Chapter 6
It was late when Sandor returned to the room. He was heavy with drink he had been sharing all night with the men in the mess hall. After he watched the sun set, he had roamed the ship to get a better fill for the men on board. Walking down the different levels and through the halls, he presumed the captain had been right with his reference of only having a few rooms available for travelers. Though Sandor had never been on a ship before, he knew enough to say this vessel was modest in its size but not too small to feel like cluttered rats. He had passed several men, some working and some doing the same as he to observe the vessel that would be carrying them across the sea. Most of the men would avert their eyes when they got a look at his face and build just like Sandor was used to, but some of the rougher looking men, who Sandor presumed where some of the hired help based on their filthy attire, would look him straight in the face. Sandor had to admit it was a little refreshing to have someone look at him without instant fear or disgust but, mostly, he hated their looks even more.
At some point he got a bit turned around in one of the lowest levels but then he heard some laughing and talking from a group of men from down one of the halls. Without any invitation, Sandor strode himself into the room and was met with about fifteen men of various ages and statuses. Some men stopped talking altogether when they saw the large, scarred man enter the room, and some only glanced his way and went about their business. Looking at the men, he saw each had a mug of ale in his hands so he presumed this must be where he can let off some steam.
He approached one group of younger men, probably in their early twenties, who had stopped talking to openly stare at him. "Where can a man get a drink around here?"
The men at first didn't seem to have any breath to answer him but then one braver lad stood up and pointed to the back of the room, "Just over there, Ser. You'll need coin but the ale is stout and cheap for such a small vessel."
As Sandor strode by the man, he murmured, "I'm no Ser."
Sandor gave the man stationed to pour the ale from the tap of the barrel into the mug his coin then turned to down it in three heavy gulps. The ale was quite stout, and it burned his throat but he welcomed the pain and the heat already rising in his chest. He gave the man another coin to refill. He didn't stop his chugging until he reached his fourth mug.
"Aye, fella. You's quite the appetite for drink, hm? Might wanna leave some for the rest of us mate." Sandor looked to his right at the man who had spoken. He looked to be a rough type with his shaggy beard, shoulder length hair and grimy tunic. His teeth were rotten, and he had a scar across his right eye from the top of his brow all the way down to his right cheek. It looked like the man could scrub three days and not get all the grim off his skin. The men around him did not look much better.
"I was thirsty." He said simply.
"Aye! I noticed that about ya. Why don't ya come over 'ere and sit with me and the lads?" The other men did not seem afraid of him but instead had open curiosity for the newcomer. Sandor shrugged and walked over. Maybe he would be able to get some information about the people on board with this lot.
"The name's Hamish. This here is Eugene, Quin, Mal and Jamie. We're some of the hired hands here." Hamish was smiling at him like he had discovered some earthly mystery and the other men leaned in awaiting Sandor's reply. They were probably hoping he'd tell them who he was. Sandor simply nodded his head in reply.
Hamish looked disappointed in that but then ask, "Aye, me and the boys been watchin' ya over there and seen ya earlier on the deck. We gots to know, are ya a knight?"
Sandor looked sharply at the man for the insult but looking at the interest this brought the other men, he remembered they did not know his hate for the title. He growled to them, "I'm no fucking knight. Knights are men who wear pretty capes about their necks and sing handsomely about the battles they've never fought in. I'm a soldier of sorts, but I'm no fucking knight."
Instead of his temperament being off-putting to them, this seemed to pique their interest anew. "Right, but ya have seen battle then, hm?" The man named Jamie asked the question, who seemed to be the youngest of the group. His eyes were looking straight at his face and Sandor had half a mind to rattle his head to get his eyes to avert. Instead, he said, "Aye." With that he started sharing the stories of his battles from when he was a young lad up to now. He was careful not to reveal any information that may give them an indication of who he was though. As he regaled his tales to them and answered their questions, some of the more skittish men from earlier joined the group and before he knew it all the men became enthralled with his accounts.
