For those of you who don't know, Merle is Daryl's brother, but Rebel doesn't know that.

Warning....I'm gonna skip around season three of TWD just a bit so it will fit my storyline.

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~Rebel's POV~

That morning I had woken up feeling rejuvenated. It had been months since I had slept in a proper bed and just the thought of it made me want to crawl into and never come back. All good things come to an end and I was currently standing in front of the Governor's door.

I wanted to leave and he said he wouldn't stop me, I just needed my weapons back. I knew he knew where they were and as soon as they were in my possession, I was gone.

I knocked on the door, waiting for it to open, but no one came. I knocked again and this time the door creaked open.

It had been open the whole time, but I didn't feel the need to intrude, but now that the door was open, I felt the need to at least have a look.

I stepped through the door, the odor of dead bodies hitting me. I closed the door behind me quietly and covered my nose with the sleeve of the new shirt I had been given.

"Hello?" I called out, hoping someone would be here to explain the smell.

I looked around the main room, not finding anything that could possibly explain the smell. I wandered over to a wooden door, trying to open it.

I would have gone further had it not been locked, but I could tell the smell was coming from behind the door and I knew that the Governor was hiding something.

I ignored the smell and turned to search for my weapons. I looked through drawers, under the bed, in the en suite bathroom, in the file cabinet and everywhere else big enough to hide a bow and sheath of arrows.

I gave up and decided to take the offer of a hot breakfast down in the place I had first arrived in. I erased the traces of my visit and left the door as I had found it.

Walking through the streets, you never would've guessed that the outbreak had hit. People didn't seemed worried about life outside of the fences and everything was normal.

It disgusted me.

Soon enough, this town would fall. It happened every time someone established something like this. It may last for a few days, it may last for a few years, but eventually you have to face the outside world.

People passed by me, giving me friendly smiles and saying greetings. I always tried to return the favor, but something about it sickened me. I looked at the people and I wondered how they would handle a walker.

Of course here, they called them biters. It was understandable why they did this, they haven't seen how they tear people apart or how they rip them limb by limb, refusing to share with their peers.

They didn't just bite you.

It was like they wanted you to suffer. They wanted you to feel the pain of dying. It wasn't a gift surviving at all, because if you survived long enough, dying was even more bitter than it had to be.

These thoughts ran through my mind as I entered the door that lead to the place where I would eat the offered breakfast. Cinnamon and strawberries mingled in the air and I wondered how they kept all the fruit fresh enough to eat.

"Good morning, Rebel. How did you sleep?" The Governor asked.

"Fine." I muttered, taking a seat and cutting the crêpe that lay flat on the porcelain plate.

"That's good. Have you made a decision about Woodbury?"

I swallowed the food, my throat burning at the hotness of it. I nodded my head and the Governor looked at me expectantly.

"I'm leaving. I want my weapons." I told him, leaving no room for discussion.

The Governor looked disappointed with my answer, but didn't say otherwise. He continued to eat the large stack of crêpes that was in front of him.

"As you wish." he said.

"Merle!" he called.

The man came barreling in the door like a dog would his master. He brushed off his vest, stood up straight and gave the man a haughty smile.

"Yes, Governor?" he asked sweetly, fake innocence coating his voice.

"Fetch her weapons and escort her outside the fence, no further." The Governor instructed.

Merle gave him a mock salute and I followed him out the door. His metal arm was swinging in time with his opposite leg.

He led me into a separate room with glass cases full of polished china and wooden bookshelves stuffed to the brim with books.

Merle slid one of the glass cases open and retrieved my bow and arrows. He held them out to me with a sugar sweet smile and I snatched them from his grimy hands.

I slung the sheath around my back and adjusted the bow string, angry that it had come even the slightest bit loose in captivity.

"Let's go." I grunted, ready to get out of the fences.

Merle chuckled and lead me out on the street. The once friendly, smiling people were now looking at me in fear.

They were going out of their way to avoid me and I thought about how ironic it was. They thought I was the out-of-place one, but in the new world, it was them.

New surprises hit me when I saw six guys walking down the street. The guys didn't surprise me, what they were holding did.

In the restraining leashes they held were walkers. The most shocking thing was how natural the people reacted to them.

They smiled at the restrainers and smirked at the things being restrained. I stopped following Merle and watched as the people walked up the street cheering the men with the walkers on.

"What are they doing?" I asked Merle, not really expecting him to answer me.

"Biter fights." he muttered, grabbing my wrist and dragging me back down towards the gate.

I snatched my hand back and glared at his back, knowing he did it on purpose. I knew he wouldn't hesitate to hit me and I didn't want to push my luck.

"Here ya' go, pretty bird." he said, pushing the wooden gates open.

I scowled at him and walked out of the gates, hearing the loud slam as soon as I stepped through. Several rouge walkers wandered around, noticing my presence as soon as the gates were closed.

I shot them down quickly, taking my arrows back as soon as the dull light in their eyes was gone. I cleaned off the tips on the fresh pair of jeans I had received and I took to the trees.

Shouting and cheers rose from behind the fence and I turned around, waiting for chaos to break out. I scaled a tree nearest to the fence and peered over the wooden palisades.

"Get 'em! Bring 'em down!" a male voice yelled, bringing confused thoughts to the forefront.

My visions expanded over the stretch of an arena that had been lit up with large, stadium lights.

