Imperial Throne Room

Pendragon

July 23rd 2010 a.t.b.

The young boy kneeled silently in the centre of the civilized world; the throne room of the Holy Britannian Empire, the heart of western civilization and the lair of the most powerful man on earth. Elegant ivory arches curved up into a high ceiling, held up by spindly gothic pillars. Hooded galleries lined the sides of the rooms, filled with the more important children of the royal family. A raised dais situated at the back of the hall housed the imposing imperial throne and its keeper, the ruler of more than one-third of the world, his Imperial Highness, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and the Areas, Charles zi Britannia. Said man loomed imposingly over his young son, his features schooled in a practiced scowl, showing his displeasure at the idea of his son's defiance.

Around Lelouch stood the many nobles of the realm; members of the House of Lords, knights of the realm, esteemed peers and members of the royal entourage. Snakes. Scorpions, the lot of them. They whispered slurs behind perfectly manicured hands, slowly striking lacquered fans through the air, their eyes never leaving Lelouch. Civil smiles graced their faces, some a little too wide to be polite, and he knew in that instant what he was to them; he was an abhorrence, a commoner that should never have been made prince. Their words never reached the prince, but their eyes screamed what their voices failed to say. Impudent brat. How dare he? The commoner thinks that he can stand amongst us? Lelouch knew what they said about him and his family. The snakes would offer 'heartfelt' condolences and smile politely to him, but behind his back they revelled in the death of his mother, the commoner consort, the bitch who thought that she could snare their glorious emperor in her claws. He knew that they celebrated the fall of the vi Britannia family and their associates.

He held no respect for these people, these… cowards who existed at the will and the whim of the emperor. He couldn't fear them or hate them or bring himself to feel anything more than a detached annoyance at their presence. Their positions ensured that they would get what was coming to them. Their corrupt existence grew strong under the shadow of the emperor, but Lelouch knew that without the emperor, their existence was fleeting. He despised the corruption and social Darwinism that they religiously spread across the globe, but not these blind and ignorant puppets. He lifted his head to look at his father.

No. He hated the puppeteer.

The force of the emperor's displeasure pinned Lelouch to his knees. Those purple eyes were colder than ice and held no warmth nor sadness nor rage, only a glacial stoicism that struck fear into his enemies. This was the gaze of the man that had brought nations to their knees, which set both kings and peasants alike aquiver. Lelouch was not one to give into his fears, but for the first time since his mother's death, he felt truly alone in that room, forsaken by his allies and abandoned in the lion's den. The fear doused his anger, cold hands gripping his heart, forcing him to drop his impudent gaze and stare defiantly at his father's feet. Beads of sweat began to form on his forehead, as the full implications of his actions hit him. He slowly lowered himself to his knees, but kept his gaze fixed on the raised platform, and the steel tips of his fathers- no- the emperor's boot. That man was no father to him. Lelouch wouldn't apologise. He couldn't apologise, not because of some misplaced notion of pride, but because he knew better. He idly wondered how many fallen generals had grovelled on their knees to kiss those boots, before being summarily executed. He refused to join them. If he was to survive this situation, he would have to show strength in the face of death, in true Britannian fashion.

Charles' eyebrow twitched.

The boy was more interesting than he had thought. He knew that his son felt fear, but to hold his nerve and face down the emperor showed true courage. Charles felt a little bit of disgust when he realised that he was proud of the brat. He reminded him a little bit of Schneizel; cunning and decisive, but Lelouch had a fire in him that his elder brother didn't, a fire that separated him from his brothers and sisters. Still, that didn't change anything. The boy had dared to disrespect him and that required a severe punishment. His eyes grew cold once again, and the whispers of the nobles fell silent in a twisted anticipation of the fate of the ten year old prince.

Charles stood and raised his arm, as Lelouch tensed before him. What would it be? Exile or death? Forgiveness was too much to ask for. The emperor simply flicked his hand away, before turning away to return to his throne. He didn't speak. There was no need to. A low groan wafted over the crowd, as Lelouch closed his eyes. He knew what this meant; his transgression was forgiven for now, but not forgotten, by any means. His father had not spoken to him, because the emperor had no reason to speak to filth. Lelouch was under no illusions; in effect, it was a death sentence. In order for him and his sister to survive, he would need to show the emperor that he could still be useful. Plans began to circle in his head rapidly, as the crowd slowly began to file out of the room, occasionally shooting furtive glances or jeering looks at his kneeling figure. To apologise would mean death. To accept the ruling would mean death as well. There was but one path left open to him. Lelouch remembered what he had overheard Schneizel and Cornelia talking about at the Aries villa during his visit a fortnight ago. The second prince and princess had spent nearly an hour discussing the new prototype Knightmare frame, the Glasgow. He had listened, as they talked about Sakuradite, and the delicate and tenuous relationship between the Empire and Japan, home of the largest deposits of Sakuradite in the world. He knew what he had to do, but what about Nunnally?

'Wouldn't it be safer to leave her on the mainland? No.' he decided quickly. Without his protection, she would be 'removed' without hesitation, by one of his siblings or jealous nobles.

"Your majesty," he called out, his voice ringing out in the silent, empty room, "your majesty, I apologise for speaking out of turn, but I have a request to beg of you."

