A/N: Hey guys I would just like to thank all of you who have reviewed so far! It is such a pleasure whenever I get one and it really brightens my day.
This chapter is longer than usual and personally I am very proud of having written this one. I don't have any real experience with writing but this chapter just feels right. I think. I would really like to hear your opinion on this one though so please if you have the time, please, review!
She had found the first dead rabbit two days ago. It was the best sight she had seen in a long time. There wasn't anything edible to be found for days and she was quickly becoming weaker. It had seemed the animal had died at a convenient place too as it had lain close to a group of giant rocks that formed a shallow cave where she could seek shelter in. The cramped space had been saved from the snow and there were some twigs lying around that were dry enough to start a small fire with. She had quickly settled on skinning and preparing the rabbit. The meal was like a true feast to her and she made sure to thank both the Old Gods and the Seven afterwards.
She decided to stay there for a day to gather back her strength and rethink her course. Surely she should have reached the edge of the forest by now, but there was still no sight of any sort of open land around her.
She would have to go southwest to reach its end and she thought she walked in the right direction but navigating was difficult. The forest was still dense and dark while the grey snow skies hid the sun.
She parted the rabbit in small portions to eat over the course of the day. There wasn't much meat on the poor animal and since she had to gather back her strength to continue her journey, the meal had completely vanished before nightfall had completely settled itself.
While the small fire flickered on and she crept in her bedroll she fell into a warmer sleep then she had had in days.
The next day she had felt refreshed and she started with renewed hope in her heart. She had not been long on her way before she found a dead squirrel at her feet. Again she thanked the Gods as it still had some flesh on it and at the end of the day she found herself saturated once again.
The same had happened again yesterday and by now she was becoming uncertain whether there wasn't a disease spreading amongst the forest's inhabitants. She had been walking around here for days and days and no other time had animals suddenly dropped dead before her feet. The first two times she had considered herself lucky and thought that it was the cold that had done the animals in, but now she wasn't so sure anymore.
So far the food hadn't caused her any trouble at all and she was actually feeling a bit stronger again now that she had eaten a bit. Taking the dead animal with her, she prepared it but didn't eat it straight away. Instead she saved it. She looked at it suspiciously as if it would suddenly start walking again. It would be better to wait a day before consuming it. If she was still feeling healthy at the end of tomorrow she would enjoy her meal, else it would be best to stay away from it.
It was hard not having anything to eat after two days of hot food. Her stomach was telling her to consume what she was given but her mind hold on to reason. It would be stupid to die over such a thing and she didn't want to be a stupid girl anymore. The lack of warm food in her belly made the air around her feel even colder.
To keep her warm she thought once again of Winterfell and its ever warmed up walls, she thought of all the people who had loved her to fill her heart with warmth. Even as she was officially still married she didn't add Tyrion to that list. It was a marriage made for her claim after all and even if she had a choice she would never have married the smallest Lannister for love. Sansa had never really been loved for who she was by any other than her own family. And they were all gone.
As she went along her way the next day the sun finally decided to shine some light through the trees. The leaves shone a bright variety of colors from brown to bright green and it made her face light up too as a smile crept across her face. Even better still she didn't feel ill and that meant that tonight she would allow herself to eat the food she had prepared the day before.
Even though she still felt hungry and would much like to spend her time enjoying the meal at this very moment she pushed along and soon found herself in a slightly sloping clearing covered in grass and autumn flowers. After the darkness of the trees the field covered in sunlight was the most beautiful sight she could ever imagine to have found. She started sprinting and opened up her eyes as the warmth of the sun caressed her face. Her arms spread as she tried to catch the wind all the while running fast before she finally threw herself to the damp ground, laughing.
All her worries suddenly seemed to be worlds away. As she turned on her belly and plucked one of the flowers she wondered if she couldn't just stay there forever. She had not seen anyone in all this time and she didn't seem to be getting any closer to exiting the forest. The sun made her skin tingle and for just a moment she felt alive again.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the scents around her. After all that had happened she hadn't been able to appreciate her surroundings at all. At first she had been too cautious and looked for any signs of a purchase from Petyr Baelish's men, but that was soon enough forgotten when she had chatted the days away with her companions. After that had come the fear of being all alone in the woods and the will for survival had made her blind to the beauty of the place she found herself in. But now that she had spent so long in here with the sun shining and a meal to look forward to in the evening she was finally able to appreciate it completely.
As she lay there filling herself with warmth from the sun and the smell around her, her senses picked up another thing. Not far from her she could hear water streaming.
Light as a feather she sprung to her feet to chase down the soft murmur of the river. Until short ago she had had enough water on her as she had carried two skins. Those had run out a few days ago but she had been able to clench her thirst with small pools left by snow that had melted. She would need to refill her skins while she had the chance though since she wasn't sure if the snowfall would persist.
It was only a few layers through the trees before she reached what she had been looking for. It was not as big as a river, but it was clear, streaming water all the same. Quickly and deftly she filled both of the skins to the brim. Before putting them away she took a few big gulps from one of them and filled it again.
