Turn Twenty Six: Table for Two
“In acknowledgement of your accomplishments and part in the rout of the Olympian menace, you are cordially invited to a party befitting a person of your stature and grace. It would please your host greatly if you chose to attend this gala which suits this festive time of year in remembrance of the Spirit of Giving and the birth of the Hope of the World.
Your lodging will be within the luxurious Victorian castle-mansion of Red Manor, which resides on Cape Ann in northern Massachusetts. This Colonial estate overlooks the Atlantic Ocean with a fabulous view and has seventy-two oversized guest rooms of exquisite design and furnishings of which you are invited to stay in one.
The kitchen is manned by a master chef who will provide you with the finest foods of the season. A feast of cranberry-stuffed chicken and all appropriate trimmings will be provided for the Christmas Eve dinner followed by a dessert bar of cakes, ice creams, and pies. Morning eats shall consist of an assortment of home-cooked, traditional European dishes including eggs, steak, fruit-filled crepes, pancakes, and waffles. A lunch of lamb shank, basmati rice, hummus, couscous, and pita shall be served at 10:00 am Eastern Standard Time. The Christmas goose will be provided for your culinary delight at 2:00 pm EST and shall be followed by a pizza party at 6:00 p.m. sharp.
Red Manor is equipped with a fully stocked bar and wine cellar. Drinks shall be provided from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight. Non-alcoholic beverages are also available and can be had at any time during your stay from the refrigerator within your guest suite.
Gifts will be handed out on Christmas day during the pizza party and are provided by your humble host at no charge.
You may bring along with you one guest of your choice or your immediate family, if such is the case.
Travel expenses and all necessary arrangements have been made for you, and your tickets are provided in this package, including your room key and a key to the front door. My home is your home during this event, so please feel free to let yourself in as soon as you can attend.
I expect ALL of you to attend this Table for Two no later than the evening of the 24th of December. If you don’t, I shall be very put out.
Cordially Yours,
Your Humble Host” —Copy of the invitation sent to Rakshata Chawla, Lloyd Asplund, Cecile Croomy, the Nu family (Villetta, Ohgi, and their two children), Jeremiah, Sayoko, the Britannian Royals (Nunnally and Cornelia), Suzaku Kururugi, Kallen Kozuki, the Yamato no Orochi (Akira, Gregor, Tamaki, Anya, Mika, Lena, and Tetsuo), Lihua, Kaguya, the Ashfords (Rivalz and Milly), and C.C. from an anonymous host, dated December 7th, 2024 a.t.b.
“People of the world!” Zero raised his hands in front of the television cameras and reporters who had gathered at the foot of New-Brunswick Castle at the edge of the crater-lake in the center of the city of Neo-Pendragon. Behind them was a sea of citizens from all over the world who came to see Zero speak.
Nunnally, Suzaku, and Jeremiah stood to Zero’s right while Cornelia, the Red Dragon, and Guilford stood to his left. In front of him sat General Tohdoh, General Xingke, Empress Lihua, and Lady Kaguya.
“The enemy which shattered the peace that we have worked for so diligently for so long has been vanquished.” Zero outstretched his hand towards the cameras. “But it would not have been possible for simply the United Federation of Nations to perform this act alone, nor could Britannia have done it. In order to defeat this enemy, they had to come together and use their combined strength to oust them.”
He turned to his right to see Nunnally nod at him and smile. Zero turned back towards the crowd of reporters below him and clenched his fist in a dramatic manner. “We must understand that this new enemy has only been driven from our planet for the moment, and that this external threat may at any time return to plague us yet again.”
He thrust his open hand towards the cameras and the crowd. “The UFN is no longer adequate to deal with this new menace, and Britannia is too restrictive a nation to allow for the innovations needed to contend with it. Our world as a whole is lost in the myriad of philosophies and dogmas of the past. Socialism has failed, fascism has failed, imperialism has failed, corporatism has failed, feudalism has failed, and the whole of the Old World Order is a failure!”
Zero punched his right hand above his shoulder towards the sky as he shouted, “We need a new form of government! One that protects the people and allows the best and the brightest among them to succeed unhindered by government cronyism or bureaucratic corruption. What we must create if we are to resist this new extraterrestrial threat is a classless system of society and an economic system which prevents the kind of greed that led to the unearthing of the city of Tartarus in the first place. We will do this with the abolition of usury and egalitarian policies. Mankind needs a government that exists for people, by people and holds individual liberty in the highest regard. Our enemy is a republic capable of mustering forces beyond our comprehension. Therefore, we here must in turn form a new government, one that trusts its people with arms, allows people to speak out against it, and permits people to be masters of their own destinies!”
Zero reached out towards the crowd in a grasping gesture. “What we must build is a commonwealth, a republic with which we can defend our world from almost certain enslavement if not total destruction! We shall overcome this new enemy! We shall build our new republic! We shall sweep away the past so that we may capture the future! And we shall do it together!”
Cheers thundered through the city as Zero bowed to the crowds.
Nunnally stepped forward as Zero walked to the back of their group. He nodded at her as she stood at the podium. “As of this moment, all hostilities between Britannia and the UFN have officially ceased, and our two militaries have agreed to combine into one new global force intended to be the military of our new republic.” Nunnally smiled at Kaguya who stood from her chair and came up next to Nunnally at the podium.
“Beginning in March of 2025 a.t.b., the leaders of the UFN, Britannia, and all non-aligned nations shall begin diplomatic talks with regard to the drafting of a document for the new world government to abide by. These talks will be democratic in nature, and every country, regardless of population size or territory, shall have equal vote in this new council. May God have mercy on us and guide us through these talks, for if we fail in this endeavor to create this new government, we shall all be doomed to whatever fate the Olympians will reign down upon us.”
