A/N: Fun chapter, fun chapter! This is the next installment of King's Disposition. It seems like I've been getting into the once every two weeks or so schedule, so that's what I'll keep it as for now.

King's Disposition

Chapter 4: A Fixed Game

Boy: Who are you, and to whose allegiance are you sworn?

Witch: Nothing and neither, for in darkness I was born.

Boy: You must be undead for I saw you die, then perhaps you're a demon or a lich.

Witch: I am neither of those, I will not lie, but I suppose you may call me a witch.

Boy: A witch casts curses and seals and hexes

Witch: Then should you not keep me away from things that vexes?

Boy: What is it that you wish? Why have you come to me?

Witch: I have only one request: that you be the one to set me free.

Boy: And in return? What do I get from accepting your deal?

Witch: I shall give you a power to make all men kneel.

Boy: Then I accept your offer, let the whole world talk

Witch: Of how I am a witch, and you, warlock.

-Of Divine Providence, Act I Scene iii., Written by Catherine Chen. Performed in the New Sydney Grand Opera House on October 4, 2110.

Viceroy's Palace R&D Hanger 6

"Earl Asplund." Clovis walked into the hanger of one of his newest weapons project. A seventh-generation Knightmare frame stood assembled and at the ready. A young man walked forward and bowed.

"Prince Clovis. So good to see you again. The Lancelot has been doing well, although a suitable pilot still remains not found."

"What of your current pilot?" The Prince pointed at a Britannian soldier donned in white and gold, no doubt the uniform of the Lancelot pilot. The soldier saluted his prince, and Clovis nodded in response.

"No, no, no. He won't do. Cecile give me the papers." A young woman walked up to the Earl and handed him a clipboard with all of the information on the Lancelot and its pilot. "Look. See this number?"

"Yes, I do." It read '36%' in big red letters. "What does it mean?"

"It means this pilot is unable to work the Lancelot past 36% of its maximum potential. It means the pilot cannot properly pilot the Lancelot! It means I can't get any good data!" The scientist cried out in frustration as he threw the clipboard back to his assistant. The woman caught it with great finesse.

"My apologies to your current predicament, but I need to know. Can he pilot the Lancelot?"

"No! He can't pull of any of the fluid maneuvers it's capable of!"

"But he can move it."

"Barely!"

"But he can."

"Yes. I suppose he could. Wh –," Lloyd could not finish his sentence as the Third Prince cut him off.

"Good. Get him in the frame. You deploy in 20 minutes."

"What! You can't be serious! He's not ready for deployment yet!" The Earl's face reddened as he considered the outcome. Worst case scenario, the pilot fails and the Lancelot is destroyed. God forbid the Lancelot is destroyed.

"I don't need him to single-handedly win me a war or anything. Just be there and look threatening. Pulling out a seventh-generation Knightmare would be something nobody would expect. It doesn't matter who the pilot is, because the terrorists think he's some god-powerful machine. Understand?"

"...Yes your highness. Cecile! Get that stupid pilot into the Lancelot. We're having our debut."

When Lelouch awoke, he was completely unaware of his surroundings. His eyes creaked open, only to see dim lights surrounding him. Groaning as he sat up, he looked around, only to realize he was still in the junction of the subway tunnels. As he tried to stand, a pair of hands steadied him as he rose to his feet.

"Careful, Lelouch. You took quite a fall there." Milly helped support the Prince as Lelouch tried to stand himself. While he managed to stand upright, his legs were wavering and he found it difficult to hold his balance.

"Ugh. What happened? How long was I out for?"

"About ten minutes. After you executed the officer and ordered the soldiers to all leave, you passed out. Landed straight onto the ground." Suzaku too came up to the prince and slung a long arm around his shoulders. Milly did the same and they stood up.

"What about the canister?"

"Uh, when you passed out, somebody came out of it. We didn't see clearly in the darkness, but he ran straight out of the tunnels." Suzaku pointed in another direction, evidently the one where the 'weapon' escaped.

"It was a person? A living human being in that thing?" Lelouch couldn't grasp his head around what had happened. After he seemed to have taken control of the situation, the weapon that Clovis had been working on turned out to be a human being who simply stood up and left the scene.

"Uh, yeah. Let's not think about that right now. Let's just get you out of here. You can barely stand."

Both Milly and Suzaku hauled Lelouch over their shoulders and slowly brought him outside. As they made his way to the outskirts of the ghetto, a Knightmare stopped them.

"Halt. No one is to leave Shinjuku Ghetto without permission from his Highness, Prince Clovis." The voice over the speaker was definitely a woman. She pulled out her giant rifle and aimed it at the trio. Oh, how many muzzles were going to be pointed in their way? Lelouch tried to speak.

