(A/N: Not sure why y'all are so worried about Zero Requiem. Zero Requiem happened because Lelouch had no support system and Nunnally was dead. Nunnally is currently very much alive and Lelouch presently has both Byleth and Shez to pick his dumb ass off the ground before he falters, the former of whom he can't use his Geass on anymore.
Beyond that, I'd like to address a guest review for chapter 31 that I didn't in my previous author's notes. I posted on social media my map for where the borders are currently drawn. Subscribe to draconichero19 for more details, especially if you're a guest, since that's where I put chapter updates.
They went on to say that 31 was a battle that wasn't necessary because Lelouch should have been able to anticipate people and have a hotline to Rhea or summon Byleth, or pull a stunt by having all of his students basically body block him. Well, there's a few reasons…
Reason one: If Cornelia, Marrybell and Catherine are all willing to come after Lelouch anyway, it probably means they aren't terribly concerned about the consequences from Rhea. Additionally, Lelouch is so embittered by the church and overcomplicates things that he probably believed that, while Rhea's official word was granting Zero a pardon, under the table, she really wanted him gone.
Reason two: Until Seteth got involved, Lelouch probably didn't really comprehend how much Rhea and the church would be willing to go to bat for him, since he has staked his claim as their enemy and doesn't take anything for granted. Being naturally suspicious and not willing to trust others makes it more difficult for him to predict the emotions of other people. Lelouch can make all the plans he wants, but if people don't move the way he expects them to, it's going to end poorly.
Reason three: Lelouch may have overestimated himself a little—remember Cornelia never defeated him at Saitama—so he probably felt he could have held out and waited for Seteth or Rhea to realize something was amiss. He turned out to be right. He only doesn't know that Edelgard sped up the process.
Reason four: I really wanted a cool fight scene and to prove a point that Lelouch is going to face kickback for Rhea pardoning him and no amount of words will stop certain threats of violence. Plus, it helped serve Kronya's character development.
If that isn't enough to justify it…well I got nothing and I make no excuses. I am human, therefore imperfect and what I think is good writing won't exactly match all the masses. I can only write in a way that makes me feel happy :D.
There was another inquiry of "Where was Shez?" in this chapter, wondering about her being at odds with Oz. I hadn't really thought about Shez's involvement during the chapter's development. In hindsight, I'm going to say either "sleeping" or, in typical Shez fashion, got lost on her way to help.
And yes, Zero will be in talks with other characters in future chapters. That's to come. For now, strap in and let's examine, under a microscope, the greater implications of Lelouch's conflict with Rhea and Nunnally going off on her first big mission alone).
7th Day of the Wyvern Moon
With everyone packed and ready to go, the Golden Deer assembled in front of the hangar Alice had authorized for departure. However, when she saw Nunnally, she immediately had concerns.
"Hold it! That girl is blind and in a wheelchair. What exactly is going on here?"
"Oh, you don't need to worry about Nunna here," Hilda stated. "She's an excellent healer even without her sight and legs."
"That and I can see and walk when I use my Hard Light Knightmare Frame," Nunnally explained.
The curling of Alice's lip showed she remained skeptical.
"Nunnally's just as much of one of us as any of us," Leonie chimed in.
"I understand we're all used to Nunnally's presence for the past few moons, but perhaps we should consider the danger we're certain to be in. An open battlefield is one thing, but Nunnally cannot see or swim on a boat that is bound to be in choppy waters," Lorenz brought up. "I have to side with Alice that I have concerns for her safety."
"Don't worry, Lorenz. I'm all over it," Hilda said with gusto, shaking her fists, eyes filled with determination.
"You sound awfully fired up," Claude remarked, taken aback. "That's not like you." The dots connected in his head pretty quickly. "Aw, no, was Lelouch actually there when you went to go help Nunnally."
"Yeah, and I got…the talk as it were. So, I'm basically playing big sister for the day."
"Greaaaat, increase my work load then. Cause if something happens to you while you're helping Nunnally, I'm gonna never hear the end of it from Holst."
"You needn't worry so much on that front, Claude. I'd be remiss to allow ill to befall Hilda given my position as heir to House Gloucester," Lorenz told him.
Claude didn't look reassured. "I already took that into account Lorenz."
"Then look less stressed out, why don't you?" Lorenz requested, sounding miffed. "I understand I am not a super genius, as you so claim to be, but I am still capable of heroism all the same. And ever since Lelouch gave me a firm tongue lashing, I have doubled my efforts to take his criticism to heart. Rest assured, all of us are coming back from this mission alive. I stake my family's name on it!"
"If you two are done having a dick measuring contest," Alice griped, "We can leave whenever you two want."
"Huh? That's it? I thought you were concerned about Nunnally," Ignatz remarked.
"It's just one more thing to keep track of, and the way you're all talking, you sound like you've got a pretty good handle on covering her weaknesses while she handles all your injuries. Besides, if we get there faster, we can get back sooner. The more daylight hours we'll encounter the better," Alice pointed out.
"Ah, fair point," Ignatz agreed.
"Right then," Claude remarked, "Next stop: Gloucester's finest port."
Entering Rhea's office, Lelouch sat down whilst Rhea procured a marble chess set from a drawer. He helped her set it up, staking his side to have black.
"Ah, how fortunate, I do prefer to play white," Rhea remarked. "Sometimes I'll have to debate with Seteth who is playing what side."
"I shouldn't be surprised the two of you play often," Lelouch said with a more serious tone than intended. He probably should have kept things light hearted but he was far, far too interested in seeing what kind of opponent Rhea would be. His competitive side was already getting the better of him.
Rhea made a move counter to conventional play: pawn to d4, the Queen's Pawn opening.
Queen's Pawn? Lelouch thought. Most players, even his older brother Schneizel, preferred the more conventional, far more predictable and tighter King's Pawn Opening (pawn e4). However, Lelouch knew better than to underestimate a master of the Queen's Pawn opening. His older half-sister Cornelia preferred this opening simply because it made things harder for conventional plays. Still, Lelouch knew his immediate counterplay: pawn d5.
Rhea immediately went on the offensive with knight to c3, staking claim on Lelouch's exposed pawn. Lelouch mirrored this play with his own knight to f6, deadlocking the board. At this point, most players would make a play to fight for control of the center. Rhea, was clearly not most players and went pawn g2. While not optimal, its potential worried Lelouch. Unsure Rhea's goal, Lelouch mirrored the battlefield with pawn b6. Both Rhea and Lelouch then put their light squared bishops on the h1-a8 diagonal, known as the light squared long diagonal at g2 and b7 respectively.
