What sort of sorcery is this crap now?! Another new story being churned out by yours truly? Yeah, don't even know where I'm getting the drive from, but this is a story that has been languishing in my docs folder for the last 6 months give or take. It's not going to be an Ice and Fire, Rose of Geass, or any of the others.
It's honestly a story that is more serving as a guilty pleasure by pushing a pairing that honestly is out of fucking left field.
I mean seriously, how many fanfics can you count an idea of Schneizel x Kallen, let alone adding in Lelouch in the mix. Yeah, that's right, this is going into the Twilight Zone of pairings here.
But that aside, like I said, this is not going to be a very long fanfic. Maybe 10-15 chapters at the very most, at least in my mind. No, I dont have a lot of the details worked out, no this is more of a side project that I just wanted to get out of my docs so it will stop glaring at me.
So anyways, here it is, The Woman Who Sold The World.
Prologue
Pull Pin, Run Towards Enemy
There were many things he was called, all dependent upon who it was, The White Prince, The Cold-Blooded Strategist...The Silver-Tongued Devil of Britannia; All of these titles were irrelevant to him, for they did not truly encompass who he was.
He was Schneizel el Britannia, Second Prince of the Britannian Imperial Family, Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire, and most powerful man after the Emperor.
And not even the fact that his carefully constructed plans to annex the Chinese Federation were crumbling could distract him from such a fascinating mystery that had landed into his hands.
"Your Highness," Kanon Maldini, his aide-de-camp, quietly intoned, drawing his gaze from the barren wasteland that seemed to dominate the Chinese mainland.
"Were there any problems?"
"None. They nearly fell over themselves turning her over to us."
He had to resist the urge to snort, the act undignified for someone of his station regardless of its merit, not surprised that the Eunuchs would be so eager to try and placate him for their incompetence. After all, it was their fault that the Tianzi had been kidnapped by Zero despite his warning, it made sense that they would attempt to salvage their situation lest he decide to renege upon it for their failures.
"Good," he said, raising himself from the throne-like command chair of the Avalon, "I will be in my quarters, please see it that our guest joins me for dinner."
"Your Highness," came the confused question from his aide, causing him to offer a small smile of assurance.
"Please see to it."
"Of course."
WWSW
The past six hours had been a unimaginable blur that had left her angry at both herself and her captors for her failure. After having been shunted from her Chinese captors to her new Britannian ones, her hopes that Lelouch was going to be able to save her soon were flagging.
It had been such an amateur mistake that she had made, not paying attention to her energy supply, and she could only silently curse herself due to the gag that was currently in her mouth. If she had paid closer attention none of this would have happened and she would still be fighting beside Lelouch.
Lelouch, she thought emptily, remembering the desperation in his tone as he called out for her. How he had no choice but to retreat, but he had pledged to save her as soon as he could. It both warmed her and hurt because she had placed him in this position in the first place because of her stupidity. A case of stupidity that could end much worse.
She tried to adjust her body, attempting to maybe find some way to break free of her bonds, only to find the straitjacket refused to offer any freedom of movement, furthering her frustration to nearly incandescent levels.
It was in this state that the door opened to her cell and Kanon Maldin, Suzaku Kururugi, and a pair of female soldiers walked in. Kanon took one look at her, his gaze inscrutable even as she glared angrily at them before turning to one of the women, "Unbind her restraints."
This somewhat surprised her, considering the fact that throughout her entire captivity they had refrained from doing anything to allow her freedom of movement. So as the one soldier moved forward and began to unlock her restraints, she prepared to make a move.
"I would not do what you are thinking, Miss Stadtfeld," Kanon spoke, obviously knowing what she was thinking, "it will only restore you to your previous incarcerated status. Prince Schneizel would rather prefer that we all remain civilized."
It was just as the gag was removed that she offered her first barb in her momentary freedom, "So treating a prisoner like a rabid animal is civilized now?"
Only she found that her barb found no purchase in the conversation, as Kanon merely looked to Suzaku who looked rather uncomfortable, "You have your orders, Sir Kururugi. See to it that she arrives intact and ready."
"Of course, My Lord," Suzaku replied stiffly, before turning his gaze back to Kallen as she was helped to her feet, the restraints now gone but she was still wearing the jacket and her hands were still cuffed as Maldini walked away.
