A/N:

- I don't own the characters at all. George RR Martin does and since this can also be considered tv-show canon it also belongs to the HBO show.

- And many many thanks to my betas for helping me along. Your encouragement has been crucial for this story to be allowed to be seen by others beside its nervous shy author. So gingerbeer48, swiftsnowmane, vargasse & onborrowedwings- I owe you so much! 3

- The story will contain dialogue from both the books and the show from now on.

- I am not so sure about the timeline regarding Theon taking Winterfell & "killing" Bran & Rickon, but for this story it happened just before the Battle of the Blackwater and so the news reached King's Landing by the time the battle was going to begin. Hope this little change doesn't matter too much

It was the middle of the afternoon and Sandor Clegane was skinning a hare he'd caught for their supper with his dagger- the same dagger he used to threaten to kill me with, Sansa thought. She had seen the sight many times before, but it still made her belly queasy to see the poor animal being stripped of its skin.

Now that they were well inside the Kingswood he had finally taken his dented armor off, and it lay discarded near him since he had been cleaning the blood and soot off it since morning. Sansa could only wonder at how he had managed to catch some sleep with all that heavy weight on. He had left his boiled leather and mail shirt on, but even so, he could move faster and with greater agility now.

"Perhaps I should've worn the bleeding Kingsguard armor instead," he'd said as he took off his breastplate.

"You didn't like to wear it that much, did you?"

"It was all a bloody joke, so no, I didn't like it, little bird. Bad enough that I had to wear the cloak."

"Then why is it bad that you didn't bring it along? It would've been even easier to recognize you in it," she said.

"It would've been worth more when the time came to sell it," he'd replied.

But now the Hound was seated beside a log when Sansa returned to their campsite. Today they had settled for a clearing and Sansa had nodded her approval as she thought that she would be able to see the stars in the sky tonight. She had gone off to fetch sticks and dry leaves for the fire, but in truth she had wanted to go to the little pond she'd seen just before they came upon the clearing so she could clean her moon blood. If her sums were right, and that was a little dubious since sums were not her strength, then today would be the last day she had her moon blood- until next month that is.

She saw Stranger grazing nearby as she said, "Here, these are all the sticks and dry leaves I could bring with me."

Clegane looked at the bunch of wood she'd brought and grunted his approval. "I caught us dinner. You like the taste of roast hare little bird, do you? We have nothing to season it with, but it doesn't taste that bad."

Sansa sat in front of him in the earth without a spare thought to her embroidered silks and gave a deep sigh to show she'd heard him. By now her gown was quite ruined so she didn't see the point of trying to spare it more earth stains. I must be so dirty, she thought gloomily, hugging her legs. She had washed her hands and face in the pond, but her beautiful auburn curls were starting to get tangled and her riding boots were caked with mud. The hem of her dress was all mismatched where she'd torn it and she had had to take off the necklace she'd been wearing after she had realized she had lost one of her earrings. Once she would never had allowed herself to get in such a state, but she was not a silly little girl anymore, but a young woman on the run for her life and things like bathing and looking pretty could not be a part of her days for the present. Even if she'd wanted to, the kingswood would not have allowed it. I wonder what would Arya say if she saw me now..?

The thought of her sister gave her the courage she had needed. She gulped and the Hound looked at her once more at the sound and Sansa finally asked him what she was most anxious to know. "What will we do now?"

For a moment she was afraid he would not answer her, but then he said, "I've been thinking about it, little bird… We ought to decide where to head forth now. The Kingswood is no fit place for the likes of you to live in."

"I thought we only had the one choice," she said. "My mother and brother are in Riverrun. We ought to head there. We could've gone to Winterfell before, but now that Theon Greyjoy has killed Bran and Rickon and the ironmen hold the north, I suppose there isn't much sense in going there."

He agreed. "You're right, we won't be going to Winterfell."

Still, Sansa had some doubts. "When we fled, why didn't we make north for the Trident or even the West?"

