Hostage
Summary: AU. A political hostage must survive alone in an unforgiving web of intrigue. He had been sent there to die, he was nothing more than a lowly pawn, but even a pawn can check the king. Arturia/Lelouch.
The Arrival
The biting wind chilled the Eleventh Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia as he entered the vast city of Camelot. Under any other circumstance, he would have been in awe of the city. Streets paved with gold, buildings made of beautiful marble.
This was a place that was the envy of all of Britannia's petty kings. This was a place unlike any other. The prosperous citizens gazed at him with curiosity.
17 years old with dark hair, he was considered handsome by many in his home country. Before the death of his beloved mother, he had many women seek his hand in marriage. Despite his status as a legalized bastard, he still had a claim to his father's throne.
His violet eyes observed the city; there was no joy in them.
Lelouch was in no mood to be impressed by the city's grandeur. He didn't even want to be there. He scowled.
"Big brother, are we there yet?" Nunnally asked; she could not see anything so she had to ask him.
"My Lord, Prince Lelouch, I insist that I carry Princess Nunnally," Lord Jeremiah insisted, offering to take her from him.
"No, Lord Jeremiah I can carry her," Lelouch sighed.
The disgraced noble sighed, "It would be a day like today for us to arrive. This place seems as splendid as the stories say it is."
"I am not here to enjoy the view, you of all people know that," Lelouch scoffed.
"Of course, Your Highness," Lord Jeremiah bowed.
"Your Mother, Lady Marianne spoke highly of the King. She was once a member of King Uther's court. King Arthur is his successor."
"They insist on giving her a man's name and addressing her as a man. Arturia Pendragon is vain and proud. She'll be easy to predict. As long as I play the part my father gave me, war will be averted."
He sighed, "I've heard the King of Knights is hideously ugly."
"But Your Highness, I've heard she's quite beautiful."
They continued walking down the road.
"All women say they're beautiful!" Lelouch smirked.
"You seem unhappy, my lord," Jeremiah observed.
"Tell me, my friend, why should I be happy? I have lost my mother, and my father has sent me away to abandon me in a foreign land where I have nothing and no one!"
"You and your sister escaped with your lives. My only regret is that I wasn't able to protect your mother," Lord Jeremiah choked on his words. The death of his Lady had affected him deeply.
"It's all right, Orange Boy. Nothing could be done about it," Lelouch told him.
"I do wish you wouldn't refer to me by that asinine nickname," Jeremiah grumbled.
"I only call you that because I am fond of you, Lord Jeremiah, Lelouch raised an eyebrow.
"You only call me that because when you were a child you threw an orange in my face and found it amusing!"
"Indeed, Orange Boy, so shall we now go to the great Camelot?" he asked in a sarcastic voice.
"Lead the way, Your Highness," Lord Jeremiah followed the sullen and ill-tempered Prince.
Arturia Pendragon stood staring out the glass window, not really noticing anything through the blur. She wore her royal blue robes with a contemplative expression on her face.
Her foster brother, Kay entered the room, bowing.
"There's no need to be so formal, brother. You wanted to speak to me?"
"Arturia, another suitor has given you an offer of marriage," Kay told her.
"I know brother, I know. I will not marry unless my husband agrees to a matrilineal marriage with me."
"No noble in this country would agree to that! You know that!" Kay replied.
"It is my condition. I will not let my father's bloodline die out, he had no sons and I am his heir."
"You know no man will agree to it, anyone of status, that is, anyone who would accept your offer would cause the Kingdom's prestige to fall! It would take years for our reputation to recover!"
"A political marriage would be difficult for me, not only would my bloodline die out, but my children would not bear my name. They would bear the name of their father."
"You've already caused controversy, taking a man's title of King, not Queen."
"It matters not what my title is, I am the rightful ruler of Britannia."
The young man looked at his adopted sister, "That's easy enough to say here; there are many a king in this country who wish for your head."
"If they want my head they'll have to take it from me," Arturia crossed her arms.
"Your maidenhead, sister, do not forget that you are beautiful," he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Men in this country do not desire me for my beauty brother; my looks are merely an afterthought to them."
