Story Basis:

This story is pretty much a rewrite of my Early Bird Gets the Throne fanfic. I kept the same premise, Lelouch stays in Britannia and no Nunnally or Marianne, but I took out the military school and fixed the timeline a bit. Harem listing will include C.C., Kallen, Milly, Shirley, Anya, and Euphemia. Lelouch will be nowhere near as arrogant as in the original anime, mainly because he has more experience by the time of cannon episode 1. With that said, expect somewhat slow updates, boot camp is over but training is still the main focus of my time. If you notice errors or grammar mistakes, please let me know.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass, wish I did.

Slipping the Bonds of Yesterday – Prologue, Turn 1

Aries Villa, Pendragon – 2010 a.t.b

It had been a long day for the vi Britannias. Empress Consort Marianne vi Britannia spent the entire day at the Ashford Foundation building in Pendragon, going over reports and projections for the new fourth generation model of knightmare frame they were designing. While the first edition of the Glasgow was functional, there were still many improvements that could be made to the efficiency and weight reduction. The new second edition Glasgow model would be slightly faster and would remain powered for fifteen percent longer. Being one of the best pilots in the field and a political ally of the Ashfords, Marianne was a major source of input on the piloting side of things. For the pair of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia, all that work for their mother meant they were sent to spend the day with their half-sister Euphemia. It had been a wonderful day for the two sisters, one they spent chasing around their brother and forcing him to play house and tea party with them.

Lelouch, despite the otherwise grueling experience he had been through, was happy that he at least had something to show for the day. He had snuck into his older half-sibling Cornelia's room after escaping from the terrors that were Euphemia and Nunnally, and had stolen a peek at Cornelia's collection of knightmare pilot manuals. He became so engrossed in reading them that he hadn't heard Cornelia return. When she found him curled up in her study, Lelouch was terrified of her wrath. But much to his surprise, Cornelia started laughing when she saw what he was reading. When she questioned him as to why he snuck in instead of just asking, he informed her that she would most definitely have said 'no', because she was adamant about retaining Euphemia's innocence and even his own to a small extent. He was unconcerned with what children his age normally dealt with, and wanted to know about knightmare frames, which he informed her with a small amount of petulance in his voice. Cornelia had been mildly annoyed that he had snuck in, but seeing her brother taking an interest in something she enjoyed made the big sister part of her jump for joy. She spent the next two hours explaining to him all about knightmare frames, and she even agreed to show him a pilot simulator next time he came over. When it came time to return home, she sent him off with a spare copy of the manual.

And said book was what saved his life. Halfway from the car to the front doors, Lelouch realized that he had left the manual on his seat in the limo. He let his mother know and went back to retrieve it. It was simple and quick, fifteen seconds at most. He walked back to the main entrance, entering into the main hall and seeing his mother and younger sister climbing up the grand stair. He was halfway across the room when the two reached the midway point of the stairs, and then suddenly he was on his back, staring up at the ceiling, which was glowing in the shimmering red and yellow light of the hall. He felt a dull ache in the back of his head, and his limbs felt heavy. The air around him felt oppressively warm, and his vision started to go grey and cloudy. He was unable to form another thought as his vision faded, and his mind slipped away.

Anya Alstreim wasn't supposed to be awake right now. She was supposed to be in bed sleeping. Her current stay at the Aries Villa was supposed to be for her to be trained in proper etiquette. But, as was normal for the seven year old, she was walking through the halls in the night, listening to the silence that formed when the estate slumbered at night. Her parents had never cared for her, shipping her off to court to be trained as a 'proper lady' by whoever would take her. It was blind luck that Nunnally vi Britannia saw her when she arrived, and wonderingly commented that she had a similar hair color as her favorite half-sister. When Nunnally learned that she was the same age and learned of the reason she was at court, the precocious royal pleadingly asked her mother to take her under her wing. While Empress Marianne's outward altruism was in reality a carefully sustained lie, she decided to indulge her daughter. And thus, Anya Alstreim ended up in the care of the vi Britannias. So far her days consisted of tutors cramming book learning and the rules of being a lady into her head. It was tiring and boring, and left her decidedly lonely. While it was fun to spend her few days off with Nunnally, her only friend had been away today, leaving her in a melancholy mood; which explained her midnight walk through the estate.

