DLC 06: The Muse, Magus, and Myrmidon(Edited to fit guidelines)

Their plans hadn't been set in stone, and time wasn't too much of an factor. At least, not enough that Lelouch and Maya didn't need to go out for anything when morning came. Waking up, he looked at his morning wood. The man wondered if he should try and see if the rest could 'help' with it, but with how peaceful they all looked, he decided against it. Despite how much his cock wanted it, he would deny it relief, and as it slowly lost steam, he went about cleaning up.

First, he picked up his women, one at a time, starting with little Alice, and took her to the shower. Filling the bath with nice warm water, he lowered her in. He cleaned her up, as sleeping in a bed covered with that much bodily fluids while lathered in it might have been sexy at the time, but she looked dirty and crusty now. She woke up during the bath, but he only kissed and lightly fondled her as he helped her clean up before carrying her to the living room.

Emptying the bath, he repeated the process with the rest of them, each waking up at some point. While Larissa seemed wanting, he just stuck to giving her red and sore bosom extra love before she, too, was dressed in a bathrobe and taken to the living room, where she helped Maya cook up a large breakfast for the group. Lelouch returned to the bedroom to change out the sheets, shampoo the carpet, Vacuum the floor, and do everything else to ensure the room was as clean as a whistle.

Entering the living room after showering himself, he stuck to just wrapping a towel around his waist, his lovers using all of Larissa's bathrobes, and while he did have the idea of walking around nude, he had a feeling the coming talk would need them all to focus and not on his dick.

He also knew that if they had sone and pushed him, they’ll spend the morning busy.

True to his predictions, as they ate kasha, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and fried sausage, Maria and Alice finally asked about the elephants in the room: Where were they? Who were they? Why did they take them? Why did both remember their son and brother speaking with them about going on a trip, respectively and why that nearly drove them to kill each other?

They also asked if he was serious about last night and the whole impregnating them. Still, considering the rest of things, that seemed like an afterthought.

He and Maya decided to be truthful, as both women were assured they hadn't been moved out of Euro Britannia or even Sankt Petersburg. They would prove as much by heading to the window and allowing the mother and daughter to pick up familiar landmarks, which put them less than 20 20-minute drive from their villa.

When it came to who they were, both Lelouch and Maya were honest on that front, though Maya was just as surprised when he not only revealed he was Zero but that Zero was the exiled 11th prince of Britannia, being just as dumbfounded as other 3 as he gave a cliff notes of why he started a rebellion against his own father and empire, and his and Maya’s reasons for even being in Euro Britannia in secret.

The part about why they…. kidnapped the Shaing was a little more complicated as he admitted they had gone to find evidence or clues to Shin's dealings or something that could discredit the rising, if not controversial, Grand Master of the Holy Order of Michael Knights. They had stumbled into the mother and daughter by accident as they were about to take each other’s lives and just acted to save both.

Alice, naturally, was horrified by this. She couldn't imagine wishing ill will onto her mother; the idea that she would kill her with a smile on her face sickened her enough that she rushed to the bathroom and threw up. Maria nearly passed out from the shock and needed Lelouch to hold onto her and, with Alice returning, assure them both that they hadn't done so of their own free will.

Explaining the power of geass and demonstrating it by having Maya strip, slap him across the face, and dance like an idiot for a minute made it easier to convince them that Shin did it to them, that for whatever reason, he wished them dead. The reveal was almost as stomach-turning as the two recall nearly killing each other. Neither mother nor child could believe it; they loved Shin and supported and cared for him like family. How could he do all that? Was it because Alice wasn't good enough? Was it because Maria wasn't a good enough mother?

“No,” Lelouch stomped out that idea before it could fester and grow in them. Holding both to his chest, he let them cry at this betrayal, at this slap in the fact of what family meant. He knew it well, from his father's exiling him and his sister, Clovis, and his siblings turning out into horrible parodies of the people he knew and his mother's involvement and lack of care in their fates. Yes, he knew this pain well.

"You were nothing but good to him. You were a real family; he was the wrong one. He was so terribly he would try to make you both do something vile." His words carried the same conviction and certainly, as he did when he gave speeches as Zero, rallied troops, or during his day-to-day when he needed to motivate his people to run the new Japanese government.

It was a welcomed thing to both as they latched onto that reminder that their love was true and uncorrupted by such despicable things, even if they still struggled to reconcile the image of the Shin they had thought they knew to the one who actually existed.

Larissa mentioning how their dynamic was different now that they fucked the same guy at the same time gave much-needed levity to the conversation as Alice was a blushing mess at such while Maria, equally embarrassed by the night of passion, tried to coax her out from under her hands. Lelouch just reminded them how, yes, he was serious about last night and how he would never let them go.

