"I have been told the people of Zilkhstan are unparalleled warriors, surpassing even those of Britannia."

Despite the obvious flattery, Shesthaal could not erase the feeling of pride brimming within him. "You have heard correctly, your highness," He said. "War is our trade, and none make war better than the house of Forgnar!"

Prince Schneizel nodded, smiling affably. "So it is. You have heard my proposition. I trust my terms are satisfactory?"

"They are," He answered. "It is a kingly sum you offer me."

"It is no simple mercenary I am contracting," Schneizel said, and again Shesthaal had to remind himself it was simple manipulation. "You are Shesthaal Forgnar: Even in the homeland, your deeds are of no small renown, and it is a rather important task I have to ask of you. It would be insulting to pay you anything less."

He didn't believe the prince for a moment. Zilkhstan was a small, if proud nation, and while he had no doubt the reputation of their soldiers preceded themselves, he wasn't gullible enough to believe the prince knew of him personally, or even of the Forgnar name before seeking him out.

No matter. He would do honor to his name, and ensure the prince never forgot. "And what exactly is the purview of my mission?" He asked. "I need details for my men. Assassination? Kidnapping?"

"Complicated," Schneizel answered. "The capture of Julius Kingsley is a very…delicate situation. A number of parties are interested in him, and I want to know why. Kingsley is a mystery, even to me. Learn everything you can about him. Obtain photos, if you can. Learn his goals, and the goals of his kidnappers. In particular, try to uncover why my sister decided to aid in his capture. If the opportunity arises, rescue him, but do not bring him to Kururugi." He paused.

Shesthaal frowned. It wasn't his place to question his orders, of course not. But he needed to understand the situation better if he was to perform his service properly. "Why? I was under the impression your Emperor charged him with Kingsley's safety."

"Because my own interests and my father's do not necessarily align," Schneizel said. "And until I know why Kingsley is so important, I don't want things going according to his plan. If he's on edge, he may make a mistake, and I might finally learn something." He smiled. "Of course, none of that was ever said, you understand."

Shesthaal nodded. "Of course not." He had never broken a contract, and never betrayed the agenda of any of his previous employers. Zilkhstan prided itself on its reliability. "I presume you want me to depart immediately?"

"That would be for the best," Schneizel agreed. "You have perhaps a day to reach the search area and locate Kingsley before someone else." He frowned. "I trust this is within your capabilities?"

Shesthaal nodded firmly. "Absolutely. I can assure you, if you want information on Kingsley, and if you want him out of Kururugi's hands, I can at least guarantee you that. I may even be able to secure his rescue."

"That would be ideal," Schneizel said. "But do not prioritize it. Even if you cannot prevent him falling into Kururugi's hands, information trumps all. It is what I'm paying you for. You are free to take whatever action, eliminate whoever you deem necessary for the completion of your mission."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your sister is one of his kidnappers."

The prince shrugged. "My sister is a traitor. Learn why she kidnapped Kingsley if you can. Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether she lives or dies. All that does, is why my father has such an interest in Kingsley. Everything else is a trifle."

Shesthaal bowed his head. "In that case, I have everything I require, your highness. I shall depart at once, with my best men in tow. By this time tomorrow, we shall be closing in on Julius Kingsley.

Shesthaal scowled as their aircraft landed, exposing them to the elements. Euro Britannia was cold, far colder than he was expecting. Already he missed the arid temperatures of his home, but he quickly shoved his discontent to the side.

None of that mattered. He had a mission, and he was expected to see it through. And he would, whether it was in the heart of a Jungle, or the tundra's of antarctica. Nothing would stop him from seeing his duty through.

He motioned for the pilot to power down. He trusted in the strength of their cloaking, of course, but it wouldn't do to be proven wrong. He had learned a long time ago never to tempt fate, particularly on missions.

