The Dragon King's Heart

Laina was intrigued by her new guest. She instructed Margaret to have a guest room prepared for Florin, as well as appropriate clothing for the prince. Florin requested that his presence in the palace be kept a secret. 

After all, there were people out there looking to assassinate him. Should they know where he was, not only would he be in danger, he would put everyone else in danger too. 

"I don't mean to offend you, your Highness," Florin said to Laina, "But the assassins who are after me will not care whom they have killed to get to me. Royalty or not."

This only made Laina even more curious as to why he was being hunted. Was it because he was a wanted criminal? Laina leaned back on her sofa, she had to satisfy her curiosity. For the safety of her people and her subjects, she needed more information from the vampire prince. 

"Pardon me for being so straightforward, Prince Florin, but could you enlighten us on the reason for all this secrecy?"

She could see the slight surprise in his eyes. Perhaps he was not expecting her to be so straightforward with her questions.

"No offense to you either, Prince Florin," Laina said as she placed her hand over her heart, "If I were to harbor a fugitive in my private quarters, I would like to know if it's worth risking the safety of my people."

Laina turned to Margaret and instructed her to bring the Tome of Law. The Tome of Law could be used outside of court or trial to induce a person to tell the truth. She knew this might cause Prince Florin to feel uneasy, but this was the only way she could think of to ensure authenticity in his words. 

She instructed him to place his hand on the tome. It emitted a soft glow of light, before dissipating completely. 

"So, why are the assassins after you?" she asked without hesitation. 

Prince Florin let out a sigh. It was clear to all of them he was hesitant in revealing the truth. This only made him even more suspicious. Various thoughts flashed through his mind. He was conflicted. 

Could he trust them with the truth? He had never told anyone before. Florin turned to Kol. The half-breed who saved him. Out of everyone in the room, he was the only person he trusted. 

"Can I trust your Crown Princess?" Florin asked. 

Kol widened his eyes in surprise, taken aback by the vampire prince's sudden question. But he already had the answer in his heart. As he nodded vehemently, Laina placed her hand on the tome. 

"You can trust me," Laina replied. 

Florin explained his situation. As the 13th Prince, Florin assumed he would have been safe from the jealousy of his brothers and sisters who were fighting to be next in line for the throne. The King had never shown him any favor so he was never a threat. 

Florin lived in relative peace in the castle with his mother, a consort to the King, until a few weeks ago. The death of the Vampire King shocked the Vampire Kingdom and even before the funeral was completed, the inner fighting began. 

"I avoided taking any sides as best I could. But in order to keep my mother and me safe, I was forced to make certain decisions. I planned for our escape but we were ambushed," Florin was getting visibly upset. 

He clenched his fist tightly as he continued, "They took my mother hostage, but she insisted that I leave her and save myself."

Kol placed a hand on his shoulder, and so did Laina. 

"It's not your fault that any of this happened. Thank you for sharing with us, I know it must not have been easy. You are a guest in my palace. Stay and recuperate for as long as you need."

"Thank you, your Highness, I am truly in your debt."

Laina laughed, "Don't thank me yet. I won't be able to help you personally. From what I heard Vampire Royal Politics are extremely complicated and I don't think I can afford to get involved. But maybe we can work something out."

Seeing as Florin still needed time to recuperate, they decided to continue their conversation another day. But now that the sun was out, it was more difficult for them to get Florin to the guest room without anyone noticing. 

Not to mention, without the sun burning him alive. 

"If the prince is alright with it, he can rest in my room for now. Until the sun goes down," Kol suggested. 

Laina lit up, "Oh yes! That's right. Kol's room is linked to mine through the secret passage. It's void of light in general in the tunnel so you would be able to travel through it safely."

In a secluded corner of Laina's room, she pressed a hidden button, revealing the passageway. There was no need for any lighting in the tunnel since Kol had the ability to see in the dark as vampires do. 

Kol helped Florin up. The injury on his abdomen still needed time to heal completely so he winced in pain as he got up. 

"Take it slow," Kol reminded him, "You can lean on me for support."

Florin was a little reluctant at first, but as the pain got worse, he did not have much of a choice. Step by step, they hobbled towards the entrance of the passageway. Laina watched them carefully, worried for both of them. 

But soon enough, they got the hang of the momentum and made it into the passageway safely. After Florin and Kol were through the doorway, the secret door closed behind them, effectively casting them into complete darkness. 

It was completely silent between them. Both of them were able to see in the dark so they were able to make their way to the end safely. Upon entering Kol's room, Kol helped him down onto the bed. 

He closed the dark-colored curtains to effectively block out any form of sunlight that could have made its way into the room. Kol's room was significantly smaller than Laina's but it was still reasonably sized. 

Florin tried to make himself as comfortable as he could. As a prince, he was used to the finer things in life so it would take him a while to adjust. But as he laid down on the soft pillow, he felt his eyelids grow heavy. 

As his vision began to blur, the vampire prince drifted off to sleep.