Throne of Glass
Adding on to the whole debate about this fic's waifu, I'm going to address particular the idea of a harem. since many of you have mentioned it even since the precious chapter if I remember right. Most people believe harems are difficult to implement correctly, that they are hard to make believable. And while that's true, many people have been able to 'make a harem work' albeit leaving a lot out and just saying it worked out just fine. However, I see a completely different issue for a harem that it more unique to code geass, primarily Lelouch himself. This is only amplified in ToG. Lelouch as a character is literally the textbook definition of antisocial personality disorder. And I'm not talking about the kind of antisocial everybody thinks they are these days, I mean the real disease. Just look up the symptoms and causes and you'll see what I mean. What this means though is Lelouch is unable to connect with people on an emotional level. He may be able to pretend to, and can do so exceptionally well, but it isn't genuine. I've seen a few stories play his character well in saying he wears different masks. And it goes well beyond that, to the point that there almost isn't a 'real' Lelouch. Without going into too much detail Lelouch as a character won't be able to emotionally handle a harem. It's as simple as that. If an author tries to genuinely give him one it really wouldn't work if you want to stay true to his character. Just look at canon Lelouch, he had more than a few opportunities to get it on with our heroines but as far as we know, he didn't. He isn't capable of showing love to anyone but Nunnally. And his love for Nunnally kinda stems from the traumatic experience that created his personality in the first place. It's even harder to picture him being able to love multiple women at the same time and all the difficulties that would come with. Really, any relationship he has will have to have a really dedicated waifu who loves him enough to try to fix him. Even if he might not love her back. And that's what I will try to create here.
Anyway there's a much too long rant on the nature of Lelouch. Cookies if you actually read all that.
Chapter 18: A Necessary Sacrifice
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"Power...greater than any man?"
Lelouch repeated the words the woman told him, slowly coming to realize what she was saying, what she was offering.
"I've been waiting for quite some time to finally reach you. Because I believe you are able to give to me what I ask in return." The woman continued, her amber eyes locked onto his.
"And what might that be?" Lelouch asked, trying to discern anything he could about her. She was unfortunately impossible for him to read. "What do you want with me?"
She knew who he was. That alone gave him reason to be wary of her. However, he felt no hostile intentions at all. She came only to make a deal.
"I've given this power-the of the king-to others before in the past." She said, ignoring his question. "Except few were able to overcome the power itself. Those that could were unable to fulfill their end of the contract. You, however, are far different than anyone I've met so far."
Whatever that meant, he had no way of knowing. "And what is this power then? What do I have to overcome?"
"I cannot tell you what form it will take. But don't worry, I'm certain you will be more than capable of containing it." She told him, maintaining her enigmatic explanation. "This power will make you unlike any other. It will isolate you in a world full of men beneath you. Geass, the power of the king. With it, you can achieve anything."
"You still haven't told me what this power is, or what I have to do to obtain it." Lelouch reminded her, to which she smirked.
"Allow me to show you something." She rose a hand toward him, and he instinctively retreated. With an empty hand the woman pressed her finger against his forehead, and the world itself collapsed.
Two planets, close to touching one another. And in them, he understood everything.
"While living in the world of humans you will live like any other." the woman's voice rang out in the void, disconnected from any body. "A different provenance, a different time, a different life. The power of kings will condemn you to a life of solitude, you will stand apart from those around you. You have something you wish to do. Someone you wish to avenge."
He could see her now, a colorless image before him. "Someone you wish to kill."
"I do." He answered simply.
"With Geass you will be capable of anything you desire. Nothing will stop you except the challenge of overcoming it. For you, Lelouch vi Britannia, I have no doubt you will be able to do just that. You have already paid a heavy price for what you have obtained for yourself. But know that Geass will demand of you an even greater cost, at a time when you least expect it. I've seen lesser men time and again crumble under the weight of their own hubris. A pride unique to those who wield this power. But I see it in your eyes. Pride is of little consequence to you. All that matters is achieving what you want, at any cost. To that end, nothing is beneath you."
It was true, he had to admit. He killed the father of the only person he might consider calling a friend. He nearly killed his own brother, only hesitating after finding a better option. He was using an entire people for his own purpose of warring against his father. Just how much of his humanity was he willing to abandon for the sake of his vengeance?
