The Dragon King's Heart

Laina opened her eyes as she let out a sigh. She had been lying in bed for the past hour, trying to fall asleep. But she was unsuccessful. Ever since she spoke to Dante, their conversation replayed in her mind over and over again. 

She was trying to find clues that would piece together where Dante was and what he was doing. Laina turned to the side to face the balcony. It was late in the night but the moonlight shone through the day curtains, into the room. 

She remembered the time Dante had entered the room through the balcony, worried for her safety. It was a clear invasion of privacy, but you have to give him credit for knowing when she was in danger. 

It was as if their hearts or minds were linked. Whenever she was seemingly in trouble, he would appear to save her. But you would have to exclude that attempted assassination at the Temple of the Moon. 

"If you can sense when I'm in danger, I should be able to do the same, right?" Laina muttered to herself. 

Laina tossed and turned in her bed. She was wearing her favorite nightdress, tucked under the softest blanket. To aid in her sleep, Margaret even lit a lavender-scented candle. 

Usually, this comfort combination would have her knocked out in minutes. But tonight none of it was working. Annoyed by this, Laina sat back up in bed and let out an audible sigh. 

She switched on the table side lamp and got out of bed. She looked over to see Kol fast asleep on the sofa. He was sound asleep, but he looked like he was shivering. A cool night breeze blew into the room. 

"We should get you a proper bed or something," Laina whispered to herself as she went over to the wardrobe. 

She returned with a warm blanket and placed it over Kol. Laina walked out onto the balcony. She welcomes the chilly night air on her skin. She had never been afraid of the cold, in fact, she enjoyed it.

Laina looked up into the night sky, admiring the twinkling stars. She remembered the night they sat on the rooftop in Everfree. 

Laina looked down momentarily and cursed beneath her breath, "All I can think of is you."

She placed a hand on the pendant around her neck. She wanted to call him, to see where he was. But she hesitated. Seeing as she was still unable to sleep, Laina decided to take a night stroll. 

She went back into her room and put on a long jacket. After taking one last look at Kol, she quietly unlatched her room door and tiptoed out. The knights that stood guard outside her room were surprised to see Laina. 

She quickly hushed them just as they were about to speak. 

"I'm just going out for a night stroll. I will be back shortly," she whispered to them. 

The knights simply nodded and saluted her as she walked away. 

The corridors were dimly lit with torches. Laina casually strolled through the hallway. She made her way towards the small garden in the center of her personal quarters. Laina admired the flowers around her as she walked towards the pavilion in the center. 

Just as she was about to take a seat inside it, she sensed something was amiss. Laina turned around, to look at her surroundings. She scanned every nook and cranny as far as her eyes could see. 

Though it was dark, Laina's eyes had already adjusted. She could still see clearly in the cover of the night. A sense of dread washed over her. She placed her hand on her heart. 

Moments ago, she was thinking if she would receive a premonition if Dante was in trouble. Could this be it? Laina shook her head in disbelief. She must have been hallucinating. 

Then, a cold shiver went down her spine. She could hear the rustling of leaves, followed by muffled footsteps. Laina shot up from her seat. The Crown Princess made a conscious decision. 

She was going to follow her gut. 

Though she was not dressed for a covert mission, there was no time for her to change either. Laina left the garden and placed full trust in her senses. Surprisingly, she noticed a certain smell in the air. 

While she was in the garden, she could smell the flowers in bloom accompanied by the smell of grass. When she walked down the hallways, she typically smelt the smokey burning torches. 

Yet, there was a scent she did not quite recognize. She sniffed the air more carefully and traced the scent. Soon, another scent caught her attention. Blood. Laina bit her lip. Something was amiss. 

She ran down the hallway and took a turn on the right. Upon witnessing the pool of blood, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Laina's heart was palpitating, ringing in her ears. 

-Who would have the audacity to do something like this?- she wondered to herself. 

Before her were the corpses of two guards who had been on patrol. Their necks had been slit and blood pooled all around them. Laina looked forward. She widened her eyes in shock. 