"I am Lel –," but was quickly cut off by Milly. The prince cast her a wary glance. She mouthed to him. 'Don't worry. I'll handle this.'

"Good evening, ma'am. My name is Milly Ashford, granddaughter of the noble Reuben Ashford." Milly grinned as she bowed to the mechanical giant before her. "And these are my friends. We just got caught up in this mess. We were only passing through. Please let us out."

"A nobleman's granddaughter?"

"That's right! Now if you don't let me out, grandpa's going to get really mad!" It was an easy threat to make. The nobility of Britannia were highly regarded and while royalty may be at the top of the social pyramid, nobility was one step underneath. Crossing a noble was social suicide, or at least for anybody under them. They were essentially immune to everything but the imperial family itself.

Viletta Nu looked at the girl through her screen, carefully thinking. Just because the girl claimed to have been a noble doesn't mean she truly was one. Unless a government issued identification was given, she was to assume the girl was a terrorist. However, this was a risk she was not willing to take.

"Okay then, Lady Ashford. Please take out your identification. I shall come out and check it accordingly." Viletta opened the cockpit of her Sutherland and stepped down, carefully walking towards the trio. The girl was rummaging through her pockets while the two boys were staring from afar. Viletta pressed her hand on her pistol that lay in its holster, just in case if she needed it.

"Here you go miss soldier. My ID." Milly handed to her a slim rectangular piece of plastic and Viletta carefully looked through each and every inch of it. It seemed to be an official identification, and her affiliation with the Ashford nobility was not a lie. Indeed, her name was titled 'Lady Milly Ashford': a true noblewoman.

"Very good, Lady Ashford. I apologize for the inconvenience. Prince Clovis has ordered us to stop any Elevens leaving the ghettos. In fact, a few of our Sutherlands are fighting the terrorists as we speak. You were lucky to have met me. Viletta Nu, Kni –." Before she could finish her sentence, a swift kick to the back of her head knocked her unconscious.

"Suzaku, what the hell!" Suzaku caught the woman before she fell and dusted himself off. He dodged Milly's hand as she went for a slap.

"Whoa, watch it there. Lelouch told me to do that."

"Lelouch! What are you doing? We were going to get out without any problems, and now you've just made it ten times worse!" Milly groaned in frustration as she tugged on her hair. Everything had been going like she wanted it to, and now Lelouch and Suzaku, the delinquent duo, came in and caused trouble.

"Milly, calm down. I did this for a reason. Now stay here with her and keep her safe. I'm commandeering the Knightmare."

"What? Lelouch, you can't be serious."

"Trust me." Lelouch entered the cockpit, leaving his two friends on the sides. He could hear Suzaku's shouting from behind the metal walls.

"Doesn't every Knightmare have a different identification code?" Each Knightmare was personally given to its pilot. Not a single pilot had the same code, and said code was necessary to pilot the individual frames. However, Lelouch only laughed as he punched in a few numbers and letters. The engine roared to life as Lelouch's voice rang out through the speaker.

"Ha. I'm a Prince of the empire, Suzaku. Do you really think I couldn't override this?" The Japanese boy only laughed as his friend moved the machine to a higher elevation. Whatever Lelouch was planning was beyond comprehension. At this point, both Suzaku and Milly learned to let Lelouch be when he was planning something. The two looked at each other, and then at the unconscious form of the soldier sprawled on the floor.

"Let's get her somewhere safe..."

"Shit. These guys are good." Kallen dodged another harken aimed for her head as she spun around and fired at the attacking Knightmare. The Sutherland dashed from side to side, dodging all of her bullets. Whoever this pilot was, he had been chasing her ever since their first engagement and as time passed, he was slowly gaining the advantage. His Sutherland could last longer and was slightly more mobile than the deteriorating and semi-functional frame that was the Glasgow. Before her attacker could press for any further advantage, a voice rang out through her cockpit.

"Listen to me. You need to to run. West entrance. Get out through the west entrance via the tracks."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Does it matter? You're losing the fight, and at this rate, reinforcements are going to swarm you within the minute. If you want to win, then get out of there now!" Suspicious as the voice might be, she knew whoever the voice was was right. Already, she could see the smoke trails of more Sutherlands rushing towards her. She needed to run.

Disengaging the fight, Kallen turned around and fled, dodging a spray of bullets from the rifle aimed where she was just standing. Reaching an overpass, she leaped onto the new road. Using the railway tracks as a directed path, she put her machine into full throttle as her landspinners cruised along the metal rails. As she moved at breakneck speeds, a small figure appeared on the tracks, slowly getting larger and larger. A train.

