Throne of Glass
CODE GEASS IS GETTING A THIRD SEASON!
Much happiness
Chapter 6: The Ashford Heir
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Viceroy's palace, Area 11; 2013 ATB
Ruben eyed his surroundings with expertly concealed disdain. Nobles, business tycoons, the privileged elites of society. Ruben was the first of his family to achieve the status of nobility, through the support of Marianne, and the invention of the knightmare. Ruben believed in the honest hard work that got his family where it was, and where it clawed its way back to. But the vipers around him never worked for anything they ever obtained. All they did was take, from each other, and from him. He was born a commoner, albeit a tad more fortunate than most. But it was through his ambition, (and that of a certain boy,) that the Ashford name was known by one and all throughout the entire world. He despised the good for nothing elites and royals, which is why he cared for Marianne so much. She, like him, was one with ambition; with passion. From commoner to empress, that was her legacy. The title she earned on her own. Lelouch was the same. He took what he had and built something impossible, something incredible. And so Ruben firmly believed that Lelouch would create a world without those parasites in his quest for revenge. Lelouch might have seen it like he was riding the coattails of those around him. Kirihara and Kyoto, Katase and Narita, and himself as well. But to Ruben it certainly didn't look that way. He was quickly falling behind the boy whose lofty aims were placing him in a position far above anything Ruben could ever achieve. He was simply doing his part.
"Lord Ashford."
Ruben turned at the call of his name, hiding his disappointment he was unable to remain anonymous.
"I was unaware that you were to be attending tonight." The man who approached him said. He held a hand out, his thin fingers bearing a sort of signet ring. One Ruben knew to make the man he was speaking to an important individual. "Indeed, I don't believe I would have, had our host not gone to such lengths to insure I did. Mr..." He grasped the man's hand firmly, holding a steady gaze.
"Bergman, Lord Bergman." The man answered.
Ruben instantly became weary at the name, knowing exactly the reputation it carried. George Bergman was an influential member of Camelot industries, though his face was less well known. Bergman was one of the few who's name was never disclosed to the public. One who made deals that Camelot wouldn't be making a show of.
"It's a pleasure." He spoke dryly. He was no friend to Camelot and he had no need to hide it.
Bergman coughed, releasing Ruben's hand. "Well, I'm certainly glad to see that you made an appearance here." He spoke, slightly uncomfortable by the apparent hostility, but remaining bold nonetheless. "I have a message, from Camelot. I was to give it to you should I find you here tonight."
Ruben arched a brow. Camelot had-up until now-ignored him, and acted as if he didn't even exist. Except of course when they attempted to run his enterprise into the ground; under the table of course. And now this? It was no surprise that his guard was definitely up.
"Well I guess I'll get right to the matter then." Bergman continued. "Camelot would like to purchase Ashford Industries."
Ruben blinked, unable to cover his surprise. He even saw more than a few heads turn when they overheard the statement. "I-I'm sorry?" He asked.
"Camelot is willing to buyout your business, Lord Ashford. And finally put this feud behind us. Believe me when I say there is no price Camelot, and all those who support it, is willing to pay."
So this was there final gambit. They were unable to ruin Ashford a second time and they knew it. Lelouch's foreign dealings solidified the company internationally, and Camelot couldn't-or rather wouldn't-go outside Britannia. And now they finally came to discover there was nothing they could do to run him down. If anything, this told him he was out of their reach. And Lelouch would have no issues when the vein was publicly announced. But that wouldn't be until another plan was completed. Ashford was finally in the clear, and the foolish Bergman came to personally tell him that.
Surprising a grin, Ruben shook his head. "I'm afraid I am not the one who can decide that." He answered, choosing to toy with the man for his own amusement. And to throw Camelot for a loop as well.
"I would understand if you had to clear it with a board, but you are the sole owner are you not?" Bergman asked, half confused and half dismayed that he knew he had failed. Still he tried anyway.
"Not at all. There is only one person who makes decisions for Ashford Enterprises. I just tell everyone what they are." He tipped his cap toward the stunned noble, swiftly turning on his heel from him. "Even if you were to go to him I am quite certain he would only laugh at you. I'll spare you of that humiliation Lord Bergman."
"W-who?" Bergman managed to stutter out as Ruben began to walk into the crowd. "Who could possibly outrank you in your own company?"
He turned his head. "My heir."
Bergman blinked, his frown deepening. "Your heir? I thought your son up and left."
Ruben only shook his head. "Good day, Lord Bergman."
He quickly put as much distance between himself and the fumbling man. He had quite enough of the lot he decided, heading toward a more empty area. There was nothing wrong with a little isolation.
