Triplet Trouble

Ch 9

Fiona had watched as her husband left the house with their kids. He was walking them to school. He sighed as they showed up on time. Mik saw Estura and freaked out. Shrek saw Charming and snarled angrily. "What's wrong with Daddy?" Xan asked Likaz curiously.

"I don't know. He looks like the nasty prince from Daddy's stories." He told her. Xan agreed. They watched as Estura started to corner Mik. "Go my son! Take care of him!" Charming shouted at Estura. Shrek watched as Mik was getting beat up by Charming's son. This made him angry. "So you and your bratty son are the reason Mik's unhappy!" Shrek said as he lunged at him. Charming laughed as he blocked it. "Nice try." he cackled as Shrek hit the ground. Xan watched as her father got to his feet. "I won't let you or your son make my family's life a misery!" he yelled as he grabbed Charming in a head lock. "Let me go!" Charming said angrily as he hit him to make him let go. "I'll not let go. I've had enough with you trying to hurt me and Fiona. We just want to live in peace. Does that bother you?" he said as he tightened his grip around Charming's neck.

"Daddy no!" Estura wailed as he ran over to his father. Mik smiled at this smugly. Shrek sighed and let go of Charming. "Dad why did you let go? You could've taken care of Estura's dad and it would've been cool." Mik said to him. He sighed at his son's words. "It's okay Mik. Estura's daddy is nothing but a vain prince. I can let him live." he explained simply. There were a few bruises from Estura beating on him. "You mean Estura's Dad is that mean prince from your stories?" he asked Shrek as his brother and sister joined them. "If the mean prince is Estura's daddy, then the princess was our Mommy and the brave knight was Daddy! That's so cool!" Xan told them. Shrek smiled at that sheeplishly. "Why didn't you tell us before?" Likaz asked him curiously. "I didn't tell you guys because if you knew what cool stuff your Mom and I had done, it would give you pressure to follow in our foot steps and we want you to be what you want to be. You see Charming's Mommy told him ever since he was young, that he would be King so he followed in his Mom's shadow and he failed." he told them. Mik smiled at that as he hugged him. "See ya later. Thanks for trying." he said quietly. Shrek then got an idea about how to help Mik.

"You know what? I think when you're older, you could be a knight and do cool stuff like going on adventures." he said to him. "Cool! I'll see you when I go home." Mik told him as he ran off to class after his siblings. But later when the other two came home, Mik wasn't with them. Fiona was worried. What had happened? "I think the other kids got to him." Likaz said to them. Shrek was confused. "What do you mean? I don't understand." he said to his son gently. "We were getting ready for nap time and some hunter kids hit him and they... said he should never come back here or school or else they'd tell their parents to hurt him." Xan explained. Fiona was sad about this. Tears welled up in her eyes at that. The worst case scenario was running through her mind. "Is Mommy upset?" Likaz asked worriedly. "It's okay. Mommy's just worried for your brother, that's all. We love you all so much. It would scare us if something bad happened and we couldn't save you guys." Shrek told them. But Mik was in no danger. He was hiding in a cave not far from the swamp. He was upset about what happened in school. He looked at the cut on his hand.

Tears fell down his green cheeks. The cave was cold and dark but perfect for somebody like him. Later Shrek went out searching for Mik all night but returned at dawn without a trace. Fiona was distressed by this. "I'm sorry honey. I... failed ya." he told her. She saw despair in those brown eyes of his. "It's not your fault. I'm sure we'll find him. Maybe we should get Donkey and Dragon to help. But wait until the kids go to school, okay? I don't want to upset them." she reassured him. He nodded as he watched Xan and Likaz eat breakfast. He smiled sadly. He watched as Fiona took them to school. He made his way to the Dragon's Keep. Donkey was surprised to see him. "What's up man?" he asked him. "Fiona and I need your help. It's Mik. He's disappeared and we can' t find him!" Shrek told him. "Don't worry, I'll help." he told him. He was glad the Dronkeys were at school so they wouldn't be upset by this because Mik was their friend. They went to the same school as Shrek's kids but were in a different kindergarten class.

But in their class room, Estura was giving Likaz and Xan a hard time. This kind of stuff was making them mad. "You're an idiot!" Likaz yelled as he punched Estura in the face and gave him a black eye. "What was that for, freak?" he asked angrily. "That was for my brother Mik. Because of you and the other kids picking on him, he disappeared and our parents can't find him. They're worried out of their minds and it's your fault!" he yelled. Xan was holding him back. She saw sadness in Estura's eyes. "Wait, I see something else in him." she told him calmly. She then saw tears run down his face. "I'm sorry, okay? I never meant for this to happen! Daddy said it was good to make fun of creatures like you. He said honourable men did this and it made them feel good. He's wrng." he said. Likaz then calmed down at those words. "You really mean that? You're not just saying that so I won't destroy you?" he said to him. Estura nodded. "Yeah. Maybe he's living in his Dad's shadow. Estura why did your Dad say it was fun?" Xan explained to him. "Yeah but he never felt like this, did he?" Estura told them.

"Yeah. Do you want to be... friends?" she said to him. "Sure! The only reason I was being mean was to get the other kids to like me. I'm new here too like you guys." he told her. She and Likaz smiled as they ran off to play... .