Throne of Glass
Chapter 32: The Whole World
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It was funny that this moment was the first time Euphy had ever attended a party of any kind with her sister. At least in recent years. Oddly enough, the last time they ever did, would have been back when Lelouch and Nunnally were with them. Which was ironic that he was here now.
They were still missing someone, though.
Guilford had taken Allen away to fetch some drinks, leaving her alone with her older sister. A comfortable silence settled between them, as she listened to the background chatter of other officers. She could see Darlton speaking with a few of his sons, and Nonette had apparently been chatting with a reluctant Suzaku. Many of the soldiers were understandably indifferent around the Eleven devicer working for Ashford. But Euphy was pleasantly surprised to find none ever showed any open hostility toward him. The men under Cornelia's command were well disciplined.
"So, um…how do I put this?" Cornelia spoke up, an uncharacteristic hesitance in her voice. Euphy raised an eyebrow as she looked at her sister curiously. Whatever could this be about?
"I suppose what I'm trying to say is…you like Allen, don't you?" She finally blurted out.
Oh, now that was certainly unexpected. She never would have guessed her sister would be so direct. Considering how open she was, Euphy decided to have a little fun with it. "Yes of course. I've never met someone so amazing before. He's smart, kind and considerate; bold and brave as well."
She went on way too thick with the fawning, sounding every bit like a girl in love. She honestly believed that had she not learned who he really was, she would have fallen head over heels for him after what happened in Area Eleven.
"Y-yes, that he is." Her sister was very clearly off put by her reaction. She was too cruel. "As far as nobles go, there isn't one of them I've met who represents what it truly means to be noble. What I'm saying is, well, he is an excellent choice."
She recalled that many years ago, she and Nunnally had once fought over which one of them would marry Lelouch. How unbelievable was it that the only other person to enrapture her so would end up still being the same man? It seemed she won that contest by default however.
Before she said anything else, the young man in question finally returned with Guilford. She was handed her own glass of wine, along with a half-smile she was beginning to see through more and more.
"To victory."
She drank from her cup, a fine wine brought in from the homeland. The opportunities she had prior to this could be counted on one hand, she was hardly a connoisseur like Clovis was. Still, it was nice, and in good company.
The conversation was brought to more technical subjects as Guilford discussed how they had faired against the Templars before. It mostly went above her head, as he and her sister went over more fine details. Even in an environment like this, Cornelia couldn't help but talk about matters of war. She tried to follow them nonetheless, only realizing a moment later that one of them wasn't speaking at all.
She glanced toward Lelouch, having noticed he wasn't contributing to a topic that doubtless would have interested him. He had grown noticeably pale, his eyes unfocused. Euphy called out to him, an arm reaching out in concern. He glanced at her for a moment, muttering something she couldn't hear.
"Lord Ashford?"
"Allen?"
Something was terribly wrong.
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Ashford Manor, Area Eleven; 2017 ATB
He awoke to find himself in a familiar room. It was a place he had come to find comfort in, the one place he could possibly call home. How he got here however…
How disgraceful. So soon after the last, another near catastrophic failure as a result of his negligence. His survival, being here now, was a result he could not take credit for. How long before the devil collected his dues for the luck he had borrowed from him?
"That's just like you, already trying to work out who did this."
He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts he hadn't even noticed the other occupant in the room. Of course, Lelouch was so accustomed to his presence he blended in quite well. "Am I really so easy for you to read?"
Suzaku smiled, a grim expression reflecting the seriousness of their situation. "I'd be a fool to think I could understand what goes on in that head of yours. I can make a good guess every now and then."
"How long have I been out?" He asked.
"Two days. Cornelia will be departing Area Nineteen tomorrow morning." His friend told him.
"I see. Even now I continue to borrow from the devil." Lelouch muttered. Not a moment more to spare.
"Lelouch, I…"
He frowned, knowing exactly what Suzaku was about to say. The prince raised a hand to stop him. "Don't even go there. I have made no shortage of enemies, and I let my own guard down despite that. I trust you with my life when it comes down to it, but I know there are some things you can't do, just as I can't."
"Even so-" he insisted.
"Enough. I don't blame you, no matter what you think."
That seemed to at least shut him up. He would have to find some way to let Suzaku redeem himself, he knew his friend would never let it go otherwise.
