The sun was shining when Rick sighted the great lake again. Harrenhal's five towers looked like candles which had just been blown out. The mists of the morning had been burned away by the heat of the day, and Rick could see for miles from the top of the hill. Across the lake, a thin sliver of land lay right on the horizon.

Alexandria.

And he had brought all of his men back - and then some. Sure, there were some injuries, but every Alexandrian was still alive, and their Rivermen allies under the Blackfish were in high spirits. Why wouldn't they be? Two Lannister armies had been scattered, the Freys wouldn't be poking their heads out of the Twins anytime soon, and the Reach would likely think twice before sending another host to challenge the Riverlanders or their Alexandrian allies.

They would be back. Not any time soon, but soon enough. Rick knew all too well that an enemy never truly left well enough alone. Whether the Governor or Negan or Tywin, no tyrants ever gave up until they were defeated utterly. They always came back. For more land, more wealth, more women to choose from... They always found a reason. New world or old, the story was the same. Beaten down settlements chafing under a tyrant's yoke, until Rick and his friends showed up to light the way. Not the way back to the world Rick once had, but to one that was even better, one that Rick and his followers yearned for. He could already see the day the Iron Throne would set aside its differences with the Northmen, and the Northmen would find it in their hearts to forgive the hurt caused by their southern neighbours.

But before that, the Iron Throne had to be beaten, here at Harrenhal. Or they would never learn.

It took another hour of hard riding until Rick spied a familiar face at the gates of Harrenhal.

"Nice to see you back, Rick." The man squinted at the many banners Rick's host carried. "I see you brought even more Northmen-"

"Rivermen," the Blackfish interrupted.

"I'm sorry. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Paul Monroe, though everyone calls me Jesus. I see you've already met Rick and Dwight."

"And I am Ser Brynden Tully, Warden of the Southern Marches, uncle of Lord Edmure Tully of Riverrun, great-uncle of the late King Robb. But call me the Blackfish." Rick's ally studied the crowd of men beginning to gather behind Jesus. "I spy Manderly's banners, and a few Pipers too. Are these the men you Alexandrians rescued when Lord Grimes' men fought the Mountain?"

"Lord Grimes?" Jesus laughed. "He's just Rick to us. He's our leader, sure, but not a lord living in a castle with loads of servants or anything like that. We do have a king though, but it's all roleplaying and nothing more. Rick's still in charge overall."

"So your lord is not a lord, your king is not a king, and your king is the bannerman of your lord?" The Blackfish's face scrunched up. "You Alexandrians are a confusing people."

"I'll explain again later," Rick suggested.

"Anyway some of the Northmen were rescued at Darry. But others came all the way from the Twins. Carl gathered them up and brought them back to Alexandria," Jesus explained.

"Carl came back?"

Jesus quickly nodded. "He did. He also has news for you, and I assume whoever's the leader of the Northmen and Riverlanders these days. Maybe the Blackfish, judging from that fancy title and all those relations of his."

Rick let out a sigh of relief. At least his son had grown out of gallivanting on adventures of his own. "Good. I was worried he would run off like last time. If anything happened to him… When we get back to Alexandria, find him and bring him back home.

"I heard stories about Rick's son," the Blackfish said. "They say he slew a Lannister knight in single combat at the Battle of Darry."

"Yeah, he killed the guy you Westerosi call the Mountain that Rides. You should have seen that grotesque skull Carl's been carrying around." Jesus' arms stretched out to as wide as the Mountain's skull was. "He probably gave it to his girlfriend or something-"

"Girlfriend?" Rick frowned. When did Carl get himself a girlfriend? Was it Sophia? He was very close to Maggie's adopted daughter long ago, when they were trying to survive on the road and during their early days in the Alexandria Safe-Zone. But Sophia moved to the Hilltop with Maggie, while Carl stayed with Rick, and they each had their own new friends. And with the roads as they were, travelling between the two settlements was far from easy. Did Sophia come to the Safe-Zone? He would need to talk to Maggie. Or perhaps not. Sophia would have run screaming to her adopted mother the moment she saw that skull, and Carl would be single again, free for his betrothal to the Northern heir. Unless he…

"Fuck!" Rick cursed. What if… No, no, no. Both kids were more than smart enough not to go any further beyond a few innocent pecks on the cheek. "Ser Brynden, I'll set things right the moment I get back home." Yet even as he said those words, Rick couldn't help but wonder whether he would do anything at all. What right did he have, to break his dear son's heart?