Maria was willing to help him end their pointless war with the E.U. and break from Britannia proper, as she refused to belong to an empire run by a man as blatantly cruel as Charles. In this empire, her now-disowned son's actions would hardly be punished if not rewarded, and she knew that the honorable Grand Duke would agree with her. However…

She couldn't walk, her legs still nearly boneless, and while Alice was able to rush to the bathroom, that was more because Maya helped her move there. So, they spent the day relaxing and getting to know each other. Lelouch baked 2 large cakes, which he delivered to the neighbors as an apology for the noise, which they didn't mind, but he had proper manners…when he didn't drive up a wall with lust.

Besides, it helped their case. With Maria and Alice remaining inside, Lelouch, Maya, and Larissa went out to buy supplies and learn how things had gone. It wasn't announced yet, but they heard from people how it came out that there was an apparent terrorist attack on the Shaing villa, which resulted in the deaths of all present, including the matron of the family and her daughter.

When it was announced, the authorities blamed it on rebel elements of the Holy Order of Gabriel, and for that, its members were all arrested under suspicion that it wasn’t just rogue elements. Its Grandmaster, Gaudefroy du Villon, was gunned down during a shoot-out as they tried to arrest him, an announcement which Lelouch didn't buy. He knew the Order had nothing to do with the attack on the Shaing villa unless Shin geassed members of it into committing the act.

As if that wasn't shocking enough, having returned to the apartment to make plans now that they would need to hide the fact that Maria and Alice were alive and well, Kingsley came into the TVs, broadcasting to the whole of Euro Britannia.

Seeing him on screen, wearing his face, having his voice…Lelouch could understand why Lord Farnese believed him nothing but a loathsome, arrogant cad.

He addressed the nation before a backdrop of both Euro Britannia and Britannia proper flags. As much as he hated it, this imposter knew how to give an address. Despite coming off as someone who would want to punch, he was clear, confident, and, dare he say, convincing. He didn't mention his quiet coup of the Gran Duke's power.

Instead, they focused on how their war effort with the E.U. had somehow progressed at lightning speed. Their armies had pushed another 100km deeper into E.U. territory and were contesting for air supremacy over Eastern Europe. The imposter was confident they'd secure it in days, and once they did, major E.U. cities would 'know the wrath of the Emperor.'

Having seen what happened in Japan, Maya, and Lelouch, both knew that Kingsley would see entire cities carpet bombed into the stone age, collateral, and civilian losses be damned.

However, the part that drew Alice and Maria's attention was the statement revealing that Shin had tragically died in battle, having been given a task that would have collapsed the main strike force of the E.U. While his new lovers were torn about the death of the usurper, Lelouch really only cared about what this would mean, as no way would this be announced if not for the benefit of Kingsley and his father's hold on Euro Britannia.

That suspicion sadly was proven true as Kingsley blamed the failure and the death of 'One of, if not the best knight of Euro Britannia' on the enemy, who had gained classified intelligence on the coming assault and was prepped for it. Kingsley didn't so much as imply as outright state that 'enemies from within undermined the Emperor's will and the might' with the eye-patched man accusing the Grandmaster of Holy Order of Uriel, Lord Raymond du Saint-Gilles is the leak and announcing that they already moved to arrest him and found ‘damming evidence.’

Maria was vocal about how that was impossible. While she was no soldier, she had met Lord du Saint-Gilles several times at parties and could vouch for the honor and loyalty of the aged soldier. Even if he disliked how things were going, even if he disagreed with their current war and leadership, he would sooner take his own life than endanger the sons and daughters of Euro Britannia.

Lelouch would take her word for it, but it didn't change the situation as Kingsley had in one announcement, all but secured power as with the Grand Duke and 2 Grandmasters detained, one killed. Another falling in combat-who could stand against him? How could anyone rise the bAnnar when Kingsley flaunted the royal scepter when he had two Knights of Round at his side?

At least, that was what the imposter must have thought. Lelouch doubted he knew all they were happening, as even if inferior to him, Lelouch doubted his doppelganger would have announced Maria and Alice dead if he didn't have bodies like the rest of the staff, not if he had known Shin's intentions with them from the start.

Also, he didn't know that Zero was in the country, and if there was one thing he excelled at, it was fermenting a resistance movement. If Maria, Larissa, and Alice's reactions were indications, the people of Euro Britannia were already growing tired of Britannian overreach.

Line Break

Sneaking back into the prison wasn't hard, despite the increased security around the site; knowing a friendly guard helped them get in without geass as Lelouch feared his father would have sent means to counter such.

Getting to Grand Master Farnese's cell, he revealed part of what he knew. Not all of it, as that would require explaining things that would get him called insane, but he did admit to his identity as Zero, which…went as well as expected. At least having the very much alive Maria with him helped smooth things over. He made it clear he and the Black Knights had no issue with Euro Britannia, and should they work together, he wished for cooperation, not subjugation.

With the two Euro Britannian nobles, they managed to hatch a means that would see Kingsley ousted, but one which would take time to implement as Kingsley's support came from military success, and having the emperor's will behind him and regardless of his loathing for the man and what he was doing to his country, the Grand Master refused to work with them if it meant bloodshed by say, the Black Knights aiding the E.U. and stalling Kingsley's advance.

