Our Love (Sandor Clegane AU)

Riverlands

"Where do you think she came from?"

"What is she wearing?"

"She smells funny."

I could hear the voices all around me and when I opened my eyes -  my vision still blurry - I could see a group of people stood around me. I was still laid out flat on the ground. My back against what felt like damp grass and my arms and legs spread eagled outwards. I had no idea where I was, the surroundings were like nothing I had ever seen before, I definitely wasn't in New York.

"Ahhh, I see you woken up and just in time for supper. Reckon you'll be hungry."

The man talking was an elderly guy with a heavily worn face, his dark eyes, friendly but piercing, smiled at me through his unkempt mop of dark hair.

"Where am I?" I coughed.

"Riverlands. Found you on the beaches around Ironmans bay. Thought you were long gone when I say your washed up body, but then you started coughing up half of the bays water. I'm Brother Ray, this is my following."

"Riverlands... followers?" I mumbled after him as I slowly brought myself to sit up straight.

"Aye, we are building a Sept in honour of the seven. While the rest of Westeros busy themselves over bloody wars, we shall wait out our time here and serve the gods."

I could hear every word he spoke, but none of seemed to sink in. My mind was too focused on certain words. Westeros, Riverlands, The Seven. She knew these words, read about them a hundred times, but how had they suddenly become her reality.

"I must be dreaming. I've just hit my head and am in come drug induced coma. This isn't real. This can't be real."

"I'm an old man, you'll have to speak louder than that.... what's you name?"

"Cranberry... Cranberry Silver."

"Must be from the free lands." A woman whispered besided me.

"Well Cranberry, I welcome you to join us. Work with us and you will find safety, food, cover from the rain and most importantly, purpose. Now, shall we share in some rabbit stew before we lose the light of day."

Still in a bubble of my own confusion, I slowly pulled myself up from the damp grass and followed Ray towards a large fire pit. He motioned for me to take a seat on a log next to him and a small girl came running across with two bowls of brown stew.

"So where are you from then? Reckon I ain't heard the family name Silver before." He asked after a few bites.

"New York." I cringed.

"Ain't never heard of that either."

"It's.... East... I guess. You said early, the war, what has happened? Who currently sits on the Iron Throne?"

"Tommen is the new boy King. Set to marry his deceased brothers wife from what I have heard. Not that any of that really matters now Winter has finally arrived."

"Tommen... that further than I read." I mumble to myself, trying to recall the events I had read about in the books.

"The Starks of Winterfell. Do any remain?" I go on to ask.

"Now that is a strange question. And no, again, this is only what i have heard on the road, but the last wolf was slain by the Freys. Bad business to kill a guest in your own home."

"Terrible." I whisper in agreement and return to my own thoughts as the rest of the group continue to watch me with suspicion.

After supper, Ray introduced me to one of the younger women in the group. She was pretty with blonde wavy hair, sun kissed skin and probably a few years younger than me. Unlike the rest of the women, she didnt stare at me with unease and smiled sweetly as she introduced herself.

"I'm Sophia of Elswood. You can follow me if you like. The single women of our group sleep over in the shed at the other side of the campsite. I can get you some clothes as well."

I hadn't even thought about how my clothes must look to them. The women in the group seemed to wear mainly plain woven dresses and some did not even have shoes. I on the other hand was still wearing my work suit, a tight pencil skirt with a dirt covered blouse and high court shoes. So I quickly nodded and followed Sophia to what would become my new home.