I did not fear him any longer. I looked at him with a different sight. He was not the man I thought he was, cold, aggressive and a killer. Although there was no denying his nature, Sandor was more than that; he was a man that knew how the world calculated its
moves. He understood how Men could survive. But most importantly, he was a man that had saved my life, physically and mentally.
There was no more fear. Only admiration.

The night was still dark. He had left me in the pond to bath and wash my clothes; they were absolutely filthy, the bottom lace caked in blood. I needed to cut all ties with what this dress represented. I needed to change myself.

A sharp rock could be of use, I thought, as I attempted to rip the bottom, dirty layer off from the dress. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. It easily came off as I also did the same action on my long sleeves. Now they reached above my wrist, like many of the dresses I had seen on peasants in the South.
The bottom of my dress now reached my ankles, leaving the traces of all lady-ship behind.

I had cleaned myself thoroughly. A wave of freshness went right though my body. I thanked the gods for the small pond. I made sure the pieces of fabric sank into the deep water.

As I got up from the bank, I spotted a small bush behind one of the large rocks. I could not tell what sort of berries grew on the bush. I picked one up from the nearest branch; it was large, grape-shaped and somewhat purple colored. Its outer cover was soft to the touch.
And then a small thought crept into my mind.
I might have differed my dress, but what of my face, my hair? Anyone could recognize who I truly was with my sharp auburn locks.
The berry suddenly cracked in my hand, leaving a dark stain on my fingers.
I ripped the veil off my head, tugging one of my longest hairs forward.
The berry's stain would suffice.

A while passed until Sandor called me, checking to see if I was alright. As I washed as much as the dye off my hands, he appeared through the bushes.

"I didn't know a bird could take so long to wash its win-"
His face contorted into one of disbelief, as he gazed upon my now dark, almost black hair. He even stepped closer, touching the foreign hair.
"How..Little Bird…", he stuttered, as he held my hair gently.

"I believe the color will stay. I need to gather more berries if it washes off", I explained. Sandor seemed downtrodden. I had known my hair was of some worthwhile beauty, but now our lives were more important than my hair. I would have cut it, but only the gods knew if I needed it to prove myself in the future.

A chuckle escaped Sandor.
"Try as you might, I don't believe you could ever hide your beauty", he proclaimed.
I flushed red as I got up to gather more of the berries. As Sandor laughed once again, he knelt down and gathered some water from the pond.
His armor gleaned from the little light of the stars. He had to get rid of it also.

"Sandor, your armor. Leave it here, throw it in the pond. It will be too obvious."
A smile crept upon his face, twitching his scar. I remember when I used to be afraid of his smile. Now I welcomed the sight.
"You are starting to think, Little Bird."
He proceeded to take off his large chest plate, followed by his lower leg armor. He was left with a simple, long sleeved cotton shirt and dark pants. He made sure to have his large sword fall among his back. I was surprised to see Sandor's large muscular body underneath the layers of protection.
I looked down at my reflection in the ponds small waves. My black hair was unruly, dirt covered parts of my dull blue dress, making the color seem a brown hue, and my face was tired and worn. I tied my hair into a simple braid falling down my back. It had been more than week since we had left Kings Landing, but it felt like years as I gazed upon my reflection.

The sun began to creep along the trees again. I knew we had to begin to ride once again on the rock covered road. I longed to stay just one night in an inn, or at least see people in the streets once again.
As we mounted Nero, I strange question formed on my lips.
"May I ride on the back this morning...?", I quietly asked. "If we approached a town, it will seem as if I were a prisoner or a thief you are escorting."
Sandor looked in thought, as he held Nero down.
"It seems the Little Bird surprises an old dog once again. But...will you be comfortable...?", he asked awkwardly. I could not help but giggle. That was the least of my worries.
He mounted first, holding Nero steady as I tried my best to climb the large horse. It would be harder than I imagined. To my dismay, Sandor laughed a hearty cackle.
"Still a frail little bird, aren't we?"
I glared at him through my dark hair.
A gasp escaped me as he grabbed my waist lifting my body up into the back of Nero. My back was closely touching Sandors as he pulled hard on the beast's reins, pushing it forward. His large back felt hard but surprisingly comfortable. I could not help but lay against it as I watched the early birds fly above us. If I was not mistaken, I could feel Sandors rigid back soften against my own.

I knew we were both hungry again. We had to stop eventually or our enemies could hear our stomachs howling from afar.

It was after the sun was right above us that Sandor suddenly stopped Nero.
"I recognized this land. I can smell the rotting fish."
I had no idea what he was declaring; this lush landscape smelled of flowers and summer.
"We are only a few lengths from Seagard. There is a small fishing village near it named Tintouth, housing a lake. We will need to buy provisions there."
I had not heard of this Tintouth but the thought of seeing townspeople again lightened my spirits.
Sandor turned and faced me.
"Is that alright, Little Bird? We are far from Lannister lands. There are only peasants and fishermen in this town," he proclaimed.
"Yes, it will best if we find supplies. We could stay at an inn of sorts...could we?", I asked meekly. I did not think my back could take sleeping on the ground one more day.
"Heh, I see Little Bird."
Sandor reached for his pocket and laid out the few coins left to our name.
"It'll give us some food, but a night at an inn? Seven Hells."
There had to be something of value, something we could sell to give us some comfort. I felt among my dress for a button or at least a adornment that could be sold. A gasped at the beautiful sight. My waist harbored small intricate silver beads, worthy of at least some value. I slowly and delicately started taking them off my dress.
I handed them to Sandor with the biggest smile I could fathom.
He laughed at the sight.
"That'll do."