Maria suggested they undermine Kingsley at home, as they could convince workers to strike, damage logistical networks, and rally members of the 3 Knight Orders Kingsley had labeled enemies of the state. Maya added that they didn't need a violent threat but a credible threat, and should they use their contacts in the Federation, they could have them move tens of thousands of soldiers to the border, forcing Kingsley to divert forces to check them.

Kingsley can't attack without potentially starting a war with the Federation if the Chinese don't cross the border. Support from the mainland was possible, but Britannia would still believe Zero was in Japan thanks to his body double, so Charles and Schneizel would hesitate on opening that front up and engaging with an emboldened and stronger Black Knight force, particularly as Zero had left orders for them to flaunt their technological advancements and growing aerial fleet.

Of course, things immediately hit the fan, as with their focus being inwards, Lelouch had been out of the loop of things in the E.U. When he contacted Zhou, acting as his liaison, she filled him in on how Kingsley turned the people of the E.U. against each other with fear, panic, and propaganda. The underlying issues of the 'Democratic' superpower exploded, and its soldiers had to retreat to help manage things, which helped explain why Euro Britannia gained so much ground across the entire front.

The riots were largely handled thanks to the Britannian-born but E.U. loyal Leila Malcal, who made an E.U. wide address, only for her headquarters to come under attack by forces from the Holy Order of Michael, which Lelouch surmised had been the critical target Shin had died in his attempt to take. Zhou confirmed as much, but…well, one of the E.U.'s best generals, Smilas, still declared Leila and her entire unit killed in action before he used the outage to start a bloody coup and take power to 'defend the E.U. and make Euro Britannia bleed for the loss of the Maid of Orleans.

So now Lelouch had to worry about a Britannian supremacist fanatically loyal to Charles on one end and a would-be dictator on the other, similar arrogant and delusional if not as visible proud of that as Kingsley was. This would make any efforts to unseat Kingsley difficult as a monster or not, he was effective, and if half of what Smilas called for was genuine demands, then the people of Euro Britannia wouldn't be so quick to cast Kingsley out and risk retaliatory actions from the European dictator.

And if this challenge wasn’t enough, Kingsley, perhaps recognizing the risk, ordered Farnese and Grand Duke’s Highland’s execution under the pretense of treason and incompetence, which led to both an incredibly messy but also public rescue which put them on his radar. Maya was lucky they had rigged the exit route with explosives, or she would have been forced to fight the Lancelot.

It was only fortune that neither had been seen, having both worn disguises and uniforms of the Holy Order of Raphael. Still, it meant that Kingsley declared them enemies of the state, but they had their Grand Master back. The newly freed Grand Duku had a fighting chance as declared enemies or not; both had been popular amongst the Euro Britannians and many, even if they believed him unfit, didn't wish to see their leader executed.

The only good news he got was word came from Zhou that their agents in Europe had managed to locate Leila, who, much like others declared dead, was alive and well, having both survived the assault on her castle headquarters, as well as the apparent assassination attempt on her life by Smilas.

Lelouch would give him credit; unlike Kingsley, who declared Maria and Alice dead with no bodies, Smilas at least tried to ensure he had one before he made his announcement to galvanize the people against their government.

Line Break

“Is it any further?” Ryo asked.

"Another 10 minutes; this place is really out of the way, " their driver replied, keeping their patience even though it was the fifth time the same question had been asked in the last hour.

“No shit, it’s been 2 hours since we passed through a village. What could be out here?” Ryo pointed out the window of the modified truck to the snow-swept environment on either side of the lonely road, which was nothing manmade or even intersecting as far as the eye could see.

"You could always play a game of I spy if you need to," Yukiya joked. The younger Japanese man, in contrast, was calm as he tried to relax.

Ryo scoffed but backed off, all the same, falling back into his seat. “Piss off.”

“Commander.” Akito turned to Leila, who sat at the group's center, the rest acting as her last bastion of defense, much to her annoyance.

“It’s fine, Akito. And you don’t need to refer to be with that title,” Leila smiled at him. However, he could see how much she still hurt, having to abandon the uniform she had so proudly worn and dress in civilian clothing like the rest of them. "Not like I'm an active-duty soldier now."

Akito gave her a rare smile of encouragement. "Regardless of what Smilas says or claims, you're our commander. You've earned that title; we won't easily forget that." The rest nodded along with that, as even as effective fugitives from the E.U. with more to gain by turning on her, none of those at Weisswolf had abandoned her and continued to support her.

Ayano glared from the back at how Leila and Akito looked at each other.

“Jealously is pretty ugly, you know.” Yukiya teased her, speaking just soft enough that neither Akito nor Leila would hear, as lord forbid if Leila learned that Ayano was crushing on her.

