From the Ashes (ASOIAF) (Sandor Clegane x OC)

Chapter 35: Sandor

"I'm going to have to name it." Sandor grumbled, looking across their cabin at his sword leaning against the wall in the corner. He still couldn't believe it was his. His own Valyrian blade. Tess looked up from her book at him. They'd been crossing the Narrow Sea towards Pentos for almost a week, and had rarely left their cabin. Having the uninterrupted time together had been heavenly. Tess hadn't fully dressed in at least four days, not that he had any complaints. Watching her lying in their bedding reading her book without a stitch of clothing on had become one of his favorite pastimes. More than that though this time together had made him remember that while Tess was a beautiful goddess that could make him crazy with just a look, she was also his best friend in the world. He'd enjoyed the days of talking and laughing with her just as much if not more than the variety of things they'd done to each other over the past week.

"I can't believe my ears." She teased, setting her book down and rolling over to drape her body across his. She looked over at the sword, "Sandor Clegane going back on his own proclamation. I thought only cunts named their swords."

"I know what I said....." he answered, absentmindedly playing with her hair, "but that is a fucking great sword. A Valyrian one at that. Those are the kinds of swords that Maesters keep records of and write down in books. And it's going to sound pretty stupid if some history book says the great sword of house Clegane, which wasn't named because Sandor Clegane was a stubborn bastard."

"So do you have any ideas?" Tess asked.

"No." He admitted, "anything I can think of sounds stupid and pompous like all the names those other cunt lords used. Long Claw, Widows Wail, Heartsbane, even Oathkeeper, gods love Brienne I know her reasoning but it's a shit name. I suppose Ice wasn't so bad. The Starks had the right of it...keep it simple. Arya did the same with her sword. Needle she called it." He said.

"Tyrion suggested Hound's Tooth when I had it made." Tess said, and Sandor snorted.

"Which is why it's a good fucking thing no one gave Tyrion a great sword to name." He said.

"You know....you could just give the responsibility of naming it our son, when it passes to him." She said, "maybe he won't have such strong opinions about names."

"You're betting on a child that's part you and part me not have strong opinions?" He said raising an eye brow and looking down at her. She laughed.

"Ugh...shit." She mumbled.

"What is it" he asked.

"I just forgot to drink the moon tea when they brought out breakfast. It'll be cold now. Doesn't make it any less effective but the flavor is not improved."

"Tess...." He said slowly. A thought had come to him, probably brought on by their conversation. "What if you didn't drink it?"

     She sat up and looked down at him cocking her head to the side like she always did when she was trying to figure out what he was thinking.

"What are you saying?" She asked.

"I'm saying....what if you stopped drinking moon tea?" He repeated.

"Well..." she said, she had picked up his hand from the bed and was tracing the lines on his palm as she spoke, "if I stopped drinking the tea I expect you'd get a baby in my belly pretty quickly with the way we carry on."

"And how would you feel about that?" He asked carefully. They hadn't ever discussed this topic in any way but hypothetically. She looked up at him. She seemed somewhere between nervous and excited.