They rode along the path for days, the grass increasing in height until it reached far above their heads. Sansa squinted in the blinding sunlight, growing weary of being jostled by the horse.

"Can I walk for a while?" Sansa glanced up at the Hound, his eyes avoiding hers. He didn't respond, only stopped the horse. Before she could move, he had already dismounted and was lifting her from the saddle.

He set her on the ground and grabbed the reins, marching ahead as she stretched her sore legs. She hurried to catch up with him, the grass around them swaying gently in the breeze. They walked in silence, the Hound stalking ahead of her and the horse.

"How far from Pentos are we going to travel?" She asked, picking at the tall grass as she trailed behind him.

"As far as we need to go." He grunted. Sansa sighed, gently weaving the blades of grass together. The sun beat down upon them as they walked but still the Hound wore his heavy armor, clinking along the path. After a moment, Sansa threw the grass down, instead studying his scarred face.

The burns that once scared her were now cast into a different light. She now knew the reason he scowled so much - he was just reflecting what people thought of him, protecting himself by throwing up a false front. Everything he had said to her that she once thought cruel and unkind ran through her mind and now she could see that he didn't know the world any differently than that. No one had ever shown the least bit of kindness to him - so why would he show kindness to anyone?

Suddenly he stopped, looking down at her. Her cheeks reddened and she looked away, pretending to study the grass around them, all the while afraid that he would somehow know what she'd been thinking.

"I don't want your pity, girl." He growled, frowning down at her. "Save it for someone else."

"I don't pity you." She replied, lifting her chin defiantly as she glance up at him. "I pity the people who treated you so cruelly, who made you see the world as a horrible place."

"Did you save some pity for yourself, little bird?" He demanded, his lip curling up angrily as he searched her eyes.

"No." She whispered, her lips quivering slightly. He snorted, turning away as he nudged the horse forward. Her head dipped slightly as the guilt flooded her.

"I have no pity for myself - only shame." The quiet words fell from her lips, murmured under her breath as a tear slid down her cheek. She hastily brushed it away before following after him.

xxxxxxxxxx

They camped among the tall grass, hidden from view. Sansa lay huddled up on a bed of grass, her cloak wrapped tightly around her to ward off the chill of the night. She reached up to rub her sore neck, stretching it out slowly.

Squinting in the dark, she could just barely make out his bulky form beside the horse in the dim moonlight. Another day full of silence. That was what she had to look forward to quietly, she rolled onto her back, gazing up at the moon.

Her body ached but she was reluctant to sleep, knowing that the nightmares would inevitably come. Her thoughts turned instead to the memory a few nights before, to her unanswered question.

"You're staying, then?" Sansa lowered her eyes, afraid of his response. Her chest constricted as she waited for him to say something. She knew that it was too much to hope, that his saying us was more than likely just a slip of the tongue. Reluctantly, she peeked at his face from beneath her lashes, heart pounding in her chest.

"You ask too many question." His sharp voice dashed all her hopes, confirming that he had misspoken. He took a swig from the water skin before leaning back, his face expressionless. "Go to sleep now, girl, we have to get an early start."

She closed her eyes as if she could shut out the memory and erase it from her mind. Please let him stay. She pleaded silently with the gods as hopelessness overtook her. Curling up tightly, she let the fear fill her soul. I didn't know if I could survive on my own...

A sudden touch jolted her awake, her eyes flying open. The Hound crouched next to her, holding a chunk of bread in his outstretched hand.

"This is almost the last of our food." He spoke gently as she took the bread. "It will probably only last us a few more days."

He stood and walked back to the horse, stroking his shiny coat. Sansa took a bite, chewing slowly as she observed him. She struggled to swallow, the food catching in her throat as a thought occurred to her.

"We're not going to eat him, are we?" She suddenly felt nauseous, her stomach rebelling at the thought of eating horseflesh.

"It's him or us." The Hound kept his back to her, still stroking the horse.

"You can't kill him!" Sansa scrambled to her feet, her voice pitchy as she stared him down. "I won't let you!"

"So you'd rather die than kill a horse?" He scoffed, turning round to look at her. His eyes were hard as he stared down at her, stepping towards her.

"I'm not hungry." She said stubbornly, holding out the bread to him. He grinned as he took it, shaking his head in disbelief. Sansa walked past him to the horse, gently stroking his silky coat. He whinnied, nudging her cheek with his wet nose. She smiled sadly at him as the Hound grabbed his reins, leading him back to the path.

"If we don't find food in a few days, I will eat him." The Hound warned, his countenance dark as he lifted Sansa onto the horse's back. She ignored him, gently patting the horse's neck as the Hound climbed up behind her. He urged the horse forward, trotting down the path as the sun rose higher in the sky.

xxxxxxxxx

The sun had reached the middle of the sky and Sansa felt sweat trickled down the back of her neck. She paused, fanning herself with her hand. The breeze had stopped abruptly and she had discarded her cloak earlier in the day. The Hound stopped the horse, looking back at her.

"Drink." He commanded, giving her the water skin. It felt so light in her hand, it had to be nearly empty. She swallowed a tiny bit, holding it back out to him. He scowled and she drank a little more.

Satisfied, he began walking again, the horse trailing behind him. Sansa took a deep breath and followed them. The grass was beginning to thin out some and she had smelt something sweet on the breeze earlier.

Suddenly she caught sight of something, a curl of smoke rising up in the distance. The horse's ears pricked up, signaling that he had heard something. A rustling came from before them and Sansa froze, her breath catching as a form emerged from the grass.

She breathed a sigh of relief as a stray dog darted past them. She hastened to catch up with the Hound as the grass receded completely. To her amazement, there sat an abandoned shack, almost in complete disrepair. A small stable stood behind it, the door barely hanging on.

Sansa spotted a well not too far from the house and she headed straight for it, peering down inside. The Hound tied the horse to the stable and hauled up the bucket, tasting the water before passing it to her. She drank deeply, the sweet liquid cooling her dry throat. Wiping her mouth, she passed the bucket back to the Hound.

As he drank, she surveyed the land surrounding them. It's open fields had obviously been used for crops before. Catching sight of the smoke in the distance, she pointed it out.

"What is it?" She asked, watching the smoke lazily dancing into the sky.

"I don't know but I'm sure we'll find out." He replied, turning to look inside the shack. "For now, I think we should camp here tonight."