A/N: A big thank you to everyone who as reviewed so far! They mean the world!
"Please" she had asked him. He couldn't answer. He was going to make his own life. Live alone with some dogs for company till the end of his days. That had been the plan.
He saw tears started to well up in her eyes once more and her voice sounded again. "Please" she was begging him, begging an ugly man who was planning on running from her like a coward once more. He couldn't bare it anymore and he fell to his knees on the earthy ground beneath him.
He had made her cry, for the second time in their short reunion. He had caused tears to stream over her soft cheeks when he left King's Landing and he made her cry again now. He couldn't take care of her, no matter how much he wanted to.
"I can't, Little Bird," he whispered. "I cannot keep you safe, I will only cause you pain," his voice found its resolve as he spoke the words. Still he could not look at her and instead kept his gaze on the ground.
"You can, you know that. You were the only one I could ever trust."
"I was not a man then, only a dog."
From the corner of his eyes he could see her shaking her head. "Do not say such awful things about yourself," her stare was hard on him again, he could feel it burning right through him. It seemed over time the roles had changed and now she was making him uncomfortable with her stares. She had turned into a woman at last, had turned into what he had so much wanted her to become. And now he found himself at her mercy.
Slowly he raised his head to meet her stare, if only it was to see her Tully blue eyes again.
"I cannot return home, nor can I stay here by myself," her voice was stern but he could hear it shaking ever so lightly as she spoke. "I cannot survive on my own. I need you."
His voice left him, again. Buggering fool, she's asking you to protect her and you can't even answer her properly. His mouth moved a few times before he finally found the right words.
"I can bring you to the closest town, set up a guard for you to keep you safe."
"No," she spoke. "I want you."
"Why?"
"I do not know this guard you would place by my side like I do you."
He laughed then, his old joyless growl.
"As if you had ever wanted to know me." He had expected her to flinch away but she didn't.
"I didn't, at first." Her voice was steady and he couldn't help but look with wonder at this curious young woman standing before him. "But you were there for me when I needed it. Maybe not in the best of ways, but you were honest and made me see the world for what it truly is. You said that you would never lie to me, and I believed you. You said you would keep me safe. But you left instead and I was left all alone in the den of lions. So prove me your honesty now, ser, and keep me safe."
He was completely baffled. Never had he expected that the little bird of all people would use his own words against him. She had won and they both knew it. Somewhere deep down he couldn't help but feel proud at how strong she acted. He got back up on his feet, if she could be strong in a situation like this, then he bloody well could too. "I am no ser, only a man hunted for his crimes until the end of his days," he looked her straight in the eyes as he told her this. He didn't use much words but he knew she would get his meaning. "I will protect you, as I had promised to."
Through her tears a smile appeared on her face then and he found himself thinking that that alone was worth all that they would have to face next.
Suddenly she seemed to realize something as she looked him over with a pondering look.
"The food... it was you wasn't it?" she looked at him through narrowed eyes.
He nodded his head and grunted in reply.
"How long?"
"Few days, from the day you found the first rabbit."
It was silent for a moment and he noticed she fumbled with her fingers then and her look was fixated at the ground. "Have you... I mean, did you-"
"No." He knew why she was suddenly so nervous. "I turned away to hunt as soon as I knew you would... go into the river. You ran into me when I was checking up on the traps."
Her lips were sealed tight. She looked like she wanted to speak, but she didn't. Instead she turned around. "We should gather my belongings; I am not even properly dressed."
She was covered, to be sure, but it was only a cloak and it was hardly a very ladylike thing.
His feet felt heavy when he gathered Stranger's reins in his hands and started to lead the way back to where he had found her at the river before. They walked in silence as neither of them knew quite what to say to the other after such a long time. He took the opportunity to let his mind process the happenings of the last couple of days instead as she seemed to do the same.
He had found two rabbits in his first trap the day he had first saw her again. It would've looked suspicious to leave two dead animals before her feet so he had taken the other himself. Besides, he would have to eat as well, he wouldn't be able to get her out of the woods half starved. He had found her tracks easily and predicted the direction she would walk in as he tried to get ahead of her to dump her dinner before she could notice him. He lay the animal in an as natural looking position as he could before he covered his tracks and retreated into the shadows.
