“I didn’t say I didn’t like it, but you were the one who put her hand on my chest before I did anything,” Cas pointed out wryly. He may not have changed his mind about putting on a shirt if he’d known she would make a move, but he wasn’t sure if he would have instigated something if she hadn’t done so first. Her gentle, flirtatious touch was the green light he’d needed to kiss her. Without it, he might have just thanked her for rebandaging his arm and put his top back on. So, when she teased him for ‘stealing kisses,’ he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay,” he snorted, poking her teasingly in the side. “That isn’t the same thing because I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”

Of course, she wouldn’t let him win that easily. When she pointed out that he couldn’t keep himself away from her from the start, he smiled at her amusedly. Like the comment she made about how often he tried to kiss her, he didn’t think it counted. There was a different between starting up their relationship again and subtly baiting someone into getting intimate. Whether she’d meant to or not, that was how he’d interpreted her coy gesture, and that was why things had gotten hot and heavy between them for a few minutes. “You’re really good at pretending to be blameless,” he chuckled. “But because I like you so much, I suppose I’ll let it slide this time.”

As she stuck her tongue out at him, he swooped in to press one more playful kiss to her cheek. “I wouldn’t,” he agreed. That she kept toying with his hands and with his bare skin when he’d been shirtless was something he enjoyed, so even though he knew they couldn’t let it lead to anything more, he wouldn’t complain about it. He didn’t hide his interest either. “But that doesn’t matter, does it? Because you’re a perfect little angel who would never tempt me to sin,” he added with a wink. The option to let her off the hook was always there, but he liked riling her up too much to keep his joking comments to himself.

Laying down next to her, he pulled the covers over both of them, so they could settle down to sleep. It was exciting for him to share a bed with a woman for the first time even though it was platonic. He’d enjoyed holding her in his arms while she’d napped in the woods, but after their close call a few minutes ago, he felt like it would be smarter if they didn’t get too physical, so he rolled over so that his back faced her. The warmth that emanated from her body was relaxing, and he reached out to turn off the lamp on the nightstand, yawning as his exhaustion washed over him again in full force. “Goodnight, Iris,” he exhaled, tucking his arm underneath his pillow comfortably and closing his eyes as he began to drift off to sleep.

As much as she wanted to tease back, huff at his words of her being a perfect little angel she knew they’d just continue to talk through the night if she did. Deciding to hold her tongue she smiled watching him as he laid down next to her pulling the covers over the both of them and it was exciting to be sharing this kind of moment with someone. Even though nothing was happening it was still endearing, it was a nice sweet gesture to be able to sleep with someone comfortably. Smiling as she closed her eyes, she began to settle herself, whispering a goodnight to Cas feeling comfortable as she began to doze off herself.

---

Meanwhile the rebels were quickly falling, numbers dwindling further as the assault of today left Ethan feeling more drained than ever. As much as he had wanted to follow the sighting of Iris he couldn’t, not with the huge mess on his hands. Regis had been killed, their leader had been slaughtered in the Capital and news had spread like wildfire. Allegedly the Prince was dead, but Ethan knew better than that. Iris wouldn’t just go missing for no reason and he believed it was her fault this had happened. She had broken the Prince out and saved him from his fate.

“Damn her and her good heart.” Growling to himself as he threw a stack of papers off of the desk he had been working on letting them all tumble to the floor.

“Ethan, they’ve killed unit 3.”

“I KNOW DAMMIT.”

“I… sorry. I know this is hard. None of us expected him to be killed.”

Hanging his head Ethan placed his head in his hands shaking his head, “Unit 3 were going to be sent to Bel Bicis to attempt to restore it. We all know those filthy dogs in the Capital won’t. I still want every man on the hunt for Iris and whoever she is travelling with.”

“Sir… you don’t think she was killed with her father?”

“No. She is still alive and so is the Prince, I don’t care what everyone is saying. They are BOTH still alive and, in these districts, somewhere. I want them found. I want them found yesterday you hear me?” Ethan sighed heavily already knowing that some of them believed they were all dead whereas others believed they were alive. No one could confirm any of this information as no one had been spotted. Not yet at least, but he was going to do it. Ethan was going to finish off what the rebels needed to do, Regis would now be their beacon of hope, his death used to sway more people to join him and his cause.
“I want you searching all the roads, Unit 1 are still on the front lines I can’t pull them back and they are the best men we have. If we lessen the men on the front lines it gives them perfect opportunity to try and squash us. You saw those bombs. They are not playing, not now they think their Prince is dead and we won’t give them reason to believe otherwise.”

“Sir… what about Iris?”

Ethan sighed heavily at the name, the woman he had loved. Well, he still wasn’t sure on that but then their fathers had pushed them together at the time. His father will wanted her to be there in his life, “I don’t want her harmed, she still has a part to play in all of this and she will do it.”

7:45PM

Jacob watched solemnly as crowds of black-clad people filed into the rows of chairs that had been set up in the town square for Prince Caspian’s memorial service. The heir’s death had been confirmed the day before by Regis when he’d been under the influence of Aproveset, but seeing the mourners gathering now, along with the flowers and photos onstage, made his passing feel more real. He sighed quietly, rolling his shoulders which had become stiff from standing on his feet for so long. He was one of the guards overseeing the service from the perimeter, but his day had started long before that.

At King Atlas’s command, he’d organized Regis’s execution first thing in the morning. Under his orders, the firing squad had been assembled, and the prisoner had been taken to the yard behind the penitentiary. It was a place Jacob had always hated visiting. The walls and ground were layered with cement stained with the blood of past death row criminals, and large drains checkered the floor to prevent blood from pooling and congealing beneath the target when he was killed. It was a grisly sight, but it was his job to supervise the execution, so he’d gone there with the squad and stood behind them stoically while they lined Regis up against the wall, blindfolded him, and proceeded to ruthlessly rip his body apart under a hailstorm of bullets. By the time it was over, his corpse had been so mangled that there had been no need for the guard to approach him to confirm that he was dead.

Jacob had then called over the prison workers to clean up the mess and dispose of the body before he headed off to his next task of the day: communing with the commanders. The evening before, he’d met with them once to give them the go-ahead to fire back at the rebels. Leaving the specifics in their capable hands, he hadn’t known exactly what they had come up with, so when he returned, he found that they had prepared a set of bombers to strike one of the districts where they suspected the Scourge had a base of operations. The hope was that between the two powerful moves of executing their leader and demolishing an important location, the rebels would lose their morale and surrender. He had stayed to watch the dropping of the bombs via a drone camera before he’d spent the rest of the afternoon making security preparations for the memorial.

