(A/N: I'm saving my commentary until after the chapter. Yes, it's short, but there's so much happening in it that it's worth the brevity. You'll thank me later. I will say, though, that the feedback from y'all was basically: "Kronya is turning yandere and I am 100% behind this! I want more!" Well, as a wise man once said: Be careful what you wish for. You may just get it).
20th Day of the Wyvern Moon
Today was a rarity among rarities. In fact, it was so rare that if anyone had called its occurrence ahead of time, they would be encouraged to play the lottery. What was so rare about this very day? Both Edelgard and Lelouch were in the cathedral during prayer time.
Rhea stood at her usual spot, leading closing afternoon prayers. But these were no ordinary afternoon prayers. A photo, the most recent one that could be obtained, of Matilda von Hresvelg, sat amidst a glow of ceremonial candles off to Rhea's right. They were cinnamon scented candles. According to Edelgard, they were her sister's favorite.
"May the Goddess bless us all. May the wings of liberty be our shield and may the wings of peace instill us with life. Blessed is our goddess, the source of all life."
"AMEN!" Sounded the entire cathedral, Lelouch and Edelgard included. The two teens stood with their hands wrapped in front of each other, tightly in prayer, heads bowed, as was custom.
Despite turning the faiths where such a sentiment came from into a deeply buried niche, the Church of Seiros still lifted segments from them.
As Seteth played on a piano, and Flayn on a lute, Rhea began to lead into a song. "Ordinarily, we save such prayers for a long journey, a new year, a fresh start. But to return to the Goddess is a journey unto itself. Matilda von Hresvelg, thought lost years ago, was found alive, shortly, only just yesterday, but did not survive to that day's dusk. Survived by her sister, and to honor the church's longstanding relationship with House Hresvelg, I ask you join me in song, as we with the late once Crown Princess, a safe journey to the Goddess's side." With her intro concluded, Rhea then began to sing. "May weeeeeee be blessed by the wings of peaaaaaace. May weeeeee be sheltered and in loooooooooooove. May weeeeeee be blessed by the wings of every souuuul. May this be our blessing, Ameeeeeeen."
"Aaaaaaaaamen! Aaaaaaaaaamen!" The entire room sang. "May this be our blessing, Ameeeeeen. Aaaaaaaamen! Aaaaaaaamen! May this be our blessing Amen!"
"May weeeee be sheltered by the dreams of peace. May weeee be kept safe by our looooooooove. And may weeee be not become restless, as we go on our way. May this be our blessing, Amen."
"Aaaaamen!" Lelouch sang with everyone else.
"Aaaaaaaamen!" Edelgard sang.
"May this be our blessing, amen." The two were in perfect sync.
"Aaaaaaaamen! Aaaaaaaamen! May this be our blessing Amen!"
As Seteth and Flayn played out the outro, ending the song, Rhea made one final prayer to all in attendance. "May the Goddess bless you all and may life take you on safe and pleasant journeys!"
Thus, service was concluded.
Rather than cross the bridge to the Reception Hall, which Edelgard and Lelouch knew would be crowded beyond words, the two stepped through the side exit of the cathedral to gaze out over Garreg Mach's battlements to the valley below. While all of this had been arranged by Edelgard—mostly, she had help—she had not expected Lelouch to attend whatsoever.
The two leaned over the shoulder high stone walls, standing side by side.
"I didn't think you'd show at all," Edelgard said to him. "I didn't even see Nunnally."
"Byleth brought her," Lelouch stated. "Since she had to fetch her from the Golden Deer classroom, so we ended up in different sections of the cathedral."
"I see," Edelgard responded, offering no additional questions.
"I must admit, I'm surprised at you. I thought you hated the church and everything it stood for," Lelouch stated.
"I do, but…Matilda was a firm believer of the faith. I'll not let my own disdain cloud doing right by my eldest sister," Edelgard explained. "And to clarify, my issue is with Rhea and Seteth. The problem isn't the establishment, it's the people running it. Prayer and faith keep people from falling into despair at times. I don't agree with it, but it's not as if I can erase the sentiment entirely. This is simply how people are." She pressed the side of her hand to her head, looking embarrassed. "Besides, when Ferdinand gets an idea in his head, there is very little that can stop him."
"Ferdinand?"
Edelgard took out her locket and looked at it. "When I explained to him where the locket came from, he got all up in arms about how Matilda's death certificate should be updated and a memorial service held in her honor. At first, I protested, but he said it was the right thing to do. I thought he was crazy, but he not only got a picture for the church to hold for the ceremonial candles to be lit, he even got Rhea on board with it."
"I suppose when it comes to moral obligations, Ferdinand is quite capable. Now if only he didn't bite off more than he could chew in battle," Lelouch quipped.
Edelgard chuckled. She then spoke seriously. "His father even formally updated my sister's death certificate. For all of Prime Minister Ludwig's corruption, it would appear his love for the Empire is genuine."
"You know, I hear Ferdinand go on and on about his noble obligations, but I never really hear anyone talk about his father," Lelouch commented, intrigued.
Edelgard sighed. "I dislike having to bring it up, but I'm sure the Insurrection of the Seven requires no introduction."
"Not between us, no," Lelouch responded.
"What I did not mention before was that it rendered my father completely and utterly unable to rule. He is a puppet figurehead. That was the purpose of the Insurrection, of course," Edelgard explained.
Politically impotent? So that's why Adrestia's policies have become so draconian as of late. And its been covered up, no doubt, Lelouch thought, realizing now why Yuri had such a hard time digging things up on Adrestia.
Edelgard took Lelouch's furrowed brow as interest, so she kept talking, "Ludwig von Aegir believes that he is fit to rule above all others and that he knows what's best for Adrestia. Please! I'd sooner have Prime Minister Schneizel roll over my army and annex Adrestia into Britannia!"
"Don't tempt fate, you may just get your wish," Lelouch joked.
"Which is why it is so imperative I ascend the throne as soon as possible!" Edelgard declared strongly. "Every minute my Empire sits in that grubby man's pudgy fingers is another day where any country could bring mine to ruin!"
