The Dragon King's Heart

Thorne placed his hand on Laina's. She immediately removed her hand, shrugging away. Though he was near identical to Dante, she knew he was not him. It was not the same.

"Sorry, I..." she apologized for her actions when she realized what it looked like. 

Thorne simply shook his head, "It's alright. I understand. I'll leave you to rest, Your Majesty."

With that, he bowed to her and took his leave. As he left Laina's room, Nyx entered. She was happy to see that Laina had woken up. When Thorne left, she could not help but glance over to look at him before entering the room. 

"Your Majesty, you look well," she greeted Laina politely as she came to her bedside.

"Better. I hope all has been well in the time I was out."

Nyx smiled. It had been the most relaxed she had ever been since she took up the role of Leader of the Order of Knights. While Laina was partaking in the ceremony, she got to mingle around with the temple guardians. 

After a short chat to catch up on some details, Laina could not help but ask Nyx for her opinion on Thorne. She was curious to know what her knights thought of the mysterious man who appeared out of thin air.

"You want my opinion?" Nyx was caught off guard, a little surprised by her Queen's request. 

Laina nodded. She valued Nyx's opinion. The knightess had never lied to her and was always honest and open. That was one of the many reasons she liked her.

Nyx pondered for a moment before answering, "At first, he seemed distant and unapproachable. But I got to speak with him the other day..."

"And?"

"Turns out he's not much of a talker," she replied with a chuckle. 

Laina could not help but laugh too. 

"That being said, he does care a lot about you," Nyx explained. 

She had observed his movements even before they came to the Temple of the Sun. Thorne's mysterious appearance worried Nyx, so she kept a close eye on him. She was pleasantly surprised to see his devotion to Laina. 

All throughout the ceremony, he remained by her side watching from afar. As soon as the ceremony was complete, he was the first one by Laina's side to bring her out. Matching up with what the Oracle had said, he carried her out of the lava pit to the room where she was checked for injuries and allowed to recuperate.

"He risked his life to bring you to safety," she commented. 

Laina turned to Nyx, surprised by her statement. She did not know what she meant by that. 

"Did you not notice the scars he had on his arms?" Nyx asked. 

Laina thought back to the scene earlier when Thorne reached out to touch her hand. Nyx was right. She had not noticed it earlier on but his hand was scarred.

"The lava you were in could burn off a person's arm. Even the Oracle stopped me when I wanted to go forward to help. But he did not seem to care. Even when his skin was peeling off, he still carried you all the way to the room."

Thorne was created from a blood rose, grown with care from Dante's blood. As such, he grew and thrived under the moonlight. Under the sunlight, not only was he weakened but he would have an additional weakness against fire and the Sun. 

Laina had watered the blood rose he was created from with her own blood. She wondered if that gave him more added protection. Regardless, it was clearly insufficient. 

"Looks like I need to properly thank him for his help then," Laina muttered to herself as she tightened the grip on her blanket. 

The next time Thorne came to visit her, she got him to sit by her bedside. He did as he was told, obedient. She took his hand and lifted his long sleeve, revealing the scars. Thorne quickly shrugs away but she did not let him go. 

"Were you going to pretend that your hand was not injured?" she asked while examining the scars.

Thorne remained silent for a few moments before answering, "I did not want you to worry..."

She could not help but chuckle. He and Dante were the same.  They would always keep silent, not wanting her to worry. At the end of the day, she worried even more.

She hovered her hand over his, whispering a healing spell. Within seconds, the wounds were healed. No scars were left either. 

"You are not him," she muttered to herself.

Thorne heard it loud and clear. But he was not upset by her words. In fact, it was true. He was not Dante, he was just a blood rose who was given a form. 

"You are you," Laina said as she placed her hand on his and gave him a smile. 

"I... I don't understand..."

"You have a name and you have your own life. You can choose and make your own decisions," she tried to explain.

"But my master made me for you. To accompany you and protect you. That is my mission."

Laina turned to face him, "But is that what you want to do?"

The question echoed in his mind. Thorne had never considered it before. Since the day he was given life, he only knew about the mission he was given. He did not know anything else, apart from the memories in his head. He had some of Dante's memories, most of which were of the times he had spent with Laina. 

"I...I..." he did not know how to reply. 

"You don't have to have an answer right now," she reassured him, "When you have it and you wish to leave, I will not stop you. I will not push you away either. But if you could do me a favor, I really appreciate it."

Thorne looked at her, tilting his head a little to the side, "I'll do anything. Your wish is my-"

"Stop right there," she said while raising her hand, "I want you to only do it if you want to."

Thorne furrowed his eyebrows. She could tell from his eyes that he was conflicted. It was as if a new idea had been planted in his mind and he needed time to process it. 

"What is the favor?"

She smiled. It was an improvement to him blindly agreeing to everything she said or asked him to do. Laina's request was simple. She wished for him to change his appearance. 

"Do you not like the way I look?" he asked. 

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