*TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM MENTIONED*
...
Guinevere de Britannia was born to Charles zi Britannia and Edith de Britannia on January 30th, 1985.
From birth, she acquired the title of First Princess. Meaning when Emperor Charles' time was to pass, her or her brother Odyessus, the First Prince, would take over the mantle.
Something that everyone, especially her mother, made sure she knew.
From the moment she could talk, she was taught to speak properly, to walk properly, eat properly, even negotiate properly.
If there was a lesson, she had to learn it, as insisted by her mother.
No time for breaks, no time for entertainment, no time for love.
Just do better, and be better.
Be smarter.
Be first.
Be ready.
Be prepared.
Be superior.
Be this.
Be that.
BE whatever everyone else told her to be.
And it was at the age of seven she realized how much she hated it.
She didn't ask to be the First Princess, she didn't ask to be royalty, she just wanted to be a kid!
But no, her mother's word was law.
The First Princess couldn't show sign of weakness, which meant not being able to build any familial connections with anyone outside of Yes-men and lap-dogs, including her own family.
So she did the only thing she could do, play along.
Smile when told, meet the right people, get them in your pockets, wear the mask as long as you can.
And for awhile, she learned to accept it.
She practically ruined her relationship with Cornelia, gained a reputation of being a brat, and kept her nose up in spoiled-like fashion.
A mask she thought would just become a part of her.
That is until she met Rebecca one fateful day.
...
She was the age of 11 and was at one of those party that her mother always forced her to go to, doing the casual mingling when she felt herself bump into someone, causing her to land on her bottom.
"Argh! Hey! Watch where you're going why don't you?!" Guinevere said angrily at the woman's back.
The woman turned around and it caused Guinevere to freeze in shock when she realized she bumped into a pregnant woman, six months to be exact.
"Oh my! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" The woman asked with concern as she reached a hand towards her.
Guinevere quickly got over her shock, and huffed boastfully as she got up without help.
"Of course I'm alright! I'm the First Princess after all!" Guinevere said with pride and her nose held up high.
Instead of backing up in fear or groveling at her feet like the nobles usually did, she simply chuckled.
"Of course. Princess Guinevere de Britannia, a pleasure to finally meet you." The woman said nicely as she curtsied, or as much as she could considering the loaf in the oven. "I hope my backside didn't harm your bottom too much." She apologized in a somewhat joking matter.
Normally Guinevere would scold this woman for talking to her in such a fashion. But for some reason, she found her personality...unique.
"Uh, well...I suppose I can forgive you this time because of your pregnancy. Just don't let it happen again!" Guinevere said with a stern tone.
Once again, the woman couldn't help but chuckle before she saluted the princess with her palm facing forward. "Aye aye."
Guinevere blinked at this woman, she was definitely peculiar.
"Who are you exactly?" Was all Guinevere could think to ask.
"Rebecca Duford. Though I guess I'm technically Rebecca du Britannia now." The woman, now known as Rebecca, introduced herself with a dramatic bow.
"Oh. You're one of father's new consorts." Guinevere said blankly, realizing this what her mother would call an "enemy" in obtaining the throne. "That means your child..."
"Is going to be a new little brother for you!" Rebecca interrupted excitedly, and before Guinevere could reprimand her for interrupting, she gasped in surprise. "He's kicking! Wanna feel?" She asked all cheerfully.
"I don't-" Before Guinevere could refuse, she suddenly felt her hand tugged and put on the pregnant woman's belly.
The baby was indeed kicking, it made Guinevere feel...calm?
"I think Joseph likes you." Rebecca said with a happy smile.
"Joseph?" Guinevere asked after removing her hand.
"Named after my father." Rebecca said with a nostalgic smile as she rubbed her belly. "You have an interesting name yourself, Guinevere. Did your mother approve that name?" She asked curiously.
"Of course! Being the First Princess, it would make sense I would be bestowed with a name that lives up to the Royal legacy!" Guinevere said, all snooty-like.
Instead of looking at her with awe, Rebecca simply covered her mouth to not laugh at her.
"And what, dare I ask, is so funny?" Guinevere asked, unamused by Rebecca's behavior.
"You do know who Guinevere is in the legend, right?" Rebecca asked, still getting over her giggles.
"She was the wife of the legendary King Arthur, what of it?" Guinevere said, not understanding the point of the question.
"That and she also cheated on Arthur with his loyal knight and best friend, Lancelot, causing the whole kingdom to go into disarray and forcing her to wind up in a nunnery." Rebecca told her with a knowing smile.
Guinevere's eyes widen in shock at that, speechless.
"I believe, "Harlot", is the word nobles like to use." Rebecca said with a cheeky smile.
Guinevere's face grew red at that, both with angry and embarrassment. "T-Th-That's a lie! And how dare you call me-"
"Relax, child. I'm just giving you the context of the matter. Watch Excalibur if you don't believe me." Rebecca told her with a chill attitude. "If anything, you should have been named Anna." She said.
"Anna?" Guinevere asked with a confused lift of the eyebrow.
"Anna Pendragon. The sister of King Arthur who was prophesied by Merlin to be the Enchantress of seven kings who would reign over Britannia. That's a name truly more dignified for the First Princess." Rebecca explained with a kind smile.
