Author's Note: So, first Code Geass fic. In advance, I apologize if the characters go in and out of character; I'm still trying to get a handle on them. That said, I'm aiming to give Nunnally a bit more backbone in this fic, because she needed it in the situation. Also, as a warning, I'm completely mucking with the idea of Geass, the basis will be explained in the first chapter, but I will do a summary at the end to prevent confusion. Finally, V.V. is still related to Charles, but he'll age normally.
Warnings: Character death, blood, violence, swearing, boyxboy, slight lemon
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or the movie, Tangled.
Practice to Deceive
Prologue: In the Beginning
Once there was a land filled with warring clans, each clan striving for an empty throne. Each wanted the power and wealth that would come from being High King and each wanted the chance to destroy all of their enemies. The war went on for many years without any clan claiming the throne; entire generations born and destroyed by the war.
Wanting the violence to stop, one of the dying clans sent out their last magician, the only one left who knew the ancient art. She was charged with the order to grant the power unto the clan that would rule them in peace and end the war. She was meant to go to their allies, but the girl didn't listen and spent years wandering through the country searching for the one that she could grant her gift to.
It was forty more years before she found the right clan and even then she concealed her power, riding into battle like any other member of the clan until she was sure. Only then did she approach the queen of the Britons to offer her the power. Their queen, Elizabeth- the third of that name to rule –was a kind and caring woman who wished only for the wars to end so that the killing would stop. The magician promised that her wish would come true. For a small price, Elizabeth would be granted a power that hadn't been seen for many generations, a power that would remain in her bloodline until they died out.
Seeing this as a way to end the suffering of her people, the queen agreed without asking what the terms of their contract would be.
Aided by the power, Elizabeth conquered the clans, building a new capital in the ancestral lands of the Britons and naming it Pendragon. Under her rule, the rest of the clan's lands were returned to their former glory, their clan leaders becoming noblemen who were loyal only to her. And there was peace, peace until the terms of the contract were revealed.
At the end of Elizabeth's life, the magician came again to her to reveal the terms of the contract and Elizabeth was horrified. To be sure that her clan was secure in their place and would never be threatened by magic again, the magician herself would have to be killed, for the magic could only be spread through her.
Not wanting to face anymore death, Elizabeth refused. To her surprise, the magician did nothing but issue a warning; that the violence and death would not stop as long as she lived because people would want the power that she possessed. Even Elizabeth's children would be in danger, for the strongest among them would prey on the weak. And Elizabeth's rule would be the end of complete peace.
Frightened by this prediction, Elizabeth ordered the magician away and the magician was never seen again.
In four years, the reign of Elizabeth the third came to an end, leaving behind two children; one from her first husband who was just entering manhood and another from her second husband who was merely ten.
For a short time, the peace remained. Then, Richard von Britannia, Elizabeth's second husband, grew jealous of his stepson's high position and his weak magic. Deciding that his own son would be better for the position, Richard had the young king assassinated and installed his own son on the throne, acting a regent until the boy grew older.
Thus was the line of Britannia started, the line of kings that the country soon was named after.
From then on there was no peace; the people were forced into near slavery, working for the benefit of the crown either as farmers or soldiers. The kings soon grew tired of their limited boundaries and started to expand, pushing into other countries and taking over their people. While this freed the Britannian people, the conquered countries' populations were reduced to little more than slaves, working to gain even half the rights the lowest peasant of Britannia had.
Rebellions started throughout the land, all of them trying to defeat the Britannians only to fail in the face of the royal magic. Some few tried to get a hold of the magic itself, only to fail in the end.
And so, Britannia and its providences settled into an uneasy lull.
"Charles it has to be done."
The Emperor straightened up on his throne, narrowing violet eyes. "It does not. That witch has been gone for months now."
"That means nothing in the end."
"It means everything!"
They both remained silent as the shout continued to echo around the deserted throne room, the young man clasping his hands in front of him, staring down Charles. "Do you want history to repeat itself, Charles? Do you want another Emblem of Blood to occur?"
Charles shivered, the fear in his eyes enough for the man. "Then this is the only way. Chose the strongest and rid yourself of the rest of them so they do not suffer. Do not give them the hope that they can become stronger because of the witch."
"I have told them nothing like that."
"They will assume, Charles, as the others did." The man raised an eyebrow before turning to the table that held the map of Britannia and her providences, tracing the boarder of Britannia with one delicate finger. "And then blood will stain this land again. I thought you wanted peace."
"I do."
"And yet, you still conquered Nippon." He tapped that section of the map.
"It was for progress."
