2,424Before you start I want to say my thanks to everyone! People liked quickly fanfic and I decide to focus on this fanfic. Your support really means a lot to me! And because my beta-reader of another fanfic is busy for personal reasons. So my first fanfic is frozen, for now, my second fanfic is stopped for some time. Soooo thanks that you read this! And sorry for errors! So Let's start!
It was only ten days after assuming the throne that his Majesty, Emperor Lelouch, began making major reforms to the empire. The most notable was the dismantling of the Area system, transforming all former Areas into special zones. The population native to these zones received rights on par with that of their former masters, and could now serve in businesses or even the military with the chance of rising to Officer status. Emperor Lelouch also immediately disbanded all groups within the military with ideologies similar to that of the so-called 'Purebloods,' of which the captain of his royal guard, Jeremiah Gottwald, was once the leader.
"His Majesty was most forgiving." Sir Gottwald stated when interviewed on his master's unexpected generosity. "We who have stained the reputation of the empire's armed forces deserve nothing short of death. Yet His Majesty saw fit to give us all another chance by inducting us into his most prominent legions, who serve the emperor directly."
Such generosity however was not shown to the former ruling class of the empire. Overnight the old aristocracy was almost completely dismantled, the nobility suffering the worst with many of their monopolies on trade goods being revoked and placed in the hands of corporations headed by rising businessmen. Even the royal family itself was not safe from Emperor Lelouch's changes: Prince Schneizal's title as second prince was revoked and, along with the former second princess Cornelia, was named one of the empire's most wanted criminals.
After news reached the people of the F.L.E.I.J.A. weapon that destroyed the Tokyo Settlement in the former Area 11, the Knights of the Round also joined this list, with Suzaku Kururugi the Knight of Seven getting special mention as the one who fired the weapon on his own homeland. The Britannian people were outraged and demanded justice.
That is not to say Emperor Lelouch's relationship with the royal family was entirely negative; beginning with First Prince Odysseus, the rest of the family supported his Majesty in his reforms to society. It was a sentiment that was felt throughout the empire, particularly in the lower rungs of society who, until this point in history, had no voice of their own.
Emperor Lelouch had become the hero and defender of the common folk, an attitude that eventually granted him the title 'White Emperor.'
BBC history documentary special recounting the miraculous 'Ten Day Transformation.'
May 29, 2018, Pendragon, Throne Room.
If Lelouch was perfectly honest, these soldiers disgusted him. They were sycophants who had taken the former emperor's words of might makes right to heart and had trod on the rights of everyone they viewed as weaker than them. But that also made them the perfect disposable tools for his plans: the people hated them, therefore no one would miss them if he sent them to die, but he still looked good for trying to give them another chance like he had Jeremiah. And so here they stood before him, his newest legion, dressed in their new grey uniforms, white cloaks and black helmets. They knew who he was, he suspected some of them even despised him for the new path he was leading Britannia down.
But none of that would matter in a moment as he removed his contact lenses and stared into their eyes. "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you! Be my slaves!"
The red crane took flight from each of his eyes, and in an instant the entire legion stood straight. "YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!" They bellowed zealously, as one saluting him and slipping down their purple visors over their faces.
With that out of the way he immediately dismissed them, to which they feverishly obeyed leaving him with just his aide Alfred and two of his Scarlet Guard.
Feeling a little bit stiff, Lelouch stood from his throne and straightened out his now iconic ensemble. People didn't just call him 'White Emperor' for his deeds, he now wore a set of intricate white robes with golden lining, with a white shawl over them that bore a feathered wing motif branching out from a black and red eye. When he'd first modeled it though, all C.C. had done was giggle at him before conceding that it did live up to the Holy part of the Holy Britannian Empire.
He still didn't know what she was talking about, but then Lelouch had long ago stopped trying to figure his demented companion out. Regardless, he still had work to do and thus returned his attention to matters of state. "Alfred, what else is scheduled for today?"
The man in question glanced at his tablet before answering. "Sir, Lord Jeremiah wishes report a successful reformation of the remaining nobles." Which meant he'd killed them all. Well at least that was something, with the last of the rebelling nobles now firmly stamped out all that was left were the ones under his Geass command...but damn if it wasn't tiring getting rid of the rest. He'd hardly slept this past week.
"Then an audience with Earl Lloyd Asplund and his assistant, Colonel Cecile Croomy." Ah yes, the engineers who designed and built the Lancelot, that had been a boon Lelouch honestly hadn't been expecting. Even better, he hadn't even needed his Geass to get them, Asplund just literally knocked on his door last week and said they would be working for him now. It was a gift horse whose mouth the emperor was in no hurry to look in and so he graciously, if a bit bemusedly, accepted Lloyd's 'offer.' Besides, he'd be needing new machines very soon.
