Thank you for reviews again, my darlings! I have tried to stay as faithful as I can to Arya's character here in particular, I hope you all like it! My thanks especially to cannoncrossedlovers for reminding me about Arya's struggle with her conscience in ASOS, I would have probably left a lot of it out otherwise! :) In a way I suppose Arya's reaction stems from the fact that she has had so many people leave her and is now afraid that Sansa will do the same... what do you guys think? :) x

Chapter 11:

Arya's lip was trembling. She turned and walked away, her hands bunched into fists. I should have smashed his head in when I had the chance. She could hear Sansa calling her name and heavy footsteps approaching her, but she broke into a run. When she felt Sandor's iron grasp on her arm she whirled around, swift as a deer.

He won't take me this time. As she turned she yanked Needle from her waist and slashed it across, feeling the tip pierce his armour, and then his skin. When she drew Needle back, there was blood on it. Without looking at either of them, ignoring Sandor's swearing and Sansa's cry, she ran again. This time they would not catch her. Darting in and out of the trees, Arya could feel her step becoming lighter and lighter, as if she could take to the air. If I could fly I'd go to Jon on the wall. He wouldn't betray me for someone who killed my friend.

She didn't make for the camp like she'd promised Brienne. If she wanted to protect Arya so much she could come and look for her while Sansa and the Hound carried on with their little…

Arya looked briefly at the blood on her sword before running her finger up it slowly, and wiping it on the nearest tree as if it were a stain. She ran some more. There was still faint shouting. Uncaring, she quickened her pace until she was running past trees that were no longer familiar. Who cares? Sansa doesn't care about me even though she's told me she's sorry. She just likes the Hound. I thought she was too much of a lady to like someone like him. Or has she forgotten we're meant to be going home?

In a fit of rage, Arya attacked a random trunk as if her life depended upon it. She smashed it with Needle's edge with everything she had. She could see Syrio's face when the Kingsguard had attacked him in King's Landing. She could see Sandor's face as he lay on the floor of the cave belonging to the Brotherhood. She could see Sansa's face as she realised they had been spotted.

"Traitor," She whispered. She drove Needle's point into the trunk, which now looked like a tower of sliced fruit. "Ser Meryn, Ser Ilyn, Queen Cersei..."

In her mind's eye she could see his burned face and how Sansa would rather see that than the face of her sister. The Hound. The Hound. The Hound.

A small part of her that had left his name out of her prayer suddenly awoke then, trying to reason with her.

He did protect you at the Twins.

Yes, but he killed Mycah…

You only knew Mycah briefly.

Yes, but I knew he was also innocent. It was my fault.

Sansa told you he once saved her, just like he has saved you.

Yes but he KILLED Mycah! He has no right to be so close to Sansa!

If she wants him to be, he is her shield.

He was Joffrey's shield. Look how that turned out.

"I should have followed my instinct and insisted on accompanying Lady Arya," Brienne said to no one in particular. It sounded more like a scolding for herself.

"If that little bitch is a lady then I'm Queen regent." Sandor growled whilst Sansa attended the cut on his arm. He had claimed it gave him no pain, but it had turned out to be much deeper than it looked- and worryingly, it wouldn't stop bleeding. She had to swab it several times before she could wrap it, all the while giving Sandor a look that begged forgiveness and that he help her find her sister.

"My lady," Brienne said, standing before Sansa, "Do you have any idea why your sister might have ran away? Anywhere in particular she might have gone?"

Before answering, Sansa gave a nervous look at Sandor. She could hardly tell Brienne the truth; there was no knowing how she would react, and besides she certainly wasn't ready to tell anyone else. It was bad enough that Arya had seen.

But now she was gone, with no notion as to where she had run, Sansa couldn't escape the sense of emptiness that hung around, despite having Sandor near her. Even when they had been brief hostages of Greyjoy's, Sansa had known Arya was near and that they were being brought back together. When they had been parted on the road, she knew that Brienne was with Arya and watching over her. But now they were surrounded by people that they didn't really know in the slightest and Arya had gone missing because of her own actions. Sandor wouldn't want to go after her, not after how Arya had attacked him. They had rushed through the trees along the stream for what seemed like hours calling after Arya until Sandor had insisted they double back to the camp and raise an alarm.

