A/N:

I think this is a chapter a lot of you have been waiting for.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kamui tightened her hold on her weapon as she eyed the door with trepidation. The two guards positioned on both sides eyed her with no small amount of wariness, but didn't move to intercept her – they probably assumed she wasn't stupid enough to try and assassinate anyone with a weapon that was on full display.

After having come to the conclusion that she would never be ready for what was about to come, she nodded to one of the guards, and he slid the door open while announcing her.

Kamui had known that Sakura would be with Hinoka, which had been the reason she had chosen that moment to show up. A quick glance around confirmed the presence of several servants, and she assumed that there had to be some ninjas around, too, at the very least Sakura's new retainer should be there.

"You've come to talk, I take it", Hinoka stated, not rising from her position behind the desk.

"Yes. Privately, if possible."

"Of course. Everybody, out."

The servants bowed and filed out the door, closing it behind them. Taking one last fortifying breath, Kamui dropped onto the cushion in front of Hinoka's desk, across from her Hoshidan sisters.

"I got you something", she said with a grimace, stating the obvious.

Hinoka carefully, gingerly accepted the "gift", looking a bit surprised. She'd seen it earlier, of course, but she apparently hadn't expected to get it back.

"You kept my naginata", she said softly.

Kamui had never heard Hinoka speak in that tone of voice before. It made something within her clench.

Suddenly, her mouth was too dry, and she licked her lips before replying.

"I've always intended to return it to you – I promised to myself that I would. I'm sorry it took me so long. And I am pleased that it makes you happy."

"I believe we can both agree that using a weapon that isn't your own just isn't the thing", Hinoka replied while running her fingers over the handle and inspecting the glaive for any damage it may have sustained.

"Indeed."

"So", her sister said while fixing her with a stern look and lowering the weapon to her lap. "I admit that I am very curious to hear your explanation. Do tell me what happened to get us into the mess we're currently in. And with 'us' I'm not referring to you or your Nohrian family."

Kamui gulped. While Sakura had chosen to ignore Kamui so far and was quieter in her anger, antagonism on Hinoka's part was to be expected. It did not make things easier for Kamui, though.

"I'll tell you everything, and promise to answer all of your questions to the extent of my knowledge and ability. You are aware of the fact that there are some things I can't talk about?"

"You mean that curse I've heard about?"

"Yes. That."

"You'd better not leave anything else out", Hinoka warned. "If I get the impression that you're purposefully concealing things, kami help me - "

"I won't. I swear. I only ask that you hear me out. If afterwards – if you still can't find it in your hearts to forgive me – that'd be fine. I understand. Just – please hear me out."

"Very well. I might have to interrupt you if I don't understand something."

"Fair enough."

Kamui took another deep breath while preparing herself to recount her life's story – it was, admittedly, not a very long story, since she was still missing several years' worth of memories, but it would be exhausting, nonetheless.

"My earliest memories are of Nohr, the Northern Fortress where I grew up. I still can't remember my life here in Hoshido, or any of you. As far as I knew, I was a Nohrian princess, and had been one all my life. Camilla actually suggested that someone might have sealed my memories away, and offered to kill that person for me – after having him reverse the spell."

"That's – interesting", Hinoka replied. "Why would she care?"

"The older ones knew I was Hoshidan, but still treated me as family – under the imposter's orders at first, though they came to genuinely care for me eventually. They felt that it was cruel that I was manipulated into fighting my own family. However, they were in no position to do anything. It's possible they thought that keeping the truth from me would protect me – it certainly would have saved me a lot of heartache and grief, had I never learned of my origins. I don't know.

