Disclaimer:
Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character, part of script or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economical/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
No copyright infringement intended.
Original characters are property of the author.
Chapter 1: Spotted
"We saw her again, your majesty."
Jerry's announcement is not what Ezekiel hopes to hear so early in the morn. He especially dislikes hearing them as his wife and son are preparing to embark on a training mission that will take them away from the safety of The Kingdom's gates. By the way Jerry delivers the message, it is obvious they are not the words his best friend would have liked to welcome him with.
Carol has been planning this training mission for the past couple of weeks after months of Henry begging her to teach him all she knows. Though she'd been hesitant because of past experiences, Henry had defended his request to the point that arguing against it was simply impossible. Every reason Carol could throw at the young boy was met with a cleverly masterful rebuttal. He had been both proud and astonished at the way his son had presented his case. In the end, Carol had agreed to it as long as Henry promised to be extremely careful and to follow her instructions without any questions.
Henry had been beyond himself, promising over and over that he wasn't going to let her down. Carol had then spent the afternoons planning the trek, making sure he was aware of every single spot they would visit or camp at so that if something did happen, he'd be able to find them fast.
Ezekiel had no qualms letting his wife and son embark on this mission. He knew that with Carol, Henry would be safe and would come back after being thoroughly trained to defend himself against any and all dangers. He also knew how important it was for Henry so there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be attentive and on his best behavior. Walkers or unsavory people were no match for his wife and son.
That was before they spotted her.
The first report of her existence had come from Diane who had been visiting from Hilltop where she had remained to help Maggie. She had spotted what appeared to be a young woman, dirty from head to toe. She'd only caught a glimpse of her before the woman had dashed into the thick cover of the forest. Worried, Diane had mentioned it in order to give them a heads up, though she didn't really think the woman posed any threat to them.
She'd been spotted again near the stream two days later. This time one of the Kingdom hunters had seen her a little better. What they thought was a woman had turned out to be a tall teenager. Again, he was told that she was dirty from head to toe but what had worried him was the fact that they were told she was very skinny and acted almost feral when they had tried to approach.
The third contact had come a week later. They had found some tracks circling the land near the road that leads to The Kingdom. Deciding to offer their community as a possible haven, Ezekiel's men had been led by Jerry in a recovery mission. It had somehow ended with one of them sporting a broken leg courtesy of the teenager who had gotten scared of their presence and had defended herself against the perceived danger.
Carol had almost canceled the whole training mission after that. She didn't want to expose Henry to danger, especially a danger that she had almost no intel on. Her motherly instinct told her to keep Henry safe and there was no going against it. Ezekiel had agreed with her decision to postpone out of fear of something happening to either of them if they crossed paths with the teenager. Henry had been displeased but he was a good boy who understood the importance of listening to his parents.
The third contact had been the last for nearly two weeks. To be honest, Ezekiel had almost forgotten she was around and with Henry's insistence that perhaps the girl had moved on, Carol had relented. The training mission was back on track.
"Where?" He pushes himself away from the map that lays on top of the table in front of him and waits for Jerry to approach him.
"The stream, again." Jerry quickly replies. "She's fast, boss. I tried catching up to her but she knows her way around the forest."
"Henry will be displeased to hear of this," Ezekiel mumbles under his breath before raising a hand to scratch his beard.
Keeping the information to himself was out of the question. He and Carol kept no secrets from each other. They shared even the smallest of things especially anything that could put their family in danger. This qualifies as such. He knows he has to tell her, the sooner the better, least she and Henry make their way out of the safety of their home. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to either of them.
"Where is the Queen?"
Jerry's answer comes swiftly and sure almost as soon as the words have left his lips. "She is preparing the horses, my King."
Not wanting to waste even a second, Ezekiel takes a couple of steps forward and jumps down from the stage. He lands on his booted feet, his coat swishing behind him before he practically rushes down the hallway of the auditorium. The sudden need to go to his family's side overwhelms him to the point of not caring whether his worry seems unfounded or not. He might be exaggerating but he's not going to run the risk of either Carol or Henry getting hurt.
Jerry follows him as soon as Ezekiel rushes by, keeping up with his steps easily. He knows his best friend and steward is worried too. Nabila is heavily pregnant with their second child, their son barely entering his toddler years. The last thing he wants is an unknown danger attacking their community, even if it seems like it's just a wayward teenager. He has as much to lose as Ezekiel does and neither man is willing to gamble on their family's well-being.
Neither stops until they reach the stables where he finds both Carol and Henry guiding their horses out of the shelter. Carol's lips curl into a beautiful smile as soon as she sees him but then her eyes narrow, her forehead scrunches with confusion and she straightens her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Her blue eyes zero in on his. She's always been able to read him well, as well as he reads her. If something is bothering him, she knows.
Carol extends her arm, her free hand offered for him to take. He slides his hand into hers before pulling her close, his lips seeking hers for a sweet kiss that he knows will calm his racing mind and thundering heart.
"Yuck," Henry mumbles from somewhere beside them before shuffling to the other side of the horse to finish adjusting his riding chair.
Carol smiles against his lips before breaking their kiss. With a much softer tone, perhaps reassured that he hasn't quickly ushered them towards safety and that thus they aren't being attacked, Carol repeats. "What's wrong, love?"
Ezekiel balances his weight on one foot then on the other, trying to find the correct words to use because he knows Henry is listening. "They saw her again."
"Who?" Sure enough, Henry had been listening. "Was it the girl?"
"The same girl?" Carol asks almost at the same time as Henry, their voices overlapping.
Ezekiel nods. "She was at the stream again. Jerry tried to catch her but he says she's fast."