“Shut up!” Ryo laughed at his friend's loud and typical retort. Honestly, she was so easy to read and rile up that it made for easy entertainment—entertainment that was solely missing because things hadn't been easy for them, that was for sure. Leila wished to reinstate the E.U.'s government and try to end the war with Euro Britannia, both pretty hard to do in the situation they were in.

“You have any idea where we’re going?” He asked about their latest tag-along, a Euro Britannian soldier.

"You kidding? You know how frickin big Euro Britannia is? Being from here means I know every nook and cranny." Ashley glared at him, but it lost steam as the man looked to the side. "Besides, I was born and based in the Anatolia region, not this piss-cold Siberian hellscape. I'm as lost as you."

Ryo could push the man, but he chose not to. Things have been hell for him, going from a loyal Euro Britannian knight to losing his man to Akito and then getting betrayed by Shin when he launched his attack on Castle Weisswolf. No, he got screwed over by Shin and Kingsley.

“Still, it’s safe to say this can’t be a trap, right?” They turned to Anna, who insisted that she come along despite protests from Leila and Yukiya. “We’re well within Euro Britannian territory, so it can’t be Smilas. And if this was Kingsley, he would have just taken us to Saint Petersburg to publicly execute us.”

True, they had been traveling for around two days now and should be well over 2000km from the border. Kingsley was an enigma, but he couldn't see any reason why he would want them this deep in Euro Britannia.

“Maybe, but it’s still confusing that the Black Knights would want to meet with us this deep behind enemy lines. You’ll think they’ll have beef with Euro Britannia, too.” Ayano added that a Black Knight had approached them and offered this deal, which Ayano might have been a little too excited by, but who could blame her? She was an unapologetic Zero fan girl; the man seemed to embody hope and managed to beat back Britannia; how many could say that?

If she hadn't already been with Ryo and Yukiya at the time, she probably would have tried to immigrate to Japan, her parents' homeland, now that it was a free nation once more.

“Perhaps that’s the point.” Leila guessed, with the rest looking towards the commander, who had been understandably quiet for the last few days. Anyone would be shell-shocked after all they've seen and having their mentor and father figure stab them in the back to betray the ideals they both fought for.

Leila was still feeling that sting, but she had to think about their lives as well, of the people of Weisswolf who had sided with her and remained in hiding back in the E.U. "Regardless of their relations with Euro Britannia, one wouldn't assume they would have any footing in the region, so it would be an ideal location to set up secret bases like what I can only assume we're being taken to. I wouldn't be surprised if, since Japan's liberation, they've expanded that reach."

Perhaps it was merely an intelligence facility or even a staging ground of sorts for commando raids. Given how long they've traveled, it could even be close to the border, but Leila couldn't be sure. While she had seen road signs a while back, she didn't know enough about Euro Britannia to know where they were.

Still, she was hopeful that this meeting would bear fruit. With Japan aligned with the Chinese, they had always been the hope in the E.U. command that the proactive Zero would have openly threatened Euro Britannia. Still, according to the general, they never made inroads in Japan to convince Zero to do so. Believing he was a Chinese puppet, which she doubted.

She had thought, however, that Zero would spend more time building up his forces and solidifying his control in Japan. With the Chinese as his allies or masters, whatever the case, he had no reason to intervene in their way with Euro Britannia.

So why now?

"All they said was that they wished to help us and that we'd be meeting with someone important; it's still dodgy," Ayano commented.

"The commander trusted them enough to follow," Ryo noted, getting a small smile from Leila.

“I’ve been called naïve, but I like to give people the chance. It worked out with you all, didn’t it?” Leila asked, to which Ryo laughed.

"Hence why we didn't bitch about it and just decided to come along for the sightseeing, though I was expecting more out of this," Ryo replied.

Line Break

True to the driver's response, around 10 minutes, they reached their destination. It seemed to be an old town along a large river, largely abandoned, with them pulling up to a run-down-looking villa. Stepping around, they were on high alert by the presence of so many Euro Britannian guards, including several knightmares.

“I was told this was a meeting with the Black Knights.” Leila remained calm, even though she saw at least 20 soldiers around and 3 Sutherlands.

"It is, but you must understand that things have been…tense, so we've taken to handling security." The driver's face twisted with something, but it vanished before Leila could read it. “This way, please. The meeting is happening inside.” The man turned on his heel and walked towards the triple-story mansion's main entrance.

Deciding that they had no reason to lure her inside to kill her when they could have done it, she followed the driver inside along with the rest of her entourage. Stepping into the building, the place seemed as dirty and rundown as the exterior would suggest. Still, the place changed as they went deeper, far from any windows.

It was still an old building, one that had seen better days, but it was much cleaner. Generators and wiring ran along the floors and walls, powering lights. She noted that in some rooms, staff and guards seemed to be busy with work, and in others, they had taken to setting up equipment and rest quarters.

Walking past all of that, they went towards what felt like the center of the place, which happened to be a small, at least for a building this size, study. Its fireplace wasn't in use; instead, a heater was present to keep the chill out. But her eye went to the man seated at the main table—well, the two men present.

