Fallen Grace

[Jeremy Hunter]

Roux Estate, Planet Orleans. The Day of Fallen Grace
Lelouch was sitting on the bed, watching Adelaide. The woman he loved was stroking the hair of the girl he knew as Isabella Estelle. She was asleep, curled up against the woman contently.
Lelouch smiled, reaching over to stroke her cheek. "She's very beautiful." He said. "But you are far superior." He leaned over to kiss Adelaide, who kissed back.
"You're so sweet Lulu." She said. "She is beautiful...but I honestly like her because she's precious..." Adelaide smiled, still stroking the girl's hair. Lulu adjusted the blanket on her, covering her nude body.
"You knew I was coming over, yet you went ahead and started without me?" He said jokingly.
"It was too temping." She said. "Sorry."

Lelouch smiled...but inside, he wanted to run. He wanted to cry. Emotions that torn him to pieces. How he wished that she wasn't taken; that there was no war, and that he and his wife were sitting here, shoulders touching, observing the sleeping form of Adelaide's little toy, at peace.
Not that Isabella was a toy, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Adelaide, can I talk to you? I'd rather let her sleep peacefully."
Adelaide smiled. "Of course." She said. Lifting Izzy, she set the girl down gently before coming after Lulu, who closed the door behind her. Adelaide led him to the living room, where she started to remove her shirt.
"I have to make up, no..."
Adelaide had turned to find Lelouch holding his gun on her. He barely held back the tears.
"Lulu? Are you ok?" She said gently. "Please, put down the gun."
"Then release her from your hold, you alien bastard." He shot back.
Adelaide was silent.
Lulu tightened his finger on the trigger.
"Au revoir..." he said sadly.
The first shot ripped into Adelaide's shoulder, spinning her around. As she came back around, Lelouch fire again.

Isabella Estelle suddenly threw herself between Adelaide and Lelouch, taking the bullet in the shoulder.

Lelouch let the gun fall, and ran, leaving the two down and bleeding for the guards to find.

All according to plan.

Lelouch vaulted the wall, rolling and coming up at a sprint. Into the woods, towards the river. Branches breaking, dogs baying, and the shouts of guards chased him. But he was quick, and managed to stay ahead of the guards...then he turned and deftly punched the dogs in their noses before spinning around and sprinting.
Gunfire tore up the foliage around him as he approached a particularly steep and high outcropping to the river. He turned to face his pursuers, their weapons drawn.
"Lelouch D'Aramis, you are under arrest for the attempted assassination of the Grande Marechal and her personal attendant."
"It is better to die for freedom then to live life in chains."
The bullet hit him in the heart, and Lelouch D'Aramis fell off the cliff into the water.

The body was never found.


And Isabella Estelle's position would be the exact one that Lelouch needed.

_____________________________________

Bernard Clement racked his assault rifle. His squad did so as well.
"The time approaches." he said to his men. They all nodded, their faces set.

_____________________________________

The mask was removed, and Lelouch D'Aramis smooted out his uniform. His escape from Orleans was quick and seamless; his body carried by the river, he had put the helmet on have the ten minutes of oxygen needed to get to the scuba gear. Once he had that, he continued downstream until he arrived at the Aurochs.

And now, he stood on the bridge of the Eglantine.
"Contact everyone who is taking part in this strike."

The man finally gave the go-ahead. Lelouch sat down on the command chair.
"Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." He let that sink in. "We, the free men and women of Gallia, have come to ask for the help of Sirius to fight a threat that has begun to corrupt the Kingdom we call home. To further the decay. That is why I have approached you, and called you to my aid. Because alone, I cannot hope to stand. Alone, I cannot hope to fight." Lelouch tensed up. "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. And Charles DeFrance does not deserve freedom. He oppresses the masses, censors the truth, and abuses his position to further a vendetta that has long been lost to the flow of time!" Lelouch stood. "Freedom can be preserved only if it is treated as a supreme principle which must not be sacrificed for particular advantages. Gallia is decaying from this very thing. Our freedom is gone, and we are forced to submit to Charles' will! We are forced to serve him, or he will massacre us! Our honor has been destroyed by him!"

Lelouch throws one arm out. "I ask you to strike with me, into the heart of darkness. The heart of the evil that plagues Gallia. I ask the exiled Colonial Republic, their counterpart the Vanguard. I ask you to stand and fight with me. I ask the Order, to help me cleanse Gallia of this infection! Above all, I ask you to do this for the betterment of our people, and to be the harbingers of the true ruler of Gallia! I ask you to pave the road for Alice DeFrance to return and bring Gallia out of this fool's war, out of this downspiral!"

Lelouch threw his other arm out. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. So, I ask you all, to do something. I ask you is to bring justice to Charles; for, in the absence of justice, what is sovereignty, but organized robbery? Robbing the honor of the people, robbing their dignity!" Lelouch's tone rose. "Bring honor, bring dignity...bring Justice! Even if we fail, we shall be the cinders! The cinders and the embers that spark wildfire! We are the catalyst to the inferno, the fuel for the fire!" Lelouch let his arms fall.
"I come to you, not as Directeur Lelouch Gwenalle D'Aramis. Not as Comte D'Aramis of Orleans. Not as Lelouch, the fiance of Adelaide Roux." He paused. "Nor do I come as the bastard child of Charles, a mistake made from the lust that Charles has! No, I come to you as Lelouch, a mere man. Because titles mean nothing. Status, birth, they mean nothing. All that matters, in the end, is that you stood for your beliefs." Lelouch relaxes. "Charles is weak, because he lacks one quality, the quality that every man and women who have joined me, has."

Lelouch toys with something in his right hand. It was a paper flower, folded for him by Amelie. "The only ones who should kill, are those that are prepared to be killed." Lelouch gives a two-fingered salute. "You all are the very definition of hero. A person who does extraordinary deeds for the benefit of others. This act of defiance with me, is the deed for the benefit of the Kingdom I love. The people who hold my loyalty. I thank you, and I wish you all godspeed. For today is the Day of Fallen Grace!"

Lelouch relaxes, then returns to his seat.
"Go, all. Go forward! Forward unto dawn!"

---

May you ever walk in the Light, Shizune.