Dulcinea's POV

I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I yelled from my desk, and I heard the door open and close.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness," I heard Michael say, and I smiled before I could stop myself. 

"Good afternoon, Michael. How can I be of service to you?" I asked sweetly, turning around to face him.

"Our fathers wish to see us," he said, taking my hand and helping me rise to my feet. 

I followed him out of my room and into the throne room, where they were both waiting. 

"You wished to see me?"

"Yes, we've received word of your death threats," my father said, sounding concerned.

"Honestly, they're nothing," I tried in vain to placate my father.

"They're not nothing. They obviously mean something if you've already gotten two this morning," Michael interjected. 

"Because your life is in danger, we're going to publicly declare that marriage is off, and Michael and his father are going to begin packing, as are you. They will be leaving tonight to go back to Lysander, and you will be joining them. There, you will get married when you wish, and everything will be fine," my father tried to calm my fears, but to no avail. 

"But, I don't want to go," I began to panic, and I could feel my breathing becoming more irregular.

"Allow me. I'll relay anything else to her," I heard Michael say before everything went black and I fell. Fortunately, it was into Michael's arms.

******

I woke on something soft, and I was surrounded by warmth: my bed.

"Where am I?" I muttered, more to myself, but I saw Michael was in my room. 

"You passed out after having a panic attack. Are you okay?" he asked, rising from my desk chair and sitting next to me on the bed.

"I'm fine," I answered shortly. I didn't want to leave Elonora and my family and especially Janelle. 

He looked in my eyes for a few minutes before speaking again.

"I beg to differ, but come, we must begin packing. As I'm already packed, I'll help you pack."

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Only about an hour, but I was already mostly packed. No worries," he answered.

Michael helped me pack, which mainly meant he pulled out my trunks and folded the dresses I threw at him. As I was in a panic, I tore my whole room apart while packing, and I set aside my outfit for the night while he folded everything neatly. 

"Are you ready?" he asked after a few hours of packing. Night had fallen, and we needed to leave quickly. 

"Yes, but no," I answered truthfully.

"How so?" he inquired. 

"Yes, in the sense that I'm packed, but no, in the sense that I don't want to leave my family and Janelle."

"But you don't want to risk your life, do you?" he asked compassionately.

As I thought about it, I realized he was right. 

We left the room, and I followed him down to where my father and the king of Lysander were waiting with the carriage. The king of Lysander would be driving it, and Michael and I would sit inside. Hopefully this would keep us safe from whoever wanted to kill me. 

I kissed my father goodbye, but not without a few tears rolling down my cheeks that Michael did not fail to notice. 

We climbed in the carriage, and I tearfully watched my father get smaller and smaller until we turned a corner and he was gone. Gone from my sight for possibly forever. 

"Are you okay?" Michael asked tenderly.

"I... I don't know," I haltered.

"Come here," he pulled me into his arms into a hug, "it's going to be okay, I promise."

The rest of the ride to Lysander was spent with me by his side, although at some point I fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, sunlight poured into the carriage and the birds were chirping happily.