They had been tracking Kururugi's search parties discreetly, hoping that they would lead them to their quarry on their own. Sometime last night, four Knightmares had blinked onto the radar, disappearing an hour later just outside a small town called Westminster.

They disengaged immediately, trusting their superior speed would allow them to reach Kingsley before Britannia. Because it was Kingsley. It had to be. Any Britannian Knightmare would have identified as such, and they'd have no reason to quickly power off their Knightmares either.

Their location was fortuitous. Westminster was a small town, far enough away from St. Petersburg that it would take time for most of the search parties to organize and converge on the town, but still close to the woods, allowing them a quick escape once Kingsley had been secured.

Despite Schneizel's assurances, He decided he would avoid risking the princess's death if possible. Traitor or no, the death of a princess would warrant close investigation. Investigation that may lead back to the prince, and he would not jeopardize his employer while his side of the contract remained unfulfilled.

His men quickly disembarked, piling in behind him and giving their equipment one last checkup. He turned, casting his eyes over the town that no doubt housed their quarry.

He frowned. Westminster was small, but it wasn't exactly a village, either. It was sizable enough, complete with a police station and a few other obviously government buildings he didn't recognize. Searching door to door for Kingsley wasn't feasible. They would need to wait, bide their time for an opportunity. Have a few of his men cover the path in and out of the city, have the rest along with him, moving along the rooftops to quickly cover ground, and give them a vantage point.

Shesthaal nodded, satisfied. They had a location, they had a plan, and they had their mission parameters.

All that was left was to fulfill them.

"What the hell is this?" Ashley scoffed in disbelief. "Are they morons? Or have they all just gone crazy?"

Jean grimaced. "Worse. They have a plan."
"Really?" Ashley asked skeptically. "Because I see four abandoned Knightmares with no signs of the pilots anywhere nearby. Which means they ditched them." After tracing the IFF signals all the way to Westminster, they had suddenly shut off. It took an hour to finally find the abandoned Frames, and both of them were beginning to be more than a little irritated by the chase. "What are they planning on doing when we find them? Tossing sticks and stones at us? How are they supposed to fight back?"

"I think they're counting on us not finding them," Jean sighed. "They're moving into the city on foot, hunkering down. Likely for the night. Whatever their plan is, it isn't something that'll work now. They need time. They're going to find some hole to hide away in until they absolutely need to leave, and stay out of sight otherwise." And in a town like Westminster, with plenty of nooks and crannies to hide away in, it meant they were practically impossible to find with just the two of them.

"Great," Ashley spat. "Just great. So what the hell are we supposed to do now? There's no way we can find them before Kururugi catches up. Our advantage was getting here first, but what do we do once he gets here? He'll want to know why we're here. We'll be lucky if he doesn't execute us, and there's no way we'll have a shot at Kingsley."

Jean hummed in thought. "You're right," She decided. "He will find us, almost certainly…if we were still in our Knightmares."

"The hell do you mean by that?" She could hear the frown in his voice.

"Kingsley and his kidnappers are on foot," She reminded him. "And they'll likely notice us in our Knightmares long before we notice them. And Kururugi definitely will. We're at a disadvantage as long as we're in these Knightmares. I think we follow their example and ditch them."

"Sure, sure, then we'll be outnumbered and defenseless," Ashley grumbled. "Great thinking there, Jean."

"We'll be outnumbered no matter what," Jean rolled her eyes. "As for defenseless…Kingsley and his kidnappers are on foot. It isn't going to come down to a Knightmare fight, not with them. As for Kururugi…" She shook her head. "Do you seriously think we stand a chance against a Knight of the Rounds? Even if we weren't in stock Knightmare Frames?"

Ashley sighed. "Nah, not really. Ditching our frames seems wrong, though."

Jean found herself grinning. "Come on, aren't you always going on about chance? What happened to your luck, huh?"

"I think my luck went to shit the second Shaing paired me with you," He muttered. "Going against a Knight of the Rounds, hunting down Kingsley and a Princess, ditching our Knightmares…It's a wonder we aren't dead yet."

