Chapter 7: Hestia, Lost

Alternate Chapter Title: Alternative Title: Home You Shall Not Return

The Viceroy acts as an extension of the Emperor's will and has the ultimate authority over the Area they govern. He has the power to grant peerage through land grants in the Area and is the ultimate legal authority over the land. Only the Emperor himself may recall or overrule the Viceroy. A Knight of the Round may force aWrite of Subsisto which grants a two month relief as the Emperor deliberates whether the ruling is in alignment with his own desires.

—Duties of the Viceroy

Ashford Labs, Location Classified

Reuben entered his office, barely noticing the stack of boxes in the corner filled with paperwork. He was tired. The flight back to Britannia had been exhausting and sleep continued to elude him. His brief moments of rest interrupted with the terrifying image of a young child running towards a knightmare. Blood splattered as the slash harken drove into her body. An explosion of light. Sir Oster impaled on a tree, dead, but blood continuing to flow. Knightmares torn to shred and the brief scream of pain over the radio as the mine activated. He was done. War had never been his thing, but he hadn't imagined such destruction.

He slowly lowered himself into his leather chair. Grimacing, he looked at the pile of papers Sarah had left on his desk for him to sign. Soon he would be called back to Tokyo to assist in the rebuilding and turning it into a proper productive Britannian city. None of his land holdings were as large, or as populous. It would be a lot of work.

The numerous numbers on the quarterly report from the Hammond region danced. Grabbing a spare piece of paper, he began to jot down notes. Before he returned to Tokyo, he had to make sure all of his estates were in order. His assistant, Sarah, could only do so much, and having disinherited his son, he had no family to shove the work onto. For the foreseeable future, he would be swamped in work. His enemies had surely planned it this way.

The door banged open and Reuben's head shot up in surprise. His granddaughter, Milly, stood in the doorway, breathing heavily. "Grandpa!"

Pushing the paperwork aside, he stood up and embraced his granddaughter, twirling her around. "Milly. It's wonderful to see you. You've grown."

She laughed and stepped back to smooth out the wrinkles in her modest blue dress. Her eyes beamed up at him. "Just you wait Grandpa, I'm going to be taller than you!" She looked away and grumbled, "And Lelouch."

Chuckling, he rested a hand on her shoulder. "And how are our two royal guests?"

The annoyed expression vanished and she bounced forward. "Nunnally is great. She's like a little sister. You have to see the clay sculptures we made. Nunnally is really good. It so unfair. Mine look like a twisted eldritch abomination."

"Well I would love something from my incredible granddaughter to show in my office."

Artworks from around the world decorated his walls and rested in his bookshelf among exquisite works of literature. An amusing painting of distorted cubes hung by the door, where he could always see it. It was nothing that a sensible noble would own, in fact, a commoner painted it, but he loved it all the more for it. His private office in the labs remained his favorite as the public office was decorated with Britannian art. It was truly a shame that other nobles found such appreciation to be eccentric or disdainful.

Milly leaned down to inspect a glass blown vase from Venice and peered at it appreciatively. Blue and red mixed in beautiful swirls and golden flowers adorned the rim. It had been a gift from a fellow researcher in Italy. Milly looked back at him. "Did you bring anything back from Japan?"

"Area 11," he replied reflexively. In his mind he saw Kagoshima burning and the ash twirling through the air. "I'm afraid not Milly."

"Oh." Milly frowned. "I thought it would have cheered up Lelouch and Nunnally. They really seem to like Ja—Area 11. They made a friend there: Suzaku. He sounds like a lot of fun."

He turned away, unable to face his granddaughter. Suzaku was a Japanese name... now an Eleven. He had not only killed soldiers in a one side slaughter, but the civilians as well... and the children. Was Suzaku among them? His hand trembled as he straightened his pile of papers in order to do something. The smell of the dead was overpowering. He had saved lives hadn't he? He had protected Britannia.

"Grandpa? Are you ok?" Milly broke through his thoughts as she gently tugged on his sleeves and his hand stilled. He wasn't there and he relished the warmth of her hands grounding him in reality.

Still feeling shaken, he slowly lowered himself into his leather office chair. "Just lost in thoughts Milly."

