Chapter 2: Mustering

[Principality of Euro Britannia; New Pendragon]

Lelouch and Figneria disembarked side-by-side from the flagship Avalon, proceeded by his Praetorian Guard; consisting of 80 Infantry forming a 'Centuria', lead by a 'Centurion.' C.C. followed a step behind the pair. The trio soon entered a carriage as their escorts mounted their horses.

Next to the docks were numerous warehouses filled with goods, ranging from food, to luxury items awaiting shipment to Osterode in the North and then East, or to Lebus and Legnica to the South and beyond. Next to the warehouses was a small town where the dock workers and fishermen lived. Together they made up the port city on the western coast, which controlled access to the sea. Most of the docks served as a naval base for Lelouch's immense fleet of galleys. Numerous shipsheds lined the military docks where the galleys could dragged out of the water and stored during winter to protect them from both the elements, as well as to partically dry out their waterlogged timbers.

Beyond the port city, the forest to the east had been cleared over the past decade and turned into farmland to feed the populous. Past that was the Principalitie's capital, where the vast majority of his people resided and where his palace – the 'Palatial Villa' – and the Senate were based. The 'Castra Praetoria;' the Praetorian Guard's barracks stood a short distance from the city. The rest of the population was scattered around the capital forming small towns and villages, cultivating farmland and hunting game. Each town – including the port and the capital – were arranged in a traditional square grid layout typical of Britannian settlement.

Despite being the core of political power of the Principality, the port, capital and barracks, all three areas had a rough temporary appearance featuring numerous signs of recent expansion. Construction had only started 10 years ago, therefore their shabbiness when compared to the long established cities of Zhcted as the temporary wooden structures were quickly replaced with brick.

Beyond the Principality further east and south, were the numerous nomadic tribes of the wild men of the North whom never lingered in one location for long.

When they reached their destination, the three exited the carriage. Lelouch dismissed the Centurion who led his legionnaires to the Castra Praetoria for rest and reassignment. Lelouch frequently rotated his personal escort with other units within the Praetorian Guard to minimize signs of favoritism and keep the Guard unified, even Figneria and Gottwald who practically shadowed him everywhere also rotated duties; one guarded his person, and the other guarded his family at all times. Figneria and C.C. followed Lelouch into the Palatial Villa where they were met by Lelouch's other wives; Millicent Ashford, known affectionately as Milly, and Kallen Stadtfeld along with his daughter Aelia.

Milly had back length blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. She wore a yellow silk stola; a long, pleated dress with long sleeves and an ornamental border around the neckline, worn over a slip. A separate piece of fabric with many folds was sewn into the hem of the stola creating the illusion of another gown being worn beneath. Kallen was a head shorter than Milly, with shoulder length red hair and grey blue eyes, and was dressed much the same in a maroon stola. They both wore a pair of belts, the first of which was worn just below their ample bosoms, and the second, wider belt was worn around their waist creating a great number of folds between them.

They were the daughters of the two most influential families in the Principality; the Ashfords, and the Stadtfelds. Their marriage to Lelouch both consolidated his power as Imperator, and unified the most powerful factions under his rule.

His daughter Aelia was there to greet them as she dashed forward to meet him, he embraced her warmly. Aelia took after her mother, Kallen, with a head of dark red hair.

"Welcome back, you three." Milly greeted them warmly.

Both Milly age 22, and Kallen 21, had been married to Lelouch for 7 years. Behind them stood Milly's lady-in-waiting; Nina.

The pair of them embraced their husband warmly, before greeting the others. Kallen embraced C.C. and then Figneria in a sisterly manner. However, when Milly's turn came… She drew C.C. into a deep passionate kiss, C.C. reciprocated with equal fervor. When they separated at long last, Milly fixed her lustful gaze on Figneria. Before Figneria could retreat, Milly wrapped her arms around her. "Were you able to keep our dear husband out of trouble?" Milly asked.

