The Dragon King's Heart

"Sundrop? What kind of nickname is that?" 

Laina slowly opened her eyes. As she turned to look at her surroundings, she was surprised to find that she was not in Kinshearth anymore. Based on the architecture around her, she could not seem to pinpoint the exact location. 

But deep down in her heart and mind, Laina knew she had been here before. She had spent a long part of her life in this place, a time before her present. She looked over to see the source of the voice she had heard earlier. 

Her eyes widened in shock as she covered her mouth with her right hand. 

"That… that's me…," she gasped. 

Laina found herself in an unfamiliar room with high ceilings and marble pillars. She was standing by the side of the bed, looking at a loving couple who were cuddling. The young woman had long dark red hair, just like her own, but it was styled completely differently. 

Laina knew that was herself. But how was this possible? In her memory, she had never had this hairstyle, never been in this room, and most certainly had not been in bed with a man.

"The kind of nickname that fits you perfectly, my love," the man replied to the woman Laina lovingly. 

As soon as Laina heard his voice, she looked up. That man, dressed in dark shades of blue was none other than Dante! Unable to accept what she was seeing before her eyes, Laina crumbled to the ground. 

Her mind began to spin with questions forming in her mind. If all that she was seeing was real and true, when did any of this happen? And why did she not have any recollection of it? As the questions continued to pour through her mind, Laina was at a loss. 

She felt a splitting headache as she tried to search for answers. 

Fragmented memories resurfaced in her mind. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not piece any of them together in a way that would make sense. Tears rolled down her cheeks as a strong emotion of loss and sadness overwhelmed her. 

"What does all of this mean? I don't… I don't understand!" Laina yelled into the voice as she clutched her head with both of her hands. 

"Why… why can't I remember anything?" she muttered to herself. 

While she continued to spiral, another fragmented memory materialized before her. It was a conversation between Dante and her. They were in an open space, resembling a garden filled with every kind of flower you could imagine.

In front of them was a beautiful cherry blossom tree in full bloom. As the soft spring wind blew, the cherry blossom petals danced around them. 

"Do you promise?" 

"I swear it. I, Dante, swear before the Tree of Devotion, before the Heavens and the Earth, before the Sun and the Moon," he declared 

Laina asked, "What do you swear?"

"I swear that I will only love you, my one and only, in this life and every life after. Even if we're separated by death, I will find you and make you mine." Dante proclaimed.

"I, Laina, also swear before the Tree of Devotion, before the Heavens and the Earth, before the Sun and the Moon," she recited the words as she placed her hand on Dante's heart. 

Looking lovingly into his eyes as she continued, " I swear that I will only love you, my one and only, in this life and every life after. Even if we're separated by death, I will find you and make you mine."

"Death?" Laina pondered to herself. 

Then it clicked in her mind. 

Could what she saw be memories from a past life? A life she had once lived? 

Before she could ask any further questions, Laina woke up in the present, in Kinshearth. As soon as she opened her eyes, she lifted her hand to her eyes. The skin beneath her eyes was moist, she had been crying. 

The ache in her heart lingered on. She had sat up in bed. She was back in Kinshearth, back in the present. Before Laina could speak, she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her.

"Your Highness! You're finally awake. Oh, thank the Heavens. Laina! I was so worried about you! If anything bad happened to you I… I…" Margaret had tears welling up in her eyes. 

This was the first time Laina had seen Margaret getting so emotional. She quickly reassured her, "I'm alright, Margaret, I really am. I'm awake now, aren't I?"

Laina slowly recalled the events leading up to her fainting. She looked around anxiously, looking for Kol, Titan, and Colette. Margaret wiped away her tears and quickly explained that most of them were alright. 

"Mostly? What do you mean, Margaret?" Laina asked as she grabbed onto her hand, "You have to tell me, what's wrong!"

Kol only had a few scraps and bruises. He was in the room with them, but he was sitting at the side so Laina could not see him at first. Colette had burned her arm in Laina's fire. The Royal Healers had already given her burn healing ointments but it was likely that her arm would be scarred. 

As for Titan, Margaret bit her lip. She did not know how to break the news to Laina. Laina knew something bad must have happened to Titan. Her heart sank.

"I want to see him, now," Laina declared. 

She immediately got out of bed. But the moment she attempted to take a step forward, her vision began to spin. Laina lost her balance. Just as she was about to fall, someone held onto her. 

His imposing shadow loomed over her. The smoky fragrance notes of teakwood and oak with light rose aromatics permeated her senses. At first, Laina was confused. Was it possible that the person who was holding her be Dante? Could it just be an illusion? 

"You need rest, Laina. You're not fit to be out of bed just yet," his voice was more than enough for her to confirm her suspicions. 

"Dante?" Laina called out his name as she looked up at him. 

It was him!

"What… What are you doing here?" Laina asked in shock as he helped her sit back down on the side of the bed. 

Dante averted her gaze for a swift moment as he tried to formulate a suitable reply. 

"I sensed you were in danger, and it seems like I arrived a little too late," he replied.