Charles looked up at Lelouch, his frigid stare boring into him, staring into his very soul, and stretching out his son's discomfort, before slowly nodding his approval.

"Your majesty, I most humbly ask that I and my sister be sent to Japan, to aid in the negotiations. Our presence may add weight to our claim to the mining rights for Sakuradite in that region." He spoke with an air of elegance and poise about him that few people, his age or older, could hope to match, slowly enunciating each word, as if to stress the strength of his argument.

"Why?" His voice boomed, echoing fiercely around the room. Lelouch flinched minutely. The emperor wasn't questioning his argument, he knew that at least.

'He wants to know why he should let me escape my punishment,' he deduced quickly.

"Because, your highness, regardless of the outcome, you stand with much to gain. Should the Japanese react with hostility, you shall have a legitimate excuse for war that the EU and Chinese Federation could not argue with. In addition, you will have rid yourself of two members of the royal family who were too weak to survive. But, if I succeed, we gain access to enough Sakuradite to create cheap Knightmares that could revolutionise warfare for the next century."

A smug look appeared on the emperor's face, and Lelouch knew then that he was safe, and soon to be on his way to Japan. Outwardly he closed his eyes in relief, but inside his head he was smiling broadly.

'Objective one: clear.'

Lelouch vi Britannia sat in the car, silently, replaying the events of today in his head, as the nondescript black limousine glided through the streets of Pendragon, towards the Aries villa, where his sister and his friend, Milly Ashford waited for him. He briefly wondered how he would break the news to Nunnally that they would be leaving their siblings for a while, before passing the subject over and moving onto more serious matters. He would need to speak to Reuben Ashford about continuing the Ashford Foundation, even in exile. They might require funding, but Lelouch was certainly not short of cash at the moment. The work of the Ashford Foundation could very well become an important factor in the later stages of his plans, if they ever got that far. The Knightmare frame that they had engineered, the Ganymede, was ingenious and it showed the world what the foundation could do with enough money.

His train of thought came to an abrupt halt as the car did, and he was immediately assaulted by a little blond girl, bombarding him with frantic questions. He brushed past her quickly, before running into the villa to search for her grandfather.

"Lord Ashford," he called, when he spotted the elderly man, "It seems that you may have company on your trip to Japan. Nunnally and I have been tasked to aid negotiations between us and Japan. We are to stay with the Kururugi family at their shrine."

"The president of Japan? Little Lord, are you sure-"

"The emperor himself has demanded it." He knew that it was rude to interrupt the man, but they really needed to finish their business before Nunnally got wind of their trip. Judging by the predatory look on Milly's face as she ran from the room, he had between four and six minutes before she would return with his sister, both with crocodile tears in full flow. "Lord Ashford, would you mind doing me a small favour?"

"Of course Lelouch! Anything." The man practically grovelled, anxious to maintain his connections with royalty.

"I would like you to keep the Ashford Foundation running in exile, without my brother finding out about this."

The old man looked apologetic, "Lelouch, I'm afraid that with our banishment, I just don't have the money to keep the foundation running."

Lelouch didn't miss the glint in Reuben's eyes. He knew that Reuben was already set on keeping the foundation running in exile; he just wanted a little money to smooth his debts. Lelouch was very fond of the old man, but he was by no means perfect. His three glaring weaknesses were his greed, his gambling problem and his love for his granddaughter. Lelouch wasn't willing to exploit that third option, but the other two options were ripe for picking. "You will be handsomely rewarded for your efforts."

Lelouch knew that with that, the deal was done. Reuben was trying valiantly to hold back a smile, as his tone turned jovial. "Any particular area of the foundation that you would like me to improve?"

"The evolution of the Knightmare Frame sounds interesting, doesn't it?"

"I agree, it does sound intriguing." His voice dropped its breezy tone, "Which brother, in particular am I to keep this from?"

Lelouch snorted, an unbecoming act for a prince, but a necessary one nonetheless, "Schneizel, of course. Who else would it be?"

Reuben nodded in understanding, staring at a spot behind Lelouch's head, before shaking hands with Lelouch and quickly excusing himself form the room, wearing a sympathetic expression. Lelouch froze, as the hairs on his neck began to prickle, and he turned to see the spot Reuben was staring at.

"Oh Luuluu," sang Milly evilly.

'Damn,' he thought, 'Four minutes and forty seven seconds.'

Lelouch closed the door to his room, letting out a tired sigh. It had taken ages to get Nunnally to stop crying, and Milly had certainly not been helpful.

He walked slowly towards his bed, shedding clothes all the way, before he clambered into bed in his boxers, wrapping an arm around the current occupant.

"Well?"

The question was vague, but Lelouch knew what she meant.

"Charles did exactly what I expected." He smirked, before nuzzling his face into the mass of green hair.

"Good." The word was spoken softly, releasing all of her concerns in one simple word, before she leaned back into him. "You act well." She murmured, her breaths deepening as she fell asleep.

Lelouch waved his free hand languidly over his face, revealing the glowing red symbol imprinted permanently on his left eye.

A grin formed slowly on the face of the ten year old, as he lay back down to sleep, behind the witch.

"Everything was going according to plan."