The Dragon King's Heart

After a couple of days of proper rest, Laina and Dante decided it was time for them to go out and enjoy some outdoor activities. The first activity Dante brought Laina to try was dog sledding. 

Fresh snow fell from the skies, blanketing the grounds with soft padded snow. It was a perfect landscape for dog sledding. Laina and Dante dressed in their winter gear before heading out of the mansion. 

Laina enjoyed the cold weather, she pranced in the snow, marveling at the fresh snow that fell from the sky above. Some of the servants of the mansion looked on with worried expressions.

Despite their advice, Laina wore minimum winter gear. Though Dante was worried if she was warm enough, he knew it did not matter to Laina. With her affinity to fire, she did not get cold as normal humans do. 

As for him, he was not too bothered by the cold weather as well. 

"They are so adorable!" Laina exclaimed as she rushed over to meet the dogs that would be pulling their sled. 

Each dog had a unique patterned fur coat and the cutest of faces. Seeing them reminded Laina of Titan. If only she could bring Titan here, she was quite certain he would love the snow as much as she did. 

As she pets some of the dogs, Dante explained to her how the dogs were being split up. The lead dog was the leader of the pack, entrusted with leading the rest. 

The pair behind the lead dog was the swing dogs. They were in charge of swinging the sled during turns or when they were going down a curved trail. 

Behind the swing dogs were the team dogs, two pairs of them in total. They were like the muscle of the pack, the engine of the dog sledding team. Their strength is what drives the sled forward and through the snowy landscapes. 

The wheel dogs were the last of the pack and they were situated right in front of the sled. They were the anchor of the pack so they had to be trustworthy, strong, and steady. 

"So these are the ones who have the most experience then?" Laina asked as she pets the one with the black and white patched fur. 

Dante nodded, "Indeed. The wheel dogs are generally some of the oldest in the pack. The younger pups are often more skittish, wheel dogs need to be calm and collected."

Now that she was properly introduced to the team, it was time for them to face some fun. Since it was Laina's first time trying out this activity, Dante sat her down on the sled. After making sure she was comfortable, he handed her a pair of goggles. 

"What's this for?" Laina asked as she put them on, seeing that Dante had a pair of his own as well.

"It's to protect your eyes from the cold winds. You'll need it, trust me," Dante replied. 

Once he was sure the sled was ready, and Laina was seated comfortably, he leaned down to ask Laina, "Are you ready?"

She nodded in response, "Ready."

The excitement on her face was covered by the scarf she wore around her neck. But he could hear it in her voice. With a wide smile on his face, Dante straightened his back as he shouted his first order. 

The lead dog's ears perked up immediately. Upon hearing Dante's command, he looked up towards the sky and let out a howl. The sled began to move. The sudden rush of inertia caught Laina off guard. 

It did not take her long to feel the wind billowing in her face. Despite having half her face covered by her scarf, she could still feel the prickly sensation caused by the wind. Lucky for her, her eyes were protected by the goggles. 

Laina looked out beyond the sled, she could see the sled dogs hard at work, running through the snow. As she looked out towards her right side, she was in awe of the beautiful scenery around her. 

"It's so beautiful," she muttered to herself, her breath dissipating into the air like mist. 

The white snowy landscape, barren trees, and mountains in the backdrop made everything look so dreamy. They only had a few hours of sunlight, in these cold wintery times, so they did not venture too far from the mansion. 

Dante was familiar with the landscape. In fact, he had a small cabin built about an hour by dog sled from the mansion. That was their destination. On their route, Laina saw a beautiful frozen lake, some reindeer, and a glimpse of what she thought was a snow leopard. 

But she could not be certain about the last one, since they were moving so quickly. 

Finally, they arrived at the wood cabin, deep in the forest cover and mountains. Dante led the sled to a stop. He stepped off the footboards and walked over to help Laina out of the cargo bed. 

"Can I try it when we make our way back?" She asked as she fell into his arms as she stepped off the sled. 

Dante smiled, "Of course you can. Whatever my princess desires, she shall have."

Dante and Laina fed the dogs some food and provided them with water before they entered the cabin. Everything had already been set up for them. A crackling fireplace, a comfortable leather sofa, hot cocoa, and snacks. 

They both took off their coats and boots and walked on the soft fur carpet and huddled together on the sofa. 

"This sure is cozy," Laina whispered to Dante as she huddled together on the leather sofa.

"There's still one more surprise in here."

Dante clicked his fingers and waved his hand in the air. Immediately, the wall in front of them parted ways, revealing a full glass panel from floor to ceiling. Through it, they could see the scenic snow-covered landscape from where they sat. 

Laina's jaw dropped, "This is… wow. It's so beautiful, Dante."

She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, before leaning her head against his shoulder, "What did I do in my past life to deserve all of this."

Dante clenched his jaw as he gulped. He leaned his head on Laina's silently admiring the quiet snow-covered landscape. He held onto Laina's hand, interlocking their fingers together. 

He brought their hands up and kissed the back of Laina's hand as he said, "You must have done everything and more."

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