Author's Note: Hello readers. Just a word of warning, this chapter is lengthy and there's going to be a lot of talking. Like tons of talking. The aftermath of Mao's incident and the spark of the chain of events for Rolo will be covered here, plus, we finally get an introduction to Infinity's background here (about time, I think it's better to do it sooner than later since people might get confused with his motivations).
Maybe it's just my nerves, but just like the twelfth chapter, I'm a little unsure about posting this although I can't find any more flaws... *Shrugs*
P.S. Pardon the horrible chapter name :( I have no idea what to name this one.
Chapter 14
A Convenient Mishap
Shirley draped an arm over Lelouch's shoulders and leaned against his frame as they hobbled over to the bedroom. She initially wanted to walk on her own, but her unsteady feet and light-headedness, combined with Lelouch's insistence, convinced her not to. The prince pushed the twin wooden doors to their bedroom wide open as he half-hobbled over to the bed. "Easy, Shirley," he murmured, lowering her cautiously on the mattress.
The raven-haired male, after making sure that Shirley was in a comfortable sitting position, fetched a glass of water from the bedside table and passed it to her. "Thanks, Lulu," she whispered, raising the cup with her trembling fingers and took a sip. Lelouch let out a lengthy exhale, pulled a swivel chair from the desk to the side of the bed and flopped heavily on his seat.
"Shirley," Lelouch began, breaking the silence. His haunted eyes examined the lithe girl before him. "I need you to tell me what happened earlier."
"Lulu..." Shirley's voice trembled a little. She couldn't believe how easily she was deceived. "H-he told me that you were injured in a traffic accident. I was so worried… I didn't think properly! I-I got into his car and he knocked me out with some sort of gas. I'm sorry…"
Lelouch tried not to grimace. Trust the mercenary to play on Shirley's concerns for him."Did he do anything to you?" he asked worriedly, studying Shirley from head to toe.
"I wasn't sure," Shirley admitted, shaking her head, her shortened orange hair swaying back and forth. "When I came to, I was already bound and suspended upside down." Shirley noticed Lelouch's gaze and was aware that she looked pale and haggard after the ordeal. She hoped that Lelouch did not blame himself – after all, it was partly her fault for falling for what seemed like an obvious lie now. Judging from the anguish she could see in his eyes, her hopes were for naught. Suddenly, an intense emotion rose up within her. "It's not your fault," Shirley spoke up, startling Lelouch, who was brooding in deep thought.
Lelouch made a twisted expression at her. "You didn't deserve it. You were targeted just because you're with me," Lelouch muttered, his voice barely audible. He did not meet Shirley's eyes. "This should not have happened."
"Lulu… we're not going to change the fact that we're together, are we now?" Shirley questioned, her heart sinking a little at the direction this conversation was going. She could imagine what thoughts were running rampant in his mind. If he didn't accept her feelings during the spring dance months ago, none of this would have happened to her.
"Maybe," Lelouch thought but did not say. He shook his head, banishing the thought. "No, we're not. I just… I should've been there."
"I didn't listen to you. I… it was stupid of me, really. Please don't blame yourself," Shirley pleaded.
Lelouch knew what Shirley was talking about, for Rolo filled him in on the conversation between Mao and her prior to their departure from the Villa. It was confirmed by the other servants who witnessed it as well. "I'll protect you next time, Shirley. I promise you'll be safe."
"Lulu…" Shirley's voice trailed away. Now it was her turn to be brooding over the situation, and the strained silence stretched on. "You can't shield me forever."
"What are you implying?"
"I… I'm saying that I want to help. There might be another time where they would try something again, right?" Shirley swallowed heavily. "If that's so… I want to learn how to defend myself."
"Self-defense?" Lelouch leaned backwards in his chair, his brows shooting up in surprise. "Why? You don't have to, Shirley. There was nothing you could have done back then, even if you knew how to defend yourself."
"But I want to. You can't be the only one fighting against the Sword of Akasha. They're not going to stop coming after us, won't they? I have to do something as well. I don't want to be a burden on you, Lulu." Shirley's eyes shone with determination and fervor.
Lelouch hesitated for a moment, but he saw no reason to dissuade her. After all, there was no harm letting her learn how to defend herself, and it would make her feel at ease. He concluded that she may be restless and even think that she was a load on his shoulders if things continued this way. "Alright, I'll see if General Darlton has anything to offer."
"Oh. Who's that?"
"He's our new head of security, General Andreas Darlton. He is a trusted confidant of second Princess Cornelia."
"That's great. Umm… how is he like?"
"I've yet to have a conversation with him for a proper impression to form. I must warn you, though, he looks quite… imposing."
"Glad you could make it, general," Lelouch said politely. Darlton gave the prince a courteous smile, which looked out of place on his heavily scarred face.
"Don't mention it. Now, we're here to discuss security matters, are we?" the colossal man inquired. His bluish eyes briefly flickered over to the orange-haired girl beside the prince and Jeremiah. The three of them were seated on the various couches in the parlor, while the Margrave stood in the corner. The military officer noticed that there were several small stains of what looked like blood on Jeremiah's sleeve, but chose not to say anything about it.
"Um, we were never properly introduced…" Shirley hesitantly said, holding out a hand.
"General Andreas Darlton," Darlton supplied brusquely, reaching forward, enveloping Shirley's slim hand with his own burly one. He took care to shake hers gently before releasing it. "I suppose you're Miss Shirley Fenette, am I right?"
"Oh. Yes, I am," Shirley tilted her head.
"Moving on to security..." Lelouch coughed, bringing the conversation back on track. "I hear that you have brought a hundred men, excluding the Glaston Knights, several Knightmares and artillery units."