Sandor wasn't sure what he thought about all the attention but if he shared with these men his stories then maybe he could get more information from them with his own pressing questions. He was right, of course. He learned they were heading for a city called Braavos which was over 1,500 leagues away. Given the size and weight of the vessel, the men speculated it would take them at least two months to reach land and that was if the wind was in their favor and the weather stayed relatively calm. Sandor had audibly groaned at that. Two months? He didn't think it would be days but had thought that the journey would take weeks, a month at the most. Two fucking months stuck in a room with the Little Bird. He wasn't sure how he would survive it.
After some time, the men started to disperse to return to their cabins and Sandor stood up rigidly after several more mugs of ale in his belly. Some of the men laughed at his swaying but otherwise left him be. He shouldn't have allowed himself to get this sotted especially when any one of these men could attack him for any number of reasons, but the events of the day and the strain he was enduring having to be so close to the Little Bird bid him to drink deep and freely. It took a lot of twists and turns before he made it back to their room and had to turn around several times before he came down the hall that looked vaguely familiar to him. He entered the cabin brashly and bumped his head on the door frame. He gave out an expletive and stumbled in slamming the door behind him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the Little Bird wrapped under the blanket facing the wall. The blanket moved steadily up and down, and she did not seem to stir, so he presumed he hadn't woken her with his brazen entry.
"Pretty Little Bird all warm and snug in her bed." He mocked at her sleeping form. He went over to his side of the room and began clumsily removing his armor and chainmail. As he removed piece by piece, they made loud noises as they hit the floor but when he glanced back at the girl she hadn't moved. Perhaps she was afraid to in fear that in his drunken state he would lose his head. Let her assume about him as she will. He'd frightened her and wounded her feelings enough earlier to warrant a level of fear from her. He reminded himself it was good she feared him. Keep her at a distance and maybe he'd survive the coming months.
Once he had removed all his armor and chainmail, and was left with just his britches and tunic, he finally flopped heavily on the bed. He laid there on his back looking up at the ceiling for some time, contemplating what he would do to keep his mind preoccupied for the next two months and then what they'd do once they did reach land. After a few minutes, these thoughts became too tiring with his swimming head, so he turned on his side to face the Little Bird. She had still not stirred or even moved a single muscle since entering the room, so he permitted himself to just look at her outline for a time. A million thoughts swarmed his mind but the one that stayed with him as he let him eyes close to fall into a restless sleep was how he would keep her safe, even from himself.
The next morning, Sandor woke with a mind splitting headache. The backs of his eyes burned, and he felt like two hammers were banging against his temples. Reluctantly, he looked over toward the Little Bird but to his surprise, the bed was empty and neatly made. He looked around the cabin which he found he was completely alone in. He sat up abruptly upon the realization, his headache forgotten, and quickly put on his chain and armor. He was going to kill the stupid girl for leaving the cabin alone. He chastised himself then for one, not warning her of the dangers of the ship full of rough men, and two for not being stirred awake when she arose and left the dwelling. Then for a moment he feared someone had snatched her from the room. He quickly dismissed that irrational thought, for no matter how drunk he might have been last night, there was no way he wouldn't have heard someone trying to steal the bird.
Once he was fully dressed, he stormed down the halls in search of her. He went first to the deck but didn't see any sign of her. He realized then with the sun almost at its peak in the sky that it was late in the morning before he had risen. Panic started setting in his chest when he still couldn't find her after roaming the lower decks. He went toward what he assumed were the kitchens after getting a big whiff of some freshly cooked bread. Before he reached them, he heard a woman's giggle and relief immediately washed over him. Who the fuck was she giggling with? When he got to the doors of the kitchens, there she was on the other side of the room sitting across from a table with another woman only a few years older than she. At least there was one other woman on board he thought. The women were talking and giggling gleefully which only boiled Sandor's already hot blood. Here she was having a merry time whilst he's been imagining the worst had happened to her. The other woman stopped giggling all together and her smile immediately left her face when her eyes landed on Sandor. As he approached the pair, she was looking at him wide-eyed and he could see fear there. The Little Bird turned toward her line of sight when the woman had suddenly stopped laughing. She had a look of fear also but only for a moment and then she sat there stone-faced at him as he got closer. So, the bird's feathers are still ruffled?
