Chapter Ten: The Efficacy of Sincerity

Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Then

St Darwin Boulevard, April 14th 2009 ATB

"Euphie," Lelouch whined, glancing around in embarrassment. "Euphie, should we be doing this?"

"I want to know what they're doing," Euphemia insisted. "They just keep wandering off together, and I don't know what they get up to."

"I want to see them too!" Nunnally added enthusiastically.

It was all because of Tomoyo Daidouji, Euphemia's companion. Ever since her arrival, she had spent a lot of time Faramond, becoming his constant companion. It was this fact that had piqued Euphemia's curiosity, not out of any apparent resentment, but rather wondering what this would lead to.

Lelouch would have much preferred to leave them alone. Faramond had been improving as a result of her friendship, but Lelouch feared that his nephew would clam up again if people started interfering.

"We shouldn't pry," he protested, his sisters paying no heed. "It's improper!"

"Look!" Euphie hissed. Unable to resist his curiosity, Lelouch peered over the top of the rhododendron bush.

He could see his nephew, sitting on the short grass with Tomoyo. And they were singing. Lelouch stared in disbelief as Faramond sang along happily, like any other child his age.

O te te, tsunaide
No michi o yukeba
Minna kawaii kotori ni natte
Uta o utaeba kutsu ga naru
Hareta mi sora ni kutsu ga naru

Lelouch was surprised. He had never seen his nephew so…carefree. It seemed out of character, yet there he was. He only knew a little Japanese, which was embarrassing next to Tomoyo's flawless English, so he did not know what the song was about, except that it seemed to involve turning into birds.

Hana o tsuunde wa
Otsuu ni tateba
Minna kawaii usagi ni natte
Hanete odore ba kutsu ga naru
Hareta mi sora ni kutsu ga naru

"I want to see!" Nunnally stretched to see over the bush.

"No Nunnally!" Lelouch hissed, covering her eyes. "You mustn't! It's private!"

"But I want to see!" Nunnally wailed. Their struggling caused the bush behind which they hid to rustle. Tomoyo and Faramond looked up in surprise as Lelouch and Nunnally fell out, landing in a heap before them.

"Uncle Lelouch! Aunt Nunnally!" Faramond's face reddened. "Whatever were you doing in the rhododendron bushes?"

"Nothing!" Lelouch spluttered, his hair tangled with twigs and leaves. "We were…"

"We were just listening to the two of you singing together," Euphemia cut in, hurrying around the bush. "You both looked so carefree!"

"I…" Faramond looked away, seeming to shrink into himself.

"I want Faramond to sing again!" proclaimed Nunnally, as Lelouch tried to pick the twigs out of her hair and clothes.

"Go on!" Euphemia encouraged him. "Sing for us!" But Faramond's face went even redder.

"Oh look, now he's clammed up again!" Lelouch complained. "I told you we should leave them alone."

"It's not fair!" Nunnally wailed. "He plays his flute, but he won't sing!"

"It's hard for him," Lelouch reproved. "We can't force him to do it. It wouldn't be nice."

"But I want to hear Faramond sing!" Nunnally protested.

"Faramond," Euphemia said gently, though trying to be firm. "You have to stop being so shy. You're a Prince of Britannia."

"I…can't help it."

"Well you have to," Lelouch insisted. "You'll have to represent Britannia to the world some day. It won't do for you to be shy."

"I can't help it," Faramond looked ashamed. "I can't be like Papa." Lelouch decided not to bring up the irony in this claim. Odysseus was not exactly the ideal Britannian Prince himself.

"Your Highness," Tomoyo spoke up. "I think…you're very princely." There was a long and rather awkward pause.

"You…really think so?"

"Of course!" Tomoyo smiled. "You are the princeliest of all the princes!"

"Oh," Faramond looked away, flattered. "I…"

"I object!" Euphemia interjected. "Lelouch is very princely too!"

"Very very princely!" Nunnally added.

"I never said his Highness wasn't," Tomoyo insisted graciously. "Prince Lelouch is very princely too."

"He's so princely," Euphemia cooed, "that I'm going to marry him!" There was a pause, as this statement was taken in.

"No you can't!" Nunnally protested, cottoning on. "I'll marry Lelouch!"

"He's going to marry me!" Euphemia retorted, taking Lelouch's arm. "Because I'm older!"

"He's going to marry me!" Nunnally grabbed her beloved brother's other arm. "Because I'm prettier!"

"Wait! Let go!" Lelouch wailed as his sister and half-sister proceeded to pull him in opposite directions. "I can't marry either of you!"

"Yes you can!" Euphemia insisted, pulling harder. "You'll marry me!"

"No! Big brother's going to marry me!" Nunnally pulled harder also. Lelouch felt like he was going to be pulled apart.

"But I'm your big brother!" he wailed, to no avail. None of them noticed Faramond and Tomoyo, as they hurried away together.

"I never knew," Tomoyo commented, as they halted behind a tree, "that they were so fond of him."

"I…I'm sorry, Tomoyo," Faramond lowered his head. "I let you down."

"No you didn't," Tomoyo soothed. "You sang it nicely."

"I was afraid," Faramond admitted. "I was afraid she'd scold you, because I sang for you and not for her."

"Princess Euphemia isn't like that. There's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm not princely though," Faramond sounded sad, and looked it too. "I'm not clever like Uncle Lelouch, and I'm not brave like Aunt Cornelia. I'm not anything really."

