When she came round, opening her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a thatched roof. A scent floated towards her, unlike any she had ever smelt before, it was heady and strong. It stuck in her nostrils and she coughed, spluttering with each breath she took. Her head was spinning and throbbing. She groaned.

"Kellan, I think she's awake."

"Well what do we do now? It was your idea to bring her back here."

"It's not like she's a rat or something, she's just a girl."

"Still, you can sort her out, I don't really want to go near her. You know just to be on the safe side."

She lifted a hand weakly drawing their attention, "I can hear you you know, please could someone just tell me why it feels like my head has been split in two."

A distorted face swam into her line of vision, she struggled to make out any clear facial features, instead she just focused on the two brown circles flecked with gold that she believed to be eyes.

Max.

"Uh, well… Kellan hit you over the head."

"With what?" She reached up to feel the back of her head, she could feel a lump, "A boulder?"

"The flat of his blade."

She ran her fingers over the lump and winced before her fuzzy mind worked out something.

I went into one of my states… Oh god…

"Max," she reached for his hand, "You have to tell me what I did, what I said. Please, its might be important."

He pulled his hand away from her, "You just mumbled something, about death I think. Your eyes were white Tarynn. We… We didn't know what to do, so Kellan hit you over the head."

Seven hells.

She bit her lip and looked away. "I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to have witnessed that…" She looked back at him and then started, "What time is it? Is it evening? Night?"

"Late evening. We have camomile tea if you want some."

"I have to go," She sat up, pushing the covers to the side, her head span but she prevailed. Getting to her feet, she almost stumbled but caught herself before straightening back up. "Where's my cloak?"

"I don't think you should go."

"I have taken up enough of your time already and I really must be getting back." She spied her cloak in the corner and went towards it, her head throbbing with every step. "Thank you for your hospitality… And hitting me on the head with your sword."

"That was my brother not me… I really think you should see a healer."

She was getting exasperated now, she narrowed her eyes when she turned to face him, "Thanks for the suggestion really, but what I want to do is leave and get back to my sisters, is that too much too ask?"

"I'm…"

She raised her hand, stopping him from saying anything more, "Just tell me where my horse is and where in King's Landing we are."

He looked at the ground and a sudden pang went spiralling through her chest, she was being too harsh on him, "Your horse is tethered to a post outside and you're not in King's Landing, my brother and I live on the outskirts. This is our home."

She looked around the room, it was simple. Two beds were in the corner, two feet apart, she had been sleeping on one. There was a fire pit, a small array of cooking pots, a workbench scattered with arrows. A couple of armchairs occupied the middle of the room, a rug beneath them. Candles were stuck in random places.

"It's lovely, really, but I have to go."

She moved to the door, fastening the clasp that kept her cloak around her neck. He shadowed her movement.

"Will I see you again?"

She opened the door, the wind was cool, and turned back towards Max, "I wouldn't think so."

*Sandor*

He had been sitting astride Stranger for the best part of the day. Watching the fields beyond this way out of King's Landing, hoping for a glimpse of Tarynn or her horse. Preferably both. She had not re-joined the group after she had ridden away from it, and news had reached Lord Stark's ears that his eldest daughter was missing, the king was out hunting and didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither did anyone else. So Lord Stark had posted many of his own guards at every gate, sent a fair few out on a search to call wolf's name. Lord Stark had remained at the Keep, in case Tarynn returned there of her own inhibition. Sandor had offered to help, he knew King's Landing and its outlying grounds better than any of the northern guards, it just seemed like a logical decision.

He also wanted to see that Tarynn was safe, and had not maimed her horse or had been kidnapped by a bandit. Every time that he did not know her whereabouts his chest seemed to ache, he cared for that young fool, he loved her. He was allowed to be concerned.

"Why would she ride out on her own? I thought she was a Lady. Don't all they do is follow instructions"

"Nah not this one, if you had seen her you'd know that she was different, more than your common garden variety Lady. She's intelligent, I've seen it myself. Overheard her reciting the different bones we have in our body, she was singing them actually."

Sandor looked at the guard who was talking, he had red hair and a freckled face, his nose was wonky. He had never heard Tarynn sing, she had never mentioned that she actually could. They had proclaimed their love for what another and yet they didn't know every detail about the other person's life. But wasn't that how it was supposed to be? You learn more about the one you have pledged your love to as you grow old together. Their quirks, their habits.

But will Tarynn and I ever grow old together?

He tugged on Stranger's reins, guiding him more to the left, putting more distance between him and the guards who were chatting. The men noticed this but didn't say anything. No one confronted the Hound over his actions, not if they didn't want to be run through by a sword.

