A/N: A collection of story fragments from stuff I'm currently writing or just drabbles that popped into my head. Most will be SanSan, possibly with some Arya/Gendry and copious amounts of background Ned/Catelyn.
Title taken from "As freedom is a breakfastfood" by E.E. Cummings.
First up is gen and is AU. I saw a prompt somewhere once asking what would have happened if Sandor had grown up in the North as one of Ned Stark's men. This little piece didn't fit in the story in this format, but couldn't bare to delete it.
Sandor is squire to Ser Rodrick after going North with Ned Stark after the rebellion of Robert. Sansa is a toddler in this scene and has almost burned herself. Even so young, she offers understanding of him.
So it is only him that sees the fire haired girl tread curiously to one of the hearths during the evening meal. Only him that sees her reach curiously for the licking flames. Only him that tumbles from his seat and snatches her away with a roar of warning.
Her chubby little hand reaches out and grabs his cheek, latching onto scarred tissue. Ridges and fissures that scar and reveal the soul within. "Ouch," she proclaims, part question and part otherworldly understanding.
His lip lifts wryly. "Aye, little bird," he rasps, quiet and part broken. "Ouch."
She regards him sadly, large Tully blue eyes quivering with tears, little fingers still holding him. Then she leans forward and presses a slobbery kiss on his wrecked cheek. "Is better now?" She asks sweetly, hopefully.
And its absurd, utterly impossible, but it is no lie when he murmurs, "aye, little bird. Better."
Her little bow-mouthed grin, half filled with even white teeth, is like a balm to his wounded soul and he wraps her gently in his arms and hugs her to his chest. Little cherub arms try to hold him back, but they cannot span the width of his wide chest. But it is enough. More than he's ever had and he knows as he sits in front of that hearth that he will guard this precious little child from whatever the world seeks to throw at her.
A/N: Hope ya'll like!
Peace