Throne of Glass
Chapter 13: Setting the Stage
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Ashford Tower; 2016 ATB
She watched the events taking place with mild amusement. The boy she once knew as a cold and reserved person had become something far more interesting. Of course she knew Lelouch had always possessed a constantly fueled hatred deep inside him, she just never expected for it to actually consume him, if even for a moment. But it made him human in a way, she realized. Lelouch once claimed to have cast away his humanity in pursuit of revenge. But only a human could be susceptible to their own emotions. That's what makes them human.
The blonde made his way to where she was watching, Suzaku and a redhead girl beside him. She had seen the girl volunteer shortly after her comrade was killed in front of her; yet she signed up for whatever crazy scheme Lulu had come up with. That was either an extremely brave, or extremely stupid thing to do.
She smiled mischievously as the three exited the meeting room, and Lelouch, or rather Allen, raised an eyebrow at her presence. "That was quite a sight Allen." She teased him, furthering his questioning expression. "It's hardly something I'd have expected of you six years ago. You've grown up!" She said it almost mockingly, making fun of him in the form of a compliment.
"Please Kaguya, I killed people when I was ten years old. That isn't something that should surprise you." Lelouch instead chose to reply, rather than give in to her taunting. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, what brings you here?" He asked.
"Well you know I have been working to assimilate Kyoto's assets as quietly as I can. But then I hear about this 'security breach,' you know I had to come and offer my assistance." Kaguya answered, and gave a smile. "If you need me of course."
"I appreciate the offer Kaguya, but you should have known I would have this taken care of already." Lelouch told her with a slight smirk.
"Is that so?" Kaguya said with a raised eyebrow.
"It will be shortly. The only problem I have left is hardly something you have the connections to rectify." He retorted, to which the young Sumaragi merely turned her head away.
"Well the least you can do is tell me what's going on around here since I've been here last." She said, hands on her hips.
"Hardly the time for a social calling, we have things to take care of." Lelouch quickly shot her down, and nearly moved past her before Suzaku spoke up.
"I can brief Kallen for you Allen. Go on and catch up."
Lelouch whipped around and gave his friend a glare, and Kaguya added to the deal. "I've got a few things I need to talk to you about anyway. It won't be that long."
He was caught between the two and didn't see a way out. These were the only two people who would refuse being ordered to leave it alone he knew. And unfortunately that meant he lost this one. "Fine." He caved. "Make it quick Kaguya, I have a lot going on."
The girl smiled. "Of course."
Lelouch only sighed. Of course not.
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Kallen watched as the young Japanese girl practically dragged Allen away to another room to 'chat'. The entire conversation she just witnessed was nothing short of the strangest thing she'd ever seen.
"What...just happened?"
Beside her, Suzaku gave a small chuckle. "They've always been like that. It's a weird competitive relationship I'll admit. It kinda just happened over time, ever since she won her first chess game over him."
Kallen raised an eyebrow. "She's beaten him before?" She asked unbelievingly. It was a widely known fact at school that Allen Ashford had never once lost a game of chess-to anyone. Ever.
"It happened a long time ago, and only once. Allen may have unmatched predictive skill, but Kaguya knows how to get her opponents to do what she wants them to. Allen took that defeat very personally. And honestly, it's kind of funny to watch."
Kallen only nodded. "Yeah..." as far as she knew Allen was either very cheerful, or very very pissed. He didn't really have any other expression. That was probably the biggest reason that whole scenario was so odd.
"Anyway, let me tell you about what Allen has planned."
The Japanese brought her to one of the several briefing rooms, and turned on the projector, illuminating the wall with the Black Knight's logo. "What we have planned is simple in theory, but might be rather difficult to pull off."
Suzaku brought up several images of a building in the Tokyo settlement. The towerin structure sat in view of the palace as well as the other military bases in the center of the city. "This is the OSI Area Eleven branch office. We've tried to get inside several times recently, but found that it's actually rather difficult to pull off. However, we know for sure that the data they stole has made its way inside. So once we find the way to get inside, we'll have you locate it."
