Why couldn't it have been any easier?
Alfonso was tired. So very tired. After all the etiquette lessons by the family butler, political lessons with Professor Cain, and early economic classes, he couldn't take it anymore. He was only four, for Christ's sake! Well, a four year old with the mind of a twenty seven year old, but that wasn't the point!
After escaping his jailer of a math tutor, he immediately made for his room. Running as fast as his small legs could carry him, with a guard following close behind, he soon navigated the maze of halls that made up the inside of his home, the Aries Villa. Making it to his room, he hastily opened the massive white door and slammed it shut behind him, with the guard halting outside of the room to stand watch.
The bedroom had changed much in the time since he was born.
The old baby cradle had long since been tossed in favor of a queen sized oak behemoth sitting in the far left, with an early flatscreen television sitting in front of it. The red rug, showing signs of the constant wear and tear, was still on the floor, covered in books and an odd toy here or there. The god-awful purple-orange walls had been repainted white-gold, along with more windows installed within the redecorated walls.
Bookcases littered the room, with five of the things found to the right of the doorway. Finally, a small desk cluttered with various papers and images sat to the immediate right of the entrance.
He immediately began to rip off all of his "clothes", chucking the breeches, undershirt, cravat, and red cape onto the floor (take that, butler!). Old clothes long forgotten, he changed into a simple white shirt and pajama pants, hopped onto his bed, grabbed his copy of "King Lear", and got to work.
That was one of the few things that he could connect with in this new world: books. All the old plays and comedies of Shakespeare were an island of familiarity in this badshit crazy world.
It hadn't taken him too long to figure out the basics of this world. Basics which, for all intents and purposes, made no sense. After looking at history, he was able to find that Queen Elizabeth had a child, the American Revolution was lost, Napoleon won, and a vast number of other differences had taken place. This was obviously not his world, and resembled it only at a passing glance.
Also, it turned out he was a member of a royal family. Fourth Prince Alfonso vi Britannia, 12th in line in the Britannian Imperial succession. It certainly had a ring to it. But the empire he was a member of had disgusted him. An even worse version of the British Empire, the Britannians were far more ethnocentric and war mongering than any he could remember, taking other countries rapidly through conquest and making them second class citizens.
But, he figured, he would deal with that in the future. He was only a child, he would have time. That was enough remembering the bad things. He had other things to do. A book to read, for example.
And then came the heavy, repeated knocks on the door.
"Your highness!" cried the voice. "Your mother has sent for your presence immediately!"
Letting out a frustrated sigh at getting interrupted, our prince folded the page, set down the book, and proceeded to the doorway in his pajamas. Opening the door, he saw one of his mothers guards, Ashworth, was waiting, breathing slightly heavily. He was dressed in the typical guard grey, which had always looked so dreary to Alfonso. Nevertheless, it must be important if he was being summoned.
"Where are we going?"
Noticing the dress (or, rather, lack thereof of the royal), the guard blanched slightly and spoke in a hushed, clipped tone. "You must change your clothes immediately, your highness. Your mother would never approve of such dress in the daytime hours."
Ugh, and he thought he could get out of those things for the day. He used to think dress up shoes were the worst thing he could wear. Now, he wanted to punch that optimistic view in the fucking face.
The new clothes wasted little time being pulled from their drawers. After completing the process of dressing in a couple of minutes, he opened the door again. Instead of commenting, the guard quickly grabbed his hand and began to half-lead and half-drag him down the halls. That was another annoying aspect of being a child. Why couldn't they understand that he could follow a person without getting lost!?
Still, though, he scraped his mind and couldn't think of why his mother may want him. Looking to Ashworth, who continued to look ahead and continue moving, he voiced his frustrations. "Where are we going, I was reading a book!"
The hurried guard only took a moment to sneak a glance at him before his face was back looking forward, feet not skipping a beat during the response: "Her Majesty wants you and your brother to be with her to meet your new baby sister, who was born earlier this afternoon."
Wait, that was happening now? Sure, he knew his mother was pregnant, but he had overheard her mention that she wasn't due for at least two more weeks. Must have been born early, nothing too wrong with that. At least the interruption was justified. This was an important occasion!
He quickly hurried his steps to walk in lockstep with the guard, following close as they navigated their way out of the Villa and to an awaiting car.
The family he had received in this new world was… not exactly what he had first expected.
His father, Emperor Charles, was a horrendous person. Strict? Not exactly, more like absentee. He focused more on "ruling" than he ever did spending time with him, not that he wanted to enjoy time with the tyrant. He was a far more hawkish and discriminatory ruler than even the previous leader, Emperor Phillip. He preached Social Darwinism and revealed in military victory, and the only times he ever saw him were during official mandatory gatherings or on the news networks, giving his "speech" (rant) about power and strength. Still, at least his mother was kind and caring.
