Cas? Is it really you? Jay sounded dazed as he picked up the call. Like everyone else in the capital, he’d thought the prince was dead until the article had been released that he had been found alive at the border. Receiving a call after a week of silence on top of that had been nothing short of shocking to him.

“It’s really me,” Cas told him with a half-smile, imagining the look on his friend’s face as he revealed that he hadn’t been killed. While he’d been in the other districts, he’d convinced himself that no one had cared that he was gone, so it felt good to hear genuine relief in the other high born’s voice. It was the confirmation he’d longed for that told him there were at least a few people who had missed him.

Oh my god, what happened? Jay asked, practically stumbling over himself in his haste to get the words out. Are you okay? I read an article that said you were almost dead when security found you!

“I’m fine now,” the prince assured him, leaning back on the bed. “It’s kind of a long story, and I promise I’ll fill you in later, but I actually called because I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

Anything, Jay replied promptly. What do you need?

“Well…” Cas frowned as he decided on the best way to approach it. Knowing that his friend had probably only heard the media’s version of what had happened, he started by explaining how Iris had helped him stay alive when he’d been on the run from the rebellion and how it was because of her that he’d even managed to get back to the capital without dying from his injuries. From there, he told Jay about how instead of being welcomed into the city, she’d been arrested at the border and taken into custody like a common criminal. He described how she’d been questioned and ended up at the hospital—although he left out some of the more personal details for her sake—as well as his concerns about his father’s unwillingness to see her as anything but an enemy.

“So all that to say,” he inhaled slowly. “I’m going to break her out of the hospital before the soldiers take her back to the penitentiary, and I wanted to ask for your help. We would be breaking the law, so I understand if you don’t feel comfortable—”

I’m in.

Cas blinked, not expecting such a rapid response. “What?”

I said I’m in, Jay repeated. Fuck it. If she saved your life, she shouldn’t be killed no matter where she comes from. I think it’s fucked up that your dad wants to have her killed or banished or whatever, so I’ll help you rescue her. I’m sure Miles will too if you give him a call.

Caspian smiled to himself and shook his head incredulously, amazed by his friend’s willingness to step into his mess without asking any questions. “You understand how serious the consequences will be if we’re caught, right?” he asked, needing to make sure Jay knew what he was getting himself into. “I mean, in plain terms, we’re going to be helping a traitor to the crown evade arrest. This is death-penalty-worthy stuff, man.”

Then we just won’t get caught, Jay replied simply. Look, dude. Stop talking when you’ve already made the sale. I said I’m in, so just tell me what I’m supposed to do.

“To be honest, I’m still working on that,” Cas admitted sheepishly. “I have a few ideas, but nothing is set in stone yet.” He paused, drumming his fingers on his knee. “Why don’t you and Miles come over tonight, and we’ll talk about it when you get here? It’ll be easier to come up with a plan if we’re all together, and we have to move fast. Iris was only guaranteed two days at the hospital, and today was day number one. We might have to do it tomorrow night if we want to make sure we move her before the soldiers come back to take her to the penitentiary.”

Hm, yeah. I’ll see if he’s available, Jay said thoughtfully. How’s seven?

“Seven is perfect. I’ll let security know you’re expected to come over, so they’ll let you in at the gate,” Cas replied, feeling his heartbeat quicken as solid plans were being made. “See you then, Jay.”

Later, Cas. Glad you’re not a corpse.

As the call was severed, Caspian rolled his eyes amusedly at his friend’s last gibe and set his phone down in his lap. Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was still only about one o’clock, so he had plenty of time to pass before Jay and Miles would arrive. He supposed he might as well take a nap to make it go by faster. But first… He picked the device back up and dialed the extension for the security team’s line to tell the guards that he would be having company over later.

Begrudgingly Ethan had allowed Thomas to begin cleaning his wounds, he allowed the other to deal with the minor cut to the hand first and everything else before working his way up to his eye. In truth Ethan feared the worst for his left eye, they had put this patch over it from the moment it was wounded, and blood continuously spilled from it. They had denied the severity of it, Ethan stated it was just a cut and it would be fine, he would be able to see out of it no problem but in reality he hadn’t dared to open it up yet fearing to see nothing but black from that eye.

Hours had passed reaching early evening, arguments between Ethan and Thomas over his wounds passed the time by until Ethan had finally allowed him to check it over. Ethans worst fears had been confirmed when he finally opened his left eye, blood poured out and all he could see was black. The damage was beyond repair for his eyes and he grimaced as Thomas attentively sorted out that horrible wound. It only added to his inner rage, his anger for the crown and how they had treated him. And the districts. He had to remind himself of that point because deep down he was gaining a rather unhealthy obsession with Caspain.

Whilst Thomas dealt with Ethan other members of the rebellion had joined the long chats, assisted in making plans to get back to Tongsen and the business district to create a new base of operations. Looking at all the members before him he could see how the numbers had dwindled, but here remained the few that were loyal to him and the rebellion. No one commented on his frightful eye wound, probably for good reason because Ethan knew he would have snapped at them had they made a stupid comment over it.

“Right, we can all agree it’s been a long day. I think I have tended to most of everyone’s wounds by now.” Thomas smiled looking around the room at the few members who were still here. Currently they had made it to his own fathers home in the district with the prison, thankfully the blast form the prison hadn’t left much damage to this district, but he knew it would only a matter of time before soldiers would fan out in the districts picking up the last remaining members.

“So, we have decided to set up a new base, Tongsen, they have no reason to go back there now. It’s likely that the Nox-Fleuret line is dead.”

Ethan folded his arms holding back the scoffs, the others didn’t know about her betrayal in full like he did. His father had covered it up with his wild plans that wouldn’t work. “Let’s not go into it.”

“Right…” Thomas sighed shaking his head as he pulled out some papers handing them around, “We all need to take a different route. We have no supplies, materials or a way to drive. It will look suspicious if we travel in a group together and they will most likely be trying to flush the rest of us out.”

“What about that secret base outside of Tongsen?” One of them perked up.

“Compromised, you really think they didn’t get that information from Regis? Or his daughter for that matter. We will be going where I say we are.” Ethan snapped silencing one of the members from their suggestion.

"O-Oh right, sorry."

For about four hours, Caspian slept in his own bed with the curtains drawn and all the lights out. The medicine he’d taken had kicked in, numbing his pain but also making him as drowsy as he had been on the IV at the hospital. Originally, he’d wanted to clean himself up before he climbed under the crisp sheets, but his exhaustion had won out. He would just have to find out if a maid could rewash his laundry tomorrow, since he’d taken a nap still covered in the dirt and grime that he’d built up since Ethan and Thomas had brought him to their odd prison base.

Around five o’ clock, he woke up to the smell of freshly cooked food and saw that one of the servants had left him dinner on a portable tray that had been placed beside the bed. Since he’d had a late lunch, he wasn’t entirely hungry yet, but he still managed to eat about half of the meal. He also noticed that the cooks had prepared yet another dish that only required one utensil to eat, and he guessed that Jacob had probably told them about his broken wrist. Eating with a fork and knife would have been difficult when he could barely move his fingers on his right hand. Even though he was right-handed, he was still able to manipulate a spoon in his left without too much trouble and climbed out of bed once he felt sufficiently full.

Ambling into the adjacent bathroom with a yawn, he pulled off the white shirt and shorts that he’d been lent before his discharge from the hospital and turned on the shower water. Before he stepped under the stream, though, he glanced at the full-length mirror on the other side of the room and raised a brow. The medicine he’d been given had already worked wonders on repairing the bruises that had covered his skin. The majority of them were already fading, and even the large patch on his stomach was starting to heal. The cut on his cheek from Regis’s broken bottle was starting to go away as well, but he couldn’t tell if it was going to disappear completely. A thin line was forming around the edges of it that may have been an early indication of a scar.

Turning away from his reflection, he stepped into the shower and scrubbed himself off as well as he could with only one useful hand. It took him longer than usual to wash himself, but he didn’t mind. The hot water felt incredible as it rolled off his head and shoulders, and he closed his eyes, simply enjoying the sensation after he’d finished cleaning off all the dirt.

Once he was done, he climbed back out and dried off, wrapping the fluffy white towel around his waist and walking over to the sink to finish up the rest of his routine. He never thought he’d miss simple things like deodorant or brushing his teeth, but both suddenly felt luxurious after he’d spent a week without access to basic hygiene products. He was also relieved to finally shave his face, having grown sick of the scraggly beard that he’d grown in the other districts. It was difficult to maneuver the electric razor with his non-dominant hand, but after about fifteen minutes of meticulous work, he set it aside and leaned closer to the mirror to make sure he didn’t miss any spots.

