The Forest Child {Sandor Clegane Story}

Gold and Rabbits

Beric had asked Natari to see to Sandor and the few wounds he collected from the trial.

"He was to be your husband after all," Thoros had teased.

Natari took a seat on the ground next to Sandor. "Let me take off your armour," she mumbled.

"Leave me be woman." He snapped at her.

She ignored his protests as she began to unclip the amour, then wash away the blood from the cuts on his shoulders where Berics sword had found openings in the heavy boiled leather.

"Sansa?" She asked as she cleaned his wounds

"Still singing her pretty little songs. The boy shows her less attention as time goes on, I think he grew bored," Sandor grunts.

"You pulled her back through the window." 

"Aye, and you left the girl," he shot back and looked up into her eyes. "You can't trust these men Natari" he add with a whisper.

"No more than I can trust you!" she snapped back and moved away from him.

As she stood up to move away from Sandor, he quickly leant forward and grabbed held of her arm tightly. "They will sell you to the highest bidder woman, you and the girl. And who do you think will win?" 

She looked down at him and saw the seriousness in his eyes. Despite what this man had done, she could feel a burning under her skin for him, a strange desire to reach out for him and put her trust in him, but her head out ruled her heart and she walked away, returning to her little sister.

Later in the evening Natari lay down next to Arya, wrapping her arms around her, she would not lose her ever again. Sandor was lay at the other side of the fire, unbeknown to her, he lay watching her every movement. Staying awake Natari watched as each of the brotherhood men fell asleep. Once the cave had grown quiet, with the only noise of snoring drunken men filling the air, Natari gently nudged Arya awake.

"Stay quiet sister," Natari whispered to her.

"What's happening?" She asked sleepily and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"We are going to leave sister, these men, we cannot trust them, but I will get us back to our family. You just need to stay quiet and follow my every move."

As the two girls collected their things, Sandor watched and pulled his sword closer towards him. Natari didn't breathe as they slowly moved out of the cave. Only when they were well outside the cave with the cold rain falling on their skin did she relax her body and nod for Arya to continue. The girls did not stop walking, even as the sun rose and then slowly began to fall again. Along the way, Natari had made sure to hide their tracks and made fresh ones in the opposite direction from where they travelled. She knew the brothers would come after them, so they would need to take a longer route to Riverrun.

"Why did we have to run? They could have brought us home," Arya moaned as they made camp for the night.

Natari was collecting dried wood when another voice answered Arya from the edge of the woodlands. "Because all they care about is their cunting god and gold," Sandor growled out.

"Stay back!" Natari called out as she pulled out her sword and pointed it towards the man she once trusted.

"You going to kill me woman?" Sandor laughed as he walked over to Natari until her sword lightly poked into his armour. "Glad you took my advice," he laughed again.

"Leave us be," Natari spat.

"So the brotherhood can find you, because they will woman, if I could, they will," he grunted.

"Why do you care?" Arya shouted out.

"I don't, but I'm just as wanted by the Lannisters as you are and your family might pay me for bringing their daughters home," he replied and turned to look at Arya as Natari's sword continued to press into Sandor.

"So you're just after the gold?" Natari spat

"Aye, but at least you know it won't be the Lannisters I sell you too," he smiled and pressed himself further into Natari's sword before she quickly pulled it back into her belt.

Slowly Natari nodded and quickly turned away, picking up her wood and returning to the fire pit. Sandor grunted in return and threw two rabbits down by the fire. For the rest of the night, the three stayed in silence as they ate the rabbits and then laid down to rest.

Natari placed Arya closest to the dying fire and wrapped her in all the cover and clothes she could afford. Once the young girl was asleep she relaxed her body next to the fire and pulled her body close towards her.

"Here take this," Sandor grunted and pulled off his cloak.

"Fuck off," Natari hissed.

"You'll freeze woman!"

Natari brought her eyes to meet his and she glared at him. He met her glare until finally she nodded and pulled the cloak over her body.