"Whoa! The train!" She pulled on her brakes and sparks flew as her spinners locked in place, causing her to slide metal on metal.

"No! Don't stop! Keep going. You need to stop that train right now."

"But they're on to me. They're still chasing me. I don't have time to stop a train!"

"Trust me. This train is the key to your victory." Kallen grumbled and let go of the brakes. The metal stopped grinding as she pushed her engines once more and ran right into the train, her single hand grasping the metal locomotive.

"Shit." The force of the impact knocked her back as the train began pushing against her Knightmare, however, the momentum she had accumulated on the tracks was enough. The train was stopping. At the same time, she heard a hail of gunfire behind her. "What was that?"

"I told you to trust me." She turned around, only to see two empty Sutherlands with their cockpits ejected. Their bodies were riddled with holes. "And now, we win."

"Hey, Kallen!" She whirled around, only to see Ohgi and the rest of the resistance running towards her.

"Ohgi?"

"Yeah. Did that voice tell you to come here too?"

"Yeah. The person said that this train would be our key to winning."

"Well then let's pry it open! We've got around twenty minutes before they catch us. Get to work!" Ohgi climbed onto the train and opened one of the hatches. The doors slowly opened and the resistance members shut their eyes at the sudden glare of the sun. "The hell is this?"

Avoiding the glare, Ohgi walked up and placed his hand on cold metal. He tried to speak but he was in shock. He managed to choke out a few words.

"Kallen...this...do you see?" He ran his hand along the smooth aluminum plating. Kallen's voice came over her speakers.

"Knightmares..."

"Prince Clovis! The terrorists seem to have gotten their hands on our newest shipment of Sutherlands! They were due to arrive today!"

"What! Impossible! There are literally hundreds of trains coming in and going out. Only one of them holds the shipment of Knightmares! Tell me, how is it that a few measly terrorists are able to get their dirty hands on our machines!" Clovis screamed with fury. This changes the entire game. Now that the terrorists were properly armed, crushing them would prove much more difficult. How much damage were these bugs going to do? "Where is Asplund? Has he deployed yet?"

"Yes sir. The Camelot team is already en route." At least the Lancelot should be able to handle these renegade Sutherlands. Perhaps once they see the white knight, the terrorists would think twice about attacking. After all, he was the Viceroy, the King of Area Eleven, and they were mere bugs who had learned how to bite.

"Whoa! What the f –." another cockpit ejected, sending its pilot flying across the battlefield.

"Hey, you! Voice! We've got trouble! We're getting creamed out here." One of the resistance members reported. It was team B. Lelouch sat in his commandeered Knightmare and stared at the screens in front of him. They had been doing well. One at a time, the resistance would push through various checkpoints before solidifying their position and pushing forward. So far, they've pushed through to the outskirts of the ghetto.

"What's the status?" He could hear the faint sounds of repeated gunfire over the radio.

"There's an enemy Knightmare. White and gold! Doesn't look like a Sutherland either." White and gold? Not a Sutherland?

"New model?"

"I guess. Whatever it is, it's scaring the shit out of us. It's just standing there, firing behind a bunch of Sutherlands."

"Then what's the problem? It's just another machine that we need to take out."

"That's the thing! We can't take it out!"

"What do you mean you can't take it out? Have you tried shooting at it?" Honestly, with the number of amateur pilots, Lelouch was surprised at the amount of progress they had made. It took them five minutes to even move their legs, and another ten to even hold a gun. He hadn't expected much, but to not even be able to fire at a stationary target was simply preposterous.

"God damn it, Matsuo's been hit! Of course we've tried shooting at it, but it's got some funky shield on it's arms! Our bullets bounce straight off!" Lelouch shared screens with the pilot and lo and behold, the white Knight was standing behind three Sutherlands with a rifle in its hand. Every time the resistance would shoot at it, it would activate its shields and protect itself. "What do we do?"

"Is it fast?"

"What?"

"The new Knightmare. Is it fast?"

"Not that we know of. Its moves are really sluggish and it was actually slower than the Sutherlands when it got here."

"Ok good, team B, just hold your position. I'll send reinforcements. I've got a plan." He cut off the link to the team and secured a channel with Kallen's unit. "Glasgow."

"Yes?"

"We need to assist team B. They're getting their asses kicked by a new Knightmare. It's slow, but it has shields in the front that seem impenetrable."

"Then how do we take it out?"

"Easy. From behind."

