Damien headed into the study as the guard assented, listening to what Xavier had to say. He found it a bit suspicious that the Ylissean royal immediately knew who the two of them were, but after a moment's thought, he supposed it wasn't to surprising that his reputation had preceded him. As for the other man, the two seemed to be on familiar terms. Apparently they were drinking buddies. Hearing the name Stahl, however, changed Damien's tune a bit. After Xavier and Adalbert made their exchange, Damien made his own reply. "Well, I'll admit that I'm far from a master when it comes to bladework, but I'm a far step off from being a novice, as well. However, I didn't come here to talk big, milord. As you were able to deduce, I'm here to pledge myself to you and your sister's cause. Valm is in a bind, just as Ylisse and Regna Ferox are. I could hardly sit back while my father sheltered me from the truth, could I?" 

Letting out a brief sigh, he continued. "Ah, that's of no matter, really. I came for more than that reason, though, as the knight has deduced. Your speech was excellent, milord, and I mean that as no idle flattery. You spoke the truth, and you did so from your heart. What you and your sister have is more than simply Divine blood. It is for that reason that I wish...I wish to make a proposition to you. A long-term goal to give us just a little more reason to fight for our world. Should this war end in our favor, I would like very much that you put in a good word to your sister. Having her as an ally would surely help me regain the honor I left behind in Valm upon my return there. The people around me saw me as little more than a bastard, and the average folk still treated me as a lord. In short, I was alone from the very start, and running off to Ylisse has certainly earned my father and I no love. It might be presumptuous of me to request such from the royal line of Ylisse, but I can only hope that the two of you would find it in your hearts to help me, should this war not leave us all risen, that is..." As a grim smile crossed his face, Damien continued to look Xavier in the eye. It was a bit much to ask, but Damien's only hope of truly becoming a lord after the world was free was to have help. His birth was now the least of his worries on that front.