* * *
“Wow, that was quite a speech you gave, Zero,” the Red Dragon said as they walked towards the interior of the castle. Neither one of them saw the pair of figures who slipped through a side door of the large entry way towards them.
“It’s just the beginning,” he said with a sigh. “I wish Enoch were here. I could use his input.”
“Do you miss him?” the Red Dragon asked sympathetically.
Zero let out a short laugh. "Yeah...guess I do." He turned to her as they reached the inner set of double doors. "He was the closest thing I had to a real father. It’s kind of weird, huh? What, with him always trying to keep my ego in check and yet pushing me to be something more."
“Not really,” said the Red Dragon as she took hold of his hand. “You never had a real father figure in your life. Enoch knew that and tried his best to help you because of it. He said you reminded him of what he used to be like.”
“I wonder what kind of life he had growing up,” Zero lamented.
“Pardon me, Zero,” a female voice asked from behind them.
The Red Dragon went into a combat stance at the sound of the woman’s voice. “Who’s there?”
“Whoa, it’s just me, Milly Ashford.” Milly raised her hands defensively. Her cameraman waved at them from behind her.
The Red Dragon relaxed. “You two shouldn’t sneak up on us like that.”
“Sorry,” Milly smiled.
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Ashford?” Zero asked as he walked up to her.
A pleasant aroma filled Milly’s nostrils as he got close to her. Her eyes grew wide with recognition. “Oh, my!” she blurted out, covering her mouth. “Um…I…wanted to know if you’d be willing to do a one-on-one interview with me.” Milly stammered.
“An exclusive,” the Red Dragon teased him. “She’s cute too.”
Milly blushed.
Zero turned to the Red Dragon. “She’s married.”
“Good thing…or a certain someone we know would be jealous,” the Red Dragon tittered.
Zero turned back to Milly. “I can’t grant you an interview today; however, I will be able to do so after the first of the year. Is that alright?”
Milly stared at him. “Um…yes, that would be okay.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “Very good, please have your office contact the Britannian embassy in Japan to make the proper arrangements.”
Milly smiled at him as her olfactory sense identified the aroma that emanated from his sleeve. “You shouldn’t keep secrets from your friends, you know.”
Zero withdrew his hand slowly. This time it was he who stuttered, “I…suppose…you are right, Milly. I shouldn’t, not anymore.”
Milly winked at him. “It’s a date then.” She turned to Seiji. “Let’s go, I don’t want to distract him. I’m sure he has a big day still ahead.”
Zero and the Red Dragon watched in silence as the pair walked away.
“What was that all about? I thought you said you’d get the interview no matter what?” Seiji asked Milly with a smirk.
“I’ll get my interview, don’t you worry,” said Milly confidently. “He won’t stand me up.”
“You act like you two know each other personally,” Seiji said.
“We do,” Milly said to more herself than to him. “We go way back.”
Seiji was surprised. “How the heck did you recognize him? It’s not like we’ve ever seen Zero’s face.”
“I didn’t need to see his face to know it was him behind the mask,” said Milly with an arrogant look at her camera man. “His cologne gave him away.”
“His cologne?” Seiji scoffed.
“Yep,” she snickered. “Believe me, Seiji, when you’re in love with someone, you remember everything about them. Especially the subtle nuances, and the man under that mask wore cologne that no other man I’ve ever known would have: Ode de la Imperial.”
“Never heard of it,” the cameraman said.
Milly gave Zero one passing look before she and Seiji left the castle. “You aren’t likely to have, as it was available only to the Britannian royal family.”
* * *
“Dude, this is totally boring!” Tamaki whined as the Ikaruga floated above the city of Neo-Pendragon. He and the other members of the Yamato no Orochi were staring out at the city from the promenade deck at the aft of the ship.
“Miss the Greeks already, do you?” Kallen snickered as she sipped her tea in the warm Arizona air of early December.
“Nah!” He leaned back on the railing and slugged his coffee. “I just can’t stand doing nothing.”
“Really?” Mika asked. “I’m enjoying the break from all the fighting.”
“No kidding,” Gregor said. “Not to mention we’ll be going into space in a few months. I’d like some time to relax.”
“Me too,” Lena agreed as she held onto Akira’s arm. She looked up at him. “Gives us time to appreciate the finer things in life.”
Akira bent down and kissed her. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“Okay, you two, get a room or something!” Tamaki griped.
“Oh, stow it, you old geezer!” Kallen taunted him. “They’re in love, let them enjoy it.”
“Geez, you recovered fast,” Tamaki retorted carefully. “Just last month you wanted to drown your sorrows in a sea of booze.”
“I got it outta my system,” Kallen barked at him. “You gotta problem with that?”
“Yeah, you were fun as a drinking buddy, now you’re all sober and gooey,” Tamaki snickered.
“Well, excuse me, punk!” Kallen put her hands on her hips. “In case you didn’t notice, I happen to be a woman.”
“I’ve noticed,” he said with a sly smile.
Kallen eyed him. “Tamaki, you’re asking for a beating,” she laughed. “I swear if you keep this up, I’ll cure your boredom by kicking your ass into space!”
“Speaking of space,” Anya interrupted, “anybody know how soon the new space cruiser will be completed?”
“June or July,” Tetsuo told her as he brought her a fresh cup of tea from within the ship.
“Pardon me, Captain Kozuki,” a female yeoman said as she walked out onto the promenade.
“What is it, Yeoman?” Kallen inquired with genuine curiosity.
The woman was carrying a stack of envelopes under her arm. She removed them and handed them to Kallen. “This mail arrived today, and it was simply addressed to the Yamato no Orochi.”
