Chapter 2: Royal Address
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"All hail Empress C.C.!" the royal guard shouted as the green haired Witch sauntered lazily into the room and took a seat at her red and gold throne, which had been just recently been set to the left of Lelouch's.
Lloyd, Ohgi, Kallen, Cécile, and Nina all glared up at the newly crowned empress from bended knee. While feelings about the former leader of the Black Knights may have been mixed, the feeling of resentment towards the witch was unanimous. From the beginning, most of the Black Knights had been wary around C.C., and now that she had betrayed them, along with Lelouch, their suspicions and fears had only been confirmed.
C.C. motioned for the royal guard to rise, then cast her gaze upon the audience Lelouch had called. She let out a quiet chuckle.
While Lelouch may have still felt sentimentality towards his old group, she had never felt too attached to the rebels. They had never trusted her and she never cared. They saw her as Zero's undeserving lover and she saw them as Lelouch's pawns, a simple means to an end.
"Do you all plan to glare at me like that all day," she teased from her throne.
The grey witch's taunt only fueled Kallen's anger. "Why you-" Ohgi quickly cut her off before the red fury made an attempt on the empress's life.
"Calm down, Kallen, she's just trying to get a rise out of you," he whispered softly.
Kallen took a deep breath and decided to follow her friend's advice. While she hated to admit it, trying to strangle C.C. would only make the situation worse.
C.C. smiled, satisfied with the reaction she had provoked. "His majesty will be joining us in just a bit," she said, now in her normal emotionless tone, "I am curious, though, why has he called you all here?"
"We have nothing to say to you," Ohgi growled in response, earning him a powerful kick to the ribs.
"You will speak to your empress with respect!" the offending guard barked, giving Ohgi yet another blow to the side.
Before the third kick came, though, C.C. held her hand out and shouted, "Cease at once! I have ordered no such punishment!"
"Y-yes your majesty." The guard stepped back in line, leaving Ohgi curled up on the floor, gasping for air. Kallen quickly rushed to his side and helped her comrade back up.
C.C. didn't hold back her laughter this time; it was just too funny. The Black Knight's determination to hold onto every scrap of pride they had left was amusing. The grey witch's laughter made Kallen's blood boil.
'How dare she act with such contempt,' she thought, clenching her fist angrily, wishing with ever ounce of her soul that she could run C.C. through with a sword. But, at the moment, they were all at the witch's mercy. There was nothing they could do about it.
"You're majesty!" one of the soldiers called out, suddenly taking up a stiff stance and giving a hearty salute. The rest of the soldiers turned to the same direction and saluted as their self-proclaimed emperor entered the throne room.
Kallen turned as well and saw Lelouch make his way to the throne room, head held high and not even giving his old comrades a second glance. She felt her body quake as she continued to watch the demon emperor take his seat next to C.C.
He was nothing like the Lelouch she had seen in school or the Zero she had worked with for so long. This Lelouch, what most of her teammates believed to be the real Lelouch, had a terrifying aura surrounding him. His look alone was enough to force a fully-grown wolf into submission. His posture did not come across as pompous or bombastic, rather as powerful and confident.
C.C. smiled as Lelouch took his seat next to hers. "You're finally here, your majesty. It's rude to keep visitors waiting, you know."
Lelouch simply sent C.C. a stern frown and then turned his attention to the prisoners, each of which refused to challenge glare. "Dr. Asplund, I presume you know why you were called before me?"
"Y-yes, your highness." Even Lloyd had lost his nerve and quick tongue in front of the new emperor. "You want me to return to my position in the Brittanian research and development department, as well as assist with upgrading and repairing the Lancelot."
Lelouch nodded curtly, "This is not an offer you have a choice in. You will either accept it under your own free will, or…" the emperor moved his hand over his contact lenses threateningly, "you will accept under my own will."
Lloyd swallowed nervously. While he was opposed to Emperor Lelouch's methods, Dr. Asplund was not willing to give up his free will and the free will of his assistant, Cécile.
Lelouch knew he could not refuse his offer. As long as Lloyd had interesting experiments to work on and people he could harass, the good doctor didn't care whose side he was on.
"I accept your offer, my lord," Dr. Asplund announced, bowing his head in submission. Lelouch saw Kallen opened her mouth to protest, but then close it, probably realizing the doctor was his from the beginning.
Lelouch smirked and held his hand out dramatically. From his throne, he commanded, "Lloyd Asplund, swear your life and loyalty to I, Lelouch Vi Brittania! Acknowledge me as your one and only ruler!"
"Yes, my lord!" Lloyd responded, still not daring to look up.
"Guards, please escort Dr. Asplund and Ms. Cécile to their laboratory," the demon emperor ordered as he lowered his hand and leaned back into his seat.
