BONES AND STEW

"I told you their unavoidable." He protested as he began collecting his clothes as she scurried to find coin. "Guess you want to sleep on the ground from now on." He spoke as she made her way pass him and out the door. "Don't go wandering off!"

It didn't take him long to secure their horses and prep them for the ride ahead. Both horses seemed happy after having the opportunity to rest, eat and to be re-shoed. He also bid farewell to the group, having heard from Brutis that apparently there is a bounty out on the King's bride and his guard. A small fortune for anyone who may capture them...it didn't say alive. "Good to know." The Hound replied when given the news. "I could use that type of coin. I will keep a look out."

Brutis wasn't stupid, he just snickered and nodded. "I will make sure we all saw them go in a different direction if questioned." He reached his hand out and the Hound grasped it. "Good or else I will have to make an extra trip back here to slaughter you all, especially your boy. He is already on my shit list."

They would leave that darkened village around late morning, making their way towards Riverrun Road. The day was bright but a crisp air lingered to provide comfort. The Hound was actually truly refreshed from his sleep, despite it being short, and seemed in somewhat of a pleasant mood, even though his face still held a look that could turn someone into stone.

XXXXXX

Sansa put on the pants she had been wearing but wore the given dress over them. She added the thicker layers she had been given by Sandor. She kept warmer this way, and knew the more North they went the colder it would get.

Once they were on a trail Sansa allowed her pony to walk along side Stranger. The pony was easy going; suprising considering it was with a group of robbers. Sansa barely had to steer the animal, she mostly just stared down at flowers she plucked from trees.

" How tall are you?" She asked him randomly as she twisted some wild flowers together in her hands.

Her head the rose up to look across at the distance between the horses, her blue eyes scanned him up and down as she thought of the answer.

" I don't know how tall I am any longer. I was going to compare myself." She explained to him before he could answer. "I use to be five and a half but I think I'm taller." She added before looking back to the crown of weeds she was weaving.

XXXXXX

The Hound was content to be lost in his own thoughts during their journey. He only spoke when there was a direction that needed to be said or a warning to be given. Other than that, he was silent. He wasn't a talker; he had spoken more these last few days than he did the entire year.

His head whipped behind and his face scrunched up as he looked down at her. "How the fuck do I know." He answered before resuming his stance of silence.

It would be an hour later when they would come to a sudden halt and he dismounted. They had already rested awhile back and he didn't seem to be on alert, so the sudden stop would have been a surprised.

He stomped over to her and pulled her down to her feet, keeping grasp her tiny, gloved hand and begun to guide her through the patch of woods nearby.

XXXXXX

" What are we doing?" She asked as he pulled her along. " What if our horses get taken!?" All this spoke in a quickened whisper as she followed.

The woods were thick, twigs and vines wrapped around her ankles as they went on for a minute or so. This worried Sansa, but after asking once and getting no answer she didn't ask again. Maybe he saw something she didn't. After all he was the one who knew these woods. And even though bad thoughts would probably come to anyone's mind not one crept in to Sansa's. The Hound could be dragging her off to cut her throat and be done, or to sale her to a mountain man he knew would pay top dollar. Rape her, hurt her, or even eat her if he had the want to for it. But Sansa never thought the man to do any of these evil awful tasks.

After another minute or two she spoke again after a branch hit her in the face. " Where in the seven hells are you taking us!?" She asked as she pulled her hand from his to wipe pine needles from her eyes.

Just a few yards away from where Sansa had her aggregated fit laid an abandon house veiled over with ivy and wild vines. Some of the back was caved in but the front room looked stable. No one had lived here in a long time that much was sure due to no roads leading to the spot.

XXXXXX

He paid her no mind as he pulled her along, pausing from time to time to look at something she wouldn't be able to see and then drag her again.

Within a small clearing, he found what he was looking for. "That will do." He said out loud but all Sansa would notice was an ancient oak tree, whose branches stretched out over the clearing shading the soft ground underneath it. "I have half a mind to cut your tongue out with all the talking you do." He grunted and yanked harder at her.