Kallen took the stack of envelopes out of her hand. "Looks like there's one of these for each of us."
"Have they been checked for explosives?" Tamaki asked with a skeptical eye on the white letter that Kallen handed him.
"Yes," the yeoman answered him, "they're clean. Now if you will excuse me, I have other duties to attend to."
"I'm sorry," Kallen smiled at her, "you're free to go, Yeoman."
The woman left.
Kallen used her pocket knife to cut open the top of the envelope. "What the heck is this?" she exclaimed with a shocked look as she read over the invitation.
"Wow!" Mika blurted out. "Sounds like we're invited to a royal party!"
"Do you think that Zero could have sent these?" Akira asked, a bit in shock over the contents of the invite.
"Well, I'm going to find out!" Tamaki said with a smile. "How about you, Kallen?"
She looked down at the letter intently and sneered, "I'm supposed to go to the Nu's for Christmas, but if Zero is throwing this thing...then I have to go!"
* * *
"A Christmas party?" Lloyd scoffed as he walked along the catwalk next to the partially completed hull of the first man-made space cruiser. "Really, Cecile, we don't have time for this kind of thing...besides, isn’t that religion dead? We've barely got the keel of this new ship laid down; we can't just drop everything and gallivant off to a party."
"We’ve been formally invited to this party.” She held up their invitations. “And it's only for a few days, Lloyd," she told him softly. "It'll be fun."
"Maybe you could go for me?" he said with a grin.
Cecile scowled at him, "LLOYD!"
Professor Asplund winced. "Oh, I guess I can take a few days off...what was the occasion again?"
Cecile rolled her eyes. “For a genius, you’re sure absentminded when you want to be. The occasion is called Christmas, and it is a celebration that commemorates the birth of the great prophet and healer Jesus of Nazareth who was also known as the Christ.”
“Oh.” He gave her a weak smile. “Well, that sounds harmless enough. When do you want to leave?”
Cecile gave him a devilish smile. “As soon as Rakshata is ready to go.”
“Uh…WHAT?” Lloyd recoiled in horror.
* * *
“A gala?” Cornelia held the invitation in her hand as she stood in front of one of the giant, lead glass windows of New-Brunswick Castle’s library.
“I got one too.” Nunnally held up her invitation ticket from where she sat next to Euphie and Suzaku in the small reading area that consisted of a coffee table, lamps, and four comfy chairs.
“Well, I didn’t get one!” Euphie protested.
“But they sent one to me, and I can invite one person,” Suzaku laughed. “Obviously I’d invite you.”
“Which implies that whoever sent this knows about whom you are, Princess Euphemia,” Guilford said as he walked into the study area with a tray of hot tea.
Cornelia smiled at him as he placed the tray on the coffee table and poured her a cup of tea. “It bothers me that this person wishes to remain anonymous.” She turned to Euphie. “The Greeks could be the ones behind this.”
Nunnally smirked, “Or it could just be C.C. and Lelouch trying to give us all an end of the year surprise party.” She took a cup of tea from Guilford. “Let’s try to keep an open mind about this. Athena isn’t the kind of person to return so soon after being defeated. She’ll want to secure a base of operations and such before she makes another move…besides, luring us all away to a Christmas party to kill us seems petty, and I highly doubt Athena would lower herself to such tactics. She’s a proud warrior, not an assassin.”
“You may have a point, Empress,” Suzaku smiled. “It does say there’s going to be a pizza party; that’s got C2 written all over it.”
* * *
“A PIZZA PARTY!” C.C. held up the invitation in front of Lelouch as he sat at his computer within the hotel room they were staying in. Outside the window of their room, the lights of Mexico City began to illuminate the cityscape as dusk settled over the metropolis.
“I’m not going,” he said flatly.
“Why not?” C.C. asked him. “It’s probably Nunnally’s idea, or maybe that old girlfriend of yours.”
“You mean Milly,” he said with an irritated look at her as he tried to finish his tenth draft of a world constitution. He, as Zero, would be expected to deliver it to the world during the convention that was only a few months away.
“Yes, Milly.” C.C. leaned over him. “Are you listening to me?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. C.C. gave him a puppy-eyed look. “Lulu, I want to go, and I want you to come with me.”
He sighed, “If I agree to go, will you let me finish this?”
“Only if you promise to go and seal your commitment to me.” She kissed passionately on the lips. “Promise?”
Lelouch scowled for a moment then smiled at her. “Yah, I promise.”
“Good.” She unbuttoned her blouse from the top down. “I’ll be in the bedroom, so don’t keep me waiting for too long.” She kissed him again and walked away, leaving her blouse and skirt on the floor behind her as she did so.
Lelouch tried to turn back to the draft, but the seductive look C.C. had given him invaded his thoughts. He sat at the computer for a few minutes unable to think straight. “Oh…snap! There’s no way I can finish this damn thing tonight.” Lelouch got up from the desk and walked into the bedroom.
* * *
“This place is huge, Kaguya,” Lihua said as she, Zhou, and Kaguya Sumeragi got out of the limousine that had brought them from the airport to the enormous manor.
The morning sun reflected off the freshly plowed snow that was nearly two foot deep. The air was crisp as the sunlight warmed the east side of the large building. The mansion sat atop a rocky outcropping along the New England coastline. The ocean lapped at the craggy rocks some fifty feet below the estate.
Kaguya snickered, “Well, the invitation said that there were seventy-two rooms in Red Manor, Lihua. It was obviously a big place from its description.”
“Do you think anyone else was invited?” Zhou asked as she got the four large suitcases out of the trunk of the limo.
“The letter was addressed to those of us who took part in the rout of the Olympians,” Kaguya said. “I think that would include most of the people we know.”
