Author's Note: Alex stated in her goodbye message that the ending of the series was up to fans' interpretation; this (biased fiction) is mine.

Prologue

Come Most Carefully Upon Your Hour

"Dad, I need your help."

It had been months since father and son had last spoken to one another.

Since the morning after Robert and Willow's wedding, in fact. Earl had shown up outside his and Eleanor's hotel suite at the crack of dawn, wide awake, to announce that he decided he was going to go back to Nevada because he had shit that needed taking care of. Whatever the shit in question was exactly, Earl didn't elaborate on and Jasper preferred to remain ignorant to his father's personal business dealings as of late.

He had been half asleep when he had gotten up to answer the door. He and Len had been roused by a loud, persistent knocking, and naturally she wasn't going to get up and investigate. Both were still half drunk. Naked too, if he were going to be honest about it. Swearing under his breath, he had pulled on his wrinkled slacks and went to find out who would be on the receiving end of his wrath for waking them this early without reason on this goddamn morning.

Of course it was Earl.

Jasper had enough sobriety in him to not let the elder Frost into the suite. He wanted his father nowhere near Eleanor, no matter how much he tried to convince him that his intentions in London were for good.

"Tell that girlfriend of yours I said goodbye!" said Earl, casting a sly look into the dark reception room behind him, not that there was anything for him to see. The bedroom door was closed. He made damn sure of that, regardless of who was at the door.

Jasper tightened his jaw, remained silent, and averted his eyes.

"She's the real deal, kid. What's going on between you two has been good for you. Lord knows you didn't get that emotional bullshit from me," Earl affirmed as he clasped a hand on his bare shoulder. Earl's identical, bright blue eyes stared intently into his own. "Eleanor isn't just a princess. She's a good, strong girl with a good heart. All she's ever wanted was for you to see that and now you do and now look at you. My son, a knight!" he added with a chortle. Earl's breath smelled strongly of stale bourbon; a stench that made his stomach churn and reminded him of his childhood. Definitely not a feeling he wanted to be reminiscing over at god-knows-what-hour in the morning after the royal wedding of the century. Jasper had spent a majority of the reception alternating between beer and shots of something from a flask that Eleanor had snuck in with the garment bag for her reception dress. Since Willow fucked up and refused to leave Roberts side, he assumed that all bets were off for the rest of the night and he was going to have a good time with his girlfriend. In public.

"Don't expect any favours. You're not getting anything from me," Jasper said defensively and attempted to shrug his clammy hand away. God only knew where the hell it had been. "I didn't ask for any of this. My knighthood is nothing more than Robert saving face for Robert."

"Asking for favours means I'll owe one, and I don't like owing anyone anything. That includes you. Now that ma-friend James Hill of yours and I have an understanding. He's a nice guy. But you're my son, not his. If you need something that the Palace can't provide- you call your old man. A father will do anything for his boy. No matter what."

Jasper laughed in disbelief before he could stop himself.

Earl didn't seem the least bit bothered by it.

In what fucking universe would he ever need to call his con artist father for help? When he now had the entire wealth and power of the British royal family available at his fingertips?

This universe, apparently.

Jasper sighed into the phone, and tiredly rubbed his eyes as he slumped back into his office chair. Earl had yet to reply. He was dragging this out on purpose, because he just knew he'd come crawling back to him for help. The Palace had its shady perks, yes, but not like this. Not like the Frost family way.

"It's good to hear your voice too, kid. You called at just the right-"

"Ugh. Save it," he interjected, not bothering to hide his disgust. He recognised that smooth, self-satisfied drawl. Eyes flickering over to the bold analog clock that hung on the opposite wall of his office; the same one that had once hung in Ted Pryce's clock tower lair. Jasper was quick to do the math in his head and place the time in Vegas at nine-thirty in the morning. He hadn't considered the time difference before calling. It was easier to just get it over with right then and there before he changed his mind again.

Jasper drew in a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as he closed his eyes.

Just say it and get it over with.

"I need your help," repeated Jasper through gritted teeth. "There's gonna be some changes around here soon and I need to take care of something first."

