Sept 26th. You used to say this is one of your favourite stories so please accept this chapter as a gift.

And without further ado, off to not-so-grand finale! (notes will follow)

Like in a complicated tapestry, all threads were tied off one by one.

The harem.

Not even Mai could remember such a lively commotion as the one that occurred in the harem after Natsuki announced she was freeing all the girls. They would not believe her words and kept asking time and time again if this was really true.

"Yes, yes, calm down!" The King tried to speak over the hubbub but it was pointless so she retreated into a corner to wait it through.

Eventually, the girls quietened and gathered around her.

"You are free. You can go back to your families." Natsuki looked from one girl to another, catching eyes of every one of them, smiling reassuringly. "You will be given clothes and provisions for the journey, as well as some coin to start a new life."

After another bout of laughter and chatter, she continued, this time focusing mostly on the handful of girls, remembering their stories.

"If you have nowhere to go, you're welcome to stay with me and~"

"We thought you already had someone to warm your bed, my Lord!"

Even in the tight group of slave girls, Natsuki quickly recognized the speaker: the ever-mischievous, lovely brunette called Naama.

"...and work in the palace for your living," finished the King before picking up the bait. "And no, I don't have a bed-warmer but I don't think I need one…" Smirking, she added: "Unless you've got too much time on your hands, Naama?"

A round of good-natured laughter drowned out the blushing girl's reply.

The disloyal courtiers.

"Forgive me Your Highness," the Prime Minister approached the King after the meeting of the royal council. "But is it truly wise to keep them so close after what happened?"

Natsuki followed the man's line of sight and realized he meant the handful that was supporting High Priestess's coup plan. After long consideration, she had allowed them to stay in the palace and keep the positions they were holding, be it as members of the council or otherwise.

"Ah." She smiled and motioned for him to walk along. "That's one of the first lessons my father taught me, Minister Yusuf: keep your friends close but your enemies even closer."

"History knows more than one story of upheaval plotted in the daylight and right under the ruler's nose."

The King chuckled at that and nodded.

"Still, keeping close eye on their actions is not the only reason for my decision." She turned the corner and strolled towards the palace's inner courtyard. "If I persecuted them, sentenced them along with Tomoe, what would be the outcome of that?"

The Prime Minister motioned for her to continue, listening closely even though he was twice her age.

"Not everyone in the country accepts me for who I am. If I punished Tomoe's supporters, they would soon gather the disgruntled around them and form a movement I would have to deal with in a few years time at most." Stroking her chin in thought, Natsuki added: "But right now they have wives, children… mistresses… People they need to provide for. And by giving them the opportunity to accomplish that quite easily, I put them in my debt."

"That's simple and potentially effective. Splendid, Your Highness."

The man pretended to clap to which Natsuki laughed cordially.

"I guess they don't call me wise for no reason, Minister Yusuf."

The traitor.

The dungeons were in even better condition now than when Shizuru was imprisoned there. After what happened to her, the King raged and ordered all guards serving there to be carefully screened and re-trained. Thus, Tomoe had nothing to complain about the conditions or treatment.

For a moment Natsuki regretted making priestess's stay there so agreeable.

Even dressed in a simple linen dress, with her hands tied and her ankles shackled, Tomoe held her head high and exuded self-confidence bordering with pride.

"Have you finally come to your senses, my lord?" Almost imperceptible, mocking pause before the title. "Will you admit to the errors of your ways and accept due punishment?"

"Thank you, Tomoe, I do feel fine. So do your little acolytes who, I've been told, are safely back with their families and on their way to resuming normal life." The feverish gleam in the ex-priestess's eye told Natsuki that her conversational tone was not welcome. "Alright, let's get to what I came here for."

"Killing me without a proper trial or witnesses…" Tomoe spat on the ground before Kruger's feet. "You stumbled so low, Good King Kruger."

"Your case has been seen into, examined and judged. You have been found guilty of deceit, attempted murder, practising dark arts, and other atrocities. You have been sentenced by gods to death."

At Natsuki's signal, two guards stepped forth.

"However, Seafarer pleaded for you and I don't wish to create a martyr for your cause." One of the guards unshackled Tomoe, while the King continued. "You are banished from the capital and the area for the rest of your life. You're free to go anywhere you wish but if you'd like, there's a silent monastery near the border where you would be provided for." The other guard put a sack on the bunkbed and the two of them stood next to the King. "This should be enough for the journey there. After that, you are on your own."

Smiling inside at her speechless prisoner, Natsuki bowed her head before turning away and leaving the cell.

"May gods keep you and lead you straight, Tomoe."

And at last, the very warp of this tapestry - her.

Knock-knock-knock.

Shizuru looked up from the small poetry book she was reading and waited for the little handmaiden to answer the door.

It has been almost a month since the hypnosis session and the rest of her memories were slowly coming back to her. Each day she knew a little more, remembered something new about herself. Back came to her the days spent in the Grand Temple, focused on training and serving the gods, as well as some fuzzy, distant memories of her early childhood. Still though, she didn't know who she was or where her family came from.

The woman's face brightened up in a smile when she saw Natsuki passing her threshold. She quickly got to her feet and all but leapt to greet her.

"You shouldn't have knocked, my Lo-Lady." Old habits died hard, especially when Shizuru was the only one allowed to address Natsuki in this way. Most everyone else was still required to address her by male titles. "These are your rooms, not mine."