Edelgard has a lot more responsibility heaped upon her shoulders than I do, Lelouch realized. I am but one possible taker to my father's throne, superseded by many before me, including my older brother. But she has no choice but to take it from an incompetent fool. I can't even imagine the stress. "Takes a lot of willpower to keep yourself from screaming then, I take it?"
"More than you realize," Edelgard exhaled, slumping one cheek into her hand and leaning over the battlements. She turned her head slightly towards Lelouch. "Honestly, I'm…surprised you decided to attend today's service, given how critical you are of the church."
"Rhea and I reached an understanding since the incident when the Golden Deer left on that mission to the Atlantic. A lot of animosity has lost its intensity since that day. I'm still no fan of hers, but…I don't hate her outright."
That's more than I fear I could ever accomplish. An understanding with the archbishop? Surely he jests. "Still, you had no obligation to show," Edelgard stated. Her tone suggested not that she was unthankful for Lelouch's presence, but rather bewildered by it. "You're not even from Adrestia."
Lelouch was silent for quite a bit, not answering, almost taking a page of out C.C.'s book. Edelgard had a bit of a point. Yet…it just felt like the right thing to do. He felt like he couldn't just say that of course. Edelgard would have too many follow up questions. A lot of his choice to attend was mostly because he'd been there. He'd witnessed Matilda's last moments. But that was as Zero. He couldn't let Edelgard know that what he'd witnessed was still shaking him up a little.
"Is…everything all right?" Edelgard asked when she could take the silence no longer.
"I never got to attend my mother's funeral," Lelouch answered. "Perhaps I was trying to feel…connected in some way." It was a lie as close to the truth as he would allow himself. He hadn't actually been able to attend Marianne's funeral because, to the best of his knowledge, there hadn't been one. But…it wasn't because of her that he attended Matilda's ceremonial service. "I lost my home, my wealth, and my right to stay in the noble court." His cover story was that he was a rich kid whose wealth had come from family inheritance due to his now late father's stock account. This still lined up with that.
"Sounds like you and Constance have a bit in common then," Edelgard replied. She'd reunited with Constance shortly after the Wyvern Moon began and already the girl was trying to leverage favor with Edelgard. It hadn't worked, but the young princess was still of a net positive opinion of the blonde.
Lelouch chuckled at the mere mention of Constance. "Perhaps I do."
Edelgard gazed out across the horizon. "The Battle of the Eagle and Lion will be upon us soon. Nine more days."
"Gronder Field, right?" Lelouch questioned. "A field as beautiful as it is scarred. It's in Eastern Adrestia, correct?"
Edelgard nodded. "It's part of Count Bergliez's territory and across its opposite shores both the Kingdom and the Alliance sit. A pivotal battlefield in all but the war that led to Britannia's founding. I've been there many times."
"This will be my first, though I've seen pictures," Lelouch stated. "Also, since you seem so eager to change the subject, are you…doing all right?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Lelouch looked sternly at her. The meaning of his question could not be more obvious.
"Lelouch, I thought Matilda dead for four years already. I've shed all the tears I needed to for her already." She clutched her locket. "This is a memento to keep me going. My path is already determined. I have not faltered and this will not make me. If anything, it's spurring me ever forward."
Lelouch smiled tiredly, leaning over the battlements. "I guess that makes you stronger than me. My mother died longer ago than seven years and yet I know…if I was told she'd been in hiding for all this time, just to slip through my fingers and be dead again…it would feel like a cruel joke."
"I learned a long time ago that the world simply doesn't stop moving because of tragedy," Edelgard told him. "When you hit the bottom, you claw your way back to the top."
"So if Hubert died, would you not grieve?" Lelouch asked her.
Edelgard looked peeved at the question.
"Cutting off your emotions isn't healthy," Lelouch stated. "In my opinion, the ever-present scars shape you. They're a reminder that, at any time, the world could hurt you."
"Yet if you keep wallowing in misery, you'll never move forward," Edelgard criticized. "Holding onto sorrow is the fastest way to reach an early grave. The sooner you can put it behind you, the better."
"Not everyone can be that strong. People process grief in different ways. You can't judge the world by how you choose to live. Telling a person to move on from the death of a loved one is likely to make them resent you," Lelouch critiqued.
"Pffft," Edelgard grunted and then threw her head back and laughed, "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Lelouch blinked at her oddly. Yup. She'd snapped. He needed to go get Hubert.
However, Edelgard quickly cleared her throat. "Sorry, sorry. That was…inappropriate. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just…we're standing here debating the morals and ethics of grief, and it's just so…I don't know? Engaging? I feel as if, when I talk to you, all of my weaknesses are covered by your strengths. It's as if our differences…make us greater together than we are individually."
Lelouch smiled. "Perhaps it does."
Edelgard smiled back. She stepped towards Lelouch. Her hand reached out towards him, only for the sound of a buzzing phone to kill the moment, especially since it was Edelgard's. She pulled it out of her pocket promptly. It was a text message. Caller ID? Hubert.
"And like that, the world continues to move. It would appear I can spare no more time at the moment," she told Lelouch.
"Disappointing, but completely understandable," Lelouch responded. "Tell Hubert to smile once in a while, and I don't mean in a manner that looks like he's going to add another notch to his serial killer belt."
Edelgard did her best not to guffaw as she simply turned around to begin responding to the message. "I'll see you later Lelouch," she said, chuckling.
As soon as she was clear of Lelouch's sight, his usual disdainful scowl returned. He was, without question, exhausted, from all of this. Everything started from the minute he'd let Nunnally go with the Golden Deer on that dangerous mission, and it was only growing more and more complicated. Sure, Count Gloucester would soon be able to rest easy, knowing that the man responsible for ruining his territory for the last two years was now dead.
However, now the threat of the Agarthans loomed ever nearer. Even if Thales didn't outright retaliate for Odesse's death, Lelouch knew it was only a matter of time. Sure, perhaps the Agarthans would simply move onto their next big project, or perhaps they would simply write off Odesse as a liability since he'd been caught. Yet unless they believed Zero could have discovered that lab through other methods, fingers would be pointed at Kronya. A double-edged sword that one. She was a fantastic warrior, with capabilities far exceeding most of the Black Knights, but…her loyalty was not secured, not by a longshot. She was struggling, but she wasn't there.