Just as he started applying aftershave, he heard a knock on the door to his bedroom. “Yeah?” he called out absentmindedly as he rubbed the liquid into his skin. From a distance, he heard the door open and turned to see that one of the maids had stepped into his room. At first she seemed confused that he wasn’t in his bed, but after a second, she turned toward the bathroom and froze, twinging pink at the sight of the prince in nothing more than a towel.

“I-I’m sorry to intrude, Your Highness,” she stammered, quickly bending over in a deep bow. “Your guests are here.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her with a shrug, unabashed by the situation. He was the one who’d pretty much given her permission to come in, and he was just as covered as he would have been if he’d been wearing a pair of shorts. “Thanks for letting me know. You can tell them I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“I’ll do that, Your Highness,” she said, scurrying out of the room and closing the door behind her.

After she was gone, he tossed his towel on the rack and put on a set of real clothes, including jeans that actually fit properly and a green cotton t-shirt. It felt good to him to finally wear his own clothes again rather than garments he’d borrowed from other people to get by. He smoothed down the fabric over his torso and glanced at the mirror one more time, feeling much more like himself for the first time in a week, before he headed out to meet up with Jay and Miles in the foyer.

Chatter and murmurs spread across the members at the mention of the names and how the bases had been compromised. Some of them were desperate to know what happened whilst others where just curious, but too afraid to pipe up and ask. That was until one brave fellow dared to ask the question.

“What happened to Iris? We know Regis was killed; may he rest in peace… but. What happened to her?”

Thomas instantly cringed at the idea someone had dared to ask, there was no beating around the bush that Ethan was still touchy on this subject and he only hoped it would spark a fit of rage. Glancing over at Ethan he could see the colour had washed from his face, a flicked of anger in his eyes and then resentment. Shaking his head Thomas turned to the group and went to address them himself but was cut off when Ethan finally spoke.

“Most likely dead, it hasn’t been confirmed but why would the Capital need too? They only needed to confirm the leader’s death, she wasn’t the next leader. Just his daughter.” Strangely enough Ethan was so calm with his words, although inside he was raging talking about her because he was still not over what she had done to him. “We act as if she is dead, whether or not that will be the case…”

“But you rescued her last time, can we not do that again?”

“DO YOU REALLY THINK WE HAVE THE RESOURCE FOR THAT?” Ethan couldn’t help but flare up at the interruption, especially one of risking his life to rescue her when he had done that once already. Only to find out she had been with someone else, the enemy who she was supposed to kill. “Sorry… but. It was hard enough getting out the first time, security will be different. More high-tech, more intense and we have to accept her as a loss.”

Will you though? Accept her as a loss. Thomas thought to himself as he looked towards the member who had spoken up on this matter, flashing him a look to shut up because he didn’t want Ethan to explode.

“Regardless. We have lost plenty of people to this rebellion, the Capital probably think they have us on the ropes. They don’t. We still have spirit; we still have our lives and it’s time we plan on how we can bring down the crown. For good.” Ethan nodded as he commanded the room before him, his anger subsiding and he didn’t feel the need to punch the idiot who brought up the subject that he currently hated.

“I still have some good connections that will help, I’ve called in a favour to get us food and new clothes tonight.” Thomas smiled as he watched the faces before them all light up happily at the idea of food and fresh clothing. “It will be here within the hour, for now. Let’s talk strategies.” Nodding back to Ethan who inhaled deeply to deepen their discussion.

Ethan had begun to explain various different plants to them all, already he had thought on how to get them to the new base without getting caught. Some would arrive in hours, other days, but it was the safest option whilst numbers were low. Ethan began to describe and pitch ideas on what kind of plans they could use to ill the King and his heir. Every so often as Ethan would talk about the Prince his voice would raise, anger was there but the men took it as passion for the cause. Reality was that Ethan was jealous of the man, he had a deep hatred for him and he knew he would stop at nothing until either one of them was dead.

“Look at that. The prince lives.”

Making his way down the stairs, Caspian smirked amusedly as Jay flashed him a teasing grin and leaned forward in an exaggerated bow. After a week of madness, his friend’s antics were a welcomed greeting back to some sense of normalcy. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed both him and Miles until he saw them standing just inside the main door. He also appreciated that they were treating him the same way they always had instead of fawning over him or pitying him because of the abduction. Although he didn’t mind the latter, it only served to remind him of the hardship that he didn’t want to think about at the moment. Right now, Iris came first. He could deal with his own trauma after he knew she was safe.

“Hey, guys,” he returned Jay’s grin as he stepped over to them. “It’s good to see you again. Why don’t we head to the bar to have some drinks while we catch up?” And discuss their plans to free Iris from the soldiers, but he couldn’t say that in front of the guard who had let the two into the building.

“I can’t turn down free drinks,” Jay agreed without hesitation, catching on to the ploy. He and Miles followed Cas’s lead and headed further into the mansion, leaving the security guard behind.

“I still can’t believe you were taken by the Scourge and survived,” Miles shook his head as they walked. “I thought I’d gotten a little too high when I read that article, so I didn’t believe it was real until Jay told me you called him. Ghosts can’t do that.”

“It was pretty rough,” Cas admitted. “I couldn’t do it alone either… which is why you two are here.” He added the second part under his breath, just in case there were and guards or servants nearby. The mansion was always buzzing with activity, and he couldn’t afford to let anyone eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Does it have anything to do with that limp you’re sporting?” Miles asked, phrasing the question just vaguely enough to sound innocent.

“Yeah,” Cas confirmed. “I’ll tell you more after we get to the bar.”

Taking a hint, the other two men changed the subject by telling him a little bit about what they had been doing during the past week. Apparently Jay had finally decided to follow his dream of becoming an autobody technician against his parents’ wishes—they had wanted him to take over their family business in pharmaceuticals—and was looking for a mentor to show him the ropes. Meanwhile, Miles hadn’t really done anything new. He reported that he was still bouncing between parties that the other high borns put on, living off his inheritance rather than working. Both of them were doing well and seemed happy though, which was all Cas cared about. He was glad to hear that they were making the most of their lives in their own individual ways.

When they got to the bar, they all sat down at the booth in the far back corner of the room, away from the counter where Martin was setting up to make their drinks. The bartender hurried over to take their requests, and all three asked for lagers. Once they’d been given the dark, glass bottles, Jay proposed a toast to the fact that the prince had made it back to the capital alive, and they shared a celebratory drink. To Cas, it was just a cover-up though. He couldn’t sincerely celebrate anything while Iris’s life was still in danger, so while he put on a fake smile for show, he was inwardly tense, focused on coming up with a plan to get her out of the hospital.

As they set their drinks back down on the table, Miles peered over his shoulder to call to Martin, “Hey, I haven’t seen this rerun yet.” He gestured to one of the nearby flat screens broadcasting a recent basketball game. “Mind turning up the volume? All of us want to watch it.”

“Of course, sir,” the bartender nodded and adjusted the sound controls, so the TV played more loudly.

Cas shot his friend a subtle nod of appreciation, glad that he’d thought of such an easy way to conceal the conversation they were about to have from the servant. He might have been able to pay Martin off to keep his interest in a woman a secret, but he couldn’t be certain that he could offer any amount of money to stop the bartender from telling his father that they were about to commit treason.

As soon as they were comfortably isolated in the corner of the room, Jay asked, “So, did you come up with a plan since the last time we talked?”

“No,” Cas shook his head. “I pretty much conked out after I hung up the phone. The medication I’m on makes me really tired.”

“What are you taking it for?” Miles asked. “Broken wrist?” He indicated the silicon brace on the prince’s forearm.

“Among other things,” Cas replied. “Broken wrist, two fractured ribs, stab wound to my arm, and a gunshot wound in my leg. Plus a lot of cuts and bruises. If I wasn’t on a strong painkiller right now, I’d be miserable.”

Jay and Miles stared at him, dumbfounded by the list of afflictions, until the former broke the silence. “Damn, dude,” he shook his head. “I can’t even imagine what you must have gone through out there.”

“Yeah,” Miles agreed. “But… what was it like to get shot? Or even stabbed? Both of those wounds sound awful.”