Silence greeted him. Jasper pulled the handset away from his ear to make sure the call was still bloody connected. It was.

He clenched his jaw in irritation, and waited.

He was being evasive on purpose. The level of paranoia amongst the divided Henstridge family was at an all time high. While he and James had privately agreed to a full-disclosure relationship, he knew that others in the palace hadn't extended the same courtesy, and he couldn't risk having this conversation intercepted. Sure, he was paranoid. But he also had every reason to be. Ted hid cameras in the flower pots for chrissakes. He had a plan, and unfortunately he was going to need his father's expertise to see it all the way through. At the end of the day, Jasper didn't have anyone reliable outside the palace that he could fully trust.

Earl Frost was a slippery, self-serving fuck who didn't believe in much. In his eyes, laws were mere guidelines to abide by so one didn't get caught and that was something he made sure to instil in his son.

There was, however, one single thing Earl Frost irrevocably believed in: blood.

"Now, was that so bad?" his father chuckled and Jasper exhaled loudly in exasperation. "Let me find my glasses and have a drink. What is it Cyrus said? Hair of a dog? I'll call your uncle Sam and have him call his buddy at the airport. He owes me a favour for bailing his ass out. Again."

Uncle Sam really wasn't his uncle. He was his father's best and oldest friend. While Jasper considered him to be the voice of the 1% of rationality inside of Earl's head, Sam liked to offer advice that he himself rarely took. He seemed to know at least one person in every location in Vegas at any given point, or at least knew someone who did.

Sam would have his father on a flight, first class, to the United Kingdom by the end of the day because he fucked a married stewardess every other of months during her layover.

"He isn't coming with you," said Jasper warningly.

"I'll tell him you send your regards from the Palace," he replied, choosing to remain ignorant to his request. "I'll text you when my flight is confirmed."

Jasper bit his lip. The conversation was going much smoother than anticipated. Did his dad really mean what he said when he left? He wanted him to be hardened. To be his own man. To look out for himself, and for the most part he did. Stubbornly so, much to Eleanor's disdain as of late.

"That's fine," he said coolly. "I-I have to go." Ending the call abruptly before Earl could respond, Jasper recognized the brisk, heavy footfalls approaching his office as the king's. Not many people willingly came to particular wing of palace. To see him, at that. Especially not since Eleanor and Liam stopped speaking. Prior to Robert's first death, he knew that the twins didn't exactly get along. The twins' epic fights were something of a legend; a legend that he hadn't bore witness to up until the last few weeks. Jasper set his phone on silent and turned it face down; reaching for the closest file folder to pretend to inspect its contents moments before a muffled knock echoed throughout the room.

He cleared his throat. "Come in."

The door swung open and just as he expected, the King of England stood at its helm.

Jasper remained seated, and chose to raise his eyebrows instead. "Hey man," he drawled. Jasper folded his hands on top of the manila folder and held his gaze. "What's up?"

The corner of Robert's mouth twitched in irritation. "I received your text. You said you wanted to talk. About your bloody resignation, I hope. It's been two months since we last spoke about this Jasper, and-"

"And I needed some time to decide about what I wanted to do. In case you forgot, Robbie, some shit has gone down over the last few weeks that's put a delay in the plan. Because of your shitty temper!" the words had flown out of his mouth before he realized what he was even saying. Instantly, he regretted it because Jasper knew he had just as much of a hand in this mess as Robert did.

It certainly didn't help that on the eve of the royal wedding, Jasper caught Liam sneaking Kathryn Davis off the grounds on the security cameras. Just as he was about to turn in for the night, mostly given to the fact his phone was blowing up with vague threats from his girlfriend with each passing minute- you'll be sleeping in that office if you're not back here - shortly followed by -I so am not fucking you for the rest of the week- something inside said he needed to stay on duty a little bit longer, and eventually would get over herself because she loved fucking him just as much as he loved fucking her.

Eleanor never did forgive Kathryn Davis for fucking both of her brothers. She saw her twin's girlfriend as an untrustworthy, royal-dick hungry bitch; and so did he by association. Even worse, as Robert's ex, the woman had enough ammo against the King of England to cause a media uproar; a notion that the few who remained in the King and Queen's inner circle were wary of.

