The Dragon King's Heart

Lord Ethan was seething in anger as he walked down the hallways of Kinshearth Palace. Behind him, the other Nobles of the High Court followed him like sheep following a shepherd. He tightened his fists in anger, fuming mad at what had happened in the aftermath of the Royal Court session. 

"I have never been more humiliated in my life," he muttered to himself. 

The image he had built up crumbled to dust before Laina. But he knew all was not lost. The ministers were clearly discontent with the way she ran Kinshearth. He still had his chances. His cousin might be on the throne right now, but soon enough, there might be a change of hands. 

But before he left, he wanted a moment to clear his mind. So, Ethan sent everyone else off, leaving him to roam the hallway alone. He leaned over a marble railing, looking out at the view of the Capital. 

He vaguely remembered his time in the palace, but everything felt familiar to him. 

He looked down at his hand, before clenching his fist, "One day, everything will be mine." 

"I think I can help you with that," a voice shot out from behind. 

Ethan almost jolted out of his skin, his heart skipped a bit. 

"Who goes there! Show yourself!" he roared in anger. 

"No need to be so angry, Lord Ethan. I am simply here to offer assistance in your quest. A little help or a nudge in the right direction wouldn't hurt, don't you think?" the voice coaxed. 

He gritted his teeth in anger. Was he hallucinating? Where was the voice coming from? He looked everywhere, high and low trying to find the source of the voice. But he could not find anything. 

"If this is some sick prank, end it at once! Or face my wrath," he warned. 

What followed was a chuckle, then a small wooden puppet surrounded by a dark purple aura appeared. 

"Witchcraft," Ethan spat. 

The wooden puppet took a bow, "My Lord has a keen eye it seems." 

He was in no mood to entertain.

"Cut to the chase, witch," he said with disdain. 

"Very well. You Nobles are not much fun anyways. I would like to offer some assistance, Lord Ethan. Seeing as we share a common goal, I think it would be in both of our interests to work together," the puppet replied. 

"A common goal you say? And what would that be?"

The puppet walked up closer to Ethan. It carefully climbed up the railings and stood up tall before him. 

"You want the throne, yes?"

It was a rhetorical question, Colette was not waiting for a reply. 

"I can help with that."

Ethan sniggered in disbelief as he folded his arms, "How is a witch going to help? Besides, what's in it for you?"

"I simply share similar interests, my Lord. That is all. Fear not, my abilities would prove greatly beneficial for your cause."

He was not buying any of it, "Prove it."

"What?" Colette was taken aback. Never in all her years had anyone asked her to prove herself to them. 

Why did she have to listen to this man? The puppet attempted to cross its arms in anger. 

"Prove to me that you have what it takes to help me achieve my goals," Ethan replied. 

She could not believe what she was hearing. This man was asking her, to prove her value, when she was offering him help. She was beginning to see why Laina did not like him very much. 

Though she was unwilling, Colette relented, "How can I prove my abilities to you?'

Lord Ethan lifted his hand, "Complete three tasks for me, to gain my trust. Then, we can consider working together."

He played the situation to his favor. After all, a Noble of the High Court was not going to forge an alliance with just about anyone. Their comrades, their alliances are forged through trust. If he did not know her well enough he could not trust her. 

"Very well," Colette replied with a sigh through the puppet. 

It leaped off the railings, walking away into the darkness with a final word, "I will be in touch." 

On the other side of the palace, Laina was finally able to heave a sigh of relief. It had been a long eventful day. Whatsmore, she already began to miss the cold weather in the Ixi Mountains. The crackling fireplace in the Starfrost Mansion, Dante and her cozying it up on the sofa. 

"I'm sorry to have had to welcome you back like this, your Highness," Margaret apologized as she took a deep bow. 

"No no, don't say that!" Laina swiftly replied, "It is I who should apologize. If I was present from the start, none of this would have happened."

"Come to think of it…" Laina creased her eyebrows as she wondered; just how long was she away for? 

The weather up in the mountains was cold and snowy, they only had a short few hours of sunlight before the mansion was shrouded in darkness. As such, Laina did not have a clear idea of how much time they had spent there. 

"How long was I away for?" Laina asked. 

"Two weeks," Kol replied. 

"Two weeks?!" Laina widened her eyes in shock, her mouth agape. 

She turned her head slowly to meet Dante's eyes. 

"Why didn't you tell me it was two weeks! It was supposed to be just a couple of days!" 

Pretending to not know, Dante shrugged his shoulders, "Has it really been that long? I did not keep track of it either."

Laina narrowed her eyes. She was still looking in Dante's direction. Instead of reciprocating eye contact, the Dragon King was averting her gaze. Laina walked over to him and attempted to do everything she could to get him to look into her eyes. 

She held his face in her hands. 

"Did you really not know?" she asked him carefully. 

"Did you not enjoy the time we spent together?" he countered. 

"Those are two mutually exclusive things!" Laina rebutted.