BLANKET DISCLAIMER: I would just like to say, that I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form (It's Sunrise's and Clamp's). I also don't own any characters from Sarah J Maas. Any ideology pertaining to Assassin's Creed is not mine either (it's Ubisoft's). But references about these three appear in this fanfiction story because it was largely based off of that.

FAIR WARNING: Sensitive and triggering story events are implied or explicitly shown. Said events imply child abuse, human trafficking, underage sex (because there's a high chance of a lemon happening and the characters are below 21 and 18), brutality, violence, and many other adult themes in later chapters.

Other authors' notes will be at the end of the prologue

Prologue: The Master in Pendragon

Pendragon; Spring of 1784

CC hated carriages for the reason that it was stuffy. The atmosphere inside of one held the faint stench of animal manure and drying sweat. To be dressed so primly and luxuriously almost felt like a crime within the suffocating walls of haphazardly put together pieces of wooden boards.

Given a choice, she wouldn't have been here. She much preferred gallivanting in fresh green fields with her spirited stallion, Phantom. The thundering of powerful hooves against the earth and the feel of her mount's coarse ebony mane would be a welcome distraction.

Simply put, riding inside a carriage to traipse into the busy town square of Pendragon felt like a joke when her master had ensured she would be fully-trained in horseback riding — without a need for a saddle at that.

It would have been so in an ordinary day. But then again, today wasn't an ordinary day according to the man, was it?

He was to take her into the heart of the city to a special establishment for some lessons. About what exactly, CC wasn't sure. But the master had been clear in assuring her that they were lessons every girl should be privileged enough to have. Not everybody got to do it, so she should feel honored…

The prospect had excited her — as any normal girl of her age would be. But the ride to the city was slowly dampening her eagerness. And the next unfortunate face she would look upon would be the receiver of her temperamental mood.

But then again… She didn't need to look far, did she?

A lovely yet mischievous smirk quirked at the corner of her lips as she spared her only companion inside this stupid carriage a glance.

She knew he didn't mind the stale atmosphere of a carriage, but to the boy's credit, he looked as disgruntled and dreadfully bored as she was. He and the master had business to take care of after they dropped her off, so they had both been told.

He caught her staring and tossed her a similarly dastardly smirk…

"Nervous?"

She snorted. "What for?"

Her indignant remark was met with an infuriating chuckle. "Going to 'school' for something had never quite been your taste."

It was meant to be a jab — a sarcastic quip of sorts, but his words made her face visibly fall. He, of all people, knew all too well how uncomfortable she was right now. It showed in the way she carried herself. Despite how used she was to being draped in fine silk and tulle, CC always preferred her training garb which held more room for movement — and an escape if need be (not that the two of them would even dream of considering something as ridiculous as running away).

The Master gave the two of them everything… From rich robes and finely crafted jewelry to the finest of food served individually in their extravagant rooms. And money. He gave them money to spend however they wished when they had done a good job. He treasured and valued them above all of his other assassins, so he said.

His heirs — he called them…

But there were always days when Lelouch preferred dying over training. There were days when he craved the sweet embrace of Hades over the torture (for that was the only word fit to describe his and CC's so-called training) they had to endure.

And yet, if asked if they would run away given the chance, both he and CC knew they wouldn't. (They had plenty of chances already). Not because they were loyal to the Master, but because there was really nowhere else to go.

Blood, murder, and "working in the darkness to serve the light" was the world CC had been brought into from the moment she was born. And Lelouch's personal vendetta against the Imperial Crown was the fire that drove him to endure the suicidal training Arobynn Hammel pushed on all of his initiates.

It just didn't help that he and CC got an extra dose, because they were being bred for rule…or something like that.

Lelouch didn't really care for it, either way. He had already resolved to stay only until he was inducted into the Assassin Brotherhood. Once his Initiate days were deemed complete, he would cater to his own agenda.

But CC, on the other hand, he had yet to ask her… Because as much as he hated the way Arobynn treated them, the boy couldn't deny that he had made friends within the Pendragon Guild. And CC was one — if not the closest — of friends he had. Plus, his room in the manor was far too good to give up…yet.

And today, was just one of the many days where they had to come with the Master to attend to his own business matters. CC's new brand of training in the city — whatever it was — was apparently good for a girl to know. It was nothing like their day to day training, so Arobynn has assured them, but Lelouch didn't trust him.

"You have your weapons, don't you?" He asked in a low voice.

CC's response consisted of revealing a hidden throwing knife sheathed up the silky sleeve of her silk bare-shouldered gown. "One of the many."

