The Princess Arrives

One Week Later…

Britannian Army Headquarters, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Now that Suzaku was allowed to rejoin the military, he started to receive regular combat training sessions from Schenkopp, since he was highly experienced in hand-to-hand fighting. And after their most recent morning training session, he dismisses him, while saying "I know you're already a soldier Suzaku, but you're a pretty quick learner for this kind of stuff…"

Suzaku smiles in response and says "It's only because you're an excellent teacher, Schenkopp!"

But before he could respond, Dusty walks by before laughing and saying "Him…? A good teacher…?" He then roughly pats Suzaku's shoulder, while saying "You must have had some pretty bad teachers if your bar is this low…"

Schenkopp just smirks and says "You shouldn't pay him any heed, Suzaku."

Dusty shrugs in response, before saying "Anyway, how's it going for you Suzaku? Are you enjoying working with us?"

Suzaku nods while saying "Of course! Both Yang and Reinhard are brilliant, and everyone treats me with respect. Sometimes I can even forget that I'm an Eleven…"

At that very same moment, Kircheis was walking by, prompting him to approach while saying "Suzaku, you shouldn't be afraid to call yourself Japanese around us. None of us are in agreement with that Number philosophy…"

Suzaku's eyes widen for a moment, before he nods and says "Kircheis... I'll try to remember that!"

Kircheis smiles in response, before saying "Actually, I came to inform you that Reinhard had some news for you. You should head to his office…"

With that, Suzaku thanks Schenkopp again, before leaving to meet with Reinhard…

Now that Suzaku was gone, Schenkopp turns to Kircheis and says "How is Reinhard doing? Is he still upset that the real assassin got away last time?"

Kircheis sighs while saying "Unfortunately, yes… While the Purist Faction was dealt a heavy blow from the aftermath, it also put us in a tough spot since we never caught the perpetrator. Plus, with what happened with Jeremiah, no one currently in Area 11 seems to be trusted to manage things properly."

Dusty scratches at his hair after hearing that, while saying "That sounds pretty bad. I'm sure him and Yang hoped to get more decision making power due to the operation…"

Kircheis nods and says "I've heard that the current plan is for a member of the royal family to be installed as the new reagent. I believe she should arrive sometime today…"

Schenkopp then smirks in response, before saying "Then we should be on our best behavior today…"

After they finished the conversation, they all went their separate ways to go about the rest of their day, right around when Suzaku reaches Reinhard's office...

Once Suzaku enters Reinhard's office, he greets him while saluting and saying "Good morning sir!"

Reinhard smiles in response and says "Hello Suzaku. I hope you're doing well. I have some good news for you…"

When Suzaku hears that, he nods, as Reinhard says "I've made a few calls, and since you're still young, I got you admitted to Ashford Academy. I take it you haven't had a chance to go to school after you entered the military?"

Suzaku's eyes widened, as he says "I thought I'd be stuck in the military once I enlisted… Thank you so much, sir Reinhard!"

Before Reinhard could respond, Yang walked over and patted the young soldier on the head, while saying "There's no need to thank any of us. A kid your age should be going to school, at least to meet more folks your age. We can't have you be corrupted by hanging around Dusty and Schenkop all day…"

Reinhard proceeds to laugh while saying "Well said Yang! You'll be enrolled next week, and we'll sort out getting your supplies prepared. Do your best to adequately balance your work with us and at the academy."

Suzaku proudly salutes and says "Of course! I won't let either of you down!"

Right after that, Yang smiles and says "Don't be afraid to screw up every once in a while though. That's another part of being a kid…"

Suzaku smiles back and says "I'll try not to…"

Now that Suzaku was out of the office, Yang and Reinhard begin to talk about the new Viceroy from the mainland…

Yang begins by pouring himself a glass of brandy, while sighing and saying "And here I thought we'd be done with meddling royals and nobles for a little while…"

Reinhard nods and says "It is true that we brought the Purist Faction down from power, but I wonder if things would be different if we managed to capture that Zero character…"

Surprisingly, Kircheis walks in at this moment and replies, saying "It would be unwise to worry about hypothetical scenarios, Reinhard. You should be proud that you and Yang managed to outwit the Purist Faction…"

Reinhard merely laughs and says "I can't help it, Kircheis. I'm quite the selfish person…"

Following that, Yang coughs and says "I take it you have some information about our soon to be superior officer, Kircheis?"

He nods and gives the two of them the dossier he prepared, before explaining "The new Viceroy is slated to be Princess Cornelia li Britannia. She was recently assigned to subjugate Area 18 and led a quick and efficient campaign there. From what I've heard, she has a distaste for non-Britannians, and she especially dislikes Japan. Hopefully she will be reasonable to work with at least."

Reinhard takes a moment to read over the dossier, before looking up and saying "I can at least respect the results she attained, even though I find her personal views to be slightly worrying. Thank you for your hard work, Kircheis."

Yang nods and says "Hopefully she can put aside her opinions about Japan aside while working here, because otherwise things will end up being just as bad as when Prince Clovis was in power."

After that discussion, Reinhard dismisses Kircheis, as everyone in the building continued to work until Princess Cornelia arrives in the mid afternoon. The building's atmosphere grew more and more hectic as time went on, as everyone wanted to be completely prepared for the new Viceroy's visit, not wanting to embarrass Reinhard or Yang. And before long, Yang waited with Reinhard in his office, ready to meet with the princess...