The Blackfish laughed. "Of all the men in Westeros, I should be the last to tell anyone whom they must wed. Have I told you why I am called the Blackfish? My late lord brother sought betrothals for me, and I rejected them all, until he had enough and called me the black goat of the flock. But our sigil is a fish, you see, so I ought to be a black fish instead. I took it up as my sigil not long after, and to this day I remain unwed. Nevertheless those were different times. Both of us can ill afford to lose the confidence of our bannermen, Lord Rickard, not when a great battle looms over us. I trust that you and your people will honor the Pact of Riverrun."

"What's this pact he's talking about?" Jesus frowned.

Rick sighed. "I agreed to a betrothal between Carl and the Northern princess. Look, Jesus. You know we don't have much choice here. Our numbers are far fewer than the Westerosi, and we don't know much about their lands. We need the Northmen's help as much as they need ours."

"We're in luck then. Carl's new girlfriend is the Stark princess. He brought her back to Alexandria along with survivors from the Red Wedding."

The Blackfish's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Princess Sansa was held captive by the Lannisters at King's Landing last I heard."

Jesus shook his head. "Arya Stark, not Sansa." Jesus' eyes darted over the Rivermen and Alexandrians behind the two leaders, then over the Alexandrian garrison behind himself. Then his voice lowered to little more than a whisper. "A lot of shit happened in the Crownlands recently. Maggie's already waiting back at Alexandria. Ezekiel and Michonne are there too. She said they wanted to to talk to Rick and Dwight, and whoever's in charge of the Northmen. And Rivermen," he quickly added.

"Is it to do with Princess Sansa?" the Blackfish frowned.

"She's safe if that's what you want to know, but now isn't not the best time to say anything more." With a flick of his hand, two Alexandrians stepped forwards and helped Rick and the Blackfish dismount.

"Later then," the Blackfish agreed. "I will meet Princess Arya, Rick's son and survivors of the Red Wedding. But we shall head to Alexandria first and hear what the Alexandrians have to say."

...

Rick and the Blackfish sat at The Companion's stern. A map of the new 'Isle of Alexandria' Pete helpfully provided was placed on a crate between the two men. It was little more than a rough sketch, but it showed all of the major settlements, and that was what mattered for now.

"This is our island and the five settlements on it. My own settlement is the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alexandria for short, though that word now refers to the whole island and all our people. It's about a mile away from the coast, though one day we will clear a way to the coastline and we will have access to the water again." Rick's hand swept clockwise around the map. "Here's Oceanside. The smallest of our settlements, but it's right on the coast and right next to Mount Vernon, a site which we hold very dear to us. They don't really have a ruler yet. I guess our captain Pete over there is the closest thing to one. Up here is the Kingdom, a bit larger than Oceanside though smaller than the Alexandria Safe-Zone. The people there live like you Westerosi, nobody seriously thinks their leader Ezekiel is a King although they call him such. His wife is Michonne, who is also second in command of the Kingdom."

"Like actors in a play. We call it roleplaying when one does it all the time and when there isn't a proper audience," Jesus sat down on another crate beside them. "Over here is the Hilltop Colony. It is the largest settlement out of all five. Maggie is our leader, and I am the Hilltoppers' second in command. And over here... is the Sanctuary. They live in an abandoned building close to this northwest tip. It's the closest thing to a castle among all our settlements. Dwight over there at the prow is the Saviors' leader since we… deposed their last one."

"When you warred that man called Negan? Rick told me a lot about the lands you came from and all those wights you had, but we never talked about that war he kept bringing up."

"Now's as good a time as any. It wasn't too long ago when the Saviors, under their ruler Negan, exerted tribute over the Hilltop and the Kingdom. None of us knew about Oceanside back then, not until after the war ended. We didn't know about the Alexandrians either, until Rick and his guys showed up. Said they would defeat the Saviors for us, but Negan got fifty of his men and ambushed the Alexandrians. Negan killed Maggie's husband with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire after the Alexandrians surrendered."