"Oh." She tilted her head and her blond hair, the same shade as his late wife Rosalind, cascaded onto his desk. "You looked really sad there. Did something happen? Sometimes Nunnally does that as well. Staring off and getting really sad."

Forcing a smile onto his face, he ignored the darkness that threatened to overtake him. "What do you want for dinner Milly? We can have a special meal since I just came back. A celebration." A celebration instead of a funeral.

She took a while to think as he pulled out the quarterly report and tried to focus on the numbers. "Swan ice cream?

That was a desert. But what did he expect from an eleven year old. He also had to plan her birthday party before he returned to Tokyo. Making a quick note, he looked back at her. "I'll ask the chef."

She bit her lip and looked away again. Bashfully, she asked, "Can I go to school?"

He lay down the fountain pen, acknowledging that he wouldn't get any work done for now. "Are your tutors unsatisfactory?"

"Well no... but I want to make some friends. Real friends, not just people you are polite to."

He sighed. Perhaps it was his fault as Milly constantly bounced between her father, Monty, who would spend a few eager weeks with her and then discard her, and himself. But while she was happier with Reuben and always expressed great joy at being allowed to stay with her grandfather, the security meant that they rarely attended parties. Parties were something Milly adored and where most of the youth met each other.

"If you want to enroll in the Imperial Academy, I can make that happen. I must warn you that they are rather focused on the military and science."

"No, I want to go somewhere normal. Nunnally told me about it. Apparently they have schools in Japan for everyone. They didn't get to go because of security, but Suzaku said it was a lot of fun. And you can hold competitions and parties. And they are just for the students. So everyone is nice to each other."

Everything was spiraling back to Japan. It was impossible to escape. "Unless you want to go to a foreign school, I don't know anywhere in Britannia like that."

"Where did Empress Marianne go? She was a commoner, so where do they go to school?"

He smiled at his granddaughter gently. She was incredibly sheltered, but then, the education of commoners wasn't something that would come up with her tutors. "A few retired folks volunteered in Marianne's village ran the local parish school. Her cousin, Nunnally tutored some of the older students who were interested in science. Nunnally was self taught."

"But I thought most commoners can't afford tutors." Milly looked terribly confused.

"The Imperial Academy is only open to those of Noble blood or knights and their children. And it is rather expensive. Commoners either are taught by volunteers, apprenticeships, internships, or join the military."

Reuben personally compensated the community volunteers when they directed his attention to a particularly bright student. Marianne's cousin had been a genius and it still rankled him how she never had the chance to apply her mind. It was pure chance they met and he had managed to sponsor her. Brilliant minds could be found anywhere, not just in noble blood lines.

Milly narrowed her eyes and stomped. "But that isn't fair!"

He might wish for there to be a public education system, but that wasn't within his power. A school had been an old dream of his before his wife died and he realized that Britannia did not want to change. He would need the favor of the Area's Viceroy to even consider such a thing. And none of the current Viceroys saw any worth in the commoners.

"There isn't anything I can do Milly. Even if I personally started a school, it would surely be shut down by the Viceroy or by one of the Margraves."

"Aren't you a Margrave now?"

Reuben blinked. He was going to govern Tokyo, the only city standing close to Mount Fuji with the world's largest sakuradite mine. "I guess I am Milly. A school huh? I guess I could push forward a school as an experiment. It will still depend on the Viceroy. It wouldn't do to make an enemy out of them just yet by forcing their hand."

Milly smiled again and leaned across his desk. "Well Prince Clovis is going to be the Viceroy. And he likes you!" She danced away. "I'm going to school!"

"It will take some time," he cautioned. Now was the time to finally fulfill the dream that he had forgotten. And maybe, just maybe, he could finally do something good. The knightmare... it was his darling child, but part of him felt that it was a mistake. Kagoshima had burned. Everything had burned and he had enabled it.

A small polite knock on the door and Lelouch with dark circles underneath his eyes stepped inside with a short bow and turned to Milly. "Nunnally is wondering where you are."

"Oh." She raised her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm so sorry Lulu!" Milly rushed over to Reuben and gave him a tight hug. "Sorry Grandpa, but I promised to help Nunnally with the kilning."

"No problem. Go ahead. We can talk after dinner," he assured her.