"After that you have an audience with your sister, Marrybell mel Britannia." Little Marry - whilst they had spent little time together as children, Lelouch did have fond memories of the times they did see each other. It was strange to think she was in charge of a counter-rebellion division in the military now. I wonder if that girl who always followed her around is still with her? What did Marry call her again? Oz?
"And finally you have an audience with a former Knight of the Round who spent the last decade in Alcatraz." An unusual place to find one, but when he'd seen the name Lelouch knew this man would be loyal if nothing else because he was a political enemy of the former emperor. As it stood though he had no room to be picky. Whilst he had his Scarlet Guard, Lelouch was not about to risk his chances against the rest of the world - or even just Schneizal himself - without taking every precaution. So far he knew that the Knights of Two and Eleven were killed just before he took the throne, and his own legionaries had killed Five and Eight. That still left eight to be dealt with however, with Suzaku and Bismarck being the most concerning. If he was going to stand a chance, Lelouch needed Rounds level knights of his own.
Personally if he could have chosen he would've had...but no, as far as she knew, he'd used his Geass to make her loyal to him. There was no hope there.
"Thinking deep thoughts, Lelouch?" His partner in crime purred at his side. C.C. had taken to her new position as the emperor's private advisor as seamlessly as all her past roles and was dressed the part perfectly. Her outfit was reminiscent of the black dress she'd worn with the Black Knights, although now it reached down longer, with matching eye-and-wing emblems to those on his shawl, and cut off at the shoulders, dipping down to reveal an ample amount of cleavage. On her head she wore a simple golden diadem that contrasted nicely with the white hat he now wore.
She'd also made a couple of public appearances, not enough to get any sort of information out of her but enough that the tabloids were asking who was this strange girl who was always in the emperor's company. The explanations of some reporters were...exotic to say the least. It didn't help matters that her seat in court was right beside Lelouch's own, rather than a respectful distance away from the emperor.
Glancing her way, Lelouch asked the inevitable, "Is there something you wanted, C.C.?"
"It's about the elevator." Now she had his undivided attention as Lelouch turned to face her, nodding for her to continue. There was only one elevator she could be talking about. "It seems your showdown with Charles changed it somehow."
Changed? That didn't sound good. "How exactly?" He asked anxiously. He'd wanted to use the Thought Elevators for his plans, Pendragon having one underneath its foundations would have been the perfect place to start too.
The news was as bad as he figured when C.C. told him. "It no longer teleports. But we can still use them."
"Oh?" He asked, not showing his anxiety. "How?"
"While it's true they have lost a considerable amount of power, my connection to C's World seems to have improved. I can feel the contract between us much more clearly than I used to. You should be able to feel it somewhat as well."
That...actually made sense. Ever since that night, Lelouch had thought he could feel C.C.'s presence but had merely put it down to her always being around. But if that was the case then that opened a whole new case of possibilities.
"That's not all." C.C. went on to say, "I think I can also feel others who have contracts around the world."
That piece of news really threw Lelouch for a loop, as well as increasing his worries. "You're sure of this?" He asked, this time unable to hide his concern. "I was certain we killed anyone who had Geass when we destroyed the Directorate." That was the last thing he needed, a surviving contractor of V.V.'s coming after him for revenge would throw his plans into chaos.
But C.C. shook her head at him, somewhat exasperated. "Not all those who have Geass are a part of that little troll's torture chamber. Remember Mao?" That one hurt. Of course he remembered the Chinese mind reader, how could he forget? Poor Shirley. But it also had to hurt for her to bring him up and so Lelouch remained respectfully quiet, waiting for her to continue.
"There still people who have Geass in the world," C.C finally went on "although I can't be sure how many. It might only be one and even then it's weak." She paused for a moment, a frown on her face as if she was trying to remember something important. "I think...I think it might be one of my old contractors."
"Just how many have you had?"
"My, is someone jealous?" She let out a small laugh at the sudden red flush that dominated the emperor's face, before going on more seriously. "There have been a few in the last fifty years, but to have even survived that long would be a miracle. And usually when I make a new contract the old one ends, though I still retain some awareness of their locations for a while. But this one is unknown to me. Give me some time though and I'm sure I can find them."
That was probably as good as it was going to get, so Lelouch just sighed and nodded. "Very well, once you've located them inform me and I'll send Jeremiah after them. I'm not taking the risk of someone else with Geass interfering with my plan. Speaking of whom, Alfred," he turned his attention back to his assistant who nodded at him, "call in Jeremiah, let's get today's business over with."
Alfred nodded once more and tapped a couple of times on his tablet whilst Lelouch returned to his throne, C.C taking her seat next to him which her Cheese-kun had been occupying. A minute later, his cyborg Guard Captain entered the throne room, bending the knee at the steps to the throne before his master.
"Hail, Your Majesty!" He greeted fervently, "Jeremiah Gottwald returns with glad tidings. The remains of the rebel nobility and those unwilling to seek your forgiveness have been successfully eliminated."