"That's not true." Tomoyo gave him a smile. "You're Prince Faramond."

Faramond stared at her for a long time, enraptured by her smile, and her blue eyes, and most of all her words, which touched him in ways he had never known, and could not describe. He felt so warm when he was with her, like he felt with Euphemia, Lelouch, Nunnally, or his father, but much stronger.

"Tomoyo…I…" He could not describe what he felt, but neither could he hold it in. "I…I love you!" He flung his arms around her neck and pressed himself against her. Tomoyo paused, momentarily stunned.

"It's all right," she said, slipping her arms around his waist. "It's all right."

She wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Being an ambassador's daughter, and a tad precocious on top of it, she knew that she really ought not to be hugging a Prince.

It was something she would never have dreamed of doing, and yet she was doing just that. She supposed it was all right, since he had started it, but what if someone saw them? It wasn't that she minded hugging him, or spending time with him, or teaching him Japanese. In fact, she had come to think of him as a very dear friend.

Could it be true? Could he, like a fairytale Prince, have fallen in love with her?

Whatever would her parents say?

"Oh!" Faramond broke the hug, backing away. "I'm sorry!"

"It's all right," she gave him a smile and offered her arm like a grown-up lady. "Shall we?" Faramond looked bewildered for a moment, then grinned childishly and slipped his arm through hers.

Now

Strelsau, Capital of Ruritania, June 30th 2018 ATB

The Royal palace was large and tastefully decorated in Rococo fashion. The ballroom, in which the soiree primarily took place, was particularly lavish. The walls were white, punctuated with baroque columns, the ceiling swarming with painted images. Exuberant decorations in gilt-bronze emblazoned just about everything. It was a remembrance in architecture, a glimpse of a more civilized age.

Zero had lost track of the number of people he had been introduced to by King Rudolph and Queen Flavia, who played the roles of host and hostess with practised ease, steering guests from one cluster to another, always on hand to ensure that no one was left alone unless they appeared to desire it. The identification of introverts was a rare and unsung skill of the good host.

Ougi, Diethard, and Tohdoh were still with him, as was Rolo, whom Kaguya had ditched in favour of her cousin. CC, in dark red, had long since abandoned him. She was now surrounded by a coterie of men, whom she handled with consummate skill. He could not help but notice how at home she seemed, as if she had been in and out of Royal courts all her life. The rest proceeded to mingle, in accordance with his prior instructions.

And there was Kallen. For all his willpower, he could not keep his eyes off her.

Her dress was a pale pink, strapless, flaring to the floor from her narrow waist. The cut was low, but high enough to conceal her ample cleavage. Her lips were painted the same colour, as were her eyelids, the lashes picked carefully with black mascara. A silver choker adorned her throat.

It was not that she was beautiful. She was indeed beautiful, but that was not something that should have mattered. She should not have distracted him so.

"I should warn you," the King lowered his voice. "The ambassadors have a great many questions. I fear you must expect a thorough grilling."

"Do not worry yourself, your Majesty," Zero replied cheerfully. "I fully expect it."

Next were Masakado Daidouji and his wife Sonomi, along with their daughter Tomoyo.

"Your Excellency," the ambassador began, bowing his head. "I am pleased to finally be able to meet with you."

"The pleasure is mine, ambassador," Zero inclined his head in return. The introductions took a few moments, with much bowing of heads and shaking of hands. The most exuberant greetings were between Kaguya and Tomoyo. Zero counted himself lucky that Tamaki was elsewhere, lest he attempt something untoward with her

He regarded the ambassador's daughter for a moment. She was much as he remembered her, only older. Her dress was a middle blue, matching her eyes. Her hair, still a glossy black, hung straight and unadorned. She had grown beautiful, or so Zero thought. But it was something else that really drew his attention, something in her manner, an air of calm and tenderness.

"I know your weakness, Faramond," he thought. "You fell in love with her the moment you set eyes on her. I understand why."

"Father, mother," Tomoyo turned to face her parents. "May we be excused a moment?"

"By all means," Masakado replied with a smile. Zero in turn nodded to Kaguya, and the pair headed off, doubtless catching up on eight years apart. It was as he had planned.

"There seems little sense in boring them with matters of state," Masakado commented.

"Indeed," Zero answered. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you, on behalf of the Japanese people, for your work in their cause."

"For Japan and its people, it was least I could do," Masakado replied sincerely. "Though I fear my achievements cannot compare to your own."

"I have done what I can," Zero insisted. "But if Japan is to remain free I will need your help, and the help of those Japanese who currently reside in Europe."

"I am glad to offer what help I can," Masakado's tone now contained a hint of caution. "But it would help if I could know what your precise intentions are."

"To be perfectly honest, they are to ensure that the EU continues the war. This is, I believe, the only way to ensure Japan's independence."

"Somehow I thought you would say that." Masakado sighed. "I fear your conclusion may be strategically correct, but I wonder whether it is right."

"I never took you for a pacifist, ambassador."

"I'm not, as a rule. But you must understand the position this puts me in." The ambassador paused, as though choosing his words. "If I were to advocate continued conflict while peace is being negotiated, then that makes me little more than a lobbyist, seeking to put the interests of the Japanese above those of the EU as a whole."

"I understand of course," Zero kept his tone gracious, belying his frustration. "You took the same line before the war, setting yourself against the Kururugi administration."