Caught in Milly's embrace, Figneria squirmed responding, "Depends on how you define trouble." She was acutely aware of Milly's hand roaming across her hips, fondling her rear. 'Seriously, this woman…' She thought with an expression of exasperation as Milly locked lips with hers.

Kallen rolled her eyes at the display, Milly made no secret of her attraction to other women and could be quite grabby, both she and Figneria often found themselves a favorite – yet reluctant – target of Milly's because of 'the cute noises they made when she fondled them,' when she wasn't harassing her lady-in-waiting.

"Where's Artur?" Lelouch asked, unfazed by her antics having long become accustomed to it. "I thought he would be here with you to greet us."

Milly broke off the kiss to answer him though she continued to vigorously fondle Figneria. "He's in the atrium training with Sandra."

"I see. Those two have really hit it off." He remarked. Lelouch turned to Figneria. "You coming?"

She nodded. "Of course." She had been 19 when they had first met 4 years ago when he had hired her as a discrete bodyguard during his introduction at Zhcted's royal court during which she had thwarted an attempted assassination against him.

"I'll accompany you." C.C. also offered. He had known her for the entirety of his life as she had been a close friend and confident of his mother; Marianne, prior to her death and their exodus from the homeland. It had been C.C. who had urged him to flee across the sea with as many vassals, soldiers and ships as he could muster on short notice and had served as his adviser since he was 11 years of age.

"Let's give her the good news then." Lelouch told them. Eventually Figneria managed to somewhat disentangle herself from Milly's grasping hands, though she continued to cling to Figneria with all the tenacity of a limpet. The group proceeded into the courtyard.

The royal villa's open courtyard was spacious enough to both receive large groups of visitors and can double as a private training ground. Within, Sandra and Artur were exchanging strikes under the watchful eye of the Praetorian Prefect; Jeremiah Gottwald, commander of the Praetorian Guard, both were armed with wooden practice swords and wicker shields covered in animal hide as Artur clumsily exchanged strikes with Sandra.

Gottwald noticing Lelouch's presence prepared to call a halt to the match only to stop when Lelouch signaled him to let it continue.

Lelouch never tired of watching her train and spar, it was clear to him that she had inherited her mother's martial prowess and talent. Despite her skill however, she appeared to have some difficulty with her shield, particularly in regards to its size.

Despite being a year younger, Sandra was able to move and trade strikes with the ease of long practice having no trouble overwhelming her older boy's defenses, like her mother, she had begun training at an early age to be self-sufficient. Artur, though older, had only recently begun sword training and that was only because Sandra was also received training.

Eventually, the match came to an end, as to be expected; the more experienced Sandra was victorious over her older half brother.

She started at the sound of Lelouch applauding them. "Well done, both of you." He praised them.

"Papa!" Artur ran to his father who swept him up into a hug. Sandra hung back however.

"Welcome back, Imperator." She greeted him with a formal bow. At this Lelouch let out a sigh.

"There's no need to be so formal, my daughter." Lelouch gently admonished her. "Is it really that hard to call me father?"

At 5 years of age, Aleksandra (Sandra) was the spitting image of her mother Alexandra (Sasha), the result of a brief tryst between Lelouch and Sasha during their youth – after the initial encounter between Zhcted and Lelouch's Principality – making Artur (age 6) her half-brother.

"Ah, no… father." She said bashfully. Sandra had been raised for 5 years at her mother's Principality of Legnica in the south. That wasn't to say that he hadn't been involved in her early life, though his duties as Imperator kept him away in the north most of the time, he periodically visited them each year. Last year however, when Sasha's illness began to adversely affect her, she sent her daughter to live with her father.

His wives had welcomed her, and cared for her as one of their own. Despite their efforts, Sandra still felt like stranger in a foreign country and had become somewhat estranged from her extended family, except for the former mercenary; Figneria whom she had a particularly strong synergy with.

Lelouch smiled. "Much better." He beckoned her over to him where he embraced her lovingly. "We'll soon be departing to Legnica," He told her. "Make sure you're ready when we set sail."

