Thoughts of Truth

Chapter 3 - The President


The wind howled outside, sending leaves and small objects flying every which way. Something was creaking outside, and it sounded like it was precariously close to giving in to the gale. Not that Millicent Ashford would go out and check. She was currently hiding underneath her blankets and trembling. She would never admit it, but Milly had always been afraid of big thunderstorms and windy nights that made her whole house much creepier. Her house, not her home. To the Ashford heiress, home was all the way back in Pendragon, where she should be. Instead, her whole family had been disgraced, and they had been forced to come to the newly established Area 11. Luckily, they still had money, but not a decent reputation.

Milly couldn't sleep. The house was already foreign enough for her tastes, and the sound of howling and screeching wind only made it worse. Some days, she didn't want to sleep. Milly didn't like nightmares, especially ones filled with her missing friends. Lelouch...Nunnally..., she thought. The two Vi Britannias were some of her best friends back in Pendragon. Milly had always been a popular girl, but the two children of royalty were the most down to earth and kind-hearted people that she knew. But now they were dead.

When Lady Vi Britannia died, and when the Ashfords fell from grace, both Lelouch and Nunnally traveled to Japan, which shortly became Area 11. There was no way that two royal children would be able to survive through such an ordeal. Milly knew that, and she missed them greatly.

Suddenly, the sound of knocking interrupted Milly's thoughts. While it was heavily muffled, it came from the main doorway. She could hear the sounds of the maids quickly opening the door, and the heavy footsteps of her grandfather coming to meet the visitors. But who could be visiting at such an hour?

Milly debated whether or not she should sneak outside. It was already much past her bedtime, and her grandfather would be very mad if he could her sneaking out. On the other hand, no one would usually visit at this time, and even if it was urgent, they would notify her grandfather beforehand. Curiosity got the best of her, and Milly quickly made up her mind.

She stuffed a couple small pillows underneath the blanket, just in case anyone checked up on her room while she was gone. The door opened with a small creak, and Milly swiftly stepped out. As stealthily as an 11 year old child could, Milly snuck her way over to the balcony that overlooked the main entrance. She crouched low and peeked her eyes over the banister.

It was a wild and rough looking Lelouch vi Britannia, with his sister Nunnally carried upon his back.

Milly had to clamp her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from gasping audibly.

But how...? she thought. It shouldn't have been possible. The islands that formed Area 11 were swiftly taken by Britannian forces, and most of the Eleven defenses were destroyed with ease. Two children wouldn't have been able to survive after the invasion, yet the two royal children were here in her house.

"Let's get you two somewhere where you can sit down..." Milly heard her grandfather say. "All of you," he said, gesturing towards the various maids that had gathered, "Dismissed." They took their leave and returned towards their various quarters, while Milly's grandfather, Ruben Ashford, lead Lelouch and Nunnally towards a sitting room.

Milly waited until the coast was clear then quickly made her way down the stairs while making as little noise as possible. She tip toed, like in those spy movies that her grandfather watched with her, across the floor until she reached the doorway of the sitting room. While it wasn't as big as the one back in Pendragon, Ruben Ashford often came here to read his books while Milly played out in the garden. The girl pressed her ear to the door and was able to listen to the muffled conversation.

"...need protection," Lelouch said.

"We can offer it, of course. After all, the Ashfords are allies of the Vi Britannian line."

"I understand," said Lelouch. He sounded cold and distant, completely the opposite of the carefree voice that Milly was used to.

"We have a school here," Ruben continued. "Both you and Nunnally can attend."

"As suitable place for a cover story," Lelouch agreed.

"Of course, we will provide you both with a cover name and a false back story."

There was a pause, which sounded to Milly like Lelouch was considering the idea. He was always a smart kid, and even tried to teach her chess, even though he would win every time.

"I agree. Thank you, Ruben, for your generosity," Lelouch finally answered, with a shuffle of movement.

"There's no need to bow to me, Your Highness! Especially since you are of such a higher rank," her grandfather said jokingly.

However, the mood turned cold. "I would appreciate it if you did not refer to me by my previous title," Lelouch said coldly. "You know that I gave up my claim for the throne, and even if I did not," his voice sounded strained, "the Emperor is no father of mine."

