The King and I {Damien X Shayne}

Chapter 3

Shayne removed the crown from his head, and opened the door, and as Damien stood up, he lightly pushed him back onto the seat as he made his way outside and jokingly held out his hand for Damien to take once more. Damien grinned and took it as he stepped off the carriage as Shayne gestured for him to hold still as he lowered his head and let Shayne place the crown back on his head and followed Joe and Sunny towards the palace doors.

The three guards' boots scraped and clunked under the gravel pathway whereas Damien's soled boots fell softly, barely making a sound. The same couldn't be said for his cape. The once pristine blue and white-trimmed cape was now dragging along the dirt and gravel, muddying the white fur trim as they walked, but the irony of it all humored the young king. So he just smiled and tried to forget it, as the doors to his home opened and they walked inside.

Sunny and Joe bid the pair farewell as they entered the foyer, and parted ways down the multiple hallways of the palace. The afternoon had turned to the evening, and the duo slowly made their way into the second largest hall in the palace; the throne room. The double doors in front of them swung open silently, and Shayne trailed slightly as Damien entered the vast space. The pair stood at the beginning of the carpeted strip on the floor of the room, unable to move.

Damien breathed in an unnecessarily large breath with an equally loud sigh. Shayne turned sharply to see Damien's dull expression, and slightly worried for his friend, he leaned sideways towards one of the posted guards and gave an order for them all to leave the room. Suddenly, eight armored guards quietly left the room, leaving only Shayne and Damien in the giant room.

After they all left, Damien walked down to wards the throne and the other end of the carpet trail in the room, with Shayne following steadily behind. They reached in the end in silence, and worrying Shayne even further, Damien didn't walk up the stairs to sit on his throne, but rather plopped down onto the steps below them, cupping his chin in his hands and resting them on his knees.

Shayne was still left standing, wondering whether to sit with his friend, or to think of something to say to break the tension. He decided on the former, and removed his breastplate, lowering it slowly to the ground with a light thud, and sat next to Damien on the blue velvet covered stairs. Shayne had known Damien for so long he thought he could find a way to console him in this new phase of his life; so he hesitantly placed a warm hand on Damien's shoulder.

He hoped that this gesture would tell Damien that he would always stick by him. Shayne knew that this was all new for Damien, and he also knew that his job was familiar territory. He did think that some people would contest Damien's legitimacy to the Aveilian throne, to which some did, but none that cause a threat to Damien's life that he needed to act, which in some ways disappointed him. He did miss the action of defending his or Ian's honor, but the wealth of their new home left no stone unturned by ways of security measures.

Damien broke Shayne's reverie, with a simple touch of his hand on Shayne's, affirming his initial thoughts of their friendship. Shayne smiled back at Damien and gave him a rub on the back, "It'll be fine, it's no different than the past few months, you just now have a bigger chair and a shiny new thing on your head," Shayne joked lightly, "but seriously, you'll be fine. I've known you and Ian for so long I know what's needed to make this place work, and only you could do that." Shayne reinsured.

Hoping to coax his friend into speaking, Shayne was disappointed to hear Damien huff in delight and continue staring glumly at the floor. "What's up with you man, you alright?" Shayne said forwardly. "I mean, yeah," Damien started, "but I know it isn't too different, it just makes me consider the repercussions of my actions. I affect way more people now than just a few months ago." Damien retorted. "And that's what worries you? You've got plenty of people to do the worrying for you; you just have to allow for these things to happen, with others planning it out for you to understand. Sound more manageable?"