This made Guinevere's eye light up in surprise and a small bashful blush went to her cheeks.
"Well, um...I'll have to remember that..." Guinevere said quietly, eyes darting around to look anywhere else.
"Good." Rebecca said with a ruffle of her head, annoying Guinevere.
"So, why are you here, anyway, Lady Rebecca?" Guinevere asked, using the Honorific the first time today. "Pregnant women aren't exactly people nobles want to be around at parties." She said bluntly.
"Simple. I came for the food and entertainment." Rebecca said with a conniving smile.
"The orchestra is already done performing though." Guinevere said, not understanding.
"Well I heard we were going to have a lightshow of sorts." Rebecca said with a hint of deviousness in her tone.
Before Guinevere could question what that meant, she suddenly heard a *BOOM* and turned her head towards the bathroom.
"AHH!" A lady screamed as she came running out of the women's restroom.
"Somebody planted a bunch of fireworks in the washrooms!" A man yelled as he too ran from the men's restroom.
The fireworks continued to go off while smoke started to erupt from the doors. A bunch of nobles and servants gathered around to try and make it stop.
Guinevere watched the whole thing with a bewildered expression before turning back to Rebecca, who watched the incident take place with a smug smile.
"Did you..." Guinevere was about to ask.
"Oop! Feels like cravings are kicking in again! I'll be at the buffet table." Rebecca said as she rubbed her pregnant belly. "I wonder if chocolate and cheese is a good mixture?" She wondered to herself, leaving a very confused Guinevere by herself.
"Oh! And it was nice meeting you, First Princess Guinevere." Rebecca said as she turned around and a gave another dramatic bow.
By all means, Guinevere should have rebuked this woman. Her mother definitely wouldn't have approved of her.
But for some reason, she liked Rebecca.
"You too, Lady Rebecca." Guinevere said politely with her own formal bow.
Later that night, she watched Excalibur. It made her hate her mother even more.
...
Throughout the next few weeks, Guinevere found herself enjoying Rebecca's company.
Her mother and mentors warned her to stay away from the woman, as she had garnered a reputation of being unhinged. For Guinevere, she was probably the most normal person in the whole damn country!
There weren't social visits per se, but they did often carry a conversation.
There was this one time however when Guinevere was rushing to get to a party and one of her servants messed up her hair.
Before she could properly punish them, Rebecca came in and shooed them away in a polite manner.
She then looked at Guinevere with a stern expression.
"You know, a rush job is often a crappy job. I thought the First Princess would know better." Rebecca said with a disappointed tone.
"They should have known better!" Guinevere said with a whiny tone.
"So it's their fault they didn't have time to prepare for a party that you forget? Can't blame them for wanting to look like Honey Boo Boo." Rebecca said.
"...Who?" Guinevere said, not understanding the reference.
"Just sit." Rebecca said firmly.
Guinevere obeyed and Rebecca grabbed a hairbrush.
As she brought her hand to her head, Guinevere couldn't help but flinch.
Her hairdresser was often forceful in her brushing, saying "Pain equals beauty".
But instead of a hard tug, she felt gentle fingers weave through her hair.
"Um...what are you doing?" Guinevere asked with genuine confusion.
"Running my fingers through your hair, it helps untangle any knots that may have gotten caught. That way the brush doesn't get stuck." Rebecca explained as she continued to weave her hands through the Princess' hair.
"But...what about pain equals beauty?" Guinevere asked.
"Do aah look French to you, no?" Rebecca asked with a faux french accent.
It got an honest giggle out of Guinevere, she couldn't remember the last time she giggled like that.
Soon enough, she removed her hands and started brushing. It pulled down in a smooth manner instead of it being rough like usually.
She soon took some scissors and cut some strands, a flat iron and gave her hair some curls, eventually she curved her hair on her forehead and was now split down the middle.
Once she was done, she turned Guinevere around and had her look in the mirror.
It was suffice to say, she was spellbound. She never seen a hairdo like it before.
"Truly a look worthy of the First Princess if I do say so myself." Rebecca said, proud of herself.
"What...what is it?" Guinevere asked, still befuddled by the appearance.
"The feathered haircut. Worn by Charlie's Angel herself." Rebecca explained happily.
"Who's Charlie?" Guinevere asked.
"(Sighs) Your generation is so uncultured." Rebecca said with sadness. "Oh well, perhaps I can educate you in the finer things one day. For now, I must Jazzercise!" Rebecca declared with a pointed finger in the air before taking her leave.
"Lady Rebecca." Guinevere called out to her, who turned back. "...Thank you." She said in an awkward manner. As if she should feel ashamed to say it.
Rebecca simply gave her a kind smile. "No problem."
It was the day after that Joseph was born prematurely and the doctor had given him two weeks to live.
Rebecca took it upon herself to find a cure for her son and Guinevere couldn't help but feel lonely again. She secretly hoped that Rebecca would return home safe, and when she did, she felt so much relief. Not that she made a spectacle out of it, no one needed to see that, especially her mother.
Her brother she could give or take honestly. Siblings were what would keep her away from the crown as her mother told her repeatedly.
And she probably wouldn't have had anything to do with him if Rebecca hadn't forced her to babysit him one day.
...
"Have fun you two!" Rebecca said as she waved goodbye.
The fourteen-year old Guinevere just sighed in frustration as she looked at her little three-year old half-brother.