“They were,” Cas shuddered, absentmindedly touching the bandages underneath his shirt sleeve. “Getting stabbed felt kind of like being punched really hard and then setting the entire spot on fire. It happened in the middle of a fight, so it didn’t really hurt like hell until a few minutes later because of the adrenaline rush. Being shot with a gun from five feet away made me want to kill myself though.” He grimaced as he remembered how Ethan had stood over him and pulled the trigger so mercilessly. He hoped he never had to see that man again. “I don’t really know how to describe it except for sheer blinding pain.”

“Christ,” Jay breathed, lifting his beer to his lips and downing a large swig. “Sounds like everyone wasn’t too far off in assuming you were dead, huh?”

“I would have been dead if Iris hadn’t been there to help me escape,” Cas reminded him, following suit with a smaller sip from his drink.

“Right,” Miles frowned. “And why did she help you? Are you guys an item or something?”

The prince paused before responding to the question, debating the best answer to give. Although he trusted his friends and wanted to tell them that he and Iris were romantically involved, he was hesitant to leave a trail that his father might use against him later on. Deciding that he would have plenty of time to tell them the truth later on, he picked the safer option: “No, the other rebels just manipulated her into helping them. She’s not actually on their side, and she didn’t want to let them kill me in cold blood, so she turned traitor by helping me get away.”

“And now you’re returning the favor,” Jay nodded in understanding.

“Exactly,” Cas lied through his teeth, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt beneath the table. “I can’t let her die after she saved my life. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Then let’s get her out of that hospital,” Miles grinned ferally, placing his hands on the table and leaning toward the others with an eager glint in his eyes. “Alright, boys, let’s get started on Operation: Badass in Distress.”

The night had been interesting for all parties, on Ethans side his night had been focused on making plans on how they could assassinate the King and his crown prince. The group had spent hours going over important details, they had managed to swipe a few maps from their previous base which showed the inner workings of the Capital. Though it was a little outdated the shape still remained similar. Hours had been poured into the plans, but they just couldn’t quite figure out how they would get close enough to the crown. None of them were talented enough to be hired for the inner workings of the palace and even then, they would have to have extensive checks before passing any sort of security.

Firstly, they had to think of a way to slip into the Capital and blend in with normal society, that alone was a difficult enough plan. The idea of them going in as construction workers, not in the palace of course because they would never make it into the palace but if they could pass off as construction workers inside the Capital it was a start. Blending in with society and everyone had already agreed this plan could take years, it wouldn’t just happen overnight. After hours of them pouring into the plans the group had all fallen asleep before they’d make start on the initial plan of finding a new base.

Harry on the other hand had experienced a bit of a mixed night whilst guarding the prisoner, he was dozing off in the chair knowing it was quite late and no one would be visiting or even dare to disturb at this time because of how late it was, or early depending who you spoke too. Frowning as he heard a stir, a whimper he opened his eyes glancing around the room to make sure it had come from no one else and then his eyes fell on Iris. Sighing as he saw her sleep disturbed, he glanced at his watch groaning to see it was reaching one in the morning and he sat back on the bed watching, hoping it would just subside. After waiting about half an hour, it was clearly not subsiding, so Harry made the decision to have her sedated. Sure, it came out of the prisons budget another bill for her care, but it was also something they’d use back in the prison should there be any rowdy inmates. This was slightly different, but he felt awkward sitting there listening to what he could only assume was some sort of nightmare and whilst she was in the hospital he could allow for these kinds of expenses. Jacob wouldn’t tell him off for it.

The doctors where quick to respond, in an instant once Harry had made the decision, they swiftly injected her so she could continue to rest for the night dreamless. Sighing to himself he settled back into the chair closing his eyes once more knowing the sedative will put her out for hours so he could rest for the evening without worrying she would try to run.

After the eventful night had passed Iris began to stir in her bed, confusion swept over her as she slowly opened her eyes wondering what had happened the pounding in her head reminding her that she wasn’t home. Already she could tell her night had not been smooth, she remembered the darkness interrupting some vivid dreams, no. Nightmares. Keeping herself laying down on the bed she looked at the white wall frowning as the memory of her nightmare began to return, reminding her that she hadn’t escaped from it. Something had just stopped it for the night which she was glad of, but she knew it wouldn’t stop. This would continue to haunt her.

I…

Flinching as the flashes of the nightmares resurfaced, taking hold of her during the day reminding her of what had happened during the night even though she was desperate to forget that nightmare.

Please, forget. Please. Stop. Whispering to herself as she tried to will the memory away, force it out of her head.

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?”

“What appointment?” 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.

“Oh… that,” 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. “I’ll get dressed on my own,” he told the servant, reluctantly pulling the duvet down to chest-level and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his left palm. “If you could tell the cooks to send breakfast up to my room, that would be great though.”

“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.

Look at what you did to me.

Look.

Iris couldn’t help but look at the mangled body of her father, standing over it as she trembled. Blood poured from gunshot wounds forming a puddle at her feet and it felt like she could feel it. That she herself was standing in his blood. A stifled sob left her lips as she tried to look away from her father’s corpse as his booming words could be heard.

This is your fault. I am dead because of you.

“No… N-No that’s not true at all.” Shaking her head as she took a step back turning on her heel to run away from the scene, but instead she bumped into her father causing her to scream at the sight. Regis was stood there whilst his dead body was still on the floor behind her, the floor now covered in his blood. Pale skinned, full of bullet holes but he was standing looking down at Iris with a crazed look in his eye a wicked grin across his face.

“Did you see it? My body, I’m dead all because you decided to betray the rebellion. Betray your own flesh and blood. All for what? A brief moment of happiness.” The voice was cold, booming out in her nightmare as it echoed. Repeating words of it’s your fault through whispers.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t bring me back. What would your mother think of you? You’re a disgrace to her memory and now to mine. What is worth it?”

“W-What… of course… I… you can’t kill him. It achieves us nothing! That’s not what the rebellion stood for. You have to understand… father…”

Cutting her off mid-sentence a resounded slap could be heard, a hit so hard it caused Iris to fall landing in the pool of his blood. Staining the white dress, she was wearing. “Understand what!? Look at you, pathetic. Cold blooded killer who will get what she deserves. You will die next. It’s your turn.”

“I… I…” Sobbing Iris looked down at the pool of blood she was sat in, tears streaked down her face as the words he spoke resonated through her. Repeating to her, reminding her that she was worthless. Pathetic. It was all her fault he had been killed, had she let Caspain escape and stayed behind maybe she could have saved her father? And then her mother, would she be disappointed in what she did? What does it matter, I’ll die anyway, it’s what I deserve for everything? Watching the pool of blood, it began to disappear, colours of reds and purples swirled around as the scenery began to change. The blood replaced by fresh blades of grass and a somewhat more bright and sunny scenery, a big change from the dark and desolate imagery from before.

Frowning to herself as she looked at her hands, they were clean, no blood on them and she glanced around quickly trying to establish where she was and then she saw him. Cas. Reaching out to him she smiled looking at him standing in the sunlight, he looked so happy and well. No injuries and he was fine. “Oh Cas, you’re okay… you look fine.” Scrambling to her feet as she ran over to him, but something was strange. No matter how much she ran she didn’t get any closer, panic started to set in as she desperately reached out to him and then she heard his voice. Words she never expected to hear.

I never loved you.

Darkness came after that; Iris couldn’t remember anything after those words and even though she knew he hadn’t said that it still unsettled now. Awake in the hospital. Eyes were transfixed on the white wall as she allowed herself to relive the nightmare, unable to push it down or forget it. Even though something had happened to stop the dreams she could still remember them, nothing would take that away from her. From the horrid nightmares of her guilt and her father to the idea that the person she had started to open up too, trust and love. Didn’t love her. It drained her of energy and even though she had rested she felt far from it and she couldn’t even be bothered to get up from the bed. Not caring who was in the room and what was going to happen to her.

“Tell me more about what happened after Iris helped you get back to the capital.”

As Dr. Foster prompted him with yet another question, Caspian wanted to rake his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had already described what had happened to him after the abduction at length, and now the psychiatrist had begun asking him to repeat or elaborate on certain points that she wanted to know more about. He was getting tired of what was beginning to feel like an interrogation, and he wanted to go back to his room to have some time to himself. His injuries were feeling a little sorer than usual that morning too, so sitting in the same chair for an hour was becoming harder to bear.

