Author's note:

Here they are, the last 4 chapters!:3 I suggest you snuggle up in your comfy armchair with your favorite cup of tea/coffee/chocolate and leave all you troubles aside for the evening!:3

Chapter 14 – The Walk

"Whoa. This is so not what I expected!" gasped Leo, as the five of them entered the Grand Ballroom.

The ballroom wasn't lit by its usual neutral light but by colorful disco lights instead. And the music! It was upbeat and lively. Most of the guests were already rocking to it, others pecking food at the hors d'oeuvre tables, which circled the dance-floor. The atmosphere was relaxed and easy-going.

"Isn't that…" started Sheena, "Artemis dancing over there?" finished Karina.

"Finally, a feast we all can enjoy," drawled Sal-Lee, suppressing a smile as she watched queen Leora nibble at something with a very sour face.

"Let's get this party started!" exclaimed Leo, moving on. The twins hopped after him. Sal-Lee stayed behind a bit.

"So everything is fine, right?"

"Yeah," said Starlight as lightly as she could, not quite meeting her eye. "Don't worry."

"I'll take your word for it. For now."

And Sal-Lee strode after the others, shrewdly not waiting for Starlight to follow.

Starlight looked around. It was easy to spot Constantine, for he was still pretending to be mixing with his guests while trying to stay away from them. He wasn't on his throne, and that gave Starlight some confidence.

She made a detour to safely avoid any of Leo's parents and approached him sideways.

"Nice party," she said, mirroring his posture.

He glanced at her from behind his sleeve. "Thank you. I was hoping it would be more to your taste than the previous one."

"It really is!" She flashed a confident smile at him, glad that her hands were behind her back instead of hugging her elbows self-consciously. "Wanna dance?"

"Certainly not," he said, almost offended. "Not this outrageous kind of dance."

Yeah, that's almost what Leo said, too, mused Starlight. So much for my hard work!

She suddenly realized she wasn't half as nervous as she'd anticipated to be. She expected to be hurt by his chilly attitude, like she had always been. But she wasn't. Now that she knew he harbored some warm feelings behind the mask of indifference, his disdain lost its petrifying power over her. Talking was not that difficult.

"Okay, no dancing then," she said.

Constantine glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"You are free to go and enjoy the dance, though," he declared.

Starlight shrugged and stayed were she was. For a minute they just stood silent. She regarded the ballroom in search for something to inspire small talk, and her gaze suddenly focused on one of the huge vases. This was something she really wanted to ask!

"Those flowers," she said. "Where do they come from?"

Constantine blinked at her. "Oh. The flowers. They are grown specially for the castle's decoration, in a conservatory."

"Really? I thought they were imported from somewhere like Lower Van-Tu."

"No, not from that far," he said neutrally, and as neutrally added, "I can show you if you wish."

He raised his wrist, ready to summon the control panel. Apparently, he was eager to flee from the party. Starlight didn't mind fleeing with him, especially to a place full of flowers.

"I'd love that!" she smiled.

His fingers ran along the glowing keys, and Starlight was pulled into a chiming white flash of teleportation.

When the light faded back to normal, Starlight immediately knew she was inside one of the castle's towers, in the vast onion-shaped part of it, with fancy-framed glass for walls. All around her were plants and blossoming flowers, a sudden splash of color against the lifeless Oppa-Irrian architecture. Plants in neat long containers and huge pots covered every surface, floor and shelves, and even spread suspended in the air by some trick of gravity. At the other end of the conservatory Starlight could see a whole island of plants hanging in the air, closer to the sunlight streaming through the glass. The sight took her breath away.

There was a chiming sound and Constantine appeared next to her.

"It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed. "I never thought there was something like this in your castle!"

Constantine frowned as if he couldn't decide whether to be flattered or offended. In the end, his brows made a dismissive gesture.

"Look at those!" cried Starlight dashing to one of the flowerbeds, one that held a bunch of small violet flowers. "We have them on Para-Den! And over there," she pointed, "Furryferns, we have them, too!"

Constantine watched princess Starlight flutter from one item of vegetation to another and yet another, chattering all the way and making high-pitched exited sounds, as if she found herself in a treasure cave. She was presenting him one plant after another, naming each one and adding a few details on where they usually grew. Constantine didn't care to remember any of them but it pleased him to see her that happy.

"It's amazing!" She turned to him, azure sparks dancing in her eyes. "How many species are there, overall?"

Constantine raised his eyebrows. "You can ask one of the droids tending to the conservatory."

"Oh, okay," she nodded.

"I don't frequent the place," added Constantine. "I am not sure the atmosphere here is healthy."

She starred at him, puzzled. "Why, doesn't it smell delicious?"

He twitched his nose. "Too much moisture and pollen in the air. Droids say it is deleterious and I'm inclined to agree."

"Maybe for them it is," laughed the princess. "Oh, look, Knightlights!" She pointed at a row of unremarkable green bulbs. "There are lots of them on Para-Den! They open up at night and glow in the dark."

She closed her eyes and hummed softly. One of the bulbs glided through the air toward her, she lifted up a hand and it landed in her palm – a rather ugly cone of a flower. Constantine didn't even know what for his conservatory had those. Princess Starlight looked up at him and held out the flower.

"Here," she said, putting it into his reluctant palm. "Plant it somewhere."

