Author's note : Hey guys! I haven't given up on this story, I'm just a very slooooooow writer. Please, bear with me! It's not over yet, I have a lot of things planned for this story. This is still just the beginning.

Thank you for the reviews/follows/favorites. I appreciate you all xx

*English is not my first language.


Chapter 9

Change of mind

That won't do. That won't do at all.

Petyr Baelish was pacing in his cabin while pondering on his next move. The girl was in a much worse condition than what he had expected. While Sansa Stark used to be the spitting image of her late mother, she was now just a poor copy, a pale ghost with hollow cheeks and a nasty burn that extended from the back of her left shoulder to a bit bellow her jawline. Petyr had to admit that he had underestimated Joffrey's cruelty. Or maybe had he overestimated Cersei's authority over her oldest son. Either way, the result was the same: a huge mess.

The problem was that Sansa Stark was a big pawn in Petyr's scheme. She was the key to the North, and he would still need her. However, there was an unexpected obstacle to his whole plan, an obstacle he would need to get rid of as soon as possible…

It seems like the Hound has turned into a lovesick pup!

.

At the same moment, the lovesick pup in question was throwing up once again in the bucket he was holding with shaking hands. Alaya wrinkled her nose from the smell that had risen in the cabin. The Hound coughed and spat one last time inside the bucket, before leaning back against the wooden wall and closing his eyes. He was sitting right on the floor, with his legs outstretched in from of him. His hair was wet from sweating and his face had a greenish hue.

"You look like a mess, and you smell worse."

"Tell me something I don't know!" he whispered, annoyed.

Alaya was growing impatient, too. "You should go on the deck and get some fresh air! For both of our sakes."

"I'm not leaving her side," Sandor croaked out, his eyes still shut. The cabin shook again as their ship rode a violent wave. The Hound then made a weird sound, as if he was going to retch again, but hopefully he was able to keep it in.

"She's gonna be fine, Clegane! " Alaya pleaded for what seemed to her like the hundredth time. "The fever broke, and she might wake up soon."

"I said I'm not…" His sentence ended as the ship was hit by yet another wave. This time, Clegane did retch.

Alaya sighed deeply. They had been on this ship for a few days, now. Escaping King's Landing had been way easier than she had expected. Their unlikely allies had everything planned a while ago.

They could've acted sooner, she thought bitterly while turning her eyes to Sansa's sleeping form.

A few auburn locks were glued to her temples, and beads of sweat were still visible on her forehead. They had laid her on her stomach to keep her from pressing down on her wounds. On the first night of their trip, the girl never truly woke up. She had been burning with fever and whimpering from both pain and delirium. Luckily, her eyes had been blue again.

She had been shivering and sweating by turns, and Alaya had tended to her along with a kind old maester named Perrin. Maester Perrin had provided milk of the poppy, which had helped Sansa rest despite the pain she was going through, but he was unfortunately not adequately equipped to heal her completely. They had to keep her cuts clean with boiled water and soap to prevent infection. It seemed to work, for, as Alaya had told the Hound, the fever was gone, and her cuts looked better.

The burn, though, was harder to heal. It would leave a mark, just like the one on the Hound's face. Right now, it was covered with clean dressings, and once they reach their destination, Maester Perrin will have access to his healing balms.

Their destination… Alaya was eager to finally see the Vale of Arryn with her own eyes. She had traveled to many places, yet she had never seen the Vale in person, let alone the famous Eyrie, a supposedly impregnable castle built in the highest mountains in Westeros.

What bothered her for now was not knowing what fate awaited them once they would set foot on the land. That strange man, Littlefinger Sandor had called him, didn't seem very trustworthy. From the dark look the Hound had thrown him upon realizing he was their savior, Alaya had immediately understood that he was not exactly an ally.

Something else had not made much sense to Alaya: When they had been to embark on the ship, Littlefinger had stopped her and asked why she was coming with them. That she would be a burden and an unnecessary witness. He had even dared to call her a spy! Yet, of all people, Osmund Kettleback argued and stood his ground that she was to be trusted and would not cause trouble. He even went as far as to say he would vouch for her!

Speaking of the devil, the cabin's door opened and the eldest Kettleback brother unceremoniously entered the room. With him and the Hound inside, the cabin seamed smaller. Osmund threw a look at the Hound and wrinkled his crooked nose.

"You look like a mess, dog!"

Alaya snorted out a laugh, and Clegane's eyes flashed daggers at her.

"Fuck you, both of you!"

"I told you to get some air. That's what you get for being a stubborn fool," Alaya spat.

Sandor sighed loudly. His face was more green than white. Even though he annoyed the shit out of her, in this instant, Alaya pitied him. Not that she would ever let him know, though! However, she understood why he refused to leave. He would not trust anyone else with Sansa's safety, and she could not blame him for it.

"I can stay here and watch over them," Osmund stated bluntly.

Both Alaya and Sandor looked at him with rounded eyes. The Hound was the first to answer.

"Bugger off!"

"I helped you escape, remember? If any harm comes to Lady Sansa, I'll be a dead man."

"Aye, you will!"

Unfazed by his threat, Osmund went on.

"They wanted to lock you up, you know? I told them not to. Told them you could be useful. Prove them wrong, and they could put you somewhere else, somewhere you won't be able to watch over your precious little bird."

That got him a reaction. The bucket of vomit fell and spilt its content on the ground. In two strides, the Hound was holding Osmund by his collar and pinning him against the cabin's wall. The two stared at each other silently, while Alaya held her breath.

"If any harm comes to any of them, I'll gut you myself."

With that, the Hound finally left. Osmund stood where he was and cleared his throat. He scratched his neck where the Hound had held him, pretending that it didn't hurt. He then glanced at Alaya.

"Are you alright?"

Alaya raised an eyebrow.

"I should be the one asking you that."

Alaya turned her focus on Sansa, but before she did, she could have sworn she had seen Osmund Kettleback blush. What a strange man!


A short one, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Up next : Sansa wakes up.