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

Rabbit stew

'seven blessings.' An old man said from above them on the bridge.

'what do you want?' sandor grumbled.

'what do I want? This is my land.'

'if I'm standing on it, its my land.' Sandor replied.

''so sorry,' kitty called up to him. 'we were just watering our horses, we will be on our way.'

'forgive my father,' arya spoke up. 'he was wounded fighting in the war. Our cottage burned down while he was gone, my mother and I barely made it out with our lives.' She looked to kitty, 'hes never been the same.'

'which house did he fight for?'

'the tullys of riverrun.' arya said thinking everyone oved her mother that was a safe bet. Kitty tried not to scoff at the thought. Fighting for house tully, a bunch of jerks. The whole lot of them. kitty was sure of it.

'there a storm coming, you will be wanting a place to sleep tonight.' the man said pointing ahead to his home. 'and sally here makes rabbit stew just like her mom used to.' that got sandor attention. Food. Warm fresh food. 'we don't have much but any man that fights for house tully is welcome to it.'

'that sounds great!' arya said 'right mommy?' she looked to kitty who forced a smile.

'right honey.' kitty wrapped her arm around arya. 'that sounds so nice, we have been travelling for a while, don't you think love?' she asked sandor and he grumbled but agreed. 'thank you.'

When they got to the mans house and sat for supper the man started to pray. Everyone folded their hands but as the man spoke thanking each god sandor lost his patience.

'you gonna thank all seven of the fuckers?'

'Father!' arya yelled slapping his arm. The man kept praying...

'and we ask the stranger not to kill us in our bed tonight for no damn reason at all.' He poured himself a bowl of soup.

'I'm so sorry.' arya said pouring herself some stew as well. 'this is really good.' Arya noted. Kitty sat quietly finishing the prayer in her head and the man noticed he smiled over at her from across the table before passing her the bread.

'thank you, so very much for having us.' Kitty said taking a sip. A nice hot meal. It was perfect.

'quite welcome.' The man said as he ate.

"this is really wonderful, thank you sally.' Kitty said and the girl smiled at them.

'got any ale?' sandor asked.

'no, sorry I don't have any ale.'

'I'm sorry too.' Sandor grumbled. 'how can a man not keep any ale in his home.' Arya was on her second bowl in no time.

'this is really lovely. Thank you so much for having us.' Kitty repeated trying to buffer the rudeness of Sandor and the impoliteness of arya, downing the whole pot of stew.

'you are very welcome... why do you have a cane?.' Sally asked eating her own stew.

'oh.. well...' kitty began putting down her bread.

'Sally that's not polite.' Her father reminded her.

'Sorry.' Sally said looking down.

'I just got hurt is all.' Kitty told her turning back to her food as sandor rubbed at her back.

'you look like you really swing a sword. A real warrior with real training. Raders wouldn't stand a chance against you.' Sandor looked up from his stew. 'you know I could really use a man like you in the coming moon. Help with the farm work. Sally does what she can but she cant lift a bale of hay... and if any thieves came looking for trouble I bet they would take one look at you and run the other way.' Sandor watched the man, pouring himself another bowl of stew. ' I mean you no offense...' he added.

'what will you pay?'

'I cant pay you much, I have a bit of silver hidden from the bandits.. fair waged for fair work? I got room in the barn and I would give ya meals... I could really use the help around here.' The man said still amazed at the size of the man.

'Fair wages for fair work' sandor agreed. Arya looked at sandor confused.

'that's wonderful.' The man said looking to his daughter. They were going to be okay. They were going to survive the winter with this mans help.

Arya slurped down her soup, she was not staying here. Living here. Pretending the hound was her father until she died.

*******

They all slept in the barn that night, Kitty missed real beds and warm fires and fresh clothes and clean hair. she didn't remember the last time she bathed. She felt disgusting. She looked down at her leg, she still liked to keep it wrapped even though it didn't need it anymore, but she didn't like to look at it. Burned and deformed. She felt like she was even less herself. She felt like she was missing more of her as the maester had chopped off more of her leg. She ran her fingers over the scars gently and a tear ran down her cheek.

'Flower?' sandor questioned hearing her little sniffles. 'flower what happened?' he questioned turning he to him.

'my leg.' She whimpered.

'it hurting love?' he questioned reaching for his bag, pulling out the milk of the poppy, they were down to the bottom and he would need to find more soon for her.

'No,' she shook her head and he put it away.

'what it is then? What happened?' sandor questioned sitting up putting her in his lap, she curled into him.

'my leg... its... its...' she shook her head. 'its been moons, ive lost count how long we have been traveling but sandor it looks awful.'

'look at me.' sandor told her and she looked up teary eyed at him. 'you see this handsome face?'

'I do.' She agreed, running a gentle hand along his face.

'I don't care how it looks as long as its healthy and not killing you or hurting you.' Sandor told her. 'you don't turn away from me, you dont judge me, why would you judge yourself now?' kitty didn't have an answer for that. because sandor had always been kind to her and she hadn't been kind to herself over the years. Catelyn's words, the words of her 'family' had gotten into her head, espically after being with arya for so long. She saw her deformity and saw the disappointment and redicule across their faces, across their corpses. 'you are still beautiful to me.' sandor told her kissing her softly.

When she woke sandor was not with her, neither was arya but she heard yelling. she rushed to the noise.

'what did you do!' arya yelled.

'get your horse saddled.' Sandor said pulling the money from the man on the ground.

'you told me you weren't a thief!' arya yelled at him. ' he took us in and he fed us.'

'yes he took us in and fed us. His daughter makes a nice stew but they will both be dead come winter.' Sandor told her.

'you dont know that!' arya yelled at him.

'I do know it.' Sandor told her. 'hes weak. He cant protect himself. They will both be dead come winter... hes a dead man, dead men don't need silver.' Sandor explained. 'good youre up.' Sandor said looking to Kitty 'Lets go.' Sandor picked her up polpping on her on the horse she looked back at the beaten man on the ground. She wasn't pleased with sandor either at the moment but knew that without his help the man wouldn't survive the winter. And winter was coming.

'youre the worst shit in the seven kingdoms!' arya yelled. Sandor turned to face her.

'plenty worse than me I just see the world the way it is. How many starks are they gonna behead before you figure it out.'

'come on arya.' Kitty encouraged from the horse, arya was still fuming with anger.