"It was for your own greed." The man spun around to face Charles, scowling. "What do you mean to do with that country? Search for more witches like her? Then what? Will you destroy them as you are meant to? They are a poison on this land, Charles. They will destroy us with their promises of power and their contracts that they demand we fulfill. Or have you forgotten that you have one hanging over your head right now?"
"You step out of line!"
"No, Charles, I call your attention to things you don't want to think about!" The man glanced back towards the doors that led to the rest of the palace, taking a slow step forward. "Your consorts," the man spat the word out, "keep producing children. What will you do with them?"
"What I do with the others. Because I am their father and their means to the throne, they will remain loyal to me. And I will reward that loyalty by installing them in our providences to oversee the conversion to Britannian land."
"Which will just pit them against each other."
"It is what is best."
"It is what will lead to another series of assassinations." The man sighed and shook his head. "Don't you think brother?"
Charles tensed on his throne. "You go too far."
"Oh, I have not gone far enough." The man glanced back at the map before shaking his head. "I will give you two months, brother, to decide what you will do. Then, I will decide for you."
He turned and swept out of the throne room, leaving the emperor to slump in his throne with an expression of disbelief.
Lelouch opened his eyes, staring at the moonlight filtering through the window before smiling to himself. He carefully pulled the covers back from him, sitting up in bed and slipping his feet into the slippers that waited on the floor. He glanced around, grabbing the cloak that he had just gotten for his birthday last year, wrapping it around himself. Lelouch gave his room one last look over before smiling and clutching his cloak more tightly to him, padding towards the door.
He opened it carefully, gently pushing the door shut behind him and waiting in the stillness of the hall to see if anyone had noticed him. Knowing his father, there would be knights positioned in every shadow, as there had been since his uncle had disappeared.
Lelouch sighed and brushed his fingers over the fine fabric of the cloak, lingering over the strange, bird-like design that stretched across the top of the cloak. He shrugged and moved silently down the hall, sure that there was no one there. He could consider the strange design on his cloak later.
His trip down the hall wasn't long, just across the hall and three doors down to where his mother and little sister slept. Lelouch paused outside the door, looking to see if his half sister Cornelia or Sir Jeremiah were on guard, as they often were. To his surprise, no one was outside his mother's door.
Worried, Lelouch quickly slipped inside the room, quickly picking out the lump under the covers that was his mother. With a relieved sigh he shut the door. At least his mother was safe, which meant that his little sister was too. He looked over at the closet, seeing the pommel of the sword his mother had carried when she was a knight of the realm, nodding to himself before sneaking over to the crib where his sister was sleeping. If something were to happen, he would run to grab the sword and protect his mother and sister.
After all, his mother had made him promise to protect his little sister when he had first held her.
Lelouch smiled as he peered through the bars of the crib, watching his sister roll over in her sleep, opening her purple eyes to stare at him. It took her a moment before she smiled; giggling and reaching out for the finger that he had poked through the bars.
He smiled as his sister grabbed onto his finger, holding onto it tightly and using the hold to pull herself closer to the bars. Lelouch bit back a giggle, glancing around the room before leaning closer to whisper to her. "Sh, Nunnally. I'll get in trouble if mother finds out that I'm out of bed this late."
Nunnally tilted her head to the side. Lelouch returned the smile, taking a step closer to the crib. "If mother lets us, I'll show you my pony tomorrow. Maybe she'll let us go riding. Would you like that, Nunnally? You'd get to see the palace and the gardens. The flowers should still be in bloom, it's not too cold yet. And after riding, we can go and watch the knights train. It'll be fun."
"And what makes you so sure that I'll let you go out, Lelouch?" He gulped and turned to face his mother, trying to pull his finger away from Nunnally. Marianne gave him a stern look before reaching into the crib to pick up Nunnally, his sister releasing his finger as Marianne walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.
Lelouch hesitated by the crib before scrambling up to sit on the bed with his mother, ducking down into his cloak as she continued to glare at him. "What are you doing out of bed at this hour?"
He looked down at the floor, swinging his legs. "I…I couldn't sleep."
"That doesn't give you permission to-"
"I wanted to see Nunnally." Lelouch bit his lip. "I wanted to be sure that she was alright. I promised to protect her."
Marianne's stern expression disappeared, replaced by a smile. Lelouch looked up as she rested a hand on his head, gently ruffling her hair. "That's very noble of you. But you can't protect her if you're tired."
"But I couldn't sleep."
"Alright then, I have a deal for you." Lelouch scooted closer to his mother, Marianne wrapping an arm around him. "You can sleep in here for one night, just to see that Nunnally is perfectly safe. But you have to promise me that you won't go sneaking around at night again."
Lelouch nodded, about to agree to the promise when he frowned, staring at the door to his mother's rooms. "But what if Sir. Jeremiah and Cornelia aren't here again?"
