Chapter 16: Pax Britannia
And a beam of light streaked the heavens with the ring of truth, only to shoot a bolt of lightning to the Earth and form every fibre of living matter, freeing the world from a hellish inferno; its originally hostile self.
-"Book of Existence" by Cornelius
Part 39: Morning Glory after Paradise Lost
It was a fine morning after a day swelled with anger and remorse. Lelouch was reading a book and was sitting on a golden-trimmed chair, under the bright calmness of natural sunlight in the morning. He flipped a page with eyes of discontent, not for the story but for what he had done up until now.
"What are you reading dear?" a soft feminine voice chirped from a corner of a room.
"The Duke of Valencia by Juan Dominguez," Lelouch replied weakly; "Translated by Harriet Sophis," he added some trivia.
"What is it about?"
"Regret," Lelouch said.
"Lelouch, don't tell me you would live the rest of your life in regret," C.C. said with a concerned appeal.
"For the deaths of my friends who were so dear to me, if I do not grave for them, then I can't even look at myself as a human being," he said with the sentiment of grief in his eyes.
C.C. walked to where he sat and touched his face. He looked into her eyes and said, "C.C. what would you do if all of your friends and family died because of you?"
"I would look at myself and say, it is time to make a change," she replied with her back facing him.
Lelouch smiled at her innocence and said, "C.C. your mind is too simple. Losing everybody close to me is like killing half my soul. Yesterday, I regained my identity as Lelouch vi Britannia, emperor of this vast empire in exchange for the death of my felicity. How can I redeem the latter half?"
"I do not know, that is for you to decide," C.C. responded with a vague suggestion once again.
"My love, today, I must show myself to this world and declare a new era in history. My father nearly drove the globe into another Dark Age by abandoning order for surrealism. I must restore the order by installing Pax Britannia," he proclaimed, "That will be my first step to redemption."
"You are a meta-psychologist darling, why do you ask me for advice when I was dead inside until recently," C.C. asked.
"I ask because we all need support when we have no clue what to do. As you have said before, 'Logic and calculation are merely tools, a figure to measure how much.' My reasoning from metacognition fails to tell me what is wrong or right," Lelouch remarked.
"So you turn to me for intuition," C.C. said.
"Precisely," he replied. The truth was he had nothing good to say.
"Ah," she said with a long sigh, "All I have to say is good luck."
Lelouch smiled, placed the book on the table next to him and left the room. C.C. stared at his back down the hall and said, "Lelouch vi Britannia, wait for me!"
That evening, the entire throne room was packed with the aristocracy who were confused why Charles zi Britannia was reluctant to save their national celebration, even though they did not participate in civic celebrations. Over the months, the previous emperor neglected contact with his cabinet, busy constructing the paradise he sought of with Geass. Members of the court became overwhelmingly suspicious and concerned for the aged monarch's wellbeing.
"Where is our great emperor?" a noble asked.
Lelouch walked out to the mass of people and sat on the throne. "Who are you," one of the nobles in the crowd asked. Lelouch spread his fingers in his forehead and announced, "Let me begin with a blunt statement, the emperor is dead!"
"Impossible, he was reported to be alive yesterday at this time," one of the nobles said.
"Anytime later," Lelouch asked the crowd.
The masses looked at each other in utter confusion and started to discuss this possibility. "Emperor Charles zi Britannia is dead and I killed him!" Lelouch boldly stated.
"Where is your evidence," a duke demanded.
Lelouch reached into his bosom and pulled out a golden sceptre and said, "I am the current owner of the royal sceptre, a relic only given to and wielded by the monarch in power."
"Look, he is wielding the royal sceptre," they all pointed in awe.
"He is a murderer, a usurper of the throne!" cried Guinevere su Britannia, Lelouch's eldest half-sister, who was in the crowd.
"Who are you to have committed such demonizing atrocities to our beloved empire," another one of the aristocracy shouted.
"I am Lelouch vi Britannia and I command you all to accept me as emperor of Holy Britannia and obey all my commands!"
He used his Geass at the entire crowd simultaneously. Both his eyes lit up with his curse etching its way into their neural pathways. Lelouch snapped at that moment and the video cameras began taping. The room filled with the sharp harmony of everybody's continuous chanting: All Hail Lelouch vi Britannia! C.C. stared from behind the stage where his throne was placed and thought, "I cannot believe it. From a poor peasant girl, I have been tormented as a slave, witch and curse. Now, after five centuries of torment, I am officially the new queen of Holy Britannia." She placed her hands on her chest and sighed heavily with her back against the wall.