“I wish Xingke could have come,” Lihua pouted.
“He has to deal with the rebellion in Shanghai;, he couldn’t come,” Zhou said to her sympathetically. “That’s why he sent me in his stead, so as not to offend our mysterious host.”
“What about General Tohdoh?” the Tianzi asked.
“He flat out refused.” Kaguya rolled her eyes. “The man has no sense of fun. Poor Chiba bugged him about it for over a week, but he wouldn’t budge. He’s overseeing the formation of our space forces, so he’s got no time for trivial matters.” Kaguya knocked on the large, wooden double doors. “I promised Chiba I’d apologize to our host for both of them when we meet him or her.”
“Aren’t we supposed to use our keys to let ourselves in?” Zhou asked.
“If no one answers, then I will, but I’m not going to just barge into someone else’s—“ Kaguya was cut off by the door opening.
A tall, inhumanly gorgeous woman with ice-blue eyes and thigh-length silvery-white hair answered the door. “I’m pleased that all of you were able to come.”
Zhou put down the bags and tensed up. “Who are you?” the warrior woman asked.
“You may call me Delphi.” The woman gave them a thin smile as she opened up the second door for them. “I’m here to receive you and welcome you all. Your host will be arriving later this evening, so please come in and make yourselves at home.” She moved to allow them to enter.
* * *
“Looks like a lot of other people have already arrived here,” Rivalz said as he and Milly got out of the limousine that carried them from the airport to Red Manor.
Milly’s hair looked gold in the afternoon light of the sun.
“I wonder who all is here,” she said with a giddy grin. “I hope Zero is one of the guests.”
“Why?” he asked as he got their bags out of the trunk and carried them over his shoulder. Rivalz raised an eyebrow and smiled, “You got a crush on him or something?”
“I used to," she giggled.
"Used to?" Rivalz was confused at first then his draw dropped open. "You don't mean..." He let the thought trail off.
"Trust me, honey, if he's here and you two get to meet, you’ll feel the same way that I do.” She gave Rivalz a wink as they made their way up to the door.
* * *
"Mr. and Mrs. Ashford have arrived," Delphi announced as she opened the ornate double doors that led to the gathering of guests in the enormous living room of the manor.
Milly and Rivalz walked in to find a whole host of people they were acquainted with.
"Milly! Rivalz! It's great to see both of you!" Nunnally said as she came over and hugged her friends.
"It's great to see you also, Nana," said Rivalz with an elated smile. "Oops, I mean, Empress," he bowed.
"Don't be sorry." Nunnally kissed him on the cheek. "We're friends, Rivalz...always."
He blushed. "Thanks, Nunnally."
"So who's throwing this bash?" Milly inquired.
"We don't know," Villetta Nu said as she and Ohgi came up to greet them.
"Hey, you two." Milly hugged them both. "Where are your two little darlings?" she asked, excited.
Ohgi sighed. "We decided not to take them with us on such a long trip. Plus, Nagisa wanted to punish Tohdoh for not coming to this get-together, so she volunteered them as babysitters."
Suzaku let out a laugh. "Oh, my! Can you image Kyoshiro changing diapers?"
Laughter filled the room.
"So, who's all here?" Milly asked, eager to get the inside scoop on the guest list.
Nunnally drew a deep breath before running down the list. "Cornelia and Guilford; Kaguya, Lihua, and Zhou Xianglin; Cecile Croomy, Lloyd Asplund, and Rakshata Chawla; Akira Nobunaga, Tamaki Shinichiro, Anya Alstreim, Gregor Fontaine, Tetsuo Yuma, Mika Ontario, and Lena Shomeron; Jeremiah Gottwald and Sayoko Shinozaki; me, Suzaku, and Euph...uh...my sister." Nunnally’s face became flushed.
Milly caught the slip immediately. "Your sister? You already mentioned Cornelia."
"My mistake," Nunnally tried to laugh it off, "the list is so long."
"You started to say Euph, Nunnally," Milly said with a smile. "Did you mean Euphemia?"
"EUPHEMIA! That's preposterous!" Lloyd yelled.
"Did you guys need me for something?" Euphie popped her head in from an adjacent room.
The living room went silent as those who were unaware of Euphie being alive stood in shock of her presence.
Realizing her error, Euphemia gave the group a halfhearted wave. "Hi," she said in a mousey tone.
Lloyd dropped his glass of wine. "I feel a little woozy." Professor Asplund put his hand to his head and started to fall over.
Cecile caught him. "Oh, some man you are. Lloyd, snap out of it."
Rakshata tittered, "Oh, Lloyd, you're such a drama queen. I'm sure there is a logical explanation." She looked directly at Euphemia. "Isn't there?"
"There had better be!" Tamaki grumbled. "Considering the fact that she's Princess Massa—OUCH!" Tamaki yelled as Ohgi stomped on his foot. "What the hell did ya do that for, Ohgi?"
Ohgi glared at him. "To keep your mouth from ruining the evening."
"I think we'd all like an explanation, Princess Euphemia," Zhou Xianglin said as she stood up from one of the comfy chairs in the room.
"It's okay, Zhou; Kaguya and I already knew," the Tianzi reassured her.
"You did? And both of you were okay with it?" Villetta asked in shock.
"Of course we were." Kaguya waved her hand reassuringly. "It was all a misunderstanding."
"Why do I get the feeling Geass has something to do with this?" Ohgi grumbled.
"Well, of course it does...didn't everything relate to Geass back then? It's a really long story," Kaguya said as she poured herself a glass of sake.
"Then you can tell your party all about it, Lady Kaguya Sumeragi, over dinner," Delphi said as she entered the living room. "Your meal is ready."
"And our host?" Cornelia asked gruffly.
