Sally stayed outside for a little longer than she intended. There was no need for her to supervise anybody, the place was working without her just fine, but she saw the guys and gals were biting their tongue over something and she knew exactly what it was.

They were eager for some gossip. So she told them all about the tease Simon framed up for the Hilltop and when she described the impenetrable car playing loud music, they were laughing their hats off on that "classic Simon".

"Alright, I gotta go wash the stink off myself. Joey, you didn't do much while we were here," she waved her hand around. "Get somebody to bring me fresh set of clothes and towels to the showers. I'm behind on my laundry and... get Lucille over there back to Negan before she gets lonely." She pointed her head to the Lucille just resting nearby the truck. Joey nodded and Sally left him to his job.

Sally was taking her time with her shower because it took somebody forever to get her the items she asked for. As she was washing the foam away from her hair there was a little shuffling nearby.

"Well that took you ages, this is not a fashion show. I just need something to cover myself up," she said with her eyes closed so the water wouldn't get into them.

No answer came. She listened for a while with the water off but there was nothing. Whoever it was, was gone.

She stepped out of the stall and froze in her track. She immediately understood all that secrecy going around. There, next to her towels, was hanging a dress prepared for her. A little black dress. A Negan's-wife-like little black dress.

She couldn't believe someone would be so shameless. The nerve!

She wrapped herself in the towel and the raging in her head continued. She had to come up with a revenge for whoever did this. Whoever dared to think she was not able to take care of herself other than in a little black dress and even better off, without it.

She grabbed the dress from the rack in fury nearly ripping it but like she cared. All she intended to do with it was shred it and burn it! But as she clenched the soft fabric in her hands, she got a better idea for a comeback.

Two minutes later she was leaving the showers wearing that little black dress.

___

"Do you know where Joey is?" Sally asked Arat as she was passing her on her way to the kitchen.

"Saw him running around with Lucille, guess he went to return her to Negan," Arat answered.

"Okay, if you meet him, tell him to find me in the kitchen?"

"Oh, I don't think you want to eat now," Arat frowned.

"What? Why wouldn't I? I'm starving!"

"You don't want your stomach full, trust me, it's..."

"What is happening?"

"Negan caught one of his wives with a guy... He broke the rules. Negan's punishing him. You can come right with me it's about to start." Arat overstepped her boundaries. Being nice never killed anybody.

"I'll be there in a minute," Sally smiled at her, picking up the trick. "Save me a spot."

___

The sound of Lucille meeting the iron railing was the only thing worse than hearing her meeting somebody's skull. Her cry for attention meant the worst was yet to come. Meeting Lucille meant the end of worries. But as it was with Negan, there's always worse. Putting Lucille away meant there was no full stop after the torment, only three dots meaning more suffering.

Arat, just as everybody else who had any will to survive the day, was on her knees in front of her savior, ready to witness the punishment of disobedience. How she wished to be on a guard duty but unfortunately it wasn't her turn. Nobody was crazy enough to get caught and swap their duty with her even though she tried hard to get out of this chore.

Kneeling and having to watch Negan giving a speech up on the platform didn't get her much opportunities to check if Sally was in her place as well. If she's not there Negan will be quick to notice and then there will be no help for her. The punishment was right in front of them.

"On your feet," said Negan as he descended to the lower level.

Arat as everybody else got on her feet and only then felt somebody brush by her side. Sally took her place next to her, wearing her leather jacket and Negan's red scarf. That must've been where she went off to. The crowd locked the two ladies close together. Negan noticed right away and smirked. Materializing in and out of nowhere was Sally's specialty and he was exceeding in determining her presence.

Sally was taking in the scene that was being enacted in front of her. Seeing Dwight holding the fiery iron should've been a warning enough but the naive young woman was still waiting for Negan to take Lucille from Carl's hands. The confusion when the iron ended up in Negan's hand made Arat move and help a fellow Savior out.

"Don't move and don't look away," Arat whispered next to Sally's ear.

Sally heard the words but sooner than she processed them, Negan moved the iron inches close to guy's face and until the last moment Sally didn't believe he would actually do what was implied.

NEGAN, NO!

She wanted to scream on the top of her lungs to make him stop before he couldn't take it back anymore. Her body jerked to life but as she inhaled, she felt Arat's hand grab her forearm and squeezing it tight.

Sally carried out at least one of Arat's recommendations. She couldn't look away. No matter how badly she wanted.

She could take Negan sleeping with how many wives he wanted but what wasn't allowed in Sally's book was leaving Lucille out of the game. Negan cheated on Lucille. Right in front of her eyes.

