Both Lelouch and C.C were present during Gawain and Gareth's executions.

The two donned black. C.C was in a Victorian dress that had a small slit the side, exposing her long legs. The dress had a clear shawl on the top, covering her petite frame with its lavish design. Lelouch, one the other hand, had on a simple, worn jacket with a shirt beneath it. His pants mirrored the design on C.C's shawl through subtle stitches that gave rise to a sort of heavenly pattern. They both wore unreadable expressions, as the queen stabbed their hearts with all her might. None of the prisoners begged for mercy. They all died with pride, never once minding that they failed Arthur. They all went out with the same words Percival said to them long before, believing that others will come to avenge their deaths. She put an end to them.

Black ran through the streams on that rainy day. The clouds were forebodingly low, and many of the people decided not to visit the castle today. The marketplace was empty, and a dull, lifeless air took the palace. Euphemia simply sat there, staring at the black fluids that ran from the now frozen hearts. She lifted her raper, and stood, her eyes no longer at the bodies. Carefully, she placed the dagger back on the strap on her leg, without bothering much to clean it.

She turned to them. She caught sight of her brother, and gave him a weak smile, though inside, she was already tearing herself apart. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Euphie…"

C.C led the girl inside, never once letting go. "Arthur has no contact with the outside world. We've sealed the last of his abilities into you."

The queen nodded in understanding. "I see…thank you."

Lelouch knew, Euphemia could see. He knew what the two were doing with Arthur, and he heeded their request, though he was slightly disturbed by C.C's sudden secrecy. The thought was cast from his mind as he examined Euphemia, and resigned himself to their wild choices. He'll stay away, if only for their sakes. He took off his jacket and covered Euphemia's thin shoulders with it. She huddled the fabric close, surprised at how badly her flesh hungered for warmth. "Thank you," she repeated.

"It's okay."

"No. I mean…thank you…for meeting with Alfheimr. But please…I can handle it."

"I know," Lelouch reassured, placing one arm around his sister. "We just wanted to give you a little break. That's all."

"You were always too kind for your own good." Euphemia laughed lightly, leaning her head against his shoulder. She took C.C's hand as the three went back into the castle. The hearths were already burning away the wood C.C had gathered. Lulu had dinner prepared.

The dim hallways seemed like they were isolating Euphemia. She felt her body fall behind, causing the two to lead her through the darkness. The raper on her leg no longer glorified its kills, nor did it present itself in the persuasive manner it had from before. She could feel the fairies' blood seep to her knees, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

Her senses, she convinced herself. It was only her senses fooling her. The raper might as well have been something her mind conjured up. Her footsteps hit the marble floor with a piercing sound, though the two didn't mind it much. To Euphemia, however, they were like screams in the night, victims begging whoever for mercy, even though they knew it was futile. They clung to a desperate hope that no longer existed for their sakes. It fled the moment they threw away their self-worth and begged.

The wind blew against the windows, its ghostly howls attacking her from the sides. She felt small in their grip; she felt like she needed to be protected. In the distance, the bell tolls; midnight has come.

Lulu opened the huge doors, the warmth flooding her body, erasing the senses before her. The enormous fireplace burned with its fiery embers. The dark wood shown with a lightly dimmed reflection that made her look at least presentable. The door seemed appetizing as well; the plates illuminated the darkness with their glass, though it was marred by the salad on the side. Beef had come between the three of them, with carrots and tomatoes artistically scattered around it. In truth, she knew her stomach lusted after it.

Yet she felt sick to her core.

But she made herself separate from her fools and headed towards her chair. She made no indication of her past guilt, and instead, focused on other matters.

Tomorrow, C.C was to meet with Titania, along with Lelouch. And if what they told her was correct, that Suzaku will try to arrive at the courts, the she will seal off all the mirrors. There were enchantments she could use in the forest to ward off the intruders, making him go around and around until at last, he collapsed in exhaustion. The creatures of the forest knew what they needed to do; they were already alert if Suzaku breaks free from that twisted maze. And even if he somehow manages to evade them as well, she can simply hide away, or go through the mirrors to another place in time. He didn't know how to do that.

