Chapter Twelve
Claudio came into her room early in the morning, Nunnally looking up from the short coverage that was being done on Shirley's death the night before. The news footage was making out Lelouch to be a strong prince, especially the camera shot of him watching the helicopter flying away. She was sure that it was biased toward Lelouch, the news networks to hoping to come over to their side.
She turned away from the television as Claudio bowed. "You're early. I was going to speak to the people later on."
"I was aware of that fact, my lady, but your older brothers have called for you. They wish to speak to the people as well, and they have arranged for the announcement to be broadcast to the entire nation. Apparently, the announcement this one is going to the rest of the world as well."
"What announcement?"
Claudio shrugged. "I don't know that much about it, my lady, just that they want you there as well."
Nunnally nodded, turning her wheelchair in preparation to leave. She paused at the sound of Schneizel's voice over the television. Nunnally turned back to look at the television.
"There was an attack on the palace yesterday, the public knows that much, but there was no move to tell the people anything else. I myself was blocked many times from telling the truth to you by the emperor himself." Schneizel looked disgusted. "There were attempts to cover up what really happened, as there was no paperwork filed, but the intention could not be clearer. The emperor was the one who ordered the attack on the palace and he fully intended to kill the two princesses and everyone with them.
"There was only one reason for his action, because he did not agree with what Princess Nunnally and Princess Euphemia were speaking about. All they want is what is best for Britannia, something that the emperor should be doing at this moment. And yet it is his daughter, two princesses who are so far down the line of succession and one who is out of the line of succession completely, who think about the safety and the future of the nation. They are the ones that are trying to solve the problems of the nation while the emperor tries to stop them. What does that say about the leader of our great nation? Especially in the face of what the emperor has been working on."
Schneizel held up a stack of papers, waving them slightly as a list of the names scrolled past the screen. Nunnally didn't recognize any of the names, but she heard Claudio gasp. From the sound it was easy to guess that Claudio knew some of the people. She was tempted to ask them who they were, but Schneizel was already moving on.
"This is a list of nobles that the emperor considered for this year's and next year's Games, the names of people who will find themselves or their children in the Games. This is what the emperor has been working on, what he has prioritized over the rest of us.
"This is the choice you are being offered, a chance at change or another year of Games with the tributes already picked out. In the light of information such as this, I can't say whether the tributes were picked according to the original rules of the Games, other than the Daltons. The rest of the tributes could have been chosen beforehand. The only ones I could call chosen by the old system were Suzaku Kururugi and Prince Lelouch, although Lelouch shouldn't have been entered into the Reaping either. In any case, the reports come from the viceroy of Area 11, Prince Clovis and Princess Nunnally herself. As for the rest, I have already alerted the OSI to the chance of fraud and they are investigating. I can't truly make up for those who have already died, but I will do my best to ensure that the families of those tributes are looked after. It won't make up for their deaths; nothing will make up for the tragedy that the emperor has allowed to continue.
"Despite all of this, there are still some people who want to support the emperor. While some people may hate the noble classes, it is only a matter of time before the attention is turned to the common people. Forgetting the issue is not what I am asking for you to do, merely to set it aside for the moment, for the greater good of the nation. For the good of all of Britannia, we have to stop the Games, unless the will of the people is to continue these Games and the slaughter of the people. I leave the choice up to you."
Nunnally held her breath as the names scrolled past the screen again, still not recognizing any of them, but she was just counting, realizing how many there were. It wouldn't be enough to wipe out the nobles, but Nunnally was sure that there were enough names to get most of the nobles opposed to the emperor to remain silent. It would be a move that would get the emperor everything that he wanted in the end, but that didn't tell them anything. She still didn't know what Schneizel wanted, and that was the important thing that she needed to know. She sighed and looked back to Claudio. "Schneizel will be at the announcement, right?"
"Yes, your highness."
Nunnally sighed and nodded, moving out of the room. She could hear Claudio following along after her. It was strange to have someone hovering over her shoulder that wasn't her brother, but it was freeing in a way. Lelouch would have tried to stop her before now; Claudio would just protect her and not interfere. Nunnally slowed just enough for Claudio to get ahead of her to open the door. "Where will they be?"
"The stage that was set up yesterday. Cornelia has already set up the security and Viceroy Waldstein is watching the military bases for any more attempts at bombing. We have a network set up in case things get too dangerous."
She nodded, glad that they weren't taking any chances. She didn't want to be scared like that again. Nunnally had managed to keep herself calm enough to get through the rest of the day. Even now she was nervous, frightened that this was all a cruel trick to try and kill her. But she couldn't allow herself to believe that everyone was trying to kill her, she didn't want to become too paranoid, not like Lelouch. Nunnally took a deep breath, pushing herself to ward the stage. "Stay close, please? I feel better when you are around."
"Yes, your highness."
Nunnally looked up at the stage, smiling when she saw her half brothers. She wheeled up the ramp, taking her place between the two of them. She was sure that they were both expecting her to say something to them, but she only had eyes for the people who had gathered around the stage. The people were the ones that she had to appeal to, the ones that she needed to convince. The royalty had accepted her for the most part, mostly based on the papers that Schneizel had dug up. Then again, she didn't care about impressing the royals as much as the people.
She gave the crowd a wave, pausing when Schneizel rested a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look up at him, a bit surprised to see Schneizel smiling. "We're glad that you could make it out here."
"I would have come no matter what."
"You're very brave to come out here after what happened yesterday."
"It's a matter of doing what's right, not bravery."
"So it is." Schneizel lifted his hand from her shoulder. Nunnally tipped her head back, watching as he stepped to the front of the stage, although he was still one step behind Odysseus. Schneizel smiled at the people, Nunnally watching him carefully as he began his speech.