“I already told you,” he said with a frown, impatience seeping into his voice as his eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. They had taken up one of the semi-soundproofed offices on the second floor to prevent their conversation from being overheard by the staff. “She supported me on the walk to the border, because I couldn’t hold myself up alone. We didn’t talk much on the way, and when we got there, she was arrested almost immediately for treason. I was taken to the hospital, and I haven’t seen her since.” It was a thin lie, but he didn’t want to tell anyone that he knew where her room was at the hospital. Right now, only Jacob and Harry and a few nurses were aware that he’d visited her yesterday, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Crossing his arms defensively, he met the psychiatrist’s gaze across the desk. “I have nothing left to say that you don’t already know, so can I go now? I think I’ve made it pretty clear that there’s nothing wrong with me. You can tell my dad—”

“Actually, I’m not so sure that’s true,” Dr. Foster objected, lifting her gaze from the notepad on which she’d been taking notes.

“What do you mean?” Cas felt his stomach drop. He’d thought that a trained professional would realize right away that he was fine. If she thought there was something wrong with him too, it was going to be harder than he’d thought to convince his father otherwise.

Dr. Foster cleared her throat. “In my profession, it does more harm than good to beat around the bush, so I’ll be blunt. Based on everything I’ve been told by both you and your father, I believe you’re suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.”

“What?” Cas gawked at her. “That’s ridiculous! I don’t have a syndrome.”

“Your Highness, please allow me to explain,” the psychiatrist said patiently. “When a person has Stockholm Syndrome, he doesn’t ever think there’s something wrong with him. It’s a condition in which a victim of abuse forms a positive bond with his abuser. Rather than seeing the situation for what it is—in your case, an abduction—you’ve reframed it into something more tolerable for your psyche to handle: a crusade to save both yourself and one of the perpetrators who tormented you. It’s a survival strategy you’ve subconsciously tapped into to increase your chances of surviving without even realizing what you were doing.”

Cas stared at her, stunned by the diagnosis. “That doesn’t make any sense though,” he defended himself after a pause. “Iris didn’t abuse me. In fact, I saw her be abused by Regis and Ethan just like I was. She’s a victim here too.”

“If your captors were trying to manipulate your emotions, they would have allowed you to see whatever they believed would make you more compliant,” Dr. Foster explained calmly. “And abuse isn’t always physical. It can be emotional as well. Wouldn’t you say it was abusive of Iris to pretend like she was your friend, betray your trust, and then do it all over again?”

“But she didn’t—”

“Prince Caspian, I understand this is a lot to take in,” she smiled at him sympathetically. “No one enjoys finding out that their perspectives have been manipulated by other people, but I firmly believe you’ve been victimized far more than you realized. Iris is a member of the rebellion. She isn’t your friend, and she doesn’t have your best interests at heart.”

Cas opened his mouth to argue with her again but turned his head toward the door as someone knocked on the other side. In the next moment, he blanched as his father stepped into the office. Having made no progress in convincing the psychiatrist that he didn’t have Stockholm Syndrome, seeing the king enter made his heart pound with anxiousness. Atlas couldn’t find out that she thought he was sick in the head. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a chance to tell him to go away before the king asked: “So, Dr. Foster, what do you think the traitors did to my son?”

“Iris” Frowning as no response came from the girl the doctor edged closer as he watched her fixated stare at the wall. “Hello?” Trying again the doctor could only sigh as again it received no response, looking at Harry who was sat in the chair minding his own business he waved his hand as if asking from him if she had spoken at all this morning.

“Oh no, sorry. She’s been like that all morning.” Harry mumbled running fingers through his hair as he stood up from the chair stretching his legs turning his own gaze to Iris as she continued to focus on one spot of the wall. “Whatever happened last night probably caused this.” Waving his hands up in the air as if it signified whatever her condition was, in truth he had no clue but then he wasn’t a trained physician.

“Interesting… it’s no wonder really. I mean well, she could be experiencing an absent seizure. It's quite common, people can mistake it for daydreaming in younger chlidren.” The doctor mumbled to himself pulling up the notepad going through the notes on the girl since she had been admitted, the last thing jotted down was around how much dosage of sedative had been given during the night. Turning the paper in his clipboard he looked at the more detailed notes that one of the night staff had left behind, “Violent nightmares… distant. That seizure.” Tapping his foot as he spoke to himself as if an answer would pop out of thin air, he knew the girl had experienced the Aproveset and some had experienced additional effects of the drug like nightmares but he knew it was more that. Also, a lot more in medical bills that the prison wouldn’t pay because from what he had heard she was on death row. It surprised him she was even here if he was honest, but he was a doctor and he was here to heal so he wouldn’t question it.

Writing a few more notes on his clipboard he handed it to Harry smiling, “Jacob will want this, it details the treatment and bills. Below it is a full synopsis of what I’ve seen and personally… from a medical point of view the girl is unhinged. Not mentally stable right now, she knows she is no doubt headed for death but has accepted that. From what the nurses have mentioned wishes for it so there is some sort of trauma here that can be treated, but I doubt the prison will pay for it if she is to sentenced to death or sent back to the districts.”

“Uh huh. Right.” Harry nodded as he took the clipboard from the doctor not really glancing at the files because they were for Jacob, he’d let him deal with it.

“She’ll be here for one more night, I’ve had it authorised for another sedative this evening so a repeat of last night won’t happen.” The doctor stated as he looked back at the girl who had responded to anything, not the mention of her name her condition. It was as if she had just shut herself down and he sighed shaking his head. “That bandage can come off of her neck tomorrow, it will be done before she leaves and should be fully healed."

“Your Majesty,” Dr. Foster rose from her seat and bowed to the king formally, gesturing to the now-open chair she’d just given up. “Please, sit. I think I’ve heard enough to make a diagnosis.”

“What happened to doctor-patient confidentiality?” Caspian muttered, folding his arms over his middle as he slouched in his chair. The question was rhetorical. He knew that the code of ethics that applied to normal doctor-patient relationships didn’t apply to him because he was the king’s son. His father had the right to know everything about everyone, so there was no information that could be withheld from him. In this case, his medical records and psychiatric evaluation were public knowledge to the monarch.

Ignoring the prince’s halfhearted protest, Atlas strode into the room with the assistance of his cane and took a seat in the chair across from his son. Both royals were still tense in each other’s presence, and they avoided eye contact with each other. Instead, the king turned toward the psychiatrist, who was now standing at the edge of the desk. “What are your thoughts? Has he been brainwashed by those anarchists?”

“‘Brainwashed’ isn’t a proper medical term, sire,” Dr. Foster corrected him gently. “But I do believe Prince Caspian has been psychologically afflicted by the trauma he’s endured. He’s expressed multiple symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome during the time I’ve spoken with him.”

Keep talking about me like I’m not even here, why don’t you? Cas thought sarcastically, averting his gaze while she conversed with his father. Part of him was tempted to try slipping out of the office while they discussed what was “wrong” with him. However, he couldn’t bring himself to walk away when he knew that he might need to defend himself against their baseless accusations, so he remained where he was.

“What is that, exactly?” Atlas asked, knitting his brows bemusedly.

“It’s a condition in which a victim identifies with his abuser and forms an emotional attachment with her,” the psychiatrist explained, reviewing her notes. “I noticed a few different signs of it in His Highness during the interview. For example, he holds one of his kidnappers, Iris Nox-Fleuret, in a positive regard and seems to have formed a bond with her in spite of the emotional abuse she put him through. He is also uncooperative with when it comes to holding her accountable for the crimes she’s committed, and he didn’t try to escape from her when he had multiple opportunities to do so.” She turned the page of her notebook. “A less common symptom I noticed was that he feels pity towards her and seems to genuinely believe she’s a victim as well. Overall, everything points to Stockholm Syndrome as the most likely culprit for the delusion.”

“I’m not delusional,” Cas snapped, unable to hold his tongue when they were treating him like an unstable mental patient. “And Iris wasn’t abusing me either. If she was on Regis and Ethan’s side, why would she have tried to run away with me? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“I have a theory,” Dr. Foster revealed, causing the prince to grow quiet in surprise.

“What is it?” Atlas prompted.

