I remixed this chapter only a little bit since there were things that were bugging me :)

Sansa fled down the hallway the sound of the battle outside echoed against the walls around her. She was hyperventilating her chest was heaving against her tight corsets binding her torso. She had left her maid Shae with those other women in there closet of a room to pray to gods who didn't answer. The drunk queen, cruel in her stupor had left them all, clutching a bottle of poison in her hands.

Sansa was terrified, more than she had ever been. She was not even terrified when her father had been beheaded in front of her own eyes, she felt only emptiness and sadness then.

"I want my mother, I want my father... I want my home." Sansa muttered to herself as she reached the door to her room. She swung open the door and swiftly bolted it shut. She turned around and leaned against the cool wooden paneling.

She crossed the bedroom to her dresser,

"Staniss will come. He'll take mercy on the queen and prince Tommen… He'll take mercy on me."

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw the delicate doll her father had given her. She reached down and held it to her chest. A deep male voice vibrated through the room startling the young girl.

"The lady is starting to panic."

Sansa spun around, the hound had been sitting quietly in the corner, hunched over and not looking at her, a skin of wine in his hand. She turned to face him her heart beating against her tiny ribcage. "What are you doing here?"

"Not here for long. I'm going." He sighed and drank heavily from the skin of wine. He looked so damned miserable and… tired.

Sansa was shocked, this man had sworn allegiance to the king and if he was leaving that could only mean the crown would soon fall.

"Where?"

"Someplace that isn't burning. North might be… could be." Another drink of wine.

"What about the king?" Her eyebrows pulled together as she stepped closer to the man that had become her protector.

"He can die just fine on his own." He stood then and finally turned to face her. She was reminded of how giant he was compared to her. She began to feel nervous. "I can take you with me, take you to Winterfell. I'll keep you safe… Do you want to go home?"

Hope filled Sansa's eyes, she wanted more than anything to leave but… even though the hound proved to be her protector he made it abundantly clear that he wasn't a good man. He enjoyed killing, and so she still feared him, his sudden mood changes terrified her. He never accepted her praise or courtesies always correcting her with a bitter sneer that he was: Not brave, not a ser, nor a lord.

Sansa replied in a defeated voice, eyes falling to the ground, "I'll be safe here… Staniss won't hurt me."

The hound grimaced and growled like the dog he was and stepped quickly before her, she didn't move but she flinched, her eyes wide and staring at his chest. She could smell the battle on him still, the smoke, blood, sweat and dirt.

"Look at me!" With a tiny gulp Sansa raised her large blue eyes to meet the slanted empty grey eyes of the hound.

"Staniss is a killer, the Lannisters are killers, your father was a killer… your brother is a killer. Your sons will be killers some day… the world is built by killers … so you better get used to looking at them." The hound had leaned his face down to be level with hers, his eyes trying to convey truth to the girl before him. A last attempt to guide her to safety with his words.

Sansa's mouth opened slightly as she stared in wonder at the man before her. She needn't fear him, he wasn't like Joffrey nor the knights that beat her, he meant her no harm … he had only concern for her. He could kill any man or woman in his way but not Sansa.

"You won't hurt me." Sansa stated the truth and sounded amazed by the words.

The hounds eyes softened. The girl was so wounded that it took her till this moment to realize he was a man she could trust.

"No little bird. I won't hurt you."

They stood there and watched each other silently, the sound of the battle quiet in the distance. Sansa looked at the man before her, she wouldn't call him ugly, disfigured yes, but his arching eyebrows, deep intense grey eyes above his almost perfect nose were not ugly in the least. He had full cheek bones hidden by his beard, his mouth would have been kissable but the left side slanted down in a permanent scowl from the scars on his face.

Sansa realized she was scrutinizing him and looked back to his eyes only to see he was doing the same, she blushed, when his eyes flicked back to her own he swiftly turned around to leave the room. He took only a few steps outside the door.

"Wait!..." Sansa said to his retreating figure. She was still clutching her doll and realized she needed to leave with him now or stay here in her cage and most likely die in it.

The hound stopped but did not face her.

"I'll… I'll go with you."

The hound turned around, his face cool and expressionless but his eyes betrayed him.

"Only… Do we have time for me to collect a few things?"

The hound stared at her again and only nodded slightly.