"That is true," Darlton inclined his head. "We're all awaiting your orders. However, before you assign us our posts, do you mind sharing what defenses do you possess currently?"
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. He contemplated not telling Darlton since he barely knew him, but he pushed that thought aside. The general was to be the new head of his security forces, Cornelia trusted him implicitly and he was the one who wanted more guards to begin with. "We only have twenty imperial guards so far. Most of them are stationed in the villa, and a few of them are at the main gates. However, we have numerous hidden machine turrets surrounding the place. All of them are remotely controlled."
"I see…" Darlton stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Where would you have us positioned then?"
"I require your men to be split into multiple groups," Lelouch began reciting immediately. He had already formulated a plan for how his troops would be situated. "A group of thirty men, which will be in six teams of four and six in reserve will be scattered around the roads surrounding the house. They are to check if there are any suspicious individuals are around the area. I trust you to schedule their shifts accordingly so that they have enough rest. I can't have my guards falling asleep due to the lack of it."
"Of course. Please go on."
"Another group of thirty men will be positioned in the surrounding forest and the main gate. Once again, check for any dubious activity and thoroughly search anyone who enters. I don't care if it's a prince, princess or even the Emperor himself," Lelouch abruptly said. "If any of them gives your men trouble, please get them to leave, by force or by words."
"That's a bit much," Darlton frowned. "But I understand that it's necessary. We'll do as you wish."
"No soldiers or servants are allowed to depart from the house as well, as they would have knowledge of our defenses. Assign another twenty men to the artillery. And as for the remaining twenty men…" Lelouch mused. "They are to be stationed in the house itself, with the Glaston Knights. You're to accompany them as well."
"As a reinforcement of the villa's forces?" Darlton asked. "Since there are already some imperial guards around."
"Correct," Lelouch confirmed. "Jeremiah will assist you and your forces to settle down in the villa," he added, glancing at the noble standing in the corner of the room.
"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah saluted sharply.
"How about my Knightmares, Your Highness?" Darlton raised a hand. "We have twenty-six seventh generation frames with us. All of them are Gareths. And the artillery?"
"They are to be moved to the garage. The twenty men, including you and the Glaston Knights, make the number of pilots twenty-six. So please ensure that the men you're going to assign as the villa's guards are the most competent pilots among your troops."
"Noted," Darlton rose to his feet, shifting his feet to turn towards the door. "I shall go inform my troops and arrange them accordingly. Now, is there anything else you wish to talk about before I do so?"
Shirley nudged Lelouch's knee with her own, causing him to give her a befuddled look before he recalled her words yesterday. "Oh, right…" Lelouch muttered, shifting his gaze back to the waiting general. "Darlton, do you or any of the Glaston Knights happen to be able to train people in self-defense?"
"Well none of us are certified trainers since we're professional soldiers, not instructors," Darlton snorted. "But I guess we can teach a thing or two about it, enough to be adequate for beginners." He eyed Lelouch's thin physique. "If you're interested in it, I would suggest that you take physical training as well, Your Highness."
"It's not meant for me," Lelouch held up his hands. He almost looked ill at the thought of exercising.
"Then for whom is it meant for?"
"Me," Shirley piped up suddenly. Darlton cocked his head to the side curiously at her. "I want to learn how to defend myself."
"In case they strike again?" Darlton asked softly, his dark eyes searching Shirley's green ones. "So you would be able to do something about it?"
Shirley nodded vigorously. "I'm glad you know how I feel."
"It always starts like that," Darlton ran a hand through his cropped brown hair. "Alright. I'll personally teach you how to protect yourself. Be warned, though, it's going to be rigorous, and I do not tolerate any whining about it." He gave Shirley a hard stare. "Is that clear?"
"Umm…" Shirley exchanged a glance with Lelouch, who merely looked blankly at her. "I'm the one who wanted this, no matter how hard it gets," she reminded herself. "Sure. Let's do this."
A couple of days later...
"Ow!" Shirley cried out as she stumbled backwards, crashing painfully on the dark blue mat for what seemed to be the hundredth time to her. Towering over her was none other than Andreas Darlton. While Lelouch told her that the general was impressive in appearance, and she had already met him, right now he seemed especially larger to the orange-haired adolescent. He was easily a foot taller than her, and twice as wide.
Currently, Shirley was having her first self-defense lesson with Darlton in the Aries Villa's gymnasium. They were clad in a white spotless tunic which allowed for comfort and gloves. She was all but bubbling with energy and determination before the lesson started, but after a couple of hours sparring with Darlton, she was beginning to have second thoughts. It was not only extremely tiring but tough as well. Darlton informed her that he would be firm and unbending with her, regardless of her relationship with Lelouch, and the training would be strenuous. It sounded like an acceptable idea to her before she started.
"Get up, Miss Fenette," Darlton's voice reached her ears.
"Can we take a break, general?" Shirley winced as she picked herself up from the floor. She may be fit and in good physical condition compared to most people her age, but Darlton was relentless and strict in his training. She could not help but feel exhausted already. "We're already two hours into this without any rest…"
"I'm afraid that in a real fight… your enemies won't be waiting for you to recover!" Darlton darted towards Shirley without warning with a swiftness that belied his huge frame. Worn out and unprepared, she was caught off-guard by Darlton's sudden charge. Her athletic body allowed her to barely duck under the swing, but he quickly followed up with another punch with his other hand. Shirley managed to cross her wrists in front of her as a defensive maneuver, but the blow was too strong, and she was sent sprawling to the ground again unceremoniously, her wrist bones flaring in pain. She groaned as she attempted to prop herself up on the mat. At least Darlton wasn't using his full strength, for judging by his mass, he could have inflicted far greater damage on her.