"You're the Grand Duke," Leila uttered, having seen intelligence reports of the man seated before her. Though he looked much different than his pictures, if for no other reason than the fact he wasn't dressed as opulently, his clothing was still of high quality and style, but styled more for the cold Siberian environment and blending it without any flamboyant colors. The same was true for the Grandmaster standing by the Grand Duke's side like a steadfast knight, Lord Andrea Farnese.

“Augusta Henry Highland,” The now on the run, Grand Duke stood from his chair, holding out his hand for Leila to shake. “I trust that your journey wasn’t needlessly vexing.”

“No, we managed to get across the border without issue. I assume that was you’re doing?” Leila asked as she shook the man’s head, to which he nodded.

“I still have soldiers loyal to me over that spawn of Satan,” Augusta grumbled the last part, pain, and anger in his words, before he gestured towards the second guest chair. One was occupied by a dark-haired young man whom Leila vaguely recognized as familiar. Much like the Duke, he had someone standing at his side, only they appeared to be their age as well, a young woman who eyed them with caution but little hostility. "As for the gentlemen sitting with us,"

“Please, Lord Highland. It would be proper if I introduce myself,” the young man stood from his seat, also reaching to give Leila a handshake. Greeting, Major Leila Malcal. I am Zero.” Lelouch said that so casually, as ideally, he had wished to meet with her while wearing his mask, but he hadn't packed one, nor would it help build his case with Augusta and Andrea, who were both well outside their comfort zone with this alliance.

The best he could do was accommodate them.

“You’re him?!” Of course, that didn’t mean his reveal would be smooth as one of Leila’s people screamed, pointing at him like he was insane.

“You hardly look older than we are.” Another calmer of the group pointed, to which Lelouch chuckled.

"And yet, you follow a woman of similar age, and Euro Britannia has been usurped by a bastard I, unfortunately, share an uncanny resemblance to while one of his Knights of Round attack dog is also our age mate.” Leila's eyes widened as she realized where she had seen his face. Though he was missing the noble robes and eye patch, he was a spitting image of Kingsley! But…he couldn't be Kingsley, right? Why would he be here? With the Grand Duke? Why hold a secret meeting with her?

“Things are far too complicated for your age to be much of an issue, though I would say you've far more accomplished than I, Zero." She focused on just that, as she could hopefully get answers to her questions later.

"Yes, luck and good timing can do a lot for you. We can all agree that if one of those is missing, it can end badly." Lelouch looked around the room, seeing how most frowned at the reminder of how terrible things had gone for them. "But we're not here to make our host feel old; we came to discuss business." With that, he helped her take a seat, one of her people following the examples of Andrea and Maya.

As a maid came in and served them hot tea, Leila looked towards…Zero.

“You had your people seek me out, why?”

Lelouch hummed. “Straight to the point, I wasn't the one who sought you out. I've been out of the loop for a while." He replied, which confused her as she looked to the Duke, who shook his head.

“Why’s that?” She asked Zero, wondering if he was perhaps a Chinese agent.

With their tea served, he thanked the maid and took a sip, letting out a relaxed breath as the hot ginger and honey hit his tongue. "I was undercover here in Euro Britannia after learning of Kingsley's advancements. Safe to say, as the Grand Duke can attest, things within Euro Britannia were far from stable." Lelouch responded.

“I was led to believe you stepped down.” Leila mused, turning her attention to the Grand Duke, who frowned at the statement. Andrea looked angry at both of them.

"Lies, Kingsley had me detained when I refused to greenlight his savagery, claimed that by abandoning the ideals of knighthood, I was in direct opposition to the Emperor." Leila blinked at that while Akito remained passive, leaving the rest to physically react to the Duke's admission. “He’s since moved to eliminate or detain anyone else that could fight him.”

“What about Shin?” Akito drew attention to him, though his face hardly changed even as he discussed his now-dead older brother. "Was he not a knight of Euro Britannia? A Grandmaster at that?"

Leila couldn’t fault him for that question as Shin…was mad; there was no other means to put it. He was a murderous, pessimistic Nihilist who held so little value in human good and life he sought their resources at Castle Weisswolf to launch an attack on Pendragon, knowing that should he have succeeded and killed the emperor, it would have plunged the entire world into madness, tens of millions of deaths on the low end, billions if things spiraled.

She didn't know what he was like professionally, but it was troubling that such a man could have risen so high up the ranks.

Augusta sighed as if he had expected that question and dreaded it all the same. “I will not lie that he was a knight of the realm, and for a while, he had been a good one. Ambitions, unorthodox, but a good soldier.

Andrea spoke from there: "That was until he orchestrated the murder of the previous Grandmaster of his knight to claim control. When I confronted Kingsley about the lack of investigation into the affair, I was charged with treason and arrested.” His reveal caught the former E.U. soldiers off guard, as Leila, while she had had her faith shaken in recent days, couldn't believe it.

