[IC] Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

[sukikyoufu]

Chuckling at the fact neither of them wanted anymore craziness she knew deep down that would not happen. A part of her knew that his life was about to be turned upside down and it would be her fault. All the events that led up to today was crazy and she was at the centre of it. Everything was her fault and she couldn’t help but think that as each moment passed, it made her feel sick, but she knew what she had to do. I need to stay strong. I can do this; I will be home tomorrow.

I will be home tomorrow.

Those words she kept repeating in her head, it was these words that gave her the courage to push for sneaking out as she knew she had too. “Good, I’m glad. I guess we are all worried about it. Hopefully as I said this will all blow over because being cooped up sucks. Especially with a stuffy Prince~” Teasing him gently as she relaxed in the seat, it scared her at the idea he was so confident that the military will catch the intruders. I’m glad he trusts them but… I just. What if they do catch them. Can I fake not having memories for so long?

Biting her lip as she looked downcast when he spoke about his father not hating her. That’s not true, He does hate me and for good reason. “Yeah I know… it’s just hard. You sure we can’t sneak out tomorrow? Even for a little, you say they will catch them and I’m sure they would have caught them by the time we would even return, or your father would wake.” Offering a playful smile as she tried to convince him to sneak out tomorrow so they could find her ID. Well… so she could kidnap him but those were minor details.

“Thank you, Martin.” Iris smiled up at the waiter who had brought over their drinks, picking it up in her hands she swirled the liquid around before taking a sip enjoying the cool liquid at the back of her throat. “You’ve definitely earned that drink for sure. I bet you will sleep so soundly tonight!” Iris chuckled as she continued to sip at her alcoholic beverage.

“This is so good.” Iris smiled as she looked up at Cas grinning to herself, “Soooo… pretty please? Can we please go out tomorrow?” Batting her eye lashes at Cas as she tried to convince him it would be a good idea. “I’ll trade you a kiss for going out tomorrow?” Offering a rather sly smile this time in hopes she could tempt him; it was worth a shot, but she knew she had to try it. A kiss for the chance to go to the forest tomorrow and look for her ID, it was worth it. This was her only chance to get out of here because if she didn’t, they would eventually find her out and then she’d be thrown in jail and no doubt executed.

If he knew… would he put out the order of my death? Feeling her own heart stop at the idea that he would order her death if he knew the truth.

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas snorted and shook his head when Iris called him a stuffy prince again. The more time they spent together, the more convinced he felt that the nickname was going to stick whether he liked it or not. He didn’t complain though. Coming from her, he didn’t find it as annoying as he might have if one of his friends had started to call him that, and she always lit up when the words rolled off her tongue. He liked seeing her look so happy when half the time she was caught up in depressing thoughts about her situation. As long as he could take her mind off the fact that her memories were still mostly gone and that no one from her family had called to inquire about her whereabouts yet, he didn’t care what she called him.

He lifted his glass to his lips to take another sip, only to pause when she asked him about leaving the mansion. As much as he would have loved to tell her that they could sneak out, it wasn’t a good idea. The rebels who had broken into his home had been after his father’s—or maybe even his—life, so the best thing for him to do was to stay inside where the security team could ensure his safety. If he left and didn’t tell any of the guards, he would put himself at risk of getting into trouble with the two terrorists who were still unaccounted for.

“I don’t know…” he said slowly, setting his drink back down on the table. “I’m sure the soldiers will catch them, but as long as they’re still on the loose, it isn’t safe. We should stay here until the lockdown is over.” He casted her an apologetic glance. Seeing the eagerness on her face, he hated having to let her down. He could understand why she would be so desperate to find her ID. The little plastic card contained all the information they needed to reunite her with her family: her last name, her identification number, and her current address. If they were able to find it in the woods, she could finally go home. But he just wasn’t sure that he could justify risking his own safety to get it back.

“I hope so,” Cas nodded in agreement when Iris said he would sleep well that night. “God knows I need it.” Thinking about sleep drew a yawn out of him, and he lifted his hand to cover his mouth. He still wished he could have taken a nap in between all the madness, but it had been impossible while he had been taking care of everything alone. He had to give up his rest so that Atlas could rest instead. It was just the way it had to be until his father recovered from the disease that had been slowly trying to claim victory over his body.

Thinking that the conversation about leaving the mansion had ended when he’d denied her the first time, Cas was caught off guard when she brought it up one more time. He took another sip of his scotch and lifted his brows in surprise at her offer of trading a kiss for sneaking out together tomorrow. It wasn’t the kind of bargain he’d expected that she would offer. She must be really desperate to be thinking of ways to pay me back for this, he thought with a pang of empathy for the amnesiac.

“Are you saying you won’t kiss me again unless I sneak out of the mansion with you?” he asked with a lopsided smile, trying to lighten the mood a little before he delivered the disappointing news. The prince leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table as he met her gaze. “As tempting as that is, I think we should stay here until the soldiers catch the missing terrorists. If they do tomorrow, then we can go out, okay?”

[sukikyoufu]

Hearing him snort she couldn’t help but giggle as he took her nickname with stride, he had yet to tell her off for it and she couldn’t help but call him as such. It was purely fun and playful from her side; it was never malicious or insulting and she was just glad he seemingly felt the same way. She hoped he did, she didn’t want him to be offended and not openly tell her. Although her giggles began to stop as he shot down the idea at going out again, she couldn’t help but look disheartened as she was upset over the fact that she was trying to escape. It was her only chance of getting out alive.

“Yeah… I understand.” Iris murmured as she looked at the contents of her drink unable to bounce back to be her usual happy carefree self. Swirling the drink around in her hands she focused on the liquid as she thought on how best to convince him about going out, but she already felt it was a losing battle. Hopefully he thinks I am just desperate to go home, to find out who I am and my family as presumably the ID would have all that information there. “What if they don’t catch them? We could be here for ages and… I hate feeling like I’m overstepping my bounds by still being here. I owe you so much already and I… I just want to finally feel like I don’t owe you anything.”

Avoiding his gaze as she finished off her drink placing the empty class to the table, “I know... it’s silly of me to feel like this. It’s just strange not know who you are.” Shaking her head as she forced a smile looking back at Caspain, “I am saying though that I won’t kiss you again, or hug you… or anything else unless you sneak out with me~” Teasing a little as she tried to laugh at the fact she had even tried to convince him to sneak out with the form of kissing.

