The Dragon King's Heart

"Are you sure you don't want to go back?" Florin asked Kol yet again. 

They were about to pack and leave Sanguim. For Florin, he would leave and never look back. But for Kol it was different. 

"I'm sure," Kol replied. 

Florin walked over to him. 

"Hey," Florin called out to him as he placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. 

Florin knew it was not his place to ask or give advice, but he felt the need to say something. To him, 'family' was a complicated topic. His father was never really present in his life so his mother was his pillar of support. 

But now that she was gone, he had no one left. He did not want Kol to regret the choices he made. 

"I know I will never be able to understand what you've gone through and perhaps that is why you do not wish to see him. But I don't want you to regret it later on. Family is…. Complicated. But they are what makes us, us; for better or for worse."

Kol listened quietly to what Florin had to say. He was grateful to have him with him. But he had already made up his mind. To know that his father was still alive and well was more than enough comfort for him. 

If he did not want to meet, he would not force it. Kol was happy with the life he had now. He had a sense of purpose and friends who supported him. His parents wanted a better life for him. 

Living his life as is was the acknowledgment to that testament. 

Just then, there was a knock on the door. This caught both of them off guard. No one knew where they were staying, or so they thought. Both of them were on high alert, wondering who it might be. 

"Delivery from the bakery! I'm just going to leave it here!" A muffled voice spoke up from beyond the door. 

Bakery? Kol and Florin lowered their guard as they went up to the door. When they got there to open it, the person had already left. Whoever it was, they left behind a small basket filled with what looked like packets of cookies and a note. 

Kol picked the basket up. As soon as he saw the butter cookies, he knew where it was from. He placed it down on the table to take a closer look. Behind the packets of cookies, was a leather-bound book. 

"Where did this come from?" Florin asked, confused as to who would send it to them. 

Could it be a trap? 

"It's from the bakery we went to," Kol muttered as he picked up the leather-bound book first. 

He flipped through the pages, looking at the illustrations and recipes written in them. He read the notes that were written at the end of each of them. He had seen this before when he was much younger. 

It belonged to his parents. 

At the back of his mind, a memory resurfaced. He was very young back then. In the arms of his mother and father. They flipped through the book he know had in his hands and read it to him. 

"One day, you're going to inherit this, then you can make these lovely recipes too!" His mother said to him with a warm smile. 

Back then, he could barely read anything off the page. Now, he understood every word and more. Looking down at the table, Kol noticed the note that came with it. He picked it up and unfolded it to read its contents. 

Kol was truly his father's son, a man of few words. There was no long heartfelt letter in the note. The message was short and simple. 

"We're sorry. We love you."

That was all he needed to hear. Kol folded the note and slotted it into the leather-bound book which he promptly kept in his spatial storage along with the cookies. Now, he was ready to return to Kinshearth. 

"So, where will you be going?" Kol asked Florin as he turned around. 

"Where I will be going?" Florin asked, a little confused. 

Kol nodded. Florin had finished what he returned to Sanguim and he was a free vampire. He could go anywhere he wanted without the fear of being hunted. But in all honesty, he did not know where he wanted to go. 

"If you want to get settled somewhere, I can accompany you there. Traveling on the road alone can be dangerous, especially for a vampire," Kol offered. 

His concern for Florin's well-being brought a smile to the vampire's face. But he was quick to cover it up with a look of nonchalance. 

"I… I have not thought much of it to be honest. But, I would like to return to Kinshearth with you for now," as soon as those words left his mouth, he instantly regretted it. 

What in Sanguim was he saying? The vampire carefully watched Kol for his response, all while praying he did not notice anything odd about his choice of words. 

"Ah, you wish to meet with Crown Princess Laina before you find somewhere to settle?" Kol replied upon making an insightful reference to what he had said. 

He did not notice the flustered look on Florin's face. 

"Yes… yes. I need to express my gratitude to her Highness for allowing you to come with me on this trip. Perhaps she might have some suggestions on where in Kinshearth I should visit. A bit of traveling would be nice. I heard Kinshearth is home to many wonderful places that are worth a visit."

"Oh, I came with you on my own volition," Kol replied absentmindedly. 

When he looked up at Florin, he noticed the shocked expression on the vampire's face. Kol reviewed the words he had just spoken. None of them could have offended Florin, could it?

"Your highness, did I speak out of turn? I do apologize if I did," he quickly apologized. 

"Oh no, I was just… I was just caught off guard when you said you came with me of your own volition. That's all," Florin explained, in hopes, it would diffuse the confusion. 

Realizing he might have brought more emphasis to it, Florin's heart pounded in his chest as he waited for Kol's response. 

"Ah I meant, we both happened to share a common destination, so I came to Sanguim with you not because Princess Laina ordered me to. Furthermore, I am in your debt for guiding me in Sanguim throughout our stay."

"I should be the one thanking you instead. You've saved my life twice now. I am in your debt."

Florin heaved a sigh of relief internally.. It seemed like the hybrid did not catch on with his choice of wording.