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

Maester

Sandor kept his hood pulled over his as he brought kitty to a maester. Three days outside of kings landing he hoped he would be far enough away. Less people would know him. Less people would be looking for him. But thanks to the permanent reminder his brother left upon him when he was a child his face was noticable. His face was like a beacon. Even those that had never seen him had probably heard of the hound with the scarred face and large build.

'I need a maester!' He demanded carrying kitty in. A maester took him quickly after seeing the extent of kittys leg.

'Bring her in here.' He told sandor leading them into a back room, gentle sandor put her down. The maester rolled up her dress and prepared a hot blade, letting it sit in the fire.

'whats happening?' kitty asked confused as sandor knelt beside her.

'He is going to fix you up flower... alright, you can be brave right?' sandor questioned and she nodded but her eyes drifted to the blade coming at her. then she shook her head, panic filled her eyes. 'hes gonna get rid of the infection.' Sandor told her but she kept shaking her head.

'This is going to hurt.' he told kitty, sandr held onto her hand, 'hold her down please. This will be easier if she isn't moving.' He told sandor, he looked down at her scared little face. She nodded, she could be brave but woke up wide awake at the blade cutting into her flesh. Squirming away sandor put an arm down across her legs keeping them in place as he squeezed her hand as she cried out in pain.

'I'm sorry,' he murmured into her hair, trying to keep her still.

Kitty screamed out in pain as a maester cut away at the dead skin on her leg.

'Sorry flower, im so sorry' sandor said gripping her hand.

'Make it stop!' She screamed 'make it stop!' her breathing heavied as the maester moved to burn her flesh cauterizing the wound, she passed out exhausted from the pain.

'Is she better now?' Sandor questioned as the maester wrapped her leg, sandor stood up putting a hand on her head, she was pale and burning up.

'The infection was cut and burned away it shouldnt come back.' The maester told him 'but the recovery process for her will be long and hard.' Sandor nodded looking her over hestiantly. 'She needs plenty of rest and-' the maester glanced down at a pale kitty. 'She needs lots of rest. Moving around will only provoke her wound.'

'We have to keep going,' sandor told him. 'Is it safe to keep going?' Sandor questioned running a hand through her hair.

'Stay here a few days, a week... Give her body time to heal and rest. She has been through quite the ordeal. Dont make her travel so soon. Her body couldnt handle it.' Sandor nodded hesitantly. He wasnt about to save her just to get her killed trying to get her farther away.

'Fine.' Sandor agreed.

'She wont be able to use that,' the maester noted the flase leg sticking out of sandors bag on the floor.

'Why not?'

'It will be to short. She will be lop sided.' The maester told him. 'I can take measurements and you can go to the smith. While she rests.' The maester told him. 'Tell him when you need.'

'I dont have alot of coin.' Sandor told him. 'Not enough for board and food and a new leg. Not yet at least.' Sandor should have left kitty there. She thought she was going to die. Perhaps it would have been best. The little one could go to heaven. Be free of this world and the binds she was trapped in.

'I know who you are...' the maester told him. 'Sandor Clegane'. Sandor looked up from kittys small weak frame. 'I know who she is as well. Katarina Stark.'

'Its Clegane for her too,' sandor corrected

'Yes yes of course...' Sandor assessed the man deciding if he was a true threat. 'You both may stay here. I have an extra room in back. If you help me burry the dead i will feed you both as well.' The maester told him.

'Thats all? Burry the dead for room and food?' Sandor questioned incredulously.

'Thats all.' He agreed. The maester looked down to kitty. 'Best save your coin. Dont use it for a new leg just yet. Make sure she makes it first.' The maester said doubtfully.

'Shes strong.' Sandor told him. 'She will make it.'

'I hope so. Come. Gently lift her. Mind her leg and follow me.' He led them to a lower level. There was a cot on the floor and a small window at the top of the wall by the ceiling letting the moonlight in. The maester lit a candle as sandor set kitty down.

'I will get some food for you. Tomorrow we burry the dead.' The maester informed him

'Thank you,' sandor said softly as the maester was leaving. Sandor leaned against the wall watching the steady rise and fall of kitty chest as she slept. He couldnt sleep. Couldnt eat. He sat worrying and watching her chest rise and fall. Rise and fall.

Hours later the moon already sinking back down kitty woke up pain immediately shot through her, she groaned out as she sat up.

'Hey flower,' sandor coed coming up next to her

'What? My leg... oh my gods...' she muttered tears in her eyes.

'Here, here love.' he got some milk of the poppy putting a heavy dose on her tongue. 'Im so sorry flower,' he told her kissing her head. 'Im so so sorry.'

'Its not your fault,' she reminded him.

'It feels like my fault,' he told her. Her face pinched with agony as she moved over so sandor could properly sit next to her. She leaned against the wall as he wrapped an arm around her. 'Oh flower they cut away at the dead infected skin.'

'Gross' she said pulling up her dress but only seeing the bandages

'Then they burned you. They burned your flesh to stop the bleeding. To stop the spread. Flower im so sorry.' Sandor told her tears in his own eyes. He kenw the agony of being burned alive and he let them. He let the maester sear into her skin and he stood there doing nothing as she cried out for him to make it stop.

'Sandor,' she reached a hand up to his face. 'Its not your fault. The maester did what he did to help me.' Even in this amount of pain she still found a way to comfort him.

'Youre not supposed to be comforting me,' sandor told her. 'Im supposed to be comforting you! I'm supposed to be taking care of you.' Sandor said as she wiped at his eyes. 'I love you katarina. I never want to cause you pain and I feel like i kept on failing. Keep on putting you in these situations... i keep hurting you when I promised to protect you. Im a failure as a friend and a husband.' he muttered

'Youre not.' Kitty assured him. 'You saved me. I am sure that if i stayed at kings landing I would have died if not that night joffrey would have killed me eventually. I couldnt stay there couldnt live there anymore. You saved me. Even if i die tomorrow, know that you saved me sandor.' She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down to her. 'I love you too.' She informed him. 'But my leg is killing me and I need more of that.' She pointed to the vial of milk of the poppy in his hand. He handed it over giving her more until she was happily drugged on poppy sleeping soundly in his arms.

Kitty curled herself up in a ball into sandors side like a kitten. He held her close but felt freezing cold toes brush up against him. He felt her arms and her head.

'Shes freezing.' He muttered pulling the blanket around her tighter she shivered in his arms but remained asleep. He got up banging on the maesters door. 'Shes as cold as death!' Sandor declared. He shoved the maester back down to where kitty lay freezing cold on the cot.

'I will get her more blankets you make a fire, Clegane' he said walking off. Nodding to the little fire place leading out side. Sandor nodding getting to work quickly as the maester piled blankets on her. 'Body heat is the best form of heat,' the maester noted. 'Try and keep her warm. I will make her tea if she wakes have her drink it and again in the morning. Bundle her in furs.' The maester informed him.

'Thats it? Thats all you havw to say? Keep her warm?' Sandor spat.

'Keep her warm.' He agreed.