"So you're the little dimwit everyone's talked about. (Holds him up to her face) Yeah, you do look kind of dumb." Guinevere said as she analyzed him.
Joseph responded by grabbing her nose with his tiny hand, laughing a tiny baby laugh. Guinevere couldn't help but smile a bit.
"You are kind of cute, I guess. Very well, I suppose I can show you my jewelry collection. You better not eat any of them!" Guinevere warned as she carried him to her room.
The next half-hour, she showed various stones that could buy an entire country and still leave plenty of change behind.
Truth be told, she always found gemology a fascinating subject. The inner structure of precious stones was always a beautiful sight to see.
The details, the way they reflect against light, it was like witnessing God's gift in a tiny little rock.
Her mother quickly rebuked her interests, saying they weren't up to the standards of the First Princess.
At least she could look at them on her own time. Joseph just absent-mindedly looked on with a dopey smile.
"...You don't care about any of this, do you?" Guinevere asked rhetorically, before sighing tiredly. "Well how am I suppose to know what dimwits like?" She said with annoyance.
Joseph responded by walking over to the confused Guinevere and giving her a hug.
She never been hugged before. Not even by her mother.
It was strange...but a good strange.
She didn't know why, but she found herself slowly returning the hug.
They sat there for a few moments.
Suddenly she felt something come out of her eyes. She touched her cheeks and it was wet.
They were...tears?
She was crying?
Why would she be crying?
She had no reason to cry.
...Did she?
She then felt a small hand wipe her tears aways. She looked down and saw it was Joseph, looking at her with the same kind smile Rebecca would give her.
"...Joseph..." Guinevere said quietly.
Only for the toddler to shove his fingers up Guinevere's nose. Making her yelp in surprise.
Joseph could only laugh joyfully as he quickly got up and ran away.
"Oh, you little brat! Get back here!" Guinevere said angrily as chased after him, though one would say there was a hint of mischievousness in her voice.
And the rest of their time together was like that.
Games of tag, hide n' seek, even finger painting, though the paint ended up more on their faces then on actual paper.
By the time Rebecca came back, their faces looked like they could have been in a Picasso painting.
"My, my. You two looked like you had a busy day." Rebecca said with a chuckle.
"I was going to clean him up before you got back, I'm so sorry." Guinevere apologized. Then her eyes widen in surprise when she realized she apologized.
Her mother always told her apologies were for the weak.
And yet...it didn't feel wrong to say it.
"It's quite alright, dear. I'm just glad you two had fun." Rebecca said happily as she took Joseph in her arms.
Fun.
That word sounded so foreign to her. Like it was completely made up.
Yet that was exactly what happened. Guinevere had more fun that one day than she ever had her entire life.
"Yeah...I guess we did." Guinevere said with a small genuine smile. "...And...I could...babysit him again if needed..." She said awkwardly and yet with a hopeful tone.
Rebecca looked at her with a big smile. "Well I think he would love that. Wouldn't you, my little Joe?" She asked him, to which he responded with a enthusiastic laugh. "Well that settles it then! We'll see you next week, Gwen!" She said excitedly.
Gwen.
Short, simple, and she loved it. Not that she would let others know that.
"Um...yeah. See you then." Guinevere said optimistically.
"Indeed. Wave goodbye, Joe." Rebecca said kindly as Joseph waved excitedly at her.
Guinevere couldn't help but return the wave with a small smile.
She never thought she feel this way. This feeling of happiness, kindness, and fun in general.
It was so different than anything she felt before, and she wanted to feel more of it.
Maybe it wasn't too late to think differently about things. Maybe she could try giving Cornelia and call and schedule a time to spend together.
Maybe being the First Princess didn't have to be her priority.
...
"You are not allowed to interact with Rebecca and her son anymore!" Edith said angrily.
This happened a few days after Rebecca had sent her down a roaring river, chained to her bed. It took an air rescue team just to get her out of there.
"What?! Why?!" Guinevere asked incredulously.
"That woman is black mold in the royal family and that retarded son of hers is the infection!" Edith said venomously.
"Don't call him that!" Guinevere defended.
"You see! That woman has corrupted your mind! You used to pay attention in all your classes, you didn't have a snide comment directed towards other nobility, and now I hear you're trying to make friends with Cornelia! She's turning you soft and you're not even bothered by the fact she tried to kill me!" Edith said accusingly.
"Maybe you shouldn't have compared her son to a brain-dead mule!" Guinevere said angrily. Though internally, she relished in the torment her mother went through.
"It's an accurate statement! That crazy bitch wasn't strong enough to make a proper heir to the throne and she only fails as a mother!" Edith spat.
"SHE'S A BETTER MOTHER THAN YOU ARE!" Guinevere finally exploded.
So long she wanted to let that out and it felt so damn good.
*SLAP*
Only to receive a hard slap to the face.
She fell to the ground and held her cheek that was quickly forming a bruise.
She looked up at her mother with an appalled expression, and saw the look of rage and contempt on her face.
Edith grabbed her by the hair in harsh matter and slammed her against the wall.
"You ungrateful little *unt. I gave you life, I made sure you were in a place of privilege and power, and you just spit it back in my face?!" Edith asked with disappointed rage. "Well let me tell you something, I worked too long and too hard to get where I'm at, and I'm not going to let you ruin it just because you suddenly decide to grow a conscious." She said venomously.
