Reflections - TWD

110. Fair of New Beginning.

After a trip to Alexandria to patch Henry's leg up, it was back to the Kingdom for Henry and Freddie. They hadn't seen Carol in a while, and they were definitely missing her.

Judith and Michonne had showed up half way through their walk to give them a ride, and they were pretty grateful. Lydia hadn't really left Isabella's side. On the other hand, Isabella couldn't understand why, of course, she wasn't complaining, Lydia seemed happy enough.

"I stand before you today at the start of a new tomorrow," Ezekiel smiled, standing on the podium. There was a huge plastic tiger next to him, reminding Isabella of Shiva. "A tomorrow made possible by the sacrifices of many over the years. Among them, a man whose mission was to build community and strengthen the bonds between us. A man who had to destroy the very thing that connected us in order to save us. It took us far too long to fulfil the promise of what Rick Grimes and his son Carl envisioned, the same promise Paul Rovia, better known to most as Jesus, believed in when he brought us all together those many years ago."

Isabella thought about that a lot. What if her, Rick and Daryl never found Jesus that day? Would they have ever met Negan? Would Abraham and Glenn have ever died? Would Carl have died? Would she have ever lost her ear? Would Rick have died on that bridge?

Ezekiel continued. "We've always been bound to each other. We always will be," Daryl put his hand on Isabella's shoulder. "We fought our way back to each other. The crossing over the river may be gone. But we have rebuilt a bridge, nonetheless."

Everyone started to clap. Isabella just stared at the back of Freddie's head.

"Today is proof that we can reunite, not against a common enemy, but for the common good. So eat, drink, trade, and be merry...'cause we got a lot of lost time to make up for."

Jerry walked forward and raised his voice. "Let the First Annual Inter-Community Reunification Fair begin!" He held his arms up and everyone started to laugh and cheer.

"Jerry. We changed that," Ezekiel hushed, just causing more laughter.

Jerry looked up. "For reals? F.A.I.R. Fair?"

"It's too many-" Ezekiel sighed. "Never mind...let The Fair of New Beginning begin!"

Someone opened a box with some white birds in and they flew up into the sky. But Isabella just kept looking at Freddie. He'd told her about this day a couple of years ago, Ezekiel had been planning it for ages.

They planned to go around all the fairs together, winning prizes and eating all the candy they could.

But now they were sixteen and seventeen. And they wouldn't get to do all of that stuff, because they'd grown up. Freddie didn't hug Isabella when she cried anymore, he didn't hold her hand. He ignored her.

Isabella didn't make Freddie laugh anymore. He hadn't laughed in forever.

•

Lydia was just minding her own business when Gage and Rodney decided to approach her. Isabella was talking to Henry a short distance away. "So you're one of us now, huh?"

"Sorry. Have we met?" Lydia shrugged.

"We're friends Isabella's," Rodney lied. Most of the teenagers at Hilltop fell into the small selection of people that Isabella didn't like.

Gage nodded and pointed at Henry and Isabella talking. "She's got a thing for Henry."

"Cool," Lydia rasped and furrowed her eyebrows, just wishing that they'd leave her alone. Isabella saw what was happening and slowly wandered over.