Milly laughed and scurried past Lelouch who rolled his eyes. The door shut behind her, leaving Reuben alone with Lelouch. He gestured for the young prince to sit down in one of the armchairs. "I hope you are settling in well Lelouch."

Lelouch ignored him, the violet eyes hard and cold. "Thank you for accommodating us."

Did the prince blame him for his part in producing the knightmare frame? "I assume there is something you wish to speak to me about."

Lelouch nodded and straightened. "I have... a favor to ask."

A favor? Reuben would always help Marianne, even if lately, she seemed to be drifting further and further from the sweet fourteen year old child she had been. "I'm always willing to help you and your mother."

Lelouch scowled and clenched his fists. "Not her. For Nunnally. We... We enjoyed Japan and Nunnally deserves to be happy. She won't be in the Imperial Courts. Blindness is a weakness."

Reuben leaned back and wondered if Lelouch also couldn't sleep. Lelouch was just a child and he couldn't imagine what it was like to be stuck in a war zone. Marianne had difficulty retrieving them from what Reuben heard. "I guess Milly's new found obsession regarding school is thanks to you."

The boy looked up and Reuben held his gaze.

"Please don't manipulate my granddaughter like that Lelouch. But if you wish to go to school, I'll of course support you. And even if you aren't on good terms with your mother currently, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Lelouch clenched his fists again at the mention of his mother. "Nunnally won't go as royalty. When we were in Japan... we were normal."

Court life was always unrelenting, part of the reason why he had tried to distant himself for as long as he could. But despite playing the part of an eccentric genius, he was being drawn into the political games. Marianne's own fingers were meddling with good intentions. He too wanted to go back to the good old days where it was just Rosalind, Marianne, and her wonderfully brilliant cousin, Nunnally. But life didn't always go as he intended.

"It will take me some time to set up the school. I will already be heavily involved in rebuilding Tokyo. Your sister and yourself cannot hide forever in these labs. I know you want your anonymity, but it just isn't possible. You can of course attend as royalty when the school is finally built."

Lelouch stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "I don't want anything to do with her or the Emperor."

Reuben stilled. "What happened in Japan Lelouch?"

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past, but you could say I was an optimistic fool. I refuse to go back to Pendragon."

"Lelouch!" He stared at the young prince imploringly. "I don't know what you're going through, but please reconsider. You cannot just disown yourself. The Emperor will never accept that."

Lelouch straightened and Reuben could almost see the Emperor before him instead of a young child with a title that would rule his destiny forever. "I will stand on my own two feet. I ask you to please give me the opportunity to work on your estate. I will support Nunnally myself."

"Lelouch... There is no need."

"I don't need his money. I don't need them. They don't care about Nunnally or myself or anyone but their stupid Empire."

Reuben stayed silent as he watched Lelouch suddenly deflate as if the gravity of his words suddenly struck him. Reuben knew that Marianne loved the two of them dearly. Before Marianne, he assumed that the Emperor was incapable of love, but whatever affection the Emperor had for Marianne, didn't have to extend to her children.

Grumbling, he pinched his nose. His decision would not deter Lelouch from the path he had chosen. The only thing Reuben could do was wait at the side and be ready to catch the youth when he fell. He just had to stay close enough.

Reuben smiled sadly. "I will help you Lelouch. I doubt the Emperor will allow you to stay and work as a commoner on my estate. I hope you are aware."

Lelouch relaxed and Reuben could see the faint glimmer of relief in his eyes. "The Emperor won't stop me if I join the military."

"You need to be fourteen to enlist. The Emperor isn't going to allow you to sit in obscurity for three years." And Reuben didn't want Lelouch to join the military. He feared that whatever remained of the kind and hopeful heart from before the assassination would be permanently washed away.

"I'm enlisting in January," said Lelouch.

"You'll only be twelve."

"Nobody is going to check a lowly commoner's claim about his age."

Marianne was going to be pissed, but Lelouch would move forward regardless. The only thing Reuben could do was guide Lelouch and try to protect him from himself. "I'll make sure you have paperwork to cover your tracks regardless in return, you can aid me in accounting."

Lelouch glanced at the stack of paperwork warily, before gazing at him with wide eyes. "You aren't going to stop me?"