"As mentioned earlier, I wasn't raised at court, like the others were, and I wasn't allowed to leave the fortress – for my protection, supposedly. My life was boring, for most part, and I always looked forward to seeing my siblings. I had one childhood friend – Silas – who one day smuggled me out of the castle. The guards wanted to kill him for that, but I forbade it. Silas had to leave, but he returned to my side later, during the war. I couldn't remember him at first, so he had to tell me all of that. Xander would teach me swordplay, and Camilla tried to be a mother – to be honest, I sometimes felt a bit smothered by her attention, though I know she meant well. What I really wanted was to be able to leave the fortress, but 'father' wouldn't allow it – not until I was strong enough."

"That sounds like a pretty bleak childhood", Sakura said softly.

"I was essentially a prisoner, though I didn't realise it at the time", Kamui replied grimly. "I assume the imposter kidnapped me solely so he could use me. Not as a hostage – as a tool.

"When I was finally able to leave, I was overjoyed, and eager to prove myself. However, my first task took a turn for the worse pretty soon – the imposter had me fight some Hoshidan prisoners – Kaze and Rinkah among them – and demanded that I kill them after I had defeated them. I refused, and so the imposter ordered Xander to do it. I stood against him, and Leo intervened – using his magic to make it appear as if he'd done it. Xander and I later escorted the prisoners out of the city in secret.

My next assignment to inspect a supposedly abandoned fort at the Bottomless Canyon seemed simple enough, though Xander warned me of Hans – he had apprehended him himself, and thought that it was highly suspicious that he was supposed to aid me. However, since we didn't expect to run into any Hoshidan troops at all, I was more focused on keeping myself out of Hans' reach, as I thought that I might be his target. I only realised what was going on when it was too late.

"During the ensuing fight, I lost Gunther – he fell off one of the bridges and into the Bottomless Canyon. Then – I think I fell in myself, but I was rescued by a small dragon who had been one of my servants at the fortress – her name was Lilith. I'd never known she wasn't human. She could no longer return to her humanoid form after that, but she took me to a place called the 'Deeprealm'. This Deeprealm later became our base, as we could access it from any place during our travels, and it was safe from enemies. However, when you leave the Deeprealm, you end up where you were before, and that was how I got caught by Hoshidan troops."

"Is this Deeprealm similar to that mysterious place you can't speak of?", Hinoka asked.

"It feels similar, but it is less – disjointed. That place is just – strange. Most of it is floating in mid-air, and I'm also not quite sure where exactly it is in relation to Hoshido and Nohr – I've most certainly never seen it on any map.

"After having been captured, I was transferred to the Fire Tribe Village, where I met Rinkah again, and then taken to the capital once I'd recovered. Upon my arrival, I met Ryoma, and was certain I was going to be executed – he seemed so intimidating, and my men had attacked Hoshidan forces without a proper declaration of war. So I was completely blind-sided when Mother arrived and greeted me with a hug.

"You can't imagine how confusing everything was for me. All out of a sudden, I had a new family, a new identity, a past I couldn't remember. I felt that Mikoto might actually be my mother – no-one had ever mentioned my mother's name back in Nohr, though, given what things were like back there, that wasn't too surprising."

"How so?", Hinoka asked.

"Garon had multiple mistresses, and many children born of them. I never witnessed any of that, but the infighting between the mistresses and their children was pretty bad. Only three of them survived – Camilla, Elise and Leo. Each of them born of a different mother. The imposter finally put an end to their 'competition', and my siblings' lives have become more quiet ever since."

"That's awful", Hinoka said quietly. "No wonder they all turned out like they did if they grew up in such a hostile environment."

"They aren't nearly as bad as you probably think", Kamui replied defensively. "Though I get that you only got to see their worst side.

"All initial awkwardness aside, I greatly enjoyed my time here in Hoshido – and meeting all of you, and Azura. While I had, admittedly, a little trouble connecting with Takumi, I felt very welcome here.

