Prince Jasper was the rightful heir to the throne of Karagot, a wealthy and lush coastal country. He was the only child of his parents, the queen and king, and as such had been raised since childhood to be prepared to take over the throne when the moment came. However, once he reached adulthood, he quickly became easily distracted by beautiful women, shirking his princely duties in favor of spending time with his harem.
One such night, Prince Jasper, a virile and passionate young man of twenty-one, was leaving his harem’s chambers when he was stopped by his favorite concubine, Anya. Anya was slender yet curved like an hourglass, with breasts perfect for nursing children and hips perfect for birthing them. She was the most beautiful of Prince Jasper’s concubines, and in fact would be his proper consort were it not for her long, blonde hair. Her hair color marked her as one who could do witchcraft, and thus unsuitable to be a prince’s wife.
“Anya, I know you must be jealous I laid with Ryannah tonight, but I need to return to my chambers,” Jasper purred, stroking Anya’s shapely face. Anya pressed her large bosom against him. Despite just finishing lovemaking with a different concubine, Jasper could feel himself getting aroused again.
“My prince, I have to give you something before you go to bed,” Anya whispered in her breathy, sexy voice. Jasper raised an eyebrow. Anya pulled a necklace out of the pocket formed by her breasts. It was of a fine, golden chain with a small locket on it. “My family has told me that there is discontent in the country. Multiple groups discussing attempting a coup.”
“And?” Jasper asked. “We have defeated all attempts to overthrow the throne before!”
“My family assures me that this time, the threat is valid. Out of concern for you, my prince, I have created this amulet for you. Should worst come to worst, you only need to touch the locket and say ‘Protect me.’ It will disguise you so you may slip away unseen.”
Jasper took the amulet from Anya. The offer was tempting. He had the rugged good looks and bright red hair of a king-to-be. Disguising himself through non-magical means would be difficult.
“Will this disguise wear off?” Jasper asked.
“I will remove the disguise once we reunite in safety. The locket has my family’s crest upon it. We are well-known. You merely have to ask someone for help finding the people who bear that crest, and you will be able to find me.”
“What does the disguise entail?”
“Illusions are poor, weak magic that would not work if someone had the appropriate counter-spell. Which at least one rebel would. This is a full-body transformation.”
“Hmm.”
“Please, my prince,” Anya cooed, fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly. Unable to resist her, Jasper slipped the chain over his head.
“What if someone were to take the amulet from me before I could use it?”
“Only you or I will be able to remove it, now that you have put it on.” Anya smiled at Jasper. “If you find yourself in further harm after being transformed, touch the locket and again say ‘Protect me.’ It will transform whatever danger is threatening you in such a way it will not harm you.”
“I see.” Jasper ran his fingers through Anya’s hair. “Thank you, my dearest concubine.”
“Of course, my prince,” Anya whispered. Jasper parted the harem chambers, fully sure that what Anya was concerned about would not come to pass.
Alas, it did.
Jasper was awoken in the middle of the night by his guards, screaming at him to run, as rebels had infiltrated the palace and were searching for the royal family. Disoriented and confused, Jasper did as he was told. In his haste, however, he forgot to use the secret passageways, and was spotted by a pair of rebels.
Sprinting through the hall, the rebels hot on his heels, Jasper did the only thing he could think of. He turned a corner so he was out of view of the rebels. Then, he touched the locket.
“Protect me,” he whispered. There was a flash of light.
When the rebels turned the corner, they did not see Prince Jasper. Instead, they saw…