Lelouch stood up and held his father's royal sceptre and said, "I have slain the tyrant king who was my father, oppressing the weak and ill from reaching their goals, their dreams. I will open the door for everybody and destroy this rift of disparity between rich and poor. No longer do we have to fight against the remaining nations of Earth for they deserve their own right of governance. Rise people of the world; bring an era of peace where everybody will live under this world free from exploitation for I am Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th emperor of Holy Britannia, the saviour of mankind!The crowd chanted: All hail Lelouch vi Britannia, All Hail Lelouch the Great!
Meanwhile
"Where is master Zero?" Ougi asked.
"I don't know," Suzaku said.
The Black Knights searched everywhere on the Hai Gong and found Nunnally stuck in the storage room. "Hey, why is this girl hiding in here," a member of the Black Knight wondered. Kallen rushed to where the man was and said, "Nunnally is that you?"
"Yes it is me, I remember you are Kallen Stadtfeld," Nunnally replied.
"Stadtfeld, I thought you were Kozuki," the man was puzzled.
"Sorry, long story," Kallen said, "You can ask Ougi for the details for we have to get her out of here, she is important to Zero."
"How can a blind, crippled Britannian girl be important to the great Zero?"
"Trust me, we must save her," Kallen said.
"Why are you talking about Zero?" Nunnally asked in fear.
"Don't you worry, Suzaku will handle this," Kallen reassured her.
The man pushed Nunnally's wheelchair out of the ship and into headquarters and said, "Get everyone here, we need answers."
Suzaku made his way to meet Nunnally and said, "Damn it! I knew this day would come."
"Suzaku, I want answers now! Is Lelouch Zero?" Kallen implored.
Suzaku was reluctant to reveal the truth but sighed and gave it out, "Yes, I am sorry but this is an inconvenient truth."
Kallen slapped Suzaku in the face and yelled, "Why didn't you tell me all this? Huh! I should have known!"
"Sorry, but he wanted to keep this a secret between the two of us because I was converted to this faction. He feared if his identity was revealed, everybody around him would leave and Britannia will consume the world under its tyranny," Suzaku explained.
"I am really confused right now, what nonsense are the two of you talking about," Nunnally asked.
"I have some bad news, Lelouch is not the brother you thought you had…,"Kallen was interrupted there.
"Look, an international broadcast from Britannia, apparently the emperor has been killed!" a member of the Black Knights announced as they watched broadcast on a giant television screen outside the headquarters. It was already repeated several times.
There is urgent news for a new emperor has succeeded Emperor Charles after his mysterious disappearance.
Suzaku and Kallen were petrified by the face on the screen for it was Lelouch himself as the emperor of an evil empire.
It is true, I have slain the tyrant king who was my father, who oppressed the weak and ill from reaching their goals, their dreams! He cared little for the lives of his people and used them to conquer and enslave the entire human race. I, Lelouch vi Britannia cannot let this horrid possibility happen. I will open the door for everybody and destroy this rift of disparity between rich and poor. The rich will coexist with the poor, shake hands and work together. They will unite and help forge a stronger Britannia. We will not participate in global war as well. No longer do we have to fight against the remaining nations of Earth for they deserve their own right of governance. Rise people of the world; bring an era of peace where everybody will live under this world free from exploitation for I am Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th emperor of Holy Britannia, the saviour of mankind!
"My brother… he couldn't have…" Nunnally gasped at that familiar voice.
"It is true, he killed your father and ascended the throne," Suzaku said.
"Damn him! Lelouch you vile and corrupt snake! You used us for power! You never cared about the Japanese, you hid behind the mask of Zero so we wouldn't suspect who you were! You are a coward, a bastard and I cannot forgive you for this!" Kallen was infuriated at his lies.
"What are you talking about," Ougi asked from behind.
"Ougi, Tohdoh I must tell you something dreadful. Zero was a coward. He was him!" Kallen pointed at the screen.
"Impossible, Zero was not Japanese?" Tohdoh exclaimed in shock.
"Suzaku is Kallen telling us the truth," Ougi asked.
Suzaku gave a nod in response to his question.
"Where is C.C., I bet she escaped to be his queen. I knew the two cannot be trusted," Ougi said with an aching heart, "Why did we trust this guy when he was a liar from the start. I feel so stupid!"
Diethard stepped out into the crowd and said, "Well, well, well, look at this interesting character, this radical reformer. He sounds just like Zero because he was!"
"Diethard, don't you feel betrayed by all this," Ougi asked him.
"No, I am witnessing the event of the millennium, I see a good story to report on," he said
"He lied to us and you are satisfied," Ougi asked.
"Hah! The number one stories in professional journalism are the hypocritical. Zero has set a brilliant example for not only a scoop, but an epic!" Diethard exclaimed.
"You are a disgrace to the Black Knights and to think you were head of informatics," Tohdoh said with his arms crossed.
