Chapter XI
Return of fallen prince
25th of October, 14:00
Ashford Academy, Area 11
It was one month since Lelouch went missing. Even worse – Nunnally disappeared the day afterwards, and Rivalz wasn`t sure what to think about it. He got a lot of questions from schoolgirls, asking him where Lelouch went. While before his first reaction would be a small jealousy at the attention his friend got, now he was too worried for that. He expected Milly to be 'in the know', however it was hard to drag out information off her.
Maybe Lelouch went to his family? Even then – who are Lelouch`s parents? Who was his family? He never heard about them at all! There was one a rumor that he was somehow connected to the Royal Family, belonging to some thought-to-be exterminated bloodline. Most of it was based on his actions, behavior and on certain regal aura he was always showing. Strangely, this rumor Milly never touched. Milly, of all people! She would always listen to rumors Lelouch`s girl fanclub would spread and investigate it, but not with that one!
There was also another reason for his confusion. One day, Shirley disappeared. They searched for her a few days. Yesterday she casually entered Ashford Academy, as if she always was here. Her mother dragged her away and he was certain the two had a conflict because of it.
His thoughts were interrupted by the announcement, ordering the students to gather for empire-wide broadcasted speech of the emperor. While he wasn`t particularly interested in it, it was required to participate.
He entered the hall and was looking around to find Milly. Surprisingly, Shirley was also present, though she didn`t look the same as usual. Something changed. Rival saw some hints of anger she kept in herself, while glaring at the monitor. Milly glanced at him and gestured to come closer.
"Hi, Milly. It`s nice to see you again," He glanced at his not-so-secret crush, before looking at his friend, "Shirley, is everything OK?"
Shirley wanted to respond, but stopped. Yes, she got her memories back, she is yet again with friends, yet she was worried. When Nunna told her about who they really were with Lelouch – she couldn`t believe her. Shirley continued to listen, and finally she completed her puzzle of who Lelouch actually was. But did it matter, if Shirley didn`t know where he was?
"You could say so…" she said in a wistful voice, before her attention snapping to the broadcast.
"Announcing: 98th Emperor of Holy Britannian Empire, Charles zi Britannia"
Camera zoomed in on the emperor, who stood behind a tribune.
"War. Fire of countless conflicts forged modern Britannia. Each of them made our holy nation better and stronger.
Ever since establishing the new capital in the New World by Ricardo von Britannia, a system of aristocracy through merit was created. Only the strongest men deserved to rule over others, to gain full benefits of the system. Whether through conquering entire nations, by building megacompanies or surviving hell that would leave a common man crushed by it. As the result – these men rose to greatness and drove our Britannia to glory."
Rivalz couldn`t help but notice Shirley becoming tense at his words. Instead of usual friendliness, her unforgiving gaze was directed at the man. She visibly disliked Charles. Something had definitely changed in her.
"Britannia`s future lies in men that survived through hell and made it submit to them!" Guard behind Charles took the lead, dragging away attention from the emperor.
"Announcing, Lelouch vi Britannia, 11th Prince of Holy Britannian Empire."
Lelouch strode gracefully through the nobles, gathered in the hall. His light-purple cape flew freely, and beneath it was a purple suit, a bit similar to one used by Zero. Aside from his regal aura he had during schooldays shining thrice as bright on the screen, he also was slightly more tanned. Immediately murmurs begun to spread throughout the hall, both in Pendragon and in school.
"Wait, Lelouch? As in 'Lamperouge'? We had a prince among us?" Fangirls begun to chatter, "They didn`t tell his surname though, maybe 'Lamperouge' was a cover up."
"Did they change his birthdate too? If so, then my entire analysis of his horoscope goes to waste…"
One student, member of basketball team, didn`t even bother to stiff a laugh. "Fantastic. Now I`ve begun to understand my ex, he really is something. Who knew he was such a man, huh."
"Wow, there goes my chances of being his girlfriend."
"Wow, there goes my chances of drinking beer with him."
"But His Majesty has more than hundred wives, why wouldn`t he be the exception?"
"And it isn`t like he gets more drinking restrictions than us, you know."