Lelouch knew he needed to secure that loyalty. Not out of a desire, but out of necessity. If the knife pointed at his back could be, in turn, used to defend himself, he was in a much better condition to tackle this enemy.
As he headed for the marketplace, the memory of his shared kiss with Kronya flashed through his mind. Sure, she wasn't all there in the head at the time. He knew that. And yet…that was his first real kiss. He sighed and continued outward to exit Garreg Mach altogether. He needed to clear his head. Nunnally's birthday was coming up. This very Wednesday in fact. Lelouch knew he would need an appropriate gift. He hadn't found anything yet. He'd been searching for the past few days. Sure, he could order something online, but he wanted to get her something she could appreciate, even without her sight, that he could only obtain in Rome. Well, if nothing else, he hoped Anna might be able to find him something.
As he walked past the entrance hall, he spotted a familiar face, one he hadn't stopped to speak with in a long time. "Greetings, Lelouch! Nothing to report!"
Lelouch smiled at him. It had been a while since he'd heard from the Gatekeeper. He stopped to listen.
"Have you heard? There's a strange traveler in Rome. People tell sights of a man with white hair and really thick sunglasses. I haven't seen him, but if I saw someone that suspicious, I'd report him immediately if he was acting suspicious."
"I see," Lelouch said and handed the usual tip money for the information. "Keep up the good work."
"Of course, have a good day."
While Lelouch had caught up with Edelgard, Jeralt was leaving the cathedral with Byleth and Nunnally. The single father groaned.
"No matter how many of them I get dragged to, memorial services and funerals are just the worst." He chuckled. "About the only thing good about them is the free food."
"Really? In front of Nunnally?" Byleth asked, annoyed that Jeralt was setting a bad example.
"Right. Right, can't talk like a disinterested old dastard in front of the sugar cube," Jeralt said, rubbing the back of his head.
"You don't have to worry about me Uncle Jeralt. I'm getting to be a big girl!" Nunnally exclaimed with a smile.
Jeralt laughed hysterically. "Of course you are, Nunnally. Jeez, I remember when you were tinier, yet you're still light enough I could carry you on my shoulders."
"Byleth's been helping me get a lot stronger when I ask and so has my new class. Pretty soon I could probably beat someone at arm wrestling. Oh! And if I fall out of my wheelchair, I have enough upper body strength to pull myself back into it if it's not flipped over," Nunnally said.
Jeralt sounded impressed. "Is that a fact now? Well, good for you. Who knows? Maybe one day miracles will happen and you won't need a Hard Light Knightmare Frame to walk."
"Well, Lelouch was talking to Mr. Seteth about a blood transfusion, but I heard the donor got rejected and they haven't found a new one," Nunnally stated, starting happy and then ending sadly.
"All right, come on, we've got enough frowns to last the week after today's ceremony. Oh! I know! How about we go out for waffle ice cream sandwiches! You still like those, right?"
"Who doesn't?" Byleth commented with a smirk.
Before the group could set off, before Jeralt could even sound excited about it, a young woman approached the trio. She had long, dark hair, dressed professionally in a Knight of Seiros uniform, with a splash of red on her lapels, and a twin-eagle pin over her jacket pocket, right next to her dragon pin. She was tall for a woman her age, a little by taller than Byleth, and this woman wasn't wearing heels. She appeared to be around the same age. The only other accessory to the girl's appearance was a professional, yet bland white hairband running across the top of her head.
"Captain Jeralt, good to see you outside of your office," she said, offering him her best knights bow. "Did you enjoy the service?"
"Well, I'll be. There's a face I haven't seen in years," Jeralt said with a proud smile.
"I don't recognize her," Byleth said.
"That was around the time we split the mercenary corp because we had so many jobs to do. It was right after we dropped off Lelouch and Nunnally at Ashford. I went to Adrestia. You went to Britannia."
Byleth's eyes read "Aha" and she nodded, understanding the situation.
"This must be your daughter." She bowed to Byleth. "Greetings. My name is Sancia. I am a Knight of Seiros, and former house leader of the Black Eagles."
"Is that right now?" Jeralt asked.
Sancia nodded. "Last year was quite the year at Garreg Mach. All five house leaders ended up joining the Knights of Seiros. They call us the Irregulars because it is Irregular for all five house leaders to simply abandon their place of birth for the knights." She looked to Nunnally. "I believe you have already met my friend, young miss, Alice Einhart."
Nunnally gasped, smiling. "You're friends with Alice?"
Sancia nodded once more. "I am. I am from Adrestia. Alice is from Faerghus. My compatriots from Leicester and Britannia, Dalque and Lucretia. And then there's Catherine's favorite Golden Boy, Suzaku Kururugi."
"Oh! You know Suzaku too!" Nunnally exclaimed. Enough time had passed at Garreg Mach that she could pass off her friendship with Suzaku as natural.
Sancia chuckled. "Who doesn't know the White Shogun as many of us junior knights call him? He kicked our butts at the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Practically lead the entire Green Pheasant house to victory, their, so far, first and only. And yet, Lady Rhea made him monastery security. Don't know what she's thinking. Talent like his belongs on a battlefield."
"I might be able to shed some light on that. Rhea likes to keep her most gilded knights close at hand for the big emergencies, which is why you see the kid constantly getting sent out on missions lately. Take it from a hardened Knight Captain. Rhea loves to show off her latest and greatest at her side, less so risking them to fatal injuries. But, Suzaku's slowly proving himself. He's bound to make a lasting impression."
Sancia hummed in agreement. "I was honestly shocked how quickly we were able to get everything together today." She sighed. "It's weird being in my position. If Lady Matilda were still alive, she'd be 23. Being nineteen myself, I should have fond memories of her as a court lady, or remember admiring her from afar. Alas, my memory of my time as an Adrestian citizen is…hazy. I can't match names to faces. I can't even remember my own parents."