Kallen nodded, looking at the blueprints that showed the very few options for entry. The OSI was very tightly knit on their security and personnel; a lot of what they did was strictly to be kept away from the public after all. "But how will we know we got everything?" She asked. "They could have the data all over the place right now."
"We know that." Suzaku replied. "And Allen has come up with a way to fix that. We won't be sending you in there to erase the files."
Kallen blinked, confused. "What do you mean? What else could I be doing?"
He grinned in response. "Baiting a trap."
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"Alright, what do you want?" Lelouch demanded, casually leaning against the center table in the room.
"Oh don't sound so depressed. You can't still be mad about losing can you?" Kaguya replied with a smirk.
"Of course not. I don't hold such petty grudges." The exile answered, rolling his eyes.
Kaguya actually giggled at him. "Now isn't that the biggest lie you've ever told. Your whole life is built around a 'petty grudge."
"My revenge is nothing close to petty, Kaguya." Lelouch explained, threateningly.
"Please. You're just mad your daddy kicked you out for being naughty." She teased, a smile still plastered on her face.
Lelouch's eye twitched. "Do you want a knife through your throat? Because I would be happy to oblige.
The girl in question just waved him off. "I'm just messing with you Lulu, you make it too easy."
"I've told you more than enough times to stop calling me that." He growled.
"See?" She grinned triumphantly.
Lelouch sighed in defeat. This was the reason he hated talking with Kaguya, he always found himself walking into her traps. Far more easily than anyone else, by a wide margin. "Are you just going to annoy me, or do you actually have something important to say?" He demanded.
"Sure, sure." She casually replied, waving her hand again. "You should already know most of what's going on in Kyoto, but I bet you don't know what a lot of the common people are saying now do you?"
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "And you do?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "A lot of Japanese are flocking to the lower echelons of the Black Knights now, and all their comments reach me sooner or later. And I know you can't care to associate with those common-born folk." She took told Lelouch, taking another crack at him.
"I go to school with 'commoners.' My mother was a 'commoner.' What does that have to do with anything." He corrected her.
"Right, well, you know a lot of people are taking up Ashford's offer of business; and the economy is actually doing fairly well out in the ghettos now. On top of that the Black Knights have taken to doing local resistances' jobs for them. Thusly a lot of Japanese in the ghettos have turned to either helping that Black Knights, or being productive members of your little society."
Lelouch nodded to all this. "I figured as much would ultimately happen. I suppose it's nice to know that we aren't that far behind my goal for the area before I went to the next phase."
"Is that what's going to happen now?" She asked. "I'm guessing you won't exactly be able to put down the info leak quietly now will you?"
The exile shook his head. "Unfortunately not. This is forcing me to play my hand sooner than I would have preferred, but in the least I can turn this around. There are several scenarios I can picture with much worse outcomes than this."
"That is true. But hey, the sooner the better right?" Kaguya commented, smiling a bit.
"I suppose so. You know I always found it funny how so many small proverbs all seemed to contradict each other. 'Patience is a virtue,' they say. And 'He who strikes first wins.' Good things come to those who wait, the early bird gets the worm. Just when are we supposed to strike, and when to hold our blade? It's a rather ridiculous thought, I admit."
Kaguya simply shrugged. "I guess it's up to fate to decide."
Lelouch scoffed at that. "I've never been one to allow fate to dictate my life. And I never will."
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Jeremiah stood outside the looming tower once more, finding himself dreading another step. For the first time in six years he was genuinely afraid to face forward. Afraid of rejection, of failure, and like always, afraid of moving on. He had always longed for a chance to redeem himself, he had driven his life forward so that he could one day be worthy of repenting for his mistakes, yet all the while absolutely terrified of actually doing it. Nevertheless, he had come too far to back away now. He took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
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"Everything's ready, just as soon as we can find a way into the actual building. Since we of course don't want to force out way in like we did at Camelot, that reduces a lot of options." Suzaku spoke to Lelouch through the phone. "Kallen knows what she needs to do, and it won't be much of an issue, so we just have that last obstacle. We're ready when you are."