The Hound had finished skinning their dinner. He stood up and began to pile the sticks she'd gathered for a fire. "At the time I acted on istinct. I was planning on riding north- everyone was- but as we left the city I suddenly thought of the Kingswood. It's big enough for us to get lost in it and there's better opportunities to hide from the scouts they'll send after you. Outlaws have managed to elude capture for decades. You've heard of the Kingswood Brotherhood, haven't you? They will never think we're hiding here…"

Sansa knew he was right and had her best interest at heart, but she wanted to see her mother again so badly that it hurt. If it had been up to her she would've run every mile from the Red Keep to Riverrun to be with her. But she supposed that now she had heard the Hound's reasons, his decision was better. Sansa still wished though that there was a way she could see her mother and brother again sooner.

"We can't stay here forever though," she pointed out. She wove her fingers together under her chin.

"I know… We have a few options. But look, there is no way in seven hells I'll be taking you to Riverrun through the Riverlands," he suddenly informed her bluntly. "So bugger that, little bird."

Sansa blinked at him in surprise. He had spat the last words with something like contempt and in a tone that brooked no argument. She stared at him and frowned. "Why not?"

The Hound chuckled, a sour sound, part rumble, part a snarl. "Have you ever heard of the Bloody Mummers, girl? Or better still, Ser Amory Lorch? You know all the bloody knights in the Seven Kingdoms, but have you heard of Lorch or Vargo Hoat and his Brave Companions..?"

Sansa thought quickly but could not recognize any of the names. "Who are they?"

He chuckled once more, but now bitterly. "Lorch is believed to be the one to have killed Rhaegar's little girl and the Brave Companions otherwise known as the Bloody Mummers are the same bloody company. Vargo Hoat is their leader, but he is my brother's pet. They are supposedly sellswords, but in truth they're just scum. Outlaws and criminals from all over the world…"

Sansa was still lost. "But what have they got to do with us?"

"Tywin Lannister has let them loose around the Riverlands. I was there every time Joffrey got reports of all the holdfasts and villages and farmlands they had burned and sacked. They're not just scum. They do more than just burn or rape or steal. I don't want you to know what sets them apart from other sellswords, but trust me little bird, it is not a pretty tale. If we encountered them I might be able to cut down some, but in the end, I reckon you wouldn't be a maiden for long… The riverlands are in chaos, filled with battles, armies, murderers, rapists and wolves. So now you know why we can't reach your kingly brother by land. Nor your grandfather or the Blackfish for that matter."

His voice trailed off and Sansa shuddered. She could find nothing to say to his words, but as her heart sank within her, her mind began to search for another way to reach Riverrun. She knew that nothing she could say would convince him to take her there by the Kingsroad and the lands of the Trident.

"Well, if not by land couldn't we reach it by sea?"

Sandor Clegane's eyes bore into her, but she did not look away. For once his scars did not attract her attention. "Yes the sea would be my choice too, yet to where would we head? We can't go down by the Stepstones and the Arbor to reach Riverun by the west because we'd be too close to Lannisport. Who's to say we won't be recognized and sold to the Lannisters still at the Rock? Aye, your brother is in the west so we have a fair chance of being sold to him instead, but those waters belong to the iron squibs. I don't suppose you'd like to become a salt wife, would you? They are bound to take any ship sailing near their buggering isles."

Sansa had grown up with Theon Greyjoy, her father's ward. She had liked him well enough. He was quick to laughter and had always been good to her. That was before he murdered her little brothers though…

She had no idea what a salt wife was, but by the Hound's mocking tone she could only suppose it was not a good thing. And of course, after what Theon had done to Winterfell and her little brothers, she did not wish to be captured by any ironmen.

"So the fucking ironborn hiding in half the castles cut us off from the North and the sea to the west," Clegane continued grudgingly. "There's another way though. You have an aunt in the Vale, don't you?"

"Yes, my lady mother's sister, Lysa Arryn…" It had been years since she last saw her aunt. "I met her when I was little but I don't remember her very well."

"Well, I do. She lived in the Red Keep until her benevolent husband died and Robert took us North in search of your father. I never once talked to her bur Joffrey would often play tricks on that sickly boy of hers."

Sansa didn't want to hear how Joffrey had been mean to yet another member of her family. "I'm sure she would be kind to me for my mother's sake. She's my own blood."

Sandor Clegane snorted. "Most of the time it is your own blood that's the cruelest to you."

