First five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. Caspian frowned at the black screen of his phone. Iris had never been late to call him before. Every time the device blinked on, his heart jumped, and he hoped it was finally the call he’d been waiting for, only to be disappointed when he saw another text back from Jay or Miles. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he could feel his nerves setting in the longer he went without hearing the coveted chirp of an incoming call. She had to have been mad at him. There was nothing else he could think of to explain it. She was stuck at the resort with nowhere else to go while the military was looking for her, so it wasn’t like she was busy. Of course, he supposed she could have fallen asleep on him this time, but it seemed unlikely too.

Letting his breath out in a tense sigh, he drummed his fingers against his leg. He wanted to apologize to her for taking their conversations for granted recently, but if she was giving him the cold shoulder, there was nothing he could do to reach her… Aside from see her in person to have the conversation, that was. He wondered if it was even possible. Now that he was king, it felt like the royal guards were monitoring him even closer than they had been when he was just the heir to the throne. His father had never left the building without multiple escorts either, so he wasn’t sure if he could get away with a trip to the [i]Sunset Veil[/i] alone.

At this point, it seemed to be worth a shot though. He didn’t want to leave things sour between himself and Iris, so, getting up from the bed, he changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, threw on a pair of shoes and headed out his bedroom door.

At first, it seemed like he would be able to get away with the impromptu trip. The guards he passed in the hallway only bowed their heads politely as he passed by. No one bothered to ask what he was doing—until he neared the door to the garage.

“Your Majesty, where are you going?”

Cas cringed at the sound of Jacob’s voice behind him. His hand hovered over the door knob, and he turned to see the head of security standing with his arms folded over his chest like a skeptical parent. [color=#b97703]“I wanted to go for a drive,”[/color] he bluffed, shifting his weight uncomfortably. He’d never been a very good liar, especially when someone else was putting him on the spot. Still, he did his best as he offered up a fake explanation: [color=#b97703]“I need some time to myself after… you know, all the meetings and stuff I’ve had to go to over the last two weeks… Driving helps me clear my head.”[/color]

Jacob studied him silently. It was common knowledge that Aspiria’s newest monarch did enjoy driving to destress, but he was observant enough to tell that something was off with the younger man’s behavior. “Why now?” he asked. “It’s late, sire, and we’re still inspecting the city’s borders for weaknesses beyond the forest. Right now, the royal line is vulnerable, so I feel it would be better for you to stay here for the night.”

Cas chewed the inside of his lip. He could tell by Jacob’s tone that the guard wasn’t going to budge about letting him take off alone while it was dark out. Still, he didn’t want to give up when he may have lost his only form of communication with Iris. He couldn’t handle the thought of making her more miserable in the capital than she already was. [color=#b97703]“What about tomorrow?”[/color] he posed, letting his hand drop from the knob. [color=#b97703]“I really need a break from everything. Can I cancel a morning appointment to go for a drive during the day?”[/color]

Jacob pursed his lips. “Are you sure that’s the best idea? You have a meeting scheduled with the warden to sentence some of our war criminals. It will be an important opportunity for you to establish yourself as a strong leader.”

[color=#b97703]“Push it back to the afternoon. I’ll skip lunch,”[/color] Cas suggested.

Jacob hesitated. He wanted to press the young king further about the matter, sensing that something wasn’t right, but he didn’t have the authority to disobey a direct order. So instead, he merely bowed his head, “I’ll speak with your PR agent about it.”

[color=#b97703]“Thanks, Jacob,”[/color] Cas felt his shoulders relax.

Jacob nodded and turned to leave, then paused to add one more thing: “And Your Majesty… I hope you know that if there’s anything weighing on your mind, you can talk to me about it. As a friend.”

Cas blinked, caught off guard by the offer. For half a second, he was almost tempted to spill the fact that he was still seeing Iris and tell the guard that he was having a hard time fixing all the problems that were preventing them from being together. He wanted someone to talk to. However, a voice in the back of his head warned him that it might not be a good idea, so he just nodded back, [color=#b97703]“Thanks… I’ll keep that in mind.”[/color]

With that, the two parted ways, and the fledgling king headed back to his bedroom. He was still worried about Iris, but at least he had a plan in place to see her the next morning. It was better than nothing, so he changed back into his nightclothes and settled down in bed, hoping to get some sleep before he would make the drive to the resort the following day.