Rhea then decided to move her queen to d3, prompting a hard counter from Lelouch: bishop a6. However, Rhea took advantage of Lelouch's near-sighted play, moving her queen and threatening the pawn on d5 by playing queen to f3. With so much pressure on the d5 pawn, rather than protect it, Lelouch went on the offensive against the d4 pawn, which had no defenders and, if Rhea didn't see the trap for what it was, would soon find her queen attacked. To counter this, Rhea played Bishop e3 to back her threatened pawn.
With nowhere to go on the offensive, Lelouch played pawn h6. Rhea then castled queenside. Lelouch then moved pawn g5, advancing down the kingside part of the board. Unconventional? For certain. However, optimal plays were not always the game of chess. It was about the person on the other side of the board. And, like himself, it appeared Rhea was reluctant to tip the scales of war by going on the offensive and making a massacre of the d5 square.
Or so he thought. Immediately, Rhea launched onto the offensive. Rhea's knight attacks Lelouch's pawn. Lelouch countered with his knight. Rhea attacked with her queen. Lelouch attacked with his queen. Rhea took Lelouch's queen back with her bishop. And now, Rhea was up a pawn and threatening Lelouch's knight simultaneously.
This was bad for Lelouch. Moving his knight out of the way would ultimately cause him to lose his rook. But doing nothing meant a dead knight with no way to counter. He could move his bishop back to b7, but Lelouch had a different strategy in mind, one he favored over all others.
Out loud, grabbing the piece and moving it, Lelouch declared, "King to d7."
"Your king?" Rhea questioned.
Taking his hand off the piece, cementing that this was his chosen move, Lelouch smirked smugly. "If the king does not ride into battle, his men will not follow him."
"How admirable," Rhea stated.
"I must admit, I'm surprised at you," Lelouch then added.
"I beg your pardon?" Rhea had no idea what she had done to warrant such surprise.
"I would have thought you the type not to wish to sacrifice your most powerful pieces. Simply gaze at the board. If we are the kings, then the queens must be that which we cherish most, our most staunch allies and most devoted defenders," Lelouch stated, spinning yard. He picked up Rhea's captured queen. "That you would sacrifice Catherine so early is telling of your true intentions on the battlefield."
Rhea laughed, finding Lelouch's behavior amusing. "This is merely a game, Lelouch. Battlefield tactics needn't come into it."
"Are you sure about that?" Lelouch asked, putting the queen down, but keeping the base pressed between his ring and middle finger of his left hand. "In chess, there are three skills needed to excel at the game," he stated, tapping the base to the table. "Skill, awareness, and memory. Memory helps you recognize moves you've seen a thousand times before. Awareness keeps you from making foolish mistakes. But skill," he said as his grin grew wider, "Skill is what separates a veteran from a grandmaster. And those with greater amount of skill are the ones unhesitant to make tougher calls. They are the ones more confident of far more brutal and aggressive plays, seeing the endgame past the early game. You can call it a game, Archbishop, but I see every game of chess as the means of reading a person." He put the captured piece down and cupped his chin with his hand. "What goes on in their head, how they make decisions, and how quickly. That you are able to make such a sacrifice speaks volumes as to what you're capable of. Perhaps you wouldn't sacrifice Catherine if it came right down to it, but the fact of the matter remains, you have the fortitude to make that choice."
Rhea didn't respond to Lelouch at first and the gaze on her face suggested to Lelouch that Rhea was caught way, way off-guard by his speech. At first, it was a face that was frozen in shock, indicating to Lelouch that he had, in fact, seen past Rhea's saintly façade. She then closed her eyes. Lelouch knew that move.
Ah, so she's contemplating how best to respond without revealing her true self. All right, I'm game, Rhea. What do you have in mind?
"Let's talk about you then," Rhea said, flashing a neutral smile as her eyes opened. "You too did not hesitate to sacrifice your queen. If my understanding of your personal history is correct, your black queen would be Jeralt's daughter, Byleth, your staunchest defender if you were to find yourself the commander of a battlefield."
Lelouch's gaze narrowed. He just realized he may have said too much. Rhea knew everything that there was to know about Jeralt. And now that Byleth's true parentage was out in the open, Lelouch's own biological connection to Jeralt would now be called into question, and it would leave more questions than answers.
Worse? Rhea picked up on Lelouch's own expression betraying his underlying thoughts. She smiled. "I imagine Jeralt told you the same story that your aunt was Byleth's mother."
Did…did Rhea just cover for him? No. She had to have known. But…probing further would only leave Lelouch vulnerable. For now, he would have to back away from this line of questioning. Beyond the game itself, the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros was a worthy opponent indeed.
"He did indeed," Lelouch replied, forcing a smile, "How very astute of you. But to answer your earlier query, flipping my question onto me as to why I can be so callous and bloodthirsty on a battlefield, the answer is simple."
"Is it now?" Rhea asked.
Lelouch smirked. "It is, but just as you did not answer my inquiry in full, I feel no inclination to share my logic, either. Just as you have done to me, let your imagination fill in the blanks."
Rhea actually laughed at this, but not in a condescending way. "You may not share Jeralt's blood, but I can tell he has had quite the influence on you. It's comforting. I feel like…I'm squaring off against an old friend."
Lelouch, ever curious, responded with, "Do tell." Jeralt was really mum about his history with the knights. Learning more could only benefit Lelouch.
Rhea made her next move with rook to d2. "Jeralt was a very different person from the gruff drunk he seems to be now, elusive and self-deprecating."
"Did he drink less as a knight?" Lelouch asked, moving bishop to g7.
"Oh, no, he still drank everyone else around him under the table," Rhea said with an amused smile. She moved knight to f3. "But he was…a more gallant person on duty. An inspiration, a joke teller, and quite the wise, but humble man. Since he came back," Rhea said, frowning, "It feels like I hardly know him."
"People change," Lelouch responded stoically, moving king to d6. He watched Rhea move bishop to d6, taking his knight. "And sometimes all it takes is a single instance of trauma to change even a person as long lived as Jeralt." He recaptured with king to c6.
Rhea appeared to look quite devastated. "I suppose loss can transform any person if it is great. Everyone grieves differently."
Lelouch noticed Rhea wasn't making her move. "Archbishop?"
"Ah, my apologies. We are playing a game, are we not?" She gazed at the board and then chose knight e5 as her move. Check.
