Chapter 4

Sansa gaped up at the Hound in surprise. "Sandor…what…" then she looked around hurriedly, terrified that Joffrey was somewhere near. "Relax, Little Bird," the scarred man rumbled. "He's not here." Relief washed over her. "Oh…" Then she looked at him curiously. "What are you doing here? I mean…I didn't think you would go to the parks…" Sandor rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Sansa tried very hard not to notice how impressive his chest looked under his white t-shirt.

"Joffrey and the others were coming here and I was supposed to meet them, but they changed their minds before I got here and jumped on another bus. Then you ran into me." He glanced around. "Where's your ridiculously large family?" "Everywhere else," Sansa replied, still feeling nervous. Had Joffrey told him about last night? Surely Sandor had heard about it by now.

"You're here by yourself?" Was his voice always that deep? Sansa blinked at him stupidly, wondering where all these strange thoughts were coming from. "Ummm…yea, I guess so." He sighed, and his grey eyes roved over her figure. Sansa felt her cheeks grow hot; his gaze wasn't a lustful one, more an admiring one, but it sent shivers through her all the same. Sandor smirked, as if he knew her thoughts, and a warm feeling spread in her stomach as she peered up at him. "Do you…want to come with me?" she asked suddenly, then bit her tongue. What a stupid idea! He had better things to do than follow her around an amusement park! Any second now he was going to give her a look of disgust and say something mocking and stride away to leave her in a pool of embarrassment –

"Yes," he rasped.

She looked up at him in surprise, and before she knew it he had placed a hand on her shoulder and was steering her towards the line for the monorail. Sansa let him guide her as she walked in silence, trying to grasp what was happening. Was she really about to go to Disney with the Hound? It seemed so bizarre that she was sure she was dreaming.

As they stood at the gate waiting for the next monorail to come by, Sansa turned and gazed at Sandor curiously. "Won't Joffrey be mad that you're with me?" she asked timidly. He snorted, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Like I care if he is. You're not his girlfriend, are you?" Sansa gasped and blushed, lowering her eyes. "I…you heard…" "Of course I heard," Sandor rasped calmly, as if he was discussing the weather. "Joffrey only bitched about it all night." Sansa bit her lip and wrung her hands, worried. "But you're his bodyguard…and…and…" "And what?" Sandor interrupted, giving her an amused smirk. "We're not breaking the law. Besides, you asked me to come with you, remember?" That was true, she had. "I didn't think you would," she mumbled, hugging herself. "I thought you would just laugh and walk away." He was silent, and Sansa could feel her heart pounding. She should have kept her mouth shut.

A warm, calloused hand tilted her chin up. "Look at me," he said. She did. "I'll leave if you want me to," he said seriously. "But don't think for a moment that I would rather be hanging around with that blonde butt-wipe instead of you." Sansa stared at him with her mouth open, until the whoosh of the monorail knocked her out of her daze.

They boarded and managed to get seats, though the rest of car filled up quickly, and Sansa found herself pressed against Sandor's side, closer to him than she had ever been. She glanced at him, embarrassed, but he didn't seem to mind, and simply stared out the window as the monorail whizzed down the track. When they passed through the Contemporary Resort, Sansa sighed dreamily at the indoor décor. She wanted to stay there next time. Or at the Art of Animation Resort.

"Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!" a male voice announced happily through the speakers. Sansa couldn't help but give a little squeal of excitement when she saw the top of the castle. Sandor chuckled next to her. "Have you ever been?" she asked him. "No." "Really?" Sansa thought he might have gone at least when he was a child. It made her a little sad, knowing that he had never been. She decided that she would try to help him enjoy it as much as possible. Though it was certainly going to be a daunting task, as Sandor was one of the grumpiest, most cynical people she had ever met. "Isn't this place for kids, anyways?" Sandor asked as they walked down the sidewalk. He was looking at all the bright colors and happy people doubtfully. "Adults can still have fun!" Sansa chirped. "You just have to find your inner child." Sandor did not look convinced.

