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She was beautiful, Pod could see that. The young woman before him looked to be about 16 or 17 years of age, and had the typical dark hair and eyes of a Northerner. Her chestnut hair was cut short and held loose ringlets of curls, her eyes a colour to match, and contained the most devilish of looks. Her clothing was that of a weary traveller- her breeches and baggy shirt had seen better days. The girl looked small in stature but she was certainly dangerous; that could be seen by the stained daggers at either of her hips.
"Need a hand?" Her smirk was clear on her face- mocking Pod. "You know, you're meant to skin them and gut them first, right?" Pod dropped his gaze from the girl, to the fire that separated them. He had skewered a rabbit which what was now hanging messily above the kindling flames.
"I- I've not done this before…" Pod trailed off; standing slowly and backing away clumsily as the wild looking girl approached him.
"You don't say. I'm not going to hurt you, you just don't really look like you could survive out here on your own. Thought I'd offer my services." The young lady crouched before the fire and removed the dead animal from the spit, then proceeded to work away at its flesh with her knife.
"I'm not… I'm not alone M'Lady." Pod was uncomfortable. He was unsure, and lastly- he was scared. He wished Brienne to appear from the surrounding woods and deal with this situation. The battered girl was helping him, but Pod was not naïve. Shy and quiet maybe, but never naïve. He knew all too well that strangers did not help strangers without requesting something in return; at least not in Westeros.
The girl had finished with the creature, pushed its innards to one side, and placed it once again, above the fire. Her eyes had changed, they were darker and she looked weary now. "I'm no Lady, and I see no one else around, you look to be alone out here to me." Her voice was suddenly soft, her expression solemn, her hands braced with her weapons.
Pod wasn't sure what to say, if he had told the girl of Lady Brienne it may have alarmed her. He didn't want to make her skittish, it could be dangerous for him. He stayed silent instead, letting his eyes wander over the pretty lady. She leaned forward slightly, Pod's eyes catching the swell of her breasts beneath her partly unbuttoned shirt. A soft chuckle met his ears and his eyes snapped up to meet hers- black orbs filled with mirth. He dipped his head quickly, staring at the dirt- his face glowing red with embarrassment and shame. She seemed to have forgotten about the possibly of Pod having a travelling companion.
Pod filled with worry as he heard the girl stand and kneel in front of him. He couldn't meet her eyes, so he looked beyond her. He spotted her daggers; discarded a few feet in front on him.
"You have a wondering gaze don't you boy." Pod gulped. He could feel the heat blazing in his cheeks as tilted his head back to meet the girl's eyes. He was sat cross legged in the grass, she was knelt in front of him- hands slowly reaching out for his shoulders.
Her hands fell from his shoulders and ran down his chest, where the girl pushed forward gently, leaving Pod on his back- defenceless, as the girl climbed forward to straddle his hips. She leaned in close, her mouth next to his ear as she whispered: "you seem ever so shy, but that's ok. I can take charge here." The muddy girl smelt of earth and wilderness; it was captivating and wild.
She sat up quickly. She examined Pod, taking in every detail about him as he did the same to her. She laughed inwardly at him. He looked like such a delicate boy, so lost and innocent. His doe eyes were large and curious, she noticed how he couldn't hold her gaze for long. He was modest and the girl had never seen a person looking so awkward and embarrassed; although he did not attempt to stop her advances.
Pod could feel the fire raging within his chest, his heart beating like an out of control drum. He didn't have words to say at the best of times; in this situation he was totally speechless. So he clutched onto the girls thighs with his hands and squeezed them gently. The girl ground her hips in Pods and leaned forward again- their lips inches apart. Pods eyes slipped back to the expanse of her breasts, he pressed his lips to her collarbone and made his way down to the crevice of her breasts.
Pod couldn't even recall the removal of his tunic, he was so wild with anticipation and his boiling blood turned everything into a blur. He relished in the feeling of her small warm hands gliding over his chest.
The girl's lips met Pods. She kissed him with a feverish heat as she shifted her hips grind against him. Pod groaned, the clothing restraining him from her was almost too much to bear. It was as though the girl could read his mind, as she broke the kiss and quickly unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it aside, along with her breeches- until all she was left in were her smallclothes.
Pod's eyes feasted on her near-naked form. He had a burning desire to touch every inch of her bare skin. By the Gods, she looked miraculous, and the dirt that coated her body only added to her outlandish attractiveness.
His breeches were all that separated them from each other, and the bewildered expression never left his face as the mysterious girl slowly unlaced them.
Sometime later Pod awoke to a sharp pain in his side, he twisted in his half-asleep state, the furs that covered him sliding down to reveal his half-clothed form. He felt another prick- in his leg this time. He jolted up suddenly with a groan, not fully awake. Brienne of Tarth towered above him, her face gravely annoyed.
"Where are the horses?" Brienne's voice was sharp.
"M'Lady, I left them where you showed me." Pod's voice was soft.
"If you had left them where I'd showed you, they'd still be here." It was clear that Brienne was not happy. Pod couldn't recall ever seeing her smile. "Not only are the horses missing but as are all of our belongings."
Pod's mind flashed to the events of what happened probably only hours before. He blushed profusely at the memory and his eyes darted around as he got to his feet. The girl was nowhere to be seen; Pod and Brienne's possessions were nowhere to be seen either. Pod retrieved his tunic from the ground and spied the note that fell from it. He examined the messy scrawl:
An easy target. I told you I'd lend you a hand, but a stranger never does favours for a stranger without expecting something in return. You should be more careful… Podrick Payne.
-A Girl.
All Pod wanted to do was laugh at his own stupidity. He told himself so many times that he was not naïve, and yet he allowed himself to be captivated by a thief. Manipulated so that she could take what she wanted and leave him stranded.
Although there were two questions that never left Podrick's mind as he and Brienne travelled; how did the girl know his name, and would he ever learn hers?