Arat held Sally back, comforted her without words through it all just by being the lighting-rod for Sally's lunacy. Too bad there wasn't anybody to do the same for Negan.

"Doc, I'm all done, do your thing," he said, when he put the iron away.

Arat let go of Sally's hand, missing the opportunity to stop her from fleeing. Sally couldn't watch it anymore, it made her sick. The damage he's done!

"Let Mark's face be a daily reminder to him and to everyone else that the rules matter," was the last thing she heard as she fought her way through the crowd and out the door, feeling Negan's eyes burning on her ashamed back.

___

Negan told Sally to find him later and she was on her way to see him. After the fiasco with the iron, Sally realized how rude she was to Negan and his rules that kept everybody, including her, alive. She got herself together and after pulling some strings she was making it back to Negan in her full glory.

She took the jacket off but kept the scarf and the black dress and added some dark eye shadows and lipstick matching the blood red cloth around her neck. Negan had no idea how she came to the make-up but the only ones who had these enhancing privileges were his wives. She had to charm them, too.

Her hair was up and secured with something that looked like chopsticks. But most importantly - she wore her crown. Since she came to live with him, the flowers were a scarce commodity in his kingdom.

"Oh, there she is, my queen," he bowed theatrically in front of her.

But with every step she made closer to him through the yard, he was knitting his brows more and more together. And then he curiously looked around.

"Hey!" He shouted so loudly everybody in the yard turned to him. "You saw her coming, right?" He pointed Lucille to Sally.

Everybody just stared at him unsure what kind of stupid question was that. Of course they could see her.

"I mean, Carl, even with one eye, do you see her?"

"I do," Carl nodded.

"And what about you?" he pointed Lucille to bunch of other guys standing around. Every one of them confirmed her standing there, next to Negan.

"Yes, I can see her, sir," the last one questioned answered.

"Then why the hell are you not kneeling?" His raised voice was scaring the lights out of them and in an instant they all dropped to one knee in front of her. "You too, boy," he turned to Carl and he, for once, did exactly what he was told.

Negan turned around more content with the situation at his feet but there was still someone standing tall. Daryl.

"And what about you?" Negan held Lucille his way. They both knew how hard it was to make him kneel in front of Negan. He didn't bend so easily.

"Oh no, let me, please," Sally reached after Lucille, absolutely positive she could make that work.

Negan loved the smirk on her face, she was up to no good and he wanted her to elaborate. He turned the bat in his hand and let Sally grab her by the safe end with her unharmed hand.

She took Lucille swinging her around once or twice and then locked her eyes on Daryl. She whistled the tune Negan whistled all the time and made her way to Daryl, dragging Lucille behind her.

"This one goes to everybody," she said loud enough for everybody to hear. "Negan takes care of you, he protects you, provides for you. Your only duty is to follow his rules to keep him happy. That's all he asks. So if he wants you to kneel for me... You damn kneel." She pronounced the three last words with pauses long enough for each word to echo in the silence and carve into their brains.

But Daryl's defenses were much stronger than that. He wasn't afraid of Sally. When she saw it didn't move him she didn't wait for Negan to lose his patience. She leaned closer to Daryl and whispered something into his ear. She then made two steps back and Daryl re-considered and dropped down to the ground holding his head down.

"Well, that was fun." Sally turned back to Negan.

"What did you tell him?" He asked as she was handing Lucille back to him.

"I don't kiss and tell. Do you have a minute?" They were still to talk about Hilltop, about Maggie.

"I'm on my way out, sweetheart. I'm taking the kid home. But you can come with and entertain me on the road." He smirked.

"I can't go dressed like this," she spread her arms so he could see how ridiculous she looked for a road trip.

"We'll talk when I get back, then," he sealed the deal.

"But what if I don't want to just talk this time?" She teased him with her feline eyes.

He chuckled. "Maybe you didn't see her coming," he bragged to their audience, "but I most definitely will." He was pumped like they had the most productive day.

"Oh, yes, I will!" He was almost singing with joy.

___

Author's Note:

Hello there, sweet readers!

Guess what? We've got ourselves a REVIEW! WHAAAAAT! Yes, by the one and only, lovely deputygrimes. Go check it out, it's my happy place.💜💜💜

Hope this works: https://www.wattpad.com/392839494-twd-fanfic-reviews-the-crown-thestormyclouds

You can leave your thoughts on it over there. But be nice while visiting, vote and everything. And while you'll be at it, you can check the other reviews as well, they are ones of my favorite stories!

AND ... if you're not reading silent night by our beloved kenzi already, drop everything and run over there because you'll love it! I know I do!

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