Chapter Sixteen: March to War (Part II)

Judith pouted on her bed for ten minutes until she realized nobody was paying attention. She was starting to hate having a room to herself. Judith was used to having the bulk of her immediate and extended family's attention. She didn't like being ignored. Judith jumped off her bed and went to find someone. Carl's door was closed. She was about to kick it when she heard him sleeping. Between working and Miles, he didn't get much rest. Judith thought about kicking his door anyway, but Carl was quicker than she was. He'd catch her and she'd be in trouble. The last thing she wanted was a spanking. Instead Judith went to her room and got five slips of paper. With a black crayon she drew mad faces on them. She grabbed a red-orange crayon and scribbled angrily over her drawing. She was going to give that one to Miles. She was mad at Miles the most.

The tiny brunette slipped one under Carl's door and then did the same to Miles and Chenelle's room. Lastly, she went to her parents' room. To her surprise, the door was open. Judith peeked inside. Rick was laying on the bed with Miles beside him. Judith looked at her drawing. She decided to go back to her room to make changes. She grabbed a blue crayon and drew tears underneath the eyes. She thought Miles would've been in his mother's room. Seeing him with Rick made her sad. Rick was her daddy not his! Miles had taken her brother; now he was working on her parents. Judith had enough; she decided she was going to give them the picture, pack her stuff and go to her Uncle Daryl's house. Maybe her uncle still loved her.

Judith returned with her picture and approached her father and nephew. Rick was talking, at first Judith thought it was to her until she realized he wasn't. She folded her arms. "Why y'all talk ta him? He's a baby. He can' talk back."

Rick saw his daughter's miffed expression; he saw the photo in her hand. "Come here." Rick sat up and reached for Judith. He put her on his lap. A brief moment of insecurity swept through Rick. Every hug he gave Judith, he worried she's find his stump disgusting. As usual, she didn't pull away. She felt repulsion towards the youngest Grimes, not her father. "He won't always be a baby. The more you talk to him the more he learns."

"I don' wanna talk ta him. He smells and he's loud. Ebryone likes him, but I don't."

"That's because you don't know him." Judith looked unconvinced at first, but she looked at Miles curiously. He was tanner from the last time she saw him. Most days she avoided him because of his crying or dirty diapers. This was the first time she'd seen him awake and not crying. Miles had a full stomach and clean diaper. He was content. Judith realized he was cute, totally different from the screaming red ball she'd been avoiding. He smelled nice when he was clean. She hadn't been around many babies to place the scent. Miles looked at her as well, but then focused on Rick when he started talking again. "He's going to look up to you one day, just like you look up to Carl. You're his auntie. He's gonna need you to protect him and teach him stuff, thangs he doesn't know."

"Just like my Auntie Maggie and Auntie Cawoll?"

"Just like them."

Judith looked confused, "But daddy, I'm four. I can' do stuff like Auntie Maggie and Auntie Cawoll."

"I know, but you can teach him things they can't. Like the best hiding places and how to make friends. Everyone who knows you can't help, but love you. It's been that way since you were born. You bring people together and make them happy."

Judith ignored that. "He's gonna hafta do what I say. Cause I'm his Auntie Judy." There was a sinister edge to the way she said her title. Rick decided that it was better than her resenting him. He knew there would be several other talks in the future concerning Miles.

Each day, Rick gained more of what he'd searched for. He was a little sad that he would have to leave his kids again, but Rick would be back. When he did, the world would be a little safer for them.

Michonne was on her way home when she knocked on Maggie and Tara's door. It had been a while since she'd visited. She'd given up her grudge the night Glenn died. All Tara wanted was Rick to be happy. Even though she went about it the wrong way Michonne could understand her reasoning. They'd worked well when they went to Grady. Maggie was awesome in Alexandria. Michonne knew she'd want them on this trip to Hilltop and the Kingdom.

After a brief moment Maggie opened the door. "Hey"

Michonne frowned, "hey." Maggie looked really ill. She was extremely pale and looked looked like she was shivering. Michonne wondered if she had the flu. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fi'ne. What is it?"

"...We're going to Hilltop, but I think you should go to the infirmary."

Maggie scoffed. "No, thank you."

"Mag-"

"I said no! Jesus Christ, if you wanna help me, go to Hilltop and get them to our side. I'll get better when Negan's dead."

