sansa_sandor community over at LJ is holding a comment fic meme. This particular prompt: Sansa has fled KL with Sandor at the Black Water Battle and he has successfully brought her back to her mother at Riverrun. Robb and Catelyn have reluctantly accepted to take him into their service (there is no love at all between them and Sandor), but what they both don't know is that Sansa and Sandor are lovers and have secret meeting any time they can all around the castle to do their thing caught my attention and so I started working on it. Don't know yet how long this will go on but I have a couple twists planned, so buckle up and enjoy.

P.S.: George owns everything, I'm just playing in his sandbox.

Warnings will be posted as applied (some references to physical abuse, language and some adult situations are most likely to crop up).

CATELYN

The rain wasn't stopping. The heavens are weeping for me, Catelyn thought as she stood by the balcony door and stared out into the Riverlands. It had been over a week since Edmure's return and the news that Highgarden had joined up with the Lannisters. It had been a harsh blow to her hopes but she did her best to keep her spirits up. Her brother had more or less ignored her and Catelyn was finding it hard not to begrudge him for that. Their father was asleep for most of the time nowadays but Edmure should have at least looked in on him.

"My lady?" Maester Vyman knocked at the door and then entered. "Your brother requires your presence in the courtyard."

Catelyn turned from the bleak view of rain-swept rivers, puzzled at this request.

"Did he say why?"

"There is a man who's demanding to speak with you."

Catelyn took her heavy cloak and wrapped it around herself, following the Maester down the stairs after making sure her father was still asleep. She wondered who this strange man asking about her could be. A messenger from Robb? Or from Lysa? No, there wouldn't have been time for that even if Lysa had received her letter already and raven would have been faster in both cases, despite the weather.

They emerged into the courtyard to see a strange sight. A tall man in a dirty cloak sat astride a large warhorse, his uncovered head beaten with rain which plastered his dark hair against his skull. A group of men-at-arms encircled him, pointing their spears at him but they kept their distance, probably weary of the large greatsword the man had close at hand. Edmure was talking to the man, his back to Catelyn so the unknown man spotted her first. He turned his head to look at her fully and once she saw his face, Catelyn understood the men's unease. Half of his face was burned off and it was a familiar face. She had seen him once before when he had come north in King Robert's retinue. The fearsome Lannister Hound, Sandor Clegane.

Catelyn stopped where she stood, frozen and uncertain. She could now see that his dirty cloak might have been white at some point or another. The white of the Kingsguard, the Lannister dog in Riverrun, her brother asking for her presence. It didn't make sense, unless...

"Lady Stark," the Hound rumbled. "I believe I have something of yours. Isn't that right, girl?" the last words were adressed to someone else and Catelyn noticed the slight form huddled and half-hidden behind the man's broad back for the first time. Someone wearing a hooded cloak drenched with rain. Someone who was sliding from the horse's back and running across the courtyard to her. Someone who threw their arms around her and cried out "Mother!" in a voice that was slightly deeper than Catelyn had remembered it. And then the hood slipped off and the red hair so much like Catelyn's own tumbled around the beautiful tear-stained face and Catelyn Stark embraced her elder daughter, crying herself because her faith had paid off and the Kingslayer had kept his word and sent her daughters back to her. Holding on to Sansa who was already as tall as her, Catelyn started looking around, searching for Arya's face. Not seeing her younger daughter anywhere, a terrible feeling entered her heart. Could it be that Arya had been... No, the gods couldn't be that cruel.

"Where's Arya, Sansa? Where is your sister?"

Sansa raised her head.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since before father's arrest."

Catelyn felt it like a physical blow. If Arya was missing for so long then that must mean she was dead. Another of her children torn away from her, the only one to look like Ned. Catelyn pulled Sansa back into her arms, grateful for the rain that masked her tears.

"Cat?" Edmure came to her side, hesitantly reaching for her. "We should get out of the rain. It wouldn't do for Sansa or you to fall ill now."

"A splendid idea, Tully. And maybe you could tell these peasants to point those things somewhere else. Half of them don't even have a proper grip on them. If that's the best the Riverlands can offer, no wonder you are still at war."

Catelyn had forgotten about the Hound in the wake of her reunion with Sansa but his rough voice sliced through the grief she felt for her other daughter and she pulled herself together, facing the man who had delivered Sansa to her. Forcing herself to be polite, she offered him a tiny nod of gratitude.

"You have my thanks, ser, for getting my daughter safely to me."

The burned side of his mouth twitched and he looked past her at Sansa.

"So that's where you got your manners from, little bird."

Catelyn frowned at the familiarity with which he addressed Sansa. Little bird? But before she could ask, Sansa touched her arm.

"We have been on a road constantly for ten days, mother. Uncle Edmure is right. We should get inside."

The Hound dismounted as Edmure called his men off and handed off his horse's reins to one of them, ordering him to tend to the animal. Catelyn didn't like his presumptous manner but kept her silence out of consideration. There had already been too many emotional outbursts in front of too many people.

"This way," Edmure gestured and led them all into the main hall, sending the servants for a mulled wine. As they all settled down, Catelyn studied her daughter now that they were out of the rain. She looked older and far more beautiful than Catelyn had imagined. She was almost a woman grown, Catelyn realized. More than a year had passed since Sansa had left Winterfell and that time had changed her little girl into a real lady, familiar with the world and its ways.

"I am surprised you arrived so quickly," Catelyn said when she realized Edmure was waiting for her to speak. "I sent Ser Jaime back only a fortnight past."

Sansa exchanged glances with the Hound and Catelyn once again felt that pang of unease at their obvious familiarity with each other.

"You let the Kingslayer go?" the Hound was the one who spoke up.

"Yes, in exchange for my daughters."

"Mother," Sansa said quietly. "I'm sorry but there has been no exchange. I escaped on the night of the Battle of Blackwater on my own, with Sandor's help."

"Sandor?" Catelyn asked more sharply than she had intended but Sansa met her eyes fearlessly.

"Yes, Sandor. I refuse to call him the Hound when he has done more for me during my captivity than anyone else and kept me safe all the way to Riverrun."

"But that means that he is no longer a Lannister's servant," Edmure spoke up, regarding the scarred man with an increased interest.

"I left the Lannister's service, yes," the Hound confirmed. "Little bird here thought I could serve your family instead, even though I told her she was being delusional."

"And I told you you were wrong," Sansa declared and looked pleadingly at Catelyn. "You'll accept him into our service, won't you?"

Catelyn glanced at the man whose dark reputation was known all over the Seven Kingdoms, the man who looked fearsome and cruel and far too cocky as he sat on the bench next to her daughter who didn't seem bothered by any of those things. As a matter of fact, she seemed to want to remain close to him. For Sansa alone, she would be willing to give the Hound a chance but she was no longer someone who could make such a decision. Not when it seemed that her letting go of the Kingslayer had accomplished nothing at all.

"I am a traitor to your brother, Sansa," Catelyn said at last. "The Kingslayer wasn't mine to release and with you here and your sister's whereabouts unknown, my decision is looking more and more a foolish one. You'll have to wait for Robb's return."

"I see," Sansa nodded. She looked sideways at the Hound and smiled happily. "It appears I was right."

"Hardly," he snorted. "Young Wolf can still decide that my head on a spike would serve him better than my sword."

"I won't let him," Sansa declared. "Being a princess must be good for something, even if only saving one life."

"We'll wait for Robb," Catelyn reiterated. "The decision shall be his."

And I'll pray it will be a correct one, she added to herself as she watched her daughter, who had changed so much she was practically a stranger to her, smile at the Hound of all people. I'll pray. It's all I can do.

TBC