"Now now," She chided, amused at finally being the one to irritate him for a change. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's still plenty of time for us to lose our heads." She powered down her Knightmare, opening the cockpit. "But right now, we need to focus on the present. We know they're in Westminster. We know they're on foot. And we know they're hiding, waiting for something. It seems to me the best thing we can do right now is wander the city, try and cover the likely exits, and hope we catch them."

Ashley snorted. "Great plan. Just the two of us, no Knightmares, no resources, are going to find Kingsley and his kidnappers in the middle of a town they've had hours to hide in."

Jean shrugged. "Maybe not, but we have to at least try." Shaing had trusted them, trusted her to see this mission through. And she would not fail. She grinned. "Besides, who knows? We might get lucky after all."

"I'm sorry," Kallen apologized. "We can't afford to send anyone else with you. We can't even afford to give you a Knightmare, not that it would be much help if Suzaku's there. We don't have the resources, and there's too much of a chance this is a trap. I don't even want to send you, but…"

"But there's enough of a chance that it's real," Urabe finished for her. "And we need Zero back."

Glumly, Kallen nodded. "We're reaching the end of our rope. The Black Knights are floundering, we have been since the Black Rebellion. I…I wouldn't ask you to go alone if we had any other options."

"I know," He said. "And I know what has to be done. It doesn't matter if he's a kid, or a Britannian, or even a prince. Zero is still the man who created the Black Knights. He freed Tohdoh, gave our people hope. He's the last true chance Japan has of ever returning. He can't be allowed to remain a prisoner."

"He may not think he's a prisoner," Kallen warned.

Urabe frowned. "What do you mean?"

Her lip curled. "Do you…remember what I told you? In the days after the rebellion, when we were just beginning to recover?"

He did. Vividly. It was one of the most memorable nights of his life. After spending days hiding away in ghetto's, hiding from the soldiers who swept up the remnants of their former comrades who managed to escape, he had finally met up with someone who was beginning to put the Black Knights back together. Kallen.

And then she had told him. About Zero. About everything. That he was a Britannian prince, that he hated his homeland even more than they did. And that he possessed a strange, impossible power, one that granted him the ability to twist the will of those around him.

He wasn't sure what to believe. He didn't think Kallen did either, back then. They were all lost, broken after the failure of their attack. It was only in the following weeks that they regained their determination. Kallen and C.C., that woman always trailing after Zero, had apparently decided to tell them about Zero because they needed to secure the trust of the few Black Knights who remained.

And…it worked. Urabe trusted them, and he trusted what they said about Zero. He had his doubts, of course. He couldn't be sure he didn't use his power on HIM, and no matter how hard he tried, it still felt wrong to think that Zero was a prince.

But in spite of that, he still fought for the Black Knights. He still believed in Zero's dream. And maybe there was something more to it, maybe Zero sought revenge as well against his family. But Urabe knew he also believed in his message. He HAD to.

And so long as Zero still fought for what he had told them all those months ago, none of the rest mattered to him. Britannian, Prince, Geass…all that mattered was that Zero still fought for the Japanese people.

Urabe believed he did. So did Kallen. And so did the other Black Knights who chose to stay.

He nodded to her. "I remember."

"Lelouch…Zero isn't the only one who possesses a Geass," She told him. "Not according to C.C."

His eyes widened. "Then…Zero has been placed under someone else's Geass?"

"He has," Kallen confirmed. "We've known for a few months now, but we've only just been presented with a chance to act. He believes he's a man named Julius Kingsley, a military advisor to Euro Britannia."

"I see," He frowned. "I'll have to find him then, and kidnap him myself."

"He might not resist," Kallen offered. "He might be lucid. C.C. thinks he might be, at least some of the time. But be prepared for the chance that he isn't. And…there's more. The people who broke him out of the palace…they seem to be soldiers of the EU. And they seem to be led by Cornelia."