“So, there won’t be no goodnight kiss or cuddle.” Iris winked at him as she kept the smile on her face, trying to be positive and somewhat upbeat because she didn’t want to dampen the mood. It was hard however with the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she had to leave. That was her only chance to make some sort of escape or she could be killed. I’m sure his father will be thrilled to find out that he is right about me. He knew I was intruder even before I did and that’s scary. But had I not come here, had Cas not rescue me what would have happened then? Would I have bled out in that forest?

Pushing the thoughts into the back of her mind as she did not want to dwell on the what ifs and could have been. “So, you will have to make do without any sort of contact with me.” Sticking her tongue out rather playfully, as much as it was a playful joke maybe it would convince him to sneak out tomorrow.

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas sighed when Iris became downcast about the fact that they had to stay inside the mansion. He knew she was getting tired of waiting, but it wasn’t like he could have done anything to prevent the terrorists from coming after his father yesterday. It was bad timing, and they were just going to have to deal with it even if it was frustrating. Once the soldiers caught the missing rebels—and he was sure that they would—he planned to make it up to her by taking her straight to the forest, so she could look for her ID. He would have done more if he could, but as it was, they didn’t have a whole lot of options as long as they were stuck inside the borders of the royal family’s property.

When she spoke again, he shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything though,” he assured her. “I helped you because I wanted to, and I won’t let you pay me back for it.” Pausing to finish off the last of his drink, he set the empty glass down on the table with his eyes fixed on the thin, golden-colored glaze at the bottom. Although he was still confident in the military’s ability to bring in the terrorists on the loose, he did wonder how much longer it was going to take. The optimistic part of him was hopeful that they would be back in a cell by the end of tomorrow, but there was always a chance that the Scourge members were craftier than the soldiers had anticipated. After all, the rebels had been evading them in the city for a few days now, and they had even successfully infiltrated the mansion under the security guards’ noses. He had no idea how they were doing it, and he had to admit that capturing them was proving to be more difficult than anyone had thought it would be.

Back on the subject of Iris’s ultimatum, an amused look took over Cas’s features. He couldn’t help but wonder where her sudden motivation to get out of the mansion was coming from. Before today, she had been upset about her situation and had seemed discouraged that no one had come to claim her yet, but she hadn’t even hinted that she was in a rush to get home. He drummed his fingers thoughtfully against the table. She was definitely desperate if she was willing to risk running into the missing terrorists, but he wasn’t convinced it was the best idea.

“I don’t buy it,” he said with a smirk, propping his cheek in his hand. Not wanting to disappoint her again by saying no, he decided the next best option was to call her bluff. “If you withhold contact from me, you’d have to suffer too, and I don’t think you’re willing to do that.” He really was doubtful, but even if she was serious about the challenge, he wasn’t very concerned about it. He could wait a few days without physical contact if it meant they would be safe. However, he hoped she was joking because then they would both just be in a more miserable position while they waited for the lockdown to lift.

“Nice try, Iris,” he casted her a sly wink. “But I’m not changing my mind about this. I know it’s hard, but it’s for both of our safety, so it would be smarter for us to follow the rules until those terrorists are off the streets.”

[sukikyoufu]

“Don’t buy it?” Iris laughed as he played back with her, she saw both their drinks were now empty and she gave a polite wave to Martin asking to refill them. “I doubt you’d be able to keep your hands off of me~” Giggling as she looked over at Caspain, regardless of her ulterior motive she was finding this quite fun. Winding him up and teasing him a little was cheering her up to some degree plus he was smiling so she could only assume he was having fun too.

Feeling her cheeks flush as she saw his sly wink, she felt herself smirk at him, as if ready for the challenge. “We won’t be out for long though; it would literally take about five minutes. It wouldn’t be dangerous at all, not with the military hunting them down. They’d hardly be looking to harm you when they are running for their lives.”

Iris began to relax some more when Martin brought over another set of drinks, at least this was calming her down and taking the edge off of everything. Clasping the glass, she began to nurse the new drink taking a few sips as she glanced over at Cas smiling. Unless I really do charm him, alcohol and charming might just convince him? I wish I felt guilty for it, but… I really do like him. Sorry Ethan. “Although… you are right in one respect.” Iris chuckled softly as she placed her drink down leaning over the table and clasping his hand in hers, fingers caressing the skin on his hand. “I wouldn’t be able to suffer, just as you wouldn’t from withholding contact.” Speaking softly as she gave him a genuine smile, eyes looking at him with adoration.

Using her other hand, she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear before twiddling the ends of it between her fingers as she looked over at Cas watching him. Her cheeks were still tinged pink slightly as she was being quite forward, more than she had been before and a part of her was slightly embarrassed. Although another part of her was excited, it made her feel quite hot under the collar and she couldn’t help it because there were feelings for him and of course he was attractive. Any girl in the city would have swooned over him in an instant.

One of her fingers began to trace circles on the palm of his hand, slower this time. Her touch so gentle, so soft as she looked at him in the eyes smiling. Watching his every move as she continued to trace circles on his hand, “I’m sure it won’t be dangerous. We will be so quick, it’s just a quick glance to see if it’s there. There is really no danger.” Speaking softly as she stopped playing with the end of her hair and instead reached out to her drink to take another sip, she was still taking it slow but it was going down faster than last time when she had taste tested a few samples.

[Rogue Sloth]

Caspian just shrugged when Iris claimed that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her. It would definitely be difficult now that they had taken the first small steps from being friends to being more than that, but he had enough self-control to keep his distance if he had to. After all, he’d managed not to chase after her touch throughout the entirety of the past week even though his crush on her had developed early on. He liked to think his track record meant that he would be able to keep it up for a few more days if she kept her word about not kissing him again unless he gave in to her request.