Now, with only fifteen minutes left before the king would take his place at the podium and give his speech, the guard had planted himself on the right side of the square near the front row, where the estranged members of the Maydestone family had seated themselves to watch with crocodile tears in their eyes. Jacob felt disgust stir inside of him as they hugged and wept. He had no doubt that the only reason they were attending in the first place was because they were hoping King Atlas would pass the now-vacant position of crown prince or princess off to one of them. It was within the constraints of the law that the reigning monarch could name another blood relative as his successor. However, he knew it would never happen. Atlas was too stubborn to change his mind after he’d banished them all years ago. Even though the guard personally believed it had been a rash decision for him to sever ties with his entire family, he had served Atlas long enough to know that his ruler would sooner die than take them back in. Whatever solution he would come up with for saving the crown, it wouldn’t be that.

The Maydestone family wasn’t the only group that he suspected didn’t actually grieve the loss of their prince. Most of the high borns in attendance were probably sad—Caspian had been well-liked by everyone who had been fortunate enough to meet him—but they weren’t lamenting his death. Not genuinely. Like every other social event that happened in the capital, this was a networking opportunity for the rich and powerful. While the king’s relatives were here to vie for the crown, the others were here to forge relations between their families and businesses. He could already see it happening as they mingled. Men inclined their heads in respect for the late prince, and women dabbed their eyes with handkerchiefs, but all the while, they weren’t looking at the decorated stage. They were fixated on each other, murmuring and discreetly shaking hands as they made lucrative deals before the service began.

It was the way of the capital, but Jacob still felt a twinge of pity for Caspian and for King Atlas. The prince would never be properly honored when his people cared more about themselves than they did about the fact that a young life had been snuffed out before its time. He was just glad that there were at least a few people in the audience who seemed to be here for or him. Among the sea of faces, he’d picked out two of Caspian’s closest friends, Jayden Arowood and Miles Kinder. Unlike the people around them, they were sitting near the front of the square with crestfallen expressions, not bothering to socialize as they waited for the king to give his speech. They didn’t have to endure the hum of quiet voices for long.

A flicker of movement caught Jacob’s eye, and he turned toward the stage, where Atlas was walking over to the podium with the assistance of his cane. Even though he was physically weak, he still had an air about him that commanded the room. Almost as soon as he was in place, the spectators fell silent and took their seats, giving their ruler their full attention as he gazed out over them.

The guard took a slow breath and turned back to the crowd, monitoring them quietly as Atlas began to speak.

“What are you going to do with her?” Sighing heavily as Ethans father moved into the room, a solemn look on his face horrified by the information he had learned today. Placing his hat down on the desk he took a seat as he looked over at his son, he was deeply hurt by the death of Regis. They had been old friends for a very long time, he had stood by the man for many of years and watched the girl grow up, so he looked at her like a daughter.

“Father… nothing. I.” Ethan sighed shaking his head, “I just simply mean that our people would love to see her alive again. Think of the hope it would bring everyone. I am just worried is all.”

Patting his son on the shoulder he smiled nodding, “It would certainly raise the moral in the rebels seeing her alive as she did so much to help everyone, but… they can’t know about what she has done.”

“But how are we to explain it!? She betrayed US… BETRAYED ME for that stupid Prince who SHOULD be dead.” Ethan hissed out his words, looking away as memories resurfaced on how close she had been with the Prince. How he had just been tossed aside because essentially, she had gotten herself a better toy.

“Or she was brainwashed. Think son, amnesia. The Capital could have rewired her brain trying to infiltrate the rebels. The people would eat it up, it would paint them in a bad light especially after what has just happened. The rebels are devastated from it… I know I am, and you know what happens when people are given a slither of hope. A small light of it. Hope is such a strong feeling.” Smiling at his son as he offered an alternative, a part of him didn’t want to see the girl harmed because he had watched her grow up alongside her father.

“But… I don’t believe that.” Ethan grimaced as he looked down at the strewn papers across the floor that he had thrown there. Slowly be began picking them up, the other guy that had been here before had left as soon as his father had entered the room so at least the conversation they were having was private. “Dad… how in the hell did Regis run this all in his state? Half the time he was drunk, half the time he was too busy passed out. I don’t get it.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret, we did it all. Regis was merely a figure head. The guy with the backstory that could be used to spark a rebellion. The other districts have been running this for a long-time son.” Moving to the cabinet he opened it up pulling out a bottle of whiskey as he shook it offering his son a drink with a warm smile, “Look, it’s not going to be easy, but we have the Prince in our districts somewhere. The Capital think he is dead, it’s a blow to them and we have time to fix this mistake. Do not lose that hope.”

“My fellow Aspirians, it is with great sorrow that I stand here before you on this eve to remember the life of my dear son, Caspian,” Atlas began. His voice was uncharacteristically heavy, a testament to how deeply he had truly been wounded by the news that the prince was dead. Jacob listened gravely as the king went on to speak about the tragedy, doing his best to pay attention without compromising his focus on the audience and the surrounding streets. After the heir to the throne had been abducted and killed, he and the rest of the team didn’t want to take any chances. They had patched the hole in their security by replacing the soldier who had failed in his duty to watch the forested border of the capital, but it was possible that there was more than one weak point. If any other rebels had gotten inside the city, a public memorial was a perfect opportunity for them to make an attempt on the monarch’s life.

He rested a hand idly over the holster of his gun, his dark eyes sweeping slowly over the faces in the crowd while Atlas continued on about his memories with Caspian, his high hopes about his ability to take over as the next king, how tragic it was that he’d been murdered at the young age of twenty-four, and how no father should ever have to receive the news that his son was dead. Like every other speech His Majesty performed, it was moving, and Jacob could see some high borns in the audience tearing up. Even he found it touching that Atlas had such exceptional things to say about the late prince, but the effect of the powerful words was slightly dulled by the knowledge that he was hearing all of it for the very first time that evening.

He never said that he believed Prince Caspian had potential while he was still alive, he thought, unable to help but wonder if the praise was genuine or if it was all part of an act. He believed Atlas was a great king, but he was also close enough to him to know that the face he presented to the people was not the same face he wore behind closed doors. There was no question that the information they’d tortured out of Regis had been harrowing for the monarch to hear—he’d been at the king’s side when he’d wept on the floor—but a part of him that he would never voice out loud was unsure if Atlas was distraught about the fact that his son was gone or the fact that he no longer had a successor to continue his legacy. Even if he was affected by both, surely one of those two calamities outweighed the other, and it was impossible to tell which one was more prominent in his ruler’s mind.

Jacob knew his thoughts were treasonous, and he was smart enough not to ever whisper them to another living soul, but he couldn’t keep them out of his own head. Thus, he took Atlas’s emotional speech with a grain of salt, hoping for Caspian’s sake that it was all true but suspecting in his heart that the king was heartbroken for the wrong reasons.