"I think you're being too hard on her, general," Lelouch spoke up. He was leaning against the white painted wall, watching them spar for nearly two hours now. The prince's arms were folded across his chest. "She's just a beginner after all, and you're way above her weight class."
"With all due respect, Your Highness, Miss Fenette was the one who expressed her wishes to learn how to defend herself as much and as fast as possible. She does not have the luxury of choosing what weight class her enemies will be in, either." Darlton replied steadily, turning his head to look at Lelouch. "I'm just doing what is necessary."
"It's alright, Lulu," Shirley interjected before Lelouch could protest any further. "General Darlton has a point. I really want to do this." She shook thoughts of giving up out of her head and reminded herself that she did not want to burden the prince.
"If you say so," Lelouch disgruntledly backed down. "Just don't push yourself too much, Shirley." He glanced at Darlton from the corner of his eye. The general just earned some grudging respect from the eleventh prince, for most non-royals tend to be toady around members of the Britannian royalty, or at least be deferential towards such. However, Darlton was firm and unyielding, and he was not outright disrespectful, and Lelouch found his attitude rather refreshing.
"Let's try again," Shirley tried not to flinch in pain as she picked herself from the floor, facing the colossal military officer.
"You have spirit," Darlton commented approvingly. Lelouch averted his gaze to the windows while they resumed sparring. The prince could not help but begin to have cold feet about bringing Shirley along with him to Britannia. Perhaps he should not have gotten into a relationship with her in the first place. The dark-haired teenager did not want to end his relationship with Shirley, but neither could he stand to see her hurt just because of him. She was innocent, and he inadvertently made her involved in this hell of a mess.
Lelouch's thoughts were abruptly halted as he spied a matte black limousine came pulling up to the front gates of the Aries Villa through the window. The very familiar passengers alighted and Lelouch recalled that a small entourage of royals would be discreetly arriving at his place to discuss the recent attempt on his life and Shirley's. He immediately spotted Charles zi Britannia, his father and the emperor of Britannia, his half-younger sister Euphemia and his older half-brother Schneizel el Britannia.
"That's all for today, Miss Fenette," Darlton drawled. He looked as though he hardly broke a sweat while continuously winning all the sparring rounds. "You did well for a beginner, but I expect you to do much better for our next session. We'll be practicing shooting at the range as well."
"Shooting?" Shirley murmured as she slowly walked over to Lelouch. She never held a weapon in her life before, and she had never thought of doing so either. Nonetheless, she would learn to wield one if it was part of her training. "I'll try my best to perform better, general." Darlton gave her a swift nod and departed from the room.
"Hey," Lelouch said distractedly, putting an arm around Shirley's waist as she neared him. He peeled his gaze away from the approaching party of royals, resting his amethyst eyes on her face. "So how did you find your first training session?"
"It was demanding," Shirley admitted. She massaged her own shoulders, pulling a face as her muscles twinged. It was far worse than even the most intensive swimming lessons she had during her school days. "I'm aching all over, but I'll do better next time."
"Good to know," Lelouch smiled at her before shifting slightly, looking through the window again. He watched the group of royals making their way to the front door of the villa. "They're here."
"Who?" Shirley asked curiously as she peered through the glass of the window as well. She blinked as she spotted a couple of familiar figures. "Isn't that Euphie? And your father?"
"Yes. They're here to talk about the assassination attempt on us two days ago," Lelouch returned dourly.
"Oh. Am I supposed to be present at that meeting or is this only among royals?" Shirley asked, glancing nervously at the nearing form of the Britannian Emperor.
"No," Lelouch replied shortly. His expression hardened. "I don't trust all of them. Best for you to stay back for now. However, that means I won't be by your side for the next couple of hours…" The dark-haired teen gave his girlfriend a look of unease.
Shirley understood Lelouch's anxiety immediately. He was afraid that something might happen to her again. "Don't worry, Lulu. I won't go out of the villa area this time," the slender girl reassured her boyfriend. "I won't be as silly as before, trust me, Lulu."
"If you say so…" Lelouch grudgingly replied. "What are you going to do in the meantime, then? I'd imagine that this may take a couple of hours at least."
"Well… since I'm having so much free time on hand, I think I'll try to pick up another skill…." Shirley pondered for a while. "Could I try driving?"
"Driving?" Lelouch asked, frowning. Driving was not exactly easy and may have possible risks. "That's a little unsafe… Why driving?"
"I've always wanted to try that," Shirley said brightly. Lelouch raised an eyebrow in askance, and she sighed and launched into her explanation. "And… that man drove me to the warehouse, Lulu. I mean, this may sound totally absurd but… maybe I knew how to drive, I wouldn't have entered his car and-"
"Shirley," Lelouch put a finger on her lips, pausing her rambling in mid-sentence. "Don't you think you're overthinking a little? I mean, even if they're to come after us again, I doubt they'll be asking you to hop in their vehicle again."
"I know that it sounds ridiculous… but this would really help to put my mind at ease," Shirley sighed. Lelouch frowned in disapproval. "Oh, don't fret too much. I'll be fine. I won't go too fast and I'll just be on the track around the villa. Nothing can go wrong." The prince still looked unconvinced to her, and Shirley gave him the puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"
"Fine, but I'm not going to leave you alone." Lelouch groaned, giving in to her again. "I'll assign Jeremiah to accompany you. The car keys are with him. Try not to scratch the car. It's fairly new."
"Thanks, Lulu!" Shirley gushed, darting forward to plant a short kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later then?"
