Sorry about the delay. I have been caught up with real life lately. Once again a special thanks to littlebirdhound.
Sandor woke up around the hour of the wolf. He shivered as the cold set deep into his bones and grimaced slightly from the pain emanating from his chest. The wound itself was not so painful, but he could feel the strain on it when he tried to stretch. There were still some hours before sunrise, but wanting to place as much distance as possible between the Vale and Sansa, he knew they had to get moving. They had several more days of travelling ahead and if they were lucky they would make it to the Quiet Isle with no confrontations.
For several moments he lay still, turning toward Sansa to watch her sleep. Though it was dark he could still make out her form as it would gently rise and fall with each breath. He could not stop thinking of the soft kiss Sansa gave him the night before. Her lips so lush and soft, so innocent. It was the sweetest touch a girl- no, woman- has ever given me willingly. For a married woman, there is something chaste about her. He frowned deeply at the last thought and ground his teeth together. Married. Fucking Imp. He sat up and clenched his fists. I should have killed him when I had the chance. There's no way she'd have bedded him willingly. His mouth twitched when he thought of the Imp's hands groping Sansa. It'll never happen again, I'll fucking cut off his little cock if he's not already dead.
After quietly getting up and packing his bedroll, he squatted beside Sansa, and gently shook her awake.
"We must go now. You can sleep in the saddle," he said in a loud whisper. "Come on girl, quickly. I need that saddle blanket for Stranger."
Under the glow of the lantern that he held in his hand, he watched her wake. She made the most interesting noises when she sleepily stretched and arched her back towards him, and he could not help but wish it was he that made those sounds come out of her mouth. Soon, Sansa caught herself and he smirked at her wide-eyed expression. "I'll leave you to get ready," he said, and quickly stood and turned around. Fuck get away from her. Bad enough that she's to be seated in my arms the whole way. The smell of her hair is enough to make me spill like a green boy.
He heard her shuffling around under her heavy cloak, when finally he felt a light tap on his arm.
"Here is the blanket," Sansa said, sounding tired.
Sandor turned his head and looked down. There, Sansa stood holding her cloak tightly around her shoulders, her hair still in a braid though tenderils escaped. Girl, what do you do to me? Sandor let his eyes roam over her and when she noticed, her face flushed. Feeling uncomfortable, he snatched the saddle blanket from her hand and walked away. "Don't be too long making yourself pretty," he said over his shoulder, trying to ignore the tightening of his laces. Just give me enough time to fix this.
He quickly scrambled down the ladder, threw Stranger's blanket over the wooden corral, and walked toward the back of the barn. Out of sight, he unlaced his breeches with one hand. I have no choice, I need to keep my wits about me. It was not long before he had himself in hand, stroking quickly and silently. Not going to let my cock lead the way. Best get this over with.
Moments and images of Sansa in the last few days flooded his mind - her arched back as she roused and mewed, her blush as though she's never been with a man, the feel of her under him when she struggled to escape, the tops of her teats when he peered over her shoulder, the supple skin of her back that he didn't touch but easily could have. It would've been the softest thing my fingertips ever felt. He bit the side of his cheek to keep silent as he spent in his hand, not caring if he drew blood. Hunched over, he braced himself on the wall with one hand, trying to hold back the shudders that overtook his body. He closed his eyes tightly, panting, trying to shake the feeling of shame for thinking of her in this manner. He cleaned himself with a rag from his pocket and then threw it on the ground, kicking some dirt and straw over it without a thought. He then laced himself up, pulled his cloak tightly around himself, and went to saddle Stranger.
The moon was still bright in the sky, and with supplies secured and hoods pulled over their heads, the trio set out from the barn and into the early morning darkness. The snow was still deep and Stranger would occasionally pull at the reins in protest as they followed the path they had made the previous evening to the High Road. Sansa, with her arm circled around back under Sandor's cloak to keep her hands warm, rested her head gently upon his chest. Every once in a while when she would get jostled around by Stranger, Sansa would grip Sandor's tunic tightly and he would instinctively hold her tighter in return. Realizing what he was doing, he would loosen his grip on her. Just a few more nights, little bird, and you can sleep on a cot.
They continued to ride in silence, and by mid morning Sandor started to notice Sansa getting restless, fidgeting the longer they rode. At first she would shift here and there, and then she was sitting straight up, her legs crossed, a slight grimace across her face. Finally, Sandor yanked back the reins that forced Stranger to an abrupt halt.
"What's the matter, little bird?" He asked with a hint of annoyance. "Trying to fly away already?"
Sansa turned her face up to him and then looked away. "It's just that..." she whispered, clearly embarrassed, "I need to…" She turned her face away meekly and wrung her hands in her lap, he noticed that she tightened her legs together.
Sandor snorted then. We've been in the saddle awhile. Such a lady, embarrassed to say it.