A pair of guards walked over to both the doctor and his assistant and unlocked their handcuffs. "Right this way," one instructed as the two were led out of the room. Ohgi shook his head in disappointment as he watched Lloyd abandon them. 'So much for teamwork.'
"Ms. Einstein," Lelouch said, turning to the small woman with glasses, "I extend to you the same decree. Submit to my authority under your own free will, or be forced into submission by my Geass!"
"I-I," images of Princess Euphie filled Nina's head as she was torn between her loyalty to her nation and her hatred towards Lelouch, the man who had slain her goddess. "I-I…" she began to shake as more and more conflicting thoughts waged war within her mind. "I…"
"Decide!" Lelouch shouted, slamming his fist on the armrest of his throne.
'This is my punishment for creating such horrible weapons,' she thought to herself, 'I must now follow my path of blood to the end.' Nina stood up and answered, "I, Nina Einstein, accept you, Lelouch VI Brittania, as my one and only ruler."
"A wise decision. Guards, take Nina to join both Dr. Asplund and his assistant!"
And just like that, there were only two. Somehow, in the back of his mind, Ohgi had a feeling that he might not have the chance to see his beloved ever again. Kallen simply stared at the exit through which both Nina and Lloyd had left. She couldn't believe that both had accepted the will of the emperor so easily. Was no one willing to take a stand?
Lelouch glared at his former subordinates, both of which had tried to sell him out to the enemy. He was not going to let past grudges dilute his judgment. Both Kallen and Ohgi were needed alive if he was ever going to find the rest of the resistance.
"Kallen, Ohgi, I know that there are still fragments of the Black Knights in hiding," Lelouch said as he stood from his throne and began pacing back and forth menacingly, "You will tell me where they are! Where is princess Cornelia?!"
"How would I know?" Ohgi spat, "And even if I did know, I would never reveal them! Unlike you, I would rather give my life then betray my comrades!"
"Consider Villeta's life, then," Lelouch sneered, "and the life of your unborn child as well!"
Ohgi's eyes widened with fear, which Lelouch quickly picked up on. It was just the reaction he had wanted. "They will never fall into your clutches, demon! You will never get your wicked claws on them!"
Lelouch threw his head back and began to laugh hysterically. "You forget, Ohgi, I don't need your consent! Guards, seize him!"
Three guards quickly answered their emperor's call, and restrained Ohgi violently as Lelouch approached him. Despite Ohgi's struggling, the guards forced him to look the demon emperor directly in the eyes.
"No, don't!" Kallen shouted desperately, tears filling her eyes.
But her protests were in vain. Lelouch slide both contacts off with one swift movement, revealing the two winged sigils of the Geass. "Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you, tell me where Princess Cornelia and the rest of the Black Knights are hiding!"
Ohgi suddenly stopped struggling as the edges of his pupils turned a scarlet hue. Kallen let out another sob at the sight of her friend. He smiled, almost crazily, and answered, "They are hiding in the Tokyo Settlement General Hospital, your majesty!"
Lelouch's smile widened. Ohgi never let him down. With this information, he could find Cornelia and put an end to the last of her resistance.
The truth was that Cornelia's resistance still posed a threat. If anyone else were heading the remaining factions of the Black Knights, then Lelouch wouldn't have been fazed in the slightest. But, Cornelia was both brave and reckless enough to try and spark a rebellion, even though he had full control over the Damocles. If there were an uprising, he would be forced to follow through on his threat and level most of Japan with the FLEIJA weapons.
"SUZAKU!" he called, at the top of his lungs.
The Knight of Zero quickly answered the call and knelt before Lelouch obediently. "What do you require, your highness?" he asked, awaiting his emperor's orders.
"I want you to use the Lancelot and bring Cornelia to me," Lelouch commanded, "I don't care what happens to the rest. Capture them, if possible, but kill them, if necessary. They are hiding out in the Tokyo General Hospital. Flush them out and bring the renegade princess to me!"
"Yes, your highness," Suzaku responded, "Is that all?"
Lelouch nodded contently. Suzaku was always reliable; he had no doubt in his abilities. However, Cornelia was almost as clever as he was and he couldn't risk any sort of rebellion during the most vulnerable phase of his plan.
Just as Suzaku left, Ohgi began to recover from the effects of the Geass. "What the hell…"
"Congratulations, Ohgi," Lelouch laughed evilly, "your honesty has persuaded me to spare your life."
Ohgi's eyes widened when he realized what had just happened, which only caused Lelouch to laugh more. "Why Lelouch?" Kallen shouted to him, desperately trying to reach whatever was left of his heart, "I looked up to you, adored you! How could you do this to your own companions?"
"HAHAHAHAHAAA! I told you before, you were all nothing but pawns to me, a means to an end!"
"No!" Kallen yelled back, unwilling to accept that someone she cared so much about could be so cruel, "that's not true, Zero! If we were just pawns, then why did you save me from the Chinese Federation? Why did you risk victory just for me?"