His eyes widened. "The Viceroy?"

"Former Viceroy, I guess," Kallen said. "And yeah. I have no idea what she wants with Lelouch, but considering Zero shot her sister, I doubt it's anything good. Do whatever you have to in order to get Lelouch free, alright? Anything. We need him back." Lelouch, she said. Not Zero.

"I will," He promised. "If this isn't a trap, I'll make sure to free Zero. And if it is…" He shrugged. "It's been an honor to call myself a Black Knight."

"It isn't going to come to that," Kallen insisted. "You can handle this. And Lelouch is clever. If he's lucid, listen to him, even if it sounds ridiculous."

Urabe smiled. "I think you're forgetting we're both Black Knights, Kallen. You've been with him longer, but I'm familiar with his eccentricities."

"Sorry," She apologized sheepishly. "And…be careful. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

"You won't," He told her. "I'll return, and with Zero in tow. No matter what it takes, I will make sure he is free to save Japan."

"Good luck," Kallen told him.

He nodded in reply, turning to leave her small room and gather his things. A smile spread across his face. Things were finally going to turn around. He knew it, he felt it. This was the chance they were waiting for. They would free Zero, then their comrades still imprisoned in Japan, and then they would pick up where they left off.

And this time, they would win.

Westminster was so utterly alien to Urabe, particularly in comparison to Japan. Even the coldest nights of winter paled next to the freezing, biting wind of Euro Britannia. The trees were different. The land was different. The air felt different.

He smiled ruefully. The most familiar part about the damn place is the Britannian architecture. How's that for a sick sort of joke? Here he was, hoping to rescue the man who would save Japan, and he took comfort in the familiar sight of their invaders.

He'd laugh, if he weren't so damn tired.

Not literally, of course. He'd made sure to get plenty of rest before reaching Euro Britannia. He was tired in a more spiritual sense. Eight years of bloody resistance, fighting for the memory of a home most thought long gone. Fighting a war every one of them knew they had no chance of winning.

Until one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the chance came.

In a few sparse months, Zero had taken the scattered and demoralized resistance cells of Japan and formed them into something legitimate. Something surpassing even the JLF. Those that joined him, anyways. The rest faded away as the Black Knights grew. For the first time in years, they weren't just winning, they were utterly humiliating Britannia. It was a breath of fresh air, one he thought would never come.

And then, on the cusp of their greatest victory, Zero was lost just as suddenly as he arrived.

And they were back to square one again. Once more, they were broken, lost. Once more, they were pushed further and further back, forced to hide away and resort to guerilla tactics. It galled him, finally clawing back at a real chance of victory, reclaiming their dignity, only to have it snatched away from him.

When Kallen told him and the others the truth about Zero…it had only reinforced what he already knew. That the Black Knights needed him. That Japan needed him. Who he was didn't matter, not really. His actions, and what he represented was all that did.

It was strange. Never in a million years did he ever think he would find himself serving under a Britannian prince not even out of school. Neither did he think he would ever call himself a Knight. The word was far too Britannian to his tastes, or at least it used to be.

But not anymore. The Black Knights had grown beyond Japan, or perhaps they were never meant to exist only for its sake. After all, they had accepted Britannian's from the start, hadn't they? The Black Knights were an organization dedicated to freedom and justice, whether that be in Japan, or anywhere else in the world. Japan was only the beginning.

And if that's what a Knight was…if that's what they were fighting for…then he could call himself a Knight without shame. It was a noble cause, a worthy one. And Zero was a worthy leader.

One who had been lost to them.

Urabe sighed, taking in the sight of the town. Every sign he found pointed to Zero and his kidnappers heading to Westminster. Abandoned Knightmares on the edge of town, both Europian and Britannian. Search parties further out beginning to funnel towards the town. He didn't know what drew them here, but he knew they were all on the clock now. Sooner rather than later, Kururugi and his lackeys would arrive. And of course, there was the matter of Zero's kidnappers as well.

