(A/N: All you can eat meat and potatoes for $1.99! Let me know how you like the food).
26th Day of the Wyvern Moon
As Zero continued to fight it out with Bias with Shamir and Shez at his side, the rest of Rodrigue's guest were oblivious to this altercation, just wrapping up their meal.
"Well then, shall we head for the study to discuss battle strategy for the bandits and those dark robbed terrorists?" Rodrigue asked.
"Actually, Lord Rodrigue, I'd prefer it if you all got nice and comfortable," Shin stated with a smile, getting to his feet. "And while you're at it," he smiled. "I would love it, if you could all die for me." And then, unbeknownst to anyone, the silhouette of a red bird appeared in Shin-Hyuga Shaing's left eye.
"Die? Hahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHA! DIE! HAHA! DIE!" Akito started cackling.
"Uh oh," Balthus remarked.
Nobody moved fast enough as Akito leapt over the table and starting strangling his older half-brother.
"Lord Shaing!" Rodrigue moved to help, only for Kronya to get in his way.
"Didn't you hear what he said? He wants us all to die for him," Kronya said. "Pretty sure he didn't misspeak."
"I…" Rodrigue's instincts were now being overcome by his more rational brain, allowing him to process the situation.
By now, Akito had been punched in the cheek and knocked off Shin. The lord aimed a gun at him and fired, but he missed, Akito leaping to the wall, bouncing off it. He activated his energy sword and went for Shin's throat, but Shin blocked with his own energy sword.
"Akito!" Leila called out in concern.
"Die is a bad word for Akito," Hapi said. "Whenever he hears it, he gets like this."
"I don't understand! Why aren't any of you killing yourselves!" Shin shouted, gazing at the group, activating what was a Geass all of his own. "DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"
Everyone was quite confused. It was Kronya, the only one with any experience for something like this, that put the pieces together.
"Ohhhhh, I get it. You don't know the limitations of your own power, so you think you can kill anyone," she chuckled. "That's cute."
"Limitations? What are you babbling about?" Shin asked, fending Akito off. He kicked his brother in the stomach.
"Every Geass power comes with its own share of limitations. Yours must not work on everyone, and up until now, you haven't used it on anyone that didn't meet a specific requirement," Kronya said with a chipper smile.
"Geass?" Dimitri questioned.
"Don't you worry about that, Prince. Think of it as some ancient power only my people know about."
Yuri stood up from his seat. "Lord Rodrigue, I would like to think you're smart enough to piece together the situation."
"He better be," Felix said. "If he's not, I'll kill him myself."
"No, no, my powers of common sense aren't that far gone," Rodrigue excused. "Lord Shaing, you are under arrest! Guards! Seize him!"
An explosion then rocked the dining hall. Shin emerged outside onto House Fraldarius grounds, clad in his brand new HLKMF, developed and grown by the Agarthans specifically for him. It was jet black and bore horse legs and a tail. The skull was very similar to Bias's Phantom Sorceress. However, spikes adorned the arms and two horse skulls spewing jets of flame adorned the back. A double-sided glaive appeared in Shin's dominant hand. The culmination of years of Agarthan R . Codename: Stallion of Hades.
On comms, Shaing, angrily announced. "The plan is compromised! All forces attack!"
Around Fraldarius territory, members of the Agarthan Empire and even some local bandits suddenly began to siege anything they could.
Rodrigue's phone rang from an emergency response line. "Lord Rodrigue! Attacks all over the area! There's too many! We're going to be overrun!"
"I'll send back up!" Rodrigue shouted. "Just hold on!" The man took out his own HLKMF crystal and transformed. Rodrigue's shining white and turquoise frame had shields adorned all over it with the Faerghus coat of arms painted onto them, sans the chest, which simply bore a lion's head, bluer than the ocean under sunlight. A lion's helmet adorned the man's head as he gripped a mighty energy lance. This was Rodrigue's custom HLKMF: The Shield of Faerghus.
He radioed his best men. "All forces spread out to locations with the highest request for aid first. I am requesting only a handful of volunteers to stay with me and fight on my grounds! The rest of you, relocate to protect the citizenry! Take personal transports in my hangar behind the estate!"
Many members of the Ashen Wolves and the Blue Lions headed for the hangar. It was Dimitri, Felix, Ingrid, Annette, Akito, Leila, and Kronya stayed behind to help Rodrigue.
"LORD SHAING! YOUR DEATH WILL BE SWIFT!" Dimitri shouted and activated his HLKMF which had evolved since the scuffle at Kleiman territory. Deep blue and adorned with spikey, clawed armor, but still resembled a knight rather than a lion, though it bore the Faerghusian coat of arms on the chest. No longer the Azurian Pendragon, this was now the Azure Reaper. Dimitri's weapon of choice was now a full on Halberd, designed to rip flesh and metal from whatever it came in contact with.
Screaming furiously, the man charged, his weapon clashing with the Stallion of Hades's own.
"Impressive, Prince," Shin taunted. "You're almost halfway to a match for me."
"Then lets even those odds!" Ingrid shouted. Her Cerulean Pegasus had also evolved. The white wings on the back had given way to energy wings, sparking blue. Tiny wings adorned the boots and the whole frame was sleeker and built for speed over strength. A single horn now protruded off the helmet. Codename: Royal Alicorn.
A spark of lightning fired off from the horn, but Shin dodged as Ingrid blazed forward, grazing the Stallion of Hades. Dimitri followed up attempting to make good on Ingrid's opening, but Shaing had plenty of ways to fend off the two working together.
Akito's Wyvern Revenant leapt into the action, striking and swiping at the Stallion of Hades to help Ingrid and Dimitri get some hits in.
Just then, explosions erupted in the nearby districts and also fires erupted on the grounds themselves, bombs dropping on Rodrigue's home, ruining the gardens, but the infrastructure stood.
"Lord Rodrigue! Let's go help the townsfolk!" Annette insisted. "My father always used to say that bad guys will come and go, but citizens only have one life."
"I couldn't agree more, Annette. Come, Felix!" Rodrigue and Annette charged off.
Felix started to leave, only to turn and shout. "Boar! You better not die, you hear me?!"
"Don't worry," Kronya said, already in the Eternal Midnight. "That Lord Shaing guy's the only one of us who's gonna die. Cause I'm here." She then charged into battle.
Felix took one long last look at the Royal Alicorn and the Azure Reaper, watching the Eternal Midnight enter the fray, putting the Stallion of Hades on the backfoot. Ingrid…Dimitri…good luck.
Felix then headed off to help his father and Annette.
Leila turned on the Sapphire Valkyrie and started taking opening shots where she could when the Stallion of Hades rocketed into the air. Ingrid pursued, the only one who could, fighting him up close.
"COME DOWN HERE, COWARD!" Dimitri shouted.
"Why don't you come up here?" Shin taunted. Black tentacles shot out of the wrist of his frame and grappled the Azure Reaper by its wrists and ankles pulling it onto a crash course with Shin's glaive.