In the middle there was two men and six of the walkers I had seen earlier surrounded them. One of the men was missing an arm and I identified him as Merle.

The other man wasn't facing me, but he looked strangely familiar. He had dark hair, a lanky build and two layers of vests covering his back and chest.

"A fight!" The Governor yelled, "To the death!"

The crowd roared in appreciation and chaos struck. Merle stepped up and started to rile up the crowd.

"You know me! And you know my loyalty lies with you!" Merle shouted.

The crowd cheered as Merle left-hooked the other man in the stomach, making him fall to the ground and his head roll back into my vision.

I nearly fell out of the tree as I recognized the man that was clearly getting the shit beat out of him.

Daryl.

I scooted across the limb and boosted myself over the fence, just missing the wooden palisades. I hit the ground, a sharp pain stabbing through my ankle as I hit the ground.

I cried out, but got to my feet anyway. I ran through the streets, the pain of my ankle setting in. At the least it was sprained, the worst it was broken.

I rounded a dumpster and a hand jerked around my waist, wrenching me back behind the dumpster. A hand covered my mouth and I struggled to get out of the grip.

"Rebel, calm down." Rick's voice said.

What was he doing here? Saving Daryl's ass, duh.

I stopped struggling and relaxed back into him, letting him take his hand away and releasing the arm around my stomach.

"How'd you get out?" he asked me.

"I was never a prisoner here. They told me I was a guest. I left today, but then I saw Daryl and I came back to get him." I explained quickly, my eyes never leaving the fight between Daryl and Merle.

Rick smiled at me genuinely and placed a hand on my shoulder, "You really care about him."

It was more of a statement than a question, but I nodded all the same.

"Here." Rick said handing me what looked like a smoke grenade.

"Throw it and we'll get Daryl." Rick explained, pointing at the arena.

I flipped the trigger and launched it into the arena, catching Daryl and Merle's attention. They flipped back-to-back and ready to fight anything that came on to them.

Shots were heard and smoke obscured my vision of the arena. Worry set in when I realized I couldn't see Daryl anymore.

Merle ran towards us, he skidded to a halt, looking at us like we were all ghosts.

"Nice to see y'all 'gain." he said sarcastically

Someone came up behind me and I flipped around, aiming my loaded bow at my attacker. I was meat head-on with the Governor's pistol. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into the smoke, covering my mouth so I couldn't scream.

"Let 'er go!" I heard Daryl shout.

Immediately, the Governor released his hold on me, sending me sprawling to the ground. I felt a warm hand grip my arm and pull me up softly.

"He 'aint gon' hurt ye'." Daryl assured me, nudging me behind him and moving towards the Governor.

He pulled out his dagger and swiftly moved behind the Governor, stabbing his eye shallowly. The Governor let out a painful scream, clawing at his bleeding eye.

Daryl let him fall to the dusty ground and he started to run back to the ground, telling me I should follow after him.

I loaded an arrow into my bow as I ran back towards the fence, my ankle screaming in pain. I made it back to the gate, leaving the rusted metal wide open for anyone to exit or enter.

I ran back after the group and watched amusingly as Merle started stomping and pounding on a walker's head with his metal stump.

"We 'aint got time for this!" he shouted at us, taking to the trees.

"Rebel can hardly walk!" Daryl shouted back at him.

"Then carry her!" Merle argued.

Daryl huffed at the thought, probably wondering why this hadn't occurred to him earlier. He lifted his arms under my legs and around my arms, tucking my head into his shoulder, we started to move.

~

It took awhile, but we finally made it back to the car. Rick shouted at Glenn and you could see the sea foam green paint peeking out through the forest of trees.

Merle still hadn't parted from us and I wondered why he was still here. As far as I knew, nothing held him here.

I had fallen asleep somewhere along the journey and I was just barely awake as a small fight broke out. Daryl had set me down in the car and the door was closed, but the window was cracked so I could have fresh air.

"If he's gone, so am I!" I heard Daryl shout.

At that point, I knew I had to interfere before someone got hurt.

"Get tha' thing outta my face!" Daryl yelled, shoving Glenn's gun that had been pointing at him.

"What's going on?" I asked Rick.

"Right." Rick ran a hand over his face, "You don't know about this."

Rick sighed, "Merle is Daryl's brother and the group has a rough past with Merle. We don't want Merle here but Daryl does. If Merle leaves, Daryl goes with him."

My eyes widened. Daryl was just going to up and leave the group? I looked over at Daryl who was trying to avoid looking at me by picking at his non-existent nails with his dagger.

"Aw," Merle cooed, "Little brudder's got himself a girl."

I scoweled at the ground and limped back to the car, not really interested in the conversation.

If Daryl wanted to leave, I wasn't stopping him.

He had made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with me after Saxon had came back, and in all honestly, I didn't need him.

I wasn't one of those girls who always depended on the guy, I was independent and I didn't need someone to hold me back all the time.

Rick, Glenn, Maggie and Micchone boarded the Lexus and Rick didn't waste time as he started the car and pulled off the shoulder of the road.

In the forest, you could see the two brothers walking in the opposite direction.

One was tall and a bit thicker, but he had a stump for an arm, making him look rugged and the slightest bit vulnerable.

The other was shorter and lankier and wielded a black, metal crossbow and a small holder for his arrows that had colorful tips. He had a nice amount of muscle, giving off the sense of a hard life and a rough past.

They walked in the other direction, making me certain that they didn't intend on coming back.

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