"What is a baseball bat?" The Blackfish scratched his head. "And what is barbed wire?"

"A wooden club that we use for a game called baseball, though we don't really play that game anymore." Rick explained. "As for barbed wire… Negan used a spiked club. Then he and his men often visited Alexandria itself, and took half of our stuff every time they visited, just as they took from the Hilltop and the Kingdom."

"Half!" the Blackfish exclaimed. "Your lands must be rich then."

"They weren't. It didn't take long until Carl decided to sneak into the Sanctuary to assassinate Negan. He killed six Saviors before Negan captured him. Say what you want about Rick's son, but the boy is no coward, if somewhat reckless." Jesus laughed. "Maybe that's why Negan let him live and returned him to Alexandria."

Rick stroked his beard. "Maybe, but he could have been hurt or even killed. That's why I decided to bring him along for this expedition. Let him fire a few shots and think he's done something useful, so he won't run off on his own."

"Your son raiding the Red Keep would solve many of our problems," the Blackfish mused. "Though Joffrey is anything but merciful, and Tywin has no love for children either. The Lord of Casterly Rock never admitted to ordering the deaths of Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenys, but we know who had them killed all the same."

Jesus cleared his throat. "Anyway, we learned more than enough about the Sanctuary's layout after Carl came back. Then Rick made his plans, united Alexandria, the Hilltop and the Kingdom into an alliance against Negan, and the tyrant is locked up for good in Alexandria. We linked up our communities afterwards. Months later there was a flash of light, and here we are," he quickly added. "Excuse me Rick, Miste- eh, Lord Blackfish. I think Pete needs my help."

"So this Maggie let Negan live after he killed her husband?" the Blackfish asked when Jesus was out of sight.

"No, I did. Killing him was what everyone expected, but we had the chance to do better, to rebuild civilization properly this time round. He's still punished, of course. He will never leave his cell until he dies old and frail. But we're punishing him in a more civilized way, so he has the time to realize his mistakes."

"I hope you still have her support then. As fierce as my men are, we will need every Alexandrian you can muster to break the Lannisters-"

"Land at starboard! Land at starboard!" Rick heard Dwight cry.

He turned his head. Like the Blackfish, it was the first time he saw Alexandria's coastline in its full glory. Save for that one mist-filled night weeks ago when they raced towards Harrenhal, Rick had never boarded The Companion or Oceanside's other ships.

And Alexandria seemed… small. For all their beauty and elegance, the rows of townhouses which lined the coast were no match for Harrenhal's gargantuan walls or the towers of Riverrun. Even Castle Darry's keep seemed bigger than the Alexandrians' community hall, from what Rick remembered. Only the Masonic building's spike served as a reminder that the great civilization which preceded the Alexandrians was more than a match for the Westerosi.

How can we convince them of our better ways, when even our buildings seem so small? Rick wondered. Luckily the Blackfish said nothing before they finally docked.

"I thought we were landing at Oceanside." Rick asked as he stepped off onto an unfamiliar dock.

"The Hilltoppers started clearing Alexandria's Old Town a week ago," Pete replied. "Maggie says none of us should be living in trailers and huts now that we have other civilizations to trade with, and it can take a while to get from Oceanside to anywhere else."

"And we found this too." Jesus pointed towards a white carriage pulled by two horses. "Hop on. We'll be at Rick's home in no time."

Rick nearly doubled over in laughter. "That's a wedding carriage. It looks just like the one Lori and I used when we married."

"We could paint it a different color if you want," Jesus climbed onto the driver's box . "Earl Sutton says he can add a canopy to keep the rain out. It's a short ride anyway, unless you want to walk."

"Fine." Rick sat himself besides Jesus. The Blackfish and Dwight clambered onto the back seats. Then they were off, trotting along Alexandria's now reclaimed streets. For less than a minute, as it turned out, before the carriage stopped.

"You said we're going back to my house."

"This is." Jesus started walking through a garden, towards a two-chimney house of light grey stone. "Andrea agreed your family would move to Carlyle House. It's right next to the Town Hall that we're clearing out now, and much closer to the docks in case you want to get anywhere. The house is much nicer too."

"Well she should have asked me," Rick grumbled. "I'll-"

Sharp crack-crack-cracks erupted from somewhere behind.