"..."

"Is that all?" Maggie seemed to be temperamental. Michonne knew this wasn't normal.

"That's all." She looked Maggie in her eyes. "After we deal with Negan, we're still going to have to deal with everything else."

"Everythan' else? It worked out for you!"

Michonne looked taken aback; her face then became stony. Michonne wanted to laugh. It would be a bitter laugh. It worked out for her? Yes, Michonne had a family now. Many would even say she had love, but it wasn't supposed to be that way. She had everything in her old life: a loving family, successful career, status. Yes, she was blessed with it again, but it didn't come without loss. There would always be a fight for her security. Her status came from living and keeping others alive. Plus everyone she called family looked nothing like her and they never would. It worked out? That was debatable.

Michonne decided she'd tell Rick about it. Maybe he'd be able to convince Maggie to get help. Rick wasn't her favorite person in Alexandria either. Maggie held a lot of resentment. Rick's family was growing and she felt like hers disappeared. Michonne also thought it might be beneficial for her to see their shrink. She wasn't blind that she wanted everyone else to talk to him, but not herself. Michonne knew that Dr. Russells was a good doctor and had helped others, but she wasn't ready. Perhaps she'd follow her own advice and deal with it once Negan was out of the way.

The Next Day...

Tara, Jessie, Rick, Michonne, and Aaron left Alexandria in the afternoon. They left Daryl, Sasha, Maggie, and Abraham home specifically to deal with the Saviors just in case they weren't back in time for the tribute. The car was silent at first until Tara started conversation. "Is this your first time outside the walls?"

Jessie nodded. "Yes. Honestly, I've forgotten how beautiful the world was. I want to continue doing this. Maybe I can see a beach again."

"I used to hate the beach. Too much sand that got everywhere and the sun always burned me." Tara grimaced, but then smiled a nice memory that came from it.

"Sam, poor kid, was like that. He would sit on a towel and never move. Ron loved the water, he was good a beach volleyball too. ...I have to see the beach again."

Aaron continued the conversation. "I miss the beach at night. The waves, the cool breeze, the stars. It seems like a fairy tale now."

"Wow, Rick, Michonne have you ever thought of that? Miles and Judith may never see a beach."

"I just want them to live." Rick said darkly. There was an awkward silence. He realized he made the atmosphere grim. "But who knows, if all goes well maybe it'll be a possibility."

"I hope."

Michonne sat and thought when she and her sisters would go to the beach in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. The waters were so beautiful and clear. They would take selfies, drink delicious chilled alcohol, shop, and flirt with strangers. It was where she conceived Andre. Andre loved the beach. He would play in the waves and make sandcastles. They used to bury Mike's friend Terry in the sand or make him a merman. Michonne felt a slight pain in her chest. She'd be happy never leaving the walls again if it would bring Andre back. She tried to focus on her mission, this was for Carl, Judith, and Miles. As trivial as it was, it would be nice to have memories like that with them.

After a day's travel, they arrived at Hilltop. The guards looked at them warily. "What do you want?"

They always went through this. "My name is Rick Grimes, this is my wife Michonne, Tara, Aaron, and Jessie. We're from Alexandria. We need to talk to Gregory about some thangs."

"What kind of things?"

Aaron took over. He was a better diplomat than Rick. "It's nothing to be alarmed with. We found something that may aide with crops. We don't produce as much food as Hilltop so we thought we could barter maybe. Form a trade."

The guards looked at each other. They opened their gates and let them roll in. Rick looked around the town with amazement. There were so many people. The last time he was here, he'd promised the Savior problem would be taken care of. It didn't go over well. He would have to convince Jesus to still listen to him again. Rick hoped he would listen. He would even play the coward in front of Gregory to make it so. He would play up his grandson's birth and the Harvest Festival; he'd make it a celebration. Rick smiled at that. Miles was already an important person. The people of Hilltop looked at them as cautiously as he looked at them. It was a product of everything they'd been through, they can't fully trust their allies.

