Sandor Clegane first came to Winterfell with King Robert when the royal caravan stopped to offer congratulations on the birth of Lord Eddard's first daughter. Hoping to secure the newborn girl for his own son, the king was determined to move quickly, but it did not escape Sandor's notice that the queen was much less inclined to make the match.

During the visit, Sandor found Gregor in Sansa's rooms. Having killed her nursemaid, the crazed knight inexplicably then made an attempt on Sansa's life, dangling her by the ankle as he made his way to the window. He most certainly would have succeeded in throwing her to her death too, if not for Sandor, for there was not another man in Winterfell who would have stood a chance against Gregor in battle. In a brutal fight to the death, Sandor saved Sansa from the Mountain's grasp and then killed his own brother by slitting his throat and then throwing him from the balcony.

After the fight, it had been whispered that it was the queen who ordered Gregor to kill the baby in order to prevent the match, but despite Eddard's demands, Robert never confirmed it. Instead, the king insisted he would handle it himself and readily gave Sandor into Lord Eddard's service to make amends before hastily leaving the castle. It was in this way that Sandor found himself appointed as Sansa's sword shield.

Admittedly watching over a little red haired girl was not the way the Hound, Sandor Clegane, pictured spending the rest of his life. In fact he had been downright angry about the whole turn of events, but eventually, he resigned himself to the duty.

Lady Catelyn had insisted that if Sandor was to be her sworn shield that he must get used to handling his charge. Oftentimes the Lady of Winterfell would unceremoniously hand Sansa to him at the most unexpected of moments. Not knowing what to do, Sandor would carefully hold the delicate creature in the crook of his elbow and whisper to her. "I'll keep you safe. No one will hurt you again or I'll kill them.

Wide eyed, Sansa would stare at him and grab for his nose in a most entertaining manner. With her fiery red hair and creamy skin, Sandor could not help but think the tiny babe looked like a little snow robin nesting in his heavily muscled arms. Every time she smiled at him, the mite unknowingly reinforced Sandor's determination to protect her. Sansa probably would never even remember these occasions but Sandor did, just as he remembered Gregor's attempt on her life and the memory of seeing the pretty little bird in the grasp of his monster of a brother haunted him still. Since that day, Sandor took no chances with his precious charges' safety and instead spent most of his waking hours by her side, watching over her and keeping her safe.

Ned Stark posted him in the room next to hers the day he joined the household and yet still Sandor felt it too far away whenever he heard her frightful screams. A terrible monster had begun plaguing her dreams, and though Sandor knew the source of her terror, her screams nevertheless brought the Hound to his feet, sword in hand, in an instant. The sound of her cries brought back that horrible day with Gregor to the man, and even though logic told him it was most likely one of her nightmares, a singular fear, jagged and as cold as the frozen north, pierced Sandor's heart as he ran toward Sansa's rooms. Without waiting, Sandor kicked in the door, sword drawn, glancing wildly about the room.

"Sanda!" Sansa cried out as her little sobs wracked her tiny body, the girl desperately holding her arms out to him and breaking his heart in the process. The man had told her a thousand times if he told her once that his name was Sandor, a combination of sand and door but whenever Sansa was afraid, she would forget and return to the baby name she used for him.

"What is it, Lady Sansa?" Sandor glanced around the room once more and then made a show of aggressively looking under her bed and in every closet to ease her mind. "Was it that bloody bear again?"

Ever since one of the men at arms, heedless of the gaping, wide eyed stares of Lord Eddard's children, reported seeing exceptionally large greatbear tracks in the godswood, his little lady had been plagued by the same nightmare. Her cries distressed the entire household nightly, and she was so upset that it was all Sandor could do to refrain from cutting the man's tongue out. Still, for every night Sansa's sleep was disturbed, Sandor would beat the man to a bloody pulp in the training yard the following morning.

Sniffling Sansa cried harder. "Yes, an awful big one, too. He was right here. Come hold me."

"The bear was big, you say?" Sandor rasped low, all the while wishing that his voice was softer, that he was better at comforting her. Whistling softly, he then sat down on her bed and patted her legs. "Tell me about him."

"He's big and black with shaggy fur, and he has long teeth." Sansa crawled out from the furs and curled into his lap, pressing her cheek to the burned side of his face as she snuggled against him.

Snatching a fur throw from the bed, he gathered her close to his bare chest, warming her. Her tiny frame shook uncontrollably, and the feel of Sansa's violent trembling sending a fresh wave of fury through him; as he pulled her close, Sandor made a mental note to beat the buggering fool unconscious for scaring his little lady so.

"I'm not afraid of no buggering bear. If comes back to scare you, why, I'll turn him into a rug for your floor." Sandor gently settled her back and wiped her face with a handkerchief. The maester and Lady Catelyn walked in just then.

"My darling, did the bear come back in your dreams?" Her mother cuddled her in her arms, fussing over her in the comforting way women have with children. Slowly Sandor rose and tried to make himself smaller, embarrassed that Lady Catelyn had caught him in a state of undress.

"I can bring her a glass of milk with just a half drop of sweetsleep, my lady," Maester Luwin offered softly.

Lady Catelyn glanced at Sandor. "That won't be necessary, thank you. Perhaps just bring her the milk with some chamomile leaves in it. Warm it up, too." Quietly the maester bowed took his leave.

"Lemoncake, did your sworn shield save you?" Lady Catelyn smiled at him as she spoke. The question cut him, for Sandor would give anything to spare Sansa a moment's suffering, and he was determined he would find a way to put an end to her nightmares.

Sniffling, Sansa nodded while her huge watery eyes remained fixed on him. "Ser Sanda-I mean, Ser San-dor, he came and kicked in the door and scared away the bear. Ser Sand-or, step forward," she commanded in her best imitation of her mother. He did as she bid, and knelt before her while laying his sword in front of him.

"You are my knight, my protector from the scary bear," Sansa whispered solemnly as she tied the pink ribbon from her hair around his massive bicep. "You will hold my hand everywhere I go."

Sandor allowed it, and held his arm out to her, all the while cursing himself inwardly. Bloody hells, Sansa was the first woman who ever wanted to touch him without coin, and he would get laughed at in the training yard for it, but Sandor could not deny her and if Sansa wanted to hold his hand, then by gods he would let her.

"As you wish, my lady." Sandor bowed, fighting the smirk that threatened his face. Lady Catelyn smiled at him and then gestured for Sandor to take his leave. As he closed the door, Sandor heard Lady Catelyn say, "You mustn't call him "ser" Sansa, for Clegane is not a knight. He has taken no vows."

"I don't care," Sansa cried anew. "He's my knight."