Always running behind! Here's my submission for Royalty week for Summer of Bethyl. Hope y'all like it!
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, a light breeze ruffled the vibrant green leaves in the trees, and the dead were still roaming outside the walls of the Alexandria Safe Zone. It was just after lunch time, and the Safe Zone dwellers made their way back to their respective jobs. Some were just being relieved from guard duty. Someone like Daryl Dixon. That's what Beth Greene hoped anyway.
Her eyes scanned platforms where men and women were stationed on guard at the wall until she spotted a familiar leather vest, bare arms tan and flexed from holding up his heavy bow. Beth descended the front steps of Maggie and Glenn's house and made her way over to the hunter. If he'd seen her coming, he would've known she was up to something just by looking at her face. When he turned around, she shaded her eyes, squinting up at him from the bottom of the ladder.
"Hey there," Beth called up.
Daryl turned at the sing-song greeting, looked down at the petite blonde, and swung his bow over his shoulder, "Hey."
"Ya wanna come eat lunch with me?" Beth asked.
"Hmm," Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, "Don'tcha eat lunch with Maggie?"
"Not today. Was busy, figured I'd wait to eat with you instead," Beth bit her lip and blinked up at him beneath heavy lashes.
"Mm," was Daryl's only response. Beth didn't even know she was doing what she was doing, but he heard it in her voice. He looked at her face and just knew. She was too forthcoming to be calculating. Oh, she used certain measures to help her be persuasive—the batting her eyelashes, all doe-eyed for example—but she was never deceitful. She was up to something. He knew when Beth Greene had a mission, And her missions almost always involved him.
Seeing Abe come down the street to relieve him from guard duty, he took one last glance over the wall before climbing down from his perch. He started off in the direction of the little house he and Beth shared. The palm of his hand splayed across the small of her back felt big and warm through the thin material of her blouse as he guided her alongside him. Beth waved at a couple with a small son who Daryl had never seen her speak to before.
"So what kept ya so busy this morning ya had no time for lunch?" Daryl asked.
"Checked out the schoolhouse t'day, thought I might see if they needed any help. Got to do story time with the little ones," Beth smiled brightly, "Then I went to go talk to Rick and some of the parents."
"Oh yeah? Ya decided to work with the kids then?" Daryl asked.
"Naw. Well, sorta," Beth stopped beneath the shade of a tree, pulling Daryl out of the street, "The two women who run the schoolhouse do a great job, they don't need my help with that. But they've been safe behind these walls since practically the beginning. None of the kids 'sides Carl have any experience survivin' out there."
Daryl crossed his arms over his chest, eyes already narrowing, "'Kay?"
"I know what it's like to exist in this world and be sheltered from its dangers. It's foolish, no matter how good Daddy and Maggie's intentions were. I was foolish for letting it go on for so long. I don't want any of these kids to end up on the other side of that wall and be completely unprepared—which they will be if anything happens to this place," color flushed Beth's cheeks as her voice rose.
If anything happened to this place? When, Daryl replaced the word in Beth's sentence. The soft breeze blew errant strands of gold across Beth's rosy cheek, and his eyes dropped to the only slightly fainter scars that marred her skin. The round scar on her forehead stood out most prominently, and Daryl willed himself not to shudder at the memory.
"Not everyone will be as lucky as me," Beth broke through Daryl's venture into the darkness, reliving the near-tragedy that almost separated them forever.
"Lucky?" Daryl asked, his voice lower and raspier than he intended. His fingers itched to reach out and skim along the smooth expanse of creamy skin exposed along her collarbone.
"Ya taught me how to survive," Beth said.
At this Daryl snorted. He couldn't recall getting shot in the head a part of the lesson plan.
"Ya did," Beth insisted, threading her fingers through his and squeezing his hand tight.
She waited until he locked his stormy blue eyes on hers. Daryl's eyes were still narrowed, but they softened slightly for her. Only for her. A fog seemed to lift then. He remembered her train of thought was probably leading somewhere.
"So whatdya want from me Greene?" Daryl asked gruffly.
