Lone Wolf || Tyrion Lannister

Chapter Thirty Two

Sandor had no idea what he was going to do with Arya now. There was nowhere for her to go. She didn't have any family anymore. He was sure her sisters were still alive, but he hoped to the gods they remained hidden away. If he somehow found them, then no doubt it would be easy for the Lannisters to find them.

He couldn't take her to Riverrun, the Freys had it, he couldn't take her to Winterfell, the Bolton's had it. Her Aunt was dead, so that ruled out the Vale. He already had a headache from the stupid bite on his shoulder, but it was made even worse now that he had to figure out what to do next.

As he moved behind some of the rocks, Arya paused to practice more of her Water Dancing. While he still thought it was stupid, at least it would keep her quiet and it would make sure that she didn't have any stiff muscles if it ever came to a fight.

Left alone for the time being, Arya didn't realize there were people around until she turned to face them. Thankfully, though, they seemed to be friendly enough. It wasn't until Sandor arrived that things turned. "Seven blessings," the woman greeted. "I'm Brienne of Tarth and this is Podrick Payne."

"Do you want something?" He questioned. He didn't really feel like fighting, however, he would if it meant keeping Arya safe.

"That's Sandor Clegane," Podrick said when he saw him. Podrick had seen the man enough to know his face. "The Hound." At that, Brienne looked from Sandor to Arya.

"You're Arya Stark," she said, surprised that she had found her. Sandor scowled, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.

"I asked if you wanted something,"

"I swore to your mother that I would bring you home," Brienne said to Arya, ignoring the Hound for the time being.

"You're not a Northerner," Arya replied, her eyes narrowed. "If you were supposed to protect her then why didn't you?"

"I was charged to bring Jaime Lannister back to King's Landing," she replied.

"You're paid by the Lannisters," Sandor accused. "You're here for the bounty on me."

"I'm not paid by the Lannisters," Brienne denied. She wasn't working for the Lannisters; she was trying to keep her oath. She wanted very little to do with the Lannisters. Her loyalty could never be bought by anything, it had to be earned.

"No?" Sandor questioned as he walked forward to stand in front of her. "That's a fancy sword you've got there. Where did you get it?" He didn't know this woman, he didn't know if she was telling the truth, and all the dots he was connecting lead him to one conclusion; he couldn't trust her with Arya. "Go on, Brienne of fucking Tarth; tell me that isn't Lannister gold."

"I don't care what you swore, the Bloody Gate is 10 miles," Arya cut in. She didn't trust this woman either; she just wanted to keep moving. She wasn't sure what they were going to do, but really, the last thing she wanted was for more trouble.

"Arya, please,"

"You heard the girl," Sandor cut in. "She's not coming with you."

"She is," Brienne replied, a challenging look flashing in her eyes. A few more words and barbs were traded before Brienne and Sandor crossed swords in a fight. Both Arya and Podrick moved away to watch them fight. In the back of his mind, he knew he should probably be watching Arya, but Podrick worried that the Hound would beat Brienne in a fight.

He knew he wasn't much, but he was ready to help her should she need it. With the lack of supervision, Arya was able to move over to a larger rock and watch the fight. Should Sandor somehow lose, Arya would have an advantage. Had it not been for the festering bite to his neck, Sandor would have been able to fight better.