Wandering // Sandor Clegane // Thorin

6. You don't want me

'Ned! Ned!' Catelyn said running in 'I just got word from the Erie, from my sister. She said Lord Aryn was murdered by the Lannister's!' she hissed. 'that means that King is in danger!'

'She is a fresh widow Cat, she does not know what she's saying.' Ned assured her.

'Lysa's head would be on a spike right now if the wrong people had found out Ned!' Catelyn exclaimed. 'Do you think she would risk her life? Her son's life? To risk telling us that her husband was murdered?'

'If this news is true and the Lannister's are conspiring against the throne who but you can protect the king' maester Llewen said coming up behind them.

'They murdered the last Hand,' cat reminded him 'now you want to take the job?'

'They traveled a month to ask for Ned Starks help. He is the only one he trusts. He swore the oath.' Lyewen reminded Catelyn.

'He spent half his life fighting in Roberts wars he owes him nothing!' she spat.

'Your father and Brother Road South once on the kings demand.' Ned recalled.

'A different time,' Lyewen reminded him 'a different King.'

'The whole Baratheon family is in danger that means that,' Ned said softly thinking it through, 'Robert and his children... I have to go. I'm the only one who he trusts. I'm the only one that can protect him.'

'YOU OWE HIM NOTHING!' Catelyn shouted. 'What about your family?'

'Don't-' Ned began.

'You are going to run off and fall in love and forget all about your family.' Catelyn sneered.

'It's not like you love me anyways.' Ned countered.

'That's not true.' Catelyn spat.

'Really? All we do is fight? I'm no good here, I can do good there. Robb is old enough he will make a good lord of winterfell while I'm gone.' Ned told her marching out.

+++

'Rough night imp?' Sandor questioned fixing his boots.

'If I get through this without scratching one end or the other it will be a miracle.' Tyrion told him drunkenly, his head was spinning, he hated the north.

'Didn't pick you for a hunter.'

'I am the greatest in the land my spear never misses.' he said drunkenly, his words slurred.

'It's not hunting if you pay for it.' Sandor remarked getting up as Tyrion drifted back asleep in the stables. Sandor caught Aroura coming out of the woods. 'Aroura!' He called catching her attention. 'What are you doing?'

'I...' was hoping to stumble across my finds from middle earth so I have been wandering the woods all night looking for a magical portal... not she couldn't say that.

'Looking for your friends?' but of course Sandor already knew, she nodded sheepishly.

'After seeing Boro- I mean Ned.' Aroura corrected. 'it just got me thinking and hoping... you know?'

'I don't but I do.' Sandor agreed.

'Thanks for not judging me. for being my friend.' Aroura told him. Sandor smiled down at her before heading off.

+++

'So where were you for what 20 years?" Arya questioned over breakfast.

"I was in a place called-' Aroura began and Robert slammed his fist down on the table everyone looked to him. 'I was..' she said hesitantly. 'It doesn't matter, I cant get back so you lot are stuck with me.' Aroura said offering Robert a smile. Cersei sneered at her sister.

They talked and ate, Aroura picked at her food, her eyes constantly looking down the table at Boro- Ned. She couldn't get over it. How similar they looked. Same voice too. Ned noticed her stare and offered her a smile while Catelyn glared at Aroura. She turned back to her plate but her stomach was in knots she had dreams last night of being home and now... she woke up to this. She wanted to cry, she wanted to hide in the woods and never come out. Once excused the children ran off to play while Aroura wanderer, aimlessly, like she did most days at the capitol looking for home.

'Lady Aroura?' Ned questioned coming up behind her.

'Hello... Ned.' She had to force herself to say the right name because looking at him she felt like she was home again, like just over the boarder of the trees she would find lake town and then Mirkwood. But this was Westeros and not Middle Earth.

'You knew this Bobo well?' Ned questioned

'Boromir,' she corrected with a smile 'and no. I only knew him a day... but got to know each other very well she informed him with a slight blush to her cheeks.

'Oh. I see,' he said an embarrassed smile on his own face.

'You look just like him. Older but I haven't seen boromir in ages.' Aroura told him. 'I don't even know if he is still alive.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Oh don't be,' aroura said forcing a smile. 'I met so many wonderful people in Middle earth, my father, not Tywin.' She added softly. 'but my real father, he called me his little wanderer. I wanderer the realm, I met so many people, all different cultures and towns all within... its kind of like here I guess but not.' She said thinking it through. 'I mean, they had Elves and dwarves and Orcs and oh dragons, they had a dragon that well he burned down my... his name is Thorin his castle burned to the ground. Not unlike here, I was little when it happened but I remember the stories.' Aroura told him. 'There is not so different from here yet it is, very different.'

'How did you get there?'

'A portal or some sort, no one I talked to knows or understands so they don't believe me. but what I lived through was real.' Aroura told him.

'I believe you.' Ned told her, and Aroura couldn't help but touch his face.

'its just so strange,' she whispered. 'you are him. But you are... not.' Aroura said letting her hand fall but Ned grabbed her hand.

'I'm just as real as him.' Ned told her. He hadn't realized how close he had gotten to her. So close he could see green flecks in her blue eyes. If either of them moved their lips would have connected but a scream rang out pulling them back, Aroura cleared her throat as Ned got up. 'Excuse me.' he said running off, he hadn't a felt his heart race like that in a long time. Aroura turned back to the woods to see Sandor watching her, his face pinched.

'Hey,' Aroura said softly coming up to him.

'Hi.' He replied stiffly. 'you and lord stark seem close.' He noted bitterly.

'Oh, no...' Aroura said awkwardly. 'He's just...'

'he almost kissed you.' Sandor told her and she couldn't look at him.

'He didn't. he's married, lots of children.' Aroura told him. 'you couldn't see, we were just talking.' Aroura lied. She thought ned was going to kiss her as well and she would have let him just to see if it was the same as Boromir, if she even remembered what he felt like after all this time, after her many kisses with Thorin.

'I saw just fine.' Sandor told her walking away but Aroura chased after him.

'I... fine maybe he was.' She admitted following him into the stables. 'would that be so wrong?'

"As you said, he's married with lots of kids.' Sandor reminded her. 'And he is not your middle earth friend.'

'I know.' She said meekly.

'But you don't want Ned or the Ned look alike.' Sandor reminded her.

'No.' she agreed and before she knew it Sandor's lips were on hers. When he pulled away her lips were numb and her heart pounding in her chest.

'You don't want me either, do you?" he questioned walking away, when Aroura opened her eyes, fingers on numb lips sandor was gone.

++

The day Bran fell the wolves all howled. They circled Bran crying out for their master and friend. Their howls echoed as Catelyn came dropping before her son sobbing cradling him to her. You could hear shouts and screams and cries coming from Bran's room as Catelyn belittled her husband, calling him useless and incompetent, as though anyone could keep Bran from climbing.