Jerry "Don't interrupt the king"

Ezekiel "we brought you into our confidence. Why did you break it?"

Jeses "Because i want you to hear Rick'splans"

Ezekiel looked at Dad "And what plans have you,Rick Grmies of Alexandria?"

Dad "We came to ask the kingdom, to ask you, to join us in fighting the saviors, fighting for freedom for all of us"

Ezekiel "What you are asking is very serious"

I took a deep breath "a lot of our people, good people, were killed by saviors. brutally"

Morgan "Who?"

I looked down. 

Rosita crossed her arms over her chest "Abraham. Glenn, Spencer, Olivia. Eugene was taken. They took Daryl, and Carl and Kendall got caught trying to safe me. He made Kendall his wife. Daryl and Kendall escaped. Every second they're out here, they are a target. You gonna say you were right?"

Morgan shook his head "No. I'm..I'm just real sorry they're gone. "

Me "Negan murdered Glenn and Abraham, beat them to death in front of our eyes"

I felt a hand on my lower back and a chest pressed against my back. 

Sasha "Terrorized the Hilltop ,sent loose walkers just to make a point"

Jesus "i used to think the deal was somthing e could live with. A lot of us did. But that's changing. so let's change the world, your majesty. "

Dad "i want to be honest about what we're asking. My peole are string, but there's not enough of us. We don't have guns, not enough, at least. Not a lot of weapons, period. "

Richard to Ezekiel "we have people. and weapons. If we strike first, together, we can beat them. Your majesty, no more wating for things to get worse beyond what we can handle. we set things right. the time is now"

Ezekiel "Morgan, what say you?"

Morgen asked suprised "Me?"

Ezekiel "speak"

Morgan "people will die. a lot of people, and not just the saviors. If we can find another way, we have to. MAybe it's just about Negan just capturing im, holding him. Maybe..i-"

Ezekiel stood up and so did the tiger "the hour grows late. Rick Grimes of Alaexandria..you have given the king much to ponder. "

Dad "Well, when i was a kid, my mother told me a story. There was a road o a kingdom, and there was a rock in the road. And people would jst avoid it, but horses would break their legs on it and die, wagon wheel s would come off. People would lose the goods they'd be coming to sell. Tha's what happened to a little girl. The cask oof beer her family brewed fell right off. It broke. Dirt soaked it all up, and it was gone. That was her family's last chance. They were hungry. They didn't have any money. She just...sat there and cried, but..she wondered why it was still there..fot it to hurt someone else. So she dug at that rock in the road with her hands till they bled, used everything she had to pull it out. It took hours. And then.. when she wass fill it up she saw something in it. It was a bagof gold"

Jerry chuckled "all right. "

Dad "the king had put tht rock in the road because he knew the person who dug it out, who did something, they deserved a reward. They deserved to have their life changed for the good..Forever. "

Ezekiel "i invite you all to sup with us and stay till the morrow. "

Dad shook his head "yeah, we need to get back home"

Ezekiel "i shall deliever my decree in the morn."

. 

Ezekiel let us all sleep in one of the empty houses. I was sitting on the porch looking into the dark. No one was outside. 

I heard the front door open and shut. 

Someone sat down next to me. 

Me "I'm sorry"

I looked at Daryl. 

Daryl "for what?"

Me "I know you love me, Daryl. And i love you, so much. Maybe that's why i don't want to hear that you would die for me. Because i can't imagine my life without you. I don't want that"

Daryl put an arm around my shoulders and kissed my hair "I don't want that either, princess"

We were all walking around. people were training. 

Kids were practicins archery. 

We saw Ezekiel.

Ezekiel "this is life here. Every day. But it came at a cost. And i wanted more of this. I wanted to expaned. To create more places like this. Men and women lost their limbs. Children lost their parents. Because i sent them into battle against the wasted when i did not mean to "

Dad "this is different. "

Ezekiel shook his head"it isn't"

Dad nodded "it is. The dead don't rule us. the world doesn't look ike this outside your walls. People don't have it as good. Some pople don't have it goot at all. "

Ezekiel "I have to worry about my people"

Daryl's grib on my waist tightend "you call yourself a damn king. You sure as hell don't act like one. "

Ezekiel walked in front of us "all of this..Came at a cost. It was lives, arms, legs. "

He turned to dad "the peace we have ith the saviors is uneasy. but it is peace. I have to hold on to it. I have to try. Although the kingdom cannot grant you the aid you desire, the king is sympathetic to your plight. I offer our friends Daryl and Kendall asylum for as long as that requier it. They will be safe here. The saviors do not set foot inside our walls. "

Daryl "how long do you think that's gonna last?"

He walked off. The rest of our group folloed him. 

Carl "Ken?"

I looked at him "fighter?"

Carl "are you okay?"

I nodded and put my arm around his shoulder. 

We all stopped in front of the gate. 

Daryl called out "all right, open it up. We're gone. "

They opened it. 

The others walked out but dad held Daryl and me back. 

Dad "you're not"

Daryl shook his head "I'm not staying here"

I nodded "Agreed"

Dad sighed "you have to. it's the smartest play. You both know it is"

I scoffed. 

Dad put a hand on my upper arm "try to talk to Ezekiel. "

He looked at Daryl "or stare him into submission..whatever it takes"

Then he put a hand on Daryl's shoulder "we'll be back soon"

Dad hugged me and then looked at Daryl "Keep an eye on her"

Daryl nodded.

Dad walked out and the gate closed. 

I looked at Daryl "i don't wanna stay here"

Daryl nodded "Me neither"

I breathed out and looked around. 

Daryl "you think you can change the King's mind?"

I looked at him and shrugged "I don't know. But i was able to change Gregory's mind"

Daryl growled "yeah but only because that son of a bitch wanted to get into your pants"

I raised an eyebrow at him amused "jealous?"

He rolled his eyes, annoyed.