"Lord Ashford!"
Under any other circumstances, any at all, he would have ignored whoever was calling for him. But the voice was one he recognized, and one he knew there was no way to avoid. Slowly, he stopped, and turned toward the young man who effortlessly parted the crowds as he approached.
He bowed in greeting, questioning why he ever decided to come here at all. "Your highness."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Kawagoe Ghetto; 2013 ATB
Lelouch stood a top a steel beam structure, overlooking the remnants of a once great city. Of course Kawagoe wasn't the only pile of rubble in Area Eleven; no, it was far far from it. However it would be the first of something else, starting with the very building he stood upon. He tapped his hardhat that covered a mess of blonde hair, sparing a glance at his Japanese partners. He now had two consistent followers who he could rely upon. His unofficial personal assistant, and his knight.
Suzaku looked out with somber eyes at the remains of the city. It was a clear reminder of what his people had lost, and that is what it was supposed to be. But now, it would be a symbol of something else. The first ray of hope for the people of Area Eleven.
Across the first building to be reconstructed was a banner. The beginning of Ashford's true roll in Lelouch's plan. It was at the moment a center of controversy among the elites of Britannia. But they were disliked enough already by most it didn't even really matter. What mattered would be the impact among the rest of the inhabitants of area eleven. The future of Japan began here. Of course, there was also what would be found underneath the earth; or rather what had already been found.
'Ashford Kawagoe restoration project.'
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"It's an honor to have been invited by you, Prince Clovis."
Clovis had been actively seeking out the old man since guest had first arrived. Somehow Ruben Ashford had successfully snuck in unnoticed. And he had remained that way for quite some time. If it weren't for Lord Bergman's rather unsightly confrontation Clovis likely would have missed Ashford's immediate departure. He had a clear idea of what Bergman wanted, and had rather hoped the two didn't meet when Clovis saw the Camelot representative was attending. It was obvious by the older man's strained voice that his earlier conversation had put him in a sour mood.
"I wanted to acquaint myself with Area Eleven's most influential people, and that definitely includes you Lord Ashford." Clovis responded.
"You speak too highly." Ruben simply stated. "I'm merely a ghost of my former self."
Clovis shook his head. He had decided it was best to alleviate the tension before asking what he really came here for. "Ghosts don't control the world, Lord Ashford. And they certainly don't do it twice."
Ruben gave a small smirk. "Perhaps I have returned to haunt those who wronged me?"
Clovis glanced to where Bergman was pushing his way out of the ballroom, obviously flustered. "Perhaps you are right. In that, you have succeeded."
Ruben followed the prince's gaze to the doors, and smiled.
"I'm sorry about him." Clovis spoke again. "I had an idea of why he was here, and I should have taken precautions against that."
Ruben shook his head. "It's alright." His eyes narrowed slightly. "His words were quite informative."
Clovis watched for a moment longer, before facing Ruben. "I wanted to speak with you." He told him. "In privacy."
Ruben raised an eyebrow at he Prince, but refrained from speaking up.
"I was hoping you could help me with something. It's not related to your work." Clovis explained. "It's something else."
Ruben continued to watch him a moment before answering. "Very well."
Clovis nodded. "Thank you." He gestured toward a doorway that led further into the palace. Ruben began to follow Clovis as he tried to leave as anonymously as he could. He waved off Bartley when the bald man took notice of Clovis' actions, and the prince entered one of the various empty rooms. Ruben stood expectantly, waiting for the prince to say what he wanted.
"It's about Lelouch." Clovis jumped in, earnings the slightest hint of surprise on the older man's face.
"I came to Area Eleven because I want to find answers. Lelouch...Lelouch was one of the only brothers I was proud to call that. He was far smarter then I, or anyone else. And for that reason I know he's alive. He's here somewhere, I can't doubt that."
Clovis watched Ruben, who had remained completely stone faced. "You were close to Lady Marianne, and her children. You were one of the few people he could have trusted. So that's why I ask. If you know anything...please tell me." Clovis' eyes pierced him, and Ruben could see that the Prince was genuine. He could see that Clovis only wanted closure to his brother's fate.
But that wasn't his decision to make. But he could say this instead.
"On the day the war began, Lelouch was in the Kururugi shrine. Where he had always been." Ruben spoke.
"The shrine was destroyed when Britannia invaded. " Clovis added. "We searched the whole place, but there was no sign of him."
"Do you know why it was destroyed?" Ruben asked.
Clovis frowned. "I suppose it was a high value target. It was a home of Japan's leader after all."
"Britannia knew the locations of every one of the prime minister's homes. They knew where he was almost twenty-four seven." Ruben corrected him, a dead seriousness in his tone. "And they knew he had not been there for two weeks."