"I don't think I would want an intelligent woman… They wouldn't ever stop talking. No I prefer the dumb ones who just spread their legs and moan."

The red head guard laughed, "Not me, I wouldn't mind having a woman like Tarynn Stark, maybe she's good in bed too."

"Well she's betrothed to Lord Renly now so don't look like you're getting much of a look in."

"How cruel that is." The men laughed and Sandor bristled, he wound his reins aroud his hands and with sharp snap Stranger galloped forward, propelling him into the night.

*Tarynn*

She found Maiden where Max had said she was, her horse neighed softly, nuzzling her face.

"Hello girl, what a strange day we've had huh? Can you take me back to the keep?"

Slowly, so as not to cause any un-necessary hurt to her head, she mounted Maiden and took her reins firmly in her hands. She snapped the reins and Maiden began to move forward at a smooth trot. The sky was a dark blue, and slowly white stars began to emerge, dotting the opaque canvas that they inhabited. If she had a telescope she would have loved to have stopped and taken notes on the stars configurations. Astrology, Maester Luwin used to say, was a wonderful past time and one that should not be overlooked.

She didn't want to ride too fast, her head was still thumping and the lump from Max's brother hitting over the head was tender. She didn't want to aggravate it any further and so she settled for a good pace. When she crested one of the many low hills that covered the landscape outside of King's Landing's walls, she could see the city's walls and gave a sigh of relief. At least she knew that she wasn't completely lost. She could almost see the guards that were standing on either side of the raised portcullis…

Why is it still raised? What are they waiting for, surely its past time for it to be closed… Oh…

It clicked in her mind that her father would have expected her back a while ago and that she had been out of the city walls alone and with no real knowledge of the grounds outside of King's Landing. She could almost see her father's disapproving stare in her mind, she almost didn't want to go back… But she knew that she had to. She guided Maiden down the hill, keeping to the brisk trot, and prayed that her father would not be too angry with her. She was still thinking of ways to lessen her father's wrath when she heard the furious thrum of horse hooves heading to her position.

She looked around her, trying to locate the rider, and had almost given up if it had not been for the voice which called out to her.

"Wolf!" Out of the darkness came Stranger, huge and hulking, and Sandor who had changed out of his heavy metal armour. He slowed to a trot and came up beside her, pulling her out of her saddle and into his arms, her head hurt relentlessly. "Seven hells, thank fuck you're safe." He cradled her against his chest, and she buried her face into his shirt. "Where the fuck have you been…" She could feel his fingers running through her hair but they stopped and pressed against the welt that was forming on the top of her skull, she gritted her teeth, "What happened, who has done this to you?"

She mumbled against his shirt, breathing in his scent, "I fell into one of my trances, one of my possessions. I was with some hunters, the oldest one, hit me over the head with the flat of his blade." She could feel him stiffen, she pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes, they were alight with grey fire, "It wasn't their fault, they were scared. I scared them. It was my fault. I should never have ridden away from the group."

"I'll kill him."

"No Sandor, please, you've never seen me in one of my states… I… you promised me you would help me, not make matters worse."

His eyes cleared and he looked down at her, "Of course I'll help you, there's a maester, he specialises in dreams and deciphering them. I'll take you to see him, I promise."

"You will?"

He bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips, "Of course I will, I love you, it's my job to look after you."

He reached over to grab Maiden's reins, tying them to his saddle so that he could lead Maiden after Stranger. He still had Tarynn nestled in his arms, her breath warm against his neck. "What happened to the riding group?"

Sandor sighed, "The king caught wind of a boar, and has requested that a hunt be made, and he has gone back to the keep for now but has put a couple of hunters and trackers on its trail so that he can return to it in a few days. He wants to bring Renly."

She sat up slightly, "Renly isn't well, and he needs rest."

"Well Robert is insisting, and you know what the king of the seven realms is like, never takes no for an answer. And so your precious Renly will be patched up, locked into a horse, and sent on the hunt with the others. It's only a few broken ribs, I've ridden with worse."

She returned her head back to where it had been against Sandor's chest, closing her eyes, focusing on blocking out the pain of her head. "He is to be my husband Sandor, as much as you are loathe to admit it, he is the man that my father has decided that I should spend the rest of my life with. I can't change that, not with the wedding being so close, if I had more time my ploy with Loras may have worked. I am powerless to go against my father, I won't go against him, I won't disgrace him."

"Are you ashamed Tarynn? Embarrassed? That you fell in love with a Hound and not a Knight? A dog and not a stag? Am I unworthy of you?"

