Red River Blue
Chapter 24
"Do you think this is from Jed and his asshole marauders?," Michonne asked, glancing at Carl though her husband was the one that was holding the threatening letter they received. Ezekiel read the letter several times already. There was nothing in the text that was going to give him any more information than he already had.
"The saviors don't send letters," Ezekiel said, "...and it's well written."
"It wasn't them," Carl added with more certainty. Michonne turned her attention to him, clearly interested in how he came by this information. "Harley and Aiden killed those assholes on their way back from Hilltop. So unless Jed's sending letters from beyond the grave, it wasn't him."
Ezekiel's eyes widened slightly. He couldn't say he was sorry to hear about Jed's untimely demise. The last remaining savior stronghold had been causing trouble in the area for years. It was how casually Carl mentioned the killing that gave Ezekiel pause. He considered Alexandria an ally. The Kingdom relied on the trading they did with them. They bought a lot of food. And they paid well for it, with bullets and medicine. If The Kingdom needed help, Alexandria would be the first in line to defend them. But Ezekiel still found their methods to be a little unsavory at times. He preferred to negotiate first. Violence was always a last resort.
"We can't afford to pay them what they're asking," Michonne said, her voice soft and gentle. And even if they could afford it, giving in to these people's demands would only encourage them to shake The Kingdom down for more supplies next time. But she knew Ezekiel was still considering it. He would do whatever he could to avoid a conflict. Even if it meant swallowing his pride and giving in to these people's unreasonable demands.
"I could ride back home for reinforcements," Carl offered. "...But my dad and Daryl are still at Hilltop with Merle, helping Glenn and Maggie with that walker people group. So bringing more people here would leave Alexandria stretched pretty thin." Wren tucked herself into his side, wrapping her arm around Carl's waist.
"We could go back and get my sister," she suggested. Harley could take a group of Ezekiel's soldiers out and track down the men that sent the letter. Then their letter sending days would be over.
Ezekiel glanced at Jerry. The big man wasn't seriously injured. But his face was bruised and he was sporting a pretty epic black eye. The Highwaymen, as they called themselves in the letter, caught Jerry while he was out on patrol and roughed him up. Then they instructed him to take their letter to his King. Jerry was a kind and gentle man. It angered Ezekiel that these men hurt him for no good reason. And for a moment he considered just taking Carl and Wren up on their offer. Letting Alexandria deal with this threat would be the easiest thing to do. But the easy way wasn't always the right way.
"The Kingdom appreciates your willingness to put yourselves at risk to help us," Ezekiel said, placing his hand on Carl's shoulder and giving the young man a warm smile. "But since we have a time and a place to parlay with these Highwaymen, we will try to sort out a mutually beneficial compromise with them before we consider an offensive attack."
"However you wanna play it," Carl agreed. "...we've got your back."
Michonne smiled, moving forward to wrap her arms around Carl as well as she could with her swollen stomach between them. She missed all the friends she left behind in Alexandria. But she felt Carl's absence more keenly than the rest. Even before her doomed relationship with his father began, she and Carl shared a special bond. He'd grown into a much more calm and level headed man that Michonne would have expected given the chaos of his upbringing. And she knew a large part of that was due to Wren's influence. There was nothing more grounding in this new world than having not only a partner that would have your back no matter what, but having the right partner. Michonne knew that better than most.
"How much longer?," Wren asked, placing her hand on Michonne's rounded belly. Michonne smiled, not failing to notice the longing in Wren's eyes as she felt the baby move.
"Another month or two," Michonne replied. "...How much longer will it be until you're in this condition?" Wren's face lit up into a big grin. But Carl quickly interjected before she could say anything.
"We're not in any hurry," he snipped, the tone of his voice more harsh than necessary. It was obvious to Michonne that this was not a subject he was interested in discussing further. And though she wondered what the issue was, Michonne decided not to press further. Maybe they're having trouble conceiving, she thought to herself. But with how easily Wren's mother and sister got pregnant, Michonne doubted that was the problem. She turned her attention back to Wren, noticing with some shock that the girl's bottom lip was quivering and her eyes were filling with tears. Whatever was going on between Wren and Carl, it was quickly becoming very awkward for everyone else in the room.
"Why don't we step outside," Ezekiel said. "We should gather my soldiers and discuss our strategy for the parlay." Michonne gave him a grateful smile as he led Carl away towards the door. Wren wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. She didn't speak up until everyone else was gone. And even then her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Carl doesn't want to have any babies," she lamented. "After what happened to his mom. He says I could die and it's not worth the risk."
Giving thoughtful and poignant advice was more Ezekiel's thing than hers. Michonne didn't have anything to offer Wren except her love and support. Which she gave, wrapping her arms around the younger woman and holding her tight. After what happened to her first son, it took Michonne years to feel safe enough to have another child. And Carl had not only watched his mother die a bloody horrible death trying to birth his sister, he was the one to put her down so she wouldn't turn. It made perfect sense that he would want to make damn sure his wife didn't suffer the same fate. It was a problem that Michonne hoped might resolve itself with time and a little patience on Wren's part.
"We better get out there," Michonne said, "...before they plan everything without us." Wren nodded, leaning in for one more hug before she grasped Michonne's hand in hers and headed for the door.