Kallen stood behind a building and waited for her 'partner' to arrive. She looked around the corner and saw the white machine, firing and then shielding. Firing and then shielding. It was a repeating pattern that took out many of her comrades. She didn't know how long she was looking, but by the time she turned around, the other Sutherland had arrived.

"On three." That voice...

"Wait, you're our leader?" He did not reply. He only held up three fingers. "One, two."

"Wait what!" Why was he charging into the battle if he was their leader? What was he thinking?

"Three!" The Knightmare rounded the corner and leaped forward, bullets spraying at the flank of the Britannian machines. One of the Sutherlands instantly exploded while the other two managed to eject before their frames hit the floor.

"Oh shit." She followed and rushed out, letting her slash harkens fly at the white machine. The new model turned around and quickly raised its shields, blocking the harkens from piercing the armor, but the sudden attack caused it to lose balance. The white machine tumbled to the ground. She dashed to finish it but was stopped by the voice's arm.

"Stop. Let him eject." In a situation like this, executing a downed soldier was considered underhanded and improper. She found it strange that he would abide by such rules, but did not complain. The duo waited for a brief moment, but the cockpit never ejected. Instead, the hatch opened as the pilot of the white machine stepped out. His hands were in the air and he was visibly trembling. The instant he reached the ground, he dashed away into one of the buildings in an attempt to get away. "Stop him!"

"I'm on it!" Kallen dashed forward in pursuit. She rounded a corner that he had run through, only to see the man lying face first on the ground. "What happened?"

"Hey! I'm right here!" A figure waved down at her. It was a school boy, or at least his uniform was that of Ashford Academy. She would know. Upon further inspection, she realized that the boy was Suzaku Kururugi, member of the Student Council and Captain of almost every single athletic team. From what she remembered, he was widely popular, although he would always be hanging out with his best friend, Lelouch Lamperouge. The two of them were inseparable. If Suzaku was here, she wondered where Lelouch might be.

"Suzaku Kururugi!" Upon hearing his name, Suzaku stopped and stared at the Glasgow in surprise. He hadn't expected a terrorist to know who he was.

"Uh, do I know you?" Before the Glasgow could answer, another Knightmare appeared from behind the buildings. He recognized it as Villetta Nu's frame, and therefore its pilot must have been Lelouch. "Hey Le –."

Before he could say anything else, a long metal finger pointed in his direction. Lelouch looked directly at him.

"You there. Can you pilot a Knightmare?" Suzaku looked at him confused. Did Lelouch just ask him if he could pilot a Knightmare? Of course he could. The two of them practiced on the Ganymede back in Ashford Academy. If there was anyone who could pilot a Knightmare, it would be Lelouch and Suzaku. Why was Lelouch asking him? Unless... it wasn't Lelouch in the machine. Suzaku nodded to himself in understanding. This machine was obviously, not Lelouch. But the voice sounded so much like Lelouch's that it had to have been him. Suzaku blinked a couple times in confusion. What was going on?

"Uh, yes...sir?"

"Good. Check the enemy's body for a key." Suzaku rummaged through the pilot's pockets until he found a tiny golden key. He held it up to Villetta's Knightamre. "Great. Get in the downed Knightmare."

"Wait, what? I'm not a terrorist!"

"You just took out one of their pilots. You are now."

"AUGH! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! That worthless piece of shit of a pilot! He lost my Lancelot!"

"Lord Asplund, please calm down." Cecile tried to stop the rampaging scientist as he screamed and knocked away papers in frustration, scattering the sheets all over the floor. She sighed to herself. That would be a pain to clean.

"No! Cecile, you don't understand! My Lancelot is gone! Done! Augh, I should have never listened to Prince Clovis!" Lloyd screamed in hysteria. The distress of losing his his precious Knightmare caused the Earl to go into a frenzied rage. Cecile rubbed her temples as she tried to assess the situation. Never before had something like this happened. Yes, there were times when the Lancelot broke, and yes, there were times when the pilot failed and ended up damaging it, but until now, there was never an incident where the Lancelot was no longer in the possession of the Camelot team. As Lloyd continued to vent his anger, the sound of printing paper caught Cecile's attention. She walked up to the printer and took a look at the new sheets that were being printed. It was strange. The printer was meant to give a constant flow of data from the Lancelot. With the Lancelot being turned off, there was no possible way for any more data to be sent through. Unless...

She took the long stream of paper that was coming out and looked at the data, analyzing it and understand just what was happening to the machine. She gasped in shock as her predication came true. She needed to tell Lloyd.

"Lord Asplund." Unfortunately, the Earl continued to rage and completely ignored her. "Lord Asplund..."

