As Iris clutched at his clothes, Caspian just held onto her more tightly, offering what little comfort he could to ease her pain. It felt unfair that she had gone through so much when she’d done nothing to deserve it. She had lost her memories because her father had coerced her into coming to the capital to carry out a job that she wasn’t cruel enough to do; she had been manipulated again by her ex-boyfriend and suffered alongside him when they had been on the run from the rebellion; and even after all that, she had been tormented by the soldiers at the penitentiary when all she had tried to do was save his life. She was one of the kindest, most selfless people he’d ever met, and it wrenched his heart to know that all she got in return was more anguish.

When she told him that there hadn’t been a good moment to talk about everything she had gone through, he nodded solemnly, brushing a loose lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. [color=#b97703]“I know,”[/color] he sighed. [color=#b97703]“I hate how little time we’ve had together since we got back… but you did try to tell Jacob to hide this from me, and that’s what I don’t want you to do anymore. I want to be here for you, Iris, but I can only do that if you let me.”[/color] He loved her so much, it hurt, and even though it was almost physically painful to hear about everything she’d endured, he felt certain that it was better than never finding out. They had to be a cohesive team. If they weren’t, they would just unravel under their individual trials.

And he only felt more sure of his conclusion when she went on to tell him that she’d wished she was dead when she’d been subjected to the most horrific method of torture the Aspirian military had developed to date. He bit his lip, fighting back the sadness and anger that welled up inside of him. [color=#b97703]“I know…”[/color] he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. [color=#b97703]“That drug is only supposed to be used on high-level prisoners of war. They shouldn’t have used it on you, and I’m so sorry no one stopped them from making you experience it.”[/color] Now that he was aware of what had happened, he planned to have his say about the gross misuse of power. If he had his way, Matthew would be fired within the week.

He was relieved that Iris was willing to try to open up to him more though. He hoped she never had to go anything as difficult as she had within the last month or so, but even if she only had minor troubles, he wanted to be there for her every step of the way. He was also glad that she was willing to try to eat something. [color=#b97703]“Go ahead,”[/color] he said in response to both her announcement that she was going to have her breakfast and her request to lean on him while she ate.

Rearranging on the sofa so they could both be more comfortable, Cas wrapped one arm around Iris’s shoulders and let his eyes wander around the hotel room while she tried to eat. After about a minute, his gaze rested on his cell phone, which he’d left on airplane mode on a table the night before. He shifted his weight slightly. Until now, he’d been uncertain about how he should move forward after he’d left home, but after everything Iris had told him, he felt like he should go back. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he was the only one in the kingdom who had the authority to rectify some of the corruption and cruelty that had infected the monarchy. His father would never do it, and he didn’t know of anyone else who would even try. He didn’t like the weight of the responsibility, but it was the role he’d been born into. He had to step up and own it.

[color=#b97703]“Excuse me for a second…”[/color] he said, patting Iris on the shoulder and getting up from the couch to get the device he’d left abandoned. Once he had it in his hand, he sat back down next to her again and took a slow breath. As soon as he unlocked the signal, it would be traceable. He’d have to act fast to get ahold of Jacob to explain himself before the royal security team tracked him down at the Sunset Veil. So, bracing himself to make a quick call, he turned off the airplane mode and opened the contact for the head of the security team. However, before he could touch the icon to call him, the phone practically had a seizure as it was assaulted with a barrage of missed messages.

Cas blinked, taken aback. He’d known that he was going to have some texts and calls because people would be searching for him after he disappeared, but he hadn’t expected to find so many. Curious, he tapped on the thread from Jacob, which had the most missed messages out of all of them… and immediately paled as he read the content he uncovered:

[center][i][b]12:17AM
Caspian, it’s late and your father wants you to come home. Please return to the palace or I’ll have to send some of my men to get you.

12:42AM
Where are you? Call me back.

1:05AM
Your safety is a matter of national security. I don’t know what you’re doing, but I can’t do my job until you return my calls. Call me ASAP.

1:58AM
Caspian, come back to the palace *now*. Your father just had a stroke and is currently being transported to the hospital for emergency treatment. He doesn’t look good.

3:33AM
I hate to say this over text, but since you’re still not picking up your phone, I’m afraid I have no choice. The doctors were unable to save your father and he passed away at 3:24 tonight. I’m so sorry.

4:48AM
Your Highness, please come back to the palace. Aspiria needs a leader, and you’re the only man who can fill the vacancy. You’re our king now.[/b][/i][/center]

For a moment, the world felt like it had stopped spinning. Cas stared at the text thread blankly. His father was dead. He was the next king. It was almost too much to handle, and he pressed a hand to his head, suddenly dizzy. So many emotions swirled inside of him that he couldn’t even begin to sort them out. Shock, pain, sadness, fear, regret. Above all, though, he couldn’t believe that all of this had happened on the night he’d run away from home. He’d tried to make a statement to his father, but instead, he’d abandoned him in his final hour of need. The realization stung like a knife that had been buried and twisted inside his heart. This was possibly the worst thing he’d ever done, and he didn’t even have time to process it.

[color=#b97703]“Iris…”[/color] he rasped, and then cleared his throat to try to get his voice under control. [color=#b97703]“I-I’m sorry… I have to leave. Right now.”[/color] He tore his eyes away from the screen of his phone to meet her gaze dazedly. [color=#b97703]“My… my dad died. I have to go back to the palace… I’m so sorry.”[/color]