AN: Okay so, I have no business starting another fic, but I have been wanting to write a Negan fic but couldn't quite come up with an idea I really wanted to do. But I LOVE King Ezekiel's character and I can't wait to see what's in store for him, and with the mid-season premiere this idea popped into my head so here we are! Please keep in mind I have not read the comics. Enjoy!

There is a LEMON bit taken out of this chapter for this site, but this fic is cross listed on AO3 if you would like the lemon.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead, just my OC.

Playlist:

Theophilus London-Neighbors

Bom Bidi Bom-Nick Jonas and Nicki Minaj

Chapter 1

When Jesus and the group that he brought with them entered the room Daisy was excited to see her friend again.

"Jesus! It pleases me to see you old friend," Ezekiel said.

"It pleases him indeed!" Jerry added.

"Jerry," Ezekiel admonished. "Tell me, what news do you bring good King Ezekiel? Are these new allies you've brought me?"

"Indeed they are Your Majesty, this is…oh right, I forgot to mention-,"

"Yeah a tiger."

At first Daisy's face was one of amusement at her friend Jesus and with how the newcomers were currently looking at Shiva, but then her brown eyes went wide and her heart rate sped up and a thousand and one questions flashed through her mind. She whipped her head to King Ezekiel who met her gaze quizzically before she surprised everyone as she leapt from her spot next to Richard on the stage. She ignored everyone else as she passed by Jesus and the two women in front of Rick, stopping an arm's length in front of him.

"Daisy?" he asked, tilting his head slightly as he regarded the young women in front of him in disbelief.

She nodded her head as she stepped forward and with a gleeful chuckle wrapped her arms around him.

Everyone else watched with an equal mix of confusion and fascination as Rick Grimes and the young woman hugged each other tightly. Rick pulled back, placing his arms on her shoulders as he took the sight of her in and tears slipped down his cheeks to match her own. He was happy to see the same light in her eyes she'd always had, a gleam of hope that had always been present in her demeanor, no matter what she'd been through. He used to joke that she lived up to her namesake and he was currently glad that this world hadn't managed to take that from her. Where she used to have long hair, now the brown locks only slightly passed her chin and she reminded him of her mother very much in that moment as he folded her into his arms again and placed a kiss on the top of her head before releasing her.

"I hope you're still good for that ice cream you promised."

She turned to the young man standing next to Rick. Her eyes widened again. "Carl? Oh my gosh!" she flung her arms around him and held him tightly for a long moment before pulling away. More tears left her eyes as she regarded him the same way Rick had done to her. "You…you're so…you're as tall as me you little monkey!"

Carl laughed as he hugged her back. "I don't think you can still call me that."

"I guess you're right," she smiled before looking back to Rick. "Lori?"

He shook his head and Carl looked away.

"Shane?"

The same reaction as before.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

When she turned back to Ezekiel she could see he wanted an explanation. "Your Majesty, this is my uncle, Rick Grimes, and my cousin, his son, Carl."

Everyone watching smiled at the family reunion. They were non-existent these days.

"It is a pleasure to meet you and your people, Rick Grimes," Ezekiel said.

Jesus spoke up next. "Rick is the leader of Alexandria and these are some of his people."

Ezekiel spoke as Jesus stepped forward and the others followed. Daisy kept close to her uncle. "I welcome you all to The Kingdom good travelers. Now what brings you to our fair land? Why do you seek an audience with the King?"

"Ezekiel," Rick spoke. "King…Ezekiel. Alexandria. Hilltop, and The Kingdom. All three of our communities have somethin' in common. We all serve The Saviors. Alexandria already fought them once and we won. We thought we took out the threat but we didn't know then what we know now. We only beat one outpost. We've been told you have a deal with them, that you know them. That you know they rule through violence and fear."

Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at Jesus.

"Your Majesty, I only told them-" but Jesus was cut off by Ezekiel.

"Our deal with The Saviors is not known among my people, for good cause. We made you a party to that secret when you told us of the Hilltop's own travails but we did not expect you to share-"

"We can help each other," Jesus interrupted.

"Don't interrupt the King," Jerry admonished Jesus.