"Oh dear! Amnesia? Are you all right?" Nunnally asked.
Sancia nodded. "I owe it all to Jeralt here. I had been wandering the countryside alone. I'd been badly injured, but I don't remember what caused it. I just remember…that I was running away. I was hungry, scared and losing a lot of blood. Jeralt gave me food and temporary shelter."
"I couldn't take her back to the mercenary group with me. She looked like she'd been through hell."
"You took us along," Nunnally pointed out.
"With you two, neither of you were injured, you had inappropriate shelter and you can't walk or see. I'd feel guilty if I never saw you again. You're lucky you're so damn cute. Also, you were just a pair of kids. Sancia was almost fully grown, couldn't even remember her own name at first, and was more skittish than a fox in a wolf pack," Jeralt pointed out.
"You lost your eye?" Byleth questioned, noticing Sancia's were both fully functional.
Sancia pointed to her left eye. The iris moved and twisted unnaturally. "It's a cybernetic implant. Roman technology. Professor Manuela completed my surgery when I enrolled."
"I thought you hated Rome," Byleth said, looking at Jeralt.
"Look, I may have a problem or two with Rhea for her role in your mom's death, but the church is the safest damn place in the world for what Sancia was going through. I dropped her off, gave her some cash and told her to stay safe." Jeralt grinned. "Looks like I made the right call. I mean look at you, a full-fledged knight and everything. Should take you back to the company when I'm all done with my short tenure as Knight Captain, but I'm guessing that's getting shot down in flames."
Sancia nodded. "I couldn't do that to my friends, or any of the staff I've grown fond of. Besides," she smirked. "If you leave, I want your job."
Jeralt laughed his ass off. "We may not have known each other long, but you've got razor sharp wit there, kid."
"I couldn't help but overhear that you were going out for waffle sundaes. I have duties to perform here, so sadly I could not join you if asked, but I wish you all a safe and hearty meal."
"Give Alice my regards, Miss Sancia," Nunnally said with a smile.
"I shall. She talks about you quite often. You must have left quite the impression on her," Sancia said with a smile.
Nunnally beamed. "Of course! We're friends!"
Byleth continued to stare at Sancia.
"Something the matter, Professor?"
"Just…your right eye," Byleth stated. She noticed how Sancia's right eye, the one that wasn't cybernetic had a purple tint to it. Not lilac like Edelgard's and Matilda's, but not exactly deep and royal purple like Lelouch's either. Still, Byleth could count on her fingers the number of people that had purple eyes but didn't have hair color that matched.
"What? Do I have something stuck to it?" Sancia asked, rubbing the area under the lower lid.
"It's…nothing," Byleth remarked, regretting even saying anything. "Sorry."
Sancia shook her head. "It's no trouble. People notice the peculiar hue of my eye all the time. It's a bit stark in contrast to my implant, I know." Sancia's left eye was mud brown.
Byleth nodded.
"Welp! We should get going! Those waffle sundaes won't eat themselves!" Jeralt declared.
Sancia gave a polite goodbye bow. "Of course, have a pleasant day."
As she waved the group goodbye, Sancia couldn't help but clutch her head. A great pain was throbbing in her right temporal lobe, but she was too professional to show it in front of people she knew. She hissed, closing her organic eye. "Damn…this headache isn't going away," she said. "Ever since this morning, I just…" Her head throbbed horribly as she remembered her day and she couldn't know what was triggering it. Something or someone was bashing her forgotten memories with a sledgehammer and it was causing her great pain. "I…need to go talk to Professor Manuela. Now." She left and simply prayed the songstress turned medic wasn't too drunk to help her.
As dusk fell over Rome, Lelouch wasn't the only one out and about outside Garreg Mach. Kronya was too, shadowing him, really. As long as she was outside Garreg Mach, unless she was in Abyss, she could shed her current human disguise and move about as herself. Normally, she didn't follow Lelouch around. She was Zero's right-hand woman, not his. But…ever since yesterday…she kept getting butterflies if Lelouch wasn't in her line of sight for an extended period of time.
From a far enough away distance, hidden in the shadows of a building, Kronya watched Lelouch enter into an electronics store. She didn't follow in after him. She was comfortable just watching people entering and exiting the building.
However, as she leaned there in her hiding spot, someone came up to her. A young man of Chinese Federation descent with unruly white hair, thick headphones and even thicker sunglasses. He stood a little over two meters tall.
"Watching the man you love from afar, it would be sweet if it wasn't so sad," the man said, clapping sarcastically.
Claude's ribbing she could take. Yuri and Yukiya's sarcasm she could tolerate. She could even put up with C.C.'s incessant cryptic nonsense when the girl visited her room. But a random stranger that somehow knew thoughts she would deny eight was to Sunday? No. This was about to be a bloodbath.
She was surprised then when he caught her arm at just the right location to completely halt her attack. The timing was perfect, as if he'd seen it coming.
"Ah, suppose there's no point in hiding the truth given your organization's longstanding history with Geass," the man said. He lowered his sunglasses with his free hand, showing a pair of emblems in his eyes Kronya was all too familiar with.
Kronya gasped. "Wh-who are you? And…let…go of me!" Unable to get her one arm free, she decided use her other arm to punch this guy in the stomach. He caught her fist. Again, as if he'd seen it coming. And he'd had enough time to put his sunglasses back in place.
"I know everything there is to know about you, Kronya of Agartha. I know how you struggle to choose which orders to follow, how in spite of your claim for Agartha's superior race, you've fallen in love with a child of the Goddess."
"Shut up! You don't know anything about me!" Kronya snarled and attempted to bite this guy right in the neck, given he was too tall to headbutt. But he backed off from her completely, causing her to almost lose her balance. She backed up from him. It was as if every move she made was being read. "You…you can read my mind…can't you? That's how you can…see my attacks coming."
The man adjusted the slide wheel connected to the headphones on his ears, smiling. He clapped. "Give the young-looking lady a prize. But since now you know that you can't hit me…" his smile grew. "Let's talk, shall we?"
