"Code Geass"

Knight by Conscription

Synopsis:

All he wanted was a normal life—a normal house, a normal dog, a normal wife. What he got was knighthood to a prince he wanted to very much stab with a knife.

Chapter One: A Meeting of Some Consequence

The second time I ever met Lelouch, he slapped me.

Really hard.

It didn't look like he was stopping at that either when he proceeded to throw things at me.

Pillows.

Books.

Expensive china.

The remainder of soup from his lunch.

Anything he could get his hands on really. And after he ran out of things to throw at me, he stormed out of the room after giving his older brother the dirtiest look I'd ever seen anyone give anybody. It was the kind of look that generally conveyed hatred of the deepest extreme accompanied by the desire to prevent child birthing.

And it was while I was watching the angry back of my new, thoroughly pissed off charge storming off in a hurricane capable of decimating cities and several countrysides did I realize just how much my life had changed.

Probably forever.

"Well," Prince Schneizel started cheerfully, actually looking quite calm and pleased with himself for someone who, just recently, had a half-full pot of tea thrown on his person, "that went much better than I hoped to expect."

"Your highness, I… ah… don't think…"

"He must like you," Prince Schneizel stated.

Really.

Hearing that just makes my life so much better that I think I might want to see how many times I can fall off the castle battlements before passing out.

"You'll regret this for the rest of your life, Suzaku Kururugi!"

He groaned.

Okay, so maybe he would, but he definitely wouldn't regret it in the next ten minutes and that was good enough for him right now. And even if he did regret it for the rest of his life, living with regret was better than living with the Ashfords for any longer.

Well.

Not so much the Ashfords in general as a particular Ashford.

Turning around, he folded his arms. "Milly, I don't want to be a bother to you guys anymore. I hate being a leech."

Milly pouted.

As the only heir to the Ashford dynasty, Milly had been raised, groomed, and guided to be a suitable heir capable of continuing the long, noble lineage. While Suzaku didn't think she was a good choice (an opinion he wisely kept to himself), she was the only choice and she had to be capable of doing it whether she liked it or not.

(And, to a lesser degree, whether the Ashfords themselves liked it or not.)

Running out in her slippers and nightgown, she tugged on his arm stubbornly, whining, "What will I do without you when you're gone?"

Suzaku sighed, shrugging. "I don't know. Pick on the new servant?"

"But… nobody else will sit and take it like you!"

Well, that much was true.

When they were five and only next-door neighbours, he had kicked and screamed at being the brunt of the Ashford princess' ongoing running pranks and jokes (having your hair lit on fire from time to time is, ahem, unpleasant). By the time he was twelve he simply accepted whatever tragedy would happen to him. Now that he was eighteen he was heading out the door forever.

To Suzaku, forever seemed like such a long time. So when he thought about it, he started to get second thoughts. The Ashfords had, after all, been his surrogate parents since his parents tragically died from being hit by a carriage. But it was time for him to stop being coddled by them, he reasoned, and therefore must leave them forever.

And away from Milly forever.

And when he thought about that, forever didn't quite seem long enough.

"There's a nice boy out there who will love and take care of your every wish. He's not me, and I don't want to ever be him."

Milly pouted. "But Suzaku~" she whined. And then her face split in a smile, as if she had just thought of the world's greatest idea. "Mother and Father will be angry!" she threatened, folding her arms and stamping her foot petulantly.

Oh, she would paint such a lovely picture to suitors if they ever saw her like this.

"And that's why I'm leaving in the dead of night."

Sighing, Milly continued to frown in dismay. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know. I hear Pendragon is nice this time of year."

Opening her mouth, Milly forced herself to close it again before sighing longingly and stepping up to him. Slowly, her lips curled downwards into a—

Oh God.

Look away.

Kicked Puppy Look. All rights reserved.

"You won't change your mind?"

Gosh, he never noticed how remarkably green that tree was over there.

"Absolutely not."

Sighing, Milly pouted, then huffed, then folded her arms childishly, and then she stepped forward to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Well, if I can't talk you out of it, I'll at least have to wish you good luck. Take care of yourself, Suzaku."

Suzaku smiled daring to look back at her. "Thanks, I will. You take care of yourself too. I won't be here to beat off all the boys for you anymore."

Giggling, Milly simply waved good-bye.

Turning on his heel, Suzaku Kururugi left his home of seven years for the road. When he reached the end of the dirt path where it forked off, he turned back to take a good look at Ashford manor one last time. Milly was still on the doorstep, arms folded, watching him leave her forever.

Smiling to himself, Suzaku decided that maybe forever wouldn't actually be forever after all.

"How much further is it?"

"Once we cross these mountains we'll be home, your highness."

He grumbled audibly. And quite loudly. "Can't these stupid horses go any faster?"

"The horses need to go at a steady pace or they'll tire, your highness."

"I'm sore all over, Jeremiah! Why did we have to go all this way to meet that stupid airhead princess anyway?"

With amazing (rather unworldly) patience, Jeremiah gave his young charge a placating smile. "Prince Lelouch, that princess just happens to be your future wife. Please pay her the proper respect even if we're not in her company."

