Alright guys, so I'm going to be uploading this story a bit slower than everyone may like, mostly bc we all know how GoT works. People die. I want to see what exactly they're going to do with Sandor Clegane before I write anything past Brienne of Tarth's assault.
Also, sorry for all the spelling errors in my last post, I didn't do very good proofreading bc i was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY excited I'd found the files! lol
As their captors had predicted, it was morning time when they arrived at wherever it was they were going. Elyria, who had fallen asleep sometime in the night, was the first pulled from the wagon, which was how she was so pleasantly woken up that morning. She cried out in pain as they grabbed her hair through the burlap and yanked on it, taking her from Sandor's chest violently.
"Get your hands off of her, you fucking cunts!" He growled after them, only to be tossed from the wagon next. With their sack masks still intact, Elyria and Sandor were led across fairly even terrain. Voices began to grow closer and Elyria stumbled over what felt like a door jam, her boots finding a wooden floor beneath them. The group was met with several cheers and the pair were brought to a stop.
"That is an uncommonly large person." A drunk voice spoke, the speaker's shoes approaching them unevenly. "How does one manage to subdue such an uncommonly large person?" And then their sacks were removed. Elyria blinked several times as her eyes adjusted. They had been brought to what appeared to be an old inn. "Aha! Not a man at all! A Hound and his bitch!" The man in front of them boasted loudly, as he ran a thumb down the pink scar on Elyria's cheek. Elyria sneered as the rest of his men began to howl around them.
"Piss off!" Elyria snarled, snapping at his thumb. The ginger drunk's eyes widened in delight and he went to touch her cheek again.
"Good to see you again, Clegane."
"Thoros… The fuck you doing here?" Sandor shot back.
"Drinking and talking too much, same as always." The man, Thoros, said, as if it were obvious. "A pretty prize lads!" He said, turning and showing Elyria and Sandor to his men again. They hollered in approval, most of them returning to their drink, save for one group, several young bannermen sitting in the back.
The three young ones stood to leave, walking past Sandor and Elyria quietly, heads down, but The Hound was no fool. He knew the face of the shortest girl even if she tried to keep it hidden.
"Girl!" He called after her, catching Elyria's attention. The Dornish woman hadn't really took heed of the group until Sandor brought them to her attention. Elyria struggled to see past Sandor's giant frame as the youngest of the leaving group stopped. Slowly she turned, and Sandor refocused his attentions to Thoros.
"What in Seven Hell's are you doing with a Stark bitch?" He asked the drunk ginger, who's eyes seemed to open so widely they might pop out of his skull.
"Stark?" Elyria inquired, but Sandor shushed her. She'd heard that name before, the Hand of the King that Littlefinger had betrayed was named Stark. Elyria frowned at the girl, who returned her frown with a shitty glare.
"I was unaware that the North King's daughter was with us…" Thoros trailed off to which Sandor sneered.
"It's because she looks like a boy, and you're a daft, drunk bastard with an ass for a face." He goaded the captors. Thoros smirked at him, before punching the Hound in his face hard enough that the hit drew blood. Sandor recovered quickly, spitting the blood out onto Thoros' boots with a laugh.
"Take him back to the carts. We've places to be, men!" Thoros rallied, earning another set of cheers. Once again Elyria was drug, turned back towards the door before her captors began to shove her. Several times she nearly fell, earning curses from Sandor as he threatened the men's lives, his own hands tied behind his back.
The Brotherhood led them towards the back of the inn, where the man who had captured Elyria was regrouping with the rest of his brothers. He gave her a dashing smile, one that she may have thought handsome once, before turning to grin at the Hound happily. Sandor scowled at the man, he hadn't missed the way that he'd smiled Elyria. Deep down in his belly, Sandor could feel jealousy burning.
"Hello, Dog." The young man said chipper, turning his attentions to Elyria. "And how fares my Dornish lady?"
"Why don't you untie me and I'll show you?" Elyria threatened him sweetly, jumping at him, only to be subdued by her guard. Sandor's lips twitched upwards in a smirk, there was his fiery Songbird. The young guard was not at all thrown and instead he looked at Sandor coolly.
"What are you staring at, Twat." Sandor spat, grumpy.
"Anguy." The man told him happily. Sandor gave him a queer look, and the boy chuckled. "My name is Anguy."