While Guinevere was terrified, but she wasn't going to roll over now.
"So what? You're going to cut me off? Disown me?" Guinevere asked mockingly before laughing. "I'm pretty sure the tubes down there aren't working anymore so I doubt you'd be able to produce another child, not that father would want to have you in bed again." She said with a smug smile, pissing off her mother even more. "Even if you did, I don't care. I'm done with this. I rather be a penniless commoner than have to listen to you anymore. So go ahead, throw me away. I got nothing to lose." She said firmly as she looked at her mother in the eye, Rebecca giving her a newfound confidence.
Edith stared at her daughter intensely and could see she was serious. Thus she took a deep breath and let go of her.
"Poor Guinevere, had you paid attention in your classes. You would have understood just how important connections can be." Edith said in a calm manner.
Guinevere looked at her in confusion.
"Building relationships is the key fundamental to gaining power. Such as the CEO to a major corporate, the News Director for media outlets, or the proper hitman when you need to handle dirty business." Edith said in a not so subtle tone.
Guinevere's eyes widen in realization, taking the hint.
"It would be such a shame if Rebecca and her child were to have an accident. Especially after she did so much to find a cure for him." Edith said mockingly with a sneer.
"NO! Please! Don't hurt them!" Guinevere pleaded before bowing her head. "I'll...I'll do what you say...just leave them alone." She said defeatedly.
"Good girl. And you'll stop styling your hair in that ridiculous manner. Understood?" Edith ordered in a strict manner.
"Yes, mother." Guinevere said in a quiet manner.
"Tomorrow, you'll have Alice Lohmeyer teaching your Etiquette classes from now on. She'll whip you back into shape." Edith said firmly before she left.
Leaving a broken Guinevere alone as she leaned against the wall and cried her eyes out.
...
And thus, in the following years, Guinevere would be the obedient puppet that her mother expected her to be.
Frequenting parties, listen to nobles babble on about nonsense, being the perfect first princess she wanted her to be.
She stopped visiting Lady Rebecca.
"Gwen? Is everything alright? You canceled our next get-together." Rebecca asked with concern over the phone one day.
"Our get-togethers are no longer happening. I finally realized that you and that dimwit baby of yours are no longer worth my time." Guinevere said neutrally.
There was a long silence on Rebecca's end, Guinevere thought she had hung up at first.
"Edith told you not to see us anymore, didn't she?" Rebecca said solemnly. "(Sighs) That's my fault. I'm so sorry, dear. Sometimes I take things to the extreme when it comes to protecting Joseph." She said apologetically.
"Don't apologize to me! This has nothing to do with my mother! I simply can't stand your company anymore!" Guinevere said angrily, tears sprouting in her eyes.
"You don't have to worry about protecting us, I have a few tricks up my sleeve." Rebecca tried to reassure her.
"I'm not protecting you! I am telling you to leave me alone!" Guinevere yelled.
Another long silence.
"...Thank you for caring so much about me and my son, Gwen. No matter what anybody tells you, you're one of the good ones." Rebecca said with a kind voice.
Guinevere's eyes widen in shock at that, not expecting that reply.
And before she could say anything, Rebecca had hung up. Leaving Guinevere alone, her head down in shame.
...
After that, they would sometimes see each other occasionally at a party.
She kept it casual though, not wanting to risk them getting hurt. However, there was that time her mother scolded her for not being pretty enough for the Ambassador of Area 5. In return, Rebecca put a stink bomb at the buffet table, ruining all the food. She got a laugh out of that.
But eventually their communication became less and less, until one day they never saw each other again.
...
For a few years, Guinevere attended the Area 9 Britannian Academy to further her studies and learn of politics and business. She hated every second of it but at least she got to be away from her mother for a bit.
When she arrived back home, her mother greeted her with a happy smile.
Happier than she had ever seen her, it was unnerving for Guinevere to say the least.
"What has you in a good mood?" Guinevere asked.
"Oh, just the pleasure of finally having a thorn out of my side after so long." Edith said with a smug smile.
"What? Did Cassius keel over or something?" Guinevere asked with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh no, no. Someone even more annoying. That unhinged Rebecca finally kicked the bucket." Edith said with a grin.
Time seemed to stop moving for Guinevere in that moment, she could even hear own heart stopping at that revelation.
"What...?"
"...Lad...Lady Rebecca...is dead?" Guinevere asked, really hoping for she said wasn't true.
"Dead as doornail. About two weeks now, feels so nice to finally say that out loud." Edith said with joyful relief and laughter.
In that moment, all the memories she had with Rebecca flashed through her mind.
The quirky personality, the kind smile, the passionate fire in her belly.
Never to be seen again...
"You...you said you wouldn't hurt them..." Guinevere said, betrayal in her voice.
"Huh?" Edith asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I did everything you said. Why did you kill her?!" Guinevere asked, her body shaking.
"Calm yourself child. I had nothing to do with her death." Edith said dismissively.
*PUNCH*
Only to receive a hard punch to the face but a now rage-induced Guinevere.
Edith looked at her daughter, angered by her actions. "What the Hell do you think-"
Before Edith could finish that question, she finally found herself hoist up and slammed against the wall.