"Yes, I did," Masakado did not appear to enjoy the memory. "It was my conclusion that Kururugi's plan for Japan was dangerous in the extreme. I only regret that my efforts were insufficient."

"You must not blame yourself," Zero replied. "The events of the past eight years have shown you to be right. Though it was a good move, all things considered," he turned his attention to Sonomi, who had thus far remained silent, "to have acquired capital in the EU."

"Had I not done so, we would be destitute," she replied primly. She had short hair, with long bangs hanging over her right eye, and a somewhat angular face.

"I have also heard," Zero went on, warming to a well-prepared provocation, "that you refused to cooperate with an industrial militarization initiative. Under the circumstances, I find it most courageous."

"It was difficult, I admit," Sonomi replied guardedly. "As much as I am grateful to the EU for allowing myself, my husband, and my daughter sanctuary, I could not do otherwise."

"I would like to hear your reasons," Zero pressed, "if you don't mind."

"My company makes toys, your Excellency." Now she was reacting. Zero could detect the hint of hostility slipping into her tone. "It exists to make children happy and preserve their innocence, not to toss it onto the bonfire. There's been enough of that as it is."

"My wife and I have been most concerned," Masakado cut in, "with the suffering of the civilian population in Europe."

"It is not enough that the children in Europe have lost parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and friends," Sonomi went on, fire in her eyes. "Their have seen their homes and schools destroyed. Many French and Spanish cities were bombed and gassed, and I have heard stories of children fighting as partisans there, as well as in Russia and Africa. With all that going on, I could not be a party to the destruction of innocence."

"I am humbled," Zero managed to sound sincere. "But I fear Britannia has not had its fill of fighting. If they are not defeated, they will attack Japan within the year."

"I understand," Sonomi replied, regretfully. "You refer to the sakuradite shortage they've managed to inflict upon themselves. I did not think it was as bad as you imply."

"The information was not easily acquired." In truth, Zero was not entirely sure how Diethard had discovered just how low Britannia's sakuradite stockpiles had run. He had been interested to hear of a recent Bill before the Senate that would effectively allow it to seize private resource stockpiles. This seemed to confirm his suspicions.

"Under the circumstances," Masakado spoke up, "there's someone here I would like you to meet." Zero noticed the approach of another group, this one clustered around a glamorously-dressed woman, maybe in her early thirties, with finely-coiffed black hair.

"Your Excellency," Masakado gestured to the newcomers. "It is my honour to present a particularly esteemed friend of ours."

"Catherine de Braganza," the woman held out a gloved hand.

"I am honoured to meet you," Zero took the proffered hand and bowed his head, "your Imperial Highness."

"You need not call me that," she replied, somewhat ruefully. She spoke English, with an accent that Zero could not place for certain, though he suspected it was Portuguese. The way she carried herself reminded him of Cornelia. "I have never in my life warranted such a title."

Zero could accept her sincerity, but he was not soothed. He could see her followers eyeing him like so many hawks, reading his body language, his words, his tone, seeking some indication of who he was and what he intended. He was grateful for his mask, since they could not see his face or where his eyes were looking.

"Only on account of a historical injustice," Zero kept his tone level. He thought himself good at reading people, but he could not read Catherine de Braganza, a woman who under different circumstances might have been Empress of Brazil. That made her somewhat more interesting.

"For a century," he began, impressing his voice with conviction, "the Empire of Brazil was the protector of South America, a bulwark against the malignancy otherwise known as Britannia. Judging by the events of this century, its loss was greater tragedy than anyone could have known."

"A tragedy," Catherine mused. "I suppose that is as fair a word for it as any. The fate of my family, however, cannot compare with the suffering my people endured."

Zero barely suppressed a shudder. The fate of the House of Braganza stood out among the countless horrors of the year 1945 ATB, when Brazil finally fell to the wrath of Britannia. Murdered and mutilated by the troops assigned to guard them, even as Emperor Theseus arrived to receive their surrender. Horrified, he had the entire battalion shot for failing to produce the culprits, and buried the Imperial remains in a magnificent mausoleum at his own expense. But the stain would not wash away, and Brazil was still Area 6.

"Your Imperial Highness," this time Ougi spoke up. "Please forgive my immoderate words, but the suffering of your people is a cause of suffering to ours also." Catherine's followers turned their eyes upon him, and Zero noticed that others were watching too. It was getting tense, but he had no choice but to trust his subordinate now.

"It is because," Ougi went on, his tone full of sincerity, "of the sacrifices of the Brazilian people, that the Japanese were able to avoid conquest." He bowed as low as he could manage. "It is a debt we have no hope of repaying." There was silence.

"I thank you, for your kind words," Catherine said, holding out her hand to Ougi as she had with Zero. There were mutterings of approval among her entourage. Zero sighed with relief.

"She has a considerable faction behind her," Diethard murmured in his ear, as Catherine proceeded to converse with a very nervous Ougi. "Along with the Imperial Guard Division and the Brazilian Exile Volunteers. We would do well to ingratiate ourselves with her."

That in itself was nothing unusual. The EU was home to any number of exile parties, some of which were actually able to provide military units. The Brazilian units represented the largest of these in numerical terms, followed closely by the Bolivar Corps. This made Catherine de Braganza worth knowing about. In turn, it made the allegiance of Masakado Daidouji all the more important.