Lelouch gritted his teeth angrily, there seemed to be no getting through to her. "Zero was simply a mask, a façade I created to lure you all into the range of my Geass!"
Kallen went silent after hearing Lelouch's crushing words. Everything always seemed to link back to that power. It was the reason why the Black Knights lost their trust in Zero, the reason Lelouch had become so twisted. The world's sorry condition was all because of the Geass and that grey witch.
'She looks completely fooled,' thought Lelouch as he smirked sinisterly. He hoped that any possibility of redemption in Kallen's mind was now crushed. It would make things easier for the both of them if she despised him.
"C.C., would you kindly rap things up with our prisoners," Lelouch asked his empress, who, up until then, had been napping lazily on her throne, "I have other important matters I must attend to."
"Is it that televised interview the networks have been pestering us about lately?" C.C. asked.
"Yes, I plan to use the broadcast to announce the new martial law I plan to enact."
"That is sure to make you even more popular," C.C. teased. She stood up from her throne and gave him a playful peck on the lips.
Lelouch smiled faintly at his empress, the one woman who truly understood him. "This rule is not about popularity, it's about control. The human race lost the privilege of freedom a long time ago."
"Well put, your majesty. Fine, I will finish up here. Milly does not like to be kept waiting, anyways," C.C. told him.
Lelouch was not looking forward to his reunion with Milly and possibly Rivalz, now that he had taken up a job as a cameraman for her news channel. He had no idea what the thoughts of his former friends were on his new military regime, though he did not expect them to be good. Lelouch knew he could not show weakness in front of even them, though. C.C. and Suzaku, they were the only two he could trust.
"I take my leave," he announced, waving to C.C. and shooting his prisoners a final glare before exiting the throne room.
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When Lelouch entered his royal lounge, he saw both Milly sitting on his red velvet couch and Rivalz standing across from her, readying the camera for their interview. They didn't seem to have noticed him yet, as they were both still preparing themselves.
Both of his friends seemed so different than usual, at the moment. Rivalz, who was usually loud and boisterous, was mostly keeping to himself as he continued to adjust the angle of his camera.
Milly was not her normal self either. Instead of teasing Rivalz and flashing that beautiful smile of hers, the blonde seemed to be quiet and introverted. She wouldn't look up from her interview notes, which she seemed to be studying actively.
Lelouch took a deep breath as he readied his façade. It was already taxing to act so cruelly in front of his former comrades and he didn't expect acting the same towards his former friends would be any easier. But it was all for their own good. He refused to lose anyone else dear to him.
"Ahem," Lelouch loudly cleared his throat to announce his presence.
Milly and Rivalz both looked up from their various distractions and gasped simultaneously when they saw him. Quickly, they both ran to kneel in front of him. "Lel- I mean, your majesty!" Rivalz greeted, almost tripping up and calling Lelouch by name.
"Are you ready for your interview, your highness?" Milly asked him, still on bended knee.
"You may rise," Lelouch answered as he moved over to the chair across from the couch Milly had been sitting on earlier, "and yes, I am prepared."
Milly and Rivalz ran over to their stations, Rivalz manning the camera and Milly scooping up her notes from the table and taking her seat across from Lelouch. Rivalz put up three fingers and said, "Recording in three… two… one…"
"Good afternoon, people of Brittania! I'm Milly Ashford and today I am interviewing Emperor Lelouch VI Brittania, 99th Emperor of the Brittanian Empire. Are you ready, your highness?"
"Of course," Lelouch scoffed, trying his best to look uninterested and condescending.
Milly glared slightly back at him, obviously not amused with the emperor's attitude. "Lets begin, then. My first question pertains to your sudden rise to power and seizure of the throne. How were you able to gain the support of most of the nobility after supposedly eliminating the previous emperor, Charles Vi Brittania?"
Lelouch knew that this question would arise one way or another. It was all to bizarre that the noblemen would suddenly be willing to help a usurper king. He couldn't let anyone else know about the Geass, though. Knowledge of his power would only cause public unrest, and Lelouch wanted the people to stay right where they were, under his iron fist.
"I can't disclose all the details of our meeting," Lelouch told Milly dismissively, "but let's just say that I can be very persuasive when I wish to be."
Milly's grip on her pen visibly tightened as she accepted the vague answer. "Tell me about our newly crowned empress, then. She was a known member of the Black Knights during your days as Zero, their masked leader. How come she was not detained with the others?"
"C.C. has actually been with me before I founded the Black Knights," Lelouch answered, figuring this question yielded safer waters, "In fact, you may have seen her around at Ashford Academy."
"She went to school at Ashford?" Milly asked with genuine surprise.