Prepared to follow the comment up with a stubborn reminder that she couldn’t change his mind, the prince parted his lips and then paused when she spoke first. The change in approach caught him off guard, and he stalled by taking a sip from the second drink Martin had brought to their table, glossing over the fact that the amnesiac had ordered another round when he’d told her he was only going to have one that night. She did have a point that the terrorists’ top priority was probably getting out of the capital with their lives. He also supposed that if he left the mansion, they wouldn’t necessarily know he had left the safety of the royal family’s security team. Merely driving out to the woods and back wasn’t the same as traveling around the city. But it’s still more dangerous than staying put, he told himself firmly, trying to cut the threads of doubt that had begun to worm their way into his mind.

His efforts were derailed one more time when Iris took him by the hand. Cas stared at her in surprise, a hot flush coloring his skin as she met his gaze beneath hooded lashes. All of his confidence in keeping away from her suddenly began to waver, and his heart hammered in his chest. She had flirted with him in an innocent way before, and he’d liked her sweet charm, but the way she behaved now elicited a far different response. He felt both desired and desirous, and the temptation to close the distance between them grew prominent in his head. Struggling not to squirm against the gentle circles she traced on his sensitive palm, he bit his lower lip. I’m going to need a cold shower after this, he thought with a slow exhale.

“I…” he started and then trailed off, unsure what to say. It was hard for him to think straight when she had him under her spell. Part of him still wanted to hold fast to his decision not to leave, but another part of him was wondering if it would be worth it to cave. The danger wasn’t really that great, and now that she’d appealed to his attraction to her, he didn’t want to wait for the soldiers to catch the rebels before he could kiss her again. He wanted to kiss her now.

Flustered, he picked up his glass to down the rest of his second drink and wrinkled his nose slightly as the strong liquor stung his throat. “Fine,” the word escaped his mouth before he could stop it. He glanced furtively at Martin and leaned toward Iris, squeezing her hand in his as he went on in a lowered voice, “We can go tomorrow night, but it’ll have to be quick. No more than twenty minutes tops. After that, we have to come back here whether we find your ID or not.”

Holding her gaze, his serious expression was broken as the thought of kissing her flickered through his mind again. He swallowed, and a smile formed on his face alongside the blush in his cheeks. “I agreed to your terms,” he said, shuffling sideways to get up from his seat. Bolstered by liquid courage, he sat down again next to Iris on her side of the booth and turned at the waist to face her. The drinks helped to mask his nervousness, but his heart raced a million miles an hour as he murmured, “That means you’ll kiss me, right?” Then, he chased the question by leaning in to meet her lips.

[sukikyoufu]

Watching as he flustered from her touch, she felt her own face heat up with how forward she had been, but at the same time she had enjoyed it. Watching as he downed the second drink, she followed suit downing the rest of her cocktail she had ordered for them watching him as she still traced the circles on his palm. Be careful, try not to lose yourself. Iris reminded herself as she felt a huge urge to kiss him, she wanted to be close to him and kiss him, but she stayed strong as she continued to watch him placing her empty cocktail glass back on the table.

Hearing his next words however was music to hear ears, she had done it. Convinced him to take her to the forest and look for her missing ID card. It wouldn’t be there, what would happen would change everything, but before she could even dwell on the words, she looked down at their hands smiling as he squeezed it. Nodding to his terms she beamed at him, overwhelmed that he had been swayed and she agreed to the terms. They would have to be quick, tomorrow night, twenty minutes tops. That was more than enough time for her to escape. “Thank you.” Whispering words of gratitude as she looked him in the eyes.

Feeling herself blush as she watched him smile and move towards her as he reminded her that he had agreed to her terms. He is blushing too. Is he going to be just as forward as I? As if he knew her questioned was answered as he sat down next to her on her side of the booth, turning to face her as she heard his next words that sent shivers of anticipation down her spine.

Without think she met his kiss, leaning forward herself as one of her hands sought out his clasping it. The other naturally moved towards his hair running fingers through it as she kissed him with passion. Although not drunk from the two alcoholic beverages they did help mask any sort of nerves she had and gave her the confidence to be so forward like this. Iris could not deny that she wanted his touch, that her crush was still blossoming with each moment she spent with him and she knew it was dangerous, but right now she didn’t care.

Right now, all I want to do is kiss him.

Feeling her face heat up once more as she pulled away from the kiss for air, her hand that had been in his hair dropped to his waist as she placed it there gently looking at him. Letting out a shaky breath she smiled, eyes full of adoration for him as the corners of her mouth turned into a playful smirk. “I suppose it does mean I’ll kiss you.” Giggling this time as she leaned forward this time instigating the kiss, her heart was racing, and she was excited as she pressed her lips against his one hand gripping his waist as the other gripped his hand.

[Rogue Sloth]

The feeling of Iris’s lips moving against his sent a shiver of pleasure down Caspian’s spine. Everything was still so new that each little touch was electrifying. Her hand that was resting on his and her fingers that were tangled in his coarse hair encouraged him to lean more deeply into the kiss, and he lost himself in the moment. He took her by the waist to pull her close, relishing the warmth of her torso against his. After just two drinks, he was far from intoxicated, but there had been just enough scotch in each glass to make him relax enough to forget that they had an audience.

Behind the bar, Martin had been cleaning their empty glasses when he noticed that things had grown heated between the prince and his company. He glanced up, jumped, and quickly spun around to look away from them while he wiped the crystal down with a dry rag. It wasn’t the first time Caspian had brought girls back to the Maydestone family’s in-house bar, but he didn’t usually move that quickly with his guests. The bartender wasn’t used to bearing witness to his future king make out with someone like a hormonal high school boy. If he hadn’t been the one to personally pour their drinks that evening, he would have thought the two were drunk.

For Cas’s part, he felt drunk, but not on alcohol. When Iris pulled away from the kiss, he panted to catch his breath and laughed breathily at her belated confirmation that she would kiss him. “Good,” he murmured just before she captured his lips a second time. He squeezed her hand affectionately before disentangling their fingers so he could caress the back of her neck while he held her close with his other hand. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d connected with a woman as well as he did with her. Everything she said and did enchanted him, and he was falling for her dangerously fast. It was difficult for him to slow down when being with her felt so natural. He loved talking with her, bantering, teasing, sharing stories; and he loved when she let him get a little physical.

Caught up in moment, he leaned more of his weight into her without breaking the kiss until they both fell sideways onto the booth seat. After enjoying her soft lips for a little while longer, he took her bottom lip playfully between his teeth and then pulled back just enough to meet her gaze with a grin. “I knew you were bluffing,” he chuckled, his chest heaving with effort to recover from the lack of oxygen. “You couldn’t wait until tomorrow either.”