Ingrid tried to slice through the tentacles, but her weapon was rebuked and she was thrown off balance.
"BROTHER!" Akito shouted as he forced the Wyvern Revenant to evolve, not by much, but his desperation to save another forced it to grow draconic energy wings. Codename: WR-Flight Enabled.
Rocketing up from the ground, Akito grappled the Stallion of Hades and then pulled back, shifting his frame's weight and performed a pile driver into the ground below. Dimitri was free flung into the air, but Ingrid caught him.
Leila immediately began taking as many shots as she could where Akito and Shin were, figuring the former would move before the latter. She was correct in her assessment, scoring a few direct hits on Shin before Dimitri was allowed to free fall via Ingrid. He aimed to impale Shin right in the chest, but Shin was far from done.
"DARKNESS CONSUME YOU ALL!"
A massive wave of dark energy blasted outward as the frames surrounding him were drained of all their energy.
"What?" Dimitri gasped only to be quickly impaled by sharp, pointed tendrils through the chest and limbs.
"Your highness!" Ingrid shouted, only to suffer the same fate, one tendril even piercing her throat, blood pooling out of her neck.
"Faerghus belongs to me! I deserve to rule!" Shin shouted. "YOU WILL ALL DIE!"
Spurred by his brother's decade old Geass command, Akito tried to jump the Stallion of Hades. He was grappled rather than impaled, the tendrils seeming to drain his life force.
Kronya stood, frozen with fear, uncertain what to do. Self-preservation was winning out over jumping in. Where are you, Zero?!
"No! Oh Goddess, no!" Annette shouted, crying. "Dimitri! Ingrid! I…I can't do this without you guys!"
Out in the field, things weren't faring much better. No sooner had Balthus activated the Heavy Thunder King that he was beset upon by Nuckelavee units. He punched through the legs of one, only for a bunch more to surround him and quickly barrage him with lance strikes, slash harkens and guns. It wasn't long, even with a Hero's Relic and crest, that Balthus's frame failed and the man himself was gunned down.
Ryo fared even worse, strafing a Nuckelavee unit, only to get ambushed and impaled from behind.
Hapi's Demonic Hellcat sprinted through the street, firing at whatever she could before turning a corner almost into a Nuckelavee's face. She turned, only to find another one right behind her as a third one came from the direction she just came from. Scared at first, Hapi's eyes shook with fear, before she bit down, teeth clenched and screamed in defiance. "Dammit, Zero!" She shouted, firing her howitzer as she leapt to and from buildings, avoiding attacks from her assailants. "We need you now! What are you doing at a time like this?"
Hapi leapt up onto another building, only for a new, fourth Nuckelavee to blot out her view of the sun.
SQUELCH!
The street below the building she was on, ran red with her blood.
"Hapi? Hapi, do you respond? HAPI!" Yuri shouted. No answer. "Dammit!" He was surrounded by Nuckelavee units. "Zero! Come in! Zero, we're taking heavy losses! ZERO!" Nothing but static.
Not only was Zero too far under the ground, but Yuri was unaware of just how badly things had gone down there. Shez and Shamir lying in a pool of their own blood, throats crushed, their own miracle worker laying paralyzed and brain functions shutting down from the sheer agony of his own wounds.
"To think Thales had high hopes for you," Bias taunted. "What a joke."
Constance herself was losing all hope, her gloomy personality peeking through, even behind the shaded panels of the Magnificent Peacock. "All is…lost," she said and her willpower became zero, the frame disengaging from a lack of desire and Constance fell out of the air, breaking her skull on the impact with the ground.
And through it all, Leila Malcal could feel it. The fear. The worry. Anger. Hatred.
"I don't want to die!"
"Someone help me!"
"Mommyyyyyyy!"
Not just her allies, but the citizens as well. All of a sudden, she could hear them as though they were all of one mind.
"No…" she said, crying. "Stop."
Now she could see it too. The Ashen Wolves and the Blue Lions surrounded by Nuckelavee units.
And then…the Shield of Faerghus was absolutely and utterly impaled like a pin cushion.
Leila gasped. She could feel Lord Rodrigue's pain as though it were her own. She screamed.
"Hmmm, poor thing," Shin said as he approached the quivering Leila. "I will put you out of your misery."
Leila gazed up at Shin. She could sense his feelings and mind as well, and what she felt from him wasn't hatred or envy, but pain…nothing but pain and suffering. Nihilism. A desire to be at peace, and to take others with him.
However, right before she could be run through, salvation came. C.C. had arrived. With a single barrier, she blocked the Stallion of Hades's weapon. Her green hair billowed in the breeze.
"It's…you…" Leila said, recognizing C.C. from her youth. The woman had plucked her from a freezing lake she'd fallen into.
"Have you made a decision?" C.C. asked.
"What?!"
"Will you walk the path of strife?" C.C. asked, she blasted Shin back with telekinesis, buying Leila precious seconds. "The world you love may die if you do nothing. But you can feel it, can't you? Your power is awakening whether you want it to or not. You desire peace, but you have only been given war." She turned to face Leila. Suddenly, C.C.'s eyes turned purple and her voice changed. Time seemed to slowly freeze.
"Will you awaken Leila Malcal, no Leila Breisgau!"
Lelila could see it, more visions of people being harmed, citizens and her friends dying as her eyes glowed blue, almost like the irises were lit aflame.
"Before the Goddess, before the Empire, there was me."
C.C.'s code appeared on her head.
"You who have no ambition! You who cling to life as precious despite not living! What is your desire? What will you accomplish? What is life to you?"
Time sped back to normal as Shin approached.
"Make a decision, Leila Breisgau!" The voice that spoke through C.C. demanded. "What path do you wish for the world you live in?"
Leila's left eye burned.
"You can feel it, can't you? You can feel the power you accepted, but have refused until now? Will you use it? And if so, how will it manifest? The choice is yours."
"I…I want the world…"
"Yes?"
"I want…" Leila's brain felt like it was going to snap in two. Blood shot out of her left eye as an emblem ran across her iris, a bird, blue in color. Her pupils contracted. Both eyes remained open.
"I want…to save…EVERYONE!"
With a scream, time resumed as power spiked from Leila's body, a blue energy wave, like fire and lightning combined shot up through sky and out into the upper atmosphere.
In her eyes, two Geass emblems, bluer than the sky itself manifested in her eyes.
"Excellent choice," the voice said and then C.C.'s eyes returned to normal.
"Lord Shin Hyuga-Shaing…" Leila spoke calmly. "I…I feel it. Your love for people, your hatred of life, seeing it as a curse. I, Leila Malcal, no Leila Briesgau! I shall take it all away!" she declared.
