Notes: I'm watching the dub on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, so I haven't seen all of the episodes, and most of what follows could probably never happen in canon. But that's why it's fanfic.

Dream of the King

A Code Geass Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Part 2: Marianne vi Britannia II


"It is said that the Crown Princess holds a sleeping power within her, so magnificent and terrible that it could slay an empire single-handedly. To gaze upon her with even a sliver of malice is to beg for death. But she cannot or will not cause suffering: her victims die in an instant, and so she is said to be merciful."


"Please forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty, but your war council has gathered, and they're waiting for you."

The messenger paused, perhaps sensing or seeing that the man was not listening.

"Your Majesty?"

The man in the bed shifted, then rolled over, revealing a head of black, shaggy hair streaked with gray. He threw a bleary glare at the messenger, who quickly backed up, despite already being several feet away.

"Who are you?" the man finally asked, blinking slowly.

"A mere messenger, Sire. I could come back later..."

But the man was already sitting up and rubbing his eyes in a half-hearted attempt to stay awake. "Yes. Later. But first, who am I?"

The messenger paused, uncertain if this was just a very complicated joke. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty?"

"Who am I, and why are you waking me up so early?" the man demanded, glaring a bit with his exposed right eye.

"Ah, you are Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Britannian Empire. As for why I am waking-"

"I see," Lelouch said calmly, blinking again. "Come back later."

"A matter of minutes, then, Your Majesty?"

"Try hours. Tomorrow might be better, in fact."

The messenger paled. "The war council, then?"

"Same for them. Now go."

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty," the messenger agreed, backing out of the room.

The moment the messenger was gone, Lelouch closed his eyes and groaned. "I'm dreaming," he muttered, rubbing at his eyes again. Then he froze, new horror rising in his brain.

Only one arm seemed to be responding to his command. Fearing the worst, he looked down, and found the reason for that.

He only HAD one arm.

Well, that explained it.

Where his right arm had once been, there was now only scarred flesh that was thankfully smooth to the touch. So this was nothing new, at least. Not really, anyway, but it was certainly new to him.

"I really need to wake up now," Lelouch decided, raising his remaining hand to give himself a good pinch.

Except that before he could, there was a feminine groan from beside him, and then something warm, soft, and sweet-smelling rolled against his side. Lelouch was somehow not at all surprised to see C.C. staring up at him, annoyance written all over her face (and it was quite hard to focus on her face, what with her being naked under the sheet).

"I thought we agreed when we got married that you would never wake me up with your brooding," she complained.

He arched an eyebrow at that, but thought it best not to speak. This was C.C., after all. Surely she would soon say something that was both infuriating yet informative.

"Are you just going to sit there looking at me like an idiot? If I wanted that, I could've married Mao."

"I doubt it. You would've been bored, since he'd only want you to sit there and look pretty," Lelouch replied with a smirk.

"Why don't you ever want me to sit and look pretty?" she asked, half accusing, half amused.

"Because then we'd both be bored, and anyway, you'd look pretty even if you were covered in mucus. If that was all I wanted, I could've married any of the girls from Ashford."

"And what did you want from this marriage, oh husband of mine?"

"Challenging conversation, I suppose," he answered after some thought. "And now I don't take it personally when you insult me, since I'll always know that you said yes."

C.C. rolled her eyes. "Well, you were wealthy and powerful. I'd have said yes even if I hated you."

"But you wouldn't sleep in the same bed as me."

"True. But you are getting better. About not waking me. Or you were, at least." She frowned, peering at him closely. "You're taking the memory loss quite well today."

"Am I?" he asked mildly. He was less surprised by the fact that she knew, and more by the idea that this was apparently a frequent occurrence.

"I should say so. The last time, you shot me."

His eyes widened.

"Oh, stop it. I was fine within an hour. You were never that good with moving targets."

"I'm sorry," he said, and found that he really meant it.

"It's fine." She sat up and kissed his cheek, without any noticeable hesitation, he observed with a strange sense of pleasure. "One of us really should address the war council. I think it's my turn, anyway." She got out of bed and disappeared inside of a walk-in closet on the other side of the room.