Just then he suddenly came to the conclusion that the little bird probably knew nothing about skinning and cooking an animal and that she would most likely turn away from it in disgust. He was about to turn to the place where he left his catch on the road again to think of something else when suddenly she appeared and he had to crouch down so as not to be seen. He was all the more surprised when she picked it up with a smile on her face. After looking it over carefully, as if the examine it, she continued her way.
Sandor couldn't help it and had followed her and watched in amazement as she had built a fire and skinned the animal. Making it look so casual he had almost fallen on his arse where he had crouched down behind a tree and some rocks. Luckily he managed to gather himself just before that happened or he would've been caught then and there. An idiotic smile appeared on his face as he watched the little bird prepare the meal perfectly. So she had left some of those empty courtesies behind to learn some more practical surviving skills after all.
After she had fallen asleep he had retreated silently to where he had left Stranger and his own part of the catch. He grinned like an idiot the whole time he prepared and consumed his own meal, the image of her still clearly on his mind. He set up his sleeping place somewhere in between the little bird's camp and the place where he had tied Stranger to a tree. The horse was mostly quiet but just sometimes he would snort and if the little bird would note it his plans would be ruined. However he didn't allow himself to sleep far from her either. She seemed to be safe but Sandor knew better and was more aware of any danger lurking about these woods. If anything were to happen he would be ready to defend her in an instant. Luckily nothing did happen and the next day she arose and he continued following her.
Trapping animals challenged to be more difficult than he had initially thought. The animals of the forest seemed to outsmart him as they casually avoided most of his traps and he had only caught one squirrel the second day. He would've been better with a bow, he knew, but as a man travelling in peace, his brothers back at the Quiet Isle had not given him anything but the rope to fetch his meal with. He had obliged and not bought a new weapon since he had been on the road. Still, he could not leave half an animal as that would definitely raise questions, so he left her all of it. If he had started a fire for himself again it would've been too easy to get caught by her anyway. The day before she had been fast asleep and he had been able to cook his own meal. But he didn't want to take the risk another time. There were still provisions from the inn left besides, so he wouldn't go hungry. The next day he had more luck with hunting, although this time she suddenly refused to eat the catch of the day. Was she beginning to suspect something? He couldn't blame her and even found himself a little proud of her to not straight out trust anything that came along her path anymore.
But he felt bad for her as in the last two days she had clearly regaining strength. The current sight of her hungry face made it even more difficult to not jump out and tell her to just eat the food as it was him who had caught it. He felt horrible lurking at her in the woods like this.
She pulled him back to the current day when he heard her gasp a small "oh" and she started running to her belongings that still lay in the field. The clearing was now basking in the last remainder of sunshine. Soon enough he saw what had caused her sudden outburst as two young foxes jumped away from her sack with each a portion of the meal she had prepared the day before between their sharp teeth. The little bird threw her arms up in frustration and her cloak lifted ever so lightly because of it, revealing the lower part of her legs to him. He began walking towards where she stood.
She pouted at him. "I'm so sorry, we could've eaten that together."
He swallowed hard and regained his old posture as he answered with a slight sneer in his voice, "don't be daft, little bird. I've already saved some food up. We'll not grow hungry tonight."
He had indeed been lucky the day before as he had caught two squirrels and a rabbit. The first squirrel had just been taken from them in pieces, and the foxes had obviously already devoured the squirrel that he had left her when the plan was still that she returned alone to this place. But he still had the smaller rabbit dangling at Stranger's side.
"Oh," again. "Shall we camp here then?" she asked him quietly.
"That would be stupid. You just saw those foxes out here and you plan to stay the night in this place? All sorts of animals come to clearings like this in the dark and I'd rather sleep peacefully."
"Still haven't learned to be nicer, I see," she murmured. That pissed Sandor even more off than her half exposed leg not a moment ago.
"Already having regrets?" he growled at her.
"No. I think it's just what I need right now."
Blasted little bird, always turning things around in her favor.
"I am not afraid of you anymore, Sandor." She hesitated after saying that. "May I call you that?"
Damn the girl, she was already wrapping him around her fingers. He grunted an agreement before he gathered her belongings and strapped them to Stranger, the little bird watching him in amusement all the while.
