Well.
That escalated rather quickly.
Lucien stood there, trying to process what had just happened. Ed had opened his mouth, spewed poison, and been beaten to a pulp by his own people before Lucien had even formulated a response.
He'd expected to have to defend himself. Maybe he would play up the hurt child angle, draw some sympathy, and isolate Ed socially. They were standard manipulation tactics for dealing with bullies.
Instead, Rick, the man who seemed determined to serve as the moral center of the camp, had beaten the bastard.
That was... unexpected.
No, scratch that. It wasn't unexpected. He had seen the way Rick looked at Carl, the fierce protectiveness that seemed to radiate from him whenever his son was close. He'd just underestimated how quickly Rick had extended that same protection to him.
They barely knew each other. That was it. But apparently, that was enough.
Something warm and uncomfortable lodged itself in his chest. He recognized the feeling.
He lowered his head when he felt hands on his shoulders, pulling him into an embrace.
"Lucien." Rick's voice came from above his head. "Whatever he said, don't remember a word of it."
He pulled back, crouching down to eye level. His hands stayed on Lucien's shoulders. His expression was intense, almost fierce.
"If it hadn't been for you, we'd all be dead. Each one of us. You saved this camp. You're a hero."
"But I—"
"No." Rick cut him off. "Don't do that. Don't downplay what you did. You're the reason we're standing here having this conversation."
The warmth in Lucien's chest got worse.
Before he could respond, Carol appeared. She dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands twisting together like she didn't know what to do with them.
"Please... Don't listen to Ed. He's... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry he said those things to you."
The words came out in a rush. She looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground. Like Ed's venom had poisoned her too just by proximity.
"He had no right," she continued. "You're just a child, and he... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Others were gathering now. Glenn, Dale, Andrea, Amy, all of them clustering around with expressions ranging from concern to outright fury on his behalf.
"Don't let him get to you," Glenn said.
"Ed's always been a piece of work," Dale added. "His words don't reflect on you."
Andrea rested a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her jaw was tight, and Lucien could tell she was still working through her own anger.
The attention was overwhelming.
He had been in the camp for a single day, yet he had somehow earned this concern. Was it because he had saved their lives? Because he had proven useful? Or was it something simpler? Was he just a kid, and they were adults who had seen enough death to refuse to let one more child suffer if they could help it?
The guilt got sharper. These were good people. Flawed, yes. Desperate and afraid, stumbling forward as best they could. But still good.
Fuck.
He took a breath and looked up.
"Thank you," he said quietly. Then, louder, addressing the whole group, "Thank you. But I'm alright. I didn't take it to heart."
He paused, his gaze moving from face to face. Rick was still crouched in front of him. Shane stood slightly behind with his arms crossed. Daryl and Merle lingered at the edge of the group, watching with unreadable expressions. Dale, Glenn, Andrea, Amy, and Carol were there as well.
"I know what happened last night wasn't my fault," he continued with more confident. "Just like I know we didn't survive because of luck or because Jim had some prophetic dream."
He gestured toward Rick and Shane. "We survived because when the walkers came, Rick and Shane held the line. Because Daryl and Merle covered the flanks. Because Dale and Andrea kept watch from the RV and took down anything that got too close."
His gaze moved across the group. "We survived because everyone picked up a weapon and fought. That's it."
Silence followed. Then Lucien's mouth twitched, almost forming a smile.
"If I had to interpret Jim's dream," he said, "I'd say the 'hope' he saw was either Rick showing up alive. Or the very large bag of guns he brought with him. Because let's be honest. Without those weapons, it wouldn't have mattered how early I warned everyone. We still would have been overrun."
The tension broke.
Several people laughed, short and startled sounds that carried more relief than humor. The manic energy that had built up around Jim's prophecy and Lucien's supposed supernatural awareness seemed to deflate all at once.
Shane let out a snort. "Kid's got a point. It's hard to fight off a walker horde with kitchen knives and a baseball bat."
"The guns definitely helped," Glenn agreed, his shoulders relaxing.
Dale nodded slowly. "Preparation and courage. That's what saved us."
Lucien saw expressions change from awed confusion to something more grounded. People wanted to believe in something rational, something they could understand. He had just given them permission to do so.
The looks they gave him were still grateful and still amazed, but the fevered edge was gone. In its place was simple respect and appreciation.
That was much better. It was also much safer.
Still, he noticed that a few people were slower to accept the explanation. Daryl, Merle, and Shane continued to watch him with thoughtful, measuring eyes.
He would deal with that later.
For now, something else needed to be addressed.
His gaze drifted across the camp to where Carol had been standing moments earlier. She had moved away during his speech, retreating to her daughter. Sophia was pressed against her mother's side.
"I don't mind what Ed said to me," he said, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "But he owes Carol and Sophia an apology."
The group went quiet.
"They only spoke up for me out of kindness. They shouldn't have been shouted at and threatened for that."
He walked over to Carol, who was watching him with wide, tear-filled eyes.
"You don't need to apologize for him. You didn't do anything wrong."
Then he turned to Sophia, who was peeking at him from behind her mother's legs. He crouched down to her level and gave her the gentlest smile he could manage.
"I heard from Duane that you called me a lucky charm earlier." His voice was soft. "That made me happy. Thank you."
Sophia's face brightened slightly, a shy smile crossing her features before she buried her face in her mother's shirt again.
Carol made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. She reached out and pulled Lucien into a tight hug, then wrapped her other arm around Sophia, holding them both close.
"Thank you," she whispered into his hair. "Thank you for being kind to her."
When she released him, her face was wet with tears, but her expression was lighter.
Around them, people were exchanging glances. Nobody said it out loud, but the thought hung in the air anyway: That family. Jesus Christ, that family.
Shane stepped forward and ruffled Lucien's hair hard enough to make him stumble slightly. "We'll make sure Ed apologizes. Don't worry about it."
Lucien nodded, accepting the promise.
Movement at the edge of his vision drew his attention. Amy was approaching, looking better than she had earlier. The rest had done her good, there was color in her cheeks again, and the glazed shock had faded from her eyes.
She didn't say anything at first, just pulled him into a hug that was warm and tight and lasted long enough to be slightly awkward.
"You saved my life yesterday," she said when she finally let go. "I know everyone's been saying it, but... you saved my life. I don't know how to thank you for that."
Andrea appeared beside her, and for the first time since Lucien had met her, the woman looked vulnerable. Her eyes were red, her jaw trembling slightly.
"If I'd lost her..." She cleared her throat and tried again. "You gave me Amy back. I don't have the words for what that means."
She reached out like she was going to hug him too, then seemed to think better of it and just squeezed his shoulder instead.
Others came forward after that, one by one. Morales with his quiet gratitude. Jacqui with a soft smile and a gentle hand on his head. Even T-Dog, who barely knew him, offered an awkward but sincere thanks.
The attention was starting to get overwhelming again. Lucien could feel his social battery draining, the effort of managing his expression and responses taking its toll.
"You've got sharp eyes."
He turned to find Daryl standing a few feet away, crossbow still slung over his shoulder. The hunter's gaze was intent. The way someone might look at a deer track they didn't quite trust.
"And good ears." His tone wasn't hostile, exactly, but it wasn't friendly either. "Better than mine, and I've been tracking in these woods since I was half your age."
The camp had gone quiet again.
He took a step closer. "Last night, you found walkers the rest of us missed. You found them in the dark, out in the woods, when they were quiet and trying to stay hidden." His eyes never left Lucien's face. "That ain't normal. Not even for someone with training. So I'm gonna ask you straight: How'd you do it?"