Remembering last visit, the crew washed before visiting Gregory. Then they discussed business over dinner. Jesus was with them. Gregory seemed to be the only one unaware that the proposition wasn't for him. Aaron started talking. Unlike their trip to Grady, Rick let him in on their plan to destroy the Saviors. Aaron understood even though the thought of killing so many people sickened him, but he would do anything to protect Eric and his home. This included going to war. Aaron made up surrendering to the Saviors and claimed the pesticides were a token of their apology for any trouble it might have caused. Aaron also invited them to their Harvest Festival. Gregory chastised the group for biting off more than they could chew. However, he was eager for the festivities. Gregory fantasized about Maggie, Michonne, Sasha, Tara, and now Jessie; if this was a glimpse of Alexandria he wanted to see more. He would attend the Harvest Festival; the town would. Gregory would never miss an opportunity to wine and dine.

Jesus listened, but didn't say anything. He found it odd that the ambitious group from a few months ago would suddenly cave. Aaron was very convincing, but Jesus was no fool. His concentration switched when he felt someone staring at him. Jessie jumped once she saw she was spotted; Jessie blushed. Her throat became parched. She knew what she was there for, but didn't expect Paul Rovia to be so good looking. She felt like she would melt under those blue-green eyes. She gave him a sweet smile. Still a little flustered she ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Hola, soy Jessie. ¿Tu sabes español?"

Jesus smiled. "Je ne comprends pas. Parlez-vous français?"

Jessie was about to say no when, Michonne replied in her stead. "Oui; parlons en français."

Rick stared at Michonne. Since when could Michonne speak French? He knew he didn't know much about her past, but this was a major tidbit about her he was clueless about. Michonne... When Rick thought about it, her name did sound French. He wondered why nobody brought it to his attention. Before this moment Rick thought her name was a wild creation from her parents. Hearing Michonne speak French had him curious about her life before him. He wanted to know it all. Where were her people from? How'd she learn? Did she teach French? Did Andre know French? Hell, did Carl and Judith know French? He wasn't missing just her life before the Turn, he was missing two years from the time they met. He'd unravel her mystery, but for the moment he went with the flow.

Gregory looked at the exchange in confusion. "Well isn't this a treat. I didn't know you had so many talented people in your midst." He stared at Jessie. "I would love to get to know you all a little better."

"Something tells me this is more than a talent show." Jesus quipped in French.

Michonne smiled. She could see why Chenelle spoke to herself in Spanish so much. It was nice to hear her mother's tongue. Michonne's mother would always remind her daughters that only 25% of Americans were bilingual and that knowing French gave them an advantage. Michonne never realized how beneficial it was until this moment. She could talk about her plans in a room full of people without fears of a leak to Negan. "We've come up with a plan to get rid of the Saviors. We will just need the help from Hilltop and the other colonies."

Jesus's smile fell. "We are not warriors. We've helped you scout locations, all that we know-"

"We're not asking you to fight. If we do this correctly nobody except those whom need to know will know this is happening." Although clueless about the conversation, Gregory was deep in it. It was like watching television. He made up dialogue. In his mind Michonne was trying to seduce Jesus with Rick sitting next to her.

"Go on."

"It won't take much for those pesticides to be lethal. Add a teaspoon to what they drink. A teaspoon to jam, sauce, anything you can mix, spray a little over their tribute. They'll consume it and die. And to those that don't, Rick and the rest of us will be read with an fully stocked arsenal to wipe them out. Everyone."

Aaron whispered in Gregory's ear. "I speak a little French. What they're saying could become needless gossip. We can go elsewhere to discuss the Festival."

Gregory whispered back. "To leave now would be rude. Let's just continue to enjoy our meal."

"Jesus, I'm a grandmother now."

"Impossible!"

"He's almost two weeks old. I love that little boy. I have a son and daughter at home, a man who loves me so much it might be an obsession. ...If we do this without Hilltop I could lose them. That scares me more than anything. I have nightmares about losing my family. You have no idea what I'll do and have done to keep them safe."

Jesus thought about her words. "...Are you threatening Hilltop?"

"It's not a threat. I'm begging for your help. Paul, we have to do this."

"...give me more details about your plan." Jesus was moved. He felt like he was a good judge of character. Her words were honest, probably even more so since this was her native language. Jesus drank a little sip of wine; he continued a show for Gregory. "Michonne, I cannot tell you how beautiful it was speaking to you just now."

"It was. French is my first language and I haven't spoken it in years."

"Mine too. Would you like to walk with me, continue our conversation?"

"Oui."