"I OBEYED LIKE THE LAP DOG YOU WANTED ME TO BE! AND YOU KILLED HER ANYWAY?!" Guinevere screamed with furious grief.
Edith was really starting to get angry now. "You need to remember your place, you little-"
Guinevere then tightly gripped her hands around Edith's throat.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye. And you killed her!" Guinevere said, pain and anger in her tone.
"I-It wasn't me!" Edith said quickly and with a tight breath. Realizing Guinevere fully intended on strangling her to death.
"LIAR!" Guinevere shouted with all her might as her thumbs pushed deeper into her mother's throat.
"S-She had...L-Leukemia! A-Ask around...t-they'll confirm! Pl...please..." Edith told her as her vision became darker.
Guinevere wanted to scream again how she was lying. But she could see the terror in her eyes that let her know she was telling the truth.
Cancer...and no one told her...
She wanted nothing more than to end Edith's life right then and there.
All the pain, all the torment, she wanted to take it all and put it back on the woman who molded her into her image.
But then her mind flashed to her little brother, Joseph.
His pain.
His torment.
The suffering of the loss he was feeling.
That's what Rebecca would be focusing on right now.
So with a frustrated breath, she finally let go of her mother, who fell to the ground on her knees and gasped for breath.
"Where is Joseph?" Guinevere asked with a low voice.
"A-Aries...Villa...the commoner Marianne...took him in..." Edith said with a raspy voice, still catching her breath.
Guinevere then grabbed her mother by the hair and forced her to look at her.
"If anything happens to that boy. I will finish the job. Understood?" Guinevere threatened with a sinister voice.
Edith could see she meant every word and slowly nodded with fear.
Guinevere let her go and made her way out the door.
Edith realized at that moment that she no longer had control of her daughter.
...
After that, Guinevere started to become more a recluse.
The woman she wanted to be had all been crushed into dust by her mother and was nothing more than a hollow shell.
She attended less parties, spoke to less nobles, and turned down every suitor that was pushed into her.
Her mother tried to get her play along but knew it was futile as she made it very clear she was no longer running the show. Guinevere even got a tattoo of a rose on her breast just to spite her, and was also a secret tribute to Rebecca since it was her favorite flower.
And when she passed away from Ovarian cancer, due to never getting a physical checkup, Guinevere said goodbye with a spit on her coffin.
...
In the end, she just passed through life without much a care. If there was family gathering, she would attend simply because it was required.
Her daily regime included a bottle of vodka and a couple of Vicodin each day. Not that it did much to help anyway, just made her feel numb for awhile.
To be honest, the only thing that kept her going was the thought of Joseph still thriving out there somewhere.
Whether it was being in Area 11, falling into a coma, or getting shot by a sniper, knowing he was alive was enough.
When he was brought back to Pendragon, Guinevere couldn't help but feel a bit elevated. He was back, safe and sound.
She would visit him every couple of days out of the week, bringing him flowers, complain about her other siblings, or just simply stand there in content.
Not have to worry about the crown, the politics, her image, just be in that moment.
There was always something she always wanted to ask him. Something that's been itching at the back of her head for years now.
And when he woke up, she had planned to ask him.
Unfortunately, those plans came to ruin when Joseph decided to flee Pendragon and officially make himself an ally of Zero. 'Freaking dumbass' is all she could think.
But as such, life went on as before and she had to deal with it.
That is until Schneizel informed them of Joseph's death.
...
The curtains were tore.
The wallpaper was ripped.
Pieces of jewelry were scattered all over the ground.
And the angry vocals of Kurt Cobain played loudly.
Like most babies smell like butter
His smell smelled like no other
He was born scentless and senseless
He was born a scentless apprentice
In the middle of all of it was depressed, starved, and baggy-eyed Guinevere who laid on the ground in nothing but her underwear, bottle of vodka in her hand.
"I bet you'd like this song, Joseph. You always appreciated the classics. Especially when they're metaphors for how much of a useless waste of space I am." Guinevere said drunkenly before taking another swig.
She shakily got back up and swerved back and forth to the mirror on the wall. Her mother made her look at it everyday to make sure it was implanted in her mind that this is what the First Princess is suppose to look like.
Firm, powerful, strong.
Instead, when she looked at her reflection. All she saw was a pale, beaten-down, pathetic weakling.
She couldn't protect Rebecca, she couldn't protect Joseph, she couldn't even protect herself from what she became.
Suddenly, her mother appeared in the mirror.
"So this is the glorious First Princess? She who was brought down by a retard?" Her mother mocked in the reflection.
"Shut up." Guinevere muttered.
"You could of had it all. You could have just listened to me. But instead you wasted it all away for two people who weren't even worth it." Edith mocked furthered.
"That's not true. They were worth it!" Guinevere insisted a bit more louder.
"Oh, and they were both so proud of what you became, right?!" Edith asked sarcastically with an evil grin. "If only they could see you now, the pile of trash that you are."
"You made me into this!" Guinevere yelled.
"And you're welcome. You get to join Britannia's inner circle of demons. Feels fantastic, doesn't it?!" Edith asked with a crazed smile. "HahahahahaHaHaHaHaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"RAH!" Guinevere wailed with regret and fury as she took her bottle and smashed it against the mirror, shattering it into pieces.
