Ch. 33
Breakfast was typically a quick affair. A bag of chips or leftover berries. Sometimes Sam would get lucky and his snare traps would catch something, but those days were few and far in between.
But as he sat down at the table, as he saw the food that the Kingdom provided, it took all he had not to tear up. He was sitting alone near the back of the tables. Although the King had invited him to dine the night before he hadn't in the morning, for which Sam was greatful. He still got looks from the people of the Kingdom, and a soldier always seemed to be following him, or at least not too far away.
"What do you want today Bas?" Calling a dog Bastard in front of children didn't seem very appropriate. "We have eggs, a small bit of bacon, not to mention oranges."
"Quite a spread Sammy."
"Goddamn it."
"Oh come on," Beth sat next to him and began picking through his plate. "You act like it's not good to see me."
Sam looked around and made sure that others were out of earshot. He then bowed his head and tried to keep his lips from loving as he spoke to her.
"Go away."
"Don't be like that Sammy."
"Please? Go away."
"Sammy, look all I want to do is spend a little time with you is that such a big deal?"
"You're not here." Sam finally looked up at her and glared. "You're not here, so get the fuck away."
"Oh why'd you have to do that?" Beth smiled and leaned against him. Sam closed his eyes again and took a breath, no matter how many times he told himself that they weren't real, he swore he could still feel them. He could feel Beth's breath on his ear, the tingling sensation it spread throughout his body as she whispered, "You know I love it when you say fuck."
Sam stood up and left his tray of food there, Bastard trotting behind him dutifully. He couldn't take it, the visions, and the conversations. What little bit of sanity he had left he could feel slipping with every word that he sent in their direction. He couldn't handle it, and he vowed that he would try and stop talking to them, reacting to them in general. But at the moment, what he needed was a cold shower.
"Son, you gonna start playing or what?" Sam froze and turned quickly. He didn't have a beaded, but he did have his leg still attached. "Come on now."
"Probably forgot how to play," Merle said as he and Daryl sat at a table playing cards, Sophia and Carl watching intently.
"Come on Sam," Beth nudged him. "Play."
Sam smiled and pressed down on one of the keys, a soft note sounding through the home. He had no idea what he was playing; his hands seemed to simply move on their own, gliding through the keys hitting each one quickly and precisely.
"I thought I heard you playing," Sam looked away from the piano and grinned as Rick walked in. "Haven't heard you play in a while."
Sam hated the dream. He hated the fact that he couldn't control it, he hated the fact that the dead were there, as were the living. But most of all he hated the fact that he wanted to be there, the fact that it was so appealing. He hated that he wanted to stay there, to live there.
Rick was in his room, he tried speaking but Sam, left opting to go and see if there was anything that he could do for the Kingdom. He had been there for two days and he had spent it exploring, lounging out and observing. He was already feeling lazy and decided that he needed to do something. If anything just for his mind to be kept busy, to keep them out.
He walked through the Kingdom and made it to the theatre, or throne room, or whatever it was that the King called it. Jerry let him in saying that the King was accepting visitors.
Shiva sat at the Kings side and Sam couldn't help but feel anxious when approaching the killing machine. But, it was either be anxious for a bit, or lose his mind talking to ghosts.
"Ah, the adventurer returns! Samuel, how goes your stay in the Kingdom?"
"Well m'lord, or your majesty? Which is it?"
Ezekiel laughed. "Whichever you prefer Samuel. Though I am sure you did not come all this way to discuss what you were to address me as. Tell me, why did you seek an audience with the King?"
Hershel walked out from behind the King's throne, both his legs attached. "I, well you see m'lord, you've given me food and shelter for two days. I simply wished to return the favor. I wish to contribute, if you would have me."
"And what is it you can do?" Ezekiel questioned him. "Do you know how to farm?"
"No sir."
"Do you know how to practice the healing arts?"
"No sir."
"Can you help rebuild structure, or plan new ones?"
"I can swing a hammer if that is what you mean."
Ezekiel nodded. "Tell me then; what can you do for the Kingdom, Samuel?"
"Killing," Hershel said quickly.
"I know how to fight. I could offer instruction on, shooting, fighting."
"And what do you know that my brave soldiers do not?"
Sam looked to one of the soldiers surrounding the King. "You, you have a sword on your hip, you know how to use it?"
The man nodded hesitantly. "I can kill the dead."
"If a man came at you with a sword though? Could you win?" The soldier shrugged. "I could, I would. I've, you see, I've killed a lot of people. Some deserved it, some didn't, but I became quite good at it. I could help your men, become good at it as well. I'm no Navy Seal but, I'm good."
Ezekiel looked to Sam, and he could feel the Kings eyes drilling into him. Hershel began to speak but Sam tuned it out, he wouldn't let the ghosts talk to him anymore, he couldn't. Ezekiel looked to Shiva and stroked her fur softly, the chains rattled quietly and Bastard stood and walked in front of Sam, defensively, like the good boy he was.
"I can see that you are a dangerous man, Samuel. To me or the Kingdom I know not, but dangerous all the same. I cannot, in good conscious to my people allow you to roam with weapons neither in the premise, nor around my men and women that protect the Kingdom." Sam swallowed hard and nodded. "However, if you were to stay, show that you could be trusted, then I have no doubt that you could be a valued member of the Kingdom."
Kitchen duty was as bad as could be expected. Making whatever he could with what he had was tricky at times, but being Irish, a stereotyped that seemed to be true, he was excellent with Potatoes. He would boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew, he was a genius. Everything else however, well that was tough.
"Ah, Mr. Conall, what's on the menu today?" Sam scooped a large helping of mashed potatoes onto Dr. Finch's plate.
"Mashed potatoes and I think Allen down the line prepared that deer the Soldiers found."