When the service was finally over, Atlas limped back down from the stage to return to the palace, and the attendees resumed mingling with one another, although their demeanors were far more subdued than they had been at the start. If nothing else, Jacob supposed, they seemed to be taking the evening a little more seriously after hearing their king’s mourning words. Good, he thought, silently pleased that the prince was getting at least some of the respect that he deserved.

Part of the security team escorted Atlas away from the square while another part remained to keep watch over the crowd until it eventually dispersed. Jacob stayed with the latter, supervising the area as people began to trickle out to the nearby parking garages and lots where they’d left their vehicles. Stifling a yawn, he folded his arms over his chest. Now that almost everyone was gone, he could let his guard down a little. There wasn’t much of a reason for a terrorist to attack when the event was over and less than a third of the spectators still remained. Deciding it was time for him to leave, he took a step back to go as well but then stopped when he saw that there were people approaching him.

Turning his head, he raised a brow at the sight of Prince Caspian’s two friends. “Did you need something?” he asked them bemusedly, unsure why they would seek him at all.

“Not really,” Miles shrugged, stopping a short distance away and fishing in his pocket to retrieve a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“We thought we’d offer you one,” Jay added as he took a cigarette from the box that his friend held out.

“Is there a particular reason why?” Jacob asked.

“Most of the people here don’t care about Cas,” Miles rolled his eyes.

“But we don’t have to tell you that,” Jay added, flourishing a hand in the direction of the chairs that had been set up. “You were watching the whole thing, weren’t you?”

“That’s why we wanted to have our own memorial for him,” Miles nodded sagely. “A real one away from all the people who’re just here for show. It was just gonna be the two of us, but we saw you standing over here, and we know you actually cared about him too, so now,” he held the carton out to the guard, “you’re invited.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Jacob’s mouth. He hadn’t smoked in years, but he liked the meaning behind the gesture, so he took one for himself. “Well then, give me a light.”

Jay grinned and used his own lighter to fix Jacob up, and the three lapsed into a moment of silence as they smoked away from the people who were conducting business deals at the foot of the stage. He was glad he’d stayed behind long enough to honor the prince properly before he went back to the palace for the night.

For once in her life Iris felt like she had gotten the best rest ever, as the sun seeped in through the old dusty curtains she started to stir. Eyes fluttering open as she glanced around the room remembering just where she was, feeling the warmth of a body next to her she started to remember how her, and Cas had shared a bed for the evening. In an instant her cheeks flushed at the thought, especially as she realised, she had ended up cuddling him in her sleep. Though it had been comfortable and honestly, she had never felt better rested.

I can’t believe I slept through the night. I usually have trouble sleeping. I guess this truly shows I feel safe around him. That I feel so comfortable. I think it’s the first night in a while without some sort of nightmare. Thinking to herself as she touched his cheek gently, it felt so good to wake up beside someone like this. No. Stop it. What if this all ends badly? This can’t end well for us. I don’t know. Seemingly getting lost in her own thoughts as she couldn’t have anything nice, not without ruining it for herself with over thinking or thoughts of how it won’t end well. It was strange, she would always gravitate towards the worst outcomes, never the best and she knew she had to work on that.

“Good morning Cas…” Whispering softly in hopes to wake him up gently, she didn’t want to startle him. However today was a new day and they would need to think about moving, she wanted to know what his plans were, what he wanted to do but then she also didn’t want to push him. This was no easy decision and it couldn’t be rushed, as much as she wanted to have an idea on what to plan for but that wasn’t possible right now.

Thinking to herself she wondered on if they should eat now, what if they didn’t have a place to stop for lunch. Plus, breakfast was one of the most important meals of the day. Placing a gentle kiss on his cheek she slipped out of the bed and headed towards the backpack to try and sort something out for them. It wouldn’t be amazing, but she could do something for them at least. “I’m thinking breakfast now, simply because I don’t know if it will be easy to stop for lunch so at least we’d have eaten something. I’m sure I can fix something up for us!”

Smiling brightly, she rummaged through the backpack looking at the few items they had in there. Knowing Cas had packed them some cans from Bel Bicis and she was certain that Maisie had put some items in there before leaving. They hadn’t touched too much of it. Pulling out one of the cans she could see the tinned fruit which wouldn’t be the most fresh or amazing, but it was better than nothing. Picking up one of the forks she walked over to Cas handing him the now opened can of fruit and a fork, “Enjoy! A very rustic breakfast. You’ll find hopefully one of your five a day in there?” Laughing softly as she tried to lighten their situation.

Even compared to when he’d crashed on Maisie’s couch, Caspian slept more soundly than he had in a while. He’d fallen asleep facing the edge of the bed, but at some point during the night, he’d rolled onto his back and then once more onto his other side with his arm draped limply over Iris. The warmth of her body that was pressed comfortably against his sent him into a deep sleep in which he was visited with fleeting dreams that weren’t vivid enough to remember. This was where he stayed until he eventually stirred at the feeling of something gently touching his cheek.

Coming out of the depths of slumber, he shifted and stretched languidly on the bed, reluctant to open his eyes. Unconsciousness had been so pleasant that he would have drifted off again if not for the sound of Iris’s whispery voice beside him. Recognizing belatedly that he was holding her in his arms, a tired smile crossed his lips, and he pulled her to his chest. “Morning,” he murmured back to her. Waking up next to someone else was a brand new experience for him, but it was one that he felt like he could get used to. He enjoyed the way her smaller frame fit against his body as if it was meant to be there.

When she kissed his cheek and said spoke about having breakfast, he yawned and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm, already missing her warmth as she got out of the bed. “Okay,” he said groggily, forcing himself to sit up. He’d never been a morning person, but it was even harder for him to convince himself not to sleep in when he’d been so incredibly comfortable just seconds before. I wish we had coffee, he thought, arching his back in another stretch as he tried to get his blood flowing again. Unfortunately, it seemed like coffee was yet another luxury that he wouldn’t be able to have unless he went back to the capital. If there was any in the other districts, he had yet to find it.

Leaning back against the headboard, he took the opened can of fruit from Iris when she handed it to him. “Thanks,” he said appreciatively. Part of him felt a little bad for only giving her one-word replies when she was trying to talk to him, but he needed to wake up a little more before he was capable of holding a coherent conversation. It was a marvel to him that she was already so energetic after she’d just rolled out of bed a minute ago. He was happy to see her looking so chipper though. Compared to the day before, she seemed to be feeling much better. By contrast, he felt like he’d just come out of a coma.

Hoping to catch up to her, he stabbed a piece of juicy melon with his fork and brought it to his lips. “How’d you sleep?” he asked after he’d swallowed the first bite. Privately, he was sure he already knew the answer to his question, since she seemed to be doing well, but he wanted to at least try to reciprocate her friendliness, so she wouldn’t think he was just a grump in the mornings.

