[IC] Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

[sukikyoufu]

“I’m sorry Ethan.” Sighing softly to herself as she tentatively reached out to touch his hand but flinched when he pulled it away quickly from her, she had hurt him, and she knew she had. A part of her felt guilty for it, she should have remembered she had a boyfriend, or she should have been smart enough to not get caught up with liking someone else. “I… maybe it’s best we get out of here.”

“We should, but it’s quite tight with security. It’s a miracle we managed to get out once, so they probably know we have a hacker.” Ethan shrugged as he turned away from Iris, it was hard not be angry with her and now she was backing away from the original plan. Rubbing his temples, he was tired himself, he had been on the run and been through part of the interrogation process which wasn’t easy. “Just… don’t get us caught. You don’t want to know what they do down there.”

“What happened?”

“… No. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ethan…” Grimacing Iris rubbed her arm watching him wander around the room, it hurt. She didn’t know what she could do to help, it had all become one big mess and a part of her wanted to be on her own away from everything and everyone. That won’t happen. How can I leave without it being weird? Plus, Cas is always with me because of my memories so it would be weird… what if Cas finds out? Will he hate me? Biting her lip as she couldn’t help but think on these things even though Ethan was stood right there, and he was meant to be her boyfriend.

“Do you hear that?” Whispering as Ethan turned his head hearing voices approach the room.

“Oh no!” Panicking as Iris got to her feet, she looked around the room wondering where best for him to hide. “You need to hide! Quickly!” Whispering she ushered Ethan to hurry up as he moved trying to find a good place to hide so he wouldn’t be seen or heard.

Oh crap, that’s Cas… who is he with. They don’t sound happy. Shaking slightly, she glanced around the room for anything out of place, worried that something would look off but that was because she was paranoid.

“Iris, just… don’t panic. You can ramble a lot when nervous.” Whispering his last words before he hid inside one of the wardrobes, a part of him felt this was a stupid place to hide but they had no reason to look for anyone in her room. His own heart was racing, and he could feel the adrenaline, whilst curling up in the wardrobe he made sure he kept quiet. Hands balled into fists in case he had to spring into action and make some daring escape with Iris.

Raking fingers through her hair trying to neaten it she moved sitting back on the bed making it look as if she had just woken up. Iris found herself questioning everything she was doing and if it looked natural. Glancing down at her hands she could see herself shaking slightly, partly because she was scared, and another part was because she was cold due to the severe lack of sleep. Although she had a pale complexion, she looked ghostly white, dark circles under her eyes showing she hadn’t slept. Iris did not look healthy, not at all and she felt a bag of nerves at the idea of talking to Cas.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Dad, come on,” Caspian pleaded as he walked with his father down the hall. “Iris has already been through a lot since she lost her memories, and you know how ruthless the interrogators can be. It would be cruel to send her to them when she hasn’t even done anything wrong.” And, more personally, he hated the thought of exposing someone he was growing fond of to questioning by the military. The soldiers wouldn’t go easy on her, and he had seen the aftermath of their inhumane methods before. It would have been hard enough to let them take charge of her if she had been a stranger to him. Now that they were getting close to each other and had even kissed, the idea of subjecting her to veritable torture made him blanch in horror.

“The timing of it all is too suspicious to ignore,” Atlas asserted, turning to his son with a stern frown. “If you’re going to succeed me, you have to start making strong decisions. What’s more important: Sparing one girl or protecting the crown?”

“The crown…” Cas averted his gaze, trailing off as he scrambled to think of a way to convince his father not to send Iris to the interrogators.

“So you understand,” Atlas nodded sagely. “If it turns out that she’s innocent, she may return here. If she is found guilty, we will have stopped the Scourge from dismantling the monarchy. It is what’s best for everyone.”

Everyone except Iris, the prince squirmed under the mounting pressure. “What if there’s a way to compromise?” he suggested, grasping at straws in his desperation to keep the amnesiac safe. There had to be something he could do. He spoke slowly as a half-formed idea developed in his mind, “What if… you question her first? I’m sure the interrogators already have their hands full with the two prisoners in their custody. If she says anything that makes you think she’s part of the rebellion, then… you can send her to them for further questioning.” He swallowed nervously. “But if she doesn’t, then you have to accept that I was right and that she’s just a normal girl who happened to get wrapped up in this mess against her will.”

Atlas was quiet as he considered the proposal and then shook his head, “It would be more efficient to send her directly to the soldiers.”

“Not necessarily,” Cas objected, his heart racing as he remembered a piece of information that might make his idea more appealing to the monarch. “There’s an interrogation scheduled for the prisoners at ten this morning—in eight minutes. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to speak to Iris here, while the soldiers question the rebels at the same time? I’ll even keep my earpiece turned on, so I can relay any updates they give me while you’re with her.” He tapped the device, which he had placed back in its spot before he’d left his bedroom that morning. For the first time, he was glad he was the one who had been communicating with the military all night. Maybe his knowledge of the internal affairs would be enough to persuade his stubborn father.

Again, Atlas was silent. After a moment, he exhaled, “Very well then. But if she says or does anything to rouse my suspicion, I will have security escort her to the holding facility.”

“That sounds fair enough,” Cas agreed, still slightly anxious. He didn’t like the fact that interrogating Iris wasn’t off the table, but at least the king was no longer pushing to send her to the soldiers right away. As long as the questioning went well—and he felt fairly confident that it would—the amnesiac would be just fine.

As Atlas approached the room, the prince fell in step behind him. He fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt with one hand and reached into his pocket with the other, holding down the fingerprint scanner on the handheld end of his com device to gain access to the security team’s frequency. The sound of voices hummed in his ear, and he listened to the guards speaking back and forth about the scheduled interrogation while his father knocked on her door.

“Iris, open up,” the monarch spoke brusquely. “It’s your king. I need to have a word with you.”

[sukikyoufu]

Glancing over at where Ethan had chosen to hide himself, she felt incredibly anxious, how was she going to play this charade? You’re going to have to think of something. Grimacing slightly as she rubbed her arm, the nerves were going to eat her alive and the idea of Cas finding out, breaking his heart only added to the pressure she was beginning to feel in the room. She could hear the voices just outside of her door and she bit her lip, she wasn’t the most presentable, but she could play it off as if she had just woken up.

Wincing as she heard the pounds on the door, she felt her body tremble, she had heard his voice. The King and he was quite frightening. Flashes of their previous dinner reminded her that he could be quite ruthless when needed. Do not give him any reason to suspect you, you are just a girl with amnesia.

Moving to the door quickly she exhaled a breath, trying to compose herself as she opened it wide allowing passage for the King and Caspain. Taking a few steps back she bowed her head respectfully cringing at the twinge in her leg for moving so fast as it had not fully healed just yet. “Your highness… ah..” Looking up she smiled slightly before glancing at the bed, “Forgive me, I was not expecting visitors so early… I…” Her hands began to fiddle as she looked confused, apologising for the fact she wasn’t entirely dressed for the day. She was decent of course but her fingers moved to her hair smoothing it out a bit more, she could feel the fatigue, but she had to pay attention, she could not mess up.

What do I say? Do I just let it be quiet? I shouldn’t address him without having reason, too right? Thoughts ran through her head and she averted her gaze to the floor respectfully, focusing on the carpet. Dark circles were evident under her eyes, her usual complexion paler than usual and it didn’t look as if she was to well. The events of everything had taken its toll on her but she could use it to her advantage, tell them she was under the weather and concerned after the attack because she knew nothing of these rebels.

Don’t even look at where Ethan is hiding, act normal. You will be fine. Although a horrifying thought had crossed her mind. What if they have me interrogated? Ethan mentioned them… mentioned their unorthodox ways. He wouldn’t speak of it fully, but I can only imagine it’s horrible. Stop it Iris! Stop thinking these thoughts. You have nothing to worry about. They don’t know you have some of your memories yet, they will never know. Get through this and maybe it’s your chance to get out… She felt a pang in her heart, leaving meant saying goodbye to Caspain. It would be for the best… right?