"There go the musketeers again," Jesus observed. "Eugene and Earl Sutton had been busy arming the Northmen with matchlocks. Don't worry, Rick. They don't train at night."

"How many Northmen have you armed with guns?" The Blackfish asked.

Jesus counted his fingers. "Two hundred, give or take. Eugene says we can get another batch of muskets ready by next week. They've been ramping up production since the trials were successful. Ah, here we are."

Maggie opened the door herself before they could knock. "Took you long enough. How was the campaign?"

"Bit off more than we can chew. We had to first save Riverrun, then Maidenpool. We've been all over the place. I'm sure you already heard from Carl. He fought very bravely in our first battle. Is everyone here already?" Rick stood just a bit taller as he peered into one of the side rooms. Michonne and Ezekiel were studying little figures placed on a large map. "I want Andrea here as well. And Carl. I thought he had something for me, and it won't be a Carlyle House without a Carl."

"Jesus, close the doors and make sure nobody else comes in. We do not want any interruptions," Maggie ordered.

The group chuckled as they moved into the side room. After brief introductions and exchange of greetings, Rick unfolded his creased map of Westeros onto the table. "Jesus told me a lot happened in the Crownlands. For all the victories we had won, the Iron Throne has tens of thousands more men back in King's Landing, but the Blackfish and I already have a plan. The Kingdom and Sanctuary will be holding Harrenhal itself along with the Northmen." From a nearby tray, Rick grabbed two pieces of wood with the stars-and-stripes painted on them, followed by a white piece of wood with grey direwolf, and placed them onto the larger map. "We might even have that army outside of the castle itself. If the Iron Throne thinks we're stupid, they will take the bait." A marker with a golden lion on red this time, pushed up the Kingsroad and then towards Harrenhal. "Ezekiel, you'll be in charge of this. Maggie-"

Maggie's face had scrunched up like there was a bad smell.

"Maggie, you will lead the Hilltoppers and Oceansiders, here and over here. When the Lannisters are committed against Harrenhal, you guys will land behind them and fight them on their other flank." Another two Alexandrian markers slided the God's Eye, effortlessly cutting behind the Lannister lion. Then the two Alexandrian markers pushed north, until the lion was boxed between the five other markers.

"And Carl will be defending Alexandria with the reserves." Rick reached for the tray again, yet there weren't any Alexandrian markers left in it. Luckily a few more markers lay further down the table. Five red and five green pieces of wood with little white flags drawn on them, one direwolf, and one stars-and-stripes. "Maggie, can you give me that stars-and-stripes? I can't reach it from over here."

Instead Maggie took out a rolled piece of parchment from her bag and handed it to Rick. Why was everyone looking at him as if he thought the world was flat?

...

For the first time since he became leader of the Alexandrians, words failed to leave Rick's mouth.

Who? What? Where? And more importantly, why? A thousand questions spiralled in his head like a kaleidoscope. His lone hand absentmindedly picked up marker after marker, and dropped them back into the tray. And the other Alexandrians were staring at him, their faces taut yet blank, save Dwight whose face was no less confused than the Blackfish's.

Finally the Blackfish spoke. "Lord Grimes?"

Rick wordlessly gave him the parchment. Two seconds later, a huge grin sprang across the Blackfish's face.

"So the Red Wedding has been avenged. I did say your son raiding the Red Keep would solve many of our problems."

"Indeed, and created many more." Rick said through gritted teeth. "I thought Carl had returned to Alexandria. Then, can someone answer me, WHY THE FUCK IS MY SON AT KING'S LANDING?"

"Lord Grimes…"

"You. YOU let him go." Rick's forefinger rested an inch in front of Maggie's nose. Several bits of spittle flew onto her face, but he did not care. "YOU knew I wanted him to stay in Alexandria, but YOU didn't stop him." The finger shifted towards Michonne. "YOU knew this too. Carl would have asked you before he went on his adventure with…" Rick snatched the parchment from Dwight. "What? 'Twenty good men'? How did he even convince twenty Alexandrians to follow him? Have our people lost their brains, just like the walkers did? Carl's not even thirteen, goddammit! You saw him grow up, you helped raise him. You know he could have been injured or killed, but you let him go anyway. What on earth made you think this was a good idea?"

