The Dragon King's Heart

Kol entered the room as quietly as he could. Florin was still sound asleep in his bed and he did not want to wake him up. But as soon as the door creaked, Florin's eyes flickered open. His glowing red irises were the first thing Kol could see.

The vampire prince sat up on the bed, clutching his forehead as he did. Kol bit his lip, he did not know what to say. He placed a couple of things down on the table before walking over to Florin.

"How are you feeling?" Kol finally blurted out after some time.

"Better," Florin replied as he laid back down.

Kol simply nodded. He walked over to the table, before returning with a bottle of ointment and a roll of fresh bandages. He sat down on the bed next to Florin and attempted to lift the prince's shirt to check on his wounds.

Florin immediately jerked away from Kol's touch, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Kol looked at him innocently, showing him the ointment and bandages he had brought, "I just wanted to help you dress your wounds."

Realizing he had forgotten some key items, Kol went off to get a basin of warm water and a damp cloth. Florin was still a little wary of the hybrid, but seeing how gentle he was, he begrudgingly played along.

He removed his shirt to reveal the bandages wrapped around his abdomen and parts of his arm. After receiving Kol's blood, Florin was able to regain some of his strength alongside accelerated healing.

But the gash on his abdomen was caused by an enchanted weapon. Though they had managed to stop the bleeding from before, it was clear from the soaked bandages that the wound would still need much more time to heal properly.

Florin wanted to remove the bandages himself but Kol swiped his hand away.

"It's easier if I did it for you," Kol replied as he carefully removed the bandages.

They sat there in silence, as Kol cleaned the open wound with warm water. Florin winced a little when the water touched the wound. Lucky for them, the stitching held up. Kol applied a thick medicinal paste to it before wrapping Florin back up.

"Where did you learn these skills from?" he asked Kol.

Kol looked up at the prince for just a moment, "Don't you already have my memories through my blood?"

Florin grinned, "I might have the ability to look into them, but I choose not to. Out of respect."

The prince was not lying. He had always felt that it was wrong to pry into the memories of others. Hence, he would only do so when necessary. He was most certainly not about to pry into the memories of the man who saved him.

"Lady Margaret taught me," he casually replied.

"Ah I see…" his curiosity got the better of him, "You could have left the service of the princess she gave you your freedom, why did you stay?"

As soon as those words left this mouth, Florin instantly regretted it. Who was he kidding when he said he did not pry. He was intrigued by Kol's circumstances. Though parts of Kol's memories were blocked, Florin was able to find out that he was sold as a slave.

Kol looked up at Florin. Though he was a little annoyed that the prince lied, he was not surprised by his question. Even Nyx, Leader of the Queen's Order of Knights had asked him before.

"I am in Laina's debt. I will repay the debt that I owe with my servitude," he explained as he washed his hands in the basin of water, "Plus, where else would I go?"

"You could go to Sanguim, your kind have gained acceptance,"

Sanguim was the largest vampire kingdom in Gaeia, which was where Florin was from. Kol looked up at him with his eyebrows furrowed. As far as he knew, vampires hated hybrids.

"Don't pure vampires, especially royals like you, hate hybrids? Especially since I'm turned?" Kol rebutted.

"Some royals do but not me. And who told you you're turned? You're born a hybrid," Florin corrected Kol.

"You're lying."

The vampire prince looked at Kol in disbelief. He had the audacity to call him a liar?

"Why would I be lying to you about this?" Florin widened his eyes in surprise, "You mean you didn't know?"

Kol averted his gaze as he shook his head. Some of his memories, especially those of his parents, were vague and muddled. His earliest clear memory was when he was sold as a slave. He had been told he was a turned hybrid. A human child who was turned into a vampire hybrid.

But to know that he was born a hybrid still did not make much of a difference. He never knew who his parents were. Even if he knew, would he want to meet them? After all, they sold him to become a slave.

Kol was conflicted. If he had living family, he wanted to know.

Thinking that Kol was upset, Florin apologized, "I'm sorry. I should not have done it. I don't usually do it either. It's just that I was curious how you came into the service of a human. Well, actually I don't think she's completely human but still."

"Were you able to see any details of my parents?" Kol asked with anticipation.

"Your parents?"

Kol nodded vehemently, "All I could ever remember of them was murky. I can't see their faces or hear their voices. It was always like looking into a rippling mirror."

Florin placed both of his hands on Kol's forehead, pressing his thumb against his skin.

"What are you-"

"Your memories are blurry because they have been blocked. I should be able to clear it,"

A soft glow of light formed on Kol's forehead. His earliest memories began to resurface in his mind.

"Now, concentrate on those memories you wish to see," Florin instructed.

Kol did as he was told. He focused on the murky memories. Much to his surprise, the more he focused on them, the clearer they became. Kol looked at every detail of the memory and remembered it by heart.

There was a cobblestone street, the smell of fresh-baked bread in the air, and a hanging signage in the shape of a weaved basket with loaves of bread in it. He could hear a familiar chime of the bell as the door opened.

Inside, Kol saw a young boy, on the shoulders of the baker. Next to the baker was his wife, who was smiling with her pearly white teeth showing.

"That's me," Kol muttered to himself while looking at the young boy.