a/n: please accept my humblest apologies guys! I know I've been updating in late pace. College life is mainly the reason. ... I think this chapter explains more about Stella's background/past. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out the family connections and other clues hinting to the future chapters~~

Anyways, if anybody's interested, check out the little something I placed at the end of this chapter. :)

"Oblivious Fate"

By: rorudesu-chan

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Chapter 30: Heartwarming Reunion

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The man hurriedly made his way towards the window where he first entered. The scattered, broken glass crunched under the weight of his boots. He was about to jump off and escape when suddenly, an angry voice called his attention.

"You bastard!!" shouted the woman. "Who are you?! And why have you done such cruel thing to Eneas?!"

The electricity was purposely shut off. Without the lights of the room, it made things quite difficult for the queen to recognize who killed the Tenebrae King. She waited furiously for the murderer to answer. Finally, turning around to face her, he responded.

"I am Neleus Caelum, King of the Caelum Kingdom!" he declared. "With my own hands, I have murdered the King of Tenebrae!"

The man took a few steps backward. And with one huge leap, he jumped off, escaping the Tenebrae palace.

The queen froze in place. Afraid. Confused. Angry. She could hardly breathe well. There, lying before her was the lifeless body of the only man she ever loved, the man who ruled Tenebrae and the man who was never once fearful to sacrifice his life for his kingdom. The raw smell of his blood sickened her. Fate was unfair. What had Eneas done for him to reach this kind of end?

Tears furiously rushed down her cheeks. She fell on her knees. No longer having the strength to hold her emotions captive, she released it all in one, loud piercing cry.

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Gentle, azure eyes fluttered open. Just like the last time, Stella found herself waking up to a ceiling above. Slowly tilting her head sideways, she saw the usual apparatus that she had seen before. At that moment, Stella recalled that she was still at the hospital.

"Goooood mooorning!" sang a voice.

Stella gently heaved herself to sit upright. "Good… morning," she greeted, smiling to the doctor who stood at the foot of her bed.

Wilhelmus grinned back. "I'm glad that I finally see a smile from you, Miss Fleuret! That means you're doing a lot better than the other day, yes?"

"Other day?" her smile faltered slowly.

"You have been sleeping for one day already. But, no worries!" Wilhelmus laughed. "It's part of recovering. Although…" he paused. "It certainly perks up my curiosity that you were able to recover pretty faster than I had expected. Other patients who have the same case as you usually wake up after three days or so."

"Just one day?" she asked.

"Yep!" he replied. "How it is possible, I'm not quite sure. But, if I may ask," Wilhelmus put on a slightly serious look. "What triggered your memories to come back to you?"

Stella froze, unsure of how to answer the doctor's question. She lowered her head down.

"Miss Fleuret, you have the case of 'Repressed Memory'," he went on. "For a certain period of time in your life, you were unable to recall information regarding a series of events. You have forgotten something important to you, haven't you?"

"Yes," she admitted, nodding. "My past…" she muttered.

"For most cases of Repressed Memory, an individual encounters a situation which causes that person's mind to temporarily block out the incident in accordance to his or her traumatized emotions. Now, what interests me is how you were able to retrieve your memories."

Stella clutched the blanket above her lap, feeling a twinge of pain from her wounded palm.

"Perhaps you returned to the place where it all began?"

No, she said to herself, recalling what had truly happened.

"How about a particular smell? You must've picked a scent which made your memories rush back into you?"

No, she said to herself, tracing the events that had occurred before the Caelum Prince brought her to the hospital.

"Hmm…" Wilhelmus gently stroked his beard. "How about a particular item?"

Item? She asked herself.

"You must've touched something which triggered your memories to come back."

Item. Item. Item.

…Crystallite.

Yes, that was it! It must be the Crystallite! It had to be the Crystallite! Stella secretly analyzed things as the doctor continued to suggest possible events that might have caused her memories to return.

Stella remembered. She recalled the moment when she held the rock within her left palm. It glowed. She swore she saw it glow. But at that instant, she wasn't aware about anything else. Her mind was set to continuing the battle regardless whether she had her rapier or not. Stella was so sure about everything but then a brief flash of light caught her attention. That was when the pain began. Her head throbbed like crazy. Crazier than before. But that wasn't just it. Images, tons of them, were being stuffed into her mind like a hammer furiously pounding a nail. She realized that they were memories. Her memories. She recognized every bit of image because once upon a time, each of it made her smile, sad, cry and angry. All of it was so nostalgic.