Shin laughed. "Take away my pain?" He laughed harder. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"
He attempted to strike Leila, but he froze mid-lunge, the spear tip inches from her face. The world went pitch black. For a moment, all that existed were him and Leila. He stared at the blonde, unable to break eye contact. And then? Lines of light shot out of Leila's body and took the form of multiple versions of the Stallion of Hades, each one approaching her from a different angle, but all different sizes. And after that? They shrunk to the size of small spheres, no bigger than her thumb.
"What? What is this…?" Shin questioned. He couldn't move. All he could do was stare into Leila's eyes.
"I will show you the truth, Lord Shin!" Leila declared. "Not out of malice, but out of love! The hearts and minds of the people can be one!"
Halfway across the ocean, ripples sent themselves through the Akashic Records, shaking the world of C just as Emperor Charles zi Britannia was accessing it.
"What…what's happening? This sensation…that's…C.C….what have you DONE?!"
Elsewhere, deep within the Geass order, a young boy looking no older than thirteen had his forehead burning with his own code as well. "What's…happening? What is this…power?!"
That power? The power of Leila Breisgau's Geass. She could see them. All of them! She could see a myriad of realities, like tiny grains of white sand. Her eyes darted around before she finally landed on a reality that caught her eye, drawn to it not by sight, but by emotion. "That one," she said, raising her finger to it. In the next instant, all of the other realities faded, only a single, white thread connected Leila and Shin to that small bubble of reality. It then grew rapidly, and in the next instant, the world flashed white.
At the Officer's Academy, Byleth Eisner was about to engage in her early afternoon lesson when all of a sudden, she was…just waking up? What? She checked the clock. 9am. Hadn't it just been a little after 2?
"How strange? I just…felt a power rip through time as though someone else used a power similar to the Divine Pulse," Sothis said.
"Should we be worried?" Byleth asked.
"I do not know," Sothis responded. "However…I feel as though a calamity has been…completely averted."
And it would be further averted with human intervention. Around 10am, just as Byleth Eisner was preparing her mid-morning lesson, she was approached by Leila Malcal.
"Professor, if you wouldn't mind…" Leila began to explain about an upcoming mission in Faerghus and she would really appreciate it if Byleth would come along.
Byleth nodded, going to her father to take over class for her. Something about Leila's insistence suggested to her that she should go, almost as if she could feel the girl's anxiety flowing into her as if it were her own.
Ticktockticktockticktockticktockticktockticktockticktock
FLASH!
The future has been forever altered!
As reality resumed upon a fateful battle, a familiar moment unfolded. Shin Hyuga Shaing rushing in to attack Leila Breisgau as the girl stood, awaiting his attack. However, his attack on Leila failed, intervened at the last second by Byleth and the Sword of the Creator, as if warrior and weapon had been on this battlefield all along.
Blue rings were encircled around the woman's eyes. She could feel Leila's fear, her sorrow, and her love for all mankind. It was if time and had been sliced, spliced even, just to bring her to this moment, to a fateful battle where she had the power to intervene. And as far as Byleth Eisner was concerned, this future full of death and misery to Faerghus, where Shin Hyuga Shaing would almost kill Leila after slaughtering Dimitri, Ingrid, and others…
This future…
WOULD NEVER COME TO PASS!
Tik
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"Well then, shall we head for the study to discuss battle strategy for the bandits and those dark robbed terrorists?" Rodrigue asked.
Byleth stood up from her food and went over to Yukiya. She whispered something to him. He gasped, but this was only noticed by Yuri.
"Actually, Lord Rodrigue, I'd prefer it if you all got nice and comfortable," Shin stated with a smile, getting to his feet. "And while you're at it," he smiled. "I would love it, if you could all—AAAAAARGGGGH!"
A table knife suddenly found itself lodged in Shin's left eye as Byleth elbowed him so hard in the solar plexus it knocked the wind out of him.
"Professor! What are you doing?!" Dimitri shouted.
"Saving our asses! Check this out!" Yukiya shouted, showing everyone his phone. "I'm picking up dormant signals of Knightmare Frames all around Fraldarius territory. I've shut them off, but they're all Nuckelavee models, the same model we fought at Kyushu. The Agarthans, those mages in the black robes, they made them. And there's more," Yukiya said. "I tapped your phone just now, Lord Shin," Yukiya said as a court cleric healed the man's eye. "Would you care to explain why a phone number to a Bias of Agartha, the same Bias I'm sure our friend Kronya here would be more than happy to corroborate she knows, is on your phone. Zero can vouch that Kronya works for the Ashen Wolves, but every single one of us, including Knight of Seiros, Shamir Nevrand, will testify that we saw Bias terrorizing folk and murdered Baron von Ochs at Kyushu."
"What are you doing?! No! This can't be! What's going on?"
"Winning the war never fought," Leila said. "Guards! Arrest this man for treason! I'm sure after he is detained we will find more evidence of his crimes!"
Shin grabbed a phone and shouted, "ALL UNITS ATTACK!" However, with the Nuckelavee units offline, only a bunch of foot soldiers could be commanded to attack and harass Fraldarius territory. They were almost quickly overwhelmed by Fraldarius private militias. They would retreat soon enough, but that was not the fate that awaited them.
"Everyone follow me! We have townspeople to save!" Leila declared.
Spurred by Leila's vigor, bravery, and chivalry, everyone sans Byleth and Felix left for the transports at the back of the estate.
Shin went for his sword, but he was stopped by Rodrigue.
"Such a shame, Lord Shaing. I'm disappointed in you," the duke said, putting a lance in Shin's face. If the man so much as moved a nose hair, Rodrigue would stab his throat.
Spurred by Rodrigue taking action, his men began to arrest Lord Shaing.
"You can't do this!"
"Of course we can. This is our territory," Felix told him. "And you have a lot to answer for!" He then looked at Byleth. "And you, I'm impressed. How did you know?"
"Divine intervention," Byleth excused, smirking, thinking of Leila.
"Well, whatever it was, it worked. Shall we go save my people?"
Byleth nodded and she and Felix rushed off to help Leila.
The Azure Reaper leapt less like a ferocious punisher of the guilty and more the brilliant blue knight that Dimitri often saw himself as, cutting down fools that drew too near to the townsfolk. To avoid losing himself in a moment of a blood frenzy, he focused only on the pale skinned folk in the black robes. Dedue, a much more rational companion in his Stone Ceratops, would be able to focus on those men and women of the less savory variety, the bandits.
Ingrid flew across the battlefield like a sky blue angel, her presence, with her back to the sun, a symbol of hope.
"Look, Mommy! It's a messenger of the Goddess!" A little girl pointed at her.
The embarrassed mother shoved her child into their house…right before Ingrid dove in to attack some folk that were going to attack, or otherwise burn the house.
Hapi was faring much better with the future changed. The Demonic Hellcat raced across the landscape. With others taking more urban based locales, she had the freedom to protect some farmland. Open terrain was the best fit for the Demonic Hellcat. It meant Hapi could truly go wild and there would be no survivors of the enemy if she could spot every last one of them.