"You know you are not, so don't try to emotionally blackmail me Sandor, it won't work. I have a duty towards my family and my father has placed a lot of emphasis on it. I am to marry Renly. I cannot change that fact, it's set in stone as much as I hate it."

"What happened to the girl who never wanted to marry?"

"These past months in King's Landing have changed me, there is no place for the wild northern girl in this City of Corruption. I have to bring honour to my family and not shame."

"Shame? Marrying me would bring you shame? I offer you love, I will take you to the Free Cities, I won't expect you to give me children. All these things I offer you… I can even afford your dowry and buy ourselves a home. Why is that not good enough?

She reached up, pressing her palm against his scar, "Oh my love, Sandor that is good enough. More than good enough…"

"But." He didn't look down at her, instead he looked straight ahead.

"But I can't. I have… A duty."

The rest of their journey was silent, he was angry, she could feel it radiating from him in waves. She knew that she was pinning a lot on her sense of duty towards her family but it was true. She couldn't turn her back on them, not now, not whilst they were in a foreign city. Her father expected her to do right by the family, and she loved her father, she loved all of them. Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon and even Jon Snow despite the fact that she had always followed her mother's example when it came to him.

I'm doing the right thing aren't I? Marrying Renly will improve our connections with the Baratheons and the south. For too long have the northerners stood apart from the southerners… Right?

When they reached the gate there was a shout, "He's found her, the Hound has found her!"

Sandor's voice rumbled from deep within his chest, "Move aside, I must get Lady Tarynn back to the keep, tell Lord Stark that she has been found."

"Alright Hound."

One of the guards went off, the other stayed behind, watching them as they rode in, "What's wrong with her?"

"None of your bloody business."

The ride up to the keep was slow going, Sandor could hardly see, and didn't want Stranger to break a leg on a loose stone or in a hole or something. After a little while he began to trace idle circles on her back, and she moved closer to him, her ear against his heart.

"I'm sorry wolf."

"No, I'm sorry. I wish I was brave enough to go against my family, I wish I was brave enough to be your wife."

He stopped Stranger, in the middle of a dark road, tilting her chin up. He kissed her, passion behind it, she sighed into the kiss. When they drew apart he rested his forehead against her own, "I wish I was brave enough to ask your father for your hand in marriage. I can cleave men in two, I can face even the most impossible odds in a battle, but I cannot ask a simple question.

"Don't…" She gently traced his chin, his stubble scratching against her finger, "Let's just cherish the moments that we have left."

When they reached the Red Keep. Sandor lifted her down, and began to carry her towards the tower of the Hand, no one questioned his actions.

"Tarynn?! Tarynn! My darling."

She could hear her father's voice, and then felt his hands touching her face, she was tired and her head still throbbed like mad. Sudden pangs coursing through her skull whenever she moved too quickly. Sandor relinquished her into her father's arms and then she was being carried swiftly through the crowd of people. She thought she heard Renly's voice too, but it distorted as her vision began to blacken. The last thing that she remembered before she fell asleep was a crowned stag, dripping with blood.

*Sandor.*

He felt cold without Tarynn in his arms. He looked up and saw the king moving towards him.

"Well done Clegane, you seem to have a knack for tracking things down, I guess that's why we call you the Hound." The king laughed and then clapped him hard on the back before moving quickly away. He watched him go back to the queen, who looked at Sandor and narrowed her eyes, a malicious glint in the jewel like green.

She suspects something.

He grabbed hold of Stranger's reins and gently stroked him on the forehead before leading him towards the stables. He rubbed down his horse himself, and also did Tarynn's, he stabled them together wondering about what the outcome of Stranger and Maiden breeding would be like. He patted Maiden on the neck before leaving the stables, nodding to Teddy who stood by the stable doors.

"Sorry Ser."

"I'm no knight boy."

The lad looked down at the floor, his sandy blonde hair flopping down over his forehead, "Will Lady Tarynn be alright?"

"Yes, she's going to be fine."

"She's always so kind to me…" The boy looked up, his blue eyes innocent and guileless, "Will you have need of a squire Ser… I mean…"

Sandor smiled his twisted half smile and gently clasped the boy on the shoulder, "If I have need of one you will be the first I will ask, now go, and get some sleep. You'll be saddling lots of horses for the king's hunting trip over the next few days."

"Yes Ser, thank you… S-Sandor."

The boy turned and walked into the shadows, heading no doubt to his rooms in the servants' quarters. Sandor knew that he should do so as well, but to go inside was to go to his room, and to go to his room was to lie on his bed, and to lie on his bed was to sleep. And he couldn't sleep for Tarynn was still ingrained in his mind, he wished that he could go to her rooms, share her bed, and hold her in his arms. But he knew deep down that that was just a wistful dream and one that could never be fulfilled. He resigned to going to the wine cellars, pilfering some bottles of fine dornish red before returning to his rooms and drinking himself into a blissful oblivion.