This corridor led to Victoria's room. Laina tightened her fists and broke into a run. She ran down the hallway at top speed. When she got close to Victoria's room, Laina could see that the door was slightly opened. 

What followed was a loud crash, followed by a shriek of horror. 

"Victoria!" Laina yelled as she swung open the door. 

Laina materialized a dagger in her hand as she looked into the room. On the ground, was a porcelain lamp that had been shattered upon impact with the ground. Laina turned to see Victoria in bed, frightened out of her mind. 

Next to her, was a shadowy figure that resembled half-man, half-wolf. The shadowy creature had its claw hand on Victoria's arm, digging into her flesh. Fresh blood seeped out of the wound as Victoria winced in pain. 

"Princess Laina? What are you doing here?! It's not safe!" Victoria exclaimed in shock when she realized Laina had arrived. 

"You're the one who's in trouble now. I'm here to save you!" Laina replied as she wielded her dagger. 

"Look out!" Victoria yelled. 

Laina had not noticed at first, but there were two shadowy figures in the room. One was trying to drag Victoria out of bed. The other was about to pounce on Laina. Though the shadow wolf was fast, it was still no match for Laina's reflexes. 

She swiftly dodged the attack and stabbed the shadow wolf with her dagger. But since it did not have a physical form, her attack was useless. 

She was just stabbing the air. 

<Writing Prompt #10 - Graveyard Shift>

"I'm going to work! Bye," Violet called out before she closed the door behind her. 

She slung her bag over her shoulder and quickly made her way down the stairs. The warm street lights flickered overhead as she continued to make her way down the pavement. 

There was no need to rush, since the bus was never full at this hour. One of the few benefits of working a graveyard shift. Violet readjusted her scarf as she walked. She could see her breath forming into a puff of steam as she let out a sigh. 

Violet tilted her head up, while looking at the sky she noticed the full moon shining down upon her. She rubbed her eyes with her gloved hand and let out a yawn. The long night shifts were the hardest. 

It did not help the fact that this came after a rare morning shift. As she turned a corner, an aromatic fragrance attracted her attention. Her mouth began to water as she got closer. 

The fragrance permeated her senses, she wanted one more than anything right now. While others were busy getting their dinners ready, this street vendor sold warm toasted mini baguettes with slices of meat and other savory options. 

"Warm delicious toasted baguettes! Get yours here, you won't regret it!" The stallholder promoted his stall as he packed an order for a hungry paying customer. 

Violet wanted to walk past the stall, pretending to not have seen it. But she had left home in a rush with no dinner in her belly. Her next meal would be breakfast the next day. 

A warm toasted baguette sounded too good to pass up on. As she was 10 steps away from the bus stop, she bit her lip and turned back around. When she approached the stall, the stallholder greeted her with a huge smile. 

"Off to work, Violet?"

"Yes sir," she replied as looked at the menu for the day. 

"The usual?" The stallholder asks with a big smile. 

Violet grinned as she nodded. 

The stallholder picked a few cuts of meat and placed them onto the hot plate. The sizzle on the hot plate was music to Violet's ears. As the meats were getting charred, he added an egg onto the grill. Next, he took a freshly toasted mini-baguette out of the toaster oven. 

As he cut into it, Violet could hear the crunch of the crispy exterior. Once it was sliced open, the stallholder reached for the squeeze bottles, putting on a layer of mayo and chili sauce. 

Once it was spread evenly, he placed pickled vegetables, slices of cheese, and began to assemble the rest of the baguette. When all the layers were complete, he placed it on a grill for a few seconds on each side before wrapping it up in wax paper. 

Violet reached into her wallet and paid the stallholder in a combination of bills and coins which included a tip. 

"Thank you! All the best at work today!" The stallholder said to her as he handed over the baguette. 

"Thank you!" Violet said before quickly making her way towards the bus stop.

When she realized the bus was about to leave the stop, she decided not to give chase. She simply walked up to the bus stop, sat down, and took a bite of her warm toasted baguette sandwich. 

A smile appeared across her face as she heard the satisfying crunch of the crispy exterior of the baguette. There was nothing better than a warm dinner before a long day of work.