Brienne had instantly blamed Sandor, verbally attacking him even more violently than she had before, calling him a traitor and lying dog. She probably would have taken him by the neck if Sansa hadn't come between them, pleading for Brienne to stay calm.

"She wouldn't have cut you without cause." Brienne had muttered, before asking someone outside to tell Asha Greyjoy what had happened.

And now she was demanding outright a reason.

"I was just walking the little bird through the woods when we came upon her. She was practicing her bloody swordplay and caught me in the arm. When I tried to grab her and make her apologise she ran."

Brienne's face was cold at first and then filled with contempt, and eventually pure hatred. Before anything could happen however, Asha's voice filled the tent.

"I've sent a few scouts out to comb the woods," She walked tall and spoke simply as if nothing was wrong. It's not as if she has anything to lose. "When your sister is found she'll be brought back to you immediately."

"Thank you." Sansa said stiffly, focusing all her attention on Sandor's cut, despite it being perfectly clean and wrapped now. Brienne was stood by herself, one hand tense on her scabbard. Sansa looked over at her, and suddenly she knew what the Maid of Tarth was thinking.

"I'm going to look for Lady Catelyn's daughter." And with that, Brienne was out of the tent in three long strides.

Arya could feel the dryness in her throat. She needed a drink. There was a stream back where she had left Sansa and the Hound, but she didn't want to go back there, not yet. Climbing into a tree as quick as a snake, she made a slightly uncomfortable bed for herself among the entwining branches.

The sky was beginning to darken. As she looked up at it, Arya thought she could briefly make out the wispy trail of the red comet that had once streaked across the heavens. She could remember overhearing that it meant revenge for her father's death. The minute the face of Eddard Stark entered her mind she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She angrily brushed them away, wondering how Father would have reacted if he had seen Sansa and the Hound the way she had. He would have heard Sansa's side of the story before gutting the Hound. But would he? She had wanted to run Needle through the Hound's back before he had a chance to turn, teaching him that was what happened when he made the wolves of Winterfell do things they didn't want to. But Sansa wasn't struggling…

"Arya?" There was the sound of hooves far below, the voice belonging to Brienne of Tarth. "My lady?"

"I'm not a lady!" Arya shouted so loud the birds who had made their homes in her tree took off in fright. The branches and leaves around her shook so violently it was as if the tree itself meant to throw her out, like another person who didn't want her.

"Neither am I," Brienne replied, in a slow and understanding voice, "Will you please tell me why you ran away?"

"Because of the Hound!" Arya could feel her voice breaking. She leapt down from the tree without properly noticing how high it was, and the ground rushing up to meet her gave her awful blows of pain in her feet, which only served to make her more angry. "He killed Mycah and he had Sansa up against a tree, he wanted to kiss her! And she wanted to kiss him back, I know she did! I know she did… she'd rather be with him than me and I'm family!"

Brienne swung down from her horse and came to kneel in front of Arya. When Arya looked up at her she could see a look of horror on her face.

"Tell me true," She said gently, "Are you sure that is what you saw?"

"Sansa wasn't trying to fight him in any way," Arya nearly screamed, "She wanted to kiss him!"

Brienne placed her large hands on Arya's shoulders, and the young wolf felt a sense of comradeship in that moment that she had not felt even with Gendry.

"Sansa is a woman, Arya… she is heir to Winterfell and she can make her own choices. You have no idea how angry I am at the Hound but I will speak with her before approaching him. He swore himself to her as I did. But I will not let this go unnoticed." Brienne sighed then, and Arya could sense that she was preparing herself for a heavy weight burden to carry. She paused slightly before saying wearily, "It is not up to us to tell Lady Sansa whom she loves, but we can at least protect her should she need it."

Brienne's words held Arya tight. As they slowly made their way back to the encampment Arya began to let her voice of reason take hold even more.

Brienne is right. I can only let Sansa make this decision. Winterfell is more important than who she wants to kiss, anyway.

Yes, but he did kill Mycah…

Whom I only knew briefly. I left him out of the names before because I didn't want to kill him.

And that small truth hit her then as she clung on to Brienne's back.

I didn't want to kill him.