"I was so happy when I heard you would sing tonight!" Kaguya gushed. "I remember your beautiful voice from all those years ago."

"My Lady Kaguya is too kind." Tomoyo Daidouji returned the compliment with a gentle smile.

"Cousin," Kaguya admonished happily, "no titles tonight!"

They were related by blood, Kaguya's mother being the younger sister of Tomoyo's father. To look at them even a casual observer would know it, both having long black hair and similarly-shaped faces. What most marked them apart in appearance were their eyes, Kaguya's being green and Tomoyo's blue. It was in their personalities, however, that they were truly distinct. Kaguya Sumeragi was vivacious and extraverted, an exuberant free spirit who contained herself only when absolutely necessary. Tomoyo Daidouji was elegant and reserved, very much in the mould of a Yamato Nadeshiko, who on occasion might give in to bouts of excitement.

"I was so sorry to hear about your parents," Tomoyo said, sincere in her regret. "I did not know Kururugi-san could be capable of such a thing."

"Tomoyo-chan, you're so sweet," Kaguya sighed, feeling a touch of melancholy. Her parents too had gotten on Genbu Kururugi's bad side, despite her would-be marriage to his son Suzaku. Kaguya suspected that her parents died for no other reason than bring her and her inheritance under his complete control.

"I trust you have had no problems with his Excellency the Regent?"

"With Zero-sama? Of course not!" Kaguya beamed, the mention of Zero restoring her spirits instantly. "My future husband is the greatest of men!"

"I was so worried, when I heard you were involved with the Black Knights," Tomoyo decided not to press for details on Kaguya's latter statement. "And with the affair in China. I do hope her Imperial Majesty was not too much distressed."

"Not really! She was just relieved not to have to marry Prince Odysseus. He's old enough to be her father!" They both giggled. "Oh, but I forgot, you already know Prince Odysseus, don't you?"

"I do," Tomoyo's happy countenance faltered somewhat. "He never struck me as being interested in young girls. He was always very kind."

"I'm sure he is," Kaguya reassured her, deciding that the time was right. "But then, you must know his son Prince Faramond."

Tomoyo's face did not so much as flicker. But Kaguya saw her hand tremble.

"I had the privilege to know his Imperial Highness," she answered, somewhat guardedly.

"Come on, chere cousin," Kaguya pressed, eyes sparkling. "A little bird told me you were a good friend of Prince Faramond when you were young."

"Prince Faramond was…very lonely," Tomoyo's countenance darkened suddenly. "He suffered terribly. All I did was offer my friendship…and he reciprocated."

"I knew it," Kaguya nodded. "Oh, forgive me. I shouldn't press you like this, not since we haven't met in so long."

"It's all right," Tomoyo smiled. "My time in Britannia isn't a memory I regret."

"Of course not" Kaguya smiled back, hiding her thoughts. "It's like Zero-sama said. She has feelings for him. But is it okay to use her?"

Zero had spent the past few minutes in a conversation with a group of EUROFORCE officers. They generally pumped him over the Battle of Narita, as well as his battles during the Black Rebellion. After a while they dispersed, leaving him alone with a certain Frederik Syzmanowski, commander of the Jan Sobieski Brigade.

Just as he had intended.

"I have heard much of the exploits of the Sobieski Brigade," he complimented.

"Thank you, your Excellency," Syzmanowski seemed genuinely flattered. "We've had a good war, if such a thing is possible."

"I heard you were involved in the El-Alamein campaign last year."

"I was," the Lieutenant Colonel darkened at the memory. "Along with Colonel Constantian, though he was only a Lieutenant-Colonel back then too."

"Regarding the Colonel," Zero glanced at the albino, who was several metres away in an apparently friendly conversation with another man whom he did not recognize. "What can you tell me about him?" The question was a risk, but one he had to take.

"The first thing I should tell you is that he's only twenty-four, going on twenty-five."

"Really?" Zero was genuinely surprised. While gaining high rank at a young age was no all that unusual in Britannia, it was part of a policy of rewarding combat performance with promotion, regardless of other concerns. It was also, more often than not, down to patronage. He had not expected such a thing in the EU, despite what Rollo had told him.

"In EUROFORCE we like to cultivate talent," Syzmanowski went on, sounding more than a little proud. "His Academy scores got him on the fast-track list, and we tend to be a little more lenient when it comes to seniority. I'm only thirty-two myself."

"Even so," Zero glanced again at Constantian. "A remarkable achievement."

"Mostly a case of being in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications," Syzmanowski retorted. "He wasn't set to go any higher. He got that last promotion for other reasons."

"I see." The risk was paying off handsomely. "Where is he from?"

"Nowhere."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, as far as we know he was born in Constanta, in Romania."

"So he's Romanian?" Zero's curiosity was piqued. "It really is a made-up name."

"Not in any meaningful sense," Syzmanowski replied, a hint of disapproval in his tone. "He was born in 1994."

"Oh."

There was not much else Zero could say. He knew as well as anyone what had happened in that year, and what the results had been. He knew of the seeming-cataclysm nowadays called the EU-Soviet War. Seeming, because it was only a shadow of what would begin in 2010.

The causes were simple enough on the surface. A desperate Soviet leadership, saddled with a collapsing economy, had gambled everything on one last roll of the dice, seeking the Soviet Union's survival in the destruction of the EU. Far from bringing salvation, it merely turned Eastern Europe into the Soviet Union's funeral pyre.