Later that night, Lelouch was in the master bedroom with his wives; Milly and Kallen. Having just finished making love to Milly, he held her close as they came down from the euphoria. Lying next to them on the bed Kallen waited patiently for them to catch their breath.

Milly had a shapely figure with plenty of curves, whereas Kallen was lean and though her bosom was smaller she was still rather busty. Not even the stretch marks on their stomachs and breasts – a clear indicator of prior pregnancies – could detract from their beauty. Lelouch had been blessed with three children from each of them; Artur; age 6, and two girls; ages 4 and 2 with Milly, and Aelia; age 6, and two boys; ages 4 and 2 with Kallen, for a total of six.

"So the legion will face Brune for the first time." Kallen remarked to pass the time.

"Indeed, we are to join up with Zhcted's forces at Legnica before marching into Brune." Lelouch told them.

"So what brought this about?" Kallen inquired, "It's not like you to pick random fights for so little gain, and you're usually more calculated than that, much to Legate Kewell's frustration."

"C.C. foresaw something that concerns Elen." He told them.

"Elen you say? Where she is, your old crush and tutor; Lim is never far. Honestly, I thought you would've wed her ages ago." Milly's tone became mischievous. "So, when are you and Lim going to stop making bedroom-eyes at one another, and do it already?"

"She has her responsibilities to Elen." He pointed out.

"Tina also has responsibilities," Milly countered. "That never stopped you from sleeping with her. What about Elen, it's been what, two years already since she became a Vanadis?"

"Her predecessor only lasted two years as I recall." Kallen interjected.

"She's still young, and not ready to settle down yet, she's having too much fun managing her Principality. Perhaps in another year or so." Lelouch mused, feeling melancholic; he had been close with Elen's predecessor before she had met her unfortunate end.

"Ha! A likely story. You just can't pursue those two as aggressively as the others because they're already familiar with your character." Milly pointed out with a Cheshire cat grin. "They'll see right through you instantly. To think that's all it takes to take the wind out of your sails."

He grimaced; she had him dead to rights. It's hard to act suave when they knew you too well.

"I take it that by 'something,' you mean you're going to take care of it before it becomes a problem. Right?" Kallen Inferred, getting them back on topic.

"That is my intention." Lelouch confirmed his expression became conspiring. "As for the gains, Tina tipped me off on something of great value to our future objectives." The private council of his wives had always been of great value to him, particularly in regard to his Principality's future. Though their marriage was originally political, he had grown to love both of them dearly. It was with their blessing that he could court the Vanadis at all, even if the first instance just kind of happened spontaneously by accident.

Milly and Kallen glanced at one another. "Is this before, or after you had sex with her?" Milly asked. Both of them were well aware of his affair with Valentina, neither of which really minded. For the Principality's continued prosperity and survival, courting the Vanadis – in one manner or another – was essential, and Milly was more than happy to allow it provided that Lelouch shared his conquests with her.

He frowned. "Before. Why?"

"Careful Lelouch," Kallen cautioned. "You know she has her own agenda, and she has enough comprehension of your objectives that she knows that it would be easier to get you to commit to hers if she becomes pregnant."

She was right, the 'Estes' part Valentine's name denoted her being a relation of the Zhcted royal family which she shared with the current King; Victor Arthur Volk Estes Tur Zhcted, though her claim to Zhcted's throne wasn't as strong as his nephew Duke Ilda Kurtis, or Earl Eugene Shevarin who married Victor's niece.

If Lelouch had gotten Tina pregnant with an heir uniting his bloodline with hers, Lelouch would've gone to great lengths to ensure that their child would inherit Victor's throne.

Victor however unpopular he was wasn't an idiot. The moment he got wind that Valentine was pregnant with Lelouch's child, he would suspect them of attempting to seize the throne, and would mobilize both Zhcted's army and the Vanadis against both of them. Suffice to say those conditions were unfavorable for the two of them at this point in time. Thus, Lelouch had held off having children with her while maintaining their relationship these past few years.

It was this very scenario that his wives were cautioning him against.

"I'm aware." He reassured them. "I'm being careful."