Soon the small quaint gates of Tintouth greeted us. We blended surprisingly well among the townfolk: fisherman selling their fresh catch, women washing their clothes in the dirt streets, and marketplaces busy with sales. The buildings were made of burgundy colored brick, dusty and torn with age. Streets were not made from cobblestones but firm yellow sand. It was very hot among the crowds, a faint wind blowing through the structures. I walked closely behind Sandor as he led Nero through the other horses.

The Tintouth marketplace was a busy place for such a small town. Men and women yelled their prices as children tried to take sweets from vendors. I blushed and looked away at a corner full of young attractive women selling their own specialties. There were very few guards around the marketplace and even fewer around the town.
"Stay close to me, Little Bird", Sandor warned as he tied Nero to the town's posts.
In front of the posts there laid a wide colorful shop, adorned with pieces of jewelry of all shapes and sizes. An old, yet dazzling maiden stood tantalizing passerbys with her offers.
We approached her cautiously.
"Ah, and how are we on this fine afternoon...? Mesmerized by the fine displays eh? Do tell, what-"
"Cut the chatter, woman. These silver beads, I will sell them to you. Name a price", Sandor interrupted.
The woman's amiable face turned into a sour grimace as she tore the beads from Sandor's hands. She eyed the small bits of jewelry in her ancient hands.
Without a word, she reached into her bag and pulled out four gold coins.
"Take it and get out of my sight. Then you'll be able to pay that young whore, now, won't ya?", as she threw the coins into Sandor's hands.
Sandor scowled at the old women as he put a hard hand on my waist.
"For an old bat, you don't miss a thing. Move, ya pretty little wench", as he pushed me aside out of the women's gaze.
As soon as we were near Nero, Sandor released his grasp on my waist.
"Sorry, Little Bird, had to the necessary." Perhaps being confused as a prostitute will do us more good than harm.
"No, do not apologize. That is perfect. I will just be another prostitute and you have paid me for the night. I have seen many in this town. It could work, couldn't it?" I looked into his eyes to see some flaw in my plan, but I saw just weariness.
"I don't...well...", Sandor replied as he thought deeply of this facade.
"Yes, it could work, Little Bird. But I want you near at every damn second, do you hear? If men even heard a whisper of this, they'd be traveling miles to see you", he declared with scorn.
I felt that in some strange way this was a compliment.

It was near nightfall when we found the small rundown inn near the edge of the wooden docks of the lake. Sandor paid the innkeeper and asked for a meal as I waited patiently near him. I felt extremely vulnerable as the men in the bar eyed me with desire. I hid behind Sandor as much as I could.

The room was on the second floor of the inn facing the quiet lake. It was a very cramped place, its wooden beams broken down after ages of welcome. I heard the scuttle of rats in the walls. The bed was more like a hay filled mattress on yet another old wooden beam, yet I had never been happier to see such a sight.

"Bloody bastard. What kind of shithole is this?", Sandor swore, as he gazed upon the bed.
I surveyed the room once more with the light of the lantern at the doorway.
I looked up at Sandors annoyed face with a small smile.
"This'll do."

The lake could be seen from a small window. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Lake Minnow, as I quickly learned its name, glowed faintly blue as the small moon reflected its beauty. The stars were blocked by the dust of the town, yet the moon had never looked more stunning.

After eating our meal of bread and watery soup, I sat among the window pane, taking in the sight.
Sandor sat quietly on the floor adjacent from me, his back to the bed.
"Careful, Little Bird, you'll catch a cold from the night air."
I looked back at him in thought.
"Sandor...do you trust anyone?", I asked as the light night air came rushing in the small window. His dark gray eyes blinked as he looked at me with an odd expression. I heard a small laugh.

"A man shouldn't trust anyone. A man shouldn't even trust his own damn self", he declared without once looking away from my gaze. He had never been more correct.

I looked upon the moon once again as my lips found themselves speaking again.

"I trust you."

His eyes softened.

"You shouldn't trust me, Little Bird. I am just a dog, but hell knows when I could bite that pretty little neck of yours", he professed, as he held his sword in his arms. There were times his manner of speaking would frighten me; now it did nothing but make me want to be in his presence.

"I do not trust myself. I do not trust men. And I do not trust women", I stated as Sandor seemed a bit more pleased.

"But I will always trust you."

Sandor glanced at me, tried to fight a smile but lost his battle.

"And you will always be a foolish little bird", he avowed.

I felt myself doze off on the window panel, dreaming of the pleasant moons light on the water. The earth came together and met at the edge of the horizon, as the dust settled enough to see at least one striking star.

Strong hands picked me up effortlessly off the ground and placed me into the hay bed. Sandor did not realize I was awake.

I felt a warm hand tug a few disobedient hairs behind my ears. My body felt weightless as a warm hand touched my cheek down unto my lips, tracing them with soft agility.

The hand stopped rapidly as I heard Him fall wordlessly into the corner.

I fought to keep myself conscious, yet the strength of sleep took over, drifting me off into a peaceful slumber.