"Your host has run into a delay and will not be here until tomorrow morning," Delphi answered her with a thin smile. "Also, Captain Kozuki and the other guests have not arrived yet either and are not likely to get here until tomorrow due to a sudden snow storm which is delaying all flights into New England. Thus, there is no need to wait for them any longer. Now if you all will follow me."
Delphi led the party through the long, ornately decorated halls of the handsome mansion to the large, marble-lined dining room where a feast of cranberry-stuffed chicken awaited them.
* * *
"We should have taken a plane to get here, it's friggin’ freezing!" Lelouch complained as he carried C.C.'s bags up the long drive towards the manor. "Not to mention I can barely see anything in this snow."
"Stop your whining, you big baby," she snickered. "I thought you were the Knight of Justice, the great Zero! You're not going to tell me that a little walk in the snow is going to defeat you now, are you?"
"Well, if you hadn't packed a whole wardrobe for me to carry, we would probably be there by now!" Lelouch shot back.
"But I only took what I needed," C.C. chortled. "Besides, it's only two luggage cases. You make it sound like it's so difficult."
"Yeah, well, it is," Lelouch retorted. "I've only got my one small bag with a change of clothing and my essentials."
C.C. rolled her eyes. "Fine, you whiner, I'll come help you." She removed his small bag from around his neck and slung it over her shoulder. "There, is that better now?"
"Much," he said sarcastically.
"Look, there's the mansion!" C.C. exclaimed. In the distance, a small porch light illuminated the front of the large manor.
Lelouch looked wearily up the long, winding drive. "It has to be at least eleven pm by now; it'll be midnight or later by the time we get up there."
"Not if we hurry!" C.C. said excitedly.
Lelouch let out a long sigh. "Let's get going."
* * *
"So Euphemia was Geassed by Lelouch because your brother couldn't control his power?" Villetta was mortified. "That's horrible."
"It was an accident," Euphie defended Lelouch's intentions, "even if it was a stupid one."
"It cost a lot of people their lives," Tamaki scowled at the dinner table while he passed the sweet potatoes to Akira.
"How do you think I feel about it?" Euphie said softly. "I have to live with it, and it will stay with me forever."
"Honestly, can we please change the subject?" Kaguya inquired in an unusually harsh tone for the normally jovial lady-chairman. "I'd like to forget all the mistakes we all made during that war. We're not at war anymore, and this party was supposed to be to commemorate the Spirit of Giving. I can think of no better gift to give than that of forgiveness. If I can forgive Euphemia for what happened, then all of you can, and I don't need or want to hear any more about it from anyone. What's done is done."
"Well, I wonder if our host is Zero?" Gregor inquired to everyone at the table in an effort to change the subject and shift the tension to where he felt it should be. "He's not here, right?"
"I don't believe he's here yet," Nunnally said through a wine-induced smile as she sipped from her goblet.
"Nunnally, is that your last glass of wine?" Cornelia asked her sister politely.
"It probably should be," Nunnally said with rosy cheeks.
The speculation of who their generous host was lasted until they said their good nights and retired for the evening to their bed chambers.
* * *
"We finally made it." Lelouch collapsed on the side of the door huffing out billows of hot breath in the frigid air.
"Looks like all the lights are off," C.C. said sadly. "Guess everyone must be in bed."
"Just get the door open so we don't freeze to death out here," he complained.
"What? Don't worry, if you die out here, you'll thaw tomorrow and be alive for the party by evening."
"Not funny, C2...no...no...not funny," his teeth chattered.
One of the double doors opened up and a silver-haired woman greeted them. "Welcome, we weren't expecting you until tomorrow, but I heard a thud on the front door as I was doing my rounds before bed. Good thing I came to the door. You two look like you're about to catch your death of cold out here. Please, come in immediately. I'll make a fire for you and warm you up some dinner."
"Thank you, kind woman," Lelouch said as he entered the warm home.
"You may call me Delphi," the blue-eyed beauty told him as she took their bags. "The main level study is through that door." She pointed to a large oak door at the far end of the grand hall. "I'll bring you your food and some warm tea after I get your bags to your room." With that she easily carried their bags up the grand staircase that led to the upper levels of Red Manor.
C.C. and Lelouch made their way into the large study. It was furnished with Victorian-style furniture throughout its depth which clearly ran the whole length of the north side of the mansion. Bookshelves lined the walls and were arranged in rows in the center of the chamber like a library. A fireplace was at the center of the room with a hearth that was as wide as a KMF; above it was a large, stone mantle. A small inferno blazed behind its brass mesh screen warming the room comfortably.
“Wow, this is some place,” C.C. said with a smile as the two of them sat down on the large couch in front of the blaze.
“Sure is,” Lelouch said as he looked up at the mid-sized gun above the mantle and read the placard. “Action Arms Thomson Model 1927, huh?”
“What is it?” C.C. asked him.
“I’ve never heard of that gun company before…” He was interrupted by Delphi entering the room with their food and hot tea on a serving cart she rolled in front of her.
“Here is your dinner, Madame and Monsieur, and a map of the manor,” she smiled at them. “I’m retiring for the evening, so if you need anything, just follow the map to your room. Good night.”
“Good night, Delphi,” Lelouch said as the warmth of the fire drove away the chill from his body. He scowled at C.C., “Did the cold drive away your manners?”
“Oh, GOOD NIGHT, DELPHI!” C.C. yelled at the top of her lungs after the woman had left the room.
“Shut up!” a voice boomed from above them.
C.C. snickered, “That sounds like Tamaki.”
Lelouch nearly choked on the piece of chicken breast and cranberry stuffing he was nibbling on. “Yes, it does. I guess that means others were invited as well.”
