Die For You

Previously…

I finished my final spoonful of cobbler, pushing the plate away with a contented sigh. "I have a feeling we're going to be very good friends, Jerry."

"Yeah?" Jerry smiled. "Cool."

"Now, where do y'all keep that beautiful tiger?" I asked, getting up from my place at the table.

"Why?" Jerry asked, turning to look at me. I just raised an eyebrow and jerked my head in the direction Daryl disappeared in. "Ah." He nodded. "You think that's where Daryl went off to."

I smiled, placing a hand on Jerry's shoulder. "Exactly."

Chapter 14

"Care to introduce me?" I quipped, watching the tiger nuzzle Daryl's hand.

"Shiva." Daryl murmured, nodding to the purring animal, then looked up at me. "This is Rosalind, my uh..." He looked away from me, probably not sure why those words were coming out of his mouth.

Hearing my full name fall from his lips did silly things to my insides. "Oh I think she knows, Ace." I murmured back with a smirk. I crept closer, trying to be respectful to the majestic creature. She took a step back and blinked at me, clearly under Daryl's spell. I gave the animal my best sympathetic grin. You and me both, ol' girl. I thought wryly. I slowly lowered myself to the ground, mirroring Daryl's open posture.

We sat in silence, save for the contented purring of the magnificent creature before us.

"I miss her." I murmured. "I know she had to leave, but it still hurts, ya know?"

Daryl's eyes flicked to me for a moment, then he hummed in agreement, "Mmmhmm."

"I respect that she had enough," I sighed, "I do."

"But?" Daryl drawled, eyes sliding sideways to catch mine.

I bit my lip, "But," I took a quick breath. "If she knew who Negan really was…" I trailed off, emotion choking my words. I dabbed at my eyes. "God, she'd be right here demanding King Ezekiel take up arms with us." I whispered, watching as Shiva came towards Daryl again, looking for a pet.

"She'd be leading us right to 'em." Daryl drawled, scratching Shiva's chin.

I nodded. "I hope she's safe." I cleared my throat, Shiva shot me an annoyed look. I gave an apologetic shrug.

"Nine lives, remember?" Daryl smirked.

"Thanks, Carol." I scoffed sarcastically, bumping shoulders with him.

Daryl chuckled, elbows resting on his knees. "How'd you know where I was?"

I laughed softly. "I know you, Daryl Dixon." I bit my lip, "You're more likely to make friends with the pet tiger than the King's men."

"Ya got that one covered." Daryl murmured, picking at the dirt under his nails.

"Hey, now." I scoffed, "Jerry is a nice kid." Daryl just scoffed, keeping his gaze on the tiger. "Sometimes it's nice to just have a conversation." I murmured, "The Kingdom may not join us now, but they will eventually."

Daryl squinted at me. "Ya think so?"

"I know so." I smirked. "We both know who Negan is, this place hasn't had a full taste of that yet." I sighed, "Once they do-"

"They'll join us." Daryl finished for me, fingers ghosting over mine.

"Exactly." I murmured, turning my hand so our fingers entwined.

We sat in silence again, this time Shiva had laid down and was watching us carefully.

"I miss her too." Daryl whispered. "I wish she-" His voice broke and my head snapped to attention. I was suddenly on my knees in front of him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face to rest on my chest. He broke down, sobs shaking his shoulders. My chest grew wet with his tears and I ran my fingers through his hair soothingly.

"I've got ya, Ace." I murmured, resting my chin on top of his head. I felt like I was sheltering him from the storm raging inside us both. After a few moments he lifted his hands to rest on my hips, squeezing affectionately.

Daryl cried for a long time, the light faded from the room and we were almost in complete darkness. He loosened his grip, his breathing smoothing out. I leaned back a little to look down at him, my hand cupping his cheek. "We'll find her." I murmured. "I'm not giving up." He nodded, taking a shaky breath. I wiped away his remaining tears with my thumbs and leaned in to press my lips to his softly. I sat back on my heels, immediately missing the feel of his lips on mine, but I wanted to give him some space.

"A'right." Daryl nodded, chin lifting a little. I could tell he felt better knowing I knew he was hurting. He and Carol were close and to have her leave just before he went through hell at the Sanctuary was hard. I got to my feet and offered him a hand. He took it and ran a shaky hand threw his hair. He moved closer to me, hands gripping my biceps gently. My heart sped up at the look in his eye. I could see desire and need flickering in their depths.