"What the fuck are you doing down here? I've been looking all over this blasted ship searching for you. Where the fuck have you been?" Her expression hadn't changed even with his harsh tone and his twisted face of anger. The woman had pushed her chair back several inches when he had addressed the Little Bird and she looked like she would bolt at any moment if the need was given.
"I've been here the entire time, Ser. When I woke, you were still asleep and after some time you hadn't stirred so I made my way to the kitchens to break my fast and that's when I found Cara. Her and her husband…"
"I don't give two fucks about who this woman is. You should have woken me up if you wanted to leave the cabin. Do you know how quickly one of the men could have snatched you up? What would you have done then, hm?" The Little Bird defiantly hadn't changed her expression and was looking at him like his speech bored her. What happened to the weeping girl from yesterday? Perhaps him reprimanding her last night on her childish fantasies had hardened her to him. It was for the best.
She didn't answer him, she simply just stared at him with her face of stone, which he had to admit made him a little uneasy. The woman named Cara timidly rose then and addressed him gently, "Ser, I can assure you the lady is quite safe with me. No harm shall befall Lady Sansa. I was just inviting her to see some of my extra dr…"
He harshly cut her off with an angry look and snarling voice, "I don't give a fuck what women speak of among themselves, wench. And I'm no bloody Ser. I'm the one who's charged with protecting her so don't tell me what is and isn't safe for her. Understood?" The woman was taken aback at his rudeness and quickly sat down and averted her eyes from his general direction.
"She isn't a wench, and you don't always have to be such a brute. All you ever do is yell and snarl at people!" The Little Bird said icily. "And besides… I thought you weren't my shield so what do you care what is and isn't safe for me now?"
Defiant little sea witch. What cause does she have to speak to him this way? She might have wounded feelings after yesterday, but he was the one who would keep her safe. She should be grateful, not insolent. He grabbed her roughly by her arm then and hoisted her up without a word and dragged her back to their cabin. She was protesting the entire time and some of the men who witnessed the scene had amused grins on their faces as they passed them by.
When they reached their room, he practically threw her inside. She staggered a bit but righted herself swiftly. She poised her posture quickly with her chin raised and the same stony-faced look from in the kitchens. Sandor didn't say a word as he slowly stalked up to her. His blood was at an all-time heat, and he knew he was getting dangerously close to losing his cool with the girl after her little tirade. As he was slowly stalking toward her, she didn't give any visible signs of fear but as he got closer and his eyes bore into hers, she took a step back and then another until her back hit the dresser behind her. Though her face showed no expression he could see the fear behind her eyes. His face was only a few inches from hers when he placed both his hands on either side of her face and leaned down so he was eye level with her. For a few moments, he took in deep breaths through his nostrils to calm himself but with the smell of her invading his senses, he started feeling a different kind of heat. He felt stretching at the front of his britches and knew her smell was the cause of his arousal. He needed to calm himself now or he'd frighten her in a different way than he intended.
"What was that little insolent tirade of yours about, girl? You think you can stand toe to toe with the Hound, hm?" She averted her gaze for only a moment before looking back into his eyes, holding his gaze defiantly. "I'll not let you act that way with me again, Little Bird. A dog only has so much patience before he bites the hand raised with the stick and you've been trying my patience since we stepped foot on this ship. You might have gotten those delicate feathers ruffled by me last night but you're my charge now and therefore my responsibility. You'll do as I say when I say it without any question, you got that? This ship isn't safe for a girl like you and I'm the only thing standing in the way of a man charging through that door and having his way with you, you understand?"
She seemed to think on that for a moment before replying, "I'm sorry, Ser. I just…"
"Little Bird, if I have to tell you one more time not to call me Ser, I might lose my head and throttle you myself."