“I believe the Scourge’s goal wasn’t to kill Prince Caspian, but to alter his allegiance,” she stated confidently. “By abducting and tormenting him, they were intentionally pushing him toward one of their own members who would then persuade him to lose faith in the crown. They manipulated him into believing that she wasn’t a bad person by exposing him to ‘villains’ who were worse: Regis and Ethan. Once he’d seen just how cruel those two were, he would have viewed Iris as a beacon of hope, which would in turn draw him closer to her. She supposedly tried to help him escape, when in reality, she was taking time to grow the attachment he had formed with her, so he wouldn’t try to run away. In psychology, we call this a trauma bond, which comes about when a victim is isolated from others and exposed to intermittent good/bad behavior by an abuser.

“Anyway, this went on for a few days until she had successfully won his trust and had time to fill his head with doubts about the people he previously held close—”

“That would explain the outburst at the hospital,” Atlas interrupted with a nod of understanding.

“It would,” Dr. Foster agreed. “When he and Iris were ‘captured’ again, I believe it was the Scourge’s last move to solidify his bond with her by convincing him that they had both been tormented together, so that by the time she brought him to the border, he would be compelled to take her side and choose to further the rebellion’s cause rather than fight for the capital.”

“I see,” Atlas mused, gripping the arm of his chair in anger. “So, they’ve turned my own heir against me… Is there any way to reverse the damage?”

“Yes, but it may take a long time…”

As the psychiatrist went on to describe how she believed he was going to need years of intensive counseling, Caspian felt like he was in a daze. After listening her to describe such an elaborately wicked plan in depth, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was right. What if he really had been tricked while he’d been made into the rebels’ prisoner? Was his relationship with Iris just a figment of his deranged imagination? No. He shook his head, dragging his hand over his face as he tried to ground himself. I’m not going to let her get inside my head. I’m fine. I know I’m fine. She just thinks Iris is an enemy because she hasn’t met her for herself, but I know she would never do something so cruel.

“Very well,” Atlas heaved a sigh, standing up from his seat. “When can you come back to meet with him again?”

“I can schedule regular appointments for two hours every week at this time,” Dr. Foster said, glancing at the prince, who seemed to have fallen under a trance. “Until next week, please be patient with him, sire. He’s convinced himself that Iris is his ally, and his loyalty to her will run deep until he’s able to accept that she isn’t who she thinks she is.”

As the appointment was concluded, a guard escorted the psychiatrist out of the building, and Atlas returned to his private quarters, continuing to avoid speaking with his son. Cas didn’t mind the cold shoulder though. At the moment, he didn’t want to talk to the king either. Frustrated with his father’s decision to put him in therapy for a made-up reason and reminding himself of the all the moments he’d had with Iris that hadn’t been fake, he headed back to his bedroom to hide away for a few hours before he needed to get ready for the plan he’d made with Jay and Miles to rescue her.

“Too much info, right?” The doctor chuckled looking at Harrys face filled with confusion as he held the stack of documents. “Honestly you don’t need to know, it’s all documented in the papers really. I just like to talk through diagnosis, usually with the patient, but well. You see what I’m working with.” Shaking his head as he glanced back at the girl who was still in the same place not even phased by everything going on around her. “Would you like me to get you a coffee and something to eat?”

“Oh, that would be great actually. If it’s no bother to you.” Harry smiled with a sense of relief, he was going to ask one of them if he could have something brought to him but he didn’t want to inconvenience them with his own demands when there were sick people in the hospital to be treated. Staying here overnight in the chair though had caused a major ache in his limbs and a coffee of course wouldn’t cure that, but it would make him feel miles better. The chair wasn’t the most comfortable piece of furniture he had stayed in, but it was better than standing the whole night. Jobs like that always pained him, but he did it without complaint not out loud at least.

“No bother at all. I’m sure there are some spare pastries lying around to go with that coffee. I assumed you can’t leave until someone replaces you. Pretty standard when prisoners come here.” The doctor offered a polite smile as he moved to the door, hesitating before he took hold of the doorknob turning it. Taking a moment, he glanced back into the room at the girl on the bed before he looked over at Harry, “I forgot to ask, sugar or milk? Both?”

“Just black, I need the caffeine.” Harry grinned as he sat himself back down on the hospital chair pulling out his phone checking for any updates that he should be aware of. Scrolling through he could see alerts of various headlines talking about how the Prince was alive, this was going to be in the news a lot, but it was a nice change and it was good news to be reported at least, better than all the articles discussing the Princes death and remembrance posts. Shuddering at the thought he had remembered how people had mourned, some of it had been heart-breaking. Harry knew how personally Jacob had reacted to the news, although it was never shown on the man’s face, he knew that Jacob cared for Caspain. Well he’s alive and that’s all that matters right now.

Clicking on an article that was titled we love Prince Caspain he snorted as he started to scroll down the tabloid, already they had published magazines with letters that women had wrote about their beloved Prince. Harry could hear the little voice in the back of his head already questioning why on earth he had clicked such a thing, but he couldn’t help it, he was curious. Upon reading it was filled to the brim with absolute crap and the minute he came across the sentence; oh, how Prince Caspain makes my heart swoon he quickly closed that article down with a shake of his head. Amused that he had even clicked on it in the first place. Catching up on his text messages he sent a quick message to Jacob filling him on the latest, there was nothing much to report but he always sent messages over as a courtesy.

Cas didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep, but he knew he must have at some point after he’d eaten lunch, because the next thing he was aware of was waking up, sprawled haphazardly on his bed with his phone resting in his limp, outstretched hand. He stretched languidly and yawned, rolling onto his back and raising the device over his head to check the time. It was already after four in the afternoon. He blinked as he stared at the numbers displayed on the screen and rubbed his eyes. The medication he was on was definitely making him much drowsier than usual because it had been a long time since he’d last slept for over three hours in one nap.

Blearily, he peeled himself off the mattress and paced a bit in an attempt to clear his head. He only had about three more hours left before Jay and Miles were supposed to come back to his place, so he needed to wake up all the way. There were still a few things left that he needed to do before they headed to the hospital. At the thought, he swallowed apprehensively and checked the time again. He’d never been a dishonest person, but what he was about to do was going to require quite a bit of lying. To offset the preemptive guilt, he reminded himself that his friends were counting on him—that Iris was counting on him—and headed out the door.

He made his way downstairs and strode toward the hallway that would take him to Jacob’s office, mentally rehearsing the lines he was going to feed the guard when he got there. However, before he reached the door, he raised his brows in surprise as it opened from the inside, and Jacob stepped into the corridor. The other man closed it behind him and turned toward the prince, seeming just as surprised to see him as well. “Prince Caspian,” he bobbed his head in a curt bow, studying the royal bemusedly. “Do you need something from me?”

Cas began to shift his weight and then stopped abruptly, focusing hard on not giving himself away by acting agitated. “Um, yeah,” he started slowly. “I was going to ask if you could run a quick errand for me… Are you going somewhere?”

Jacob nodded, “I need to take a look at that faulty wiring in the garage and get an estimate for the repair cost to give to His Majesty. It’s been put on the backburner for far too long.” He paused and then frowned. “Why were you looking for me to run an errand for you? I’m sure there are plenty of servants who would be more than happy to make the trip. That’s their job.”

“I just needed something else from the pharmacy,” he lied, feeling warmth creep into his cheeks as he touched on the excuse he’d come up with to get the guard out of his office. “If you’re busy, don’t worry about it though.”

“What was it?” Jacob asked, seeming even more confused by his discomfort.

Cas groaned inwardly. Even though the reason he’d come up with was fake, it was still incredibly awkward to discuss. He’d thought up an embarrassing “affliction” to make sure that Jacob would run the errand personally, since it would be reasonable to believe that he wouldn’t want to get anyone else involved. If I’d known he was already going to be leaving when I got here, I wouldn’t have said anything, he thought dryly. Already in too deep to back out now, he replied, “I, uh, I was going to ask if you could pick up some suppositories… The medicine I’m on has been messing with my digestion.” The initial pink blush on his cheeks raged darker as he voiced the humiliating, made-up excuse.

“Oh,” Jacob cleared his throat. “I’m sure the servants would be discreet, but if you don’t want to tell any of them, I can make the trip after I’m done with the garage door.”

“No, that’s okay,” Cas held up his hands, still wishing he would have kept his mouth shut about the fake errand before he’d asked where the guard was going. “I’ll find someone else to do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Completely,” the prince nodded quickly.

“Okay then,” Jacob started walking down the hall. As he grew nearer to the prince, he wavered briefly and patted him on the shoulder with one hand. “Good luck with that.”

