Not long after he crawled out of bed, Caspian found out why the servants had woken him up three hours before his coronation. There was much more to do than just eat breakfast, get dressed and walk into the throne room to receive the crown. While he did have a small meal before leaving his bedroom, the rest of his morning was a bustle of tailoring ceremonial garb to fit his frame and going through pages and pages of legal documents that would make his transition to king official. None of it seemed to fit the theme of ‘celebration,’ but he supposed there was always busywork that went on behind the scenes of events like these.

Once he got his morning shower out of the way, he was met by a small team of seamsters who brought with them the outfit that every crown prince in Aspiria’s history wore to his coronation. The trousers and tunic-like top were a crisp white with a thick gold trim at the hems of the neckline and sleeves, and it was ornamented with a sash across the waist in the same aureate color. In past generations, the style of clothing was commonly worn among the royal family, but in more modern times, it was only used for special occasions.

While the seamsters took his measurements and marked the clothes where they would need to be taken in, Cas fingered the fabric in idle remembrance of his father. Atlas had been the last person to wear the garments, and it felt strange to know that the way they fit him now was the way they had fit the last monarch on his wedding day. He wasn’t sure if he felt more saddened by the fact that the uniform would be altered or honored that he was going to share the tradition of wearing it with the man who had raised him.

After the seamsters had what they needed, the prince changed back into a pair of joggers and a t-shirt and went with one of the servants to another room while the others took the clothes away to be adjusted. Caspian headed to the office that used to belong to Atlas, where he was met by a lawyer already waiting with a briefcase and a binder. They sat down across from each other at the executive desk, and the other man walked him through the contents of each page on the stack of documents that he’d brought along to finalize his legal right to the throne. It was all very bureaucratic, and after just a few pages, his head felt like it was swimming. Still, he signed the forms where he was told to, and when he was done, the lawyer smiled and stood up from the desk to shake his hand.

“Congratulations, your majesty,” he said, picking up his briefcase and offering a respectful bow of his head.

[color=#b97703]“Well, almost,”[/color] Cas shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets as he watched the paperwork disappear into the binder. [color=#b97703]“I still have to get through the coronation.”[/color]

The lawyer stared at him for a moment, then smiled again and waved his hand, “The ceremony is just a formality. The moment you signed these papers, you legally took on the title of king. It’s the same procedure as with a wedding. When you sign the marriage license, you’re married, but you still go through with the ceremony and proclaim ‘I do’ in front of a crowd. You’re our king now, my lord. The rest is just tradition.”

Caspian blinked, surprised by that news. He would have thought that becoming king would feel like a major step in his life, but instead, he’d just signed up for the job in his lazy day clothes. Somehow, he felt a little cheated out of the experience by finding out afterwards, but it may have been a good thing. By not knowing what he was doing, the anxiety that he’d expected to feel about the transition hadn’t had a chance to hit him. [color=#b97703]“That was easier than I thought it would be,”[/color] he mused aloud.

In the next moment, there was a knock on the door, and a servant stepped inside and bowed, “Your highness, the tailors are ready for you to try on the uniform again.”

[color=#b97703]“I’ll be right there,”[/color] Cas told him. With one last glance at the lawyer, he took a breath and walked back out of the room. There was only about half an hour left before the ceremony, so he didn’t have time to process the fact that he was the new ruler of Aspiria. He still needed to finish getting ready to stand before his people and let it be known to them that he was ready to take over. There was no turning back now.