Author's Note: My apologies to those of you who thought I'd flipped out last week. My closing author's note said something about 'melancholy drama' when the chapter had little to do with it. I was writing chapter 14 at the time and mixed up the author's notes. Sorry for the confusion.

Chapter 10.

"You mean you bought them already?" Saito exclaimed in surprise as his mother handed him five tickets.

"Yes, and here's some money for lunch on the train." Mrs. Hiraga huffed. She then glared at him as he stared at her. "What? It's important for you to get Henrietta home isn't it? Just take it. I'll make more than this off those beautiful dresses the girls gave me. Here, I've put Henrietta's jewelry in these cases. Have her put them in her purse for safe keeping. She doesn't need to be seen walking around with that stuff on. I've also packed these bags for the girls too."

"Thanks Mom." Saito said with a tear in his eye.

"Oh just stop it." Mrs. Hiraga scolded with her own 'happy grumble'. She then embraced her only son. "I guess you were bound to spread your wings and fly away sooner or later."

"Are you going back to work now?" Saito asked innocently.

"No. I left Junko in charge of the shop for the day. I'm taking the day off." His mother explained.

"Oh, are you seeing us to the station?"

"No." Mrs. Hiraga said picking up the loose brick from the front steps and dropping it into her purse. She swung it around a little to test the weight. She was glancing at Louise when she spoke. "I think I'm going to go look for your father. It's about time he quit screwing around and came home. And this time, I'm going to make sure he stays."

Saito gulped and said a quick prayer for his father wherever he was. His mother made 'making sure he stays' sound like it involved casts, concussions, and contusions.

"Happy hunting." Saito said uneasily.

As his mother wandered off down the street, Louise sighed and lovingly took his arm. "I really love your mother. I think I learned a lot from her."

Saito stared at the girl for a moment, fearfully, and quickly called for a cab. He really didn't want to think about that too much. The sooner he got his courtly kimono-clad cuties up into the mountains, the better.

The trip to the station went without incident, with the girls accustomed to magic and carriages, the idea of a magic horseless carriage pretty much settled everything when it came to the cab. The train was an entirely different matter. The girls had never moved so fast in their lives, and as the scenery whipped past them they were a little uneasy moving so quickly.

"Saito, I don't see any other girls dressed like us." Siesta said looking around at the other passengers. "Are these kimonos really that common?"

"Are any of the women looking at you strangely?" Saito asked.

"No."

"Then I wouldn't worry about it. Kimonos are formal wear in my culture. People probably just think you're a bunch of wealthy girls on vacation." Saito reassured her.

"The men are staring though." Henrietta said shyly.

"Yeah, I know. That has nothing to do with you looking strange though." Saito explained as he glared at another guy walking up to hit on the lovely girls with him with a look that promised death and dismemberment if he didn't keep walking.

"So, exactly how far away does your grandfather live?" Louise asked.

"Just a few hundred miles." Saito said nonchalantly. "It's only a few hours by train."

He noticed Henrietta's eyebrow was twitching uncontrollably. "A few hundred miles... a few hours by train..." She said with a queasy tremor to her voice. She then went to staring out the window again fearfully. "That's bigger than the whole breadth of Tristain."

"Well Japan is a pretty big country." Saito explained. He then figured that he might as well get around to breeching the subject now. "I'm probably going to have to teach you all about it."

The girls fell quiet as the ramifications settled in on what he was saying. "We're going to have to learn your language for real too I guess." Siesta was saying.

"Probably." Saito said sadly. "I have no idea how we're going to get home."

A sniffle brought Saito's attention to Henrietta. He thought he had said something hurtful, but she was smiling. "You called Tristain 'home'."

Saito tried to hide his blush as he scanned the girls faces. "Yeah, I guess I do sort of think of it that way. Everything I've ever considered important is there... or rather was."

All the girls started blushing. Louise was the first to change the subject. "So, your grandfather, is he a merchant as well?"

"Yeah, he's owned the Hiraga Hot Spring Hotel since before I was born." Saito told his companions.

"What about your grandmother?" Siesta asked.

"She passed away when I was too young to remember her. I'm told she was a great woman. She was the one that ran the hotel, and my grandfather was a high school teacher. He retired when she passed away to keep the hotel running. My Mom was raised there." Saito reminisced. "We used to go see Gramps a lot when I was younger."

"It's so exciting getting to see your world Saito." Siesta gushed.

