An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 20 - Bunch of Liars

The brotherhood was a strange band of men, yet they were all fighting for the same cause. Almost like a robin hood concept, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. They were definitely believing in their own cause, no matter how strange their methods was or what they did to achieve it.

Morning had found us not long after Sandor's fight against Beric and so had another fire priest, this time a priestess. A woman dressed in a blood red cloak. Her hair was even a vibrant red color as well. She was extremely beautiful, and I fell quite a bit short in beauty compared to her. It was hard not to feel jealous.

"I don't like that woman." Arya suddenly whispered while lowering the bow in her hands. Anguy had allowed her to shoot a few arrows while Thoros, Beric and the red woman talked together. Arya's voice carried the same hatefulness it always did towards certain people. The red woman had just emerged from the cave again, closely followed by Beric and Thoros. I straitened up and wrapped my arms around my chest, hiding my hands underneath my arms because they were still bound in white bandages and stuck out like a sore thumb.

When the red woman suddenly stopped not far from us, Beric also moved to stand beside her. "Forgive me lad." Beric's voice was full of regret as two men grabbed Gendry by his arms. I watched the struggle and heard my sisters panicked screams quite clearly. "What are you doing? Let go of him!" Arya ordered before turning directly to Beric. "Tell them to stop! He wants to be one of you. He wants to join the brotherhood. Stop them."

"We serve the Lord of light, and the Lord of light needs this boy." Beric spoke to calmly to my liking. He sounded like one who didn't carry any regret in this matter.

Arya scowled at him when he didn't do what she wanted. "Did the Lord of light tell you that? Or did she?" Arya's eyes narrowed at the red woman who remained unbothered when she continued. "You're not doing this for your god, you're doing this for gold." Arya concluded when one of the men with the red woman handed a large bag of gold over to Thoros.

My eyes narrowed when I watched the exchange. Arya was right, they didn't do this because their God demanded it, they did it because they needed the gold. When Thoros tried to defend their action, it became clear that I had been partially right.

"We're doing it for both, girl." Thoros passed the bag of gold to Anguy. "We can't defend the people without weapons, and horses, and food. And we can't get weapons, horses and food, without gold." Thoros kept certain annoying breaks when ever he recited a new thing they needed.

My face contracted in disgust, I somewhat understood why he said it, but I would never understand why you would sell someone else for gold, no matter who they were. It was wrong. When Gendry finally found his words again, everyone turned to him. "You told me this was a brotherhood. You told me I could be one of you!" Gendry felt betrayed, his voice revealed that much as the guards bound his hands.

I watched them in silence, not daring to speak up because the red woman had looked at me for a moment. It was as if a flame was burning within her eyes. It made me feel weak. I shook lightly, quickly breaking my eye contact with her. I looked to the ground and wrapped my arms tighter around my chest. The red woman then turned back to Gendry. "You're more than they can ever be. They are just foot soldiers in the war, you will make kings rise and fall." Her words to him resonated deeply in me.