Beth should've known he'd catch on to her. He was a hunter, his intuition and heightened senses might have locked his sights on her as soon as she showed up at his perch.
"I need ya to help us teach 'em," Beth quickly added, "Michonne, Sasha, Rick, and Abe already said yes."
If Michonne, Sasha, Rick, and Abe were already helping out, why did he have to? Daryl waited patiently for Beth to reveal the part of her scheme he undoubtedly would find objectionable. Like boozin' it up at a golf course or stabbing a skittish cop with a pair of medical scissors.
Taking his silence as an encouraging sign, Beth continued, "Abe and Sasha are gonna work with the kids Carl's age and up. I figured they'd be able to handle more advanced weapons training and Abe's 'colorful' language. Rick and Michonne will help the biggest group, there are about nine kids between the ages of eight and twelve. And you and I would be training four kids ages five to seven."
Daryl scrubbed a hand over his face. What the hell were they supposed to teach a bunch of five year olds?
She could read him just as well if not better. Figured. "I know you're thinkin' there isn't much a five year old could do on his own, but all I can think 'bout is Luke's tiny shoe we found outside the school bus. If we'd been better prepared; If we'd taught 'em more; If I'd known more, maybe those kids wouldn't have ended up alone, facing the world outside the prison fences."
Shit. Sometimes Daryl forgot he wasn't the only one who carried guilt about the past. Beth always told him he was too hard on himself, especially when it came to events in the past he couldn't control. That was what she always said to him whenever the memories haunted him. Beth didn't dwell, but she did adapt. She wasn't going to let another group of kids go by without them knowing how to survive in this world.
"C'mon, let's go eat," Daryl tugged on Beth's hand.
They both remained silent as they put together a simple lunch and sat down to eat at the kitchen table for two. The wheels in Daryl's mind were already turning, trying to decide what would be most important for a five or six year old to learn if he ever got separated from an adult. He hadn't actually agreed to help Beth, but they both knew it was just a matter of time before he relented. Even if it wasn't just for Beth, he imagined Lil' Asskicker in a couple years. What would he or Rick want her to know if they were separated again?
Beth picked at her food, trying not to outright stare at Daryl. He would help her, that much she knew. What she didn't know was how to convince him to cooperate with the rest of her plan.
Fuck Beth Greene. Well, he did do that literally in the privacy of their own home, but there, that morning, fuck her. Fuck her and her ponytail swishing behind her as she approached a scraggly group of five, six, and seven year olds.
That morning he'd woken up, and she was already out of bed. The only thing that kept panic from shooting through him was the sight of her pajamas in a heap at the foot of the bed. When he emerged from the bedroom, he discovered Beth pouring them each a cup of coffee and setting breakfast on the table. She smiled brightly at him, motioning for him to come eat, but he knew Beth Greene remember?
Arms crossed over his chest again, he cast a wary glance at toast, some jelly, and some fruit cut up on each of their plates. Beth was already dressed in a pair of tight jeans, her knife and a gun holstered at her waist.
"Why're ya up so early?" Daryl asked.
"Got a lot t'do today," Beth said, "Maggie and Glenn helped me clear a few walkers outside the walls for our lesson today."
"What?"
"Y'know, our lesson with the kids today."
"What's that gotta do with clearin' walkers outside the wall?" Daryl clarified, voice already dropping to a near growl.
Beth could sense the outburst building in Daryl's chest, so she decided to go the approach of ripping off the band-aid in one quick painful motion, "We're takin' the kids outside the walls, cuz it's part of the story we're using to help them learn how to survive. You're the king, and the kids will be your fearless knights following you into battle."
"King what?" Daryl inclined his ear towards the petite blonde, thinking he must've heard her wrong. That, or her antics had finally given him an aneurysm.
"King Daryl," Beth enunciated, "I told ya yesterday I got to do story time with the kids yesterday. We're gonna take the kids outside the walls so they can learn how to face their fear—"
"By gettin' 'em eaten?" Daryl asked.
"No one's gettin' eaten. Maggie, Glenn, an' Aaron will be out there keepin' guard," Beth explained.
"Well then why ain't one of 'em playin' dolls instead a' me?!" Daryl barked.