She knew she was being a coward. But she couldn't afford to meet with him yet. Not yet.

She remembered her dream just as she placed a tiny piece of beef into her mouth. The fire made the sauce look red. Blood red.

Gawain had not met him.

Suzaku narrowed his eyes, his face brimming with anger behind his mask. The man had literally begged Nunnally to help them, so why the absence? He tapped his foot impatiently, watching for any signs of movement.

He was on Kanime Island, where he stayed in front of the old ancient ruins, ruins that once harbored the Geass Order. He remembered well what Lady Marianne and Charles had said to Lelouch that fateful day. He could sense full well Lelouch's killing intent, as he asked them why they abandoned he and Nunnally in Japan, why they attacked the country when they knew their children were still there. Suzaku asked the same questions himself after that incident. Was there any love, any love at all, for their children? If there was, was it so shallow that the parents were willing to kill any and all, including their own blood?

But of course. The speech Charles made during Clovis's death was apparent enough. There was no mournful eye, no evidence that he even felt sorry for the boy's death. Instead, he went on and preached about inequality…and how it was a good thing. He made a mockery of his death, though in some way, he was no better.

Euphie…that dream he had was no mistake. She was indeed, alive and well, and she was dancing to the tunes of her own madness. Why? What caused her to be like that? He knew Lelouch's Geass affected the brain somehow, but he never thought it'd be this bad. Yet, at the same time, something else told him it was different, that this was hers and hers alone. Lelouch had nothing to do with it.

Besides, how could he? He was dead….right? He stabbed him in the stomach, felt all the blood drain from his body. He saw his Majesty's eyes close in death, right in front of him, saw him go still, even in front of Nunnally. His last words, his dying oath, was what made Suzaku know that the Zero Requiem had been a success.

But then again, he experienced the same thing…with Euphie.

And what about C.C? He never knew much about the girl, besides the fact that she was always with Lelouch. He believed them to be lovers of some sort, though he knew Lelouch never once understand love. Maybe he had, maybe he hadn't. There was nothing but ambiguity in that area.

The events of all that happened took hold of his mind. When Nunnally announced to Gawain that everyone, everyone was alive, by the time it was over, he fell in relief, thanking over and over again to God that everyone made it out. The SAZ massacre, the mess at Narita, it all seemed like a bad dream. He enjoyed those feelings of peace, then guilt, then peace again, for he knew that now, the common enemy…would be Arthur.

But Nunnally still decided to see what was happening with their country. She'll send him as an envoy, she said, but no one can know about it. Besides, she was curious as well, wanting to know who this Guinevere was. He had a suspicion, but he knew better than to tell the Empress.

He sighed, walking around then to explore the ruins. No one knew, not even Kallen or Prime Minister Oghi, or even Lady Kaguya. There was no Zero Squad to protect him this time; he could only rely on himself. He kept one hand to the gun on his belt, and stepped into the darkness of the ruins.

There lay the steps ahead of him. The doors with that sigil, that crimson sigil, had first come to mind when that woman, C.C touched his Knightmare. And at the bottom, was Lelouch, trying to open the doors to…to what? Save Nunnally? Suzaku wasn't convinced, and for a moment, he thought that kind, caring brother was merely a facade. It changed however, when he forcibly brought him to the Emperor, and he erased all his memories of everything, of his sister, of the time he was a prince, thus effectively eliminating his motivation, and…the time he was Zero.

Ironic how he managed to force himself back into the fold. He looked up and climbed the steps. He placed himself at the center of the circle. He paused, before coming closer to the wall to touch its doors. He dared not go back to that place, knowing those memories would come to haunt him for forever. He was about to turn back when he caught a figure in the darkness.