She was about to return to her room, when a loud, echoing boom came from the direction of the grand stair. Curious, the small girl quickly walked in the direction of the noise. When she noted a charred scent on the air and saw flickering yellow light ahead, her pace increased rapidly. She came running around the corner to see the main hall wreathed in flames. The grand stair was gone, a gaping nothingness where the structure once was, with debris haphazardly around the hall as if it had been raining pieces of blackened wood. Her eyes danced about, looking over the room. Over towards the front entrance, she spotted a small figure lying on the ground, his front dusted with ash.

'Most likely a child of one of the servants,' she thought. The servants had always been kind to her, and she found herself moving across the room before she realized it. She carefully avoided the patches of flames and debris -her slippers would only offer her so much protection- yet moving quickly nonetheless.

She got to the figure, realizing it was a boy with black hair. His eyes were closed and there was a trickle of blood coming from the back of his head. Anya wasn't strong by any means, and while the boy was skinny, she was unable to pick him up. Instead, she grabbed him from behind under his armpits and dragged him towards the front doors. She had to gently lay the boy back down for a second so that she could open the large main doors. She passed through the entrance, seeing activity down the driveway. As she dragged her charge away from the building and off to the side, she saw flashing lights and heard sirens in the distance, as fire trucks raced towards their location. The guards from the front gate were only just now arriving, and were horrified by the scene before them.

Anya had deposited the boy under a small tree a little ways away from the building. As she contemplated what to do next, a turquoise haired guard spotted her and ran up in front of her.

"Miss, can you tell me what's happened?" he asked, his voice cracking. He seemed frantic and distraught, unable to take in what had occurred. Anya was absurdly calm as she responded, the shock having set in and not letting her truly come to terms with the event.

"I was walking to my room, and I heard loud boom. I ran to the main hall and it was on fire and the staircase was gone. I saw this boy and dragged him away." At that point, Jeremiah noticed the small form lying next to the girl. He was shocked to see the black hair and ash covered face.

"Prince Lelouch!" He shouted, kneeling down and checking him over. While he was unconscious and had a minor head wound, he seemed otherwise unhurt. Anya was shocked, having thought he was just a servant. Now that she looked closer, she could tell that it was indeed the prince. She had seen him only a few times during her brief stay, as he usually avoided her and Nunnally when they were doing 'girly things', as he referred to them. The man turned back to the girl, "Did you see anyone else in the hall? The Empress or the Princess?" He asked frantically. When she shook her head, the guard was wracked with grief. He asked the girl to stay by the boy while he went to get paramedics and organize a search for the other missing royals.

A short time later, an ambulance rushed up behind the newly arrived fire trucks. The staff were slowly being rounded up and checked to see if anyone was missing. The head of Marianne's guard, which happened to be one Cornelia li Britannia, arrived and took over the scene. The turquoise haired guard from earlier returned and insisted that he escort the prince to the hospital. When the paramedics had loaded the prince into the vehicle, the man had Anya join him in the back to escort the prince. She was hesitant at first, but he insisted as she had saved his prince's life. After they started driving away, another paramedic started attending to the several small burns that she had. She was startled, as she hadn't noticed them before. She barely stayed awake long enough to see the last bandage applied, before the exhaustion from the night's activities hit her, and she leaned her head back and fell asleep.

Pendragon Royal Hospital – the next morning

Lelouch vi Britannia had a massive headache. He squeezed his eyes closed as tight as he could, as his jumbled thoughts tried to align themselves around the throbbing of his skull. He could remember walking forward, and then seeing the ceiling, and then nothing. Nothing else after that. Gradually, the pain subsided to a dull ache, and he slowly opened his eyes. He found himself in a hospital room, laying down on a bed and hooked up to an IV and heart monitor. As he looked over his surroundings, he noticed a girl sitting in the corner of the room. She was curled up in a chair, her head against the wall and eyes closed, asleep. He lay there for a while, simply looking at the girl. She was familiar, and he could remember seeing her with his sister a few times.