But then she couldn't handle it anymore. Her mind was on the verge of cracking like an egg hatching. They were too fast, too painful. Her screams reflected the agony that her heart felt. No longer could Stella take what the Crystallite had favored her with. And that was the moment when everything was submerged into darkness. She fainted. The last thing she remembered was a boy shouting her name. For her, he sounded quite concerned. But she knew that he shouldn't be. After all, she had betrayed his trust.

"Miss Fleuret?" the physician called.

Stella tilted her head up quickly, feeling a huge, warm palm swathed against her forehead.

"Feeling light-headed?"

"No, not really." She answered, feigning a grin.

"That's good." Wilhelmus said, retrieving his hand. "For a second there, I thought something had happened. You weren't responding at all."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Doctor."

"No, no. It's okay." He laughed. "Anyhow! Hungry?"

Stella was startled at his question. In the midst of everything that happened so swiftly, she completely forgot about one of the most basic necessities in life—food. That last meal she probably ate was a day ago when a nurse came in to bring her something to eat after she was admitted to the hospital. And since she had been sleeping for about twenty four hours already, Stella finally realized her raging desire for food.

She couldn't help but laugh. "I would really like something to eat, Doctor."

"Alright then! I'll bring you something to chow down. Want something to drink as well?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

"I'll be back shortly so stay put, alright?"

"I will."

Wilhelmus waved a hand in the air as he walked out of the room. The door shut gently after him. But surprisingly, it opened again only after a few minutes.

Stella was amazed at how quick the doctor came back. But to her and her growling stomach's dismay, it wasn't the doctor bringing some food at all. It was the Tenebrae Queen herself. Her golden hair was pinned in a bun at the back of her head. The elegant green dress which reached below her knees was studded with three small diamonds right on the middle of her chest. She wore no crown or any sign of her sovereignty. The queen had always believed that the power she had over her subjects didn't need to be exhibited by the physical appearance all the time. But still, she looked beautiful even with her simplicity and her age. Beautiful as her beloved daughter yet, in a much younger aspect.

"Good morning, Ambassador Fleuret," greeted Seraphine.

"G-good morning… my Queen," replied Stella who was completely caught off guard by her sudden presence.

"How have you been?"

"I'm fine," answered Stella who was getting quite sick of the question being repeated over and over again. She is fine. But that was until the queen showed herself before her.

Seraphine closed the door. She was alone and it made Stella even more nervous. What did the monarch want from her? What did her mother want to say to her? Stella didn't know what to do. This was the first time she talked to the queen after her memories had returned.

"You look quite frightened. What is wrong… my daughter?"

Stella was surprised by her words. Her blue eyes widened. Her mouth slightly parted, unable to react properly to the situation.

Seraphine stepped closer. "You can tell anything to your mother."

A bead of sweat flowed down her temple. Inside her thin hospital robe, she was suddenly perspiring. Her hands, which clutched onto the blanket, trembled.

"Stella," Seraphine sat down beside her. "Tell me what is wrong."

The Queen's voice. Her mother's voice. Gentle, loving and caring. How she longed for her presence since that tragic night. Stella couldn't believe that her search finally ended. Before her was her mother. The person who could answer everything that needed to be answered.

"Stella…"

"Mother!"

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around Seraphine. A daughter finally found her way back to her mother.

Stella exploded into tears. She buried her head onto her bosom, hearing the distant thumping sounds of her heartbeat. "Mother!"

Seraphine wrapped her arms around Stella, pulling her close. "Hush now, my darling." She leaned her head upon Stella's, smelling the faint rosy fragrance of her flaxen tresses. "Everything is alright now." Her heart almost burst from happiness. Happiness that was held captive since Stella forgot her memories.

"Please…" Stella cried. "Don't go away anymore… Don't leave me alone again…"

"I won't," She gently caressed her head. "I promise."

Stella smiled weakly. Strength bloomed from her mother's words. She hugged her tightly with no intentions of letting her mother go. Not now, not ever. Too long she suffered the pain of losing her memories. Yet, too short will the moment between them last.

"I have waited so long for this moment to arrive." Stella said, happily.

"It is the same with me, my daughter." Seraphine replied, wanting to hold Stella longer. But suddenly, her daughter quickly pulled away, breaking her wish.

