Recap

## Six Crimson Cranes Racap

*Recap before reading "The Dragon's Promise." (Tip: Timeline)*

Shiori’anma, Princess of Kiata, instead of going to her betrothal ceremony, she goes running after Kiki jumping into a lake, where she meets a Dragon. After obtaining permission from her father she goes to the Summer Festival, meets the dragon again, and goes on to teach her magic.

In Shiori's last lesson with Seryu, she restores Kiki and learns her stepmother, Raikama, is a sorceress.

Later on Shiori follows Raikama, learning some of her secrets. Terrified Shiori runs back to tell her brothers and a fight ensues between the siblings and their stepmother, resulting in the princes being turned into cranes, Shiori being far from the Imperial Palace with Kiki and a bowl stuck on her head. Raikama warns Shiori for every word she speaks, one of her brothers will die.

Shiori works in Sparrow Inn where she meets Takkan and Hasege. Shiori goes off to find her brothers, finding them in Zhensa Forest. From there they camp in a cave, get the starstroke, then the brothers go to find Raikama's real name while Shiori making the net. Shiori goes off wanting to meet Seryu and accidentally stumbles on where Takkan was attacked by Yuji’s assassins. This happened after the battle so Hasege takes her to Castle Bushian, thinking she knows where Takkan is.

In Castle Bushian, she stays in a dungeon, until they accept that she is under Takkan’s protection because of the dagger. Shiori toils there for a few weeks, working in the kitchens by day where she is rejected as a demon worshipper thanks to Hasege and Zeriena's lies, and working on the starstroke by night.

When Takkan suddenly arrives in Pao’s arms, she goes off to help them. Not allowed to see him, she makes him soup, immediately sending for her. Shiori is welcomed as a guest but keeps working in the kitchens. By sneaking into Zairena’s chambers at night she manages to spin the starstroke into a net on her spinning wheel.

Later on, she tries to make amends with Zairena by making monkeycakes and is surprised when she rejects them. She starts to suspect that Zairena is not who she says she is. When Oriyu dies, she wonders if Zairena is the Assassin but when she and Kiki search her rooms they find a portrait that looks just like her, and what they think is four breaths poison remains gold on Kiki’s wing. Then Chiruan is arrested.

Shiori is ready to leave now the net is spun but she doesn’t want to leave since she has become closer with Takkan and Megari, lucky her brothers let her go to the festival. She gets close to Takkan and thinks they will kiss but Shiori leaves and then realizes what Zairena did.

Hasege and Lady Bushain then barge in with Zairena and accuse her of being possessed by a demon. While being in a dungeon, she sends Kiki to find Takkan and her brothers, then Megari visits until Zairena comes revealing the whole truth.

Shiori is taken to the pyre and set on fire where her brothers and Kiki came. Zairena throws the starstroke on her and steals the Pearl given by Seryu. Takkan rides in at the last minute and saves her, and the bowl breaks from her head, breaking the curse. Guiya flees followed by Shior and Takkan. Takkan reveals he knew who Shiori was, and tells her a story. They were about to kiss but Guiya interops and is immediately killed. They are followed by Lord Yuji, his assassins, and the Wolf, who have caged her brothers. The Wolf steals the Pearl, kills his master (breaking his oath), and becomes a demon. In the wrestle to get the Pearl back, Shiori is dragged to the holy mountain with him. There she is besieged by demons who recognise her blood but she is saved by Raikama. Raikama is weakened by the effort and confesses to Shiori that she has only ever tried to protect her. She explains that the Pearl came from her sister who died and she took it on her death. She asks Shiori to return it to its rightful owner so that it cannot be corrupted further as her final wish.

With the curses broken, they return to the palace but Raikama has put everyone into a deep sleep to protect them. Takkan agrees to stay with her brothers and Shiori goes into the water with Seryu to find the dragon who owns the Pearl and return it to him.