"Just like old times, eh, Yuri?" Balthus asked him.
Yuri laughed. "Yeah, except we're not defending this time, old friend. We're saving people's lives, and not ones of our own flock this time either."
"Tis a noble deed for wolves to save the sheep, is it not?" Constance remarked over comms.
"I hear that!" Ryo shouted.
"…"
"What's wrong, Yukiya?" Ayano asked.
"Nothing it's just…the Ashen Demon wasn't part of Zero's initial plan. That was Leila's choice," Yukiya said. "And I still don't know how the professor suddenly realized what we were up against. It's like she had foreknowledge."
"Maybe it was a divine revelation of the Goddess," Yuri joked. "For Leila and the Professor. Guess Zero's not the only miracle worker."
Yukiya didn't sound convinced.
"Look, regardless of how it happened, we have our lives, and that's what matters. Now, with me wolves! Let's put these rogues down once and for all!"
"Death before dishonor!" Constance shouted.
"I hear that!" Ayano shouted with a cocky grin on her face.
Kronya had said nothing through this whole exchange. No one needed to know that she had a reassured smile upon her face.
Meanwhile, underground, Lelouch had just given the order for C.C. to go help everyone, but she did not leave.
"There's no need," she said with a shake of her head.
"What do you mean?" Zero asked.
"Besides you that holds my contract, there is another among those who came here and she has just awoken. It's…hard to explain, but…what I can tell you is that you have me at your side," C.C. stated.
"I'll ask you about it later. For now, if you're sure the others will be fine, then do something about it."
"Oh believe me, I will," she floated down in front of Lelouch, blocking an attack from Bias with her barrier. "Shall I show you my power?"
"Hmm? Haven't you before?" Zero asked.
C.C. suddenly took a glowing purple crystal with an emerald green center out of her pocket.
"You have one?" Zero asked.
C.C. smirked cheekily. "I've always had one."
Raising the gem above her head, C.C.'s own Hard Light Knightmare Frame took shape. And it was cloth based as Monica von Ochs's. A black dress hugged her body, but an oversized purer white, with gold trimmings, battle skirt hovered around her waist. Gleaming red gemstones like eyes adorned each pleat of the skirt at the end. A similar gemstone embedded itself on a black belt across her navel. And two more along shoulder guards. As wings made of this similar pattern formed behind C.C., her frame gave the depiction almost of an angel from the forgotten testament.
In lieu of a helmet, C.C. bore a headband made of thorns around her head. The thorns twisted into horn like structures that jutted out behind her ears. To complete the look, white boots adorned her body up to her thighs. This was C.C.'s personalized HLKMF. Codename: Empress of Fate.
Lelouch's Absolute Zero could only gaze at the metrics and be in awe. He always knew C.C. was strong, but this strong?
"You owe me all the pizza I want for this," C.C. stated. "I hope you appreciate this."
Then, she raised both her hands to the sky, energy sparking through them.
"You'd best get back," she warned seconds before lightning plowed from the sky all the way to this underground chamber and charged her body with energy.
"You…you're…" Bias started to sweat.
"Ah, so you finally recognize me?" C.C. questioned.
"Why? Why do you stand against us?!" Bias shouted. "After all we gave to you!"
C.C., as usual, didn't answer the question. Instead, as she charged power, she only spoke one word. "Die."
Suddenly, bolts of thick lightning fired out in multiple directions, frying a few Nuckelavees that Shez and Shamir were battling and a few that Bias had yet to activate herself. Bias herself was also hit with a bolt and blown backwards into the staircase in front of the factory as the stone structure cratered into rubble, damaging her spinal column. Her frame was shredded, the woman's body burnt with first and second-degree burns. Her veil was eradicated, leaving the helpless Agarthan watching Zero's approach. She gasped, looking horrified, as his figure loomed over her.
"No…no please!" Bias pleaded. "Agartha…Agartha must live on!"
"To hell with your Empire," Zero growled as he gazed at Bias with his Geass through the slot in his helmet. "You bring only destruction! Now, Bias of Agartha, I, Zero, command you, destroy your own factory, and you along with it!"
Bias screeched, recognizing an activation of the Geass despite not possessing one. But, like Odesse before her, she was not immune to the power.
She rose to her feet. "Yes, Zero. As you wish." She walked into her factory and then, after a minute or two, small meteors crushed it and destroyed whatever was inside. As the rubble collapsed, Zero fired his own magic attack to blast it further. Eventually, Bias's severed hand—identifiable by the gloves she'd been wearing—landed and rolled to Zero's feet. He stomped on it, causing blood to squirt out the severed limb.
"Pathetic," he spoke to himself. "Shez! Shamir! Get rid of the remaining Nuckelavee units," he commanded.
The two heeded him with a nod and smashed up the leftovers.
Zero then gazed at the still burning factory.
"Are you going to be all right?" C.C. asked him.
"We'll talk later."
It took a few hours, but the Faerghusian citizens were saved by the intervention of the Blue Lions and the Ashen Wolves. But no one would know the unsung hero of the day: Leila Malcal. Most of the credit would go to Lord Rodrigue for having a strong handle on the situation. Other credit would go to Felix as heir. And the rest would be distributed among Zero, Byleth and Dimitri for the part they played.
Although casualties were kept to a minimum, some citizens still died, but Rodrigue was determined to compensate the families of the surviving victims. Much to his surprise, Zero joined him in taking a walk through at least nearby territories to survey the damage.
"Many of these homes will need to be rebuilt," Rodrigue stated.
"Indeed. If you find your coffers light, I can provide aid up to a point," Zero stated.
"I did not expect such generosity from you, Zero," Rodrigue stated.
"The loss of innocent life is still something to mourn. Were we more ready for Lord Shaing's deception, we may have even been able to save everyone. But war is costly and the rich should pay that cost," Zero stated. "After all, a country without a ruler is a country still, but a ruler without countrymen rules naught but hills."
"Ah, more surprises. That's from the Book of Wilhelm, is it not?" Rodrigue asked. "I was under the impression you did not believe in the Goddess, given your resentment of the church."
"I may hold no love for the church in its current incarnation, but I was still raised to love the Goddess inside my heart. The teachings build a moral fiber for all. If they could be restructured away from the negative aspects religion brings to mankind, a stronger, more nurtured humanity will grow."
"How philosophical," Rodrigue stated. "A shame I did not get to witness you in battle, but given this whole mess, it would appear you were one step ahead of the problem anyway."
"As I often am," Zero responded.
"Indeed, had you not cut off the enemy reinforcements at the source, I dread to think what may have happened," Rodrigue said with a smile. "His late majesty loved the people of Faerghus dearly. I wish we could have saved everyone, but keeping the casualties out of double digits is still impressive. Had we lost too many, I would not have been able to face Lambert in the next world."
"How foolish!" Felix snapped, walking up to the pair.
Zero and Rodrigue turned to look at him.
