Chapter 17. BETRAYAL

Sandor Clegane had left King's Landing to find and fight for his sister. He stops at a tavern to buy food. A group of men are in the inn laughing and talking about the victory at Blackwater. "Keep it down!" Sandor barks trying to eat his stew in peace.

"Who do you think you are talking to?" The captain says drawing his sword. Sandor stands up allowing the cloak and hood to fall, "The Hound! We meant no disrespect sir…" The man cowardly says.

"The Hound?" Another man says standing up.

"Who are you supposed to be?"

"A man with a purpose. The King's dog is a long way from home."

"Fuck the King!" When Sandor says this the Lannister men in the tavern draw swords.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me stupid!"

Before they could attack the other men in the tavern shoot the Lannister men and a woman bashes Sandor over the head. He is taken to the brotherhood without banners where he duels Beric Dondarrion for his freedom. He kills Beric and witnesses Thoros his right hand pray him back to life. After leaving the brotherhood Sandor continues northwest towards the Riverlands. He sneaks his way past several Lannister men fleeing southeast towards King's Landing.

A week after his run in with the brotherhood Sandor is stalking a deer and shoots it for food. When he goes to collect the deer several arrows land around the deer before he can collect then he is surrounded by several dozen Stark men.

"My name is Sandor Clegane and I'm looking for my sister. Tarra Clegane!"

"Take him and the deer…Make a false move and your dead."

Tara was on patrol with five hundred men and when she returns to Robb's camp she is summoned to his tent. "Sandor!" She says entering the tent.

"Tell these frost bitten Northerners to let me go!"

"What in the seven hells are you doing here?"

"I came to fight for you!"

Tara walks up to her brother and stares into his eyes. She smiles and looks at Robb, "Tell them to let him go…"

"Can we trust him?" Jon Umber asks.

Tara sighs, "Robb!"

"Let him go!"

Sandor looks at the man who brought him to camp, "Where is my deer?"

Later on Tara sits at a fire with Sandor as he cooks the deer on a spit, "You planning on sharing that with your sister?"

He looks at her then cuts a leg off for Tara then slices the ribs himself. "I would like some of that!" Eagen says walking up.

"There is only enough for me!" Sandor replies shoving food into his mouth.

Tara downs some wine from the jar, as they are joined by Brienne. "Brienne of Tarth my brother Sandor Clegane…"

When Sandor looks at Brienne he freezes entranced by her size and beauty. His eyes fall on her sword, "You any good with that sword…"

"She is better than you!" Tara says ripping a piece of meat of the leg she was given.

Sandor looks at Brienne, "Really?"

She just smiles and kicks dirt at Tara, "What?" Tara looks at Sandor, "So what happened? Why did you leave the Lannisters?"

He looks at Tara, "Fire!"

"Oh!" Tara says.

Brienne furrows her brow, "Fire! What does that mean?"

Before Tara could answer Sandor runs his hand over the burns on his face. "Oh! I am so sorry…"

Sandor shrugs and takes another piece of meat and bread, "Can you tell us any of Tywin's plans…"

"Nothing you probably already don't know…The Tyrells are helping the Lannisters. Tywin has over 90,000 men in the capital…Margaery Tyrell is promised to that little prick Joffrey! There is dissension among the Lannisters…Tywin is now Hand of the King…Tyrion Lannister has been demoted…"

"The king in the North will want some type of proof that you are loyal…"

Sandor looks at Tara, "I fight for you! Tara Clegane my sister…"

Tara takes a swig of wine, "And if I ordered you to burn Clegane's Keep?"

"Then I would burn it to the ground…I have no love for the place no more than you save for my father and mother's bones…" Tara nods and after they eat she finds a note with the personal seal of the Lord of Whispers on her cot. She breaks it and reads.

Lady Tara Clegane in the North

This is a warning about the treachery of Walder Frey who has made a deal with Tywin Lannister…Jaime Lannister has married Sylene Frey…

Signed a Friend

Tara stares at the note and then smells it a hint of perfume. The letter was not written by the Lord of Whispers. He may be a Eunuch but he is not a pansy. Tara's head starts to spin as she takes a seat on the ground and folds her legs. "Cersei Lannister!" She whispers over and over again. Tara weighed all the implications. Who would benefit the most by revealing this secret? She came up with the following theory…Queen Cersei betrays her father's secret in the hopes that Sylene Frey would die in a battle at the Twins. Jaime escapes and is free of Walder Frey. "Her relationship with her brother runs deeper than we thought…" The question now was how should Tara use this information and when? If Tywin loses the war Walder Frey will be forced to support the Starks and seek another form of revenge.

"We must take King's Landing."