*Tarynn*

She woke with a start, the sweat pouring down her face, her hair was damp and her neck was wet. She touched the back of her neck, her fingertips were soaked with sweat, and her head was still pounding. She was faintly aware that someone else was in her room with her. As her eyes adjusted to the dark she looked around the large room, searching for anything out of place, or anyone lying on the couch or sitting in a chair. She put her hand down beside her and was rewarded with a grunt. She looked to her left, and jumped out of bed. Reaching for the candlestick holder that was on her bedside table and holding it out like a weapon towards the mystery person.

The person in her bed stirred, and sat up, "W-who are you? What are you doing in my bed?"

The figure got up, whoever it was they were tall, she could not see their face for it was too dark. "Tarynn, relax, it's just me. Renly."

She was shaking, her grip loosened on her makeshift weapon and it clattered on the wooden floor. Her fiancé moved around the bed to her, taking her into his arms, and pressing her damp form into his own. "What are you doing here Renly?"

"I didn't want to leave you, I was going to sleep in the chair, but your father said that I should sleep with you in the bed since I would be staying all night and well what with my ribs I don't think I could have slept in the chair without damaging the healing process. You had me so very worried you know, when riders came back with the news that you were missing. Your father and I sent out patrols in order to look for you. We had no idea where you were."

Her head was spinning, she felt delirious, "I'm sorry, Renly I'm sorry."

He stroked her cheek gently and kissed her damp forehead, "Don't worry sweetheart, you're back where you belong now." He pulled her close again pushing back some of the strands of hair that were sticking to her damp face. She untangled herself from him and went to the wash basin that was in the bathroom. She washed off the dampness with clean fresh water, sighing with relief. As she was drying her face with a towel she noticed Renly standing in the door way, leaning against the door frame. "Come on, come back to bed."

She complied, to tired and in pain to be annoyed at Renly for being in her bed. She pulled back the covers but found that there was a damp patch from where she had been sleeping. Renly covered it with a blanket and she slid back into the warm covers of her bed. Renly got back in too and reached for her. She let him, she was so unreasonably cold and the extra body warmth was welcomed. She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, and he put his hand on the small of her back.

"Just imagine, we'll be sleeping like this every night for the rest of our lives soon."

"Yep." She buried her head against Renly even more.

"Are you happy with this Tarynn? With this marriage I mean?"

"It was my father's decision, if he's happy then I'm happy."

"But I'm asking if your happy, not if your father's happy."

Should I tell him the truth? That I don't want to marry him? That I love someone else? No… I can't…

"Clear your head of such thoughts, I'm am very happy." The lie came so easily to her, she was forgetting how to be truthful, she kissed him on the nose.

He laughed and rolled her over so that he was on top of her, "What do you want to name our first born?"

She laughed too, purely at the idiocy of Renly's irrelevant question at that moment of time, "I don't know, what's the point in asking that?"

"I just wanted to know, most girls plan what the names of their children will be when they are young."

"Well I'm not like most girls."

"I know that fact too well."

He kissed her on the mouth, becoming increasingly passionate, his hand slid over her breast, caressing it. She gasped and Renly took this as a sign that she wanted to continue further. His hand slid down her side even further and began to lift up the hem of her night dress. She pulled her face away from his.

"Stop."

"Why wait Tarynn? We're going to do this in two weeks time anyway and numerous times after that."

"I know that this is not what you want."

"What? Of course it is."

"Loras."

An expression crossed his face but it disappeared too quickly for Tarynn to register it. "What about him?"

"Don't play coy with me Renly."

"Those rumours are not true." As if to improve his point his fingers touched lightly against her womanhood it sent a jolt through her body. She panicked, shuffling away from him, hugging her knees and closing her legs tightly together.

"Please don't…"

"I'm sorry Tarynn, I thought that was what you wanted."

"Well you thought wrong… We are not yet married, you… you can't touch me in that way."

"I'm sorry Tarynn, come on, let's try and get some sleep."

She could feel her eyes welling up with tears, she didn't want her first time to be with Renly, of that she was sure of. She wanted Sandor, and Sandor only to teach her the ways of lovemaking. She slid back into the covers and rolled onto her side, her back facing Renly. She could feel the weight of his arm snaking around her hips, pulling her flush against him. He buried his face in her hair. She allowed him to, for if she began to hate him now, she would only detest and loathe him more when they were married and she did not want to cause herself unnecessary pain.