She started to laugh hysterically, that laughter became pained crying as she looked down at her now bloodied hand and saw the broken bottle in it.
She had enough.
She couldn't do it anymore.
She was done.
So she took the broken bottle and started to aim it towards her wrist.
She heard a faint knock on the door, she ignored it.
She pressed the sharp end against her skin and-
The knocking became louder.
Guinevere groaned in anger and annoyance as she knew if she didn't answer, they wouldn't leave.
So she paced back to her door and barely opened it to give a whomping, "WHAT?!"
The servant who knocked backstepped several feet as he was afraid that the woman would snap him in half right then and there.
"Uh-uh-uh...a-a-apologies, your Highness. B-Ba-But your presence has been re-requested..." The servant stuttered fearfully.
Guinevere snarled a deep breath as she really getting pissed off now.
"It can't wait?" She asked through gritted teeth.
"N-No, your Highness. It's an official appearance by the Emperor himself." The servant told her.
An appearance by the Emperor? After being missing all this time?
Guinevere knew if she didn't go willingly, the guards would make her.
Perhaps she could pissed them off and they could finish the job for her, wouldn't that make a spectacle at the ceremony.
"Fine. Give me a minute." Guinevere said, not losing her snarl.
She closed the door and cleaned up the blood on her arm.
Tonight, it would all be over.
...
The royal siblings were gathered in front of the room. Rich, pompous, nobles behind them and guards up on the stage, seeing if anyone tries anything.
"This will do just fine..." Guinevere thought to herself.
"Have you heard anything, Guinevere?" Cassius asked, dragging her out of her thoughts.
She didn't respond and just stood there, staring blankly ahead.
She never did like Cassius. He was a prime example of what being spoiled since you were born looked like and it made him a little shit.
"What's wrong with you?" Cassius asked again with a raised eyebrow.
Guinevere responded with a silent glare in his direction. Ready to bash his face in right then and there.
"Fine then, nevermind." Cassius said with annoyance. "...bitch..." He whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
Guinevere just sighed tiredly.
"Just get through this ceremony and then you can be done with it all..." She thought tiredly.
"Presenting, His Imperial Majesty!" A soldier proclaimed.
"Almost there..." She thought with anticipation.
The horns made a triumphant noise to introduce the Emperor, but it was then followed by silence.
...and more silence...
The people were started to get confused and Guinevere was starting to get impatient.
"Come out already you stupid old man!" Guinevere thought angrily.
Suddenly, a keyboard riff started to play from the stage.
It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN
"Is...is that music?" Odysseus asked with utter confusion..
Guinevere's eyes widen in recognition.
"It...it can't be!" Guinevere said with shock.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Carine said angrily.
It was then the brown reddish-haired man in the black overcoat slid onto the stage and danced to the center of it, his back towards the audience.
The final countdown (final countdown)
(Oh)
It was then he spun around and revealed to be who else but the Dimwit Prince himself, Joseph Du Britannia!
"Hey everyone! How's it been?!" Joseph yelled out with a wave.
Guinevere was feeling many thing at that moment.
Shock, joy, confusion, relief. It was all overwhelming as the brother she thought was dead was suddenly here dancing in the throne room.
"It's really you?" Carine said with shock.
"You're alive." Guinevere stated, her eyes shaking with emotion.
"Hey Gwen! Good to see you!" Joseph said as he happily waved to her.
Guinevere sucked in a breath as she felt tears start to sprout from her eyes.
It was him.
It was really him.
Her little brother, he was okay.
She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't even realize what was being said until Joseph mentioned their father.
"Dad's not going to be coming tonight. He's sort of...occupied." He tried to explain.
"Occupied?" Odysseus asked, murmurs of confusion surrounded him.
"Well, he no longer exists on this dimensional plane anymore and he won't be back for...ever." Joseph explained with a awkward shrug of his shoulder.
Guinevere's eyes widen at that, hearing the implication of that statement.
"Joseph, are...are you saying..." Guinevere started to ask.
"But not to worry! That's why I'm here! Now that Dad can't be Emperor anymore. I'm going to gladly give my services to the job." Joseph said optimistically.
If there was a record scratch, it would have been at that exact moment.
"...Wait...what...?" Guinevere thought, completely dumbfounded.
"That's right! Your new Emperor...is moi." Joseph said proudly as he pointed his thumbs at himself.
Guinevere waited for him to shout "Gotcha" or "April Fools" at some point, thinking this was some elaborate prank by him.
But nope, he was completely serious.
Guinevere would be impressed if she didn't dread the fact that her brother was about to be killed for treachery.
"Guards! Take that fool and execute him! He's guilty of murdering our Emperor!" Cassius said angrily.
Guinevere almost shouted for them to stop but the guards were quickly incapacitated by two people who came from above.
One of them was Suzaku Kururugi of all people and the other was red-haired girl named Kallen Kozuki-Stadtfeld, a Half-Britannian, Half-Japanese.
And apparently his girlfriend, which was made clear by the peck on the cheek he gave her!
Her little brother? In a relationship?! WITH AN ACTUAL PERSON?!
There was a lot going on here and Guinevere wasn't sure if she could handle anymore surprises.
And that's when the kids came out onto the stage.
"Hey! Don't talk about our Papa that way!" A child said angrily to Cassius, along with four more behind him.
