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

I love him

'I remember seeing you at a tourney. I didnt like you, you weren't good but you werent bad.' Sandor was telling beric as everyone tried to warm up.

'Thank you clegane' beric said smiling. 'That warms the heart' beric told him.

'But there's nothing special that you' sandor informed him

'I'm sorry he has no manors.' Kitty informed them, sandor smiled down at her in his lap, running his hands up and down her arms trying to arm her up.

'Well you're right about that' beric confirmed.

'Then why does the Lord of light keep bringing you back?' sandor questioned. 'I've met better men than you and they've been hanging from crossbeams or beheaded or shot them selves to death in a field somewhere and none of them came back... so why you?"

'Do you think I don't ask myself that every hour of every day?? what am I supposed to do? what is the Lord seeing in me? ...and I don't know. I don't understand our Lord.' Beric told them.

'Your Lord.' Sandor corrected. He was no fire worshipers.

'I don't know what he wants for me. I only know that he wants me alive.' Beric told them.

'If he's so powerful why doesn't he tell you what the fuck he wants?' sandor snapped.

'Clegane come over here' thoros said crouching by the fire.' Dont worry the fire wont bite.' He chuckled. 'I want to show you something'

'It's my fucking luck I end up with a band of fire worshipers...' sandor mutter as kitty got up from his lap he moved slowly towards thoros.

'It almost seems like divine justice' beric told him.

'There is no define justice if there was you'd be dead' sandor corrected. 'And that little girl would be alive' sandor added, kitty's eyes drifted to the dead daughter and father. 'What do you want?' sandor asked bitterly stepping towards the fire.

'Look into the flames' thoros said and sandor rolled his eyes. 'Look into the damn flames! you saw me bring him back to life don't you wanna know who gave me the power?'

'I keep asking and no one wants to tell me!' sandor snapped.

'We can't tell you, only the fire can tell you...' Sandor looked hesitantly at the fire leaning forward and looking over the flames.

'What do you see?' thoros asked

'Logs burning' sandor said bored.

'Keep looking' thoros instructed. Sandor looked harder into the flames. 'What do you see?'

'Ice... a wall of ice... THE wall...' kitty turned to him, eyes wide, he was actually seeing something.

'What else?' thoros questioned and sandor leaned in a bit closer.

'It's where the wall meets the sea there's a castle..' then the sparks flickered up from the flames and he took a step back but leaned back in his eyes focused on the flames. 'there's a mountain looks like an arrowhead the dead of marching past... Thousands of them.' Kitty wobbled over, cane clicking against the ground, to stand behind Sandor wrapping her arms around him. She didnt see anything in the fire. Just logs burning... no ice, no wall, no army of the dead. She looked up to sandor, he saw something he wouldn't be leaning in towards the fire if he hadn't.

'Do you believe me now clegane? do you believe we're here for a reason?' Beric asked.

************************

'What the hell are you doing looking?' thoros asked as he came outside, sandor was digging in the freezing cold.

'Burying the dead,' the family that had died he was bearing them a grave out in the snow

'You knew these people?' thoros asked

'Not really...' It was the girl and the father who took them in for the night she had made rabbit stew... he offered him work... who he had stolen his silver from and said they wouldn't survive the winter and they left. They didn't survive. Sandor knew they wouldnt but it hurt all the same. Thoros started to help him dig.

kitty watched from inside her fingers still frozen she tried to get warm by the fire. But she still couldn't feel her fingers or toes. She stood up and looked out the window when thoros left to check on sandor. She watched them.

'We asked the father to judge us with mercy we ask the mother to... fuck if I remember the rest...' Sandor said looking down at the grace. 'I'm sorry you're dead you deserve better... the both of you' sandor said over the freshly dug graves before heading back inside.

When sandor came in he wrapped his arms around Kitty, she was still standing by the fire. She shivered at his touch.

'Oh my goodness,' she smiled up at him, 'honey you're cold.' she said turn around in his arms

'Warm me up then' he said grinning down at her. he kissed her over and over again her cold fingers wrapping around his neck.

'Katarina...' Thoros questioned and sandor groaned. 'I still don't understand what a noble and pretty thing like you is doing with the hound?' he questioned a grin on his face.

'I love him.' she told thoros simply.