[Rogue Sloth]

As the door opened, Cas leaned sideways to peer around his father’s back. At any other time, he would have been happy to see Iris, but right now, he was just hoping she would be able to handle being questioned by Atlas. He wasn’t sure what the king might decide was “suspicious” enough to warrant extreme measures. There was also no way for him to warn her about the deal they had made without his father overhearing, so he just had to cross his fingers that she wouldn’t do or say anything to set the monarch off.

Following Atlas into the room, the prince noticed with some concern that Iris looked like she was ailing. Her fair skin looked paler than usual, and it seemed like she hadn’t gotten much sleep during the night. While the sight made him feel relieved that he had managed to dissuade the king from sending her straight to the interrogators, he worried that if she had gotten sick, she wouldn’t have the mental agility to keep the monarch from deciding she was guilty of conspiring with the rebellion. The thought made him swallow hard, and he lightly bit his tongue to keep himself from alerting her to the potential danger she was in.

Relax, relax, he chided himself silently. Her innocence will prove itself. There’s no reason to freak out. He exhaled slowly, side-stepping around the inside of the doorframe to stand against the wall while his father strode further toward the center of the room. There was nothing he could do during the questioning aside from simply being present, so he kept his distance and tried to focus on the voices transmitting through his earpiece. The interrogation of the prisoners was due to start in two minutes.

“You look tired,” Atlas, who was even keener than his son, observed as he turned back to the amnesiac. He gestured to the sofa. “Sit. This shouldn’t take long.” There was a confidence to his voice that made Caspian frown. Despite all his assertions that Iris wasn’t involved in the Scourge, it seemed like his father was still convinced that she was to blame for the attack on their home. He hoped the king wouldn’t let his personal bias influence his decision when he chose to either let her remain in the mansion or send her away for further questioning.

He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms loosely over his chest, distracting himself from his nervousness by listening to the soldiers who were present at the interrogation. They were reviewing the information they had already squeezed out of the terrorists—none of which was useful so far—and ranking the importance of information they still hoped to procure throughout the process. The conversation was uninteresting to him, but it was better than paying attention to his father, who had just begun his own private investigation.

“Tell me, Iris,” Atlas’s tone was both smooth as velvet and sharp as a sword. “From which district in the capital were you born?”

[sukikyoufu]

It was hard not to be nervous around the King, he was stern and quite fearsome something she personally did not want to be on the bad side of. Glancing over at Cas she could see him move inside and lean against the wall which meant he was not taking part in whatever his father wanted from her. Grimacing at his words when he commented on the fact, she looked tired she did not know how to answer that, she hadn’t slept but that was the least of her worries right now. Especially with Ethan hidden in the room and one wrong move would no doubt have her thrown into the cells.

Moving to the sofa she sat herself down placing her hands in her lap as she looked over the King, he was confident in his words. She had never heard a hint of doubt leave his lips, but that had to be due to the fact he was a well experienced monarch. The confidence in his voice however only made her feel far inferior and added to the wave of nerves she was already feeling. He probably suspects me, well. It is me. He was right about me all along, he was right to have his suspicions.

Hearing his next words only confirmed her doubts, he did suspect her. Frowning as she looked down at her hands, she felt her shoulders slump, that was an answer she could not give him. It was also something she did not know, as much as Ethan had explained a few things not every memory of hers had returned so she wasn’t exactly lying to him. “I wish I could tell you that, I had hoped to regain more, offer more information as to who I am but… I don’t know.” Her voice sounded defeated, as if she had beaten herself up over her memories which was partly true as most of the night, she had beaten herself up over finding out her true purpose here.

“That’s probably not something you wanted to hear either.” Considering the current circumstances. “I don’t know who I am, I don’t know who my family are, and it scares me.” Touching her head, she inwardly sighed, unsure on if she was helping matters or not but she couldn’t give him any answers not without giving herself up and breaking a few hearts along the way.

The only reason this has happened was because Ethan came looking for me, what would have happened had he not? There was a part that wondered ad no one come to find her would she be blissfully unaware. Would she be spending her time with Cas like nothing was wrong? No, his father is cautious, I’ll always be suspected until he can prove my identity. I’m on borrowed time. I need to leave.

[Rogue Sloth]

As soon as the first question left Atlas’s lips, Cas winced. He tried to pay attention to the beginning of the interrogation going on through his com device, even bringing his hand up to cup his ear in order to make the transmission more prominent. However, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore the situation in front of him. After he and Iris had admitted their feelings for each other the night before, he felt like it was partly his responsibility to make sure that his father didn’t send her to a cell when she hadn’t done anything wrong. Because of that, he had inadvertently put himself in a position where it was hard to follow either of the conversations.

The prince glanced at the amnesiac when she responded to the king’s inquiry. Of course she couldn’t give him a proper answer. She didn’t even know her own last name. He wished his stubborn father would just accept that they wouldn’t learn anything more about her until her memories came back, but it seemed like the monarch was determined to bleed any information out of her that he could, whether his prodding would yield fruit or not. He pitied Iris for being on the receiving end of Atlas’s bullheadedness.

The subjects are still refusing to give names, a soldier’s voice announced, distracting Cas again. Shall we proceed with the Aproveset injections?

The use of Aproveset is authorized, a second voice replied.

Cas felt his stomach twist at the mention of the drug. It had been discreetly developed by the Aspirian military as a tool for interrogation, causing pain and delirium to prisoners who had the misfortune of being exposed to it. Five minutes after an injection to the neck, they wouldn’t be able to keep their secrets any longer, and the soldiers would find out everything they wanted to know. The method was equally effective as it was cruel.

“I would like to believe that,” Atlas sighed, catching the prince’s attention yet again. The king clasped his hands behind his back as he stood before Iris. “However, there’s something that has been bothering me.”

The prisoners have received the injections. Questioning will resume when the Aproveset takes effect.

“It seems strange that after about a week of my son investing his time into helping you regain your memories, you still can’t recall anything that would tell us who you are.”

Captain, there’s something wrong with the prisoners.

“I find it… convenient that you don’t remember your district, your relatives, or even your last name. In fact, you don’t even have an ID in spite of my decree that all high born citizens are to carry identification on their person at all times.”

Damn it! The bastards had capsules in their mouths that they broke with their teeth. It looks like cyanide powder.

“I must be honest with you, Iris. It’s difficult for me to believe you’re from this city at all,” Atlas sighed. “If you truly were a citizen of the capital, then you should be able to tell me something about it, shouldn’t you?”

The prisoners are being escorted to the emergency facility now to receive an antidote. Their conditions are unstable, and it is unclear if they’ll survive. We will provide an update after the physician treats them.

There was a victorious glint in the king’s cold eyes as he gazed down at his suspect. “Go ahead, girl. Name just one detail about this city that you didn’t learn from Caspian. Prove to me that I shouldn’t turn you in to the soldiers right now.”

[sukikyoufu]

Has it really been a week? Wincing at his words as he said how he would like to believe that, which only meant he was still suspicious of her. I can’t blame him. I was here to kill his son. She had started to niggle the inside of her lip, nerves bubbling away in her stomach as she watched him stand up making her feel small against the monarch.

It is strange, I don’t belong here. That’s why I can’t remember anything. A part of her just wanted to admit that she was not from here, it was tiring and stressful knowing her own truth and she wondered how she would have reacted to being questioned like this had she not remembered anything. Would I still be this nervous? Deep down she knew she couldn’t say anything, she had to keep at the fact she didn’t know anything. It was the only option she had even though the Monarch was unrelenting with his questions and they easily struck fear within her.

Trying not to glance at Caspain she didn’t want him to see her emotions, she was fearful, scared and quite upset. She knew she was lying, but she had to continue lying to save herself. Ethan had told her about the soldiers although he hadn’t said about their techniques, she could only imagine they could be gruesome and in her condition she would not last. Sighing herself as she looked down at the ground, she felt defeated, but she also looked defeated with fighting against him. “I… I understand where you are coming from… but I have never meant any harm to either of you. That was never my intention.” Although it was what I was tasked to do, maybe I would have done it had I not lost my memories, but I did. Everything changed from then and I could not imagine hurting any of them.