"Actually, in a way it's your world too Siesta. Your great grandfather came from here too. If memory serves your family name is Sasaki. That would make you Sasaki Siesta." Saito told her.

"Only nobles have surnames in our world." Tabitha murmured quietly.

"Everyone has them in ours." Saito instructed.

"I... I prefer our worlds custom." Siesta said looking embarrassed and demure.

"You mean in Tristain?" Henrietta asked.

Siesta nodded. "Yes your majesty. There, since I'm a servant that serves Saito's household... I'd... carry his name."

"Hiraga... Siesta?" Saito said experimentally. He liked the sound.

Apparently Siesta did to. "Yes, I'd really like for people to call me Hiraga Siesta."

"You know Saito..." Louise said glaring at Siesta. "Since we're in your world..."

"Our names might attract attention..." Henrietta continued as she blushed madly.

"Hiraga... Tabitha." Tabitha said faintly.

Visions he'd had earlier of coming home to a house full of women (who were now all wearing kimonos), suddenly leaped back into his brain and Saito had to pinch his nose before it started bleeding.

"I guess that would be fine. We'll have to tell Gramps the truth though." Saito told his rather unorthodox 'family'.

"Hiraga Louise is a lot shorter and easier to say." Louise whispered as she clung possessively to his arm. She looked like she was spacing out.

The girls napped off and on and Siesta was surprised to find she didn't have to cook as Saito bought them all a bento to eat from the train trolley and then had to teach them how to use chopsticks. At least he tried to teach them how to use chopsticks. In reality the girls took turns making him feed them using his chopsticks.

After the train, the bus took them deeper into the mountains. After they ended at the bus stop, it was a short walk along the forest road to his grandfather's inn. The place was much as he remembered it. The sign out front announced 'Welcome Hiraga Family'. Saito blushed and decided not to translate it to the girls. As Saito sat down all the bags (which he'd ended up carrying), his grandfather came clicking away out of the inn with his cane.

"Saito, my child, it has been forever since you've been to see me." Gramps greeted warmly. He hugged his only grandson and patted him on the head.

"Not since my last summer in middle school." Saito agreed.

"Well, I think I can forgive you since you bring such lovely maidens to my doorstep." His grandfather jibed happily. "So who are these lovely angels that have chosen to grace our inn."

"Well Gramps, it's really a little hard to explain..."

"Just introduce us son. I'm not your mother." His grandfather chided.

"Very well, this is Queen Henrietta of Tristain. Princess Tabitha of Gallia, and Louise Valliere third daughter of Duke Valliere of Tristain, and Siesta, my maid." Saito explained. Each of the girls bowed respectfully to his grandfather who bowed in turn to each of them. They were more accustomed to curtsies, but then kimonos weren't built for curtsies.

"Well then, let's all get inside. I'll have the porter take the girls' bags to the rooms I've had prepared. We'll be having a feast tonight!" Gramps crowed happily.

"Um, what's happening Saito?" Siesta asked as the porters took the bags and opened the doors for her.

"They're taking your bags to your room for you while we go to dinner." Saito replied.

"Would you like for me to cook you something?" His maid asked hopefully.

"No Siesta, tonight you are to be served." Saito told her warmly.

The feast was entirely of traditional Japanese foods. The girls were supplied with forks and spoons for them to eat with since they still didn't have the hang of it with chopsticks. The girls were enjoying the meal, but Saito noticed Siesta wasn't too happy.

"What's wrong Siesta?" Saito asked.

"I can't serve you!" The girl complained seriously. She was nearly in tears.

"I told you it's alright Siesta. Tonight you're the guest here so you'll be the one being served." Saito reminded her.

"It's not that master, I want to be the one to serve you. My skills as a maid are one of my most womanly qualities. It upsets me not serving you, and having other people serve you. It upsets me nearly as badly as me kissing you used to upset Mistress Louise." Siesta bemoaned.

A sudden thought occurred to Saito and inspiration was always welcome. "You know Siesta, there is something you can do for me..." The young noble said with a grin.

"Just tell me how to get out of this kimono, and I'm yours." Siesta said with a deep blush.

"I haven't had food from my native country while I've been in Tristain. Whether we find our way back there or not, I'd love it if you learned to cook the food I like from the inn here." Saito offered.

Siesta's eyes lit up like flames as she smiled broadly. "Yes master, I shall start learning in the kitchen immediately. And if we do get back I'll make you all your favorites, just for you."

Saito smiled and Siesta seemed pleased. Louise even looked satisfied.