"Yes, you will," Lelouch said. His expression softened considerably. "Promise me that you'll be safe, alright?"
Shirley titled her head to one side, regarding Lelouch with a tinge of sadness. She could see that he was still concerned and that it was weighing down his mind. She wistfully wished that it was not so difficult for them just to be together. "I promise, Lulu," she replied earnestly. He smiled at her before turning to leave the gymnasium, heading towards the hall to greet his guests…
"Please make yourselves comfortable," Lelouch stated politely, gesturing around the parlor. His guests slowly made their way to their individual couches. Euphemia elected to sit next to Lelouch and his father and Schneizel chose to face him. Silence reigned for a while until the youngest member decided to break it.
"Hello, Lelouch," Euphemia smiled. Lelouch returned it out of courtesy. "So… how's Shirley?" She was worried about the state of her newfound friend, after the shocking attempt on her life.
The smile melted off Lelouch's face instantly. "She's severely shaken, but she's fine."
"Lelouch," Charles cut into the conversation. "Do you have any confirmation of who was behind this?"
"Yes," Lelouch said firmly. "I've thoroughly investigated and interrogated the culprit."
"Please elaborate, brother," Schneizel interjected, bringing his fingers together, giving him the appearance of being in deep thought.
"His name is Mao," Lelouch growled at the thought of the mercenary locked up in the basement. "He was a famous mercenary in the underworld, especially in the Chinese Federation. He came to Britannia recently in the hopes of finding richer… clients."
"Who sent him?" Euphemia asked quietly.
"The Sword of Akasha. He said it was a blonde woman, with the insignia of the Britannian royal family, and she promised him a million dollars," Lelouch paused momentarily. "That means it's either a princess or one of the Emperor's wives." The prince shot Charles a glare. "In addition, her face was masked, so she took some precautions, and she did not seem to like him very much."
"He told you all that?" Euphemia sat up, surprise in her tone. "That's… very willing of him."
"I had to use some violence before he gave in," Lelouch said shortly. "He wasn't quite keen on cooperating with me before that."
"You tortured him?" Euphemia's eyes widened, and she turned a shade paler.
"Technically, Jeremiah did it, but it was on my orders," Lelouch muttered. He wasn't proud to torment prisoners, but the prince lacked sympathy for the man who nearly took Shirley away from him. Plus, Mao had information that could be useful to him. "It was necessary, Euphie."
"But still…"
"Lelouch," Charles interrupted. Lelouch and Schneizel glanced at their father. "You do know you're fighting an uphill battle against the Sword of Akasha and the other nobles, right?"
"I'm well aware of that, Charles," Lelouch sniffed, annoyed at the interruption. He did not need his father, who was absent from the past nine years of his life to start telling him things that he already knew. Terrorists were always hard to get rid of, and old prejudices do not fade away easily.
"Then I assume you know that this attempt will be far from the last."
"Hold on a moment," Euphemia spoke up, bringing Charles up short. Everyone's eyes were on her, for Euphemia rarely made such a bold action. "If the problem is that Shirley's just a commoner, why not just make her a noble or something?"
All of the other occupants immediately shook their heads. "Euphie, you don't understand," Lelouch sighed. "To achieve the rank of a noble, you must have contributed to the empire. Doing such a thing for no reason would hardly stop the Sword of Akasha. Furthermore, the other nobles may be resentful or angry if we did that, for some of them did work hard to earn their titles. And we don't need any more enemies, Euphie. We have enough on our plates already."
"Plus, Empress Marianne was proclaimed Knight of Honor by his majesty himself," Schneizel supplied. "She did help Britannia to rise, and these terrorists didn't care about that fact. They still murdered her and went after Lelouch and Nunnally."
"Oh." Euphemia opened her mouth, then closed it, slightly embarrassed about how her suggestion was so easily shot down by her older family members. "So what are you going to do about this, Lelouch?"
"First of all, I need to know what Schneizel knows about the Sword of Akasha. He and Cornelia were in charge of hunting them down, wasn't he? What do you know about them, brother?" Lelouch inquired. "Where is Cornelia, by the way? I would like to hear from her as well. What could possibly occupy her attention?" He already knew what was Cornelia up to – after all, he was the one who put her up to it, but the eleventh prince had to play dumb. Lelouch made a note to himself to ask Cornelia the same question later.
"Nothing much," Schneizel admitted, flexing his white-gloved fingers. "Besides their past history and the fact that they have links in the royalty and nobility, they covered themselves much better than last time and that was already much better than most terrorist groups. It's quite tough to track them down. And about Cornelia… she went off to Area 11 with a good chunk of her best troops to stamp out the rising amount of terrorists there." He found Cornelia's actions strange, for he knew that she was meant to lead the Britannian forces against Europia. He wondered what caused her to switch to Area 11.
"Something doesn't quite add up," Charles frowned pensively. "If anything, I expected a bigger, more coordinated effort from them. Instead, a lone assassin with a ridiculously overdone plan to kill you two was sent."
"Terrorists," Schneizel shrugged. "Who knows what they're thinking? Although it does seem strange that they've gotten better at hiding themselves, but gotten much worse at plotting attacks. The only logical explanation is that…" Schneizel shared a glance with Lelouch. "There must be infighting within the organization," both princes said together at the same time.
"It's nice that you two can come up with a conjecture and all, but we're still no closer to finding whoever hired him," Charles said, shifting in his seat to face Lelouch. "A blonde, masked and tall woman, and part of the imperial family, you say? And she gave Mao the impression that she was disgusted with him?"
