For the rest of the evening, Caspian and his friends developed a plan to sneak Iris out of the hospital behind the sounds of the basketball game playing on the TV. Jay looked up floor plans of the building on his phone, pointing out exits on different parts of the ground level and connecting hallways on the inside that they could use to get in and out quickly. Cas and Miles helped him with that while also brainstorming the various obstacles they might face during their “operation” that could lead to their arrest. They played out a few realistic scenarios that could come up and worked out viable solutions to each one until they felt confident that they were prepared for anything, barring any wildly unlikely problems, of course.

By the end of their meeting, they’d put together a solid plan that made the prince feel more confident that they weren’t in over their heads. There was very little left up to luck, so as long as all three of them remembered their roles and didn’t miss any of the most crucial steps, he was sure they would be able to get Iris out of the hospital the next night. As he walked Jay and Miles back to the door and bade them goodbye, he could already feel excitement and determination swelling inside his chest. He’d done a few things here and there that weren’t fully legal throughout his life, but this was by far the most daring endeavor he’d ever taken part in. The risks were high, but the reward was even higher, and all three of them were now committed to seeing things through to the end.

Unable to turn his brain off now that he knew what was going to happen tomorrow, Cas was unable to sleep for most of the night. He tossed and turned, ruminating on the plan until almost four in the morning before he eventually grew too exhausted to stay awake any longer and fell asleep.

The next morning, he felt the effects of his insomnia heavily. Stirring at about eight in the morning, he was reluctant to get out of bed, feeling like his body was being weighed down by a sack of bricks. The mattress was plush and heavenly, and the duvet was equally so, both more comfortable than anything he’d slept on while he’d been outside the capital. Captured within their enticing grasp, he almost drifted off again when someone knocked on his door. Groaning something incoherent, he pulled the covers over his head in the hopes that the visitor would go away. Unfortunately, they did not.

“Your Highness?” one of the servants—a man this time, he noticed idly—stepped just inside the doorway and bowed. “You have an appointment today at nine-thirty. Would you like any assistance getting ready?”

[color=#b97703]“What appointment?”[/color] Cas half asked-half grunted without removing the covers from his head. In his half-asleep state, he couldn’t think of a reason why anyone should need to see him when he’d only just come home the previous afternoon. Jay and Miles weren’t supposed to pick him up until after nightfall either.

“The, err… evaluation with Dr. Foster,” the servant explained awkwardly. “His Majesty scheduled it yesterday?” Although he’d spoken a statement, he inflected his voice as if worried he’d gotten his information mixed up. Most likely trying to avoid being accused of incompetence, the prince guessed.

[color=#b97703]“Oh… [i]that[/i],”[/color] Cas grumbled, reminded instantly of the argument he’d had with his father the day before. It seemed like the king hadn’t changed his mind about having him psychologically evaluated after all. He felt a pang of annoyance that he was still being forced to go through with it when he was clearly fine. Anyone who’d spoken with him aside from Atlas could see it. If he could have cancelled the appointment altogether, he would have. However, he knew he couldn’t overrule something his father had arranged. He didn’t have the authority. [color=#b97703]“I’ll get dressed on my own,”[/color] he told the servant, reluctantly pulling the duvet down to chest-level and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his left palm. [color=#b97703]“If you could tell the cooks to send breakfast up to my room, that would be great though.”[/color]

“I’ll do that right away, Your Highness,” the servant complied with another bow before he exited the room.

As soon as the other man was gone, the prince let out a frustrated huff and sat up on his bed. He supposed he might as well get the unnecessary evaluation over with if it was inevitable. Tiredly, he slid down from the tall mattress and ambled over to his closet to find something comfortable to wear.