Title: Reminiscent
Author: monitorscreen
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire
Characters: Jaime Lannister, Sandor Clegane
Rating: G
Word count: 329
Disclaimer: A Song of Ice and Fire is the creation of George R.R. Martin, not mine.
Summary: Jaime knew Sandor Clegane would never torch a town.
Author's notes: Fic #8 for LJ comm Ficlets on Demand's Fic a Day June Challenge. Request: Sandor Clegane, anything by elanya.
Reminiscent
by monitor screen
-o-
Jaime knew something was not right when they heard news of Saltpans. Sandor Clegane might be brutal, but he would never torch a town. That had to be someone else. Jaime would not count himself as one knowing the Hound well - he doubted if anyone could - yet it was inevitable to pick up things about people when they were around long enough.
Sandor had been around long. Although not a knight, he had been in House Lannister's service since Jaime was a squire. They were of similar age, and had often trained together in the yard. Jaime had experienced first-hand the Hound's ferocity; while it was nothing he could not handle, he knew Sandor was a force to be reckoned with.
Jaime had never worried about Sandor's loyalty; he was called "the Hound" for a reason. So it came as a surprise when he learned about Sandor's desertion as he settled back into King's Landing. Until he heard the details of the battle, that was. Then, he understood.
It had to be the fire. Sandor had always been fearlessly fierce, at times recklessly so. The only thing Jaime had ever known him to process with caution was the flame. Sandor was not skittish, but the slight hesitance was ever present.
Jaime remembered that one time when they went into the wild after dark for the boars - the two of them had been more boys than men. Jaime had needed a companion that would neither hinder him nor leak the plan; Sandor was sufficient in both considerations. They had caught a piglet, nothing to be proud of, when Jaime decided to give up and just roast it then and there. Sandor had not objected, but he stayed away from the bonfire. That was the first time Jaime had seen something akin to fear on that face.
No, it was not Sandor Clegane who burnt Saltpans to the ground. Jaime wondered what happened to his once fellow warrior.
-o-