An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 31 - Brother Ray

I woke up again sometime after dawn. It wasn't completely light out yet, but it didn't hinder me in seeing what was going on. Elric was standing in front of two men in a heated argument, and it was two men I recognized. It was those who had attacked me, Largos and Marcus.

I pushed myself up with both my hands and reached for my sword almost instantly. I grabbed it before turning towards the men. Their conversation was loud but still too far away for me to distinguish what were said between them. One thing was clear and that was the word betrayal. When I dared approach them, Elric was made aware I had woken up. He spun around to look at me just as Marcus decided to dash forward.

Elric was quick enough to yank him back and keep Largos from doing the same. I watched their struggle with great surprise. "Run, Lyra! Quickly!" Elric yelled at me as he struggled against the two men. I didn't hesitate to follow his directions and sprinted back to my stuff.

I grabbed my bag and went for my horse. I mounted it with one quick move. The Horse neighed loudly and made an anxious spin before I got it urged forward into a gallop. I rode through the terrain as fast as I could, through trees, streams, and open fields. I didn't dare to look back before well into the afternoon. No one seemed to have followed me.

That was when something dawned in me. The fourth figure, the one whom I hadn't been able to see who was, must've been Elric. Why else would he have been arguing with them, instead of fighting. I halted the horse because I needed a minute to let it sink in. Still, he had saved me but not like I had thought at first.

My horse moved impatiently, and I was brought back to reality before urging the horse forward in a small trot. Elric had been with those guys, but why had he been with them?

It wasn't until nightfall that I decided it was best to circle back and maybe go north to find that small village Elric had spoken about. Maybe they could give me some shelter, I needed to find some place safe that wasn't too far north. I didn't want to go back to Winterfell before I had found out what had happened to Arya and Sandor.

The next couple of weeks were rough. I was getting weaker and weaker, and it was getting harder to find any decent food to keep me going. I had tried my best to stay away from where I was the last time but at one point, I had made it back there before I started heading north in the direction Elric had gestured in.

After three weeks on the road alone, I finally found the village Elric had been speaking about. I had been lost countless of times, and needed to circle back before finding my way again. I had halted my horse in the forest not far from the village, it was a great spot for overlooking the small village. I had been watching them for a while, deciding whether it would be a good idea to approach them or not.

They looked happy, peaceful even as they continued building their village. They weren't many people but enough and they seemed like they had what they needed. It was a stability I hadn't known for quite a while.