The sun streamed down across Arya's face as a pleasant breeze brushed her shoulders. Winter was coming, she knew, but the warm weather over the past few days made it seem so far away still. It didn't make her any less restless, however.

"We should stop by that river." she said as she gripped the saddle. The Hound looked down at her. They had just watered Stranger at a creek an hour ago, but she was already inwardly screaming to get off of the damned thing.

"And why should we do that? So the Wolf-bitch can swim back to her pack?" he scoffed.

"So you can bathe and stop smelling like horse shite." she grunted, looking towards the water through the trees. The Hound chuckled.

"You're no summer flower yourself, girl."

"Then I'll bathe, too. Your stench is rubbing off on me." Arya shifted away from him with a scowl on her face.

The river was almost in clear view now, and while the water seemed a little choppy, she wasn't opposed to a quick dip. She was sick of the dirt that caked her skin and how stringy and matted her hair had become. Her clothes stuck to her in places where mud had seeped through the fabric and dried onto her skin, and even she had to admit that she smelled pretty rank.

"The water is growing colder." he said, trying to dissuade her.

"I'm a Northerner. I can handle the cold." she argued.

"If you try to swim away, I'll-"

"-break my legs, I know."

The Hound looked down at her again and pursed her lips. He knew he smelled, and she was sure he felt the same gritty discomfort. His armor was covered with dark streaks, his brown pants had so much dirt and blood on them they were almost black, and his skin was littered with patches of brown and black grime. She knew this was nothing new to a seasoned warrior like him, but living in this much of your own filth took its toll eventually.

"Fine," he finally consented. "But I'm going first."

Arya sat on a rock along the riverbank, looking around at the trees as the Hound finished dressing behind her. She cringed when she felt a cascade of water hit her back. Damned dog was shaking his hair dry again.

"Your turn, girl." The Hound said, securing the final buckle on his armor.

She slid off her shoes and padded towards the water. She started to take off her belt but stopped when she realized the Hound was still behind her.

"Don't look." she said, hesitantly. The Hound rolled his eyes before turning his back to her.

"Be quick." he muttered.

Arya quickly discarded her clothes and dunked them in the water, trying to wash out some of the dirt. She waded further into the water and slung her garments over a branch that was in full view of the sun, hoping they would dry off some before she got out.

The current here was moving fast, and she was weary of going any farther than her rib cage. She was never a good swimmer- the North wasn't known for having bodies of water that were warm enough or deep enough for the activity- so she watched the current carefully as she slowly sank down until only her head was above the water. After taking a few moments to adjust to the cool water rushing at her skin and securing her footing in the murky bottom, Arya began scrubbing her skin with her hand. Satisfied with removing most of the grime, Arya leaned back and let the water flow through her hair and over her scalp.

A small, content smile spread across her face. The water felt like wave of resurgence and bliss- she could practically feel the remaining dirt slipping off of her body and into the current. She stayed in this position for a few more minutes, almost forgetting there was an ill-tempered dog waiting for her to finish.

"Are you almost done?" she heard him call out over his shoulder, agitation growing in his voice. Arya stood back up- making sure the water still covered up to her neck- and starting wringing out her hair.

"Yes, let me get dre- ah," her eyes widened when she looked over at the branch where she put clothes. "My clothes are gone."

The Hound shot around and looked at the branch, then at her. She quickly crossed her arms across her chest, even though the water was far too dark for him to see anything.

"If this is some smart trick to get away-" he snapped, pointing at her.

"It's not! Do you think I want to run through the woods naked and wet?"

"You might if it meant you could escape." he grunted.

"You said it yourself- there are men who like to beat and rape little girls, and I'll look like a girl without any clothes! Just help me find them." she said with pleading eyes, regretfully allowing some of her desperation to come through. The Hound looked around slowly before nodding.

"I'll follow the current," he scowled before taking off his gauntlet and putting his hand in the water. Looking down the right side of the river, he put his gauntlet back on and started to move down the bank. "Move an inch, Wolf-bitch, and I'll flay you."

Arya watched him until a curve in the shoreline put him out of sight. She moved over to a group of rocks and leaned up against one, making sure she was still mostly covered by water. She leaned her head back and sighed. What if she got stuck like this for the rest of their journey? Her mother and brother's imaginations would surely erupt the moment they saw her draped in nothing but the Hound's bloody cloak. And despite the brief warm spell they had seen the past few days, the nights and days would soon grow cold. She'd need any warmth she could get.