"Aren't you a good dog," she sneered, causing a flicker of annoyance to flit across his face before he took a deep cleansing sigh. She almost celebrated the fact that she got a word in edgewise to the man who had betrayed his own people and best friend.
"Kallen, either you behave or I have you gagged again," he replied, an iron in his tone making her realize that he was not going to give her any opening, "now, follow me."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I have the Leftenant use her shock rod to get you to move," with that, she turned to look at the woman who extended a baton with a pair of metal prongs that crackled as electricity arced between them, a challenging look on her expression.
"And what about your orders to deliver me intact?"
"My orders did not exclude unblemished, Kallen. Now, please," he motioned towards the open door, "come with me."
Taking another look to the glaring Leftenant, then back to Suzaku, she chose the lesser of two evils in this case (and her slowly growing curiosity) and follow after him. After a short time she was led into a small locker room.
"You have fifteen minutes to clean yourself, Kallen," Suzaku stated, averting his gaze from her, "supplies have been furnished and the Leftenant and Private shall remain to ensure your compliance. There is a spare uniform for you to wear."
She felt the urge to protest at the fact that she would have to wear the uniform of the enemy, but quickly killed off that thought simply because of the fact that she had not been able to wash in nearly a day thanks to the events of the wedding and escape. The idea of being able to wash off after so long was too appealing to turn down.
So, she silently took advantage of the shower, getting some assistance to take off the rest of the straitjacket and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the accumulated dirt, grime, and sweat.
It also allowed her a few moments of respite to her think of exactly what was going on that she was getting such treatment. There was no real reason she should, she wasn't even considered an enemy combatant by the rules of war (not that Britannia followed them), so how they were acting made no sense whatsoever. And why was the aide of Schneizel there.
"Time's up," came the declaration of the Leftenant, causing Kallen to not try her luck, instead letting the water rinse off the last of the soap and turned off the water, grabbing the towel and drying herself off. She then looked at the brown uniform that had been laid out for her.
"Really," she asked tersely, but the only response was the crackling of the stun rod and she weighed her options before not liking the result. Sighing, she reached down and started to put on the uniform, donning it without protest just in time for Suzaku's return. He took a moment to stare at her in the Britannian uniform before he shook his head,
"Let's go," he said, turning away and heading back out of the locker room. Kallen took a moment to process before following after him, knowing that it would not end well if she chose to refuse whatever it was planned for her, and the likelihood of her escaping were none, so it was just better to follow directions….for now.
So, it was to her surprise when she was led into a stateroom, the surprise however turned to anger as she took in the man rising from his chair at the table situated in the middle of the room.
"Lady Stadtfeld," Prince Schneizel el Britannia greeted "it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Please, would you join me for dinner."
"Not like I have any choice," she replied acidly, moving forward so as to not be punished for her cheek, though Schneizel's lack of reaction to her statement irritated her as she took a seat that Kanon had pulled out for her, casting a glare at the aid who looked nonplussed by it.
"We all have a choice," Schneizel replied with a convivial tone as he kept up his inviting smile, taking his own seat across from her, "it's the consequences of our choices that determines how we choose, My Lady."
"I'd rather keep my head, thanks."
Whatever response Schneizel would have given was cut off by the entry of the meal, as the various plates were placed before them with a food that flooded Kallen with scents that insidiously overwhelmed her wish to talk back and instead simply eat. At first, she approached the chicken cautiously, her knife slicing the meat away into more edible portions, before consuming them.
"It seems that my chef has outdone himself," Schneizel mused as he watched Kallen, a knowing smile on his face, "I had worried that the North African fare may be a bit too much for your palate, but it seems that it may have been just what was needed."
Yet Kallen chose not to respond, a breach of decorum, but then again, she was more worried about the fact that the last decent meal she had was before the wedding. Finger food and field were not adequate substitutes for even a simple meal, and this was most certainly not decent.
Watching the redhead with an amused smirk, he sipped from his wine, eyes only leaving her in the moments he sampled his own dish. Of course, he could have called her out for her actions, but he found it so much more entertaining to watch her as she sought sustenance at the time trying to maintain a sense of decorum befitting her station.
It was only after her appetite had started to wane that she remembered where she was, her expression hardened as she placed down the cutlery, eyes narrowing at the blond prince.
