Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, or any of it's affiliated characters or spin-offs.
Prologue.
Lelouch Lamperouge, recently uncovered as the exiled prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia, stepped through the gates of Ashford Academy with a sigh.
Returning to the school, after the events of the previous few months, would be a rather tedious task.
With his connection to Britannian Royalty now public knowledge, Lelouch knew that all the attention he used to receive at the Academy, from both Students and Teachers, would have increased ten-fold over his break.
Idly, the strategical prodigy thought about how annoying all of it would be, as he did his best to settle back into normal life.
Stepping through the large iron gates, and into the school-grounds themselves, Lelouch noticed that the tranquil atmosphere around Ashford Academy hadn't changed at all since his departure.
The smell of blooming flowers, probably coming from the Gardening Club, placed a pleasant undertone to the scene unfolding around him.
It was a scene mainly of teenagers gathering and chatting with friends. Some hid from the bright, sunny day in the cool shade of a tall tree, while others stretched out on the grassy fields surrounding the main buildings.
All in all, the scene around Ashford Academy was one of peace, of a place without concern for the world outside of the school's boundaries.
It was exactly what Lelouch wished to return to.
The slow, calm pace of life at Ashford would be a welcome change from the rapid, dangerous lifestyle he had left behind.
With a smile, the teen suddenly froze in place, his mind recounting the events that had brought him back to Ashford.
After what had taken place in C's World, up to and including the death of Emperor Charles zi Britannia, Lelouch faced the opportunity of taking his father's place as Emperor.
He knew that this was how the Royal Family organized itself; Originally seventeenth in line to the throne, the exiled prince could now, by right, take the leadership of the Empire as his own, simply by having eliminated it's previous resident.
It was this same harsh policy that had, in a way, caused Lelouch and his sister Nunnally to be exiled to the nation of Japan in the first place.
However, in the month after Charles' death, in the month in which the Holy Empire of Britannia squirmed without a leader, Lelouch found himself with a rather surprising visitor at his door.
Second Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Schneizel el Britannia. With him, in a regal-pink wheelchair, was a guest of even grander surprise; Nunnally Lamperouge, previously known as Nunnally vi Britannia, and Lelouch's blind, crippled sister. The same blind, crippled sister that was thought to have been killed in the Fleya explosion, during the Black Knight's Second Battle for Tokyo.
Standing in the middle of the Academy grounds (still unnoticed by any surrounding students, fortunately), Lelouch felt himself succumbing to the tearful joy that had taken him at seeing his prized Nunnally alive and well. Strangely enough, the frail girl didn't say say a word, even after Schneizel had informed the girl that her brother was before her, and on the verge of an emotional breakdown.
Gripping his emotions by the horns, Lelouch only let a small sniff give away the tide of emotion, before hardening himself the way he had done many times before.
His eyes locked in a grim stare, not too dissimilar to the one he had worn on the battlefield as Zero, he restarted his journey towards the school's main buildings.
"My proposition is simple, brother," Schneizel said, staring into Lelouch's eyes with a death-stare. "Give up whatever plan's you've concocted, and let First Prince Odysseus take the throne, as it should be. In return, I'll give up Nunnally, and let you run along to live whatever life you wish,"
Lelouch, finally gaining his composure, gave the Second Prince a knowing smile.
Of course Schneizel had figured out his plans. He was, after all, the only person with strategical prowess to match his own.
If anyone could have figured out what Lelouch was planning, it was the blond-haired man standing in his doorway.
The teen, his amethyst eyes rapidly flicking back and forth between his two siblings, considered the choice suddenly placed before him.
In one hand, he could decline the offer, and take the throne for himself. Following his master plan, he would eventually bring about unity and peace to the world. He would make it a better place, as he had always intended.
On the flipside, he could take the offer, and once again have Nunnally in his care. His dear, dear sister. How many times had he dreamed of this very moment? Of seeing her once again? Of being able to hold her in his arms, and care for her, once again?
In the back of Lelouch's mind, the voice of logic told him that something was amiss.
Along with a strategical prowess, the two bothers also shared a grand sense of ambition.
It would be unlike Schneizel to simply allow another to take the throne, when it hung alluringly before him.
"What are you hiding, Schneizel?" Lelouch demanded, his voice suddenly cold, despite the presence of his beloved sister. "You're just going to let Odysseus take the throne?"
Schneizel chuckled. He had been wondering how long it would take his brother to figure out there was more to this than could be seen.
"Odysseus is a weak man, Lelouch. A man who is very open to suggestion," the reply from the blond prince oozed his calm and calculating nature. "He always has the best intentions, but intentions that can be easily influenced, none-the-less,"
Lelouch smirked. "Of course," he murmured mostly to himself.
