It has now officially been three weeks, Eleanor thought to herself miserably, as she turned over to see the fox lying next to her fast asleep, on Jasper's side of the bed.

She was at a point now of not even caring. Not caring about the fact that there was a real live fox right next to her, or that she had moved back to her side of the bed. She felt herself starting to move out of the pining and denial stage too, and into one of acceptance. Yes, she was not ready to date yet, but that didn't mean she had to be broken and lonely.

Still, she cast a casual glance at her phone to see if he had texted.

Still nothing.

"You're so lucky you don't have to worry about relationships," Eleanor told the fox, before suddenly the doors to her room burst open.

In the doorway stood a flustered Rosie accompanied by an excited Sarah Alice, who darted straight for the fox on Eleanor's bed. The fox giving out a tiny yelp.

"I'm sorry, your highness," Rosie began quickly, "It's just, James, Mr Hill, I mean, he said that Sarah Alice and you hang out a lot and that you would be ok with it, but I didn't know if you were still asleep or not and- oh my God! Is that a fox?!"

Sarah Alice stood next to the bed, regarding the fox inquisitively, "Did something happen to Jasper Caterpillar?"

Eleanor shook her head, "No, no. He just went away for a while."

"Well it looks like he's back now," Sarah Alice said, gesturing to the fox, "Isn't that right Jasper Fox?"

Sarah Alice reached out to pet the fox, but Eleanor grabbed her hand to stop her, "No, Jasper's definitely a caterpillar."

Sarah Alice frowned, "How would you know? You said he was away. Have you seen him?"

Eleanor shook her head, "No, I haven't."

"Well then you can't possibly know that the evil Queen didn't turn him into a fox, can you?" Sara Alice answered.

"No, no, I guess I can't," Eleanor concluded, confused by the whole conversation.

"I am so confused right now, your highness," Rosie said apologetically.

"Oh, don't worry," Sarah Alice answered reassuringly, "We're just talking about Jasper Caterpillar. He's Eleanor's boyfriend. Oh and my ex-boyfriend. Oh, and he's called Frosty the Caterpillar in the story book, of course. Why aren't you wearing your happily ever after necklace, Eleanor?"

Eleanor frowned, "What do you mean the story book and what's a happily ever after necklace?"

Sarah Alice bit her lip, "Oops, I wasn't supposed to say anything. Please don't Jasper. It was supposed to be a surprise."

Eleanor sighed, "It doesn't matter now anyway. Jasper is gone."

"Begging your pardon, your highness," Rosie said timidly, "But I'm assuming that Jasper Caterpillar or Frosty the Caterpillar is actually Royal Protection officer Jasper Frost?"

Eleanor nodded, "That's right."

"Well he came back last night," Rosie said, "I mean I saw someone with His Royal Highness Prince Liam and His Royal Highness Prince Liam called him Jasper, and I know that Mr Frost is, was, is his security detail."

Eleanor grinned, "Thank you, Rosie."

"Yay!" Sarah Alice yelled, jumping up and down, scaring the fox, who darted through the doorway, "Jasper Caterpillar is back!"

Eleanor and Rosie smiled.

"Well you better go and find him," Eleanor said, "And tell him that his Princess is ready to see him."

BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK

Jasper sat in the camera room again, trying not to think about the last time he had been sat there.

The phone call, the moment when he'd known that everything was over, the story book that seemed to be screaming at him from inside of the filing cabinet.

All of these things nagged at his mind.

But now there was something else, something far more important.

Brandon Boon had dropped a bomb shell on him.

Jasper sighed, it seemed that guy was like a slow tap, dripping information here and there every now and then. One day he'd have to find a way to force all the information he could out of that guy.

But for now, he had to find out more, gather more information, because if he even spoke to Liam about this without evidence then he'd be arrested for treason.

So now he was scanning through every piece of information he could find, all of Ted's old hard drives that had finally been released back to him and James. Because if he was going to win Eleanor back, and if he was going to make everything right for the Henstridge family, then this was the way to do it.

Finding the King's killer had been the key last time, Jasper thought to himself, maybe this would be the key this time round.

Although, given everything, he doubted Eleanor would even want to see his face after she found out the truth.

His phone beeped, announcing that a text had arrived.

Of course, Jasper thought with a melancholy grin, he'd asked her to look into the Moroccan Prince.

He scrolled through the message.

And of course, Jasper thought with a sigh, there was nothing. The Prince was perfect.

It was just like he'd thought before, eventually someone just like Beck would come along and sweep the Princess off her feet.

And when that happened, he would leave forever, and he hoped Liam would understand, because there was no way he could watch the Princess being happy with some other guy.

Liam was right, he had given some shit advice to him, about moving on and forgetting.