Rivalz tuned out of the discussion, his eyes glued to the screen. There he was, his old friend standing on a stage like a prince. Wait, he was a prince. He definitely needed more time for this thought to settle in his mind. Rivalz couldn`t shake off the feeling of some elements on his outfit being identical to Zero`s. What he couldn`t help but wonder was his companion, whom his best friend brought with himself. Rivalz muttered under his breath, his eyes locked on a certain redhead in white Knight`s uniform behind Lelouch.
"Why is Kallen with him?"
With Nunnally
'Thank God you`re alive, Brother', she closely observed the transmission. 'Though I`m wandering what he came up with for you'
One month earlier
Lelouch sat in his chair, looking through the documents on his desk. Contracts, resource shipments, reports from Ashford Industries… He was grateful to Reuben for giving him an unlimited access to his factories and products. With it, Lelouch would be properly prepared for the future campaign in no time. The only downside was paperwork.
He got used to it since the times of becoming Milly`s Vice-President and in being Zero. Yet, he still couldn`t help but be surprised at the sheer number of things he should do to revive the old-dead conglomerate.
'Good thing I have Jeremiah and can get more staff for this work,' Lelouch though to himself, his hand being already tired from constant writing, filling the needed forms. He was yet to properly prepare his second-in-command, as his previous one was just one ocean away and in the leadership of his Black Knights. Not the one he could easily reach out to now.
'Now, this deal will give me a new shipment of…'
"Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked, glancing at him from his own share of papers, taking his attention. "Are you sure you don`t need to speak to Lady Kallen right now?"
Lelouch kept his gaze at the forms, "Hm? I don`t think I need it."
'Now, I still need a few more allies. While Geassing them is an option, I should keep it as a last resort, since there are much more reformists in the syste-…'
"But she had locked herself out for almost a day by now!" Jeremiah returned to the topic at hand. "I think you could help her"
"…" he dropped his pen on the table, closing his gaze on Jeremiah`s eyes. "Maybe it could. Maybe it wouldn`t. While I think she will agree with my way, I cannot force it upon her. Kallen must think it all over herself."
"…I understand," Jeremiah dropped the topic, returning his gaze to the door. It was hard for him to come with terms of his failure under Marianne, and while Kallen didn`t exactly failed, he was expecting her to be quite in emotional turmoil.
Kallen sat on her bed, not moving an inch for God-knows how long. Bags were forming under her eyes, her hair completely trashed and her gaze completely distanced from her surroundings.
She hated Britannia with every fiber of her body. Countless massacres, corruption, mad nobility – it was a Herculean task to even find anything that could be loved in this damned country. In a gigantic empire Britannia is, about half of her billion-sized population had no rights. No Number could reach a normal life under the banner of Modern Britannia. He had to prostrate, to beg and to bow down to every Britannian to reach level of life of an unemployed drunkard from countryside Alabama.
Zero was a chance to change everything. He is a key to making Japan to live like it did pre-war, or even better.
Her mind wandered to the first time she ever met him. An unknown student from the same class as her, who also miraculously happened to share her sentiment against his Homeland, had led them against the finest of Area 11. He didn`t win, yet he changed the world altogether. Even that damned Knight of Betrayal, Suzaku, would`ve never reached his peak without Zero arising on the horizon as a main enemy of Britannia. Hell, would she even be alive without him?
She rose up, a thought coming up in her mind. Britannia needs to fall, and if Lelouch was able to bring defeats from the outside of it, then he would bring freedom to those inside. What she could do – is provide support on his path.
Kallen gently pushed the doors, opening her way inside Lelouch`s office. Both occupants glanced at her, seeing the answer for their unspoken question written all over her face. "I`m in. Now, what you two had already came up with?"
"The easiest way to make our goals succeed is through conquest." Kallen flinched at it, Lelouch not being any happier than her. "Before you ask – I, as a commander, can stop any bad treatment of whoever Britannians do not deem to be equal."
"As if Purists would`ve listen to you. No offence, Jeremiah, but we know it`s true." The latter shrugged, not being too touched by the comment. "It is, and I propose that Your Highness would deal with them swiftly."
"I was thinking the same, Jeremiah. Crushing them will be a heavy blow to outdated beliefs that control Britannia." Lelouch furrowed, one idea suddenly coming up in his mind on what to do with them, but decided to lay it back for later. "By the way, what is Schneizel doing?"