Already guessing that Cas was not a morning person Iris happily went about her morning. Truth be told she quite liked early mornings, especially when she felt fully refreshed and rested. Today was one of those days, it was amazing how well she had slept, and she could only put that down to being in his arms and sleeping next to him. Smiling to herself as she started to pack away the items into the backpack, she let Cas enjoy the tinned fruit for breakfast, again it wasn’t amazing, but she was glad she could find something. Although there was another tin, she had already clocked about how they only had three tins left and who knew how long they would be out for. Especially with there dwindling funds she wanted to ration as much as she could, plus it wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last she had been without food in the districts. As long as she kept drinking the water, they had she’d be alright for a bit before needing to eat.

“Honestly, I had the best sleep. I can’t remember the last time I had such a smooth sleep.” Grinning over at Cas as she continued to shuffle around making sure they had everything. Conscious of the time as she didn’t want to overstay her welcome, well no one would know but they had agreed early in the morning and she didn’t want to take the kindness for granted of the barman. “And thankfully it seems the fever was just brief so that won’t hold us back anymore on our little adventure.”

Closing up the bag she was happy in knowing everything was in there, though wondering on where to go she didn’t have a thought-out plan. They had made it to Eulmore, but was it going to be a good risk trailing through this district to get home? The other option was the road, it was less busy but just as risky in some cases because what if rebels were going across the road and caught sight of them? However, going through the district still posed the same risks. Currently they were both just as bad it was just thinking on which would be better for them, at least with the road it shouldn’t be in a state and there was no guarantee each district was going to be easy or in one piece especially with all the bombs lately.

Thinking on grim thoughts damped her mood, but she shook her head knowing it wasn’t good to dwell on it. “So… well. I have two options. We can try to continue on through the districts or use that road we came in from. The road won’t be destroyed, but it’s quite open however also really quiet for vehicles. The districts will be full of people, or potentially destroyed again… they both pose risks to getting caught by the rebels. What do you think? I was leaning towards the roadway, but… I’d appreciate your input on this too because I’m not sure what is the right way to go. What do you want to do?”

“That’s good,” Cas replied as he stuffed another forkful of fruit into his mouth. He wanted to help Iris pack up their supplies, since he felt bad that she was doing all the work for both of them, but he needed to finish his breakfast first. He couldn’t be blamed for the fact that he was slow to wake up in the mornings. Since there was no coffee around to kickstart his day, he was hoping that the sugary meal would give him the energy he needed to get out of bed. At least there isn’t a whole lot to do before we leave, he thought as he watched her put the few belongings they had into the backpack. He would have felt a lot worse if they’d had two suitcases full of things that needed to be put up before they hit the road.

He was also glad that she seemed to have fully recovered from the brief illness that had taken her down yesterday. “That’s good too,” he said again, tossing his empty can into the wastebasket and twisting at the waist to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He was still tired, but he knew that lying around would only make it harder for him to wake up, so he needed to push through the bleariness. So, he got up and ambled over to the desk chair, where he’d left his jacket the night before. As he slid it over his arms, he wondered again about where they were going to go now that he was having second thoughts about going home. It sounded like they were close enough to the capital that they could make it there within a day if he said he wanted to return, but… He glanced at Iris. He was enjoying traveling with her so much that he didn’t feel the need to rush back into the arms of people who couldn’t care less if he never came back at all.

When she went over their options, he considered what he wanted to do while he put on his shoes. “We can take the roadway,” he decided with a shrug. “I don’t know anything about this part of the kingdom other than what I’ve seen on paper, so I trust that you know what you’re doing.” Even if he didn’t trust her, it wasn’t like he had a choice. He used to think he knew Aspiria better than almost everyone else who lived there, but now that he’d seen what life was like outside the capital for himself, he didn’t know what the truth was anymore. On the contrary, she had grown up in Tongsen and visited the other districts before, so he assumed she knew the area better than he ever could. If she thought the roadway was their best option, then they would take the roadway.

“Who knows? Maybe they’ll stop coming after us now that it looks like my dad doesn’t care if I come home,” he added. Although his words were nonchalant, he was unable to keep a hint of anger from entering his voice as he addressed the thoughts that had been weighing on his mind. “They have nothing to gain from catching me again, so we might not even have to worry about it anymore.” Righting his posture, he pulled his hood over his head and stepped over to the door. “Are you ready to go?”

“Well if that isn’t a lot of responsibility on me.” Iris chuckled softly as she shook her head, sure she was versed in these districts but at the same time she didn’t know everything fully. Not because of her memories that were still faded at least. It was strange how she could weave through like she knew the area, it had to be muscle memory that is the only plausible reason as to why she could navigate the districts as smoothly as she had. That or it had just been potluck. So far, no rebels, that worries me, and I don’t like it at all. Grimacing at her thoughts she picked up the backpack placing it on her back after she had put back on her on jacket.

“Roadway it is!” It seemed the better of the options that were already limited, glancing over at Cas she could hear the anger, it was slight, and she almost missed it, but she couldn’t help but pity him. Sympathise with the fact he felt like his father had turned his back on him. “Hey.” Speaking softly as she walked over placing her hand gently on his arm, hoping to offer him some form of comfort before leaving. “You don’t know that. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors, he could be doing everything to find you. If he isn’t maybe there is a perfectly good explanation as to why.” Leaning up she kissed his cheek gently, “Hope is one of the most powerful feelings. If you give up hope what do you have?” Sighing softly, she knew that even a slither of hope could see her through the dark days, “I know it’s hard, but… don’t give up hope.” She had to believe that every father loved their child somewhat, they were family, blood so surely there had to be love there.

“Well… hopefully the rebels are too busy with something else, rather than your pretty face.” Chuckling softly as she teased him gently nodding to the door as she opened it up for them, holding the keys in her hand she locked it behind her happy that the backpack was on her back and they had everything. Jingling the keys as she made her way down the stairs, she could see the letter box and she dropped them in there as the barman had instructed to them last night.

“Right! Let’s get walking~” Trying to keep herself positive as she began to walk back the route they had come from; it was still early so barely anyone was around. It seemed quite eerie, ghost like but again it was serene and made it easier for her to spot anything unusual. Like rebels on a patrol. Taking a few steps, she made sure to be aware of her surroundings, she was more aware now back to full health and protecting Caspain was her top priority. Hopefully he was right, perhaps the rebels were no longer interested in him, but she couldn’t take that risk and not be alert. Knowing their current streak of luck, the minute she didn’t pay attention would mean the worse happening, the rebels finding them and killing them, her stomach churned at the thought.

Cas appreciated that Iris tried to cheer him up, but her words didn’t do much to comfort him. He didn’t believe his father was looking for him at all if he was still continuing on with the war while he was still missing. If the king had been searching, they wouldn’t have nearly lost their lives to those bombers. It had just been a stroke of good luck that Iris’s fever had kept them from walking close enough to have suffered more than a few ruffled feathers. Had she been well enough to keep moving, they might not have escaped with their lives. And there was no telling if they would find themselves in another warzone while they were on the move. He wasn’t sure how many more near-death experiences he could take. Just the thought of it was enough to make him shiver apprehensively.

