An Inconvenient Flame [Sandor Clegane]

Chapter 56 - The honouring of the fallen

It took a lot of me to stand beside Sandor. We had been working for days to gather the fallen, tend to the injured and get a better understanding of just how many we had lost in this battle.

I had tried to remain strong but with everyone crying around me, it was getting increasingly difficult to hold the tears back. When I allowed them to fall I also reached for Sandor's hand. He jumped but allowed me to hold it for a while as the last people began arriving. I had for the first time decided to wear a dress, my hair had also been secured with a few small braids and the hairpin on the back of my head, half hanged loosely down my back to my waist, curly and longer than ever.

Jon stood in front of me, he was looking just as beaten as I was feeling. I had only gained a small cut over my eyebrow and quite a few bruises that had already turned black but I could hide them all underneath my clothes.

Even though I had said goodbye already there was something in me that compelled me to step forth alongside my sister and a few others who said their final goodbye. Even the white-haired Queen had stepped forth. I knew it was Ser Jorah. I had seen him amongst the fallen yesterday.

I walked to Beric first and placed a hand on his that was gathered on his chest before placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Thank you. May you find rest." I whispered before turning to the next pyre where I knew Elric was. I also placed my hand on his and squeezed them before also placing a kiss on his forehead, but when I straitened up again I realized something was missing.

My eyes shifted to his hands where I knew I had placed the bracelet that belonged to his wife. It was gone and my eyes widened as anger flooded me. Who would steal from the dead? "No-." I mumbled when making sure I hadn't missed it, but it was gone.

Once I returned to stand beside Sandor, I had noticed his starring and I knew he had been watching me the entire time. When Jon stepped forth to speak and thereby address us all, I found Sandor's hand again. The big man squeezed my hand as Jon began speaking.

"We're here to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters. To our fathers and our mothers, to our friends. Our fellow men and women who set aside their differences, to fight together and die together so that others might live. " Jon spoke with a certain calmness in his voice and it carried to everyone in the silent day.

"Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid. It is our duty, and honor to keep them alive in memory, for those who come after us and those who come after them for as long as we all draw breath because they were the shields that guarded the realms of men. And we shall never see their like again." Jon ended his speech by turning back to someone holding a torch. It was passed to him before more torches was passed forth.

I was given one as well before we all stepped forth. I held the torch high and followed the others. I looked to Arya, standing over Beric's body before I turned to Elric before me. There was a moment before everyone lit the pyres in front of them. The fire consumed the bodies before we all turned away again. This was the time to mourn, to remember why we fought and what we had lost.