Once again, he did nothing except vent his frustration by smashing his fist on the metal desk. It rang loudly as Lloyd gasped in pain. She had enough of his antics.

"Lloyd!" She slapped him straight across the face and he tumbled over, clutching his left cheek. There was an imprint of her open palm as the red began to spread to his entire cheek. Ouch.

"Augh! Cecile! What are you doing!" She said nothing but threw the long stream of paper that, up till this point, continued to print. "What is this? Data?"

He scanned through the paper, following its long trail all the way back to the printer. With every inch, a smile crept onto his face and it grew larger and larger with each passing moment. Soon, he was grinning like a maniac.

"Yes, yes, yes! To think that a stupid Eleven would be the pilot of the Lancelot. Well, I suppose we can't call him stupid. He is our pilot, after all. Good work, Cecile! Let's see how our new pilot fares, shall we?"

"Suzaku." Lelouch's voice rang out from the internal speakers of the Lancelot. The inside was much different from the Ganymede considering the Lancelot was supposed to be some new generation model. It was sleek and streamlined with many different controls: a testament to the frame's true capabilities. Upon booting up, a completely different heads up display appeared on Suzaku's screen, and he fumbled with the new system for a few minutes before finally understanding how it worked. He hadn't even stood up, and Lelouch had already connected himself.

"Suzaku, can you hear me?" Suzaku looked around until he found the audio channel he and Lelouch were connected through. He tried speaking.

"I read you, Lelouch." He hoped his message had gotten through. Only moments later, Lelouch's voice came from the other side.

"Good."

"Hey, are you in the Villetta's Knightmare?"

"Obviously."

"Then why did you need to ask if I knew how to pilot a Knightmare. Come on, are my skills in the Ganymede that bad?"

"No, in fact I think you're the best pilot around. Even better than me. However, these terrorists don't know who I am, and I intend to keep it that way. It's bad enough somebody was able to recognize you, but let's pray nobody finds out about me. Got it?"

"Understood."

"Good. Now, how's the new frame?" Suzaku stood up and moved his limbs. He could barely hear the hydraulics pumping and the servos turning as he lifted up an arm. This was a high quality machine. Nothing like the loud rumbling of the Ganymede.

"It's good. Real smooth."

"Can you move?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Ok. Try moving around. Be warned, this frame is slow. It's not very mobi –." Lelouch began to utter before he saw the white and gold Knightmare whip right across his screen. 'What in the world?'

"Slow, huh? I think this must be the fastest thing in Japan! Ha!" Suzaku moved around, fluently darting between buildings and moving around the rubble of Shinjuku Ghetto. The Lancelot had so many degrees of motion it was like an ice skater on a rink. Full motion. Full control. Suzaku liked it.

He ran at an enemy Sutherland who proceeded to spray him with bullets. Suzaku darted back and forth, dodging each and every one of them before smashing his fist through the Sutherland. The cockpit barely had enough time to eject before the machine exploded. The Lancelot walked through the wreckage unscathed.

"Lelouch. Your orders?"

"We have a country to reclaim." He tuned his radio frequency to that of the terrorists in order to relay a message to them all.

"Congratulations on getting this far. Now is the time we strike! Now is the time we reclaim what was rightfully yours! Now is the day Britannia falls! I am Zero, and you are my Knights! Charge! Charge! Charge for the Palace!"

Look there, look yonder! Look there over the hills!

What light is there approaching from which yonder spills?

An angel! An angel! An angel we cried!

Our Lord sent an angel to stand by our side!

Rejoice for our Lord, he has answered our prayer!

He has sent forth his soldier, a true darkness slayer!

For he is the one spoken legends of old,

Charging into battle in naught but white and gold.

He strikes down our enemies with white tempered steel,

Break dark chains of oppression, break unholy seal.

He who cannot be ordered, listens to Zero,

Vanquished the shadows, a radiant hero.

And the angel who descended that the bards of now sing

Said naught but "I have come here in the name of our King."

-Cynthia Crawford, Sonnet 11

"Prince Clovis!" Bartley Aspirius entered the main hall of the Viceroy's Palace where he found the Third Prince enjoying a few new paintings the servants had just brought in.

"Ah, Bartley. I was wondering where you were. Tell me, how are our men doing? Have the terrorists been subdued yet?" Clovis merely laughed as he continued to stare directly at a rather simple painting of a bird.

"Ah, yes, well." The urgency and nervousness in Bartley's voice was not reassuring, nor was it a sign of good fortune. The man continued to stutter as if trying to find the correct words to say.

"Spit it out! What has happened?"