Britannia was never a fair or humane place, at least not from what she remembered of it and what they advertised. This was the same country where its monarch turned his son's memorial into a rally where it all but called his dead son weak for being killed.

Even knowing all that, for Kingsley to be able to just…jail a grand master for such a little thing was insane. Or…or perhaps it was just a means to show others of his power. If not even a Grandmaster, one of the highest people in Euro Britannia, could be so easily detained, who was safe? Apparently, no one, considering he arrested Euro Britannia's leader for not being ruthless enough.

“That is a serious accusation, sir.” Anna, on the other hand, was very cautious about the two. Yes, they were polite and didn't seem to care for the four Japanese in the room, but that just meant they could be better at hiding their true selves than others. “Can you prove it?”

"We can because he used a similar means to attempt to have his adopted mother and daughter killed. Both survived by God's grace, and Lord Farnese’s information sent Zero to their villa in time to save both.” Augusta spoke up, which sounded like nonsense to the Alexender’s creator.

“Did…” Again, Akito spoke up, the young soldier recalling his family's death and how his brother had done it without lifting a finger. He remembered when he saved Leila from him and his brother's words in his head, compelling him to act till Leila snapped him out of it. “Did he ask them to do such?”

The Duke and his grand master looked surprised by the question, but Leila noted not in a way that implied confusion. Looking towards Zero, he didn't seem as shocked by it but had a knowing glint in his eye. “It seems that you’re aware of it.” He commented yet said nothing of substance, at least not without context.

"Only loosely…he tried to have me die and then to kill Leila. I nearly did it, but…" Akito's fist clenched, leading to Leila reaching for his wrist and giving him a comforting squeeze; her longest-serving soldier and closest male friend smiled as he nodded thanks for that.

That was enough for the Duke, who didn't have the full details but enough to get a picture of their experience with his madman of a knight. “I had hoped that perhaps it was some fantasy, but at least Shin is dead and his dreaded power dead with him." He could breathe easy on that, as he and Andrea had lost some sleep over the encounter. Having spoken to Maria and little Alice about their time under Shin's…geass was what Zero called it, neither were happy by it. Alice seemed haunted by the idea she had nearly killed her beloved mother.

It made Andrea wonder what went through his old friend Michele's head in those final moments as his own blade sliced deep into his neck. Was Shin present for it, or was it like his attempted double murder of his own family like the reprobate he was? Was he conscious for it, or was he at least afforded blissful ignorance in his final moments?

He would never know, and while he couldn’t avenge his fallen friend, he was grateful that he was slain by the very E.U….well, former E.U. soldiers before him.

"Quite, but that isn't why my people believed we could work together," Lelouch stated, bringing things back on track. “Major, what the Black Knights want is to gain allies. And we seek to see both Euro Britannia and the E.U. be such allies.”

Leila suspected as much, at least with the context, but she saw several issues. “Wouldn’t that mean turning against…” She didn’t complete the sentence, instead looking towards the deposed Grand Duke, who couldn't just sign any agreements with Japan when Britannia still considered it a part of their territory even if he was in power right now.

Augusta, atypically, snorted at Leila’s implication. “Emperor Charles has proven time and time again how little he respects Euro Britannia. Even going as far as sending that monster to all but conquering us to bend our lands and people to his will. I have already been convinced to see Euro Britannia break from Britannia proper and officially become its own country.”

"One which will gain immediate recognition from both Japan and the Chinese Federation, which the Black Knights will publicly swear to defend as we do Japan," Lelouch stated; even if such a gesture was symbolic, it would do for their purposes. Even if they deployed a smaller force to Eastern Euro Britannia and backed up Chinese units that crossed the border, any attempt to invade Northern Britannia but land or sea would be a slow, bloody crawl.

His father could strike at Japan itself, but Schneizel would be smart enough to suspect such a seemingly decisive move would be even worse as Zero would have created several countermeasures and ensured the island's defense was well stocked, supplied, positioned, and motivated. Again, with Chinese support making up the difference, effectively turning any invasion of Japan into a theatre of war against another superpower. Even his troll of an uncle would hesitate, though more because his assassins keep turning up dead.

As for Augusta, Lelouch could respect the man for his choice. He wasn't a monster or a coward. Practical and fair, he had downright ignored violations of some Britannian laws if they didn't need to be enforced, such as the numbers system. Still, he hadn't tried to leave Britannia earlier because he feared for his people, as should he have done so; Lelouch had no doubt in his mind his father would see most of Euro Britannia burn for it, particularly because Chantal could confirm that one of Charles and V.V.'s precious Thought Elevators was located here.

It was no easy decision for him to make, but the line had to be drawn somewhere, and his father's apathy was to blame.

They just had to plan for his wrath, as 2 Knights of Round were already in the region. One which he knew would want him dead in particular.

Lelouch focused on the issue, not his broken friendship with his first real friend. “However, for that to work, we need to end this fighting between the E.U. and Euro Britannia, which, as you imagine, will never happen under its current leadership." Leila pursed her lips at the subtle insult against Smilas, but she didn’t defend him, not now.

