Later on, Daryl and Isabelle had left the safe zone to head off into the forest, finding an area where they could camp out for the time being. Isabelle had brought a pair of binoculars, often watching the walkers that came through the bushes to see if there were any movements.

For a while, they didn't see much, so it was a comfortable silence between the two. But after a bit, Isabelle puts them down and looks over at him.

"Do you think we'll actually win this war?" she asks softly, turning to him. "I can't go back to Beta…I can't go through that again."

His brow furrows. "Course we will…gotta have faith and shit. Ain't that what got ya through all that shit back then?"

She sighs and glances back at the ground. "I had faith. Faith in myself…but faith in the world? That's long gone."

Daryl looks back at her before gently taking her hand in his. She looks up at him. "Ya gotta trust me…even if they did beat us, I ain't lettin' 'em go down without a fight. Ya hear? Yer stayin' with me, and Beta ain't gonna do shit about it."

Isabelle smiles gently before opening her mouth. But before she could, she suddenly heard a snap and glanced back into the binoculars. Suddenly, she stands up and gestures for Daryl to stand too.

"The walkers…they're moving in different patterns," she whispers, looking to him. "I think a Whisperer is leading them."

Daryl grabs his binoculars and looks into them, trying to look out. At further inspection, he could see that there were definitely some strange patterns in the smaller herd that looked like it could be lead by people, so she was on to something.

But as soon as he took the binoculars down to speak to her, he saw that she was gone; just gone.

"Isabelle?!" he calls out, instantly starting to go into panic mode. He could see that some of the walkers had heard him, but he didn't care. His mind was solely focused on trying to find her. He looks down at the ground and sees track marks embedded into the dirt of her shoes, so he follows them quickly.

As he heads down, he could finally see her, leaning against a tree and watching as the herd disappeared into the sight behind the treeline. The few walkers they had stumbled towards them and fell as soon as she plunged her knife into their heads.

Once they were done, Daryl suddenly turns her around and glares at her angrily. "The fuck was that?! We were supposed to stay together!"

She stumbles for words, and Daryl could instantly tell she hadn't been expecting his angry reaction. Honestly, he hadn't been expecting it either.

He didn't know what it was about this damn girl that made him so protective of her. Was it because he found her? That she was alone? That she seemed too innocent to the world and yet had experienced the most hardships probably out of almost anyone he knew? He had no fucking clue. All he knew was that he wanted to keep her safe, and her running off like that had scared the living shit out of him.

Daryl sighs and then places his hands on her shoulders. "'m sorry for yellin'." She closes her mouth at that, looking up at him with a furrowed brow. "I just didn't like ya runnin' off like that…that kinda shit doesn't fly with me and I need ya to listen to me, like we planned. I don't like getting scared, and ya scared me."

"I'm sorry," she mumbles, glancing away.

"Just don't do it again." He looks over at her and then nudges her shoulder. "Why did ya run off anyway?"

She looks up at him and then pulls something out of her bag. When it was revealed, he could see it was the mask of a Whisperer.

"I saw him pull it out," she states softly. "The man who was leading them. He took off his mask and headed in a different direction once the herd was heading that way, so I ran over and grabbed it before he could come back. I have a feeling he was leading them towards the forest, and wherever the end of that forest is, those walkers are going to fall into the pit of the larger herd, where they're keeping them. From there, we can really see how big the herd has gotten, and figure out our next steps."

Daryl nods his head, smiling a bit at her explanation. "Good shit…think we can do this." He looks over at her. "Still don't fuckin' run off without me again."

She nods her head. "I won't. I promise."

Daryl nods and looks ahead, before gesturing towards the forest. "Then let's head into the woods." He walks forward, holding his bow, and she stays behind, holding hers as well.

~%~

Night fell quicker than either of them could imagine, but once it did, they made sure to set up camp where they couldn't be found. They hadn't found the end of the forest yet, but Daryl had a feeling they were getting closer.

Halfway through the night, Isabelle had woken up and said she wanted to take a shift in watch. Daryl, who was honestly fucking exhausted at that point, had agreed to rest his eyes.

Everything worked out well for the most part until about halfway through his sleep, when he was woken up by a loud and terrifying scream of pain.

He instantly stands and grabs his knives, backpack, and bow, looking around for Isabelle. But she was nowhere to be seen. He was starting to get flashbacks to when she ran off earlier, but he knew she didn't willingly leave. She wouldn't do that after promising him. So what the fuck happened?!

"Isabelle!?" he calls out, heading through the woods. Walkers came at him from left and right, but he easily took them out with a few stabs. It was when he was getting closer to the cries that they started to multiply.

He heads a different direction when more of them started to come, and stumbles his way through the trees. His yells of "Isabelle!" were almost left to the quietness of the night and the subtle growl of the walkers in the distance. He was starting to lose hope when the cries stopped, and all he heard was nothing.

For the first time in forever, he actually felt his eyes get teary. There was no way she was dead. She couldn't be dead.

