge of magic, mostly bits and pieces that he heard from Odysseus' lessons. He wasn't allowed to use magic yet and he was on strict orders to try and control his Geass. What he did know about magic was mostly what he head heard from the servants and that was mostly about curses. If the stories they told were true, then it was entirely possible that Kanon could have been cursed and that he could be the cygnet. Something about the lake could be the key to his changes, although exactly what Schneizel wasn't sure. He would have to watch a full change to know. From the way that Kanon didn't look to eager to get back into the lake, Schneizel was sure that he would have to wait.
"Fine." He tugged on Kanon's hand, glad when the boy followed.
He led the boy to the castle, sneaking in through the servant's entrance and winding his way through the hallways. The castle was silent, as it had been for a while, but Schneizel was sure that a maid would be checking in on him during the night. He shivered and pulled Kanon into his bedroom, glad that he was out of the nursery for the first time in a while.
He had gotten used to the sounds of Cornelia and Clovis made when they were asleep, so moving into his own room had just left him with silence and a room that felt too big. Now it felt a little better, because there was someone there.
Schneizel darted to his wardrobe, finding an outfit that he had recently outgrown and tossed it to Kanon. It didn't take long for Kanon to struggle out of his wet clothes and into dry ones. Then he stood awkwardly in the center of the room.
He considered his guest for a moment before shrugging, stepping around the bed to pull on his own nightclothes. The problem at the moment was how to treat Kanon. Schneizel wasn't sure that Kanon would eat if he offered food. Schneizel wasn't even sure they could eat the same things; he didn't know how much the magic had changed Kanon. He sighed and sat on the bed, thinking over the question for a moment more before deciding that it didn't matter. Schneizel clambered further onto the bed, pulling the covers out and slipping under them. "Come on."
Kanon obeyed the order faster this time, slipping into the bed with a happy sigh. Schneizel peeked over his shoulder, watching as Kanon pressed his face into the pillow and took a deep breath before seeming to melt into the bed with a sigh of happiness. Schneizel rolled onto his other side, watching Kanon settle into sleep.
It was interesting to watch someone enjoy luxury. He had barely been out into the city at the foot of the castle and he only had a vague knowledge of what the people in the empire really were like or how they lived. Attempting to rationalize it from their point of view was hard because Schneizel had never really gone without luxury. He pillowed his head on one arm, smiling. Two challenges in one day. Schneizel didn't think that he would ever be bored again.
He settled further under the covers, pulling them up to his chin and closing his eyes. Immediately he became aware of the sound of Kanon breathing, something that reminded him of nights in the nursery where breathing meant life and family. It meant that he was safe.
Schneizel made a soft sound of contentment and rolled closer to Kanon, glad of the extra warmth in the usually cold room. He allowed himself to be lulled to sleep by the sound of Kanon's breathing.
"Maldini is an old name."
Kanon made a sound that showed that he was still listening, despite the fact that the cygnet looked like he was asleep. Schneizel flipped through the other book on the table, stopping when he found a family tree. "They're still alive, there's no evidence that they just disappeared, but that might be because no one has bothered to check. They fell out of favor a while ago."
He looked up as Clovis' tutor walked past, not bothering to shuffle his books. No one would pay attention to him at the moment, not when he was surrounded by books with Kanon sleeping on one side of the table. They all assumed that he was working on what extra work that his own tutor had given him. Schneizel was the good student of the bunch, always listening intently to his lessons and working hard to learn faster. There was a chance that he would be able to sit in on Odysseus' lessons within the week, and Schneizel was only nine.
Now that he had shown an aptitude for learning, his tutor was more likely to answer his questions, which was more likely to lead off into tangents. There were many times that Schneizel had successfully diverted a conversation to a more complicated political idea or a discussion on a different kind of magic, all with a smile and an earnest phrase. And he had never had to use his Geass to enforce the idea, his tutor just believed that he was curious.
It was for the best in the end. Schneizel had seen some of his family suffering under the Geass, a few were actually insane, but those were the ones that were kept from the throne. He assumed that he and his siblings would be safe for a while longer, especially since none of them used their Geass often. The only problem that he would have with his siblings would be the danger they posed to him when the struggle for the throne occurred, which would happen no matter what anyone said.
Charles vi Britannia had taken advantage of some of the older laws from the early wars that had formed Britannia, marrying as many noble women as he wanted and producing a large number of heirs. Some of the children died shortly after their birth or were written off as their mothers fell out of favor, but the fact of the matter remained; there was only one throne and too many children. The fact that Charles had named Odysseus as the crown prince solved the initial unease about the situation, but many things could happen before Odysseus took the throne, especially with Charles turning his attention to Nippon.
Schneizel looked up at the tapestry on the wall, the one that laid out the entirety of the known world. He supposed that his father would have it remade someday, because it was horribly out of date. Half of the countries shown no longer existed; they were just occupied areas of Britannia. Nippon would be next and just given the number eleven, a fitting present for Charles' new bride.
He snorted to himself and turned back to his work. He didn't dislike Marianne, he was just frustrated that she would complicate the problem. A new wife would mean new siblings, and Schneizel couldn't see Marianne falling out of favor with Charles for a long while. There was a very good chance that both he and Odysseus would be passed over for one of Marianne's sons. The chance of the slight only annoyed his sensibilities as an older sibling. It would be much easier for him to work behind the scenes, especially if he didn't want to use his Geass to the point where he was driven insane. It would also give him the chance to leave the castle if breaking the curse called for it.
Schneizel turned the page in the book he was reading, watching Kanon out of the corner of his eye as the cygnet began to wander along the edge of the desk. He was spending more time with Kanon, something that he hadn't intended from the start. That first night he had only brought Kanon inside because he had been feeling lonely and sympathetic, but even then he had intended it to just be that one time. Not only had it gone beyond that, but it had gotten to the point where Schneizel kept Kanon near him at all times. Schneizel knew that Kanon could survive the winter, the cygnet had to have done it a couple times before, but that still didn't stop him from leaving his door open and waiting for Kanon to sneak into his room before falling asleep. It was the one time that his initial plan had fallen apart so completely.
There were some good things about the arrangement, like the added bonus of a second pair of eyes to look over his work or someone to talk with after lessons. Kanon was also another pair of eyes in the castle as no one looked twice at Schneizel's pet swan. Schneizel now knew more about what was going on inside the castle than he had before, all because Kanon could easily walk into places he would be spotted. The only use for Kanon that he had not foreseen was the way that Kanon would actively challenge his choices, but even that had its use. Schneizel was forced to think carefully about everything to avoid giving Kanon the room to find holes in his ideas.
In any case, Schneizel was sure that the way that they were living now was mutually beneficial and he had no intention of giving it up. It was nice to have someone that he could rely on completely.
"It's completely reasonable to assume that your family was cursed in this time frame, which would mean that you were just a baby when it happened." Schneizel huffed and pushed the book away, glad that he had gotten that one mystery solved. It would narrow down the search for the way to break the curse. He pulled the next book closer to him, nearly toppling Kanon off of the table. He ignored the annoyed look that the cygnet shot him as he began to look through the next book.
He didn't bother to continue to speak to Kanon, the cygnet pressing close to his arm as he flipped through the book. Anyone could walk through and Schneizel didn't want to risk being found speaking to the swan. It didn't matter in any case; he and Kanon would discuss their findings at the end of the day as they always did. The schedule had worked for the two years since the day he had found Kanon and Schneizel saw no reason why it should stop. Besides, Kanon could read just as well as he could now and Kanon often read along with him.
Schneizel propped his cheek up on a hand, skimming through the page in front of him. The curse was a single generation curse, which meant that it shouldn't get too complicated; he had heard that curses got more difficult to break the longer they existed. The real problem was how to break the curse for Kanon alone. Schneizel didn't know where Kanon's family was and he didn't really care at the moment. The rest of the Maldini family weren't worth the effort to free them, they wouldn't be able to repay him for his efforts. They were also the ones who had abandoned Kanon in the first place, that was enough to get Schneizel dangerously close to true anger. In any case, Kanon being human actually had value, Kanon would be vital to him when he had grown up and required his own household. The rest of the family he would take care of if they came to his attention again, and for the proper price.
They were woken up by the sound of screaming and people running around. Kanon jerked up in bed, going to mantle his wings before he remembered that he wasn't a swan anymore. He made up for it by sliding out of bed, inching toward the door. Kanon only stopped when he heard Schneizel sit up, belatedly remembering himself. No one in the castle knew he existed, they just knew him as the swan that Schneizel carried around.