It would be difficult, especially without a Knightmare. But Urabe believed he could pull it off. It wasn't the first time he had taken part in a seemingly impossible rescue. And besides, he was a Black Knight, wasn't he?

Pulling miracles out of thin air was rather their specialty.

Kingsley gasped, clutching his chest as he finally came to a stop, leaning against the side of a building before collapsing to the ground.

Disgusting, He thought with a scowl even as his lungs burned, struggling to feed themselves on air. His clothes had already been ruined when he awoke, and now to be forced to rest in the middle of some backwater alley? His captors would pay for this humiliation, he would make sure of that.

But first, he must escape to take his revenge. He was away from them for the moment, yes, but at any second one of them could wake up and realize he was gone. He had no hope of outrunning them, and no idea where he was, except for the fact that it was obviously a Britannian settlement in Euro Britannia. That hardly narrowed it down, but it was something, at least. Something he could see with his own eye. Something he could trust.

There were very few of those he could, these days.

He could not trust Kururugi. That bumbling fool had failed in the one duty he had been given, to keep him safe. And yet…he knew Kururugi had at least a measure of skill. Perhaps he had not failed. Perhaps he wanted him captured. Either way, he could not try to contact Kururugi for rescue. Whether out of incompetence or treachery, he proved himself unable to protect him. And therefore unreliable.

Nothing in the world made sense anymore. He couldn't trust a princess, one of the Emperor's own children! Never would he have thought it possible that Cornelia, the glorious general of the Empire's armies, would so completely turn against her homeland. It beggared belief.

He could not…he could not even trust himself.

Kingsley gritted his teeth as the dull pain in the back of his head returned. Too much had happened. Too little of it could be explained. What had happened? Why was his memory fragmented, failing him? Why could he not recall the time between his capture and his waking?

And why did they not bind him? Why did they wake him up only to take watch? They trusted him, for some reason, at least enough to be left alone. They acted like they didn't expect him to run at the first chance he got.

He hadn't questioned it in the moment, not willing to test his luck. But now? The impossibility of it all refused to leave his mind. None of it…none of it made sense! They acted like he was supposed to be there! As if he wasn't a proud and loyal Britannian!

A jolt of plain flashed through his head, and he winced, clutching his eye. Answers can wait. They would have to, much to his chagrin. His freedom was paramount. If he remained captive, how was he to serve the Emperor?

His eye widened. Of course! He may not be able to trust Kururugi. He may not be able to trust the princess. He may not even be able to trust himself.

But he could trust the Emperor.

All he needed to do was get to him. If he could find a way out of Euro Britannia, and return to Pendragon, to the Emperor, then he knew all would be put right. The world would make sense again. It had to.

A dull pain began to throb in the back of his head, almost as if in protest, but he ignored it. He had a purpose once more. He had a goal.

He only needed to see it through.

Cornelia groaned, squinting her eyes shut and turning away from the ray of sunlight shining in her eyes. Briefly, she considered letting herself rest a while longer. Whoever was on watch would wake them up if something happened.

With a sigh, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, deciding against it. It would be better to be prepared anyway, just in case.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, glancing around the room to see whoever else was up. For a moment, in her sleep-addled mind, she didn't realize something was wrong.

Then reality caught up to her, and her eyes widened. No one else was awake.

Fearfully, her eyes turned to every sleeping form on the ground, picking them out one by one. Her brother was not among them.

With a curse, she shot to her feet, grabbing her sword and running outside. He wasn't on the porch getting a bit of fresh air. He wasn't anywhere in sight.

She began to breathe heavily. This can't be happening. I didn't go through all that to lose him now! Where was he? What happened? He didn't truly try to strike out on his own, did he? He has to know he'd be found in hours, by Britannia if not by them.