"No thanks," Kronya said. "I'd rather kill you!" She kept trying to attack this guy, but he kept evading her as dusk creeped in over Rome.
"You were sent to monitor Zero, asked to keep tabs on him, yet along the way, your loyalty shifted. Already an evil witch, yet you think you can be redeemed?"
"Shut. Up."
"Poor thing, never knowing comfort and now suddenly chasing it. Is it any wonder the Agarthans were shoved underground by the Goddess!"
"I said shut up!"
Keen Intuition!
Despite her valiant effort, Kronya still missed. Badly. The young man sidestepped her at the last second, clapping at her misfortune as she overexerted herself and tumbled to the ground.
"Oh my, how clever. You thought speeding up your body would let you attack me before I knew where you would strike, but I can read your every thought. I know where you'll strike before even you do." He stepped on her back, digging his heel into it. Kronya cried out in pain. "Maybe call Zero to come save you, if you're in so much pain, hmm? That's what you want, right? You no longer believe in your mission. The only thing you care about is the man that makes you feel special!"
"SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about!" Kronya snarled in a frenzy. She grabbed Athame and made to turn over and stab this guy in the leg, but he took his foot off her and she missed, hitting only air. She sat up slightly, growling at him.
"Oh, but I do, Kronya of Agartha. I most certainly do. I told you, I can read your every thought. I can read your next movements, and I can see your deepest fears. For years your Gleaming Blade didn't evolve, but it evolved because of Zero. You've been questioning that, questioning your loyalty. You really believe a vile assassin like you has a place in this world. You've started dreaming. You've started fantasizing, when you know you're beyond redemption! You stole the life of a wayward girl and made it your own! Does Zero even know that you're masquerading as a student?"
Fed up beyond words, Kronya attempted to tackle this white-haired blabbermouth, but, again, she missed. Her mind was starting to lose its clarity and now she was just swinging away with Athame, hoping to hit him.
"You're slipping because you know I'm right. You can deny it all you want, but yesterday morning was the truest sense of self you'd ever experienced. You were in love. You felt Zero's touch and you craved more. You are a selfish woman down to your last sinful thought."
"I am selfish! What of it?" Kronya snapped.
Her foe caught her arm again. This time, he squeezed until he could claim Athame from her grip, taking it for himself. "A sword that makes wounds that don't heal with healing magic, so if the wound is fatal, that means the person dies, right? What an evil weapon."
"Give…give that back…it's…it's mine." Gone now was the ruthless assassin. Kronya sounded, if anything, like a frightened child.
Her foe didn't answer her. He continued to prattle on. "There is only one way to end it all. You know it and I know it because you've thought of it. You know there's only one way that you can avoid hurting Zero." He threw Athame at her feet. It clattered on the stone pathway.
Kronya knelt down to pick up Athame, now crying. She was scared, terrified even. Not of the man in front of her, but of herself, of her own thoughts.
"There now," the white-haired man said with a devilish grin. "Now tell me all about your pain. Down to the last detail."
When it came to Rome's night life, the district in which Lelouch was traveling so little foot traffic. No one had really seen Mao and Kronya's altercation. Or, if they did, they hadn't paid it any mind. Most thought it was just some kind of street performance if the saw it from afar. For his part, Lelouch had missed the entire thing and gone from shop to shop until the sun was low on the horizon.
Nothing today either, he thought. I'll have to try again tomorrow, or talk to Anna on Sunday.
He was heading back for the monastery when his phone rang. Kronya's number? At this time of day?
He answered the phone. "K2! Is everything okay?"
"I'm afraid your favorite knight can't come to the phone right now."
Lelouch scowled. "Who is this?"
The voice chuckled as Lelouch heard it both over the phone and coming up from around the corner behind him. "Hahaha, who indeed."
Lelouch then saw the same tall man others had seen talking to Kronya earlier.
"Who are you?" Lelouch shouted at him.
The man tossed an all-black cell phone to Lelouch's feet.
"You scum. Where is she?" He dared not speak Kronya's name aloud without more information.
The man clapped sarcastically. "Oooooh, I like it! The scary face of a man desperately seeking answers."
"What the hell did you do with her?!" Lelouch demanded to know.
"You wanna know?" the man asked. "Then you'll have to accept my challenge." He took out a tablet and sent a message to Lelouch's tablet the young man had in the shoulder bag he'd been carrying around in case he found a gift for Nunnally. It was an invite to play chess. "That's your specialty, is it not?"
Yuri Leclerc was minding his own business when he got a text message from Lelouch.
It read:
K2 compromised. Need backup, but only you and Q1. Do not involve the others. I can't be seen by them right now.
Yuri had all the information he needed with that, aside from a location, but he could get that from Yukiya. 'Do not involve' was given further clarity by 'I can't be seen.' That meant he didn't have his Zero paraphernalia on him. But, his location, if he didn't give it out, needed to be tracked first.
Yuri didn't answer. He knew that would just be wasting time and, if Lelouch was being watched carefully, only signal that help was coming. He immediately went to Pizza Hut—where else would that woman be—and found C.C. lounging around in what was now her own private part of the restaurant.
He stood in front of her, with a stare of the utmost seriousness. "He needs us. Let's go."
C.C. didn't need any more information than that. Yuri's tone and words told her everything she needed to get her up out of her seat.
As it turned out, Lelouch and the mysterious white-haired man wouldn't be starting their game immediately. His mysterious foe played white and didn't make his first move until they sat down in an empty tram car heading up into the nearby mountains.
He and Lelouch played back and forth, but it was a game that Lelouch continued to struggle with. His foe had the queen on the A column and a rook going down an open file in the center. And then, he played a bishop in the rook's path right up against the king. Lelouch wasn't in checkmate but he was almost completely boxed in. He was losing, badly.
"Shall we end it and call it my game, hmm?"
They both then received the same message: Signal Lost. The tablets ran on Wi-Fi, not cellular data and they were now too far up in altitude to receive public Wi-Fi service.
"Oh, such a shame," The man replied.