"Kid, I watched over you when you were a toddler. If I try and stop you, you'll just find another way. You already had another plan. At least this way, I know where you are." Walking over to Lelouch, he pulled him into a hug. "Of course, you can still back out of this. Being a commoner won't be easy. And joining the military... I still think you're too young and the Emperor... I cannot do anything if he tries to stop you."

Lelouch accepted the hug and nodded. "I'm going to do this. It's the only way we can ever be free."

Reuben pulled the boy closer. Normally, it wouldn't be proper. But Lelouch didn't protest and instead seemed to relax. He was only eleven and there was only so much a child could take... especially if he didn't feel like he could trust his own family anymore. Hopefully, Marianne could repair the bond of trust she inadvertently broke, but until then, Reuben would protect her children.

"You'll need a few more muscles Lelouch if you are going to survive."

Lelouch chuckled weakly and buried his head in Reuben's coat. They were going to be alright.

Tokyo, Japan

Tohdoh watched the execution on the television, unable to tear his eyes away. He had to see the consequences of his actions. Saito turned away as the shots were fired and the young man fell to the ground, dead. Tohdoh could hear Kudo in the bathroom, retching into the toilet. Sayako stood impassively by his side, her fists clenching. Tohdoh turned the television off as the Britannian newscaster turned to other matters.

Saito slouched in the corner of the room and absently inspected his boots. "We are going to stop this, aren't we sir?"

Kudo, returning from the bathroom, angrily punched the wall. "What can we do? It's just four of us. And an entire army! And even if we somehow rescue the hostages... What's stopping Britannia from just taking anyone off the street."

Tohdoh nodded. It was a problem. They could of course turn themselves in and receive Marianne's mercy. If they were lucky, she would honor her word and let the rest of their people go. It was too much of a risk... especially considering what Tohdoh knew. Lieutenant Iki had hopefully arrived in Narita, but Tohdoh knew where they were. If he got caught, everything would be compromised.

Surprising him, Sayoko spoke up. "This is my fault."

"Why do you say that?" asked Tohdoh.

She knelt down on the floor and shook her head. "My apologies, I infiltrated the Britannian base when they left to confront your troops. I had hoped to assassinate their commander... but she wasn't there."

Tohdoh closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and took a deep breath as he began to count backwards from twenty. He would not snap at her. It would be counterproductive. Without her interference, his plan would have worked. But instead, the Britannian forces were on high alert and Marianne was out for blood. Marianne had tried to kill Suzaku. Had killed Noriko. Tohdoh despised her, but attempting to kill her was foolish. Had Sayoko succeeded, Britannian would have burnt Tokyo to the ground without hesitation. They already proved themselves capable at Kagoshima. Still not trusting himself to speak, he counted backwards by threes from one hundred.

"It is fortunate that you didn't kill her," he finally replied.

Kudo growled. "How the hell is that true! If that bitch were dead, then we wouldn't be in this mess! We could try again. We'll succeed this time and show those Brits that we aren't to be underestimated."

Shaking his head, Saitio replied morosely, "It isn't going to be easy this time around. The Brits are already trigger happy. We would never make it into the base, let alone anywhere near Marianne."

"Then we take her out at the executions. She was there for the first one and in that wheelchair, she can't move fast." Kudo paced back and forth like a wild animal eager for blood.

Sayoko's soft voice cut between the two young privates. "The execution area is too obvious. They will have agents there to apprehend anyone foolish enough to try anything."

Kudo wasn't deterred. "We will just be smarter. There has to be a way to take her down. I'm not going to let people suffer for my mistake."

"And what do you think I feel?" Sayoko hissed back, "I failed my mission. If I succeeded, this wouldn't be happening."

Having enough of the squabbling, Tohdoh stood up and three pairs of eyes latched onto him. "We cannot assassinate Marianne."

Three voices shouted loudly, questioning him.

He raised his hand, silencing them. "Even though she is an Empress, killing her will just lead to someone replacing her who will seek revenge. Britannia holds all the cards. Death will not end these executions. We have to force Marianne to call them off herself or this pointless bloodshed will continue."

Saito looked up from his corner. "You aren't suggesting we turn ourselves in?"

"No." Tohdoh glanced out the window. "We cannot be caught. I don't even know if our capture would stop the executions, not when the Japanese will turn on each other to save themselves and their loved ones."

