You're The Only One - Prinxiety [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Recovery

The first thing Virgil felt was aching pain. It was focused in his abdomen, but there was bruising all over him. He remembered the fight with the Lava Surfer. The claws raking through his stomach and the impact of being thrown against the cliff. He winced, testing out his hands and feet. He could move them without too much pain. He tensed some of his muscles too, finding them to be sore.

He sighed heavily and attempted to open his eyes. They were heavy from exhaustion. His lips parted as he took a deep breath, feeling a cut in his lip. It stung as the air passed over it. He hissed at the pain as he tried to sit up.

Virgil looked around, realizing he was in a bed in a medical room. It was a room for one patient and it was high quality to say the least. The walls matched that of the royal palace, which lead him to believe he was in the medical wing of said palace. He must've been taken here after he'd blacked out on the beach.

He swallowed as he remembered the events of that day. Thinking about it made him feel sick to his stomach, but he wanted to remember what had happened before he blacked out.

Roman, he thought, his eyes widening in realization. Prince Roman was talking to me.

The royal medical wing made more sense now that he'd remembered this. The prince had been calling for a medic before he'd passed out. Roman was likely insistent on having him treated with the highest quality of staff possible. A small smile almost broke out onto his face at the thought, but he was in too much pain for it to say long.

He groaned as he tried to straighten his back. Pain went up his spinal cord as he did so, making him wince. Fighting the pain, he adjusted himself to be sitting in his bed rather than laying down.

There was a noise at the door and then a young man in white clothes walked in. He was holding a tray of bandages and bottles. When he looked up, he gasped in surprise. "Oh gosh! You're awake!" he said, grinning. He rushed over to the table beside the bed and place the tray down. He then adjusted his round glasses. "His Majesty will be so happy! How are you feeling?"

"Sorry, who are you?" the stable boy asked, squinting.

"Oh, right, sorry, I'm Patton Valentine, I'm the nurse watching over you," he introduced himself. He was smiley and freckled. He radiated positivity without even doing anything. Virgil felt safe in his presence. "You were hurt really bad, no one was sure you'd pull through, but you did!"

Virgil swallowed, nodding to himself as he looked down at his stomach. "Oh, let me change your bandages for you and then I'll go get His Majesty."

Patton moved forward and helped him remove the bandages wrapped around his abdomen. There were a couple gashed that were almost completely healed underneath. The nurse wiped down the wound with the contents of the bottles he brought, making Virgil hiss a little at the sting. He then rewrapped the wounds in new bandages and helped he get comfortable.

"If there's anything you need, just let me know," Patton said as he left the room.

Virgil laid back against the pillows, feeling strange. He felt nervous. He had so many questions. What happened to the Lava Surfer? Was Ara alright? How severe were her wounds? Did he really see Dante and Roman fly in to fight the Lava Surfer? Were they okay? How many people got hurt? What happened between the Fire Stone King and Roman's mother? Were they going to be at war now?

His breathing was rapid as the thoughts flooded his mind. He reached up to rub his face. He needed to calm down.

Voices outside the door pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up, seeing the door open. Roman walked through, along with Logan, Patton, and several people who looked like advisors of some kind. They were all chattering at the royal. Roman was dressed differently, and a crown sat in his hair. He waved his hand at them.

"Yes, yes, I'm aware of all this, but I've something more important to attend to," he told them sternly, looking up to see Virgil.

His heart skipped as their eyes met. The advisors were talking but neither of them could really hear what they were saying. Roman straightened his back and turned his head toward them without taking his eyes off of the stable boy. "Everyone leave, now."

Logan nodded and began to escort the others out despite their protests. Once they left, Roman rushed forward to the side of Virgil's bed.

"You're okay," he breathed, taking a hold of his hand. "God I'm so happy you're okay..."

"S-So am I, but what... what happened?" Virgil asked. He looked at the royal in confusion, seeing the crown up close. "You're dressed differently, what- what happened?"

Roman looked at him with concern and a bit of sadness. "Well, you've been out for almost two months."

Silence fell over them as Virgil comprehended this information. The royal squeezed his hand and whispered comforting things as his breathing began to accelerate. He swallowed and met Roman's eyes again. "What happened?"

He sighed and continued to rub his hand gently. "The Lava Surfer wounded you really bad, no one thought you would make it but I insisted that you were treated and given time to recover. My mother was killed when the Lava Surfer went rogue. I've inherited the throne."

"So you're the king?" Virgil asked in disbelief. The king nodded solemnly. "What happened on the beach? I saw you and Dante."

"When the Lava Surfer went rogue, I ran to the forest and got Dante. He flew me to you and we killed the Lava Surfer. Dante is fine, I've put him in the stables. I'm the king now, so nothing will happen to him that you don't approve of," he informed him reassuringly. "Ara was really beaten up, a broken leg and her wing was sprained, but she was treated as well and should recover in a few more months."

Virgil sighed a bit in relief, but could help the way his mind was racing. "God so much has happened..."

Roman chuckled a little bit and shook his head. "Oh you have no idea."