Once Princess Cornelia entered, accompanied by her subordinate knights Guilford and Darlton, she approaches the two commanding officers and says "Reinhard von Lohengramm. Yang Wen-li. I am pleased to meet you two, as I have heard much of your accomplishments both here and abroad." After that, she salutes the both of them and adds, saying "I must express my gratitude for attempting to bring by half-brother's killer to justice…"

Reinhard bows in response, before smiling and saying "Thank you for your praise, Princess… I only wish that Zero never escaped in the end…"

Yang follows suite and also bows, while saying "I appreciate your kind words as well, Princess. I believe that the situation here would have improved significantly if we caught that terrorist successfully…"

Princess Cornelia just smiles and says "It is clear to me that you both are loyal officers of Britannia. I look forward to working closely with the two of you during my tenure here, as my new Sub-Viceroys…"

Both of their eyes widen, as Yang stumbles back and says "I'm afraid that with my nerves today I must have misheard you, Princess…"

Reinhard assists his friend as he says "Are you promoting us, Princess?"

Princess Cornelia nods and says "How can I not, after your masterful performance? It had to have taken a great amount of planning to organize your trap for that terrorist, and you even had that guts to outwit the purists at the same time. I can respect that, even if I find your more progressive views completely bewildering…"

Yang proceeds to laugh, as knight Guilford scolded the officer, saying "How dare you laugh in the presence of Princess Cornelia! Did you not learn basic etiquette in officer school?"

Yang merely shrugs and says "I probably flunked out of that class…"

Upon hearing that, Darlton heartily laughs in turn and says "You seem like an interesting guy! I look forward to working under you."

Guilford then sighs and says "Well you do have a point. I'm sorry for my outburst, Yang, especially since you will be my superior from now on. But please treat the Princess with the utmost respect."

Yang nods and says "That was my plan from the start…" But then he pauses and adds, saying "So then you plan on removing Jeremiah?"

Princess Cornelia folds her arms in response and says "Isn't that obvious? He betrayed you both, and if he had not interfered, that Zero might have been apprehended. Besides, was he not jailed for his actions?"

But when Reinhard hears that, he frowns and says "That is something that I planned to speak with you about. May I explain?"

Princess Cornelia nods, not knowing what he meant, as Reinhard shares what they hypothesized about Jeremiah's actions. He explains how they believed that he was somehow manipulated to defend Zero, noting that his mask opened right before Jeremiah covered Zero's escape. Reinhard also adds that many of the soldiers stationed where Zero made his escape from went berserk in the same way, behaving similarly to Jeremiah.

Once Princess Cornelia was informed of this, she sighs and says "If this is true, then that Zero is a crafty bastard. Finding a way to force a loyal soldier to betray their superior officers is a frightening weapon. I will not be able to do much with re-establishing Jeremiah's previous position, but I should be able to have him released from prison and assigned to your command without much trouble."

Yang smiles in response and says "That would be much appreciated, Your Highness. Jeremiah worked hard on helping us arrange the pieces for our operation to work."

Following that, Princess Cornelia says "Of course. Now, let us have a drink and celebrate a start to a new Area 11 together!"

The five of them pour themselves drinks, before raising them as Princess Cornelia announces "For glory! And the prosperity of Area 11!"

They then raise their glasses and toast to each other, all feeling glad that things were starting off on a positive note...

But as they began to idly chat, a messenger approaches the group and says "I have an urgent report, Your Highness and sirs Reinhard and Yang!"

Princess Cornelia nods and says "You may proceed."

The messenger bows and then says "I received a letter from Pendragon… It says that the appointment for your Sub-Viceroy will arrive here within the hour."

When Princess Cornelia hears this, she glares and yells "Did you say Sub-Viceroy? How dare they appoint someone without consulting me! As the current Viceroy, the government positions in Area 11 should be up to my discretion."

The poor messenger just looks down and says "I'm sorry ma'am…"

She just sighs and says "No, I apologize for lashing out at you. Thank you for reporting this to me. You are dismissed."

He nods, before leaving the room, as the occupants remained shocked by the news. It seems like things would remain challenging for Reinhard and Yang…

Character Bios

Gilbert G.P. Guilford: He is one of Princess Cornelia's most trusted knights and his fiercely protective of her, even if she is an incredible Knightmare Frame pilot in her own right. He has a serious and almost noble demeanor, even though he is purely a commoner.

Andreas Darlton: He is another of Princess Cornelia's knights and is also part of her inner circle. He is a proud and gruff warrior, never shying away from a difficult challenge, and heavily enjoys clashing with challenging opponents. He is also a loud man with a strong sense of humor.

AN:

I little while ago, a person on Reddit offered to make sketches of story ideas, and he made a sketch of this story. He sketched the scene where Yang and Reinhard interview Suzaku while he was still jailed. In this version, Yang does most of the interviewing, but the concept is still similar enough. I never posted this because it's been a long while since I updated this story. Hope you find the sketch cool. I know I think it's pretty cool! (Replace the comma with a period, since it looks like FanFiction,net doesn't like it when links are posted.)

imgur,com/a/xQBJDJe

Also, thanks for the recent reviews! I'll try to message you guys when I get a chance.