He knew the answer since long ago.
The woman's hand was extended out to him, within arm's reach of his own. And he found himself reaching out toward it.
"Well, do we have a deal?" He heard her ask.
"Lelouch?" He suddenly heard a foreign voice intrude upon this other reality. It was familiar to him, like he felt he shouldn't have forgotten it. "Lelouch!" It called again, more urgently.
The woman before him faltered, as if she realized something she hadn't before. "I see." she spoke, lowering her offered hand. "Perhaps you are not yet ready after all."
The image before him faded as the voice became more real, calling to him.
"I'll be back later, Lelouch. At a time when you truly need this power."
All at once, reality popped back in place. Lelouch was suddenly aware someone was shaking him, the voice he previously heard belonging to her.
"What's wrong Lelouch? Say something!" She continued to shake him with worry in her voice.
He slowly put a hand up to remove hers, looking up at her face. "Sorry Kaguya, I guess I just have a lot on my mind."
It appeared to him that no one else was in the room. Particularly noticing the absence of the mysterious woman here not moments before.
"That's all you have to say? You look like you saw a ghost, I called you like five times!" she huffed, putting on an irritated mask to hide her apparent concern.
Considering what just happened, he supposed it wasn't far off to say he might just have seen a ghost. Trying his best to sweep whatever happened aside, he shook his head. "Was there something you needed? You just left didn't you?"
"Ah, right." She replied, having forgotten after seeing Lelouch. "The guards were just saying there was signs someone might have tried to break in. I told them I'd let you know since…" she trailed off, the implication clear. He came back in a dark mood. They would obviously be hesitant to come to him for anything that wasn't life or death.
"I see." He said softly. At least he knew he wasn't going insane. That proved the woman wasn't just a figment of his imagination.
He fell back onto the side of the bed, earning a frown from Kaguya. "Hey, you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." In truth, he wasn't even sure of that now.
The young girl lingered a while, clearly aware he really wasn't. But she wasn't even sure what to do anyway. Instead she left watching him over her shoulder till she couldn't any longer.
Power. Greater than any other man. Just what the hell had that woman tried to offer him? And why had she withheld it in the end? Whatever just happened, it certainly didn't help with his previous dilemma. It just served to send him further down a spiral of self doubt.
He wanted that power, whatever it was. But he wasn't sure that he really needed it. Did It even matter though? To Lelouch, only one thing truly mattered, and that was tearing apart everything that man represented. Anything else was nothing more than a distraction. At least that's what he told himself every time.
So he resolved to let that woman return in her own time. When she did, he would not hesitate to take it from her if he had to.
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Viceroy's Palace; 2017 ATB
Clovis watched from his office as dozens of trucks slowly spread throughout the settlement below him. They were carrying all manner of things his brother required for his master plan concocted virtually overnight. Though he had explained many points to it to the Viceroy, it was apparent that he was only told the parts that directly involved in. Namely allowing these vehicles to pass into the city completely unhindered. He had a general idea of what they carried, and what they intended to do; more or less. Aside from that he had little involvement however. Lelouch simply informed him that he would be moving equipment into the settlement in order to make preparations for when Cornelia would eventually arrive, hopefully much later than a mere week. It was Clovis' job to make sure no one questioned what they were doing. Not that it was very hard, given most of his military staff had been gunned down in Shinjuku. Unfortunately that included General Bartley. He was loyal to a fault, but he supposed it was a blessing nonetheless. That man likely would have had a heart attack after learning what the prince was doing, and hiding from him would have been far more difficult. And he was uncertain what Bartely would have done had he discovered what happened shortly after his death.
Another surprise he recently discovered was Gottwald's apparent betrayal. Though he couldn't really say the man was ever loyal to him to begin with. It was ironic really, they both initially came here seeking after the same thing; pretending to be someone else in order to appease the other. He couldn't be angry by it, and now it only helped in their current situation. Jeremiah added a second witness to the story they fed the media about what happened in Shinjuku. Sure, it might have been easy to pretend it didn't happen, given he never made a big scene of it; but a great deal of the command staff and knights of Area Eleven were now dead. That was unfortunately a little harder to sweep under the rug. Thankfully the noble Ashfords swept in to repel the Black Knights before they claimed the Viceroy's life. And now the company was generously donating their own personal garrison to defend the settlement until proper forces could arrive to fill the gaps. That wasn't actually a lie, Lelouch was actually planning to parade his own frames around in order to sell the story. Not that anyone was going to call Clovis out on it. He was the Viceroy, a prince of the empire. What reason would he have to lie?