Similarly, he didn’t care what was going on “behind closed doors.” As far as he was concerned, there was no reason good enough for Atlas to give up on finding his only son after just one week. That he had was proof that he didn’t care about him more than he cared about defeating the Scourge. Cas could understand his father’s urgency, since the rebels were causing so much trouble for the monarchy, but it wasn’t enough to justify putting his life in danger. Knowing that the king was so quick to forget about him left a bitter taste in his mouth that wouldn’t dissipate anytime soon. It was the biggest reason why he felt too emotionally wounded to feel excited about going back to the capital.

Not wanting to argue with Iris about it though, he merely shrugged in response to her question about hope. He had hope. It just wasn’t in the capital. She gives me hope, he thought, glancing at her as they headed out of the room. If he didn’t have her with him, he wasn’t sure what he would have done by now. Granted, he would probably be dead, since she was the one who had freed him from Regis’s basement. However, he was thankful that she was with him when he didn’t have anywhere else to lay anchor outside the walls of the capital. Her presence was his rock until he could figure out where he belonged and what his purpose was.

Feeling a little better with that reminder, he rolled his eyes at her joke. “I prefer the word ‘handsome,’” he gibed in return. “Although I think I’d even fit the bill for ‘rugged’ now.” He brought his hand to his cheek, where the cut was still healing. He was pretty sure it was going to scar. Along with the bruise on his jaw and the thick stubble he was sporting after going over a week without shaving, he would hardly call himself “pretty.”

Following her out of the pub, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and took a look around. To his relief, there weren’t many people outside, so he didn’t feel like he had to watch his back as carefully as he had when they’d first arrived. Relaxing a little, he nudged Iris with his arm. “So, this roadway you’re taking us to,” he started, turning to meet her gaze. “Does it go straight to the capital, or will we be passing through any other districts along the way?” Though he didn’t say it, he was hoping that it was the latter. He still hadn’t made up his mind about going home, so he wanted to stall for more time to think it over.

“Handsome? Of course, you would.” Iris laughed as she looked over at him and his changed appearance seeing as he hadn’t had access to the usual facilities. Well she figured she probably didn’t look the greatest either, her hair wasn’t as sleek as it had been and as much as her own bruise had faded there was the odd spot of discolouration on her cheek from where it had been. The clothes they were both wearing were tattered and could just about keep them warm. “Well… some people like a rugged look. Makes you look more daring and edgy.” Teasing him gently as she took in his appearance, the thick stubble coming in and the bruise that he was still supporting.

“Well… it does but it also leads off to various different districts too. So, it’s the best way to go forward without having to go through all the gates. It’s also less travelled so hopefully we won’t be spotted. Just in case.” Smiling as she walked on heading back towards the road they had travelled down before, “It’s like little turn offs in this big main road, they each lead to a different district. Mainly used for supply runs and… well. Not much of that either really I guess.” Shrugging slightly as she thought on how the roads were dead, no one used them unless transporting goods and again as mentioned they were few and far between.

“So, when we feel tired, we can just slip off down one of the side roads and head back to a district. Plus, it will give us a good idea on if they are intact, seeing as well… you know what I don’t need to go into it.” Not really wanting to broach the subject of Bel Bicis and what had happened there. “It gives us the option to pass through the districts, if you want to sight see a little, I can try to show you around, again we just have to be careful.” Chuckling softly as the option of her being a tour guide this time, she remembered how he had been a tour guide for her back in the Capital. “I don’t think I’d be as good as a tour guide as you though.” Nudging him gently in the side with a smile.

Looking at the road as they began to make their way she felt conflicted a little, one part of her wanted to enjoy this time with Caspain but then the other knew that inevitably they had no current plan which could only lead to trouble. Plus, she was worried they were going to caught, to her this was not going to end well no matter the situation. Trying to keep her worries to a minimum she looked over at Cas smiling, “So I hope you are up for a lot of walking. Cause that is what today will be filled with! Walking!” Grinning as she reached out offering her hand for him, seeing if he wanted to take it as he had stuffed it into the jacket pockets.

“Well, I hope you’re part of ‘some people’ then, because yours is the only opinion I care about,” Cas teased Iris as they walked. At one point in his life, he’d used to enjoy the attention he got as ‘Aspiria’s most desirable bachelor,’ but the effect had worn off after a while. The repeated flattery by the media and people he crossed in the streets that had once puffed up his ego eventually left him feeling jaded. So, he wasn’t lying to her when he said that he didn’t care what anyone else thought. The opinions of others, while sometimes nice to hear, didn’t leave an impact on him the same way hers did. He wanted to hear that she thought highly of him, that she found him attractive or was drawn to different aspects of his person. Anything she had to say would mean more simply because he valued her perspective.

When she answered his question, he nodded thoughtfully. It seemed like she’d chosen a path for them to take that would allow him to choose whichever direction he wanted to go. That was relieving. He was also glad to hear that the roadway wasn’t used very often outside of supply runs—for and by the rebellion, he guessed. It was a little unnerving to know that they were going to be borrowing a route that the members of the Scourge used to get around, but at the same time, what ever the odds that anyone would see them if it wasn’t a high-traffic street? As long as they were careful, he still felt confident that they would be alright. They just had to keep watch for cars while they were on their way to the center of the kingdom.

“I beg to differ,” he smiled at her amusedly when she said he was a better tour guide. “I don’t think I would be nearly this good if I didn’t have all my memories. I’m still impressed that you’ve gotten us this far when you’re coping with amnesia.” It was interesting to him how she was able to remember some things about the districts without any trouble, yet details about her own past still seemed to be absent from her mind. If he didn’t know better, he wouldn’t have realized she’d had a head injury at all. Compared to the night when he’d first found her, she was doing worlds better.

Removing his hand from his pocket, he laced his fingers with hers and fell in step a little closer to her side. “I’m definitely making up for all the workouts I skipped recently,” he joked with a shake of his head. “Every day is leg day outside the capital.” Giving her hand an affectionate squeeze, he turned back to her again to ask, “If you could show me any district, which one would you want me to see?”

“I might be, but that would be telling~” Iris winked at him gently trying to hide her slight blush on her face, but that was because when thinking about him or talking about him she still would get a little flustered. It was down to her being attracted to him, the simple laws of attraction. Though she was glad he valued her opinion, it made her feel special and important in her own way. Though she couldn’t deny the fact that she cared about his opinion greatly too, though she was also self-conscious when it came to other people’s opinion. When she liked someone and wanted to be a part of their life, she worried about those close to them, if they would like her too because she had always hoped to make a good impression. Not like I’ll ever make a great impression on those close to him. Not his friends… family. They’ll only ever see me as a traitor, someone who committed treason.