"Have you lost someone?" Lelouch asked her. "Did it change who you used to be?" Bishop to e5. Lelouch captured Rhea's knight.
Rhea did not answer at first. Instead, she moved pawn to e5 to capture Lelouch's exposed bishop. Lelouch, more focused on the game than the conversation, grabbed his rook on h8. However, before he moved the piece, he heard Rhea say solemnly, "I did."
He took his hand off the piece, meeting Rhea's gaze. On Rhea's part, she hardly felt the need to hide it. Of course, Lelouch didn't need to know that. Instead, he focused on her admission of the truth. The fact that she didn't hide it, meant that Lelouch felt he was now seeing a small part of Rhea's true face.
He moved his rook to d8.
"Who did you lose?" he asked.
Rhea was quite before finally answering with an honest, "My mother."
Rhea's rook on d2, captured Lelouch's rook on d8.
Now it was Lelouch's turn to be too emotional to focus on the game. Of all things he hadn't expected to have in common with Rhea, this was not one of them. For a moment, he had to look at what was being done by both of them. The loss of one's mother…a pain he knew all too well. No…there was no guarantee that…
Lelouch recaptured by moving his remaining rook to d8.
"Was she murdered?"
Rhea moved her rook to d1.
"She was."
Lelouch had been holding his rook and then dropped it on the board when he heard that. The situation was identical. He had been fighting someone who knew his pain. Rhea…was where he wanted to be standing when the dust cleared. From pain and loss, she'd risen to archbishop, and reshaped the world as she saw fit, using the power of the office.
His ego took a massive sucker punch. Rhea had done horrible things, but at the end of the day, she had not fired upon his mother, that much he was certain. She'd ruined Japan, forced him into hiding, butchered innocent people, and his own father had declared him dead to the world. Rhea had pulled the trigger. She'd intended to stick him in Abyss where she could keep an eye on him. Had he been wrong? Was Rhea…even an enemy?
A voice screamed within him: NO!
Lelouch picked up the piece and violently knocked Rhea's rook off the board to capture it.
We are not the same! Rhea uses her position as an excuse to keep herself in power and bully the weak. Anyone who does not fall to her way of thinking is written out of the script. A tyrant using their grief to justify their actions! I will not become that, he thought as Rhea moved her king to d1 and captured his rook. Lelouch moved his pawn on f7 to f6. I will be better! When I change the world, the public won't have to conform to one way of thinking! People will be free to believe under the manner in which they choose, not beholden to a false religion, preying upon their hope!
Rhea captured Lelouch's pawn. Lelouch captured right back. Rhea then played pawn to g5. Lelouch took the offered capture, exchanging pawns with Rhea again.
Lelouch looked at the board. Rhea was presently up one pawn and three of Lelouch's pawns were clustered around his king, and his bishop was hanging off to the side. Rhea's pawns, meanwhile, were all in a neat little row opposite Lelouch's pawns, with the other two on the other side of her king. Her bishop sat squarely in the h column on row 6. In an ironic twist, Rhea, playing white, had her dark squared bishop while Lelouch, playing black, had his light squared bishop. Both of these were considered the lesser of two bishops to both players as well. The same-colored squared bishop compared to piece's color was, fittingly, the best attacker after the queen for early game chess.
But this was the endgame. Things were different, and Lelouch needed a plan fast if he wanted to turn things around. First order of business? Make sure his pawn out in the open could not be easily captured. This was simple. Pawn to f5. Rhea then had to make her plays cautiously. Lelouch's king and bishop were facing down very vulnerable pawns from across the battlefield. One wrong move and it would be his win, even with her current advantage.
But her best move was to simply limit Lelouch's options. Pawn to b4.
As long as Lelouch didn't put his king on a dark colored square, Rhea couldn't put him in check except with a pawn. The same went for Rhea, of course, but her king currently hadn't entered a dark square. The best thing, Lelouch felt, was to keep pressure up on the board and try to set up a passed pawn in the a, b, and c columns.
King to d5. Pawn to a3. Pawn to c5. Pawn capture on c5 by pawn by white. Pawn capture on c5 by pawn by black. Slowly, but surely, the pieces were leaving the board. King to d2. King to d4.
Rhea looked at the board. "I must admit, I like your aggressive king play. You are a man unafraid of consequences. You simply move as your mind carries you."
"Rulers should be confident in their actions, otherwise, how will people trust them?" Lelouch pontificated.
Rhea smiled. "How very true."
Pawn to c3. Bishop b5. Bishop f8. Pawn to c4. Bishop to c5. Pawn to a5. Bishop to b6. Pawn to a4. The game was almost in a deadlocked state. 4 pawns, two per player, could now only be attacked by kings and with Lelouch's king on e4 and Rhea's king on d2, that was going to be difficult.
"Feeling pressured?" Lelouch asked.
"Not particularly," Rhea responded. Whether it was a bluff, or she meant it, it was hard to say.
The game continued, but it was a game by inches with moves performed only to delay the inevitable of being forced to make a bad move. Pawn c3. Bishop b5. Bishop f8. Pawn c4. Now two of Rhea's pawns were deadlocked with two of Lelouch's and they could only be attacked by kings since they were the wrong-colored squares for the bishops to strike.
Pawn e3 was the last move made to cement what then became a near stalemate. At this point, Lelouch and Rhea could have shaken hands, walked away, and called the game a draw. They could have danced their bishops all over the board and neither one would have impacted the game. And so, it became a war of kings. The objective? Turn the tide of battle by grabbing at least one pawn without losing a bishop.
The moves came out mostly lightning quick, though there were some delays. Bishop c6. Bishop b7. Bishop c7. King f3. Bishop f4. Bishop b5. King e1. King e4. King e2.
Lelouch was starting to sweat. Rhea was definitely not making this easy for him.
"If you're feeling pressured, Lelouch, you can always surrender. I won't hold it against you," Rhea said, smirking.
"Hmph, not a chance. I've never surrendered a game of chess," Lelouch told her. "I've always played to the bitter end, until the last move is made!"
Bishop a6. At the moment? Seemingly innocuous. Bishop g5. Rhea could see what Lelouch was up to and was determined to stop him. King e5. Bishop f4: Check, but this was easily avoidable with King f6. Rhea moved King f2. Realizing he would never be able to get down the d column, Lelouch was attempting to pick off Rhea's pawn on g3. Rhea would not let him do this! Additionally, if she could get to Lelouch's isolated pawn, two more would be freed up.