"The terrorists," He managed to choke out between the nervous chatter of his teeth. "They – they – they."

"They what? What are the terrorists doing?"

"They're coming here right now!" Clovis turned his head and whipped around to face the large bald man.

"What?!"

"They've broken out of Shinjuku Ghetto! They've stolen the Lancelot and they're chopping straight through our forces. They'll be here any minute now. We need to get you out!" At that, the ground shook as something must have exploded nearby. The terrorists were already descending on the palace.

"Why wasn't I notified earlier? How did this happen?" Clovis walked up to the throne room in an attempt to reclaim control over Area Eleven. "Bartley, speak!"

"Of course, your Highness. It seems as though the new pilot of the Lancelot is extremely skilled. He is incredibly fast and has been spearheading the terrorist attack. They've cut a very narrow path straight towards us."

"Then what of the other regiments? The ones stationed outside of the Ghetto?"

"They are still awaiting orders, sir." Clovis smirked as he planned the battle in his mind. While there were quite a few terrorists, they didn't account for the Viceroy's sheer number of soldiers at his command. They may have acquired Britannia's superior technology, but they will never hold against the overwhelming forces only a single order away from collapsing on their little ragtag team in every single direction.

"Good. Annihilate them. I want the dead bodies of every single terrorist hung for the Elevens to see. Then, perhaps they will understand their meaningless plight."

"Yes sir." Bartley left to relay the prince's orders to the rest of the army. The terrorists may have plowed through the center of the Britannian forces, but they've left their flanks wide open. It was a sound strategy. Yes, it would work. Today would be the day the terrorists fell.

"Zero, we've got trouble! Britannian forces are coming up behind us in give or take ten minutes! What are your orders?"

"Are we completely surrounded?" Lelouch assessed the situation.

"We are."

Lelouch smirked behind his machine, grinning at the screen of the battlefield before him. The rebels, as they were now calling themselves, were currently stationed in a densely populated region with towering skyscrapers and large buildings. It was nothing like the open space of the freeways they were battling in not hours before. Lelouch chuckled as every piece on the board came joining together in an intricate strategy that would win them the palace.

"Good. This is going to be our new home for the next hour or so."

"What?"

"Hunker down. We have ten minutes to turn this piece of the city into our very own fort. Stall, and I shall take care of the rest."

The buildings and narrow streets made it difficult to traverse the terrain without collateral damage. And knowing Clovis, he would rather lose the terrorists than the approval of the Britannian citizens, for to him, their approval and adoration meant more than anything else in the world. He would never order an all-out offensive like Shinjuku Ghetto. Locals were nothing more than cattle to herd around, but Britannians. Britannians were his people, his subjects, and a king always takes care of his subjects. In the confines of the Britannian city, Lelouch and his Knights were safe.

"And you sir?"

"I will blitz their King, for once he falls, the game is over."

"Will you be going alone then?"

"No. I shall be taking the White Knightmare along with a small strike team. We will cut straight through into the palace and force the viceroy's hand. The rest of you must survive, is this clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good." He switched his radio back to Suzaku's personal line. "Suzaku, on me. We're going straight for Clovis."

"My Prince, our forces are in place. Shall we flush them out once more?"

"Absolutely not! They are on Britannian ground! This isn't that Eleven dump of a ghetto like before! No, I want your men to go slow. Take your time advancing, and watch out for collateral damage. Not a single Britannian civilian shall be injured today."

"But sir, they're heavily fortified. They have Knightmares on the buildings and around unsuspecting corners. To slowly advance through means death for countless of our soldiers! I must ask you to reconsider!"

"General. I understand your hesitancy, as these are your men you are sentencing to death, but know that these men that you now order, these soldiers, are the very ones who offered themselves up to be the shields and swords of our great nation. They understand that if they die in the line of duty, then it will be worth it in the end. That is honor, no? If they charge in without care for our people, then aren't the turning their backs on the ones they sworn to protect? Are the not tarnishing their honor, their promise to the homeland? If they must die to ensure our people are safe, then so be it."

"...Of course, your Highness. I apologize for my outburst. Not a single Britannian shall be hurt toda –,"

Crash! Ratatatatatatata! The sound of bullets echoed through the halls. The doors to the throne room swung open to reveal a lower ranking officer – a messenger.

"Sir, sir! Prince Clovis! Please, get to the bunker! The terrorists are assaulting the palace! Some of them has gotten into the compound!" The officer stopped to regain his breath. The general went to help his man stand steady. He had obviously run at a rapid pace.

"Who was it? How many were there?"