Coming to the tree he looked all the way up and then down towards the base. The thick trunk was without any bends or knots and the base bled smoothly into the ground. He pulled her up to the base of the trunk, spun her around and pinned her back up against it. "Hold still and stand up straight." He ordered, kicking the tips of her toes to force her to bring her feet against the trunk.

He didn't think nor realize how this act could be determined, especially when he pulled out the dagger. " This tree is about a hundred feet high." He offered, at the time, odd information. His other free hand grabbed her by her checks to force her head straight and keeping her against the trunk. The dagger darted forward towards her but then above her, slashing at the tree. "See." He stepped slightly back to allow her the freedom to step away and look. "You're not a hundred feet tall, yet, so stop complaining. When you grow that tall then there is an issue."

XXXXXX

Sansa was busy looking at the nearly fallen building. Or at least she was until his rough hand took hold of her chin and forced her to look straight.

" Please don't cut more of my hair!" She told him once her sight caught on to the dagger.

This thought only made her push against the tree more. But then the task he aimed towards was over and he teased her. Stepping back she looked at the slash on the tree.

" I never thought my height was a issue, I was just curious. " Sansa told him as her head dropped and her eyes started looking the tree over from the roots up.

" Father use to do this with all of us. Even little Rickon. " Sansa never spoke of her past life in Winterfell. She had had to push all memories away to show she was loyal to the crown; but here the middle of no where she did not have to hid those thoughts.

" He took us to the same tree and made slash marks just like yours there. Rob and John " Sansa's expression grew into a smile but a saddened one. " They always raced to the tree. I had to often hold Bran and Rickon's hand. He told us he loved getting the privilege to see us grow as tall as the Godswood."

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He listened as she reminisced but he offered no comforting words as he was sure it was therapeutic enough for her to speak those memories out loud.

As she spoke, he went back up to the tree and carved two 'S' shapes and her family symbol into the tree. He had skills beyond sword fighting, drinking and eating chickens and wood carving was one of them. When he was satisfied with the completed work, he stepped back and looked around, eyeing finally the nearby cottage and began to walk that way.

"My uncle use to do the same with us when he was alive. Use to say that whoever grows as tall as the tree he marked would get his prized shield." He spoke as he marched over to the structure and began looking around the property.

"My brother obviously out grew the rest and when my uncle died he ripped the shield from his arms when he was laid out...fucking cunt."

The place appeared in good condition, but it was apparent it had been abandoned. Small, but sturdy, he noticed a garden to their left and made his way over to the gated area. It was overgrown but the vegetables were still good and ripe. Cucumbers, some carrots, cabbage and peppers all were in abundance and even some early autumn squash seemed to be amongest the weeds and shrubbery that had overtaken the once well tended space.

He then began peering into the windows where he estimated to be just one large room with perhaps a loft or crawl space up ahead. Walking over to the door, he pulled it open to allow the stale dust and air to escape. It smelled like the cellars, musty and damp, but if they got a fire going it would be a perfect place to stay for a night or two.

The stone hearth was large and well structured with a few iron pots strewn about it. A hard oak table with three chairs took center and off to the sides there were various shelves and cabinets along with one full bed against the wall. A ladder rested against the overhead wood ceiling, just as he assumed, was a loft filled with hay and blankets.

"Not a whorehouse." He exclaimed as he jumped down the last two rungs. "Would this satisfy her Ladyship tonight, or should I find us a castle made of gold and lined in velvet to suit your needs?"

XXXXXX

" This will do very well for the pair of us." Sansa stated with a near smirk curling up as she stood there with her arms crossed. Turning on her heel she looked about to see if there was an easier way to bring the horses.

She walked about in front of the over grown garden, and as she did she stepped on something. Her foot went clear through. Thinking she had just stepped on one of the squash she spotted nearby but when she bent down to free her boot that's when she realized what she had actually stepped on a human skull.

The bones her boot were now stuck in were old and dry rotted into nearly dust. Before tugging her boot out she thanked all seven of the gods for this fact. If it had been fresh and filled with brains she would have screamed.

But instead she gathered it up to not step on it again and tossed it to a clearing.

" Found the owner." She stated in her normal monotone way before looking to see random bones of the once body tangled in the weeds before.

