Disclaimer: I own none of the characters presented in this fiction, except one. All characters aside from Ulrike are the property of Sunrise.

"Even legends must start somewhere."

– Nagisa Chiba, on Kyoshiro Tōdō's early years in the Japanese military

THE STRANGER, THE SAINT, THE HORN, AND THE WORD

Chapter 2 – Origins

Incipio.


Some weeks before the Shibuya Warehouse raid.

Euphemia li Britannia was sitting at the dinner table, very annoyed at her elder siblings.

They both went out again! And they didn't even tell me! she thought, irate.

This had become an occupational hazard with her two siblings. Lelouch claimed friends kept dragging him out, and Cornelia gave vague pretensions toward dates.

Euphie knew that was a lie, because she knew Cornelia had never been on a date. Whenever anyone asked her out among her colleagues (which certainly was not seldom), she would freeze up, and then grow flustered, giving a long string of nearly incoherent excuses as to why she could not. Euphie had had to rescue her several times from such social sinkholes, and she felt that she deserved, if the truth was not possible, at least a better lie.

They undoubtedly expected her to be asleep when they returned. Well, she would give them a surprise to pay them back for lying – and being so bad at it.

Euphie was a skilled liar. She only lied when it would have been excruciatingly awkward to tell the truth, but these occasions came up so often in the context of her hapless siblings' stunted love lives that she had been forced to get very good at it, very quickly.

Not that I have much to boast about in my love life, she thought wryly. She had been on dates, unlike her socially inept sister, but they had been about as exciting as watching paint dry on an accounting firm full of military history fans. Her dates had been either patting themselves on the back for scoring such a hot date or completely frozen up when confronted with the immediate task of talking to her. She had been as polite as possible, and had let them down as easily as she could, but she had had no repeat dates, because even though she hated disappointing people, she couldn't stand another date like that.

I wish I could date someone I liked, though, she thought wistfully, and immediately, a face occurred to her.

I'd like to date him.

Too bad she had no idea where he was, or what he was doing.

She sighed.

When are they getting home? I'm tired…


Nunnally vi Britannia was not sleeping either.

She had too much to think about.

It had now been seven years since their "relegation" to Japan. Nunnally could not pretend that she did not like this way of life better than the pampered, venom-filled life in Pendragon. She had real friends now; friends that liked her because she was Nunnally, and not just because she was Princess Nunnally. She had Milly, she had Shirley, she had Nina, she had Rivalz (even if she sometimes wished she didn't), she had Mr. Ashford, and most of all, forever and always, she had Cornelia, Euphemia, and Onii-sama.

But she didn't have them all the time, and that worried her.

Nii-sama might not think she noticed, but she saw that he and sister Cornelia were gone an awful lot. Their flimsy excuses had fooled her no more than they fooled sister Euphemia.

What are they doing that they can't tell me about? They swore, they swore never to lie to me! To me and to sister Euphie!

She decided that she needed help in determining what her Nii-sama and Nee-sama did. And she knew someone who would be willing.

Nunnally smiled, and if you had stood at the window, you would have sworn the room got brighter.


"Sister Euphie. Would you mind waking up?"

The question exercised more force on Euphie than an alarm clock would have. Nunnally had that effect on people.

"Ngk? Hmma! Wh-what is it, Nunnally? What do you need? Where does it hurt?"

Nunnally smiled again. Only Euphie could resist this smile to any degree, being nearly as charming herself. It still had its intended effect; Euphie woke up a little more.

"Don't be silly, sister Euphie! I'm all right. I got down here by myself, didn't I?"

"Y-yes, that's true," stuttered Euphemia, still trying to shake off a yawn.

"Anyway, would you mind helping me with something?" said Nunnally diffidently.

"Certainly, Nunnally. What d'you need?" Euphemia's tongue stumbled over the sentence; she needed coffee.

Wait. It was the middle of the night. What had she, Euphemia, been doing up at midnight?

Ah, yes.

"Does it have anything to do with Lelouch and Nee-sama?" Euphemia asked shrewdly.

"Why, yes, sister. You anticipate me?" said Nunnally, mock-formally.

Euphemia giggled. "Indeed."

"They're hiding something from us," said Nunnally, her voice becoming more determined. "And we're going to find out what it is."

"Sometimes you make me glad you're not my enemy, sister; no matter that you can't see or walk, I'm sure you'd destroy me with your own subtle methods."

"Oh, I would never do that… unless you got in my way."

Both of them laughed in the way only sleep-deprived people can, uproariously and too long.

