The Hound, The Imp, and The Cripple // Sandor Clegane

The wall

It had been a week since brans fall and catelyn had not let kitty visit him. Although bran was never nice to her he was still her brother and she loved him. She wanted to be with him in case he was so die. To say her goodbyes but catelyn wouldnt have it. So kitty stayed with jon and tyrion. Tyrion didnt speak again about the words he spoke to her in the garden before the fall but he still wished to say them. What was left unsaid and unfinished. But now with her brother dying it was most certainly not the time.

'Katarina?' kitty was in the library as she was most days but she was alone Tyrion would be joing her shortly though.

'yes father?' she put her book down as he got closer.

'I am going to kings landing... the king wants me to be hand of the king." He said with authority but his eyes were sad.

'oh...' kitty didn't want her father to leave. She didn't want Tyrion to leave either. She would be left with jon again just as it was before. 'father that is wonderful news. The capital will benefit from your knowledge and wisdom.'

'baby girl I'm...'

'I am going to miss you dearly though so you will have to write all the time.' Kitty went on not seeing that her father was trying to get her attention. 'and you will have to-'

'katarina...' he said with a smile and she finally looked up at him.

'yes?'

'I want you to come with me."

'to the capital?' she questioned dumbly.

'yes to the capital love.'

'You want me to come to kings landing?' She questioned unsure of why and what possibly she could do in the capital.

'I want you to keep an eye out for your sisters.' She tried not to scoff. Her sisters wanted nothing to do with her. never did and a change in scenery wouldn't change that. 'you are brilliant and smart and kind. Your sisters are young and foolish. Sansa... gods help sansa she is enthralled with the prince-'

'she is to marry him, no?"

'yes.' He bit out, he loved Robert like a brother but his eldest son was less then a perfect candidate for his daughter.

'so it is good that she loves him?' kitty was confused. Sansa and joffery would be perfect together they were both vicious and cruel, what a pair they would make once married. Heavens help their children.

'and arya well you know her, she likes to cause trouble... it would be good for them to have you looking out for them.' She couldn't possibly say no. her father never asked anything of her and now he was asking this. To leave the place she grew up in but was never really home and move to a strange new land. She let herself believe that she would, that she could be happy. That the people would treat her differently from her own family but then she remembered her encounter with the prince and his mother. They hated her. she would be hated everywhere she went.

'what do you say love?' and what about jon, she couldn't possibly leave jon here by himself. She would be an awful sister for abandoning the one person she loved most in the world, the person she raised and the person who now protected her above all else.

'what about jon?'

'what about jon?' ned questioned wrapping an arm around his eldest daughter.

'I couldn't possibly leave him here...'

'katarina.'

'when he was born he was given to me to take care of and I did my duty and I protected him and I cared for him and it would be really awful of my to abandon my baby.' Ned knew her words had a double meaning. 'I was like a mother to him growing up and I couldn't possibly leave him here. To fend off the wolves by himself.' Although robb and theon were his friends and they treated him more like a brother than their own full sister they would never truly accept him.

'katarina. Jon has plans as well.' Ned said mysteriously.

'plans?' kitty asked, what plans, what could he mean?

'So you will come with?'

'you really want me there? in the capital? With all the fancy folk?"

'I really do my love. I really do.'

'then I guess I have to tell jon.'

'good we leave in a few days, after you tell jon start packing.'

'a few days...' ned was already leaving. 'what about bran?" she questioned.

'he is still... he hasn't woken yet.'

'we wont wait to see if he wakes?'

'the king wants to head back sooner rather than later.' Ned said before shutting the library door.

Kitty debated what books to bring before she remembered Tyrion saying the extensive library at the capital. She unpacked her books and repacked her clothes. She was jumping around the room legless when jon knocked.

'come in.' she sat down on her bed and made sure her legs were covered but seeing jon she smiled hopped back up and continued to pack.

'hello sweetie.' He said pressing a kiss to her temple.

'father says you have plans?' jon rose a brow confuse. 'he said I am to come to the capital to keep an eye on the girls and I don't have to worry about you because you have plans. He said it rather mysteriously, might I add.' Kitty sat back down on the bed and jon kneeled before her.

'love...' he didn't know how to say this. How to tell her what he had planned.

'you can tell me.' she encouraged.

'love I'm going to the wall.' He said quickly but she heard every word loud and clear.

'what? What happened? What have they accuse you of? There should be a trail and-'

'no kitty no.' he laughed of course she would think he was being forced to the wall. 'I want to go and serve.'

'at the wall?'

'yes love.'

'but the wall... jon the wall is for... criminals." She whispered and he laughed. Still so innocent. His older sister, his best friend. Of course she wouldn't see the benefit from him going to serve at the wall.

'I know love but not all of them are bad. Some just want a place to help protect others.'

'is this because I'm leaving because I wont leave if you will stay as well jon. I don't want you to be alone here but I really don't want you to go to the wall. I will tell father I'm staying and you will tell him you are staying as well.' She informed him and started pulling clothes out of her case. but he put a gentle hand over hers and stopped her.

'love, the capital could be good for you.' He spoke softly.

'but... but I don't want you to go to the wall jon. I want you to stay. I want to stay with you. I will tell father-' she began again and tried to pull another blue dress out of her case but again he stopped her.

'I love you with all my heart katarina but love you and I both need a change in scenery and the wall-'

'is for criminals' kitty repeated.

'is for men looking to help and make a difference too love.'

'jon you are such a good man you shouldn't have to waste your life away protecting the world from monsters that have long went extinct!" she cried out. He got up from his knees and held her close. 'if you go to the wall jon I will never see you again.' Tears slipped down her face. 'and I would most certainly die if I never got to see my brother again.'

'you will see me again, love.'

'jon the wall-' she began tears still streaming down her face.

'the wall could never keep me from my sister. Nothing and no one could ever keep me from getting back to you.' She cried into him for what felt like an eternity until she fell asleep in his arms.