"The doctor wants you to stay here for the night, make sure there aren't any adverse effects. You were incredibly lucky, if you had drank any more of that there's not a chance in hell you would have survived. It's really a wonder you did at all." Suzaku explained.
"So my aversion to alcohol saved me, did it? Lucky indeed." He mused.
"Cornelia has sworn to track down the one responsible. The server who gave you the drink disappeared shortly after, and hasn't been found. The city might have been under Britannian control, but it was still hostile territory." Suzaku continued.
"It won't really matter soon here anyway. The list of people who could execute an assassination in the middle of the Chief General's occupation is considerably small. In fact I believe I know exactly who it was. Nothing I can really do about it now though. All I can say is I'm glad he made such a half-hearted attempt."
"Half-hearted?" The other boy asked.
"Had he really wanted me dead, that's not how he would have done it. He's still indecisive about what he wants to do with me." Lelouch answered.
"He'll regret that soon however."
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Pendragon, Britannia; 2017 ATB
Schneizel el Britannia tapped his finger idly against the arm of his chair, contemplating the news he was just given.
What was he expecting, making such a paltry move?
No, it was a warning, a test of sorts. He could not understand what drove Allen Ashford, but this could show him how much the young lord valued his own life. Were his motives self-serving? Then he would cower, poke at the shadows in fear. If he was after something more, this would only embolden him. A test in character. He did not believe he could control Allen Ashford, but if he could understand him…perhaps he had a vision of his own.
Intuition, something he often discarded. And yet he had an overwhelming belief that Allen was after something far greater than his peers. The worthless, pandering parasites that populated the nobility, paragons of Britannian society. Of everything their empire had become.
He was not like them. It was intuition that stayed his hand despite logic warning him of the danger. He wanted Allen on his side. If he could just come to know what Allen saw in the world, if Schneizel could just grasp the boy's vision. Then perhaps he could convince him to make their vision a reality. Because he knew this much: if they both sought a new future, the old world had to be removed first.
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Ashford Tower, Area Eleven; 2017 ATB
Emilia had spent the past several days diving head first into the information they had gathered from the rubble at Narita. And after every file she went through, she became more and more suspicious about the nature of what she was going through. On the body of General Katase, they found a drive that contained a number of plans for operations within the area, including the Tokyo settlement as well. Unit compositions, inventory, suppliers, a massive amount of data that would take weeks to sort out and identify.
But she wasn't bothering with any of that.
It didn't take her long to come to the realization that the drive the general possessed was very likely a diversion planted after the man's death. If the bullet wound in his skull was any indication, he didn't die in the following explosion that took down the base. Either he committed suicide, or was killed by another. She honestly doubted the man was the instrument of his own demise, so then who was responsible? Had they tried to remove him before she was able to get to him? That seemed the most obvious answer at first, but there was a problem with that. The information the general had on him was indisputably valuable. She had yet to find any portion of it that was inaccurate, it even led her to track down a number of Black Knight cells completely off guard. So then why was he assassinated, if not to keep those secrets. Perhaps there was something even greater Zero wished to keep from her, like his own identity? She always found it strange how a man leading the Japanese revolution would conceal his face. It didn't fit with the cultural profile one would expect from them. Clearly he had something to hide.
Another piece of the puzzle, as the picture became clearer. It had finally become apparent to her that everything was connected in some way. The truth she had been searching for all this time was a single answer just out of reach.
The knight did not want to believe it, there was no condemning evidence to point to it, but even still she couldn't deny it.
Deep down Emilia knew she had her answer, and one way or another, she was going to find out.
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"It's a relief to see that you're alright."
Cornelia said with genuine concern. "I couldn't live with myself had something happened to you under my watch, after all you've done for me."
"I appreciate that. But really, it's my own fault. I know perfectly well I haven't exactly treaded lightly across the toes of my colleagues." Lelouch told her, still within the confines of a bed.
"You and I both. Which is why I won't stand for this." The princess replied. "I haven't been able to commit many resources to tracking down the assassin, but I swear to you I will hunt down those responsible."
He shook his head with a grateful smile. "As much as I would like nothing more, we haven't the luxury to go chasing shadows. There are much bigger problems at hand here." He said.