"Won't that be a problem?" Lelouch asked.

"Why would it?" C.C. countered, her voice taking on a strange echo. "I almost never insult them to their faces anymore."

"They know who you are?"

She emerged a moment later, and Lelouch nearly fell out of the bed in shock. If he had not seen her go into the closet a minute before, he would not have recognized the queen that had come out. That she had undergone such a startling change in just a matter of seconds was nothing short of a small miracle. Most striking of all was her hair, which was piled on top of her head in a neatly constricted bun.

"Are you trying to be funny?" she demanded, noticing him gawking at her. "You must have seen me like this hundreds of times. Surely you remember?"

"You just look so different," he murmured, shaking his head. "Like a true queen."

"That is the effect I was going for. And it's Empress Cecelia in public. But I don't think I should leave you alone, if you can't recall that much." C.C. went to the door and pulled it open. "Mari! Come and sit with Daddy while Mommy goes to a meeting!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when a green blur shot through her legs and leaped into Lelouch's lap, latching onto his chest with an adoring cry of "Daddy!"

Lelouch stared down at the child, which could only be their child, and hesitantly ran his hand through her long, green hair. "Good morning, Marianne," he said, the words oddly familiar in his mouth. That she had been given his mother's name only confirmed her identity, although Lelouch had no idea how he knew either.

"Morning, Daddy!" she sang, raising her head to give him an enthusiastic peck on the lips, her golden eyes shining with happiness. "Wanna color with me?" She thrust a coloring book and a fistful of crayons in his face, not waiting for an answer.

"Sounds like a good idea." He watched as the girl (more like an underage clone of C.C., he told himself, except that she was smiling) made herself more comfortable in his lap and flipped through the book until she came to a large cactus. A glance at the door told Lelouch that C.C. had already slipped out without him noticing. "Mommy goes to a lot of meetings?" he asked.

"Especially when you're busy or sick," Mari replied. She paused, staring up at him with concern. "Are you sick again, Daddy? Mommy says it happens sometimes."

"Just a little," he admitted, smoothing out her hair to reassure her. "I forgot some things. Can you help me remember?"

She nodded eagerly. "Sure!"

"I have a sister. Do you know where she is?"

"You mean Auntie N? She lives in Japan. But she sends me really pretty dresses on my birthday!"

Lelouch blinked. "Japan? Not Area 11?"

"Area 11? What's that?" Mari asked, frowning. "Auntie N lives in Japan. All the packages she sends me say so, and that's where I send all my letters when I want to talk to her." The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper. "See? Mommy wrote the address down for me."

Mari was half right: the address was to the Britannian Embassy in the Citizens' Union of Japan, of which Nunnally was apparently Viceroy.

"I see. Do you know a man named Suzaku?" Lelouch asked warily.

"Uncle Susie? He lives with Auntie N. I think they're going to get married like you and Mommy, but he says I'm wrong."

"Really," Lelouch murmured, uncertain what to make of that. If only one person ever gained his approval to marry his sister, it would've been Suzaku. On the other hand, it would make things so much more difficult between them. There was a strong possibility that Nunnally could not bear children without great risk, and as good a man as Suzaku was, he was only human. Perhaps that was why Suzaku wasn't interested in marriage: it wouldn't have been fair to him or Nunnally.

All things considered, Lelouch's life could've turned out far worse. He was curious about his old friends from school, as well as Kallen and the other Black Knights, but there would be time for that later. Of course, there was no guarantee that Kallen and the others existed, but C.C. had as good as confirmed the existence of everyone from the academy.

Well, assuming it was still Ashford, and not something completely different, like Geass Academy.

Growing wary again, Lelouch looked down at Mari, who was focusing on coloring her cactus. "Do you know anything about Geass?"

"Which one?" Mari asked absently, not looking up.

He bit his lip. "Yours?"

The girl slowly raised her head, staring at him oddly. "Mommy made me promise to only use it in emergencies. You don't remember?"

