The ghost of the Hound stood before her, looking much as he had in life, but smudged with soot and smelling of smoke. Tears came to Sansa's eyes. He had always been so afraid of fire, was he in some terrible place burning for all eternity? It wasn't right, he was the best man she had ever known, the noblest of them all, and he had died trying to save her life one last time. He should have been rewarded with the highest place in the afterlife and the tears spilled down her cheeks as she mourned for his suffering. He reached to wipe away those tears, and his hand was warm against her cheek. Sansa blinked in surprise. Could a ghost be so solid, so real? Then his eyes dropped to her naked breasts and he turned his face away as Arya pushed forward to throw a cloak around her sister. Sansa saw the dead guards lying where they had fallen, Brienne wiping off her sword, Sandor's blade dripping with blood, and her head swam. "How...what…"

Arya knelt swiftly and removed the small knife from Baelish' neck. "He didn't search you?"

The straightforward question cleared Sansa's mind. "He was more interested in the knife I took from the table."

The younger girl whistled softly. "You let him disarm you to get him off his guard?" Sansa nodded and her sister looked at her with respect. "That was clever."

Sandor strode into the room and kicked Baelish' body as hard as he could, then ground his boot into the face. There was a sickening sound of crunching bone and Sansa caught his arm. "Stop it, stop it!"

"He'll never be dead enough." The Hound shuddered and Sansa gently tugged him in the direction of the other room. He went with her, following the others as they left the tavern, Melwys stopping to have a word with the owner, then hurrying on to catch up with the group.

Brienne looked at the maester and he smiled. "He won't say anything." His face hardened. "Apparently Baelish helped himself to a couple of the girls who work there and he was glad to promise no one would ever find the bodies."

"How did Baelish ever find us in the first place?" asked Brienne.

Melwys' foster son, Emrys, hung his head. "He's been spreading money around King's Landing and the surrounding area ever since Lady Stark and her sister escaped from the Vale. So when I saw you all in the graveyard…"

"You recognized us and sent word to King's Landing." Sandor's voice was harsh. "And it was our bad luck that Baelish was there."

"If you had come even a day earlier, he wouldn't have been," said Emrys. "He just arrived to visit the queen. And I remembered you from when you brought that girl to be buried." His voice was anguished. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It was just so much money…"

Sandor looked at him with contempt but Sansa laid a gentle hand on the young man's arm. "You can atone for what you've done by helping us get away now." She looked at Melwys. "Do you think your plan can still work?"

"Oh, yes," said the maester confidently. "In fact, with Lord Baelish dead, everyone will be even more eager to help. He has been hated and feared ever since he turned that young girl over to Joffrey Baratheon."

"I thought you said the tavern owner wouldn't talk," snapped Sandor.

Melwys looked surprised. "He won't talk to outsiders. No one outside Rosby will ever know what happened but naturally the whole town is already aware of last night's events."

"Naturally." Brienne looked amused.

"Of course, with so much money offered and word of Baelish' arrival in town, the sooner you leave the better. In fact, I think we should all go to Moran's house tonight and be ready to take you to the ship tomorrow."

They agreed to the maester's suggestion and the next morning the townspeople watched as a tall blond woman in knight's armor walked down to the docks, followed by her squire and a couple of dark-haired servant girls. Bringing up the rear was Melwys, supervising his foster son Emrys and another young man as they carried a wounded man on a stretcher. Sandor was so swathed in bandages he was almost invisible, but a number of people pressed forward to touch the stretcher or even his hand as he passed. Many people in Rosby had heard the story of the tombstone with three dogs and they were grateful for the opportunity to show respect to the man who had defied the rich and powerful in King's Landing to do honor to a nameless girl.

They finally reached the ship and the stretcher was carried aboard and deposited gently on the deck. Brienne counted out some gold to the captain while Melwys knelt beside the Hound. "You should wait until you are well out to sea before coming out of your cabin, Sandor Clegane," said the old man softly. He looked over at Sansa standing by the railing, her freshly dyed black hair blowing in the breeze, and smiled broadly. "I wish you luck in the years to come."

"And you, Melwys," murmured Sandor. "I...I want to...you have done us a great service and I want you to know…"

Melwys pressed the Hound's shoulder, then beckoned to Emrys and Moran and they carried the stretcher below as Brienne and Podrick and Arya and Sansa gathered to profess their thanks. He smiled and hugged them all, then the two young men came up on deck and the captain shouted, "All ashore who's going ashore!"

They started down the gangplank, Melwys catching Sansa's hand and whispering something in her ear that made her blush before he left. Arya looked at her sister curiously. "What did he say?"

Sansa looked at the old man as he waved goodbye and a smile curved her lips. "He said a man can put up with anything from the right woman."