The First Snow

PART IV: Sandor

Sandor thought the girl would have cried but instead she had sliced a man open as if was nothing new to her. She looked at him, disgusted as he ripped the meat from the spit the men had been roasting and began to eat.

Arya wandered about aimlessly before plunking down amongst the bodies and staring into the air.

"Forget it" he growled.

That snapped her to attention.

"Forget that my mother and brother were murdered with me only feet away, forget that we spent a day watching them when I could have been with them"

He stood discarding a piece of bone.

"If you were with them, you would be dead and I would have more to eat."

He shoved a leg at her, which she took and bit into hungrily.

Sandor was resigned that he was stuck with her for now, there was no one to sell her to and when he thought about abandoning her his heart flipped over in his fucking chest like a Goddamn woman.

Not for the child, for Sansa who was miles away in Kingslanding. Sansa, already feared him, he could deal with the fear in her eyes but he couldn't live with how she would regard him if he let her sister to die.

He knew all too well the look of utter disgust she gave Joffrey when he wasn't looking at her, the fire that blazed within as she imagined his death. Her breath would quicken, her mouth would tense than Joffery would look upon her and she would hide the hate away, his perfect little bird.

Sandor made up his mind to make his way to Gulltown. He knew his brother would hunt him like a dog, to restore honor to his name but Sandor hoped the Lannisters were good and buggered before Gregor caught up with them.

When he looked at Arya she was frowning at him, his hand was in such a tight fist that there was little color left in it. She didn't resume eating until he released his bloodless fist.

"Where are we going?" Arya mumbled through her food.

"To the coast" Sandor looked around. "We should get moving we need some more distance between us and the Twins."

Arya rose and looked glumly at the mount.

"Can I get my own horse?" she grimaced when she said it.

"Perhaps" it was doubtful though, there was little ready horseflesh anywhere considering there was a war and resources were scarce.

When she was settled on his lap, he urged the horse forward.

"We should go to Castle Black, my brother is there."

Sandor looked down at her incredulously.

"I think we should heed the warning of the Starks." he quickened his pace.

"Winter is coming" Arya whispered.

She fell asleep just before the sun went down. He did not bother to tell her that his scar had been tingling all afternoon. A sign that trouble was close by. He kept his nose open, his ears sharp and waited to be attacked. They were being hunted.

"Girl, wake up" Arya blinked then stiffened.

"Where are we?"

"We are nowhere, and still miles away from a town" he searched the forest ahead.

"So let's make camp" as soon as the words left her mouth her gut seized with fear and knew that she didn't want to stay here.

Sandor let her drop to the ground carefully, then dismounted. He had seen the farm house in the distance. But there was no welcoming light, for once he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. No animals stirred as Sandor marched toward the door Arya trailing behind but not far.