"Kingsley is a dog of Charles; as long as he orders it, Kingsley will never even call for a ceasefire, never peace talks. And from what I hear about Smilas, he's banked his seizure of power on the threat of Kingsley and your apparent murder. If the fighting could end with a satisfying peace deal, he'll be forced to relinquish power or risk being viewed by all for what he is, a would-be emperor.” Augusta was more blatant with it, wishing it would be clear as the snow fell outside.

"If the people could see that, if they knew that Euro Britannia could be reasoned with, I'm sure they'll call for an end to this fighting," Leila commented, as she might have been disappointed with the failures of the former leaders of the E.U. who behaved more like the nobles of Britannia then they would ever admit, and with her mentor deciding to try and burn their democracy down in exchange for some false liberty and freedom. Still, she refused to give up he faith in the people of the E.U.

"We know, and that's where you come in," Lelouch replied. "Smilas used your death to rocket himself into power; it's you whom the people respect and love. Should we manage to return to the E.U. and speak out against him…"

“He would call such a deception,” Leila answered, having already thought about that. Moreover, if only a portion of the populace believed it, it would result in infighting and chaos, which a monster like Kingsley would use to pillage, rape, and burn all the way to Paris itself. This needed to be done fast, practically overnight; otherwise, all she would be doing would be dooming the people.

Lelouch picked up her concerns and nodded in approval, the same as the Duke would see a kindred spirit in her. A true leader whose first and main thought was always about their people and how their actions could affect them.

He could see why Kaguya believed she was the ideal partner for him. "Perhaps, but with the support of the masked man of miracles, he'll be hard-pressed to do anything. Not when I've already proven capable of doing what he and other commanders could not, which is hand Britannia a major defeat.”

Line Break

Leila was at her wits' end, and the rest were the same. They had to spend well over two hours discussing their plans and possible paths to a long-lasting peace between Europe and Euro Britannia, and even then, there were things that had to be tabled for one reason or another.

She will say this: Zero was a good mediator, keeping the worst of the argument from showing its ugly head and damaging their still infant union. She would have liked it if the man had also tried to use his influence in Euro Britannia, but she could understand why he was against it.

“Regardless of my status, I’m still seen as Britannia’s biggest threat. If the Duke were to even appear to be working with me at this time, Kingsley would poison any recruitment well by using that as grounds to accuse him of treason, not to mention the emperor would send additional forces to Euro Britannia.”

Of course, he would afford to appear in Europe, as he had been somewhat popular, at least in the circles she preferred to frequent, with many historical romantics painting him as a man cut from the same cloth that saw their ancestors throw out the monarchs and nobles of yesteryear. His track record in the aftermath of his rebellion was also pretty good, as many had believed there'd be purges of Britannians and a mass exodus. Still, at least from what news and intelligence painted, the new Black Knight-built government was largely fair and did its best to keep such violence and injustice down.

It didn't stop nobles from fleeing in mass, but some did stay-mainly those who had nothing but their holdings in Area 11, but they weren't dragged from their estates and paraded through the streets.

‘Perhaps the upper class liked it less because it was humane and more because they long since accepted they’ll the kind of people a man like Zero would have had lynched.’ She sighed, feeling a migraine forming.

The meeting had mercifully ended; the deal wasn't done, and nothing was agreed upon, but all parties agreed that they could meet in the morning. So the Duke had one of his men show them where they'll be staying, with the offer of if they would like rooms for men and women or a single large one; they chose the former before they were told dinner would be ready in about an hour and asked not to go close to the windows with light sources, Leila agreed to such, as they could easily tell they were working to ensure the place seemed unoccupied from the outside.

As the sun set and the cold grew, she couldn't sleep. She just lay in her admittedly soft bed, covered with a thick blanket, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with thoughts of what she'd learned, what she'd seen, and what she still needed to face.

“I know that look,” She looked to the side, spotting Anna watching her with a knowing look. “Trouble sleeping?”

"A little." She admitted they both heard a groan, and Ayano rose from her bed, still wide awake.

“I thought I was the one.”

"I would assume that was because you're still fangirling about Zero being really handsome."

“I-wha, I am not!” Ayano hissed at Anna, her face red, which made both European girls giggle.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Ayano. A man like that by reputation alone would be seen as a prince charming by most," Leila stated. "His youthful good looks and charming persona only add to that."

"I'm still surprised he's so young; I was sure that a man like would have had military experience, but no," Anna commented. While she recognized that genius didn't care about age, seeing how she created the Alexander knightmare frame, a unit capable of going up most of what Euro Britannia could throw at them, there was a difference in designing weapons and utilizing to their maximum effect, at least, she liked to think that.

“In hindsight, if he had been a former member of the old Japan’s military, I would have suspected he either spent the years refining his craft, or Japan would have put up a better fight.” Leila mused.

“Maybe…” Ayano didn’t admit to anything, looking away from them.