"Yes, but that hardly leads us to anywhere specific," Lelouch muttered. "I doubt that there's anyone fond of mercenaries, and the blonde hair could easily be faked. The only thing that narrows it down is the fact that whoever hired him was a princess of the Britannian Empire and she was tall…" His violet eyes briefly flickered over to Euphemia, and he instantly berated himself for even thinking of suspecting her. He fervently hoped that his sanity would be intact once this was all over…
Rolo scowled to himself as he swept a collection of browning leaves off the circular track around the Aries Villa. Normally such a job was reserved for autumn when the trees start shedding their leaves in droves, but for some reason, there was an accumulated amount of leaves on the road, and the other servants somehow elected him to attend to it. He shrugged, not thoroughly bothered by it as he was accustomed to being ordered around even if it did annoy him.
The light brown-haired youngster sighed gloomily, continuing to brush the leaves from the road with an oversized wooden broom. It had been three days since he started working at the Aries Villa and hence, he had three full days to look for the key to the Damocles. Unfortunately for him, either they hid it extremely well or it was simply not in the villa, for it still eluded him despite his best efforts. He banished such pessimistic thoughts. It was not like he was racing against the clock, and he had indefinite amounts of time to search for it.
However, that may change the moment someone made a move on either of his targets. Thankfully, Rolo saw no drastic movements after the assassination attempt, and his lord was in the very building. If the emperor was here to retrieve the key, his master would surely notice it. Thinking about the assassination attempt caused Rolo to briefly wonder how naïve Shirley was. Now that it was over, it seemed like an obvious lie to him, with the objective of drawing her out of the safety of the villa. Perhaps she was just that innocent.
Another thing about Shirley that perturbed Rolo the most was the fact that she cheerfully approached him a day after the incident. She just went through a near-death experience, and the slender girl seemed to have forgotten about it, or at least put it behind her, by the next day and she was chatting warmly with him. What on earth did she want from him? There must be something she was seeking if she kept talking to him amiably. Normally, people only treated him well if they wanted something in return from him. He had patiently tolerated her geniality for some time, and he was bewildered since she never really asked him for anything. It was truly mind-boggling for Rolo.
Rolo snorted and dismissed such thoughts. It was probably nothing but a mere, insignificant inconvenience he has to put up with while he carried out his mission discreetly. He had been entrusted to carry out this assignment, and he will complete it, for he had no other purpose in life anyway. The teenager knew that he was being used as a tool, but he did not care as long as he felt that he was fulfilling something.
The sound of a blaring horn startled him out of his reverie and Rolo jumped, dropping his broomstick. The jarring, near-deafening sound, momentarily stunned him and he witnessed a bright red car speeding towards him, with a familiar, frightened orange-haired girl at the wheel. Rolo made to leap aside, but he responded just a fraction too slow. A tremendous impact slammed into his side, and he could feel his body getting lighter, which was the last sensation he felt before his whole world went black.
A couple of minutes earlier...
"You're doing well, Shirley," Jeremiah called out from the front passenger seat. Shirley beamed at the Margrave nervously, tucking a strand of her orange hair behind her right ear briefly before both of her hands returned to the steering wheel. "We've almost completed five whole laps around the villa. Just a little more to go. I think it's time for you to start speeding up now." Shirley had been driving the vehicle – the very same which they took when the green-haired noble chauffeured them to the imperial palace, at a slow pace out of caution. It was almost boring to Jeremiah, who was used to far greater speeds.
"You sure?" Shirley hesitantly stepped on the accelerator slightly.
"Yes, you're quite good for a first-time driver," Jeremiah encouraged, grinning at her reassuringly. "Just step on it more, you're going to get cussed at by other drivers if you're traveling at this speed all the time. Besides, you have to be moving faster in some places, for example, the expressway. It'll be good practice."
"If you say so then," Shirley took a deep breath as she pressed on the accelerator again, with greater force this time. The car more than doubled its speed from thirty kilometers per hour to seventy. She blinked rapidly, not used to the much higher speed, and was both exhilarated and nervous. Her fingers clenched the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles turned white.
"That's more like it," Jeremiah muttered under his breath. Despite the fact that the drastic increase in speed made him feel much more comfortable, he dutifully kept an eye out for possible hazards. Just when he blinked, a bend was fast approaching and he realized that Shirley had yet to slow down. "The bend!" the noble cried out. "Slow down at the bend!"
"Whoops," Shirley thought ruefully as she swerved around the bend, letting up the accelerator as she did so. Seems like they had passed traveling around the bend at an almost dangerous speed than necessary. She was about to congratulate on her success when she suddenly spotted Rolo standing not far from the vehicle. Her eyes widened and she realized there was no way she could step on the brakes in time to avoid the collision. The lithe teenager squeezed her eyes shut as her hand slammed on the horn, and she found herself praying hard.
"Watch ou- Good god!" Jeremiah exclaimed, being cut-off in mid-sentence as the vehicle crashed into Rolo, sending the younger male tumbling haplessly on the windshield before landing headfirst on the road, with a clearly audible and painful thud. Shirley froze the moment she heard the sound, and a heavy lump of shock and panic started welling up inside her. Her violently trembling fingers tapped the steering wheel in her agitation and Jeremiah turned around in his seat. "Go call Lelouch. Tell him what has happened. I'll get him to the medical room," Jeremiah urged as he nearly tore the car door off its hinges while making his exit in his haste. He moved towards the unconscious servant, whose head was starting to bleed sluggishly, and cradled him in his muscular arms carefully. The noble could not help but feel some guilt at the accident because he was the one who made Shirley accelerate the speed of the car. Hopefully, the new servant, Rolo Haliburton, would be fine soon enough.