“It must be nearly one in the morning by now…” C.C. barely touched her food. “Merry Christmas, Lelouch,” she cooed as she snuggled up next to him.
“Uh…Merry Christmas?” he asked more than stated.
C.C. giggled, “It’s what you say today. It’s Christmas, when the baby Jesus was born to bring light to the world by his teachings and thus cleanse the world of its sins and bring about peace.”
“I think he failed,” Lelouch snickered.
“No, dear, we’re the ones who failed.” C.C. kissed him on the cheek.
“So, tell me about him,” Lelouch said putting down his fork as he lay back on the couch.
C.C. lay down next to him and rested her head on his chest. “There are multiple accounts of his life by his twelve apostles, but I like Mathew the best, so I’ll tell the story from his perspective…starting with chapter two…”
“Why chapter two?” Lelouch interrupted her.
“Because chapter one is the genealogy of Jesus, and you don’t want to hear that, do you?” C.C. tittered.
“No, I guess not,” he humored her.
“Now when Jesus was born in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews?’”
Lelouch’s eyes grew heavy as C.C. recanted the tale. In a few moments, he was asleep.
* * *
“Is anybody here?” Kallen knocked on the door to Red Manor in the light of dawn. Her duffle bag was slung over her shoulder as she waited for someone to answer in the cold of the New England morning.
“Guess not, they’re all probably still asleep,” Kallen mused as she took the key to the front door from her pocket and unlocked it.
Kallen looked around the vestibule and peeked through the finely cut glass of the large, oaken doors in front of her before opening one of them and walking into the large main hall of the house. A grand staircase was before her and numerous doors lined the wall of the vaulted room.
“Nice house,” Kallen said to herself. She saw a light under a door on the left of the room. “Maybe somebody is in here.” She walked into the room.
“Must be the library,” she said aloud as she walked over to where a pair of couches flanked a fireplace. The last remaining logs within the hearth still burned, giving off their light and warmth to the interior of the room.
Kallen walked over to the heat and warmed her hands. She turned to sit down on one of the couches and noticed someone sleeping under a blanket on the couch opposite the one she sat down upon. Better not disturb him, she thought to herself as the person began to stir.
The blanket rolled back to expose C.C., still dressed in her clothes from the night before. “Oh, hi, Kallen,” C.C. said sleepily as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Kallen stood and stared in utter disbelief as C.C. got up off the couch like a drone. “I need to pee,” she mumbled, but Kallen didn’t notice. Her furious gaze was fixated on the person lying underneath C.C.
C.C. stopped dead in her tracks as she realized she wasn’t dreaming. “KALLEN?!”
Lelouch’s eyes shot open. “What?” he said as he sat up to see her standing by the fireplace glaring at him with eyes filled with rage.
“You son of a bitch,” said Kallen with menace. “You lied to me…” Kallen glanced around the room for a weapon. The Thompson caught her attention immediately, and she grabbed the submachine gun from its resting place along with the drum magazine below it.
“Kallen, what the hell are you doing?” C.C. asked frantically.
“Lelouch is supposed to be dead…right, Lelouch?” Kallen loaded and cocked the gun.
“Kallen, let’s talk about this,” Lelouch pleaded with her.
“You’ve done enough talking!” Kallen unloaded a burst from the gun as Lelouch jumped over the couch, which she riddled with bullets.
The sound of gunfire reverberated through the house.
“What the hell was that?” Zhou shot up out of bed, her bare breasts bouncing as she did so.
“Sounds like gunfire,” Tamaki said from where he lay naked beside her.
“I know what it sounds like, you idiot!” Zhou rolled him out of bed. “We need to find out what’s going on.”
“It’s probably nothing…” Tamaki protested when he heard a female voice yell “LELOUCH!” Tamaki’s eyes shot wide open. “That’s Kallen!”
“Let’s get down there,” Zhou said as she put her shirt on. “Get dressed, Tamaki.”
“What was that?” Euphemia sat up in bed.
Suzaku was already dressed and fighting to get his boots on. “Sounds like Kallen found out Lelouch is alive! But if we don’t get down there, he won’t be for long.”
Kallen fired a burst at Lelouch as he and C.C. fled through the main hall towards the doors on the right side of the chamber. The rounds shattered the glass of the vestibule doors and tore up the furniture.
“Come back here, LELOUCH! I want you to know what it feels like to have your heart torn out, to know what it’s like to have the one person you truly love betray you.”
“This is insane, Kallen!” Lelouch retorted as he and C.C. barely made it through one of the exits before Kallen filled the oak door with bullets.
Kallen ran across to where C.C. and Lelouch had fled from her. “You think I’m insane? How about lying to the whole world just to save your sister? Or starting a revolution and lying to a whole country just because your mommy and daddy didn’t love you?”
Kallen chased Lelouch and C.C. out onto a grand balcony which overlooked the rocky shoreline of Cape Ann.
Lelouch stopped at the railing near the edge with a sheer drop and the ocean below him. He looked over the rail and then turned to face Kozuki. “Kallen, let C2 go…your anger is at me, not her.”
Tears filled Kallen’s eyes. “Is that what this is all about? You chose that green-haired goblin over me?” She pointed the Thompson at him. “Why? Why didn’t you just tell me that day I shared my feelings for you that you loved her? Why did you torture me?
Lelouch put up his hands defensively. “Because I didn’t love C2 back then…I didn’t love anyone, Kallen…not you, not C2, no one.”
Delphi ran into the main hall armed with a military assault rifle just as the front door to Red Manor opened up, and a person dressed in a jet-black trench coat, large-rimmed black hat, and mirrored sunglasses walked in. His black, leather cowboy boots crunched on the broken glass of the shattered crystal windows. Delphi stopped in her tracks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize she’d react like this.”