King to g6. King to g2.
That's a light square! Rhea suddenly realized, but it was the only move to be made to stop Lelouch's plan.
Bishop to b7: Check!
King to h2. Rhea dodged Lelouch's bishop. And then, like a mad man, Lelouch seemed to walk back all of his hard work. King to f6. Rhea pursued with King to g1. Lelouch's bishop would simply take f8 to prevent the pawn's capture. No, she needed to maintain this stalemate. Lelouch would not slip past her like a thief in the dead of night. King to e6. King to f2.
And then Lelouch played dirty: bishop to e4. This cut off Rhea's king from playing f3. It also changed up the order of ring around the pawn and bishop she and Lelouch were currently engaged in.
King to e2. King to d5. Nothing for it. At this point, Rhea had to go down the h column to attack any of Lelouch's pawns. King to f2. King to e6. And now, unable to move to g2, Rhea had to take the long way around: King to g1. Lelouch played King to f6. Rhea moved King to h2. Lelouch then played King to g6.
At that point, Rhea knew, Lelouch had broken through. Pawns would be lost, but the game was far from over. King to h3 brought with it king to h5. Rhea moving her bishop would only stall out the game, so King back to h2 it was. Lelouch played King g4. Rhea was forced to play King to g1. And then…Lelouch played King f3. Slippery like an eel, he'd made it through her defenses.
Face growing stern, Rhea played King to h2, followed by Lelouch played King to e2, and then she played king to h3. King to d2. Pawn to g4. If pawns were to be lost, Rhea was taking them on her own terms. Lelouch captured that pawn. Rhea captured back and then Lelouch took the pawn on c3. Rhea had lost her one pawn advantage. It was now 2 on 2 in terms of pawns.
"You are quite the tactician. Any army would be grateful to have you," Rhea complimented.
One already does, Lelouch thought, but answered aloud with. "I've always thought so." His mood was focused squarely on the game. The time for talk was over. He was winning this game.
Rhea moved bishop d6. Lelouch moved his king to d3. Rhea then moved her bishop to c5 and now Lelouch had a new problem. Both of Rhea's pawns were protected as long as Rhea's bishop held that position. However, this was far from the goal. He now had a passed pawn and he was absolutely going to take advantage of that with pawn to c3.
Rhea took a look at the board. If she hadn't moved to c5, Lelouch would have destroyed another one of her pawns, at no cost to himself. Things looked impossible. But were they?
As if to emphasize the situation, Lelouch smugly echoed Rhea's statement from earlier, "If you're feeling pressured, you can always surrender. I won't hold it against you."
Rhea smirked. "Confident, I see. But this battle is not quite over yet."
Rhea moved her bishop to d4, followed by Lelouch moving his pawn to c2. Rhea caught up with it to play bishop to b2. Lelouch then captured one of Rhea's pawns. Rhea then put Lelouch in check by moving to c1. Lelouch then moved his king back to e2 to evade capture. Rhea moved her king to attack Lelouch's bishop. Lelouch then moved to d1, also attacking Rhea's bishop. This was, in effect, a mutual hostage situation. But…it was all smoke and mirrors. No matter what angle Rhea played beyond this point, Lelouch's victory was all but certain. Whether now, or five moves down the line, Lelouch had bested her.
In the best case scenario, Lelouch would promote, she'd destroy the promote with her bishop and Lelouch would capture her bishop with his king. Then, no matter what Rhea did, Lelouch would steal her final pawn, all but preventing her from winning. At most, she could hope for a stalemate, but that was impossible now too. And, in attempting to do so, would be cowering in the a1 square as Lelouch martialed his king and bishop to make it so that Rhea could not take out Lelouch's remaining pawn. And that's assuming she made all the right moves and Lelouch all the wrong ones. No, there was no point in dragging this out. With the mutually assured destruction of their bishops on the table…Rhea flicked over her king.
Rhea smiled. "Well played, Lelouch. I have lost."
"Indeed, yet look at the board. With our armies depleted, our allies would have our heads if this was real warfare," Lelouch pointed out to her.
"Indeed, and yet such is war. It is costly, inhumane and, ultimately, pointless."
"Pointless, hmm? Then why did you invade Japan? I've heard your excuses from others, but I want to hear it from you. As a Britannian commoner, I know full well the cost of allowing Britannia to have fought Japan with Adrestia and Faerghus backing the small, neutral nation. Many lives would have been lost, but what gave you the right to storm in and take Japan for yourself? Since its inception, Rome's private army saw fit to allow all of the imperialistic activity to Adrestia, watching as it fractured among Faerghus, the Alliance and Britannia. So why act?"
Rhea exhaled deeply. "I…made a reasonable request to Japan. I asked only for two things: that a church be erected in their country, and to decree the Church of Seiros as their primary faith. With those two things, I could declare them protected by the faith, and therefore Britannia would not be able to invade without making an enemy of the church itself."
"And when they refused, you stormed in with war machines, flattening the country and killing hundreds of thousands of people. Rome has the smaller army, but the technology disparity was too much for Japan to overcome. The hostilities lasted only a month, especially after Tokyo Tower was obliterated off the face of the map."
Rhea swallowed, looking guilty. "Much of my budget overseeing Neo-Japan has gone to repairing the damage the war caused."
"But giving preference towards the sectors that have sworn the utmost fealty to the church," Lelouch criticized. "Hence why more stubborn Japanese citizens that refuse to give in to the church have been met with subpar treatment." He then spoke in a manner that was direct in tone, but the words mocked Rhea's actions. "Submit to my authority and I'll give you heating, better electricity and roofs that don't leak." He then lowered his arm and put his elbows on the table, tenting his fingers, gazing at Rhea harshly. "Very carrot and stick of you for a woman who claims to be all for the taking care of the tired, poor and hungry."
Rhea didn't immediately say anything.
"I wasn't aware there was a passage in the scriptures of the church that called for hypocrisy." Lelouch had come this far. He wasn't backing down. He stood up, raising his voice. "You claim to stand for the crestfallen, but what are you really doing besides trying to take the world under the church's wing and hoping it doesn't notice? How long before the church uses its influence to invalidate both the Chinese Federation and the Almyran territories? When, Rhea, will you be satisfied with controlling the entire world from a seat of neutrality, staying untouchable and invincible?