That thought made his heartbeat spike. His sister, where was she? He didn't know where his mother and sister were, and he was supposedly in a hospital. What happened? As his frantic thoughts ran at pace with his loudly racing heartbeat, a nurse rushed into the room. Seeing the prince awake, she called to someone outside the room, and rushed up to the bed. She gently laid her hand on his, telling him that he was at the hospital, that he had minor injuries but he was otherwise fine. He looked past her to see a man glancing into the room. His hair reminded him of his favorite of the guards, a man named Jeremiah Gottwald. Seeing the orange colored eyes that went along with the turquoise hair, he affirmed that it was indeed his friend Jerry.

"Jerry," he croaked out, his voice dry and hoarse. The nurse poured some water into a small cup and held it to his lips, allowing him to drink and sooth his throat. After ordering a pair of guards next to him to keep watch, Jeremiah entered the room and knelt at his prince's side. He looked into the eyes of his prince expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"Jerry, what happened? Why am I in the hospital? Where's Nunnally and mother?" asked the prince.

Jeremiah's face was filled with grief, as he related the past night's events to him. It appeared that a bomb had been placed under the staircase, in the small storage hollow beneath. His mother and sister had been directly on top of the explosive when it was detonated, killing them instantly and vaporizing their bodies. They wouldn't have had time to even notice, just one second they were there and the next, nothing. They were gone before their minds could even register the pain of what had happened. The blast had thrown him across the hall, giving him a mild concussion when he landed. The room was covered with debris and flames, and as for the staircase, it was as if it had never existed, a large black scorch where it had stood. The fire had managed to claim a large section of the building before it was put out. The staff were fine, a few with mild lung irritation from smoke inhalation. Lelouch was in shock, his emotions unable to deal with the sudden change in his life. He was sure the grief would come, but for now he was simply empty. It was at this point that Lelouch asked who the girl in the corner was.

"Her name is Anya Alstreim, my lord. You may recall her from her time spent with Princess Nun-", he cut off abruptly, choking over the word, "with her highness this last month. She was being tutored and taught etiquette alongside her. She happened to be awake and walking to her room when the incident occurred, and rushed to the scene. She managed to pull you from the building and away from the fire," Jeremiah informed him.

Lelouch looked over at the girl. She had bandages on her arms, indicative of minor burns if one considered the events. He made a mental note to thank her, and then asked the question that had been next on his lips. "Why is she sleeping here?"

"She politely insisted that she stay with you, my lord. It was more like asking permission, but I could tell that she very much wanted to stay. She was obviously shaken by the events and it's not like she could return to the villa. Given the fact that she saved your life and did not present a security risk, I allowed it. I hope that was alright my lord?"

"It is fine Jeremiah, good job. Keep her close, and see to it that she stays safe. Now if you don't mind, I'm very tired. You can tell me the rest of the details later."

"Very well, your Highness."

And with that, the young prince who recently and suddenly learned that he was all alone in the world except for his favorite guard and a young girl fell back asleep.

Two days later

During the two days spent in the hospital, Lelouch had gone over everything Cornelia turned up in her investigation, which was surprisingly little. The traces of explosive residue were confirmed to be Britannian in origin, which meant it could have come from almost anywhere. The guards on watch didn't recall seeing anything out of the ordinary during the days leading up to the incident. On top of that, the records from the security cameras showed nothing as well. While this lack of information was upsetting, it did tell Lelouch one thing. It was an inside job. The only way for a bomb to be placed while avoiding security cameras and guards was if the person was aware of the security measures. Considering that it was the residence of the most favored of the royal consorts, it meant it had to be someone in a similarly high level of power in court that was responsible. The publicly released statement about terrorists was a blatant lie, as it simply wasn't possible for terrorists to have beaten the security in the way it had been. After he had gone over the investigation report twice, he laid back and formulated his plans. He needed to think carefully about his next move. While some would have considered it inhuman for him to be plotting and planning at a time like this, especially with his young age, it was simply the way he was. The majority of the royal family were wired with tendencies towards plotting and politicking, and Lelouch was no different. Strategy and planning were inherent in his nature, and by focusing on that side of him he was able to distract himself from the impending grief he would soon have to contend with.