"Then what do you suggest sir?" asked Saito.

Three pairs of eyes stared at him imploringly. He had performed a minor miracle and now he was expected to perform another one. Tohdoh didn't allow them to see his uncertainty. He would have to be strong in mind and spirit to protect his people. He did not know Marianne, but she was surely an intelligent opponent. She had already proved herself in their little skirmish in Saitama.

He wondered what Lelouch would do. The young child always thought out of the box and if Tohdoh wanted to succeed, he would have to as well. Marianne would probably be like her son, although she already proved herself lacking one thing, he knew Lelouch possessed: a heart.

If he wanted to stop Marianne, he had to give her something to fear. It had to be something that wasn't easy to defeat. It couldn't be traced back to his people because Marianne would annihilate them. No, Tohdoh needed to construct a different type of threat. What did Marianne fear? Lelouch and Nunnally were out of the country. According to the gossip rags, she got along splendidly with the Emperor.

Tohdoh walked over to the window and he stared at the knightmare roll down the street and a young Japanese couple cowering in the shadows. Someone had attempted to assassinate Marianne, that was why Lelouch and Nunnally were sent to Japan for their safety. Perhaps Marianne was cold enough to use her children as political bargaining chips, but she acted cautiously. Marianne would only have risked her children if the threat at home was great enough to garner such a response.

"Sayoko," he said and she walked up behind him, her head bowed respectfully. "When you were searching for Marianne, did you perhaps enter her room?"

"Yes, but only her assistant was there. I disposed of her after she refused to tell me where Marianne was."

A small shiver ran down his spine, but Tohdoh steeled himself. He wasn't thrilled with assassinations, but he would use every tool at his disposal. "Do you remember any personal items in her room? Any files either?"

Sayoko pressed her finger against her chin thoughtfully. "She had a few photos of two children. In her desk drawer, she kept a small finger painting and she had a collection of various swords in a chest under the bed. Besides those items, she didn't have anything personal. There were a few personnel files on her desk."

Nodding, he considered the gamble he was contemplating. They only had one chance to get this right. "Who were they?"

Sayoko's curious gaze burned into him. She held up a finger. "Reuben Ashford, he is to become the Margrave of Tokyo. The Shinozaki clan has limited information on him despite being a high ranking noble. He rarely involved himself in Britannian politics." Extending another finger, Sayoko continued. "Midian Siebenberg. According to his file he is an accomplished soldier and baron. His family has no power in Britannian politics. Lastly," she raised the third finger, "Frederick Oberstein. He is a Margrave in Area 3 and rich. The clan suspects him of being behind numerous assassinations. He controls numerous mines and factories and also is responsible for manufacturing many of the Empire's weapons."

"Do we know anything of this Ashford character?"

Sayoko shook her head. Tohdoh pursed his lips, that was unfortunate. He didn't know why those three files were on Marianne's desk. But surely she disliked one of them or suspected them of foul play. But which one? A Margrave was powerful enough to orchestrate an assassination and Oberstein had a history. But pinning the attempted assassination of Marianne on him, might be difficult. Ashford was reclusive and wielded less power, but how did a political outsider earn governorship of the Tokyo area? Tohdoh was missing something... which left Siebenberg.

"Saito and Kudo," he said as he turned around and watched with satisfaction as they snapped to attention. "I need you to find out everything you can about Siebenberg."

"Sir? What is the plan?" Kudo asked.

Tohdoh allowed himself to smile. "We can't defeat Britannia. We need to give Marianne a bigger fish to catch. and Siebenberg, may just be the scapegoat we need. But I want to make sure."

Kudo glanced at the TV and frowned. "We don't have that much time sir. The execution—"

"No civilian is going to die tonight."

Kudo's eyes widened, "How can you say that? Do you have a plan?"

Shaking his head, Tohdoh stared at his young subordinate in the eyes. "We don't need to. This was the second execution. Someone will be desperate enough to sell out their people to stop the executions. And then we will see if Marianne keeps her word. I believe she will, for our people will tear themselves apart to save their loved ones."

"I don't believe that." Kudo stepped back, shaking. "Why would they turn on each other? Help the enemy?"