"That there are." Cornelia agreed. "As you might have been told, I will be departing tomorrow morning. It's a short order notice, even for my men, but we've got it under control."
"I don't doubt it. I look forward to your arrival."
She nodded. "Right. Well I won't keep you, you'll have to prepare as well I'm sure."
The older princess put a hand upon the shoulder of her younger sister, giving her a knowing look before leaving the room with the call still on.
"You're really alright aren't you?" Euphemia asked.
"Yeah, it'll take more than that to get rid of me." Lelouch reassured her.
She offered a gentle smile. "I wanted to go with you, but my sister insisted I stay with her."
"That's for the best." He agreed. "Stay with her for now. When I next see the two of you, the situation will have changed drastically. She'll need you with her."
"I see. Promise me you'll be safe until I see you again." Euphy pleaded.
"I will. I didn't make it this far being careless. I was caught off guard, but it won't happen again."
Her gaze fell. "It's my fault. Both at the hotel and now, if I wasn't there then…"
Lelouch shook his head. "Of course not. Everything has gone so well a few problems were bound to come up. I'm just glad you, or anyone else wasn't killed because of it."
Nearly losing Kaguya was still fresh on his mind. So many close calls in such a short time.
"I'm sorry. I haven't been of much help, even after saying I would do all I could." She apologized nonetheless. Really, Euphy was too precious.
"You'll have a chance. There are always things only you can do, and no one else." Lelouch said. He didn't accept her out of pity or nostalgia, she had a strength of her own. He knew that perfectly well.
She nodded. "Yes, and when that time comes you can count on me."
"I know I can." He replied. "Now go with your sister. I'll see you again."
"Goodbye for now, then. Take care." The call then finally ended, leaving Lelouch with a thin smile he offered to her.
"It's good to see you've rebuilt that relationship. I'm glad." Suzaku commented, having stood in the corner of the room whilst he spoke with his sisters.
"She's the easy one. Convincing Cornelia will be much more difficult. And I'm running out of time to work out an approach to that." He commented. And a moment of thinking he continued. "Can you get Clovis for me? I need to have a word with him."
He'd need to hear his brother's thoughts on that. Tomorrow was the deadline. Then, everything would be out in the open.
The masks would finally come off.
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Chaos had been the theme of his life for far too long now. Being Viceroy of the Empire's most volatile colony, one would think he accustomed to such torrential happenings. But the most recent catastrophes has certainly worn on him far more than any other. Even meeting Zero face to face, he'd expected his life to come to an end going into that. But Lelouch meant something more. To Clovis he was the physical manifestation of the future. A path Clovis had been trying to find for so long, and now his brother was blazing the trail before him. Watching him weather the storm before him was terrifying, to say the least.
He dealt with the overflowing discontent of his radical Japanese 'allies', and now he had the attention of none other than Schneizel, the most sinister of their siblings.
Of course it was the Prime Minister responsible, of that Clovis had no doubt. It was he who encouraged Cornelia to hold that celebration he catered. It couldn't be more transparent. Cornelia wouldn't see it, that wasn't her strong suit. And Schneizel knew that perfectly well. He was always masterfully adept at playing their battle hardened sister like a fiddle.
Coming to a stop at a door within the mansion, his guide knocked upon it. "Master Lelouch, Prince Clovis is here to see you."
He was let in, finding Lelouch still lying in bed with a passive expression as their eyes met. "Thank you for seeing me so quickly, Clovis."
"Of course. I'll always drop everything for you." He replied.
His younger brother gave him a weak smile. "That's most welcome. I just had a few things I wanted to discuss."
He was acting uncharacteristically subdued, much of his natural charisma lost. Or rather, maybe he just wasn't bothering to put up any masks. His recent brush with death must have reminded the outcast prince of his own mortality quite harshly.
"Firstly, is everything ready for Britannia's arrival? Nothing problematic worth mentioning?" He asked.
"The Mirai is operational and currently standing by awaiting launch, with no complications to report. The rest of our forces are sortied and awaiting on standby as well." Clovis explained. Even with the setback at Narita, they still had the manpower to field all of their main battleforce. Lelouch had been accumulating such assets for a long time now. "All that needs to be done is give the order for them to deploy, and Britannia will realize just what they have been blind to all this time."