"No. Should I?"

"Yes," Mari said firmly, looking more worried than ever. "Daddy, maybe you should lie down for a little while?" She lightly brushed her little fingers against his chin, and Lelouch dipped his head to softly kiss her palm, more out of reflex than anything else. He noted the way Mari seemed pleased with his reaction, or more precisely, relieved. He knew at once that she'd been testing his memory, and while this was no doubt something they did frequently, Lelouch did not consider this a passing grade: his body had remembered, but his mind had not.

Lelouch wasn't tired, but C.C. had told Mari to watch him, so surely he could trust his daughter's judgment, and he didn't want to worry either of them if he could avoid it. "I suppose lying down for a while wouldn't hurt."

"I'll take a nap with you," Mari offered, putting her book and crayons to the side. She crawled onto his chest and tucked her head under his chin, falling asleep at once.

For several moments, Lelouch merely held his daughter and gently rubbed her back, trying to figure out what he should do next. Everything around him felt familiar, to some degree, especially Mari. But he could not summon any recent memories to go along with those feelings. He could not recall Mari's birth, marrying C.C., or even becoming Emperor, though each had obviously happened. Further complicating Lelouch's current problem was the nagging worry that Nunnally wasn't near him. His gaze kept traveling back to the crumpled paper with Nunnally's address on it, and more specifically, the phone number that had been written at the bottom.

The phone on the bedside table was in his hand before he even realized it.

He had no idea what he was going to say, even as he dialed, but then realized it wouldn't matter. This was Nunnally; she'd be delighted just to hear his voice, and vice versa.

The person that picked up on the other end was not Nunnally, but the voice was familiar enough.

"Britannian Embassy, Office of the Viceroy. How may I direct your call?"

Lelouch blinked. "Suzaku?"

What followed was what Lelouch was forced to consider a rude silence, and then Nunnally took the phone.

"Good morning, Lelouch," she said warmly. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I think I've lost my memory a little."

"Again? Oh, dear. That's the third time this month. C.C. said there would be consequences, but still..."

"I haven't forgotten everything," Lelouch added a little defensively. "I remembered you and Suzaku, of course."

"You always do, so that's no surprise. So let's see how much you really remember. How many wives do you have?"

Lelouch nearly dropped the phone, it was such a stupid question. As if C.C. would ever share anything. He vividly remembered nearly losing an eye just trying to take a slice of pizza from her. "Are you kidding? One."

"Two," Nunnally corrected, a bit smugly.

"What? C.C. never said-"

"How many children?"

"One!" Lelouch snapped.

"No, two!"

"Why are you mad at me?" he demanded.

"You forgot your second wife and your son!"

"It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"Well, it isn't fair to Miss Sayoko and Shinji! You keep forgetting them!"

This time, Lelouch did drop the phone, waking Mari up in the process.

"Daddy? What are you doing?" she murmured, blinking sleepily.

Lelouch made a vague gesture towards the phone.

"Lelouch? Lelouch! Are you okay?" Nunnally was asking repeatedly.

Mari picked up the phone. "He just had a little shock, Auntie N. You must have said something he didn't expect."

"I told him about your brother."

"Oh. We'll call back once Daddy's feeling better. Give Uncle Susie a kiss for me, okay?" Mari hung up the phone and turned to Lelouch, staring at him worriedly. "You really don't remember Shin-chan or Mama Sayo?"

Lelouch shook his head mutely. Of course, he knew who Sayoko was, but saying he didn't was easier and faster than admitting he didn't recall marrying and impregnating her.

"Maybe you'll remember if you see them. Come on!" She hopped out of the bed and tugged on his arm to get him moving. "Let's go!"


"That's it, Shin-chan! You can do it!" Sayoko cooed to her son. "Walk to Kallen!"

