The Dragon King's Heart

"I found him in the forest," Kol quickly explained while Laina did her own examination. 

"He does not look to be in good condition," Laina declared upon making her assessment, "An injured vampire in Kinshearth? This is quite unexpected."

The vampires do not live anywhere near Kinshearth. Their Kingdom was on the other side of Gaia, rarely venturing out of their own lands. While there were known travelling vampire delegations or merchants, it was still quite rare. 

Unless, like Kol, they were enslaved. But for a pure blood vampire, such a situation was rarely seen. From the clothes the vampire wore, Laina deduced he was no simple vampire. While most of them dress well in quality threads, this vampire was dressed in noble finery. 

From the inner lining of his coat, there was even a coat of arms. 

"Laina, you can save him, like how you saved me," Kol urged. 

Confused by what he meant, she asked, "Save him? What do you mean?"

It took her a while to realise what Kol was referring to. Laina looked back at the vampire. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Laina and Kol grew stiff, wondering who it might be. But when they saw that it was Margaret, both of them heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Kol? What are you doing here- Who's that on the sofa?" she gasped in shock as she placed the tray she had down on the table before coming over to take a closer look. 

Kol explained how he had found the vampire in the forest, and how he had brought him here in hopes that Laina could save him. Laina was already preparing to draw blood from her wrist when Margaret stopped her from doing so. 

"Your Highness, you can't. It would kill him," she explained. 

Laina furrowed her eyebrows, "Margaret what are you talking about? I gave Kol some of my blood last time around and he turned out fine. Why would this be any different?"

Margaret bit her lip, she needed to come up with a reasonably sounding reason and fast. 

"It's… it's because you're a child of the sun, yeah, that's right. Your blood would kill the vampire."

"But don't vampires drink human blood?"

"What I meant is…" an idea popped into Margaret's mind, "Your affinity with fire, by extension the Sun, is the reason why your blood would kill him. Kol is alright because he's a hybrid and at the time, you were both bound by a contract."

She turned to Kol, "On the other hand, Kol, your blood should work fine. Mine won't work either."

Time was of the essence. There was no room for them to hesitate. Without any further instructions, Kol simply took a dagger and sliced open his palm. Fresh blood seeped from the new open wound. 

Margaret had Laina take a step back for safety. The smell of blood quickly filled the room. The vampire stirred awake. His eyes flickered open as he turned to look in Kol's direction. Kol knelt down next to him. 

"Drink my blood, it will help you heal," he said to him. 

"What? Are you mad?!" the vampire yelled at him, trying to get Kol to move away so that he could avoid hurting him. 

"You know you have to take it, if not your wound won't heal," Kol tried harder to convince him, bringing his hand close to him. 

After a moment of hesitation, the vampire relented. He knew without this, he would not be able to survive. Even though he did not want to owe anyone any favors, he gave in. Kol remained still as the vampire bared his fangs and sunk them into his palm. 

Laina and Margaret watched on in silence, until they noticed the sun rising on the horizon. As the warmth of the sun began to feel the room, it was clear that the vampire was uncomfortable. Laina and Margaret went around the room, drawing the curtains to create a darker environment. 

After some time, the vampire released Kol's hand and laid back down. His wound had stopped bleeding but it did not seem to be healing as quickly as it should. Laina instructed Margaret to call for the Royal Healer. 

"Thank you, you saved my life," the vampire expressed his gratitude to Kol. 

He tried to sit up on the sofa but Kol and Laina stopped him from doing so. 

"It would be better if you lay down, you still need time to recuperate, " Laina reminded him. 

The vampire looked around the room. 

"May I know where I am exactly?" the vampire asked. 

"You're in the Kingdom of Kinshearth. My name is Laina, I'm the current Crown Princess," Laina replied and introduced herself. 

She placed a hand on Kol's shoulder, "My bodyguard, Kol, found you injured in the forest and brought you back here. I understand you're still in need of rest but would you mind telling us who you are and what you were doing in the forest?

We don't get many vampires in our Kingdom. Especially one of noble or royal birth."

The vampire was surprised that Laina was able to decipher his status. But he did not reject their request for clarification. 

"I am Florin Les Sanguines, 13th prince of the Sanguines Family," he introduced himself. 

Since Laina had already deciphered his identity from his clothes, there was no point in concealing it. 

"I was chased by assassins who were sent to kill me. You've offered me refuge and saved my life, I am in your debt," he declared with a polite bow. 

Laina smiled as she shook her head, "I did not do anything. It is Kol here, who saved you. Any debt you have, you have with him."

Kol and Florin locked eyes, Kol quickly shook his head. 

"No debt is needed, your Highness," Kol quickly replied Florin, "I would not be able to live with myself knowing someone was injured and I did nothing to help." 

Florin smiled as he shook his head, "First of all, call me Florin. As my saviour, you've earned it."

Florin held Kol's hands in his, "You've saved my life and therefore, I am in your debt. If you have anything you require, ask and I will see that it is done."

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