When Chanyeol opened his eyes, for a moment he did not know where he was actually: he did not have the strenght to hold his eyelids up enough to see his surroundings. His eyelashes were in the way and acted like a protective curtain, shadowing everything in his line of sight. His thoughts were a jumbled mess and he felt like a horde of horses just ran over him. Everything hurt. Also, he felt like his body was burning in fire, his skin clammy from the mix of warm sweat and dirt. He wanted to remove all the materials irritating his skin but didn't have the willpower to do so. 

"Mhm."

The only sound coming from him was a silent groan, but somebody might've noticed him because he heard hushed whispers in the background which came closer in a second. He welcomed the cool fingers on his heated skin, they were soothing the scorching hotness in him, bringing him a momentary relief. He closed his eyes basking in the feeling, but somebody gently patted his cheek till he was, once again, more or less awake. Chanyeol wanted to succumb to sleep so badly, but they didn't let him, it was a cruel torture. 

He instantly forgave them when he felt the materials covering him finally peeled off, and damp clothes wetting his body, washing away the burning feeling. If only they'd let him sleep. He didn't realize he was panting madly till that moment. His chest almost rose off the bed as he heaved, the cool air hurting his lungs. His hands gripped the sheets under him, providing an anchor to the reality in his hazy world. 

He sighed in relief when the patting on his cheek stopped, letting his tiredness catch up with him but it was short-lived. Somebody pried open his mouth and poured some liquid into it and Chanyeol was not fond of it, to say the least. The urge to gag, to vomit was really huge but hands clamped down his face, and didn't let him get rid of the concoction. The taste was horrible, the texture was harsh, it burned so bad. Chanyeol whined in protest, and weakly flailed his limbs in hopes of hitting someone, but hands seized his body, making him immobile. He was stubborn though, and didn't want to swallow the mixture.

That was until he was forced to. 

When someone grabbed his nose, cutting of his airsupply, he knew he lost. He was too weak to resist, and although he lasted for a few seconds without breathing, at the end he let the the liquid down on his esophagus. It burned like hell, he felt it all the way to his stomach which grumbled ominously. His reward for swallowing the mix was a damp cloth on his forehead, cooling his fever.  

"The poison will be out of his system soon" he heard a man's voice say on the verge of sleeping. "His wound needs a lot of time to heal, but he'll live." 

He struggled to stay awake, to hold his eyes open and all he saw was blurry faces, but eventually he caught a glimpse of something. 

A blue robe with a four-toed dragon emblem, a sajoryongbo. 

What is His Highness doing here? 

The question was left unanswered as his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he out from exhaustion. 

When he came to his senses later, he felt much, much better than the last time. His eyes were still tired but curious, mostly about his whereabouts, searching the place. He laid on a soft bed and judging the atmosphere and also the smell, he must have been at the physician area of the palace. The room was lit up by the rays of the morning sunshine, and surrounded with the joyful chirps of birds.

It was peaceful till he heard voices outside. He didn't know what the commotion was about, but figured out that eventually the noises will fade and he can enjoy the previous calmness. He didn't pay much attention to the whole thing, until the door was pushed to the side and revealed a figure he didn't expect, at all. His eyes wide with suprise, he attempted to rise from his lying position with pain and difficulty, until the other forbade him to do so. 

"You don't have to get up to greet me" he said quietly. "Please, remain in your current position, or you will reopen your wound." 

"B-But..." 

"It's alright, don'