บท 5: Chapter 5: Mercy, Or Something Like It

The first thing Lelouch did the next morning was pay a visit to his security personnel at the gate. In fact, he did one better and barged straight in to the barracks used by the off duty security members, where they were busy making breakfast and coffee.

"Prince Lelouch!" One of the officers exclaimed as he came through the door, causing the whole barracks to jump to attention and snap a salute.

"Good morning." Lelouch said politely. "I take it the team that was on duty last night is in here now?"

There were a few nods and mutterings of assent. It was good enough for him. He reached into the back waistband of his trousers and pulled out Gottwald's gun from the previous evening. The Margrave had kindly left it in his possession.

"Would one of you like to explain to me how Lord Gottwald managed to smuggle this gun into the estate? He's a member of the Purist faction and I was left alone with him! Do you understand the implications of that? If the man had been intent on killing me, you'd all be acting as security at my funeral!" He growled.

Every single one of the soldiers blanched and looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"But he . . . he was a peer." One of the soldiers mumbled in embarrassment.

"I don't care if it's Charles zi Britannia at the door! You check my guests for weapons!" Lelouch snarled before taking a deep breath and reining himself in. "Who was in charge last night?" He demanded calmly.

For a moment there was a great deal of awkward shuffling of feet and shamed faces before one man stepped forward. "I was, your highness. And I apologize. I served with Lord Jeremiah years ago. I never thought he would dare to threaten you. I fully accept my punishment."

The man was in his thirties with a buzz cut and a serious expression on his face. Also, he was willing to take responsibility for his mistakes. It was the only thing that saved him.

Dramatically, Lelouch raised the gun and pointed it at the man. "What's your name?"

"Sergeant Ryan Ambrose, your highness." The man said without flinching.

"You endangered my life, Ambrose." Lelouch explained. "I think it's only fair if I return you the favour."

Ambrose swallowed nervously but nodded. "I understand, sir."

Lelouch inclined his head towards the man and agonizingly slowly began squeezing the trigger. He watched as the expressions of the men around him shifted from shame to astonishment. As a prince of the royal family, he was the law so long as it didn't interfere with mandates made by the Emperor. He was well within his rights to perform an execution and the men knew it. To his infinite credit, Ambrose didn't beg for his life or even flinch.

The resounding click from the empty gun seemed uncomfortably loud in the deathly silence that had fallen over the room.

"Don't let it happen again. Or next time the gun won't be empty. Do you all understand?" He demanded. "The safety and security of, not only myself, but of everyone living on this estate is of the utmost importance. Please, take your jobs seriously. The rest of the estate can't function if their safety is at risk."

"Understood, sir!" There was a resounding chorus as Ambrose's shoulders sank in relief.

Instead of sticking around to hear their thoughts on the matter, Lelouch turned on his heel and left the barracks. As he passed by the gate on the way back to the house, however, he noticed the large crowd of reporters camped on the other side.

Frowning, he crossed over to the guard house where a team of six was guarding the gate. "What is all this?" He asked as he entered the room, gesturing at the mob outside.

"Your highness!" The men said suddenly before standing at attention and saluting.

"Enough with the formality. What are all these people doing here?" Lelouch said.

"Heh." One of the men chuckled, rubbing his neck awkwardly. The extra chevron on his uniform indicated that he was the one in charge of this team. "Well boss, it seems you're rather popular." The man said, gesturing to a television in the corner where his national address to Area Eleven was being meticulously examined by a reporter. Next to the television was a pile of newspapers and magazines with his face emblazoned on the front. One in particular caught his attention as it also included Milly and was from an Ashford Academy event. It also hosted a scandalous headline.

"This is ridiculous." Lelouch sighed as he examined all the chaos his appearance had caused. "What's your name?"

"Corporal Allan Seckel, sir. It's an honor to have you in our little fort here." The man replied casually and Lelouch immediately liked him. There was nothing forced or formal about the way the man spoke to him. It was real interaction. In other words, the man wasn't a snivelling twit.

"Alright, Seckel, is there a particular reason why you and your boys have begun building a shrine to me in here?" He asked with a wry grin, gesturing to the stack of magazines.

The corporal smirked. "Well, sir, it seems like you've become quite the teen heartthrob over night. We confiscated these magazines from a group of crazed adolescent girls who tried to sneak over the gate early this morning."

"You're joking." Lelouch deadpanned as the grin fell off his face. He had fan girls now? How much more bizarre could the world get? It was just because he was a son of the Emperor. He hadn't actually done anything to warrant their appreciation. It just proved how brainless and fickle most girls were. He hoped the craze would die quickly.