"We all saw how careful you were with Sasha." Kallen remarked. "Lucky for you, everyone assumed that you were executing your right as the victor to have your way with her. If they thought you had an ulterior motive things could've turned out badly for us."

"That… was an accident."

"A happy accident, you don't even regret it." Milly teased.

She had him there. In spite of their estrangement he still recognized, and loved Sandra, as his daughter. Of course she wasn't the only other child he had, in addition to Aleksandra there were five others bringing the total to twelve.

"What's with the two of you ganging up on me?" Lelouch demanded, though there was no heat to his words, instead there was a hint of mischief. "Is this a subtle hint that I'm not giving you two enough attention, hmmm?"

"You've being giving plenty of 'attention' to Tina these past few years." Kallen mildly complained.

"In his defense, even back then she wasted no time inviting him to her private chambers." Milly pointed out.

"And he was quick to take her up on—! Hey? Not so sudden!" Kallen gasped in surprise when Lelouch pulled her down on top of him and found herself straddling him as he kissed her.

Unwilling to be left out, Milly threw herself on top of her, wrapping her arms around Kallen's waist as Milly pressed herself against Kallen's back, effectively sandwiching her between the two of them. "Milly! You're heavy." Kallen protested against Milly's added weight.

It was going to be a long night.

[Principality of Legnica; Port Town]

Prior to Lelouch's arrival, a messenger from the port town had announced the arrival of the fleet not long after it was sighted. Lelouch's fleet of 128 triremes transporting both soldiers and horses, excluding his flagship, caused a stir everywhere it went; it was one of the largest fleets in the North Sea rivaled only by Asvarre's. However, while the numbers looked good on paper, one would wonder why they hadn't been commited to cracking down on Avarre pirates. Many of these worn out galleys were over a decade old having carried the Britannians throughout their exodus from their homeland to this new continent, their water laden timbers made them too slow to keep pace with lighter ships and sluggish to maneuver. No longer able to perform to the standard essential for ship-to-ship combat, they were converted into troop transports ferrying soldiers from one port to the next.

Disembarking from his flagship, the Avalon, accompanied by Figneria, C.C, Sandra and two centuries - 160 men - of his Praetorian Guard, Lelouch was greeted by the port town's mayor. Meanwhile Legatus Kewell's legion, auxiliaries and supply wagons disembarked from the other ships.

Once the army formed up outside the town they began their march eastward. It was a short march from the port to Legnica's Imperial Mansion where the Leitmeritz army temporarily resided as they awaited their allies to join them. The ships would remain at dock until their return.

Surrounded by his Praetorian Guard, Lelouch and his retinue rode at the head of the column alongside Kewell and his second-in-command Praefectus Dorothea Ernst.

Kewell Soresi rode on the opposite side of Figneria – who shared a saddle with Sandra seated in front of her – suffice to say the two didn't get along, frankly he didn't like anyone who wasn't Britannian by birth, though technically Figneria was currently a full citizen of Britannia and had been for some time now. In spite of his dislike for Figneria, he would not give up his pride of place within the Imperator's retinue. It would reflect poorly on him if remained away from the retinue for any reason other than performing his official duties as Legate (General).

In his early 30's, Kewell was not only ambitious, but had strong opinions about how he thought the Principality should be governed and would have appointed himself Imperator if not for C.C. who vocalized her support for Lelouch's appointment in spite of his youth – he had been 11 years old at the time – as an Augur, C.C's words carried weight, many of the citizens present had interpreted her declaration as a sign that Lelouch was favored by the gods, Kewell may well have dismissed her words had history not been prevalent with many would-be rulers who ignored an Augur's advice often suffered from some form of disaster, thus their reign cut short.

Since his inauguration, both Lelouch and Kewell had worked amicably enough together to build and defend their new home for 6 years, which was until Lelouch returned from Zhcted with Figneria in tow 4 years ago. However, her presence among his retinue hadn't been the cause of the discord between them, in fact upon arrival Kewell barely paid her any mind, which changed when Lelouch had announced her special status. Since then Kewell had been hostile towards Figneria, and became a bigger headache for Lelouch to deal with with each passing year.

