Vacation
Two weeks later...
"You sure there're no sharks at this beach?" Jestro asked Lance and Clay from behind a curtain in the swimwear shop.
"Trust me; I've been there plenty of times. You have a better chance of seeing fairies then a shark." Lance reassured from the outside of the curtain.
"It's perfectly safe, Jestro. Besides; we've been looking forward to this." He spoke to the jester before turning and whispering to Lance. "It's all he's talked about for the last few days."
Lance smiled as he held back a laugh before the two Knights heard Jestro talk.
"I think I got it on." He spoke in a bit of a shy tone of voice.
"Is it comfortable, Jestro?" Clay asked.
"...I guess." Jestro replied quietly.
"Well, come on out. Don't be shy, J-man." Lance encouraged.
The two knights heard a nervous squeak before the curtain opened. Jestro was standing in the dressing room in his jester hat, a pair of baggy blue and pink coloured swim shorts and a sleeveless black swim shirt that covered the lower half of his neck and torso. He stood there nervously as Lance put his hand up to his chin and nodded.
"The black mixes well with the bright colours." The white knight commented. "But can we see how it looks without the hat?"
Clay gave Lance a questionable look. But Jestro took off his hat anyway; showing his fluffy brown hair. Lance smiled and clapped in approval.
"Perfect." He spoke like a proud fashionista.
"Won't I get sunburned on my arms without sleeves?" Jestro questioned as he looked down.
"Don't worry, Jestro. We'll bring plenty of sunblock." Clay reassured.
Lance nodded in agreement with a smile.
"I'm finished, big brother!"
The three men heard Izzy call out from the ladies dressing rooms.
"Coming, Izzy!" Lance replied as he ran over to the entrance.
Clay and Jestro watched as Izzy came out of the ladies dressing rooms in a pink swimsuit that bared a strong resemblance to a ballerina costume. They could not hear what they were saying, but Lance was smiling in approval and getting a better look at her. Jestro smiled a bit at the sight as he held his hat in his hands.
"Her stitches are healing up nicely." Clay commented. "You probably won't even know she was in the hospital unless she told you."
"Yeah. I'm glad she's doing okay." Jestro added.
Jestro thought about everything that happened two weeks ago. He began to think of how his life was in danger because of Monstrox and how Clay, the Knights, Merlok, Robin and Ava put themselves at risk to help him. He thought of how Izzy got dragged into it and the way Lance cared for and looked after her when their parents would not. He thought of how he slaughtered Monstrox with Clays' sword when the necromancer took the form of the snake. While Jestro was quite happy for the past few days of getting ready for that vacation he and the Knights had planned before the whole nightmare problem, he still had some bad thoughts in his head concerning past events.
"Clay; I'm a little worried." Jestro said as he played with his hat.
Clay turned and blink in concern.
"What about, Jess?" He asked; calling Jestro by an affectionate nickname.
Jestro played with his hat a bit more as he struggled to answer the question.
"About that horrible place I was dragged into." He clarified what he was talking about.
Clay exhales a quiet sigh as he took Jestros' hand and held it gently.
"It's okay, Jestro. Monstrox is not coming back. I'm sure of it this time." The blue knight reassured. "After what you did to him, I bet he would not dare go near you if he came back."
Jestro always found reassurance in Clays' words. But sometimes, it took a lot to being his confidence back up. Jestro let out a quiet sigh before replying.
"I know the chances of him coming back are second to none. But I'm afraid that I won't be strong enough to defend myself if he does." He admitted to his new fear.
Clay shook his head slightly before taking Jestro by surprise and giving him a kiss on the cheek; making the jester turn pink with wide eyes.
"I beg to differ." The knight spoke with a warm smile.
Jestro covered the goofy smile he felt coming on with his hand as he held back a laugh. Lance came back over as Izzy went back into her change room.
"Izzy's going to change back into her clothes and we're gonna go pay for the stuff we bought." Lance explained as he picked up his swimwear.
"I'll just go change back then." Jestro replied before going back to his change room.
"Yes dad, I promise I'll use sunblock." Macy spoke into her phone; her father calling her for the twelfth time.
The Knights, Jestro, Izzy, Hamletta, Robin and Ava sat around and waited in the Fortrex as Merlok piloted it; heading straight towards the beach they were planning to camp out at for a couple of days. Everyone heard Macy as she talked to her parents on her phone.