"Don't underestimate men sister, they can be very cunning. Many a noble has declared his love for you," Kay smiled.
"Troubadours often speak of love. Men love me for my power, my wealth and my status, they do not love me. That kind of love only appears in Troubadours' songs, 'tis merely a pleasant concept. Reality is harsh; why else do men go to stews? My bishop is a regular client, by my faith!"
She laughed.
A servant entered the room, "Your Majesty, the Eleventh Prince, Lelouch Vi Britannia has arrived."
"I shall go greet him at once," Arturia replied.
"Be careful, Sister, the men of House Britannia are cunning and clever," Kay warned.
"I've also heard that they're fiendishly ugly as well, but I will treat him with as much honor and dignity as I can."
Why must God burden me with such a loathsome creature? She thought. She could imagine the hostage was hideously ugly, probably a fat glutton.
Despite the common belief among the nobility that being fat was a sign of wealth and status, she'd always found it troubling that these men of high rank always died clutching their hearts, or constantly complained about gout.
No doubt he is haughty and arrogant, such are the men of House Britannia. Arturia prepared herself as she stepped into the hall and moved towards the throne room.
Lelouch approached the throne, while still carrying Nunnally.
Lelouch heard them whispering, "Isn't he the bastard son of the petty king by a common woman?"
"I heard he was legitimized for some reason."
"A bastard is still a bastard. She must have pleased Charles Zi Britannia if he legalized both children by her."
"Isn't his mother dead, felled by the hands of assassins? Serves him right, his father is a cruel man. It is the justice of God."
Lelouch looked up and saw the figure standing at the throne, waiting for him. He was startled. He'd heard rumors regarding the "Knight Princess", but he'd heard another name, one whispered by nobles when she was not within earshot, the "Devil's Child".
He had been expecting something hideous, Lelouch expected the tales of Arturia's beauty were exaggerations of the citizens of the realm she called Logres.
But she was truly beautiful, and he could see why men might follow her. She was very charismatic; she had an air of dignity that commanded attention.
He was stopped by guards. She waved them away and approached him.
He gazed into her emerald green eyes. He could not read her expression. There was no emotion in her face."So you are the hostage Petty King Charles Zi Britannia sent me. You're the Eleventh Prince I've heard so much about, Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia."
He half-bowed before her. "Yes, Your Highness, Arturia Pendragon, I am. You will pardon me for not doing you the courtesy of bowing before you."
"What marvel is this that you should carry your sibling on your back?" the King asked in shock. "Has your father not sent a servant to accompany you?"
"He sent a disgraced knight with us, Lord Jeremiah Gottwald, but I insisted I carry her here."
"I see," Arturia observed. She took in Lelouch's appearance.
He's a demon in human form; God has made him far too beautiful. I would rather he be a hideous fiend, at least I would not find him to be distracting.
He was handsome, his lanky appearance made her think that he was the sort to be indolent. She could see him in her mind's eye fussing at her servants to indulge him with fine food and drink or he would be the sort to do nothing but go to tourneys.
He would probably become something of a nuisance but if she were to negotiate with the stubborn fool of a petty king Charles Zi Britannia, she would have to endure his company.
"If you have any needs, I shall grant them if it is within my power to do so," Arturia told him.
"Your Highness, I ask that you bring a new change of clothes for my younger sister. She's been very cold for some time now. I also ask that a chair be constructed that I might be able to move her about this place so that she may accompany me."
"Are you saying that she is a cripple? I had heard the Princess was gravely wounded, but not that she had been crippled."
"Yes, Your Highness, my sister was crippled by the assassins that took the life of our mother, but she is also blind, the royal physician said it was caused by the distress of our mother's death."
There was a murmur through the group of courtiers.
"By my faith!" Arturia exclaimed. "Sir Kay, escort the royal siblings to the room we have prepared for them. Have a servant bring them a change of clothes, and have Sir Bedivere construct a chair that can move within these walls, his intelligence is unmatched."
Arturia looked at Lelouch as he stood to his feet. "Is there anything you would request of me for yourself, Your Highness?"
