I'm terribly sorry for this delayed update but I hope this chapter is up to your expectations.

Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

When Nunnally had pretended to be asleep she had expected him to come up to her, realize that she was awake and tickle her till she admitted defeat by acknowledging the truth. Never in the world had she imagined that her big brother to have an emotional breakdown in front of her. Hearing the words he muttered were enough proof that he was broken but the heart wrenching sobs that were audible confirmed her suspicions that something bad had happened during today's meeting with their father and he was blaming himself for all that had happened. He seemed to be miserably burdened; mentally, emotionally and physically. He couldn't even grieve properly for their mother's death for he had to stay strong for others. Since the incident last morning Lelouch had busied himself with trying to take care of her, making sure that there was a smooth running of things in the castle and preparing for his meet with the Emperor. Sure he hadn't left the infirmary but he was the one who looked over all the things and Nunnally was positive that he hadn't been able to sleep last night any more than she was, which certainly wasn't enough for a mere ten tear old.

Seeing her big brother like this Nunnally realized that though her brother stayed strong all times and was a true child prodigy, he too was human-not a God as she had previously thought. He too susceptible to what was happening around them but he only chose not to express himself. Nunnally wished that someday her big brother would be able to open up his heart and let himself express his feelings in front of everybody but then again his unambiguous expression of feelings would have been seen as a weakness. Seeing no way out of her predicament she hoped that, at least she would be strong enough to be his shoulder to cry upon even if Lelouch didn't know about it.

Lelouch didn't know what had come upon him when he saw Nunnally lying peacefully on her bed. Under the covers she certainly didn't look like someone who went through such a horrific accident just the day before.

'She looks so serene. Only the tear tracks on her cheek show her pain and now I have caused her so much more pain. What kind of big brother am I? Nunnally is such a wonderful sister, always trying to protect me from mother's scolding, listening to me when I have some problems, consoling me when I lose a match to Schneizel when mother's not there and obeying every word of mine as if it was law. But what have I done as her big brother? Only caused her more and more pain! I'm so very sorry! Please forgive me!'

"I'm sorry!"

And then he felt hopeless. The only question in his mind was;

'How do I protect Nunnally with such a meager force?'

When Leon had completed all the preparations that he was asked to do, he went to the Prince's chambers but found that Lelouch was nowhere to be seen, worried that something might have happened to the young prince he went in search of him. And when Leon had found him he didn't want to disturb the prince for he was finally having the much required sound sleep that he had been denied since the day before. While sleeping by his sister's side the Prince just seemed like a little child but only when observed carefully could one see the slight creases in his forehead and the dark circles under his eyes that showcased the immense burden on his shoulders.

Three hours later Leon returned to the Princess' chambers to wake the Prince up. He had gathered all the palace staff in the courtroom as his prince had ordered but they couldn't be held much longer for security reasons. Lord Daemon was present in the court room with all the staff but somehow Lord Daemon was acting quite weird today- it seemed that something was worrying him a lot- so Leon didn't want to leave him alone for long. Waking the prince didn't take much effort since he was such a light sleeper.

After Leon had woken Lelouch up, the young prince wasted very little time to freshen up and go to the courtroom. Reaching his destination Lelouch steadied himself for what he was about to say, for it was very important that all the people who had gathered would be loyal to him and support him wholeheartedly.

"All of you assembled here know of the tragic death of my mother, Lady Marianne vi Britannia- the Flash. She was a wonderful woman who rose from the mere ranks of a commoner to a knight of the Round and then to being the Fifth Consort the Emperor only with the help of her skill. She lost her parents at a young age, I don't know how but I do know that she never knew the meaning of family until she met Leon here. He was an orphan just like my mother and then the two of them started their journey from there. I do not know much about their life or the hardships they faced but I sure do know that the time they spent there made them wish to protect others. They were the brother-sister duo who worked hard to become strong and protect the weak, they made up for each other's weaknesses but their efforts were not enough, only two people against so many was not enough. I know that each and every one of you here knows about her kindness, unlike some others she has always used her status to help others in every way possible. But I ask you how much were you helped by the empire before she stepped up. I know that some noble families like the Ashford's and the Tourneville's have helped the commoners but now their power has also diminished considerably as they were supporters of my mother. Who will help the weak now? So I want to continue what they started; I want every person to be happy and satisfied, I want them to feel protected, I want to stop the strong from terrorizing the weak. I want to help as many people as I can but for me to be able to do that I need your help, I need all of your help!"

At this the people started getting restless, they were clearly very affected by what he had said, they were waiting for what Lelouch would say next. On one hand they wanted help for their Queen's noble cause but on the other hand they didn't know what was it that their prince wanted them to do.

As for Lelouch, he could see that they were on the edge and he knew that this was the time to strike; the iron had finally grown hot enough for him to melt it down and remould it into howsoever he desired.

"Don't get me wrong! I don't want you to stop what you are doing and help me start a revolution, I just need you to continue what you are doing, trust me and help me not for me being the price you serve but for being me a child with noble intentions for I am no longer a prince."

"Yes you have heard right! I, Lelouch vi Britannia, am no longer a prince. Today during my meeting with my father, the Emperor I was disowned and so was Nunnally. We no longer have the right to succeed the throne. The two of us along with the Aries palace staff are to be sent to Japan to create a false sense of security within the officials and then perish with the Japanese during Britannia's surprise attack. This is our future unless I capture Japan before the Emperor. So will you all help me? Can I trust you all? I'll give you all until tomorrow morning to decide which side you stand on, the side which has helped all of you for so long or the side that treats you like filth. Whichever side you choose just keep in mind that if you stay by my side I'll ensure that none of you ever get hurt but, if you are on the other side then I'll not show you any mercy and remember Charles zi Britannia won't hesitate in disposing any of his pawns."

"That's all I have to say. Thanks for coming."

With that Lelouch turned around and walked away with a swish of his robes, discreetly motioning Lord Daemon and Leon to follow him.

Charles zi Britannia was frustrated, his own son had outdone him in his game and he wasn't happy. You see he was a man craving for power. He could go to any limits and even kill numerous people mercilessly to get whatever he wanted. And Lelouch had been a huge obstacle since a very long time. Maybe it was because of the circumstances he was born in that he had so much potential. Furthermore it didn't help that he was such a genius and started utilizing his talent since such a young age.

'Damn you Lelouch! How dare you insult me in the court, in front of all those people?! You have always been standing in the way to my goal ever since you were born. That stupid little boy! But he has so much power in him it is quite terrifying even for me, The Conqueror and now even C.C. has taken a great interest in him. However that child will never support my cause he is not of that type, he is too soft-hearted. That child of mine will only cause hindrance to my perfectly laid plans just as he did today. I would have easily eliminated him and that weak sister of his by shipping them off to Japan but he had to go on and guess my plans. Now that those plans are ruined I must do something soon. He is my greatest enemy and I must defeat him. That kid cannot live long enough to discover his true potential and exploit it. He is the perfect candidate to support geass and I can't allow him to possess the power of the king. I have to discuss these developments with V.V. soon. Maybe I'll meet him tomorrow.'

I hope that there weren't many errors in this chapter as I didn't have time for proofreading it. If you find any grammatical or spelling errors please inform me.

I really wish more of you would give suggestions on how this story is what do you expect to happen next.

Please do review it's means a lot.