He, he believed, was wearing rags that clung to his thin skin. A slight beard, one that reminded him of Bismarck, was colored by black and brown, his hair a shaggy mess. His skin had an abundance of scars and old battle wounds. But his ears were the most that Suzaku paid any attention to; his ears were pointed, with silver earrings that came to the shape of a skull.

His eyes were dead as he approached Suzaku. "Forgive me," he said in a weary voice. "Are you Zero?"

"I am." he said. "And you are?"

"My! You make that comment to an old man?"

Suzaku readied his gun, and the man threw his hands up in defeat. "No, I was just teasing." He picked at those elven ears again, and though Zero made no indication of his interest, he found his eyes still following his fingers. Fairies, Gawain described themselves. They were fairies. He remembered Nunnally talking all about them when they were younger, but who knew he could've used the information now? Lelouch listened to her, in hopes it would calm his younger sister down, so he cursed himself for not asking about it later.

He put his hands down to his side and looked up at him. "No one in Alfheimr told me anything, so I don't know what they're up to, other than to escort Zero to the Unseelie Courts."

"You're…with Alfheimr then?"

"Yes."

"How can I be sure?" Suzaku asked, putting his gun back into the fold of his belt. The old man climbed the steps with great difficulty, and by the time he made it onto the platform, Suzaku moved away from the wall to his back. He never knew what that old man was going try, though the belief seemed ridiculous at the time.

"You'll see in a minute. First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is-"

"Merlin."

"Pardon?"

"Everyone in that organization seemed to have ties with the King Arthur legend." Suzaku said, putting his hands to his side. "You just seemed like a Merlin."

"Ah, well…yes, you're correct. I am Merlin."

"You look pathetic."

"I know," the old man said, cracking a waning grin. "The others refused to share the magic with me. But it was I that mobilized Alfheimr."

"Why?"

"I advised Arthur that Guinevere would one day be the end of him. He banished me from his sight without much hesitation." Merlin heaved a heavy sigh. "Since that day, one by one, he eliminated all his other knights. It was only then that they began listening to me. Do you have any food, perchance?"

Hesitantly, he reached out and pulled his water bottle out. He tossed it over to Merlin, to which he gave a scowl and said, "I asked for food."

"Do you want it or not?"

"This is fine." Suzaku watched in disgust as Merlin drank deeply. His thirst was evident in the dray, cracked surface of his lips. His entire body looked like a desert with high mountains. By the time Merlin was done, over half of his water was gone. "Boy, you did a fine thing."

"How am I supposed to get to the Unseelie Courts?" he asked.

"Easy. See that circle, over there? You stand on it, and picture the place you want to go, or the person you want to be with, and it will take you there."

He regarded the old man suspiciously. "That seems too easy."

"Oh, normally, it is," Merlin said, howling with laughter. "However, Queen Guinevere has blocked the gates to prevent any strays from entering. And only…only Arthur could do that. If she has his magic, it means she's already taken over."

Suzaku shuddered at the thought. That dream came to him once again, but he shook his head. This wasn't anything like those stories at all. Euphie was still his Euphie; there were no castles or dragons, no witches, though that was what it seemed like at the moment. "But is this also how I get back?"

"Correct."

He swept his foot across the circle, the dirt covering its silver glow. "If she's done that, then how-"

"You're the Queen's lover, are you not?" Merlin asked, making Suzaku's head snap back towards the old man. "Yes well, the brats told me that much."

"Continue."

"The transfiguration isn't complete, but you do have some of her power, though you're much weaker than she is at the moment. But crossing the Gate for you shouldn't be much of a problem. You'll just feel a thin barrier there. It'll take some time, but you may just be able to break through it."

Suzaku looked back down in frustration, his hair clinging to his forehead like so. He never liked riddles, moreover because they were more simple than he made them out to be. But still, he did what the old man said. He closed his eyes, and pictured Euphie, that sweet girl. It didn't work. Merlin shook his head. "You've got to give it more time than that."

So he did. Seconds, minutes, then hours passed them by. It was then he finally groaned in exasperation. Merlin had the nerve to look pointedly at him. "Are you sure this person actually exists?"