Zero could see it in his mind's eye. A squalling infant with white hair plucked from the wreckage, perhaps from the cold arms of an unidentifiable cadaver. There would be no way of finding out his name, or if he had any family, for the records would have burned along with the city, which changed hands four times in the course of the war. The only option would be to offload the child at one of the Juvenile Care Facilities, set up to cope with the sudden and massive influx of war orphans. Despite the best efforts of overworked and under-supported staff, such places did not make for stable or happy childhoods.

He felt a twinge of pity.

"So what is his nationality?" he decided to push the conversation along.

"None," Syzmanowski's disapproval was more overt. "He's never claimed a nationality. Officially he's an EU citizen."

"And you disapprove of that," Zero thought. The rule was that anyone with EU citizenship had the same rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the member state in which he or she resided. Initially there had been all manner of opt-outs and restrictions imposed by the national governments, but over time they evaporated, leaving little aside from membership in the State armies and police forces.

"You disapprove?"

"A man should have a country," Syzmanowski almost growled. "I won't say anything against Colonel Constantian, other than that I don't understand him. I don't know what motivates him. If you want more details, you'll have to ask Doctor Gunner," he gestured at the man Constantian was talking to. "Apparently they were childhood friends."

"Keep talking," Zero smirked under his mask. "Keep on spilling. You want to tell me, don't you?"

"Speaking of country," he glanced surreptitiously around the room, "I have heard that your government is interested in establishing relations. That was why you made such an effort to talk to me, wasn't it?"

There were many good reasons to make contact during parties. It wasn't just alcohol loosening the tongue somewhat, but the low rumble of conversation allowed for talking without fear of being overheard. Not a bad move by the Polish government either, having Syzmanowski make contact instead of their ambassador. It was counterintuitive, and therefore less likely to draw suspicion.

"My government fears for its survival," Syzmanowski confided after a brief pause. "I think it understandable, with several million Britannian troops in such close proximity. Some say your new alliance is Poland's only hope."

"You do not think the Britannians will withdraw when the deal is signed?"

"My government doesn't think there will be a deal. Most of Europe is still spoiling for a fight, it's just a question of whether we can win. Some in my government feel that joining with your United-States-Alliance is our best chance."

"Don't worry about it," Zero soothed, patting his shoulder in a friendly manner. "All you have to do," his eyepiece slid open, "is obey the orders I give you." Syzmanowski went still for a moment, his eyes blank. The eyepiece slid shut. The Pole blinked as the Geass wore off, then looked at Zero expectantly.

"…is ask, and I will do my best to be of help." Zero's timing was perfect.

"Thank you, your Excellency," Syzmanowski's eyes flashed with excitement. "Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?"

"Oh, nothing for the moment," Zero lowered his voice so as not to be overheard. "I order you to send me a copy of the EU's counterattack plan and full details of its current capabilities. I also order you not to get caught."

"Understood," Syzmanowksi replied robotically, his eyes glazing as the orders were imprinted on his subconscious mind. Zero smirked under his mask. It had been, relatively speaking, quite easy.

"It's been a long time since we've talked like this." Lukas Gunner gave his old friend a smile.

"I was just surprised to see you on your feet," Magnus Constantian replied as they headed for the parapet. The spacious veranda was a good place to talk in private.

"It's this new gadget they've put in my spine," Lukas replied. "A new derivative technology, or that's what they told us."

"I was hoping it would be thanks to the new stem-cell therapy." Magnus sounded a little disappointed. "I was hoping that your regaining your legs would mark its debut."

"Sadly not, old friend," Lukas chuckled. "I may not be dancing tonight, but I won't need this prosthetic forever." Magnus had noted the stiffness in his friend's gait, and suspected that the prosthetic vertebrae and artificial nerve cords were still not quite up to the job. He also suspected he knew what the technology was a derivative of, though this was little compared to the original.

"I never thought I'd see you walk again," Magnus admitted, once again feeling emotions he did not quite understand. "Not after what they did."

"I've been far too busy to dwell on it," Lukas mused. "As have you from what I've heard. Though I have to say I never expected to see you here."

"It was Dantes' doing," Magnus retorted, a little too quickly. "He does this to embarrass me, I'm certain of it."

"Maybe he just wants to see you dance," Lukas turned to face him. "What a coincidence that Akiko agreed to come with me."

"Don't you try it, Lukas," Magnus' eyes flashed with irritation. He had been avoiding the EUROMED delegation ever since he found out that Akiko Kobayashi was coming with them. She had every right to, being Lukas' assistant and a Doctor in her own right, but that did not make him any less leery of encountering her. He did not like what she made him feel.

"Would it kill you to dance with her?" Lukas wheedled. "She's wanted to see you for so long."

"What if I don't want to see her?"

"Magnus, I wish you wouldn't be like this," Lukas sighed a world-weary sigh. "You'll charge into battle without so much as a backward glance, but the idea of talking to a young woman terrifies you."

"You know how I am," Magnus retorted. "I don't need…complications." His great strength had always been his ability to make decisions quickly and rationally, unencumbered by preference or prejudice, free from fear and self-doubt. For him, emotions only got in the way.

"It will be a sad day," Lukas commented, "when human feeling is thought to be a complication."

"I am what I am, Lukas. I thought you understood that."