"Okay, sister Euphie, here's what I think we should do…"

After they worked out the details of their plan, they had enough stamina left to hear the front door slam, and two quiet sets of footsteps enter the kitchenette. Whispers greeted the two younger siblings' ears, and they tensed in excited conspiracy. She turned off the light, picked up Nunnally, and hid in a dark corner. As the pair of truants crossed the kitchenette to the dining room, Euphemia counted down under her breath to Nunnally: "Three… two… one…"

And as Lelouch entered the dining room both girls gleefully yelled, "ZERO!"

Lelouch turned white as a sheet and flinched; Nee-sama behind him clearly suppressed a swear word. Both girls were intrigued by this measure of jumpiness in Lelouch; he was usually more composed than this. But continue they must.

With Nunnally in her arms, she stood up, and cleared her throat very loudly. Nunnally did as well, so there was a veritable ocean of judgment emanating from the two girls.

"And what," said Euphemia in a dangerously sweet tone, "were we doing at – let's see – a quarter past twelve in the morning? Hmm? Any takers?"

Nee-sama and Lelouch looked like deer caught in headlights. Euphemia exulted on getting one-up over her sisters composure; she didn't get the chance very often. Nunnally was no doubt equally pleased, if she showed it less. "Nii-sama and Nee-sama, we think it's time you told us what you've been doing. We're all in this together, after all, and I don't think you've been being very honest with us. Remember your promise?" Euphemia sat in amazement of Nunnally's incredible force of will; she would make those two crack in no time at all.

It was like a guilt avalanche for Lelouch and Nee-sama; they both looked down in shame and hurt. This made Euphemia regret being so harsh to them; she hated intentionally hurting her brother or her sisters, but, in this case, she felt she needed to know. She firmed her resolve, and asked seriously, "Lelouch, Nee-sama, what are you doing? We're worried about you. Nunnally's right, it's not fair to keep secrets between yourselves when we are in this together."

Nee-sama looked agonized, tortured; but Lelouch, who had recovered his composure, smiled disarmingly and said, in a voice warm with affection and misdirection, "It's okay, don't worry about it, Euphie. A friend of mine was having some problems with a gang. Cornelia and I went and – took care – of them. Everything's all right now, so you can put your fears to rest."

This made sense, and it was more than likely – if the friend was Rivalz, who it probably was. Gangs were common anywhere Rivalz went; he was just unlucky like that. It would be natural for Lelouch to help his friend – he gambled with his help often – and Nee-sama, as a teacher at the school, would be inclined to aid one of her students, as she had a rather protective mentality toward those younger than herself – which made her ease up on me, thought Euphie, remembering how fiercely Nee-sama had protected her in Pendragon.

So why don't I believe Lelouch's story?

She said, hesitantly, "Well… alright then… if that's all…"

"It is, sister. Don't worry, everything is fine." Nee-sama had recovered her composure as well, and her voice was sweet as syrup.

Nee-sama only uses that voice when there's something she doesn't want me to know.

Nee-sama and Lelouch headed to bed, bickering over some point of military history, which made Euphie tone out everything immediately. She hated Nee-sama's subject with a passion.

And that's another way to ensure I won't accidentally overhear their conversation. Hmmm. Am I being too paranoid?

No. Nee-sama's voice, Lelouch's jumpiness… "Something is rotten in the state of Norway," muttered Euphemia, quoting one of her favorite plays.

"What, sister Euphie?" said Nunnally.

"There's something going on with Nee-sama and Lelouch," said Euphie. "And we're going to find out what it is."

Nunnally smiled again.

I was right when I said she would be a dangerous opponent… she could knock you out with her smile alone!

Still punch-drunk (smile-drunk?), Euphemia carried Nunnally to bed, and wheeled her chair back to Nunnally's room, before going to her and Cornelia's room, and hearing Nee-sama murmur a sleep-smeared "G'night," before she dropped off herself.

Her last thought before the Lord of Dreams claimed her:

What should I do, Suzaku?

Surprise would come soon...


Nunnally slowly woke up, savoring her last moments in bed. She didn't feel nearly so left out when she slept; after all, everyone else was just as blind and motionless as her in bed. In other words, she wasn't missing out on anything. Not that she felt so very left out when she was awake, but when she slept, she was equal to everyone. Not someone to pity. Not someone to protect.

Of course, this was beside the point. She felt around for her bedside table, and found the raised-face alarm clock that Nii-sama had bought for her. According to the clock, there was still about an hour before her alarm rang.

So what had woken her up?