"What should we do now and where is Lady Kaguya?" Ougi asked.
"I don't know where she is but we must act now and return to Japan and tell everyone about this!" Kallen proclaimed.
"Agreed," they all said.
Part 40: Cultural Reconstruction
We interrupt all programming and paid programming for this important update on Hi-TV. Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th ruler of the Empire has signed a proclamation, abolishing the aristocracy and social class. Reports say he froze the wealth of the nobility and plan to allocate the money on social welfare for the poor, sick, and ones with disability. The emperor has funded one hundred fifty million pounds to the Medical Research Society to develop pain-free methods for treating cancer. His majesty has announced radical reforms to society as a whole. It appears the new emperor is ameliorating the social environment for the entire nation; we must wait for these new laws to be implemented in the near future.
"Kallen, Suzaku, what will we do here on Japan?" Nunnally asked.
"We must tell the Japanese that Zero ceases to fight against Holy Britannia," Kallen replied.
"My brother is the emperor now so I should return to the palace as his sister," Nunnally said.
"We will arrange a flight sometime soon," Suzaku replied.
"So about C.C., was she with the Black Knights as well?"
"Oh her, she was Zero's closest companion," Kallen said.
"Closest companion? I remember she said something about being contracted to Lelouch," Nunnally remembered about the first time she heard the two speak, before this Black Knights mess.
"Kallen, I think you should visit your mother for our time here is limited," Suzaku suggested.
"Yes, I think I will do that right now," Kallen said.
She ran off to her Knightmare and drove the massive engine of destruction at a distance.
"Suzaku," Nunnally began.
"Yes," Suzaku said right beside her.
"Do you want to meet Lelouch and be friends with him, like when we were younger," Nunnally asked.
"He has changed, he has changed a lot. But our friendship will last for I do not hate him. I think he did this for a noble cause and I will support him all the way," Suzaku said as he gazed at the evening sunset by the shore, where he stood, "We are always friends and this bond between us will never break."
Kallen made it to her stepmother's house and looked around. "Mother," she hollered, "Mother, are you home?"
She ran up the stairs to her mother's tiny room. Her mother was sleeping on the bed. "Mother!" Kallen exclaimed. Kallen's mother awoke, looked at her face and said with a frail voice, "Kallen, my child. How are you?"
"I am fine and I am happy to see you," Kallen sobbed as she held her mother's right hand.
Her mother placed her thin hand on her cheek and spoke weakly, "Have you heard the good news?"
"Yes, Holy Britannia will no longer take over Japan; we are free!"
"I know that, but I was talking about my new home."
"Your new home?"
"Yes, your father is being trialed in Britannia so your stepmother left as well. The emperor sent a letter that contained 50,000 pounds and a place to stay at a Women's Shelter for refuge. I have a safe place to do whatever I want now, all thanks to emperor Lelouch."
"I am so happy for you," Kallen said as tears flowed down her fair cheeks.
"I am very happy you are safe, my baby. I want you to come with me and live safely under emperor Lelouch's hospitality. Together, we can be a family once more, without the fear of persecution."
"I am glad he gave you all this," Kallen said. She remembered the day when Zero watched her mother using Refrain, a hallucinogen that induces one to reminisce their days of happiness, in an abandoned factory alongside other drug abusers. She thought silently to herself, "Thank you Lelouch, you have given my mother a second chance that even I wasn't able to get for her. I commend you for your sincere attention."
Meanwhile, Tohdoh and Ougi delivered a report about the Black Knight's discontinuation. They mentioned the fact that there was no point quarrelling against this mighty superpower for their aggressive ways have been pacified by the new emperor's administration. It so seemed that the legacy of Zero has begun to be forgotten by the world as everyone faced a Britannian monarch for justice, as ironic as it may sound.
Bonus 2: New Agenda
Additional Note: This Part is rated M
"So what are you planning to do," C.C. asked as she cut her steak with a knife and fork.
"I will announce the capture of Zero," Lelouch said with his hands resting under his chin and elbows on the table. He looked at C.C. with a dreamy stare. She was wearing a fancy red dress with frills and silk roses covering her chest. He on the other hand, was wearing an ornately decorated robe and hat. It was his imperial robe, white with golden wing designs, sapphire bands and rubies sewn together into a magnificently religious masterpiece. They were having a romantic candle-lit dinner in a small dining hall, alone but surrounded by the warmth of each other. C.C. finished her steak and sipped some red wine to go with her food. Lelouch clapped his hands and a waiter came in with a closed serving tray. The waiter placed it on the table and removed the lid. "It's your favourite," Lelouch said.
"I love you, you just know what I like," C.C. exclaimed excitedly. She removed a piece and took a bite.