"I do. And I thought you understood me." There was sadness in Lukas' eyes. "I understand what you are, and I know better than most how it came about. To know this, and to know that I can do nothing, that is no easy thing for me to bear."

"It is not your responsibility."

"I am a Doctor. Where there is hurt, I must try to heal it. Yet yours is a hurt I cannot heal, lest it cause a greater hurt. It is the Physician's Dilemma, and the curse of Quiescence."

"The curse is mine to bear, not yours. And I do not think it a curse."

"Only because you know no other experience." Lukas managed a rueful chuckle. "I suppose that's why you chose the life of a soldier. You can decide everything on the basis of law, custom, or military necessity." He eyed Magnus. "Until now, that is."

"I don't know what to do, Lukas," Magnus admitted. "Do I support the peace deal, or take arms against it?"

"Most people would decide on the basis of their feelings," Lukas explained. "They would decide what mattered to them most of all, and act on that. Their hearts become their guides. What does your heart tell you?"

"I don't know," Magnus sighed. "I don't really have one."

"Don't be so sure," Lukas shot him a wry smile that reminded Magnus of their shared childhood. "You might just find it."

"I cannot help but recall, your Excellency," said Ladislaus Graf Széczen, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, "that you opposed the takeover attempt by Sawasaki on the basis that he was a stooge of the Chinese."

"That is correct, ambassador," Zero managed to keep his tone gracious. He had spent the best part of an hour being grilled by the ambassadors, and they weren't letting up.

"And yet, following the recent affair in China, your forces have received a steady flow of arms from China, along with the protection of a Glacier Fortress, and significant economic assistance."

"That is also true. The Tiashan is proving quite an effective deterrent. But I fear I do not understand your meaning."

"Your Excellency, it is put about that your regime is little different to what Sawasaki would have put in place," Széczen eyed him. "That while you opposed him to avoid Chinese hegemony, you are in fact China's servant yourself. How would you respond to this?"

"The Chinese Federation is Japan's friend, not Japan's master," Zero replied, just loudly enough so that all around him could hear. "We have established effective working relations with the new government, and with her Imperial Majesty the Tianzi. Such a relationship is necessary for our security."

"His Excellency has a point," Alexios Stamakis, the Greek ambassador, spoke up. "All that sakuradite didn't do Genbu Kururugi much good."

"Indeed," Zero tried not to sound uncomfortable. "That is why we are trying to build security on the basis of international cooperation. You need not fear Kururugi-style grandstanding from Japan in the future."

"I am glad to hear it," Stamakis actually sounded sincere. "We have all seen the results. The thought that a man might cast his own country into the flames is not a pleasant one."

"Your recent victory caused quite a stir in the Japanese community," cut in Heinrich von Luckermayer, the German Confederation's ambassador. "I have been led to understand that you are seeking their return."

"It is my hope that all the refugees will return home as soon as possible," Zero chose his words carefully.

"Yet only a certain proportion have done so."

"We don't expect them to return overnight," Zero insisted. "Any uncertainty on their part is perfectly understandable. We are after all still in the process of rebuilding."

"A process which has gone with remarkable speed and efficiency," the King cut in, perhaps noting the pressure on his guest. "I must commend you on it."

"Even so," Luckermayer interjected, undeterred. "What do you intend to do with the leftover Britannians?"

"Yes," Stamakis added. "There are reports of tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of them, and that they are effectively living in ghettoes. Far be it from me to weep over Britannians, but it may upset the Human Rights crowd."

Zero barely suppressed a shudder. What had happened to the Britannian population of the former Area 11 would have made Balkan nationalists go home and rethink their lives. That, and what he had been forced to do to restore order.

"It is true," Zero answered with as much aplomb as he could muster, "that our Britannian minority is somewhat vulnerable. However, our new Japan is open to all regardless of ethnicity or ideology. It is a commitment we intend to keep."

"Our experiences in Europe have shown us the difficulties of such a course," Széczen spoke up. "Though success would reflect very well upon you and Japan."

"Thank you, Ambassador." Zero was starting to feel rather put-upon. He was profoundly relived when the King steered him away.

"I'm sorry you had to endure that," he said, sounding sincere. "It happens to me regularly."

"Think nothing of it, your Majesty. It is as you warned it would be." Zero fingered the control in his pocket. He saw the faux-Lelouch raise a hand to his ear. After holding that pose for a few moments, Zero saw him make his excuses to Kallen, then head towards one of the side doors. It took some effort to stop staring at Kallen.

"Your Majesty," he gestured towards a cluster of grey-uniformed EUROFORCE officers. "Who is that?" He had not encountered that one.

"The popular gentleman," the King replied, indicating the blonde Adonis at whose feet several young women were sighing, "is Squadron-Commander Julien Dantes of the EUROFORCE Paladin Corps, specifically the Inferno Squadron."

"Dantes' Inferno?"

"Very droll, your Excellency," the King smiled at the witticism. "From what I've heard he has a tendency towards womanizing, though he is a fine knightmare pilot." Zero was about to respond, but noticed Lelouch striding up to him.

"Your Excellency," the faux-Lelouch bowed. "There is a communication for you from Brussels. The caller insists that it cannot wait."

"Very well," Zero turned apologetically to the King. "Your Majesty, will you excuse me for a moment? I'm sure this will not take long."

"By all means."