Lelouch glared out the window viciously. "She's an idiot. If she wants to my hand in marriage so badly she should be coming to see me."

Holding a hand over his mouth, Jeremiah suppressed a laugh.

There was a ring of truth to the prince's words.

Princess Emily wasn't renowned for impressive intelligence, after all.

"Prince Lelouch, please don't make me repeat myself."

He pouted, appropriately subdued.

"Well… she is." Folding his arms, Lelouch turned back to face Jeremiah. "Besides, she's got a face like a stuck pi—ACK!"

The prince's words were cut off as the carriage heaved, suddenly starting to shake with increased speed. The horses outside neighed and as the driver could be heard urging them on faster. Lelouch tumbled forward into Jeremiah's waiting arms.

Setting the young man right in the seat next to him, Jeremiah dipped his head outside the window. "Driver! What's the meaning of this?"

"My Lord! Bandits!"

The closest town to the Ashford estate was a friendly little town and just about everyone knew who he was—the adopted son of their patron lords and Milly Ashford.

Funny how she was always mentioned by first and last name (not to mention separate from her parents).

After walking the five miles to the town, Suzaku spent the remainder of the night at the inn and was able to get a horse, sword, and supplies for a week for free the next morning on the condition that he visit every now and then. Once he obtained directions from the kind and motherly inn lady—who scolded him on his lack of dress—

(How do you expect to find a nice noble lady or princess to marry looking like you're homeless?)

(Well, technically, I am homeless now.)

(Yes, but she doesn't need to know that.)

—he set off mid-morning for the mountainous trails that would lead him to Pendragon.

Suzaku felt like a tourist already.

He had only been to Pendragon once, when he was four, and that was only because his family, along with the Ashfords, had been invited to the prince's birthday party. (Suzaku was still undecided on whether he was disappointed or not to have come all that way and not actually meet the prince whose birthday was being had.) All the noble lords and ladies of Britannia had been invited—and while most lived in Pendragon, many still did not.

Other than that one time, he had never been past these mountains or this familiar countryside.

And then he heard rumbling.

Halting his horse, Suzaku frowned, listening closely as it steadily got louder and louder. When he realized it was coming from behind him, he turned back to see—

"Get out of the way, idiot!"

Eyes widening, Suzaku quickly moved as he was told to avoid being run over and watched as the elegant carriage careened past him, causing his heavy travelling cloak to flutter slightly. Only a little ways behind him, Suzaku saw a group of several men on horseback wearing emerald green seals and viridian cloaks giving chase.

After connecting the coat of arms on the carriage and the royal green seals on the men, Suzaku's mind connected the dots quickly and he sprung into action, urging his horse into a gallop while he brandished his sword.

The riders had already caught up to the carriage and were attempting to board it while the driver tried to shake them off. One had made the mistake of standing all the way up on a particularly sharp turn and fell off, narrowly being missed by the remaining riders' hooves.

Pulling his sword out, Suzaku called out to them, "Hey! Leave them alone!"

The riders paid no heed—they either didn't hear or didn't care.

The carriage slammed one horseman against the side of the mountain, causing the man to fall off his horse.

And while the carriage lost one more pursuer, it also lost a wheel.

Upset by the balance, the carriage suddenly gave and came to a shuddering halt while the remaining riders circled the debris like sharks.

"Give it up, you can't run any longer!"

The driver had quickly surrendered as a sword was braced against his trembling throat. The remaining horsemen dismounted and brandished their swords.

Suzaku followed suit a little further behind and came upon them cautiously.

Slowly, from the wrecked carriage, the door swung open and a man climbed out. Baring his own sword from the sheath, he glanced quickly over at the driver before eyeing their remaining assailants.

The leader on the horse smirked. "Hand him over, Jeremiah, and we'll let you go unharmed."

"Excuse the overly-used saying, gentlemen, but you'll have to get him over my dead body. You, boy, over there, are you with these dogs or are you loyal to Britannia?"

The two nearest to Suzaku turned to look over their shoulder at him—and when they did, the man lunged forward, plunging his sword into the gut of one of them clean through to the other side before pulling it out in the same motion and stepping back to engage with the other.

The man on the horse cursed and dismounted while the sound of ringing metal started to fill the air.

Rushing to his aid, Suzaku started to help, fending off the attackers.

The man duelled with one of them, striking another with the hilt of his sword and kicking him as the man stumbled off the edge of the mountain cliff with a cry.

Swords flashed and clashed, all the while Jeremiah held his ground in front of the carriage. When only three attackers remained, both Suzaku and Jeremiah were panting for breath, back-to-back surrounded by dead bodies or incapacitated men.

"You fight awfully well, young man," Jeremiah commented.

"I try."

As they engaged two more, Suzaku rammed his hilt into the gut of his enemy, kicking him as soon as he hobbled over in pain just in time to hear a cry of pain. As Suzaku whirled around to face the next opponent, his eyes widened as he saw blood pouring down from a nasty gash in Jeremiah's sword arm as the man fell to one knee while the leader put a sword to his throat.

"You may be the captain of the guard in your country, Gottwald, but I'm the army general in mine."

"Jeremiah!"