With that Sansa bolted to the closet beside the hound and retched open the doors. She pulled out a long sack made of heavy green material that had one long strap: her fathers travelling bag. She kneeled down and yanked out three of her plainest dresses, her under clothes and a dark grey woollen shift her mother insisted she bring. She stuffed them in the bottom of the bag along with the doll still in her hand. She pulled her riding boots out, the ones she hadn't worn since the day she arrived in the kingdom, and swiftly pulled them on lacing them tightly. She stood again and pulled her long black Winterfell cloak out of the closet as well. She then turned and went to the dresser.

She was aware of the hounds penetrating gaze in her back so she moved as quickly as possible. She pulled open the top drawer and grabbed the gloves her mother had made for her from fine, thin, lamb skin. She grabbed a belt with a sheath attached to it that she promptly tied around her waist. She took out the long sharp dagger from the back of the drawer and put it safely in its sheath. This had been a gift from Shae after those men had tried to rape her. She had brought it in and stuffed it in the back of Sansa's dresser. "If you ever have need of it it is here my Lady."

The hounds eyebrows raised impressed that the girl would own such a thing.

Sansa pulled open the the last drawer and set the entire thing onto the dresser, she shuffled for a minute but with a creak the hidden compartment of the drawer opened, she pulled out a tightly bounded bag the size of her fist and shoved it in the green sack, it jingled slightly it contained all the gold coins that belonged to her father. Along went her brushes and jewelry box into the bag. When she was satisfied she tide the bag shut as well as she could and slung the thing over her back securing the strap. She pulled her heavy black cloak over herself and the bag, concealing it. As she turned to face the hound she pulled on her gloves.

She was surprised to see a small smile on his lips.

"Tell me girl, how long have you been ready to leave if a situation presented itself as it has?"

Sansa adjusted the strap of her sack slightly and stepped by his side.

"The moment Sir Ilyn Payne's sword sliced through my fathers neck."

She stared into his eyes her gaze no longer wavering her voice expressionless, the little bird had found her wings. He nodded slightly and led the way through the halls to the stable. Sansa expected to be stopped with every turn down the hall, she thought she would die from her nerves. Her legs struggled to keep up with the hounds long stride, his hand never left the hilt of his sword. A lone guard gave them trouble but the hound made quick work of him. Sansa didn't flinch but nor would she watch it happen. She was still a lady after all.

…

"You'll have to do everything, the fire and the cooking."

The hound said gruffly as he dropped the kindling and fire wood he collected. Sansa looked up at him from where she sat on the ground. A circle of rocks surrounded a little dirt pile she had made on the ground, in her hand was the last rock. The hound looked from the tiny fire pit and back to Sansa an eyebrow raised.

"If I don't to it exactly as my father showed me I won't be able to." She said sheepishly looking away. She had the meat already on its pike and the Y shaped sticks stuck in the ground on either side. The home made spigot was awaiting the fire.

There had been a brief time when Sansa was close with her father and he had taken her and her little sister out camping with him. He had taught her these things since every Lady should be educated in fending for herself. Lady Catelyn had scowled at him and chastised him when he brought both the girls back with grubby hands and faces, with blisters on the knuckles from hitting the flint for the fire and foraging in the woods for food.

The hound nodded and walked to a near by tree and sat down. His eyes never leaving the girl.

Sansa gulped and felt the pressure of watching eyes. She piled in the kindling and a few thin logs in a t.p. shape. She got the flint and metal out of her burlap sack and quickly began making sparks. It took a few minutes but Sansa never slowed her pace her father said the heat of the momentum was key. Finally one little spark flew out and landed on the kindling. Sansa reached her face close into the pit and began to blow. Fire burst out and licked at her face but Sansa expected as much, she began to blow softer when she was yanked backwards and onto her feet.

"What in seven hells are you doing girl?" He shouted at her and shook her.

Sansa was baffled, "I-I'm starting a fire like you asked."

"I asked you to start a fire not stick your damn face in one!"

"I wasn't- thats how you make a fire, I knew what I was doing!"

The hound was scowling at her now, his twisted mouth and mean eyes would make anyone tremble…

He reached over to her shoulder suddenly and yanked up a piece of her hair to her face.

A few strands of her hair were burnt, but hair is so easily flammable her entire head could have been aflame in minutes.

Sansa's mouth dropped open with a tiny "o" and then she gave the hound a nervous smile and said "oops."

The hound did not look amused instead he dropped her hair and stalked back over to his tree.

Sansa let out the breath she had been holding and turned around to make quick work of the spigot of meat. As it cooked she began to tie back her long red hair into a tight bun. She didn't want the hound worrying about her stupid hair falling into the fire anymore.