"Like Sonic fast," Jerry adds from behind him.
"We should go find her!" His son quickly declares as he moves away from the horse and back to his parents' sides. "She could need help. Maybe that's why she's staying around."
"Or she could be gathering information for a much bigger group." Carol theorizes.
Henry rolls his eyes and tilts his head to the side as if to challenge his mother's words. "Mom, it's just one girl."
"Who hurt one of us already." Carol reminds him. "I'm not risking taking you out and getting you hurt. The training is canceled."
"Moooom!" Henry's expression falls from that of challenging to let down by the current situation. His son knows why Carol is putting a stop to it but the boy has been looking forward to it for so long. "It's just one girl. No one has seen anyone else with her."
"And you should know the power one person could possess given the proper skills," Ezekiel interjects quickly. "Was it not your mother who single-handedly protected Alexandria when it was attacked by the Wolves? Was it not your mother who saved her family from the cannibals at Terminus? Wasn't she the one who trained our new army in combat?"
Henry had heard all the stories before so Ezekiel knew his son had the answer to his questions. He and Carol had wanted him to know about the dangers this new world could bring and how he should never underestimate a situation. They'd told him all about her previous experiences so that he could learn from them. It seemed they still had some work to do in that area.
"Yes, sir," Henry replies in a rather embarrassed sigh.
"Then perhaps we should heed your mother's advice and remain within The Kingdom's walls."
Seeing that Henry was truly saddened, though understanding, Ezekiel wants nothing more than to embrace him. Carol beats him to it, pressing a kiss to the young boy's forehead. "We'll go out another day, Henry." She promises before urging him towards the horses. "Go on, help them back to the stables."
Dejected, Henry reaches for the horse reigns and slowly guides them back to the stable. His feet shuffle against the pavement as he goes.
It is only when he's out of sight, and earshot, that Carol turns to Ezekiel and gives him an encouraging smile. He hates to put his foot down, hates to discipline, or even raise his voice with his son, but if there is one thing that won't do is Henry going against his parents' instructions on matters such as this.
"Thank you." She whispers before she leans forward to peck his lips. "I know how hard that was for you."
"Our son has a good heart," he notes. "But he's equally headstrong."
"Wonder who he gets that from." She raises an eyebrow teasingly at him before she grows serious again. He's always been marveled by her ability to refocus as much as of her floundering sense of humor. They are two sides of her that he finds endearing and which he's madly in love with. "We have to find her."
"I am aware." Ezekiel agrees as he squeezes her hand. "And even though I just chastised him, I have to admit his theory of her needing aid might be a possibility."
Behind crystal blue eyes that have captivated him ever since he met her, Ezekiel can see her mind working rapidly. She has the ability to strategize, to look at a problem from every possible angle, and find a solution in a matter of seconds. He knows most of it comes from the way her previous husband had treated her and how she'd had to be fast on her feet in order to survive and protect her daughter, but it's also because she's intelligent and strong. He trusts her implicitly.
"We have to find her." She finally declares. "If she's hurt we can help her while keeping a close eye on her. If she's with another group we'll know. We can plan accordingly, double the security at the wall, and tell the other communities to be on alert."
"I agree. I'll take a group of Kingdom soldiers to the stream. It seems she favors the location." As soon as the words have left his lips Ezekiel knows he's in for it. Her chin instantly tilts upward and her eyes fully narrow into small slits that let him know how small her patience will be if he messes up.
"I can track her down." She reminds him.
"I have no doubt of it, my love." Ezekiel quickly assures her. If there is anyone in The Kingdom that can track as well as a hunter, it's Carol. In fact, he'd warrant that she would do an even better job at tracking down a person than any of the hunters could. "But I'd rather you remain here where it is safe."
"Ezekiel-"
"I'm not attempting to say you are weak, Carol, but I will not deny that it scares me to think of you out there."
Though the muscles around her eyes do relax and the corner of her lips curl up, Carol doesn't back down. He didn't expect her to do so. "Weren't you just talking about how I single-handedly dealt with two threats and trained our people to deal with whatever comes their way?" She challenges. "I think I can handle this girl."
"I know you can," he assures her. "That's not up to discussion. However, my Queen, you aren't invincible."
"Don't call me that." She lets go of his hand but only ends up digging one of her fingers to his rib in retaliation. "I'm not... Queenly."
He smiles at the roll of her eyes before reaching for her hand once again and bringing it up to his lips. "You are, my love, you are."
"Shut up." She mumbles before lifting on her top toes and kissing him chastely. It's not enough for him though, he needs another kiss from her. Ezekiel quickly pulls her back, guiding their clasped hands behind her back to pull her as tight to him as possible.
"We have a girl to track." She reminds him as he leans forward, their noses brushing against each other.
"I know, but that can wait while I kiss my beautiful wife." He leans the rest of the way and presses his lips to hers tenderly. Carol immediately relaxes against him, her body molding to his as her free hand raises to wrap around the back of his neck. He feels her pulling him down to her and he willingly goes, their lips never separating until his lungs are burning.
When he pulls back he finds Carol's pale skin blushing. Her eyes appear bluer, her pupils are fully blown out. He could easily tease her and she would tease him back no doubt, but instead, he raises his free hand and caresses her cheek lovingly. "I hate you being in danger but I am smart enough to never hold you back."
This time a full dazzling smile appears on her lips. "Good." She whispers before taking a step back and turning towards Jerry. The poor man is pretending to be interested in a nearby apple tree in an attempt to give them some privacy. "Come on, Jerry. We have a girl to find."
TBC