Michonne turned to Rick and gave him a nod. Rick smiled and continued to eat his meal. Hilltop was in.

Rick watched as Michonne brushed and flossed her teeth before bed. Rick did the same, but flossing agitated him. Rick wondered what it would take to train dentists. He would ask the Monroes when he returned. Michonne rinsed her mouth and inspected her teeth. Finding nothing pressing she joined Rick in bed. His arms wrapped around her waist. She was so used to this she started to drift to sleep. Rick couldn't. His mind was still on her past. He wanted her to reveal things in her own time, but it bothered him that he didn't know this about her. Four years, and he was just finding out she was bilingual.

"How come you never told me?"

Michonne sighed. "I don't know. It never came up. There wasn't a use." Hypothetically, she could have cursed her enemies or pretended she didn't know English, but it wasn't as practical as silence. A lot of times silence seemed like the best alternative. Michonne wished it was the case now. She didn't want to talk about the past. Speaking with Jesus made her think about her parents, sisters, lover, and son. They were all lost to this world.

"How many languages do you know?"

"Just two."

Rick nodded. That was still impressive to him. He tried to learn a little Spanish over the past week for Miles. It wasn't easy. "How?"

"My mother was born in France." She could tell Rick wanted more, but she didn't budge.

"Were you?"

"No."

"Did you have siblings?"

Michonne got frustrated. That was enough. "Stop it. I don't know why you want to do this now. I respect your privacy, respect mine."

"I just want to know you."

"You do. You know what matters."

"...your siblings don't matter?"

Michonne flinched. She knew he didn't mean it, but that hurt. Michonne was beginning to regret speaking to Jesus. With Aaron's background she was sure he knew French; he was probably a polyglot. Michonne assumed Rick was curious about her past because of the new stage in their lives. She just didn't know why she was reliving everything now. "I was born in Savannah. I was a middle child; I have... had an older and younger sister. My mom taught French and my father was a cardio surgeon. They were strict, but loving. They're the reason I'm alive. My parents made me take up fencing. Extracurriculars look good for college. They inadvertently trained me for this life. ...I moved to Atlanta because I started working for Coca-Cola. I was doing business for them when I ran into Mike in DC. He was a lobbyist. There's not much else to say."

There was. She'd left out Andre.

"...My past is boring in comparison. My father was a cop and my mother stayed at home. I don't think Pa was a very good cop; everyone liked him, but Pa was fat. He'd always been a large, fat man. He was like a TV cop. I don't know how he manage to attract my mom, but somehow he did. Sometimes I think the same of us. You're so beautiful and amazing and I'm average..."

"..."

"Pa died my freshman year of highschool. I think that's how me and Shane became as close as we did. I don't know how I would have made it without him. I had Shane; ma got a cat, and Jeff had Lori. They were best friends growing up. She had a crush on me for the longest, but I never saw her that way until my senior year. She was a sophomore at the time and I don't know. It's just like she went from "that girl with Jeff" to "Lori". I still ignored her until I came back from college one year and she was my cashier. I think Jeffie had a crush on her because he didn't speak to me for like a year." Rick thought about his brother. He hated that this world changed him into a monster. "Maybe that's why he did what he did to Tara. I took his friend so he took mine. I don't know. I shouldn't rationalize evil... Jeff wasn't like that. Before this, he wasn't. He was smart and sweet. I used to protect him from bullies until he stopped showing his brilliance in high school to meet girls. This world, it killed him. Some days I just wish he had stayed missing, preserve my memory of him. What's worse not knowing or that it's not a happy ending?" Michonne didn't agree with Rick's confusion. Not knowing was worse in her opinion. She would give anything to know what happened to her sisters. "Mama wasn't fond of Lori the last years of our marriage. I think she sensed the strain on me and Lori's marriage. She was in Florida by this time, but she knew. Nobody could fool Betty Grimes. She was amazing. I still think she was magic. She watched every soap opera on television, but always had the house spotless and our food ready." Rick chuckled at the memory of his mother. "Occasionally she'd try to learn Spanish so she could understand the telenovelas. I never found out if she survived..."

Michonne turned to Rick. "Did you try searching in Florida?"

"Noth'n."