The bedridden prince nodded, looking pleased despite his placid demeanor. "Excellent. I hope that means the Megumi was able to be restored quickly enough? I never got to see how badly Nonette roughed her up."
"Yes, along with all the Templars that returned as well. In total, seven were lost during the Indian campaign. Well within expectations. Of those, one devicer was captured and two were killed in action." The viceroy said. Such minimal losses against Cornelia were unheard of, and most definitely promising. "On a separate matter, the only thing really worth mentioning is the status of the evacuation. It was obviously wishful thinking to believe we could empty out the settlement completely before the fighting started, but we have managed to get approximately eighty-five percent of the population out safely. Of those, sixty percent have taken residence in the refugee camps provided by Ashford."
"Yes, that was to be expected. The best we can hope for is to scare those more stubborn into fleeing once we make our intentions known. Once the battle begins, their lives will be in their hands. You and I both know how that will turn out." Poorly, to say the least. It was why they went through such an effort to evacuate. If they had simply allowed everyone to carry on without a worry, the casualties would be astronomical. Such a death toll would reflect very badly on their standing with the remaining population, whereas now they would be believed to hold the wellbeing of the citizens in high regard.
"There is one other thing I needed to consult you on however." Lelouch brought up, seeming satisfied with the status report. "I…want your opinion on how I should approach Cornelia tomorrow."
To that Clovis raised an eyebrow. He heard that Lelouch had rekindled a genuine relationship with Euphemia, but he wasn't actually expecting him to reach out to Cornelia as well. "I've decided that I want her on my side as well. She is still an inspirational leader, and…someone that means something to me. Getting our allies and future citizens to accept her might be a monumentous challenge, but it's one I'm willing to take on. But, I honestly don't know what to say to her, or how to convince her to join me. Is it even possible?"
"I suppose you never learned about this, but Cornelia spent an absurd amount of time looking for you." Clovis revealed. He remembered that well, having done very much the same. "She demanded you be rescued, even wanting to search for you herself, still pestering the emperor even while knightmares were in the streets. She was denied, time and again, but never stopped pushing for it, despite the risk to herself. After a while she was deployed to her first campaign, just to shut her up."
She's never gotten over it, I know that. With the right words, you could turn her on our father in an instant, just the same as I have. She knows, deep down, that we are all nothing but tools, to be used and disposed of. All she does, she does to protect Euphy. If you offer her a future where her little sister can be free, one where Nunnally could have been free, that will be more than enough."
Lelouch sat in silence for some time, taking in his words. Finally he spoke, barely a whisper. "More and more, I'm beginning to believe I've made a terrible mistake. All this time, I thought I lost everything, but…perhaps that wasn't true at all. I don't regret choosing not to return, what I've found for myself here is now irreplaceable. Even still, I chose to throw away something I should have held close." He looked Clovis in the eyes, and the older prince could once again see the passion in his brother's piercing gaze. "I want it back, Clovis."
He truly did possess an unwavering conviction. "Then there isn't anything in the world that can stop you. I know you will find exactly what needs to be said."
"Yes, I…I think I know what I'll tell her." Lelouch replied. "Thank you Clovis. You should go and get some rest as well. Tomorrow is going to be a big day, one to go down in history.
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The Ashford tower was eerily quiet as Emilia made her way through the halls to her destination. That wasn't a surprise really, considering they had actively been evacuating everyone from the settlement. That included the employees of Ashford as well, naturally. It made things easier for her, as she snuck through the gigantic building unnoticed until she found an access point to the main hangar far below her. Riding an elevator down, she reached the expansive storage of Ashford's great many knightmares. Here it was actually quite lively, a great number of engineers and devicers running around preparing dozens of machines for the upcoming confrontation. She even saw a familiar redhead talking with a blonde Indian woman in front of a certain crimson knightmare.
All that in itself wasn't cause for suspicion, but there was something else she was looking for. It was reported that the Black Knights had indeed retreated somewhere within Area Eleven with the Templars and Megumi when they fled India. The base in Narita was the most obvious place, had it not been destroyed before their return. So then where would they go? She seriously doubted they had another underground base of that caliber hidden somewhere on the island, so where would they be?
Emilia hoped she wouldn't find anything, that would make things easier. But she had a sinking feeling otherwise.
