Chapter Twelve: Time is Going Fast
Marianne was waiting in the parlor when Lelouch, Nunnally and Suzaku got back to the castle. Lelouch let Nunnally go, watching his mother and sister embrace. He only looked away from them when he heard Suzaku leaving.
He lunged for the guard, grabbing his arm. "Don't." Suzaku rocked to a stop but didn't say anything. Lelouch gritted his teeth, pulling Suzaku close. "Go visit Gino or something, but don't disappear again. I'll need your answer soon."
Suzaku's eyes widened and it looked like Suzaku wanted to run, but he just nodded. Lelouch sighed and let go of him, turning to face his mother and sister. This time when he heard Suzaku walk away he didn't stop the guard.
Marianne did look up at the sound of Suzaku leaving, Lelouch noticing that she watched Suzaku carefully. He remembered her insistence to get Suzaku away from them, just because of his tattoo. Lelouch tried not to show his disgust on his face. He just walked forward when Marianne let go of Nunnally. Lelouch caught the end of a whispered conversation as he edged up beside Nunnally.
"And then Suzaku came. The kidnapper is dead now, Suzaku shot him."
"Are you sure?"
"Send a group out to the chapel if you want." Lelouch crossed his arm over his chest. "I gave him the order to in the end, if you need proof of his loyalty."
"Lelouch!"
He jumped as Nunnally shouted, turning to look at his sister. Lelouch swallowed, trying to come up with an explanation. He never got a chance, Marianne tapping Nunnally on the shoulder.
"I have something to discuss with your brother. I'll talk to you later."
Nunnally glanced at Lelouch, raising an eyebrow. Lelouch was sure that Nunnally would be talking to the both of them later. Lelouch nodded, stepping aside to let Nunnally pass him. She brushed her fingers over his arm, Lelouch turning his head to watch her leave, waiting until she was out of the room before he turned to look at his mother. "You can't refuse him now."
Marianne stared at him in shock for a moment, Lelouch waiting for his mother to remember what they had been talking about before they had discovered that Nunnally had been kidnapped. He nodded when her eyes widened, watching as Marianne looked at the doors that led into the room. When she was sure that they were alone she spoke. "You said you asked him to kill that man."
"I gave an order, but he would have fired without it."
"Then why-"
"Why did I give the order?" Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Because I didn't want to lay the blame on someone else. He was following an order from royalty, he's been trained to do that much." He looked down at the ground, considering his words carefully. "How much do you know about that massacre?"
"That your father's brother orchestrated it and that the members of Genbu's council supported it."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "I'd have people look into that because I got information that proves Suzaku's loyalty."
"And you will keep this information from me?"
That was what Lelouch had intended at first. He wanted to be in control of the situation, but he didn't have a lot of time. The wedding was two weeks from now, which meant that they were leaving in sometime next week. He didn't have the time to draw this out and he was partially afraid that Marianne would be able to beat him because Marianne had the leverage that he didn't.
After all, she had survived this long without him.
"No. Because this is important." Lelouch took a deep breath. "Genbu was in on the plan. If you look back you will probably find that Genbu was for any resistance movement that would free Japan. He was part of that group, part of the plan."
"And you get this from…"
"The kidnapper in a moment when he had no reason to lie. What better way to throw off a man holding a gun to his head to tell the truth?"
Marianne had been a solider, she would know about this sort of thing. There was nothing more devastating than a truth that someone thought no one knew. Lelouch tipped his head, waiting for Marianne to comment.
When she didn't answer for a while, Lelouch decided to push further. "If you ask Suzaku and Nunnally, they'll verify it. Neither of them would lie about something like this."
Marianne frowned. "I will."
Lelouch nodded, content with that much. All he had to do was to push a little further. "Suzaku deserves a reward of his own choosing. He stayed behind to defend us." Lelouch snapped his mouth shut, choosing not to tell Marianne about Suzaku killing his father at the last minute. That was Suzaku's alone at the moment. "Whatever you decided, I can promise you two things."
"Is this an ultimatum?"
"Something like that." Lelouch smirked. "One, I will not stop pushing for this. Suzaku deserves to be a knight and I want him as mine. Euphemia may have asked him while I was gone, but that pin was me asking him first. Respect that claim."
Marianne was glaring at him, Lelouch deciding to push just a little further. "Two, I will give you a forewarning now, there might be something between Suzaku and I and I don't intend to let it go before I know how it will play out. There won't be a scandal because we'll keep it quiet, but that means that I'll be following Euphemia around until that point."
He supposed that he should have felt guilty for what he was doing, but then had to be one thing that he didn't back down on. For now, this would be his. Lelouch shook his head, taking a step back. He would leave Marianne with this and wait for her reply. In the meantime he would plan out his next attack.
Lelouch turned to leave, surprised when Marianne cleared her throat. He tipped his head so he could see his mother, refusing to face her again.
"Here's my ultimatum, Lelouch. Until I am sure of his loyalty I will not grant you your request. Anything else I am alright with. But I am not going to allow anything to happen to you again."
Lelouch's first thought was to turn to shout at her, but he was sure that they would end up at the same stalemate they were at now. Instead he just shrugged. "Then we'll be having this conversation often."
He walked out of the room, expecting Marianne to call him back at any moment, and it hurt when she didn't. Lelouch sighed and stared towards his room.
Lelouch honestly wanted Marianne to like him for the way he was now, because he couldn't remember the eight year old him. But he didn't know how to act around her. He could remember some sort of fond feeling but there was nothing that connected it to Marianne, not memories of her. Whenever he was around her he felt adrift, stuck between treating her like someone close to him or something that he didn't know. The latter could be manipulated and treated as he liked but the former had to be treated with respect and care. Lelouch had managed to place everyone else, but Marianne hadn't been put into either category. And, until he was able to put memory with feeling with name, Lelouch wouldn't be treating her any differently from everyone else.