"Oh hush," Natsuki shook her head, suddenly feeling awkward and uneasy. "You are my guest and for as long as you stay in the palace, they belong to you." She smiled crookedly. "It would be highly inappropriate if you still shared my bedroom like a…"

"A body slave?" Shizuru giggled behind her hand, her cheeks colouring with light pink. "There were parts of that I wouldn't really mind."

"For the sake of decency, I won't ask which parts."

"Your Highness must truly think like a man then because I never meant anything improper."

"Seafarer…" Natsuki groaned and cleared her throat, her voice even lower and huskier than usual.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea, maybe?"

"Yes, thank you." Natsuki dropped on the low sofa and stretched her legs. "You must be already tired of me asking but… did you remember anything new?"

Shizuru had already started to shake her head when the amber stream of tea she was pouring stirred something deep within her.

"Tea… My father is a tea merchant." A picture of tall ships breaking waves flashed in her mind, not discovering new shores as she once thought but carrying wares. "I remember who I am!"

"That's amazing! Truly amazing…" Even though this was indeed a great news, Natsuki realized she was forcing herself to smile. Her hands shook slightly when she accepted the teacup offered by Shizuru. And why was that? After all, she had known they were not meant to stay together, she had known this day would come sooner or later. Taking a sip of the bitter brew, she patted the seat next to her. "Tell me about yourself then, Seafarer."

=/=/=/=/=/=/=/=

Not even a week later, Shizuru was back in her family home, enjoying warm welcome from her parents. The couple, though surprised by their daughter's sudden return from the temple service, profusely thanked Natsuki for safely escorting her home. They didn't know this was only the beginning of unexpected news.

"You must tell us everything that happened! You never wrote a single letter," complained Shizuru's mother while her father poured wine for everyone.

"I will, Mama, I will but first there's something… something I need to tell you." Shizuru took a deep breath in and looked at Natsuki. The King looked like a completely different person in her travel clothes, stripped of any regalia. This was on purpose because Natsuki didn't want to intimidate Shizuru's parents or in any way influence their reaction to what they were about to learn. "Mama, Papa… I am with a baby."

This came as a shock to the couple; Shizuru's mother nearly passed out while her father - unable to imagine his daughter wilfully lying down out of wedlock with anyone - demanded to know the name of the culprit.

"Papa, calm down. It's alright, it~"

"Sir, I am taking the responsibility for that."

"You are taking…? What?!" The man slammed his cup on the table, splashing wine around. "I think you should go now, this is a family business."

"And that is exactly why I will stay." Natsuki calmly looked up at him, feeling Shizuru's eyes on herself. "Shizuru was in my care when… it happened so I am taking responsibility for everything."

"Out! Get out of here!" Shizuru's father turned dark red and leant over sitting Natsuki, grabbing at her shirt. "You have a gall to come here and claim it so calmly to my face! If you weren't a woman~!"

He pulled his hand back, ready to slap Natsuki, when Shizuru latched onto his sleeve.

"Papa, stop! She helped me, it's not her fault." The brunette ignored Natsuki's muttering that claimed otherwise and looked her father in the eye until he stepped back. "You almost hit the King," she added quietly, drawing a hiss from Kruger.

Tense silence that followed lasted several minutes. Everyone seemed at loss for words, not to mention any solution to the situation they found themselves in.

"As I said," Natsuki cleared her throat and spoke very softly. "I am taking responsibility for what happened to Shizuru and so I intend to provide for her and her baby."

"But I don't suppose you will offer to marry her?" Before he even finished speaking, Shizuru's father slapped his forehead. "Would that be even possible, two women in a wedlock…"

This in turn gave Shizuru's mother another idea, apparently one she considered appalling.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but do you intend to make our baby girl your mistress?"

"No, Ma'am." Natsuki smiled at the woman and shook her head. "I will ask for nothing in return, as I am in no position to demand that of her. And while marriage is possible and probably the most honorable solution, I don't think Shizuru would have me."

"Wh-where did this come from?." Feeling everyone's eyes on her, the woman in question blushed and stuttered. "I don't think this would work. At least not now."

"But maybe in the future…?"

Shizuru nodded.

For now, I consider this story finished. There is an epilogue in the works - one that you may look forward to (with proper romance and a healthy dose of smut) - but it will come no sooner than Christmas as I got some other, more important plans. And with all threads tied off, the base work is complete.

If you still got questions or don't get some parts, leave a review. I will reply or address that in the epilogue.

This story was a long journey (almost 3 years o.o) - probably the longest for me, and not only in term of time elapsed. I learned a lot and I met some of the most amazing people ever.

First bows go to Twenty-six Whitewave, Frau-chan n Yaa-chan (hope you got internet in the afterlife, girls, cause you'd love the epilogue!), topsy krets, recondite123 and Dragon Maiden Slave. You came and stayed and made my life a better place!

And then, equally cordial thank-yous are in order for all you other amazing folk: bubble . duckie , shiznats, Y, GabbyGabrielle, Arietti (your story is one on the workshop now! I finally got idea how to get over last bump!), AnacToria Sky, Shizsuki Kuga Fujino, sammykhann, chum-sa, kyoshiob69, KonstantineXIII, hime1681987, Gregori... and all signed and unsigned reviewers!

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