Recognizing that he was pushing the line a bit more than he’d meant to, he sat up straight again and ran a hand over his hair to smooth down some of the tousling she had done to it. Part of his shirt had also come untucked from his waistband too, so he pulled the rest of it loose to be more comfortable. “We should probably get some sleep,” he decided, turning back to her with a sheepish smile. “Tomorrow could be a long day.”

[sukikyoufu]

Feeling his touch, the warmth as he moved her closer her heart raced at their actions. It raced with excitement and she felt like some schoolgirl who had finally kissed her crush and she knew it was silly, but she was certain it was just primal reaction. It felt amazing the fact he felt the same, that he was into her just as much as she was him and for a moment she had forgotten. Iris had forgotten the fact she was about to break his heart tomorrow and completely change everything. Whether it was for the greater good or not.

Feeling the touch on her neck made her shudder, it was so sensitive and felt amazing having him there so close to her. Iris could feel the warmth of him, and she was so lost in the moment that she only came to her senses when they had both fallen sideways onto the booth seat. Looking at him she was in a daze as he playfully took the bottom of her lip, “Yeah well… what can I say? I just can’t help myself.” Whispering back to him, her cheeks still flushed as she felt herself pant a little for air after their long kiss.

Feeling him move away slightly as she watched him smooth out his hair and readjust himself, she smiled, as much as she wanted to spend the night with him it was best, they both got some rest. Especially as tomorrow is going to be quite the day. “Get some rest, you need it.” Placing a gentle kiss to his cheek as she stood herself up from the booth, she looked over at Cas ruffling his hair with her fingers grinning cheekily, “I shall see you tomorrow.” Grabbing her crutches, she got herself comfortable on them as she moved towards the door glancing back at Cas. “Rest well okay?”

After her words she moved back to her bedroom happy with what she had achieved, the evening had been quite a nice night and she had managed to convince Cas that they could go to the forest and look for her ID. That would be the moment she could make her escape. However, Ethan expects me to harm him, kidnap him at the least and I just. I don’t think I could do that to him. How can I hurt him after all he has done? Well… it’s not just that either. I like him, I really do, and I already feel terrible at the idea of doing this.

As her high ended she began to worry on the what ifs of her plan, a part of her had wanted him to still say no and then she couldn’t leave. Would Ethan have gone back home with out me? I doubt it. I honestly think that I would be killed, whether by Cas or by his father. One of them would have my head when they know my identity. It’s inevitable.

Shaking her head to herself as she finally made it to her room she moved to get herself changed and head to bed, hopefully she would be able to get some rest.

[Rogue Sloth]

“You too,” Cas nodded and then rolled his eyes when Iris ruffled his hair, successfully undoing the effort he’d made to tidy himself up after their make-out session. “See you tomorrow,” he said back to her, following her with his eyes as she exited the bar. As soon as she passed out of his sight, he shuddered and got up with a deep exhale. Yup, I definitely need a cold shower now, he thought, smiling to himself as he gathered his suit jacket and tie from the other seat.

It was getting harder for him to take things slow with the amnesiac as they grew closer. Since Iris still didn’t know exactly who she was, he didn’t want to move too quickly with her. Their first priority was still to help her regain the memories she had lost. Until that box was checked, he had planned to keep whatever feelings he was developing for her on the backburner. They’d confessed and kissed, but he didn’t want to inadvertently make her situation worse in the future by going much further than that. There was still the possibility that when she remembered who she was, something would come up that would prevent them from being together. For her sake, he couldn’t give in to his desire to pretend like nothing would change after she recovered from her amnesia.

Tossing his jacket over his shoulder, the prince took a step toward the door and then paused when he saw Martin glance at him and hurriedly turn away. The furtive look made him shift his weight uncomfortably. In hindsight, he realized the bartender must have seen him kiss Iris. Martin had always been friendlier with him than with his father, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t tell the king about what he’d witnessed. Hoping to deter the other man from ratting him out, he offered him a smile, “Ready to call it a night, Martin?”

The bartender nodded but didn’t look up from the counter he was wiping down.

The smile faded from Cas’s lips, and he sighed, accepting that he was going to have to bite the bullet and approach the subject directly. “Look, I’m going to tell my dad about this soon,” he assured him, crossing his arms as he leaned in the doorway. “Just not until Iris moves out. You know how he gets… I don’t want him to kick her to the curb, so please don’t say anything.”

“Do you think His Majesty will approve even then?” Martin asked tentatively, finally meeting the prince’s gaze. It was common knowledge that Atlas wanted his son to have a political marriage. The opinions of the other high borns varied wildly on the subject. Some believed it was best for the royal line to continue the tradition of using their weddings to strengthen the kingdom, while others, like Cas, thought the approach was outdated. He and Martin had never openly discussed their views, but he suspected the servant was somewhere on the former end of that spectrum.

“We’ll find out when I tell him,” he shrugged, nimbly dodging the question. They both knew Atlas would never approve, but he didn’t want to say it out loud. “I’d prefer it if he finds out from me rather than anyone else though.” Glancing out the doorway, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. He stepped back over to the bar and withdrew a one hundred credit banknote, which he slid across the counter. “So, nothing happened. Right, Martin?” he simpered at the bartender.

Martin’s eyes flicked down to the banknote, and then back up to the prince’s face. “I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary,” he smiled, slipping the money into his own pocket.

Cas relaxed. Bribery wasn’t usually his go-to strategy, but in the capital, money talked. He’d learned how to use it to his advantage on occasion—not to do anything illegal, of course, but to get around a few of the expectations his father had placed on him that he found suffocating. Being forbidden from dating was one of them. “Great,” he stepped back again to head for the door. “Goodnight, Martin.”

“Goodnight, Your Highness.”

--

The next day wasn’t as calm as Caspian had hoped it would be. His father had scheduled another lesson for him with his economics tutor, so he spent the entire morning playing catch up to make up for the private class he’d missed the day before. After that, he had a break for lunch—he ended up napping as soon as he cleared his plate—followed by a meeting with the king’s council. By the afternoon, Atlas was well enough to attend the meeting, but since the prince had been heading everything in regard to the rebels, they had needed him to show up too. The next two hours were spent with him repeating most of the information in his speech to the council members, who seemed to have been convinced that there was more going on than he had told the rest of the capital during the address last night.

