The flight back to the mansion was just as uneventful as it had been on the way to the square. After dodging the swarm of paparazzi for a second time that evening, Caspian and his guards all squeezed into the hover car and took off into the twilight sky. The prince sank into his plush, luxury leather seat and turned his head toward the window to watch the city roll by beneath the vehicle. Since the sun was finally setting, twinkling lights had started to flicker on all across the capital, creating a beautiful, manmade glow that stood out against the dark. He’d always liked the way the kingdom looked at night, so he kept his gaze fixed on the enchanting view as they flew smoothly back to his home—to Atlas and Iris. He was still eagerly anticipating speaking with both of them to find out what they’d thought of his speech.

“Tonight went well,” Jacob seemed to read his mind from the front seat. The security guard had his arm up lazily on the rest beneath his window and was peering back at his prince over his shoulder. “From what I could see, everyone seemed pleased with your address.”

[color=#b97703]“Yeah… must have been that magic water you gave me,”[/color] Cas glanced at him with a joking smile.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I think you underestimate your own abilities,” Jacob shook his head, turning around to look forward again. He carried on a conversation easily enough, but the prince could tell by the subtle tilts of his head that the guard was simultaneously listening to other people speak through his earpiece. His multitasking talent had always astounded Cas.

[color=#b97703]“I’m nowhere near as impressive as my dad,”[/color] he rolled his eyes in disbelief, propping his elbow against the side of the car and pressing his cheek into the palm of his hand.

“His Majesty has decades of experience under his belt,” Jacob pointed out. “It may not feel this way, but he was just like you once, learning how to be king. Every leader has to start somewhere.”

[color=#b97703]“I guess so,”[/color] Cas sighed. He turned the other man’s words over in his head for a minute before a half smile crossed his lips. It was difficult for him not to compare himself to Atlas, but hearing Jacob remind him that he still had time left to get there helped ease his feelings of inferiority. He [i]was[/i] still learning, but today, the high borns of the country had thought he’d done a good job. Maybe he really could handle the responsibilities of being king one day. [color=#b97703]“Thanks, Jacob,”[/color] he murmured, his chocolate brown eyes drifting back to the cityscape below. [color=#b97703]“I just hope my dad feels the same way.”[/color]

--

When they got back to the mansion, Caspian climbed out of the car and stretched his legs with a weary groan. It was starting to hit him that all the chaos was over at last, and he could finally rest. There were still two terrorists on the loose, but the soldiers already had their orders about what to do with them, so there was no more need for him to get involved. He could go back to his usual routine—although he was seriously considering taking a day off from his studies to unwind. After everything he’d done in the past thirty-six hours, he felt like he deserved a break.

His guards accompanied him to the building before they parted ways, and the prince headed up to his father’s quarters to find out what his thoughts were on the speech. His heart raced with a mixture of nervousness and excitement that seemed to increase with each tread. Atlas had always been miserly with his compliments, but surely he had at least one good thing to say about the address. After all, the entire audience had responded exactly how the monarch had wanted them to. That had to mean it had been a success, right?

Trying to be hopeful, he walked up to Atlas’s bedroom door and raised his fist to knock. However, before his knuckles made contact with the wood, the panel eased open, and a familiar face stepped out.

[color=#b97703]“Dr. Emett,”[/color] Cas blinked, backing away from the door to let the physician into the hallway. [color=#b97703]“What are you doing here?”[/color]

“Prince Caspian,” the doctor bowed his head politely. “I just came by to run a few tests on His Majesty.”

[color=#b97703]“Oh,”[/color] Cas nodded. [color=#b97703]“Good news, I hope?”[/color]

“We’ll find out tomorrow,” Emett indicated his supply bag. “I need to give these samples to the lab for analysis.”

[color=#b97703]“I hope they come back normal—or at least, not worse than they have been so far…”[/color] he trailed off with a troubled look. [color=#b97703]“Anyway, it was good to see you again, doctor. If you’ll excuse me…”[/color] He took a step to walk around the other man but didn’t get any further before he felt a firm hand on his shoulder.

“If I may, Your Highness,” Dr. Emett smiled at him sympathetically. “It would be best if you wait to see your father tomorrow morning. He’s asleep right now, and he needs all the rest he can get.”

Cas frowned, [color=#b97703]“Didn’t you just take samples from him though?”[/color]

“Given his condition, it’s more comfortable for His Majesty to be asleep for the procedure. I gave him a sedative so he wouldn’t be in any pain.”

The prince felt a trickle of distress creep up his spine, [color=#b97703]“How long has he been out?”[/color]

Dr. Emett checked his watch, “About half an hour, I’d say.”

[color=#b97703]“Oh,”[/color] Caspian’s voice broke slightly as the wave of disappointment crashed over him. If Atlas had been unconscious for that long, it meant he’d missed the entire public address. He cleared his throat, going on in a more subdued tone, [color=#b97703]“Well… thanks for making such a late house call. Call me as soon as you’ve got the results.”[/color] Without waiting for a reply, he turned around to go back down the stairs. He knew it wasn’t fair to blame his ailing father for missing his first major speech, but he couldn’t help feeling slighted by the fact that Atlas had slept through the whole thing. It was hard not to think that his father hadn’t cared about him enough to wait thirty minutes before he’d taken his sedative.

[color=#b97703][i]Don’t go there,[/i][/color] he chided himself silently, clenching his jaw. It was a rabbit hole that would bring nothing but hurt and distrust, and he couldn’t let himself fall into it. The king’s health was more important than one short address. Atlas had only missed it because he’d had more pressing things to take care of, and it wasn’t his fault that Dr. Emett’s visit had overlapped with his trip to the center square. He just had to keep reminding himself of that whenever these situations occurred. He couldn’t believe that the only family he had left didn’t seem to want anything to do with him, because then he would have no one.

Trying not to drown in his internal turmoil, he made his way down to Iris’s bedroom and knocked on the door. He hoped that at least one person had stayed awake long enough to wait for him to come back. Right now, he could use some warm company, so he wouldn’t have to find solace at the bottom of a glass of whiskey.