Sansa didn't agree much with that view, since she could never imagine any Stark treating her cruelly. But she said nothing since she knew that the Hound hadn't been thinking of her family when he said that. He was thinking of his brother.

"Your aunt seemed to me a bit touched to tell you the truth, but still, it might be the safest route we have. The Vale has not yet entered the war but it is still not without troubles. It'd be a harrowing journey. You remember the bloody Imp's clansmen? Well, we'd be avoiding them since we'd arrived by sea. We have the coin but once we are in Gulltown we might find a way to reach her before someone recognizes us. There's bound to be trading there even though it lies near Dragonstone. If Stannis lost he'll retreat back to it for a time and won't bother with the seas passages. And if he wins then his main force won't even be near us."

Sansa liked this notion better than the previous one, but there was something at the back of her mind which she could not quite name which bothered her where her aunt was concerned.

"But what if she doesn't believe I am her niece or we can't reach her?"

He had no immediate answer to that. Silence fell between them as he looked for a way out of the problem she'd presented; while she tried to place the foreboding feeling she had regarding the Vale.

"Might be safer to try and head for Widow's Watch or White Harbor or even your father's bastard up at the Wall," Sandor Clegane finally replied.

Sansa gasped. Jon! How could she have forgotten him? Yes, seeing him again would be so wonderful… "Yes, we could go to the Wall, though I don't know if Jon would be at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea or at Castle Black… If he is at the latter we would have to trust the Night's Watch at Eastwatch to shelter us till a bird reached Jon."

"The Night's Watch takes no sides, girl. If it were our last choice I would dare it, but don't you remember that the Imp sent Janos Slynt to the Wall? He may have taken the black but if he sees or hears about us being there, he'd inform King's Landing as soon as possible to get a pardon and return south…"

Sansa did want to see her half-brother, but the mention of Janos Slynt made her wary. She hated the man ever since he'd shown her father's head to the crowd on that dreadful day when all her world had shattered, and she had even gotten a painful beating thanks to him when she had in front of Joffrey that she hoped the Others would take Lord Slynt.

"The Manderleys are the closest of your father's banner men that we could reach in the North and the best choice we have, as I see it. We'd need to be even more careful there because it is a large porl city and word would spread if even one person recognized us."

"But surely Lord Manderley would keep us hidden?"

"He might if we reach him with our skins intact, but both guards and servants would see us and they'd gossip and word would spread. I am the one who is easily recognized. But I won't leave you with your brother's fat bannerman alone. I won't abandon you the first moment I can… So to outwit the lions we shall wait in White Harbor till we find a way to reach Riverrun. The ironborn hold Moat Cailin but if we send word to your brother a mighty host might be able to reach us unharmed. The bog devils are supposedly on the Young Wolf's side so they could help him clean Moat Cailin from the ironmen."

Sansa did not quite understand all the war strategies he explained to her, and even if she'd had a mind for it she wouldn't have been able to. Was distracted by the fact that she had just remembered what made her rule out the Vale from their possibilities. She had never heard the Hound talk this way before. It was a little strange to hear him discuss strategy in such depth (since no one ever did that with her) but at the same time it was reassuring to know that he knew how to stay alive, and that he would not abandon her to her fate…

"We will have to go to White Harbor. I've just remembered that Lord Baelish has gone to the Vale to try and marry my aunt," Sansa informed him.

The Hound looked at her with wide eyes and swore under his breath. "Fuck, I'd forgotten about Littlefinger! But you're right little bird… It'll have to be White Harbor then. Even if your aunt doesn't accept him, he's still a member of the bloody council and if he sees us in the Vale he'll come back running to King's Landing to confirm the tale the raven he'd send had brought…"

It was dusk now and the sky was darkening quickly. The Hound had abandoned the thought of making the fire long ago, but now he bent upon the task once again. Sansa shivered as a cold wind swept by and she stood up and went slowly to fetch her fur cloak from the saddle. She felt very weary and thought that maybe she ought not to have asked yet what they ought to do next. So many people wanted her either dead or captured for a ransom that she felt desolate. It was plain enough now that she wouldn't be seeing her mother or Robb any time soon. She might have escaped the Lannisters but her troubles were far from over. I'd rather be at White Harbor than with Joffrey any time though, she thought, but it wasn't the Manderley's seat she longed for. She needed Winterfell and her mother's arms and Robb's smiles. She needed her father's kind words and Arya's defiant scowl. She needed Bran's laughter and little Rickon's hugs. And most of all she needed Lady… But they were all gone now, and the only two that remained were out of her reach for the moment. It was just too much for Sansa. It hurt her to remember all she had lost. Tears filled her eyes as the Hound finally managed to start a fire after a low curse.