Someone cleared their throat near the stage curtain. Daryl and I immediately reacted, each unsheathing a knife and standing at the ready. "Sorry to interrupt." King Ezekiel stood with his arms half raised in a surrender gesture.

"King," I breathed, immediately putting my knife away. I bowed my head, bending my knee a little in a gesture of respect. Daryl put his knife away, arm sliding around my waist, holding me close as we faced the King together.

"Jerry told me you might be here." King Ezekiel explained. I opened my mouth to apologize, but the King held up a hand. "It's fine." He smiled, "Shiva is a good judge of character." His words caused me to glance over at the cage. Shiva wasn't growling or pacing, she was sitting peacefully, watching us interact.

I bit my lip, feeling my cheeks heat. I was sure Shiva tolerated my presence only because I was with Daryl the tiger whisperer.

"You must be exhausted." The King continued. "Allow me to show you to your quarters."

"Sure." I nodded, looking up at Daryl. He nodded. "Lead the way."

"Rick had said you might want to stay together." King Ezekiel explained, opening a door. The room was small and contained a double bed, dresser and another door that I assumed might be a bathroom if we were lucky. "There's a room next door if you wish to rest separately."

"Thanks." Daryl gave the King a nod, ushering me inside the first room. He followed me inside.

"I bid you both goodnight then, pleasant dreams." The King gave a slow nod and swept from the doorway.

Daryl shut the door and sat down on the bed, stripping off his boots. I explored the room, opening the door I had hoped was a bathroom. Oh, I wasn't disappointed. I knew the Kingdom had solar panels, so running water wasn't too much of a stretch. They still used candles for light, but I assumed it was just to conserve energy so they could have functioning plumbing.

We settled down for sleep, stripping off our outer layers of clothes, using the facilities. I went first this time, and after I was finished washing up I returned to the bedroom, letting Daryl have his turn. I lay back on the bed, star-fishing right in the middle, my feet hanging off the end. The mattress was worn and a tad lumpy, but it felt good to lie down after such a long day.

I drifted, almost asleep when the bed dipped and Daryl sat down on the edge of it, facing away from me. I sighed deeply, sitting up to wrap my body around his, knees resting against his left thigh. I kissed his shoulder, letting my lips linger on his skin. He ducked his head, pressing a kiss to my right forearm, warm palm sliding down my bare thigh. I shivered at the sensation, a quiet moan leaving my lips as I pressed closer to him. He turned his head, and I leaned forward to meet his lips with my own.

His arm slid around my back, turning to lay me back against the mattress, covering my body with his own. His kiss was slow, but deliberate, as if he was memorizing my mouth with his tongue. He broke the kiss to nip at my neck down to my collarbone. Suddenly I yawned, big and deep. Daryl pulled back and started to move away when I reached out and stopped him. "Sorry." I murmured. He didn't meet my gaze, so I sat up so we were face to face, eye to eye. "This what ya need, Ace?" I asked, fingers splaying along his jaw.

He still refused to meet my eyes. So I let my hand slide down his chest to his lap. I groaned feeling him half hard through the denim. A sharp intake of breath brought my eyes back up to his face. This time he was watching me, eyes heavy lidded and dark as midnight.

"Need ta feel ya." He murmured, pulling me closer, palm closing over my right breast, his other hand cupping the back of my head.

I arched into his touch, a soft whimper escaping my lips. "Whatever you need, Dare." I swallowed hard, "I'm here."

Just before I drifted off, I heard him whisper. "Always gonna need ya."

I smiled, snuggling into his side, my head pillowed on his chest. "Always." I murmured back. "Always."

The morning dawned clear and bright. We gathered outside the auditorium for The King to deliver his decree. I already knew the answer. King Ezekiel was too keen on holding on to the precarious peace The Kingdom had with the Saviors to risk helping us. I didn't blame him, but it still stung.

"Although The Kingdom cannot grant you the aide you desire," The King motioned to Daryl and I. "The King is sympathetic to your plight." He turned to Rick, "I offer our friends Daryl and Rosalind asylum, for as long as they require it." He smiled, "They will be safe here. The Saviors do not set foot inside our walls."