"There's a car cutting its way through the crowd." One of the other officers said as he examined one of the security feeds.

"It's probably the tailor Edith scheduled for me." Lelouch sighed as he glanced at his watch. It was still quarter to nine, but the sooner he could get this over with, the better. He realized he was still carrying Gottwald's gun and lazily dropped it onto the desk.

"Uh. You carry a gun with you, your highness?" Seckel asked in confusion.

"I'm sure you'll hear all about it from the others." Lelouch explained ambiguously before leaving the gatehouse just as the car was admitted.

There was a roar of recognition from the reporters camped outside, along with the clatter of camera lenses being clicked shut in rapid succession. Lelouch glared at the reporters before turning his back to them and beginning to walk back to the house.

"Your highness, please get in. We'll drive you back up to the house." A man with a strangely pointy goatee said from the rolled down window of the car as it came alongside.

"You're the tailor?" Lelouch asked as he eyed the expensive looking silk suit the man was wearing.

"Yes, your highness. Angelo Debar at your service. Please, join me." The man insisted as he pushed open the door and moved over in the back seat.

"Sure." Lelouch sighed as he sat down in the car. It seemed a bit redundant considering he was only two hundred meters from the manor. But to refuse would have been rude, and there was no point offending the man that was going to be hovering around him with a handful of pins for the next several hours.

"You know, your highness, it's unusual for a prince to meet his guests at the gate." Debar said slyly.

"I was already at the gatehouse before you arrived. Checking up on my security team." Lelouch answered.

"No problems, I hope?"

Lelouch frowned as he eyed the man warily. It could have just been an innocent enquiry. But then again, he could be fishing for information for one of the reporters outside. It wouldn't be the first time a reporter had gotten a good story from buying it from an employee. All the same, it didn't really matter because he wouldn't ever discuss his household's problems with a stranger. Especially not security problems.

"Not at all. I was just getting acquainted with everyone." Lelouch answered calmly. "I only arrived yesterday morning."

"Yes, I heard that. Your secretary also informed me that you arrived without any luggage. I suppose that's why I'm here. I have to say, it's not often that I get to do a complete wardrobe." The man explained. "I'm very excited."

Lelouch only sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

"Sayoko?"

The silence was maddening in this place. The Ashford family's summer home was located in the wilderness next to a lake. It was supposed to be a beautiful natural retreat. But the beauty of the place's environment was wasted on Nunnally.

It was quiet here. That was the problem.

There wasn't the subtle background rumble of cars going by or the soft rush of muffled voices from across campus. Instead, there was a wind chime that would occasionally tinkle in the soft, fresh smelling breeze and the complete lack of all other noise.

Even Sayoko, whose footsteps had always sounded with a reassuring click-clack against the hardwood floors of their home in the clubhouse, were muffled in the thick, plush carpets of this place.

"Yes, Mistress Nunnally? Did you need me?" Sayoko asked quietly – even her voice sounded subdued here.

She hated it here.

"I . . . I was wondering if there's been any news of Lelouch? I want to know what's happening."

She could hear the sympathetic smile in her caretaker's voice when she answered. "There's been no news since the national address he made with Prince Clovis that we heard on the radio."

Nunnally frowned. "Oh."

"Don't you worry. I'm sure Master Lelouch is just busy establishing his story." Sayoko said reassuringly. "He'll be fine. Master Lelouch knows what he's doing."

"Yes. . . I know." Nunnally sighed.

She did know. Lelouch had known exactly what he had chosen when he'd decided to send her away. He'd probably had the probability of his survival calculated down to three decimal points. Along with carefully considered estimates on just how long her survival would be able to remain hidden from their family.

And yet he'd still done it. He'd still sacrificed himself just to buy her a little more time, knowing full well that the reception he was likely to receive would be anything but pleasant. Lelouch understood that part better than anyone, as he had been the one who had confronted the Emperor after their mother had been killed and she'd been crippled. It had been Lelouch who had stood before the entirety of the scornful Imperial court and demanded answers.

Yes, Lelouch knew full well that he was probably the least popular member of the royal family in the last several decades. He had always loathed the court. He'd called them a pit of vipers at times, or a den of hyenas. And he'd despised them all for following their father's Social Darwinist ideology.

And the reason that he hated that ideology was because of her. Really, no matter how she looked at it, Lelouch's current predicament was all her fault. If she hadn't been crippled, they might not have been banished in the first place. If she'd still been able to be useful. . . If she wasn't so weak. . . .

It was all because Lelouch was trying to protect her. Lelouch didn't believe in their father's strong-eat-the-weak ideals. Instead, her brother believed with all his heart that it was the duty of the strong to protect the weak. He was protecting her. He'd always been so strong and he'd always done his best to protect her.