"Then – the attack happened. I – I don't really remember what happened, but when Mother died in my arms, something within me just snapped. If Azura hadn't managed to calm me down again, I – I don't know what I would have done. I was lost. Azura's song brought me back. However, I had no time to work through what had happened – Azura only had the time to pass me something called a Dragonstone to help me control my transformation, and then we were off to confront the invading Nohrian army. I was still reeling, still shaken, and I thought that I would be able to persuade Xander to call off the attack – the last thing I wanted was for my two families to be fighting each other. I was terrified of the thought – that more people I cared about might die. However, no-one would listen to me, instead, you all demanded that I choose."

"And you chose them!"

"It was unfair and cruel to demand that I choose between both my families! How was I supposed to make a decision like that? You put me on the spot! I had to make an impossible decision without being able to guess what the consequences would be! I sometimes agonise over this – what would have happened if I'd chosen to side with Hoshido instead. The mere thought of having to fight the siblings I grew up with sickens me! I'm sorry, but I felt basically no attachment to you, at least not compared to my Nohrian siblings. I knew you were my family, rationally, but not emotionally. So I chose them, and I managed to convince Xander to pull back our troops. I was determined to stop this from escalating into a full-scale war, and with this mission in mind, I returned to Windmire."

Sakura and Hinoka exchanged uneasy glances.

"W-we never meant to p-put you on the spot like that!", Sakura insisted, her stuttering returning due to her agitated mood. "W-we just didn't want to lose you again! And right after losing Mother..."

"It still put me into a terrible position", Kamui replied angrily. "I told Xander and the others as much, too, because they were no less guilty than you were. None of you cared how I felt. It was awful."

Kamui took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. It wouldn't do for her to completely lose her cool and take out her frustration on her sisters – they didn't deserve that.

"When I returned to Windmire, I was determined to put an end to the fighting, an end to Nohr's ambition to conquer new territories. I was shocked and outraged when both Iago and the imposter treated me with suspicion, accusing me of being a spy for Hoshido. I was in no position to convince anyone of my views, instead, I was forced to undertake dangerous missions to prove my loyalty. The first one was particularly bad – I was ordered to subjugate the Ice Tribe all by myself. I was not allowed to bring any troops, servants or retainers – well, I didn't have any retainers at the time. Elise disobeyed orders and followed me, as did some of my servants, and we were able to get to our destination in one piece. Knowing what I do now, I do wonder if the imposter was trying to get rid of me that way...

During one mission, at Fort Dragonfall, we found Azura, who was being held prisoner by Hoshidan soldiers. We came to her rescue, and Azura decided to join us, saying that she no longer felt welcome in Hoshido. Now, I've seen you guys interact, and I can't imagine Ryoma would have ever allowed anyone to just drag her off. What happened? Azura was rather tight-lipped about it."

"I'm ashamed to say that some of our men decided that she could no longer be trusted, thought her to be a spy", Hinoka replied heavily. "They apparently ambushed her at the lake and took her prisoner – it took us a while to realise she was gone. Ryoma was livid. We tried to track them down, but sending a rescue party into Nohr was too dangerous. We were, quite frankly, surprised they went into enemy territory – what were they trying to do there?"

"They were going to execute her", Kamui replied, much to her sisters' horror. "If Azura hadn't been your enemy before that, she certainly was afterwards. I took her back to Windmire, assuming that 'father' would be pleased to have his lost child returned. He wasn't. Azura seemed to take it in stride, and she managed to reconnect with Camilla, whom she had known as a child. She also got along swimmingly with Elise, who had been born after Azura's kidnapping.

"I had managed to amass a small group of followers, people who believed in my vision rather than Garon's, and Azura, too, vowed to help me in any way she could. However, we still weren't in a position to influence the imposter, and Iago in particular kept opposing us where-ever he could.

Eventually, we were forced to wipe out the rebellion in Cheve, accompanied by Hans – I would have preferred to negotiate with the rebels, but the arrival of Hoshidan troops led by Takumi made it impossible. Takumi would not be reasoned with – I didn't realise it at the time, but that, too, was the work of the imposter – Azura remarked on how changed he was from the Takumi she grew up with. Hans executed the rebel leader, and massacred rebels and civilians alike. I could not stop him.