It didn't take a genius to see what was happening here.
If Schneizel took the throne directly, he would automatically become a prime suspect in the disappearance of the previous Emperor. Whisperings of such things were hard to quell, and soon lead to doubt amongst the people. Doubt would eventually lead to anger. Anger would lead to rebellion.
And rebellion, Schneizel knew, was the undoing of any plans he might be able to set down.
Instead, the young prince would allow Odysseus to take the throne, as was protocol in a situation such as this. Able to control the new Emperor from behind the scenes, he in essence had taken power for himself, minus the complications of a direct action.
At the end of the day, Lelouch had to admit that it was a brilliant plan by Schneizel.
Of course, the older brother would be getting rid of the only threat to all of this in the same move.
The Second Prince had no way of knowing exactly what his sibling was planning. But, knowing his brother, he could speculate that it was a good idea to get rid of him before such plans could come to fruition.
Yet, how would one cause such a thing? Simple.
Give Lelouch want he wanted, and in doing so, take away any motivation he might have to oppose Schneizel's rise to anonymous power.
In a nutshell, give him Nunnally.
It was a pretty good deal, as far as the Second Prince was concerned.
Nunnally would no longer be of any use to him, either as a political bargaining chip, or as an ally.
Get rid of her, while at the same time eliminating his most dangerous opponent.
Yes, a very good deal indeed.
It didn't matter at all that Lelouch could see all of this.
He knew, that with Nunnally back in his care, he could make sure she was properly looked after.
Also, with Odysseus at the throne, the aggressive nature of the Holy Britannian Empire would soon disappear.
The First Prince was a kind and gentle man. Hardly the warmonger that had been Charles zi Britannia.
And wasn't the whole point of Lelouch's campaign? To bring about the end of his father's tyrannical reign, and by any means bring peace to the world?
Even for the young exile, this was a good deal. One could almost call this a win-win situation.
Almost.
"I see you have put me in check before the game has even begun, brother Schneizel," Lelouch finally spoke, his voice echoing a tone of defeat.
The victor let out a smirk "You will accept my proposition, then?"
A devious smile spread across Lelouch's features, his mind unveiling brand new plans at a break-neck pace. "On one condition,"
One of Schneizel's eyebrows arched, indicating for the younger of the two to continue.
"I'll accept your proposal, brother, but in return you must hand over Japan to the Black Knights," Lelouch spoke, his expression a challenging one. He was practically daring his brother to decline. "Britannia must leave the nation to it's own affairs, without any outside influence,"
The audacity astounded Schneizel, as did his brother's cunning.
In an instant, Lelouch had played on Britannia's need for the Sakuradite deposits within Japan. Even though the new generation of Knightmare Frames were powered by sources other than the rare mineral, the bulk of the Britannian military was still reliant on the exports from Area 11.
Now, Lelouch was bringing this fact into the deal. No longer was it the simple exchange Schneizel had imagined it would be.
The question now was whether or not eliminating Lelouch was worth the loss of the Sakuradite mines.
"Fine, the Black Knights will have Japan," it seemed the answer to that question was Yes. Schneizel's eyes narrowed into enraged slits as he watched his victory slither away from him. "Do we have a deal, Lelouch?"
The teen smiled, having finally beaten his brother in their final game. "We have a deal,"
Schneizel grunted his disapproval of the situation. "It might take awhile, don't expect an announcement to come overnight,"
Lelouch chuckled. "Just make sure it gets done, brother,"
With that, the younger sibling wheeled his sister in to the foyer, before unceremoniously slamming the wooden door in the face of the Second Prince of Britannia.
Bringing himself back from the reverie, Lelouch Lamperouge idly noted that he had made it to the main buildings of the school.
As he climbed the stone steps up to the entrance, he smiled at the recollection of what had transpired that day.
What made the memory all the more satisfying, was the fact that Ashford Academy was now situated on territory belonging to the expanded United States of Japan, rather than that belonging to the Holy Empire of Britannia.
Of course, he failed to recollect C.C.'s smile when he told her the change of plans.
A/N: So, my first story, all ready to be read o-o
Incase you didn't pick up, this story is set in an alternate ending of Code Geass. I hope to keep this story going for a few more chapters yet. To be honest, I don't really know where this story is going, but with all of Christmas to think about it, I'm sure I'll soon come up with a few ideas.
For now, please Rate and Review, especially considering this is my first piece here on the site. All constructive crit will be taken into consideration.
Thanks =).