Feeling broken she couldn’t help the tears that had started to fall, she was exhausted, tired and she felt her stomach start to churn once more and not in a good way. “I simply don’t know…” Whispering her words as she placed her head in her hands unable to look at either of them in the room, “There was only ever one thing I remembered to do with the Capital and that was my mother used to visit the Full Moon bar. That was the only thing I ever remembered, nothing else has come back and I don’t know what I can do to show you that.”

Sitting quite uncomfortably hidden in the wardrobe Ethan listened to the conversation. Feeling his hands curled into fists he wanted to help, he wished he could help her but if he was to jump out take her by the hand and run, they would get nowhere. It would not doubt sign their deaths. Grimacing as she sounded tired, broken almost that was partly his fault. Maybe if they had rested, she would have more of a mental capacity to deal with the questioning. The King was suspicious of her and he knew if he was in that situation he would have been too.

Frowning slightly as he heard her talk about a bar in the Capital, her mother had visited there? Is this a lie? Pondering the thought further he remembered how her father used to go on about how his wife had been too good for him, maybe she had been from the Capital? Surely not, who would leave such a life and be a part of poverty?

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas fidgeted uncomfortably with his com device as his father questioned Iris as if she was a terrorist. He wanted to speak up to tell the king that she would have told him already if she had gotten any of her memories back. There was no way for her to go off on a scholarly tangent about the inner workings of the capital when she didn’t even know her own last name. He doubted she remembered much about the city at all. Throughout their previous conversations about the high born district, her face had either been blank or lit up with wonder when he’d described places and things that were commonplace to the aristocracy. That wasn’t the reaction of someone who recalled the place where she was from. It was pointless to assault her with questions to which she couldn’t reply. Threatening her with relocation was worse.

As the overwhelmed amnesiac began to cry, Cas paled. He had already known Atlas would be ruthless in his interrogation, but he hadn’t thought his father would be cold enough to bring tears to her eyes. He hoped the king would show her some mercy now that Iris had named a bar in the area. Granted, it was one that he had told her about when she was still in the hospital, but there was no way Atlas could know that. He was confident that she was a high born, and he had no intention of throwing her under the bus when she was already having a terrible morning because of his father.

“The Full Moon,” Atlas repeated with a glance over his shoulder at his son. Although he was the ruler of Aspiria, he wasn’t familiar with every building and business in his kingdom. The bars and clubs in particular were beyond his scope of attention most of the time, since he had never been one to spend his evenings drinking even in his youth. Unlike the current crown prince, he had spent every waking minute preparing to rule the country and had taken his duties far more seriously.

“It’s a bar in the central district,” Cas explained, relaxing slightly now that the conversation going on through his earpiece had stopped for the moment.

“Is this a place you’ve told her about?” Atlas asked accusatively.

The prince cursed silently. “Maybe,” he shrugged, attempting to answer the question as vaguely as he could. “We’ve been talking about a lot of things because I’m trying to help her recover her memories, but that doesn’t mean her mother never went to that bar.”

“Or she’s twisting your words to make it sound like she has a history here,” the king countered sharply, turning back to Iris. “I’m sorry, but I’m not convinced you’re not an outsider. I’ll call the guards to escort you to a cell for further questioning.”

“Wait, wait,” Cas jumped in quickly, stepping away from the wall to approach his father. “Dad, that’s not fair. Taking her somewhere else isn’t going to change the fact that she can’t tell you what you want to hear. She won’t know who she is or where she’s from until her memories come back.”

“Unless she already knows and is choosing to withhold that information because she’s part of the Scourge,” Atlas narrowed his eyes at the girl. “If she was a high born, someone would have come for her by now. That she is still here is proof to me that she doesn’t belong, and I’m sure the interrogators will confirm my beliefs when they have their turn with her.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” Cas insisted, taking a step closer to Iris in subconscious protectiveness. “If she’s just a regular citizen, you’ll scar her for no damn good reason. Then what are you going to do when word gets out that you sent an innocent girl to the soldiers?”

“Our people will understand that we must take extreme measures when a threat is posed to the crown,” Atlas rebutted. “Even if it’s hard to swallow, they can trust that we’ll take every precaution to keep not only ourselves, but them safe from the rebels.”

Cas clenched his hands into fists at his sides, his mind working furiously to come up with a way to convince the determined monarch. It sounded like his father was going to send Iris away no matter what he said, but he couldn’t stand the thought of letting her endure the interrogators without a fight. “What if there’s a better solution?” he posed, grasping at a half-formed idea as he held the king’s gaze.

“Such as?” Atlas folded his arms.

“Well…” the prince trailed off until a plan clicked in his head. “Call Dr. Emett. Instead of sending her to the soldiers to find out if she has her memories back, we can set up a brain scan. Then we’ll know for sure if she remembers who she is or not.”

Atlas paused, seeming taken aback by the proposal, and Cas stood up slightly straighter. He was pleased with himself for coming up with a perfect way to prove to his father that Iris was still suffering from amnesia. This way, she wouldn’t have to be interrogated, and the king would know for sure that she wasn’t lying to them.

“Very well,” Atlas nodded. “I’ll get ahold of Emett to make the arrangements.” He turned to Iris once more. “I hope my son is right for your sake. If we find out that you have been deceiving us, I’ll have my men do far more than just question you.”

[sukikyoufu]

Everything was overwhelming for Iris and as much as she wanted to appear confident, not falter in her words and stop the tears from falling she couldn’t help it. Exhaustion washed over her and it was hard to stop the steady flow of tears that left her eyes from the Monarchs questions, what made it worse was the fact Caspain was sticking up for her against his own father and she knew the truth, she knew her own truth that she did not belong here. Even though she had named a place, granted Cas had told her about it but it was the only solid thing she had a memory of here and it still didn’t ease up the King. Deep down Iris couldn’t blame him for it either.

I need to get out of here, for everyone’s sake. If I just disappear no one gets hurt right? Feeling a pang in her heart at the thought of disappearing it wasn’t true; she would hurt both herself and Cas and crush whatever budding feelings that were growing for one another. It’s for the best, he will hate you anyway when he finds out the truth. They all will. You can’t have feelings for him. It was hard not to flinch at the Monarchs tone, the way he spoke she honestly felt like she was going to be locked in a cell no matter what she said or defended. Iris had no solid base, nothing to build off of and she knew the tiny fragments of her memory were not enough to sate him.

Feeling her chest tighten she felt her hands grip at the fabric of her clothes knuckles turning white as he mentioned calling the guards for questioning, her stomach was in knots and before she could open her mouth to plead and beg with him not too Cas had jumped to her defence. Glancing over at him she could feel the guilt building, he was trying to help her, and it only made her feel worse because she was lying to him and it hadn’t been intentional.

Cas… why? You have such a strong belief in me and I’m only going to hurt you.

Looking down at her hands avoiding the Monarchs gaze when he narrowed his eyes at her she could see her form shaking, she was frightened because she felt trapped, she truly was a deer caught in headlights as the saying went. There would not be an easy way out and it wasn’t just her anymore, Ethan was hiding in her room and if they found out she was done for.

No high born is coming for me, he’s right Cas. As much as I wish I could be a regular citizen here. Hang out with you, get to know you more. It will never happen. Bright blue eyes continued to water, and she found it hard to find her voice between the two deciding her fate.

Sat in the wardrobe Ethan had pressed his ear against the wood listening in as they decided his girlfriends’ fate, well is she really my girlfriend? I can’t really call her that. Ethan pushed the thoughts to one side as he listened on feeling tense inside being unable to do anything. However, at the mention of sending her to the soldiers he felt his whole body stiffen, he would not wish anyone to be sent to the soldiers as their techniques regardless of gender were cruel. On him he still had a particular pill that if crushed it meant no answers would leave his mouth, it was a small price to pay to keep the rebels plans a secret. She doesn’t even know the plans fully; her memories are so fragmented.

A better solution? Looking up slightly as Cas seemed to think of something, a brain scan? How long will that take to set up? How much time do I have? Although… it will show I have amnesia, I never lied about that and I still don’t know much… just that I don’t belong here. The pause between the proposal and Atlas thinking about it felt like eternity to her, this would give her the chance to escape. But should I tell Cas the truth first?