"I assume you'll be investigating those that may fit the description?" Schneizel inquired. Lelouch started slightly as he was in deep thought. The four members of royalty were still discussing the assassination attempt in the parlor. "That's what I'll do if I were you."
"Perhaps," Lelouch tapped the side of his head idly. He opened his mouth to continue speaking, but the sound of his cell phone ringing filled the parlor. The younger prince fished out his cell phone. "Caller ID: Shirley". Immediately, his mood darkened, as it reminded him of the events which happened a few days ago. He could not help but have a premonition of dire news. Without further ado, he answered the call, ignoring the curious looks the others were shooting him. "Hello?"
Nothing but silence answered Lelouch. His fingers gripped the electronic device tightly in growing apprehension as he strained to hear anything from Shirley. Finally, after several long and tense seconds, a voice which Lelouch could recognize straightaway spoke nervously. "Lulu…"
"Shirley?" Lelouch mentally sighed with relief. At least it wasn't someone else responding this time. However, Shirley's tone, coupled with the fact that she knew he was in a meeting with other royals, more or less informed him that something grave had occurred. "Is there something wrong?"
"I… um… there was an accident," Shirley blurted out anxiously. Lelouch paled and he straightened his back. "We're fine with no injuries, but… Rolo was sweeping the road a-and we crashed into him. I d-don't know if he's going to be fine, he's bleeding from the head and everything! Jeremiah's carrying him to the medical room now."
"Shirley, I'll be coming over right now. I'll see you there," Lelouch replied. For a brief instant, he felt glad that only a servant sustained injuries and she was fine, then he chided himself for his callousness.
"Thanks, Lulu. See you there," Shirley said quietly.
Lelouch ended the call promptly and noticed the stares from his other companions. "Something just happened, and I need to attend to the matter right now. We'll continue this another time." Privately, he doubted that there would be a second meeting, for his fears of the Sword of Akasha having members in the Britannian royalty had been confirmed. He was starting to grow distrustful of the other royals, and might secretly investigate all of them. His amethyst eyes rested on Euphemia again. "Perhaps not every royal," he reminded himself.
"Was that Shirley? Is everything okay, Lelouch?" Euphemia leaned forward.
"There was a problem of sorts," Lelouch responded, careful to be cryptic. While he knew that Euphemia can be trusted, there were at least two other members of the imperial family in the room. "I'll settle it. Don't worry. Farewell," he added, looking at the others before turning to leave.
"Lelouch," Schneizel called out, causing Lelouch to pause in his tracks. "It's been nine years since our last game of chess. Let's meet up for one someday, shall we?"
"I'll try," Lelouch's lips tugged upwards slightly in a small smile at the recollection of playing his favorite game against his older half-brother nearly a decade ago. "Now if you excuse me, I must leave now."
"If you say so," Schneizel returned, watching the raven-haired prince departing the parlor. He frowned slightly at what would cause Lelouch to abruptly end the meeting. "I do hope it's not another imbecile acting against my orders again."
"How is he, doctor?" Shirley asked the doctor of Aries Villa, a balding middle-aged man with graying hair, who reminded her of her old history professor, Mr. Jones, back in Ashford Academy. She was sitting on the bench outside of the ward, with Lelouch by her side, waiting for the doctor to give them the news.
"Hmm, mister Haliburton has sustained a concussion. On the bright side, his physical injuries will heal fairly quickly," the doctor said slowly. "However, we're not completely certain, but it's highly likely that he may suffer from amnesia." Shirley's shoulders slumped, a mixture of relief and guilt on her face.
"H-how long until he recovers fully?" Shirley inquired.
"It's honestly hard to predict, Miss Fenette. Patients suffering from amnesia usually will recover their memories eventually, but the time taken in such cases varies. It may take as long as a few years, or never at all, or as short as a couple of weeks."
"Can I go see him?"
"Yes, you could, but I'd advise you to be patient with him. He's awake right now, but he would be very confused and may not recognize you, depending on how severe his amnesia is."
"I understand. Thanks, doctor," Shirley said to the older male, who nodded politely back at her before departing.
"Accidents happen, Shirley," Lelouch squeezed her hand reassuringly, having sensed the guilt building up inside Shirley for crashing the vehicle into Rolo. She gave him an appreciative smile in return.
"I know, but on my first try? I must either have horrible luck or be a terrible driver," Shirley suppressed a humorless laugh. She shook her head, dispelling the pessimistic thoughts, unwilling to let them linger in her mind longer than necessary. "Anyway, shall we go in and see Rolo?"
"After you," Lelouch gestured at the ward's door. Shirley stood up and after a moment of hesitation, she slid the door aside, peering warily inside the ward, with Lelouch following suit.
"Um, hello. How may I help you…?" Rolo asked shyly from his bed, the moment Shirley entered the ward. A white, spotless bandage was wrapped neatly around his forehead. She and Lelouch traded uncertain glances.
"We're visiting you, actually, to see whether you're okay," Shirley answered slowly. Her green eyes rested on Rolo's confused pink ones. "Do you… remember who we are?"
"I'm afraid not…" Rolo scratched his head, staring at Shirley intently. While he did not recognize her at all, he found her quite striking. "Do you know me?"
"We're your employers, truthfully speaking. I'm Lelouch vi Britannia and she's Shirley Fenette," Lelouch entered the conversation. "You've been involved in a car accident while working for us. Do you recall what happened?" It was doubtful that Rolo would remember it if he did not even recognize them, but it was worth a try.
"No," Rolo admitted. "Nothing at all."
Shirley crossed the room and took a seat on one of the stools at Rolo's bedside. "I'm sorry, Rolo," her lip trembled. "I was the one who caused the accident."
