We all end up gathering in the courtyard since Rick wants to talk to us all. I assume that I'm the last one to arrive since Rick gets ready to talk as soon as I settle down on the bench. I did notice the absence of Daryl, Merle and Michonne so I wondered if this had something to do with them.
"When I met with the Governor, he offered me a deal." Rick starts off, all of us listening to him intently. "He said...he said he would leave us alone if I gave him Michonne." I think my mouth physically drops at the information. Did Rick say yes to this deal? Is that why I hadn't seen Michonne for most of the day?
"And I was gonna do that... to keep us safe. I changed my mind. But now Merle took Michonne to fulfill the deal and Daryl went to stop him and I don't know
if it's too late."
"I was wrong not to tell you. And I'm sorry." So much had gone on since we'd arrived at the prison. Rick had been losing his mind slowly but I'd been so preoccupied with my own problems I hadn't been paying attention.
"What I said last year, that first night after the farm... it can't be like that. It can't. What we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call. It can't be. I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good because we are the greater good. We're the reason we're still here, not me. This is life and death."
"How you live...how you die... it isn't up to me. I'm not your Governor. We choose to go. We choose to stay. We stick together. We vote. We can stay and we can fight or we can go."
I knew it was only a matter of time till Rick decided this. I knew the pressure was getting to him and I'm glad he'd let it go before it cracked him in a way that he couldn't come back from.
We then disperse and decide to vote when Daryl brings Merle and Michonne back. Everyone splits but I stay behind, sat down. Rick turns to me, waiting for me to say something. When I don't he walks over and sits beside me.
"Wanna talk about it?" I ask him seeing how he still looked very troubled, "what if Daryl doesn't make it to them in time?" I bite my thumb for a moment but then shrug. "Nothing you can do about it now, it'll help to stop obsessing over it. I have faith she'll be back but if she doesn't come back you can't blame yourself for that. Can't let it weigh you down." It's not as easy as I'm saying obviously but maybe he'd benefit by hearing someone say it to him.
"I know you've been struggling and I'm sorry for not being there for you." He shakes his head at me, "it ain't your job to look after me." I shrug again, "maybe not but you've been looking out for everyone, someone has to look out for you too." He sends me a soft smile and throws his arm around my shoulder. "I haven't been there for you either, you've been struggling too." Leaning my head on his shoulder I nod. "Yeah but I isolated myself, I probably would've pushed you away anyways. Besides you weren't really in the right state to come check on me."
"You feeling better now?" He asks, I take a moment to think about it. "I think so yeah, you?" He doesn't say anything for a minute. "I've been seeing Lori." I sit up straighter at that, "are you seeing her now?" I have no idea to help hallucinations. "No, she comes and goes."
"The more you stress and worry?" He nods and I take his hand in mine. "After all this is over, you're gonna get to rest. Hopefully no longer being our leader gives you some peace, you deserve it." He smiles thankfully at me and squeezes my hand before just pulling me in for a hug. "It's like you always know what I need to hear. I'm so thankful we found you."
"Me too."
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Rick and I are still sat together outside when we see someone walking up to the gate. We share a glance and walk down wondering which of our missing trio it is. "Lia?" I'm definitely surprised to see my sister, especially since she's in such a bad state.
"Are you okay? What happened?" The questions spill from my mouth the moment we get her through the gate. She stumbles and I'm quick to support her, Rick and I both sharing another look. She had dried blood, I'm assuming walkers, caking her face.
"The governor." My brows furrow as I take in her state, "what did he do? Did he hurt you?" Rick scoops her up with ease and carries her inside seeing as we didn't seem to be getting much out of her right now. She was in shock.
Once Rick sets her down, he's quick to leave and go on watch just in case she was followed or something. I sit with her, cleaning the blood from her face as Beth brings her over some food and water. "Thanks Beth." I tell the young girl who nods at me, "is there anything else I can do?" I shake my head. "She'll be okay." I'm trying to reassure myself that.
We stay sat in silence for a while, Aelia clinging to me as I thread my fingers through her hair, just like I used to when she'd have a nightmare and climb into my bed. "What happened Lia?" I whisper, afraid for whatever she was going to say.
"Andrea and I, we found out that the Governor was going to kill you all. He lied, he didn't want to leave peacefully. You were right Selene, he's a bad man, he's gone crazy. Andrea and I left to warn you guys, he came after us... I don't, I don't know what happened to her. We split up and I made it but I don't know if she's okay, if he found her."
"I'm sure she's okay, I'm sure she made it out or went back. Andrea is tough." I leave her with Beth for a minute as I go to find Rick to tell him.
"Michonne?" I'm pleasantly surprised to see her making her way inside. "You're okay?" She nods and tells me how Merle had a change of heart and let her go. I tell her that I'm glad she's back and she half smiles before continuing on back to the cell block.
"You feel better now that you've seen Michonne?" I ask Rick who nods as I join him. "How's your sister?" He asks, I tell him what she told me and he nods. "If we decide to stay what she knows will be useful, it could make all the difference in the vote."
When I get back inside I see my sister looking perfectly fine now and seeming to be getting ready to leave. "Where are you going?" I ask her, "I have to go back home."
"Are you insane? You just said he went after you, you can't back!" I could not let her just go back to this mad man. "I have to Selene, mom and au..." my brows furrow as she cuts herself off, "I can't leave mom there."
"Okay, okay then I'll go back with you." She shakes her head firmly, "you can't do that, he will kill you. I didn't see it before but I do now, he's not stupid he'll put it together that I found you here and then he will torture you and kill you."
"I can lie to him, I can say I went after Andrea to bring her back, say I agree with him fully and believe in him. He'll believe me." She sounds so sure but I'm still unsure. How could I just let her go back like that, not knowing if she'd be safe. What type of sister would that make me?"
"I'll be okay, I promise."
"Aelia, we might leave. I can't leave you and mom behind but if I can't come to Woodbury what do we do?" It just hits me that the vote may swing the other way and I couldn't just leave like that.
"Uh, I'll come back tomorrow and we can decide then." I shake my head, "no. There's no way you can get away with sneaking out twice, do not come back here."
We sit for a moment, then I instruct her to tell me the plan they had for invading. "Okay, I've got it. You come with him and the army. If we decide to leave I'll leave you a note in my cell, telling you where we're going. I'll leave it in my pillowcase, then you sneak mom out and the two of you meet up with us."
Happy with the plan, she decides to go back now before it's starts to get dark. "Stay safe okay?" I say as I walk her out to the gate, we'd tried to give her a car but she refused saying she could make it on foot and that a car would be bad for her. Instead Rick had offered to drive her out not too far, just to make sure she was safe for a bit.
"Love you Aelia."
"Love you too Selene, I'll be seeing you again soon, don't even worry about it." She assures me before hopping in the truck with Rick.