“Thanks…” Cas grimaced, blushing furiously. He pretended to walk toward the other end of the hallway for a few seconds and then peered back over his shoulder, making sure the guard had passed out of sight before he doubled back for the abandoned office and slipped inside. As soon as he’d closed the door behind him, he leaned back against the wooden panel and pressed a hand over his face, taking a moment to wallow in the awkwardness of the exchange, and then shook his head. He still had a job to do, so he couldn’t waste too much time.

Quietly, he stepped away from the door and looked around the office. Jacob kept the room immaculately clean—no surprise there—so it didn’t take long before he spotted what he’d come there to find. On the right wall, there was a large, metal panel. Cas approached it and keyed the pin, hoping the guard used the same four-digit code for everything. Apparently he did, because as soon as the prince pressed the last number, there was a click and a whirr behind the plate, and it popped opened.

He smiled to himself and pulled the plate aside, looking over the contents he’d revealed. On the wall, there was a grid of hooks, each spaced a few centimeters apart and supporting an electronic key. It was the collection of master keys that the royal security team kept to have access to every major public building in the capital, one of which was going to be his pass into the back doors at the hospital. He quickly skimmed the labels that marked each key, only to find that even those were organized alphabetically. It really works to my advantage that Jacob is such a Type A personality, he thought amusedly as he located the master key for the hospital with ease and slipped it off its hook.

Carefully closing the panel and making sure it locked again, Cas stuffed the stolen key into his pocket and headed back out of the room. Now that he’d gotten what he’d come for, he just needed to get ready to meet up with Jay and Miles after dinner. Everything was going according to plan so far.

Hours had passed and Harry had been in and out of dozing off in his chair, nothing had changed when it came to Iris she had stayed in the bed and what he could only assume was in and out of sleep. Though she had refused to eat lunch, the doctors had brought him some food which was great and thoughtful, but her food laid on the table untouched alongside a cup of water. A part of him had wanted to tell her to eat something but it wasn’t his business and he knew he shouldn’t be getting involved. It was just his kind tendency; he had a kind heart.

“Knock, knock.”

Frowning Harry glanced up as he heard a voice at the door, he wasn’t expecting anyone, and the doctors weren’t due. Shaking his head as he rose to his feet, he glanced at Iris seeing how she just stayed in the bed, this time however she was looking at the ceiling rather than the wall. Happy that she wouldn’t just bolt, he doubted she could, but you couldn’t underestimate these things he opened the door taking a step back when he saw Matthew stood there. “Matthew. What are you doing here?”

“Well, I seem to be missing a prisoner. One that could probably do with a last round of questioning. We need to push a little bit more about her… relationships” Matthew sneered as he pushed his way into the room two soldiers following in behind him.

“Now wait just a minute. Jacob told you she won’t be returning until tomorrow at the earliest.” Harry commanded as he moved quickly stepping in front of Matthew stopping him from getting any further. “You can’t move her, you’re not allowed, and you have no authority here.”

“Ahhh, it seems maybe I was misinformed then? I mean. You have the authority to release her now. I’m sure she is stable enough; she looks fine to me.” Matthew stated as he folded his arms glancing over Harrys shoulder at the girl, he had pushed too hard with questioning the night before.

Scoffing Harry shook his head as he frowned clearly not impressed, “Matthew, you should stand down. I’m not authorising anything. The girl stays here for one more night. I’d quit whilst you’re ahead. You almost killed someone for your prized information.”

“Well I clearly didn’t, look she is fine.” Matthew spat as he waved his hand over to the girl on the bed, who had by now realised his voice and his presence. Nodding to his soldiers they edged forward only to be shut down by Harry once more with a stern look in his eye.

Iris never imagined hearing his voice again, it sent shivers down her spine as the voice reminded her of what happened. The questioning, the drug that had been a whole new level of pain. The fact she had revealed how she loved Caspain and she didn’t want to delve into that more, she didn’t want them to know about their feelings because it could get him into trouble. Curling up into a foetal position she closed her eyes trying to will it away, to stop her thoughts and black out his voice because it did strike fear in her.

“Leave. That’s an order, or shall we add another strike to your record with disobeying yet another order from someone higher up than you.” Harry kept his voice calm, but it was clear his tone carried some weight because Matthew hesitated before huffing over not getting his own way.

“Whatever I’ll collect her first thing and we can resume my orders in the prison.” Matthew stated shooting a gaze full of hatred towards the girl on the bed, he would be back. First thing in the morning to return her to the prison where he felt she belonged.

As soon as Caspian was back inside the sanctuary of his bedroom, he gave Jay a call to let him know that he’d gotten the master key they needed. He had to keep his voice down low to make sure no one outside the room overheard him, but phoning his friend was safer than sending a text. He couldn’t leave any trails whatsoever that he was involved in breaking Iris out of the hospital, and he knew that even deleted messages could be recovered with the security team’s advanced software. By contrast, no one would know what they were talking about during a call unless they happened to be recorded while they were speaking.

Not long after he hung up the phone, a maid stopped by to bring him his dinner, as was becoming the new norm for him while he was avoiding his father. Atlas hadn’t tried to seek him out since the appointment with Dr. Foster, but he didn’t want to risk running into the king in the kitchen. He still didn’t know what to say or do around him when tensions were still running high, so it was easier to become a temporary recluse for now and put off the inevitable conversation and/or argument they needed to have for later.

For the rest of the evening, he stayed put in his room, passing the time by absentmindedly scrolling through social media pages and skimming any articles or blogs that came up that looked interesting to him. Every hour or so, he took a few minutes to exercise his right hand, which was steadily regaining mobility as the Accuparacin mended his broken wrist and reduced the swelling. However, in the back of his mind, he never stopped thinking about the operation. He was restless with anticipation as the time to leave grew nearer, mentally reviewing the plan to make sure that he didn’t mess anything up when they got to the hospital. They were only going to have one shot to save Iris from being killed and prevent both of his friends from being arrested for trying to aid a criminal. The stakes had never been higher.

As the clock neared eight, he got up from his bed and went into his closet to change clothes. Since he’d been home for most of the day, he’d been dressed casually in sweats, but he needed to look like he was planning to spend the night out. He put on a polo and black jeans just as a maid came to the door to tell him that his friends had arrived to pick him up. “I’ll be out in a second,” he called to her as he pulled the top down over his torso. Earlier that day, he’d fed the staff and guards the lie that he was going to a bar with Jay and Miles. They had bought it, and since his pain level had improved greatly from the morning to the afternoon, they hadn’t tried to discourage him from going out.

Once he was dressed again and had put on a pair of shoes, he headed downstairs and out the front door, where his two friends were waiting in Jay’s sleek, black Oracle Gen II. At the sight of the luxury car, Cas had to bite back a smirk. He was glad that the car-enthusiast had finally bought himself a model that he’d wanted for a long time, but he was certain that the flashy car had another purpose too.

“Get in, stranger; we’re going clubbing!” Miles called, popping his head out the passenger-side window and grinning at him eagerly. Even from a distance, the prince could hear the heavy thump of the subwoofers as Jay turned up the music inside the vehicle. He rolled his eyes amusedly and climbed into the back, ducking down carefully and leaning his weight on his right foot to avoid straining his injured leg with the motion. As soon as he closed the butterfly door behind him, Jay peeled out of the courtyard and drove for the highway.

“Sweet ride,” Cas commented, raising his voice to a yell to be heard over the blaring music. Despite the seriousness of their reason for meeting that night, he couldn’t help the grin that had taken over his lips. For a moment, it almost felt like just another night out, as if they were really going to a club to drink and dance and lose their senses like they used to before he’d been taken by the Scourge.

“Thanks!” Jay called back. “I figured we could take the sexiest car I own, so everyone knows we’re at the club tonight.”

Cas nodded, having already guessed his friend’s idea. It was all for their alibi. They were going to make a noticeable entrance at one of the hottest bars near the center of the capital and park in a spot that was visible from the security cameras in the area. After going inside and spending about a half hour or so making sure plenty of people knew they were there, they would slip out the back and take Miles’ car—which had already been parked in the alley behind the club—to the hospital. Later during the night, they would go back to the club and “leave” together in Jay’s car, thus making it seem like they had been there the whole night.

“Did you bring the extra clothes?” he asked loudly. Another part of their plan was that they were going to change shirts and put on baseball caps to hide their faces from the cameras at the hospital, so it would be hard for anyone to recognize them.