"We were protecting your subjects, not your ego. I don't give a damn as to whether you can bring yourself to face a dead king!" Felix berated.
Rodrigue, a parent before anything else, scolded his son. "I will not tolerate such language from you."
"I came here to hone my skills and save innocent people," Felix commented bitingly, not backing down from his father's irritation. I suppose if I had died today, you would be saying the same thing you did after Glenn's death." Felix then adopted a mocking tone as he quoted his father from four years back. "He died like a true knight."
Zero was shocked as Rodrigue showed guilt rather than anger upon his face.
"Tch," Felix scoffed. "I'll be in the transport. I've nothing more to say to you."
Rodrigue sighed. "I hope seeing that does not color your opinion of my parenting skills." He exhaled again, cupping his chin. "Felix has been acting like that for four years now. I don't suppose you'd care to know more?"
"Knowledge is like currency to me. I'm intrigued," Zero responded calmly.
Rodrigue explained. "I lost a son in the Tragedy of Duscur. Felix's older brother, Glenn. To this day, I'm proud of Glenn. He gave his life to protect Prince Dimitri. If he had abandoned His Highness and fled, I don't know that I could have forgiven him." Rodrigue paused before continuing, "I would have been deeply ashamed. But no one would have been more ashamed than Glenn himself. It was in his nature to be noble and true. As a knight serving the royal family, his duty was to be loyal to the end, even if it meant his life. If he had abandoned that duty and survived the incident, there's no way he could have lived on in peace. Felix can't understand that. He's young and foolish. Of course, I understand his sentiment, to some extent. It all comes down to...well…a difference of opinion."
"Family is important. I don't believe your beliefs are to blame, Duke Rodrigue. However, it is not the choice of a life in shame, or glory in death. Rather, Felix would have rather both his older brother and his highness lived to see today. I imagine the same goes for you, had you the choice," Zero stated.
"Yes, I suppose I do," Rodrigue agreed. "Still, life does not always provide us with the choices we desire. Very often, it's a cruel and unforgiving existence."
"I know that all too well." More than Zero, it was Lelouch speaking honestly of his dead mother. "We all wish we could go back to those precious moments and change life to suit our whims. However, what's past is past. Once history is shaped, it cannot be altered. All we can do is live with the scars."
"Is that how you came to be, Zero? A man shaped by his scars?" Rodrigue asked him.
"You could say that," Zero responded with a non-answer.
"Do you have a family?"
"I must respectfully decline to answer that question," Zero responded.
"I see. I suppose any hints to your identity would be given away if you had still living family, correct?"
"Or if I had none at all," Zero responded. "One day I hope to shed this mask, but I do not know for how long it will be worn."
"Well, if you stay the man you are now, House Fraldarius will welcome you back anytime. Er, his highness, soon to be his majesty, not barring you from entering the country, of course."
"You are a good man, Lord Rodrigue. The world needs more people like you in it. I hope when the world I envision is created, you are still here as a shining example of what it needs. Good men doing good deeds, willing to part with their own riches to help the less fortunate," Zero told him.
Rodrigue extended a hand to Zero. "Perhaps we should cooperate now then? I consider myself a good judge of character. If you need help building that world, I don't know what I can offer, I do have to watch I don't anger his highness or my country, but if it's money or shelter every now and again, I can see what I can do to help."
Zero, after a bit of hesitation, shook Rodrigue Fraldarius's hand. "I accept your offer."
After releasing his grip on Zero, Rodrigue smiled. "I am absolutely looking forward to the Battle of the Eagle and Lion this year. Not just to see the performance of his highness, but also you and Felix. I was shocked when I heard he was changing houses, but if it's the Green Pheasants, all the better. Perhaps he will come to fancy the young empress." Rodrigue then laughed at his own silly statement. "No, Felix prefers women with far more bite to them. I know the Empress is trying, but Felix has always preferred women with teeth to their words and weapons, like Ingrid Galatea."
"You don't say," Zero responded. That would explain why he and Ayano get along so well.
"Actually, if you still have some time, could we go to my study, there's a private matter I wish to speak with you about."
Lelouch had little trouble accepting this. After all, if worst came to worst, Geass was an option.
However, any fears he had were laid to rest when Rodrigue shut the door and said, "Good, now that we're alone, I'd like to clarify something. You have connections with the Savage Mockingbird, do you not?"
"That's a loaded question," Zero responded.
"And one I hope is an affirmative answer," Rodrigue said, sounding frustrated. "Those same mage folk we fought today, those black Knightmares, they're very similar to the force that attacked the late king. Because the parade and subsequent assassination took place in Duscur, the Duscurian people were blamed for it. However, I cannot deny what I have seen with my own eyes. I wouldn't be a very good Duke otherwise. If there is anyone that can uncover what happened that day, it's the savage Mockingbird."
Rodrigue gestured to the study. "Every book in here is a tome on Faerghusian politics and policies. My family has kept volumes of such things for generations."
"Now I'm starting to see the real reason for our alliance. You want me to expose the truth behind the Tragedy of Duscur."
Rodrigue nodded. "I believe you can. I mean, you call yourself the Man who Makes Miracles after all."
Zero nodded. "I'll browse this library with some of my subordinates and borrow whatever I find helpful. I'll send Shamir back with any volumes I'm done using, but don't expect any of it back until after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion."
Rodrigue nodded. "I truly do appreciate this, Zero."
"Think nothing of it. Between the Tragedy of Duscur, the Insurrection of the Seven, and the assassination of Empress Marianne, almost every major nation surveyed by Rome holds a dark secret. Just as with Count Gloucester's scandal, I shall expose them one by one," Zero declared confidently.
"I look forward to seeing you do it, Zero," Rodrigue smiled, pleased to have made such a reliable acquaintance.
On the ship back to Rome, C.C. found Leila staring at herself in the mirror. She was having trouble activating her Geass, wondering if she'd just imagined it all.
"Having trouble?"
"Ah! Miss C.C.!" Leila exclaimed, whirling around.
"The power you showed today is a power you likely will not be able to call for at will," C.C. stated. "Think what it took just to activate and the changes made to the world at large, for the better, of course."
"Vill I be able to…use it again?" Leila asked.
"Only you can make that decision, though I imagine it requires very specific conditions. Today, you saw a world filled with hope, one that you felt set the world on a brighter future. And you were right. I imagine, unless you feel so strongly again, your Geass will not activate otherwise."
"So you are saying, I cannot change ze future, unless I feel zere is no other choice," Leila said.
"Perhaps. Who can say? When I give these powers, I know not how they will manifest," she explained.
"And zis ability to grant zis power, is zis why Britannia is after you?" Leila asked her.
C.C. nodded. "The Power of Geass, the Power of Kings as it is often called, is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. I imagine Britannia wanted to pump out soldiers all of which could use my power."
"Zat sounds like a fate crueler zan death itself," Leila responded, feeling sympathetic.
