The Dragon King's Heart

When Kragen opened his eyes once more, he realized he was no longer in the stables. As he tried to move his paws, he could feel his muscles aching. He recalled what had happened. He remembered the injuries he suffered. 

As he turned to look at his side, he realized that his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged. 

"Ah, you're awake," a familiar-sounding voice called out to him. 

Kragen turned to see who it was. His eyes widened in shock. It was Victoria. She crouched down and gently pat him on the top of his head with a smile upon her face as she examined his bandages. 

He remained extremely still, uncertain of how to process what was happening. Does Victoria not know who he was? Then again, the Moon Goddess had taken away his status and abilities. 

In his current form and state, it was no surprise that she could not notice him. 

"You look much better than you were yesterday. Who's your enemy, hmm? You were so badly wounded," Victoria muttered. Her heart ached to see the wolf covered in wounds. 

No one seemed to care for the wolf. She could not help but pity it. It reminded her of herself when she was stuck in the dungeon with no one to help her. No matter how much she pleaded, no one came to help her. 

She did not want to see anyone go through what she did. No matter how horrible they might have been, no one deserved such a fate. Recalling those dark memories sent Victoria down a spiral. 

Kragen looked up into her eyes. He could tell she seemed to be deep in thought. He did not say anything. This was the first time he came so close to her. As he looked down at her hands, he could see the scars on her arms. 

He recalled how he had ridiculed her, tortured her, and thrown her into the dark dungeon. No matter how much she pleaded, he never once looked back. Kragen looked to the side, resting his head on his paws. 

Since becoming a permanent wolf, he had a lot of time to reflect on the things he had done. He allowed greed and his craving for power to overtake everything he had once held with importance. 

He had lost his direction, engulfed by greed. 

If he had only come to his senses and saw the error of his ways, things would have been very different. After everything that had happened, Victoria still remained as kind as she was. 

Over the next few days, Victoria kept him by her side. Every now and then, she would check on the dressings on his wound to see if they needed changing. She did everything to ensure he was comfortable. 

The more time he spent observing Victoria, he came to a realization. 

She was stunning, strong, and kind-hearted. The Moon Goddess had chosen well, she would make a wonderful Queen. He did not deserve any of the things he had gained. 

Everything he ever had, he fought to take with his bare hands. He fought for what was his every step of the way. Was that wrong? No, it was not. But when he allowed his greed to consume him, change his ways, that was when he set himself up for failure. 

Knowing where he had gone wrong, Kragen wanted a chance. A chance to repent. He looked up at Victoria, who was stroking his fur listlessly. He could see Victoria's expression growing darker with each passing second. She was lost in her own thoughts. 

She looked as if she was falling down a spiral. Kragen lifted his head and gently rubbed the side of his face on Victoria's hand. Startled by his actions, Victoria was pulled out of her thoughts and into the present. 

"Oh? Are you thanking me for dressing your wounds?" Victoria asked as she caressed the wolf's soft fur with a soft smile, "You're most welcome."

Victoria had come to the Temple of the Moon after receiving an invite from the Moon Goddess herself. Every few months, the Moon Goddess Selene would ascend to meet with the High Priestess to discuss matters. 

Sometimes, the ruling monarch of Wolfenheim would receive an invitation from Selene herself. Moon Goddess Selene had not met Victoria, in person, since her ascension to the throne. 

Hence, this meeting was arranged. Victoria had chosen to arrive at the Temple of the Moon five days prior to her meeting with the Moon Goddess. During Kragen's reign, the relationship between the crown and the Moon Goddess was almost non-existence. 

In an effort to foster stronger ties, Victoria made the decision to stay in the Temple of the Moon for a few days. For her protection, an entire entourage of knights and guards would have accompanied her during her stay in the temple. 

But as per the request of the Moon Goddess through High Priestess Shylla, only the Queen herself was allowed to enter the temple grounds. Her entourage set up camp on the outside and wait for her meeting to be completed. 

As she cared for the wolf in her quarters, Victoria found something to do to occupy her time while she was not conversing with the High Priestess or Moon Maidens. Everyone seemed curious about the wolf whom she was nursing back to health. 

"You know, people have been whispering in secret about you being here," Victoria said to the wolf as she brought him a bowl of fresh raw meat cubes, "I wonder what's so interesting to talk about."

Kragen listened absentmindedly as he wolfed down the bowl of meat quickly. He could not remember when was the last time he had such a good meal. He had been surviving on scraps and leftovers for so long he had forgotten the taste of fresh meat. 

"Slow down, no one's fighting with you for it," she chuckled as she watched him eat, "Maybe you're just really hungry."

As she ran her hand down the fur on his back, she was happy to see that the wounds were healing well. 

"You know, you remind me of someone," she muttered as she continued to stroke his back. 

Kragen paused for a moment, wondering if she might have finally realized who he was. He looked up at her. Their eyes met. 

"But I…" Victoria bit her lip as she shook her head, "Nah, it can't be."

A knock on the door broke off their conversation. 

"Your Majesty, it's time," a muffled voice rang out from beyond the door. 

"Coming!" Victoria replied. She turned back to the wolf and said, "You stay put, I'll be back."

She straightened her outfit and went to open the door. Two Moon Maidens were waiting to escort her to her meeting. After Victoria left, Kragen got up on his feet and walked over close to the door. He sat in front of it, waiting patiently for when Victoria would return. 

They had only spent a few days together, but something about her was growing on him. Since Victoria did not have much of anyone to speak to when she was in the room, she would speak to him as if he was a real person. 

Though at times he found her a little annoying, he had come to appreciate her. Now, as he sat silently in the empty room, he felt a little empty on the inside too. 

"Is she still nursing that wolf?" 

Kragen picked up the voices of the two Moon Maidens who were guarding the room. They seemed to be having a conversation about Victoria and her caring for him. His ears perked up as he continued to listen in on their conversation. 

"Yes, she still is. I can't believe her Majesty would have done that. Does she not know who that wolf was?" 

"Everyone knows! Then again, we know because of what we've heard." 

"That's true. Well, he better savors these moments cause once her Majesty leaves, it's back to the stables for him."