"Ho!" Jasper raised a hand in greeting when he spotted them, and Archie hastened to bow in return. They had met at formal occasions here and there over the years, and Jasper had always stuck to a casual way of addressing him, even though they weren't close, but it still didn’t mean Archie had permission to reciprocate that way. He dismounted near a white stallion famously known as the Crown Prince's pride and joy, and handed the reins off to a servant.
"Cousin," said Jasper, extending his hand to clasp Archie's arm — his hand nearly engulfed the entirety of Archie's forearm — and pat him genially on the back. "And you, demon."
Archie inhaled sharply. Damian, just dismounted, turned and narrowed his eyes. Jasper smiled at them both, sharply pleased. "I see I have managed to surprise you. Come, let's speak inside."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
PRINCE JASPER LED them into the nearest tent, flicking the flap closed behind them. The area was laid out for those who were here to party rather than hunt, furnished with heavy chairs and cushions that some poor servants must have lugged from the palace, as well as a table of refreshments. It was a bit early for drink, but Jasper indicated at it questioningly anyway.
Archie shook his head. That seemed to have been a test of some kind, for Jasper looked satisfied. He dropped his heavy frame into an armchair, and indicated that they might do the same. Archie perched on the edge of a cushion, while Damian, scowling, draped himself into an armchair languidly as if nothing was wrong.
It was poor etiquette to speak without being addressed, so Archie stayed quiet as Jasper looked over the both of them. "I must say, you are the last cousin I expected to get possessed," said Jasper eventually. He didn't sound angry, at least. But then, Archie didn't know him enough to tell, perhaps he was merely biding his time to send Archie to the gallows.
"I'm… sorry, Your Highness?" said Archie, unable to figure out what the least offensive response would be.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to haul you off to the dungeon," said Jasper. "Aren't you going to introduce your little pet?"
Damian froze, not in the way a human might, but the stillness of a being that didn’t need to breathe, and then he snarled. His teeth were too sharp to be human.
"My my," said Jasper mildly, his eyes glancing between them. "The other way around then?"
Archie choked on thin air. There was no mistaking what Jasper meant. He knew he must have gone pale, but that was hardly something he could stop himself from doing. Jasper laughed, a full-bellied rumble that was all too human.
As Archie struggled to find something coherent to say, Jasper added, "Not to worry. It's clear I know who this is. Damian, Earl of Lymond, supposedly. I looked into it, you know. Lymond is a real fiefdom, but the Earl himself has not been seen for years. Bedridden, with no heirs, prefers to stay in his country estate for his health. Pays his dues regularly and on time. Is he dead?" This was addressed to Damaris.
Damian scowled, and his teeth were back to human. "I do not know."
"Hm. Alright, let’s say I believe you. My brother helped you with it, didn't he? What did he ask for in return for this favor?" asked Jasper shrewdly. People underestimated him, Archie suspected. The general opinion of him was that he wasan affable, level-headed man who would be a good king. He held the title of Crown Prince by virtue of being the only full-human prince, but people pitied him compared to his two demon half-brothers, stuck with the responsibility without the magical power. But Archie's father always spoke well of him, and he knew Jasper was diligently involved in the running of the kingdom.
Damian spread his hands, palm up. "Even if I wished to tell you, I cannot. I gave my word."
"Your word. Very important, for a demon. Did you know, Archie? That your beastie is out there giving his word away to other men?" Jasper asked with another sideways look.
If Archie could have disappeared into the rug, he would have. His barely-digested breakfast threatened to come back up again, his chest constricted and his sight swam. He'd been so careful about his attraction to men, had never made any advances, never even broached the topic with anyone. He'd barely even let himself think about it in the privacy of his own head.
"Easy there, Archie. Easy. Breathe." And then suddenly, Jasper was there, crouching in front of him, a slight frown on his face. He helped Archie put his head between his knees and Archie gasped in air until the grass stopped swirling in his vision. When he felt clear enough to sit back up again, Damaris and Jasper were facing each other. They must have been saying something, because Damaris was no longer Damian but instead stretched into a body almost his own, hulking eight feet tall with his antlers scraping the top of the tent, black shadows billowing over his body like a cloak in the wind.
A moment of pure fear struck Archie, ice cold and shocking himself out of his nausea. Not at Damaris, but that he'd never expected to see Damaris in his true form outside of their own privacy before, and seeing him here felt like exposing himself in front of Jasper. Another piece of him that was never meant to see daylight.
"It seems I went too far," said Jasper with an apologetic smile. "Lymond here has made his displeasure known."
Archie looked at Damaris, not understanding.
"It seems the prince was deliberately trying to provoke a reaction," said Damaris, his voice a displeased rumble.
“Perhaps some of my intelligence was wrong,” conceded Jasper, and sat down. Damaris followed suit, folding himself back into the compact form of Damian as he sank back into the armchair. That was probably the closest thing he was going to get to an apology. Crown Princes, as a rule, couldn’t make a habit of apologizing for things, it showed weakness.
“What intelligence?” asked Archie dumbly. He wasn’t sure how much of a conversation he had missed, but it couldn’t have beenthatlong.
“I keep an eye on my brothers. And they on me, I assume. Andyouhave never shown much interest in social climbing, not like your brother Charles, so I took notice when you started lurking at Ix’s periphery. At first I thought it was because of the state of the Russex lands, but he wouldn’t have been much help there. And then there was you.” Jasper pointed at Damaris. “Suddenly everyone seemed to know you, and I could not remember ever having been introduced.”
“Memory magic,” agreed Damaris. “Humans are particularly susceptible to a little influence.”
“Yes, that piece took me the longest to figure out. A clever little bit that gets stronger the more people believe in it. But I’m the most protected person in the realm aside from my royal Father and Mother. Charms don’t work on me, so your magic bounced straight off, leaving me wondering who this handsome stranger who had apparently been here for years and whom everyone already knew was.”
Jasper sounded grudgingly admiring. And there was something in his tone, even now, that seemed designed to get a rise out of Archie. Whatever Jasper was implying, however true it might be, Archie refused to confirm it.
“Begging your pardon, Your Highness,” said Archie, once his stomach settled, “What now? Why tell us this?”