Ezekiel continued. "We brought you into our confidence. Why did you break it?"

"Because I want you to hear Rick's plans."

Daisy knew this was coming for a while now. The Saviors couldn't get away with what they were doing forever, she'd said as much to Ezekiel but he was set on preserving what peace they could get.

"And what plans have you, Rick Grimes of Alexandria?"

"We came to ask The Kingdom, to ask you, to join us, in fighting The Saviors. Fighting for freedom for all of us," Rick explained.

"What you are asking, is very serious," Ezekiel said.

A woman who Daisy noticed kept close to her uncle spoke now, "Several of our people, good people, were killed by The Saviors. Brutally."

"Who?" Morgan asked and Daisy looked to him, a sadness growing in her. She knew he and Carol were from Alexandria, but they'd been here, with no way of knowing what was happening with their friends.

"Abraham," a girl who seemed to be similar in age to Daisy spoke. "Glenn. Spenser. Olivia. Eugene was taken. They took Daryl. He escaped. Every second he's out here he's a target. You gonna' say you were right?"

"No. I'm-just real sorry they're gone," Morgan answered.

The names meant nothing to Daisy but she could see the pain on their faces as the girl had told Morgan who had been killed and her heart went out to them.

"Negan murdered Glenn and Abraham," Rick spoke.

Daisy cut her eyes to Ezekiel for a moment as a memory flashed into her mind. She stomped it down and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Beat 'em to death," Rick continued.

Another woman spoke up, "terrorized the Hilltop. Let loose Walkers just to make a point."

"I used to think the deal was something we could live with. A lot of us did, but that's changing. So let's change the world Your Majesty," Jesus spoke.

"I want to be honest about what we're asking," Rick said. "Our people are strong, but there's not enough of us. We don't have guns, not enough at least. Not a lot of weapons period."

Richard spoke. "We have people. And weapons. If we strike first, together, we can beat them. Your Majesty, no more waiting for things to get worse beyond what we can handle. We set things right. The time is now."

Daisy knew Richard had been wanting this for a while, but had warned him not to be hasty, that when the time was right, they would figure it out. The time seemed to have come.

"Morgan," Ezekiel looked to him. "What say you?"

"Me?" the man in question asked.

"Speak."

"People will die. A lot of people and not just The Saviors if…if we can find another way, we have to. Maybe it's just about Negan. Just capturin' him. Holdin' him, maybe…"

Ezekiel stood. "The hour grows late. Rick Grimes of Alexadria, you have given The King much to ponder."

Daisy listened with a smile on her face as Rick told them the story of the rock in the road.

"I shall deliver my decree in the morn," Ezekiel spoke, hitting his staff on the stage to signal the meeting was over. "Morgan will show you to your rooms where you will stay the night. Daisy," he looked directly at her now, "If you wish, you may be excused from your activities for the day. Go, catch up with your family."

Daisy smiled and nodded her head and turned around as Morgan passed her. Jesus turned to her and her smile grew bigger as the friends hugged. "It's good to see you Jesus."

"Same, Daisy." He lowered his voice," Do you think you can convince him?"

Her eyes cut to Ezekiel who watched the pair while he pet Shiva on the head.

"I'll talk to him, but no promises."

That was enough for Jesus who nodded and went to follow the Alexandrians.

Daisy walked a few steps and slung an arm over Carl's shoulder, "So monkey, what's with the pirate look?" she teased.

Rick and the woman who later introduced herself to Daisy as Michonne, smiled at Carl's groan. "Are you seriously going to call me that?"

"Old habits," she shrugged, smiling.

~O.o~

Later they were all dining with King Ezekiel. Ezekiel sat at the head of the table with Daisy at his right. While he conversed with everyone here and there, much of his attention went to Daisy. She was absolutely beaming at being reunited with her loved ones and meeting those they considered family. She'd spent much of the day with Carl as he told her the gist of what all had happened to them and how they'd found themselves here. She was saddened that Lori and Shane were gone. Shane had been more like an older brother to her where Rick had been the only father figure she'd known. But she had been especially happy to hear that she had a niece and couldn't wait to meet her. Over the course of the meal, not surprising to Ezekiel or Rick, Daisy had been able to garner a few genuine smiles out of Daryl.