"How long you think that's gonna last?" Daryl scoffed, turning away from The King with the rest of the group, heading towards the gate. He gripped my upper arm to get me to go with him. He knew me too well. If he hadn't pulled me away, I'd've given The King a piece of my mind.

"A'right, open it up." Daryl called to the guard at the gate. "We're goin'."

"You're not." Rick shook his head, stopping us from leaving the settlement.

"We ain't staying here." Daryl shook his head back, hands waving out to his sides. I nodded. We needed to get back to Alexandria and prepare to fight the Saviors.

"You have to." Rick explained, "It's the smartest play. You know it is." He looked at me. "Try to talk to Ezekiel." He turned back to Daryl. "Or, stare him into submission, whatever it takes." He placed his hands on Daryl and my shoulders. "We'll be back soon." With that he went through the gate and turned back to look at us for a moment as the gate was pulled shut.

I turned away from the gate and started making my way back to the center of the settlement. Daryl fell into step beside me. "I'm gonna knock Morgan into next week." I murmured, hands balling into fists. "Fucking find another way, my ass." I scoffed.

"Yeah, there ain't no other way." Daryl drawled.

We came up to a target practice station. No one was currently practicing, so there wasn't much gear around. "Wanna blow off some steam?" I offered, unbuckling both of my weapons holsters. I set them on the table, pushing one towards him. Daryl smirked and nodded, unsheathing two knives. "I thought maybe we could head out to hunt after lunch."

"A'right." Daryl nodded, turning to the target. He threw the knives in quick succession, hitting the red bullseye will ease.

"Damn." I swore, a wide grin cracking my face. I took a deep breath and threw a knife, hitting the bullseye too.

We continued to throw knives for the next hour, giving each other shit. Jerry appeared, bearing news from the King himself. "That is some fine knife throwing, Rosalind!" Jerry exclaimed. "Daryl, you too, man." He smiled.

"Thank you, Jerry." I smirked, watching Daryl retrieve our knives.

"The King would like to speak with you." Jerry informed us.

"Okay." Daryl drawled coming back to the table.

"Uh, well, actually, just you Rosalind." He shrugged apologetically. Daryl scoffed, returning the knives back to the holster. He held it out to me. I shrugged it on and buckled it in place. I bent and quickly strapped my thigh holster back in place.

"Okay, then." I shrugged, smoothing my hair. I turned to Daryl, "I'll see you late-" I was cut off by his lips meeting mine. I melted into the kiss, my hands fisting into his shirt for a moment.

And just like that, he released me, "See ya later." He murmured with a smirk, and nodded at Jerry over my head before turning back to the targets. Richard had appeared and was setting up to practice archery.

"Practicing." He explained. "Gotta start using these more." He drew back the bow. "The Savior's are smart enough to know I shouldn't have a gun."

Jerry held out his hand, "This way, Rosalind."

I followed after him, glancing back to see Richard hand Daryl a crossbow. I smiled. It was good to see Daryl with his weapon of choice again.

"Ah, Rosalind Rhodes." The King said my name with a flourish. "So nice to see you again, my dear." He smiled, motioning for me to sit opposite him. Jerry had brought me to what looked like The King's private office.

"Thank you for allowing Daryl and I to stay here, your majesty." I bowed my head and dipped my knee a little before sitting down.

"It is our pleasure." The King assured me. "It is my understanding that you and Daryl were prisoners at the Sanctuary and escaped?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "I was treated like a guest because I surrendered. Daryl was taken and tortured."

The King took a quick breath. "Well, I am glad you are both free." He shook his head. "It's a shame there are people in this world who seek to own and torture others."

I barked a laugh. "Seriously?" I scoffed. "I want to string 'em all up and watch 'em die for what they've done to Daryl, to Abraham and Glenn, to Alexandria!" I pursed my lips. "I want Negan to pay for what he's done to my family."

The King regarded me carefully for a moment. "So you seek revenge under the guise of justice?"

"Yes, but," I spat, chest heaving. I crossed my arms. "We need to win."

The King smiled. "Ah. So you do have some wit about you then."