We then retreated to Cyrkensia to recuperate, and enjoy a performance at the opera house. Without my knowledge, Azura had snuck backstage, dressed up as a singer and attempted to exorcise the one possessing Garon. She failed, and Garon ordered us to kill the 'assassin'. When we couldn't capture her, he ordered us to slaughter all the singers in the city. I was horrified – especially after what I'd just experienced in Cheve. However, Leo pointed out that there was a way to follow Garon's orders without causing a bloodbath – he told me to start looking for singers in the most unlikely places to give them time to escape.

Soon after that, I observed that Azura went into a lake, fully clothed, and disappeared. When she didn't resurface after a while, I dove in after her, worried that she might drown. Instead, I passed through some kind of portal and suddenly found myself in a mysterious place. Azura was shocked to see me, as she hadn't known that anyone besides her could use those portals. She then explained that a curse had been placed on this land, and that I must never tell anyone its name, lest I vanish. She also told me that Garon had been dead for a while, and that someone was controlling his corpse. She also told me about the Throne of Truth, and together we hatched the plan to place him on the throne to reveal his true form – at the time, war with Hoshido had become inevitable, so we thought to make the most of it. I'm sorry. This must sound very callous to you."

"It does", Hinoka replied. "But given what you just told us, you were in no position to stop the invasion of Hoshido, especially after both Ryoma and Takumi had led troops into Nohr."

"Kaze-san told me that you didn't know you were to invade Hoshido until it was too late", Sakura added.

"Indeed", Kamui sighed. "I had, until the last, hoped that I could stop Garon and Iago from realising their plans – make them see that there was a different way. But I couldn't. I lacked the political power to do so, and Garon made sure to keep me well out of the way while preparing for war.

"While we were in that place, we were attacked by the people who live there, and were saved in the nick of time by Gunther – I have no idea how he ended up there. Azura told me we wouldn't be able to go back the way we came since Gunther couldn't go through the lake, so we had to battle our way to another portal. When we finally returned to camp, Iago interrogated us on where we had been, trying very hard to coax the name of the place from us. I've come to suspect that he might have been in league with the imposter, and was trying to trigger the curse in order to get rid of us.

"Garon ordered me to spearhead the invasion of the eastern half of the continent. We chose the route via the Endless Stair near the Wind Tribe territory, but as we were nearing the top, we were ambushed by Faceless. Azura and I suspected that Iago was behind this attack, though we never found any definitive proof. It was then that I lost Lilith – she sacrificed herself to save me."

"Lilith? I feel like you've mentioned her before", Sakura interjected.

"My servant. The one who could turn into a dragon."

"Oh, right."

"The Wind Tribe wasn't about to let us pass without a fight – and I was challenged by Chief Fuga himself. He was a tough enemy, I'll tell you that."

"And yet he decided to join you, and betray his alliance with Hoshido", Hinoka returned, sounding very displeased.

"Well, that came as a surprise. When he found out who I was, he said that I reminded him of my father – King Sumeragi – and that he wished to help Sumeragi's child."

"While condemning Sumeragi's other children."

"Yes, well, I don't claim to understand the reasoning behind his actions", Kamui replied, looking sheepish. "I was mostly glad he was no longer trying to kill me. And, for our ultimate plan to work out, I would need as many allies as I could get.

Moving on... I was surprised to find out that Mokushu had allied itself with Nohr. Kaze noticed a distress signal sent out by Hoshidan forces, warning allies to stay away. We went in regardless, and managed to rescue Kagero, who had been trapped by Mokushu's forces. Kagero and Saizo were very much surprised that we'd come to their aid – ignoring Kagero's warning – and I tried to make them understand that I wasn't their enemy."

"I heard about that", Hinoka said. "Ryoma still hadn't given up hope that you might be our ally, that you were just playing them. But it became harder and harder to maintain that."

