Lightning and Stella arrived at the princess' home by noon. Her family had taken residence in a lovely, French Château styled manor with walls of ivy covering most of the lovely granite stone walls and circular towers. Peering intermittently out of the coating of ivy were the home's oval windows, all of which were made of diamond shaped glass. The whole estate seemed warm and inviting but also grand, like one had stumbled on a fairytale castle. The setting was enhanced further by the multiple gardens that seemed to cover the entire ground.

As the car stopped in front of the manor's front fountain, a smiling Stella hoped out and pulled Lightning out with her. She then began to give an informal tour of the entire estate.

"So this is where I live," Stella began, with a proud and thrilled expression on her face.

"Wo…wow!" Lightning exclaimed, looking at the lovely surroundings.

"Come on, Lightning, I'll take you to the back garden."

Bypassing the inside of the house, Stella guided Lightning around the emerald colored hedged bushes, like an explorer through a maze. Lightning thought she was in a jungle, but she did not panic since Stella appeared to know where she was going. The princess said little as she guided her guest around the estate.

After a few minutes, the two finally reached the center of the area. Stella then spoke. "Here we are!" Stella was unmoved by the sight, but Lightning was shocked.

Lightning looked up to see a stone patio. Made of the same granite, it was positioned on the second story of the home, with a set of elegant stairs that passed on the left and right side of the sitting area, jutting out from the sides of the building. Those stairs meet the ground on either side of a great, rectangular stone pool that stretched across the length of the area. It was a deep aqua color, dotted by lush lily pads that glided across the surface. Lightning swore she sighted a few fish swimming in the water. The water met the outer wall of the stone patio, where a waterfall was built into the area. On the perimeter of the pool were two parallel pathways that met the stair.

"Follow me," Stella spoke interrupting Lightning's viewing of the area. "We'll have tea outside on the patio."

The two then took one of the paths up to the balcony that overlooked the entire ground. At the top of the stairs, three maids politely bowed to the princess and her guest.

"What can I do for you my lady?" one of the women asked.

"Lightning and I would like to have tea together. Use the regular china, make sure no one disturbs us, and prepare some of the Angel Falls Mist."

"An excellent choice. I will be right by my lady."

The maids bowed and walked into the house. Stella then showed Lightning over to a table, set for two that was located so that it gave one the best view of the area. Lighting was the first to sit.

"Stella, this is all so beautiful," Lightning commented with awe as Stella took her seat opposite the guest.

"My mother's idea," Stella answered as she located her seat. "She thinks that the city is not close enough to the natural world. So she insisted on flowers and gardens all four seasons of the year."

Lightning smiled. She had never seen so many exotic flowers and trees.

Stella gazed over the garden, a small hint of disappointment in her face. "Too bad we'll have an early winter. They'll all wither."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that."

"It's a shame. But the flowers always return in the spring in full bloom. I'll have to show you that when the time comes."

One of the maids approached their table with a silver tea pot and two white tea cups with delicate gold and ruby flowers painted on the rims and bottom of each rim. Each made a small clinking sound as she placed the cups, a pitcher of cream, a bowl of sugar cubes, and the proper silverware in front of the two women. Everything being set, she then took the silver pot, and poured the tea. Lightning was taken aback that the tea was pink in color. Of course, knowing Stella, it was an appropriate color.

"Anything else I can do for you miss?" the maid asked.

"That will be all. Thank you." Stella responded. The complied and walked away from the table.

The princess then smiled at Lightning.

"Try it."

Lightning obeyed and gingerly brought the teacup to her lips, careful not to burn herself. She then got a taste of the tea: a mix of fruit and sweetness that made her smile. "It's delicious."

"I'm glad you like it," the princess smiled with pleasure.

The two then enjoyed a few moments of peace and quiet, as they reveled in the taste of the lovely tea.

Stella then broke the silence. "So…do you like Tenebrae?"

"I do," Lightning responded. "I've never seen a city so big before."

"It is impressive. All thanks to the might King Giovanni Caelum."

"That's Noctis' father right?"

"Correct."

"Is there a Queen Caelum?"

"There was," Stella began. "Lucia passed away sometime ago. Since then, I think Giovanni has been too protective of his son."

"Is that because he is the only heir?"

"Um hum," Stella nodded in agreement. "He refuses to remarry, out of respect for his late wife. As a result, Noctis is all he has."

Lightning thought about that for a moment. If I were too do what I was intended to do, would it cause more harm than good?

"That protectiveness also means that the King is being very careful in choosing a wife for his son," Stella added.

"He's having an arranged marriage?"

Lightning was surprised. She had thought those types of marriages no longer took place.

"Of course, and Giovanni will be controlling every aspect of it, once he gets around to choosing a wife. The only reason for that careful selection is political reasoning. He was hoping for a princess from a family in Algentia, but tension has been rather high at the moment."

"The war?"

"Yes." Stella looked down, avoiding eye contact with her guest.

The truth was, the princess wanted to be with Noctis. She had been eyeing him for sometime. Unfortunately, her birth into the Fleuret family made any chance of that marriage impossible. Though her father had remained loyal to Giovanni, he also declared that the Caleum's crystal would be his.

When Stella was eight, he had succeeded in stealing the gem. However, something went wrong. She did not know how, but the stealing of that crystal had caused the goddess of death to give her the inheritance of great powers that rivaled Noctis. The gift had caused the princess to fall into a comma and her father decided that the crystal was dangerous and returned it to Giovanni. His punishment was not severe, but tension between the Caleum's and the Fleuret's had been damaged.

Still, she cared so much for Noctis. She would do anything to be with him.

"Are…are you alright Stella?" Lightning asked.

"Oh, oh yes," Stella flubbed, forgetting that she had a guest. "I was just thinking."

The princess then smiled and raised her teacup. "Well, shall we have a toast?"

Lightning smiled and then raised her teacup too. "To women?"

"To women!"

They then moved their cups together, making a slight clink. The two then giggled and sipped their tea.

And Noctis, Stella thought to herself.