"People of Pendragon, you have my sincerest apologies that you were put into danger yesterday and that we did not act. But most of us in the royal family now know better and everyone is relived that this realization has come without the loss of civilian life. That still does not excuse what happened. In light of this fact I purpose that we remove the problem completely, which is the current emperor." There were gasps from the crowd, Nunnally equally as shocked.
She had thought that Schneizel would have hold off on that announcement or not had used it at all. Now they couldn't say that they were working with the government, they were officially staging a rebellion. Nunnally gripped the armrests of her wheelchair, forcing herself to remain calm. She had always known that they might have to turn to this method, but she had hoped that they wouldn't have had to use it. A rebellion meant fighting and more death, something that she wanted to avoid at all costs.
Schneizel raised his hand for silence. "What I am calling for is an emperor to serve the people for their own good instead of his own. What I am not calling for is an all out war. We will try to make the transition as smooth as possible so we can focus on the important business at hand. All I ask is for your support. We cannot presume to run the government without the support of the nation.
"With that as our priority I'd like to introduce our candidate for the ninety-ninth emperor of Britannia, Prince Odysseus eu Britannia." There weren't many cheers from the crowd as Odysseus stepped up. Schneizel smoothly stepped in. "Prince Odysseus has been the one providing us with access to information that even I am not privy to. He has been keeping this a secret from the emperor since before the start of the Games and an important part of our efforts and volunteered to take the throne, for which both Nunnally and I are greatly appreciative."
The crowd cheered then, Nunnally noticing that they were directing their attention to Odysseus now. That was a bit worrying, that Odysseus had to be validated by Schneizel before he could be accepted but at least he was accepted. Nunnally would have to content herself with that. After all, Odysseus had to know the dangers that Schneizel posed, he couldn't be that naïve. And, even if Odysseus was completely clueless on what Schneizel really intended, then they would just have to look after him. They were a family after all. She lifted her chin slightly as Odysseus stepped up to the microphone, her gaze sweeping the crowd as her half-brother spoke.
"I know I'm nothing like Schneizel or our father when it comes down to it, but I do think that I know what Britannia needs most right now, someone that will listen to the people instead of blindly continuing traditions. I take more pride in being allowed to rule by common consent than any announcement of being the crown prince."
The crowd cheered, Nunnally clapping along with them. She glanced up at Odysseus, glad to see him smiling under the praise. He would need to act the part of benevolent emperor form now until this was all over, then she and Cornelia would have to find a check on Schneizel to keep the safe new world they were creating. Her attention was pulled away from Odysseus as the crowd started chanting, catching the shocked look on Schneizel's face as she turned to look at the crowd.
"All hail Odysseus! All hail Odysseus!"
Lelouch stumbled into the canyon, glancing around before setting off at a jog. He would have to find a place to rest soon; he wasn't able to keep up his pace for much longer. Lelouch glanced over his shoulder, sighing when he saw that no had followed him. He slowed down to a walk, holding tight to the straps of the packs as he looked around, trying to see what he had gotten himself into.
The canyon was the last thing between him and the group of rocks that he was looking towards. A couple of days hiding at the edge of the arena would bee enough to throw off Luciano's alliance, or so he hoped. So far, he hadn't found a way to get out of the canyon. If there was no way out, then he had effectively chosen the place he would die.
He huffed, looking back at the ground. He had run into the canyon to throw them off his trail, the alliance had been getting too close for a while now. Ducking into the canyon wouldn't have saved him in the end, but the alliance might be too preoccupied to find the safe way down. Lelouch was surprised that he had been able to find it, the only path down a small zig-zagging one, washed out from the flood. If the grass had been as it was at the start of the Games, Lelouch was sure he would have run right to the edge or right off the edge. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. He could just see that happening, especially if the alliance had been following more closely. As it was, David had been the one to spot him, and the tribute had rushed to tell the rest of the alliance instead, which had given him enough of a head start that he didn't feel like panicking.
Lelouch shook his head and leaned back against the wall of the canyon, taking a break as he contemplated his options. He didn't have long, his attention distracted by something fluttering in the wind. He frowned and walked over to the object, finding himself staring at a wall with the object fluttering above his head. Lelouch glanced down the canyon before reaching up, having to find footholds on the wall and scale it a few feet to reach the object.
It was a scrap of fabric. Lelouch carefully braced himself before pulling the fabric out. It was fabric from the jacket of a tribute, which meant that it had gotten caught when a tribute had died or passed by. Lelouch crumpled up the fabric, staring at the wall. On closer inspection, there were plenty of ways to get up the wall and Lelouch was not about to pas the chance up. Luciano and the others wouldn't look twice at the wall. Lelouch smiled to himself, shoving the scrap of fabric into his pocket before beginning to climb.
To his surprise, the climb wasn't too difficult. There were plenty of handholds, all cleared out so they were easy to find. The problem was the length. Lelouch was panting for breath before he was halfway up the wall, the packs on his back feeling like they were about to pull him backwards. Lelouch paused for a break, pressing his face against the red splattered stone as he caught his breath. He couldn't allow himself too many breaks, it would give the others the time to catch up and he would want to just quit in the end. Lelouch craned his head back, trying to judge the distance to the edge of the canyon, gritting his teeth and forcing himself onward.
The climb remained relatively easy to the top, Lelouch hauling himself up over the edge of the canyon. He pulled himself away from the edge, not bothering to stand up. He would catch his breath and then find a place to set up camp. Lelouch opened his eyes, staring at the rock in his line of sight before frowning. The red splatters on the ground continued in a trail. He grunted and pushed himself off the ground, carefully stepping to the side to keep an eye on the trail. Lelouch adjusted the packs on his back, giving the canyon one last look before following the trail.