"Am I supposed to care?" Sandor asked him, unpleased. Anguy ignored him, instead taking him by the arm roughly. Sandor growled as he watched the rest of Anguy's men handle Elyria just as rough. He decided he was going to kill them all. "You think you're good with that bow, huh, twat?" Sandor emphasized the word twat.
"Better than anyone you know." Anguy returned, not bothered.
"Coward's weapon. I like to fight up close, I like to see a man's face when I put the steel in him."
"Why, so you can kiss him?" Anguy taunted, placing his hand on Elyria's raven head, shoving her harshly into the back of the wagon. Sandor growled as he watched them shove the girl, pull the girl, push the girl around all day. They would pay for every bruise and scratch they put on her, that much he was certain of.
They rode much of the day and from what Elyria could tell the terrain was not even. The wagon creaked underneath them as it took them over rocks and hills, several times it lurched dangerously sideways, which neither Sandor nor Elyria could brace themselves for, and they toppled over each other.
"Mind your body!" Elyria hissed at him as she took something hard, most likely a shoulder, to her face
"Fuck off!" The Hound growled, though he did feel bad. The last thing he wanted was to injure the poor girl. The wagon grew quiet again as it rode on, until Elyria spoke.
"That's Ned Stark's daughter? The King's Hand, right?" Elyria asked him quietly. Sandor grunted in return. Elyria had arrived in King's Landing not long after his execution. She didn't know much about what happened, save for what Sandor had vaguely mentioned. "She can't be more than ten, how did she get here?"
"Because she's a wily little bitch." Sandor growled. Elyria frowned inside her bag.
"What happened to him? Ned Stark I mean. He was King in the North right? So how did his head end up on a spike?" Elyria asked quietly. Sandor sighed, this was going to be a long story.
"Lord Stark stuck his nose in dangerous places." Sandor told her. The Hound proceeded to tell her just how Ned Stark came to King's Landing, at Robert's request after the suspicious death of the original Hand, John Arryn. He told her that Ned Stark had brought his two daughters with him, one, Sansa, was engaged to the prince, the prince who took the throne after his father's death. The prince who was now King Jofferey. He told her how the King beheaded Ned Stark for treasonous talk, The North King had found out that Robert Baratheon's three children were not his. They were a product of incest between the Queen, Cersei, and her brother, Jaime. He was beheaded in front of his daughter, Sansa, but not before he sent word to King Robert's brothers. Which is why Stannis Baratheon had attacked King's Landing. Finally, Sandor told her about how Arya, the daughter with the Brotherhood, had disappeared. At the end of his story, Elyria was left speechless.
"The Lannisters….." she scowled, unable to find words. Sandor sniffed.
"A trifling lot. Shit eaters and sibling fuckers with hearts of ice and bottomless purses." He muttered, the wagon grinding to a stop. Elyria flew forward, only stopped by Sandor's giant shoulder, which she hit head first.
"MOTHER FU-" Elyria shouted, as she was forcefully grabbed by her cloak's collar and pulled from the wagon back.
"Watch your mouth, you're a lady!" Anguy told her. Though she couldn't see him she knew that he was grinning.
"Fuck you, cunt." Elyria rattled, her eyes growing wide. Scarily, the Hound spewed out of her mouth. He was rubbing off on her. Anguy only chuckled as he led them down hill, into darkness. If Sandor was a betting man, he'd say they were heading into a cave as he stumbled over rocks And uneven footing.
They seemed to walk for quite a while, going deeper and deeper, until Anguy pulled Elyria to a stop. She coughed, as he'd pulled her by the collar of her tunic, only to hear that Sandor was still walking. Anguy removed her sack, finding that indeed, they were still leading the Hound several feet in front of them, next to a giant fire. Elyria was surprised to find that she had been left, though still bound, next to Arya Stark and her young, male friend.
"Where is this place?" Elyria asked.
"Somewhere neither wolves nor lions prowl." Thoros explained, before chuckling and stepping away. Elyria watched as Sandor's hood was the next to be removed, And she was shocked to see him step away from the fire fearfully. He's afraid of fire? Her mind whirled. No wonder he was so fearful the night of the battle. The entire bay was on fire that night!
"You look like a bunch of swine herds." Sandor chuckled as he looked around the cave room. His eyes settled finally on Elyria, who still stood tall and proud, even if she was bound. He bit back a frown, seeing her there, the fire burning hot at his side, this was not a good situation. Nope.
"Most of us were swine herds." Someone called from the crowd. Sandor sneered in the direction the voice came as others joined, listing off other poor occupations.
