Title: Knights, Princes, and Princesses
Author: Warangel88
Pairing: CC/Lelouch, onesided CC/Mao
Warnings/Spoilers: Up to Ep 15 of Season 1
Author Notes: Ep 15 of Season 1 has always been one of my favorite episodes, so I decided to make a slightly fairytale adaption of it considering what Mao says in the episode. Thanks Alex for beating.
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass

Mao had once said that if C.C. were a princess, then he would be her white knight who sweeps her off her feet on his valiant steed.

C.C. however, believed that in this story he was more of an insane villain who wanted to tear the princess away from her prince than a knight.

After all, she really couldn't imagine a knight would cut up his princess into tiny little pieces, and then stuff her away in his suitcase to take her to some strange land so she could only be his, and never the prince's.

Although C.C. did suppose that she was to blame for the knight turning into an insane villain. After all, she was the one who gave him the power of Geass, and she supposed the power of hearing the innermost thoughts of others and never being able to turn it off would drive anyone insane.

So perhaps Mao was the unlucky one in this dark fairytale, and while C.C. may have chosen to return to the knight, her actions were to protect the prince. Although, it wasn't as if Lelouch was necessarily the best choice either, considering more than half of the time she was locked away in his room -- his mansion, actually.

Not to mention she would probably be surprised if he did choose to save her from the knight after the argument that they had earlier.

Despite the fact, Lelouch may have tried to stop her, she silently knows it was because of his own selfish desire to make sure that she didn't tell anyone what his true identity was, not that it really mattered. After all, if she didn't go, then she was sure that Mao would have told the police, or something like that.

In the end, she had chosen the insane knight to protect the prince, because she knows that she would always protect the prince, no matter what the cost may be.

She was honestly surprised when Lelouch chose to save her by telling Mao half-truths over the large screen. She supposes that in the end, it was the dark prince who won this battle over the insane knight.

Especially considering it allowed the dark prince to sneak up on the insane knight to save the wounded princess with the police force by his side.

It was Lelouch who lifted her injured body in his arms, although she was sure the damage done by the bullets would have healed already. She was a fast healer after all, but for the time being she allowed him to carry her, whether it was to keep up pretenses or not.

Besides, she had other things on her mind, like pleading with the prince to convince him that maybe she could make the obsessive knight understand if she just talked to him -- or at least tried, that is.

Because while C.C. may have always have chosen the prince, a part of her would always love the knight, even if wasn't in the same way that he loved her. Perhaps it was more the way an older sister would love a younger brother, or a mother would love her child.

However, the order for Mao to be shot on sight had already been issued, and she doubted anything would have been able to stop it anyway.

Surprisingly, Lelouch cradled her in his arms during the helicopter ride as well, although she knew that he probably geassed the pilot in taking them somewhere other than the hospital.

She and hospitals didn't mix quite well -- mostly due to the fact she was an immortal being -- and she didn't really want to think about what they would do her when they found out she could heal from pretty much any wound.

"Hmm, why did you save me from Mao?" she asked softly, leaning against his chest. "I thought you hated me."

"To repay my debt to you," he replied, glancing down at the immortal woman in his arms. A lie, although it might have been partially be the truth, considering he hadn't really paid her back for the time that she saved him a month earlier.

"Liar," she said softly, noticing a frown cross his lips.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" he asked.

"I'm important to you," C.C. replied, her lips curling into a tiny smile, "despite what you say, Lelouch."

Lelouch shrugged. "Maybe you're right."

In the end, the princess has always chosen the prince, and the prince always chosen the princess.

-the end

please review