He took a step back, allowing Schneizel to slip past him and into the hallway. Kanon got a glimpse of people rushing about, looking back at the bed before slipping into the shadows by the wardrobe. He pressed himself back against the wood, closing his eyes and just listening. Right now he was useless. Schneizel would be the one to figure out what was going on, as usual. Kanon was the one who would see the holes in Schneizel's schemes and nothing more. As a human he could only hide and wait for his time to move and, as a swan, he could only wait until he was human to actually speak to Schneizel. He bit his lip and stared down at the rushes on rug on the floor.
There really wasn't a point to him being a human, aside from giving Schneizel someone to talk to at night and acting as a bed warmer. His true value was in being underestimated. Schneizel was intimidating and in careful control of his own cold logic while Kanon was just the swan by Schneizel's side, the one soft thing about the second prince. As swan and prince, they complimented each other. He pressed his hand against the wall, using it to steady himself. He would already do anything for Schneizel, anything for the prince that had taken him from the lake and brought him into the castle, for the prince that was still looking for a way to break his curse despite the many failures.
Kanon looked up as he heard the door swing open, pressing himself further back into the shadow of the wardrobe. He waited for the sounds of footsteps in the outer room, surprised when Schneizel stormed into the small niche that the bed was in. Immediately, Kanon slipped from the shadows, surprised to see the look of rage on Schneizel's face. He tipped his head to the side, waiting for the explanation that he knew would come; Schneizel didn't need to be coaxed into giving information.
Schneizel glanced back at the door before striding over to his window and opening it, having to stand up on tip toe to see through it completely. Whatever he was looking for obviously wasn't out there by the angry look that crossed his face. It was gone by the time that Schneizel dropped back to the ground completely. Only then did he turn to look at Kanon.
"Lelouch and Nunnally are gone."
Kanon raised his eyebrows. Lelouch was the only prince that Schneizel was close to. The little prince had been following Schneizel around since he had been able to walk. There had been times when Kanon had felt threatened by Lelouch's presence, because the young prince would distract Schneizel from his work and that would mean more delays to finding a way to break his curse, but Kanon would have never gone so far as to wish for something to happen to Lelouch. And for something to happen to Nunnally was unthinkable, the whole castle was charmed by her, and she was not even two years old.
Schneizel pressed his fingers to his forehead, taking a deep breath. "No. Lelouch and Nunnally have been taken. There was someone in the castle and they took them. Guards are searching for them right now."
"I'm surprised that they got past Marianne."
Schneizel flinched at that, glancing up at Kanon from between his fingers. "Marianne is dead. That's the only reason that they got Lelouch and Nunnally, they killed her first."
Kanon nodded, there was nothing else to say. The only thing to do was to take action. He glanced at the door before shrugging, trying not to let his own unease show. If there was someone in the castle threatening the royal family, then there was a chance that it was the same person who had cursed the rest of his family and that the person would come after him as well. "Go join the search parties then, I won't mind staying here."
"No. I-" Schneizel sighed, rubbing his forehead before letting his hand drop to the side. "They were already out of the gate when the alarm was sounded. My father won't risk any more of his children with that in mind. Obviously the one who did this was well known to the guards, or else the warning wouldn't be delayed as long as it had been."
"So what will you do?"
"I'll go out first thing in the morning with Cornelia. I doubt that Father will be able to stop her from searching, especially if Bismarck throws his weight behind her. But we won't be able to look too far and they will have had a head start." Schneizel took a deep breath and looked up at Kanon. "It would be faster for you to search."
Kanon glanced at the open window, trying to track where the moon was in the sky. "I could go now, but I would just turn back into a swan in the morning."
"You would be able to cover more ground then we could. Flying, you would be able to beat the kidnappers."
Kanon stared at Schneizel, his mouth open. He wasn't sure whether he was disappointed with the news or excited. Some part of him had expected that he would have to remain at the castle and keep Schneizel going while his prince searched for his siblings, reminding him to eat and the like. But he knew that he couldn't let the chance go. Schneizel was already doing so much for him; it was only fair that Kanon tried to repay the debt. Schneizel was right about him being their best chance, riders would be slowed by the terrain, Kanon only had the open air. And, if he kept himself from landing on water during the night, he would remain a swan and no time would be wasted.
He licked his lips, going over the plan in his mind. The only thing he would really be giving up was the chance to find him a way to return to being human permanently. Without him as a constant reminder, Schneizel would throw himself completely into searching for his siblings. Then again, if he did stay, Schneizel would have just tried to look for Lelouch and Nunnally as well as the way to break his curse, which would mean that both efforts would suffer.
"H-how would I contact you?"
Schneizel walked into the main part of the room, sitting down behind the desk. "I'll send a message out to all the major cities describing you with the order to listen to what you say and to assist you no matter what you demand. It would be a waste of time for you to fly all the way back to get what you need." He reached for a quill, Kanon noticing that it was made from one of his feathers, one of the ones that had broken off when he had first learned to fly.
Kanon looked away, swallowing down the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. He nodded, knowing that he had agreed to the plan when he had asked how he would contact Schneizel. He crossed the room, pausing with his hand on the door. With the castle in an uproar it would be harder to sneak out, but Kanon would do his best. He was about to turn the handle when the scratching of the quill stopped, Kanon looking over his shoulder at Schneizel.
"The window will stay open until you return. And I won't forget, Kanon, I promised you that I wouldn't stop looking."
Schneizel had never promised that, at least not where Kanon had heard him. It was just a measure of how distracted that Schneizel was that he was even saying that. Kanon closed his eyes and sighed, slipping out of the door. He wouldn't tell Schneizel about his slip up, he would allow it to just be assumed that Schneizel had told him of his promise. It would be better for the both of them.
Kanon eased the door shut behind him, taking a deep breath before beginning to walk through the halls of the castle. The best way would to be to go to the gardens and then head for the stable. From there he could use one of the side gates that would lead right out into the sections of the town that was the closest to the wall that surrounded Pendragon. Kanon was sure that he could at least accomplish that much before the moon disappeared from the lake in the garden. Any further than that and he would be impressed. He would walk until he transformed and then everything would be easier. As a swan he could go for longer and had much more to eat, the lakes and rivers would be full at this time of the year.
He broke into a jog as he reached the servant's entrance, sprinting as soon as he was out in the garden. The less time he stayed in Pendragon the better, and everyone would be running around in a panic. He just hoped that no one looked at him too closely; he was too distinctive to be forgotten as another servant. A young man exiting the castle dressed in the outgrown clothes of the second prince was sure to draw attention.
Fortunately, everyone was out searching or staying indoors in the fear that they would be dragged before the emperor. Kanon made it through the garden and out into the city without any problems. He wove his way through the houses, pausing once he got to the small gate that led outside of the city to mark the position of the moon. If he was lucky, he had another hour before the moon was off of the lake, which meant an hour as a human. Kanon made a face and pushed the gate open. He was useless as a human, what he really needed to be was a swan. He would still attempt to cover as much ground as he could.
He walked as quickly as he could, making his way to the front gate of the city and watching the top of the wall for any sign of guards. To his surprise, all of the guards were clustered at the front gate, a sure sign that the person who had taken the prince and princess had left through that gate. It was a brash move and an open insult, showing that the person didn't feel threatened by the stronghold of the Britannian Empire. Kanon clenched his hands into firsts and turned away from the wall.
He waited until he was out of sight of the guards before returning to the road, kneeling down to stare at the dirt. The tracks that the person would have made were obscured by the thousands tracks of the people that came in and out of Pendragon daily. Kanon was sure that a more experienced tracker would be able to pick up the right trail, but he only had a minimal amount of experience, just what he had heard from Schneizel. Kanon glanced up at the sky and began walking along the road. Any minute he would be able to track the way he was best at.
The transformation never caught him by surprise. In all of his fourteen years he had always known exactly the moment he was going to transform. It always started as an itch under his skin that he couldn't quite scratch and then a tingle that ran down his spine. Then came the urge to return to water, any kind of water, because it was where he belonged. Usually, Kanon would have headed back to the lake in the garden; this time he gritted his teeth and continued walking. The transformation back into a swan would happen no matter where he was, and the clothes that he was in would just disappear, reappearing when he was human reflecting the wear and tear that he had suffered. Kanon had never understood it nor tried to; it was just a fact of his life.
He finally had to stop as the heat of the magic rushed through him, Kanon doubling over and taking a deep breath. This was the reason that he never allowed Schneizel to see his transformation back into a swan. It didn't hurt or even feel uncomfortable, but it must have looked like it. He took a deep breath and held it as the heat swept through his body once more before his vision twisted and warped. Kanon only let out the breath that he had been holding when the transformation was done, stretching out his wings and glancing at them. He had made a habit of checking his white plumage over thoroughly, but he skipped it. There were more important things to do.
Getting into the air required a running start, Kanon beating his wings hard to get airborne. He leveled out his flight, allowing himself to rise. While he didn't have the sharp eyes of birds of prey, he could at least pick out something large moving on the ground below. The road from Pendragon went on completely straight and clear for a few miles before splitting. Kanon narrowed his eyes and flew faster, staring at the ground for any sign of people moving.
