Sorry for the wait! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last updated.

Chapter Thirteen

Daryl was only a little dizzy when they finally got off the ride. Carol had to hold his arm in order to stay steady. Sophia had no balance issues whatsoever. The moment her feet hit the pavement, she was rushing at Meg and wrapping her in a large hug.

"Thank you so much!" She cried. "This was the second best birthday gift ever!"

Carol looked up at Daryl and smiled. "And we know what she considers the best birthday gift ever."

Daryl felt his ears heat up and he had to look down at his boots. "It ain't like you didn't help."

"Yeah. But it was your idea." She kissed his cheek. "So, thank you. Again."

Before Daryl could reply, Meg spoke, "Well, that was only part one of our gift to you, Sophia."

"There's more?" Sophia's eyes were wide.

"How would you like to stay in Cinderella's castle?" Juliette asked.

Daryl thought for a moment that Sophia was actually going to faint. Carol must have had the same idea because she stepped closer to her daughter with arms out.

"I'd...love to!"

Good thing they were safe behind fences, because Sophia would have definitely attracted walkers from miles away.

As they neared the large castle, Daryl leaned close to Carol and whispered, "I think they're trying to one up us."

Carol laughed and swatted at him. "Relax, Daryl. You're still going to be Sophia's favorite person after this. After her mother, of course."

When they reached the front of the castle, Meg broke away from Juliette and Sophia to speak with them. "It used to cost a fortune to stay in the castle," she said. "You'll see why."

And they did.

They were led up several flights of stairs that ended in a hallway. There were four doors in total. Two on either side. Juliette and Sophia stopped by one door and waited for Meg to open it with a key.

Sophia rushed inside...and screamed.

Daryl was already on the defense. However, he lowered his fists when he saw that it had been an excited scream, not a scared one. He couldn't be made at her, though. This was all new to her, and this hotel room was huge.

They stood in the middle of a living room. The carpet was plush under their feet and looked softer than any bed Daryl had slept on. There was a large, flat screen TV against one wall. A white couch and two arm chairs surrounded it. To their right was a full kitchen, complete with a dining table.

Straight in front of them was a large window that looked out at the theme park. In its heyday, it would have been a marvelous view.

"The bedrooms are down here," Meg guided.

She opened one door that led into the master bedroom. A King-sized bed stood in the middle with white and gold covers. A door led to a master bathroom with a large shower and seemingly larger tub.

Daryl was about to turn and tell Carol that she and Sophia could have this bedroom when he heard another scream.

Now, that he knew the differences between the screams, he knew this was another excited one and followed it to the other bedroom in the hallway.

The walls of the room were a light blue, the blankets were the same color. On the pillows, was a picture of a blonde woman, hair pulled up into a bun. From pictures, Daryl could guess that this was the Cinderella that Sophia loved.

In one corner of the room, a gold vanity stood. There was a closet filled with sparkly, blue dresses in various sizes. Sophia already had one out that was her size. Her smile threatened to tear her face in two.

"Mama, can I put this on now?"

Carol went to her daughter and looked at the dress. Daryl didn't have much of an eye for clothing but he could tell that the dress wasn't made from the same, cheap fabric he'd seen on the other dresses in the gift shops. It looked to be the real deal, a dress fit for a princess.

"How about this, honey? We'll dress you up when it's time for supper. I'll do your hair and everything."

"Okay!" Sophia threw her arms around Carol, crushing the blue dress in between them. But there was still a closet full of the dress behind them, so she had no reason to worry.

"Why don't you settle in a bit?" Carol suggested. "Daryl and I are going to do the same."

Sophia nodded and went to her bag, which she had thrown on the bed in her haste to get to the closet. Carol looked at her fondly before moving to the door and Daryl.

"Uh, I'll take the couch, then. You can have the room."

"Nonsense," Carol scoffed. "There's a king-sized bed in the next room. I'd get swallowed up in it if I slept alone. Plus, we'll be heading back in a few days, you can't let a chance like this pass you by. We may not have another like it."

Daryl's mouth moved but no words came out. Carol wanted to share a bed with him? Or was she just being nice? In a king-sized bed, they wouldn't even be near touching each other, so he wouldn't have to worry about waking up to find that he'd curled against her in the night.

"All right," he finally agreed. "I ain't never slept in a bed that size, so I should take the chance to, huh?"

"Exactly." Carol gripped his arm and smiled.

Sophia looked like a real princess as she sat down to eat dinner.

They were no longer in their castle room. Instead, they were eating in another room at the castle, one that had been turned into a meeting place for everyone still in the parks. There were a few tables in the room, though not as full as Daryl would have thought. Not with the size of the park.

The meal they received was much like the one they may have eaten on the road before Hershel's farm. Before they had fresh eggs, milk and meat. It was mostly canned food, but everyone ate it like it was a five course meal.

"Do y'all ever hunt for fresh meat?" Daryl asked Paul, who sat across from him by Meg. The rest of the gang from earlier sat around them, as well. Sophia was happily chatting to Jasmine, who had dressed up as Princess Jasmine just for her.

"We've laid a few traps but haven't gotten anything besides alligators. No one really knew what to do with them, though."

Daryl never dealt with alligator before, but he had caught and cooked just about everything else. Maybe he could lend a hand next time they caught another one.

How long did he plan on staying here, anyway?

They would be leaving in a few days to get back to Hershel and the rest of the group. Glancing down at Sophia, at her bright smile and animated movement of her hands, Daryl knew it was going to be harder to leave here than he thought.

Looking at Carol, to his right, he saw her smile as she talked with Meg and Juliette. She was happy, too.

What if... What if they stayed here? For good?

Thanks for reading!