"Good news indeed, Sir Gottwald." Lelouch nodded, before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Though you'd think by now they'd realise their opposition is futile."
"When you try to take something from others, naturally they'll fight to keep it." C.C cautioned, hugging Cheese-kun a little tighter. "Opposition always rises in the face of change."
"Maybe so," Lelouch conceded, "but they had better understand now that they have no choice but to accept my rule." That minor matter out of the way he once again addressed Alfred. "Call in Earl Asplund and his assistant please." And again Alfred nodded.
A moment later, the 'Earl of Pudding,' as Rakshata liked to call him, and his assistant stood in his presence. The earl himself seemed rather uncomfortable in his formal suit, it looked like he was trying to squirm out of it every step he took, and the indigo haired Cecile Croomy seemed to think this was date night with that revealing blue dress. Once they reached the steps, Cecile immediately bent the knee to the emperor, however Lloyd just stood there smiling.
"Aha! Hello your Majesty!" The eccentric engineer greeted him, going so far as to wave, "Thank you so very much for taking time out of your busy schedule of turning the empire on its head to speak with us today!"
"Lloyd!" The female engineer hissed at his side, trying desperately to stay respectful to her emperor and hide the embarrassed flush that was heating up her cheeks.
For the emperor in question, however, he just quirked an eyebrow at the eccentric bespectacled scientist's complete lack of decorum which he was quickly learning was the man's standard mode of interaction. Well, at least C.C. seemed to like him. "Earl Asplund, I'll be perfectly blunt: You are a prodigy when it comes to developing weapons of war, and your assistant Cecile Croomy is as intelligent as she is beautiful."
His flattery got him exactly what he wanted as Cecile's already red face flushed an even darker shade. "I-it's our pleasure to serve you, Y-your Majesty." She stammered, not looking up for fear of completely humiliating herself somehow. Unfortunately, her shy temperance was having the side effect of reminding Lelouch of Shirley.
Fortunately, Lloyd also noticed her red shade and immediately turned on his assistant. "Aya aya, does my dear Cecile have a little crush on our new benefactor? Naughty, naughty."
"Lloyd!" She all but shrieked at him, finally breaking her staring match with the floor to glare at her boss, revealing her face had gone as red as the scarlet guard's robes. "We're in the presence of His Majesty! Please show some restraint!"
"Indeed Lloyd." Jeremiah spoke up dangerously, glaring at the engineer from his position on Lelouch's left. "You would be wise to practise caution when speaking to your emperor."
"Oh hello, Jeremiah!" Lloyd greeted just as carelessly as he had Lelouch, "How have you been? I think the last time we saw you was...oof!" He was cut off by Cecile nudging him in the ribs and nodding pointedly in the emperor's direction. While C.C. seemed to be holding back her amusement, and failing, Lelouch on the other hand was running short on patience, the look on his face saying 'You are this close to not working with me.' And miracle of miracles, Lloyd Asplund actually chose to back down for the time being, though his easy smile didn't let up for a moment. "Yes well, I'm sure we'll have time to talk. So, my assistant seducing emperor, how can I serve you?"
Despite his annoyance, Lelouch had to smile at the engineer's gall. There weren't that many people who could talk so cheerfully with a man who could ruin you if they overstepped their bounds. But that could wait for later, right now there was business to attend to. "Indeed, so returning to the subject of why I summoned you today. You worked for my brother Schneizal's Camelot division up to the F.L.E.I.J.A. incident one month ago in Japan, correct?"
The pair nodded, even Lloyd had his limits when it came to the mass destruction that warhead was capable of. They'd arrived in Pendragon with the Avalon just after his coronation, which worked out quite well for all involved. But that wasn't what Lelouch was interested in. "I need to know. What does Schneizal have in his arsenal?"
For a moment, the engineers looked at each other, before Cecile answered. "Well besides the Knights of the Round and their machines, which Your Majesty is already aware of, the former Second Prince also has the blueprints of the Lancelot Albion."
That was news to Lelouch, he hadn't known anything about Suzaku having a new Lancelot model. "What exactly is this machine?" He asked, though he dreaded he already knew the answer.
Lloyd filled him in on this one. "Z-01Z Lancelot Albion, my finest work." He sighed miserably, "It was intended to be the first ever ninth generation Knightmare Frame, but setbacks in the form of a certain masked vigilante," he fixed the emperor with a knowing smirk, "kept me from ever getting around to it."
"We were able to test out some of the technology though when we captured the Black Knights' ace machine." Cecile added, the subject of engineering helping her get past her timidity for the time being. "It was intended to use the Energy Wing system to help it reach new heights and speeds that the previous Float systems simply weren't capable of. It would also be armed with a new 'Super V.A.R.I.S.' rifle as well as the standard MVS's, and for defence we'd improved the Blaze Luminous shielding for even greater protection." Here she sighed sadly, "Unfortunately, because it was intended for Suzaku's use he insisted on holding on to the designs himself."