She listened intently, and could hear sounds of a stifled argument coming from Lelouch's bedroom. Her bed was near the wall, so she shifted nearer to knock, and did so, saying, "Onii-sama? Is everything all right?"

The voices paused in charged contemplation of their sharp-eared neighbor, and then Lelouch's voice floated through, muffled and cheerful: "Nothing's the matter, Nunnally! I was just being scolded by Cornelia for my slovenly habits; apparently, I need to clean up my room."

"I am not scolding – mph!" came Cornelia's voice, cut off suddenly, as if someone had pressed a pillow into her face.

The voices dropped too low for Nunnally hear any more, but she had heard quite enough.

I think I must tell sister Euphie about this. She will likely find it… interesting.


"Now, let me get this straight… you are only not dead because of some mysterious glowing eye power, which was given to you by a green-haired girl – the one currently in this room eating pizza off MY credit card– and our little rebellion only exists because of said power?" said Cornelia.

"Yes, that about covers it, I think," Lelouch responded uncomfortably. "Although, I had rather thought her to be dead… usually a bullet to the head has more effect than simply a delayed reappearance." He cast a glower at the girl, half-wishing he could shoot her again. Really, this was most vexing.

He and Cornelia had arrived home last night, and had gone to bed without suspecting anything, although they had been rather caught out by Nunnally and Euphemia. We definitely need to start planning these missions at different times…

When he had climbed into bed, however, he had found it already occupied. By the girl, who had regarded him rather indifferently when he had scrambled out, embarrassed and trying to muffle his curses. She had introduced herself as "C.C.", and told him that he was her new contractor. "Hope you last longer than the rest of them did," she had yawned, and promptly fell asleep again.

Now she sat demurely at the small table in Lelouch's room, gradually eating her way through a large pizza. She seemed to have no regard for other foods; other options had been rejected when offered. She would have pizza. Her enigmatic nature was getting on Lelouch's nerves already; additionally, Cornelia was annoyed and displeased at this odd turn of events. An annoyed Cornelia was not a fun person to be around; she tended to begin taking out her considerable temper on the nearest target.

Who was, in this case, Lelouch.

"What were you thinking, not telling me about something this important? That was a supremely stupid move, brother. I mean, we are fighting an underground rebellion here, and you decide to just not enlighten me as to how we got our hands in in the first place? What an idiot!" she fumed.

"I'm sorry, sister. It won't happen again."

This mollified her a little, and she relented, with a tailing mumble of "When I was your age…"

"You were seventeen?"

"Smartass."

"This is all very amusing," said C.C., wiping her mouth with a napkin, and reaching for the next pizza, "but I don't believe that Lelouch has, in fact, demonstrated said "glowing eye power". Don't you want a demonstration?"

Cornelia blinked. It had slipped her mind. "Yes, of course."

"Well, then, Lelouch," said C.C., in a supercilious tone. "Show your Nee-sama what you can do."

I'm going to end up strangling this witch within a week! No matter that she can't die, I'LL FIND A WAY!

Lelouch sighed, putting such happy thoughts from his head. "Cornelia, I'll have to perform it on you, if you want a private demonstration. Unless, of course, you are not averse to going outside…?"

"I am, Lelouch," said Cornelia, sternly. "It's not a good idea to flaunt it. I don't see any reason you can't just use it on me. Or the girl, for that matter."

"Excuse me, I feel I must interject at this point," said C.C. "The Absolute Obedience Geass only works once on a person, no exceptions. Also, I am immune to it; therefore, I cannot be used as a lab rat."

Would that I could… thought Lelouch blackly. Something about the girl just – grated - on him.

"All right, sister, look me in the eye, and keep looking."

Cornelia did so, not without a certain degree of apprehension.

A symbol flashed into Lelouch's left eye, and in a moment, a memory of Cornelia's triggered –

Watching from behind a curtain.

Father erasing Euphemia's love.

Failing.

Banishing.

Both sisters; futures gone in a flash of blue.

Being deported, hysterical and crying, to Japan.

"Wai- " Cornelia began.

Too late, though. Lelouch was already giving his command.

"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you: Sing every nursery rhyme you remember until I tell you to stop! Repeat this every Friday afternoon!"

I am the king of blackmail! Lelouch thought gleefully.


Euphemia's eyes were narrowed in concentration as she tried to absorb every word Nunnally was saying.

"So, you think they definitely weren't alone in Lelouch's room?"

"I'm fairly certain, sister Euphie. I heard three voices in that room. And I am very good at hearing."