I bit my lip. He was right. If I didn't get ahold of my rage, this war with the Saviors would be over before it was even started. "Having Daryl helps." I confessed.

Ezekiel sighed, "Yes, having someone you love, close, can help ease your inner turmoil." He leaned forward, "I'm sure he could say the same thing about you, yes?"

I leaned back with a sigh of my own. "Sure." I shrugged, not meeting his eyes.

The King leaned back, preparing to rise. "I'd like for you join my men in a sweep of the surrounding area." He smirked. "We like to keep up with the accumulation of the dead ones."

I scoffed. "You're seriously inviting me to join your little task force to kill walkers?"

The King smiled, rising from his chair. "I know you were head of security back in Alexandria, so I know that you can handle yourself just fine."

I stood with him. "You're giving me an outlet for my vengeance." I mused, earning a grin from the King.

"Let's just call it anger management." The King chuckled, showing me out of the room.

We did a full sweep of the surrounding area. The first walker I killed I fumbled a little, but still managed to put it down quickly. The next three felt like I was putting on a old hat.

"You're good out here." Dianne, one of the King's archers said to me as we came upon a small cottage. The house was fenced in all the way around, a few headstones stood huddled together in the corner of the front yard.

"Kinda have to be." I shrugged, catching her eye. "Thanks." I smiled, trying to accept the compliment. She smiled back.

The door to the cottage opened and a woman stepped out unto the porch. "Told Richard no more visits." As soon as she spoke I knew who it was. Carol Peletier stood with her hands on her hips, scowling at King Ezekiel.

"I am aware." The King explained, drawing our group closer to her door. "Your desire is solitude, and that's what I've ordered to be facilitated." He rested his hands on his staff. "My men are here clearing away the wasted. They are quite inconsiderate when it comes to those who are wanting to be left alone." He smirked. "I thought our efforts would be quiet enough to fall beneath your notice." He nodded to her. "You're the one who opened the door."

"You tripped my wire." Carol shrugged, still focused on Ezekiel.

"Thought I caught it in time." The Redhead kid explained, "Sorry."

Dark haired boy spoke next, "You hid 'em well, lady." He smirked.

"Don't call her lady." Dianne frowned. I tensed, waiting for Carol to spot me, but she was still focused on the King.

"Ma'am, Ms., Missus." Dark hair tried.

"You can shut up now." Dianne instructed, giving the kid a tight smile.

"Copy." He answered, sheepishly ducking his head.

Carol just squinted, "Goodbye, your majesty." She turned away.

Suddenly Jerry un-shouldered his pack, "Hold up!" He pulled out a Tupperware container of, "Cobbler!" he exclaimed, bringing it forward. "Kevin said you like it, just in case you opened the door." He held it out to her.

Carol looked back at The King and shot him an annoyed look. Then she looked over his right shoulder and her eyes flew wide. She finally locked eyes with me.

"Rosalind?" She asked, taking the cobbler from Jerry.

"Hey Carol." I raised my hand to her, offering a small smile.

"Go!" She spoke to the King and his men. She pointed at me. "You. C'mere." She turned away and set the cobbler on the table inside the door.

"I'll be fine." I told the King, striding toward the house. The King and his men left to finish their sweep.

I climbed the steps and Carol pulled me in for a fierce hug. I found my eyes welling up a little as she squeezed me before letting me go.

"Jesus took us to the Kingdom." I explained, clearing my throat. "I was asked to join the King on his sweep of the area."

Carol smiled and nodded through the few tears falling from her eyes. She ushered me inside and closed the door. Carol and I were close, but not as close as her and Daryl were. Their bond was deeper. The Apocalypse helped them rise above their circumstances and make something of themselves.

I looked around at Carol's little home. It was clean, looked like she was settling in nicely. "This is nice, Carol." I commented, settling on the sofa next to her.

"Thank you." She murmured, moving a few books out of the way.

"I'm here with Daryl." I blurted, trying to think of something to say.

"Oh, really?" Carol smirked. "You finally figure out what's going on between you two?"

I blushed. "I think we've come to an understanding." I chuckled.

"Good." Carol sighed. "You two are good for each other. Balance each other out and all that." She smiled. "Now, tell me-"

Suddenly a soft knock sounded on the door. It almost seemed hesitant at first. I had a few guesses who it might be.