The others were beginning to stir awake when she went back inside, presumably disturbed from her outburst. Leila shook her head, rubbing her eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

"Kingsley is missing," She hissed. "That's what! What happened?"

The weariness left Leila's face, and she paled. "He's gone?"

"That's what I said!" Cornelia snapped. "And I have no idea how long it's been."

"Son of a…" Leila sighed. "I think I do. I didn't feel too tired, so I took watch up until dawn. I stayed up a bit too late, though. I woke Kingsley up to take over, I figured he'd be okay. You said you trusted him."

"I also said he wasn't exactly of a sound mind!" Cornelia shouted. "Have you completely taken leave of any sort of sense? I warned you, multiple times!""

"He seemed normal!" Leila defended. "He's been fine ever since he first woke up in the cave. The others were sleeping, and they were more exhausted than Kingsely. I thought it'd be safe to let Kingsley take a watch. I thought he was getting better, and he was acting normal."

"Did you interrogate him then?" She challenged. "Make certain he was lucid? Or did you simply wake him up and let yourself fall asleep, trusting it would be fine?" Damn that girl. Her selfishness was going to ruin everything!

"Enough" Akito growled, cutting in and stepping between her and Leila. "Kingsley's gone, you said? Then why are you two arguing? I assume we're getting him back."

Cornelia scoffed, crossing her arms. "Of course we're getting him back." As if they were some other option.

Even so, Akito looked to Leila, who nodded. "It's my fault anyway. I should have tried to be more certain he was…himself?" She frowned. "I'm still not entirely clear what is or isn't wrong with him, outside of some kind of brainwashing."

"Perhaps there's a reason for that, given recent events," She muttered petulantly.

Akito shot her a glare. "Do we have a plan then?"

Cornelia thought for a moment. "He can hardly leave the city," She said. "He doesn't know the surrounding area in the slightest, and Britannia would pick him up in a heartbeat if he tried." Of course, if he thought he were Kingsley he might prefer that. She was hedging her bets that Kingsley would be too paranoid to risk going out into the unfamiliar woods. "He's in the city somewhere, but it's anyone's guess as to where exactly that would be. If he left at dawn, or close after, he'd have at least a few hours to get away from us."

"Hm," Leila frowned. "Yukiya, can you get into the stop light cameras somehow?"

He shrugged. "Probably, but there's going to be hundreds, and I have one laptop. I can hardly monitor them all."

"How about just a few?" Leila asked. "Near exits to the city, bus stops, the airport, if the town has one. That kind of thing."

"That would be easier," Yukiya said. "Although it's incredibly unlikely it'll actually help us."

"Better than nothing," Leila pointed out. "But we'll still need to search the city on foot."

"I'll go with Ayano and Yukiya," Ryo offered. "The princess can tag along with Akito and the commander. We'll cover more ground in two groups."

"We need to move soon, then," Cornelia said. "There's no telling what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into, or even what sort of state he's in." She felt her heartbeat begin to quicken, imagining him out on the streets, struggling to discern what was real and what wasn't. Suddenly, his words came back to haunt her.

He was right. She had no idea what it was like.

Which was why she needed to get him back as soon as possible. Before he managed to hurt himself, or worse.

Just wait a little, brother, She thought desperately. I saved you once. I shall do so again.

Kingsley shivered, clutching himself tightly as he staggered through the back alleys of Westminster. It was cold, damn it, far colder than he could possibly believe. Three months he had lived in Euro Britannia, but that had been in St. Petersburg, in the safety and relative warmth of Caesar's palace.

It had not been so bad at first. Perhaps the adrenaline of his escape had staved off the chill. More likely, the cold crept under his skin after he finally stopped running, unable to muster the strength to keep sprinting through the city.

No matter the cause, Kingsley was freezing. Even with the wind blunted by the buildings around him, the air bit into his skin, cutting to his bone. He was not dressed for the weather. His elegant Britannian robes did little to defend himself against the elements, and the longer he remained exposed, the weaker he felt, and the greater the chance his pursuers would find him.