"Piss?"
Sansa's cheeks reddened.
Sandor barked out a laugh. "No need to be so meek around me. Might be a good time to stop, anyway. Here, I'll take you over to the trees and you won't have plow a trail."
Sansa looked towards the trees and back at Sandor, her jaw clenched.
"Don't worry, girl." He chuckled. "We won't watch."
Suddenly, Stranger's ears twitched and in that moment Sandor instantly fell silent. Sandor went rigid and tightened the reins. It had been too long since they had passed anyone. They will be looking for her. Might be them coming now. Though he was unsure who in fact it could be, he was not going to take any chances. He gripped Sansa arm and leaned low to her ear.
"Someone's coming. Get down and hide behind the trees. Not a chirp."
He quickly swung himself down, guiding Sansa down with him, and motioned her to hide against the trunk of a large tree. He noticed instantly the terrified look in Sansa's eyes . Stay still. He put his finger to his lips and then pulled Stranger further into the woods with him. Carefully, he flung the reins over a low branch and murmured softly into Stranger's ear to stay, his ears flicking every now and then. He then pulled his sword out of the sheath, and treaded carefully back to Sansa, crouching behind her.
Riders. Sandor could just barely hear them in the distance and they seemed to be making haste. Hopefully they'll be in too much of a hurry to see the tracks coming off the road, else there will be sweet death for them all.
He was distracted from his thoughts when Sansa suddenly turned toward him and pulled him down over her. The abrupt movement caught him off guard, and they both fell in the snow, Sandor trying to brace himself above her. She buried her face into his chest and reached her hands under his cloak, gripping the back of his tunic tightly.
What the hells... Sandor could feel her trembling beneath him. He was too heavy for her, he knew, so resting his weight on one hand, that was now deep in the snow, and clutching his sword tightly with other, he tried to lift himself off, but Sansa pulled him down again, the awkward position making him collapse on her once more.
Fuck, she's terrified. He raised his head up and looked down at her. Sansa peered up and and pulled his cloak tighter around herself. It's like shes trying to hide under me. He looked into her eyes that were filled with unshed tears, her lip was quivering, but he knew that she was trying not to cry. A feeling of protection towards her was nothing new, it had been always there, but now it was intensified with the realization that she could be taken from him. He pulled himself up, wrapped his free hand around her waist, and in one swift motion, threw himself against the trunk of the tree. Resting against it and trying to ignore the pain of his wound, Sandor pulled Sansa up on to his lap and wrapped her underneath his cloak. He noticed she was tense for a split second, and when she turned her face into the crook of his neck, he could feel the warmth of her tears on his skin. Sansa clutched the front of his tunic, as a child would to their mother, and Sandor could feel her trembling against him with silent sobs. What could they have done to her that would make her so afraid?
He heard the approaching horses trotting through the snow, each drop of their hooves getting louder, crunching against the beaten path as they approached, but Sandor continued to hold her. Without thinking, he started to rub her back gently to soothe her.
He listened carefully as the crunch of snow receded, and breathed a sigh of relief. Missed that one, but could be more down the road. Best get moving as far away as possible.
He quickly looked down at Sansa to reassure her, only to see her already gazing up into his eyes, and in that moment it was as if the rest of the world ceased to exist to him. Sansa let go of his tunic and slowly moved her hand up to touch his face. Her lips parted slightly and Sandor could not help but linger on them before glancing back to her eyes - deep blue and glistening. He felt himself drifting toward her, an invisible force he could not resist. He felt Sansa's hand trail down his cheek and down to his chest. No one will ever take you away from me. Suddenly, Sandor jerked his head back, grimacing from the sharp, unexpected pain.
"I'm sorry...I...forgot, your wound," Sansa stammered as her hand jerked back, like she suddenly realized she was sitting on his lap.
Sandor sighed, shaking his head. "It'll be fine, little bird," he said quietly in a gruff tone as he gently pushed her to the side. He knew the moment was gone. "No point in crying."
Sandor got up and pulled Sansa onto her feet, wiping her face and dusting off her cloak.
"Go and do your business," he said almost awkwardly as he brushed the snow off of himself as best he could. "I'll do the same and we'll be off."
Sansa looked away in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, girl. I'll not peek, like I said." He then walked away and tended to Stranger.
The rest of the day continued on without interruption. A few travellers crossed their path along the way, but Sansa kept her head down and her hood up, and they passed by without any questions. With the sun slowly descending, Sandor knew they had to stop and find shelter for the night. He pulled Stranger to a halt and glanced around.
"We'll have to sleep in the woods tonight, girl."
Sansa looked up at him, puzzled. "It's not safe to sleep out here."
"I know you're not used to this but we've no choice on the matter."
"But there could be wolves or thieves!" She whined, clutching her cloak tighter, "And it's already getting colder."