Suddenly she got a bold surge running through her and she kicked off her shoes and jumped in the water. She let out a squeal at the coldness as the ice cold water splashed up her legs. The water only came halfway to her lower legs but it send cold shivers all the way up her spine. She loved the refreshing feeling it gave and giggled at the sensation. It was no hot bath to be sure but it made her feel fresh. She hadn't had a moment to clean herself in all this time. Her hair would look like a bird's nest by now and she must also be carrying a smell with her. Before she entered the world of the living again she would at least have to look like a proper seamstress again, ready for business. So she decided to bathe herself and the only change of dress she had with her.
First she washed out her change of clothes, after that she undid her current dress and washed that one too before she lay it out to dry over a collection of rocks that bathed in the sun. Then it was her turn to be cleaned. The water was shallow so she had to crouch down and mostly splash the water over her. It was freezing but she felt much better afterwards. She returned to her camping site on the field and covered herself with her travelling cloak. Her hair was still dripping wet and soaked through the cloth at the back of the cloak. With the sun still high in the sky it would dry soon enough.
It was still too soon to build a fire, so for the moment there was nothing for her to do but wander about a bit. It would be best to walk besides the river for a bit as it would ensure her that she would still be able to find her way back. The ground beneath her was soft and her feet sank ever so lightly away in it. Sunlight danced through the trees as she happily tracked along the stream. She had not been walking for long when she suddenly heard the snorting of a horse. The air seemed to grow stale around her. The sun seemed to fade and all at once her instincts kicked in and she ran away from the river and towards the denser woods to hide. Once she reached the trees she breathed and counted to ten. It was still quiet all around her. No sound of hooves or the voices of men. Have I heard it wrong? Was it nothing but a cruel trick from my mind? It couldn't be, she was sure she had definitely heard a horse. And where there were horses there were also men. She would have to get back to her camp as soon as possible. As quiet as she could she made towards the direction of her camping site. After a few steps she couldn't hold her nerves and began running again. The ground was covered in leaves and twigs that pricked at her feet as she flew over them. She ran towards an enormous tree and stopped dead in her tracks as she crossed it. Her breath caught in her throat.
Of all the things she could have come across in the woods she would've never expected it to be him. But with his features there could be no mistake.
"I have gone mad indeed," she half whispered to herself.
"Little Bird," the rasp of his voice was the last thing she heard as the world turned black before her.
When she awoke he was still there. She was seated against a tree, her traveling cloak clutched tight to her. His back was turned to her. Stranger, his huge black warhorse was standing tied to a thinner tree.
If this was all some mad dance of her imagination then why was it lasting so long? It didn't make sense. None of it made any sense. He had left her and was gone forever, he couldn't be here. Or could he? She felt a sore spot on her hip where she had hit the ground when she fainted. It is real, gods, it is real. Sansa couldn't help but let out a strangled sob as reality hit her.
At the sound he immediately jerked around. "You're awake."
She nodded as she held back another sob. She didn't know what to think or what to feel. The last time she had seen him was so long ago and she was such a broken little bird back then, but now… what am I know more than I was then. He found me fallen once again. I have come so far, yet it seems my wings are never able to carry me when he is close. What must he think of me?
She looked at him through eyes filled with water. His hair was longer, it had grown to fall down over his shoulders. He wore no mail and instead was clad in rough grey colored woolen robes. His scars were still there, of course, but instead she found herself focusing on his eyes. There was something different about them. Before they had always been what had scared her the most, they had been filled with rage and hatred and she had often found herself looking away from them, afraid of the confrontation. But the way he looked at her now was nothing like that at all. It seemed he held an expression of genuine concern for her and all his features seemed to change with it. She didn't know how long they sat there with him half turned to her with his huge body and her eyes still filling with tears. He seemed to notice that for suddenly he turned to look at the ground and scrambled to his feet while he murmured something about getting water.
He brought her back a cup filled with water from the stream. She gladly drained it and handed him back the cup. His posture had become slightly awkward as he now stood stiffly trying not to face her while he took back the cup.
"I have left you some food at your camp," he began. The rasp in his voice sounded almost new to her again. "If you follow the river it will return you to it. After that you will need to follow it back down and it will lead you out of the woods." He was turning away from her now, towards the horse. "You're not too far from the edge so it shouldn't take you long."
Suddenly her mind began working normally again as she realized what he was about to do. There were no signs for a stay here except for maybe the cup that she had drank from before. He couldn't mean to- but he could. He was readying Stranger and almost set his one foot in the stirrup when all at once she stood and her voice rang clear.
"Stop!" she didn't shout it but her voice booked no further argument. He stilled a moment before his foot sank back to the ground, followed by his gaze. She tried to breathe easy but it was hard, so hard. Her mind was reeling, everything that had happened flashed before her, and everything that could come to pass. She was angry at him. Angry at the world. She was confused and most of all scared, scared to be left on her own once again.
"Don't you ever dare leave me again, Sandor Clegane," she bit at him, the words leaving her mouth before she even knew it. He turned around and met her hard stare. As he did so she began to lose hold and her lips began to tremble.
"Please," her tone was softer this time, almost questionably. She was greeted by silence. He just stood there, face unreadable.
"Please," she repeated, louder, almost begging as warm tears were now streaming down her cheeks.
The huge man before her sank to his knees.