Once he managed to persuade them that there was no secret conspiracy going on with the Scourge, he spent the rest of the day in his room working on a plan to get past security so he could keep his word to Iris. He would have done so with her if not for his fear of dragging her down with him if he was caught. If any of the guards or his father discovered that he was trying to sneak out, they’d go easier on him than they would on her. So, to keep her safe, he plotted alone, so the lie that she had nothing to do with it would be more convincing if he had to explain himself to anyone.

Fortunately, no one stopped by his room, so no one found out what he had been up to, and by the time night fell, he had a fairly solid plan to get them both out of the mansion without raising suspicion. Feeling confident, he threw on a pair of black jeans and a dark blue shirt and made his way downstairs to get dinner. He expected that the night was going to be a long one, so he needed to fuel up before he and Iris went back to the woods to look for her ID.

[sukikyoufu]

It has hard sleeping; various different scenarios ran through her mind throughout the night and most of them ended up with her death. Only once she had woken in the night with a start, gasping for air as she clutched her chest. The soft pounding of her head as she felt the headache forming, she was completely in turmoil with herself. Part of her wanted to cancel it all, another part of her just wished she would disappear, and it would all end. After the bad dreams she had managed to settle once more, getting a few hours of sleep before the morning arrived.

Thankfully when she had woken Cas was not around, as much as she’d have loved to see him it was best not. She didn’t want to lose herself once more as last night had gotten her quite hot under the collar and it was far to soon, well. It shouldn’t happen regardless as she did have a boyfriend still. Although she wasn’t entirely sure on that as her and Ethan hadn’t exactly spoken about it, she was sure that when she was back home memories would return and help her along the way. However hurting Cas was still playing on her mind, she still didn’t really want to hurt him.

The day was spent moping around her room, her mind flitting from the enjoyable night to what could happen if everything went wrong. She had taken some time to read in hopes it would distract her, however that was not the case. The book was more of something she could fiddle with as she thought back on the dreams, his father and how scary he had been. Caspain and how he had ordered the death of two innocent people. Even though it felt like time hadn’t passed Iris had noted it was evening, but she didn’t feel like dinner, there was an unease in her stomach. An unrest to her as she watched the time go by.

Maybe he will break his word, maybe we won’t go, and I can worry about this all another day, right? That could be an option? Thinking to herself as she sat on the sofa in her room, it was so comfortable staying here and as much as she enjoyed it, she knew she should be here. I… Cringing to herself as she looked at the table wondering if maybe she should write some sort of confession. Should I write something addressed to the King? Or is that suicide?

Letting out a shaky sigh she threw the book to the floor shaking her head, fingers clasped at it feeling the headache return from last night. Iris had not gotten much rest; her mind had stayed active and kept her up playing out what could happen and now she was suffering for it. Cas won’t break his word; he is a man of honour and he keeps to that. I’m the villain here, I’m the bad guy about to ruin his life and break his trust. Without realising she felt the tears leave her eyes and she couldn’t help but curse under her breath as she looked at the book thrown to the floor, “The only thing I can vow to do is make sure he doesn’t get hurt physically.” Mumbling to herself as she hugged her knees bringing them up on the sofa still debating on if she should try to eat something. “What’s the point? It will be a waste of food.”

[Rogue Sloth]

When Caspian arrived at the kitchen, he was quick to notice that Iris wasn’t there. He stopped in the doorway with a concerned frown. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen her at lunch either. He hoped she wasn’t having a bad day. Even though he had been hesitant about sneaking out of the mansion last night, his excitement about it had been growing since he’d started working on a tangible plan to get past security. He’d convinced himself that she was right, that as long as they made the trip fast there would be no risk. With his reservations pushed to the back of his mind, he was left feeling thrilled about acting like a modern day James Bond and getting by all the guards who were skilled enough to keep terrorists out of the building. If Iris had woken up feeling ill or depressed, all the work he’d done would have to be scrapped.

Although he tried to remain optimistic, he asked the cooks for an extra plate to take to her bedroom just in case she had missed all three meals that day because she couldn’t get to the kitchen. He ate his own dinner quickly—this time, the chefs had prepared a flavorful mushroom asiago chicken dish in white wine—and thanked the servants politely as he picked up the spare serving from the counter and headed down the hallway that led to the amnesiac’s temporary quarters.

On his way there, his heart already began to pound eagerly. If Iris was still feeling up to going out with him, it would be the first time he’d ever pulled a stunt like this. He had his qualms with being born into the line for the throne against his will, but everyone knew he wasn’t the rebellious type. He cared far too much about pleasing his father to step out of line more than he already did by going to parties and occasionally dating women, and the only rules he broke there were the informal ones that Atlas placed on him because he thought they would make him a king one day. This time, he would be blatantly disregarding the safety measures put in place by the royal guard. Just the thought of it sent a thrill of excitement up his spine.

So, by the time he reached Iris’s room, he was already grinning to himself with unchecked exhilaration. It was a good thing there were no guards patrolling the corridors in that wing at the moment, because he hadn’t thought far enough ahead to come up with an explanation for his behavior. Hoping that the amnesiac was still feeling up for a little adventure that night, he raised his fist and knocked on the door. “Iris, are you awake?” he called. “I brought you something to eat.” The plate in his hand had turned into a perfect cover to explain why he would be visiting her room at such an odd hour.

[sukikyoufu]

Sighing to herself she looked up when she heard a knock on her door, at first, she panicked thinking that this was it. These were the guards coming to escort her to a cell to await punishment. However, when she heard his voice, she let out a sigh of relief smiling, it’s only Cas. Stop worrying. Shaking her head slightly as she pushed off of the sofa, “Hang on!” Calling out so he knew that she was on her way, trouble with her leg still being slightly busted she couldn’t just jump up to open the door.

Opening the door, she grinned as she saw him standing there, he looked excited but at the same time like he was about to break the rules. She couldn’t help but giggle because to a degree this was exciting, rule breaking and sneaking out when they shouldn’t be, and it perked her up in an instant. The worries all washed away as she greeted him at the door knowing that he had probably spent most of the day planning to sneak them out. “Hey you.” Glancing down at the plate of food her eyes softened at the gesture, he had noticed she hadn’t gone for dinner and it was incredibly sweet.