Burbling excitedly, Shinji tottered unsteadily towards the redhead, waving his pudgy arms to stay upright. For her part, Kallen stayed still, wondering if this were some sort of cruel joke. She had never been good with kids, so of course the First Prince had quickly taken a liking to her and her alone, for no reason that anyone could explain. It truly bothered her, the way Shinji seemed to prefer her even over his own mother. But Sayoko assured her that Shinji would grow out of his "crush" as he matured, or at least he'd become a bit more subtle about it.

Shinji was doing fairly well, until a few feet from Kallen, he tilted sharply to the left, lost his footing, and fell forward.

Kallen moved without thought, catching the toddler before he could hit the floor. She couldn't help it, really: she was currently Lelouch's only Knight (Suzaku retained his rank, but considered himself in service only to Nunnally and Japan), and it was hard to turn off the battle-sharpened instincts that had kept her alive so far.

Shijni gazed up at her with wide, startled, violet eyes, so much like Lelouch's that Kallen's heart skipped a beat. She remembered herself an instant later. "Careful, Prince," Kallen murmured, steadying him gently.

In response, Shinji balled his little fists into her pants leg, hopping in place and drooling a little.

That was how Lelouch found them when Mari dragged him into the courtyard a few seconds later. He came to a complete stop at finding Kallen holding his son, and a million thoughts ran through his head. The most prominent, however, was that he was amazed at having taken Sayoko for a second wife, and not Kallen instead.

"Oh, Lelouch, you're awake!" Sayoko gasped from where she was sitting. She started to rise, but he quickly strode over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"That isn't necessary, Sayoko," he assured her.

She stared at him uncertainly. "But you're the Emperor..."

"And you've served me enough already, believe me. I don't expect you to stand just because I walk in."

"Well, alright," Sayoko said slowly, relaxing a bit. "If you're sure."

"I am," he replied firmly, sitting beside her. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Kallen, who was still kneeling and holding Shinji, although now she was staring right at Lelouch. "Kallen. May I hold my son?"

Kallen blinked and nodded. "Of course, Lulu."

The old nickname coming from her made him pause, but he shook it off as she carefully handed the toddler to him.

Shinji began to fuss as he left Kallen's arms, but settled down immediately upon spotting Lelouch's face. He didn't seem content, just momentarily silent.

Lelouch merely stared at the boy for several minutes. Shinji continued to stare right back at him with a rather curious expression on his face.

"Is he always so quiet?" Lelouch finally asked.

"Only with you," Sayoko answered. "I think your eyes fascinate him. No one else has eyes quite like you, Lelouch."

Mari, who had been surprisingly silent up until then, decided to join the conversation. "Daddy's got pretty eyes!"

Lelouch sighed as Kallen smothered a laugh behind her hand. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Let me hold Shin-chan now!" Mari whined, tugging on his leg.

Lelouch glanced at Sayoko, who nodded, before surrendering his son to his daughter.

Mari immediately kissed Shinji on the nose, causing him to start bawling loudly. She scowled and gave him to Kallen, who bounced Shinji gently in her arms until he settled down again.

"He'll never be a good prince if he can't get used to kissing," Mari grumbled. "All they do is kiss girls' hands. Kallen, you kiss him!"

Kallen turned bright red. "Me? But-"

"Go on, he likes you! I bet he'll let you!"

"Mari-chan," Sayoko said sternly, "you should never tease the people who keep you safe."

"Yes, Mama Sayo," Mari sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets and kicking at the ground.

"Kallen, could you give them a snack?" Sayoko asked. "I know it's a little early, but I want Shinji to take his nap right after."

Kallen cast a hesitant glance at Lelouch. "I could, but-"

"I am quite sure that I can keep Lelouch safe in the five minutes you'll be gone," Sayoko assured her. "I may be losing my touch, but I haven't lost that much."

"I'll be fine," Lelouch added, sensing that Sayoko wanted to speak to him alone.

With a quick nod, Kallen gathered the kids and led them out of the room.

"You must have questions for me," Sayoko said once they were gone.

"I don't know where to start," Lelouch admitted. "I didn't force you into this, did I?"

"Why would you think that?"

"No offense, but you're not exactly the first person that springs to mind when I think of potential wives, Sayoko."