He wished he could just hurl it over his shoulder and wipe his hand. But he had a feeling it wouldn't get the conversation going. He pursed his lips. "Fine. Where shall I plant it?"

"Over there," she pointed at one of the pots with some free room in it.

Constantine perched the flower onto the soil and looked at the princess, quizzically. "Is that all?'

"Yeah, pretty much. It doesn't even need watering, it'll sprout some roots if it wants to, but most of the time they just feed on sunlight. On Para-Den they grow on tree trunks, branches, vines. Everywhere."

She fell silent, and he realized that their stare became dangerously locked again. Although their respective heights prevented their lips from accidentally drifting too close to each other, he still wished her silver dress made a better job of covering the upper part of her body.

She was the first to break the stare and look away, embarrassed. He cleared his throat, recalling what they were talking about.

"It wasn't half as distressing as I expected it to be. Planting that thing," he said, discreetly wiping his hand on the side of his clothing.

Her gaze fluttered back to him, her eyes holding a glint of humor. "They aren't carnivorous flowers, so yeah."

Starlight chuckled at Constantine's incredulous expression. He didn't even know that carnivorous plants existed, did he? Apparently, he didn't, but he was reluctant to voice his ignorance.

"Why don't we walk along the paths?" she suggested. The area closer to the glass walls was divided into smaller sections by a net of passages that looked cozy and mysterious under the arching plants.

"If you wish to," he complied.

It was hard to fall into step with his strides but she managed. She had to make sure her skirt wouldn't get caught up on a twig, so she moved farther from the border of the passage, closer to Constantine. They walked shoulder to shoulder in a silence that seemed companionable.

"It's so like my home planet!" she said, gazing around dreamily. "Except, perhaps, there isn't nearly as much noise. You see, on Para-Den there are always birds tweeting, insects chirping, Fay Frogs quacking, Girafflies roaring and purring… That sort of thing. I wish there were animals here, it would be exactly like Para-Den!" she exclaimed before she could think. When logic caught up with her, she shut her mouth, miserably.

It seemed Constantine failed to notice the change in her mood, although he was watching her, sidelong.

"Why," he said dryly, "if you want to see animals, you should visit my zoo instead, not the conservatory. Obviously."

"No, no, it's fine." She forced a wane smile, clutching her hands to her chest. "I'm not really that keen on zoos…"

She didn't want to vex him by letting him know how she abhorred the idea. So she kept watching her silver boots marching on the starry pattern of the floor.

Constantine kept silent for about a minute, then suddenly said, "Princess. Last year, why do you think I ordered your team to capture the starlian?"

"What? Why?"

She was so puzzled she stopped walking. Constantine stopped, too, and turned to face her. It suddenly occurred to her that what he was going to say wouldn't be pleasant, for he had usually faced her to tell her off for breaking his rules. At least, that's how things used to be.

"Because it couldn't have been done beforehand," he said, making every syllable sound very clear.

She quirked her eyebrows, still not grasping the implication. His expression softened and he turned away.

"I was well aware that a starlian cannot survive in captivity," he said.

"You knew?" she gasped.

"Of course. You are not the only one to know such things, princess," he said, a touch of irritation in his voice. "That is why there are no starlians in my zoo."

He went ahead, resuming their walk.

"Did you try to?.." asked Starlight, keeping up with him and feeling a tug of pain on her heart.

"No. But my grandparents did. I was too young to remember it, but I hear it wasn't nice."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't know."

All of a sudden the path ended and they faced the glass wall. Outside the day was at its peak, the city bathing in sunshine. Starlight couldn't help but wonder which of the fancy architectural structures of the city was the zoo. She pensively raised a hand and her fingers slid along the cold hard surface of the glass with a mournful low sound.

She was only half-conscious of Constantine watching her, until he said, "I may be proud of my zoo, princess, but rest assured, I don't keep there anything that can't survive there."

A wave of thankfulness washed over her. Did he really understand how she felt about captive animals? Did he try to comfort her?

Starlight looked up at him, feeling her gratitude lighting up her face.

"Thank you," she said.

When princess Starlight had suddenly stopped babbling about Fay Frogs and Girafflies, Constantine realized something was bothering her, and her reaction to his prodding remark about the zoo confirmed what exactly that something was. She didn't like the thought of creatures constrained in his zoo. And as she was walking next to him, head down, her beautiful eyes haunted by some clandestine sadness, he realized how she really felt in his castle – like an animal deprived of freedom.

He had been trying to hold her, to make her stay, again and again. And by some inner obligation she complied. But she couldn't stay. Like a starlian, she couldn't live in captivity. He had to let her go, once and for all. And he had to let her know that.

Feeling like he was wrenching his own heart out of his chest he said:

"I may be proud of my zoo, princess, but rest assured, I don't keep there anything that can't survive there."

Author's note: This chapter is getting too long, isn't it?:D Shall we break it here? Yes! I was soooo looking forward to trying out this trick and now I have to savor the moment!:D Constantine's unwillingness to say things plainly and clearly had to backfire sooner or later!

For the record, if you look closely at the shot of the castle in the scene when Starlight is flying up to summon the starlian, there IS something green inside one of the towers. You can even spot something that I imagine to be the green island of floating plants.

I felt pretty silly coming up with all those names for plants and animals, but it would have been too weird to just leave them unnamed. :P