"It would be true hell," C.C. told her. "But, that isn't your concern. I have another that is helping me. He will be Britannia's problem."
"You mean Zero?" Leila asked.
C.C. did not answer.
"I kind of realized it vile ve vere helping distribute food to the affected families earlier," Leila responded. "Zero…he is your hope for the future, is he not?"
C.C. turned her head away from Leila, saying nothing.
"You like him, don't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," C.C. replied curtly.
Leila chuckled. "Defeating you two on the field of the Eagle and Lion vill be difficult, but the Blue Lions are ready to accept your challenge."
C.C. smiled. "I look forward to your attempt."
Once again, up on the blast deck, Ingrid and Dimitri chatted. "That was quite something, wasn't it?" Ingrid asked the prince.
"Indeed. And, remiss as I am to say it, I doubt we could have repelled Lord Shaing's forces on our own. I still haven't a taste for Zero's antics, but I do admit, under the right circumstances, he can be useful," Dimitri stated.
Ingrid nodded…then sighed.
"What's wrong?" Dimitri asked.
"My father called me while things were wrapping up. He seems to be more concerned about House Galatea's future than ever. Apparently, he is in talks with a brand new suitor for me. And, should our house accept, I would not only have to marry him, but my time as a student at Garreg Mach…would be over. He intends to make a decision tomorrow, and so close to the Battle of the Eagle and Lion too. I haven't the faintest idea what my father is thinking! Of course House Galatea's future is important, but is a cushy marriage and future generations the only way to secure it? I…ugh!"
"I know. You wish to be a knight in servitude to the royal family, yet doing so would almost ensure your bloodline's demise. You wouldn't have time for a husband or children while in service to the crown," Dimitri told her.
"You see my dilemma." She stared at the sky. "Being a knight is my dream. Not just a knight, but an ace pilot soaring through Faerghus's skies and bringing joy to all."
"That's a wonderful dream, Ingrid," Dimitri said with a smile.
"Well, I shouldn't lose myself in fantasy for too long. When the transport gets back to Garreg Mach, race you to the training ground. Ooh! Or the dining hall! I could really go for a good burger right now, with bacon and two patties."
"Ahahahaha! I see even after all these years your palette hasn't changed at all," Dimitri stated. "Ever the carnivore."
Ingrid laughed. "House Galatea is rather economically poor, so a lot of our income is tourism and chained restaurants. I swear, you'd think Pizza Hut actually owned my territory with how many are in it."
Dimitri burst out laughing even harder. "That's quite the sight to think about."
"Yeah, it's the simple things in life that make this wannabe knight happy." She sighed. "I just pray I don't wake up one day and it all comes to an end."
Nervously, watching Felix swing a sword around in an empty recreation room, Ayano approached him. "Hey," she said.
"Hmm? Oh, it's just you, Ayano," Felix responded. "Need something?"
"No…not particularly. I…um…your dad seems nice," she said and then offered a nervous chuckle.
"…What?"
"Well I mean…he offered us all that food and was nice and um…nice and…uh…eto…eto…eto…" She started speaking Japanese rather than Roman.
"You don't have to chat with me, Ayano," Felix said.
"I know but I want to!" The girl exclaimed almost immediately. "S-Sorry, is that weird?"
"No, but I'm not usually one for conversation. I prefer the language of battle to get to know someone. But…I have a pretty good guess what you want to ask me. Now that Zero has saved my homeland, you want to know if I'll join the Ashen Wolves, correct?"
Ayano nodded.
"Well, I've given it some thought. There's no doubt the Ashen Wolves are strong, and I do feel I could learn a lot from them, but no. I won't be joining in time for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, specifically because it's coming up," Felix pointed out.
"Oh…I see."
"Specifically, I want to see the true mettle of the Ashen Wolves from an adversary's perspective. I want to see just what it would be like to face you on a chaotic battlefield and if I would live to tell the tale. Even if the Green Pheasants are at almost as much of a disadvantage as the Wolves in terms of numbers, that doesn't mean my current house is weak, either. Tell Zero, if he wants me as a student, his house has to perform better than both the Blue Lions and the Green Pheasants.
Ayano nodded.
"Then, if there's nothing else, I'd prefer to be alone."
"…I could train with you. I uh…I have my sword."
Felix looked at her. The two studied each other's expressions and then they, in unison, practiced the art of swordsmanship.
"And that's the official word," Shamir said, giving a full report to Zero with Akito and Yuri present.
"You gonna be okay, Akito?" Yuri asked him. "This is your brother we're talking about."
"I'll be fine. My brother…has not been the man he used to be, the young boy who used to carry me on his shoulders when we were children. His heart became ugly. Perhaps, once he is executed for treason, I can finally be free of my curse."
"The one that makes you freak out whenever you hear a certain word?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah," Akito said with a nod. "That day, everyone else in my family died, but I survived. My brother tried to kill us all. I don't know why, and now…I'll never know."
"Not every family sticks together," Shamir responded.
"Yeah, but…I don't have to worry about it." He smiled. "The Ashen Wolves have become my family. That's all that matters."
"Good way to look at it," Yuri remarked, trying not to laugh. "If a bit weird."
"Said the shepherd to the sheep," Shamir teased.
"You know, even you aren't immune to assassins," Yuri shot back.
"You'll have to hire a lot of assassins," Shamir smirked confidently.
Yuri snorted.
"We really stepped in it today," Zero stated. "We almost lost our lives. If Leila hadn't recruited the Ashen Demon, I dread to think what may have happened."
"Hey, no use worrying about it since it all worked out, right?" Yuri asked with a smile.
"Perhaps," Zero admitted. "Still…" He didn't say the quiet part out loud. What made her believe Byleth's power was necessary? What did you know that I didn't Leila Malcal? And how worried should I be?
The first thing Byleth did when she got back to Rome, was thank her father for filling in for her.
"Hey, no problem. Any time. You've got a bunch of well-behaved students. Well…except for the one that slept through the entire thing, and the one that won't shut up, and the tall creepy one, and—"
"Are they well-behaved or not?" Byleth asked, realizing, if she let Jeralt keep going, he'd disparage each one.
Jeralt chuckled. "I mean, they're all misfits, what teenagers aren't? Your house leader's a model student though, same for the one with the singing talent. Dorothea I think her name is. And Petra might talk funny, but she's always alert. I'd give points to Ferdinand, but…"
"Yes, I know," Byleth responded, sighing. "It's…a work in progress."
Jeralt laughed. "So, how'd it go, at Faerghus, I mean?"
"It…went," Byleth answered, trying to remain little on details.
"Yikes. Bad day?" Jeralt asked her.
"You could say that," she said and then cocked her head, leaning it against her fist. "It was so weird though, this morning. When Leila approached me to help…it was if I knew I had to say yes, or things could have been a lot worse."
"Maybe she's just magnetic. Some people are like that," Jeralt speculated.