He put up his hand in a gesture she knew meant that he’d deal with it.
“I told you to live your own life,” Lelouch said with a scowl. “I really did die, Kallen. I fully intended to sacrifice myself for the sake of the world. I wasn’t hiding with C2. I didn’t love her or you, or anyone. That’s why I ended my life, to bring happiness to this world.”
Kallen’s face contorted in anger. “Then how is it you’re here now?”
“It was Euryale, one of the Olympians, who brought me back to life. I didn’t betray you, honest. The feelings I have now for C2 didn’t manifest themselves until after I gained Euryale’s Code.”
“Oh, really? Then if that’s the case, I suppose you can explain what the hell is going on here?” Kallen shot back.
“That sounds like a good idea,” a male voice bellowed from behind Kallen. “You can start by explaining why my house is all shot to hell.”
Kallen saw the shock on Lelouch’s face and turned to see the man.
Her heart leapt into her throat as she met Enoch’s glare. “How?”
You’re the one holding my tommy gun, you tell me,” he said with a sarcastic grin.
“But you…the satellite exploded...in orbit…there’s no way,” said Kallen in a meek tone.
“Hah!” Enoch raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t actually think I’d die from a little boom-boom and a fall, did you? I’ve been there, done that plenty of times in the past.”
“How did you get back to Earth?” Akira asked as he and the other guests made their way out onto the grand balcony. Lelouch’s announced confession had made it into all their ears.
“I took the express elevator down,” Enoch snickered.
“That still doesn’t change the fact that you lied to me about Lelouch,” Kallen barked. She was shaking with a mix of emotions.
“Lied to you?” Enoch put his hands on his hips. “Kallen, I never lied to you about Lelouch. I told you that I wasn’t Zero when we first met and that I though it would be too painful for you to learn who Zero really was, and by the look of my house, I’d say I was right.”
Kallen’s face was flushed with embarrassment and hurt as he walked up to her. “How can I live like this? It’s not fair!” Kozuki’s lips trembled as the tears ran down her cheeks and she dropped the gun. “I’ve lost everyone I’ve ever loved. I’ve lost…too much, Enoch.”
“Hey, what’s with all the gunfire and yelling out here?” a blond-haired man asked as he walked through the door Enoch had come through.
“Oh, my God!” Lena blurted out. “It’s Commander Weinberg!”
“But he died,” Anya said in disbelief.
Enoch chortled as he made a dismissive gesture with his hand, “Death is a primitive concept.”
Kallen’s eyes were wide with shock while her face lost all its color. Her mouth moved but nothing came out.
Enoch leaned down to Kallen’s ear. “Merry Christmas, Kallen.”
She wrapped her arms around Enoch and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you.”
Enoch smiled at her warmly, “Hey, what’s Christmas without a few miracles, right?”
Kallen released him and ran to Commander Weinberg. “GINO!” she yelled as she threw her arms around him and squeezed him to reassure herself that he was real.
“Hey, Kallen, be careful; he only just got out of the Bacta Tank a few days ago!” Enoch yelled at her with a chuckle. “He’s not ready for any hanky-panky yet.”
Gino hugged her tightly. “I missed you, Kallen.”
She looked deep into his blue eyes. “And I you…”
They kissed gently.
“Awww,” Mika sighed, “that’s so sweet.”
Enoch turned to Lelouch and C.C. “Well, gotta admit, Big-Z, you sure know how to make a party lively. At least you guys woke everybody up for breakfast, which is good because I’m starving. Let’s eat.”
* * *
The events of the day passed quickly after breakfast. The itinerary of the day had been carefully planned by their gracious host and consisted of a horse-drawn carriage ride through the 125-acre estate to a nearby ice-covered pond called Gray Gull Hole. Enoch’s guests were provided with skates for the recently buffed ice rink, and the full Cape Ann Symphony Orchestra awaited them under a heated amphitheater by the side of the frozen pond. The mid-morning fun zipped by until the symphony retired at 10:00 a.m., and lunch was served to all under the warmth of the amphitheater.
After lunch, Enoch and company proceeded to Plum Cove via horse-drawn carriage until they came to a tall ship, a square-rigger in design, whose longboat awaited them at the shore. The ship sailed around the scenic coastline of the cape during the warmest part of Christmas day and out a few miles to watch the whales. The Christmas goose was served on board ship at 2:00 p.m. and was followed by Enoch telling stories of his high seas adventures, one of which included C.C. and him sharing a rather precarious voyage.
The ship dropped off the partygoers at 4:00 p.m. at Folly Cove beach via longboat as the sun began to set. From the beach the group rode via horse-drawn carriage once more back up to Red Manor for the pizza party.
“Oooooooh!” C.C. bounced up and down in her seat as they waited in the living room for the pizza to arrive.
“Will you calm down,” Lelouch snickered as he removed his white wig and sunglasses. His disguise of the day was very effective in fooling all those they had met during their trek.
Tamaki looked over at him. “I still can’t believe it’s you, man.” He had been in shock by the revelation, and Ohgi had to reprimand him covertly on numerous occasions to protect Lelouch and Euphemia’s identities.
“How did you manage it?” Zhou asked Lelouch. “It seems all so surreal to me.”
Lelouch grinned, “It wasn’t what I had planned, believe me.”
“Still, I think it’s for the better,” Ohgi said to Lelouch with a raised brow. “You can help us rebuild this time.”
Lelouch nodded, “I agree. Last time I took the easy way out.”
“Can we leave the past behind us please?” Euphie said as she removed her wig. “This day has been wonderful, so please don’t spoil it by bringing up that awful point in our shared past.” She had worn a brown-haired wig and similar getup to that of her brother, not that anyone could have gotten past Suzaku or Cornelia to discover her identity in the first place.