"What 'ave we 'ere?" a voice rang out behind her. Arya turned around with her arms crossed over her chest. Two soldiers stood behind her in Stark colors. Her heart soared- maybe she'd get away from the Hound's stench sooner than she'd hoped.

"Looks like a little girl- maybe a boy. Could get a better idea if she showed us what's under those skinny little arms." the other chuckled, licking his lips. Like the first one, he looked no older than 13 or 14. She raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"I'm Arya-"

"She is a girl." the other interrupted. She frowned when he took a step forward and the sunlight gleamed across his pimply face.

"Are you Stark men?" she said.

"Aye," the other answered. Even with her arms covering her, she could feel his stare pierce through the water and across her bare body. "Why don't you come up here with us? We know how to show little lasses like you a good time."

"What?" she asked, hoping they didn't mean what she thought they meant.

"He means a good fuckin'," the fatter one chuckled. "Don't worry girl, we won't be too rough."

Arya looked up at them, disgusted. Searching for some way out, her eyes landed on the worn sword sticking out of the fat one's belt. Neither of them were wearing armor.

"Al-alright. Help me out though- I hurt my leg a few days back." she inwardly grimaced when the fat one practically ran into the water at this and put an arm around her waste and a hand on her bottom. As he began to lift her out of the water and carry her ashore, she swiftly yanked his sword from his belt and shoved it into his gut. Looking at her with a surprised shock of horror, the boy stumbled back and fell into the water. He dropped her and reached for his stomach.

"You little cunt! I'll fuck you bloody with that sword before I kill you!" the other one shouted before charging at her with his sword.

Arya dodged his clumsy swing at her and tried to pierce his side with the fat boy's sword. She missed and felt him slice her calf. She fell to her knee, yelping when his hand yanked her up by the shoulder.

"Come 'ere girl, time for that fuckin' I promised." he grunted as he tried to pin her against his torso and had a hand covering her mouth.

Feeling an intense combination of fear and rage boiling inside of her, Arya bit down on his hand as hard as she could and kicked him in the crotch. He let her go and stumbled back, squealing as his hands held his bruised balls. She picked up the sword and drove it into his chest.

A trickle of blood ran from his mouth, then a cough sent a thick pool streaming down his chin. She yanked the blade from him and pushed him farther into river. The waterline reached her collarbone now, and the tense streams of adrenaline shooting through her veins was making her shake. She watched with a shudder as his body finally stopped twitching and floated away with the current.

Looking back at the fat boy, Arya saw that he was already dead. His body was bouncing off of the rock she had been originally resting against; a pool of blood surrounding his bloated limbs. She watched as the faded direwolf on his shirt slowly absorbed the crimson color.

She suddenly felt very nauseous.

Moving herself closer to the shore, Arya sat down on the rocky river bottom and stared down at the blade still in her hand. It wasn't very heavy, but still felt awkward to hold. The Stark symbol on the metal felt like it scorched her skin when she stroked it. A wave of frustration and anger crossed her and she threw the sword as far as she could into the river, seething as it sunk to the bottom.

She had only ever killed the one stable boy up until now, and though it was out of self-defense, she still felt bad about it. He was a child, doing what adults told him to do. But so was she.

Arya hadn't thought much about the stable boy since leaving Harrenhall. The grotesque exposure to death she experienced there almost made her immune to it. Almost. She looked back over at the fat boy when she heard several bubbles rise to the surface next to him.

She tried not to feel bad about killing these two boys. They were rapers- or at least prospective rapers. She doubted they had had many, or any, girls before trying to go after her. Either way, they wanted to hurt her. Her calf tensed up when she stroked the shallow cut from the pimply boys blade and she scowled. They had hurt her. She shouldn't feel bad, but they were still Stark men.

They were supposed to protect her.

Wading over to the fat boy's body, Arya tore a piece of cloth off of his pants to wrap around her calf. She searched his pockets for anything valuable but found nothing. She sighed and moved back to her original spot. Arya heard the Hound come back a few minuets later.

"I found the fuckers floating half a mile upstream- what the fuck happened here?" he called out behind her. She didn't turn around when she responded.

"That body floated here not long after you left. He's wearing my brother's colors- might have been in a battle."

"We're not staying to find out," the Hound grunted and threw her soaked clothes on the rocks next to the water. "Get your clothes on, I don't care if they're wet. Lannister men might be close by." he went over to Stranger and rummaged through the worn saddle bag with his back to her.

Arya got out of the water and started to dress, being careful not to further strain the wound the two boys had dealt her.