The next morning, everyone woke up early to hear King Ezekiel's decision but instead of having to find him, he had met with them instead, leading them around the Kingdom. "This is life here," Ezekiel said, nodding towards a group of people as they laughed. "Every day. But it came at a cost. And I wanted more of this. I wanted to expand. To create more places like this. Men and women lost their limbs. Children lost their parents because I sent them into battle against the wasted when I did not need to."

"This is different," Rick pointed out. Parker's heart sank as a wave of realization hit her. She knew he wasn't going to agree to help them. Not without an extremely good reason.

"It isn't," Ezekiel muttered as Rick stepped towards him.

"It is," Rick insisted. "The dead don't rule us. The world doesn't look like this outside your walls. People don't have it as good. Some people don't have it good at all."

"I have to worry about my people," Ezekiel replied and Rick stared at him for a moment before turning away.

"You call yourself a fucking King," Daryl snapped. "You sure as hell don't act like one." Ezekiel approached him slowly and Parker narrowed her eyes as she tracked his movements.

"All of this... came at a cost. It was lives, arms, legs." He turned around to Rick. "The peace we have with the Saviors is uneasy, but it is peace. I have to hold on to it. I have to try. Although the Kingdom cannot grant you the aid you desire, the King is sympathetic with your plight. I offer our friends Daryl and Parker asylum for as long as they require it. They will be safe here, and Parker can give birth safely. The Saviors do not set foot inside our walls."

"How long do you think that's gonna last?" Daryl asked, walking away. Parker followed after him, catching up after a few hurried steps.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll find a way to beat them." The group headed to the doors, Daryl and Parker leading them. Daryl scoffed, shaking his head.

"Sure we will."

"I knew he was going to say no," Parker stated, looking around at her people as they headed for the gates. "From the moment he told us he would tell us in the morning, I knew he wasn't going to agree." They reached the door and Daryl pointed to the doorman, not wanting to be there a minute longer.

"And, yet, it still pissed me off," Sasha ground her teeth together as she and Rosita walked side by side. The pair had seemed relatively closer after Abraham's death.

"Alright, open it up. We're goin'," The doors opened and the group began to leave. Rick touched Parker's shoulder, blocking her and Daryl's path.

"You're not leaving. Daryl isn't either."

"I'm not staying here," Daryl argued, already moving towards the open gates.

"You have to," Rick told them, pulling Daryl back. "It's the smartest play. You know it is. Try to talk to Ezekiel." He aimed that bit at the two of them. "Or stare him into submission." He said to Daryl. "Threaten to shoot his pet tiger." He directed that at Parker. "Whatever it takes." He placed a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "We'll be back soon."

"Are you seriously going to leave us here?" Parker asked in a lowered voice as he started walking away. "Rick-"

"It's the safest place for you," Rick explained to her. "And I don't want you near Negan if he shows up again." Parker gritted her teeth, knowing that he was right. Didn't mean she had to like it.

"Fine, but be careful and keep everyone safe, okay?" Daryl and Parker stood and watched as Rick left with the rest of his group, and when the doors closed, Parker let out a long sigh. "I guess we're stuck here."

"It's not that bad," Richard tried to defend his home to the two. "I can take you to a room."

"Could you arrange a meeting for me?" Parker asked, trying to put on a somewhat nice smile. "I want to talk to Ezekiel again." Richard nodded after thinking it over.

"I can try."

"But not in the throne room," Parker called out to him as Richard started walking away. "I'm scared of the tiger." Richard smiled with a laugh.

"I'll try." Daryl was against the whole idea of the arrangement, but resigned himself to his fate in the Kingdom, tolerating it for Parker's sake. If they were safe in those walls, Negan wouldn't be able to get to her and their babies would be safe. Richard led them to a room, where they were told to wait until he arranged the meeting between Parker and Ezekiel. Parker sat up in bed, rubbing a hand over her stomach.

"These babies keep kicking me and making me want to pee every two seconds." She complained and Daryl sat up on the bed with her.