With a frustrated sigh she tied the final ribbon in her hair. She let her arms drop she shook her head slightly to test her tightly woven back hair.

She turned the meat around and sat back to look up to the evening sky.

They had road for three days straight stopping only for naps and eating crusts of bread. The hound would drain half a skin of wine each time. They barely spoke he only told her they couldn't stop moving until they were outside the city limits, they stuck to the backroads and trails the hound had discovered from years of hunting and fighting. She felt awkward at first riding a horse with him, she had to cling on to his waist in order to not fall off and he rode his horse as quickly as possible. But a few hours in she forgot the awkward bumping and realized the farther they road the more she was safe. Even if Joffrey brought her back now she thought it worth it for this brief freedom.

The hound was watching the girl, she had struggled to bind her hair up in a knot at the back of her head. Her neck was exposed now as she looked up to the skies, she looked different with her hair back. She seemed older. Her cheek bones seemed higher and her eyebrows were pulled into fine arches by her hair. She was beautiful and she was travelling with him. The hound reminisced about her little hands clutching to his waist as they rode. Honestly they rode longer than necessary but having her cling to him like that was worth while. He shook his head he was a sick man to think that but he was still a man and this girl wasn't his blood. But she trusted him like a blood and that made everything complicated, that and the age. The hound looked back to the girl sitting by the fire looking at the stars as she was. He was surprised by what he saw.

Sansa was smiling. Smiling like she hadn't in months, a true smile that hurt her face from misuse. She inhaled and and exhaled. The expansing of her stomach from breathing caused her to cringe slightly. The bruise on her hip wasn't quite healed from where Ser Meryn had struck her last. It mattered not, she was free.

Remembering her duties she removed the meat carefully from the fire and laid it on the cloth. She gently removed the pike from the meat and began slicing it in small chunks with the blade Shae had be-gifted her after those men had attacked her. She shivered and tried to focus on her work she didn't want to think of that right now. The meat was the size of her for-arm but she made quick work of it.

Sansa carried the meat over to the hound and sat beside him she took her share onto a cloth and began eating. They ate in silence as there belly's began to fill.

"I thank you ser. For saving me, I don't know why I hadn't said it earlier." Sansa said abruptly in the silence. The hound looked down at her with a scowl on his face.=

"The last time girl. I am not a Ser."

"If you have no title and I will not call you dog or hound then what shall I say?"

"Nothing is best."

"You wish me to say instead, 'thank you nothing for saving my life?' " She pulled her eyebrows together in mock confusion.

He rolled his eyes as she smiled.

"Clegane then girl. And I meant saying nothing was best. Not calling me nothing." He rasped out as he took a long pull of wine.

Sansa's smile left her then as she turned her eyes to the fire.

"Then thank you… Clegane. I know you didn't have to bring me with you and you would be safer without me. I am indebted to you."

The hound looked at the tiny woman beside him, yes he supposed she looked a woman now with her hair back. He scowled down at her and snorted at her kind words.

"I have left the service of the most powerful family in the seven kingdoms girl, and no man would be fool enough to trust me unless I had proof that I wasn't some spy for the Lannisters. Having the princess of the north seemed like a wise choice."

Sansa's eyebrows raised and her lips pursed.

"I see, well Clegane since you say I owe you nothing and you've never liked my courtesies I shall reward you by being silent if you wish and even crass if you prefer."

Sansa yanked the wine from his hand and drank heavily from it eyeing him the hole time as he smirked at her.

Sandor realized she was insulted by what he said and would prefer to think of him as some valiant night saving her from the lions keep.

"Easy girl I am in no mood to baby sit a drunk tonight, we need to rest and be off to your brothers war camp and thats at least a fortnight of travel."

Sansa smiled up at the man next to her. He was so giant compared to her and she had been terrified of him for so long but no longer. She felt the heat of the wine in her full belly. She sat beneath the stars with her protector, free from the Lannisters at last.

With the courage of the wine she leaned forward and kissed him on his unburnt cheek. He was remarkably smooth aside from his scruffy beard. As she sat back down with a blush on her cheeks she could see she had shocked him. he stared dead straight ahead into the fire.

He cleared his throat noisily, "Go to sleep little bird."

Sansa smiled and scooted down to the ground and curled up into a ball. Her bag beneath her head and her back turned to the hound. She smiled into her makeshift pillow giddy from the wine and freedom, she soon fell asleep feeling the hounds eyes upon her the entire time.

…

Thank you for reading!