Lelouch nodded to himself, sitting down at his office. "Right, I'll look over it again. There has to be something we can use."
"Well I'll be heading back to the school for the time being, don't hesitate to let me know if there's something I can help you with."
"Sure, thanks Suzaku." He hung up the phone before sinking into his chair with a heavy sigh. There was just one last problem to hurdle over, and this could be executed without so much as a hitch. He had faith Kallen could follow through without any issue, he just needed a way to get her where she needed to be. He dropped his face into his hands, groaning. He really hadn't expected security to have ever been an issue. And he had since refused to allow the answer to simply fall into his lap. He didn't have the time to sit around waiting. Except he didn't have to wait long.
The phone on his desk rang, and he looked up to see it was reception calling for him. He shrugged before answering it, not aware he had anything in need of attention at the moment. "This is Allen."
"Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald is here to see you sir. He says it's a matter of great importance." The woman told him.
He only groaned again. Purist faction. He could only imagine what choice words their leader had for him following his debut with the Marianne. He had already on numerous occasions dealt with the insults and demands made by the more verbose nobles regarding his choice in names.
"I don't have time for nobles at the moment." He told her.
"Sir, he did come here a few weeks ago. He made the effort to schedule a time with you." She insisted.
To that Lelouch frowned. Was he really that dedicated to getting meaningless words in? Or was there something else the man wanted after all? He glanced back down at the blueprints he had looked over more than a dozen times now before sighing. "Alright then. Bring him up."
The receptionist hung up, and he was left to wait for the margrave to make his way up to him. In that relatively short time he was able to come up with a few reasons why he would want to speak with him. He certainly didn't judge the man as petty enough to wait several weeks just to hurl threats and the like. But that left very little a reason for the purist faction to speak with him at all. More specifically with him, and not Ruben. And business deals-if that was even an option regarding the Marianne's name again- would have gone through him instead. Unless Gottwald somehow knew Lelouch held far more say than his 'father' did. But then that only raised more questions. But further pondering was cut off when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He spoke, and the door opened to regal the teal-blue haired man who lead the purist faction in Area Eleven.
"Thank you for seeing me, Lord Ashford. I know you must be very busy." Jeremiah said bowing slightly. It confused Lelouch to see the margrave acting so respectfully. Ordinarily, or at least what Lelouch expected to see was some form of disrespect, one way or another. Memorializing his mother was still a complete violation of their beliefs. "Sit down Margrave, what can I do for you?" He was now thoroughly interested in hearing what the bluenette had to say.
The man did what he was told to, albeit hesitantly, before speaking. "I uh..." Jeremiah began, unsure of what to say. "Can I ask you...was it you who gave the Marianne its name?"
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. Was that was this was about after all? Even still, it wasn't going the way he would have imagined. And was that...respect in his tone? "It was. I alone chose to name our knightmare the Marianne. And nothing you say will change my mind."
The older man violently shook his head in response. "Rest assured that is not my intent, I only..." he swallowed, very visibility nervous. "Want to know why."
Lelouch frowned. "Why?" He shook his head slightly. "I believe I explained why in my presentation. Empress Marianne was the Ashford's benefactor, their goddess in no shortage of words. It was nothing more than a tribute to her name."
Jeremiah sat motionless, unsatisfied, but reluctant to ask for more. "You see...six years ago I was part of her majesty's royal guard." He revealed, surprising Lelouch. "To this day, I consider her death my greatest failure, one that I can never hope to right. She ordered us to withdraw that night, and every day...every day I find myself yearning to have disobeyed that order. To perhaps save her life, or in the least, die protecting her."
Lelouch suddenly saw this man in an entirely different light. If he was telling the truth, which the exiled prince was inclined to believe, than this would certainty have been worth the time:
"Her children, whom I cared for deeply, were lost to me as well. Lady Nunnally, shortly followed her mother, and her son..." he took a breath, his heart pounding in his ears. "That's why I am here. I know my prince is still alive. And I know that you can confirm that for me, my lord."
