A/N: I recently created a short music video/fanvid about Brian and Lilly which can be found on YouTube under the account Vogue Elf. Please do check it out.


Epilogue

One night he woke, aware at once that someone was standing in his cell. After an initial flash of fear, he found he was strangely calm. He had been waiting for this without knowing it. He listened, anticipating the end.

A woman's voice spoke in the darkness, low and rich – he knew it at once. 'For months I searched for you. But the trail was cold. And now I return to find you've been admitted right into my abode, been given a home in my home, where you have no right to be.'

Cold metal touched his throat. The tip of a blade. It nicked him, drawing a single bead of blood.

'I swore that if I found you, I'd cut you in half.'

He waited. The sword pressed harder for an instant; then was gone. He froze in disbelief.

She spoke again, this time from the doorway. 'But there is nothing more I can do to you. You've done it all to yourself.'

The door closed. He was alone.

Never again did he meet Michonne, or so much as hear her voice. She stayed out of his way, and he never sought her out.


Each sixteen-piece side was from a different set, one made of ceramic, the other of carved wood. As always, he played with the ceramic pieces.

'You said that if I won the game, you would tell me how you lost your eyes.'

The little girl shifted in her seat, leaning forwards, her blue eyes dancing. The day was bright, lighting up the colourful murals on the walls. The watchtower threw a shadow across the concrete. A dog shifted spots, chasing the sunlight. Off in the middle distance there was the sound of horses whickering, a cow lowing. And somewhere a young woman was singing, the song he'd heard when he'd first arrived at the prison.

He sat very still, soaking in the warmth of the sun on his forearms and face, listening to the faint words of the song, waiting for what his young companion might say next.

The girl sighed. She was the same age as Meghan when she'd died.

He never spoke unless to instruct her on the game. He never tried to touch her hand, or feel her dark hair. When she spoke in her high voice he would sometimes look pained, as though lost in memory. Then with an effort he would return to the present. But today the sun was too warm; the sounds too pleasing to allow overlong introspection.

'You promised,' she insisted.

His voice was gentle. 'So I did. It was a foolish promise.' He paused, picturing the board in his mind, imagining the various moves and countermoves that would be set in motion when he took his turn. As he made his decision, the corner of his lip lifted slightly. 'But you'll have to beat me first.'

She stuck out her tongue at him, playfully. If he had been able to see she might not have dared. 'I'll win one day. You'll see. I'm much better now. One day, I'll beat you.'

Her conviction drew a smile from him. 'We shall see. But perhaps not today...' Deftly, he picked up his queen and moved her forward, taking the remaining white bishop and removing the king's last escape route. 'Checkmate.'


A/N: The little girl, in case you hadn't guessed, is a seven year old Judith Grimes.


Thank you to all the readers who stuck with me through this story. Please keep reviewing – I always reply, and I'd love to hear what you think.

Heartfelt thanks to LadyIngenue – without whose encouragement I might well not have finished this story. You made writing it an incredibly fun and enjoyable experience when I thought it would be painful and horrendous.

It's very satisfying to have completed this story: I had this epilogue written out before even publishing the prologue, so it feels like I've come full circle. From this story's conception I knew I wanted to use the 'Oh horror, horror, horror' quote from Macbeth (over my education I've had to study that play no less than 3 times!), and I knew I wanted the Governor to take his remaining eye, like Oedipus does; all that was left was to create a strong enough reason for him to do so, and I hope that with this story I succeeded.

A sequel:

I've just published the first chapter for a loose, self-indulgent sequel to this story. It's set at the prison and will focus on the developing relationship between Philip (The Governor) and Beth, as she helps him recover from both physical and emotional wounds. If you're interested, do check it out.

Story recommendations:

Lady Ingenue's three stories featuring the Governor. All three are flawlessly paced and beautifully written. They Seek Him Here and Doctor Blake and Mr Hyde are quite honestly my favourite stories on this site. They're set in historical AUs with no ZA, while the beautiful On The Inside is set in a world more like that in the show … if there hadn't been a zombie apocalypse.

Two very short TWD stories: 'Mr Blue', a delightfully creepy portrayal of the Governor with Penny, and an even creepier Gareth story, 'Breadcrumbs (concerning psychological bureaucracy)'.

My other TWD-related works:

On my profile page are details of where to find my YouTube and Deviantart accounts. I've posted several drawings of the Governor and have created a few videos featuring him. My favourite video focuses on Brian Heriot and Lilly Chambler.

Thanks again for reading this story :)