That night, King Regis suffered chronic insomnia.
He lay nervously awake in the dead night, worrying about all the possible disasters and scenarios that could go wrong for his son and his kingdom.
He never guessed in a million years that he would be the king who would live to witness the prophecy of Etro come to life before his eyes.
Moreover, he never expected his own son to be in the midst of it all.
Looking back now, there were little hints here and there that foreshadowed his son's tragic destiny.
For instance, the young prince was born under the same constellation sigh Eridanus, as Stella was born on.
They were both born on the same horoscope figure, whose legend mirrored and foreshadowed their own; a pair of ill-fated and star-crossed lovers bounded by fated will and tragedy from the deity.
The similarities they shared with the intertwined relationship between the first king of Lucis and Eridanus was uncanny, to say the very least.
Regis knew deep in his mind all along that his son acted very differently from the moment he laid his eyes on Stella.
He moved differently around her, more tensed and sensitive as if he were in the presence of a goddess that was too beautiful to meet eye to eye.
It was clear from the moment they met, that they had an invisible magnet between them, which pulled them closer to one another in unexplainable holy force.
But what bothered the king the most was what this connection was designed to bring about.
If they were indeed the predestined L'Cie, Stella would be like Eridanus; a beautiful femme fatale who would one day seduce Noctis into abandoning his sovereign calling for the sake of pursuing lustful desire and forbidden love.
King Regis knew not if one had the power to change the path of prophesied destiny, but he couldn't just lie there in bed and do nothing and watch his Kingdom fall to ash.
King Regis slept for only about an hour or two, when his mind allowed him to rest for a brief moment in peaceful slumber.
But when he awoke, a nightmare in reality awaited him.
An unprotected son, that was in imperial danger with a doomed fate.
King Regis pulled himself together to drive out of his castle in haste and entered the Lucis National Hospital.
He marched into the thirtieth floor of the tall building, to visit his son's private bedroom.
Noctis was lying on his bed, lazily watching the news on the television.
"Good morning Dad! What brings you here so early? It's only seven A.M." Noctis sat straight up from his bed in automatic response.
"Hey son… how are you feeling?" The king sat himself down beside the bed next to his son.
"Bored… But, other than that, I'm getting better… oh… and by the way, Idola Eldercapt from Niflheim came to pay his condolences… he brought those flowers over there as a gift to wish me recovery…" Noctis pointed to a vase of fresh bloody red roses with thorns as sharp as metal needles by his bedside.
Out of all the possible flowers that the leader of Niflheim could present to the heir of Lucis's throne, he brought Noctis roses as red and brooding as violent human blood.
They were indeed beautiful, a deep rich flaming fire color and texture that reflected the essence of crimson vampires, red lip sticks and grape wine.
The coral roses were alive as the newest spring floral blooms, as if they had been hand picked just moments ago.
The lively freshness of the roses conveyed that Idola had visited Noctis very recently.
"What did he come for…? He's never had any personal acquaintances with you, has he…?" The king inquired in an obvious suspicion meddled with puzzled wonder.
"No… I barely know him… so it was kind of awkward for me too… he basically asked me how I was doing... and then... he asked if the rumors were true whether I had… amnesia…" Noctis mumbled.
"What?" The king's pulse rate in his blood veins suddenly paralyzed.
His nerve cells blasted into anxiety and urgent terror.
News of Noctis's mental condition had traveled at the speed of light.
It had failed to stay confidentially protected.
"And what exactly did you tell him…?" the king demanded in nervous hurry.
"Why… I told him the truth dad… that I couldn't remember the past month… that it just slipped out of my mind as if someone had twinkled in out from my head… Why...?Dad…? Am I not meant to tell my visitors anything about my… amnesia?" Noctis's round eyes were confused.
"No… no… no… it's just that…" The king stuttered in bewildered stupidity as he finally sighed a heavy breath.
His son wouldn't possibly understand how trivial it was for him and everyone else to shut their mouths tightly about his memory implications.
Especially not to anyone who came from foreign borders, and most of all from Niflheim…
"Dad…?" Noctis snapped King Regis out of his miserable headache.
"Are you sure you're okay…? You have a serious frown on your face… is everything all right…?" His son asked with sincere worry creasing in his eyes.
"Yeah… I'm fine… don't worry about it… Listen… from now on, if anyone asks you about… your condition… just simply tell them that you're in good shape and that you are on the way to healing your wounds back to full health… it's best not to tell anyone about your… amnesia… for now… in case of media hype… Got that kid?" the king asserted his imperative tone onto his only beloved child.
"Ok… yeah… I get what you mean. The last thing I need is more cameras and ogling journalists on my bed side…" Noctis replied back gently.
"Good. Now get some more rest. I'll… um… bring a fairy tale about a legendary woman called Eridanus the next time I visit. It's time you need to hear that tale… again…" The king muttered the last word 'again' barely audible enough for him to hear it for only himself as he rose up from his stool.
"Ok… although… you do realize I'm a little too old for bed time stories now… don't you? I'm thirteen." Noctis reminded him shyly in good manner.
"No one's ever too old for a good story Noctis. Plus there are important morals in this tale… one you need to engrave into your heart." His father winked at him playfully.
Lord Regis kissed his only son on his forehead, ready to leave the door when Noctis interrupted his leave one last time.
"Oh… and dad…?" Noctis called after his father's back.
"Yes, son…?" the king turned around.
"Um… I thought I need to tell you something… while I was watching the news repetitively in my room out of boredom… I noticed something… Something that was hidden, but very disturbing on the news..." Noctis whispered quietly in fear.
"What is it Noctis?" the king's eyebrows rose above his eye line.
"It's just that… I saw… a white hooded figure lurking behind the scenes in the Treaty Banquet. I only noticed him on my fifth or sixth viewing of the news footage… when the media crew recorded the invasion… he was… always there in the background all along… doing nothing… watching people die and get hurt… So it got me wondering, did you invite any guests… with… a white hooded cloak above his head? I couldn't see his eyes… but… he was just always… mysteriously present through the whole event… as if he were spying at us behind our backs…" Noctis breathed his dreadful worry into the depths of the king's eyes.
The king reflected upon his son's words.
He never invited a guest who would have his head unidentified and shadowed in a white hood.
Why would anyone invite such a stalking spy who would skulk in the background like a ghost…?
"No… not that I know of Noctis… perhaps… you're… confused… or reading too much into sub textual images… or maybe it was a prank of some sort… who knows? Either way, for now, let's just leave the issue. Try not to be caught up in such insignificant matters. Your mind is… complicated enough as it is now… Have some decent rest son. And stop watching the news so much. Just watch your favorite TV show instead… like… the adventures of 'Squall Leonhart', your childhood favorite." The king joked as he closed the door behind him.
The king hadn't just come to check up on his son's safety.
He had other more important motives for putting his whole day schedule aside to visit the hospital on a personal basis.
He had come to see Stella.
Stella Nox Fleuret, the girl destined to become the enemy and lover of his son.
He was glad that Noctis wasn't aware that his future lover was hospitalized just two flows below him.