She reached out and touched his cheek as if to soothe a frightened child.
You have known pain and suffered much. My father fell to assassins, but I did not know him. It is said that his mother doted on him; his loss is great for a young man who has grown up surrounded by finery. I expected him to complain more. But he is…different from other men of House Britannia.
Lelouch flinched.
Why is she acting this way? She's trying to win me over with false smiles and sympathy. The nobles pretend to care about you, all the while plotting to stab you in the back!
"I don't need your charity, or your pity!" snarled angrily. He brushed her hand away.
"How dare you!" Kay raised his fist to strike him.
Lelouch didn't flinch.
"Calm yourself, Kay. He is deeply grieved and as such, he is prone to anger over his lot in life. Kay shall escort you to your room and I'll have the servants fetch you a change of clothes and some wine."
"I thank you, Your Highness, forgive my outburst, it was uncouth of me."
"There now, brother, we have settled the matter," Arturia told him.
Lelouch bowed and left the room, Sir Kay had some servants help carry Princess Nunnally.
They were escorted to their room. It was a splendid room with fine bed sheets and a roaring fire.
Lelouch sighed, throwing himself on the bed, "At last, I am free of her self-righteous posturing!"
"She's very kind to us Lelouch. Don't be ungrateful!" Nunnally scolded him.
"She was only generous because all those lords and ladies were there. She'll show her true colors once they're gone! I hate her!"
The Prince was sullen. "If she could give me what I really wanted, she'd bring me the head of the man who murdered my mother! Like she would ever do that. She's just another noble; they're nothing but over-privileged parasites!"
He clenched his fists, "They all abandoned us after mother's death! I will make them pay, even if I have to endure these self-righteous, abhorrent people!"
Arturia watched as her foster brother paced about her bedchamber.
"Arturia, you're far too generous to him! Did you not see how the man made a complete ass of himself? Before the entire court?!"
Kay pointed back towards the court.
"He is grieved by the loss of his mother and has been sent off to a foreign land, how else do you expect him to behave? He does not wish to be here," Arturia reminded her brother.
Kay looked at her.
"In order to maintain peace between our houses I agreed to accept him as a hostage."
"And yet you have sent no noble in exchange for him," Kay noted.
"It's merely House Britannia trying to save face; they do not have the strength to take this place. He merely sent him because he wanted his bastards out of sight," Arturia said ruefully.
"You mustn't let your guard down; his actions could be a ruse so that we might underestimate him."
"He cares for his sister that I know, he only made requests for her, it was only when I asked if he needed something did he become angry."
"You're far too fond of him, sister," Kay scowled, pointing his finger at her. "He's handsome enough to catch even your eye."
"Shut up! Shut up! Why would I be fond of him, men look on him and see a handsome face and a clever tongue but all I see is an ass weasel!"
"He may be a fool, but he does care for his family, he is not completely without virtue. Perhaps he will become more tolerable as he grows accustomed to this place."
Sir Kay sneered, "When you have a man's virile member, Arturia."
"What marvel will I see next, Kay, killer rabbits?" she smirked.
Kay laughed.
Lelouch found himself in the castle library. Arturia had many books on many subjects, but he wasn't interested in any of them.
Lelouch busied himself with a chess set, playing a game against himself.
He heard footsteps approaching him. Lelouch stood, bowing, greeting Arturia.
"Your Highness," he bowed.
"I see you are in a much better mood today, Lelouch," she smiled slightly.
"I have not had a reason for joy, Arturia, you of all people should know why."
She looked at him quizzically. "You call me by my name, not my regnal name."
"You're still a woman, the entirety of the court wishes you were a man instead, I just like to break them out of the illusion that you are what they want you to be, that's all!" Lelouch smirked.
"Ever you test my patience, Lelouch Vi Britannia," Arturia smiled, but there was an anger in her eyes.
"Patience is a virtue, Your Highness; I should think you would like to become more virtuous than you already are," he sneered sarcastically.
Lelouch gestured to the chessboard. "Shall we begin?"
"Indeed, I shall enjoy putting you in your place."
"We shall see, Arturia, we shall see," Lelouch grinned.