Sandor snorted and patted his sword. "That's what this is for," he said almost bragging. "Wolf or man, they won't be coming near you and you'll be warm enough."
He urged Stranger into the thick of the woods, and drudging through the snow, cut a path until they came to a large, felled tree that was resting on another tree which was laying on the ground. He hopped off Stranger with a grunt, and when he helped Sansa down, his hands almost seemed not to want to let go.
Sandor cleared his throat. "Right." He muttered, and walked away, beckoning Sansa to follow.
He began clearing snow out from under the tree with his hands. "Come on, my lady," he said with a slight mocking tone, "You need to help out, earn your keep." Sansa nodded, slowly came forward, and knelt down beside him, scooping away the snow from under the tree. Before long they had made enough room and packed the snow into a wall around them so that they could at least lie down and be protected from the wind.
"Here," he said, retrieving the furs the old hag gave them, and tossing them beside Sansa. "Spread one of these out on the ground. The others will cover us as we sleep. He nodded his head towards the path. "I'll tie Stranger under those trees there. He'll be our watch tonight. Nothing will get past his ears."
He gave Stranger an affectionate pat on the nose and a quick brush down."Try and keep watch," he said softly before leading him away.
Coming back with the saddle bags, Sandor made his way beneath the tree and cursed loudly when he hit his head on the underside. Sansa giggled, but quickly stopped herself when she she noticed his glare.
He reached over for the bag. "Enjoyed that, did you?" He said as he pulled out a sack of food and a small flint to light the lantern.
She smiled and blush swept across her face.
Sandor sat and passed her a chunk of black bread and some crudely sliced cheese, which she quietly ate. He reached in the bag once more for his wineskin and took a long pull before holding it out to Sansa. She paused for a moment, and without a word, took it and sipped carefully. Sandor lazily observed her as she drank, her lips reddening from the wine. Bugger the bread, I could just eat that mouth of hers. She handed the wineskin back to him, and Sandor took another deep drink, slowly this time. Her sweet lips touched this. He then reluctantly lowered the wine skin, silently cursed himself for being a fool, and quickly ate his bread and cheese.
The night continued on and Sandor tended to his wounds. To avoid exposure to the cold, he tried to shrug out of his tunic under his heavy cloak, but after a few frustrating moments he gave up, unfastened the cloak, and quickly pulled off his tunic before draping the cloak back around himself. With his dagger he made short work of his bandages, and looked over the healing wound, gently touching it. The little bird did a fine job with her stitching. I'll leave the bandages off tonight, some air will do it well. He pulled his tunic back on, readjusted his cloak, and glanced over at Sansa who had been observing him quietly all the while.
"Something on your mind, girl?" He muttered as he picked up the wineskin and took another drink. He watched in amusement as she fiddled with the ends of her hair and nervously licked her lips. Soon they'll be raw and bleeding if she keeps that up.
"I...I just want to tell you that I am grateful that you brought me to safety, but I just can't help but wonder of the fate of Ser Lothor and Mya. It's so cold. We were lucky to have shelter last evening and this here with furs," she said quietly. "If no one has found them, they could be dead. If Petyr finds them, they could be dead. Dead because of me." Sansa placed her face in the palms of her hand, her shoulders shook.
Sandor cleared his throat. She has the right of it. I should have just done them in, left them for the wolves. "Listen carefully, Sansa. I'm the one who left them in the cabin. Whatever happens to them is on me, not you. Truth be told, I should have killed the both of them." He grabbed the wineskin and took another sip. "The woman seemed to have a spine, might be they got out, left. That Brune was a fool, though. He should have never taken you out." He glanced over to her just as she wiped a tear away from her eyes.
"Don't you worry, we will be safe soon enough. Just a couple more days in the saddle and then you can rest easy for a bit while I come up with a ship to take us out of Westeros."
Sansa looked at him questioningly. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe. A small sept. I've been there for awhile now. Your gods seemed to want to punish me and sent me there. Not a bad place. They have good food, drink, no constant chirping," he rasped, trying to suppress a grin as he furrowed his brow at her.
Sansa smiled slightly. "Well, I am grateful. I did pray to the Mother many times for you, to keep you safe and ease your pain."
"Ease my pain?" He muttered. "The only cure for pain is wine, and lots of it. But they kept it from me, only giving me watered-down swill to quench my thirst." Sandor put the wineskin and food in the saddle bag and placed it to the side.
"The pain will always be there, girl, just like yours. Might be able hide it for a bit, but it'll come back." Always does. "Anyway, that's where we're going. But now, best we get some rest."
Sandor then grabbed the lantern and blew it out. He settled on his back and pulled the furs over himself. Sansa shuffled around beside him. Well girl how long is it going to take before your nesting next to me. He smiled in the dark when she finally settled beside him, pulling the furs tightly.
To HMSharp: thank you for reading and your nice comment.
