Brienne and Arya returned late in the day, leading two horses saddled, bridled, and heavily laden with bundles. Podrick and Sansa went to help unload the horses as Arya slid to the ground and handed a flask to Sandor. "There's your wine."
"I told you to get a skin."
"I did. I just thought you might want something smaller than a skin to drink from. Or were you planning to drink it all tonight?"
He glared at her, then cracked the flask open and took a deep swallow. "And did you get…"
Arya pointed to the horses, where Sansa had found a small package tied to her sister's saddle. She unwrapped it and stared with surprise, then ran over to Sandor. "You told Arya to get me a lemon cake."
"Best enjoy it," said Sandor. "It may be the last one you ever see."
She broke a piece off and tasted it, then offered pieces to Arya and the Hound. "Isn't that delicious?"
"It's all right," said Arya. She looked up at Sandor. "It's good you didn't go to the town with us. There was a crier announcing the bounties on you."
He frowned. "Bounties?"
"I'm afraid so." Brienne joined them. "The Lannisters are offering a hundred silver stags, and Petyr Baelish will pay three hundred silver stags for your head, and five hundred if you're taken alive."
"And the girls?"
"No bounties, but a promise of the favor of the Lord Protector of the Vale if they're returned to the Eyrie unharmed." Brienne bit her lip. "No one noticed Arya and me, but if you or Sansa had gone into that town, we would have been taken before we reached the market. A lot of people were talking about you and what you look like." She sounded grimly amused. "They couldn't seem to agree on which side of your face had been burned, but they have a fair idea of your appearance, and of Sansa's. There aren't many redheads in Westeros."
Sansa and Arya were staring anxiously at the Hound and he forced himself to say calmly, "Well, we won't be going into any towns then. We have enough to carry us a good long way from here, and when we need more, we'll just do as we did today. Now where's that skin of wine?"
They made a good meal that night, grilling chops over the fire. Sandor looked askance at the meat, but Brienne said they would have more than enough of traveling rations before they were done and she wanted the girls to have some fresh food when there was a chance. She had also purchased a little fruit, and when Sansa had shared her lemon cake, they all felt more content than they had in days.
Except for the Hound. Brienne set Podrick to scouring the dishes after they finished eating, then the two of them started going over the supplies and equipment and sorting it for packing in the morning. Sandor just sat by the fire, staring into the flames, his mind in turmoil.
Sansa came to sit next to him. "You look worried."
"I'm a walking bag of silver." He avoided her eyes. "I'm thinking it may be time we parted ways."
Arya had followed her sister and now she sat on the other side of the Hound. "You don't have to worry about the bounties. I told Brienne if she tried to collect them, I would cut off her head and hang it in a tree. And I'll kill Podrick too."
"Arya! You don't mean that!" Sansa was genuinely shocked and her sister blew out her breath in exasperation.
"Sansa, how do you think I've stayed alive this long? I didn't want you to know, but maybe it's better you do. I've had to kill people, do you understand? Kill them dead because they were going to kill me. And if Brienne tries to hurt us, I'm going to put her on my list and kill her too." Her voice was very low, but there was a disturbing intensity to it.
Sansa looked helplessly at Sandor. "Is this true?" He nodded and she said, "Arya, those names you say every night…"
"They're on my list. If I ever get the chance, I'm going to kill them all."
Sansa burst into tears. "This is all my fault." Sandor and Arya stared at her in astonishment as she sobbed, "If I had told the truth about Joffrey, we'd all be safe at home in Winterfell. Lady would still be alive, even your friend the butcher's boy…"
Sandor put his arm around Sansa. "None of this is your fault, little bird. You did what you thought was right at the time. That's all anybody can do."
"Sansa, I don't blame you for Mycah. I don't even blame Sandor any more. It was all Joffrey's doing, and now he's dead." Arya patted her sister's hand and Sansa leaned against the Hound and tried to calm herself.
"That isn't much comfort. Oh, Arya, everything is so wrong now. We don't have anything left."
"You have each other," said the Hound gruffly. "You see what my brother did to me. My own brother. You're supposed to love your brother, protect him and help him...I never had that. At least your sister loves you. That has to be worth something."
Sansa caught Arya's hand. "It is. I'm sorry, Arya...I'm so sorry...for everything."
"It's all right, Sansa. Really it is. I'll probably never see anybody from that list anyway."
The Hound looked from one girl to the other. "There. All better now. And when I'm gone…"
"You're not going anywhere," said Arya calmly.
Sandor took a deep breath. "There's too much money to be made off me, and I'm far too easily spotted with this face. I'm a danger to you now."
"I don't care." Arya stood up. "I'm going to make sure Podrick hobbles the horses right. Don't even think of leaving, because if you do I'll follow you wherever you go." She walked off and the Hound scowled.
"Your sister is the most stubborn unreasonable little…"
"Yes, she is," said Sansa. She wiped her eyes and sat up straight. "But she's right. You can't leave us, Sandor. You're the only one I feel safe with."