Euphemia tented her hands. "Hmm. That sounds pretty suspicious… Good work, Nunnally! I'm promoting you to Junior Investigator!"

Nunnally raised an eyebrow, half-smiling. "Why am I only a Junior Investigator? It seems as if I've done most of the investigating here, sister Euphie."

"You're only a Junior Investigator, because, number one, you're two years younger than me, and number two, I have something else to contribute."

"Oh? And what is it, amazing Nee-sama?"

Euphie said smugly, "I'm sure Nee-sama and Lelouch aren't being honest. Did you see him jump when we yelled "Zero!"? Well, think about recent events. Who's been attacking the city lately? The terrorist, Zero. I think he must be either working against or for him, although the against is more likely, as Zero is clearly an expert at military strategy and tactics. Lelouch loves a challenge."

"Now Nee-sama, I'm not sure of. She is lying about something, though; the only time she takes that tone with me is when she doesn't want me to know about something because she thinks it will hurt me."

A moment's pause. Then Nunnally said, softly, "Don't they realize that it hurts us more when they aren't honest with us? That we want their trust more than their protection?"

Euphemia, sobering, said in response, "I don't think so, Nunnally. The circumstances have forced Nee-sama to give me a degree of freedom that she wouldn't have had we stayed in Pendragon, because I wasn't crippled and blind. But past that point, it's the same as you with Lelouch. They prioritize us above themselves, and do the things we need to survive so we won't have to "get our hands dirty". They try and protect us as if we were paragons. And it's not right, and it's not fair. If they shelter us so much, how will we know what to do when they aren't around anymore? I don't know if I could deal with the loss I would feel from losing either Lelouch or Nee-sama."

Her face softened as she looked at Nunnally. "I bet you could, though, Nunnally. You're much stronger than me. In fact, at times I think you're the strongest of us all."

Nunnally smiled, although rather skeptically. "I don't think so, sister Euphie. You are made of sterner stuff than you think. I," she said in a bitter tone, "don't think that I could survive without your ministrations daily. And I am too weak to tell you to stop…"

"Stop that, Nunnally," said Euphemia, softly but intensely. "It is no way your fault we were sent to Japan. If it's anyone fault, it's my fault; if I hadn't tried to help Lelouch, maybe Father wouldn't have felt so threatened."

Nunnally shook her head, miserably, but seemed unable to say anything.

Euphie took her hand, and, even though they both writhed in guilt, each having the other's hand seemed to stabilize the world for both.

They stayed like that for a long while.

Euphie then broke the moment by wrinkling her nose in confusion. "Nunnally, I could be crazy… but do you hear singing coming from upstairs?"

Nunnally knit her brow in concentration, and could indeed make out notes of song. The song that matched those notes, though…

"… Nursery rhymes?"


"Mary had a – Lelouch, I'm going to get you for this – little lamb, little lamb, little lamb, Mary had a little lamb, its – Come on, tell me to stop already! – fleece was white as snow!"

Lelouch was having difficulty not breaking into raucous laughter at Cornelia's plight. In fact, it became more and more difficult every second. Exerting himself, he managed to force the laugh-output to a trickle of constant chuckles, quiet enough not to be overheard by his younger sisters below.

Not only was this prime blackmail material, he had been waiting for a chance to get revenge on his sister ever since she nominated him for the Ashford Student Council. Once Milly had had his nomination in hand, there had been no stopping her from forcing him onto the council. Although Cornelia had supposedly done it with the noblest of motives, namely, that of having Lelouch participate more in school, he had a very powerful suspicion that she and his two sisters were laughing in their sleeves at him, knowing how uncomfortable Milly made him; this was practically confirmed by a number of sly questions directed at him from his two half-sisters the day after the first harrowing Student Council meeting. Nunnally had, of course, been respectful enough of her Nii-sama to not ask questions, but he thought that she had been in on it as well. He wouldn't get back at her, he was glad to make her laugh, but his half-sisters were a different matter… and although he had a plan to get back at Euphie, Cornelia had been more difficult.

But now… now he had something excellent.

After almost ten minutes of this spectacle, Lelouch finally told Cornelia to stop, having recorded the majority of songs, having stashed the camera somewhere where Cornelia couldn't find it, and having changed into his gi, because he was sure that Cornelia was going to try and beat the answer out of him as soon as she was free of his Geass.