"Which means Suzaku will have given the designs to Schneizal." Lelouch finished, frowning in annoyance and anxiety. He'd suspected Suzaku would return to the battlefield, but with the old Lancelot all but destroyed he'd figured his old friend would be flying a Vincent. But if what he was hearing was accurate then he'd be seeing the return of that cursed white machine only now it would be on par with Kallen's Guren S.E.I.T.E.N.
All the more reason why he was lucky that Lloyd and Cecile decided to switch sides. "In that case, I'll need the two of you to get to work immediately." It was almost funny to see Lloyd's morose face jump back up to sparkling delight. "I have three tasks that must be completed as soon as possible. First, you will design a personal machine for my guard and C.C. Second, Lloyd, you will be building me a new personal unit that can go toe to toe with the Knightmares used by the Knights of the Round. And third," he clicked his fingers and Alfred stepped forward, handing the two engineers a stack of papers, "you will make this a reality."
The pair regarded him curiously for a second before immediately going through the sketches and designs they'd been handed. The more they read, the more Cecile's astonishment rose and Lloyd's happy smile stretched.
"Nemesis eh?" The latter spoke, before whooping for joy. "Cecile it's wonderful! It'll be my greatest creation yet!" And suddenly he went down on his knees, close to tears of joy, regarding Lelouch as if he was some kind of god of destruction made flesh. "My lord, thank you for this wondrous opportunity! I'll have it ready in one month!"
Behind him, Cecile sighed. This was going to be one hell of a hard month to get through. Still that was enough for Lelouch and he nodded his approval. "Very well, you'll receive funding, materials and labour immediately. I expect you to live up to your reputation, Earl Asplund. You may go."
But Lloyd was already skipping away, stripping out of his formal jacket, singing any number of happy tunes revolving around building giant murder machines. Poor Cecile hurriedly apologised, saluting Lelouch and then hurrying after her insane boss, accompanied by two of the Scarlet Guard.
Well...that happened. Lelouch thought to himself, bemusedly. At his side, C.C. giggled at the display of their new heads of experimental military technology. "I like them." She told him happily, "Please try not to get them killed."
In response, he just sighed. Well, at the very least his work load was now a bit lighter...but now it was time for a family reunion.
To say Marrybell mel Britannia was anxious was an understatement, she was in the presence of the man who had killed her father. Never mind that he was also her brother, the fact that he had succeeded where thousands of assassins had failed put him on status near to godhood in the eyes of the people and more than a few of her own Glinda Knights.
And now here she stood before him, not seeing him on a screen, and Marry was not afraid to admit the sweet little boy she remembered had grown into quite the handsome young man. Beside him sat the green-haired woman that was sometimes seen in his presence; who was she exactly, his fiancee? Or was she already the new empress? Whatever the case, she would be sure to find out soon enough and so she stopped at the steps to the throne and bent the knee.
For a moment silence held between them. And then Lelouch stood from his throne and made his way down the steps. "Marry! It's been too long!" And too the surprise of everyone present, herself included, the emperor engulfed his sister in an affectionate hug.
She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself from blushing, before replying "It has bro- I mean Your Majesty."
At her use of formal titles, Lelouch sighed and pulled away so he could look her in the eye, giving her a warm smile. "Marry, do you see any cameras in here? Please call me by name. We are family after all."
"Are we?" Such an admission gave her the opening she'd been hoping for and she quickly latched on to it. "If we're family, then could you explain your reasons for killing our father?"
That got an immediate reaction from her brother as Lelouch's grip on her shoulders suddenly tightened and the warmth in his eyes suddenly snuffed out. It was rather terrifying to behold such a swift transformation from kindness to absolute loathing, and Marry was getting an up front view of it. "Marrybell." Even his voice had changed to a sharp, biting, tone, "That man was a despicable, unfeeling dictator, quite possibly the worst our empire has ever seen."
Well that wasn't anything she'd never heard before, and if Marry was honest she didn't exactly harbor a high opinion of her father either. But still she had always hoped that it was a result of his hard work making him distant. It wasn't exactly easy to run an empire after all, so he had to sacrifice his family life for the betterment of his country. To hear it voiced from a brother whom she'd always remembered being kind and considerate of everyone though...
But Lelouch was far from done as he continued. "I promise you Marrybell, if that man cared anything for Britannia, he would have placed more attention on the betterment of his subjects over his constant warmongering which has turned out nation into the image of evil for the rest of the world!"
"But he was still family..."
The hold on her shoulders suddenly turned painful as his fingers dug straight into her flesh and his harsh glare suddenly turned furious. "If he cared about his family, THEN WHY DID HE LEAVE ME AND NUNNALLY TO DIE IN JAPAN?!"