"I must say I am glad you're here Gottwald." He said to the man standing beside him. Clovis likely wouldn't see his long lost brother for a few months now, if things all went as he wanted them to. But he did send Jeremiah to assist him him. Along with a young woman who was less enthusiastic about the assignment than Gottwald was.
"As am I your highness." the older man replied. "It relieves me to see you chose to side with prince Lelouch."
The Viceroy nodded with a wry smile. "Indeed. In all honesty I didn't really see this coming. But I'm certainly not complaining.
"Neither am I." Jeremiah agreed.
Most of the trucks were out of sight by now, off to prepare the settlement with all manner of fortifications and secret weapons. "There's a revolution coming Gottwald, I'm just lucky I ended up on the winning side."
And he thoroughly believed it. Knowing what did now he was wholly convinced his brother's victory was assured. Britannia would be destroyed and rise anew. He always wondered what Lelouch would have been capable of. It seemed now he knew.
And it was marvelous.
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Area Eighteen; 2017 ATB
After countless months of stalemates and snail paced battles of attrition the Middle East was finally hers. At last the final bastion that stood in defiance crumbled to a heap of rubble. It had taken far too long, and much more resources than she would have ever found acceptable before. This cursed desert had tried Cornelia's patience with its damned sand stretching for miles on end. Knightmares were without a doubt more versatile and deadly than any other weapon in the military. Yet this place was practically designed to exploit every weakness they had. The large flat landscapes allowed long range artillery to fire on them from virtually any angle, at ridiculous distances. On top of that sand was quite possibly the worst terrain for land spinners. A knightmare's maneuverability was the key reason it was leagues ahead of any other machine on the planet. This desert turned that advantage into a liability. She was ultimately forced to commission the use of tanks and other unconventional tools in order to conquer the irritatingly well defended fortresses dotting the area.
But now Jerusalem, the last of those godforsaken cities, had fallen. By now, most of her forces had consolidated at the Britannian base of operations to be shipped out already. Those that remained were cleaning up the last remaining resistance groups that refused to surrender, and would stay until a proper government moved in to replace them. Within a week's time she and her army would be landing in Area Eleven, to deal with the problems arisen there. It was a rather abrupt transfer, but being honest she preferred that than returning to Pendragon. The kind of people she preferred were honest, and trustworthy individuals. Soldiers were far more straightforward than nobles and diplomats, she found.
"Your highness, it appears you have a guest." Guilford informed her from his usual spot beside her.
She raised an eyebrow at the information, looking up from the strategy table. "What do you mean a guest?"
"Lord Ashford has arrived, princess. He wishes to speak with you."
"He's...here?" Cornelia asked with a frown.
"Apparently. He landed at the airfield then immediately asked for you." Her knight explained.
That was hardly something ordinary. Most people didn't fly halfway around the world unannounced to speak with her-or anyone for that matter. He could have just called, there wasn't anything she could think of he would wish to speak with her personally. More so since she only ever met the man a handful of times years ago. Truthfully, she had been wanting to get a chance to talk with Lord Ashford; she simply hadn't the time for such pleasantries. No matter what excuses she could conjure so converse with the man who created more than half the weapons she now employed. Even if it was completely out of the blue he did come at a good time however. Her presence wasn't in dire need to plan out the final rout nor was it particularly excitable. And already thinking of whatever the father of the knightmare came all the way out here for was more entertaining than that.
"Send him to my office then." She told Guilford, who would relay her order to whoever was currently receiving the lord. "I'll meet him there."
Her loyal knight nodded without hesitation. "Very well your highness."
She couldn't lie that there was a bit of excitement building up as she made her way to her rarely used office on the base. Whatever could he want?