Once upon a time, him yelling might've made Beth jump, but her face remained completely serene, maybe even slightly amused. Daryl could just imagine the look on Glenn's face hearing about King Daryl and his noble ankle-biter knights.
"Sorry, they weren't part of the story I told the kids. Plus, they ain't scared of Maggie, Glenn, and Aaron," Beth had the sense to at least look sheepish then.
Well that part made sense at least. Daryl did his best to stay away from the children in the Safe Zone. They kinda creeped him out, acting like the world hadn't ended. It was hard to remember how to act around kids who hadn't seen shit like Carl had.
"Shit, I ain't never bothered any a' them kids 'fore," Daryl dropped heavily into one of the kitchen chairs. If they had any, he'd have needed some booze by this point. A swig of hot coffee would have to do. Beth Greene was literally trying to drive him into an early grave. He rubbed his scalded tongue against the inside of his cheek as the boiling hot liquid flooded into his mouth too quickly.
"Well they have seen ya come back, covered in blood or carryin' a dead animal over your shoulders a time or two. The fearsome King Daryl just fit into the story. And ya really do know the most about survival," Beth pointed out.
She stared down at him like everything made perfect sense, but he wasn't ready to just drop the argument.
"An' ya think these kids' parents'll just let you tote their precious babies outside the wall?" Daryl challenged.
"I ain't doin' this like Carol did," Beth said, "Carl told me the kids at the prison were bein' trained secretly, and look how well that turned out. We need the parents' cooperation if we want any of these lessons to work."
Daryl's eyebrows rose. Once the dust had finally settled and they actually had a chance to talk, Rick revealed Carol's secret lessons with the kids at the prison. They'd both felt it was best just to keep it to themselves. He should've know Carl would have no problem opening up to Beth. He should've known if Beth could wrangle a Dixon, a few naive parents would bend to her suggestion at the sight of her sweet smile and crystal blue eyes.
And that's how he ended up on the outside of the walls with four little kids huddled together, and all practically clinging to Beth's legs. A far contrast from Daryl who stood with his crossbow slung over his shoulder and his arms folded loosely over his chest. He looked like he'd come out for a leisurely stroll in the forest.
There weren't any telltale signs of walkers, just the trees shading them overhead and the dirt beneath their feet. Beth gently detached herself so she could stand to face the four kids. She'd already introduced them to Daryl, but he'd forgotten their names. If it wasn't Lil' Asskicker or Carl, they all sorta looked alike.
Beth crouched down in front of the four kids, and Daryl did his best not to let his eyes wander down to the tight curve of her ass as she spoke to them. He had to be alert. Even with Maggie, Glenn, and Aaron out there, they needed to be even more vigilant. He thought they were too far from the walls, and the kids made Beth vulnerable. She would never let anything happen to them. And he could never let anything happen to her.
"Alright kids, are you ready for storytime?" Beth asked.
All four kids nodded solemnly. Just by looking at them, Daryl wasn't sure if they'd be able to teach them anything.
"Once upon a time, there was fearless king named Daryl," Beth began. She paused to glare daggers at Glenn when he tried—and failed—to stifle a chuckle.
Daryl rolled his eyes. He looked around him just waiting for a walker to emerge before Beth could finish her story.
"There was no one tougher than King Daryl, but one day, lots and lots of people in his kingdom got sick. All over, they turned into monsters, taking away almost everyone he loved."
At this, Daryl's heart clenched. He could see it in the kids' faces. They'd never met a king before, but they'd seen monsters, and these monsters had taken away people they loved. Almost everyone he loved were standing out in the woods with him or they were behind the walls at ASZ. These kids might have been the only ones left who someone else loved. Daryl suddenly understood why Beth would risk her own life to teach them. She drove him absolutely fucking insane, but this wonderful selfless woman was right there by his side. The clenching ache over what he lost was replaced with an overwhelming gratitude that she was still there with him, coming up with all these screwball ideas. Making everyone's world better just for being in it.