"If it was my son or my wife standing before the firing squad... I don't know what I would do." He clenched his fists. "No, that is a lie. I would save them even if that meant my own death. And just like me, others will do the same. They will sell out their neighbor who cursed at Britannians the other day. They'll accuse their old colleagues out of jealousy. And Marianne will reward the traitors with food and luxuries while the rest of our people starve. And then we will just be Numbers."

Kudo growled, "We're Japanese. There is no way that—"

"The Kyoto House already sold out," interjected Sayoko.

Tohdoh turned to her, his eyebrows raised as he thought of the conceited plutocrats. He would never have imagined them bowing their heads. "It has already begun. Go Kudo and Saitio. The sooner we act, the sooner we can save our people from this trap."

He turned to Sayoko and listened to the footsteps fading away and the door slamming shut. Sayoko bowed her head to him, "And how may I be of service?"

"Find out everything you can about Ashford. I want to know what kind of man he is... And if we need to arrange an accident."

Tohdoh turned around and pulled out his wedding photo with Nagisa. He missed her. Perhaps he could ask Sayoko to find them? He looked up, but she was already gone. he hadn't heard her leave. It was probably for the best if he didn't know where Nagisa and Ko were. They were safer that way should Tohdoh be captured. Japan's resistance would fall, but his family could at least live on.

Pulling out a lighter, he raised the flickering flame to the edge. It was the only memento that he had been able to hang onto. For their safety, he would let it go. He raised the lighter again and brought it closer to the edge. He shut it off.

"Ridiculous," he murmured to himself. He had covered up a murder and was considering ordering an assassination, but he quailed at the thought of destroying a picture. Sighing, he tucked the picture away and headed out to do his own reconnaissance.

Britannian Military Base, Tokyo, Area 11

Marianne rubbed her eyes tiredly as she looked at the list of casualties. If Lord Newton hadn't died in the Battle of Narita, she would have had him stripped of his title for sheer incompetence. Britannia had lost eighteen knightmares and another twenty two were in desperate need of repairs. Worst of all, they had nothing to show for it. Britannia ad suffered its first devastating defeat and the enemy had vanished in the Narita mountains. She rubbed her eyes again, before glancing at the other report on her desk sourly.

Bismark was coming. Apparently Charles was worried about her safety although he had at least the common sense to not pull her away from the fighting. The fighting was supposed to be over, but Britannia had never needed to worry about chasing cockroaches armed with knives before. People were supposed to roll over and beg for mercy, not needlessly shed blood. It was illogical.

Setting her paperwork aside, Marianne rolled back from the desk and pulled out her phone, dialing Reuben's familiar number.

A few rings later, he picked up and grumbled, "Marianne? You know it's past midnight for me?"

"Well you are awake Reuben."

He made a weird sound between a groan and a yawn. "I have a literal mountain of paperwork to get through. My office looks like a blizzard. So please, unless you have a way for all the paperwork to disappear, allow me to finish up and go to bed."

Marrianne pushed away the tremor of guilt. Reuben definitely sounded stressed. "How are the kids? Are they settling in well?"

"Nunnally seems to be doing alright although she is having frequent nightmares... and Lelouch. Well I checked the security footage, he is barely sleeping. They may be safe, but... What happened Marianne?"

Her heart plummeted. She should be there with them and comforting them. This was all her fault. "It's the Elevens' fault."

"Marianne." His voice was stern and suddenly Marianne felt like a teenager who had been a little too reckless in the Ganymede. Reuben sounded incredibly disappointed and her heart fluttered in shame. "That isn't going to help."

Lowering her head, she said, "Lelouch fled the Kururugi home with Nunnally and the Prime Minister's son. Had they stayed, the unspeakables would have kept them safe. That was their job, but Lelouch... He set traps and decoys. Lelouch was in Sagamihara."

"Sagamihara?"

Her eyes closed and she knew that Reuben was going to yell at her. "Sagamihara. The army flattened the area. They were walking among the piles of the dead."

He didn't yell. Instead his voice became softer. "Marianne. Did you kill the boy? Suzaku?"

That had been his name. The boy who had stolen her children from her and manipulated them. She growled into her phone. "No. He managed to escape."

