valiant|| the walking dead

twenty-four.

"We were. And, look, when she came to my gates, I asked her to run away. And when she didn't I was angry." Michonne said to the two Hilltop leaders.

"Then you know why we're not okay with this." Tara retorted.

"I do. I also know why Rick didn't trust me when I showed up at the gates of the prison. And how people didn't trust you after seeing you on the other side of the Governor's firing line." Michonne began.

"And I was gonna kill you onsight when you washed up on our shore," Rachel said.

"Okay, okay. Fair." Tara mumbled.

"Lydia didn't choose where she came from, but she chose where she wanted to be. Just like everybody in this room," Michonne said.

"We left some of our best fighters at Hilltop, but if Daryl and Aiden are right about these skin job numbers, it's not enough people." Nathaniel said.

"We should take a group to Hilltop to protect 'em, just in case." Daryl suggested.

"That's a good idea. I'll take some from the Kingdom," Carol stated.

"Oceanside can spare some fighters," Rachel decided.

"Alexandria can, too." Payton spoke up from his spot beside Gabriel.

"So we head out in the morning?" Rachel quizzed.

"No, they can take advantage if we wait. We should go today." Carol answered.

"Agreed. But sending more people is only a short-term solution." Gabriel said.

"They have numbers but we have guns. They don't. Yeah, they have walkers but we've fought walkers for years." Aiden stepped in.

"In order to face this threat, the four communities have to present a united front. Which is why I'm proposing a mural protection pact. An attack against on community is an attack against all of us." Michonne spoke and Aiden grinned.

"Together, we can make them think twice before moving against the Hilltop," said Gabriel.

"The leadership of the Kingdom is very amenable to this idea." Ezekiel said.

"Oceanside's down," Rachel said with a smile.

"Okay, so how do we deal it? Spit and shake, blood oath?" Tara quizzed.

"I have just the thing." Ezekiel said and everyone's eyes followed him as he pulled out a large piece of paper.

"How did you..." Michonne cut herself off.

"Well, he's magic. Obviously." Tara grinned before saying, "I maybe have taken a few things with me when I left. I did what I thought was right. I'm sorry for the way it went down."

"So am I. And thank you. You were right," Michonne said in return.

"You were, too." Tara replied. Aiden stood from her spot beside Daryl and moved over to the table to look at the paper.

"I knew this day would come. Never doubted it for a moment," Ezekiel said. He sighed his signature under the Kingdom, "John Hancock, eat your heart out."