"I'm sorry!" She says exasperatedly. "I don't even know what to call you and after last night when you said you weren't my shield and you didn't care about me, I was afraid you were going to abandon me after we reached our destination. I was angry at you for bringing me here only to leave me behind." She was still trying to hold his gaze, but she had unshed tears brimming her blue eyes after that and her bottom line trembled a bit.
She thought he was going to abandon her? What kind of man does she think he is? He did mean to hurt her and even scare her a bit yesterday, but he didn't mean to make her feel as though she was unguarded. He pulled away from her then and ran his fingered through his hair. He gave a frustrated sigh and then said to her, "You thought I would abandon you? Just because I said I wasn't your sworn shield doesn't mean I meant to abandon you when we reach land. You think I agreed to go on this voyage across the sea to an unknown land away from the only home I've known for the past fifteen years only to abandon you?"
She didn't seem to know how to reply to that but after a moment said to him, "I didn't know really what to think. You were so cruel and hostile with your statements and I thought myself a foolish girl for coming on this ship. I'm sorry that I'm a burden to you now but I'll be forever in your graces if you'd stay by my side as simply a protector. I promise not to call you my shield again." A few tears escaped her orbs then and she quickly swiped them away with the back of her hand.
"Little Bird, I won't give you an oath as you know it's against any beliefs I hold, but I will protect you. As I said, you're my responsibility now and I'll not be abandoning you." She gave out a breath of relief at that. "But girl, you must promise me you'll do as I say when I say it now. I meant it when I said this ship isn't safe for a woman roaming alone through these halls. These are a rough lot with us and until I know more about them, you'll not leave this room unattended." She gave a nod at that while looking at her feet. "If you need to leave this room all you need is to ask but no more going to the kitchens talking with strangers unaccompanied by me. I'll not let any harm on you but to do that you must obey me."
She looked at him fixedly then and said simply, "I promise."
He nodded to her then and felt exhausted already dealing with the girl. She was so sensitive to the most trivial matters but then again, Sandor was a harsh man with a bad temper. He knew he needed to go up to the deck and find the captain to find something to do but was a little anxious leaving the Little Bird alone. She had promised she would do as he asked but he still wasn't sure enough about the men yet. He honestly doubted he had too much to worry about while she was locked up in her cage as not many men would have the balls to enter another man's dwelling with a woman inside. He knew enough men had seen her with him to know she was with him, but she was also Sansa Stark, the most beautiful woman in all of Westeros and certainly the most beautiful woman on this vessel, and any desperate man might take the risk. He reasoned though that he couldn't stick by her side all hours every day and the danger of someone going after her wouldn't be now but later in the voyage when the men started becoming restless without the warm body of a female. If he inserted himself with the men though, then they'd know not to attempt it. His stories from last night of the horrors he's inflicted helped with that some.
The Little Bird walked over to sit on her bed and then he said to her, "I need to go now Little Bird. I won't be back until the late evening so just stay here and preoccupy yourself until my return."
As he turned to leave, she rose and said to him, "Wait! I know you said not to leave without you and to not talk to any strangers, but the woman I was speaking with said she thought she may have a few dresses I could use." She blushed a bit when he looked at her then. "I had spoken with her about our hasty retreat and that I hadn't the time to retrieve any of my clothes... I only have the one dress that is on my back and if this journey proves to be long then I'll need at least one other dress to switch out while I wash this one." She was looking at her feet again afraid to meet his eye.
Sandor gave a quiet sigh at that. Of course, she needed another dress. She couldn't go two months with only the one. He supposed he should be grateful there was another woman on board to help her with this so he wouldn't have to. "Aye, I'll take you to her in the morning, Little Bird. I'll be back too late in the evening to take you for today. I must go now." She was beaming at him now and he almost rolled his eyes at her. He turned for the door then and when he placed his hand on the handle he paused.
"Sandor."
A few seconds went by when she replied, "What?"
"You said you didn't know what to call me. That's my name. You can call me Sandor." With that he left and headed for the deck.