"Kids! I was going to introduce you properly!" Joseph chided in a friendly matter.
"Sorry Papa!" The kids excitedly in unison.
Guinevere's jaw dropped at that moment.
"Papa?!" Guinevere asked, making sure she heard that right.
He introduced the five children as Peter, Kaitlyn, Unique, Leif, and Angelina du Britannia. His children to be exact.
"I'm hallucinating. I'm still in my room, in a drug-induced coma, and this is all happening inside my head." Was the only reasonable explanation Guinevere could think of for everything she was seeing right now.
She brought a hand to her bandaged one and pushed against it. The pain she was feeling told her this was indeed real.
"Because fools take risks! They do what no one else will do! They bend the status quo no matter who says what! My dad said the strong devour the weak! A quo he lived by and I dare challenged to bend it. And guess what suckers! We won!" Joseph said determinedly as he waved to his family and friends.
Guinevere couldn't help but be in awe of her little brother, so unrelenting and passionate, but without the hatred of their father.
To further prove his point, three knightmares came crashing through the roof. It contained the former Margave Jeremiah Gottwald, the thought to be dead Anya Alstreim, and apparently the adopted brother of Joseph's, Rolo du Britannia.
It seemed Joseph really came to stage a coup and was very much succeeding somehow.
It was then Joseph said something to his children and they came rushing towards them.
"Hi, Uncle Ozzy!" Peter said excitedly as he went over to him. "We were scared to see you at first because you tried to marry our Cousin Tia but then Papa explained that you were peer-pressured by our mean uncle to do so." He explained happily.
"Uh..." Was all Odysseus could think to say.
"It's okay everyone! Uncle Ozzy is not a Pedo!" Unique emphasized to the crowd of nobles.
This caused Odysseus to groan and hide his face in shame.
"It's nice to meet you, Aunt Gwen. Papa says you're nice." Kaitlyn said kindly as she took Guinevere's hands into hers.
"Um...right..." Was all Guinevere could think to say as this little girl smiled brightly at her.
"Papa says you're really angry all the time, Aunt Carine." Angelina said bluntly.
"I am not!" Carine said angrily.
"And Papa said to punch you down here if you say something mean." Leif said as he pointed at Cassius' lower region.
Cassius' face paled at that. "Stay away from me! You just as psychotic as he is!" He said with fear as he quickly ran away.
"Is your hand okay, Aunt Gwen?" Kaitlyn asked with concern as she gently caressed Guinevere's bandaged one.
"It's fine." Guinevere said dismissively as she quickly pulled it away, not wanting her to see the extent of the damage. "I just had an...accident earlier is all..." She said quietly.
"Oh, okay." Kaitlyn said with a simple dopey smile that matched her father's, it honestly made Guinevere's heart swell with happiness.
It was then Kaitlyn suddenly threw her arms around Guinevere's waist and hugged her tightly.
"I hope we can be friends!" Kaitlyn said optimistically, making Guinevere's eyes widen in shock.
Her hug.
It was just like his hug.
Warm, welcoming, filled with nothing but joy and acceptance.
It made the tears almost leak down her eyes again.
Her brother was back and he brought five little versions of him. Just as happy and energetic as he was.
Perhaps there was still light at the end of the tunnel.
She was very close to wrapping her own arms around Kaitlyn.
But realized she couldn't.
Rebecca's words ringing through her mind: "No matter what anybody tells you, you're one of the good ones."
She wasn't worthy of it.
Not the woman she was now, she sunk too low to be the person Rebecca thought she was or whatever it is these kids wanted her to be.
But...could she be...?
...did she deserve to be...?
...
Pendragon
"Come on kids! It's right over this hill!" Joseph said excitedly as he ran through the grassy field, his kids running after him.
"Papa, wait! You're much faster than us!" Kaecus said but it was all in good fun.
"It's so nice here!" Umbra said as she spun around in delight.
"I'm gonna beat all of you!" Amini said competitive-like as she ran past all of them.
"It's not a race!" Potestas said with annoyance.
"It is now, haha!" Animi said smugly as she stuck her tongue out.
"Let's go, Animi! We can beat this suckers!" Kallen boasted as she brought Animi up on her shoulders.
"Yeah, mama Kallen!" Animi agreed vehemently.
"No fair!" Longe said as he tried to catch up with her.
"I got you, Longe." Suzaku reassured as he brought him on his own shoulders.
"Thanks, Uncle Suzaku!" Longe said excitedly.
Soon enough it was a head-to-head competition between Kallen/Animi and Suzaku/Longe.
"The stars are so beautiful here. I've never seen so many." Shirley said with peaceful wonder as she simply walked with Jeremiah, Cecina, Rolo, and Anya. Nina had chosen to stay with Lloyd and Cecile to work on her research.
"Yes, I would often find Master Lelouch and his siblings gazes up at them many nights like this." Jeremiah said nostalgically.
"It's definitely peaceful." Cecina commented.
"I wonder why big brother never liked talking about this place." Rolo said.
"Too many painful memories I imagine." Anya said quietly, also remembering what was taken from her in that place.
"Ha! We win! In your face, Suzaku!" Kallen cheered from up the hill.
"Yeah! You guys suck!" Animi bragged smugly.