It led him past the first line of boulders, Lelouch relaxing as soon as he was under cover. The alliance wouldn't be able to see him from where he was now, and that was the biggest relief of all. He paused to peek out from his cover behind a boulder, carefully scanning the other side of the canyon. Unless the alliance was in the canyon, they had gotten tired of chasing him. Exactly what that meant Lelouch didn't want to think about, he appreciated the short respite in any case. He had been too nervous to actually sleep well the night before so he had spent the night taking short naps and moving between hiding spots as he did so. The naps hadn't been a replacement for a good night's sleep, especially since they had never lasted more than twenty minutes, but at least they had allowed him to put distance between him and his biggest enemy at the moment.
Lelouch sighed and rested his forehead against the boulder. He would focus on this trail that he was following before finding a place to sleep. He wanted to be sure that he would be safe before he slept through the day. Lelouch squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath before pushing away from the boulder and going back to following the trail.
In the shadows of the rocks, it was harder to follow, the red splatters zig-zagging across the ground with no real pattern. Lelouch gritted his teeth, ducking over an overhanging rock as he tried to seek out the trail again. There was no real reason why he was doing this, aside from the fact that it was taking him around the area.
What he really wanted was something to keep his mind off Shirley and Rolo's deaths. They had been running around in his head all night, the two of them appearing in his dreams and demanding to know why he hadn't tried to save them. Lelouch remembered waking up sobbing on one occasion, afraid that he had screamed out his apologies instead of muttering them. He shook his head, forcing his mind back on task. If he could distract himself long enough that he became completely exhausted he wouldn't dream. The method had worked before during his first Reaping, the one after it when Suzaku had been eligible and then all the subsequent ones.
He leaned over, pressing his fingers against one of the splotches only for it to crack under the pressure. Lelouch frowned, pulling his fingers away. He rolled a flake between them before shaking it off. At the moment, he didn't care what it was, as long as it didn't kill him later. He doubted that the ones in charge of the Games would put anything deadly up here. If anything, this was where the machines that could generate disasters were hidden. If the people were on his side, he would be allowed to stay here a few days. If not, he would have to find a way to run from this place. With the canyon keeping him in, Lelouch didn't count on being able to run away fast enough. He flinched at the thought.
Lelouch crawled out from under the overhand, following the red spots further into the maze of rocks. He could hear the sound of running water, the sound getting louder the further he walked in. Shaded hiding spots got more frequent too, Lelouch passing a few shallow caves before spotting a deeper one. He smiled to himself, abandoning the trail and walking into the cave. He kept the packs on his back, not wanting to lose them if he had to run. As it was, he could only see a little bit into the cave, the light didn't penetrate the deeper sections. He smiled as he took a few more steps into the cave, stopping on the border between light and shadow. He doubted that there would be cameras in the area and, if he was wrong, there was no way that they would be put far back into the cave, especially when there was no light. There would be no need to waste money on camera equipped to film in the dark when the tributes wouldn't even venture into the area. For the first time in the entirety of the Games, he was completely safe.
He sighed, turning to go back to follow the trail when his foot knocked against something. Lelouch heard something clatter against the floor of the cave, looking down. The collection of partially burnt sticks were scattered now, but Lelouch could tell from the ash on the rock that someone had lit a fire here, and many times. He frowned, intending to crouch down and investigate the fire when the sound of the cannon startled him.
Lelouch stumbled back a step, looking out of the cave, releasing the breath he had been holding. He wasn't sure who had just died, and wouldn't be until the name of the tribute was flashed up into the sky at night. Until then he would have to be careful, he didn't know how the tribute had died. There was still every chance that it had been one of the alliance who had fallen to their death while searching for him. He would continue to move through the rocks and find another place to hide, just to have a back up plan. Following the trail could wait until he had free time, and Lelouch was anticipating a lot of time to himself coming up.
He adjusted the packs on his back before going to step out of the cave, stumbling back as he saw someone coming toward him. Lelouch bit his lip to keep himself from cursing, sliding back into the shadows. He wouldn't be able to move quickly with the packs, but he was willing to use the chance to surprise the person before running for his life. Lelouch was not willing to risk a confrontation, especially when he was unarmed. He tried to calm his breathing, doing his best to remain silent as the person limped into the cave.
The person paused for a moment, standing up and staring out toward the canyon before they tipped to the side, leaning against the wall. Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the person's behavior, taking the time to identify weaknesses. The person wasn't putting weight on his right ankle, which probably indicated an injury. Lelouch could also see a hint of a bandage on the person's left arm, another injury that he could exploit if he was grabbed. He tensed, waiting for the person to make any moment towards him. He wouldn't attack until then, there was no use picking a fight he wasn't sure that he could win. Besides, the safest way out would be to run as soon as he could. The person was injured and probably wouldn't waste time running after him.
Lelouch barely stopped himself from sprinting away as the person moved, taking one step in his direction before turning to face the front of the cave. The person looked up at the sky, like they were waiting for the announcement of the dead tribute, something that Lelouch scoffed at. Lelouch shook his head, going to take a step back deeper into the shadows while the person was distracted when he finally got a good look at the person's face.
He didn't remember dropping the packs to the ground or running forward, he just had enough presence of mind to stop himself before he ran right into the other person. Lelouch grabbed onto the person's shoulders, pulling him around so that they were looking at each other. "Suzaku."
He barely got the chance to look at Suzaku before he was being crushed against his friend, Suzaku only using one arm to hold him in place. Lelouch squirmed, shifting his grip so that one hand was gripping Suzaku's shirt and the other was in Suzaku's hair. He waited for Suzaku to give him a bit of space before leaning closer to press his lips against Suzaku's. Lelouch felt Suzaku tense a moment, about to pull away to demand an answer when Suzaku finally responded, relaxing against him. Lelouch smirked, proud of his small victory. He let his hand fall away from Suzaku's hair, brushing his fingers across Suzaku's cheek. He was surprised when Suzaku opened his mouth, Lelouch fumbling in his attempts at a kiss that was more than just the pressure of lips against each other.
His hand fell to Suzaku's arm, using that as a way to steady himself as he tried to follow Suzaku's lead. Neither of them knew what they were doing, they had never actively sought out a realtionship. There was no point when the other was around and their status with each other already known if not spoken of.
