The Dragon King's Heart

Their time in Everfree Nation was a time of peace and love. Laina and Dante enjoyed each other's company. This also allowed Laina to keep a close eye on Dante's condition. The elixir was successful in slowing the spread of the curse. 

But, with each use of the elixir, its effectiveness was reduced. Laina looked at the formula they had concocted. 

"Perhaps a stronger concentration would enhance its effectiveness," Laina muttered to herself as she got to work. 

A stronger elixir meant she required more blood. Strengthening her own abilities would help with it too. Hence, Laina began to train her combat skills and fire manipulation. 

"Why the sudden interest?" Dante asked. 

Upon hearing Laina's desire to train, he offered to be her sparring partner. With the sea breeze blowing around them, some of the knights and servants came out to watch. Their first sparring session would be with weapons. 

"What should I choose…" Laina wondered as she looked at the options laid out before her. 

A great sword was too heavy, she preferred something light-weight and lethal. While a dagger could easily be concealed and used when required, it did not have a good reach. Hence, Laina chose to go with a short sword. It was a classic option and the easiest to master. 

Furthermore, Laia vaguely remembered having experience wielding it. Dante, on the other hand, chose a sword and shield.

Laina placed her hands on her hips as she asked, "Are you afraid I would actually be able to harm you? I don't think you need a shield."

Dante grinned, Laina was getting cocky. They have not even begun to spar yet. 

"No, but the enemies you may face in the future might carry one. It would be good training."

His reasoning was fair. Laina looked at the weapons laid out once more. This time, she also took the dagger with her. Laina stretched her arms as she headed to the center of the sparring field. Dante did the same. 

"Are you ready?" Margaret asked them both. She was the referee of their spar. 

"Ready," Laina replied. 

"Ready."

Margaret nodded, "Very well. Begin!"

Laina drew her weapon. She was the first to attack. She lunged at Dante, weapon in hand. Despite her swift movements, Dante was still able to dodge her with ease. But she was not about to give up either. 

The fight had only just begun. 

Dante put some distance between them, hoping it would keep Laina away. But the princes did not waste time dawdling. She immediately sprung into action. 

"You can't get away from me that easily!" Laina declared as she leaped forward. 

She swung her sword at him. 

Clang!

The sword hit Dante's shield. He raised it right as she launched her attack at him. Dante swung his shield, forcing Laina back again.

"Now it's my turn," he said with a smile. 

Dante moved forward. He tilted his body to the side and pierced his sword through the air. Laina sidestepped, narrowly dodging the attack. One wrong move and the sword would have pierced through her rib cage. 

She took a couple of steps back to catch her breath. That was a close call! 

"You mean business," Laina asked as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

Dante straightened his back. He was getting into the heat of the battle. It had been a while since he had engaged in such exciting combat. 

He apologized, "I'm sorry. I might have allowed this to get to my head."

"No no, it's quite alright," Laina said as she shook her head, "You do not need to hold back."

Laina maneuvered the sword in her hand. She felt its weight. At first, her arm felt sore from holding it. But as time went on, her movements became more fluid. 

The sword became an extension of her arm. With each spar, Laina grew stronger. Her movements became lighter. After each session, Dante and Laina would spend time analyzing each other's movements. 

"When you understand yourself and your enemy. You will win every battle with ease," Dante once said to Laina. 

To expand her knowledge, Laina would spar with Margaret, Kol, and Florin too. Sometimes, she would even spar with Marius. Laina noted down the movements she made. If someone pointed out a flaw, she would make note of it. 

During her next sparring session, she would work on fixing it. 

It came as no surprise that eventually, Laina won more and more matches against Dante. No one could be more proud of her progress than the Dragon King himself. For the first time, in a long time, he found himself panting for air after a particularly strenuous sparring session. 

They were fighting neck in neck from the beginning till the very end. Laina surprised him at every turn. She studied his moves and came up with strategies to fight him on the same level. Though Dante was physically stronger and bigger than the crown princess, she did not lose to him in agility and grace. 

By the end of their session, Laina and Dante lay down on the sparring grounds, facing towards the sky. They were painting for air as they admired the sky above. 

"I… I won…" Laina said between gasps of air. 

Dante shook his head, "No…I won."

Both of them shared a good laugh. Their time together brought them closer than ever before. If only the good times could last forever. 

Dante and Laina spent a wonderful time at the Mansion in Everfree Nation. But as Laina's coronation drew near, her presence back in Kinshearth was required. 

"I'll come back with you to Kinshearth," Dante said to Laina as they lay in bed together. 

She leaned on his chest, listening to his rhythmic heartbeat. Laina did not want to be away from Dante, not even for a second. But her Kingdom needed her too. Laina knew staying in Everfree was never a long-term solution. But at the very least, they had a wonderful few years together. 

"Dracona needs you too," Laina sighed.

They had made great progress together. The effects of Dante's curse had slowed down significantly. It was all thanks to the elixir. Over time, Laina had increased its effectiveness with a higher concentration of her blood. 

Laina looked up at Dante. She cupped his face in her hand as she gazed into his eyes. 

"It's not like we're going to be separated forever," she said with a smile before adding, "We'll be back together again before you know it."

Laina's coronation was only two months away. As the future Queen of Kinshearth, she had many duties to attend to before the ceremony could take place. 

"Two months will feel like twenty years," Dante muttered as he held Laina's hand. 

"And those twenty years will pass like the blink of an eye," she said with a smile, "Besides, you can always visit me during those two months. Or I could come to you."

Dante kissed Laina's hand. Even after so long, it still made her heart flutter whenever he did so. Dante tightened his arms around Laina. This was their last night together for some time. 

All he wanted to do was to hold her like this, for as long as he could.