Reuben inhaled sharply and the noise grated against the speaker. She just knew that he was dissapointed in her. "Marianne. He was friends with them both. Nunnally cries his name in her sleep. If you ever want your children to talk to you again, you cannot kill him. It will break them."

She felt so incredibly angry, but for her children she would push it aside. "So I should just capture him and let him work for them... So they can be with their friend?"

Reuben didn't answer.

Her cheeks warmed and she massaged her forehead. No. Lelouch would take that wrongly. A noble taking a commoner with no skill to keep them close? It screamed of a mistress and Lelouch would understand the connotation. She hissed in disbelief, "You just want me to let him be?"

"Yes." He paused slightly and cut over her irritated sigh. "He is just a child. What harm can he do? In a few years, if may even become a productive citizen of the Empire to honor that friendship."

"No harm?" she spluttered. "He is the son of the Prime Minister! He is basically a symbol for a rebellion to rally around. Not to mention a Number."

"Marianne. You're a commoner who became an Empress. It seems rather pointless to value his worth based on being a citizen of a conquered nation. Weren't you the one who proposed that Prince Clovis marry a French woman to appease the E.U? Lelouch never had any friends before, despite your efforts Marianne. He has a good head. Trust his judgment."

Leaning back, she stared at the ceiling. Everything was out of her control. It hurt to admit, but she had driven her children away. She wasn't sure if it was a particular action or simply because she was absent from their life for so long. It didn't matter. Her voice cracked slightly. "They don't wish to speak to me?"

Sounding incredibly exhausted, Reuben said, "Nunnally will probably come around if you talk to her... but Lelouch, he won't. He has always been stubborn. It's going to take a lot more work for him to open up to you... or anyone for that matter."

Yes. Lelouch had always been a stubborn child. He had even refused to crawl, instead scooting around on his bottom until he could finally master the art of walking. She smiled softly at the memory. V.V. had robbed her son of his youthful smile. She wanted to see Lelouch smile again. "What is Lelouch planning?"

"You know your son too well Marianne. He said he would stand on his own two feet." Marianne suddenly felt the strong urge to punch Charles. "He is planning on enlisting in January."

"Absolutely not!" This was Charles's fault. She knew it. She was going to strangle him when she returned to Britannia. "He is just twelve."

Reuben's silence was telling and Marianne rubbed her eyes again. She wanted to return home to her precious two angels.

"I can't stop him, can I?" Lelouch would hatch one of his idiotic schemes and without her protection, Marianne had no doubt that Lelouch and Nunnally would be captured and used as bargaining chips by ambitious nobles. It still felt too rash."I will think about, but Reuben, please protect him and Nunnally."

Worldbuilding Thoughts:
- I've thrown all of Code Geass's alternate history from before the Seven Years' War out of the windows, as a result, King George III won against Washington. Interestingly, he has fifteen children, one of them just happens to be named Elizabeth. She is also alleged to have an affair with the son of King George's paige. Since my Britannian Empire is founded by Elizabeth III, I'm using the historical Elizabeth and have her be the only one to escape Napoleon.
- There are plenty of alternate histories that discuss America losing the revolutions, but I haven't found any that focused on the religious repercussions within the states. I feel like religion would change, but am no expert and so am going to keep religion on the backseat. The anime had religious tones at times, so religion must still exist, right? My attempt at research ended up with me learning how Napoleon pushed reforms through to help the Jewish people despite public backlash. Fascinating. But not exactly what I'm looking for, but it is being filed under reasons why Napoleon was assassinated in this universe.
- Funny thing you don't realize when writing a Code Geass fic, is how language would evolve differently. "Ok" should not exist in Britannia. Oops... Then there are accents, and I loathe writing accents, so I'll make note of a character having an accent, but I'm going to try to distinguish class divides more by vocabulary and grammar distinctions.

Author's Note:
Thank you x1tears1X on FFN for your help with this chapter. If anyone else wants to beta, just ask? :)

Because my chapter was late again, I owe everyone two chapters. I'm keeping track, so that I may deliver a surprise makeup update in the upcoming months. The next chapter is complete already and just awaiting editing so it should be on time.

The story is nearing a 100 follows on FFN, and I would love to celebrate the occasion. I'm thinking of a special update or a separately posted one-shot. Any preference?