The pair strode in a businesslike fashion out of the ballroom, along the corridor, and into a small office, Zero closing the door behind him. When Sayoko-Lelouch nodded to him, indicating that the room was secure, Zero whipped off his mask, slipping the contact lens into place, before turning to face his servant.

"Is everything in order?" he hissed, pulling off the costume.

"Yes," Sayoko replied, taking the costume from him and stepping into it. "Our contact reports that the first package has arrived, and the second is one its way."

"Good," Lelouch handed her the mask. "We'll be ready to make our move as soon as we reach Brussels. Did you memorize everything?"

"Yes. Lelouch-sama?" Sayoko paused a moment. "Why are we switching?"

"Just keeping them on their toes," Lelouch lied. "Come, we'd better not wait any longer." Sayoko shrugged and slipped on the mask. Lelouch opened the door for her, in perfect role-reversal, then followed her along the corridor. They encountered no one but the statuesque figures of the palace guards, lining the hallways in their ceremonial uniforms.

Upon their return to the ballroom, Lelouch left Sayoko-Zero with King Rudolph, heading over to Kallen. He found her engaged rather pointedly in a conversation with CC, her general demeanour implying that interruptions were not welcome. She looked up as he arrived.

"What took you so long!" she hissed, peeved at having spent her partner's absence suffering the questionable attentions of numerous older men until CC rescued her.

"Just taking care of business," he replied nonchalantly. "The first package has arrived."

"Oh," Kallen brightened somewhat. "So we're good to go?" She was the only one apart from Sayoko, Rollo, and CC who knew of his intentions.

"We are."

"I'll leave you two alone them," CC shot them a coy smile as she slinked off towards Sayoko-Zero. Lelouch was fairly certain she had spotted his deception, but it didn't much matter. He was where he wanted to be, even if he didn't really understand why.

All looked up to see the King standing in front of a microphone before the orchestra.

"My friends and honoured guests, we have a special surprise for you all tonight." The guests began muttering among themselves. "The Lady Tomoyo Daidouji, daughter of his Excellency Ambassador Daidouji, has consented to sing for us." There was some excited-sounding muttering and a smattering of applause as the young lady took up position before the orchestra.

Lelouch was captivated by the sight, a vision of poise and calm. It was as if she did not seem to realise where she was, or for whom she was singing. Or perhaps she did not care. As the introduction reached its climax, she began her song.

Sabishii toki ni wa nukumori wo sagashi
Haruka ni tadoru yo Natsukashii kioku woThe guests gazed at her in wonderment as the song drifted over them. A gentle lullaby, that seemed to call to mind another time, another life. To hear it, one might think that rage was not the human destiny, that hate was not forever. One might almost think the world was newly-born.

Haha ga itoshigo wo kaina ni idaite
Hidamari no naka de komoriuta wo utau

Yumeji ni asobu osanako no hoho ni
Yousei ga tsukuru shiawase no ekuboLelouch was overcome. The song stirred something inside him, something he had thought long dead. It made him think of winter firesides, of cherry blossoms in spring. In his mind's eye he saw a six-year-old Nunnally racing towards him across the grass. He saw the smiles of his siblings, and of his mother too. A memory welled up inside him, a memory of warmth and love, of all the things snatched away from him by an assassin's bullets and a father he barely knew.

Yume kara samete mo emi wo nokoshite 'ku
Sonna yasashisa no tane ga kokoro ni aru

Haritsumeta kokoro hodoite agetara
Yasashisa no tane wo hitotsu maite okouBut he could not hate. The anger he was accustomed to did not come. Instead there was only a feeling of emptiness, a space where the things he had lost once dwelled. An emptiness that longed to be filled.

Yagate me wo dashi tsubomi wo hokorobu
Utsukushii basho wo kokoro ni motsu nara

Itsu ka wa dare mo ga sunda aozora wo
Omoikiri takaku jiyuu ni habatakeru sono mune ni hana wo sakasete.

Jiyuu ni habatakeru

The guests broke into rapturous applause. Lelouch clapped until his hands ached, the exultation driving away the sorrow.

"Hey!" Kallen hissed. "Don't start crying!" Puzzled, Lelouch felt his cheek, and his fingers came away damp.

"I…I'm sorry," he whispered back. It was not necessary, since no one seemed to have noticed. All eyes were firmly on Tomoyo.

"What's with you?" Kallen was surprised. The song was beautiful, but she had never seen Lelouch like this before.

But, he was supposed to be Sayoko. Or…

"It's you isn't it," she growled, barely audible over the sound of clapping. "You switched with Sayoko."

"I…" Lelouch faltered, embarrassed.

"You…wanted to be with me…that badly?" Kallen's cheeks reddened.

"Yes," Lelouch managed to reply. "I did."

"It doesn't change anything!" Kallen retorted far too quickly. "I'm not your girlfriend!"

"I know." The sincerity in his tone caught her off guard. The orchestra started up again, filling the ballroom with the opening lines of Strauss' Künstlerleben. It was time for the dancing. It was also, Lelouch remembered, Faramond's favourite.

"Will you and your companion have the first dance?" the King asked Zero.

"If it please your Majesty, I will defer to my two favourites." Lelouch and Kallen suddenly realised that they were the centre of attention.

"Come on now," Zero insisted cheerfully. "It's about time you two danced together." Kallen's face had turned the same colour as her hair. She glanced at Lelouch, only to see him extend his hand, bowing at the waist.