"Yes! Of course I do!"

"Then do this…picture the most recent image of that person in your mind."

"That's what I've been doing!"

"Boy," Merlin said in a stern tone, making Suzaku stop. "People change. You won't be the same person today, as you were yesterday." Suzaku stared at the old man, the words coming down on him so. For some reason, it was hard to stomach. The bile rose inside his throat, and he bit his lip, picturing that insane girl once again.

That girl, his Euphie, that made their world crumble to dust. That woman, now Guinevere before his eyes, jumping off that cliff, though his arms were held out for her, trying to beckon her to come his way. The smell of burning flowers, as well as two figures in the shadows, taking him away from the edge, covering his eyes and ears as to not heed the laughs of an insane woman. His heart hurt at the picture. It was humiliating, agonizing…

There was no more. No, it wasn't the knight and princess. It wasn't one of those stories anymore.

He felt his body grow light. And softly, he cried out, "Take me to her."

His mind grew heavy with doubts and thoughts. Darkness surrounded him with a tender touch. He felt his hands grope everywhere around him. There was nothing but emptiness around him, so much so he couldn't even tell the direction of where he was, where he'll end up. It wasn't predictable.

Then suddenly, he felt himself touch a smooth mirror, a thick, heavy glass that gave him a sense of blurred visions. He could make out a large forest there, some mountains there. There were many gardens to the side, all of which he thought were beautiful. He pressed on the glass…but it got colder. Why?

He pounded on it again. It struck back with the same ferocity. He cursed, as he glanced over at the images again. There was a large town there, a huge kingdom. People were moving along their daily businesses; some were cleaning the bells, others were selling their items, some were even in school. There wasn't any discontent there. Nothing could've gone wrong. He should've left right there, never minding Euphie and her business.

But for some reason, he couldn't leave. He couldn't abandon her, Guinevere coming to his mind again. So he started pounding. He attacked the glass with little mercy. He did it so many times his fists were throbbing. But he didn't stop. "Please Euphie!" He cried out. "Let me in!"

And that one last strike shattered the glass. He felt light surround his body, a dark, tainted light that was only achieved by the nostalgia a person could fell. He opened his eyes. He was still standing in that same position, though Merlin was nowhere to be found.

Flowers surrounded the stone platform. The light burned brightly in that light blue sky. He felt the wind blow sweetly to his cape, the petals swaying easily with its grasses. Where was he? Clearly there were no ruins. Was he in the Unseelie Courts?

He heard footsteps approaching. No, not footsteps. Something else, but still, instinct told him to run and hide. He did just that, jumping off the platform and crouching below, hoping no one would find him.

He sensed three presences. One was mighty, large, her existence wrapped with honey and deception. He trembled before it, and hoped it would go away. But the other two matched her fierceness. But they were beautiful, refreshing, a dark atonement for the murderer, and the thieves, the rapists, and the like…Something unearthly reached their qualities, to the point where he almost fell in a hypnotic trance over them. Suzaku shook it off, already trying to find anyway to escape. "Titania," a familiar voice said.

Suzaku froze.

He turned his attention to the conversation. That voice sounded with venomous rage, "Morgan."

"We are here on behalf of her Majesty."

"I know."

He could feel her eyes divert elsewhere, to the third person. When she spoke, the venom had gone from her voice, and instead, was replaced by a sickly sweet persona. "Hello, my dear Mordred."

The third person didn't say anything.

"How are you exactly?"

"I'm fine. Thank you."

Suzaku's mouth fell open. Lelouch's body was still in his sister's arms when he died. His cold, clammy skin was now a reality, and while the crowd cheered behind them, he could only stare coldly at them. Do you know? Do you know what I've done? I've killed my best friend. I did. Me…

And here he was. Alive, after all these years. His fingers clutched the grass, with no one ever knowing he was actually there. Neither did he notice the antagonizing air that had taken hold of the three.