No one spoke as Jacob led Caspian to the small hanger where the royal family housed its private planes and hover cars. The guard was listening to his team coordinate security measures at the center square while the prince silently reviewed his speech in his head. He had the paper copy in his pocket, but it was bad form to read off a sheet in front of a live audience, so he wanted to memorize as much as he could in the short time he had left before he stood behind the podium. Plus, if he knew the majority of the address by heart, he would be less likely to botch it in front of the entire city… he hoped.

For the duration of the ten-minute flight, he alternated between skimming over the speech and watching the tall, city skyscrapers drift by beneath the vehicle. The sight reminded him of the importance of the address he was going to be making in his father’s place. It was his duty as the next king of Aspiria to ease the people’s fears about the Scourge and assure them that the monarchy was just as strong as it had been before the attack. Focusing on that, he took a steeling breath and climbed out of the car behind Jacob and another guard when they reached their destination.

Just walking up to the stage felt like a show in and of itself to Cas. Cameras flashed around the perimeter that the soldiers had set up, and he was surrounded by beefy bodyguards on all sides the instant his shoes touched the ground. The team of men kept the paparazzi at bay with the sternness of their faces and the holstered guns that were visible at their waists, wordlessly warning everyone to keep their distance or suffer the consequences. The display felt over-the-top to the prince, who didn’t believe he was in any danger among the capital citizens, but he couldn’t tell them not to do their jobs. The royal family was the glue that held Aspiria together. If anything happened to him or his father the kingdom would unravel, so they always had protection when they stood before large groups of people.

He kept his head up and eyes straight forward as the procession made its way toward the podium, knowing from past experience that if he didn’t ignore the reporters, they would swarm him like bees. There were still fifteen minutes left before he was scheduled to speak, but he couldn’t leak any part of his speech to the press before he formally revealed it to the citizens, so it was smarter not to say anything to them at all. Rather, he stepped up to the stand and pulled the folded paper from his breast pocket to set up without talking to anyone while Jacob and the other guard took up watchful posts on either side of him.

Without looking up, Cas could feel thousands of eyes burning into his skin. He’d stood next to Atlas when the king had delivered speeches before, but it was the first time he had been the center of everyone’s attention in a situation like this. His heart pounded so hard that he could hear the roar of blood in his ears, and his mouth suddenly felt dry. It didn’t matter how confident a person was; there was something about oratory that could make even the bravest man weak in the knees, especially if he had never done it before. As one who had never considered himself above average in courage, it took all his focus not to tremble and to remember not to lock his knees so he wouldn’t pass out.

“One minute until broadcast,” Jacob alerted him with a sideways glance. The guard studied him for a moment before he reached into his jacket and pulled out a steel flask. “Here,” he said, holding it out. “Have as much as you want.”

[color=#b97703]“I didn’t know you drink on the job,”[/color] Cas stared at the metal container in surprise.

Jacob smiled, “It’s water.”

[color=#b97703]“Oh. Well, in that case…”[/color] Cas mirrored the expression and took the flask from Jacob’s hand to down the contents. The water was still cool and felt soothing as it traveled down his throat. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have finished off someone else’s drink, but he swallowed every last drop to cure the dryness that threatened to make him stumble over his own tongue. [color=#b97703]“Thanks, Jacob,”[/color] he dragged the back of his hand across his mouth as he passed the empty flask back to its owner.

“You’re welcome, Your Highness,” the guard bowed politely. “Are you ready to begin?”

[color=#b97703]“As ready as I’ll ever be,”[/color] Cas sighed. [color=#b97703]“You can tell the soldiers to quiet the crowd.”[/color]

Jacob nodded and lifted a hand to the side of his face, cupping it between his mouth and ear as he gave the order. Within the next thirty seconds, the audience hushed as signals were passed back and forth for everyone to pay attention, and Cas took a slow breath. He just had to get the next part over with, and then he could go back to the sanctuary of his home. He could do that. Trying not to lock eyes with any of the council members sitting in the front row, he started as strongly as he could:

[color=#b97703]“Thank you all for your patience. I know everyone both here and watching at home has been affected one way or another by the ongoing war against the Scourge, and that learning of an attempt on your king’s life may have shaken your faith that our city is still safe. I want to acknowledge your fears and tell you that I understand. The king is my father, so I, more than anyone else, have every reason to ensure that he’s shielded from the rebels who want to see him dead. That’s why I’ve been working closely with the military for the last twenty-four hours to see to it that he—and all of you—will never have to worry about these terrorists again.

“Our security team has apprehended two of the culprits and interrogated them thoroughly. We’ve since learned some vital information that will help us take down the man behind the rebellion and bring peace back to this nation. With this new intel, I can tell you with certainty that we’re leaps and bounds closer to winning this war. It won’t be much longer until it fades behind us as a minor setback in Aspiria’s steadily strengthening history.”[/color]

He paused as the crowd applauded their approval of the bold statement. The sound was bolstering, and a half-smile appeared on his lip as he continued with renewed fervor: [color=#b97703]“The Scourge tried to weaken us with this attack, but in doing so, they may have just given our military the key to our victory. My father’s heart is still beating, the terrorists are in secure holding, and plans are already underway to make our enemies regret ever lifting their hands against us. The first of which is the decision of what to do with the two men in custody.”[/color] He paused briefly to collect his breath before he declared clearly: [color=#b97703]“For the safety of everyone in this city and to make the rebels understand that we will not allow them to walk away without consequences if they ever try to attack us again, the prisoners are to be executed by firing squad tomorrow morning.”[/color]

Again, the crowd roared their approval, and Cas stood up slightly straighter. They seemed to be just as pleased with his speech as they had been with Atlas’s in the past. His initial anxiety had been replaced with a newfound confidence and even a bit of powerfulness as he concluded the message: [color=#b97703]“There are still two other terrorists who’ve been evading the military.”[/color] Two headshots of the missing rebels appeared on the massive screen behind him. [color=#b97703]“Thomas Howard and Ethan Williams are both still at large. The soldiers are working tirelessly to bring them in, but if any of you spot them first, there is a sizeable cash reward available for real leads.

“In the meantime, I encourage you all to have peace in knowing that we’re putting your well-being first and taking every precaution to prevent something like this from happening ever again. The Scourge will never get the best of our military or your king, and soon, we’ll all be celebrating our triumph over the enemies who thought they could tear this country apart. Aspiria will never fall to them or to anyone else—not as long as I have something to say about it. That’s my vow to you.”[/color]

The crowd applauded one more time, and Caspian grinned happily. The address had gone far better than he’d expected, and now he could rest easy knowing that he’d won the worried high borns back over to his side. Following his guards back down the steps to the landing pad, he wondered if his father had been watching back at the mansion. Would the king be proud of the speech he’d given? Either way, he knew for sure that Iris had been supporting him from her bedroom. He couldn’t wait to see her again and find out what she thought.