History Fanfic / ZeroRequiem

** After Lashare’s attempt to switch to Westeros’ side is rejected, Lelouch pulls this on him, [[spoiler: by sending CiCi with a message to Maelys about Lashare’s betrayal. Predicting that Maelys is sick of Lashare’s duplicity, and counting on Lashare’s opportunism to further anger Maelys, Lelouch conspires with Maelys to set Lashare’s forces against his own, [[LaserGuidedKarma with Maelys promptly betraying Lashare in turn]]. It succeeds, and Lelouch kills Lashare as a result. It’s also implied Lelouch pulled this on Maelys, by knowing what sort of strategy and formation of forces Maelys would need to take in setting Lashare up, the Westeros army could set up the right counters needed against the rest of the Band of Nine’s forces. The Golden Company and all of the Nine’s forces get annihilated]].

** Prince Aerys II is also far more stable and personable, while in canon he was noted to not be the most stable of personalities and [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny couldn’t focus on one thing for very long]], even before his imprisonment by the Darklyns sent him over the edge into a paranoid-fueled pyromaniac.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder : Lashare's biggest issue. He betrayed his homeland Myr. He betrayed his ally Nine eyes who had helped him took Myr in the first place. Later he also tried to betray Maelys to the Westerosi, until it was clear that the Westerosi wouldn't have any of it and he switched back to Maelys, who's predictably already tired of Lashare's duplicity.

* ConspicuousConsumption: Lelouch would prefer that his tent be functional and spartan during war, but social norms force him to fill it with expensive ornamentation or face mockery for perceived poverty.

** House Frey in general, and Walder Frey in particular, also earn nothing but grief during the coarse of the story. [[spoiler: Emmon Frey gets killed during the Battle of Naqes, depriving the Freys of a Lannister marriage through Genna; whom Tywin sees engaged to their Lord Paramount Hoster Tully just for added insult. When Walder looks to also wed Marthew Crakehall’s sister into the Freys, she then gets engaged to Tywin as further spite. Lastly, after the war the King "gifts" House Frey [[HandingOverTheCrapSack the poorest and smallest Stepstone island]] as both a stealth insult and a massive financial burden for their lackluster contribution to the war]].

* * NecessarilyEvil: How Maelys justified most of his actions, though in his case it was closer to necessary actions in general than simply necessarily evil. That said he still lamented his increasingly dubious actions and some of them such as his slaying of Daemon kept haunting him to the end.

* {{Catchphrase}}: Lelouch has "If the king does not lead how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" as in canon and a new one: "Greed is ever the downfall of men." Many of the villains and other characters in the story lose the good position they were in by overreaching and trying to gain even more.

* NecessaryEvil: How Maelys justified most of his actions, though in his case it was closer to necessary actions in general than simply necessary evil. That said he still lamented his increasingly dubious actions and some of them such as his slaying of Daemon kept haunting him to the end.

** Prince Aerys II is also far more stable and personable, while in canon he was noted to not be the most stable of personalities and [[AttentionDeficentOohShiny couldn’t focus on one thing for very long]], even before his imprisonment by the Darklyns turned him into a paranoid fueled pyromaniac.

* AdaptationalBadass: Downplayed. Lelouch growing up in the medieval society of Westeros, forces him to practice more martial activities like swordsmanship, but he doesn’t enjoy it, is rather average in skill, and finds excuses to avoid it whenever possible. So while he’s no longer a physical weakling like in his home series, he’s far from a personal challenge in a fight, much like his Knightmare piloting; and indeed every direct fight he gets into outside a spar, would have seen him killed if not for someone always saving him.