Lelouch would've preferred to have left Kewell back in the Principality but knew that in denying him a chance to distinguish himself in battle would only make him a bigger pain in the ass in the future. Whether allowing Kewell to blow off steam in the upcoming battle would calm, or embolden him, remained yet to be seen. Fortunately preserving the strength of the legions was something they could both agree on to this present day, so Lelouch needn't worry about him acting recklessly.

After a couple days marching, they reached Legnica's Capital. With the Manor insight Lelouch's army set up camp outside the city under Kewell's supervision while he, his retinue and his Praetorian Guard continued towards the Manor.

[Principality of Legnica; Imperial Manor]

After entering the manor grounds, they were received by the manor's minister and Lelouch left the bulk of his Praetorian Guard waiting in the courtyard. Only a 'Conturbenium' (squad) of 8 men accompanied his retinue inside the palace itself, despite being on good terms, they were ushered into to a waiting room. He would've been fine with just taking Finé and C.C. with him, however, neighboring nobles within Zhcted frequently hired assassins and infiltrators to sneak into a Vanadis' Principality and Imperial Manor to cause trouble.

'Though, there's been little activity from them here since Sasha became bedridden last year.' Lelouch noted, most likely the nobles had withdrawn most of them from Legnica as removing Sasha could see her being replaced with a new, healthy and proactive Vanadis, revitalizing Legnica. It was safe to say that the nobility preferred Legnica to remain in its current lethargic state.

"If you would wait here a moment, I will see if Lady Alexandra is well enough to receive you." The minister informed them.

Two of the guards followed them in, the remaining six stayed out in hall positioning themselves to either side of the door. Inside, Lelouch was met with two familiar faces. Two seated women, dressed in blue, one with a feather ornament in her silver white hair, and the other's a golden blonde tied to the left side.

"Auntie Elen!" Sandra squealed in delight. The girl ran into the woman's awaiting arms.

"Goodness, I can't believe it's been a year since I last saw you." Eleonora Viltaria was Leitmeritz's War Maiden; 'The Wind Princess of the Silver Flash.' Cheerful and brimming with confidence, she had all the physical signs of albinism; from her argent hair, to her ruby red eyes, and her milk-white skin. Her exotic appearance when combined with the rich curves of her body gave the impression of a marble sculpture. "You've grown." She said as fussed over the girl. The other woman stood from her chair.

Both women wore a blue, sleeveless shirt that left their shoulders and smooth stomachs bare, a short skirt secured around their waist with a wide black leather belt, and long gloves which reached up to their elbows, and boots up to their knees. Though not thick, their clothes were made of several fine-quality fabrics. Neither wore armor, and only Elen was armed with her silver long sword, unsurprising as they were currently within friendly territory, Leitmeritz had a good relationship with Legnica after all.

"It's good to see you again, your highness." Limalisha was tall, lean and toned. She bowed formally to Lelouch, though she was Elen's adjutant and had no noble title having being born a commoner; she was more eloquent than Elen and infinitely more diplomatic. As such any occasion that required Elen to have lengthy civil conversation with anyone that she rather put a sword through required Lim's presence as a mediator, if only to avoid weapons being drawn.

Ignoring Elen's faux pas, Lelouch approached her. "You needn't be so formal, my old teacher." Sofy may have taught him to read the Zhcted language, but it had been Lim who had taught him how to speak it years before. Reaching out, he gently clasped her chin and tilted her head back to look into azure blue eyes causing her blush lightly.

"You've gotten bigger, Lim." He observed. Her current posture also gave him an unobstructed view down the front of her shirt and the bountiful cleavage it contained. Despite her slender frame she had an uncharacteristically large bosom for someone of her tall stature. While she was an unmistakably beautiful woman, however, her scarce expressions gave her face a hard look, leaving an unsociable impression on most people. Fortunately, Lelouch had known her long enough to know that Lim mostly expressed her emotions through her eyes instead.