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Ashford Tower; 2017 ATB
As much as what was going on now she make her jump for joy, Kallen couldn't help but let her disappointment dampen the opportunity she was given.
Lelouch was going to be waging a very real battle very soon, and she wasn't going to be part of it. More than that the person she felt most connected to-granted she knew full well she wasn't aware of hardly anything going on in his head-would be off without her for who knows how long. She was part of the Black Ops division, and in her own right surprisingly influential among most other recruits, but Lelouch was really the only one she felt comfortable with. Of course now she had her brother to boss around, but even then she couldn't hide how much she'd rather have gone with him.
Even if Lelouch specifically left her in charge.
Well, maybe not the one who actually directed the plans he left for her, there were others better suited for that she had to admit. But it explicitly stated she was to watch Clovis and even to some degree Jeremiah. Because he trusted her. For that she should be ecstatic. Kallen knew full well just what kind of level of trust he was placing in her, but it just wasn't satisfying in the slightest. To make it worse Kaguya was instead the one to rush off with him and Suzaku. How she managed to convince him of that she had no clue. To Kallen it felt like their roles had been swapped. Kaguya was far more adept at reading people and all that. Loathe as she was to admit it. And she was way better in a knightmare, and that she was more ready to prove.
She let out a frustrated sigh. Even if she was glad she got to personally watch the Viceroy, hardly able to trust the man who had up until a few days ago, been the sole oppressor of their people. Even if his regulations weren't half as cruel compared to other areas. She was really supposed to believe he was actually on their side?
"Well, I have to say this place actually is kinda impressive." Naoto remarked as they finished the tour she had been half committed to. "Guess I gotta hand it to him, you guys got a lot more toys."
"Well, they are the Ashfords." She replied dryly. "Allen has said before they're the biggest toy store there is."
"I guess that's true." Her brother agreed. "And they sell to anyone they please."
She assumed he meant that as some kind of negative comment, which earned a frown. "Its because the do that they were able to afford all this. Most of the money we make cycles down into the Japanese economy. You do realize Lelouch practically revived Japan from the dead, don't you?"
Naoto huffed, trying to blow her off. "You give him too much credit sis. One man can't build a nation."
Kallen glared at her brother. "I'm pretty sure he's already proved you wrong."
He was so irritating, feeling as though he had to personally challenge Lelouch whenever he could. Even then Naoto knew he couldn't hope to measure up to whatever Lelouch accomplished, so instead resorted to downplaying everything he could. As much as she once admired her brother, now it was kind of sad.
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Area Eighteen; 2017 ATB
The moment Cornelia arrived at the entrance to her office she noticed them. Granted it was hard not to, it was clear they were deliberately standing out. Two young Elevens flanking the door she would have to enter. An older male and a younger female. The watched her silently the second she exited the elevator, and every step she took toward them. They're gazes weren't hostile, but hardly welcoming either. And they almost looked as though they were guarding her own office-from her.
"Keep an eye on those two." She whispered to Guilford before they got too close.
He nodded silently, before opening the door for her. Those elevens were obviously Ashford's. But she really wasn't sure what the message he was trying to send her was,if there was one that is. But it was hardly ordinary enough not to be one. The one thing she did decide was that Lord Ashford was a strange one, to say the least.
However, upon stepping into the luxurious yet empty room, Cornelia was startled yet again. The man waiting for her was not the aging Ruben Ashford, but a much younger Allen. She had seen him only once before, when he announced the Marianne in his public debut. She knew him to be his adopted father's heir only because the Ashford family was one of few noble lines that interested her, for obvious reasons.
"Your highness, thank you for seeing me on such short notice." The young Lord greeted her with an infectious smile.
"Short indeed. I have to ask, did you fly all this way out here to speak with me?" She responded, offering her hand to shake. It wasn't a gesture she extended to many. However this man deserved it twofold. She had just received word that Clovis now owed his life to him. To Cornelia there was nothing more deserving of her respect.
Allen seemed to have noticed however, instead eyeing her open hand hesitantly. She smirked at him. "You saved Clovis from what I hear. Along with most Area Eleven. For that I am grateful. I value my family greatly."