Feeling a wave of relief as he had accepted the idea that Cas proposed her body relaxed slightly, it was short lived however when she heard the last words that Atlas directed at her. Flinching she looked down at the floor, hands trembled once more as she thought on what the soldiers would do if she was caught out. Far more than just question? Her heart raced as she felt her skin clam up, the nausea feeling returning as she couldn’t focus on it anymore. Closing her eyes, she didn’t want anymore tears to fall, she hated the fact she was so vulnerable in front of them and the exhaustion didn’t help things. Waiting to hear him leave she tried to compose herself, but the flood of emotions was hard to control as she felt a huge weight on her shoulders on the situation, she had landed herself in.

Thank the heavens, there isn’t much time, but I will get her out of here. I will convince her to bring the Prince so they can’t torture anymore of our men. She will see my side after this, our cause will resonate with her once more. Relaxing within the cupboard he didn’t dare leave just in case the Prince had stayed, after defending her so valiantly he didn’t think he would just leave her. Princes and their noble cause. Pulling a face as he folded his arms knowing it was going to be a long day.

[Rogue Sloth]

Atlas nodded as if to agree with his own statement and turned to his son, “Come, Caspian. Before I make the call to Emett, I’d like you to fill me in on that interrogation you’ve been listening to.”

Cas blinked. He’d gotten so caught up in what his father had been doing with Iris that he’d forgotten about the other conversation he was supposed to have been following. It was a good thing the rebels were still undergoing treatment for cyanide poisoning or the king would have had a good reason to take out his anger on him. However, even though his earpiece had gone silent, he didn’t want to leave the amnesiac’s side just yet. If he could, he wanted to stay with her a little longer to make sure she was okay after Atlas had threatened to send her to a holding cell without a good cause.

“I think you should call Dr. Emett first,” he suggested, shifting his weight. “There isn’t much to tell yet on my end.” He gestured helplessly to the earpiece.

“What do you mean?” the king narrowed his eyes.

Cas’s dark eyes flicked toward Iris. He hated involving her in their trouble any more than she already was, but he didn’t have much of a choice when his father was trying to beckon him from her room. Of all the times terrorists could have attacked our home, it had to be when we had a guest, didn’t it? he thought with an inward groan. “Well,” he started slowly, turning back to Atlas. “Nothing really happened. The soldiers gave the prisoners Apro—” he coughed, catching himself before he finished the word Aproveset. The drug was classified, and even though he trusted Iris, he couldn’t tell her about its existence. No one outside the royal family and the military knew about the use of such a resource in interrogations.

“They gave them a supplement,” he corrected, “to improve the results of their questioning, but it sounded like the terrorists tried to kill themselves before it could take effect. They’re in emergency care right now being treated for cyanide poisoning.” He glanced toward the window. There hadn’t been time to think much about the rebels’ actions, but now that things had calmed down, he marveled at their stubbornness. They cared more about tearing apart the country than they did about their own lives. Their delusion ran deeply, and it frustrated him that they were so dead set on keeping the Aspirian military from neutralizing the threat of the Scourge that they would sooner commit suicide than give up their secrets.

Atlas pinched the bridge of his nose. “Those fools should have searched the terrorists more thoroughly when they arrested them,” he hissed under his breath. “I suppose nothing can be done about it now though. I’ll make the call to Emett.”

As the king stepped out of the room, Cas followed him with his eyes, waiting until he had disappeared fully before he hurried over to Iris and sat down beside her on the sofa. He took her face in his hands and pressed a deep kiss to her lips before pulling back to meet her gaze with an apologetic expression. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed, shaking his head. “My dad is too paranoid for his own good sometimes. He had no reason to treat you like an enemy, and I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

He wrapped his arms around her and touched another kiss to her cheek, hoping to help her calm down after what Atlas had done. “At least you won’t ever have to do it again. As soon as we get your test results back from the doctor, he’ll know you haven’t been lying to us.”

[sukikyoufu]

What do you mean? Ethan felt his heart stop when they spoke about the interrogation, the other men that had accompanied him in the hopes of finding Iris. Clenching his fists as he continued to listen hoping that they would say they are okay, but they weren’t. They were not talking and not speaking a word meant trouble. A sense of pride filled him because they had kept their silence, if they named any names they would be done for.

A supplement? What does that mean? Light brows furrowed in confusion as he listened on more, his heart racing as he could only think on it being something to loosen the tongue of prisoners. To improve the results of their questioning. Get real, stupid Prince. Trying not to outwardly grumble but then he heard the next part, they had tried to kill themselves. Feeling his heart sink, he placed his head in his hands, if they took that pill, they would be silenced forever. I can only hope they pass on, the thought of the pain. Grimacing as he shook his head, devastated at the notion they had lost some of their people.

Terrorists…

That was what they were all branded, called the Scourge as if some disease when all they wanted to do was provide hope to the poorer districts. Iris, can’t you see? These are not people to sympathise with.

As much as Iris didn’t want to listen, she couldn’t help it, the mention of the interrogation meant that these were her people technically and they had come here to help her because she had gone missing. The idea that they were hurt because of her only made her feel worse, not only was she lying to Cas she had failed her people. Everything had gone wrong in the space of one night. They tried to kill themselves, because of a supplement. Terrorists? They’re not terrorists, they only want to help. Oh gosh what have I caused? This is all my fault, had I not accepted this mission… had I not been caught in that bear trap.

Iris could feel her head swimming, it almost felt like she was drowning with everything that was going on and it was incredibly overwhelming. This is my fault, what have I done? The continuous thought that this was all her fault, the two people that had been caught and interrogated dying because she had gone missing kept going through her mind that she barely noticed the King finally leaving. I… I need to get out. Ethan and I, we can’t…

Blinking a few times, she felt quite dazed, she felt his hands against her cheeks before kissing her and for a split second she had forgotten herself and returned it. NO! You have a boyfriend! What are you doing! When he pulled back to look at her, she could see the apologetic expression and it added to the guilt she already felt for deceiving him. “I…” Grimacing she wasn’t even sure what to say, he was trying to comfort her and make her feel better, but it wasn’t working.

Looking down at her hands which were still shaking she felt the tears prickle once more, blinking them away so she didn’t start to cry again. Feeling his arm around her she buried her head into his chest not wanting to look at him, she couldn’t face him because she knew about her lies. It was hard to just stop feeling for him, to stop liking him and she wished she could because it wasn’t just him, she was hurting but Ethan as well. Ethan was her boyfriend and she still couldn’t remember too much about it but there had been feelings, she was certain of it and she could see the hurt in his eyes when he realised her memories had gone.

“I’m so sorry…” Whispering out her words as she kept her head buried in his chest, she felt more tears leave her eyes, the fact she was exhausted did not help. Before Atlas had even questioned her, she already didn’t look her best and she could only imagine the state she looked now. “M-Maybe I should just go… I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t be here…” Her whole body shivered, cold from all the emotions that she was currently experiencing.

[Rogue Sloth]

Caspian’s heart sank when he felt Iris tremble in his arms. After everything she had been through, she didn’t deserve to be treated like a lying criminal. He wished his father wouldn’t have reacted so poorly to everything that had happened the day before, when there was no proof that she had anything to do with the rebellion. As much as he liked having her around at the mansion, part of him hoped her family would call to collect her soon, so she wouldn’t be caught up in the crown’s mess any longer. At least then, he could exchange phone numbers with her to stay in touch and keep her at a distance until the situation calmed down. Unfortunately, until someone who knew her came forward, there was nothing they could do but hope neuroimaging would be enough to quell Atlas’s suspicions.

Unsure what else he could say to reassure her, the prince stayed quiet and rubbed her back with one hand while she buried her head against his chest. As silence permeated the room, he wondered if it would be a good idea to return to the woods where he had found her once the lockdown on the mansion was lifted. Even if no one called for her, they could figure out which district she was from if they managed to find her lost capital ID. He felt certain it must have fallen among the composting leaves that covered the forest floor. At the time, he had been too flustered by the sight of her bloodied leg to even think about looking for any belongings that had dropped from her person. It was entirely likely that when he’d picked her up, the plastic card had slipped from her dress and was still sitting at the base of the trees where she’d passed out.