She stuck to the shadows, slipping around the corners of the hangar. Eventually she found a promising maintenance tunnel somewhere that would get her access further down. The stairwell took her below the hangar, to a door labeled 'Hangar Two'.
"There's another one?" She whispered. Was it an empty spare, or…?
The door was locked to her, the keycard Emilia was given refused to open it. So she had to be a little more forceful. If nothing was to be found, she would apologize later, otherwise, that'd be the least of their problems. Getting it unlocked wasn't much of an issue, and eventually she had it pried open. Sneaking inside, her heart sank at what she found. She didn't want it to be this way, but everything she had come to understand of it only made sense. Why the Black Knights never targeted Ashford, Allen's strange behaviour, the whole fiasco in India, and now the discrepancy from Narita. Everything pointed to one resolution, no matter how grim. This was only proof.
Before her were over one hundred Templar Knightmare frames, the sigil of the Black Knights emblazoned proudly upon their pauldrons.
The knight took it all in, finding the white and red knightmare described as the Megumi, and another much more sinister black knightmare she didn't recognize. It was all here, the frames belonging to the infamous Zero tucked away beneath Ashford Tower. The meaning was perfectly clear, and she learned of it a day before Cornelia would be walking it a treacherous trap.
Quietly, she slipped out her phone, taking pictures for evidence. Her word as a knight of the round carried much weight, but this would be damning.
"You really couldn't have just waited one more day before snooping around."
Emilia whipped around, realizing too late that she had been discovered. "I guess I should be glad you didn't get too suspicious any earlier, this way we can keep you quiet." Kallen spoke, a number of darkly clad soldiers with weapons pointed at Emilia with her. Among them was that shinobi woman who undoubtedly had been the one to discover her. Always watching her she was.
"The knight of one is expecting me to contact him regularly. If I fail to do so he'll know something is wrong. Emilia warned her. "You can't hide this any longer."
Kallen shook her head. "Cornelia will be here tomorrow. But she will never set foot in 'Area Eleven.' I'm afraid you're too late, Emilia."
The redhead signaled her guard. "Seize her. Take her phone."
"Why? Why are you doing this?" She demanded of the young woman she had actually come to respect.
"My real name is Kallen Kozuki Stadtfeld. My mother is an Eleven. That alone should explain myself well enough." She revealed as Emilia was bound and searched for any weapons. Her sidearm and phone were taken as two of them held her down.
"But that isn't what you want to know right? Why Ashford would betray the empire, and build an army to spark a rebellion. That's what you haven't figured out. Why they would do it."
"This is all Allen's work, I'm sure of it." Emilia said. "He's responsible for everything. But I can't understand why. Just what is it he wants? Who is he?"
"It's not for me to tell you. If you're lucky, maybe you'll get a chance to talk to him. Maybe he'll tell you then." Kallen answered.
Was it really so closely guarded that even now she wasn't allowed to know?
"Lady Kallen." The ninja woman spoke up. "Master Zero has given you discretion to deal with the knight of five however you see fit."
Hearing this, Kallen frowned, clearly conflicted. "If I tell you, then you won't be allowed to leave, even after all is said and done. Do you really want to know that badly?"
Curiosity killed the cat, and she was burning with it, hearing that ominous warning wasn't doing much to sate it. "Tell me."
She sighed, shaking her head. "Remember when you first came to the manor, and saw the gardens there? I told you they were a tribute to the one in Aries Villa."
"The home of Empress Marianne." Emilia remembered that very clearly. It was strange even then. "That's not all. His debut was declaring a memorial to her in front of the entire world. There's a statue of her above us for God's sake. I never understood that. He never met her. Why…why does Allen Ashford worship her?"
"Worship, huh? I guess you could call it that." She gave Emilia a sharp glare at her next words. "But really what faithful son wouldn't revere his own mother?"
"His…mother?" She repeated. Marianne was his mother? That would mean that he was- "a prince?"
The one exiled seven years ago- to Japan. To the Kurugui household. The very same Kururugi that hid in the shadow of Allen Ashford. "Lelouch vi Britannia."
"So you know about him. That means you know what happened to him. You can guess then right?" Kallen continued. "Why he would work towards Britannia's destruction. He and I have something in common: we were both born into privilege, with lesser blood. For that, this world hates us, the world the Emperor of Britannia created. And we're going to tear it apart, and build something better in its place."