"He ended the negotiations. It seems that E.U. grew hostile to Britannia. It seems that now he returned to the Empire."
"The number of times somebody not out of the Geass Order tried to investigate the Aries Villa does tell that Schneizel is getting curious over us." Lelouch did not want to confront his brother at this stage. Schneizel is still a powerful piece and he is the most powerful man in the Empire after Charles. Negotiations with the E.U. had ended, and court is already filled with heated topics of whom to dispatch into Europe, so maybe he could use it for his advantage…
"It is important for you to not stand out too much from the hierarchy. Considering you`d easily distinguish yourself on the battlefield, it`d be logical to expect more and more questions rising up about you." Jeremiah reasoned. Kallen looked at Lelouch, trying to get support for herself, but he seemed to agree with Orange.
"But don`t you need one for yourself? You have become quite infamous in the Empire for 'Orange incident'. Or you, Lelouch, missing for damn seven years!"
"There are a lot of excuses or cover-up stories I could use, but you are an unknown element. For the change to happen we do need to look presentable."
Jeremiah glanced at Kallen. He did recall how she stood with her weapons at the ready just a little bit earlier, looking much more professional than him a decade ago. "If you allow, Your Highness, but I think if Kallen got her hands on knight`s training, we could have a good cover-up for her."
Kallen almost jumped out of surprise. "Me? A Knight? Please, I have no wish to become one." She didn`t get a verbal response, only meeting Lelouch`s disagreeing look. Her back shivered under his gaze. Begrudgingly, she gave up. "Do not expect me not to get back at you for this!"
'At least, I won`t need to act like a fucking sick sheltered girl for any longer!'
With Charles, Pendragon
"Lelouch. You left Britannia, yet managed to survive through the Second Pacific War. Say, what did you learn in your long journey?" Charles stood above him. He didn`t enjoy speaking to the public, deeming it not worthy of his time, but he certainly liked to place Lelouch in hard situations just to see how he`d get out.
"From their high statuses in Britannia, a lot of our nobles had lost the vision of what Britannia really is, and that, sadly, extends a lot even to us." He begun, gathering a lot of attention from the audience. He could feel the looks he got on himself from the nobles behind him in the throne room. "I`ve spent half of my life among common men, seeing how they view Britannia. Corruption, bribes, widespread drug problems, bloated bureaucracy and detached from real life authorities… For a nation that started its Empire anew in the New World, for a common man we look not much different from decadent states of E.U. and of Chinese Federation."
"You disagree with the way our Britannia currently lives, then?"
"Yes," he responded immediately.
Charles closed his eyes for a brief second, humming to himself at Lelouch`s response. Lelouch did tell him about his plans beforehand, and he didn`t find them too dangerous for Ragnarok. At the very least, it wouldn`t be boring. "What do you ask of me?"
"Becoming a Crown Prince of the Empire." Nobles and members of the Royal Family gasped. 'He isn`t serious, is he? Such requests are telling he`s mad!' Charles was the only person in the room, who wasn`t shocked. He did promise him he`d give him the throne later on, but he still has a façade to keep. So, the proper response to it would be…
"Defeat the E.U. and prove me your words, and only then shall I recognize you as first in line to the throne. There will be consequences if you will fail me."
"It will be done, Your Majesty" As Charles nodded, Lelouch turned his back to him, leaving the throne room full of shocked murmurs among nobles. Kallen followed suit, her persona attracting looks from a lot in the hall. Visibly, she was different from her usual self, even from her times in the Black Knights. Her hair was made up in combination of her school and rebel styles, while her hips were decorated with a golden sword hanging on her left.
'Go, my son. Should your vision be proven to be better than mine – I`ll step down with Ragnarok. If not – you will concede defeat.'
With the Black Knights
Everybody on the mobile base was standing near a TV.
Ohgi spoke first, breaking the silence. "So, the emperor announces a new prince and catapults him on the military campaign far away. Diethard, how did we not find him before if he lived here?"
"While he certainly is belonging to the Imperial Family, I`m afraid there was absolutely no lead to his existence."
Zero didn`t even flinch, her attention focused on the screen. Tohdoh glanced at her a few times, trying to think on whether she`d need any help to break her out of her shock. "Well, that`s…an interesting development."
"Oi, another prince! He`ll end up just like Clovis, I`m sure."