Lelouch pulled away to breathe, feeling himself blush as he looked away. It wasn't the reunion that he had expected; it was completely lacking the elegance he had thought. And he had hoped that he wouldn't have felt as desperate as he did now. He had known how stressed he was because he didn't know what had happened to Suzaku, but he didn't think that it would have resulted in this. Lelouch swallowed, refusing to meet Suzaku's eyes, instead just stroking Suzaku's arm.
He frowned as he felt cloth wrapped around Suzaku's left forearm, remembering his analysis of Suzaku while he thought that his friend had been a threat. Lelouch pulled the arm out into the sunlight, his eyes widening at the bloodstained scrap of fabric. He looked up at Suzaku before tugging at the arm. "Water?"
"Over there." Suzaku jerked his head to indicate the direction, turning to leave only to stumble.
Lelouch reacted quickly, grabbing onto Suzaku's waist and balancing him out. He looked down at Suzaku's legs before slinging Suzaku's right arm over his shoulder and beginning to walk. "Come on."
"Thanks."
Lelouch just nodded, following Suzaku's directions to get to where the water was, but his mind was already miles away. He had seen the injuries, but he didn't know how Suzaku had gotten them. It was easy enough to guess that it was while he was fleeing the tributes and that the injuries were why he hadn't come back immediately. That the injuries didn't seem too bad on the first glance wasn't enough to make Lelouch relax. If anything, it made him worry more. If the injuries hadn't been bad enough to stop Suzaku from hobbling around, why hadn't Suzaku come back to him?
He bit his lip, adjusting his grip on Suzaku as he came up to a pond. Suzaku wriggled out of his hold and limped the last foot to the water, sighing as he sat down. He turned around to look at Lelouch, motioning for him to come over. Lelouch cautiously started over, stopping when Suzaku carefully took of his right shoe and peeled off the sock. Immediately Suzaku dunked his right foot in the water, sighing and laying back on the rock. From his new position, he smiled back at Lelouch, patting the stone beside him.
Suzaku only spoke up when Lelouch sat down. "I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. But once I had gotten up here, it was kind of hard to get back down. Especially with my ankle."
"What did you do?"
"I twisted it while running away." Suzaku laughed and shook his head. "Stepped right into a hole. I barely got away after that."
"I can see that." Lelouch touched the bandage on Suzaku's arm, staring at it for a while before shaking his head. "Get that off. I'll see what I can do with what I have."
He stood up, glancing behind him to see Suzaku sitting up and sticking his arm into the water as well. Lelouch nodded to himself and walked back to the cave where he had left the packs. It didn't take him long to identify the pack that was mostly medical supplies. He slung it over his shoulder and started walking back to where Suzaku was waiting. Lelouch knew that he was walking fast, faster than he usually did, but there was still part of him that believed that Suzaku would disappear by the time he got back. And there was always the chance that the alliance had already found their way to them.
Lelouch was nearly running when he got back to Suzaku, dropping the pack before reaching for Suzaku's arm. He carefully peeled the makeshift bandage away, making a face when he saw the gash that was exposed. Lelouch swallowed and turned to root through the bag, keeping Suzaku's arm balanced on his lap.
Suzaku shifted to accommodate him, keeping his injured ankle in the water. "I got that escaping. Dorothea had a sword and I went to protect myself. I've been keeping it clean though."
"Good." The reply came out more biting than Lelouch intended. "It would be unfortunate if you had to lose your arm because of an infection."
"Unfortunate?" Suzaku laughed and shook his head. "Only you could say something like that. But I promise, Lelouch, I've been taking care of myself. I had every intention of coming back. I'm just sorry that I wasn't back soon enough."
"Don't apologize for that." The deaths of the rest of the alliance had been his own fault, not Suzaku's. Lelouch had failed to keep himself calm and had managed to get them into more trouble. They had suffered for his failure. Lelouch cleared his throat and shook his head. "Nothing would have changed. It was better that you stayed hidden; Luciano and the others would have gotten you."
Suzaku sighed, Lelouch taking the sound as a sign that the conversation had been dropped. He turned and looked through the pack by his side, pulling out a jar of salve and a bandage. He suspected that the gash would need stitches, but he could prevent infection until they managed to get out. Lelouch paused at the thought, shaking his head and focusing on his task. He wasn't even sure they would be able to escape now. He had assumed that Suzaku would be able to fight and move freely. With Suzaku out of commission Lelouch wasn't sure about their odds. And then there was a whole arena to cross.
Lelouch looked back down at Suzaku's arm, smearing the salve over it before wrapping it up in the bandage. "You had the sense to stop and take care of yourself, which was good. The only thing that matters now is that we found each other."
"Back to square one then." Suzaku pulled his arm back, running his fingers over the bandage. "We'll have to move out tomorrow. We'll be found eventually."
"No!" Suzaku stared at him in shock, Lelouch scrambling to come up with an explanation for his quick refusal. The problem was that Lelouch didn't want to have to verbalize what he was afraid of. He didn't want to go back down into the arena because then they would have to outrun the alliance, and Lelouch wasn't sure that Suzaku could do that. Lelouch knew that he wouldn't be able to leave Suzaku behind and Suzaku would just attempt to give Lelouch the chance to run by staying behind.
Lelouch cleared his throat and looked away. "Let's give you one more day to recover."
"Lelouch…" Suzaku sighed, Lelouch looking back at him at the sound of something rustling. His eyes widened as Suzaku pulled something from his pocket, holding up a small scrap of paper. "I got close to their camp and found this in one of Luciano's gifts."
Lelouch took the paper, reading over the orders before crumpling it up and throwing it to the side. He already knew that his father wanted him killed. That Luciano was attempting to kill him was nothing new to Lelouch, he had expected it all along. The paper just confirmed everything. "It doesn't matter."