He breathed out harshly, gritting his teeth. No. If everyone else in this blasted little run down town managed to survive a bit of cold, then he would persevere as well.

No matter that they were used to it, or that they were suitably garbed, or even that the streets were mostly empty. He would manage.

Besides, the sun had risen, and with it had come a faint feeling of warmth as the sun hit his skin. It wasn't much, but it was better than the unforgiving cold of the night. A brief reprieve was still a comfort, however small. Perhaps it would warm up more as the hours passed.

Provided he remained free long enough, that is.

It was by no means guaranteed. He felt the strength leaving his legs already. He was not an athletic man, and he was running from trained soldiers who had proven themselves a cut above most of the peasant rats that made up the Europian military. He had no illusions he would last much longer, if something didn't change. He needed shelter. Or…or a proper plan.

But what could he do? The only person in the world he could trust was the Emperor, and he lay in Pendragon. Not that Kingsley would dare waste the Emperor's precious time on a matter so trivial. He was only a servant, after all. But still, he was alone, freezing, and beset on all sides by his enemies.

Though…that was not inherently a problem for him, was it?

A grin spread across his face. He was Julius Kingsley, one of the finest military minds the Holy Britannian Empire had ever seen. What were a few desperate would-be captors to him? His genius was unmatched by these brutes and their ilk. Kururugi, that Europian woman, the princess and those other elevens…they could tell one end of a sword from the other, but little else. The princess was formidable, it was true, but her specialty lay in Knightmare combat. Not hunting down a lone man.

He had advantages, few enough as they were. He traveled alone, and only he knew what he intended. He was needed alive by both Kururugi and the princess, and both of them wanted him desperately in their grasp. He could use that. He could use that quite well.

"I told you we'd find him, we just had to be a little patient."

Kingsley hissed, spinning around, his eye widened in fear and his heart pounding in his chest. In a flash, his weariness left him, overshadowed by panic and instinct.

In front of him, a woman raised her hands in an effort to quickly calm him down. "Lord Kingsley! We are not here to harm you!"

He almost fled, but her words gave him pause. And her voice, it was familiar…he frowned. "You…you're Rowe, aren't you? Shaing's little pet." He turned to the man beside her. "And you're one of his other Knights."

If Rowe was offended by how he addressed her, she gave no sign. She only nodded. "His name is Ashley Ashra. The two of us have been looking for you, to free you and bring you back to St. Petersburg."

He scowled, his suspicion returning. "And who put you up to this then? Kururugi?"

She shook her head. "Lord Shaing sent us," She admitted. "Sir Kururugi wanted the search limited to himself and the few search parties he authorized. Lord Shaing felt that more effort should have been expended, given your status."

His eye widened at that. "Kururugi asked you not to join the search, then?"

"Correct," She confirmed.

Kingsley growled, simmering. He had been right not to trust Kururugi. "Traitors and incompetence infests Euro Britannia," He spat bitterly. "The Princess. The Duke. Now Kururugi. Only the Emperor can be trusted, and only I am faithful." A sharp pain shot through his skull, and he fell to his knees with a howl, clutching his head. Rowe took a step forward, but he held a hand out, breathing hard. "You two…what exactly are your intentions?"

She shared a look with Ashley. "To help you return to St. Petersburg, my lord."

"And what If I have decided it isn't safe in St. Petersburg?" He challenged. "What if I wish otherwise?"

"Our orders were to lend you our assistance," She said. "Even if that meant going behind Sir Kururugi's back."

Slowly, Kingsley began to nod. "Good. Very good. I could use the aid. I do not know how far my pursuers are behind me, but I wager we don't have long."

Rowe nodded once more, lowering her hands. "We have two Knightmare Frames on the edge of town. We can take you wherever you need to go."

He shook his head. "No. That won't do at all."

She frowned. "My lord?"

