GoT One-Shots Book 3!

Quiet (Sandor Clegane x fem!Stark reader)

Despite all your efforts to stay under everyone's radar, you somehow managed to catch someone's attention. You had managed to catch the attention of The Hound. Sandor Clegane. You had no idea why his eyes seemed to hone in on you every time you were in the same room. You weren't like the rest of your family. They all seemed so confident and strong, even little Rickon.

You were quiet and a bit shy. You didn't like to talk to people much. To put it plainly, you were grateful that Robb was the eldest and you were a female so you wouldn't have the pressures of being the Warden of the North when your father passed. You could not handle dealing with that many people. You preferred your quiet solitude. So it was no surprise to anyone that you stayed away when everyone was gathered in the inn to determine the fate of Sansa's direwolf, Lady.

Your own direwolf had run off when Nymeria had. You were certain Nymeria and your wolf, Winter, were mates. Where one went, the other would follow. Unfortunately, that left you seemingly unprotected when away from your father and Jory. You didn't know that Sandor had noticed your absence and had decided to go after you as soon as a decision was made.

Once outside, Sandor scanned for any sign of which direction you went. He had been ordered to take care of the butcher's boy, but he wanted to find you first. He'd never hear the end of it if something happened to you. Sandor heard some rustling in the trees followed by some voices. Deciding that was his best bet, he followed. Sure enough, he found you and several men. You were slightly crouched and looked a little scared. The protective instinct Sandor felt kicked into high gear. Before he could move, however, you did something that surprised him.

Quick as a flash, you lashed out and, with your hands and fists alone, you protected yourself. Then men were soon all rolling on the ground groaning loudly. "Next time you will think twice before messing with a lady," you told them. Sandor chuckled softly and you spun around, ready to defend yourself again. Then you noticed who it was and straightened up.

"Your mother know you can do that?" You sighed and smiled as you shook your head. "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" you asked with a lightly teasing tone. You looped your arm around his and lead him away. "Thank you for attempting to come to my rescue."

"Where did you learn to do that?" Sandor asked. "My brothers and Theon. It's been our secret from Mother for a few years now. The world is dangerous, Ser and it's ridiculous that women are meant to simply sit and say pretty words and wait for a husband instead of learning to protect themselves. I knew I didn't want to be one of those ladies. I wanted to be able to live without a man by my side all the time. I-Is that stupid?"

"No," was all Sandor said before the two of you returned to the inn where your father was outside. "Lady?" you asked and he shook his head. You gave a Sandor a sad smile. "I'll tend to Sansa. I'm certain she's beside herself. Thank you again, Ser." You turned to walk away, barely hearing Sandor's mumbled, "I'm not a knight."

As soon as you were out of sight, your father turned to Sandor. "Is she alright?" Sandor gave a nod. "Got in a spot of trouble, but she's fine now." Lord Stark regarded Sandor with a look the large man couldn't place for a moment. "Thank you, Clegane. I don't know why you've chosen to watch over my daughter, but I appreciate it. Sansa and Arya need minding more than Y/N does. I am glad she's found...a friend in you." Sandor tried to keep the look of disbelief off his face.

Is that what you were? Friends? Sandor didn't really have friends at all. Then again, could he just be friends with you? At the moment, he felt in awe of you and of how you managed to keep your training a secret from others. He liked that he was one of the few people that knew about that side of you. He liked that you weren't afraid of him. And he really liked how you looked at him like he was actually worth something. Like he was meant to be more than just a killer.

Sandor wasn't a romantic man by any means and even if he had been, you were probably the last person who would want to be with a man like him. Then again, you sometimes looked at him in a way that made him think otherwise. Sandor entered the inn behind your father and you met his gaze. You smiled at him and he scoffed under his breath. "It really is the quiet ones," he thought to himself.