“They’re in a duffle bag in my car,” Miles yelled back, flashing him a thumbs-up.

“Perfect,” Cas’s grin broadened. “Let’s go clubbing.”

Harry rolled his eyes at the way Matthew reacted, coming in like he owned the place and demanding for the prisoner. Watching as he left with the soldiers trailing behind him, he sat himself down back in the chair grumbling under his voice clearly irritated by the man. Harry had never liked him, not from their first ever meeting and to now. As much as prisoners were sentenced for a reason, he felt the way that Matthew revealed in the abuse of his victims weren’t right, he hated how he seemed to enjoy it. There was something wrong with Matthew and Harry had decided he would talk to Jacob about it later, right now he would just have to get over it not that there was anything for him to get over.

I’m going to die here; it’s not going to be a quick death. They’ll make me suffer. Iris couldn’t help as her thoughts turned to the more sinister side of things, especially after that meeting with Matthew just then. Of course, it struck fear in her to know that potentially she was going back to the prison, but then she hated being out of control and right now everything was out of her control. Everything was being decided for her and the thought of going through more questioning unsettled her.

Without noticing her hand gripped at the clothing around her stomach, pained by the thought of going through that again. Shuddering as flashes of her dreams entered her thoughts, she shook her head to herself pushing them down, her hair was somewhat matted and made her feel less human by the day especially when it came to things like personal hygiene. A part of her was glad she had taken the chance to use the shower when she had, who knew when she would get the chance to clean. Though it doesn’t really matter does it? Who cares when reality is my death is right around that corner? Mulling over her thoughts as she tried to relax, she grimaced knowing she should put more faith in Caspain, he said he would help. I have to believe that, he could find a way for my freedom. I have to believe he can, I have to trust him like he did me back in the districts.

It gave her a brief flicker of hope the idea that Caspain would rescue her, but the darker thoughts consistently pushed back. It was like she was at war with herself because as much as she wanted to believe he could save her, there was a part of her that had welcomed death like it was some old friend. No, stop that. It was just a nightmare. I’m sure he loves me… he said so. Unless that was just something he said in the heat of the moment? Maybe he doesn’t, maybe he’s relieved that he will be rid of me? Feeling a pang in her heart at the idea of that she knew she was working herself up, she was overthinking everything but that’s all she had time to do right now was think. It had become so natural to self-doubt, to worry over the tiny things and work herself up when reality was none of it could be true. Though the tiny part in the back of her brain liked to remind her that actually, it could be and that she wasn’t being dramatic for preparing herself for the worst. No, Cas does love me, he will find a way.

Stepping into the club with Jay and Miles, Caspian was immediately overwhelmed with a barrage of sensations. The music that played was deafeningly loud, and the bass resonated in his chest so heavily that it felt like a physical weight. The room was awash with pulsating lights in shades of red, blue and purple that swept across the dance floor, lighting up the bodies of all the high borns that were out that night, drinking and partying until they forgot everything else. It was a high-energy scene, and it was one that he’d missed over the past two weeks when he had been unable to come back.

He took a moment to take it all in: the sounds, the sights, and even the smells of alcohol and occasionally whiffs of various drugs that some of the others indulged in. He looked forward to being able to come back for a real night out sometime, but for now, he couldn’t let himself get distracted from the reason why he was here. Waving a hand to beckon his friends to follow him, he made his way around the edge of the club toward the bar counter. He was only going to have one drink to enhance his cover, but he planned to linger in the hopes that he would be recognized by some of the other club-goers who stopped by to get refills from the bartender.

It didn’t take long before the plan went into action. No more than five minutes after he and Miles had ordered their drinks—Jay abstained, since he was going to be driving them to the hospital in half an hour—the prince was swarmed with people who wanted to know where he’d been, how he had survived the rebels, and if he would dance with them. Most of the requests for the latter were made by women. He forced polite smiles and made small talk to the best of his ability over the blaring music, even tolerating all the camera phones that were pulled out of pockets to capture proof that he had been out at the club that night.

Their goal to make sure he was noticed was successful, but all the attention made it more difficult than expected for them to escape from the club unnoticed when the time came for them to leave. Jay and Miles easily slipped out the back door, but it took a bit longer for Cas to follow suit. Eventually, he managed to get away from the crowds with the excuse that he needed to use the bathroom. He quickly took cover in the closest men’s room he could find and waited for about ten minutes before he poked his head out to see if the other high borns were still waiting for him. Fortunately, the alcohol they had all been drinking seemed to have worked its magic, and they had scattered, losing interest in waiting for him after he’d taken a while to come back.

From there, he made a dash for the door and joined his friends in Miles’ car. Once he’d made it safely into the back seat and closed the door, he sank down on the leather and let out his breath in a sigh of relief. “That was way too much work,” he complained, taking the duffle bag of clothes from Jay as it was handed to him.

“You’re too popular for your own good,” Jay teased, having watched him run from the club and found it amusing.

“Shut up,” Cas snorted, unbuttoning the top of his polo and pulling it over his head. The others had already changed into different shirts, both black, and put on their hats. While the prince did the same, Jay pulled the car out of the alley and headed for the hospital. The drive was fortunately much less eventful than the club had been, and they parked at the back of the building with the employees’ vehicles. After making sure the coast was clear, they climbed out of the car and jogged toward the back door that they had chosen in advance to use as their way in and out. They all kept their heads angled down slightly, so the cameras that watched the exits and the parking lot wouldn’t catch their faces.

As they neared the door, Cas’s heart began to hammer in his chest with adrenaline. Part of him couldn’t believe he was actually about to break someone out of a hospital. It was completely insane. His leg was starting to hurt from all the running around too, but he pushed through it, reaching into his pocket to retrieve the master key that would let them inside. When they got to the side of the building, he waved the electronic device over the keypad, and it glowed green, granting them access. “We’re in,” he said to the others with a nod. “Iris is on the third floor on this side of the building. Room 311.”

“What about her guard?” Miles asked. “Is he still there?”

“Yeah, but I’ll take care of that right now,” Cas assured him, putting the key back into his pocket and pulling out his cellphone. He had the number of every security guard his family had hired. Dialing Harry’s—and making sure to make his own number anonymous—he put the device to his ear and waited for the other man to pick up.

After a few rings, he was rewarded with a curious: Hello?

“Calhoun, it’s Curry,” the prince said, lowering his voice slightly to imitate the head of security. “I’m on my way to the hospital right now to take over your watch of the prisoner. Come back to the palace right away; Diego has a job for you to do.”

Are you sure? Matthew was just here, sir. I can wait to leave until you get here to make sure he doesn’t try to take her again while there’s no one keeping an eye on her.

Matthew? Cas wondered. There was no time to question the statement though. “I’m sure. I’m only a few minutes out on the highway, so I’ll be there before he has the chance to try. The job is time sensitive, so I need you to go now.”

Understood, sir. I’ll leave right away.

The call was ended, and Cas turned back to Jay and Miles with a pleased smile. “He’s leaving. We probably have about fifteen to twenty minutes tops before someone realizes Jacob wasn’t the one who made that call.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Miles grinned. “Let’s get her out of here.”

Cas nodded, and they all fell quiet as they headed into the hospital.

Broken from her thoughts Iris couldn’t help but look up when Harry had taken a call, frowning at the mention of him leaving. This meant Jacob would no doubt be returning to guard her and she felt more awkward around him than she had Harry. Perhaps it was the fact he was just super silent? Or maybe because every time she looked at Jacob it reminded her of how she had betrayed Cas? It was strange, even though Harry was part of the very same security team she just didn’t picture him in the same boat as Jacob. It had to be because Jacob was usually around Caspain.

Not thinking on it too much she looked over watching him with a curious gaze as he began to shuffle out the room not saying a word to her. Frowning as she watched him leave, she looked at the door hopeful that maybe he would leave it unlocked, maybe she could make a run for it? Those hopes were soon squashed the minute she heard the click of the door signifying it had been locked. “Idiot, of course they would.” Mumbling to herself as she shook her head as she looked around the now empty room. It almost felt eerie, an odd sense of dread washed over her at the thought she was alone in this hospital room because what if Matthew did come back?