"Of course it does! He'll be coming after you soon enough. With you hidden away, he'll just turn his attention to the other tributes he's been meaning to kill and then he'll come and find you."
Lelouch shrugged one shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant. "All the more reason to hide for a day. Luciano will be busy with chasing after everyone else and then we can use the chance to…" He stopped himself from continuing, shaking his head. "Besides, you need it. One full day of rest without worrying and then we'll move on."
Suzaku didn't look too sure of the plan, but he didn't say anything, instead turning to look out at the pond. "I'm glad that you're back, Lelouch. I kept hearing the cannon and thinking that it was you."
"Same here."
Suzaku smiled up at him, shaking his head. "This could have gone better in so many different ways."
"We only have this now. There's no point in thinking about what could have happened."
"I guess you're right." Suzaku shifted so he was leaning against Lelouch. Lelouch almost pushed him away, not because he didn't want Suzaku near him, but because of the cameras. Now that the two of them were back together, the cameras were bound to find them and record the favorite duo of the capital. Suzaku shook his head and reached down to grab Lelouch's wrist. "For today, let them. I thought you had died four times over. I…I need this."
Lelouch huffed but let Suzaku remain in place. He closed his eyes, turning so they could sit together comfortably. When he was settled to his taste, Lelouch leaned his head against Suzaku's. "So did I. So you're not allowed to leave."
"Is that an order?"
Lelouch could just see the smile that Suzaku was giving him, smiling in response. "Of course it is."
"I feel safe to say that we are winding up to the end here folks. We had a distinct turn around in the Games today. Personally, I thought that it would be the end of Lelouch and his continued efforts to stay away from Luciano and the others, especially after he ran into David earlier today. I'm proud to say that Prince Lelouch continues to exceed my expectations for him, putting on a good show while still playing the Games. As of yet, we have had no word from the emperor about removing his son from the Games although the crowd of protestors has increased at the palace.
"In fact, the opposite is probably true. David and Bart Dalton were killed today, David earlier in the day and Bart just moments before we went live. I'm sad to say that the emperor has probably changed his game now. With those two dead, there is only the prince left and there is no guarantee that Prince Lelouch can dodge Luciano forever. And it also sends a message to the people, the emperor is not about to let those considered innocent out of the Games. And I don't think that the people will take kindly to being reminded of that fact.
"The good news is that Prince Lelouch is no longer alone, he's found Suzaku Kururugi again. Although the other tribute from Area 11 isn't in the best shape, at least they're working together again. There hasn't been any word from those that were running the Games about what they will do since Suzaku lost his tracker and was found within the time period given, but the people are pushing to have him removed entirely since the loss of the tracker, on the rare occasions they do get destroyed, usually leads to disqualification. Once again, there is no word from the emperor on what he plans to do.
"Instead we just have word from Princess Nunnally and Prince Schneizel, both of whom are speaking about replacing the emperor outright. Earlier today, Schneizel revealed plans that Emperor Charles had concocted for the next Hunger Games and spoke up about their own plans to counter. Unfortunately, there was no action taken after the announcement that Crown Prince Odysseus would take his father's place. The people still continue to mourn for fallen tributes and protest in front of the palace. On our end, we will continue to run the Games as a reminder to the royals that there are still people trapped and they may have to work faster if they want to get them out at all. As for the people themselves, continue to support your favorite tributes and that will get sponsors to continue to send them gifts. We just need them to survive now folks."
Milly sighed and sat back, staring up at the ceiling before shaking her head. It was dangerous to go on, but there was nothing else for it. The whole station had rebelled against Diethard's influence and had turned to support Nunnally. Milly was sure that she would get fired herself if nothing worked out. The fact that they were broadcasting for the rebellion – there was no other word to call it now – meant that all of them would be killed if Nunnally and Schneizel failed.
She swallowed and looked back at the camera. "That's really all I can tell you. Right now, we're dependant on those putting pressure on the royals to keep pushing the emperor. But remember, Nunnally has asked to keep this non-violent. I know that's hard to see, but remember the violence that caused the Hunger Games in the first place and the violence going on at this moment. Using violence is not the way to start a government and it's a way to distinguish this new government from what we had. I know things are moving slowly and I'm impatient myself, but I trust Princess Nunnally to know what she is doing and I think that she deserves that trust.
"So what do you say, folks? Let's give her this chance to try and fix what we've allowed to stay broken. I'm sure that she's not waiting just for her own sake, but because she needs to. After everything that she has done and after meeting the princess myself, I'm sure that Nunnally is trying her hardest for all of us because she honestly cares. So, this is Milly Ashford asking the people of Pendragon to stand up in support of Princess Nunnally and for those who are being forced to fight in the Games."
She stood up, giving the camera a wave. "In the meantime, we'll be bringing you continuing coverage of the protests and the Games. I'm going to join the protests myself as is most of the staff here tonight. I hope to see you there."
Milly blew a kiss at the camera, waiting just long enough for Rivalz to shut it off before she reached under her desk to pull out her bag. They had been prepared for this since Suzaku had been found again. Milly glanced back over her shoulder, watching the minimal staff that had remained behind to broadcast file out toward their cars. A few of them would be going home and would go to the protests later to relieve those that had been working all night but most of them would join the crowd of people. Milly didn't know how their addition to the protest would help in the end; she just hoped that it worked.
Since the announcement that morning, no one had heard anything from Princess Nunnally or Prince Schneizel, but that was probably because they were planning what they would have to do next. Before, it had just been easy enough to beg for the emperor to listen to them. Now they would have to make the emperor listen, with the minimal amount of casualties on their side. As it was, barely half of the army and the royal guard were on their side and that was only because they remembered Lady Marianne and were willing to help her son and daughter. That was not enough to fight a war, especially one that the people themselves did not want to participate in. The people were ready to go with Nunnally's way, the non-violent change over of government.