Sandor Clegane heard a sob and turned around to find the little bird hugging herself and starting to cry. Fuck. He was rooted to the spot where he stood and yet he wanted to go over and comfort her. Bloody hell, why is she crying now? He had never met anyone who could cry as much as Sansa Stark, and yet he could not blame her. She's been through enough ever since Joff decided to kill her father. Sandor had never care a rat's arse about Eddard Stark, but after he was beheaded there were many times when he found himself cursing the man for being honorable and getting himself killed and leaving his eldest daughter at the mercy of lions…

Sure, in the end the man had lied and died to save the little bird's precious life, but she had still suffered unjustly for her family's comings and goings, and though he had cursed her kin he had also cursed himself for standing there and letting her be beaten and exposed without being able to do anything.

And now that they were both free he still just stood there and watched as she cried. What's wrong now? Is she crying because she has only me with her? Sandor wondered… And yet, she comforted me the night of the battle though I did my best to scare the life out of her. I behaved worse than a dog to her and she still chose to come with me. He'd been practically broken and vulnerable when he went to her rooms, and even more so after she had closed her eyes when he offered to take her away from the city. Her initial refusal, along with the wine and the madness of the battle, had made him forget himself. She's been the only person to treat him as something more than just a Lannister dog, and to see her shy away from him in fear when he practically stated that he needed her… neither of them understood just what it had been he needed, but whatever it was he hadn't even known how to ask for it right. He had put his blade at her throat, and not for the first time he was loathe to remind himself, when he'd realized that he had pinned her to the bed and had even been tempted for a moment to take things further. But he hadn't, for which he was thoroughly relieved. If I ever do that to her, I will lose not only her but also myself. I'm not Gregor... He had wanted to rescue her from the Lannisters yes, but he had also wanted to go away with her by his side. It didn't matter if it probably wouldn't last long. That didn't change the fact that he had wanted her to choose to come with him... and she had. It wasn't like he owned her nor did he fool himself that the little bird wanted him. But for the present, somehow, she had ended up here with him…

Still, he had other things to consider. Sandor had cried when he realized that she was singing a prayer to the bloody Mother in fear of him. He had seen himself through her eyes then and just what a monster he was being to her. He had never felt more disgusted with himself or felt more like the vile dog everyone believed he wass, but the little bird had somehow put her fear aside and comforted him. Aye, by touching the side of my face with the burns… Even last night she had offered to clean his cut and had finally looked at his face without fear. That was what had broken him most, though not in a bad way. Sandor had never known such emotional nor intimate moments before in all his life. For as long as it took her to clean his cut as far as Sandor knew the world had stood still. He had wondered for the hundredth time what it would be like to kiss her; he had wondered how soft her cheeks would feel if he stroked them; how good it would feel to slide his hands through her hair; or how she would start moaning prettily if he ran his hands up her thighs… He had been trying for years to fool the world and himself that he had no compassion or kindness in him, nor any need for love. It was only to be expected after growing up in the manner in which to show a trace of humanity was considered a weakness. The little bird had robbed him of the standards he'd always lived up to with those two actions… He was bound to want to guard her forever now, he suspected. I owe her for that. I have to make it up to her. I must go to her now. But it wasn't really with a sense of repayment that he strode over to Sansa, but because he had felt bound to her ever since the night he had told her the truth about his face.

He grabbed the little bird firmly by the chin and raised her pretty little face up. He felt his habitual frown soften in spite of himself as he watched her blue eyes fill with tears and open wide as pigeon's eggs. And her mouth was opened in a little O making him want to kiss her with his own scarred one. Instead he forced himself to say, "Look at me and tell me what's the matter, little bird."

He saw her gulp and felt her hesitation. But in the end she said, "It's… it's just that I miss my mother."