And then Beth finished her story, turned around and pulled out a crown she'd fashioned out of some spare construction paper. Maybe he didn't need to worry about her being bit by a walker or kidnapped because he was about to throttle her as she reached up and placed the crown on his head. This time Glenn didn't even bother trying to mask his amusement, dramatically bowing at the waist towards Daryl.
"Are ya guardin' your king or is your bullshit gonna get us all killed?" Daryl barked.
"Sorry, my liege," Glenn ducked his head this time, turning to face out to the woods. His shoulders still continued to shake as he laughed silently to himself.
"Hey, that crown is made of paper!" one of the little kids pointed up at Daryl, "How do we know he's really a king?"
Beth turned her attention to the little boy, "Well Bobby that's because I made King Daryl that crown. He lost his crown trying to protect his people and now he has almost no knights left. How would you like to be a knight Bobby and learn how to be as fearless as King Daryl?"
Bobby looked skeptical. He was the oldest in the group, and he was quickly starting to resent the fact that he wasn't being trained in the same group as his twelve-year-old brother. As if Beth could have timed it any better, a walker shambled out of the trees. At the sight of all that fresh meat, it snapped its jaws, reinvigorated by the prospect of a potential meal. Maggie, Glenn, and Aaron raised their guns, but with one motion from Daryl, a bolt sailed through the air, cleanly embedding in the skull of the reanimated corpse. Sidestepping the falling body, it landed in a stinky heap at the kids' feet.
The three other little kids' reactions ranged from complete and utter terror to whimpering sobs. Bobby's eyes were as round as saucers, his mouth hanging agape as he stared in awe at Daryl. In one brisk motion, Daryl retrieved his bolt from the walker's skull, the carbon releasing from its entry point with a slick pop. He knelt to wipe the black viscous matter on the walker's clothes, snapping Bobby out of his stupor.
He elbowed his fellow classmates, "Shut up, you'll make more of the monsters find us!"
"Well at least y'all know that much," Daryl muttered to himself. He looked like something out of some dark cartoon, a bright paper crown circling his head as he wiped brain sludge off on a dead body.
"That's right Chloe, Alex, and Bailey. Walkers can hear ya and follow the sound so you've gotta be real quiet for King Daryl okay? He's gonna show us just a couple a' things and then we'll go inside and have lunch," Beth gave a reassuring squeeze to each child, and everyone's shoulders released some tension when they quieted down.
Daryl lead the group in the direction of the front gate of ASZ in case there were more walkers to follow. Bobby stuck right by his side, even mimicking Daryl's stride and posture. When he came to a stop, he turned to face the group again. Beth had her hands resting over Bailey and Alex's shoulders, and King Daryl wasn't having it. If he was gonna have to wear a fucking crown on his head, these kids were gonna go home a little safer for the knowledge they picked up that day. No one was gonna hold 'em out in these woods and whisper to them that they were safe.
"A'right Lord Chloe," Daryl loomed over the little girl—knights were lords right? Whatever. "Ya think you're strong enough to be one of my knights?"
"I'm a lady, and ladies aren't knights!" she puffed up with her fists planted on her hips. He couldn't tell if her face was blotchy from crying earlier or if she was genuinely outraged that he'd call her a lord.
"Er, Lady Chloe, don't you be talkin' to yer king that way!" Daryl warned her sternly, "In my kingdom, ladies and lords are both knights because yer both so strong. Lord Bobby just pointed out the first job of a knight. We've all gotta stay quiet when we're out on the battlefield. Ya don't want them monsters stealin' another one of my crowns."
He continued on, explaining their second job as a knight was to stay by their king and the king's people whenever monsters were around. If a grown-up was running, knights ran with them to keep them safe from the monsters. A monster's favorite thing was to find someone who was all alone. Beth stood off to the side, only watching Daryl out of the corner of her eye. She pretended that all her focus was on Bobby, Chloe, Bailey, and Alex, but all she wanted to do was stare at Daryl in admiration. For as much of a fuss as he put up, she knew he was just the right man to captivate these kids' attention.
Daryl's first lesson was that knights never strayed away on their own. The second lesson was that knights never got lost. He taught the four children how to tell which direction they were traveling so that if they ever failed at their first job—to stick together—then their second job was to find their way back to their people.