How could he predict every move I made? Who is this guy?
"Didn't C.C. tell you about me?"
Lelouch's head snapped up to look this strange man in his dark shades. He gasped.
The man clapped sarcastically. "Well done. In one lightning moment, you came up with fourteen possible identities for me."
Lelouch merely scowled, brow furrowing.
The man lowered his darkened one-piece sunglasses. "And one of them was precisely correct."
Lelouch gasped. He has Geass too!
However, before Lelouch could activate his own, the man replaced his shades, blocking Lelouch's direct line of sight. "Let's see now, for your Geass, you have to look directly into someone's eyes. Oh, I know all the rules for your little gift."
"You can read minds!" Lelouch concluded.
"You could call my Geass mind reading," the man conceded.
Lelouch stood up, infuriated. "What the hell have you done with Kronya?!" Now in an enclosed space with no one around, he felt more inclined to speak his ally's name. "Where is she?"
"Don't worry, if you're worried I killed her, I would do nothing of the sort," the man said. Then, from behind him, down the exit staircase and into Lelouch's line of sight, stepped Kronya. And she looked positively gleeful.
Lelouch ran out of the tram card and up the staircase, standing six steps below her. "Kronya, what's going on? Are you planning to betray me? To betray the Black Knights?!"
"No, Zero, it's very simple," Kronya said. She cackled, like the murmurs of a dying bird, "We're going to die…together! In death, it shall be our redemption!" Kronya's whole body was pulsing. "When Athame pierces your back and into my stomach, we'll become one…forever!"
"What are you going to do, Zero?" Mao asked. "You've already used your Geass on her. Why don't you give the woman who loves you a tender embrace before you die?"
"You stay out of this!" Zero snapped.
"You made me kill…all of those Agarthans…" Kronya said, her blade arm shaking. "I…I took the lives…of other Agarthans…for you…" With a crazed look in her eye, Kronya shouted, "FOR YOU, ZERO! I DID IT ALL FOR YOU!"
"My, isn't that lovely?" Mao asked, clapping sarcastically. "A woman who would kill her own former allies just to please you."
Lelouch ignored him. "Kronya, put Athame down," he said, strenuously. "You don't have to listen to him. I—"
"Oh yes, listen to the man who claims he has your best intentions at heart, but then turns around and makes demands that lead you to this state. You already said it to me yourself. You can't trust him. You can't even trust yourself. You only love the idea of him. You can't love a beast."
Kronya clenched her eyes shut and then screamed as though in physical pain. She lunged at Lelouch, grabbing him by his black shirt and sending them tumbling down the staircase. Lelouch, fortunately for him, hit his shoulder on a step on the way down so he didn't smash his head open on the bottom. However, the impact almost certainly cracked his shoulder bone.
"Agh!" he exclaimed.
"Zero…" Kronya cooed, "Zero…" She stole another kiss from his lips, suckling on him, savoring the moment.
"Kronya…you have to stop. I order you to stop!" Lelouch shouted.
Kronya gleefully stabbed the stone around Zero's head, savoring this moment. The moment where she would die. Where she and Zero would die together in a tender embrace, a fitting end for those who tried to change the world, cackling all the while.
"Isn't it beautiful? The love of one sinner to another. You two deserve each other, really," the white-haired man remarked, clapping sarcastically.
"Shut up! What the hell did you do to Kronya?"
"I just listened to her. She told me all about her pain, you know? While you were busy shopping for your sister's birthday, we became nice and acquainted. She's my blade now and she only wants to burn it all down!"
Lelouch gasped. Kronya had betrayed him, not for Thales, but for someone else. No…no this wasn't remotely true. This guy was using her. Just like…just like…
He clapped sarcastically. "That's right, just like you did. You used her. You never once cared about her, not even when you kissed. She's your weapon, your tool. She's not someone you love."
Lelouch's gaze shifted from the mind reading man to Kronya. She was crying, biting her lower lip. She looked hurt, wounded even, though none of her pain was caused by physical injury.
"I believed in you," she sobbed. "I thought…I don't know what I thought…but it made me happy."
She dropped Athame and grabbed Zero's jacket, hoisting him up so she could cry into his chest.
"You made me feel things I never felt before! You made me feel as if I had a place I could truly belong, but you don't mean it! YOU DON'T MEAN ANY OF IT! YOU'RE A LIAR JUST LIKE THALES! I…I HATE YOU!"
"You're a cruel man, you are, Zero. You broke her heart." the mysterious man's head suddenly whipped around as he felt a presence. "Hmm?" The man had to suddenly divert his attention to avoid a gunshot.
"All right, Mao. That's far enough."
Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. Yuri had arrived, armed with gun and sword.
Kronya, however, immediately became violent and tried to attack him. She screeched and grabbed her weapon, going to fight Yuri one on one with her sword.
"Dammit! How dare you? I had this all planned out!" Mao shouted. He looked to Lelouch. "Your thoughts told me he never responded! You didn't even tell him where we were going! You told him not to involve the others!"
"You're right, I did," Lelouch said, marching up the staircase. "But I guess even your mind reading has limits. I knew from the minute we started walking away that you probably knew exactly what I was thinking. But if you didn't see through this plan, you didn't know what Yuri was thinking. You didn't know that he didn't have to respond to my message to let me know that he was on the move. But as long as I couldn't be certain of his help, you could take solace in believing that help wasn't coming. You may have won the battle, Mao, if that's your name, but you've lost the war." He fanned his hand out in front of him, preparing a Miasma blast. "Checkmate."
Mao easily dodged this. He ran for the tram car to get a cartridge rifle he'd laid carefully under a seat to shoot them all and be done with it, only for the tram to close and head back down the mountain.
"What? But how? That Yuri guy is fighting Kronya and if anyone else was here, I should've sensed them!" He gasped, hatching onto one possibility. "It couldn't be!"
He ran up the steps of the tram, gazing out the far right window, coming face to face with C.C., the love of his life, holding a gun aimed right at him.
"She made it!" Lelouch gasped, thankful that C.C. had come as well.