He was right, and after a few seconds of blocking and dodging, he produced an artificial impasse by hiding in the wardrobe. It could not be locked, so that meant no let's-leave-Lelouch-in-the-wardrobe-till-he's-sorr y tactics could be used, and Lelouch was strong enough to hold Cornelia off for a while. He heard C.C.'s voice outside while he struggled to hold the door against Cornelia's pulling: "An excellent performance, boy."

"Thank you kindly, witch."

"However, there is one element that I had not expected. Miss – Cornelia, correct? – was surprisingly resistant to your compulsion. Miss Cornelia, were you conscious of your actions at any point at all?"

"Yes, of course I was, or I wouldn't be trying to kill my baby brother right now!"

"Hmm. It appears you have a natural resistance to Geass… would you mind telling me who your mother was?"

"My mother was Ulrike Liftrasir. Father took her as consort for some political reason in the EU, as she was Norwegian."

A shocked silence emanated from C.C. She seemed to be at a loss for words.

A rare occurrence, that.


C.C. was amazed for the second time in six hundred years. This was beyond her expectations. In fact, the entire situation was beyond her expectations. She had expected to find the boy alone with his sister; instead, she found him with two other sisters in tow; and just when she had concluded that they were merely princesses with close ties to Marianne, the elder manifested something like this – Ulrike as her mother! The tendrils of memory crept up from the depths of her brain, and covers flew off pictures whether she wanted them to or not –

Imperial Palace Complex, Pendragon, Holy Empire of Britannia. 1994 a.t.b.

"Hey, C.C."

"Yes, Marianne?"

"Have you seen Charles' new consort yet? Her name's Ulrike Liftrasir."

"Can't say that I have, Marianne."

"Well, get this: She has pink hair! How ridiculous is that?"

C.C. meaningfully fingered her own lime-green tresses.

"Oh, well, you're not so shocking anymore. I mean, you're just so, you know, blasé about everything about yourself, I can't really find any part of your history amazes me. It's the tone, not the content, C.C.!" she finished jubilantly.

"Really?"

"Something like that. Anyway, not only does she have pink hair, she was introduced as royalty from Norway."

"I… didn't know Norway had royalty."

"They don't now. The royal line died out in the eleventh century. It was in Fortinbras. Weren't you alive around that time? Anyway, the only reason I can think of for them to fake it is to cover up the real reason he took her as consort."

"And what would that be, pray tell?"

"How the hell should I know? Anyway, I'm going to find out why. Bet Charles'll tell me."

"Undoubtedly, Marianne."

"See you later!" Marianne sped off, eager for answers.

A week later.

C.C. was sleeping in her darkened room when Marianne burst in and flicked on the light, looking triumphant.

"Wake up, C.C.! I finally got the reason out of him!"

"Mmph. Couldn't it have waited till morning, Marianne…?"

"No way! You sleep too much, C.C. Anyway, so he said the reason he took Ulrike as a consort was not because she was pretty or because she was royalty or anything silly like that, it was because she apparently had some connection with Geass! He asked her a couple of questions about it, but she apparently was completely clueless as to what he was talking about. But just think! If she really did have something to do with Geass, maybe I could achieve the perfect user by mating one of her kids with one of mine, rather than both of mine with each other! That would certainly be more efficient and less socially unacceptable, so I could get it done under the table a lot easier."

C.C. sat up at this. She looked straight at Marianne. There was no humor at all in her golden eyes as she said, "Marianne. That is an irresponsible and foolish way to think. The future of others is not to be planned for your own benefit. You should regard the feelings of others more. I will help you in your plan, but humans are more, I think, than what you – either of you – feel they are."

Marianne just laughed. She was young and intoxicated with her own power. She dreamed of having children to play with, to make an ultimate being from these genes of hers and Charles…

2001 a.t.b.

Time passed, as it is wont to do. Marianne had had her first child, and Ulrike's second was on the way.

Marianne was delighted with her child; she could already tell he was intelligent, and he had a natural affinity for Geass. She had tested her Unbounded Soul Geass on him several times, and he had been much more responsive than any of the other ones.

C.C. was worried about Marianne's mental health. The Unbounded Soul Geass was a sure way of destroying identity if used too often. And Marianne had been using it every chance she had.

Ulrike was scared. She did not trust her husband, and he frightened her with his imposing demeanor and cold manner. She was a gentle soul by nature, and mothered the six-year-old Cornelia as well as she could, wondering all the time if it had been the right decision to come here.

Charles was the happiest he had ever been in his life, even though he only realized that later. He loved Marianne; her easy grace and kind heart (deep down though it was buried) were beginning to erode at his determination.

V.V. was jealous, but not yet enough to do anything. It was beginning to build, however.