“You didn’t have too, I’m fine. Just too excited to eat.” Grinning as she played it off, that was the case of course. Too worried to eat more like it but he didn’t need to know the finer details of that. “Sooooo, are you excited?” Iris asked as she let him inside her room, a part of her felt giddy over everything and she knew that she would have a lot of fun sneaking out with Cas.

As long as we don’t think what’s going to happen at the end of it. I’m such a bad person, aren’t I? Biting her lip as she thought about what she was leading him too. “I should probably try to eat a little though… plus the food here is so good. I’d be an idiot to leave it.” Shuffling herself over to the sofa she sat herself down patting the side so Cas could join her, her heart was already racing at the excitement of sneaking out and executing her plan. Hopefully no one gets hurt… I don’t think I could handle hurting him. Trying not to think on how she was going to hurt him she smiled looking down at the plate of food, “So what’s on the menu today?”

[Rogue Sloth]

When Iris opened the door, Cas smiled, happy to see her bright face after another long day. To his relief, it looked like she was doing well. Her skin wasn’t as pale as it had been the day before, and her voice sounded full when she giggled. Even before she confirmed that she had merely been too excited to eat, he guessed silently that she was still planning to sneak out of the mansion with him that night. Their plans were still in motion, which meant he could still live out some of his favorite secret agent movies. He couldn’t wait.

“You should try anyway,” he advised, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the hallway was still empty before he stepped into her room. “This is your last chance to eat until breakfast tomorrow, and you wouldn’t want to regret skipping a meal if you wake up starving in the morning.” Turning back around to face her, he waited until she had closed the door before he spoke again, so there would be less of a chance of any passerbys overhearing them talk. “Plus, it would be a good idea for you to make sure you’ve got some energy when we go out to the woods and start rummaging through the leaves for your ID.”

At her question, he broke into another grin, unable to hide his excitement. “Yeah, I am,” he nodded. “To be honest, I’ve never done anything like this before, but I guess that’s what happens when you get involved with a bad girl.” He winked at her jokingly. There was still no telling what kind of person she had been before she’d lost her memories, but he liked to think he was starting to get a clearer picture as they spent more time together. She was certainly more of a risk-taker than he was, and those habits were starting to rub off on him in the best way. If they did manage to stay together after she recovered from her amnesia, he looked forward to seeing what kind of trouble they would get into in the future.

“Exactly,” he agreed when she said she wouldn’t want to waste the food he’d brought for her. Following her gesture, he sat down beside her on the sofa and passed off the plate for her to take. “It’s chicken with mushrooms and cheese,” he explained in answer to her next question. “I had my portion not too long ago, so I can assure you it’s as delicious as everything else you’ve had from the royal kitchen so far.”

Once she’d taken the plate from his hand, Cas made himself comfortable on the sofa, drawing one knee to his chest and lacing his fingers around his ankle. “I had a few hours free before dinner, so I came up with a way to get us out of the house,” he said, casting her another eager smile. “The guards will be patrolling the east wing from nine until ten, so if we go then, no one will see us. We can take one of the emergency cars too. The plates on those aren’t registered under my family’s name, so the soldiers in the city won’t recognize it. As long as we get back before security rotates back to this side of the building, no one will even know we were gone.”

[sukikyoufu]

Smiling as she sat down balancing the plate carefully on her legs she looked over at Cas as she watched him sit beside her on the sofa. Taking some cutlery in her hands she smiled as she looked at the dish on her legs as she began to take a few bites, even though she had felt a little nauseous earlier he was right. Eating would be best and with the night she was about to have an empty stomach would not be ideal.

I wonder what my father will be like… if I get through this and see him. Will he be happy to see me? Will he still have some bad habits? Some of the memories I remember of him weren’t exactly sunshine and rainbows. Thinking to herself as she began to eat, she felt herself flush when she seemed to just realise what he had said. “B-Bad girl?” Stuttering as she became quite flustered at the tease towards her. Shaking her head profusely she looked over at him with pleading eyes “I am no such thing! I think you’re quite the troublemaker. With your wild parties and... and flirtatious attitude!.” Huffing as she glanced at her food, there was a playful smile on her face however as she took another bite of the delicious food.

“Bad girl… pfft.” Iris blushed as she mumbled into her food feeling her blonde hair fall in front of her face hiding her embarrassment. “Anywaaaay. You could be a bad guy; the ladies absolutely love you and you know you are charming. A lot of bad guys use that to their advantage.” Pointing her fork at him as she bit back playfully grinning as she gave him a wink, “You certainly have a way.” A flash of memory passed by, the heated kiss last night in the bar where she had entranced him. Egged him on almost.

Finally talk of the plan and she could hear how eager he was, he was loving it and only brought a smile to her face. Finishing off her food she moved the plate to the table giving him her full attention about the plan. “Look at you, shall I call you James Bond?” Chuckling softly as she pushed the locks of hair back behind her ear listening as he continued on. Okay so the guards patrol the palace, they have emergency cars? What don’t they have? All this technology and sustenance could help so many people thinking on it. Stop it, you’re getting ahead of yourself here.

“Alright, I’m in comfortable clothes today.” Iris had put on a pair of dark jeans and a dark blouse knowing the light colours would only draw attention, so she opted for the darker colours. “I’ve taken painkillers for my leg; I can just about move on it for a little without needing those crutches, so they won’t hold us back. We will find my ID! I know we will!” Nodding confidently as she smiled at Cas. “You lead the way though; I will follow you. You know everything far better than I.”

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas laughed when Iris became flustered at his declaration that she was a bad girl. If she really was, her reaction told him that she didn’t see herself that way. She even tried to brush off the title by comparing herself to him. He rolled his eyes at the mention of the parties he went to. “Yeah, some bad boy I am,” he snorted. “Checking in with my dad whenever he calls me and making sure I get home by midnight. I don’t think a few jello shots make up for all the rules I have to follow when I go out.” He would have liked to stay up until two in the morning, drinking and partying with the other young adults in the capital though. If he was ever offered the chance to be a normal high born instead of a prince, he would have taken it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, he would never be so free when he would have to take over as the next king of Aspiria someday. Being a ‘bad boy’ wasn’t in the cards for someone like him, even if it was something he wanted to do.