"We're going to get through this, you know that, right? We'll beat them and June and Alex will be fine."

"June?" Parker asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, did you remember?"

"'Course I did," Daryl said with a small smile. "Only other thought in my head other than makin' sure you were safe."

"June," Parker repeated. "That's adorable. Little June and Alex."

"When this is over, we'll finally have peace of mind," Daryl told her. "We'll raise 'em right."

"Yeah, we will," Parker agreed with a smile. "Just a few more months and then we'll finally get to meet them."

"We gotta get back to Hilltop," Daryl said, already planning ahead. "See the doc and make sure you're all okay."

"I feel fine," Parker assured him. "I don't have any unbearable pain, so I don't think anyone will die today."

"Don't start jokin' about that," Daryl mumbled quietly. "I can't lose you. Not again."

"You won't," Parker promised. "Now, I want to take a nap, but you seem full of energy, so why don't you go find something to do?" Daryl watched her carefully, his eyes searching her face for the truth.

"Will you be alright?"

"I have June and Alex to keep me company," Parker responded, rubbing a hand over her stomach. Parker didn't take a nap. It was simply a lie to get Daryl out of the room so she could leave without being seen. She was going to find Ezekiel and talk to him again, without Daryl scowling at her or Rick telling stories about when they were kids. Or anyone judging her with how she went about things. She didn't care that Richard hadn't come back for her, because she had little faith in him to fulfill her request to begin with. She found Ezekiel that same day, once he returned from an adventure beyond the walls. She grabbed Jerry and asked if she could talk to Ezekiel, and with a friendly smile on his face, he led her to the building Ezekiel had entered.

"Your Majesty, Miss Parker wants to speak with you," Jerry announced and she scrunched her face up at the introduction.

"Parker is fine," She laughed uncomfortably. "Seriously."

"Ah, Rick's sister," Ezekiel said with recognition in his voice as his eyes landed on her. "Yes, let her in, Jerry. Wait outside." Parker entered the room and saw Ezekiel sitting on his throne, his tiger prowling at his side.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interrupt.." She started, still not one hundred percent certain on how to approach this.

"Not at all, Miss Grimes," Ezekiel replied and she grimaced at the familiarity of the way he addressed her. "Tell me, what did you come to ask me for?"

"The truth is, I haven't come to ask for anything," She said to him. "And my name is Parker Grimes-Dixon, not Miss Grimes." 

"My apologies, fair lady," Ezekiel apologized to her. "I will only call you Parker unless you see it as rude of me."

"Of course not," Parker shook her head, stopping a good distance from the stage. "Miss Grimes-Dixon makes me feel old. "Miss anything makes me feel old." The tiger that hovered around Ezekiel's throne growled slightly. Ezekiel carefully petted its head.

"Shiva, Parker is a friend of the Kingdom. Speak freely, Parker, but be careful... heresy or talk of betrayal will not sit well with me."

"Uh...don't worry, I'm not planning on overthrowing anyone today," Parker replied awkwardly. "In fact, I came to talk to you about the Saviors again. Uh...where did you go? Did you go to make a trade?" Ezekiel sighed, his head dropping.

"My issues with the Saviors worry me. Tensions are rising and I fear that retaliation will soon come our way."

"Well, then you have to understand why we're pushing back. Why won't you join us in this fight against the Saviors?" Parker asked him and he heaved a sigh again. "I don't mean to offend you, Your Majesty, but isn't it the right thing to do instead of sitting here doing nothing? Have you ever faced Negan himself? In person. Face to face."

"Not in person, no," Ezekiel shook his head. "He always sends his minions to do his business."

"I met him," Parker stated, anger creeping into her voice. "I looked him in the eyes and saw him up close. The night I met him, we were trying to take my friend Maggie to Hilltop, to Doctor Carson. She was sick. The Saviors stopped us on the way, they corraled us like sheep into the forest, they surrounded us, they forced us to our knees and then he appeared, making a big speech about how we were now working for him and that he owned us. To show 'that he was serious', he made us kneel in a line. We had to just sit there and take his bullshit while he picked out one of us to die. He murdered my friend Abraham next to me. Every time I close my eyes, I hear the bat dropping down on his head, and... and it doesn't even end there."