"It's… fine," Rolo was somewhat taken aback. No one apologized to him with such sincerity before, even when he was hurt in previous incidents in the orphanage. "I don't even recall an accident."
"What do you remember?" Shirley asked curiously.
"Well… my name is Rolo and I was raised in Lyonesse orphanage. I was leaving the orphanage for something and… that's all."
"You can't recall your last name?"
"Not really…"
"It's Haliburton," Shirley supplied. She felt an intense rush of pity towards the adolescent before her. She wondered whether there was anything she could do to help him to regain his memories, and an idea struck her. "Do you have any friends or relatives?" She asked excitedly, smiling at Rolo. She heard that people close to amnesic patients often help them to recover faster.
"Friends…? Relatives?" Rolo repeated, the words unfamiliar on his tongue.
The smile slid off Shirley's face. "You mean you don't have any?"
"What are friends?" Rolo asked blankly.
"..." Shirley opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, staring in disbelief at Rolo. She looked at Lelouch, who looked equally nonplussed as her. "Well… friends are people you enjoy being with. They help and support each other… share good times together and make each other feel better."
"Oh," Rolo had no idea how to respond. "Um, I suppose I don't have any then."
"You're all alone?" Shirley asked quietly.
"I don't know. All I know is that I don't remember anything about having friends or family."
Shirley's brows furrowed as she continued eyeing him with concern and sadness. Prior to the traffic accident, she had attempted to befriend Rolo, partly because she felt lonelier in the Aries Villa as compared to Ashford Academy. While she had Lelouch and Darlton to interact with, the latter was often too stiff and formal and she was used to having a larger group of friends to interact with back in Ashford. The other servants and staff in the villa often treated her formally and respectfully, which made it hard for her to make friends with them. Additionally, all of them are significantly older than her, with the exception of Rolo, who was around her age. "Well, I could be your friend if you don't mind," she smiled.
"Are you sure…? I have no idea how to be a friend..." Rolo asked warily.
"That's completely fine," Shirley beamed radiantly at Rolo. "Friends?"
Rolo gazed at her outstretched slender hand uncomprehendingly for a couple of seconds, before realizing that he should shake it. He slowly extended his hand forward, grasping Shirley's and shook it slowly. "Friends," Rolo affirmed, although he had no idea what was expected of him and he wondered where this would lead him.
Schneizel donned his spiked mask as he exited his room in the Sword of Akasha's base. For what seemed to be the umpteenth time to him, he was heading towards the chamber where they normally held their meetings. He was already starting to feel slightly weary of disguising himself, but it was necessary for him. After all, if he showed his face openly and one of his men got captured, there was the possibility of his identity being revealed, for not many of his subordinates were made of stern stuff.
The lanky blonde prince recalled the events which set him on the path of claiming the Sword of Akasha for his own. Ever since he was a child, he was noticed for his brightness and ambition. Charles zi Britannia recognized his ability and decided to test his mettle when he was merely ten, noting the vast difference between Schneizel and his older half-brother Odysseus. The emperor installed Schneizel as part of his administration, which introduced the then fledgling prince to politics. Schneizel often did his duties perfectly, which caused many to praise him for his sharpness at such a tender age.
However, as the years passed, the exposure to such matters led Schneizel to be disillusioned in not only his own nation but the entire world. War, terrorism, corruption, and poverty was getting increasingly common. When he was at the age of thirteen, he was already disgusted by the state of the world and saw that humanity needed one thing - order and unity, in order to bring an end to such problems. Thus, he devised a plan to unite the entire world through fear by using a technological marvel. The Damocles.
The Damocles was a colossal, state-of-the-art, flying fortress which will dwarf even the largest of battleships. It was equipped with a multitude of destructive weapons, which would even make the entire Britannian military envious, and elaborate, impenetrable defense systems. Once at a certain altitude, it has the power to bombard anywhere on the globe with extremely long-range armaments. The prince was utterly convinced that with the Damocles, eventually every nation and individual will submit to the might of the fortress, or face obliteration. While he found the idea of using force to get people to comply rather distasteful, he reasoned that it was definitely better than letting the world crumble and rot. No politicians would dare to remain unscrupulous or declare wars with the fortress's weapon systems firmly fixed on them. He can even use the Damocles to force people to do his bidding, and hence finally create a world with order.
Of course, a project as humongous as the Damocles Fortress would require Schneizel to sink billions, if not trillions, of money to build it. Additionally, he required the sharpest of scientific minds to make his dream a reality. He charmed, tricked and beguiled the most talented military scientists of Britannia to assist him in his endeavor. Only a few of them remained unconvinced, such as the well-known Earl Llyod Asplund. The prince formed them as a secret organization known as the Tromo agency. As for funding, he quietly and cautiously embezzled money from both the royal and national treasury, and he was ever so careful not to leave any traces behind. Inevitably, someone would notice it and may even suspect him as the misappropriation of funds continued, but the Damocles would be already completed by then.
After seven years of backbreaking work and deceit, the Tromo agency finally informed Schneizel that the Damocles was nearing completion. He was at first elated, then he realized the fortress bestowed overwhelming power on whoever wielded it. Unwilling to risk it falling into the wrong hands, he ordered them to lock the Damocles's controls and design a special, one-of-a-kind, key that could access the Damocles.
Unfortunately for Schneizel, that proved to be a mistake. When the Tromo agency sent the key's creator to deliver it to him, from Cambodia to Britannia, Empress Marianne's men somehow intercepted it. This then alerted the Emperor of the Damocles's existence, since the schematics were with the courier as well. Thankfully, neither his name nor the location of the Damocles was revealed. Nonetheless, both Charles and Marianne deemed it too large a threat and confiscated the key.