The main event that came out of these suppositions and actions C.C. remembered too well; however, there had been another consequence, one she had nearly forgotten.

It had been a late night conversation between Charles and Marianne; the subject was their children. Marianne's various plans for creating an ultimate Geass user had not changed, and Charles was content to let her pursue her "hobby", so long as it did not affect their main plans. Her plans would have made anyone listening cringe had they already known Charles' and Marianne's intent for a world without lies. She was callous and quite willing to view her children as pawns for an ultimate goal. She did love them, which was demonstrated just by her wanting to include them in her plans for an ubermensch; she wanted to give them as much glory as possible. It was a selfish sort of love, however.

A shame that Ulrike overheard every word.

At Marianne's final suggestion – that Lelouch be bred with one of Ulrike's children to get a stepping stone to the final goal – Ulrike let a small gasp, which, most unfortunately, Charles heard, being used to watching for assassins in the shadows. He tore open the curtain in the area of the gasp, and found Ulrike hiding.

He attempted to use his Geass to make her forget what she had heard, but to his irritation, and Marianne's intense interest, a blue inverted Geass flashed in her eye, and removed the effects. Ulrike, terrified by this point, threatened to expose their plans if they hurt her or Cornelia. She had overestimated her influence; this was untenable – threats to the plan could not be tolerated. Marianne wanted to experiment on her, but Charles, out of some fatherly impulse, refused to allow it until the baby was born.

Thus, Ulrike was secluded, having little to no contact with her daughter until she birthed Euphemia. Charles then let Marianne experiment, and the screams of Ulrike echoed in tiny Euphemia's mind as Marianne let the amoral scientist in her loose on the poor woman. When Marianne had extracted as much as she could about the Geass Canceller – for that was what they had decided to call it – Ulrike was killed, and Euphemia was given to her sister, along with a message saying that it had been a hard birth, and Ulrike had died as a result.

Cornelia had nowhere to turn but to Euphemia, and she did not hate her sister as she might have done, but – maybe because Euphemia looked so much like her mother – she lavished all her attention and protection on her, and Cornelia grew up at six years old.

The wheels of fate turned, and all the events coincided…

to bring C.C. back to reality.

She staggered at the shock.

I'm looking at Ulrike's child.

But if she doesn't have Geass Canceller…

Who does?

Downstairs, talking with Nunnally, sat Euphemia li Britannia.

At C.C.'s question, just for a moment and easily missed…

Her left eye sparked blue.

Chapter 2 – Origins

Consumo.

Author's Note: And so we come to the end of the second chapter of The Stranger, the Saint, the Horn and the Word. I'm sorry this is such a freaking long chapter, but there was a ton I needed to say. I needed to establish pretty much all of the character's personalities (although I'm still going to do a little more work on Cornelia – she needs more spotlight), I had to make Cornelia and Euphie's past clear, I had to begin the investigation of Nunnally and Euphie into their older siblings' activities, and I had to have Lelouch meet up with C.C. I think I did all that pretty well (though, of course, I'm not a very good judge). One point I wanted to make clear. Some of you may have noticed that Euphemia and Cornelia's characters are rather different in the anime. This is what I intended. Let me explain. The development of Cornelia and Euphemia's characters in the anime is based on the assumption that 1. Cornelia is quite a bit older than Euphemia (which I changed somewhat), 2. Cornelia and Euphemia grew up in Pendragon, amidst a morass of politics, not in Japan (changed, again), and 3. No Geass Canceller to either (changed… duh). As these things are not the same as they were in the anime, it is reasonable to assume that although the core parts of their personality might be unchanged (for example, Euphie's essential kindness, and Cornelia's overarching protectiveness) the rest of their personalities (which were not very developed in the anime, as we didn't see enough of them in casual conversation) would be a great deal different. Therefore, as you saw, I changed Euphie from a naïve and somewhat insecure girl to a more outgoing and wiser one; and Cornelia from an overprotective, vindictive big sister into a kinder, softer (although still violent and outspoken) one. So please don't complain about OOC behavior; it's really not, especially if you consider the circumstances. Thanks for reading. (By the way, military history kicks ass; I just don't think Euphemia's personality would take to it.)

P.S. Just in case you didn't notice, Euphemia's quote and Marianne's remark about the royal family of Norway are both references to Hamlet, although it has been renamed Fortinbras, with Hamlet replaced by the youngster "with unimprovèd mettle hot and full" (in other words Fortinbras)

Shakespeare rulez, even in Lelouch's World.