" Died gardening. What a way to go." This statement made her look about more. " Sad no one found him...in Winterfell we put our dead in crypts. Build statues to visit." Sansa then turned and looked at Sandor. " If I die just bury me. I would hate crows to peck my eyes out."

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He came out when she announced the finding of the owner. He found it rather humorous and chuckled when she tossed the crushed skull away. "All that nonsense for a bag of bones. Dead is dead and you ain't feeling nothing when you are, but at least the crows were fed, and the ground was nourished and the land was given back too." He made his way over to inspect the remains. His arms crossed over his barreled chest as he looked down upon them and then back to her.

"Well make yourself useful, woman, and gather up these vegetables. I will get the horses and see if I can snag us a hare or two." He spoke as he turned around to leave her to gather. "Stew sounds good tonight. Maybe gather up a couple of those bones to throw in for extra nourishment." He was teasing. Or was he? His voice was dry without any obvious signs of humor. It was hard to tell when the monster cracked a joke and he was sure he left her baffled. She probably did imagine him to be the ideal image of an ogre, gnawing on the bones of his victims.

He left her to the task and walked back up the ways to collect the horses and lead them back down. There was a heavy stream winding through and it provided fresh water and looked rather active with fish. Once settling the horses, he began to search around the house and surrounding area for supplies. He found netting, a water bucket and supplies to construct traps and spent the rest of the afternoon setting them up. He cast the netting into the stream to even catch some fresh fish and made countless trips back and forth with water to fill up the wooden barrels nestled against the side of the house.

Passing time before checking his traps, he began to chop wood to build a fire for their supper. It felt good to be active and this type of activity he greatly enjoyed. He loved nature and this was a refreshing task than fighting. Out here he was allowed to be the man he actually was and not confined to the walls of a castle in a land surrounded by illusions. Out in nature everything was exactly what it was. No lies, no falsehoods and no power battles.

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Sansa did just as Clegane asked, she gathered up the vegetables in the garden along with all the bones she found while doing so. She assumed he was joking but it just didn't feel right stepping all over them, so she piled them up where she had tossed the skull. Once all the vegetables were gathered she waited for him to bucket up the water. She cleaned out a cast iron pot she found and filled it with water to start to boil over the fire she had started herself using some of the older wood from the back half of the house, it was already crumbled and broken so it was easy for her to gather.

Hand washing the vegetables took more time than she would have like but she could hear her old hand maid scolding her if it was done wrong so she took the time. Using the knife Sandor had given her a few days ago she started to chop the vegetables up and add them to the heating water.

Sansa then wandered the house, a small dresser was found. Digging through it she found a assortment of men's clothing. They appeared to be big enough for Sandor so she placed them on the bed. Another item was a leather book. Inside was only pages of hand written daily entries. She placed the book on the surface of the dresser before going outside.

She stood on the porch and watched Sandor chopping the final bits of wood. She stood there for a moment leaning on the post watching him. Up until now she hadn't thought Sandor to be an attractive man, but watching him with the axe slightly changed her mind. She let go of the post and stepped down to the yard.

" I took that hay to the horses." She told him as she crossed her arms and looked around. Since arriving she had taken her extra layers off and stood only in the green dress she was given.

" The fire is started and the stew is heating up. I refilled the bucket I was using and put it inside on the table. " Sansa then smiled and looked his way. " This might make you happy. There's bottles of wine inside." She informed him. " In one of the cabinets. Three bottles. I didn't open them, I knew if I broke it you would whip me. " Sansa laughed as she started to walk about picking up the wood chucks he had chopped.

XXXXXX

Each swing of the ax was powerful and precise. He had found the perfect rhythm and was chopping and tossing in a speed that would put most men to shame. If he had noticed she was watching him, he didn't acknowledge it, but he did pause when she spoke of wine.

His brown mane was dripping with sweat and he quickly whipped his head back to remove the sticky strands from his face and left his work, plunging the ax into the old stump

As he approached closer to her, he paused just long enough to whisper. "I don't whip little girls." And he made his way back into the house to secure a bottle.

It was aged to perfection and had a sweet taste to it. Very satisfying. He returned with the bottle in hand. "Going to check the traps." He walked pass her and then turned his head around. "You joining?"

XXXXXX

Sansa rolled her eyes at his comment, " No you just threaten them daily." She told him as she continued picking up the wood.