"I guess you're finally learning how to handle being a noble." She said with satisfaction. "We'll have a maid with recipes found nowhere else in Tristain."

"Miso soup..." Saito whispered, salivating.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the meal son." Gramps said as he went to pour himself some sweet sake only to have Siesta happily commandeer his bottle and start pouring it for him. "So have you decided what you're going to do?"

"I really don't know Gramps. There's no way to get the girls back home. I guess I'll need to work to support them. Most of these girls have never had to live as commoners." Saito thought out seriously.

"We'll help any way we can Saito." Henrietta promised.

"Thanks, but I'll figure out something. I'm just sorry I don't know of any way to get you all home." The young familiar apologized.

"I see, well I wouldn't think that you would." Gramps said before taking another sip of his sake. "That's not a Gandalfr's job after all."

Saito nodded, not really realizing what he'd just heard until he looked up to see the other girls staring at him with incredulous stares as they all recognized the word. They all looked to the elderly head of the family as he finished his drink and set his cup aside. "So which of you girls is the void mage?"

"Thank you your highness, you have been most helpful." Osmond said as he closed his heavy book and put it away. "You will probably be needing this for the time being. It should help you look the part of royalty."

"Headmaster, I don't want to look the part of royalty!" Tiffania whined loudly.

"Well like it or not with the queen and Louise gone you're the next in line for the throne." Duke Valliere said looking over his charts in the royal council chambers. There was going to be war soon and he had already started mapping strategies.

"I'm messing everything up, half the nobility rebelled when the bishop announced an elf was taking the throne in Henrietta's absence." The inadvertent princess moaned.

"It's better than if I'd taken over." Duke Valliere admitted grudgingly. "If it had been me, they'd all have rebelled. At this rate, we'll at least be able to hold them off for a few weeks. We might even make it until winter, which will delay the campaigns until spring, but I wouldn't bank on it."

"You mean we're not going to win?" Guiche asked where he looked at the maps across the table from the older man with Agnes and Malicorne beside him.

"No. Not without a miracle. We need the queen back and we need her back quickly. There's a lot of nobles ducking their heads to see who wins this fight before they declare their allegiance one way or the other, and if the queen were back they'd side with her rather than risk charges of treason." Duke Valliere explained. "If there's anyway you can get her back. You'd better do it."

Old Osmond nodded and looked around the room. He had an idea of what had happened now, but if he let on that there was nothing he could do to retrieve the queen he might jeopardize the delicate position Tiffania was in right now.

He didn't really want to scare the young girl doing her best to help right now, but the situation looked bleak. In the end, all he could do was have faith in Saito and Louise and hope for the best. Praying for forgiveness, he pushed forward. "It is possible to reach them, but it will take time to prepare the necessary rituals." Osmond lied. "We found these flowers in Louise's room. We know that Saito and Louise are alive and well, and if they are the queen most likely is too. If I can discern their location, I can try to summon them back."

Despite his focus on the queen, Duke Valliere looked relieved at the news. He loved his daughters in his own way, but much like most busy professional men he sometimes forgot to show his feelings for his children openly. Still, he did care and the news was obviously a load off his mind. "You say that common rabble she insists on running around with is still with her?"

He looked displeased, but Osmond could hear the relief in his voice. "Yes, her familiar is still with her." Osmond reported, though he left out that he didn't have his sword.

"Well let's hope she can keep him out of trouble." The Duke inserted brusquely. Translation: Good, I'll be counting on him to take care of my little girl. Osmond thought to himself.

"Well, I have preparations to begin on my end and you gentlemen have a war to fight. I'll make certain to let you know the moment I find anything else out." Osmond told the assembled advisors as he retrieved his mouse.

The old man hobbled out the door to where Ms. Longueville waited. They set out for the carriage that would take them home, and Osmond raised his best friend to his ear. "Princess Tiffania likes green you say?"

Matilda rolled her eyes and shook her head sadly. "You had your familiar peek at the leader of Tristain's underwear? What were you doing, checking all the girls there?"

"Of course not." Osmond said stiffly. Then he snorted in annoyance. "There's no way I could have checked Agnes. I mean really... trousers. What is this world coming to?"

A/N: Well the series is over and Saito married Louise. I must say, I was rather pleased with the ending where Louise and Saito go to see his family. I'm quickly reaching the end of where I had written to before the start of the series. I've got an ending in mind and it looks like this story will wind up around 16 chapters or so. Enjoy it in the coming weeks!