And then, he heard a soft voice, call out weakly, "…Daryl?"

He feels his heart give out and walks towards the voice. "Belle, speak to me, keep talkin'!" he whispers. "Hum somethin'!"

She starts to hum something that sounded like a lullaby, and he follows the sound until he finally finds her. Except…it was not how he wanted to.

She was on the ground, clutching her leg that looked like it had been split open with some wire. There was blood pooling at the bottom of her feet, and her cheeks had gone pale. Daryl cursed and sunk to his knees. "What the hell happened?" he whispers, suddenly feeling panic take over the hope he had only seconds ago.

Isabelle swallows and leans her head back against a tree. "I…I was on watch…and walkers started to come to our camp, too many to take...take out at once…I lured them away and killed them, but then more came from behind…and then more…and then more…I had no choice but to run…and it's dark, and they…someone set up this…trip wire…it wasn't a bomb but it was sharp...enough to…fuck…"

He could see the tears that were streaming down her face. Daryl places his hand gently on her forehead and could feel it was warm. "We gotta get ya somewhere," he mumbles. He suddenly rips off a part of his shirt and wraps it around her bleeding leg, causing her to cry out in pain. "It ain't the best but it'll stop the bleedin' for now."

"Daryl…I don't feel so good…"

Daryl curses and then looks over at her. "Isabelle, look at me. Just keep lookin' at me." The sound of walkers continues to grow, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they needed to get the fuck out of there. "Yer gonna be okay. Just keep lookin' at me."

He suddenly puts his bag and crossbow on his back, before lifting her up into his arms bridal style, wrapping her hands around his neck to hold on. She cringes in pain but tries to hold in a cry. Daryl looks around and then silently moves through the trees, trying to find a safe place.

He could feel her drifting in and out, but he kept jolting her a little to make sure she stayed awake. "Just keep lookin' at me, Isabelle…keep lookin' at me."

She quietly looks up and then speaks. "…Daryl?" He glances at her. "…I wanna go to Hogwarts." Her voice was slurred.

Daryl snorts at the statement, almost making him laugh, but this wasn't the time. "Yer fuckin' knockin' at death's door and all ya can say is that?"

"…mhmm."

Daryl shakes his head. "Yer somethin' else." He looks down at her and pulls her closer when she shivers. "It's gonna be okay…yer gonna be okay…"

And that was all he could say as they kept walking and walking, deeper and deeper into the unknown.

~%~

It took him another half hour to find an abandoned house in the massive forest, but once he did, he brought Isabelle in and gently laid her on a couch that had seen better days.

She cringes in pain, letting her head fall back against the dusty and decrepit pillow that was there. Daryl reaches into his bag, silently thanking his instincts for bringing one of the medical kits with them. He turns to her and then unwraps the shirt. She closes her eyes, trying not to yell.

"I'm gonna try and make this painless, okay?" he says to her gently.

She swallows and nods. He reaches inside and pulls out a syringe with a minor dose of Lidocaine – Siddiq had made sure to put this in every medical kit just in case they did have a situation where someone needed help. Daryl gently puts it into her skin, pushing the drug into her leg.

After that, once she nods that it was becoming numb, he cleans out the wound with some rubbing alcohol, before moving to stitches. As he stitches her up, he could see her crying from her seat. "Why are ya cryin'?" he asks her quietly. "I thought the drug-"

"It did." She glances outside. "I just feel like whenever I try to help, there's always something that is stopping me from helping fully, or I always fuck up somewhere…I feel like I'm such a waste."

"Belle, ya tripped on some wire in the dark trying to lure walkers away. That shit's happened to everyone." The face she gives him makes him rework his words. "Damn it, ya know what I mean. We've all had stupid shit happen to us when we were tryin' to help…take, uh…Sophia, for example. 'member me tellin' you about her?"

Isabelle nods. "She was Carol's daughter."

"Yeah, she was. I was lookin' for her one day, got held up by some walkers, tripped down a damn gorge and fell on one of my arrows. Pierced my back. Then, when I finally managed to dig my ass outta there, I got grazed on the head because I had so much muck and blood on me, my own group thought I was a walker."

Isabelle's brow raises. "That's scary. Who shot you?"

Daryl shakes his head. "Name was Andrea. She was a fuck-up…but she was a good member at the same time. Lost her to the Governor." He sighs and shakes his head. "Crazy how that was so fuckin' long ago…feels like yesterday sometimes."

He pulls back once the stitches are done and then gently places her leg on the couch. They weren't perfect, but they would do for the time being. She looks up at him and only then does he realize she had some blood on her face from cuts from falling. He grabs his clothe and wipes at it, sitting next to her.

"Once the drug wears off, it's gonna hurt like a bitch. We're gonna have to wait a couple of days to get back. Can't carry ya the whole way."

Her brow raises. "What, like I'm heavy?"

He snorts. "Trust me, ya ain't. I just don't wanna risk rippin' yer stitches this early." He glances outside and stands. "Get some sleep, I'll take watch."