"I see." The blonde responded with an imperceptible hint of irritation, quickly wiped away with a smile as he accepted the offer. "I was only doing what I as a loyal son of Britannia should do. Zero and his Black Knights are a serious threat to Area Eleven and the empire. It's gravely concerning they were nearly capable of besting prince Clovis."
"As much as I hate to gossip, my brother wasn't a very capable commander. Don't worry though, I'll be dealing with them shortly." She assured him.
"So I've heard. You ordered a large amount of Marianne frames to be manufactured there by the week's end. The order is actually already complete your highness." Allen replied with a slightly arrogant grin.
"That's good to know. Considering practically the entire knight corps in Area Eleven has been wiped out." Cornelia said as she frowned. Points for effort but her brother really did more harm than good there.
"Rest assured your highness, my own knightmares have been deployed to protect the settlement. Zero knows this, he won't be so quick to strike now."
"Again I have to thank you for that. You've done far more than should be expected of you. I'm sure his majesty will reward you when he learns of this." The princess told him. She paused a second before continuing. "But all this surely can't be the reason you came all this way."
Allen nodded with a cunning grin. "Of course not. No, I have something far more interesting to share with you than idle pleasantries."
Which to her suddenly seemed odd. She never was one for chitchat yet somehow didn't want to shoot herself when speaking with him. "And what might that be?" she asked curiously.
"You're aware that Ashford Enterprises was able to recover due to our partnership with the Militarized Zone of India?" Allen began.
"I believe so. You have factories over there now don't you?" She answered.
"Eventually yes, we did. But initially we had to use their factories to build our knightmares, providing them with Sakuradite in exchange. They tried to hide it but it was fairly obvious they were using it to build more knightmares of their own." He explained. "However I know those frames never made it to the Chinese Federation."
"Then they just kept them for themselves?" Cornelia asked.
"India supplies more than ninety percent of the Federation's military hardware. And they are poorly compensated for it. But I know that India has been accumulating resources for years now. They've been planning to rebel for a long time, perhaps long before I gave them a means to do it." The blonde teen grinned as he finally revealed his goal. "And they will innact their plan soon."
"You're saying India is going to rebel against the Chinese Federation?" The princess repeated his claim disbelievingly. "How can you say this for certain?"
"They believe I'm on their side. It's true that I would have as much to gain should India free itself from the federation, but even from a business standpoint I stand to obtain far more from selling them out. Regardless, with you traveling away from their borders to deal with Area Eleven they feel now is the best time. A great deal of resources have been moved to the EU as well, they know this even without my help." Allen extended his hands out in a grandiose gesture. "And it's true. Now is the best time for you to invade India, there will never be a better opportunity. India will be forced to fight a war with two sides, and their defeat will be inevitable. From there it will be up to you to force the Federation out of India. Even if such an action causes an irrevocable war with them they will have lost their only means of production. Such a position will ultimately lead to the downfall of the entire Chinese Federation. To top it all off, I have over a hundred Marianne and Ganymede frames sitting in storage over there, just waiting to be used. I've prepared for this just as they have."
As the young lord finished Cornelia was already deep in thought herself. If he was right-and she had little doubt he was-then this would mean a huge advantage over the Asian empire. Truthfully, she normally wouldn't hesitate for something like this. The only problem was the other mission she currently had. Zero wasn't going to just wait for her. But there wasn't any other Britannian military force that could wage a war of this magnitude unless Schneizel could come up with something. But he was dealing with Europe and could hardly afford such a campaign. It had to be her. It seemed lord Ashford understood this.
"I promise you I have Area Eleven under control your highness." Allen assured her as if reading her mind; or more likely he anticipated that all along. "We have a few things out if development that can put anything else out there to shame. You've heard of Camelot's seventh generation project 'Excalibur' haven't you? We beat them to it months ago."
She raised an eyebrow at that. She was aware that Camelot had yet to produce such a knightmare. Though she wasn't exactly surprised to hear Ashford had already succeeded. "His majesty will have to approve regardless of what I think. I was to deal with the Black Knights under his orders."
"And what do you think, princess?" Allen asked her with a faint smile.
"I think such an opportunity only comes once."
Allen grinned maniacally. That was all he needed to hear.
It was a necessary Sacrifice.
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