"The church takes in more income than even Britannia's most lucrative tax year in the modern day. For a nation so small, it's no wonder that most of that wealth is spread towards ensuring the country is impenetrable from attack. You sit here and you claim to stand for the people, yet your actions show a very different side of you: someone who only wants the world to bow at their feet." His gaze narrowed as he glared at Rhea, as though in judgment of her sins, "An Empress in all but name."
Rhea lost her temper a little. "You watch your mouth," she snapped. "I will not sit here and be lectured by someone of your youth and inexperience over how I choose to run my church. Someone who has never attended lecture, nor sang prayer with his kin, someone who sits alone in a corner, brooding rather than healing!" Rhea was basing her argument over the fact that Lelouch never attended services and, aside from the mock battle, stayed out of the limelight. To the best of her knowledge from talking to Jeralt, especially compared to Nunnally, Lelouch didn't have a social group. Byleth emoted less than him and even she gave Rhea time of day outside of professional lip service.
Lelouch wasn't taking that argument without a rebuttal. He slapped his hand on the table. "Perhaps I wouldn't need to brood and be wound up if the church did its job properly in protecting everyone, not just the people that line its coffers! Did you even consider the alternatives before throwing Japan to the fire? Did you even realize the cultural indignation you were putting upon the country by asking them to throw away their heritage in servitude to you?! Well?!" Lelouch shouted. "Rather than unite the world against Britannia, against its corrupt Emperor, you instead chose to set fire to Japan and increase your own power! You're no saint, Rhea! You barely qualify as a hero! And if you don't watch yourself, the next move you'll make is to a tyrant. It's no wonder Zero is after your head."
Rhea wanted to angrily refute what Lelouch was saying, but at the same time, she could not deny the last thing he said: Zero was still after her. She had attempted to bury the hatchet, yes, but that did not mean Zero had completely complied. Rhea was far too beyond her youth to think it would be that easy to quell the passion of such a masked visionary. With a deep breath, and a dash of boosted resolve, however, she became cross. Still, she didn't yell, she simply spoke in a low, strained pitch.
"Know this," she hissed. "There are forces in this world beyond your comprehension that require the church to keep humanity as unified as possible. If I were to falter for even a moment, the human race could be wiped out by unseen forces and then those who sleep in the dust wouldn't even be alive."
"So it's the same tired story: I'm doing this for my benefit and everyone else just has to deal with it. How callous! Instead of trusting humanity, you deceive them behind your radiance and your scriptures, pulling them into peace with their deaths, when instead they yearn for justice and their lives. You make me sick!"
As Rhea spoke, she now sounded exhausted. "Is this how Jeralt sees me these days? I understand from Byleth that he never spoke of me while he was away, but is this contempt? All of this over Sitri when I did nothing wrong?!"
Rhea gasped. She'd said something aloud, she hadn't meant to. Sure, the name and face of Byleth's mother was out in the open, but the true nature of what sparked Byleth's birth and it secrets had not yet been made public. She tried to backpedal, and quickly. She spoke in a panicked tone. "Lelouch…I must ask that you…excuse yourself. I…need to return to my bedchambers."
Lelouch thought to press. If he used his Geass he actually might be able to get all of his answers. Rhea had slipped up. He needed the momentum to capitalize on it. Ah! Perhaps…
Lelouch backed up, bowing gallantly. "Forgive my rudeness, your grace. If I offer my humble shoulder to aid you back to your bedchambers, would you tell me of what you speak? Whether by adoption, or by blood, I am still considered kin to Jeralt. Surely our continued interaction would be to mutual benefit." She covered for me earlier, but she clearly is hiding what she knows. I can't let this opportunity pass me by!
Rhea took a deep breath. Kindness before savagery, always. She stood by that principle. "Very well," she responded. "Come with me."
Lelouch allowed a wobbly, stressed-out Rhea to be escorted by him to her room on the third floor. Rhea sat on the foot of her bed, Lelouch leaned against the wall. This turned out better than he could have even hoped. With a memory like his, he could gain insightful knowledge as to the way Rhea's room was laid out. A bed, an armoire, and a balcony that had very little in the way of security.
Judging from where we are spatially, I pass by that balcony all the time outside, meaning that if it were possible to land there, Rhea's private quarters could be easily infiltrated from above. Oh, Rhea, your bleeding heart has given me far greater knowledge than you could ever imagine!
Rhea began to explain herself to Lelouch. "It was some twenty years ago, on the twentieth of the Horsebow Moon. Sitri was heavily pregnant with Byleth, having trouble giving birth due to her frail constitution. Sitri…begged me to save Byleth in exchange for her own life."
So Sitri died to save her daughter's life. "I'm going to proceed with the knowledge that Jeralt wasn't made aware of this fact. If that's everything, why does Jeralt have it out for you? He's done nothing but mistrust you since I arrived here," Lelouch pointed out. Something isn't adding up. There has to be more.
"…I am not quite sure. Perhaps this is simply how he grieves. But, unlike with Japan, Lelouch, I swear to you, I had no other options. I loved Sitri like a daughter and it was her or Byleth. When she begged me, tearfully for her child to live, I…I knew what had to be done."
"How long have you known the truth?" Lelouch asked.
"I've known from the very moment I laid eyes on her," Rhea responded. "I could just…tell."
"And…what about me?" Lelouch asked.
"Hmm?" Rhea looked perplexed. However, after a bit of time, she realized what he was driving at. "Ah, I simply figured Jeralt had adopted you and that attaching you to his non-existent second wife was part of the deception. Is…such not the case?"
Lelouch exhaled internally in relief. Good. Rhea didn't know the truth. When she covered for him earlier, that was entirely to his benefit, an extension of the olive branch that the church would keep the specifics of his background a secret. "No, that's about the size of it," Lelouch replied with a smile. Good, then I can keep up the façade for a little longer. She hasn't figured it out.
Rhea smiled back. "I…apologize for losing my temper earlier. But you need to watch your manners. If not Jeralt, I would hope your birth parents taught you better than that."
"I just call it like I see it, a bad habit I picked up from Jeralt I guess you could say," Lelouch responded with a rude smirk.
Rhea sighed and then took a deep breath to resume her story about Byleth. "Jeralt, it would appear, faked Byleth's death using a fire that broke out shortly after the passing of her mother. He then left the Monastery and for twenty years. I never heard from him. I…don't understand what was it that caused our relationship to sour. Jeralt served me faithfully for a very long time as captain of my knights."
"Have you spoken to him since Sitri's death came to light, since the matter was laid to rest?" Lelouch asked.