"Will you, Kallen?" Kallen tried to say something, but her mind was a blank. She stared into his eyes, and they seemed so sincere. Normally that was the last word she would have used when describing Lelouch, but she could not deny it.

She felt herself slip her hand into his, and allowed him to lead her to the floor. It was as though her body was moving by itself, even as he turned to face her, slipping his free hand about her waist.

The music swelled, and the dance began. It was not so complicated, when one knew how. They both knew how.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Kallen thought furiously. "He is not my boyfriend!" But as they danced, as she stared up into his eyes, felt his arm about her waist, she couldn't help but feel…something.

The pair spun gracefully across the floor, and all eyes were upon them. Some, notably Kaguya, were positively delighted. Her eyes were the size of plates. One or two young ladies, in sharp contrast, chewed on their handkerchiefs in barely-suppressed rage.

"Oh Lulu…" Kallen felt as though she was going to melt. The music seemed to carry her along, as if they were dancing on air. It was like a dream from her childhood, or a fairy tale.

Outside, a pair of shadows clung to the walls above the high windows. One of them was peering in.

"What do you see, Janus?" said one.

"They are talking, Thanatos," the other replied. "Laughing, dancing, loving."

"Does it hurt you to look upon them?" Thanatos wondered aloud. "Does their joy cause you pain? Or is it something else?"

"I can see her," Janus' tone was distant. "She is…so beautiful."

"No doubt," Thanatos commented, though he did not care to look for himself. "You have not completely broken with your past."

"I have," Janus insisted, turning his masked head to look up at his leader. "I am of no use to her now. I must live as I can, and she is better off without me."

"Be sure you remember that. We must…" Thanatos trailed off, his crimson visor turning towards the palace gardens, and the forest just beyond it.

"What is it?" Janus caught on immediately.

"Twelve, in two teams of six," Thanatos scanned along the trees bordering the gardens. "Standard single-file pattern. Maybe two minutes before the inner perimeter."

"Britannian?"

"More than likely. No alarm." That meant they had somehow made it through the outer perimeter scanners in the forest. These were no ordinary intruders.

"Their target?"

"Who do you think?" A pause.

"Take the left," Thanatos said eventually. "Don't get seen."

"By your command."

Lelouch and Kallen were no longer the only pairs on the dance floor. Now that they had had the honour of the first dance, there was no reason for the others to hold back.

"Who do you see?" Lelouch murmured, barely audible over the strains of Rosen aus dem Süden. Kallen glanced sideways.

"Tohdoh's with Nagisa." No surprise there. Tohdoh was wearing his characteristic neutral-running-to-disgruntled expression, while Nagisa looked as though she was dancing on air. "Pizza Girl's with the King, Konoe's with the Queen, that guy Constantian's with that EUROMED girl, Kobayashi." At that, Lelouch looked up and followed her gaze. The albino was indeed dancing with Akiko Kobayashi, and they were easily the most awkward pair on the floor. It was not so much their dancing, but their general manner.

"Those two don't look very comfortable," Kallen commented. "Hey, that guy Dantes is with Minase." She was indeed in the arms of the handsome officer, and looked as though her brain had floated away on a pink cloud. The sight reminded Kallen of precisely where she was and what she was doing.

"Oh Lulu…wait a minute! I'm not supposed to be enjoying this! Remember! He's arrogant and cynical! He doesn't understand a young girl's feelings! Focus on the mission!"

"Are you all right?" The voice drew her back to the present, and she found herself looking straight into his face.

And his eyes.

"NO! He is not my boyfriend!"

"I'm fine," she managed to regain her composure. "I was just…thinking."

"About?"

"I…never thought we'd be doing anything like this," she said. "A year ago we were hiding out in sewers. Who'd have thought we'd be dancing in a Royal palace?"

"It's been a strange journey for me too," Lelouch admitted, smiling. "But I'm glad of it."

"Me too." Kallen did not know why she had said it, but she knew she meant it. "Anyway, where did you learn to dance like this?"

"I learned when I was young," Lelouch managed not mention Aries Villa, or the number of times he had stood on Euphemia's feet, or for that matter the number of times she had stood on his feet. "And you?"

"The same," Kallen admitted. "After I moved in with my father, that is."

"I see," Lelouch saw the flicker of ill-feeling in her eyes. "Well then, who am I dancing with?" Kallen did not reply, her face reddening again. It was not a question she could easily answer.

"With me," she replied. "Kallen Kozuki."

"Really?" Lelouch teased, unable to resist. "Since when was Kallen Kozuki so beautiful?"

"Don't make me stand on your foot" Kallen hissed back.

(A belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all to whom they are relevant. I only regret I was unable to get this ready for Christmas, but here it is nonetheless. I find romance in general, quite tricky, and I hope they came out right. Faramond and Tomoyo's part was especially hard, since I'm not sure what would be believable at their ages.

Tomoyo's song is Yasashisa no Tane, one of her most famous, and can be found on Youtube, as can both waltzes. The song sung by her and Faramond is Kutsu ga naru, a rather old Japanese children's song.)

Corrections and canonicity issues

- Faramond and Tomoyo should be five and six years old respectively in 2009, with Faramond being born in 2004. The confusion is the result of confusion in the background material over the year of Nunnally's birth, since I intended him to be younger than her. His birthday is relevant to the plot and will not be revealed until later.