"Okay, I'll have a good time; I promise. I love you and mom too. Bye." Macy smiled warmly as she said goodbye and hung up.
"Your dad worrying about you going on this trip?" Aaron asked in interest.
"He asked me if I had everything I needed at least three times this morning. I love him, but he needs to relax." Macy spoke as she took a seat.
"He's just looking out for you, Macy." Merlok replied from his platform on the table as he piloted the Fortrex.
"Did you tell him about what happened two weeks ago?" Jestro asked in concern.
"Well, I told him that a bandit tried to rob and kill him and we fought him off." Macy made something up.
"You didn't tell your parents the truth?" Robin asked.
"Robin, that's what happened."
Macy eyed Izzy in the corner with Lance. Robin realised what Macy meant.
"Oh yeah! That's what happened!" The boy tried to act natural.
Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.
"Well we can put that behind us." Axl smiled as he went through a bag of all the food he brought with him. "After we swim and play volleyball at the beach all day, we can cook some stuff on the BBQ and camp fire when the sun goes down! Like sausages, roasted marshmallows, s'mores, BBQ chicken-"
"There better not be any pork in there!" Lance called out as he held Hamletta protectively; making Izzy giggle a bit.
"No, they're beef sausages." Axl spoke in his defence.
Everyone felt the Fortrex come to a gentle stop before Merlok smiled under his digital beard.
"I think we're here!" He announced before opening the door of the Fortrex.
Everyone quickly ran to the doors to get a look at their location; creating mixed reactions of gasping and smiling when they all saw it.
In front of them was a beautiful sunny beach with yellow-white sand, crystal clear water with waves crashing against the sand and palm trees lined up near the other rim of where the beach began.
"This is Beautiful!" Izzy spoke as she jumped up and down happily.
"I'm gonna get changed and go swimming!" Aaron announced before running off to get changed.
"I'll go and find a spot for the BBQ!" Axl said as he ran out the Fortrex with a portable BBQ.
Everyone either went outside or in different rooms of the Fortrex to get ready. But Clay just stayed in the main room with Merlok. The digital wizard blinked in confusion upon the blue knight standing there and not getting ready for a swim.
"Something wrong, Clay? Everyone is getting dressed for beach." Merlok asked in concern.
"I'll wait until everyone else is done then I'll get changed." Clay answered back before talking a bit more. "I was just thinking about everything that happened a while back."
"How so, Clay?" Merlok asked in interest.
Clay rubbed the back of his neck as he sat down at the main table.
"I'm just grateful that we stopped Monstrox before he could take over Jestro. But we were way too close to losing him and that doctor got hurt because of it."
"Dr Hewitts said that Dr Meaner made a full recovery, Clay." Merlok reassured the knight. "Though I think he might need some therapy after what happened."
Clay looked up at Merlok as he thought about that night in Monstroxs' nightmare realm; paranoid about the necromancer finding a way to get to them again; in that horrible goop monster form no less.
"Merlok, I'm scared Monstrox might come back again. What if he comes back as that giant mass monster?"
Merlok thought about it for a moment. But he gave Clay his two cents on the thought.
"From the look of that form he took when he was chasing after you and Jestro, it's possible that he may have used up a large chunk of his dream demon powers. Even if he could, he would have a difficult time trying to come back. He may have even destroyed himself when he took that unstable form." Merlok tried to reassure the knight.
Clay looked down as he sighed softly; thinking he was overreacting upon the idea.
"Well, I told Jestro that Monstrox wouldn't come back. I guess I needed some reassurance." He said as he stood up. "Thank you Merlok."
Merlok nodded as Clay was about to walk away towards a room to get changed. But the knight stopped and turned around to face the holographic wizard again.
"May I ask one more thing, Merlok?" He asked politely.
"Yes, of course." Merlok replied kindly.
Clay hesitated a little as he thought about his question. But he worked up the courage to ask.
"Is there anyone in your life that you would go to the ends of the earth for? That you would risk your own life no matter what?" He asked quietly, but loud enough for Merlok to hear.
Merlok blinked before looking down in thought. There were many people he would take risk for. There was the king, the queen, Princess Macy... the Knights...
...
Wanda...
...
"Merlok?"