Clovis' eyes widened. It was subtle, but the implication was still there.
"But they did know who was there." And then it really came to him.
Clovis violently shook his head. "That's not possible." He denied. "How do you know this? That can't be true." He demanded.
"You are not the only one who seeks the truth." Ruben answered. "When you find the truth, will you understand it? Can you accept it?"
The old man walked forward, passing Clovis so he stood shoulder to shoulder. "And what will you do with it?"
Clovis' head was spinning. He didn't even notice that Ruben had left before he fell into a chair in the corner. His eyes were wide in disbelief, staring into the darkness of the empty room. It couldn't be true. There was no way. And yet there was no logical part of him telling him why. The only thing he realized is that it could only make sense if it was true. And if it was, if what Ruben Ashford had told him was true...then...
He recalled what Schneizel had once told him. How their father had began to lose interest in the empire's wellbeing, and its affairs. It had been Schneizel who gave him Viceroyship, not the emperor. He didn't care about the empire, the people...or his own children.
"I'm so sorry Lelouch." He whispered, then grit his teeth in rage. "That I didn't see this sooner."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Ashford Family Mansion. 2013 ATB
Lelouch jammed the joystick down instantly, watching the stun tonfa fly past him. He didn't stop there though, and moved to the right just as quickly to avoid a jab. He made his own swing with the Ganymede's arm toward his opponent's body, and for the fifth time now praising (or cursing.) the Ganymede's headless design. The head of a knightmare was an obvious weak point, and one that blinded a pilot if taken advantage of.
His foe dropped down, sliding away from his attack. And when he swung around to face Lelouch, the two of them rushed forward to collide with each other. This battle, even inside of knightmares, was no different than any other he had with Suzaku. Lelouch thought through every move, and every action and its consequences instantly calculated. And then Suzaku who fought with incredible natural instinct. The two were polar opposites, and to any outside spectator, the winner was never clearly decided.
"I told you that you would do just as good in the real thing." Lelouch said, taking a hard hit to his left leg.
"Really? I didn't notice, since your still standing after all."
Lelouch grinned, swiping away another attack.
"It's my job to know every little detail of the knightmare." Lelouch explained, sweeping at Suzaku's legs. "There isn't a single aspect or specification I haven't memorized." As if to demonstrate, he made a jab toward Suzaku's chest, and unsurprisingly, Suzaku pulled away from it, so the tonfa was mere inches from the cold steel of the Ganymede's chest plate.
"Impressive." Lelouch commented. "You had a twelfth of a second to get out of range. Given the maximum length of the Ganymede's melee attack and reverse speed."
"Now either your making that up," Suzaku replied with his counterattack. "Or you've got a computer for a brain."
"Every specification." Lelouch answered.
"Then you should know when those frames have taken enough of a beating."
Lelouch and Suzaku stopped their spare when they heard Ruben approach the edge of the testing field. "And you should know how expensive they would be to replace."
Lelouch opened his cockpit, and came out with a grin on his face. "This kind of test data in invaluable Ruben. Surely you understand."
Ruben raised his eyebrows as the young prince dropped down the boarding line. He should have expected such a clever excuse. "And it would seem as though you've been testing quite thoroughly." He nodded toward the two frames, taking particular notice of the harsh dents and scrapes that were not there this morning when the frames arrived.
"And I must say they perform flawlessly."
In fact, the major improvements over the Glasgow had many calling it the fifth generation knightmare. Officially beating out Camelot's RPI-13 Sutherland, which was scheduled for release next year.
"I'll pass that on."
Lelouch took a water bottle that was provided by Sayoko, who had been watching their match the whole time. And beside her Milly stood in a formal dress befitting her rank. Unlike Lelouch's test pilot suit. "It's also very entertaining to watch grandfather." Milly added. "
"I almost want to try a Glasgow, just to test the differences." Suzaku said from beside Lelouch."
"We could get a few of them." Lelouch responded. He then grinned devilishly. "Use them as target practice."
"Please stick to targets that under twenty million pounds." Ruben interrupted with a frown.
"Tanks?" Lelouch joked.
"Lower." He responded, unamused.
Lelouch just chuckled, and headed back toward the mansion. Behind them, a group of technicians swarmed the two frames, and began moving them toward the maintenance hangars beside the paved court.
Lelouch was followed by the rest of the group, and one of the Britannian servants opened the door. There were Japanese servants present as well. Rather than choose just Britannian, or just Japanese, Lelouch had hired a bit of both. It was a small way of showing that he was not discriminatory at all. All that mattered was capability.