He got as far as the crossroads before he spotted something, Kanon pulling up in dismay. He could see two groups moving down the road, one taking the road deeper into the forest while the other was following another side road. He looked between the two groups before making his decision. The kidnapper wouldn't take the open road, especially since a search party following them was guaranteed.
Kanon tucked his wings against his sides, plummeting for a few feet before he snapped his wings open. In the forest it would easier and faster to stick to the road because it would be clear, but that would also put him in easy range for predators. If he stayed closer to the canopy then there was a greater chance that he would lose the kidnapper. There was no way that Kanon was going to allow himself to lose the kidnapper, not when this was the one thing that only he could do.
He stopped his quick descent, gliding for a few feet before beginning to flap again. He kept back from the horse on the road, not wanting either the horse or the rider to see him. As a swan, he was very visible at night since any light caught his white feathers and made them shine. Kanon shook his head, edging a bit to one side, using the cover of the trees in the hope that less light would reach him in the shadows.
He followed the horse a rider for a mile before deciding to make his move, sure that they wouldn't leave the road. Kanon went to rise, gasping as he saw the tree leaning over the road. The tree hadn't completely fallen, another tree keeping it up, but it was low enough that he would have run into it if he hadn't turned abruptly. Unfortunately, Kanon darted off deeper into the forest. He cursed his choice, weaving through the trees until he found a clear path back to the road, breaking a couple of branches in his impatience.
The road was completely empty when he got back to it.
In his shock, Kanon glided on before quickly banking and going back to the stop when he had gotten back to the road. It didn't make any sense. There had been no turn offs for the horse and rider to use and there was nothing on either side of the road. From the maps that Schneizel looked over, there wouldn't be a village for another few miles.
Kanon landed on the road to get a better look, walking over the section of road over and over again, shaking when he kept getting the same answer. The hoofprints of the horse just disappeared suddenly, leaving him with a dead end. He hadn't even gotten a chance to see if the rider was the one who had stolen the prince and princess, and he probably never would find out.
He turned to look back in the direction of the crossroads, shifting in place. He could go after the other rider and see if they had the missing prince and princess or he could try and track the one that he had lost. Kanon had no idea how he could accomplish the latter. Aside from the curse that was laid on him, he had no magic of his own. The only magic left to the world was the power of Geass that the Britannian royal family controlled, and Kanon couldn't think of any relatives that had the power that would be able to track something like this.
Kanon hung his head, taking a few deep breaths before making his decision. Searching for the horse and rider that had disappeared would be a lost cause. Not only could he not tell where they would appear next, but he wasn't even sure that he would recognize the pair if he saw them in daylight.
He took off again, pushing himself to fly faster. He had already been delayed once and he only had a few more hours of the night left. A swan wasn't the most subtle of birds, so it would be obvious if he was seen following a traveler. Then he had to stop and rest himself, or he would be too tired to keep going.
Kanon let himself rise, following the other road from the crossroads, panting for breath as he flew. He hadn't gotten much practice flying, preferring to help Schneizel with his schoolwork and searching. Only when Schneizel went outside to hunt did Kanon fly. He had already pushed himself further and faster than he had ever gone before, and he was disappointed with himself. He knew that finding the way to break his curse would take a long time; he might as well take advantage of everything he could do as a swan before he couldn't fly again.
He found the horse and rider just as the sun was rising, Kanon slowing down so he could keep pace with them. To his surprise, there was more than one rider, two others riding with the first he had seen. He debated going lower, stopping himself when he saw the sun glinting off of unsheathed weapons. It would be safer for him to stay back, at least for now. He would follow them until they stopped for lunch and then take a break. Then he would figure out what to do.
Kanon spent the morning circling around the group, trying his best to keep them from noticing the swan on their tail, but it got harder as the hours wore on. His wings ached and his stomach was protesting the lack of food. He had been up for more than a day, both as human and swan, but to collapse would be fatal, especially at the height he was flying.
He let out a sigh of relief when the group settled down to rest, memorizing their position before flying to the nearest stand of trees. At least the group had chosen to rest by the river, he would be able to eat and keep an eye on them then.
Kanon glided down into the river, folding his wings against his body and just floating for a moment before paddling back down to where the camp was. He held off from eating until he looked into the group, barely keeping himself from making a sound when he saw that they had Princess Nunnally. He couldn't see Prince Lelouch, but one of the men might have gone off somewhere else with him. He would look into that at a later time; he was too hungry to think too much farther ahead anymore.
With that settled, Kanon searched out roots and tubers growing along the river, quickly eating his fill and not straying too far from the camp. Fortunately, he finished faster than the humans, floating back to the best spot to watch them from and pushing into the reeds. Sure he wouldn't float off, Kanon tucked his head under his wing, just enough so it looked like he was sleeping, but he could still see the group out of the corner of his eye. He settled down to wait, eventually closing his eyes so he could focus on listening to the group talk over the sound of the river.
He wasn't aware that he had fallen asleep until something bumped against him, Kanon scrambling onto the bank of the river. When he turned to look, the stick that had knocked against him had already floated out of the spot he had chosen and continued down the river. Kanon shook his head, disappointed that he had broken cover. He froze a moment later when he realized that the group was nowhere to be seen.
Panicking, he rushed to the road, trying to make out the marks of the group he had been following. To his dismay, the group had split up with no sign of who had Princess Nunnally. Kanon swallowed and glanced back at the river before shaking his head. Swimming after them would take too long and there was a chance that the river would swing away from the road. No matter how much he ached, flying would be the best way.
He took off, choosing one set of tracks at random and following them. Hopefully he could find where the person had gone and figure out if they had Nunnally before heading back to pursue the next one. If he hurried, he would only have to struggle with the last trail that he chose, but that was only if it didn't rain.
Kanon spent three days tracking two of the members of the group. The first he eliminated quickly, catching up with the man in a matter of hours and circling until he was sure that neither the prince nor the princess was with him. Then Kanon returned to the place where he had lost the group, easily picking up the trail of the next man.
This one had more time to get ahead of him, Kanon pushing himself until he was in visual sight of the man before stopping to rest. The second man didn't have the prince or princess either, so Kanon returned to find the trail of the third man, but it rained before he could get there.
With the trail lost, Kanon just guessed, flying in the direction he remembered the third set of hoof prints had gone in. It took him two weeks to catch up with the next man, Kanon only eating and sleeping when he couldn't fly any further. He avoided water in the moonlight at all costs, not wanting to get stuck as a human when he was so far behind. There were many times when he thought he recognized a horse and rider, so he would change his course only to discover that it was just a nobleman on his way back home.
He barely recognized the boarders he crossed over, but he was too focused on his search. Vaguely, he recalled the former names of the countries and their new numbers, but it didn't stick. He was too exhausted from his long stretching of nothing but flying to bother remembering anything.
By the end of the second week Kanon couldn't even get up into the air. He tried to take off a dozen times, but his wings always gave out. Unable to do anything else, Kanon slept. When he woke up, he attempted to take to the air again and managed a few miles before having to land again. The pattern continued for three days before he had to give up, Kanon finding a secluded place and spending time eating and sleeping. He tried not to think about the man he was chasing, the fact that the man was getting further and further away from him with Princess Nunnally or the fact that his forced rest meant that he had failed. There was no way he would be able to pick up the trail, not when he was approaching the main city for the Area.
When he could fly again, Kanon turned back towards Pendragon. His flight home took longer than his flight out, Kanon making sure to stop when he was hungry and exhausted instead of ignoring it. He wanted to be in good shape when he faced his prince so Schneizel would be forced to acknowledge his failure instead of how bad Kanon looked. But there was one good thing about returning to Pendragon, he could access a map and consider his routes more carefully. If he began to cover the Britannian Empire in an organized fashion, then there was a greater chance that he would be able to find Lelouch and Nunnally, no matter how long it took. It was the only thing he allowed himself to think of as he flew back to Pendragon.
He lost track of time on his way home, barely making it into the castle's garden before his wings gave out. Kanon managed to get to his feet and walk to where Schneizel's rooms were, craning his neck up to see the open window. Somehow, he was able to lift off of the ground again, flapping hard to reach the open window. He managed to steady himself on the sill before ducking into the room, unable to catch his balance when he fell to the floor.
His entrance must have made some noise, because Schneizel ducked into the niche where the bed was, lifting him up from the ground with a soft grunt of effort. Kanon let himself go limp in Schneizel's arms, not protesting when he was set on the bed.
He felt Schneizel run a hand over his back, turning his head to look at the prince. Schneizel had changed since Kanon had left, he had lost a little more of the baby fat around his face and had gained dark circles under his eyes, probably from pushing himself so hard. Kanon winced, noticing how Schneizel immediately took lifted his hand away.