"Of course, anything for my queen," he said.
"Aren't you going to eat anything?" C.C. asked.
"I would rather watch you enjoy this food than indulge on it myself. Your elegance and beauty captivated me from the start of this splendid night. It is enough to satisfy my hunger."
"Please, you are embarrassing me," C.C. said with a blush for once in her life.
"Think twice about what you say, I am the emperor," Lelouch teased. Lelouch stood from his chair, walked to her seat and suddenly lifted her in his arms. "Ah!," C.C. squealed in surprise. Lelouch carried her out of the dining room.
Lelouch carried C.C. into their royal bedroom and placed her gently on their new bed. She picked up a rose petal that rested on the bed with a whole pile. He removed his imperial robe and placed it on a finely furnished chair by the window, closed the blinds and pulled the curtains together. C.C. sat upright with her legs crossed and lifted her red dress. Lelouch looked up but did not say a word. He noticed they were already wet and in heat; this triggered his heart to palpitate uncontrollably.
"It is kind of drafty down there but I did it for you, my husband," C.C. said in a seductive voice, "Now I expect some fun for doing this." She gazed lovingly at his shiny black hair while twirling her straight green locks with a naughty expression. Lelouch removed her high-heeled shoes and started to lick the sole of her left foot.
"That tickles," C.C. giggled in excitement. He moved onto the other foot and up her legs, devoting solely on pleasuring her. C.C removed her blouse and a thin silk garment showed. She unbuttoned the flap that connect the bottom piece to the top and removed her clothes, revealing the lovely curves of her upper body. Lelouch worked his way up her thighs and licked her sweet juices from within while rubbing her hood incessantly. C.C. gasped in ecstasy as she arched her back in response to his naughty acts. Her hair flew back when Lelouch licked deeper into her cave. He got up, removed his clothes and pinned her to the bed. "Yes Lelouch," C.C. yelped in pleasure, "Come on and light my fire."
Lelouch stopped and gazed deeply into her beautiful eyes, without saying a word and leaned forward. He carefully pressed his hands onto her shoulders and thrust deep into her womb. C.C. gave out a burst of satisfaction as he worked tirelessly in and out of her. She shook as he softly touched and stroked her full, Geass-scarred breast.
C.C. licked her lips and asked, "Kiss me." She moaned uncontrollably in response to his constant penetration. A tremor pulsed from her head to toe as she shook up and down to amplify the effects of their consummation.
He responded by bending down to her level and placed his lips over hers. Their tongues intertwined as they tasted each other's saliva and found it sensually pleasurable. They turned around with Lelouch lying on his back. C.C. removed her dress until she was completely naked and crouched down on top of Lelouch. She inserted his rigid sword into its proper sheath and moved up and down in short intervals of time in a playful manner. The hot stem stimulated her senses as she approached a stage of carnal enlightenment.
She faced the ceiling with her hair bouncing up and down and moaned loudly like a wild animal to their lovemaking. He was more reserved but decided to intensify the experience by caressing her behind. Lelouch began to grunt as he was about to climax. C.C. moved faster and faster until he erupted in her, spilling his seeds into her womb while she moaned in delight. She released her orgasm after a couple of thrusts and pulled off his weaned shaft. The naughty girl inserted her fingers in her lubricated channel, fidgeted along her walls and dug for his fluids. She removed her sticky fingers and licked them erotically to please her husband, now the emperor of the greatest empire on Earth. C.C. lowered her head to his pubic area with a dirty look and started to lick the residue off the tip.
"No C.C., I can't handle any more," Lelouch cried as he covered his eyes in embarrassment.
"Nonsense! Quit whining because I know you want it," she acted as his superior. C.C. performed a sensual favour by tasting the entirety of his shaft.
Lelouch submitted to her domineering despite being the emperor and groaned as he throbbed in her mouth. Within a few minutes, he released another round. C.C. removed her mouth and let the contents fly out and land on her chest. She touched the thick cream off her breasts and anointed it on her nipples to express her desire for his sex.
"That's enough okay," Lelouch leaned forward with his back slouching and his arms together between his legs, panting heavily. C.C. crept towards her husband and placed her index finger on his mouth. He stared at her perfect figure and held her by the hips. She traced down his meridian line and poked at his heart, then wrapped her arms around him with her breasts firmly placed against his. They kissed again and went under the bed sheets in each other's arms.
"Lelouch," C.C. began.
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
"Thank you? I never heard a woman say that after being in bed."
"It's nothing."
"I will be frank with you. When I was a kid, I always thought children come delivered after selective processing," Lelouch said with a smirk.
C.C. smiled and said, "Ah Lelouch, the mind of a child is so beautiful."