“And what flirtatious attitude are you talking about?” he went on, cracking an amused smirk as he leaned his head back against the cushion behind him. “If either of us is flirtatious, it’s you, and you know it. I’ve just been nice to you this whole time, but you kept making those little passes at me that made it damn hard for me not to do anything about it sooner.” To prove his point, he placed a hand on her arm in a manner reminiscent of the way she had touched him before either of them had admitted that they had feelings for each other. “Just admit it. You were after me from the start, and you got what you wanted… bad girl.” He snickered, unable to keep a straight face as he teased her with the nickname.

As she tried to claim that he was the bad one between them one more time, Cas shook his head. “And that’s why I’m not a bad boy,” he reiterated, looking away from her to fiddle with a shoelace. “I’ve never… taken advantage.” He coughed awkwardly. The media liked to paint him as a playboy who never kept up a long-term relationship because he couldn’t be tamed, but the reality was that he had never slept with anyone before. One-night stands were off the table because of his status—word would definitely get out if he ever had a fling, because no high born woman would keep it a secret that she’d bedded the crown prince—and his overbearing father prevented him from holding onto a relationship with someone long enough to comfortably get that far. Now that he was almost halfway through his twenties, a part of him believed he wouldn’t be able to sleep with a woman until Atlas arranged his marriage. After all, anyone he met now most likely had a sexual history already, and the fear that he wouldn’t be able to live up to expectations had become yet another barrier in his love life.

More than happy to get off the subject of his lack of experience, he looked up again with a grin when Iris called him James Bond. “I may have gotten more invested in this since you convinced me last night,” he admitted with a shrug. Even that was an understatement. Since he’d agreed to sneak out with her, he’d transitioned from apprehensive to eager to absolutely thrilled about the prospect of pulling one over on the guards. If they were successful, he would always have the knowledge that he’d been clever enough to get past the royal family’s security team without anyone ever finding out.

When Iris explained that she was ready, he reached for her hand, finding her enthusiasm adorable. “That was the plan,” he confirmed. “We just have to wait about two hours before we can leave, so the guards won’t see us go. Until then…” A mischievous smile crossed his lips, and he took the empty plate from her lap, setting it down on the carpet below them. “We might as well think of something to do to pass the time,” he spoke in a low tone, holding her by the waist as he leaned in to kiss her.

[sukikyoufu]

“I was not!” Iris defended her face heating up; she had never gone after him deliberately and she couldn’t help but stutter at his words. Touching her tinged red cheeks, she could feel the heat in them, and she knew she was embarrassed, did I make all those little passes? Was I always flirting with him? Frowning as she looked at his amused smirk on his face as he bantered back with her, she shook her head as she prodded his chest playfully. “You! I was being nice! Supportive when you were upset. That was not flirting just kindness.” Sticking her tongue out as she glanced down at his hand touching her arm like she had done once before.

“I was quite happily minding my own business thank you very much.” Folded her arms over her chest as if to make a point, she couldn’t help but laugh at them both bickering as if they’d been together forever. “I think you were after me from the start, didn’t want me meeting your friends. Scared I might have chased one of them instead?” She couldn’t help her giggles as she kept the playfulness of their conversation. It was a good distraction from her current thoughts of doom and gloom with breaking his heart.

Talking with him was nice, spending time together was even better and as much as tried to distance herself from him she couldn’t help it. “Two hours… hmm. I'm sure we can think of something~” Glancing at Cas as she caught the mischievous smile, she felt herself get excited, the low tone sent shivers down her spine and she leaned into the kiss following suit not even hesitating with her actions.

Time flew by and already it had been two hours of enjoying one another’s company, they had talked. Kissed, talked and well kissed more because Iris was completely entranced by him even though she hated to admit it. During the time she had thought about Ethan and if she had ever been as excited with him as she was with Cas, had she ever gone far with him? Those were memories she still didn’t know and a part of her was frustrated because even though she knew in her head she was cheating; in her heart it didn’t feel like it.

Right now, she was happily resting on the sofa, her fingers tracing circles in Caspains hand as she was leaning against him just enjoying the time. They didn’t always need to speak, and it was oddly relaxing, so much so she knew she would have fallen asleep had she not forced herself to stay awake. It said a lot and she knew that she felt so comfortable around him, that she would happily fall asleep in his company. When Ethan had been there it was difficult, but then he felt like a stranger to her so perhaps that was the reason. It was all quite confusing but right now she was happy and she was going to enjoy it whilst she could.

[Rogue Sloth]

The next two hours went by in a blur to Caspian. No matter what he and Iris did, whether they passed the time talking or kissing on the sofa, he enjoyed himself. Even among the few girls he’d dated in the past, he’d never connected with anyone the same way he did with her. He felt comfortable to be himself when they were together. There was no need to put on a show, flaunting good qualities or possessions to win her affection. Ever since the day they’d met, he’d been perfectly content baring exactly who he was to her without any fear of being judged—outside of her occasional playful comments, that was. He knew she never meant to offend or belittle him when she teased him thought. The banter was fun and, now that they had gotten more physical, it was often punctuated with a crash of his lips against hers or vice versa.

Even more than their conversations, he took pleasure in the interludes between topics during which they would kiss again. In the back of his mind, he knew he needed to take things slow with her while her memories were still gone, but it was so hard to hold fast to the boundaries he’d wanted to set when everything she did lit him up like a fire. He was falling fast, and he knew it. The affection he felt for her was unlike anything he’d experienced for another person before. The closest thing he could compare it to was the fondness he felt for his parents, but even that wasn’t quite right, since that was a familial love. What he and Iris had was far more passionate, and it was strange to him how quickly the emotions had come on when they had only known each other for about a week. Although he’d never been one to believe in romantic concepts like soulmates, there was a part of him that was starting to second guess his convictions. How else could he explain why he felt so drawn to a woman he barely knew?

