Tour Guide ➣ Carl Grimes

39. The King

It wasn't long after talking to the people of Hilltop that Jesus pulled the group to the side. He explained to them that there was another group nearby; The Kingdom. Hannah was skeptical. When she'd first heard about this "king", she was sure he was just another Gregory type. Hungry for power.

Outside the gate, the group was met with two soldiers sat high on horseback. It was a weird thing to see, horses. Hannah wasn't sure they'd even survived this long. She could see from inside the car as the man closest to them, with a scruffy beard and wearing a sort of armor, eyed Jesus. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but he didn't look happy to see new people.

"Get outta the car," Hannah saw the man wave his arm through the dusty window. With a quick glance and Carl and the others, looking to see what they thought about the demand, Hannah scooted through the door of the truck.

She circled around the side of the car, finding herself next to Tara when the man spoke again, "Line up."

"Okay," Daryl groaned immediately, turning away from the armored man, "This is a waste of time. Come on, let's go."

"Maybe you're right. The King is a busy man," the man chimed calmly and Hannah cringed at his condescension, "and it's a dangerous world. We don't usually let a pack of strangers waltz right in here."

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest as Michonne tried to defend the group. Finally, the soldier gave in, telling them the car needed to stay outside and that they couldn't bring any guns. They only had two with them, one of which was Carl's. Hannah looked to the boy, hoping he'd give it up without a fight. She knew how stubborn he could be.

"Okay, follow me," the lead soldier spoke after they handed over their guns, turning towards the gate. With one final glance around, the group started behind him.

"You have your knife?" Hannah heard Carl speak lowly beside her, nudging her arm slightly. She was glad to see that he was just as skeptical as she was.

Patting her side where Daryl's knife was clipped to her jeans, Hannah nodded, "Always."

Once inside, The Kingdom seemed like a fairly normal place. It looked like an old military fort, Hannah thought; no castles in sight. There were people walking alongside red, brick buildings and working in lush, green gardens. She smiled at how similar it seemed to the Hilltop.

In front of them, a group of boys in similar uniforms to the soldier ran by, jogging in a single file line. She heard Carl chuckle beside her.

"Remind you of gym class?" he smiled once the boys passed.

Hannah gave him a sly look before saying, "I never ran in gym class."

Carl laughed.

---

When they entered the auditorium to see King Ezekial, they were met with the growl of a tiger. A real-life tiger. The man at the front, the King, Hannah assumed, looked like just that, a king. He was sat on a wide wooden chair and was dressed in a fur coat. Behind him was a backdrop painted to look like a cartoon kingdom and Hannah felt like she was seeing a play.

"This is Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria," Jesus introduced, "And these are some of his people." They all stepped forward slightly, allowing the King to see them at the back of the auditorium.

"I welcome you all to the Kingdom, good travelers. Now, what brings you to our fair land?" King Ezekial asked, "Why do you seek an audience with the King?"

No one spoke for a moment, trying to move past the absurdity of their situation.

"Ezekial," Rick started before correcting himself, "King Ezekial. Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom -- all three of our communities have something in common," he grimaced a bit before continuing, "We all serve the Saviors. Alexandria has already fought them once. And won. See, we thought we took out the threat. But we didn't know then what we do now. That was only one outpost. There will always be more."