And since Lelouch could do nothing more, he simply nodded in reassurance before turning to the window to distract himself once more…

Truth be told, he had wanted to cross the short distance separating their two seats and take her hand to give it a squeeze. They both knew how to fight their way out, but rebelling against the Master's wishes wasn't ideal — not if one didn't want to have dislocated bones or be punished with lacerations that would take weeks to fully heal. (And you weren't excused from cutthroat training, either).

Lelouch didn't want to agitate CC any further, so he simply let her wallow in her thoughts…whatever they were.

It didn't take long before the carriage stopped abruptly, nearly jerking them both off of their seats. There were heavy footsteps thudding on the cobblestones below, and when the door opened, the noise of Pendragon's largest market place invaded the muffled quiet of the coach.

The Master's young and cruelly handsome face appeared before CC, his hand held out in offering. As manners dictate, she accepted and was cordially helped out of the carriage to meet a beautiful lady waiting with two other women at the entrance of a beautiful house.

Lelouch made to follow, but the Master stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"There is no need, my boy. We shouldn't be long."

And just like that, the door was shut on a stupefied Lelouch's face. CC would have laughed in amusement if her nerves weren't so worked up over whatever the hell this was going to be. The boy's face was just priceless.

Nevertheless, CC didn't find it in her to fully pay attention to the overly indulging pleasantries the Master and the strange beautiful lady were saying to each other.

As it is, the women invited them into the house and straight into the foyer. It wasn't as big and cavernous as the manor's, but it was decent. CC couldn't help but let her eyes wander over to the chandelier hanging above them to the numerous finely dressed women lounging around in the room.

They were all staring at her. She didn't flinch and merely held her head high. They can look if they want. CC wasn't a hypocrite and prided herself in having a pretty face. It was that same pretty face Arobynn was careful to inflict damage on. A worthy investment, he said. In fact, anyone within Pendragon's Guild who dared damage her pretty face was severely punished. It was an asset to the Guild, Arobynn said.

Instead, the scars and imperfections she harbored from training were all over her body; some faded to an off-white, others still scabbing over. But all these women could see were her face. Her flawlessly smooth face and lustrous spring green tresses out of their customary fishtail braid.

As the other women within the house gawked — stares ranging from curious to downright envious, the conversation between the Master and Lady Villetta (as she was introduced) moved on from casually speaking about investments to the olive-skinned woman cooing and fawning over Arobynn's daughter's beautiful face.

What a lovely slender figure she was turning out to have. What smooth rosy flawless cheeks. What a slender nose and such sensual lips.

The woman tutted over her slender and spidery hands riddled with calluses, but otherwise complimented her on everything else. Talk over her figure continued as if she was some sort of object being appraised for the Crown's yearly luxury auction. On the other hand, the rest of the women began losing interest and fully averted their attention to gossiping with each other again.

It took a good amount of CC staring offhandedly at a porcelain vase within her field of vision before she was brought out of her reverie by Lady Villetta addressing her.

"My dear, welcome to Lys' pleasure house. We are so happy to have you." The smile she gave CC was catty, and she resisted the urge to flinch beneath the older woman's steely gaze.

Blanching, CC stole a glance at Arobynn to see him smiling before guiding her forward. She hadn't even felt his hand at the small of her back.

This was a pleasure house… Lys' pleasure house. So, when the Master told her she had come here to learn something new, that meant…

Oh god… Oh god no…

"Don't fret, my dear." Arobynn murmured in her ear, patting her shoulder. As if that would be enough consolation over the fact that she was about to be violated. "You'll only be having lessons here twice a month. That should be enough to teach you all you need to know about the art of carnal pleasure."

"But Master, I…"

"Now, now, CC. My dear." He spoke to her in that low and deceptively gentle baritone voice that promised punishment if she refused to obey. She wanted to look away, but he held her chin in place. "You wouldn't want to disappoint your master now, would you? It would be a shame to pass up such an opportunity, and after Lady Villetta made such careful arrangements for you, too. I assure you, that no harm will come to you. You might even enjoy in the process of your learning in the long run."

CC bit the inside of her lip as her beautiful bullion eyes became glassy with moisture. The Master ignored this and kept speaking as if he were talking to a frightened animal.

"A warm bath and some venison shall await you at the end of the day." He chided her, but when a slight whimper escaped, Arobynn's eyes hardened. "An assassin of Pendragon Guild does not weep." He hissed, and like a shutter, CC's face schooled itself back to composure — but just barely.

