Chapter 21
Arya faded in and out of sleep, feeling like she was floating. Her head felt heavy, and her eyelids refused to open. Sleep took her on a rollercoaster, and at one point she thought she heard voices. "We can't just leave her here," one voice whispered. It sounded like a boy. "Her ankle is hurt." "She'll tell about us," the other voice hissed. This one sounded like a girl. "I have to at least wrap her ankle," the boy insisted. Arya faded into black, and had a dream she was running with a pack of wolves, her hair long and flowing, instead of its short bob, and the sun was shining.
A sharp pain shot through her leg, and she jumped, pulling out of the dream. "I know it hurts," the boy said to her softly. "But this will make it feel better." Through the haze she thought she saw two figures bent over her. Wolf was still snuggled up to her. A strange, herbal scent filled her nose, and her head dropped back, welcoming sleep.
Arya didn't wake again until Wolf was licking her face. With a groan, she opened her eyes and rubbed them. The forest was foggy and grey; the sun barely risen. She must have slid to the ground while she slept, and she grabbed the tree and Wolf, pulling herself into a sitting position.
In spite on the dog's body heat, Arya felt cold, shaky, and strangely nauseous. Her head pounded with grogginess, and she blinked, trying to get her bearings. Wolf licked her face again, then her ears went alert and she trotted off through the bushes. "Hey!" Arya cried. "Come back!" The dog did not return, and Arya felt more alone than ever as another wave of exhaustion hit her.
Jaime and Sandor had followed Arya's broken trail so deep into the woods Jaime wasn't sure how they would get back out. "How did she get this far?" he asked wearily. Sandor didn't respond, looking very tired himself. Suddenly he froze and whipped his head around. "What is it?" Jaime asked. The Hunter cocked his head. "Hear that?" Jaime listened. All he heard was the normal sounds of the forest awakening. The far in the distance, a dog barked. "That's Wolf," Sandor said, and he hurried off in the direction of the sound, Jaime close behind him.
The dog barked again, and the two men crashed through underbrush, filled with renewed energy. "Wolf!" Sandor shouted. The large dog burst into their path and ran up to the Hunter, happy to see her master. The she trotted ahead of them a few feet, barking and looking towards the left, then back at them. "Lead us," Sandor told her, and the two men followed Wolf until they reached a small hill. At the bottom, leaning against a tree, was a girl curled up.
"Arya!" Jaime called. Sandor slid carefully down the hill with Wolf and knelt next to the girl. "She's ok," he said gruffly. "Just exhausted." He scooped the girl up in his arms and slung her over his shoulder. Arya groaned and squirmed a little.
Sandor climbed back up the hill, and Jaime reached for his radio. "This is Sheriff Jaime. We found her. Heading back to the mayor's house." After a moment the radio crackled with confirmation by other officers, and they began to head back.
Sansa had gone inside Sandor's house after Wolf left to wait for news from Brienne. The cabin-like house was small but cozy, and Sansa curled up on a large, over-stuffed couch, the walkie-talkie close at hand. As the hours dragged by, however, her head began to nod, and she lay down, pulling a large afghan blanket over her. Sleep came, and Sansa dreamed she was in the woods with Arya, and they were running with wolves.
Early morning light streamed through a window, and the radio crackled. "Sansa? This is Brienne." The girl stirred, confused, then shot up, grabbing the radio. "I'm here!" "They found her!" Brienne sounded cheerful but tired. "They are bringing her back to the mayor's house, and from there we'll have her checked out." Sansa could barely contain her relief. "I'm on my way." She jumped off the couch, pulling her boots back on, and hurried out the door, climbing into the Hunter's truck.
The drive back to the mayor's house seemed to take forever, and Sansa wiped tears of joy off her face. She couldn't let Arya see her cry; she'd call her a wuss. At the thought, Sansa couldn't help but laugh. "Oh Arya, I'm glad you're ok."
She finally pulled down the street to the mayor's house and saw that the ambulance and police cars were still there. She parked and hurried over to find Brienne. She located the tall woman easily. "They aren't back yet, but they're close. Jaime just radioed me," Brienne told her. Sansa nodded, rubbing her arms. The morning air was still cool, and Sansa was glad she had decided to wear her heavy coat. "Here, have some coffee," Brienne said, handing her a steaming mug. It was black, but hot, and Sansa sipped at it, enjoying the warmth spread through her. She looked over at the house and saw the mayor standing on the porch steps, staring off into the woods. She didn't look like she had got much sleep either.