His demand echoed against the throne room's walls and in her head. Nunnally. Of course it always came back to Nunnally with him. And now that she was dead...of course he held their father responsible for what had happened to her. Marry herself had been horrified to learn what had happened to her, who knew what Lelouch was going through.
It seemed that Lelouch also seemed to realise he'd slipped up as he sighed and let go of her, "I'm sorry, Marry, I just-"
"It's alright Lelouch," she cut him off this time, not meeting his eyes either. "It's sometimes hard to remember you've had a rather bad relationship with him whilst the rest of us barely ever saw him. This is just all really recent for me, I guess I'm still adjusting."
An awkward silence held between them for a moment until Marry cleared her throat and moved them along to another topic she'd wanted to discuss with him. "On the topic of family, Schneizal and Cornelia. You've labelled them as enemies of the empire," she raised her head to look him in the eye, right at the moment his own gaze began to sharpen again. "Lelouch I'm counter-terrorism, I need to know these things if I'm going to do my job."
Lelouch regarded her firm stance for a moment longer before sighing and nodded. "Schneizal was the one who signed the go ahead for the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead. He turned a research project for alternative power sources into a weapon of mass destruction, I've seen the documents on this." This was nothing new to Marry, it was all over the news only a couple of days ago, but that wasn't what she was here for. There had to be more to it than that, which Lelouch now added. "Twenty five million people, Marry. Both Britannian and Japanese, civilian and soldier alike. I was there, I saw the weapon go off and wipe everything off the map."
"He did it, Marry. Schneizal has effectively made war obsolete...in the worst way possible." And now Marry could detect an undercurrent of fear in his tone. "But where does it stop? How many more cities will he destroy under the pretext of peace? How many millions will he kill to save billions? Can we really view people like that?"
And now the image was becoming clear to Marry for why Lelouch wanted Schneizal's head: he was absolutely terrified. Not for his own life, he would have revealed himself long ago if that was the case, but for what would happen if another F.L.E.I.J.A. was used. She hadn't heard the statistics yet, but to hear Lelouch tell them...it put the whole thing in perspective. How many were killed in the Tokyo Settlement who had nothing to do with the Black Knights? Was wholesale slaughter really the answer to ending war?
A further moment passed between the siblings...and then Marry stepped away from her emperor and went down on one knee before him. "Your Majesty, Princess Marrybell mel Britannia does swear her life and soul to the service of her empire, and her emperor."
Above her, Lelouch blinked. He had to know the significance of that vow because a moment later he was on his knees before her. "Marry...why?"
She just shook her head before raising it to smile at her brother. "I'm sorry for asking all these questions, but I had to know. I needed to know the kind boy I met so long ago was still here. And he is!" That was all the warning he got before she launched herself into Lelouch's arms, hugging him tightly. He was stunned for a moment before hesitantly returning the embrace. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking, "for what we've done to you, for Father, for Nunnally...I'm so sorry about everything."
"Easy now," Lelouch hushed, finally easing her grip on him somewhat before pulling themselves both up. "Any slights against me are in the past, none of which you are responsible for." She tried to argue that, as a member of the royal family it was her fault, but he quickly cut her off. "However, if you truly believe you owe me something, sister, I have need of competent commanders."
His offer surprised her, but not nearly as much as her own sudden eagerness to be right at his side. "What would your Majesty ask of me?" She asked promptly.
"Nothing, for the time being." Lelouch told her, "However, the time will come when I will have need of the Glinda Knights. Can I count on you, sister?"
And now for the first time since entering the throne room, it was Marry's turn to smile and she nodded with certainty. "Of course, brother. When you call for us, we shall be there."
Their time was coming to an end, she was aware. As a princess she understood that, Lelouch had other things that required his attention today that as emperor he simply couldn't ignore, however as a young woman who'd just found her brother again the last thing she wanted to do was let him out of her sight. Sighing at the inevitability of it, she extracted herself from her brother's grip and was about to take her leave when her gaze drifted back over to the green haired girl who had been silently watching them.
Her presence more than anything forced her final question. "Um, Lelouch, I was meaning to ask - who exactly is that?" She pointed at the girl in question. "She...she's not your fiancée, is she?"
"What?" He glanced back at the girl, then back to her. "No, not at all." (They both missed C.C. whispering to herself 'Not yet.' Though Jeremiah did catch it, and he couldn't help a small smirk.)
"Oh..." Curses, Marry could feel her cheeks heating up and she ducked her head. "That's good."
"Why's that?" The oblivious emperor asked.
"Noreasonohwouldyoulookatthetimegottago!" She fled the throne room almost as quickly as she spoke. Staying there any longer would have ensured she'd make a fool of herself. As it was, her face red as a tomato, Oz wasn't going to leave her alone for a second.
