An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 3 - The Kings Road

"Always go with the choice that scares you the most. Because that is the one that is going to help you grow."

Father had accepted the offer to become Hand of the King. The entire reason for the King to travel all the way to Winterfell. Therefore he would have to go with the King back to Kings Landing. And because of the promised union between Sansa and the prince, father decided to take all the girls with him. We would go to Kings Landing with him, be introduced to the ways of court, even learn how to become finer ladies, something our Septa would definitely see to.

Mother had protested at first but she eventually agreed. She had been too preoccupied with Bran. He had fallen from the broken tower not many days ago, while he was climbing. She had sat at his side, day in and day out. Even I had been quite reluctant to go at first. I had not known anything besides Winterfell. The reluctancy remained for long despite the curiosity that soon started to build within me.

I did want to know what it was like being down South, and not stay cooped up in the North. There weren't much here for me to do and I really wanted to meet new people. Maybe even meet someone. I was getting older, new things had taken my interest, and this was a good way to explore them even more.

Right now I was further south than I had ever been before, we had already passed through most of the northern lands, it would take us another month just to reach Kings landing, and we had already been traveling for a fortnight. I had begged father not to let me stay cooped up in a carriage with my sisters. I was more than capable of riding my own horse. Father had never been able to refuse me, not until mother gave birth to Sansa. That was when I started proper Lady training, and was no longer allowed to run around with the boys. Though I still fought with them sometimes.

I was seated on a white mare, gentle of mind but easily spooked. It had already happened a few times. She had run off with me but every time, I had managed to calm her down and get the situation back under control. I grew more and more confident every time it happened, retaining my crooked smile with confidence. Father gave me another one of his rare smiles before we mounted our horses again. We would soon reach an inn, a place already preselected to house the entire party for the night.

I shifted in the saddle and gathered the reigns again, however as I placed my feet in the iron stirrup on the other side of the horse, I felt a shiver move down my spine. It was like a sixth sense that told me someone was looking at me.

I raised my head again and twisted to look around, only to realize who it was that had been staring at me. My green eyes found his brown, they had become emotionless again. But he looked away the moment I smiled. It made me chuckle before I reached down to properly place my foot in the stirrup again.

I hadn't spoken to Sandor since the feast. He mostly kept to himself, if he weren't following the pious little shit of a prince around. It had annoyed me to see how everyone seemed to treat Sandor. They acted like he was a dirty dog, hence the nickname Tyrion had introduced me to. Sandor was whom they all referred to as The hound.