"Would you mind taking a seat?" Ezekiel waved a hand toward one of the chairs in the front row. She accepted the offer, sitting down in one of the seats in front of him.

"Daryl made a choice, and Negan didn't like it so... so in return, Negan murdered my best friend. His name was Glenn, and he was good. Probably the best person I've ever met next to Daryl, and even then he was special. Seeing him die, right in front of me, knowing that his wife was pregnant with his baby, was the worst thing that ever happened to me." Parker cried freely, not caring what Ezekiel thought. She wiped her eyes before continuing. "I've been through a lot, but these people, these Saviors... they're the worst thing we've ever encountered. They took me to Negan's Sanctuary and treated me like a prisoner. He asked me to marry him, but I refused. Daryl and I were lucky to escape alive. My babies... they do not deserve to grow up in a world where we're not free. They do not deserve to grow up scared of what might happen, starving because they took all of our food. We need to fight, Ezekiel, and we need you to help us win."

"I sympathize with your problems, Parker," Ezekiel said solemnly. "But you must understand that I have sacrificed the lives of my people too many times to risk them again."

"I mean no disrespect, but you say that to make this place your people have had to sacrifice their arms and legs. Those are just limbs. So quite frankly, that reason for not standing up is complete bullshit." Parker curled her hand around the edge of the armrest as she spoke. "But me and my people? We've lost so much more. Not just limbs, we've lost lives. And I promise you, those lives were not lost just for us to get fucked over again."

"I hear you, I do. But as I have said multiple times before, I need to do what is best for my people."

"But isn't it worth it?" Parker raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it worth fighting for a better world? I want to do it because these people... they are not going to stop. The Saviors will keep pushing and pushing until there is no one left. We need to put an end to them because every day they take from us, they get stronger and stronger while we become weak. Please, Ezekiel, do not let the good die and the bad prosper."

"Your words are moving," Ezekiel considered, lightly tapping his staff on the floor. "I will consider helping your people. Do you have anything else to say?"

"Other than the fact that I think it's cool that you have a freaking pet tiger? Not really," Parker shook her head as she rose to her feet. "Is she trained?"

"Yes," Ezekiel answered. "You could come up here and pet her if you feel comfortable enough to do so."

"Uh..really?" Parker questioned, looking at the tiger lying at his feet. Ezekiel nodded, motioning for her to get on stage. She climbed the stairs and Shiva stayed glued to Ezekiel's side.

"Shiva, Parker is a friend," Shiva growled as Parker approached cautiously.

"She's not going to eat me, is she? Cause that growl did not sound promising."

"No," Ezekiel responded, waving her to come closer. Parker took a tentative step toward Shiva, who pushed herself up and walked over to Parker, and closed the gap faster than she expected. She jumped back a little, but Shiva continued towards her. Parker froze as the tiger circled around her legs, its tail brushing Parker's thighs as its dark eyes roamed over Parker's body.

"Uh...what is it doing?" Parker asked in a breathy voice, afraid to move.

"Calm down, Parker," Ezekiel told her, a smile on his face. "She's just being friendly. Go ahead and pet her." Parker cautiously lowered her hand to Shiva's head and ran her fingers through the soft fur.

"This is crazy." Shiva purred under Parker's touch, nuzzling her head into Parker's stomach, almost as if she could sense there were babies inside. Ezekiel smiled at their interaction.

"It appears that she likes you."

"I think the fact that she hasn't ripped me apart is a good indicator," Parker laughed nervously. "She's soft. Extremely soft"

"Have you never seen a tiger before?" Ezekiel asked her curiously.

"I took my nephew to the zoo once... years ago," Parker explained to him, smiling at the old memory. "But other than that, no. I don't actively spend my time around them." Ezekiel laughed at the last part.

"The new world has produced as many miracles as it has cursed us with." Parker smiled, thinking of Alexander, Juniper, and Judith.