The Master gave her a knowing smile, kissed her cheek as a good stepfather would (albeit lingering a bit too long for CC's comfort), and turned to the Lady of the house.

"I know you will take great care of her and return her to me at sunset, my Lady. But I'm afraid, I must take my leave. I have other business to attend to with my son."

The childish part of her longed to cry out and call to the father she had never known, but the rational side won out, and CC with her lovely face and glassy eyes was left to stare at the lavishly carved wooden door that held her salvation as it closed. She could easily break away and run, but after last night's exercise and after the beating her body had gone through, she just didn't have it in her to receive more punishment — let alone another fifty lashes to her still healing back.

Resigning to her fate, this lovely girl with her stoic face let herself be led away, all the while internally weeping at the loss of precious innocence at the hands of a cruel Guild in a cruel city.

vVvVv

The fireplace roaring in the hearth failed to give him the physical warmth he had been craving. He had tried reading a book — as was his custom before bed, but found that his attention kept wandering elsewhere. Not necessarily elsewhere, but to the image of a hesitant girl dressed in silk being led up to the tacky-looking house.

Needless to say, Lelouch was not pleased when he was flippantly dismissed and the carriage door shut in his face. He didn't particularly think his facial expression was dignified either. CC would laugh, and he was waiting for her to do so, but there's been no word from the others as of yet.

More minutes flew by where Lelouch decided to entertain himself with chess pieces and trying to formulate brand new strategies. He was failing, of course, because his head was elsewhere. He resolved to find her in the manor first thing in the morning as he resigned to retiring in bed.

But his plans to nod off for the night were halted when a timid knock broke the quiet crackling of his nightly fire.

Lelouch already knew who it was before the door was pushed open ever so slightly. His shoulders subconsciously sagging in relief, he took a moment to consider the girl standing at his doorway.

Their nightly visits to each other were common place, something they took to habitually as they grew up in the same place. She would either show up to his room to talk about some things or just play chess, and vice versa. But there was something different about tonight…

The light in her eyes, while usually bright and alive with mischief, were dim. Her carefully composed face hid her emotions, but Lelouch could easily see them clear as day. She was troubled, and it clearly wasn't because of any trivial concern. And in seven years of knowing her, Lelouch shifted to make room before patting the empty space next to where he sat.

CC didn't say a word. But she accepted his offer, and didn't complain when the boy wrapped his skinny arms around her in an effort to console.

As feeble as his hold was, because this was uncharted territory for them both, she found herself weeping again. Tears slowly raced each other down her cheeks, her face blotchy and slightly red as tiny sobs wracked her slender body.

Her body… Oh god…

In her seven years of training underneath the Master's cruel tutelage, she had never before felt so beaten. So ashamed. So damaged.

The physical injuries always healed with time and with salves and medicine. This… This was a whole other territory. Every unspeakable thing they did to her inside that hell house was a brand she couldn't wash off; no matter how hard she scrubbed. Even as her pale skin turned red from too much washing and her healing scars clamored for relief from the wet tub, CC wanted nothing more than to cleanse herself of this filth.

Going home after what felt like the longest day in her fourteen years, her relief was short-lived, knowing she had to repeat the same hellish experience in two weeks' time. And at that thought, she bit her lip hard, legs clenching together, and wishing one more time that whatever happened to her today had all been a lucid nightmare.

Even after bathing in a sorry attempt to wash off the unseen grime caking her, she found no form of solace in her lavishly decorated room. In fact, her very bed was a reminder of what she had been forced to go through. She may have consented to the treatment for the sake of choosing a lesser evil, but that didn't mean she wanted it.

No, she didn't want it at all. She sought to find someone — anyone.

Her feet led her to the one place in the manor — other than her room — where she could find some form of comfort. And thank the gods for Lelouch Lamperouge.

Sitting there with blinking violet eyes, she had inexplicably rushed to him in search of solace and any form of refuge. A part of her expected him to ask so many questions, and yet another part of her hoped and hoped that he wouldn't ask and just hold her. And CC couldn't be more thankful when her latter wish was granted.

Sobbing and weeping sorrowfully in his unsure arms, CC crumbled… and crumbled… and crumbled until there was nothing left of her; nothing but a soiled and damaged soul…

A/N: Soooo, this fanfiction's a hybrid. A product of my desire to write about Code Geass, because I've never done that before, and assassins... Lots of them. Also, story rating may go up from T to M depending on story progression.

So, let me just leave this here, and I'll upload chapter 1 as soon as I'm done editing it. [Might come back to edit this too, maybe. But for now, I'm quite satisfied with how it turned out]