Even through the door, Milly could sense that the atmosphere was tense. Her grandfather did too, as he said after a slight pause, "I forgot to bring the two of you tea. Forgive me, I will fetch you some right now."

There was sounds of movement, and then footsteps. This is my chance! Milly though. Now she would finally be able to see her long lost friends again. She had missed them so much, and the previous conversation had hinted that many things had happened to the siblings since they last saw her.

Milly pushed the door open slowly. He was sitting on an ornate couch, his hands gripping at his untamed dark hair, while Nunnally appeared be lying down and sleeping beside him. "Lelouch? Nunnally?" she called quietly.

Lelouch turned around quickly, he had not expected anyone else to be here. He looked at in her in shock, confusion marring his features for a millisecond before remembering who he was looking at. "Milly..." he said quietly, remembering the loud blonde who often came and played with him and Nunnally back at the Aries Villa.

The dam broke. Milly's eyes filled with tears as she began to sniffle. She attempted to hug him, to wrap her arms around him because she thought he was dead. Instead of returning her attempted hug, Lelouch flinched and recoiled backwards slightly. Milly stopped, seeing that he was clearly uncomfortable.

"Sorry..." she said awkwardly. Milly didn't exactly expect his reaction, but she understood why it happened.

"It's quite alright," Lelouch forgave her. He attempted to sound like it truly was okay, but Milly could hear the tenseness in his voice. She wanted it to go away. It was so fake, like an imitation.

Being the ever-curious child that she was, Milly asked him, "So what happened?"

He didn't respond for a while. As soon as she asked the question, Lelouch's eyes filled with anger and fire, while his body tensed and tightened. Whatever had happened was clearly something terrible. Milly didn't know what to say, she was frozen on the spot.

Next to them, Nunnally moved in her sleep and her hand reached out to hold her brother's. As soon as their hands touched, Lelouch appeared to relax. He took a deep breath, and the fire slowly died from his eyes. He seemed to slouch slightly as the tension left his skinny frame.

He looked at her deep in the eyes. "I don't want to talk about it. Not yet, at least." Lelouch eyes were sending Milly a message, telling her, begging her not to ask. Milly understood.

"I can't pretend to understand your situation, Lelouch, but I'm always here for you. You can talk to me about it whenever you're ready," she told him gently. I'm going to be here for you no matter what.

All of a sudden, they heard the clinking of cups coming from the other room. Lelouch's back straightened in alarm. "You need to go soon, Milly. I know you were sneaking around past your bed time, so you need to go soon before Ruben gets back," he told her urgently.

Milly nodded in thanks and acknowledgement. However, before she turned away, Milly addressed him one more time. "Lelouch, I don't know what happened, but we're friends. You, me, and Nunnally. Friends stick together, no matter what."

Just before she left, Milly smiled at him, the kind of smile that spoke of trust and care, the kind of smile that Lelouch missed. He smiled a real smile back at her, this time. Not the fake imitation of a smile, but one that spoke of their bond together. That's when Milly knew that they were always going to be friends, no matter what.


Author's Note:

Hello again everyone, and thank you for reading the latest chapter of Thoughts of Truth!

I hope you enjoyed reading about Milly and Lelouch as children. I chose this moment in their past because we all know that the Vi Britannias and the Ashfords were political allies, but we never really find out about Lelouch's and Milly relationship prior to the beginning of the timeline. I thought this scene was very important because Lelouch needed to get in to Ashford Academy anyway, and to do that he would have to see Milly. Being able to write their reactions and emotions is pretty nice, as we can see the tension in Lelouch after what had happened to him, and how this begins to affect Milly's view of her own country and Emperor. As a child, it would be hard to understand, but Milly begins to comprehend Britannia's true nature due to her friendship with Lelouch.

Next up, I'll be working on the latest chapter of The Human Element. It's going to be a similar one-shot style, but this time it's placed in the anime timeline of events. Don't worry, all the events will remain canon! I'm trying to write a lot this week, so I hope you're all ready for that.

I'll see you guys in a bit! Thank you again for reading. Please, if you enjoyed this scene, but sure to review.

DYFM out!