A/N: Oh boy a new chapter how exciting.

For some reason I decided to add a handful of TD references in this chapter for no particular reason so yeah, that was fun. Try to find them if you want.

There's a potential trigger of very indirect suicidal thinking that's present for a couple sentences but it's there so...yeah, warning. Didn't plan for that til I wrote this chapter.

Thank you to Kitkatkatester for the review of the last chapter(that makes 90 reviews for this fic wow) :)

Other than that, enjoy!

Later that same day,

A fish-shaped plate flew across the living room and smashed into the wall, scattering into a million pieces on the floor.

"...that was the best butter dish we had," Zoey said with a sigh.

"Maybe we should've put it somewhere less accessible," Duncan figured.

"I...am going… to murder them," Mal said in an eerily calm but incredibly scary voice as he stared down at the plate he just broke.

"Well when ya think about it, they can't really prosecute you if you're dead-" Manitoba chimed in.

"Not helping, Mani," Zoey elbowed him.

"Ow! I was just tryna lighten the mood," Mani claimed as he rubbed his arm.

"Let's maybe save the murder for another time?" Duncan suggested.

Mal turned his head slowly and looked at him. Duncan could've sworn he saw red in that abbys of an eye. "The only reason I haven't shoved a knife down the throats of those bastards already is because you promised that you had a plan to get Mike away from them without it being necessary. Now you tell me that he believes me to be dead, and nothing else has changed about the situation," his voice shook with fury as he took several socked steps towards him. "I'm a patient man, Duncan, but you're on very thin ice."

Duncan had shrunk more the longer he'd been talking at him. "I-I know it looks bad, really, I didn't think they'd even let him in town when the sign was up! We were going to tell him about you ourselves but the opportunity never came-"

"You could've told him when he brought him here from the doctor," Zoey pointed out quietly.

Duncan gave her a look. "I was about to and then the damn royal brigade showed up at our door and whisked him away again." He looked at the ground and sighed. "Every time we try something it feels like it just makes things worse…" He put his head in his hands.

He then felt the couch cushion sink slightly next to him. "Look, I didn't escape confinement because I wanted to," Mal reminded him with a frown. "I did it because you convinced me it would be worth the possibility of being put back in and dying alone in a box without ever seeing my family again because you were desperate to help Mike and I'd be damned more than I already am if I didn't help him, Duncan." He leaned back into the couch.

"I forgot what it was like to care for a long time. I never imagined I'd live as long as I have after everything, let alone come back home again," he admitted as he lightly gestured to the covered side of his face with his still covered hands. "Seeing him after so many years, scarred and bruised, barely clinging to consciousness on that castle bench…" He took a deep breath.

"I'm not going to let you give up after everything. At this point we both owe it to him to keep trying…or there's no other reason for me to still be here." His words suddenly felt heavy.

Duncan looked up at him silently, appearing shocked at what his words implied.

"I'm willing to do whatever you need me to, mate…" Manitoba chimed in.

"We need to get him out of the house. He needs to see you alive. After that…I'm not sure," Duncan said slowly while still looking at Mal.

"It's a start, ain't it?" Mani figured.

"…yeah. A start."

Morning in the castle normally meant Jo at her desk trying to wrangle all her subordinates into their proper posts while occasionally fulfilling princess guard/confidant duty because she just wound up doing it sometimes. She was strictly Ella's guard for a good long time until shortly before the ball and the princess still liked her company for some reason.

Now she was in the stable preparing her horse alongside the few she'd picked to accompany her on the ride to retrieve Mike on the orders of the king.

"Meet me out front and we'll all go together," she told them as she guided her steed out of its stall.

The three of them nodded. This group included DJ, who knew the area they were traveling to well and had been a guard the longest besides Jo; Sanders, who had a free couple of days and was a diligent young guard based on what Jo had observed; and Devin, who was pretty new to this whole guarding thing but no one else was really available and it would be a good experience for him. They were only escorting one guy, anyway, right?

Right?

Jo brought her horse out to the front drive of the place and double checked all the buckles and sashes and whatnot. She heard some light and familiar footsteps approach her as she adjusted the saddle. She turned and bowed. "Princess," she greeted her formally because they were outside and it would be unprofessional not to.

"Good morning, Jo," Ella replied with a small smile. "It's a beautiful day for riding."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Jo agreed after standing up straight. "Got a good few hours' ride ahead of me. Lucky Shot'll get us there easy, though," she said as she patted her horse's side. "Big enough for your string bean of a suitor to ride behind me."

"Oh, I didn't know that was happening today! You're going to bring Michael here?" Ella was surprised she hadn't been told sooner.

"That's the plan. Your dad wanted me to make sure he got here in one piece," Jo explained. "He…should know we're coming." She hadn't had the chance to confirm with the messenger she'd sent that he'd delivered the letter as instructed. If he hadn't, well… that conversation would have to wait until she returned.

"I'm so glad you're going to be escorting him, then, Jo! I couldn't think of anyone better to keep him safe," Ella beamed. "Do you think you'll be returning tonight?"

"Hopefully…if those three would hurry it up already and get out here," Jo replied half jokingly.

"Well, I hope you have the safest of travels! I almost wish I could go with you so I could see him sooner," Ella admitted before immediately blushing.

Jo had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She'd heard more than enough of Ella's swooning over Mike the past year. "You'll just have to be a bit more patient, Your Highness." She certainly would have needed a higher number of guards if the princess was coming with them, and it was too late to call on any more.

"I suppose I can wait a little longer…I don't know if I'll be able to contain my excitement for very long though," Ella said with a smile.

"Apologies for making you wait, Captain," Sanders suddenly interrupted before noticing Ella and going red because oh god did she just interrupt one of the princesses-

"Try to be a bit quicker next time," Jo suggested as she mounted Lucky Shot. "That goes for you two as well," she added, looking at the male guards who'd flanked behind Sanders.

"It won't happen again," DJ assured her as he got on his own horse.

"Yeah, I'll do better in the future!" Devin promised enthusiastically. "My focus is one hundred percent on the task at hand. Nothing could possibly distract me!" He grinned.

"Uh huh," Jo replied with a tired nod. She looked down at Ella. "You might want to get out of the way, Princess," she advised as her horse neighed.

"Oh of course, I wouldn't want to get in the way!" Ella apologized as she backed away to the bottom of the steps. "Have a good trip, all of you!" she said with a wave.

Jo nodded in her direction and glanced back at her party. "Let's go," she said with a crack of her reins.

The sound of hooves on the stony ground eventually left Ella's ears as she watched the four disappear into town and beyond where she could see. She sighed to herself.

I do truly hope there isn't any trouble on their journey.

There are nine characters in this chapter. That feels like a lot.

Please review with any thoughts. I've never written Devin before so lemme know how he is.

I'm done with school but that doesn't equal motivation. Keep an eye out, though.

Stay safe out there y'all, and I'll see ya next time. :)