"Then why?!" Stella protested. Her tears now ceased to flow. Frustration was slowly taking over their mother-daughter moment. "Why didn't you tell me sooner about all of this? My past! It would've made things a lot simpler! A lot better! Why, Mother? Why did you choose to hide the truth from me instead?"

Seraphine gently cupped her cheek and smiled. "Because, I love you that is why."

Stella found herself gazing into the eyes of a hurt woman. Seraphine found herself gazing into the eyes of a lost girl.

"You love me that is why you wanted to keep everything from me? I… I do not understand, Mother."

With a finger, the Queen wiped the remaining tears off Stella's eyes. "Of course I wanted to tell you the truth about your past." She frowned. "But the Council wouldn't let me."

"The Council? What do they have to do with us?"

Seraphine placed back her hands on her lap. "They wanted to protect you, the only heir to the throne of Tenebrae."

"But what about my pain? Our suffering? Did they not know that in keeping the truth from me, they were hurting us?"

"Ssshh… It doesn't matter anymore, my child. Your memories are back. You know everything now."

"Everything?" Stella looked away. "That, I'm not so sure of."

"Hm?" Seraphine gently turned Stella's face back to her by the cheek. "What do you mean?"

"There are still questions left unanswered and I am puzzled by them."

"What questions?"

"Questions that can only be answered by you, my Mother."

Nothing else mattered at the moment for Stella. Her hunger for something to eat was once again forgotten and was washed away by the ambience which was surrounding the room. Stella looked deeply into Seraphine's warm, blue irises which reminded her of her own.

The Queen sat upright like what a normal monarch would do. Her hands were folded on top of each other upon her lap. "Tell me the things you wish to know and I shall answer them with honesty."

Seraphine witnessed how her daughter's face brightened up. But her expression did not explain half of what Stella felt inside. She was hesitant, wondering if the truth she was about to hear would finally put her screaming doubts into silence. Seraphine soon realized Stella's reluctance. It was a mother's instinct that told her so. Then, she smiled, giving off a warm feeling of trust and sincerity. The blonde daughter saw the grin plastered upon her mother's face. Finally, she gave in and she began her long-awaited inquiry.

"I remembered…" Stella began. "I remembered how I lost consciousness right after you screamed when you saw Father's cold, lifeless body."

Seraphine's eyes saddened at the remembered incident. Nevertheless, she allowed her daughter to continue further.

"Right after that, everything became so ambiguous until now. What I want to know, Queen Mother, is what happened after that night?"

"We found you unconscious behind a cabinet which was under the library's staircase. Do you remember that, Stella?"

"Yes, I do. Father quickly hid me there when we heard one of the windows broke. There… there was a man and Father tried to protect me from him."

"He did because he loved you dearly."

"So when did I wake up?"

"The next day, at a hospital. I, together with a few of the Council members who were present during the incident, carried you there. The moment you woke up…" Seraphine looked away, pursing her lips. "You… could no longer remember who I was."

Stella frowned. She felt a spasm of disgust against herself for forgetting who her own mother was. "I'm sorry," she said.

Pulling herself together, the Queen glanced back at Stella. "Don't be," she grinned. "It wasn't your fault. That night was too painful to even remember and think about."

"If I forgot you… then why didn't I forget my Grandmother, Ofelia?"

"Ofelia wasn't your grandmother."

Stella was surprised.

"She wasn't even a Fleuret. She was just one of Elders' peasant-servants who willingly accepted to take care of you in exchange for gold. We had to hide you from harm, you see. During that time we weren't so certain about the danger that might still be lurking in the kingdom. So the Council and I looked for someone who could take care of you in secrecy. And in order to protect you and at the same time clear any suspicions from any third party, we carefully picked someone who had features close to yours." Seraphine gently cupped Stella's cheek. "It broke my heart to see someone else take care of you just for the sake of money."

Stella brought a hand over her mother's. "It's alright, Mother. You don't have to worry. I had always found it hard to really love and appreciate her. Something about her just didn't seem like alright. The affection that you and Father gave me was very different from hers."

The Queen smiled; delighted to know that Stella had always had her and Eneas a special place in her heart, though she temporarily forgot about them.

"Do not be like that, my dear. Ofelia did learn to love you as if you were one of her own, though she had none. Of course, she realized it only when she was dying."