"Get your hands away from me, monkey."
Lelouch blinked at the unfamiliar voice. And the whole group turned to find the man who had shooed one of the Japanese maids. He stood with a haughty arrogance, one that belonged to the aristocracy of Britannia. And the only words he spoke this far cemented that picture. And to every other person present, that was not an image you wanted to have. He was a man Lelouch vaguely recalled. Though he had not seen him in a while, the face was a familiar one.
"Damien." Ruben greeted the man coldly. "What are you doing here?"
The man momentarily ignored him. Instead looking toward Milly. "It's been a while. How have you been Milly?"
"Father." Milly said, sounding equally displeased. She was virtually abandoned with her grandfather three years ago.
"I asked you why you came here Damien." Ruben repeated in the commanding tone he rarely used.
"I've returned to reclaim my inheritance, father." Damien answered, standing squarely against Ruben.
"There is nothing here for you. You were disowned. I was quite sure you knew that." He spoke coldly. There was no room to question the fact that Ruben did not like his son. He became the very thing Ruben had despised, not matter how hard he had tried to beat it out of him.
Damien snorted. "I am your heir father, you have nothing else to rely upon."
"I'm afraid your wrong."
Damien turned to the boy who had spoken. He wore a test pilot suit for whatever reason, and possessed the same blonde hair and blue eyes that he did. But Damien had no idea who the brat was. "Who might you be?"
"Allen." The boy responded. "Ashford."
For a second, Damien was confused, and that expression flashed quickly over his face before it was replaced with anger. He turned back to his father. "What the hell is this?!" He demanded. "Who is this kid?!"
"He is the heir of the Ashford family." Ruben told him.
Damien shook his head, his far it's contorted in rage. "How is that possible? He's just a kid!"
"While you were off kissing to the nobles for some pathetic promise of a title," Lelouch spat. "I worked to rebuild what you abandoned."
"What are you talking about?" Damien sneered at him.
"Ashford Enterprises exists because of me." Lelouch answered. "And if I recall, you ran off with nearly five million pounds in my assets two years ago didn't you?"
Damien paled. His father was one thing, but this boy was another danger entirely. He doubted Ruben would punish him for taking company material, but this kid...would end him in a blink of an eye.
"That was..." He tried to speak.
"Your inheritance." Lelouch finished for him. "You will not the receiving anything more."
He took a few steps forward, coming to stop inches from his face. "Are we clear on that, brother?"
Damien stared at Allen's cold eyes. He had changed his mind. This boy would kill him in the blink of an eye. He glanced at all the others in the room. At his father, at Milly, the young Japanese boy who wore an identical pilot suit. They each bore a hostile stare, pointed right at him. No. No there was nothing here for him. He lost that opportunity three years ago, perhaps longer.
He turned around without a word, and shoved away the eleven servant who attempted to open the door for him. He could do it himself. He could at least do that himself.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Viceroy's Palace; 2013 ATB
Clovis sat in the dark of his personal chambers, hands holding his head up over the desk. It was late at night, late enough that there were no lights to be seen inside or out of the palace from where he sat.
His eyes were closed, and his hands covered his ears. But inside his head was a pounding roar that persisted ever since he heard the truth.
Will you understand it?
Did her understand it? Yes. Yes he did. The emperor of Britannia no longer had the best interests of his own people-his own family at heart. His father was going to ruin their country. That is what he understood.
Will you accept it?
The pounding was keeping him from concentrating. He squeezed his eyes, pressing his hands against the sides of his head. What did it mean? Could he actually accept that his father had attempted to kill Lelouch? That his own son was literally nothing more than a tool used in a war? Could he accept that Britannia was steadily falling apart because of this? The war with Europe, with the Middle East, and countless others could not be sustained forever.
What will you do with it?
And if he did accept all that, then what? What would it matter that the emperor was a cold hearted monster? What would he even do if he accepted that?
What would he do if he realized his people may come to be in danger? What of his own family? Lelouch was not the first to fall victim. No, no it was Nunnally, and Marianne.
And they wouldn't be the last.
Somwething had to be done.
The roar began to fade, and slowly, Clovis' hands fell from his head. His eyes opened, taking in the darkness around him. Something had to be done. He had to do something.
What will you do with it?
The roaring stopped.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Seriously though, I'm hesitant to call this a good thing. Code Geass is as great as it is because of its ending. So I'd much rather not see that ruined by a cash grab. Still, I have hope. If it's as good as Steins;Gate 0 has been, (seriously an amazing game.) then fantastic sequels can in fact appear out of nowhere. Cautiously optimistic. Let's hope it isn't a bad sequel.