"I will protect you, Nunnally."

A pledge as they sat together at their mother's funeral.

"Let me take care of you, sister."

A request as they arrived at the Kururugi shrine for the first time and he'd seen all of the stairs.

"I won't let anyone ever hurt you."

A promise as they traversed war torn Japan amidst a hail of gunfire and smoke.

"I can protect you better from far away right now."

A heartbreaking admission as he sent her away and prepared to sacrifice himself for her.

He'd always been like this. He would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe. Which was why, no matter how much she hated this place with it's uncanny silence and strange smells, she wouldn't complain. Because Lelouch was being strong for her and the least she could do was be strong for him.

It was also why she would do as he had asked her and remain in hiding – despite the part of her that desperately wanted to announce her survival so that she could be with him again.

Lelouch frowned as he examined the board in front of him, one finger poised on the head of his Rook. He had hoped that he'd gotten better over the years; hoped that he would finally be able to surpass his mentor. But Schneizel was still soundly beating him. Grimacing, he used the Rook to take out an idle pawn. It was a weak move.

"So, what are you going to do?" Schneizel asked, causing Lelouch to glance up in surprise. They never had casual conversation during their matches. Instead, they saved it until after a victor had been decided, choosing to focus all of their attention on the game. It was Schneizel's preference, and how he'd been taught.

"I'm not sure what you mean. I just finished my turn. . ." Lelouch said.

"I wasn't talking about the game. "Schneizel replied, "But if you'd rather adhere to tradition and wait until the game is over . . ." He jumped his Knight over Lelouch's defending Bishop to trap his King which had been backed into a corner of the board. "Checkmate."

Lelouch glowered at the board for a moment before sighing and leaning back in his chair. It seemed Schneizel was unbeatable.

"What are you going to do?" Schneizel repeated as he began setting up the board again into pristine condition.

"Well, what can I do? I'll just have to wait and see what he has planned for me." Lelouch answered as he began restoring his pieces as well.

"So you're resigned to whatever fate he has in store for you? That's not like you, Lelouch."

Lelouch snorted. "I wouldn't say that I'm resigned to it, but I'm not too stupid to know that I'm walking on thin ice here. One mistake and it could be over for me. I've already gotten away with far more than most people would ever be able to."

"Yes. . . I wonder why that is. I was worried you were going to be executed. I thought he'd view your refusal to return to the family after the invasion of Area Eleven as betrayal." Schneizel mused.

"He obviously has some use for me." Lelouch muttered bitterly. "I can assure you it's not out of fatherly affection."

Schneizel chuckled softly before taking a sip of his scotch. "Would you like to play again?"

"Are you that hungry for another victory, Schneizel?" Lelouch asked with a wry grin.

"I'm always hungry for victory, brother." Schneizel replied as he moved his first piece forward.

Lelouch snorted but acquiesced by moving his own piece. It took less than ten minutes for Schneizel to get the upper hand. Again. He just couldn't get his head around the way Schneizel thought. He understood some of his brother's moves, but others seemed meaningless. It was like he was playing two different games with the same pieces. There was always more going on than was immediately apparent. Schneizel was a master at moving a piece to a certain part of the board and apparently forgetting about it until several turns later when he sprung an elaborate trap.

Schneizel smiled as he took Lelouch's Queen with his Bishop, putting his King in Check. It was always like this with Schneizel. He was left simply to react to Schneizel's moves. All of his plans and ploys were anticipated.

"You know," Schneizel said slowly as Lelouch prepared to sacrifice a Knight to protect his King, "There are rumours cropping up that Nunnally is alive in Area Eleven."

Lelouch's heart leaped into his throat as his fingers clenched around the marble playing piece. "Is that so?" He asked with forced nonchalance as he finished his move.

"Mm, apparently people are saying that she's been attending Ashford Academy. Isn't that the same school you were going to?" Schneizel continued.

"How coincidental." Lelouch replied dryly. "You would think I would have recognized her."

"It wouldn't happen to be true, would it?"

Lelouch paused.

"I would have helped you, if you had come to me."

Schneizel was supposed to be his ally. But he was still a prince of the Britannian Empire. And worse, he was smart. Lelouch couldn't out think him and so that made him very dangerous. He simply couldn't risk trusting Schneizel. At least not yet, not until he could be sure what his brother was planning.

"Nunnally's dead." He said firmly. "Those rumours are most likely objectless gossip based around the fact that I attended that school."

"I see. Well, I suppressed them anyway." Schneizel said as he surprised Lelouch by showing mercy and not killing his Knight. Instead, he made what appeared to be an inconsequential move of a pawn.