Lelouch chuckled and shook his head. "No, she was not a student, rather a temporary resident. C.C. has always been my most trusted advisor and partner throughout my journey to claim my rightful place as emperor. When the Black Knights betrayed me and attempted to take my life, C.C. continued to stand by me. As thanks for her hard work and steadfastness, I have allowed her to take a place next to me as my empress."
"We will make sure to follow up with her majesty another day," Milly reassured her viewers before continuing the interview. "My next question pertains to Sir Kururugi and his new position. Some Brittanians are wondering what exactly the title, 'Knight of Zero', entails. Do you mind shedding some light on this subject?"
"Sir Kururugi's new title is my way of doing away with the old structure and nobility that used to plague the great Brittanian Empire. As you know, traditionally, the highest rank a knight could achieve was the title of 'Knight of One', representing the knights 'pure' blood and loyalty to a single nation. I have done away with this ridiculous notion, for it is both outdated and obsolete. The Knight of Zero is simply one who is willing and able to serve me, the one true emperor. It matters not one's societal status or one's race." He watched as Milly tried to figure out whether she just heard from Lelouch the demon or Lelouch the revolutionary.
"Your highness, forgive my asking, but are you planning to abolish all nobility?" the blonde reporter asked in disbelief.
'The prez sure catches on quickly,' Lelouch thought, a wicked smirk now crossing his face. "That's absolutely right, Ms. Ashford. The wealthy hold no political power in this world. Only I, alone, will rule the new Brittania. Anyone who dares to oppose my power or tries to make any decision without my direct consent will be eliminated. High blood or low blood, all who live no longer hold any weight." That's right. He would make it clear from the beginning that the human race has lost the privilege of choice. Using his powerful words as a launchpad, Lelouch stood up to address the public directly. "People of Brittania, age of nobles and commoners is now over! There is only one true power in this world, now, and that is I, Lelouch Vi Brittania! I will not tolerate the total disregard for authority that both the wealthy and poor have so long exercised! You, my subjects, have proven time and time again incapable of ruling yourselves, much less others!"
Rivalz moved in closer as Lelouch continued, making sure to document Emperor Lelouch's second public address. "To insure pacification, new mandates regarding the conduct of one's person will now be put into place! Citizens of Brittania are now required to abide by a twelve o' clock. Anyone who is not inside by then will be assumed to be terrorists and arrested or executed on site!"
Lelouch saw Milly gasp in horror and Rivalz almost drop his camera. "My next act as Emperor will be to abolish courts! I alone hold the authority to pass judgment on another." Lelouch knew that judges and juries were far too easily influenced by bribes and other such persuasions. To prevent his captured enemies from escaping the noose due to his poor public image, Lelouch decided to simply cut out the middleman. "My final order is one of complete obedience. If anyone dares to speak out against my military rule, I will have them and their families captured or even executed. Your houses, phone calls, and computers will all be monitored to insure compliance."
To finish his second grand proclamation, the demon emperor pointed his finger towards the camera and demanded, "Obey my commands, subjects! OBEY YOUR EMPEROR!"
"Cut, CUT!" Milly suddenly called right after Lelouch had finished his speech, "Kill the feed!"
Before Lelouch could protest, Milly jumped up from her seat and punched him as hard as she could in the gut. The demon emperor doubled over, gagging, completely caught of guard by Milly's sudden attack.
The entire room went silent for a couple seconds, as he and Rivalz stared at the reporter in complete disbelief. Milly, however, continued to glare at her emperor defiantly.
Lelouch knew he could not let such an insult unpunished. Old friend or not, letting Milly go unscathed would shatter the image he had worked so hard to achieve. But he couldn't bear to send someone so close to him to a firing squad. 'So many have died so that I could get here,' Lelouch argued with himself, 'I can't let them all die in vain.'
A resounding smack sounded through the room as Lelouch's backhanded collided with Milly's cheek, knocking her off her feet and onto the floor. Standing over her, the emperor began to viciously kick the blonde reporter in the stomach. "You insolent whore!" he shouted angrily as his foot connected a third time, "You dare lay a hand on your emperor!"
Lelouch knew that the only way he could retain his image while still allowing Milly to live was if he, himself, administered physical punishment. She should have known better, though, shouldn't she?
After a couple more kicks, the demon stepped back, allowing Milly to writhe on the floor and gasp for air. "I will excuse this transgression once, due to our past friendship," he told her, "however, next time, I will not hesitate to have you executed on the spot. Remember your place, woman!"
As Lelouch turned to storm out of the room, he heard Milly weakly call back to him. "Why Lelouch?" she coughed, "What happened to you? What made you hate all of humanity so much?"
"What happened to me?" Lelouch chuckled ruefully, "I peaked behind humanity's mask and saw its true nature. Human beings are ugly, greedy creatures that must be controlled. Only once you realize this truth could you possibly comprehend my path of blood."
With those final words, he left, slamming the door behind him, leaving Rivalz to clean up after his mess.