If there was one thing Jasper was sure of, it was that his gut feelings were never, ever wrong.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jasper caught one of the 10-inch screens on the far left wall surged to life; a red dot indicating a motion-sensor light had been triggered in the gardens, near the locked entrance, blinked rapidly in the corner.

The next day was going to be long and he wanted to at least get four hours of sleep. Four he could survive on. Anything less, he would start entertaining the idea of knocking out the third-party prick that Robert hired for 'additional security'. He hoped it wasn't some deranged fan trying to break into the palace again. The gate was locked, and hidden near on the far end of the public parklands it bordered.

Jasper spun his chair around; his hand instinctively reaching for the mouse to bring it to the main monitor, and pressed record. He slowly zoomed in.

Nestled against the high, brick wall on the palace side were Liam and Kathryn. He wasted no time in unmuting the feed, praying that neither one of them took notice of the small security camera honing in on their location.

"I'll find you when this is over. Get to the car when the bells chime. I need you and our baby safe."

Jasper sat frozen in place; the blood in his veins ran cold.

Baby?

Why? Why did it always have to be him who found out the incriminating shit?

How the fuck was he supposed to sit on this now? He couldn't.

Eleanor clearly did not know. Because if Eleanor did, he he definitely would. She wouldn't be able to remain tight-lipped over something as critical as her brothers' whore carrying Liam's baby.

Liam was keeping something very, very big from his sister. And him too- his self-proclaimed best friend.

His heart was hammering loudly his chest; eyes glued to the screen where the two embraced in a steamy kiss, completely unaware that they had just exposed themselves. In that moment, Jasper Frost found himself at a moral crossroad; torn between doing what was right- keeping up his mouth shut and going along with the plan tomorrow, or what was just- outing Liam's secret to his elder brother. Liam's intentions with the coup were not motivated by his duty to the United Kingdom. That much was crystal clear now.

Robert hurt Kathryn deeply with his words. It was only natural that the rose-coloured glasses he saw his brother through finally transitioned to red, and deep down, Jasper knew that Liam would be out for than just his brother's crown. Robert's actions only spurred Liam's conspiracy. Jasper knew the prince well; he was all heart, but just as equally hot-headed as his sister. Eleanor knew it too which was why she had held off in fully offering her support to the cause.

Now, with this vital piece of information- he wasn't so sure.

Was Liam truly motivated by his duty to the country? This was not the first time that Jasper reluctantly contemplated if he really was the better option to be the King of England.

He couldn't tell Robert without telling Eleanor first.

Only then would he begin entertaining the dangerous opportunity of going rogue.

They would make that decision.

Together.

Robert huffed loudly as he stepped further into his office. At least he took the time to lock the door before taking the seat across from him. "You've drawn this out long enough."

Regrettably, he knew that Robert was right. With Eleanor's recent uptake in engagements, her desire (and the public's, too; courtesy of D-THRONED) to have him at her side instead of hiding behind a desk was becoming more and more obvious with each passing day. They were young, attractive, and in love. They had a mysterious, modern love story. It was only natural that the gossip rags felt entitled to examine every fibre of their relationship under a microscope. The people did love them some #Jaspenor.

When the pap photos surfaced of he and Len leaving an exclusive, private club in Mayfair in a town car at 2am- drunk; his tongue looked as if it were halfway down her throat and his hand was well up under her leather skirt- had spread across the internet like wildfire.

Robert wanted to capitalize on them. Take the heat off of his politics for a while.

Express your love! But not like the fucking savage American you are. You're British now, remember?

Jasper smirked at the memory as he drummed his fingers impatiently on the desktop. He was sure that the widely shared images of the princess' delicate hand wrapped around his throat while the fingers of her other was threaded through his hair was driving Mandy Cooke wild, where ever she was. Possibly more so than Robert when he woke up the next morning and was greeted by that dominating the morning headlines.