When he returned later that evening he was exhausted. The captain and even some of the men had been more than willing to give him work. Hamish advised him – who had been glued to side – that he'd need to remove his armor and chain for the work he'd be doing. When he'd stripped himself of the steel, Hamish looked at him wide-eyed for a moment then lead him to his work. Sandor knew the armor made him look like a giant of a man but even without all the extra fittings, he was a large man. He'd been a soldier all his life, so he was hard with muscle, and the armor had always hidden how big and long his arms and torso were. Sandor spent the rest of the day with Hamish and the other crew, putting away barrels full of provisions in the lower decks. He ended up being quicker and could carrier the heavier loads better than most the other men, which they seemed to appreciate. It didn't take long between the confined spaces and beating sun for his tunic to be soaked in sweat. Though it was hard work, Sandor welcomed the distraction from the Little Bird and the events of the last few days. He even had a feeling of freedom deep in his gut while working with these rough men and not being tied down to anything or anyone, other than the girl. As the day progressed, his shoulders seemed to lose some of it's tension and his mind wasn't preoccupied with thoughts of his trapped life.
Carrying his armor under his arms, he entered the cabin and found the Little Bird was reading a book that must have been left in the dresser before they'd arrived. When he entered the room, she lifted her head to him with a smile, but it slowly left her face as she took in the sight of him. He knew his tunic clung to his torso and arms from all the sweat and he was probably a grimy mess. It may be a bit improper for her to see him as such, but they would be living closely together so some degree of propriety had to be abandoned here. He deposited his armor on the floor next to the bed and guessed he wouldn't be putting it back on for some time now. That would be a good break for him as the armor was especially heavy as it had to be custom-made to fit his large stature. He walked over to the washing bin in the front corner of the room and without must thought pulled the tunic over his head. The Little Bird behind him gave an audible gasp at that. He turned his head sideways to her and chuckled at her. "Best get used to seeing a man shirtless, Little Bird. It's likely I won't be the only one you'll see on this voyage or in the Free Cities. Besides, we're stuck living in close quarters, so you were bound to see it at some point." When he got done rinsing his hair, face, and torso, he grabbed his knapsack and pulled a fresh tunic over his head. Without looking at her, he lazily laid down on the bed to rest his weary body and closed his eyes.
She sat silent to his right, but he could feel her eyes on him. Somehow, he always knew when her eyes were on him. He thought she must be scandalized seeing him without a tunic. He's sure she's never seen a man bare before apart from her brothers and father. He almost chuckled at that but stopped himself. Though it was a small thing, it was only one more thing that was slowly stripping her of her innocence. This time he was the direct cause of that, and it didn't sit too well with him.
Without opening his eyes, he asked her, "Are you getting hungry yet?"
She immediately responded, "Uh… yes, I was just about to ask if we could go down to the mess hall to eat."
"It's better if I get us some food and bring it here to eat. I'm still not sure of the people on board so until I feel better about you with the group of them, we'll eat here."
She didn't give any argument and answered him simply with an okay. He got up then and left for the mess hall. He was in desperate need of some wine or more of that ale from last night. When he reached the hall, he had been right in his assumption the place would be filled to the brim. The room was painfully loud with all the chattering and laughter from the men. He guessed the Little Bird wouldn't have liked this one bit. As he made his way to the food, all around him were only men. He didn't even see the woman the Little Bird had been talking to. Perhaps her husband didn't think it was wise for his wife to be exposed to the rowdy group either. Before grabbing the food, Sandor made a mad dash to the flagons of wine on the back table. He grabbed two and gave the man the coin. As he made his way back towards the food whilst already drinking deeply from one of the flagons, the man he met last night, Quin, stopped him whilst turning his chair in Sandor's direction. He was with the same group of men from last night including Hamish. Quin was grinning wickedly at him when he asked, "Hey, where's that pretty little red head you was dragging about just this mornin'? We were all hopin' we could get a good look at her lovely face tonight. Might be a nice sight for a lot like us."