The prince cleared his throat, looking away from Kanon. "Did you find them?"
Kanon shook his head, letting it drop to the bed with a long sigh. To his surprise, Schneizel didn't respond to the news, the prince just kept stroking his back as Kanon drifted to sleep.
Convincing Schneizel to stop the search for a way to break his curse was probably the easiest thing that Kanon had ever done. Schneizel was already busy with the running of the empire; he had been since Charles had put all of his attention on finding the man who had killed Marianne and taken two of his children. Odysseus had turned out to be completely useless and was as nervous about handling power at twenty-nine as he was at fourteen, which left his twenty-four year old brother to handle it.
The empire consumed most of Schneizel's attention, the second prince struggling to keep Britannia and her Areas safe from the rebellions that were sweeping through the empire like a plague. But most of his attention was on trying to bring back the scattered members of the royal family from being killed by Zero. With his father's sickness and his continued attempts to find Nunnally and Lelouch, it had been far too easy to turn his mind from the search for the curse.
Kanon didn't regret it for a moment. He was more useful to Schneizel as a swan, able to fly to any part of the empire to get news from the spy networks and deliver orders. He was even more useful than some of the spies that Schneizel employed because no one looked twice at a swan. Unfortunately, the side effect of him being out all the time and Schneizel running the empire for his ailing father meant that they saw little of each other. Kanon hadn't even been back to Pendragon for a week.
He sighed and pushed his feathers back into place, quickly snapping up one of the longer ones that fell and placing it on the bank of the lake. He had been collecting feathers since he had finally gotten rid of his dirty grey feathers, picking out the white feathers that could be used as quills out of the ones that had fallen. Schneizel seemed to appreciate having a wealth of swan feathers to choose from, and Kanon had never heard him complain. It was something he could do with his shed feathers.
Kanon dunked his head under the water and shook it, using the motion to smooth down his feathers. He was presentable now, for the first time since he had landed in the lake at Pendragon. Now he felt confident that he wouldn't embarrass Schneizel if he showed appeared during one of Schneizel's meetings, the window would always be open for him.
He collected the fallen feathers and took off from the lake, circling around the castle until he could make a clean swoop through the window and into Schneizel's office. To his surprise, there was no one there but the second prince, Schneizel standing at one end of a table and staring at a map.
Kanon landed on the carpet, walking over to Schneizel's desk and awkwardly hopping up onto it. The feathers were dropped to one side, Kanon carefully jumping from the desk and using the momentum for a short glide to the table. He picked his way around the pile of books to Schneizel's side, looking down at the map of the Britannian Empire.
Schneizel hadn't said a word to acknowledge that Kanon was back, but he did reach out to reach a hand on Kanon's back, Kanon pressing up into the warmth as Schneizel began to speak. "I've been looking at where Zero and his Black Knights could turn their attention to next. I don't think that they would make a move so soon, not after he killed Euphemia. The empire is still in an uproar for that."
Kanon ducked his head at the mention of the princess. Euphemia's death had been a surprise to all of them, especially since she was so well loved. Before, Schneizel had been willing to just allow the Black Knights to carry out their work. Kanon had shared the same idea as Schneizel. The Areas were close to rebellion in any case and the only members of the royal family that he actually cared for were in Pendragon or far away from where the Black Knights were working.
Euphemia's death had changed that. It had been a senseless act as she had supported their ideals if not the way that they went about it. There were even rumors that Zero had given her shelter when a group attempted to kill her. Apparently Zero had only used Euphemia to gain sympathy and legitimize their cause. Kanon regretted that he hadn't been closer to deliver what news he could. If there had been a chance to save Euphemia, he would have taken it.
Kanon turned his head, pressing his neck against Schneizel's arm in an abortive attempt to comfort his prince, not insulted when Schneizel shrugged him off. Schneizel didn't take well to comfort when he was seriously thinking, like he was now, it just impeded his line of thought.
With his free hand, Schneizel reached out to tap two of the Areas furthest out. "Zero will go for Area 9 or Area 11 next. We'll send out notices for both Areas to call our siblings back. It will be their choice if they wish to listen to my warning."
Kanon nodded, stretching his neck out to see more of the map. His own searches for Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally had taken him through most of Areas 1 through 7, as they were the closest ones to Pendragon. Now with the added pressure on Schneizel, Kanon couldn't make it too much further than Area 8, which he was partially done searching. The others would have to wait until the Black Knights calmed down further, in the lull when they moved on to the next Area.
He sighed and shifted his wings, looking up when Schneizel walked away from the table. Kanon went to stand up but stopped himself. The days when he could sit on Schneizel's desk or perch comfortable on the top of it were long gone. He had reached his full size, which meant that he was left with the table or the floor, and neither one of them appealed to him. He had spent most of his life with unlimited access to Schneizel, sharing his space at all times. The sudden rift between them left him feeling out of place, like he was better off returning to his lake and waiting for the moon to rise.
After all, he was just considered a pet and that was how Schneizel was treating him more often when Kanon stayed in the office all day. He was an ornament now, a pretty swan that Schneizel had managed to tame but nothing more. At least, that was what the rest of the court thought.
There were days when Kanon thought that was what Schneizel thought of him too but, now and again, he would catch a glance that would remind him of the days before Schneizel was emperor of Britannia in all but name. Maybe it was just a part of growing old and Schneizel growing into his role as a prince. Maybe it always would have happened. Maybe it wouldn't have happened if Kanon had pushed to get the curse broken. He would never know.
All he knew was that he was completely loyal to Schneizel, completely devoted to him and there was nothing that would change that.
Schneizel rubbed the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to take the coronet from his head. It wouldn't do to have the emperor taking the crown off and throwing it out the nearest window, although that was what he really wanted to do. There should have been some other emotion than relief associated with his father's death, but that's all he could feel other than exhaustion.
Charles zi Britannia, the ninety-eighth emperor of Britannia had died just yesterday and Schneizel hadn't had a spare moment since. Thankfully his father had died in his sleep, in a rare moment of painlessness that the disease that had crippled him had left to him. That at least was a weight off of Schneizel's shoulders. If his father's death had been slow and painful, Schneizel might have been more emotionally distraught. His mother had suffered for months before finally dying and, no matter what faults his father might have had, Schneizel didn't want the same thing to happen to him.
He had hoped that Charles' death would be the end of it. Odysseus would take the throne and Schneizel would slip back into his old position of running the empire behind the scenes. He was more sure of himself now than he had been at fourteen when he had started or even three years ago when his father had been perfectly healthy. He had contacts and a secure network of information. Better yet he had Kanon, the man perfectly suited to be his aide. With Kanon, Schneizel was sure to get information before anyone else and get his orders out faster. Kanon still played the role of antagonist when he needed to, having no qualms about poking holes in Schneizel's carefully planned out strategies, which is why they had yet to fail.
Schneizel would have been perfectly happy returning to that life, but then Odysseus had abdicated, not a full minute after being crowned. Schneizel wouldn't have had any problem with Odysseus refusing the crown; he had just hoped that his older brother would have some tact in dealing with the delicate situation instead of making it look like he was completely rejecting the empire. With Guinevere and her husband a sea away, the crown had fallen to Schneizel. Two coronations within the same day, Schneizel was sure that there was some curse associated with that.
He raised one hand to rub under his left eye, considering his Geass. He would have to use it more often now that he was the emperor, especially if he wanted to avoid war for the first few years of his reign. The few siblings that had been spared Zero's rampages through the Areas would take offense to not being called for their father's funeral. His first problem was probably going to be Guinevere and her husband, the two of them looking to expand their kingdom. He would have no qualms about using his Geass on them to make them return home with the belief that he was only doing his duty, that he hated being the emperor, which he did to some small extent.
Schneizel had never been able to charm the people with his personality; all he had were his looks and a smile that didn't quite look real. Kanon, once again, was valuable for his public appearances. The people had all heard the story about how young prince Schneizel had rescued a young swan and raised it, so they assumed that he really was the kind person that they all wanted to believe that he was. It only took a few well chosen words and a couple of well chosen moments to activate his Geass to have them believing that he had suffered some trauma from the death of his mother and struggled with getting close to anyone. His father's sickness and recent death had just helped the story along.
The people were safe anyway, no matter what their final impression was of him. Schneizel did not want the power of the emperor for the sake of power alone. Just holding the power would get boring after a while, the fun of it was to use it to get what he wanted. And there was a long list of the things that he wanted changed. The people wouldn't be in danger of a power hungry emperor or more expensive wars, at least if Schneizel could work around them. Besides, Cornelia was a firm supporter of him and no country that Schneizel knew of was willing to go against her in battle.
