On My Way: The Demon King Made Me His

"Open your mouth," Queen regent ordered him as he woke up and fed him with hot congee maintain his energy. He looked tired and was sulking often about the simple and tasteless food. She secretly had smuggled some side dishes she prepared herself and gave him a little to taste though it was against the treatment since he started avoiding food. That was the first and the last time she did it. He smiled when she did it and put a piece of chicken in his mouth. She wiped his face after she fed him and smiled at him. He had a lot to do to come back to his normal self. 

Huo was getting used to her being around him all the time. There were days Huo would wait for her eagerly so that he doesn't feel bored, sitting and sleeping all the time inside the room, feeling lonely. She started coming often and once she brought books with her. A history book for him to read and sometimes she would read it out for him when he is tired and put him to sleep. Who still didn't know who he was except his name, Huo, since she called him by his a name a hundred times when she enters the room until she leaves. She started doing double training to cultivate and improve his energy and also physiotherapy for him, holding him, and supporting him as he tried walking slowly and did arm exercises. She would hold on tight to him whenever he lost his balance and collapse, saving him from falling down and causing more injuries. He would smile and thank her. It was hard and painful for him.

Huo began to feel determined to somehow get well soon and stand on his own. He was getting tired of staying idle. He wished he could go out and see what the world was like. But he yet had to practice speaking. His tongue still seemed to be not helping.

Volca fed him with tonics and some herbal juices to recover from the stroke. And it began to show its effects. Also the vocal cords were awakened. Huo made the sound for the first time since he woke up.

"Excuse me," That's what he said first.

"Oh my God Huo'er, " she rushed over and sat next to him on the bed. She kept her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. "Say it again, speak to me," and he laughed taking her hands off his face.

"I can speak now, the medince worked, and so did the double training," he said.

"Oh my," she said again and had happy tears whelming her eyes. He slowly got up from the bed and walked super slow towards the table and chair to sit down, tired of lying on the bed. She watched him as he did it alone and felt relieved to see him recovering fast ever since he woke up. She also felt great since her mother has not visited him for more than a week. She didn't want her mother to come remind her about the past events and interrupt whatever relationship was trying to build with new Huo'er.

Huo did not have a clue about anything happen outside his room. And finally he built up the courage to ask her about her and about himself rather than reading ancient old history book. One thing even the Queen regent was waiting for, to be questioned. "What's your name?" Huo asked her one night after finishing off their dinner together. She poured him tea while he asked her and smiled brightly.

"Volca," she said.

"You're the Queen regent?"

"Temporarily until you take the throne, " she told him, feeding him.

"What? Me?" He was shocked. "What? I don't get it," but she ignored his questions keeping the bowl back at the table.

"How do we know each other?" he asked her another question seeing her unwillingness to open up.

"We used to be friends at school," she said as she wiped his mouth.

"I have been to school? Which? Who was my Shifu then?" he bombarded her with questions.

"There.. there.. there," She said and kept her hand on his chest on top of his bandages. "Relax," she said looking into his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as it always did. "We will talk all about it one by one okay? Noow take this medicine, and sleep peacefully," she said smiling stroking his hair this time. "Recover speedily we have so much to catch up with and do, don't worry about anything else,"

"I," but she stopped him as he began keeping her fingers on his pale lips. She kept smiling. She was falling in love all over again, forgetting everything else. He took a deep breath and moved her fingers away. "alright," he agreed to her and didn't bug her with questions. She watched him as he took his medicine and offered to help him do his hair again. And he let her. She washed his hair and dried it for him, the silver hair shining and silky, one thing she loved the most in him which made him who he is.

"We will need to dye your hair Huo'er, " she told him for the first time since he woke up.

"What?" he did not get her.

"Dye you hair black, we will need to do that," she repeated.

"But why?" he asked her.

"Because we need to for several reason, remember you are demon, don't consider yourself as a heavenly being, a demon is strong and should remain as who he is, black hair is necessary for that, you're the demon prince remember that," she spilled the beans talking to much. She realized and stopped right there holding her tongue.

"A what?" he was shocked to hear those words. 'Demon Prince, the heir to throne, what the hell?' he thought inside his head. 'It can't be,'

Her eyes were shining bright and she gave Huo'er some grapes to eat and cool down his body. The crystals were not settling well inside his veins constantly rebelling and hurting him. Volca had no idea how to improve this condition though she searched everywhere for a note or information regarding it. And the one who knows well about it, who gave it to him no longer lived in the universe which made the progress complicated.

"Volca," Huo addressed her by name for the first time and asked for a favour. "Bring me more history books, both heaven and hell's. I'm bored when you are not around, and," he paused. "and I can't ask you to stay longer selfishly with all the duties you have on your shoulders," he said embarrassedly. For no specific reasons, and for getting her care so much, he trusted though he did not trust anything else around him. Her words echoed in his head and he grew anxious wishing to know more about the situations. He tired to recall alot of time but ended hurting himself and gave up on that. And books were his only hope since he hasn't been meeting up with anybody else.

"I will don't worry, I will ask the guards to bring you many book you wish to read once i leave now," she assured him as she put on the robe on top of her maroon gown.

At that very moment something flashed in front of his eyes. Huo shut his eyes tight and clutched on to his quilt. He saw a river bank and it disappeared in matter of a second.

"What happened?" she rushed towards him.

"Headache," he partially lied hiding the fact that he has been seeing this same vision again and again.

"Is it bad?" she grew concerned.

"It's nothing new, you know it," he smiled and moved a little from her side. He looked away and sat there.

"Ok then," she said and got up from the coat. "That's all for today, let me leave I have some official things to take care of, can't slack in work, " she said and walked out of the room. He waited till she closed the door and heard her say something to the guards. He understood that she might telling them about delivering him the history books from the King's Library. He stood up and tried walking alone for sometime and walked towards the weapon shelf. He identified so many weapons and touched them. It was all dusty and he didn't want to take them. He left it there and walked back to his bed.

He thought about the words she said. The Demon Prince, he was not able to accept this fact and wondered if it could be true and that he is future king taking the throne. It frightened him at the very thought to be in his condition and think of such a higher position in the Realm. He dismissed the thoughts and distracted himself with the puzzles Volca gave him to solve. Couple of hours later, a guard walked in with his dinner and many new books. Huo'er got all excited to see them in his current prison like isolated life and decided to bury himself between the pages.