Suzaku's eyes quickly flickered over to the broken carriage and saw a dark-haired boy roughly his age climbing out.

Jeremiah hissed in pain, clutching his arm, but not relinquishing his grip on the sword. "Stay inside the carriage!"

The boy stopped halfway and seemed to debate on whether he should or should not do as he was told. "What do you want!?" he screamed at the man.

There was only one of them now, but he held a hostage and that was enough.

"Lelouch! So good to see you. You're a reasonable sort, I'm sure. Hand yourself over to me and I will spare this man's life."

Lelouch swallowed. "I…"

"Don't do it!"

Stepping out of the carriage gingerly, the boy took a step forward. "I'll do as you say, just don't hurt him any more."

Eyes widening, Suzaku moved into action, and, as an act of pure genius or sheer stupidity (although quite possibly both), he found himself detaining the boy with a blood-drenched sword at his throat.

The leader glared hard at him through narrowed eyes.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me! Let him go or I kill your precious target! You only want him alive don't you? Besides, what good is he to me? Can you be so sure I wouldn't?"

In the silence that ensued, Suzaku saw the man's face flush with rage. Only a few feet further in front of him, he could tell that Jeremiah was as worried as the man with the sword at his throat.

Finally, with a heavy sigh and a look around at his dead men, the man stepped away slowly before getting back on his horse, turning it back around. "I won't forget this," he spat out before galloping away.

Sighing, Suzaku let go of the boy and let his shoulders slump in relief.

Hurriedly, the prince stumbled away from him and Jeremiah rose to his feet. Pulling back a blood-stained glove, Jeremiah grimaced before approaching Suzaku.

"You have my thanks, young man," he said, holding out his hand for Suzaku to shake.

"It was no pro—"

WHAM.

Suzaku suddenly found himself on the ground, pain blooming in the side of his face. Blinking in comprehension, he slowly looked up Jeremiah, who wore a calm look of cold anger.

"Pardon me, but never, never," he intoned, pausing for effect, "hold a blade to his throat ever again."

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered, at a loss for words.

"It's fine, Jeremiah. I'm fine. You owe this man your life. Can you imagine how furious mother would be if you died? You're her favourite, you know."

Jeremiah smiled—albeit somewhat stiffly—eyes still on Suzaku as he extended a hand to him. "Your concern honours me, my lord. Get up, boy, I won't punch you again. What's your name? I'll make sure to see you're rewarded handsomely for your help."

Taking the offered hand with some caution, Suzaku was pulled to his feet. Carefully, he held a hand to his face, testing the tender cheek.

"Suzaku Kururugi, sir."

Jeremiah hummed in thought.

While assessing his wound, he found himself being appraised by the young man at Jeremiah's side.

Looking up, he blinked at him, and then frowned. "What are you staring at?"

Jeremiah gave him a cold, discerning look. "You'll address my young lord with respect."

Not wanting another blow to the face, Suzaku bit back the smart retort he had to that.

Lelouch folded his arms and frowned.

"I can't believe I was rescued by such a commoner," he said with all the disdain in the world.

What happened after that comment was made, earned Suzaku another good punch as his lights effectively (ahem) went out.

"I won't take 'no' for an answer, Lelouch, you're getting one and that's that. This is the third time this has happened to you! Cornelia had less trouble travelling!"

Lelouch slammed his hands on the desk in rage. "That's because Cornelia is a demon!" he protested, "I don't want one! That's for princesses! What do you think I am?"

Levelling her son with stern violet, Marianne frowned. "I think you are a prince of Britannia in need of a knight protecting him who isn't mine. Even Euphemia has less trouble with being assaulted than you."

"That's because Euphemia can break a man in two! You have no idea the things she hides under those ridiculously poofy skirts of hers!"

No, really, don't ask.

Marianne ignored his comment. "The problem is that I need someone capable and smart."

There was a pregnant pause of silence as she looked around the room at the other Rounds Knights. While there was a cough to clear throats, everyone had looked away, careful not to make eye contact.

Lelouch fumed, but smirked to himself in silent satisfaction as he folded his arms obstinately.

It was a statistical fact that Lelouch was assailed more often than any other prince or princess of the kingdom.

Nobody wanted to be responsible for that.

"Your Majesty, if I may suggest someone?" Schneizel inquired, clasping his hands neatly in front of him.

"Who?" she asked quickly, as if the opportunity would disappear the second it was acknowledged.

The second prince smiled.

Pendragon.

The royal capital of the Britannian Empire. It held more wine, women, and wealth than any other city in the world. After waking up, stranded, with nothing but his horse, a black eye, and many more bruises for blows he didn't remember receiving, Suzaku had merely saddled up and remarked from time to time just how amazing his first couple days away from his home was.

Now that he was standing at the pearly gates of Pendragon, he found himself meaning every single word of it.

The guards at the gate conversed with each other and one of them hailed him as he rode up. "Excuse me, sir; by any chance are you Suzaku Kururugi?"

Suzaku blinked. "Ah… yes, that's me, why?"

"Your presence is required at the castle."

Comments:

Be prepared, because you never know...

Please R&R.

- Minute Maid

Beverage of Queens.