The Dragon King's Heart

She knew she should not give in so easily. But could you really blame her? It's not every day a person catches a glimpse of a dragon. Let alone, the dragon king himself. Laina picked up Titan in her arms. Though he was a big tough dog, she carried him with ease. 

"Alright, show me what you've got."

A gust of wind began to swirl around them. Fresh snow encircled Dante, covering him completely. Laina took a few steps back as a shadow loomed over her and Titan. It grew and grew, towering over her several times. 

Dante unfurled his wings, extending them at full length. The snow and wind disappeared in the blink of an eye, revealing the midnight blue dragon. Under the waning light, Dante's scales glistened and shimmered. 

At first, he was a little worried that Laina might be frightened of his appearance. But all his worries melted away when he saw the wide smile on her face. She ran up to him and touched the scales on his neck. 

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed with glee like a child who just got candy. 

Dante looked over his shoulder, he could roughly make out the shape of the sun about to set on the horizon. 

"Hop on," he said to Laina and she did as he asked. 

As soon as she got on, Laina held onto this neck, with Titan smushed in-between. 

"Ready?"

Laina nodded, "Ready!" 

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Dante flapped his wings and took to the sky. The chilly winds blew against Laina's face. She winced. All the fatigue she had felt was gone in the blink of an eye. 

Laina looked at the scenery down below. As sunlight was slowly faded away, it was getting more and more difficult to see. But it was no trouble for them at all. From their height, they easily spotted the lodge. 

Once they were close enough, Dante flew down and landed right next to it. He waited for Laina and Titan to get off his back before taking his human form once more. As soon as he did, he came up to Laina and clasped her hands in his. 

Even with the gloves, and her natural resistance to cold weather, Laina's hands were icy cold. For the first time in a long while, Laina felt no difference in the temperature of Dante's hands. He gently breathed warm air on their hands, attempting to warm her hands up. 

"I think it would be more effective if we get inside," Laina suggested. 

She could feel the wind getting stronger. Perhaps, they might even get snowed in by morning. 

"You're right, let's go," still holding onto her hands, they made their way into the lodge. 

As Lady Wilma had said, it was completely empty. There was not a soul in sight. All the furniture looked as though they have been untouched for months, maybe even years. 

"Did she say they used this place as a hunting lodge?" Dante asked as they took a look around. 

"Yes," Laina replied as she clicked her fingers. 

Spheres of fire lit up all the spaces, allowing them to see with greater clarity. The hunting lodge was modestly decorated with ornate frames hung on the walls. 

There was a mix of family portraits and depictions of the hunting of several beasts. There was even a taxidermy of a brown bear next to the fireplace. A painting, in particular, caught Dante's attention. 

"Is this one of the beasts she mentioned to you?" he asked as he pointed at the painting. 

Laina walked over to take a closer look. It was an oil painting depicting a hunt. Several hunters on horseback with a pack of dogs were attacking a beast, unlike anything Laina had seen before. While most other paintings depicted hunting season in the Summer, this painting was set in Winter.

"Is that a scorpion?" she wondered as she squint her eyes to focus on the details. 

Dante did the same, "I think you might be right."

Taking a book out of her spatial storage, she flipped it through to one of the marked pages. Tracing her finger down the page, she quickly found what she was looking for. 

Glace Scorpions were native to the region. They only came out to hunt in the winter. While they used to roam in the lower parts of the mountain, the citizens of Luzernia forced them back. As such, the Glace Scorpions retreated deep into the mountains. 

"It says here," Laina explained as she continued to trace her finger across the page, "That they can shoot acid from its stinger."

"It's not just any type of acid either. It can even reduce dragon scales to sludge."

"To sludge?" Dante echoed her words in shock, "I find that hard to believe."

Laina closed the book and looked back at him. She narrowed her eyes as she got in his face. 

"You're not afraid, are you?" Laina teased. 

Dante laughed, "Afraid? Never! I think that book is wrong! Dragon scales are tough!"

"But they aren't impervious to damage," Laina reminded. 

It was true. Regular dragon scales were highly sorted after for their toughness. It rivaled some of the hardest gemstones in existence. Dante's dragon scales are not normal either. 

"Yes, but I'm sure my scales can withstand a bit of acid," he declared confidently. 

Laina grinned, "Well then, we'll just have to see about that."

Their conversation got her thinking. What was stronger than dragons scales? She felt like she knew the answer to it, but she could not quite recall. So she asked Dante, knowing he would have the answer.

"Regular dragon scales is strong but it has a few weaknesses."

"What about scales like yours?" Laina asked as she traced her fingers down Dante's arm. 

"Why do you want to know?" Dante asked as he cupped her face. 

She had her reason of course, "So that I can look out for it. That way I can protect you."

He appreciated her intentions. There was no need to hide it from her. In fact, Laina already knew. She just did not remember, that's all. 

"Sun flare can melt dragon scales with ease, and so can the flames of a phoenix." 

That night, Laina and Dante huddled close together under the covers. They were having an early night as their journey tomorrow began at first light. Dante had his arms wrapped up around Laina. He looked as if he was a mama bear cuddling a baby bear. 

"I'm not going anywhere, you know," Laina giggled as she snuggled in his chest.

"I know," Dante replied as he tightened his arms around her a little, "I'm just being cautious, that's all."

"Cautious? What are you afraid of? That Titan is going to snatch me away?"

"I'm afraid, that this is all a dream," he said softly. 

Laina and Dante locked eyes. 

"I'm afraid when I open my eyes tomorrow morning, I would be alone. And that all of this was just a dream."

Laina placed a finger on Dante's lips. She did not want him to continue. He tried to say something but she shook her head. 

"I will never leave you. Never," she repeated while looking straight into his eyes. 

They were so close, barely a few inches apart. It was so quiet, they could hear each other's breathing. They could hear each other's heartbeats. 

"Even if one day you don't-" she did not have a chance to finish her sentence. 

Dante leaned in for a kiss, savoring the warmth of her lips. She gave in to it too. The couple shared a beautiful moment together. 

"I will never leave you," he whispered to her when they parted lips.