Title: No good choice
Fandom: Magic Knight Rayearth
Rating: Teen? (for angst)
Length: 650 words
Content notes: Angst! Canon background events.
Author notes: I didn't know what to write and then six hundred words of Clef angst from the start of the manga happened. OOPS?
Summary:
There were two choices for Clef, in the end.

oOo

There were two choices for Clef, in the end. Either he abandoned his land and his country and his vows to his Princess, everything he had learnt was right, to fight against her and her will for the sake of her heart. Or he abandoned the girl he had watched grown, and did as she asked, and followed her in this as in all things.

Neither was much of a choice at all, and even if her were not bound-over by his vows to support her choice, he knew it was impossible for anyone of Cephiro - human or spirit or creature - to challenge the person who was sustaining their existence. And beyond that, this was Emeraude’s choice. Perhaps the only piece of freedom she had had since the moment she was elevated to Pillar. She wanted to make what she felt would be the best end for Cephiro, and how could Clef not to support that? She knew her own heart. Of all people, Emeraude knew her own heart, and if she thought that guilt would be a slow poison eating away at herself, and at Cephiro through her, should she let herself love… she was most probably right.

She ordered him, sent him away, and away he went - to Eleru, to await the coming of the three who would be his Princess’s tool, and murder, and release. But still… he could not hope that he would succeed, that these strangers he was to help would become the Magic Knights of legend and grant her the ending she wanted.

The days of waiting were long and fretful; he left Mokona with the Faaru, in the forest of Silence where Zagato would not find them, and he waited to feel the world ripped apart… and still he could not set aside the thought that if he didn’t guide them, grant them magic… Days of seeing the corruption eating away even in this sacred forest was enough he knew it wasn’t really an option at all. Emeraude was right, she couldn’t stand this - though the rumours of the terrible measures Zagato was taking to keep her safe as he could reached even him. If she hadn’t forced the matter, would he have broken so fast? Would she be so distraught at his fall that Cephiro was already starting to crumble?

It didn’t really matter. There was no turning back, even before the skies tore asunder with the summoning.

When they finally did arrive, what he actually felt was angry beyond measure. Not at these girls, these children, who had been dragged into this mess - but that the Princess would force his hand by summoning people so young that he had to help them, because anything else would be untenable. He didn’t want them to succeed, he hoped they would fail, but still he granted them magic and armour and reigned in his temper as best he could, fed them half-truths to set them on the right track.

None of this was their fault. And they were so young.

Once he had sent them off, that was his duty done - he had barely taught them anything, but he’d done enough his vows were kept. And now he could turn his attention to Cephiro, to doing what he could to stabilise her. …But when that impetuous creature with the sea raging through her managed to break through to him, calling for help, he did. And for her friend.

He couldn’t wish them well, but he couldn’t wish them ill, either; so it turned out in the end he had no choices at all save one - to keep the truth of their mission from them as long as possible, to save them from sharing that burden as long as he could.

oOo