She laughed softly. "Then you probably shouldn't have let C.C. pick your second wife."

Lelouch gaped at her. "You mean this was her idea?"

"No, she just approved it. It was my idea. I wanted a son, and you were the only one I felt I could trust to give me one. C.C. insisted that we be married first, though."

"I swear I don't understand her, if I ever did."

"Most people don't, but they learn to trust her decisions, anyway. I know she felt it was important that you have at least one Japanese heir. But I wouldn't be surprised if she's interviewing a whole host of potential wives. I know neither of us plans to have any other children."

"C.C. wants me to have more wives?" Lelouch asked in shock.

"Whether she wants it or not, she's accepted it as necessary. And it is. Your children will be the ones running things one day, and we're already behind schedule. But I was under the impression this was something you two had already discussed?"

Lelouch stared at her blankly. "If we did, I've forgotten that, too. But something tells me that C.C. kept this to herself."

"She does seem the type," Sayoko agreed. "Well, I'm sure she's only extending your reign, in her own way. It isn't my place to question her. But it's better that she is for this, instead of against it, right?"

Lelouch had no answer for her. He knew he should be looking at the situation as the Emperor, but for some reason, the only thing he could think of was how Mari might feel about him taking yet another wife.


Though he knew it might go against C.C.'s wishes, Lelouch spent the next portion of his day in the Imperial Archives, reviewing everything he'd apparently done since obtaining the throne. He expected for everything, therefore, to have an Imperial slant, and was not disappointed. Phrases such as "the traitorous Black Knights" and "Kallen Stadtfeld, His Majesty's One True Knight" kept popping up, and Lelouch had to grit his teeth when he realized that it was probably all true. The records even indicated that several key members of his former organization had been executed just days after his coronation, although curiously, there was no mention of exactly how this had been carried out.

Even worse, he found out how he'd lost his arm: saving Shinji from a bomb that had been planted in his crib. So far, nearly all threats against him had targeted only Shinji: even his worst enemies seemed to agree that attacking anyone close to Lelouch named Marianne was asking for an endless war. The Black Knights, especially, thought Lelouch had earned the right to keep his daughter, and had gone out of their way to make sure that Mari was never anywhere nearby when they struck, although this may have been less out of respect and more out of fear that Mari, like her mother, had a knack for simply refusing to die.

Shinji, a Japanese prince, on the other hand, was seen as a slap in the face to both Britannian and Japanese terrorists. The Britannians were angry that a "foreigner" was in line for the throne, and the Japanese thought Lelouch was just rubbing his reign in their faces.

It wasn't all bad news, however. One of Lelouch's first acts as Emperor was to restore the Ashfords to their rightful noble status. They'd returned to their previous occupation of producing top of the line Knightmare Frames, the first of which were customized black Lancelots that still protected the Britannian Embassy in Japan to this day. Lelouch wondered what had become of Milly, but she was mentioned only briefly as "still entertaining suitors."

Lelouch was also a bit startled to find that every single one of his siblings, with the exception of Nunnally, was dead. The only relief was that he hadn't killed them all. Several had openly turned against the former Emperor, if not to side with Lelouch, then for their own purposes. Odysseus was the only one that had made the mistake of announcing his intentions in front of Charles, and had been executed on the spot. Cornelia was one of thousands lost in the detonation of the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb. There was no record of Schneizel's fate, and while he had a tombstone in the family burial ground among all of the others, Lelouch was tempted not to believe that until he'd examined the remains himself.

Feeling more lost than ever, Lelouch wandered the halls of the palace (his palace, he kept reminding himself), wishing he had stayed with either Mari, Sayoko, or Kallen. He had no idea where he was going, naturally, although anyone he passed in the hallways practically fell over themselves to be of assistance. Lelouch still had his pride, though, and was determined not to ask anyone he wasn't close to. Besides, he still had enemies here, and until he knew them all, he wasn't about to trust anyone not bound to him by marriage, blood, or years of proven loyalty.