Of course, and instead of her you only have me. He had tried to explain to her the reasons why they couldn't go to Riverrun right away as best he could, but he knew that those things were not what she would've wanted to hear. Well, bugger her mother. The woman was at Riverrun worrying about her son instead of how to get the little bird back. Sandor Clegane let go of her chin and hugged her.

It was more like a crush at first which startled her, but Sandor embraced her strongly and after a moment she actually rested her head in his chest and cried a little harder. She is so tiny, he thought with wonder.

The little bird had changed of late from the silly little fool he'd first laid eyes on in Winterfell. Her body was turning into that of a young woman and she was starting to get taller. But compared to him she was still very small.

Sandor rested one hand on her back and placed the other one on the back of her head. He made reassuring noises, and before long he learned why she was so sad.

"And I also miss my brothers and sister," she cried into his chest. "I know that I will never see Bran or Rickon again, but it still hurts. And father! I should've been a better daughter to him. The last time I spoke to him before he got arrested, I screamed at him. But how could I have known that things would turn out the way they did? Oh, I miss Arya and Lady..! I didn't spend as much time with either of them as I should have. It's not that I'm not grateful for your help, but it still hurts ever so much that I can't see mother or Robb who are still alive any time soon!" She looked up at his face then. "I know I said my parents and Robb were traitors, but you knew I didn't mean it. I only said it to avoid Joff's anger. I love them so much…"

"Of course I knew, little bird."

Even though she was crying and he was comforting her Sandor couldn't help but notice how her breasts were crushed against him. The sensation that aroused in him made him stifle a grunt with difficulty. Gods, I need wine!

He never knew how long he held her close to him. At first it was strange, he had never done anything like this before, but he got used to the feeling of holding her quick enough. It was the easiest thing in the world to hold her tight against him. And yet it made him bitter to think of how innocent the little bird had once been and how she had lost some of it by her experiences. Like I did once.

Sansa finally stopped crying. She had sobbed all her tears over the fact that she wasn't going to Riverrun for the present. At least we'll be far away from the Lannisters now, and we can send word to Robb somehow of where I am so they don't worry about me once they learn that I've escaped. I'll get to Riverrun eventually. I just have to be patient and wait a little while longer. She could see that the Hound was doing everything he could to keep her safe. The Hound! She broke out of her grieving reverie as she realized to whom she just had cried her heart out to. As she cried Sansa hadn't really thought about it, but now that she was better she looked up at Sandor Clegane's face. He would be the most unlikely person imaginable for most people to seek comfort from, and yet he had behaved splendidly with her, and it had felt so good to be comforted. And he didn't bark at me for crying either. Her last friend had been Jeyne Pool and the last hours they had spent together Sansa had comforted Jeyne, instead of the other way around. After Jeyne she had had to control her true emotions in case she woke Joffrey's anger. Yet now that she was free she didn't have to worry about that. The Hound may think me a silly little bird but he didn't ignore my grief or look uncomfortable or tell me to stop it. He is being nice, like a true friend. He isn't as terrible as everyone thinks he is or he would never have done everything he's done for me. He has my best interests at heart. He even went to my rooms and waited for me, risking getting caught just so he could take me away from the city… so he could save me.

Even now, he still held her even though she wasn't crying. It was too dark for her to see all the details of his burned face, yet she could see his eyes, and this time they didn't look angry or drunken or sullen. Suddenly she was reminded of the moment back in her rooms when she thought he was going to kiss her. He hadn't, and it all had suddenly gone wrong when she closed her eyes then. The moment was so strange that she could feel herself blushing. Sansa wasn't aware what to do or say next. She only knew for a certainty that she shouldn't close her eyes or look away.