As he stands to go outside, her soft voice calls out to him. "Daryl?" He looks over. "I know this is a major inconvenience…but thank you for taking care of me."

Daryl nods quietly, heading outside. Once he did, he pulls out a cigarette and takes a long drag, leaning his head against the wall. His mind was playing tricks on him. It had to be. He needed to focus on the major picture and make sure they were okay and that they could make it back to the zone.

Lydia. Damn, they should have brought her. She would have helped them. And now she's gonna be worried. The whole zone is.

But as he looked back into the room, and saw Isabelle settling down, he felt a few his worries slip away. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought.

~%~

He had to admit that around three-quarters of the night, he wasn't expecting to hear any more crying. But then he did. It was soft, barely there, but he could hear the sniffles coming from inside. So, he gently heads back in, dragging a chair to stop the door from being opened, and walks over to the couch.

Isabelle was facing the opposite way, but he could see her body shaking. "Belle?" he mutters softly.

She sniffles and then turns her head to look at him. "I'm sorry…the pain's back. It just hurts…hard to fall asleep again…"

Daryl nods quietly before moving next to her. "Anythin' I can do?"

"Daryl, you've done enough." She sighs and tries to move but curses at the pain, before sloppily letting her body fall back against the couch. "I feel so useless. I feel like a rag doll."

Daryl chuckles a bit. "It sucks…you'll get better though." He looks over at her and then clears his throat, leaning back against the couch. "That song ya were hummin'…when I was tryin' to find ya…that help ya sleep?"

A soft smile comes across her cheeks, almost reminiscent. "That lullaby has been a song that has passed down my family for generations…my brothers sang it to me, and my father sang it for them before…you know…if I ever have kids, I'll sing it to them…it did always help me fall asleep."

"Ya wanna sing it to me?"

Her brow furrows and she looks over at him in surprise. "You want me to sing to you?"

Daryl sighs. "Not like that…I mean, if ya sing it to me, might make ya wanna sleep or somethin'."

Isabelle glances at the ground before nodding, and her soft voice began to come through the empty shack.

"Where the north wind meets the sea, there's a river full of memory…sleep, my darling, safe and sound…for in this river, all is found."

Daryl didn't listen to music that often nowadays, but he had to admit he would listen to her voice for years. It was perfect for this kind of song. He even felt himself drift a bit.

"In her waters, deep and true, lie the answers and a path for you. Dive down deep into her sound…but not too far, or you'll be drowned."

He glances down at her, and could see her eyes closing. But she still sang.

"Yes, she will sing to those who hear…and in her song, all magic flows. But can you brave what you most fear…can you face what the river knows."

She moves slightly, only to rest her head against the pillow.

"Where the north wind meets the sea…there's a mother full of memory. Come, my darling, homeward bound. When all is lost…then all is found."

Isabelle glances up at him and then made herself hold in a laugh.

Daryl himself had fallen asleep to her singing.

He deserved it after the night they had. She gently moves her head and rests it against his shoulder, smiling a little.

"Sleep well, Dixon," she mumbles, before closing her own eyes.

~%~

Both were woken up the next morning by a loud rumble.

Daryl was the first to move. After realizing he had fallen asleep against her the night before, he gently moves her to the side and gets up, ignoring the blush that rose to his cheeks. He glances outside and curses, before opening the door and pointing his weapon at the man coming closer.

"Whoa, man-"

"Get outta here!" Daryl snaps, not making room for any argument.

"I was just looking for supplies-"

"I said get the fuck outta here or else ya ain't gonna be able to!" he growls.

Isabelle at that moment wakes up and calls out to him from her groggy state. "Daryl, calm down. He hasn't done anything."

"We can't trust anyone," he growls.

The man swallows and glances inside. "She's hurt…I can take you somewhere to wherever home is. I got a car. Please…don't hurt me. I'm just tryin' to live."

Daryl glares at him and then looks over at Isabelle. She was quiet. "Wait there," he snarls before going back to Isabelle. "He's got a car," he whispers to her. "I don't think we can trust 'im."

"Daryl, what choice do we have?" she asks softly. "We're stranded out here because of me and you can't carry me back…we need this car if we wanna get home."

Daryl looks over at her and then back at the man before sighing. "Fine." He gets up and grabs his bow. "I ain't killing you yet. Ya drive us back to where we need to go, I'll let ya live. She's gotta get home."

The man nods, clearly relieved. "Of course."

Daryl nods and heads back inside, grabbing his bag and then picking up Isabelle. She glances up at him and pulls at his vest. He looks down at her. "If he tries anything…we kill him."

He nods at her words. "Took 'em out of my mouth."

yes, that is a frozen song and yes i do still love Elsa with my whole heart. but it describes Isabelle so :p

thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing and following and favoriting. im not going to lie, ive been thinking of stopping due to low reviews but i realized i do have followers and such and i want to keep writing for you :) just let me know what you guys think because your reviews and follows and favorites always make me so happy. :)

thank you for reading and i hope you have a great day :)