He stopped in front of the emperor's rooms, staring at the ornately carved door and shivering. Charles' body had been removed immediately and the rooms had been thoroughly cleaned out, there was nothing there for him to be worried about. It was tradition for all of the emperors to sleep in this room, the room that the first empress of Britannia had slept in. But it would be cold and lonely.
Schneizel turned around and strode back towards his old room, ignoring the surprised glances that some of the servants gave him. He could care less about what they thought; he was not going to give up his room. It was a childish reason, wanting to keep something that Schneizel could confidently call his, but he wouldn't berate himself about it. Then there was the fact that it was the only room that Kanon could sneak into easily. The emperor's quarters were on the opposite side of the castle, far from the gardens and the lake. Schneizel could handle being the emperor, but he wasn't going to do it without Kanon by his side.
He stormed into the room, throwing the door open with a bit more force than necessary. Schneizel didn't even bother to pay close attention to the servants who had tailed him, slamming the door on them before leaning back against the door.
The soft rustle of feathers made him look up, Schneizel staring at the swan on the table. He kept quiet out of confusion before realizing what was wrong. Kanon was still a swan. The moon had risen and Kanon hadn't flown down to the lake to turn back into a human. Schneizel frowned as he stumbled across the next complication. If it had been at any other time, Schneizel would have noticed the inconsistency with their normal schedule sooner, but he had assumed that Kanon had wanted to stay out of the public eye, especially since the whole world had seemed to descend upon the castle as Charles was dying. He would have been able to write it off further if he hadn't tried to remember the last time he had seen Kanon as a human.
It had been the last time he had sent Kanon off on a mission, Kanon had returned and reported to him as a human and things had proceeded as usual from there. After the first sunrise Kanon hadn't visited the lake at night, and Schneizel had been too caught up to notice.
Schneizel frowned and pointed to the window. "Get out."
Kanon startled, fluttering off the desk and landing on the floor. He stared at Schneizel before making for the window, Schneizel resisting the urge to run after the swan. He wasn't chasing after Kanon to keep him out, he just wanted to speak to Kanon instead of talking out loud to a swan that never responded.
Schneizel waited until Kanon had flown out the window to walk across the room, shutting the window. He was sure that Kanon would come back, at least to demand an explanation in his own quiet way. Kanon was not one to just let something like this go without having some explanation. Knowing Kanon, he wouldn't' be too mad at him, just attributing it to the stress of being the emperor.
He went to sit down at his desk, changing his mind at the last minute. When he was behind the desk, he was the second prince. This situation called for something else, something that was just between the two of them. Schneizel picked up the book of magic from his desk and sat down on the bed.
It had been a long time since he had searched for a way to break the curse. There had been too much to do between running the empire and continuing to search for Nunnally and Lelouch. Kanon hadn't pushed for him to look either. Then again, Kanon hadn't really been around because Schneizel had been using Kanon to the utmost, keeping Kanon out to get the information that he needed while Britannia was at its weakest. He had promised himself that he would go back to looking at the first chance that he had gotten, and he hadn't forgotten that promise, at least not completely. He had just allowed himself to believe that he was just getting the most use out of Kanon by keeping him as a swan for a little while longer, and Kanon had never complained. But he was finding that it wasn't the case. As a swan Kanon was useful, but Schneizel preferred him as a human. It was hard to get answers from a swan.
Schneizel looked up as the door opened, tracing his fingers over the cover of the book. As he expected, Kanon peeked into the room, glancing at Schneizel's desk before looking at the bed. Kanon inched into the room, bowing at Schneizel. "Is there a mission you want to talk about or has something gone wrong?"
Schneizel watched Kanon, letting him wait for the answer. A direct confrontation with Kanon wouldn't accomplish anything; it would take a calm discussion. He crossed his legs, carefully securing the book in his lap. "Nothing like that, just a request. I need someone that I can trust to remain by my side."
Kanon winched, recovering quickly. "I don't understand. Have I made some mistake?"
"No Kanon, but I want to be able to use those I employ to the fullest."
"I was not aware that I was a part of your staff."
Schneizel held back a chuckle. If Kanon was subtly contradicting him, then it was a good sign that there were no hard feelings. He crossed his hands over the book. "Unofficially, yes. You are perhaps the single most reliable member of my staff to date, and I'll need you around more often now that I am the emperor."
He knew that keeping Kanon close would mean that the search for Lelouch and Nunnally would have to be scaled back. Kanon could still be sent out on a few missions to gather intelligence, but he would be reserved for the vital ones. Schneizel would have to content himself with the usual channels. As much as he had enjoyed the advantage that Kanon had given him, it wasn't worth the danger of the two of them drifting apart. Schneizel was sure that Kanon was the closest thing to a friend that he had, and Kanon was more trustworthy than the rest of his staff.
"But you need me as a-"
"I do, but there are other ways to get the information that I need."
"What about Lelouch and Nunnally?"
"Others are searching."
"I can go further and cover more ground."
"I'm sure you can, Kanon, but this is about having someone to guard my back." Schneizel tapped the cover on the book with his finger with the last three words, the sound making Kanon snap his mouth shut. "The idea of a knight following me around doesn't appeal to me, especially since I'll already gather an entourage as the emperor. All I need is one man to watch out and to listen where I can't."
"I do that already."
"And then you stay a swan. It's completely useless to talk to something that can't answer back." Schneizel pulled the book from his lap, showing it to Kanon. "I haven't forgotten, not even without you pushing me. I've just been busy. I'll turn a portion of my workload over to some of my staff to free up time to continue searching."
"There's no reason to."
"There are plenty of reasons." Kanon as a swan was useful, but he wasn't the Kanon that Schneizel needed. He waved the book again before setting it down on the bed. "Our arrangement still stands. And, when you are free of that curse, you will be hired officially. It takes years to find a good aide and I stumbled upon one in the garden."
He expected a bit more of a protest from Kanon, a few more attempts to prove his logic wrong. Instead Kanon just sighed, Schneizel catching a hint of a smile on Kanon's face before he ducked his head. "An interesting conclusion, your majesty."
"Nothing short of the truth."
Kanon rubbed his arm, looking around the room but not at Schneizel. That took a moment more, Schneizel calmly meeting his gaze. Kanon sighed and nodded. "Then I will do my best to carry out your orders."
Schneizel nodded, pleased with the answer. With the matter of Kanon sorted out, there would be no doubt that the empire would continue to be run smoothly. Once the right man was found to head the series of diplomatic missions to the Areas then Schneizel would be freed to look into the matters of the curse again. He wouldn't stop Kanon from going out, but he would make sure that Kanon didn't remain as a swan.
He pushed away from the bed, walking over to the wardrobe. "Now that we have that settled, I have a meeting to attend to early in the morning. I suspect that you will already be out on the lake at that time. I'll leave the window open so you can return. Feel free to do what you need to do in that time. After the meeting, we will discuss what our next move should be."
Schneizel paused when Kanon cleared his throat, barely noticing the blush on the other man's cheeks. He glanced at the bed before looking back at Kanon, confused as to why Kanon was balking after sharing a bed since he had found Kanon on the lake. If there were any protests to be raised, Kanon would have raised them sooner.
Kanon cleared his throat and looked away. "Surely your majesty intents to sleep in the emperor's rooms."
"Traditions dictates that I must, but I find that I prefer these rooms." The confession got a smile from Kanon, Schneizel turning his attention to pulling off his clothes. "The tradition was silly anyway, as if the rooms could confer the status of emperor on any person. And, just between you and me Kanon, I have no real urge to sleep on the bed where I and most of my relatives were conceived."
Kanon shivered at that, slipping under the covers on his usual side of the bed. "That is a disturbing thought."
"And all the more reason for me to remain here." Schneizel pulled on his nightshirt, padding around to the other side of the bed. "I see no reason for me to leave when I am perfectly comfortable."
Kanon gave him a smile, Schneizel just nodding in return before slipping under the sheets. He leaned forward just enough to blow out the lone candle still burning on the night stand before settling back onto the bed, listening to the sound of Kanon's breathing as his friend drifted off to sleep.
Kanon had been the one to deliver the news to Schneizel. He had been out stretching his wings when he had seen the groups of riders galloping down the road to Pendragon. It had taken a single look to confirm that they were all members of the Black Knights. That had almost been enough to send Kanon flying back to Schneizel with news that the Black Knights were delivering an ultimatum to Pendragon, probably news of the next Area they were going to free or another royal prince dead. In retrospect, Kanon was glad that he had stuck close to the group for a while longer, because that had allowed him to spot Nunnally riding double with the leader of the group. Kanon had been sure that it was the princess, there was no other girl he knew of that had the same dirty blonde hair that Charles had had and the Britannian royal eyes. If it hadn't been for those qualities, Kanon wouldn't have been able to pick her out from the rest.