"You're still swine herds. And Tanners, and Masons. You think carrying a crooked spear makes you a soldier?" Sandor spat at the ground at Anguy's feet.
"No," A new voice came. Elyria searched for its speaker but needn't look long as the crowd parted, revealing a shorter man with red hair and an eye patch. "Fighting in a war makes you a soldier."
"Beric Dondarrion." Sandor swallowed, shocked. Last he heard, the man was dead. But he had heard rumors on the wind that he was immortal thanks to their prick friend Thoros, High Priest to the Lord of Light. "You've seen better days."
"And I won't see them again." Beric shot back. She was surprised at the comradery between them, considering she was sure that the man was here to kill them. Elyria watched as Sandor shook his head, his taunts were not done, but then that didn't really surprise her.
"Stark deserters, Baratheon deserters, you all aren't fighting in a war, you're running from it!" Sandor sneered.
"Last I heard you were King Jofferey's guard dog, but here you are a thousand miles from home." Beric smiled at her Hound, a cruel smile. Elyria opened her mouth to speak but Sandor narrowed his eyes at her, shushing her immediately. If she stayed quiet, maybe they would let her go. "Which of us is running?"
"Untie these ropes and we'll find out." Sandor told him arrogantly. "What are you doing leading a mob of peasants?"
"Ned Stark ordered me to execute your brother in King Robert's name."
"Ned Stark is dead. King Robert is dead. My brother is alive," Sandor paused. But fuck him. He thought miserably, spitting at the ground. "You're fighting for ghosts."
"That's what we are." Beric chuckled. "Ghosts, waiting for you in the dark. You can't see us, but we see you, no matter whose cloak you wear." Elyria watched, terrified as the crowd around her began to stir and rally around his words. "Lannister, Stark, Baratheon. You prey on the weak, the Brotherhood Without Banners will hunt you down."
"You found god, is that it?" Sandor sneered.
"Aye, I've been reborn in the light of the one true God. As have we all." Beric told him. Sandor sighed, so it was true. This was growing more and more impossible.
"If you mean to murder me then get on with it. But her," Sandor nodded to Elyria, and for the first time Beric noticed her. "If I die she goes free. She's not part of this, she tagged along for a fresh start." Beric seemed to mull over his words, gesturing to Elyria with his hand. Two guards escorted her around the fire, standing her in front of their leader. She eyed him proudly.
"How did you get that scar, girl?" Beric asked her, running a gentle finger down her face. Elyria drew back from him, her eyes flickering to Sandor. He nodded his approval, it would look better if she told the truth.
"The shit King Jofferey gave it to me. Didn't like my wares." She sneered, puffing out her chest. Beric frowned at her, removing a small dagger from his belt. Elyria's eyes grew wide and she began to fight against the men holding her in place. She stared in wide eyed horror as Beric Dondarrion grew closer to her, his knife drawn. She dared a glance at Sandor who seemed surprisingly afraid for her This was it. This was how she died.
"Beric!" Sandor growled in warning. But Beric didn't heed him, instead he crossed to Elyria, cutting her ties with the blade before sheathing it. Elyria didn't blink as she looked into Beric's eyes, she merely rubbed her wrists, they ached from the bindings.
"You have my word. She goes free."
"And my sword?" Elyria scoffed. She wasn't going anywhere and if they killed her Hound she was going to take as many of them with her that she could!d. Beric gave her an odd look.
"It will be returned after the trial."
"Trial?" Elyria questioned. She saw no judge, no magistrate. Beric nodded at her.
"Trial by combat."
"What the fuck for?!" Sandor argued as Elyria was forcefully escorted back to the Stark girl. The young Stark watched her warily, almost pityingly as her eyes traced Elyria's pink, scarred cheek.
"In repentance for every Clegane wrought upon this earth. The entire murdering, raping line of them." Anguy shouted from the crowd. "For all the babes your family has gutted and all the women your line has fouled." Sandor glared at the boy but he did not say any words.
"You're all a bunch of bastards." He heard Elyria scowl from where she stood. "Punish this man because you can't catch the rest? Cowards."
"I ain't never fouled no women and I have never slain babes. If you're talking about the Targaryan Queen and children then you must be mistaking me for my broth-" Sandor began.
"He killed the butcher's boy!" Arya shouted at her, interrupting the Hound's warning. Elyria frowned down at the little girl, She didn't know anything about that, but she knew that Sandor Clegane was more honorable than killing some boy in cold blood.