His planning had led him here, to the royal palace and to his father's court. Lelouch was escorted to the palace by Jeremiah, and he had decided to let Anya accompany them when she asked if she could stay with the two of them. Neither of the two had left his side for more than a few minutes during the past two days.

He left Jeremiah and Anya in a small waiting room as he was announced into his father's throne room. He calmly walked down the center of the room, projecting a sureness and confidence that he wasn't actually feeling, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down here around the nobles of the court. Already they whispered among themselves, sneering at him and smug that the commoner empress had been removed. Lelouch made his way before the throne, dropping to his knee.

"Hail, your Majesty."

"Speak boy. What reason do you come before me today?" Emperor Charles zi Britannia asked in an uninterested tone.

"As you are no doubt aware, your Majesty, my mother and sister have recently been murdered. This leaves me without a guardian. I request your permission to have my half-sister Cornelia assume my guardianship for the time being."

"I see no problem with her assuming the role as long as it doesn't interfere with her duties to the Empire. Though why you brought such a trifling matter before me I cannot imagine. If that is all, begone."

"It's not quite everything, your Majesty. I also humbly ask to be allowed to bring my knight and retainer with me."

Charles raised his eyebrow ever so slightly at that. It wasn't too odd for such a young member of nobility to have a retainer or knight at that age, but it was definitely a new development as far as his son Lelouch was concerned. Not very loving of a father was he, but he was at the very least knowledgeable on the status and activities of most of his offspring. He decided that he could spare the boy a moment or two, and asked, "And what would be the names of your two servants, boy?"

"Sir Jerimiah Gottwald, and one Anya Alstreim, your Majesty," Lelouch responded. Knowing that more information would be demanded, he continued. "Sir Gottwald was one of the members of my mother's royal guard, and he has shown competency and skill in his work during these troubles that my family has experienced. Miss Alstreim was studying etiquette at Aries Villa during the incident, and helped me from the wreckage of the fire. It seemed fitting to allow her to work as my retainer as a reward." While she would be his retainer in name, she wouldn't really be one. She would be more of a confidant and pseudo-sister than anything else.

"Very well. I have no issue with your requests. You are dismissed, boy."

At that, Lelouch bowed and backed away from the throne.

Emperor Charles zi Britannia watched the retreating figure of his son Lelouch, and thoughts about his future flowed through his head. He had been expecting a tantrum from an irate child about the fate of his family. But what he had witnessed instead had been a confident and shrewd young man, who was aware of just how precarious his current position was. Lelouch would require watching, and he could prove useful to the Empire in the future.

Lelouch met up with Anya and Jeremiah on the way out, both falling in step beside the young prince, and the trio returned to their temporary residence at the home of the li Britannias. Cornelia had insisted, and Lelouch saw no reason to refuse. And now that she would be assuming his guardianship, something that she had quickly agreed to when he had asked it of her, it wasn't so temporary anymore. As Lelouch strode to his now permanent room, he reflected over the last two days.

Several of Lelouch's plans had already been accomplished, and his recent audience with the Emperor only solidified what he had already arranged. He had asked Jeremiah to be his personal knight, as his position as one of Marianne's guards was no longer in the picture. Jeremiah had immediately sworn himself to the young prince, who in his mind was the only one whom he could follow to make up for his failure of Empress Marianne and Princess Nunnally. Despite numerous assurances by Lelouch otherwise, Jeremiah still felt at fault at least partially for their fate. The other tag-along Lelouch brought with him was little Anya, who had no place to go to now that Aries and her mistress were gone. Lelouch didn't know what he saw in her; a friend, someone he owed a debt to, or a replacement for Nunnally. No matter what is was, having her around helped fill a little bit of the whole that had formed in his life. Anya herself had no issue with being named as his retainer, and was simply grateful that he was keeping her around. He was able to surmise that she also had a space in her life that needed filled after losing her only friend and her purpose in life.