Noting how her thoughts had taken a skyrocket down she shook her head pushing the thoughts back as best she could, smiling over at Cas as he seemed to think she would be a better tour guide. “Honestly, I don’t understand it. I just know it feels right. Or as I go it just kind of pops back into mind like it was always there. I can’t explain it fully, but it’s nice… remembering some things I guess.” It was strange to think how she had gone from nothing to now feeling more in control of herself, the key things remembered but she had still a lot to learn. Not everything had come back yet, but a part of her didn’t know if she wanted it all to return.

“This is waaaaay to much exercise for me. I’d much rather be reading and relaxing.” Iris chuckled though she wondered what she had been like before, surely, she had done some exercise? Though she didn’t know fully. “What kind of workouts did you do?” Curious as to what his usual routine would have been.

Happy that he laced his fingers with hers as she walked along, soft smile on her face as she moved. “Hmm… you know what. One of my favourite districts, somewhere I used to visit with my mother when she was alive and I was little was Il Mheg.” Sighing happily at the memory it was one of the districts closer to the Capital, “Il Mheg stands for garden of rainbows, something like that. My memory is still a little rusty.” Walking along she kept a hold of his hand, happy that he had squeezed it, happy for the closeness. “But they have a beautiful garden in that district, an area full of flowers and it’s breath taking… it was… breath taking.” Frowning as she spoke because the memory of hers turned dark, the memory of how the garden had been destroyed in that district. “I… don’t think it’s there anymore, but I’d have loved to show you that. I think you’d have liked it.”

“In any case, I’m glad you’re getting some of your memories back,” Cas said to Iris as they walked. Compared to how she had been in the capital, he felt like her condition was improving every day. He could still recall how anxious and unsettled she had been when he’d showed her around the city, neither of them knowing she wasn’t a high born in the first place. Back then, almost nothing had worked to jog her foggy memories. Here, though, she seemed to be returning to what he could only guess was her former self. Back in the part of the country where she had originally come from, there were plenty of things around to help her overcome her amnesia, and he was happy to see her remembering who she was before she’d hit her head in the woods.

When she joked about the walking being too much exercise for her, he laughed. “I’ll have to remember that,” he took note aloud. After reading all the time for the various lessons he took with his private tutors, sitting down with another book was the last thing he wanted to do at the end of the day, so he couldn’t relate to the appeal. However, he could accommodate her later on by making sure she had some time to herself to read if that was what she wanted to do.

At her question, he shrugged, “A little of everything. Before I graduated high school, I played a lot of sports. After that, I pretty much migrated to our home gym. I had a personal trainer for a while who came up with workout routines for me, but after a couple years, I got the hang of it and preferred to write them out by myself. I did some cardio just to stay in shape, but I mostly focused on weight training. It’s rewarding to increase the resistance on the machines or force yourself through a few extra reps and know you’re making progress.” He also felt like the workouts he did in the mornings helped him focus throughout the rest of the day. As long as he didn’t push himself so hard that he was exhausted, he was sharper during his lessons and felt less inclined to doze off.

Listening to Iris describe her favorite district, he felt like he remembered learning a little bit about Il Mheg at some point. He knew it was the sixth district and vaguely recalled something about the gardens. They were supposedly a tourist hotspot. If he’d had the chance, he would have liked to see what the district looked like for himself, but apparently that was no longer an option as she went on to imply that the place had been a casualty in the war. It seemed like the military was sparing no region in their battle against the rebellion, even if they were destroying precious landmarks in the process.

“That’s too bad,” he sighed. “Hopefully this war doesn’t drag out too much longer. It would be nice to see all the wounded districts get repaired after everything they’re endured.”

“I just love the idea of learning, books supply us with a lot of that, and I suppose they were always a great escape from reality especially when reading fiction.” Iris thought on it, the reason she loved to read and most it stemmed from the fact she could hide away in a good book ignoring whatever reality she was living. Books always made a great escape for her as the words she would read soon became a fake reality, a world to get sucked into allowing a brief escape from home life. Though things only seemed to have worsened when her mother was no longer around.

“Well look at you, it’s certainly paid off all your routines. You’re in great shape.” Iris smiled as she listened to him explain how his routines had worked. The amount of time he no doubt put into them too, but he looked great she wouldn’t deny that. Especially with how flustered she had gotten last night with just his shirt off, so he should definitely be proud of his physique, she certainly enjoyed it and the thought brought a pink tinge to her cheeks.

“Well… maybe with the war over and if you choose to return you could look at helping the districts rebuild. I think that would be a way to stop the war, people don’t to fight. They only fight if they have reason too. If you were to help the districts, they would have no more reason to fight I guess.” Iris sighed softly as she walked along with him, she was glad in a way that he did get to see this first-hand. There was no way he would have believed her if she had told all of this, he would have thought was she was crazy and then nothing would get done. In a way this was slightly positive the fact he could see it.

It had been a somewhat smooth walk along the road together, it had to have been a good few hours and Iris thought it must have been around lunchtime. That and her stomach had growled meaning she was hungry, so it was safe to assume they had hit midday. They had yet to pass a fork in the road that led off to another district, but then the walk was a long one. They had made progress though, to no particular goal but they had travelled a fair bit and she felt like another district had to be coming up. The roads had been quiet thankfully, no car or truck had passed them by. The weather had been alright, it wasn’t raining, and the sun was out, but thankfully it wasn’t too hot.

“I think we must be coming up to another district by now, we’ve been walking for hours.” Iris mused as she looked at the road ahead, she was feeling a little tired from all the walking, but she knew they had to continue on. “Did you want to divert off into the next district we pass?” A part of her hoping he would say yes because then they could sit down somewhere.

Ethan was thrilled, he had received some news, the best news in a while and that was two people had been spotted alongside the road. To him it had to be them, who would walk alongside the road unless aiming for a quick exit. Thankfully they had a car, sure it wasn’t the best of models or even the most smoothest of running but it worked and it would be damn quicker than running along that long road trying to find out if it was them. “Tom keep an eye out; they have to be on this road.”

A part of him thought he should bring more men along for this, but he knew between him and Tom they could take down the Prince especially as they knew he was injured. Iris on the other hand was just a girl, to him she was easy to take down, so he felt he had good odds on this. There was a gun strapped to his waist, he didn’t want to use it, but he would if he had too. Hopefully it just meant that capturing them would be easier with this weapon at his side. “Did you bring the chloroform? If not, we may just have to knock them out.” Shrugging as he didn’t care on which option, they used to knock out the people they were hunting. Plus, Ethan would want nothing more than to harm the Prince once more.