Rhea sighed, bringing her hands together in prayer. "I…haven't been able to confront Jeralt over it. I…worry I will just make things worse. Not a day goes by where I don't reflect on many of my past mistakes, and sorely believe that I will be punished rather than meet the Goddess when I meet my end."
Lelouch was quite shocked to hear this. Rhea didn't appear to be putting on an act. But, the idea that she was full of regret and remorse for not just Japan, but other actions as well…
"She's not the monster you've painted for yourself in your head, Lelouch. She's a good person trying to do what she thinks is best."
Lelouch was starting to see it a little. Rhea's sorrow and regret, buried behind a lifetime of sin. And yet, she would never admit to such outside these walls. She would never let herself be seen as vulnerable to the masses. She would continue her religion of lies. She would continue to make mistakes, stumbling through life.
Lelouch exhaled aloud. Rhea doesn't have to be killed, but…her reign still needs to be ended. There's no way around it. The woman I'm fighting is dangerous because she simply isn't capable of ruling, and too stubborn to concede the power she has.
"Perhaps you'll think my advice just the complaints of a child, but if you're truly sorry for your past sins, instead of clinging to the goddess for forgiveness, perhaps start asking her for guidance. If you ask for forgiveness all of the time, you'll never learn how to correct your mistakes. Otherwise, you're just trying to excuse bad behavior with no accountability."
Rhea actually smiled. "Wise words. You'd make a fine preacher."
"Not in five of Jeralt's lifetimes," Lelouch remarked dryly.
Rhea actually laughed. "I must ask that we end this conversation here, Lelouch. However…I would not mind another one. As it is stated in the book of Indech: fear not the neighboring stranger bearing strange implements, for he may be seeking to cook you a feast."
"If that's your way of telling me I should not be afraid of you and should seek you out more, I will at least consider it, perhaps over another game of chess." Like this, I can monitor her as needed. Rhea…your reckoning will come, and you've no idea the wolf you've allowed to congregate among your sheep.
"I would not mind that in the slightest," Rhea said with a smile. Following this statement, the loud sound of a transport taking off from the hangar alerted Lelouch and Rhea. Then it soared into the air and through Rome's barrier. Rhea recovered from the noise quicker, noticing Lelouch still staring outside. "Something the matter?"
Lelouch didn't answer at first, lost in his own thoughts. Good luck, Nunnally. Come home safe. "It's…it's nothing I feel like sharing," he answered as honestly as he could without arousing suspicion. He needed to add that last part. Rhea would have probed further if he hadn't. Instead, he took the opportunity to ask her something. Seiros or not, Rhea admitted to losing her mother. Lelouch was curious about the rest of her family. "Did you have siblings, Rhea?" he asked, not turning to look at her.
"As a child, I had many siblings," she answered amicably and then became much more somber. "Most of them are gone now."
Lelouch turned halfway towards her. "And the ones that aren't?"
Lelouch noticed Rhea close her eyes. Clearly, she didn't want their gaze to betray whatever she was thinking. Obviously, the truth was not so simple. Lelouch was then hardly surprised when Rhea answered with a mildly depressed, "It's complicated. I only have three brothers left alive. One I am always in contact with, and the other two…I have not seen in years. Mother's death hit the whole family quite hard. We all grieved in different ways. I cannot even say if I am the most well-adjusted to her passing."
Something about Rhea's words stuck out to Lelouch. Not because of the Seiros connection. Goddess no. The only family relation mentioned in the scriptures were the fact that Cethleann was the child of Saint Cichol. It was both what she said and how she said it. She didn't appear to be lying about having siblings. That much Lelouch felt confident was true, the same went for the fact that she had three brothers. However, it was when he put her story under scrutiny that things felt off.
If Rhea has a brother she's in constant contact with, where is that brother now? She's never mentioned him publicly. A shadow for the church perhaps? And what of the other two? Why the estrangement? She's the most politically powerful woman in the world. You'd think they'd jump at the chance to ride her coat tails. She said it was because of her mother's death, but how much of that is true. I wonder…
Sure, he could use Geass and probe Rhea for secrets, but not now. The timing wasn't right. Oh, but the things he could order her to do right now and no one would be the wiser. He could, right now, order her to be his puppet, take control of the church from the shadows and never have to worry about her ever again. But…that would not last. His behavior would be too changed, as would hers. Sure, he could be subtle. He could say "From this day forward, you will follow my every command." However, taken too literally, she would do things even if said in jest.
When I woke up this morning, I still wanted to kill you. I saw you as someone as tyrannical and contemptuous as my father. And yet, seeing you like this, willing to be vulnerable and showing sincere regret…I have to re-evaluate everything I once thought about you, Rhea. He smirked internally. You make a worthy opponent.
He then thought that perhaps a long-term alliance wasn't out of the question.
If I play my cards right, I could use the church to take down Britannia. All it would take is uniting the other nations under the church's banner. Lelouch mentally shook his head. No. That won't work. That'll just embolden the church and crumble any free will of the populace. Still, looking at her like this, you'd hardly think she was capable of such atrocities.
The loud, ear-splitting, mechanical roar that haunted Lelouch's childhood echoed in his head.
Rhea, I hope when the time comes, you see reason. I won't stop my ambitions because I understand you. If anything, I pity you. You could guide humanity, but instead, you choose to control it. I won't be shortsighted. And I hope when the time comes, you'll see the truth for what it is.
Before excusing herself, Lelouch figured he should at least give a verbal response to what Rhea said initially. "Well, not all families survive by staying close together. Sometimes, all you need is one sibling."
Rhea laughed. "Spoken like a true big brother. Nunnally is lucky to have you."
Nunnally… Lelouch thought.
Rhea noticed the shift in his eyes. "Were your prayers to her?" she asked.
Crap! I let my guard down! He hadn't meant to let Rhea see right through him like that. He cleared his throat, playing it off, speaking calmly and hiding his emotions. "They were."
"I am sure the goddess will smile upon your prayers, Lelouch. Nunnally is a wonderful young lady and you her wise older brother. I do not believe the goddess so cruel as to punish either of you."
Except your precious goddess already has, Lelouch thought, having brief flashbacks to the worst days of his childhood. His mother's death, his exile, the bombings, and everything that followed. He couldn't stay here, lest Rhea inadvertently pull the truth out of him. He was too emotional. "I should go," he said.