Mao took off his headset and his goggles to get an unfiltered look at her. "I knew it! I just knew it! It's you! It's really you!"
His voice got further and further away and, with the enclosed space of the tram car muffling his voice, nobody else could hear his ramblings.
With Mao out of the picture, Lelouch had to turn his attention towards Yuri and Kronya. Kronya was still in a miserable state, giving a finessed warrior like Yuri a clear advantage.
Yuri hadn't said a word either. He knew Kronya's psyche was fragile. Poking the bear and quipping in his usual style would only make things worse.
"That guy's gone, Kronya. You don't have to listen to him anymore," Lelouch told her, stepping down the staircase. "Stand down."
Kronya didn't listen, continuing to fight Yuri, pushing him to the edge of the staircase.
"Kronya! Enough!" C.C. shouted. That got her attention. She stopped attacking Yuri and Yuri kept his guard up, but took time to catch his breath.
"Don't you understand what's happened? Mao used you just as he claims Zero used you. But take a look at what's happened? Yuri and I were only able to come to Zero's aid because he trusted us," C.C. told her.
"You can still trust someone to use them," Kronya replied.
"Okay, be used. Be used for your entire life! Everyone uses someone in some capacity in their life," C.C. stated. "Human beings are selfish. They're heartless, evil, and everything the Agarthans claim them to be. But we have something that your kind will never develop." C.C. threw her gun to the side and outstretched a hand from across the tram platform. "The capacity to forgive each other!"
Kronya froze a moment. Yes. That was what truly separated Zero from Thales. It wasn't praise. It wasn't trust. It was that, unlike Thales, Zero would always forgive her shortcomings. Zero would never punish Kronya for failure.
Kronya, shocked, turned her head in Zero's direction. He stood there, undamaged and unharmed by her violent outburst.
"I forgive you, Kronya," Lelouch said, with an outstretched, trusting arm. "You were hurt, and I failed to notice. I know this is a lot to ask given what I made you do, but…can you forgive me?"
Kronya's broken heart felt crushed beyond repair. And yet…and yet…
Kronya reached out a shaky arm. Her face looked positively miserable. Forgiveness, it was a foreign concept to an Agarthan. If you failed, you were worthless trash. Forgiveness had no place in the Empire. But…she wasn't in the Empire, not physically, and, in the moment, not spiritually either.
Her vision waned. Zero…Zero was so far away. She had to…get closer.
Her own feet carried her. She scrambled up the stairs, tripping, but she made it. Her hand landed in Zero's. She was sobbing uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, Zero," she managed to get out. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Lelouch came down to her level and embraced her as the sun set, the stars illuminating the platform. Kronya howled into his chest as he stroked her shoulder. She smashed her forehead into his shoulder, carrying on like a small child, rubbing her forehead against it. She clung to him.
"I've already forgiven you, Kronya. It's going to be okay," Lelouch told her.
Kronya looked up at him with wounded eyes. She leaned up…and kissed him once more, but not for too long. The fantasies were stopping. No more images of being Zero's pet. No more haunting images of having to stab him. No, right now, as she settled into Zero's embrace, purring gently as he stroked his shoulder, this was what she wanted.
It was a while before the quartet was able to leave the platform and head back to Abyss.
"Hey, Zero," Kronya said, now more herself again. "Is…is it all right if I don't immediately forgive you?"
"Of course it's fine," Lelouch stated. "Forgiveness is earned, not a given."
"Then…I'm not going to forgive you. Not until…" Kronya turned away, averting eye contact. "No, forget it. It's stupid."
"You don't have to say it. I understand," Lelouch told her. "Besides, it's like I told you, a relationship would complicate things."
Kronya smiled. She seemed to accept this. "Right, strictly professional. Got it!"
"Can I still count on you to fight by my side regardless?" Zero asked.
"You can," Kronya said with a firm nod and a strong look. "My job is to protect you. That was Thales's order. And, until he rescinds or changes that order…" she grabbed Zero's hand, lacing their fingers. "I'm your blade. I'm your K2."
Lelouch smiled, squeezing Kronya's hand…only to separate, not long after. "I have to go back into the Monastery the way I came. The three of you behave yourselves."
"Don't worry, we will. Not like I'm not used to wrangling troublemakers," Yuri quipped.
"Thank you…Zero," Kronya said, feeling sentimental. "For…for forgiving me."
"Lelouch."
"Huh?" She questioned, confused.
"You've been calling me Zero this entire time, but my name is Lelouch. When I'm not wearing a mask, and it's just the four of us, or less, you can call me by my name."
"Well that's an awfully big risk. Now the enemy knows your name," Yuri remarked with a chuckle.
"Kronya's not an enemy though," Lelouch responded. "She's one of us. It's just up to her to recognize that."
Kronya felt butterflies again, but they subsided quickly. She then turned away and walked ahead of Yuri and C.C. into the night, disappearing into the darkness.
"That's an awfully big risk," C.C. said to Lelouch.
"Maybe, but it's to my benefit. If Kronya were to turn on us now and provide the enemy with that kind of information, well…I can more easily plan a counterattack than I can an offensive."
"More manipulation?" Yuri laughed. "Did today teach you nothing?"
"I cannot change who I am or how I operate. We are who we are. Changing the very core of our being to better suit others, that is true manipulation. I would rather stay true to myself, even if means manipulating others, than to hide it and deceive everyone around me into thinking something that I'm not," Lelouch responded.
"Says the masked vigilante," Yuri chuckled.
"That's different and you know it," Lelouch replied, getting annoyed. "Look, today's been long, aggravating and, above all else, exhausting. I'm getting dinner and going to bed."
"Sounds like a plan we should follow," Yuri replied with a mischievous smile. "Come on, C.C., let's go."
"Fine. You owe me pizza anyway."
The two began walking away.
"Yeah, sure, break my bank a little. You're gonna turn into a pizza one of these days."
That was the last thing Lelouch heard either of them say before he got too far away to hear them. He walked into Garreg Mach, waving to the Gatekeeper as the man saluted to him, but didn't stop, proceeding to head for the dining hall for food. It was late, so at this point, it was serve yourself. Lelouch got behind the counter and started cooking.