Red-faced, Lim pulled away from him suddenly and covered her chest with her arms. "Why are you fixated on my chest all the sudden?" She demanded embarrassed.

"Just making an observation." Lelouch teased stepping forward to embrace her warmly, hugging her tightly. Eventually she returned his embrace.

There was a burst of laughter from Elen. "I must say, I thought so as well."

"Lady Eleonora!" Lim rebuked her superior as Lelouch released her.

However it did nothing to damper Elen's mood. If there was one thing that both he and Elen agreed upon, it was that there was nothing more amusing than teasing a flustered Lim. Elen got up from her seat and stood before Lelouch with a air of confident, hands posed on her hips. "So, what do you think?"

Most aristocrats would have found Elen candor offensively rude. For Elen however, decorum was for when she was exerting her authority as a Vanadis of Leitmeritz, or if she had to deal with someone she didn't like but was required to be polite to nonetheless. A lack of decorum from Elen indicated that you were either her best friend, or that you were so intolerable that she couldn't be bothered to feign respect. Fortunately, having known her since her mercenary days, Lelouch knew that currently it was an expression of affection.

"You've blossomed, Elen." He said in admiration. "To think that two years ago you were barely out of girlhood. Now look at you."

"I know right." She preened at his approval puffing out her chest. The action was enough to make bosom bounce slightly, while not as large as Lim's they were still substantial. At 16 years old, in a couple of years she may yet catch up to Lim who was 19. Indeed, it looked as if Elen would only grow more beautiful over the next couple of years. The two embraced.

When they separated, both Elen and Lim turned their attention to the remainder of his retinue; Figneria and C.C.

"It's been a year, Finé." Elen greeted the older woman, beside her Lim bobbed her head. The three women shared a surprising history together from their mercenary days over 2 years ago. Like Figneria, both Elen and Lim were formerly mercenaries however, unlike Figneria whom had been independent; they had been a part of a mercenary band. "I'm surprised to see you still swinging a sword around." She added teasingly.

"Motherhood has yet to slow me down." Figneria grinned wolfishly at Elen. "Even after having two kids, I'm still more than capable of kicking your ass." Elen may be a Vanadis, but her mercenary career had been rather short in comparison to that of her friend Limalisha, and even more so in comparison to Figneria's, even she couldn't dismiss the skill of a seasoned combat veteran of Finé's caliber. It was often a wonder that she hadn't been chosen to be one of them, but no-one fully understood the Virald's reasoning.

"I bet. We'll have to find time spar in the future." Elen glanced over to C.C. "And you look the same as ever under that hood, seriously how old are you now?" She inquired peering under C.C's hood.

C.C. shrugged a teasing smile played on her lips. "Who knows? This one's certainly not bothered counting." She said prodding Lelouch in the back.

With pleasantries exchanged they seated themselves, Lelouch and his retinue sitting across from Elen and Lim, with Sandra seated in Elen's lap. Elen got down to business. "So I understand that you will be joining us in settling our dispute with Brune."

"Yes." Lelouch nodded. "Valentina wasn't well enough to march, so I offered to go in her stead."

"Wasn't well enough?" Elen mused skeptically.

"That's the reason she gave me." He answered honestly. Tina had a constant habit of making excuses that prevented her from carrying out the King's exact orders, mostly citing poor health, but her condition didn't appear to be nearly as bad as Sasha's. Elen couldn't help but feel that she was merely unreliable.

"Is that so? That is rather generous of you. While I'm happy to fight alongside you, I'm surprised; normally you don't bring your legions this far south. How many did you bring?" When it came down to it in the end Tina's reasoning wasn't her business, so she let it go.

"One Legion accompanied by one of my Auxiliaries." Lelouch told her. "C.C. assures me that the conditions are favorable."

They glanced at the robed priestess, and then at each other. They both were familiar enough with his culture to know that when C.C. spoke, Lelouch listened. "They're a welcome addition, it's nearly twice as many as we've brought." Lim said.