"At whose request?" The Dornish woman snapped, shutting Arya Stark up nice and quick. "That's what I thought."
"If you want to cut my throat then get on with it, but don't call me murderer and pretend that you're not!" Sandor bellowed, his voice echoing off the rocky cavern. None of the men said a word and Sandor turned, angry to look at each of them. "If you want a trial, then a trial you'll fucking have, but which one of you women will it be? Who wants to find out if your Lord of Light is truly watching over your sopping cunts?"
"It is I you'll fight this day." Beric Dondarrion told him coolly, cutting Sandor Clegane bindings with the same dagger he'd used on Elyria's. The Hound watched Beric's with wide eyes, even Elyria could see his fear, and that was an unsettling feeling. Arya seemed pleased from where she stood next to Elyria.
Thoros began to say a prayer from across the fire and the men around Elyria chanted, fanatically. Elyria watched as Anguy gave Sandor his sword, which he took earnestly, his eyes flickering to her. He wanted to tell her it would be okay, but he couldn't, a Hound never lies. Thoros crossed over to Beric Dondarrion once his prayers were finished, but Elyria could not tell what it was they were doing, until Beric's sword went up in a fiery show. The Hound froze where he stood, eyes wide, and Elyria growled.
"You cheats!" Her voice was loud and echoed off the walls as two men held her back. Sandor could barely hear her though, his eyes fixed on the flaming sword in Beric's hand, sorcery if he'd ever seen it, and damn good sorcery at that. He shoved a man beside him, taking up shield as he could feel his fear getting the best of him.
Sandor lunged for Beric, their swords clashing violently. Sparks flew from the meeting of steel on steel and just as soon as Sandor's blade met Beric's, he pulled away. The heat from the flames was almost too much for him to bear and he could feel his heart beating in his ears; he was terrified. Again their swords met, only resulting in another stalemate of strength as Beric parried him, levelling his flaming sword at the Hound fiercely.
Elyria could barely breath as she watched the two men battle. A flaming sword is scary for anyone, but to a man with a fear of fire that may as well be a death sentence. It took everything Sandor had to block one, two and three hits from the fiery sword, which Beric Dondarrion wielded as if it were weightless. He swung it wide, nearly catching Elyria's face, and the Dornish woman ducked as the fighting continued.
Sandor, who had managed to grapple with some of his terror, was finally coming into his usual, brutish form. He swung his sword, knocking Beric back a pace, before kicking at his knee. Beric recovered from his assault surprisingly quickly, not even taking a second look up at Sandor as he blocked another of his strikes.
Now it was Beric's turn to take the upper hand and as one of Sandor's wild swings missed him completely, Dondarrion took this chance to shove Sandor over entirely, bring his flaming sword down towards him. Elyria flinched as Beric's sword met Sandor's shield, which looked as if it would splinter at any moment. The shield held, and when Beric brought his arm back for another blow, Sandor rolled out from underneath him, Beric's sword striking nothing but cave floor.
With Beric off his mark, Sandor took this time to shield bash his side, which knocked him off balance, leaving an opening for the Hound. He swung his longsword hard, which Beric barely had time to block with his own. Sandor refused to let that stop him, he was seeing red now and swung again and again, each hit connecting with Beric's shield, tearing it to ribbons. Elyria felt a pang of hope deep in her chest. Come on, my Hound.
Without his shield, Beric was faster now, and Sandor was unprepared for his rebuttals. Dondarrion growled as he came at Sandor with force and speed that he had not seen from him, and all the Hound could do was block. The Dornish woman cried out in fear as the Hound's shield went up in flame, and Sandor's resolve, that had taken so long to build, crumbled.
The Hound struggled to remove his flaming shield as the fire licked at his face and arm. The crowd around Elyria began to chant guilty, Including Arya Stark. Elyria's breath came in ragged bursts as she struggled to breathe evenly. She couldn't watch her Sandor die.
The Hound began to chop at his shield with his own sword, but even that did not discard the flaming thing. Beric rounded on Sandor for another assault, which he blocked with his fiery shield, snarling at the man with eyes like slits. Sandor was in a frenzy and no matter how many calming breaths he took, he could not calm down. His wild eyes searched the crowd for an escape, for anything, when they landed on Elyria. She was terrified and her lips trembled as she feared for him. It was in this moment that Sandor decided not this day.