“Why don’t we try and relax, I heard that they have a hot spring here. The boys already went but it should be deserted by now.” Anna suggested.

“A hot spring? Out here?” Leila didn't expect much, but weren't hot springs connected to volcanic activity? They didn't see any signs of such as they came, and Euro Britannia wasn't known for its abundance of hot springs.

"I heard it was part of why this place was built, aside from the logging business in the area and the easy access to the river for transport," Anna explained, having conversed with some of the members of Andrea’s now defunct knight order.

Leila considered it but thought it couldn't hurt. It might even help her destress and get to sleep. "Well, I can't say I wouldn't mind a dip; I have never been to one."

"Neither have I. It's kind of hard to get them for people like us back in Europe." Ayano grunted as she got up. The three stripped off their travel PJs and grabbed bathrobes and other things before leaving their room. It was well after sunset, and while they bet their friends and host were resting, if not sleeping already, there was still security patrolling, as Leila would expect from them. However, they focused mainly on the exterior and the intermediate spaces.

Only the rare maid or butler saw them as they moved through the inner parts of the mansion, one of whom gave them proper directions to the basement, where the hot spring was located, without batting an eye at them.

Following said directions, they passed from wood and marble to stone as they entered the basement, which seemed to be as vast as the floorplan of the above villa. It was old but had been preserved from the worst of the elements and now carried some antique charm, akin to visiting a well-preserved and functional Roman bath.

Leila was about to compliment Anna on the suggestion when she heard it. It was barely audible through the haze, steam, and flowing water, but she heard it, and she saw Ayano, and Anna heard it as well.

(Removed section)

"He's incredible, isn't he?" Someone spoke up behind the two. The trio screamed in shock as they fell into the hot spring with a splash.

Rising from the water, Leila was the first out, followed by Ayano and Anna. The latter two needed to untangle themselves as Maya walked in, followed by Larissa.

“Wh-where did you?”

“The entire time,” Larissa pointed out, gesturing to the side where there was a bend. “The changing space is pretty big, and we were about to get back in when we spotted the three of you.”

"Don't feel so bad about it; Lelouch is a straight monster, but I think you want to experience that for yourselves, don't you?" Maya smiled at the two, with Leila just realizing that both were naked as well, with that Larrissa had the second largest rack there.

“I want to suck his dick.” Anna didn't even bother to pretend, her eye locked on Lelouch, who remained where he was, his legs wide open to present his very much still steel-hard cock

“Anna!” Leila gasped at her friend.

“Can…can he bend me over and fuck me too?” Ayano was a little more timid about it but seemed equally eager for this. She didn't know why, as she thought she would have stepped back if Zero was in a relationship, but if he could please 4 women and still be ready for action…well, why not add herself?

“Ayano?!”

“Of course I can, in fact,” Lelouch answered as he turned to Alice.

“No, it’s not like that.” Leila tried to deny it, though part of her wondered why she even bothered.

"Oh, then, do you want me to fuck you prone?" Lelouch asked, to which she looked at his body, then towards his cock, and went bright red. With her gaze locking onto it, Maya smiled as she reached for his cock, waving it around like a wand which all 3 girls followed.

Lelouch, at this point, really got this down to an fine art as he didn't even need to wave his own cock around; his lovers did that for him, which he would need to thank them for later, on top of making up for their private time being cut short. “Or maybe you want to see how you’ll handle my cock in your French mouth of yours.” Lelouch challenged Leila, gasping as she moved forward.

Shame Anna beat her to it, the scientist quickly crawling over and giving his cock a soft, gentle kiss before she started to lick it.

Line Break

With no Thursday upload, I was able to give this chapter some much-needed love. As you all saw, the last one was a real long one, almost triple the length of my atypical stuff. Now, if you thought that was big, this chapter was meant to be included in that one, but it would have made a chapter well over 20K words long, which would have been impossible to edit and made for length reading.

With this chapter, well, the chapter name should be enough of a clue of who it's about. Writing it was odd, at least at first, as Akito of the Exiled focused more on the cast than the conflict, with the climax being Shin's assault on Castle Weisswolf. Considering in canon, Kinglsey was Lelouch and arrested before this, well, I had even more freeway to just come up with stuff.

Line Break

Ayano: Wait, the fuck?! We got cut??

Inoue: He does that sometimes.

Author: It's set up, ladies. Set up.

Alice: Well, he did do that for us, and well…thinks about how hard she got her brains fucked out.

Cecile: Wait, does the Duke know about…

Lelouch: No, and at this point, I'm not even surprised he doesn't. The women on the BK caught on without me needing to say a word, but it took an announcement for the rest to realize I do, in fact, have a sex drive.

Maya: Probably best we don’t tell the Duke about you sleeping with 2…well, 3 of his citizens and getting two pregnant.

C.C: What’s the issue? He’s planning to stick around and be a good dad…and father to them.

Maya: That’s part of it. Pretty sure most people don’t take kindly to the same man fathering children with the mother and daughter.