Merlok quickly snapped out of his daze as Clay brought him back down to earth; with an answer to his question. Merlok fidgeted with his staff as he thought of an answer.
"Well, Clay... I would risk everything for all the people I've come to know as my friends; including you and the Knights, the royal family, Robin and Ava, Jestro." The holographic wizard answered with a list. "Even the entire kingdom."
Clay nodded as a slight smile came on as he looked up at Merlok.
"Thank you, Merlok."
Clay turned around and headed towards his room to get changed. Merlok sighed in mild exhaustion. But he had a smile under his beard.
"You would be so proud of him, Wanda." He whispered under his breath in reminisce. "You would be so proud of him."
Clay walked out of his room in a black and blue swim shirt and blue board shorts; wondering if everyone was done getting dressed and outside. The blue knight made his way outside the Fortrex to see his friends setting up outside; already in their beach clothing in their colours. Macy and Aaron were setting up a volleyball court, Axl was getting the BBQ ready for later tonight, Lance was making sure Izzy was getting enough sunblock, Robin and Ava were getting sticks and leaves for the campfire and Jestro was putting on a rather exaggerated amount of sunblock.
"Shouldn't you have washed your makeup off before putting sunscreen on, Jestro?" Lance asked; noticing how pale he looked without his regular outfit.
"I'm not wearing any makeup, Lance." Jestro replied back in a confused tone; making Lance raise a brow at him.
Jestro turned around to put the sunblock back in his bag; noticing Clay in his swimwear. He smiled a bit as Clay smiled back at him.
"You look really nice, Clay." Jestro complimented as his cheeks went pink.
"So do you, Jestro." Clay replied back.
Jestro was about to say something else when he heard a splash. The pair turned to see Aaron jumping around in the water with joyous laughter.
"Guys! The water's great! Come on!" He shouted out for everyone to hear.
Upon hearing that, everyone but Clay ran towards the water. Merlok appeared on the screen outside and looked down at Clay and gave him a look of encouragement.
"Go on, Clay. Go and have fun." The holographic wizard spoke down to the knight.
Clay smiled a little at Merlok before he ran towards the beach; joining the others for a swim in the water.
Axl blow the fire off his burning marshmallow before sandwiching it between two gram crackers and a small chocolate bar. While everyone else was doing the same as Axl around the warm fire, Jestro and Clay were looking up at the night sky above them. Clay held Jestro close as they both stared up at the sparkling lights of the sky. Aaron looked up too as he ate his freshly prepared s'more.
"You ever think there might be life on other planets?" He asked with his mouth full.
"If there is, maybe they're asking the same question." Ava replied back.
Lance licked the crumbs of s'more off his lips before looking at Clay and Jestro; noticing that they were getting a bit cosy on the log they were sitting on. The white knight smiled as he grabbed another marshmallow and began roasting it. Izzy and Hamletta quickly noticed the pair.
"Are you two dating?" She asked curiously.
Jestro quickly jumped in his spot on the sand and looked at the girl with worried eyes as he tried to answer. Clay quickly calmed him down and answered Izzys question.
"We're taking it bit by bit." He answered with a kind smile.
Izzy just shrugged before replying.
"Okay. I just think you guys look cute together."
Jestro covered his face as he felt it turning red with embarrassment; accompanied with a quiet 'oh jeez.' as Hamletta oinked at him. Everyone smiled a little at the blushing jester.
"Never really thought that you two would be a thing." Macy commented honestly.
"Least it wasn't a few months ago, then it would've been a little awkward." Aaron added with honesty.
Jestro nodded a bit with a shrug; agreeing with Macy and Aaron. He looked up at the sky again as he sat closer to Clay.
"Least it's a nice night." He commented.
"Yeah." Lance agreed. "But I'm not sleeping out here with the bugs."
"Ya know, guys. We should do stuff like this every year. Like we should make it an annual thing." Axl suggested.
"Maybe we can go somewhere where it's snowing next time." Robin added to the suggestion.
"Not snottingham. That place is too cold and germ infested." Ava warned.
Everyone chatted away ideas and thoughts as they enjoyed their time around the campfire. But Clay and Jestro watched the sky as they held hands together; both feeling grateful to have each other. To have people who cared about them. To be able to sit here together, free of bad dreams tonight.