Marianne stared at him, mouthing the word 'again' before standing up, holding Nunnally close as she walked towards the doors. Lelouch went to slide off the bed, stopped by a sharp motion with his mother's free arm. He swallowed and crawled to the center of the bed, watching as his mother slowly opened the doors.
She peered both ways down the hall, even walking out into the middle of the hall to look around before hurrying back in.
Lelouch was surprised when his mother passed him Nunnally, quickly moving his arms to hold her in the way that Marianne had taught him. It was harder now that she was no longer an infant; her first birthday had passed just a few days ago. He looked up as he saw his mother rush over to her closet, pulling on a cloak and buckling her sword around her waist. She then motioned for Lelouch to walk over, bending over to rest a hand on his shoulder. "Lelouch I need you to be brave."
"Why?"
"Because something is wrong." She gave his shoulder a squeeze when he whimpered. "Take Nunnally to that safe place we talked about and stay there."
"How long?"
"Until you are safe. Now go." She gave him a little shove into the hallway, Lelouch clutching his sister close for a moment before wrapping her in his cloak as well. He glanced back at his mother before walking quickly down the hall, trying to pretend like he belonged there.
He glanced back over his shoulder, sighing in relief when he saw that his mother was right behind him. For a moment, he had been afraid that she was going to make him do this on his own.
Lelouch looked back up as he heard the sound of someone walking towards them. He slipped into the shadows near the wall, watching as the knight walked past him. He was about to speak to the knight when he realized that he didn't recognize the person. Lelouch shivered, inching along the wall, trying to watch where he was going and keep an eye on the knight at the same time.
The knight reached where his mother was standing in the hall, the two of them having a quick discussion. Lelouch stopped and tensed up when he saw his mother begin to gesture more with her hands, a sure sign that she was angry at the knight. To his surprise, the knight shouted right back, drawing his sword before Marianne could do anything. "All hail Britannia!"
The knight stabbed Marianne through the stomach three times, Lelouch not aware that he had screamed until the knight turned around.
Lelouch stumbled back into the wall, whimpering as the knight pulled the sword out of his mother's stomach and began walking slowly towards him, blood dripping off the blade. Lelouch turned and ran as fast as he could, making sure to keep a good hold on Nunnally.
He slipped through the corridors of the palace, trying to take every short cut and secret passage that he knew. If he could stay ahead of the knight then they would be safe. He would just have to be brave like his mother had asked him to be. And he had to protect his little sister.
Lelouch glanced down at her, glad that she had remained quiet. He looked up at the sound of footsteps in the hall that he was running down. A smile crossed his face when he recognized his uncle standing at the end of the hall. "Uncle!"
His uncle turned to look at him, surprise crossing his face before he knelt to the ground, Lelouch running right into his arms. He didn't even know that he was crying until he tried to explain what happened.
"A…a knight…chasing me…"
He heard his uncle shift to look behind him. "There's no one there, Lelouch."
"B-but he killed her." Lelouch reached up with one hand to wipe the tears from his face. "He killed Mother!"
His uncle stared at him in shock before shaking his head and pulling Lelouch into a careful hug. Lelouch reached up to grip one of his uncle's arms. "I…I saved my sister…but…where should I go uncle?"
"Give her to me."
Lelouch started at that, pulling away from his uncle and holding Nunnally close. "What?"
"I said give her to me, Lelouch."
He shook his head. "Mother said to-"
"Your mother is dead!" Lelouch yelped as his uncle reached down and grabbed his hair, using the handhold to pull him close. "That bitch just complicated the problem. We needed a single ruler not a bunch of children to fight over the crown. You mother and father were fools to fall in love."
"Stop it! Let me go!"
"I will, as soon as you give me your sister."
"No!" Lelouch tried to jerk away, but his uncle kept him in place.
The man snorted and shook his head, reaching out to pull Nunnally from him, Lelouch no match for the grown man. "There, was that so hard?"
"Give her back!" He reached out for his sister. "I'm supposed to protect her."
His uncle snorted before letting go of his hair and giving him a hard kick in the ribs. Lelouch went sprawling into the wall. He gasped as he felt a sharp pain in his side, shaking his head and stumbling back to his feet. From far away, he could hear Nunnally crying, the sound encouraging him to try and move faster. He had promised his mother that he would protect her. Lelouch swayed in place, reaching out to press his hand against the wall before pushing off of it. "Give her back!"
He crossed the hall at a run, managing to get half the distance to his uncle before a knight came barreling out of one of the corridors, taking a look at him before shoving him into the wall.
