The the sun was beginning to set over the mountains off in the distance. Her Septa had probably told her the name of the range long ago, but gods be dammed if she could remember. The Hound's horse- called Stranger, she found out after it tried to buck her off when the Hound pulled her onto it- continued at the steady trot they'd been going at for hours now.

Every time she was jolted against the Hound's form she inwardly shuddered. She didn't like his stench and she didn't like having to be so close to such a renowned killer. She tried keeping as far away from him as possible as they rode, but she found herself having to hold on to him for most of the journey. The roads here were literally shit. Stranger had gotten stuck several times since midday alone.

The knot in her stomach had loosened a bit when he told her he wasn't bringing her back to King's Landing. She didn't believe him at first, but it made more sense when he said he wanted a ransom for her. She knew he had no money- the Brotherhood made sure of that. Yet she still didn't trust him. What if he hurt her, or had a change in heart and brought her back to Lannisters to collect a pardon or reward from them? He was the Hound after all, sworn to do Joffery's dirty work and protect him from "traitors" like the Starks.

Arya just wished he didn't have to smell so damn dirty as he did it.

She watched as the trees grew more sparse and several cottages came into view. Most of them had smoke coming from the chimneys, yet a few stood worn down and seemingly abandoned. A little boy no bigger than Rickon was playing in the garden of one of the more better kept homes. A cat ran out into the road and the boy trotted after it, but he quickly turned back towards the front door when the Hound glared down at him.

A row of thatch-roofed businesses lined the road farther up ahead. Arya could tell which one was the tavern right away, despite the barely legible signs that hanged off of each building. The roar of men drunkenly singing and smell of rum was unmissable.

"Are we stopping here for tonight?" she asked, speaking for the first time in hours.

"No, it's too crowded," the Hound grumbled. "We'll stop somewhere in the woods later."

"But I'm hungry and that tavern has food," she said as the singing from the tavern grew louder. "You ate all of ours."

"And I'll hunt more later, so stop your fucking howling."

"I don't- Wait, stop!" she tugged on his arm and pulled at the reigns. A group of horses stood outside of the tavern with various pieces of arms strewn on the ground around them, and Arya's heart jumped when she saw several worn direwolf banners hanging out of the saddle bags. Stranger whined warningly as he sensed her trying to control him and started to jerk around. She slid off of the saddle and ran towards the tavern as the Hound tried to tame the beast.

If she could get to her brother's men, they would protect her from the Hound and return her to her family in one piece. They were Northerners, and the only ones she had seen since Yoren was killed. They wouldn't demand a reward or harm her. Her father had always said a Northerner's most important duty was to protect his own.

"The fuck you doing girl- get back here!" he called out, jumping off of Stranger and landing with a thud. He quickly tied the reigns around a nearby fence post and sprinted after her.

She was just outside the door when she heard northern accents speaking and singing spiritedly inside. She didn't know why her brother's men would be this far south, but she didn't question it. Only a few more feet and she would be safe from the Hound.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder with so much force her knees buckled, causing her to stumble. She tried to fight the Hound as he wrapped an arm around her waste.

"Let go of me!" she screamed as he lifted her up and walked back to Stranger.

"Not a chance in hell, Wolf-bitch. Gonna have to tie you back up, too." he grunted and undid the knot in Stranger's reigns with one hand.

"Let me go- they're my brother's men! They'll pay you for me!" she said, trying to hide the desperation she felt bubbling in her gut.

"You look like a piss-poor farmer's son, not a highborn lady. They'll tell you to fuck off the moment you try to tell them otherwise," he looked down at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "And if they do believe you're a girl, they'll rape you first."

"They're loyal to my family- they would never do that!" she seethed. He shook his head and used one arm to mount Stranger, as the other still held her against him. He kept the arm firmly around her as he rode off so that she couldn't jump off again.

"Stark men, Lannister men. They all have cocks, and they all like a fresh piece of cunt. So keep your mouth shut and yours might stay fresh for the unlucky lord you'll marry someday."

Arya glared at the Hound. He was wrong- her brother's men would never do that, especially to her. Everyone always commented on how much she looked like a Stark, even if she wasn't pretty. Someone would recognize her eventually and help her get away from the King's dog. If not, she'd kill him in his sleep and run as far north as she could. Looking down, she noticed a dagger sitting in a leather hilt around the Hound's waste.

She didn't need to bash his skull in with a rock to kill him. Just one stab in the heart.