But then again, there was one person, although not really at all qualified, who he had turned to for relationship advice. In fact he was surprised that she had sought him out already…

"There you are!" Sarah Alice yelled, "The Princess wants to speak to you."

Jasper grinned at the little girl, hugging her, "I'm sorry for going away. But I'm back now."

"Good," Sara Alice continued, "Because I was so worried. I mean, I thought the wicked queen had turned you into a fox, because this morning there was a fox in Eleanor's bed."

"A fox?" Jasper asked puzzled.

"Yes, Jasper, a literal fox," the little girl answered as if Jasper was a simpleton, "Yes, because Daddy said I should go and keep the Princess company because she hasn't been herself lately, and because Daddy doesn't like Sebastian Tiger, so I went with Rosie. And the fox was just there, and I thought it was you at first…Oh, and I accidentally told Eleanor about the story book and the necklace, sorry. I thought you'd already given it to her."

Jasper sighed, "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Well you can still surprise her," Sara Alice said.

"How?" Jasper asked her.

"Well I heard Daddy talking to Eleanor last night about Sebastian buying a restaurant for her," Sara Alice said, "Daddy wasn't happy about it I don't think, he said it was a bit impetu- impetuous, that's it! So, Eleanor told him that it wasn't, and in fact it was owned by both Sebastian and her."

"And this helps me how?" Jasper asked. Inside he was seething, he was well-off, especially after the years of cons, but he'd spent most his money that summer on following Eleanor around the world, and there was no way he could buy a restaurant for her.

"You could buy the half of the restaurant that Sebastian owns," Sara Alice stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "And then you could host a Valentine's Day dinner for the Princess and that'll be the big surprise."

"Yeah, but there's two problems," Jasper said, "One, Sebastian's probably not going to sell his share of the restaurant, and two, Valentine's Day isn't for another month."

Sara Alice sighed, shaking her head, "Jasper, Jasper, Jasper. You need to be more optimistic. If Mr Tiger doesn't want to sell his share, you'll just have to take it from him, and, as for Valentine's Day, who says it has to be on actual Valentine's Day, after all Eleanor is a princess, so I don't think it's right that she has to share Valentine's Day with every other person in the world. Do you?"

Jasper smiled, "That's right, she shouldn't have to share. But how do you supposed I take his restaurant from him?"

Sarah Alice pondered that, "Maybe he's a money laundry-er or tax-vader?"

Jasper frowned, "I don't know. I like you're thinking though. You're a genius." Money laundering or tax evasion, there was probably a good chance that Harper Day hadn't looked into those two, but he could.

"Of course I'm a genius," Sara Alice, "Now, go and speak to your Princess."

BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK

It was around ten when Eleanor was, nearly, ready to see Jasper. She'd spent an excessive amount of time choosing out the right outfit and make-up and making sure she was wearing the perfume that Jasper loved- which she had hidden away after the break-up and had taken a good fifteen minutes to find.

"Rosie, what do you think?" Eleanor asked, looking down at the dress she was wearing with a tall pair of black heels, "Too much or not enough?"

Rosie shrugged, "I, er-."

"Don't worry," Eleanor said, "It'll have to do. I can't miss my chance to speak to him."

Rosie grinned.

"What?" Len asked, frowning, and not liking the idea of being laughed at.

"I just thought you'd be dating a prince," Rosie said, "Not, you know, one of us."

"Well, Jasper, isn't like everyone else," Eleanor said, "And besides, we broke up. I just didn't want to say that in front of Sarah Alice."

"Why not?" Rosie asked.

"Because she thinks we're the modern day equivalent of Sleeping Beauty and Prince what's-his-face," Eleanor replied, before walking towards the door, "And I don't want to destroy true love for her, by telling her the reality of everything."

"Well," Rosie said, "Maybe your luck will change after you speak to Jasper."

Eleanor shrugged, "Maybe, it's just, this isn't the first time he's broken my heart."

"Well then there's got to be a reason why you keep taking him back," Rosie said,"And it's surely an important one."

Eleanor looked into the red state room and saw Jasper standing by one of the south facing windows, looking out at the gardens below. He looked tired and worried and nervous, and Eleanor almost wanted to run over to him and hug him and kiss him. But then she remembered everything Jasper had said to her that Christmas Eve night and her legs stopped turning to mush. And she wanted to know why, why he'd broken up with her, the real reason, and why he'd gone away.

Because Robert was right, Eleanor was a good judge of character, and she could tell when someone wasn't being honest. And Eleanor knew Jasper was outright lying when he told her that he didn't feel the same way about her.

And what Sarah Alice had said about the book and the necklace had confirmed that.

"I want to talk to you," Eleanor announced as Jasper turned to face her, his face taut and emotionless, but Eleanor could tell that he was nervous and scared, "Where have you been Jasper? Why didn't you answer my text? And what's this about a story book and a necklace? What's going on? I need you tell me the truth. It's been three weeks, Jasper, three weeks!"