While everyone said their goodbyes for the evening Daisy hugged Michonne. When they released one another Michonne quietly asked her, "Are you and King Ezekiel…" she trailed off, a knowing look in her eyes. The way Ezekiel looked at Daisy and vice versa had not escaped the sharp eyed woman's notice.

Daisy smiled and looked to the man in question. "He's amazing. I'm lucky to have him." She turned back to Michonne. "And I'm glad you and Rick have one another."

"What are you two gossipin' about?" The two women turned to see Rick who pulled Daisy into a hug and pressed a kiss on the top of her head for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Nothing," both women said in unison.

~O.o~

Ezekiel opened the door to his bedroom and smiled softly at the young woman currently curled up with a book on his bed and wearing one of his long sleeve shirts over a pair of boy shorts. Daisy put the book on the nightstand and crawled to the end of the bed as he shut the door.

She put her arms around his neck, "You're later than usual."

Ezekiel ghosted his lips to across her neck as he answered, "Richard kept me. He is adamant that I accept this deal with Rick."

"Will you?" she asked, her breath quickening as his soft lips continued their trek down her throat.

She let out a giggle as his facial hair tickled her throat and she felt him smile against her skin. "You will know my decision along with everyone else in the morning," he said as his hands lifted up the hem of her shirt.

She shuddered at the feel of his fingers brushing along her sides as he raised the shirt over her head before tossing it away, revealing her bare breasts to him. She placed her hands on either side of his face, "So you're really not going to tell me? Talk about it with me?"

Ezekiel shook his head and leaned his head further down to press a kiss on the plane between her breasts.

"If you're trying to distract me from the conversation…it's working," she breathed.

Ezekiel chuckled before pressing his lips against hers, desperate to taste her lips after a busy day.

"I love you," she said as she lay next to him on the bed twenty minutes later. They'd been lying in a comfortable silence while she ran a finger lazily across his chest.

The arm he had around her waist pulled her closer, "I love you too, Daisy. You were absolutely beaming today."

She smiled as she readjusted, resting her head on his chest. "I just can't believe my uncle and Carl are alive. And here. It's…I've thought about them so much," she said softly. "Thank you for letting them stay the night."

"Of course."

"You're not going to accept his deal are you?"

She waited patiently for a moment for his answer, even though she already knew what he would say. Finally she spoke, propping herself up on his chest. "The peace that we have now, it's not going to last forever."

He sighed and focused his eyes on his fingers as he twined a soft strand of her hair between them. "I just want to do right by my people. I'm not going to send them into battle when we can manage another way."

"They're going to do something whether you help them or not."

"Ben said the same earlier. That if they are successful against the Saviors we'll have done nothing, that the peace we have will be at risk either way."

"And you know he's right."

Ezekiel nodded.

"But…"

"I'm not sure what's right for my people, what the best course is. What if I agree to this and we lose? I don't think I can live with that."

He looked into her eyes as she regarded him softly. She pressed closer to him and gently pressed her lips to his for a second. "I can't tell you what to do, but I think Rick is right. Ben is right. And what Morgan said…I've been thinking about it. It's the best option for the least lives lost, or at least it could be, but I have no idea how we could go about that. But this is your kingdom, your people. You have done right by them, and you'll continue to do so. No matter what route you decide to take, I know you have their best interests in mind."

Ezekiel smiled, grateful for her reassurance, and grateful for the young woman in his arms. He was thankful he did not have to walk this bleak world alone. "These are your people too Daisy. As far as everyone is concerned, you are my queen," he told her before kissing her. When he pulled away she smiled and moved to press her lips to his chest. Ezekiel closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh as her mouth slowly moved lower and lower.

Despite their profuse lovemaking Daisy didn't sleep all that well that night. She lay awake listening to Ezekiel's even breathing next to her. As she was falling asleep, one of his arms holding her back against his chest, an idea popped into her head and she was unable to shake it. It was so absolutely ludicrous it just might work. She knew how to put Morgan's idea into action, she just had to summon the nerve to put it into words, and pray that what she was going to say didn't change anything for the worse.