But what the people forgot was that Charles zi Britannia had fought for his throne, then again, that was easy to forget as it had been nearly forty years since he had taken the throne. Charles had fought for his throne, having to subtly murder those that would have taken it from him. Of course, the people knew that, especially when Charles had used the first Hunger Games he had presided over as emperor as a special occasion to get rid of traitors. No one questioned that it had contained members of the royal family in excess. Nearly every Area had sent one tribute and had a member of royalty attached. From what Milly could remember from the footage, it had been a bloodbath nearly everyday. If that was the way that Charles had gotten the throne, Milly couldn't image that he would have just given up because there was pressure from outside.
She sighed and shook her head. At least they had gotten a majority of the army on their side from the start; the people would have been slaughtered earlier if they hadn't. Milly shook her head, joining the flow of people towards the parking garage. It wasn't enough to make her feel completely safe with what they were doing, there would only be a few guards to protect them from the might of the Britannian army, but Milly couldn't back down now. After everything that had happened, every rule that she had seen broken and all of her sleepless nights, she just wanted the Games to be over. She didn't care if it would mean losing her job, it wasn't a job to be proud of. It never had been. It might have brought her glory like Caesar Flickerman said, but it wasn't the kind of glory that she wanted.
"Milly! Seriously, wait up!" She turned as Rivalz called for her. Rivalz tried to juggle the equipment he was holding, giving her a hopeful smile. "Can you help a guy out here?"
"Sure." She walked back over to him, picking up the bags that looked the most in danger of falling to the floor. She swung one over her shoulder, smiling at Rivalz. "Ready to get one of the best stories in the history of Britannia?"
"You bet!"
Milly laughed and slung an arm over his shoulders, the two of them leaning against each other as they walked out of the building.
There were better places to be doing this than in Schneizel's office, but it was the safest place to be at the moment. Since their declaration of war against the emperor, Cornelia had only been able to guarantee the safety of one wing, the one that Odysseus was staying in. It also included the offices of the prime minister and the rooms that Schneizel stayed in while in residence, but not Euphemia's rooms. They had moved to one of the vacant rooms just after they were escorted back inside, ready for anything that the emperor would do.
But then he hadn't done anything. Nunnally frowned to herself, smoothing her hand over Cornelia's shoulder. He hadn't even bothered to speak to them or put out one of his rebuttals. There had been silence, which was far more unnerving that having to listen to him speak.
She looked down at Cornelia, unsure of what else that she should do for her. Euphemia was already curled up against her sister on the other side, not saying anything. Nunnally could just try to show her support through light touches, at a loss of how to comfort Cornelia. With Lelouch, it would be enough to just hold him close and wait for the worst of it to be over. Then she could always depend on Suzaku to find the right thing to say. Between the two of them, they were always able to prod Lelouch back into some sort of good mood. But Nunnally didn't think it would work, not this time.
The news that the last two Dalton boys in the Games had died had hit Cornelia hard, harder that Nunnally had expected. Nunnally had just known that Cornelia had felt responsible for them, but nothing else until Euphemia had filled her in some more. Cornelia and Andreas Dalton had been training the five orphans to become an elite guard of sorts or at least the beginnings of a Knightmare division that would be useful in the Areas. Cornelia had been attached to them. They were her comrades and the only ones that she could trust outside of Euphemia. Apparently, after Dalton had been killed, Cornelia had taken full responsibility for them. It had been her idea for them to all move to different Areas and lay low, just to get them out of sight of the emperor, but the emperor had found them anyway. Nunnally knew that Cornelia had been partially expecting her to get the remaining Daltons out of the Games when Cornelia had come to her side, and she had failed that.
Nunnally snuck a look at Claudio, the guard standing by the wall and looking at the floor, like he had been since the announcement had arrived. She bit her lip and looked back down at Cornelia. She didn't even know how to begin to speak to Claudio now, the space between them seeming to yawn larger than ever. Nunnally didn't know how to fix this one failure of hers, because it was completely without a solution. She couldn't bring people back from the dead or go back in time.
At the sound of someone approaching, Nunnally turned her head. "Schneizel…"
"I'm doing all I can, Nunnally." He sank into a nearby chair, looking more exhausted than she had seen him. Even Kanon hovering with a tray of tea didn't get Schneizel to look up. "I have a document that he could sign to abdicate that lists all the grievances against him. That is our last chance at the peaceful takeover you want. If he doesn't agree with that then we will have to get a show of force. The problem remains the same. We need access to the emperor, something I no longer have. I will keep trying."
Nunnally winced. "Do you think that will help?"
"No. I think that we will have to force our way into Father's presence. That may take a while." Schneizel sighed, finally looking up at Kanon. He muttered his thanks and took the cup to tea, taking a sip as Kanon began to circulate the room. Nunnally shook her head when she was offered tea, waiting for Schneizel to start speaking again. He took a while, sipping at his tea and staring at the wall. "I'll see what I can do, but it won't be fast, certainly not in the period that people are expecting. I have people looking for him now, but we've become persona non grata in those sections of the palace."
"So it will take a long time."
"Unless something comes up, yes. And I doubt that anything of importance will. Father knows that I have gotten into the securest of his files. It's not going to be easy to find more against him."
Nunnally glanced down at Cornelia, making her mind up. "We don't have that much time. Luciano turned on his own alliance, which means that the Games will be ending soon."
Schneizel glanced at her, Nunnally getting only a glimpse of irritation from him before he set his cup down. "Then tell me what I must do, Nunnally. This is your plan, your rebellion."
Once that would have shocked her into silence, and Nunnally was sure that Schneizel knew that as well. If she was silent, then Schneizel could take that as permission to do whatever he wanted. She had been allowing Schneizel to do what he wanted up until this point, but that was because she could trust him not to stray to his own interests. Now, it was truly up to her, and it frightened her. Nunnally preferred to sit back and watch, because that was all she had been allowed to do. Lelouch usually took over when she was out of her depth, something she had never minded. But it had left her woefully unprepared for the current situation.
