Arya slunk along the corridor, looking for the guardroom. She found it almost immediately, and taking down the keys hanging on the wall, she began her search. Once again she was in luck-the second cell she peeped into contained all three of her friends-Brienne and Podrick sitting side by side against the wall and the Hound lying on a heap of straw in a corner. Holding her breath, Arya began trying the keys.

Brienne and Podrick looked up as the door was unlocked, then jumped to their feet in astonishment as Arya appeared. "How did you…" the young man began, then shrugged and grinned. "Come to think of it, never mind. You're a sight for sore eyes, my lady."

"I'm not a lady," said Arya, going over to the Hound and shaking him. The good side of his face looked as bad as the burned side, with a bad cut on his forehead and dried blood like a mask. He groaned and opened his eyes.

"So they got you too?" He sat up abruptly. "Where's your sister?"

"They didn't get me, Sandor," said Arya urgently. "Sansa and me came to get you out but we have to hurry. Are you all right?"

The Hound held onto Arya as he stood up, shaking his head to clear it, a baleful light in his eyes. "I asked you where your sister was."

"I'm right here." Sansa stood in the doorway, her face as white as a sheet. In her hand was a bloody knife.

Arya got to her first. "What happened?"

The tall redhead dropped the knife. "You told me to keep it in my boot, remember? You said to go for their eyes or their throat, that's the quickest way to kill a man…" Her voice trailed away.

Sandor took in Sansa's clothes, then pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her. "You must be daft to come in here dressed like that," he said roughly. "Do you want to be raped to death?" His words brought tears to her eyes and relenting he put an arm around her. "It's all right, little bird. So you got the guard out of the way? That was very brave of you."

"He put his hands on me," Sansa sobbed into his shoulder, "and I had the knife, and...and I didn't want to hurt him…"

Podrick had gone out and now he returned. "There was only one guard?"

Arya nodded. "We got lucky but there's no telling when the rest will come back. We have to go now."

Brienne came forward and put a hand on Sansa's arm. "Thank you. I could never have done what you did."

Their eyes met and Sansa managed a tremulous smile as she recalled what Brienne had told them about Jamie Lannister saving her from a gang rape. "It's Arya you should thank. She's the one who told me what to do with the knife."

"We can talk about this later," said the younger girl impatiently. Right now we have to move."

"I second that," said Podrick fervently.

"So do I," agreed Sansa. "I'm all right, Sandor. Really."

His arm tightened around her and for a moment she closed her eyes, then he released her. "Let's go, then."

"Wait." Brienne went to the door and looked out. "We shouldn't all go at once."

The Hound regarded her thoughtfully. "You're right. This is your big chance, Brienne of Tarth."

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you swore a sacred oath to protect these girls. Now you can. Take them out." Sansa made to speak and Sandor held up his hand. "It's not likely anybody will notice a woman with a couple of children." He pulled up the hood of his cloak over Sansa's red hair. "You'll be all right, little bird." She gazed up at him with a stricken face and he said reassuringly, "I'll be right behind you with Podrick. We'll just take a quick look around, see if we can find our weapons and any of our money those bastards didn't already spend and then we'll leave too." He turned to Podrick. "Lend me your hood." Podrick handed Sandor his hood and the big man pulled it on, drawing it forward to hide his face. "Go on now, Sansa."

She still hesitated. "You don't know where the horses are."

"I'll wait outside the walls to the left of the gates," said Arya briskly. "Don't keep me waiting, Sandor."