She watched him with a new sort of fascination, and in that moment Sansa stopped being afraid of the Hound. Since fleeing he had changed a little and was not as horrid as he used to. Maybe he's been like this all the time but I had not noticed it till now. And maybe I've changed as well. Why, she hadn't ever thought of him as a protector until the day he saved her from the mob, even though she could see now that he had always tried his best to give her good advice and spare her from being beaten by backing up her lies! Still, if there was one thing she had learned in her time in King's Landing it was mistrust. It was hard for Sansa to allow herself to trust someone again after the way the Lannisters had repaid her love and trust. She had dared hope that Ser Dontos would help her escape, but not until it actually happened did she suppose she would have trusted him. I had been trapped in King' Landing for such long months, pinning my hopes on Dontos, while he only gave me slobbery kisses and unfulfilled promises. She had been longing for a man of action and now she could see the difference between a man who made promises and a man who acted. Dontos didn't have the courage or skill that Clegane had. At least I didn't risk killing Dontos. Her Florian. She wondered if she ought to tell the Hound about it...

But it wasn't that she didn't trust Sandor. She realized with a start that this was the first time she thought of him by his name alone… Regardless, Sansa trusted him more than all the people at court now. There were thousands of times when he could've hurt her or taken advantage of her, whether it was back at the Red Keep or here in the woods. Sansa knew now that the Hound had tried to restrain himself from hurting her back in her bed, as he loomed just above her, while she was crushed to the bed and the fear of him pointing his dagger at her had clashed with some instinct in her that told her he wouldn't really do her any harm. And he had also defied the Lannisters with helping her escape...

"You won't hurt me," Sansa said. It wasn't a question.

Clegane blinked and looked at her strangely. Then the shadow of a kind grin crossed his burned face. "No little bird. I won't hurt you. I'll keep you safe," he promised.

"Thank you," she murmured softly, shivering.

"Come to the fire," he rasped down at her, letting her go.

She nodded and walked towards it, immediately feeling better. The Hound went off to fetch Stranger and tie him up for the night. As Sandor Clegane tied the horse and caressed its head, she saw him whisper some soothing words into the big destrier's ear. Sansa had to know why he was doing this- risking the Lannisters fury and all. I hope they lost the battle. I hope Lord Stannis kills them all.

Clegane had come back and was roasting the hare on a stick. "I… I know why you couldn't stay longer in the battle," she told him, "but aren't you afraid what the queen or Joffrey might do to you not only for abandoning them, but for helping me escape? After all, you are a member of the Kingsguard. "

Sandor's voice was rough and hard as iron. "Bugger Joffrey, bugger the queen and bugger the Imp. I'm done with their city, done with their Kingsguard, done with the Lannisters. What's a dog to do with lions, I ask you? Or a little bird? Both get tired of being kicked and picked on. If I never see any of them again it will be too bloody soon… Another example of my good sense, not taking knightly vows. If I had I would be even more bound to them."

And finally Sansa Stark fully believed him. She couldn't say why, she just did. Something had happened to make her feel at ease with him and not afraid to speak her mind- a thing she thought she had forgotten how to do. She had never been completely relaxed around him, but somehow that had all changed after she had cupped his cheek back in her bedroom and had felt his tears. He doesn't belong with the Lannisters anymore. He chose to protect me instead. Ser Dontos might have been her Florian and promised to get her out of the city, but in the end it had been the Hound who hated knights who had rescued her from her golden cage. She still didn't really know why he was helping her, but she was so happy he was that she realized it didn't really matter. Whatever the reasons may be, he helped me. Maybe what I needed was a friend to help me, not a knight. And he needs a friend as well. Sansa smiled at him and said, "You won't regret leaving the Lannisters! Robb is ever so much nicer than them. You can join his cause and when he wins then you'll be greatly rewarded."

Suddenly she remembered the Hound's tale of the night of the battle. He had been very scared, yet somehow Sansa thought that it also required courage to go out and face the thing you dread most of all in this world three times. And he had also been concerned for his men and even the horses…. A responsible leader. Maybe Robb could even make him a commander of some of his men if she asked it of him nicely. My brother will surely need a man who is as good with a sword as him…

Sandor gave a snort of contempt. "If your brother doesn't take me he'd be wise to kill me, but he won't. Too much his father's son, from what I hear. If that happens I'll just laugh in his face and ride off. But if he has the wits the gods gave a toad, he'll beg me to enter his service. He needs me, though he may not know it yet. I'll even kill Gregor for him, he'd like that after all the trouble my brother has been causing. And if he wins maybe he'll make me a lordling. Either way you will be safe. But I am not looking to ransom you, little bird. I have enough gold from your father's tourney as it is."

