The Dragon King's Heart

"Wake up sleepyhead," Marius whispered musically to Margaret who was still sleeping soundly.

Having had a long night, Margaret was still sound asleep. She did not realize Marius had entered her room through the window. Marius had woken up that morning to find the Dragon King missing.

After checking a few places he's had in mind, he realized where Dante might have gone to. Not wanting to barge in on Laina's private quarters, he decided to pay Margaret a visit first. Seeing her sleeping so soundly brought a smile to his face.

Marius carefully laid down next to her, watching her chest rise and fall as she continued to sleep. The sun's rays had already shone into the room yet she was still sound asleep.

"Margaret, it's time to wake up," he whispered again as he gently nudged her arm.

"Let me sleep some more," Margaret mumbled as she pulled the covers over her head.

Seeing as his gentle tactics were not working, Marius decided it was time to employ some scare tactics. He leaned in close to Margaret and whispered into her ear.

"Laina is in trouble! Margaret, help!"

Margaret removed the covers and sat up in bed. Not being able to move away in time, Margaret accidentally head-butted Marius.

"Woman, what on earth is your head made of?! Iron?" he yelped as he rubbed his head.

The pain of her head woke Margaret up instantly. As she gritted her teeth in pain, she realized how familiar the voice sounded. When she turned to face him, her expression grew cold.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him coldly.

Realizing she was still in her nightdress, she covered herself with her blanket and pointed at Marius.

"What are you doing in my bed?!" she exclaimed at him.

"Good morning, Sunshine," he chimed with a grin.

Margaret was pissed, she mercilessly gave him a punch to the face. Marius grimaced in pain as he rolled off the bed. She leaned over the side of the bed to see if he was alright, but she was still mad at him.

"Ow! If you're angry with me, punch me somewhere else! Don't mess up my face, you know it's my money maker!" Marius said as he tried to stand back up.

Seeing that he was alright, she heaved a sigh of relief internally. Looking towards the window, Margaret realized she had grossly overslept. Looking up at the clock that hung on the wall, she quickly got out of bed and went over to the closet.

She picked out a set of clothing and went behind the vanity screen and changed out of her nightdress. Marius slowly crept over to her, hoping to take a peek. Margaret's head popped up from above the vanity screen.

She glared at him as she warned, "Don't you even think about doing what you're about to do, Marius!"

He stopped in his tracks, like a deer being caught in the middle of the forest. He straightened his back and pretended to look off elsewhere instead.

"Argh, I don't have time to deal with you right now! I need to get Laina ready for the day as well…" Margaret mumbled to herself as she put on her clothes.

Once she was presentable, she came out from behind the vanity screen and headed over to the mirror to fix her hair. While she did so, it dawned in Margaret as to why Marius was here. She looked at him through the reflection in the mirror.

"You're looking for Dante, right?" she asked.

Marius walked over to her with a smile, "Oh no no no, I am here to see the beautiful handmaiden Lady Margaret."

"Cut the crap, Marius," she snapped at him, "If you're not looking for him, alright then. Don't come asking me where he is later on."

Pretending to be shocked, Marius said theatrically, "What? No! Oh, Lady Margaret, I beg of you. Please show some kindness and tell me where King Dante is. I can't go back to Dracona without him."

Margaret rolled her eyes as she continued to comb her hair while looking at her appearance in the mirror. Once she was done, she stood up from her seat, only to see Marius on his knees. He looked up at her with sad puppy eyes.

"Please save me, Margaret. Only you can save me," he pleaded.

She stared at him blankly, letting out a sigh.

"Fine, follow me. You owe me one, Marius," she said before walking towards the door.

Marius got up and hugged her tightly with glee. Margaret stood there like a dead fish. She knew struggling was useless. She tried it before. It would have only made Marius hug her even tighter than before.

"Are you done?" she asked him coldly after a few seconds.

He released her immediately and replied, "Yes, I'm done. Thank you."

Feeling brave, he leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. Margaret glared at him as she touched the side of her cheek that he had kissed.

"MARIUS!" she screamed at him as she punched him on his arm and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "Don't you ever do that again, you hear me?!"

Seeing her all worked up just brought him even more joy.

"Alright, I promise," he relented for a moment, "Aren't we already running late? Should we get a move on?"

He successfully diverted her attention as they rushed out of the room and into the hallway. Just as they took one step out of the room, Margaret pushed him back in and closed the door behind them.

"What's wrong?" Marius asked in confusion.

She could not be seen with him. It would have raised too many questions. She looked into Marius's eyes and pointed to the open window without saying a word.

"You want me to leave?" he asked innocently.

Margaret pushed him towards the window despite his objections.

"We can't be seen together, leave from the window and just follow me or something," she explained.

Marius turned around to face her, causing her to bump into his chest. Her face turned beet red but Margaret quickly turned to look to the side, carefully hiding her face away from him.

"I'll just use a cloaking spell. No one would be able to see me," Marius replied as he clicked his fingers.

Immediately a puff of smoke surrounded his entire body. When it finally disappeared, he could not be seen. Margaret could still sense his presence in front of her, but she could not see him with her naked eye.

"Fine, this works, let's go," she replied as they attempted to leave the room again.