When Iris finally spoke, Cas glanced down at her with a frown. Her whispery voice was hard to hear, but he focused enough to catch her soft apology. “Don’t be,” he replied confidently. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t lose your memories on purpose, and I was the one who invited you to stay here. That’s why I said sorry to you.” As he said the last word, he poked her cheek with his finger, trying to cheer her up a little. There was no way either of them could have foreseen that the rebels would launch an attack on the royal family while she was staying under their roof, but he still felt bad for putting her through all the drama that came with it. He had just wanted to help her, and instead, she had gotten tangled in something that had nothing to do with her. It was a complete and utter mess.

As she stuttered that it would be better for her to leave, he tensed slightly. The same thought had crossed his mind just minutes before, but he wouldn’t have said so out loud. There was nowhere for her to go if she left the mansion now. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he advised her in a low tone, reaching up to brush away one of the tears that rolled down her cheek. “We still don’t know where you’re from, and you don’t have any money or identification. I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable sending you off when you might not have a place to sleep at night. If the soldiers find you on the streets after dark without any way to prove you’re a capital citizen, they’ll have you arrested.”

It was a hard truth, but as long as she remained unclaimed, she would have to stay with the Maydestones in spite of the ongoing situation with the rebel prisoners. He resolved silently to try to keep her out of it as much as he could, since she was clearly having a hard time with it all. Thinking about it, he wondered if the terrorist attack had reminded her of her mother. When she’d told him about her before, it had sounded like her mother had died in the ongoing war with the Scourge, so it wouldn’t have surprised him if some old feelings were resurfacing.

The antidote was successful.

Caspian startled as a soldier’s voice suddenly resonated through his earpiece. He’d gotten so caught up in talking to Iris that he’d forgotten about the interrogation again. The man on the other end of the frequency continued: The prisoners will be returned to the holding cell until they are well enough to continue interrogating.

Cas sighed. As much as he wanted to stay in the room with Iris, he didn’t have much more time left until he would be obligated to keep up with the questioning of the terrorists again. He leaned his cheek against her head, holding her against his chest as he made the most of the few minutes they had left before he had to go back to his duties.

[sukikyoufu]

I shouldn’t let myself be comforted by him, what am I doing? Berating herself in her mind she wanted to pull away, but would that not seem weird? All of a sudden pushing him away. I don’t know what I should be doing. Feeling the warmth of his hand rub her back to soothe her she could feel herself down a little, the thoughts of her being a bad person however still swarmed her mind and she couldn’t push it back. Right now she was close to the Prince, in his arms but stuck in the wardrobe was Ethan her apparent boyfriend who had risked the lives of him and his friend to rescue her even though she didn’t realise she needed to be rescued. This amnesia has messed everything, but then I wouldn’t have met Cas. Although would that had been a bad thing? If I hadn’t there would be no hurt, I’d be going about my life like everything was normal with Ethan. Right?

The pounding in her head had begun, the headache becoming more apparent as she had now calmed down from the whole situation. Even though there had been silence he had still reassured her just by being there, but it only aided to her confusion on her feelings. Something she couldn’t outwardly tell him either.

I don’t think I could handle you hating me.

Feeling a pang in her heat about the idea of him hating her when he found out the truth of who she was only furthered her thoughts on how much of a mess her feelings had become. The realisation that he could hate her genuinely upset her and she knew she had to push that back, it was only a matter of time until he found out the truth whether it was from her or his father as he was on to her. Rightly so.

“I know… you’re right.” Whispering her words out still a bit shaky with finding her voice confidently, Atlas had scared her. Atlas was a man to be feared, he was not stupid, and she wasn’t saying Cas was, but his father had a wealth of experience and it nearly got her caught just then. “I don’t know. I didn’t sleep well last night. All this happening this morning… I guess it was quite overwhelming. I hadn’t really expected it.” Pulling out of his arms she kept close, still sitting next to him on the sofa but a part of her felt a little awkward still seeking out his comfort when she knew someone else was with them in the room. “Sorry, I must be a right state.” Smiling slightly, she knew he was trying to cheer her up. The poke of his finger against her cheek, trying to lighten the mood. It was hard not to feel something for him, and she had to keep reminding herself to stop before it was too late.

“Maybe we need to go back to the woods, were you found me. I probably have belongings there and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.” As much as it sounded like a great idea, to her it meant she could use the opportunity to run. Ethan clearly knew how to get to the forest, he had someone on the inside still with information, but she couldn’t just disappear not when most of her time was spent with Cas as it would look odd. Especially now Atlas was on to her, he was no doubt watching her more so now and she was certain he would probably be keeping tabs on her every move within the palace. Without having Cas with her she highly doubted she could just leave; she was certain she was now essentially trapped like a glorified prisoner. “I probably have my ID there, you wouldn’t have noticed, not with all that blood you said was there. Especially as you are quite squeamish.” Offering a faint smile as she made a little joke about him being squeamish around blood, she wanted to try and forget this morning and focus on her new plan. Getting out.

Raising her hand to her mouth she tried to hide her yawn, she was exhausted, and the idea of sleep really appealed to her as she knew she needed to get some rest. Especially as she didn’t feel that she had seen the last of his father and his questions, she needed to be sharp against him.

Yes, lure him to the woods. We can escape and drag him with us. Ethan didn’t want to focus on their other words knowing it would only anger him, instead he wanted to focus on the fact that Iris was thinking on getting out of there. They needed to escape, and he would take the Prince with him as to him it was the only way to end the war, to get justice for the poorer districts. A part of him knew that she was conflicted but after the assault of his father just then he was sure he could start to sway her to his idea of kidnapping the Prince. Killing he knew she would not be behind but back home with her father everything would come back, he was sure of it.

We don’t have a lot of time, but it will be done. We will kidnap him and kill the only living heir to the people giving us the chance to overthrow the hierarchy.

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas nodded wordlessly when Iris said that she hadn’t slept well. He could already tell that she hadn’t because of the shadows under her eyes and the paleness to her cheeks, but hearing her admit it out loud just added to the leaden weight of guilt in his chest. If there had been a way to keep her out of the conflict with the terrorists, he would have done it in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, the timing of it all couldn’t have been worse. He could empathize with her for losing sleep over everything too. Having stayed up until four in the morning to stay in touch with the soldiers and security team, he was exhausted too. If the men on the other end of his com device hadn’t just said that the interrogation would be resuming shortly, he would have suggested that they both take a nap to recover. As it was, he wouldn’t have the luxury until the interrogators were done with the prisoners and the disaster was settled.

Feeling her pull away from his embrace, the prince rolled his shoulders and leaned back into the plush sofa. “Just a little,” he smiled back at her with a weary playfulness. “But you’re still just as cute as always, so I’m not complaining.” As the words rolled off his tongue, his smile widened slightly. It felt good to be able to speak to her so openly, without worrying about making her uncomfortable or ruining their friendship. All the tension that had been building up inside of him since the day they’d met had evaporated like water on a sultry day. Now that he knew they were on the same page, that tension had been replaced with an excitement to find out where their relationship could go. Of course, he didn’t assume that they were in a real relationship at the moment. One impulsive kiss didn’t add up to that, but the prospect of becoming boyfriend and girlfriend after they got to know each other better certainly wasn’t off the table. After all, he liked everything he’d learned about her so far, and he hoped she felt the same way about him.

As Iris suddenly brought up the idea of going back to the woods to look for her missing ID, Caspian raised his brows with intrigue. He’d had the same thought just moments before. If she believed they could find her lost belongings there too, then they were probably on the right track. Enthusiasm blossomed within him as he imagined how great it would be to go back to the forest and get everything they needed to send her home. She could go back to her family and friends and hopefully start to recover more of her memories when she returned to them. Selfishly, he looked forward to getting to know more about her as well. Though she wasn’t trying to be, the amnesiac was a mystery box to him that he wanted to unlock. He couldn’t wait to find out more about the past that had been sealed away by her head trauma.