Lelouch gasped, sliding down the wall. He wrapped one arm around himself, panting for breath as his vision blurred. He could barely make out the figures of the knight and his uncle walking down the hall away from him. He ducked his head, sucking in a few breaths through his teeth before using the wall to pull himself to his feet. Lelouch pressed a hand to keep himself balanced. With that hold, he began to walk down the hall.
He was too slow to keep up with his uncle and the knight, Lelouch managing to get himself to the corridors on the ground floor. He heaved a sigh, whimpering when his ribs complained with the move. He lifted his hand from the wall to wipe the tears away, nearly falling over as he lost his support.
What he needed now was a plan, he couldn't just keep chasing his uncle through the palace. He needed to think ahead to when his uncle would try to escape, which meant horses. Lelouch looked up from the ground with a smile, placing his hand back on the wall and continuing to limp down the corridor. He could take one of the passages out to the stables and find his pony, sure that he would be able to beat them out.
Lelouch nearly fell as his hand hit an empty space in the wall, smiling as he turned to slip into the passage. He realized the flaw in his plan quickly. He hadn't brought a candle with him and it was impossible to see where he was going. His mother had showed him the way to the stables earlier this year, as an escape route. But that had been with a light and with the comforting presence of his mother.
He reached for his cloak, wrapping it more tightly around him as a gust of cold air reached him. At least that let him know that he was close. Lelouch forced himself to step away from the wall, breaking into a stumbling run as he raced for the outside of the castle, tripping over the step down from the passage and sprawling onto the ground.
He groaned and pushed himself upright, gasping when he saw two horses galloping out of the palace's courtyard, guards beginning to rush into the palace. "Nunnally!"
Lelouch tried to get up onto his hands and knees, only to have his arms give out. He gave a short sob as there was a sharp pain from his ribs. He pressed his forehead against the ground, waiting a moment to catch his breath again. He couldn't be weak, couldn't give up here. He had to protect Nunnally.
He took a deep breath before attempting to get to his feet again, falling to his stomach again. Lelouch groaned, shaking his head before propping himself up on his hands and knees. As much as it hurt his pride, he would have to crawl. How he would be able to get on his pony would be a problem that he would figure out later. Hopefully there would a wall or a bucket that he could use.
The sound of footsteps made him look up, Lelouch taking a moment to focus on the distance to the stable and feeling his heart sink. It looked so far away. He shook his head, turning to look at the person who had come up behind him.
His eyes widened as he stared at the strange woman that was standing behind him, flipping over to his back to get a better look at her. She tipped her head to the side, her green bangs falling over her golden eyes. "You're Marianne's son."
"Who are you?" Lelouch tried to keep the tremble out his voice, wincing and pressing a hand to his ribs as the effort of speaking. "I demand to know who you are."
"Demand all you want, little prince, you still won't get your answer." She turned to look back at the palace and narrowed her eyes before sighing. "It's not safe out here. You should go back."
"I can't! They took Nunnally." Lelouch shifted, hating that he was kneeling in front of the girl, but it was as upright as he could get. "I have to get her back."
"Have to?"
"I promised my mother!"
His outburst caused a flash of interest in the girl's eyes, Lelouch made a bit uneasy by the sudden show of emotion. "Do you usually keep your promises?"
Lelouch blinked before nodding, leaning back as the girl smiled at him. "Then I have a deal for you, little prince. If I help you find your sister, will you help me?"
He stared at her for a moment, tipping his head to the side. "How can you help me?"
She smirked, bending over to rest her fingers against the left side of his face. "I give you something to ease your way in finding her. But it will take a while."
"As long as I can get her back safe."
"Fine." Lelouch yelped in surprise as the girl easily picked him up, struggling in her hold once he realized what had happened. "Stop or I'll drop you."
Lelouch shot a glare at her before going still, allowing her to carry him over to a horse that was standing quietly in the shadows of the barn. She helped him into the saddle before mounting the horse, holding him in front of her. Lelouch wanted to remind her that he was perfect capable of staying on a horse and that he hadn't ridden like this since he was little, but a stab of pain from his ribs encouraged himself to remain silent on the matter.
He turned his head to the side, surprised when they took the route to one of the side entrances to the palace. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
"But…Nunnally…"
"Going after her now would be useless. You're in no condition to face them, overlooking the fact that you are merely a boy."
Lelouch bristled at that. "I'm a prince."
"A boy." She repeated the phrase again. "Now be silent. I can tell already you're going to annoy me."
Lelouch's mouth dropped open in shock, already coming up with a retort. After a moment of consideration, he snapped his mouth shut, settling for staring at the horse's ears. He could tell that she would annoy him.
As I said in the initial author's note, I'm changing the idea of Geass around a bit. Geass is going to be the proper name of the type of magic that the Britannia family uses but, like in the show, it manifests differently in everyone in the family.