Before the man had fully completed his sentence, Sandor grabbed him by the collar and brought his face close to his, "That girl is none of your concern, boy. If you know what's good for you, you'll not speak of her again whilst in my presence." Sandor let him drop back down to his seat then glared at the other men while placing his palm on the pommel of his sword at his hip, "That goes for the rest of you lot too." He stood there glaring at them waiting for one to give a spirited retort, but none came. The men who had been joking around with him only hours ago and just last night, and hadn't seemed the least bit afraid of him, now looked at him wearily and wide-eyed at his sudden change in demeanor. However, only one of the men, Mal, seemed to be quirking his mouth with laughter in his eyes. Sandor wasn't sure what to make of that look, but he stared the man down until he looked back at his dinner. Sandor stormed away for the cunts and quickly grabbed the food then and headed back to the cabin.
When he entered, the Little Bird sat up a bit straighter with a small smile on her lips while greedily eyeing the contents in his hands. He presumed then that she must be quite hungry based on her expression. He deposited the food on her lap and gave her a flagon of water he had grabbed as he departed the hall. She gave him a simple thank you then began eating the roast chicken, beans, and bread. She began as he's always seen her at King's Landing by peaking at her food and eating like her Septa had always taught her. After the first few bites however, she started digging into her food and was essentially spooning beans in her mouth and even went so far as to pick up her chicken with her hands and pull meat off the bone. Sandor stopped eating to stare at her for a moment before she saw he was looking at her. When she noticed, she visibly blushed and wiped her hands and mouth with a napkin.
"Seven Hells, Little Bird, if I'd known you were this hungry, I would have brought a second plate for you. If only your Septa could see you now." He chuckled then and she just turned a darker shade of pink.
"My apologies for my manners, but yes, I was quite hungry. I hadn't had much to eat yesterday with the events that had unfolded and I only had a few bites of bread this morning with Cara as my stomach was a little queasy from the rocking of the ship so by the time you got back, I was famished." She returned her attention back to her plate and began eating her meal a bit slower this time. Sandor continued staring at her for a moment then returned to his meal which he devoured within a few minutes. Of course she would have been starving, Dog. Between his rage and wanting some space from her he never asked if she'd require anything to eat before he left. She probably hadn't had anything yesterday except her breakfast and hadn't had anything for her midday meal today, and now it was later in the afternoon than he had planned on returning. Nice work, Dog. Lock her in a cage and starve her.
After a couple of moments, he turned his attention to her and told her, "If you were hungry, you could have told me, Little Bird. I didn't think I'd be gone this late in the day and hadn't thought about what you would require while I was away." That was as close to an apology he would ever give.
She nodded at him then and didn't say a word to him as she finished her meal. When she was done, she rose with her plate then approached him to grab the plate in front of him. He was laying on his side facing her propped up on his right elbow lazily. He kept his eyes on her as she went to deposit their plates in front of the door and he took a swing from the flagon he held in his left hand. He knew better than to be getting drunk this time. He kept his gaze fixed on her as she made her way back to the bed. She knew he was staring at her, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her tonight. He wasn't sure why that was the case. Maybe he knew he finally had the opportunity to gaze upon her face without being worried anyone else would see, or maybe he liked the small change in her from earlier when she abandoned her manners. He wondered then what this journey would be like for them both. Would they learn more about each other than they knew? He wasn't sure about that since he rarely talked about himself apart from the battles he'd partaken in. He wouldn't be sharing with the Little Bird his inner most thoughts as they'd scare her witless. He wasn't sure if he'd want to know her girly thoughts either. He'd never spent much time with a woman alone other than when he visited a brothel or when he was a young boy. He knew not what girls like Sansa Stark talked about or what they were interested in but then he surmised she was probably thinking the same about him. He was exasperated with the thought that they'd be sharing this cabin together for two months and having nothing in common to speak about. He and her were as different from each other as two people could be. She was like some rare delicate flower swaying in a breeze, whilst he was a maimed beast snarling at anyone who reaches out a hand to stroke him. Nay, he thought as he finally looked away from her and took another long drink. He and the Little Bird had little to say to each other.