Secret Flames (Sandor Clegane)

Chapter 1

"You're a life saver Tal" Elisha smiled as the young woman helped the even younger woman with the marks left by her last client.

"They may pay for you, but they shouldn't be hurting you so. This is the third time this week. I will speak with Little Finger" Tallulah sighed.

"No please, he's one of our biggest spenders, if I complain he will only chuck me out and find another girl. Honestly, it is nothing I can't handle".

Tallulah knew the girl was right. Since King Roberts death and the beheading of Ned Stark, the entire city had gone mad. It seemed everyone was a little more scared, but also a great deal more violent.

"Despite the bruises, I don't get it Tal, your pretty enough. You could earn so much more if you joined the books. Don't you want to earn more gold and get out of here one day".

"And go where, I'm a bastard with no friends or family outside of this pit" she shrugged.

"Were all bastards Tal, doesn't mean we can't dream though".

Tallulah saw five more girls that day, each covered with bruises or burns, and each refusing to complain. By the end of the day Tallulah was completely spent, both physically and emotionally. Deciding to take some fresh air, she pulled on her cloak and went for a stroll around flee bottom.

The humid streets were busy with people returnimg home from work or heading to the Inns for drinks and fights. Tallulahs favourite watering hole was the Ships Gate by Blackwater Bay. It was usually the more quieter of the local Inns, although you were always guaranteed at least one brawl each night.

"Usual Tal?" the innkeeper asked her as she sat by the bar and lowered her hood.

"Aye, one very large glass of red wine" she smiled.

Tallulha remind by the bar for most of the night, drinking glass after glass of wine as she listened to the conversations around her.

"You're a pretty one. Reckon I've seen you in the pleasure house. How much?" A drunk man suddenly asked as he clung on to the bar at her right.

"I'm no whore. Perhaps take a walk to the pleasure house. I'm sure they can see to your needs there. If you can walk that far" she mumbled the last part of her sentence without turning to look at the man.

"Don't need to walk when I have a fine looking whore right here. Come on, I give you a copper if you suck me off" he chuckled.

"I said no" she hissed and this time turned around to the stinking man.

He was smaller than her, but with a very round stomach, no hair and only a handful of teeth. The thought of him disgusted her straight away. Not wanting any more trouble, she waited until the man finally slunked off to where he came, and then knocked back the rest of her wine before heading back out onto the streets.

As she made her way back towards flee bottom, she could hear the sound of footsteps behind her. As she turned around to see if she was being followed, someone quickly grabbed her from behind and pulled her back towards the darkened alleyway.

"You'll be lucky if I leave you half a copper for the trouble you cause me" the drunk man from the Inn hissed as he slammed Tallulha up against the brick wall.

"No get on your knees and use thag pretty mouth of some good" he added as he pulled down his breeches.

Tallulha struggled against the man's grip on her, but when he went to removed his breeches, she finally had chance to reach down for the blade she hide in her cloak.

"You should have listened" she hissed and quickly sliced the blade across his throat, slipping his life's blood onto the ground.

"Fucking whore" he choked with his last dying breath.

Suddenly a noise from the entrance to the alleyway caught Tallulahs attentions. "What's going on down ere".

Tallulah quickly tried to clean her blade on the man's lifeless body and hide it away, but she was too late, the unknown man had already reached her.

"I had just cause, he was going to rape me" she quickly explained and then noticed the white amour of the Kings Guard.

"Fuck" she whispered.

"You cause yourself too much attention girl. Drinking alone and wondering the streets at night" the man grunted.

"Are you going to arrest me or not".

"No, I ain't going to do nothing. Cunt deserved it. You ought to know better though. Now get a move on before someone with more fucks to give finds ya".

Tallulah followed the Kings Guard out of the alleyway and into the brighter streets. It was only then that she noticed the size of the man and then the scarring on his face. She instantly knew who he was. Sandor Clegane. The Hound.

"You working at Little Fingers place?" He asked her.

"Aye, but I meant what I said in the Inn, I ain't not whore. I work as a healer there, that's all" she quickly defended.

"Makes no difference to me. Think you can make it back without killing anyone else?" He snorted.

"I'll do my best" she smiled.

Tallulah watched as Sandor turned and made his leave. Waiting until he was no longer in sight before finally making her way back home.

That had not been the quiet night she had planned.