Sansa was in complete awe, standing on deck when the great Titan of Braavos greeted them as they entered the secret city.
The ship lowered its anchor in Ragman's Harbor at sunset. The sky above was a vibrant turquoise-blue, with brilliant, fiery orange and yellow clouds spattered across it. At the horizon, the sky mirrored the clouds, but above them, a seemingly endless deep purple. Sansa had never seen such a sight in her life. And out of all the sunsets Sandor had seen in Lannisport, none had been this magnificent.
With difficulty, Sandor led Stranger off of the ship who was kicking and bucking wildly. Sansa couldn't tell if the beast was angry, or excited to touch solid ground after weeks of sea-travel. The ground beneath her had felt strange, but her surroundings stranger.
"There's a tavern with a stable not far, make sure to go there," Karbo told them both, his articulation of the Common Tongue improved from his long talks with Sansa.
"Thank-you Karbo, for everything," Sansa said gratefully, as she wrapped her arms around the rough sea captains neck in a hug. Pulling away, she placed a kiss on both sides of his face.
"If you gave me hugs and kisses everyday, I'd sail you to the Jade Sea and beyond!" Karbo laughed, and winked at Sandor.
"Good luck to you both," he said, walking towards Sandor with an outstretched hand.
"And to you too Karbo, may your voyages be smooth," Sansa commented.
Sandor took his hand and shook it.
"Valar morghulis," Karbo said, leaning into Sandor's ear.
Sandor knew the phrase well.
"Valar dohaeris," he replied, pulling away from the man and releasing the handshake.
Turning towards his little wife he said, "Up you go onto Stranger, 'won't have you walking on foot tonight."
Sansa reached for his shoulders to steady herself ,for she was used to this routine, as he lifted her up by her waist to place upon Stranger.
High atop the warhorse, Sansa took in all the unfamiliar sights her eyes could possibly see.
The Free city of Braavos was formed by a hundred islands connected by compact stone bridges that spanned the many canals throughout the city. Buildings here were made of deep, gray stone, and build so close that they leaned up against one another. Some houses were built above the waterways, five stories high. Towering above the buildings were enormous aqueducts that brought freshwater into the city.
Ragman's Harbor was filled with noise, people selling clams and shellfish, and traders from Pentos, Myr, Volantis and beyond.
Karbo had told her how to spot out high-born and officials from everyone else - by the different colors they wore. She could spot no high-born or officials, just common folk and lowborn alike going about their business before the sun set.
The environment changed once they stepped out of the marketplace by the docks. With each step the canals became more numerous, and the buildings taller, and more crowded. Sandor was blatantly foreign in his heavy, black armor and longsword by his side. He and Sansa atop Stranger seemed to take up the entire path.
As they passed, men stared them down. Their hands lightly touching the hilts of their slender swords at their hips in an almost frivolous way. They examined Sandor's hulking figure, and gawked at the ruined side of his face. However, seemed more interested in the fair maiden who rode atop his horse. Noticing this, Sandor held the reins tighter, picking up the pace as he strode through the crowds, only looking forward. Making eye-contact could be considered provoking to these hot-blooded, water-dancing Braavosi.
This is no place for a horse like Stranger, Sandor noted. Or a girl like Sansa Stark for that matter.
The alleyways too narrow and crowded, and the canals to deep and wide.
Sansa 'oohed' and 'aahed' girlishly at all the exotic sights. The hood and headscarf hid her auburn hair, but even combined could not hide her beauty. Her features were sharp, and looked radiant against the dying sun. The sunlight made her Tully blue eyes shine in a way that he had not seen in ages.
Sandor thought she looked powerful atop his horse, her straightened back and partly hidden features gave her an air of regality. He felt as if he was smuggling something forbidden and precious into the city.
They went to three taverns until they found the one with a stable Karbo spoke of. Sansa swung her legs around Stranger to sit side-face, and waited for Sandor to lift her down. When he came to her, Sansa reached out her arms and held his shoulders tightly. He then lifted her off the horse as if she weighed nothing at all. For a brief moment they were very close. Sansa's hands still wound around Sandor's shoulders as his large hands remained at her waist. If she were to step forward their bodies would be flush against another. She licked her lips, and Sandor pulled away.
"I'll be back in a moment, stay here, and don't talk to anyone," he said, pulling on Stranger's reigns to search for the stable boy inside the stalls.
After a few minutes Sansa saw what she assumed to be the stable boy scurrying out of the stalls with their saddlebags, and her hulking man of a husband behind him. Without a word, he put his arm on her shoulder and ushered her inside.