Lelouch watched the margrave for a long time, conflicted on what he should say. Was he telling the truth? We're his intentions truly so pure? No. Nobody-nobody was so innocent. That was the way he thought, and the way he believed others thought as well. Even still, he saw the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, the nervous shaking of his hand. Yet he knew they weren't signs of lies, but rather fear of rejection. This man truly was genuine. But despite that, Lelouch wasn't about to dig up his past for anyone's sake. Not at all.
"Lelouch vi Britannia is dead, Margrave. He died six years ago in Japan, there is nothing more to it." He said with a cold tone.
Jeremiah's heart visibly broke, and his head hung low. I see. So he rejected me. Then I can never... "I understand. I just hoped that could find him one day. That I could devote myself to him, to make up for the things that I failed to protect him from. That I might be able to avenge my goddess, in no shortage of words." He bowed, and promptly turned away from the teenager. "Thank you for you time. I'm sorry to have wasted it."
He toon two steps before a voice suddenly stopped him. "You know, I've heard that when Lelouch first arrived at Japan, he was completely alone. He was surrounded by all hostile gazes. And felt as thought there was no one left in the world's that cared about him." Allen said, causing the man to slowly turn back around. "Everything he knew was gone. Everything he loved was taken from him. All that was left was an empty hatred in his heart, and an unending lust for vengeance. The one the he knew is that happiness was like glass, so Wallis shattered.
"Yet despite that, he refused to give in. He found his way to the Japanese military, and forced his way to their leadership. And with nothing but a few words and the flick of a blade he was able to seize control of the remnants of their army. He used its recourses, and its connections to rebuild the Ashford Family, turning it into something far stronger than it had ever been. In turn, he used the Ashfords to rebuild Japan, and to create for himself and army, and a throne. A throne made from steel, far stronger than his world of glass. Devoid of weakness, and strong enough to topple the throne of his father. That is what he sought after, what he devoted his life to."
The boy rose, his eyes cold and calculating, staring right into Jeremiah's soul. "Now I ask you Jeremiah Gottwald. Knowing this, what is it you plan to do?"
He stood there, unable to speak, as he found tears of joy escaped from him. He couldn't believe it, it really was him. In an instant he dropped to one knee, his clenched fist slammed against the fine carpet. "I will pledge myself to you, Lelouch vi Britannia. Your ambitions are my only law. Long have I yearned to give myself to you, to the only one who remains of Marianne vi Britannia. Whatever I can do to avenge her, and her sister, I will do through your will."
Lelouch smiled, one of success, and of genuine happiness. This man, Jeremiah Gottwald, had idolized his mother like a goddess. And that same dedication belonged to him now. He would do anything, for the same reasons Lelouch would. And he found he was fine with after all.
Then suddenly a thought occurred to him, and he realized that his coming was an even bigger blessing then he first thought. "Jeremiah?" He asked the still kneeling man.
"Yes, your highness?" He replied, raising his head.
"How difficult would it be for you to get someone into the OSI branch office?"
The margrave grinned, overjoyed he was already to be of use. "Not hard at all."
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Office of Secret Intelligence, Area Eleven Branch; 2016 ATB
Kallen walked shoulder to shoulder with none other than the leader of the purist faction himself. How the hell Allen managed to convince him to aid them she had no idea. But Allen told her to trust him, and she trusted his judgment well enough. They approached the security gate, where they were stopped by the several guards there.
"Margrave Gottwald. What brings you here today?" One asked the man she was with.
"I am here on business for his highness prince Clovis. Matters regarding the Black Knights I am overseeing personally." Jeremiah told him, authority in his voice.
"I see, yes we've been looking into some promising leads, but we were going to try and crack them before presenting them to the Viceroy." The guard replied.
"Then I will check on the progress to show them to his highness. He is rather adamant that results are found soon." Jeremiah insisted.
The guard nodded before stepping aside. "Of course, I'm sure you know where to go?"
"Yes, I do." He responded before stepping past him and into the main hall. Kallen followed quickly behind him, sticking to his shadow. When they were alone he turned to her. "And do you know where it is you're headed?" He asked her.