For the next hour, the kids practiced their directions. Glenn's smirk eased, impressed by how well the kids were doing. Daryl only swore once in front of the kids when the rustling of a nearby bush startled Bailey. Even though it ended up only being a squirrel, Bailey jumped about a foot in the air, bumping Daryl and making him drop his bow directly onto his foot. Her face began to crumple at the harsh stream of expletives Daryl released, but Beth stepped in to shush her.
"Lady Bailey, King Daryl wouldn't'a picked you to be one of his knights if you weren't one of the strongest ladies in all the land. Strong ladies don't need to be afraid of a little yellin'!" Beth took her little hands and squeezed them. She wanted to pull the little girl into her arms, but Daryl told her to quit babying them. Someone wasn't going to be around to give them a hug every time something scary happened so she pushed the urge away.
Bailey's lower lip trembled slightly, but she nodded. To distract her, Daryl asked her the direction of home, and even though her voice wobbled a bit, she still got the answer right. King Daryl commanded her to lead the way, ignoring the dull throbbing in his foot. Just as she stepped forward though, the leaves on the bushes swished again, and this time two walkers emerged. And then two more, and then at least ten more that they could see through the dense foliage. Already on edge from Daryl's outburst, Bailey shrieked and bolted.
Memories of Sophia getting separated from the group flooded Daryl's mind, and without thinking, he took off after her. It was only after he fell out of sight from Beth and the rest of his family that he looked down and realized Bobby was right by his side, and he was surprisingly fast for a boy his size. He nearly barked an order to tell him to go back to Beth, but he couldn't risk losing both kids.
"Don't worry King Daryl, I'll protect you!" Bobby cried out.
"Jesus Christ," Daryl growled under his breath. Fucking Beth Greene and her fucking ridiculous ideas.
There was no way in hell Beth would ever live this down. She'd be in charge of scrubbing all of Daryl's clothes after he'd been field dressing deer for the rest of their lives. That is, if Daryl made it back inside the Safe Zone alive. She stood just inside the front gate when they'd made it back, Glenn and Aaron taking Alex and Chloe back to their parents. Maggie stayed behind, holding Beth's hand. Together, the Greene girls waited for Daryl, Bobby, and Bailey to come back.
"We prolly shoulda cleared a few more walkers or took one of them noisemakers from Eugene to help distract 'em," Maggie stated as if her remarks were about something as trivial as the weather.
Beth didn't respond though. All she could think about was Daryl, Bailey, and Bobby. She didn't even wanna think about what it would be like to tell Bailey and Bobby's parents that their children were missing. So there she stood just inside the gate, waiting for a glimpse of shaggy brown hair and a pissed off expression. Pissed off she could handle. Dead, she could not.
She felt like she took her first breath over an hour later when she saw Bailey skipping down the road. Behind her were Bobby and thank the Lord up above, Daryl Dixon. The scowl on his face had Beth sprinting out, not even noticing Maggie had released her hand to unlatch and slide open the gate.
Not wanting to risk scaring the kids when they seemed to be in relatively good spirits, she kept the tears at bay, telling herself the same thing she told Bailey. King Daryl only picked the strong. After a rib crushing hug, and a life-affirming backbender of a kiss, Beth pulled away from Daryl to make sure he was still good and angry. He was, so she goaded him just a little bit more just to make sure he was really alright.
"King Daryl, ya lost your crown," Beth's lips curved up into a shaky smile.
"Guess yer jus' gonna have to make King Daryl another one Greene," Daryl grumbled, though with little heat to his words.
Bobby tugged at Beth's shirt, forcing her to look down at them, "Daryl let me hold his knife the whole way back!"
The buck knife was nearly longer than Bobby's forearm, and his hand barely wrapped around the handle. Bailey piped up, "And I knew the direction to get us all the way home!"
Daryl nodded confirmation when Beth looked up at him wide-eyed, "Yeah, and I only yelled at 'em twice. I think these knights are growin' some thicker skin like someone else I know."
