While Iris slept against his side, Cas managed to move past the awkward moment as his thoughts wandered back to his unmade decision about going home. He didn’t want to rush into choosing one path over another, but it was difficult not to think about it when it was such an important choice. He still couldn’t believe his father wasn’t stopping everything to look for him. Even if Atlas hadn’t cared much about him as family, he’d thought the king would at least want to make sure he came back so he could take over the throne. There was no one else in the capital that was equipped or even allowed by law to do it in his place.

It was common knowledge that in Aspiria, only a blood relative or a spouse could succeed the crown after a ruler passed away. His father had always said he wasn’t going to take a second wife after his first passed away, and he didn’t trust any of his estranged siblings or their families enough to name one of them as his inheritor. Cas didn’t know the full story, but he’d heard about some sort of betrayal of trust that had happened between Atlas and one of his brothers decades ago that had provoked the monarch to write all but his immediate family out of his will. At the time, the king had thought he was protecting the crown in doing so, but now his decision to thin the royal line was coming back around to bite him. Never before had the monarchy been this vulnerable to being completely severed. It was why he couldn’t fathom a reason why his father didn’t seem to care whether his only heir survived or not.

Mulling over it for so long that he lost track of time, he was roused from his thoughts when he felt Iris stir against his side. He craned his neck to look down at her and smiled as she clung to him, still half asleep. No matter what was going on with his father, at least he could have some peace of mind with the knowledge that he wasn’t completely alone. [color=#b97703]“I didn’t tell you to get up,”[/color] he chuckled at her request for ‘five more minutes.’ Reaching up, he placed a hand on the arm she’d draped over his chest and stroked it gently until she finished waking up.

Suddenly, he felt her pull away from him, and he looked up at her bemusedly as she apologized to him. [color=#b97703]“I don’t know what you’re sorry about,”[/color] he said, sitting up beside her and stretching his limbs. He’d been comfortable lying next to her, but he’d gotten a little stiff because he’d been careful not to move so he wouldn’t wake her. [color=#b97703]“I made you wait for me when I took a nap first. It isn’t a big deal.”[/color]

Glancing up at the sky, he wasn’t sure exactly what time it was, but the sun seemed to be moving gradually toward the western horizon. It was probably late in the afternoon. [color=#b97703]“How are you feeling now?”[/color] he asked, turning back to Iris. She’d still felt hot pressed up against his side, but he couldn’t tell if it was because of her fever or because she was wearing two jackets while he was just in a snug t-shirt. He hoped the rest had helped her recover at least a little.