"Why is it," Lelouch asked C.C. as he watched his sister dash out of the throne room as if the hounds of hell were on her heels "that everyone thinks you're my mistress or something along those lines?"
The witch in question just smirked at him as he returned to his seat. "Because that's the truth. The only one denying it is you."
"Whatever." He muttered rolling his eyes at her. "Moving on, Alfred, send in the next one."
"Of course sir." Alfred nodded dutifully before announcing their latest guest. "Sir William Bishop, Former Knight of Two, recently released from Alcatraz."
Ah yes, the disgraced Knight of the Round. Lelouch couldn't help a smirk, this one already had a place on his board. The man himself entered on Alfred's announcement, he was a giant of a man, maybe the same height as Bismarck Waldstein, with violet hair that clearly hadn't been taken care of and silver eyes that spoke of a long life of hardship. As a security measure, two of the Scarlet Guard flanked him on either side in case this released prisoner tried something, though this was more Jeremiah's idea than his master's. Lelouch had a suspicion that the last thing this man was going to do was try to kill him.
A sentiment that was reinforced when, the moment William stood before him, the tall man dropped to his knees. "Your Majesty, I come to you in disgrace and beg your forgiveness!"
That...had not been what anyone expected. Lelouch sent C.C. a curious glance but she just shook her head, just as in the dark as he was. Deciding to play it by ear, the emperor spoke. "Raise your head, Sir Bishop." He commanded, waiting until William hesitantly looked at him before continuing. "Now, what is it you could have done that you desire my forgiveness? As I understand, it was the former emperor who imprisoned you. An enemy of Charles zi Britannia has nothing to fear from me."
If anything his words seemed to further sadden the man before him, he looked close to tears. "If your Majesty knew my crimes, you would not be so willing to overlook them." He insisted. "For you see, the reason I was imprisoned in Alcatraz was for my failure to protect you."
That peaked Lelouch's interest, "Go on."
"Majesty, as you know before your mother the right honorable Marianne became empress she was the Knight of Two. I was the one to replace her...yet I fell short of that grand title at every turn. How could I ever measure up to so admirable a woman?" Ah, now Lelouch could see where this was going and he turned to glance at Jeremiah. Another Marianne fanboy.
But William's story wasn't done yet. "When she was murdered and I learned too late that you had sought justice on her behalf only to be exiled, I confess my lord that I fell into despair. Yet that despair only turned to rage when I learned your father refused to look into the matter, it was all too obvious what had happened: Emperor Charles had murdered his own wife, the greatest woman I'd ever had the fortune to know!"
He was seething with rage, clearly the memory still strong enough to make him want blood. "I decided to stand against him then, even challenged Bismarck for his title as Knight of One. I was certain that it would be the fastest way to get close enough to the emperor to kill him. And yet..." The distraught knight's anger turned into sorrow and he dropped his gaze back to the floor. "I was defeated, my plot uncovered, and instead of mercifully killing me they left me to rot in that hell hole! For nearly ten years I was left with my memories of failure whilst that monster covered everything up...and then..." he pulled his gaze up, tears spilling down his cheeks and a smile on his face. "Who should return from the dead but you, my lord? The boy who I had failed now a man, taking vengeance into his own hands and succeeding where I failed."
"And so I beg of you again, you Majesty, please forgive me!" He dropped his head to the ground again, his tears falling from his cheeks and dripping onto the red carpet. "Or refuse forgiveness and simply kill me. Either way, I can now die without regrets."
That was quite the story, and not at all what Lelouch had anticipated when he'd ordered the release of Knight of Two who'd been branded a political enemy. However this opened a window for manipulation that he'd never considered. A few moments passed before he stood from his throne and drew the sword of the nearest Scarlet Guard. The entire audience tensed up as they observed him walk down the steps to stand right before William, the tip of the blade doubtless visible to the tall man's gaze.
For a moment, Lelouch remained silent, stiffly regarding the man before him and then he spoke. "Yes, Sir Bishop. You have indeed failed me." The sharp, silent gasp from the tall figure was enough to know he'd just shattered the man's heart. Well, he might as well get it over with then. Raising the borrowed sword, he rested the tip on his neck before raising it high. "Therefore you are sentenced to death..."
Beneath him, William let out a breath, prepared for his end. Good. Without hesitation the blade came down...and tapped him on one shoulder and then the other. "I dub thee Sir William Bishop, First Knight of the Round Table." His statement got exactly what he desired as the newly dubbed Knight of One's head shot up, eyes wide in lack of understanding. "In the end, Sir Bishop, the terms of your execution are up to me. You wish to die? Then do so in service to your emperor and the empire you swore to protect."
"Majesty...?" The tall man was completely blown away, instead of punishment the emperor had accorded him the highest honor.
However, Lelouch wasn't done yet as he fixed a hard stare on William refusing to let him look away. And thus the emperor began to recite the words of the knight's code.
