The King and I {Damien X Shayne}

Chapter Part 16

A few days had passed, and Damien was coping with his apparent isolation, confiding in Joe and Sunny more often, and Shayne was doing a bit better with Matt by his side. Even though Matt was technically the head of the guards that worked inside the palace, Matt wasn't the best at physical combat. And even though this was a recruitment and training camp, Shayne was going to make time to show Matt the ropes. Or so he thought.

Shayne popped his head out of his tent, stepping outside into the brisk air of the Heartland as he saw two men standing in front of him. It was early morning, just past dawn and the sun was only beginning to peep through the lingering clouds of the night, but the men in front of him were unmistakable. Matt to his right, and a knight wearing some very familiar armor to his left. Ignoring the time, Shayne stepped outside to greet the pair, seemingly having omitted a shirt in the process, but it didn't bother him.

"Shayne, I think you need to hear this." Said Matt sternly. "What is it?" Shayne quizzed back, "It is not a discussion for the open air, Sir Shayne." Replied the knight quickly. "To my tent." Ordered Matt. The trio sat down on some low down chairs as the knight handed Shayne a thick wad of parchment, wax sealed. Presuming it was from Ian, Shayne opened it hurriedly, only to have his hopes dashed. Instead of being met with Ian's messy cursive text, some roughly scrawled print was adorning each page, packed with sentence after sentence.

The writing did seem familiar, but Shayne began to read regardless of the author. "Shayne, I am giving this letter to you after a month of many failed attempts. Strange things are happening here in the palace town in Smosh, and we can't explain why. But all we know, is Ian is in danger, and we can't through to him. We need your help, Damien's too, so send word back when you've got a plan. Be swift; Wes."

"Ian?" Shayne muttered aloud. Matt was now curious, and as he was about to ask, Shayne began detailing what was written on the pages. "Something is wrong with King Ian, so much so that Wes has been trying to contact us for a month, and we need to help." Shayne declared. "Woah, don't be so quick there," Matt began "We can't just drop everything and go to Smosh." What sounded like sound logic to Matt, was lunacy ringing in Shayne's ears.

"I guess Aveil hasn't been the kingdom most prepared to give aid," quipped Shayne, "because if you know Damien at all, he'd give everything to help his friends. Wait, Does Damien know?" The knight looked back blankly, "Does the King know?" Shayne said again, in a sterner tone of voice. "No sir, Wes presumed you would be at his side when this message was delivered." Without hesitation, Shayne turned to Matt. "You can either continue for the last three days here, or come back with me. Regardless, I am going back to the palace to inform our King of this matter."

Silence befell the tented room, and Matt then agreed to finish up the camp, but asked him to take the Smosh knight back to Damien with him, to discuss further plans and a way to relay messages back to Wes. As swiftly as they could, the pair mounted two horses and bolted across the horizon to be at the palace before the night was up on the next morning.

***

Damien was now in a slump. Nothing seemed enjoyable, exciting or fresh anymore. His work was interesting sure, but it became monotonous to the point of irritation. When staff asked him questions, replies became more blunt and to the point, the warmth seeping from them leaving cold words coming from his mouth. At this point many knew the only fix was Shayne, but there was no hope to have his return any sooner than scheduled with the militia camp. As evening fell, the events of the afternoons extended audiences were finishing up, and Damien was being led into the dining hall for dinner, not allowing for a fresh change of clothes. He was greeted however, by two guests already at the table. "We need to talk." Said a voice sternly, ignoring who they were talking to. "Excuse me?" Damien said as he walked around the figures to finally see their faces. "Shayne." Damien sighed with relief, but before he could talk he was interrupted. "I suggest we be left alone to discuss this matter." Said the unfamiliar figure, and with a light nod, Shayne had dismissed all personnel in the dining hall, leaving only the three.