Nunnally pulled her hand back from Cornelia's shoulder, leaning back in her chair as she thought. At the moment, they were trapped, but that could change at any time. Their supporters were still out there, as was the army, so they would be able to push their way out. What really stood in their way was the emperor, so it was logical that all of their attention should be on him. Schneizel had the document and they had a small force of guards. Nunnally wouldn't push it into a battle, but maybe the threat would be enough. Then again, even with the army on their side, it would need more than just an order to go against their emperor. And that led her back to Schneizel. She glanced at her half brother, shaking her head. Even if he could find something, there was no guarantee that it would work. For now, using the resources they had gathered was completely out.
Nunnally gripped the armrest of her wheelchair, turning slightly so she was facing Schneizel. "If we can't get his attention then we go to him. We present ourselves as petitioners one last time before taking action. I don't care if the army is involved or we are on our own."
"I would prefer to have the army there."
"I know you would, but not for a fight, for pressure. If Father thinks that everything has turned against him, then maybe he'll give up the throne."
"Or he'll become desperate."
"That's a chance we have to take. Schneizel, will waiting any longer help anyone?"
Schneizel shook his head, getting up from his chair. Nunnally hadn't expected him to back down in any case. She had just wanted to goad him back into motion again. If their father had locked Schneizel out of the most secret of documents, then it was only a matter of time before Schneizel found a way back in.
Nunnally looked back down at Cornelia. She couldn't bring herself to ask Cornelia to do anything at the moment, it would be too much right after the death of the remaining Daltons. She would give her half sister the time to mourn before asking anything and she hoped that she could spare the time. Nunnally wasn't sure what the next move would be, or how much influence Charles still had over the Games.
She closed her eyes, just listening as Schneizel began to order what few members of staff that were still around to start searching again. All of this was just something to hold them over and that was what Nunnally was afraid of. That they would find nothing that would give everyone that final push. And then Charles would win.
Suzaku sighed as the last image faded from the sky, carefully not looking over to where Lelouch was. His friend was probably pretending to not pay attention to the announcement of the dead tributes. Suzaku wasn't paying much attention to them at the moment either; he was too busy thinking over what the death of the two Dalton boys meant.
Since they couldn't be found, Luciano had turned to taking out his own alliance, which wouldn't be hard. All of the members of the alliance knew that they would have to break their deal eventually, but Luciano had promised them a chance to live until the end and Suzaku was more than willing to believe that they had all assumed that Luciano had meant until the end of the Games. Suzaku was sure that all of the tributes who had joined Luciano were smart; they had just made the wrong assumption about their leader. Luciano was, after all, the one chosen by the emperor to win.
And, as much as Suzaku hated to use the other tributes, it presented him and Lelouch with the perfect chance to run. He was feeling better, his injured arm aching much less then it had over the past few days. His ankle would still slow him down, but Lelouch would be able to help him over the more difficult patches of terrain. If they left at night, they could probably sneak past Luciano and whoever was running from him and reach the wall soon. From there, the two of them could blow up the wall like Lelouch wanted to and make a run for the city. Luciano was the main attraction of the Games now and the best distraction that they could ask for. Suzaku doubted that any of the other tributes would try to stop them at this point, if anything there was a chance of gathering more allies.
He got to his feet, stopping when he felt Lelouch grab his arm. Suzaku turned to look down at Lelouch, trying to pull his arm away only for Lelouch to keep a good hold on it. Suzaku frowned, reaching down to pry Lelouch's fingers off of him. "Come on."
"No. We're staying where we're safe until you're better."
"That will take too long." Suzaku huffed when Lelouch didn't respond, sitting down again. "We can make it now; escape while everyone is looking the other way. If we start now, we can get to the wall within a day and escape."
Lelouch pulled his knees closer to him, Suzaku staring at him for a moment before throwing his hands into the air. "Then what are we supposed to do."
"Stay here."
"We're not safe here, Lelouch. We won't be safe anywhere. That's why we should keep moving."
"It didn't work before."
"That doesn't mean that we give up."
"You don't get it! I tried everything! I tried every plan that I could come up with and nothing worked, they all died anyway." Lelouch got up, beginning to pace up and down. He disappeared into the shadows in the back of the cave as he moved, Suzaku losing sight of Lelouch every few seconds. "People died when I kept them still, people died when I tried to get them out of harms way. People died when I tried to escape and people died when I tried to play the Games like they were meant to be played. People died when we fought and people died when we did nothing. Have I missed anything, Suzaku? Because, if I have, tell me. I'm running out of people to put into harms way, I only have myself left."
"You have me."
Lelouch gave him a disgusted look before disappearing into shadow again. "No. There has to be someone to go back to Nunnally."
"Why does it have to be me?"
"Because there's no one else!" Lelouch turned on him, standing partially in the shadows and panting for breath. "You don't get it, Suzaku. I won't be allowed to get out of the Games alive, the emperor won't let me. I'm the son that was supposed to be dead, the extra prince that he never wanted, but you're nothing. You're just a Number, he won't care about you. In fact, I'm sure that the emperor would love to see you win out against Luciano. He's twisted enough to enjoy something like that. But after I'm gone, who will keep them from coming after Nunnally? That's why it has to be you, Suzaku."
"That's ridiculous, Lelouch."
"Then how do you explain everything that has happened up to now?"
"It's the Hunger Games, Lelouch. People die." Lelouch held his gaze for a moment before shaking his head. Suzaku groaned, bracing one hand against the wall. He levered himself upright, limping into Lelouch's way and standing his ground. "As your knight-"
"But you're not!" Lelouch went to shove him, pulling his arms back at the last minute. "That wasn't official! That was just my mother worrying about us. And, even if you were my knight, you would have to listen to what I say, my orders, not your own choices."