"Eleanor, I," Jasper began nervously, "There's a lot I need to tell you. First, that I'm so so sorry. You're going to want to sit down."

Eleanor felt her legs go all wobbly, but still she was resolute, "No, I'm fine."

"Well, it's going to take a while," Jasper said, with a sigh, "I lied when I said I didn't feel the same way about you, and that our relationship wasn't good for me. But I think you know that already. I wasn't lying when I said I felt suffocated, that much was true. The reality is I've never been in a good relationship before, and I felt like I was going crazy with love- but in a good way, so yes I felt suffocated, but it was a good thing for me. Because I needed it."

Eleanor smiled sadly, tears glistening in her eyes, "So why did you break up with me?"

Jasper sighed, "Look, Len, this is going to be hard to hear. My father sold me out to a reporter, the same reporter who published the article about your involvement in the Charity Gala. She knew about us, about my past, she wasn't going to stop unless I found a bigger story."

"And you couldn't have stayed?" Eleanor asked angrily, "Asked for James's help, or mine?"

Jasper sighed, "You're right, I should have. But I was scared, I had no idea what to do, I just reacted, did what I always do and didn't tell you anything. I was trying to protect you. Before with Mandy, I should have just told you the truth, straight away, but I was afraid of losing you, and I also was afraid it would break you. Now, you're different Eleanor, stronger, I shouldn't have reacted the same way. I'm so sorry."

Eleanor nodded, "So what was the bigger story?"

"I found Robert's killer, Boon, well attempted killer," Jasper said, "I told Harper Day about him, and got him to tell the truth about the orders going on inside the palace. And then he told me something. Eleanor, trust me, when I say that I wish I had gone to you and James's for help, but honestly, if this had been the outcome, well I'm happy I didn't. I'm not even sure about telling you this now."

"Well, you will bloody tell me!" Eleanor exploded, "Or I'll have you arrested for treason. You leaked palace documents, didn't you? So you better have a bloody good reason and you better tell me that bloody good reason right now, Jasper Frost, or so God help you!"

Jasper sighed, before looking his Prince in the eye, "Robert ordered for your father to be killed."

BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK

James had just finished his report when there was a knock on his office door.

He was expecting someone, but at the same time he was aware that he had still been tasked with finding King Cyrus's fox (a task which he had gladly assigned to Sarah Alice).

"Come in," James said.

The door opened to reveal Prince Sebastian Idrisi, who stood in the doorway with a confused look on his face.

"Your highness, please take a seat," James said, "Could I offer you something to eat or drink? I have tea, coffee, and- well I had chocolate digestives, but it looks as if my daughter stole them- so there's only party rings."

Sebastian smiled, "Thank you. I'd love a coffee."

"You don't need to be worried," James said, "I'm just running a background check on the recent visitors to the palace. Standard stuff. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Ok," Sebastian said, "Although I am confused. I am a prince, so why would I need a background check?"

James smiled, "It's standard procedure. Nothing personal I can assure you. There you go, one coffee."

"Thank you," Sebastian said, "So did you find anything interesting?"

James picked up the report from the printer, "Yeah, I'll admit there were a few things. A degree in astrophysics, sounds very nice, an invoice saying you bought a new Ferrari last year, good choice, oh, and of course, an invoice for a Libyan friend of yours."

Sebastian smiled, "Ah, of course."

"You do understand that I do this to keep everyone at the palace safe and secure," James said, "So I need transparency, your highness, I'm just trying to do my job, and keep the Princess safe, as you know she is a socialite so she mingles with a lot of people- it's important to keep track of them, and their alliances."

Sebastian sighed, "It was just a small loan."

James gave him a defiant stare, "A small loan for what?"

"I don't know," Sebastian said, with a nonchalant stare, "What business is it of yours anyway?"

"I'm the head of security," James said, "And Princess Eleanor's friend."

"Well as her friend, I don't think you'd want her to be upset," Sebastian said, "Which she will be, when I tell her you've been fabricating information to make me look bad, just to get Jasper Frost back into the game. Yes, Eleanor told me all about their break-up. And about how much your daughter Sarah Alice adores them, it would break her heart to know they're no longer together."

James tried his hardest to remain calm and not punch the prince in the face, "As Princess Eleanor's friend, I'm going to give you an option, because I don't want the Princess to get hurt anymore than you do. So here it is, you leave the palace immediately, go back to Morocco and never return, I'll say you were called away on official business by your father, and the Princess will forget you in good time. Or, I'll take this report to the Queen, and she'll take it to Mr Crenshaw- I'm assuming you know who he is- and the whole world will know, that the son of the right honourable King of Morocco paid for arms for Gaddafi."

