Stella Heizelberg

Stella was Maria Saberhagen's beloved daughter and Akabara Strauss's lover.She died with her unborn daughter at the feet of her mother

Personality
Even though she looks innocent, Stella loves to play pranks. She once tried to play one on Strauss so that the Kingdom of the Night would leave her village alone. In Bridget's memories, she can be seen as being extremely kind and good-hearted, but she had always felt bad towards Bridget because Strauss was always spending more time with her than with his own daughter. Stella doesn't like expensive things, as demonstated when Strauss gives her the pendant, which later becomes an essential part of the story. She mentions at the end of the 20th chapter that she cares very deeply about Strauss and will always wish for his happiness, even when her own life will be over. Adelheid herself witnesses the purity of her soul when Stella dies smiling, wishing for Strauss to be happy despite the circumstances of her death. Strauss believes in Stella's soul, even after her death, as when he tells Adelheid that Stella would never blame Adelheid for killing her because they were friends.

As the Black Swan, Stella watches over the souls of the many hosts she has taken posession of, hoping that they might be able to beat Strauss and end his misery once and for all.

Appearance
Stella was also the origin of all the Black Swans' apearances. She was very pretty and posessed long pink hair, often tied in twin locks, and hazel colored eyes. She can be seen wearing 4 dresses in the series: A white and frilly dress revealing her shoulders, a green dress with a two layered gown, a white matternity dress and the plain white one she had while she was inside the Black Swan.

Background
Stella was one of the many orphans Saverhagen had adopted to help create an army of spiritual power users. However, Stella had very little to offer towards her mother's goals, and so was left on her own by the age of 14.

When Strauss met her, she was just a war refugee who managed to escape along with other villagers. She had already been abandoned by her mother at that time.

Summary
Stella was abandoned by her mother, Maria Saverhagen, when she was only 14, but Maria kept an eye on her daughter despite that fact. She met Strauss while he was on a mission to help a foreign village, and she was one of the refugees. After trying to pull off a bad joke on him, they fell in love and he brought her back to the Kingdom along with him. Because the lover of the general couldn't be just some country girl, she was adopted by the Heizelberg family. After some time, she and Strauss got married and she fell pregnant with his child. During the last 2 weeks before she was to give birth, she spoke with her mother, who was outraged to know that her favorite daughter was carrying the child of her worst enemy. She brutally murdered Stella and the unborn child, and later turned them into the Black Swan.

Stella must remain inside the Black Swan for as long as Strauss is still alive; her soul will only be set free once he is dead. She meets Kayuki under Strauss' demand that the Black Swan must not consume her. There, she explains her whole story, her death and why Strauss has gone on this long and arduous journey. It is never said what happens to her soul after Strauss has been defeated.