A boy opened the front door and darted around the woman, heading for Brienne and Sansa. "Any news?" he asked hopefully. He was wearing a hoodie and his brown hair was stuck up in all directions. Sansa had a motherly urge to comb it with her fingers. "They found Arya," Brienne told him. "The Sheriff said she's ok, just cold and exhausted. They should be back in the next hour or so. Turns out Arya made a sort of loop, and in the daylight the Hunter was able to find a quicker route back here." The boy sighed, looking relieved, a small smile breaking over his face. Sansa felt a surge of pride for Sandor. "I knew he'd find her," she said quietly.
"What about those men?" Nathan asked Brienne. "Bronn and a couple others searched the woods for them, but they seem to have vanished. We will have to wait and see what we can collect from the scene," Brienne answered, sipping her coffee.
The leaned against the cruiser for a long time, and Sansa could barely stand the anticipation. Brienne's radio crackled and Jaime's voice came through. "Coming up to the path. Have the nurse ready." "I'm on it," Brienne answered, and hurried over to the ambulance. Sansa set her cup down and followed her, since the emergency vehicle was near the side of the house. A few cops ran down the path, and everyone was speaking into their radios. She twisted her fingers nervously as a nurse and another man opened the back of the ambulance.
Bronn appeared through the trees, followed by Jaime, then the Hunter, who was now carrying Sansa in his arms instead of slung over his shoulder. He marched up to the ambulance and handed her off to the nurse. "Arya!" Sansa choked, reaching for the girl's hand. Arya lifted her head and looked around at her with half-open eyes. "Hey, Sansa," she croaked. "Long time no see." Sansa giggled, blinking back tears. "We'll take her to the hospital," the nurse decided. She patted Sansa's arm as they began loading the younger girl into the back. "She'll be ok, honey." Sansa nodded, and was about to ask if she could ride with Arya when she realized she hadn't said anything to Sandor.
She turned, but he wasn't standing behind her anymore. She looked wildly for his tall form and saw him walking towards his truck, Wolf loping along beside him. "Wait!" she cried, and ran after him. Sandor heard her and stopped, waiting for her to catch up. "Thank you," Sansa told him, and wrapped her arms around his torso. The Hunter seemed surprised, but he chuckled and patted her on the back. "You're welcome, Little Bird," he spoke huskily into her hair. She pulled away slightly, still gripping his coat. "Are you ok?" she asked softly. He ran a hand over his face. "Nothing some sleep won't fix." Sansa smiled. "I guess I'll see you later then." She reluctantly let go, wrapping her arms around herself. The Hunter nodded and gave her small smirk. "Ok." Wolf hopped into the cabin as he opened the door, and Sansa stood back and watched him drive away. With a sigh, she headed back to the ambulance.
Cersei had not slept the entire night, waiting anxiously for news from both the cops and Ramsay. He called her around 3 am to tell her they couldn't find Arya, and the cops were in pursuit. They decided together it would be best to try later. Cersei was furious though, and she did not intend to let this mess go unpunished. Now, not had Arya escaped, but Nathan believed she had something to do with it. And Cersei did not know how to handle this situation.
Once the Hunter and Jaime returned with Arya, Cersei decided to go about her morning as usual. Nathan had asked Jaime for a ride to the hospital so he could see Arya. "I need to make sure she's ok!" he explained. Cersei decided not to hold him back, but she was worried of what Nathan might tell Jaime while they were in the car together.
After dressing meticulously, and drinking a large cup of coffee, Cersei drove to the hospital. She had another matter to take care of. The little exchange between Sansa and the Hunter had not gone unnoticed, and she was determined to keep this nonsense from growing. Their relationship had something to do with the curse, of that Cersei was certain, and she would not allow it to continue.
She pulled into the hospital parking lot and plastered a fake but cordial smile on her face, determined to look the part of a concerned mayor visiting the lost little girl. She was allowed admittance quickly, and a nurse led her to the room. Arya was lying on a bed covered by crisp white sheets. A bandage was on her face, and she was asleep. Sansa and Nathan were sitting in chairs near the bed, talking quietly.