There was a knock on the door, and the minister entered. "Lady Alexandra will receive you now."

Lelouch nodded to the minister. "We'll continue this conversation later." He stood from his seat. "Come Sandra."

The two of them followed the minister out and down the hall.

The minister escorted them to Sasha's room; pausing outside the door the minister addressed them. "I'm certain that she would be delighted to see you both, however, please stop after half a koku (1 hour). I will be back to collect you then."

The two of them entered the room. It was a simple room with the minimal amount of furniture and a simple decorated window showing the winter. There was also an unlit brick fireplace. The room was bright, lit by the sunlight which shone through the window, as well as the candle holder near the bed. However, with regards to furniture, the furnishings were the barest of the bare, and plainly colored at that.

"Mama!" Sandra raced over to embrace the woman sitting up in the bed.

Dressed in white, 'The Hidden Princess of the Luminous Flame;' Alexandra Alshavin – called Sasha by those close to her – had short black shoulder length hair and her narrow face gave her a neutral presence. Her skin was pale and she was more on the lean side. In her lap on top of the blanket were two curved short swords. Above their white hilts and finely decorated black cross guards with a single diamond shaped ruby embedded in each of them, the blades shone with a brilliant gold and red which radiated a mild heat. The blades were rather short, and their sole distinguishing factor was their gold and vermilion colors. These were her Virald; Bagren.

"Welcome back, Sandra." Sasha hugged her back. "You appear to be doing well." She spoke with a mild, masculine tone an old habit from when she masqueraded as a boy while traveling alone during her youth.

Both mother and daughter chatted for a quarter of a koku (half an hour) while he took a seat in a nearby chair.

"Why don't you go back to the other room for now?" She told Sandra, when she hesitated momentarily she followed up with. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later, though you'll have few opportunities to see Elen."

With a reluctant nod she left the room leaving the two of them alone. "How is she doing?"

"She has been doing fine for the most part," Lelouch informed her as he moved from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed. "The rest however, is in due course."

"I see." She said sadly as he sat down next to her on edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It can't be helped." He told her, "She knows few people in the Principality, and vice versa. My household has accepted her without issue, but, that only helps so much with those outside of it. Most aren't sure what to make of her."

Sandra's social status amongst his household was somewhat ambiguous in that she wasn't in line for succession like his other children, officially it was because she had inherited her mother's blood disease, and unofficially it was to protect her from the political intrigues and power struggles that plagued every country. Even his Principality wasn't immune, though current circumstances kept them reasonably quiet as they didn't have the means to enforce their views at this point in time and Lelouch wanted it to stay that way for a time. "Speaking of my household, Milly and Kallen send their regards."

Leaning down, Lelouch kissed her passionately and began pawing at her blouse; she broke the kiss when he managed to undo a number of buttons. "Hey. hey! The maids will be upset if you rumple my clothes." Ignoring her protests he trailed kisses along her cheek, down her neck and chest. He noticed that she had lost more weight since last time and was worryingly thin.

"I couldn't help myself." He told her. "You're as beautiful as ever."

"This from same person who abducted me from the battlefield all those years ago? You always were a flatter." She responded sarcastically. The look she gave him called him a 'liar,' she knew that he was checking her condition. In short, he was worried about her, not that she minded the attention as his hand explored the contents of her blouse. Had it really been a year since they last flirted?

"At the time I was merely curious about the Vanadis, back then all we knew of the War Maidens of Zhcted were the ghost stories of the northern tribes of the 'Thunder Witch' who'd create freak storms, or 'the ghostly Shadow Sorceress' who would appear without warning within the walls of villages that have locked up for night and reap your soul with her deadly scythe." He recounted in a mock spooky tone. What he was describing was a perfect fit for the two particular Virald's; Ezendeis of Osterode in the East, and Valitsaif of Lebus in the South. "Of course, at time we learned this, none tribes could irrefutably prove they existed. So we were naturally skeptical."

