I do not own Code Geass or any of the ideas from Sunrise/CLAMP, in case I forgot to mention that a chapter or two ago.

Britannia's Ladies

Chapter 3: Farewell to Vivian…

Charles sat at his desk in his war room, looking up at the pixelized, stern form of his younger sister on the large wall-mounted monitor. All of his immediate subordinates stood in a semi-circle in front of the emperor's desk. The air was thick with tension.

"What news have you, Viceroy?" Charles asked the image of the woman on the large screen before him. "It must be important if you demanded an audience so early in the morning."

"It is important, Your Majesty. The rebels in Area 6 have surrendered to Britannian forces, en masse, and await imprisonment."

A collective gasp echoed in the room from Charles' highest-ranking military officers; he himself stiffened in his chair. "What?"

"It is as I say, Majesty: Area 6 is ours. My soldiers and I are transporting the rebels to the imperial prison now."

Charles stood up suddenly, knocking his chair over. "Why in God's name did you leave!? You are Viceroy, damn it! Send your officers to the prison and rule over Area 6—"

"I realize what my duties are, Majesty, but I think you'll be interested to know that we have the leader of the entire rebellion under the tightest security, for my knight and I are personally escorting the containment cell as we speak."

"Why?"

Brigitte Zi Britannia gave an uncharacteristic snarl and replied, "This is the scum who orchestrated the attack on the palace the day of the First Prince's coronation!"

Charles growled and gripped the knobs on the chair's armrests until his knuckles turned white. Through his teeth, he said to all in the room, "Leave us, and don't come into this room until I say to do so."

When they'd gone, Charles addressed his sister. "Are you certain, Brigitte?"

"Yes, brother. I have evidence of this. And the murder of Lady Priscilla and Annalisa is of her doing, as well."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"How?"

"She had her people in Pendragon inject one of the cart horses with a drug that caused it to bolt, which in turn caused the imperial horses to bolt, and thus killed Lady Priscilla and Annalisa."

"I see."

"So, my knight and I are escorting the entire rebel group home ourselves."

"How far away are you?"

"A day or two, at most."

"Fine. I will meet the envoy at the prison when you get there."

"Very well, brother." He saw her reach for the On/Off switch for the monitor.

"Brigitte?"

"Yes?"

"Don't let your guard down."

She grinned. "If I was accustomed to doing that, I wouldn't have made it through the military academy this quickly."

The screen went black.

Charles took a moment to compose himself. He had to shelve his fear for his sister's life before his subordinates came back into the room.

"All right, you all can come back in now." The officers quickly filed into the room and resumed their positions.

"Lady Brigitte has gone, Majesty? What news had she?" the minister of war asked.

"Never mind that. Since Area 6 has been taken under our wing now, where does that leave us?"

An admiral donned in her dress uniform and sword walked over to a rack that held innumerable maps and picked one. She turned on her heel and walked back to the large wooden table, and unrolled the piece of parchment. "We have yet to take Areas 7, 8, and 10, and Areas 4 and 5 are still causing trouble, Majesty."

"And there are other territories in Eurasia that have yet to be specified," the vice –admiral added.

"Where are they?" the general asked.

Charles let them go on with their conversation, opting to brood about the prisoner his sister was bringing with her. That she had killed three members of the imperial family without consequence was a feat of genius, especially because none of her cronies had turned her over to the authorities. Now she would have to face his wrath.

If only Father had lived long enough to see this. It would have healed his heart a great deal. Charles would have to avenge his family on his own.

Two days later, just as Brigitte said, the envoy trundled through the gates of the imperial prison several hundred miles away from Pendragon Castle. The viceroy and her knight led the pack, rolling an iron chamber between them. The rest of the second princess' soldiers followed, escorting the large transports.

The prison was located in the middle of the forest, and it was slow-going because much of the path leading up to the building itself was still riddled with sinkholes and large rocks. The Britannians' vehicles, the so-called "Knightmare Frames," were well-suited for level ground, but were slowed down by the soft forest floor. Surroundings notwithstanding, the cavalcade pulled up to the building. Charles and his advisors stood with him, waiting for the young viceroy to report in.

Brigitte didn't use the cable to lower herself to the ground—she merely opened the hatch and leapt from the gleaming metal.

"I'm glad to see that you made it, Viceroy," the emperor said.

"Thank you, Majesty."

"Were there any incidents?"

"No, no. Everything progressed smoothly. Shall I send the prisoners inside?"

"Yes. The head of the prison guard has generously offered to put the woman in her own private cell."

"Oh, how lovely!" Brigitte replied with obvious sarcasm. "I won't keep her away from her room any longer, then."