Carol rolled her eyes and got up from the sofa to go back to the door. She wrenched it open and I watched as Daryl and Carol were reunited. Carol seemed to have stopped breathing and they just stared at each other for a moment. Then they embraced fiercely for a moment before Daryl explained that Jesus had brought us to The Kingdom and how Morgan said she just left and that he'd been walking around when he'd spotted us.

"Why did you go?" Daryl asked, his voice breaking. I could tell he was very upset by her just running away and refusing to integrate into another community. He was worried about her and I found it incredibly sweet of him.

Carol shrugged, tears streaming down her face. "I had to." She confessed. Daryl just nodded. She stepped back, letting him in the house.

"Hey, Ace." I greeted him with a warm smile. "Fancy seeing you here." I winked. He nodded to me, setting his crossbow down on the table with the cobbler.

"You guys hungry?" Carol asked, kneeling down at the fireplace.

I glanced out the window, the light was fading, it would be dark soon. I'd skipped lunch talking with the King and going on the sweep. "I could eat." I smirked, settling at the dining table. Daryl took a chair beside me and we both faced Carol who was at the fireplace, stoking the fire.

"Sure." Daryl drawled, eyes sliding sideways to meet mine. I could tell I would be answering some questions about my whereabouts when we were alone again. I just gave him an apologetic shrug and turned my attention back to our host.

"I couldn't lose anyone." Carol said, once she had a pot of stew on the grate. "I couldn't lose any of 'em." She sniffled, looking back at each of us. "I could lose you, or you." She shook her head a little. "I couldn't kill them." She took a quick breath. "I could. I would. If they hurt any of our people-anymore of them-that's what I would do." She looked back at the fire. "And there wouldn't be anything left of me after that." She sighed, "The Saviors. Did they come?" She asked, looking at Daryl.

I reached over and gently covered Daryl's hand that was resting on the tabletop with my own. "Yeah." Daryl answered, looking over at me briefly before returning his gaze to Carol.

She moved away from the hearth, turning to face us. Her eyes welled up with tears, like she was afraid to ask her next question. "Did anyone get hurt? Is everybody okay? Did the Saviors-" Her voice broke. "Is everybody back home okay?"

Daryl's breathing sped up, and I squeezed his hand. He glanced over at me, I could tell he was debating on whether to tell her the truth or not. I shook my head slightly, eyes welling up with tears.

"Daryl…" She pleaded, tears spilling over.

He took a deep breath. "They came. We got 'em all." He assured her. "We made a deal with the rest of 'em, like Ezekiel." He looked over at me. I nodded. "Everyone's alright." He repeated, "Everyone's alright."

Carol heaved a sigh of relief, wiping away her tears.

I let go of Daryl's hand and he slapped the table with it. "We gonna eat, or do I gotta be a King or something to get food around here?" He quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

Carol laughed. "Shut up." She murmured turning to yank our dinner out of the fire.

Dinner was quiet, but Daryl did ask Carol about The King. "Ezekiel." Daryl said between bites. "Is he okay?" He asked, taking another spoonful of stew.

Carol nodded. "Yeah," She sniffed, "I think he is."

"Good." I smiled at Carol who was grinning from ear to ear. I could tell she was enjoying having people eat at her table.

Once we were finished, Carol insisted that we get going, didn't want us to be outside the walls too late. I could tell that as much as she liked having us around, it was pretty overwhelming and unexpected.

"Watch out for yourself, alright?" Daryl insisted, hand resting on Carol's shoulder. She nodded.

I offered Carol a wave as we stepped off the porch and headed out into the darkness. Daryl put his hand on my lower back to guide me over Carol's trip lines. I looked back at the porch to see Carol watching us, smiling.

Dearest Readers,

Thank you to Gryffindor Rat and BookKeeper88 for your reviews! Always lovely to hear from you!

We're moving right along now, getting Daryl and Roz back out into the communities and rallying the troops. I'm looking forward to figuring out where Roz fits in the next couple of episodes. I'm toying with a flashback, and also sending her with Sasha and Rosita on their mission instead of her hiding with Daryl and Maggie in the cellar. We'll see!

Thank you for your support. I love hearing from y'all!

xoxo

Lumora The White