Empress Marianne, his mother, had always been kind and protective towards him, nurturing him through the harsh limitations of being a child and "teaching" him how to speak and walk. However, she could be a little overprotective, if her verbal fight and eventual removal (both physical and of status) of a Count who had accidentally shoved him to the ground during a party was any indication. You didn't mess with Alfonso unless you wanted an angry Empress on your tail.
And that made his early childhood that much worse. Constantly having to fake being a child, along with all the illiteracy, speaking difficulties, and pole-licking that came along with it. Still, he didn't do quite a good enough job. After being caught clearly reading a history textbook at age three by his mother, he was quickly put onto the road of tutoring, being seen as somewhat of a prodigy.
But, still, it was worth it to have a parent that cared, even if they still treated him like a child. He still didn't quite see her as his true mother, even if his original was strict, but he certainly cared for her.
He also had other siblings which he cared for, especially the younger ones, but that discussion would be for another time.
His father, however… not so much.
The car ride seemed like forever, with the bright lights of Pendragon flashing by as he was raced towards the Royal Hospital, located just adjacent to the palace. It was used by the entire extended family of the Emperor, and as such was the only logical facility that Marianne would go.
Upon arrival, he was whisked out of the car by Ashworth and they entered the building. Just passed the entrance, they were met by another, similar duo sitting on some waiting chairs.
"Brother!", the smaller of the two shouted. Quickly hopping up out of the small metal waiting chair and running towards him, his three year old brother soon had him trapped in a bear hug.
Lelouch was another part of his family. Same violet eyes, but much darker hair and a shorter, slightly leaner stature. Born only a year after himself, he had yet to mature to the same extent Alfonso had, but that was to be expected. However, he was a very curious child, often attempting to sneak peaks at Alfonso's book collection or desk when he wasn't looking. A prodigy in his own right, albeit to a lesser degree than his older brother, he had already begun to read at an extremely low level and talk at a basic level recently.
He was also close to Alfonso, with the latter often playing around with the former to have fun and be a kid again. Say what you would, but crawling around in the grass and bushes was certainly more fun and acceptable for a child than an adult.
Anyways, he now had to extricate himself from the current situation.
"Lelouch!" he greeted, returning the hug. After a few seconds passed, he broke away from the younger child, who proceeded to look a little sad. "Wanna see Mother and our new sister!"
That cheered him up. "Mother!", he exclaimed, as he proceeded to run over to his accompanying guard and pull on his sleeve. "I wanna see Mama! I wanna see her!"
With that the guard, after shooting a quick, small glare at Alfonso for bringing Lelouch's attention to himself, began to hastily lead him down the hall. Meanwhile, the elder brother simply watched them go, then turned to his own guardian. "Will we follow them?"
"No, your highness,'' came the response. "Her Majesty requested that your highness enter before your brother. Let's not keep her waiting." And with that, Ashworth immediately stood up, brushed off his uniform, and began to make his way down the opposite hall that Lelouch was being led down, keeping Alfonso in tow.
"Alfie!"
As soon as he had stepped into the room, Ashworth waiting outside, his mother had taken notice of him. After calling to him, she beckoned him over with her free left arm. In her right, propped against her body, she held the reason for his being there.
His new little sister.
"Come here, son, don't be shy. Come say hi!"
At his mother's beckoning, he approached the hospital bed. With his mother lowering the new child out towards him, he finally got to see her.
A cute pudgy face. Adorable little arms and legs moving here and there. A small tuft of brown hair on the head. And, finally, newly opened, albeit slightly puffy, violet eyes looking into his own. She looked like… no, never mind that now.
His mother soon saw his inquisitive looks. Holding the newborn out towards him, she said "Here, you can hold her if you are very careful, okay?"
His arms slowly came up, and the baby was placed into his own small arms. While a little tough to hold, his mother was supporting him and watched him throughout the process.
"Her name is Nunnally, and she is your new sister. Isn't she lovely?"
He looked back at his new sister. Her infant eyes were now closed, resting for the time. She looked peaceful, happy even.
"Yes, Mother," he replied. "She is."
He stayed like that for a minute or two, holding the child under the watchful eye of his mother.
Eventually, however, the moment came to an end. His mother slowly removed her supporting arms and held them out to him. "Ok, Alfie, I need to see her back now. But you can see her again in a few hours, if you would like?"
"Of course,'' came the reply.
"Now," she began, after taking the infant back into her arms, "as you are so smart and old enough now, I think it is time for me to talk to you about something."
This was a little different than Alfonso was expecting. Talk about what? His mother had never really broached serious topics with him before, so this was a little unusual.
His mother, after readjusting the baby, continued speaking: "As the eldest sibling, you must help protect Lelouch and Nunnally in the future." She took his hand with her free one. "The world isn't the gentlest place, or the safest. Although, you probably already know that, you smart boy." She laughed lightly.
Then, she looked to his eyes.
"You love your brother and sister very much, don't you?"