While he didn’t share Iris’s love of books, Cas could understand why she was drawn to them. It was the same reason why he’d been sucked into the party scene in the capital: escape from reality. When he was surrounded by other high borns who were just out to have a good time, he could forget about his responsibilities and the impending weight of the crown he was supposed to inherit from his father. Of course, there was no getting away from the cameras that followed him around wherever he went, but he could still enjoy the same mindless activities that the rest of the capital’s young adults took part in after dark. Taking shots, playing bar games, getting to know strangers he would never see again in his life… All of it was his “fiction,” the life he would have wanted if he hadn’t been born into the royal family.

When Iris said he was in great shape, a proud smile took over his features. He hadn’t been fishing for compliments when he’d mentioned his habit, but he still liked to hear that she thought he was fit. “Thanks,” he replied appreciatively. “I haven’t put in as much time as I would have if I didn’t have so many other things to think about on a daily basis, but I’m glad you can tell.” He’d met some men who were absolutely shredded because they dedicated all their free time to sculpting their bodies. As the crown prince, he didn’t have the option to spend that many hours at the gym, but he still squeezed in thirty or sixty minute sessions whenever he had the chance. Between his regular workout routine and the healthy meals he ate as recommended by the royal family’s dietician, he still managed to keep up a better physique than quite a few other people he’d come across in the capital.

At her suggestion that he could try to help the other districts rebuild if he went home, he considered the idea thoughtfully. “I don’t know if it’s that simple,” he frowned. “I would love to believe that I could just snap my fingers and bring an end to the fighting between the crown and the rebellion, but do you think your dad is going to let things go that easily?” His tone was slightly hesitant as he mentioned her father. Regis hadn’t struck him as a reasonable man. He suspected that even if he convinced the military to let up on the fighting and focus their efforts on reconstructing the districts that had been damaged, the rebel leader would just take it as an opportunity to strike them while their guard was down. If he cared more about power than he did about peace, they were going to have to knock him down until he couldn’t stand back up again.

“That aside, I wouldn’t be able to do anything without my dad’s approval,” he added, rubbing his injured arm over his jacket sleeve. The torn skin was starting to itch a little as it healed. “He has final say over everything involving the military and the war as a whole. As long as I’m not the king, I can’t make any big changes to the directions he’s already given them.” If he went back to the capital, he did plan to question Atlas about the things he’d discovered about the other districts though. He wanted answers about why the rest of the country was so impoverished, especially when he’d been taught in his classes that wealth in Aspiria wasn’t that unevenly distributed. None of it made any sense to him anymore. If his father was withholding something from him, he was determined to find out what it was.

For the next few hours, Cas walked at Iris’s side, casually looking around the sides of the empty road in a halfhearted watch for other people. He didn’t try very hard though, because it seemed like she was right about the path being mostly deserted. Chances that anyone would notice them looked slim, so he ambled leisurely, sipping at his water bottle on occasion to stay hydrated. Underneath the sun, the hoodie felt too warm to wear, and he was starting to feel tempted to take it off. With no one else around to see him, it seemed safe enough to dress down a bit.

“Yeah, we can do that,” he answered her question, having no qualms with heading into another district for a break. “I’m getting kind of hungry.” Giving in to the need to be comfortable, he unzipped his jacket and shrugged it from his torso. “It’s too warm out for this in the middle of the day,” he explained as he tied the sleeves over his shoulders. “I’m gonna cool down a little and put it back on when we get close to the next district.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine it being that simple.” Iris felt herself sigh eyes downcast at the mention of her father, as much as she would have loved the idea of just snapping his fingers and having it all fixed her father would still pose a threat. There was no way he would just allow some sort of peace; he was obsessed with ending the line now. Not even the mention of peace would deter him from his path of wanting revenge on the Maydestone family. It was a shame because she knew her father was a good man; he had been a good man at heart but somehow lost his way and that was something she could never figure out. “I wish I could say my father would want it to end… but he has lost his way. He was a good man once; I wish you could have met him when he was.” Smiling slightly as she looked over at Cas, but that would never happen now. “Perhaps your father will see to reason? You never know.” Though even she knew it was a long shot, however she was happy in knowing that Cas finally knew the truth.

Grinning over at Cas she was glad he was hungry too; it would be easier to head into another district plus it would also give them a chance to scout out potential places to stay for the night. “Good! I think I may have enough in the budget to treat you to dinner.” Winking at him playfully as she watched him unzip his jacket, he was right it was far too warm right now, but she didn’t know if that was because they had spent hours walking.

“Ethan. Look.” Tom hissed in the car as he nudged Ethan who was driving along, narrowing his eyes at the two figures they could see in the distance. “That’s got to be them.”

Ethan took a glance from the road to catch sight of the two, seeing one of the figures he could tell it was Iris. It was her and whomever she was with had to be the Prince. “Right, let’s get them. It’s now or never.” Speeding up a little he pushed the car further, hearing the rattle of the engine as he sped up to chase down the two figures.

Hearing the sound of a car unsettled her, glancing around she could see a car in the distance, and it looked like it was bee-lining to them. Frowning she felt herself panic because cars wouldn’t usually be on the road, this was many supply runs. “Cas… run. I don’t think that’s friendly.” Tugging on his hand as she urged him to run, her heart beginning to race as she started to run herself. Panic settling in because they had nothing to defend themselves with and all they could do was run.

As she had started to run, she could hear the car screech to a halt which to her only meant that it had to be the rebels, that they had been found and she didn’t dare look back. Keeping her eyes ahead as she tried to focus on getting out of there. BANG. Within an instant she came to a halt, eyes wide as she heard the shot, that was a gunshot. Looking round for Cas she had to make sure he hadn’t been hit, she knew she hadn’t but that didn’t mean they hadn’t gone for him. The shot itself hadn’t been aimed at anyone, it had been a warning telling them to stop.

“I’D STOP RUNNING OR THE NEXT SHOT WILL BE AIMED AT YOU BOTH.” Ethan shouted out the gun now pointing towards Iris and Cas as he forced them to stop running. Tom was at his side folding his arms as he kept his eyes on the pair.

“E-Ethan…” Iris felt her heart drop as she saw him standing there with a gun, aiming at them. Of all the rebels to catch them it had to be him, it was typical and she just wished it would have been anyone else.

Cas wished he had an answer for Iris, but truthfully, he had no idea how his father would react if he tried to vouch for the other districts. He wanted to believe Atlas was a just ruler who didn’t know how bad life was beyond the capital and who would leap at the chance to rectify the situation. However, it was highly unlikely that a king could be so out-of-touch with his people. It was far more probable that his father knew exactly what was going on and had kept the information from him for some reason. Probably because he knows I wouldn’t have been okay with it, he theorized, looking down at the pothole-filled road they were walking beside. He believed in an Aspiria that was a utopia for people of all classes, not just for the elite and wealthy.