Michonne knew how that felt. Her parents weren't in Savannah when she looked. Her older sister wasn't in Charleston. Her baby sister wasn't in Washington DC. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Rick kissed her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

The next morning they work up and started their journey to The Kingdom. Michonne was silent. Thoughts of the past seemed to weigh on her. It didn't help that Jessie wanted to recollect on all the things she wanted to see or had seen. Jessie regretted not seeing the lights in Times Square. A selfie with her sisters in Time Square had been the cover photo on her Facebook when the apocalypse happened. Jessie regretted not going to California. Michonne had to move her youngest sister out of California after her modeling career was over. Everything Jessie mentioned she had a memory. It seemed as if they would never arrive at the Kingdom. It seemed even longer than the ride to Hilltop.

Rick noticed she was zoned out. That was not like Michonne. She was always focused and alert. He started to feel a little guilty. She didn't want to talk last night and he'd pushed her. Even though she didn't give much, he'd learned a lot about her. Most important, she learned that she'd been close with her family. As much as he wanted to say that he was her family now, that hurt didn't disappear. He rubbed her thigh. Michonne placed her hand on top of his and snapped out of her daze.

Aaron stopped the car and looked around. From what he saw it was a ghost town. "According to the directions Jesus gave, the Kingdom is here, but I don't see it."

"This is it." Michonne supplied. "You just have to wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Them." Michonne pointed to a couple of nights approaching them on horseback. They group got out to greet them.

"Who dares trespass over the sovereign land of his majesty King Ezekiel, first of his name?!"

Rick looked at Michonne. He'd recognized that dialogue from Game of Thrones. "I'm Rick Grimes, one of the leaders of Alexandria. I request an audience with King Ezekiel." This was stupid; Rick felt like Judith would be a better diplomat than he would. She might get a kick out of being a princess.

"Ah, the King of Alexandria himself. We've heard tales of your quests." The guard relaxed a bit. "But forreal though, did you really kill over fifty Saviors?"

"Yes. We didn't know of their numbers."

"Yeah... Well enter. I will announce your presence to my Liege." They were about to get back in the car when Michonne told them no. There were no cars beyond this point. It was something she remembered from her visit years ago. They walked passed the ghost town and arrived at a fence that surrounded a school. "You will wait here until our king can address you.

Tara nodded. "A school isn't a bad place to settle down. It's a sturdy structure with many rooms. There's the cafeteria which might have bulk items. Plus tissue! The only problem is that it's a school. I spent so much time trying to leave this place it just seems creepy to try to go in."

Jessie giggled. "You're funny."

It wasn't long before Rick was allowed in. Aaron went with him. Rick was grateful for him, he had no idea how to talk to these people. They went to an auditorium. Rick thought it was a little symbolic. Ezekiel walked onto the stage. "Ah my ally, King Richard of Alexandria . Welcome! It is an honor meeting such a famed warrior. What news do you bring good King Ezekiel?" Rick stared in disbelief and also changed his mind. He thought Judith would enjoy being here, but now he thought it would be Carl. There was a tiger the size of a man on a leash held by King Ezekiel. Rick was slightly uneasy. What would that flimsy thing do if the beast truly wanted to attack? Rick had to admit it did make Ezekiel look powerful.

"Let's talk in private."

"You have a gun." Ezekiel said unwilling.

"You have a tiger."

Ezekiel smirked. He liked Rick. "I will accept." Rick followed Ezekiel to a room backstage. "What did you want to discuss?"

"We think we've come up with a plan to kill the Saviors."

The older man nodded. "We're in. As long as it's not unreasonable."

"We're going to poison their food supplies."

"We're in. ...I have never been accepting of Negan's truce."

"Neither have I. But I'm playing along so he doesn't suspect us in the meantime. We're going to invited him to Harvest Festival. We'll wine and dine, nothing will happen. The month after that, poison them. I don't think he'll suspect us. My son just had a son. I'm sure it'll the party she was we're throwing the party."

"I'll let the others know." Ezekiel walked back to the stage and addressed his audience. "A prince has been born in Alexandria. We have been invited to the celebration of his birth! Let us prepare!"

"Huzzah!"

(A/N) I did a small survey to ask what language someone named Paul Monroe Rovia would speak. So he speaks French. I was planning on making Morgan one of Ezekiel's knights, but I thought this chapter was already doing the most.

Next Chapter: The Harvest Festival