Iris’s flattery made Caspian sit up straighter on his side of the booth. It was relieving to hear that she thought he had looked confident, since he had been worried that he hadn’t hidden his nervousness very well at the time. The reminder that the people of the capital had cheered for him throughout the speech was bolstering as well. He didn’t know if he would go so far as to say they adored him, but at the very least, they had approved. That was all he could have asked for, especially when the other high borns were used to his father’s impressive addresses. He had just wanted to show everyone he was competent under pressure.

[color=#b97703]“Me either,”[/color] he shook his head when she said she couldn’t handle any more craziness. It had been a wild week. First he’d found her passed out and bloodied in the woods, then he’d made visits to the hospital every day to check on her, then she had moved in with him and they’d continued their efforts to recover her memories in the city, and then terrorists had almost killed his father and the rest of the madness had ensued. It was enough craziness to last a lifetime, and he was sure it was even more stressful for her.

At her question, Cas nodded. [color=#b97703]“The military is taking every measure to bring them in,”[/color] he assured her. [color=#b97703]“They’ve got every exit heavily guarded, the streets are being patrolled almost constantly, and no one can get in or out of any public building without a valid capital ID. It won’t take long to smoke them out, and then we can keep working on getting your memories back.”[/color] There was no uncertainty in his voice as he spoke. He still wasn’t sure how the rebels had gotten inside the mansion in the first place when the building was already closely monitored, but he trusted the soldiers to eliminate the threats before they could put anyone else’s lives at risk. They just had to sit back and wait for the announcement that the city was safe again.

Iris’s rambling drew a frown to the prince’s face, but she changed the subject before he had a chance to respond to her. [color=#b97703]“Yeah,”[/color] he shrugged when she spoke of his friends. [color=#b97703]“They won’t be able to visit until the lockdown is lifted though. But it might be for the best.”[/color] An amused smile briefly replaced his somber expression. [color=#b97703]“I don’t think you’ve been taking my warnings about them seriously enough.”[/color]

In the next moment, his smile disappeared again, and he sighed. [color=#b97703]“And… I know my dad can be a lot to handle, but he doesn’t hate you. He just hates the villain he’s made you out to be in his head. I promise he won’t hold it against you forever. He just needs to see proof that you’re not lying, and then you’ll see that he can be… well, he can at least be tolerable when he doesn’t think you’re out to get him or me.”[/color] He reached across the table to give her hand a comforting squeeze. He may not have had the best relationship with Atlas, but he knew the monarch well enough to feel certain that he’d ease up on the amnesiac once he saw her for who she really was.

“Here are your drinks, Your Highness,” Martin’s voice caught his attention as the bartender returned to their table with a glass and a champagne flute.

[color=#b97703]“Thanks, Martin,”[/color] Cas retracted his hand from Iris’s and picked up the drink that the other man had just set down on the table. He lifted it to his lips and took a sip, then sighed again with satisfaction. [color=#b97703]“I swear alcohol tastes better when you’ve earned it.”[/color]