“Well, at least they’ve seen fit to do so,” Kaguya tittered as Kallen and Gino came into the room arm-in-arm.
“No kidding, they’ve been glued to each other all day,” Anya added with a wink at Tetsuo. He got her hint and removed her coat for her before the two of them grabbed a pair of comfy chairs next to a coffee table.
Kallen and Gino removed their coats then sat down together on one of the love seats in the room. They’d been snuggling and whispering to each other on and off since breakfast.
Cornelia and Guilford were holding hands as they sat down on another of the love seats in the room. “Who would ever have thought we would all be sitting here together like this even a few months ago.”
“How true,” Nunnally agreed in a distant voice. She hadn’t said much, but her smile was with her all day, and it still didn’t waver.
“I wish we could take pictures of this moment,” Milly lamented. Rivalz agreed as he hung her coat.
“So, old buddy,” Rivalz addressed Lelouch, “you up for a game of chess while we wait?” He gestured towards the chess table under one of the windows.
Lelouch got up and walked over to Rivalz. “I’m happy to see you again, my friend.”
They shook hands briefly then embraced.
“I missed you too, man,” said Rivalz through teary eyes.
“Okay, that’s enough of that!” Enoch said as he came into the room pulling a floor truck filled with wrapped gifts. “I don’t need to see you two getting all mushy right before I hand out the gifts.”
“Where’s the pizza?” C.C. asked innocently.
“It’s on its way,” Enoch snickered. Behind him, Delphi entered the room with a food cart that had a dozen boxes of pizza (of various kinds and varieties) with plates and chilled bottled beer.
C.C. zoomed over to the stack of pizza boxes. “Tee-hee!” She clapped her hands and started looking through the boxes.
“C2, those aren’t all for you,” Enoch chuckled. “Please save some for everybody else.”
C.C. gave him a hurt look. “But they’re all different and they all look soooooooo good.”
Enoch came up to her and made her a plate of pizza with a slice from each box. “Happy?”
C.C. nodded, “Mmmm-Hmmmmm.” She smiled as she chewed down her first piece.
“Beer?” Enoch asked her, but she shook her head no.
“I’ll have one!” Tamaki yelled.
“Alright then,” Enoch tittered, “who wants what?” He proceeded to dish out the pizza and beer to everyone as the conversations ranged from what the future held for them to the erection of the new government to the latest fashions.
With the conclusion of the pizza feast, Enoch handed out the gifts to each member of the group.
They opened their wrapped packages, which contained books of a type and kind unseen anywhere. All were different and certainly appropriate to the recipient.
Lelouch thumbed through the heavy, leather-bound book he held in his hand. “The Idea of Freedom by Mortimer J. Adler?” he queried Enoch.
“A great book,” Enoch said, “and one that should assist you in the coming months, I’m sure.”
“Mine’s Human Action by Ludwig Von Mises,” Kaguya smiled at the work.
Enoch nodded, “Another excellent work. It contains information on the best form of economy for the current situation the world is in.”
“This book is extremely interesting,” Lloyd said aloud to no one in particular as he got lost in thought while flipping through the pages of Quantum Mechanics by Albert Messiah.
Rakshata was equally intrigued with the tome she skimmed over. “The Nature of Space and Time by Steven Hawking and Roger Penrose, truly interesting material, Enoch. How ever did you come by these?”
“I have my methods.” He winked at her then looked at the whole group. “I chose books that I thought would best suit each of you and books you could not acquire anywhere else. It has always been my contention that knowledge is the greatest material gift a person can give to another. I hope that the knowledge I give to all of you will help you in your endeavors to make this world a better place and prepare you for the trials that lay ahead.”
“Rest assured that it shall, Enoch,” Cornelia smiled at him as she held the two-volume copy of The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793-1812 by Alfred Thayer Mahan.
Enoch poured himself a tall glass of rum and drank it down as he watched his friends and comrades enjoy themselves.
“This is our gift to you, isn’t it?” Nunnally asked him as she carried her three volumes set of Blackstone’s Commentaries on the Laws of England by Sir William Blackstone and sat beside him.
“How do you mean?” he asked Nunnally as Lelouch defeated Rivalz in their second game of chess as evidenced by Rivalz cursing with a laugh.
“I think that to you, Enoch, there is something far more valuable than knowledge…isn’t there? That’s why you agreed to fulfill my wish and bring everyone I care about together, but you must have planned this far in advance of that, didn’t you?’ Nunnally put him on the spot.
“I admit I did plan this a long time ago after a gifted Geass user told me how it would unfold.” Enoch smiled at her and then at all of them. “So, yes, there is one thing that is more precious to me than just knowledge or my mission.”
Nunnally cocked her head and smiled at him. “I thought so.”
“Well, what is it?” Cecile asked on the edge of her comfy chair.
Enoch smiled, “Friends.”
There was a long silence in the room as his simple answer sunk in.
“Merry Christmas, my friends,” Enoch held up his glass in a toast.
His party did the same.
“Wow,” Lena said, “I suppose we all feel the same way?”
The group nodded in agreement, though Tamaki needed a jab from Zhou.
Lihua giggled at the sight of Zhou prodding Tamaki and smiled at Enoch. “So how far back did you plan for this moment?”
Enoch gave her a wide grin. “Oh…about when I trapped Tartarus under the ice.”
“WHAT!” the group shouted in unison.
“But that’s a tale for another time,” the amber-eyed man said with a chuckle as he drank down the last draught of his rum.
__________________________________________________ _______________________
Thus ends Dirge of Daedalus.
Thanks for reading.