Once inside the tavern's keeper greeted them in a mixture of Braavosi and Common Tongue.
"Tell her we need to stay here for a couple nights, and require a hot meals and a bath," Sandor leaned in close to speak in her ear.
The woman chucked at Sansa's Braavosi. Once she was done, she called across the room loudly to a young serving girl who quickly made her way over to them.
"Rooms, this way," she said crudely, and the couple followed her through the noisy hall to the stairs. The stable boy carried their baggage behind them.
Just like in the canal-streets, the men touched their sword hilts and followed them with their eyes. But this time, Sandor heard someone whistle at Sansa, and even made a move to touch her.
"Oh!" He heard her gasp.
Before they could get close to his little bird, Sandor shoved her in front of him, half holding her, half pushing her up the stairs until they reached their room.
The room was cramped, which was good enough for Sandor's tastes. Promptly placing their things by the foot of the bed, the boy lit a fire in the dirty, small, hearth. Sandor heard the girl and Sansa speaking, their conversation short. Both the stable boy and serving girl left the room once the conversation was finished.
Tired, Sansa sat down on the bed. To her distaste, it was a bed stuffed with straw, rather than a comfortable featherbed.
"What did the girl say?" Sandor asked her.
"She'd bring up our meals, and a bath once we're done. Also, some wine for you."
Sandor found it thoughtful that she would order wine for him. He definitely needed it to take the nerves from the day off.
For dinner they ate a hearty meal of fish, grains, and oysters covered in butter, with a loaf of hot bread to soak the juices up with. She drank a cup of goat's milk, and Sandor washed his meal down with a flagon of sour, red wine. In King's Landing Sansa had savory seafood dishes, but never had she tasted fish so fresh.
And after dinner two women came in with a wooden tub. Behind them, the stable boy filled the tub with two large buckets of hot water. Sandor began to remove his armor to lay down on the bed, facing away from his little wife to give her as much privacy he could in the cramped room. Usually, he'd leave the room but, Sandor wasn't in the mood to deal with the Braavosi men downstairs, or to venture out into the night.
Sansa's traveling clothes pooled to the floor beneath her feet. Untying the ribbon that held up her hair, it fell down her back in thick and wild curls. She hoped to wash the scent of the sea away from her skin and hopefully the ache of their journey too. Goosepimples raised from her skin, the meager fire had yet to warm their small room.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sandor on the bed, facing away from her. She let out a sigh of relief. The girl did not know how she'd feel if she knew if his eyes were on her as she bathed.
Lowering herself into the tub, she sighed again, and began to scrub the weariness from her skin.
He has never seen me nude, Sansa thought to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair. On the other hand, Sansa was not stranger to the sight of his naked form. She had watched him bathe at the Ivy Inn on the Kingsroad, and countless times shirtless, she had even bathed him when he couldn't himself. His form had become familiar, no longer frightening. Would he want to see me nude too?
Pushing the embarrassing thought from her mind, she lifted herself out of the tub and began to dry herself. With her sleeping robe tied firmly around her, she sat on the edge of the bed to braid her long, auburn hair.
Sandor rolled over at looked at Sansa with heavily lids.
"Enjoy your bath little bird?" He yawned
She turned around to look at him. His hand propped up his face lazily, and he had a sheepish look to him.
"Yes," she chirped, "Will you take on as well?"
"Might as well," he said, stretching, then hobbling out of bed. The limp still remained, Sansa noticed. Each time he got out of bed, when he was tired, or exerted himself that day the limp would reappear.
It'll probably never go away, she thought to herself as she lay down to sleep.
It was either in his favor or not. If the limp remained, he could no longer fight in the service of someone else. But if he had to protect himself from someone else, could he? Sansa hoped that he never had to kill again.
But hands that were meant for killing hardly stayed clean.
Valar morghulis, She thought. And then she was fast asleep, dreaming of knights fighting alongside wolves, and the crashing of steel upon steel, and blood.
Notes:
They're in Braavos! This chapter was mostly plot, but I hoped you enjoyed all the same! Do you guys think I write enough scenes where Sansa or Sandor are bathing? Maybe I should write them bathing together someday.. Also, this is the first chapter published with out the help of my lovely beta queen-sansastark. We're both very busy (she more than I) and it's hard to find a time where she can edit / I can write. She has taught me so much about grammar, punctuation, etc and has truly helped me shape my writing tools to get this fan-fiction on its feet! She has given me so much confidence in my own writing, and I couldn't have come this far without her kindness and support. Cheers to you queen-sansastark!