"Some Sutherlands and one frame sir: White and Gold. A model I've never seen before."

Clovis cursed under his breath.

"The Lancelot. Shit. It's faster than I expected. General, you know what to do. Take those terrorists out! Get every single Sutherland we have and stop that Knightmare!" He shouted, ordering his men. Both officers scurried to carry out their orders. As they left the room, the sound of bullets echoing in the background faded, evident that the Lancelot was slowly getting father and farther away. This left Clovis alone on his throne, until he too, stood up and left.

He walked through the halls of the Viceroy's Palace, making his way to the underground bunker hidden beneath the compound. In the case of a dire emergency, the Viceroy could be protected. Aside from the Imperial shelter in Pendragon, the bunkers underneath the Viceroys' Palaces were possibly the safest ones in the world.

As he rounded a corner, a barely audible click sounded right behind him. Something poked through his cloak at his back. A gun. 'Shit. How was there another terrorist? I thought there was the one in the Lancelot.' He raised his hands in surrender.

"...What do you want, terrorist." Clovis managed to grit through his teeth as he focused on the gun holstered upon his hip. If only he had some way of reaching down. Then, one quick and fluid motion of drawing the gun, spinning around and firing, and the assailant would be dead. However, with the terrorist's weapon held directly behind his back, Clovis wasn't going to risk pulling off such a daring maneuver. If they hadn't killed him the instant they saw him, it meant they weren't going to kill him until they ordered him around. He could turn this one in his favor.

"Call off your men. Right now." He hadn't expected to get caught, and by an Eleven no less. There he stood on the hinges of life and death. But he wasn't going to die. At least, not today. Clovis decided to comply. "Reach into your pocket slowly, and tell them to retreat."

"Hmpf. Very well. As he spoke, Clovis pulled out a phone and dialed Bartley's personal number. It only took a single ring before the man picked up. "Bartley. Call off the advance. Have the army stand its ground."

A faint "Yes, your Highness," came through the phone as Clovis hung up. The terrorist behind him jabbed his back once more with the gun. Bang! The sound of a single shot reverberated through the halls as the bullet embedded itself onto the floor.

"Bang. If I were truly a terrorist, you would've been dead right then and there, Clovis. You should be more careful." Taking that as a sign he could turn, Clovis dropped his arms and spun around, looking directly at his "attacker." It was someone he never would have expected.

"Lelouch?"

"Good afternoon, brother. It seems like you've gotten yourself in quite of a bind, haven't you?" Lelouch holstered the gun before turning his head back to Clovis. "To think you would have died if I were a real terrorist."

"Ha, little brother, you amuse me. And here I thought one of the Elevens was going to end me. No, instead, I find the little brother nobody has heard from in ages." Clovis relaxed and chuckled. He only grinned before his demeanor became dark and serious. "You lead the terrorists, didn't you?"

"But of course. How else do you think their ragtag group of freedom fighters got their hands on Sutherlands? How do you think they managed to capture your newest Knightmare which by the way, is impressive. And how do you honestly expect them to run directly into the Viceroy's Palace, the most heavily guarded region in Area Eleven? Their success stems from my intervention."

"Just like before, you seem to have outdone yourself. Now let me ask you, Lelouch, are you here to kill me?" Clovis placed his hand onto his own pistol, ready to fire at the Eleventh Prince if necessary. Lelouch had been associating with terrorists. He helped them infiltrate a government building, steal multiple state-of-the-art technologies, deal millions of dollars in damage, and killed a good handful of soldiers.

"Calm yourself. I'm not here to kill you nor anyone else for that matter." As if to prove his point, Lelouch unloaded the gun and let the magazine fall to the ground. "See, no harm here."

"You realize your actions have costed us the lives of many of our finest soldiers!"

"True, but they did not die in vain. Their deaths were necessary to secure Area Eleven."

"Secure? What do you mean, secure? If anything, your little rebellion did exactly the opposite!"

"Not quite. Clovis, why do you think I came here today?" To the Third Prince, that question was almost obvious. It was a means of humiliation – a means used by the nobility and imperial family for centuries. Defeat meant humiliation, and humiliation meant submission. Lelouch wanted control. He took a pathetic group of elevens and commanded them against the most powerful nation in the world with soldiers numbering in the millions. What was worse, was that he had won. It was truly a failure on the part of the Viceroy.

"I see. You want the throne. Father will consider me a disgrace to his blood, and you shall take over in my stead." Clovis reached for his gun, bringing it up and pointing it at Lelouch. "But you cannot take it from me! I am the Viceroy of Area Eleven! I am Clovis La Britannia, Third Prince of the Empire, and as much as I hate it, I will crush you like any other Eleven if you dare stand in my way."