He waited while she went through the bag check, then they approached the ticket lines. They were through quickly, and at last, inside the Magic Kingdom! Sansa was so happy she could have skipped, but she remembered who she was with and held back. Main Street was bustling, and the sounds of the parade drifted from the castle. Sansa grabbed a map and looked it over. "We should probably get fast passes for the rides we want," she suggested. Sandor shrugged. "This is all you, little bird. I'm just following." Chewing her lip, Sansa pondered the rides and described some of them to Sandor. "Space Mountain is an indoor rollercoaster, in the dark," she said. "It's a lot of fun." In the end they chose that, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Buzz Lightyear's Star Command. After finding a cast member and giving her their choices, they returned to Main Street and began to walk to the castle.

Sansa was practically bouncing, soaking it all in. She pulled out her phone and took a few pictures whenever they had to pause behind a crowd of people. Someone usually saw Sandor and the joy fled from their faces as they grabbed the rest of their family and shuffled out of the way, clearing a path for them. Sansa giggled and glanced at her companion, who only scowled, occasionally placing a hand on her back lightly to steer her around people.

A strange sort of warmth crept up inside her, and Sansa felt nervous yet excited to be alone with Sandor. He was with her when no one else was, and he had been the only one to stick up for her about Joffrey. Sansa knew he would probably rather be off drinking somewhere, but had chosen to spend the day with her. An overwhelming surge of affection filled her, and she stopped walking so that Sandor was now beside her instead of a little behind. "Something wrong?" he asked, staring down at her. She peered up at him and shook her head, smiling, and took his arm shyly. "Thank you for coming with me," she whispered, liking how warm his skin was under hands. And how muscular his arm was.

After a moment he pulled his arm away, causing a cold sting to pierce her heart, but it melted quickly when he placed his arm around her shoulders instead. He smirked at her, and Sansa couldn't help but relish how much taller and bigger he was than her. Joffrey had a slim build, and next to Sandor he looked like a boy. "Where to, little bird?" he rumbled, fingering a lock of her hair. Sansa stammered the first ride that came to mind. "The Haunted Mansion? The line usually not that long this early in the day."

Sure enough, the wait was only fifteen minutes, so they bought something to drink and joined the line. "Is this supposed to be a scary ride?" Sandor asked as he took in the horseless coach and the tombstones. "That depends," Sansa teased. "Are you afraid of ghosts?" He answered with a scoffing grunt. "Of course not."

They finally entered the building and were filed into the stretching room. Sandor scowled at all the people and muttered something about claustrophobia. Sansa, once again, found herself pressed up against him, this time her back to his chest, as the room darkened and an ominous voice informed them that there was no way out. She wasn't sure whether to pay attention or focus on Sandor's massive form behind her. When the room went black and the figure of a person hanging flashed above them, Sansa couldn't help but jump a little at the shriek, followed by evil laughter. "I think I'm beginning like this," Sandor chuckled darkly.

"Then you'll like Tower of Terror," Sansa responded, then bit her tongue. "If you go, I mean." They were pressed through another doorway and followed the line until it was their turn to get into a Doom-buggy. The bar came forward and they moved into the darkness of the ride. "Does it go this slow the whole time?" Sandor asked suspiciously. Sansa couldn't help but giggle. He was so tall he had to hunch over slightly in the cart. "Yes." He looked disappointed. "There should be a random fall or something." She shrugged and turned to watch their surroundings as the same voice informed them about the ghosts.

At one point a gust of wind blew through the ride, and Sansa shivered since she was only wearing a tank top. She wished she had brought a jacket at least for these rides. She jumped when Sandor's deep voice rumbled in her ear. "Cold?" "A little," she managed to answer, goose bumps raising on her skin at his closeness. He replaced his arm around her shoulders and pulled her body towards him so that she was nestled comfortably against his side.

They sat like that as the ride went on, but all Sansa could focus on was his proximity to her. Was it normal to sit so close? She supposed they were friends, of some sort. But she had just broken up with her boyfriend. And now she was sitting in the dark with her ex's bodyguard, who had his arm around her. Was that ok? She wished she could ask someone. For now, she decided to let it go and enjoy herself. Sandor obviously wanted to be with her, so she should relax, right?

A/N: Not every ride they go on will get a description, simply because it will take too long and is a little difficult to write, but I hope you enjoyed where this is going! Sandor is certainly laying the moves ;)