"I tried to keep casualties to a minimum", Kamui replied. "My men were ordered to allow enemy soldiers to surrender or flee whenever possible, and Xander agreed that this was the right thing to do. So, when we marched on Fort Jinya, we gave Sakura the option to surrender."

"I've heard about that as well. Seems like that Hans really enjoys massacring people", Hinoka said dryly. "At least you managed to keep Sakura and the others safe."

"Both Azura and I felt awful about that", Kamui replied. "We debated visiting Sakura while she was our prisoner, but neither of us could work up the courage. And with the imposter leading the army, it became harder and harder to show mercy. I just managed to spare you, Hinoka. I couldn't do the same for Ryoma. I'm so sorry for breaking my promise to you."

"But – Princess Elise said he killed himself", Sakura interjected.

"Yes, he did. But there was no other way. If he hadn't – truth be told, I don't know what I would have done. I can't imagine that I could have killed him – and then Garon would have put the both of us to death. I believe Ryoma knew that – after I had managed to convince him that you were still alive, he entrusted the future of Hoshido to me. Not that I wanted to decide Hoshido's future, mind you. But Ryoma made his peace with death. And he faced it on his own terms. I – I admire him for that. Though I will never forget Azura's scream."

"Ryoma thought we were dead?", Hinoka asked.

"Well, I don't know what he thought about Sakura – but Iago tossed your lance at his feet and told him I had killed you. Things kind of escalated after that – Ryoma challenged me to a fight to the death."

"Princess Elise didn't mention that, I think", Sakura said, frowning. "Though I'm not sure I remember exactly what she said."

"It was all a lot to take in, and she went to see you shortly after everything had happened – she didn't have much time to order her thoughts. I, on the other hand, have had ample time to remember, and grieve – something I couldn't do after Mother's death, you know. I had no closure. When we buried Ryoma and Takumi, and Garon, too, I finally had the time to grieve. For all the lives lost in this meaningless war..."

Both Hinoka and Sakura were silent as they absorbed everything Kamui had told them. Sakura's eyes were full of unshed tears, while Hinoka was better at masking her emotions.

"That imposter really played us, didn't he", Hinoka finally managed, her voice throaty. "Bastard."

"Indeed", Kamui replied heavily. "Looking back, I don't think we ever really stood a chance. The only one who seemed to know what was going on was Azura, and she couldn't tell us. And since she's vanished, we've been unable to obtain any new information on this whole matter. My siblings and I have been thinking about the imposter and whatnot, but we were unable to come up with anything. We may never find out the truth behind it all."

"How very vexing", Sakura said, wrinkling her nose. "But he's gone now, isn't he."

"Yes – as far as we know. Azura managed to purge his taint from both Garon and Takumi, though she couldn't save either of them."

"I see. Thank you for telling us all of that", Hinoka said. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for all that's happened because of your decision, but I do understand that you didn't mean for any of it to happen. You don't strike me as a liar, and I've heard enough reports to know that at least part of what you told me is true. I will not blame you for the deaths of my brothers, but I will still hold you responsible for the invasion of Hoshido."

"Fair enough."

"Is that all you had to say?"

"Yes. I didn't feel the need to tell you about the things you already knew about, unless it was to make you understand my motivation. So, I'm done. I've told you the sad story that is my life."

Hinoka bit her lip, a frown on her face. Her expression instantly set Kamui on edge.

"What is it?"

"I have something to tell you", Hinoka said quietly, reluctantly. "Given what you just said, part of me doesn't want to, but I do believe you ought to know the truth. Please know that I don't do this in an attempt to hurt you, or as a petty form of revenge."

Sakura looked just as confused as Kamui did, and it made her somewhat glad that Hinoka hadn't told her beforehand. They were to hear the bad news at the same time.