Suzaku stared at Lelouch before taking a step back, careful to put himself just out of range for a punch. He gritted his teeth and turned away to look outside of the cave. "So, you're telling me that you want to give up? Was this too hard for you to get through?"
"Yes!" The way that Lelouch's voice broke over the word made Suzaku turn his head. He was surprised to see that Lelouch was looking at the ground. Lelouch gave a harsh bark of laughter, shaking his head. "I will admit that the emperor has bested me this time."
"Because people died?"
"Because they died pointlessly. If this was some worthy cause, then I wouldn't feel this way. But they died for no reason."
"They were protecting you." Lelouch scoffed, Suzaku clenching his hands into fists to resist the temptation to grab Lelouch and pull him close. "Don't say that it was no reason. Allow them the dignity of their choice."
"It was never a choice."
"Lelouch-"
"It was never a choice, Suzaku. They did it because I was a prince and that's what you do to princes. Even you've fallen into that trap. I don't need saving, I can do this on my own. If I die…then fine, so long as someone is around to look after Nunnally." Lelouch took a deep breath, speaking before Suzaku could. "That's my final decision. We stay here until you are able to defend yourself and then we go out there again. And don't you dare treat me differently just because I'm royalty. The title means nothing to me."
"Yes, your highness."
"Suzaku…"
Suzaku shook his head, limping out of the cave. It would be better to leave Lelouch to his fear and anger. He wasn't in the mood to become the victim of Lelouch's verbal abuse. There had been a time when Suzaku would have been able to talk Lelouch out of his bad mood, but Lelouch was too far gone. "Did you ever think that they made their choices for another reason, not just because you are a prince?"
"Rolo died because of poison and Shirley was impaled. I don't think they would have done that for just another Number."
Suzaku had never heard how Rolo and Shirley had died; he had just seen their pictures flash up in the night sky. He distinctly remembered being relieved that neither of them had been Lelouch, and how he had felt bad for that relief. Now, he couldn't bring himself to hate himself for that. He was sad that the two tributes were dead, he had liked Rolo and Shirley, but there was no shame in being glad that Lelouch was alive. Lelouch just couldn't see that himself.
Suzaku shrugged. "Maybe they did it because they liked you, not because you were a prince. Consider that, Lelouch."
He limped off before Lelouch could respond. He didn't particularly want to hear anything Lelouch would say in response, he had gotten in what he wanted to say. Lelouch had finally processed the situation that they were in and had come to the conclusion that Suzaku had realized from the start. Lelouch would always look for a way out before taking the situation at face value, which was why he was panicking. Suzaku had realized that there was a very high chance that one of them might not come out of the Games alive and a higher chance that they would both die. Lelouch had just come to that conclusion now that all of his other options were gone. Lelouch would continue to lash out for a while longer, his way to trying to escape the conclusion before he finally settled.
Suzaku made it to one of the large boulders that obscured the caves, leaning back against it before sliding to the ground. Lelouch would come around in the morning and then they would be able to talk rationally. With Lelouch holding them here for the night, they were more likely to have to fight their way out than to escape. He sighed and tipped his head back. He had hoped that they would be able to get out without any more bloodshed; he didn't want to have another death on his hands.
Killing Meeya had been bad enough, but that he had justified it was the worst part. It had been in defense of Lelouch and because it was what the Games wanted from them, but neither of them were enough to fully assuage his conscious. Killing shouldn't have been so easy.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was very little he could do at this point, he was useless with his sprained ankle and totally dependant on Lelouch. Suzaku opened one eye to look back at the cave, allowing himself a little chuckle. He had been completely dependant on Lelouch before this point. Throughout the Games he had been looking to Lelouch. As long as Lelouch was calm, Suzaku was sure that they would have been alright. He supposed that the opposite was true, which made the situation even worse. With the two of them so completely panicked they could only rely on each other for support, and even that was gone because Lelouch was mad at him. If they were lucky, it would blow over by morning.
Suzaku didn't remember closing his eyes again, or drifting off to sleep. He must have, because he woke up reaching for the knife that he didn't have as Lelouch tugged at his sleeve. Suzaku blinked the sleep out of his eyes, staring up at the dark shadow that was Lelouch. He sighed and pulled his arm away so that they were holding hands, his eyes widening as he saw the shadow slump.
"I'm not a person that anyone should die for, prince or not."
"I disagree. Shirley and Rolo would too."
Lelouch didn't respond, just tugging on his hand. Suzaku nodded and carefully got to his feet, leaning on Lelouch as they went back to the cave. He was guided over to the wall, Suzaku sinking down it. Lelouch curled up by his side, not facing him. Suzaku shook his head and curled up around Lelouch, smiling at the way Lelouch relaxed into him. He wouldn't push his luck by bringing up the subject again. Lelouch had gotten what Suzaku had wanted him to and that was all that he could wish for. Suzaku smiled, hiding the expression against Lelouch's skin. They were fine and that was all that mattered. As a team, they had managed to get this far and Suzaku was sure that they could get further in the Games before they had to employ the strategy that he had come up with on the train to Pendragon. And there was a part of him that didn't want to have to resort to that, he loved the family he had managed to gather in Area 11. He didn't want to leave any of them alone, especially Lelouch now that they were so close to having something beyond their friendship. That was incentive in itself to get them both out of the Games if they could, to see what any relationship would bring. Knowing Lelouch, there would never be a dull moment, something that Suzaku looked forward to.
He pressed a kiss to the back of Lelouch's neck, smoothing a hand over Lelouch's arm. Lelouch reached back and caught his hand, pulling it over while he muttered something about warmth. Suzaku hummed and closed his eyes, still on alert for the sound of someone coming for them. He would let Lelouch relax since Lelouch had been out in the arena without cover and, compared to him, Suzaku had been in perfect safety. Suzaku shifted so he could see the entrance to the cave, closing his eyes and listening as Lelouch fell asleep in his arms.