Once it was all placed next to the house she noticed him start to head out. His appearance with the bottle in hand made her think of the tales of drunken pirates she had been told by her father's ward. Nearly heading back inside when she heard his invite.

Her face gave question as he requested her to join him; she then stepped back off the porch and started to follow with her hands deep in her pockets.

" A few bottles of wine and you're a happy fellow." Sansa again rolled her eyes again. " I get the same way with sweets. Anything lemon flavored. " she admitted to him as they walked on to the traps.

XXXXXX

"That's all it takes to make me a happy man." He cocked his head outward and towards the house. "Grab those two buckets, we will need them." Spinning on his heels he led the way.

The rabbit traps produced nothing, but he had decided to let them stay with a hope that by morning they would at least have breakfast. "I'm fucking sick of rabbit anyway." He proclaimed after standing up from the last trap. "Come on, girl, let's see if we got some fish."

By the time they had reached the stream it was dusk and the sun was beginning it's decent over the western horizon. He had made it a point to show her. "Learn your directions. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West."

The stream flowed smoothly with small breaks of stillness around the coastline. Though it was about ankle deep there were dips were it pooled into deeper water. Sandor kicked off his shoes and walked downstream a ways to find one of these pools and wadded in to were the water rose to his waist. " Looks like fish stew tonight." They had caught an abundance of small fish and one or two good size ones, though none bigger than five or so inches. Upon shore he instructed Sansa to pull them from the net and to plop them into the bucket while he sipped from his bottle and enjoyed the view, though his eyes were not fixed upon the scenery.

XXXXXX

Sansa knelt on down and started pulling the fish from the net. What she had left of hair was all parted to one side and hung in her face. This easily kept her from noticing Sandor starring her way.

" I hate skinning fish." She grumbled to herself before adding " But it's not rabbit. Wouldn't it be great if there was just a wild chicken or a turkey running around? " Sansa smirked and shook her head. " We would need a bow for that. I don't see either of us catching one with our bare hands." All the while Sansa went on about this nonsense she pulled the fish, not noticing her dress dipping down several inches to show the tops of her breasts. After all the woman who gave her the garment was fully grown. So naturally it was a little loose.

When her head rose she looked at Sandor and leaned back on her legs placing her hands on her hips.

Noticing how deep the water was made her think to tell him." I found you a fresh change of clothes in the house. They look big enough."

XXXXXX

She was a unique beauty, and Sandor couldn't help to allow his imagination to wonder how she will be in a few years time. More than likely she would be bound to some undeserving nobleman who promised her brother a few horses. She deserved more than to be a pawn.

So deep in thought he was that he had barely heard a word she said. "What?...Oh, thanks." He mumbled as he pulled himself from the ground and went over to pick up the bucket of fish. "Grab that other bucket and follow me."

Back upstream he took her to where the water was shallow. Placing his bucket and bottle down he knelt before her, his hands unlacing her boots. "Does my little bird know how to swim?" His voice had a teasing song to it. He didn't wait for her response as he pulled off her boot. "If not you best not slip and go downstream cause I will let you drown." He looked up and gave a sly smile. He then grasp the bottom of her gown and without permission lifted it upwards and outwards past her calves and tied the end to a knot. The gown now rested just below her knees.

Rising up, he took her hand again and took the bucket from her other hand and began to lead her towards the water. "Now, you must tread very delicately. Use the rocks to walk. He had kicked off his own boots and walked into the water, but instructed her to step on a flat rock that was rising out of it.

Out into the middle of the stream he took her, and for being a big man he made little disturbance in the water. Once in a good spot he, placed the bucket on a large nearby rock and gently made her move next to him to see what he wanted to show her. "You see these rocks?" He pointed to a midsize rock lying on the stream bed. "Slowly we put our hand into the water and lift it up." Into the water his hand dove and with cautious movements his slowly lifted it from where it was embedded, but didn't pull it out. The water went cloudy for a moment, but he remained still as a statue until it cleared up. When it did, Sansa could see a small crustacean resting from where the rock was lifted.