He leaned against the door to his room, staring into the darkness. Marianne would probably talk with Nunnally and Suzaku tonight; his mother wouldn't be able to let that hint go without tracking it down, which meant that he wouldn't see Suzaku tonight. He only hoped that Kallen wouldn't let Suzaku be alone for too long. It seemed like one of those days that Suzaku would think about suicide.
A hand touched his shoulder, Lelouch jumping at the contact. He turned to look over his shoulder, relaxing as he saw that it was Nunnally. He offered his sister a smile, stepping aside to allow his sister to walk into the room first.
Nunnally reached out to turn on the lights. She crossed the room and claimed a spot on the bed. Nunnally patted the spot next to her with a smile. Lelouch hesitated for a moment before going to sit down beside her.
She looked at him for a long moment before shaking her head. "You were always so stubborn as a child. It always annoyed Schneizel and Clovis. Maybe it would be better if you backed down."
"She's questioning Suzaku's loyalty." Lelouch glanced up at Nunnally. "She doesn't trust him with me."
"Oh, so that's why she won't back down." Nunnally sighed. "And I wouldn't encourage you to. But I can tell you that mother won't back down either, you got that from her. But things will get bad around here. I'll warn Cornelia and Euphemia." She went to get up, sinking back onto the bed a moment later. "But have you asked Suzaku about this?"
"He admitted to it before, at least until today." Lelouch stared at the floor.
"I'll do what I can, Lelouch."
"This is my battle to fight, Nunnally. But thank you for your offer."
"Alright." Nunnally got up. "Just don't hurt Suzaku while you do this. Although, you must have been told this already."
She waved at him, Lelouch giving her a small wave back before going back to staring at the floor.
This would cause problems for everyone, but Lelouch was sure that he would be able to push through before his time was up.
Suzaku didn't look up as Kallen sat down beside him, just holding out his hand for the drink that she brought. He heard her snort before the cup was pressed against his hand. Suzaku curled his fingers around the cup, not taking his eyes from Gino.
"Anything?"
"He woke up for a moment and the doctors should be here soon."
Kallen nodded, Suzaku looking up to catch the tail end of the motion. She bit her lip and raised her cup to take a drink. Kallen paused, the cup still pressed against her lips. "He's got a thick head. Trust me, I know. He'll be alright."
"I don't doubt it."
Kallen smiled, lowering her cup. "He'll be fine. It's Rolo we have to worry about."
Suzaku glanced at the bed next to Gino to see the young guard. He couldn't tell if Rolo was awake or asleep, but he supposed that it didn't matter at the moment. Suzaku raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "He'll pull through as well."
"Yes, but maybe it would help if you showed your tattoo off a bit. He'll feel better about himself."
"Since when did you care about stuff like that?"
Suzaku flinched as Kallen hit his shoulder. "I'm trying to keep the peace here. Besides, you should know how he feels, having a reminder of something that you hate permanently on you."
He glanced at Kallen before shrugging and adjusting his collar so the edges of the tattoo could be seen. For now he would play along with Kallen, just to keep her from worrying about Gino too much. It was far better to be slightly distracted than to be lost completely.
Suzaku looked down at his drink when she glanced his way. Suzaku took a deep breath and closed his eyes, not sure what Kallen's reaction would be. "You sent me in the direction of the maze on purpose. I thought that you had just wanted to stay close to Gino. But you knew that he would be there."
"Well, it was in the direction that he thought the kidnapper would go in." Suzaku stared at her in shock, Kallen glaring at him. "Listen, I'm as sick as Marianne is with you and your self-pity. I don't need another reward; I've gotten everything that I want. You deserve something and saving one of Marianne's children would get her to stop doubting you. It's the quickest way to get what you wanted."
"But …I have my knighthood, with Euphe-"
"But you don't want it." Kallen shook her head. "No matter how many times you tell me this, I don't believe it. You like and respect Euphemia, but Lelouch managed to get further than her on your scale of importance. I don't know how, because he sounds like he was a brat when he was a child."
"He wasn't so bad." Suzaku raised one shoulder in a shrug. "It just took a little getting used to."
"When you say things like that I don't believe in you." Kallen took another drink. "So hurry up and make your decision, because I have enough problems of my own without worrying about yours."
"I never asked you to worry about mine."
"And the same goes for me. But we're friends." Kallen winked at him. "It comes with the territory."
Suzaku caught himself smiling, really smiling. For a moment, the expression felt odd. He had only smiled like that around Lelouch before, because that was the only place where he felt that he had returned to his life eight years ago. And that was strange in itself because he had accepted that life would have to go on, he would never be able to go back to that time when his life was all play and he wasn't a murderer. So it was strange to be actually seeking something like he had in the past just for the comfort of it.
He closed his eyes, abruptly cutting off the line of thought before he got confused. Suzaku sighed, reaching up with his free hand to rub at his neck. He was content just to think that he wanted to regain that friendship and move on from that.
Suzaku opened his eyes as Kallen knocked into him. "Hey."
"It's nothing, just thinking."
"Don't do that too much; you'll just end up doing something stupid."
"Really?"
Kallen shrugged. "You've done it before. That's why we're around, to keep you on an even keel."
"And what do I do for you two?"
"You kept Gino and I from killing each other." Kallen grinned at him, the expression a little strained but there.
Suzaku gave her a weary smile in return, finally taking a sip of his drink. It was strange; Kallen was willing to open up to him while he was keeping his secrets. Although one of his biggest secret was known already and it would probably be spread around the castle. He shivered at the thought. His father would finally be shown as the collaborator, which was right. But Suzaku didn't want to become a hero. He had not done anything worthy of being a hero.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Suzaku shrugged. "I'll probably wait it out, especially after what happened." Suzaku lowered his head when Kallen glared at him. "They need time to settle after this."