And yet- against all odds- he and Eleanor finally were together. They were together and sanctioned. And yet despite his recent advancement in status, Jasper Frost still remained on the monarchy's payroll. Gleefully, James reassigned him from the King's Detail to desk duty, effectively keeping him hidden inside the palace walls and out of the public eye. His superior made it clear that his reasoning for this decision included- but wasn't limited to- his 'newfound celebrity as Princess Eleanor's common-blood, American boyfriend', and the obvious conflict of interest that accompanied it interfered with his duties; godforbid someone actually did attempt to assassinate Robbie if his sister were nearby. Even James knew that he would run to protect Eleanor without a second thought. The King of England be damned. That's what Liam was for, afterall.

The thought of any harm coming to Eleanor made the blood in his veins run cold, although there were more pressing matters for him to be worrying about right now. Like the dark, glittering stare of Robert Henstridge.

Resigning from palace security was going to send a strong signal. Almost immediately, Jasper would be expected to appear at her side as she performed her royal duties, as well as partake in them. That was part of the deal that the foursome agreed to.

Bookmakers across the kingdom already started taking bets on when he was going to propose. Except, the current odds indicated that Eleanor would be the one doing the proposing because she was, well- Eleanor.

Over his dead body.

Unbeknownst to the press; in addition to everybody inside the palace- he already pre-proposed to Eleanor months ago at her brother's wedding. Pre-propose? Was that even a thing people did? Jasper hadn't even followed up and got her a piece of jewelry to cement it. The necklace he intended to give her last Christmas was bad voodoo, and Eleanor kept it in its box at the back of her jewelry cabinet, keeping the constant reminder of their brief break-up out of sight, and out of mind.

They both knew she deserved better, and Jasper knew he was severely shirking on his royal boyfriend duties as of late. It was something he fully intended on rectifying, and if tendering his resignation and force himself to get over his reservations was it.

She was a princess. His princess. Not just any off the street ring was going to do. He was going get his girl the unique, perfect ring she deserved and Jasper was going to get it for her the only way he knew how.

Eleanor was ready to commit herself to him. Publically. In every way. For reasons that were still beyond his comprehension, she was proud to be with him.

All he needed to do was formally tender his resignation.

Jasper exhaled loudly and met Robert's steely gaze. Across the desk, Robert's stance was casual; his long legs crossed and fingers threaded on his knee as he waited patiently for him to reply.

Earl would make landfall in no less than forty-eight hours. That abrupt arrival alone would be enough to throw the palace into just enough chaos-

"Eleanor agrees, I'm sorry to say," he said loftily, unbothered by Robert's green eyes; so identical to his sister's. "Fine. I quit, Your Majesty."

Robert's eyes rolled deep into the back of his head.

"I'm serious," Jasper affirmed, opening the folder beneath his hands. His resignation letter was something he secretly had been working on for days; equal amounts paranoid and determined to get the wording correct in case it leaked before an official statement could be made. He pushed the thick piece of paper across the desk with his fingertips.

Robert intercepted it with a swipe of his hand and lowered his eyes to scan across the document. The young King's relief was evident in his face; Jasper knew that he still didn't trust him completely and the feeling was mutual. It had taken this risky, unprecedented move- spearheaded by Eleanor- that made her boyfriend and brother finally see eye to eye and she couldn't have been more thrilled to see them shake each other's hands.

Robert cleared his throat and Jasper's cautious gaze swung back to see Robert fold his resignation letter and tuck it into the interior pocket of his navy smoking jacket. "I'll pass this on to Rachel, and she will make the necessary arrangements to begin easing you into Lenny's duties. Obviously you're going to need some lessons in decorum-"

"Alright, alright," he interjected loudly. Robert expected perfection. He expected professionalism, and made it clear that he didn't want a single toe out of line from either of them. Not after the Club 52 fiasco. "We agreed to your terms. I held up my end of the bargain, Robbie. Now it's your turn."

Robert rose to his feet and stuck out his hand. Jasper followed suit and wrapped his fingers around the King's. Robert sunk his nails into the palm of his hand. In warning, he suspected.

Robert leaned in and for a split second, he tensed because he thought he was going to embrace him. They weren't entering a brotherhood for fucksakes. Instead he clasped him on the shoulder and held his steely blue gaze.

"Let me be the first to officially welcome you into the family business, Jasper Frost."