“I’m not that bad,” he rolled his eyes as she teased him about being squeamish again. “And, for the record, I think I handled that situation better than most people would have. Your leg looked like it had been dropped in a food processor.” He prodded her knee jokingly. With the depressing mood lifted at least a little, he wanted to close the distance between them again, but he restrained himself. They had kissed the night before, and he’d locked lips with her one more time that morning, but they still hadn’t had a chance to talk about it. He didn’t want to smother her if she wasn’t ready to pursue something more than friendship with him right now. Given that her memories were still gone, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she wanted to hold back even though she had said that she liked him. So, he folded his arms over his chest and sank into the cushioned seat, pulling one knee up onto the sofa as he made himself comfortable in the crook between the back and armrest.

“I think you’re onto something though,” he continued on a more serious note. “I didn’t check the ground to see if you had dropped anything when I found you. If you had your ID on you when you stepped in that bear trap, that’s the best place to look for it.” He leaned his head back, looking up thoughtfully at the ceiling, and sighed. “We probably won’t be able to do that for a while though. Security has the whole city on lockdown, and that goes double for this place. Until the escaped prisoners are back in the military’s custody, we can’t leave the mansion.” Unless they snuck out, he could have added. However, he kept the detail to himself. As much as he wanted to go looking for her ID, a plastic card wasn’t worth the risk of running into the terrorists who had just tried to attack his family. They were better off staying inside the mansion, where they were safe.

The interrogation is set up to resume, a soldier’s voice announced in Cas’s ear. The Aproveset is effective for another two hours. Shall we begin questioning the prisoners?

Go ahead, Winston. Remember to prioritize names, locations, and strategies. Wring them of anything we can use to take down their damned organization.

Yes, sir.

“And I think that’s my cue,” Cas exhaled, tapping his earpiece since he knew Iris couldn’t hear the conversation on the other end. Standing up from the couch, he stretched his legs and looked down at her with a halfhearted smile. “Looks like the prisoners we have are still alive, so I have to oversee the interrogation. With any luck, they’ll tell us everything we need to find the two who got away and finally win the upper hand against the Scourge.” He leaned down to touch a quick kiss to her forehead and turned to head for the door. “You should try to get some sleep, Iris. I promise I’ll come back whenever I find a chance to get away from this shit show.”

[sukikyoufu]

It was hard not to blush when he called her cute, feeling herself stammer as her cheeks began to redden. The rosy cheeks were hard not to spot especially with her current pale complexion. “Stop it…” Iris couldn’t help but smile even as he tried to lighten the mood, it was strange how even in her current situation she felt at ease with him. Until he finds out who I am, he will be repulsed by me I’m sure…

Darkening her own thoughts at the idea of him not liking her anymore. Why am I sad over that? We aren’t anything official… but. I wished we were, does that make me a bad person? Especially with Ethan now in the mix, I’ve never been so confused before. We only kissed… only kissed. Repeating the words in her head as if trying to make it sound like the kiss was nothing, trying to convince herself it was nothing.

Glancing back at Cas she touched his cheek with her own hand, unable to stop herself as she looked concerned for him. “You should get some rest too, when you get the chance. I don’t think I was the only one that didn’t sleep.” Inwardly cringing as she realised how caring her soft voice came across, Ethan was only in the wardrobe and she knew she was treading quite a fine line. “Not that bad!?” Laughing as he brought it up that he hadn’t been that squeamish and giggling as he prodded her knee, “Honestly I’m surprised you didn’t faint at the blood.” Teasing him so more as she settled into the sofa comfortably, feeling all of her pressure slowly wash away whilst she spoke with Cas.

“Yeah? Maybe we could check it? I know the whole city is on lockdown… but I guess. I just I’d like to show your father I’m not a threat.” Lies… Well before everything had happened it wasn’t a lie; she couldn’t hurt him or his family. Would that have been the same had she regained her memories later on down the line? Or if Ethan hadn’t have turned up like that. “Hmm? Oh! Yeah. Take it easy though. Try to get some rest after? If you can?” Without even thinking she stood up after he had kissed her forehead, her own hand grabbing his gently as she leaned in placing a gently kiss on his cheek. It felt so natural to her and already she began to beat herself up for doing such a thing.

Why the hell did I do that!? I am just making things so much worse… What the hell is wrong with me?

Oh, take care of yourself? What the hell Iris!? Ergh this is torture, someone give me strength. Her father will go mad at the idea she has a crush on the very thing we are trying to destroy. I bet they’ve brainwashed her somehow… Ethan felt very uncomfortable in the wardrobe, each passing moment his girlfriend spent with Caspain it only furthered his anger. It took all of his energy not to jump out and hit the Prince, his hands were clenched into fists and he was shaking clearly on edge and at any moment he would snap.

I can’t believe she’d do this to me… like I meant nothing to her.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I’d like to see you do better,” Caspian rolled his eyes when Iris continued to tease him about being squeamish. Having never been part of the military—his father had been far too protective to allow his only son to risk his life, even if he’d wanted to join the ranks—he wasn’t used to seeing gory scenes outside of horror movies. It was easier to detach from films too, since he knew the actors and actresses weren’t actually bleeding all over themselves. To actually see someone with an injury as severe as hers had been shocking, and he was rather proud of himself for handling it by himself. Of course, in hindsight he supposed he should have called an ambulance to pick her up instead of carried her to the hospital alone. They were lucky her condition had been stable when she’d arrived. If she had gone into shock, his impulsive response might have hurt her more than it had helped. Regardless, she was doing fine now, so he felt like he had done a good job of taking care of her overall.

“I know, but that’s what the brain scan is for,” he reminded her gently when she said she wanted to prove to his father that she wasn’t a threat. Good idea or not, they couldn’t change the fact that they were confined to the mansion until the rebels had all been brought back into custody. It was too dangerous to go out while the terrorists were loose somewhere in the capital. After an attempt had just been made on his father’s life, he wasn’t eager to leave the safety of the security team either. They would just have to hope that seeing proof that her memories were still gone would be enough for the king to stop accusing her of siding with the Scourge.

As she added that he should get some rest too, Cas nodded in agreement. If he found time to take a nap, he would seize the opportunity in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, he doubted he was going to be able to fit in more than an hour’s worth of sleep on top of everything else he had to do. There was still the interrogation to oversee, and then he would probably have to reconvene with the counsel alongside Atlas, since he had been the one handling the situation thus far. If they came to any decisions about what to do next, his father might include him in those plans as well. He hoped not, but since the monarch’s health had been at a low point recently, it was something he had to be prepared for in spite of his own exhaustion.

Suddenly, the prince was torn from his thoughts when Iris took him by the hand and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. The feeling of her lips against his skin made him feel warm, and butterflies tickled his stomach. Even though pushing past a platonic friendship had been natural, every touch was still so new that the effects felt magnified to him. He casted her a fond smile, slightly red-faced. “I’ll try my best,” he promised, giving her hand a squeeze before he let go of it. “See you later, Iris.”

Turning for the door, he waited until he’d passed into the hallway before he accessed the security team’s frequency again on his com device. “I’m on the line,” he announced into the receiver, making his way toward the in-house bar. If he was going to sit through an entire interrogation, he was going to need a stiff drink. “Are the prisoners talking now?”

[sukikyoufu]

“Having fun playing Princess, are we?”

Turning Iris met sight with Ethan who was clambering out of the wardrobe now that everyone had left the room, “N-No.. that’s not!” Feeling herself shake slightly as she tried to come up with something, but her mind was drawing a blank. “I… I don’t want this.”

“Could have fooled me, sounds like you were pretty cosy with a murdering Prince.” Ethans words were cold, full of hurt and the expression on his face matched every word he spoke. “Iris… these people, his father nearly had you arrested and thrown into a cell. You barely escaped him.”

“If it wasn’t for Caspain I’d be rotting in a cell right now, he saved my life Ethan and I can’t forget that.”

