Caspian woke up warm.
Not the usual cold, restless warmth of a half-healed nightmare, but something solid and real. His cheek was pressed against fabric that smelled like cedar and pine smoke. For a second he didn't move, afraid that if he breathed too hard it would vanish.
It was Zayden's jacket.
He'd fallen asleep curled around it sometime in the night, the fabric tucked under his chin like a shield. Carefully, he sat up, smoothing the blankets Zayden had left behind. The bed looked too neat now, too empty.
He slipped out, took a quick shower, and when he came back he couldn't help it. He picked up the jacket again, pressed his face into the collar, and breathed deep. The scent was still there, faint but steady. It made his chest feel lighter, steadier.
He was grinning to himself like an idiot all the way downstairs.
Mrs. Gable was waiting by the dining table, a chair already pulled out for him. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him.
"Good morning, young master! Sit, sit, you need to eat properly today."
Caspian smiled and sat quietly, letting her fuss. She talked nonstop—about the weather, about how the bread was fresh, about how he looked better than yesterday. Her hands didn't stop either, piling food onto his plate every time he took a bite.
He ate slowly, watching her. She was grinning like he'd just handed her a victory. The happiness in her face was so open, so genuine, it caught him off guard.
Suddenly it hit him.
_So this is what it feels like._
The thought came sharp and unexpected, dragging memories with it. A warm kitchen. A voice calling him to eat. Hands that didn't hit, but filled his plate again and again.
_If Mom was alive, would she treat me like this?_
_Would she be disappointed in me too, like Dad?_
_Did she…_
His throat tightened. He blinked hard, shoving the tears back before they could fall. When he looked up, he forced a small smile.
"Thank you."
Mrs. Gable blinked, then beamed. "Oh, it's nothing, young master! It's my duty!"
Caspian lowered his gaze to his plate again. "But still…thanks for everything."
Her smile softened into something quieter, kinder. "Don't worry, young master. You're just like my child. You don't have to say thank you to me."
He didn't answer. He just kept eating, while she hovered, satisfied only when his plate was clean. By the end she looked ready to shove him out of the palace herself if he didn't finish.
When he was done, he wiped his mouth and said, "I'm going to take a round in the palace. I want some alone time."
Mrs. Gable nodded, already busy clearing plates. "Yes, young master. Don't wander too far."
Caspian liked walking the palace when it was empty. No guards. No eyes. The halls were quiet, the rooms untouched, like the place was holding its breath. It was one of the few places he felt allowed to exist without performing.
---
Hours passed.
Mrs. Gable finished cleaning, hummed to herself, then paused.
"Young master?"
No answer.
She checked the library. Empty. The gardens. Empty. The drawing room, the balcony, the kitchen again.
Her hands started to tremble.
The palace was too quiet. No one was allowed to wander freely except him. If something had happened… if he'd gotten hurt, or worse, there was no one to hear him.
Panic clawed up her throat.
She was halfway to calling for Matteo when the front door opened.
Zayden stepped in, coat over one shoulder, expression neutral as always. It lasted exactly two seconds before he caught the look on Mrs. Gable's face.
"What happened?"
"Young master Caspian—he's gone! I've looked everywhere! The palace is empty, sir, no one's seen him!"
Zayden's jaw tightened. Without a word he turned and started searching.
Two hours.
He checked every room, every corridor, every locked-off wing no one was supposed to enter. His patience thinned with every empty space.
Just as he was about to turn back, he caught it.
A faint trace of Caspian's scent, carried on the air.
He moved.
The scent led him up, up, to the roof access door. He pushed it open and there—
Caspian stood by the edge, hair ruffled by the wind, looking out over the city like he'd forgotten the world existed.
Caspian turned at the sound.
Before he could speak, Zayden crossed the distance in three strides and pulled him into his arms.
The hug was tight enough to steal Caspian's breath.
"Zay"
Zayden's pheromones spilled out unrestrained—cedar and smoke, sharp with fear and relief, drowning out everything else. Caspian went still, then melted into it, hands clutching at Zayden's shirt like he was afraid this was another dream.
"Don't do that again," Zayden muttered against his hair, voice low and rough. "You vanish without telling anyone?
Caspian nodded against him, eyes stinging. "I…I'm sorry. I just needed to think."
Zayden pulled back just enough to look at him, thumb brushing over Caspian's cheek like he needed to confirm he was real. "Think that where I can find you."
Caspian gave a shaky laugh. "ofcource not."
Zayden hugged him again and for them nothing else existed.
---
*Meanwhile, at the roof door.*
Mrs. Gable, Matteo, and half the staff had followed the noise. They clustered at the doorway, straining to see.
"Oho, look at that!" Mrs. Gable whispered, eyes shining. "He's hugging him!"
"Quiet!" Matteo hissed, but he also couldn't stop his excitement . "Boss will hear you!"
From behind them, Head Bodyguard Marcus crouched low, craning his neck. "Move. I need to see."
Mrs Gable quickly closed the door while metteo block his way:
"You'll do no such thing!" metteo warned him. Marcus didn't listen them as he lunged toward the door but Mrs Gable dropped into a half-kneel and grabbed his leg.
Matteo lunged and wrapped his arms around Marcus from behind. "I'm sorry, head bodyguard, but no!"
One maid grabbed his other leg. Another got his arm. In seconds, twenty maids had joined in, dragging, pulling, holding Marcus in a writhing, complicated angle.
Marcus struggled, face red. "Let go! This is a security matter!"
There was a mess as they were all tangled together like childrens.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Zayden and Caspian stood there, hands still holding.
Everyone froze.
"What is happening here?" Zayden asked, voice flat.
Panic broke out.
Everyone straightened to greet him.
_Thud._
Marcus hit the floor hard.
Caspian couldn't hold it in. He doubled over, hand over his mouth, laughing despite himself.
"Hahahaha!"
Marcus's face went from red to crimson. He shot to his feet instantly, standing at attention like he hadn't just been tackled by twenty maids. Security breach, sir! I was—"
Marcus choked on his own words.Zayden's gaze flicked to Caspian, whose shoulders were shaking as he tried to smother his laughter.Zayden shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching. He tugged Caspian's hand and walked past the pile of mortified staff, dragging him downstairs.
The moment they were gone, Marcus collapsed to his knees.
"Ohhhh, my back…my leg…"
He looked around. Empty hallway. In the distance, he could see the maids, Mrs Gable and Matteo running away from crime scene, pretending they'd never been involved.
In the distance, Caspian's laughter echoed faintly off the marble stairs.
"You all are done for," he growled after them.
He tried to stand. Pain shot up his leg. He crouched again with a strangled sound.
"Oh,oh my leg…"
From somewhere downstairs, Caspian's laugh got louder.
And Marcus decided he hated his life.