...The wizened man in front of me melts away and before me stands Arya Stark, her large grey eyes unmistakable, as her mop of dark hair . She's grown some and her thin arms have now taken on a bit of muscle . " What is this place ? " " A place of solace for some, knowledge for others ", says Arya . " Your sister will want to see you, she misses you, do you know of..." My brother and mother ? " " Yes ." " You must give her a message that I am well . " " Take this as proof of who I really am ." " I must go as I have other tasks which I must attend to ." As I stand there staring the visage and form of the old man reappears and totters off into the darkness .
I look to Syrio with a question in my eye . " Would you have believed me had I told you ? " " I think not which is why it was necessary for you to see with your own eyes and receive that which you now posses ." I open my hand to find a piece of stitchery and a small wax sealed note . I look at the stitches and see that the stitches are crooked and sloppy and muse to myself it looks as sloppy as mine from long months ago .
We walk another way around the fountain and people amid it into a long hallway at the end is a huge door . Syrio sets a brisk pace and we gain the door and walk out into the blinding glare of the now setting sun . I have much to think on and am grateful for my companions silence .
We enter the palace of the Silver Queen to find her and Tyrion's head bent in conversation . They notice no one and something the half man says causes the Queen to laugh heartily . As if she knows I am thinking of her, my Lady wife appears, her waddle unmistakable to my eye . She greets me with a smile and hug, I am keeping my face as still as stone to figure out how and when I speak to my sweet Sans .
She stiffens slightly and looks into my eyes . " What is it my husband ? " " We should go to the others as this news maybe all should hear . " Tyrion and Dany both nod their greeting and we all take our seats at the table . Ser Barriston is the last to join us . I look to my wife and hand her the bit of cloth and she carefully unfolds it . Tears spring to her eyes and she breaks the seal to the message to read it carefully . More tears trace her cheeks to fall off her chin . As if remembering people are present she wipes her tears and sits a little straighter . She hands the message to me and I read it .
" Sister, much has happened, is happening and will happen . Bran and Rickon travel with the frogs and a wilding, Hodor is also with them , they go beyond the wall, fear not it is as it should be . You did well to take Sandor as your Lord and husband, you will need his strength, canniness, battle lore and yes, his savagery and rage too for the upcoming trials you will face . You do this not for vengeance alone but for justice as well, if you fail the world of men will be no more and the cold and night that never ends will reign for ages untold . I love you and it took much to help me to see just how much . The Silver Queen is good and just but needs a woman friend as do you, cleave unto her, she will be the sister I can no longer be, Arry . "
The note is passed and all read it . The words make the Queen's eyes mist as she raises hers reddened eyes to mine, a silent understanding passes between us .
" So we now know the whereabouts if not the exact location of the remaining Starks " comments Ser Barriston . " None will follow even if they know where they are ", he adds . " How did they pass the Wall ? " " Surely our brother Jon Snow would not have granted them passage ? " " No, it was with help from another, unwitting player in the game ", remarks Syrio .
" We have much information to think on this night ", says Dany . " We will start training your dragons in simple commands on the morrow ." " Someone will be sent come evening supper in a little more than a hour ." With that we drift away from the table and I notice with interest Dany and Tyrion head off to patio her head bent slightly towards his small form .
Sandor drapes an arm over my shoulder as we walk to our rooms . My hunger for joining with him undiminished . I wrap my armabout him and work my hand to his back side and give it a squeeze . He responds by scooping me up in his strong arms and carrying us to our rooms . He takes me first to the privy, then the pillowed expanse of our bed, to be met by the screeches of our winged children . " We should feed them and they I will feed you, husband ", I say with a leer .
By the time they are exercised and fed a rap at the door indicates that it is time for evening meal . As we sit the table I notice that Lord Tyrion now sits at the Queen's right hand . Their heads bent in conversation once more . The meal is presented and it is some kind of fowl in a orange and pointed fruit glaze, the sweet and tang of it suits me . A root vegetable is also served, it is orange and sweet to the taste .
Sandor eats with relish and is served again . His ever present mug of water next to his plate, I remember the last time I ever smelled wine on his breath was the time on the road when I was attacked and the monster wearing a man's skin was essentially beheaded by one of Stranger's enormous hooves .
I love my husband . I know I have said it and thought it many times . I think back on the risks he took even in King's Landing offering me small comforts and advice, then to come to my rooms and offer me a safe harbor and still he sacrificed much to get me to Robb, to pledge his love and stand up to my mother . To give up wine which was so much a part of how I perceived him . To go to a strange land amid a different culture, to take a burn for me . I would kill for him and yes, I would die to protect him .