"Maybe," Byleth said. "Hey, um…did you get any weird sense of déjà vu today?"
"Hmm? No, don't think so. Why? What happened?"
"It's nothing, never mind," Byleth responded and then quickly left her father's office. She wasn't even back to her dorm when Sothis spoke to her.
"I must say, I don't know what exactly happened today, but I can guess that it was my power why you weren't affected. As I am immune to the changes of the flow of time, tis likely it protected you from similar effects."
What exactly happened? Byleth asked her.
"I am…quite uncertain of that myself. But there can be no doubt that someone disrupted time's flow…and it was not me."
…Leila?
"Speculation at best, but not unfounded speculation to be honest. Still, as everything worked out for the better, I am uncertain if it is necessary to speak with her on such matters. After all, you would then have to explain how you remember that time was rewound. I would like to avoid such a conversation if possible."
Byleth nodded overtly in response to Sothis's statement.
"If only I could see what was going on in the heads of others, we would have fewer mysteries on our hands. Alas, I can only see what goes on in this empty head you call a mind."
Dial-up connection noises, Byleth thought, being cheeky.
"Yes. Yes. Hilarious. You're a comedian," Sothis responded sarcastically. "Embracing your own shortcomings is not a solution to the problem. One day your own lack of thought will land you in trouble so I suggest correcting it."
Yes, Mom.
"…If I could kick your brain, I would."
Byleth said nothing, only smirking, and then made for the dining hall.
It was after dinner, down in Abyss when Lelouch finally got a hold of C.C. one on one in her private loft.
"You said you had another contract holder here at Garreg Mach. Why didn't you tell me?" Lelouch asked.
"I haven't seen her much until today, so I wasn't sure it was her," C.C. said. "However, my code," she said as it flashed across her forehead, "Lets me know of the locations of all of my contract holders."
"So besides, me and this other student, do you have others?"
C.C. didn't answer.
"After what happened with Mao, I'd like to know if I'm going to get blindsided by such things again. I bought you the pizza you wanted. Now tell me everything I need to know!" Lelouch snapped.
"I have three living contracts," C.C. told him. "The first is you, the second is the person that saved us today, and the last one bears neither of us ill will. Of that I can assure you."
"Putting aside the last one, today's is the one I'm more focused on. Who is it?" Lelouch asked.
"Is that vital information?" C.C. asked him.
Lelouch glared.
"You needn't worry about them using their power any time soon. And it won't interfere with the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. I very much doubt they could summon up that much energy to use it again," C.C. told him.
"What are the conditions for its activation?" Lelouch asked.
"High stress seems to be one. And a feeling of dread appears to be another. But, unless it activates again, I could not say for certain."
"In essence, they can barely control theirs at will like I can."
"It was used to save your life today, do you really need to question it that much," C.C. responded snippily.
"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Lelouch asked her.
"Yes, a spoiled little brat that loves being the center of attention," she quipped.
Lelouch was not amused by the comment.
"You know it has to be one of the students you went with today, and it wasn't one of your own wolves, so that narrows it down, does it not?" C.C. asked, offering a large hint.
From that, Lelouch instantly put the pieces together. "When did you make a contract with Leila Malcal?"
"I saved her after she fell into a frozen lake," C.C. responded, not even offering Lelouch accolades for his deductive reasoning, just rolling the conversation right along, "It was eleven years ago at Arianrhod. It was the first time in the modern era the city had ever been attacked. The girl ran for her life and ended up falling through some thin ice. I didn't bind her with a contract, but rather offered her a choice."
"You can do that?"
C.C. nodded. "She didn't seem like she would fulfill my one wish, but lonely children often make the best contracts. So, I let her Geass lay dormant. If she didn't use it before turning eighteen, it would have vanished from her body. Her birthday is coming up, you know. She'll be 18 on the eve of the 7th day of the Red Wolf Moon."
"I see," Lelouch responded. Leila Malcal, a Geass user like myself. …I'm going to want to recruit her after the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. I don't know enough about her to do it prior.
"Now then, you do have a lecture this evening, do you not? I would prepare for it as soon as possible," C.C. told him. "You wouldn't want to be late."
"Just a moment," Lelouch said with a scolding tone of voice. "Earlier you said that lonely children make the best contracts. Have you preyed upon children like Mao in the past?"
C.C. turned her head, silently.
"You're a cruel witch, C.C. Whatever this wish of yours is, which you still haven't told me what it is, I hope it's worth the price of the blood of innocent children on your hands!" Lelouch snapped at her.
"Since when do you care about the lives of children long since dead and buried?" She asked, averting eye contact completely.
"I care because it's immoral."
"HA! Says the revolutionary with blood on his own hands," C.C. scoffed.
"I'm doing what's right for the sake of the world. You're doing what you want because you're a selfish creature," Lelouch told her.
"Hmm, perhaps I am. Yet you still need me and that power of yours, do you not? Even with the Ashen Wolves by your side, you still make use of it. And it was that power that spurred you to make use of them too. So whatever you think of me, you need me and you know it."
I've never felt more inclined to hit a woman, Lelouch found himself thinking.
"You have twenty minutes to get ready," C.C. quipped at him.
Lelouch angrily left the room, slamming the door.
C.C. then sprawled out on her bed. "Such a drama queen."
Alone in her room, Shez Lamperouge was trying to figure out what exactly was up with that journal she and the others found.
"That woman in the photo, she looked a lot like my adoptive mother, but it couldn't have been her. My adoptive mother had fairer skin. But…"
"But what?" Arval wanted to know.
"I keep thinking about what that last entry said, something about a weapon. Arval…that journal may have very well belonged to my adoptive mother's ancestors, and now Zero's gone and laid claim to it. We never even had the chance to find out from Bias what exactly it all meant."
"There was another person mentioned in the journal was it not? Solon, I believe his name was. And there are many other Agarthans out there. Don't despair, Shez. We'll find the truth."
"But will I still be me when I find the truth?" Shez questioned.
"Hmm?"
"Ultimate weapon…" Shez summoned the sword Arval often gave her. "What if…what if…we're that weapon, Arval."
"Don't be absurd," Arval said, trying his best to calm his partner down. "You have a life, Shez. Parents you remember before you were taken in, do you not?"
"Do I though? I hardly remember anything other than my adoptive mother," She stated. "I remember being cradled by her from before I could even talk. She taught me everything, Arval."
"That doesn't make you a weapon, Shez," Arval told her. "You're human. You think. You feel. You act. You feel pain. A weapon can't do any of those things. It just follows its programming."
Shez smiled. "Thanks, Arval." She yawned. She stretched. "Welp, better get some sleep." She then settled down for the night.
Once she was asleep, Arval remained awake. "I say that to her, yet I cannot erase my own doubts. No doubt I was created for some purpose, yet I cannot remember a thing. All I have are my emotions. Why am I so filled with sorrow reading that journal? …And why do I feel so enraged at the fact that the Ashen Demon was the one that saved us all. …I shouldn't worry Shez over it. I should rest too." And then, the being living inside Shez's mind also drifted into a subconscious slumber.