Sebastian sighed, "Ok, I'll accept your deal, for the Princess, and for my father too. But for the record, Eleanor's already over Jasper, and I know she wanted me, so don't expect there to be a happy ending. I'm sure that'll make your little Sarah Alice very happy to know."

"You stick to fighting your own battles, your highness," James answered, "Mr Frost is more than capable of fighting and winning his own."

BREAK_BREAK_BREAK_BREAK

Jasper watched as Eleanor walked towards the balcony, tears blurring her eyes, and waited in the doorway behind her. He knew Eleanor was stronger now but he was still afraid, afraid that she might jump. Her and Robert had been close, very close from what Liam had told him, and he was scared about what that might do to her.

"Go on," Eleanor said simply, her voice uneven with tears.

"I was looking through some old communications logs," Jasper said, "Ted's private cell phones. I stumbled on something interesting, some contact, called the Hawk, I didn't put two and two together until I notice an MI6 reporter about the balcony event a few weeks ago, Hawk- that was Robert's code name. Still it didn't mean anything until I looked a lot more closely at the records and er, contacted, Samantha Cook."

Eleanor turned around then, "What does Mandy have to do with all of this?"

"The diamond," Jasper began, noticing Rosie standing in the corner, "The diamond we planned to steal, well, Mandy was doing that for Robert. He was paying her to steal the diamond, sell it to count, and give him the money, to pay Ted to kill the King and to pay Boon to fake his death."

"What?" Eleanor exploded, "Why?"

"Eleanor, I swear I never knew," Jasper said, "I thought Mandy and I were going to go halves on the money- that was the initial plan- I'd take half, buy a nice house, and that would be it. I didn't ask about her, I thought she'd do the same, buy a penthouse or a fancy car. I didn't really care, we were business partners."

"And fuck buddies," Eleanor added, "Let's not forget that."

Rosie gave the Princess and her ex-boyfriend a worried look.

"Well, yes," Jasper said, "But like I say, I didn't know anything. Robert, and he is just Robert, not his royal highness or majesty, because he wasn't King Simon's son. He was Alaistar Lacey's."

Eleanor sighed, her face full of shock, "And Robert found out?"

"Robert always knew," Jasper said, "King Simon knew too. He knew about Alaistar but decided to turn a blind eye to it. King Simon raised Robert up well, but made it clear that when the time came, Robert would have to abdicate to Liam. King Simon believed he was doing what was right, this Lacey guy wouldn't have been able to provide for Robert like he could. I honestly believe your father loved Robert dearly. Of course, your mother, the Queen, made sure Robert had regular contact with his birth father too."

Eleanor nodded, "So what do we do now? I don't know if I can confront Robert about this. You've got to have a lot of evidence to prove this. If you don't, they'll charge you for treason, or worse."

"Don't worry, I've got the evidence," Jasper said, "Lots of it. And if Robert tries anything- well I've sent it on a time-delay to James and to several newspapers both in the UK and the US. Either I go in person or it gets there via email."

Eleanor breathed in a deep, shaking sigh, "Robbie really did this? I… but why would he fake his death?"

Jasper took a shaky sigh, "Because he wanted Liam to become king, and fail at becoming king. Then he would return and present a better option. Also, Eleanor, and I'm sorry to say it, he did set up Mandy, so…"

"You mean he deliberately got Mandy to pretend to like me," Eleanor said, "And date me. And then break me. No, no, no. And Liam, Robert must have been jealous of Liam, and wanted to hurt him too. All of this time, he pretended to care and yet he was just trying to hurt us."

"Eleanor, I think Robert might of cared," Jasper said quickly, "In spite of himself, but he never strayed from his mission, that's what I'm trying to say."

"I don't need to be told that Robert loved me in some 'special, different way'," Eleanor said, tears running down her face, "Even Robbie… I guess love was always too much to ask for."

"Eleanor, no," Jasper replied quickly, feeling terrified by Eleanor's reaction, "You are worthy of love. I love you. Liam, loves you. So does your Mum. And your Dad did. And Sarah Alice and James. You're easy to love, Len. Don't let what Robert did define who you are."

"Jasper's right," Rosie added, "You are worthy of love, Princess. And there are plenty of people who love you."

Eleanor quickly brushed away her tears, "My Mum and Liam, they need to know, but how do we tell them?"

Jasper took Eleanor's hand in his, "Together."

Jasper and Eleanor were just about to walk towards the Queen's rooms when Jasper noticed someone and felt his blood turn to ice.

"Jasper, what is it?" Eleanor asked.

"Oh, there you are, Eleanor," the Queen said merrily, "Oh, and welcome back, Jasper. I thought I should introduce you to my new friend, Jack Parker."

"Parker?" Jasper asked, meeting the man's eyes, "Interesting new surname, Dad."