"I am sure that he'll take you," she said confidently. "If he hesitates I'll make him see that he needs you. I promise." She could do that much. Robb may not like him at first, but she was in debt to Sandor Clegane.

He opened his mouth to say something, but must have thought better of it because instead he only laughed, the sound softer than before.

The hare was greasy and crackling after that and when it was ready the Hound ripped it in half and offered her one side. Whatever else might have happened that night, she was still a lady and didn't like to eat the greasy animal with her bare hands. But she was hungry, so she tried to at least eat it with decency.

"So where are we to find a ship to take us to White Harbor?" she asked him, nibbling at a leg, her brow wrinkling.

Clegane shrugged. "Well, to the east of the Kingswood lies the narrow sea, so I'm meaning for us to head to the coastline between Massey's Hook and Tarth. There are many fishing villages scattered there. One of them is bound to have a ship anchored there. And if we are lucky they won't know me, nor what happened at the Blackwater and how I deserted or that you're missing, and maybe one can take us to White Harbor or thereabouts as makes no matter… But we still have to be careful and keep to the thickest parts of these woods as much as possible because the lions have spies everywhere. Even if Stannis won the battle and sacked the city, you are very valuable. Your brother is too far away to have won the smallfolk's love south of the Reach. So they might turn on you if they realize who you are. But most won't. They are very remote villages and they will have heard more of Joffrey's dog than of you."

That reminded her of something she hadn't yet thanked him for. Yes, he had said that he didn't care about it anymore but still, he had been with Joff for years. He might have been horrible but after all, Joffrey Baratheon did seem fond of the Hound.

"What about the king?"

He knew she meant Joffrey. "What about him? He can die just fine on his own."

"But… you were his sworn shield."

"And you were going to be his queen," he mocked back.

Sansa stiffen. "I… I hate him," she finally confessed out loud, though she was sure the Hound had known this for quite some time now. Everyone did. "I hate all Lannisters. But you… Joffrey gave you a white cloak and yet you still decided to help me. No one else would've done it."

Sandor's eyes watched hers. "I'd do it again, little bird," he snarled.

A flush crept up her neck at that. "Thank you"

He gave a grunt and then she said, "Do you think that they'll suspect we fled together?

The Hound thought about that for a moment. "Well, no one expected me to leave the Lannisters- and least of all to take Joff's pretty little bird away with me, did they? Not even I did… But they fear me enough to leave me alone. They won't bother to look for me, but they will for you. It all depends on if they know you're with me. They are bound to at least suspect sooner or later even though I don't think anyone ever saw us talking alone back at the Red Keep. Still, if Stannis won then it might take them a little longer to notice we are gone, but unless they think I stole you for ransom, they will never think we ran off together… If the Lannisters destroyed Stannis though, well, they'll come to the same conclusions only quicker."

"Do you think Stannis would have harmed me if he'd won and the queen hadn't been able to order Ser Illyn to chop off my head?"

Sandor met her eyes. "Little bird, Stannis is a killer," he answered, and she could almost hear the rest of it. "The Lannisters are killers. Your father was a killer. Your brother is a killer. Your sons will be killers someday. The world is built by killers. So you better get used to looking at them."

Sansa understood. He always got his point across. Stannis wouldn't send her back to her family any more than the Lannisters had. It was a stupid question.

Sandor stood up. "It's time we got some sleep. Whoever won the battle, they'll be looking soon enough. We have to rest to keep our strength," he said, his voice sounding like two wood saws grinding together.

Sansa nodded and stood up as well. She grabbed the waterskin but instead of drinking from it she used the water to wipe the grease of dinner from her fingers. Sandor laughed at that and Sansa saw that the mocking glint was back in his eyes. She ignored him but he only laughed harder before laying out her bedroll for the night. She thanked Sandor curtly and settled down to rest for the night. She could hear Sandor tying his armor into the saddle, and she gave a quick thought of pity at how the poor destrier could carry so much weight and still seem as if he hadn't just spent the past days running all through the Kingswood in fear of pursuit.

Just as she was closing her eyes a wolf howled in the distance. It made Sansa feel safe. It sounds just like Lady, Sansa thought smiling.

A/N: Thank you and please review! I hope you're liking the story so far