Still, he had managed to do his job, reporting the return of Princess Nunnally before making himself scarce. Schneizel would be busy with the princess until she had been escorted to bed. It was better not to have a swan tagging along after the group; he would draw too much attention to himself. Even strolling through the castle and the town in hopes of overhearing something important was out of the question, all he would hear about was the miraculous return of Princess Nunnally. It would take a few days for Pendragon to settle, but Kanon was looking forward to the rest that it would bring. Schneizel would be busy looking after Nunnally and Kanon would be called in to watch over her while Schneizel was busy. Better yet, there was a chance that Nunnally would know where Lelouch was, and that finding the prince was just a short flight away.
Kanon stayed out in the garden, sometimes appearing when groups of the court ladies walked by to take advantage of their presence, happily eating the crusts of bread that they threw his way. He returned to the lake only when the moon had risen, carefully making his way through the shadows into the castle.
Sneaking in was always hard on nights when some new dignitary was visiting. The excitement meant that the servants stayed up longer, all of them chattering to themselves about the newest arrival. Their distraction could usually work in his favor, but Kanon was not willing to rely his safety on it. If he did get caught, Kanon could not imagine how Schneizel would manage to get him out of trouble. He never doubted for a minute that Schneizel would, but he couldn't begin to think about the favors that Schneizel would have to pull.
He shook his head, stepping out into the main hallway and padding towards Schneizel's room. Thankfully there had been no party thrown in Nunnally's honor. That must have been Schneizel's doing, probably because his sister was too tired to be dancing all night. Kanon doubted that Nunnally would feel comfortable at a party and personally thought that it was just inviting danger. He made a mental note to bring that point up with Schneizel. A party would mean that he would be stuck in the gardens all night as people were always rushing around and the clothes he wore made him look like a servant, save for his bare feet. Maybe, if the demand for a celebration got too great, Kanon would be able to convince Schneizel to put it off until the new moon. It would only be a few days, and Kanon would be stuck as a swan anyway.
Kanon gave the hall a cursory glance for people coming towards Schneizel's rooms before pushing the door open, surprised that Schneizel wasn't working at his desk. Since their talk a few days before Nunnally had returned, Schneizel had always devoted a portion of his time to looking through the books of magic, and Kanon would come in to lend a new pair of eyes for a few hours before the two of them retired. Kanon blushed at the memory.
By keeping himself in his swan form he had managed to forget how good it felt to sleep in the same bed as Schneizel. There was no physical aspect to their relationship and Kanon didn't know how to being to broach the subject or if Schneizel would even consider it, but that was unimportant compared to the comfort in knowing that there was someone there. There was another warm body to remind him that he wasn't alone and that Schneizel wasn't just going to disappear like the rest of his family. He would be safe and warm and that satisfied the animal part of him. The rest was fulfilled by the fact that it was Schneizel, the only person Kanon had ever considered to let this close to him. And he was perfectly content with the arrangement as it was now.
He cleared his throat, turning his head to check in the niche. Schneizel was already on the bed, lying on his side. Kanon tensed as he realized that the emperor was still dressed, something that Schneizel would never do. The emperor's robes were enough of a hassle without the struggle that came with sleeping in them.
Kanon took a cautious step forward, expecting Schneizel to turn and look at him as Schneizel always did. Instead, there was nothing. Kanon cleared is throat again, this time not waiting for a reaction. "Schneizel?"
It took a moment for Schneizel to respond. Kanon had already started to cross the room when Schneizel finally spoke. "I thought you wouldn't be coming tonight with the castle in an uproar."
"It wasn't that hard." Kanon glanced at the open window. "If I wasn't able to come as a human, I'm sure you would have forgiven me for remaining a sawn. I've been spoiled, I have come to expect a warm bed at night."
There was no answer, Schneizel just staring at him. Kanon shifted nervously before crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the bed. He smoothed out a bump in the covers, trying not to meet Schneizel's gaze. Something was obviously wrong, but it was a delicate task to find out what it was. He resisted the urge to drum his fingers against the covers, deciding to just start with the obvious.
"I thought it was Nunnally, but it is possible that I made a mistake. I only saw her when she was an infant."
"No, you were right. It was Nunnally and she's safe, for the most part." Schneizel rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "She can't walk. Whoever had her made sure that she wouldn't be able to walk again."
"Knowing what Marianne was like, I don't think that it will stop Nunnally."
"No." Schneizel chuckled, sobering up faster than usual. "She wants to act as a diplomat to free the Areas. And I'm giving her permission to do so. It wouldn't hurt the empire, it might save it."
"And the Black Knights?"
"They follow her." Kanon watched as Schneizel twitched. "They'll be loyal to her because she's taking over from where Zero left off. I don't know if Lelouch was ever involved with them, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was at one point."
Schneizel swallowed hardly, rolling back onto his side. Kanon shifted closer, catching a glimpse of Schneizel grabbing a handful of his pillow. He tipped his head to the side. "You won't have to put Lelouch and Nunnally on trial for their involvement for the Black Knights, will you?"
"No." Schneizel voice cracked over the word. "I haven't heard the full story from Nunnally, but I don't expect that I will have to."
"I guess this means I won't have to search anymore."
"No. Thank you for your efforts."
Schneizel went quiet again, Kanon watching the emperor stare at the wall. He wasn't used to this kind of stillness from Schneizel. He was used to the stillness of Schneizel behind his desk or in sleep, both of those were more alive than the way that Schneizel was now.
Kanon cast around for another subject, not sure if Nunnally was a safe enough topic. He cleared his throat and dropped his gaze. "And Lelouch? I didn't see him with the rest of the group, but I'm sure that he wouldn't leave his sister. What's his story?"
"It doesn't matter." Schneizel's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "He's dead."
It took a moment for Kanon to comprehend what Schneizel had said. When it did sink in, Kanon turned to stare at Schneizel, the emperor's mood finally making sense. Schneizel had been close to Lelouch, more so than any of his other siblings. Lelouch had been the only one that had acted like Schneizel, even as a child. Even without that, there was always a sense of shock that came from the death of one of the royal siblings.
Kanon shifted closer, resting his hand on Schneizel's shoulder for a brief moment before letting his hand slide away. "How?"
"Nunnally hasn't told me. I suspect she will eventually." Schneizel shivered, letting out a long sigh. "Knowing Lelouch, it was probably to save his sister."
"Ah. That's Lelouch." Kanon settled on his side of the bed. Schneizel would come around on his own, it would be best if he just remained close. Schneizel wouldn't reach out for him, but Kanon just being there was reassurance enough.
He heard Schneizel turn towards him, shifting so he was slightly closer. Kanon closed his eyes, managing not to jump as Schneizel spoke.
"I never expected him to die in any other way. Nunnally was the most important person to him after his mother. It's natural for people to have someone they are willing to die for."
"Perhaps it is." Kanon glanced over his shoulder, surprised to find Schneizel so close. He quickly went back to staring at the wall. "I'm sorry for my failure to find them sooner."
"Don't apologize. It was a failure on both of our parts. Nothing can be done about it now."
Kanon nodded, taking a deep breath. Schneizel would be fine in a few days, completely back to his old self instead of pushing through his duties as the emperor before returning to his rooms to distract himself. For now the most important thing for Kanon to do was to allow Schneizel to go on like nothing was wrong. The easiest way for Kanon to help would be to try and remove some of the more tedious tasks from Schneizel's schedule. Kanon made a mental note to wake up early and look at what he could do.
Other than that, Kanon had no idea what to do. All of the other problems they had stumbled upon had solutions. This one didn't have a way to get to the solution that both of them wanted; there was no book that would tell them how to bring Lelouch back. If there had been one, Schneizel would have brought his mother back long ago.
He jumped as Schneizel rested a hand on his shoulder, the hand remaining there for a moment before Schneizel lifted it and placed it over Kanon's hand. Kanon tensed at the unfamiliar touch.
"It's true, Kanon."
He didn't answer, not knowing how to answer. Kanon just stared at where Schneizel's hand rested over his own. He spread his fingers slightly, feeling Schneizel's fingers slip between his own. Kanon smiled to himself. "Yes, it's probably true."
Schneizel stared at the book, flipping between two pages before resting his hands on his desk. After twenty-one years of searching the solution was so obvious and so easy that it was insulting.
He sighed and flipped to the right page, carefully rereading the description over to be sure that he had it right. He read the description of the curse two more times before looking at the way to break it, barely keeping himself from showing his disgust. Surely it couldn't be so simple, after all of the effort that he and Kanon had put into finding the solution it had to be more complicated.
What was worse was that it was nearly impossible for him to do.