"Yeah... I suppose it has. It makes the little miracles a little more special."

"Your children are a blessing," Ezekiel told her. "You and Daryl should be proud."

"I think, to be honest, we're more scared if anything," Parker said, as Shiva sat next to her. "Scared of everything, actually. I'm scared for the babies, for Rick, Daryl, and Carol- even though she's gone."

"I know where she is," Ezekiel cut in and her eyes grew wide. "She resides in a cabin not far from these same walls. A short distance away." 

"Can I go see her?"

"She doesn't take visitors very lightly," Ezekiel answered, his smile dropping. "But we clear the area of ​​walkers from time to time, so you can come with us." Parker was excited at the prospect of seeing Carol again, but then she remembered that she didn't know anything about Glenn or Abraham. 

She went with Ezekiel and his team, clearing the surrounding area of ​​walkers before reaching Carol's front door. Parker stayed back, out of sight, suddenly feeling nervous. She didn't think she could face Carol without bursting into tears, so as she walked anxiously, trying to work up the courage to face her long-lost friend, she felt a hand on her arm and reacted without thinking. She turned around and landed a quick punch to the jaw of whoever had grabbed her, then gasped when she saw who it was.

"Daryl! Oh my God!" She covered her mouth in shock as he pushed himself into a sitting position.f

"What the hell! You just fuckin' punched me." Daryl said in disbelief, rubbing his jaw.

"You snuck up on me!" Parker defended her actions.

"What are you doing here?" Daryl muttered, holding up a hand.

"I could ask you the same thing," She retorted, as she helped him up to his feet.

"I thought you were taking a nap," Daryl furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, that didn't happen," Parker chuckled at the face he made. "Why are you here?"

"I came to see Carol," He told her. "Why are you here?"

"I also came to visit her. But I didn't think I could face her alone." Daryl took her hand,

"You ain't gotta," They headed to the front door after Ezekiel and his men left, and Daryl knocked. They waited, Parker shifting from foot to foot as she held her breath in anticipation. When the sound of the door opening reached her ears, her eyes shot from where they were, and stared at the woman who opened the door.

"Hey.. Carol," Carol seemed surprised to see them, tears filling her eyes at the sight of the two. She hugged Parker and then Daryl. When she stepped back, Daryl looked at her.

"Jesus took us to the Kingdom. Morgan said you just left. I was out here. I saw you. Why'd you go?" Daryl asked, his voice breaking slightly as he asked the question.

"I had to.."

"Can we.. can we come in?" Parker asked. Carol nodded, letting them into the cabin. Night fell faster than Parker anticipated, and as she sat at the small dining table with Daryl, Carol tended the fire in the fireplace.

"I couldn't lose anyone," Carol said finally after just staring into the orange flames. "I couldn't lose any of them. I couldn't lose the two of you. I couldn't kill them. I could. I would. If they hurt any of our people- any more of them- that's what I would do. And there wouldn't be anything left of me after that."

"We've all killed people, Carol," Parker mumbled, knowing where she was coming from. Knowing there was a part of her she would never get back after she'd taken her first life.

"The Saviors, did they come?" Carol asked. Daryl lowered his head,

"Yeah." Carol looked at him, concern written all over her face.

"Did anyone get hurt? Is everybody okay? Did the Saviors...?" She interrupted herself and took a moment to collect herself. "Is everybody back home okay? Daryl, Parker..." Tears stung Parker's eyes as Daryl answered her question.

"They came. We got 'em all. Made a deal with the rest of them, like Ezekiel. Everyone's alright." Parker's eyes shot to Daryl's in surprise, but she recovered quickly, seeing the tears of relief that Carol cried made her understand why he lied. "Everyone's alright."

"Excuse me," She whispered, standing up and walking away. Daryl watched her leave before clearing his throat.

"We gonna eat or... or I got to be a king or something to get food around here?" Carol laughed.

"Shut up." Parker pulled the door open, sitting down on the porch steps, ignoring their faint conversation.