Sandor, his fear quelled by that one look, charged Beric and with all of the strength he had left, he brought his sword down on the man. Dondarrion raised his own weapon to shield himself, but it was to no avail. The Hound was too strong, and he cut through Beric's sword. With nothing to stop him, Sandor's blade nearly cut Beric Dondarrion in two, entering at his shoulder and not stopping until it reached his belly.
The Brotherhood Without Banners went deathly silent and Elyria released a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. With no one to stop her, she hopped over the rock wall in front of her, charging the arena. In seconds she was at her Hound's side, where she removed his flaming shield, hissing in pain as it burned her through her riding gloves. She couldn't care less, he was safe.
Sandor dropped his sword, allowing Beric Dondarrion to fall to the cave floor in a dead heap as he turned to Elyria, cautiously taking her hands.
"Stupid girl, you've burned yourself." He chided, removing her gloves to check her hands. They seemed okay, mostly superficial, though blisters were already forming in several places.
"You needed help." She told him finally. Sandor made to argue, but was interrupted as Thoros pushed past him , falling over Beric's corpse, where he began to pray in quick, hushed voices. From the crowd, Arya Stark ran for them both, short sword in hand, but was stopped by Anguy before any damage could be done.
"Burn in hell!" She screeched as Anguy carried her back to her friends. Elyria frowned at the girl, her eyes trailing up to Sandor's never faltering face.
"He will!" a tired voice came. Elyria shuddered, glancing over her shoulder at where Beric Dondarrion's body lay, or used to lay, for now he was vertical, no chest wound and very much alive. Elyria clung tightly to Sandor's arm, he was dead! Nearly cleaved in half! Slowly, she took a step in front of Sandor, at which point he growled, he'd die before hiding behind a woman. Beric stood, watching them quietly before speaking. "But not today." Beric nodded at his men, who bowed their heads respectively.
After the fight, Thoros reappeared from the disappointed crowd, carrying Sandor and Elyria's bags and her sword. Both of them checked their belongings, only to find their purses had been emptied, replaced by a single piece of parchment.
"Where is our gold?!" Elyria snapped, crumpling the parchment in her hands.
"It clearly states there that you will be paid in full when the war is over." Thoros told them happily.
"Piss on that! You're all a bunch of thieves!" Sandor scowled, glaring at the men.
"We're outlaws! Outlaws steal!" Anguy told them, as if it were obvious. "I can't believe we didn't kill you!"
"DON'T TRY IT ARCHER OR ILL SHOVE THOSE ARROWS UP YOUR ASS-" The Hound roared, reaching for the boy, only to be held back.
"You can't let him go! He's a murderer! He's guilty!" Arya began her tantrum again, this time from a safe distance.
"Not in the eyes of God." Beric said. She went to argue again but he snapped at her. "Enough! The judgement isn't ours to make!" once Arya had quieted down, Beric Dondarrion gave them a reassuring smile. "Go in peace, Sandor Clegane. The Lord of Light is not done with you yet." And then the hoods were replaced, and for a final time that day, Elyria found herself being shoved.
After the fight, Thoros reappeared from the disappointed crowd, carrying Sandor and Elyria's bags and her sword. Both of them checked their belongings, only to find their purses had been emptied, replaced by a single piece of parchment.
"Where is our gold?!" Elyria snapped, crumpling the parchment in her hands.
"It clearly states there that you will be paid in full when the war is over." Thoros told them happily.
"Piss on that! You're all a bunch of thieves!" Sandor scowled, glaring at the men.
"We're outlaws! Outlaws steal!" Anguy told them, as if it were obvious. "I can't believe we didn't kill you!"
"DON'T TRY IT ARCHER OR ILL SHOVE THOSE ARROWS UP YOUR ASS-" The Hound roared, reaching for the boy, only to be held back.
"You can't let him go! He's a murderer! He's guilty!" Arya began her tantrum again, this time from a safe distance.
"Not in the eyes of God." Beric said. She went to argue again but he snapped at her. "Enough! The judgement isn't ours to make!" once Arya had quieted down, Beric Dondarrion gave them a reassuring smile. "Go in peace, Sandor Clegane. The Lord of Light is not done with you yet." And then the hoods were replaced, and for a final time that day, Elyria found herself being shoved.
Alrighty well, that was a long chapter for you guys to hopefully help you cope with a few weeks updateless, like I said, I'm going to space them out until i know what they're going to do with Sandor.