"William Bishop. You are called unto service to me." Lelouch intoned, "Wilst thou swear absolute allegiance to me, your sovereign lord?"
Bishop was silent a moment longer before daring for a moment to break his emperor's gaze and take note of their audience. One in particular caught his gaze: the former guardsman of Empress Marianne that now serve her son with honor and pride. Both of them had failed their idol, redemption now could only be found in service to her offspring.
And thus, Sir William Bishop returned his gaze to his emperor and placed his hand on his heart "I swear."
"Wilst thou swear to raise thy sword in defence of the poor and outcast?"
"I swear."
"Wilst thou swear to lay down thy very life for the world and its future?"
"I swear."
"Then," once more, Lelouch tapped the tip of his sword on both of William's broad shoulders, "I, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, do grant Sir William Bishop the rank and prestige of First Knight of The Round Table! By my will it is spoken, by my will it is done!" He took the sword in both his hands, holding it out in front of him. "Now rise, my Knight of One."
Shakily rising to his feet, William accepted the blade from his liege. "Your Majesty, I swear on my life, you will not regret this action!"
"See that I don't." Lelouch responded, before nodding over his shoulder at Jeremiah. "I have a mission for you that my Guard Captain will be joining you on, he will inform you on the details. I've already given orders for a new machine to be built for you as well. For now though, you may leave me."
The newly christened Knight of One bowed again, Jeremiah joining him on his left and doing the same, before both former disgraced knights left the hall, eager to prove their lord's faith in them. The moment they did and the doors were shut behind them, Lelouch slouched into his throne, heaving a deep sigh of utter exhaustion.
"Thank god that's over." He muttered to himself, before allowing a weak smile. "But at least that means today's work is finished now."
Sadly however, Alfred had to rain on his parade. "Not so, sir." He corrected, "Now that the court proceedings are completed, you have your mandatory Knightmare training. And after that, your self defence and martial arts class."
All that did was cause the young emperor to groan in annoyance, for once acting like the teenage boy he should have been. I know there was a perfectly good reason for using my Geass on him to be the perfect aide...but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.
At his side, C.C. just giggled at his plight before leaning over to whisper in his ear. "Train now, my warlock." She purred enticingly. "And tonight, if you're still alive, I have my own brand of special education waiting for you."
Secret base in Brazil. May 29, 2018.
Night had fallen over the current small condo that served as the housing for Schneizal, Cornelia and the other members of court who Lelouch had branded traitors. For the moment, Bismarck and Suzaku were on watch whilst the other former Knights of the Round got some sleep. As for the two former royals, along with Schneizal's loyal assistant Kanon, sleep was proving elusive. Not so much that Schneizal was feeling the strain but more for the reason that he couldn't shake the idea that Lelouch's actions represented the deep breath before the plunge.
For Cornelia however, there were other matters on her mind. "How is she?" She presently asked.
"Sleeping for the time being." Schneizal answered, sighing sadly to himself as he observed the television report: Lelouch had freed Sir William Bishop and dubbed him Knight of One. How transparent of him. And how troubling it was to their guest. "It's still hard for her."
"It was hard on all of us brother." His sister snapped, glaring in turns at him and the T.V. "He's using his Geass on everyone!" It wasn't hard to guess, there was no way all these reforms would be going through unless Lelouch was using underhanded tactics. How sad that he would use them to strive for an impossible ideal.
To Cornelia's left, an unexpected yet not unwelcome addition to their group spoke up. "While we know that, your Highness, it would be suicide to declare it in the press." Diethard Ried cautioned, "Aside from the fact that it sounds crazy, Emperor Lelouch has the support of the masses. Everything he does simply makes him more the ideal ruler. A smear campaign is unwise at this juncture."
"Then what we can do?!" She demanded.
"Damocles" That one word uttered by Schneizal pulled all attention to him.
"Highness, are you sure that's wise?" Kanon asked him, his doubts clear on his face. "Our stocks are low, and our manpower and transportation is minimal at best. And after Earl Asplund and Colonel Croomy defected we no longer have the Avalon either. Wouldn't it be a safer investment to build the Lancelot Albion?"
Ah yes, Sir Kururugi's olive branch. The designs for Britannia's first ever 9th Generation Knightmare. However... "Knightmares are an obsolete notion." Diethard voiced the second prince's thoughts on the matter. "Once the Damocles is completed, the entire concept of armies as a form of service will be completely wiped out."
"Maybe so," Kanon allowed, though he couldn't help glaring at the turncoat in their midst, "but the building of Damocles will take months, more than enough time for Lelouch to do irreparable damage to the world order."
The journalist shrugged. "We could always ask the Black knights for help. They have just as much reason to hate Lelouch as anyone here."
"We will not scurry to their side just because a task is hard!" Cornelia all but hissed, staring daggers at Diethard.
