"That's what you're doing?" Brienne's sardonic question hung in the air. "Watching over her?"
"Aye", the Hound rasped through gritted teeth. "That's what I'm doing."
Brienne started to draw her sword, but hesitated and put it back in its scabbard. She could still avoid a fight.
"You should know then that her sister might be at the Eyrie."
Arya furrowed her brow.
"My sister's in King's Landing."
"She escaped", the warrior woman explained, "and witnesses claim to have seen her board a ship under the flag of Petyr Baelish, which headed to Gulltown."
"Witnesses claim", the Hound spat. "Witnesses claim that Joffrey was eaten by a dragon which emerged from his fucking wedding pie."
Beneath her captor's sarcastic tone, however, Arya noticed distress creeping in his voice. She had seen his reaction before, when Polliver had said something about Sansa. Had something happened between him and her sister in the capital?
"You want to get her to safety?" It was Brienne's turn to snarl. "Get her together with her sister, at least."
"Some safety that will be", he retorted, "with Littlefinger sniffing about them. You won't be saving this girl by taking her to the twat who arranged her father's death."
"Really?", Brienne was growing irritated. "What do you know about saving girls, Hound? I hear the Brotherhood without banners want your head for killing innocents. Lord Berric Dondarrion-"
Sandor barked a laugh.
"Those fuckers still live? Aye, they want my head but last time I checked they were looking to sell this one out to her mother. That's right, your noble Berric Dondarrion and his bunch of righteous knights", he spat at the word, "wanted to do the same as me, only they lied about it and I didn't. "
"I know Lord Berric as an honorable man", the woman answered stubbornly, making him roll his eyes, "and I still don't know how what you said would persuade me that Arya Stark is safe with you."
Arya was on her way of telling her to go bugger herself for doubting her skills as a survivor, when the boy interjected.
"My lady", he said in a voice he didn't seem to use much, "Sandor Clegane did save Lady Sansa from the mob during the riot in King's Landing. Lord Tyrion's words."
"Who the fuck are you, boy?", the Hound grumbled. "Think I saw your ugly mug in the Red Keep once or twice."
"Name's Podrick Payne, ser, I was the squire of Lord Tyrion Lannist-"
Before he could finish, Sandor had walked up to him and grabbed him by the collar.
"Don't fucking call me ser, boy", he hollered all of a sudden, "don't ever say that if you wanna keep that head on your neck, you hear me?"
He only stopped at the sensation of something poking at his own neck.
"Let him go or you will be doing a very close examination of a Valyrian steel weapon, closer than you said you wanted." Brienne's voice suddenly turned cold as ice.
Arya drew Needle and pointed it at the big woman.
"Put the sword down."
"As you command, my lady", Brienne smiled mockingly, "as soon as he lets my squire go. And what will you do, scratch my armour?"
"I'm not a lady", Arya shot defiantly, "my lady".
"Neither am I", Brienne answered calmly, "now tell him to release my squire and step away."
"Hound, let him go."
Snarling like his namesake, the Hound obediently released the stunned boy's collar and moved three paces back, right next to Arya. The Tarth maiden lowered her sword.
"You're holding him on a tight leash", Brienne remarked, visibly amused. "Admirable."
"So you weren't lying?", paying her no attention, Arya tilted her head toward the big man. "About saving my sister."
He chuckled.
"Never thought I'd live to see the bloody Imp's words prove me right to you."
He turned to Brienne again.
"Little bird's in the Eyrie, you say? Who told you?"
"Who told you you should take Arya to her aunt?"
"Didn't need anyone to tell me that, unlike y-"
"Well, Podrick here has quite the knowledge of the affairs in the Seven Kingdoms", Brienne interrupted him nonchalantly, "and came to the same conclusion."
"So your two brains needed to join up to make a decision any sane man could make when he's in his cups."
Brienne regarded him with contempt.
"Such a charmer, aren't you. The point is, I'm going to take Arya to her sister."
The Hound stared at her and Arya could clearly read the confusion on his face. She had been used to the man always knowing what to do next, never feeling lost, but now he was at a conflict with himself. She thought she could see the gears turning in his head if she squinted. It was obvious he wanted to see her sister again, though Arya would better not think of why. Nor did it matter. She wanted to see Sansa too, and to the seven hells with all their quarrels and rivalry.
"And how do I believe you that you won't take her back to that shithole of a city and turn her in to the Lannisters?", he finally managed to rasp, glancing at the lion-adorned sword.
Brienne sighed.
"Pod", she nodded to the squire, "give me the sack we received at the inn at the Crossroads. Arya, a gift from a friend, or so he said."
The girl took the sack, an idea of what's inside already forming in her head. She opened it and produced a loaf of bread shaped like a wolf. A grin crept in her features that she could not resist.
"What, girl", her captor asked irritatedly, "haven't you seen bread before?"
"Hot Pie's alive", she almost cried. "And he's done it better this time. He made one like that for me when I left the Inn with the Brotherhood", she explained to Sandor.
"He told us to give it to you if we see you, milady", Pod managed to say, all the while looking at his boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "And... and talked about kidney pie."
The Hound puffed.
"Another friend of yours with a funny name? Where do you find them, anyway?"
"He's a friend, that's all that matters", Arya proclaimed. "If they were sent after us by the Lannisters, they would have tortured and killed him."
"Don't tell me a piece of bread makes you trust a stranger 'cause it looks like a wolf."
The girl rolled her eyes. Was he taking her for an idiot?
"Of course I don't completely trust them", she said, not caring if they were listening, "but I want to see my sister. Or at least see if she's there."
The old gods and the new, and the red god, and Theon's drowned god, and the god of death all knew how she wanted to be with her family again. So Arya would act like the sweet little girl she hated to be if that would help. She grabbed the huge man's arm with both hands, turning teary eyes at him.
"Please, Sandor. Please, I have to see her."
He sighed.
"Fine, girl, fine." It was one of the best things she'd heard in months. Maybe right after the news of Joffrey's death. "Funny thing, you almost resemble her now."
Did the bloody Hound smile? It didn't matter to her. She turned to the warrior woman.
"We'll come with you to the Eyrie."
"Don't make me regret this, Brienne of Tarth", Sandor Clegane grumbled, returning to his usual grim expression. "Else I'll get me a Valyrian sword."
"After you then, ser", she made a mock bow.
"Shouldn't a woman curtsy? And told you something about calling me ser."
"It appears that out of the four of us only Pod does not mind titles, and he does not have one", Brienne smiled wryly, nodding to Podrick to move on. "Ten miles, you say?"