Wandering // Sandor Clegane // Thorin

56. Lem

 'secure.' Thoros noted as the knots were tied around the nooses.

'alright,' beric agreed but before they kicked the crates out from under their feet they heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the sept Lem had destroyed, the people they killed. A survivor perhaps. They readied themselves either way.

When Aroura, Thorin and Sandor finally caught up with Lem he was about to be hanged for his crimes, Beric Dondarrion and Thoros were standing in front of them, ready to hang him.

'Clegane.' Beric said as he approached. 'Lady aroura. Good to see you again. Look you two made a friend.' He remarked.

'its alright, this is Aroura and Sandor Clegane.' Beric said but his men kept their swords ready.

'the fuck you doing?' sandor barked at them.

'You know them?" Thorin questioned.

'Yeah, they kept us held hostage for a bit.' Aroura told him.

'and we aren't killing them?' Thorin questioned.

"We still might.' Sandor assured him.

'What the fuck are you doing here?' thoros countered

'we are chasing them down. You?' Sandor questioned

'We are hanging them.'

'Any particular reason?' Sandor questioned

'They are men of the brotherhood, they were attacking a nearby sept and murdered the villagers.' Beric informed him.

'Why do you want them?' Thoros questioned curiously.

'Same reason.' Sandor told them 'we were helping them build it they killed a friend of mine.' Sandor told them, he picked up his axe.

'You got friends?' Thoros teased

'just this one.' Sandor admitted pointing to Aroura 'they are mine.' sandor marched forward.

'They are of the brotherhood the brotherhood's name they dragged through the dirt-' beric reminded him.

'Fuck your name. I killed you once I'd be happy to do it again.' sandor warned and Arthur drew back his bow. 'drop that arrow, tougher girls and you've tried to kill me.' sandor threated him, axe in hand moving threateningly close to Arthur.

'Beric lets settle this like adults,' Aroura offered glancing at sandor. 'how about we split them?'

'You can have one of them.' beric told her nodding.

'Two.' Sandor negotiated Beric looked back at Aroura. She stared that fierce stare back at him.

'Fine.' Sandor moved to butcher them but Thoros grabbed his ax mid swing

'No no no' Thoros told him 'we are not butchers we hang them.'

'Hanging is all over in an instant.' Sandor told them 'where is the punishment that?'

'They die.' thoros reminded him.

'They die.' Thorin agreed. 'but they need to be punished for what they did.' Sandor nodded back at him.

'We all die except for this one over here.' he looked back at Beric 'I will only gut one of them.'

'No.' Beric told him

'Chop off one hand then.' Sandor negotiated

'sandor.' Aroura laughed out.

'We gave you two of the three out of respect for your loss that is generous.' Beric told him.

'You're a bunch of Nancy's, all of you expect the only actual woman.' Sandor said throwing down his axe down. 'I would've killed all seven of you just to get these three.'

'You're getting old Clegane.' Thoros noted

'Yes but he's not.' Sandor kicked the crate they were standing on dropping him down they struggled for breath beric kicked the last one out from under them. Sandor sat down taking the men's boots slipping it on his feet, the brotherhood watched him curiously.

'you got anything to eat?' Sandor questioned.

'Yeah we missed dinner but I suppose that's a good thing.' Aroura remarked.

'Maybe not. Could have stopped this.' Thorin offered.

+

So they sat around the fire eating and drinking and talking, the tension of what they were to each other and what the future held was still undiscussed and aroura thought it was for the best.

'You enjoying yourself?' Thoros asked him

'I prefer a chicken.' Sandor told him as Thoros handed him a jug.

'do you want to join us?' thoros questioned, sandor scrunched up his face in distaste.

'Join you where?" aroura questioned.

'North.'

'North.' Thorin repeated. 'that's helpful.'

"Not that if they said winterfell or the wall you would have a damn clue where they were talking about.' Aroura reminded him and he shrugged a smile on his face. It was still so surreal seeing her, being here and holding her in his arms again.

'You ought to join us we could use you.' Beric told him

'I tried joining it didn't work out for me.' Sandor informed them but aroura stared at Beric debating.

''the Lord of light has kept Beric alive for a reason he gave a failed drunk priest the power to bring him back... we all have something worth living for,' Thoros offered.

'he came back from the dead?" Thorin questioned.

'Yeah, it's a weird phenoninom.' Aroura told him vaguly.

'you got witches and shit here too?" Thorin questioned.

'sort of.' Aroura stared over at Beric. 'He calls it the lord of light but I don't know.'

'Lots of terrible shit happens in this world there's no way we are here for something larger than ourselves.' Sandor got up moving to the stream to pee

'Cold winds are rising in the south.' beric told him

'And you are going to go and stop them?' Sandor asked

'We need good men to help us.'

'Last time you saw me you wanted to execute me.' Sandor reminded him

'True enough but the Lord of light gave you the power to defeat me. Why?' beric questioned.

'I beat you because I am better than you Beric,' Sandor told him sitting back down. 'I was better than you before you started yammering about the Lord and I am better than you now.'

''You are probably right, you are a fighter you were born a fighter, you walked away from a fight how did that go? Good and bad young and old the things we are fighting will destroy them all alike you can still help a lot more than you have harmed it is not too late for you.' Beric told him. 'the three of you. Could do a lot of good before the world is on fire.'

'Why not?' aroura agreed and sandor stared back at her. 'should we take a vote?" aroura pondered with a smirk.