Much to his surprise, the smell of well-cooked food drew the attention of some other night prowlers.
"Oh! I was wondering who was cooking something so tantalizing. Didn't think I'd see you behind the counter, Lelouch." It was Dorothea.
"Hungry? I can make a larger portion," he said with a smile.
"Dinner on your labor? What's gotten into you? Is everything all right?" Dorothea asked, suddenly concerned for Lelouch's health.
"Just…learning today I should be more thankful for the people around me," Lelouch replied with a smile.
"Okay, now I'm really concerned," Dorothea stated, frowning. "You sure you're all right?"
Before Lelouch could answer, Hilda walked in. "Ohhhh, man. That smells amazing. Who's cooking?" She was floored to see Lelouch at the stove. "What? Lelouch?"
"I know, right?" Dorothea remarked, understanding Hilda's sentiment. "Who knew such a handsome man could cook?"
Shez walked in. "Aha, I knew it. I know that smell a mile away. That's your bacon cheeseburger casserole, right?"
"Huh? You've had it before?" Hilda asked.
"Oh, you haven't tried it? …Ohhhhh, yeah, come to think of it. I haven't seen Lelouch cook his own recipes since we got there," Shez remarked.
"Shez, when you have a single brother that can cook, it's nice to inform his lady friends," Dorothea remarked with a smile.
"I, uh…" Shez stuttered.
"Ignore her. You had no obligation to tell anyone," Lelouch responded.
"Heyyyyy," Dorothea faux complained with a smile. "What happened to appreciating the people around you?"
"Keep up that attitude and you won't get seconds," Lelouch commented.
Dorothea laughed quietly to herself.
Ever the omnivore, Byleth poked her head in, curious.
Mostly everyone else in the monastery had eaten when dinner was served hours ago. The girls that had shown up were people that had other obligations outside of feeding their bodies during normal dinner hours. Of course, it wasn't just women that showed up for a bite to eat. Ferdinand had kept himself too occupied for a proper meal and even Seteth had come down to cook for himself, surprised to see a meal already in progress.
"I…don't mean to impose, but given how many people are here."
"Oh, sit down, director!" Hilda encouraged with a bright smile. "Even you can indulge on good food once in a while."
As Lelouch continued to cook, he was surprised to suddenly find ingredients right where they needed to be whenever he stopped having his back to them. Raising an eyebrow at this, he opened a cabinet under the sink, finding Bernadetta.
"AH! I…I um…I'm sorry! I'm ruining your recipe aren't I? I'll go back to my room!"
Lelouch reached down to help her. "Come on, don't bump your head," he said gently. "I could use a second set of hands anyway. A lot of people showed up." He looked over at the dimly lit dining hall. Dorothea. Ferdinand. Caspar. Shamir. Hilda. Shez. Mercedes. Milly. Shirley, and more. "If anyone doesn't like it, it's my recipe anyway, so no one will be mad at you."
"O-Okay," Bernadetta agreed, taking Lelouch's hand, and letting him slowly pull herself to her feet.
Lelouch served everyone a portion of his famous casserole. Many of the people in attendance didn't even know he could cook. Others that did were tasting the dish for the first time.
"Oh Goddess, I could get so fat on this," Shirley remarked, right before she swallowed.
It was a pleasant evening, and it surprised Lelouch just how many people he himself was connected to. Every person in this room was more than just a name and a face. They had a history, hobbies…lives.
At one point he heard the rolling of dice, noticing Shamir gambling in plain sight of Seteth against Shez. And Seteth allowed it. It was off hours, he excused.
When all was said and done, Lelouch bade everyone good night, and cleaned up. It was still an hour before evening lecture with the Ashen Wolves. Much to his surprise, he had help with that too.
"Oh, Lelouch, you really ought to realize that you don't have to do everything by yourself," Mercedes told him.
"Yeah, Lelouch. You've got friends," Annette said with a bubbly smile.
Friends. Such a simple word. And yet…it was strange to Lelouch's ear. Everyone around him were, for the most part, pawns. His emotions rarely ran too far. At least…that was what he'd believed all this time. But…that was simply a mask he forced himself to wear. And, as he scrubbed a plate, for a moment, he let it fall, smiling like a normal teenage boy.
"Yeah, thanks," he replied.
Annette was so taken by the sight of a smiling Lelouch, she almost fainted, "Oh…oh gosh."
Mercedes laughed. "Come on, Annie. Let's give Lelouch a hand."
"You got it, Mercie! We'll have this whole kitchen spotless!"
Zero made it down to the Ashen Wolf classroom a little earlier than expected, noticing Kronya sitting in the front row. Usually she sat in the back, barely paying attention. But…she had a notebook…and something to write with.
Zero noticed how the crowd size was the same size as usual, but it felt larger, in a way, tonight. "Thank you all for coming," he began as he did with every lecture. He posed and postured as he declared, "In case it's your first time here, let me remind you all who you stand in the presence of. I am Zero! The man who makes miracles!"
(A/N: If there's one character I get told frequently I've done an amazing job with in this fanfic, it's Kronya. Well…this was my test—along with her backstory from last chapter—to see if that sentiment stands the test of time. So tell me, how'd I do?
My decision to replace Shirley with Kronya was simply down to timing and narrative. And with Lelouch having already used his Geass on her, it would require a different handling of the outcome. Plus, Shirley has been through a-fucking-nough, she needed a break.
Ladies, gentlemen, and others we have nine days until the Battle of the Eagle and Lion on the 29th of the Wyvern Moon. Everything I have built over the past 40 chapters will be put to the test. And, at the rate things are going, I expect to kick things off with chapter 45. What's between then and now? You'll just have to wait and see. And, until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)
SPECIAL THANKS to my Patrons ShawnH and Wizard Aro for their contributions. And if you'd like to become a member, I charge the low, low price of only a dollar just to sign up. I don't offer much, but if you'd like to see content coming—and swiftly—consider subscribing/donating. And I'll see all of YOU next time!