"So soon?" Rhea asked. "It felt as if we were getting to know one another. I know I shouldn't show favoritism, but it isn't every day I feel…connected with a fellow student. Perhaps your connection to Jeralt is clouding my judgment, but, as I said before, I would appreciate a…continued positive relationship, Lelouch."
Lelouch was starting to see just how Rhea made such a good political figurehead. The woman's sincerity cut right to a wounded heart. Her gentleness was practically disarming. And, at the moment, it was slightly terrifying. Because, given the atmosphere, if Lelouch didn't leave right now, he would feel tempted to sink his head into Rhea's lap and start treating her like a replacement for his mother.
Tearing himself away from blissfully self-destructive temptations, Lelouch bowed gallantly. "I'm afraid even students have their responsibilities."
Rhea smiled and chuckled kindly. "Too true, I suppose. Very well. Carry on, Lelouch. Have a good day. May the Goddess watch over you."
Lelouch responded with an equally sincere kind, "You as well." He left Rhea's chambers, headed down the stair case, all the way to the first floor, glanced over his shoulder once, and then shut his head, tore his head to one side, and headed for his next destination.
Up in her room alone, Rhea collapsed onto her bed and into a ball. Exhaustion was finally taking her, especially after showing so much vulnerability. She then whispered, crying, "Mother…help me."
Meanwhile, the transport ship taken by the Golden Deer was already crossing Chinese Federation airspace and was crossing the Indo-Chinese Ocean—the body of water sitting between the landmass shared by Leicester and Almyra and the archipelago occupied by Leicester when they conquered the area in centuries past. In a few hours, they would arrive in Gloucester territory, south of the Great Bridge of Myrrdin.
Nunnally was inching her way down the hall with her wheelchair when she heard footsteps approaching, only to stop. Nunnally looked in the direction of the noise. When no one announced themselves, she became a bit nervous. Why weren't they saying anything? Was she not the person that needed to be addressed.
"Um…" Nunnally uttered.
"Are you really sure you should be here?" The owner of the footsteps asked.
Nunnally recognized their voice. "Oh! It's just you, Alice. For a moment there I thought someone had infiltrated the ship."
"This is precisely what I'm concerned about. Your primary function outside HLKMF combat is as a healer, right? That being the case, how are you supposed to be effective when you can't even see who's injured?" Alice asked.
"W-well, I'm a support team member," Nunnally responded. "Marianne is really capable out in the field. Anyone who needs to be patched up after the fact I can handle to not overwork her. Oh, and if someone's in trouble, I can still hear them. I know Physic."
Alice's head jolted upward, looking surprised. The girl had learned such an advanced healing art? "S-still, how would you aim such a thing when you can't see?"
"I've studied magic theory with Lysithea's help. As long as the distance is approximate enough, Physic will latch onto the person most in need of healing if you get the direction relatively correct," Nunnally answered. "And just in case, I'm starting to learn the formula for Fortify."
Alice was even more surprised. "Can your body handle that? You seem so—"
"Frail? It's okay, you can say it. A lot of people have," Nunnally admitted. She played with her hands, smiling. "But it's okay. I don't care if other people look down on me. I just care that my big brother and my friends are safe."
Alice had to update her opinion of Nunnally. For a blind paraplegic, the girl certainly had guts.
"How well can you fight?" Alice asked her.
"Oh! Really well," Nunnally responded, holding up her fists. "When I was in the Violet Tigers, Byleth had me take some martial arts lessons. Now that I'm in the Golden Deer, Raphael's sturdy enough without a frame that he can teach me some hand-to-hand skills if I hold back while deploying the Royal Miracle. I've been growing my speed and strength specs to maximize energy efficiency. Since manifesting weapons drains the battery, and the Royal Miracle is the only way I can see and walk, I've been hard at work to make it last as long as possible."
Alice raised her eyebrows, rather impressed. "I admire your conviction."
"Oh! Thank you!" Nunnally exclaimed, a little embarrassed, bringing her hands together by her face. "Honestly, I haven't really had to do a lot of battle heavy activity in any of the missions my house has been a part of. Sometimes I'm not even deployed."
"Makes sense. As I understand you have a longstanding relationship with Professor Byleth and if Marianne is more mobile than you, she probably would take precedent for healing duty," Alice admitted. "Just from a pragmatic standpoint, of course."
Nunnally nodded in agreement. "That's why this was so important to me. I want to prove what I'm capable of."
"Well don't overdo it," Alice told her. "You have a big brother to go home to. Let that mean something."
Nunnally nodded, showing as much of a look of conviction as she could with her eyes closed.
"If your constitution isn't where you think it should be, I recommend getting some rest," Alice told her. "This is going to be an intense mission right out the gate."
"Right," Nunnally nodded and wheeled away.
"And Nunnally!"
Nunnally turned her head, coming to a stop. "Yes?"
"I hope you do well," Alice told her.
Nunnally smiled. "Yes, me too!"
Gloucester territory was already under a storm when the aircraft had to land. The Golden Deer donned heavy raincoats to combat the weather.
"Blegh! This sucks!" Hilda exclaimed as she stepped into a puddle after getting off the ramp.
"Well, the weather is certainly right for the conditions to be met," Claude said, bringing his hand to underneath the brim of his rain hat. He was gazing across the horizon. "How far from here to the harbor?"
"Less than an hour," Alice told him. "Our envoy should be here shortly. This way," she instructed, pointing.
The group was loaded into what was essentially an amphibious bus as they made their way to the harbor to greet Ignatz's older brother, Klaus. Wearing a poncho and ready for deployment, he was overjoyed to see his younger brother, plucking him out from the crowd because of his glasses.
"Ignatz! Good to see you!" He exclaimed, trampling through water to come greet his little brother.
"You the same, Klaus. I'm glad you're still in good health, given what's been happening," Ignatz stated, nodding to him.
"Hey! Klaus! Been a while!" Raphael exclaimed. "You recognize me?"
"Whoa! Is that you, Raphael? You bulked up a lot since I saw you last," Klaus remarked, wide-eyed.
"You betcha. I bet I could pick you up if I tried," Raphael remarked.
"I bet you could, but let's skip that, shall we?" Klaus responded.
"Are you seriously related to Ignatz?" Hilda asked, gazing at older, sterner and cleaner haircut of Klaus. "You look a little too handsome for you two to be related."
Klaus laughed. "Ignatz has always been the scrawny nerd of the family."
"Not nerdy enough to be allowed to be an artist," Ignatz muttered under his breath.
"You say something, bro?" Klaus asked.
