The Dragon King's Heart

The capital of Sanguim, Nyros, was still faced with much unrest. As the Royal Vampires continued to fight for the throne, the common folk continued about their day. Florin spent a few days recuperating from his injuries. 

Once he was better, Kol and Florin went out to find the bakery Kol had seen in his memories. Based on Florin's knowledge of the capital, they searched the streets for any sign of a bakery that would match the description. 

They asked various shopkeepers who've run their business for some time now, hoping to gather some clues. But their search grew increasingly difficult until they received a vital clue. As they came close to their goal, Kol grew increasingly nervous. 

"It should be at the end of this street," Florin declared as they continued down the path. 

He looked over to Kol, who seemed uneasy. He was fidgeting his hands, occasionally wiping his palms on his pants. Florin could only imagine what was going through his mind at that time. So, he slowed down his walking pace to match Kol's. 

For some time, they remained silent. Florin did not know what to say and Kol did not engage in conversation either. Seeing as they were coming up to their destination, Florin bit his lip. If he wanted to say something about it, he had to do it now. 

"Kol, is everything alright?" The moment those words left his mouth, he bit his lip as he looked away. 

Perhaps he should not have pried into Kol's personal life, but there was a part who wanted to get to know him better. It was a feeling he could not quite explain. It was not only because Kol had saved his life twice, but perhaps it was because he enjoyed the time they had spent together. 

Kol did not answer at first. He was caught a little off guard by Florin's question. But there was no reason to lie to him or to cover it up. 

"I'm alright, just nervous, that's all," he muttered. 

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Florin blurted out, in fear of the silence that would hang in the air until he was able to formulate a reply. 

Kol shook his head, "No, I want to do this. But I…"

He stopped in his tracks and looked up at the road ahead of him. They were coming up close to where the bakery should be and Kol's stomach was in knots. He never dreamt that this day would come. 

He clenched his shirt tightly and gritted his teeth. Kol took in a deep breath and looked up towards the sky, then at Florin. 

"I don't know what to expect. How should I greet them? How will I know if they are my family?" 

Florin could see the fear and anxiety written on Kol's face. It was rare to see the hybrid so flustered. He carefully placed a hand over his shoulder. 

"Hey, hey, it's normal to not know something. Just start with a regular greeting and we can enquire about some information. If we have enough evidence that it is indeed your family, then we can go from there."

"Will that work? Wouldn't they think we're mad? Asking if they had lost their son when he was young, or asking if they had abandoned their own child?" Kol asked in quick succession. 

He was going down a spiral of emotions and Florin knew it. 

He quickly reassured Kol again, "One step at a time, one step at a time, alright? I will be here for you. If anything happens, I will jump in to help."

Hearing Florin's reassurance gave Kol a slight peace of mind. His mind felt a little clearer as he nodded in response. They continued down the path and finally stood before the bakery. 

The signboard they had seen in Kol's memories was still hung up. It was a good sign. Kol and Florin entered the bakery. A soft chime rang throughout the shop as they entered. 

"Greetings! Welcome! Is there anything I can help you with?" The person at the counter greeted them as they entered. 

The aromatic fragrance of freshly baked bread wafted throughout. Florin looked around the bakery with a smile while Kol was frozen in his spot. He stood there, unblinking for some time. 

When Florin took notice, he walked over to check on him.

"Kol, is everything alright?" Florin asked in a concerned tone of voice. 

It took Kol a few seconds before he responded, reassuring Florin he was alright. They walked over to the counter and were about to ask the shopkeeper some questions when they realized he was no longer there. 

"Where did he go?" Florin asked as he furrowed his eyebrows, perplexed by the situation. 

He was certain there was someone behind the counter just a few moments ago. Kol did not say a word. He was looking straight at the basket of cookies on the counter. The small round butter cookies were packed in small transparent pouches. 

There were three flavors available in total; butter, chocolate, and strawberry. Kol walked up to the counter. He picked the chocolate cookie pouch from the basket and took a closer look. 

There was a red ribbon tied around the top. Just as he was about to turn and say something to Florin, the shopkeeper returned. 

"Ah, shopkeeper, there's something we would like to ask-" 

"I'm sorry, but I ah… have to ask you both to leave," the shopkeeper said with a wide awkward smile. 

"Leave?" Florin asked in confusion. 

Kol clenched his jaw as he put down the pouch of cookies. He averted his gaze to the side as he took a step back from the counter. He felt as if he was not wanted here. 

"I do apologize for the inconvenience. But we've decided to close our bakery for the day," the shopkeeper insisted. 

He came out from behind the counter and attempted to walk Florin and Kol out of the bakery. From the corner of Kol's eye, he could see someone standing in the shadows behind the shop.

The person was standing by the archway leading to the back of the bakery. His face was obscured by the curtain but Kol could clearly see his shadow. 

"We're just here to ask a few questions, no need to push us away," Florin pleaded on Kol's behalf. 

He did not know why he had fallen silent since they entered, but he was determined to help however he could. This was the least he could do for Kol after the hybrid had saved his life twice.