"So this means you'll at least try to get the position you want?"
"Maybe." Suzaku carefully didn't look at Kallen. She would expect an immediate action, but then there was the fact that Lelouch had forgiven him for killing his father. Lelouch had thanked him for his actions, even though it was an order. He had never expected thanks let alone forgiveness for the things that he had done.
He stared at his drink before setting it on the floor. He stood up, resting a hand on the back of Kallen's chair. "You'll be alright."
Kallen nodded. "Maybe he'll be able to get some sense into you. Somehow the two of you managed to be good for each other, at least from what I've seen. He's managed to get you to act instead of react." Kallen chuckled. "Go on then, I'll stay with this idiot. I'll save some yelling for you."
Suzaku laughed and walked out of the room that had been converted into a makeshift hospital for Gino and Rolo. He rolled his shoulders, intending to head back to the barracks. Lelouch had asked him to stay around, but it was too late for any other discussions, but he would keep himself available as per Lelouch's orders. But he was sure that the guards would be having a party to celebrate that Nunnally had come back alive and he wasn't in the mood for a party; he just wanted to go somewhere quiet. The only place that fit that description was Lelouch's room and he wasn't sure that he would be welcome there.
He looked up, realizing that he had walked to Lelouch's room automatically. Suzaku stared at the door, swallowing. It wasn't his place to do this, especially after he had spent the entire day away from Lelouch. He pulled his hand back from the door knob. The barracks probably wouldn't be that loud, especially if he shut the door. No one would bother him there; they were all used to him shutting himself up.
Suzaku jumped as the door opened, staring at Lelouch as the prince peered out through the crack. The moment stretched between the two of them, Lelouch the one to step back and open the door wider. Suzaku glanced at his friend's face, catching the brief hopeful look that was sent his way. He still had the chance to leave and change his mind, he was sure that Lelouch wouldn't begrudge him that. But then there was the fear that leaving Lelouch alone would mean that he would disappear.
Against his better judgment, Suzaku tipped his head to the side. "Can I come in?"
"Do you have to ask that?"
"I…I may have lost the right to ask that."
Lelouch stepped out of the way. "You just avoided me all day, nothing bad enough to warrant that."
Suzaku licked his lips, slipping past Lelouch and stepping into the room. He stared at the bed before looking back at Lelouch. The prince had shut the door and was now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Suzaku dropped his gaze to the floor, tensing when he heard Lelouch sigh.
"Thank you for coming after me." Suzaku looked up at Lelouch, not sure what to make of the statement. He was about to protest when Lelouch waved a hand. "You're not allowed to tell me not to thank you. You put yourself in danger for my sake and I should have acted faster on all accounts or at least found back up that would have followed me without protest."
"I would have, but-"
"You were busy."
"I really wasn't." Suzaku shrugged, taking a few steps back to distance himself from Lelouch. He wasn't sure what Lelouch's reaction would be to the news and he was sure that Lelouch wouldn't immediately react with physical violence. But the distance would help. Maybe it would even convince him that he was making the right choice by going with Euphemia. "I was…I just needed time to think."
"About what my mother said?" Suzaku flinched, watching as Lelouch took a deep breath. "I've spoken her about it and voiced my disapproval. She doesn't have the right to bully you into this position."
"But it might be the best thing."
Suzaku wished he hadn't spoken up when Lelouch looked at him. Lelouch's eyes were wide and Suzaku saw one of his hands twitch before Lelouch closed it into a fist. Suzaku ducked his head, edging closer to the door. He was probably choosing the worst time to talk about this; Lelouch was tired and stressed out. It would be better to apologize and retreat while he could. He turned to leave the room.
"Stop."
Suzaku automatically came to a halt, staring at the door before shaking his head. It would be better if he disobeyed the order this time. "Lelouch, I…"
Lelouch slipped between him and the door, blocking the door with his body. Suzaku refused to meet his gaze, tensing when Lelouch reached out to grab his chin and force him to look up. Even then Suzaku looked for somewhere to look other than at Lelouch. He could tell the point when Lelouch got annoyed at him, the fingers on his chin shifting. "You said you wanted to be my personal knight. You were willing to give up anything to become that. Was that a lie?"
"N-no." Suzaku shook his head, feeling Lelouch's fingers loosen their hold a fraction. "But all of my decisions never seem to end well. If that's the case, it might be better if I stayed away."
Lelouch huffed, letting go of Suzaku's chin and leaning back against the door. "You know that's not much of a reason."
"I know. But can you blame me?"
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "Yes, because you're giving up."
"What?"
"You're giving up on something that you wanted. You didn't give up on me, even though you knew that there was a slim chance of finding me again."
"But that was different."
"How? How was not giving up on me different than this?"
Suzaku shrugged. "Because that was making sure that you were alive. This is making sure that you stay alive."
"How can you be sure of that? You said it yourself, princes have to trust their knights and there's no one I trust more."
"There might be…Kallen or Gino could-"
"They could. But Gino will eventually have to take over as head of his family and divide his loyalty. Kallen's first priority is her mother and then proving to the world that she can hold this position on her own. She wouldn't take the position anyway, because it's yours."
"It's not."
"I gave you that pin to prove it to you!" Lelouch took a step forward. "I had it that night to make sure that you wanted to be my knight. I gave it to you before we ran because I wanted you to know that you would have someone waiting for you if something went wrong. We're still friends, Suzaku. Even if I can't remember every single thing we did, we're friends. We were friends before everything else, which is why I trust you to guard me or tell me if I am doing something wrong."
Suzaku stared at Lelouch, torn between shouting back and just staring in shock. Without thinking he took a step forward and grabbed Lelouch's arm. "Then why didn't you just tell me?'"
"Because you were, and still are, mostly an idiot and I was a spoiled brat who enjoyed being showy."