"Why," she demanded.
And now they came to the crux of the matter, he mused silently, taking one more sip of the exquisite wine before placing the glass down on the table so he could focus solely upon the redheaded ace of the Black Knights.
"I would be remiss not to dine with the woman who has seemed to capture my younger brother's heart."
It took a moment for Kallen to react as Schneizel observed, but when it registered the woman before him looked stunned as her hand rose to her chest and a smile began to break upon her face before she remembered where she was. Gone was the smile, replaced by something that screamed danger for him.
"What do you mean," she forced out, not quite hiding a myriad of emotions that clouded her tone.
"Come now, Lady Stadtfeld, let's forgo the dance of deception you are undoubtedly about to attempt to embark upon in futility, and just cut to the very heart of the matter. Zero is my younger brother, the former 11th Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia. A brother whom I both loved, and feared the most above all others."
If he hadn't been waiting for the reaction, it would have ended quite differently, so when Kallen had grabbed one of the knives on the table, he was already moving coming to his feet and swiftly disarming the redhead before she could make her situation any worse, as the knife clattered to the floor.
"Your Highness,' Suzaku shouted, coming into the room, his sword already drawn, eyes drawn to the sight before him.
There Kallen was, disarmed, held in a hold that prevented her from making any movement without Schneizel knowing and counteracting it. Yet it did not deter Kallen from trying to break free, only to find herself with no recourse while being held intimately close to his body.
"Ah, Sir Kururugi," Schneizel spoke, his voice damnably calm to Kallen despite what had just taken place, "it seems Lady Stadtfeld has had enough entertainment for the evening. Would you kindly escort to her quarters."
"Let me go," Kallen demanded, trying to struggle free, only
"Your Highness," Kanon spoke now, having entered in behind Kururugi and other guards, his expression neutral, but there was a glint of fury in those eyes as he gazed upon the visage of the man who was both close friend and more, "your face."
The barely veiled anger in the aide-de-camps tone caused Kallen to stop struggling in his arms, instead, turning her head just enough to see Schneizel even as Kururugi stormed towards the two of them. It appeared that Schneizel had not been successful in preventing her from at least harming the blond-haired Second Prince, as there was a cut on his cheek that spilled blood down it, marring the attractive features.
Before she could react, his hand slipped up and fingers dug into her shoulder to prevent her from saying anything more, even if his expression had not changed from the warm one that seemed constantly plastered upon his face.
"A bit of carelessness on my part," he mused aloud, the fingers digging bruising even as she clenched her teeth to hide the fact that it hurt, "I had forgotten how difficult it can be to eat with the turbulence the Avalon can suffer through."
What, Kallen thought, frozen, completely confused, Why? Why would he-
"I think it would be best for the both of us to retire for the evening, wouldn't you agree, Lady Stadtfeld," he intoned, looking her pointedly in the face as he let her go and she spun around.
"Uh..Yes," she agreed, doing her best to act by offering a nervous laugh, "maybe we should try and dine on more stable grounds next time."
"I will look forward to that then. Sir Kururugi, please escort her to her new quarters, if you would."
"Of course, Your Highness," Suzaku took his hand off his word, but his gaze had not let up upon Kallen as he turned and motioned with his hand for her to come with him. Kallen took a look at Schneizel, who merely offered her a barely noticeable nod, before turning back to Suzaku and following him, still trying to grasp what had just taken place.
Schneizel watched her go, and as the doors to the stateroom closed, he walked back to the table to grab the wine glass that had laid unattended since he had left it to take a sip from it, relishing in its rich flavor before he took an ornate napkin and dabbed it in one of the glasses of ice water, before compressing his cheek to stop the bleeding.
"What are you doing, Schneizel," Kanon quietly demanded, having already sent out a summons for a medical team to tend to his liege, "she-"
"Sought to protect the man she loved" Schneizel interrupted, still staring at the door in which she had exited, before he began to chuckle, shaking his head, not caring if he risked reopening his wound.
"How...intoxicating," he murmured.
"Schneizel," his friend asked, confused by the statement, growing worried for his friend.
"It's nothing Kanon," he reassured his friend, even as medics came into the room, intent on treating their liege, "just a realization of something that I didn't even know I was missing."
"And what is that?"
"Feeling alive."