No matter what the monarch had been trying to do by keeping him in the dark, he had to wonder how Atlas had thought he would react when he eventually found out the truth. It was a temporary solution at best. When he became king after his father passed, he would have found out everything on his own. Economics may not have been his best subject, but he wasn’t so hopeless at it that he would have missed such a gaping discrepancy between what he’d been told and what was actually going on in the country. If he went back to the capital, he was eager to question the king to find out exactly what had been going on in his head for the last twenty-four years.

When they walked further along the road, and Iris told him that she thought she had enough money left to treat him to dinner, he smirked. “You sure do know how to make a man feel special,” he jested, teasing her hand with his thumb. “I’d love to be your dinner date.” He knew that dinner beyond the capital was likely to mean more sandwiches and bottles of water, but when that was their only option, he couldn’t complain. I was interesting to him how quickly his mentality shifted when he was in survival mode. At home, he could afford to be more picky with his meals, choosing to eat almost exclusively gourmet dishes to satisfy his expensive palate. However, on the run from the rebellion, plain food suddenly seemed more delicious.

He was mulling over the thought when he noticed that Iris was starting to look around as if she was worried about something. Tardily, he took notice of the sound of an old engine and realized they were no longer alone on the road. He glanced over his shoulder after she did, spotting the vehicle that was approaching them just before she pulled on his hand and told him to run. Without replying, he followed the order, slipping his hand out of hers to take up a sprint at her side. In the back of his head, he knew they weren’t going to get very far though. Running as fast as they could, they still couldn’t outpace a car, and the walls that bordered the road were too tall to climb over. He just hoped that whoever was behind the wheel wasn’t really after them—

Suddenly, a gunshot rang in the air, and Cas felt his heart leap into his throat. Whoever was in the car was most definitely after them. His fight or flight instincts kicked in, prompting him to sprint faster, which ultimately only caused him to stumble when Iris froze at his side. Caring more about staying with her than he did about escaping, he forced himself to stop, staggered to catch his balance and turned back to take her by the arm, trying to encourage her to keep moving before the shooter was in range to hit them. “Iris, come on,” he urged her frantically. “It’s harder to hit a moving target, so—” He didn’t finish the thought before he was interrupted by the voice of the last man he’d ever wanted to see again.

The prince blanched and looked up to see Ethan and the other rebel that had broken into the capital, Thomas Howard, out of their vehicle and on their feet. The former was aiming his gun directly at them. In that moment, his thoughts raced a million miles per second as he hurried to think of a way out of the situation. He didn’t want to give up without a fight. If Ethan caught him now, he would probably just send him back to Regis, and he dreaded the thought of finding out what Iris’s father would do to him after he’d already escaped once. A shiver zipped up his spine as he imagined being beaten and stabbed all over again by the alcoholic sadist. He couldn’t go back, but he also couldn’t risk Iris’s life by disregarding Ethan’s orders.

If he’d been alone, he would have been desperate enough to turn tail and flee in the hopes that Ethan wouldn’t be able to hit him if he ran in an irregular path. However, he didn’t want to chance that Iris would be shot in the crossfire. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. So, trembling with a mixture of fear and adrenaline, he let go of her arm and averted his gaze as he reluctantly held up his hands in defeat.

Facing her father again was the lesser evil when compared to getting her killed. The rebels might punish her for turning traitor, but she was still one of them, so he was fairly sure she would be alright. He was the one they wanted, after all, not her. He took a steeling breath. “Just do what he says,” he murmured without looking up from the ground, keeping his voice low enough that only she would hear him. “I don’t want you to get hurt… He’s after me, so just go along with it so he doesn’t shoot you.”

Sprinting was hard, especially when her leg had just barely healed from the bear trap over a week ago. Sure, the wound had healed over, there was still scabbing, and it still pained especially as she hadn’t had those painkillers from the Capital to ease the discomfort. Thankfully the adrenaline was pushing her through whatever pain she could feel and right now, but the gunshot had changed everything. The idea that Cas could have been shot just then, that either of them could have just lost their lives just like that. To say it didn’t strike fear through her would be lying. Even as Cas tried to take her by the arm, encouraging her to keep moving she felt rooted to the spot. Unable to even process his words of encouragement as she stared at the gun Ethan was holding.

Looking at him now she could see he was different. Ethan was cold, he looked angry and she could feel that aura seeping from him as he kept the gun trained on them as if shooting was an option for him. It was not a good sight, seeing a weapon of destruction aimed at you and sure she knew Ethan could be horrible but never in her life had she expected to see this image. This image had shaken her to her core and if there where any feelings left for him, they had certainly vanished in this moment.

Finally registering his voice next to her she had realised how Cas had given in, telling them to do what he said, and it felt like she had lost. They had lost. Without thinking she stood in front of Cas as if to shield him from the bullet, a part of her worried Ethan would just kill him there and then. That was their ultimate goal after all, to kill the Prince and something her father desperately wanted who had no doubt twisted Ethans mind to want the same. It had to have been easy given the fact she had essentially left him for the Prince. That had to have been a significant blow to someone who could be quite volatile anyway.

“Ethan… you don’t have to do this. Killing him get’s us nothing.” Finding the strength in her voice as she looked at him in the eye, trying to disregard the gun in his hand. “I can promise you that he didn’t know. Cas didn’t know about the districts; he didn’t know that we are so impoverished. Ethan please.” Though she flinched at his sudden movement, the gun now aimed at her heart with his cold gaze staring down at her.

“Cas this. Cas that. Oh, he didn’t know about the districts, he is such a good person. BULLSHIT.” Ethan mimicked her voice as he kept the gun aimed firmly at her heart, “Killing him may get us nothing, but it will certainly make me feel better wiping that smug look off of his face.” Spitting his disgust as he edged forward, Thomas doing the same following his lead. “Well. I say it will get us nothing, but it will get us everything. The end of the monarchy.”

“No, did you not see those bombs? This war will never end if we keep doing this. It will only end in everyone’s destruction Ethan.”

“Oh, for the love of… will you shut up. You are so stupid Iris, can’t you see.” Waving his hand towards the Prince as if it was helping him make his point before, he sighed shaking his head, “No you don’t see. With him gone we’d have access to the Capital. To money, to food. Would you like me then if I had all of that? Would you love me if I had money?” The obsessive side of him coming out in his words, “As if he could love you. I bet he only charmed you to let him escape, using you because let’s face it. We are all rebel scum.” Anger was getting the better of him as he fired another shoot but this time at their feet, eyes glaring with rage. “Move out of my way or I’ll shoot you Iris.”

“N-No. I won’t let you.” Without thinking Iris lunged forward wrestling Ethan for the gun which took him by surprise, “CAS, RUN.” It would give him a small opening to run and she hoped he would be able to fend off Thomas who instantly sprung into action running towards the Prince hands curled into fists as he aimed a punch his way.