"You still are."
Lelouch blushed, mumbling something under his breath before pulling away from Suzaku. "Well, how else was I supposed to tell you that I didn't want you going anywhere for the rest of your life? Back then you would have said no just on principle."
Suzaku opened his mouth to argue that he had never been that stubborn; stopping abruptly the longer he stared at Lelouch. He was finally thinking over what Lelouch had said instead of just processing it for the purpose of coming up with a response and it made sense. He had always just thought that the pin had just been a way of Lelouch trying to encourage him to hurry back. He had never once thought that Lelouch had seriously meant it as an offer of knighthood.
He shook his head and let go of Lelouch. "I just don't want to be the cause of anything bad that happens."
"Idiot. If anything, I'll probably be making your life miserable." Lelouch smiled. "And this is the only time I'll admit it."
Suzaku smiled back, surprised when Lelouch reached out to touch his shoulder. He expected to be hit or pulled into a hug. Instead, Lelouch just gave Suzaku's shoulder a squeeze. Suzaku swallowed and reached up to put his hand over Lelouch's, closing his eyes. At last there was some distance between them, so Suzaku could begin to explain why he was seriously considering going with Euphemia. Then again, he had used his one argument for going with Euphemia early on and Lelouch had already talked his way around that. And then there was Suzaku's own reluctance to let Lelouch out of his sight. Lelouch had already proven that he sometimes forgot about his own safety tonight by running after Nunnally without any back up. There had to be someone around Lelouch, someone to keep Lelouch steady in times of crisis.
He sighed and shook his head, trying to pull his hand from Lelouch's. Lelouch didn't let him, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. "Have you already agreed with mother?"
"No, I wanted to think it over for a bit. Consider it…" Suzaku shook his head. "The way it was offered, there was no other choice."
"And you thought that I wouldn't push for this?"
"I didn't know if you would be able to convince Marianne otherwise."
Lelouch chuckled, letting go of Suzaku's hand and walking back to the bed. "You honestly thought that I wouldn't push to have my own way? What kind of spoiled prince do you take me for?"
Suzaku turned to stare at Lelouch, bursting into laughter himself when Lelouch glanced back over at him. He followed Lelouch across the room, standing next to the bed as Lelouch sat down on the edge of it.
The prince tipped his head back to look at Suzaku. "So, tell me, what do you really want to do?"
He had been offered this ultimatum once, before he had known for sure who Lelouch was and Lelouch was offering him the chance again. Suzaku crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. There wasn't much of a choice to be made in the first place, especially since he had already told Lelouch his decision just days ago. "I've already told you. I want to become your knight. I want to be able to make sure you don't do something stupid like this again. But what I want and what I'm ordered to do are two different things."
"So, I have to order you to be my knight now?"
"No. You don't have to." Suzaku smiled, shifting his weight. "I can always refuse the position."
Lelouch leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "And will you?"
"Yes." Suzaku was surprised by his own conviction, especially after trying to convince himself of the opposite all day. He blushed and looked down, he felt like a hypocrite immediately changing his mind. He was still frightened, still worried that someone else from the group would swoop in and carry off Lelouch next, and he wouldn't be in time. He would be struggling to catch up with Lelouch again, and there would be a real chance that he wouldn't get there in time.
Then there was the fact that the relationship between the two of them would become very awkward. Suzaku's time would be taken up by Euphemia during the day, and it wouldn't look good to have Lelouch trailing after them just for him. It would be the worst situation because it would be so easily to slowly ruin his relationship with both Euphemia and Lelouch by allowing that to happen. He had been avoiding thinking about the relationship when confronting his choices, because he knew that it was the one thing that he wouldn't be able to rationalize away.
"I'll refuse the position."
"And that's absolutely what you want?"
Suzaku rolled his eyes. "Are you going to keep asking me that?"
"Yes, until I know that you're sure." Lelouch raised an eyebrow.
Suzaku flinched at the implication, but didn't dare challenge it. He was glad that Lelouch had the grace not to talk about how easily he had been convinced to give up the one thing that he had worked for all of his life. He nodded, accepting the fact that he would have to start to earn Lelouch's trust all over again. Then again, it gave him a reason to stay close to Lelouch until that time.
"Good." Lelouch leaned back onto his hands, smirking up at Suzaku. "I suppose that it would be better to get you knighted before we go to Pendragon. It would make mother feel better to know that I have someone to look after me if things go wrong."
Suzaku stared at Lelouch with wide eyes. "Knighted? That soon? But I-"
Lelouch waved him off. "You have the disturbing tendency to try to punish yourself for your actions, even when they don't merit one. I know that, if Marianne had ordered you, you would have had no choice, which is why I don't hold this against you." Lelouch sighed, suddenly dropping the princely façade. "I don't think less of you because you killed your father either, if that's what this is about. You wouldn't have killed him without a good reason. And I doubt that you would have betrayed us after knowing what your father did."
"You can't be sure."
"No, but I trust you." Lelouch's smirk turned into a real smile. "According to you, that should be enough. Besides," Lelouch reached up to touch his neck, mirroring Suzaku's habitual motion, "you've already done so much for me it seems counter intuitive to believe otherwise."
Suzaku smiled back, stepping around Lelouch to sit on the other side of the prince. Lelouch leaned further back on his elbows, looking over at Suzaku from an almost reclined position. Suzaku countered by lying back on the bed, resting on hand on one of Lelouch's hands. He supposed that they should talk over how they would convince Marianne to change her mind, but Suzaku preferred to just rest and slowly come down from the adrenaline rush.
He was partially asleep when Lelouch lowered himself completely onto the bed, rolling to face Suzaku. "I never thanked you."
"You did." Suzaku smothered a yawn. "Back at the chapel."
"But that was for what you did when we were eight. This is for what you did. Thank you for coming after me. Although breaking the window was a bit much."