He drummed his fingers against the table, staring at the bell would call a servant in. There were no other sources he could call on; the book on his desk was old, far older than the other studies of magic that Schneizel had looked through. According to all of the other books, this kind of magic had been lost since the rise of Britannia, which was why he had held off looking at this book for so long. Then again, more impossible things had happened than an old kind of magic coming back. The royal family of Britannia had their Geass when there wasn't supposed to be any magic left in the world, it was logical to assume that there were a few people who still practiced magic hiding or societies that used magic under a different name. That conclusion was a bit soothing to his ego, but did nothing to stop him from hesitating. It still meant that he had no other sources to confer with save for one, and he was loathe to use it.
Schneizel wasn't comfortable in his presence because it should have been impossible, what had been done to him should have never been done. There were stories about what could happen if that kind of magic was used, stories that were used to scare children or was warnings for magicians. Bad things happened when the basic nature of the world was changed and yet nothing had happened. In the end, it was almost easier to treat him like he was still dead. Schneizel had already mourned for him and had managed to fall back into his daily pattern for a year before he had turned up again and disrupted everything. But, as a source of knowledge, he trumped all of the books that Schneizel had, so it was worth the discomfort to bring him in.
Schneizel rang the bell, glancing up from his desk only when the servant came in and bowed. "I want to speak with Lelouch."
He didn't bother to watch the servant scramble away; he just settled back in his chair and ran his mind over the details of the curse, wanting to make sure that he knew them well enough to recite them instead of relying on the book. He would give Lelouch the honor of having to refer to the book, if only to take him down a peg.
Schneizel looked up at Lelouch entered the room, trying not to shiver at the sight of his youngest brother. He turned his attention to the movement outside of the door, not surprised to see Sir Kururugi standing outside of his door. The knight and his brother had been inseparable since their return, so much so that Schneizel wondered if Suzaku was the thing that held the spell to keep Lelouch alive. There had been a few times that Schneizel was tempted to order Suzaku's death to see, but he had restrained himself. No matter how uncomfortable Lelouch made him, Schneizel could not deny how useful his brother was as a diplomat and a source of magical knowledge nor could he deny that there was some part of him that was glad that Lelouch wasn't dead.
He waited until Lelouch was seated to speak, starting by pushing the book towards Lelouch. "Is this correct?"
It only took a few minutes for Lelouch to skim over the to pages, Schneizel using the time to glance between Suzaku and Lelouch, waiting to see if there was any visible tie in the spell between them. Lelouch setting the book back on the desk snapped him out of his reverie, Schneizel leaning forward slightly as Lelouch pointed at the picture to one side of the spell. "I'm guessing that this is for your pet swan."
"He's not a pet."
Lelouch just smirked, resting his hands in his lap. "And you're willing to speak to me about it? I thought you would have preferred me dead."
Schneizel sighed. The years they had spent apart and dying had not changed Lelouch, he was still a brat. "I would prefer to know how you are alive to not knowing. Never assume that it means that I want you dead."
Lelouch shrugged, standing up to lean over the book. "I would tell you, but I don't know myself. Apparently it was a one time thing." He waved at Suzaku. "Ask my knight if you want further details. I'm afraid they are a bit fuzzy to me."
"I have and he's said the same thing."
"And the only one who really knew how it worked is dead." Lelouch grinned. "Isn't that convenient? But you have my word that, as long as you treat Nunnally and the Black Knights fairly, you will have my loyalty."
"I've already promised you that."
"Then stop asking." Lelouch didn't even look up. "Now could we stop this, it's getting tiresome. I can only tell you what's not happening rather than what did happen and that should be enough to satisfy you. For one, it is not an ongoing spell. From what I know it's just a trade. I got my life back and all of this knowledge in exchange for losing my Geass."
Lelouch stared at him in the concentrated way that Schneizel had come to recognize as the sign of someone using a Geass. Out of habit, he leaned back activating his own in the hopes that he could manage to convince Lelouch that he wasn't a threat. A moment after his own Geass activated, Schneizel realized that Lelouch was taking too long. He sat back and deactivated his Geass as the same time that Lelouch stopped trying.
Lelouch rubbed his left eye, blinking it a couple of times before looking at Schneizel. "Happy? I can't use my Geass and the rest of the Britannian family from now until the line disappears might not be born with one, I don't know for sure. Secondly, I came back with no desire for revenge. Everything that I did was for Nunnally and I'm too busy enjoying not being dead to act against you."
Schneizel saw the corner of Lelouch's mouth twitch as he spoke, not sure if it was a sign that Lelouch was lying or not. Then again, Schneizel could think of no reason that Lelouch would have wanted to remain dead. In any case, Schneizel was sure enough of Lelouch's answers that he felt confident in continuing their original conversation.
He nodded towards the book. "So, that's correct?"
"Yes." Lelouch frowned, shaking his head a moment later. "But they never say anything about killing the one who cast the spell in the first place. Unless it's tied to something, all spells disappear when their creator dies." Lelouch jerked slightly, narrowing his eyes. "And that's why you called me, to make sure that there was another way to do this."
Schneizel didn't bother to answer with a yes or no; Lelouch would just demand a further explanation. He leaned forward. "I'm the emperor, I need to keep myself open for a political marriage."
Lelouch chuckled. "I can't see you making a vow of everlasting love and proving it to the world in any case."
"It would be useless to make the vow in the first place, Kanon would die the moment I accepted any marriage proposals."
"And you don't love him, do you?"
Schneizel paused to think about the question. Kanon was the closest thing that Schneizel had to a friend, and Schneizel loved him for that. He wasn't sure if he felt any physical attraction towards Kanon, but Schneizel had never focused much on his feelings about Kanon. The two of them managed to understand each other well enough without any complications.
Schneizel tipped his head to the side. "Perhaps not in the manner that you love Sir Kururugi, but I do value Kanon."
Lelouch blushed at the implication that he and his knight were involved in any way. Schneizel just smirked and glanced back at the book. With a way out of the vow Schneizel was more confident about his chances.
He reached over to close the book, glancing back at where Suzaku stood by the door. "I'll need to borrow Sir Kururugi for this as he's more experienced with magic and will be discreet."
"No." Lelouch stood up. "No one borrows Suzaku. You don't get him unless I go with him."
"Lelouch-" Lelouch silenced Suzaku with a wave of his hand.
Schneizel pretended not to notice the exchange between Lelouch and Suzaku. He pulled a scrap of paper from under another book, sliding it across the desk. "A list of people that may be helpful in your search. All of them associated with the Maldini family before their disappearance and the top name is the current steward for the lands, although I suppose that he's the official head of those lands now. In any case, warn him that the heir of the household is coming back and but he will be kept on to run the farms. He's a useful man and has the estate running more efficiently than ever. The rest are the richer land owners in the area, one of them is bound to know about the dealings that the Maldini family had with a sorcerer. As to how the sorcerer is killed, I will leave that up to you and Sir Kururugi. Take as much time as you need and make sure the job is done thoroughly.
"And one more thing." Schneizel stopped Lelouch just before his brother had reached the door, ignoring the annoyed look that Lelouch shot over his shoulder. "Come back alive. I already had to mourn you once; I do not want to have to again."
Lelouch stared at him in shock before nodding. He glanced down at the paper in his hands, Schneizel watching as Lelouch went over the names and then glanced at the map that Schneizel had left out on the table. He wasn't prepared to insult Lelouch's intelligence by explaining everything to him, Lelouch could figure out the location of the Maldini lands well enough. He assumed that Lelouch was already forming a plan of attack, and Schneizel was content with leaving his little brother to carry out the task.
He sat down behind his desk, the motion drawing Lelouch's attention away from the map. Lelouch tucked the piece of paper into his pocket, resting his hand on the door. "Take care of Nunnally."
Schneizel didn't get a chance to answer before Lelouch shut the door. He stared at the door for a moment before leaning back with a smile. That was one more thing done. Soon he would have a full time aide and work would be easier. Some guilt would also be lifted from him. Twenty-one years and he was finally fulfilling his first and only meaningful promise to his most loyal supporter. Schneizel smiled to himself, glancing up at the open window. He had to have some sort of feelings for Kanon if he was willing to chase this answer down after so long.
He sat up, quickly organizing his desk and setting the book in the pile to return to the library. He wouldn't tell Kanon about finding the way to break his curse; Schneizel wanted to be sure that it could be done before giving Kanon the good news. There was no way that he would allow himself to disappoint Kanon, he didn't want to have an unhappy swan trailing him around the castle.
Kanon knew Schneizel was up to something, he had lived in close quarters with the emperor long enough to read Schneizel. Some people said that Schneizel was cold and unreadable, but that wasn't true, they just weren't looking for the subtle clues. Kanon could tell when Schneizel was really happy by the way that the corner of his mouth twitched up and then stayed there. He could tell when Schneizel was tired by the way that the emperor leaned more to the left on his throne. And he could tell that Schneizel was hiding something from him by the way that Schneizel would watch him carefully out of the corner of his eye, like he was waiting for Kanon to react to something.