"Do you think we could have stopped him if we tried?" Michonne retorted. "He cares about the Stark girl, Rick, and he heard of the injustices done to her family. He tries to undo injustice wherever he could find it, to balance the scales just like his father does. All I could do was to make sure they stayed as safe as possible."

"There were also thirty Northern musketeers under Ser Wylis Manderly," Maggie added wryly. "And so far none of the Westerosi had fallen victim to the Walker virus either."

"Fifty men, then. Against tens of thousands of Lannister and Tyrell soldiers. And you call this safe?"

"You weren't any better. You took our militia off to God knows where, and we hadn't heard from you for weeks! It was a stupid plan, sure, but the Stark girl knew what the city was like, and they had a plan for getting out if things got dodgy. We've all seen you and him pull off crazier stunts."

"Crazier?" Rick scoffed. "My plans had to be crazy! We were literally fighting for our lives, and we survived all these days. Some of us, anyway. But I'm the leader, Maggie, the one who makes the difficult choices, the one on the line when things start going wrong. Not you. Not Michonne, and definitely not Carl. I make hard decisions because I have to, but Carl-"

"We're still fighting for our survival, Rick. If the walkers were able to do so much damage with just their teeth and hands and feet, what do you think millions of Westerosi could do if we can't win them over to our side quickly enough? What happens then? You heard the Blackfish. Carl avenged their Red Wedding, when you couldn't even avenge that piece of shit Negan bashing Glenn's fucking head in!" Maggie was shouting now too, but still Rick did not move.

"You agreed that we're supposed to do things better this time, to rebuild civilization while skipping all the ugly parts. And Andrea. And Carl, who now executed two people in King's Landing according to this parchment." Rick felt the bile rise in his mouth. He angrily rolled up the parchment and slapped it into Maggie's hand.

"Do you think I could have said no to Rick the leader, Rick the hero, right after that war ended-"

"You couldn't," Michonne interjected. "Rick needed to look strong, and there was no time for arguing. Just like now. We needed to cement Carl's reputation among the Northmen, and taking King's Landing did just that. It would do us a lot of good if he marries the Stark girl, as a hero to the Northmen just as Rick is to us Alexandrians. It helps that they already like each other anyway. This will make him a noble of sorts, and-"

"But we don't have any kings or nobles in Alexandria," Rick said carefully. "We're all equal here."

"Our allies do, and all of Westeros does, and this isn't gonna change anytime soon. Maggie's right. Even now our position is nowhere close to secure. What if we need their help one day?" Michonne asked. "What if whatever we're building here struggles or even fails? Would you rather have Carl in charge, who is brave, kind, and strives for the same ideals as we do? Or do you want some unfamiliar tyrant whose name we don't even know yet?"

"What happens in Alexandria is your people's own affairs, Lord Grimes, and I will play no part," the Blackfish declared. "But I will allow Carl to choose which Stark sister he wishes to be betrothed to, even if it were the younger one instead of the older. I will see to it that whoever he chooses shall be crowned Queen in the North and of the Trident."

Rick breathed a sigh of relief. At least there wouldn't be any trouble for the betrothal pact. "Ezekiel, you haven't said anything since the meeting began."

"I have very little to add. But perhaps all of us should look towards the future rather than keep blaming each other about the past. Or should we hand King's Landing back to the Lannisters so we can fight them properly this time?" Ezekiel opined. "What's done is done, for good or for ill. All that's left is to figure out how to announce it."

Rick stopped. "Announce? But I thought you guys had known for days!"

Ezekiel smiled. "Jesus was at Harrenhal's rookery when the raven from King's Landing landed. He took the parchment himself and brought it directly to Maggie. He knows, of course. Andrea and Eugene too, and everyone in this room. But we didn't want to announce it to anyone else just yet. Maggie thought you would like us to save this news for one of your famous speeches."

Rick bit his tongue. Zeke had the right of it. He'd win no favors by arguing with his own supporters like this. This new world needed Rick Grimes, and all the good that came with him. But he needed the Alexandrians to trust him, to follow him, before they could see that he was right. He'd convince them, one by one, starting tonight. When night fell and the feast began, he could say whatever he wanted to...