No. Matthew was told, I have one more night here away from him. Reminding herself as she shuffled about on the bed catching sight of a folder attached to the end of the bars. Has that always been there? Crawling over she grabbed the blue folder with her fingers and began to skim through the pages realising it was her medical records whilst being here. Crossing her legs her fingers began to trace the words as she looked over what some of the doctors had wrote about her, it felt strange reading about the listed ailments but as she flicked through the pages she caught sight of an older piece of paper.

This was… the bear trap incident. The amnesia. Skimming through the words she could see the signature at the bottom of the paper signalling that this had been inputted by Dr Emmett from when she was first in here and Caspain had found her. Look at all the medications… the… costs. Eyes widened as it landed on the total cost of the bill for that stay and she felt like she couldn’t breathe, all of a sudden feeling lightheaded as she saw the figure. Caspain had never mentioned the cost, not that she could remember, and he had just said how it wasn’t a big deal, it wasn’t that much which was a lie. That’s not all though… he took me in. Bought me clothes… items to get by. I owe him so much for getting this far, for surviving how I have. Touching the printed cost of how much the original cost had been she could only think about how she could truly never repay him for what he did for her. It wasn’t about the money along, but about every little detail that was slotting together.

“Cas…”

Whispering his name as she looked at the afflictions she had dealt with when first admitted, amnesia had been writing a few times detailing how much she had remembered and how little she knew. That should have been the first sign I wasn’t from here. I never remembered anything. Shaking her head as she glanced at the later pages detailing what had happened in the prison, a shudder running down her spine as she looked at the comments on what had caused it. Unknown? Yeah right, bullshit. I bet they just can’t document that drug. Hang on!? Mentally unstable? Depressed!? Disregard to own life. I mean wouldn’t you feel like this if you know they’re going to kill you!?

For a moment she felt a rush of hot anger run through her, of course she had reacted badly. What did they expect? A happy prisoner who wasn’t affected by the past events. Deep seated trauma? In anger she ripped the pages from the medical documents throwing them to the floor as she folded her arms, her chest rising and falling quickly from her outburst. “Idiots…” Saying it out loud made her feel better, even though no one was there to hear it just speaking it gave a small sense of relief.

Once Caspian and his friends got inside the hospital, their first order of business was to find better disguises than what they were currently wearing. Luckily, since they had entered from the employee’s side of the building, they found themselves close to the nurses’ break room. Cas and Jay hung back while Miles scoped it out to make sure it was clear, only entering after he waved his hand in a silent signal that meant the coast was clear. Relaxing slightly, the prince stepped inside and looked around, locating the lockers and closets off to the right.

“Over here,” he indicated his finding to the others and walked over to open up one of the doors. Inside, he found sets of hospital scrubs and bins full of other equipment that the staff needed access to for their jobs.

“Jackpot,” Miles said, pulling down one of the garments from its hanger. Cas and Jay did the same, layering the nurses’ outfits over their black clothes. The scrubs were a start, but they were going to need something more to disguise themselves than just baggy shirts and pants. The prince would especially, since they couldn’t risk letting anyone in the building recognize him while they were moving Iris. If someone realized who he was, it would compromise their entire operation, since his stolen clothes would give away the fact that he wasn’t supposed to be there.

After a little more digging around, they found an unopened box of surgical masks and mesh hairnets. “This should be more than enough, huh?” Cas mused as he pulled the elastic loops of a mask behind his ears and looked up at the others. With a covering over his mouth and nose and a blue net concealing the color of his hair, the only parts of his face that were visible were his brown eyes. That wouldn’t be enough for anyone to recognize him unless they knew him well.

“You look like a doctor to me,” Jay confirmed.

Once all three of them were masked up and ready to go, they headed back out of the break room and down the hall that they remembered would take them to the stairs. There were a few other people around, but fortunately, it seemed like their disguises made them practically invisible to anyone else. No one paid them more than a passing glance as they rushed around the building, performing various tasks for their patients. It was a relief that the hospital was so busy all the time, and the nurses didn’t seem to have the seconds to spare to question who they were. When they made it to the stairwell, they only had to stop once to drag Miles away from a pretty blonde nurse that had caught his eye.

“So how should we get her out of the room without anyone noticing we’re stealing a patient?” Jay asked as they climbed the steps up to the third level of the building. “We blend right in, but it would look weird for a girl in a hospital gown to be taking a walk with three doctors.”

“Gurney,” Cas glanced at him as he replied. “I bet we can find one upstairs in a supply closet. That was why I wanted you two to come with me too. I can’t maneuver one of those things around with this on my wrist.” He held up his right hand, which was still held in place with the silicon cast. “We’ll make it look like we’re escorting a patient who just got out of surgery.”

“I like it,” Miles nodded approvingly. “It’s a good thing we found surgical masks too. Now we can really sell it.”

When they reached the right floor, they exited the stairwell and examined the room numbers along the corridor in search of 311. Caspian held his breath anxiously. They were so close to getting Iris out of the hospital, but they weren’t in the clear yet. He wouldn’t relax until they were all safely inside Miles’ car and driving out of the parking lot. At least there aren’t many workers on this floor, he thought optimistically. As long as they continued to only see one or two practitioners around, it wouldn’t be too difficult to slip Iris out of her room unnoticed and put her on a gurney to bring down the elevator.

“Found it.”

He was drawn from his thoughts by Miles’ voice. Turning his head, he saw that his friend was pointing at a plaque labeled “311.” It was Iris’s room.

The prince nodded and took a steeling breath as he stepped forward to open the door. However, when he tried to turn the handle he found that it was locked. Of course they wouldn’t leave her alone without trapping her inside, he rolled his eyes, reaching into his pocket to get the master key. Fortunately, the device worked on every door in the hospital, so all he had to do was wave it over the keypad on the wall and wait for the ‘click’ that granted them access.

As soon as he heard it, he tried the handle again and pushed the door open, letting himself and his friends inside. In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Iris, and his heart fluttered involuntarily. It took everything in him not to give away their relationship to the others by rushing toward the bed to wrap her up in his arms. Forcing himself to maintain a cool exterior, he closed the door behind him and approached the bed with subtle urgency. “Iris, it’s me,” he said in a hushed voice, tugging the mask down under his chin, so she could see his face. He gestured to his friends next, “This is Jay and Miles. We’re getting you out of here before the soldiers take you back to the penitentiary.”

Looking down at the medical files of hers scattered across the floor she frowned still grumbling over what she had read, annoyed by the words and descriptions of what had been listed for her. Running fingers through her hair she tried to comb out any knots and smooth down the matting, letting out an audible sigh she wondered how long it would be until Jacob would turn up. Not that he was much of a conversationalist, but it was better than being alone in her room, she hated hospitals and that was something that hadn’t changed from her first time here. Glancing up as she heard the rattle of the door, she settled back on the bed so it didn’t look like she was doing anything she shouldn’t be doing.

“Jaco…”

Iris had been expecting Jacob to walk through the door, but she stopped the minute she heard a different voice. It was Caspains. The thought that he was here with her made her heart flutter, excitement filled her, and her eyes lit up from the previous dull colour that had been in place as she had been wallowing in sadness. “C-Cas… What are you?” At first, she had thought he was here just for a visit, that alone brightened her day but as he gestured to his friends and how he was here to get her out she felt a mixture of emotions.

“You what?” Looking from him to his friends she felt guilty that he had gone to this and gone to this kind of extreme to break her out. It was also endearing to know that he would go to these lengths for her, that she could put her faith in him and trust in him. “Cas… this is extremely dangerous, for all of you.” Looking over at the friends that were stood beside him ready to take the leap into some kind of crazed adventure to help her escape. “What if they catch you all? This is… I mean. I’m honoured of course, I just. I don’t want… I don’t want you getting in anymore trouble for my sake.”

Offering a polite smile, she couldn’t help but feel happy that he was willing to go this far for her, this was technically treason breaking her out and away from the soldiers. Caspain was about to defy his own father to save her and it was wonderful to know he would, if she was honest she had thought that he wouldn’t dare go against his father, that his bond with his father was stronger than ever after the kidnapping. Though it didn’t seem the case right now.

“I… are you sure?”

Unable to stop the smile on her face she shook her head in amusement wanting to hug him, but something told her not too. The fact that he hadn’t been openly affectionate to her at first did seem a bit strange, the small part of her brain telling her that maybe it was true he didn’t love her but the more reasonable side telling her that maybe it was due to his friends being there. “You know, I really hate doctors.” Commenting as she pushed herself off the bed using it to support herself as she stood shakily still not fully recovered, but better than yesterday.