"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all. So, do we just get on board and head out?" Ignatz asked.
Klaus nodded. "Pretty much, yeah. I really hope this ends up being a big nothing, but you know dad."
Ignatz nodded, silently agreeing.
"All right, then I guess we'll leave immediate positioning to our Junior Knight here and I'll coordinate anything on the fly if we run into trouble," Claude suggested.
"Works for me," Alice told him. "Also, call me Junior Knight one more time and I'll have you on latrine duty when we get back."
"Yeah! You tell him! No treating short people like children!" Lysithea chimed in.
"All right, all right. No need for you both to bite my ankles," Claude responded jovially.
Alice leaned over to Lysithea. "Does he ever take anything seriously?" she asked.
"Rarely," Lysithea responded. "And all other times he's impossible to deal with."
"Hey, hey, words hurt you know," Claude remarked.
"I request we spend less time clowning around and more time taking action, yes?" Lorenz requested. "Unless all of you have forgotten, this is my father's territory. I would hate to see us all make a mess of things."
"Yeah, yeah, don't get your boxers in a bunch, Lorenz. We've got this," Leonie remarked, pumping her fist.
"All fighting personnel follow me then," Alice instructed. "This way."
While it was the middle of the afternoon for those in the Golden Deer, night had fallen at Garreg Mach. Zero was in the process of giving one of his now famous lectures. Despite the fact that he had to worry about Nunnally, Lelouch put up a good front, pouring his enthusiasm into his work. In addition to his official Ashen Wolves, many others had come to hear his speech. Those people included members of the Green Pheasant house, including Kaguya Sumeragi, and plenty of members of the Black Eagle house, including Caspar, Edelgard, Monica and even Hubert.
Lelouch wasn't surprised at any of these people showing up, especially not the last one. Hubert had it out for him, clearly wanting to unmask him above all other actions. Fortunately, Yuri would thwart any attempt Hubert made to try and gather information on him.
"Thank you all for coming, despite the late hours. Welcome to the Ashen Wolf classroom, those of you that aren't strictly my students, I thank you for coming to hear what I have to say. Please note that while you are in these walls, I will treat you as if you were a student of mine. If you sit in on a test, you will be given one and expected to complete it. Failure to comply with the rules of my classroom will have me notifying Seteth. If you take issue with how I run my classroom and aren't officially an Ashen Wolf…" he trailed off as he pointed to the door behind them. "There's the door." He lowered his arm as he picked up a book. "Now then, yesterday I discussed the merits of the Roman Phalanx and how it kept Rome alive for many centuries because Roman shields were some of the toughest and sturdiest equipment in the ancient pre-Sothis era. But warfare changes with the centuries. Who here can tell me what was the most monumental change to warfare after the founding of the Adrestian Empire?"
Edelgard's hand shot into the air.
"Edelgard?"
Edelgard lowered her arm. "The invention of gunpowder revolutionized warfare, as it was first created by the Chinese Federation, later to be adopted, identified and improved by Rome, using magic."
"That is absolutely correct," Zero responded, writing gunpowder on the board. He then began to draw little stick figures. "But it was not just the invention of gunpowder and its relationship with magic that ultimately caused the Phalanx tactic to fracture and cause battalions to fight in smaller and smaller groups." He was showing, with chalk sketches, snipers and magic users aiming from vantage points at would-be soldiers, taking them off guard, destroying entire formations. "But the advance of tactical warfare along with it. As many war parties began adopting snipers, mage battalions, and faster cavalry in order to counter these new developments. Who here can tell me what the first counterstrategy to snipers and mage battalions developed was?"
This time Monica raised her hand. "Monica von Ochs?"
"The first counterstrategy ever developed was developed by my ancestor Sven von Ochs when he came up with the idea to use warp magic to send unarmed, strong soldiers wielding powerful gauntleted weapons against the frailer gunslingers and magic users scattered through enemy formations. Such strategy has been documented as the Mage Breaker maneuver."
"Excellently explained!" Zero declared and began drawing stick figures with large fists surrounding enemy snipers and magi with Xs in the eyes of the long-ranged combatants. "Indeed, the Mage Breaker strategy, sometimes referred to as the Gun Breaker Strategy depending on who you ask, and where you live, was the first counterplay designed to handle riflemen and their allied mages. The idea was that a bunch of lightweight soldiers with superior physical strength could outrun and outmaneuver enemies that were used to picking off far away and distant targets. This strategy would make long-ranged combat less effective if one had the resources to pull it off, but it would crumble in the face of elevated terrain that favored the enemy."
Zero then launched into additional explanations on the advancement of warfare. "After the Mage Breaker strategy, eventually forcefields were invented, not long after came the advancement of what would later become the modern tank. Trench Warfare. Explosive caltrops. Landmines. Each and every change to warfare leading up to the Knightmare Frame was set to take the simple Phalanx and make it irrelevant," Zero stated, tapping chalk to the original sketch of the units all huddled together. "And yet, with the invention of the Knightmare, many units still group up because together a unit is stronger, while divided it is weak!
"No master of warfare ever won a battle by themselves. It is the reason armies were invented. No one strategy can dominate war for every battlefield is different! For example, the size and capability of one army will not match that of their enemy. Multiple enemies may be locked in combat at the same time, leading to cases where four different armies with four different objectives could be deployed at once, each with their own goal! But there are key things to remember when going into any battle," Zero said as he held up his fist, counting the key things on his fingers, "Experience. Terrain. Resources. Time. Master all four and know how to adapt accordingly and you will find that no foe can match your might!" he declared as he fanned out his arms.
Edelgard continued to take notes and listen to Zero talk about the nuances of warfare, yet at the same time she found it difficult to focus. Now that she wasn't competing with Zero, at least not behind the scenes, she found herself less interested in his secrets, and far more interested in what he stood for. A blush crept over her face. Even compared to her Flame Emperor, there was something about Zero that stuck out. Chivalry perhaps it was.
After attending Zero's lecture, Edelgard went to bed of course…but not before making a rather crude sketch of her own, one of her and Zero…standing side by side.
(A/N: So I had already pre-typed my opening notes, but here are my ending notes for why its been so long since the last update: I one: quit my job due to a toxic work environment and now live at home desperately trying to get another one. Two: the election results left me drained, pissed and needed the love and support of my family to avoid losing the will to live. Three: Constant weekends of not having time for self-care. But, now I'm back and I hope to have chapter 34 posted soon, since most of it is done. Y'all ain't ready. But until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)