The four of them made their way inside the safety of the walls before there was any more storytelling. Beth barely heard anything they said, she was so overcome with relief. She braved Bailey's and Bobby's parents, telling them the truth of what happened out in the forest. Both sets of parents were upset, voices rising to yell at the woman who lied assurances of keeping their children safe. Daryl nearly stepped in on both occasions. He was the only one allowed to be pissed off with Beth Greene. It was Bailey and Bobby's enthusiasm over their jobs as King Daryl's knights that gave them pause.
Before anyone could catch a second wind, Daryl ushered Beth out of the houses, confident that at least this would put an end to the whole reckless idea. They took a detour to find Rick and recount the details of their first training session. Should anyone come to the Safe Zone's leader, Daryl didn't want his surrogate brother blind-sided.
"King Daryl!" Michonne called out from where she was demonstrating how to sharpen the blade of a knife. She twirled around before dropping into a deep curtsey.
"Hey Brother," Rick clapped a hand on Daryl's shoulder, "According to Glenn, you probably won't be associating with us peasants anymore."
"Yeah, well Glenn can suck my—"
"Daryl!" Beth interjected, glancing around at the middle group whose training was safe within the boundaries of the walls.
"For what it's worth, Glenn waited until you made it back safely to bust your balls," Rick offered.
Daryl shrugged in the way that made him look more like a sullen teenager than the former sheriff's right-hand man, "Figures. Glenn couldn't keep his mouth shut if it was super-glued—damnit Greene, ya elbow me one more time, every other word outta my mouth at the next lesson will make yer Granny blush."
The only part of his reprimand Beth heard was the four words where he agreed to teach again. She tucked that little verbal agreement away for the privacy of their little house. Daryl would catch enough shit without her help, and she was already calculating in her head how long she'd be scrubbing deer blood and guts from his clothes.
And of course Daryl caught shit. First they ran into Maggie and Glenn, turning down their invitation to eat lunch with them. As they walked away, Glenn yelled something to the effect of, "He's already changed so much!"
He probably would have punched Abraham for his comment about feeling honored to share his perch at the wall with royalty. Instead he just saluted him with his middle finger, having enough sense to know a bolt in the ass would just mean he'd have to spend more time on guard.
By the time Daryl began his short walk back home for dinner, Glenn had already circulated Beth's fairytale story and convinced many townspeople to address him as 'my liege,' or 'your highness.' He made it to the corner when a little girl's voice made him stop.
"King Daryl!" she called out.
He turned to unleash all the pent-up fuck-you's, but saw it was Chloe chasing him down the street.
"What you want girl?" Daryl growled. For anyone else his tone should've been warning enough.
"King Daryl I brought—"
"Quit callin' me King Daryl!" Daryl barked.
Chloe's eyes narrowed, unruly blond hair framed blue eyes that briefly flashed fire, "Fine, Mr. Dixon."
Something turned over in his stomach at the way this six-year-old spitfire addressed him. He crossed his arms over his chest like he'd done a million times before with another spunky blonde.
"I made this for you," Chloe held out a wreath woven together of flowers.
Daryl's nostrils flared as he ground out behind gritted teeth, "What in the hell am I 'sposed to do with a bunch a' flowers?"
"They aren't for you Mr. Dixon," Chloe retorted cheekily, "I figured if you're the king, then Beth is the queen. I told my mama it's sad she must've lost her crown too."
Daryl was taken aback at the conclusion drawn by this fearless little girl in front of him. He wordlessly accepted the 'crown' and watched her skip away down the street and back to her house. She wasn't remotely afraid to talk to him. He briefly imagined Sophia then. He wondered if Lil' Asskicker would live up to her name. And then as he turned to head back home, he thought of something less tangible. A toddling little girl with blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes like Beth's, and the ability to be an asshole back to an even bigger asshole. She'd be born into the ugliest of worlds. He imagined what he'd want that little girl to be, and how he would want her to be safe. If it meant putting back on the crumpled paper crown shoved in his back pocket, he would do it. And he took the steps up his porch to go crown the queen who would rule beside him.
How is this my 4th fanfic already? Thanks Stacey for enabling my fanfic obsession with so many fun activities!