"My kidnappers pursue me," He said. "Kururugi pursues me. You sought me out independent of him, and I imagine you aren't the only ones. It seems that quite a few people are after me, and I don't think we'll get far with only three of us, and two Knightmare Frames. No, we cannot leave until we have dealt with the matter of my various pursuers." He grinned. "Luckily for you, I have a plan. It is fortuitous they have all come together, here, in one place. And while we may not be able to fight them off…all we need to do is let them deal with each other." He turned, bidding them to follow him. "Come. We need to move quickly while we still can. Time is rather of the essence."

He did not turn to look and see if they followed behind him, but after a moment he heard their footsteps fall in line.

He couldn't trust them, of course. Kururugi was either a traitor or an idiot, and Kingsley had learned from his failure. But he could certainly use Shaing's Knights.

It was a simple plan, but one that amused him. Kururugi and her highness both wanted their hands on him, and therefore he had the advantage. He was their goal, and if handled properly, he could lure them to him, on his own terms.

And obviously, one would not let the other take him for themselves. A fight would break out, and whoever remained standing would not fare well…not to mention the time the fight would buy him.

Simple, yes. But elegant in a way, as well. Nothing was more entertaining than watching your enemies tear each other apart, after all. Of course, he still needed to pull it off first.

And the first step in such a plan, was to lay the bait.

IMPORTANT: Starting this week, I'm going to be switching to a biweekly schedule for A Shattered Mind, just for a little while to let me catch up. It isn't permanent, but it is going to be happening. I have a lot on my plate, and I'm going to need the extra time.

A few updates: Eleventh Prince is still releasing weekly, only because I was going to put that on the backburner anyways, so that doesn't matter. I am also in the planning stages of another Code Geass crossover, this time one for Assassin's Creed (I am extremely excited about this one, but don't expect to hear anything about it for a while). I haven't had any time to work on one shots, but hopefully that should be changing soon.

If I didn't make it clear in the last chapter, Leila's judgement was definitely impaired. She was sleep deprived, and still doesn't have the full picture. Not only that, but there's also her own nature to take into account. Leila is, while not necessarily naive, a very trusting and optimistic person. She consistently believes the best of people, which screws her over a number of times (W-0 squad originally tries to betray her multiple times before warming up to her, and then there's everything with the General). She was under the impression Kingsley had been doing better since he woke up in the cave, and likely assumed whatever brainwashing he had been under had been erased. I apologize if I didn't make that clear enough, I am still pretty new to writing all things considered.

Additionally, addressing Schneizel's characterization, he isn't an emotionless robot in canon. That's stupid, boring, and not even what a psychopath is (Assuming he even is one). He has motives, drives, curiosities of his own. If he didn't, he never would have cared that the Emperor didn't spend much time ruling, he never would have cared about Geass, and he never would have bothered opposing Lelouch. He has goals of his own, motivations, and from what we see in canon his curiosity leads to him indulging his whims on a number of occasions (Like supporting the SAZ, and challenging Zero to a game of Chess, risking Suzaku).

There's a lot more I won't go into about his character because of spoilers, but there is a reason he is portrayed the way he is in this fic. Yes, much of what he says, and the feelings he portrays are lies. That is a fact. But that doesn't make him the terminator. Fear, surprise, curiosity, annoyance, pride, all of these are shown by Schneizel at various points in the show. He doesn't lack emotions, he lacks empathy, partially due to his upbringing as a prince (Taken from the wiki, and I believe it's mentioned by Lelouch, though I could be wrong). He wants to bring order to the world how he believes it should be, but for as smart as he is he lacks a fundamental understanding of how the real world works due to how he was raised.

Sorry to ramble, but FFN doesn't allow authors to reply to guest accounts, so here we are.

I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter! Feel free to leave a comment, I read them all even if I don't respond to every one. I really appreciate reading through them.

Next Chapter: Sunday, December 29th