"I just acted. He would have shot you."
"I think I would have been able to keep him from firing for a few more minutes. Surely enough time for you to reach the door."
Suzaku laughed, rolling onto his side to stare at Lelouch. Lelouch gave him a content smile in return, squeezing Suzaku's hand. Suzaku shook his head, scooting closer to Lelouch so he could wrap his arms around the prince. "I thought that you would appreciate the dramatic entrance."
Lelouch's reply was muffled in Suzaku's shoulder. When Lelouch didn't repeat the response Suzaku assumed that it wasn't important. And, in the end, he didn't care. He pressed his face into Lelouch's hair, taking a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh. He was sure that Lelouch would encourage them to move up to the pillows and under the covers soon enough, but that would involve actually untangling himself from Lelouch, which was the last thing on Suzaku's mind.
Euphemia set her book down, leaning to the side to watch the people moving around in the garden. She had been outside a few moments ago, but had come back in when the sun had started to give her a headache. Her original intention when she had returned was to visit Nunnally and to keep her company, but Nunnally was too absorbed with keeping Rolo company despite his protests. Euphemia chuckled, flipping her book shut and leaning her chin on her hand.
Nunnally was probably going to be kept inside by Marianne until they were all sure that they were in no more danger. Lelouch had said that they weren't in danger anymore, but Euphemia didn't blame Marianne for taking precautions. Marianne had almost lost her daughter and her son that night. Thankfully, Nunnally was too worried about Rolo to protest, although Euphemia was sure that the guard was dying of embarrassment because the princess was so obviously doting on him. What Euphemia wasn't sure about was if Nunnally was doing it because she was honestly worried about Rolo or the worry was mixed in with actual feelings of love. Rolo had been Nunnally's main guard once he had come to the house when Nunnally was ten, probably so Marianne could have someone other than Suzaku watching over her daughter. While the motives behind putting the two together had not been the best, Euphemia was glad that they worked well together and that it freed up Suzaku for Lelouch.
She sighed and tipped her head to the side, watching Suzaku and Lelouch walk around the garden outside. It had been a tense few days, Nunnally's predicament aside. At least Nunnally had acquiesced to her confinement until further news, having to worry about tension between Nunnally and Marianne would have made the whole situation worse.
The problem was, in its most basic form, that both Lelouch and Marianne were far too stubborn for their own good. Neither of them were willing to back down or compromise on the issue, let alone talk to the people involved. Guilford and Cornelia had gone to the townhouse in the city to avoid the arguments that would start up when Lelouch and his mother met in the halls. And the only person who could possibly stop the arguments was too consumed with worry for her guard to actually do anything. For the moment, they were reduced to avoiding both Lelouch and Marianne in the hopes that the problem would be solved by the time that the week was out. Euphemia could only imagine what the trip to Pendragon would be like with Lelouch and Marianne still at odds.
She huffed and leaned her shoulder against the window. What she really wanted to do was to tell the two of them to come to an agreement without all of the shouting. Her sister was getting married in two weeks and the wedding had already been changed to benefit the empire. Cornelia deserved to have her peace where she could get it if they were going back to Pendragon. Most of all, she wanted to tell Marianne that she had no right in trying to assign a knight, even if it was Suzaku. Euphemia was a princess and, therefore, allowed to pick out a knight herself. No one needed to approve the knight, it was the royalty in question's burden if the knight was not suitable for them.
Euphemia shook her head, watching Lelouch and Suzaku lean closer together to speak. It was probably not in Suzaku's favor that he had asked for the position so close to Lelouch's return. Marianne was bound to be overprotective of her only son. And then that man had attacked.
They still didn't know who he was. The searches had been diverted into finding if more people were trying to kill members of the royal family, but nothing had been found. Even in the OSI had come up with nothing, which made Lelouch's statement that the man who had kidnapped Nunnally had held a grudge against him alone the best explanation, even though they didn't know what that grudge was. Suzaku had been perhaps a bit too efficient, shooting to kill instead of to injure. There could have been more information to be gotten, even if it was a few more names. But the fact that Suzaku had acted that quickly should have been in his favor.
She looked up from the window as there was a knock on the door, Euphemia trying not to show how shocked she was when Marianne came in. Jeremiah followed her, standing in his usual place by the door. Euphemia spared a moment to look at him, seeing that he looked a bit run down. That in itself was no surprise; Jeremiah was probably exhausted from trying to keep Marianne and Lelouch from meeting up and then accompanying Marianne on her many trips to get away from the castle.
Euphemia turned on her seat, uncrossing her legs and setting her feet back onto the floor. "Sir Gottwald could use a break."
Jeremiah jerked at the mention of his name, probably trying to put together some kind of protest.
Marianne was faster. "I know, but nothing can be done about that. We have this week to get through and then the celebrations in Pendragon."
Euphemia bit her lip to keep herself from mentioning that it would be easy enough for Marianne to end the tension. She looked down at the ground, carefully considering her next words. She was already frustrated and she didn't want to say anything wrong. It was far better to stay silent than to make it worse.
"Marianne, there is something that needs to be done." Euphemia paused to look quickly at Marianne. "I…It was nice of you to look after me like that, but I don't need a knight. I'll be staying in Pendragon after Cornelia is married and I was planning to look for a suitable knight there."
"You already asked Suzaku."
"I did, but that was more because I liked him than anything else." It wasn't true, but that was the closest that Euphemia could get to explaining why she had chosen Suzaku.
Suzaku was competent enough and she had always felt safe with him. Even before the massacre he had been nice to her, offering to dance with her at the balls and always treating her like how she thought a proper princess had to be treated. It was why she had always asked him to accompany her when she had visited with Marianne.