"That's madness. Even if you free Area Eleven you can never overcome the entire empire, you'll be the enemy of the whole world!" Emilia tried to reason. Surely they had to understand how absurd that sounded!
"You think he's the kind of person to let that stop him? Maybe after you meet him you'll understand." Kallen insisted. "He will change this world. And there's nothing you can do to stop him.
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"Lady Strauss has been apprehended, my lord."
Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. She had given them a bit of a scare, but he was always confident they could handle it. "Have her secured in the holding cells. I'll speak with her myself later."
"Understood."
With the Knight of Five dealt with, that was one key piece of his opponent's already off the board. It would have been catastrophic had she been able to warn Britannia sooner. But even now, it probably wouldn't have even mattered. He had to give her credit where it was due however, she wasn't distracted by the bait he offered her. She actually uncovered their secrets in the end. With that he was finally able to take a second to relax. There wouldn't be a moment's rest starting tomorrow. It was finally time, and he was ready.
He heard a soft knock on the door, and a moment later someone poked their head through. "Lelouch?"
"Kaguya, I wasn't expecting you to come." He greeted his visitor. "How are you, you weren't hurt back then were you?"
"No, I'm completely fine. It's you I'm worried about." She said as she entered the room, coming to sit down at the foot of the bed. "When I heard that you had been poisoned I was…terrified. I couldn't…couldn't bear to lose you.
He tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Come on, you know it'll take more than that to kill me."
"Do you really believe that?" Kaguya questioned him. "You're only human Lelouch, you're not invincible."
He remained silent for a minute, her accusation ringing true to his own thoughts of late. "Maybe not. The course I've chosen is a perilous one, I really may die along the way; before I see my journey's end."
"W-what are you trying to say?" Kaguya stammered, leaning in toward him. "I don't even want to hear you talking like that."
"I will try my utmost to see it to the end, you can be sure of that." He assured her. "But after today, I've begun to think about something."
Kaguya frowned, very uncomfortable with the words she was hearing. This was not what she came here for at all.
"Even if I die, the dream I've given to so many people won't die with me. I realize that now. This isn't just about me anymore." He explained. "So if that were to happen, I want you to carry on in my place."
Her eyes widened in shock, processing what she was told. "No! That isn't what I want at all!" She cried out. How could he even say that?! "If you're gone there isn't any point to it, I wouldn't have a reason to keep going at all!"
Obviously taken aback, Lelouch was at a loss for words. "Ka-Kaguya, all I'm trying to ask is-"
"I won't." She cut him off. "You are not allowed to die, do you hear me? If you were…if I lost you I-"
She began to choke up, genuine tears welling up. "You mean everything to me, Lelouch. You gave me a reason to fight, to live! I don't even care about what happens to Japan. All that matters to me…is making you happy."
Kaguya crept along his bed, inching closer to him. "I…I love you, I think I might always have."
Lelouch stared at her, the girl's face very close to his own. He was speechless, he had no idea what to do in a situation like this. Never even considered it. And yet…
"I know…that there might not be any piece left in your heart that knows how to love, but that doesn't change how I feel. You've given so much to me, and now I want to give something back." She placed her hands upon his face, delicate and gentle. "Let me show you how to love again."
Her lips met his.
The embrace was brief, Kaguya pulled away only a moment later. But kept her eyes focused solely on his, trying to decipher what thoughts lay hidden behind them. Always knowing him so well, but never enough.
"I thought that, long ago, I'd given up all the joy in my life." Lelouch spoke, barely a whisper. "Traded it away in exchange for more strength, the power I would need to see this path of mine through."
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. "I understand now that they did not accept my happiness as an offering, the weakness I thought I needed to be rid of. I've never been so wrong in my life."
The prince in exile raised his head, eyes meeting Japan's princess once again. "I've wasted seven years of my life hating. Time he took from me, on top of everything else. I can't take back what I've lost, no matter how hard I try. But there are things I care about, people I still want to protect. And the strength I asked for is right in front of me."
His lips met hers.
"I will never leave your side." Kaguya Sumeragi swore." I will follow you no matter where you go. And if the whole world is your enemy, then it is mine as well."
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