CHAPTER 16

SANDOR

"Sandor! Come quickly!" Sansa ran to him and placed her hands on his forearm, as though she could pull him along if he did not heed her. "Stranger is attacking Lady Fair!"

He dropped the bedroll he was tying and hurried with her to the edge of the glade where they'd hobbled the horses. The land was turning into an uninhabitable, murky swamp and they had to camp on high ground to avoid getting wet, but they left the horses wherever they found the best grass. Sandor had Sansa brush and saddle them in the mornings. There was a little bit of a slope leading down to the glade and Sansa had dropped the horse blankets there on the ground. Sure enough, Lady Fair set a restless place around the clearing and blood trickled in red ribbons from bite marks on her shoulder and neck. Whenever her course took her by Stranger the war horse lunged at her with his front feet out kicking. He tried to herd her closer to him and Lady Fair tried to dash away. Both of them nearly tripped from the leathers that kept their front legs tied together. Lady made due with a brisk trot to the other end of the glade, but neither horse could move very fast.

"He's been chasing her around all morning. He's even tried to stomp on her—I saw it." Sansa said, indignant.

"Maybe you should cut her free. Give Lady a fair chance," Sandor chuckled. And I'll cut Stranger loose, to give him one.

"Maybe I should," Sansa frowned, "but I'm worried she'll run off! And she's wounded."

"She won't run off."

"She might, just to get away from your horse! She needs to be bandaged, but I can't get close to her with that mad horse haranguing her. Look at him, Sandor! He's wild."

Lady Fair had pranced back and forth across the glade in front of Stranger a half dozen times already, and now he bucked and kicked in frustration like some black haired demon. Lady turned away from him, swished her tail and ran. Stranger caught a burst of speed and bit her on the flank.

"Sandor, please! Do something!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Make him stop!"

Sandor shook his head. "I could tie him up, but he won't stop. Not for a couple of days, at least." He'd been expecting this, ever since he'd noticed Lady Fair's swelling a few days ago. He noticed Sansa's discomfort, too, as she slept bundled in her pants and woke up at all hours of the night to make water, though she took pains to hide from him what was obvious. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, "We might have trouble riding . . ."

"You mean he'll act like this when I'm on her?" Sansa looked worried.

Sandor shrugged. "He might. We could just tie her up, and get this over with."

"Lady is not the one who needs to be tied up."

"This wouldn't be as much of a problem if we had a stable," he agreed.

Sansa looked at him quizzically. "Obviously," she said.

"I say we untie both of them. It's the easiest way."

"Are you sure it's safe? He'll rip her to pieces!"

Sandor had to laugh at that.

"You don't think so?"

"No."

"Well . . ." Sansa frowned at the horses and Sandor took some mint out of his bag to chew. The animals seemed winded from their earlier displays and had set to grazing, Lady always with her back to Stranger. When he got too close she picked her head up and trotted away, and he swung around and grazed whichever way towards her.

"He's pestering her," Sansa whined.

"She's teasing him, more like. Come on. Let's cut them loose." He started down towards the horses and Sansa followed with choppy steps. She ran to her palfrey. As he approached Stranger the horse laid his ears flat against his head. Sandor held the stem of mint out to tempt him, but the big war horse just snorted and tossed his head. "You'll wish you took it when she complains about your breath after, you lucky sonofabitch," he said, and came up alongside his horse, reaching down to unstrap the stallion's legs. Once unhooked Sandor took a step back and the big horse took off like a thundercloud. Sansa picked up her skirts and ran as the stallion came charging down on her and the mare, who cantered off in the opposite direction. Sansa pumped up the slope in stride with Sandor and he saw her ankles were dotted with mud.

"I hope you know what you're doing." She was still frowning as the horses races around the yard freely, neighing and whickering. Sandor set one of their blankets on the wet grass and leaned back on it. Stranger was behaving himself a mite better; even Sansa was distracted by his prancing and took a moment before plopping herself down as well. Sandor noticed her hesitation before she settled next to him on the small space on the blanket.

"Why are we sitting down?"

"What's the matter, you're too polite to watch?" He liked the way Sansa felt next to him, but she questioned him too often, like a child. But he knew she was a woman, and like all women, she talked too much. Why can't she just enjoy it? And the question made him self-aware that probably she didn't enjoy it, not as much or in the same way that he did, and he was pulled in one direction by that thought and in another by the soft warm body at his side.

"Watch what?" she asked, missing his sneer.

He held his tongue to keep from calling her naive and she followed his eyes back to the horses. Stranger was licking the blood off Lady Fair's neck and sporting a pink erection.

"I don't want to see that!" She reached her far hand over to grab his arm and looked up at him, aghast. He had to laugh at her expression and how right he was about her.

"Did you really not know?"

"I guess not . . ." She turned her head, but kept her hand on him. He had no objection to her touching him and it kept her breasts pressed against him nicely. Lady flicked her tail to the side and Stranger moved to stick his nose beneath it. "But if he likes her why was he so mean to her?"

"Just frustrated he couldn't get at her, I guess." He didn't look at Sansa when he said it. He told himself it was so his eyes wouldn't wander down to her squashed breasts, but he chanced his glance when curiosity turned her focus back to the horses.

"He's going to crush her," Sansa worried, clutching him tighter. The destrier brought his head down and rubbed his chin over her palfrey's flank. He was a few hands taller than she was, but it wasn't a problematic difference. Stranger made a little jump and mounted her.

"He's hurting her again!" Sansa whined and dug her nails into his arm. Stranger had reached forward and bit Lady Fair firmly on the back of her neck to hold her. The mare screamed and tossed her head, but the stallion had his legs planted firmly and she couldn't dash away.

Even Sandor had to admit that the stallion tearing into the mare's neck while thrusting into her from behind was a bit violent. "Ehh . . . when he bites, he bites hard."

Sansa did not relax her grip as she watched in wide-eyed fascination as their horses mated. Lady stood by looking relaxed even as the big destrier pummelled her. They were opposing sides of the same act; one active, one passive; one dark, one light. Then Stranger's flank twitched like he had a fly on him, he stopped and jumped off Lady. He walked around to the front of her and they touched noses.

"How sweet!" Sansa giggled. "They're kissing!" Her grip relaxed, but her hand stayed its place as she pressed closer and looked up at him with a radiant smile. Sandor gave her a lopsided one, thinking that they were not, but it was a romantic notion to say so. He thought he understood her better then. He wanted to kiss her. She must have noticed some change in his expression, because the color rushed to her cheeks and she jumped up. She paused just long enough to put her slippers on and ran back through the trees towards the camp.

He let her go without a word, but wondered what had made the Little Bird take flight. Well, they were done watching the horses fuck, so what reason was there to stay? He could think of one or two. Sandor put the blanket back by the saddles and felt a passing regret that he couldn't have lead the simple life of an animal, instead of being born a man and having black and white mixed up inside of him.