Euphemia wondered now if she had just been fueling a childish crush by having him act as her guard, but that didn't change the fact that Suzaku was fixed in her mind as Lelouch's. He had been Lelouch's friend when they were little, the one that seemed to know Lelouch better than Nunnally did, the one that could get under his skin just as easily as Schneizel could. Suzaku had never known how to treat her as a person, but he could handle her as a princess. There was some part of Euphemia that was jealous that Lelouch had gotten to Suzaku first but in another way she was relieved.
Suzaku would always strive for perfection, especially where the royalty was concerned, and Euphemia didn't have the ability to talk him down from his failures. Lelouch was the one that possessed that ability and Euphemia didn't think that he would tell her the secret. Lelouch had been notoriously possessive about what he considered his, whether that pertained to real people or to inanimate objects.
Finally, there was the fact that they were so obviously infatuated with each other. Euphemia wasn't sure if they had loved each other when they were children, she hadn't known how to look, but it was interesting to watch them now, watch the careful distance they maintained when they were thinking about it and how they fell back to leaning in too close to each other when they weren't. Then there were the quick glances when they thought no one was watching and the equally as quick touches. Euphemia didn't know how long it had gone on or if they were even acting on it, but she wasn't willing to get into the middle. It was far safer to distance herself now than to deal with a broken heart.
Euphemia sighed. "I was seriously considering him then, but I've had time to think it over. And I think he would do far better with Lelouch."
As expected, Marianne gave her a shocked look. Euphemia didn't know how many people had told Marianne that answer, but she was willing to bet that it was far more than Marianne would have liked. Euphemia leaned forward. "The purpose of a knight is to protect his charge and I think that Suzaku would rather die than have Lelouch hurt. He's proven that much already. And, I have never seen Suzaku more comfortable than when he's around Lelouch. It may have been ten years, but I don't think that either of them has really noticed that. It would be far better to have a knight who knows their charge well than to have them nervous around their charge at all times. Suzaku would be nervous around me because I'm a princess to him. Lelouch is…Lelouch."
She didn't expect her explanation to make any headway with Marianne, she was sure that Marianne had been told the same thing many times. But at least Marianne had the chance to realize that it was just the truth. Everyone wouldn't repeat it if they didn't think it was true.
"In any case, it hardly matters, because I won't accept him. I find it an insult to even think about forcing Suzaku into accepting a position that he has already refused and for good reasons."
"He refused because he was looking for Lelouch."
"And now that he has found Lelouch there isn't any difference. He was essentially trained to be Lelouch's knight, to deal with Lelouch alone. Any other royal and he will fail." Euphemia smiled, trying to soften her words. "And I don't think you want him to. If Suzaku isn't like a son to you then you at least look on him favorably."
Marianne was silent, Euphemia expecting her to ignore the logic in the argument. Euphemia probably was the one most in need of a knight, especially if she was going to be in Pendragon. Lelouch would just come back to the castle, which was probably the safest place, but Euphemia didn't think that Marianne would agree to that logic either, especially when Lelouch was concerned. Then again, Marianne was remaining quiet and looking like she was thinking hard about the problem. Maybe there was a difference in hearing the same answer from one of the calmer people included in the argument. Although, why Nunnally hadn't been able to sway her mother Euphemia could only begin to guess.
Euphemia clasped her hands together, trying to figure out something to say to break the silence. "How is Rolo?"
Jeremiah was the one to answer. "He should be ready for light duties within the week. The wound in healing well but will restrict him to the more mundane tasks. It wasn't deep enough for stitches but too deep to expect Rolo to return to his position full time easily. In the mean time, Lady Kozuki will stand in for him.
Marianne held up a hand to quiet him, the smile returning to her face. "He'll be completely restored to his position without a penalty."
Euphemia stared at Marianne for a moment, mentally debating if she should speak about her observation or just let the subject drop. She glanced toward the window, catching another one of Suzaku and Lelouch's quick touches. She smiled, shaking her head before looking back at Marianne. "You won't penalize Rolo for the mark that was left on him?"
Marianne took a moment to answer. "Of course. He did nothing wrong and he acted in the best manner."
"But you won't question his loyalty because of it?" Euphemia didn't give Marianne the time to answer. "Because Suzaku did the same thing."
She expected some sort of response from Marianne; it was another answer that Marianne wouldn't be happy about. Instead Marianne slumped in her seat. "I was hoping that no one would notice that, but at least it wasn't Lelouch. I don't think that he would forgive me if he came to that conclusion on his own. I expect that he intends to throw that at me tonight."
"Then wouldn't it be easier to just allow Lelouch what he wants?"
Marianne nodded. "It would be easier, but would it be the right thing to do?"
"Lelouch would be safer. I don't think there could be anyone better."
Marianne shrugged, standing up and walking to the window. Euphemia turned in her chair, getting another glimpse of Suzaku and Lelouch. "They remind me so much of Charles and myself. We would ignore everyone in favor of spending time together. We were so sure that no one noticed us, but who wouldn't notice a Knight of the Round and the emperor together? At least they have some quiet here."
She sighed and turned to look at Euphemia. "I've been buying time for myself, to look into these things. Suzaku has been nothing if not loyal, but I had to be sure." Marianne pushed away from the wall, pausing to glance at Euphemia. "Are you sure about your decision?"
Euphemia nodded, barely hiding her shock as Marianne left the room. She had expected Marianne to speak to her more, to try and convince her further. Euphemia leaned forward, peering out into the hall before getting up. Nunnally wouldn't move from Rolo's side unless it was vitally important and Euphemia would have remained in her room if she hadn't suddenly felt like something was wrong. Marianne had just agreed with what Euphemia had said before walking off instead of arguing.
She sighed and rushed after Marianne. There was a chance that she might be able to end the argument. Euphemia wasn't sure if throwing all of her support behind Lelouch would actually work or just make it worse. If nothing else, she could mediate so there wouldn't be another long evening of ignoring each other.