Sandor pushes himself from the table and takes my hand to place a kiss in my palm . "Shall we pick up from where we left off, my wife ?" Hhhmmmm, is all I'm capable of as he again scoops me up to carry me ( First to the privy ) , and then to the bed .
I notice a bothersome tightness in my back but choose to ignore it . He undresses me and my dress drops to the floor, I am assuming as I cannot see in front me the floor at my feet . He sets me down gently on the edge of the bed and I lay back, he spreads my legs wide and rubs the nub of my sex . He slides his tongue within me and pinches my nipples gently, I writhe and thrust my sex in his face, he replaces his tongue with fingers in my opening, then two, he sucks and licks my hardened sex and my passion mounts, I want him within me I want us joined I NEED him on me in me, I pull at his shoulders . He grants me my desire and slides his manhood within, careful to not go to far . He kneels at the side of the bed and sets a rhythm, rubbing my bud to the beat in his head my come his hard shooting pleasure from my core to the tips of my fingers and toes, I swear even my hair is coming as lights explode behind my blue eyes .
It feels as though water is rushing through me, a warm stream of love... My thought is broken as Sandor pulls away me from and points as I sit up and... Water is rushing through me or rather from me, I tell Sandor calmly to find the healer or a midwife or whatever is about the palace . His, mine, our child comes . He stands there like stone until I say his name rather sharply, then he throws on his breeches and takes off to find help . As a little more water leaks from me I am seized by a blinding pain, it feels as though a band of iron is squeezing my middle trying to pinch me in half while another pain in my lower back feels as though a large man is trying to drive a spike through my spine by slow degrees . I was not prepared for this level of pain and a scream rips through my mouth unbidden .
Moments later Sandor bursts through door the aged ship's healer in his arms, Dany, Tyrion and a woman unknown to me follows close behind . Another wracking pain mounts my pale body . Sandor paces and glares at Tyrion and says, " Why are you here ?! " " To assist in keeping you calm or help with the delivery, whatever is needed ." " There are two healers here or a healer and a midwife ." " True so why do you banter words with me when your wife needs you there ? " He points with a small finger . Sandor's head near twists from his shoulders looking to me he glares once more at the half man and rushes to my side .
Another squeeze takes me and more prepared for the level of pain I grit my teeth, my face reddened . Dany puts a cool, wet cloth to my forehead and Sandor squeezes in behind me to cradle me in his arms, resting against his broad chest . And so this scene played out for hours and hours . Every time I thought it would end another more powerful squeeze would seize my form . Sandor stroked my hair and and held me to him .
Finally as the sky greyed toward dawn the midwife and the ships healer say it is time to push the next squeeze that takes me . So I push and push and push . I had a moment of clarity and decided I am giving birth to a another Sandor, the full sized adult version I thought grimly . I push some more and am greeted by an announcement from both women and Dany that the head appears ! That's all ?! A head ?! I would think by the pain and amount of pushing I should have given birth to at least a dozen babes.
" It is important to get the head out ", says the ships healer everything else comes easily after that she says with a wrinkled smile . I look above me to my Lord husband and notice the size of his head . Something steals my voice to ask him why must his head be so big and it is obvious to me our child takes after his father and his big head . Sandor looks at me with some surprise and I hear Lord Tyrion in the distance say, " Worry not Clegane it is said all women curse the father's during labor ." " May it some day happen to you as well, Lannister . " And the barely heard response of, " Would that I were lucky enough to win the heart of a Lady fair . " after more squeezing of my middle and several more pushes the child's head breaches into the world, the next two squeezing's and my child is fully into the world . " You have a son my Lady and Ser ." He is cleaned and examined by swift knowing hands and swaddled and presented to me and placed at my breast . He has a shock of thick black hair, his tiny hands curled into fists . Sandor strokes lightly his head ( his BIG head I note ) and then his cheek . He kisses me softly a top my head and says, " Thank you my wife for this gift . "
" And what are you to name this new member of our family across the sea ? " " Eddard, Sandor and I say in one voice ." " That is a good, strong and honorable name , may he grow into with wisdom and honor ", from Tyrion . He sucks greedily at my breast for a time then I turn him to my shoulder to burp him as I had seen my Lady mother do to my younger siblings . I am rewarded by a loud burp . Dany watches with tears in her own eyes and I ask her if she would like to meet her new nephew and I hand him to her . She takes him gently and says, " Hello Eddard I am your Aunt Daenary's but you may call me Dany ."