Sandor moved swiftly and effortlessly as his free hand darted down and lifted the creature to show her. It was like a lobster that she had in King's Landing but much smaller. He dangled the critter in her face so she could see its alien like features and pinching claws, before tossing it into the bucket. "Be careful, they pinch." He stepped slightly out of the way. "Come on, your turn."

XXXXXX

Sansa watched carefully at what took place before her. Just like every other order she was given she tried her best to follow it to the best of her ability. But bending while standing on a slick rock was difficult. The only issue she had with the whole evening of hunting was he referring to her as 'his little bird'. After the inn's events she felt very odd about being called this, but she said nothing.

As he told her to try she nodded but before she did she handed off the bucket and reach down to shift her dress up more, exposing all the way to her bare thighs before adding on to the knot he started her out with. Sansa then stepped into the water that was about an inch from touching her dress skirts. Bending down she looked through the clear waters until spotting a rock she liked. Sansa reach on down and did the same process but when seeing the beast near her own toes she let out a nervous yet excited shout before her smiling face rose up to meet his. She let her hand touch the water's surface a few times before she dove in and grabbed the crawdad by the tail and pulled it from the water.

" Look! " Sansa was so excited that she nearing fully slipped on the rocks she stood on; her free hand grabbing hold of Sandor to balance herself.

XXXXXX

He had a genuine smile on his face, briefly, but it did show when she proudly presented her first catch. He took it from her to inspect it. " Not nearly as big as mine, but it will do." He winked at her before tossing it into the bucket. "Come on, keep hunting." He ordered, his arms crossing over his chest as he waited for her to continue.

"When I was a kid, me and some of the village kids would come down to the streams and do this. We would find the biggest crayfish and then make an arena out of the dirt and fight them for wooden pennies. We use to carve and make little lances, swords and shields for them to hold and one boy..." He paused in his story to recall the name. "Prudy...was his name...made up these elaborate stories and titles for each of them to present to the crowd before they would battle." It felt nice to share a happy moment from his youth, before his face got mangled and before his world was full of chaos. "They are good to eat as well and will make a nice addition to our stew." He began stepping back to go to the shore, but kept a close eye on her in case she needed his assistance. He gathered the fish and found a place to sit to gut and clean them but to be close and watch.

XXXXXX

Sansa liked listening to the tales of Sandor's childhood. It was a bit disarming, to have these sort of stories coming from such a beast of a man. It made him look more human to know these things.

" Arya never played with me." She started as she flipped rock after rock looking for more crustaceans. " She always wanted to play with the boys or go watch them train with father. But I had a friend. We see quilts together that told the stories father told us. She was a common girl with the fairest hair, not one freckle." jealously was laced in Sansa's voice about this friend she spoke about. Since her stay at King's Landing Sansa was anything but vain. She no longer saw herself as a prized beauty but that was due to years of degrading by the queen.

" Her name was Mable. She was a few years older. And she bedded Rob and Theon, she told me about. And admitted that Jon was next. " Sansa's voice now carried disgust about the same girl.

XXXXXX

He settled himself into a comfortable position , admiring her for her diligence to continue to hunt. Oddly, he was rather surprised of how comfortable she appeared. She was always thought of as rather snobbish in her ways, an assumption that Sandor knew wasn't true, but she certainly wasn't playing in dirt like her sister was in King's Landing.

As she spoke, he cleaned and gutted the fish, tossing the guts into the water to be washed downstream. "Someone sounds a bit green-eyed." He smirked knowing exactly of the girl she spoke of. "Mable Winters, wasn't it?" He recalled such a girl when they had visited Winterfell. "Flaxen hair down to her curved waist and a nice, voluptuous, milky white bossom?" He looked up to see if his description invoked the reaction he was hoping to cause.

XXXXXX

" Yes...that's her." Sansa stated right as she found one of the crayfish under a flat stone. She tossed it on to the shore between his legs. " Everyone noticed Mable. And why in the seven hells wouldn't they. " she added before reaching down to pick up a small flat rock. Her hand tossed the rock across the still part of the river. The stone skipped a few times before she focused once more to look for the crayfish. Finding a fourth crayfish lead to issues though. Due to the darkness from night closing in she picked the crawfish up wrong. It pinched her finger which lead her to turn back to the shore shaking her hand with a slightly panicked expression.