“But he’s also taken lives, you heard about the prisoners, our people that tried to take their life for fear of giving up your fathers name… your name and even mine.” Rubbing his temples as he was clearly frustrated, he knew she had suffered memory loss, but it was hard to accept her actions. “Look at you cosying up to him, you don’t love him. You love me. Well… loved.” Sighing heavily as he threw himself onto the sofa, “It’s like I meant nothing to you.”

Feeling a pang of guilt as he said those words Iris shook her head as she moved to the couch, placing her hand on top of Ethans she looked into his eyes offering a sympathetic smile, “I’m sorry… I don’t remember us. You may have told me, I may have seen flashes, but I don’t remember fully. I can’t just magic up the feelings we once had.”

“If you loved me it would be there. I could never forget you.” Ethan spat as he pulled his hands away from her, clearly hurt.

“You don’t know that; had you have suffered you can’t say you’d remember me. It may have been different if this happened at home, but it didn’t. It happened around people I don’t know, places I don’t know so how would I remember you?” Frowning as she looked away from Ethan, “In fact I did remember something about you, I didn’t understand it at first, but I remember we weren’t always dating. I’m certain you broke my heart over text because we wanted different things.” Recalling the text message, she had remembered, it was signed off with an E and she could only assume it was him.

“It doesn’t matter now…” Ethan mumbled, a part of him annoyed that she had remembered that part of their relationship. It had been a rocky time; he was frustrated she didn’t want to take the next step in their relationship because she was to busy wrapped up in her father’s plan. “I don’t want us to argue… it won’t help us escaping and you know you have to come with me. If you go for that brain scan, they can see you have some of your memories back. They will know you’re lying.”

“I… I know.” Iris sighed looking down at the hands on her lap, her heart felt heavy and she knew it was partly to do with Cas. “If I can convince Ca.., the Prince to go looking for my non-existent ID I can run through forest, there is no way I’ll be allowed to leave this palace unless it’s with him. Or if you know a way, I can sneak out… I mean you’ve managed to stay under the radar.”

Ethan sighed but felt a bit better knowing she was on the same wavelength once more, getting her out of the palace would only help her return to herself. Back home she could fully recover and hopefully remember her feelings to him. “We have about a day or two to figure this out, we have to be gone before the brain scan. Sadly… I don’t think we will be able to rescue those in the cell.” Feeling his heart drop at the idea of having to leave them behind, they all knew the risk but to have it actually happen was another thing. “If you can’t convince the Prince to sneak out tomorrow, we will need to make our escape.” Watching as she nodded to the plan he sighed before looking over at the bed, “Go get some rest. I’ll keep watch.”

[Rogue Sloth]

For Cas, the rest of the day was spent running around the mansion as he orchestrated the military from afar. The interrogation took a surprising two full hours to complete. He stayed on the line with the guards in the holding cell as they pressured their rebel prisoners to cough up anything they knew about the mastermind behind the Scourge. Even under the influence of Aproveset, the terrorists were difficult to break. They fought against the drug’s painful effects until even the prince could hear their distant screams through his earpiece. The gut-wrenching sound had made him feel ill, and he made up an excuse to sever the line for ten minutes while he composed himself.

Fortunately, the rebels eventually folded under the pressure of the injected solution and answered the interrogators’ questions. They learned that the name of the current Scourge leader was Regis Nox Fleuret and that his base of operations was somewhere in the northeastern district of Aspiria. They also learned that the missing terrorists were two men named Ethan Williams and Thomas Howard. To the disappointment of the soldiers, the prisoners didn’t seem to know much about war strategies though. Nevertheless, the interrogation was deemed as a success because of the useful knowledge they were able to procure, and the rebels were returned to their cell with injections to nullify the lingering effects of the doses of Aproveset they had first received.

After communication was ended between the mansion and the soldiers, Cas had been hoping to fit in at least a half hour of shut-eye. However, he found himself even busier as his private cell phone was inundated with calls from allies and council members of the Maydestone family who demanded updates on the situation. Apparently they had reached out to Atlas first, and the king had redirected them to his heir when he revealed that the crown prince was the one who had actually been heading the recovery from the attack. Cas wished he could just tell them to wait for the public announcement that his father would give before the capital later, but since every person who rang him was counted among the most powerful and influential high borns in the city, he had to explain to each and every one of them that everything was under control and that their assets weren’t at risk because of the Scourge.

The conversations stung. Yesterday, he had been afraid that his only living parent had been killed by terrorists, but all anyone else seemed to care about was their money. As the clock ticked on, he lost track of how many times he had to hear things like: “Are you sure the royal family has contained the threat? My investments will be worthless if your family is removed from power!” or “How do you know those sons of bitches won’t come after my house next? I want proof that your father is doing everything he can to protect us!” By the end of it all, he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and bury himself underneath the duvet to get away from all the accusations and selfish requests. But that was impossible. Every day, he inched closer to becoming the next king of Aspiria, and once that happened, he would have to put up with the unappealing side effects of power for the rest of his life.

Maybe I can look for a doppelganger who’d like to be king more than I would, he thought wearily as he dragged his feet down the corridor that led to his father’s bedroom. Another three hours had passed, and the time was almost half past three in the afternoon. He’d managed to shovel down a quick lunch and a large mug of coffee in between phone calls, but other than that, he hadn’t been able to address any of his own needs. Operating on just four hours of sleep and skipping breakfast on top of stressing about the attempt on the monarch’s life had taken a noticeable toll. As he lifted his fist to knock on Atlas’s door, he could feel his hand shaking ever so slightly, and he quickly shoved the unsteady limb in his pocket to conceal the tremor from his father.

A few long seconds passed before a servant opened the door from the inside and bowed. “Your Majesty, the prince is here to see you,” he announced, peering back over his shoulder when he righted his posture again.

“Good. Send him in,” Atlas replied. His voice sounded gravelly, as if he had just woken up, and Caspian realized to his dismay that his father had been sleeping while he had been putting out the fires caused by the rebels.

Swallowing his pride, he stepped into the room and approached the bed. For a moment, he said nothing, bothered by the fact that Atlas had let the burden of the terrorists fall on his inexperienced shoulders while he had been slumbering away in the privacy of his own quarters. However, letting reason outweigh his emotions, he guessed that the monarch had been resting because of his recently waning health. He couldn’t blame his father for trying to recover. “The prisoners talked,” he reported mirthlessly. Though he was glad that they had managed to get information out of the two men, he still felt unnerved about the way the soldiers had forced them to open up, and he was also still residually upset about the uncaring words of the high borns he had spoken with over the phone.

“Jacob is composing a formal record of everything they told us for you to review,” he went on. “It should be ready sometime within the next hour. I also spoke with all your council members to assure them that we’ve got the situation under control now. They shouldn’t withdraw their support over the attack.”

Atlas was quiet, thoughtful, as he propped himself upright on the plush mattress. “Are you sure?”

Of course that was all the king would say. Cas deflated slightly, spurned by his father’s lack of approval. “I’m sure,” he muttered. “They’re still not happy that anyone from the rebellion got inside the capital, but I made sure they understood that it won’t happen again and that we’ve got all our best men searching for the two still on the loose.”

“Good,” Atlas sighed. “We need their funding for the war. Is there anything left?”

Cas shifted his weight, “Just one thing… You need to decide what to do with the prisoners.”

“That is already settled,” the king waved his hand dismissively. “They’ll be publicly executed for high treason.”

Caspian nodded wordlessly. It was a harsh punishment, but he couldn’t say that it was undeserved. He just hoped the Scourge didn’t turn the two prisoners into martyrs and rally behind them on the battlefield. “Your address to the capital is scheduled at seven,” he said, intentionally choosing a lighter topic. “That’s in a little over three hours. Will you be ready to go to the center square by then?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Atlas exhaled in obvious frustration. “I don’t have the energy to write a speech nor stand in front of a crowd for that long. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to take my place this time, Caspian.”

“Me?” Cas squawked, wide-eyed. “I’ve never done anything like this before! I don’t know what to say or do.”

“I do hope you aren’t being serious,” Atlas pinched the bridge of his nose. “For god’s sake, you’ve been tutored for years in oratory, Caspian. Have you not retained anything your instructors have taught you?”

