Caspian’s heart sank when he felt Iris tremble in his arms. After everything she had been through, she didn’t deserve to be treated like a lying criminal. He wished his father wouldn’t have reacted so poorly to everything that had happened the day before, when there was no proof that she had anything to do with the rebellion. As much as he liked having her around at the mansion, part of him hoped her family would call to collect her soon, so she wouldn’t be caught up in the crown’s mess any longer. At least then, he could exchange phone numbers with her to stay in touch and keep her at a distance until the situation calmed down. Unfortunately, until someone who knew her came forward, there was nothing they could do but hope neuroimaging would be enough to quell Atlas’s suspicions.

Unsure what else he could say to reassure her, the prince stayed quiet and rubbed her back with one hand while she buried her head against his chest. As silence permeated the room, he wondered if it would be a good idea to return to the woods where he had found her once the lockdown on the mansion was lifted. Even if no one called for her, they could figure out which district she was from if they managed to find her lost capital ID. He felt certain it must have fallen among the composting leaves that covered the forest floor. At the time, he had been too flustered by the sight of her bloodied leg to even think about looking for any belongings that had dropped from her person. It was entirely likely that when he’d picked her up, the plastic card had slipped from her dress and was still sitting at the base of the trees where she’d passed out.

When Iris finally spoke, Cas glanced down at her with a frown. Her whispery voice was hard to hear, but he focused enough to catch her soft apology. [color=#b97703]“Don’t be,”[/color] he replied confidently. [color=#b97703]“None of this is your fault. You didn’t lose your memories on purpose, and I was the one who invited you to stay here. That’s why [i]I[/i] said sorry to [i]you[/i].”[/color] As he said the last word, he poked her cheek with his finger, trying to cheer her up a little. There was no way either of them could have foreseen that the rebels would launch an attack on the royal family while she was staying under their roof, but he still felt bad for putting her through all the drama that came with it. He had just wanted to help her, and instead, she had gotten tangled in something that had nothing to do with her. It was a complete and utter mess.

As she stuttered that it would be better for her to leave, he tensed slightly. The same thought had crossed his mind just minutes before, but he wouldn’t have said so out loud. There was nowhere for her to go if she left the mansion now. [color=#b97703]“I don’t think that’s a good idea,”[/color] he advised her in a low tone, reaching up to brush away one of the tears that rolled down her cheek. [color=#b97703]“We still don’t know where you’re from, and you don’t have any money or identification. I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable sending you off when you might not have a place to sleep at night. If the soldiers find you on the streets after dark without any way to prove you’re a capital citizen, they’ll have you arrested.”[/color]

It was a hard truth, but as long as she remained unclaimed, she would have to stay with the Maydestones in spite of the ongoing situation with the rebel prisoners. He resolved silently to try to keep her out of it as much as he could, since she was clearly having a hard time with it all. Thinking about it, he wondered if the terrorist attack had reminded her of her mother. When she’d told him about her before, it had sounded like her mother had died in the ongoing war with the Scourge, so it wouldn’t have surprised him if some old feelings were resurfacing.

[i]The antidote was successful.[/i]

Caspian startled as a soldier’s voice suddenly resonated through his earpiece. He’d gotten so caught up in talking to Iris that he’d forgotten about the interrogation again. The man on the other end of the frequency continued: [i]The prisoners will be returned to the holding cell until they are well enough to continue interrogating.[/i]

Cas sighed. As much as he wanted to stay in the room with Iris, he didn’t have much more time left until he would be obligated to keep up with the questioning of the terrorists again. He leaned his cheek against her head, holding her against his chest as he made the most of the few minutes they had left before he had to go back to his duties.