Eventually, he found his way to a series of expansive gardens, which overlooked the massive city of Pendragon. Lelouch didn't stay there long, as seeing so much that he should've remembered, but couldn't, only served to frustrate him even more. He was just about to go back inside when a voice from his past spoke.

"I've waited years for this day, Zero!"

Lelouch turned around to find Tamaki glaring at him. The man was covered in cuts and bruises, and more importantly, he was holding a bloody knife almost as long as his forearm.

"I'll make you pay for lying to us!" Tamaki yelled, lunging with the knife extended.

Lelouch could only stare at him in open-mouthed shock. Reading about the hatred of the Black Knights, and actually experiencing it were two very different things. The very idea that his former acolytes were so determined to see him dead made him sick with guilt. Yes, he had lied to them, but it had been to change the world for the better, for everyone who lived in it.

Tamaki was just inches away from his goal when he jerked to a stop, his eyes bulging, and then spat up a mouthful of blood. He teetered for a second, before collapsing facedown at Lelouch's feet.

And just a few feet behind him stood Mari, her golden eyes narrowed and blazing with twin Geass sigils.

"Mari," Lelouch breathed, and his voice seemed to break Geass's grip on her.

"Daddy," she whispered, the sigils fading at once as her voice trembled. "I'm sorry. I know he used to be your friend, but he was... and you're my... I couldn't just let him-"

"Mari," he said again, swallowing hard. Lelouch knew that he had to say something to remove the fear from his daughter's eyes, but he had no idea what it might be.

"My Geass only kills!" Mari blurted out, tears spilling down her face. "It can't wound, it just kills! What else could I do?!" She turned and ran out of the gardens, leaving Lelouch alone with his fears and a cooling corpse.

End of Part 2.


Next Chapter: Kaguya la Britannia

"Lelouch! LELOUCH!!"

He found he could only gawk at the sight of Lady Kaguya beaming at him, waving so hard he thought her arm might fall off. Equally welcome was the sight of the Chinese Federation's Empress Tianzi, blushing prettily under the weight of his gaze and trying to hide behind Kaguya. Both had blossomed into gorgeous young women since he'd last seen them, and he suspected that would be obvious even if they were wearing filthy rags.

Mari eyed the pair carefully for a moment before turning to Lelouch. "They look nice, and I wouldn't mind having them for moms. Let's talk to them first!"

Suddenly, this additional marriage thing didn't seem quite so bad...


Endnotes:

To be clear, Lelouch doesn't have any RECENT memories, which includes the last few years of his life. But many things and people will be familiar, although they'll be older than he expects. Some things will seem like second nature (such as how he treats Mari), largely because he HAS done them before, even if his mind doesn't recall them.

C.C. is the only wife that can take over Lelouch's day-to-day business if necessary. That is (to my knowledge) the difference between an actual, involved empress and an imperial consort or empress in name only (those who get the title simply because they slept with the emperor). Which isn't to say that that wasn't work, just that C.C. arguably has nearly as much power as Lelouch, while Sayoko (and most other wives that Lelouch will take) will not.

I assume I don't need to explain why Suzaku is pissed at Lelouch. That much hasn't changed at all.

I know you're scratching your head over Sayoko being the 2nd wife. Keep in mind that it was C.C.'s idea, and those rarely ever get explained (which gets me off the hook rather nicely!). And so there's no confusion, Mari calls Sayoko "Mama Sayo" because that's exactly what Sayoko is to her: a second mother.

And THAT is how assassins in the palace should be dealt with! Um, anyway. I should point out that while Mari has Geass in both eyes, it obviously isn't always active. Yes, I'll get around to telling you what it is eventually.

Yes, lots of people are missing. They're either dead, in the works, or won't be showing up at all as I don't know enough about them yet.


The Family So Far:

Lelouch vi Britannia, Emperor

C.C. (Cecelia) vi Britannia, Empress

Marianne vi Britannia II, 1st (Crown) Princess

Sayoko le Britannia, Imperial Consort

Shinji le Britannia, 1st Prince

Nunnally vi Britannia, Viceroy