“It’s not that…” Cas started and then bit his lip, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I-I know how, but there’s a big difference between understanding something in my head and actually going out and doing it. I don’t have any experience to fall back on, and this is an address the people have been anticipating since the media leaked the attack this morning. It’s a huge deal.”

“You’re overthinking it,” his father chided. “Just tell them what they want to hear and carry yourself with confidence. That’s all there is to it.”

Easy for you to say, the prince thought bitterly, but he didn’t argue. “I guess so,” he relented quietly.

“Don’t forget that you’re representing the crown,” Atlas narrowed his eyes. “Now get going. You have a speech to prepare.”

“Yes, father…”

[sukikyoufu]

It was hard to settle let alone rest, she was stuck in a continuous loop of her memories and what she should be doing. What was the right thing to do? It felt awkward knowing that Ethan was there in the room with her, of course he would never do anything, but she felt like she didn’t know him which was absurd as she was allegedly dating him. Never had she felt so broken on the fact she couldn’t fully recall her past and the parts she had remembered had not come in use, in fact it had only made things more difficult.

What if he?... Oh… Shifting about in the bed as she tried to force her eyes shut, pretend like she was sleeping or resting for that matter. If I go back, will I remember my feelings for Ethan? Will they come back? Will I forget him, Cas? Feeling her stomach churn at the thought of the Prince she knew she had budding feelings for him; she knew she liked him and as much as she tried to hide it from Ethan he knew. Iris was sure he knew about her feelings; she knew it was already having an effect between them, but she couldn’t just get over someone just like that. Ethan had to understand right? However… my father wouldn’t.

...

Regis was stood in their home, his appearance clear as day in her memory than it had been before with the few snippets that had returned. He was sat at the table grumbling over something from the paper, she was stood in the doorway watching him. “What are you standing there for? Make yourself useful and make breakfast or something.” Tired eyes skimmed through the paper as he forcefully flicked through the pages, “Stupid Atlas, more taxes on the poor? May as well just call it slavery at this rate. Bloody Kings and their selfishness… what I wouldn’t give to be King for a day.”

Hearing his grumbles as in the memory she moved forward to the kitchen to make them some food, opening the fridge to be met with quite the smell and food that had clearly gone off. It was pretty much empty apart from the odd key items like milk (although it looked on the turn,) cheese and some sort of off coloured meat. Closing the fridge, she reached out for the bread and placed a few slices in the toaster, the bread was stale but cooking it would at least make it bearable to eat. “Are you going to work today?”

“Work? I am working. This rebellion doesn’t keep itself running.”

“It’s just that, we need to get some more food. I thought maybe you could go to work for a bit? Collect that paycheck…”

“Tch, I ain’t going to work.” Regis slammed the paper down on the table before rising to his feet. “You bring home the food, I’m sorting the rebellion. The lads have a few ideas on how to sneak in. Cause some trouble.” Grinning as he reached for his coat putting it on, “Ethan called for you, said he was sorry over something stupid. You should give him another chance it was probably you overreacting anyway, he’ll provide for you and you’ll have an alright future. I like him. I’ve invited him and the boys over for tea.” Winking at his daughter as he gave her the thumbs up before leaving.

...

Am I picturing him in a different light? Because I’ve seen the other side. Sure, I know the rebellion is a good cause and the meaning for it is pure but somehow it just doesn’t feel like that with him anymore. No, I’m being stupid. My father loves me, he only wanted the best. It’s this place and everything that’s happening that is confusing me… I should really get some sleep. Trying to settle some more Iris felt herself dosing off, finally getting that rest she desperately needed after the events of last night and today letting the hours flow by as she fell into the light slumber.

[Rogue Sloth]

Writing speeches for his private lessons had always been slightly intimidating to Caspian. Writing one that would be heard by the entire capital city was completely petrifying. As the sole heir to the crown, he was used to being in the limelight, but most of the time, he was free to be himself—with some careful restriction of his words in front of the media, of course. He was either dodging impromptu interviews with reporters in the streets or reading scrolling scripts off a screen when he was asked to attend talk shows. None of those interactions carried the same weight as publicly declaring the execution of two people in front of a crowd. This time, he was going to have to hold himself with the same authority his father always seemed to ooze without any effort at all. As one who wasn’t confident in his own ability to lead a country, he overthought and second guessed his meager speech until he was even less certain of its quality than when he began.

Sitting at Atlas’s oversized executive desk in his private office, the prince tangled his fingers in his thick hair as he stared down at the paper in front of him. His brows were furrowed in frustration, and he held the end of his pen between his teeth. He’d written and rewritten the short address for the last two hours, but he still wasn’t satisfied with the scrawling words on the page. The sentences didn’t feel like they flowed together, and the words didn’t feel like they carried the same weight as the ones his father would have used. He wished the king would have been well enough to handle the situation by himself. Who would listen to the ramblings of an inexperienced twenty-four-year-old?

Suddenly, he jumped at the sound of a knock on the door and looked up. “Come in,” he called, the pen dropping onto the desk from his mouth as he forgot about it in the moment.

At his permission, the door peeled open and a familiar face appeared. “Your Highness,” Jacob inclined his head in a polite bow as he stepped into the office. The guard eyed the paper on the table and then dropped his gaze to the wadded-up rejects on the floor. “Have you been working on a speech this whole time?” he asked with a tentative frown.

Cas flushed and turned away from him to look at the cherry wood bookshelf on his right. “Maybe,” he muttered.

Jacob studied him contemplatively. A shadow of an amused smile tugged at the corner of his lip and then vanished. “I’m sure what you’ve written is fine, Your Highness,” he assured his prince. “The address is in less than two hours. Why don’t you take a break to get ready and have some dinner?”

“I don’t know…” Cas looked down at the scribbled speech disappointedly and then sighed, picking up the paper and holding it out to the guard. “Here. You read it. You’ve heard plenty of my dad’s addresses before, so you can tell me what’s wrong with it.”

Jacob complied wordlessly with the request, striding evenly across the room and taking the sheet from the prince’s outstretched hand. He reviewed the messy lines attentively for a few minutes while Cas watched him with his arms folded over his chest and an uncertain frown plastered on his face. After a silence that felt like an eternity, the guard shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re so concerned about,” he said, handing the paper back. “It’s compelling.”

“Seriously?” Caspian arched his brows in disbelief. “You’re not just bullshitting me because the address is in an hour and a half, are you?”

“I’m serious,” Jacob insisted, his amused half-smile returning. “This is exactly what the people need to hear. Now come on,” he waved a hand. “You need to look the part too.”

Cas blinked and looked down at himself, belatedly realizing he was still wearing the old t-shirt and joggers that he’d thrown on that morning. With everything that had been going on, he hadn’t had a chance to comb his wild hair, shower, or even brush his teeth. “Yikes,” he winced, standing up from the plush leather chair behind the desk. “You’re right. I’ve got a lot of work to do, don’t I?”

--

With Jacob hurrying him along, Caspian made quick work of preparing to make a public appearance. First and foremost, he showered and took care of the hygiene he had neglected when he’d first woken up. Once the basics were out of the way, he shaved the stubble that peppered his chin and tamed his tousled hair with a thin application of mousse until he looked presentable. All in all, the tasks took no longer than half an hour to complete, and he headed out of his bedroom to finally make good on his promise to Iris that he would stop by to see her when he had free time.

As he walked down the hall, he tugged uncomfortably at his shirt collar with one finger, disliking how tight the stiff fabric was around his throat. It wasn’t often that the laidback prince wore a suit, but in this case, the occasion called for it. To look professional, he’d put on a pair of pressed black dress pants, a maroon button-down shirt, and a matching black jacket adorned at the top with a black and grey checkered tie. It was a handsome ensemble, but he preferred his loose t-shirt and joggers any day of the week.

His dark brown eyes flicked down to his watch, and he took a deep breath. He only had about another thirty minutes before he had to leave for the public square. It was barely enough time to check in on Iris and shovel down a quick dinner of whatever he could stomach when he was still stressed about the speech. Wanting to squeeze in as many minutes with the amnesiac as he could, he stopped outside her bedroom door and raised a fist to rap on the solid panel.