Caught up in the secret little world they’d built for themselves in her bedroom, the prince barely noticed when the soft alarm he’d set on his watch went off to remind them that it was time to go. Recovering from their most recent make out session, he sat with his cheek resting on top of her head, lulled by the feeling of her fingers tracing mindless patterns on the skin of his hand. The alarm went off for almost half a minute before he reluctantly opened his eyes and shifted to turn it off. “Damn,” he sighed, stretching his legs tiredly. “If we weren’t going out to look for your ID, I would have suggested that we call this whole thing off to stay here.”

Attempting to wake up a little more, he stood up from the sofa and pushed his arms over his head in another long stretch. Now that it was nine o’ clock, the guards would have migrated to the other side of the mansion, but he needed to be alert anyway, just in case anyone had stayed behind in the west wing. It would be harder to get out if they were seen, but it wasn’t impossible. Thinking about their upcoming getaway turned out to be useful too. As he imagined different scenarios in which he and Iris would have to run past the security guards, his heartbeat quickened, and he felt more awake right away.

“Right then,” he turned back to her with a grin. “Let’s go get your missing things.” With that, he strode over to the door and pulled it open as quietly as he could, poking his head into the hallway. He took a moment to make sure the coast was clear before he gestured for her to follow him and turned off the light switch on his way out of the room.

[sukikyoufu]

“You just wanted to hold me more.” Iris teased softly as she heard the alarm go off on his watch, she felt a pang in her heart though because she knew what it meant. The anticipation was rising, there was a mixture of excitement because they were sneaking out but there was also a sense of dread for what she was about to do.

Especially since I’m falling hard and fast. Could there be such a thing as people you are destined to be with? Or did I latch onto him because I had no memories.

A painful thought crossed her mind as she watched him stand up stretching, taking the time herself to stretch she watched him for a minute. Eyes full of care and compassion she took the moment to enjoy the last of whatever this was. It would have never worked regardless. Even if I was from the Capital, I’d end up being some sort of mistress. He would be destined to marry someone of his station. It’s better this way, breaking whatever bond we had. Whatever trust we had. Maybe I don’t have to hurt him, maybe I can just make a run for it and leave him behind. Perhaps he would even let me leave?

Smiling as he grinned to her asking her to follow, she brushed herself down before pushing herself off of the sofa. “Maybe if you’re lucky when we sneak back, we can spend some more time together.” Giving him a playful wink as she watched him move to the door. Feeling the excitement one more she began to follow him putting as little pressure as she could on her bad leg. Standing just behind him as he made sure the coast was clear she held her breath, a part of her wondering if they’d already be rumbled but as he gestured her to follow she felt herself relax a little but she kept alert knowing they could not make any sort of mistake.

Following him through the halls she tried to keep any sort of noise to a minimum, they were after all sneaking past trained guards. Security that was excellent enough to be guarding the royals and they were breaking all the rules by trying to sneak past. What if we get caught? How will we explain this? Biting her lip as the silence was hard, everything was all too quiet and a part of her wondered on how easy this seemed to be. Too easy almost as she rounded one of the corners following Cas. They were no doubt heading towards the garage, maybe it’s the same place he parked his car before? Although I don’t think I can even remember where that is. There is no turning back now, I have to see through the plan. I can’t get out of this anymore even though I have doubts. I just don’t want to hurt him, he does not deserve it… but then those people didn’t deserve to die.

[Rogue Sloth]

“We’d have to find your ID fast,” Cas glanced back at Iris over his shoulder when she suggested that they spend more time together after they got back. “We only have one hour, and your curfew is at ten.” As much as he would have loved to pick up where they’d left off, he had a feeling they wouldn’t get more than ten minutes even if they hurried. The drive to and from the forest would take close to fifteen minutes since he couldn’t speed—without a recognizable plate number, he would get pulled over by a patrolman—and then they would spend up to twenty minutes looking for a little plastic card in the fallen leaves. Chances were, they wouldn’t get back to the mansion until right before the clock struck ten.

As they exited her bedroom and headed down the dark hallway, he fell quiet. The guards were in the east wing by now, but there were still servants to look out for. Like Iris, he’d planned ahead to wear dark colors in the hues of black and navy blue, but they could still be seen if someone happened to get up for a late trip to the restroom or a snack from the kitchen. He didn’t want to have to explain himself to anyone. The servants would most likely take whatever he said at face value, but if word got back to his father that he and their barely welcome guest had been sneaking around the mansion at night, he would have to answer to the equivalent of an interrogation. Just the thought of it made him shudder, and he picked up his pace to get to the car as fast as he could.

Fortunately, they made it to the garage door without getting caught. Cas stepped inside first and held the door aside for Iris. “Careful, there’s a step down right in front of you,” he whispered. Once they were both standing on the concrete floor, he closed the door so the room was enveloped in darkness and took her by the hand to lead her over to a wall on their left. The vehicles he was looking for were supposed to be used in emergencies only, so they weren’t kept with the other cars. Instead, the Maydestones had a second garage that was unattached from the main building. The only reason he’d brought her to the first garage was because there was a door at the front that they could use to get outside without triggering the security system. It was hooked up to the wires that connected the rest of the portals to the silent alarm, but three weeks ago, a rat had chewed them up and severed the door from the others. With any luck, the security team would have forgotten to fix it.

Turning on the flashlight on his phone, the prince crouched down by the corner of the door and narrowed his eyes as he searched for the frayed wire. After a moment, he spotted it and grinned to himself. It looked like security had forgotten about it after all, which meant that he and Iris could slip out without anyone knowing. He righted his posture again and unlatched the door, leading the way into the courtyard.

On the other side, there was a large shed-like building with a door that had a fingerprint scanner. Cas used his own access to get inside and then turned his flashlight back on to reveal a set of three, rather mundane-looking cars. There was nothing special or luxurious about any of them, but that was point. To blend in with the other vehicles on the streets in the event of an emergency getaway, they were all common models that were owned by plenty of other people in the capital. The biggest difference between them was their coloring in black, silver, and white.

“So far, so good,” he mused, casting a smile back at Iris as he stepped over to the silver four-door in the middle. Instead of walking up to the driver’s side, he trotted around to the passenger’s and opened the door for her. Since the cars were supposed to be accessible quickly, they were always left unlocked, charged up, and with the key hidden inside the glove box. “Ready to go?” he asked as he waved a hand for her to get inside first.