Brigitte set her soldiers to work immediately, and continued to deliver her report while the guards and her people moved all of the prisoners inside. When the Frames had moved off to the side of the building after that, Charles and his sister followed the head of the guard down a long, dim corridor. The man wore his standard-issue charcoal-grey uniform, a gold braid pinned to one shoulder to denote his rank, and long black boots. The siblings were quiet and tense as they walked, surrounded only by the sounds of the footsteps on concrete and the fluttering of Charles' cape.

"So you put the woman in a cell on her own?" the viceroy asked the guard.

"Yes, Majesty, under maximum security. My best men are on station, and your knight joined them as soon as she could."

Charles faltered mid-step. As soon as she could?

Brigitte ground to a halt in order to stay behind him. "What is it, Majesty?"

"Your knight is Emmanuel Nelson, correct?"

"Incorrect, Majesty," she said bluntly. "Lord Nelson was killed during the skirmishes in May, when a group of rebels sabotaged his Frame and caused it to explode. The woman we speak of was his second-in-command, and has yet to be formally knighted."

"Oh?"

"What's the matter? She was his second-in-command because of her skill in combat, not because she let him put his hand in her skirt. Do you disapprove, Majesty?"

"No, Viceroy, I don't disapprove—"

She brightened. "Oh, good. I was beginning to think you had doubts."

Charles gaped while Brigitte instructed the guard to lead on, and numbly followed him at his sister's direction.

The trio continued their journey down the corridor in silence, and rounded a corner at the end of it. Waiting for them were three armed guards and the woman Charles presumed to be Emmanuel Nelson's replacement.

The metal door of the chamber was unlocked with a clang and drawn aside, and the head guard walked into the chamber, followed by the two siblings. It was large enough to hold several people, and the actual holding cell was set well back from the door, giving visitors room to move around. Within the barred cell sat the rebel leader, tied with ropes around her torso, arms behind her back, head down.

Charles looked at Brigitte briefly, and she nodded to him to begin. "I was told you were the one who orchestrated the several major assassination plots some years back, Six. Is this true?"

She lifted her head and glared at him. "My name is Mercedes de la Crillovada, Britannian!"

"I ask you again: Did you plan the murders of three imperial family members?"

"Indeed I did, Majesty. It's incredible how much damage a few cc's of stimulant can cause. It was a great victory for us."

"How do you figure that? Priscilla Al Britannia had no mind for politics, and her daughter was just a girl."

"I wore down that scumbag David and the entire Court! It was easy after that!"

"How do you mean?"

"David was broken as it was, but killing Laurencia made our efforts all the more satisfying! It would've been better if those idiots hadn't taken the bait and only followed her. I wanted the rest of you dead, too!"

"Just what do you hope to accomplish?" Brigitte asked.

She chuckled. "I hope to die a hero, someone who will spur my people to fight on. Sure, my followers and I were taken in, but plenty of our brothers and sisters live one in the south."

Silence dragged on after that, during which time Charles and Brigitte tried to calm themselves as best they could. Then the guard asked, "What shall we do with her, Majesty?"

"…Ask my Viceroy."

"Vice—"

"Give her and her companions the best food, the best living conditions, and the best water. Do not send them out to work, and do not show them an unkind hand," she said quickly.

"Why, Viceroy?"

Brigitte rounded on him. "You can't be a martyr if you haven't suffered at the hands of the enemy, can you?"

"O-Oh, no, Viceroy! You're absolutely right!"

"Then make yourself useful and do as I say."

"Right away!" He scuttled out of the room, taking most of his guards with him.

"I don't know about you, Majesty," the second princess said when they'd walked into the hallway. "But I could use a drink right about now. Shall we go to the palace?"

"Yes, I think we shall. 'Good thinking about the drink."

"Why, thank you."

"So, Viceroy, would you care to introduce me to your knight?"

"Oh, I hadn't done so already? Forgive me," his sister said from one of the chairs in his room. "Your Majesty, meet Vivian Jahl, Grand Duchess of Cohasset."

Vivian bowed at the waist, shoulder-length, indigo-colored hair falling over her shoulder. Her skin was the color of cream, and she wore a burgundy uniform similar to Brigitte's. What intrigued him most were her jade-green eyes and full figure.

"I'm honored to be here, Your Majesty," she said respectfully.

"Please stand, Lady Jahl. You needn't be quite so reserved after you've guarded my Viceroy's life."

Vivian straightened and smiled at him. "Thank you for your kind words, Majesty."

Brigitte watched the interaction in amusement, seeing the all-too familiar spark of attraction in her brother's eyes. Perhaps I should forego my plans for making her my knight.