"I went through Mother's study after I came home", Hinoka began. "Everything in there had remained pretty much untouched, with the exception of documents that were needed for running things, naturally. While sifting through everything, I found letters. Letters addressed to me, Takumi and Sakura. This one is yours", she added, turning to her sister.

Sakura gingerly accepted the letter, but didn't open it right away, instead, she fixed Hinoka with an expectant look.

"I took the liberty of opening the one addressed to Takumi, since he is no longer with us. Our letters contained the same message, with slight variations in phrasing, encouragement and chiding."

Hinoka took a deep breath.

"I myself did not know this. Seeing how Ryoma had no letter waiting for him, and he was the oldest, I guess that he must have known. Kamui – you are not our sister, not even our half-sister. Mikoto was your mother, but Sumeragi wasn't your father. When Mikoto arrived here, she was already pregnant, and gave birth to you shortly after that. I'm sorry."

Kamui said there, stunned, her face drained of all colour. In a spontaneous gesture of comfort, Sakura reached across the table to touch her hand, her face showing compassion.

"But – but then – who was my father?"

"It doesn't say", Hinoka replied apologetically. "And Mikoto never mentioned another man. Father accepted you as his own, and he loved you just as much as as he loved the rest of us. You may not have been born a princess of Hoshido, but my father made you one. For me, this changes nothing – you are still family, even if we do not share the same blood. I mean, I knew that Mikoto wasn't my mother, and I didn't care."

"Can I – can I see the letter?", Kamui croaked after a while.

"Sure", Hinoka replied, pushing the parchment across the table.

Kamui read the letter slowly, trying to absorb the meaning of every word, savouring something written by her mother. It helped her connect with her.

"And you have no idea where she came from?", Kamui asked after a while.

"No", Hinoka replied. "She never told us. She was all alone, and we got the impression that she had been on the run from something. We didn't want to press her for information – even though Ryoma and I were still young, we understood that there were things people would not – could not talk about. I – by no means do I want to imply that your mother was running from your father, that he might have hurt her. The thought never occurred to me until I read this letter. But we just don't know. I wish I could be of more help."

This was, admittedly, a shock. To think that she might have been the product of rape – the mere thought made Kamui sick.

"Are you all right?", Sakura asked, worried.

"I – I think so. But – what kind of man could he have been? My father? What did he do?"

"He may not have done anything", Hinoka replied sternly. "For all we know, he may have been killed, and your mother was on the run from his killer. Or maybe he died in an accident, and someone tried to take advantage of that. We have no leads indicating that your father did anything, that he was the reason your mother had to flee her home, while pregnant at that! I know that not knowing is terrible, but please don't assume the worst. Mother was a strong woman, no matter what happened to her. And – I've seen victims of assault before. She did not strike me as one."

Kamui let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.

"Hearing that makes me feel marginally better. But, really – I'm not even a member of this family – you took me in, and all I did was cause you trouble... I brought you nothing but misfortune. First your father, then Mother, now Ryoma and Takumi..."

Kamui place her right elbow on the desk and buried her face in her hand.

"Maybe it would have been better if I'd never been born! What was the point of me existing?! I only ever brought people pain!"

"Don't say that!", Hinoka admonished her sharply. "Mother and Father both loved and adored you. So did I, when I was young. And I get the impression that your Nohrian siblings care for you greatly, even Azura was drawn to you – and mind you, she didn't usually care much for people. Even some of our men were impressed by the amount of honour and decency you showed on the battlefield. We weren't used to Nohrians showing compassion or mercy. And besides – if you hadn't been born, Father still would have fallen into the imposter's trap – though he might have brought another child along, maybe me or Takumi. And then one of us would have been a prisoner in Nohr. And without you, Azura would have been murdered at Fort what's-it's-name - "

"Dragonfall", Kamui murmured.

"Whatever. She would have died, and then the imposter would have had his merry way with all of us. You would have never found out about him. And we may all have been slaughtered. So don't say that your existence was pointless. You managed to save many lives. Be proud of that."