"Damn it!" She hissed while shaking her hand that the crayfish was latched to. And like that her hunt for these creatures were over with, she quickly climbed back to the rocks and got out of the water while trying to remove the animal.

XXXXXX

"I recall her rather well. She wouldn't dare look me in the eyes and cowered at the sight of my shadow...wait, I am mistaken, that was you. She tried to charge me triple for her cunt when others paid a singleton. I told her to fuck off. Besides I like my women with freckles."

He busted out laughing when the critter snapped her and she flailed about. " Told you they pinch." He had finished the fish and rose to gather their belongings. "Stop playing around and let's get back before you kill yourself. I told you I ain't rescuing you if you drown. You would have fish eating your eyes out instead of crows."

XXXXXX

She got the crawdad off her finger and tossed it on into the bucket. Once fully on land she untied her skirts, once they dropped she slipped her boots on not waiting to lace them all the way.
" Freckles are ugly. That's why you don't see them on whores." She stated her logic as she followed him. She picked up one of the buckets, the lightest one of course.

When they arrived to the yard the smell of the stew flowed out of the open windows. Sansa had been taught by not only her hand maiden but her mother as well. And even though they had nothing more than some salt, she knew how much of each item the stew needed.

" I'm not sleeping on the dirty floor tonight." She stated once they were 'home'. " Its a dirt floor. No chance in any of the hells." She informed him simply as she took the bucket of fish from him and took it to the stew where she tossed it in bit by bit.

XXXXXX

He shrugged at her response. " Well next time I am in Winterfell I will make a visit with your friend then, since you think she is such a beauty." He teased as he trailed behind her.

The scent of stew made his stomach growl with fury. It already smelled delicious and she didn't even add the fish to it yet. His mouth was drooling by just imagining the taste. Once back in, he place the cleaned fish and crayfish by the hearth's base and gathered the fresh clothes she had laid out. She was right, they were the right size. "Going to wash." He announced before stepping over to look through his saddle bag. She wouldn't be able to see what he plucked from it, but whatever it was, he stuffed between the layers of clothes and pulled out another bottle of wine before stepping outside.

Once the scent of fish and sweat was washed clean from him, he stole a moment of solitude. He rested upon one of the closed water barrels with his open bottle resting on the other one. Alone, he pulled out his treasure, just like he did the every other night. It was neither gold or silver, but it was worth the world to him. Callused fingers sketched over the embroidered pale green 'S' and the silver embroidered emblem of the wolf that rested over the white cloth of the kerchief. It was exactly what he carved into the tree earlier that day, from an image perfectly preserved in his memory.

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Sansa found only a handful of candles that had not melted due to the harsh summer heat. She went back to where she laid the book and brought it to the kitchen table. She used only one of the candles and placed it on the table so they could see to eat. Her hands opened the book and she held it close to the fire so she could make out the hand written literature on the inside.

She figured out in only a few pages that the author was a man.

He was rather sad it seemed, his wife and him had lived there together, making it mostly on their own and only traveling to town once or twice a year. The man mentioned that his sons hated that their mother was locked up in this home. It went on to say he missed the days when his sons all lived there and weren't taken by the outside world.

Sansa closed the book and let out a heave breathe before standing on up to go stir the stew. It was boiling which was a good sign due to the added raw fish. Earlier while washing the vegetables she had cleaned out two found bowls in the house knowing they would need them. Sansa went out right as Sandor was finishing up.

" It should be done in another five or so minutes." She told him as she noticed him holding something. " What did you find?" She asked simply. She assumed he found it due to herself going through everything inside the house. Her eyes drifted from him and on to the open barrel where she started to wash her hands.

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She startled him and immediately he leaped from the barrel, stuffing whatever it was in the pocket of his pants. "Fucking ghost that you are creeping up on me!" He growled at her as he grabbed his bottle before she toppled it over on him. "Trailing on my heels like a lost puppy!" He huffed as he stormed back into the house.

By the time she had entered he would have tucked it away once more, and she would find him already powering down a bowl of the hot stew. Her own, would be waiting for her, along with a cup full of the wine he was drinking.