At that point of time, Schneizel was furious as he was at his limit of embezzling from the treasury. Creating the exact same key was out of the question since only the smith knew how to make it, and he was executed already. His choices were either to recover the key or build another fortress, which would take nearly twenty years since the other royals are beginning to notice that money has been missing from the treasury. He selected the former and used his position as prime minister to search the imperial palace to no avail. As Marianne was the one who confiscated the key and it was not in the imperial palace, he deduced that it was in the Aries Villa. The only problem was how he was going to enter and search for it without drawing suspicion.
Schneizel decided to use Victor zi Britannia, elder brother of Charles, so that he can enter the villa. Victor was the leader of the Sword of Akasha back then, although that was a fact known to a few - not even Charles was aware of that. They were ordered to disband by the emperor, but they continued to operate in secret instead. Victor only kept the Sword of Akasha from attacking Marianne out of respect for his brother, but Schneizel knew that his uncle was disturbed by his brother's changes after getting to know and marrying Marianne. All it took was some whispering and stirring up his fears before Victor finally chose to assassinate the vi Britannia family,
Pleased with how easy it was to goad Victor, Schneizel elected to sneak into the villa with a few of his most trusted men while the Sword of Akasha carried out its dirty work. Fate seemed to be determined to deter the prince from obtaining what was rightfully his, as some of Marianne's guards decided to stay behind despite her orders to withdraw. While the Sword of Akasha assassins outnumbered the bodyguards, the imperial guards were highly trained and out for vengeance after they saw Marianne's bullet-riddled corpse. Seeing no point in remaining in such a dangerous zone, Schneizel beat a hasty retreat, although not before he witnessed Nunnally caught in the crossfire.
Eight years later, after Charles investigated the incident, the emperor decreed that the Sword of Akasha was to be exterminated. He appointed Cornelia and Schneizel to track down those in hiding and arrest them. While the second princess was all but insistent on executing them on the spot, the prime minister preferred to imprison them and only execute them after their guilt has been determined. Or at least that was what he said publicly. In truth, he recognized the usefulness of having terrorists – fanatics committed to your cause, on his side and set to liberate them as Infinity. He may have a team of brilliant scientists or engineers, but none of them were fighters. In short, Schneizel required men that were devoted and easily lured by the promise of power, something which was denied to the Sword of Akasha ever since its abolishment after Charles's ascension. Once the new world was created, he would quietly and slowly erase them. Insane terrorists clinging to the past had no place in his utopia. But first, he had to recover the key, and hence, he sent the young man he had groomed into his best agent to infiltrate the Aries Villa under the guise of a servant.
The reason why Schneizel was so reluctant to assault the Aries Villa was because his preference to be cautious. He had no idea whether the key was in the villa or not. If it was truly in there and their attack failed, Charles might move it to a different location out of fear to prevent it falling into his hands. Even if their attack succeeded, surely the Emperor would be alerted and would arrive shortly, given the villa's close proximity to the imperial palace. Additionally, Schneizel's forces, even if it was bolstered by the Sword of Akasha's, could not stand up against the sheer might of the emperor's troops, which would be accompanied by the Knights of the Round. Thus, they would only have very limited time to search for the key. If it was not in the villa at all, Schneizel would be wasting his resources and risking his troops for absolutely nothing. It was best for the blonde prince to first determine whether it was really concealed there and use Rolo to discreetly retrieve it.
Schneizel shoved the doors to the meeting room wide open, exposing his masked self to his subordinates, who stared at him impassively. He mentally sighed. Right now, he had to throw them a bone, or risk being doubted and even overthrown by them, for they were getting impatient by what they saw as passivity. "My comrades!" Infinity announced, throwing his cloak back as he gestured dramatically. "You've called for action, and I have heard you! We may not be able to move against Lelouch vi Britannia, but we must still uphold our beliefs!" Exhilarated and puzzled murmuring filled the room.
"What do you mean, Infinity?" Grand Duke Ricardo demanded, a flummoxed expression on his bearded and lined face. "Who is our target?"
"Odysseus eu Britannia and Emily Taylor," Schneizel declared. "We were too caught up in the return of Lelouch that we seemed to have forgotten that he was not the only royal who brought a mere commoner to the ball. Furthermore, Odysseus is a disgrace to us, the high elite of Britannia, for he not only flirts with lowly filth but is utterly useless and incapable!" This statement was met with heated muttering, but the anger was not directed at Infinity, but towards Odysseus instead. "Tomorrow, we will strike at the very heart of his residence, Valac Palace!"
Author's Note: Ugh, this was horrible to write…. So much setting up and talking here.
Poor Odysseus. He's not going to have it easy, I'd say, for he is less cautious than Lelouch, plus he doesn't have as many guards. But who knows, someone may step in and save his hide. We'll just have to see next chapter.
Oh, and I think there may be a number of people who would like to ask me whether I intend for Shirley to become an 'action girl'. Well… it may look as though I'm trying to make Shirley as such, but I have no real idea now, because honestly I don't think her personality suits that sort of role. I mean, she CAN be… but I doubt it. The main reason why I wanted her to learn self-defense is because, in my opinion, after Mao's attack, she would not want to be a 'burden' of sorts on Lelouch. Especially during tough times. And she wouldn't want to be the damsel in distress all the time, if she could avoid it. I kind of see her as a damsel who tried to be the heroine in the anime the moment she picked up the gun and went to help Lelouch when Jeremiah confronted him in canon. Unfortunately, we all know how that turned out... (sadface)
Do let me know what you guys think, nonetheless. I'm quite uncertain about how this chapter would turn out, due to the direction this story is heading to.