Dr. Finch squealed and moved down the line, but not before shouting. "I'll give Bas my bone if I get one."
Sam looked down at Bastard and grinned. "I think she likes you."
The dog simply tilted its head and barked. Dr. Finch did end up getting a bone in her meat and then gave it to Bastard, as did several of the other residents of the Kingdom before the dog was swept away by a group of children to play fetch or simply be pampered and petted. It seemed that despite only being in the Kingdom for less than a month, Bastard was a favorite.
For three weeks Sam had been in the Kingdom, working and contemplating his place within the realm of it all. The walls, the safety, it was hard to pass up, easier to accept than the hard reality of life outside of both. In the Kingdom he had a bed, on his own he had a few seat belts that he tied himself to a tree with. Not to mention that the company had improved immensely.
Dr. Finch, Richard, Jerry, even Ezekiel, they were all upgrades to the ghosts.
And then there were the ghosts. They still came to him, less frequently but more forceful. They would yell and scream and beg him to find them. Then they would go and try to distract him. Rick had fired his gun at several people throughout the Kingdom making Sam nearly jump and tackle him before he realized that it was a hallucination. Then there was the time that Sophia was slashing her knife around a woman and her baby. He didn't even want to think about the time Beth had been walking naked through the garden, well he did, but that was for when he was alone.
He knew he needed to find them, but, he couldn't not yet. He needed supplies; he needed time to rest, to heal from his time on the road. If he was tired or hurt then he wasn't at is best to take on what was outside of the walls and fins them. So he would wait, he would rest up and then he would take on the apocalypse.
He'd done it. He'd finally managed to get permission to carry a weapon in the Kingdom. Not a gun or any projectile, but he had his sword strapped to his hip.
He made his way to the training area, where kids and adults were allowed to practice with swords, knives, bows and the like. Most of the kids gravitated towards the swords while some others moved toward the bows.
There was a bald man standing over a group of young children eager to learn swordsmanship, and he was demonstrating the finer points of thrusting and slashing when Dam walked by.
"You there, new guy! You know how to use that thing?" Sam looked down at his sword belt and nodded.
"I can kill Walkers aye. Never really needed to fight a man one in one though."
"Well then today's your lucky day! Get over here!" The kids screamed with delight and Sam made his way, Bastard moving between the kids so he could be pampered and watch.
As Sam drew his sword, the bald man laughed and told him to sheathe it. "We can't really use sharp swords. This is a demonstration not the damn colosseum." He went to a rack that was off to the sides and brought two short swords with blunted edges. "Now, we'll use these, a bit heavier than yours, but we won't kill each other."
Sam took the sword and gave a few experimental swings. The weight was alright though it did feel a bit too heavy, though not too much.
"How much you know kid?"
Sam shrugged. "Like I said, I can kill the dead."
"Well here in the Kingdom we don't settle for that. You need to be quick! Agile! Deadly!"
"We're Knights!" One of the kids shouted while the others screamed their approval.
"You're not Knights yet! Not until I say so! Understood?"
"Yes Sergeant Darrius." The children said, dejected.
"Right. Anyway, you down for a spar?" Sam flourished the sword and nodded.
"Aye seems like as good a time as any."
The two took to the center of the field near the training area. Darrius gripped his sword tightly and rolled his neck releasing a few pops. Sam stood opposite and took in Darrius' stance. Tight grip, legs shoulder length apart, and he was on the tips of his toes.
Sam took a breathe and then the two began to circle each other. Their footwork was relatively similar, short steps that never crossed their legs. Sam considered lunging or thrusting his sword, but the bald man reacted faster, slashing his sword down causing Sam to jump back and swat the sword away.
The man sent a few other quick jabs forward which Sam knocked away while backing up. Darrius seemed to be watching him closely, and Sam knew what he was looking for, as well as what he saw. Sam's control over the sword was, decent, but the way that he sent out his deflections was something of another story. They were slow and a bit off the mark, but there was no denying that he was fairly decent for someone who had only been lopping off heads.
Darrius moved forward, is sword going in wide arcs. Sam deflected a few, and with every deflection the vibrations from the clash would travel up his arms and drive him back a step.
"Come on kid, keep the sword up, and watch me!" Sam did as he was told, but was still a bit unsure of what to watch out for. Darrius swung again. Although the swords were solid steel, Darrius' sword seemed to flow gracefully with every hack and swing. Sam thrusted upwards and then quickly made a slash for the man's legs but Darrius seemed to have seen the move coming and hoped out of the way.
Their swords clanged together and Sam was beginning to feel the rush of battle in his blood again. He could feel his blood pumping, his vision focusing, he was in the moment. He swung hard and fast, the blade but every time he swung Darrius' blade was there to meet his. Sam over extended his reach, and then his sword fell to the dirt and Darrius took his chance. He swung wild and fast driving Sam back with every swing. While Sam was on the retreat he noticed how the man's knuckles were white before he lifted the swords and swing it, and then it clicked.
Sam was meant to watch the knuckles, learn the way that Darrius was controlling the sword, so he could counter. Unfortunately the information came too late and Sam was pounded on the side with a heavy blow sending him to the floor.
"A bit slow there Sam! But I guess you did alright for a beginner!" Darrius twirled his sword and then hung it back in the rack he had gotten it. "With a bit of practice, you'll be a knight yet."
Even from the ground, Sam couldn't wipe the grin from his face.
AN: Hey guys! So here is the next one, I'm gonna try and get the next one up ASAP and I'm getting excited. So I had a question for you guys, is there anything you guys would like to see in particular? I mean I have a bunch of stuff planned, but it'd be cool to see what you guys wanted to see. Anyway, leave a review and Ill see you guys next time! Review! ~Pacco1