"I – I suppose..."

"You are suffering from post-war trauma, just as the rest of us", Hinoka replied. "Don't think you're immune to to that just because you're on the winning side – especially given your role and position in this war. A lot of people may not want to see it, but you are suffering just as we are – maybe not to the same extent, but you are suffering nonetheless. Do not allow the grief and pain to warp your perception of the world and yourself. It is easy to give in to despair. Don't give in."

Kamui let out a heartfelt sigh.

"Thanks for that, Hinoka. I – I knew some of that on some level, but I felt like I didn't deserve to feel like that, and that I shouldn't show it – I was terribly worried that I might offend someone if I openly grieved for Ryoma and Takumi, or Garon."

"That's understandable. To be quite honest, I've had my own moments of irrationality, but I am only human, as is everyone else. But you have the right to grieve. And you should make sure to let your pain out, or it will destroy you. I've seen enough of war to know that."

"I'll keep it in mind. Um – could I keep this?", she asked, holding up the letter.

"I'd rather not part with it, if you don't mind. You can have Takumi's, tough, if you like."

"All right."

They exchanged letters, and Kamui carefully folded the piece of parchment, intent on reading her mother's words to her younger brother at a later time.

"Did this exchange bring you some amount of closure?", Sakura asked.

"I think so. Of course, with the new revelation, I feel like I am afloat, but I do agree that it was something I needed to know. Though I wonder why Mother never said anything? Why did she leave you those letters?"

"Well, she apparently knew she was going to die, so it's possible she wanted to leave them in case she never got to tell us", Sakura mused. "Though that doesn't explain why she never said anything. I mean, there was plenty of time to tell us – unless she wanted to wait until you returned home? Maybe there was no point in telling us if you weren't there at all."

"I suppose..."

"Wait a minute", Hinoka said, a frown marring her brow. "I just remember something I discussed with Laslow-san on our way back. He said that no-one knew where Queen Arete had come from, or who Azura's father was. No-one ever found out, and so we guessed – it was a wild guess, admittedly – that she might have come from the same place as the imposter."

"That – would make sense, in a way", Kamui replied slowly. "It would most certainly explain how she knew about him. And the curse – wait a minute. What if they all originally came from that place? And Arete triggered the curse when she tried to warn Garon – the real King Garon – of the imposter's plans or something? I don't know how she died."

"According to Laslow-san, she apparently died before Garon became possessed. Though he also said that he hadn't been around at the time, so we would have to check with Prince Xander or Princess Camilla to make sure. But – that's not what I was leading up to. Like Arete, Mikoto never spoke of her homeland. Did they come from the same place? One fleeing to Nohr, the other to Hoshido? Did they maybe know each other? Did Mikoto know Azura?!"

"Um – I can't answer any of those questions, you know."

"But it would explain why Mother was always so fond of Azura", Sakura interjected. "Though I always assumed that was just the kind of person she was."

"But Mikoto and Arete coming from the same place – that place – makes sense", Kamui mused. "It would explain why no-one ever found out where they'd come from. And there are people living there, so that idea isn't too far-fetched. Other than that, I know next to nothing about this mysterious country, so it might very well have produced someone like the imposter, or Azura's strange powers, or – people who can turn into dragons. Like me. And Lilith."

"Hm. Perhaps we could, at a later time, sit down together with your Nohrian sibling and discuss these things? I would be interested in their input, especially concerning Azura and Arete."

"Sure. We can do that, I'm certain they won't mind. Though those are still just guesses – with everyone who knew dead, we will never learn the truth..."

"You're probably right about that. Still, I would like to toss these ideas around a bit more, with different minds in the mix."

"Of course. I'll propose the idea to them, but I do think we should get more important things done first – like your coronation and the signing of the peace treaty."

"I agree. Well then, I'm afraid I'll have to kick you out now. I still got a mountain of work to defeat."

"I'll leave you to it, then."