Zero turned her head on Tamaki, giving an impression of a judging look onto him, Tohdoh doing the same, voicing his disapproval.
"He won`t. I know him, he is a capable leader and a foe to be wary of."
"So assassination is on the table, then?" Diethard pointed at Kallen, who was accompanying Lelouch on the TV. "I`m unsure what is her status right now, and it is possible that Britannia knows about Commander`s allegiance to the Black Knights, but I think we could contact her…"
"NO!" Zero yelled, opening her mouth for the first time during the meeting. Her behavior surprised the rest. "…I`m against such methods. Maybe, we could abduct him, but if it isn`t possible – concentrate on what keeps Britannia`s hold over Japan."
"With all respect, but the prince is our enemy…" Diethard tried to reason out, getting angry looks from Ohgi and some other core members of the group.
Zero rose up, pressing her hands into the table. "What you had missed from the declaration – Britannia is now at war with the E.U. The Black Knights will continue sabotaging enemy military capacities, and will target sakuradite logistical lines from Area 11 to Britannia. This will be our response"
"What is our end goal for this?"
"Our target is making Tokyo an independent nation!"
Murmurs started through the crowd, other members being quite shocked at this declaration. After a good minute explaining detailed goals and possibility of this plan working, she left the hall. 'No matter what happens, I will continue with your plans, Lelouch' Zero gritted her teeth, going for her cabinet.
With Rivalz
The Student Council had gathered in their cabinet, only Rivalz and Nina looking close to being shellshocked. Milly looked about her normal self, while Shirley was confused at the entire deal. Seats, reserved for Kallen, Lelouch and Suzaku were, as expected, empty.
"Lelouch is a prince?! Why didn`t he tell me?"
"Maybe that was for safety reasons…" Nina started, remembering how much Royal Family dears their safety. She caressed her cheek, that was still bruised from Euphemia`s guards pressing her into concrete road. At least she met Euphemia, so could she complain?
Overall, she did like the Third Princess, and with no war being on the horizon at that point, they were talking quite a bit. Euphemia even spoke to her about Cornelia being too worried about her younger sister`s plans. Nina really hoped her answer was really as helpful as Euphemia regarded it to be.
"Lelouch didn`t want us to treat him any differently than from how we treated him without knowing he`s a prince," Milly explained to Rivalz, "I knew about his heritage, and I doubt he`d say that I gave him any privilege after him volunteering to help me."
"You made him run around like a slave"
"That`s what I said, wasn`t it?"
"Ugh…" Rivalz pressed his palm into his forehead, suddenly exclaiming a few seconds afterwards. "But Nunnally! She is also a princess then! Why they didn`t show her?"
Shirley knew exactly where she was, but decided not to tell everything about it. Still, she didn`t want to leave her friends completely clueless. "Maybe he…hid her?"
Rivalz quirked a brow at it. "Why`d he need to hide her? She is a princess! I`m sure she could be safe in Pendragon than here"
"For the same reason as why he himself stayed here incognito," Milly responded, chugging a glass of water from the table to get calmer. "We did hide him because there was a risk to his life. Maybe something had changed, yet he still doesn`t believe Nunnally can be safe in Pendragon-"
"He`s a Prince! Why did he even hide though!?"
"Because his mother was assassinated on his eyes, because later he was sent to Japan and witnessed entire invasion as a bystander and never ever did he tell us that he wanted to return to Britannia." It took a good second for Milly to calm herself again. He confided a lot of his secrets to her, and she never disclosed them with others. "Sorry, that I spurred so much, Rivalz, but now you understand that he really was living a good portion of his early childhood in fear. I really hope he brokered some better deal and he is not in immediate danger over there…"
Rivalz groaned, his palm still supporting his head. "Oh man, why does everything has to be so complicated?"
AN: Sorry for the delay, I was hiking for half a week in central Ukraine. Unironically – one of the best regions to visit, if you ignore impossible heat that is right now. And if you ignore mosquitos… Seriously, there was way too much of them. At one moment I had about 5-10 of them at once, even after using spray against them.
Fighting hard with my writer`s block. Updates of this and other stories are in the works.
Last point: I planned to post it in the morning (CET) of 13th of July, so I`m sorry for the delay if I post it later. FanFiction wasn`t working at that time.