27th Day of the Wyvern Moon
When it came to students with bright smiles, Dorothea Arnault was always at the top of most people's lists at Garreg Mach. She was a sweetheart that rarely mistreated anyone unless they had done something to upset her. She was empathetic with most of her fellow students. Which was why, as she made for the dining hall, and saw Ingrid Brandl Galatea picking at her plate, rather than scarfing down the burgers and nuggets adorning it, she knew something was wrong.
"Ingrid? Everything okay?"
"Oh, hey Dorothea. Yeah, I'm just…preoccupied."
Dorothea looked at Ingrid's plate. "Ingrid…are those your firsts? You're usually well onto your seconds by the time I stop in for lunch."
Ingrid sighed deeply. "I'm just troubled day. A lot happened yesterday and my father is making it into an even bigger deal."
"Talk to me," Dorothea stated.
Ingrid told Dorothea exactly what was going on. That her father had met with a suitor for Ingrid's hand in marriage, both last night and early this morning.
"I think my father has every intention to say yes," Ingrid stated.
"Well I certainly wouldn't," Dorothea remarked, angrily.
"Hmm?"
"This guy's a sleazebag and sees women as prizes to be won," Dorothea snapped. "I wonder if he remembers the six weeks he spent in the hospital because of me."
"I…beg your pardon, but isn't he Britannian?" Ingrid asked.
"Many rich people would attend operas in Adrestia at the Mittlefrank Opera House and we definitely traveled. I met him after Roman occupation of Japan. He frequents this big Britannian leant out structure built into Tokyo prefecture, Babel Tower. Calls himself the Black King. What a joke!"
"Black King?" Ingrid questioned, reflecting on the name her father had given her: Rex Preto. A Britannian man from Southern Britannia in what used to be known as Brazil. "Are you sure it's the same guy?"
"Positive, given the image you showed me on your phone. I'd recognize that fake blonde hair anywhere. You don't exactly forget a man who tried to sexually assault you either," Dorothea stated. "So, I broke his arm. Snap! He tried to shoot me and the Mittlefrank security got involved. He's been barred from attending a performance since. That was three years ago and right around the time I knew I wanted to do more with my life than just sing."
"I…see…so there's a history here. Unfortunately, I have little choice but to accept. My father feels as though his business empire is too large to ignore and he's already donated quite the sizeable endowment to House Galatea."
"HA! Blood money, dear. The man's a crook. Besides, don't you have a say in the matter?" Dorothe asked.
"Well, I…"
Dorothea could see it on Ingrid's face: trapped between family obligations and doing what she wanted, selfishly.
"All right then, don't say anything. I know just who to turn to for help."
"You don't mean…"
"I do," Dorothea said. "If he's any kind of man like he says he is, he'll help you. And if he doesn't, I'll take to social media and call him a fraud until my thumbs have blisters."
Ingrid groaned. There was no stopping Dorothea when she got like this.
Lelouch was minding his own business when his cell phone beeped. It was Yuri. It was a text.
It read: two girls looking for you know who. Sounds like an adventure.
Lelouch responded with a half-interested expression: who?
The message came back: Dorothea Arnault and Ingrid Brandl Galatea.
A wide grin broke out onto Lelouch's face. His full attention had been grabbed. He texted back: I'm on my way.
It took Dorothea a little over an hour to explain everything to Zero after he arrived. She pleaded Ingrid's case to him in his office.
"So, what do you think?" Dorothea asked Zero. "Can I count on you to be the gallant gentleman you've set yourself up as?"
"That depends," he looked to Ingrid. "How do you feel about all of this?"
"Me? Well…I…if Dorothea's right, I don't…like it very much. But…but I would like to think my father knows better."
Zero turned to Yuri standing at the side of his desk. "Get me everything we have on Rex Preto."
"Done before you arrived," Yuri said and handed Zero a file.
Zero skimmed through it, absorbing all of the information. He then lay it flat on the table. "I do believe I can be of help. Your case intrigues me, Ingrid Galatea."
"See, Ingrid? Zero can help, and you were so worried."
"Call your father and tell him to expect me in his territory before dinner," Zero instructed Ingrid. "Weddings are a joyous affair, but a wedding matchmade in blood is one I would care to avoid. No woman has the right to be forced into wedlock with a chain around her neck, tied to a beast of a man using her for her body!" Zero declared with the usual over the top theatrical movements. "The Black Knights will see your problem solved and solved quickly before the Battle of the Eagle and Lion."
"That fast?" Ingrid questioned. "I-I don't know if…"
"Time is of the essence. Gather whomever you wish to. Both of you," Zero stated.
"Thank you, Zero. We'll meet you shortly in front of the Neverland," Dorothea giggled and left the office.
Ingrid hesitated.
"Lady Galatea," Zero said, being respectful. "A woman's value is determined by she herself and no other. Remember that."
"R-right," Ingrid stuttered and left.
"The Black King, huh?" Yuri remarked, scratching his head. "Boy have I wanted to stick it to that guy for a while."
"I was under the impression you needed his business empire," Zero said to him, slightly confused.
"I do, but I can easily take it off his hands if we play our cards right. This is about more than just preventing a wedding for you, isn't it?"
"Yes. Seizing the Black King's assets will prove crucial, long-term," Zero stated.
"This is about to get complicated, isn't it?" Yuri asked.
"There can be no doubt," Zero stated. "There are a lot of moving pieces this time around, and Ingrid Galatea herself will be the star of the show. Time is crucial and we have little to spare. You know what you have to do. Leave the rest to me."
Yuri bowed. "You got it, boss."
Yuri then left Zero alone in his office. Picking up a knight on the board, Zero slammed it down onto the e6 square. "Knight moves to e6. Reveal check."
(A/N: A bit of a shorter chapter compared to the last one, but I felt it necessary given I didn't want Leila's big moment here to undermine the big reveals in the previous chapter.
But next we have Rumored Nupitals and it is not going to be like canon. First of all, that battlefield was Ailell. We aren't even going to be close to there. Second of all, I don't think this one will be a lengthy battlefield. I'm saving all the good stuff for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion after all.
But, until next time, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)
SPECIAL THANKS to my Patrons ShawnH, Nier 99, and Wizard Aro. If you'd like to support my work, consider subscribing. I don't offer much, but I would like to turn fanfiction into a job if possible, or at least to help me scrape by while I look for a new one, as I am presently unemployed. Thanks everyone for your continued support as readers. Just your comments and love for my work is enough to keep me doing this in my spare time! Please don't forget to share this fic with others as awareness not only drives more traffic to it, but enriches the lives of others. Plus, the larger the fanbase I have, the better my novel coming out later this year will sell! Hate to plug, but I gotta eat, and I will see you all next time!