Lelouch stared at the silver barrel of the pistol inches away from his forehead. He looked at Clovis, amused, before gripping the weapon. Clovis flinched, but did not move as Lelouch slowly brought the gun down. Lelouch chuckled before speaking.

"Clovis, Clovis, Clovis. I applaud you for being so daring. I had not expected it in your nature to be so vicious. I was wrong, but then again, so are you. You see, I don't want your throne, or at least, not yet."

"And why is that? The powers of a king is something envied by all."

"Ha. That, I already have." Lelouch answered cryptically as he smiled at his newfound power. "But sadly, I must admit you are the better King. Or at least, as of right now you are. You have a public image, and you're loved by almost all of the Britannian civilians. Why, I believe you have the highest Britannian approval rating in any of the Areas. The local rating, however, could be a...little higher."

"Bah, what do you want me to do about those stupid Elevens? I give them something to work with and they just spit in my face. I made the honorary Britannian system so they could integrate into our society, but what do they do? They throw bombs instead. The Elevens mean nothing."

"You made the honorary Britannian system so you could have an entire wall of cannon fodder at your disposal. It thins the number of people you need to keep watch."

"And you sound like an Eleven sympathizer." Clovis shot Lelouch a dirty look.

"One of my most trusted friends is a local. But don't misunderstand. I don't sympathize with the locals, but your policies towards them are far too radical. How do you expect to have them charge into battle when they are being oppressed and discriminated? Use them, not abuse them."

"Use? You truly think that the Elevens could be of some use to the empire?" Clovis chuckled at the notion. Elevens? Useful? Perhaps they were useful for blocking a bullet or too, but what else could an Eleven do?

"But of course. They're a hard working bunch. Lots of integrity and tenacity. Had we not assassinated Genbu Kururugi, we would have been faced with resistance and revolution a thousand times in scale. That same tenacity can be brought over to work on our side. We just need to see us in a better light."

"Then what do you propose? The terrorists and the JFL are creating uproars in the masses. Many of the Elevens sided with them, and many more join by the day. At this rate, I'm going to need to send the entirety of the Britannian military."

"Unnecessary. I said I'm not here for the throne. I am, however, here for the glory."

And it finally dawned onto him. Clovis realized what Lelouch had been wanting all along. Lelouch was going to take down the enemies of Britannia and create a name for himself. He was going to raise his notoriety so that each and every person in Britannia knew who he was and what he was capable of.

"Father won't be pleased with me. If you're the one who takes down the terrorists, then he'll gladly give the throne back to you. I can't let that happen."

"I'll remind you once again: I'm not here for your throne. This is why I propose we...work together. A collaboration that uses the best of our skills. Yours in the public, and mine in the strategic. And after we've taken control, I'll most likely move to somewhere else, and Area Eleven falls under your jurisdiction once more."

"Ha! Very well Lelouch, we have reached an accord. Let us take down these terrorists. You may take as many men as you need. They're yours now, General Lelouch." Clovis stuck out his hand. Lelouch shook it.

"Thank you, Viceroy Clovis."

"Clovis la Britannia, also known as the Venerated Prince, was man of the people. It was actually in that principle that he received his title. Venerated means respected. Revered, and revered he was. During his reign as Viceroy, the modern equivalent of the governor, Clovis la Britannia showed off his ability for performance, and his love for the arts. He hosted many galleries and events, ranging from the Annual Britannian Arts and Culture gallery in Tokyo to the Bicentennial la Britannia Award for the best artists in the world. He was also an excellent politician, creating many housing complexes for Britannians and locals alike. He created the Honorary Britannian program, where locals could be further integrated into society – they would not feel like outcasts. Whether it be in the form of entertainment, or public works, Clovis la Britannia was a true man of the people.

Was he always like this? Unfortunately not. Clovis' reign began on shaky ground with many difficulties and tragedies along the way. Securing Area Eleven and turning it into one of the most prosperous locationss of the empire – next to the captiol of Pendragon, is perhaps his crowning achievement. And as a person, the Prince has grown over time, becoming the Clovis we now remember. It is unfortunate that he had to meet his untimely end, but even then, his noble sacrifice would not be soon forgotten.

-An excerpt from Venerated by Carmen Cruz, written in 2114.

A/N: Hey I hope you've enjoyed this new chapter. Your reviews and comments are what really keep me writing, so thanks to all of you who reviewed. This was a pretty fun chapter to write, and I hope it holds to standards. Please leave a review/comment below, and I'll see you all next time!