He ate like the dog he represented, just with a spoon. He slurped and gobbled with no refined manners, but he didn't care, cause the food was amazing. He pulled a crayfish from the thick liquid and proceeded to suck the flesh from the shell before discarding the carcass into the fire. It was followed by a heavy sip of wine, that dripped over the sides of the bottle's lip and down his beard. Wiping his arm across his face he looked at her. "Come on and eat, don't want to listen to your grumbling stomach all night, woman."

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Sansa finished up outside, rolling her eyes hard when he called for her. When settled she lifted her spoon and started in on her own bowl. She ate much slower than him. Digging out a crayfish and using just her finger tips to pull out the meat instead of suck it out. Noble blood she had and in settlings like this it showed through thickly.

" Thank you for catching us fish." She stated without eye contact. Her focus on the crayfish in her hands.

" You're smarter than I would have ever given you credit for back at King's Landing. " her eyes peered to the half empty wine bottle. Normally she didn't like the taste of wine but it was the sweetest thing she had been offered in days so she lifted it her way once done fighting with the cray. Drinking from the bottle was different but she managed. Her face gave a sour glow when tasting the ruby red wine.

" I can't believe you've chugged that all afternoon. " she shook her head lightly before taking one more larger sip and then laying it down.

" I've never tasted a wine I like yet. " Sansa admitted. "During the celebration of Robert coming to Winterfell I got drunk for the first time. I hated each drink but I kept on while mother wasn't looking hoping it would get better."

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He almost spit out his food when she declared that she thought he was stupid. "Surprised?" He chuckled." I just don't go around flaunting it like some do." He was thinking of Tyron Lannister and how he acted like he was a walking library. Sandor liked the dwarf, to him he was genuine, but damn was that son of a bitch annoying as fuck sometimes.

He watched her mimic him with drinking the wine. "It isn't about taste, it is about how it makes you feel after awhile. If you stayed at King's Landing I am sure you would have been drowning in wine. It subdues the pain for a bit." He snorted as he took a sip himself. "That golden hair bitch, Cersei, practically has a goblet permanently attached to her hand full of the stuff." He sucked his teeth, arms crossed over his chest, as he watched her for a moment. "So what made you do it? What made you want to leave with me?"

It was a curiosity he had since the night she suggest it. Prior to that moment she always seemed terrified of him, even when he rescued her from getting raped by the angry mob, she still seemed to skirt away whenever he was near.

XXXXXX

Sansa shifted some in her chair before a hand lifted and she pushed her red locks out of her eyes. " If the kingdom lost at Blackwater that night Cersei gave orders to her hit man to kill me. " her tone serious and her eyes lifted to meet his.

" I figured take my chances with you, hoping you were nothing like your brother or wish them luck at Blackwater. But I couldn't wish them luck or pray for them. So I saw a exit and took it. So far it seems the right path..." she admitted this to him in a honest manner. This was the first she had brought up Cersei's orders for that night. There was no reason to hide it but now seemed the proper time to tell him.

" I didn't want everyone on the battle field to die that night." She admitted in a near whisper before standing on up and taking their empty bowls from the table to put them in the wash bucket. Sansa wished to express how thankful she was to Sandor, and stating it this way still seemed to simple to her.

XXXXXX

He shook his head as she revealed to him Cersei's plan. "Fucking cunt she is." He hated that woman just as much as he hated her little bitch of a son.

"It isn't a successful battle if no one dies. Besides prayers do nothing, but actions do. Remember that when you have the power to dictate lives. If you don't want men or innocents to die then prevent it before it happens." He truly saw something in her that she would not find for herself just yet. He saw her ability to be strong.

For a moment he was compelled to come up behind her as she rinsed the bowls and embrace her. He imagine how soft the nap her neck would be against his lips or the warmth of her body next his.

Hypnotized by those thoughts he stood and made his way over to her. He was mere inches from doing exactly what he planned but ceased and came to his senses. Instead he leaned over her and placed the empty wine bottle on the shelf next to the other one from earlier. "You have the bed. You earned it." From this closeness she could smell the sweetness of the wine from his warm breath and the weight of his hand on her shoulder as he tapped it.

He took the loft. It would not be the most comfortable of places to lay one's head, but it was better than most. At least she left some hay for him to bed down on and there were some quilts to cover up with.