Cersei pushed the door opened. "How is she doing?" she asked, startling both of the children. Nathan gave her a surprised look, which quickly turned suspicious. Sansa looked surprised as well, but her good manners stepped in, as always. "The doctor said she'd be ok. She just needs a lot of sleep and nourishment. Her ankle is sprained, but it should heal soon." Cersei smiled, hoping it didn't look as forced as she felt. "That's good to hear. I was so shocked to find out what happened. I'm glad Nathan is alright." She placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, and he stiffened. Sansa didn't seem to notice. "I can't believe it either. Who would want to hurt kids?" She shook her head. "There's some really messed up people in this town. I hope the Sheriff finds them." "Indeed. I'm sure we'll all feel much safer knowing men like that are behind bars," Cersei agreed. She hesitated, then said, "Sansa, could I speak to you out in the hallway for a minute, please?" The redhead blinked. "Oh...ok. Sure" Nathan looked a little alarmed by this, but he said nothing, and scooted his chair closer to the bed.
Cersei and Sansa left the room. "Let's go in here," Cersei suggested, gesturing to a small waiting room. Sansa followed her, clearly confused, but she was too polite to demand an explanation. That was one of the many things Cersei detested about her.
Once they entered the waiting room, Cersei closed the door, and casually put her hands in her coat pockets. Sansa faced her and did the same, waiting. "Sansa, I want to talk to you about this…friendship you've formed with the Hunter," she began. Sansa's eyebrows rose in surprise, then furrowed slightly. "Why?" she asked. Cersei sighed. "Sansa, it is not a good idea for you to be associated with him. I know he saved you from being attacked a while back, but that doesn't erase the fact that he is not the sort of company a girl like you should keep." Sansa frowned, but said nothing. "I'm sure you know of his record. That man has been in and out of the town prison many times. He's a drunk, and gets into fights. You saw what he did to your attackers. He could have killed them!" "But he didn't," Sansa interjected. Cersei rolled her eyes. "The point is, he's a bad influence, Sansa. There's no telling what he might do once he's angry enough."
Sansa seemed to be digesting this information before replying, "I know what he's done in the past. But he hasn't done anything in ages, Madam Mayor. I think he's changed." A small smile formed around her lips. "He's been nothing but nice to me, even before he saved me. He came in the diner all the time. He's never tried to hurt me, and I don't think he will." Cersei snorted at this. "Then you're as naïve as I thought, Sansa." She took a few steps forward. "Men like him just want one thing: to get in your pants. He's going to reel you in, pretend to care about you, then toss you aside once he's had his fill. It's all a game to him." Sansa looked angry. "You're wrong," she hissed. "Sandor wouldn't do that." Cersei was beginning to get irritated. "Sansa, I'm trying to help you. Part of my responsibility as mayor is to ensure the safety of everyone in this town. But I'm also speaking woman to woman. I highly suggest you stop any association with the Hunter. It will only lead to heart break for you, child." For a moment Cersei thought her words had finally worked, but Sansa's face suddenly hardened, and she lifted her chin defiantly. "I don't believe you, mayor or not. Thanks for your concern, but I can take care of myself." With that, she strode around Cersei to the door and left.
Cersei stared after her in shock, clenching her fists as anger set in. "Fine," she spoke quietly to the empty room. "If that's the way you want it, so be it." She opened the door and walked back to Arya's room. "Come on, Nathan, I'm taking you to school," she said. Nathan started to protest but stopped when he saw his mother's face. "Bye, Sansa," he said. "I'll be back later." "Bye, Nathan," Sansa replied, not looking at the mayor. Mother and son left the building and began driving to the school in silence.
"What did you talk to Sansa about?" Nathan asked quietly. Cersei gripped the steering wheel. Her patience was wearing thin. "I don't think it's any of your business, Nathan." "Why? Are you going to hurt her now too?" Cersei pulled the car over and turned to glare at her son. "I had nothing to do with those men, Nathan! Get it through your head. I'm not out to get either of those girls, understand?" She took a deep breath. "It hurts me, Nathan, that you would think this of me. I'm your mother, and I love you. But I cannot allow you to continue thinking this lie!" Nathan glared back at her. "You're not my real mother. I'm adopted, remember?" He opened the car door and got out, slamming it. Cersei gaped after him. How had things spiraled so out of control?