"Yeah." She said. She had reviewed the plans multiple times. She at least hoped she knew where she was going."
"Good. I do actually have to go check in things for the viceroy, so I'll meet you here when you are finished."
The redhead nodded before splitting off from him. He watched her go with a tinge of jealousy, wishing he could have done it himself. Alas, it would have drawn too much attention to himself. And the girl had already been given the opportunity long before he had shown up. Regardless, he was still happy to help either way.
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Kallen walked briskly down the various hallways, passing by countless offices and she searched for the right one. She had been stopped by a few guard along the way, but all she had to do was tell them who she was with and show them a very convincing fake ID, and they didn't question her any further. For once she was grateful for her Britannian appearance, or this would have been nothing short of impossible. Eventually though, she came across the right office. The one belonging to the brach head. Taking care no one saw her, she silently slipped in, locking the door behind her. She quickly strode to the computer, turned it on, and attached a hacking device to it. It was unlocked within a minute. She opened the email and searched until she found the contact she was looking for. With a small smirk on her face, she began composing an email.
To Office of Secret Intelligence Director David Vincent,
We have recently made a key discovery in regards to the Black Knight issue plaguing our district. Vast amounts of data have been decrypted that may lead to the arrest of a great deal of men involved in the organization. We have also learned that the Black Knights are much greater a threat than we had initially anticipated, and request that you personally come to Area Eleven along with the other branch heads to deal with this issue. Evidence strongly suggests that the Black Knights are a global organization, with a very strong backing. It will require the full force of the OSI to catch them off guard, and severely cripple their structure.
Please contact me as soon as you can.
Branch head Michael Ripely.
Kallen then sent the message, before deleting it from the outbox, preventing the real Micheal Ripley from ever finding it. She then waited for a few minutes for the reply. Luckily, the director was a diligent man, and she wasn't kept waiting for very long at all. The director of the OSI would be coming to Area Eleven, along with every other leader in the organization. She modified the message to make it look like he was coming for some sort of inspection, rather than a response to the Black Knight data, using her same device attached to the computer.
She was about to close the browser when something caught her eye. She briefly read the message subject before lightly gasping.
In regards to the viceroy's search for Lelouch vi Britannia.
The mouse hovered over the message for a few seconds, as she internally debated if she should open it. Eventually her curiosity won over, and she clicked the button. Kallen then read the message.
Like usual, the search for the eleventh prince's survival has yielding nothing. As you know, the viceroy continues to believe the prince is still alive somewhere in Area Eleven, but of course no further evidence seems to prove it. If only prince Clovis could see that I could finally move on from this dead end case, and work towards something useful like the Black Knights case. I looked in to the Kururugi manor at the viceroy's behest, but no surprise there was nothing to be found. The place was bombed half a decade ago, anything there is long gone. I suppose it would have been better that the prince's body was found all those years ago, rather than him just declared dead. I almost have half a mind to just slap his name onto some old carcass somewhere and be done with it. What purpose would finding him even serve anyway? It was the OSI's original orders to eliminate him in the first place wasn't it? The emperor didn't give that command without reason.
Either way, I guess I'll be back to give you my riveting report next month.
Agent Myers.
Kallen stared at the words for a minute too long, unable to properly understand them was Lelouch still alive after all? Prince Clovis definitely seemed to think so. She was brought back to the time Allen told her about his family's fate, and far too many pieces seemed to fit together. The report had mentioned the Kururugi manor. It made sense that a prince would be sent to the leader's home as a hostage. That meant Suzaku had once known him. She briefly wondered if she should press further into this, before quickly shaking the thoughts from her head. She had more important things to deal with. She erased any evidence of her presence before closing the computer, and leaving the office without a trace.
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I got a question for y'all: Who is best Gril?
I've been given quite a few opinions thus far of who Lelouch's queen as it will should be. And at the moment I can still change it, and have plotted the affects any of our lovely candidates might make. In fact I've entertained the entire story with the different possibilities. But the moment where it will be too late is fast approaching. So, since I can't make up my mind, I'll let you.
Who will it be? Let me know.