"Hey, you got a head-start." Suzaku countered with amusement as he brought Longe down to the ground.
"Spoken like a sore loser." Kallen said smugly as she shared a fist-bump with Animi.
"Sorry, Uncle Suzaku." Longe said sadly.
"It's okay, I had fun." Suzaku said as he ruffled his hair, making Longe smile.
"There it is." Joseph said happily as he pointed out to the area downhill.
The rest of the gang finally joined the others and they looked in surprise by what they saw.
It was a huge mansion, almost like a castle, next to a lake.
Vines and leaves were growing all around it, signifying its abandonment for many years.
"So that's Lelouch and Nunnally's childhood home." Shirley stated quietly.
"Indeed. Aries Villa." Jeremiah said, a bit sadly.
"Doesn't look like it was well kept." Kallen commented.
"No. After Master Lelouch and Mistress Nunnally were taken to Japan, all the servants and housekeepers left. Leaving the mansion in shambles." Jeremiah said solemnly.
"Why didn't Charles just demolish it?" Rolo asked.
"Sentimental values I suppose. He really did love Marianne after all." Cecina commented.
Anya arched her eyebrows in frustration at that.
"Do you think anyone's still there, Papa?" Potestas asked curiously.
"Let's go find out!" Joseph said excited as he brought him up on his shoulders and went down there.
They approached the entrance and Joseph gave simple knock on the door.
Which made the door fall backwards into the ground with a loud plop.
"Guess no one's home." Joseph said quizzically before he entered the mansion with his kids.
There was dust and cobwebs collecting all over the place, no proper light source, and many different cracks in the walls and ceiling.
The kids gathered around Joseph as the atmosphere made them nervous.
"It's spooky..." Kaecus said worriedly.
"Yeah, what if there's ghosts? (Gasps excitedly) What if The Flying Dutchman lives here!" Umbra suggested, suddenly all excited at the aspect.
"No! He's mean!" Kaecus argued.
"Chicken!" Umbra said mockingly.
"She's right Umbra. He is mean! You shouldn't be excited for a ghost." Potestas lectured as Joseph brought him down to the ground.
"Unless it's a friendly one." Joseph added.
"Unless it's a friendly one." Potestas repeated.
While they were having their conversation, Kallen looked around the place and felt uncomfortable herself.
"Yeesh. This place gives me the creeps." Kallen said a bit nervously herself.
"I think it's sad that Lelouch's home was left in such a state." Shirley said solemnly as she looked around, seeing the vast memories this place held for him and Nunnally.
"You sure you want to work on this, Joseph? Feels like it's going to collapse any second." Suzaku asked.
"Plus knowing what happened here, it doesn't make you uncomfortable?" Kallen asked with concern.
"It's a fixer upper, no doubt. And I know bad things did happen her, things that I wish I had been present for." Joseph said solemnly at the end. "But when my house was demolished after mom died, I didn't give a second thought about it. Because at the end of the day, a house was just a house. Home is where the family is after all." He said with a smile as he gestured to everyone there, who smiled at him in return.
"But now that I'm a father myself, I think it's time I set up some roots for my kids. Because while there was bad in this house, there was also a lot of good, memories with my siblings that I will always cherish, and I plan to create new ones here with all of us here as well. And no matter how big of a mess, there's always an opportunity to clean it up. And that's how we clean up Britannia, starting with this house." He concluded with pride before turning to his kids. "What say you, kids? Up for the task?!" He asked excitedly.
"Yeah!" The kids cheered excitedly.
"Then let's get some feather dusters!" Joseph cheered, fist raised in the air.
"YAY!" The kids yelled happily as they ran out of the mansion with him.
"Rolo..." Kallen said tiredly.
"I'm on it." Rolo said professionally as he quickly followed Joseph and his kids, making sure they would go through the proper channels to make sure Aries Villa was properly rebuilt.
"Guess this is going to be a project of his." Cecina said with an amused smile.
"I must admit, I'm rather excited to see the Aries Villa stand tall again." Jeremiah said with a hopeful tone.
"It's as big brother said, a lot of good memories here that don't deserve to be forgotten." Shirley said as she wiped the dust off a mirror.
"A pretty nice metaphor too for what he has ahead of him. A lot of people are going to be riled up by what has happened tonight." Cecina said solemnly.
"Tomorrow, the entire world is about to change." Anya said as she took pictures of the inside.
"And we'll be there to help him, no matter what." Kallen said firmly.
The others nodded in agreement.
To Be Continued...
So this was originally going to be a prologue to the MUCH longer chapter that's coming up next.
However, like before, I didn't want to overload the chapter with so much content, and there is going to be A LOT of content next chapter.
Plus, I wanted to keep it mostly focused on Guinevere this time around as what happened here plays a major part in what happens next.
For those wondering why Guinevere, I honestly always found her an interesting character.
So many fanfics depict her as being the typical Britannian Princess who looks down at everyone because of her royal status. But there are only a few stories that actually try to develop her as a complex character, portraying her as someone who got sucked into the status quo of it all and just truly wanted to be seen as a person and NOT just a spectacle, to not make her so one-dimensional and actually try to give her a semblance of depth, and I wanted to do the same.
Because of that, this has become one of my favorite chapters that I have written, and I hope you enjoy it too.
Until next time, comment and tell me what you think!