Marianne didn't pause as she walked out into the garden, hearing the faint jingle as Jeremiah followed her. She turned her head, just enough to see that Jeremiah was wearing his sword. When Jeremiah had first become her knight, shortly after she had married Charles, he had made sure to wear all of the required weapons instead of just the guns and knife that most knights preferred. He still tended towards the full regalia, but there were days when he would forgo them, and those days were getting more frequent the longer they stayed away from Pendragon.
She turned her attention to the gardens, looking to the spot where she had last saw Suzaku and Lelouch. They were on the side of the garden nearest to the fountain, which was too close to the maze for comfort. There was nothing dangerous there any longer, the body had been moved and the glass had been mostly cleaned up, Jeremiah had said that a few of the crews were still working on clearing the smaller pieces. The window would be boarded up until they were back from Pendragon. It still didn't do much to ease her worry.
Still, everything she had heard from the OSI had proven that the most dangerous members of the Geass Order were detained or dead. The others that were still missing were just the lower level members, the ones that had just joined or had been deemed not worthy enough to know the full cause of the group. That in itself was disappointing, because they would never be able to draw the full story out of the higher members of the group and see what they had been planning for the future. Instead they had to rely on the collection of documents that they had pulled from the Geass Order's headquarters, and Marianne was not about to believe that they had recovered all of the documents, even with the OSI working on the information stored on the computers. One file detailing the stay of one Suzaku Kururugi with the Geass Order and been found and looked over.
When Suzaku had brought Lelouch back, the idea that he could have done so under orders had never entered her mind, at least until she had been falling asleep the night after Lelouch had been presented to them. The timing had been too perfect, with the Geass Order being discovered and Lelouch suddenly appearing with Suzaku. Then there was the fact that Marianne had never really been able to bring herself to trust Suzaku, not when he wouldn't talk about what happened to him after they had left the night of the massacre and what had happened when he was being held by the Geass Order. That the assassin from the Geass Order had chosen to kidnap Nunnally so soon after Lelouch returned was just another warning sign. It had made sense to hold off granting Lelouch's request until she was sure.
The OSI had been nothing if not through. Marianne had been receiving a steady stream of information about Genbu Kururugi's involvement and his son's captivity ever since Lelouch had encouraged her to speak to Nunnally and Suzaku about what happened in the chapel. Marianne had just turned to the OSI instead as Nunnally was too focused on Rolo and Suzaku was never seen without Lelouch nearby. But the information had revealed nothing new, save for Genbu's involvement in the events leading up to the massacre. Suzaku hadn't told the Geass Order anything, despite what they had done to him. Just reading the record had been enough for Marianne to regret not allowing Lelouch his request. She was a soldier and used to the gristly business of torture, but she had never thought to use such methods on a child.
Even so she would not regret waiting for the information to come in. Knowing that Suzaku was as loyal as everyone claimed him to be, and knowing for sure, was enough to make up for the guilt that she had felt for doubting him.
It didn't take long for Suzaku to notice Marianne and Jeremiah, Marianne gratified to see that Suzaku's first reaction was to take a step closer to Lelouch, even though he knew who the two of them were. She turned her head to hide her smile, looking back when she heard Lelouch clear his throat.
"Mother." The word was accompanied by a bow, Marianne returning with a nod. Lelouch straightened up, barely looking at her. "Is there something wrong?"
"I just wanted to borrow Suzaku for a moment."
"Why?"
Marianne didn't bother to answer, waving Suzaku forward even as she held her other hand out towards Jeremiah. Suzaku hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. Marianne smiled at that. "Your sword."
Jeremiah was slow to obey her order, Marianne not moving until her knight had pressed the hilt of his sword into her hand. Marianne glanced at the blade, suddenly wishing that she had dug her own out of her closet. While it was only a ceremonial sword, there was something nostalgic about it, something special that an ordinary blade just couldn't hold. And, if she intended to do this right, it should have been with Suzaku's own sword, but she hadn't planned that far in advance. She hadn't been sure about what she was going to do until Euphemia had refused Suzaku as her knight.
"Kneel and bow your head."
Suzaku nodded, taking a step forward only to jerk to a stop when Lelouch grabbed his arm. Lelouch glared at Marianne, trying to pull Suzaku back. To her relief, Suzaku pulled away from Lelouch and obeyed her order.
The show of distrust from her son was unnerving. Marianne hadn't done anything to prove that Lelouch couldn't trust her, and it was all too easy to see what Lelouch believed what she would do. She might not have trusted Suzaku with Lelouch before definitive proof had been presented to her, but that did not mean that she would do anything to harm Suzaku. Suzaku had been given to her to care for after C.C. had saved him, and it had never crossed her mind to get rid of him. He was the perfect soldier, someone who obeyed orders without question and made sure to do his job well. And she had been fond of him before, when he had always been over at the Aries Villa. He was the only one who had managed to control Lelouch, something that she had been thankful for when she had had her hands full with Nunnally.
Marianne took a step back as Suzaku knelt at her feet, switching her grip to the sword with both hands. The ceremony was supposed to be something filled with pomp and circumstance, yet she was knighting him in the garden with Suzaku in jeans and a t-shirt. She was sure that most of the nobles in Pendragon would be cringing at the very thought, but Marianne could think of nothing better. Suzaku wasn't like them, this knighting suited him. It was a reward for his loyal service, recognition of Suzaku himself instead of parading around the fact that he was the son of the former Prime Minister. And it was an apology for having to wait for so long.
She took a deep breath, and presented the sword to Suzaku, watching as he fumbled with it for a moment. He gave her a shocked look.
Marianne just smiled, looking down on him. "Suzaku Kururugi wilt thou upon this day pledge thy fealty to Britannia and stand as a knight of the crown?"