"Yes, we will not." Schneizal agreed, still as calm as ever. "Kanon, Mr Reid we will direct resources to the construction of Damocles. After that, we will wait."
That was most certainly not what his sister wanted to hear. "Wait for what?!" She demanded, "Every second we waste here is another second Lelouch has to utterly ruin Britannia!"
"Which means all the more support for our cause when we return with a weapon that can defeat him." He calmly explained to her, his eyes never once leaving the screen where it was repeating the story that Lelouch had ordered the destruction of Emperor Charles' statue in Saint Darwin's Street. "People have a tendency to back the underdog in any conflict because they hope to see miracles. And that is what we shall accomplish with Damocles."
"For now though, we will wait for his victory against the remaining European powers." Schneizal continued, his eyes finally dropping to the world map resting on the table before them all. "It's only a matter of time before they try to use this upheaval to their advantage."
Berlin. May 29, 2018.
The Ten Day Transformation was also felt in Europia United...or at least what was left of it. The war between Britannia and the EU had gone terribly for the European powers. For starters they were unable to prevent Britannian forces from taking their African territories but that had just been the opening salvo. The worst possible nightmare for the member state of France was when their age old enemy invaded the EU's biggest problem state, the island nation of Great Britain; after centuries of exile, the British had returned home and they were quick to pay the French forces back for the Humiliation of Edinburgh.
It only got worse from there as Britain quickly became a staging ground for Britannian invasion fleets. Right now the coasts of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Spain and Portugal were all in enemy hands; the EU was effectively landlocked. Matters weren't helped by the formation of the UFN, which immediately sucked up many of the eastern European nations.
Even more damaging was the public reaction to the war. Even now as the remaining politicians and generals debated over this new emperor, people were taking to the streets, starting riots, looting shops, and in the worst case scenario actually collaborating with Britannian forces. About the only good thing that had come out of all the warfare was Schneizal el Britannia and Suzaku Kururugi being labelled as traitors in the eyes of the new Britannian emperor. However it didn't help that many of the common folk actually liked the new emperor, his speeches definitely worked to his advantage, removing even more support for the war effort.
Which led up to the current discussion in the Berlin Reichstag where the furious former Minister of France declared once again. "I am telling you this is the time to attack!
"And we'll tell you again." The German Chancellor replied tiredly "That we will not support such a foolish act."
"What are you so afraid of?! He's a boy!" His words garnered a number of agreeing mutters around him. "Are we really supposed to believe that this child was able to kill Charles zi Britannia?!"
"Whether it's true or not is immaterial." The Spanish representative retorted. "Britannia is still better equipped than us, has a superior technological gap, and most importantly they aren't attacking us right now!" His impassioned argument got a series of agreeing grunts on his side this time.
It was true as well, one of the first things Emperor Lelouch had done was order a ceasefire on all Britannian fronts which only helped his credibility in the eyes of the people. However, he hadn't given back any of the land Britannia had taken either.
"Maybe we consider an alliance with the UFN?" One spoke up.
"With those elevens? Never!"
"We must fight!"
"Yes, we must return our homes!"
"SILENCE!"The German Chancellor's loud bellow brought the discourse to an end. Once he was sure everyone had shut up, he let out a hard sigh."I understand that many of you are frustrated with our losses, but the facts remain. We have no plan, nor sufficient a technological edge to give us a chance against Britannia."
The dismal picture he painted left the gathered representatives in silence for a moment before a new voice spoke up. "Actually, I think I have a solution to our problem." All eyes turned to the newcomer, a gentleman in military uniform with greyish green hair and green eyes. "It would require that everyone cooperates of course, but I'm confident I can reclaim that which is ours."
"What you have in mind, General Smilas?" One of the representatives asked.
The general in question merely smiled, glancing around at the sea of eyes now focussed on him, on pair in particular that lit up unnaturally with red rings round the irises.
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And we're here! I have a lot of things to say but let's order:
1. Timeline. I decide that my story will start from May 29. Building of Damocles will take more time then in canon. Because I always thought that create something like this must take a lot of time, well more then just one mouth! And yes I believe that Lelouch can change entire empire in ten days. Because..come on it's Lelouch he can do it.
2. Harem. I wrote that here will be harem and here will be a harem. Just not so big how some of you wanted. I wanted small harem from 4 women: Kallen, C.C, Cinder(my OC from RWBY) and the last one is secret :). But I'm sure that no one paired them before. And yes 4 females it's already harem.
3. Lelouch used his Geass on purebloods to reduce losses and not kill them. Scarlet guard it's the same that have Emperor Palpatine from Start Wars. Find in google, if you want and look how they looking.
4. Schneizel doesn't want to unite with EU because they want his head.
5. Like I said in start I will focus on this fanfic.
Next chapter I will finaly introduse my OC and some action!
P.S there will not be crossover, just some characters from other anime.