Another item he had dealt with had been the Ashfords. Without Marianne to lift them up in court, they were quickly headed to ruin. The enemies of the vi Britannia line had been lined up like sharks around the Ashford Foundation. Lelouch had ingeniously bought them out of their manufacturing business, and had severed ties between the vi Britannias and the Ashfords. This had allowed a grateful Ruben Ashford to slip away from the political hyenas and escape mostly untouched from the disaster that had been the last several days. Lelouch's last word from Ruben was that he was heading for Japan, something about setting up a school or some such project. Lelouch planned to keep in touch, despite whatever surface appearances he had to uphold. As for the knightmare manufacturing, Lelouch had decided to create his own company, as it could do nothing but benefit him. He himself had no financial or engineering expertise, but that's what hired professionals were for anyway. At the moment, he hadn't done much with the company, but he had sold the designs for the Glasgow to Royal Protectorate Industries. With the current political environment and without Marianne to boost development, there was no way that he could market the model himself. But by selling the designs to the governmental knightmare company, he made a decent amount of money that could be used to help startup the newly created LIC, Lamperouge Industrial Corporation. The majority of the Ashford Foundation's knightmare development branch had been folded into his company, minus a small portion that didn't want to continue and stay with the new fledgling company. Lelouch understood, and they were released with no hard feelings and a decent severance package. The current warehouse and manufacturing complex was being left as is, and would run independently for the near future, until Lelouch had a direction and need for it. His bank account as a Royal was more than enough for him to sustain the small company for now, but he would need to invest and expand within a few years.

Lelouch finished his ruminations as his small party arrived at his suite of rooms. The main room held a fireplace and a small sitting area, with three bedrooms branching off of it. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and walk in closest. Jeremiah had originally disagreed with having the same size room as his liege, and that he didn't need anything that fancy, but Lelouch argued that it would allow him to stay close and better protect the two of them. Jeremiah really couldn't argue that point, and submitted to his prince's will. After the three entered their suite of rooms, Lelouch bid Anya and Jeremiah good night and retired to his own room. He was tired and the grief was finally starting to catch up with him now that he was no longer furiously plotting.

After washing up and throwing on a pair of silk pajamas, he lay in bed and gazed at the few belongings he had saved from Aries. Most of the villa had burned down, but some of Lelouch and Nunnally's rooms had been untouched. From his own room he had taken a black king piece and two knights, the only remains of his favorite chess set. From Nunnally's room he recovered one of her white rabbit plushies, which was slightly blackened from the fire and soot. He also found a charred picture of the vi Britannia family, his mother in the center and his sister on her left, with his presence on the right being burnt out of the picture. Staring at the picture while curling around the plushy, Lelouch let the tears he had held back for days finally flow free, as he cried himself to sleep. Anya had snuck in later during the night and crawled in next to Lelouch, his presence anchoring her after her life was turned upside down. That was how Jeremiah found them when he checked in to wake them in the morning. He allowed himself a small smile, and let them sleep in a little longer.

Several days later, the morning looked down on the royal cemetery with a cloud filled sky. Around a freshly filled pair of graves, a small group stood in the drizzling rain. Two pairs stood under pink umbrellas and one under a black umbrella. Under one pink umbrella was a purple haired woman beside a pink haired girl. Under the other was a dark skinned, silver haired woman next to a girl with slightly lighter pink hair.

Cornelia and Euphemia li Britannia were the only other members of the royal family present. Clovis had sent his condolences, but he was unable to attend. Beside Anya was the second member of Lelouch's knights, one Villetta Nu. She had been a friend of Jeremiah's graduating class at the academy, and one of the guards that was present at the hospital during Lelouch's stay. She had a steadfast loyalty to Jeremiah after she was put into his debt during their academy days, after an event that neither of the two ever talked about. Jeremiah had called her up asking for her help to guard his prince, as he didn't want to trust the other members of Marianne's guard and was certain of her loyalty to himself and the fact she was in no way involved. She had become a member of Lelouch's knights after Jeremiah had called her up to thank her again for her assistance, which was how Lelouch found out. After asking about Villetta's prospects and finding that they weren't all that bright, he stole her away from her position in the city's guardsmen and added her to his now plural knights, for which she was grateful and now felt doubly indebted to Jeremiah. Ladder climber she may be, but Lelouch didn't mind in the least after getting Jeremiah's positive recommendation of her.