Suzaku's eyes widened. He glanced down at the sword before nodded, Marianne shaking her head when he gave her a panicked look before stammering out the proper response. "Y-yes, your majesty."
"Dost thou wish to abandon thyself and be sword and shield for the sake of the greater good?"
"Yes, your majesty." Suzaku was quicker to reply this time, managing to sound confident in his answer. He switched his grip on the sword, offering it back to Marianne.
She took it carefully, meeting Lelouch's gaze before motioning for him to come over. Lelouch inched toward her, Marianne resisting the urge to just pull him over. She had started the ceremony for Lelouch, even though it should have been Lelouch speaking the words. But Lelouch had never attended a knighting ceremony and he probably didn't remember the few well known phrases that went along with it. But she refused to do this part for him. If he wanted Suzaku to be his knight, he would make the all important motions for himself.
Marianne rested a hand on Lelouch's shoulder, gently guiding him into position. She kept her hand on him, leaning over close enough to whisper into his ear. "Take the sword."
She felt Lelouch tense as he took the sword, noticing how awkwardly he held it. Marianne reached out, gently coaxing Lelouch into the proper way to hold it, carefully watching Suzaku for his reaction. For a moment, she thought that he would have preferred for her to knight him and then give him the assignment, but it seemed like her instinct had been right. Suzaku was staring up at Lelouch in a combination of awe and wonder. She smiled to herself, guiding Lelouch's hands down. "One each shoulder, just a tap with the flat of the blade."
Lelouch swallowed and followed her orders, his hands shaking. Marianne squeezed his shoulder as encouragement. He looked back at her when he was finished, Marianne removing her hands from her. "Do you want to repeat after me?"
He shook his head, his hands starting to shake again. "I want to do this. Tell me what to say."
Marianne nodded, leaning over to whisper the words in his ear. When she was done Lelouch nodded, her son taking one hand from the sword to wave her back. Marianne was shocked by the quick dismissal, but she took a step back. She had already taken most of the ceremony away from Lelouch, so it was only right that she allowed her son this much.
Lelouch took a deep breath, speaking the words a bit too fast. "I, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, do herby dub thee, Suzaku Kururugi. May your courage devotion become a shining example to the people of the Empire."
He looked back at her, looking completely lost. Marianne shook her head, gesturing toward Suzaku. "Give him the sword."
Lelouch thrust the sword back at Suzaku, almost a bit too fast. But Suzaku simply took the sword and made a motion like he was sheathing it. Suzaku remained kneeling on the ground for a few moments more before standing up. Marianne reached over to take the sword when it was offered to her, returning it to Jeremiah as he walked over to her. "We'll make sure you have everything that you need before we leave for Pendragon."
Suzaku bowed in acknowledgement but didn't move from Lelouch's side. Marianne caught Suzaku resting a hand on Lelouch's arm, probably because Lelouch looked overwhelmed. It hadn't been the best decision to spring this on Lelouch so suddenly, especially when they had just been arguing over the subject. But there was a bit of satisfaction, the faint feeling that she had managed to gain some measure of victory by surprising Lelouch.
Marianne smiled. "We could hold a more formal ceremony if you would prefer that. I'm sure we could manage that."
A brief look of terror crossed Suzaku's face before he shook his head. "No. This is more than enough."
She nodded, turning to walk back to the castle. With the issue of Lelouch's knight settled all that remained was to begin preparations for their return to Pendragon. Marianne made a mental note to bring some of her personal guards just to be sure that another Nunnally incident wouldn't occur. Schneizel wouldn't be able to deny her that request.
Marianne waved Jeremiah away when he tried to follow her, the knight bowing before going off on his own errand. He would see to gathering the proper weapons for Suzaku. It would her job to make sure that he had the right clothes for court, which was just another thing to add to her growing list.
She looked away from Jeremiah at the sound of someone running towards them. Marianne relaxed as she saw Euphemia approaching, reaching out to intercept her before she could go to where Suzaku and Lelouch were standing. She gave Euphemia's arm a squeeze, gently turning her back toward the castle. "Give them time. Lelouch will be overwhelmed enough as it is when we return to Pendragon."
"What do you mean?"
"Suzaku has been knighted and assigned to Lelouch." Marianne paused a moment to let Euphemia absorb the information. "They only have a few days before they are both up into a stressful situation."
"Maybe you should have knighted him sooner."
"Maybe, but I didn't have all the information that I needed. The only thing that matters is that it's done." Marianne looked down at Euphemia. "This does mean that you'll have to find someone else."
"I'm sure that Cornelia has a few suggestions and I have a few soldiers in mind who deserve the honor."
Marianne nodded, looking back over her shoulder at Suzaku and Lelouch before turning back to the castle. She escorted Euphemia as far as the front entrance before returning to her office. She hoped to get some work done before allowing herself to get distracted. Nunnally would probably appreciate the company. And it would give her a chance to see if Rolo could be willing to continue his duty in Pendragon. His mother would be present as would the rest of the Haliburton family and Rolo preferred to stay away from them as long as long as possible. Sticking close to Nunnally would keep him out of the worst of it while reporting that he had remained behind because of an injury, then his mother would demand a visit. Following the usual pattern, Rolo would only have to go to one dinner with his family and all others could be avoided.
Marianne walked into the study, beginning to work out which guards to take and which to leave behind. Jeremiah would offer his suggestions, but she wouldn't bother him until he came back. She settled behind her desk, digging out her list. Marianne glanced out the window behind the desk, her gaze sliding over her shelves and settling on the box that held her knight pin. She smiled fondly before shaking her head. Now was not the time to get lost in memories, she would be cooped up inside all day if she kept that up and she hoped to try and get Jeremiah to spar with her. It had been ten years since she had been to Pendragon but she wanted to keep her reputation. It wouldn't do to have people think that Marianne the Flash had taken advantage of years of little work had had let herself go.