That and Kanon had noticed that Lelouch and Suzaku had left the castle two months ago, not even having stayed a week.
Even with Schneizel feeling uncomfortable around Lelouch, a realistic reaction considering that the entire empire had heard that Prince Lelouch vi Britannia had died rescuing his sister, Schneizel wouldn't let his little brother out of his sight. His first reaction may have been to look away, but then Schneizel did everything in his power to keep Lelouch around, even if that meant the two of them started one of their arguments that were quickly gaining a legendary status. That Schneizel had allowed them to leave the castle without even a drawn out goodbye meant that he had sent them to do something, something that he could have sent Kanon to do. All of that added up to the fact that Schneizel was up to something and he wasn't even trying to hide it from Kanon.
After nothing had happened for a week, Kanon pushed it out of his mind, just enjoying the period of calm that Britannia had managed to slip into because of Nunnally's efforts. He was never sent too far from Pendragon on his missions, even though he knew that Schneizel had people out in the furthest reaches of Britannia. Kanon just assumed that Schneizel was sticking to his decision to keep Kanon closer to home.
Despite being disappointed by the situation, it gave Kanon the time to catch up on the court gossip, no one bothered Emperor Schneizel's pet swan as he wandered around the castle. It also gave Kanon time to just be around Schneizel, sitting comfortably at the base of the throne and catching all of the glances that Schneizel threw his way before answering a question. It had been a peaceful two months, at least until that morning.
Kanon was not fond of surprises. In his experience, they had never been good, as a human or a swan. He had nearly been eaten far more times than he was comfortable with and there had been a few close calls when he had still been a human and someone had barged into Schneizel's room. None of them topped his current situation.
The moon had set an hour ago and the sun was just beginning to rise, and he was still standing knee deep in the lake as a human. Kanon looked around nervously, walking to shore. At a loss of what to do, Kanon stumbled back into the lake, this time walking around to see if there was suddenly a specific spot that he needed to stand in to change. He gave up after the scrambled onto the opposite shore completely soaked from the waist down.
Now that the initial panic had passed, Kanon found himself able to think rationally. It was obvious that he wouldn't be turning back into a swan today, which was a good thing. There was a chance that it meant that the curse was finally broken, although Kanon was sure that Schneizel would have told him if he had found the way to break it. The only other conclusion that made sense was that Schneizel had found a way to delay the transformation somehow, at least until the curse could be broken. Kanon had never heard about such a thing existing, but he was relatively uninformed when it came to magic in general, he just knew the parameters of his own curse and how Schneizel's Geass worked. He had never felt the urge to learn anything more about magic.
At a loss of what to do, Kanon turned and walked back into the castle, taking his old route back to Schneizel's bedroom. Only the servants would be up at this hour, and Schneizel would sleep until the sun had fully risen, Kanon wouldn't be in any danger. He still stuck very close to the wall, aware of every sound he made as he padded down the corridor towards Schneizel's room.
Kanon flinched as the door creaked open, slipping inside and shutting it quickly behind him. He tensed as he heard Schneizel mutter something from his bed, waiting until Schneizel was quiet again before walking back toward the bed. There was really nothing else for him to do but to get some sleep. Maybe he would wake up and find that it was all just a dream and he would wake up as a swan tucked against Schneizel. It had been a while since he had last done that.
He stripped off his soaked pants by the side of the bed, writing them off as a lost cause for the moment. Kanon wiggled back under the covers, surprised when he felt Schneizel loop an arm over his waist. Kanon froze, releasing the breath that he had held when Schneizel let go of him, the emperor propping himself on one elbow to look at Kanon. "Still human?"
"I believe so."
Schneizel just nodded and flopped back onto the pillows, already asleep. Kanon turned to stare at him, surprised at the complete lack of reaction. He would have expected his childhood friend to at least be happy or excited, but it might have just been the early morning. But surely the shock would have been enough to wake Schneizel up. The only times that Kanon had come back to bed at this hour he had already been a swan, and that was to check on Schneizel before beginning to organize the reports that had come in for filing at a later date. There was no reason that Schneizel should have no reaction to the realization that Kanon was still human after the moon was gone, expect if Schneizel had already known it had happened.
Kanon narrowed his eyes, resisting the urge to roll over and glare at Schneizel. It would explain at lot about how Schneizel had been acting over the past few days, the way that Kanon had been kept close to Pendragon and the expectant looks that had been thrown his way for the past two months.
His eyes widened as all of the pieces finally came together. Lelouch had gone off because Schneizel had needed him to do something to break the curse. Maybe it was a small portion of the curse that Schneizel couldn't do himself or maybe it was as big as looking for the solution itself. In either case, Schneizel had known that the curse was going to be broken any day, and it was just like Schneizel to withhold information to avoid having to admit to a failure. If his gamble had failed, Schneizel would have started on another attempt while regrouping for the fall out from his first failure. But, from what had just happened, everything had gone according to plan.
Kanon made a mental note to berate Schneizel for keeping this from him when they both woke up, something simple to let Schneizel know that he was displeased at being left out. And then he would probably allow some of the unimportant paperwork to get mixed up, just to show how much it had really bothered him, and Schneizel would get the point. The emperor was perceptive like that. Anything more and Schneizel would begin to think that he had done something wrong by changing Kanon back. It wasn't as if Kanon wasn't happy with his curse finally being broken, he just would have preferred some warning.
He didn't know when he fell asleep, waking up when Schneizel rolled out of bed. Kanon sat up and stretched, felling completely out of place with arms instead of wings. He lowered his arms when he heard Schneizel stop moving around the room, turning his head to watch the emperor carefully.
Schneizel had known what was going on because Schneizel was pleased, Kanon could tell by the brief smile that flitted across Schneizel's face when he thought that Kanon wasn't looking. The emperor kept the rest of his mask in place, walking to the wardrobe to begin pulling out his clothes. "Do you feel another transformation?"
"No. Although it could happen at any time."
"Then it might be best for you to remain in my room for the day." Schneizel hummed, leaning back so he could look at Kanon. "How long until you can be sure that you won't change again?"
Kanon shrugged, sure that Schneizel already knew the answer to the question. "A few days."
"I'll officially hire you then."
"I would be honored." Kanon slipped out of bed, still slightly giddy over the fact that he was human and would remain permanently so. The feeling was dulled by the slow realization that he had never actually been human for more than a handful of hours at a time, but he was sure that he would be able to learn the proper nuances quickly enough, If not, he could always add some time to his guessed time needed to be sure that the transformation had stuck. And that would truly be a torment to Schneizel, knowing that he had a competent member of his staff but couldn't use him. That would be the perfect revenge.
He bent down to pick up his pants, changing his mind when he saw that they were wet. Wordlessly, Schneizel handed him another set of old clothes, Kanon taking the chance to slip into them. He waited until he was dressed before turning to Schneizel. "I expect to be informed of all future changes in my position, your majesty, as I assume you wish to be."
Schneizel looked panicked for a brief moment before he nodded, Kanon satisfied with that. He walked out to Schneizel's desk, carefully arranging the papers into neat piles that he could mess with later, sorting out what was important from the annoying little duties that would not harm anyone if they were done late. Kanon was already making a mental catalog of all of Schneizel's most used books to hide them in. He would just have to wait until the emperor left the room.
He paused in his task when Schneizel stepped up to the front of the desk, looking up as the emperor cleared his throat. "I wasn't sure it was going to work, since I didn't use the conventional means."
Kanon raised an eyebrow at that, deciding not to ask what the conventional mean was. "I would still like to be informed next time. You seem to have forgotten that swans are known for their temperament, and I did spend twenty-seven years of my life as a swan."
That made Schneizel look nervous, Kanon keeping his bland smile in place as he shuffled through the documents on Schneizel's desk. "You'll be late to court, your majesty."
Schneizel nodded and walked from the room, Kanon immediately darting to the bookshelf and beginning to pull down books. He sorted the documents into the order that they needed to be found in and started inserting them into the pages of the books, the most urgent going into the books that Schneizel used the most. He smiled to himself, imagining the look on Schneizel's face when he found the missing documents and the search through all of his books to find the rest.
It was just as perfect as Kanon imagined when, two weeks later, after having faced down a furious Lelouch shouting at him in the middle of court and gesturing at an embarrassed Suzaku whose arm was in a sling, Schneizel opened the first book and watched the document flutter to the ground. The look of shock and then resignation that crossed his face was enough to tell Kanon that Schneizel knew exactly what he was being punished for. Kanon fought back a smile as he stepped forward, picked up the document from the floor and presented it with a bow to Schneizel.
END