It took only a moment of thought and a look at Nunnally to respond "Yes".
"Then could you promise your mother that you will protect them in the future, especially if she isn't there to do it herself?"
He thought about it.
He wanted to do better in this new life, to truly help others. But, so far, the dangers of this new life had only been in the back of his mind. He would need to take action at some point. In that case, he could start with his new siblings. Do better towards his new brother and sister, unlike his failures with the old.
Of course, he had understood that there would be some danger. While it may not be as bad as the previous succession crisis he had learned about a few decades earlier, danger would be everywhere, even for those like him and his siblings, so far low on the line of succession.
Looking at Nunnally, safe and cuddled in their mother's arms, he knew what his only option was.
He looked towards his mother. "Of course, Mother. I will protect them."
His mother's face soon sprouted a small smile. Turning towards a small button, she pressed it, with a small dinging noise being created. No less than twenty seconds later, a nurse rushed into the room, appearing tired, but happy. He appeared like the same one present for Alfonso's birth years earlier. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Please take Nunnally to the nursery and perform the health checks. But I would like to see her again within the next two hours, I will be taking a nap." She carefully handed the nurse the child.
"Yes, ma'am. The necessary physical and vitals checks should be completed within that time, as usual. Enjoy your nap", he chuckled. "You will need it in the coming days."
That elicited a small laugh. "Yes, yes, I know. After three times, I have the procedure down to a science." And, after being dismissed by Marianne, the nurse left the room, with Nunnally in tow.
Returning to Alfonso, she smiled once again, this time a little wider. "Thank you, Alfie. That means a lot to me. Now, come here and give Mother a hug." She beckoned him forward with her now empty arms.
He met them, being lifted up a bit and hugged for a few seconds. After letting go, she returned to laying down.
"Now run along, Alfie. Sorry for interrupting your reading, and I hope you will forgive me. I will be back at the Villa in a couple of days. Oh, and would you kindly find Lelouch for me? I wanted to say hi to him too."
How did she- oh, yeah, duh. The guards probably told her where he was when he was summoned. And that promise was probably why Lelouch had to wait as well. He would have protested to have needed protection, or just not understood it.
"Ok, mother. I love you."
She looked back to him as he was leaving. "I love you too, my dear boy."
And with that, he took his leave. Opening the door and looking back to his mother one last time, peacefully laying on the bed, he exited the room.
This life was certainly shaping up to be a little more interesting than the last. And he was alright with that.
He found Lelouch waiting on a chair outside, flanked both by his guard and Ashworth. As soon as he had left the room, Lelouch, seemingly told how things would go, immediately leapt up and dashed into the room, his own guard remaining outside.
Beginning his walk down the corridor, Alfonso thought more about the future. The promise had reminded him of the dangers that came with the position of royalty. Conflicts, both big and small, lethal or political, that could cause him to lose his new life so early into it.
Yes, he may just need to start making some plans. He had been enjoying life so far, content to just relax in his new body and act like the child he was until things got serious.
Well, life just slapped him in the face and showed that things are always serious.
Except he was a child, making any attempts at making plans involving others...unlikely, to say the least. No, the plans would need to start going into effect in a few years at the least. But, he could still start planning.
"Come now, your highness, we must make haste back to the Villa," Ashworth said, opening the door for him as they reached the car. "Since your English has already advanced so much, Her Majesty has decided that it would be beneficial to begin lessons in Latin as well. You wouldn't want to miss your lessons, would you?"
Ok, planning it was. Anything to get his mind away from the god-awful tutors.
Author's Notes:
Hello, all! Offtimeotaku here with the first update to my first story. so far, we have seen our protagonist get dropped into this world and having to cope with the changes. What wacky adventure will he go on next? Well, I am planning that out right now.
At this point in time, these early chapters are just setting some cornerstones. My plans for the story are incomplete, but I have everything up to and including the assassination planned. However, past that point, I have multiple conflicting plans on what happens to Alfonso, Lelouch, and Nunnally after the exile and war. Some involve China, some the EU, some Japan. All involve Alfonso, but some involve Nunnally and/or Lelouch. I would love to hear some suggestions or guesses as to the future of the story, so please take some time to write a review!
Now for review responses:
notsofrilly: Thank you! That is my first review as a writer. I agree with the lack of SI's, but Alfonso isn't exactly one of them. I am trying to make him more caring, credulous, and less pessimistic than myself. I hope that shows. Finally, as the story mentions now, Alfonso is older by about a year.
Lancelot-07: I thought about the Nunnally aspect, but I wanted to use her as a motivation in this story. I am writing short as this is my first story and it is more of an opening to the story early on. I haven't heard of that story before, but I might check it out later, and I do not plan on focusing much on those three at this time, I know too little about them.
Thank you guys for the reviews! Finally, I claim no ownership of the Code Geass plot or world, just my character.
Have a nice day!