While the two pairs under the pink umbrellas walked back to the car, Jeremiah and Lelouch lingered a moment more. As he turned to leave, Lelouch noticed a woman standing a ways away under a tree. She was looking right at him, and he had the feeling that he should know her. What helped him make the connection was her lime green hair and the grey umbrella she was holding. He knew her, he'd seen her once before at Aries.

It had been a while ago, maybe a year or so, and he'd been running from his siblings again. Euphemia and Nunnally were trying to force him into another game of tea party, and he was desperately trying to hide. He eventually found himself in a spare bedroom near his mother's room. With the door closed and his breath held, he heard the two running off down the hall in the direction he'd been headed. He was about to leave when his nose picked up the scent of baked dough and Italian seasonings. He walked around to the other side of the room's four-poster bed, and saw a woman curled up on the ground. She was wearing a grey dress, and her green hair was spread out across the floor behind her. In front of her was a large circular tray, with a few slices of what were the remains of a rather large pizza. Looking back on it he was unsure why he did it, but he pulled the blanket from the bed and gently tucked it around her sleeping form. After that he bid a hasty retreat to his room to finish his interrupted chess game he'd been playing against himself.

Seeing her here at the cemetery brought up a few questions for the young prince. He sent Gottwald back and proceeded to the tree, his hair collecting water since he had sent Jeremiah with the umbrella. As he approached the woman, he could tell she remained relaxed as she leaned against the tree. The foliage kept the rain off of the pair. Stopping in front of her, Lelouch decided to let her speak first, so he looked at her and raised an eyebrow, communicating that he was curious about her presence. After a few minutes silence, she eventually spoke.

"Do you know who I am?" Her voice was smooth and lacking all emotion. Yet her eyes seemed as if they held something, a secret for him to discover.

"I do not, but I believe I can at least infer that you were a friend of my mother, both by your presence here and at the Aries Villa." The last bit caught her off guard, she wasn't aware that she had been seen by the young prince. Lelouch caught the shock in her eyes, and could see her gears turning, trying to figure out when he might have seen her. Lelouch didn't feel like waiting for her to figure it out, so he enlightened her. "I saw you once when you were sleeping. I wandered into a spare bedroom and chanced upon you sleeping on the floor." Her eyes lit up at that, suddenly recalling a time when she fell asleep and woke up snugly wrapped in a blanket with no idea how she'd so thoroughly tucked herself in.

"I see. As you guessed, I was indeed a close friend of your mother. And you've no doubt already concluded that I'm not here solely to pay my respects." Lelouch nodded at this, waiting for her to continue. "You see, I'm here to make an offer to you. I know who is responsible for your mother's death." He gave a small gasp, his hands clenching and his eyes brimming with sudden determination. Before he could ask anything, she continued, "They are high up in the court, and very powerful. It would be almost impossible to touch them. But I can help you. I can give you power that will help you get revenge on those who have wronged you. However, you are as of yet not ready for it. When you become strong enough, I will find you again, and then I will offer you my help."

Lelouch had much that he wanted to ask, but he merely nodded, and settled with two things. "Why are you helping me?" was the first question.

"Because Marianne was one of the few people that I could actually call my friend." He seemed satisfied with that answer. His next question, however, didn't leave him satisfied.

"What's your name?" At that, she snickered, and turned and began walking away.

"That, my dear Lelouch vi Britannia, is something you'll have to wait and find out."

He stood there for a minute, simply watching her walk through the rain. Then he turned and headed for the waiting car that would return him to the li Britannia estate.

"Who were you talking to, my lord?" Jeremiah asked as the now soaked prince stepped up beside the car.

"Just a friend." He said in a light voice, not hinting at what was discussed. After Jeremiah sat down across from him, the car pulled away, with the sky shedding the tears that the young prince did not.