"We didn't even have an accurate count of your numbers, so when you were first brought before me I honestly wasn't sure what to expect. The Vanadis of Lebus whom accompanied you back then was a confirmation of the tribes' warnings, but there was no mention of one wielding dual swords that emitted flames." Lelouch recalled, "We weren't sure at the time if you were a similar existence, or something different entirely. I most certainly hadn't expected to become so enamored with you so soon after our initial meeting."

She fixed him with a pointed look. "Indeed, I do recall your haphazard attempts at interrogation, which would be better described as flirting for the duration that I was your prisoner."

Because the Principality of Euro Britannia was an unknown kingdom to Zhcted, and its neighbors, there were no diplomatic channels for which to negotiate a ransom for her release, and her homeland had most likely having written her off for dead. The fate of a captured Vanadis often wasn't much different from that of a female mercenary after all. As such, given her situation she had expected to spend the rest of her days as the young imperator's slave and plaything. Surprisingly however, he had been rather civil towards her, more curious than malicious, and her imprisonment in the Principality had only been temporary as later that year she would be released and follow him when he marched south again with a smaller retinue, and help facilitate an invitation to Zhcted's royal capital; Silesia, where Lelouch would formally present himself before King Victor and the royal court.

Lelouch had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. "I admit my priorities at the time were a bit conflicted."

"I'll say. I could hardly tell if I was prisoner, or an esteemed guest." She recalled, "On the one hand I as sleeping in a fancy bed, in an equally fancy bedroom. I even got to eat at banquets fit for a king, while wearing exquisite dresses. While on the other hand my weapons were confiscated, and I was wearing manacles around both my hands and feet. At the time I wasn't sure if you were grooming me to be your mistress, or that it was some strange fetish you had to torment me with, Lelouch."

"I don't recall you complaining... Much." He pointed out.

"I was expecting to be ravaged by some barbarian warlord." She replied sarcastically, and then she narrowed her eyes at him. "Instead I wound up the plaything of your perverted wife, and courted as captive date by some newly minted Imperator who'd come down with a serious case of lovesickness."

"She didn't mean any harm, although I wish she'd held back a little. To be fair, back then we'd only recently been married, so I wasn't yet aware of all the particulars of Milly's personality."

"That she likes women, and has an insatiable libido, you mean." She interjected. "I'm not sure whether to be relieved it was woman and that I retained my chastity, or mortified that she completely overwhelmed any resistance I possessed."

"The Ashford's did a surprisingly good job of keeping those aspects of her quiet." Lelouch remarked. "Even Kallen wasn't aware until it was far too late, poor girl."

As much as he had matured over the years, it was at times like these that she saw in him the young man that she had fallen for all those years ago. Gazing into each other's eyes, it was evident that the spark that had brought them together 5 years ago was still there. Tilting her head back slightly Lelouch leaned in for another kiss, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Times up.

"I could've sworn we had more time." Lelouch grumbled as he quickly helped her button up her blouse.

"Sometimes I think he does it on purpose." Sasha said with mirth. As predicted, the minister was quick to notice her disheveled state and proceeded to scold Lelouch on the maids' behalf, all the while Lelouch stood there with a impish expression on his face that said he'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

The next day, Lelouch and Elen led their respective armies into Brune.

End of chapter 2.

A/N: First off, thank you to everyone who voted for this fic on my poll, I never expected it turn into a landslide. Also thank you to everyone who left a review, and/or followed/favorited this fic, those are always encouraging to see.

This chapter we get a look at Lelouch's budding empire, as many may recall from the previous chapter it's only been around for 10 years. Like the Roman Legions they were based on, Lelouch's legions double as combat engineers and building public works during peacetime was a common practice which was how he was able to establish this much so quickly. We are also introduced to his wives and a few of his children, as well as an insight into his complicated relationships with the various Vanadis of Zhcted, and there is more to be revealed later.

Next up is the battle of Dinant Plains and the first major divergence from canon.

As always, any reviews you leave will be gratefully appreciated, and if you haven't already, check out my poll on my profile as well as any of my other fics that may take your fancy.