An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 55 - The dawn that followed

The dawn that had followed was beautiful and brought with it a newfound appreciation of being alive. I pushed my half empty bowl of stew away before reaching for my cup. It was already nighttime again. It was the first time I had ever experienced Winterfell this quiet. There weren't many who spoke together, the heavy reality still lingering as a shroud above our heads.

I lent my head against Sandor's shoulder, not carrying at all who saw us. It earned me a raised eyebrow from him before he returned to finishing his bowl of stew. Had I wanted to, I could have fallen asleep right there but I knew I wasn't the smartest choice. I was still seated on a bench beside Sandor in the great hall, alongside so many others also eating.

When Sandor shifted beside me and forced me to sit up strait, the soreness reminded me of what had happened under 24 hours ago. I released a low groan which made Sandor chuckle. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck before rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It was getting increasingly difficult to stay awake. "Let's get some rest, there'll be plenty work in the morning." Sandor whispered to me before he stood up.

I waited until he reached a hand to me before getting up as well. I followed him like a little puppy, not caring at all where he took me. Sandor brought me to my room just like I had did last night. The fire was still burning which made me relieved. This would make the night so much more endurable.

Sandor was quick to get out of his jacket and threw the bloody clothes on the floor before he moved on to the chainmail. I turned away from him and began doing the same thing, however, my hands were shaking I badly that I couldn't manage to get it opened. I kept fumbling with the clasp of my shirt, getting increasingly frustrated every time I failed to open it. Sandor heard my frustration and took over.

He had spun me around to face him before he quickly helped me undress to my cotton shirt. He had already done the same, our bloody clothes lying in a pile on the floor. The day had been spent, tending to the injured and starting the clean up of Winterfell that would properly take days.

I held my hands to my chest because they had been shaking and of course Sandor noticed. He had already wrapped his arms around me before I could even look at him. The big man held me in a tight embrace as I finally broke down. I wailed this time. Crying loudly and allowing the tears to fall freely.

When my knees also buckled, Sandor was ready for it and kept me upright even though he dropped a few inches himself. My fingers wrapped around the fabric of his shirt as he just held me in a tight embrace.

For a long while we just stood like this until I calmed down again. Once I did, Sandor had me moved to the bed where he made me sit down on the edge of it as he knelt in front of me. It surprised me enough to stop crying for a second and just look down on him. Sandor rested his elbows on the bed beside me as he shifted closer.

I opened my legs and allowed him to bury his face in my abdomen. I wrapped my arms around him and realized he needed me to hold him just as much as I had needed him to hold me. "Sandor?" I questioned and he shifted away from me again. I tucked a strand of hair behind his ear before letting my hand rest on his cheek. "You can tell me if something's wrong-". I wasn't able to finish my sentence before Sandor had claimed my lips again.