"Dying?" Stella felt the Queen retrieve her hand from her cheek. "Yes, I did remember that Grandmo—Ofelia, died of a heart attack."

"She did, and I am eternally grateful for what she has done for me and the Tenebrae Kingdom. But before she died, Ofelia had told us all about it. And so with the remaining time she had left, we planned for you to come and meet one of the Ambassadors."

"That led me to a life in the palace afterwards." Stella giggled at the faint memory. "I was only seven then. Certainly, it was such a young age for a girl to walk the path towards diplomacy."

"Young age indeed." The Queen chuckled in agreement. "But that was better than having you live far from me. Ten years was definitely a long time, isn't that so?"

"Yes," Stella grinned. Her fingers started fiddling with each other like a child who wants to ask a great favor from her mother. "I want to ask, if I may."

"Of course you may, my child."

"What is your real relation to Natalia Lenore of Vahalis?" her fingers stopped twiddling, showing a sign of sternness in her inquiry. "Are you still a Fleuret?"

"Yes, Stella," Seraphine declared, firmly. "I am Queen Seraphine Fleuret, ruler of Tenebrae and wife of the late King Eneas Spei Fleuret. I will forever be a Fleuret."

"Then, why have you changed your last name? Didn't you wish for our family's legacy to continue even if Father had died and I am the only heir left?"

"I wanted to. But, as the remaining ruler of Tenebrae, I simply cannot put my desires before my kingdom." Seraphine said, casting her stare down. "News of Eneas' death spread like wildfire across the other countries. There were rumors about how our neighboring kingdoms were plotting to take over Tenebrae since its once mighty ruler had fallen. Many speculated our kingdom's downfall and we could not defend our land against all of them. That was why we had to strengthen our forces even more."

"So you offered yourself before the King of Vahalis and he agreed to take your hand in marriage."

"Vahalis was the only kingdom next to Caelum which had powerful political and military forces. Furthermore, we have always had good ties with that country."

"And you were alright with marrying another man after Father died?"

"You must understand, Stella!" Seraphine tilted her head, facing her daughter with crestfallen eyes. "That everything was for the sake of keeping Tenebrae safe. Your Father was murdered because he wanted the same thing. He sacrificed his life because he loved his kingdom, he loved its people and he loved you, his only daughter."

"I do understand…"

"Then you will also understand the will of Tenebrae."

"The will?" Stella gazed deeply into her mother's eyes. She felt a sudden change in them. She felt a sudden change in her tone of speaking as well.

"Yes, Stella. You shall carry out the will of Tenebrae and its people." Seraphine sharply confirmed.

"W-what… is this will?" She asked, uneasily. Stella did not like where their conversation was going. Just a few moments ago, she was in tears because of a long lost affection found. But now, it seemed as if things were about to spiral down into something inescapable.

"Go to Prince Noctis Lucius Caelum," Seraphine looked at her firmly. "....and kill him."

Stella stiffened. She felt her heart miss a beat. She trusted her feelings and she was right. It was another inescapable fate.

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a/n: tell me what you think of this chapter, okay? Review/Comment/Criticize! THANK YOU!! :D

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~*REVIEW REPLIES*~

(29. Troubled Kingdoms)

Bmonti: Yeah. I think I stretched the time continuum too much in the 'conference' part. LOL. Not my fault! Well.. actually it is since I'm the one writing it. Haha. But anyways, I'm going to do a little bit more time stretching in this chapter and the next. Hope you can still hang on to it. And yes, Stella does have a step sister-- Natalia. :)

yorumiko: Vegetables. Harhar. :D You should've suggested better names back when I was still constructing the plot's characters. Hahaha.

SilverIceDragon: Hmm... If they find Salsus, I think we'll get to see more internal character conflict, mainly on his part. And if Noctis and Stella crosses paths again, we'll probably see more internal character conflicts. .. ooh~~ Your fanfic will have a romance/adventure theme? :D I can't wait to read something like that! Your summary's got my interest tingling, Kalli! Hope you'll get to finish the Final Draft soon so you can post it already.. It will go to the crossover category, right? :D I can't wait for the story! *hugs* take care on your training!

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*the spoil~!(spoilers for those who want to be spoiled only)

**A new battle unfolds. To attain the truth, he must fight again.

**Someone dies... but definitely not Noctis... yet.

(how's that for a spoil? too little? too much?) :)